Chapter 2

Tolm was definitely right about the respect people would give him walking around with a nice sword.

David walked down the street casually as if he were there every day. His left arm swung loosely; his right rested lightly on the hilt of his sword. People made way for him as he passed. The sailors thinned out as he left the docks behind. Even the surliest of them hadn’t blocked his path.

Now what?

His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten since before he died.

No, that’s too depressing. Since before I moved?

He looked around for someplace to eat. After walking past a block of sail and rope makers he found a clean looking tavern. Stepping inside he saw a dozen polished wood tables spread out across the room. Half were full of tradesmen from the district having their lunch. David sat down at a table in a corner, the owner came over from behind the bar at the back of the room where he had been cleaning mugs. It was impressive how well he could weave through all the tables considering how fat he was. He bowed to David once he reached his table, but that may have been politeness to a customer, David couldn’t tell.

“What can I get you sir? I’m afraid for lunch today it’s just cold meat and bread.”

“That’s fine by me, thank you. I’ll have lunch and a mug of cider if you have any.” David didn’t trust the water yet and it was a little too early for him to start day drinking. The barman nodded and went back to the kitchen. He was back a few minutes later with a platter of cold chicken, a wedge of cheese, a small crock of what looked like mustard, and a small loaf of brown bread.

“That’ll be five coppers for the food and the cider.” The fat man wiped his hands on his apron and waited.

David reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of coins. He handed the man one of the silver coins and settled into his lunch. He failed to notice a nearby table watching him talk to the bartender.

He fixed himself a sandwich, the bread was fresh and soft, the mustard surprisingly tasty. David listened to the other tables while he ate. It was mostly talk of their work and their families. He did pick up a few things here and there. Wellon was apparently an island, and he was on the west coast of it. It was the end of summer and harvest season was coming up. Then talk around the room moved on to the Courting Line. Everyone got involved in this conversation. The end of the month was approaching, and the hopefuls would present themselves to the Queen.

“Not much to see with this group. Just a few that came in a couple days ago from the mainland, don’t know where from, but they didn’t look like much.” An older man told the group.

“Aye, I saw ‘em too. Barely looked like they had enough to make the trip here. Don’t see how they’ll impress the Queen.” That came from the barman himself.

“Not much to wager on this time then.” Said the first man again. “My money is still on Lord Harsk. He keeps coming back, the Queen’s going to pick him just on repetition. And he’s homegrown.”

Another man from a table near the door spoke up, “You’re crazy. If she ain’t picked him by now she’s never going to. I’ll put ten coppers on one of the new ones.”

The first man shook his head. “Three to one? If you’re giving those odds, I’ll take that bet.”

Both men nodded and raised their mugs to seal the wager.

The bartender brought David his change which amounted to forty-five copper coins the size of dimes. “You’re both nuts. If the Queen picks anyone this time, you’ll get a free suckling pig dinner on me.” The lunch crowd all raised their mugs and cheered the fat man. He looked down at David, “Been making that bet every month for two years now.”

David continued to eat his sandwich and listen to the others talk. After the excitement of the wagers the conversation went back to their work and how badly they were taxed by their lords and guildmasters. It seemed it was true, the only certain things in life were death and taxes. No matter what world you were on.

The group started to break up shortly after, with most of the men needing to get back to work. David really didn’t have anywhere to go, so he ordered another cider.

What to do now? Everyone he met brought up the Courting Line, the universe wasn’t exactly being subtle. From what he had gathered during the lunch conversation, men in the city were free to take up a trade but if there was an existing guild for it you had to pay dues or get run out of town. All land outside the city was owned by the nobility so if you wanted to set up anything there you needed approval and be ready to get taxed whatever they thought was fair. So much for buying a nice house on the beach.

David thanked the fat barman for the meal and left. The table of men that had watched him pay for his lunch waited a moment and then followed him out the door.

