“Hey girly” Anne the merchant flashed a smile at Isa. “Didn’t think we’d see you again.” Anne crossed her arms. “Who’s this?” She waved a finger at Alice. “She’s even taller than you! Does Mery know you’re here?”

“Anne! I forgot that you-- I mean, hello. It’s good to see you.”

The merchant focused on Alice. “Another outlander, huh? A bloody one at that.” To Alice, Anne said, “Need a healing potion, that’s what you need. I got one riiiiight….” Anne began to shift the contents of her wheelbarrow.

“Isa tells me that I’ll be fine after a night’s rest.” Alice stuck out her hand. “Alice Fondel. It’s nice to meet you.”

Anne looked at Alice’s hand and then looked at Isa. “Whatever she told you, it’s exaggerated. Embellished. Probably an outright lie.”

“Oh no, she didn’t say--”

Before Alice could finish her sentence, Anne said, “I wasn’t worth a mention? That hurts, cuts to the quick, it does.” She sighed. “Still business is business. What do you need? Besides healing.”

“Nothing,” said Isa. “Should you be out this late? Alone?” She pointed over her shoulder. “We just ran into 3 gnolls, and we heard a scream, like some huge bird of prey--”

“You said you were gonna buy, otherwise why would I be here, freezing my keister off?”

“It’s actually kinda mild tonight,” Alice began, but Anne ignored her.

“You look different,” Anne said to Isa.

“Well,”said Isa, “I’ve been gone for 3 months.”

Stepping closer, Anne peered up at Isa. “You’ve got an elvish cast to you.” She waved a hand in front of Isa as if washing a window. “And it’s not the armor. Don’t be so quick, girly, to think you know my mind.” She stared up at Isa for a long moment. “You been cavorting with tree worshipers. You, too.” She pointed at Alice without taking her eyes off Isa. “For a long time. Huh. Why didn’t I see it before now, I wonder? What are you hiding, Isa? And why?”

For no reason, Isa felt guilty, and then she rallied. “I am not hiding anything! I ran into someone, and she helped me - us - out of a jam. Sure, she’s an elf. Sort of. I guess. What’s it matter? Look,” Isa pulled a black pearl from her pouch. “Got any healing potions?”

In the growing darkness the pearl looked like a solid ball of ink. Isa held it in her palm, waiting for Anne to take it. Instead the merchant said, “I suppose you’re wanting the family discount now?”

“Is Mery in town? I want to see her.” To Alice Isa said, “Mery is Anne’s niece.”

“My sister’s girl.” Anne added, looking at Alice. “A good sort overall. But I’m glad you,” she said to Isa, “didn’t pine away for her. She’s not the settling kind.”

“We’re just friends,” Isa said to Alice. “And besides Anne, we have a quest. That’s why I want to see Mery.”

Anne held a small vial up in the dying light. “Here it is! Last one in stock. That’s always a sign, don’t you think? Meant for you, if it’s the last one.”

“I’ll give you 25 for it,” said Isa.

“Fine,” Anne shrugged. “I don’t have change though.”

Isa sighed loudly. “Really? Since when?”

“I was on my way home when you summoned me. If you kept normal hours maybe things would be different.”

“I did not summ--”

“This is pretty.” Alice held up a beaten copper bracelet. In the dim light Isa could just make out the outline of a bird on the face of the cuff. Alice went on, “Maybe this and the potion for the pearl?”

“Last person who shifted through my things lost a finger.”

Alice stepped back, clutching the bracelet tight. “I’m sorry. I--”

“No harm done. Lemme see it. I do have some cursed items in my stock.”

Alice tossed the bracelet at Anne who caught it with a grin. “Now, what do we have here….” She rubbed her thumb over the design. “I surely would have remembered getting this.” She paused. “Sold.” She held the bracelet out to Alice. “Finders keepers, as my great granny was fond of saying.”

“Here.” Isa shoved the pearl into Anne’s hand and snatched the healing potion. “Done. Thank you.”

