Frostbitten Wayfarer

“Nice man, isn’t he?” The man asked Zoe.

“I think so. He lets me sleep in the kitchen and I don’t really think the work I do is helping all that much either, to be honest.”

“Right, well you don’t even have a class yet anyway. What’s up with that? Just going for something super specific?”

“I guess so. I grew up without magic stuff so this is still kind of new to me.”

“Without magic? There are places like that? Huh, that’s so cool.” The man said, squinting at the first page of his book.

“What are you reading?” Zoe asked, sitting down in a chair across from him.

“I don’t really know, actually.” The man let out a nervous laugh. “Rabbits exploring a big field, I think? I can’t really read and this looked like a good start.”

“Sounds like fun. I wish you luck with that. There’s a book store just down the road with a dude who can do some really crazy mental stuff, he might be able to just… zap reading into your head, maybe?” Zoe said.

“John’s Books? That’s where I got this book actually. Terrifying guy at first though. I guess I could’ve asked, but there’s something about doing it myself that makes it feel worth it, too.” The man said, flipping the page.

“Mhm, I totally get that. My name’s Zoe, by the way. It’s nice to meet you.” She said.

“I’m Rizick, likewise.” Rizick said.

“Alright, well I’m gonna head to sleep. Hard to sleep when Joe’s cooking in the kitchen after all.” Zoe chuckled.

“Sure, I’ll just be out here reading. Do you just sleep on the floor in there?”

“Yup. I’ve got a bunch of clothes for a pillow now though. Better than the snow outside anyway.” Zoe said, walking into the back kitchen.

She laid out her clothes on the floor and rested her head on them, then drifted off to sleep.

The next few days flew by without much happening. Zoe kept herself busy, helping clean and fill people’s drinks, watching everything with her new senses. She chatted with Rizick a bit when they had time, though neither of them shared much about themselves.

Many of the patrons who came by were regulars, stopping by at the same time every day for a meal or some booze. Many were people she’d only seen once. Most just grabbed their food or drink and sat down by themselves, but some were more talkative and introduced themselves.

Almost a week after Zoe arrived at the inn, she woke up not to the sounds of clattering pans but ruffling papers and fabrics with quiet chatter in the dining area.

“I’ve got some errands to run today, I’ve already let the patrons know there won’t be fresh food today and left out some brul on the bar. There’s bits of dried meats and some stew you can reheat in the back if anybody wants. Fill people’s drinks and all that, but it won’t be a busy day. Feel free to head out and get stuff done if you want. Let Zoe know whenever she wakes up. I’ll be back tonight.” She heard Joe talking to Rizick in a quiet voice.

“Will do sir, you have a nice day and stay safe. We’ll keep the inn under control sir.” Rizick replied.

“Don’t fret too much, I got by without you two just fine. But thank you, have a nice day yourselves.” Joe said, before Zoe heard his footsteps leaving the inn and the door shutting behind him.

Zoe sighed. It seemed like she wouldn’t be able to distract herself with work, and there was something she needed to acknowledge with herself.

She got up and headed out into the dining room. Rizick waved at her with a big smile on his face when he saw her.

“Oh hello Zoe, we’ve got the day off today! Boss is out on some errands so all we’ve gotta do is maybe fill some people’s drinks but we’re free to do what we want today.” Rizick said, reaching for his book.

“Yeah, I heard you two talking. Do you mind if I head out for the day maybe?” She asked.

“Oh no, not at all. I’ll be here anyway, trying to read my book!” He waved the book in the air in front of him. “Getting better at this every day, might have to go get a new one soon!”

“Thanks, hope you have a nice day then Rizick.” Zoe said.

“You too Zoe!” Rizick hollered out as she left the inn.

Zoe wanted to find somewhere quiet and peaceful that she could think to herself. Her first thought was somewhere out in the forest — it was peaceful for the most part and should be safe if she stayed near the walls at least.

Zoe set out back down the road towards where she first entered Flester, passing by familiar stone buildings and one particularly strange bookstore. The gate was open, with guards flanking it on either side. Beyond was the untamed wilderness, covered in snow and tall trees.

A chill rushed through Zoe as she shivered and her steps slowed. An unexpected terror rushed through her as she thought about the vampire roaming the forest. She turned around and headed back down the street.