As he walked through the city David looked for libraries or schools. Anywhere that he might be able to ask more about the world at large. He wasn’t really paying attention to where he was going, just daydreaming and trying to get a feel for where things were in the city. That was why he didn’t notice that he had walked into a dead end. As he turned around the men from the tavern spread out across the road behind him.

Great. Not even one day into being here and I’m about to be murdered.

There were four of them, all heavily muscled rough looking men. Two carried long knives and the other held clubs. They were all slightly shorter than David but each one must have outweighed him by at least twenty pounds. The shortest one in the middle took a step forward, “Hand over what you got, or we’ll leave you bleedin’ in the alley.”

David drew his sword and tried to stand up as straight as possible. His stomach was churning, and his mouth was suddenly bone dry. There was no way he could see himself fighting off all four of them. But he also didn’t believe for a minute that they would happily walk away and leave him alone if he gave them the coins in his pocket. He looked past the muggers to the mouth of the alley, a few people were walking by, but no one even looked their way.

“I think I’ll keep ‘what I got’, and you guys can just walk away. How’s that sound?” He held the sword in his left hand, pointed towards the ground.

All four of the men laughed at that. The short one looked at his friends and then spoke to David again. “We’ll be taking that fancy sword of yours too. Be a smart boy and just hand them over so we don’t have to leave your brains all over the ground.”

No one moved or talked. Even the background city noise had faded it seemed.

The attackers exchanged glances. David’s hand was sweaty, he gripped the sword handle tighter.

“Enough of this shit, get him!”

All four rushed forward raising their weapons. David raised his sword in both hands, held out in front of him. The attackers were closing in on him quickly, clubs ready to bash his head in.

Well dying wasn’t so terrible the first time, right?

David ran forward, swinging the blade in a wide arc. His foes spread out to circle him. In less than a second, they were all around him. David didn’t stop moving forward. When he was within striking distance, he extended his arms as far as he could and spun hard on his right heel. The sword flashed around in a full circle. Blood spurted into the air as arms and fingers were cut. There was only the short thug in front of him. David finished his final turn and caught the man across the face, the tip of his nose flew into the air, blood flooded down his shirt. David lowered his sword and ran straight at the short man while he tried desperately to stop the bleeding. David used his shoulder to shove him out of his way.

He stumbled forward another step and then turned to look at the scene behind him. All four of the attempted robbers were bleeding, some were on the ground looking for fingers. Short Man had removed his shirt and was using it to soak up the blood from his face.

David was breathing heavily, and he had a horrible flop sweat going but he couldn’t believe it, there wasn’t a mark on him. The less injured thugs were already starting to recover and looked at him menacingly. There was nothing between David and the street now. He ran away as fast as he could.

I’m really glad no one was around to see that.

He had run all the way back to the docks, weaving through crowds, looking over his shoulder for the muggers. When he could see the harbor again, he dropped onto a bench under the last tree on the street to catch his breath. David leaned back and closed his eyes. He’d made it. And his skills with a sword were right on par with what he expected. He doubted swinging around like a crazy person and hoping for the best would work a second time.

I either need to find someone to teach me or start thinking outside the box a little.

He could always hire a bodyguard. He’d seen a few rich merchants that day walking around with armed guards around them. Even a fat noble going by being carried on a palanquin, guards in front and behind. He hadn’t seen anywhere offering guards for hire though. And how could he be sure that they wouldn’t just turn around and rob him like the guys in the alley. There was a ton of money in that cave. Literally.

He wished he had been allowed to bring some guns with him. He was no special forces operative, but he’d lived in Texas all his life. He’d gone buck hunting every year and to the range every other month or so with his friends. Even firing into the air might have gotten him out of danger today without cutting off any noses.

They just said no modern weapons would be sent. No one said anything about trying to make weapons once I got here. That feels like it falls under doing whatever I want to.

A simple flintlock pistol should be manageable for the craftsmen here if he could find the right ones. He knew how to make gunpowder if he could find the components. His friend’s brother back home had been what he called a ‘hunting purist’ and only used black powder rifles. He’d bored everyone to tears one weekend explaining the whole process of making it. It had been interesting at first, but anything will get boring when you hear about it for six straight hours.

