Alice felt a poke at her lower back. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Garamond had finished talking to the Aquepup named Strudel. Admittedly...it is a cute name, Alice said inwardly. Garamond nodded in agreement.

  "Unlike my friends Sid or Aenora, I'm no scholar in animatechnology or animology." Ondun said, concluding his explanation, "For all practical purposes, it's good enough to know that the mechanism powering this isn't any mechanical force, but rather a mix of alchemically created materials, a small amount of thunder anima, and a series of preprogrammed instructions that are typically..." He dug into his bag before pulling out a stone-like slab that Alice confused for a smartphone.

  "...encoded on one of these, a Booklith," he finished. "Back home, certain parties will create and pay absurd prices for even one of these. Most of my sets of arms cost as much as a house, but for the fact that my excursions with my fellow adventurers typically lead to getting at least a few of these, I've been able to equip three disciplines worth of Memory Gems over the last two years. I've done well enough for myself," the Draconian finished with no small amount of pride.

  Alice nodded and noted how enthusiastic the man was to talk about his home, compared to his more dramatic first showing and his more somber demeanor over lunch two days ago. He's not nearly as good at pretending to be okay as he thinks he is.

  Garamond nodded again in agreement. Ondun caught the motion but said nothing.

  "Well," Alice said after a moment. She put her worries about the adventurer in front of her aside and put her mind back to the implications of technology powered by magic. "This is a revelation indeed. Here on Monastria, there are power plants that utilize certain aspects of physics to create electricity—we literally make the same phenomena as lightning without magic, you see—to power most of our everyday lives. That smartphone is powered by such technology..." Even as Ondun looked down at his smartphone with a moderately impressed expression, she continued. "...Having another way to produce electricity could be huge for all of humanity. Indeed, there may be applications that the academics haven't even thought of. And all due to this 'anima'..."

  Alice trailed off, and Garamond was thinking too. He gave Alice a side-hug, seeing that the conversation had died down, and over a direct-touch telepathic communication, relayed his conversation with Strudel in full to his coach. Alice, for her part, had suspected that the young man was troubled by his sudden displacement, even for all his boasting about being an adventurer who could handle anything.

  Alice was an adventurer in a way too, and she knew full well no one was tough enough to handle everything. Yet, Ondun needed to feel respected, so she indulged him.

  Ondun relaxed a little. Alice realized she'd probably been quiet for a few seconds. "Tell you what, let me call my people over here. We can hold down this find while we wait for the Rangers and some of the civilian science agencies to come in and explore this properly."

  The dragon-like man bristled a little bit. "Ma'am, this seems to be from my world. I'd like to be present when it gets reactivated." He paused. "Like I told you, it's really important that I get home. My friends' lives are at stake."

  Alice and Garamond exchanged a look. Garamond confirmed that he was telling the truth and shared the mental image of several people—a human, a pair of young Elvidians, an older Elvidian man with somewhat greying hair and an impressive facial tattoo, and a tiny woman who Garamond informed her was called a 'Talden.'

  The glazed expression wasn't unnoticed by Ondun. "Your friend there has seen mine. You see the state they're in. The problem isn't physical—they all fell comatose around me at different times. Only Aenora is left on Arcanis right now. She was able to diagnose their condition due to...her skills with magic." Ondun was holding something back there, but Alice didn't pry. "Basically, someone—some sorcerer—summoned their souls. We believe they were trying to summon me." Ondun looked down sheepishly. "To tell the truth, I'm a little worried about having anyone around me right now."

  Alice tapped her finger to her lips. That sounded a little like the conditions of certain Mon moves. "Question. Has anything like that happened since you came here?"

  Ondun thought for a moment, then looked up in shock. "Actually...no, it hasn't. And that's odd. My comrades were all 'summoned' over the past week, roughly a day apart."

  Alice's smirk went wide as she said, "Ondun, give me a moment." She pulled out her smartphone and made a call, briefly summarizing the situation. "Be sure to send a detachment of ARC coaches; make sure everything goes through the University of Kongming's Archaeology and Science departments. I will also want daily updates. There's...a situation that this is pertinent to, and I want to ensure that all our efforts do the most good for the region."

  A brief pause, then she nodded. "Very good. We'll wait here for your arrival." She hung up.

  "Ondun, call Strudel over, and let's make camp. The logistics will take my people some time. I have some things I want to talk to you about."

  Ondun broke camp early. It was barely after noon, based on the position of the sun; while Ondun knew the smartphone had a timekeeping ability of some sort, his Traveler's Brand didn't seem to be able to translate Monastria's alien text to his eyes. He'd tried to decipher what he could on his own, and there seemed to be some minor overlaps between the shapes of the letters he knew and the shapes of the letters this world used, but more than that was beyond him.

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  As Ondun had told Alice, he was no scholar.

  Even as Strudel curled up at Ondun's side, Alice gracefully joined the adventurer, with a setup of her own. While Ondun used a spatial pack that had enchantments to retrieve stored items from a pseudospace, Alice had a device that he'd first assumed was a belt pouch. She flipped a switch on it, then used her smartphone to materialize a fold-out chair, some cooking equipment, and a portable light.

  Eventually, she finished her setup and sat down. "Ondun, first—the matter of this relic is of critical importance to both of us. I swear, on my honor as the Guardian of Kongming Province, that if this device gives us any leads on a way to get you home, or we discover any link to what you've told me about your friends' condition, you'll be the second or third to know."

