Artyom had settled down in his covers when something in his pocket began to ring. With a sigh, the man from Earth took out his phone and answered.


    “This is your second nightly check-in,” said Gus. “What have you been up to?”


    Artyom didn’t bother to show his annoyance any more than he had to and began to recount the day’s events, starting from the boring walk and getting to the first fight with the Bog Walker.


    “Are you sure this place is a Fairytale world, Gus? That poor girl almost got eaten. Even if she didn’t get bitten in two, she’s the party’s healer; there’s no way she’d be able to put herself back together.”


    “Tragedies happen, Artyom; even in Fairytale worlds, as rare as they may be. But it’s a good thing you were there. How does it feel to save someone not from Earth?”


    “I see what you’re trying to do,” said Artyom with a roll of his eyes. “But you’ve got me all wrong, I don’t hate people for not being from Earth. I hate people who try to harm kids from Earth. These three are innocent, so I’ve got nothing against them.”


    “You didn’t answer my question.”


    Artyom grumbled a second before responding. “It felt good. Are you happy?”


    “Much so.”


    “Hey, if I keep this up, will I get a reduced sentence for good behavior?”


    “We’ll have to see, but I’ll consider your progress after the originally planned two weeks-”


    “Um, Artyom?” came a soft voice from just outside the tent.


    Artyom put his phone down behind his blanket and called back. “What’s up, Skeya? Is everything alright?”


    “... yeah. I got a message from the goddess about why you didn’t level up last night. Can I please come in?”


    “Sure.”


    As the flaps parted, Artyom cast a quick, floating light spell to illuminate the tent. Skeya sat down before him in her usual robes but loosened up a bit, probably as improvised pajamas.


    “Hi Artyom,” she said softly, in barely a whisper. “I also wanted to thank you again for saving me today.”


    “Don’t worry about it, we’re teammates. We’re supposed to look out for each other.”


    “I know, but you’ve looked out for me more than anyone else has like that. Not to say that Sae and Pireni haven’t taken care of me,” she said, looking flushed. Even the tips of her ears were turning red.


    Artyom was just noticing that they, just like everyone else''s’ here, were slightly elongated and ended in a rounded off point. Like a milder version of elf ears.


    “Right, so what’s this about a message?”


    Skeya squirmed slightly, and Artyom’s eyes couldn’t help but be pulled towards her figure underlined beneath her robes. “The goddess told me that there’s something special about you, but that it’s also the cause of your problem.”


    “Special?” Artyom’s eyes turned sharp like daggers and his muscles tensed, but his voice remained aloof.


    “That’s what she said, but she also mentioned you only need her blessing to fix everything. She asked me to give it to you, as well as my appreciation.”


    She leaned her head forward towards Artyom, the robes around her neckline beginning to sag and reveal a touch more than before.


    The realization struck Artyom like a truck. “Skeya, what’s this blessing? And what do you really mean by ‘appreciation’?” he asked firmly.


    “Artyom, I think I’m in love with you,” said Skeya, the words pouring out of her lips in a soft whisper. She leaned further towards him, her robes beginning to slide off her shoulders. Skeya definitely wasn’t wearing anything underneath.


    To Artyom, time froze. The scene before him became a still image as a dozen thoughts flashed across his mind.


    Is she an assassin? Seductress trying to pry secrets? Maybe a honeypot meant for blackmail, or someone wants me to get her pregnant so I’ll be stuck here?A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Is she hiding a knife, or some other weapon behind her back? Are there soldiers outside ready to jump in and attack the moment my clothes come off?


    Who planned this? What do they want from me? How much do they actually know, and what’s their game?


    Does Skeya know what’s going on? Isn’t this just a Fairytale world?


    That last thought brought him back to reality.


    “Fairytale world,” said Artyom in a low whisper.


    Skeya didn’t respond as she leaned in for a kiss, her eyes heavy.


    The man from Earth placed a cold hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Skeya, we’ve literally known each other for two days.”


    “And in those two days you’ve already saved my life! That’s all I need to know that I love you, and that I want to do this!”


    That actually could have been a thing in this world, as far as Artyom knew. Everyone was generally a good person in a Fairytale world, or at least wore their true character on their sleeve, so vetting a romantic partner might normally be a quick affair here. This wasn’t Earth, after all.


    This wasn’t Earth.


    This wasn’t Earth.


    She leaned in further.