The city was odd, Zoe felt. Most of it was plain gray stone, each building looking much the same with a plain sign and a drawing or name on it hanging off the front door. But at times, she would wander through a section of the city that felt as though she walked through a portal to what she imagined a magical city should look like.

Towering crystal buildings filled with items atop floating pedestals, colourful brick buildings and even a handful of strange floating buildings with steps that didn’t seem to be attached to anything leading up to the entrance. And then a few streets would pass, and she was back to the plain gray stone.

Zoe found it wondrous, and confusing. Why was there such a distinction made between the different districts? Why wasn’t the whole city magical and enchanted?

It was early afternoon by the time she found a safe place to rest. A small park with lush green grass and a handful of small trees sat in the centre of one of the more magical districts she’d found. The park was surrounded on all sides with floating wooden trees, each with stairs leading up its roots to the center of the tree. She was tempted to enter and see what they were, but decided that was something for another day.

For now, she sat down on one of the floating wooden benches by a table in the park and enjoyed the experience. It smelled fresh and vibrant, with earthy undertones. The noise was quiet and subdued, distant voices chatting among themselves in the street. The occasional clopping of a horse’s hooves or door closing shut. It was peaceful, Zoe found.

It was time to address the elephant in the room. Zoe was excited, and the guilt of it was eating away at her. She had lost everything, her family, her friends. Tears began to roll down her face as the floodgate of emotions opened for the first time in almost a week.

But she couldn’t fix that. She had no way of getting back, maybe the realm traveller class but even that was a big risk. If it didn’t work she could be stuck with a terrible class for the rest of eternity. And even if it did work, was that even what she wanted? She liked Joe and Rizick, and looked forward to having magic of her own. Did she even want to go back?

She did, desperately. But she couldn’t. It wasn’t possible, and she had to accept that. And she had to accept herself for being okay with that. Things were okay, she had people who kind of cared for her, and who she kind of cared about as well. She had a place to stay, food to eat, and a world to thrive in. She was okay. Everything was okay.

Positive reinforcement, she thought. Was that the right term? She didn’t know. It didn’t matter. She kept telling herself that it would be okay, that she was alive and had a future to look forward to.

Zoe wiped more tears from her face, the sleeve of her dress becoming more and more damp. She bemoaned the headache she would have later from the dehydration. She knew she was going to cry, why didn’t she bring water, she wondered.

She kept reminding herself that things were okay. She was alive, she was even a little excited. There was a future full of magic and adventure and excitement to look forward to. In a month, in two months, she’d be okay. It sucks, and it’s okay that it sucks, but she was going to be okay.

She sat on the bench and cried for a while, her eyes growing sore from the heavy cloth rubbing against them constantly, her throat dry and begging for some water.

No more crying, she thought, not wanting to go find water while her eyes were beet red. She was okay, everything was fine. Joe was providing shelter and food for now, but it was probably hard on him too. And besides, Zoe didn’t want to rely on his kindness forever. She wanted independence, she wanted freedom.

Could she get a job? Buy a home to live in? Probably not, maybe she could rent a house? Was that even a thing here though, or did people just go to inns, she wondered. Zoe had camped out in the forests back home, even hunted before with her mom when she was younger. She could maybe tough it for a while out in the wilderness, foraging and hunting for food.

She scoffed at herself, reminded of the vampire that haunted her if she even dared approach the city walls. She needed to get over that fear before she even tried that, but what would she get out of it anyway? Levels? Joe doesn’t go hunting and he still levels up, probably. Camping out in the forests was an idea, but a bad one.

Living with Joe for the next year or two? Probably worse, she thought. She wanted to be independent, not to the point of throwing her life away, but how long would Joe even let her stay with him anyway. She rested her head on her hands on the table.

Maybe she could get a usable class, take on some random jobs around town and pay for a room at Joe’s place. She got a big boost from being a vampire, surely that meant something at least. What she needed most, she realized, was information. More knowledge on classes, on what jobs she could get, on the cost of living.

The sun was beginning to set when she was jostled awake by a gentle touch. “Hello, you alright there?” a man asked from her side.

Zoe lifted her head up and looked at the man. “Oh, Joe. Hi, what are you doing here?”

“I was just on my way back to the inn when I saw you. Everything alright?” Joe asked.

“Oh. Yeah. Fine. I’m okay. Things are okay.” She responded, wiping some drool from her mouth.

