Tristan said nothing about his talk with the Headmaster as the trio made their way down the hill into town. Jayce and Luna needed to buy weapons for the academy's mandatory combat training. The Innkeeper told them about a weapons store called The Blade and Buckler that sold second hand weapons. The store was near the town square a few minutes walk from the Great Tree.

“So about Scarlet,” Tristan said. “Isn't she supposed to be here with you guys?”

Luna shifted uncomfortably. “She started acting strange after you left us at Porthaven.”

“More strange than normal,” said Jayce.

Luna punched his arm playfully.

So much had happened to Tristan since leaving the ship. He’d forgotten that he’d heard Scarlet talking in secret to someone in her cabin.

“Jayce and I tried to speak to her,” said Luna. “But she locked herself in her cabin. As soon as the ship docked here, she left.”

“Where did she go?” Tristan asked.

Jayce shrugged. “Her cabin was empty. No trace of her at all. Nobody saw her leave the ship either. It was strange, I tell you.”

“Did you look for her?” asked Tristan.

“Of course,” said Luna. “We asked around but nobody saw here.”

Jayce nodded. “And you know Scar, hoa. She’d stick out in a crowd like a fly on a wedding cake.”

***

As the trio entered the marketplace a procession of women dressed in green robes passed them by heading towards the Great Tree.

“Priestesses of Ramos,” said Luna.

“Wasn't their temple destroyed?” askd Jayce.

Luna nodded. “That doesn't seem to have stopped them from their rituals.”

A woman dressed in gold and standing beneath the Great Tree began to chant. Her voice echoed amongst the food stalls and down narrow passageways.

The chant was picked up by the processession of women.

They each held a clay jar. The leader’s chanting changed, she began to hum a beautiful yet simple melody. The women dressed in green answered her tune with a chorus of singing. Their voices blending together to create something both mystical and haunting.

Tristan wondered if the singers understood the words they sang or if the song was a tradition that had been passed on and over time had lost all meaning. As the song progressed a woman stepped up to the Great Tree. She emptied her jar of water at the base of the tree then laid a hand on its ancient trunk. She spoke words too soft for Tristan to hear. Then she stepped to the side allowing the next woman in line to come forward.

Tristan smelt something foul in the air and turned to see a beggar ambling towards them with a hopeful grin on his face.

The beggar passed them by, then he stopped and backtracked and came to stand in front of the trio.

He bowed dramatically.

Tristan stared at the man’s bare and dirty feet.

“Could my Lord spare a coin for a hungry and wary soul.”

Tristan had seen a lot of beggars in this short time in Aressea. They were everywhere but nobody seemed to pay them any attention. It was almost like they were invisible.

An idea came to Tristan.

“Beggars see what others miss,” he said to the man.

The beggar smiled and held out his hands expectantly.

Tristan drew a silver coin out of his coin purse.

“I'm looking for a girl,” Tristan said.

“Aren’t we all,” said the homeless man. He flashed Tristan a toothless grin. “Try The Rusty Flagpole,” he said. “A copper to cop-a-feel if you know what I mean.”

He winked at Tristan.

Jayce laughed.

Luna glared at Tristan. “What are you getting at?” she asked.

“That’s not what I mean,” said Tristan. “I'm looking for a specific girl. Red hair, bad attitude, big um, personality.”

Luna frowned at him.

“Her name is Scarlet,” he continued. “Can you ask around? Maybe one of your friends has seen her.”

“If you make it worth well,” said the beggar. “There’s nothing in this fair city that passes unobserved.”

Tristan flicked a silver coin at the beggar. “Ask for Tristan at the academy. You’ll get two more of these when you find her.”

***

The bell rang as Tristan opened the merchant's door and stepped inside. The shop had an array of polished silver weapons displayed on shelves and shining armor on mannequins.

“Good day folks, welcome to The Blade and Buckler , what can Ysadora Dolt do for ya?” asked a cheery man dressed in dark trousers and a leather waistcoat.

“We need weapons for combat training,” said Luna.

