Misnomer

Clove watched as Martin pulled a glass from behind the bar and firmly placed it down. As he held it there, an amber liquid began filling from the bottom of the glass until it came to a fluffy head.

"Woah"

He said aloud.

"What's the matter?"

The woman asked.

Clove turned around to see her now standing beside the broken table.

Bernie began to speak

"Rebecca, list-"

Bernie was silenced with Rebecca's gaze.

"Please."

Rebecca beckoned Clove to finish his thought.

"The bartend- Er... Martin.. did he just use Magic?"

Rebecca looked at Clove, then Bernie who was looking at the broken table.

"Well, sort of... what's your name?"

Rebecca asked

"Clove."

He said as he reached out a hand. He was thinking how her accent made her more attractive. Maybe if he wasn't thrusted into this strange situation, he may have tried his luck with her.

Rebecca shook it briefly before continuing.

"Pleasure. My name is Rebecca, and you've already met my dumb brother."

"Come on now, Becca. I'm right here!"

Bernie responded.

"And why is that?"

The venom from Rebecca's words suggested that they would talk later. Bernie awkwardly got up from his seat, stepping over to bid farewell to Clove.

"Hang in there, Clovey. You're all right, mate."

Bernie said, patting Clove's back. He then walked away, silently exiting the establishment.

"Isn't this a party?"

Rebecca said, addressing the whole tavern, which cued the drummer to smack his sticks setting the tempo. The music and dancing resumed.

Rebecca then ushered Clove over to another table, as a couple of men began cleaning the broken one.

"So what did Bernie tell ya, if anything at all?"

She asked with a smirk

Clove repeated how he knew they were in Lord's Land, and he figured out on his own that everyone here had died and been brought back with systems. He also mentioned the Sprites.

Rebecca nodded her head as she leaned back in her chair, releasing a deep sigh.

"Well. Yes, we all have passed away, in one way or another. We're honestly unsure of why, or how, we were reborn. And yet, here we are!"

She said as she emphasized her words by raising her hands up.

"This is a dangerous place. If you haven't figured it out already, your system is your life line. There are Monsters outside of this valley that will try to kill you, most will succeed if you're not careful."

Clove pondered this for a moment.

"When you say monsters..."

"I mean freaks of nature, the likes of which you've never seen."

Rebecca had clarified, giving a serious look towards Clove.

Martin had come by and set down a plate of steaming vegetables, and a juicy steak.

"Oh wow, this looks great, thank you! But I haven't ordered anything..."

Clove sometimes hated how polite he was.

"I always treat New Arrivals to a nice meal, on the house. Enjoy it!"

Martin stood there watching Clove, not satisfied until he took the first bite.

Clove wiped the drool from his chin, attempting to hide his embarrassment, he dug right in. The steak was perfectly seasoned, yet he found the willpower to slow down as he noticed Rebecca's smirk, and Martin's beaming smile.

"Is it good? Did I put too much pepper?"

Martin said as he smiled towards Clove.

Clove allowed the steak to melt in his mouth a moment before he shoveled it to one side so he could speak.

"It's absolutely fantastic. Thank you, so much."

An accomplished Martin gave a thumbs up and a smile before walking away.

Rebecca continued to smirk at Clove, when she brushed her hair passed her shoulders before continuing.

"So, what is the name of your system?"

Clove then contemplated trusting her for a moment. 'Maybe she would be like

[WARNING: YOU MAY BE ATTACKED IF YOU REVEAL THIS SYSTEM]

As Rebecca asked, Clove stopped chewing immediately, and swallowed hard as he read the message. This caused a piece of food to get lodged in his throat before a cough saved him.

He then thought of another way to continue the conversation, and recieved no warning this time.

"Sorry about that...May I ask you a question, first?"

Rebecca pursed her lips, then softened them with a nod.

"What is so important about my system having a name? Bernie had asked a couple times as well. I'm going to be honest with you. My system is warning me not to tell anyone what it is."

Rebecca's interest had piqued.

"Ah. So you've got one of those, aye?"

She leaned to the side of her chair as she adjusted her legs.

"I'll give you a bit of advice. Take the time to learn about other systems and figure out which one is the most like yours, and then convince people that that is the system you have. This place, beautiful as it is, has been tainted by our presence. The amount of power that a single person can gain here is beyond superhuman. Hell, you witnessed Bernie cleave that table in two, and he's very much mid-tier... The people at the top are not going to waste their time on small fry like yourself. Yet, if you have an exiled system, it won't be long before you start stepping on some pretty big toes, if ya catch my meaning."

Rebecca finished.

"And what system should i say is most like mine?"

Clove asked.

Rebecca smirked as his interest confirmed her suspicion.

