ã€ŠIndomitableã€‹


 Aodhè°©n - Chapter 1

    "You''re good for nothing, boy!" his old woman said with a shrill slur. "You ought to take a hike until it''s time you come home with some dinner for me and my husband!"

    The door slammed before he had the chance to turn around or respond. Not that he would, as that might make his mother angry which would make his father angry, and that wouldn''t end up well for him. Aodh¨¢n listened to his mother''s cackle as she walked further into the home. He thought he heard her stumble into something and knock some bottles over, but he wasn''t certain of it.

    Rather than stick around and potentially make things worse, Aodh¨¢n decided to take his mother''s suggestion and walk around for a while. He did have to find dinner for tonight, and if he got an early start he might find something that would make his folks happy and they could have a quiet dinner for once. He walked out to the street and then turned down towards the center of town.

    He pulled out his trusty android and pecked carefully at the web of cracked glass that some might call a screen. Aodh¨¢n browsed the nearby food options and picked out a few candidates that fit his budget. Just before he''d had a chance to plot a route to the first option he felt himself bump into someone.

    A startled yelp and an "oof!'' came from in front of him. Quickly he pocketed his phone and looked at the person he''d just knocked over. A middle aged man stared up at him from the ground with a not so friendly look on his face. "Idiot! Stop looking at your damn phone and pay attention!"

    The man, average in height and build, stood up and brushed himself off. Aodh¨¢n continued looking down at him. "I''m very sorry, sir. You''re right, I should have been paying attention. Are you OK?" Aodh¨¢n felt a trickle of shame begin to wash over him. He''d gotten in the way again. He might not have hurt the gentleman if he just weren''t so big, or so he felt.

    The man''s demeanor changed once he realized the difference in their sizes. "O-oh, uh... well, just be more aware next time", then he started walking away. Aodh¨¢n picked up on a comment he made under his breath as he left. "Yikes, what a freak, the dudes a behemoth! Just glad he was such a pansy..."

    Aodh¨¢n blinked, then sighed and continued along his route. His size was wasted on him, and just caused him trouble. For as long as he remembered, he''d been unable to do things correctly. He used to get really excited and want to show off the things he''d done or discovered, but his parents would scold him, or his teacher deride him for stating obvious things or including inaccurate information in his work. No matter what he tried, there never was a time he''d met the expectations of those around him. There were times when some things he did were rewarded, like when he was generous and gave some of the money he''d earned to his parents or when he did nice things without asking. Most of the time he''d start with good intentions and end up either in trouble or completely failing to be helpful in any way.

    He turned his attention back to the task at hand and followed the directions best he could while squinting through the cracks on his phone''s screen. The GPS took him down a street through town he had not travelled before, and he realized it was part of the historic district. Lots of old storefronts and brick buildings with large glass display windows passed him by on either side. It was actually very quaint and he enjoyed the general feel of the place.

    It wasn''t until he passed by a large alley that the vibe started to change. A small crowd hovered around the entrance to the alley; Maybe eight people in total. They whispered amongst each other, took pictures of something further down the alley, and looked about uneasily.

    Aodh¨¢n felt a prickle of caution as he approached, but curiosity took over and he joined the crowd quietly. At the end of the alley, which had been lit with Tiki torches with the tags still on them, a lithe figure ambled about with a hypnotic sway. They were dressed in a hooded robe like something out of an 80''s Dark Fantasy movie, but it was the tattoos on their hands and arms that caught the eye. Swirls that twisted and curled covered their skin in patterns so complex they almost appeared to be moving like smoke in still air.

    The robed person was setting up some kind of scene for the onlookers using powders and paints to draw weird figures on the walls and ground. After every several seconds they would utter some kind of phrase, but Aodh¨¢n couldn''t make it out.

    "OH! I know what this is!" A young woman in the crowd said in a hushed shout to her friends, "This is one of those crazy street artist performances, it''s supposed to make you feel or think or something." The rest of the onlookers probably heard that as well, as they all visibly relaxed and an audible sigh escaped their lips. Even Aodh¨¢n felt the tension leave him as his brain accepted the conclusion as the only rational possibility for such an odd event.

    All of them, except Aodh¨¢n who tried to say hello a few times too quietly for anyone to notice, began to murmur in excitement and speculated what the performance was going to be about.

    The robed artist must have noticed, as they changed their performance now. They began to move about the patterns and figures they''d painted in a hypnotic rhythm, passing their hands over certain lines in smooth, practiced motions. As they did so, a thick cloud of smoke would billow out from the sleeves on their robe and multi-colored lights shone out from them refracting through the smoke.

    The woman from before spoke up again, "Oh wow, those must be like, tubes hooked up to a fog machine and LEDs or something! They really went all out!"

    As if in response, the figure redoubled their movements, shifting into a swirling, twirling dance that mesmerized them bringing a hush over the group. Aodh¨¢n looked around, the sudden silence giving him a small sobriety from the performance. He wondered why no one else had stopped to watch, but the street was empty save for a few cars parked alongside the curb. He shrugged; it must not be a very popular part of town, he assumed. His attention turned back to the dance.

    The smoke had grown into a thick fog the was enveloping the walls and ground, slowly creeping towards them and outward. A few of the people gathered looked down as it passed around their ankles and flowed out onto the sidewalk.

    A low beat had begun to play from some hidden speaker, and the robed figure had begun a chant of sustained notes that wearily drifted up and down in pitch. It was a haunting and beautiful sound, but for the life of him Aodh¨¢n could not properly describe it.

    The sound moved across him slowly, gently flowing over his shoulders and weighing down on him. At first, the sensation was pleasant and relaxing. He closed his eyes and started to let go of his stress, allowing the chant to carry away all of his troubles.

    "I- I think I''m gonna..." The young woman from before croaked weakly just before she collapsed to the ground. Two others did the same.

    The weight on his shoulders and the sensation of flow over his body started to grow. Soon, he had to brace himself to stay in place, and the flowing sound became a current whipping past him.

    Panic hit the rest of them as they began to look about and get away or help their friends up. Only now did they notice that the fog had wrapped around them, enveloping everything except for the nine of them and the robed artist. A dark light shifting between pinks, greens, and blues slowly pulsed through the fog.

    The robed artist had become a calliope of movement and sound, the beat increasing to a thudding boom that shook to the very core of their bodies.

    The sound, now heavier than most could tolerate, sent even more of them to the ground. Only three still stood, including Aodh¨¢n. It began to seep into them, through their skin and around the muscle and veins in their limbs and into the organs in their bodies. Their bodies reverberated with the chanting, in tune with the manic changes in pitch the robed figure made.

    It was too much. The other two fell to their knees but Aodh¨¢n managed to stay upright. He had been trying to move towards the robed figure in hopes of stopping whatever was happening, but his legs were too heavy now and the sound of the chant worked into his very core, reverberating and pulsing through every fiber of his being.

    As he felt his body become fully saturated in whatever was happening he collapsed. He fell on all fours, futilely gasping for air.

    He looked up as his vision began to fade out and saw the robed figure had stopped. They regarded the fallen forms then pulled back their hood just enough to reveal a smile. To Aodh¨¢n, it almost seemed warm, and as he passed into unconsciousness he heard them say, "Don''t you worry, you''ll be just fine."

    Achievement: Witness the Severing Ritual

    For a long time, there was only darkness. It wrapped around and clung to him as it slowly shifted in all directions and the sensation of Aodh¨¢n''s body stretched and shrank in response to it. He was not breathing, but that did not seem to be a problem for him wherever he was. In fact, no typical bodily function seemed to be a problem for him as he just sat there, somehow just existing.

    He was aware of what was happening, but could not bring himself to think about the situation or anything else for that matter. He would have thought it bizarre, except he could not even begin to form that thought.

    So Aodh¨¢n just was, and he was for quite some time, though he couldn''t figure any length of it.

    It wasn''t until he realized that he was reflecting on this experience that things began to improve. First it was reactive thoughts that came back to him, like "oh, the feeling in that part of my body is tingly" or "whoa, my feeling of balance is completely off center", then the odd sensations of stretching and shrinking began to subside starting at his fingertips and toes.

    The feeling of being knit together crept further along from the extremities inward, restoring Aodh¨¢n''s arms and legs, then his torso, and finally his head. A switch flipped in his mind as it ended and he began to form proper thoughts, which naturally became panic.

    He fought to open his eyes and move about, trying to escape the smothering stickiness of the darkness. There was nothing to grab onto and no ground to stand on. He wondered if he might be dead and panicked even more. With one final push he finally managed to open his eyes.

    A cool breeze, sounds of birds, frogs, and a distant burbling brook immediately replaced the nothingness from before. The sudden shock of stimulus mixed with his struggling and he went from flat on the ground to his tiptoes faster than you could blink.

    "AAaaaah!" He shrieked, then abruptly stopped as he looked around and realized he was standing in the woods.

    The leaves covered any visibility of the sky despite the trees being decently spaced apart. Their broad canopies slightly overlapped each other, and a deep green gently moved back and forth in the breeze.

    Aodh¨¢n blinked. He felt at himself and everything was where it should be. That gave him some small comfort. He looked around for any of the other people that were in the small crowd, but he was alone. It occurred to him that there weren''t any woods nearby the part of town he''d been in. Why was he out here, then? Did someone move him?

    A shock of cold flooded into his stomach. Had he been kidnapped? There wasn''t any sign of a kidnapper, and he wasn''t tied up, so that couldn''t be it.

    The cold sensation spread out and settled into a dull fear, but it kept him alert and active. The feeling was familiar to him. He''d adapted to these spikes of adrenaline whenever he''d screwed up or realized he had upset his parents, and they could be very useful when you had practice with them.

    Instead of wildly whipping about, he began to really look at his surroundings. He wasn''t in immediate danger as far as he could tell. It was quiet, and there were no signs of other people around.

    Taking a quick inventory of himself, Aodh¨¢n found no injuries or signs of someone having gone through his stuff. In fact, his wallet and phone were still in his pocket.

    He whipped the phone out in a practiced movement and pulled it up, thumb on the button to unlock it. Except, he wasn''t staring at his cracked screen. Instead, he was holding a metal rectangle that was roughly shaped like a phone. He felt at where the screen should be, but the smooth, satin finish was more like the rest of the metal material.

    After running his fingers over it a bit longer, he realized it was more like a stone, or if a metal had the qualities of stone. It had all the buttons his old phone did; a pair of volume rocker buttons, a button to lock the phone, and a little switch to put it in do not disturb mode. He flipped it over and found a little paper note stuck to the back. He peeled it off and opened it.

    "Ahem. Dear Aodh¨¢n (or whomever is reading this note), I won''t bother explaining the details of everything. You''ll eventually figure out what you need to know, anyways. As for your phone, having such a device with you for the journey ahead is problematic so I''ve prepared a suitable replacement for you. I hope you enjoy it!

    Signed, the most magnificent, magnanimous, misguided, and mortally inebriated Seneschal - Rungu"

    The look of stupor that struck Aodh¨¢n''s face would have been amusing if anyone were around to see it. Who the hell was Rungu? Did they swap out his phone with this rock? And why did they bother to include "ahem" on the note?

    He crumpled the small paper and was about to toss it into the woods when he caught himself. He decided to pocket it instead, realizing it might be important if he wanted to figure out what in the world was going on.

