《Tales of The Immortal Souls: Lexi》 Chapter 1 Lexi raised her arms over her head and stretched. She was sitting at her computer, the light coming from the screen lighting up her bedroom. She yawned and looked at her phone, 4.57AM. Her shift at the hotel starts in one hour. She lost track of time trying to complete a quest line. It''s not the first time she''s pulled an all nighter gaming. She hit enter and typed out a quick goodbye to her party members, teleported her character to the nearest town and logged off. She took a quick shower, and changed into her uniform. Grabbed an energy drink out of the fridge, grumbled to herself about forgetting to make any lunch to bring to work. She ran down the stairs of her apartment complex. 25 minutes left, will she be late? She hated being late, she tried her hardest to never be late. She jumped onto her moped and started the engine. Whizzing past the early morning traffic she smiled to herself just like many mornings before, she sure was glad she didn''t get a car. She didn''t need one anyway, her groceries were delivered, and she didn¡¯t enjoy shopping in person anyway. She made it to work with some time to spare, 4 minutes wasn''t much. Lexi parked in the employee parking lot section, got onto the elevator and made her way up, towards the clock-in machine. After the customary hellos were exchanged between her and a few other staff members she passed on her way. She took her cart, made sure it was fully stocked with the necessary cleaning supplies, extra clean towels, checked the work schedule she found that she has tomorrow and the day after off. She grinned to herself exhausted as she was Lexi took the elevator to the 8th floor. Today she is responsible for floors 8 to 6. She didn¡¯t mind her job as a cleaning lady. The hotel job fitted her well, she got to work alone and not be constantly bothered by chatty coworkers. She made her way room by room. Thinking about what she will do with her two days off, the time flew by fast. The work was reparative and she liked that. Around lunch she was called down to one of the conference rooms where her coworkers had been waiting to surprise her with a cake. Today Lexi turned 30, she forgot all about it since she tried her hardest not to think about aging in general. She stood in stunned silence looking at the scene of hotel staff. She knew her coworkers saw her as that quiet weirdo loner. She heard a few of them talk about her just a few days ago in the parking lot. Her coworkers were led by the manager and organized this surprise for her. Glen the manager wanted her to celebrate this milestone. He had a crush on her and they were guild mates. She didn''t know that though, he has kept it a secret. The cake was a caramel ice cream cake and her favorite flavor which made her confused but happy she hadn¡¯t had a cake for her birthday since her last birthday at the foster home when she turned 18. Glen gave her the rest of the day off, this was a tradition among the hotel staff apparently. She was tired and gladly left after thanking everyone for the surprise. She left before anyone could see her eyes fill with tears. She took the elevator to the basement parking level. Maybe these people weren¡¯t that bad, she thought. They celebrated her birthday after all. She has worked here for three years but this was the first time they did that. Something didn¡¯t add up for her, but she was too tired to think about it. The cake had given her some energy and she used it to drive back home. Once back in her apartment she collapsed into her bed and was out like the two candles on the cake 3 and 0. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. She woke to a dark apartment to the sound of her phone''s alarm. The label read ¡°Wed. MD¡±. The Wednesday midnight dungeon, her guild was going to try and take on the new dungeon they discovered that only spawns well on Wednesdays at midnight. She logged on and selected her character. TheALT. She found the name ironic since the elven assassin was her main and only character in this game. The game loaded and she found that GLane had told the entire guild it was her birthday. She had over 70 unread mail messages. She started going through them. Gifts of in-game skins, gold, VIP coupons, a couple of mounts and even a few tips on getting some skills that can only be gotten by completing some bizarre quests. As she read the messages, she replied to each one sending a thank you. By the time she had read half she was late to the dungeon and the entrance was closed. She frowned, last Wednesday she managed to get an amazing sword for her assassin. She was hoping to get a second one since her character was a dual weapon specialist and the swords had an extra feature if equipped as a pair. Well might as well read the rest of the PMs. Right after she finished the doorbell rang. She wasn''t expecting anyone. She went to the door and looked out the peephole. It was a fast food delivery guy. She told him that he was at the wrong place, she hadn¡¯t ordered anything. In response he told her that he had a birthday delivery for Lexi. She opened the door and took the food. When she asked who ordered it, the guy didn¡¯t know he just had a special instruction about the broken elevator and that this was a birthday delivery for Lexi. He even showed her the printed instructions on the receipt. She thanked him. And rushed away from him, the smell was intoxicating. Back at her computer she opened the food. Chicken wings. Her favorite kind too. Okay this was getting really weird, she couldn''t think of anyone who knew where she lived. Not her actual address, the city sure, many of her guildmates knew the city she was from and her work would know too. Her emergency concat was her foster dad, they would talk a few times a year, but she hadn''t told him her new address. She ate the wings with vigor. The screen flashed with a notification of a new PM from GLane. There was no message, just a few emojis: a heart, a cake and a chicken drumstick. She immediately relaxed, she seemed to recall giving GLane her address due to a bet and the loser had to buy the other a pizza. She wrote a thank you back and that she is loving the wings. Just as she hit send, she finished off the last wing. Full and content she went to throw out the trash, she knew that if she didn''t do it now she would start hoarding trash at her desk again and