4 – Riverfield! Town? City?

“...Then, thousands of years of trade later, you have that.” she finished.

“Neat.” I made a thoughtful expression. I hadn’t heard a word. “What about currency?” I had to make sure my riches worked in this world.

“Usage of coins were widespread by the Dwarf Kings. Every nation has their own version, only adding their national symbols.” She summoned three coins. One brown, one silver and a golden, thicker coin.

“Copper, mostly used in day to day expenditures; food, gate taxes, expendable tools. Silver, staying at an inn, purchasing livestock, long term tools. Globally, one hundred coppers make a silver. Some countries use a thicker copper coin that go for 50 simple ones, same for silver. Gold, however, is reserved for more ‘permanent’ things. Land, a store, crafting permits; things that would be useful for settling down as an individual. Most educational institutions deal in gold, such as Universities, Academies, and others that offer specific education. One hundred silver is one gold coin.” she put her money away.

“Then we have platinum plaques. Those are used among businesses for large purchases, renting large amounts of land and transactions of that nature. One platinum plaque is worth one hundred gold coins. Countries deal with large amounts of platinum plaques.” she was staring in front of her while talking.

“Can I see them?” I asked, extending a hand.

“Here.” she summoned them back out and dropped them on my open palm.

The copper coin was thin as a five cents coin. It had markings on its border much like modern coins, with a pickax on one side, and a ship on the other. The silver one was practically identical except for the material and the size, being slightly thicker and wider, but not by much. The gold coin, however, was thick and twice the size of the copper coin. The pickax and ship depicted in the same fashion. I took a glove off and held the coin in my palm.

I had been ignoring it, but my skin color had solidified the past few days, making me gulp as I recalled the actress from Goldfinger as she was covered in gold. Though, in my case, it looked incredibly healthy instead of a substance that would poison me. The coin was, surprisingly, a shade duller than my own gold, even without me having the shine that metal had.

“Good thing you’re wearing loads of armor, otherwise you’d be a small sun with the amount of glow you’d emit.” she had seen me comparing my skin with the coin, grinning after joking.

I hope that's a joke.

“Good to know.” I returned the coins and summon my own. “Would this one work?” I offered the single gold piece.

“Yeah, no problems.” she took a single look. “Just don’t break the economy.”

“How would anyone know if they’re not counterfeit?” I asked, eyeing my coin. It was chubbier and only had a seven pointed star on one side, different from the image files the game showed.

“That is considered Halve currency. You all carry the same coin. It has an E’er trace unique to currencies. Courtesy of the universe, I guess.” She explained, pointing at my coin.

“Why no breaking the economy?” I ask, storing the coin back.

“Come on.” she rose a brow and smiled. “That armor looks like it would be a national treasure by aesthetic standards alone. Same with your spear. I don’t know much about Halves, but one thing is clear.” she took a dramatic pause. “Something happens before you are born into this world. No one has ever witnessed a Halve’s birth, or reported such a happening. Where do these possessions come from? Massive wealth, weapons and armor beyond what even master craftsmen can make.” she looked at me. “And where do you learn languages, definitions, the specific set of skills that can be recognized as a class.” her face relaxed into a smile. “Does it not make you wonder?”

“I have no clue how it works, to be honest.” I kept the where to myself. “Maybe cosmic beings, or E’er is sentient?” I shrugged. “Why do you always gravitate towards existential topics like that?” I asked, my eyebrows knitting. “True, it’s an interesting topic and the mechanics behind it all do make me curious, but remember, I woke up not even a week ago.” I gestured to the surroundings. “My priorities are more concrete at the moment.”

“Yes, I get that.” she sighed. “Can’t help it. I’m a scholar, the thirst for knowledge is addicting.” she deflated slightly.

“As I see it, it’s not the only thing you’re thirsting over.” I smirked at her.

She blushed slightly. “Well, can you blame me?” she snorted and crossed her arms. “You’re a fine specimen.”

“A specimen?” I let laughter overtake me. “You have no subtlety.” I wiped small tears forming at the edges of my eyes.

“Pardon?” she turned to me in mock offense. “I’ll have you know it’s worked so far with men.”

“I’m no man, though?” it was my turn to play offended. “You saw me naked in the river.” Then I remembered my now hidden new companion, whose existence I almost forgot due to the fact that it was shrunk underneath my underwear. “Bar the penis, I look like a female no matter how you slice it.”

