13.1. Acclimating to a new world

Jamtara, Kingdom of Divinium, Eastern region of Rohana Federation, 2051 S.C. 142nd day

Morning in Jamtara brought a cascade of sounds: the chugging of steam engines, the calls of street vendors, and the voices of people heading to their designated workplaces.

Heron had woken up and was still overwhelmed by everyday things. He was so tired last night, he didn’t even notice what the bathroom looked like. Sure, having a toilet was a thing in the village as well, but the difference between that and this bathroom was not even comparable. Water came from a faucet, and there was a separate shower area. Heron didn’t know what the shower was or how it worked.

He was so frightened by the fact that he might break something that he went down to the main area, hoping he’d get Marcus to explain to him how stuff works. But it wasn’t Marcus he found. There was a young woman cleaning tables. She had braided blonde hair held in place by a light blue ribbon tied at the end. He wore a white blouse and dark green dungarees. She had dark brown eyes, which were now suspiciously staring Heron’s way.

“Are you going to say something, or are you gonna keep staring at me?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Got lost in thought.” Heron fumbled and then hurried back into his room.

That was so dumb. What am I going to do now? I can’t just go downstairs again, can I? He spent a few minutes blushing from embarrassment before collecting himself.

Heron had found a small café near the guild hall, its outdoor seating offering a perfect vantage point to observe city life while he tired out on delicacies.

Remember what Philip said. Once you are in the city, don’t be afraid to ask for help; just keep it polite, and remember you are of a lower status, so accept any backlash that may occur.

It may be weird to have such thoughts, but after the Haugstad tragedy, Heron wasn’t moved to the city. He was left at another village, where he spent six star-cycles before getting a chance to seek adventuring in the city. So, superstition was still strong in his mind.

He clenched his fist, trying to pump himself, as if he was going to duel a monster, and not talk to a bartender. But in his mind, a monster would seem like a better choice.

“Umm… sorry about my staring earlier. I am actually not accustomed to any of this. But I didn’t know how to ask you this, but could you explain to me how things in my room work?”

The girl stared at him for a long moment and then started laughing.

“Oh, creators! You could have just asked normally. You know, you are not the first person from villages coming to the city seeking a new life.”

“I am not…”

He cut himself off. How would he describe his goals? He is looking to join an adventuring party and leave on a search for Tiwaz. But that was leaving all he knew behind. He probably was never going back to Divinium. Even in the village he was a part of, it was temporary. He didn’t have a loving family. He was given custody to the local chief, along with Miranda, the other survivor from Haugstad, but their being from the same village meant nothing. She soon went to find a husband and start fresh. So, he got stuck with a chief named Philip, who, after hearing out his plans, saw him as valuable labour and, in exchange for his work, he received food, shelter, and training. Filip wasn’t mean to Heron; he had empathy for the boy, but he wasn’t family, and didn’t treat Heron as one. Until the day he departed, he was a stranger to him, and to everyone in the village, for that matter.

“So, are we heading to your room?” the girl asked him.

“Yes, I’m sorry. I keep getting lost in thought.” Heron admitted, embarrassingly.

“You need to relax a bit… What is your name, by the way?”

“My name is Heron.”
“You need to relax, Heron. It is normal to have initial shock when you first start in the city. It was the same feeling I had, so I understand.”

“Wait, you are also a villager?”

“Yes. Ah, I should also introduce myself. My name is Emilia. I come from Heiwett. It was a village close to Reitag. Now there is only rubble.”

“What happened?”

“Masked assailants attacked it. My folks and I were away delivering merchandise to trade in Reitag, when the news reached us.”

“Masked assailants also attacked my village?”

“Haugstad or Immerstad?”

“Haugstad?”

“Yeah, well, it doesn’t matter which one it is. All of them were destroyed. Then, the attacks suddenly stopped, as far as I know. So random, to think we had such bad luck for our villages to be wiped out.”

