《Jor's Sessions》


 1.1

    As long as he could remember, Jor never would have thought he would be in a situation where he was in right now.


    "You alright there?" The man, for clearly he was a man, was an older gentleman. Salt and pepper grey hair, round nose, and a belly. The arms were thick and looked tough from constant years of hard labor. He was also the owner of a vegetable stall within the market place. "Where''s your mama, boy?"


    It was unfortunate that he was stuck in a medieval world with little to no resources. Even worse, he looked like a ten-year-old boy. That... makes things difficult.


    The city he found himself in belonged to a primitive one. It resembled something of the early Middle Ages of the fifth or sixth century CE. Though the buildings seemed well constructed, the roads were nothing more than dirt for the caravans and wheeled carts to pass through. The lack of plumbing, Jor thought, felt rather disquieting.


    But, the streets did look clean.


    What was interesting, however, were the number of people that resembled the God Anubis. Their skin ranged from pitch black, to brown, white, or red. No fur or hair to be found. The ears were a straight triangle that pointed like the head of a spear above their heads. The females were slimmer, with feminine curves and chests, but no lesser than their male counterparts in terms of height.


    The humans also made a living here, who were just as numerous as their counterparts.


    "Boy?" It was the stall owner again, who called out. He looked worried. "You alright?"


    "I''m fine," Jor called out. The language was clearly different to his own, yet he understood him. Even able to speak the language. Odd, that. It came to him as naturally as if he grew around it. "Is there a library nearby I can access?"


    The man''s brows disappeared into his hairline, and said, "You speak well, boy, for one so young," He shook his head in wonder. "The only ones to access any sort of books belong to the Millenium Academy, the Magus Institute, the government, or the University of Xahar."


    Jor cocked his head to the side, with a raised brow.


    He scratched his head in wonder, as he immediately understood the gesture. "Smart lad, aren''t you?" A sigh escaped his lips. "The only way to access the Millenium Academy is if you were gifted from the gods. As for Xahar? Well, unless you''ve got some sort of connection to a high-level official, or passed the entrance exams, you''re about as much chance to attend the university as I do becoming a king."


    A pause in thought. "And as for the Magus Institute, well, anyone can join so long as you have shown the aptitude for magic and a strong mind. All they have to do is take a few tests. The only problem is, the nobles have a strong sway with the king, and rarely let a commoner-born child enter their enlightened school for magic."This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    "And the government is the same, then," Jor finished. Then, he asked, "Gifted, you say? What does that mean, exactly?"


    The man looked surprised. "Well, gifted. Champions. Demigods. The blood of the very Gods themselves flows through their veins. Every child who has shown such abilities in the country, phesrusian or human, should they be found, will be taken to the academy. The child of the family would be taken care of until the child is of age to graduate."


    "What''s the ratio between these demigods and non-demigods? And the magus and non-magus."


    The man''s eyes only narrowed in thought, as he scratched his chin. "Well, one in a thousand, I should say. These demigods are not that rare, but numerous enough that more than a few champions outside this nation go on adventures into dungeons and other dangerous areas no one else is willing to do." He shrugged. "Mages are numerous, with hundreds in their ranks.


    "Adventures?" Jor asked, in particular with the adventures they supposedly go on. "What are they seeking?


    The man shrugged. "Glory? Treasure? Strength? Any number of reasons."


    "Huh...," Jor had no idea how to take that. It seemed too fantastical to really believe all this nonsense. So they were gifted with powers that normal people don''t have. And trying to figure out what kind of powers they had would be the hard part. Especially if he wanted to figure out a way into a library.


    Hmm.


    Jor could always break in, but he didn''t know the layout, their defenses, or their abilities, both the mages and the champions. The government would be an even bigger problem. The best place to start would be the university, or perhaps try his luck with entering the mage institute. But he was physically too young to do much of anything, and he doubted anyone would take him seriously.


    Well. Other than the old man attending to his stall.


    Then an idea came to him. Why not gain their attention in his own way?


    Jor tilted his head toward him. "My name is Jor. Thank you for helping me."


    "No problem, lad," The man said. "Well, my name is Hallan. Come by any time if you need any more news. But, lad, you really are too young to be out and about alone in the city."


    "I''m alone," Jor shrugged. He turned to fully face the man. "I have a proposal, Mister Hallan. Are you willing to listen?"


    Any other boy, Hallan would have chased the boy away with his broom. But, he didn''t. He looked at the unusual boy like he''s never seen anything like it. A boy with exceptional maturity, and a kind of intelligence that boggled the man''s mind from just a few minutes of a conversation. It was... an experience to be sure, for the man.


    So, he decided to listen.


    "I''m alone in a city I don''t know anything about, with a culture I''m alien to," Jor locked eyes with the curious but focused man. "My proposal is simple. I will make you money. Enough that your family had only dreamt of. In turn, you will be my right-hand man."


    Hallan''s face blanked. There were many things he could have done, at that moment. Chased him away with a few words, or ignored it as tripe of a young lad with dreams too big to fill. Yet, there was a certain focused look upon his violet eyes. A strange boy, with exotic features that belonged to no boy in this side of the world.


