sigh.

I begrudgingly will myself to stand and make my way towards the settlement in the distance. When I was on the dune the Elephantays and their riders were far ahead of me, and I didn’t spot anyone else in the area. As I walk I immediately notice the effects of [Aberrant Step] and [Adaptable Step], with the dark grey sand immediately feeling much cooler to my senses and my feet automatically adapting to the shifting sands beneath me.

“This is much better! maybe choosing walking wasn’t such a bad idea after all”, I say to Nora. Wait. Where's Nora?

“Ah crap!” I exclaim with a sigh of frustration. I had forgotten her and my backpack at the bottom of the sand dune. Why am I always like this?

After collecting them both I continue onwards to the settlement. With nothing to really do, I spend some time browsing the list of options available to me. Maybe I’ll unlock new options when I level up? I still have one trait point to spend on an enhancement for [Walking], and several to spend on [Masking]. There are so many different things to pick from. I could be a pyromancer slinging bolts of fire, or a druid that can turn in to a bird with complete freedom to fly wherever I want. I always thought lightning magic would be so cool, fast and explosive!

Back on Earth - damn that’s a weird thought - I loved taking hot girl walks, but I always had my headphones to listen to music or podcasts. Not having them was… strange. Boring. An odd thing to feel after what I’ve been through in the last few hours - but there’s not exactly anything interesting to do. I wonder what happened? Why did those solar flares happen? What was that white wave? How exactly would that bring me here to this other world?

“Crap, am I dead?” I mutter. I didn’t even think of that possibility at the time. It was a sobering thought. I’m not religious, but if there is an afterlife then this aint' so bad, could have been worse. Well, no use dwelling on it. Maybe I’ll find out more when I get to the settlement. Hopefully I can blend in using [Masking] and find someone to explain all of this to me.

It takes a few hours - or at least that’s how long it felt, I have no way of tracking time - to reach the settlement. Well, when I say reach the settlement, I actually mean I climbed a sand dune nearby. The dunes stop a ways out from the settlement, forming a clearing, with the one I’m on being on the edge of that clearing.

“Let’s see what we’re dealing with here” I half grunt, half whisper, as I reach the top and lay flat against the ridge to minimize the chance of being spotted.

Peaking over the ridge, I realise the settlement is much large than I realised. it stretches to the horizon, with numerous gates skirting its walls of white stone, contrasting the dark grey sands around it, and large stretches of roofs and a few taller buildings poking over them. I can’t see the entire thing from here - but it must be large enough to host tens of thousands of people - maybe more!

“Well… at least we might have a decent chance of blending in?”.

“vewygewduwu” I squawk in a cute high pitched voice, acting as Nora’s voice.

Unfortunately, one problem becomes apparent after studying the settlement - well, at this point it may as well be a city. There are guards stationed at the gates, and I can just about see a group of travellers at a different gate handing over something to the guards - payment to enter, most likely.

“Do you think they take card?”

What to do…

I have nothing to pay them with. I don’t even really have anything I could trade aside from my backpack and a few clothes, which I doubt they’ll care for. There’s no way I could sneak over those walls - maybe picking up [Masking] so hastily was a mistake - I didn’t think there would be restrictions on entering!

I could wait it out and approach some travellers, they might be willing to getting me in. There was the classic hide-under-a-cart trick, except I don’t even know if they have carts here - the travellers I saw earlier just seemed to attach packs to the Elephantays. Do carts work on sand? maybe magical ones do. Let’s face it anyway, it’s not like I could sneak up on them in this desert, and even if I could there’s no chance I would be able to hang on for long enough to get in to the city.

“Ugh!” I groan, stretching my arms out as if willing the world to take me from this place. I didn’t want to tell people about all that white world with text stuff and the whole divergent anomaly thing it talked about. It said ‘System Integration’… maybe if I tell them that, they’ll understand? Earth probably isn’t the first planet that has been integrated, and I’m probably not the first person from a newly integrated world that they will have met.

Right?

Right?!?!

Right.

“Let’s take a break Nora, maybe we’ll think of something”. Rubbing my hands together in excitement, I grab my axolotl bottle and finish off the remains of my water, as well as my breakfast bar. Walking for hours is hard work, I deserve a little treat!

Thinking over my options, it really comes down to two things. I approach some random travellers and hope they aren’t horrific people, or I approach the guards and hope they aren’t horrific people. Both options are bad, but hopefully their police force is more of the British variety as opposed to the American variety.

So it’s settled. I’ll approach the guards and tell them I’m an alien from Earth that was teleported here against my will by a monotonous voice in a white room that also told me I was a divergent anomaly and that I was being isolated to their planet, Astrion.

What could go wrong?

“Hello!” I shout towards the idling guards - two of them. Dog, why did I do that - I should have just waited for them to say something. They’re dressed in black cloth with no noticeable armour, but perhaps it lays underneath? Both are equipped with what appears to be a sheathed sword or melee weapon of some kind.