    Instead, he pulled up the "phone" again. The back side where the note had been had a few engravings on it. In fine text along the top edge it read "No charging needed!" and along the bottom edge his name was engraved. In the center was a logo of sorts he did not recognize. An ornately scribed stick figure seemed to be rising up with arms outstretched, except while its left side was well defined the right side unraveled into a weave pattern.

    There wasn''t much else to it. He pressed the lock button just to see what would happen, and was mildly amused to see the front surface light up. I mean, it was supposedly a replacement for his phone. He expected this to happen, even if he didn''t have any faith that it would.

    The screen stretched from corner to corner, which was pretty nice considering his old phone had pretty large bezels compared to the newest models. On the display was a menu very similar to what you''d expect on a smart phone; Apps, widgets, and the like. Except, there were far fewer of them and they didn''t seem to have anything beside the most basic stuff.

    He tapped a map icon and the screen changed to a typical gps style map, only it just revealed the surroundings he could see and a pop-up that read "explore to record maps of the places you''ve been". So much for finding a way back that way.

    He was about to start poking around in the other apps when he heard a tip-tapping to his left. His head swiveled to the source as he retreated several steps. Footsteps for sure, but they were too light and too many to be a person''s.

    Expecting a coyote or a bobcat, Aodh¨¢n dropped to a crouch preparing to bolt at the first sight of whatever was nearby.

    A dog, happily panting with tail wagging high in the air and tongue lolling strode into the small grove he was standing in. It stopped after spotting him and inspected him for a moment. It wasn''t any breed he could recognize, but it did have similarities to a Golden Retriever, notably its light yellow coat of fur.

    Their eyes locked. The dog''s head tilted left. Aodh¨¢n''s head tilted right.

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Seemingly appeased by the gesture the dog resumed panting and wagging. It, or rather she, let out a soft woof and turned and resumed her stroll, entirely unbothered by the strange man standing scared in the middle of the woods.

    Aodh¨¢n watched the dog go and let out a sigh of relief. He pondered a moment, then followed after the dog. It wasn''t like he''d come up with any better ideas, and a dog that behaved like that likely was familiar with people and could lead him to somewhere safe.

    He followed the dog for a few hours. At first she didn''t pay him any mind, but eventually she caught on to him and kept some distance between them, occasionally looking back to check on him.

    He let her keep the distance, and to avoid seeming any more suspicious than he already was he continued investigating his new "phone".

    It had a number of functions that weren''t too dissimilar from a regular phone''s. There was the map, which was entirely blank and had some way of filling in as he walked, but didn''t have much else to it.

    Next was a health app, which had a number of data points handily presented in a user-friendly interface; weight, height, blood-type, and the like. It also had information that he was pretty sure was just default data, like a list of illnesses, conditions, medications, and body composition. The first three were blank, but body composition had actual numbers that were pretty accurate. It even seemed to track what food you ate and how much of it you''d eaten and how much water you''d had with recommendations for when to get more.

    The other apps were a journal, which already had an entry, though it was pretty generic. It just read "Woke up lost in the woods" with what looked like an ID number or something next to it.

    There was a music player with his downloaded library on it, and a camera that took pictures and video that looked really good even compared to top of the line smart phones. An app called Guidebook seemed to be some sort of empty guide that you probably needed to fill in.

    Finally was the app called System. He thought it might have been a settings menu, but when opened it showed a dashboard of sorts with several sections; "Classes", "Traits", "Specializations", and "Achievements". They were all empty except Achievements which had a single badge with the text "Witnessed the Severing Ritual" under it.

    That was it. There were a few configurable widgets, but they just made the information in those few apps quickly available on the main screen.

    Now, he was standing against a tree watching the dog he''d been following drink water from a small stream. She saw him watching as she stopped drinking and prepared to do her "business" and barked at him. He looked away.

    He was almost certain at this point that all these crazy events, the weird rock-metal-phone, the dog, and whatever else might happen was either a heavy drug induced dream or an exceptionally elaborate prank. He wasn''t certain which of those options was better.

    The sun seemed to be setting, indicated by the light through the tree canopy turning orange, then slightly red. It would be dark soon, and he felt the air begin to chill quickly. His thoughts turned to shelter, and warmth. He could find a small hollow or jerry rig some kind of overhead covering from branches and sticks, but he had no idea how to start a fire properly. He recalled scenes from movies he''d watched where people in similar situations rubbed sticks together for hours only for the chance they might get some smoke that ultimately amounted to nothing.

    Aodh¨¢n groaned loudly and hung his head. The dog looked up at him, but he didn''t raise his head to meet her gaze.

    A few seconds later he heard her tip-tapping getting close and looked up to see her just a few feet away looking at him intently.

    "Look" he said, "you seem like a fine dog, and you''ve been awfully nice to let me follow you, but I''m in trouble here. I''ve got to find a way back to civilization. I think I''ve been kidnapped, or pranked, or... something. At the very least, I need somewhere I can rest and be warm for the night." He stretched his arms and legs as he spoke and stared back into the dogs eyes.

    It occurred to him that he was talking to a dog out of desperation, to which he groaned even louder, sat down with his back against the tree, and hung his head again.

    He''d just begun wondering what he''d screwed up this time to end up in this mess when the dog let out a soft woof and nudged his elbow. He looked up. The dog trotted a few paces away then stopped and looked back at him.

    He blinked a few times. She woofed at him again. "Ummm..." he stood up and the dog began trotting in the direction they''d been headed in before. "Ok, not going to analyze that too much," he murmured under his breath, "not many other options anyhow."

    The dog let him follow her more closely this time, and looked back occasionally to make sure he was still there. They continued like this into twilight before she stopped, turned around, sat on her haunches, and stared up at him.

    "Uh... miss dog? Are we stopped for a reason? There''s nothing here."

    As if in response, she turned her head and looked behind her, then back at him. He followed her movement, but couldn''t make out much in the dim light. He hadn''t found a flashlight on his phone-brick, so instead squinted hard.

    Eventually his eyes adjusted and he realized the dark space he''d been staring into was a small alcove in the side of a hill. It wasn''t a cave, it was far too shallow, but it was just big enough to fit him and a handful of other people if they squeezed. The floor of the alcove was mostly barren, but one corner of the room there was a pile of small bones, sticks, and rocks. Against the back wall was a pile of dried grass and other plants.

    This must have been the dog''s den, he realized. He stepped into the alcove. The dog brushed past him and grabbed a well chewed bone from the pile. She sauntered over to the pile of plant stuff, circled on it a few times, then lay down and started to gnaw on the bone.

    "Wow, you brought me to your home." He took in the scene again. "You are a very kind dog, and clearly way more intelligent than I gave you credit for."

    The dog gave another soft woof as if to say "And smarter than you."

    Aodh¨¢n chuckled. "Well, whatever that woof means, thank you for letting me be here." For the first time today, he didn''t feel total overwhelming fear for his life. Instead it was just mild fear for his life, gratitude, and as he just started to realize, tons of physical exhaustion.

    It hit him all at once as the adrenaline finally stopped pumping through his veins. He nearly collapsed, but managed to stumble over to the back wall a few feet from the dog where he curled up on the ground. He didn''t have time to even think before he fell into deep slumber.

    It wasn''t the whimpers, nor the barking of his transient canine guide, nor the guttural growling of what lurked beyond the alcove that woke him up.

    The sound of the birds nearby taking flight is what caused him to stir. His eyes fluttered open, but it was still dark. A pale golden silhouette was crouched low, its tail standing upright wagging nervously.

    The other sounds registered for him, sending a jolt of alertness that made him lurch into a sitting position.

    Two pairs of gross green dots swayed in the darkness, oily blurs of movement following their movements.

    Aodh¨¢n quickly rubbed at his eyes and squinted at the forms. He noticed the fur first. Long, greasy strokes of black, dark brown, and mud-matted fur swayed in response to the gentle loping of large, powerful legs. A patchy head hung low between a set of sharp shoulder blades, its maw just barely agape letting rivers of gross saliva ooze out from between large, ivory fangs and onto the ground.

    It''s neck convulsed in time with the slow guttural choke it made as it growled and studied him. The other beast waited several meters back, invisible save for its sickly green eyes.

    Whatever they were, they had come hunting for him. The friendly canine that had led him here was barking at the thing, but it seemed to pay no mind to his acquaintance.

    The dog ran up to it threateningly, then backed off all the while barking mad and baring its teeth. Still, the beast didn''t so much as blink nor lose its focus on him.

    He moved his legs under him and struggled to stand, weakness trying to force his muscles to relax, fear cooing in his ear to lay down and accept his fate. With great effort he managed to stand, though he did not know what good it might do him.

    One step backward, then it took one step forward. Another step backward, it took another step forward. Soon, his back was the wall of the alcove. A bit of dirt fell from the root-tangled wall startling him. The sudden shiver it gave him was matched by the beast as it crouched low in the same moment.

    His body had given in fully to the fear now. All the joints in his limbs locked up and his muscles tightly tensed trying to move in every direction at once.

    Aodh¨¢n''s mind raced trying to think of some way to escape, some desperate plea or bargain he could make with whatever higher being might exist. His panic only increased as each idea became more ridiculous and less plausible.

    "Please!" He shouted as the beast closed the remaining gap between them. Its head was nearly level with his, despite its predatory crouch. "Please no! Please NO!"

    He wanted to look away, but being so close now he couldn''t tear his eyes off the grizzly appearance before him. The beast''s eyes were sunken deep into its face and its dirty skin wrapped its skull tightly allowing the structure of the bone to show through clearly. He noticed now that its mouth wasn''t open so much as it had no lips. The teeth simply were part of its face.

    He broke down into whimpers and was about to shut his eyes tightly and brace himself when the thing lurched to the side. Fearing the killing blow his knees gave out and he let out a blood curdling scream, but death did not come.

    By some grace, he still had his eyes on it, so he was able to notice the golden blur that launched into its side. For a brief instant, his fuzzy golden companion was clear in his vision, fangs buried deep into its neck.

    The unnatural howl of pain that came next was deafening. Something about it took hold of his mind and body and he felt an icy grip hold him completely still. As soon as it ended, the grip it had on him broke and he backed against the dirt wall as much as he could and stood again.

    The beast swung back in the other direction, throwing the dog across the alcove and into wall forcing a pained yelp out of her as she crumpled to the ground.

    The shock of it triggered him to act. No longer able to think, no longer able to let his thoughts spin and spin trying to find a way out, his body simply reacted. What he had done was stupid, crazy, and something he would have never done in his right mind.

    He stepped forward, and closed his hands around the beast''s neck.

    Unaccustomed to prey fighting back, the beast stopped for a fraction of a moment as it registered what he had done before it continued its assault. It pushed into him, attempting to break free, but his arms tensed in response and his grip tightened. It began to hack and cough as its mouth opened and closed with loud, violent cracks.

    Aodh¨¢n tried to push back, but it was too big and too strong. Its claws dug into the rocky dirt and its teeth came closer and closer. The wall pressed painfully into his back but the fresh dose of adrenaline made him numb to it as he flexed his back and legs hard, using the wall as leverage to push back.

    The beast clawed wildly at the dirt ripping and tearing at it and him. Its long dirty claws slicing the skin on his arms and sides but they were too close together for it to be able to press its claws into his belly.

