Holding my breath nervously, I stepped into the void with two squirming girls. I didn’t want to stay in the void any longer than was necessary, assuming time spent in the gap between worlds had something to do with how far I traveled.

When we stepped out, we were greeted by the same green sky we had just left behind. I heaved a sigh of relief. “At least we’re still on Gaia.”

Kalli gasped. “Where is Luna?”

Wendy looked concerned and reached out to take Kalli’s hand. “Kalli, Who is Luna? Did you hit your head?”

She pointed to the cloudless green sky, which seemed much bigger than usual. “Luna. The moon. It’s always up there.”

The sudden realization that I may have screwed up made my stomach lurch. “Are you suggesting this isn’t Gaia?”

Kalli shook her head and explained, “No. I’m pretty sure this is still Gaia. You see, the moon doesn’t move. You can tell where you are based on where it’s at in the sky. I think we’re on the opposite side of the planet if we can’t see Luna at all.”

Wendy! Joe screamed through group chat. What happened? Where are you?

I’m okay. Wendy confirmed. Melvin teleported and we went with him. We don’t know where we ended up.

Joe let out a groan. Well, this is a complete bust. Palmer is hurt and we didn’t catch a single one of those buffalo-looking things. I took out a few of them but that doesn’t help. We’re going to have to leave them and head back to Run Dale to get Palmer patched up.

I nodded and looked around the area to get a better idea of where we were. The part of Gaia we wound up one was more mountainous than the dark lands. I also noticed smoke on the horizon which appeared to come from the base of a mountain range.

With the girls looking to me for direction, I announced,

Stay safe Joe. I trust you to make the right decision. We will be back when we can.

With Joe and the gang turning back, it was imperative that we make our way back to the dark lands. The problem was that teleporting to a place I wasn’t intimately familiar with could be dangerous. I looked at Kalli, regretful that I didn’t leave her behind. With inseparable, I could easily return with Wendy to her side.

Absentmindedly starting in the direction of the smoke, I explained our dilemma. “I can teleport but I’m not sure I can get us back to the dark lands.”

“Why not?” Wendy asked, confused.

While they both looked uneasy, Wendy and Kalli followed me toward the smoke. I tried to explain my dilemma. “Back in my hometown, I was able to teleport to my old house with no problem. However, when I tried to teleport to the place Kalli was staying at, I couldn’t focus on it. I should probably practice more.”

Kalli, who was still looking up to the sky, asked, “How did you get us here?”

Remembering the last teleport, the only thing I knew for certain was that I wanted to travel the shortest distance possible. “This is what happens when I teleport without having a destination in mind.”

Wendy nodded, seeing the smoke in the distance for the first time. “Where are we going?”

I shrugged, “I saw the smoke over there. It looks like as good a place to go as any.”

“What if it’s dangerous?” Kalli asked, looking down for the first time to check out the smoke.

I hadn’t considered the fact that it could be dangerous. Since arriving in Gaia, everything so far had been an adventure. Even the monster attacks had been more exciting than perilous.

Stopping to address the question, I replied, “Well, we could skip civilization and try getting back to the dark lands. I’ve thought about it and I could warp Kalli home again and then we can teleport to her. Even though she ended up in the dark lands the last time, there is no guarantee that she will again.”

Wendy’s eyes returned to the smoke. “I think we should keep all of our options open. Let’s go check out that settlement and use teleportation as a final option.”

The smoke turned out to be coming from a town. While older looking, the buildings were much better built than the huts we encountered in the dark lands. It was also much bigger than anything I had seen on Gaia so far, including Kalli’s hometown. We huddled behind a rock as we watched people come and go from the main gate.

Wendy whispered even though we were way too far away to be heard by anyone. “Should we risk it. That guard has a sword.”

“Our guards have swords too.” I pointed out. “Besides, they aren’t killing any of the other travelers.”

Kalli agreed, not bothering to whisper. “Let’s do it. I always wanted to visit a big town.”

With that settled, made our way down to the main road leading into town. Wagons drawn by Ruffalo lumbered their way to the gates, passing us on the way.

There were two lines of people making their way in through the gates. One side moved swiftly, a guard nodding to each of them as they passed.

The other line moved very slowly as a guard at the head of the line questioned each traveler before allowing them to pass. There didn’t seem to be any issues but I couldn’t help but worry as an offworlder.