  Ondun nodded, and after a moment said, "Thanks." Alice gave a twitch of a smile.

  "More importantly, since we don't know exactly how to get you back home, there's a possibility you may be here for a while. Your friends are important to you—and that makes you a good friend and a good person. However, idleness won't help you. It'll only drive you mad."

  Ondun nodded. "I know." After an awkward moment, he said, "...look, I'm used to being able to do stuff about the situations that happen to me. Normally I go looking for trouble, and I find it. This time, though...I feel like being stranded across worlds is an achievement even for me."

  Strudel whined a little bit and cuddled closer, and Ondun petted his Mon ally.

  Alice stood up. "If you're looking, then, I have a challenge for you." She pointed down, striking an elegant and intimidating pose, her black dress shadowing the sunlit canopy of the forest. "I challenge you to complete the circuit. Seek out five city leaders and defeat them all, but without violence or bloodshed on your part. Ondun of Arcanis, I want you to show Kongming—no, Monastria—what a hero looks like."

  Ondun and Strudel rose too. "Easy enough to do. That's what everyone back home calls me."

  Alice shook her head and held out a hand. "No, no, what I'm asking you to do is not easy, and it's not like what you've told me about your situation back home. I'm asking you to, without drawing a blade, be a symbol of hope. I'm asking you to forge alliances with humans and monsters. I'm asking you to use your head to solve problems and learn new things. I'm asking you to push back the horizon and live, no matter what happens."

  Ondun tilted his head. "That...that sounds borderline suicidal. Where I'm from, there isn't survival, let alone success, without someone doing the fighting to make it happen."

  Alice nodded. "And here's the hole in your reasoning: You're not on Arcanis. You're on Monastria. There are people here who are well-equipped to make the heroic sacrifices and fight the big battles. There are people like me, and Amethyst, and Garamond, who...who also have stained hands."

  Alice closed her eyes. "Ondun, as powerful and able as you are, you don't need to do everything alone. If nothing else, please let the Circuit teach you that much. That's why I want you to experience it the same way our youth here do."

  Ondun thought. On the one hand, his experiences over the past two years were conclusive proof that he was, in fact, strong enough. Even as a novice adventurer, people couldn't so much as file paperwork without needing his help somewhere. When Astrals had become a major threat, he'd been the only one able to make a difference.

  Yet...Ondun couldn't dismiss what Alice had said. He was, in fact, not on Arcanis anymore.

  "You're sure the City Masters may have some leads that can help me get home?" he asked quietly.

  Alice walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. "I can't be sure. However, this here..." she gestured at the alien device, "is proof that our worlds are connected. There's also the observation you made about Mon elemental moves and your 'anima' having significant overlap. The simple fact is, if your Allemandian Empire could make a device that could put you here, there's no reason we can't make one that can send you back...assuming someone from your home doesn't figure it out first and come to get you."

  Ondun thought for a moment of Aenora kicking down a door and pulling him out of some monster battle with one of her trademark snarky one-liners. He couldn't help but grin. Garamond giggled a little too. Forgive me, Lord Ondun, but I would make a bargain to see that come to pass!

  Ondun looked down at the Mon. "You know...at this point, I would too."

  Alice looked confused, so Garamond filled her in. He just had the best mental image of his friend Aenora—a cat-like woman, apparently—coming to drag him out of a monster battle.

  The woman's eyes went wide. "Wait, that's a thing?"

  Ondun shrugged. "She's Felinian. Also an avid scholar herself."

  Alice stepped back. "I so want to meet her." Ondun nodded. "If she can get here, or I can get home, who's to say it can't happen?"

  Alice held out a fist. "That sounds like a deal. You complete the circuit. I meet your friend."

  Ondun stretched out his arm and bumped the proffered fist. "I've had worse ideas. Did I ever tell you about the time I exploded a castle as a result of trying to make a distraction?"

  Hours passed. Ondun, his heart a little lighter, talked with Guardian Alice about many things: the cultures he'd seen, the trails he'd walked, and the ruins he'd delved into. Alice was able to respond in kind, telling him about powerful monster allies, her travels across Monastria, the gangs she'd personally dismantled, and her family.

  It was just after sunrise when the Guardian of Kongming and the Greatest Hero woke up, and the Advanced Recon Coaches began to secure the perimeter and report to their Guardian. Soon after, scientists were teleported in with specialized equipment, and the real work of understanding the Yongqi Artifact would begin.

  However, Ondun did not see the real beginning of the hard work. He gave Alice another fist bump, Strudel at his side, before he set off, his steps a little lighter than they had been the previous two days. Ondun was still horribly worried for his friends' future, but for the first time since coming to Monastria, the adventurer had felt the flame of hope rekindled in his breast.

  By the All-Mother...my friends, I will get home to you, Ondun pledged. To do that? This 'Circuit' is going to learn how an adventurer and his monster allies fight.

  Eventually, Ondun left the forest behind him and found Route 41, from the Yongqi Wildlands to Xinling City. With a pat on Strudel, he set forth on the paved way, capture capsules at the ready, to continue his saga in this strange new world.

  Ondun found himself savoring the challenge of not using his blades for this, for some reason.