The Gate Traveler

We crossed the Gate to Earth. With Rue’s new size, I was thrilled I didn’t have to carry him through the Gate. On Earth's side, it was raining cats and dogs like my mom used to say, and we were soaked through in seconds. I wasn’t cold, just wet. I wondered if it was because of my higher stats, but decided it didn’t matter.

I activated my ability to glamor myself and then Rue. Luckily, my mana reserves had increased significantly because that alone cost me 800 mana. After that, I conjured a new passport for myself and documents for Rue. Another 400 mana was gone. Recalling the world information from the Traveler, I looked at my passport, which now showed a young man with brown hair and eyes resembling me but different. The problem was the name still read John Rue.

I asked Lis, “I conjured a new ID, but my name didn’t change. What am I doing wrong?” I frowned, staring at the unchanged name on my passport.

Lis looked up from his passport and explained, “You need to change your name in your Personal Information; the new name will appear on the documents. Sorry, I forgot to tell you.”

“Remember when you told me to stop thanking you? Stop apologizing. If I don’t ask something, it’s my fault, not yours.” I waved off his apology with a grin.

He nodded, smiling slightly. “Okay.”

I opened my Personal Information and thought of a name. I preferred to remain John, avoiding the need to adjust to a new name, but I wanted a different last name. Smith was the only name that came to mind, but I felt embarrassed by its banality. Finally, I had an idea: In high school, some bullies cornered me, and one of them grabbed me. I pushed him with all my strength, and he flew a few feet and hit a dumpster. After that, they started calling me The Psycho. Some cheerleaders thought they were cute and nicknamed me John the Ripper. In defiance and as a private joke, I changed the name on my profile to John Ripper and conjured a new passport with the name. At least it only cost 100 mana.

I looked at Rue, who appeared unchanged. It was odd since I paid the mana. Again, I asked Lis, “Why does Rue look the same? I paid the mana for his glamour.” I gestured towards Rue, who sat obediently beside me.

Lis glanced at Rue, then back at me. “He is part Traveler now, and your familiar. Travelers can always see the true form of another Traveler. Did my eyes look glowing green or dull brown when you met me?”

“Glowing green,” I replied, recalling our first encounter.

“My eyes are always glamoured on tech or low mana worlds to look brown; you simply see through the glamour.” He tapped the side of his head, indicating the magical perception.

“How do I see his glamoured form?” I squinted at Rue, trying to figure it out.

“Unfocus your eyes with the intention of seeing the glamour,” Lis instructed, his tone patient.

It took a few tries, but I got it. Rue looked like an extra-large Saint Bernard. I worried he’d look like a Great Dane, and his fur wouldn’t match the glamour.

I asked Lis, “How come his size is the same?” I tilted my head, still puzzled by the unchanged dimensions.

“Glamour changes appearance, not physical dimensions; you still occupy the same space. It is not a physical change but a magical illusion.” Lis explained, his hands mimicking the idea of overlaying one form onto another.

Yeah, that made sense. It wasn’t a shifting spell but a “look different” spell.

“I hope I can find a pawn shop in Baden-Baden. I didn’t save any Earth money since I didn’t think I was coming back,” I said, glancing at the nearby town on the Map.

“Don’t worry,” Lis said, waving off my concern. “I have local money.”

“Why?”

“Low mana worlds usually have very few Gates. I wanted a nice brief vacation after my ordeal, not to be stuck there for months going from Gate to Gate looking for an interesting world. I planned to come back here and look for a Gate. There are a lot of them here and ways to travel fast. It made more sense.” Lis laughed, shaking his head. “Maybe our combined Luck made me forget.”

I chuckled, nodding in agreement. “Maybe.”

I took out my backpack and strapped it on to look like a hiker. Lis saw it, said, “Good idea,” and copied me.

We walked fast to escape the rain, not talking for a while. Our boots made squelching sounds with each step on the muddy trail. There were puddles all along the path, reflecting the gray sky above and splashing water on my wet pants every time I stepped wrong. It rained nonstop, turning the fallen leaves into a slippery mat. The air smelled like wet earth and dead leaves.

I was in my head, checking if I reacted badly to returning to Earth. But so far, I was fine. I knew I’d healed a lot in Shimoor and let go of a lot of nasty shit, but sometimes things get re-ignited. But no, I was fine. I didn’t feel like I was coming home or returning. It was just another world to travel.

On the outskirts of Baden-Baden, a police cruiser stopped beside us, and a cop approached. The rain was still coming down hard, making the entire scene tense.