“Ah, yes. Those shapely breasts.” she started, drawing herself closer and whispering in my ear. “Those toned legs and arms that look strong, yet flexible.” she rested a hand on my own. I noticed I hadn’t put the plated glove back on. A thought that quickly melted along with her voice. “Those sculpted abs. That bubbly butt, which I’m sure is as strong as those luscious thick thighs. How I would lick it all over and take you to heaven.” she breathed slowly into my ear. I felt the few hairs on my body rise along with a tickle at the base of my brain that threatened to melt reason.

I silently hoped with all my heart the golden tone of my skin would hide the blush on my face.

I simply nodded. “That’s better.”

What felt like an intense and personal, albeit short, ASMR session left my heartbeat surprisingly calm.

Damn these sensitive ears. I was both flustered and surprised inside. I must keep her away from my chest at all costs.

She gave me a shit eating grin. “And that has worked with women.” she let out a hearty laugh at my silence, retaking her position at her side of the cart seat.

“I must ask.” I began. She turned to me as I hesitated. “A… are men…” I cleared my throat. My next question would weigh my opinion on potential partners. “You know...” I fixed my posture. “Dominating in bed?”

As soon as I finished my sentence, she exploded in laughter.

“HAHAHA!! OOHHAHAHAHA!” she laughed so hard she was wheezing, squeaking, gasping. All the works. Sneaking glances my way every time her laughter was subsiding only to burst again.

Well, that’s a no. A smudge of disappointment darkened my heart.

She stood a few times only to bounce about and dance a little. She choked three times, taking water I offered. She was red as a tomato and tears streamed down her face. She opened her mouth when the excess laughter cramped her cheeks, and started actively fighting the laughter when her stomach began to ache.

I just nodded along and sadly chuckled for the entire thirty minutes she spent rioting in joy.

When she succeeded in the herculean task of calming down, she plopped a hand on my shoulder.

“Please.” she began, a short fit of giggles preventing her from continuing. I didn’t interrupt, though. “Please don’t tell me you’re submissive.” she was smiling as wide as her facial muscles allowed.

“I’m not.” I shook my head.

“So you just like it rough?” she asked, coughing a few times.

“Pretty much.” I said begrudgingly.

“Well, maybe you don’t know yet. You do have a penis, so yeah...” she sighed, patting her chest. “Ayayay. That was a good laugh.” she yawned, stretching and leaning back on the seat.

I want to laugh too. Though my situation was utterly tragic, I could see how funny it was. I choose to take deep breaths.

“This better stay between us.” I said.

She just gave me a thumbs up and closed her eyes, soon falling asleep, not before leaning on my side. I summoned a pillow and let her head rest on my lap.

I released a deep sigh. Her complexion was looking better thanks to the potions she consumed. I didn’t know if too many potions were bad or what. Her malnourished body had gained a better color and she didn’t look like a zombie anymore, compared to the first time I saw her.

Based on her initial reaction, health potions might be expensive. The first one had been a lower level one, supposedly healing a small chunk of damage with a thirty second effect that further healed the same amount over time. The result here, however, was surprising. Wounds disappeared along with bruises and broken bones. The shittiest potion healed her broken finger in a matter of seconds. I wondered what the best would do.

Recover lost limbs? Mortal wounds? I let my imagination soar. Though if there’s any logic to it, the drinker has to be conscious for the body to heal.

I searched my inventory for the resurrection scrolls, and to my surprise, instead of being in the hundreds for emergency pick ups in dungeons, raids or junctions as I remember having, there were none.

Is it to avoid abuse? So it’s not that easy? I pondered for a few minutes. In that case, why such a high level? Why my main character and not my healer focused cleric? That bitch could mass resurrect. I smirked at the though. Maybe too much.

I thought back on my other characters and realized they all had main skills that would challenge reality. Though if my Lancer class was any indication, some feats would be completely changed or nerfed. A game mechanic as basic as projectiles bouncing from enemy to enemy might aswell not exist in this world in the same way. Unless you take into account this miraculous thing that is E’er.

Mhm. How about class restriction.

I summoned my archer’s mythical bow. A two meter long weapon materialized in my hands. The material was a flexible stone-like substance that had a marble like texture just as the flavor text suggested. The string was supposedly taken from the world tree, which I highly doubted was brought to reality.

