Mature Content Warning: None, though perhaps a bit of language.

Author's Note: Here we go! No more Blackthorne for today, but I'll try to release a Galataea chapter later today or barring that, early tomorrow. Now that Origin is on hiatus while I clean up and re-work volume three for publication, I will be focusing more on Blackthorne and Galataea for the next few weeks. I hope to get both stories much closer to the end of their first volumes as well, so that I can get them ready for publication as well. Also, that will allow me to start updating my other stories on the weekends.

Chapter 12.2: Who's That Girl?

Sonja looked around with great excitement. She had never seen so much urban sprawl before. The largest city she had ever visited was Einhert, and it only had a few thousand people living in it. “Wow, this place is so big. We’ve walked for over an hour and still have not reached the city center!”

Scott, in human form, nodded at Sonja. “Yeah, it is a small town by Earth standards.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “Really? What would you call a big town?”

He smiled at her. “Well, the biggest cities I can think of off-hand are Tokyo and New York City. I think New York has more than twenty million people living there. Tokyo is close to forty million. I’d have to look them up to be certain.”

“Forty million people! I don’t think there are that many people in the Highlands and the three kingdoms surrounding It.” said Sonja. She was surprised by the sheer population numbers.

“Well, it helps when you have something like seven billion people on the planet.” said Scott.

Sonja stared at him flatly then shook her head. “Where do you put them all?”

“In big ass cities. Though, I think there are still slightly more people living a rural lifestyle than in urban areas. It is close to half and half, though.”

“You know a lot about the population of your world. I don’t even know how many people live in the Highlands.” said Sonja.

Scott shrugged then explained further. “I get curious and look things up. The Internet allows us to search out information.”

“The Internet? Do you mean that little black box thing that had the words and pictures?” asked Sonja.

“Well, yes and no. That is a computer. It connects to the Internet. Think of it as millions of those little boxes connected together, and each of them allows people to share information.”

“That is amazing. We have nothing like that unless you count the crystal communicators.” said Sonja with a hint of awe in her voice.

“Crystal communicators?” asked Scott.

“Yes! You can use them to talk to someone else who is near one. They are made of crystal and shaped into a ball.” replied Sonja.

“How do they work?” asked Scott. That sounded quite interesting.

“Well, I don’t know that specifically. But you place your hand on one and think of the person who you wish to speak to. If they are near a crystal they hear a whisper that tells them that someone is calling to them. They go to the crystal, and then an image of the caller pops up and they talk.” she said.

“Ah, so it’s like Skype but with crystals.” said Scott.

“Skype?” asked Sonja.

They walked past a few restaurants and Sonja’s stomach began to rumble. “This place smells amazing.”

Scott looked over then grinned. “Funky Chicken, huh?”

“Hmm?” asked Sonja.

“That’s the name of the restaurant, The Funky Chicken.” said Scott.

“Ah, OK...” she replied.

Scott pointed to the door. “Let’s get a bucket of chicken to go; I should get back to the house before too much more time passes.”

Sonja blinked at him then her eyes widened. “Oh, right! We don’t have too much time left, do we?”

“Not right now. We can explore again later.” said Scott. His transformation ability was limited. He had to strain to keep his form beyond the time limit of his metamorphosis skill. Only the fact that he drew vital essence from the world around him in tiny amounts to replenish his health changed things. Unlike when he used magic, the drain on the environment was negligible.

The Funky Chicken was a popular fast food restaurant. People sat in open booths and ate their quickly made meals with great satisfaction. There was a short line in front of them, but thankfully it seemed that people were able to order and move along at a decent speed.

Sonja fidgeted in her clothes, a simple hoodie and overly large pair of jeans that Scott had pulled out of his closet. She would have brought too much attention if she wandered through town wearing chainmail or a breast plate. Her boots were fine as is, however.

