Monsters and Maidens (182 to 186)

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[182] [Barry]

Barry sat on the edge of the bed, his gaze distant and unfocused, his hands clenching and relaxing in a slow, irregular rhythm. In his mind, he tried to go over the conversation with Pan again. It was like watching a train-wreck in slow motion. It had started with the slap, a loss of control, a derailment that began the domino. His emotions had flash boiled into an explosion and everything afterwards turned into a tumble down a canyon with slippery walls.

And now he was here, wondering how he could have done it differently, how he could do it differently. Was there even a chance? He’d go back, talk to her, and… He held his head between his hands, fingers digging into the red hair as he felt the weight falling on his shoulders like a slow avalanche, creeping its way down to squish him against the ground.

A heavy weight settled on the bed next to him. He didn’t need to look at her to know who it was. “You’re going to kill her.”

“Yes.”

“Because I failed.”

“No. Do not mistake my ruling with your responsibility.” Embla said. She was naked, leaning against her knees, looking off into the room. “The condition for her survival was my mercy. You offered her a way to live, and she has not taken it.”

“She doesn’t deserve to die.”

“That is not for you to decide.”

“It doesn’t make it right!” He rose to his feet. “She’s a bad person, yes, but-.”

Embla was standing in front of him before he could even take a step. Her eyes were cold, startlingly so. The dark skinned woman that stood a full head and a half taller than him leaned down, calloused fingers tilting his head upwards so their gazes would meet. “You are the most important person in this whole Court.”

“Those are your emotions.”

“Yes.” She leaned down, kissing him, her other hand pulling him against her hard naked scarred body. “But it’s far more than that. With you we stand a chance, we have hope. You do not realize your importance, but you will, in time.”

“That… that does not make this right.” His hands reached out to push her away, there was no resistance to be had. He stumbled a step back and caught his breath.

“It is simple, Barry. Only by accepting you does she get to live.” Embla’s eyes glimmered in the darkness, peering at him with intensity. “This is not a test for you, but for her.”

“But I could force her.”

“If that is your wish, then do so.”

“Decisions are meaningless if you’re forced into them.”

There was a long pause, a tense silence. Embla stood before him as she peered at him. For a moment Barry felt as if she were about to pounce, to attack, a cold chill of certainty. But one that bore no fruit. With a sigh, she sat down on the bed, closing her eyes and lowering her head.

“You still have much to learn, Barry.” She shook her head. “You will attempt to bond her tomorrow, again.”

“How!?”

“Ask for my help.”

“What?”

“I am your leader. Ask for my help.”

“I… I want you not to kill Pan.”

“I gave my ruling, and the conditions were set. Ask for my help, Barry, not my capitulation.”

“…” His hands clenched. “Please help me.”

At his words. Embla raised her gaze back to him and then turned her focus to the door. A simple gesture of her head and it opened. A single figure stepped through before it closed. Her black hair was tied into a tight ponytail, her body barren of clothes save for a long brown gown. Kajou stepped further into the room, her face turned downward, eyes heavy with regret. The Amazon dragged her feet as she approached the center of the room.

“Kneel.”

Embla’s command shook the room. Kajou stumbled to the floor. A long slow sigh and her shoulders slumped further.

“I don’t…” Barry looked between the slumped Kajou and Embla. “What is the meaning of this?”

“She wishes to help.” Embla answered, crossing her arm. “Use her.”

“You make it sound as if-.”

“As if she is a tool, yes.” Embla’s words made Kajou and Barry flinch at the same time. The Lady didn’t acknowledge their discomfort, however.

“That’s not… that’s not how I want to do things.”

“That is fine as well.”

Barry glanced at Embla as she leaned back on the bed, keeping her eyes on Kajou. It was clear she wasn’t about to leave or give them privacy. If anything, it felt as if she was gauging Kajou more than anything else. It left the Amazoness on her knees with her head lowered, and with a bad taste in Barry’s mouth.

He didn’t know how to proceed, so he just went for the basics.

“Could you tell me about Pan? About her past? Who she is?”

“… yes.” Kajou spoke with a small voice. “She didn’t grow up in Coven. She’d run away from the kingdom back when she was a Warrior.”

“Warrior?”

“The base form. She later shifted into a Valkyrie.”

“Sorry for the interruption, please continue.”

“Her family tried to sell her while she was still a kit.” A slight shake of the head followed. “Pan rarely ever spoke about them.”

“You are skipping details.” Embla spoke with a frown. “Barry is not of this world. He does not know of the things you’ve left unspoken.”

“Oh.”

