I walked into another room.

  I tried to keep my face neutral as I took in the green-skinned man leaning against the wall opposite me. He had black hair, pointed ears, and yellow eyes, while he was taller than my own six-foot frame. His black uniform had a pair of purple bars over his heart.

  “The Authority.” My grandfather informed me. “You can tell what an Elf’s powers are by the color of their eyes. This one has gold, so he’s a Mage. The bars on his uniform show you that he’s a second-rank Mage, which is a Novice. They’re not very strong, so you don’t have to worry too much about him using any spells on you.”

  What do I do? I glanced over my shoulder, but the portal had already closed.

  “Hold out your wrist so he can scan the pad. It’ll identify you, then he’ll ask why you’re here. Tell him you’re here to see the runner game.”

  I nodded as I took a cautious step toward the Elf. I lifted my left hand as he pushed off of the wall.

  “Business or pleasure.” The Elf’s tone was flat as he waved his hand over my device. “Nolan Lawrence of New Tera, Human with no magic or tech.” He shook his head as he typed something on his pad.

  “Pleasure?” I swallowed. “I’m here to see the runner game that’s starting in a little bit. My grandfather told me about them, but I’ve never had a chance to watch one in person.” My words spilled out of my mouth too fast.

  The Elf raised an eyebrow. “A newbie…” He gestured at my throat. “You got a breather?”

  “A…” I touched my neck. “What?”

  “A breather.” The Elf snorted. “You came to Rashka without a breather?” He shook his head. “I’m limiting you to under the dome. Don’t try to leave or you’ll be arrested.” His eyes narrowed. “Seriously, your gran didn’t tell you about this place?”

  “I thought the air here was breathable?” I swallowed. “Do I need a suit or something to leave the dome?”

  “A suit?” The Elf chuckled. “Tera schools are worse than I’ve heard if they don’t teach you that the air here is laced with a hallucinogen.” He snorted and slapped the door, causing it to slide open. “You can watch the games at the Casino. Ask any taxi and they’ll get you there.”

  “Thanks?” I walked out of the 15x15 square building into the street. The door slid shut behind me. What was that?

  “Portal Guard. They make sure no one shows up that shouldn’t be here.” My grandfather laughed. “You handled yourself pretty good for seeing an Elf for the first time!”

  That was… My inner voice trailed off as I took in the city.

  The street was essentially a dirt road, with most of the buildings looking like they had been carved out of massive trees. I could hear noises wafting towards me as well as the smell of animals. I’d been expecting a futuristic high-tech city and instead, I’d walked into something that looked like it belonged in a historical documentary.

  “Need a ride?” A husky feminine voice caught my attention. I turned and saw a brown-skinned Centaur attached to a two-wheeled cart trotting up to me.

  “I…” I hesitated. Do I have enough money to pay for a ride?

  “You can use your pad like a smartphone to pay for things.” My grandfather sighed. “But you need to be frugal; there isn’t a lot of money loaded on that thing.”

  You had all that money in the cabinet back home and you sent me to a different planet without any money?

  “I didn’t say you didn’t have enough money, just that you didn’t have enough to spend it frivolously.” My grandfather’s voice changed to a suggestive tone. “For instance, you don’t have enough money to ask her to give you a ride on her back.”

  That’s… I started to shake my head but realized that the woman wasn’t privy to the conversation in my head. And I had no intention of looping her in on the pervy comments my grandfather was putting in my head.

  “Can you take me to the Casino?” I smiled at her.

  “Of course!” She touched the pad on her wrist, then held out her arm towards me. “The fare is ten credits.”

  Is that fair? I realized that I had no idea how much anything cost and I doubted they took the money that was in my wallet, which was back in my car at the house.

  “It’s reasonable.” Alistair laughed. “Tell her she’s the most beautiful mare you’ve ever seen and let’s see if she knocks a credit or two off.”

  I shook my head and held out my wrist. She waved her pad over mine and a message popped up on the screen.

  Fare for transportation to the Casino from the Portal Hub. 10C. Confirm?

  I pushed the button to confirm.

  “You can climb inside.” Her elvish face smiled kindly at me. “My name is Enwen Dorestir. It’s a pleasure to meet a Human.”

  “Chicken.”

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  I ignored him. “You don’t see many Humans?” I climbed into the buggy and sat on the comfortable leather seats.

  “Most stick to their homeworld.” She took off down the street. “Most of my business is from tourists who are here for the springs or the mud pits.” She pointed down the street and a little to the right. “There are worlds with better Casinos, so I don’t get asked to take people there very often.”

  “Even when there is a running game happening?” I waved at a group of little bears dressed in jeans and t-shirts. The three-foot-tall cubs looked kind of cute as they walked past us.

  “Those aren’t cubs.” The hologram corrected me. “They’re full-grown Sortocs. Most people only make the mistake of thinking they’re cute once. You make them mad and they’ll grow to seven feet tall and be an angry mess of teeth and claws that even a Dragon would avoid.”

