Chapter 23
Three uneventful days had passed since Laine and I left Baran. I had even started to think that the universe was finally giving me a break. We lay in the cart as the road in front stretched endlessly before us, with the warm summer air pulling me toward sleep.
Unfortunately for me, Laine was in the middle of another one of his stories.
"So, the bard tells me he can sing a beautiful song that could make a troll cry."
I sighed in frustration, fixing my gaze at the evening sky. "Obviously," Laine continued, utterly unfazed by my disinterest, "I had to check and see if he was telling the truth. So, I took him to the forest, where a troll had been seen. As we were walking around, it suddenly appeared. I stayed a few feet back, ready to run if the bard failed. But amazingly, he didn't! The troll started bawling and walked away like a sad little kid."
"Huh," I said, actually somewhat interested now.
"So, I gathered some of the men in town and tried to run a scam. I wagered that the bard could stop a troll from eating him."
Now, I was actually curious. "And?"
"They all took the bet, and I thought I was about to get rich. But when we went to the forest again, the troll just ended up eating the bard while crying."
I turned toward him slowly. "What was the point of that story, Laine?"
Laine looked at me like I was an idiot. "Obviously, I'm trying to warn you against associating with bards."
"Right. And it's so much better to associate with thieves?"
Before Laine could retort, he suddenly sat up straighter, pulling on the reins. "Oh, hey. Good news. We just left Baramund."
That got my attention. I sat up, stretching out my arms. "Finally."
"We're in Earl Kirton's lands now."
"What type of guy is he?"
Laine shrugged. "Nothing special. Just your standard noble. Keeps things running, doesn't stand out."
I snorted. "Sounds like the opposite of Baramund's nobility."
"Exactly." Laine grinned. "No murderous Dukes, no shadowy conspiracies. Just fields, farms, and—"
A scream shattered the peaceful morning.
We both turned to see a man run straight into the middle of the road, arms flailing. "HELP! PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP ME!"
Laine didn't seem particularly concerned. "Well. That's not something you see every day; a priest running for help."
I frowned. "A priest?"
Laine pointed at him. "He's wearing a priest's robebut it's so torn and dirty that I I can't even tell which church he belongs to." He turned to me. "Should we help?"
Before I could answer, something rustled in the bushes. Suddenly, five armed men burst out with their weapons drawn.
The priest stumbled, panting, as the men surrounded him. One of them—a tall, scarred man—grabbed the him by the collar, yanking him upright. "Got you, rat."
Then, his gaze shifted to us.
"Who're you lot?"
Laine gave his best friendly smile. "Morning, gentlemen. Don't mind us. We're just travelers passing through."
I stayed quiet, hoping they'd listen to Laine so I wouldn't have to get involved.
But the men did not look convinced at all. The scarred man, who I guessed was their leader, narrowed his eyes and gestured for the others to advance.
I climbed off the cart with a sigh. "Alright, let's get this over with."
Before my feet had even hit the ground, two of them rushed right at me with their swords. I picked up a round rock from the floor and hurled it at the head of the nearest attacker, hitting him square in the forehead.
The man staggered, tripped, and his sword flew out of his hands—straight into a tree. Leaves rustled loudly before a nest came tumbling down. It landed right on the second attacker's head and cracked the eggs all over his face.,
There was a moment of silence before a bird with a large, stone-like beak dived down from the tree and began furiously pecking at his head.
The man shrieked and ran for his life.
The rest of the attackers simply stared at him, stunned. I tried to stand in a way that would come across as intimidating, hoping they would decide to take the priest and go.
No such luck.
The leader scowled and motioned for the remaining two men to attack.
I scanned the ground for another rock, but there was nothing within reach anymore.
Magic was my last option left.
I took a deep breath and focused, trying to summon a weapon.
'Please be something useful this time.'
Magic pulsed through my fingertips, and a weapon materialized in my hand.
A gun.
A real, actual gun.
I blinked. "Huh."
For once, my magic seemed to work as I had intended.
I aimed at the leader's leg and pulled the trigger.
BANG—
Confetti exploded out of the barrel.
Bright, colorful strips of paper fluttered through the air, sparkling in the morning sun.
Everyone—including the bandits, Laine, and even the priest—just stared.
I looked down at the gun.
"Oh, for the love of—"
I hurled it in frustration.
The gun hit the leader square in the forehead. His eyes rolled back, and he crumpled to the ground.
A beat of silence.
Before I could move a muscle, the last two men turned on their heels and bolted into the woods.
I looked at them, running for a bit, then headed back to the cart.
Laine was grinning as he leaned against the cart. He had been watching the scene unfold like it was prime entertainment. "You truly are a hero Sam."
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I swear, I hate magic."
The priest, still trembling, looked at me with awe. "Thank you! Thank you, noble warrior!"
I winced. "Don't call me that."
Laine turned to the priest. "So, priest, what did you do to get chased by bandits?"
The priest hesitated. "It's… a long story."
I raised an eyebrow. "That's never a good answer."
Whatever it was, I did not want to be dragged into it.