I inquired in mate chat.

Do we need some kind of identification card?

Kalli shrugged. I don’t know. I don’t have anything other than my guild card from your world. Of course, I never left my hometown when I lived here.

When we got to the front of the line, a tired-looking guard asked, “What is your business in Hudholm Summit?”

At least he didn’t ask me who I was or where I was from. I replied, “We are just passing through. Hopefully, we can join a caravan or get some directions.”

The guard perked up, hearing something out of the ordinary for the first time. “Where are you lot headed?”

Wendy stepped forward and replied bluntly. “Could you possibly point us in the direction of the dark lands?”

The guard’s hand fell to the pommel of his sword and his mouth fell open. “Why on Gaia would you want to go there?”

“We left some friends behind and we need to get back to them as soon as possible.” Kalli informed the man.

The other guard, who stopped nodding to watch us, shook his head and said, “If your friends are in the dark lands then they are already as good as dead. Nobody makes it out of the dark lands alive. Everybody knows that.”

Before I could stop her, Kalli announced, “We made it out of there and we aren’t dead.”

Both guards drew their swords and the other travelers dove out of our way. The first guard, his hands shaking, pointed his sword at us and stammered, “You don’t have the plague? Do you?”

I shook my head. “Nope. All cured. Besides, I don’t think the plague can leave the dark lands. It’s just a hunch but it seems to be tied to the area, not the people.”

“Lies!” The second guard shouted, inching closer to the first guard.

Should we escape now? Kalli thought desperately, looking to me to make a decision.

I sighed dejectedly, inspecting the two guards.

Name

Sebastian

Class

Guard

Level

1

Affection Level

Terrified

Name

Quentin

Class

Guard

Level

1

Affection Level

Frenzied

I pointed to the status screens which Kalli could also see.

They are just level one guards.

Exchanging a meaningful look with Kalli, I materialized my greatsword. I might as well have set off a ton of dynamite. Travelers scattered in every direction and both guards dropped their swords, cowering behind the gate.

When nothing else happened, Sebastian poked his head around the corner and squealed, “You didn’t tell us you were nobility. Please, make yourselves at home in our humble town.”

“I never said I was nobility.” I began.

Kalli smirked at me. You are an emperor. Technically.

I laughed at Kalli’s joke, causing both guards to hide behind the wall again.

I somehow doubt they will recognize my royal claim way out here.

We took a few steps into the village and Wendy asked, “Is there an inn or a tavern around here?”

The other guard, Quentin, pointed farther down the main road and said, “Both are just up the main road there. You should also go visit Pouimont Manor. They will host you. No need for the filthy inn.”

We didn’t waste any more time with the guards, making our up the street. I could see villagers peeking from windows and cracked doors as we made up way into town.

The first building we located was the tavern. It was fairly obvious, with a hand-drawn wench holding several tankards of ale on the door.

I poked my head in, expecting it to be crowded. Instead, we walked into an empty restaurant with a bored-looking old man washing a mug behind the counter.

“Can I help you?” He barked, not bothering to look up.

Kalli put on her most charming smile and walked up to the bar, trying to get him to look at her. “Excuse me, mister. Can you tell us how to get to the dark lands?”

“The dark lands?” He asked, finally looking up to see who entered. “Why would a bunch of kids like you want to go there? Did your parents tell you it’s off-limits and you want to peeve them off?”

Wendy giggled at the bartender. “No. We want to get back to our friends. You see, we accidentally teleported and wound up here.”

The old man stiffened, appraising us again as if for the very first time. “Oh, ahem, would you three like something to drink? To eat? What can I do for you? How can I make your stay in our quaint village more comfortable?”

“Three glasses of your finest brew.” I announced triumphantly.

“Melvin.” Wendy cried out. “Be serious. The last thing we need is for you to get drunk.”

Defeated, I droned, “Fine. What do you have without alcohol?”

“Milk.” The bartender replied, preparing three tall glasses of a thick green substance.

I looked at the offered beverage in disgust while Kalli scooped hers up and took a huge swig. Oh, I missed this. We rarely got milk back at the orphanage.

You call that milk? What does it come from?

She stuck her tongue out at me. Ruffalo, of course. That white stuff you guys drink back on Earth is disgusting.

