Chapter 7: Interrogation And Teaching
Joshua leaned up against the wall after closing the door behind him. He fumbled around in his top right coat pocket and pulled out a brass cigarette case with floral patterns on the lid and his lighter before opening the case for a cigarette to smoke. The sound of crickets chirping amongst the cool, blackened night made it feel like the right time for a quick cigarette. As he held the lighter to the cigarette the smell of menthol wafted past his nose. Joshua wasn't much of a smoker, but if he was lightning one up it was because he was incredibly stressed or furious. He took a quick puff from the cigarette and let a cloud of smoke escape his lips. As he was taking another puff of his cigarette two figures approached the front gate with one looking somewhat familiar to him. It was the orange-haired woman from the castle followed by a young man he had never seen before. Joshua raised an eyebrow thinking maybe they were there for Sasha but was surprised when they approached him instead after closing the gate behind them.
"Um…can I help you?" He asked them in a slightly confused tone.
Eristia gave him a cold stare as the man kept a poker face. It was almost like the woman was looking right through Joshua as he took another puff of his cigarette and blew the smoke off to the side as not to be rude. Joshua chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head as he wondered what this woman could want with him. He had already been attacked twice today and put up with the murmurs and the stares, but if he had just one more incident, he would snap faster than a twig.
"What does she want? Does she want to know where Sasha is? Does she have business with me specifically? I'm kinda not in the mood for something else right now….." Joshua thought nervously.
"If you're both looking for Sasha, she's right….inside…" He told them nervously as he pointed at the front door.
Eristia poked his chest and arms, eyeing him suspiciously, and causing Joshua to become extremely uncomfortable. The discomfort was plastered so visibly on his face that if he was a beacon, the light would be visible from outer space.
"Oh…not this song and dance again?! Now I'm getting pissed…." Joshua thought, finally annoyed with all the poking.
Yuriy could see how annoyed and uncomfortable Joshua was becoming and grabbed Eristia's shoulder. Eristia gave him a slightly confused look as he pointed at Joshua's face.
"I don't think he likes that, Eristia." He said calmly. "I think this might be a bad time to question him," Yuriy warned.
Eristia sighed. "We don't have a choice, Yuriy, the fate of Lescatie hangs in the balance."
That caught Joshua's attention. Was she accusing him of being the bad guy? What did he do to deserve all this? They were the ones who summoned him! All he did was go with the flow up until now. What kind of crime could he have possibly committed while he had been with everyone until after leaving the castle with Sasha? He grit his teeth at the thought of it all. It was then that Sasha stepped outside to look for Joshua and found something she wasn't expecting to see.
"Oh, Eristia, what brings you here at this hour?" She asked, confused by Eristia's presence.
Eristia turned to face Sasha. "Sasha, who and what is this man?" She demanded.
Sasha turned to Joshua with a warm smile. "Joshua, can you go and wash the dishes for me, please?" She asked him kindly after seeing his frustration.
Joshua nodded slowly and dropped his cigarette on the ground, pressing it into the dirt with his boot, before he made his way back inside before Sasha turned back to Eristia.
"I'll answer all of your questions but I ask that you leave Joshua alone for the rest of the night. Primera just threw a fork at him like a dart and missed so I think it's best to just keep your distance." She told them with a dejected frown. "Joshua is the result of a secret plan to find someone or something we could use against the monsters. The requirements for this were someone no one has ever seen before; someone that's living; and someone who could give instructions on any weapons they could provide. The reason it was kept a secret between a small group of individuals is that the more people who knew, the higher the chance the enemy would figure it out and attack before we had the chance to try anything."
So this was the plan that Eristia hadn't been told about. Joshua's lack of a soul still bothered her, though. They could hear Joshua open the back door and trudge over to the well around the back and lower the bucket into the well before heading back inside. Eristia still had questions for him personally as even Sasha couldn't happen to know everything about him yet.
"Does Joshua have any weapons?" Eristia asked calmly. "I need to confirm whether or not his weapons pose any threat?"
Sasha gulped as she remembered he had a gun of some kind on his person. "…Yes…he has a strange firearm on him, but if you try to take it he gets mad, saying you could hurt someone with it if you aren't careful." She replied nervously.
Eristia's eyes glinted in the dark. Now she was getting somewhere, but would need to see his firearm. There was also the question of whether or not he could actually fight or what his actual age was. Eristia heard him mention earlier that he was twenty-six, but that could be a lie.
"How old is he?" She asked as a smirk spread across her face.
"Twenty-six, two years younger than I, and four years younger than Captain Mersé," Sasha replied honestly.
"Does he know how to fight?" Eristia asked calmly, her smirk turning into a grin.
Sasha was uncomfortable with the question. Joshua did say that he got into a couple of fights when he was younger, but he didn't like having to hurt people. What would Eristia do if she answered yes? Would she force him to report to the barracks tomorrow? Sasha's uneasiness began to spiral into full-on inner panic. Eristia saw this and decided to strike while the iron was hot.
"I'm afraid Yuriy and I will have to question him directly. You and I are both heroes, Sasha, so you know that means this is an official investigation." She said with a smug look on her face.
Sasha hesitantly nodded and led them into the kitchen. Joshua was hard at work washing dishes when they came in and doing a good job of it, too. He managed to get through half of the plates by the time they arrived. He looked up from his work with confusion as Sasha gave him an apologetic look. Eristia and Yuriy stood beside her with Eristia giving him a smug look. Joshua's stomach churned as he realized he just might be in some actual trouble.
"Joshua, I need to speak with you. I would appreciate it if you came and sat at the table." She said with a smirk.
"If you're going to arrest me then just place the cuffs on me already….." He replied nervously.