I told Lis quietly, “Let me handle it.” He nodded, stepped back slightly, and gave me space to interact with the officer.

The police officer said, “Guten Tag, die Herren.” He glanced at Rue, who sat beside me.

“Hello, officer. I’m sorry, but we don’t speak German,” I replied, trying to sound as polite as possible.

“Hello, gentlemen. You must put your dog on a leash. You cannot walk with a free dog in the town,” the officer pointed at Rue.

“I’m sorry. We were camping, and the rain started. So we packed quickly and left, but somehow, in our haste, we lost the leash. I promise we’ll buy one in town, but we must get out of the rain; we’re freezing,” I said, shivering slightly to emphasize our situation.

“November is not a good time for camping,” the officer remarked, raising an eyebrow at our poor planning.

“Yes, we found that out,” I responded with a rueful smile, hoping to convey our genuine mistake.

Nodding, he returned to the cruiser and drove off. That was nice of him.

There was snow the last time I crossed the Gate, so it was winter. It had been about a month and a half in “Shimoor time,” but it looked like at least six months had passed on Earth. Having been in Shimoor for about fifteen or sixteen months, I wished to know the date but hesitated to ask the officer.

When we got to town, I led Lis to the Holiday Inn Express, where I stayed last time. We got a double room, and they were okay with Rue. I gave them a mental thumbs up. I saw some newspapers on a lobby table and checked the date: November 7th, 2026. Four years had passed on Earth since I left. I knew it would happen, but it was still jarring.

In our room, after drying Rue and showering, I asked Lis, “Did you learn any other Earth language?” I tossed the towel aside and took out a shirt.

Lis, sitting on the bed and flipping through a guidebook, replied, “No, only English. There was no need.” He shrugged, looking up from the pages.

“I think we should go to the UK,” I suggested, putting on my shirt.

“Not America? It is bigger, and they speak English too, correct?” Lis asked, tilting his head and raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, it’s also my home country, but they know about the Gates,” I explained, sitting on the edge of the bed to put on my shoes.

“How?” Lis closed the guidebook and leaned forward, looking worried.

“I have no idea, but out of eleven Gates, eight were on army bases, so I don’t want to take a chance,” I said, shaking my head as I tied my laces.

“Yes, I agree,” Lis nodded, his expression serious.

“I’ll get you the engineering books.”

“Thank you,” Lis said, a grateful smile spreading across his face.

I moved one bed and started summoning my bookcases one by one, pulling all the relevant books I could find:

• Mechanical Engineering (4 books)
• Automobile Engineering (3 books)
• Chemical Engineering
• Aerospace Engineering
• Computer Engineering (3 books)
• Industrial Engineering
• Chemistry
• Mathematics (5 books)
• Physics (3 books)
• Engineering Drawing (7! Books)
• Thermodynamics
• Solid Mechanics (3 books)
• Power Engineering
• Transportation Engineering
• Materials Engineering
• Structural Engineering (5 books)
• Drafting
• Electronic Engineering (2 books)
• Optical Engineering
• Manufacturing Engineering
• Machine Drawing
• Fluid Mechanics (3 books)
• Manufacturing Technology
• Sketching
• Kinematics of Machinery
• Mechanical Measurements (2 books)
• Heat and Mass Transfer
• Linear Algebra and Ordinary Differential Equations
• Introduction to Electrical and Electronic Circuits
• Data Structures and Algorithms
• Modern Physics (5 books)
• Abstractions and Paradigms in Programming
• Engineering Graphics and Drawing
• Automata Theory and Logic (2 books)
• Artificial Intelligence
• Computer Architecture (3 books)
• Computer Networks
• Engineering Schematics
• Control Systems Engineering (4 books)
• Environmental Engineering
• Geotechnical Engineering
• Hydraulic Engineering
• Biomechanical Engineering (3 books)
• Marine Engineering
• Nuclear Engineering (3 books)
• Petroleum Engineering
• Software Engineering
• Textile Engineering
• Robotics (3 books)
• Nanotechnology (2 books)
• Mechatronics
• Applied Mechanics (5 books)

I emptied the third bookcase of relevant subjects, and Lis looked dazed. He stared at the pile of books on the bed with excitement and fear. I stopped, even though I had seven more bookcases and many book crates.

I patted him on the back. “Have fun.”

He looked at me wide-eyed, gulped audibly, shook his head, and stored all the books. Poor guy had no idea what awaited him. I had a lot more books. Mwahahaha 😈.