Errel grimaced as he drank a glass of water. It didn’t taste bad, just strange. Even the air on this world smelled strange, a little astringent. An hour after he signed his name on the register he was taken to a different room downstairs. Three people sat there facing him. One of them was that woman called Hilda.

“Please sit,” she said to him.

Errel took a chair across the table from them.

“Name?” she asked.

“Errel.”

“Your signature is in a different script. Did you learn English in the Tower?”

“The Tower translates everything automatically. I didn’t have to learn a thing,” he answered. It would be good if he learned the language of this world though, just in case the Tower’s translation failed. He felt like he was going to be spending a long time here. After graduating from the Tower he didn’t know if he would ever be allowed back in. He wondered if he had made the right decision in coming to Bon’s home world.

“And you’re an elf?”

“Half elf,” he corrected her. “I’m half human as well.” These people seemed to be amazed by his appearance. They had probably never seen an elf before.

“We heard that everyone who goes into the Tower has a class. What’s yours?”

“Priest.”

“Could you show us something?”

“I can bless you. It will increase your strength. I can also heal, if you have any sick person here.”

“Bless him,” she nodded at her colleague. Light erupted from Errel’s hands and got absorbed by the man.

“Feel any different?” Hilda asked her colleague.

“I do feel stronger. I feel lighter as well,” he said. “I’ll only know for sure if I lift something heavy.”

“We’ll have to conduct more experiments later,” she said. “Errel, do you have anybody you’re close to? Someone who’ll let you stay with them?”

“There’s Bon, Phil, Toby and Bojana,” he said. Siobhan and Al had not appeared in this place. They had probably been teleported elsewhere.

The man on Hilda’s pressed on some keys on a strange black device with an illuminated screen. “They’re all on the register.”

“What is that?” Errel pointed at the device.

“It’s called a laptop,” she said. “It helps us process information.”

“Why don’t you just process it in your head?”

“The laptop’s better at performing certain functions than the human brain is,” she said, after thinking about it for a few moments.

“Oh! It’s like a primitive version of the Seeing Pods. It helps you think quickly.”

“Something like that,” she said. “We’ll ask you about Seeing Pods and other Elven technology later. For now, could you tell us what happened in the Tower?”

Errel narrated his life story. He made sure to keep Bon’s secret, telling them that he was only a weak bard with some talent for command. They asked many questions related to the powers of the different classes and the Bosses.

His questioners then went back to talking about elven technology. Errel told them about the Seeing Pods, the Lightning Stones which they used as protective fences, the Mother Tree which made elves immortal, the different elemental weapons, the prescient crystals, the different herbs of healing and the alchemical processes involved in making medicine. Their conversation took more than three hours. They then scanned his fingerprints. Once this was done, he was allowed to go back to his room.

Errel had scanned the people in the room, as well as the soldiers outside. These people were weak and their weapons were ineffective against heroes. It would be easy to break out of this place if things did not go well. He had read up on the different worlds in the ancient histories left by elven players in his mini world. From what he had seen so far, this world would be classified as a class seven world, with its combustion engines and laptops. The mana here was too thin for this world to progress much in that direction. It was too soon to make a judgment though. He would have to conduct further exploration before he could know for sure.

He fiddled around with the screen in his room until he got it to function. It was a viewing screen, just as he thought. In his mini world within the Tower, they had something similar, except that the images were made out of pure light, and were three dimensional.

“This is CNN,” said the viewing screen that was filled with strange graphics. A woman appeared on the screen soon after and began narrating the current events of the world. Errel listened to her with great interest. This world seemed to be full of conflict. There were some touching stories as well, of ordinary people doing heroic things. He couldn’t understand any of the political talk, but still listened to it, trying to figure it all out. The people of this world were divided, and they were ruled by authorities upholding complex laws and regulations. There did not seem to be any monsters on this world. No wonder their weapons were crafted in such a fashion. They were designed to kill humans in the most efficient way possible for a class seven world. With mana being so thin here, these weapons would be highly effective.

The next morning, a man greeted him at the door and drove him to a building about half an hour away. Errel was made to wear a hat, to hide his ears. He was escorted to a room within a building where a man covered in bandages lay on a bed. There were tubes and wires attached to various parts of his body, and a device to monitor his vital signs.

“Please heal him,” said the man who brought him here.

Performing a regular heal wouldn’t make much of difference, as Heal only worked on a Player’s HP. He had a few other skills in his arsenal though, which would help along with some blessings to speed up the healing process. Errel cast a few spells, and immediately the vital signs changed.

A man in a white coat, who had been watching the entire process examined the sick man and laughed. “This is a miracle,” he said. “How did you do that?”

“Sorry Sir, we are not at liberty to say. Please keep what you have seen here to yourself,” his escort said.

“Of course.”

