The guards, leading Ex-1, wove down various busy roads and streets. Wooden signs, with pictures instead of words, hung from metal rods in the stone walls.

The child had quickly recovered from his shock and decided to stay behind, apparently there was 'stuff to do' that couldn't wait. In reality he probably just wanted to spread some rumours. Either way, he scuttled off in excitement, making the onlookers laugh.

Ex-1 could only subtly shake his head in remorse. He had enjoyed the boy's affable company. A feeling that was completely foreign to him and he would have liked to explore more.

He quickly consoled himself, letting his fears and worries melt away, to be replaced with excitement at experiencing a world completely alien to him.

At first the buildings they passed had large windows, with displays of various items. Most of the objects Ex-1 could neither identify nor guess a purpose for.

Other times, he recognised the products; more of the strange, colourful clothing, potions and pills, medieval weapons and armour just to name a few.

Sometimes there would be buildings with smaller windows, the interior filled with tables and chairs. Oftentimes these would have their doors wedged open to allow easy access.

Interesting smells, that inexplicably made his mouth water, would waft onto the streets from these places in particular.

He eventually figured out that those establishments were called taverns. It was all too easy to listen to the conversations of passersby.

Were it not for the position of the sun to orient himself, Ex-1 would have struggled to find his way back to the portal. This was mostly due to the haphazard way the buildings seemed to be thrown together. There was no discernable order to the layout. He wondered whether this was intentional.

It was certainly very different to the neat rows of concrete blocks he’d lived in during his time as a soldier. He never got to view the facilities of his birth and childhood ‘home’ from the outside, but he could not imagine that it would have looked anything like this place either.

It wasn’t just the look of the people and the buildings that threw him. The whole atmosphere was alive.

As interesting as it was, to maneuver between the crowds and to listen in on inane chatter, he breathed a silent sigh of relief as they entered a calmer alley.

Much better, too many eyes on my back make it hard to spot actual danger. Not that there is much to fear from the common people here - or so it would seem. On the other hand, it would be easy for a threat to hide in the crowds.

He soon realised that the quieter streets were for residential buildings. Sometimes there would be children senselessly running about or women chatting on doorsteps, although even those interactions started to peter out.

Everyone acts so differently to what I'd consider normal. I need to get used to that, and quickly, or I'll end up misjudging the environment. Don't these people have plumbing? This area feels more abandoned than the last.

I am too distracted, he berated himself. There was simply too much to take in all at once.

Ex-1 raised his brow in consternation just as the lieutenant turned to check on him.

Seeing the young man’s reaction, and mistaking the reason, the officer started speaking again.

'Apologies for taking you this way, don't mind the smell. Thought you'd rather go the quick way and get dressed. Also fewer eyes on you here.'

Not sure why the officer was explaining himself, Ex-1 just nodded and continued to let his eyes roam. As always, on the lookout for danger.

He caught a brief glimpse of a dirty face in a window here and there. Some raised, angry voices echoed in the distance. He could also feel unseen eyes on his back. This was not a welcoming street.

Before too long, the area changed again, the smaller ramshackled dwellings replaced with assertive stone buildings. If he wasn’t mistaken, he thought this to be a more affluent area. He had read about aristocracy and had a vague notion that this term might be befitting of the owners of these residencies.

Surely, I’ve seen all there is to this city. He marvelled at the diversity and discrepancies.

The houses got bigger, and were more sprawled out. Many had their own fences or even walled enclosures.

Eventually the officer stopped in front of an impressive looking stone wall. The rest of the procession came to a halt behind him, waiting for something.

Ex-1 got the distinct impression that he was being tested in some fashion - he'd suspected as much the moment he stepped down from the platform, by now he was certain. Although he was still unable to discern what the soldiers were looking for in his actions.

It was frustrating. The way people acted here was so far removed from the norm he knew. He could only guess at their motives and desires. He'd rarely felt so lost in his life.

This was cause for no small amount of agitation; usually he would have done everything to live up to the expectations of the officer at the very least. He would have succeeded with it too.

However it is easier to manipulate a situation when one understands the circumstances. For now he had to resign himself to his fate.

Of more immediate concern was that he was unsure as to why they decided to take a break directly before the building, which was so clearly their destination. Were they waiting for him to react, or were they waiting for a signal from within?

Maybe they thought he would make an attempt at running away, or speak up in fear, now that he was faced with the reality of the military might in front of him.