Ysadora nodded cheerfully. “Any weapon in particular or just something sharp and shiny?”

“Sharp and shiny, not that important,” said Jayce. “Secondhand and cheap is more what I’m looking for.”

Luna picked up a pair of bronze knuckles and tried them on. She punched the air a few times then put the knuckles back down again.

“I don't know what I'm looking for,” said Luna.

Ysadora stepped out from behind the counter and walked over to Luna.

“Well looking at you,” he said. “There are two obvious weaknesses that the weapon will need to cover.”

Luna frowned. “What weaknesses?”

“Well for one you don't have much upper body strength,” said the merchant.

He scratched his chin. “Hold up your arms.”

Luna raised both of her arms.

“Hmm, short reach too,” he murmured.

“Let me see what I have,” he said. Ysadora walked to the corner of the shop. “How about you young man?” he asked Jayce.

“I don't like weapons,” said Jayce.

“What would you do if someone swung a sword at your head?” Ysadora asked.

“Duck,” said Jayce.

The merchant laughed.

Tristan continued walking between the isles, picking up weapons and testing them out. Nothing felt as comfortable as his own sword. He wondered if there was something to Gabbros' idea that the swordsman needed to hunt something to make their own pommel. “You can't attack,” Tristan said to Jayce as he picked up a large tower shield. “But you can be a tank.”

“What’s that?” asked Jayce.

“Someone that can soak up alot of damage with a shield, giving your allies time to deal damage.”

“I don't know about that, hoa.” said Jayce. “You realize I'm a fisherman.” I'm used to holding fishing poles, not swords and shields.

“I have just the thing for you,” said the merchant as he dug through a barrel of second hand weapons.

A few moments later he emerged holding a long pole with a single-edged blade on the end of it.

“The glaive,” he said. “Perfect reach for the lady and it’s basically a fishing pole so it will suit the gentleman as well.”

Luna shook her head. ““Don't you have anything less, um… intimidating?” she asked.

Ysadora laughed.

“What about you?” he asked Jayce. “It's an affordable weapon. I used as much for defense as it is for attacking.”

Jayce shook his head. “I can't use a bladed weapon.”

The merchant nodded. “Are you a religious man?” he asked.

Jayce shrugged. “Something like that.”

“Well what about a quarterstaff?” Ysadora asked, he pulled the weapon out of the barrel and tossed the staff at Jayce.

Jayce caught the weapon.

The staff was the same length as Jayce. He spun it in his hands. “I like it,” he said.

“Makes a good walking stick too,” said Tristan.

Jayce gave him a deadpan look.

Tristan walked around the shop, picking up weapons and testing them before placing them back on the weapon racks.

He walked over to the second hand barrel and picked up a thin sword in a black scabbard. He drew the sword out of its scabbard. It was light and felt good in his hands.

“You have a good eye, my Lord,” said the merchant. “The longsword. It would make a fine weapon for the lady.”

Tristan handed the sword to Luna.

“It's thin and light,” said the merchant. “And it has a decent reach.”

Luna gripped the weapon tightly in her right hand.

“It's better with two hands,” said the merchant.

Luna adjusted her grip and swung it through the air a few times.

“How much?” she asked.

“For you young lady, I can give it to you for three silvers, and I’ll throw in the scabbard for free.”

Luna nodded. “I’ll take it.”

***

They left the weapons store armed but much poorer than when they’d arrived.

Jayce swung his quarterstaff over his shoulder. “I miss the weight of coins in my purse,” he said.

“Well at least tuition is free,” said Luna. “That's a big help.”

Tristan nodded. Tuition to Tempest might be free but he knew the Chamber of Testings repairs wouldn't be cheap.

He thought that there must be something from his world that would be profitable in Umbra. The idea needed to be simple. Tristan knew about a lot of things but he couldn't actually make any of them.

The smell of freshly baked bread stopped Tristan in his tracks. He had an idea. Pizza and burgers. They sold well in his world, why wouldn't they sell in Umbra.

“Let me treat you guys to lunch,” said Tristan.

