by Eric Ugland
“Sure.”
“Greaves cover the lower leg. Cuisse covers the thigh. Sabaton goes on the foot. Sometimes you’ll have a Poleyn to cover the knee. The Besagew covers the armpit. Rerebrace covers upper arms. Couter covers over the elbow. Faults go to hips. Plackart is extra belly cover. And there is more. Lots more. Little bits and bobs of metal to keep you safe from the smallest little poke, and all pointless if you do not know what the fuck you are doing. All of that, the bits and bobs, is what comes with a full set of plate given to a noble puke so they can ride down peons and goblins and return home in one piece covered in glory. No one I know has full plate, because it is fucking expensive. You should concern yourself with this,” he held up a shirt of chainmail that looked to cover torso and arms. “Hauberk. Probably all you get for a spell.”
“Are there pants?”
He looked a me for a moment, then dug into the storage portion of the wagon. He pushed a bunch of stuff around, and then pulled a pair of chain mail pants out and held them up.
“Chausses,” he said. “Put ‘em on.”
“Thanks, Nikolai.”
“Yeah. Sure. I suppose today is about learning.”
“Yay?”
He shoved the mail onto me. “Time is wasting.”
Chain Mail Hauberk
Item Type: Common
Item Class: Medium Armor
Material: Iron
Armor: +16
Durability: 80/100
Weight: 44 lbs
Requirements: Str 10
Description: Interlocking iron rings designed to stop slashes, stabs, and comfortable sleep, chain mail has been a staple armor since shortly after the invention of swords.
I pulled the armor on while he strapped belts and scabbards about his body. He gave me my large axe and a small sword.
Shortsword
Item Type: Common
Item Class: One-handed Melee
Material: Steel
Damage: 7-12 (Slashing)
Durability: 14/20
Weight: 2.8 lbs
Requirements: Dex 8
Description: A straight-bladed sword having a cruciform hilt with a grip for one-handed use.
I gave the sword a few practice swings, just getting a feel for it.
“Put that in the scabbard already and stop looking like a fucking twit twirling about,” Nikolai snapped.
Suitably chagrined, I slid the blade in the scabbard.
Nikolai did a quick check of my armor, pulling things, shifting it, looking me over.
“Can I ask what we’re doing?”
“No,” Nikolai replied.
He waved to Darius, who nodded in return, and then Nikolai started off down the street. I followed, trying to quell the terrible feeling rising. I’d spent too much of my previous life following blindly, and it’d turned my life into a dumpster fire. And I didn’t want another dumpster fire, not when I had the chance to actually live. But was I just falling back into my old patterns? Was I just fated to be the same idiot in this life as the last?
Chapter Thirty-Six
We headed through the gates of the city, out towards the wilderness. As we climbed the slight hill just north of town, I got a good look at the world around Saumiers. To the west was a huge lake, extending off into the distance, taking over a good portion of the horizon. High cliffs surrounded the lake, a dry and ominous opposition to the blue below. It was astounding how green and fertile the world around me was, and how dry and dead the world was around the lake. To the north I saw more large mountains — a rather ubiquitous sight in Vuldranni. Or at least in this part of it. Lots of glaciers glittered in the distance as well. Excitement welled in me as I thought of exploring this new land of mine.
We were on something like a path, like maybe it had once been a path, but had been mostly neglected, left to fend for itself against nature’s incursions. It was more than a game trail, because in a few spots steps had been cut into the hillside, but there was a lot of overgrowth to push through. We passed by a bench, and my curiosity flared. The path had obviously been cleared for a reason, with a destination in mind. Why had it been forsaken? What might be there now?
Birds were everywhere around us, squirrels darted here and there, and a hundred animals I couldn’t identify made noises as they went about their day, not seeming to care that we were interrupting them. It was a greater explosion of nature than I’d ever experienced, despite my Boy Scout experience. This was a much more primal world than Earth, not necessarily younger, but filled with more life and, well, just filled with more. Everywhere I looked. Everywhere I listened.
We continued to climb, the town disappearing behind the dense forests, only to reappear in our vision every now and again. Steep drop-offs were commonplace, and I was keenly aware that a single poorly-placed step would get me splattered on the rocks below.
I don’t know how long we climbed, but after a while, I just started to relax into the hike. I enjoyed the sunshine on my face. The wind in my hair. The deep smell of pine.
Until up ahead, I heard a thunderous roaring sound. Nervous, I slid the axe off my back and let it rest in my hands. We came around a bend, and discovered a staggeringly tall waterfall pouring into a surprisingly small pond. A small but very deep pond, it would seem. There was just enough hard rock to take the pounding of the waterfall and form a bit of a pool before disappearing down a hole. I could see no river leading away. Waves of mist blossomed out and enveloped the area in undulating waves.
Nikolai stopped at the edge of the pond, knelt, and filled a waterskin.
He drank deep, then tied the bag back to his belt.
Nikolai turned to me, his face hard. Impassive.
“Montana,” he said.
“That’s me,” I replied, still not exactly used to the name, kinda wishing I’d picked something different. It just sounded so, well, like a beast of burden.