Unwilling to show his uncertainty, he kept his peace. Eyes fixed straight ahead, even breathing and holding a relaxed posture. There was no need to watch for danger. Not anymore. This was clearly an area controlled by the soldiers and he was entirely at their mercy.

I hope I have not made a fundamental mistake in coming along.

The trepidation he’d suppressed over the walk came back, in full force.

For once the leading officer did not deign to give an unprompted answer to the obvious question.

So the silence stretched. The two soldiers on either side of him started showing signs of discomfort again, subtle shifting of weight and irregular breathing giving them away.

They had relaxed a bit after his Oathbinding, seemingly even more bewildered by his actions than before, but feeling less threatened at the same time.

The lieutenant gave little away.

Imposing metal gates barred the entry, though he could see the main building through the bars.

Soldiers were patrolling the roof and walls of what had to be a military compound, keeping watch of the comings and goings. It was a huge building, more akin to what he imagined a fort to look like. The walls surrounding the building were at least five meters tall and spanned the whole block - as far as he could tell.

There were likely to be courtyards on the inside, as the sounds of men training could be heard from multiple places nearby, although the locations were obstructed from his view.

Both small and large windows looked down onto the streets from the building within. Some of them were fitted with bars to prevent entry (or escape), whilst others led onto balconies and had curtains decorating the insides.

There were obviously multiple areas with different purposes, though it was unclear exactly what they were from the outside.

After a while footsteps could be heard approaching the door, and soon after, one side was opened by a man of middling ages. He wore a soldier's uniform, although it was of a different design to the guards' accompanying Ex-1.

After a quick glance at the group in front of him, the man gave a brief nod towards the lieutenant and moved aside.

Not a word was spoken as the officer led the way to the main building. Upon entry they found themselves travelling down a dark corridor and up some stairs.

There were a few oil lamps burning with a low light dotted along the dank walls.

The lieutenant knocked twice on one of the doors in the new hallway, before opening it and waving his prisoner inside. The officer followed Ex-1 in and closed the door behind himself, leaving the two remaining men to guard the door from the outside.

Apprehension was making Ex-1’s hands sweat.

If this goes on, I’ll suffer from dehydration before the day is over. He stopped his lip from twitching at his private joke. Barely.

He had wrapped the blanket round his torso a while ago. It kept his hands free and would be easy to discard should the need for quick movement arise.

Ex-1 glanced around the room, his gaze briefly resting on the man behind the desk. The captain, he supposed. The man who had questions for him. An impressive looking specimen, who was currently looming over a letter in his hand, broad shouldered with a dark countenance.

It does not appear to be a torture chamber, but rather a normal office. So that's good news for me.

As he was being ignored, Ex-1 decided to move to the side and leaned against a bookcase spanning the wall to the left. It was a bold move and not one he would have ever considered in his old world. Yet, he was curious to see how he would be treated, and even more curious to see how the officers would interact with each other.

I have been tested and measured - correction, I am being tested and measured - no one said it can't go both ways. Besides, they'll see the drops of perspiration forming on my neck if I stay in the middle of the room. Better not to give too much away.

By this point, it was purely habit making him mask his turbulent feelings.

Nothing would be gained from this deception - not until he could read the room better and use it to his advantage. Something he thought should be easier with the removed deficiency in his emotional intelligence.

In actuality it turned out to be much harder. Suddenly he was more aware of his own emotions and desires, which muddled the picture and challenged objective observations, something he usually excelled at.

Eventually the captain looked up at the lieutenant, who was standing at attention before the desk - also completely ignoring his prisoner's antics.

In all fairness, he had not been treated badly. He was politely escorted instead of paraded. Asked to comply instead of forced into submission. Yes, he was guarded by a couple of men, but they had not drawn their weapons. So there was no need for cynicism. Not yet at least.

'Is there a reason for his continued state of undress? The runner you sent informed me of the incident at the portal. I'd have thought you'd sort him out before coming here. A blanket does not replace the need for clothing,' mused the captain with an intrigued expression. Though his words were harsh, they were spoken in a lighthearted tone.

Ex-1 noted that this was a completely different language yet again. However he was still able to understand the meaning, even the hidden nuances in the choice of words.

More importantly, I completely missed the officer sending a runner with information about my arrival. Come to think of it, the sign language he used to signal his two men must have instructed a third soldier with a different message.

