\u201c\u2026Lady Reinhart? Lady Reinhart, are you sleeping?\u201d<\/p>\n
Magnolia woke up with a start. She looked around blearily for a fraction of a second before her natural instincts took over. She sat up and smiled genteelly while the room swam back into focus.<\/p>\n
Theofore the Assassin blinked at her as he stood at attention. The sight of a dark figure dressed in the ominous clothing of assassins and spies didn\u2019t alarm Magnolia\u2014that was a common enough sight.<\/p>\n
But it took her a moment to remember that she wasn\u2019t in her Celum property. The nice, rustic, intimate setting of that place had been replaced by the altogether more austere and rich setting of her winter home.<\/p>\n
Ah. Of course. Magnolia sighed. She couldn\u2019t feel it inside of course, thanks to a hundred spells, but winter had truly arrived. It was such a shame. Snow was all very well, but it made travel so tiresome.<\/p>\n
She smiled at Theofore as he stood awkwardly to attention. His clothes were still drying, and although she\u2019d offered refreshments and a towel, he\u2019d refused both. It must come from being an [Assassin], she reflected. They had a certain aversion towards letting their guards down or eating any food not prepared by their own two hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, I must have dozed off. It is past my bedtime after all. Do forgive me.\u201d<\/p>\n
He inclined his head without comment. It was<\/em> very late, but she had standing orders for him to report to her the moment he arrived.<\/p>\n Hence his presence, and why it was imperative that Magnolia not<\/em> yawn. That was un-Lady-like, and because it was, Magnolia fought down the impulse and smiled again.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, where were we? I recall everything up to the point where Gazi vanished. My memory after that is\u2026fuzzy.\u201d<\/p>\n It had<\/em> been an odd dream. Magnolia could barely remember what it was about. Theofore coughed.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, well, after Gazi the Omniscient departed, I had to move away from the group to maintain my concealment. It seems at least one of the Antinium heard her comment about an [Assassin], and I barely managed to remain hidden.\u201d<\/p>\n He shuddered, and Magnolia felt the slightest hint of compassion for him. It could not be easy to hide from a half-Gazer, especially not the infamous Gazi. In fact, it was downright impossible, which was probably why Theofore had drawn the short straw and been sent to follow Ryoka. The Guild of Assassins \u2013 the Silent Brethren, the Unseen Guild, the Daughters and Sons of Silence \u2013 might be nominally unafraid to die, but they were at their core very practical.<\/p>\n Theofore coughed and continued. Magnolia hoped the man wasn\u2019t coming down with a cold, or at least, that she didn\u2019t catch it. The common cold was quite tiresome to cure, even for someone with access to the best magics.<\/p>\n \u201cI followed Ryoka Griffin and the other girl \u2013 Erin Solstice \u2013 into the city. They talked with the Captain of the Watch for some time and the leader of the Gnolls as well before returning to the inn. The skeleton and Goblin followed them, while the others remained in the city.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHm. Quite an interesting girl, this Erin Solstice, isn\u2019t she?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe wounded Gazi.\u201d<\/p>\n That statement made even Magnolia\u2019s skin tingle with a thrill. An innkeeper, who\u2019d wounded one of the King of Destruction\u2019s most fearsome warriors? What was the world coming to?<\/p>\n Beside her, one of her maids shifted. She was new, or perhaps just tired, but the act immediately earned her a look from the head maid Ressa, who stood by Magnolia\u2019s side.<\/p>\n Magnolia ignored that. No doubt punishment would be severe and swift once the maids were alone. Ressa ran a tight ship, so to speak, and the winter staff had grown relaxed in Magnolia\u2019s absence. She\u2019d talk to Ressa about relaxing later, although that was an exercise in futility.<\/p>\n So much to do, so little time. Magnolia gestured for Theofore to continue. He cleared his throat, coughing again. The stubborn man was<\/em> sick.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat of Ceria Springwalker and this Drake [Tactician]?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt seems the adventurers that survived the Ruins are now being held responsible for the undead invasion. I heard talk of fines before I left. The [Tactician] seems to be exempt from any possible punishment, however. Regardless, all the adventurers are recovering in the Adventurer\u2019s Guild in the city.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOdd, to see that lot protecting them. I thought the Adventurer\u2019s Guild in Drake cities was practically powerless. Perhaps their guildmaster has more of a spine than the others.\u201d<\/p>\n Lady Magnolia sighed and drummed her fingers on her chair.<\/p>\n \u201cPoor Yvlon. I wonder how the girl is holding up? Is she still comatose?\u201d<\/p>\n Theofore hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cShe seemed to be coming round, but she and the others are\u2014changed.\u201d<\/p>\n Lady Magnolia accepted that explanation without asking for more details.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the Antinium? What about those curious Workers with names you mentioned?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSequestered within their Hive, or so it seems. Only the ones known as Ksmvr and Klbkch\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Theofore stumbled as he tried to pronounce the name.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014Are allowed aboveground.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMm. That warrants further investigation. But the Gnolls?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI saw one of them running south after they returned to the city. More than that I cannot say.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVery well. Now, to Ryoka and this young woman. They returned to the inn. You followed them, of course?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026To an extent.\u201d<\/p>\n Lady Magnolia did not frown. But her brow did crease slightly at she tapped her finger on her chair.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n Theofore shifted. Nervously? But of course, [Assassins] didn\u2019t get nervous. Not even in front of one of the most powerful Humans on the continent.<\/p>\n \u201cI was unsure whether the skeleton possessed any detection capabilities, and besides, there were\u2026complications. The winter sprites had followed the two girls to the inn, and they could sense my concealment.\u201d<\/p>\n Theofore grimaced.<\/p>\n \u201cThose\u2026creatures chased me off. They harried me for nearly ten miles and forced me to return. If I had stayed, my cover would certainly have been broken.