Taking aim, I pulled the string with surprising ease. To my utter shock, an arrow materialized once the string was pull taut. I slowly relaxed my string arm, not firing the projectile. I did not know even the basics of archery. If the arrow flew off to Riverfield, that’d be pretty dangerous. I did not want to kill people by accident. At least not again.

After returning the bow, a staff that looked quite similar to my pike came out. Instead of a blade, the tip had floating gemstones and the opposite end had a fist sized red jewel. Supposedly crafted from the same Demon God, the staff was extremely useful for a single class in the entire game, a Geomancer. Intrigued by a magical class oriented weapon, I used my Geass of Information Dominion, or whatever its true name was.

[+100 Alma Stoneweaver (Mythical) {Ascension Lvl 10}](E’er Efficiency SSS+)(Durability S)-E’er Efficiency + 100% ({Lvl 10 Ruby}x10)-Spell Intensity +20% (Enchantment)-INT + 250-WIS + 200-CON + 180-Shifts Geo Formula for weight values*T^2=0.001TE-Petrification Formula*(TL/2+TW+TI)/100=PR-Petrified enemies become (TW/2) % more brittle-When a petrified enemy dies, it shatters, damaging enemies in TL/5 m for PAWx10-INT + 250 (Transmutation)-WIS + 250 (Transmutation)-DEX + 250 (Transmutation)-Using Geo Formula, (MW/5) % is transformed into a shield around you

“What in the flying fuck?” I said under my breath.

I felt my brow knit at the absolute cluster fuck this weapon turned into. Petrification? That’s new. I once again felt a slight pain behind my eyes. Math is not for me. For a second, I regretted not having honed my skill with numbers beyond the basics. But then, I remember the fulfilling life being an artist allowed me to have.

However. There was a stinging pull at the back of my heart accompanied by a mild nausea. This was not Earth anymore, nor was it a game. These ‘game mechanics’ were now a part of reality, whether I sucked at math or not, it wouldn’t change to accommodate me.

What if I faced a stronger enemy that uses magic, or E’er as they called it here? Would I understand enough to know what to do? Could I really just go about with just instincts and overwhelming violence? Perhaps. Would I die because of my ignorance? Most likely. This is not a pg-13 world. My first interaction with a human was them trying to kill me. I could consider myself lucky the power difference was so large.

I noticed my eyes stung as a few tears ran down my face. The frustration that comes when one feels stupid, something I had not experienced in many years. The anger that comes with said frustration reared its ugly head. What do artistic skills matter when I can't understand if the equation in front of me is simple or not? Though I’d never seriously consider myself stupid, I was painfully aware the abilities I developed with much effort were not really useful in my current situation. I had a retarded amount of money, I realistically didn’t need to work anymore. I could buy a country and have spare money for a few others.

Would that make me happy? Just sitting around, doing nothing. Not at all. What I really wanted, even if it sounded childish, was to explore this brand new world I knew nothing about. To quench that thirst that plagued humanity the last few centuries. Born too late to explore the world, born too early to explore the stars.

The Elf resting on my lap said my kind live for thousands of years. Would I hold on for that long living behind safe walls? No. It would be an exciting life if I went around, meeting new people. Maybe I could find people from my world. The thought was not that far-fetched. If my gut was right, Halves were people from other worlds, holding onto that secret with dear life. Most could very well be newly born entities. But the chance was there. Even the wild thought of my fellow friends from the game having been brought here crossed my mind, but that would be a fat chance. Better not cling to false hope.

I hiccuped as I wiped the tears from my face with some joke item napkins. Better out than clog inside.

I put the staff away, taking out the continuation of the journals I began reading last night. Even if just a little, crying always clears the mind.

And surely enough, as the day darkened with the coming of late evening, I finished the sixth volume and Lapia was beginning to rouse from her nap, I noticed tall walls in the distance.

“Good morning sleepyhead.” I whispered in her ear as I caressed her head and gently nudged her shoulder. “Riverfield is in sight.”

Her ear twitched a little and she slowly opened her eyes. She smiled and sighed.

“This pillow feels divine.” she yawned. “And your voice is even better, silvery and smokey at the same time.” sitting up, she took a juice I offered from my inventory, along with a dumpling.

“I know, right?” I touched my throat. A few quick memories of comments about my vocal prowess flashed in my mind. I took pride in my voice, not minding vanity.

“What would I give to have you wake me up everyday.” she said, smirking at me.