“We just ate breakfast,” said Luna.

“Speak for yourself,” said Jayce. “If Tristan’s buying, then I'm eating.”

Luna laughed. “I wouldn't mind something small and sweet,” she said.

***

Tristan followed his nose and the scent of fresh bread led him to a bakery called Sweet Dreams.

He needed a bag of flour. The cheese and meat he’d get later the important part was getting the dough right. He’d never made dough before but he’d seen some videos online about the process and it seemed simple enough.

Tristan entered the bakery. A few customers stood around waiting for their orders and a portly woman with a faint fuzzy mustache stood behind the counter.

“Do you sell any flour?” Tristan asked.

The portly woman frowned. “Not usually but for you my Lord I could sell you a small bag.”

Tristan nodded at the lady. “Please.”

He’d stopped correcting people about him not being a Lord some time back. It was still annoying but it was also useful.

“I thought we were getting something to eat, hoa” said Jayce.

“Good things come to those who wait,” said Tristan.

“You bake?” asked Luna.

Tristan shrugged. “It can't be that hard.”

A young serving girl entered from the kitchen carrying a small box.

“One cheese burger,” she said.

A stout looking man raised his hand and the serving girl handed the box to him.

“You have burgers here?” exclaimed Tristan.

Jayce nodded as he pressed his nose against the glass counter and stared at a tray of cupcakes.

“Oh, they sell those here,” said Luna. “I haven't had one in ages. I wonder if they sell pizza too?”

“You have pizza too?” asked Tristan. His heart was sinking fast.

“Of course,” said Jayce. “We aren't barbarians.”

“But how?” asked Tristan. “They even have the same names as my…” he trailed off. “I think I lost my appetite.”

“What don't say that now, hoa,” said Jayce. “I’ve already bonded with this chocolate cake.”

He looked up at Tristan with puppy dog eyes.

Tristan laughed. “Well, when you put it that way. A slice of cake never hurt anyone.”

***

They ate the cake under the Great tree and then stopped at the Bookstore on their way home. Luna bought a book on botany and Tristan picked up a book called ‘The Adventures of a sponge named Bob’ and put that down next to ‘A Hero called Batman.’ The more he learnt about this new world the more depressed he grew.

“Tell me when did pizza, burgers, chocolate cake and Spongebob arrive in Umbra.

Jayce shook his head. “Those are old, hoa. My mom used to read ‘The sponge named Bob’ to me when I was a kid.”

“The hero invented all these things,” said Luna.

“What happened to him?” Tristan asked.

Jayce shook his head. “The hero and Malice just vanished. How do you not know this stuff?” he asked. “You have the hero's hair color. You should know more than most of us.”

“I get that the hero’s hair was white but you can't tell me that nobody in this world is born with white hair,” said Tristan.

Jayce shrugged. “There are a few,” he said. “The nobility and some higher ups but they aren't born with it. They buy rare and incredibly expensive potions to change their hair color.”

“Don't say that so loud,” said Luna. “That's his opinion.”

“Not just mine,” said Jayce. “Nobody truly believes the nobles are descendants of the hero. How could they be? The hero vanished before he was even twenty. He never married.”

Tristan had stopped listening to their conversation. He picked up a random book from the bookshelf and began leafing through it. It was obvious that the hero was from his world. He thought that if I ever met this hero guy he’d punch the man in the face. The hero could have left one good idea for him.

But if the hero had arrived a hundred years before him then maybe there was an idea from his world that was only invented recently.

Cronuts, thought Tristan.

“So have any of you guys ever had a cronut?” He asked

Luna shook her head.

“No, hoa,” said Jayce.

Tristan sighed in relief. Of course he didn't know how to bake a cronut but it meant there were still some ideas left for him to use.

The book store owner happened to overhear their conversation.

“It's no wonder you never had a cronut,” said the owner. “One costs about the same as a farmer's monthly salary.”

What a scam, thought Tristan. An idea began to form in his mind.

The hero had so many good ideas to work with that he didn't have to rely on the bad one.