\u201d<\/p>\n Lady Magnolia had to smile at that.<\/p>\n \u201cAh, yes. The winter sprites. Or\u2014Ressa, what do the children call them?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFrost Fairies, milady.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow curious. They normally don\u2019t fix on any one person for too long. I suppose you must have attracted their interest, Theofore. How unlucky for you.\u201d<\/p>\n His expression indicated total agreement.<\/p>\n \u201cThey hindered my progress back. I landed in two pitfalls, was nearly buried by a small avalanche\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat might explain why my maids informed me Ryoka Griffin was spotted running north nearly a day before you arrived. Well, it cannot be helped.\u201d<\/p>\n Magnolia sighed. The conversation between the two girls had been important, she was sure. But it was hardly more important than all of the other revelations she\u2019d heard today.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, what did you hear? Start from the beginning. What happened first before you had to leave?\u201d<\/p>\n Theofore hesitated again.<\/p>\n \u201cI cannot be sure of what happened as I was attempting to escape the sprites. But I believe\u2014they had a fight.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cRaaagh!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n It was more of a guttural shout than any coherent word. The chair flew through the air, threatening splintery death to its target.<\/p>\n Which was not Erin, fortunately. Ryoka hurled the chair and it crashed into a wall and broke two legs.<\/p>\n \u201cDamn, damn, damn!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka hurled another chair across the room and kicked another one over a table. It hurt. A lot. But she had to vent her frustrations somehow, and Erin didn\u2019t feel like offering her a pillow.<\/p>\n The innkeeper girl watched the runner girl breaking her furniture and wondered if she should say something. Probably not. Broken things were practically normal in her inn, by now.<\/p>\n Anyways, Erin didn\u2019t want to interrupt Ryoka at all at this point, which was why she was watching from the other side of the room. The other girl was tall, athletic, and had a focused glare she could turn on you in a second.<\/p>\n She was sort of scary. <\/em><\/p>\n Not that Erin was scared of Ryoka. Of course not. They were both from the same world \u2013 practically neighbors! Ryoka was from Ohio and Erin was from Michigan. Ohio. Good old Ohio. The state of\u2026of\u2026<\/p>\n Well, it was a good state. Not quite as good as Michigan of course, but a good state. It had lots of\u2026cities. And people, Erin was sure.<\/p>\n And Ryoka was a pretty good person, too. She was one of those barefoot runners Erin had heard so much about. Which was weird. But cool! And she seemed smart. And she was brave. And that was pretty much all Erin knew about her.<\/p>\n New fact: Ryoka had a bad temper. A really bad one.<\/p>\n \u201cI will rip<\/em> that ****ing @%#!\u2019s tail off and shove it up her —-ing \u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588!\u201d<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t that Erin couldn\u2019t hear the swear words, it was just that she chose to censor them in her mind. She wasn\u2019t too big on cursing, but she had understood Ryoka\u2019s frustration.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not like there was much left down there anyways. So what? Zevara confiscates everything in the ruins? Big deal, what\u2019s the problem?\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka stopped breaking things long enough to pause and turn to Erin. Maybe she\u2019d forgotten she was in Erin\u2019s inn, because she turned slightly red. But she was still angry.<\/p>\n \u201cEven without the treasure, all the adventurer\u2019s gear would probably have been worth over a thousand gold. Two thousand, maybe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026What?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin blinked at her. Ryoka nodded and sat down in a chair, scowling.<\/p>\n \u201cMagic wands, potions, high-class armor\u2026it\u2019s their property, not the city\u2019s. With it, Ceria and the adventurers who survived would be able to send money to the families of the ones who died, heal themselves. Taking that\u2014it\u2019s theft.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut the city was<\/em> attacked.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin didn\u2019t feel comfortable defending Zevara, but she understood why it had happened. She tried to explain to Ryoka.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw Liscor after the attack. The streets were ripped up, houses damaged\u2026a lot of people died. The money to repair that has to come from somewhere. And I guess they do blame the adventurers.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka glared at Erin, and she hastily raised her hands.<\/p>\n \u201cI <\/em>don\u2019t. But what can you do?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing. Not one thing. It\u2019s just\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka made a fist and exhaled hard. Erin felt this was a first step. At least she hadn\u2019t gone back to throwing things.<\/p>\n Carefully, Erin approached and took a seat next to Ryoka. Calm, that was the key.<\/p>\n \u201cHow about we have some food and talk?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTalk. Right.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka scrubbed at her face and nodded. She was tired. Exhausted, really. But food sounded great right now, and it was time to really sit down and talk. Really talk.<\/p>\n \u201cToren!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin turned in her seat and shouted. The skeleton walked downstairs, dustrag in hand. Ryoka started in her seat. Even now, she hadn\u2019t gotten used to the\u2014the unreality of Toren.<\/p>\n On the other hand, Erin talked to the skeleton as if having one was completely normal.<\/p>\n \u201cGo get some food. We\u2019re nearly out of blue juice and I need more eggs. Go find some.\u201d<\/p>\n She thought for a second.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd fish. We could use\u2014oh, right.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin glanced at one of the shuttered windows. Normally, the windows were open to let in clear air, blue skies, and green landscapes. Now though, if she looked outside\u2026<\/p>\n Toren walked over to the door and opened it. A white pasture untouched by details like color appeared, as falling snowflakes completed the scene.<\/p>\n It was winter. And apparently, unlike on Earth, winter decided to arrive in moments, rather than over the course of months.<\/p>\n Ryoka and Erin both stared at the landscape outside. Toren casually stepped out into the falling snow and promptly disappeared against the white backdrop.