    It opened its mouth to howl again, trying to force him to lock up like before, but his hands were shut tightly around its airway and it could only manage an angry wheeze.

    The beast seemed to realized it wasn''t able to breath and that its prey wasn''t going to let go and began to backpedal while tossing its head side to side to shake Aodh¨¢n off. He felt the pull and with a sudden fury pouring out from deep within him, lept forward and into the torso of the beast.

    This caught the creature off guard long enough for Aodh¨¢n to kick his legs up and lock them around the beast''s midsection. He felt his teeth grind down and crack as he poured every last ounce of that fury into the hands clamped around its throat. His arms extended as far as they could to keep the gnashing fangs at bay.

    Oddly, the only two things Aodh¨¢n noticed in the following moments were the primordial fear-spiked hatred in the beast''s sick green eyes and the baffling mix of guilt, relief, and terror that formed the undercurrent of his rage. He wept hot tears as he wrestled with the beast and its movements finally began to slow and become sporadic and weak.

    That other beast that had been watching from the dark beyond the alcove had left, uncertain of their own fate should they try and take this prey.

    He held his grip for a long time after the beast had gone silent and ceased moving. His arms only untensed after enough blood had poured from his wounds that his strength left him and he passed out.

    Aodh¨¢n forgot all the pain and terror of the past several hours in the peaceful black void of unconsciousness. When he wasn''t dreaming it was warm and comfortable and the dreams he did have were filled with idyllic moments; his mother thanking him for his hard work bringing home food every day, friends excitedly inviting him on a weekend trip and regaling him with the plans they had made and how fun it would all be.

    At some point he realized he wasn''t awake, probably when one of his dreams took a left turn after he had been awarded a medal for his unwavering dedication and he''d had to step into the presidency and run the country. After that he tried to keep it going as long as possible, but he was regaining consciousness bit by bit. His dreams changed to short moments of half-wakeful stirrings and the time he spent drifting in that cozy black void got shorter and shorter. Then he woke up.

    "Fuck." he groaned. Light shone down through the thick green canopy above him making him squint and bolts of lightning shot through his head. The attempt to roll off of his back made him aware of the screaming chorus of pain his muscles made.

    He managed to get to his knees and looked around. There was the forest beyond the alcove, which was peaceful and smelt of early morning dew. Then there was the beast lying a few feet away, a dark mar on an otherwise beautiful day. It was still, and the green of its eyes had faded to a light grey. Aodh¨¢n swore it must have been as a large as a bear. Looking at it now in the daylight he saw that most of its bulk came from the thick sprouts of long oily fur. In actuality, it was unnaturally lithe.

    A movement in the corner of his vision broke his stare and he looked to the right. There, against the wall of the alcove, was the golden-coated canine that had led him here. She stared at him from where she lay and let out a long sigh. Her eyes conveyed a mixed sense of pain, exasperation, and care, or at least he thought they did.

    "Still alive, huh? That''s good to see." Aodh¨¢n smiled. She perked her ears in response and wagged her tail once. "You hit the wall pretty hard. You''re not hurt?" He asked, pointing at the cracked dirt impression on the wall.

    She seemed to understand what he meant and gingerly stood up, favoring her rear right leg. It was clearly broken.

    The large man sucked his teeth. "Well, that probably hurts a lot." He replayed the scene from last night, and the image of the dog being launched into the wall flashed through his mind. "Thank you. I don''t know how I did it, but I killed that... thing." He pointed at the dead beast. "Every bit counted, and that bravery of yours saved me from becoming its dinner." He smiled again, then added. "Again, talking to a dog, so I guess all the platitudes are for my own benefit."

    A low woof was the response.

    Slowly, the reality and absurdity of the whole situation settled in him. Weird ritual, random forest, friendly dog, horrific beast, and now what? Anxiety made soft alarms in his head. He felt lost, uncertain, and his hands shook from weakness and exhaustion.

    Getting up took a few tries, each attempt informing him of his most tender wounds. The last, successful attempt also let him know that he had lost a lot of blood as he nearly toppled over and reeled with lightheadedness for a full minute. His wounds were just shallow enough to have stopped bleeding serious amounts of blood, but there were enough of them that he had lost plenty while passed out.

    He needed medical attention but there was nothing he could do but rip his clothes for bandages. He stripped down to his thankfully long boxers then tore his shirt and pants into makeshift compresses and wrapped them over the worst of the gashes on his arms and sides. The process tore open a few of them and he gritted his teeth. He focused on the fact that the weather was warm and he wouldn''t freeze to death to keep his mind off the pain.

    When finished Aodh¨¢n appraised himself and decided that he looked just like one of those action movie stars after they''d been beaten blue by the villain. Then he decided that was exactly what he was, which made him feel a little bit better.

    Another woof from the peanut gallery broke him out of that fantasy.

    "Ah, right." He frowned. "I need to figure out what to do about you." He thought, cupping his chin with his hand. The movement caused a jolt of pain, so he switched to his other hand. He wasn''t so great at elaborate plans or coming up with a strategy for this kind of thing. He''d always been on the more tactical side, making in the moment decisions based on what was ahead of him. He didn''t think on it too long, though. Instead he hobbled over to the dog and put his arms under her chest and midsection, then in one motion heaved her up and rolled her one hundred eighty degrees so she was lying on her back nestled into his arms.

    The dog''s eyes went wide for a second and stared at him, then she got comfortable and licked him right on the nose.

    "Agh! None of that!" He wiped the slobber on his shoulder. "Look, somewhere around here there''s gotta be someone who can patch us up. I''m just returning the favor I owe you. Besides, I haven''t figured out how to get out of this mess yet, save the thanks for if I manage to pull this off."

    The dog woofed and looked in a particular direction. "Ah yes, of course, should have asked for directions first." He faced the indicated direction and started hiking.

    A few hours later and he could tell he was nearing the forest''s edge. During that time he''d picked up on a few interesting details. First, the dog was absolutely massive. When Aodh¨¢n initially met his fuzzy friend, he could tell she was bigger than most dogs, but after carrying her for miles in his arms he had become painfully aware that she wasn''t just large for breed, she was large compared to her species and must have weighed one hundred and fifty pounds. Of course it wouldn''t normally take that long to go as far as he did, but he''d needed to take many, many breaks leaning against a tree or sitting on a rock.

    Another detail that he failed to notice until he had stopped to drink water out of a stream was how foreign the forest appeared. Branches bent and jutted out at strange angles, bird calls were infrequent but very low and always very far away, and the ground was incredibly flat. His path had gone up and down in elevation and there were hills and the occasional break in the terrain, but for the most part it was smooth and flat. The sensation he began to feel as he trudged along was liminal, he''d decided. Almost as though he were caught in a dream. Almost, except he was bleeding and tired and hungry and all the normal things associated with living in reality.

    When he saw the edge of the forest he felt a surge of energy course through him. He imagined a restful field with some natural shelter they could take refuge for the night. Maybe even an abandoned cabin with firewood and supplies. What he saw was even better.

    Rolling hills of tall grass swayed as the breeze blew across them. The terrain descended away from the forest''s edge in a low slope with the occasional rise and ebb making a sort of rippling effect. Far, far out in the distance a larger hill rose up and a column of smoke lazily rose and grew upward from it. Actually, it was several columns of smoke rising up.

    The source was the best thing he had ever seen, though admittedly confusing; A small city covered the top of the hill, and a single dirt road wound across the rolling hills and up into it. Except it wasn''t like any city he''d ever seen, at least not any modern one. It looked too packed together to have any roads or streets and a stone wall wrapped around it making it look like something from the dark ages.

    Nonetheless, it was civilization and he really had no place being picky given his and his new friend''s condition. He shrugged tiredly, which brought the dog closer to him and felt a wet tongue slap against the side of his face.

    End of Chapter 1

    Free "Severing Ritual" achievement badge for reaching the end of the chapter! Thanks for reading!

    <figure>

    </figure>

 Aodhè°©n - Chapter 2

    For all of Aodh¨¢n''s life, there was always a point where everything went awry.

    When he was young, still in elementary school, all the other kids in his class started bringing these odd little stuffed rectangles filled with sand or small beads. They were like hacky sacks but you''d bounce and catch them over your knuckles.

    Each hand hacky sack''s design and material differed, and most kids had their parents buy the official ones online. Some of the class even had multiple in their collection. Soon after the craze started, special or limited edition hand sacks became highly valued and coveted.

    But Aodh¨¢n''s parents never got him one.

    "Ya need tah earn it, and you haven''t done nuthin'' to earn anythin''!" Is what his father would tell him before barreling into a long winded rant about the value of money and how Aodh¨¢n didn''t appreciate everything his parents did for him and all the things they would be doing if they didn''t have to afford him.

    His mother would guilt him saying, "You need to learn the value of such things! No dinner for two nights, that''s how much less food we''d have to buy to be able to get that for you. Can you eat those stupid little things? No? Didn''t think so!" And true to her word, he''d go for two nights without dinner.

    Aodh¨¢n supposed they were right. His family didn''t have much money, and he hadn''t done anything to earn one.

    He''d been left out whenever all the other kids were practicing a new trick or negotiating trades with each other. Noticing his desire to be part of the fun, some of his friendlier classmates lent him the ones they didn''t care about whenever they were all practicing together, but eventually their goodwill stopped.

    It was after one of the last times someone lent him one that he''d had a great idea. He could save money and earn his very own one-of-a-kind hand sack by making it himself.

    His mother had taught him how to stitch clothes with needle and thread so he could fix and adjust his own clothes as he got older, so sewing a couple of fabric squares together and filling them with little beads would be easy.

    He already had the thread and sewing supplies, so he only needed the fabric and the filler, but those cost money, and recycling fabric from clothes or other things in the house was sure to get him in hot water.

    He remembered that on some days of the week people would put their old furniture on the side of the street where it would sit for up to weeks at a time. The trash people usually ended up hauling them off at some point.

    Aodh¨¢n figured that if those weren''t wanted, then no one would mind if he cut the fabric out of the upholstery. So, he went around his neighborhood and collected as many fabrics as he could. For the filler, he used dried corn kernels that the neighbor''s chickens missed or decided to skip out on.

    The pattern he created was made from several pieces of fabric stitched together in angled strips of increasing widths. The largest was a creamy white hemp, followed by a soft yellow velvet, a red faux leather covered in tiny cracks, and a deep blue cotton at the opposite end.

    When he brought it with him to school the next day, he was the center of attention. Well, the attention centered around the hand sack, but all the kids asked him how and where he got it and if they could get one, too.

    Of course, any kid with an inflated ego and something everyone else wants usually does the same thing. They lie about it to make it sound even better.

    "It''s specially made, my dad knows the guy who makes the official ones. He gave me this one." He told them.

    Naturally, that only made them covet it even more, and all his new friends were begging him to get them a special one, too.

    The intoxication of being recognized like that was too much for Aodh¨¢n, and he quickly caved.

    Soon, he was sewing and filling up new hand sacks with all sorts of crazy designs. He even started to sell them to the other kids for a premium.

    It all came crashing down the day he was pulled into the principle''s office.

    Somehow, almost every family who had a kid in his class was suffering from an infestation of bed bugs. As it turned out, using fabric from random furniture on the street carried a high risk of bringing unwanted guests into the home.

