Guzman hadn't lied. The team was ambushed by wolves twice before reaching the edge of the woods. Luckily, neither group had more than six large carnivores and was quickly dispatched by the team.

As a result, Aidan's authority had gone up to six, his small arms to five, his psionics to five, targeting to four, and by the time they made it to the tree line, even his athletics had gone up to two. As a result, he was already more than two-thirds of the way to level three.

As the envoy's skills increased, he could feel marginal improvements in them. Now he could sense the emotions of individual members of his team, his telekinetic abilities didn't cost as much mana, and he was faster on the draw with his rifle. There was nothing earth-shattering in his progress, but he could see the path to being superhuman before him.

Guzman gathered the group into a loose circle just before entering the woods. Aidan sensed a relaxed readiness in the group. Even Agerwal seemed content. His wound had healed, and the bandages had been removed. Where once there had been mangled flesh, there was nary a scar to indicate he had been injured.

"Alright, we made it without any serious incident," Guzman started his brief. "The humanoids we've come to see are further into the forest. We've observed that they don't venture this close to the edge. Their perimeter begins in the deeper, darker part of the woods."

Aidan's old friend gave him a look. "Steele, since this is your first time seeing our neighbors, I'll warn you. They're humanoid, but they aren't human by any means. They're short bastards with gray skin and glowing eyes. They're classified as tier-seven, class four entities by the scientists, which in layman's terms, they're pre-industrial sentients that didn't exist on Earth before the System."

The envoy nodded his understanding. "Do we have any idea about their society or culture?"

"Not much," Guzman admitted. "They look like a hunter-gatherer society. They wear a bunch of scavenged equipment of unknown origin."

The trooper inclined his head toward Weir. "You have anything to add, Weir? You're our resident tech dork."

The men chuckled at Guzman's casual abuse.

"Not really," the tech trooper shrugged. "When we ran into them the last time, I wasn't a much higher level than you, Steele. They had the whole apocalyptic vibe goin' on. Some of their gear looked like garbage, while others were clearly more advanced than ours. If we can, I'd like to get some samples of their equipment to return to the specialists back in camp."

Aidan reluctantly nodded. He didn't have much confidence in starting a conversation with the locals. Something in his mood must have filtered over to Astra because she tried to encourage him.

Trust yourself, envoy. This is precisely what your class is meant to do. I'll help with some of the language analysis. Your psionic intuition will add context to my own processing, and we'll be able to translate some words based on a relatively small sample size.

Thanks, Astra. Aidan replied before addressing Guzman.

"If we're trying to get some gear, did we bring anything to trade?"

Guzman nodded. "I don't know what the locals will be interested in, but I brought a few bars of gold, extra rations, and a few extra pistols."

Aidan raised an eyebrow at the mention of weapons.

"Don't worry, man," Weir assured him. "I outfitted the pistols with an IFF system and a remote shutoff. If they try and point the weapons at us, they'll stop working."

That's actually impressive for the man's level, Astra commented.

Aidan was just relieved that he wouldn't be getting shot while trying to negotiate. He wondered if his own equipment had a friend-or-foe system installed. If so, he'd be asking Astra to disable it. Being an envoy was going to be stressful enough without the risk of his weapons not working if he needed them to.

"Alright, sounds like there's nothing else to talk about," Aidan resolved. "I'll lead the way and try to feel out the locals."

He looked around the assembled men and considered how they should be deployed. He glanced at the tightly packed trees with a measure of distaste. The terrain was ripe for an ambush, and there were two schools of thought regarding forest patrols.

You either stayed tight so that you had a clear view of the entire team. That kept you from being picked off but made you vulnerable to an ambush. The other strategy was to stay dispersed. There was less chance of all getting killed at once, but in the absence of comms, someone could get lost, separated from the group, or picked off entirely.

Decision made, he briefed the team. "This is a diplomatic mission, so let's stay tight. Weapons ready, but fire only when ordered or if you're actively taking fire yourself. If shit seems like it's about to hit the fan, the code word will be wolves."

The group voiced their acknowledgment, so Aidan turned and entered the forest. The terrain wasn't as bad as he expected. The tightly packed trees choked out much of the ground vegetation, and soon Aidan stumbled upon a game trail he decided to follow. It went in the direction they wanted, likely leading them to water. If there was a hunter-gatherer society in residence, they would probably be centered around any water source.

As he walked, he kept a look out for bear scat and cat droppings. It was springtime, and bears would emerge from their dens to look for a meal. With the unusual size of the dire wolves, Aidan had to assume the bears could be the size of his Jeep. Meanwhile, wild cats were dangerous year-round. They liked to stalk their prey and would likely find the team before they were discovered themselves.

