POV: Bobby
I was surprised, to say the least when I looked at the two people in front of me.
The day started great with me in the lab increasing my level of brewing when suddenly a guard came to me, to announce that my guest's have arrived.
Confused, I asked the guard what he was talking about.
He responded that two people claimed to be my guests, and one of them is named Tobby.
Then I realized, that I forgot to send a letter to my friend to say that I'm ok. From his perspective, he gave me a summoning book which made me disappear for a few weeks without giving him any signs of life.
I'm sure this must've worried him to the death.
I told the guard to let them in since I was expecting them.
Luckily for me, for the past few weeks, I've increased my reputation in the palace to the point where I don't need to be under surveillance 24/7.
With this kind of trust, I'm able to invite someone to the castle without asking the princess first.
She would get a report later of course. But I don't think she would be against my decision.
After a few more minutes of waiting, the two guests where staying in front of me.
I look at my friend that is beaming with happiness to see me alive and well.
"Bobby! You better have a good explanation for making me worry so much."
He then gave me a strong hug which took the air out of me.
"And why didn't you tell me you got a new friend."
He said that in a whisper while pointing at the other guest.
The woman was tall with a strange hat on her head, she didn't look to comfortable to be here, her eyes we're dancing at every wall for something to distract her and not look at me.
I didn't expect to see her now or here, I didn't even know she could walk in this world, I guess Trader doesn't know everything after all.
"Undying Flame! I did not expect to meet you today... or here in general. What brings you here?"
I involuntarily said with a cold voice, which surprised me.
I thought I had enough time to adjust my emotions to my friend's disappearance.
I know that they were the ones that gave us the wrong information, but it's also our fault that we got greedy and walked deeper into the fortress instead of retreating home.
And logically I could understand them, I can even say confidently that I forgive them.
But emotions work in funny ways, they're really stubborn sometimes, and it's not the best time usually when that happens.
Finally, she stopped looking at the walls and looked straight into my eyes.
"Hello Bobby, I'm sorry for the sudden surprise. I came here in the name of my tribe to apologize for our mistakes. You can do whatever you choose with me, but please spare my people."
She then kneeled and put her head to the ground.
This got awkward really quickly, and I didn't like the looks of judgment from my friend.
"Undying Flame, please get up since this is very embarrassing for me."
She quickly got up and looked intensely at me again.
"I want to forgive you, but my heart is not ready yet. But do not worry, I do not intend to harm your tribe. This is something between you me and Blue. There's no need to involve innocent people."
Once I said that, it was like a weight was lifted off her shoulders and she could finally breathe in peace.
Her expression was that of relief, happiness, and gratefulness before changing suddenly to one of pain.
She started to grab her head, then quickly her stomach.
And before I could ask what was happening she took a potion from her inventory and drank it.
Once the bottle was empty she took a sigh of relief.
"What just happened, are you ok?"
"I'm not supposed to be able to walk in this world. That's why I have to constantly drink regeneration potions to stay alive in this world."
That took me by surprise.
Looks like Trader was right after all. The people from the Nether are not able to walk into our world.
But somehow, she managed to defy that danger by drinking expensive potions like it was water.
How did she have so many potions?
But this made me realize that her coming here actually show's her regret for what happened.
"Looks like the two of you have an interesting story together which I would love to hear about it. But now I'm more curious about what did you do those days where you didn't have enough time to send me a letter to say you're doing fine."
This would be a long day.
I started to tell them about how I arrived at the palace to meet Princess Elizabeth. Then I accepted her offer to work for her in exchange that she would let me increase my level of brewing skills and let me visit the garden that has all the alchemy ingredients.
Ever since then, I've been doing as much brewing as possible to increase my level to the one required by the princess.
If I wasn't doing that, then I would try to make friends with some of the servants around here to make them more comfortable around me, and hopefully, they won't sabotage me while I gather information about a possible way to find Trader.
"You think Trader is still alive?"
Flame spoke with a surprised voice.
"I don't have any proof, but I think Trader managed to open up a portal in the fortress and escape through there. That's why the space was shaken and the monsters suddenly stopped."
"A fortress, a portal? What are you talking about Bobby? Have you finally lost your mind in grief?"
Toby looked at me like I was a madman, which I totally understood.
Even if I didn't meet Trader for a long time, the stuff he showed me while he was here was so out of the ordinary that my perception of what was normal and was not got twisted.
