Arrival

by William Dickey

  “I’m sure not that big,” Abbey murmured. Loud enough for me to hear but if Klein heard, he didn’t show it and just continued.

  “None of the malnourished people here had ever seen anything like it. Especially not the ladies if you know what I mean.” Klein raised an eyebrow and glanced at Abbey.

  “Perverted old man,” she sighed.

  “So where exactly are we?” I asked.

  “This is Mill Valley, a frontier town in the Northeast corner of this country, Xebrya,” said Klein.

  These names didn’t really mean anything to me and when Klein noticed my glazed over eyes he pulled out a folded piece of yellow parchment.

  “Here take a look at the map. It’ll explain a lot,” he said.

  “It’s Earth,” I said, needing only a quick glance.

  “Look closer it’s not,” said Klein. “They call it Tautellus.”

  Klein was right. The map was a little off. The basic shape and locations of the continents were the same as were the locations of mountain ranges and plains but the coast lines were slightly different and white areas marking ice extended down into the northern half of the United States and up through Alaska forming a bridge to Eurasia. To me it looked like a map representing Earth during the last ice age.

  ‘Xebrya… Mill Valley…? Ahh, there it is.’ Mill Valley was on the northeastern edge of the country, on the eastern side of this world’s equivalent to the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range near Lake Tahoe. This was the same area as my home on earth. Xebrya consisted of most of what was California and extended a bit farther south into Baja.

  “This place… Mill Valley is so close to home,” I said.

  “Yes,” Klein affirmed. “This world is geographically similar to Earth and when we arrived in this world we were at roughly the same spot as where we left Earth.”

  I took a deep breath. This was a lot to take in. “So everyone else who came to this city…”

  “Is from the same region on Earth,” Klein finished.

  “How widespread was the teleportation phenomena?” I asked.

  “Not sure. Like I mentioned before, there are reports of people from Earth resurrecting in cities across Xebrya, so at the very least people were taken from all of California. Perhaps even across the world, although we can’t confirm that.”

  “So my family could be here as well?” I asked.

  “Doubtful,” Abbey replied. “From what we can tell only a very small number of people made it here, one in several thousand. You probably don’t know anyone else who made the trip.”

  “You can’t tell if it’s happening in other countries?” I asked.

  “Afraid not, long distance communication is almost nonexistent in this world and the neighboring countries don’t get along well to begin with,” Klein explained.

  “So that’s why I was accused of being a beastmen spy.” I said.

  “Yes, beastmen refers to people from the country to the North of this one. Unconfirmed reports have come in the last few months detailing beastmen raiding parties attacking some of the more remote northern villages. Since Mill Valley is so close to the border, the guards are worried that the attacks might spread here,” explained Klein.

  “When the first of us resurrected in the city, we were also accused of being beastmen infiltrators. They locked us up for a week until they heard about similar strange appearances in cities all across the country. Then… they let us go.” Klein hesitated a bit at the end as if debating whether to say more.

  “What is it?” I prompted.

  “Well… According to the locals, the beastmen aren’t exactly human,” he said.

  “What do you mean, not human?” I asked.

  “I haven’t seen any of them myself, but the beastmen are supposedly a race of giants that stand 7 to 8 feet tall in their human form.”

  “Human form?” I asked.

  “It’s said the beastmen have shape shifting powers that allow them to turn into beasts: wolves, bears, birds, and the like,” said Klein.

  “And being non-human is normal here?” I said.

  “Not in this country. The different races don’t intermix much. But globally, there are all sorts of different species,” said Klein. “Other than beastmen, the Rockies are inhabited by dwarves and the central plains have centaurs. Meanwhile, what would be Mexico is occupied by a race of dark elves called the Drulor. And that’s just in the surrounding countries. I haven’t seen any of it myself, but given everything else we’ve seen in this world it’s possible.”

  “What do you mean everything else?” I asked.

  “All the magic and stuff,” said Klein.

  “There’s magic?” I wasn’t too surprised, just interested. I’d seen the magic stat but had yet to see any actual magic.

  “Of course. You haven’t seen any of it yet, have you? Umm… Abbey, think you could help with a demonstration?” Klein asked.

  “Sure,” said Abbey, setting down her book.

  Klein took out one of his hatchets and used it to make a cut across the palm of his hand. The cut was shallow but it still drew a steady dribble of blood. Abbey took his hand and after a moment, the wound began to radiate a brilliant white light. The light only lasted for a few seconds and when it faded all that remained was clean though somewhat pale flesh. It was as if the cut had never existed.

  “See magic,” said Klein, waggling his fingers to prove his hand was unharmed.

  “How….” I started to say.

  “Abbey is a cleric so she specializes in healing magic,” explained Klein.

  “How’d you become a cleric?” I asked turning to Abbey.

  “I found an expert of healing magic in town and had her teach me a few things. Before long I was a cleric,” Abbey explained.

