Christopher and Sunchal were staring at each other over the rim of their tankards of Sessu. It was strange to look at someone from yet another world. It would become quite the galactic gathering if he found anymore summoned.

Sunchal spoke first. “Alright, let's trade each other questions. You can start.”

It seemed as if everything was an exchange with this man, but at least Sunchal was willing to talk. The booth was somewhat secluded from the other Patrons, making it unlikely that they would be overheard. The noise of the storm outside also provided some cover from listening ears. Christopher figured that he had Sunchal at a disadvantage since the man had been drinking. Christopher only took a small sip from his Sessu before he asked the first question.

“Where are you from originally?”

Sunchal looked somewhat sad as he thought of a response. “I made my home in the colorful city of Merrotek. It is famed for building the greatest ships in the Iarechem Empire and it is the commercial capital of the region. The market here is nothing compared to what you would see in my home.” Sunchal took another large sip of his Sessu, staring deeply into the tankard. “It was very different from this place. The magic that is possible here is fundamentally different from that of my own world, it is the first thing that convinced me that I had moved to a different plane.” Sunchal looked around the Tavern with some trepidation, seeming somewhat stricken by the foreignness of the place for a moment. “The false God that spoke to me said that this was a place that was separated from my world by the stars, it seems hard to believe.”

There was a lot to unpack here. He sympathized with Sunchal’s homesickness. He was also surprised to hear that his world had an entirely separate magic system, he was certainly curious. Maybe Earth was a rarity when it came to the lack of magic. At the same time, it seemed pretty obvious that it was not a technologically advanced world. What Christopher had identified as an automated response system, was called a false God by Sunchal. He wanted to learn all he could about Sunchals origins, but that was not exactly the most vital information at the moment, asking those questions would merely satisfy his own curiosity.

“Your home seems like a wondrous place; we have clearly both traveled a long way. I want to make sure that I understand, the false God that you speak of is the being that interacted with us just before we were sent here?

“Indeed”

“I see, your turn, ask away.”

Sunchal looked at him with intensity. The pudgy man had his elbows on the table, both his fists against his chin. “What did the false God request of you, and did it also give you the ability to browse the wares in the spirit shop?”

Was that how the interface presented itself to him?

“I do not consider it a God as such, but a female voice asked me to assist the native population with fighting the minions of Entropy. I was explained the importance of this mission and was given the freedom to decline the summoning. I also gained the ability to magically see my status and I am able to buy abilities and items from this magical system.”

Sunchal made a motion with one of his hands, Christopher was not sure of the meaning of the gesture.

“It is good that you are wise enough to see that this being was not a celestial being. It might have had incredible powers, but it knew nothing of the higher realms and the Palati celestials.”

Sunchal was clearly a man of faith. Christopher decided to tread carefully, it would not do to unknowingly insult his religion.

“What does the interaction with the spirit shop look like to you, I was told that it adapts to each specific person.”

“It appears as the holy script on one of the celestial pillars before my eyes. To think that it would dare to imitate one of the holy beacons. Just more proof of the wrongness of the one making this request.”

He clearly made it look like that himself but Christopher was not going to argue. Looking at Sunchals face it was clear that the alcohol was having an effect on the man. Christopher decided to continue his questioning while sunchal was in this rambling and emotional state.

“When and where did you arrive here, and did you also receive certain abilities and items upon entering this world?”

I arrived here two days ago, right at the edge of this settlement. And yes, I received both abilities and items to help me with the false God’s mission. It told me that there were many more like me, and that participation was voluntary. I decided to accept the proposal since there was no afterlife awaiting me after my failure.”

He wondered why the man did not believe that he would make it to the afterlife. They had already somewhat moved past simply trading questions. It was clear that Sunchal also felt a need to talk about what had happened to him, for which he was glad. Christopher decided to risk it and continued this line of questioning. He needed to know what kind of person he was dealing with.

“Why did you believe that path to be closed to you?”

Christopher noticed that Sunchal slightly slumped on his bench at the question, likely mulling over an answer. When Christopher took another look around the tavern, he was glad to see that they were still not getting any attention.

“I lived as a merchant in Merrotek. But I was tricked and did not manage to achieve excellence in my chosen profession before dying, the gods will have no use for one such as me. But maybe if I succeed here, I will be given access to the celestial realm after all.”

“When you talk about succeeding here, do you mean with our given mission?”