    The parents of those families did a good deal of sleuthing, and eventually, the trail of clues led to his one-man operation. None of the other kids seemed to like him much after that and his parents forced him to burn every single one of the hand sacks he still had and pay back every dollar he''d made selling them.

    So it wasn''t surprising to Aodh¨¢n as he got closer to the little city on the hill carrying a strangely oversized dog that things started to go poorly.

    Walking up the road to a closed gate, movement on top of the wall caught his eye. A man with very dark skin and dressed in an odd red and orange uniform noticed him and called out, though he couldn''t make out what the man was trying to say.

    They called out a second time and held up a hand. Aodh¨¢n, with his hands full, stopped and realized that maybe he was just a bit odd looking himself.

    "Hello!" he shouted "Um, I''m lost and hurt. Can you help me?" He paused for a beat, then added "Oh, and this dog is hurt too, can you help her?"

    A few more dark skinned men appeared on the wall in the same uniform. They looked at him and appeared to confer with each other.

    He stood there awkwardly for a few minutes as this went on, not sure if he should be doing anything or if doing nothing was exactly what he was supposed to be doing.

    Eventually, one of the uniformed men leaned over the edge of the wall and yelled down to him in a heavy accent that sounded simultaneously french and russian. "H-¡­Hello! Are you foreigner? Go to gate! We talk there."

    <hr>

    He blinked and wondered how many more times this whole encounter was going to take a more bizarre direction. He wouldn''t have to wait long to find out.

    As he waddled the rest of the way to the gate, he watched as the gate men moved about and shouted a few orders in another language. Just how far from home was he?

    The gate swung open and four men stepped out, two on either side of the gate''s opening. They wore red sleevless tabbards hemmed with an orange smoke-like pattern. It had a deep v-neck cut and several thin leather straps that looped over the shoulders. Small metal plates were fitted and strapped to their elbows, shoulders, and wrists. Aodh¨¢n could just make out some more armor beneath the tabbard as well.

    They wore sandals and their calves were wrapped tightly in leather and metal armor. The pant leg over the thigh tucked into the top of the calf armor and was loose and poofy. It sort of looked like a torso on top of two mushrooms.

    Over their head and faces was fine chainlink mail, an additional cloth covered the mail like a hood with a pattern matching their uniforms and an opaque veil covered all but their eyes.

    Aodh¨¢n had to stifle a laugh, not because of the look but because the absurdity of the situation had finally crescendo''d for him. Had he found himself in one of those medieval costume events or something?

    His mirth evaporated instantly when he saw them pull maces from the thick belts at their waists. They took a combat stance with their left arm held out in front of them, the metal plates angled to be a shield and the maces held over their heads.

    Two more people stepped out of the gate blocking the way in. Two women, to be precise, and they were very, very tall. They stood a whole foot taller then the men around them.

    Both were dressed in similar colors to the men, but they had round shields and long, sturdy spears. The heads of the spears shimmered in rainbow hues slightly in the light masking their general shape. Their attire had full sleeves and was more heavily armored and they had sturdy boots instead of sandals.

    Their head coverings, which were more like headdresses fused with a helmet, were adorned with colorful decorations both natural and crafted; feathers, charms, even a small toy was an adornment for one of them.

    Aodh¨¢n''s attention was focused as he tried to figure out what he had walked into.

    Looking at these people more closely revealed that their skin was not just dark, it was nearly pitch black and had a deep navy hue. It was so different from what he''d expected that it registered as some kind of body paint, except it looked too natural.

    His approach slowed. He wanted to say that he was just here for help and that he wasn''t looking for trouble, but the words stuck in his throat. Thankfully, they decided to speak first.

    "Stop!" one of the women shouted, holding her spear-hand up. "What business does a foreigner have in Triel?"

    Her grammar was much better than the gate man who spoke to him earlier, but the french-russian accent was still pretty thick.

    He gave his best placating smile before answering. "Ah, the city''s name is Triel? That''s a very good name!" He waited for them to accept the compliment. They made no response.

    "W-well, I saw your city from the edge of the forest over there." He stammered, motioning with his hand as best he could in the direction he had come from. "I guess I got lost, but I ran into this dog here and she guided me out, I think." He lifted the dog up and out a little bit to show them and she woofed in their direction.

    Then he remembered his wounds and added, "Oh, and we were attacked by this gross looking wolf thing with green eyes and greasy fur and got pretty hurt. I was hoping you might be able to help us."

    Every single gate ''guard'', he''d decided to call them, looked at him incredulously. The spear woman spoke up after a not so short silence. "You were in the forest? Alone?"

    The spear women exchanged glances before the one who had been talking continued.

    "What is your Class and Rank? From where do you come?" Both of the women''s spears lowered and pointed toward him as they took up a readied stance. The rest of the guards formed up on their sides, maces still raised and ready.

    Aodh¨¢n wasn''t sure how to respond at all. Class? Rank? Did they have some sort of caste system? He quickly considered lying and trying to come up with some excuse, but after some consideration he decided that the truth, or most of the truth, would be best.

    "I''m not sure! I don''t know what a Class or Rank is, maybe people where I am from know it as something else?" He shrugged and shook his head. "I''m happy to answer your questions, but first let me explain my situation."

    She only paused for a moment. "Be quick, then. I''ve never met nor heard of anyone who does not know their own Class and Rank. I''m intrigued, but my curiousity ends the moment I think you are lying."

    He nodded. "I''ve gotten lost. Very seriously lost, from what I''m gathering. I was caught up in some kind of¡­" he tried to think back to the alleyway in his home town, where the dancing performer produced fog and drew ritualistic diagrams before he passed out and awoke in this strange place. "It must have been some sort of ritual or drug that made me forget. All I know is that one moment I was home and the next I woke up somewhere in that forest."

    Slowly, his mind retraced his steps over the past twenty-four hours. He came to, met the dog, went to sleep, got attacked, passed out, came to again, then managed to walk all the way here. All that and he couldn''t even tell if he had a signal because his phone-

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Then it struck him; He didn''t have his phone. He had this weird metal-stone phone thing that had a note signed by Rungu, some mysterious person who had swapped it out at some point saying having a smartphone would be problematic.

    The other details of the metal-stone phone came back to him in a blur. It had a map app that only showed the map where you had been, a music player, a health app, and yes, an app that had information about Class, Rank, and some other details.

    "Oh!" he exclaimed. His sudden shout must have caught his interrogators off guard because they jumped and looked like they were about to start charging him. He had a quick vision of meat being tenderized by maces then skewered onto spears like a kebab and nearly dropped the dog.

    "Hold on! I just remembered something I woke up with when I got here." he gently laid the dog on the ground next to him, who stretched out but stayed in place watching him while occasionally glancing at the guards.

    Slowly, intentionally letting them see what he was doing, he reached down and pulled the phone from his pocket and held it up for them to see.

    "This," he said, "was in my pocket when I woke up. It shows information when you use it." He could have said ''screen'', but he was beginning to catch on to the fact that whatever he considered common knowledge probably didn''t apply here. "It showed details about me, stuff like health and I remember there being something about Class and Rank. I''m going to check it real quick."

    "Enough!" shouted the tall woman. "This is clearly a trick. What need does someone have for a Curio to check their Class and Rank? You must take me for a fool if you think I''ll let you activate that."

    Aodh¨¢n blinked. "Uh, Curio?" He hit the lock button on the ''Curio'' then pointed the screen at her. She braced, but when nothing happened after several moments, she shifted awkwardly.

    Oddly, he was reminded of kindergarten and early grade school show and tell as he presented the device and slowly tapped onto the app that had all the details about Class and such. He was having a lot of nostalgia and throwback vibes today.

    "You use it by tapping on and swiping over the information that shows up on it." The page opened and he was about to explain how it didn''t list a Class or anything else when something new on the screen caught his eye.

    He did have a class, and a little subscript that read ''Rank 1'' next to it. "The Indomitable¡­" He said it out loud, not really intending to but it was loud enough for the guards to hear.

    "The Indomitable? Is that some sort of Unique Class? If you were captured, lost, attacked, and injured as you say then you don''t seem very ''indomitable'' to me."

    The other spear woman let out a snort and stifled a chuckle. Aodh¨¢n blushed in embarrassment. He knew he shouldn''t be embarrased, but something about this whole mess, all the unknowns, and now a joke at his expense made him feel inadequate, stupid, and weak and all the emotions he''d been ignoring until now come pouring out.

    The chuckling spear woman turned to the one who had been questioning him, losing the stance and relaxing. "Mumiora, he claims he was saved by a dog, uses a strange Curio to show us his Class, and claims to not even know what one is in the first place! If he is lying to us, he is either the best or worst lier I have ever met!" Her chuckling grew into uncontrolled laughter as she spoke, nearly doubling over and clutching her stomach with her shield hand.

    The first spear woman, Mumiora, looked to the other spear women then back at him before finally relaxing, standing the spear on its end and leaning on it. "Yes, I suppose he would be, but I''m finding it rather entertaining and want to see how far he''ll go with it."

    Aodh¨¢n lowered the phone and his gaze dropped to the ground. He felt the heat radiating from his cheeks and the sudden whiplash of emotions had him bordering on tears. He managed to choke them down. He wanted to ask them for help, figure out what the hell was going on, and go home. That was all. Instead, he was frozen in place unsure of what to do.

    Mumiora must have noticed he had frozen up and continued her questioning. "What is your name?"

    He raised his head just enough so that he could see her, but didn''t meet her gaze and couldn''t manage an answer.

    She stood there waiting. She turned and hushed the other woman, then asked again. "What is your name? And what Rank is your ''Indomitable" class?"

    He felt his choked up throat resist him, but he managed an audible response. "Aodh¨¢n. My name is Aodh¨¢n. It, this device, says I''m Rank 1." The laughing spear woman nearly doubled over a second time, but a quick glance from Mumiora and the oncoming laughter disappeared.

    "Well", Mumiora said, "You don''t have any weapons, equipment, or supplies, you are only Rank 1 in a Class I know nothing about, and you are clearly injured and carrying an injured dog in tow." She made a motion with her free hand and the guards immediately backed down and casually retreated through the gate. "You may be a fool, a liar, or maybe you really don''t know much at all. Whatever the case, it is obvious you are no threat and are in need of aid." She turned and motioned through the gate. "Come. I will take you to a healer and we will sort all of this out."

    Shocked and still brimming with embarrasment but relieved, Aodh¨¢n scooped the dog up and shuffled through the gate. A sound that was part chortle and part sob slipped out of him as he thought that, despite how terribly that went, at least he hadn''t started another bed-bug infestation.

    <hr>

    Triel was a city unlike any of the ones Aodh¨¢n imagined it could be. He''d given up on the idea of any kind of modern infrastructure or familiar architecture after accepting the fact that he was definitely not in the same world he came from.

    The deathblow to hope that he''d get to back to his house or to finding a much needed job came from what he saw as he followed the two spear women through the city''s streets.

    He''d confirmed that the people here did indeed have navy colored skin, though it ranged from the near pitch black shade up to a dark denim jean color. He also realized that some of the people walking the streets were not human. Rather, they were not humanoid. He wasn''t sure if the term human even applied to this world.

