see also the rough worldbuilding doc here

CHAPTER 1: OFF THE PARKWAY

Finn woke up in a forest. He could feel the grass on his back, and the wind moving gently between the trees. It was alarming how entirely unfamiliar his surroundings were. He had just been walking back to his apartment after class, and then suddenly here he was, unconscious in an unfamiliar place. Had he been knocked out? He would have thought that getting knocked out would give him a headache or something. As he got up from his resting place, it quickly became apparent he was missing his messenger bag. Even worse, both his wallet and phone were bgone. Thankfully, he still had his glasses. Now, he needed to piece together what had happened. The most likely theory is that he had been knocked out and robbed, though even that had some glaring holes in it. How did they get away with knocking him out on a busy street in the middle of the day, and how'd they manage to drag him all the way here? The nearest park was a good twenty minutes away, with the extra burden of carrying an unconscious man with you not included. They must have gotten real annoyed when they realized he only had about 15 dollars and an expired bus pass on him.

Well, there was no point worrying about it now. He couldn't change the fact that he was here.

The first thing he did was look for the nearest building. And of course, none were in sight. He must be a ways out from the city, then. He'd even accept a telephone pole, but he couldn't make out anything besides the thick blanket of trees. He thanked his lucky stars that it wasn't winter right now, and he wasn't likely to freeze before he found an emergency phone or something.

So, he stood still and listened for a minute. He couldn't hear any cars, so he definitely wasn't going to be able to locate a road around here. Furthermore, he couldn't really hear anything around him. The forest was unnaturally still. It had been a long time since he had last gone on a hike, but even then there were the sounds of bugs and running water and the like around. Maybe it was just the whole situation getting to his head, but something seemed off here. Even the air seemed charged with a strange electricity.

Finn's next course of action was to start walking in a random direction until he found something. Anything that could get him back home would do. He had barely started the revisions to his thesis. This whole excursion was going to be a serious dent in his academic plans. So, he looked up to try and gauge where the sun was. It would be good to have a general sense of what direction he was heading in. As long as it was still roughly morning, it would be rising in the west, or however the saying went. Honestly, it wouldn't matter all that much what direction it was as long as it was a direction. He'd seen enough movies to know that people always ended up walking in circles in strange forests. This was a fate he wanted to avoid, considering he was already very out of shape. Unfortunately, he couldn't even figure out where the sun was. Which was bizarre, right? It's the brightest, most obvious thing there is. It wasn't even like it was a cloudy day or anything. In fact, the whole sky looked a little strange, now that he examined it. It was just a touch greener than usual, and it seemed on the whole unusually flat. Probably something about the lack of light pollution, or whatever. Just another odd thing on the pile.

With that plan completely foiled, Finn just settled for walking forward. He even scratched some markings into the ground every so often to make sure he wasn't accidentally getting turned around. And so he continued for what felt like an hour, walking and scratching and walking. His feet began to hurt about half an hour in. His threadbare tennis shoes were just not working out right now. He had to remember to buy some insoles when he got back.

The last straw was tripped over a tree root. Finn managed to catch himself, but not without jamming his knee into the ground and knocking his glasses clean off his face. Thankfully he had avoided getting seriously injured, but it had stung a bit. So he pulled himself over to the nearest tree to sit and think for a minute.

he problem was, he had absolutely no survival skills. It just wasn't something he had ever really expected to need when he'd lived in an urban area his whole life. He couldn't start a fire, or pitch a tent, or any of that stuff. His skillset was purely academic. If only the situation he had been put in involved interpreting ancient myths, then he'd have something to work with. Whoever these assaulters-slash-robbers were, they were real dicks. He wasn't usually one for it, but he thought this was the kind of situation where he needed to bring the hammer of the law down somehow. A city wide manhunt for these guys, at the very least. And then maybe he'll go pick up some chinese food. He'll need some comfort after this kind of treatment.

Finn eyed a couple of mushrooms that dotted the nearby tree. He was beginning to feel a little peckish. He tried to recall anything he knew about poisonous plants in the wild. Leaves of three, let it be? No, that was for poison ivy. He really didn't want to get desperate enough to start eating random plants. At least he had been lucky enough to not encounter any animals so far. Were there bears around here? Being mauled by a bear would probably be the worst way this day could go. And it wasn't like there were loads of other creatures that could do him in while out in the wild. Honestly, he didn't know how his ancestors had managed. It had only been about an hour of uncertainty in the wild and he was already a wreck. Living like this must have been a nightmare. He tried to think back to that book he was forced to read in middle school about the guy who survived in the woods. He made fire and shelter and stuff, and made it a while before he got rescued. If only he could recall how he’d actually done that stuff.

At this point the strangeness of the whole situation had begun to take on a bit of a humorous quality at this point, between the getting robbed and the strange environment he now found himself in. If you zoomed out a bit the whole thing was pretty funny, in a sort of cruel way. The fact that it was happening to him tempered it, but still. He could appreciate the absurdity of it all.

So, he got back to walking. He really needed to get his mind on his feet, and not think too far ahead right now. Anything to keep him from thinking about what he was going to do if he didn't find help by nighttime. It was too scary to consider in much detail. So instead, he quickened his pace and attempted to ignore the aching of his feet.

Finally, he heard something. There was a gentle shuffling sound coming from up ahead, which was the first new thing he'd heard in his walk. Intellectually, he knew that it was more likely to be a wild animal than a person, but he couldn't help but hope. Maybe a park ranger has been sent out to search for him. Maybe they've already caught the robbers who did this, and once they find him they'll have all his possessions waiting for him. In that situation they would probably be calling out for him, but it couldn't hurt to hope.

Still, he opted to creep slowly towards the sound. Just to see what it was before he got to close, giving him the chance to sneak away if need be. He focused intently on the noise, and walked carefully so as to avoid crunching any leaves under his feet and giving away his location.

The sound grew steadily louder as he walked. He knew he was getting close to whatever it was, yet there was still nothing in sight. The forest began to feel very cramped and limited when he was desperately trying to extend his vision out. Still, he could hear he was growing closer, so he kept up his pace.

Then, he felt his foot plunge into something wet. He hadn't fallen into anything, but there must have been some lump of mud he had missed. Looking down, he almost mistook whatever it was for a puddle at first, but there was no way that was true. Whatever it was had been slowly moving around the forest, and it was clear and wobbly, and- and it hurt like hell. It felt like his leg was an open wound someone had poured vinegar in, tearing away the thin line of defense that was his pant leg. So he screamed and jumped and tried to kick whatever the hell it was off his leg, but it stuck on to him. Attempting to kick it with his other leg just destabilized him, and whatever this thing was seemed to be able to absorb a punch. So he did what any person would do in this situation, and began screaming for help. And just screaming in general.

He slammed it against a nearby tree as hard as he could, not even caring if it hurt his leg in the process. Bits of goop, or whatever the hell it was splattered against the trunk, but the thing hung on tight. Finn could feel his skin tearing away on his leg, his nerves burning like he had been hit with acid.

Out of nowhere, a white beam came from behind him and struck the blob, melting it away and leaving a strange tar where it had been. Dazed, Finn looked up to see figures running over to him, yelling out to him. Distantly, he felt relieved that some people had found him. He breathed a sigh of relief, and promptly passed out.

CHAPTER 2: ANOTHER NAP INTERRUPTED

For the second time that day, Finn found himself coming to while in an unfamiliar location. This time, however, was not nearly as gentle as the last. Finn felt as if he had been hit by a sack of bricks, and the pain in his leg, while not quite as sharp anymore, still hurt like hell. There was another sensation over the pain though, a gentle warmth. It was really the only thing he didn't expect. So he pulled his eyes open with some difficulty.

He had been placed against a tree not far from a rudimentary campsite, and was surrounded by who he assumed were the people who had found him before. He couldn't quite make out who they were without his glasses, which seemed to have fallen off in the excitement. He just really hoped that it wasn't those thieves who had put him here. Actually, he felt pretty certain. One of them, a woman in a thick robe of some kind, was crouched next to him, holding out his leg. Her hands were just above his seared flesh, emanating a soft light as she moved up and down the wound. Whatever it was, it felt great. He felt the pain in his leg begin to ebb away, leaving him with only the aches of an uncomfortable sleeping position.