David got up and walked back down the docks to where Tolm’s stall was. It was a longer walk than it seemed. When he got back to the north end, he found out that the old farmer had already left. The others told him that he and Harv had only stayed long enough to let the horses rest and then gone home. They were all very respectful to David, bowing and dropping sir’s and m’lords right and left. He was disappointed that he had missed Tolm, but glad that he had been able to help him out so much. He asked if any of them knew of a good blacksmith nearby. One of the other farmers pointed farther north down the docks. They let him know there was a guy there that worked on lockboxes and other intricate devices.

He thanked them and wished them luck selling their chickens.

It was a quick walk up the pier to where the blacksmith’s shop was. It was a small stone building set back away from the pier. David let himself in the front door. He didn’t see anyone inside but there were signs he was in the right place everywhere. There were a few horseshoe blanks on the wall, but it seemed to mostly be ship related items. There was a barrel of nails right by the door, display shelves of padlocks and spy glasses, even a rack of cutlasses against the far wall. There was also a whole ship’s anchor in one corner. Walking around the room he saw a few sextants on a table and ... he couldn’t believe it.

On a small table near the horseshoes was what looked like the handle of a flintlock pistol. There was no barrel, just the flint, a frizzen, and a trigger on a stumpy handle. David picked it up and turned it over in his hands. He pulled back the hammer and it clicked into place like he expected. He pulled the trigger and the flint snapped forward against the frizzen creating a shower of sparks. It was exactly how he remembered it from that hunting trip. The Aliens had said there were no explosives or guns here, so why would this be here?

“Oh, hello there, I didn’t know anyone was in the shop. Sorry, I was out back working. If you’re in need of a fire starter, you’re in luck. That’s my last one.” A tall skinny man had just walked in from the back of the store. David turned around with the flintlock still in his hands. The blacksmith wiped his hands with a rag, smiling at him in a friendly way. He looked even younger than David, maybe in his early twenties. His hair was a short cropped mess of black curls, sharp blue eyes took in everything around him.

“Actually, I was hoping to have something made. Are you the blacksmith?” David asked.

“Oh no, not at all. I belong to the artificer’s guild. Anything with iron, brass, glass, leather, or wood and I can make it. Way better than some everyday blacksmith. And my name is Setrek.”

David smiled; this guy had hipster written all over him. He was waiting to be told that the anchor in the corner was locally sourced. “I’m David, I need to know if you can modify this ‘fire starter’ into something else.”

“I’m sure I can. What did you have in mind? It’s a pretty straightforward device, hold it over your kindling, cock the hammer and pull the trigger. Instant fire.”

David explained that he needed him to alter the frizzen to be on a hinge with a small pan under it, place the whole thing in a longer stock, and attach a steel pipe sealed at one end to it with a pinhole next to the pan.

Setrek looked puzzled. “I’m sure I could but I don’t see what the function would be. The sparks will have cooled off before they make it to the end of the pipe. The few that actually get through that pinhole anyway.”

It wouldn’t do any good to explain, “But you can make it?”

“Sure, it’ll take me a day or two to take that one apart and alter it. Make a new stock and the pipe. But I’m already working on a pair of spectacles for a merchant captain so it may be a while before I start.”

David thought that over and reached into his pocket. He slapped down four gold coins on the table in front of him. “Will this hurry things up a little?”

Setrek’s blue eyes opened wide, “It sure will!” That was ten times what he was being paid to make those spectacles.

They went over technical details for a few minutes and then shook hands over the deal. David happy he would have a way to defend himself that he was much more familiar with, and Setrek happy that he would be getting an impossible amount of money for a device that was already half made.

By the time David left the artificer’s the sun was low on the horizon. He walked back down to the farmer’s stand. There was no one there, they had all shut down for the day. He kept going down the pier to one of the taverns Tolm had mentioned earlier in the day.

