Present day, present time

By then, Torver and I had been walking through the hills and the valleys for quite some time.

At first, we had spoken a bit about what I had seen on my journey, and we had talked a lot about what my life had been like back on Eartn. But, after talking about Kalia, and after discussing the mystery of the vaults for a while, the two of us had fallen into a kind of warm, and comfortable silence, as I continued to think a little more about this new world that I had arrived in, and about the more practical question of what I would want to do once I had made my way into town.

Eventually, though, I saw Torver turn his head back towards me, as he started up our conversation once again.

“William,” he said, “Have ye managed to learn any new skills jus’ yet?”

"A few,” I said. “I have Strong Swordsmanship at level 5, and Athletics and Dodging at level 1.”

“That’s good t’ hear, m’boy. In this world, yer skills can grow pretty fast initially. But after that, it’ll likely take ye a while t' grow stronger, and t’ master yer abilities.”

.”… though, now that I think about it, I remember hearin’ that Interlopers can grow a lot faster than the rest o’ us, at least for a while – probably t’ catch back up t’ the other folks their age, I’d reckon. I’m not sure o’ course, since y’know… Interlopers like to keep their secrets. But if it is true, that may mean that ya could make a name for yerself in the adventurin’ line o’ work. If, that is, ya got any interest in becomin’ an adventurer?”

"I was just thinking about that, actually,” I said. “I’m not sure yet – about that, or about what I want to do for now.”

"Well, take my advice, m’boy, and give adventurin’ a try. The dungeons in this world are amazin’ places, and it’s worth seeing ‘em for yerself, even if ya don’t plan to make yer money from ‘em. But if ya do, you’ll find that there’s all sorts o’ little treasures t’ be found in there, and ya can sell those treasures for enough t’ at least give yerself a place to live. It’s not the most glamorous work, t’ be honest, but it’s a livin’ at least, and it’s a great way to spend yer time, I'd say."

I asked if it was dangerous to make a career as an adventurer, and to go out exploring through the dungeons. But Torver just laughed, and shook his head.

“Not at all, m’ boy. The dungeons… well, I’ll just let ya see ‘em for yerself. But no one gets hurt in ‘em, I can promise ya that much.”

I was pretty intrigued by what he said. And I decided that I would take a look at these dungeons once I had made my way into town, and gotten the chance to look around.

But at the same time, there was one part of what Torver had said that had seemed a little bit strange to me.

“Before, Torver, you had said that Interlopers like to ‘keep their secrets.’ What did you mean by that…?”

Then, there was a long pause.

“Well…,” he said, at last. “It can be kind o’ dangerous t’ be an Interloper, if I’m bein’ honest with ya. In all o’ the old stories and the tales o’ the ones who came before, a lotta Interlopers just seem to die before their time, I guess ye’d say. Some o’ them die o’ natural causes, and some o’ them die by accident… but not a lot o’ em make it to their old age, is what I’m sayin’ - and the ones who do, are the ones who keep to ‘emselves, and don’t tell anyone but their friends and family about what they are, and about where they came from. Though, why all that is, exactly, none o’ us truly know. It’s almost like they’re bein’ hunted… though if that is the case, then none o’ us know by who, exactly – or why...”

Torver looked like he was going to say more… but then, he seemed to notice that his words were starting to set me on edge a bit. So he just gave me a warm smile, and patted me on the back.

“Don’t worry about that though, m’boy. No one can see yer status screen or anything, so the only way to tell that yer an Interloper is that mark that’s on yer hand. As long as ye wear some gloves, and only tell people that ya trust about who ye are, then ye should be fine. A lot o’ the Interlopers in the stories managed to get by jus’ fine, just as long as the whole world didn’t find out about ‘em. So ya should be able t’ do okay, I’m sure.”

That was good to know, at least. I figured that it wouldn’t be that hard for me to get used to wearing gloves all of the time, and that it shouldn’t be too hard for me to be a bit reserved, and to hold back about my past.

Still… I figured that I might not want to be too social for now at least. I imagined that news of an Interloper would spread around pretty quickly, so I’d want to get used to pretending to be from this world before I went around and talked to all sorts of different people.

