Elias exited the forest to find Brent Alisha and Becca waiting for him. The way they glanced at each other made it clear what, or who they were talking about. Elias was gone for over ten minutes, so he wasn't there for whatever conversion occurred. Becca seemed calm; Brent looked only slightly irritated, and Alicia was as cold as ever.

  There was an awkward silence before Elias asked, “So left, or right?” He looked squarely at Brent. Drama wasn’t something he was interested in at the moment. Brent looked surprised, as if he was expecting something else to come out of Elias’s mouth.

  “Let's go Right, since we don't actually need any water.” Brent replied. Elias wasn't sure why the right was a better option, but he would let Brent play the role of a leader. Elias marched off to the right leaving the rest behind. The group decided to keep a fair distance from the wall, roughly half a mile. It was a smooth expanse of stone that stretched on forever. It was at least 150 feet tall. As he got closer, he noticed the crenulations. The dirt ground was mostly bare save for the occasional piece of bone of some long-decomposed creature.

  “This wall doesn’t make sense.” Brent announced.

  “It's a wall, what sense should it make?” Elias said, he was tired and hungry, so he felt like being unnecessarily belligerent.

  “It has no curve, even though we have been walking for an hour. Which means it's straight. This wall might actually span the entire length of this continent which is an insane amount of building. It should be impossible with it being that tall.” Brent explained further.

  “Elias can control water, why would earth be not an option?” Becca asked rhetorically. Then she continued speaking. “The bigger question is, what are they trying to keep out that necessities a wall that large?”

  “More creatures like the Bear thing?” Elias offered to Becca.

  Alicia answered instead, “I don't think so, we've only been attacked once. There has to be something else in that forest that needs keeping out.”

  Brent added in a worried voice, “All the more reason we need to get behind that wall. You only build something like that to keep a large number of things out. We should pick up the pace. we only have a few more hours of sunlight.”

  Elias didn't want to think about what else they could run into, so he followed Brent’s commands wholeheartedly.

  It took another hour before they found something other than a flat wall. The sun was going down and they probably had another hour of light before darkness. No one wanted to spend another night in the dark.

  They finally reached what looked to be a massive gate with an even more impressive surrounding fortress. The stone walls and watchtowers were imposing, and he could spot people walking along the walls. The portcullis was down, and the massive iron doors were closed.

  “So, this is a medieval society. How do we go about this?” Brent asked.

  Becca spoke, “Were foreigners that got kidnapped and abandoned in a forest. If magic is common, then we just blame it on magic. Our people are extreme isolationists and restrictive on magic. To the point where it is punishable by law to practice it, so that's how we explain our ignorance. Though the biggest problem here is that we don't speak the language.”

  Elias gave her a raised eyebrow.

  “I read a lot of books,” she mumbled.

  “We played it by ear, I guess, hopefully we’re not attacked on sight.” Alicia said.

  “Make sure to offer as little as possible, let them fill in the blanks in their own mind. Avoid showing magic if we can. We don't want to be caught in some kind of Salem witch trial.” Elias said, then his eyes caught some movement atop the wall. Someone was looking at them through the crenelations.

  They walked for another fifteen minutes until they reached a hundred feet beyond the outer gate.

  “Someone’s watching.” Elias said. Brent, Alicia and Becca looked to where Elias was pointing.

  “Elas som fremen.” The male voice shouted down at them.

  A spike of pain shot through Elias's head. Knowledge blossomed inside his mind, a language he never spoken. It was clear to him as English or Portuguese. The pain vanished an instant later. He turned to the rest and noticed their familiar expressions.

  “I guess you all can understand me.” Elias said in a language that for some reason he knew was Bellaran.

  “This is weird. Why now? Instead of in the forest?” Becca asked, in the same language.

  “Let’s think about it later. Look, more are gathering. And I think those are bows.” Brent said looking up at the battlements in increased worry.

  “Again. State your business.” The same man shouted down.

  They looked at each other than Brent shouted back. “We come in peace. We don't know where we are. We're just looking for safety from the monsters.”

  The guard had a conversation with someone and shouted back. “Where are you from?”

