The Traveler

by Xander Jade

  Curious, I went over and started working the pump up and down to see if any water was in the well. It would probably be rank or dirty anyway. After minutes of hearing air in the line and slurping sounds, brown water started flowing out into the sink. I kept on pumping the water for another thirty seconds and hit pay dirt. Well, clear water. Stopping, I went to the hanging cabinets and grabbed what looked like a cup of some sort and washed it out some before filling it up. After smelling it for any minerals or stench really, I found it to be clean, and ended up gulping down two cups. It had a bit of an aftertaste, not hindering, but different from what I was used to. Maybe it was from the well the water came from, but it didn’t matter at the moment since it quenched my thirst. Later on, when the storm passed, I would need to go out and get some food.

  Putting the cup into the sink, my eyes caught sight of a door off of the kitchen, and being the inquisitive person that I am, I went over to open it. Before placing my hand on the knob, I saw something on the wall above the door. Taking a closer look, foreign words were carved above two symbols. Runes.

  No, it can’t be. My mind is fucking with me.

  I opened the door and peered into the darkness. The light from outside came in when I stopped blocking the doorway and stepped into the 10x10 room. The temperature dropped significantly.

  What the hell? It’s like a refrigerator in here. A cold room.

  My eyes scanned the walls, they were wooden but had what looked like grout or mortar in the gaps. Shelves lined the area. I guessed this was the area for perishable items. I wondered if this was the norm for houses in this area. Walking out, I closed the door and noticed an oil lamp on the counter. At least I wouldn’t be in total darkness because there was no sign of a light switch.

  I went back to the table to sit for a few minutes, wanting to look at the rune book. I was curious to see what it contained. Maybe it would help when I got back online.

  I opened the book and tried reading the table of contents, but the language was incomprehensible. Wait a minute, the title was in English but not the rest of the book. I threw my hands up in defeat and closed the book, huffing out a curse. I decided to check out the history book. To my dismay, I could actually read this one. I cursed again. I found history so boring. Shaking my head, I figured it would at least move the time along, so I started reading.

  The book began with how Risona came into being. That caught my attention right off. There wasn’t any area on Earth named Risona. The further I read, the more confused I became. Risona was a world that held unique races. I didn’t really pay attention to all the names given, although a few stuck out in my mind. Orcs, mages, elves, dragons, beastkin, and fairies. My mind was all over the place. This had to be a fantasy book. I laughed for a couple minutes, then figured what the hell, I had nothing better to do, and kept on reading. Thinking it was an imaginary world, I became immersed in the descriptions of the races, then the cultures, what side everyone was on, and who fought whom.

  Taking a break for half an hour, I got up to get a drink and watched the storm. It was getting darker. Night was falling. Lightning lit up the area and I saw the panther hunkered down by a tree watching the cabin.

  Strange. This whole fuckin day has been so fuckin weird.

  Shaking my head, I went back to the table to continue reading where I left off. I was now halfway through the book and at a part about the different battles that the world had endured, many it seemed were skirmishes, but some had resulted in many deaths. I kept scanning the headings, noting the dates ranged from 1626 BCE to 2267 BCE. They seemed to cover hundreds of years until I reached a section that was capitalized and in large font.

  VIRUS SPREADS ACROSS RISONA, KILLING MOST OF THE MALE POPULATION

  No one knew how the virus came about or how to treat it, so one after the other, males kept dying. The symptoms were nausea, vomiting, fever, blood coming out of the orifices, and finally, victims of the virus never woke up. Females weren’t affected at all. In the beginning, the sick were set apart from the other males in an attempt to help quarantine the others, but it didn’t help at all. After two grueling years, the virus just vanished, but its effects were devastating. Husbands, fathers, sons, and brothers died.

  Wow, I wonder how that would affect the population then? It would seem the world took it upon itself to stop the fighting. Maybe it took out the males because they were the cause of so many altercations? Shit. What the hell do I care? It’s not real.

  I chuckled and read on. The months after the virus disappeared, females of every race had to step up and handle everyday events and take up leadership roles, ending up in a matriarchal society. Another outcome of the virus was a tiny percentage of male births, one in ten to be exact. It seemed that the virus controlled the male population by slowing down the sperm carrying the Y chromosome.

  As a result of all this, the leaders of clans and races made laws to favor men. They allowed them to take on multiple wives. The ladies would be the caregivers, hunters, farmers, etc. with their main interest to protect their mate or husband. It had been this way ever since, over a thousand years.

  I went back and looked at the front page of the book. It had a date on it. 1178 CE.

  I thought about those events for a moment. It would seem that these people were living in a polygamist society. Hell, just having one wife was hard enough, multiple was fantasy but very hard work when you thought about it. Not that I knew that for a fact, I wasn’t married. To tell the truth, I wasn’t a ladies’ man. I only had a few girlfriends in high school and college, though I had the occasional romp with some of them. My longest relationship was with Donna. It was my first year with the company, she was great until we figured out that our schedules didn’t mesh. It was a mutual breakup, and at the time, I didn’t think too much about it.

  I chuckled as I thought about Risona. Only in fiction does stuff like this happen. I went back to the tome, but nothing else grabbed my attention until the end.

