Julie was surprised how easy it had been to settle into this new life. Sure it had taken a day or two for her to land on her hooves, but she was able to quickly find a job once she did. Her employer hadn't even batted an eye at her curling horns despite her finding no evidence there was anyone in this world that looked even remotely like her species. 

That was actually one of the oldest mysteries of this place for the young jeweler. In her own world, her people specifically avoided certain kingdoms because of the discrimination towards those who looked different. So the concept of the unfamiliar being so easily accepted felt so foreign to her. Yet, there it was, none of the fearful glances she had become used to when traveling too close to ‘pure’ towns in her world.

Instead, she was trusted to handle all the precious gems and metals she could ever desire. Trusted she wouldn't steal them and disappear into the night. Trusted not to curse or corrupt the jewelry she created. She was judged solely on her skills and talents.

It felt amazing to be trusted by people who weren't of the same species as her. To be just treated like any other person.

***

Zachary saw the stares. It was hard to ignore at times… The looks of jealousy from those who worked alongside him. What could he say? It was a gift.

Any plant he tended to grew faster, fuller for him. The barren gord plants suddenly had the largest ever seen on their vines within a day. He pruned the fruit grove and the next day, there was twice as much to harvest with the produce being three times as juicy.

All he did was treat the plants with great care and kindness. Just like his Mama had always taught him. He could still hear her voice in his head. “Now, Child… Not everyone's kind. I'm not gonna lie to you about that. But basic rule of the world is what you put in is what you'll get out… If you make the effort to put kindness into the universe, the world will return it to you in its own ways.”

Even after being summoned to this unfamiliar world, he'd continued to follow that advice. Zach did his best to be kind to every living creature he came in contact with. And, just as his Mama had promised, the universe rewarded him for it. He quickly got a fulfilling job where even his coworker's jealousy didn't negatively affect how they treated him. 

***

Oliver had always had a mind for money and numbers. Which was why, after some calculations, he decided to travel further from where they had been summoned than the others. The increase in population would mean less jobs available and more coin being passed around, which in turn translated to the reasoning that his skills and money would have more value somewhere else.

What he hadn't accounted for was being scammed, not once but twice, on his journey. Thankfully he still had a little money after paying for such experiences. He could live comfortably enough with even a single silver if he made sure to use it wisely.

Buying a small cottage would be more cost efficient in the long term, but he'd have to settle for renting a tavern room until he had more financial cushioning. Only the most basics for his food budget as well. The lion share of his budget he put towards investing in businesses he saw real potential in.

And of course, he wasn't going to just leave those investments to chance. He only gave money to entrepreneurs that were willing to allow him to assist and advise them on how to be more profitable. 

The return was still only mere coppers for the moment, but Oliver was sure it would continue to grow exponentially in the future.

***

Nick stood sweating in the noon sun. His whole body ached but he knew he had more to give if he just pushed past the pain. He could do this, had to be able to do this… He was a hero now and that meant not messing up because he wasn't prepared enough.

Some of his fellow summoned had decided to take things easier, but it wasn't in his nature to do the same. There must have been a reason the summoning spell had chosen him and that meant this world was relying on him to save them. He absolutely could not let them down.

He picked back up his sword. Twenty - no, forty - more swings to build up the muscles and then he’d take a break. He should at least be able to endure that much if he planned to fight the mysterious upcoming disaster.

“What's a handsome man like you doing wasting time out here during the hottest time of the day? You should come join me for lunch instead… The kitchen just got a fresh batch of fruits that I hear are riper than any they've ever seen. Today's meal is sure to be even more opulent than yesterday.” 

Nick looked over to the lavishly dressed woman leaning against a pillar in the shade. She was one of the people that seemed to have agreed to help out only due to the benefits. The title she held was Priestess, but he personally had some other choice titles he thought better fit her personality. 

Some people just couldn't understand doing things solely for the greater good.

***

Merfyn had stayed up all of the night before working on refilling the shop's stock. Not that he wasn't entirely used to it. Being tired and feeling two wrong steps away from a grave was second nature to him. It wasn't like he cared about getting beauty sleep, since there'd never been anyone who he'd wanted to look attractive for before.

So with inky pools of sleepiness below his eyes, he opened the apothecary he worked at. Despite the constant sour expression caused by his genes, helping said customers was one of his greatest joys in life. Being the cause behind a person's miserable day becoming better always made him feel giddy and his gills to puff in pride slightly.

He listened to each person that came in carefully and recommended them the best herb or potion to solve whatever they were wanting. Merfyn made sure to note which he would need to make or reorder more of soon, so there was little risk of the shop running out when it was needed. Enhancement potions in particular seemed to have been gradually becoming more popular in the time he'd started working. Even the owner had made comments noting so. Though Merfyn figured it made sense with the kingdom preparing for a great evil to descend on them in the near future.

He heard the bell of the door ring and turned to see someone he recognized. If he was physically capable of smiling, he would have.

“Afternoon, Mister Merfyn. Do you have any deliveries for me today?”

***

Clyde had been the youngest to be summoned from what she could tell. If nothing else, she was certainly the smallest. A few other of those summoned had noticed and independently started helping her out when they saw her around. 

One helped her get set up in a nice inn with a motherly innkeeper that promised to watch out for her. It wasn't uncommon that one summoned or another would invite her to join them for a meal to make sure she was eating properly. And then there was her job.

Knowing her summoned title, those who got jobs in shops would pay her some coins to make deliveries for the shop. A mutually beneficial arrangement for the shops as offering deliveries made those places more popular with shoppers who didn't want to worry about getting all their items home while shopping.

And those summoned that didn't get store based jobs? Those that recognized her would stop her on the street sometimes to deliver letters and such.

Clyde took all the jobs but she definitely secretly had her favorites. And even of those, there were two that stood out in her mind as almost parental figures. Not that she'd ever admit it to either of them.

She didn't need to weigh anyone down with that responsibility or tie herself to anything by way of a pseudo family unit.

***

Arthur brushed down the mare. He had been extremely lucky to get a job as a coach driver with a guild that facilitated travel between cities in the kingdom. He got paid to travel around and meet such a wide variety of people.

There were brief moments where he considered what he might be giving up by not living a life of settling down in a singular place, but he knew he was made for a life on the road. He would grow too restless staying in one place.

If he had to pick a favorite place to find himself in, though, it would probably be the main city where many of the other summoned seemed to have settled. He came to love getting a job that brought him back to it and getting to see the few familiar faces he ran into.

“Are you going to be leaving again soon?” The young lady asked as she walked towards him.

“Yes, Clyde. But I'll likely get another job coming this direction again before you know it. You'll have more recommendations for places to eat by then, right?”

She nods her head. “Before I forget, these potions are the ones the apothecary recommends for needing to stay alert during long bouts of travel.” The youth held out some vials. “I told him I'd bring back the ones you don't want to buy.”

“Thank you… One of these trips I'll find the time to stop by the shop myself to buy them in person.”

Clyde grinned widely. “Make sure you do. One of these days, I'll have too many customers to keep doing these errands for you.”