Friends in a Foreign Land

Just after eight in the evening and the Texas heat still had everyone sweating, though the alcohol was probably contributing, too. Arden looked across his back yard watching everyone having fun. Hazel was roughhousing with Willow, trying to keep her self-proclaimed title as the toughest sister. Eric was standing with Ramiro, Liam, Wendell, and Miguel but not participating in the conversation, "Six years he's been around, and he still doesn't let himself fit in," Arden thought. Dakota had cornered Nolan and was speaking animatedly about who knows what. Behind them, Arden saw Willow's black lab/rottweiler mix, Arlo, playing with Hazel's blonde pitbull mix, Twix. It always cracked him up to watch the two of them play. Arlo was by far the faster of the two, but Twix had much better footing and could juke and jive so much that Arlo would literally fall over when trying to make the turns that she did. Regina, holding their grandson Ewan, sat on the patio, talking with Mira and Reyna. As he gazed across the yard, he finally found Alexis. She and Celeste are talking with Celeste and Miguel's daughter Deandra. Arden took a slow drink of his bourbon. This was what it was all about. Though only his daughters, Hazel, Alexis, Willow, and his grandson were blood-related, this group of people was his family. Some folks called it a chosen family or a found family. But Arden didn't need the modifier. They were family, period. And seeing them all here together, having a good time, meant the world to him.

"Would you kill for them?"

Arden was halfway through thinking "yes" when his breath caught. Where had that thought come from?

"Would you die for them?"

Confused, Arden looked up at the night sky and thought, "God, if that's you, well, you already know the answer to both of those questioned is yes."

Suddenly there was a bright flash of light in the sky, and Arden felt himself falling backward. He tucked his chin to his chest, expecting to hit the ground, but he never did. When Arden opened his eyes again, all he could see was blackness. As his vision adjusted, he could pick out faint stars surrounding him. Then he realized he couldn't feel or see his body. But he could still look around. And all he saw were stars.

"Did I die?" He wondered.

"No," a voice answered. It was the same voice as before, but it was no longer confined to his head. It surrounded him and vibrated off him and through him. That one syllable was more powerful than anything he'd ever felt before.

"You can hear my thoughts?"

"Yes"

Arden sighed, though he wasn't sure how exactly that worked since he was just a disembodied consciousness. "Listen, this is going to be a boring conversation if you stick with one-word responses. Care to explain what's going on?"

"We offer an opportunity. Would you and your friends be willing to come and help us? To fight for our cause?"

"Perhaps. Who are you? What would we be fighting against? And, what's in it for us?"

Suddenly Arden felt movement. The stars flashed past him like a hyperspace scene from Star Wars. It seemed to somehow last for days and only seconds simultaneously. Eventually, he soon found himself hovering above a planet. As it turned, Arden could see it was very earth-like, with large continents in the equatorial region and some large islands scattered across the ocean.

"Welcome to the world of Traum. Our world is similar to those in much of your fantasy literature. Different races of beings occupy these lands, and many have magical powers. The people here can see their growth spelled out in Levels and Skills; no guessing like there is in your world. People here have classes and trades that they learn and grow in. Many make it lifelong quests to reach as high of a level as possible in a certain skill or class. Others try to learn as many skills as possible in hopes of unlocking new or forgotten classes."

"That sounds pretty sweet. So what about your world is so broken you need my family to come to fix it?" Arden thought.

"The gods of Traum have arrangements with the gods of other worlds, and we regularly pull in souls from those worlds. The new perspectives help keep our civilizations evolving and progressing. If you make a bargain with us, we will bring you and your… family to Traum. We will give you skills commensurate with your experiences in your old world and help you gain more power as you help us. All we ask in exchange is that as you travel the world, you take steps to improve it. Help those in need, and bring joy to those who are sad. From our observations, these are things that you and your family would likely do anyway, so we think you'll be a good fit. Just do this while letting the people know that we care for them."

Arden absently stared at the planet rotating beneath him while lost in thought. "Out of nearly 8 billion people on Earth, why us? We're not experts in anything. We have no scholars in our group. None of us are truly "special." You could certainly find more qualified people."

"As I said, this is not a new thing for us. You are not the first people from Earth that we've contacted. In the past we have brought over some of your special forces, scientists, politicians, and religious leaders as well as truck drivers, police officers, and restroom attendants. Over the millennia, we've brought over many people from many worlds. And we've allowed many of our people to be taken to those worlds.

Let me ask something. Earlier I referred to them as your friends and you then called them your family. Why? Other than your daughters you have no blood kin in the group.”

“A while back I heard a term that I feel applies to us perfectly. They are my found family. It’s true they aren’t blood relatives nor did we all grow up together. But we function as a family. We help one another. We fight with one another. We celebrate our wins and morn our loses together. We know that no matter what, we’ll all be there for one another in times of need.”

“That is why we want you. Your family has a bond, a love for one another that is rare for a group of your size. You also are very well-rounded. Most groups of friends tend to have similar areas of expertise or interests, but not your group. You all cover nearly all walks of life. And yet all of you have a level of compassion that is rare in a large group. We believe you are the right group for this task. And, I must confess, that your family reminds us of a similar group that lived here a few centuries back that I and others were fond of."

"You were friends with mortals?"

"My siblings and I are far more active in mortal affairs than the gods of your world. But friends may be a bit too strong of a word. Perhaps favorite acquaintances would be a better way to put it."

"So what happened to this group you favored?"

"A warlord invaded their nation. Many were killed in the fighting. Their family managed to escape, though.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I suppose you had reasons for not intervening and saving them?"

"There are strict laws on when and how my siblings and I are allowed to help mortals. Our father put these laws in place after we all got too involved in a war, choosing sides and so forth. It lead to much destruction and to a new set of rules we must obey."

"Earlier, you mentioned fighting for you. A few moments ago, you mentioned we were the right group for a task. What, specifically, would you have us do?"

"Remind the people that the gods love them. Show people love and compassion and help us to right the wrongs we gods have done. Help the world to find its joy once more. There will be plenty of fights, don't get me wrong, but fighting is not the focus. My siblings and I have made mistakes, and many have lost hope. Many feel abandoned by us. We want you to be our voice in this world. This will take time. Do not expect to walk into a town and fix everything in a day or two. This is no television drama or anime. Expect to spend years traveling around and doing good. You will need to grow strong and while we will give you boons to help with that, you’ll still need to do the work."

"So what? We're to just go around knocking on doors and asking people if they have a moment to speak about our Lord and Savior?"

"No, knocking on doors does not seem effective in your world or ours. We will be placing you all at strategic points in the world. One group will be sent to the humans, one to the dwarves, and one to the elves. In each case, your goal is to help all the cities and towns you pass through. Remind them that life doesn't have to be monotony. Remind them that my brothers and sisters exist and that we do care for them. Each party will receive some help from a few locals who have been told of your mission. They will help you get your start but will not stay with you."

Arden took a moment to think on the words this supposed god was saying before replying, "I've always wanted to change the world. But on my world, that takes money and power, and I've never had either. I can't imagine your world is much different. How will we make a living and provide for ourselves? I don't think my tech skills are going to be of much use here."

"Every person we bring in from another world is gifted with quite a bit of gold so that they can spend a few years learning about the general state of affairs and getting acclimated to being in a new world. You will be given the same, so money should not be an issue for quite some time. Power, however is earned. Spend your time wisely. Train diligently."

Grinning to himself, Arden thought, "This could be the adventure we've always wanted."

To the god, he said, "I'm intrigued. Let's negotiate."