she¡¯s been so good about it lately. The bin in the kitchen was full, so she decided to take all the trash out. She made her way down the stairs savoring the hot feeling in her mouth. This birthday was actually pretty good. She was approaching the 3rd floor when the trash bag caught onto a disconnected part of the railing and ripped open. She stepped on the spilled trash and slipped. Her body hit the stairs first, her spine then her head. If the lights on this section of the stairs weren¡¯t already broken, Lexi''s vision would have gone dark and fuzzy. Instead she just felt dizzy. In the darkness she couldn¡¯t move, the pain was fading away fast and the dizziness turned to sleepiness. Her last thought before she slipped into unconsciousness was that she needed more sleep, now that she''s 30, all nighters might be a bad idea and she was glad she had the next two days off. Chapter 2 Lexi awoke and found herself on a natural rock floor with tall grey walls on both sides. A cave. It was the way she could see that was both amazing and incomprehensible. She saw all around herself in a dome. 360 degrees vision. Obscured only by the large red spheres that were around her. They seemed to be made of grass, she counted 9. No 10, she was one of them. Somehow, she knew she didn''t breathe well she didn¡¯t need to, and she couldn''t speak because she didn¡¯t have a mouth. She only needed to will herself to move, and she did. As she moved or more aptly trolled around, she counted more red spheres. 17, 18, 19. It seemed like inside this cave every wall was lit up as if by daylight. If it was a cave? A chasm or a ravine maybe she couldn''t tell. The interior was brighter than it should be. A weird dream she thought, but she''s had weirder. She recalled that one dream with the pizza circus. She chuckled at the image of the pizza man with a whip commanding a lion made of broccoli. She was about to complete a lap around the walls when she saw a massive boulder smash to the ground behind her. She didn''t feel the tremor but saw her vision tremble for a moment. The sound of the rock hitting the ground and shattering was missing. How strange a sound like that would echo and echo against walls like this. So, she was deaf. No matter, all will be fine, once she wakes up. She believed it was a dream after all. It didn''t have to make sense, she thought. Another large rock fell from atop the wall, it hit one of the other spheres, it didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by the impact. Another rock was flying right at Lexi. She rushed out of the way. There was a group of people at the edge on top of the wall and Lexi just watch as one of them held up his hand and a rock formed in front of him. He let the rock loose, he was aiming for her. Again. She moved, but not in time. The rock smashed into her and pushed her back. It didn¡¯t hurt. Not even a little. ¡°Prey has arrived. Hunt.¡± A monstrous commanding voice came from the group of red spheres, Lexi seemed to know exactly which one and she watch as the other spheres rose up. They were flying. Could she fly too? This was worth a try. She willed herself to rise and she did, it was second nature. This was awesome she thought, she has never flown in a dream before. She caught up with the others. They were already in battle with the three men. One was making rocks and launching them. The others had bows. If these men are regular sized then Lexi and the others are rather small, like tennis ball small. Their size it seemed was not a hindrance. The red orbs smashed into the men one after the other, the one that spoke words of command unleashed lightning bolts at the men. And Lexi finally realized what kind of dream this was. She was a monster, and this is a dungeon, and the commander is the boss. It was their job to defend against intruders. Well, when in Rome, she thought to herself. She waited for the right time aimed herself at a hand of one of the men with the bow and flew right into his knuckle. Disarming strike successful. The man dropped the bow. Lexi aimed herself at the other guy, he had switched from a bow to a dagger that was on fire. Cool, an enchanted weapon she thought. Better not get too close to it, not sure if magical fire is a danger to her, she aimed at his knee instead. He jumped back making her miss and hit the floor. She paused for a moment. If her only attack is to smash herself into the enemy maybe using her surroundings is a better idea. She looked at the scene of the fight by the cliffs edge. The guy with bullet making magic was close to the edge a well-aimed strike could send him off the edge and he may just die to fall damage. Good a plan as any, Lexi took the initiative and struck at the man¡¯s foot, she missed but she didn¡¯t need to hit him, just to make him take a step back and then a well-aimed strike to the stomach and that was just enough to make him lose his balance and plummet to the rocky ground below. Lexi fell with him. His impact made no sound. Lexi flew up above him. Blood oozed out from his broken leg; she could see bones sticking out. It was gorier than any movie she had seen. If he wasn¡¯t dead, he was dying. Before she could decide if she would rejoin the fight above, the other two men hit the ground not too far. The other orbs followed down. With no hesitation the boss orb flew past Lexi and smashed through the man''s face. Blood splattered after a little while the boss exited the man''s mangled head covered in his blood mixed with brain matter. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Consume and become.¡± the monstrous commanding voice spoke to her. It was looking at her. She could feel it. The orb repeated its command. ¡°No! I helped you win your battle but I¡¯m not bathing in the guy¡¯s brain juice.¡± She shouted, while no voice rang out. She hoped the boss orb would be able to hear her. Turns out he did. ¡°Diss-oh-bedience?