  Greetings Traveler! Welcome to Risona. We are happy you read the history of our world and know that you can’t read the other tomes. If you put your hand on the symbol in the top right of this page and say “Viatorem” then you will be able to read the other books left in this cabin.

  What the hell? No fuckin way that’s real. I looked very carefully at the symbol that resembled somebody walking before shaking my head. I looked back at the paragraph to continue reading.

  Yes, it is real dumbass, otherwise I wouldn’t have written it.

  The fucking book is calling me names now.

  I almost threw it at the wall.

  This damn thing is making me crazy.

  I rolled my eyes before putting my hand on the symbol and, feeling like a bit of an idiot even though there was no one there to see me, I said, “Viatorem.” I left my hand on the symbol for a few moments. My hand didn’t look any different. Stupid, I was following the directions to a fantasy history book. I felt a sudden burning sensation in my hand and screamed out loud as a shock went through my body. Wide-eyed, I dropped the book on the table and shot out of the chair, knocking it over to the floor.

  Pacing, I looked all over myself to see if anything was off. After a couple of minutes and not seeing anything out of the ordinary, I picked up the chair and sat back down, opening up the book to where I left off. I turned the page to see another set of instructions.

  Okay, glad you took the first step. Took you long enough. Now, let’s try another symbol that is on this page. Say the following phrases slowly while you put your right hand on the icon. You will feel some pain, but it will be worth it in the long run, so don’t be a baby.

  “Cito discere linguas in Risona. Et emes ex eadem Scientia et artes somnia atque auguria. Transire faciendo artes armes insigne et comminus pugna ad viatorem.”

  I laughed for a few moments at the sarcasm. Should I take the chance or not? Whatever, the shock was just a coincidence. Taking a deep breath, I put my right hand on the symbol and recited the phrase as best I co
uld. When the last syllable was spoken, a sudden pain hit my hand, and I heard a sizzling sound. Pulling my hand up to observe what was causing the intense pain, I saw a mark forming there, like a tattoo. A minute later the pain stopped throbbing and became tolerable, and a symbol emerged on the top of my hand, behind the knuckles.

  WHAT THE FUCK!!! I actually screamed.

  It was a symbol I had never seen before and tender to the touch. The tattoo looked like a 3 with a small o attached to it and an eye on top looking down, the 3 and o looked to be in some sort of script form as well. When it formed on my right hand, my left wrist started burning. The pain was tolerable at that point. I looked down to see a tattoo of a man holding swords.

  I was so angry that I almost threw the tome outside into the fuckin rain, but I held myself together and looked back onto the next page.

  Well, I guess you weren’t such a pussy after all. Good for you! Now, stop your fuckin whining and listen up. We have given you a significant gift. Since you weren’t born here, we have allowed you the skills to become an enchanter with powers of a mage. Your mage powers are not all powerful though. Many you meet will have more command of their powers. Some will become close to you. Find them and invite them to join your family.

  We also gave you language skills, which means you should be able to read, understand, and even talk in any language you come upon. Yes, that means orcish, elvish, etc. The most important part of this skill is the rune language. Read the book given to you, memorize it, because your talent in runes will allow you to earn a living in this world. The basic tome will help you begin your journey to be a Rune Master, but you will need to get more tomes over time or maybe learn from the dwarves, they are masters of the language after all.

  One more thing. As a housewarming present, my colleague gave you hand to hand combat and sword experience to defend yourself, but it isn’t anywhere near a master’s skill. Practice the sword techniques within your mind and commit them to memory, you will need them. Alright, my time is up. Hope you learn what you can and achieve many things in your new life. Have a wonderful day, Dominic.

  P.S. The panther needs help, he will become a great ally if you show him some respect and compassion. PEACE OUT BITCH.

  I read the page many times before letting the book fall to the table. I didn’t know how to process this information. This had to be a dream of some sort, I kept telling myself, even though I pinched my arm at least ten times to wake up and I was still there. I kept staring at the new tattoos on my hand and wrist, trying to calm down. It wasn’t a minute later that the markings disappeared. At least, I thought they did. Feeling where they used to be, I could tell they were just under my skin. Strange.

  I went over and pulled a book off the shelf to see if the language barrier broke, and it did. I recognized the words on the page, so I placed the book back onto the shelf and browsed the selection. After a few minutes, I went into the first bedroom and dropped onto the dusty bed, falling asleep almost immediately, exhausted from the day’s events.

  Chapter 3

  Sunlight and birds chirping woke me the next day. Rising quickly, I hurried out to the table to see if my nightmare was real. My eyes saw the tome and other items that I left the night before and I immediately looked down at the symbol on my hand. Yep, the nightmare was continuing.

  My stomach growled, hinting it needed sustenance. I went to the closet full of clothes and started changing. The boots weren’t comfortable at all, so I put mine back on. I pulled the trousers and tunic on, I believe that’s what you would call them, but they were a little tight. The whole attire felt weird to me. I stopped for a moment and looked down at myself; I had changed. My body appeared to have more definition to it. I was more toned than I remembered. Come to think of it… I grabbed my old pants and held them up to my waist. Why would I have a growth spurt now? I was twenty-six years old! Well, at least something good had come out of this.