"No Tobby, I didn't lose my mind, or at least not yet. My friend that you brought to apologize to me is not actually from this world. She's from a world called the Nether where there are rivers and lakes filled with lava, the ecosystem is totally different from us. But the most notable thing about that dimension, is that is the place where we get most of our alchemy ingredients."
The new information made him freeze in place, he looked intensely at my face in case I was pulling his leg but I had a stern face. He then looked at Undying and she just nodded her head in affirmation of my revelation.
"You two are not joking. I need a minute to process all of this."
He sat down and started to massage his big nose.
"So you're telling me that there's more than one dimension and you've already been into it. And in that dimension, you've lost your new friend, and you want to get back there to the fortress filled with monsters to see if your friend actually managed to escape."
"That's a very simplified version of what happened but it's true."
"Well, that would explain why you suddenly got so preoccupied. At least you managed to get a guardian that would protect your village while you away."
The iron golem does indeed bring me a lot of comfort knowing that it's looking over the village in my absence.
"I think you two are tired from the long journey. You should get some sleep and then we can continue our conversation once you two are rested."
They both nodded in understanding and I called a servant to show them the way to an empty room where they could rest.
The servant nodded her head and went outside with my friends to guide them somewhere where they could rest in peace.
Unfortunately, I didn't have enough influence to get a guest room, so they'll have to be satisfied with the servant's room.
After the sudden visit, I didn't feel like getting back to work anymore, so I decided to go to the library in search for more information related to Nether.
On my way to the library, I meet with the princess.
"Good morning Prince's Elizabeth."
"Oh, Bobby! I heard you had guests today, I hope everything turned out well, and you didn't have any problems."
"There was no problem princess. They're getting some rest now."
"That's good to hear. Oh and before I forget about it, the Sandstone kingdom invited us to their new year's party in a few weeks, and I was chosen to represent my family. This year is special because they're preparing for the coming of the great hero. They even prepared two companions that can help the hero to defeat the great evil."
"The Sandstone kingdom? The one in the desert? And what do you mean the coming of the great hero?"
"I take you not a very religious person."
"I do appreciate the system and what it does for us, but I don't feel like worshipping it."
" I can understand your point of view. But in the Sandstone kingdom, they won't be as accepting as us. The pope in there had revolution from the system about the upcoming calamity and a great hero that would oppose it."
"And we're going to believe that?"
"If it was any other person then there would be second guesses, but because it's coming from the great pope who has proven his ability to communicate with the system, this must be taken seriously."
This took me by surprise.
I never thought the system was actually sentient and could see the future. Maybe I should go more often to church to learn more.
"So who are the chosen helpers for the Hero?"
"Well, their both an odd block. One of them is a witch and the other one is someone that doesn't have a nose. They managed to find a cure for the infected."
"They what! I thought it was impossible to bring a person back once it got infected."
"Well, they somehow managed to do it. That's why they've been chosen to help the hero to defeat the great evil."
"I see, but why did you tell me all of this?"
She just looked at me and smiled.
"I want you to find the best gift for those heroes, I want to be on their good side and maybe they'll tell us the cure as well since the Sultan won't be inclined to share it."
This was not a simple request, it was a test for me to show how I can handle an important job.
She started to trust me but not enough to make her feel comfortable. She needs proof that I'm also capable to do some unique jobs.
"I'll find the most suitable gift for them, my princess. Thank you for your trust."
I said that while I bowed slightly.
I needed to show confidence and gratitude for such an opportunity.
She smiled and greeted me one last time before she left.
"I guess I won't be stopping at the library today."
I have to find more information about those two, what their skills are and maybe their preference if possible.
And for that, I needed to find a broker.
I asked some servants that I'd managed to befriend while I was here, and luckily someone knew one.
That night I went to an old inn where I meet a normal-looking person just casually eating a bowl of red soup.
"Are you the Black Ear?"
"Depends who's asking."
"The palace."
He stopped eating his soup and his face got serious.
"What do you want to know from me?"
His voice was more heavy and his body language got more defensive.
"I heard you have some information about the heroes in the desert."
"I hear a lot of things for the right price."
"Don't worry, the price won't be a problem."
I said that as I took out a few potions from my inventory and put them on the table.
A flash of greed run through his eyes as soon as he saw them.
"It's always a pleasure to do business with rich customers. So what specifically do you want to know?"
He said that with a cleaver smile as he got more comfortable.
This would be a long night.