The Setting

"You've improved a lot in the last few days! I'd say your speech is at the level of a small child. I think it could pass off as a five year old." Arkot giggled.

"Thanks." Truthfully, I was happy with the results. I had only come to this world less than a week ago, and I had already grasped the basics of the Heraldic language, even if it was partly thanks to the archive. Then again, I've had nothing else to do but sleep, study, and eat since coming here. I also had gotten used to entering and exiting my subspace, alongside learning that I could access it from a distance. Arkot, however, I could not talk to unless I was beside the Archive.

"By the way, where did you learn my language? Don't tell me you used to live on Earth?" I had been wondering about this since I started learning Heraldic.

"I forgot to mention, you've hit the one tenth mark! Congrats!" Ignoring my question, he announced my accomplishment. Arkot had been unusually giddy today. This could explain why.

I put the book away, and inserted it inside a small wooden shelf alongside the other two books. It had appeared in my subspace yesterday, alongside a chair and a few writing utensils. The spotlight had also expanded, covering more of the darkness with white light.

"Does that mean I'll be getting that reward you promised me?"

"It should be ready in a few days. I don't suppose you have any plans?"

"No. I have a tea party to attend." I replied, as I took out "The Guide to Erradell." Having already finished reading it, I quickly flipped through the pages, checking to see if anything else had been added. Nothing was different.

"So no update? So much for one tenth complete." I sighed. The last time the book had changed was a few days ago.

"Meh. That book's especially slow. If you want more from it, you'll have to go to the other Archives."

"Huh. How many Archives even are there?" Would I have to repair each one?

"Fifty-two or so! You don't have to worry about all of them."

"Scattered across the world. Ayvarothia. Am I pronouncing it correctly?"

"No 'ay,' it's 'ah.' Ah-vuh-roh-thia. Avarothia!" He corrected me.

"Avarothia?" That was the name of this world.

"Right. Anyways, let's go over this." I set the book on the table. "The Guide to Erradell" was an informative guide to the continent Erradell, on the planet Avarothia.

"Erradell has six main nations." I began.

"Mhm!"

"Barasstian, Freenum, Merchant's Eye, Naeterrian, Sheyva, and the Scarlands."

"I wouldn't call all of them nations, really. It's a bit complicated."

"You're going to have to explain that to me then. The guide is only giving me information on Merchant's Eye, Naeterrian and the Forest of Metos." I was currently in the Forest of Metos. It was a large forest settled in between the two places.

"Aren't you supposed to help me? You gave me this book, but there's not enough information in it. And all of your comments and little notes have nothing to do with it's actual contents."

"I could, but the information wouldn't help you much right now. Besides, it's boring to talk about!" I could imagine Arkot just shrugging it off.

"Come on. Just a few short descriptions?"

"Alright, fine! Get this down, okay?"

"Okay, okay, just give me a second." I grabbed a notepad and a pencil, prepared to jot down notes. "Ready. Let's begin with Barasstian."

"Barasstian. Used to be a boring place, with boring people. It's was a religious nation with a bunch of laws and traditions. That was about it for Barasstian."

"Used to? What changed?"

"Yep! Sometime ago, someone like you, overthrew their entire system. Then he took over as a king. Now, everyone's curious about how it's all going to end up."

"Like me? Do you mean he also worked with the Archives?" I asked.

"Ha! That would be interesting. I meant he's from your world. An Earthling, if that's would you would call it."

I frowned. I knew I wasn't the first person transported to this world, but was I the only one stuck in this scenario, while everyone else was doing something amazing?

"Am I the only one taking care of the Archives? Like fixing or guarding them?" I hoped that I wouldn't be alone in this endeavor. Arkot didn't count.

"That's mean! But no, you're not. There are others, and they may or may not be from where you are." He paused for a moment. "But you're the only one who can truly fix them."

I nodded.

Either way, was that was all he was going to say about Barasstian? I was expecting him to go into more detail.

"Next, Freenum! Fun place, with lot's of different kinds of people! But it's a very aggressive nation."

"Any wars going on right now? Anything I need to know?" According to the map, Freenum was at the bottom corner of Erradell, with Barasstian on it's left and Naeterrian right above it.

"No wars, but there are plenty of fights around the borders. But it's nothing you need to worry about!"

"Yet. What about Sheyva?" Sheyva was a long, eraser shaped territory pressed on the far left of Erradell.

"Sheyva! Well Sheyva isn't really a nation anymore. It used to be a giant empire, but it collapsed a decade ago. Now it' just a few cities trying to rebuild everything."

"What caused Sheyva to fall? Was it Freenum?" I asked. I was interested in the lore behind this world.

"Nope! It was a bunch of different things. Internal fighting, monsters, demons, that stuff."

"Ah..." According to the map, Sheyva was on the other side of the continent. Lucky me.

"What about the Scarlands?" That was a large area filled with mountains, right above the Forest on the map.

"The Scarlands isn't a unified nation, it's made up of tribes. They used to keep to themselves, but recently a few of the tribes have left the mountains and are traveling across the continent."

"Alright." I finished writing down my notes. He didn't go deep into detail, but at least now I had a better idea of Erradell and the world I was in.

"And I don't need to tell you about Naeterrian or Merchant's Eye, do I? It's already in your book!"

"Yeah. That and the Forest of Metos." I flipped to a different section of the book, the part about Merchant's Eye. There wasn't too much to read about, but it was fine. I had the basic idea.

Merchant's Eye was some sort of trading center, a huge city in the center of Erradell. Surrounded by walls, canals, and garrisons, it created a massive neutral area around it filled with small towns and villages. It was to the left of the Forest of Meto's, and not too far from here.

On the other hand, there was noticeably more information on Naeterrian.

It was the closest territory, and instead of being a single united nation or kingdom, it consisted of many settlements scattered around the land, all varying in sizes and population.

According to the text, it was governed through a council that met every month or whenever necessary. I looked through the pages, but no information regarding the council or meetings themselves was present.

It had a relatively peaceful history, but had recently been invaded by Freenum. For reasons unspecified, the invasion ended, but Naeterrian still lost land which was currently in dispute, having both Naeterrian and Freenum occupants.

"So how much do you know about the Forest?" Arkot asked me.

"Not much. But enough, I guess." Flipping through the book, I found the section on the Forest of Metos.

"'The Forest of Metos is a mystical woodland filled with monsters and beasts, avoided by merchants and common folk, but sought out by some due to it's natural resources, ranging from rare medicinal plants to wild delicacies. Bounties are also placed on certain monsters, encouraging adventurers and mercenaries to hunt them.'" I spoke, quoting the passage I just read.

The next page featured a plain map of the forest and it's surrounding territories.

It covered a medium distance, roughly a third the size of an entire nation. It was wedged between Naeterrian, Merchant's Eye, and the Scarlands.

The Scarlands were to the north, Merchant's Eye to the west, and Naeterrian was at the southeast. My location was marked by a small 'x' which told me that I was at the bottom of the forest, the nearest exit in the south leading to Naeterrian.

There were a few areas shaded out, representing dangerous areas to avoid.

"This is pretty close." I pointed to a location listed on the border of Naeterrian. It was a small village by the edge of the forest, which had been mentioned in the book a few times. "Think I can go there?"

"If you want to, you could get there in a day's travel. But I'm not sure what you'll gain from it." Arkot answered.

I'd been stuck in this forest since I first came here, without having met another person. Arkot was just a voice in my mind, and the wolf randomly appeared time to time. It was lonely, not having another human being around.

I hoped that by visiting a human settlement, I would not only establish connections and learn more about human society here, but maybe make a friend.