"Well, never mind that," the priest said. "I would like to thank you for saving me, good sir. May the God Emprio bless you-"
The priest was still babbling his thanks as I turned and walked past him to the cart. I wasn't in the mood for gratitude. All I wanted was to get to Lis without any more distractions.
"Good sir," the priest called after me, hurrying to catch up. "Please, allow me to properly thank you for saving me. My name is Maxian, and I am a priest of Emprio. In order to repay you, I shall now bless you with the Sky God's spirit."
I climbed back onto the cart, exhaling sharply. "No need."
"I insist! A debt must be repaid," the priest said earnestly. "It is the way of Emprio, the Sky God."
I slumped down, averting my eyes from the priest. "I don't really have a good relationship with your gods."
My thoughts went back to Erephi, the Goddess of Magic, who had summoned me to this world without my consent.
Laine chuckled. "You should let him bless you. You might finally get better luck."
Maxian, completely unfazed, pressed on. "Then, if you won't accept a blessing, at least allow me to ride with you to the nearest town. It would be unkind to leave a fellow traveler stranded."
I sighed, racking my brain for a polite way to say no. Nothing came to mind. "Fine. Sit up front with Laine. And absolutely no preaching."
At least now, Laine would have someone else to talk to, and I could take a nap.
Maxian beamed. "May the winds of Emprio guide you."
I shut my eyes, pretending not to hear.
As the cart rolled on, I started to regret my decision.
Maxian and Laine got along way too well.
The two of them talked non-stop, which was somehow worse than just listening to Laine ramble to himself.
"So what brings a priest all the way out here?" Laine asked, clearly enjoying himself.
"I am on pilgrimage," Maxian explained. "I've been visiting the seven temples of the Sky God. One of them, the Temple of Thunder, is nearby. I was on my way there when those men attacked me."
"Bandits?" Laine guessed.
"Perhaps," Maxian admitted, "but a priest carries nothing of value. So, I do not understand why they would target me."
I cracked an eye open; that really was suspicious.
At that moment, something rustled in the trees behind us. I turned my head slightly, but it was too dark to see anything.
I frowned. Probably just an animal.
Either way, I was too tired to care. I let my head fall back and drifted off.
—
The cart lurched violently to one side, waking me up with a jolt.
Laine cursed. "Ah, damn it—"
I sat up. "What happened?"
He gave me a sheepish look. "Uh. One of the wheels might've… come off."
I swung myself off the cart and went around the side. The wheel had indeed fallen off.
I stared at Laine. Then, at the broken wheel. Then back at him. "You skimped when buying the cart, didn't you?"
He rubbed the back of his neck. "It was a good deal."
I exhaled and walked into the forest, furiously calling out behind me, "I'm going to take a piss."
"Sure, leave me to fix it," Laine grumbled.
"Great plan," I muttered, walking off into the trees.
The night air was cooler here, thick with the scent of damp leaves and Earth. I was finishing up when I heard it- A low, distant rumble.
. At first, I thought it was thunder, but there were no storm clouds in the sky.
Then I looked up—and froze.
A massive shape was soaring across the sky. Giant wings flapped against the air, stirring the treetops near me. The beast's scales were glowing in the moonlight, and a long, spiky tail flapped furiously behind it.
It was a dragon.
I blinked. "Oh. Those exist here, too."
For a moment, I just stood there, watching as the enormous creature vanished beyond the treetops. Were the dragons here the intelligent kind or the beastly kind? I realized that neither of those options was any better.
I finished my business and turned back toward the cart.
Except when I got there, Laine and Maxian were gone.
One of the two bandits from before now stood by the cart, gripping a dagger. He looked wary but not aggressive. Not yet.
"We have your friends," he said. "If you want them back, you'll follow me. Quietly."
I considered my options.
My first option was to beat this guy up, fix the cart, and leave Laine and the priests to their own fates.
The second option was to save them because fixing the cart alone seemed like a hassle.
I sighed. "Fine."
The bandit looked relieved. "Smart choice."
We walked through the woods with the trees closing in around us as we went deeper. I studied my captor out of the corner of my eye.
"You guys aren't just bandits, are you?" I asked.
The man hesitated. "We used to be mercenaries."
"Used to be?"
He glanced at me. "Times changed."
Vague. But I didn't press him.
Eventually, we reached a clearing. A makeshift camp had been set up with tents and crates scattered around a roaring fire. About twenty armed men sat around, sharpening weapons or drinking from chipped mugs.
Laine and Maxian were tied up near the fire. Maxian looked afraid, but Laine only seemed irritated.
Standing beside them was a shirtless middle-aged man covered in tattoos. Hismuscles were full of scars, and his skin was marked with inked symbols—some of which I recognized.
But one tattoo stood out immediately.
A gun.
A modern gun.
Guns didn't exist in this world.
The man caught me staring and smirked. "Not something you see every day, huh?"
I slowly looked up at his face.
"My men told me you conjured one of these. I knew then that I had to meet you."
"Who are you?" I asked cautiously.
His smirk widened. "Name's Donald." He spread his arms. "I'm from Earth. Just like you are, I believe.