Sunchal snorted. “No, I mean with the second chance of showing excellence in my profession. I have a second chance at showing my skills as a merchant and proving my worth to the celestials.”

“Then what about the mission that we were sent for?”

“The people here worship a pagan religion, and the enemy is not something I could defeat with some items. Neither is my given ability fit for combat. Following the request of this false god would only lead to misery. My time would be better spent on achieving excellence in my true celestial given profession.”

Well, that was quite the cavalier attitude towards the mission. Sunchal had a very different worldview which was based on his religion. He almost wished that he was capable of brushing off his feelings of responsibility that easily. Christopher himself had also sensed that the AI had withheld some information, but the attitude of Sunchal towards the AI system was much more distrusting.

“Why are you so suspicious of the entity’s mission?”

“It was unwilling to answer many of my questions, claiming that it had no knowledge of things that it should be aware of. It has not proven its trustworthiness, and yet it asks much. What reason do I have to be trusting and cooperative? The being outright admitted to me that it was not one of the Palati celestials. Following its words would be against my religion, and I at least have some honor left.” Sunchal looked at him darkly for a moment.

“Still, there are a lot of people here that are in crisis, offering some assistance would surely be a worthwhile effort.”

Sunchal shrugged. “Maybe, but throwing myself at the enemy and dying will not lead to much good, I can assure you.”

“I am sure that there is some way to offer assistance. What abilities were you given, and did you receive any items?”

Sunchal gave him a look of annoyance. Talking about his home and his apparent failure had somewhat soured his mood further. He was probably not drinking here for no reason.

“I believe I am owed multiple questions. Tell me about all that you were gifted by the false god.” He said it as if it was a challenge.

It was obvious that Sunchal was somewhat hesitant in trusting him. Christopher was not sure whether he wanted to tell Sunchal about his [Bookmark] ability either. But he needed a showing of trust towards the man if he wanted a chance of cooperation.

He felt some danger in telling Sunchal about his ability, he knew too little of the man, and he imagined that many would be very uncomfortable with someone that could wind back their actions. His instincts screamed at him to keep this part hidden. He really wanted to know the other man’s ability though, it might be a great boon against the Blight. Sunchal was patiently waiting for a response to his question

“Gladly, I suppose this second chance at life is one of the things I was gifted. I received the ability to interact with what you call the spirit store. I have an ability that allows me to understand both the spoken and written language. And I have been gifted the ability to master both Heat and Cold without the need to learn the magic here. I can demonstrate on my drink if you’d like.”

Sunchal looked at him as if he was about to be attacked, but the look of fear only lasted a moment.

“Please do”

Christopher grabbed his own tankard, which only had half the drink remaining. He put his finger into the liquid and poured in his Soul Force as Soul Frost. Sunchal looked on with fascination, clearly not yet that familiar with this world’s magic. The Sessu quickly froze over completely.

Sunchal looked at the feat with amazement, his painful memories momentarily forgotten.

“This magic is quite powerful. Is this connected to that Soul Force that I now apparently possess?”

“Yes, that is correct. I am told that you can strengthen your Soul Force by continuously using your own magic.”

“Intriguing, what about your items, what were you gifted?”

“Nothing, I did not receive any items or other help, I was put here naked.”

Sunchal looked at him with incredulity.

“Then how did you manage to get all of what you are wearing now?”

“I was put a good day away from Lumen right next to a Goblin attack. Those are the weakest of the Monsters on this world, they were attacking a caravan of people there.”

“We have Goblins as well,” Sunchal interjected.

Interesting, maybe Earth was the odd one out then. Christopher continued.

“I managed to help fend them off and the caravan was quite thankful, gifting me with some clothing.”

“This false God must want you dead, I would have perished in that situation considering my own abilities.”

This was his chance. “What items and abilities did you receive.”

Sunchal seemed hesitant to answer, he could not really blame the guy. Luckily, he eventually started talking.

“I also received a special ability, the ability called Linguist, and two items. One of those items is the robe that you see me wear at the moment. The other is currently hidden by the strange magic I now possess.”

Dammit, he was not sharing what he most wanted to know. He was also slightly annoyed that contrary to him, Sunchal had received items. It seemed likely that both his items were Soul Bound.

“And your special ability, you said it was non-combat?”

Sunchal rubbed the stubble on his chin, clearly still thinking over whether to trust him.