He was then driven to a different location, which was filled with exercise equipment, and other machines. A thickset man, and a team of white coated men and women were waiting for them.

“Please bless him,” his escort pointed at the thickset man.

Errel cast all his blessings on the man, who then proceeded to use the various exercise machines.

“We can leave now,” his escort said, a few minutes later.

“Don’t we have to wait for the results?” Errel asked. He was interested in seeing what all the machines did.

“No need. Let’s go.”

Another day passed. He was brought to a building like the one before. He was scanned with various machines, and a woman took several samples of his blood using a container with a needle. He didn’t mind. He knew that they were very curious about elves, and were trying to understand the differences in their biology. With all the knowledge he had shared with them, this world might progress to a class six world within a few decades.

They held him for a few days more, and then drove him into the city. He was taken to an apartment building and walked up three floors of steps before coming to a door. His escort nodded at Errel, “This is it then. We’ll have to follow up with you later on.”

The door opened and Bon stuck his head out.

“Errel,” he grinned, “Welcome.” He opened the door wide and allowed the two of them to come in.

“We’ll be sending you all his documentation later,” said the escort, looking around the apartment. “There might be some follow up visits. Please cooperate with our staff.”

“Sure thing,” said Bon, accompanying the man to the staircase. Bon came back a minute later and smiled at Errel, “Are you hungry?”

“A bit,” Errel replied.

“So am I. I’ll cook something. I maxed out my skills in cooking, so it’s guaranteed to be delicious. I didn’t get the opportunity to test it out in the Tower. After that we’ll go and do some shopping. Sarah will join us. She should be here any minute.”

Errel recalled that Sarah was Bon’s future wife. Errel wondered if he would ever get married himself. He had never really thought about it before. He sat on the couch and watched CNN. He had mastered using the remote control now.

“I kept your secret when they questioned me,” Errel said to Bon.

“That’s good,” Bon sighed, as onions sizzled in the kitchen. “I don’t think I’ll be able to keep it secret for long. If things are really going to be as bad as Wheeler said, I’m going to have display my full power to the world, sooner or later.”

“Knowing you, you would prefer it being later, right?”

“Yup. I want to get as much peace and quiet as I can before the invasion.”

“Are you going to join the military? They asked me to join as well.”

“I said I’d think about it,” Bon gave Errel a weird look. “What about you?”

“I said I would join my friends and follow them.”

“Let’s give it a few months and see how the world changes with the sudden influx of Players. Till then, let’s just have some fun. I finished defending my thesis before going into the Tower. I just have to finish two exams this week and I’ll be free. I’ve already gone through the books. I should be able to pass. It seems like my brain has undergone some modification after becoming a Player, making learning easier.”

“I’ve come to the same conclusion.” Errel had been reading the books on healing he had found and purchased on some of the floors of the Tower. As he progressed in level, his speed of reading and memorizing had increased. Maybe it had something to do with the wisdom stat.

Fifteen minutes later, lunch was ready. Errel was drooling from the smell of food, but Bon insisted that they wait for Sarah before eating. He gave Errel some snacks to munch on in the meantime. At long last, the woman called Sarah came.

“You must be Errel,” she said, gazing in fascination at his long ears. “Bon’s told me a lot about you.”

“Let’s talk while we eat,” said Bon, bringing out three plates and cutlery. “Serve yourself. Bon appetit!”

Sarah rolled her eyes, “It was funny the first time you said it, but it’s starting to get old.”

“What is?” Errel asked.

“Bon appetit! It means good appetite in a language called French. He finds it funny because it has his name in it.”

“It isn’t a joke if you explain it,” said Bon, as everyone took a seat and began eating.

“It isn’t a joke if it isn’t funny,” said Sarah. “So Errel, what do you think of Earth?”

“It takes some getting used to,” Errel replied. The large stone buildings, the number of combustion engine carriages driving around, the sheer number of people on the roads, the gigantic machinery he had seen on the piers and on half constructed buildings, the great red bridge over the water, these sights were all very new to him.

“It sure does,” Sarah laughed, “Even for us who are born and brought up here. Everything changes so quickly.”

“How did the cultivation go, Sarah,” Bon asked, while he cut his steak into smaller pieces. “Did you figure it out yet?”

“I reached the first level of the first stage,” she said. “Those pills you gave me are magic. I tried doing it without, but it took ten times as long.”

“Qi Condensation,” Bon nodded. “And your body after eating the Ice Dragon Seven Rings fruit? Are there any side effects?”

“You were there when I ate it. Everything’s fine. It feels like there’s a ball of ice rotating in my stomach, but it’s a pleasant sensation. I’m getting used to it already. I’m thinking of trying to synthesize those pills in the lab to indulge my curiosity.”