“It is time I told you what we are doing.”
“Okay.”
“We are here because it is time to talk about who you are and who we are.”
“Dude, I can barely hear you,” I replied, basically shouting at him. “Is this a hazing thing?”
“Only in part,” he said, his voice somehow coming straight to my ear like he was right next to me. “Much like Montana is not a real name, Cleeve Dye is not a real name.”
“Wait, is he a—”
He held up a hand, and cut me off, saying, “Your questions will be answered. First, though, I need to get a measure of who you are. You see, I need know who and what you are before I kill you. Or let you live.”
“Wait—”
“You may attack if you feel that necessary,” he said, gesturing with his longsword at my axe. A longsword that I hadn’t even noticed him drawing from his scabbard. The dude was fast. Scary fast.
Immediately, I tossed the weapon to the ground. Not only did I know he outclassed me, I didn’t want to fight him. “Dude, I don’t, I’m just trying to figure things out. It’s all a bit of a shock.”
“You concern me,” he said. “Your strength is unusual. Minotaurs are known for their strength. Darius can move the wagons around unladen, but he is out of breath after twenty yards. And yet, you—”
“Hey,” I said, hands up to make sure he knew I wasn’t threatening him, “I was just as surprised as you.”
“I do not think so. We know you come from another world. The same world as Lee and Darius. And yet, they are not like you. I have spoken with them about their world at length, and about you. Dye as well. They are higher level than you. Yet, you are so much stronger than them. Than anyone. You are faster and fight with, well, not grace that is sure, but brutal efficiency then. That will not serve you long-term. Should you survive today, we will need to break you of that habit. You are an enigma. Immense power and yet stupid. You traipse about as a newborn, desperate for a family, for guidance, yet able to knock down a barn. Is this an act? I wonder.”
“I’m completely new here—”
<
br /> “As was Darius. According to the man, we were among the first faces he encountered here. Though we did not know immediately he was from your world, when he was level one, he had nothing like what you do. And, he did not blunder about as you do. He was actually able to blend in to the Imperial society, to a degree.”
“So I’m new and stupid. Is that a crime?”
His blade swept up to my throat as I blinked. I never even saw the blur of movement; it was just there.
“Are you a demon?” he asked.
“No,” I replied, being very careful not to move in the slightest.
“A devil?”
“Not even sure those are different.”
“An abyssal fiend?”
“No idea what that is.”
“What is your true form?”
“This?”
“You told Dye you were a criminal. Are you still?”
“No.”
“What kind of criminal were you?”
“Bad? Enforcer? Debt Collector?”
“You hurt people?”
“I did.”
“For money? Pleasure—”
“It was the only thing I could do that paid, man,” I snapped, grabbing his blade and pushing it to the side. He let it move, but kept his hard eyes glued to mine. “And at the end, it was the only job I could get because I’d fucked my life up. The only person I never screwed over gave me the portal to this world because he knew I was about to be killed. And it just so happened I was in the mood to not die, so I didn’t pay attention to what I was doing — I just tried to escape as quickly as I could. I have no idea about the Empire. I didn’t hear anything about it until I got to it. I don’t know where I am or what the rules are here. I have no idea of your history, your geography, the people, the culture, the monsters, I don’t even know what language I’m speaking right fucking now. I’m just walking around like, I mean, yeah, a fucking toddler, hoping I don’t die before I figure out what the fuck is going on, okay?”
Nikolai frowned. Then he flicked his sword down into the ground, sticking it perfectly in a small tuft of grass, the hilt wavering ever so slightly.
He put his hands together, closed his eyes, and his breathing slowed down. A slight glow came around him, and he reached out to grab either side of my head.
I saw purple. Different shades. Different shapes. It was all internal though, like my brain was exploding and moving around at the same time. My insides felt weird, like someone was poking and prodding at my spleen or something.
And then, it stopped. Everything immediately went back to normal.
Nikolai had removed his hands from my head and taken a step back, Then he looked me up and down, confused. Finally, he took a breath, and shook his head.
“Things are not as they seem with us,” Nikolai said after a lengthy awkward pause. “With Dye.”
“I know, it’s a fake name.”
“You know nothing—”
“Hey, was that magic?”
“Shut the fuck up,” Nikolai barked. “I will give you a moment for questions, but that moment is not now. You will give me answers when I ask, and if I do not like your response or you attempt to lie, I will kill you. Everyone else believes we are on a quest right now, and I will merely say you died fighting goblins, trolls, or snipes.”
He waited for me to say something, but I had the feeling he was testing me, see if I would pipe up again. I just stood there. Waiting. Which, frankly, was difficult. I’d never been able to hold my tongue when I needed to. I’d blurt out anything that came to my stupid mind. Say the wrong thing, be a pain in the ass while trying to be funny or cool. But this time, being quiet just seemed right.
The waterfall seemed to get quieter and the mist seemed to grow. Either this place or I was crazy. I didn’t like my odds.
