Mirgia woke up face down in the hay. His alcohol tolerance wasn’t what it used to be and he drank quite a lot during the cookout the previous evening. The sun was already up and one of the cows walked over to sniff his hair when he sat up. “Good morning sunshine,” he said to the cow, who only mooed in reply before walking away.
Due to the odd landscape – the desert and savanna intersected with each other all around Redsan – the farmland was a little bit of a patchwork situation, where some areas were filled with cattle and crops, and others were empty or used to put storage buildings. Mirgia wondered how the farm was able to function when part of the land was so barren, but as he walked through the fields in hopes of finding Teddy, he understood that it barely functioned. It seemed like a lot of the crops that Teddy and the villagers tried to grow here only partially managed to survive, but the part that survived was enough to keep the village alive, it seemed.
He found Teddy and Birdie working together to shovel some hay into one of the feeding troughs for the cows. “Morning Mirgia, hope you slept alright,” Teddy grinned and reached for Mirgia’s face, which required him to stand on his toes and Mirgia to slightly bend down. “You got some hay on your cheek,” he said.
“That’s the downside of passing out in between the cows.”
“Well, I couldn’t very well send you on your way back to town with how much you’d drank.”
“I would have been fine.”
“Sure you would have, grab me that shovel over there, will ya?”
Mirgia grabbed the shovel and handed it to Teddy. “So what was that all about last night.”
“Those lovely women came by with a warning.”
“Did they threaten you?”
Teddy chuckled. “Nah, they wouldn’t dare do something silly like that, they’re regulars in the region. You don’t want to get kicked out of Redsan if you make your money in our backyard.”
“Makes sense, so you already knew them?”
Teddy nodded. “Not well, of course, but we’d spoken a few times in the past few years.” He sighed and stood up to face Mirgia, who was sitting on the ground next to him. “No, they came to warn us about what the Sahilid are up to.”
“Those royal soldiers?”
“Yessir, the very same.”
“And, what are they up to?”
Teddy’s eyes darkened, the ever present smile vanishing for a moment. “Apparently they uncovered a strange dungeon not far from here.”
Mirgia considered the statement. “Was it well hidden, this region is pretty well traveled after all.”
“That’s the strange part, the entrance was out in the open.”
“What do you mean?”
“A traveler simply stumbled upon it one day, it’s within eyesight of the main road.”
“And it’s a dungeon, not just a small building?”
“That’s what the women told me. So the Sahilid are surveying the area and planning to set up a base near Redsan. And that has me worried.”
“How so?”
“Well, the Sahilid aren’t exactly known for being the most patient and friendly neighbors. They can get quite rowdy and demanding, often saying that nearby villages should provide for the expedition while they’re in the area. It could be the start of a whole host of trouble.”
Mirgia pondered this for a bit. “You reckon I can be of help with any of that?” He asked.
Teddy shrugged. “No clue mate, but I appreciate the offer. We will try to be supportive of their endeavors, no need to ask for trouble when we can avoid it.”
“Well, I suppose it doesn’t hurt to be kind,” Mirgia agreed.
“That’s the spirit.” Teddy stretched his arms before letting out a big sigh. “You free today?”
“I got nothing going on, why?”
“Doroly and Jason were pestering me that they wanted to talk to you more.”
“No wonder, with how much they drank last night they probably forgot most of what I told them.”
“Ha!” Teddy burst out into laughter. Wiping a tear from his eyes he added, “well if you have time and don’t mind, you can go wake them up.”
“I’ll get right on that.”
Despite Teddy’s remarks about their current state, Mirgia found the pair of smallfolk sitting at the kitchen table, chatting and relatively alert for people who drank that much the previous day. “I didn’t know smallfolk were so good at holding their liquor,” Mirgia remarked as he walked into the kitchen, half crouched to fit into the tiny house.
Jason smiled. “Years of experience and many cookouts will do that to you.”
“It seems I have much to learn.” Mirgia pulled out a small stool before changing his mind and instead sitting on the floor. That was a much better idea as he still reached the table with ease when doing so. “So you’re both feeling fine?”
“Well, let’s not exaggerate,” Doroly smiled. “Coffee?”
“Yes please.”
While Doroly got up to make another pot of coffee, Jason turned his attention to Mirgia. “So, you were saying you met the new hero, right?”
Mirgia nodded. “We traveled together for a short while.”
“What is she like?”
Mirgia smiled. “Kind.”
“That’s a good start.”
“She’s someone who struggles with anxiety a lot, but that has also given her a lot of compassion, as she knows what it’s like when people are struggling. That compassion shines through in moments of need and I think that quality is what will one day make her an excellent hero.”
“And how good of a fighter is she?”
“Not impressive in the slightest.”
“Huh? How can she be a hero if she can’t fight?”
“That’s what many of the people around her – myself included – also thought for a while. But not every hero has to be a powerful fighter to get things done. She already managed several incredible feats in the short time she’s been in our world.”
“Can you give some examples?” Doroly asked as she put a cup of coffee in front of Mirgia.
“Let me think.” He took a sip before quickly putting it back down.
“It’s hot,” Doroly said.
“So I’ve noticed.”
