With effort, Ex-1 tried to suppress the killing intent he must have been projecting. Too many eyes were trained on him again, but this time their gazes did not hold curiosity.

There was a range of emotions - from anger at being disturbed to confusion and fear over his aggression - reflected on the various faces. No one stood out as the threat though.

He watched the barkeep approach with mixed feelings. On the one hand, the man would probably ensure peace in his tavern. Hopefully that meant he would stop anyone from trying to harm him whilst within the establishment.

On the other hand, the man did not seem to be a particularly reasonable fellow. He might simply throw him out instead.

‘Why are you causing a commotion in my tavern again?’ He growled. The bushy eyebrows, drawn down over his eyes, effectively communicating his promise of violence.

‘I apologise for the offence. Someone is attacking me mentally,’ subtly appealing for help was his best hope at avoiding a confrontation. It also happened to be the truth.

It was not going well though.

‘The runes prevent that sort of tampering. No one, apart from me and the ones I’ve chosen, may use magic in this place! So tell me, what exactly are you accusing me of?’

With a flash of understanding, Ex-1 prepared to flee.

If I’ve understood the term ‘magic’, this refers to the use of skills - which means I might not be able to teleport from this place.

Increasingly concerned, he tried to access the information on his escape card. The implications of what the barkeep had said concerned him.

Much to his alarm, the suspicion proved true.

He could still view his profile and the notifications - however the connection seemed weaker somehow. The ability to manipulate the system was more limited, and access to the information he had suppressed earlier was glaringly absent.

He may have simply misunderstood how the AI in his head worked. But he had expected the knowledge over his skills to come to him instinctively when he had need of them.

This was based on his deductions from the previous experiences.

However, unlike the situations where he'd gained the interface or used the teleportation platform for the first time, he did not suddenly understand how to use the teleportation skill. Maybe surviving this new world will turn out more difficult than I’d thought after all.

Throughout all this, the barkeep had not stopped speaking, the volume of his voice increasing with each word.

‘You come in here, accept my hospitality, refuse to buy a drink, upset my customers and then to top it all off - you accuse me of attacking you?! Get your sorry self out of my sight, before I decide to kick you out!’

Well, if no one else can perform ‘magic’, I guess it has to be you.

He was confused why the barkeep would perform mind magic on him. His relief at the chance of escaping the building without a fight was palpable though and he did not wish to question this man.

Thus Ex-1 nodded in understanding and apology, before making his way towards the door. He kept his head lowered, to avoid further confrontation. He had other senses to rely on when searching out danger.

Besides, he questioned whether he would be able to successfully defend himself if anyone did approach. Better to avoid unnecessary fighting for now. He breathed a sigh, when he reached the door unmolested.

The relief did not last long, he had barely made it out of the door, when he perceived someone coming at him from the side.

Without thought, he grabbed the body and violently held it against the wall. The chokehold effectively stopped all movement from his opponent, who stared at him with wide, terrified eyes.

Small stature, dirty face, torn clothes - this was the same child that had spoken to the Lieutenant, the same boy he had sworn an oath of protection to.

Slowly he eased off the pressure and took a half-step back, towards the street and away from the door.

"Sir?" asked the child uncertainly, his voice cracking.

Ex-1 looked at him. "Have you come to check for your blanket?" Ex-1 glanced towards the door. "I have given it to the innkeeper as you instructed."

He patted the kid's head in an attempt to calm him, though it just made the boy flinch and shrink further back.

"Or maybe you were spying after me on the orders of that Lieutenant?" he added, humour colouring his voice.

The child drew back even further.

So that's how it is, Ex-1 thought. Unsurprising. It is only common sense, really to keep threats under surveillance. In fact, it raises my opinion of the man’s capabilities.

Since the Lieutenant saw me being friendly with the child it is a reasonable assumption that I will let him close to myself.

He shrugged to himself. The child was no danger to him after all, he had just proven his ability to physically overwhelm the boy. Ex-1 also knew that he would be able to disguise his thoughts from the child with ease, thus controlling what made its way back to the officer.

More importantly though, the boy would surely be a well of information on this world.

‘I apologise for startling you,’ he started. ‘I overreacted. Why were you attacking me though?’

The boy stared back at him with an incredulous expression on his face. ‘I attacked you? Why would I do that?’

‘That is what I am trying to determine.’

The child blinked a few times, before finally gaining control of himself. ‘I did not attack you! I was on my way to the door, when you charged out and set upon me!’

I most certainly did not charge out - in fact, I distinctly remember faking a dignified calm.

However, there was no longer any fear in the child’s eyes, righteous indignation had long taken its place. He had even stepped forward again, erratically gesticulating with his arms whilst making his point.

‘Would you be willing to show me around this city?’ Ex-1 smoothly changed the topic.

The boy blinked a few more times before giving a determined nod. ‘I am getting my blanket back and grabbing some food.’

With that he turned around and purposefully approached the door, he stopped at the threshold to look back at Ex-1. ‘Are you coming or not?’