Whoever it was who was holding him seemed to notice that he had woken up. Finn looked up blearily to see the face of a middle aged woman looking at him camly. Then, she softly asked him a question. At least, he was pretty sure she did, given the tone of her voice. But the actual words she was saying were completely unknown to him. He really hoped that he hadn't hit his head so badly he'd forgotten how to speak english.

Finn attempted to mumble back that he didn't understand. The woman frowned, a look of concern filling her face. It seemed that his attempt to communicate had been about as successful as hers. Then, she turned and called another one of her companions over. At her words, a dark-skinned man in what sounded like pieces of metal armor walked over. He leaned over Finn, and again he felt that strange warm sensation, this time on the side of his head. Then, a moment of dizziness, and it felt like all the sounds around him were slowly coming back into focus.

"That do the trick, kid?" Finn looked over at the man who had walked over next to him and pondered his question. It still didn't sound like English, but it still made sense to Finn, for reasons he couldn't quite understand.

"Um, yeah," Finn said, with the same strange language coming naturally off his tongue. He wasn't quite sure how he was doing it. He rubbed his head, the disorientation of everything starting to feel almost physical. "What did you just do to me?"

This time, the woman spoke to him. "It was just a simple spell of tongues. It was lucky we had an ice mage with us, or we wouldn't have been able to do anything. Now, what's an unarmed person like you doing out in the wilds?"

There were a number of things in that sentence that gave Finn pause. He was starting to suspect he was somewhere he shouldn't be.

"Do you happen to have my glasses?" he asked. The woman looked confused once again. Finn tried again. "I was wearing them earlier, and I can't see well without them." At this, the woman seemed to put together what he was talking about. She pulled his glasses out of a small bag on her side, and gave them back to Finn.

They seemed to be in fine condition, so Finn put them back on. Then, he really looked at the people around him. The woman, he now realized, was wearing an ornate robe of blue and gold, and had what looked like one of those weird hats catholic priests wore on top of a head of almost pure white hair which was an unusual shade, but not too much given that she looked to be in her fifties. The man, who had apparently cast some sort of magic spell on him, was wearing a few select pieces of metal armor on his arms and legs, and looked to have a sword strapped to his side. A bit farther away, Finn now saw there was something dressed in light armor that had looked vaguely humanoid before, but he now realized it had the head of an eagle. And it was a very realistic looking head. Every twitch and ruffle seemed as natural as could be. He was not just dealing with a very dedicated band of larpers here.

Now, Finn was a pretty pragmatic person. He was willing to adapt if need be. And if he didn't have any extraordinary reason to doubt that his senses were accurate, then he wouldn't. To hell with cartesian skepticism. Besides, he had no better way of explaining what was pretty obviously a case of magic and strange creatures which are most definitely not found anywhere on earth. So he just went for it.

"I think I got transported here. Like, from another world," Finn said as plainly as he could. "Because where I come from there are no spells, and no bird people and no strange blob monsters. I just woke up here, like an hour ago. Honest."

Again, the woman spoke. "Another world? What do you mean?"

"Like another universe, or dimension, or whatever. Earth? Somewhere completely different from whatever this place is."

The woman opened her mouth to speak again, but before she could, the man jumped to get a word in. "Prove it, then. I've never heard of such a thing."

Finn looked around for a moment. Quickly, he pulled the glasses off his face. "How about these? Modern glasses. Do you guys have these?" Then, he pointed at his clothes. "How about what I'm wearing? I doubt you guys have stuff like this, considering you're dressed like it's the middle ages."

He could feel all their eyes on him as they considered his words. The woman was the first to break the silence. "It could be true. He dresses like no noble or peasant I've ever seen. And I know better than most that anyone with vision problems would go to a healer before putting on a ridiculous set of lenses like that."

The man grumbled, but relented. "Fine. We'll go with this wild man's story for now. But I have many questions."

This set Finn off. "You have questions? I just woke up in a strange forest, and got attacked by a weird goop monster after-"

"It's a slime. And even a child with a sharp enough stick could fend off a weak monster like that."

"Well, where I come from, we don't have to fight in our day to day lives. So I'm sorry to hear that you guys live in such a messed up world!"

At this, the eagle man in the back stepped forward. "A world with no fighting?" He said in a squawky, yet deep voice. There was a strange accent to it which Finn couldn't quite place. No doubt it had something to do with his bizarre physiognomy.. "Is such a thing really possible?" he asked.

Before he could walk any closer, the woman got up and pushed both him and the dark-skinned man away. "Alright, everyone please stop questioning my patient. No doubt he's confused and scared about everything that's happened. Let's not rush him." She turned back to face Finn, and gave him a well practiced calm smile. "My name is Clare Rosehip. I'm a cleric. Do you know what that is?"

"It's like a healer, right? We don't actually have those where I come from, but we have fantasy stories about them and stuff."

This caused the human looking man to bristle a bit, but Clare shot him a look while she continued talking. "Yes, that's exactly right. We're just here to help. My traveling companion over here," she said, pointing in the man's direction, "is Emerson Grey. He's a knight, and the one who'll be keeping your translation spell active." At this, the man nodded affirmatively, his posture relaxing slightly.

"This spell is gonna wear off?"

"After about a day, yes. Hopefully we can find a more permanent solution later down the line." Then, she pointed back towards the eagle person behind her. "This is Eril Kuromatsu. He's an emissary from the islands, and one of the wisest people I know."

Eril stepped forward and bowed to Finn. Noting the look of confusion on his face, he began to speak. "I assume this 'Earth' you come from doesn't have beastkin on it."

"No, just humans, I'm afraid."

"It's nothing to be worried about. It's not the worst reaction I've gotten," Eril said with a note of bitterness. "I assure you, we're nothing to be frightened of."

Finn took a moment to fit it into his understanding. "Of course. Bird people are totally fine. As long as there aren't any spider people walking around. I think I'd faint again."

Eril chucked at his remark. "I'm afraid that beastkin cover just about every species there is, spiders included." Finn's face paled. "But they're nothing to be afraid of. Rather timid, for the most part. What you should really be worried about are my brothers in the sea, the mermaids. Some have been known to tear the-"

Clare slapped a piece of armor on his flank. "Eril, stop scaring the boy! Don't worry about mermaids at all. You're deep in the continent right now. Not a body of water for miles." She sighed. "Anyways, let me continue with my introductions. Behind me is Praxidis Ducoleye and Dotemin of Pex. A dwarf and an elf, respectively."

Finn hadn't even noticed that there were more people with them. But now that it was pointed out, two figures seemed to emerge from the foliage in front of him. There was an unusually pale redheaded woman dressed in drab brown clothes, with a scarf covering the bottom half of her face. What he could see though, was just a little bit odd. It was like the proportions of a normal human face had been slightly tweaked. She was also about three and a half feet tall at most. That must've been the dwarf, then. Next to her was an ever more mysterious figure. They were dressed in a thick brown cloak which covered their entire body from head to toe. Not a single patch of skin peeked out. Over their face, they were wearing a strange mask in the shape of an animal's skull, decorated with twisting lines and dots of paint. They didn't look much like any elf that Finn had read about.

The young woman, Praxidis, stepped forward. "Nice to meetcha! Don't worry, I've packed more than enough for an extra person." She smiled and gave a sort of short stepping greeting. The elf merely nodded at Finn. Well, it may have been a nod. The movement was so subtle that you could almost miss it if you weren't paying attention.

They all turned to look at Finn. A beat of silence passed, before he realized they were expecting him to introduce himself. He shoved himself into a bit of a better sitting position. "Right. My name is Finn Leighton. I study classics at a university in New York City, though you wouldn't know where that is." This introduction was going terribly. Finn could feel himself crashing and burning. There had to be something else he could say that would actually make sense to people from another world. "Um, my favorite food is chicken alfredo?" Well, that certainly wasn't it. At that point, he just decided to stop talking before he embarrassed himself further.

Clare seemed satisfied with that. Thank goodness someone was here to pick up the slack. "A student, huh? I can see it. I'm actually a teacher at the Imperial Academy myself. Though I imagine that means about as much to you as this 'New York City' does to us," she said with a laugh.

Finn rubbed the back of his head. "Pretty much. Where are we, by the way?"

The knight Emerson supplied the answer to this question. "We're in the Mesoborean forests, just west of the Empire of Man. And the Grey Duchy, of course," he said with a hint of pride.