That made Eristia chuckle. She wasn't there to arrest him, just question him on the secret plan. Joshua became a little tense after everything he had just been through and wasn't sure he could trust her. He swallowed and cautiously made his way over to the dining table, setting his backpack down next to him. Joshua began to feel dreadful weightlessness as he sat down and Sasha, Eristia, and Yuriy sat across from him. He could feel himself sweating like he did the night in the restaurant when his friend died. Sasha could see the confusion and panic on his face as he sat down and hoped he wasn't in any trouble. Eristia stared back at him intently, making Joshua feel worse with every passing second.
"Tell me, Joshua, how old are you?" Eristia asked him calmly.
Joshua swallowed hard. "Twenty-six…born March seventeenth, birth year nineteen ninety-four at exactly 12:33 A.M. in my world," he answered tensely.
Eristia and Yuriy looked at each other with slightly surprised faces. Joshua's answer was oddly specific despite how anxious he looked.
"Okay….I was told that you possess information crucial to the war against the monsters, just what kind of information is that?" Eristia asked him.
Joshua immediately reached into his backpack and handed her his books. Eristia was a bit puzzled, but took them and began flipping through the pages of the Shooters' Bible. In it were pictures of guns she had never seen before as well as what looked like disassembly and maintenance instructions for them. She could read some of the words, but their meaning still escaped her as she continued flipping from page to page and set the book down. Next, she picked up what looked like an encyclopedia and there were more images of guns spread across its pages than in the other book.
"Firearms…? We have muskets and canons but they aren't all that effective. How is this supposed to help?" She said as she flipped through the pages.
"Self-contained munitions, self-loading and cocking, and a higher rate of fire and capacity than any musket. Semi-automatic or fully-automatic fire options that are beyond comprehension for anyone from this world." Joshua quickly replied.
Eristia gave him a look of surprise. Such firearms could only be dreamed of yet his world had managed to create such weapons. Yuriy was just as surprised as she was while Sasha looked away in slight disgust.
"Sasha told me you have a firearm, may I see it, please?" Eristia asked, raising an eyebrow as Joshua slowly reached for his gun.
Joshua removed the magazine, turned the safety off, and ejected the chambered round into his left hand before sliding the gun across the table with the muzzle pointed at him. Eristia picked up the gun and noted its high craftsmanship compared to Lescatie's muskets. It felt incredibly light to hold and its small size made her ponder just how powerful it could truly be. Muskets had to have a bore of fifty caliber or more at the very least to achieve any real velocity and power if they were to be effective in only a single shot. Eristia pulled the trigger a few times, watching the hammer cock itself back and fall with each trigger pull.
"Hmmm….this is truly unique….what caliber is this?" Eristia asked as she examined his gun.
"9x18 Makarov….semiautomatic, self-loading, and better than your muskets thanks to years of research and a seven-round capacity," Joshua answered.
Eristia gave him a puzzled look. Just what was this "makarov" caliber he spoke of? How could it be any more powerful than their muskets if the gun was so small?
"Can I see some of your munitions, please?" She asked him as their eyes met.
"No." Joshua spouted defiantly.
Eristia gave him an angry glare. "I need to see an example of the munitions this gun uses." She told him.
"I'd fully cooperate with her if I were you. Eristia doesn't take kindly to anyone who refuses her demands." Yuriy warned him.
Joshua hesitantly rolled a bullet across the table to her. "If you load that gun….I will dive across this table and I will take it from you." He warned.
Eristia set his gun on the table and examined the strange bullet that as Joshua said was self-contained. It had a silver-colored body and a copper bullet with a red rounded tip that felt different from the metal instead of just being a simple, round lead ball.
"This bullet isn't like any I've ever seen….he called it 'self-contained' and he wasn't lying. I'm not even sure we'd be able to replicate this…." Eristia thought as she rolled it between her fingers and eyed it intently.
Yuriy picked Joshua's gun up off the table and pulled the trigger, watching the hammer with each pull with a puzzled expression. Joshua didn't like Yuriy's interest in his gun all too much. He knew just how much responsibility a gun from his world required and knew of the dangers of them falling into the wrong hands. He survived a restaurant shooting and a war, after all, and the memory of both events often gave him nightmares afterward. He watched Yuriy pull the trigger again then grab the rear of the slide and could feel something within him snap faster than a twig.
"I don't like the way you're playing with that gun, young man, so I'm going to tell you a little story about a bad man with a gun," Joshua said coldly.
Joshua's words caught them all off guard, especially Sasha. The look in his eyes said he was dead serious as he intently stared back at them so they listened closely.
"Six years ago I was out to dinner with my fiancé who at the time was my girlfriend and a very close friend of mine, Eric, who was a soldier just like you. Everyone in the restaurant was having a great time with us included until a man came barreling through the door with a semi-automatic rifle in his hands and charged into the kitchen screaming about wanting his job back. We heard five gunshots as he killed two members of the kitchen staff. Everyone dropped to the floor the second he came in through the door, but if you had seen what Eric did that night you'd probably call him a hero. He stood up and called the man out of the kitchen and when that man came back into the dining area Eric tackled him to the ground and beat him into unconsciousness…..or he would've if that's how the story ended. You see, the second that psycho came back into the dining area he fired four shots at Eric striking him three times in the neck and once dead center in his chest. I had to lay there and watch the only friend I had left in the world choke on his blood and die like a dog all because he acted stupidly. That's when the psycho came around to our table and looked down at us with the evilest and twisted grin I ever did see in my life and in that moment I grabbed a spoon off the ground next to me, shot up in front of him, and stabbed him in the neck six times, severing his carotid artery as I ended up being the one to tackle him to the ground." He told them with a grim expression on his face. "So when I see you messing with my gun like that it makes me incredibly nervous that you might potentially hurt someone. Now if I never got over what I did to that man in the restaurant, which I haven't, what makes you think you'd get over accidentally shooting somebody?"