  Noted. I shifted in my seat to look back at the Sortocs. I’m going to need an encyclopedia or something.

  “That’s what you have me for.” His voice filled with pride. “Though you should probably listen to the pretty lady.”

  “... weird ways that always draw a crowd.” She paused for a moment. “I thought about being a runner for a bit, but you can’t have a drop of magic in you and unfortunately I’ve got just enough to disqualify me, but not enough to go to the University.”

  “Oh.” I settled back in my seat as we passed more of the tree trunk buildings. “Do you like what you do?”

  “It beats working in the fields.” Enwen sighed. “And sometimes the tips are nice.”

  Should I have tipped her? I glanced around. It was difficult to have a conversation with a voice in my head. It would have been easier if I could see him like on the ship. How would I have even done that?

  “Most tips are done in physical coins so that the Elves don’t tax them.” Alistair scoffed. “Greedy bureaucrats.”

  I knew I should have grabbed some of those coins! I grumbled.

  “You can book her to take you back to the Portal Hub and give her a tip once she takes you back.”

  How am I going to get credits? I sighed.

  “There’s an exchange in the Casino where you can cash out some coins from your account.” My grandfather chuckled. “Who knows, maybe you’ll impress her and—”

  Not where I was going with that. I swallowed as I realized that she was talking to me and I hadn’t been paying attention because of the pervy voice in my head.

  “... you have to give me a tip. We’re not even allowed to ask for them. I was just pointing out one of the perks of the job.” Her tanned face grew darker as she blushed. “Like talking to people from places where I’d never dream of traveling.”

  “Don’t worry, I plan on giving you a tip.” I waved my hand. “I just don’t have any coins on me at the moment, but I can get some from the Casino and give it to you on the way back.”

  “Oh…” She turned back towards the road, her pace slowing just a bit.

  “Ouch! She probably hears that a lot, then doesn’t see the client again.” My grandfather chuckled. “This is why you need a more personal connection.”

  Would you be quiet? I sighed. “Sorry, this is my first time off world and my grandfather made me put all my money into digital.” I drummed my fingers on my leg. “I really wasn’t prepared for this.”

  “It’s okay, really.” She smoothed the folds in her green uniform as she picked up the pace. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  I thought about saying something else, but I couldn’t think of what I could say to reassure her that I would make good on my promise.

  It wasn’t long before she pulled the buggy in front of a more modern-looking building. The massive stone structure reminded me of one of the large retail stores back home, though as I looked over the stonework, I noticed that there weren’t any seams. The whole building looked like it had been carved out of a single stone block, which would have had to be massive considering it was over 40 feet tall and over 400 feet wide.

  “Thanks.” I stepped out of the buggy. “Is there some way to contact you when I’m ready to head back?”

  “There are couriers who hang out here.” She gestured at the group of Centaurs waiting by the corner of the building. “You can get one of them to take you back to the Hub.”

  “But…” I sighed as I watched her hurry away.

  “Did you learn something?” My grandfather teased.

  Yeah, I don’t know nearly enough about this world to be out here. I glanced around. How many more blunders am I going to make before someone realizes that I’m not from New Tera?

  “You live and learn, just like with everything else in life.” He laughed. “You’ll never be able to plan for everything, so just keep pushing forward and deal with things as they come at you.”

  I shook my head as I walked towards the double doors in the center of the building. I could see slot machines and tables of beings playing cards and dice as I walked into the loud building.

  Where do I go from here? I felt very underdressed in my jeans and green t-shirt. While I couldn’t name all the races that were represented, they were all dressed in what looked like very expensive clothing.

  “Need some help?”

  I turned to find myself almost face-to-face with a red Elf. Her wavy orange hair fell past her bare shoulders and the tight, black dress left little to the imagination.

  “I’m just here to watch the runner game.” I swallowed as the scent of cinnamon filled the air around me.

  “Orina Taniel.” Her white eyes fixed on me as she smiled. “And who might you be?”

  “Nolan Lawrence.” I stuck out my hand.

  She laughed and shook her head. “We don’t know each other well enough for that, but if you’d like to buy me a drink…”

  “Say yes!” My grandfather cheered. “That’s a full-blooded Calor. You’re never going to get this opportunity again!”

  Calor? And what happened to not spending all my money? I smiled. “I wasn’t planning on spending a lot of money tonight, but I think I can spare enough for one round while we watch the game.” I looked around. “If you know where we can see them.”

  “Um, think fire Elf.” My grandfather chuckled. “You almost never see pure-bloods outside of the upper class, so this lass is going to be connected!”

  “We can watch a game upstairs.” She beckoned me with her finger. “I’ll show you.”

  I did my best to block out my grandfather’s voice of encouragement as she led me through the floor towards the stairs in the back. Something about this place didn’t feel right and despite the pervy voice in my head saying otherwise, I had a feeling that I needed to keep my wits about me. I just hoped that whatever happened in this world of magic and futuristic technology, I’d be able to handle myself.

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