"That explains the Imperial Academy, I guess. This definitely isn't my earth, then." Emerson continued on. "This is the great world of Siyok. And the continent of Boreus, to be precise."

"Yeah, that means nothing to me. Do any of you people have a map?"

The Beastmen, Eril, rolled a small piece of paper out of a pocket and passed it over to Finn. "Only one of the nearby areas, I'm afraid. We don't usually need to know which continent we're on."

Finn looked over the map. He could identify a wide swath of trees, which he assumed was where they all were. There were also a few lines and castles drawn on, and to the north of the forest he could see a clear delineation into what he assumed was this Empire, but the words on it were completely unintelligible to him. It was just a mess of strange symbols, which looked a bit like one of the early indo-european writing systems. At least it wasn't pictorial.

Finn looked up at the group. "Yeah, I can't read this at all."

At his words, Emerson blushed. "The spell only covers common tongue, not script, alright! So I'm not the best caster in the world. I'm just a knight, for heaven's sake!" he exclaimed.

"It's alright," Clare responded. "It'll do for now. The real worry is what we're going to do with Finn here."

"I'd like to get back to my world, if at all possible," Finn supplied.

"I think we can help with that. We were actually sent here on a joint mission by the four great countries, to examine a strange turbulence in the magic energy in this area. Even the animals seemed to be rushing out of here when we arrived. As far as we can tell, the only thing out of the ordinary around here is you. So I think we can kill two birds with one stone here."

"You know, we have that saying back where I come from too. Honestly I'm a little glad that it isn't like, killing two wyverns with one stone or something crazy like that."

At that, Clare laughed. "Well, a stone could never kill a wyvern, now could it!"

Finn stilled. "Wait, wyverns are real here? That was a joke!" he exclaimed.

Emerson had been growing increasingly annoyed at this digression in the conversation, and finally jumped in. "I think we've all been made aware of the fact that your world is different from ours. Now, can we get back to figuring out what we're going to do with him?"

Clare tilted her head as she considered the problem. "Well, I think we should take him to the royal court magicians to be examined. If anyone could figure this out, it's them." Then, she turned to Eril. "Is there anything the beastkin might be able to do?"

Eril shook his head. "We'd have to cross an ocean to get to any of the people I'm thinking of. Certainly nothing closer than the magicians in Larentia."

Next, Clare looked to the dwarf woman, Praxidis. She shook her head. "Trying to cross into the Dwarven Kingdom for any reason at this time of year would be foolhardy, even without an untrained person. Besides, he's clearly a human. Humans are human business."

Finally, Clare turned to Dotemin, the elf. "Any wisdom the tribes could offer?" she asked. Dotemin simply shook their head in response.

After a moment, Clare clapped her hands together. "Well, I guess that settles it. Off we go to the great city of Larentia! You'll love it, Finn. It's one of the most beautiful places in the world."

"Can we at least let me rest a bit first? I'm still recovering from the shock," Finn grumbled.

"Oh, all right. We'll set off in about an hour then!"

CHAPTER 3: POINT ME IN THE DIRECTION OF ALBUQUERQUE

A short while later, they were off. Finn trudged along in the middle of the group, with the elf and the dwarf hanging behind him. He wasn't quite sure whether he was being guarded, or they were making sure he didn't escape. If it was the latter, then they were severely overestimating his skills. So, probably the former then. He did get the distinct impression that they were all going a step slower than normal for his sake.

After a moment's walk, Finn's curiosity about his situation got the better of him. He turned to Eril, walking in front of him, and began to pester him with questions.

"So, what would you say this world is like?"

Eril slowed for a minute as he considered the question. "Well, a lot like your world, if I understand correctly."

"Yeah, well we don't have magic back in my world. Only stories about it."

"And what do those stories say?"

"Like, witches and wizards casting spells and curses. Brewing potions and casting fireballs."

"It's pretty much like that here."

Finn thought about that for a moment. He supposed that did sort of answer his question. So far, everything has seemed to be pretty in line with your typical otherworldly fantasy setting. He'd read these kinds of stories before, so he knew what to expect. Though usually the people who were transported got to get a magical gift or something in the process, it seemed that he didn't have anything. Well, he didn't really know for sure.

"So how does magic work here?" This question Finn directed more at Clare than at Eril.

She turned to talk to him. "It comes from the soul, of course."

"The soul?" Finn exclaimed. "You know, a lot of people back in my universe don't think it exists. There's a pretty good consensus, actually."

"How could you not have a soul?"

Finn thought about how he would begin to explain some metaphysical issues. "Well, it seems like we're just a series of biological processes that add up to life, and we aren't just imbued with some subjective quintessence. It raises all sorts of problems." He tried to recall what it was exactly. It had been a while since he had studied this. "Like, why do people have souls, and not rocks and stuff. And how do souls interact with bodies at all?"

"Well, to the first problem, there are tons of other things with souls. I actually had to fight off a stone elemental a while back," Eril responded. "I'm not sure about that second thing though."

Finn was shocked. "So just anything can just become animated around here?"

Eril nodded. “Even stones grow from the earth until they’re cut,” he said sagely.

“Really? That doesn’t sound correct” Finn asked. Again, Eril nodded. Clare shrugged somewhat affirmatively. If this really was the case, it was going to have to require some worldview shifts. "I guess I should be nicer to plants then. Sorry for using you guys to mark my path earlier," Finn said out to the trees. They all looked at him a bit strangely for that.

Their metaphysical conception seemed very off putting to Finn, so he proved a little deeper. “So where do you think souls and stuff get their magic from?” he asked.

Eril pointed upwards. “From the heavens.”

Finn followed his hand up, squinting. “You mean the sky?”

“Above that.”

“Space? You mean where the moon and the sun are? Is this a sort of 'providence is only above the moon' thing?”

They all looked blankly at him. For whatever reason, his words didn’t seem to be translated. “The other planets?” Finn tried again, with a hint of desperation.

“There aren’t any other planets. It’s pure magic above the sky,” Clare supplied. Finn was shocked. It did explain the lack of a sun earlier, but at the cost of a world that made any sense to him. He began to doubt that the laws of science as he knew them would apply at all.

“And magic just comes down? Is it like a gas or something?” Eril was about to respond, when Clare continued.

“Well, there are several theories,” she said peaceably. “But that discussion is better left to the well trained theologians than a bunch of adventurers.” And that was that. It only made Finn more ravenously curious.

“The world I come from definitely isn’t like that. I'm not even sure I have a soul at all, to be honest. Do you think I have magic?" He asked after a moment.

Eril chuckled a bit at his question. "Well, everyone here has at least a little bit of magic in them. You'd have to be if you're still alive around here. We'd have to test you to find out what your temperament is, though."

"I can't just start casting?"

"Sure, if you want to blow your hand off."

"If the healing is this good, I don't see what the problem is."

For the entirety of their conversation, Emerson had been getting increasingly peeved at their meandering chatter. This particular chain of thought, though, seemed to piss him off more than usual. "Would you two quiet down?" He yelled back, picking up his pace. Unfortunately, this just served to shift Finn's focus over onto him.

"It's a reasonable question to have," Finn shot back. "Though I suppose I could be asking a bit more of you while I'm at it. Where are we going, anyways? And are we just going to walk the whole way?"

"Don't worry, we only have about a day left on foot. We left our horses at the nearest town, so we'll pick them up and then we can be on our way. Then, maybe a half-month or so until we're at the capital," he reasoned.

The idea of riding a horse, which Finn had expected given the setting, was still a little concerning to think about. To his sensibilities, a horse seemed like a giant liability. That wasn't even factoring in the possibility of magical horses of some sort, like a unicorn or something. If he got bucked by a unicorn he would probably just disintegrate on the spot.

"I've never ridden a horse before," Finn remarked plainly.

Emerson gave him a look full of confusion. "Then how do you get around? You don't seem like you walk much either."

"Well, we have these, um, well, long before I was born we used to ride around on horses, and then we started attracting carriages to them, which I assume you guys have, and then we invented the steam engine, which i'll assume you guys don't have, and we figured out it was a lot better than a horse so we just attached it to a carriage and forgot about the horses altogether."

"A horseless carriage? I'm sure one of our magicians could make that with no difficulty at all!" Emerson remarked.

Eril, by contrast, seemed much more interested in a different part of Finn's rambling sentence. "What was that steam engine you mentioned?"

