“What in all hell is that?” I asked Arin. It was a little less than a week after my stint in the city, and I was currently on the edge of my territory overlooking the valley below. About three hundred yards in the distance was a thick, lumbering, gray, humanoid mass of muscle.

“That would be a troll, I believe.” She said,

The thing was probably fifteen feet tall and wielded a large oaken branch, and what looked like a sack over one shoulder. I wasn’t close enough to make out many details, but when Arin had told me that she sensed a large corrupt presence right outside our territory, I grabbed my 1903 and took a walk to check it out.

“That thing’s huge.” I said.

“But very dumb.” She reassured. Arin wasn’t worried about it, so neither was I, but it was a little unnerving to have such a creature so close by, “It’s looking for the dungeon, but I’d guess he’s a bit lost.”

“I wanna shoot him.” I said, “Should I shoot him?”

“Shoot away.” She nodded.

“Cover your ears.” I warned. I had brought my own ear protection, but hadn’t expected Arin to join me in the defense. Apparently if a creature like the troll were to encroach on my land, it would grow weak the longer it was inside, but even still, it was wise to kill it before it could try.

Arin put her hands to her ears and turned away, while I lined up my sights. The thing was far, but big enough that I was quite confident I couldn’t miss if I tried.

Bang!

The rifle punched my shoulder, but the troll didn't go down. I did see him move his head from side to side, looking for what hurt him, but he never spotted me. I chambered another round and fired again.

He flinched, but didn't have the good sense to get to cover or start moving. The troll really was dumb.

I ended up reloading once before he finally fell, wasting eight shots on the stupid gray beast.

“That was really loud.” Arin said when I claimed the troll was dead. Or at least dying.

“Good ol’ thirty ought six.” I rubbed the notches on the gun, “Still took way too many rounds to down the beast, though.”

“We should go see what it was carrying.” She suggested.

“Sounds like a plan.” I nodded.

I kept the rifle slung and loaded as we walked down into the valley. It was close enough that Arin would be okay, so she joined me.

I smelt the troll well before I was anything to be considered close. The stench of feces and decay seemed to permeate the very ground leading up to it, and I almost threw up as we walked.

“I… don't think I can go near that thing.” I said. “Let’s make Baum do it.”

“Good idea…” Arin had covered her nose as well.

Now that we were closer, I could see flies gathered around the bag the troll was carrying, and remembering the trophies the goblin’s had taken I feared what we’d find.

I called Baum down from the house, and had him go inspect the troll’s corpse while Arin and I stood about thirty yards upwind. My orders to the ent were to first see if the monster was alive, then to steal and empty its bag if it wasn't. If it was, I’d just shoot it some more. That always tended to work.

Baum gave the troll’s ugly face a kick, and when it didn’t stir, the now-not-little ent tried to wrench the bag from its grip. Even though the monster was dead, its hand was still fastened to the sack, requiring Baum to literally pry the fingers open to retrieve it.

He held the sack high and dumped it out, and I cringed when four heads in various stages of decay rolled out. So that’s where the smell was coming from. Other than that however, was a small pile of coins and gems.

“G-grab the coins off the ground and go wash them in the river.” I ordered Baum. He complied, and began to give them a rinse.

“What exactly should we do about the body?” Arin asked slowly.

“Umm… well… I’m not a hundred percent sure, but we should definitely get rid of it. Something like this shouldn’t just be left to rot.”

“If you want, I could bury it.” She offered.

“If that’s possible.” I said, “But we’d need a big hole.”

“I’ll need to borrow some magic.” The nymph said, “But it shouldn't take long.”

I raised my eyebrows. I wasn’t sure how borrowing magic worked, but I did know how she’d probably do it. Arin was quite powerful on her own land, more so the more magic was available to her.

“We should probably get something to prove we killed it first though.” I said. If there were rewards for orcs and goblins, I’d assume trolls would bring something as well.

“Baum! Leave the coins on that rock over there and go get that troll’s tooth.” I ordered. I would feel bad yelling at the ent, but it wasn’t sentient.

The humanoid tree obeyed, but ran into resistance actually pulling the tusk. It was probably a foot long and jutted out of the things bottom lip, but no matter how hard my ent tugged he couldn't get it free.

“Step back.” I told him, “I’ll take care of it.”

The ent obeyed, and I aimed my rifle.

“Cover your ears, Arin.” I looked over to make sure she had.

I lined the sights on the base of my target, and squeezed the trigger at the end of a deep exhale. The shot rang true, and the end of the tooth jumped into the grass. Baum went to pick it up.

“Put it over with the coins.” I didn't want to touch the severed ivory.

Arin then explained how I could share magic with her. As long as we were in contact, I could ferry some of my energy to her, which she would use to control the environment. To this end, I held her hand while she closed her eyes in focus.

I could see the grass start to move underneath the troll. Like little worms the stalks inched themselves away, pulling dirt with them, slowly lowering the probably four ton beast into the ground. A pile of grassy sod rose around the gray bastard, enveloping him as he sank downwards. Eventually, even the lump in the earth started to recede, leaving the land looking completely unchanged.