“That one was pretty good.” I admitted. Feeling a small heat in my chest, a smile forming on my face.

I noticed the city walls in the distance were actually massive, easily reaching hundreds of meters. I was baffled for a few seconds. Right, magic. I reminded myself. The ivory white was a stark contrast to the greenery of the forest and the blue sky. The two suns bathing the view, making for a surreal sight. I let out a breath of amazement.

“Pretty, isn’t it?” she said, staring at the city.

“True.” was all I could say.

As we got closer, the forest gave way to open land. The river flowed into an underground tunnel, clearly man-made. The ground that wasn’t road had vibrant green grass growing, with the occasional tree popping here and there. Roads that surrounded the forest connected to the one we were using, and we passed a few crossroads with poles that held signs informing of which direction was what city, town, port and many more.

A particularly large sign that showed up frequently read ‘Riverfield Ahead’ in different languages.

As I marveled on the expansive stretch of land around us, we had neared the city gates, its walls towering in front of us, granting shade. A few guards were stationed on the sides of the road.

The horses pulling our cart came to a stop behind an opulent coach lead by a snow white beast. Standing on two sinewy limbs with claws at the end of four thick digits, what looked like scales could be seen on the naked legs that supported a bird shaped body covered in white lustrous fur. A short, broad neck connected to large a head, ending in a short beak. A single guard was conversing with the chauffeur.

“Hey.” I pointed at the bird-like creatures. “What’s that?” I gently elbowed Lapia to get her attention.

“Hawcans?” she looked over at the animals in question. “Appraise them and you’ll see their names.”

I turned to her.

“Is that the verb you use when you read the thing you told me?” I asked, now finally having a confirmed term instead of calling it with cringe names. I focused on the birds again and appraised them.

[Hawcan, Lvl 23]

Nothing else?

“Yes, that’s the word.” she nodded as she produced a few coins from her own profound storage of myriad dimensions. “You can appraise things you don’t know the name of, E'er will grant you knowledge.”

The coach in front of us moved forward and a soldier looking fellow approached us. His armor was dull grey leather with sober blue details.

“Good Eve-haaaahhhh.” his greeting turned into a long, tired sigh when he saw me.

His posture slouched slightly and he brought a hand to his face, sighing deeply once more.

“Welcome back to Riverfield.” He nodded towards Lapia. “Your cart is limited to two beasts of burden, then it’s five coppers per horse. Five silver coins for Halves. Twenty copper for the cart, and ten copper for you, Lady Lapia.” He sighed once again. “Lord Punten’s associates pay half, so it’ll be two silver, eighty five copper.” he extended a hand, waiting for the coins.

Lapia reeled back a bit. “Five silver for Halves?!” her expression turned complicated.

“She was attacked on the road, I’ll cover the fee.” I took a golden coin and handed it to the man.

He sighed, louder this time. “Please wait a moment, I’ll bring your change.”

He turned and walked to the gate. He disappeared into a door on the inside of the massive wall.

“Are you short on money?” I turned to Lapia.

“Well, yeah.” she shrugged. “The bandits must’ve sent someone away with the money they took from us.” she showed me her open hand, where mostly gold coins sat, barely three silver and a few coppers.

“No worries, I can cover this. The price went up because of me, anyway.” I smiled. “Good thing I have endless riches.” I laughed like a rich lady.

“How much, young lady?” she asked in a whisper, acting as if she was a suspicious person.

“Take a guess.” I said back.

“Let’s see.” she thought for a second, squinting her eyes. “Five hundred millions.” she said after a second.

“Cold.” I gave her a shit eating grin.

“A billion?”

“Wow. You skipped a few zeroes.” I laughed.

“What do you mean?” she rose her brows. “A billion is nine zeroes.”

“No, that’s a milliard. A billion has twelve zeroes.” I brunched my brows.

“Then what are fifteen zeroes called?” she asked with an inquisitive tone.

“A billiard. A trillion has eighteen zeroes. It goes on like that.” I gave her a look of disbelief. “Why would a Billion be a thousand millions? Makes no sense.” I shook my head. This world used the short scale. Ew.

“It does. Anyway, a milliard?” she asked, imitating my voice.

“I have twelve of MY billions.” I thought for a second. “So twelve of your trillion?”

Her eyes widened to the point they threatened to pop out. “That is indeed endless.”