<\/p>\n \u201cEven after walking through the snow, I can\u2019t believe it\u2019s really winter.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka had to shrug as she followed Erin into the kitchen. She watched as the other girl began rummaging through shelves and untidy packs of food left lying around on the floor.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s how this world works.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, but it\u2019s still weird. I mean, if this is how winter arrives, how does it go? Does all the snow just fly into the sky?\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka had no answer for that. Erin frowned as she stared at her pantry.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m running out of food. Again. But I\u2019ve got pasta! There\u2019s always pasta. And sausages. Oh! And here\u2019s an onion.\u201d<\/p>\n It was Erin\u2019s emergency fall-back recipe, which was probably why she always had ingredients for it. She really didn\u2019t know that many recipes, which was probably due to her only having [Basic Cooking] as a skill.<\/p>\n \u201cPasta is fine. Just make a lot of it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCan do!\u201d<\/p>\n It took a while for the pot to boil, and longer for Erin to toss in the necessary ingredients and make several plates of it. By that time, she and Ryoka were sitting at the table, talking.<\/p>\n \u201cNo way. You\u2019re serious.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI got a call and when I answered it, a screen appeared in the air. It was\u2026a magical chatroom of some kind.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhoa. Like magic Skype?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026Sort of. But from that I can guess there\u2019s at least a hundred people from our world here. Possibly many more.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin sat back in her chair, mind close to literally being blown.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, yeah. Yeah, I don\u2019t have my smartphone and I bet a lot of people don\u2019t either. But\u2014hundreds? Seriously?\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka paused and chewed down her mouthful of buttered noodles before responding. She was on her second plate. So was Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s what makes sense. I can\u2019t prove it, but sixteen people with working iPhones seems to suggest that\u2019s the case. How many people are like you, without one, or don\u2019t know how to recharge theirs.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhoa.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin stared past Ryoka with a dazed look as the other girl went back to her food. Ryoka forked a dripping sausage slice and chewed it down, ignoring the oil. Or rather, savoring it.<\/p>\n She ate with surprisingly good manners. Back straight, fork never overfull\u2026Erin felt incredibly rude shoveling down her food, until she realized that Ryoka was still eating fast despite her table posture.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not alone. We\u2019re not alone!\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka looked up. Erin was smiling happily. She was glad that Erin was glad, but she couldn\u2019t share the sentiments.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we don\u2019t have any way of getting in contact with them. Not unless that BlackMage person uses the spell again, and that\u2019s risky if it gets hacked.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s true. That\u2019s bad!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin frowned and so did Ryoka, for different reasons. Was it really a \u2018we\u2019? She barely knew Erin, but the other girl seemed to accept the idea without a second pause.<\/p>\n \u201cAnyways, one of the biggest mistakes we could make is if we kept secrets from each other or\u2014or failed to plan things out. We can\u2019t just rush around without thinking things through.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMistakes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGoing forwards, I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka tried to explain as she ladled more noodles onto her plate.<\/p>\n \u201cNow that we know we\u2019re both from the same world, well, we should cooperate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course. I mean, that\u2019s obvious. Why wouldn\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin looked confused. Ryoka debated for an instant going into backstabbing, potential dictators, selling out the secrets of their world\u2026and realized Erin wasn\u2019t that type of person. She really had few evil bones in her body, if any.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, there are a lot of dangers.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka said it lamely, as if Erin hadn\u2019t just smashed her way through several undead to rescue Ceria. And poked Gazi in the eye.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we can work together! You\u2019re a cool person with running skills and all that kind of stuff and I\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Erin hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got an inn! And a skeleton. And acid jars.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. Well, this winter makes everything harder.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka frowned. The snow was not<\/em> the kind of thing a barefoot runner wanted to see. She\u2019d had to borrow a pair of boots from Krshia just to get here. How was she going to run around in this damn weather? She\u2019d probably have to buy a pair of shoes.<\/em><\/p>\n She looked up and saw Erin was staring at her.<\/p>\n \u201cSo\u2026what? We\u2019re going to make a plan? Is that why you wanted to talk?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPartially. Like I said, we don\u2019t want to make any mistakes. In a situation like this\u2014it\u2019s a survival situation. We need to work together. Pool information, share knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin stared at Ryoka round-eyed.<\/p>\n \u201cI literally don\u2019t know anything about this place. I mean, I know stuff about Liscor and the things around here, but nothing else.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know some things.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka pushed aside her plate. She was close to full and the food wasn\u2019t going anywhere.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re not too tired, let\u2019s talk.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin clapped her hands together excitedly.<\/p>\n \u201cOh! Better idea. We can talk and play at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you play chess?