The maiden was so… meek. Kajou’s weak nod felt like it just didn’t belong on the maiden that had been so fiercely combative in Barry’s memory.

“Pan’s family was poor, and they had sold her as a kit. Maidens cannot form bonds until they’ve reached full maturity. Those willing to buy maidens that young are usually those with…”

“They are monsters.” Embla interrupted with a snarl.

Kajou nodded.

“And the kingdom does nothing?”

“Sometimes they do, most times they don’t. Justice does not matter, power does.”

“And… what happened? To Pan?” Barry asked.

“She escaped after a year with… them. Still a kit. She managed to cross the eastern mountains though barely. But…” Another shake of the head. “We taught her our ways, we gave her shelter, trained her, showed her how to be strong and how to protect herself. But it always felt as if a part of her had never truly left that place.”

Barry nodded, perking up slightly. “So… so that’s it, right? I just need to help her see I’m not like that monster.” He glanced at Embla and Kajou as he spoke, neither reacting to his proclamation. The silence that stretched on had a weight to it, a pressure. “… right?”

“Are you asking us, or are you making an affirmation?”

“I’m… asking.”

Kajou stirred slightly. “Perhaps that could help. Pan… Pan is a good person. Her anger gets in the way of it. I’ve seen her jump into danger to protect innocent people. She’s saved me more than a few times.”

“Hopefully we’ll think of something.” Barry nodded enthusiastically, turning to Embla.

She met his gaze, but did not speak, the quiet pressure of her presence no less forceful even as she sat as the only naked person in the room.

“What… about you? What do you think?”

“I think you tried to reach out for someone floating in the river who thought they’d prefer the waterfall ahead.” There was a cadence to her words, unrelenting. “My thoughts on this matter are that people become far more willing to take your hand when they’re drowning.”

[183] [Rick]

“It isn’t the newest model for boar hunting, but it’s the most reliable I’ve found.” The Earl spoke with confidence as he walked around the table. “Based on some of the firearms found from before the pre-catastrophe, the design has been improved over the centuries.”

Rick, with his hands on his back, leaned down to look at the two rifles that lay on the table. The shape was immediately familiar to him, which sounded alarms all over. It was eerily similar to a Remington hunting rifle, the same kind of rifle his uncles used in the farm.

The design was somewhat different though, the barrel was shorter and slightly wider, the metal a light blue and carved with ornately placed symbols of some sort. The wood of the stock was similarly decorated, though the thumb-sized symbols were part of some kind of artistic design, almost hidden in the intricacies of countless other lines.

“I’ve found that Gelly and Smith are the more reliable makers.” The Earl continued, speaking excitedly. “Their queue is of two years, but the quality is worth the wait.”

“I… see.” Rick swallowed, trying to parse through what he was seeing. Somehow he felt Tomas would be exploding with questions right about now. But he wasn’t Tomas, and he had to play things carefully. “What kind of bullet does it use?”

The Earl perked up. “Are you familiar with firearms?”

The image that flashed through Rick’s mind was not of his younger self shooting down cans on the farm, but of a man with armor boring a hole through Monica’s gut. The smile was forced as he pushed the memories away as best he could. “I’ve handled a few when I was younger.”

“I would certainly be interested in knowing more about the kind of firearms your world uses.” The Earl was all smiles, reaching down to one of a small metal magazine and showing its content to Rick.

They were bullets, but they did not have… anything, they had no cartridge, only and exclusively the bullet itself. They were the size of his pinkie finger, made out of a dark blue metal of some sort.

“Murisium silver alloy ten millimeters, maximum penetration. Each magazine has eight bullets. They will go straight through the boar. Perfect to avoid ruining the meat.” A nod . “It is also a mark of skill to bring down the boar in a single shot.” With a little squeeze, he pulled out one of the bullets, showing it off. “So long as you don’t shoot them at something reinforced with elemental energy, they won’t deform, perfect for reusing them.”

Rick made sure to keep his hands behind his back, eying the bullet piece of metal warily. “Shoot them… how? What makes the bullet move? Magic?”

“Oh!” The Earl perked up, putting it back into the magazine. “Do bullets in your world come in a cartridge? Some of the more modern designs have those, but I’ve found them cumbersome. This model uses fire-disks.”

“I can’t say I’m familiar with the term.”

“These are fire-disks. Each container holds a hundred and twelve disks.”

The Earl snatched a metal tube that’d been laying next to the rifles. Tilting it forward, he revealed red disks within the tube, each the size of an oreo. With his thumb, he pushed one out. The disk was paper thin but appearing as sturdy as cardboard.