  “That’s how all the classes work,” said Klein. “You find an expert in the class you want and have him or her instruct you. There are all sorts of classes. And, not just the normal combat oriented game ones like Swordsmen, Brutes, and Mages. There are also production oriented ones like Blacksmith, Carpenter, Painter, or Farmer. Just about anything you can think of. Different classes allow you to access skills and techniques you wouldn’t be able to use otherwise. I’m an Axeman so I can learn special axe related skills and do extra damage when I use axes. Abbey is a Cleric so she has healing magic skills. You get the idea.”

  “Can you change class if you get one you don’t like?” I asked.

  “Yes, but you lose access to any special skills and abilities you received from your old class.”

  “Are there other ways to get classes?” I asked, remembering the strange quest I had received from killing the bunny brute.

  “Not that I know of,” said Klein.

  “Hmm,” I paused to take in all this new information. “You mentioned before that there used to be more of us around. They can’t have died, you said we were immortal. Does that mean you know a way out?”

  “Afraid not,” Abbey’s quiet voice responded.

  “The menu doesn’t have an option to leave. People have tried shouting ‘Exit’ or ‘Logout’ but nothing has worked so far,” Klein answered. “By less people I meant in Mill Valley. There used to be fifteen of us in this town, but now there are only 4, well 5 including you.”

  “Why did everyone leave?” I asked.

  “A couple weeks back we got word that there was a call for all of us Earthlings to gather in Castlemere, the Xebryan capital, to pool our resources and figure out what happened to us. A bunch moved south immediately but the roads aren’t entirely safe so a few of us decided to remain a while longer to train,” said Klein.

  “Remain longer? So the rest of you are leaving as well?” I asked.

  “Yes, sometime in the next few weeks,” said Klein. “Otherwise we’ll be stuck here.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked. I just got back to this semblance of civilization and wasn’t looking forward to a cold hard bed and unpalatable meals anytime soon.

  “Winter is coming and the snow
will soon make crossing the mountains dangerous. We only have two weeks or so. This is the largest town on this side of the mountains and the neighboring kingdoms don’t welcome humans so if you aren’t on the other side by then you’ll be stuck here until the snow melts in five or six months.”

  “Isaac, you should go hunting with us,” Abbey suggested.

  “That’s strange,” said Klein. “I thought you don’t like hunting.”

  “Not with you,” Abbey clarified. “The lovebirds are always too preoccupied with each other but Isaac should be able to make a good buffer.”

  “You don’t like my moves,” said Klein.

  “It’s not the moves, it’s you. You’re just so old,” said Abbey.

  Klein shook his head at her before returning his attention to me. “All of us are hunting in the woods tomorrow. We stay relatively close to town so we only come across normal creatures like deer and foxes. The really bizarre and powerful creatures live far away from human interference. You should come with us. It’s a lot easier when we fight as a group.”

  Although I’d rather go alone, I knew I shouldn’t. I still needed to learn a lot more about this place. The amount of information I’d gained from just a few minutes with Klein and Abbey proved that I still had a lot to learn.

  “I’ll go,” I agreed.

  “Great, how strong are you?” Klein asked.

  “Status,” I called out.

  Name

  †Isaac N. Stein†

  Level

  9

  Class

  None

  Exp

  439/950

  Health

  140/140

  Satiety

  96/100

  Stamina

  140/140

  Hydration

  92/100

  Mana

  0/0

  Status

  Eager

  Vitality

  14

  Strength

  11

  Agility

  25

  Endurance

  14

  Magic

  0

  Dexterity

  17

  Energy

  0

  Defense

  12 (+5)

  Intelligence

  22

  †Skills†

  †Cooking Lvl. 2 (86.2%)†

  †Hammer Mastery Lvl. 1 (26.4%)†

  †Skinning Lvl. 2 (27.3%)†

  †Spear Mastery Lvl. 3 (52.8%)†

  I was the only one who could see my stat window so I read aloud the details to Klein and Abbey.

  “Hmm. Level is a bit low but that’s to be expected. You’ve been solo’n the whole time. But why’s your strength so low?” Klein’s voice deepened as he entered a Schwarzenegger impression, “Don’t be such a girly man.”

  “I didn’t increase my strength much because I wasn’t sure if I should go the mage route instead,” I explained.

  “Well, you’re right if you decide to go the mage route you should focus putting stat points in magic instead,” said Klein disappointed. “Even so, you should still put a few points in strength. Strength doesn’t just increase the physical damage you deal, but it literally makes you stronger. So even when you aren’t slicing and dicing, it will help you carry supplies and equipment.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” I said.

  “That reminds me while you’re here you should really get a class,” said Klein.

  “Well…” I told him about my encounter with the giant humanoid bunny in the forest and the quest I had received.

  “Bane of Creation,” Abbey said. “I don’t know if you should do it. It sounds… dark.”

  “Ha, are you kidding, the Bane of Creation sounds amazing,” Klein exclaimed. “Very manly. So much so I’m a little envious.”

  Klein noticed the nervous expression that broke out on my face upon hearing his words. “Don’t worry. I’m not the jealous type. Tomorrow, we’ll help you with the quest. From your story, the boss monsters are worth a lot of experience and they’ll make for a nice break from the minutia of regular targets.”