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin was already excitedly getting a board and pieces from one of the tables. Ryoka stared at it incredulously.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have chess in this world?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYup! It\u2019s just been invented, apparently. Isn\u2019t that great?\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka wasn\u2019t sure about \u2018great\u2019, but it might be a marker to indicate what stage this world\u2019s technological level was at. Then again, they were surprisingly advanced in some places \u2013 with refrigeration due to spells \u2013 while relying on medieval technology in other areas.<\/p>\n \u201cYou like to play chess?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI love chess. It\u2019s fun!\u201d<\/p>\n That was surprising, but Erin was that kind of girl. Ryoka didn\u2019t mind chess either, although all of the people she played against were terrible. She could play a few games with Erin, though. She just had to remember to take it easy on her.<\/p>\n They began playing. Ryoka half-focused on the board while Erin chattered away.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, did they say anything about our world?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThose people you talked to. I wish Pisces were here so I could see it again. But he\u2019s sleeping or yelling about his jaw. Did they say what\u2019s happening in America? Are people aware we\u2019re gone? What\u2019s the news?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI uh, didn\u2019t ask. And they didn\u2019t say.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka frowned at the board. It looked like Erin could play, although she wasn\u2019t sure how seriously Erin was taking the game. She kept moving her pieces as soon as Ryoka made her move.<\/p>\n \u201cHm. Oh, right. Apparently, the election\u2019s over.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally? Who won? Hillary?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTrump.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka said the world flatly. Erin\u2019s jaw dropped as she took one of Ryoka\u2019s knights. She frowned, and Ryoka did the same.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?<\/em> He won? But he said\u2014I mean, did you remember the election?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow could I not?\u201d<\/p>\n It was the last thing Ryoka really remembered. She\u2019d been walking past their TV when she saw the news about the latest Trump rally and something he\u2019d said. It had put her in such a foul mood she went for a run\u2014<\/p>\n And ended up in this world. Just another reason to hate the man. Or president. Ryoka really didn\u2019t like thinking in those terms.<\/p>\n \u201cPresident Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin made a face. It was good that she wasn\u2019t a Trump fan. That<\/em> would have\u2026<\/p>\n \u2026Have meant what? Ryoka wasn\u2019t a Democrat \u2013 she hated both Republicans and Democrats for quite a lot of their policies. But even if Erin was some kind of conservative tea party member, so what? They were in this world. It didn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n And yet, it sort of did.<\/p>\n \u201cBut he\u2019s the one who said grab women by the\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Erin hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cWell. Wow. Isn\u2019t that weird?\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka nodded. She frowned down at the board again. She\u2019d lost focus. Given Erin too many pieces by mistake. She moved a pawn and Erin pushed her queen forwards seven spaces.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026Huh.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCheckmate!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin smiled at Ryoka, and then looked alarmed.<\/p>\n \u201cOops. Sorry, sorry. It\u2019s just that I love to play chess and you\u2019re not half bad so I went full-throttle right away.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka stared at the board. She\u2019d\u2026lost? And not just lost. She\u2019d gotten crushed in a few moves. She looked up at Erin and a thought made her ask her next question.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you ever win a chess tournament?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin blushed and waved her hand as she reset her side of the board without looking at it.<\/p>\n \u201cA few. I mean, as a kid. They weren\u2019t that big, although I did get invited to a few big ones. I never won, but I came close in Havana.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka had a poker face. It was more like her default face, but it meant that she didn\u2019t have an animated expression like Erin. Still, if there was a time for her jaw to drop, it would be now.<\/p>\n \u201cYou were invited to\u2026Cuba? For a chess tournament?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was a kid. I was really into chess back then. Now\u2026I mean, I was just getting back into it when I appeared here.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin shrugged modestly, as if being invited to an international tournament as a kid was no big deal. And maybe it wasn\u2019t, for her.<\/p>\n \u201cAnother game? I\u2019ll play um\u2026less strongly, I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I\u2019d like to see your skills myself.\u201d<\/p>\n They reset the board and started again. This time Ryoka concentrated as hard as she could as they talked.<\/p>\n \u201cSo. Trump\u2019s president. That\u2019s what I heard, but it didn\u2019t sound like anyone knew anything about disappearances. One person had arrived here only a day ago, and she didn\u2019t know anything about it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust a day ago? But that means this is still happening? IF that\u2019s the case, someone is bound to notice sooner or later, right?\u201d<\/p>\n That could be the case. Ryoka frowned over a pawn as she thought.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe. But thousands of people go missing each year, and this thing seems to be targeting more countries than just America. There was someone from England, Australia, Japan\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I love Japan. I went there once. Japanese stuff is so cool! You know, I thought you were Japanese when I first met you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? Really?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin excitedly stared at Ryoka while the other girl tried not to lose all her pawns.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m half-Japanese. My dad\u2019s American. But I don\u2019t know much about the culture or the language.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka could speak a bit of Japanese, but she didn\u2019t have much interest in the language. She\u2019d never felt the burning desire to go there and rediscover herself, except as a way to get away from her parents, perhaps.