“Well I won’t pry. If it’s any consolation, one of our patrons is checking out tomorrow morning so their room will be free. I was thinking of offering it to you and rizick if you two wanted to share it.”

“Maybe, yeah. Thanks Joe.” Zoe said, standing up. “You said you were on your way back?”

“That’s right, you going to stay out here a while longer?”

“No, I think I’ll come along then.”

The pair walked back to the inn down a different path than Zoe had taken to get to the park. In her aimless wandering, the inn seemed so far away. But following Joe back only took the better part of an hour. Zoe asked about the shops and the districts on the walk.

“The city is organically divided into the wealthier sections, and the poorer sections. Now don’t get me wrong there, it’s not like we have slums. But originally, the city was built with all plain gray stone. Over time, some people renovated their buildings to better suit their purpose, for marketing or whatever. Other people nearby would often see a boost in sales because of the wealthier traffic, renovate their buildings, and so on.” Joe explained.

“So the poor people just get shoved to the edges of the city, then?” Zoe asked.

“Well, I guess you could see it that way. I see it as the less wealthy start on the outside and work their way inwards, personally. My inn is in a poorer district and I get by just fine. I could afford a fancier inn somewhere else but somebody’s got to provide housing for the less wealthy adventurers. Somebody’s got to be a place for the tired who’ve just arrived in town to rest, and I take a certain pride in that.”

“Maybe I’m missing something but this seems like glorified gentrification to me.” Zoe said.

“Is gentrification bad, though?” Joe asked her.

“I mean, yes? What if people can’t afford the increased rent from being in a wealthier area all of a sudden?”

“Ahh, maybe that’s a problem where you’re from, but that’s not how it works here. Somebody’s rent won’t go up just because their neighbour made a nicer store. The fancier buildings tend to expand but the only pressure to renovate or change is a personal desire to keep up with the neighbours.”

“I guess y’all have it all sorted out here. I’m not a political expert anyway, I just remember reading about it a few years ago. Was apparently a problem in some areas.” Zoe said as they approached the entrance to the inn.

“Well, anyway if you have anything else you needed to get done today, the doors will still be open for another hour.” Joe stepped inside, waving at Rizick who was sitting at a different table.

“Oh hello again!” Rizick called out as he stood up, “I’ve wiped down all the tables already, just a few people who wanted some drinks earlier.”

“Good job, thanks Rizick. I told Zoe earlier but one of our patrons is checking out tomorrow morning. If the two of you want it, you can share the room.” Joe started towards the kitchen.

“That sounds wonderful! I’ll happily take you up on that, sir!”

“Just the one bed and a lounge chair, bed’s quite large and I can give you two separate blankets if you want.”

“Up to you then, Zoe.” Rizick turned to Zoe and tilted his head a bit.

“Um, yeah I guess that’s okay.” Zoe nodded.

“I could take the chair if you’re not okay with it?” Rizick asked.

“No, it’s fine. I’m just a bit uncomfortable with being so close with somebody, but I don’t wanna make you take the chair. Separate blankets is fine.” Zoe said.

“Well then a bed for us tomorrow sounds great. Thank you, sir. " Rizick sat back down and picked up his book.

Zoe headed into the kitchen to get ready for bed, nodding at Joe as she entered. She wished this world had toothpaste, then realized that maybe they do and decided to ask Joe.

“How do people keep their teeth clean here?” Zoe watched as the familiar blue glow covered everything in cleanliness.

Joe turned to face her, “Most people get a spell to keep themselves clean in their first class or as a general skill. Children usually just wash their mouths with water and rags.”

“No toothpaste here then, that stinks.” Zoe said quietly.

“Toothpaste?”

“It’s like a thick gel soap for the teeth?” Zoe said with little confidence in her explanation.

“I’ve heard of something like that. Some people use some thick liquid made of soot and ground up tree bark.” Joe turned back to the kitchen to finish putting dishes and cutlery away.

“Something like that I guess, yeah.” Zoe laid down on the kitchen floor, resting her head on her bundle of clothes.

“I’m almost done here and then I’ll be out of your hair. Last day of sleeping on the kitchen floor for you though, eh?” Joe asked.

“Mhm, thanks again Joe. I really appreciate it.” Zoe said as she closed her eyes and thought about her future.