That was alright, though. Being alone was pretty much to my tastes anyway, after the sort of experiences that I’d had. Once I got into town, I didn’t plan on becoming all that involved with the place’s affairs anyway. I would just keep a low profile, I figured, and think about what to do on my own. That would be best, at least for the time being.

Maybe I can find some books to read, too, I thought. That would let me find out more about this world without having to ask too many questions. There’s still a lot that I’ll want to think about, once I get some rest, and get my bearings… so that might be a good place to start.

That was where my mind wandered to for a while, at least.

But, what Torver had said had also made me think about something else that I had yet to ask him, and that I would want to know about before I got into town.

“Torver… is it especially dangerous in this world,” I asked. “Not just for the Interlopers, I mean… but for all of the people in the cities?”

“Aye,” he said. “It can be. For now, ye shouldn’t be too worried. It’s been peaceful o’ late, and there ain’t any monsters around the towns, or big ol’ dragons, or arch-demons, or anything like that. But… “

“… there are a lot o’ wars in this world, unfortunately. And there’s been rumblin’ o’ late that a big war might be comin’ soon… a Great War, between all o’ the major nations o’ the world.”

“A Great War,” I repeated, nervously.

“Aye,” he said. “I hope that it don’t come to that, o’ course. But, if it does… then, yer gonna want t’ get yer level up just about as high as ye can. The last Great War was about thirty years ago… an’ if that sort o’ hell breaks out again, there’s just no sayin’ what might happen, or how many o’ us may be killed.”

Then, there was a short, and rather tense pause, as Torver’s mind drifted through the past, and through all of the horrifying sights and sounds that he had once experienced as a boy.

“But ye should be alright for now at least,” he continued, at last. “Westfall’s just about as safe of a town as ye can find in this world. It’s as neutral as neutral gets, and it’s got all sorts o’ good relations with all o’ the great nations o’ the world. Not only that, but a lot o' wealthy people send their kids there, so there's a lot o' scrutiny o' the town as well from all those stuffy types, which means that the guards there are about as orderly an' as proper as ye can find, an' damn well equipped, too. So ye won't be seein' any monsters or bandits anywhere near the city - not for four or five kilometers out, at the very least."

"It’s a great place for a newcomer like you, too – a whole lot o’ young folk, and even a beginner’s dungeon to train yer skills in. So for now, ye can jus’ live there, and start t’ get yer bearings, without worryin' at all about gettin' killed, or robbed. Then, ye can start t’ prepare for what’s comin’ next… but, I doubt that yer gonna have t’ worry about any o’ that for a year or two at least, m’boy – so, ye should be okay for now, I’d reckon.”

That wasn’t exactly what I had wanted to hear, of course… but, it wasn’t the worst news, either. It was good to know that Westfall seemed to be so safe, and that there'd be no reason for me to worry too much for the time being.

But, still… if there really were people hunting me down because of the mark that was on my hand, and if there might be a big war coming in the next few years as well, then I would really want to become as strong as I could just about as quickly as possible. That meant that looking into the dungeons in town was going to be one of my top priorities, even if I didn’t end up deciding to make a career for myself as an adventurer.

As I thought about those things, and tried to make some sense of what my future plans should be, the two of us slowly made our way up towards the entrance to the cave which Torver had spoken about before, which lay just a short ways to the side of a quiet, and charming lake.

"Here we are, friend,” Torver said, as we approached the entrance to the cave. “This is where I slept last night, my whole aching body’s sorry t’ say. But still, it’s quiet enough, and most importantly, it’s safe enough, too. If ye can’t find a bed in town, ya may as well remember that all o’ this is here.”

Then, Torver stepped inside, and I followed after. The cave was relatively small - about four meters deep, and three meters high - with dry stone walls that were quite cold to the touch, and long, green dangling vines that helped to conceal the entrance. Inside, there were a few bones from some animal that must have been eaten quite recently, along with a pile of goods that had been shoved off into a corner towards the back. Torver moved over towards that pile as I was looking through the cave, and after a few moments of digging around, he turned back towards me, now holding a set of thick brown leather armor, as well as some undergarments to wear beneath.