Following Kalli’s lead, I tasted the ruffalo milk. The thick sweet texture of the milk made it taste more like whipped cream and actual milk. I could see why a kid would like it though.

It took quite a bit of coaxing to get Wendy to try some. The bartender didn’t have much of a selection of food but he left for a short while and returned with three plates of steaming soup. Looking at the various chunks within the soup, I was scared to ask what was in it. Kalli once again dug in, so I didn’t question it. It was pretty good.

We were just wrapping up our meal when the door swung open. A woman that looked like she would have been at home in a king’s court walked in wearing a ruffled pink dress with a matching frilly hat.

She marched right up to me, ignoring both of the girls completely. “My lord. I was only just told that you decided to grace our humble home with a visit. Please excuse my rudeness but I was unaware of your presence.”

Kalli scoffed and said, “Are you still not aware of my presence? You’re standing on my toes.”

“I’m aware.” The woman said dryly, not bothering to get off of Kalli’s foot.

Then Kalli caught fire. It started with her ears and spread to her hair. In moments, the fire had spread to her entire body, including her foot. The woman yelped and jumped back, looking at Kalli like she was a monster. “What on Gaia…?”

Noticing that Kalli still had the flaming wings that she got from Seiryu, it wasn’t hard to see how she was the subject of a prophecy about a flaming angel. I chuckled to myself but said nothing.

Kalli huffed and climbed to her feet, admonishing the woman. “You know, it’s very rude to ignore a person, and that hurt.”

The woman waved her hands frantically. “I am so sorry, m’lady. I was told that the boy was the mage. I had no idea…”

“We’re all mages.” Wendy helpfully corrected the woman.

“Oh my.” The woman cried, falling to her knees.

It wasn’t quite a kneel or a curtsy, and she quickly righted herself. “It would be our honor to offer you all our hospitality here in Hudholm Summit. What brings you, um, such prestigious guests out to our little corner of the world?”

Wondering who I was dealing with, I decided to inspect the woman.

Name

Mylisant Pouimont

Class

Mayor

Level

2

Affection Level

Overly Friendly

“We are just passing through.” I began.

She shook her head and said, “No, no, no. That just won’t do. Please rest your weary bones in our humble town if just for the night.”

We all looked at one another. Kalli mumbled, “We really do need to be going.”

“At least share a meal…”. She began before staring down at our plates.

I groaned, not having the time to spare. “Why do you want us to stay so badly.”

“Well. I, um.” She fretted and said nothing, looking back over her shoulder where other villagers had gathered.

A teen girl, about our age, spoke up. “We heard you were a healer. She wants you to look at her daughter. We all know that most of you mages are so stuck up that you couldn’t be bothered so she planned to pamper you a bit first.”

“Begone this instant.” Mylisant hissed at the girl.

The girl turned to leave, muttering, “I just called it how I saw it.”

“I like her!” I exclaimed, earning me a cold look from Kalli.

The girl stiffened, stopping halfway through the door. Nobody said anything for a long moment, so I continued, “I’d like to hear more of what she has to say.”

She turned with a gleam in her eye and marched over to our table. Kalli stood abruptly, blocking her path to me. “You can speak from over there.”

A warm feeling flooded through me when Kalli got defensive over me. The girl marched around to the other side of our table, saying, “As I said, nobody would want your kind here if we didn’t absolutely need you. All mages are stuck-up snobs who don’t care about anyone but themselves.”

It was Wendy’s turn to stand up. “You don’t even know us. How are you going to go judging every awakened person when you haven’t met half of them?”

“Then why do you let us die when we beg you for help?” She screamed, tears streaming down her face. “Where were you when my father was trapped in the mines? We provide you with your valuable ore and you can’t be bothered to rescue us when it wouldn’t even take much effort.”

The crowd by the door was still silent but I noticed quite a few of them had turned away as we listened to the girl’s story.

“Well, not all…” Wendy began again, breaking down in a sob as she sympathized with the girl.

I was only 15 and I had already seen way too much death. Even hearing about it hurt. Standing next to the two girls, I said, “Look. I don’t know if we can help your father but we will do what we can to help your town out. Unfortunately, every day we spend here more lives are going to be lost in the dark lands, so I can’t promise you more than a day.”

Mylisant chose that moment to hijack the conversation. “One day will do, m’lord. Please follow me to my manor.”