They had been walking for about half an hour when the envoy heard leaves crunching in the distance. He held up a fist and slightly raised his rifle. His team followed suit, and Aidan could sense the thrum of alertness that ran through the group.

With a conscious effort, he reached out with his psionic powers to try and sense further afield than just the members of his team. His mind touched on a dozen presences that felt alien to him. It was hard to explain, but if human emotions felt like water shifting, these minds felt like rocks crumbling. He knew the comparison didn't make sense, but it was the best words he could find to describe the sensation.

He wasn't surprised when small gray shadows coalesced from the deep shade of the trees. As a general rule, the locals had skin the color of ash with shockingly white hair. Large golden eyes seemed to glow against their smoke-colored sclera. They had pointed ears that were downturned at the edges. Aidan saw how the ears twitched at every sound the human warriors made.

They were short, surprisingly so. The tallest among them topped out at four feet. Aidan subtly lowered his rifle even more. Holding it at the ready meant he practically pointed the weapon at their heads. Their height and youthful faces gave them a childlike innocence that contrasted their otherwise alien appearance.

Their equipment was exactly how Weir and Guzman had described. For the most part, they wore leather clothing. The craftsmanship was exquisite and spoke of an advanced society. Sewn into the leather were pieces of various metals and other composites. There wasn't a single of the humanoids that looked alike in their manner of ornamentation. It was an eclectic assortment of accessories broken up by bright splashes of color in the form of vibrant paints, freshly picked flowers, or scavenged bird feathers.

Their weapons were even more varied. Some were carrying primitive spears made from random materials. While others seemed to be wielding miniature rifles and shotguns. He spotted one local sporting what appeared to be a wrist-mounted cannon.

With a glance, Aidan started taking in their levels and classes.

Lvl 15 Gnome Engineer

Lvl 20 Gnome Hunter

Lvl 18 Gnome Mechanic

Lvl 16 Gnome Artificier

Lvl 21 Gnome Scavenger

…

The list continued, and Aidan counted at least a dozen gnomes. What surprised him was that there wasn't a single pure combat class among them. In fact, they appeared to be a society of crafters and mechanics. The realization was a pleasant one. After all, there might be something to trade—protection in exchange for technical expertise.

A lone gnome stepped on the path and blocked Aidan's team from progressing. Aidan routinely scanned him.

Lvl 21 Gnome Armorer

The gnome was one of the older members of his group. He had a bald head, bushy eyebrows, and a long white beard.

"Look, it's old man Guzman," Agerwal joked before being silenced by Aidan's glare.

The gnome leader glanced in confusion at Agerwal’s words but then turned his eyes to Aidan. He seemed to identify the envoy as the leader of the intruders. He raised his hand in a stopping motion.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Me bo e' kul mes fheika," the leader said firmly.

Aidan reached out with his psychic abilities to get a feel for the gnome leader. He was surprised to feel barely concealed fear beneath the man's gruff exterior. As if the man could feel Aidan's intrusion, he leveled a shotgun-looking weapon at Aidan.

“Stek e'cuimheek e-steech ku mu cheem,” he shouted.

His motion caused a wave of activity in humans and the gnomes. The gray-skinned locals were all brandishing their weapons, and the troopers were likewise picking targets. Only Aidan kept his rifle aimed at the dirt.

I can't tell exactly what he's saying, but he appears to be telling you to stop, Astra helpfully informed.

Aidan rolled his eyes before glancing over his shoulder.

"Weapons down," he quickly ordered. He waited until the team members reluctantly complied before turning back to the gnome leader.

He raised a hand in peace. "I'm sorry, I was only trying to communicate," Aidan calmly explained while trying to bolster the meaning behind his words with the use of psionics. He knew his words meant nothing to the gnome, but he hoped the leader could sense his intentions.

Psionics increased to level 6! You have earned 30 experience.

The gnome armorer slowly lowered his own weapon and then barked out a command to the rest of his people, "lughkeoch ne h-eorm eged."

Aidan breathed a sigh of relief as the other gnomes lowered their weapons.

With his eyes still on Aidan, the leader called another gnome from the side. The short-haired male was a relatively high-level hunter.

"thuir leet meoghstor en eonmhokh," the leader instructed quietly before addressing Aidan.

"faoroch moumeod"

Based on my analysis, he's asking us to wait. Astra informed.

Aidan nodded before instructing his own companions. "He's asking us to wait. Stow your weapons, and let's take a chow break."

"You sure?" Guzman questioned.