“These are fire-disks. These were made to be non-reactive without a murisium alloy present. Very safe.” He snapped the disk in two. A plume of smoke and sparks followed, reducing the disk to nothing. “You just need to put the disk into the slot once the round is chambered, and pull the trigger. The magic in the disk transfers to the bullet with explosive results.”

Rick nodded, holding back on the commentary. As far as he could tell, the weapon appeared to be designed for over-penetration, which wasn’t exactly something you’d seek when hunting. Ideally, you’d want all the bullet’s momentum to be transferred to the target. This looked like something that would make hunting harder, not easier. To say nothing of the risk of hitting anything or anyone behind the intended target.

“What about safety?”

“That is what these are for.” He pointed at two medallions. “They have enchantments that will prevent potential accidents. A mere bullet would not be able to harm anything other than, perhaps, an extremity.”

“I… I guess I can see the sense, but I was asking more about the rules on how to safely handle the weapon.” Rick’s smile was tight. “Where I come from, we have some rules already, and I wouldn’t want to assume they’re the same ones here.”

His words snapped the Earl into a more serious expression.

“Right, discipline and respect are important.” A tight nod and he patted the stock of the rifles. “Never aim at anything you don’t intend to shoot, always be watchful of the things that are behind the target, don’t put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to shoot, and never ever handle the bullets while there are fire-disks outside of their container.”

Rick nodded, watching the plump man return to giddiness, picking up the rifle and aiming it at the wall on the opposite side of the courtyard.

“This would be the proper procedure.” He put the magazine into the gun, and the bolt moved on its own, moving forward into position. The Earl took a fire-disk from the container and slotted it from above the chamber into the small gap in front of the bolt.

Pressing the stock against his shoulder, he took aim. The symbols on the rifle lit up, and he pulled the trigger. The bullet had shot out of the barrel, leaving a streak of light in its wake like a tracer round. There was no immediate bang or recoil. The projectile had escaped the muzzle with a soft ‘thunk’ and was instantly followed by the bang. The wall he’d been aiming at burst a tiny chunk of rock.

With a click, the rifle’s bolt pulled itself back before slotting itself back into place, chambering the next round with a click. It had been as if some small engine within the gun had made the parts move, but Rick suspected it was magic.

“If you aim down the sights without a fire-disk loaded, the rifle will point out the location of previously shot bullets. And it can help you pull them out of tricky locations. You try.”

Rick moved slowly, picking up the other rifle and keeping the muzzle pointed at the opposite wall. The weight was familiar in his hands, but there was nothing comforting about it. The wood tingled against his palms as if the whole weapon was electrified. It was the magic, no doubt. He ignored it as he pressed the stock against his shoulder and leaned to look down sight.

The tingling spread to his face, and suddenly he could see a glowing spot on the wall slightly to the right of where he was aiming at. In the crater, the Earl’s shot had left. Slowly he lowered the barrel to the ground, reached for the tube with fire-disks and slotted one into the weapon before raising the rifle again.

This time the glowing spot was not there, instead a red dot painted on the wall, following the trail of the barrel. “Aim assist?”

“That is one of the enchantments, yes.” The Earl nodded.

“And if I decide not to shoot?”

“Just take the disk out and break it. Once it’s out of the cylinder, it’s best not to put it back since it could contaminate the rest.”

With a nod, he moved his finger to the trigger and squeezed.

It was not like he remembered what shooting a rifle had been like. The push-back had not come like a kick, but it was more akin to a slow shove. The bang came a moment later, and the bullet burst into the wall right next to the Earl’s own shot.

“How do you find it?”

“Peculiar.” Rick commented, carefully returning the rifle back to the table. “I’ve never fired a weapon like this.”

The Earl’s chest puffed with pride. “I believe you will enjoy the hunt, then. Everything is ready, so we can get started right away. Barely even has any recoil as well.”

With a nod, Rick glanced over to the side. Monica had been sitting munching on a pile of boar meat, watching him and the Earl with narrowed eyes. Deneva remained between Monica and the Earl, with Dia calmly reading from a book next to the feline.

Rick could only nod. After the training exercises, Monica had been a bit less pushy on sticking around him all the time. Even if she was certainly far more insistent on dragging him back into the room. He hoped her good behavior would keep up.

[184] [Rick]

The Earl owned a small forest that existed just outside of the city. The whole thing was walled off, and though left mostly unsupervised most all the time, whenever the Earl wished to hunt, the knights would mobilize. The process would be tedious, but they fulfilled their role with extreme discipline. A sweep of the walled area, followed by the knights positioning themselves throughout the perimeter as well as having several flying knights also keeping watch from high above.

