The next morning, I fully suffered the effects of the previous night’s drinking. Not only had I forgotten my bedroll, but I hadn’t thought of grabbing the packet of herbs that would have alleviated the symptoms in their entirety. I endured what was likely one of the worst hangovers I had ever had, especially since I had arrived in this world. If only I had grabbed my saddlebags.

  I glared at the backs of the oblivious Harper and Jerseil, cheerfully unaware of my pain and suffering. To spite them, I refused to even ask if either of them had the necessary herbs for the hangover tea. I couldn’t chastise them, nor could I bring myself to broach their romantic bliss for my self-caused torment. It was a shitty spot to be in, of being a decent friend and a suffering moron.

  The bright sunlight contributed to the throbbing pain behind my eyes.

  We had started out early, me with my throbbing headache and a full body crick, and them in new relationship bliss. I stumbled along after them as they cheerfully chatted while walking. There may have been giggling involved, too. Ugh.

  I drank water as the sun climbed higher into the sky, slowly feeling better. By lunchtime, I almost felt normal again. Almost.

  It was good, too, that I was feeling better. We came upon a small town with stone and wood buildings. Unlike the other settlements I had been to, the entrance to it had these odd, glowing statues and strange floating symbols that glowed brighter as we approached. The entrance was on a narrow ledge framed by a cliff face on the right and a drop on the left, and was just big enough for two horse-drawn carts to pass through at the same time. The line of houses on the right of the road was visible through the arching wooden structure framing the space.

  “Those are to keep out evil creatures and spirits. I didn’t know this area had issues with them,” Jerseil muttered to himself.

  “How broad a spectrum are those symbols? I know there are still places in the world where people still fear Cambions,” Harper asked worriedly. “Even if it is safe, we can’t just let Finn wander about on his own.”

  “Excuse me? I’m not exactly made of porcelain over here,” I scoffed.

  “Finn, that’s not what I meant,” she said.

  “Fine. But I’m not a child either,” I grumbled. Yet I knew I was acting immaturely. Despite that, I was not going to give her the satisfaction. Even though I wasn’t going to enter the town without the two of them. There are many stupid things I could have done, but going it alone was not one of them.

  Jerseil sized up the entrance and took a deep breath. “We won’t know if it will stop us. Not until we try!”

  His first contact with the barrier caused it to flare up, stopping him. He pushed against it harder and the damned thing rang like a gong. Jerseil stepped back, a little dazed. “I did not expect that.”

  An old man walked up to the barrier, looking at the three of us. My first thought was that this guy looked like the epitome of a martial arts master in old kung fu movies. He had long white hair and a thin mustache that hung down his chest. He stroked that mustache as he studied the three of us. Then recognition flared in his eyes and a wide smile graced his wrinkled face.

  Without fear or trepidation, the old man stepped through the barrier as if it wasn’t there. “You’re with the Allied Army! Just like my grandson,” he said. “He came to visit six months ago and his uniform was in much better condition.”

  “We’ve been through a bit of trouble, so my grooming routine has been a little lacking,” said Jerseil, grinning sheepishly. “So, I can only offer my sincere apologies for my wretched state.”

  The old man laughed like this was the height of humor and embraced a very startled Jerseil. “I think we can forgive this! My name is Chiang Wu. I’m the Spiritualist guarding this town. I must have been careless the last time I tweaked the barrier parameters. I will give you safe passage, for you are no demon or spirit!”

  An arch formed in the barrier and Chiang Wu led the three of us through the barrier, patting a still perturbed Jerseil on the back. “Come, Come! You will stay at my house for the night and I will feed you an excellent meal. And you will tell me how you all got here.”

  “So this town has no problem with Cambions?” Harper asked.

  “What? Absolutely not. Your heritage does not make you monsters. Our isolation from the world’s hustle and bustle doesn’t mean we’re uncivilized!”

  Chiang Wu led us to a nearby house made of wood and stucco on a stone foundation. The wood had a dark red stain, making it stand out against the trees. Several of the building that I could see were like that, adding an interesting ascetic. The inside of the old man’s house was open and rather spartan. He opened a door into an inner courtyard, where a simple outdoor kitchen was situated.

  The old man efficiently cooked a meal of rice, or a rice-like grain, and vegetables. There was also some meat in a rich, thick sauce. The entire thing smelled divine, reminding me of this Chinese-American place near campus where the kitchen was open to the dining area.