“See.” I covered my mouth with my hand. “Does the peasant not have enough to pay a gate tax? How embarrassing. Hohoho.”

The Elf giggled and lightly pushed me, or perhaps she used her full strength.

I laughed at such puny efforts, then noticed the gate guard was coming back.

“Here is your change, Your Excellency.” the man handed me a leather pouch full of coins. “Welcome to Riverfield.” he gave me a forced smile.

The guards at the gate moved aside. I clicked my tongue at the soldier’s evident discontent, and the horses resumed advancing.

We were quickly enveloped by dim lights when the cart entered the wall. I hadn’t thought about it, but the walls seemed to be pretty thick, resulting in a sort of tunnel before entering the city proper.

A low rumble grew louder as we approach the end of the tunnel, to the point it became impossible to ignore the thunderous sounds of life inside the city. As we finally crossed the wall, the city was in my sights.

Buildings, towers, roads. Everything was the same ivory white of the outer wall. A plaza the size of a stadium filled with hundreds upon hundreds of people going about their lives greeted us, guards here and there walking among the populace. Paved roads split the many buildings, of which some were absurdly tall near the walls. The city was colossal in size. The walls, which could not be seen in their entirety from outside, surrounded the city in a hexagonal shape. Or so I assumed. The sheer amount of buildings, towers, and everything in between blocked the opposite wall from sight.

This didn’t look like a city. Metropolis. The word popped in my mind and felt right. Though huge, no building was taller than the walls circling the city. Those I could see, at least. Variety was obvious upon a second look, the only constant was the color and apparent material for construction.

“Fuck me...” the words left me before I could even register them.

The city was a marvel on its own. However, the people too, were a sight to see.

I saw people no different than Lapia. Long ears, sharp teeth revealed by wide smiles, the few hands I managed to spot had claw shaped fingernails.

[Domi Elf Child, Lvl 6]

[Domi Elf, Lvl 26 Merchant]

[Faeton Elf, Lvl 52 Warrior]

The Domi race, I noticed, was mostly uniform. Lighter shades of hair, skin in the pale to tanned range. The few Faeton I saw had darker complexion and, surprisingly, colorful hair. I saw a red haired female and two green haired children walking with an adult that had their same hair color.

Humans were the most numerous. About six out of ten citizens were human. And in that same group, Perco was the most common race. They reminded me of Hispanics back on earth. The others were Celez Humans. Most definitely Caucasians.

I was shocked to my bones when I saw animal ears. My mouth went slack and my eyes widened. A single one was conversing with a human at a stall. Long rabbit ears stood at attention. I saw only her back side. Hair white as snow and long to her knees braided in a single rope.

Then I noticed the many eyes focused on me. Confusion set in me for a good minute until I heard a child speak.

“Ma’, why is that lady glowing?” our cart passed close to him and I heard him clearly.

“Honey,” the mother laughed with love. “she is a Halve. A very powerful person.”

“More than daddy?” the kid asked, hugging her legs. His eyes shone with youthful innocence.

A complicated look crossed her face. No good parent would willingly lie to their children.

She made a mock thoughtful expression, with a finger on her chin, looking up. “Hmm. I don’t know!” she smiled to her son and laughed. “How about you ask him when he returns?”

We moved past them, a smiled plastered on my face. All is good under heaven. Many people around them must’ve heard the exchange, because I saw smiles all around. That smile that reminds you that life was once simple, peaceful and full of love.

“Done being awestruck?” the Elf beside me woke me from my trance.

“No, not really.” I turned to her. “Why?” I tilted my head.

“Them.” she nodded to the back, where the horses that previously belonged to the group I massacred followed us. My smile vanished in that moment, an instant of memory made me close my eyes. Blood, organs, flesh everywhere. “We’re going to the closest Watchers office and report what happened.” she shrunk slightly, perhaps plagued by the horrors she lived.

I placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m here.” I tried to smile, but failed and just squeezed her gently. It was surprisingly easy to control my strength when relatively calm.

Maybe I can stick with her in this unknown world.

“Thank you.” she nodded. “To the right there.” she pointed at a turn a few buildings ahead.

The horses reacted accordingly and followed her instructions.

“Aren’t these horses pretty clever?” she stared at the animals in question. “Is it because you’re a Halve?” she turned to me.

“No, ‘mountable creatures behave favorably.’ or something like that.” I tapped my temple. “I have a skill like that.”