Unlike what Rick had imagined, he did not have a need to leave Monica off in the castle while he came here to… spend time with the Earl. Instead, a retinue of maidens followed them from a distance. The retinue was mostly split in two. Monica, Deneva, and Dia on one side. And everyone else on the other. Monica was being bribed by liberal amounts of ham and pork.

Although her eyes did not leave Rick for an instant.

The hunt had begun easily enough. At the gates of the hunting range several dozen cages with many many boars were set loose. The beasts made a run for it towards the forest, and Monica made a sad whimpering noise of complaint at not being able to follow. From there began their walk.

“The boars are trained.” The Earl spoke as he led the way, the rifle slung on his shoulder. “Every three months they are brought here, under the influence of a psychic, and taught to feel safe in certain areas.”

“So that’s likely where we’ll find them.” Rick rubbed at his chin. “Why not just let them roam? Wouldn’t it be more of a challenge that way?”

The Earl laughed. “Wild boars are very smart and are very good at hiding.”

Humming a little in agreement, Rick’s eyes kept trailing through the surrounding area. There were no bushes, the trees were relatively thin, this place felt new compared to… everywhere else he’d been. If the forest they’d arrived in felt older than the dirt they walked on, the trees here felt younger than the boots he wore. Yet there were no bushes. It was an off feeling, of a place that was trying to pretend to be natural yet was clearly being groomed through careful constant efforts.

“Do you know how important otherworlders are, Rick?”

“I can guess.” He responded, gaze on the forest ahead and not on the retinue behind. “Having a law put in place forbidding everyone short of the king from giving orders to otherworlders does hint at several things.”

“The last otherworlder in our kingdom showed up roughly three hundred years ago.” The Earl spoke, glancing at Rick. “There are very few records remaining about him, other than the noble families nearly started a civil war trying to monopolize him. Similar situations have occurred all over the world.”

“How often do… people like me show up?”

“Once every twenty years has been the average, at least if you care enough to listen to the rumors from the rest of the wide world. But not all otherworlders cause waves when they appear, and oftentimes distance twists fact into myth.”

The portly man stopped walking, shifting his shoulder and pulling up the rifle to point at something in the distance. He stilled for a second and lowered the muzzle, scowling in distaste.

“The king asked you to gauge me. Us.” Rick commented.

“Not directly. But he did insist on learning what sort of change you would represent.”

“I think you may be overestimating us.”

“Do you know how one could keep the peace?”

The question caught Rick off balance. He looked at the back of the Earl’s head as the man once more raised his rifle to aim at something in the forest. “Can’t say I do.”

“There are many ways, but my personal preference is by anticipating change.” There was amusement in his words. “And excuse my manners, you stink of it.”

“And what change would I bring?”

“What would you want?”

“I don’t think I follow.”

“I think you do.” He lowered the rifle and glanced at Rick. “If the king wished to send you off to do something for him, what would it take to convince you to do it? Knowledge? Maidens? Power? Gold?”

“Are you going to claim everyone has a price?”

“My claim is that things work better when all parties are willing to negotiate.”

Rick frowned, spotting movement between the trees. He remained still, observing the piglet as it sniffed around the area.

“Are you going to shoot it?”

“Hm?”

The Earl gestured at him. “You spotted the animal.”

He nodded slightly, pulling up the rifle and taking aim. His face tingled and the marker pointing where the bullet would land popped up. There were several highlights on the boar, areas he figured were ideal targets to aim at. Rick adjusted his stance and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened, but something appeared to startle the piglet as it scampered off.

“Oh.” Rick frowned at the rifle. “I forgot about the fire-disk.”

“Happens to the best of us.” The Earl nodded along.

They continued walking across the forest, slowly making their way in what was clearly a leisure stroll.

“What would be expected of me?”

“It depends on what you can do. Very few things are clear in that respect, I’m afraid.” The noble chuckled. “Though regardless of what knowledge or powers you bring, having White Claw at your side already makes it fairly likely you may be asked to deal with certain kinds of problems.”

“Can’t say I’d put a price on killing people.”

“And that includes tamed maidens, I am aware.”

Rick nodded, looking off through the trees. “I was a teacher. Chemistry, but by the looks of your alchemy books, the use of what I know would not work without scaling production to something more than what maidens could handle on their own.”

“Oho, that does seem curious.” The Earl perked up. “Care to elaborate?”

“Industrial chemistry is… dangerous, complicated, and needs a very large amount of supplies. Industrial anything, really. But it wouldn’t make sense to help create a machine that makes three thousand shoes a day if people would only ever buy a hundred.” He waved his hand aimlessly around. “And trying to make it so it only makes a hundred shoes a day wouldn’t make sense, since maidens could make those shoes better and cheaper.”