Eristia and Yuriy both shot each other nervous glances and Yuriy slowly handed the gun back to Joshua and Eristia gave the bullet back to him.
"That's better….the moral of that story is guns aren't evil…people are. And I speak from personal experience when I say I've seen people do stupid things with guns and make a mistake they can't take back." Joshua said calmly as he stood up and reloaded his gun before re-holstering it. "Any more questions you want to ask me?"
Eristia and Yuriy hung their heads in shock. Sasha looked away dejectedly as she processed what she just heard. Joshua was truly a nice person, but to think he had to save people by killing another man. Eristia still had one question on her mind, one that had been nagging her all day.
"….Why is it that you lack a soul?…" She asked him as she regained composure.
Joshua gave a wide smirk. He knew it was only a matter of time before she asked that question. As much as he wanted to mess with her, he decided it was in his best interest to give her an honest answer instead.
"Because my world works on a whole different set of rules. We ain't got no monsters, no magic, no elves, no dwarves, or fairies, just people and wild animals. And some of those people aren't very nice." He answered with a smirk.
Eristia nodded understandingly. "Okay…I've got all I needed. Thank you, Joshua." She said politely before motioning to Yuriy that they were done.
"Are you sure, Eristia?" He asked concernedly.
Eristia nodded and stood up as did Yuriy. Eristia gave Joshua a slight smile as they began heading for the front door.
"Have a good rest of your night, you two, well with that I guess this is goodbye," Eristia said politely as the two of them exited through the front door.
Joshua let out a sigh of relief. He realized just how much worse all that could have gone. Something about how direct Eristia had been begun to remind him of a young with light, blonde hair and dark green eyes who kept her hair in a long ponytail and wore a full suit of armor with a cross on the front of the breastplate similar to the one worn by almost everyone in Lescatie. He wasn't sure why he remembered such a woman and his face became washed over with exhaustion and confusion. Sasha gazed at him worriedly as she watched his head slump forward and he took a couple of deep breaths. She gently walked around the table and over to him and began softly patting him on the back. Primera who had been sitting at the top of the stairs and heard everything had a horrified look on her face and froze at the top of the stairs. She had a feeling he was dangerous, but not like this. She decided to keep a close eye on the two of them for Sasha's safety. Joshua had regained his composure and cracked a slight smile, brushing off the memory of the woman as best he could.
"Guess I'll go and finish those dishes." He said with a slight crack in his voice.
Sasha followed him a began silently putting the clean plates in the cabinets on the wall as Joshua cleaned the rest of the plates from dinner. Sasha gently tapped him on the shoulder when they were done, motioning for him to follow her. He grabbed his coat and backpack and quickly followed her to the door of a cellar and began descending the stairs. Primera followed after them, keeping out of sight as they descended the stairs. Sasha had lit a lantern at the bottom of the stairs and led Joshua to a back room with a bed, a dresser with three candles sitting on it, and a desk against the far wall. He set his bag and coat down next to the bed and sat down on it. Primera followed and listened from the other side of the wall as the two of them talked, slipping into a small alcove and staying out of sight. Thoughts of Joshua attacking Sasha and her intervening ran through her head as she listened to the two of them.
"This used to be Elt's room before he joined the knights. I'm sure you'll make great use of it." Sasha said with a smile.
The bed was just the right size for Joshua. He began to feel more relaxed now that he had his own little sanctuary again. Joshua noticed the dresser had a drawer with a keyhole and an idea formed in his head. He checked to see if it was unlocked, and sure enough, he opened it with ease. The drawer was completely barren and perfect for storing his pistol, ammunition, and books.
"Hey, Sasha, do you still have the key for this dresser? I think it'd be best to store my gun and books in it for the time being. I think we can both agree it'd be bad for the children to get a hold of them." He asked her calmly as he began checking the other drawers.
"Books? That thing can read? It's scarily strong, can speak and act human, and now it says it can read….I don't like this..." Primera thought as her muscles tensed.
"Yes, but I'd have to look for the key in the morning. I will also need you to wash the bedclothes before Elt comes for you." Sasha answered with a warm smile.
"Sure thing, boss," Joshua replied happily.
Sasha smiled as she turned to leave, She was grateful that she could finally put the day behind her. As she was just about to close the door, Joshua spoke up.
"Hey, Sasha, I really appreciate you stickin' your neck out for me like this. Where I'm from most people wouldn't help a complete stranger like this….so it means a lot to me." He said kindly.
A soft smile spread across Sasha's face. She was both grateful and happy Joshua appreciated her kind actions, but was a little saddened by hearing how people from his world can be like.
"That's very sweet of you...you're welcome. Can I ask you something?" She replied happily before sounding a bit disheartened.
Joshua looked up and could see something was bothering her. Perhaps it had to do with the story of the restaurant? Maybe it had to do with Primera? Whatever it was he felt it was best to hear her out. Sasha swallowed nervously as she thought back to Primera's actions. Primera wasn't evil, but her actions earlier had been a disappointment to Sasha and made her worry Joshua might run off into the wild. The only thing she wanted was for the two of them to get along.
"Do you….do you hate…Primera?" She asked him, concern and worry creeping into her voice.
Joshua was a bit shocked that Sasha thought he hated Primera. He felt she may have had her reasons for acting the way she did and it wouldn't be fair to judge her before he knew her story. Joshua also didn't like the concept of "hate" in general, as hate never did anyone any good.
