Chapter 142 – Spies

When Mizuki stepped out into the demiplane, it wasn’t like she’d been hiding out in extradimensional space for the last week and a half. It was instead like practically no time at all had passed, only eight hours or so of fitful sleep followed by a quick breakfast supplied by entad, this one a pastry filled with egg, onion, and ham.

She was nervous, naturally, all the more so because they were splitting up. She’d wanted to go with Hannah, but part of the idea had been that they would just slot right into this new society, and it would be easier to do that if they were playing the parts of newcomers. From experience on undone days, there would probably not be that much issue with saying that they were visiting from the palace, or even that they were staying with Verity, or that they were still looking for a home. There were, in fact, a lot of people in the demiplane, and the best time to infiltrate was before everyone knew each other.

At the back of Mizuki’s mind was mage college, which she was missing the first days of without any warning given to them. She was bummed about that, and a bit anxious, because her mother had always said that you only ever got to make one first impression on people. That wasn’t really true for chrononauts though, which made her feel a pang of envy. Of course, Alfric would probably have said that using that power to get a second first impression was wildly unethical, but still.

Mizuki wasn’t entirely sure what they were looking for, but she was intrigued by the Wildlands, which had been mentioned a few times, and was hoping to get some kind of a look at them. Alfric had been forthright in saying that he thought they had no real business left in the demiplane, having confirmed that it was at least mostly on the up-and-up, and there was a part of her that agreed with him, though she still hadn’t spoken to Kell. The whole thing wouldn’t be over until she had some kind of conversation with him. It would need to be approached with delicacy and tact.

The village mostly consisted of houses that were all the same, though some had special paints, ornate windows, or additions. Among them were larger buildings though, communal spaces that seemed to carry a great age to them. One was a tavern, and Mizuki slipped inside it, feeling self-conscious. From what both Verity and Ria had said, so many of the people were new, especially within the last two weeks, that it would be possible to blend in. Still, there was a feeling of being naked, and not in a good way. She felt like people were staring at her, though maybe that was just because she looked so guilty.

The tavern was almost more of a barn, with a high arch going overhead and more overhead room than it really felt like the place needed. It was long, in a way that Mizuki wasn’t particularly used to taverns being, though she hadn’t been in all that many of them. There was something earthy about the place, perhaps the amount of wood that had been used for the arches, the tables, and the floors. A large sign said ‘one and a half drink maximum’, which felt odd to her.

It was morning, but the tavern was at least a quarter full, and Mizuki found a seat for herself. The plan had been for the party to scatter, lest they draw more attention to themselves, and while she had readily agreed that the five of them moving around together would be a bit suspicious, she wished that they were with her to make her feel more secure.

People were eating steaming breakfasts, and Mizuki looked around for a bit, not seeing any waiters, staff, or buffet to pull from. It was probably the kind of thing you got told when you came to the village, though if Verity knew, she hadn’t mentioned it.

A shockingly handsome boy sat down opposite Mizuki with his own plate of food. He was dressed simply, but far, far too pretty for her to do anything but stare at him for a moment. His eyes were pale blue and his hair raven black, and he had dimples when he smiled, which he was doing in her direction, showing straight white teeth. It was almost annoying how good he looked, and it wasn’t even that she was attracted to him, necessarily, it was that his looks were distracting.

“Do you need help?” he asked.

“Um,” said Mizuki. “I’m new?” she ventured.

“And didn’t get the full tour?” he asked.

“No, not quite,” said Mizuki. She looked around one last time. “How do I, uh, get food?”

“Slam your fist on the table and say ‘breakfast!’” said the boy. “You have to say it kind of loud.”

“Breakfast!” shouted Mizuki, slamming her fist on the table, hard enough that it kind of hurt.

Nothing appeared, and the boy laughed.

“Oh very funny,” said Mizuki, frowning at him.

“I love entads,” he said. “You can tell people anything and they’ll try the most ridiculous stuff.”

“So how do I get something to eat?” asked Mizuki, still frowning. She was going to have to remember telling people the wrong things about entads though, that was funny.