“A kind of production capacity that only would make sense when maiden production reaches a point of diminishing returns… or when there are no maidens involved at all.” The Earl rubbed his chin in thought. “Does your world have elemental energy?”

“No.”

“Then your knowledge may not be as fruitless as you think.”

Rick didn’t comment, continuing his steps through the forest. He spotted another boar, but didn’t react, waiting for a second. The Earl spotted it and took aim, slotting the fire-disk and pressing the trigger. A clean shot, the wild pig fell dead on the spot. From the bushes sprung eight others, sprinting into the forest and out of sight.

“It’s refreshing.”

“What is?”

“When I hunt with a guest, either I have to congratulate their shots, or they loudly congratulate mine.” He nodded as they headed towards the corpse. “Politics that’s devolved into ego stroking is tiresome.”

“At least it’s not with swords.”

“True.” Another careful nod, eying Rick. “Does your world have war?”

“We do. But the whole world is occupied by one country or another, and there’s only a handful of hot-spots where war has happened throughout the past fifty-odd years.” He shook his head. “Most of the wars have more to do with money than land, someone trying to turn a profit or some-such.”

“And what happened before then?”

Rick’s brow creased. “A group of stupid men with a stupider mustaches thought it would be a good idea to wage war with the rest of the world.”

The Earl eyed him for a moment, nodding. “And how did that turn out?”

“Eventually, they lost. But it got millions killed along the way.”

There was a stillness to the Earl’s nod, a furrowing of his brows. “What happened to the kings and queens?”

“Kings?” Rick shook his head. “There were two great wars. The monarchies mostly came to an end with the first one. The royal families that survived have mostly been little more than a token presence in the handful of countries that still have them.”

“I… see.”

They came to a halt near the corpse of the pig. The blood pooled around the corpse, its head deformed from the bullet that had penetrated through the bone and exited the other way. A splatter of brain and bone covered the area next to the corpse. The Earl looked at the body and nodded absently.

“A clean kill.” Rick commented.

[185] [Tomas]

“Are you sure I can’t convince you to stay in bed for another hour?”

Tomas shivered as Kat’s finger trailed across his shoulder. He smiled a little, shaking his head. “I’m going to take a look around the city. Wanna come?”

“Do you have any idea how uncomfortable it is to be a woman out there?” Kat grumbled, pulling the bed-sheets against her chest. “Every single person I talk to is just slobbering over me like I’m meat.” A deep sigh. “And there’s nothing to do.”

“What do you mean, nothing? We’ve barely seen the city.”

“These people call sitting around and taking drinks in a stale room without music ‘fun’.” She groaned. “The music is slow and boring, and yeah, sure, the alcohol packs a punch, but drinking in a quiet room is just sad drinking, not happy drinking. And everything is so fucking sloooooow.”

“It certainly feels like the city is… quieter than what we had in our world.” Tomas nodded. “But isn’t it better that way? Could you imagine maidens just going wild? Actually, pause, I read about maidens going wild. They called it a civil war.”

“So what, because four out of every five people out there can punch holes through solid rock, the rest of us can’t get some nice music going on?” She was pouting now, crossing her arms dejectedly and rolling to the side. “I miss May’s phone. She had a couple good songs.”

“Come, please? At least walking will do you good.”

She stuck her tongue out at him. “I’ll take the nap option, bed’s comfy.”

“I still don’t understand how the extrovert is the one choosing to stay indoors.” Tomas said.

“That’s because you’re more fun than the rest of this over-sized town.”

Tomas flushed a little, sharing her laugh and nodding along, turning to leave before she could tease him further.

“Remember to get back so we can continue where we left off!” She called after him.

“I suspect her family will be a very large one.”

Freya’s voice rang out, startling Tomas. The Elf had been leaning against the door frame, arms crossed and dressed with something far more casual than what she usually wore. The dress was modest and simple, light green, reaching all the way to her calves, the hem and edges were adorned with small flowers. She glanced at him as he fought to put on the shirt, expression bemused.

“Don’t think Kat’s the kind of person that’d want children.”

“And you?”

He froze a little, chuckling nervously. “It feels a bit too early for that kind of decision.”

“Perhaps.”

Tomas led the way, with Freya close behind. The Elf had been, so far, the only maiden he owned. But it certainly didn’t feel like she was his property, which was a welcome thing for him. The maiden was respectful and deferential, but it felt more like having a wise adviser at his side than a slave. And that impression was exactly why Tomas felt a little out of balance seeing her with the dress.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, no, just… is that new?”

