It was at about that time that Caius realized something. He knew how to speak a language he had never heard before. He hadn't noticed because he had been speaking and thinking in English the entire time, like back home.

  With a slight effort, he could call up new words for things and new grammar to use them in. A very strange sensation. Then again he didn't remember where he had picked up most of his home language either.

  Caius filed that under "surprising but useful things to question later." That list was rather long and getting longer all the time. He decided to speak first and tried to make sure his approachable smile was on straight. "Farrads! Could you tell me where we are? I'm lost."

  The armored figure raised a round shield slightly in salute but did not speak. Instead they stepped aside to reveal a man in traveling clothes. Caius noticed the two were carrying something bulky attached to a pole over their shoulders, like he assumed the men back at the camp had been doing.

  "Farrads to you. You out here all alone?" asked the unarmored man. His companion was scanning the treeline, possibly checking to make sure Caius didn't have friends sneaking up on them. Understandable caution on their part.

  "Yes, just me." Caius wanted to ask a similar question, but that seemed like exactly the kind of question a bandit would ask. Besides, he would find out soon enough. For the moment he had few options other than to extend some trust.

  Caius walked over towards the men, trying to look as non-threatening as possible. "My name is Caius."

  "Marcus, and this here is Idunnir." Marcus tilted his head at his armored companion as he gave their name. From the way he was turned towards Idunnir, Caius thought he was waiting for some kind of signal.

  Hopefully it would be an all clear signal instead of an attack.

  When Caius was about a dozen paces away, Idunnir lowered his shield and gave Marcus a little nod. Obviously a good sign, since their body language relaxed visibly. It was a bit hard to tell what Idunnir was feeling as the two exchanged a few words.

  Eventually, Marcus offered "We're headed towards Threpin Village. Feel free to share the road. Though our pot's lidded."

  Caius was more than a little surprised that he actually understood the idiom. Apparently his grasp of the language extended beyond just knowing what words meant. A polite way of saying "no handouts" was a bad but accurate translation.

  Thinking quickly, Caius tried to guess why Marcus would make a point of that. Caius looked like many things, but starving wasn't one of them. It didn't mean they needed some more supplies, in that case you would say something like "we need to split the pot."

  Before the silence stretched too long, he made sure to ask "How far to Threpin Village?" Apparently they could be there in three days, weather permitting. Judging his own supplies, Caius had more than enough if he actually rationed his meals. He had enough to share some.

  Trying to be disarming, Caius patted his generous belly fat and let out a chuckle. "My pot's open, and it would be good to have some company." The chuckle was fake, but Caius was very good at feigning laughter.

  Idunnir gave Marcus another one of those little nods after Caius spoke, and suddenly Marcus was all smiles. "Glad to meet you, then. Sun's moving and so should we!"

  At that the two hefted their burden and set off again, Caius walking alongside. They had accepted his presence far too easily. Maybe Idunnir was good at reading people?

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  To Caius' great relief, there wasn't much chatter as they walked. Marcus was in good shape, but not good enough to chat and walk at the same time while carrying a load. Meanwhile, Idunnir walked effortlessly despite taking most of the weight.

  It took Caius an embarrassingly long time to notice the difference in how he and his fellow travelers were dressed. Marcus specifically. The older man was bundled up in several layers and holding his cloak close around him, and his feet were protected with fur-lined boots.

  Meanwhile, Caius was dressed more for spring. And yet he was closer to overheating than freezing. Which gave him enough pieces to finally put the puzzle together. Everything strange about the snow and water would be explained if there was something different about his body temperature.

  Not that it made any sense, based on what little he remembered of biology. Most of what he knew about thermoregulation he had picked up by watching videos where a biologist commented on fictional animals and their ecology.

  Caius wasn't moving nearly enough to produce this amount of heat, he wasn't shivering to generate it and he wasn't big enough for the square cube law to help. Still, if he had been transported to another world that wasn't the strangest thing about his new existence.

  While he could barely read people on a good day, he had some help in this case. With most of Marcus' head wrapped in a hood, the man had to crane his neck to glance at Caius' feet. Which Marcus did, several times.

  Doing his best to think of the situation from an outside perspective, it did look odd. Supernatural, even.

  A strange man appears, dressed incorrectly for the season but unaffected by the cold? Seemingly not disturbing the ground where he walked? If they believed in ghosts here, that would be one explanation. But how to reduce such fears...

  Fortunately, an opportunity presented itself when they all took a break under the shelter of a massive tree near the road. In a surprisingly tender move, Idunnir took off his cloak and draped it over a branch for Marcus to use as a windbreak. The action was wordless and completely unprompted.

  It also let Caius get a better look at the armor and helmet the silent man was wearing. Leather armor, probably boiled for greater protection. Helmet looked like some ancient designs Caius had seen, with a large nose guard. Somewhat interestingly, the helmet was made of metal. Also Idunnir had a sword.

  Based on how few metal objects Caius had seen so far, and what he knew of ancient history, that didn't make too much sense. Metal had to be expensive. And what were these two doing out in this weather, in a forest that was provably dangerous even to parties of armed men?

  Oh right, he could just ask.

  "So what puts your feet on the road in this weather?"

  Marcus gave him a wry smile. "Trade. We do well enough."

  Caius thought that over. If the winter was this tough, people would probably spend most of their time indoors. Someone who could deal with the many, many dangers of traveling in this weather could probably find significant opportunity.

  "Certainly, whoever you deal with has few choices this time of year. Sounds like a clever but dangerous way to make a living. But what do people have to sell in the middle of winter?"

  Asking people about themselves was always an effective way to start a conversation. It seemed to work on Marcus, the man perked right up.

  "Just before the freeze hits is a good time to collect several kinds of herbs and such around here. Many people gather them, dry them over the winter, and trade them in the spring." The merchant waited for Caius to respond.

  When in doubt, compliment someone. And it was a clever scheme.

  "You come around offering things they can use now. In exchange, you take the things they can only use in the spring. I imagine you also know who wants to buy herbs this time of year?" After getting nod, Caius continued. "So everyone wins. But you win twice."

  Marcus beamed. "That's a pretty way to say it! I'll keep it in mind."

  Caius dimly recalled something about merchants being seen as leeches in agricultural societies? Or that might have been in a novel he'd read. He did read many novels. Regardless, Marcus seemed to enjoy the approval Caius showed.

  Right when Marcus had recovered enough to move on, Idunnir stepped over to collect his cloak and set off again. Odd, since the armored man had been scanning for threats and not keeping an eye on his companion. The two must have been working together for a very long time, to cooperate so seamlessly. Father and son, perhaps?

  Caius slid in one more question before they all set off once more. "Some people or even beasts might get desperate this time of year. You ever have trouble?"

  "Oh, we do have trouble now and then. Both kinds. But Idun is the most dangerous thing in this forest."

  The shortening of Idunnir's name was probably a pet name, and Caius could imagine there being a subtle threat in Marcus' words. But aside from that, the two seemed like a safe bet to travel with.

  Later that afternoon, Caius found out exactly why Marcus was so unconcerned about potential threats.