The smell of the road ahead wasn’t so bad… once I got used to all the livestock smells anyways, and occasionally a little bit of fungi-stink. I’d kind of expected the outer areas to be just flat lands and big fields when I first came through here, but whenever I did walk through this pastoral area I noticed something new - especially when forced to walk as slow as I was now, carrying a wheeled cart with me. While my mind constantly raced to my egg left back home, it was hard not to let it wander as I noticed new features amidst the hills.

  There were a few cave entrances I recall Adam telling me about - some of them weren’t caves at all, but tunnels dug out from old caves for use in times of war or for special transit, he mentioned, while others were used to cultivate mushrooms year-round. Occasionally, they were also plumbed for worms and the like to use as bait to use in the nearby rivers that flowed through the area, and if they felt daring, swimming in the outsides of the Leofborough city moat - though the gators that had come to infest it tended to scare people off, or so I’d been told. My luck was not so high that I’d had the chance to see them myself.

  Still, as I walked over the beautiful stone bridge to enter the keep, past the sturdy gatehouse that held on the outer wall, and entered the city, the confusing roads and strange smells almost overwhelmed me as soon as I entered the gate.

  It was definitely a much higher standard of living than actual medieval times as I’d learned about it in school - there were a lot of craftsmen and workers that bustled through the inner cities, shops open all over with bright decorations and well-tailored clothes. If that strange malaise around the area didn’t tickle my nose so badly for the first while whenever I entered Leofborough, I’d be pretty dazzled by the sight every time.

  The reflections off the water, the smooth and marbled architecture, the lanterns that, as I was told by Ionos, glowed with magical fire, and the sheen of the sparkling streets, the occasional piece of quartz or other precious stone amidst the cobblestone shining with grandeur…

  Well, it still kinda dazzled me. Unfortunately, the winding streets were both dazzling and unfamiliar to me, and even as an experienced city-dweller I found myself having to hold my map up to my face when I kept walking, making sure every single time I made a turn it was the right one. I was anxious to get back and see my egg, after all, and I felt like every second I spent away was a second that it might hatch without me.

  My first order of business was to get to the local blacksmith for…

  “...A hammer, shears, and a letter opener...” I mumbled aloud, checking my list with a squint. I probably looked a little ridiculous with my arms curled under the cart’s arms so I could hold onto the cart and stare at the map and my list of items at the same time.

  It was also unsafe, and I ended up stumbling directly into someone - or something, soft in front of me, tripping with a girlish “Awkkkk!” as I tripped and fell backwards feet first. My spine hit the ground a moment before someone else fell butt-first directly on my chest with a scared “eep!”

  “Oh god! I’m sorry!” a small voice called out. I wanted to say I recognized it, but my attempt to remember was interrupted by my skull whipping back as a counter-weight and smacking the medieval pavement with a painful bonk that left a lot of funny little flecks in my vision.

  I was a little fuzzy as I picked my face off the pavement to see a familiar woman half my size. Short raven hair framed a face with a tiny nose and pale blue eyes that contrasted her tanned complexion.

  “Wait… Calia, right? I remember you from the castle! You were the one who could do the fast movey!”

  “Y-yeah, that’s me.” the samurai hero replied, brushing her hair out of her eyes. “You’re the extra hero, the druid, right? The one that can make little ferns?” She asked.

  I did look away a little at that in embarassment, as she composed herself. “W-wait, I’m sorry, that was such a mean way to put it…”

  I gave a soft chuckle. “No, don’t worry about it. I don’t think I really count as a hero though. Like you said, I’m the odd man out, remember?”

  “That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be counted though. You’re still stuck here, same as the rest of us.” She replied, offering a hand down. I took it reluctantly, only for her to yank me up with all the strength of a bull mastiff, my tendons unsure if they could drag my poor feeble bones along fast enough. I felt my arm try to leave its socket as she pulled me to my feet, yet somehow I was merely left with a sore shoulder as I tried to shake the ow out of my arm.