  He served the meal with both chopsticks and a spoon. I hadn’t realized how much I had missed the cuisine from home. I filled my bowl with rice, vegetables, and some of the meat in the sauce. It was spicy, with almost a sweet and sour tang to it. I groaned in pleasure at the first bite, savoring the flavors and textures in my mouth.

  “Where did you learn to cook like this?” I asked. “I haven’t tasted anything like this since home!” Harper grunted her enthusiastic agreement, her mouth full.

  “My mother grew up in San Francisco. Her family had a restaurant there for several generations until something happened that forced them to shut down and leave the city. She taught me how to cook traditionally and I was going to open a little place myself, but then I ended up in this world.” He said, regret and fondness coloring his voice in equal measure.

  “And I’m glad it did! I met my wife and settled down in this town, living a mostly peaceful life with children and grandchildren in this wonderful community. And I grew up in a small town, so this place is just perfect for me,” he continued.

  I stuffed my face while he talked, finishing my first bowl by scooping the rice with the provided spoon. I refilled my bowl with the same mix. It really was good and I really should have slowed down due to the spiciness slowly becoming overwhelming.

  “So what is a Spiritualist, Chiang Wu? I’ve never met one before,” Harper asked.

  “Hmm. How to explain? My class is sort of like a monk with qi and has spells like a wizard. With a heavy dose of cleric thrown in for protection. I deal mostly with spirits, both good and bad, gaining my power through them,” he replied. “Does that clear it up?”

  “Yes, thank you!”

  After we ate, we went out to check out the town with Chiang Wu’s blessing. The town was built on what was basically a shelf. One side ending in a cliff. Where we entered through the barrier, the shelf was at its skinniest, widening out significantly. Though the houses were only on the right at first, soon the main road of the town and residences, then businesses, on both sides.

  Touristy though it was, wandering through the town was another delightful distraction. The amount of people out and about was staggering. I had been under the impression, thanks to Chiang Wu, that this was a small town. Crowds filled the town, and it boasted more shops than I expected. And eateries.

  I followed Jerseil and Harper into a general store, with a variety of unique items on display. I looked at some armor on a rack, a complicated mess of metal, leather, and straps. It was strange and confusing, and I was glad that I likely couldn’t wear it. I glanced at a book in a glass case by the front window, a book that looked somewhat familiar. But my attention was swiftly pulled away from it by the most astonishing sight. In my peripheral vision, I glimpsed someone I never expected to see here, or anywhere else, for that matter.

  I rushed out of the store, looking through the crowd. Where did she go? I pushed my way through the crowd, apologizing as I went. Glimpses of her curly hair flashed past the arms and shoulders of the people blocking my way. A gap in the crowd to my left opened up, and I dashed through it. Fuck, why are there even more people?

  I made my way to the side of the street and leapt up on a barrel to get a view over the heads of the people moving, yet blocking me. I saw her getting farther and farther down the street, heading towards what seemed to be a temple of some sort. Seeing the people thinning ahead, I got down and moved with the crowd, and saw her go around the temple.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The back of the temple was a garden area with hedges and benches. It looked very serene, like a good place to stop and just think. The woman faced away from me, looking at something in her hands. Although her outfit was different, her sun-kissed curls still looked the same. The change in attire made her seem more scholarly.

  “Arilyn? Is that you?” I asked.

  The startled woman whirled around, closing the book in her hands. “Finn? How did you find me… What are you doing here in Lass Trusen?”

  I took a few steps toward her. “Me? Mercenaries chased us through Ankana’Zuul. They were hunting me because I’m a mage. I watched Juan get pounded to death by an ogre. Why are you--”

  In three quick steps, she was throwing her arms around me. She turned her face up to look me in the eye and hugged me tightly. “Oh Finn, I’m so sorry! I’ve read about that place. It must have been awful.”

  “It—it was something,” I said. “But why are you here? Last I knew, you and the rest of Missana’s troupe were heading eastward. Did you know she was a goddess?”

  Arilyn blinked at me, suddenly distant. “I did. And we were. I needed to come here for some information. Once I have it, I will rejoin the troupe.”

  “Missana sent you here, Arilyn?” I asked, giving her a quick squeeze. “Well, please thank the goddess for sending you my way. It is great to see you, and I missed you.”

  Her cheeks flushed slightly while she smiled. “I missed you, too, Finn.. I rarely get so attached, but there’s just something about you I just can’t resist.” She put her hands on my shoulders and stretched up to plant a kiss on my lips.

  We stood like that for what must have been an eternity. Yet the moment was too short. She stepped back, taking me by the hand, and led me to a nearby bench to sit down. I grinned like an idiot as she took my other hand in hers.