“Ah, makes sense.” she nodded in thought. “Saves us the need to whip them.”

When the horses turned, I saw a large building that surprisingly was not white. Deep blue walls with the familiar imagery of a pickax and a ship in red, one single floor and a gate wide enough to allow carriages was the only visible entrance. Windows were near the roof, where bars covered them.

“There.” she gestured to the blue building.

“You heard her.” I told the horses and, to our surprise, they quickened their pace.

The large gate was guarded by some uniformed Humans and Elves in the same fashion as those from the city gate. This time, though, they did not block the way, letting us in pretty easily.

The inside held a parking lot kind of place for carts, carriages, single horses and the like. We got off the cart after finding a spot and a woman approached us.

“I’m Watcher Ulka. How may I be of service?” she spoke loudly, her face straight and looking directly to the front.

“Report of bandit activity a few days from Riverfield, along with all their horses and their valuables.” Lapia spoke in a clear tone.

The woman nodded once, turned around and started walking towards the building.

“Please follow me. We will take your statements.” she said over her shoulder.

We did as asked and entered the building. Though the day had a few remaining hours of natural light, there were lit lamps inside. Hanging from the ceiling and the walls, they did a proper job of illuminating the interior.

We were led to an office with little furniture. A desk and five simple wooden chairs. A hanging lamp left no shadows other than the desk. A single window near the top of the ceiling behind the woman.

She took a seat and gestured us to do the same.

“Please, make yourselves comfortable.” she opened a drawer and retrieved a stack of papers and a quill.

Lapia sat first, I followed suit.

“Please state your name, your occupation, and the events you’d like to report. Take your time if any information is sensitive.” Ulka hovered the writing utensil on a form with a bunch of words and lines, ready to begin writing at any moment.

“Alright.” Lapia sighed. “Lapia Pofeta. Adviser of Lord Punten.” she leaned back on the chair. “Thirteen days ago I departed with a small group of five merchants towards Ratunke with a missive from my employer.” she took a deep breath. “We never made it. We were assaulted in the middle of the night, my companions killed. I was restrained with Numbing Rope and battered to unconsciousness.” she scowled. “For three days I was tortured by those savages. Reprieved of food and water. During the day they robbed and killed. During the night they celebrated their trophies. I heard them talking about going to Kelske to meet with Urgun. I don’t know much, every waking moment I was whipped, punched, stabbed, stepped on...” she took a pause.

Yikes. I winced internally. That’s brutal as fuck.

“They had a healer who kept the more serious wounds from ending my suffering. They purposefully left my legs unbroken, perhaps to give me the false hope that I could escape. I don’t know.” she gulped. “On the third day, I heard a massive explosion and then the leader of the group talking to someone. I then called for help and attempted my escape.” her voice was now barely a whisper.

I rubbed her back in silence. I couldn’t find words that would alleviate her. She shook her head, a few tears going down her pained face. She looked at me and took my other hand.

“I’ll take it from here.” I said, a knot on my throat.

The Watcher nodded, a scowl very visible on the so far stoic woman.

“Name, occupation and events, please.” her voice was gentle now, not the militaristic screaming from earlier.

“Natasha Novak. Newly awakened Halve, no occupation yet.” I sighed. I would have killed for a cigarette.

The woman nodded and gestured for me to continue.

“The leader told one of his goons to check on Lapia here after she screamed for help. When he did so, however, she kicked the man square on the jaw, making him fall. Opportunity she took to make a run for it. In the confusion that followed, the leader tried to cut my head off.” I was interrupted by both women snorting, a laugh almost escaping them. “I responded in kind, butchering him in a single strike. Though I had only recently awakened, my instinct guided my actions and I readily followed. I massacred them in a few seconds.” I shuddered slightly, an uncomfortable shake in my hands made me scowl. “I helped Lapia with her wounds and we set off to return here. We took their horses and the cart loaded with what they stole.” I zoned out in realization of how simply the events could be summarized. A wave of relief overcame me after having recounted the previous days.

In the meantime, Lapia gave the Watcher the bandit’s descriptions in case they were seen near other settlements.

“Got it.” the woman put the quill aside and looked at us. “Thank you very much for your contribution to road safety.” she nodded looking at me. “An investigation will begin regarding their identities and their connection to Urgun.” Ulka sighed. “I apologize, but I must ask you to leave your vehicle here for the foreseeable future, as it is now criminal evidence.”

