Where am I? The thoughts in her head were swirling, nothing making sense. Eyes heavy, not wanting to open as an incessant ringing droned in her ears. What’s happening? The simplest thoughts were forefront in her mind as she tried to move, finding that too was restrained. In her chest, her heart lurched erratically as panic started to settle in. A sick feeling overtaking her as she felt the urge to vomit. She couldn’t breathe.

That was when she felt it. A presence, not words, a feeling asking if she wished to be free. Yes! The enthusiasm in her response couldn’t be denied, whatever this was, she was desperate enough to trust it to free her.

A moment later, a cacophony broke the droning in her ears. A literal shattering, like glass splintering, then she was falling. Gasping in her first breath as she fell, she met the ground all too soon, that precious breath knocked out of her. Heaving on the ground, she attempted to regain herself, only to be wracked by nausea, stomach heaving as she vomited. Unsteady, she fell to the side and lay there gasping for breath. 

There were a few things she was sure of; One, she was alive. Two, she could move. Three, her other senses were returning to her. Opening her eyes, she looked around for the first time, vision blurry. “Wh… ere… am, I?” Testing her voice, she was relieved to find it worked. Even if her words were just a repeat of earlier thoughts. 

Sitting up, she looked around the room, or rather, cave she was in. It appeared to be some kind of natural cavern that someone had built a sort of shrine in. She happened to be sitting at the apex of an altar, shards of crystal surrounding her in piles. Her gaze swung behind her. More crystal hung suspended in mid-air, its purplish blue hue refracting the little light provided by torches lining the stairs to the top of the altar she was sitting atop.

Crystal? Had she been inside that thing? Thoughts ran rampant in her mind, all the possibilities of what could have happened. That was when she hit on a key component, something she hadn’t realized until that moment. Who… am I? It wasn’t just that, there were wide gaps in her memory, but basic knowledge was intact. She could reason and deduce based on that, but it was still limited.

As her gaze swung back to the rest of the cave, she decided to attempt standing. On wobbling legs, she straightened herself, only to lose her balance immediately. Reaching out blindly to steady herself, she grabbed the busted crystal by mistake. Slicing her hand, she let go and promptly fell back on her ass. “Damn it,” frowning down at her injury, she sighed, “apparently I’m clumsy.”

What did she do with this now? Obviously, she needed to bandage it somehow. Looking down at what she was wearing, she gripped the underskirt of the split leather skirt she had on. Tearing a chunk of it off, she quickly wrapped her hand as best she could. Huffing another sigh, she attempted to stand again, having more success this time. On unsteady legs, she started her way down the stairs as slowly as possible. At the bottom, she felt stable enough to walk properly.

There were so many things plaguing her mind, it was still in chaos. All around her were columns carved into the rock face. Was this some sort of ritual site? Glancing back up the altar, she quickly decided it was probably closer to a tomb. A tomb for her. The thought sent a chill up her spine.

Again she felt that presence, a feeling of encouragement coming from it, before it faded once more. What the hell even was it? Frustration was starting to overtake her. Not knowing what was going on was at the core of it, but also an odd sense of abandonment. Sure, whatever that thing was seemed to be with her, but at the same time it wasn’t. It wasn’t tangible, didn’t speak, only gave off odd feelings. Gritting her teeth, she took her anger out on the nearest rock, kicking it into oblivion. Taking a breath to calm herself, she continued her exploration of the room. 

All around her the cavern was carved out in meticulous detail, those columns reaching up to the natural rock ceiling. She couldn’t put a name to the style, but it was fancy, to say the least. Unnatural marring what had probably been a beautiful natural cave. Careful of her steps, she made her way to the closest wall. Etched into the surface were words, expertly carved. There were no tool marks on the stone at all. Tracing them, she tried reading it, “Entombed here… is the betrayer, Arcadia.” Betrayer? Glancing back at the crystal, it became clearer to her what had happened. That meant her name was Arcadia, right? She was the only one there.

“Arcadia.” Testing the name, she couldn’t decide if it fit her or not. Either way, if she was known as a ‘betrayer’ she probably shouldn’t go by her name. “Arc, maybe?” She kept talking to herself, but she found it strangely comforting. “I should probably keep reading.”

Fingertips running gently over the words, she did just that, “Found guilty of regicide, matricide, patricide and fratricide, condemned by the True Queen Eranda.” What? Shocked, she took a step back from the wall. She’d murdered her entire family? And a monarch? That couldn’t be right, she didn’t feel like the kind of person that would do such a thing. Yet there was the proof right in front of her, her prison standing as a reminder behind her. Was she really that kind of person? Truly?

