—— ? ——

  A booming laugh shattered the tension.

  “Ha! Ya, tha be about ta right response, giv’n ta situation.”

  Heads turned toward the front where Kurda was once again wedged into a heavy stone-backed chair.

  One that looked suspiciously newer than the rest. A fresh seam of mortar traced down the left armrest, and someone had reinforced the base with thick bands of metal.

  He leaned forward, pointing a finger as thick as a mug handle at Simon.

  “Les set er straight. Yer fell outta ta sky, landed in some shite valley, did’t die, did’t get eat’n, an’ dragged yer salf here, all wit’out levels or help?”

  Simon blinked. “Uh. Yeah. That about covers it.”

  He stared at the behemoth. The man had smooth chestnut colored skin and was built like a tank.

  The big man nodded in approval.

  “Name’s Kurda. If yer lookin’ fer work, could always use a strong one like ya workin’ on da tunnel.”

  Kurda leaned back into his chair, which groaned but held, and folded his arms across his barrel chest.

  “Well… thanks.”

  Serel’s voice rang out, clear and crystalline.

  “Thank you, Councilor Kurda, for the generous offer to our new arrival. Let’s move to related questions.”

  Her eyes shifted to Simon, her intense steady gaze settling on him.

  “Simon Starfall, what did you do before the integration? Do you have a trade or art?”

  Simon hesitated. There were a hundred ways to answer that question, and most of them sucked.

  “I, uh… worked in a hospital,” he began slowly. “IT department. Mostly fixing ancient software no one remembered how to use, replacing hardware, crawling under desks. Real glamorous stuff.”

  A few councilors tilted their heads. Serel waited patiently.

  “I had a business degree,” Simon continued. “Big dreams, fresh out of college. Thought I’d move up. Fix things. Make the system better.”

  He snorted softly.

  “Instead, I got assigned to a basement computer that tried to update every other Tuesday. My job was literally clicking ‘No’ over and over so it wouldn’t crash the entire server network.”

  Confused looks rippled through the crowd.

  Serel pointedly looked over at Brian.

  The wiry, bespectacled man’s face scrunched up in thought.

  “Oh, that job sucks,” he said. “We had those. Legacy machines with haunted firmware. You didn’t fix them. You prayed to them.”

  Kurda leaned forward, brow furrowed in curiosity.

  “So… he’s a priest or summat? Wuz yer blessin’ ta machine then?”

  Brian interjected before the conversation could go further down a rabbit hole.

  “No–no. That was a figure of speech. Let me explain.” He turned to Kurda, “Imagine a magical golem that asks if it can explode every two weeks. Then imagine your job is to politely decline until it forgets it wanted to.”

  Kurda blinked. Then gave a thoughtful grunt.

  “Strangest priest I e’er ‘eard of…” he muttered at a volume he assumed was quiet.

  Simon gave the man a grin.

  Priest of broken machines would be a frustrating career choice.

  Serel tilted her head. “And outside of your profession? What were your pursuits?”

  Simon tapped a finger against his leg, thinking.

  “I trained,” he said. “Physical stuff. Martial arts, fencing, MMA, kendo, whatever I could get into.”

  He glanced up, half-expecting another round of puzzled stares. Instead, several councilors looked intrigued.

  “I got good at them. Fast. Too fast, maybe. Hit a ceiling with each one, and when that happened, the spark faded. Still practiced, but more out of habit than passion.”

  He gave a self-deprecating shrug.

  “It became a cycle. Start strong, get good, plateau, drop it. Rinse, repeat. Guess I just wanted to find one that would challenge me for a lifetime. I couldn’t see it for most of them.”

  Kurda gave a quiet grunt of approval.

  “So yer good wit’ yer body. Yer should come work at r’ tunnel project.”

  Serel glanced over at the big man and shook her head with a faint, amused smile.

  “I believe you have already extended an offer, Kurda.”

  Her emerald eyes gleamed at Simon.

  “Simon Starfall, do you plan to stay here in Varnholt?”

  Simon blinked at the question, then looked around the chamber, at the figures, the mismatched furniture, the weight of expectation hanging in the air.

  “Stay?” he echoed.

  He shifted in his seat, brow furrowed.

  “I mean… do I have a choice?”

  He looked toward Serel, then toward the others.

  “I fell into a frozen valley in the middle of nowhere, nearly died to a swarm of homicidal hell bunnies, wandered here half-conscious wrapped in corpses, and apparently missed out on a month of system hand-holding. There’s snow and mountains in every direction. I’ve got no map, a single set of clothes, no food, and until yesterday, I didn’t even know what Varnholt was.”

