"What it sounds like. Like one of Ragnarosa's rampages, but everywhere."

"Was it 'cause of Fates fighting?"

He shrugs. "Not a historian. This was some forty thousand years ago. It could have been."

"—ah. Okay. I'm kinda generally curious, now, about literally everything, and I'll wanna figure out what the heck the everything here."

He gestures at the room around them. "I have a library. It could be a good starting point. I'm headed to Windvale, it's a big intercontinental trade hub, ships to just about everywhere from there."

"I don't really know what 'everywhere' is, here," he points out. "Any place is as good as any other, modulo having access to information. I'd probably eventually want to come back to where you found me, though. My world would love some more magic, I'll bet."

"...I suggest this because I may or may not have been accused of paranoia in the past, but if I were you I would make absolutely sure I can return home before exploring around here."

"Erm, fair, I guess. Is this place not visited very often?"

"It's the edge, and it's new land. Last decade or so. Not particularly inhabited yet, but I wouldn't bet on nobody ever coming by. Why do you ask?"

"I'm just not sure what the paranoia would be about, in this case?"

"You're from a different world, and I've never heard of cross-world magic before, do you know if you can go back?"

"Oh. I—expect so? But I mean, if I can't go back, then figuring that out now rather than later doesn't change a lot. Except how hard I should look for ways to come back, I suppose."

"Our minds work in different ways. I don't usually take passengers, they tend to be irritating, but it sounds like you need a native guide for at least a little while."

"I could get off your hair if you'd rather. I haven't shown off yet, have I." He's across the room from Nils now, then back. "I can run really fast, if you'd rather dump me I could probably find civilisation on my own after enough time."

"If you start being annoying instead of interesting and potentially profitable then I'll ask that. For now I have no objection."

"I do try my best to be interesting." Pause. "So, would your security system be able to get me, given my speed?"

"...Probably but not with absolute certainty. Never tested it against something quite like you, it's handled things moving fast enough to make thundercracks, and things with more force behind them than an adult going that fast. The combination might be different but I don't think so. And I'm confident enough of my threat assessment algorithms to think you can't easily sneak around them without first learning exactly how they work."

"Fair enough. But this does make me really curious about your magic system—I presume your system's magical?—and I should probably come up with a sensible order in which to ask questions."

"Yes, it's magical. Mostly. You can work on that while we discuss fare - you can run to Windvale yourself but if you're going to stick around and ask questions I want some biological products."

"Just name 'em."

He... Fetches blueprints. "Been planning an extension. More rooms added to the back, extend cargo bay, knock out some walls here add a few more there, two new engine spars. Mostly wood construction because it channels enchantments well. Having the materials in the right size already will save weeks and tens or hundreds of thousands of Kava."

"I should probably figure out the economics of this place to make sure you aren't cheating me."

"Oh, I'll pay you too, this is more than a trip and a few hours of advice's worth."

"I was mostly joking, I can generate endless biological matter of practically infinite variety, the only thing I'm really selling here is my time and attention plus there's the opportunity cost but let's be real I wouldn't be doing anything more valuable with my time otherwise."

"You probably don't have magical currency where you're from. Kavased are a magically counted fiat currency issued by the Empire of Kava, closely regulated. The creation of them is a viciously guarded secret that has stayed that for over eight centuries, so they're good in a the vast majority of the known world by now. Fifteen Kavased buys a good meal in a restaurant for a human."