Hemlin was feeling his fifty-two years as he opened the cathedral's catacomb entrance before the sun reached the horizon. He had maybe ten minutes before dawn, so they had to hurry. His assistant, Baxly, was right behind him, lugging a large sack of freshly laundered tunics for today's new arrivals. A second bag contained simple leather slipper shoes. One-size-fits-all for both items. Their job wasn't to make them pretty, just presentable in public. He made his assistant do the carrying these days as his chronic back injury was acting up again. He was grateful for the job the Cathedral gave him as it paid for his family's lodging and meals. The side job he'd signed on for earned him the money he'd need when his back finally gave out. The older man stretched carefully as Baxly watched him nervously, and he hid his smile. It was kind of sweet that his assistant was concerned about his health. "Are you going to finish teaching me the ceremonies today? I still don't know all of th

Alex stood before the closed doors of a very large and grand cathedral on an alien world. Either that or he'd been transported back in time. Or lost his mind. That option was still on the table. Dawn's light was just beginning to touch the top of the cathedral's spire, but the sky was becoming brighter, and he could see the two-story structures surrounding the open plaza before the church. They were right out of an epic medieval-times movie. He looked to see signs he was on a lot of a movie studio, but that was a long shot. A few industrious souls were starting their day, rushing by with loads of goods on wooden, wheeled carts headed for a market or just getting to work themselves. Some of the storefronts were beginning to open as well. What Alex had accepted as nonsense earlier was becoming all too true as he saw some of the people going by weren't... human. He did his best not to stare at the hulking, green-skinned being striding along, tusks jutting up from his bottom lip

Alex dropped the hem, then turned back to see the thoughtful expression on the man's face. "Could I get some background on who the Gods of this world are? I was raised to follow a singular God on Earth, and I have no clue who these new Gods are." "Your world has only one God?" Silvain asked in surprise. Alex was caught by that. "Well, truthfully, many people worship many different gods on Earth, but one of the most followed religions where I lived has a singular God. That's the one I... once followed." Grakkesh gestured for them to sit in the chairs before the Commander's desk, so they did. Then he spoke. "There are thirteen Gods on our world. Each represents different aspects of Magic and grants those they bring here abilities over those aspects," Alex blinked at the Dwarf with wide eyes. "Magic?" Grakkesh smiled. "My gift is not something I can visibly demonstrate. Commander?" Silvain frowned and held out his palm where a ball of flame suddenly appeared with no visible

Alex returned his attention to the form. He filled in his full name (Alexander Frost), age, sex and stopped at race. He looked at the Dwarf who told him to put Human. He pointed out other Adventurers who were Elves, Orcs, and even one of the Beast-Kin. Alex completed the form and signed it. He noted the deity field had all three names in it. "This little box at the top needs a drop of blood to lock the spell on the form. This will prevent it from being destroyed or altered," the Guild Master explained. Alex nodded and held his hand out over the form. Grakkesh poked his finger with a blade to provide the blood for the spell. The cut on Alex's finger glowed red briefly, restoring it to its original state. Grakkesh was watching closely and nodded to himself, pleased. "I've been alive for over three hundred years, and this is the first time I've witnessed Restoration Magic. It feels different too," he said. This caused another stir among the gathered Adventurers. The ones who ca

Dale smiled sympathetically at the woman he'd known for years. Lyra was such a lovely young halfling, born from a Human mother and Elf father, but her face almost glowed red when she got angry. He hid his smile. This color contrasted beautifully with her sandy blonde hair, which hung down her back to mid-thigh.She was one of the truly beautiful people he'd met when he arrived on this world. Not only did she have her dazzling looks, but this was matched by her warm and caring personality. A perfect accompaniment to her role as party healer. Her skills were second to none thanks to the God's Blessings she had from her powerful mother and father."Let's get dinner at the Wanderer Inn. The meat stew is delicious, and Gerritt isn't welcome there." That got him an amused snort from Lyra as she knew Gerritt lost his right to enter due to making a nuisance of himself with the innkeeper's daughter. She nodded wearily and rubbed her hot face.As they walked, Dale snuck peeks at the blonde in c