"I hate to sound philosophical and wax poetic, but if you ask me, hate is absolutely useless. All it does is sit there and fester, not doing anyone any good. I don't know anything about her so how is it fair for me to judge her just based on today?" Joshua replied honestly.
Sasha was genuinely surprised by his response. She expected him to harbor some kind of animosity towards Primera for her actions earlier. She felt a wave of relief wash over her as her hope rekindled. Now all she had to do was find a way to truly convince Primera of Joshua's kindness. Sasha beamed happily as she began closing the door behind her. Primera slipped further into the shadows and waited for Sasha to pass on by. Joshua's words had struck a nerve with her and she could feel her rage building.
"Get some rest. In the morning I'll come and wake you for breakfast. Thank you for not thinking poorly of Primera." She said happily as she turned to face Joshua. "Primera and her parents were banished from their village when she was very young and her parents ended up dying, leaving her all alone at such a young age. Humans have always reacted to her with fear and scorn because she's a half-elf, causing her to do the same unto them. Elt and I were different, however, and I'm glad you don't see her in a bad light."
Joshua felt awful for Primera. She didn't deserve any of that, especially at such a young age. He knew what it felt like to be treated like that as many people back in his world often alienated him for being an illegitimate child or being in the foster care system. It was only when he was fifteen that he met his two closest friends and Reiko that his life began to slowly change for the better.
"Wow…that's rough. I'm going to give her another chance. I can somewhat understand how she must feel seeing as I've been through something similar." He replied understandingly.
Sasha nodded and closed the door behind her. She didn't notice Primera in the shadows as she passed her hiding spot and walked back up the stairs and closed the cellar door behind her. Joshua took out his lighter and lit the candles on the dresser before reaching into his backpack for his books. He flipped the shop theory book open to the section on micrometers and carried a lit candle and his books over to the desk and started reading his shop theory book just as Primera threw open the door to his room. She gave him her usual scowl and angry glare as she stood in the doorway.
"It wasn't just a boast, it can read…" she muttered in an irritated voice. "Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse."
"Excuse me? First of all, rude. Second, yes I know how to read! I did receive an education, after all!" Joshua thought angrily as Primera shook her head in disbelief and let out an annoyed sigh.
"Hello, Primera. Did you need me for something?" He asked in a calm and curious tone.
Primera stormed up to him and ripped the book from his hands. In it were measurements she had never heard of or seen before. The pages were littered with fractions, decimals, and diagrams of strangely shaped tools and some words she could make out but the rest were completely alien. It made her headache just looking at them and made no sense to her. She turned to him as she held the book open and pointed to the diagrams.
"What in the hell is any of this anyway?" She demanded.
"Micrometer calipers and some history on micrometers since the late 1840s. It's all incredibly technical stuff I wouldn't expect anyone from this world to understand at a first glance, especially since it doesn't exist in this world yet." Joshua replied calmly.
Primera took another confused look at the book before throwing it down on the desk. She had no clue why it would read something so complicated. Whatever world it came from was far too complex for anyone else to really understand. She couldn't even understand what it really was to even begin with. It made her sick to her stomach just looking at it. What was it even good for anyway? How could it ever understand how she truly felt about anything? A million questions raced through her mind, giving her a headache as she looked at it.
"I don't know who or what you think you are….but you could never understand me…I don't even know what you are." She said bitterly as she hung her head and looked at the floor.
"That's not true…I understand you had a bad childhood even before your parents died. I understand that it was tough being so alone at such a young age, but you made it this far, didn't you. It's not your fault that you're a half-elf since no one gets to choose what or who they are when they're born. Sasha and Elt consider you a friend and so will I, but only as long as you let me. You don't have to be afraid of me, Primera, I'm not like those assholes who mistreated you…I promise. I'm not evil." Joshua retorted, trying to reassure Primera.
Primera looked at him with both fear and shock. For the first time in her life, she was speechless. She couldn't believe a thing just said that to her of all people. Primera felt her stomach churn at his words. She was almost convinced he understood how she felt, but he was still a thing according to her, and there was no way she could see eye to eye with a thing.
"….You could never understand how I feel…." She said, sounding a tad disappointed before storming out of the room.
"That jerk….for HIM to think HE understands me! Wait…did I just call that thing 'him' and 'he'? What is wrong with me? To think I felt he truly understood me….?" Primera thought dejectedly as she stormed up the cellar stairs.
Joshua silently picked up the book in disappointment as well as the other two on his desk. He walked over to the dresser, holding his backpack, and placed his PA-63 in the lockable drawer as well as a swiss army Workchamp knife he pulled from his front left pants pocket. He began emptying his backpack: a solar charger and cables for his phone and i-pod; two magazines with one focused on doomsday survival and the other on the politics and laws behind concealed carry; a water bottle in a pouch fastened to his backpack; a notebook; small first aid kit; a folding pocket knife with a 4.35 inch blade; a pocket survival tin; a swiss army Swisschamp, swiss army Rescue Tool, and a small pair of needle-nose pliers; two pens and a sharpie; two rolls of self-adhesive bandage; a small roll of vinyl tape; a trauma pack; an army-style flashlight and pair of thin cotton gloves and cloth face mask; and a collapsing baton in a belt sheath as well as some waterproof matches and a few bagged, small snacks, lifesavers hard candies, and three single-serve cans of 'Bush's original baked beans' with a spoon for each can into the drawer he placed his gun in. He blew out the candles and pulled a flashlight out of his lower left coat pocket to see in the darkness of his room as he put his engagement ring in his top right coat pocket and pushed his coat, backpack, and boots under the bed before crawling under the covers and placing his hat on the bedpost, his flashlight took the place of his pocket knife in his pocket. Joshua soon dozed off to sleep so he'd be well-rested for once in a long time for tomorrow's work. He couldn't help but think about the day he had had thus far and how it could've been worse. He forgot one important thing, though; to remove his contact lenses before going to sleep.