“Fine, but I am only telling you because I did not see any clear colors associated with bad intent. my skill is called [Sense Emotion], and it is luckily suited for my profession as a merchant. It allows me to see the emotions of a person which appear as different strands of color. Or so states the message describing the ability in the spirit realm, I am admittedly still figuring it out, but it should allow me to judge the rudimentary character and thoughts of a person with time. I should even help recognize someone trying to deceive me. I am getting better at reading people at a rapid pace. I wish I had this ability back in Merrotek.”

Christopher was not sure what he had expected, but this was not it. His first reaction was one of disappointment. He had a difficult time figuring out how this would help him with defeating the Blight.How would a merchant like Sunchal use such an ability? Maybe he could influence the prices by gauging a prospective buyer's or seller’s interest? Wait, could he actually work as a living lie detector? He had to admit that might be pretty useful. Especially since he had been worrying about potential agents of the Blight in the city. He would have to think about this, but he was sure that the skill might aid him in some way with his mission.

“I can see how such an ability might prove very useful. And I have no doubt that there is some way to apply it to the current crisis.”

Sunchal certainly looked rather pleased with his own ability.

“By the way, I have been wondering how you managed to get the money allowing you to drink here?”

“I merely outmaneuvered those fools. I sold my other item on the mercantile plaza. After, it was just a matter of waiting for a few hours before using the strange magic to put the item back on my body. They probably thought someone robbed them. All is fair in business as long as there is no physical harm. They should have noted the nature of the item.”

“You might say that, but it would be awkward if they saw you in those robes again. That seems very dangerous and unsustainable in the long term.”

“Nonsense. I will merely claim that I had a second pair, they have no proof of foul play at all. They should just accept their loss and take the lesson.”

Sunchal certainly had an interesting view of ethical behavior. Christopher sensed that it was partly a cultural difference. This meeting had certainly been outside of his expectations.

“What are your plans for the future? The people here seem to think that the Blight is building up their numbers and that an attack is imminent, I agree with that assessment. I had a run-in with the creatures of Entropy only minutes after arriving on this world after all. We might be able to make a difference if we work together.”

Sunchal scratched the stubble on his chin again, looking somewhat tired.

“As I said, I am just one man with no combat experience or knowledge of this world. I was thinking of traveling towards the capital, things should be more secure there. Maybe I will be able to offer some assistance after a few years of buildings up my wealth.” Sunchal actually looked at him with some sympathy while he spoke.

This was frustrating, how could he convince this guy to stay. Could Sunchal even make that much of a difference to warrant this much effort on his part? He thought it was worth it, Sunchal’s ability was sure to be useful. And maybe he could use someone with his business acumen to achieve some of his goals in the city once he had built up more of a fortune. He would not have enough capital on this turn though.

They continued to prod each other a little about their experiences so far. He learned that Sunchal was doing rather well, he was renting a room in one of the cheaper inns for now. Sunchal boasted about some of his money-making ideas. Many of them were long term though, and all were made with only a small amount of capital in mind.

They shared some of their own questioning towards the AI, but he did not learn anything important. Apparently, Sunchal’s questioning had been quite antagonistic. He had quickly given up on extracting more information beyond the interface after he learned that the AI was not affiliated with his religion and that it could not provide him any more information about the world. Christopher was also questioned about his own world and his beliefs. Christopher had been worried that the man would not accept his somewhat agnostic beliefs, but Sunchal actually appreciated the fact that he at least did not worship any false god.

The man eventually gave signs of weariness, his questions ceased and his answers grew shorter. They had been talking for quite a bit by then and were on their third Tankard of Sessu, paid by Christopher’s coins. The storm outside had let up somewhat, now only producing a slight drizzle.

Christopher spoke. “I think that it is important that we keep some way to contact each other. We have been given a shared mission and there are not many on this world that will share our current circumstances.”

“I don’t mind, I suppose it might be beneficial to discuss our predicament from time to time. How do you want to keep in touch?”

“How about we meet here every several days? This would allow us to share our experiences and exchange new discoveries about the spirit store. And maybe one of us will find another summoned.”

Sunchal readily agreed, and they set a time and date for a second meeting four days from now.

Meeting Sunchal had certainly reminded him that he was not all alone in this mission. He would continue investigating Lumen for other summoned. His own unique ability was quite powerful and the powers of others might provide crucial benefits. He was glad that he was making some progress.