  “Oh, I’m sorry! I pulled too hard, didn’t I? I’m still getting used to my new strength in the world, and sometimes… I didn’t mean to hurt you again!” Calia spoke, as I choked down a grunt of pain.

  “N-no, I’m uhh… I’m a pretty sturdy druid, ya know?” I replied, biting my cheek to suppress a scream so hard my voice partly muffled. “And I’m pretty strong myself, spending all week on the farm.” I replied with a nonchalant grin.

  “So that’s where you’ve been…” Calia spoke up. “We’ve been worried about you, ya know?” she told me, adjusting the collar of her black dress shirt.

  I shook myself off like a dog to try to throw the pain of my half-dislocated shoulder off like it was rain, before replying with my face scrunched into surprise. “Really? I had no idea.”

  “Yeah, Victor’s been asking about where you are constantly. I think he’s really concerned about you.” Calia replied with a glowing smile that punted me in my heart.

  “...Yeah..” I managed. “I’m sure he was… real concerned. Super appreciate it.” I offered, choking down an annoyed grunt. If Calia noticed the deadpan scowl I had, she didn’t seem to say anything on it, giving a smile.

  “I’ll let him know you’re okay!” She offered.

  “No, that’s… fine, I’ll tell him myself. Anyways, uhh… it was great seeing ya!” I offered, heading towards the blacksmith. “But I have some things to pick up. I’d love to stick around, but it feels like just finding these places is going to take me a little while…”

  “Oh, have you not been before?” Calia asked, seeming excited. “I could lead you there, if you’d like!”

  I cocked my head, unsure on how I felt about hanging out. This felt like it could lead to another surprise meeting with Victor, or missing my egg’s hatching. And if I was honest, I didn’t really enjoy spending time in a place where I could lose my way so easily…

  But as I caught Calia’s expression, there was a mix of things that stopped me. There was a desire to help, but also something of a… well, it reminded me of seeing a stray dog out in the rain.

  “...Yeah.” I said, something instinctual to me waking up. “I’d love that.”

  Calia’s smile was like gold as she gave a nod. “Just make sure you follow my lead! I’ll get you there as fast as I can!”

  I went to say something, but she’d already started moving before I could open my mouth, and I was forced to hoof it, scooping the cart as Calia zoomed off.

  “H-hey! I can’t run that fast!” I yelled, running as fast as I could behind her.

  If she heard me, she gave no sign of it as she kept going, leaving me to keep up.

  —

  I arrived at the blacksmith huffing and puffing, gasping and panting as we ran to the general store, and wheezing and coughing as we grabbed fertilizer and other supplements and tools from the Farmer’s Guild. I did attempt to protest that the cart was getting a little too heavy for me to go that fast, but Calia, with a smile I couldn’t refuse, had just happily taken the cart that by now was filled with plenty of heavy stuff… and moved like the whole thing weighed as much as an empty milk jug. Given the fact her arms looked smaller than mine, I had to conclude that this was her class and whatnot giving her some kind of special strength bonuses to let her haul stuff like this.

  The energy to ask about that, however, was not found in my noodly brain as I left the general store, and Calia asked excitedly, “Where to next?!”

  “...Bakery.” I replied. “Can we, uhh…”

  “What? Do you need something else?” She asked with a dangerous grin, legs already ready to sprint. “I’ll lead you there fast!”

  Fast I didn’t doubt - I think we’d hit every place in about twenty minutes, including the time we'd spent actually buying what we needed and arranging it on the cart. Fast was actually becoming the main concern!

  “H-how about we… walk a little slower. Talk… y’know, keep it a little bit… chill…” I mumbled, as Calia seemed to notice my exhausted face and put a hand to her mouth in shock.

  “...Oh. Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to rush… I just… wanted to be helpful. I didn’t mean to…”

  I flashed a thumbs-up, sweat coming off my brow. “It’s fine. It’s good. I just… haven’t got to talk to someone else from our… own world, ya know?”

  Calia gave a frown, thinking about it. “...Yeah. I… try not to think about it, a lot of the time. It just makes things complicated.”