    The first not-human person he''d met had looked human, like him. Their skin was a warm brown color and their hair a very light brown and gray. They were turned away from him and seemed to be talking to someone else. He nearly stopped and called out to them when they turned and he saw their face.

    It was pink. Not the kind of pink you see when someone is flushed or has lighter, sensitive skin, but a bright and vibrant pink you might see in some toy aisles at the store.

    He''d hoped it was facepaint or a mask, but as he watched them talk and move their face muscles he realized that the skin on their face was actually hundreds of small flower petals. Around their face were plant-like features that were less fleshy before fading into skin. The rest of their body seemed human enough, but they definitely were not the same species.

    There were more of them as he followed Mumiora and her colleague, some navy blue, some green, some even multi-colored. Then he noticed the non-humanoid ones. The faces were the same, which is how he figured out they were all the same species, but their bodies were of all different types. Some stood on four legs like a wolf, or a deer, others were shaped like birds, and a few even had forms he couldn''t even begin to describe.

    Mumiora had picked up on the fact that he had no idea what the heck he was looking at and explained that the plant-like people were called Kiher. Apparently, their real bodies were the flowering plant faces and everything else could be grown over time however they wanted. They could even separate from or lose those parts and regrow them if needed.

    He had to twist and maneuver with the dog in his arms as some of them passed because the canine seemed to smell something tasty and kept trying to nip at them.

    Baffled, awed, and a little frightened by the idea of living plants, Aodh¨¢n turned his attention to the architecture. The streets were narrow, at least compared to streets back home, and could only fit five or six people across. The buildings were close together and rose up anywhere between two and four floors high. The first floor of nearly every building opened to the street without any kind of door and was either a store, a workshop, or a social gathering spot that served food and drink.

    The floors above ground level seemed to be residential with windows and balconies from end to end. Clothes lines, plants, and decorations crossed every which way overhead.

    One might expect such a cramped design to be dirty and suffocating, but it was suprisingly clean and the layout of the ground floors in each building kept most people out of the street. There were even the occasional square or small park every few intersections that served as markets or places to sit and relax in the sun.

    After several minutes turning down different streets and open areas they stepped into a courtyard larger than the small parks and spaces up until now. This one was rougly the size of a football field, thought just a bit wider. In the center a sturdy wall with an equally sturdy looking set of double doors wrapped around a squat two story building covered in tall windows that were barely a few inches wide. On top, a tower stretched higher than any of the surrounding buildings by a few stories at least with what looked like a massive crow''s nest at the highest level.

    Two guards stood by the door and opened it for them as they approached. Both gave a sharp salute across their chest as Mumiora and her partner passed then gave Aodh¨¢n a curious look.

    Inside was a front counter that reminded him of a bank. Along the walls were benches and a few scattered groups sitting on them looking bored, annoyed, or both. A younger man sat behind the counter scribbling on some paper and paid them barely more than a glance. He took a longer double take when he noticed Aodh¨¢n and the canine in his arms.

    Instead of approaching the counter, the two guardswomen turned upbruptly towards a door in the corner of the room. Mumiora rolled her knuckles on the heavy, metal reinforced door four times.

    She turned back to him and nodded reassuringly. He hoped this was where they were stopping, because he was finally getting tired of holding his fuzzy yellow companion.

    A few moments later a viewport on the door slid open revealing a pair of eyes then immediately shut. He heard a series of clacks and jingles before the door swung inward.

    A room of loud chatter and riff-raff dropped in volume considerably as everyone looked up. It almost started to pick back up again but many of the eyes had found Aodh¨¢n and lingered on him and the dog.

    All of the people in the room were clothed in the same attire as the other guards and Aodh¨¢n finally realized where he had been brought.

    "Uhm, I''m not under arrest, am I?" He whispered to Mumiora as he felt his anxiety spike for the third time that day.

    A few of the guards shouted at the three of them in that same language he couldn''t recognize. She spoke something back at them which sent the room into a raucous laughter. The guards in question looked shocked, but soon started laughing with everyone else.

    They continued walking as the room returned to it''s previous laid-back state. He was led through another door at the far end of the room which Mumiora''s partner shut behind them.

    This room definitely seemed like an infirmary, and Aodh¨¢n''s fears that he might have just waltzed into his first ever arrest dissipated.

    "Take a seat," Mumiora said, waving him to one of the many cots in the room, "And set your beast there onto one of the other beds." Aodh¨¢n did so, and the dog got comfortable and laid on its side.

    Someone popped out from behind a drape in the back and quickly shuffled over to them. They were a Kiher, but were mostly plant like despite having a humanoid body. They didn''t seem very feminine, or very masculine, had no hair, and instead of a face they just had petals unlike the other Kiher he had seen.

    "Hello," it said in a very breathy, low tone, again neither feminine nor masculine. Before he or anyone else had a chance to speak, it continued. "Mmmmmmm, yes, yes I can smell the injury on you. Quite painful, I imagine, though not too bad. Oh, and the scent of a Thylric-hound, must have been quite scary. Though, you should count yourself lucky you didn''t bump into anything on the nastier side."

    It turned to Mumiora and asked, "I take it you wish me to regenerate them?" It peered up at the tall woman and leaned forward expectantly.

    Aodh¨¢n caught her eyebrows raise slightly before addressing him. "This is Jidsin. They are one of the best healer''s in the city." She turned back to the Kiher and answered her question. "Yes, fix him up as well as the beast." She paused before adding "And please, no enhancements."

    This time Aodh¨¢n''s eyebrows raised. "E-Enhancements? What do you mean enhancements?" He began to worry and imagined this Jidsin person experimenting on him in horrific ways. His emotions were all over the place, and no amount of adrenaline was helping him detach from them.

    "Seeeee?" It said excitedly, "This one seems interested, and I can try one or two of my more benign ideas." It stepped closer to him and grabbed his hand. The texture of it felt like a garden plant, except warm with a strong pulse.

    He snatched his hand away and shuddered. "No, thank you! I''d like it if you didn''t perform science experiments on me."

    It''s featureless face did the closest thing to staring at him as it could manage then tilted it''s head. "¡­Science?"

    Mumiora''s partner, who had been standing back by the door, spoke up. "Yeah, let our little flower put a few exciting additions on the kid, it''ll be funny!" She laughed, but Mumiora glared back at her.

    "Wylaini, enough!" she snapped. The laughing guard snapped to attention, then gingerly looked away.

    "Sorry boss, just having a little fun." Wylaena scratched the back of her neck. Then she met Aodh¨¢n''s gaze. She must have seen how unnerved he was feeling, or how white his face had become, though that was more likely from the bloodloss at this point, and bowed her head slightly. "Sorry, kid. Not tryna spook you or nothin''."

    Jidsin, who had seemed to linger on Aodh¨¢n, spoke up in a defensive tone, though it nearly lacked any emotion at all. "You make it sound like my enhancements are some terrible UnLand-ian curse. You should know, I spend a lot of time ensuring that they are safe and beneficial to those who receive them. Even you have one or two, Wylaena. The Spears of Triel would not be what they are without them."

    "Even if they are helpful", Aodh¨¢n interjected, "I don''t really understand what that involves, so I''d rather not." Jidsin didn''t have a facial expression, but he did notice the petals on its face wilt ever so slightly. "B-but, you can tell me about them while you patch me up!"

    Mumiora had become visibily annoyed, yet amazingly didn''t lose any of the decorum and professionalism she had shown up to this point. She spoke with just the slightest bite, "It is not for you to decide if you want them or not. Jidsin is the healer for The Spears of Triel and those enhancements are only meant for us. I would not need to clarify that point with them, but they are currently on shift for us and I did not want them giving you any enhancements by mistake." She gave Jidsin a look that said don''t even try before taking a breath. "Once you and your beast are healed, we will take you to the interogation room. You are not under arrest, but none of us are familiar with what species you are and visitors are rare here."

    Aodh¨¢n though that this was a lot of hassle for one guy and his dog. He might not be under arrest, but he definitely knew he wasn''t just free to go. "So you want to detain me until you can figure out what to do?" He spoke what she had left unsaid.

    A nod from her confirmed it for him. He looked at her, then back to Wylaena, at Jidsin and around the room, before his eyes settled on the dog. He thought for a long moment and wondered if doing what they wanted was worth it or if it would just be trouble for him. They seemed like decent people and were even offering to treat him, so far free of charge. At the same time not working with them would probably result in him actually being thrown in prison or worse.

    "Ok, that seems like common sense to me." He shrugged. "Just, one thing before we get into all of that-" He pointed to the dog, whose ears perked up. "I''d appreciate you not calling my friend ''beast'' anymore, but she doesn''t have a name." He looked at all three of them. "Any of you have good suggestions?"

    End of Chapter 2

 Aodhè°©n - Chapter 3

    Jidsin slathered a green, translucent paste onto Aodh¨¢n''s wounds, then applied it a bit more sparingly to ''Ri'', which was the name Wylaena had insisted animatedly be the name Aodh¨¢n gave the dog that had been accompanying him thus far.

    Ri clearly liked the name, especially after Wylaena had come over and begun to pet her and scratch her belly. Aodh¨¢n decided that it was a decent name and didn''t really want to ruin Wylaena''s fun, so he gave in and let it be.

    The paste that clung cooly to his wounds had been harvested from a plant that Jidsin grew in the infirmary. They gathered a sample of his skin and did some test to it and some kind of seed before planting it in a little pot.

    Within minutes, the seed had grown into a decent sized flowering plant. Then, the flower closed up and grew into a round, green fruit. Jidsin plucked it quickly, punched a hole into the fruit, then squeezed the green paste out. That had been a minute ago, and now Aodh¨¢n could feel the stuff already working.

    He watched in amazement as the paste moved into his open wounds filling any gaps before changing into new, soft tissue. It only took a few seconds before it had finished and he felt at his sides where the wounds used to be. Not even a residue remained, and it felt as if he had never been injured in the first place.

    "That''s incredible!" He turned to Jidsin, who had just finished applying Ri''s plant paste to her. "I don''t feel any pain or anything!"

    The petals on Jidsin''s face fluttered as they nodded in a self satisfied motion. "Yes, my techniques are quite effective. If you wish to have it packaged for reuse in case of future bodily harm, come and visit my stall on the north side of the city when I''m not on duty."

    He nodded. "If I ever get hurt again, I definitely will, Thank you!" He reached out to shake Jidsin''s hand and had to fight off a shiver as the weird, cool texture of their skin brushed against his own.

    Mumiora opened the door and beckoned to him. "Alright, let''s get you to the interrogation room and figure this out."

    Ri hopped off the infirmary bed and trotted after him as he followed the two Spears out the door and down a new hallway away from the common area.

    "Interrogation? Are you sure you''re not arresting me?" His words came out with a bit more confidence than they had when he asked before. He had the sense they didn''t mean him any ill or harm and that he''d probably be alright as long as he cooperated. Mostly, anyway.

    Mumiora stopped at a heavy looking door and opened it, ushering the rest of them in. "No, not unless it turns out you did something bad." She hesitated just for a moment before reassuring him. "You don''t give that kind of impression, this room is just for privacy."

    He gave her a nod and stepped in. There was a single square table in the center of the room with three chairs on one side and a single chair on the other. Wylaena had already sat down on the side with three and motioned for him to sit on the opposite side.