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s so cool.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin smiled as she and Ryoka played on. But then she frowned again.<\/p>\n \u201cStill. Trump. How\u2019d he get elected? I wasn\u2019t going to vote for him. I mean, I didn\u2019t get a chance, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n She peered cautiously at Ryoka, as if she was afraid Ryoka was going to snap at her. Ryoka shifted in her seat.<\/p>\n \u201cI um, voted for Gary Johnson. I mailed my vote in early.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin tried to remember who that was. Ryoka wondered if it had mattered. But then, Ohio was one of the swing states. How close had the election gotten?<\/p>\n It was silly, but Ryoka wanted to explain that she was making a vote of conscience against the established parties and for an independent party. If the Libertarians had managed to obtain a 5% vote they would have gotten federal funding, which might have been the first step towards breaking the two-party system if they could field a better candidate\u2014<\/p>\n Or at least, it would have given another party a little more of a voice and why the hell was she worried about politics? Here? Ryoka focused on the board again. She was bleeding chess pieces at a prodigious rate.<\/p>\n \u201cI voted for Bernie during the primaries, but uh, I would have voted for Hillary on election day. I think. Not Trump. Maybe for Jill Stein.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin sighed as she took another of Ryoka\u2019s bishops. She stared at the ceiling as Ryoka wondered if the game were even salvageable at this point.<\/p>\n \u201cIs he building the wall? What\u2019s happening in America right now?\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka sighed as she tipped over her king. Part of her wanted to say \u2018who cares?\u2019 but it was a small part. Erin was worried, and more invested in the news about others being here than Ryoka had been. That was probably the mark of a decent human being.<\/p>\n Erin smiled brightly at Ryoka.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re pretty good, you know. Better than Rags, even, and she\u2019s gotten good!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRags?\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka glanced to the side. Sometime after Erin had made the pasta, the Goblin had wandered back in from outside. Rags had gone with them to the inn, and then left to find her tribe. She\u2019d returned, covered in snow and clearly unhappy at the weather change.<\/p>\n She now sat in a corner, gobbling down food and poking at her stomach and wincing now and then. She had a mess of black metal and splintered wood on the table.<\/p>\n \u201cShe plays chess. The Goblin.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin nodded enthusiastically.<\/p>\n \u201cI taught her! And a bunch of the Workers\u2014the Antinium. I taught Toren too, but he doesn\u2019t play well.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka stared at Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cThe skeleton plays chess. Of course.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnother game? I can take it down a notch.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure. But don\u2019t hold back.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka sat back, and resigned herself to a lesson in humility.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rags sat in her corner of the inn, pondering over the broken mess that had once been Cervial\u2019s crossbow. She ignored Ryoka and Erin as they played\u2014and then eventually went back to talking after Ryoka lost her eighth game. Rags listened, but only with one ear.<\/p>\n She had little interest in the transitory lives of the people who came to this inn. Only the innkeeper (and possibly the death mage) interested her. She noticed Ryoka glancing at her from time to time. Rags ignored that, which turned out to be a mistake.<\/p>\n After the\u2026incident she sat in a corner, tensely watching Ryoka and contemplating vengeance as she and Erin argued.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t hit her! She\u2019s just a kid!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe stole<\/em> my potion! Her and that damn tribe of hers nearly sliced me to ribbons the last time I was here!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin held up placating hands. She pointed to the orange potion now reclaimed in Ryoka\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n \u201cBut now you\u2019ve got it back, and everything is okay. Okay?\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka glared, but stopped threatening bodily harm towards Rags. She glared at the Goblin, and Rags touched her sword.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s dangerous. You shouldn\u2019t have given her that sword, much less that acid.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut it\u2019s not like she goes around killing people!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cI think.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou heard what the Watch Captain said. The Goblins are attacking caravans, robbing people blind. Zevara will do something about them, or Relc and that Klb\u2014Klbk\u2014that Antinium guardsman.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2026I\u2019ll talk to Rags. But she\u2019s welcome here as long as she doesn\u2019t cause trouble. There\u2019s no hurting Goblins while I\u2019m around.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll regret it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe. But no hitting!\u201d<\/p>\n After that there was a lot of huffy silence, which Rags completely ignored. She plotted vengeance for a while, thought about what Erin might do, and gave up and left soon after Toren came back.<\/p>\n The skeleton stumbled into the inn around an hour after he\u2019d left, just as the mood in the room was warming back up. He cooled it back down with all the snow he\u2019d brought in, but fortunately Erin had made the fire in the fireplace nice and hot.<\/p>\n Erin looked up as the skeleton tromped over to them with a wicker basket he\u2019d brought with him.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Toren! What\u2019d you get?\u201d<\/p>\n The skeleton shook his head at Erin. She frowned at him as Ryoka eyed the melting snow stuck between the gaps in his bones.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s the blue fruit? And my eggs?\u201d<\/p>\n Toren upended the basket and two wizened fruits and a frozen egg fell out. Erin stared at them incredulously.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s it?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The skeleton nodded. Erin looked back at Ryoka and smiled weakly.<\/p>\n \u201cUm. Well, I can still buy food from Krshia.