After they made it through the line and ordered their food, the Super Funky Clucktacular twelve piece combo, they left the restaurant and headed home. Sonja carried the food and fought down the urge to tear into the chicken while they walked.

She glanced over at Scott then casually said, “Well, now we just need the booze and those condom things...”

Scott laughed then shook his head. He ran his hand up and down his body for a moment then said, “Sorry, the candy shop is closed.”

She pouted at him then grinned. “Fine... But you just wait...”

Scott nodded. “So, what do you think of the tiny chunk of my planet that you’ve seen?”

“There are a lot of people, and those car things are really interesting.” said Sonja.

“Yeah, maybe someday I will bother to buy one.” said Scott.

“Are they expensive?” she asked curiously.

“Well, it depends. If I am lucky I might be able to find an ancient, barely working, vehicle for a few hundred dollars. That would be a few thousand Jerin I think.” said Scott.

“Wow, that cheap?” she asked him in surprise.

“Yes, but what you save in buying it you pay in having it repaired. A brand new vehicle can cost a few thousand dollars to several million dollars or so.” said Scott.

“Still, not so bad. You can earn enough Jerin to buy an inexpensive one in a week or two.” said Sonja.

“Yeah, true. Things aren’t so easy here, though. I don’t know how things will change in the future, but right now money is hard to come by unless you can land a really nice job or your family already has money. We can’t just go murder wildlife for fun and profit.” said Scott.

“Ah, I see. Is that why you do not have a car?” asked Sonja.

Scott nodded. “Yep, there are also other expenses such as maintenance, fuel, insurance, and taxes. You never stop paying for a car once you own it. There is always some sort of continuing cost associated with operating it as long as it is usable.”

“I see.” she said.

Scott glanced at her. She seemed slightly depressed. Did she want to ride in a car that badly? “I could probably have one financed, but I have never had a reason to get one.”

“Financed?” she asked in an interested tone.

Scott smiled at her. “Yes, most people buy cars by paying for them over time. They end up costing a lot more in the long run, but you don’t need to have all of the money up front.”

“That seems quite useful!” she said.

“I may look into that in the future, but if you want to ride in a car now, I suppose I can give you a chance to do so.” said Scott.

“Really? I would love that.” said Sonja.

Scott chuckled softly then pulled out his cell. He did not care for the buses in the area, their schedule was horrible. However, the taxi services were decent enough.

He called up the taxi company that he used whenever he needed to get a large amount of groceries home. Usually he would simply take his backpack and buy a little at a time, but sometimes he was out of almost everything and a taxi proved invaluable.

Sonja listened as her master spoke into his strange device. She could hear a woman’s voice speaking back to him. Her eyebrows rose in interest.

Scott ended the call then looked over to her. “We’ll have a ride in a few minutes.”

“A ride?” she asked.

“Yep, a car is coming to pick us up and take us home. They charge for it, but you’ll be able to ride in a car.” said Scott.

Sonja smiled brightly at him then leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “That was so nice of you, master. Thank you.”

“Ewww, I got girl on me.” Scott smirked at Sonja then wiped at his face.

She laughed at him then glanced down at the fried chicken that she held. “Oh, I do hope the driver hurries.”

Scott shook his head. “Such a hungry little thing.”

“Well, you can’t maintain a body like this without eating.” Sonja raised up one arm then made a muscle.

Scott was a little embarrassed that it was bigger than his. She was a warrior maiden, sleek and toned. Everything about her screamed physical dominance, yet she did not look overly muscular.

Of course, if she went out of her way to actually flex, her muscles were quite prominent. Otherwise, she looked like a supremely fit and healthy girl. Most people would not be able to tell that she had super human power underneath her beautiful exterior.

They chatted while they waited for the cab to arrive. Scott could not help but try to compare her to various people who he knew, fictional or real. In the end, her sweetness but overall warrior lifestyle reminded him of a certain DC comics super heroine. Of course, Sonja was a Valkyrie and not an amazon.

***