He began to dream about how much different his life could've been if Reiko hadn't died from her cancer and the Sino-American war had never taken place. They finally got married and grew old together with a son he loved more than anything. He had been a better parent and husband compared to his mother and biological father by far. He went to his son's baseball games and always remembered his wedding anniversary. He managed to get a better job as a tool and die maker compared to just making car parts. He got an actual house in a nice neighborhood instead of the prison he called a studio apartment in Oxford, Michigan. But as all dreams do come to an end so too did his as he was gently awoken by Sasha. He sat up in bed and rubbed his itching eyes and groggily looked around the room. He couldn't help but wish his dream was a reality as he pulled himself out from the covers.
"Good morning! Breakfast is ready. Eat well so you can get your work done on time today." Sasha said sweetly as she gently shook Joshua awake.
"G'morning….I'm coming…just give me a minute to put my boots on." He replied tiredly as he rubbed his eyes.
Joshua's eyes were red and itching like mad as he rubbed them. Sasha looked concerned as she noticed how red and irritated his eyes were. She turned his head towards her and looked closely and shook her head.
"Are you ok? Your eyes are really red." She asked him worriedly.
Joshua looked a little confused before he realized something important he forgot to do the night before. He groaned as he reached under the bed for his backpack and pulled out a small bottle of saline solution from his bag. He removed his contact lenses and squirted the solution into both eyes, placing his contacts in their case, and pulled a pair of glasses with small square frames out of his backpack.
"Sorry about that, I forgot to take my contact lenses out before going to bed. It's not the first time it's happened so my eyes should be good in a few minutes once the saline kicks in." Joshua said embarrassedly as he adjusted his glasses on his face. "At least I have my glasses on hand." He chuckled.
Sasha wasn't sure what contact lenses were but she was happy he had a solution to remedy the problem. She smiled as he put his boots and coat on and straightened his hair the best he could. He took his engagement ring out from his coat and placed it on his ring finger like he did every morning back in his own world. Joshua's ring drew Sasha's attention. She never paid any real attention to it before, but now it made her curious as to whether or not he was married.
"Joshua…about that ring. Are you perhaps…married?" She asked him curiously.
"Oh…no….My fiancé is dead. No one back home knows that I'm even here, but that won't matter to them." He replied as he tilted his head down.
"Oh…I'm so sorry.." Sasha said as she placed a hand on his right shoulder.
"It's fine. Do you remember when we were at the tavern and I said I had been working the same job for seven years straight? My employer doesn't even care if I'm alive or dead. The only thing they care about is how much money they make off me that they can put back into their own pockets. Yep…such is life as the living dead." He said as he looked up with a nervous smile.
Sasha sat down next to him and pat him on the back. It was then they heard footsteps coming towards his room. Primera appeared in the doorway and leaned her head in, looking tired and agitated as she stood there.
"Is It up yet? It will miss out on breakfast…" She said tiredly as she rubbed her left eye.
She was surprised to see Joshua with glasses on as he didn't have them on yesterday. She raised an eyebrow before shaking her head in disapproval. Joshua smiled nervously as he got up off the bed. Primera gave him a glare as he grabbed his backpack and walked towards her.
"You…I need you for something after you're done washing the bed sheets today, so hurry up." She said as she pointed a finger at him.
Joshua shot Sasha a nervous glance. He wasn't sure how to break it to her that Mersé had already requested him to come and see her. He laughed nervously which made Primera give him an evil glare and swallowed nervously as he spoke.
"I-I hate to break it to you, but Mersé already booked me for today after I finish the laundry…she was gonna have Elt come and get me by 1:00 P.M…" he said tensely.
Primera let out a sigh as she shook her head. She needed Joshua to help her carry some rabbits as she was intending to hunt for some extra meat for dinner. This put a dent in her plans as she wanted to see just how useful he could be. She stormed off with a huff as Sasha and Joshua followed close behind. Sasha had made fried eggs and bacon which Joshua quickly scarfed down with a glass of water. The children were amazed at how fast he finished his meal and Sasha stifled a giggle.
"Mmmm…thank you, Sasha, those eggs were delicious including the bacon. I can't recall the last time bacon tasted so good. " He said happily.
"Oh, you're welcome! The laundry and washboard are waiting outside by the well. I'll handle the dishes today. Work hard today, okay?" She replied with a warm smile.
Joshua gave her an eager salute and "Yes ma'am!" before heading out the back door, setting his plate on the counter and the children laughed. Primera rolled her eyes as she watched him eagerly march out the door to do his task. Primera nibbled at the last of her eggs and carried her plate over to the kitchen counter before heading upstairs and retrieving her bow. She jumped out her bedroom window, landing gracefully, and decided to peek at Joshua as he scrubbed sheets. What she saw took her by surprise as he had his backpack and coat rested up against the side of the well, strange devices in his ears, and was humming a merry little tune as he scrubbed away at the sheets. He was fast at work as he scrubbed with a smile on his face, a smile that made Primera feel disgusted as she watched him. She scowled as she turned and headed into the forest, disappearing amongst the thick brush. Joshua scrubbed as hard and fast as he could and began hanging them on the clothesline to dry. He scrubbed and scrubbed for a few hours until he had managed to finish the bedclothes, his music keeping him company all the while. Sasha came to check on him and was amazed at how fast he had gotten the job done. She slowly approached him from behind and tapped him on his left shoulder just as he was hanging the last sheet. Joshua took his earphones out of his ears and turned to face her with a happy smile.