Hoodies cover their heads, hiding most of their features. They have a humanoid shape, and I almost thought they were humans at first glance, however as I get closer, the silhouette of a tail is made clear to me along with their green, scaly skin.

“Hello?” I hear one of the guards say in confusion, struggling to pronounce the word. It sounds like a male voi-

“Keldor?”

Frak.

I forgot to activate my [Masking] Skill! What the hell is wrong with me! I should just give up, this whole otherworldly-video-game-hero thing is clearly not my cup of tea. Maybe I’ll just wander off and let an alien sand cow munch on me or something.

“Hello? Keldor?” he says.

I could activate my skill now, but they can already see what I look like, so changing my appearance is out. if I start transforming in front of them, things might turn really bad! I should have really tested this out earlier. Maybe if I activate my skill, I can choose not to mimic their appearance and just use the language trait it provides? Worth a shot I suppose.

Oh. Yeah. So how do I activate a skill?

“Siri, if you activate [Masking] for me I will never ever say anything mean about you ever again. Please”. I mutter under my breath, hoping the guards don’t catch that.

> [Masking] Activated

Oh thank dog!

“Oops sorry! I zoned out and didn’t quite catch that, could you say that again please?” I say in their unfamiliar language - my lips and vocal cords contorting themselves to match the intent of what I want to say - with my brain simultaneously understanding the translation.

“Uhhh. I was asking what ‘Hello’ was?” he says, clearly still confused.

“Ah, a word of greeting in my native language of ‘English’” I say. Well, I guess I’m committed now.

“Ah! I have never heard of it, where are you from? Are you alone?”. It’s strange - my skill seems to be giving me information on his body language and facial expressions in so much detail. The way his arms rest casually by his side, the way his partner is further back with his hand not on his weapon - but close enough. The changes in intonation indicating the shift from confusion to… curiosity and caution?

“A planet called Earth! It’s quite far from here, you likely haven’t heard of it”, I say with a smile and extraverted openness that is peak sunshine-happy-rainbow-puppy-dog. Either this is just how these people communicate, or my skill believes this to be the best way to maintain positive relations with the guards. "I'm indeed by myself"

“I have not! Quite impressive to brave these deserts alone.” the guard says through a grin, and I notice his partner relax a little. “Well then. What is your name and purpose for your visit?” he says in a more monotonous voice - clearly an oft-repeated phrase for him.

My name? should I tell them my real one? What if knowing my true name gives them incredible power over me and I - nah, who am I kidding, I’m sure it’s fine.

“I’m Lara, nice to meet you. I’m just here to explore the area. What’s your name?”

“I’m Loric, and this is Bryn.” He says, while vaguely motioning to the person behind him. I spend the next few minutes making small-talk, engaging them while also trying to gather as much information as possible. I suppose they must be dreadfully bored out here, as they welcome the conversation and change of pace. I can tell through my skill that they aren’t too suspicious of me - the lack of armour and weaponry on me probably helps. A bit strange considering they said it was brave to wander here alone, maybe they think I'm strong and don't want to offend me?

The main thing of note that I picked up in the conversation is that this city is called Lumiria. I did have to make up a few small lies, but I’m sure they won’t come to bite me in the ass later. Innit Nora?

"sus"

“Well then, we should get back to work - it was lovely to meet you Lara. The entry price to the city will be 100 Ether” Loric says with a smile, holding out his hand.

“Ah, yeah…” I say hesitantly. He frowns.

“See, I used most of my ether before setting out on my journey here, and I’m such a klutz that I ended up losing what I had left” I giggle, trying to play the dumb-blonde angle. Not that I’m blonde, but hey. I'll do whatever it takes to get through this for now.

“Ah, I guess you wouldn’t of had time to cultivate on your way here. That is unfortunate. We can’t let you in the city without payment, but you’re welcome to cultivate outside the walls until you can afford entry.”

Cultivation? What the hell is that? Is my skills translation failing me?

“Is there perhaps another option? I’m very tired from my journey and I’d like to grab a meal soon” I say in my most innocent voice.

“Mmmmmm…” He says, thinking. “We could use an Ether Leech, but I wouldn’t recommend it”.

“Ether leech?” I say. That doesn’t sound good.

“Yeah, I assume you haven't had to experience one before? We can give you entry after attaching it, but it will cost twice as much, and the experience can be quite… uncomfortable.”

That sounds... disturbing.

Do I have any other option? I have no idea what cultivation is, and it seems like I’ll be able to enter if I keep playing along without revealing that I’m this divergent anomaly from a newly integrated world. I’m already at -20,000 Ether from those penalties. What’s another 200?

“I see. I am in quite the hurry unfortunately, so I think an Ether leech would be best.” I say.

“If you’re sure… Bryn, mind grabbing one?”