    He listened.

 1.2

    "So, let me get this straight," Hallan rubbed his head in exasperation. "You want me to take out a loan so that you can build yourself a... what? A cafe? What in the world is that?!"


    The man had taken the boy to his humble home under a thatched roof, and introduced him to his family. The wife was of the same age, and a very beautiful woman even in her years. She was busy tending to beef and vegetable soup by the fireside while tending to their young daughter.


    The girl was about ten, with more than a passing resemblance to her mother. Red hair, blue eyes, and healthy pink skin. Unfortunately, Mera hasn''t quite grasped the subtleties of not staring so openly at the strange and exotic boy that intruded upon her home.


    "I don''t know what that is, but if you mean an establishment of some sort, that''s... a terrible idea," Hallan finally said. "Lad, You''re a smart boy, and maybe one day you might be able to achieve something great. The government isn''t stupid enough to neglect a bright mind. But what you''re asking, it would put us in considerable debt, and without any sort of sustainable income even if we go with this plan. And even if someone did want to invest in... whatever a cafe is, they''d want full control. Commoners like us are too poor to afford something like this, and the nobility would never give us the respect to open something like this."


    Hallan rubbed his head in exasperation. "And aside from the fact that only ones with the money are the nobility and merchant lords, the central bank of Esten would laugh us out of their bank," He shrugged. "I''m a stall owner. I just work for the man who owns a quarter of the market, enough to provide for my family. Besides, we don''t have the men nor the connection to even begin."


    "Hmm, I suppose it is a bit much to ask for," Jor blinked. "You said the adventurers seek out glory and fortune, yes?"


    "Monster parts bring in good coin, and various magical items are even better. Finding a treasure deep in a dungeon is exceptionally rare, and the things that guard such treasures are unique and powerful," The man laughed good-naturedly. "If you think about even doing something so reckless, you''d be a quick lunch to even the mundane animals that roam our countryside, let alone even finding monsters that reside outside these walls."


    "I suppose you''re right," Jor turned to the man''s family and bowed. "But, how do the adventurers find these dungeons? Are there certain types? And how are they formed?"


    "Well, first of all, there are two distinct types of dungeons. The naturally formed dungeon that occurs should runes of civilization be found, or a magical tower, or anything really. Monsters congregate to such runes over the centuries, even after many millennia. The second is the type that occurs about spontaneously, and instantly, waiting to be found. Once the second type of dungeon is cleared, they disappear into the ether," Hallan hummed in thought. "They say it''s a test for humanity, as a way to surpass our limits or some such nonsense by the gods themselves. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "But, you don''t believe it?"


    Hallan snorted. "Oh, I have no doubt it''s a work of some supernatural entity, but the gods? To test us? I can barely comprehend the gods, why should they gaze upon us, lowly mortals? No, I think it''s the work of some evil, no doubt."


    "I see...," Jor frowned.


    "And, of course, there are certain dungeons ranked from the lowest F rank, to the highest being the S rank," Hallan took out a small booklet, worn out from years of use. "Then the average adventurers going on dungeons to the D ranks, then a higher level would be the C, then the elite would be the B rank. And of course, the A rank reserved only for the genius among elites who have achieved high enough level to attend,"


    "And... the S rank?"


    "Well, they''re the legends of our world," The old man shook his head in wonder. "Gaes Gargas, an S rank Juggernaut-class warrior, of level fifty-nine, or so I hear. The strongest this country has ever produced."


    A brief pause, as he waited for the wonder of hero worship to pass. "And how do you go about finding one of these spontaneous dungeons?"


    Hallan''s face blanked, as he looked down on the unusually calm child. That wasn''t normal. "I''m wondering whether I should even consider kicking you out. Tell me, lad, are you going to look for the dungeon, with or without my help?"


    At Jor''s continued blank stare, Hallan seemed to resigned. He took to his feet and went to the only room in the house, and he could hear the shuffling of odds and ends being set aside. When he came back, he held a small blue stone, with a curious question mark-like rune carved into the stone.


    "This here is a locator of sorts, to find an ''expressive'', or ''spontaneous'' dungeon. Its special enchantment created just for that. It should help you find what you''re looking for."


    "This should be very valuable among the adventurers, no?" Jor asked with a frown. "I''m sure such an object would be worth a great value among them."


    "Oh, absolutely. It''s the most valuable item I own. Belonged to my grandfather, in fact. In fact, this was supposed to be my daughter''s dowry," The old man''s laser focus gazed at him with unbridled concentration. "Call it stupidity or faith. Or something like hope. But, if you succeed, I want a guarantee of fifty-fifty on everything you''ve gained."


    Jor''s left brow raised in surprise. "A hard bargain. What makes you think I won''t just take it and leave?"


    "I don''t," Hallan shrugged.


    "Then, you have my gratitude." Jor bowed toward the rest of his family. "A pleasure, madam, Mera."


    ---


    Hallan watched the boy leave, and his wife, Salena could only look on in horror. "Why? The price on that stone could have fetched us a good home for Mera."


    "An investment. The boy''s going to succeed, and we''ll be all the richer for it."


    Salena sighed softly. "You''re a fool."