  He paused for a beat.

  “So… yeah. I guess I’m asking: do people leave the valley? Is that even a thing?”

  There was a pause in the room.

  A few eyes flicked toward one another.

  Serel didn’t immediately answer. Simon folded his arms.

  “Because if this is some kind of ‘you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave’ situation, I’d kinda like to know upfront. Remember, I’m new to this whole thing. I don’t want to agree to some binding oath”

  Off to the side, Emrick’s nasally voice cut through.

  “Well, one thing’s for sure, Dravlen was right that he’s got a mouth...”

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Simon turned his head slightly, just enough to catch the textile artisan’s thin frame and the growing bruise on his forehead.

  Emrick sniffed, clearly unbothered by the attention.

  “Just an observation. For someone who walked in here half-dead, you sure seem comfortable running that mouth.”

  Simon raised an eyebrow.

  “We seem to have that in common. Judging by the bruise on your forehead.”

  A low rumble built from the front of the room. Kurda threw his head back and let out a booming laugh that echoed off the stone walls.

  “HA! Dat der be true” he barked, slapping the armrest of his reinforced chair.

  “Yer brave, Starfall. Stumblin’ in barely breathin’, an’ now yer sayin’ yer’d just stumbl’ right back out there again?”

  He grinned, broad and toothy.

  “Tunn–”

  “I believe he understands the offer, Kurda,” Serel cut in sharply.

  Her voice had the clarity of crystal under strain, and Simon could’ve sworn the glowing strands of her hair pulsed brighter for just a moment.

  “To answer your question, you are free to leave when you wish. All residents of Varnholt are. As if anyone could stop the headstrong crafters here from following their own path.”

  She nodded slightly, a knowing look in her gleaming emerald eyes.

  “However… The reason for my hesitation is simple: to my knowledge, there is no way out of this valley.”

  She gestured at Kurda who was tinged with a slight hue of embarrassment.

  “As Councillor Kurda continues to advertise, one of the town’s primary goals—and major quests—is to establish a tunnel through the nearest mountain. We are still surveying the valley in full, but early examination…”

  she sighed, the glow around her dimming, “…does not look promising.”

  “We are very much alone for the foreseeable future. Whether that is a blessing or a curse remains to be seen. For now, it is simply our reality.”

  Simon met her gaze, deep in thought.

  After a long moment of silence, he shrugged.

  “In that case, I’m all for joining the town. At least for now.”

  He scratched the back of his neck.

  “Gotta be honest, though. I haven’t exactly been described as a ‘crafty’ person.”

  A firm voice cut in from the far side of the chamber.

  “Well,” Dravlen said, casually leaning against the wall, “I’m also willing to offer you a position with security.”

  Heads and gazes snapped toward the hooded man as he continued, unfazed.

  “You’ve got the instincts. Good fighting potential. Might as well put both to work somewhere useful.”

  Simon turned back to Serel.

  “Does he just… do that? Like, all the time?”

  She let out a chuckle that was soft, and strangely musical. Like the chime of glass stirred by a gentle breeze.

  “He does. He’s quite proud of his abilities despite protests.” She smiled and continued.

  “That makes two offers, one for helping with tunnel construction, and the other for security.”

  She nodded toward Dravlen… then sighed and shook her head.

  The man was gone.

  “Of course…” she muttered, then straightened and looked around.

  “Is there anyone else who would offer?”

  Her gaze moved from face to face, finally landing on Brian.

  The scholar was already halfway out of his chair, one hand raised.

  “Councillor Brian.” she acknowledged.

  “I could absolutely use him!” Brian declared. “It’s not an official focus or agenda item, yet, but I’ve been saying for weeks that we need to explore the valley thoroughly. Someone has to do it!”

  He gestured animatedly toward Simon.

  “And he’s perfect! We’ve already assigned people to other projects. He's not a crafter, and we’ve got guards. What we don’t have is someone figuring out what’s actually out there.”

  Serel stared at him.

  “…And pick up samples for research on the way?”

  “EXACTLY!” Brian said, straightening up fully. “Er, I mean… since he’s already out in the area, he may as well collect whatever he finds. Strictly for the report, of course.”

  Serel shook her head with a sigh, then turned back to the room.

  “As long as there are no major objections, your offer will be considered valid.”

  Her eyes swept the chamber.

  “Are there?”

  The room was silent. A few councilors exchanged glances, but most just shrugged.

  “Then that makes three offers for you, Simon Starfall. You may take time to consider, or–”

  “Exploring,” Simon said, cutting in. “I’ll go with Brian’s offer.”

