"The fucking thing followed me!" Stevo croaked, shaking his head.
Stevo, Debbie and Kahlil stood around in Stevo's kitchen, each deep in thought, glancing at the body of the cyclops, it's eye having been destroyed by Stevo's vegetable knife, cucumber slices left unregarded on the chopping board.
Kahlil was first to speak.
"They have found our world, we have to assume that means the invasion is coming soon. We should prepare to move to the farm at a moments notice."
"I guess they marked me somehow so they could follow?" Stevo mused, not realizing that was exactly what had happened weeks earlier. The mysterious force had been monitoring his going back and forward to the other world, until they knew exactly where he originated. The cyclops was expendible, only sent to provide confirmation.
"We can't leave a cyclops corpse in Stevo's kitchen, help me chop it up, then I will make a quick trip and dump the bits in the forest in the other place."
Stevo and Kahlil looked at Debbie, then at each other, Stevo raising an eyebrow at the casual way Deb planned the disposal of a body. Kahlil pulled out his glowing blade, and in seconds the body was reduced to several chunks that could be stuffed into Debbie's seemingly bottomless pack. She vanished briefly, before returning seconds later, just as Stevo had started mopping the floor.
"We need to be careful, I doubt there will be a repeat of this. I imagine the magic needed would make it too expensive to do this on a whim. They are going to open portals for an invasion force when they are ready, they will save their thunder for that. Even so, consider that even here at home, there is always a threat. Be watchful. "
Stevo nooded, looked around his kitchen for a moment, then made a decision.
"I think I'm going to pack a bag and move to the farm tonight, I will feel safer there, especially if one of you guys are always around. I agree it's unlikely they will send anything else after us, but for now I don't want to be alone."
"I have a better idea Stevo, why don't you stay at the Inn in Drebun for a few days while I finish getting the HQ set up? The people there all look up to you, and will watch your back I'm sure."
Kahlil's suggestion elicited nods from Stevo, and from Debbie, who said that she would tell her family she was going to visit friends from uni for a few days, and do the same thing. They would both help Kahlil at the farmhouse during the day, before returning to the other place to sleep.
"What about you Kahlil?" Debbie asked.
"Don't worry about me, I will be fine for now."
Stevo grabbed his phone, and used an app to order a couple of large pizzas. His early night forgotten, but not his hunger! The group moved into the living room.
"You know, something is bothering me about this.". Debbie said looking pensive. The others focused on her.
"This mysterious voice gave us the chance to visit another world to get skills and abilities to help defend this one, right?"
Stevo and Kahlil nodded in agreement.
"Yet, if we hadn't visited the other place, would our enemy have even discovered this planet?"
They all looked at each other in silence for a moment.
"A paradox" Kahlil stated thoughtfully.
"No use worrying about that now, we are about to have a war to fight." Debbie said, her voice filled with resolve. She had a particularly menacing look on her face, Stevo understood from that one look how she had been single for as long as he'd known her. "scary", he muttered under his breath.
The pizza arrived, and as us often the case when people are enjoying tasty food, the mood lightened a bit. Kahlil even shocked the others by telling one of the worst jokes on this, or indeed any, world. A fly had been buzzing around, obviously attracted by the pizza, causing Kahlil to ask,
"What do you call a fly, without wings?"
He was greeted with silence, even the chewing momentarily stopped.
"A walk."
The silence continued, before Stevo started laughing, soon joined by Debbie. The laughter released some of the tension they were feeling, although the melted-cheese goodness of the pizza surely helped.
Soon Debbie and Kahlil left together, and Stevo quickly tidied away the plates and glasses, the pizza boxes getting ripped up and put in the recycling.
Moments later, Stevo was walking into the inn. Gregoor's father, the innkeeper greeted him warmly, and offered him a mug of ale.
"Thank you, but actually, it was a room I was looking for, probably for a few days.". Replied Stevo.
It turned out that although the inn was currently full, there was an empty room that had mostly been used for storage, Stevo could sleep there for free, as the Innkeeper liked having him around the place. There were some wooden crates in the room, they looked like they had once contained tea, although one of them had a picture of some oranges stenciled on it. Each corner of the room had a cobweb, but there was a clear path to the bed across the dusty floor, and clean bed linen.
It could be much worse, thought Stevo as his eyes closed.
A few hours later, Stevo yawned, stretched, as pulled himself up from his surprisingly comfortable bed. After taking a moment to get his bearings, he wandered down the hallway to the bathroom to wash and get ready for the day.
Upon reaching the bar, he was surprised to see both Debbie and Kahlil, sitting talking with Gregoor. They smiled at him as he approached and took a seat at the table. Moments later, a girl of perhaps twelve or thirteen placed a mug of what appeared to be some sort of tea in front of him, before disappearing and returning with a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and a chunk of freshly baked bread. A breakfast of champions right there.
"How did you sleep Stevo?" Asked Deb.
"Pretty well actually, I was really tired by the time I got here, and the bed was more comfortable than I would ever have expected!"
Kahlil opened his moth to speak, but as he did Daavid, the cart driver Stevo had recently treated for a near fatal arrow wound, approached them.
"Morning Stevo, friends, I just wanted to thank you again for what you did, I feel so much better. When my wife found out what happened she was worried sick! She demanded that I thank you properly, not just from myself, but from her and our young boy too. She dug out this old ring that she said was her grandfather's. In the hands of a healer it would be a good help she said. It's of no use to us, so please accept it with our deep gratitude."
Stevo examined the ring, it was of an unknown metal, but but had a faint pink sheen to it. His HUD described it as "Healer's Ring of Mana - Sets the owner's class as a Healer upon wearing. Adds 10 points to the wearer's Mana Pool. Speeds up mana regeneration by 10%". Wow! This is awesome! Thought Stevo, before wondering what effect becoming a healer would have?
"I will greatfully accept this gift in the spirit it is given, thank you Daavid, and thank your family for me."
With that, Daavid, smiled, nodded and left to go about his business.
"What did he give you Stevo?" asked Debbie. Stevo passed the ring to her to examine.
"Very nice! It's probably worth quite a bit."
"It's priceless to me Deb, I won't ever sell it. It was an heirloom in Daavid's family, and they have passed it to me. I will keep it until I have the right person to pass it on to."
Kahlil turned to Gregor, "So as we are here Gregor, do you have any work for us?"
"I could use a couple of people to act as guards for Daavid actually. He'll be taking cart full of vegetables out to the east a few miles, where he'll meet a cart with eggs and live chickens, the drivers and guards swap vehicles and return. The last time Daavid went on a trip, he ended up with an arrow in him. I bet he'd feel safer with you guys along."
"I'm in if you are Kahlil!" Deb said decisively.
"You guys go ahead, I'm going to stay here and let the word get out there is a healer in the inn." Stevo said whilst finishing his Bread.
Kahlil nodded agreeing with Stevo's plan.
"OK Gregoor, we'll go along."
"Thanks to you both, I can pay you one silver each for your trouble."
Stevo (Medic, junior grade, adds +5 to all heals)
Level 10
Experience (XP) 46/150
Intelligence 25
Strength 15
Stamina 15
Agility / Dexterity 13
Luck 14
Charisma 9
Mana Sense 5
Mana 30 (increased regeneration by 10%)
Health: 58/58
Skills: Flee Danger level 1.
Spells: Shocking Spark (weak electric spark, stuns)
Lesser gift of health. (Heals 15 points (+5))
Items:
Basic Clothing
Simple Backpack
Wooden Club
Glow Ring
Healer's ring of Mana
Minor Potion of Healing x27
4 Silver, 5 Copper
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