“That’s pretty neat.” I said, impressed. I’d seen Arin do a few tricks before, but nothing quite so large scale.

She smiled at the praise. “Using your magic it doesn't even take anything out of me. I should ask you for help with things like that more often, Tom.”

“Well I hope we aren’t burying troll corpses with anything to be called frequency.” I laughed. We walked back to where Baum had left the coins and gems, and though he’d washed them in the river, they still had viscera melded onto them. I could see at least six silver ones though, so despite the filth they were coated in, it was- according to what a stranger had kindly explained before I left town- a good deal of money.

The monetary system was pretty easy to remember, at least now that I’d been told: a gold coin was worth twenty silvers, and a silver was worth a hundred coppers. A day laborer could expect to make about sixteen coppers in a day, while a more skilled profession such as a carpenter could make fourty.

With that, I realized that my tip of a silver to the barmaid was quite generous, but I didn't feel at all odd about it. Considering I’d earned more than poorer folk do in a year just by killing some goblins, that much money wasn’t a deal to me. Especially when I could grow my own food and didn’t have to pay for housing.

“Baum, carry the valuables and the tooth up to the house.” I ordered.

The ent began picking the coins and gems up off the ground, before he sauntered up the hill.

“I really don’t want to touch those.” I told Arin, “so I’ll set up some bleach to leave them in overnight.”

“I don't know what that is, but whatever you think is best.” She nodded.

I laughed, and we made our way up the hill. Arin went back to doing her own thing, and I grabbed a bucket and some bleach from the garage. I filled the bucket with bleach and water, and had Baum drop the coins, gems, and tusk inside so I could let the nasty on them dissolve. Surely it wouldn’t have killed the troll to at least store the heads and the valuables in separate bags.

I found myself mildly desensitized to the fact that the coins were marred with brain and human bodily fluids. I wondered whether that was due to my own disposition or my home’s magical healing.

I decided that question was one to ponder for another time, and found the day was much too nice to not enjoy. And, naturally, there was no finer way to enjoy a day than with a cup of steaming coffee.

I had been a coffee hobbyist since I’d been given a french press in the seventh grade. For some reason I found myself infatuated with anything where the quality of the craft could be felt, and coffee had been my gateway towards that enjoyment.

Today however, I wanted a Chemex brew. The fine piece of 1940s technology was my personal favorite means to brew, mostly as it just simply looked incredible. I set eight hundred grams of water to boil- weighed out on a small, very precise kitchen scale I kept, and began the difficult task of selecting my beans.

I’d been in this world a couple of weeks, but still had a decent selection left. My eyes lingered on my personal favorite, an Ethiopian light roast with notes of blueberry and brown sugar, but I decided to save that blend for a special occasion. Instead, I selected another fruity blend, this one a medium roast. I ground forty grams of the blend to a medium coarseness, and waited for the water to finish boiling.

Zeroing the Chemex with a filter inside on the scale, I poured fifty grams of water through the paper, for two reasons: to preheat the brewing vessel and to wash away any paper taste. I dumped the waste water into the sink, poured the grounds into the filter, gave them a shake to make sure they were all flat, zeroed the scale again, and began to bloom.

Blooming was just a fancy term for wetting the grounds, and served the function to release any built up carbon dioxide that was inside the coffee. I bloomed with one tenth of my total water, so seventy five grams. After all the grounds were saturated and my water weight was where it needed to be, I let the bubbles finish rising for a little under a minute, and then poured the rest of the water. Some folks liked to pour in a specific pattern, but I was much more an enjoyer of simple circles.

After my water was draining through the grounds and the filter, I grabbed a mug from my cabinet, a stopper for the Chemex’s steam, and a couple of coasters. I threw away the waste, and took everything else out to my front porch to be enjoyed.

I knew I’d never miss the view of the city street I’d grown used to on earth. The valley, with its greenery and vastness made for the perfect backdrop to anything, let alone coffee. I would be disappointed for it to be built on, but I’d prefer that to whatever foul future awaited the valley if I let the dungeon grow over it.

I sipped my coffee and hummed to the tune of some John Denver songs, until I felt a faint tugging at the back of my mind. The feeling was a tingle as though someone were behind me, but when I turned no one was there. It didn’t leave, so I grabbed my rifle and hesitantly walked around the side of my house to find a lone rider coming up my lawn.

“Miss Altiin.” I said as she rode up, calling out to the tavern maid I’d met in the city. “What can I do you for?”

“Just Renee is fine.” She smiled at me. “And if you’d hear me out, I’d like to make a deal with you.”

“Oh?” I raised my eyebrows. I was more curious than interested, but I’d be happy to listen to what she had to say. Especially after the ride she made seemingly alone. “I’ll hear you, let’s get your horse all hitched up though.

“Gladly.” Renee replied.

I first led her around to the front of my house, where I’d constructed a simple watering trough and hitching post for my horse. Arin had named the beast Tennessee after the Johnny Cash song, Tennessee stud, a move I could appreciate. She’d also taken to taking care of the buckskin.

