Chapter 5: A Language Barrier

Waking up that morning felt surreal. Finally sleeping indoors had seemed to really calm me down and bring an ounce of normal back to this sordid turn of events.

But still, the thoughts of that man we had killed and the other one who we had.. what? Branded? Tortured? It didn't sit well with me.

Still, the strangers would have likely killed me without Mordain's intervention.

I was grateful for that. It seems I really slept in though, sun's way up and Mordain's gone, so is the stranger's body actually.

Mordain must have went to bury him. If anything, Mordain was a hard working guy and I now felt I could trust him.

"I need at least one friendly face around me. "

Waiting for Mordain to come back, I sat at the table and thought about what to do now.

So, we finally have a stable place to stay. We have to find water, this was a farm so maybe there's a well?

Otherwise trips to the forest way over there for some kind of spring or stream.

Food will be a problem... we have potatoes but not much else...wait, I was buying some meat and veggies at the store but we didn't have anything to start a fire before.

Closing my eyes and trying to feel for something to grab unto, from this other dimension, I manage more easily and quickly than before to pull out something. Laying in front of me is a pack of ground beef, a bag of apples and a package of mushrooms.

Having a third sense regarding food, Mordain entered the building mere moments after.

We break some furniture and start a small fire, cooking the meat and mushrooms on a piece of iron that used to be the door of a fireplace.

Having eaten, we explore the farm area thoroughly. A small, almost dried out well was found and a few broken farming equipment like hoes and spades.

Scouring the main building in every nook and cranny yields nothing as this home was long since abandoned.

(We need to do something for long-term survival and growing potatoes is not a really viable idea in my mind. It would take too much time and be entirely dependant on the weather, who knows if this land is even fertile.)

The large forest seen in the distance looked to be a solid 3-5 hour walk and so I decided against going today.

Communication with Mordain was getting better but only with simple words designating objects or tasks.

Learning a language this way was very hard, some of the words Mordain used resembled french and I was at least able to get the prononciation right because of it.

Inviting Mordain over, we spent the better part of 2 hours pointing at objects and mimicking actions whilst saying the word for it. Mordain understood my intentions and cooperated well enough.

Taking a break after our mutual language lessons, I decided to attempt to experiment with my powers to try and better understand what I'm capable of.

Grabbing a log, I put my hand on it and focused on moving it to the other dimension. Watching and straining, nothing happens, but closing my eyes, I feel a small pressure in my head and opening my eyes again, the log is gone.

Taking mental notes, I try to bring it back by imagining the log in my hand.

I focus, feeling the other dimension at the periphery of my mind. I remember the shape and weight of the log with my eyes closed.

The log appears instantly, at the edge of my outstretched hand, falling to the ground after materializing.

Laying down on the floor, I rest my eyes a bit.

"I'm going to get the hang of this eventually, but I'm running out of things to bring out."

"What if...I tried to move myself?"

Could I get home that way? It's so risky though... Maybe I should try on someone else first. But what if it kills them? On the other hand, if I don't try, I'll never know if it's safe for me.

(Mordain was a possible subject but I banished the thought. He's been too helpful, it wouldn't feel right. It would have to wait for another day I finally admitted to myself before calling it a day and going to sleep.)

Waking up and looking at what was left of our meager rations, we had found some food that had been stashed by the bandits that were staying here but it would not last them very long, we decided a city might be our best bet.

We set out in the morning for the city after I put our rations in the dimensional space for ease of carrying.

From what I could gather out of Mordain, the city was named Lanzhou, it was in southern Empire territory, close to the Theocracy borders.

Mordain expressed the danger of being a mage in relation to the Theocracy, who believe such individuals to be blasphemers and death being the only appropriate punishment for such crimes.

After an uneventful but long day of walking, we set up camp for the night atop a large rock formation, in order to stay away from some of the creatures.

The further we traveled, the more the land seemed to regain its splendor. Creatures could be seen flitting left and right, most of which were native to this world. I had seen some kind of small feline hunt a colorful bird but there were also other creatures which I couldn't quite explain, like some kind of rodent with three tails that acted as tentacles.

I initially wanted to light a fire but Mordain reminded me that it would likely attract unwanted attention. Sleep was not easily achieved and alternating watch did not permit either of us to become fully rested.

We set out early at the rise of the sun, if everything went well we would reach the city by late afternoon. I had started to become more fluent in Mordain's language and the same could be said for Mordain in mine.

It was a convenient advantage too, Mathias thought, I could speak my own language to prevent others knowing what we were saying. The more time I spent with Mordain, the more I felt I could trust the man. I certainly wouldn't be alive right now if it weren't for him and the same was as true for Mordain.

This kind of mutual recognition really helped their friendship.

The city could be felt as we approached. Slowly but suddenly, small hamlets and farms became part of the landscape. From what Mordain was describing , this was closely resembling what I would know as a feudal society. Peasants worked the fields and paid a portion of it to their lord, who owned the land. Some nuances existed in some aspects, such as contract lengths and laws.

Some time later, in the direction we walked, tall sharp shapes loomed on the horizon. We had reached the city at last. It was closer to the evening than afternoon by this point, part of it because I had insisted to stop and talk with some of the locals. I had learned some information, even with my broken Lanash, the local language that Mordain showed me.

Lanash was spoken mainly in the Vasch empire. It was the closest thing to a trader's language as the empire had the largest population out of its neighbors. Most of the residents of the Empire, if I had to describe them in terms I'd use from my world, would seem to be of south american heritage.

The local ruler was named Sera but most simply called him Stormbringer Sera. He was a strong mage, specializing in lightning magic, Mordain then explained that lightning magic is an advanced mix of wind and fire magic. He's a very respected ruler, often helping when there are droughts or floods with his magic. He's also instituted a mercenary like system that pays for killing monsters in the vicinity of the city.

He serves directly under the Emperor, having been appointed after a brief but illustrious career within the imperial mage division. At 27, he's one of the youngest lords in the Empire but certainly amongst the strongest in terms of magical power. Politically, being new and young, he does not possess many allies and is a bit of an outcast.

Resuming the walk to the city, Mordain makes sure no one is listening and says to me

"How I say this. It be good if none known who me is? Had mission, failed mission. Punishment death but am not dead. Not Sera order but no take chance yes?"

"Alright, makes sense. We'll lay low for some time then. Keep with the working class people and avoid the nobles."

Mordain also brings up another point.

"You name. Change be good. Mathias not normal."

"Hmmm... You have any idea for another name?"

"Yes. Krajek. Very common name. No questions."

"Ugh, if we must.. I don't like it though."

I looked ahead at the large city gates and started walking again. A new name, a new life. Perhaps someone with magic could help me get back home I naively thought.