  “We're from an island we call Nebraska.” Brent shouted back.

  Another conversation happened, “How long have you been in the Frontier?”

  “Just 4 days we've been traveling for most of it.”

  This conversation lasted almost a minute before the man replied. “Hold your position.”

  They looked at each other and shrugged. Time passed and Elias was getting antsy, “What do we do if they’re violent or try to arrest us.” Elias asked.

  “We have magic if they try anything. But I think they're mostly just confused. We’ll wait but get ready to be bold if things seem suspicious.” Alicia said.

  After nearly ten minutes the massive portcullis started to rise, and the equally massive iron doors opened a few feet.

  Over a dozen people in armor marched out. By Elias's measure it wasn't a proper army; everyone was carrying torches since the sun was setting. Elias couldn't see faces behind the helm's except for the woman and man in the center of the formation. She was carrying a ball of fire in their hand. Though that wasn't even the most interesting thing about these people.

  “That one confirms that using magic in the open isn’t a taboo, still though let's keep our abilities under wraps.” Brent whispered before they approached. As they got closer Elias could see their armor more accurately.

  Each wore a combination of plate and leather. They had no cohesive style; a few were full plate. Others were a combination of plate leather and cloth gambeson. The weapons each person carried also varied. Most carried swords and shields. One man to the right carried a massive two-handed axe. The woman in the center wore little more than leather armor and a metal breastplate. She had short cropped brown hair and brown eyes, around thirty. Her expression looked like it was carved from stone. Elias wasn't surprised that she was human. The man standing next to her though was something else. His skin was blue, and his hair was such a deep purple that Elias thought it was black until it caught the light.

  The woman spoke first, she had an air of authority though she sounded younger than Elias would have guessed by her face. “Now what are you children doing wandering in the frontier?” she asked. Elias noticed how her eyes lingered on their clothing, her confusion was clear.

  “We don't know madam, we were traveling by….carriage and I believe we were kidnapped and left to die.” Brent answered.

  “Really now?” She said with a small chuckle, clearly not believing even though it was the truth. Then she started circling them, the fire in her hands glowing brighter. The men started to move around them in a loose formation.

  “And you four survived for four days, all alone in nothing but cloth. No armor, no weapons?” The woman asked.

  Alicia spoke, “Yes, we were lucky enough. We simply followed a river until it led us to the wall. Now we are here.”

  The woman smiled deviously, “Right.”

  The woman returned to stand next to the blue guy and he whispered something into her ear. His eyes flicked over to Elias for a second and the woman’s eyes became penetrating.

  The woman stopped in front of Becca looking, her white blouse and skirt up and down. Brent was about to step forward into the woman's face, but Alicia held him back. Elias mentally thanked Alicia since the woman was clearly trying to rattle them, there weren't any outward threats yet. A wave of nostalgia came over Elias, his mind flashed back to the times when he was stopped by cops.

  “I don't like being lied to, though I suppose you four could be the luckiest fools on Iyah.” Again, her eyes flicked over to Elias. He decided to toss her a bone. She wanted a victory, to flex her power and authority and have them cower. Alicia and Brent were not budging in the least and Becca was doing all the cowering.

  “We were attacked, but survived,” Brent said, offering little.

  “Well handsome. What attacked you.” She asked, focusing on Brent.

  “I don't know the name; it was a tall, long snouted creature with a large tail that attacked with claws and its tongue. Roughly the height of two men.” Brent admitted. There was a slight rumbling. Amongst the other armored men, apparently, they knew what it was. The woman chuckled. “How did you survive a fully grown Horthon attack?” Her eyes flicked over to Elias for an instant before focusing on Brent once more.

  ‘She knows,’ Elias thought. Elias quickly decided to come clean.

  “It wasn't with our bare hands if that is what you are wondering.” Elias said.

  “Ah so the tall one speaks, tell me then how did you win? And what are you really?”

  Elias examined the woman's, “I find it better to show, may I do a small demonstration to prove our words.”

  “Done let me hold you up, do entertain us.”

