“Did you have a good time?” DubbAlina’s sarcastic voice was the first thing I heard when I woke up.

I shook my head, feeling a bit groggy.

DubbAlina laughed. I launched myself off my bed and then I headed for the door of my room, when DubbAlina’s voice stopped me.

“Naughty, naughty.” They said, “Your breakfast is on the table. Don’t forget you’re still grounded. Oh, right!” There was the sound of a finger snap. I wondered if DubbAlina had fingers. “Sahar is coming by soon, so you better wash up.”

“How do you know this kind of stuff anyway?” I asked irritatedly.

“A girl has her ways.” DubbAlina said. So ‘it’ was actually a ‘she’. Good to know.

“Or, if I have to be more specific,” She started to explain,  “I’m linked to the World System, remember? It supplies me with any information related to your time in this world. Stuff about Ahmad’s past, stuff he would know. And stuff that happens to you when you’re away.”

“But I have limited access.” DubbAlina huffed. “Don’t expect me to know everything.”

I ate my breakfast. Today, it was flatbread with some kind of yellow spread on top of it. The bread also had tomatoes and green herbs on it. I took a bite. It was impossible not to be happy when you had delicious food. I smiled, then I opened my wardrobe.

Fresh clothes. I took out one, it was a cloth similar to the one I was wearing. There were also clothes similar to Grandpa’s, and clothes that seemed very out of place. There was a tunic, a coat, a vest and breeches. Or that was what DubbAlina told me they were called.

“Stop milling around and wash yourself with the basin.” DubbAlina said irritatedly. “It’s the weekend, so it’s custom. Besides, you can’t go meet Sahar looking like you’ve been through a hurricane.”

Harsh, but that was DubbAlina.

There was a stone basin filled with water. I used it to wash my face, then, at DubbAlina’s request, my hair. It was short, but it was still very difficult to wash. I also used a wet cloth to dab at my body. DubbAlina wouldn’t let me change out of my underwear.

“I don’t need a minor striptease in front of me.” she said impatiently.

“But I’ve already gone to the bathroom yesterday.” I protested. “You helped, remember?”

DubbAlina pretended to gag, or maybe she actually gagged. You can never tell with disembodied voices. “Fuck, do it your way then.” DubbAlina could be confusing at times.

I picked up what seemed to be a piece of undercloth. The problem was, I mused, putting it on. The linen piece of underwear didn’t look like normal underwear. For one thing, it looked like a pair of very short shorts. For another, there were four holes instead of three. One for the waist, two for each leg. But what about the last extra hole?

“DubbAlina!” I called. “How do I put this on?”

“Shut up.”

I gave up. DubbAlina wasn’t one to be persuaded easily, and why persuade her when there was an easy way out? The way being not changing underwear.

There was a knock on the door. Having just gotten my other clothes on, I turned around to open the door.

“Your hair!” DubbAlina hissed.

I didn’t bother and opened the door. And indeed, Sahar stood there shyly, looking up at me. Her eyes twinkled with excitement.

‘Should I let her in?’ I wondered.

As if she had read my mind, DubbAlina said, “Don’t let her in. It’s against customs. Unmarried men and women can’t be together in a single space.”

Then what was I supposed to do? Just stand there? I couldn’t go outside of my room, since I was grounded. Sahar couldn’t enter my room, since it was ‘against customs’. And so I waited for Sahar to talk.

“Ahmad!” She didn’t try to hug me, or initiate any physical contact. She didn’t even stand close. Instead, she put her hand unto her chest and nodded slightly, as if greeting me. I also did the same.

“I’m glad you finally got to level 10.” Sahar said. “It’s been quite a long time since your last levelup. You must be so happy to have finally gotten your apprenticeship!”

So she hadn’t gotten the news that I was grounded.