“Do you know if assailants were captured?”

“Church reported they eliminated all of them, but they didn’t provide any details on their origins. Some folk even think that, since attacks stopped, the church just issued a statement to appease the people. They don’t want to look weak in the eyes of the people.”

“It is bad to speak ill of the church. That is what Philip said.”

“Who is Philip?”

“Chief of Draksvik. It was a village I was left in when the military picked me up. They didn’t want to take me to the city. Said it was too much paperwork to handle our staying, so they left us at the next village.”

“Typical bureaucrats. Villagers are usually not worth handling anything more than necessary. But at least things are much better for residency here. They actually allow you to live in the city, though, without having a citizenship until you really make yourself a valuable contributor to society.” Emilia smiled. “So, should I walk you through all the appliances?”

They had already reached the room and were talking when Heron forgot all about why he initially reached out to Emilia.

Heron marvelled at the devices. He learned about clocks and alarms. The village did have a clock in the village square; it was one of the devices traded from the cities, but households didn’t have their own clocks, much less ones you could set to ring as a reminder.

Then there was the whole bathroom situation. It was not only the faucet, but also the discovery of unlimited hot water. There was a thing called a boiler in the basement of the tavern that used crystal magic to heat water, and a catalyst sent a signal to start warming it. And then it was the shower, too. Heron only used a bathtub; they had to heat water manually and carry it from the well or the river. But here, no labor was required. The water was just there.

“How do you remain calm among all this marvel?” Heron yelled with excitement.

Emilia was giggling. “I wish I had the same joy as you. I guess when you live long enough in the city, you take things for granted.”

Though her face darkened a bit. “I need to let you know something, though. While these appliances don’t require direct interaction with crystals, if you wish to use anything more direct, you’ll have to accept crystal technology. I don’t know where you stand on this, but it can make your life difficult if you choose not to use crystal tools, since most things are operated with magic.”

It isn’t as Heron hasn’t thought about it, but the difference is that now it was staring him straight in his face. For as far as he can remember, he’d hear stories about how using crystals was wrong. He remembered Adel’s stories, Agnus' health situation, and how the villagers looked down on him. He remembered the murmurs in the streets when Haran left after his visit. Even in Draksvik, they didn’t look kindly on crystal magic, but were more open to receiving help from citizens as long as they weren’t the ones using the tools.

“Yes, I know.” Heron finally said. “It goes against the principles on which I grew up. But in order to reach my goal, I’ll adapt. Use them only when I must.”

“Oh, and what goal is that?” Emilia asked with curiosity in her eyes.

“I need to reach Tiwaz. I saw it on the map. It is one of the northern cities of the Scallia Republic. I need to find someone there.” Heron said, but his voice was cold.

“Judging by your tone, somehow it doesn’t sound like a happy occasion.”

“The person I need to find there holds the answers to all my questions.”

“Ough, interesting. An all-knowing man.” Emilia joked, but Heron wasn’t in the mood to entertain her.

There was an awkward pause between them.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to insult you.” Emilia finally said.

“Ohh, no, no. Don’t apologize. Just too many thoughts are now racing through my head. You've been a great help. Please let me repay you.” He went for the pouch to pick up coins, but she grabbed his hand to stop him.

“There is no need, truly. Think of it as part of our service.” Emilia was brimming with a smile.

Heron’s face was almost beet red. “Alright, thank you,” he managed to say quietly.

“Well, I need to go down. Others are probably up, but no one is managing the bar.”

“Right, right. Sorry for taking up your time. Thank you once again!” Heron bowed his head.

As Emilia left, Heron jumped back on his bed, taking a heavy sigh. Oh, creators, she was so cute, I barely held my breath. But those youthful thoughts were soon replaced by darker ones.

Father or not, I will make him answer for all that was done. And he had better hope Mama is still alive, or his neck will face my sword. These were Heron’s thoughts on Haran.