  Elias raised hand and summoned an orb of water from the air. He tried his best to copy the way she stood. She was full of self-confidence and a part of Elias knew that she could turn him to cinders before he could react. As soon as it formed the tension finally started to release from her.

  “Reed, what do you think?” she asked.

  The purple haired man answered in a soft voice, “Below average strength, untrained, but high potential, chances of victory against Horthon, unlikely.”

  Elias pondered the man's strange way of speaking. It was short and clipped without any inflection.

  “You heard my second, a single weak sorcerer isn't enough for a full grown Horthon. So, I'll hedge a guess. The others are gifted, yes? I don't see any implements after all.” The other guards stiffened as soon as she said the rest were gifted. Elias didn't have a damn clue what she meant but this was their out, so he gave a reluctant nod. And said, “Yes. You know how they are.”

  Elias was playing it by ear mostly. If he was a sorcerer, then people like the rest had to exist in this world. It wouldn't surprise Elias that these gifted would hide what their gifts actually do. Elias wasn't too concerned since his ability was so flexible. He would have to find out about sorcerers and gifted later.

  All the tension released from her, and she put out the flame with a flick of her wrists. “That I know all too well. Reed, are there any outstanding bounties for matching their description?”

  “None.” He replied.

  “Well then you all aren't my problem, follow me. The name is Fort Commander Regiani” She turned on her heel and walked away. The guards formed up around her and they started walking back to the gate.

  Brent shrugged and gestured for everyone else to follow. He eyed Elias for a moment, Elias gave him a raised eyebrow in return, confused about what that look meant. Soon enough the group passed through the partially open gate and portcullis. They walked through a long semicircular tunnel as deep as the wall itself only to see a second gate on the inside. After they passed through that. Elias realized the wall was at least 40 feet thick. They entered a massive keep similar to ones he's seen in the textbooks. Massive stone walls surrounded a central courtyard. In said courtyard dozens of men and women trained against, dummies or each other, with swords, axes, spears. Others fired arrows against painted hay targets. The wall had ramparts with balconies where soldiers could fire down into the central courtyard. Elias could feel the warm rush of magic being used. It was nearly the same as his classmates. There had to be a few gifted amongst them.

  It was as if the entire keep was designed to contain and kill anything that gets past the gates. Elias wanted to see more but the woman and her guards kept walking until they reached the exit, a large gate with massive iron doors. As the gate started to rise the woman spoke.

  “I don't know or care why you're wandering around in the frontier, but I don't want you in my fort. If you follow the road, you will reach Rembrite. It's only an hour's walk.”

  “Let me thank you on our behalf, For Commander.” Brent said with a charming smile, offering his hand. The woman shrugged and took the offered hand and shook

  She gave Elias a curious glance and asked, “What’s your name?” Elias couldn't find a good reason to lie, “Elias.” he said simply.

  “Hm,” was all she replied with, then turned to leave. It was a rather anticlimactic ending; Elias was expecting a bit more drama. Glances were exchanged between the four teens, a combination of confusion and relief.

  “Ok, I'm just going to say it, that guy was fucking blue.” Becca said.

  “It was certainly odd, but what else did we expect? Let's just be grateful that even though this society is medieval, women seem to be able to hold positions of power.” Alicia said.

  Elias thought back to some historical societies and understood her concern. He supposed as a man that's something he didn't worry about often.

  “Why did you show your power? I thought we agreed to keep it a secret.” Brent asked, a hint of accusation in his voice.

  Elias rolled his eyes, “She already knew, and the way she used the flame was similar to how I carried water, I think it was the blue guy Reed who realized. Besides, anyone can spot a bored cop a mile away. Just give them a little deference and a small win and they'll be satisfied.”

  “This isn't Nebraska, you can't just act anyway you see fit.” Brent said irritated.

  “It isn't, but I was right, wasn't I? She was trying to catch us in a lie. Have you people dealt with cops before?”

  The bemused stares Elias got back and told him that no, they didn't. Or at the very least not ones he’s had to deal with.

  “What's done is done Brent. At least we know we know what we are now. I'm guessing sorcerer's control elements and gifted are like enhanced people who can empower themselves with greater levels of strength, speed and agility. I wonder if there are magicians or enchanters in this world.” Becca said, sounding excited again.

