by Pirateaba
“Age wise? She’s twenty. Besides that, she’s…a normal girl. Sort of. She’s American, like me.”
“Interesting. I’m twenty-four. Not American. Can I assume you’re around that age?”
“Twenty one. You don’t look that old. You’re part German. Is there another half?”
Laken smiled.
“My mom’s German, but she married my dad in France. I’ve grown up all over Europe, though. As to my face—I’m told I have a youthful complexion.”
Ryoka had to smile. She glanced at the door and frowned.
“Good to know. I don’t think any of this is too bad to mention, but the rest…damn, I don’t know. Erin would probably come up with some special way of figuring this out. Flush out the spies with a crazy scheme and dispel the enchantments with an insane trick or just luck.”
“She sounds quite interesting.”
“She’s an [Innkeeper]. Look, I’m getting annoyed. Maybe we should just go for broke. What do you think? I doubt anyone knows German.”
“Wahrscheinlich. But can you speak it? I don’t want to be rude, but your pronunciation—”
“I know. But I’ve got a dictionary-encyclopedia. It’s an app—I might have to ask for spelling, but I can translate short sentences.”
“That’s…amazingly useful. In that case, translate this. Ich bin ein [Kaiser].”
It took Ryoka only a second to figure out what Laken had said. She didn’t need to use her iPhone. Instead, she dropped it. She fumbled around on the ground, heart beating wildly. When she sat back up she stared at Laken’s face.
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not. I know it’s surprising, but it’s true. What about you?”
“I don’t have a class. I’m a Runner without the class. But you—get out.”
“It’s true!”
Laken smiled. He had no way of seeing Ryoka’s face, but her tone made her feelings clear.
“No, seriously, get out. Run away as far as you can. Do you have any idea how bad that is?”
“Bad? Why? Because of your—your Daenerys-like friend?”
“Yes! Not just her—Ivolethe!”
Ryoka shouted the faerie’s name. Laken jumped, and then gaped as the faerie floated upwards and spoke.
“What do ye want, Ryoka?”
“Go downstairs and flush out the spies. Please? And if there are enchantments, dispel them. Please. This is important.”
The faerie considered the request. Then she reluctantly nodded.
“I shall bring havoc! From the outside.”
She flew out the window as Laken tried to find words.
“Was that—a Frost Faerie?”
“You’ve met them?”
“Yes! Hell, I knighted a few of them. But they helped save Durene’s cottage from an avalanche—or caused it and spared her home. I’m not sure of which.”
“Well, I’m friends with one. Look, sit down. I’ll explain as much as I can—but the Frost Faeries probably didn’t cause the avalanche. They don’t kill, although they do pull horrible pranks.”
Ryoka and Laken sat down as, below them, they heard confused shouting. Ivolethe’s laugher was drowned out as she buzzed by the inn outside, but Ryoka could just imagine her hurling snow and ice into the building.
“Okay, let me begin from the start. The first thing you need to know is that I got here a few months ago. I’d say around…September? A while back. But Erin arrived before me. We don’t know how we got here, but I know there are other people in this world. I also know that not a lot of people know we exist. That woman I told you about—Lady Magnolia Reinhart. She employs Reynold and a bunch of other servants, and she’s one of the most powerful people on the continent…”
Laken listened intently as Ryoka whispered to him amid the sounds of the inn clearing out. He turned to tell Durene everything was fine when she told him the bottom half of the inn was covered with snow, but he mainly just listened as Ryoka gave him an abridged version of what had happened when she entered this world.
And then it was his turn. Ryoka didn’t just listen—she had her iPhone held in her lap, recording Laken’s every word as he spoke. She didn’t mention this fact, and neither did Laken or Ryoka ever mention certain key words aloud.
Words like [Emperor], gunpowder, iPhone, dragon, or a thousand other words from home. Ryoka was glad that Laken understood, and he picked up what she feared from what Ryoka never said.
“It sounds like you’ve had a rough time without a class. I can’t say I understand that bit.”
“I don’t like conformity.”
“You think that’s an issue—wait. I think I get it. Game system, right? But is there a puppet master?”
“Probably, yes.”
“Oh, really? How do you know?”
Laken sat forwards. Ryoka hesitated, and then leaned forwards as well. Though she knew Reynold and the other spies in the building were probably gone, she whispered to him in German.
“Ein Gott…lebt.”
A slow frown was her only reply. Laken sat back carefully.
“How?”
“I don’t know. But I talked with someone who assures me it’s true. And I believe him.”
“In that case—that is concerning. But still, as far as I understand it, the system is essential. You can’t fight a…a monster without Skills.”
“Yeah. But do we lose anything if we have a class?”
Laken’s voice was thoughtful.
“I don’t know. And honestly, I’m not sure I’d be willing to try and find out, if it were me. But if you want to be the test subject…I’m glad. It’s good to have someone who might be impartial. Especially if what you say is true.”
“I don’t know if they’re connected, but it seems so.”
“Oh, I agree. But really…alive?”
“Yes. And apparently talking about them gives them strength.”
Laken shivered.
“That’s horrific. Terrifying. But it sounds like this—person—isn’t too active?”
