Chapter 5 Welcome to Dustwell (We Don't Accept Credit)
Kai and Pugzooka stumbled out of the tall grass and onto a dirt road that led straight into the village.
Up close, Dustwell was exactly what the name suggested—dusty. The buildings were made of old wood and stone, with roofs made of dried straw. A few villagers walked around, carrying baskets or pulling carts, and they all looked at Kai like he was a wild animal that had wandered into town.
Kai didn't care. He was too happy to care.
"We made it," Kai said, breathing heavily. "We actually made it."
"We're still broke," Pugzooka reminded him from the ground. "And hungry. And smelly."
"Let me have this moment."
Kai walked down the main street, his eyes jumping from building to building. There was a blacksmith with an anvil outside, a general store with barrels of who-knows-what, and finally—gloriously—an inn.
The sign above the door read "The Tired Traveler." Kai almost cried.
He pushed open the door and walked inside. The inn was small and dim, with wooden tables and a fireplace that had seen better days. Behind a counter stood a woman with gray hair and arms that looked stronger than Kai's entire body.
"Welcome," the woman said without smiling. "You need a room?"
"Yes," Kai said, maybe too quickly. "Yes, please. Just for one night. And food. Definitely food."
The woman nodded and pulled out a key. "That'll be three silver coins."
Kai's smile froze. "Three... silver?"
"Room and two meals. Breakfast and dinner." The woman narrowed her eyes. "You got a problem with that?"
Kai patted his pockets. They were empty. Completely empty. He didn't even have a copper coin to his name.
"I... uh..." Kai laughed nervously. "Do you accept... exposure?"
The woman's eyes turned dangerous. "What?"
"Like, I could tell people about your inn. Free advertising. Very valuable."
The woman grabbed a broom from behind the counter and pointed it at Kai's face. "Get out."
"I'm kidding! I'm kidding!"
"OUT."
Kai backed toward the door, his hands raised in surrender. The woman followed him with the broom, and the moment Kai stepped outside, she slammed the door behind him.
Pugzooka was sitting on a barrel nearby, watching the whole thing with amusement.
"That went well," Pugzooka said.
"Shut up."
"You walked into an inn with no money and asked to pay with exposure."
"People do that all the time!"
"People who get thrown out."
Kai sat down on the barrel next to Pugzooka and put his face in his hands. He was dirty, hungry, tired, and now officially homeless in a village he didn't know.
"I hate this world," he mumbled.
"You've said that before."
"I'll say it again. I hate this world."
Just then, a voice came from somewhere to his left. "You look like you're having a rough day."
Kai looked up. An old man was sitting on a wooden chair outside the shop next to the inn. He had white hair, a wrinkled face, and kind eyes that had probably seen a lot of things. He was wearing a simple brown vest over a gray shirt, and he smelled like herbs and old paper.
"I'm having a rough life," Kai said.
The old man chuckled. "I've been there. Name's Heston. Old Man Heston, if you're feeling formal." He pointed at the shop behind him. "I run this apothecary. Potions, remedies, that sort of thing."
"Kai," Kai said. "And this is..." He looked down at Pugzooka, who was pretending to be a normal, non-talking beast. "This is my beast. Pugzooka."
Heston looked at Pugzooka and nodded. "Cute little thing. What type is he?"
"Annoying type," Kai said.
Pugzooka gave Kai a look that could kill, but he didn't say anything.
Heston laughed again. He seemed like the kind of man who laughed easily. "Well, Kai, you look like you haven't eaten in days. And you smell like you've been sleeping in a cave."
"We have been sleeping in a cave."
"Figured." Heston stood up slowly, his old bones cracking. "Tell you what. I need a pair of young hands around here. Lots of heavy lifting, herb gathering, cleaning. Nothing too hard. I'll give you food and a place to sleep in exchange for work. Deal?"
Kai's mouth fell open. "Deal? DEAL? Yes! A thousand times yes!"
"Great." Heston opened the door to his shop. "Come on in. I'll show you around."
Kai grabbed Pugzooka and followed Heston inside, feeling like the luckiest idiot in Veridia.
-
The apothecary was small and crowded.
Shelves lined every wall, filled with glass jars of dried plants, colorful powders, and things Kai couldn't identify. Some of them moved. One jar had eyeballs floating in green liquid. Another had what looked like dried lizard tails.
The smell was strong—like mint and dirt and something sweet that Kai couldn't name.
"Welcome to my humble shop," Heston said, spreading his arms. "I've been running this place for fifteen years. Used to be a Beast Master, but these old bones can't handle the road anymore."
"What kind of beasts did you have?" Kai asked, genuinely curious.
"Had a good one. A Rockback Tortoise. Lower legendary." Heston's eyes got a little misty. "Passed away about five years ago. Old age." He shook his head and smiled. "Anyway, that's enough sad stories. Let me show you where you'll be sleeping."
Heston led Kai to a small room in the back of the shop. It was cramped, with barely enough space for a cot, a small table, and a window that looked out at the back alley. But it had a roof, four walls, and a door that locked.
"It's not much," Heston said.
"It's a palace," Kai said, and he meant it.
Then a voice came from behind them. "Who is that and why is he in my storage room?"
Kai turned around.