  ‘That girl reads way too many fantasy novels, but hey, she has been right quite a few times.’ Elias thought.

  Alicia nodded along, “I see now why she didn't ask us to prove our powers.”

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  “Why is that?” Brent asked.

  “Keeping it a secret or as vague as possible is probably common. Elias has incredible flexibility with his water; it would be unlikely to guess what he can do with it. But with Brent's striking ability there isn't. Creating a tactic to fight against someone like him is easier.” Alicia said and Elias had to agree it made sense.

  Then she looked to Elias and asked, “Is that why you said, you know how they are?”

  “Sorta. But I was just throwing out guesses. I just figured that if gifted were a group of people they would have habits. I was faking familiarity.” Elias shrugged and Alicia for some reason looked disappointed.

  “Frontier, I'm guessing that's outside the walls. Oh, now I see, she knew from the moment we said we were there for four days. And if the Horthons are common then there’s no way unarmed and unprepared people would survive an attack.” Brent said.

  Elias nodded in agreement and looked at his surroundings. Inside the walls were the same barren flat earth though in the distance he could see grassland.

  Brent assumed his ‘Oh great Leader’ tone, at least that's what Elias was beginning to call it. “Ok let's get moving people. If it's an hour away, we'll be there after dark. Stick close to each other, no wondering off.” He pointedly looked at Elias.

  “What will we do once we get there? I mean we don't have money.” Becca asked.

  “We do have some.” Elias said. Everyone looked at him surprised, so he gestured at Becca's entire body. No one seemed to understand then, Becca blushed and looked like she was about to slap Elias. In anger she shouted, “I will not sell myself.”

  Elias looked at her confused, before he realized the misunderstanding. He held up a hand in mock surrender and explained himself, “That is not what I meant, you're wearing jewelry, real gold. Not to mention no one would have clothes like ours. Besides, we should probably get rid of this stuff as quickly as possible. Standing out will likely to cause problems”

  Brent picked up on what Elias was saying and looked at his own rings, “Elias has a point, Gold and certain kinds of cloth are incredibly rare in medieval societies. We do have money; we just need to sell them and figure out how much things cost and how currency works.”

  “How much is gold usually worth?” Elias asked.

  Brent sighed and said, “There’s no real way to guess, it could be worth a fortune or be just enough to buy a few pigs, History is complicated. Either way it should be valuable even if all we can get is food and shelter. I consider it worth any price. Let's pool what we have.”

  Becca Alicia and Brent removed their jewelry, and Brent held the entire haul in his left hand. Five gold rings,4 earrings, two necklaces and a single ankle bracelet. All of which are gold, though not of the same purity. The only thing they knew for sure was that Alicia’s gold anklet was 24k gold. One of the rings had a small, embedded opal.

  Then the three looked at Elias expectedly. He shrugged and said shamelessly, “What you want from me, I'm poor.”

  “We’ll share.” Becca said cheerfully.

  Brent and Alicia gave him a disdainful glance that disappeared nearly an instant later. He was tempted to call it out but decided not to.

  Brent pocketed the treasure and announced, “Let's head out and we should get our stories straight before we reach.”

  They decided to double down on the magically displaced story. It wasn't necessary at the fortress but soon enough someone will care enough to ask. After another half hour the sun finally set, and they were in darkness. Fortunately, the stars and moon offered enough light so they could still travel the dirt road. Bare dirt ground turned into grass fields and eventually Elias spotted a wooden wall.

  “OK we’re close, everyone remembers their story?” Brent asked the group. It wasn't exactly complex, but they could only hope that it would be enough to satisfy scrutiny about their strange clothing and lack of knowledge.

  Finally, they reached the town. It was surrounded by a wooden palisade roughly 15 feet tall, Elias guessed it was at least a mile wide.

  “Halt.” A male voice shouted as they approached the gate. It wasn't particularly large, just wide and tall enough for carriages to pass through. On either side of the gate were two watchtowers where guards, holding lanterns, were watching their approach. Elias couldn't make out much beyond the metal of their armor.