"Sheets are all done! Anything else you need from me?" Joshua asked her happily.
Sasha politely shook her head as Elt, Wilmarina, and Luciana came around the corner. Joshua was surprised to see both Wilmarina and Luciana, maybe they had something they needed of him?
"Are you ready?" Elt asked him with a wide grin.
"Well the laundry's done and Sasha made some mighty fine eggs and bacon for breakfast so I think so," Joshua replied with a smile.
Elt, Wilmarina, and Luciana then noticed Joshua's glasses. He looked like a completely different person with them on. Luciana was especially bewildered by his glasses and gasped at how different they made him look. Wilmarina and Elt both chuckled as she eagerly approached him and looked intently and curiously at his glasses.
"Hello, Luciana, how are you today," Joshua said with a smile.
"I'm fine! When did you get glasses?" She replied joyously as she looked at his glasses.
Joshua let out a small laugh as he took his glasses off and handed them to her so she could try them on herself. His vision went far-sighted and he couldn't clearly see Luciana. He laughed harder as Luciana put on his glasses and looked around in amazement. Wilmarina and Sasha giggled as Luciana handed Joshua his glasses back.
"When did he get those glasses?" Wilmarina asked Sasha curiously.
"He put them on earlier after woke him up. He had to take out what he called "contact lenses" from his eyes first, though I'm not sure what those are. I'm just glad his eyes are no longer red and irritated like they were when he woke up." She answered happily.
Wilmarina watched as Joshua readjusted his glasses to his face. Joshua did come from a different world so it was no surprise he may have access to things that would otherwise be harder to acquire in Lescatie if you didn't make a decent living. His world also had to have technology that they could only dream of having. Joshua had been doing rather well to adapt to their world despite only having been there for a short time and his name had become somewhat widespread throughout Lescatie. Joshua grabbed his coat and backpack and was all set with a confident smile on his face.
Joshua waved goodbye to Sasha as he took off with Elt, Wilmarina, and Luciana. The streets weren't as busy as the last time he was with them, but he had one important question: where were they going? This thought ate at the back of Joshua's mind as he followed them. Perhaps they were on their way to the castle or Magitec again?
"Quick question…where are we going?" He asked the three of them curiously.
"To Magitec. The king is also going to be present as Mersé spoke to him this morning about your sharpshooter skills and possibly having you train some of the men with rifled muskets to shoot better and farther." Elt replied with a smile.
In Joshua's mind, his jaw dropped. He wasn't expecting the king himself to be present at this little lecture. He began thinking of ways to approach the topics in his books that would keep the king interested. The quality of his world's guns should be more than enough, but what if he asks about other topics? He grew nervous at the thought of trying to explain things from his world he had little to no experience in. Joshua concluded to do his best to impress the king with what he had rather than try something fancy. As they approached Magitec Joshua got a better look at the building compared to the last time he was there. Magitec reminded him of Harvard College in appearance and genuinely surprised Joshua. Luciana and Elt held back a hard laugh as Joshua's jaw hung open in amazement.
"Still amazed by Magitec, huh?" Wilmarina asked Joshua jokingly.
"Yeah. Now that I got a better look at the outside of Magitec it almost reminds me of Harvard College from my world in terms of overall size and appearance. Only the best of the best get into Harvard, especially with its high tuition fees." He replied in amazement at the size of Magitec.
They walked through the front door and the familiar sight of tall bookshelves that stretched to the ceiling greeted them. The librarian from before when Joshua first arrived in their world was once again at the front desk. She looked up and greeted the group when they approached and was surprised to see Joshua again. She didn't recognize him at first due to the glasses, but his Jacket and hat were the only clues she could go off of.
"Oh my, how are you all today." The librarian asked politely.
"Just fine, Ms. Forsche. Is Mersé here yet?" Elt asked with a smile.
"Ah, yes, captain Dascaros showed up just a short while ago with his majesty King Castor. They were also accompanied by High Priest Noscrim, Paula Tronmail, and young Ms. Miltie. They're in room four past the library on the first floor." The librarian replied, nodding her head.
Wilmarina looked a little surprised that the high priest himself as well as Paula would make such an appearance. She became a little worried for Joshua as the high priest was hard to please and wouldn't take kindly to his lack of a soul. He may even deem him an enemy of the state if he truly didn't like Joshua.
"My father and Paula are here?" Wilmarina asked concernedly.
The librarian nodded and Wilmarina looked worried. Her father, the High Priest, always had a fear that someone like Elt would try to use her to climb the social ladder. If he felt that way with Joshua he may give the order to have him executed or even banished from Lescatie. Joshua didn't pose a threat, but that wouldn't stop her father from making a hasty decision.
"Joshua…my father, the High Priest, isn't easy to please. He has a bad habit of thinking those below him will try to climb higher on the social ladder simply because they know me. Paula tends to have a hard time understanding social norms but doesn't mean any harm. I was going to practice with my sword and magic today, but I'm coming with you in case he tries anything." Wilmarina said as she turned to Joshua.
Joshua felt his stomach churn but kept a smile on his face.
"This might be harder than I thought…..ah, well….at least Wilmarina has my back." He thought nervously.
"Understood. I don't think we should keep them all waiting, so let's get this little lesson started, shall we." He replied understandingly.
Elt looked somewhat uncomfortable. His parents used to work for the High Priest which is how he and Wilmarina came to be friends. Eventually, High Priest Noscrim fired his parents, causing them to end up dying destitute with him going to Sasha's orphanage. After that, he didn't see Wilmarina again until three days earlier and the two caught up for their lost time, unbeknownst to her father, and had slowly rekindled their friendship. Wilmarina always approached him as "Wilmarina the Hero" because of the duty she had been given but kept Elt close in her thoughts. The group headed to room four as Ms. Forsche the librarian said. Eristia and Yuriy had been watching them from the second floor and followed them.