    “Skeya, I’m not interested,” said Artyom. “You and the others are practically children to me.”


    “We’re in our twenties, I’m twenty two years old!” she said in a forceful whisper, the closest thing to a shout that wouldn’t wake the other two. “And you don’t look like you’re even thirty yet, what are you talking about?”


    Her innocent eyes locked onto his, but rather than finding mild concern or arrogance, she was met with ice cold irises; a deep brown more hardened than even the oldest, weariest priests at her church. They reflected a lifetime of conflict, and as incomprehensible as it was for the woman from a Fairytale world, it all lay within a man only in his late twenties.


    “Please,” she pleaded, trying to break through a layer of ice thicker than her whole world.


    He knew he should be gentle, that she was truly innocent, but his hand locked her in place and the words came out of his mouth unbidden. “Skeya, go back to your tent.”


    The chill in his voice instead shattered her.


    “Okay,” she nodded, trying to keep her tears from rolling down her bright red cheeks. She pulled her robes up and rose to leave the tent. She looked back as she was exiting, hoping and silently praying to her goddess for a miracle. Instead, she was met by the same frozen gaze. She quickly turned back around and ran.


    The tent was silent after that, with only the sound of the nearby river reminding Artyom that this was all real.


    “I’m disappointed in you,” said Gus through the phone.


    Artyom picked it back up and frowned as he spoke into it. “What did you expect me to do? I’ve only known her for two days, and I’m going to be gone after a few weeks. Or is part of your ‘cultural sensitivity’ training having sex with whoever asks for it?”


    “You know very well what I mean, and that I would never ask that of you,” said Gus, an audible anger seeping into his voice for the first time at Artyom’s implication. “I don’t appreciate those kinds of accusations.”


    “So spell it out for me, what do you not approve of?”


    “This is a Fairytale world. You should have gone easy on her with your rejection.”


    “A lifetime of going easy almost got her killed this morning. It’s about time they learn how the world actually works, so I’ll happily say some harsh words if it protects them from anything worse.”


    The phone remained silent.


    “You know I’m right.”


    “Goodnight Artyom, I’ll call back tomorrow for your next check in.”


    “That’s what I thought. Goodnight.”


    <hr>


    Over in her tent, Skeya was thankful for the sound of the nearby rivers. The white noise helped her fall asleep, and kept the sound of her sobs from waking the others. In the tent across her’s, Artyom slept soundly, the sounds of radio silence carrying him through his dreamless night. It wasn’t his first time inflicting such pain, and he’d slept just as well after doing worse.


    <hr>


    Everyone awoke late into the morning to begin their trip back to town. Something about the events of the day before left each party member feeling exhausted, especially so for Skeya who took longer than usual to leave her tent after being woken up.


    In fact, Pireni couldn’t help but feel something was different about her friend today, and not anything good. There was an air of gloom about her, the kind when something about your worldview gets shaken to its core. The archer figured it was because she was almost eaten by the Bog Walker. They’d all gotten a jolt on how dangerous being an adventurer, and just existing, could be. It must have been worse off for Skeya since she was in the most danger.


    “Alright everyone, remember to look heroic when we walk into town!” said Sae excitedly.


    As the hours passed, there was much less smalltalk than the day before. Sae and Pireni gossipped like normal, but Skeya didn’t add to the conversation like she normally did. They talked about their level ups, but she only nodded along when asked if she’d gotten one as well. Same with Artyom, who didn’t have anything to say about gossip nor leveling up, but he felt oddly more focused today. Sae thought that maybe the tension of being lauded as heroes was getting to those two.


    As they got closer to Freeacres, Pireni was the first to notice something was off.


    “Is that… smoke?” she asked.


    “It’s probably a bonfire, for the party they’re getting ready to throw in our honor!” said Sae, brushing off her concern.


    “We should speed up, just in case,” said Artyom.


    It didn’t take much longer to reach the village, and to everyone’s regret, something was wrong.


    Pillars of smoke rose from across the village, mostly where buildings and farmland used to be. In their places was smashed stone and ashes.


    The party began to run towards the village center, where they saw over half the town gathered.


    “By the Goddess, what happened?” asked Sae, panting for breath after they reached the crowd.


    “It’s horrible!” shouted Ruba as she stepped to the front of the group, tears freely flowing from her face. “They came through here and attacked us, the town has been destroyed!”