  “Everyone knows the gates close after sundown. Why are ye wandering around in the dark?” The man shouted down. He sounded young, almost as young as they were.

  “Good eve ser guardsman you see we have met misfortune and have been surviving in the frontier for days with nothing but the clothes on our backs. We had the pleasure of meeting the Fort Commander Regiani and her second, Reed. They were most helpful.” Brent said, affecting an air of deep melancholy while simultaneously making himself sound almost aristocratic.

  The guard paused and whispered to himself, “The frontier for days.” Elias was noticing a pattern; surviving in the frontier was apparently a big deal.

  “Ah I see a thousand apologies Hunters. I'll see you in.” The young man said with a little fear in his voice. The teens looked at each other in confusion. “That was too easy,” Becca whispered.

  “It looks like surviving inside the frontier is a feat worth respecting. I'm guessing hunters are people who literally hunt the monsters inside.” Alicia said.

  “Is the frontier so dangerous that even surviving for a few days is something impressive,” Brent asked.

  “I think so but there’s something were missing about the frontier. It's best we ask someone but not, yet we should use the assumption that we’re hunters to our advantage. It seems to carry respect.” Elias said. Everyone nodded.

  The gate opened, a minute later and two guards stepped out the young man and a rather obese man, carrying torches. He looked drunk by the blush of his cheeks and his uneven walk. His bleary eyes perked up as he approached and got a good look at Becca and Alicia.

  “Well, aren't you two sweet,” He said, he straightened and picked up the pace. Alicia’s frown deepened and Becca shrunk a little.

  Brent stiffened and Elias could feel some power coming from him. It was not the best play to start a fight. The young man with brown hair and black eyes threw worried glances over to the large man.

  “Right and they're also hunters Marcus, so we should let them in, and we will have no problems.” The young man said to Marcus. The large man sniffed in disbelief and pointed at the two girls.

  “Dressed like that, I don't think so.” His grin turned lecherous. Brent looked like he was about to pop a gasket, and Becca was reaching for the knife strapped to her ankle. They needed a quick solution, preferably without any bloodshed.

  “Just punch the ground that should scare them off.” Alicia said to Brent in English. The guards looked confused. Brent didn't hesitate, he channeled a large amount of power into his fist, Then punched the earth sending up a massive amount of dust and a loud thud echoed across the plane. The guards fell back, and the fat man drew a sword. But he was shaking so much the sword looked like it was about to fall out of his hand.

  “I have no interest in violence, but neither can I tolerate such inappropriate behavior. Now sheath your sword and we can both pretend as if nothing had happened.” Brent announced once more taking on an air of noble superiority. Elias found it impressive, but he wasn't going to admit that to anyone. The guards were quaking in their boots.

  The man sobered up and realized that he wasn't going to die. He sheathed his sword and

  Marcus started to speak, “M-my apologies milord, I was just a little foolish from the drink you see. Please, please come, Rembrite always welcomes people of such power and reverence.” The man was sweating and kept glancing down to the crater Brent left.

  “Very well guardsmen point us to an inn. We have been traveling long and require sustenance.”

  Not a minute later they were escorted past the gate into the town. It was surprisingly lively. People walked the dirt streets. The moon and the combination of lanterns on tall poles lit the town.

  “Just down the street there’s Hunter’s Cove. A good inn you can't miss it. You should be able to get a room since it's the off season.” The young man said. He looked at Brent expectedly.

  “Very good guardsman, go back to your duties.” Brent said, they actually bowed and practically ran up the wooden stairs that led to the wall. Then the group examined the town, and what a town it was.

  What was most surprising was the large number of armed and armored people. Almost half the population wielded weapons. Humans were common but there were a few oddities. One man was short with grey skin and pointed ears, shaped like a heavily muscled barrel. He was in scale armor and carried a great axe, taller than he was. He and a few other humans were talking to a merchant that was selling what looked like blown glass.