Everyone was seated and waiting for them as they entered the room. The room looked like a standard classroom with two windows against the far wall letting in the afternoon sun and a large desk at the front with a large chalkboard behind it. The king and High Priest sat in the far back accompanied by Mersé and a young woman wearing a dark purple colored cowboy hat, and a white shirt that stopped below her large breasts. On her hip sat what looked like a revolver of sorts, but Joshua couldn't tell what it truly was. The woman had blonde hair that stopped above her shoulders and bright blue eyes that were full of courage. Joshua wasn't sure what this woman wanted with him, and hoped she wouldn't be as pressing for details as Eristia. Above all else, he had to be careful when mentioning he had his own weapon.
"Good day, everyone. Nice to see you again, Captain Mersé and your highness. You look like you're doing well, Ms. Miltie. Give me one moment and I'll get this started." Joshua said, greeting them with a smile.
Mimil sat one row in front of all of them with a calm smile on her face as Joshua placed his backpack on the desk and took out his three books. Eristia and Yuriy opened the door and took a seat, which surprised Joshua.
"What is a product of sin and a lowly soldier of no value doing here?" The High Priest mumbled annoyedly as he looked at both Eristia and Elt.
Eristia shot him an angry glare and Elt ignored him. Joshua didn't like this as the last thing he needed was for a fight to break out. He turned around as he looked High Priest Noscrim in the eye with an easy-going gaze.
"It's alright, High Priest. This information could be useful to them, after all." He said with a nonchalant smile. Everyone gave him a slightly surprised look as no one had ever stood up to the High Priest like that before.
"Alright…where do you want me to begin, Mersé?" He asked calmly.
"You said something about a 'bolt-action' 30-40 Krag rifle the other day?" She replied with a smile.
"Okay…give me a minute. I'll have to make this a brief lesson, otherwise, we'll be here all day." He said as he began drawing on the chalkboard.
This caught the young woman's attention. She had heard from Wilmarina that this stranger's world predominantly uses guns and that he has one which is why she came to begin with. She stared intently as he opened one of his books and carefully read over one of the pages then turned back to the chalkboard. He began explaining how a bolt action system worked, its ammunition, and how eventually it led to semi-automatics. As he reached his right hand up while drawing a diagram for a semi-auto rifle, Paula caught a brief glimpse of what looked like his gun on his right hip. Everyone else noticed, too, and stopped him for just a moment.
"Young man, do you by chance have your own gun there on your hip?" The king asked him curiously as Joshua turned around to face him.
"….I was wondering when someone was going to ask that, but yes I do, your highness. I've carried it for five years now." Joshua responded with a nod.
The High Priest and King Castor glanced nervously at each other. This was the first time they heard of Lescatie's "guest" having weapons of his own. A slight smile full of anticipation spread over Mersé's face as she watched him reach down towards his gun.
"Give me a moment then you can come and inspect it as you all please." He said calmly as he unholstered the gun.
Keeping the muzzle pointed down, he removed the magazine and ejected the chambered round. After setting both the magazine and the round that had been in the chamber on the table, he turned off the safety and double-checked to make sure the gun was clear. He motioned for them all to come to the front and all but Eristia and Yuriy stood up. Joshua had set the gun on the table for them to see and when Mersé approached she picked the gun up and was surprised by how small it was as well as the engraving along the top of the slide. Paula picked up the small bullet off the table and was perplexed by its small size.
"What kind of bullet is this?" Paula asked him curiously as she rolled it in between her right thumb and index finger.
"9x18 Makarov. A completely self-contained cartridge." Joshua replied as he picked up the magazine and removed a bullet for them to see.
"I have never seen a hand cannon this small….how do you reload this every round?" Mersé asked him with an eyebrow raised as she examined his gun.
"It's self-loading and semi-automatic. All I have to do is pull the slide back to chamber a round, turn the safety off, and it's ready to fire ." He replied.
They all gave him a confused look so he began to explain how self-loading firearms work. He covered several different designs over a period of years starting from the early 1890s to the present day and how manufacturing changed with them to simplify the otherwise costly production. He asked for his pistol back and began pulling it apart to show him what he meant.
"I have to stop you for a moment. If they are that complex is it safe to say they are expensive to produce?" The king asked him calmly.
"That is entirely correct. You'd also have to mass-produce them in a short time frame to meet your needs and unfortunately for you, I'm not a gunsmith. I only collect guns and occasionally go to the range as well as rarely repair or modify my guns I have at home." Joshua answered as he nodded his head.
This caused the High Priest and king to mumble to each other and Mersé raised an eyebrow as she tried to listen in. The king finally looked Joshua in the eye, making him nervous, and shook his head.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know how useful your information can truly be if it's going to be so costly." He told him.
Mersé rolled her eyes at his words. There was more to Joshua than just the information in his books. He did beat her in an arm-wrestling contest after all and had marksmanship training. She had no doubts she could make a decent soldier out of him. Mersé also didn't like how High Priest Noscrim wasn't giving him much of a fair chance.
"I'm afraid you won't be any use to us like this." The king said as he shook his head.
"Your highness, at least allow me to-" Mersé began to protest before the king raised a hand to silence her.
"He has no magic, captain, therefore he is of no use on the frontlines." The king told her calmly.
Joshua calmly adjusted his glasses. This was certainly a new development that he didn't expect. Being told that he was of no worth due to money concerns made him feel like he was working for a company that didn't care if he lived or died, just like how his factory job viewed him and caused some gears to turn in his head. Mersé looked down in disappointment at her desk. The king's words were absolute, but she saw more potential in Joshua than the king could ever see. Joshua put his encyclopedia back in his backpack and slung it over his left shoulder.