  Walking to the hallway bookshelf, I selected a book that described what vegetables, flowers, and wildlife could be found in Risona and grabbed my weapons and two small bags to hold my findings. I walked out the front door to see that it was muddy after the storm and scanned the area to check if any animals were around, but I couldn’t see any, not even the panther. I would have to go looking for fresh meat because it wasn’t going to come to me.

  While foraging, my eyes caught sight of some stalks that looked to be wild onions and distinctive fern-like foliage, which hopefully meant carrots. Looking in the guidebook, it showed I was right, so I went over to my find and pulled the wild veggies out, then put them into a bag. My eyes scanned the area for any other potential food, maybe berries or nuts. After searching for around thirty minutes, I came upon some berries and began carefully arranging them in the veggie bag. When finished with that part of my plan, I went looking for wild game and ended up killing a few rabbits and a deer.

  Starting back to the cabin after accomplishing my morning goals, I observed the forest to see if there were any other inhabitants. I saw nothing worth noting, and minutes later the clearing and the cabin came into view. I set my kills on the deck and strung up the deer on a nearby tree. I found a rope at the back of the cabin, sitting by the back door. Convenient, right?

  I went inside the cabin to place the bags of goods on the counter by the sink, took the rabbits out, then went back outside after grabbing the hunting knife and a couple of plates. I started field dressing my kill and meticulously got all the meat off I wanted and placed it on the plates. While doing this, I picked up some kind of noise behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I spotted the half-starved panther nearby.

  Deciding to follow the book’s advice, it had been right so far, I made sure the cuts of meat meant for me were put to the side, then got the carcass down and walked over to the big cat. The fucker growled at me, so I threw the deer carcass down by a tree and walked away, not looking back.

  Collecting my plates, I strolled to the cabin, but stopped to glance over where I had dropped the deer. The panther was tearing into the dead animal; I shook my head and closed the door behind me. I placed the meat on the counter and pumped some water out to clean my hands really well before going out the back door to find some wood for the cook stove. After gathering a pile, I went back inside to start the fire. I would need to chop some wood later on. When it was ready, I placed some meat on the cooking grate, then headed over to the sink to clean and cut up the veggies. Spying a pot, I cleaned it out the best I could and put the onions and carrots in, filling it with water so it would make some stew. I didn’t have any flour or cream to thicken it, so I didn’t know how it would taste. Oh well. Placing the pot on the grate to cook, I waited.

  I turned the sizzling meat over, and then sat down at the table to have another look at the rune book. To my surprise, the words jumped off the page and seemed to embed themselves in my mind. I memorized the symbols on the first page and knew what they represented. The book was a description for a novice like me to learn the rune language; the symbols given were for my skill level at the moment. The book described how the symbols would change when the enchanter’s knowledge changed, and moved from apprentice, journeyman, adept, and then to master level. The book also advised it would take years, if not decades, to achieve master level, if at all.

  The most useful of the symbols in front of me, were those like strength, speed, durability, etc. I went back to focusing on my supper and when it came time to put the meat into the stew pot, I cut up what I needed, covered the leftover meat on the plate, and took it to the cold room. I would need to get some containers to put the meat and vegetables in from a store in town. I wondered how far it was to the closest town.

  While the pot was simmering, I went back to learning. The tome taught me how to use the script and how to draw the individual symbols. The lesson went into the need for practicing before applying the script on items or individuals. The latter was supposed to be a master lesson, and it prohibited a novice like me from even trying. The book also
had levels for each symbol, including the activation words for a limited or unlimited amount of time. It also had levels of durability and resistance to magic. All kinds of shit could be done to items to make them better.

  The rune levels that were implemented came from the enchanter’s magic, which meant that their mana pool had to be extremely robust to enchant the item in question forever. I scanned over what it involved to apply a limited amount of time to the item, it would seem that the enchanter should give a time limit to each item in question.

  Looking around, I found a piece of coal and ground it down to get as close to a pencil as possible. Well, it turned out to be closer to a crayon. I would have to get some ink or an engraver when I could. Finding something that looked like paper, I started sketching and it turned out to be harder than I realized. The exercise was tedious, but from what the book advised, if it wasn’t precisely done, the consequences could be deadly. The concerns could be anything ranging from the rune failing, exploding, or the object would become useless. Once I had successfully duplicated one sign, I went straight into drawing another. Soon, I was somewhat capable of three symbols. At least, that’s what I thought.

  The meaty aroma in the cabin brought me back to the present, I got up and quickly made sure the stew wasn’t burning. It was close, but I took the hot stew pot off the fire and set it on a cooling grate, then went back to studying while my food cooled.

  As I kept reading, I felt how focused I was. It seemed I could easily retain all the information the book provided. It stated that there were two ways that I could attach the rune then activate. The symbol could be etched on the item then activated with a spell, or the rune could be sketched on paper then transferred over with spell words from the enchanter. This was a multiple-step process. With a bonding spell, it transported the icon from the sketch to the particular weapon or material it was meant for. After that, the activation spell would need to be done.