Anne grasped the handles of her wheelbarrow. “Take care of yourself, Athay. See ya ‘round.” She started to trot past them.

“Wait! What did you call me?” Isa held out her hand as if to stop the merchant.

“I called you by your name, didn’t I?” Anne gave Isa a puzzled smile.

“You called me Athay - ‘healer.’”

“Lay that blame at the elves’ feet, not mine.” Anne hunched her shoulders and scurried into the night.

Isa stood with her mouth open watching the merchant melt into the night. “That,” she said finally, “was Anne, the merchant. One of the more memorable people in Varana.”

Alice flashed the copper bracelet, now on her wrist, in the dim light. “Why don’t you light the way for us, babe. And tell me aaaall about this Mery.”

***

Isa didn’t get very far in recounting her adventures with Mery when they arrived at Lund’s Tavern. “Now, Lund is a half-orc,” Isa said. “Just so you know. It’s really hard to tell. I thought he just had a bad underbite the first time I met him.”

“Any friend of yours…..” Alice smiled. “But he speaks English - er, Common, right? Do they call it Common?”

“Yeah, they do. I really don’t understand how it’s so much like RPGs, but it is.”

“Well,” Alice said, “if the shield has been ruptured for generations, maybe Gary Gygax stumbled into Varana just like you.”

“And came home with an idea for a game?” Isa shrugged. “I guess that’s as likely as anything.”

“I await your theory with bated breath.”

Isa put her hand on the door. “Wizards,” she said with mock exasperation. “But seriously, get ready for your first tavern experience. I give you….. Lund’s.” She pushed the door open wide to reveal an empty bar.

Lund looked up from the glass he was polishing. “Isa? What are you doing here?”

Isa stopped in the middle of the tavern and turned around. “Is it a holiday? Where is everyone?”

“They’ll start showing up soon - the wyvern is keeping them away during the day.” He put down his cloth. “Let me look at you. New armor? Nice. Elvish? And who’s this?” Lund walked around the bar to meet them.

“Lund, this is Alice, my girlfriend. Alice, Lund. He’s a great guy. Loaned me his bracers, gave me weapons, a job….” Isa clapped him on the shoulder. “Helped this outlander feel at home.”

“Alice. Welcome.” Lund gestured to the bar. “Do you need food and drink?”

Alice took off her bag and sat at a stool. “God, yes. I don’t remember the last time I ate. Breakfast?” To Isa she said, “Did the elves feed you? I didn’t get any food.”

“I knew there were elves,” said Lund. “There’s something about you that says Eli. Where you been? I thought you went home.” He went behind the bar and grabbed two glasses.

“I did. But then I came back.” Isa sat next to Alice and pulled out the 3 pouches she’d pulled from the gnolls. She spilled the coins on the bar. Mostly silver coins bounced and spun on the wooden surface. Isa counted it slowly. 26 silver and 13 copper. “Have your prices gone up?” Isa pushed the copper coins toward Lund. “Three beers, please.”

Alice picked up one of the silver coins. “It’s really silver. Even the currency is the same? Fascinating.”

“What’s a wyvern?” Isa asked. “Must be bad if it’s keeping people away.”

“A wyvern--” Alice and Lund both started to answer. He looked at Alice. “You’re not from Varana, are you? What plane are you from?”

“I’m from, um Earth, I guess.”

“But you’re not sure?” He drank from his glass. “That’s gotta be rough.”

“We’re from the same plane,” said Isa. “It just has a lot of names. You seen Mery or Joth? I have a quest I wanted to share with you guys.”

“Huh, I’m interested. Got plenty of time during the day. I’ll trade you - my quest for yours.”

Alice took a sip of beer. “Oh my God, this is good. Isa! This is like….”

“Yeah, I know. Don’t ask for cheese, by the way.” To Lund Isa said, “What’s your quest?”

“I need help running off that damned wyvern. I’m paying gold for it.”

“You don’t want to kill it?” asked Alice.