  Another group of women were all scales and no hair with odd bent back legs like a bird. They had no weapons but had massive claws on each four fingered hand. They stood a head taller than Elias wearing nothing but hard leather. Elias wasn't even sure if they were female. Their faces weren't exactly overly feminine. They had ridges along the brow and long spines that trailed along the head down to the neck.

  “I’ve a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.” Becca said, staring at the lizard women.

  Elias stared at her nonplussed, “Really.”

  “What? Someone had to say it.” She shrugged shamelessly.

  “How odd. Multiple sentient species evolving on the same planet. It should be impossible, but here it is.” Alicia said, staring at the lizard women.

  “Who’s to say they're from the same planet?” Brent said.

  “Right but still, they had to come from an earth like planet the atmosphere has to be either similar or exactly the same.” Alicia continued.

  Elias shrugged and said, “This is fascinating and all, but we should find Hunters Cove and pray that we can find something to eat.”

  Brent flicked an annoyed glance at Elias before saying, “Let's go, it shouldn't take very long.”

  The four teens walked for a few minutes before they found a two-story building. Elias realized he could read the strange script that adorned a sign. They got many odd stares particularly Becca and Alicia since compared to the other women they were dressed rather revealingly. Nothing that would earn a second glance in their world but to a medieval society was apparently something of note. Though no one seemed keen to stop them, maybe it was Brent eyeing everyone with a threat or Alicia's cold indifference.

  Becca was completely unaware and far too focused on the sights and smells. Everything fascinated her, to the carts and carriages. The men and women selling produce even the peasants begging on the streets dazzled her. Elias had never seen her like this though it's not as if they were friends.

  “I'm not going to bother to speak about the fact that we can read this language.” Elias said. The others were staring at it, but the smell of food nearly knocked him over. He could practically taste the meat in the air.

  No one was guarding the door, so they walked in. They were met with a large tavern filled with wooden tables. People of all genders and species sat around in conversation nursing drinks, eating roasted meat or bowls of stew. Elias was fascinated by the sight and so was everyone else by his estimation. Becca though was grinning like a mad woman. “I think that an elf or something,” whispered to Alicia. Elias followed her eyes to beautiful black-haired woman practically covered in jewelry and sipping a glass of wine. She looked human except for the long ears. She was talking to a cloaked figure at the far end of the room. Elias’s hand twitched but he quickly ignored it.

  “I guess we just head up to the counter.” Brent said. They walked past the patrons and reached the bar. A large bald bearded man stood behind the counter. He had a large gut with thickly muscled arms. His face was adorned with brutal scars; one particular long scar ran from his brow to his chin carving a line through his brown beard.

  “What do you want?” He asked in a voice so deep it sounded more like rocks rolling down a hill than human speech.

  “A room and food if available, we aren't in from of these lands so I'm unsure of the currency.” Brent said.

  “You got coin or not boy, I don't do charity.” The man responded.

  “Can we exchange for some currency?” Brent asked.

  “I ain’t no changer, I take imperial coin nothing else.”

  To Elias’s surprise Becca spoke up and walked up to the counter. “We don't have coins sir, but I do have a few precious items from my mother, could you tell us where we could sell them? We have been on the road for days.”

  ‘Damn, didn't she had it in her,’ Elias thought, surprised by Becca’s performance. Elias for a moment actually felt sympathy even though he knew Becca didn't care about the jewelry. The man who seemed to be made of stone actually softened.

  “Up three houses is a smith named Kellik. He's a right bastard of a Dumaran, but he'll give you coin for your valuables and not blab to anyone. His shops’ are always open.”

  Becca turned to Brent and said in a voice so heartbreakingly sweet Elais though it was real, “We can finally eat something, it’s been so long.”

  A flicker of sadness came over the man's face and it disappeared in an instant, “Get it done I'll have something ready when you get back.” The man walked off not even glancing back.

  “Bravo,” Elias said to Becca. All traces of innocence were gone, she rather looked smug.

  “He’s a father, I think. Didn't once check me out. Not like the rest of these animals.” Becca nodded to some of the men in the room.

  Alicia’s expression was cold as usual, but this time it wasn't directed at him, it was at Becca. Elias wondered if she disapproved of Becca’s actions. He couldn't see why, but then again, he wasn't a woman. Such mysteries were beyond him.