¡± the voice spoke again, it sounded both surprised and confused. ¡°Consume the prey,¡± the voice spoke to all the orbs. They all did the same, smashed through the heads and each two at a time entered the heads and came out a while later. This is so gross. Lexi wanted to wake up now. She hoped that when she work up this dream would fade away and become one of those dreams you forget by the time you are done brushing your teeth. ¡°Follow¡±. The boss orb spoke and flew up and out of the ravine. The others followed leaving Lexi with the mangled corpses. She wasn''t sure what to do. She didn''t go because it commanded it, she just didn''t want to stay near the corpses. She floated up. Now that the battle was over she could see a network of cave tunnels interconnected to large open caverns and chasms. This place is massive. She found the other orbs with ease. To the right of her there was a trail of some kind of liquid on the ground to follow. So, she followed. They were all landing on the ground when she caught up with them. The few that were on the ground already were growing wet pink flesh until the orb was completely covered. The flesh oozed what seemed the same liquid that she followed it was darkening the ground underneath them. She watched as the mounds of flesh kept growing until finally growing as large as the men. Soon the flesh bits separated, forming arms and legs, eyes, mouths, and finally skin and hair. The boss orb now looked just like the man whose face he smashed up except he was named. He stood and was looking over the others. When then rest finished transforming there were two sets of 8 identical naked men examining themselves with a peculiar curiosity. ¡°Spread out. Find the gate seed and remove it.¡± The boss spoke and even though Lexi couldn''t hear the words, she knew what he had said, all the other naked men looked at him. What is a gate seed she wandered. Without a word one by one the men stood up, split up and ran off in different directions leaving only Lexi and the man that gave the order. Even he, began to walk away, Lexi followed him. She wasn''t sure why, he seemed to be in charge. Lucid dreaming was the only explanation she could come up with. She decided to follow him because nothing made sense and at least this guy had some kind of plan. He made his way back to the chasm. Then he jumped down, hitting the ground hard splattering like a bug against a windshield. She wishes she had hands to cover her eyes so she would have been able to see that. In hindsight she could have simply to flown down past the edge of the cliff. What kind of stupid boss monster if that? Lexi thought but soon he began to stand up, his wounds healed fast, and his bones moved back into place. Wow regeneration, that¡¯s so cool. He walked over to the corpse of the man whose face and body he now possessed and began getting dressed in the man¡¯s clothes. He gathered the belongings of the other two, sat down on the ground and began to hum. Unfortunately for Lexi she couldn¡¯t hear him. Chapter 3 ¡°So, what now, Mr. Dungeon Boss?¡± Lexi asked not knowing if she can be heard now that he wasn¡¯t an orb. The boss dude looked up at her. ¡°Now we do as Mother decrees.¡± He grinned. His voice still creepy and monstrous sounds around her own mind. ¡°Mother?¡± Lexi asks, clearly confused. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you did not hear her decree as you awoke?¡± His face was contorted with a look of concern and maybe even a little bit of uneasiness. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear any voice or any decree as you put it.¡± Lexi responded. ¡°But how is it possible that Mother didn¡¯t speak to you? Does that mean she didn¡¯t give you a purpose?¡± Lexi would have shrugged if she had means to do so. ¡°So, I got no decree, maybe Mother loves me more since she gave me free will? What do you think of that?¡± While she boasted, inside she felt nothing but an empty cold. Her mother had abandoned her when she was three years old. Left her at that orphanage, she shouldn¡¯t remember that, but she does. As her mind spirals down unpleasant memory lane, the boss man is impaled by a black slid object of some kind. It is thin like a sheet of paper and narrow, but as long as a spear. Blood spills from his mouth as he coughs it up, he tries to get up. Fails and wobbles face down to the ground. Lexi snaps out of her mind, she sees it all she just didn¡¯t fast enough. She shoots up to the ceiling she isn¡¯t fighting the second wave alone, she thinks. She watches a werewolf with a young green haired girl with her arms around its neck claw in stone they descend into the chasm. She must be no older than twelve. The little girl walks over to the boss and touches the strange black spear it shoots up into her hand turning into a fang tattoo that extends all the way from shoulder to fingertip. She has another one just like it on her other arm. Whatever they say to one another Lexi cannot hear. She wishes she could lip read, but she hasn¡¯t spent enough time around people for that to be even a little possible. The two new guests of the dungeon look over the mangled naked bodies. The girl points at one of the men¡¯s genitals and laughs, Lexi didn¡¯t need lip reading to understand that. The werewolf places a clawed hand over his eyes and shakes its head. A rock hits the girl in the head making her stumble, but she keeps on her feet, blood drips from her eyebrow. Bright red. She unleashes bow of the black spears into the boss guy, and he collapses again. The pair exchange a few words, she retrieves her weapons, and the werewolf rips off the guys head. Then they stare at each other in silence for a moment and the girl unleashes both of her black spears into the headless body. The werewolf crushes the head and body loses shape and turns to what can only be described as pink crewing gum that has lost its taste. The flesh drops to the ground the werewolf is left holding the orb, but not for long as it unleashes streaks of lightning. The werewolf lets go of the orb, its fur smoking it reaches into his bag and produces a red crystal, he moves his jaw to say something, but the boss hits him with another dose of lightning, and he falls to the ground. The girl misses with both of her spears, and they are too far for her now, she looks desperate. She screams. This time Lexi can hear it, not only hear it she can feel it she feels like her mid itself is being ripped apart. Run. The only thing she can think to do is run, but she couldn¡¯t move. The pain ripped through her like she was paper. Her vision filled with a brilliant number of colors and then everything went black. *** ¡°Wake up you damn drunk! What do I pay you for?¡± shouted Donna, she grabbed Henrick by the horn and lifted his head and scrawny neck up from the hay he was sleeping in. His head was pounding, he had spent his yesterdays wage drinking. ¡°I¡¯m up, I¡¯m up. Let go of me you bitch.