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it\u2019s all the more reason why I should go. You need to make money, and so do I. And there\u2019s things I need to do up north. People to talk to.\u201d<\/p>\n She put her hand down and touched at her belt pouch. The letter and ring were still within, and Ryoka was conscious of them, even if the desire to deliver them no longer burned in her brain.<\/p>\n Erin made a face.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish you didn\u2019t have to. Ceria\u2019s going to get better soon. When she does, what will she do? I mean, I could let her stay at the inn. I\u2019ve got plenty of room, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n She waved her hands. Ryoka shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know. She\u2019ll have to decide. But I can\u2019t just sit around after all of this.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin sighed despondently.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll come back though, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will. Often.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay. That\u2019s okay, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin fiddled with one of the small blue fruits and pointed at Toren.<\/p>\n \u201cGo put this stuff in the kitchen. And then\u2026and then, go get rid of the snow outside. Clear the area.\u201d<\/p>\n Toren nodded. He walked towards the kitchen and then trooped back outside. Ryoka watched him go.<\/p>\n \u201cHe doesn\u2019t have a shovel.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe can use his hands. I\u2019ll buy a shovel later.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin put Toren out of her mind as she looked back at Ryoka. She was going to go. That\u2026Erin didn\u2019t like that. But if she had to do it, Erin guessed she could live with it.<\/p>\n Ryoka cleared her throat.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere were we? Talking about geography? Right. I was going to tell you about this world\u2019s history\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n She paused as Erin raised a hand.<\/p>\n \u201cUm, why?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the point of knowing all this? I mean, it helps, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t seem like we\u2019re not from here. Moreover, we need to know the basics of this world just in case.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn case of what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn case we need to know.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka frowned at Erin. The other girl had a cavalier attitude towards Ryoka\u2019s impromptu history lesson. How was she not interested in this world? But then, Erin seemed extremely grounded in the present.<\/p>\n At least she seemed willing to learn. Ryoka thought.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, you were saying this world\u2019s history is different.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. At some point in the past, this world had gods.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, right! Pisces was saying something like that. They died, didn\u2019t they?\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka had heard the same from Ceria. She nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cThey died, and so did a few other races. Elves, for one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin\u2019s face fell.<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean I\u2019m never going to see Legolas?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDoubtful.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka felt a tinge of regret just saying that. Not for the fact that she\u2019d never see a bunch of Orlando Bloom lookalikes \u2013 although that certainly wasn\u2019t a plus.<\/p>\n \u201cHow about Dwarves? Are there Dwarves? Hobbits? Orcs?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know. I don\u2019t think there are hobbits or orcs, but I do know some Dwarves still live in the world. The book I read didn\u2019t say. The point is that the gods are dead in this world. Literally dead.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cHow can you kill a god? I mean, they\u2019re not like our God. Or our\u2026gods. I mean, the Christian one.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka wasn\u2019t Christian, although she\u2019d read the Bible. Under duress, it had to be said, but she was distinctly, deliberately atheist. She tried to choose her words to avoid possibly offending Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cIt seemed that gods were a bit more active and\u2026real in this world. Anyways, there was a war\u2014no one\u2019s sure about what\u2014and they died. Long ago. That\u2019s really the biggest point in history you need to know about.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about this? I mean, this continent.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin waved a hand around airily.<\/p>\n \u201cI know a bit. There are five continents in this world.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh. That\u2019s sort of like our world.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka paused.<\/p>\n \u201cNo. It\u2019s not. We have seven continents.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, Antarctica doesn\u2019t really count, right? And North and South America are also sort of the same continent, don\u2019t you think?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUm.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, they\u2019re both called America.<\/em> And they\u2019re connected, so doesn\u2019t that make them one continent?\u201d<\/p>\n There was so much to address, Ryoka decided to let it slide.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, perhaps this world mirrors ours. There are five populated continents, but there was a sixth one in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin paused.<\/p>\n \u201cWas? As in past tense?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYep. A massive archipelago filled with whirlpools and deadly storms is all that remains of that continent. The other five are intact, but they\u2019re massive. We\u2019re in the most\u2026peaceful one, I guess you could say.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPeaceful?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBy comparison. Each continent has its share of wars, but this one isn\u2019t engaged in any huge conflicts. Just constant warfare down south with a war every few years between the human cities in the north and the Drakes and Gnolls in the south.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s peaceful?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBy comparison. Look.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka didn\u2019t have any paper or pencils, so she made do with chess pieces. She set up a rough map, marking the place she and Erin were on with a pawn piece.