K-10 stopped on the road overlooking Linden.
The town lay below him in a broad valley, larger than anything he had expected to find this far from the fort. He had reached the Kingdom of Geldanos after two days of continuous travel. The journey had been uneventful, but it had provided additional confirmation that Tarmynia was not simply an unfamiliar region of Earth.
It was another world.
The forest had presented several potential threats along the way. K-10 had seen animals resembling the wolves he had encountered previously, large reptiles moving through the undergrowth, and several humanoid figures whose appearance and behavior were unfamiliar enough to warrant observation rather than contact.
He had engaged none of them.
There had been no tactical justification for doing so.
His objective was information. Combat that produced neither information nor material advantage was an unnecessary expenditure of resources.
The journey had also confirmed something more important.
He had not needed to stop.
He had not slept.
He had not eaten.
He had not experienced fatigue.
Two days of continuous movement had produced no measurable decline in his physical performance. His breathing remained controlled. His muscles showed no signs of exhaustion. His concentration was unaffected.
K-10 recorded the result.
Unlimited stamina confirmed under extended exertion.
He turned his attention to Linden.
The settlement extended across much of the valley floor. Stone and timber buildings crowded the streets, connected by roads and narrow alleys that converged on a large central marketplace. Smoke rose from hundreds of chimneys. Farmers, merchants, laborers, and travelers moved through the streets with the steady rhythm of a functioning commercial center.
A fortified wall surrounded much of the town.
Several larger structures dominated the center. A town hall. A stone temple. Merchant buildings large enough to suggest substantial commercial activity.
K-10 studied the details as he approached.
The technological level was consistent with everything he had already observed.
Medieval.
Timber-framed houses. Stone construction. Horse-drawn carts. Blacksmiths working with open furnaces. Market stalls supplied by agricultural production from the surrounding countryside.
No electrical infrastructure.
No vehicles.
No telecommunications.
No firearms.
Nothing suggested industrialization.
Tarmynia was not simply technologically backward.
It represented an entirely separate civilization.
A banner flew above the main gate.
A shield surrounded by two crossed wheat stems.
Geldanos.
K-10 continued toward the entrance.
Four guards occupied the gatehouse. Their equipment was practical rather than decorative. Spears and swords. Leather and metal armor. Each man watched the approaching traffic, occasionally stopping travelers for questions.
One of them raised a hand.
“You there.”
K-10 stopped.
The guard approached.
“State your name and business.”
“Kaiten.”
The guard examined him carefully.
K-10 did not resemble the people around him. His height and build were within normal human limits, but his appearance immediately separated him from the local population. His black hair was cropped very short in a practical military style. His eyes were dark enough to appear black. His leather cuirass was practical and functional, worn over clothing provided at the fort.
Two short swords hung at his sides.
The guard’s attention settled on them.
“You aren’t from Geldanos.”
“No.”
“Where are you from?”
K-10 considered the question before answering.
He had learned enough during his time at the fort to understand that information could be dangerous when given to the wrong person. A false answer could create problems, but so could an answer that attracted unnecessary attention.
“Sariyaz.”
The guard’s eyes moved immediately to his weapons.
The hilts carried the unmistakable trident emblem associated with Sariyaz.
“You’re a Sariyazene soldier?”
“No.”
The answer came without hesitation.
The guard frowned.
“Then why carry Sariyazene weapons?”
“I assisted with a military campaign.”
Technically, the statement was accurate.
He had fought alongside Markum during the patrol to the Unclaimed Lands bordering Shalne-Tadd.
“What campaign?”
K-10 paused.
“Border patrol.”
The guard studied him for several seconds.
Then he glanced toward the other guards.
Whatever conclusion they reached appeared to satisfy them.
“You’re free to enter.”
K-10 nodded.
The guard pointed toward the streets beyond the gate.
“Keep your weapons sheathed. Geldanos has no quarrel with Sariyaz.”
“I understand.”
“And don’t cause trouble.”
K-10 walked through the gate.
His attention immediately shifted from the guards to the town.
He began collecting information.
Population density.
Commercial activity.
Military presence.
Construction methods.
Transportation.
Available resources.
Social behavior.
The process was automatic. Years of training had conditioned him to observe an environment without appearing to study it.
The people of Linden provided the first significant regional pattern.
Most shared similar physical characteristics.
Blond hair.
Blue or light-colored eyes.
Fair complexions.
K-10 adjusted his assessment.
The population of Geldanos appeared considerably more homogeneous than the people he had encountered near the Sariyaz frontier.
Regional genetic concentration was one possible explanation.
He continued toward the marketplace.
Linden was busy.
Farmers sold grain, vegetables, meat, and livestock. Merchants displayed cloth, tools, weapons, and household goods. Blacksmiths worked behind open-front workshops, their hammers striking metal in steady intervals.
Children moved between the stalls.
Carts competed for space with pedestrians.
The town had infrastructure, commerce, and enough agricultural production to support a substantial population.
K-10 needed information.
He also needed money.
The supplies he had acquired at the fort would not last indefinitely, and depending on Markum for continued support was not a viable long-term strategy.
He approached an elderly woman operating a small food stall. Steam rose from an iron pot as she prepared food for a customer.
K-10 waited until she finished serving.
“Excuse me.”
The woman looked up.
Her eyes moved across his clothing before stopping on his hair.
Then his obsidian eyes.
She stared at him for several seconds.
K-10 waited.
“Where can I find work?”
“Work?”
“Yes.”
The woman continued studying him.
“You’re not from around here.”
“No.”
Her attention returned to his black hair.
“Your eyes…”
K-10 said nothing.
The woman leaned slightly toward him.
“My Da used to tell me stories about warriors like you when I was a girl.”
K-10 remained expressionless.
“What warriors?”
“Black hair. Black eyes.”
A faint smile appeared on the woman’s face.
“Men who came from beyond the known lands. Heroes from the old stories.”
K-10 processed the information.
The stories could be nothing more than folklore.
Or they could represent fragmented historical accounts of people who had arrived in Tarmynia under circumstances similar to his own.
“Are you one of them?”
“No.”
The woman appeared mildly disappointed.
“Perhaps not.”
She pointed down the street.
“If you’re looking for honest work, try the Merchant’s Guild.”
K-10 followed her gesture.
“And if you’re looking for dangerous work?”
The woman laughed.
“Then try the Adventurer’s Guild.”
K-10 looked in the direction she indicated.
The concept was familiar. On Earth, adventurer guilds belonged to fantasy novels, games, and television. Here, the institution existed in the real world.
He considered the possibilities.
The Merchant’s Guild offered access to commerce, travelers, and potentially useful information. It could also provide stable employment.
The Adventurer’s Guild offered something more valuable.
Mobility.
Money.
Information.
Access to people possessing unusual abilities.
And a reason to travel beyond Linden.
K-10 needed to understand Tarmynia. He needed to determine whether other people from Earth had been transported here. He needed to learn whether magic could reverse whatever process had brought him to this world.
Until then, he needed a sustainable way to operate independently.
The decision required little analysis.
K-10 thanked the woman and turned toward the street leading to the Adventurer’s Guild.
He moved through the crowd with his hands clear of his weapons, his eyes continuously scanning the streets around him.
Linden was his first major contact with Geldanos.
He had entered the kingdom as an unknown foreigner carrying Sariyazene weapons and possessing no documented history.
That was acceptable.
He did not need to be known.
He needed information.
And Linden was the first place where he might begin finding it.