Ember sat down on one of the opposing chairs and looked around the office. It was relatively sparse. On the left side stood a large bookcase packed tightly with books. Behind him was a decently sized window overlooking the city, or it would have, had it not been the middle of the night. More likely it was the very early morning. Situated above the window was a sword with a gold hilt and an extravagant-looking sheath.

  Avis took the chair across from them and reached into his desk, pulling out a small parchment. He set it on the table and then laced his fingers together.

  “Now, I’m sure you two understand the situation you’re in. The Sword Crater is asking for us to hand you over. However, I am duty-bound by the Accords of the Guild to protect all traversers until they are able to sustain themselves.” He looked pointedly at Ember. “And you, my good sir, are clearly not prepared to live on your own. You know very little about this world, as is the case with most traversers. So I cannot hand you over. But that does not mean our protection is absolute. If you leave this City Hall, chances are you will come across one or two of the religious members who may or may not try to capture you, if you’re lucky.”

  Ember shivered at the way he said it. Death was a boon at the point.

  Avis rolled the parchment out onto the table. It was a map of the Frontier, which looked strikingly similar to North America. He pointed to a dot on the far east coast in the Appalachian Mountains, specifically between the Virginia and North Carolina border.

  “We are here,” he said.

  He then pointed to five other dots that connected across the continent. “These are the five other Frontier cities, the major ones. There are, of course, small dustings of settlements here and there, maybe small towns, but these are the major cities. If you wish to survive, I deeply suggest the two of you make your way over to the next city as soon as possible.”

  He pointed to a city on the outskirts of what would have been Tennessee. “This is Watertown. It’s the best place for you to set yourselves up. The religious group won’t be able to follow you if you manage to make it outside the city bounds. Once our influence ends, they will most likely not pursue you. The reasoning being it would require a very expensive retinue of protectors. Even, well, if we’re being frank, the cult has neither the pockets nor the desire to throw their lives away on a guaranteed suicide mission.”

  He looked at the two young men sternly. “You two, however, don’t have a choice in the matter. You cannot stay in the city. We will do everything we can to aid you. And of course,” he looked to Chris, “I’m sure the Pilgrimage would be more than willing to help you.”

  He pointed to a smaller dot between the two big cities. “This is a decently sized outpost between the two cities. It’s a small town, but quickly growing, mostly due to the frequency of dungeons that appear. So, it may be best for the two of you to make your way to this outpost and catch your breath.”

  Chris rubbed his chin and nodded. “Yeah, that’s a good plan. There’s one problem. How do we get out of the city without being noticed? All four exits are being watched.”

  Avis sighed. “Yes, that is a conundrum. That’s a problem we’ll have to deal with at another time. For now, how about we get Ember here set up for his time in our world. I am willing to give him a three-gold stipend. A debt, if you will. I’m loaning it to him, to allow him to acquire armor and the gear he’ll need to make the journey to the outpost. However,” he said, looking to Chris, “you, unfortunately, are not extended that courtesy.”

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  “I know, I know,” Chris said. “I’ve got plenty of money myself.”

  The Guildmaster nodded. “Good. Well. I’m sure you have many questions, Ember. Please, ask them.”

  Ember sat there quietly, staring at the map. So, I was taken to an alternate version of Earth? Then everything should be pretty much the same in terms of the contents of stuff, right? He looked to Avis.

  “What’s so dangerous about the area beyond the influence of the city?”

  Avis sighed. “Well, you see, the Frontier is also filled with monsters. And not weak monsters, might I add. They’re not quite as strong as what you’d see on the main continents, the civilized world, but they are powerful. And if you’re unlucky, you’ll come across something you can’t fight. Of course, there are many places in the world becoming more and more treacherous. The journey even from here to the outpost is considered something only veteran adventurers or small armies should undertake. You two will essentially be going on a covert operation, trying to sneak your way to the outpost. Unfortunately, we don’t have the personnel to give you a protective guard, unless you’re willing to pay for it. And since the cult is watching your every move, they would likely make a move if they knew we were assisting you directly in getting to your destination. Of course, we can provide you with a couple of horses and a cart to hold your things. But when it comes to human resources, I’m afraid that’s where we draw the line.”

  Ember’s head swam with questions. He had so many. Chris seemed to notice and shook his head.

  “I know you probably have a billion questions, but we can’t do that right now. We need to get out of this city as soon as possible.”

  Avis nodded. “The Crater Sword members are fanatical at best and not exactly in their right minds at worst. The chances they try to burn the Guild hall down because the two of you are here is not zero. So, it would be best if you were to leave as soon as possible. The faster you’re out, the safer it will be for you both.”

  He rolled up the map and handed it to Ember. “You can keep this. It has all of the major cities and minor cities within the Frontier. The chances you’ll visit most of them are slim, if you even manage to survive the journey to the outpost. Unfortunately the map is a little outdated, so many of the details may not be accurate.”

  Chris nodded. “The first thing we should do is get Ember some clothes. And a sheath for his sword.”

  “You are correct. I will have a guide downstairs take you to the nearest seamstress, as well as the blacksmith.”

  He stood and shook Ember’s hand. “It’s unfortunate, the circumstances of how you came here. But you don’t have time to dwell on it, and neither do we. I advise you move quickly and discreetly.”

  With that last warning, the two were ushered out of the room.

  “That wasn’t very informative,” Ember said. “I would have thought I’d learn more.”

  Chris shrugged. “Well, when you have a cult of fanatics on your heels, and they might be willing to resort to arson to kill you, chances are the Guild doesn’t really want you around. So how about we head down, get you some clothes, maybe some armor, get you a sheath, and then talk about how we’re going to get out of this shithole of a situation we’ve been put in.”

  Ember’s stomach grumbled. He hadn’t eaten in days, and he was starting to feel it.

  “Maybe food first?”

  Chris rolled his eyes. “Food. Right. Let’s go.”

  Ember followed him downstairs, back into the main hall, and they headed over to the small chow area. It was relatively plain, with a little desk to order from. Ember told Chris to just get him the simplest thing they had, which turned out to be some stew and creamy gravy. It was good. Enough for him to eat three servings of it.

  Then it was time to leave.

  A lot was happening very quickly, and Ember struggled to keep track of it all. Right now, he was just going with the flow. It was all he could do.