<\/p>\n \u201cThis continent is known as\u2014well, it\u2019s got multiple names. So do most of the other continents, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. This one, for instance was colonized by Drakes and Gnolls. They each gave it their own name, and so did the Humans who settled here. The Drakes call it Is\u2014Issy\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka tried to pronounce the name and gave up.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are multiple names. But this one is the third-largest, and as I said, it\u2019s relatively peaceful and economically strong.\u201d<\/p>\n Her finger moved up and she pointed north to a saltshaker.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s one continent here. Terandria. It\u2019s the continent of humans, and it\u2019s pretty much a medieval version of Europe from what I can tell. Lots of kingdoms fighting each other. Royalty, knights\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cKnights?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin sat up in her chair. Ryoka sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s fairly stable despite all the wars. The humans don\u2019t go anywhere else. We just kill each other.\u201d<\/p>\n She smiled crookedly, and then moved southwest, to a corner of the map.<\/p>\n \u201cHere\u2019s another continent. I don\u2019t know much about it, because it\u2019s so far away. It\u2019s probably the equivalent of America, only the natives never got ousted by colonists. Gazi\u2019s people come from there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh. What\u2019s it like?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHumid. Hot. A jungle environment. That\u2019s all I know. It\u2019s not as\u2026civilized as the other continents.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka hated herself for her choice of words. Civilized? She went on, berating herself.<\/p>\n \u201cTwo more continents. One up here\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n She pointed to the northeast corner of the map.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd one all the way down here. The northern one is odd. It\u2019s some kind of dead continent where half of it seems to be eaten away by some kind of blight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLike a sickness?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSomething like that, only it\u2019s more magical and it\u2019s lasted for thousands of years. This continent is constantly at war. An alliance of nations is fighting against\u2026something out there. Demons, maybe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDemons?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know. The books don\u2019t say, and the distance is so extreme that not many people know about it. That Pisces might know more.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka scowled.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s where a group of Americans are from. They\u2019re in a nation ruled by someone known as the Blighted King. His nation is at the forefront of the conflict. Apparently, their adventurers and soldiers are some of the best the world\u2019s seen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWow.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka waited for something else, but Erin was just taking it all in. She pointed at the napkin she\u2019d used for that continent.<\/p>\n \u201cBut they\u2019re deadlocked. The war goes on, and they never get any richer or break the stalemate.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, so there\u2019s this place, a human nation with knights, a jungle\u2026place, and a horrible continent at war. What\u2019s the last continent?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVaguely like any other, I suppose. But the main feature of this one is a massive desert that occupies a lot of the area. That\u2019s where Gazi returned to, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut you said this one\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Erin pointed at the jungle continent, looking confused. Ryoka shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s where her people come from. Gazers. But she serves the King of Destruction, and he lives here.\u201d<\/p>\n She pointed back at the last continent, sitting in the southeast corner of the map.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the largest continent, and at one point he ruled all of it. The King of Destruction.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou said that earlier. I don\u2019t know who that is. Is he someone important?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVery.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cPutting geography aside, there are a number of powerful nations and species here. There\u2019s no one superpower, or even a few here. Distance and the size of this planet are what stops any one group from becoming too powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight, right. You said this world is bigger than ours, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPossibly as much as three times bigger. It\u2019s so large, apparently the sun is supposed to revolve around the earth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s so weird.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut it must be magic.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka scowled. Magic didn\u2019t explain everything. Or at least, she hoped it didn\u2019t. She stabbed the table with her finger, harder than she\u2019d intended.<\/p>\n \u201cAnyways. The King of Destruction once conquered his continent, and was intruding on three others when his kingdom collapsed. He\u2026gave up, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat, really?\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka shrugged. All the books she\u2019d read\u2014and there hadn\u2019t been many references to him anyways\u2014had painted him as some kind of Alexander the Great, only without the sickness and death halfway through.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one knows why he stopped. But he was close to being king of more than half the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka paused.<\/p>\n \u201cThe King of Destructions. Flos.\u201d<\/p>\n The words seemed to shiver in the air. Or maybe that was just Ryoka\u2019s imagination. Ever since she\u2019d said he was awake, the mood of the people around her had shifted. Zevara had asked her curtly whether it was true, and when Ryoka had said yes\u2026<\/p>\n Perhaps this was what it was like before the first World War, or in the calm before the storm. You can feel it in the air. The world beginning to shift.<\/p>\n Erin wrinkled her nose.<\/p>\n \u201cFlos? Like dental floss? That\u2019s not a very scary name.