After that it was all just cleanup and paperwork. Literal paperwork - I'd never thought about the possibility of a fantasy adventure ending with several days of poring over contracts with lawyers but of course it wasn't as simple as me scribbling down a copy of the contract out of Connie's notebook and waltzing off into the sunset. We'd done one last pass through the vault looking for loot, taken that grate off the teleportation circle and copied down the runes so there would be a more direct route to the Duminere, and hurried through Nusos again to get back to the surface. That trip had been way faster, because we weren't picky about where we exited from. Cyne had most of us do our best to think about nothing in particular - or at the least nothing related to architecture - and then he and Sige and Mila who all knew what the style was in Erathik just got us to the right type of building and concentrated on trying to leave. We ended up coming out in someone's house, and were attacked by a woman with a broom - she had the same gold nose ring that Hugh had worn, and was yelling at us in a language my bracelet didn't translate.

We made it to Radagan, the capitol city of the kingdom, late on the fifteenth day of the month. Getting a meeting with the appropriate people, explaining the situation, getting the contract written out, explaining that we wanted to claim the bounty on Telen - it all took time and effort that was compounded by the language barrier and so I wasn't able to spend much time looking around the city, but what I had seen of it and of the smaller town we'd popped out of Nusos into was charming. There was music everywhere which was a welcome change from Theramas even if I couldn't understand the words, and the food was almost as good although it seemed like it all had this bitter green veggie in it that I wasn't crazy about. The buildings were mostly made from red brick and in Radagan were two or three stories high, with odd rooftops that angled in only one direction - the slope always facing East. Most importantly, however, were the dinosaurs. They were everywhere, mostly moskar like the ones we'd ridden after Yallowsben but also some other varieties. They were all the same basic velociraptor-y shape, but that was like comparing a pony and a buffalo. Some were beasts of burden, some were riding mounts, and some were clearly pets, with little decorative harnesses on them.

While we didn't have the time to shop for a pet raptor, we did stop by a magic item shop to get that horrible-feeling war hammer appraised. Mila had needed to make a stone box for it and we'd knocked it in with Errod's sword, because reaching too close to it without some kind of barrier made your fingers go numb. Sige had thankfully been able to carry it once it was in the stone box, although it had meant we needed to split up Telen's armor and each carry a bit of it since otherwise the weight was getting ridiculous. After some of the other errands I'd been running I was looking forward to the magic item shop, but once again I got that old feeling. It was just like I remember from being a little kid and thinking about my mom's room, about how she'd told me I wasn't allowed in. Or that one foster home Bill had tried to set up for me before he quit, or the little potion shop right before I met Errod. I wasn't sure what about these places reminded me so strongly of fearing my mom's disapproval, but I didn't want to give myself a migraine so I just made an excuse and went to get some lunch. The war hammer had turned out to be a lost trophy from an old war, its magic being a combination of entropy and life that would surely kill whoever was using it unless they also had the corresponding armor - which had been utterly destroyed a thousand years ago. Still, it was worth something to certain collectors so we started trying to arrange for it to be included in the next auction. More paperwork.

The last few days were dealing with the contract and related legal concerns. I knew nothing about the laws of the kingdom of Erathik and the translation band they'd tried didn't stack with mine so I had been assigned a lawyer, but because I'm a fucking mess this triggered some sort of minor anxiety attack. Thankfully I was self-aware enough to stop and think about why my heart was beating faster and why I suddenly wanted to just skip the whole thing and run away, and no big surprise it was all tied in with my childhood bullshit. The thing is, in the foster care system you get assigned a guardian ad litem - basically just a lawyer that argues on your behalf in court since obviously if you're in the system they can't just make that your parents' job. Mine had been... fine. The first one, before my mom ditched me in Arizona, had smelled like cigarettes and was always drinking coffee and then sneering at the cup as if it tasted funny. Whenever she looked at me or at the case file in front of her she would sigh and then gaze out the window as if she was contemplating just running off and joining a convent. In retrospect I don't think she had anything against me - when I was grabbed for shoplifting or trespassing that wasn't something she made a big deal out of. I suspect, though she would never have said this to a ten year old, she was just annoyed the state hadn't severed my mom's parental rights and worked on getting me adopted by someone that wouldn't abandon their kid in the hardware section of Sears.