"Well, it moves things around with the pressure from boiling water, and we use it to power stuff."

"And you use this in your day to day life?"

"We use more advanced engines now. But the principle is the same!"

"Do you know how it works?"

"Umm, not really. But I could probably figure it out!"

The conversation continued on like this as the group continued trekking through the forest. As they continued, it felt like life was coming back to the forest. Finn spotted several more slimes, as well as some more normal animals, such as a boar. Despite this, it didn't really change much in the environment, so he had no idea how far they had gone. It sure felt like a lot though. A few hours in, Finn's legs began to tire, and Emerson refused to stop before night. So, he got a piggyback ride from Eril for a few hours to rest up. Resting on his fluffy back was the most comforting thing Finn had felt in a good while. It was certainly better than the cheap mattress he had back at his apartment. Combined with the repetitive movement, it was relaxing enough to lull him into a light daze. Unfortunately, there was still an undercurrent of stress that kept him from falling asleep. That was going to wear off sooner rather than later, though.

It began to get dark a few hours later. So, the group set up another campsite, much like the last. Finn tried to help out, but he got shooed away after it became apparent he had no idea how to start a fire. He figured they would just light it with magic, but apparently it doesn't work like that. Which makes no sense, by the way. Shooting fireballs is practically wizard basics, and to find out that their resident cleric couldn't do it has shaken his faith in the type of magic this setting provided.

With no help from Finn, they're all sitting comfortably around a campfire. Clare was casting a few warming spells and a shimmering layer of protection, which supposedly prevented weaker monsters from wandering in. Finn sits on a log, looking around as all the other people seem to be settling into watching or cooking or casting. Except the elf, who seems to have disappeared completely.

To his surprise, the person who comes over to him first is Praxidis. She walks over with a large cooked slice of meat in hand, ready to offer it to him.

"Humans and the like tend to ration when they're traveling. Figured you'd like something a bit more hearty to tide you over."

A large hunk of meat, however cooked it really is, is not much of a meal. It was probably the best he was going to get, however. As Finn looked around, he saw that Emerson and Clare were sharing a bit of hard bread and fruit, and Eril was popping what seemed to be whole cooked rodents into his beak. It looked like the dwarves had the right idea about things in this situation. So, Finn took what Praxidis gave him. She sat next to him, supplying her own hunk of meat, and pulling down her scarf to take a few bites in companionable silence.

After they both finished, Finn took his chance to ask some more questions. So far, the only people he hadn't gotten interrogated were her and the strange elven character, though he doubted much would be gleaned from them given their whole demeanor.

"So, what's being a dwarf like?" This was a really stupid question to ask. It was just the first thing that came to his mind.

Thankfully, she didn't seem to take it badly. "It lets me sneak underneath things without much difficulty," she said with a laugh. "I take it that my kind is another thing you don't have in your world?"

"Well, we have the idea, but I think it's a little different. They're usually more bearded from what I understand."

For some reason, Praxidis blushed at this. He seemed to have stumbled into a sore spot without realizing it. "I'm working on it, alright! I just can't get a good mustache yet. And a beard with no mustache isn't really a beard at all, y'know?" This seemed like it was a recurring insecurity for Praxidis. Maybe the wise move here would be to continue on to something else.

"How about living in the mountains, though? From what I understand, that's usually how dwarves are depicted in stories on earth."

This seemed to be a more acceptable topic for her. "Aye, that's right. I've actually got a nice cave up in the Crown mountains waiting for me once this journey is over. Though it isn't bad to be out of the earth for a while, even if I can barely see up here."

"Back in my world, we have these things called sunglasses that block out some light when you wear them. I'd offer you some if I had a pair."

Praxidis thought about it for a moment. "Oh, I'm fine. Us dwarves have other ways of getting around. Besides, we have old eagle eyes with us," she said, pointing in Eril's direction.

"I have keen hearing too, you know," Eril said with some humor. In response to this, Praxidis chucked the bone left over from her meal at him, which he easily knocked away with a swipe of his claw.

Praxidis grinned, revealing sharp teeth. She turned back to Finn, stating with some pleasure, "Don't listen to him. I could sneak behind wearing a full suit of armor."

"If you could even get close enough. I'd have notched an arrow in you before you got within a mile of my back," he launched back.

Their round of bragging seemed to have pleased Praxidis, and it continued on for some time. Eventually, everyone quieted down and prepared to settle in for the night. From a small bag on his belt which Finn hadn't even noticed, Emerson pulled out several large mats, which weren't the most comfortable, but were far superior to the rocky ground. Finn didn't even spare a thought to the strange physics of the bag, being at this point feeling very sleepy next to the dimming fire. As soon as he found a comfortable spot against a tree, he was out.

CHAPTER 4: CROSSING THE RUBICON

Finn woke up the next morning as sore as he had ever felt. He dearly missed his bed, as cheap as it was. What was even worse was the lack of curtains, as he was woken up at the crack of dawn by the bright emanation of light. Being so groggy, it barely registered that he once again was unable to understand his companions. So the translation spell had to be recast, and then they were off.

Finn had accepted the reality of his new situation the day before, but it was only now, marching alongside wizards and beastkin that it truly sunk in. No doubt the exhaustion in his body helped get it across as well. He was as far out of his depth as he possibly could be. So he just tried to focus on putting one foot in front of the other.

This backfired a few hours in, when he tripped over a short line of rocks which stretched in both directions out of his vision. Luckily, Eril was there to catch him.

“It’s actually good that you noticed it, Finn,” he said calmly, glancing out down their path. “This border here means we’re officially in Empire territory. The town we're heading towards should be upon us any minute now!”

It turned out to be a couple more hours, but eventually the trees thinned out, giving way to fields of grazing animals, as well as long rows of tea plants stretching out into the distance. Walking out into the fields, Finn was able to spot several comfortingly familiar animals, and a few people out picking leaves off the carefully grown shrubs. Likewise, it seemed that the farmers were noting the group as well, with more and more staring as they came into view. Finn wondered whether he looked so out of place that he was drawing looks even at a distance.

“It’s the young sir Grey!” One farmer shouts, a half-filled basket of leaves forgotten as he runs over. The people begin to run over to Emerson, not even taking notice of Finn or the other members of his group. In a few minutes, they’re completely surrounded, slowing their pace to a crawl.

“Why is everyone so obsessed with him?” Finn asks, feeling a little put off by the circumstances.

It’s Clare who answers him. “Emerson here is the only son of the Earl that owns this whole territory. Not to mention he’s the captain of their knights, and so essentially the outward face of the law. The citizens adore him.

Looking now, Finn supposes he can see something regal in Emerson. He had seemed so irritable on the way here, but now that he's among his people he seems completely at ease, with a little bit of self-assuredness and a smile on his face. Emerson manages to calm the farmers down enough that their ground can continue forward, but not without him ending up decorated in garlands of flowers and with several bundles of leaves gifted to him by the villagers.

After passing through the farmland the group came to a loose collection of buildings. This must have been the town Finn was told about, though it was so sparse and with so few actual residences he could scarcely consider it that. It was more of an outpost, if anything. Though, given that it was on the border of the country, that was probably pretty true. The whole place was charmingly medieval. It wasn't quite an idyllic European town or anything, but it did give off the feeling of careful stonemasonry and work in the small collection of structures. Even as they passed between the small array of buildings, people came out to look at them, or more likely just their knightly companion.

Emerson led their group over to what seemed like one of the taller buildings, in that it actually had two stories. From what Finn could tell, it was an inn of some kind, given that it had one of the swingy hanging sign things out front. Whatever those are called. Almost immediately, Emerson spotted someone loitering around the entrance to the inn. A look of recognition flashed across his face, and over the face of the person waiting as well. Then, the man rushed over to where they stood.

He was a tall man, with long, braided hair that seemed a little bit too bright to be blond. His clothes were also nearly identical to Emerson's except with a few more pieces of armor that clanked as approached. His chestplate in particular caught Finn's eye, as it had carved into it a crest of some sort, depicting a man in a boat holding up a sword and a plant of some kind. At least he thought it was that, but it was a little bit too abstract to be certain.

Emerson grabbed the man and pulled him into a tight greeting. "Flavian! What are you doing waiting for us here? You're the second in command right now," he said, slightly concerned as he pulled away to look at the man.