It was a ramshackle building, but the inside was clean enough. A few sailors were already there settling into their dinners. Or passed out drunk, in the case of one hapless individual. David sat down at a table by the wall farthest from the door and waved over the barmaid. She was an older woman, used to dealing with rowdy sailors every night. “Drink or food boy?”

“Food. And a beer to wash it down with.” David answered. She walked away before he could ask what food he had just ordered.

It turned out to be a thick seafood soup with biscuits. It tasted amazingly fresh, which made sense considering where he was. There wasn’t as much talk as there had been at lunch. When he had finished his soup he asked the old barmaid about a room for the night. She reached into a pocket on her apron and handed him a key. “Room two upstairs. That’ll be ten coppers for the food and the room.”

He paid for everything and went up to his room. Just like the common area of the tavern, it looked clean enough. A bed by the window with a small table next to it, another table against the left wall had a bowl and a jug of water on it. The sun was setting outside, the sky awash in pinks and reds. David sat on the bed and watched out the window.

All in all, not a terrible first day. He’d made it to a city, so he wouldn’t be starving in the woods. Sure, he’d been mugged, but even that had worked out ok. Except for that guy’s nose and a few fingers. He’d hopefully have the world’s first gun in a few days. He just needed to find the components to make black powder.

And figure out a way to get an audience with the Queen. There just didn’t seem to be any other way to move things out of medieval times around here. If she seemed ok, he could offer his services, get an industrial revolution started and help this place become a little more prosperous. Easier said than done, but what else was he going to do here? He wasn’t sure what he would do if that didn’t work out. There was no way he could move all that gold by himself and set up shop somewhere else.

The sun had set now, and the stars had come out. The smooth water of the harbor reflecting the light was very calming. He didn’t recognize any constellations up there, but it was a pretty sight. He wondered what was going on back on Earth. Did anyone other than his family care that he was dead? Probably not. The moon was up now, almost full. Its silver light was surprisingly bright. He’d expected things to be pitch black with no city lights around. He was about to turn in when a second moon came out from behind the clouds. While the first was a normal silvery white color, the second was dull brick red.

David had already known he was on another world, but this still shook him quite a bit. When he had been offered a role in this experiment, he had been thinking maybe he was just in an alternate dimension on his Earth, a ‘many worlds’ kind of thing. Not a chance of that now. He really was on another planet, abducted by Aliens.

He laid down on the bed, finally overwhelmed by the day. Dying, getting offered a weird new life, two moons. Enough was enough, he was going to sleep.

Tomorrow was a brand new day on a brand new world.

“What are you doing asshole? Move that fuckin’ thing out of the way!”

David woke with a start. He’d left the shutters open and he was jolted out of a deep sleep by the sounds of the docks coming to life for the morning.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve got a ship to load too pal. High tide isn’t for another four hours. I’ll be done and gone before your tub needs to sail.”

A man with a flatbed wagon was moving rope onto a sleek two masted ship while another one was parked behind him loaded with barrels of fresh water. The barrel driver was the one to start the shouting. He was too far back to use the crane to load the ship on the other side of the pier.

Despite the sudden rude awakening David felt well rested. He got dressed after splashing water from the basin on his face. The dockworkers were still arguing when he went downstairs to find breakfast. The common room was even emptier than it had been for dinner. Only one man was there, bent over a plate of eggs and potatoes by the door. David sat down at the same table as the night before and after a little while the barmaid brought over a plate to him. The potatoes had plenty of garlic and onions to flavor them and the scrambled eggs weren’t bad either. He thanked the old woman after he finished and handed her a few coppers before he headed out.

Time to make some gunpowder. I hope.

He headed back into town, paying better attention to where he was going and who was around him than he did the other day. Before long the harbor was far behind him. This city didn’t compare with Dallas or New York in terms of size, but it still took some time to get around. He’d made it to an area west of the palace hill but still outside of the ritzy neighborhood that surrounded it.