¡± He said pulling his head and horns free of Donnas grasp. He looked out past her scowling face. The stable was filled with new exotic mounts one of them a damn griffin, eagerly ripping into what looks like half a pig. Henrick groaned and made his way to the corner where he left the tools of his trade last night. As he entered the nearest stall and began to shoveling giant lion shit, he began recalling the strange dream he had. He dreamt he was a woman from a strange other world, who died on her birthday and became a monster in a gate. He continued to shovel shit into a wheelbarrow until it was full. As he passed the griffin the damn thing looked weird its eyes wet with tears. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I¡¯d be crying too if I had to be surrounded by all this shit¡± he chuckled. He pushed the wheelbarrow out of the stable, then to the herbalist who paid him for the shit. Her daughter was a little older than him, and she was darn cute, yet today her smile didn¡¯t seem to affect him the same. Was he getting sick? He returned to the stable just as the griffin let loose a massive fart followed by a spray of yellow shit that painted the wall. It let out a whine, a screech and a groan then it collapsed. ¡°Thank you, I haven¡¯t cleaned yellow griffin shit yet.¡± He said to no one. Out of the stable around the corner and up the stairs to the office. He knocks as he enters. ¡°Hey the griffin just collapsed.¡± ¡°What? Why? What did you do?¡± Donna sneered at him. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything, it just shat itself and died.¡± He said as calmly and as non-defensively as he could. ¡°Fuck, the owner is gonna be pissed. Any suggestions?¡± Donna looked worried. ¡°The pig it was eating, did you get it?¡± Henrick asked. ¡°No, why?¡± ¡°Then just say that the it¡¯s the pigs fault, the guy paid for a roof for the beast not for feed right?¡± he hoped he was right. ¡°No¡­¡± she finally answered ¡°boarding and feed.¡± She looked down at the desk she sat behind. Henricks vision blurred for a moment his min cloudy as the memories of Lexi mixed with his own. ¡°Go to Vile Table Inn and fetch the griffins owner, tell her I need to see her.¡± Lexi heard the words but did not commit them to memory. In one ear and out the other. She shook her head trying to shake the grogginess away. She blinked hard over and over but the brain fog would not lift. ¡°What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!¡± shouted Donna. Lexi looked up to see a fat woman in a dirty red dress. Donna, she knows her, she¡¯s been working for her for a year now. No not her, Henrick was. Lexi turned around and left the office. Up the wooden stairs she heard Donna say something else but couldn¡¯t make it out. She looked at her hands. Dirty, nails stuffed with dirt and shit. Dry hay like brown hair tied up in a ponytail, horns like a ram. This can¡¯t be happening, she refuses to believe it. She walked across the street and looked at herself in a thick window that barely gave any reflection, but it was enough to see she was in a body of a boy. Henrick is almost fifteen, she knows that, if she thinks about it, she knows the names and faces of everyone he does. The brain fog lightens a little. The dream, she recall his last dream. It was a dream, wasn¡¯t it? Did she really die? What is this then? The after life? Reincarnation maybe? No this doesn¡¯t make sense to her, she begins to walk down the dirt street as she is consumed by her thoughts. What she thinks she knows about reincarnation must be wrong because she isn¡¯t a bug or a tree. What other explanation is there, she remembers her death clearly now, the trash, the slip the chicken wing taste replaced by the taste of blood. She died. Her understanding of this world as simple as it is having taken over the young boys body, it mixes with her own mind, and the fog seems to settle. She takes a deep breath, the smell of beer, sweat and grilled meat fills her nose. Her mouth waters, she is hungry. She looks up at the sign. A carving of a table with hosting a bowl with tongues in it. It¡¯s the Vile Table Inn. She recalls various comments of what or who the tongues belong to. She stares at the sign for a while. A tall, shirtless bald man covered in thick body hair leaves the place and shoves her out of his way grumbling several incoherent words. ¡°Takes a really big man to shove a girl¡± she says without thinking. The man turns looks her up and down, frowns then takes a step closer to her his face pockmarked and dirty his breath reeks of rot and beer. ¡°I don¡¯t see no girl here but if you want, I can make you into one.¡± He grins his yellow, brown and black teeth. Reaches down and cups her dick and balls in one hand. A shiver runs down her spine and she is filled with fear. He can see it. His smile widens. He towers over her, shit run, why did you say that?! Run you idiot. Her mental barrage of self works. She turns and jolts into the inn without saying a word shutting the door behind her. The inside is lit by candle chandeliers. But it¡¯s still pretty dark inside, the room is filled with smoke, some of it from the cooking some from various patrons smoking. She sits at a free stool at the bar. What the fuck, did she just escape a rape? She shivers. ¡°What¡¯ll you have?¡± a handsome man with a neatly trimmed beard asks. ¡°Wa-ter.¡± She responds, her voice cracks and she begins to cry. ¡°I don¡¯t serve water and I don¡¯t need you ruining the happy moods of my patrons boy, get the fuck out!