“This?” She glanced down at the white floral garment. “Miss Hyung helped me mend it.” With a slight shift in the skirt, Tomas spotted the hunting knife strapped to her thigh. “Now that summer is coming, it felt appropriate.”

“Huh.” Tomas nodded, rubbing the back of his neck a little. “It looks nice.”

Freya bowed her head slightly. “Thank you.” She didn’t smile, keeping her expression mostly neutral. But Tomas got the distinct impression her mood had improved a little.

Not feeling particularly sure of his destination, Tomas took to the streets as he tried to figure out if there was anything he should be looking for. The city was not like those on earth, the streets were always wide, the houses and buildings either cobbled together into a larger structure or well apart from one another. Though it would’ve given the city a feeling of being planned beforehand if one tried to look at it from above, from the street, it looked more like people took personal space quite seriously.

“It’s for safety.”

“What?”

“The street.” Freya spoke up. “The larger the city, the likelier it is a maiden might go feral somewhere within the city itself. And many maidens have powers that can cause damage in a wide area.“ A little pause. “Additionally, sometimes even normal maidens can have accidents. The extra space makes it less likely to affect many things at once.”

“What would happen if you had an accident?”

“I wouldn’t.”

“But what if you did?”

“I wouldn’t.” She smirked ever so slightly.

Tomas pouted a little, marching down the street. “I guess it also helps to avoid crowds getting too cramped. Wouldn’t want a maiden panicking.”

“That as well.”

With a little nod, he kept glancing around, trying to figure out where they were relative to the city. The fortress loomed to the right, so that had to mean they were moving closer to the prettier parts. Sure enough, their steps soon took them through buildings that had been built with an almost ornamental flair to their exterior. Though prettier, they also felt older. Some of them had motifs to the flourish, most were based around plants, but there was one building in particular that looked entirely out of place.

The building was burnt up and torn down. Half in ruins but clearly having been left in such a state intentionally. There was little Tomas could readily recognize about it other than the thing looked to be away from the main streets. “Wonder what this was.”

“A temple.”

He glanced over at Freya. The Elf had an odd look in her eyes. “Temple to what?”

“To gods that are no longer welcome in the kingdom.”

“Huh. How did that happen?”

Freya approached the ruined structure, looking at it closely. “The rebellion was said to have started because of the temples and their beliefs.”

“Were you alive back then?”

“I was young back then, working on a small farm in a small village that no longer exists. I never did know anything about the rebellion or the battles.” Her hand slowly caressed the burnt wood. “To maidens like me, the only thing we knew was that both sides blamed the believers of the thousand armed God. The kingdom has since made… examples, of anyone known for following the faith.”

“Guess it’s a touchy subject.”

“I did not share their faith, if that is what worries you.”

“Just… I guess it’s the feeling that this isn’t something I have any right to comment on.”

“Perhaps. It would not be my place to decide that for you, however.” Freya said, shaking her head. “I also know you probably have many questions about the religion itself.”

“I mean, who wouldn’t?”

With a sigh, she gave him a flat look and continued walking. “You’ll have to find someone else to ask, then.”

“What, you don’t know anything about them?”

“I grew up in an isolated farmland at the edge of the kingdom. It took me a long time to realize many of the things I’d been taught about the world were false.” Her shoulders slumped. “And I’ve never found someone who knew of them to properly ask.”

“I’m guessing what you heard was a bit outlandish?”

“Indeed.” She nodded. “The wildest of the claims being that they sacrificed humans.”

“And that would be… outlandish, right?”

Freya startled, staring at Tomas with wide eyes. “Is human sacrifice something normal in your world?”

“No, no, it’s just that there’d been a civilization that did that, once. It’s long gone, now.”

She eyed him as if there was some doubt on the claim. “To answer, yes, it is outlandish. Had such a group of people been killing humans, the kingdom would have eradicated them long before they set roots.”

“I guess that’s reassuring.”

They continued their walk, slowly making their way back towards the main streets, meandering their way through the various houses. Some of the smaller ones had small gardens behind them. The sense Tomas got out of it was a sense of security. Freya seemed to slow down each time she approached one such garden, looking at them with an expression that seemed both critical and full of longing.

“You know, we could make a short excursion out of the city.” Tomas declared.

“And what about she who lusts? Surely she’d tie you to the bed rather than let you leave for days at a time.”

Freya chuckled lightly when Tomas’ face lit up with a slight blush.

“Do not worry, I was thinking back to my own garden.” She smiled slightly. “Just something to look forward to once you’ve chosen a place to settle.”

