"Yes. Obviously you can't do this to someone accidentally. Varla knew you wouldn't know what fast travel was, so she made the offer. Having you fast travel allowed her to secretly whisk you away, establishing a clean escape through hidden passages without compromising the integrity of their security. It was done for our benefit as much as hers. And while I can understand the necessity, it means we must make up the time we lost."
I stared horrified. First I died, now this. "Are you really going to wave away the fact that Varla cost me ten weeks of my life?" I asked through gritted teeth, trying not to yell.
He nodded. "Yes. There is no point arguing over the incident or throwing blame. You were ignorant of what fast travel entailed and she needed security. Her manipulation—while cruel—was necessary. And your idiocy for succumbing to that manipulation, thereby leaving me babysitting you for ten weeks is forgivable, because you were ignorant of what fast travel means."
His tone near the end contradicted his words. His tone suggested the forgiveness he claimed to feel towards me might not actually be forgiveness, but a mantra he repeatedly told himself. A mantra that basically said that no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't hold my ignorance against me. But he really wanted to. So much so that he couldn't hide his feelings.
Note to self: for a healthy relationship with the cat, never admit that I might have known what fast travel was before I accepted. Even if, it was only an inkling. "Couldn't you have done something?" My new question held less anger than the last.
He shook his head. "Once you agreed to fast travel, I had no control over your destination. As I said, you are dangerously ignorant of our world. That is why I intend to lock you away in the inn and fix this. To do even that, I must give you enough knowledge to answer questions even an ignorant incarnate would know."
"Like the name of this village."
"Exactly. Now, before you enact some other foolish action which leaves you comatose for the rest of your days, let us have a frank discussion on what you do and do not know."
The cat's condescending tone was seriously annoying me. "I'm not an idiot."
He sighed and somehow managed to facepalm with a paw. "Perhaps not, but you are ignorant to a dangerous degree. Our first priority while we are here is to remain inconspicuous. You must not draw attention to us. My enemies could kill you with a wave of their hand if they find you before they are dealt with."
"Fine, what do I need to know to stay safe?"
"For now, it is easier if you let me ask the questions. What was your level of education where you came from? Please tell me you could at least read and write."
I rolled my eyes. "Yes, I can read and write."
"You mean, you could read and write. The only reason we can converse is because of the ring you wear. Our languages are not the same, and that ring does not apply to written text outside of the prompts you receive."
Shit. I hadn't thought about that…but then again, it's not like I'd had a lot of time to consider any of these issues. I was being constantly bombarded by new revelations. "Okay, fair enough, I could read and write. I could do mathematics…which I'm guessing might be a bit different here too."
"Let me simplify the question. How many years have you studied for?"
I could answer that. "Between the ages of five and eighteen."
"So thirteen years, during your developmental period. You would barely be a novice if you were a wizard child, but as a farmer, you are quite educated. That is good because you are going to have to study our world if you want to succeed."
I blinked, looking around at the medieval setting I'd found myself in. "You know about developmental periods?"
"Yes, as Varla said, you are not unique as an incarnate. We have several appear each year in our kingdom alone. If you have any area of expertise from your world that you can pass onto ours, you could find yourself becoming a very wealthy man. But before we talk about that, we need to establish your cover."
"Okay. What do I call you if someone asks?"
The familiar froze like a cat who had been spooked. After a few seconds, it gave itself a shake and took a slow breath. "I had an alias with Varla, but she chose not to tell you so you would not accidentally give me away. You must choose a new one."
"Why can't you just tell me your name?"
"I am a familiar," he said slowly. "We cannot share our name, even a false name. It is part of our nature. You will have to choose for me…but if you dare call me Soot or Mittens, I will kill you in your sleep."
I didn't even have to think about it. He was a sassy, angry, talking black cat that belonged to a wizard. "I'll call you Salem."
Salem tilted his head to the side in thought before nodding. "That sounds acceptable, but why that name?"
"It's what you remind me of. Salem is the name of a warlock from a show I watched with my sister as a kid. He was turned into a black cat for five hundred years as punishment."
Salem chuckled. "Yes, your presence certainly is a punishment. I like the comparison. Now that that is sorted, there are a few simple things you must know before we return and secure a room at the local inn. As I said, this village is called Blackwood. It is the north-easternmost village in the kingdom. That forest in front of us is The Wild Woods. Three years ago, an army of goblins stormed out of it and invaded the village, killing most of the villagers. Those that survived and still remain are too poor to leave. Blackwood has few villagers and little trade. There is almost no chance of us being discovered here if we are careful. Now, I developed a backstory for you that is quite simple to follow. If anyone asks you where you were incarnated, tell them it was in Welk, in the Brotherless Monastery."
"Why there?"
"The monastery is a sanctuary. They do not say who is or has ever been inside their walls. However, they keep the law as well as any other temple."
"Welk, Brotherless Monastery. Got it. What else?"
"You have been there for three years learning about our world which is the longest you can take sanctuary there. You haven't acclimated well to being incarnate. So when it came time for you to leave, you decided to go somewhere that was remote and sparsely populated to ease yourself into life outside."
"Okay, that's pretty simple as far as a backstory goes."
"It was what I thought you could handle in a short space of time. The 1,000 silver pieces is at the bottom of your backpack. There is a smaller, less conspicuous purse near the top. Use that to pay the bill in the inn. Do not pull out the larger purse where others can see, or freely offer up the information that you are incarnate. We do not need that sort of attention. However, those with higher intelligence and class abilities will be able to see what you are regardless of whether or not you advertise. When they bring it up, do not deny it."
I pulled my backpack off and started riffling through it. "Do I have anything else besides this pack?"
"No."
I found the small purse under some dirty changes of clothes, and opened it, looking inside. There were several dozen hexagonal silver coins and hundreds of copper. "What's the conversion rate for currency?"
"I was about to cover that. Fifty coppers pieces make a silver noble and there are hundred silver nobles to a gold crown. A bar of gold is equal to a hundred crowns."
I picked up a copper piece and experienced an indescribable sensation. "This feels weird."
"What do you mean?"
"It doesn't feel like I'm holding copper. But it also does feel like copper. No, that's not right. It feels like it has the potential to be copper." I dropped the coin back in the purse and wiped my hand on my trousers. "Something about that coin is wrong."
Salem sighed again. "Nothing about the coin is wrong. You are simply feeling its magical potential, like anyone can. If you pick up a silver noble you will notice that the feeling is stronger."
I picked up a silver noble. The feeling that the coin wasn't a coin returned, and it was stronger this time, just like he said. I dropped it back into the purse. "Why do you have weird feeling coins?"
"Do you need me to explain how our economy works right this minute or can you wait until we have a room in the inn?"
"Just tell me why they are weird."
Salem sighed. He seemed to do that a lot. "Do you study physics in your world?" His tone had turned patronizing and peevish.
"Yes."
"Do you understand the concept of potential energy—such as when you lift a stone off the ground it holds the potential energy to return it to the ground?"
"Yes."
"Think of the coins you are holding as potential magical energy. It is waiting in that state to be converted into something else."
"Like what?"
"The village behind us is a simple example. Establishing it cost the potential magical energy trapped within 25,000 gold crowns. Once that energy was expended the coins vanished. Each level of expansion cost additional gold."