¡± the man jeers. Lexi doesn¡¯t move, and after two more sobs someone grabs her arm just below the armpit and pulls her off the chair. With in seconds, she is outside and on the ground face down in the dirt. She rolls around on her back. She is in the alley way between the inn and some other building. She turns onto her side, takes the fetal position and cries. This is just too much for her. She cries until her eyes are sore, and she continues past the pain. Eventually she can cry no more for miserable situation. She is too hungry. She thinks where she could get some food, but nowhere is free and Henrick spent all his money on booze. The thought of shoveling shit reminds her of the griffin yellow on the stable wall and she throws up. Chapter 4 Lexi¡¯s crying was suddenly interrupted by a vile smelling man stumbling into the alleyway. He proceeded to pull his pants down and she fucked right of before she saw more than she already has. She stopped running at the sight of a patch of green grass. The noon sun shone down over her. She saw a man sitting under a tree reading a book. A jealous feeling filled her body, there he is all relaxed and happy just chilling under the shade of this nice tree, reading. Lexi can¡¯t read, at least not the language of this world. For a moment she wonders if there is more than one language in this world, there must be. Not that Henrick knew, he¡¯s never left the confines of this small town he was born in. She sits on the grass and wipes her hands and ponders her current situation. She is where she is. Inside the body of a teenager. She can¡¯t do anything about that. She died, and now she is inside this boy¡¯s body. This malnourished and weak body. This broke- wait no, he got paid for the shit earlier today. Where were the coins? Lexi took a minute, but she was able to recall a little stash under a board in a corner of stall number two. She gets up and starts walking back to the stable. On the way she passes the tavern where last night Henrick had spent all his coin drinking with Moss. She decided that she would come here for some food once she got the money. At the stable Lexi could hear shouting up the stairs. Guess the griffin owner came by, or Donna is being shouted at by a new customer. With the commotion upstairs, Lexi was in and out before anyone even knew she was there. Her first visit was to The Tree Trunk. A hot meal later Lexi felt much better. Now she could concentrate on the grander scale of her situation. She is on a different planet, that¡¯s for sure, the sun is blue and there are no stars in the night sky, that¡¯s just unnerving. This planet has magic, well at least, people who can do magic. The Awakened. Moss¡¯s dad is one of them. Awakening is something that just happens. Okay so a life of adventure is out of the question, or is it? Lexi forced herself to stop thinking about a fantasy adventure, riding griffins and fighting monsters. This is her real life now. She knows she must figure out a way to make money. Too bad Henrick didn¡¯t leave behind any useful skills, just rudimentary knowledge of this small town near the lake that he¡¯s never even seen. Even having worked at a stable for three years he doesn¡¯t know how to ride a horse. How pathetic. She really hopes that she wasn¡¯t the one who picked this poor pathetic bastard to possess. Noon turned to late afternoon and people started filling up the tavern. Lexi watched them order food and drinks. The place was full and still filling up. Two men dressed in amour decorated with all kinds of horns and monster teeth asked with they could join Lexi¡¯s table. Her table was the only one left with three seats free. Lexi nodded and left the two adventurers the whole table. Outside there were two horses, saddled and just waiting for someone to rifle through those saddlebags. Lexi knew from Henricks memories that someone was going to steal these bags, maybe even the horses too, so why not that someone be her, she needs money, and this kind of opportunity may never present itself again. She looks around, there is no one around. She takes a deep breath and takes the two horses by the reins. She leads the horses towards the stable that Henrick worked at but stops. No going there isn¡¯t a good idea, she didn¡¯t think this through. Where could she go? Moss. She could go to his house. Fuck what if his dad recognizes the horses? What if she just let go of the reins and kept walking? No one has seen her yet, she¡¯s been lucky, and she can¡¯t feel her luck running out. She turns a corner. Now she is a whole street closer to Moss¡¯s home. Everything in her body was screaming at her to let go of the horses. She has never stolen anything in her life. Any of her lives. The guilt built and built, and she finally turned the horses around. Gave one a smack on the ass from the side and there is went the other one followed. Two corners later she was in front of Moss¡¯s house. She lifted her hand to knock. Then lowered it. Why is she here, sure they drink together sometimes but Moss isn¡¯t a friend, is he? Lexi thinks for a bit, then walks away. Henrick knew Moss a total of fuck all, she counted six times they drank and the only reason Henrick even knows where his home is, is because Moss needed help walking home one time. He didn¡¯t even invite him in, to warm up from walking through all that snow. So Henrick is a friendless, homeless, animal shit peddler. And now she has his life, she refuses for it to be this bleak. As the sun set Lexy sat on a bed in a small room she rented at the boarding house. She has enough money for four days stay, and food for one day. She must find a job that pays better than the stable, there is no way she is going to shovel shit. She laid down and went to sleep. *** Lexi found herself floating in endless darkness. She was in her original body; she could see perfectly as if some kind of natural light illuminated her. Her favorite blue onesie brought her a sense of calm and comfort. It was so soft just like the first time she wore it. She couldn¡¯t tell if she was floating in place or moving as she tried to make herself fly up. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Hello, Immortal Soul.¡± A raspy voice called out from behind her. She turned to see a massive four-armed skeleton; three red eyes peered at her. Lexi screamed and the skeleton let out a dry chuckle. ¡°A usual reaction¡± it explained. Lexi looked up at the massive monster that was behind her. The red eyes burning with such energy, yet it was nothing compared to the vortex contained in a crystal that hovered behind its ribs. It wore a ceremonial skirt made of precious gems and metals, adorned in strange symbols. ¡°How about we start off with introductions. I am Ga¡¯Roth. What is your name?¡± Lexi took in the details of the skeleton. And she found herself not scared at all, instead she was filled with excitement. This creature looks like one of the world bosses from Legacy Online. The MMO she had been playing for years. She took a breath. ¡°I¡¯m Lexi.¡± And finally answered. ¡°Nice to meet you, Lexi.¡± He put an emphasis on her name, his tone; playful. ¡°I see you are on your third life now. How are you dealing with your own death?