Flavian shifted. "I'm afraid there's been a situation. The knights have been called to aid Kinead against a pack of direwolves. We need you to lead us for this."

Emerson looked back at the group, and at Finn in particular. For the first time while back in the Empire, he seemed a little uncertain. "It is in the direction of the capital. It would only add a day or so to our travel, if we went there in a hurry," Clare offered.

"I would worry about bringing someone so naive in the way of battle anywhere near it," Emerson replied. "Tell me Flavian, what exactly is happening in Kinead?"

"Every night, direwolves have been coming out and attacking livestock and people. You know as well as I do that a pack has never been seen this far east before. And this particular pack has a strong leader. A direwolf bigger than any we've seen before. The Knights of Jasmine have been overwhelmed just trying to keep them at bay for the last few weeks. They need someone to find them and strike their den while they keep guard."

Emerson solidified his resolve. "Very well." Then, he turned back towards the group of travelers. "Archers, thieves and rogues would be very useful in this battle. Are you willing to come?" Everyone in the group nodded. Praxidis gave a toothy smile at the prospect. Finn decided he would just stand there and accept it. "I had hoped we could rest before heading off, but the situation calls for us to make haste."

They raced to the stables behind the inn, where five fine steeds, and a pony for the dwarf, were waiting for them. Finn ended up sitting in front of Eril, holding on for dear life. It was probably embarrassing, but after almost falling asleep on his back Finn had given up all pretenses of dignity.

They rode at full speed for several days, only taking short stops to rest while it was dark. That first night, Finn was determined to test their description of the sky and see if he could spot anything. Without all the light pollution of the modern world, he should be able to see a vast array of stars in the sky. But there was only a deep blue, dotted by the occasional shifting hues of purple or green, passing across the sky like an aurora. It was so deeply unlike his world that it unsettled him. He opted to turn over and face towards the trees for the rest of the night.

After about a day, Finn was about as exhausted as he had ever felt. There was no energy left for idle contemplation. The world had wasted no time in throwing him into the most strenuous situations he could imagine. Well, he could have woken up on a battlefield, but it was still certainly a tough transition. You just have to put these things in context. The saving grace was the variety of places they crossed by on their trip. There was no more long stay in a forest, instead quickly moving between groves and fields, with small towns passing by in the distance.

The worst part, by Finn's estimation, was when they got to the broad Ramus river. He had hoped that there was some bridge they were going to take, but instead they decided to ford it on their horses. So they assembled in a line, with Emerson and his steed leading the group. It wasn't a particularly shallow river, either. The entirety of Finn's lower body was absolutely soaked by the time they had made it to the shore. His pants, which he had hoped he could get patched after the leg had been burned off by the slime, were completely ruined. The only silver lining was getting to see a very soggy Eril. It turned out that with his feathers flattened down he was only about half the size he appeared to be, which very nearly ruined his warrior's poise.

It was a rough trek from that point onwards. The terrain became much hillier, and they had to stick to the worn down dirt roads for the most part. This meant they had to watch for carts and other travelers, some of whom had carriages wide enough to block anyone from passing. Luckily, Emerson was headstrong enough to face down many a merchant in a game of high stakes chicken. Finn watched with some humor at these encounters. They were one of the few bits of entertainment he had on an otherwise very tiring trek. What was most striking to Finn's wandering eyes though was the miles and miles of terraced farms he could see. He knew that they existed in his world, but he hadn't ever seen one, let alone so many all around. It was much more lush than the forests they had left behind.

"Hey Eril, what direction are we heading in?" Finn asked.

"Almost exactly due east. This road leads straight to Kinead." Eril didn't even look away from the road to answer his question.

"I wish I knew what that meant," Finn grumbled.

"Well, we're in the land of Ginger right now. That happened when we crossed the river earlier. Then, instead of going down to the coast, which was our plan, we'll head across to the land of Jasmine. It's right about in the center of the northern empire, give or take."

Finn tried to imagine it in his head. "I think I may be starting to get it. I do really need a map though."

Eril looked down at him. "I think there may be more pressing concerns."

This pattern of travel continued on for several days. The early appeal of the rolling fields quickly wore off as little changed once again. Finn spotted a few strange looking animals, some of which seemed to be almost entirely green, but he scarcely had the chance to ask about them before they were long out of view. At least their approach to civilization meant that they could be slightly more comfortable during their short rests. They spent a few nights at the same encampment as a fellow traveler, and they reliably had a few pillows or blankets to spare for knights on a noble quest. Yet still it felt like as soon as they woke up they were back on the road, without any time to think about it.

Finally, they could see it in the distance. A great long wall, behind which was a crowded mass of stone buildings, frequently split up by tall spires peeking out over everything.

Emerson breathed a sigh of relief. "We've made it. The old city is in view."

They took a moment to look over it. Honestly, it was breathtaking, in the way old European cities are. You could feel the history oozing off of it even from a distance, with its winding constructions and many ornate buildings, all clustered low to the ground. Emerson scrunched his face, as if something was off about it. Finn followed his gaze, noticing several spots where the wall had collapsed, letting in a view of the nearby streets. For the density of buildings, they seemed to be surprisingly desolate, as well.

Without any further hesitation, they marched towards the wall. They marched as a group towards a great gate which stood between them and the city. Emerson marched to the front, calling loudly to the stationed guards.

"I am Sir Emerson Grey, and I'm here to answer the call of your city. I understand my men have arrived?"

The guards seemed relieved to have him here. They lifted open the gate, and into the city the group went.

CHAPTER 5: THE KNIGHTS OF EARL GREY

Later in his journey, Finn would come to get a much fuller picture of life in the ancient city of Kinead. Reputable historians would tell him about its long and storied history, dating back to before the empire, when there were only small fiefdoms vying for power. It was never a big site for trading, located neither along the rivers and passages which joined the dwarves and the elves, nor was it on the coast facing Auster, so it instead turned inwards and became a place of faith and tranquility. It pulled up its walls and became stationary in its daily life.

When the soldiers of the new empire came from the west, and punched through its walls, it folded with little resistance. There was no significant armed presence, only small sects of martially trained monks who were easily crushed. Kinead may have gotten the last laugh though, as from it spread the common religion which would come to dominate the empire. From then, it continued on in much the same way it did before.

Before he would know any of that, he would first have to experience it for himself, however briefly, to know the real quality of the city. This was a purpose that may have been better served by a trip which didn't involve so much danger and stress, but for him it would not pan out this way.

Finn and the group of adventurers trotted down the main thoroughfare at a slow pace. This was a much different experience than the last town Finn had seen. He would have expected it to be bustling with people, but Kinead was on the whole relatively subtle. As they went deeper into the city it began to pick up, but only in the slightest.

“Where is everyone?” Finn asked, worried about the possible danger of being in the city. This direwolf could be around any corner. He wasn’t even quite sure what a direwolf was, to be honest. He only knew it sounded menacing.

“Not hiding in fear, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Clare supplied. “It’s just the time of day where most people here are at a church.”

Finn hadn’t thought much about religion in this world. Though now that he considered it, it was often the case that gods were real in these sort of fantasy stories. And more relevant to him, they were usually responsible for bringing people to their world in the first place! He stowed that question for a more opportune time.

There was the thundering of horses coming down the road. Then, a whole battalion's worth of soldiers came rushing down the road. Finn feared for a moment they were about to attack him. But they slowed until they were right in front of their small band, which was now seeming rather insignificant next to what had been thirty horses and their knights. Those who were on the street left at the approach of this fighting force. Leading their group was a knight with a commanding presence, dressed from head to toe in shining armor. Emerson jumped off his horse to greet the man at the front of the group, who did the same, pulling off him helmet as he approached.

He was a tall man who was a fair bit older than Emerson, with nearly buzzed hair and skin covered in scars and cuts that must’ve dated back decades. When Emerson saw him, he pulled him into a hug, which he held onto for a long moment.

“It’s inauspicious to be seeing you again before I was supposed to return to the knights, Droban,” Emerson said after pulling away.

“I’m glad to see you no matter the circumstances, young sir. The knights have been very antsy without you at the helm. We should fill you in, and then we can decide a plan of action,” the man replied.