  “Ok, so I’ll meet you here in the morning.” This was the only inn in town so everyone was staying here to begin with. I peered out a nearby window. A couple hours of daylight remained. “Anything I should do in the meantime?” I asked.

  “I’d get some decent equipment,” Klein suggested. “You just have your regular clothes and a pointy stick. Get armor and a real weapon. They make a big difference.”

  “Do you need to borrow some money?” Abbey offered.

  “No thanks,” I said. “I’ve collected some animal pelts I can sell, so if you could point me in the right direction.”

  Klein told me how to get to the marketplace and where to find all the vendors I needed. And after a quick goodbye, I was off.

  I exited the quiet atmosphere of the inn to the loud bustling of the town. The noise of the city was a nice change from the quiet nature of the forest. The market was busy. Scores of people crowded the streets and vibrantly colored banners advertised the different stores and their products. I wished I had more than a couple hours, but ridiculous lighting costs made most places close at sundown.

  I turned my head in every direction, trying to take it all in. A heavyset old woman outside the Apothecary announced, “One day special! Minor healing potions, only 50§ apiece. Stock up now. Made from the finest yewberry and sycamore extract you can find.”

  Deep-throated, primordial roars emanated from a building labeled Cotton’s Creature Cache. The storefront was covered by a row of children, their noses pressed against the glass, trying to get a peek at all the dangerous beasties their parents would never let them have.

  There were clothing stores and sweet shops. There were shops filled with robes and runic devices like the staff Abbey had. There were windows filled with stacks of shadowkiss serpent fangs and street vendors pushing essence of doppelganger.

  As I made my way past the shops, I wasn’t just browsing. I carefully paid attention to all the different products and their associated prices. I needed to get an idea of what my stuff was worth before I tried to sell it. It’d be a small embarrassment to overvalue my wares during negotiations and a big one to sell myself short and run out of money before I could buy all the supplies I needed.

  Once I felt confident I had a decent grasp on the market, I found the leather shop Klein had recommended. After selling the furs and picking up a thick leather vest and a good pair of hiking boots, I had 650§ in my pocket and moved onto finding a weapon.

  The Beating Hammer consisted of a single large room. The front half was filled with numerous weapons and armors. Hangers carrying the finest swords, axes, and spears I had ever seen, not that I’d seen many, filled the walls. While the floor was filled by so many armor-covered busts, I had trouble walking around without knocking one over. Meanwhile, the back half of the store was occupied by a large forge that filled the air with smoke and generated enough heat to make the entire store uncomfortably warm. Beside the forge sat a burly old man pounding away at a red hot rod of steel.

  “What do you want?” the old man shouted over the continuous ringing of the hammer.

  “Ahhh, umm…” I stammered, a bit taken aback by the abruptness of the blacksmith and the noise of the shop.

  “Ahhh, umm…What,” the man mocked. “Not sure what you want? Then go away and stop distracting me.” The old man just continued working, banging his hammer even louder than before.

  “S-Sorry, I know what I want.”

  “Then spit it out already.”

  “I’m looking for a spear for around 300§,” I said. I had 650§ left but I needed to save some money for living expenses for however long it took to make more.

  The blacksmith stopped hammering and looked up from his work for the first time. “That bin,” the blacksmith sighed. He pointed to a particularly dilapidated barrel of weapons in the far corner. “Those are under 500, but don’t go thinki
ng I made those pieces of trash. Those are what people trade in when they bought one of mine.” I nodded and when he saw that I understood the clanging of the old blacksmith’s hammer resumed.

  I went to the bin, picked up one of the spears, and looked it over. This opened a text box describing the weapon’s details: damage, durability, special effects, stat requirements, etc. I repeated this with all the spears in the bin. Many of the spears were fairly shoddy, especially compared to the others displayed throughout the store, and a few were almost as bad as my makeshift one, but I guessed that’s why they were in the bargain bin. Unfortunately, the best spears in the bin possessed strength or level requirements that were beyond my current stats. So I had to settle on the strongest spear a level 9 could handle.

  “How much for this one?” I asked. The blacksmith set the blade he was working on back in the fire and walked to me.

  “400§,” the old smith said looking over the iron spear. I haggled with him down to 350 before handing over the money. People in this land expected haggling.

  With the remainder of my funds, I bought some dried food for the road, some potions that temporarily increased health and energy regeneration, and a few days room and board at the Epochal Inn.

  Chapter 4: Party

  I woke in the rough straw bed of the inn. The bed was a vast improvement over a smelly bundle of fur but I still missed the plush softness of a real mattress. I would have remained under the warm covers to get a few more minutes of sleep, but the clang of dishes and the sweet aroma of burning meat prevented any attempt. ‘Mmmmm, bacon.’ I forced myself to my feet and went downstairs to join Klein and our compatriots.

  “Morning,” Klein flagged me down to his table. He was already sitting with Abbey and two other people I had yet to meet. One was a man in his late twenties with dark hair and eyes. He wore a leather vest over a dark green shirt that matched a cape that accentuated the man’s long, lean frame. The recurve bow and quiver of arrows strapped across his back as well as the splotches of dried mud caked on the man’s boots were clear signs of an avid outdoorsman.