Finding my Parents in Another World

Odania was a filthy, filthy town. There was garbage dumped in the middle of the streets, but what was causing the most stench was the corpses dumped on top of the garbage.

The first time Zack had seen a corpse, he had been horrified, but after a couple of days in the city he had grown jaded and now not seeing a corpse dumped along with the garbage was more weird to him.

And beside the stench and rotting corpses, the town itself was extremely uninviting. Brothels lined the path of the town from the entry gate, with scantily-clad women calling out to all passer-bys.

"Come here old man, let me make you enjoy life again."

"A kiss from Shanita will make you forget your wife."

"Cheapest whores, best service."

Zack had been thoroughly overwhelmed the first time he had entered the town, and had just kept his head down and tried to almost run past the series of whores calling out to him.

The town center however wasn't much better. There was a huge cross affixed to the ground right in the middle of town, and on it there were burned and charred corpses. Everyday there would be some soldiers from the Mayor's manor who would come and clean up the corpses, but everyday there would be a new person who would be burned alive right in the middle of town.

The screams

Oh god the screams.

The first time Zack had seen a man being strung up on that cross to be burned alive, he had almost instinctively rushed to try and save him, but he had been stopped by Pende who was with him at the time.

"Don't do anything foolish old man, you can't save him." Pende had said with gritted teeth.

"But..but.."

"No buts. If you go towards the cross once more, I WILL knock you out."

And thus Zack was forced to watch as the man was tied to the cross and then burned alive. His screams echoed throughout the town, but the apathetic townsfolk didn't even spare a glance at him. That's when Zack finally realized the full extent of his situation.

I am not longer at home

I am in a different world altogether

And then his thoughts turned to his family and the conversation he had had with Miden a few days back.

"Why do you want to kill some Mayor?" He had asked him confused.

Miden had paused before answering. "The Ja family are an old old family. They were very close to the Crown during the War, and thus one of the five keys have been passed down their family since then."

"Five keys?"

"Yes. We need five keys to enter the secret library in the Capital according to my.....sources." It seemed Miden was about to say something else but he didn't fully trusted Zack yet.

"But what do you need my help for? I have never and will never kill a human."

Miden laughed. "You may change your mind yet once you have seen our world."

Zack resolutely shook his head when Miden suddenly bounded up to him and whispered, "What if you found your wife raped and butchered? What if you found your son burned alive? Wouldn't you want to kill the person responsible?"

"That's..." Zack had never thought about it, but now he felt mixed emotions of rage and fear at the thought.

Miden smiled, as if he had been expecting this reaction. "Don't worry old man. We won't ask you to kill anyone yet. We just need you for reconnaissance. The town of Odania is new territory for us, and we would like to quietly assassinate the tyrant and get out with the key."

Zack still had severe misgivings but the Chianti Hunters were his best hope of finding Zoe and Raorka.

"Ok I will do it. Only on the condition that you help me find my wife and son as well."

"Of course. I will send out word. If they are alive, then it will be easy enough to find two Otherworlders."

Miden paused for a moment before adding, "I don't want to get your hopes up though. This is a brutal world and it is just as likely that your son and wife have been killed by humans or other beasts. For your wife, even if she is alive, if she spawned at an unlucky place then she may already be made the sex slave of some noble or bandit. Just keep your expectations in check."

And with those ominous words Miden had left, and then the next day Zack and Pende had made their way into Odania.

They have to be alive.

Zoe and Raorka wouldn't die or be made someone's slave so easily. They were the strongest people he knew, and they would fight if necessary for survival.

They have to be alive.

Zack kept repeating that phrase to himself, because otherwise he would lose himself in despair. For if they were not alive...

What am I doing all this for then?

.XX.

"Now we have to take separate paths." Pende had said on the first day.

"Huh why?" Zack had counted on the young red cloak's protection throughout.

"I need to check out the defenses of the fortress." Pende indicated the huge fortress near the middle of the town. "You, on the other hand, talk to the townspeople and gather what information you can. Any information would be extremely vital for our assault.

And anyway they are more likely to trust you than me." With a rueful smile Pende indicated his darker skin colour compared to Zack.