"Yeah," Aidan assured his friend. "Food brings everyone together."

The team stowed their weapons in their inventory, and Aidan followed suit. The gnome leader gaped at the disappearing items and looked at them carefully as if to discern where they had hidden the equipment.

Aidan took a wheat cake from his inventory and carefully unwrapped it from the paper packaging. He took an experimental bite and chewed it thoughtfully while he watched the gnomes. The envoy had never considered the System would include fantasy races in its recreation of the world. He had assumed the humanoids Guzman referred to were aliens or some mutated version of humanity.

The gnomes appeared similar in temperament to what he knew from video games and in fiction. There was a mischievous intelligence to their eyes that was more pronounced in the younger members. A palpable curiosity and wonder from the gnomes reminded Aidan again of children, but he knew that appearances could be deceiving. Gnomes were commonly known to be clever and potentially ruthless adversaries. He took another bite before proffering the honey-covered cake to the gnome leader.

The leader narrowed his eyes and seemed unsure of how to proceed. Aidan merely smiled and waited. He was willing to be patient if it meant a more favorable outcome. Eventually, the leader relented. He walked over and gently took the cake from Aidan. There was a pregnant silence from the rest of the gnome patrol.

The leader took a cautious bite as if it could be poisoned. After reluctantly chewing a couple of times, his eyes widened with surprised pleasure.

"The seu neth!" he exclaimed.

He likes it, Astra commented.

Another gnome rushed over, swiped the cake from his leader's hand, and took a bite himself. The gnome armorer cuffed the younger man on the ear and started shouting, but the agile youth dodged further blows. He was quickly surrounded by other gnomes who began trying to take the cake away.

Aidan pulled out another cake and offered it to the leader, who accepted it gratefully.

“E bheol berrechk egek?” The gnome questioned.

I think he's asking for more, envoy.

Aidan nodded and called Guzman over. "Hey, Guzman, can you pull out a bunch of the wheat cakes? They seem to be a hit with the gnomes."

Stunned at the locals' behavior or Aidan's apparent success, Guzman walked over and started pulling out more of the wheat cakes from his inventory. He stacked a couple dozen of them on the ground, and soon gnomes lined up to take a couple of cakes each. They munched on the wheat cakes and happily chatted with each other. A peaceful air soon settled among the group as everyone ate their food and lounged about as they continued to wait.

"Hey, Steele," Agerwal began with an interested look toward the gnomes.

"What's up?" the envoy answered.

"I thought gnomes were supposed to be the garden variety that kept pests out of your yard and generally looked creepy."

Aidan shrugged and was about to answer when Faraj cut in.

"They weren't always considered that way," the doc answered in Aidan's stead. "They've been a part of English myths for more than five hundred years and even longer in my own culture. We call them jaan al a'rd, or djinn of the earth."

"So how did they become part of people's yard decorations?" Agerwal continued.

"I don't know the particulars," Doc Faraj shrugged, "but representations of familiar fairy tales and legends have evolved over time. If I had to guess, I'd blame the Catholics."

Guzman laughed, "People always blame the Catholics for everything."

"In games, they're seen as traders and inventors," Aidan noted for the benefit of the group. "They're curious, clever, and a bit mischievous. If the System created them, I bet they're a mash-up between our legends and what pop culture describes them to be. We should be friendly but wary."

Solemn nods were shared among the team, but their discussion was interrupted when a female gnome atop a giant badger barreled down the game trail toward them. Startled, the team drew and raised their weapons, but the envoy waved them down. Even if the animal was large by typical standards, the rider-mount combo was still only as tall as an average human. There didn’t appear to be a threat, so Aidan inspected the rider as a matter of habit.

Lvl 5 Gnome Beastmaster

AI Operations has increased to level 4! You have earned 20 experience.

Aidan was surprised that they had called for a young girl. He had been expecting someone with authority to come to greet their group. The girl slid out of her saddle and approached the older gnome. The envoy watched as the leader exchanged a few sentences with the girl. He saw the girl's golden eyes flick between him and the gnome leader every now and then. He could tell that he was the subject of their conversation. After a few more exchanges, the girl nodded and stepped around the armorer to stand in front of Aidan. She screwed up her face and looked like she was concentrating intensely.

Aidan was confused, but he felt a psionic brush against his mind. It suddenly became clear why the girl had been called for. As a beastmaster, she needed to be able to communicate with animals. Evidently, that method was psionic in nature. Aidan tried to imagine reaching out with his own mind in the equivalent of a mental handshake.

Did it work? He heard a tentative voice in his head.

