Chapter 3 - The First Night

After several hours, Jeremy's time in the kitchen was finally over. He suffered several burns on his hands and arms, but it was worth it. He thinks. He didn't really like being in the kitchen where the hot appliances are. He could deal with hot water from cleaning the glasses when bar tending and that was about it.

"There's a reason I stay out of the kitchen," he muttered as Martha, the inn keeper, tended his burns.

"Aye, I see that," she chuckled.

Martha was a stout, older woman with a motherly appeal. She gave a warm aura as she stood there, which is most likely why people enjoyed coming to the same place. Her blonde hair was pulled in a loose ponytail, and he could make out burned strands of hair where pillars of fire caught. She didn't seem to notice, though.

"Thanks for taking care of me and my… companion," he struggled to find the word.

"Oh please. Aly'nya said there was a strange fella who'd be wandering around. I'm surprised I'm just now seeing ya."

"I'm not that strange, am I?"

"No one has a story for ya."

"Yeah, I guess that would make me a pretty strange person then," Jeremy agreed.

They stayed silent for a few more minutes while Martha continued to apply some burn cream. It was cool on the skin and relieved the pain he was feeling. He'd need to be more careful if he was to be cooking with more fire in the future. He'd also need to figure out how this world worked.

"Appreciate you," Jeremy told Martha.

"No worries. I had a son just like ya. Died in the war several years back," she said softly.

Jeremy didn't know what to say to that. Who would, unless they've experienced her pain? He could only give her a sad smile at the mention of her son. When the bandaging was done, he went up to his room.

Lilah was still asleep. He knew before he entered the room by the sleeping icon beside her status bars. Quietly, he slipped into the room and sat on his own bed. It was a nice room with two beds, two small bedside tables, a lamp somehow magically powered, and two footlockers.

Jeremy opened his status window to examine his stats. He had acquired a couple new things in the last few hours.

Skills

Bladed Weapons: Lvl 2

Cooking: Lvl 5

He found it interesting that wielding a knife counted as a bladed weapon. Even more interesting, it was categorized as blades, not dagger. Maybe once he hits a certain level it'll diverge?

"Where are we?" Lilah's voice stirred.

Jeremy closed the window; saddened he hadn't been able to further explore this system.

"We made it to an inn, and I got you settled down. I worked in the kitchen, but it was to pay for the night," Jeremy explained.

"Ah," she said.

Jeremy had so many questions, but he didn't know where to begin. He needed to complete the two quests and figure out what the hell was going on. He kept quiet, though, and laid down in bed. He stared at the ceiling and got lost in thoughts.

Neither one moved from their spots, and neither one knew what to say. The night began to take over as the moon lit the room through the centered window. Lilah eventually fell asleep and Jeremy resumed his system browsing. He opened up a character tab to see what was up.

He noticed that his clothes were named: Common Garb [Shirt], Common Garb [Pants], Common Garb [Cloak], Leather Shoes [Boots].

He noticed the cloak was tagged with weather resistance. It gave him a ten percent chance to ward off weather effects, such as being soaked from rain, or being super hot in a blistering heat.

That was interesting, as it led him to believe there was a variety of common garb and status effects. Or maybe it was just unique and named accordingly? He had no idea. He also noticed there were different jewelry slots for necklaces, rings, bracelets, and even earrings. He found that odd, since he was a dude. He had no qualms about men wearing earrings, he just never considered it himself.

"I guess if earrings give some good bonuses, then I'd consider it. I think most would," he muttered.

He couldn't sleep, and Jeremy was usually a heavy sleeper. It was probably due to being in an extremely new environment. He sat up in bed, closed the window, and quietly slipped out of the inn. He hadn't had time to explore the town, and he knew it looked suspicious as he traveled at night. But, it seemed luck was on his side as there were others roaming town.

Merchants were closing shop late and headed home. Beggars sat along the streets in search of coin. Townsfolk were headed to their favorite taverns. Small stray animals were roaming here and there. And a mugger tried to rob him. Wait, a mugger?

"Can I help you?" Jeremy asked after pinning the mugger to the ground.

"Damn, my skill said you were supposed to be an easy mark! You were outlined in green and everything!" the man said.

"So I've been told," Jeremy sighed.

Jeremy tightened the pinned arm upwards, eliciting a scream from the mugger. Anyone around didn't wait to see the outcome. It was too late into the night for their own belongings to be taken.

"At this rate, people will start getting the wrong idea about me," Jeremy told the mugger. "What's your name?"

"Screw you pal," he said between pained breaths.

Jeremy tightened his arm once again, making the mugger scream yet again.

"Actually, I've got a question. What's the deal with the silver haired chick that tried to pickpocket me earlier today," he asked.

