Game Master in Another World

We headed back to the campsite with a pile of wood; Igasnov was already lighting a small fire using a piece of flint.

“I could have lit that for you, Igasnov, with the use of my divine blessings.”

Igasnov looked up at us. “No need to use magical skills for things when we have a practical solution now, is there?”

“I suppose not, but please don’t hesitate to ask for help if needed.”

Toby was cutting up some foraged mushrooms and plants.

“Thank you, Toby, for preparing dinner. I’m certain the meal is going to taste amazing,” Juliana said.

“I would appreciate some berries to add, though; I’m not sure it is going to be filling,” Toby remarked.

Juliana smiled, pleased to be given something she could do to help.

“I’ll produce some right away.”

Juliana cast the familiar spell, causing a bush to sprout from the dirt with several plump berries appearing on its branches.

Igasnov came over to take a look.

“What are these berries? Are they poisonous?”

Juliana shook her head. “No, just one is enough to fill you for a day.”

Igasnov picked one and turned it around in his fingers before popping it into his mouth.

“Oh, these are quite tasty. Why don’t you sell them? You could make an insane amount of coin that way.”

Juliana smiled. “Money is not a priority to me. Anyway, these berries only last one day.”

Igasnov sighed. “That is a pity.”

The fire was now going strong, and Toby was cooking the mushrooms, plants, and chopped-up berries. The smell was incredible, surprising for how simple the meal was.

“How did you know which herbs to pick?” Igasnov asked.

“When I was by myself, I borrowed some textbooks on herbs and used that time to memorise them all,” Toby replied.

I took control of Juliana; I decided that I simply had to compliment Toby.

“Wow, Toby, that is amazing. I thought you were doing something with your downtime, but not this much.”

“Thanks. I suppose I needed to find a way of being useful, after all.”

“You didn’t have to do anything to be useful; you are a kid, after all,” I responded.

“But I want to. I don’t want to be left alone again.”

“I will never abandon you, regardless of how much you do.”

I didn’t want Toby to feel indebted to Juliana; he needed to be able to live without the fear of being abandoned.

Toby’s expression softened a little, and a small smile grew across his face.

I released control back to Juliana, and a satisfied grin spread across her features. At least she seemed to approve of how I had handled the conversation.

Once dinner was ready, we sat down by the fire and began to eat. The meal was a little bland, but it still tasted better than the iron rations I endured when travelling as Drisnil.

“This is great, Toby. You have quite the skill when it comes to cooking,” Igasnov said between mouthfuls of food.

“It is also quite filling, despite the small portion.”

“That would be the berries,” Toby replied.

“Just one is enough to sate your appetite.”

“Ah, that explains it. Feel free to make it again; it tastes so much better than standard travelling fare,” Igasnov remarked.

After dinner, Toby curled up to sleep, while Igasnov poked the fire absentmindedly with a stick. And Juliana began to take off her clothes.

The way she undressed seemed so casual that I didn’t realise what she was doing until she was completely naked.

Igasnov happened to glance over; he dropped his stick, his mouth agape.

“Ah, Juliana... why are you naked?”

“I’ve been needing to dance in the moonlight for a while, and I finally have the chance. My god forbade me from dancing among the soldiers,” Juliana replied.

“Er, it seems your god is fairly wise. A naked woman prancing around a bunch of men would be rather provocative,” Igasnov noted with a smirk.

Well, it was now too late for me to stop her, so I just let her continue to dance. Her movements were enchanting; Igasnov watched her closely, his eyes barely blinking. Toby remained sleeping soundly by the fire.

When Juliana finished dancing, she began to get dressed again.

“You have some strange customs,” Igasnov said.

“It is a ritual to show my promise that I will not stray back to the path of my kin. If I don’t partake, I feel my dedication to this path slipping.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say I minded your dance,” Igasnov replied, smiling.

“I’ll take first watch, if you don’t mind.”

“Sounds wonderful, thank you,” Juliana responded.

The next day, we left at daybreak, making little effort to hide our tracks. Since we weren't being hunted, there was no need, though it still felt quite foreign to be so careless.

It was a week before we came across the next village. As we approached, Igasnov looked at us seriously.

“Juliana, could you please change into an animal? Your face is too well known around here; if you walk into town, we will get quite a cold reception.”

“I suppose I can agree to your request, but it is quite a pity that my form strikes fear into the citizenry,” Juliana responded, a slight note of dejection in her voice.

“But, as a condition, I must be allowed to sit on your shoulders, Igasnov.”