I'd had a guardian ad litem in Arizona too, the same one from the time I was twelve until I left the system, but I didn't see her much. After the initial arguments over whether a twelve year old could be abandoned without repercussions under the safe haven law there wasn't a lot to go to court about. I usually avoided getting caught when I was up to no good, and on the occasions where I did end up in the police station I typically just got sent back to the group home, or switched to a group home for "children with special behavioral needs", or Bill talked the police into letting me go. Or... no, when was that? After Universal Servicing Systems? That can't be right, that was after Bill left. Either way, I'd spoken to her maybe once a year. It was odd to think that even with neither of my assigned lawyers being around too much or causing me any trouble I was feeling anxious because of the parallel. Stupid trauma. Stupid high empathy days.

Once I got past that it turned out the lawyers in the kingdom of Erathik were ridiculously nice and helpful, and when I handed over the first draft of the contract they descended on it and began arguing with each other excitedly like it was a game. My lawyer slipped into his native tongue as he got further into the document so after a few minutes I couldn't understand anything being said between them, but I was exhausted by the past couple weeks anyway so even if he had somehow spoken English I doubt I could have really paid attention. He would occasionally turn back to me and go over some minor edit, mostly things which seemed like errors Connie and I had introduced - the contract Connie had gotten a hold of had been translated into the language I'd been speaking (which the Erathi lawyers called "the vulgar tongue" with some disdain), then she had translated it to English, then I had translated it back, and now it had to be converted to Erathik. So it wasn't a shock that some parts were a bit... muddled.

"This line, as written it would make you property of the kingdom, yes? We will change it, the context implies you mean to say you will be a citizen."

They all spoke with the same accent as Hugh, and most had those gold nose rings. They were very patient with some of the odder requests like optimistically including Aestrid while also admitting she was dead, or skimming over the part where I would normally need to say what country I was a resident of.

Eventually it was over. We signed the contracts, handed over the rune sequence for the teleportation circle, and I even took a quick trip down there with some officials. It was my first time using teleportation and I watched the process closely since technically it was something I could develop my Dumine to do, but of course I didn't learn anything since from my perspective it was just three people in uniforms speaking to each other in a language I didn't know and then... bam. Done. It felt somewhat similar to when I had left Earth - there was a moment where I felt weightless, a flash of disorientation, and everything had changed around me. This time my head didn't try to explode, which was obviously an upgrade. They'd brought someone with us that had no Dumine so they could go inside and get one, thereby confirming it was the real deal - he got a dud but it was still enough to prove that I wasn't pulling some elaborate con. The other person along for the inspection had some ability to sense where we actually were, which was important because if it hadn't been within the kingdom's borders everything would have gotten way trickier. When they were satisfied we came back, signed even more documents, and then they handed each of us some papers covered in official seals, a bag of money, and a small box with a gold nose ring. Katrin, Errod, and myself opened a safe deposit box to keep our documents in - unlike on Earth this wasn't done at a bank, but in an underground room beneath what was basically city hall. We then began planning for the next part of our journey, but Mila announced that she was going to stay and shop around for a place to re-open her business since she spoke Erathik and the contract had given her an extra source of income here.

"Also I might be a wanted criminal in the Eldred empire now," she said with a sigh.

"Sorry about that Mila."

"Oh it's fine dear, it happens. I came close to being banned from the Patic empire, and there's a life sentence waiting for me in Halenvar that probably isn't helped by us collecting that bounty on Telen. Oh, and I suppose the government of Markonti still wants to execute me! Haven't thought about that vacation in ages. But I have a few places left, you know, and people do forget eventually; the kingdom of Romatna had a coup about twelve years ago and I feel confident they won't try to arrest me anymore. Nobody keeps track after most of the government is beheaded."

"And you... just run a pottery business."

"Is that bad?"

"No! I just think that most people who make pots and vases and things aren't wanted in multiple countries."

She seemed to consider that for a moment, but then got distracted when she realized she wasn't sure where her bag was. Thankfully we located it - already on her back - and then it was time to say goodbye which took several attempts as she kept turning back around for something else she'd forgotten.