  “Good thinking, I was hesitant about pulling gold out in the middle of this tavern, too many people are looking at us.” Brent said in English. Elias thought that made sense.

  “Let's go, I wanna meet the smith and we can find out what a Dumaran is.” Becca said excitedly, she walked off not looking back. So, everyone followed. After a short walk they found the smithy. It was a single-story building, even though it was night its doors were open, though there were no customers. Lanterns hung about the store providing light. The walls were filled with weapons, axes, polearms, swords, a crossbow and a few other items Elias didn't have names for. Sitting at the counter watching them peruse the items was another short man with grey skin and pointed ears. He wasn't as muscled as the axe-wilder, but he was still impressive. He had long black hair tied into a ponytail.

  He gave them a withering stare as they made their way to the counter. There was awkward silence, then Brent started to speak. “Good day sir Kellik, I hear you’re willing to trade for precious items.”

  “What do you have?” Kellik asked with not even the slightest change in expression.

  “Gold,” Brent said as he put a ring on the counter. Kellik’s eyes slightly widened. He picked up the ring and brought it up to his eye.

  “Purity?” He asked.

  Brent paused and Elias realized why Belarran language had no words for percentages, Alicia immediately answered, “3 parts gold, 1 part silver.”

  The smith gave Alicia a question stare but after a few moments understanding blossomed in his eyes.

  “I see, silver for rigidity. A decent piece of jewelry, how about this I can give the weight value in silver coins. I won't even have it tested. Deal?” Brent nodded eagerly, but Elias caught a smirk from Kellik, he brought out a scale and spent a minute or two swapping out different weights. Then he nodded his head and brought out ten silver and 19 bronze coins.

  Each silver was roughly an inch across and 2 millimeters thick it had the face of a woman stamped on one side and a coat of arms on the other. The bronze was the same size and thick but had a different face and coat of arms on the back.

  Elias said to Brent in English, “He definitely just screwed us. Alicia’s ankle bracelet is probably worth a lot. We need more than just food.”

  Alicia caught on to what he was saying and added. “Elias has a point. This entire town is armed, I think hunting is a big business, I'm willing to part with the anklet if it means we can have some protection or at the very least we won't look like easy prey.”

  Kellik stared at them, confused, but they ignored him and kept talking. Brent finally said, “Alright then the anklet to kit us out.”

  “We should find out what things are worth though,” Becca suggested.

  “What is the exchange rate for gold, silver and bronze?” Brent asked Kellik.

  “You're not from the empire, are yous?” Kellik asked.

  “No, we’re from far away.” Brent answered with a shrug.

  “40 bronze starlings for a single silver eagle and 120 eagles for a single gold dragon. 200 dragons for a single platinum hydra.”

  “How much would a day laborer earn in a day?” Brent asked.

  “A farmhand, probably a few bronze, a silver a month.”

  “How about a food at an inn”

  The smith sighed clearly getting impatient with the questions. “A few starlings maybe more if you want meat. Around a silver for a good room at a decent inn that usually comes with food. Now are you going to buy something or waste my time on these questions.” The man sounded genuinely irritated. Brent pulled out the anklet and rested it on the counter. The man eyes nearly bulged out of his head. It was a beautiful anklet, immediately Elias realized that it was worth more than its weight in gold. How much Elias wasn't certain.

  Brent nodded and asked, “How much for that long sword there,” He pointed to a longsword mounted against the wall.

  “12 silver for sword, another 2 for a sheath,” Kellik said, examining Brent.

  “What about a bearded axe?” Brent asked.

  “14, again 2 for the holster.”

  “That suit of plate?” He finally asked. Pointing at the single suit of full steel armor. It was impressive looking steel, polished to a shine with gold inlay in intricate patterns.

  “35 gold for the set, its enchanted steel so ill not change my price, another 15 silver for me to measure and modify and fit for you.” He ended. Elias didn't think they had that much, even adding all the jewelry together.

  Elias her Becca gasp as soon as she heard the word enchanted.