  I took in her face, perfectly framed by her curls. Her eyes were as bright as I remembered. Her lips were just as red.

  “Sometimes… I have to gather up knowledge. Just so it doesn’t get lost. And other times I have to find it again after it’s lost. That’s my job. That leads to me traveling a lot. I don’t have all the wonderful things that exist in your world to make my job any easier,” she said, a hint of frustration underlined her voice. But her countenance became more worried. “I find myself worrying about losing you. It’s not the safest path you chose, and it scares me.”

  “What are you trying to say, Arilyn?” I was confused. It almost sounded like she was breaking up with me, though we weren’t exactly together. The anxiety was the same.

  “I can’t ask you to come with me, Finn.”

  “Maybe not right now. I have this quest to open the way back to my world so everyone can go home. Who knows if that means that the way will be open only for a little while or what,” I said, like maybe, just maybe, I didn’t want to go home. “I could stay here, with you. For a while, at least.”

  Arilyn’s concerned frown lifted, and the corners of her lips climbed into a smile. “You would do that for… I think I would like that, Finn. If you could stay with me. If only for a little while.”

  I smiled back, wondering how we could have been so lucky to connect with each other the way we did. There was a nagging thought in the quiet part of my mind that there was something strange about the way we met, because of Missana’s influence, and it had been too convenient. But I ignored it, focusing on the incredible woman whose hands I held. I gave those hands a gentle squeeze, nodding.

  “But Finn, a demon hunts you.” She said softly, leaning in. “You need to be careful. I will not utter their name, because they would know. That would not be good for either of us. And I am not in a position to be much help.”

  “I know about the demon, but it hasn’t bothered me,” I replied. “Let’s not talk about such things, Arilyn! I just want to be here at this moment with you.”

  “And I with you. I have never met anyone like you,” she said. Her eyes were alight with attraction and delight, and she leaned forward to kiss me again. This was deeper, more passionate. My face burned. If we were not in a public place, this would have immediately led to other things.

  She pulled her face away from mine, her neck flushed and her eyes bright. Like her mind was heading in the same direction.

  “Oh my! We, um, should find somewhere more… private,” she said breathlessly. Her arms were around me, one hand playing with the hair on the back of my head.

  In response, I kissed her sweet lips eagerly.

  “There you are! Why did you run off—” Jerseil said behind us, jolting us out of the moment. “Whoa! I must apologize for the interruption. Finn, could you introduce me to this young lady so that I may offer my regrets at my rude entrance?”

  I glared at Jerseil. “Jerseil. Buddy,” I said. “Your timing sucks.”

  Arilyn and I stand up, letting go of each other’s hands reluctantly. “Jerseil, this is Arilyn. She is a traveling performer and scholar. Arilyn, this is my friend, Jerseil. He’s with the Allied Army.”

  Jerseil bows and steps forward, taking her hand and kissing it. His eyes widen in surprise as he steps back. “You are… quite the beauty, Lady Arilyn.”

  “Jerseil,” I hissed, almost under my breath.

  Arilyn puts a hand on my arm. “It’s nice to meet a friend of Finn’s. The pleasure is all mine, master Jerseil.”

  “Indeed. Well. Harper and I have some more shopping to do, as does our Finn here. There were some items I found he might find quite interesting! Please excuse me, lady,” he said and gave another bow. “Finn, come find me when you are done here.” With that, he turned and left.

  Arilyn laughed. “The timing! Finn, I think it was a good thing he found us. We were getting too… excited. And I shouldn’t stay in this town much longer. There are a lot of miles I need to travel to catch up to my mother—” she paused for a second as she laughed nervously. “To catch up to Missana and the troupe. The goddess mothers us so much, it’s hard not to call her that in jest.”

  “Arilyn, I don’t know what to say. I, we just found each other again. Can’t we grab dinner or something? Maybe even—”

  She put a finger to my lips. “If we do that, do you really think either of us will leave here in the next week?”

  I knew she was right. Maybe even a little optimistic about how it would only be a week if we were to grab dinner. And though I yearned for a vacation involving just Arilyn and me, that part of me that was responsible wouldn’t let me do it. Not yet. I really wanted to tell that part to take its mature sense of right and wrong, fold it a few times, and shove it up its ass.

  But I had a job to do. And then another. I had to avenge Juan. Or help Harper avenge Juan. If Arilyn and I could still be together after that, maybe our infatuation could develop into something more. Maybe we could spend more consecutive time and I could get to know her better. I knew so little, despite my obsession.