The armor looked suitably generic, with no real markings or embellishments. It also seemed thick enough, and strong enough, that it would provide me with about the same degree of protection as I’d had before.

There was, however, a long splatch of half-dried blood on the front of the chest piece, and the helmet was nearly split in half, with a long vertical slice running along the back of the helm.

Torver grinned a little sheepishly as he handed me the armor.

"Perhaps the bandit who owned this particular piece o’ armor didn’t part with it so willingly. But I promise ya, it’s good, strong armor. Ye can wash off the chest piece at the lake nearby, and then ya can try it on. Though I’m thinkin’ that yer gonna want t’ find a new helmet t’ go with yer gear. This one’s no longer in the best o’ ways.”

Picking up the light armor, the two of us carried it out to the lake, and carefully washed the dried blood out of the chest piece, then washed off the gloves and leggings. Afterwards, I took off my old set of slavers’ gear, and put on the undergarments, then put on the new set of armor over the top. It was all a nearly perfect fit, and moving around for a few steps, I at once appreciated just how much of a boost a well-fitting suit of armor gave to my agility, and to my mobility.

Torver agreed that the armor was a good match for me, and the two of us then took my old set of armor and placed it back into the cave.

Now prepared, we made our way back outside, and out up onto a large hill nearby.

"Torver," I said, as we walked, "when I found that dead slaver on the ground, his stomach was full of arrows. Can I assume that you’re the one who killed him?”

"Aye,” he said. “That man had been followin’ me for a ways, an’ givin’ me all sorts o’ trouble. Then, he lost sight o’ me. After that, I looped around, an’ decided to surprise him. When he sat down t’ rest after he’d killed that goblin, I shot him through the chest, then flew down with m’ blade an’ stabbed ‘im in the heart. That was a bit before ye came… and when I saw ye, I thought that ye were my enemy, as well – an’ I decided t’ attack.”

"Then why was that man following you,” I asked, “and why did you decide to attack him?”

Torver nodded at my question… and then, slowly, he lowered the hood of the robe that he was wearing down, so that I could see his whole head and face.

Around his neck, there was a thick, metal collar, that seemed to be glowing with some sort of red magical energy.

“He was tryin’ t’ recover me – an’ t’ take me back t’ my master. I’m a slave, m’boy, I’m sorry t’ say. Got taken a few years back, and been tryin’ t’ break free ever since.”

“Then, a few days ago, I got my chance. There was a big commotion, when some Free Folk attacked one o’ the slave settlements... and hundreds o’ us managed t’ get loose, and t’ flee. That’s why so many o’ these slavers been walkin’ around out in these hills o’ late, jus’ tryin’ to round us all up. They probably captured most o’ us by now… but I’m still out here, just lookin’ t’ get away, an’ t’ live a normal life again.”

“That’s why I ain’t headed t’ Westfall, I’m sorry t’ say. I’d love t’ help ye t' get yer bearings, but… they don’t outlaw slavery there, an’ I’m sure that they’d arrest me in a second if they saw me. They’d be pretty likely to know what these robes mean too, and I doubt that I'd be able t’ keep myself concealed for long.”

“Is there any way that we could remove your collar,” I asked, “so that you could lose your robe, and then blend in there?”

“I’m afraid not” he said, sadly. “These collars are placed around our necks by all sorts o’ sophisticated magic… and there ain’t many people in this world who know how to remove ‘em. I doubt if there’s a single mage like that in Westfall… and even if there was, I don’t know how I’d be able t’ find ‘em, or t’ get their help - if they were even willin’ t’ help me out at all.”

“But don’t worry about me, or about yerself, m’boy. Now that we're so close t' the town, ye should be more than fine from here. Just try t' get yerself set up with a job in this world, an' do yer best, an' ye should be alright for quite some time. I’m sure o’ that, at least.”

“Ah, an’ don’ think o’ comin’ with me, ya fool,” he added, as he noticed that I was hesitating about what to do. “It’s too dangerous for someone who just arrived in this world a few hours before. Besides, yer so green in the tooth, ye’d just get both o’ us killed if ye tried to sneak through the rest o’ the way by my side. It’s better for me to go alone, I’d say, and t’ just try an’ do the best that I can.”