A girl was standing in the doorway, holding a basket of herbs. She was around Kai's age, with short dark hair that fell just above her shoulders and sharp eyes that looked like they could cut glass. She was wearing a simple green dress with an apron over it, and her arms were crossed tightly over her chest.
She was not happy.
"Ah, Mira," Heston said, smiling. "This is Kai. He's going to be staying with us for a while. He's our new helper."
"No," Mira said.
Kai blinked. "No?"
"No to everything," Mira said, her eyes locked on Kai like he was a bug she wanted to squish. "No to you being here. No to you helping. No to whatever idea my father has." She looked at Heston. "We don't have room. We don't have extra food. And he looks like he's never worked a day in his life."
"I've worked," Kai said, offended. "I've... carried things. And... lifted stuff."
Mira raised one eyebrow. "Name one thing you've carried."
"My beast."
"He carries himself."
"Barely," Kai admitted.
Mira let out a sound that was somewhere between a sigh and a growl. She turned to Heston. "This is a mistake."
"Mira, be nice," Heston said gently.
"I am being nice. I didn't kick him." Mira looked back at Kai. "Yet."
She turned around and walked away, her boots stomping on the wooden floor. A moment later, Kai heard her opening jars and muttering to herself in the main shop area.
"Don't mind her," Heston said, patting Kai on the shoulder. "She's not good with strangers."
"She hates me," Kai said.
"She hates everyone at first. Give her a week. She'll hate you less." Heston paused. "Maybe two weeks."
Pugzooka, who had been silent the whole time, finally whispered to Kai. "I like her."
"Of course you do," Kai whispered back.
-
The first day of work was terrible.
Heston put Kai to work sorting herbs. It sounded easy, but there were over forty different types of herbs, and they all looked the same to Kai. Green, leafy, slightly different smell. He kept putting things in the wrong jars, and Mira kept finding his mistakes and glaring at him.
"This is moonleaf," Mira said, holding up a green plant. "This is shadowmoss." She held up another green plant that looked identical. "They are NOT the same. Moonleaf goes in the blue jar. Shadowmoss goes in the green jar. If you mix them up, someone could die."
"Die?!" Kai's eyes went wide.
"Probably not. But they'll get a very bad stomachache." Mira put the plants down and stared at Kai. "Can you handle that, or should I just do it myself?"
"I can handle it," Kai said.
Fifteen minutes later, he put shadowmoss in the blue jar.
Mira found it immediately. She didn't say anything. She just held up the jar, looked at Kai, and shook her head slowly.
Pugzooka was watching from a corner, eating a dried bug he had found on the floor. He looked very entertained.
By the evening, Kai's back hurt, his fingers were stained green, and he had been yelled at by Mira at least twelve times. But when Heston handed him a bowl of warm stew and a piece of bread, all the pain went away.
"This is amazing," Kai said, shoveling stew into his mouth.
"It's just stew," Heston said, sitting down across from him.
"No, this is the best stew I've ever had. I would fight a rhino for this stew." Kai paused. "Actually, I did fight a rhino for less. Never mind."
Mira walked by with her own bowl of stew. She sat as far away from Kai as possible, which was impressive considering the small size of the room.
"So, Kai," Heston said, "where are you from? You don't talk like a local."
Kai froze. He couldn't say he was from another world. That would sound crazy. "I'm from... far away. Very far. Different... continent."
"He's from a place called 'My Apartment,'" Pugzooka whispered to Kai. Kai kicked him under the table.
Heston nodded like that made sense. "Well, Veridia is full of travelers. You'll fit right in." He took a bite of his stew. "So, what's your goal? You a Beast Master?"
"Yeah," Kai said. "New one. Just started."
"Got any beasts besides that little guy?" Heston pointed at Pugzooka.
Kai looked at Pugzooka, who was now licking his paw like a cat. "No. Just him."
"You're going to need more than that if you want to survive out there," Heston said. "The forest is getting dangerous. Strange beasts have been acting up lately. Attacking travelers. Stealing livestock."
Mira snorted from across the room. "He can barely sort herbs. What's he going to do against a beast?"
"I'll figure it out," Kai said, his pride stinging. "I'm good at games."
"Games?" Heston tilted his head.
"Nothing. Never mind."
Dinner ended quietly. Mira washed her own bowl and disappeared into her room without saying goodnight. Heston showed Kai how to lock the shop door, then wished him a good sleep.
Kai collapsed onto his cot in the storage room. It was hard and lumpy, and the pillow smelled like old socks. But it was soft compared to cave floor.
Pugzooka jumped up onto the cot and curled into a ball at Kai's feet.
"She hates you," Pugzooka said.
"I know."
"Like, really hates you. I've never seen someone hate another person so fast."
"Thank you for reminding me."
"You're welcome." Pugzooka yawned. "I think she likes me though."
"She doesn't even know you exist."
"Exactly. That's how I like it."
Kai stared at the ceiling for a long moment. His body was exhausted, but his mind was still spinning. He had a roof over his head, food in his stomach, and a job—even if the job came with a grumpy daughter who wanted him gone.
It wasn't home. But it was something.
"I still hate this world," Kai mumbled as his eyes closed.
From somewhere outside the room, just before Kai drifted off, he heard a voice. Quiet. Almost like a whisper.
"Same."
It was Mira.
Kai smiled slightly, then fell asleep.