  I gave a nod, giving a small shrug. “I don’t really think about it too often myself. But…”

  I gave a tap on my chin. “...I guess I don’t miss it that much. I have friends I really miss from there, sure, but I was pretty far from my family. I certainly don’t miss my part-time job. And I definitely don’t miss my old paycheques.” I admitted with a shrug.

  “Heh. Yeah.” Calia replied, looking down at the pavement with a wistful expression. “I think there’s a bunch of stuff we all might not miss from where we’re from - assuming it’s from the same place, anyways…”

  I tapped my chin in wonder. “Huh. Yeah. I guess we do all come from modern times, but that doesn’t mean that we actually have for sure the same place that we come to. Err… Maybe we could compare culture? Do you remember Walking with Dinosaurs?” I blurted with a big grin.

  Calia’s face crumpled into an embarrassed frown. “Oh. Uh… those… aren’t really my thing.”

  “Documentaries, or dinosaurs?” I asked, my smile slowly deflating like a pufferfish.

  “Well, I think Dinosaurs are… okay, I guess, but… I don’t think I’ve ever really watched a documentary…”

  “They can be really awesome! There’s one about Orcas…” I replied, my mouth going a mile a minute.

  Calia’s smile turned pitying as she gave a nervous shrug“...For longer than about thirty minutes before zoning out. I don’t really do passive things like that.”

  The color drained a little out of my face as she replied. “...Oh.”

  “...I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that! I just…” Calia spoke up, but I put a hand up to stop her.

  “...Hey, I get it. I have niche hobbies. Sorry, I’m the one who started getting all obsessive.” I replied with a strained smile.

  “...What about video games? Maybe you remember Legend of Selma? Or Kings of hearts?” She asked with a soothing smile I thought was to make me feel better, as she tried to make a new connection here. Unfortunately…

  “Well... I play games on my phone from time to time, but we didn’t really have the money growing up for a console. So I haven’t played much…” I admitted with a shrug.

  “Oh…” Calia replied, as both of us thought this through. “Well, what other hobbies do you have?”

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  “Uhh… I liked history a bit?” I replied. “Read a lot of old novels like Catcher in the Rye, Mice and Men…”

  Calia nodded, though there was a certain worried expression. “Do you like anime? Or… Japanese stuff in general?”

  “I, uhm…” I stumbled on words, “...Never really got into any of that, no. Back when I was a teen, I kinda felt I should focus on what my culture made, and, uhh, kinda thought cartoons were for kids for a while…”

  Calia’s shoulders slumped with a certain bit of defeat, before I continued, “But I knew a gal who got me over that a little bit, so I did find this one anime about ninja I liked?”

  “Oh, cool! So you’ve watched Waruto?” She asked with a gleam in her eyes.

  “Oh, uhm… no.” I shrugged nervously. “Actually, it was pretty gritty. I think it was called Ninjas… Resurrecting, wait, no, Ninja Scroll!” I responded triumphantly.

  “...I don’t know that one.” She replied with a disappointed tone.

  “...Do we not share interests at all?” I finally asked, something she helplessly shrugged on.

  “...I guess it makes sense.” Calia finally spoke up. “I, uhm, have some nerdy hobbies.”

  “So do I!” I put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, just because I don’t know these things doesn’t mean they’re not cool! It just means I might have been missing out!”

  “Yeah, except you had at least one friend to share them with.” Calia replied, giving a slightly jealous frown. “All I had to share with was my cat, Siegfried.”

  “Oh my god, you had a cat?!” I snapped up, excitement gleaming in my eyes, and as our eyes met I saw a similar sparkle in hers.

  “Yes I did!” she replied with a burst of excitement, and before I could even speak up she had a wallet out and a brace of pictures spilling out for me to look at. “This is my orange son!”

  I had to stop myself from gushing as I looked at that picture. “Oh my god, he’s adorable! What a pretty cat! I absolutely love cats!”