“You’re right, but… well,” I said. “Where are you headed towards now, Torver?”

Then, he pointed out towards the East.

“A long, long way that way,” he said. “There’s a huge lake out there – the largest lake in this whole world, they say… the Great Lake. It’s just about as large as an ocean, and unbelievably deep, and beautiful. I saw it once as a boy, and I’ve never been able t’ forget it… always wanted t’ return there... and then, when I got taken in as a slave, I thought I’d lost my chance forever.”

“Well… anyway. Jus’ before I’d escaped, I heard there was a little town o’ th’ other side o’ the lake, hidden in some hills an’ mountains. They say that the Free Folk set up that town several years ago – the group who’s been helpin’ to break out all o’ the slaves – and that if ya find ‘em, then they can break off yer collar, an’ give ya an honorable job, so long as ya promise t’ help t’ defend the settlement.”

“That’s where I’m headed to now. I don’t even know if that town really exists, t’ be honest… but it’s all I got right now, and it seems about as good o’ a place t’ run to as any. And, well… it gives me a chance to see that lake again, ya know? An’ right now, that’s just about as good o’ a reason as I could ask for.”

For a moment, he just stared off longingly into the distance, as he thought about that beautiful lake, and about all of the wonder and the joy that he had felt so long ago, when he had stared upon its waters as a small, and bright-eyed child.

Then, he seemed to realize something, before he looked back towards me, and broke into a large grin.

“Ah – don’t tell anyone that I told ye about that town, though. Free Folk settlements don’t tend t’ last very long, cause the slavers tend t’ hunt ‘em down, an’ t’ drive ‘em out… so, best to keep that a secret between ourselves for now.”

I told him at once that I wouldn’t betray his secret, and that I would wish him nothing but the best from here, and that I would be hoping that he could find a new life for himself, out over the lake beyond.

He seemed to be gladdened by my words… and the two of us stood in a warm, and friendly silence for a minute or two, before we each decided that it was time, and that we shouldn’t linger out in these plains for that much longer.

“If we are parting ways here, and if you are going out towards the East… then, am I right to make the rather naive assumption that Westfall lays out towards the West?”

“Aye,” he said, with a grin, “that’s how it is, indeed – no special sort o’ trick there. There’s a big forest that ya can see right over there, just a little ways off in the distance. It’s as safe as the rest o' Westfall, though it's a little quiet, an' a little strange. There’s some odd hermits livin’ out there, I hear, who are the source o' many a frightenin' tale among the townsfolk... but I always thought those sorts o’ folks were interestin’ t’ be around, if ye get the chance to meet ‘em - an' the rulers o' Westfall certainly wouldn't leave 'em around if they actually did the folk any harm. Anyway, just on the other side o’ the forest, you’ll see a big, stone wall, with a huge, wooden gate right in its center… and that’s Westfall. From there, I’m sure that ya can find yer way just fine.”

The two of us stood there for a few moments more, as each of us hesitated to be back on our own quite so soon. But eventually, once each of us felt that the time was right, we embraced each other, and said our goodbyes.

He promised that he’d try to visit me once he had been freed... and I promised that I’d try to find him out there some day, on the other side of that deep, and beautiful lake.

And then, just like that, I was alone again, as I began to make my way towards the forest that he had gestured to before.

For a moment, all that I really felt was a sense of warmth, and of gratitude, as I thought about how much Torver had risked for me by lingering out here where the slavers were, and delaying his own escape just in order to help me to make my own way towards safety.

And I felt strongly that I really would cross that lake, someday, and see him once again… even if for now, I couldn’t know just when that would be, or all that might be waiting for me until then.

But for the present, all that I could do was to turn my mind back towards more immediate things, and to prepare myself a bit more for the road ahead.

And so, after everything that had happened to me in this world so far… it seemed that it was finally time for me to make my way in towards town - and to begin to see just what this world was like, exactly... and just what sorts of people called this place their home.