Errel wondered what they were talking about, but he didn’t want to pry. He had read something about qi during his younger days, and could guess what this was about. He was curious about the process. Elves were creatures gifted in mana, and could not cultivate qi.

“Sarah’s a chemist,” Bon explained to Errel. “Which is kind of like an alchemist.”

“I’m a herbalist,” said Errel. “I can help you with finding out whatever these pills you’re talking about are.” He wanted to make himself useful.

“That would be great,” Sarah smiled.

“You should start out with the simpler pills,” said Bon. “I gave some to my parents. I’ll get one of them for you.”

Sarah said, “Let’s go to your dad’s yoga studio later in the evening and get it from him then. It’s been a long time since I last saw him.”

“Okay. I’ll let him know we’re coming.” Bon then took out a small black slab with a screen and pressed it to his ear. Errel had seen many people using this device. It seemed to be a communicator of some sort.

Sarah was watching him closely. “We’ll have to get you a phone, and some new clothes. Maybe a couple of hats. It’s better to have more than one. And shoes,” she said, looking at his leather sandals.

After lunch, Sarah took them in her carriage to a big building bustling with people. This was where they would purchase apparel for him. After two hours of shopping they stopped at a small hall and purchased a phone.

“Now you’re all set,” Sarah said to him. “All you need is a Clipper card to use public transportation, which Bon will buy for you tomorrow when he shows you around the city. Now,” she turned to Bon, “Let’s head to your dad’s studio.”

They drove to a small hall near the bay, with walls made of red brick and a nice ornamental garden in the front. There was a sign over the entrance saying, ‘Seven Chakras Yoga Studio.’ Within the hall were a group of twenty two people, touching their toes. They then lifted their arms to the air.

“This is called Surya Namaskar,” said Bon.

“What’s it for?” Errel asked. This whole thing was puzzling. “Is it a dance?” He didn’t see how these poses could help in battle, so it had to be some strange traditional dance.

“It helps keep one fit and healthy,” Bon laughed. “My great grandad is from India, which is on the other side of the world. He learned it there, and taught it to my dad. Let’s wait till the class ends. I’ll introduce you to my mom and dad then.”

It did not take long for the class to come to an end.

“Bon, Sarah,” a man and a woman in loose fitting clothes walked towards them. Errel could see the resemblance between them and Bon. “What brings you here?”

“I wanted to introduce you to my good friend Errel,” said Bon. “Errel,” he turned to him, “This is James and Mary, my parents.”

“Salutations,” Errel raised his hand.

“Hello,” they said together. James shook his hand, which was probably a friendly gesture. He had seen some of the Players do this before. “Bon’s told us a lot about you. It’s nice to finally put a face to the name.”

Errel smiled. Sarah then pushed Bon aside, “James, do you have the pills Bon gave you? I want to do some research on them.”

“Here it is,” Mary took out a container from her handbag.

“One will do,” said Sarah, putting a red rose pill in a vial she had brought with her. “Have you started cultivating yet?”

“We tried,” James scratched his head. “I definitely felt something near my solar plexus. Maybe it was qi like the manual said.”

“It will take some time, dad,” said Bon. “Were you careful when you practiced it?”

“The manual is very well written. We could follow the instructions easily.”

“Wheeler translated the original manual, keeping in mind that it would be read by people who know absolutely nothing about cultivation. I’d be surprised if it wasn’t well written,” Bon took a glance at the blue covered book James was holding up. “Maybe we should teach Aunt Jasmine and Uncle Albert too. It would really benefit them.”

James nodded, “That’s a good idea. There won’t be enough pills for all of us though. Are you sure it’s natural medicine?”

“Yup,” Bon reassured them, “Just some herbs and stuff mixed together. It should fill you up with qi to make circulating it much easier. You haven’t taken the pills yet?”

“Not yet,” said Mary. “I’ll try it tonight, if you’re sure it’s safe.”

“It’s definitely safe,” said Bon. His parents seemed to have a lot of faith in Bon. Errel wouldn’t have agreed to take any strange pills so easily.

They went to a ‘vegan’ restaurant to eat dinner. Bon explained that his father didn’t eat meat. Errel was puzzled by these humans. A family usually shared the same customs and traditions passed down for generations, but he had seen Bon eating meat on numerous occassions.

“It’s just a lifestyle choice,” Bon laughed, looking at Errel frowning in thought. “He’s allowed to eat whatever he wants, but chooses to stay away from meat. He believes that animals should be allowed to live in peace. The rest of us don’t care much about it.”

“Meat is murder,” James nodded.

The dinner was satisfying, and Errel went back to Bon’s house with a full stomach. Bon’s sofa could be made into a bed. Bon demonstrated how and put a sheet on it, along with a pillow.

“Good night,” Bon said.

“May the wisps grant you dreams of wonder,” Errel replied politely. It did not take him long to fall asleep.