It seems that my translation magic only goes so far.

'Yes, sir!' the lieutenant barely hid the look of mischief from his eyes. 'I wanted to test him. You can learn a lot from observing the way a naked man walks through town.'

He still finds this situation humorous? I don't understand this obsession about my clothing, or lack thereof.

The senior officer wore a knowing smirk. 'And of course it had nothing to do with causing a commotion among the people.'

He quickly got serious again. 'So what have you learnt of, or from him? I was told he took out an ether-warped beast before arriving.’'

'Not much, sir. It appears that he killed the beast with his bare hands; immediately before teleporting. There is a wound on his arm, I originally thought it an older injury. Approximately half an hour old, due to some fresh blood. However it has been healing at a speed visible to the eye on our way over here. He might have gotten it from the fight.' He hesitated, seemingly unsure of how to continue.

It was the first sign of hesitation that Ex-1 had observed of the man so far, and he was curious to hear the response. However he remained as he was, leaning against the wall, with an air of nonchalance.

'I've not asked him many questions, as I lack the skill to tell truth from lie. My ability to detect motives is muddled around him, as though he is unsure himself. And yet, as you have no doubt noted, he is confident, despite his appearances. The dead beast also speaks of proficiency with fighting. Also, he is either sure that he can take out my men or he simply does not care about his life. I intentionally threatened him when he arrived and he was completely civil about it.’

'He is capable of masking his reaction. When he does show emotions it is intentional - to make a point or to mess with us. I am unsure whether he has a sense of humour or is somewhat deranged.' The man shook his head. He was clearly thinking about the interactions with the boy and the unexpected binding.

Ex-1 stopped himself from reacting to those words, he would not prove the man wrong in his assessment.

The conversation between the officers continued for a few minutes.

Ex-1 gleaned some interesting information, but nothing that would help him find his purpose in this strange environment. He was getting more and more convinced that he had somehow just appeared in a different world at random. Nothing he had heard so far pointed towards a bigger purpose of his being here.

More worryingly, it seemed that these men suspected him of working for some kind of unidentified enemy that had been causing trouble. The officers were clearly confused why he'd choose such an entrance, as it would make infiltration difficult, yet they were wary of him. This did not bode well for his future. He could already tell that he would not be able to answer half of the questions that were coming his way.

They also briefly discussed the oathbinding. Clearly the captain was just as surprised as the other men. It appeared that it required an extremely rare skill, and even those able to form those bonds generally chose not to. This was not just a result of the extreme costs attached, but also because it required a pure motive. If the skill sensed hesitation, coercion or duplicity it would not activate.

Ex-1 was intrigued by the schematics so he listened carefully. It sounded as though this world was full of different skills, similar to the ones he'd gained from the infusion of the injection.

He cursed his impulsiveness in teleporting away from the core before finding out more about the world. But using his escape card now would only make it more difficult if he chose to come back at a later date.

‘In short; this man smells of danger and yet I sense no malice with my skills, though we both know they are not infallible. I thought it best to let you do the questioning of our new arrival, as you will be able to determine his truthfulness.'

Ex-1 noted the implications that the captain's skill was not as easily circumvented.

Contrary to what might have been expected, this came as a relief. Hopefully they would believe his ignorance on many of the matters they were curious about.

It seemed then, that part of the conversation had simply been aimed at making him wait. Perhaps to study his reactions with the lieutenant's motive sensing skill, as none of the speculation was really necessary - they could just question him directly.

They clearly did not expect him to be able to follow their discussion.

He was privately amused when they mentioned his behaviour of relaxed anticipation. His silence was seen as suspect; they would have felt more comfortable with him raging at the injustice of being treated the way he was.

At this point he cut his musing short. The captain had turned to him and switched back to the local language before asking for his name.

Ex-1 replied, as he had to the lieutenant the first time the question had come up.

The two officers looked at each other in confusion, a silent conversation taking place.

'That is your name?' asked the lieutenant to clarify. The captain had indicated that the man before him was telling the truth, but he wanted to be certain.

'It is my title. I also have a designation, it is FIRST. It is meaningless though, in the grand scheme of things. I gain no extra privileges through it, it just shows my overall standing. No one calls me by that name.'

Ex-1 started to worry again. These people clearly had a different concept for the word 'name', this should not have been the question to cause problems. There was a brief silence, but to the man's relief, the captain decided to drop the matter in favour of the more pertinent questions.