“Ah shoot, sorry,” Aeshma said. “I was charging that one up for a minute. I thought it was gonna be one of those failed sneezes, you know? Like where you feel it coming but it doesn’t? But then I sneezed!”

  I wiped her snot off my ear with my sleeve and slumped back in my chair. Before I knew it the PA was screeching once again.

  SQUIIIIIH ~NOW ARRIVING~ RECHH ~TOWN SQUARE~ GREHHHH

  Aeshma stood and gestured for me to do the same. “This is us!” she said cheerfully. “Next stop: armor-town!”

  A few of the other passengers threw me looks of pity and disdain as I got up to leave, but I did my best to ignore them. For now, I was sticking with my party.

  The tram let us out at the very edge of the town square, which was the width of an entire city block and filled a variety of merchant booths and stalls. The whole place was jamming with activity, but it was especially packed around a few wooden platforms that had been set up in the center: stages where fire-eaters and stilt-walkers and varieties of entertainers I didn’t even recognize were putting on performances for the gathered crowd.

  “Is it like this every day?” I asked as we stepped away from the tram stop and into the fray.

  “Nah, dude, that’d be crazy. You dropped in during a holiday. Not a major one, but still,” replied Aeshma. Festive banners and streamers had been stretched between buildings, casting colorful shadows on us as we made our way past a group of jugglers and lutists. “Ugh, I totally forgot that this is where they hold their stupid festival. I hope it’s not too busy at the shop…”

  “What holiday is it?”

  “Zone Unification Day. It’s the anniversary of when the major kingdoms of each Zone signed the Unification Pact. To ally under a single banner, a united front against the Monster Queen,” she recited flatly. A street magician next to us pulled a coin from nowhere, and Aeshma’s face lit up. “That was pretty cool! Holy cow, how’d he do that?”

  I wasn’t gonna let her change the subject that easily. “Hold on, go back to the… what was it called, the Unification Pact? You said it was about forming a united front against the Monster Queen... so what happened next?”

  Aeshma shrugged. “So the Zones united. I dunno, man, it was a long time ago. Lots happened since then.” She stopped to sniff at a rack of roasted meat as we hurried past a food stand. “Some good, some bad. You Humans never got the Queen, though. So I guess that part of the Pact was a bust.”

  “Huh.” I looked at the revelers around us. It couldn’t have been a total bust, if people still celebrated it so much.

  “The Pact was the start of a whole new era,” Aeshma continued. “Trade, open borders, yadda yadda yadda. Like, I heard trams were originally invented in Zone Four, if you can believe that! It also ended up letting Monsters into polite society. Well, some Monsters, at least.”

  I looked over my shoulder, back at the festival-goers. Just like before I didn’t see a single non-Human except for Aeshma. I’d hardly call her “polite” society… but then, I’d never met a Monster before.

  “Oh, and here we are!” Aeshma announced as we reached the shop entrance. The place was clearly branding itself as a first stop for adventuring types. It even had a chalkboard sign in the window, with a handwritten message welcoming in the recently Reborn.

  New to this world? Just dropped in? We’ve got what YOU need! Starter kits and common equipment sold HERE for CHEAP! COME ON IN!

  It would’ve been nice to have been Reborn here, instead of the street with the fruit vendor. Maybe then I would’ve had a chance to have spent my gold instead of losing it to Greg. I tried not to feel too bitter about it, though, seeing as Aeshma apparently had a plan to get me the gear I needed even without my starter gold.

  Admittedly, the fact that she still hadn’t disclosed how she was planning to make that happen was starting to make me a bit nervous.

  DINGALING!

  We entered the storefront to the chime of a doorbell, leaving the Zone Unification Day festival behind us. “Okay, so be cool for now,” Aeshma whispered. “Let's look around, do some browsing. You know, pretend like we've got cash to spend.”

  “You gonna fill me in on what’s about to go down, or…?”

  “Nothing’s going down. Look, I’ve got a surefire way to get free gear. We just need to butter the shopkeep up first. Make him think we’re big spenders.” She gave me a wink. “Trust me. If he comes up to you, let your jeans do the talking.”

  I sighed. Once I gained a few Levels, hopefully my pants would stop being the most interesting thing about me.

  Aeshma flashed me a conspiratorial smile and split off, making for a rack of weapons at the far end of the store. I followed her lead and took a stroll down the aisles. The shop had a cozy, familiar atmosphere about it and was packed wall-to-wall with racks of common trinkets and personal goods: satchels and quivers, empty flasks, even more mundane items like hairbrushes and bars of soap. The floors were well-worn but clean and obviously well cared for, and the floorboards squeaked gently underfoot as I perused the aisles.