Ex-1 shook his head. ‘The barkeep threw me out. I shall wait out here until you are done.’

'He threw you out?' The boy's grin widened. 'What did you do?’

As per usual, the boy did not give him the opportunity to respond.

‘You asked if you could walk around stark naked in his inn, didn't you!’ exclaimed the boy with sudden understanding on his face. ‘Because that is the custom of your home city, right sir?’

He continued without pausing for a breath. ‘I don't mind that, sir. I mean people do what people do, but most of the old folks are not as open-mined as me.’

‘Open-minded,’ Ex-1 automatically corrected him, still reeling from the sudden torrent of words.

‘You can say it like that too, sir,’ frowned the boy. ‘Anyways, I will talk to Marcus. If you promise that you won't walk around stark naked, I am sure he will let you back in.’

And with that, he disappeared into the tavern before Ex-1 could stop him.

He got ready for a confrontation, should the inquisitive child be mistaken.

It’s not ideal, but maybe now would be the time to learn the teleportation skill - just in case I need to make a quick escape. He was sure the core had mentioned taking others with him; if the barkeep’s anger proved to be a danger to the boy, he would take the child along.

Keeping his ears open for any threats, or sounds of distress from the boy, he quickly opened his profile again.

With bated breath, he then tried accessing his teleportation skill. The desired notification popped up. He could immediately tell that his connection to the interface was a lot stronger out here.

Homeportation (1 - Upgradable)

Description: As the owner of a city core, you have the ability to teleport home. This cost can now be transferred to the city core. Additionally, the cost is vastly reduced due to owning a teleportation platform. The reduced cost only applies when teleporting to the platform.

You may choose to pay the original price and appear within the core room. However you will not be able to take others with you and need to bear the Ether cost yourself.

Cost: 20 Ether (Cost doubles per additional person)

Original Cost: 250 Ether

Time restraints: 60 hours

Overall, most of the skill description seemed pretty straightforward. However, there was one glaring problem. How is this supposed to be activated?

The language and literacy skills had obviously activated without his input - none of the other skills had made an appearance though. And if he couldn't work it out he'd be stuck here, hypothetical teleportation skill or not.

As though it had been waiting for him to ask the question, the answer presented itself. Not in words or anything so basic. No, as with the other times, the knowledge simply filtered into his mind.

It was only then that the implications of what had happened hit home.

False confidence nearly got me killed. Of course there would be measures in place to prevent magic.

The thought made him stop in his tracks and break out in a cold sweat.

This means I probably would not have been able to escape the torture chambers or prison either, should the officers have decided to detain me.

Just as he was coming to terms with his near miss, the door flew open again.

The boy was wildly gesturing him over, with a self-satisfied grin on his face. ‘He said yes, but we have to sit in a back room - he says I’m too dirty for the common room and you are mentally unstable. Whatever that means.’

Ex-1 gave a slight shake of his head. The child did not seem to get the message, so he had to use words instead. ‘I do not think that this is a good idea. I shall wait out here until you are done.’

There he goes, blinking again.

‘But.. but why? I had to use all my persuasive skills to make him agree!’ The boy exclaimed with a dramatic flair. ‘He did say he’d take your head off, if you walked around naked. So you’ll need to leave the clothes on.’

Coming to a decision, Ex-1 asked the most important question on his mind. ‘Are there windows in the back room? To escape through?’

The boy just shook his head in exasperation. ‘You really are a strange one. Just come in! Or I’ll not show you the city,’ he added as a half-hearted threat.

With that he turned around and walked through the door; leaving Ex-1 no choice but to acquiesce or lose his source of information.

Unwilling to lose his source of information, Ex-1 took a deep breath and followed the boy inside.

The barkeep stood by his counter, cleaning a glass with a dirty cloth - using short, angry motions. It was a wonder it hadn't shattered under the force he absent-mindedly employed.

Dark eyes promised pain, as they followed Ex-1 through the room. The man did not move in his direction though, so he took it as permission to continue.

Clearly the child held some sway over this beast, although Ex-1 could not fathom how that had come to be.

Luckily the boy had stopped by a door leading further into the building, ensuring he would find the way.

Once again Ex-1 berated himself for his mistakes. In his old life he would have been severely punished for his missteps. Then again, the eyes of the whole tavern were boring holes into his back. That was punishment enough.

The boy led the way through a few rooms, at ease and familiar with the surroundings. 'Took you long enough! Thought you might be a chicken.'

Not understanding the latter part of the sentence Ex-1 just nodded.

'We can sit in this room, usually it's kept for meetings and such an' I have to sit in the kitchen helping cook if I want a meal. But the barkeep doesn't want you in there. Thinks you might upset cook - and that's one person even he is scared of!'

A quick glance showed not just a window to the outside, but also a door that led directly onto a back street. Satisfied he wouldn’t be entirely helpless should the barkeep change his mind, Ex-1 entered and tested if the escape route was locked.