“During her short time in our world, Mana has saved a spirit from a magical prison that this spirit has been stuck in for decades.” Talking about Kimi made him wonder how she was doing, they were near each other when he was sent flying across the world after all. “She also managed to somewhat mend the relationship between Milinia and Blueyerd and she even did groundbreaking research into some more complicated magical problems that I probably shouldn’t be talking about to strangers.”
“I see. But does it really take a hero from another world to do all of that?” Doroly seemed a bit sceptical.
Mirgia shrugged. “I don’t know. But she did all of that. And she brings a perspective to a lot of things that’s so alien to a lot of the humans living in that young kingdom that they sorely need. After a few generations, they’ve gotten very complacent down there, which is part of why the bond with Blueyerd and Milinia had gotten so frayed. Maybe she can breathe some fresh air into their politics and fix some of the bigger issues they have. But it’s not my place to judge them.”
“You sound like you know a lot.”
Mirgia shrugged. “I was a guard in Milinia, but that also meant I ventured past the outskirts of our lands regularly and spoke with many people from the villages near our forest. The people there were rarely singing the king’s praises.”
“Sounds similar to our own country.”
“Not a big fan of the emperor?” Mirgia asked.
Jason and Doroly exchanged a look. “It’s complicated.”
“I’ve got time if you don’t mind sharing.”
After a pause Jason said. “Our current emperor Abu has been in charge for the better part of a century. Although his methods have been controversial at times, things have been relatively peaceful ever since he threw the previous emperor off a cliff.”
“That’s pretty intense. I have heard about how the previous emperor was deposed when I was younger. Apparently he wasn’t very loved by the people of Severanti.”
“That’s true. Things were pretty bad before Abu took over. But fixing some things doesn’t mean everything has been great. His attitude is very much that of survival of the fittest and he has little love for the common folk. Where the previous emperor would actively make life difficult for common folk in the way of exorbitant taxes and intimidation tactics, Emperor Abu mostly just leaves things as they are. Taxes are a lot lower, but we also don’t have to expect much love from the capital when things go wrong. If we’re lucky, the Sahilid don’t make things worse when they show up.”
“And now they’ve showed up here,” Mirgia filled in.
Jason nodded. “That they have.”
“Put me through your worries, what’s the worst that can happen with them here?”
“They’re usually a rowdy bunch. Very focused on finding whatever treasure they have their eyes on, without much regard for the people living there. If your land is in the way of their goal, then your land will be turned upside down as they pass through. And when they get what they want, the leave, leaving whatever problems they caused to be solved by others. It’s a selfish bunch.”
Mirgia scratched his chin, noticing he’d not shaven in a while. He wasn’t a fan of the stubble and would have to fix it soon enough. “Well, I suppose I should stay a little while longer then, to keep an eye on this nearby dungeon that appeared. Perhaps I’ll go check it out myself.”
“If you do, I’m coming with you,” Doroly said.
Jason let out a sigh. “You just got back recently and you already want to get yourself into trouble again?”
“You know who you married.”
“I do, I do.” He smiled. “As long as you’re careful, dear.”
“I always am.”
“Don’t lie to me, I know who I married.” He looked at Mirgia. “You make sure she’s not getting into any unnecessary trouble. Y’all should be fine checking out this dungeon, but no funny business getting into fights or going into this place without proper preparation.”
Mirgia nodded. “A quick scouting job and perhaps a conversation with the Sahilid. Should be more than enough for a start.”
“Good man.”
Mirgia looked at Doroly. “Want to wait till after lunch so the hangover gets a little bit less severe?”
She nodded. “You go get your things, I’ll pop by Yessep and then come pick you up.”
“See you in a bit.” Mirgia finished the rest of his coffee and made his way out of the home. He spotted Teddy off in the distance. “Teddy, got a moment.”
“For you? Always.” He put down his hoe and walked over. “What’s up?”
“Just letting you know that Doroly and I will be checking out the strange dungeon that popped up nearby today and tomorrow. We’ll let you know if you can expect any strangeness.”
“Alright, just be careful.” He was about to let Mirgia walk away before he called him back. “Wait here for just a moment, I got something.”
Teddy hurried into the home and came back with a strange looking contraption. “This thing right ‘ere is a beaut, lemme tell you.” He was holding a lantern of sorts, but from just the way it was intricately crafted, Mirgia could tell there was more to it. “This lantern belonged to my grandma, a real explorer who traveled so deep into the Feral Wildlands that people used to joke she’d circle the globe one day. This lantern can light your path, but if you change out the panels,” he showed a few glass panels that were stored in a small compartment at the bottom of the lantern, “you can use these to show you all sorts of interesting stuff. The green one creates a calming light that will make wild creatures less likely to attack you. The blue one lets you see traps and secrets and the yellow one will tell you if someone’s lying while they’re bathed in its light.” He handed it to Mirgia who was about to argue, “Now Mirgia, I’ve known you for all of two days but you seem like a great chap. When you return, I want this back. It’s on loan.”
Mirgia nodded. “Either this heirloom and I both return, or neither of us return.”
“That just means you ran off with it.” Teddy slapped him on the back and let out a hearty laugh. “But I know what you mean. Good luck out there, don’t step on too many toes.”
“Thanks Teddy.”
With that he was off, getting ready for an expedition that would prove much stranger and much more time consuming than he ever could have guessed.
Opal Kaharis 