“Finger signs,” said the boy. “Thumb to index finger, thumb to pinky, cross index and middle fingers, then wave your hand over the table.”

“Show me,” said Mizuki, folding her arms.

“I’ve already got my food,” said the boy with a smile.

“Well make me a plate, then I’ll eat that instead of doing it myself,” said Mizuki.

“Aw,” he said. “You don’t trust me.”

“Yes, that happens when the first thing someone does is trick you,” said Mizuki.

He made the finger motions quickly, with practiced ease, and where he waved his hand, a plate of food appeared. It was scrambled eggs with chopped up herbs, a long brown sausage, a pile of sliced up strawberries, and a short muffin that was glazed with honey and decorated with orange peel.

“Huh,” said Mizuki as she took the plate. It would be her second breakfast of the day, and she immediately felt bad that she wouldn’t eat all of it. “I don’t get to decide what to eat?”

“Nope,” he replied. “It’s always the same for everyone, usually some good variety, but at the tavern all the meals just are what they are. It changes through the week, but I think this is always what we have for breakfast the day after temple day.”

“And I can’t get a boiled egg in the middle of the night?” asked Mizuki.

“Nope,” he said. He held out a hand. “I’m Thom, by the way.”

“Mizuki,” she replied, taking his hand. His handshake was a little too firm. She still hadn’t gotten used to the way he looked, but she was hungry, so she ate.

“Do you need someone to give you the tour?” he asked. “Are you visiting from the palace?”

“I’m thinking of moving here,” said Mizuki, which was a complete lie. “So yes, a tour would be nice.” She was speaking with her mouth half full, which was only because she’d been asked a question while she was in the middle of chewing.

“Were you wondering about the drink and a half sign?” Thom asked.

“I guess,” said Mizuki, covering her mouth so he wouldn’t have to see half-eaten strawberries. The food was good, though nothing all that special. She could have done better, though she’d never made her own sausage, and it was clearly a lot less work to just magic something up.

“There are glasses you can grab from the wall and fill with whatever,” said Thom. “Just tap the side and it will be anything drinkable, milk, juice, rum, wine, you name it. But if it’s got alcohol, you can’t drink more than a drink and a half. Anything beyond that will turn to water in your mouth.”

“Huh,” said Mizuki. She finished a bite of muffin. It was a little overly sweet, for her tastes, and also needed a bit of salt. “What if you wait?”

“I think the rule is never more than a drink and a half in you,” he replied. “But I guess I haven’t actually tested it. The idea is that no one actually gets drunk.”

“Or you could bring your own drink in,” said Mizuki. “It’s easy enough to make wine, if you have grapes, and I can’t imagine we don’t have grapes.” She wasn’t actually sure that it was easy to make wine, but her grandfather had run a winery and talked about wine a lot, and it didn’t seem like it could be that complicated to end up with something that would at least get you drunk.

“I guess,” said Thom. “There aren’t a lot of rules, but I think trying to work our way around what’s already in place is, uh.” He seemed uncomfortable for the first time. “I mean, this place is nice, I don’t think anyone wants to rock the boat too much.”

“Who put the sign up?” asked Mizuki.

“I don’t know,” said Thom. “I’ve been here a month, which is just long enough to feel like I know my way around. At a guess, all things flow from our mysterious benefactor.”

“Any idea how she got a demiplane?” asked Mizuki. “And a, uh, living one?”

“No,” said Thom. “And like I said, rocking the boat … eh.”

“What can you tell me about the Wildlands?” asked Mizuki.

“Um,” said Thom. “I don’t know, I’ve never gone out there. From what I’ve heard, it’s like a dungeon, but … less. Or less and more. A dungeon is a set of rooms, but the Wildlands are more like, um, an adventure. Forests and valleys and mountains and swamps. Less dense?” He shrugged. “Why?”

“Oh, I used to be a dungeoneer,” said Mizuki.

“You?” he asked, in an incredulous way that Mizuki really didn’t like.