"If that is the case, then I will no longer waste everyone's time. I'm gonna head back to the orphanage and see if Sasha needs anything else of me today. I will admit, though, it's probably a good thing you can't produce my world's weapons as the countries of my world constantly fight amongst each other using them and I refuse to be responsible for humanity's demise in this world once you solve your monster problem. Well, goodbye." He said as he stuffed the encyclopedia in his bag and walked calmly over to the door before giving them a kind smile.
Joshua gently closed the door as he left, leaving the room with an atmosphere so tense you could almost cut it with a knife. Everyone sat in awkward silence as they processed his words about his world constantly fighting amongst themselves. High Priest Noscrim was doing his best to hold in his laughter as he felt Joshua was nothing more than a savage amongst the refined people of Lescatie. He finally spoke to confirm his true feelings.
"Well, I am not surprised. I think it's safe to say you made a good call, my liege. Lescatie has little need for savages." High Priest Noscrim said happily.
"I wasn't expecting such words from him, so maybe you're right, Victor." The king replied he calmly stroked his beard.
Wilmarina looked out the window next to her in frustration. She was glad that at the very least her father hadn't suggested for Joshua to be executed. Mimil had an annoyed look on her face. She knew what it felt like for people to disregard someone for minuscule reasons as the adults often never gave her a voice on things due to being a child despite being one of the heroes of Lescatie. Eristia felt bad for Joshua as it was clear to her High Priest Noscrim unfairly judged him. The king, Paula, and High Priest Noscrim took their leave and headed back to the castle, mentioning they had important business to tend to, and Mersé walked over to the front desk once they left and sat on it with her legs crossed as she looked at everyone.
"Alright…I think it's safe to say we're all in agreement that could have gone much better. I know the king's word is absolute, but If Joshua is as good with a rifle as he claims, then I want him to at least teach the rifleman corps how to hit the bright side of a barn. We just need to show the king what he's capable of even if he doesn't have magic. Any ideas how we can achieve this?" She asked in a calm and serious tone.
"We could have him do a couple of jobs? There's always someone looking for someone strong to do some work for them, like gathering herbs or acting as an armed escort for deliveries, but that takes him outside Lescatie." Elt said calmly as he looked at Mersé.
"True…people are always looking for adventurers who aren't afraid of a little risk. Any other ideas?" Mersé asked as she tilted her head down slightly.
"Yuriy and I often do a couple of jobs for the apothecary in town, maybe that's a good start? We had a job we were gonna do tomorrow and could use the extra help and he could probably use the money." Eristia chimed in.
Eristia's words gave her a brilliant idea. If Joshua managed to help the two of them on their job it would prove he was worth more than what the High Priest and king thought of him originally. He could then prove that even without magic he was just as capable as any soldier from Lescatie if not more. He beat her in arm wrestling, so how could he not accomplish something as simple as this?
"Alright…I'll give you a dagger from the armory to give to him. Once you complete your task come find me in the barracks and debrief me on how well he did." Mersé responded in a serious tone.
Mimil and Luciana grew worried over the fact that Eristia was taking Joshua outside Lescatie so soon. Joshua still owed Mimil for the broken crystal ball and Luciana had grown to like him and each had a different idea in their minds of how to approach the situation that had already been decided for him. Eristia and Yuriy both nodded at Mersé but were stopped by Mimil as they passed her.
"I need him back in one piece. He promised to pay me back for a crystal ball that his table broke upon landing on him." She told them as she looked Eristia in the eye.
"Wait, his table fell on him when you summoned him?" Eristia asked as her face contorted with confusion.
"Yep…first it was his books, then his backpack, then a chair, and finally his table, which ended up breaking my crystal ball," Mimil answered with a nod.
Eristia, Yuriy, and Luciana were truly surprised by this. They hadn't heard just how he ended up being summoned until now and Eristia felt he may just have what it takes to survive if he can take a blow like that and live. Eristia and Yuriy decided to head to the orphanage to tell Joshua the news and then head home and begin making travel preparations. As they closed the classroom door behind them Luciana followed them. She wanted to go with them on their job tomorrow if only to make sure nothing happened bad to Joshua. Luciana caught up to the two of them with a worried look in her eyes.
"I want to go with you. I feel Joshua has a much better chance of survival if all four of us go together." She said to them.
Eristia pondered her request for a moment before nodding. An extra person would make the job much easier on them and having an extra witness could come in handy.
"Alright. We'll be visiting him tomorrow in the afternoon before we head out of Lescatie. Meet us at Sasha Fullmoon's orphanage at that time with your preparations so we can set out to look for 'Solar Glory' herbs deep in the southern forest." Eristia said with a nod.
Luciana nodded confidently with a smile and the three of them went their separate ways with Eristia and Yuriy heading towards the orphanage and Luciana heading off to buy supplies for their journey. Joshua had made it back to the orphanage and was greeted warmly by Sasha who was happy he made it back safely. Sasha asked Joshua to head out back and cut some logs for her so she could cook dinner and he happily obliged. Primera rolled her eyes at him from her bedroom window as she watched him happily go about his task without hesitation. Little did Joshua know that his adventure was about to truly begin the next day; an adventure he never asked for but would become a cherished memory for him, and help him remember something truly precious that he had forgotten.
A/N: Some early Christmas content for you all. After I get home from work tonight I'm going to be VERY busy with some holiday preparations. I'm still going to give you all a special Christmas present by 12/25/21-12/29/21. Merry Christmas, ya filthy weebs! (bonus points if you know what I'm referencing!)