“Oh.” Tomas blinked a little, slowly, then rapidly. “Oh!” He coughed, cheeks reddening a little. “I… huh, um… I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”

“Of course you haven’t.” She wasn’t chiding him, her tone was soft, merely an acknowledgment. “And now you have the opportunity to do so.”

The scream drew both of them to look at one of the shops further up the road.

A young maiden had been knocked over, falling onto the street. She had mousy ears and a terrified expression plastered across her face as another maiden dressed in leather armor glared her way. Both maidens were frozen in place, the larger of the two stood while keeping the shop door open for a woman. There were no words, comments, or threats, merely silence as she followed into the shop and closed the door behind her.

Meanwhile, the mousy maiden began to fumble back to her feet.

“Can I help you?”

Tomas had approached, offering a hand for the maiden to take. There was a quiet complaint from Freya, but he just took the hand of the downed maiden and helped her up to her feet. The girl stared up at him in surprise, blinking slowly until she caught her wits.

“Th-thank you, sir.” She bowed quickly.

“Don’t mention it.”

He’d been just about ready to turn away when a new voice drew his attention.

“Has my little mouse caused you any problems, young man?”

It was soft, smooth like silk, sultry with a smoky cadence. The sound sent a shiver through Tomas, one leaving a warmth through him that, for a moment, drew his thoughts to Kat and the bed and how quickly he could make his way back. Instead of running, however, he turned to look at the woman who’d spoken.

And she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

[186] [Tomas]

Tomas was slightly dazed, his thoughts hadn’t quite managed to properly parse through what was happening. Some part of him had declared it impossible to be real, that this had to be a dream of some kind. It wasn’t, he knew it, but it still felt very much that way. Somehow the very act of sitting in a small tea shop was thrilling in ways he had never thought it possible. The air smelled crisp, rich in the aroma of a thousand different herbal teas, coffee amongst the things being brewed within the busy little spot. The cushions were soft but sturdy, perfect to lean against the chair.

He might have bothered to look around to more carefully enjoy the sights, but it did not feel as if there could truly be anything more beautiful than the woman seated across from him.

Her face was a masterwork of sharp statuesque angles on high cheeks and diamond shaped jaw, yet round plump red lips. Her nose was straight, noble and poised, a perfect cliff for her to look down upon anyone she so wished. Not Tomas, she was looking at him not with a raised nose but rather turning her head downwards to peek upwards in his direction. It turned the statuesque nose into an arrow pointed down to the cleavage contained within a dress that on any other woman it would have been prim and proper. But on her, the large cleavage pushed the cloth and strained it, revealing a valley of flesh and temptation as the woman leaned over the table ever so slightly.

“You were saying?”

Tomas caught himself staring, sputtering and trying to desperately remember if he’d said anything at all in the past several minutes. He was mostly sure he’d almost been drooling.

“I…”

“About where you came from?”

“Oh!” He nodded, straightening up. “Yeah, I’m an offworlder.”

The woman raised her chin slightly to stare more directly at him, her light brown eyes glimmering slightly. “You already mentioned that. I’d asked what kind of place you grew up in.”

“Oh.” He flustered. “Well, I’d… the whole offworld thing is, I thought, erm…”

“Otherworlder.”

“Excuse… me?”

She leaned back, crossing her arms under her bust. “The term, offworlder, it is a rather vain thing, is it not?”

“In… in what sense?”

“Is it not a myriad of worlds? Offworlder may be correct, but it implies a… centric position to things.” The smile was slightly amused. “Otherworlder is also more commonly used in those places that aren’t quite so full of themselves.”

“You travel?”

An acknowledging nod. “I rarely stay anywhere for long.”

“Too much attention?”

“Something like that.”

“Must be tough.” Tomas nodded, his eyes flickered to her neck, noticing it barren of a collar. “My… uh… friend, girlfriend, kinda? She always complains about how people behave around human women.”

She arched a manicured brow.

“Your relationship seems complicated.” She tilted her head slightly. “But I’d rather not pry. You were saying about the world you came from? What is it like?”

“Peaceful, I guess?” He replied, shaking his head. “Technology is sort of more advanced, we don’t have any magic over there, so we rely on computers and industry and things like that.”

“No magic? That… huh.” The woman leaned forward again, turning to the side and speaking to the mousy girl.

Tomas barely acknowledged the maiden’s existence until she pulled out something from her robes and placed it on his hand. He turned downwards, noticing a glowing stone, just barely larger than his thumb, and pulsating with a soft reddish glow. “What’s this?”

