There was darkness then there’s the green verdant plain coming closer and closer towards Alec. He looked around and saw himself falling from the sky. There’s nothing to hold on to, nothing to grab that would break his fall. The only thing he could do is scream and pray to that son of a bitch deity to up himself for pushing off into the sky.
Alex clutched his limbs closer and braced for impact.
Boom! The ground shook like thunder. Plumes of dust rose into the air. Whatever patch of grass was gone where Alec landed. Alex expected broken bones or even death. But surprisingly, all that came in are the welcome embrace of darkness and the bliss of sleep. He had visions, here and there. Visions of an old medieval castle with stone houses surrounding it, Then he saw a man with a weird little cap carry him on a wagon. There, he slept among the hay and the ruckus of children around him.
---
“Hey, you. You’re finally awake eh?” The man with a weird little hat said.
Alec groaned and rubbed the pain in his forehead. It was surprising how he didn’t turn into a fleshy mush after falling from such a height. Alec looked around and realized that he’s in a wagon with golden needles of hay. It’s itchy if you touch them but made a good headrest after what happened.
“Name’s Ralof,” The man said. “And you are?”
“Alec. Can I ask where am I?”
The man raised one of his bushy brows when he heard the question. “You’re in Alabaster. We mistook you for an Alabaster mage since you fell from the sky and crashed in front of our caravan. And not to mention, your weird clothes.”
Alabaster? That name isn’t ringing any bells for Alec. The only Alabaster he knows is the thing they use for sculpting. Other than that, none. The other thing that irked Alec is the word Caravan. Who the hell has a caravan anymore? Are they pilgrims or something? Alec pushed the man aside and peeked outside the wagon.
Alec had his mouth wide agape with what lied in front of him. Stone buildings line the streets made of gravestones. There aren’t cars anymore, instead, there're horse-drawn carriages and wagons littering the streets. A long spire from a wide castle looms beyond the horizon. It poked beyond the clouds, leaving a trail of broken clouds behind. Any semblance of modernity is replaced by everything medieval. Wherever that God sent him, it’s not his world anymore. This is somewhere strange and new.
“Alec, are you okay? You looked parched. ARLEY, get this man some water.”
Thirst is the least of Alec’s worries. This world is not like his own. He doesn’t know where he is, what country he is in, and what kind of life he is going to live. If he only knew he’s going to be sent here, he could have at least read a manual on how to survive in the medieval ages. And speaking of medieval ages, he hopes there’s no plague in this place. Fuck! It’s just a few minutes in and Alec is already missing the modern life he always took for granted. Mostly his phone.
A runt with disheveled brown hair poked behind the station wagon with a toothy grin. “The strange man is awake,” Arley said.
“Arley, that is rude to our visitor. Forgive him kind ser,” Ralof grabbed the wooden cup from Arley’s hand and served it to Alec. He took the water in one swig, which had little to no effect on the stress he’s facing. Alec breathed in - he should focus more on the present rather than worry in the future. And his current present is that a man named Ralof is waiting for his response.
“Thanks for the drink,”
“No worries. Helping is in my family’s nature. So, what brings you here in Alabaster?”
“I don’t know. You may not believe it but I came from another world.”
“I believe it?”
Ralof nodded. “We’re simple folk. There is no sense denying that after we saw you fall from the sky and survive. If you really did come from another world, I believe you lack the knowledge about our?”
For the next few minutes, Ralof explained Alec’s position in the world. Alabaster is near the center of the continent where it’s most secure since this is where most of the power of the kingdom is. The more you travel outwards, the more dangerous it is. Then Ralof explained the existence of magic and mages who studied its art. The magic here is your typical bread and butter found in your usual literature of the same genre. There is elemental magic which is the most common and there are those above that which only a few skilled mages can do.
“If you want to earn money, you could get side jobs here and there. Alabaster is bound to have many of them. But if you want to look for a steady stream of gold, you can apply for an adventurer’s guild. I used to be an adventurer myself until I took an arrow to the knee.
Or you can hitch a ride with us. We’re going to Moira down south to sell our goods. What do you say?”