After her horse was hitched, I took Renee to my porch. Sitting down I hadn’t paid much attention to the girl’s height, but having her stand next to me I noticed that she was nearly as tall as I was. I supposed her to be well off as far as this world went, for she was wearing light makeup and had clothes more built for aesthetic than practicality. I had yet to see anyone in this world wearing a corset, but the barmaid was, and wearing it to its full effect.

“So what ‘deal’ did you want to make?” I asked.

“My father wants to open an inn on your land, and let me be in charge of it.” She got straight to the point, “We’d like to get started as soon as possible, so we’d be ready while the adventurers are still rolling in.”

“Well,” I chuckled, “As far as pitching goes, you’re pretty direct.”

“I- er…” She hesitated,

“It’s certainly better than lip service though.” I said, “The steward told me I’d get requests like this, only I hadn’t expected anyone to ride out before the road was finished. Bonus points for the speediness.”

Renee visibly relaxed.

“I’m glad I made it before any of those whores from the west side.” She breathed.

“Ouch to them.” I laughed. “How was the ride anyway?” I turned the topic from the land dealing.

“Quite pleasant, the road’s already done out to about a mile away.”

“A mile? That's way off from where it was a week ago!” I widened my eyes.

“The day after you left a magical engineering company arrived from a northern village” She explained, “They’ll probably be done in the next two days, that’s why I hurried along.”

I whistled, “I’ll definitely have to see them work sometime, that’s mighty fast.”

“They’re staying at the tavern,” She said, “We’ve already negotiated with them to help on the building of the new inn, should you approve it of course.”

“I’m no expert, but I did read a bit on how this land trading would work.” I shifted in my seat to be more relaxed, “I do reckon financial compensation is the way of these things.”

“Naturally.” She smiled, “For access to timber and stone on the land we’d pay fifty gold upfront, as well as a yearly lease of twelve gold for the actual property.”

“Well there we go then. Deal.” I said.

“And we’d- pardon?”

“Deal. Whatever works.” I shrugged.

“Just like that?”

“Yep.” I nodded, “To be really honest with you, I’m more worried about this dungeon than anything. To be frank, I’m not here either by purpose or intention to be some shrewd businessman, in fact I just planned to outsource any dealings like this one to someone I hire, so because you’re the first one here I’ll take what your opening price was.”

“Are you sure? I mean-”

“Hey don’t haggle for me.” I waved my hands, “My only conditions to that price are that you don't tell anyone else about this negotiation and that you build down there.” I pointed down the valley. “As well as only cut timber where I approve.

Where I wanted any civilization to be was down at the bottom of the hollow. Arin had told me that the river never rose more than a few feet, and the land there was good for building. I wasn’t quite sure how she’d know, but trusted her. Also down there were rich deposits of limestone, perfect for all sorts of things relating to construction.

“Wow. I mean, thank you.” Renee put a gentle hand to her chest. “I was actually really nervous coming up here, this is the first time my father’s really given me responsibility- and I’d only met you once. I had no idea if you’d even hear me out, so thank you. Thank you a bunch!”

“No problem, dear.” I chuckled at her gushing thanks. “Just keep what I said in mind.”

“When can we start building?” She asked.

“As soon as you can get what you need out here.” I responded. “That road’s still not done, so I reckon that’ll be a challenge.”

“True.” She thought for a moment, “And I didn’t bring any gold today either. I didn’t expect you to say yes so quickly.”

“For a lady as charming as yourself, you surely should have.” I joked, “But the pay’s fine to come later. Just bring it by with the work crew.”

The brown haired girl blushed.

“I will. Thank you.” She smiled.

“So, regarding the actual inn, what’re the details on it?”

“Well, the current plan is to have twenty chambers and a common area, as well as kitchens and a brewery.”

“Quite the building, then.” I whistled.

“Oh yes. It’ll be much bigger than the greenbear.”

“What’re the rates per room?” I asked.

“That I’ll figure out when we’re built.” She said, “And the menu.”

“You seem quite excited.” I smiled, “Mighty kind of your dad to trust you with this one.”

“I did catch him with one of our barmaids.” She said quietly, “He’d drop a hundred times more gold than this to keep my mother from finding out.”

“Well… there you go then. I guess.” I cringed inwardly.

“It’s great!” She exclaimed, “I can finally get out of his house and make my own way.”

“And good luck to you, Renee.” The conversation grew awkward, at least for me, “But there is one thing, that land there is technically not mine yet, but will be within the month. I think that is important to mention.”

“It will be yours?” She said quizzically.

“My territory expands by the day.” I explained, “right now it’s about two hundred feet past the tree line.”

“Okay.” Renee nodded.

“And, assuming it keeps growing as it has, that land’ll be mine really soon. Magically anyway.”

“I don't think that’ll be a problem then.” She thought aloud, “As long as it won't become dungeon land.”

“As long as I don’t die.” I laughed grimly.

“I sure hope not, Tom.” The brunette didn’t smile.