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka stared at her. Erin was\u2026singularly unique. She didn\u2019t even seem fazed by these revelations. They\u2019d sent Ryoka\u2019s head spinning when she\u2019d first read of them. Even now, Ryoka was trying to imagine it. A world three times as big as theirs\u2026<\/p>\n Erin sat back in her chair and stared at the ceiling.<\/p>\n \u201cThe sun revolves around the earth. Five continents. Destroyed sixth one. The gods are dead and so are the elves. Gazi works for a super-scary King of Destruction, and there\u2019s some sick guy fighting an army of monsters.\u201d<\/p>\n She nodded once.<\/p>\n \u201cGot it.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka blinked. That<\/em> wasn\u2019t the reaction she\u2019d expected.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re very calm.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s what it is, right? But if this Floss guy is so bad, isn\u2019t anyone going to stop him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of people will try. And they\u2019re more prepared than the first time. But I couldn\u2019t say. There are a number of powers in the world, and probably a lot more I don\u2019t know about. Aside from nations, there are a number of islands with power. Wistram Academy \u2013 that\u2019s an isle of magic users. The Isles of Minos where Calruz came from\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Both Ryoka and Erin paused. Erin stared down at her table. Ryoka went on as if nothing had happened.<\/p>\n \u201cOn this continent, the major powers would be the alliance of Drake nations in the south, the Five Families up north, the Antinium and\u2026possibly Liscor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLiscor\u2019s that important?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPossibly. But even though the human cities have big armies, they\u2019re not the real power here. The Drakes down south have more land and a far better position.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, the Walled Cities. What are they?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSuper-cities. Think Chicago, only surrounded by walls.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know the wall Trump wanted to build? 30 feet high, right? That\u2019s around the size of a castle wall back in our world. The normal ones, anyways. The Walled Cities have three hundred-foot-high walls.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s tall?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s tall. The cities are practically impossible to take by siege. The only reason the Drakes haven\u2019t swept north and destroyed all the human cities is because they like to fight each other. And Liscor and the High Passes are the only ways north. And of course, there\u2019s the Antinium.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about them?\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka hesitated. Erin was friends with several of the ant-people.<\/p>\n \u201cThey arrived recently, but they conquered a good part of the south before being defeated. Now they live in\u2026a stalemate with the other nations. They\u2019re a serious threat. The presence of a Hive in Liscor makes the city far stronger than it was, and it\u2019s one of six hives on the continent.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. And all of this\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka indicated her map. Saltshaker, napkin, chess pieces. It was hard to visualize, but this was a world. A new one, all unknown to her and Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cAll of this is being unsettled by all the people coming from our world. Everything that was\u2014well, not peaceful\u2014everything\u2019s about to change. Maybe some of us had something to do with Flos reawakening. Maybe not. But it\u2019s possible that war will come here, to Liscor. And even if it doesn\u2019t, people from our world are scattered around the globe. Even finding each other would be nearly impossible without a nation\u2019s resources.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo what should we do? I mean, what should the two of us do?\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka looked up. Erin was watching her. She felt the pressure of what she\u2019d just say crashing down on her shoulders. She stared down at the \u2018map\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n The admission came hard. Ryoka had learned a lot, but even now, even after meeting Erin, she had no idea what to do next. They were alone, in a world where giants and legends still walked around. How would they go back? Did they even want to go back?<\/p>\n Where would they even start?<\/p>\n Erin stared at Ryoka, and then nodded her head. Her eyes took on a determined look, and she stood up. Ryoka looked up at her, as Erin paced back and forth. Then she looked at Ryoka seriously.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know about you, but I\u2019m going to add something to my menu.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026What?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA new food. Maybe some kind of American food. Mac & Cheese? That\u2019s really good stuff. I think I should add more foods to my menu so I can get more customers. More customers means more money, and I could use some firewood. And I need to fix up my inn. And<\/em> I could really use a fridge. Although I can probably store some food out in the snow! But then the Goblins might eat it.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin thought to herself. She tapped at her chin as Ryoka stared at her. Erin snapped her fingers and smiled at Ryoka.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know what I really need? I really need advertisements. No one ever comes here. I need advertisements and a road. What do you think, Ryoka?\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka stared at the map, and then at Erin.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026Huh.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Previous Chapter<\/a> Next Chapter<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201c\u2026Lady Reinhart? Lady Reinhart, are you sleeping?\u201d Magnolia woke up with a start. She looked around blearily for a fraction of a second before her natural instincts took over. She sat up and smiled genteelly while the room swam back into focus. Theofore the Assassin blinked at her as he stood at attention. The sight […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52856846,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"patreon-level":0,"patreon_level":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11693082,349],"tags":[],"twi_volume":[11693131],"twi_collection":[],"class_list":["post-13389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-volume-2","category-writing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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