“Cleeve Dye is nobility. From a noble family with a long line of service to the Empire, spotless with honor. Thirty-five years in the Legion. Countless battles won. Medals from his head to his heels and a personal friend of the Emperor. Dye has the chance to be among the top of the land. To elevate his family to a level it has never been. He has promised to offer a place for the men and women who have served him where they might raise their families in safety, with the promise of a good and wholesome society. In order to make this future happen, he has given up his entire life, and tied it to that caravan out there. We need to get it to Osterstadt before the first snows fall.”
Nikolai stopped to let this sink in. I just nodded.
“I cannot tell you why, but Dye has an attachment to you. He is curious and he likes you. I do not. I tried to have you removed from the caravan. Dye overruled me. I expected you to fight with the bandits, not against them. You fought bravely. Not well, mind you, but with courage. Your resolve to pull the wagon seemed a foolish stunt destined to end your life. And yet, you managed to stay alive and get us out of that jam. I hate to say I was impressed. I have looked inside you, taken the measure of your character as much as I could. You have immense potential with ridiculous strength. But I cannot help but wonder. If you were but an adventurer, why not remain for the coming war with Mahrduhm? War is the great path to experience and levels. You would be rewarded with both riches and fame staying there, welcomed with open arms into either army. Yet you fled. You leave me with questions and no answers.”
Nikolai walked around me, looking me up and down. The mist was incredibly thick. I could barely see Nikolai after a moment. And when I blinked, he disappeared entirely.
“I have never actually met a Level Four Nothing,” Nikolai said, right next to my ear.
I spun, trying to track him, but the man disappeared into the mist. Everything disappeared into the mist. Everywhere I looked, mist. I couldn’t even see my feet.
“Tell me who you are, Montana, tell me and make me believe that killing you is the wrong idea. Or die.”
“Even if you kill me,” I said, “I will only come back stronger. “
“There are ways to bless a man with the final death,” Nikolai said, stepping out of the mist, his longsword in his hand. A dark shimmer ran down the blade, and a spark shot off the end. He had a grim sparkle in his eyes, as if he was almost excited about something.
He swung his blade, and instinct took over for me. I wasn’t ready to leave this life.
I snatched my sword from the scabbard, and got it up to block his blade, just in time. A sharp clang rang out as the swords met, and a chip of metal flew out, slicing along my cheek.
Hot blood leaked down into my mouth.
Nikolai pushed my blade away, and took a step back.
“Who are you, Montana?” Nikolai asked once again.
“I don’t know.”
“You agree with your classification of Nothing?”
“I do!”
His blade move so fast, even though I brought my sword up, his edge was right against my neck.
“Look, man,” I shouted, my desire to live pushing my voice up an octave, “it’s fucking accurate, okay? I was a nothing in my old life. I just, I mean, I did what I had to do in order to not die, I guess. I wasn’t good at anything. I stole things. I killed a few drug dealers, stole their cash and their stash. I gave loans out and beat people when they couldn’t pay ‘em back. I drank beer on weekdays, dealt drugs to junkies, and I don’t know. I didn’t have parents, so I grew up in a foster system designed to fucking fail. But then for one glorious year, all I did was pound stakes into the ground, set up circus tents, sweep floors, groom horses, and was part of something like a family for the first fucking time in my life. But then, like countless times before, I followed a girl and wound up in a horrible fucking mess I wouldn’t wish on any fucking person.”
The mist started to dissipate, the falls returning to their original volume, and, in a moment, sunshine streamed down around us again.
Nikolai had something like a smile on his face. He had such hard features that even a grin came off more like a grimace.
“This way,” he said, a
nd pushed past me to start heading back down the trail. “Don’t forget to grab your axe.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
It took all of my willpower not to scream at Nikolai. I wanted to curse at the man because I’d been scared as fuck I was going to lose my shot at life, and he seemed to think that everything was fine and dandy after he basically said he was going to kill me. Of course, he was moving so fast, I didn’t really have the chance to do anything like that.
I assumed we’d go straight back to Saumiers, but after a short traipse along the trail, Nikolai took a sharp turn, and we headed uphill. I was definitely jogging. I was tempted to pick up the pace, but I figured that might be dickish and prone to getting myself lost. Nothing like trying to take over the lead when I had no idea where I was going.
I lost track of the time again, something that seemed to be increasingly problematic. I wondered, once more, if there was a means of portable timekeeping in this world.
Finally, we came up to a rise, the trees thinning out just a bit. Nikolai slowed down and stopped right before we’d have crested the ridge.
He knelt, and motioned for me to do the same.
“Montana,” he said, “it is time for you to begin training to be in this world.”
“Okay—“
“First lesson: Talk less. Right now, you know nothing. You are nothing. Understand?”
I nodded.
“Based on your perplexed look,” he said, “you are much more confused than normal. Which makes me think you have yet to learn to pay attention to the notifications you receive.”
“I, uh—” I started to say, but Nikolai’s hand blurred, and there was an audible crack as he slapped me.
“You will look at the notifications as you get them.”
“It blocks my view,” I whined. “I can’t—”
There was a very deep and disappointed sigh from the man, like he just realized how stupid his pupil really was, and how much trouble any education might be.
“You are so new here, so unknowing. It is hard to believe. Let me start with the basics. You know how to read, yes?”