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t given it much thought.¡± She told Ga¡¯Roth. ¡°Am I supposed to?¡± ¡°Not if you don¡¯t feel like you need to. The first few deaths can be jarring.¡± He chuckled, but there was no malice in his voice. ¡°First few?¡± she looked into his red eyes, they seemed to glimmer with excitement. ¡°Are you to tell me you haven¡¯t figured it out.¡± Ga¡¯Roth taped his cheek bone with an index finger. ¡°Maybe third life is too soon for you? Would you like me to make you forget?¡± ¡°Too soon? Forget? Forget what? Can you start making sense? Who or what are you?¡± Lexi¡¯s mind kept spinning but only those questions seemed to make it out of her mouth. ¡°I am Ga¡¯Roth. God of the void and guide to the Immortal Souls.¡± His eyes smiled at her. ¡°Immortal Soul, you said those words before. What does it mean?¡± she pressed. ¡°Come now, are you not clever? Can¡¯t you figure it out? I¡¯ll give you a hint. You are one.¡± ¡°An Immortal Soul?¡± ¡°Yes, young one.¡± ¡°So, if my soul is immortal, does that mean that I don¡¯t actually die? Is this why I¡¯m possessing that boy¡¯s body?¡± Lexi asked. ¡°Ha, Ha, Hah. No, you are not possessing anyone.¡± He snickered. ¡°Now that¡¯s a theory that doesn¡¯t come up that often, usually people guess it reincarnation or energy transfer. Which isn¡¯t that far off, but possession, that I find hilarious.¡± He laughed so much, finally he calmed once Lexi relaxed and smiled. ¡°There you go, you have nothing to fear from me. I¡¯m here to guide you after all.¡± ¡°Right, you did say you are a guide, what does that mean?¡± she asked. ¡°Well, you as an immortal soul will live forever. Sure, you will be limited by natural occurrences, lifespan, luck, etcetera, etcetera. Yes, you don¡¯t die, to be more exact, your soul doesn¡¯t. When your body dies you will be reborn, somewhere else as someone else. Your soul along with your memories may lie dormant for a while, that¡¯s normal.¡± ¡°A while like fifteen years?¡± ¡°Could have been longer. Like I said limited. Compared to regular mortals, you are special.¡± He points a bony finger at her. ¡°Can you get to where you explain the whole guide thing?¡± Lexi demands. ¡°I like you. I tell you I¡¯m a god and you speak to me as if you¡¯re my equal. I¡¯m going to be rooting for you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean t-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare apologize for being yourself. You¡¯re right, I am here to do my job as the guide. So let me explain. As an immortal soul you can choose to stay on the path you are now, or you could complete a set of trials and become Ascended. I can also, should you wish it, make it that next time you die, and your soul goes to a new host your mind wont wake again.¡± Lexi could not doubt his words, she truly is technically immortal. ¡°Has anyone ever wanted that?¡± she asked. ¡°Not many, but a few. Over the centuries.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Sorry, their reasons are their own.¡± ¡°Is there some think of client guide confidentiality?¡± she teased. ¡°Sure, you can trust me with anything, plans, secrets, secret desires, I¡¯m very good at keeping secrets. Anyway, would you like to step onto the path towards ascension?¡± ¡°What does that even mean? Path towards ascension? What does, becoming this Ascended get me?¡± ¡°To be Ascended means to live beyond understanding of regular mortals, the world at your fingertips. Should you want that. All you have to do is complete a few trials.¡± Ga¡¯Roth¡¯s red eyes beamed brighter. ¡°That¡¯s vague. Fuck it. Let¡¯s do this. Guide me, Ga¡¯Roth.¡± She smiled, her lips widening until she was smirking. ¡°Perfect, thank you for accepting. Now, to come up with a trial that suits you. Tell me more about yourself.¡± Ga¡¯Roth shrank to be just about four or so meters taller than Lexi. They began a long discussion about her life. Lexi told him how she had been abandoned by her mother after she was born. Spending much of her childhood bouncing from one orphanage to the next. Then he was taken in by a foster family from when she was fifteen, but they never adopted her. Once she was eighteen, she moved out. She had lived alone, worked and played video games in ger free time. How she tried to find her birth mother in her late twenties. She was unsuccessful. How sometimes she thought she would live alone the rest of her life. She laughed as that turned out to be true. She laughed even harder when she recalled that she died because she slipped on some trash. ¡°I got it.¡± Ga¡¯Roth suddenly spoke. ¡°Your first trial shall be to go forth and find the crown of the first king of Olaris.¡± Lexi felt it, in her mind, words as if written with permanent marker. Find the crown of the first king of Olaris. Ga¡¯Roth smiled and waved at her, then she woke up. Chapter 5 Lexi was wide awake. Her skin tingling with excitement. An epic quest, motivation fueled her by the second. She got dressed in the only outfit Henrik owned. No, not Henrik. This is her body, her mind, her soul was simply dormant for a while. According to a four-armed skeleton she met in her sleep. Yet even now that she is awake the words are there in the back of her mind. Find the crown, but she had no idea where to even start. Her first order of business today will be to find a clue of any kind, about the first king of this, Olaris place. Henrik had never heard of the place so it must be rather old. It could be some lost civilization for all she knows. Okay don¡¯t over think. One step at a time. First find someone who would know about the world. A historian of some kind. As she tried to think of anyone in this town that might have some information, a few people came to mind. The town¡¯s Law Master who is essentially the mayor. The traveling merchant that shows up in town occasionally. Henrik¡¯s mother¡¯s co-workers at the brothel, they tend to talk to all kinds of people. At that thought Lexi shuddered. She would prefer to ask random strangers rather than risking seeing Henrik¡¯s, no. Her mother. The mother that three years ago, suggested that Henrik join her, that he was still young and would make good profit even after she takes a finder¡¯s fee. What a disgusting woman, Lexi¡¯s stomach turned. She would rather talk to strangers. Strangers like the owner of that griffin, surely they have a map or some information of where this Olaris place might be. If only Gah¡¯Roth had given her more information to go on. Lexi vacated the room she had rented for the night and headed to see about that griffin rider, the inn they were staying at was just up the street. She shuddered at how she was kicked out last time. The cringe replaced by hunger, this growing body of hers seems to be almost always hungry. She pushed the front door of the inn open the place was almost empty now, most patrons must still be asleep. She walked up to the bar and asked about the griffin riders location. Only to be told that the rider had left before it was fully light outside. Lexi shot the bartender a quick thank you and ran toward the stable. She got there some what out of breath just as the rider was leading the griffin out. ¡°Excuse me miss!