    He sat and Ri joined him at his side, nudging his hand and giving it a few licks. He chuckled and scratched behind her ears before focusing in as Mumiora joined Wylaena''s side of the table.

    "Alright, no need for formalities in this situation. This is just going to be us figuring out what is happening, so let''s all just relax. No one is in trouble, and no one needs to be." She relaxed in her chair slightly. Wylaena had already been fully reclined in her chair, leaning it back on two legs and pushing her feet against one of the table legs. Aodh¨¢n simply sat up straight.

    "Aodh¨¢n, you seem unfamiliar with a lot of things that are obvious to any regular person. Maybe you are from someplace far away and things are just different there, or maybe not." She continued. "Regardless of why you don''t know these things, we should start there and build an understanding. First, can you tell us why we find it odd that you came to Triel by walking through the forest?"

    He blinked. Memories of his short adventure through the woods played in his mind; His sudden and terrifying arrival, Ri finding him, getting attacked in the night, and carrying Ri out of the forest and into Triel.

    "I mean, aside from stumbling out of the woods and up to your gate unannounced, not really. For me, this whole experience has been odd, so I don''t know if I can distiguish between what is or is not weird. Honestly, I was hoping you two could make send of all of this."

    Mumiora folded her arms. "See? That right there is what is odd. You don''t know. The forests around Triel are UnLands, minor though they be. Without special Curios to navigate through, you would be lost forever, incapable of leaving except by the smallest chance." She leaned over the table, carefully observing him. "I wonder, do you even know what the UnLands are? What dangers they pose? You even have a Curio in your possession, and it is probably what saved you but you don''t even realize it. No one, anywhere in this world, would be as clueless as you are right now. That alone is reason enough for me to be suspicious."

    Aodh¨¢n was speechless. He didn''t know anything about what she just told him. His phone, or rather his ''Curio'', did have a map on it so that part could be true. For all he had been honest about his predicament, it was like she saw right through him. He felt his heart beat quicken and he paled slightly. He hadn''t done anything wrong, but what if he said something normal to him but bad to them and they decided he was a risk and kicked him out of the city? If he truly was in some weird other world, he had no idea how to survive against whatever was out there. Worse yet, they might think he was an immediate threat and lock him up and execute him.

    Aodh¨¢n''s swell of anxiety began to show as cold sweat began to bead on his forehead and neck. "No, no! I swear I''m not out to do anything bad! I don''t want to hurt anyone, I just-"

    "Just?" Mumiora raised an eyebrow as she added pressure to the interrogation this had quickly become. "Just what? Are you a scout from some far off place? A barbarian from beyond the The World Embrace? A horror in disguise from the UnLands?" She hadn''t said it aggressively or raised her voice, but there was a serious edge to her tone that wasn''t there before and it was focused on him.

    Wylaena shifted, ever slightly so that her spear fell into her grip and her legs tucked under the chair as she braced to move. Her laid-back and casual demeanor was gone now, replaced with an expression even the toughest around would think twice about provoking.

    In no time at all, Aodh¨¢n had gone from relative safety to fearing for his life. The two guardswomen now seemed to loom over him, their every move intent on finding him guilty of some evil. All of the events leading up to this moment, all of those bottled feelings had reached a limit long ago, and now the cork on the bottle was finally about to give.

    The swirl of panicked emotions blazed into an out of control inferno that quickly spread from his chest to his head and limbs.

    "No!" Unable to control himself any longer, he exploded. He choked down a sob as he began to plead. "No! I promise, I''m not evil, or some- some horror or spy or anything like that! I-I-I- was just out for a walk, getting dinner for my folks and then there was this weird performer and smoke and I passed out and when I woke up I was in the middle of the woods and it was weird and I don''t know where I-"

    "Again, you don''t know, but you still haven''t explained where you are from and what your plan has been since you got here." Mumiora sounded frustrated now, clearly she wasn''t going to buy anything but the truth.

    Aodh¨¢n felt the last of his composure crumble as the world around him faded. "I don''t know where I am!"He screamed. "I don''t know why I''m here, or why things are different, or what to do! I don''t even know what I fucking want from all this!"

    The inferno raging within him consumed all of his fear and pain as it all turned to anger and rage. He knew that no good would come from what came next, but there was no stopping it now.

    His voice trembled as the adrenaline still in him fed his anger. "I tried. I tried this whole time to keep myself calm and reasonable but every time I get past one problem two more take its place, and now I''m here, pathetically begging you to believe me, because I need help! I know I''m overreacting! I know that any reasonable person wouldn''t have their emotions flip a switch and go out of control, but I can''t help it, damn it all!" His fist had slammed into the table hard before he even realized he had started to move it. "I''m just as confused and suspicious as you are! I don''t know you people, I''ve never heard of Thylvens or Kiher or whatever random fantasy species exist in this place! I''m not from this world! I''m not supposed to be here and I don''t want to be either!"

    His outrage cooled with each word, slowly settling into a simmering frustration. "I nearly died last night, had to kill a living creature, and then I find this city and think I have answers and safety only to find myself on trial with no way home and no way to talk to anybody I know. You can ask as many question about what I know as you want, but the answer for them all will be the same. I do not know. I don''t know anything! The things I do know probably aren''t relevant to any discussion we could have, so just stop and listen to me!"

    The world came back into focus and Aodh¨¢n looked up at Mumiora and Wylaena. Their faces were surprised, but he didn''t detect any real anger. He immediately felt ashamed. His cheeks flushed.

    "I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have exploded like that. You''re right to make sure I''m not a potential threat to the city." A long sigh escaped his from his mouth. "If you don''t trust me or believe me, I can accept that, but I want you to give me a chance. I''d rather be friends than enemies. You can monitor me or whatever, but until I figure out what the hell I am going to do going forward I''d like to ask for help. Will you help me?"

    Mumiora and Wylaena stared at him as he met their eyes, their expressions stupified as they processed the sudden outburst and information dump. The two exchanged a long look in the ensuing silence.

    Wylaena cracked a smile. "Woooow, he broke under the pressure real quick! Must be a new record! Did you use any Traits on him? You must have not held back." She turned to Aodh¨¢n, beaming with a glint in her eye. "And you! You are absolutely crazy! What was that outburst! Ha! You''ve got a lot of passion burning in you, I can tell. Now I gotta know, is it true? You came from another world? Is everyone there like you? I gotta visit sometime if so!" She laughed heartily without any care for the mood.

    The tension in the room immediately dissipated. Aodh¨¢n felt the relief and found himself grateful for her irreverant response. Mumiora settled back and she answered Wylaena''s question. "I was prepared to, but he seemed to do it all himself. I did use my [Truth Sense] ability and everything he said is at least true to him."

    Now that Mumiora''s intensity was gone, everyone in the room seemed to breathe again, her included. She seemed to reflect and the slightest hint of regret flashed across her face. "Aodh¨¢n, I apologize for the discomfort. It''s part of how my ability works, and using it was necessary to reveal the truth without leaving room for doubt. I did not know it would have such an effect on you."

    Ability? Like a useable skill in a game? He did not like that at all. There was too much he didn''t know about this world, and the amount he realized he didn''t know kept growing faster and faster.

    Still, he was torn. Here was someone who oozed a sense of honor bound duty, willing and ready to do right by the law and the people regardless of her own feelings and attachments. She was a rare breed back in his world. At the same time, she had used¡­ something on him that he still didn''t fully understand and it felt a lot like coercion. It wasn''t right, and he didn''t know if he should let it go or call her out.

    He decided that there were more important things to focus on right now, like securing his immediate future until he could figure things out. For now, he would cooperate. Besides, they didn''t seem to be malicious or evil in any way, just a lot different than what he was used to.

    Mumiora looked at him with realization. "So if you aren''t from this world like you say, and you aren''t familiar with Classes, did you not have one until today?"

    "No, nothing like that at all. Concepts like Classes only exist in fiction where I am from, and the concept is very new, only going back five or six decades." He pulled out his phone and showed them the app that displayed the [Indomitable] class on it. "I woke up in the woods with this thing. We call it a smart phone where I am from. It''s not magic, but instead a carefully engineered device that''s capable of long distance communication, mathematics, capturing images, playing sound¡­ a whole lot of things, actually." He scrolled through the app not bothering to read any of the details present from when he first noticed the class earlier. He closed the app and showed off a few of its other features. "But this thing is different. Normally, we use something called a screen to display the information like this. It''s really just a lot of extremely tiny lights arrayed in a grid that can change color. They work together to form images."

    He locked the phone''s screen, revealing the smooth stone-like surface and running his fingers over it. "This thing looks like a smart phone, but it''s made entirely out this weird material. It feels like a mix of metal and stone. It also has similar functions to what I''m used to, with some major differences of course."

    He turned it back on and pointed to the map and system apps. "These two, for instance. The map app¡­ Oh, apps are what we call these different functions. Anyways, the map normally already has a full map that you can see with different routes and locations already marked for you. You can give it a destination and it will guide you to it, even telling you how far away you are and how long it will take to arrive."

    Mumiora and Wylaena''s foreheads scrunched up as they processed what he was saying. They were nodding along at various points in his explanation that made sense so they were following along, though it clearly was either baffling or difficult to keep up with.

    Aodh¨¢n smiled as a memory of his mother holding her phone at the furthest length she could extend her arm, trying desperately to see the online slot machine before letting out a shriek of excitement, yelling for him to ''get his tucus over there'' and helped her figure out how to collect her winnings. It was only a few dollars, but she was happy, and that made him feel good.

    He wondered if maybe there would be a time when he wouldn''t be bending over backwards just for the chance for things to work out, the way he''d always dreamed they could. Those few memories of making his parents happy, of those short lived friendships in school, the meaningless conversations he''d have with total strangers in an online chat room or at the end of the rare victory in a battle royale.

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    Such a life was a world away now. Each realization of that fact nearly caused his brain to crash and sent him reeling. He knew he would have to face that sooner or later, but for now there was simply too much to do.

    "Uhm¡­ Aodh¨¢n?" Wylaena''s voice nearly startled him and her hand waved uncomfortably close to his face. "You okay there? Do I need to poke you with something?" She grinned as she lifted the blunt end of her spear over the table and play jabbed at his torso.

    Reflexively he leaned back, more in annoyance than anything. "Y-yeah! I''m fine, I just got distracted by a memory from home, that''s all." He gingerly pushed the end of the spear away from him and forced a smile. "Where was I?"

    Mumiora waved her hand at the phone. "You were just explaining this ''map app'' and how the one on this Curio differed from the devices in your world."

    "Right, the map. The ones from my world showed everything around you and could tell you how to get from one place to another. This one seems to work by updating a blank map with my surroundings whenever I go places. I haven''t investigated it enough to know if it does more." The similarity to maps in video games crossed his mind briefly, but explaining that would be too much all at once so he tucked that thought away for later. He closed the map app and opened the one labeled ''System''.

    "This app seems to have information about Classes and the like. I think it''s supposed to list them out so I can track them." He set the phone down, screen still on. "But you weren''t aware of what I was talking about when I showed the phone at the gates, and one of the guards laughed at me when I said I could check my Class on it. Do you have some other way of checking?"

    Wylaena put her hand over her heart, like a salute from his world but far more casually. There was no reverence at all to the gesture. Then, she traced a straight line on the table with her finger. Where her finger touched the table a near imperceptible arc of energy burned the table, leaving behind a line of words and a number; [Warrior - Rank 14].