"Don't worry about that for now, go ahead and enjoy your meal. Tomorrow, you'll have a skills test, and then the town's leadership will give you a job selection. This will be a list of duties for you to choose from. After you've selected a job, a permanent residence will be supplied to you... I'll also add that it is well within your right to ignore the suggestions given, and simply decline a job. Although doing this will make you fend for yourself..."

As she turned her head towards the bar, he noticed a deep scar, lining the edge of her jaw. It looked as if she had been in a fire, yet the scar was too symmetrical and focused in a small area...He made note not to stare as he looked away.

"Am I choosing to enter indentured servitude, here? Or may I go as I please?"

Rebecca chuckled a moment

"No, you won't be forced to stay if you choose a job in Laywater. You still have free will, just keep in mind that this town is dependent on it's residents. Being planted between two countries isn't exactly prosperous. We aren't large enough to sway favor of either province, nor are we strong enough to defend against them."

Rebecca took a slow drink from a mug that Martin had brought over while she was talking.

"Well, what else is there? I understand the two countries, as well as Laywater's position, but is there only the two provinces?"

Rebecca chuckled once again.

"Well, No, of course not... The province to the North is Valencia. They have been in and out war with the province to the South, Rydal, countless times. Currently it's a time of 'peace'. I suppose it's only a matter of time before they begin going at it again."

Rebecca rested with her arms crossed, drink rested against her arm.

"What do they fight about?"

Clove asked.

Clove was never interested in politics, especially politicians. He always had figured 'if I'm still able to wake up and live unhindered tomorrow, then i don't care who is in what office.'

Though just before he had died, Clove was beginning to take interest in the current presidential election. The two candidates were having a war of the wits on social media. He followed the feud religiously, checking their status updates as often as he could. All so he could laugh at the two fools fighting for the crown.

"At times, it is to recruit new arrivals. Governments need a population to thrive... at other times, they are fighting over Lord's Land. So that one of them could have control of the area where new arrivals popped up."

Rebecca said as she rubbed her eyes. Sleep had not left them yet.

"Hang on, do people only show up in this one valley? On the whole planet? That seems a little odd."

Clove said, leaning forward now.

"We don't know, for sure. Only the six provinces have been founded thus far. We have an Explorer's Guild that ventures out seeking new lands, but they ran into a hic-up about 20 years back."

Rebecca finished.

"What? Did the world end at the wall of ice that surrounds it?"

Clove said with a laugh.

Rebecca returned a smile.

"No, no wall of ice, or endless void. They ran into beasts and monsters that were far more powerful than anything we've faced. A lot of people died back then. The Explorer's Guild had teamed up with the other factions and went on regular expeditions, only to come back with most of their forces lost. It took them a while to realize that it wasn't going to work."

"Well, what do they do now? The Explorer's Guild, I mean?"

Clove asked. He had always been one that was up for the next adventure. He didn't like staying one place too long, old habits.

"They continue trying to find a way passed the monsters, but nothing works... every once in a while we will hear word of a party getting a couple miles passed the previous point, but then they get into trouble... So, most of the provinces are pushing for people to cultivate their skills, level up, so that we can all expand... territory is always the goal in the end. Sure, we need people, but they're not coming here fast enough..."

Rebecca hung on her own words as she became lost in thought.

Clove had noticed this and decided to change the subject.

"So what are the exiled systems, exactly? Are there systems that force people to leave the provinces?"

Rebecca came back to the conversation with ease.

"I've heard of it happening once or twice, but it's usually only when someone is causing trouble. Besides, 'Exiled' is a bit of a misnomer, in my mind. All an exiled system is, is one that is usually sought after by one of the provinces, due to the abilities they give their users."

Clove had finished his meal while Rebecca finished speaking. Rebecca then continued, seeing as Clove had decided to finish off his beverage.

"You'll learn more after tomorrow. For now, let's just get you off to bed. You should get plenty of rest before tomorrow, the tests won't be exactly easy."

Clove had set his empty cup down and stood after Rebecca had. He thanked Martin for his hospitality, and followed Rebecca up the stairs.

The upper floor had been larger than Clove was anticipating. He figured the rooms would be small seeing as this was more for traveler's use. He and Rebecca had stepped through a door and he could see a small room with a full sized bed. Almost everything appeared to be handmade, he admired the simplicity the room invited. Clove stepped in as Rebecca remained in the hall.

"Have a good rest. I'll be by in the morning to wake you, the first sleep is always the hardest to wake from, you've been through a lot."

Clove gave her a smirk

"It helps to know you all have delt this yourselves, so I should be alright."

They exchanged farewells as Clove closed the door. He moved to the bed, stripping his clothes on the way over. He drifted off to fantastic dreams, the moment he crawled beneath the sheets.

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