  “You do?” She asked with a smile from ear to ear.

  “Yeah. I tend to love animals in general, but I did always want a cat when I was younger. I had to settle for spoiling my room-mates cats, though.”

  “Oh, so he had two cats?” She asked with a smile of delight.

  “One was named Simple, the other Clean. You know, like the song?” I asked.

  “...Oh, the one from King of Hearts?” She asked. “I thought you didn’t know about games>”

  “Oh. Well I mean, I don’t, but I do watch my roommate play while I’m studying sometimes, and I guess one of his games had that song. I ended up listening to more of Tada’s songs afterwards though, I really love her music.”

  “What other music do you like?” She asked.

  “Uhh… Ever listen to Skater Dude? You know, by-”

  “Avgrill Lavine? Yeah, all the time.” She replied with excitement. Before I knew it both of us were listing off songs, talking about tv shows, animals, and so on. By the time we reached the bakery, neither of us remembered the original point of actually confirming timelines or anything. We were just indulging in a culture only we could really share in our new land, melancholic yet… relaxing.

  She was actually the one attentive enough to point out when we got to our destination, I was so absorbed.

  “Err… the bakery’s right up ahead.” Calia pointed forward to a brightly lit bakery. The sign above the door had a cat laying on a loaf of bread etched into the wood.

  “What? Oh… yeah.” I replied, pulled out of the whirlwind of conversation with a sheepish smile. “I can’t believe we’re already here.”

  “It has been about twenty six minutes, so I’d hope so. We actually walked pretty slow.” Calia noted.

  “How do you know that? You don’t have a watch. Wait, is that a samurai skill?” I asked incredulously.

  “No, I just happen to be really good at telling time.” She admitted with a somber smile. “It’s… it was a really good skill to have at home.”

  I just gave a friendly nod. “Wish I had something like that from my past life. I don’t even really have a talent with animals, and it’s the field I wanted to get into.”

  Calia gives a nod, as the two of us headed into the bakery, and further conversation was cut off by the smell of freshly baked bread and pastries wafting into our noses like a golden-brown assault of butter and cinnamon and sugar.

  “It smells so goood in here.” Calia murmured, almost drooling, and I just nodded. The bakery smelled so pleasant it was like I could taste the cinnamon buns placed in the wooden racks from here, could feel the warmth of the butter on my tongue. I had been in many a Starpucks or Duncan Donut’s before, but none of them compared to this in scent.

  No sooner had I spoken than I heard booming laughter from the other side of a divider. “Ha-ha! Welcome to Kriskoff’s!”

  “Are you Kriskoff?!” I blurted out, needing to check if Mary was being serious with me, as the man came into view behind the counter. He was a large man, with a mustache the size of a large crab. His hair was neatly combed back and he had a stocky build that lacked the normal belly I kinda expected a baker to have.

  The big man leaned on the table with rolled-up sleeves, a faint puff of flour erupting from beneath them. “Nah. Kriskoff’s my aunt on my Mother’s side. Helped fund the whole thing starting up. ‘Name’s Ambrose Riekoff. What can I do ya for, sir?”

  I picked my list back up, remembering I had to ask for something specific, as I scratched my head. “I’m looking for a few loaves of bread, some lemon tarts and… The Batter’s Special Pie?”

  Ambrose raised an eyebrow at me suspiciously. “Are you new around here? I’ve never heard anyone say it so confused before. Where you from, friend?”

  “Oh, he’s from the same place I am.” Calia excitedly explained, and Ambrose relaxed almost instantly.

  “Ahh, you’re a friend of our fair lady here. No further explanation necessary, then!” He replied with a suddenly wide open grin. “No woman who has so many compliments for my cinnamon buns could possibly have terrible friends!”

  “D… do you have any, by the way? If it’s not any trouble…” Calia murmured

  “Trouble? For you, my lady Samurai, it is free! Just remember my bakery once in a while once you’re all situated in your kingdom, ahh? Kriskoff’s might not compare to a royal banquet, but I hope my sweets at least bring you a smile of equal sweetness!” the burly baker replied, patting Calia on the back while procuring a cinnamon bun seemingly out of thin air from behind him, offering it to Calia, who gave a happy grin in return.