"I don't what-"

Another painful scream, this time from Jeremy slamming his head into the ground.

"That's the boss's chick. I don't know anything else, I swear," the mugger said.

Jeremy slammed his head once more, knocking him out. Now he had some blood on his hand from the mugger's broken nose.

Skill: Unarmed Combat, level 2

"Great, I lightly torture a guy and it increased my combat skills. Is there nothing I can do that's just... normal?" Jeremy asked himself.

Jeremy began to walk around the town once again, trying to take stock of the stores. He found a general store, a smithy, apothecary, some guilds, and a few taverns. He was surprised at how big this town seemed to be. He traveled through several residential areas, and even a park.

It was a pleasant place to be. Groves of trees and shrubs and a couple ponds were scattered about the place. It seemed someone kept the place trimmed for overgrowth and with a few water fowl still swimming across the ponds. Jeremy sat down on a bench and looked up to the sky. He hadn't seen such a clear sky since he left his quiet little country town back home. And there it was.

The tears were beginning to fall. He hadn't felt homesick since he moved several year ago. This time, though, he was in an entirely new world. He was completely alone, this time. No one to call, no one to text, and no bars to to go meet people. Except, there's taverns here. He wasn't in the mood though.

Jeremy never moved from the spot. He watched the night go by for a few hours. The night noses were somewhat comforting for him. As he sat there, he wondered about just how much of a video game this place was for him.

Will he reload to a quick-save point if he dies? Will he cease to exist? Will he gain perks as he levels up? Does he level up? Many different questions filled his thoughts as he sat there. He soon laid on the bench and continued to stare at the sky.

His first night was really boring. Except for the mugging. That was interesting. Jeremy wondered if People were seeing him from before this world, or if this body was just that bad. Although, as he looked at his hand reaching for the sky, he remembered how similar but different he looked.

He ran his hands through his hair. It was several inches longer than how he normally wore it. He's never had a beard before. He'd have to tame it somehow, or shave it or trim it. His hand traveled the many scars across his arms and torso. Those lifeless eyes he say in the mirror came back to him. Was he... part of that war Martha mentioned? That was a scary thought for Jeremy.

He'd never had a fighting bone in his body. He was generally passive, until people just got on his absolute last nerve. Most of his friends would describe him as an easy going person. At least he hoped.

"How the hell did I end up here," he muttered to no one.

"I'm guessing you walked," Lilah's voice sounded out.

"I mean- never mind."

"You mean what?"

"It's just..."

"Just what?"

"Forget about it. You wouldn't understand."

Jeremy removed himself from the bench. He tried to get away, but Lilah was right there beside him.

"Where you going?" she asked.

"Anywhere but here," he said.

"There's nowhere else. Other than the inn. Most places are shut down."

"Doesn't matter. I'll find somewhere to go."

"Just come to bed. I know you're tired."

Man, this girl was persistant.

"I'm not tired," he said.

"Says the bags under your eyes."

"Just leave me alone."

Jeremy must've had a severe look in his eyes, because Lilah visibly stepped away from him. Her hand was on her a hidden dagger, tucked away beneath the back of her shirt. Jeremy's jaw clenched. He didn't like her reaction, and he didn't like how it was he that made her react that way. Was this body that... intimidating? All that time behind the bar crafting an approachable personality, gone in this strange world.

His shoulders sagged as he watched Lilah. She didn't move, still ready to strike. She had the look of fear in her eyes, a look that wasn't even there when he had her dead to rights earlier that day.

"What did you just do?" she asked.

"I spoke and looked at you," he said.

"No. You used some sort of aura skill. Do you know how rare those are?"

"No, because I'm not from around here. In fact, I don't even know where I am."

"Again, you walked-"

"No! I don't know where the hell I am!" his voice rose. "This isn't my world. I'm not from around here!"

Lilah was stepping back once again.

Side Quest: Calm Lilah

Great. His only help in this forsaken place was beginning to become afraid of him. Just what he needed. He only grunted and turned away. He had no pockets to place his hands in, so he opted to just let his arms swing by his side. He eventually slowed down, hearing Lilah follow several steps behind.

"I'll explain in the morning," he softly said. "I'm sorry I lost my temper. I promise I'm not usually like this."

Lilah nodded, stepping faster to be only a single step to his side.

Side Quest Complete: Calm Lilah

Fifty Experience granted

Lilah and Jeremy found their way to the inn. Jeremy went straight to bed after removing the cloak and his boots. He faced the wall, not daring to look at Lilah in case she wanted to change clothes. If she had any. He could hear her shuffling around before hearing her sheets rustle. It didn't take long for his first night to pass as he drifted off to sleep.