  None of the items I inspected were outwardly magical… but then, I wasn’t sure that I’d necessarily be able to tell. Besides, I had no idea how common magic was here, or whether its use was limited to people who chose a caster Class. Could I expect starter equipment to come pre-enchanted with protective wards? Or would it be the same kind of stuff I could’ve found at a Renaissance faire back home?

  I craned my neck over the top of the nearest aisle to try to see the shopkeeper. He was standing behind the counter and currently dealing with another customer, a tall, lanky fellow who was attempting to return a whimsical-looking stave.

  “I was blasting Firebolts from this, this, this… piece of driftwood all day, and it didn’t kill a single thing! This is absolutely unacceptable!” the customer was whining in a nasally voice.

  “That’s a Stave of Healing,” the shopkeeper replied impatiently. “I made it quite clear that if you loaded it with anything else it wouldn’t perform as advertised. I even wrote it on your receipt. Nevertheless, you are welcome to exchange it for an item of equal value…”

  From what I heard of the conversation, I gathered they wouldn’t be done haggling anytime soon. It was strange; even though they were talking about Firebolts, it felt like the kind of conversation I would’ve heard in a store back home, just a customer trying to argue their way to a refund. I never would have thought that something like that could make me feel homesick.

  For the first time since I got here, I wondered about my family. Did they know how I died? Nevermind that, did they even know that I was dead? Did they find my body, or did it disappear when I was Reborn here?

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Did they think I was just… gone, missing?

  I made my way slowly to the back of the store, half-heartedly inspecting pieces of starter gear as I went.

  “Hey, Aeshma?”

  “What’s up?” she said, still eyeing a shield hung on the wall. “Find anything you like?”

  “Do you know if anyone’s ever made it back to my world?”

  She pulled the shield off its hanger and held it up to my arm. “Try this one out,” she said, gently prodding me with the metal-rimmed disk. I took the shield from her and slid my arm through the straps. “And buddy, I don’t have a clue. Probably not, though. No one knows why you folks keep ending up here, so I dunno how anyone would figure out how to go back.”

  That wasn’t too surprising; after all, no one back home had ever mentioned coming from here. But… if I got here from my world, didn’t it stand to reason that there would be some way to reverse the process?

  I frowned. If no one had ever figured it out in all the history of this place, I probably wouldn’t either. Even in my own family, I'd never been the smart one.

  Aeshma rapped the front of the shield with her knuckles. “Hey, space cadet, how’s the buckler treating you? Is the weight right?”

  “It feels… fine. I just hold it in front of me if someone goes for an attack, right?” I crouched into what I hoped was a defensive position.

  “That sounds right. I’m not an expert though. Never needed a shield, ‘cause no one’s ever been able to get through… these!” she said, flexing her biceps.

  I tried to count the scars criss-crossing her upper arms but quickly gave up. “Maybe you should’ve used a shield. Looks like a few hits got through your defenses.”

  “Oh. Yeah, but none of ‘em killed me. So no harm, no foul, y’know?” She tugged the shield off my arm and hung it back on the wall, before turning back to me and pointing out a jagged gash running down her side. “This one’s kinda cool. Dire Boar tried to run me through. Gored me pretty good, but I had the last laugh. I told him I was gonna have him for lunch, and I did.” She swayed toward me. “Go on, touch it, dude! It’s so gross!”

  “You want me to touch your gross scar?” I asked. The scar was basically the same lilac hue as the rest of her skin.

  “Yeah! Check it out, dude! Boar scar!”

  I brushed my fingers against it. The scar was soft and strangely textured, in the same way I had noticed her calluses were. It felt almost like a tightly folded ridge of velvet, and my fingertips tingled strangely at the contact. “It’s a cool scar I guess,” I admitted as I let my hand fall away. Before I could stop myself, I added, “Your skin is super soft.”

  It was hard to tell, but I thought I saw her already purple cheeks darken with a blush. “Wha– no, shut up! No it’s not!”

  “Good afternoon, folks. Is there anything I can help you with?” the shopkeeper asked, appearing out of nowhere beside us.

  I was so focused on my conversation with Aeshma, I had failed to notice the other customer leaving, much less the shopkeeper walking up to us. I hoped he hadn’t heard me tell Aeshma how soft her skin was.

  “I couldn’t help but notice that you seemed interested in our shields,” the shopkeeper continued. “Would you like to take a closer look? Or perhaps you have questions about any of the rest of our stock?”

  I casually but deliberately slid my hands into my denim pockets and turned to Aeshma. She was the one with the plan, so she could take the lead on this.