  “OK I think I have a good measure of what things cost. What do you guys think we should get.” He said, sounding a little eager.

  Elias remained silent; it's not like it was his money so he would take what he could get.

  Becca ginned, “Daggers and leather armor for Alicia, half plate and heavy gauntlets for you, a thick robe and brigandine for Elias and I want that crossbow and those Chakrams and leather armor and throwing knives.” Becca was slightly manic, and she seemed as happy as could be.

  “Elias can you use your left hand for magic?” Becca asked.

  “Yeah either had is fine.”

  She at this point she was half crazed, “A shield to block and you use the water to counter.”

  Alicia looked at Becca with an amused smirk, “I think you're overthinking this a bit all we need is just enough to deter idiots.”

  Becca wouldn’t be deterred though, “What are gonna do when the money runs out, get normal jobs? We don't know how long we're going to be here.”

  A chill ran up Elias’s spine as he realized where she was going. Becca wanted them to become hunters. To go back into the frontier. Elias started to think about it more. He needed to get back home, and the frontier might have clues. They needed to find their way back to where they woke up. That would be a good goal for now. “She has a point at the very least we need to look for ways to get back home. That means finding where we originally arrived, there could be clues. We need food, proper clothing and proper defenses.”

  “You think there is something we didn't notice when we first arrived?” Alicia asked Elias.

  “Maybe there’s nothing, but it's worth the effort. Isn't it?”

  “We’ll spend as much as the necklace and two earrings and on weapons. Armor and such we can figure out in the morning. Agreed” Brent looked to everyone and after receiving nods of acceptance he turned back to the smith who was staring at them, clearly not understanding anything they were saying.

  “How much for a set of heavy gauntlets, two daggers, the chakrams, a large shield, a crossbow. A set of half plate, a brigandine and two sets of leather armor as well as new boots, gloves and heavy cloaks for all of us.” Looking around the store. The only thing the man lacked was the leather armor gauntlets and cloaks. There were still half a dozen weapons Elias didn't have names for. Like a long-serrated whip, another weapon that looked like staff with two swords at each end.

  The smith licked his lips and said. “How about this, you come back midday tomorrow. I'll have everything you need and in exchange I’ll take that beauty off your hands.”

  Elias knew this was a shit deal, but Brent was on a roll and still had 4 more rings, 4 earrings and 2 necklaces. But he couldn't do nothing either. He started to gather water in his hand slowly and the orb grew to a few inches across. The smith's eyes grew to saucers and Elias could see a bit of fear that immediately disappeared. Elias brought the water over to his mouth and swallowed it in a large gulp.

  “How’s about I throw in some waterskins? I'll even send word to the apothecary that some new promising hunters are in town. I'm even friends with the local enchanter. I'm sure he would look kindly at a sorcerer stopping by. He’ll, probable give you a discount.”

  Satisfied, Elias gave him a minute nod and acted as if he didn't care where the conversation was going. The others looked at Elias confused.

  “We’re agreed. tomorrow then we'll be back, let's move out its starting to get late.” Brent said.

  “Wait, I need your measurements,” Kellik said.

  20 minutes later and they were all measured using various pieces of string. Chest, arms, legs, even head sizes were measured. The group started to leave the store before Elias paused at the threshold. No one noticed he wasn't following. He turned around and met the man’s eyes.

  “How much are they being fleeced?” Elias asked Kellik.

  The man shrugged unashamed. “I would have given up twice as much for that fine piece. Weight in gold could pay for everything, but such fine craftsman ship can sell for at least 4 or 5 times its weight to the right buyer. Can't have anyone else knowing where it's coming from.”

  Elias chuckled, “I figured as much. We’re planning to become hunters, so I hope at least in the future you’re more upfront with what things are worth. I think we can have a mutually beneficial relationship. I'll not mention this to them.”

  Kellik gave him a conspiratorial smile, “Fine fine. But It's not my fault they don't know what things are worth. They’re nobles, aren't they?”

  Elias grinned, “Close enough. Until tomorrow Kellik,”

  Elias left the store and jogged to meet up with his supposed, fellow hunters.