Shops lined the street around him, but none looked like what he wanted. Plenty of workman’s trades, but nothing as arcane as what he hoped to find. He stopped in a square with a big fountain in the middle of it. He bent over the water to wash away the grime from his face and hands. This place was cleaner than he expected but horses and wagons still kicked up a lot of dust. When he turned around there was a group of boys staring at him. About a dozen of them ranging from five to ten years old if he had to guess. There were plenty of kids running the streets here. Some were apprentices learning a trade, but most seemed to have nowhere to be. He smiled and waved, causing them to look at their feet and elbow each other excitedly. When they had settled down, he tried to motion them forward. After some more pushing and shoving one of the youngest was forced into volunteering. By the look of him he was only six or seven. He looked healthy, if a bit underfed. His feet were bare, the rest of him covered with pants that were too short and a threadbare shirt.

“What’s your name young man?”

The little boy looked up for the first time and David could see bright blue eyes under the boy’s ragged mop of brown hair. “Jaym m’lord.”

David rolled his eyes but he knew it was pointless to argue the status of his nobility with this child. “Is there something that you and your friends want from me?”

And I’ll cross my fingers you don’t work for a guy named Fagen.

The boy shook his head. “We saw you ride in with the farmer yesterday. And we heard about some bandits that got their faces cut off by a stranger.”

Word spreads real fast around here. “I did ride in with a farmer yesterday, but I didn’t cut off anyone’s face. Just part of a nose.”

That caused more chatter amongst the group of kids. One of the older ones with a black eye shouted at the others, “I told you! Dravit was only missing a finger when I saw him.”

David looked at the little spokesman in front of him. Was a group of kids really going to attack him now? The boy looked at his friends and then back at David, “Dravit and his gang like to try to rob new people in the city. They don’t like us because we sent the guards after them the last time they beat us up. We were just playing in the street too! Not even trying to stop them from stealing.”

“Well I don’t think they’ll be robbing strangers anymore. For a little while at least, anyway. Are you familiar with the area around here? I can’t find what I’m looking for. Do you know the shops and trades?”

The boy nodded happily. He would be the local hero for at least a week for talking to such a lordly figure.

“Good. Is there a chemist close by?” A blank look was his only answer. “An alchemist? Potion maker? Soothsayer? Wizard?”

The boy brightened at the last one, “You mean old man Murdock?”

The group of boys tittered with laughter. David silenced them with a look and turned back to Jaym. “Who is Murdock? What does he do?”

“He owns a shop closer to the center of the city. People go there when they’re sick sometimes. My mom went there when she was trying to have my brother and he made her something that helped. We try to sneak in there sometimes, to look at all the weird stuff, but he always chases us out.”

The other boys nodded. Some laughed while others rubbed their hind ends.

“Can you show me the way to Murdock’s shop?”

Jaym smiled, revealing a few missing teeth.

David took that as a yes and stood up.

The little boy bounded away until he remembered he was supposed to be leading someone. He came back and, greatly daring, took David’s hand. He proudly led the way out of the square heading towards the south side of the palace hill. The others followed along behind. More boys joined the group as they moved through the streets. Stories flourished as the newcomers sought out what was going on. Older townsfolk stared at the motley parade in their midst. David shook his head knowing he would be the talk of the town in no time. The strange young noble being led about by a gang of street urchins. He’d wanted to keep a low profile until he was comfortable here but that would be impossible now. Between cutting off a bunch of bandit fingers and this trip across town, half the residents of the city would probably know about him before long.

They turned a corner and Jaym pointed to a shop halfway down the street. A sign marked with a mortar and pestle hung above the door. The small boy pulled him along until they were in front of it. The others hung back on the other side of the street, fearful of ‘old man Murdock’.

David reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver coin. “I need to go in here and talk to Murdock. Can you wait for me out here and show me to a few other places?”

The little boy’s eyes never left the coin, but he did manage to nod his head.

“Good. Take this and stay here until I come out.”