“No. I shouldn’t say lebt. More like…hold on. Schlafen. Aufwachen.”
“Ah.”
It was as if he’d taken a drink of water after being dehydrated. Laken felt everything snap more into place.
“I think I get it. Or at least, I have a hypothesis.”
“So do I. Either way? It’s bad news.”
“But from what you say, it doesn’t seem like that’s the reason we’re here. It’s probably a spell?”
“Someone said that there was a summoning spell. In Rhir.”
“Something to look into. I guess.”
Laken frowned and scrubbed at his hair.
“This is all so complex! How are we supposed to figure this out? It’s not as if we can just ask, and we don’t have people we can trust to find out. I don’t, at any rate. You have your [Lady] friend, but I don’t trust her further than I can throw her either.”
“Yeah, I’m not too keen on asking. But those angry ant people I told you about? Their entire race is scared spitless of this one person.”
Ryoka chewed her lip, feeling the same urgent panic rising in her chest when she thought about—
A God. A real God, sleeping under the earth.
She expected Laken to share at least a bit of her concern. But the blind man refused to panic.
“I get the issue. But they’re on another continent, right? There’s not much we can do right now—except spread the word, I guess, and find someone who can do something.”
“So you’re saying we don’t even think about it?”
It was impossible to glare at a blind man successfully. Laken smiled.
“Look, if we’re talking about this—person as a threat, then all we need is a devil, right? Anyone tried blood summoning, chanting in Latin, or hooded robes? Or we could get a few angry atheists. Who knows? It could work.”
Ryoka stared at Laken and then burst out laughing.
“You cocky bastard.”
; He raised his hands, smiling and laughing with her.
“Hey, it’s a problem. But it’s not immediate, is it? If I panicked over all of the big things, I’d never get to sleep at night.”
“Fine. I get it. Back to you, then. You’re in a bind. Assuming no one catches wind of what you do, you’re going to need help for that village of yours.”
Laken nodded. He wove his fingers together and tightened his grip.
“I think we’ve got food and protection, but if you know anything about…anything, I’d love to have some help.”
Ryoka had to confess her knowledge was limited.
“I’ve got some information, but it’s all scattered. Ruling a village—good luck. Other than that, technology’s tricky. I’m not giving you the recipe for…well, firearms.”
“Perish the thought.”
“—And I can’t tell you how to make anything too useful. Steam engines, light bulbs…not exactly stuff your village needs right now.”
“No.”
Ryoka frowned as she tapped a finger on her leg, letting it bounce against the floorboards. Laken found the sound slightly annoying, but he waited patiently for Ryoka to finish thinking.
“Greenhouses might help. If you can get sheets of glass, you can build the rest of the structure without it. That would extend your growing season—let you get a head start on growing.”
“Really?”
“There’s glass in this world. If you can get panes, or one large sheet—could be tricky, could be worth it. I see some parchment over there. I’ll use that, okay?”
“Feel free.”
Laken heard Ryoka rustling about and then her fiddling with the inkpot.
“Let me do a sketch. It’s all about keeping the heat in, more than letting it out—on that note, what about agricultural implements? I’d have to do more thinking, but the heavy plough is a good invention to check on.”
“I’m familiar with a plough—sort of. What’s the heavy one do?”
“It’s really just a way to make it better. You have wheels and…nah, it’s really just the wheels that change it. It lets a farmer move faster, reduces the burden, etc. see?”
“No, I don’t. But go ahead.”
He heard a chuckle.
“Okay…I’m drawing a diagram, but just ask whether the [Farmers] in your village use wheels on their ploughs. I’ll write down what I know about crop rotation too—”
They continued in that vein for a few more minutes. Then Laken switched the issue over to protection.
“I don’t think a palisade’s going to stop a monster, do you?”
“It’s worth a shot. A wall would be better.”
Ryoka raised her eyebrows as she sketched out the cross section of a wall. Laken had another thought.
“If we’re talking about walls, then what about trebuchets? You wouldn’t happen to know—”
“Hah. If you’re fighting monsters the size of castles, maybe. But they’re a pain in the ass to aim. Just build a catapult; you can probably figure out how. Actually, now that I think of it…a ballista might be easier than an onager.”
“Okay? What’s an onager?”
“That’s a catapult. The classic kind that hurls things like a spoon.”
“Oh. Yes, I could see that being useful.”
“I’ll write down how to make both for you.”
“And that’s not classified? I thought we were trying to reduce the spread of dangerous weapons.”
“I did my research. They’re already in use. The Drakes have them on some of their city walls, and they’re used around the world. The trick is that most people can’t build them. You have to have the [Engineer] class to build one.”
“Ah. No one bothers to learn. They just use a class.”
“Yep. But you can probably whip one together…just be careful with the tension on the rope. Build some prototypes and test them—carefully. Look, I’ll write this down and you can have someone read it. I’m sure your villagers can find some decent rope to use.”
“I’m sure they’ve got something. Okay, how about barns?”
“Barns?”
“Do you have a better way of building them, or something?”