I offered to buy Sige and Cyne lunch, but the job was over and both were eager to get moving - Cyne was taking four of the five kids to the city of Twelve Towers to get them settled at the monastery or whatever it was until they could try to locate their parents, and Sige had some gambling debts he was extremely eager to pay off. I did get a big hug from him before he left, and a promise that if I could find him he'd gladly sign on to any other jobs I wanted done. When Cyne actually left, I turned into a blubbering mess. Not for Cyne himself, of course - I was sending four kids off to an orphanage, and the fact that I had also gotten them access to magic and set up a trust fund didn't avoid the emotional baggage. I tried to say something to them but it came out as a jumbled mess of tears and snot and I finally had to just force myself to smile and wave. Soon they were out of sight, and the first big quest of my time on this world was officially done with. The next quest was simpler and far less dangerous, as it just involved escorting Elba back to her home town and hoping her parents hadn't moved away or died. Elba was about ten years old, in Earth years, and reminded me a lot of some of the kids I'd known in foster care. She was cheerful enough, and would play games with the others and joke around and seem like a typical kid - and then she would sit there muttering to herself about Sahrger and running her thumb across the blade of her knife, staring off into the distance. She would probably need some therapy, but I wasn't exactly going to be the one to throw stones there.

We began packing bags, eager to get moving. I was a little surprised we hadn't been detained yet - Erathik was allied with the Eldred Empire, and that meant they should have been made aware by Lord Protector Hammersmith that we'd escaped. I had delayed in giving my name as long as I could, but it was required for the final contract and lest they do some sort of lie detector test and then declare the whole contract void I had relented and signed my actual name - or the best approximation of it that I could with the local alphabet. Would some clerk cross reference it with an emergency message from Theramas and realize? Would we be stopped by guards before we could leave and held here until Hammersmith could cart me back? The way to Brinkmar opened about every six months of earth time, or more specifically every five months of stupid fantasy time. It had last opened on the day I arrived, and I'd been here for about sixty days so some time before another hundred and twenty passed I would need to check in or Hammersmith would have an aneurysm.

"Hey! I was just thinking about things, and I've only been here for sixty days - give or take. That's nuts."

Katrin smiled, as she tucked her spellbook into her bag. "It does feel like longer - and I've known you even less than that. We left Yallowsben - what, two weeks after you arrived? Or as you would say, two ridiculous too-short weeks."

"A week should be seven days, not six."

"You have to know how stupid that sounds. You said you use tens like we use sixes. How does seven come into it? Shouldn't your weeks be either five or ten days?"

"I can't spend all my time explaining why the Earth method is better. Anyway. What I'm saying is, I've only been here for sixty days and I've visited multiple planes and learned magic - well, gained the ability to learn magic - and made enough money that I could just retire, if I lived simply."

"But you're not going to."

"No. I'm going to... to learn to fight better, and learn my magic, and help you become the world's best spellcaster, and..." I looked over at Errod, who was bandaging his thumb after injuring himself while sharpening his sword, "and I'll help Errod become the world's best swordfighter somehow. Maybe."

That would mean training. Lots of training. Nobody seemed to agree on the best way to do that, though the most common suggestions were to go out into the wilderness where ambient mana was higher and then kill some monsters while just practicing as much as you could. There were also some more bizarre suggestions, strange brews you could drink or exercises you could try or prayers you could say. The fact that nobody could agree on the best method implied none of them made too much of a difference. I checked my gear, then went around to pick up some things Elba had left strewn about.

"Errod! Is this that glove you found down in the vault?"

He looked up from his own bag and nodded. "Oh. Yes, I tried it on down in the vault and it didn't seem to do anything. Cyne and Mila both looked as well, they said it's probably just an old glove left behind by whoever cleaned out the place. But... I don't know, I guess I just kept it to remember the journey by."

I slid it on. It was well made, and comfortable - though a little bit large on me. It looked like it was designed to fit fairly snugly, and it extended down onto my forearm. If it was old, it had held up remarkably well. I pulled it off again and examined the inside, and didn't see any sign of runes or anything. It didn't look like some sort of special material, though I obviously didn't know enough to identify the type of leather. So. No runes, no special material, and no obvious magical effect. If it was a magic item or even an artifact, it was subtle indeed. I tossed it over to Errod so he could pack it, and he slid it on for a moment as well.

"Shame we didn't find the matching one. It's got the correct grip for sword fighting, but it's a left glove and I'm right handed. I suppose it's silly to keep it."

He sighed, and went to pull it off but then stopped.

"Is something wrong?"

Errod tugged at the fingers again, then looked at me with his lips in a tight line. "No. It's fine. I think I might leave the glove on for now though."

Katrin put down her bag and raised an eyebrow at him. "Errod. What's going on?"

He sighed, and held up his left hand. The glove, formerly plain, now had delicate gold stitching in a vine pattern around the cuff. "It um... it won't come off."

Great.