  Kurda clicked his tongue, but gave a resigned shrug.

  “Bah. Suit yerself. Tunnel aint goin no wer fast. Always der if ya change ya mind”

  Brian looked like someone had just handed him a birthday cake and a new puppy.

  “You’re serious?” he asked, blinking. “You’ll really do it?”

  Simon shrugged, “Sounds like a good option to me. I mean, when I was a kid Indiana Jones was one of my favorite characters.”

  “Oh, this is going to be great!” He was already out of his seat and halfway to Simon before he realized the entire chamber was still watching him.

  Brian paused mid-stride, cleared his throat, and adjusted his robes.

  “Um… is there other business to attend to?”

  Serel shook her head.

  “I believe we are adjourned.”

  She scanned the room once more, then gave a formal nod.

  “Councillors. Until our next meeting.”

  Brian immediately made a beeline for Simon, eyes bright with barely contained excitement.

  “Alright, Simon! Let’s go get you equipped for collec… ahem. Exploring!”

  Simon shook his head. The man was an enthusiastic nerd. But in this strange new world, it gave him a sense of comfort and familiarity.

  “Sure, Brian. Happy to help,” Simon said, rising to his feet. “Hey, do you think I could get a map?”

  He had to quicken his pace to catch up. Brian was already halfway to the door, muttering excitedly to himself about equipment lists, collection protocols, and other things Simon didn’t understand.

  Brian laughed at his question.

  “A map? Oh, Simon… I’m going to get you far more than just a map.”

  He turned, eyes alight with manic glee.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you have everything you need. You have no idea how badly I want to know what’s out there!”

  Brian spun back around and kept walking in a half dance, half walk through the halls.

  What did I just sign up for? Simon wondered.

  A few minutes went by.

  Finally he couldn’t take not knowing.

  “Hey, Brian,” he called out, “why are you so excited?”

  The man paused mid-stride and turned back to him, eyes wide like he’d just been reminded he had a mouth.

  “Why am I excited?!”

  Simon waited.

  And waited.

  Brian just kept staring at him, mouth slightly open, clearly lost in a world of his own making.

  “Hello? Earth…” he paused, annoyed. “I mean… New crazy world to Brian! You wanna finish the sentence?”

  “Huh?” Brian blinked like he'd been slapped with a wet towel. “Oh! Right! I’m excited! Simon, you have no idea how many times I’ve begged the council to approve more active exploration. No one listens! They just kept nodding, as if nods would be a good substitution ”

  Simon tilted his head. “Okay… so why didn’t you go yourself?”

  Brian scowled. “Apparently, ‘my work is too important’ and they’re ‘making it a priority, don’t worry.’ Bah.”

  He scratched the side of his head, visibly annoyed.

  “But honestly? I didn’t fight it that hard. There are just so many things to experiment with!”

  He held up his finger as he remembered.

  “Oh! And there’s a quest in town to set up an environmental barrier. Some system event reward. Pretty impressive, actually.”

  He let out a breath.

  “I don’t disagree with the council on that one. According to what we’ve managed to read about it, once this barrier is activated, it should protect the entire town from harm. But it's specifically is tuned to protect from avalanches”

  Simon raised an eyebrow. “Is that a problem here?”

  Brian shrugged. “Not yet. But when the system gives you a magical avalanche shield, you start looking at the mountains a little differently.”

  He made air quotes.

  “‘Harmony is offered’ and all that.”

  Simon chuckled. “Yeah, I see your point. I would also be pretty focused on the foreboding magical item as well.”

  “Exactly!” Brian beamed, eyes gleaming. “Alright, come on! Let’s get you some gear from my lab!”

  He took off again. Faster this time, practically bouncing with every step.

  “Wait. Your lab?” Simon called after him.

  “Yeah! It’s amazing! You’re gonna love it! Come on, let's go!”

  Simon shook his head in amusement as he jogged to catch up to the excitable man.

  Was this a good idea?

  Yes?

  No?

  Maybe?

  Still, there was something comforting about being swept along by someone so genuinely thrilled to have him there.

  Someone who was, at this very moment, disappearing around a corner at full speed.

  Completely oblivious to the fact that Simon had fallen behind.

  “Damn, he’s fast for such a skinny guy,” Simon muttered, grinning despite himself.

  And with that, he broke into a sprint.

  —— ? ——

  — AUTHOR NOTICE —

  ~TheBusyBard

  Harmony is offered. Growth is earned. Limits are unknown.

  ——————————