This new group, the warriors in Emerson's squadron, led them to a building on the other side of the city from which they had been planning their attack. It turned out that this new man, Droban, was Emerson’s second in command and had been left in charge while he had been on this expedition. Finn thought it was kinda funny that they had been so worried about the fluctuations of magic that they had sent the best and brightest from across the world out, only for it to turn out to just be him, a regular old guy.

When they arrived Emerson was already deep in conversation with Droban, as well as the tertiary Flavian, about the situation and possible methods of attack. Finn tuned out most of it after a good number of minutes spent trying to figure out what was being said and failing. There was something about a phalanx, but that was all he was certain of. Inside the building, they moved to a broad table and map that showed the surrounding area in great detail, which was almost too perfect a fantasy world look. Finn followed, unnoticed by Emerson and the rest until they began getting into the weeds of their strategy.

“Clare, I’d like to bring you with the backup group so we can help the wounded. Praxidis and Eril should be in the vanguard with me.” Then, he turned to Finn. “You should most definitely stay out of danger. Dotemin, can you watch over him during our skirmish?”

The still cloaked elf nodded, and grabbed Finn as one would an unruly child. Then, at one of the knight's instructions, he took him to a small room on the floor above, in which Finn was sat while the planning continued. It felt a bit like he had been grounded.

A little while later, everyone took off on their horses toward the wall of the city. Emerson was dressed up in full battle regalia, leading the pack forward. They must have figured out their game plan, then. To think that something that was so uninteresting before now seemed so tantalizing once it was out of reach. Finn looked for a few more moments over the city, before getting bored and turning back into the small room. Now it was just him and Dotemin, the one person he had no idea what to say to. They were still dressed up in that massive cloak and mask, if it can be believed.

Finn studied them, trying to glean any useful information. Their mask was the most interesting part, obviously, with it being shaped like an animal skull and decorated in strange flowing patterns. Finn could see two bumps coming from the top of Dotemin’s hood, which may or may not have been horns coming from the mask, or something more. Finn tried to imagine what he might look like under there. Maybe he was more of a Christmas elf than a fantasy elf. It was certainly possible. He better have the pointy ears though, or it would just be a waste to have them called an elf in the first place.

After a few long minutes of silence, Finn decided he couldn’t take it anymore. He had to break the silence with something.

"So, do you have to wear the big cloak? Sorry if this is like, offensive to elves or something. I'm just curious."

Dotemin let the silence sit for a minute, before softly shaking their head. Then, in an incredibly soft voice, they said, "I'm just cold."

Huh. It wasn't a particularly wild answer, all things considered. It is known that people often throw scarves and jackets on when it gets chilly outside. It's not so strange to think this was the same sort of thing. It didn't really explain the mask, though. Honestly, the skull thing seemed odd to begin with. Finn thought that fantasy elves were more about nature and trees and stuff. They wore leafy dresses, not ratty cloaks and bones.

"Are you a dark elf? If those exist here."

Dotemin shrugged. Guess they didn't exist, then. Despite this setback, Finn was determined to keep the conversation going, no matter what he needed to say.

"So, what do you do for fun? When you aren't traveling around fighting monsters, I suppose."

Finn gave a moment to think. He saw his head tilt to the side slightly, which he hoped was indicative of some thinking going on. It started to stretch on, and Finn began to lose hope. Just as he was about to try another question, Dotemin responded.

"...I enjoy traveling. At home, I often play volleyball."

"Volleyball?" That wasn't a word he expected to hear in this sort of setting.

Dotemin put his arms out in a bumping and spiking motion to try and explain. "With the net, and you bounce around the ball," he attempted to communicate.

"No, I know what volleyball is, I just didn't expect to hear about it in this world. It seems so, uh, modern. Not that you guys are behind or anything!"

Dotemin had no response to that. Finn felt a bit like he was flailing to find something to say. To his surprise, Dotemin offered up another comment. "I'm sure it's difficult to find yourself somewhere like this. I understand, I rarely leave my tribe."

Now Finn felt like he was getting somewhere. The fact of there being a tribe involved in this was a lead. They continued their somewhat stilted conversation for some time. He eventually teased out from Dotemin that he was from a tribe in the desert to the south. He still didn't really have any context for what that meant, though. Contextually it probably meant that they were in the equivalent of the northern hemisphere of this world, which made sense given the European sort of environment. Though, it had gotten a little more asian looking as they had kept traveling. Then again those were on the same continent. But to get from Europe to Asia you had to go through the middle east, which is a desert! At this point, Finn forgot where he was going with this chain of thought.

CHAPTER 6: THE OLD CITY

After some time, the knights returned from their mission, slowly trotting down the street on horseback. Many were bloodied or injured, though nothing severe. It was still enough to cause Finn to pale. The worst injury he'd seen was when he'd broken an arm in middle school. He supposed that he would have to get used to a little more violence in a world like this. Then, his eyes carried to Emerson. It wasn't his battered appearance that was the problem, but the severed head of a wolf he carried with him. It was like nothing Finn had ever seen. The creature itself looked more fearsome than any wolf he had known. Its fur was as black as pitch, and it had teeth stretching far out of its mouth. The whole head was almost the size of Emerson's chest. He didn't want to think about what kind of beast it had been attached to. It must've been the size of a horse, at least. He and his men rode down the street, until he passed out of Finn's view from the window.

"Where are they going? They're going right by the building," Finn exclaimed.

Dotemin looked up. "To clean up… and meet with the Duchess."

The head had been brought back as proof of their victory. It wasn't like they could take a photo of it. They marched slowly away only returning a while later, with the blood and grime cleaned off their armor.

Finn looked back at Dotemin. "Good talk. Think it's safe to head back down?"

Dotemin nodded softly, and got up to join Finn in returning to the rest of the group. Emerson spotted them almost immediately. He smiled, but there was a deep tiredness in it.

"There you are, Finn! The good news is that our skirmish went well. The Duchess of Jasmine has given her thanks to us. But the battle has worn us down. So, we'll have to stay here for the day. Then, I promise we will make haste to Larentia in the morning."

Finn shrugged. "Honestly, I’d figure you'd need more time to recuperate, if anything. You guys go ahead and do whatever it is you need. I'm not gonna vanish. I hope."

So it was decided. In the first few hours of the down time, Finn had a chance to meet several of the knights who served under Emerson. Droban, the second in command of the knights, had much to tell him about Emerson and his adventures. For a person who was only a few years older than himself, he had done quite a bit. Of course, there were also a fair number of embarrassments. One story from when he was still a squire involving riding a horse into a lake was particularly entertaining. Unfortunately, Flavian, who Finn had only met briefly back at the border, was incapacitated in the fight and had to spend that time being healed by Clare.

By this point in the day, all those who were in a mass or service had filtered out back into the city. With news of the defeat of the direwolves spreading, there was a giddiness in the air which could be heard even inside. Finn decided to tag along with Clare, who was heading into town to pick up some potions she had run out of during the battle. It was going to be his first real taste of the kind of civilization they had in this world.

In the bustle of the day, Kinead was glorious. Finn had trouble keeping up with Clare, as he kept getting distracted by traders and worshippers of all types and species clamoring on every corner. There were those in long robes, with their faces shrouded screaming out the names of gods he did not know of. Altogether the city seemed to be very human dominated, but he spotted the occasional other being, which was quite a sight for him. He spotted men running to and fro on important business, trailed by beastkin who were carrying and keeping track of all sorts of things. There were dwarves marching along with weapons piled on their backs. Everyone seemed to be in every possible configuration, with the only exception being the elves. He might have caught a glimpse of a pointed ear or sleek white hair passing in the distance, but he was never quite certain.

The whole city carried an air of history, from its architecture to its people. There were statues in every plaza, and carvings on every open wall. Finn thought that it must be hard to think or create here, being surrounded by so much ancient beauty at every turn, always pressing down on you.

It was lucky that Finn had lived in a city for most of his life, or he wouldn't have been able to keep up nearly as well as he did. He kept behind Clare as she passed through long winding cobblestone roads and across thoroughfares of carts and horses, until at last they were in front of an old, quaint stone building. On its wooden door were carved a number of symbols, which looked a bit like it was telling you the gender of the building. Finn was a bit confused as to why they would have these sorts of symbols in a world without other planets, but he chalked it up to a sort of convergent evolution.

"This should be the place. It's actually owned by an old pupil of mine," Clare told him. "I've been planning to stop by next summer, but as long as i'm already here I might as well." She pushed open the door, and Finn followed in after her.