¡± Lexi waved at the woman trying to get her attention. ¡°Hello?¡± The woman stood on tippy toes to look over the griffins back and looked around until she made eye contact with Lexi. ¡°What do you want kid?¡± Her tone was cold. ¡°I just have a question for a traveled person such as yourself. Do you know where Olaris is? It¡¯s a kingdom, or was one, maybe you know anything about its first king?¡± Lexi asked as politely as she could. The dark-haired woman stood silent for a moment. ¡°Not at all what I expected from a dirty street kid.¡± She spoke, ¡°unfortunately I¡¯ve never heard of this Olaris or its king.¡± She paused. Lexi began to thank her for her time when the woman cut her off. ¡°You should go to a bigger city. You might have more luck there. Clean yourself up first. If you want proper folk to talk to you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Lexi forced a smile, ¡°have a safe trip.¡± That last bit came out on autopilot. She turned around and began to walk away. This bitch didn¡¯t have anything to say that Lexi didn¡¯t already know. But she was right about the dirt, it had to go. Next stop was a small store where Lexi bought a second set of clothes and a few pairs of what passed for undergarments, as well as a sack that barely passed for a bag, she didn¡¯t have enough coin to get a backpack and also still eat and have a place to stay for tonight. The walk outside of town to the river to wash up was much longer than she thought. Would have been nice to have a hot bath but she can¡¯t afford that either. The river water was cold but refreshing after the walk. She washed the clothes then her body. When she was finally done, the water reflected a rather handsome face. She needed a brush or a rake for the hair. It was matted so badly that she began to consider cutting it all off. She longed for hair conditioner, shampoo, scented shower gel and other modern luxuries. A few others were coming towards the river. Lexi hurried to put on her new clothes. She was still a little wet and that made it that much harder. On the walk back to town, she thought to herself about the more immediate need for money. The money she spent of new clothes, soap and the bag left her being able to afford two nights stay at the boarding house and two meals a day at the cheapest kitchen. It¡¯s almost noon now so the best course of action is to look for a job. After a cheap plate of grey goop that may or may not have been oats and sawdust mixed together Lexi set out to look for work. The general store was too small for the owner to need help. The two inns had all the staff that they needed, and the taverns and drinking halls were owned and ran by families. Ah the old have a bunch of kids so you can have as work force shtick, Lexi thought to herself while exciting the last tavern in town. Across the street was the brothel. Lexi turned and speed walked away, slowing down only once she turned a corner. It was dark now and the only light in the streets came from the windows. Such a small town constricted by the walls that surround it. She looked up at the empty sky. Why are there no stars, she wondered. Best to continue her search tomorrow. She returned to the room in the boarding house and went to sleep. *** Three weeks had passed. Lexi had been picking up jobs here and there. Today she was supposed to work with the woodcutters. Cutting down some trees and dragging them back to town to be worked into planks for building. However the rain would not let up for the past two days and the other team lost a horse in a mud slide yesterday. The boss doesn¡¯t want to risk anymore of the horses until the earth is a little more solid, so today Lexi enjoys a day off for the first time in weeks. Saving up money has been slow. Between essential spending, an occasional drink after a hard days work, lugging buckets of water from the river to the town, in the morning. Back and forth and so on and on until noon. For some reason the wells in town had all dried up and no one is really doing anything about it. Good for Lexi selling water to inns has been profitable enough to buy a good pair of boots. In the afternoon, she joined wood cutters, the first few times the job was being a look out for monsters. Lexi would climb a tree and watch the surrounding areas for any movement. Her body had gotten filled out more, no longer malnourished. She even found a way to fix the hair and now keeps it in a braided ponytail. The long dark brown hair reminded her of her own original hair, she was very happy not having had to cut it all off. Now she tended to run the tied-up ends of the hair against her lips, whenever she found herself lost in thought. She daydreamed about being able to use magic, but she wasn¡¯t an Awakened. Right now she was just laying in bed and listening to the rain. The sound was relaxing, it was familiar to her. Rain sounds the same no matter what world you¡¯re in, she guessed. A sense of happiness washed over her, and she felt at home. Happy and safe.