Igasnov let out a sigh. “Fine, but you had better be something small.”

Juliana began to shapeshift, rapidly shrinking until we were standing on four paws. We then scaled Igasnov’s back using our new claws, letting our furry body settle comfortably on his shoulder.

Toby looked at us. “Aw, you make a cute black and white cat, Juliana.” He was smiling broadly.

Juliana began to purr loudly. It seemed involuntary, finally answering a long-standing question I’d had about cats: why exactly they purred.

As we entered the village, the locals looked up and waved at Igasnov with bright smiles. He must have been well known here.

The settlement itself seemed very simple, much like Holver village. Villages around the world seemed to follow a familiar pattern: ten to twenty houses, with one slightly nicer house for the mayor, a modest church that supported multiple faiths, and some basic farm buildings catering to their local specialty.

This village’s specialty seemed to be cattle and sheep; the surrounding plains were grazed, featuring basic fencing for stockyards. Every house also had a simple vegetable garden in the rear to produce food for the family.

Igasnov walked up to the mayor’s house and knocked on the door.

A gruff-looking man answered. “Oh, hello, Igasnov. It is good to see you again.”

“It’s good to see you, too. I take it the bandits have been leaving you alone lately?”

“Yes, our villagers have managed to travel much more safely between towns, thanks to you. Anyhow, please come in and have some tea.”

“That sounds perfect. Your tea is always excellent,” Igasnov replied.

We headed inside, taking a seat at the solid wooden table.

“Now, who is this boy and the pet you’ve brought with you?” the mayor asked while pouring cups of tea for Toby and Igasnov.

“Oh, this is Toby, a war orphan I’ve adopted for now. And this lovely purring cat is Julie; she can be a handful, but she is rather friendly.”

The mayor smiled and let out a short laugh. “And she seems to love your shoulder, too.”

“So, what brings you back to our humble village, Igasnov?”

“I’m merely passing through; we are on our way to Bealing,” Igasnov replied.

“Interesting. I have some villagers moving some cattle to Bealing shortly. If you wouldn’t mind waiting, would you be willing to accompany them?” the mayor asked.

“I’m not certain. I will need to check with Toby first in private; he can be a little shy around people he doesn’t know.”

“Okay, they plan to leave in two days, so if you would let me know before then, that would be greatly appreciated. As for accommodation, you can reuse that spare house of ours.”

“Hah, I would love a roof over my head for a night or two. For now, I will check with Toby; we’ll either leave tomorrow or with the villagers the next day,” Igasnov replied.

“And one more thing: would you be able to hold a service in the church tonight? The villagers always appreciate your sermons.”

Igasnov smiled broadly. “I’ll gladly do that for you. Spreading the word of my god is something I truly enjoy.”

Toby continued sipping his tea quietly, listening to their conversation, while Juliana continued to purr loudly.

After the tea was finished, Igasnov got up with Toby. “Right, I need to get some dinner cooking. I’ll head over to the church an hour after dark.”

“Thank you again, Igasnov. It is always a pleasure having you over.”

Igasnov and Toby headed out the door toward a small, slightly run-down house. As they entered, the dust in the room stirred, causing Toby to cough.

“Alright, Juliana, while in here you can be a human again. Feel free to change back.”

Juliana ignored him and jumped off his shoulder, making her way to the bed and curling up in the centre.

“Well, Toby, do you feel like making dinner again?” Igasnov asked.

Toby nodded, then enthusiastically began to prepare dinner, chopping up some vegetables and meat.

Igasnov got the cooking hearth going, loading some wood and using the flint to light the fire.

It wasn’t long before vegetables were boiling in a stew and meat was frying in the pan. The aroma reaching our cat's nose was amplified, and it smelled incredible. We had been surviving on berries and foraged food, so the meat was highly enticing.

After fifteen minutes of cooking, the meals were served onto some basic wooden plates.

“Okay, dinner is ready for humans,” Igasnov said.

Juliana pouted, shifting back into her Nhalyri form.

“You’re no fun, Igasnov. I was enjoying being a cat; it is quite comfortable lying on a bed curled up in that shape,” Juliana whined.

“I feel more comfortable having you in your human form. I’m scared I might start cuddling you, forgetting your true nature, for I am quite partial to cats.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t mind that,” Juliana smirked, “for as a cat, I would love cuddles.”

Toby put his palm to his face, letting out a sigh. “Please, Juliana, just sit down and eat.”

Juliana sat down and began to eat. The flavour of the meat and vegetable stew was as good as it smelled, proving deeply satisfying after a long day’s travel.

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