“Good point. I can definitely tell you how to make a log wall…that’s just cutting the logs right. Uh…I don’t know about other building techniques. Let me get back to you on that. Shame there’s no metalworking industry or you could try mass-producing things like ring-shank nails…”
“You’re losing me here.”
Ryoka smiled as she bent over the parchment. She was running out of room. But surprisingly, she was enjoying her conversation with Laken. Did she trust him? A bit. A little bit.
An [Emperor]. She couldn’t imagine it. But he sat like one, or—perhaps the beginnings of one. She saw that now.
Emperor Norton. She remembered that story! The crazy guy who declared himself the Emperor of the United States. People might remember that story, but how many would think to do it here?
Not many. Ryoka had never dreamed of that. And it wasn’t just that. Could anyone really just become an [Emperor] by willing it? No. You had to have something else, or anyone could be an [Emperor], right? You had to have…
“The arrogance of a God.”
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing. What was I saying?”
Ryoka went to dip her quill in the inkpot. She wished she had a pen. As she did, she glanced at the window, still ajar. She wondered when Ivolethe would come back—
And she was there. Ivolethe. She was hovering outside the window, watching Ryoka and Laken talk. Just watching. Ryoka froze, quill dripping blobs of ink.
There was something about the way the Frost Faerie stared at her. Something…
She was watching. Waiting. Ryoka felt a chill.
“Ryoka? Is something wrong?”
“I—I don’t know. I think there might be—”
How could she explain it to Laken? Ryoka was grasping at words, when she saw something move in front of her.
It was on the table she’d pulled up to write on. Her iPhone, still recording every word Laken spoke, began to vibrate. It shuddered on the wood surface a microsecond before Ryoka heard the familiar, annoying jangle of her ringtone.
Someone was calling her. Ryoka felt her breath catch in her chest.
“Is that—”
Laken reached for the iPhone, but Ryoka was faster. She saw the familiar calling screen, but there was nothing listed under the caller’s phone number, only the option to accept or decline.
“It’s my iPhone. I’m getting a call—”
“From who?”
“It has to be [BlackMage]!”
“Who?”
“The person who—I’m answering it.”
Laken held his breath as Ryoka gingerly tapped the glowing green phone symbol. Instantly, she heard a voice
“—he’s not answering. Maybe try ag—hello? Hello? Can you hear me?”
Ryoka traded glances with Laken. He missed. Ryoka tilted her iPhone’s speaker towards her mouth cautiously.
“I can hear you. Who is this?”
“Oh my god. Is this—are you [batman]? [batman]’s a girl?”
It was a young man’s voice, excited, with the touches of…an English accent? Yes, it definitely wasn’t America. Ryoka carefully put the call on speaker phone as she and Laken crowded around her device. She put a finger to his lips and he nodded.
“This is great! I’ve tried calling you before and you didn’t pick up. Hi there! This is [BlackMage]! From the chat? Do you remember me? Well, I was calling you to—”
“Fuck you.”
Ryoka heard [BlackMage] pause. She saw Laken glance at her oddly, but she didn’t care. Anxiety had become irritation and anger in a second.
“What?”
“Go fuck yourself. Do you know how stupid it is to call someone like this? What would have happened if I were in a dungeon, or trying to hide from a monster?”
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“You have compromised my damn phone! You know that asshole was trying to find out locations! Do you think he’s really not trying to track us down right now? I’d bet anything that this kind of call can be traced. Now people know exactly where you and I are.”
“Hold on! We don’t know anyone’s tracking this call. I’m with a bunch of [Mages] and they say—”
“Screw what they say. This is dangerous. Didn’t you get that from your call?”
“That’s why I’m calling you!”
The young man on the other end of the line was getting angry. He spoke quickly before Ryoka could insult him again.
“We—the mages of Wistram and I—are trying to find people across the world! I’ve called a bunch of people and we’re trying to bring them here. To Wistram!”
“That is the stupidest—how do you know you’re not revealing their locations?”
“We—we’re using magic in secret.”
“Oh? Well, that makes me feel better.”
“Look, if you’re going to be a arsehole about this, I can hang up.”
“No, it’s too late now.”
Ryoka tried to calm herself down. She took a deep breath.
“Okay, why are you calling? To invite me to Wistram?”
“Yes. We can send help. We can have money sent—or get in touch with a local [Mage] affiliated with us who can help you reach the isle. But I contacted you first because you managed to uncover that fake wanker—[Kent Scott] and warn everyone. Do you know who he is?”
“No. I have no idea. But I was suspicious from the start. Forget [Kent Scott]. How do I know I can trust you, or anyone?”
“I—look, you’re being fairly suspicious of me, don’t you think? I’m calling you—”
“And I don’t trust people who call me out of the blue. How can we prove that these people at Wistram are trustworthy?”
“We can’t.”
Ryoka heard [BlackMage] gasp on the other end of the line. Laken took the iPhone from her and spoke into it. She stared at him, wanting to signal him, but it was impossible to do visually. She tapped his hand with a finger—he waved his hand at her and then gave her a thumbs up.
“Excuse me? Who is this?”
“Call me L. I’m from our world as well. I just met [batman].”