I think so, he replied calmly.

The girl's eyes widened in shock, and she spouted some words in her own language.

She said, "It's working. I can communicate with the human," Astra said.

Can she hear you? Aidan asked his AI companion.

No, we don't communicate psychically. We talk through the System itself.

Then how do you understand her?

Aiden heard the AI sniff as if he were asking a stupid question. She's connected to you via a psychic link. I can follow that link to translate what she's saying. This is good, Astra assured him. I'll be able to solve their language much faster this way.

You have unlocked Linguistics! Would you like to take this skill? Y/N

Astra? Aidan questioned.

Yeah, you should take the skill, she advised. Until your faction can build some kind of universal translator, you'll need to be able to speak with sentients in other languages. Plus, the skill will help hide my presence. Diplomats are known to have the linguistics skill.

Aidan nodded and mentally confirmed the skill selection. He wasn't sure how many skills he was allowed to have and resolved to ask Astra later. For now, the girl was translating for her leader.

You’re the strangest elves I’ve ever seen, the girl commented. Why are your ears so round? Why are you using guns instead of bows? What is that strange armor made of? What are elves doing so far South?

Aidan held up a hand to pause the flood of questions. He was surprised that there were elves in the system. However, if there were gnomes, it shouldn’t be a shock that other fantasy races were represented.

We’re not elves, he answered. We’re humans.

I haven’t met any humans before. The girl said thoughtfully. Why have you come to our home? She asked.

We come in peace, Aidan answered. We're neighbors who want to open up trade and learn about the land around us.

The girl frowned as she relayed the envoy's words to her people. With Astra's help, Aidan saw his linguistics skill rapidly leveling up. He found that he could start understanding a comment every now and then. This kind of power leveling almost felt like cheating.

Farryn says that they'd be willing to trade for more of the delicious food that you brought, the girl finally translated. Aidan could hear the curiosity in her voice, so he handed her another wheat cake he had pulled from his inventory. She accepted the gift with a dimpled smile but didn't open it.

We have plenty of wheat cakes from where that came from. Aidan confidently said. We'd like to trade for information and samples of some of your salvaged equipment.

He waited as the girl translated his offer to the older gnome. He didn't seem opposed to the proposal, but Aidan could sense that something was holding him back from agreeing.

Farryn says he doesn't have the authority to approve something like that. The girl's words confirmed what Aidan sensed.

However, the girl continued. We can introduce you to our leaders if you return to our home. They're responsible for all trade that runs through the town, and I’m sure they’d like to meet humans.

Let me talk to my people first, Aidan demurred.

The girl nodded, so Aidan turned to Guzman. He noticed his friend looked confused, and the envoy hurried to explain. "Sorry, the girl can communicate telepathically. She's translating terms from the gnomes."

Realization crossed Guzman's featured. "Nice, so what do they want?"

"Well, they're interested in our food for some reason. The gnome leader, Farryn, doesn't have the authority to make trade deals, but they've offered to take us to their village to meet their leadership."

"Are we sure we want to do that?" The heavy trooper, Wang, asked.

"I think it's worth a shot," Aidan shrugged. "If you've noticed, there hasn't been a combat class among the gnomes, and trading food for salvaged technology seems like a good deal to me."

Guzman thought it over. "Yeah, it's probably worth seeing where they're based. We've all made progress to the next level on the march over, so we're not in danger of losing any levels if we die and respawn." The trooper gestured to the equipment that the gnomes were wearing. "If we can get some of their gear in exchange for some mere wheat cakes, then even better."

Aidan agreed with the assessment but polled the rest of the team. "Any objections?"

"No, they seem largely peaceful, and historically they're seen as protectors of humanity rather than antagonists," Faraj opined.

"Yeah, I'll die of shame if I get beaten by a bunch of fun-sized engineers," Agerwal agreed.

"You already know my feelings," Weir shrugged. "We need more tech to make progress with our own."

Only Wang seemed unsure. "I don't like going to their town, but I trust you."

Authority increased to level 7! You have earned 35 experience.

Aidan nodded at his team before talking to the gnome girl.

We've decided to come with you.

The girl nodded that she understood before translating to her boss. Farryn smiled and then barked out an order to the rest of the gnomes. All around them, the gnome patrol melted into the woods as if they were never there in the first place. Despite himself, Aidan was impressed with the gnomes' ability to move so stealthily.

When they were gone, Farryn gestured for Aidan and his group to follow. The gnome beastmaster scrambled back on top of her badger and guided her mount to the side of the path. With a last glance at his team, the humans followed their gnome guides deeper into the forest.