  “Thaaank you.”

  I gave a bit of a nervous laugh at the sheer size of the man, as he turned to me with a finger tapping his chin. “And you… so are you the wizard she has spoken so much of already? Or… perhaps the shaman? You aren’t the Runesmith or Spiritist, I’ve met them already…” Ambrose asked.

  “Oh. He’s the fifth hero. You know, the Druid?” Calia asked.

  “...No, indeed, I did not. A fifth hero?!” Ambrose asked, the baker dropping the rolling pin he held onto the counter.

  I frowned. “My name is Noah.” I replied. “And I’m not really a hero. Class, sure, but i’m not in the prophecy. I’m just an… error, you know?”

  Ambrose turned to look me in the eyes. “...No idea, honestly! Only it doesn’t match the tales we’re told as children, that’s all. But magic doing something those lords and nobles in the castle don’t expect isn’t a big shock! Especially with something so big. At any rate… you seem like a pretty good kid to me.”

  “I’m like, twenty!” I insisted, before just getting patted by this 6 foot-and-a-lot giant like I was a little cat.

  “Yeah, s’what I said. Kid. Little bebe.” Ambrose replied with a chuckle, patting a hand on his gut. “...Enjoy being considered a kid while ya can. Middle-age hits like a fist to the gut, and you don’t get to go back once you get there.”

  I wanted to protest but it also felt kinda nice to be doted on, so I didn’t.

  Calia just gave a sheepish smile. “So the king never mentioned Noah in his big speech the other day?”

  “Nope! Were you there?” Ambrose asked. “He was pretty concrete on the whole ‘four heroes’ being summoned. We weren’t told about the special bonus over here.”

  I gave a frown. “...Guess he didn’t want to talk about me. I mean… I already said I didn’t have interest in the whole great destiny thing-”

  “Do you mind if we go eat in the seating area? Er.. would you want some… kind of food, Noah?” Calia spoke up like a whip, cutting off the conversation. “I’m really hungry after that run.”

  I was a little taken aback, stepping back a little at the brazen comment. “Err… sure?” I asked, giving a sidelong smile. “Do you guys do, uhm, sausage rolls? I suppose I could have one of those.”

  Ambrose gave a grin. “You lucked out. Just finished a new batch for the lunch rush. Anyone else looking to get one? You in the back?” He asked aloud, as I turned.

  The man he was speaking to had dark red hair and a pale complexion - kinda reminded me of an old goth type with a black coat. The fancily-dressed gentleman had a purple crow embroidered into the fabric of the coat, just above his heart, and I felt the need to call out, “Oh hey! Love your outfit!” as I noticed a fellow animal lover!

  He froze like a deer in headlights, putting up his hood as he rushed for the door “Er… no, I must be going. Thank you, Ambrose.”

  “No problem. Come back soon!” Ambrose spoke up, but the goth in broad daylight had already disappeared out the door. “...Strange. People don’t usually come in so unsociable. Well… it’s certainly within his rights to leave quickly if he so chooses. Far be it from me to Question a noble of House Ravencroft.”

  “Ravencroft?” I asked innocently.

  “Yeah. You ever heard of them?” Ambrose asked, “Noble house…” He noted, ready to continue before his eyes caught Calia’s expression… so did mine, as I noticed her practically drooling over the cinnamon bun in her hand with a deepening frown. “Ah, don’t quibble about it. Go sit down on the patio outside. I’ll have your roll out in a second.”

  I gave a nod, following Calia out, yet as I left, looking for some trace of this Ravencroft guy, I couldn’t help but be a little surprised. He’d already disappeared completely into the city.

  “...Hope we didn’t spook him.” I muttered to myself.

  Calia tilted her head. “Hmm?”

  I just shrugged. “Oh, nothing. Hey, have you tried those sausage rolls before?”