Having completely drained of her strength and energy after casting such a fantastic spell, she lost consciousness and fell into a deep slumber. It was already dusk when Jean finally stirred and woke up. She slowly picked herself up, once again fully rejuvenated.
“I see… the bigger the spell, the more it taxes my strength, or is it… hmm…” She thought.
“Now then, let’s just keep this in mind for now because it’s time to find civilization first… and some clothes.” She uttered loudly as she started to walk eastward with the setting sun behind her. Wincing every time she took a step, her bare feet were not used to walking the hard earth, but she steeled herself and trudged on.
As evening came, Jean once again saw the pale moon of this strange world, providing her with much needed light for her journey. It was this time that she noticed that the moon had a different color from the one on Earth. While Earth’s moon had a pale white color, This moon is much larger and has an orange tinge to it.
“Maybe the surface is iron oxide like the planet Mars… strange moon indeed.” she said absentmindedly as she continued her journey, hoping to find a village or two.
She noticed that the land had changed from a flat barren plane to one that is filled with life and vegetation. A stark contrast to the place where she first woke up. The land continued to change into rolling hills, with copse of trees and a river running merrily on its course.
“A river!” Jean excitedly clapped. “If you follow a river, it would most likely lead you to a settlement!” Without wasting time, she hurriedly ran towards the river and followed its course.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed flickers of light shining in contrast with the darkness, a few kilometers from where she was standing.
“Finally a town! I am saved.” She quietly whispered, tears falling from her eyes without her even noticing.
Jean started to run towards the light when she suddenly stopped herself as common sense finally won over her excitement.
“Wait… I don’t know what kind of people live there… for all I know, there may be bandits, or worse, perverts… I need to be cautious and ready.” Crouching down, she looked at her right hand. She slowly curled her middle finger up to her pinky, leaving her forefinger extended. She slowly pointed at a jutting rock across the opposite bank of the river.
Concentrating, she reviewed the powerful spell that drained her strength. She knows that such a spell is far too dangerous for both the caster and the target.
“But what if I control the size and density of such a spell? Would it cost me much energy?” Jean asked herself. She thought about the fireball she cast first, sure it did weaken her but not much, and it was roughly the size of a basketball, and the devastation was also great in its own right.
She thought about condensing the black bolt of energy, making it as tiny as a bullet.
“Let’s see if this drains as much energy as that “kamehameha” I fired earlier… but it’s best if I aim in the opposite direction so as to not accidentally harm anyone or raise an alarm.” She said as she turned back towards the direction where she came.
She aimed her forefinger forward, while her left hand clasped tightly under it for support, similar to how a gun is properly held when getting ready to fire.
From the tip of her forefinger, a black energy started to whirl, condensing unto itself until it formed into a tiny ball no bigger than a pebble. A look of satisfaction formed from Jean’s face. This is exactly what she had in mind.
She fired the black orb towards the darkness into the direction of the crater where she first woke up. The orb sped towards into a straight trajectory, disappearing from sight. But it left a straight line on the ground much the same as the big one, but this one is much much thinner, but it cut the hard earth all the same.
Jean barely felt any energy drain. A smile of triumph formed as she realized that her theory was correct.
“The bigger the size of the spell, the more it drains! Ha!”
With a light heart and a pring to her steps, Jean continued towards the village, hoping to find food, shelter and more importantly clothes. The strange moon shines brightly above illuminating the girl from another world’s path.
………….
The town of Calamon is a lot larger than the other towns around the area, it was more like a small town filled with different people from all over the province of Teleros on the eastern side of the country of Mar’Baran. It was a typical frontier town, it has a port where trade and commerce from different parts of the continent are sorted and distributed.
The center of the town is bustling with activity as shops, wet markets and taverns are full of noisy adventurers and mercenaries all trying to make their fortunes in this untamed frontier town. Guild houses lined the west side of town, as well as decent inns and the more luxurious hotels for the occasional nobles that come to visit and trade for exotic goods that can only be found in this frontier town like wyvern tails and orc tusks.
The town also has its number of ruffians and thieves like any other town. From street urchins to rapists and murderers crawl the town’s underbelly, eagerly waiting for some poor sop to victimize.
Of course the town does have their own town guards to keep the peace. But most of them are corrupt and in league with the powerful Thieves Guild that rules the town from the shadows.
Whorehouses are the most frequently visited place in town, as adventurers and mercenaries had too much appetite for the carnal urges of the flesh. Because of this, most House Matrons hold power and influence in the underworld. Information is power after all, and a mercenary or an adventurer is a good source of information.
The most powerful of them is the Matron of the most prestigious whorehouse in town, though she would never call her establishment such, she calls it “a house of comfort”. This is The Venial, the most famous pleasure house in the province, only the best and classy girls work here. They cater to the high class clientele such as guild masters and nobles; some would say even royals secretly visit the pleasure house in secret. And it’s Matron is a beautiful woman in her late thirties Madame Germain.
……………..
Jean was silently sneaking around the outskirts of the town, where the poor people are living. The squalid houses and garbage of the town is what she first saw. She went around the fringes and saw some clothes, or more like rags actually, but nevertheless it’s better than being naked. She hurriedly wore the ill fitting garments and left as fast as she could, but her feet are still bare. She took a turn in a deserted alleyway and found herself lost in a maze of crudely built houses of the town’s ghetto.
“Oh look what we have here… a little kitten is lost. Ke ke ke!” Said a squeaky voice behind her.
“Hey boys, looks like we are all going to have fun tonight! Ke ke ke ke!” Howled the squeaky voice behind her.
A roar of lewd laughter and jeering from a number of men followed, and Jean knew exactly what that meant.