    A few moments later, the text faded until there was no sign of it ever being there. "It''s just something everybody can do, sorta like breathing." Wylaena dropped her hand. "I know what Class I have, what Traits and Abilities I have, and what I need to do to get to the next Rank. Just like I knew how to cry when I was born, it''s something that''s inherent. Most people don''t give much thought to why, but a few people who have clearly spent too much time in UnLands are obsessed with why the world is the way it is. I say, don''t go poking around in the workings of existence, or you''ll likely find answers you aren''t ready for."

    Aodh¨¢n lifted his hand over his heart like she had done. "And this? Is this important somehow?"

    "It''s how you can share your Class and the like with other people, like how I wrote it on the table." She pointed to the blank spot where her Class had appeared a moment ago.

    He sat back and thought about it. He knew what his Class was because it was on his phone, but he hadn''t explored what the rest of his Classes and Traits were yet. He closed his eyes and focused, trying to reach out for the knowledge.

    But, nothing came to him. He sighed. "It didn''t seem to work for me, but I''m not from this world and don''t have anything like that where I''m form, so I can''t tell if I inherently knew my Class before and I just don''t have anything else to know or if it doesn''t work that way for me."

    The startings of a plan clicked together in his brain as he put the phone away. "There isn''t much more I can tell you that you don''t already know, but I think it''s in both of our interests to find out. For me so I can find a way home, and for you so that you can stay ahead of whatever might happen next."

    Mumiora placed her hand under her chin and motioned for him to continue. Wylaena just leaned back looking half interested.

    "We should experiment with whatever differences I might have from you, since we''re from different worlds. it might give us some clues as to the nature of the situation and hopefully a direction to start looking in. First I''d like to gain some Ranks in this [Indomitable] class, then see if I can recall the new changes without checking the phone. It would also be helpful for me to have some Ranks in case I get in trouble without realizing it and need to defend myself."

    He bit the inside of his cheeks before continuing, unsure what response he might get.

    "If you are willing, in exchange for feeding me and a place to stay I will assist in uncovering why I am here and will offer my knowledge and whatever this [Indomitable] Class lets me do as a member of The Spears of Triel, temporary or otherwise until I find a way back home". He paused a beat before adding a final thought. "If I find a way back home".

    The bewildered and amused expressions he was expecting never appeared. Instead, Mumiora seriously considered his suggestion. Wylaena''s eyes went wide with interest. "Training?! Oh, Unknowns! I love training, you gotta let me get you into the courtyard! You''re fresh, just one measly Rank to your name, I can forge you into a power house in no time! Seriously, I''ll take you out there right now if you want." A mischievous, determined grin spread across her face.

    "You want to be a Spear of Triel?" Mumiora considered it, thinking as she spoke. "I suppose it could be done, there is no restriction preventing anyone from joining so long as they have the aptitude. It would be a lot of work to get you ready for proper induction, but if you joined the recruits you may be able to gain enough Ranks in a useful Class to be fit for duty, or if this [Indomitable] class ends up being something desirable".

    Aodh¨¢n decided to sweeten the deal a bit, just to be safe. "You''d be covering all your bases this way. You can keep an eye on me, continue to investigate, have me as an asset in your Spears of Triel, and I can offer you insight into some very interesting and lucrative ideas from my world."

    He continued after a beat to let them register what he''d said. "Judging by how advanced technology and science is here, I''d be willing to bet even some of my basic knowledge could put you forward by leaps and bounds."

    He left out specifics intentionally. Better to let them use their imagination to fill in the gaps so they would wonder what sort of things might make life better for them.

    For a moment he wondered if he was getting ahead of himself. He was volunteering a lot, and being pretty aggresive about it. Not only was it very out of character for him to be this forward, but it might not be the most responsible thing to do. Still, he was committed and admittedly desperate to find answers and figure out what to do next. For that to happen, he needed relative safety, resources, and protection while he learned about this new world he found himself in.

    Mumiora looked up and nodded. "I''ve made up my mind. You will be under our supervision as a recruit and potential inductee, as you have requested. We will arrange housing and necessities for you, but you will not receive standard pay. Instead, a basic allowance will be given that should give you enough to see the city and get to know how things work around here. However-" she motioned to Wylaena, "-you must not leave the city except under supervision by one of us. Additionally, Wylaena will be keeping tabs on you while you are here. You are to check in with her every morning and evening and follow her instructions. This is both to ensure your safety as well as make sure we know what you''re up to, in case it turns out we do have reason not to trust you." She let out a long sigh and her posture hunched slightly as she relaxed and a pleasant smile showed on her face.

    "Welcome to Triel, Aodh¨¢n. I hope all this goes well. For now, I suggest you go out and see the city. If anyone asks where you are from just say the continent of Kin-Kin. We don''t get many visitors from there, and the people here don''t know too much about it, but it''s a fairly peaceful place from what I understand and it''s inhabitants don''t like to talk too much of their homeland. I will send for someone to fetch you once we have figured out your lodging."

    With that they shook hands, something that seemed somehow universal across their worlds, and the two of them escorted him out of the building. Mumiora offered a farewell and walked back inside, but Wylaena lingered for a moment.

    "Hey, training starts every morning as the sun comes up, make sure to be at the training yard before then." She pointed behind the miniature fortress they had just left. "It''s behind the Spearhall, you can''t miss it." She grinned wickedly. "If you''re late, I''ll make your conditioning a worse experience then a trip to Uun."

    The puzzled tilt of his head after that last part wasn''t lost on her. "You do know what Uun is, right?"

    "Uhh, no? Is it like hell?" He guessed. This time, he was on the receiving end of a puzzled head tilt.

    "I don''t know what a ''hell'' is, but maybe? Uun is the source of the unknown. It''s a pretty unoriginal name, y''know. ''Uun'' as in ''Uunknown''. Nobody has really been there, but some people claim to have seen it in visions or to have stumbled across it while lost in the UnLands. Based on what they say, it''s a place so unlike here it messes with your head, like our minds can''t handle it. Of course, all those accounts are by people who''ve totally lost their minds. Hard to say if their words can be trusted or if they really did have their brains scrambled, so it''s really just a story you tell the kids to spook them into doing what they''re told."

    "Huh, that is surprisingly similar." He said, now wondering what other similarities or analogues he might run into. "Hell is definitely a place people don''t want to go. Well, most people anyways. It''s supposed to be super hot and filled with demons that torture you for all eternity. You go there if you are a bad person after you die. Not everyone believes that though."

    He''d closed his eyes while recalling the details, and when he opened them the first thing he noticed was how pale, though it really was more of a grey color, Wylaena''s face had gone.

    "You mean you keep going after death, and they torture you forever?" She shook her head vigourosly. "I know some people believe in an afterlife, but they are rare and do weird things. They aren''t part of regular society at all, and I think I see why! Aodh¨¢n, don''t tell anyone about that kind of stuff. You''ll get run out of the city."

    "Wait, really? I mean, it''s supposed to sound awful, we use it the same way you use Uun. Well, some people believe it''s real, and there''s a whole bunch of religions that believe in different versions of it, but there''s also plenty of people who just don''t believe in that kind of thing."

    Wylaena''s tone turned concerned and serious as she leaned in, lowering her volume. "Just listen to me on this, belief in an afterlife and related things isn''t good. I don''t know how it works where you are from, but large groups of people who share belief in stuff like that can accidentally manifest horrible things, stuff you don''t want to know about. Whole nations have been destroyed and countless lives lost. Sometimes, it''s benign or small enough to not have a big impact, but it''s not worth risk. If anyone hears you suggesting those kinds of thoughts might report you to us, or worse, deal with you themselves. Understand?"

    Oh, he thought, Oooooooh. He felt very wary in that moment and looked around to see if anyone had heard them talking. What would they have done to him if he had talked about religion openly? They wouldn''t go as far as hurting him or killing him, would they?

    He slowly moved his gaze back to Wylaena. "O-Ok, I''ll make a point not to talk about that kind of stuff. What should I do if-" He began to ask, but he''d finally focused on Wylaena''s face again and the expression of barely contained laughter made him realize he''d been totally had.

    "PFFFFT, you should have seen how scared your face looked! Let me guess, you thought if you talked about believing in the afterlife you''d get mobbed? Ha!" She proceeded to unapologetically laugh at her prank. It wasn''t a pleasant laugh either, it was raucous with no shortage of snorts to puncuate each desparate gasp of air as she went on. She attracted more than a few funny looks from people passing by.

    "Ok, very funny, you got me!" He tried to look serious, but something about the laughter and the situation tickled him and he soon joined in with her, laughing loudly and getting a few weird looks from those passing by. He needed a reason to laugh after the rollercoaster of events so far. Especially if the ride hadn''t ended yet.

    When they finally settled down and Wylaena was able to breath again, she continued. "No, no one is that serious about it. But it''s true that those who hold beliefs like that are outcasts, and it''s true that when enough people believe something like that it can cause powerful and often terrible things to happen. You won''t be kicked out or anything, but people will think you are very weird. It''s best not to chance it."

    "Well, thanks for the warning. Seems like I''ve got a lot to learn before I can feel comfortable here." He smiled and turned, but stopped as he realized he''d forgotten something. "Hey, have you seen Ri?"

    Wylaena''s eyes widened as she too was reminded of the dog. "Your beast? Well, I think I saw it back in the room, and I''m pretty sure it walked out with us, so it must be nearby. If it''s anything like other beasts people keep, it probably smelled food or got curious and took off."

    He asked her to help find Ri and after a half hour of running around the nearby streets they found her happily performing tricks for one of the serpent looking people who was running a kind of food cart.

    He hadn''t had the chance to get a good look before since there were so few of them around, but now that he was up close he could see how massive they were. A long serpent body nearly three feet thick coiled up under a much smaller humanoid torso. Their whole body was covered in scales and patterns, lacking any body hair or other typical characteristics of humanoids. It was eery in that although they had a human shaped face and upper body, they couldn''t feel any more different to look at. Something about the way they moved around felt off, like they didn''t have the same kind of bone structure.

    The thing that stood out the most were the two additional gigantic tree trunk arms that sprouted from where their shoulder blades would be. They were monstrous and had a powerful musculature, ending in a hand with two massive fingers and an equally massive opposible thumb.

    Pinched between the terrifying digits in an almost comically gentle grip was a skewer of freshly cooked chunks of meat and veggies he couldn''t recognize.

    "You are quite the little entertainer, Suur-Ssang-A!" It spoke. Its accent wasn''t quite like anything he knew, but it lingered on and drew out any "oo" sounds while mostly ignoring any sharp sounds like ''T''s. There was a low growl behind the otherwise soft manner of speaking that added a strange dualism to its tone.

    He tried to recall what Mumiora had called them from the brief few bits of information she had mentioned earlier that day. Was it Gravel? No, it had more flair to it.

    Aodh¨¢n watched the serpent person playfully hold the skewer just out of Ri''s reach, smiling broadly. Ri responded by performing tricks in response to hand motions made with its smaller human hands. They didn''t seem to know which hand motions to use, so they kept trying random motions until the dog reacted and performed a trick.

    Ri, despite the growing puddle of saliva at her feet, seemed rather happy to engage.