The inside of the shop was far more elaborate than the exterior would have you believe. As Finn entered, he was assaulted by a dazzling array of glowing colors and strange scents. The smell almost reminded him of a spice shop. There were rows of bottles and vials in all sorts of rounded and twisting containers lining the walls.

"Clare? Is that you?" The woman at the counter was surprised to see Clare, and jumped up from behind the counter to hug her. She was probably in her thirties, and looked a bit more like a proper wizard than Clare. Not by much though. It was just that she had a large, brimless conical hat on her head with the emblem of a heart split in two sewn into the front . More noticeable was her bright pink hair. It didn't look natural, but Finn wasn't sure about the existence of hair dye in this world. With magic, it might be possible.

Clare reached into the hug. "This is a nice little shop you have here, Esmen," she said.

Esmen blushed. "Oh, it's nothing special. I still can't compete with the bigger shops in town. I've got a comfortable niche though." Even as she stepped away, she continued to keep in her conversation with Clare. There wasn't anybody else in the shop to assist, anyways. "So what are you doing out here?"

"I was called on a mission by the Queen. It may or may not be important business of the crown, depending on what happens." At this, Clare seemed to remember that Finn was with her. "You can look around the city if you'd like. You don't have to stay here with me."

Given that he was in a strange land with no money, either from earth or otherwise, it wouldn't do much good to go out shopping. So Finn elected to stay in the shop while the two caught up. He looked around at the various potions, careful to not knock anything over. There were the usual healing and magic potions, of which Clare bought a few, but also some stranger concoctions, like one that purported to let people who drank it jump incredibly high. There was no indication that it helped with the fall. Clare ended up offering Esmen far more gold than the potions were worth, which she insisted on to help the business flourish. They left with a hefty amount of potions, which Clare tucked away into a small bag under her robe. Finn figured it was a magic thing and moved on.

The next day, Finn felt much more rested after a day in a real bed, as light and feathery as it was. With some pomp, they set off again, riding out of the city with the Knights before they split off to return to the Grey duchy. The landscape this time around was much busier. As they got closer to the center of the country, there were more and more large cities, though none so far that rivaled Kinead. It was still mostly farmland, now dotted with many more small cottages and wandering animals of all types.

As the days passed, the wide road they were following gradually became more and more congested with travelers. Along the sides, there began to grow a bit of a shantytown, presumably set up to service those that didn't make it all the way into the city. There were a number of small shops, with beastkin set up on rugs hawking smaller items. It grew and grew as they got closer. By the time the walls of Larentia were in sight, they were at a near standstill as every person was examined before being allowed in the city. A few times, Finn could hear loud complaints at the entrance from people who were refused entrance, either because of what they carried or because they didn’t have the coin needed to get in. It was all a very messy affair.

When their group got to the front, there was no wasted time. It seems there had been word of them at the capital already. The guards only needed a quick check of their identity, and they were allowed in. Finn felt a brief chill come over him as they walked through the gate, causing him to shiver.

Clare noticed his moment of discomfort. “There’s a detection spell on the gate, in case any illusionists try to sneak in. You’ll get used to it.”

Finn hoped he wouldn’t have to get used to anything here and could just get home quickly.

CHAPTER 7: JOINING A FANCLUB

Their first order of business in Larentia was meeting with the Queen. It was already part of their original plan to report back the cause of the magical anomaly that had sent them out in the first place, then perhaps Finn could be returned to his world through the assistance of the court magicians. Finn was a bit nervous about the whole thing. Lese majeste was a serious crime in many medieval societies. What he knew about historical, as well as fictional kings and queens was that they were either incredibly corrupt or men of brave heart and courage. He was attempting to be prepared for either option.

So Finn and those he was with sat in a large waiting room of the palace. It really was a beautiful place. It had one of those painted ceilings which he had his neck craned up to look over. It was better than standing around awkwardly in silence like the rest of them. It didn't help that Finn had been given a set of what were for this world regular clothes, which were incredibly uncomfortable. He was hoping to get some silks, but instead he ended up with thick and coarse garments roughly sewn together. They probably didn't want to waste something nicer on a very temporary guest.

Finally, an attendant came in to inform them that the Queen was ready to see them. The group left to follow him through the castle, except Eril who stayed behind in the waiting room. They followed him down a series of hallways and chambers, until they were up to the grand entrance to the throne room.

Finn looked up at the door. "Is there anything I need to be worried about? Any subjects I should avoid talking about if I want to keep my head?"

Praxidis slapped him on the back, causing him to almost fall over. "Relax! Queen Katarina is a good woman!"

Clare nodded. "As long as you give your account as well as you can, there shouldn't be any problem."

Then, the door was opened.

The attendant marched over to the throne and stood at attention. "Presenting her majesty, Queen Katarina Chamomile the fourth!" he said, filling the room with his voice.

In the far end of the chamber, there was a large gilded throne, upon which sat the queen, an older woman in a deep blue dress and cape. What caught Finn's eye was a delicate crown which sat on her head, inlaid with a dark blue gem of some kind, which shone brightly. Despite the ostentatious attire she wore, she appeared to be rather ordinary. Back in his world, he might've seen someone a lot like her at the grocery store and paid no mind. It was sort of a relief.

Emerson approached first, and sunk down onto one knee in front of her. "My queen," he said with reverence, "we've returned from our expedition to the suborean forests with something which requires your guidance." Only now did he look up at her, moving his hand back to indicate Finn. Everyone else stepped away, leaving all the attention on him. "At the source of the disruption we found this man, who claims to be from another world entirely. One without magic or the beings and monsters we see here."

The queen scrutinized Finn. After taking a moment to evaluate him, she turned to Clare. "Can you verify what he says?"

"He seems truthful. Some of the things he talks about seem to be outlandish to conceive of as part of some deception," Clare said. "And there are his lenses and the clothes he was wearing, which are unlike any you can see on the market." At this, she supplied his rather muddy shirt and pants, which the attendant took and brought to the queen. Finn wasn't sure what this meant.

"Tell me about this," the queen said, turning her attention to him.

Finn jumped a little. "Well, um, it's about what she said. I'm just an ordinary person back in my world, and I was going about my day, when suddenly I woke up here in the forest. I probably would've starved if these guys hadn't found me. Either that or ended up as slime food. You guys have some vicious creatures here," he said, and then clammed up. He knew he shouldn't be rambling on in front of the queen, but his nerves were getting to him. Silence filled the hall.

Then, the queen began to laugh. "A slime? Vicious? He must not be from here if he thinks like that. You're funny, strange man."

"Um, thanks?"

The atmosphere in the hall seemed to have lightened up. Much to the protests of the man next to her, the queen got up to walk over to Finn, reaching out to greet him informally. "What is your name, young man?" she asked.

"Finn Leighton, um, your highness."

"Just call me Katarina. But as the Queen of the land, let me welcome you to the Empire of Man, and to the greater world of Siyok as well. I assume you want to return home?"

"Yes ma'am- uh, Katarina."

Clare stepped back up. "I think it would be best if the court magicians looked into this. That's why we brought him here."

"Yes, that's probably for the best. I think Sir Bergamot should be put on the case. He is the best conjurer we have on hand," the queen mused. "Now," she said, turning to her attendant, "Seeing as we don't know how long that might be, we will need to set our guest up with a room in the palace. Ideally one in the southern wing. And tonight, we shall have a feast in honor of this confluence of adventures from all corners of the globe, and even further. You five shall be the guests of honor." The attendant bowed deeply and scurried away to carry out her orders.

"Thank you very much," Finn said.

"Of course. A queen looks after her subjects, and any human is a citizen of the empire. It's only my duty."

At this, the group was relieved of their meeting with the queen. Other duties to attend to, assumedly. They walked slowly back to their earlier waiting room.

"I think that went well," Finn said as he sat back down. "Hopefully I can get this sorted in no time!"

"Sir Bergamot is an old friend of mine. He taught at the academy back when I was a student. If there's anyone who can bring you back home, it's him," Clare said. Finn was delighted to hear it.

"It sounds like all went well?" Eril asked, leaning into their conversation.

"I think so!" Finn said. "Actually, why didn't you come, Eril? You probably would've been able to say a bit about my worth, what with all the talking at you I've done."