  “Shields? Well, perhaps, my good shopkeeper,” said Aeshma in a suddenly honeyed tone. There was none of the bro-y confidence that had become so familiar over the past few hours. “But maybe… well, you wouldn’t happen to have anything to make my companion here a bit sturdier, would you now?”

  She placed one hand on the wall and leaned towards the man, presumably so that he could get a better view of her ample, leather bound chest. Was she… trying to seduce him?

  The shopkeeper, to his credit, didn’t even raise an eyebrow. “Of course, ma’am. We have plenty of mundane armors and shields, in addition to our stock of minor magical items.” turned to me, seemingly unaffected by my companion’s valiant efforts.“You’re new to this realm, sir? One of the Reborn?” From his tone, I could tell it was more of a statement than a question.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aeshma shake subtly shake her head, telling me to lie. But I was already saying, “I, uh – yes, that’s right. How could you tell?”

  Aeshma scowled and leaned more deeply against the wall.

  “That’s denim you’re wearing, isn’t it?” the shopkeeper asked. “Genuine, original denim, which you’re wearing as though it were some ordinary fabric. You may not be aware, but denim is quite the commodity around here.” He cocked his head to the side and inspected my pants from top to bottom. “Some faint wear and tear around the pockets, mild fraying about the hems, yes… but in good condition nonetheless. I’d be more than happy to schedule an appraisal, sir, if you’re interested in trading them in.”

  He looked back up at me and smiled. “If I may be so bold, sir, I do recommend trading them in. Flaunting a valuable item like that may attract undue attention from unsavory sorts. Thieves and the like.”

  I nodded slowly. If Aeshma’s grand plan to score us free stuff was to seduce the shopkeeper, maybe selling my jeans was the right move. I didn’t know if it’d recoup my lost starter gold, but it had to be better than a harebrained venture like this.

  I turned to Aeshma to tell her as much – and was struck by a bizarre sight. A scintillating pattern was flowing up and down her lilac skin, like bands of light reflected by rippling water. They were like ribbons of pale, shimmering, perfectly smooth-looking skin, lacking any of her normal scars and musculature. As each ripple progressed over her face, her features briefly softened, and her horns seemed to recede into nothing before my eyes. Then the ripple would pass, and the Aeshma I was used to would return to the fore.

  She took a small step towards the shopkeeper and hit him with a smile that sent my stomach a-flutter. “Oh, come on, Mr. Shopkeep,“ she practically moaned. “You and I, we’re just two regular folks trying to get ahead in life.” A pale band shifted up over her face again, drowning out the purple with a shimmering peach tone. Another ripple flickered down past her shoulders, narrowing them as it passed.

  The effect was clearly meant to be alluring… but I found it disturbing more than anything. The way that her silhouette shifted and deformed with each ripple was like a special effect from a horror movie.

  “You know,” Aeshma continued in her sultry tone, “I’m Level Eight. Almost Nine. I’ve been around the block, and all this starter gear you have on show just doesn’t do it for me anymore. Can’t you show us the good stuff, Mr. Shoopkeep?” She tucked a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear. It popped back out of place again when a ripple passed over it, transforming it momentarily into a strand of wavy, silvery blonde. “We’ll tell everyone where we got it from… that this is the best shop in town… and that you're the best shopkeeper in town…”

  I glanced back at the shopkeeper. If Aeshma’s Glamor wasn’t ensorcelling Level Zero me, there was no way it was working on him. He probably had like twenty Levels in Shopkeeper.

  “Sir?” the shopkeeper said, his gaze still locked on Aeshma.

  “Uh… yeah, big guy?” Aeshma drawled confusedly.

  “Not you. Him.” The shopkeeper’s eyes shot to mine. “You keep reckless, dangerous company, my friend. Especially in today’s political climate. And you,” he said, jutting his chin at Aeshma. “You’re not only putting yourself in danger with this foolish behavior, but your companion as well. I could have the guard summoned here within the minute. You’d live out the rest of your days in a dank cell. Your Reborn friend would rot in prison along with you… if I didn’t vouch for his ignorance.”

  The flickering pattern on Aeshma’s skin grew faster and more irregular as worry washed over her features.

  The shopkeeper bowed his head to me slightly. “Apologies, lad. I don’t mean to frighten you; it’s clear you’ve not been sufficiently informed about your companion. Totally understandable, of course, for one newly Reborn. But…. do you even know what she is?”

  NOTABLE CREATURES

  ----------------------------------

  Harloo LV12

  Ancestry: Human

  Class: Business Owner

  Notable Perks:

  Appraising Eyes - At a glance, know the approximate monetary value of any Item of an Item Level no more than your Level plus ten.