    "Hey, Gryvol! Stop that!" The harsh and sudden command from Wylaena startled him. Then he remembered, Gryvol was what Mumiora had called the serpent-like people.

    The Gryvol and Ri stopped in place and stared at Wylaena as she marched over to the cart. "Enough, you snake, this is not some stray animal you can lure over for a quick snack."

    Aodh¨¢n blinked. That seemed rather uncharacteristic compared to how laid back she''d been up until now. And did she say something about Ri being a quick snack? He suddenly felt three different kinds of uneasy.

    The Gryvol looked at her in shock, slowly looked to the dog, then back at her. "Nuur-Ssang-A, what do you mean? I am just playing with it, you see?" He turned back to Ri and made his hand into an upside down fist, pointing his index finger straight up. Ri reacted to the gesture by sitting down on her haunches and looking expectantly.

    The Gryvol plucked a chunk of meat from the skewer and tossed it to Ri who leapt and caught it, devouring it in just three bites before turning her attention back to the cart owner.

    The guardswoman eyed the Gryvol suspiciously. "That had better be the case, snake. That beast belongs to this visitor here, they are from another continent and would be very upset if anything happened to it!" She leaned towards the Gryvol. It looked like she tried to lean over them, but they were so massive it ended up looking a little ridiculous. Wylaena seemed to realize this and quickly stepped back.

    As Ri''s eyes followed her, she noticed Aodh¨¢n and bounded over, nearly toppling him as she jumped up against his chest.

    "There you are!" He managed to get out between grunts as he struggled to stay upright under her weight. He wasn''t used to how massive she was compared to dogs he was used to. Still, it was nice to have a familiar experience in this strange world. After plenty of scratches and belly rubs she was finally satisfied and sat back down. "You must have smelled the food and come running to get some, we haven''t eaten since we ran into each other."

    He realized how hungry he was as he said that, and looked up to the food cart to see if he could get some. Just as he realized he didn''t have anything to buy with, he noticed the cart was gone. Aodh¨¢n looked up and down the street and could just make out the massive figure before they disappeared around a corner.

    "Damn, I could really have used a bite to eat." His hand pressed against his belly, it ached now that he was aware of how long he''d gone without eating.

    A hand grabbed his shoulder. Wylaena stood next to him and smiled. "You don''t want what that snake is selling, trust me! We''ll get you some proper food instead."

    He nodded. Something about that last exchange didn''t sit right with him. The Gryvol didn''t seem offended by Wylaena''s accusation. Rather, it seemed like a response they were used to. He wondered if there was a reason she had treated them that way and resolved to learn a bit more on his own time.

    For now, he needed today to end. Too much had happened and it felt like it had gone on forever. Wylaena brought him to one of her favorite spots and eventually someone came to let them know his lodgings were ready, but he''d turned his brain off long before then and didn''t even look around the small space he would call home for now. His body auto-piloted him to something like a bed and he collapsed into it, allowing him the first comfortable night of rest since he''d landed in this world.

    End of Chapter 3

 Interlude 1 - Lomoy

    <b>Interlude 1 - Lomoy</b>

    <i>It</i>, which had been made to obey, focused <i>Its</i> gaze upon the deceptively frail form of <i>Its</i> master''s messenger. Air rhythmically flowed in and out of <i>It</i> making a deep rasping sound, though <i>It</i> had no need to breathe.

    The messenger smiled knowingly before bowing deeply. A sign of respect, not lost on <i>Its</i> intelligence but meaningless nonetheless. <i>It</i> had no emotion, no feeling. <i>Its</i> consciousness existed out of necessity for the world <i>It</i> inhabited, an afterthought to the great and terrible formlessness of <i>Its</i> true nature. Whether or not the messenger showed respect to <i>It</i> did not matter, only the will of <i>Its</i> master mattered. Thus did <i>It</i>, through <i>Its</i> consciousness, await whatever command the messenger had brought.

    A creature scuttled just beyond the hovel where <i>It</i> resided. One of the creatures of this place, twisted and changed simply by being in the presence of <i>Its</i> physical manifestation. A desired and intended side effect of <i>Its</i> true nature. The creature cowered and sniveled beneath the boughs of a fallen tree, also watching the undisturbed and ever-patient messenger. The creature, in contrast to <i>It</i>, had a consciousness, complete with feeling and will and hope because that''s what it was; A soul, and despite <i>Its</i> manipulating effect on this world the will of its inhabitants was somehow inalienable.

    "Oh great and mighty Manae, I greet you humbly." The messenger broke the silence with his typical prose and pomp, adding an extravagant curtsy. <i>It</i> did not deign the performance with a response, for <i>It</i> could not speak. Still, the messenger loitered awaiting one. After a few moments, he continued.

    "Our master, as ever, wants of you. The guests he has brought into this world have shown varied degrees of success in the roles they were brought to play. One, which resides in your domain, has made fast allies with the local peoples. There is a fear that he will grow too comfortable and fail to fulfill their role''s purpose and so the task has befallen you, Manae, to disrupt their course of action and force them to grow in ambition." The messenger''s smile, usually calm and coy, grew into a charming grin. Behind it, a palpable manic energy danced.

    <i>It</i> still waited. The master''s dealings were already known to it, nor did the nature of them matter. All it had need of was its purpose, granted to it by the master and told to it by the messenger.

    "One important aspect I must convey to you, oh formless one made manifest, is that the one whom I mention must not expire. They must survive the spectacle of your appearance in order to fulfill their purpose. Now, I will convey to you the master''s words in full." His head turned to glance over his shoulder at the quivering creature nestled among the leaves of the fallen tree. "Only, there must not be any eavesdroppers."

    The creature jerked as the messenger lifted his finger, an unseen forcing gripping it tightly as the struggling for lifted into the air. With a light flick, the creature accelerated to immense speeds and flew straight out of the hovel. It shrieked in terror, its eyes affixed to the messenger as he waved his hand, drawing shut an impenetrable curtain of black around him and Manae.

    Lomoy flew through the air, unable to turn to see if he was about to hit something. His heart raced as he braced himself for the pain of impact. One second passed, then two. Finally he slowed, coming to a gentle stop in the air. The force gripping him gently lowered him until he touched the ground, then dissipated entirely. He crumpled to the ground in a heap, his paws sticking up into the air. His melange dark grey coat collected the dirt and leaves on the ground as he righted himself.

    The thick locks of fur were long like strokes of paint and otherwise well kempt. He shook himself off and stood on all fours, glancing around. He''d only gone in there after seeing that person appear out of nowhere and stroll right in. There wasn''t any concern for the Forest Lord, they were an essential constant. They, or rather <i>It</i>, was more of a force of nature. <i>It</i> simply was. He wasn''t even sure <i>It</i> could be hurt, really.

    No, Lomoy was worried the stranger was going to end up hurt or worse by strolling into the very private and very sacred home of the most powerful thing around. He and the others only ever went in there to attend to <i>It</i> and receive the occasional instruction. It was a forced relationship, the consequences of ignoring which were¡­ not great. Still, it wasn''t too demanding and in return they got to live in relative peace. It was all the more reason to make sure the strange visitor did not do something that could cause him or the others trouble.

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    But then they had used some kind of unseen force to not only remove him, but create that veil of darkness around them and the Forest Lord. He''d heard from some of the other Untouched that strange visitors did come to see the Forest Lord, though it was rare.

    None of the folk really understood too much about what went on with the Forest Lord, nor did they have much desire to stick their noses into things that may have serious consequences. For most of them, it was better to keep their heads down and just keep on trying to survive.

    But survival alone was boring for Lomoy. He began to wonder now as he walked back in the direction of his village, what do the visitors want with the Forest Lord? He couldn''t believe it was just for a fun chat. And what sort of individual even wanders into the deepest parts of the UnLands and right into the very home of its keeper? Maybe they were an ancient species that created the UnLands and hide themselves away from the world, then go to visit their creations to make sure they keep functioning correctly. Or they were a secret cult that worshipped the UnLands and had earned some kind of favor or had some special way of keeping themselves protected from corruption.

    Whatever it was didn''t really matter to him, he mostly just liked to come up with cool and unique explanations for things. His imagination was his escape from the everyday mundanity of his current life. He briefly thought of putting his thoughts to paper, but abandoned the idea when he thought about how hard writing with paws would be. Instead, he''d settle for telling stories to those who''d listen around the fires at night. He''d been practicing for almost as long as he''d been part of the village and he''d gotten quite good at it. So good, in fact, that the village elders had made him responsible for communicating information through spoken word between the different groups within the Untouched. With his skills, there was never a misunderstood message or any particular phrasing that ruffled too many feathers. He helped to smooth things over and was responsible for public speeches and announcements.

    His mind continued to wander between daydreams, stories, and his duties until he was close to the village. Telltale columns of smoke rose up before dissipating against the thick canopy of leaves high above.

    The snap of twigs to his left caught his attention and his head turned to the source. He froze.

    A lone Dark-Touched stared at him several paces away. It stood still, its oily black streaks of fur hung in the air as though in a thick liquid, slowly swaying about. It''s red eyes, bare skinned muzzle, and ever-exposed fangs made for a gruesome visage that still sent shivers down his spine whenever he saw one. They were the personal servants of the Forest Lord. Untouched who had become too corrupted, or simply born already without wills of their own.

    After overcoming his initial fright at its sudden appearance, he calmed down. The Dark-Touched never harmed the Untouched. In a way they were allies, they even came to the defense of the Untouched on the rare occasion when something threatened the village. Still, they were not to be crossed and they were definitely not friendly. They were almost machines, unfeeling and unthinking. Always working under orders from their master.

    That was what caught his attention next. The Dark-Touched always worked in pairs, and yet this one was alone. He looked around for its other half but the other was nowhere to be seen. Had something happened, he wondered? Maybe it had gotten lost or injured, he supposed.

    No, they had a sense for finding their partner and would not be lost for but a moment. Perhaps, then, they were working on a task right now? But what task would require the two to be separated?

    The final realization stirred unease within him. It''s partner was gone. Dead most likely, for if it had been captured this one would be preoccupied with freeing it. It was rare that a Dark-Touched died. Normally, they would flee before getting into that much trouble. It had to have been  extremely unlucky or extremely outmatched for it to have perished. He hoped it wasn''t the latter, lest whatever bested the beast came for the Untouched next.

    But, that was the only answer that seemed to make sense. He continued to the village, warily passing the Dark-Touched who continued it''s mindless staring. When one of a pair of Dark-Touched died, something seemed to break in the surviving member. No one really knew what happened to them either, since they would eventually disappear without a trace. Most speculated that they had been assigned a new partner, some said that the master absorbed their essence so that they could be made anew. No one had any evidence to support their imaginings though, and no one really cared enough to find out as there were much more important things to deal with day to day.

    Lomoy shook off those feelings of unease and picked up his pace. That was two things now that barely ever happened, just in one morning! He''d planned to tell Elder Dzommuyd about the visitor, but now he had to report the strange Dark-Touched. The Elder would likely have patrols set up and a stricter curfew established for a week or two until someone could figure out what had done the beast in. He did not look forward to it, since it would mean less free time and more headaches since he would be the one sent to notify the other villages.

    The first of many exasperated sighs escaped him as he prepared himself for a busy few days.