A bitter look crossed over Eril's face. At least, he thought it was. He was still trying to figure out how to spot expressions on his birdlke face. "The position of my people is complicated in the empire. It was for the best that I avoid a political situation."

"Is this like a problem between empires or something? Are you the heir to some rival state?" Finn asked excitedly.

Eril chuckled. "It's nothing like that. There's no need to burden yourself with our issues while you're here. Let's just enjoy ourselves."

CHAPTER 8: TWO KINDS OF PARTIES

That night, their party was called from their room to attend the feast. The attendant arrived right with the chiming of the bells, and led them through the palace, much further than they had gone last time. On the way, they passed through so many rooms decorated with portraits and gilded chandeliers that it all began to blur together in Finn's mind.

The dining hall was a grand chamber fit for a queen. After all, it was for a queen. Finn and his party were some of the last to arrive, with the hall already filled with conversation. All the way down at the head of the table was the queen, calling to them.

"The guests of honor have finally arrived!" she shouted. Everyone turned towards them. A few nodded or waved to them. Some of the coarser men in particular seemed excited to see Emerson, while several of the younger people waved politely to Clare. "Clare Rosehip of the Academy, Sir Emerson of the Grey Duchy, Dotemin of Pex, Pradixis Ducoleye of Mount Qaalin, and our most special guest, Finn Leighton of Earth!" There were some murmings of confusion at his name. The queen paused for a moment to let the drama build. "He comes to us from another world, far different from our own." This elicited a mix of intrigue and skepticism.

They walked to their seats, Finn a little bashful under all the attention. They were seated not far from the head of the table, with only a few spots between them and the queen. Finn was placed across from Emerson, with Praxidis on his right and a young woman he hadn't met on his left.

She smiled politely at Finn. "You're really from another world?" Finn nodded. "How strange! Oh, I'm Princess Margaret, by the way. I'm supposed to introduce myself before I start asking questions…" She rubbed the back of her head. Now that Finn looked, he could see the resemblance to the Queen. Her hair was a little lighter and her face a little sharper, but she could pass for a younger version with ease.

"Nice to meet you. And it's strange on my end too. We don't really have queens or princesses back in my world. Not ones that really govern, at least."

The princess seemed a little shocked to hear this. It must be tough to think she'd have to get a job or something if they were in Finn's world.

"Maggie! Maggie!" Interrupting their conversation was a young boy, no older than fourteen, with bright red hair. "Do you think Claude will show up tonight?"

"Oh, I don't know. If he hasn't shown up yet he's probably caught up in his work."

The kid looked annoyed to hear this. "Tch. Typical of him. Now I have to sit all by myself!"

Margaret patted his head. "You've got mother right by you, and Sir Grey is two seats down. He's one of the kingdom's best knights, you know."

The kid lit up with excitement. "You're right! Thanks sis!" he said, before running back to the other side of the table.

Margaret watched over his movement with a smile. Then, she realized Finn was looking at her with an odd look. "That's my little brother, Prince Roy. He can be a handful."

"You seem on good terms. Back in my world stories always had princes and princesses vying for power and poisoning each other," Finn said lightly.

Margaret laughed. "No, we all have our part to play. Prince Claude has actually gotten very into supporting the arts rather than residing in the castle. Besides, the only other princess is my younger sister, who's just a few years old."

That sounded a bit suspicious to Finn, but he let it slide. "So you're next in line for the throne?"

"Yeah, which is why you probably shouldn't be bothering her," Praxidis interrupted. Finn stiffened.

"You're not going to like execute me, right? I completely forgot that that was something I was worried about."

The princess held her hands up in a gesture to calm Finn down. "I won't do that! Please, relax!"

Praxidis was having a good laugh at Finn's expense. "You react like a bad actor, kid!"

"Well, I can't really help it, now can it?" At this point, Finn was assuredly staring in the direction opposite Praxidis. The princess was looking on at this routine with some confusion. Just then, the sound of a glass rang out from the queen's side of the table. Everyone in conversation fell silent.

The queen stood up from her gilded chair. "Thank you everyone, for coming tonight. You have already seen the adventurers for whom this feast is being held." There was a light smattering of applause, which the group accepted. "And of course, our visitor from another world. Tell me, do you ever have feasts like this in your world?"

"The closest was one time at a waffle house, but it was nothing compared to this," Finn said, after a moment of consideration.

The queen seemed satisfied at his answer. "Well, I hope the house of Chamomile can live up to this great house of Waffle. Bring the food out!"

Attendants brought out a great many dishes of food, from large roasts to arrays of vegetables and rice. The ingredients, save a couple of strangely shaped breasts of meat and some large gourd-like vegetables, were familiar to Finn, but their arrangements were completely foreign to him.

Next to him, Praxidis was filling her plate with every leg of meat she could find. She plopped a large, grayish piece of meat on his plate. "Try this kelpie meat. It's got a wonderful flavor. The best of both land and sea, I say!"

"Oh, and I would recommend the leaf loaf. It's a nice light repaste," said the princess, pointing down the table. Having no better idea for what to pick, he went for it.

First he tried the leg. It was an odd experience, having the texture of salmon but the gaminess of deer. He supposed it was probably too much to ask for the fatty cows and chicken that factory farming provided. It was well seasoned, though. He hadn't expected quite the spice profile he found here. The loaf was surprisingly delicious, being very dense for a vegetable dish. He attempted with no luck to figure out how it was made. After that, he sampled a few more dishes here and there. This continued on for several more courses until he was completely stuffed.

"And lastly, we have some tea and a wonderful desert brought to us from the Darjeeling duchy to the west. It's one of their rarest delicacies, a flan slime carefully nurtured for maximum delicacy. The black tea pairs well, I've heard," the queen announced. Out was brought a a plate of wobbly white jelly. Finn could scarcely believe it was the same type of creature that had so viciously attacked him back in the forest. He felt a sense of ultimate victory over the one from back then, with one now being offered up to him.

When it was served an old bearded man a number of seats down from Finn got up and left the room. He wondered what that was about. Perhaps a dietary preference. His attention was quickly pulled back to the dish in front of him, however.

He got a small plate's worth of the slime dish, along with a cup of tea, with milk of course. He tried the slime first. It was incredibly creamy, with a subtle flavor that was incredibly delicious. He had to go back for seconds, but first he washed it down with a sip of tea. The flavors blended beautifully. He would have to remember to buy some flan when he got back home.

The queen was first to retire from the feast. The rest of the visitors filed out slowly afterwards. Finn and all those who had been traveling together gathered outside to talk a bit. A few nobles came to talk to their group, but none seemed too interested in Finn knowing that he would be returning home shortly.

"Well, I suppose this is goodbye for us," Emerson said. "I have to return to guard my duchy. I can only be away for so long. I wish you a safe return, Sir Leighton." At this, he bowed to Finn.

"Oh, uh, thanks for watching out for me, Emerson. I hope you stay safe as well." Finn wasn't sure whether he could go in for the hug or not yet, so he settled for a stilted half bow.

"I should be leaving as well. I've been above ground too long. The caves of the kingdom are calling for me," Praxidis said.

"It seems our little adventuring party is over," Finn said nostalgically. It was only a few days, but it was one of the strangest experiences of his life. He had no doubt that he would carry it with him for the rest of his life.

"And on to the next one!" Praxidis roared.

"I hope you're right, Praxidis."

"Call me Praxin, really. From now on out you're a friend of the dwarves, even if you never meet another one." She pulled him into a hearty hug, lifting him off the ground.

"And I'll be around the academy, just a short walk away, if you should need me," Clare said to Finn.

Dotemin walked forward. For the first time this evening, they spoke. "I'm staying. For now."

"This is it, then," Finn said. "Does anyone know what Eril is going to be doing?"

"He'll probably be heading back to his home. He's got a family to look after, I think," Clare replied. Finn could only draw to mind the image of Eril coming back to a giant bird's nest.

They bid their goodbyes and went their separate directions. With all luck, Finn would never see them again. It was certainly bittersweet.

An attendant came to give both him and Dotemin a chamber in the guest wing. It was a beautifully furnished room, much nicer than any of the other places he had stayed in. It even had a balcony overlooking one of the many gardens around the palace, though he couldn't make out much of it at this late hour.

He settled into bed for the night, pulling aside the canopy he had no use for. Hopefully, by tomorrow, he could be on his way home.