Sahar went on, “Grandfather told me you were grounded, but don’t worry. He takes things seriously, you know. He always does. But everything will come around. And to be honest,”

She leaned just a tiny bit closer to me and whispered, “I think he’s madder at himself. And Cahil, since he didn’t take care of the materials properly. So don’t worry too much.”

I nodded.

So apparently Sahar and I were relatives. That took a large load off my mind. With DubbAlina’s previous, worrying statement about Sahar, and with Sahar’s familiarity to Ahmad, I had been considering the possibility that they were lovers or something of the sort. Luckily that didn’t seem to be the case.

I didn’t say anything, but Sahar didn’t seem to be offended. It was like this was the usual between them. The previous Ahmad must have been very quiet. For a brief moment, I wondered what had happened to him. That thought quickly escaped my mind, however.

“I asked Grandfather to let you come with me to the market.” Sahar said, “Mother’s not here, and I said I didn’t want to go alone. He said yes.”

“So,” she hesitated. “Do you want to come with me?”

I looked into Sahar’s beautiful eyes and chocolate colored skin, partly hidden away by a beige cloth. DubbAlina didn’t say anything, so I guessed it was safe. It would be okay. I wondered what the market would be like.

I nodded. “I’ll go.” I said in Ahmad’s deep voice.

Sahar’s expression brightened at my answer. She picked up a bag of cloth, and walked away. I followed her. I hadn’t ever been outside once, not as Ahmad. Not that being trapped inside the house was a bad thing. There was no telling what dangerous things might greet me outside, and frankly I liked it better indoors. I liked to conserve my energy. The moment I walked out, I was greeted with a gorgeous sky.

The world was best described as an in-between the city and the countryside on Earth. There were many buildings and there were many people, but there were also mountains far off in the distance. I saw a river, surrounded by many buildings. They were mostly around three or four stories high: not too high, but not too low, either. There were people, but not as many as there were in China. Ahmad waved to some, and they waved back. It was a town, that was the best word to describe it. Just like a town on Earth.

There was, however, one thing that was completely different from anything that existed on Earth. Anything I had ever seen. In the distance, there was a small white building. It rather looked like a medieval castle, but with the distance, I could be wrong. There were points of red and brown here and there.

The roads were made with cobblestone, but somehow it was very even. Carriages went by smoothly without clunking. I followed Sahar into the market.

The market was not like that of a traditional market, but it wasn’t that of a supermarket, either. It was like a street, filled with many shops. There were shops that sold fish, shops that sold vegetables, and there were many, many people. There were still few compared to China, I thought as I walked past several people. Or maybe it just felt that way because I was so tall. It was a delight being tall.

I could get used to this, I thought with a grin. Sahar turned towards me and my grin disappeared, to become expressionless.

Sahar shopped a lot. She bought cloth, coal, glass vials of some kind, a pot, and plenty of food. She looked around for materials, and fished around the markets before tossing one into the cart. And the bartering. Sahar was very good at bartering, I thought, interested. Her voice was clear, smart, and logical, and she never once lost her temper.

I admired Sahar’s skills. With a word she could change people's minds. I also wanted to try it out once, and I would have, if only DubbAlina wasn't hissing in my ear all the time. Instead I acted as Sahar's butler, dragging around all the things she bought. My arms were heavy, but it wasn’t too bad. The heaviest was the rice. Just thinking about it made my mouth water.

“The leaves are wilting.” Sahar said skeptically to a shopkeeper. They seemed to be well-acquainted with each other. “It’s been two days since they were picked, minimum. Only a fool would pay seven copper.”

“It’s been a dry season,” The shopkeeper said, “So all the prices are two coppers higher than before. You can ask any shop, I swear. We’re already taking a serious loss here.”

“A dry season? The underground river project was completed just a month ago, so that’s of no concern. The irrigation systems are free. Who are you trying to fool?” Sahar shot back.

“The water is free, but the extra manpower that’s needed for the work isn’t.” The shopkeeper pleaded. “It’s very hard to find more workers, with the current monster rampages and all. The farmers aren’t willing to sell.”