“You ever faced a wyvern?”

“Not in-- I’ve read about them.”

“Then you know,” said Lund, “that you need a dozen people to take one down.”

“I assume,” said Alice, “that wyvern blood, hide, and tail are as valuable here as they are at home.”

“Yeah, but Bywater isn’t packed with bored level 10 fighters.” Lund leaned forward. “If it’s us 3, our bet is to try to run it off.”

“Offer more gold, or a share of the carcass. That’s what I’d do, if I were in your shoes.” Alice took another drink.

Isa looked from her girlfriend to her good friend. They were not off to a good start. “Well, I accept,” she said and felt her bag vibrate. “Ally, your notebook - it buzzes when you take a quest. It gets hot when you level.” She pulled out the notebook and looked at the quest. “50 gold? Awesome. Isn’t that awesome, babe? Did you take it?”

Lund said, “So, what’s your quest? I can have Tris watch the bar for a day or two.”

“I think we need longer than a few days,” Isa said. “This will take us to somewhere called the Hinterlands. Sounds remote.”

“It is. You can get about 3 days’ walk from the White Desert because that’s when the trees give up, but even then, you have at least 10 days before you’re in the Hinter proper. What’s the quest though?”

“Repair the rift,” said Alice.

“The what?”

“The shield, the wall,” Isa made a circular motion with her glass. “The thing that separates our worlds. It’s ripped, and supposedly I can fix it.”

“Which is why,” said Alice said to Isa, “we don’t really have time to hunt wyvern.”

“We have time. Hey Lund, did you offer food? I got silver I want to part with for some of your cooking.”

“Sure.” Lund pushed himself off the bar and headed to the kitchen.

“Why,” said Isa, “are you being such a bitch to my friend?”

Alice put her glass down slowly. “I’m doing no such thing. We have an important job. You have an important job, and I don’t want you wasting time on side quests.”

“Side quests? This is helping out my friend, who asked for it. Look at this place? It should be packed, alright? This is his livelihood.”

“You’re right,” said Alice. “I’m sorry. This isn’t a video game. These are real people with real problems. Dangerous problems.”

“What was all that about wyverns? You sounded downright mercenary there.”

“Wyvern’s blood was a potion ingredient in Farthest Quest 2, so I got kind of obsessive about it in-game. You had to collect 200 vials to supercharge your armor.” Alice shrugged. “But that was just a game.”

Lund came back with 2 plates piled high with food. Bread, sausages, slices of grilled onion. He slid them in front of the two women. Alice smiled at Lund. “This looks fantastic. I gladly accept your wyvern que-- Woah! It does vibrate.” Alice grabbed her notebook and her spellbook and laid them on the bar. “This is so cool, but do you mind if I spend some time with my spells? I don’t feel very prepared to take on a wyvern just yet, even if it’s just scaring one off.”

“Wizard, huh?” Lund raised an eyebrow.

“She’s a class 2 wizard already,” said Isa. “We met up with 3 gnolls near the river - I know, I know - but that’s where Ysel put us. Anyway, Ally kept her head in the fight. And speaking of wizards, have you seen Joth?”

“Nah, not in weeks. I thought maybe he changed his mind and found a way back to your plane.”

“How about,” Isa dropped her voice, “Fedru? He been around?” Isa picked up her fork and speared a sausage.

“Not since the night before you left.”

Isa glanced at Alice to see if she was listening, but Alice was looking at her new copper bracelet. Now that she had proper light, Isa could see that the bird image was a fairly detailed engraving of a crow perched on a tree limb. Alice seemed lost in thought, so Isa returned her focus to Lund. “And Mery? I was hoping I’d see her here.”

“She’s been busy in Deney, with the orphans. Trying to make right what Thorn started.” Lund shrugged. “She comes by once a week or so. To make sure - so she says - that I’m not dead.”

“I could really use your help - both of you - with the quest.”

“Start from the beginning,” said Lund. “We’ve got at least an hour before the place starts to fill up.”