Lapia nodded. “Ah, that’s fine. I’ll spend the night at a nearby inn.”

“Who is this Urgus guy?” I asked.

“Urgun, she’s a noble from Kelske, a city six months to the east.” the woman answered. “There is no conclusive evidence on our side, so I’d discourage any action taken against her.” she looked me directly in the eye.

“Just asking.” I nodded.

“Do you require any medical attention, Lady Lapia?” the Watcher asked looking at her body.

“Not really, Natasha’s help was enough to only need a week of rest and good meals.” the elf smiled.

“Good to hear.” she stared at both of us for a few seconds. “Anything else I can do for you?”

Lapia shook her head. “That’d be all. Thanks for your time.” she stood up, I did too.

“Doing my duty.” the woman stood up and smiled. Or at least tried to. It looked positively out of place. “Allow me to escort you outside.”

We followed her outside and parted ways from the fantasy police officer.

Back out on the streets, the suns were hidden behind the walls. On every turn, bright lamps that kept the city from plunging into darkness hang from tall poles. Though we didn’t spend that long inside, the walls were tall enough to shorten the amount of direct sunlight.

“What now?” I asked, looking around at the people still out. Clothes seemed to be mostly made of cotton, leather and linen. Footwear was mostly metallic in composition. A few armored people walked about, with weapons strapped on their backs or waists.

“Food.” she simply responded. “There’s a pretty good inn a few blocks away. Would you join me?” she looked me in the eye.

I noticed I had to lower my gaze to meet hers. I had no reference in this brand new world, but back home, I proudly stood at 186cm last time I measured. If my height remained the same, she was around 170cm tall. The wonders of a calm mind.

“Sure.” I nodded. “I could use some fresh food.”

“This way, then.” she smiled and turned.

Our journey towards food and proper rest began.

“How many people live in this city?” I asked as we walked side by side.

“According to last year census, about ten million I’d say.” we took a turn to the right as we came to the street. “Humans, Elves, Dwarfs, Lupum, Tigea and Luzo live here. The general populace is inclined to younger people. The term relative to each species, of course.”

A coach drove past us, red horses with ox-like horns adorning their heads pulling the vehicle.

[Bhin, Lvl 36]

[Bhin, Lvl 81]

My eyes followed the odd creatures. “What do Lupum look like?” Nothing of the name hinted at what it was.

She turned to me. “Wait.” she stopped me. “Let me clarify that comments about other species’ features or ancestry might not be well received. You might be capable of slaughtering the entire city withing minutes, but civility is very much welcome anywhere in the world. While I understand you have little information about pretty much anything, other might not be so tolerant.” she gave me a complicated smile.

“What’s something I shouldn’t ask or say, then?” I asked. This world has political correctness?

“Things like comparing an individual to their ancestors. We all see them with respect.” she thought for a second. “I’ll give you an example, but don’t ever repeat it.” she stared me in the eye.

“Okay?” I nodded weakly.

“If you tell a Lupum that they ‘fuck quick and often, just like a rabbit’ publicly, they’ll go for your throat no matter who you are.” her gaze intensified as I stifled a laugh.

“You gotta admit that’s pretty funny.” I looked away. “So the current people all have ancestry from animals?” I changed the subject.

“Yes.” she nodded. “Except Halves.” we resumed our capricious chase of culinary creations.

“How about Elves?”

“Foxes.” she replied.

“What?” I stopped dead in my tracks, interrupting our walk. “That’s awesome! Foxes? Wow.” I shot like a machine-gun, staring at her with wide eyes.

Lapia blushed and looked away. “Thanks.”

“What about the others you mentioned?” my eyes were sparkling with wonder as we resumed our walk.

“Tigeas are feline, Luzos are reptile.” she said, and quickly added. “Do not call them cats or lizards.”

“I see.” she caught the words before I even said them. “How do people go about having pets, then?” I asked, the idea popping into my head.

“Pets?” she turned to me. “What do you mean?”

“Animals you keep for company?” I explained.

“If you mean what I think you mean, animals which birthed the sentient species are no longer around. The very few that do, are protected as national treasures in the descendants’ main countries.” she said as we crossed a street.

“Got it.” then I remembered her own words. “How do people know how rabbits reproduced?”

“Lupum are a fairly young species, so their ancestors are still around.” she pointed at a building a good thirty meters away. “We’re here.”