Tazo rescued him soon. "All that work for this?" she said, eyeing the metal trinket he'd made.

"It should be enough."

"Where are you going?" she asked, just outside the forge.

"The temple." He'd been heading for the stark white building a bit eastward, near the water.

"Other way."

They turned west and north, inland to a forest grove where wooden wind-chimes clacked. The ground was drier and firmer here. A dragonfly buzzed past Vonn's ears and drew his gaze toward a cluster of low buildings whose corner-posts curled outward like leaves. Totems of bone and antler stuck out from the dirt in seemingly random spots.

"It's your show," Tazo said, squeezing Vonn's hand. "I'll see you back home, all right?"

He figured he could find the way. Probably. "Thanks."

"This is a much better day than I expected to have," she said, and turned quickly away.

Vonn watched her go. He finally turned to look over the temple grounds again. A glance at the nearest totem told him only, [Totem]. "Guess I should take a level in Mage, too." The idea of casting spells tempted him -- but that could come later. He approached the large central building.

Its door was unlocked and well oiled, letting him into an open space smelling of incense. Several people sat on cushions. An altar showed a triangular emblem.

A Vulin elder, patchy-furred and wearing a brown robe, greeted him. "You are here for your class? Who will you serve, then: Labor, Lore, or Love?"

"I'm hoping to be an Engineer."

"Lore, then. Please dress and join the others in contemplation."

The monk led him to a large closet where grey robes hung and other clothes were stashed. Vonn changed outfits. "What can you tell me about this 'Geas' thing?"

The elder snorted. "I wouldn't expect a youngster to keep it very well. Each day you should sweat and pant from hard work, or learn something new, or do a favor for others. Pick one of these to be your calling, this year. You will grow fastest if you stick to it."

That was an easy choice. "It should be easy to learn when I don't know anything yet."

"Easy is not always best. But go ahead. Place your offering in the box."

Vonn quietly approached the altar, and put the metal trinket into a wooden offering box. He backed away, sat down on a straw pillow, and yelped in pain. He'd squashed his tail. Blushing, he brushed it aside and tried to ignore the confused petitioners around him.

The monk hadn't given him much instruction. Vonn tried to settle down and clear his mind, thinking of the System.

He imagined the floating windows he'd seen, but nothing was there when he opened his eyes. He grew frustrated, muttered words like "Open interface," thought of a Zen parable he probably didn't understand... and after far too much boredom and frustration, it came to him in a minute of quiet.

[You are now a Level 1 Engineer!] The words floated in front of him even with his eyes closed, and cloudy lights pulsed behind his eyelids. [You have chosen a geas of Learning.]

Then the illusory light flared brighter, and he opened his eyes to find it was real. He glowed with silver fire that tickled along his hands and robe without hurting him. He was still marveling at it when his full character profile appeared at last.

[

Vonn, Vulin Male

Engineer 1

Physical: Agility 1

Mental: Learning 1, Wits 1, Sanity 1

Social: None

Feats: Balance

Skills: Literacy 2

These meters are based on 25 + (10 points per stat):

Health (Toughness + Will): 25/25

Mana (Sanity + Will): 35/35

Stamina (Toughness + Sanity): 35/35

Go forth and advance!

]

Just one skill, and one he'd completely taken for granted? He supposed he was just starting, and the System hadn't yet recognized his greatness. Time to fix that. He stood, stretched, and felt his tail flutter, his long jaws stretch wide. The silver light faded at last.

Ah, right, the Feat. He had seen the term "Balance" back in the void between worlds, but had been too distracted to care. Now, given that Agility was the one non-mental stat he had, it made more sense. He lifted one foot experimentally and discovered he had no trouble standing without wobbling. He grinned and hopped to his other foot.

The monk returned, tapping him on the shoulder. Vonn bounced in place, saying, "I got it! I got it!"

"That's nice, young seeker. Now if you would avoid disturbing the other visitors?"

Vonn looked around. Three other people were sitting in meditation, not quite the same group that'd been here when he entered. Still standing on one foot, he said, "What else do I need to do?"

"Return your robe."

"Right." Vonn skipped all the way to the closet and changed his outfit back. "Oh, oh! What do I need to do to get more Feats?"

"Gain levels, by increasingly impressive deeds. For now, you should return to your family."

"Can I come back and ask more questions?" he said.

The monk's smile looked forced. "Yes, another day. Go forth."

Which was a nice way to say "get out, kid". Vonn nodded, and bounced outside to the humid air.

#

"I got it!" he called out to Urika the smith. The Kobold was dozing with his head on a table, in the half of his shop that served as his home.

Urika opened one slitted eye and stared at him. "So you did. Now, in theory, you might begin being useful. Already you have warned me I forgot to lock my door."

"Can I repair that wheel now?"

"I think not. The forge is cold and as you can see, my muzzle is glued to this table."

"Oh, fine." Vonn left, locking the door behind him.

He had to cross the vine bridge to get back "home". He stopped to admire it again. This time the System had more to say.

[Shieldpoint Bridge. Fine quality.]

He tried to see it, too, in the style of a physics problem. Weight, tension, gravity. They had the basic idea of a suspension bridge and there were support arches at the edges; that was good. He had magical assistance from the System, but he also carried knowledge from another world. A little of it, anyway. He might do amazing things here.

But first he should go home! He hurried across the bridge, making a game out of dodging people.

It took him a few minutes of embarrassment to find the two-story building of wood and thatch on the river's south side, marked with a trio of burning candles. Inside, his parents and sister stopped work and declared a party. He got taken to that north-side restaurant and had fish and steamed carrots, some kind of leafy greens he forced down, and rolls glistening with honey. It was his birthday, but he had no idea if birthday parties were a normal thing here. Nobody around but unrelated guests and the Aves cook with his scraggly-feathered kid. Vonn felt like he should tear off part of a roll and toss it to the little bird, but resisted the urge.

He looked the food over but no notices popped up. Wasn't in his specialty, apparently. "There's a ton to do," he said.

Vonn's mother said, "Mouth's full, dear."

Vonn swallowed a muzzle-full of carrots, then chugged the slightly alcoholic ginger-scented cider they mostly drank around here. They had that and a kind of tea. Of course they'd have trouble with sanitation; he'd already been introduced to that lovely invention, the chamber pot. He didn't want to think about the river water. Did the System gloss over any of the details of disease, since he had a life meter? He was all too aware that choking fumes were a thing, here, but did the same elements literally exist or had System been speaking in terms he could understand?

Tazo waved her claws in front of Vonn's face, startling him. "I said, are you going to spend the next week at the forge?"

Vonn's father said, "Nope, we're going hiking."

"Huh?" said Vonn.

The older fox patted him on the shoulder. "Rest up tonight. Glad to have you back."

#

That night he peeked outside. Two moons like a copper and a silver coin lit the sky. A cold breeze stirred his fuzzy hide. He imagined being home on campus or with his parents. He hoped they were all right, and that they had some sense their son really wasn't gone. Maybe the System would somehow tell them, reaching across worlds.

He went back inside to get a good night's sleep. He'd do what he could to make his folks proud from way out here, farther away than the moons.