Sahar inspected another vegetable. “Six coppers.” She finally said. “That’s my final price. You seriously can’t be asking for more than that.”

“Six coppers?” The woman sighed. “Our shop will be bankrupt if we keep having customers like you.”

Sahar tossed the bundle of vegetables over to me. “Sly rat.” She muttered. “What bankruptcy? I’ve never seen a store do better.”

All that aside, I thought, Sahar was amazing. She saved close to a silver with her skills- I counted. I wondered if I could change jobs. Learning how to barter from Sahar would be very helpful. I wasn't very high on money back home. Adults rarely took me seriously, though, so even if I had money I doubted I would be able to buy anything useful. Imagine a seven year old buying a kitchen knife or trying to exchange gold.

Sahar must have a merchant-related skill.

I watched as she took along two plums from the stall next to the woman’s. The owner grinned as Sahar handed him a copper piece. Sahar handed one fruit to me, her eyes shining.

“Take it.” She said, “It’s good.”

I took a large bite. It was delicious. It was sweet and sour, just like plums back home. I almost licked the juice dribbling on my chin, before stopping as I realized Sahar wasn’t there. I turned around for her, spitting the pit onto the ground.

Sahar had stopped walking. She looked at the sight in front of her, and her face turned pale.

I looked forward curiously, trying to see above the piles of stuff I had in my hands. It looked and sounded like some sort of commotion, I thought. Though I had no idea what it was. The people in front of us were running, as if trying to escape from the scene. Stores shut down. The hairs on my neck stood up, as if electricity was running through my veins.

“We have to go back to the house!” Sahar’s voice sounded urgent. “Quickly!”

From afar, I could see some sort of flying creature. They were red, and there were several of them. They looked like birds, but I wasn’t sure. People were screaming, and people don't usually make such a fuss on birds, unless they are eating all the corn.

“Run!” Sahar said. Her face was white, but she wasn't screaming, which I appreciated. Not that chaos was bad, but I was getting confused by the current situation and it was nice to have someone who knew what they were doing. I followed Sahar as she ran back home. I breathed lightly. Sahar was panting, as if running was difficult for her.

What was all this commotion about? I wondered. The shops were closing one after another. It was as if, I thought to myself, they were expecting such a commotion. No, not expecting. People who expect things don't scream when it happens to them. It was more as if they were prepared. Their faces looked more like 'fuck, why me' than a 'oh my god what the fuck is happening'. Cursing. I must have been tainted by DubbAlina.

Sahar froze in front of me. Any words I was about to say escaped back into my mouth as I looked upon the large rat speeding towards us. A rat. I didn’t laugh. A good-sized rat could be a huge threat, as I knew from living in the countryside, and this one was the biggest I had ever seen. There was little time to waste.

The rat jumped towards Sahar. Sahar screamed.

I dropped all the other materials in my hand except for the pot and smashed it against the rat’s head.

Sahar was panting raggedly, as if she was still dazzled by what had happened. I dropped the pot on the floor.

“I’m okay.” Sahar said weakily, but I could feel she wasn’t okay. And she knew it too.

I picked up the materials I had left on the ground. The rice and some of the vegetables weren't damaged, and the coal and harder materials were naturally just as when we bought them. The eggs, though, were splattered on the ground. I winced. What a waste of good food. I supposed everything glass was also broken, which was also a pity. They had been expensive.

“Is it dead?” I said out loud, to hear DubbAlina whoop.

“Right in the kisser!” She laughed. “It’s a waste of a good body to be a craftsman, that’s what. A man needs to kill!”

But I wasn’t a man. I decided to keep that to myself. There were more important things to do for now.

I heard a ring.

 

 

 

“Status?” I said out loud. The status screen appeared in front of my eyes.

 

 

I leveled up.

Well, that explains why DubbAlina is so happy.