It had been a week since Rich had left his group to go explore the capital city in Greenseal, the Kingdom of Thravos. He had gone down the path to the city as Grey, asking around in taverns or inns about the Kingdom, trying to gain as much information as possible.
For the past few centuries, the Kingdom had been ruled over by the Redmond royal family, a bloodline originating from Redseal. Also, when asking about Redseal, it seemed people had… Strong opinions about their neighboring country, to put it lightly. However, they adore the king and the royal family, despite them being from Redseal. 'The only light emerging in a country of darkness,' they called them.
"Redseal? What the hell do you want to know about that place? It's the land of devils!" A drunk man with thinning hair in the tavern had said. "Worms, wyverns, necromancers, and… Dragons. Didn't your mother ever scare you when you were a young boy, that if you didn't listen to her, she'd send you to Redseal, lad?"
Grey just nervously laughed it off. "I suppose I do recall something such as that, yes… But… Would you mind telling me anything else about this place?" He took a sip of the ale the barkeep had given him. "I'm new to this country, after all. I'd like to know more about things around here."
The man raised an eyebrow. "You… Are you from Redseal, boy?" Grey heard everyone in the tavern go quiet at the man's question. He didn't dare look around, but he knew there were several glares pointed his way. Maybe even a few drunk men who might find killing him as a way to relieve their pent up frustrations from the day's work.
He took another sip. "No, sir, of course not. I'm from…" He thought rapidly for a way to get out of getting stabbed behind the establishment. "The southern part of this country. When I said I was new to this country, I meant to the main part of the country. They told us all these fantastical things about the Kingdom, and I just don't know about what's true, and what isn't." Grey glanced at the man over the rim of his mug, trying to discern whether he had believed the lie or not.
The man looked at him suspiciously, but then laughed loudly. "I see, I see, a country hick, huh? Well then, welcome to the central are of Greenseal, young lad." The tavern was filled with noise again as people went back to their business, the chaos of the bar back in place. "You're headed for Thravos, then?"
"Yes, sir." Grey said, quietly breathing a sigh of relief before taking another sip of his ale. "I'm traveling alone, so I honestly just want to know whether it's a safe city or not. In terms of pickpockets, or whatever." He looked at the man again.
"Well, there's pickpockets wherever you go." The man shrugged. "But Thravos is a cleaner city. Sure, there's the occasional pickpocket here and there, but you won't find them as often as you'll find other things. It's a good place with good people. Nice food. Nice music."
Grey nodded, smiling. "Okay… Thank you for helping me out, sir." He reached into his coin pouch, and paid the barkeep for the drink. He got up, and as he did, he saw that the bar was as you'd imagine a bar in a fantasy world to be. Loud, chaotic, with drunk men everywhere doing whatever they liked to vent their frustration after long days of work. But, in the midst of all the chaos, and movement, he saw a man staring at him. He was sitting in a corner of the bar, his golden eyes locking onto Grey's. He was wearing what Grey had learned to be the clothes of a commoner, but he was staring at him with eyes that were… Too calm. Too focused. Too discerning.
He walked out of the bar, and realized he was being followed. He decided to test this by going down a strange path. There was still someone behind him. Grey swallowed softly, and grabbed the hilt of the dagger that was sheathed on his hip. He quickly turned around, pointing the blade at the one following. It was the man with golden eyes, looking right at him. He raised his hand, and bright yellow sparks emerged from his fingertips, a small source of light in the dark alley. Magic.
Grey froze. He ran through the options in his mind. 'Could I bluff, and say I have magic of my own? No, that won't work… He seems like he's experienced in this. Maybe I could wait for him to attack, and see if I could dodge? Of course that won't work either… Maybe I should just allow him to rob me…' He kept thinking until the man broke the silence.
"You… Lied in the tavern, didn't you?" He spoke, his voice smooth and clear. He still had what Grey assumed to be lightning magic charged up in his right hand, ready to attack him if he made any sudden moves. "Not about not being from Redseal. But being from this country. That was a lie."