Mizuki nodded. “I used to sweep through them with my party, before it all fell apart. Giant sword in hand, skull armor, glowing hair, it was really something. I was thinking that I would go out into the Wildlands, if it really is like a dungeon, or a spread out dungeon. There are entads?”

“Yes,” replied Thom. He was looking at her differently, half was though he thought she was joking about doing dungeons, and half as though he hadn’t been treating her with the proper amount of respect. “Much more rare, but they’re there, and I think they’re the same. The wilding parties usually come back with a handful, even if they’ve been out a week. It’s much more like camping or exploring.”

“But they’re parties?” asked Mizuki. “I mean, limited to five?”

“Not necessarily,” replied Thom. “But I guess I don’t know that much. There’s no real need to go into the Wildlands, at least from what I know. We have everything taken care of here.”

“And there are monsters, like in a dungeon?” asked Mizuki.

“There can be,” nodded Thom. “Fewer, more spread out, but still dangerous, I think.” He looked over. “Here, there’s someone I can introduce you to that might know more.” He gave a wave, and Mizuki turned to look.

It was Kell.

They locked eyes for a moment, and Kell faltered, then strode over.

“Thom,” said Kell with a nod. He looked at Mizuki. “Who’s this?”

“Mizuki,” said Thom. “She’s new, or at least new to the village, might be living here. She was asking about the Wildlands, and I thought since you’ve taken to them, you might be able to speak more knowledgeably on the subject.”

“Certainly,” said Kell with a sharp nod.

“This is Kell, he’s a professional,” said Thom.

Kell looked down at Mizuki’s half-eaten plate of food. “You look like you’re just about done, can you walk and talk with me?”

“Er,” said Mizuki. She wasn’t really done with her breakfast. “S-sure.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“Right,” nodded Kell. “Thank you for the introduction, Thom, I’ll speak with you later about the game. Mizuki?”

Mizuki rose, reluctantly, and followed after Kell as he strode from the tavern.

“You were asking about the Wildlands?” asked Kell as they walked through the village. “Hang on, we’re almost to my house, I’m very close by.”

“I was just —” began Mizuki.

“Here,” said Kell. He was walking fast, and pushed in through the door, leaving it open behind him and not taking off his shoes. He went to a closet door and opened it. It led into a bright space that was larger than the closet should have allowed, extradimensional entad space that was made more obvious by the fact that the door didn’t quite fit. “I’ve been in the Wildlands quite a bit, and haven’t really had the time to set things up, but this area is well-furnished and very cozy, if you don’t mind.”

“Er,” said Mizuki. He was standing next to the open door, waiting for her. “Sure.”

She went inside, hoping against hope that it wasn’t a trap, but if it was a trap, then Ria would surely rescue her by undoing the day. The room was a nice one, a sunroom with jungle plants outside it, as though they were in an inverted vivarium of some sort, a spot of domesticity encased in glass and plopped down in nature. There were three large chairs around a large center table, which had a pot of steaming tea on it and three porcelain cups with saucers.

“Tea?” he asked as he shut the door behind him.

“Kell,” she said.

“Mizuki,” he replied. He took a seat and poured a cup for her, then for him. It smelled of juniper and honey. He sat back with the cup in his hand, held delicately, and watched her for a moment.

“I guess you’re wondering why I’m here,” said Mizuki. “But I guess I’m wondering why you’re here.”

“There are two options, as I see it,” said Kell. “Either you’re here because Cate plucked you up from Inter, like she did me, or you’re here without Cate’s blessing, having ridden in on Verity like a flea. I don’t think either of those would be great for me, but one would be considerably worse.”

“Yeah, it’s the second one,” said Mizuki. “But you disappeared, and —”

“I left a note,” said Kell. He took a breath. “Cate thought you might go looking for me, that you might bring in the others, that chrononauts might get involved, and — I really thought that you’d figure out that I went of my own free will. That I wanted a fresh start. So however you got here, it would be wonderful if you could leave. It’s bad enough that Verity is here, but we never knew each other all that well, and Cate warned me, so it’s not that big of a deal. I’m probably not long for the village anyway.”

“You’re not?” asked Mizuki. “I mean, are you just going to live by yourself?”