David opened the door and headed inside the dimly lit shop. The other boys rushed across the street to get a peek at their friend’s prize. The inside of the workshop was crowded with barrels and shelves. David could easily see why young boys of the city would be interested in getting inside. Here were the dreams and nightmares of any adventurous youth come to life. Glass jars with pickled animals inside lined one shelf. Herbs hung in bunches from the low ceiling. Ground up minerals were heaped in buckets and barrels along the floor.

“You may have made a friend for life.”

David jumped at the sudden voice. Sitting behind a counter near the front window was an ancient looking man. His hands kept grinding herbs while he looked out the window. “That is, if he survives his new fame.”

Through the window he could see little Jaym on the ground curled up in a ball trying to protect his reward from probing hands.

“God damnit!” David started to leave when the old man stopped him.

He reached onto a shelf behind him and dropped some crystals out of a jar into a sack. He tossed it to David. “Give that to them. It should help your friend.”

David looked at the bag and then at the old man.

“It’s just rock candy, flavored with blueberries.”

David smiled and stepped outside with the bag. He had to shout and bully his way to the center of the pile to get their attention. He pulled Jaym up off the ground and gave him a piece of candy. When they saw what was in the bag the others pushed forward again to see if there was more. David tossed the sack out into the reaching hands. “That’s all you’ll get from me after treating your friend like that! Now take it and go home!”

The children were sullen, but they did as he asked. Jaym looked up at him wondering if he would be sent away as well. David ruffled his hair and told him to sit outside Murdock’s and wait.

The owner smiled at him when he re-entered the shop. “Well handled sir. And now, what may I do for you today?”

“Would you be the owner, Murdock?” David couldn’t think who else he might be. He was a small wiry man. A few tufts of white hair sprouted around his ears, other than that he was bald. Bushy eyebrows shadowed bright green eyes. He came around his work bench and bowed before David. “I am indeed Murdock, the best herbalist in Thaladon, if I may say so. What can I find for you in my little shop?”

Right now he was only interested in three things. There would be time later to investigate the wonders here. “I need one pound of sulfur, one pound of charcoal, and five pounds of saltpeter. All ground into a fine powder.”

Murdock wiped his hands on his leather apron and shuffled off around the shop. He stopped by a few different barrels and scooped their contents into leather pouches. These he brought back to the workbench and set each on a set of scales one at a time to weigh them out. He picked out the excess until he had the right weight and tossed it in a trash can next to him. David hoped he didn’t drop a candle or something in there next. “There you are young man. I can’t see what you hope to make with that. Most men in your situation try flowers. Jewelry is a safe bet too.”

David was suddenly confused. “Excuse me? What situation?”

Murdock’s eyebrows rose until it looked as though he had hair. “I may be old, young man, but my mind hasn’t gone soft yet. You’re obviously foreign or you wouldn’t be using children to find your way around. You’re wealthy but I doubt you’re from the nobility. No noble would have let himself be pulled around by little Jaym out there. Yes, I saw you come down the street. So, you’re a rich foreigner newly arrived in the city ... The logical conclusion is you’re here to try your luck with Queen Mialana. Like I said, get some flowers. I’ve never met the Queen but no woman I ever knew would be impressed by a bag of sulfur.”

“I’m not here to marry anyone! From all I’ve heard, this Courting Line must stretch around the world. I had planned to present myself at the palace to offer my service but that’s all.”

Murdock smiled but didn’t appear moved by David’s stance. “Then I suggest you bottle your pride and join the Line. No, no, don’t get angry. Your accent gives you away as someone who isn’t local and unless you’re in the Line you won’t get through the gate. The only other foreigners allowed before the Queen are ambassadors and you don’t have the pomp and arrogance to be one of those. I haven’t met the Queen herself, but the palace does call on my services now and then. I’ve seen my share of the upper crust of society. You don’t have to actually win her hand, just make a good impression. When it’s your turn state your case and let her know you’re open to another arrangement besides man and wife.”