  “You’re right. I must do this quest thing to find a beast. Then we should take a week or two. Get to know each other better. Do some fun things. Take a vacation. What do you say?”

  “I would like that. Just the two of us?” she asked with a smile and a mischievous glint in her eyes.

  “Just the two of—” I would have said more, but her lips on mine prevented me from making a sensible thought. If one were to rank that kiss, it would be hard to say whether it was the greatest kiss of all time, but it had to be in the top ten. Maybe even the top five.

  Once I could breathe again, she hugged me tight. “Finn, be careful. The demon is closer than you think,” she whispered into my ear. With a quick smile, she took in my face before walking away. I just stood there for a moment. What did she mean by that?

  **********************************

  I found Jerseil and Harper haggling with a shop owner about the price of a sack of Glot root. My mouth involuntarily watered at the idea of eating more of that fantastic tuber.

  Jerseil noticed me and stepped over to talk with me. “And our Cassie Bova has decided to join us! What, pray tell, was it that would drag you away from such a beautiful woman?”

  “Cassie what? Did you mean Casanova?” I countered.

  “Maybe I did. But how the hells did you get the attention of such a gorgeous girl?” he asked.

  “Ouch! I would like to think that it had to do with my good looks and charm,” I replied. His questioning of my prowess hurt a little, but who was I kidding? I had no idea why she was that interested in me. All I knew was that she liked me at least as much as I liked her, and it was beyond me as to why she would. And I was not about to say that out loud.

  “Okay, okay! I’m just saying it seems suspicious to me. Maybe she could be the demon? Like, how did she get here so fast, and how did she know you would be here?”

  “Oh, I see where you are coming from. She is in the troupe of Missana the Storyteller. You know, the goddess? She couldn’t be a demon and work for a goddess.”

  “You may have a point there, Finn. I’m not the most religious man, but I know gods and demons don’t mix well. The fundamental nature of the two types of beings is entirely different. Their goals and approaches, too. So many of the stories I know involving demons playing tricks on and taking advantage of us lesser beings. While most of the stories with gods have them helping us. There are exceptions to that rule.”

  I sighed. “Jerseil, please. I don’t need a lecture right now. Can you just show me the stuff you wanted to show me and let this go? I’m not happy that I didn’t get to spend more time with her, and just want to have something else to focus on.”

  There was a touch of concern in his eyes, but he brightened and slapped me on the shoulder. “Right, let’s see if we can’t get you better gear.”

  He led me to an armorer’s store called Steelmantle’s Outerwear. The place contained all types of body coverings, ranging from cloth pants and shirts to fancy medieval plate armor. I saw slippers and boots, even something that looked like an attempt at sneakers. And amongst all of this was an old, white-haired dwarf, perched on a stool with his eyes closed. I picked up a pair of boots that looked heavy yet felt very light.

  “You can’t wear those, lad,” the dwarf said without opening his eyes. “Your level is too low and you are the wrong class.”

  I carefully put them down and turned to the dwarf. “Sorry, I haven’t gotten anything new since I got to this world. I don’t know what to pick.”

  The old dwarf smiled, finally opening his eyes. “Aye, that’s fairly obvious. I can help you with the pickin and choosin. Let’s get a good look at you.” He stared at me and what I was wearing and pulled out a small notebook and pencil. Both looked small for his hands, but he used them with ease.

  “Hmm. You are going to be a mite difficult to outfit, lad. None of the items I have out here are going to work for you, being a unique class an all…” he said thoughtfully. “… But I have some antiques that just might work in storage. Been a long time since a Mage came through these parts, an I ken there aren’t too many armorers alive today that have the knowing to make such.”

  “I, uh, you’re not afraid of my class or want to string me up?” I asked, somewhat nervously.

  He looked startled before letting out a good-natured belly laugh. “Oh lad, why would I? Dinna see the Voidstone set into the doorframe? Even if ya wanted to do me harm, there’s no way ya could!” he continued laughing at the look on my face.

  I relaxed. He had no malice towards me, despite all the terrible history connected to the Mage class. “Sorry, I’m not really used to indifference to me being a mage. So, could you make me something?”

  “Aye, but you really would be better off waiting until you reach a higher level before commissioning something. It’ll cost more than what I could find in the back. And I may be the only armorer alive, dwarf or otherwise, in the Twelve Kingdoms that knows how to make mage gear.”

  Then he leaned in, like he had a secret to share. “And if you are still not an evil fucking prick by now, I doubt you will be. So you’ll do well to listen to old Gorim Steelmantle, lad.”

  Jerseil laughed. “This is more entertaining than arguing over vegetables!”