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Lexi thought that she would lay in bed all day but she found her body with energy to spare. Right of course, she thought, this isn¡¯t her home, and she doesn¡¯t want it to be. No, she wanted to go and see this world. She looked over to the corner of the room with a chair that was her wardrobe. She really needs to wash her clothes. She could splurge and get someone to wash them, but she knows she can¡¯t. She needs to get out of this tiny town. A horse costs so much and protection costs even more. She doesn¡¯t know how to ride, so here¡¯s another expense. Also, it¡¯s been weeks, and the traveling merchant has not shown up once. She wondered if this tiny town has been forgotten. The towns folk figured that the road got too dangerous, or he may have found a better place to sell his goods. Then a week ago the general store owner packed up and left to get new wares. Lexi thinks he won¡¯t be back. Because he left with this family. ¡°I got it¡± Lexi shouted; she had come up with a brilliant idea. She smiled and went down the stairs, left the boarding house, darted across the street into the Three Trunk Tavern, sat down at her usual table and ordered breakfast. She was halfway through her second helping of eggs, when a familiar voice rang out. ¡°Hey, man it¡¯s been a while, look at you I probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to recognize you if not for the fact that there are only three horned humans in this sorry little anthill.¡± Lexi looked up to see Moss, the so-called best friend. She pointed to her mouth to indicate that she isn¡¯t done chewing and used that time to think of what to say. ¡°I thought it¡¯s about time I got my shit together and saved up to get the fuck out of here, man.¡± ¡°Good for you, buddy, hey let¡¯s celebrate, you got some coin on you for a drink?¡± Moss asked. ¡°Are you serious? It¡¯s not even noon yet.¡± Lexi was not going to buy this guy any more drinks. ¡°Since when does time of day matter to you man? Well okay, have it your way. Maybe another time.¡± Moss said obviously disappointed, but he tried his hardest not to show it. He failed. Lexi was onto his game of getting someone else to pay for your drinks. ¡°One more thing Moss,¡± Lexi was going to really give it to him about these actions but decided that he¡¯s not worth it. ¡°Never mind, find yourself someone else to pretend to be friends with to score free booze off.¡± ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be like that we¡¯re friends.¡± Moss smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s have a drink,¡± he lifted his hand in the air and waved until a waitress saw him, ¡°a pitcher of summer ale.¡± He pointed at Lexi¡¯s table. ¡°I am not paying for it.¡± Lexi said in a dry tone. Stood up, she no longer wanted to finish her eggs, she had lost her appetite, she began to walk for the door, but Moss grabbed her by the wrist. ¡°Please, Henrick, I need to talk to you, I need help.¡± There was something so pathetic in his eyes that she forgot the shock of being grabbed. Lexi sighed and sat back down. Moss didn¡¯t waste this chance and took the plate that she had left behind. Lexi narrowed her brow at him. ¡°So, what is it you need help with?¡± ¡°My father hasn¡¯t come back,¡± he started stuffing his face with eggs, ¡°and I¡¯m broke.¡± He smiles momentarily. ¡°You¡¯ve been doing well, and I¡¯ve seen you with the wood cutters. Let me borrow some money.¡± When he was finished, she didn¡¯t know what to say, and the waitress placed a pitcher of summer ale on the table. Moss immediately began pouring himself a cup. The insolence. She thought to herself. ¡°Moss, I told you that you are paying for the drink yourself.¡± She folds her arms. ¡°Oh, please man, I¡¯m in a bad way and if I don¡¯t pay off Shawn. I¡¯m a dead man. I¡¯m begging you, let me borrow some.¡± He reached for her hand, but she pulled away. ¡°How much do you owe this guy?¡± she asked coldly. ¡°Seventy-one gold pieces.¡± He muttered in a barely audible voice. Lexi just stared at him, ¡°how exactly, did you end up owing someone the equivalent of how much it costs to buy four horses?¡± ¡°Well, Shawn lent me coin while I was gambling at the Vile Table and he kept buying the drinks and I kept losing but, when I lost, he would just give me more coin so¡­¡± he trailed off from his sheepish explanation. ¡°By the morning, he said I owed him 71 gold and if I don¡¯t pay by the end of the week he¡¯s going to kill me.¡± ¡°Okay I¡¯ll help you, not because I care but because you don¡¯t deserve death just because you¡¯re an idiot.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Objected Moss but she raised her eyebrow at him, and he lowered his head. ¡°So how much can you give me?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m not going to give you any money, but I am going to take on the quest. You will pay me back I¡¯m just not sure how yet. To begin with have you any written contract that you owe him any coin to begin with?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t!¡± He jolts out gleefully. ¡°Well, that might not matter, if there are other people who know that you owe him this money, they would be his witnesses. You need to go to the guards and at least tell them that you are being threatened.¡± Lexi put up a finger not allowing Moss to talk, he drank some of the ale, while she continued. ¡°The guards can protect you from Shawn, you can set up some kind of official contract with the Law Master. You know to pay him back what you owe, in a more reasonable time frame.¡± ¡°Man that¡¯s, real smart. Except Shawn is a guard.¡± His eyes seem to dig themselves into the ground. ¡°Okay, not ideal, but not impossible.¡± Lexi grinned. ¡°Let¡¯s go to your house, we need to talk more privately.¡± Lexi had realized that if the guards were corrupt here, she simply needed to find someone who isn¡¯t and rat Shawn out as a loan shark to help Moss, but she needed evidence and the trust and good graces of the town¡¯s pillars of community. Theres also other unknowns, like who is trustworthy. ¡°Hey! You need to pay for the ale!¡± Calls out the waitress, Moss seems to shrink into his collar like a turtle trying to hide its head. ¡°Put on his tab.¡± Lexi shoots back to her. ¡°We don¡¯t do tab here. Pay or I¡¯m calling the guards and they can shake it out of you horns.¡± The waitress jeered. ¡°Miss, I¡¯ve been nothing but nice to you,¡± Lexi begins, walking towards the woman, and tosses a silver to her. ¡°This is the last time I pay for your drinks Moss.¡± ¡°Thank you, thank you, buddy, you¡¯re the best Henrick.¡± Moss grinned at Lexi. Once outside in the rain Lexi made a b-line for the boarding house. ¡°My house is this way¡± pointed Moss. ¡°Yeah. I know, I¡¯m getting my stuff. I¡¯ve decided to come live with you for a while.¡± Said Lexi. ¡°Yes! With the two of us it¡¯s going to be safer, and we can look out for Shawn¡± Moss seemed to agree with the idea of Henrick staying with him, but Lexi just wanted a free place to sleep so she can have less expenses.