Grey looked at him, slightly confused. "You're… Not going to rob me?"
"Do I look like a mugger to you?" The man said, looking almost offended as he ran a hand through his long, blonde hair. He lowered his other hand, the sparks disappearing. "So, if you're not from Greenseal, or Redseal… Where are you from?"
Grey thought for a bit. Making up a lie would be dangerous, and he didn't really want to get fried alive today. Then, an idea came to his mind. If he had a companion with him who knew magic… Things could be going quite a lot easier for him. "Okay… I'll be honest, then."
The man with the golden eyes raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to speak.
"Would you believe me if-" His words were cut short when they both heard the sound of a man yelling.
"Thief! Thief!" Grey and the man ran out of the alleyway to see a man pointing at a person running away in a black cloak, holding several pouches. Most likely filled with gold coins.
"Hey… What's your name?" Grey turned to ask the man.
"… Arthur." He replied, looking at him with his golden eyes.
"Well then, Arthur… You want to assist me in catching a thief?" He pointed to a wanted poster beside Arthur, posted on the wall. It described a robber wearing a black cloak, and it also described a very hefty bounty for 200 gold coins.
"And you'll tell me the truth of your origins after?" Arthur asked, cracking his neck slightly.
"Sure." The two of them then started running after the thief. Grey took the dagger out of the sheath, and turned to look at Arthur, who had sparks flying out of his hand again. Arthur raised his hand, and a bolt of lightning shot out with a loud, crackling sound. It hit the path right in front of the thief, so he stopped running before being burned.
Grey then sheathed the dagger, and swung his arm at him. Now, it may have been the fact that back on Earth, Rich was a skinny kid who had never actually gotten into a fight, or maybe it was the fact that he was completely imbalanced with his new body, with no idea how to control it. Either way, it led to the same result. He was terrible at throwing a punch. He swung his arm, missed him, and slipped on a pebble.
Before the embarrassment could sink in, Arthur was already beside the two of them, and kicked the thief in the head, sending him flying into a fruit stall, the pouches of coins he had stolen falling to the ground. People started cheering.
Arthur looked at Grey, and bit back a laugh. "You call that a punch?" He said, before covering his mouth.
Grey could feel his face becoming warm. He cleared his throat, and stood up straight. "No, of course not, I just got out of the way because I saw you rushing in." He lied, crossing his arms.
Arthur tried not to laugh again, and picked up all the coin pouches from the floor to start returning them. The two of them worked together to return the money to every single person the thief had stolen from. They had gotten thanked, handed the thief into the police, and collected their reward.
"And… Two hundred." Grey said as he finally finished splitting up the reward, giving Arthur his half. "So… You gonna hear me out now?"
Arthur sat down next to him on the bench, leaning back and looking up as the night took over the sky. "Tell me, then."
"… My name is Rich. The identity I received when I woke up here was Grey. I'm… From another world." He turned his head to look at Arthur. He was ready for Arthur to believe he was either a liar, or a crazy person.
Instead, all he got from Arthur for a bit was silence. Then, "Hm… I see." He turned his head to look at Grey. "It does make sense. Why else would you be asking for so much information about a country you had grown up in yourself?"
"So… You believe me?" He asked, looking at him, slightly amazed. Arthur was trusting, he realized. Maybe to a point where it could have been a problem.
"Yeah, I believe you. I can tell you're not exactly a bad person. There's a lot of things you can do with magic. Maybe bringing someone over from another world isn't as difficult as it seems." Arthur shrugged. "You're weak, though. If you're trying to get back home, with your skills, I don't think you'll survive very long."
Grey sat there, and thought for a bit. "So… You wanna come with me? Teach me how to fight? And… Maybe magic?" He suggested, looking at him.
Arthur sat there silently for a bit. "I suppose I'd feel guilty leaving a wimp like yourself to die here. And… I don't have anything keeping me here anyway."
Grey smiled. "Then, it's settled." He held out his hand for him shake.
Arthur looked at him for a bit, before grabbing his hand and shaking it.