“An elemental stone, perfectly safe.” She spoke, pressing the rock down against his palm. “I just want to test something.”

“Test wh-?”

His eyelids fluttered, heat poured from the stone and into his hand. It swept its way up his arm and through his body. It was gone right after, leaving him panting, straining against his clothes and desperately wanting to remove them. Everything was so hot, so… Everything blurred for a moment, words were spoken but none mattered, he just reached out for the glass of water, taking long gulps, his body cooling off within minutes.

“Peculiar.”

“What… what was that?”

“Just a bit of fire elemental energy, harmless, but it does explain why you’ve been so clear headed.”

“What?”

“I… have a condition, you see.” She pulled the stone out of Tomas’ grasp. “My ancestry is quite strong, and I was born with a powerful aberrant aura.”

“Aberrant?”

“It is a kind of elemental energy. If it were ice, the air around me would cool, or if it were fire, it would heat up. Aberrant is different in that on its own it does nothing, only reacting in the presence of other elemental energy and altering it. The specifics obviously varying per individual.” A slight smile, a slight touch against the palm of his hand. “I usually wear an enchanted item to contain my aura, but I removed it half an hour ago since I was curious.”

“Curious?”

“Yes, who wouldn’t be? You are an otherworlder. I’d hoped that would mean things would be different.” She smiled with a hint of sadness at the edge. “The lack of elemental energy within you mitigates it, but it appears you still have just enough for a mild reaction.”

Tomas looked down at his hand, where the elemental stone had been, clenching it closed and open again. There was still some heat underneath the skin, diffusing itself slowly. “Does the aura make other people… hot and bothered?”

“Yes.” The woman nodded. “As you can imagine, many… inconveniences have emerged because of it.”

“Oh geez, I’m… I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be, the improper one was me. I should have told you beforehand.”

As she spoke, she revealed her thin wrist, moving a silver bracelet onto it. Tomas noticed the difference right away though barely, she was still incredibly beautiful by every conceivable measure. But there was something missing all of a sudden, something he couldn’t put into words and made him able to look away for the first time since meeting her.

“Even now, the enchantment is, sadly, incomplete. It is prone to leaking, and maidens can still be affected sometimes.” She shook her head. “I must admit it has been an ordeal.”

“Why is it incomplete?”

“To make the enchantment, it needs a base on how it should interact with another. And as you might imagine, it is hard to find someone who is entirely immune to my aura.” She sighed, her shoulders slumping. “I am guessing it would require for the person to not just have little to no elemental energy, but to also have gotten used to the presence of a powerful aura.”

Tomas nodded. “I guess that would be very hard to find. I wish you good luck.”

She stared at him for a moment, blinking slowly, she turned to the mousegirl next to her as they both shared a look.

Coughing, she adjusted herself in her seat. “I guess it is quite the shame that there are no more otherworlders.” A loud sigh, glancing at Tomas again.

“I mean, I can’t really tell you anything? I’d been told it could be trouble.”

“I wouldn’t want to impose.” She laughed slightly. “I can imagine the news of there being multiple otherworlders would stir the same sort of trouble as when the infamous White Claw came to the city. Now that is a maiden with a very powerful aura.”

“That’s what I was told, yeah.”

Tomas sipped from his glass.

“I do wonder what sort of person managed to bond such a powerful maiden.”

“That was Rick.” He nodded. “He was a chemistry teacher, over at my world.”

The woman looked at Tomas, arching an eyebrow slowly.

He sat upright with a jolt. “Oh! Rick might be able to help!”

“You don’t say?” She batted her eyelashes, leaning forward and reaching across the table, taking his hands in her own. “I know it’s a lot to ask, coming from a stranger, but I would really appreciate your help.”

“I… um, I’m not sure how to contact him though?” He hesitated. “I mean, he’s been with the Earl and the castle, and…”

“You’d just need to leave a message at the gate.”

Her smile remained on her lips but left her eyes.

“That makes sense, I’ll try that.” He nodded enthusiastically, standing up, turning to leave. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Don’t forget your Elf.”

“Who?” A pause, then he glanced at Freya. Tomas’ eyes widened, she’d been sitting right next to him this whole time, face flushed and eyes unfocused. “Freya!”

“Not to worry. She got hit by the aura, a bit.” The woman spoke, twirling her hair. “Just kiss her and she’ll be back to her senses. Might be worked up, though.”

The woman moved to stand up.

“This is my address.” She put down a piece of paper. “If you do learn anything, I would be ever so grateful.” She made sure to lean a bit further and squeeze her cleavage, the gesture drawing Tomas’ attention and rendering him temporarily mute. “Best of luck, young man.”

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