"I will setup camp somewhere on the outskirts of the fortress. As for you, Miden had already booked a room in the Traveller's Inn. Find your way there and stay put until I contact you again. We will exchange information at that time." Saying this, Pende departed, making sure the hood he was wearing hid his face.

After while more of traipsing through the stench, Zack found a dilapidated little house with a broken down sign saying Traveller's Inn. Apprehensively he pushed open the door and looked inside.

There was a man tiredly standing behind a wooden counter in the middle of a large hall. Other than the man, the hall itself was deserted.

Can't imagine a place like this gets too many visitors.

The man looked up expressionlessly at Zack as he entered.

"Mr. Riven? We have been expecting you." He said disinterestedly.

Zack just nodded. The man looked behind him at a bunch of keys jangling on the wall and fetched one.

"Follow me." He said as he stepped out from behind the counter.

As they walked up the stairs, Zack asked, "Am I the only guest here?"

"Other than you there is Mr. Finjik on the second floor." He said.

A man of little words huh.

Presently they came up to a door at the end of a long corridor. On the door was written 305.

"This is your room, and this is your key. If you need something let me know, and I will try to procure it for you." He said handing over the keys to Zack.

"And your name?"

"Boulvedo."

"Ok Boulvedo, thanks a lot for your hospitality." Zack said to which the man simply nodded and left.

Zack opened the door and surveyed the room he was given. It was a fairly small, albeit simple, room. There was a single small bed by the window, a bathroom and a mirror. Besides this there were not too many amenities, but Zack didn't much care for that.

He had been given a bag of gold coins by Miden for any expenses he might have, and he had a few clothes, also borrowed, from him for the duration of his stay. Initially he had had much trouble putting on the complicated coats and tunics of the world, but now he was used to it.

He sat down on the bed with a satisfying sigh and tried to relax, even as his mind raced with myriad thoughts, mostly about his family and the risky task he had agreed to undertake.

As he was thinking, there came a sharp knock on his door breaking his reverie.

Zack cautiously moved to the door and opened it to find a fat, short man looking up at him with a smile.

"I was wondering who our new guest was." He said.

"I'm sorry you are.....?"

"Oh where are my manners! I am Ginat Finjik. I am a travelling merchant, and as you may have surmised, the only other guest in this Inn."

"Oh yes yes, Boulvedo did mention you."

"Did he now?" Ginat said and then started laughing. "I'll be damned, I thought he was mute!"

Zack laughed politely but Ginat was much more amused by his own joke. Once his fits of laughter had died down, he looked back at Zack curiously.

"So mister what brings you out to the wonderful tourist town of Odania?" He said with a mischievous glimmer in his eye.

"Ah nothing really, I was just travelling through the Kingdom and Odania was the closest town with an Inn." Zack answered hastily.

"Oh is that so...." Zack could see that Ginat didn't believe him in the slightest. He looked down the corridor once to see noone was coming, and on ensuring that it was deserted lowered his voice and ask, "Are you sure you're not here from the Capital?"

Zack must have looked shocked for Ginat quickly followed up, "Don't worry, I am no snitch. You're secret is safe with me."

"N-no no I'm afraid you are mistaken, I have nothing to do with the Capital."

Ginat scrutinized Zack's face a while longer and then nodded as if satisfied now.

"Well, I can't force you to tell me, not without hanging for it!" Ginat said, again laughing loudly at his own joke.

"Well leave that aside for now, what say you to a drink? I know the best bars in Odania, and believe me you don't wanna be stuck at the worst ones."

Zack was wary, however the prospect of a drink immediately warmed him up. The last time he had had one was back in Earth, and now he definitely needed one to relax him under the stress. Thus he readily agreed.

"Amazing, amazing. Let's go now then."

"Now?! It's the middle of the day."

Ginat's eyes twinkled with mirth, "What better time to drink?"

This time Zack laughed genuinely, and he felt some of the tension and worry inside him relax.

As he stepped out of his room and followed Ginat though, something tugged at the back of his mind. Some disturbing thought.

Why did he think I was from the Capital?

Does this mean that there is someone from the Capital coming to Odania?