Arc wasn’t sure if she wanted to continue reading. Still, it was a source of information, and she desperately needed information. Skimming over the rest of what was written though was no help. It was all meaningless praise for this Queen Eranda. Sighing, she left the wall, eyes flitting around the room in search of something, anything that might help her. A pool of water drew her, it looked like it circled the altar. Kneeling next to it, she leaned over and got a good look at herself for the first time. 

Her initial impression was that she didn’t look bad, but also wasn’t a beauty. Though, they say that you are always your harshest critic. High cheekbones and a roundish face with an angular nose. Tracing each feature as she examined her reflection, she leaned in closer to the water. It looked as though her eyes were green, but she couldn’t quite tell from the reflection. Reaching back, she pulled her hair forward, finding it to be black as ebony and tied in a loose braid. Her corset matched the split leather skirt she was wearing, covering a billowing white blouse. Nothing in the way of helpful information, but it was something. She wore no shoes, but her feet were not cold. How odd.

Getting to her feet again, her attention turned to a way out. That seemed obvious enough, enormous double doors were sitting at the end of the path to the altar. With her destination in sight, she set out. At the foot of the doors, she looked up at them, marveling at exactly how big they were. Like the rest of the room, they were decorated with ritualistic looking markings, carved out with precision and no tool marks.

“How exactly am I going to open this?” Frankly, they looked heavy, extremely so. Better to try and fail than never try at all. Steeling herself, she pressed forward, laying her hands against the cold stone. Immediately, veins of silvery blue lights shot out from around her hand, running along the door’s engravings. Swirling and zig-zagging across its surface till every groove was highlighted in the soft light.

Stumbling back, the doors groaned open after the door gave off a pulsing glow before growing dark, sweeping to the sides. As they parted she was hit with a blast of cold, stale air that had the distinct taste of dust and decay. Outside the door was a towering, moss-covered golem. The light that had run through the door swirled down carvings in the wall before surging up into the inert golem. Gears began clinking as the light wound its way through stone and steel. Lurching, the golem turned its head to look at Arc before its body followed suit. Was this her warden? What the hell was she supposed to do against something like that? Oddly, it didn’t move from its position, just stood there watching her, the voids where its eyes would be glowing with that silvery blue light. The light seemed to pulse through it, swirling in places. Through more engravings? It looked like an amalgamation of stone and clockwork covered in a sheet of moss and vines. Even stranger, there hadn’t been any sign of vegetation inside her chamber, but on the other side of the door it was everywhere.

Watching the golem a moment longer, she searched for any signs of aggression. However, it just stood there watching her back. Tentatively stepping forward, Arc started toward it, back to the door. In return, the golem just stood there, watching her come closer. It was unnerving to say the least, but it wasn’t showing any sign of budging still.

Looking up at it just inches away, Arc gave it a hesitant smile. “... Hi?” The golem, looking down at her, seemed to respond, the lights where a mouth would be blinking and strobing. Did that mean it was intelligent? It still wasn’t acting moving. 

“Uh, my name is Arc…” She sure as hell wasn’t going to use her supposed real name with something that may have been her warden. 

That got more of a reaction than she was expecting. Lights started streaming and blinking across the golem’s body before it suddenly bent down, scooping Arc into its arms, placing her on its shoulder before she even had time to react to what was happening.

“Whoa!” Grabbing the golem’s head with both arms in a panic, she was instantly terrified of what was happening. “By the Archives.” she cursed, and instantly wondered why that sounded so natural when it made no sense to her. Mention of the word archive had the golem turning its head to look at her, lights flashing again, but she had no idea what it was trying to tell her. 

“Ah, shit…” Sighing, Arc couldn’t help feeling that the damned golem was laughing at her. “I don’t know if you know how to get out of this place, do you?” Those vacant, lighted eyes flashed at her, as though the golem blinked, lights strobing all over its body. Head turning to the front again, it began to move on creaking legs. Shockingly, its movement wasn’t that jarring to her at all, still, she felt more comfortable having a good grip on it.

Vines and various types of foliage and moss covered most of the surfaces of the cave they were walking down. She wouldn’t have been able to see if it wasn’t for the light circulating through the golem and the dim light some of the moss gave off. There were even odd glowing motes of light puffing free from the ground wherever the golem stepped. How deep underground were they? She couldn’t see far in the darkness, but there wasn’t anything very remarkable to see. Just natural caverns stretching out around them. 

Was this really some kind of cave, though? As they walked further, Arc wasn’t so sure anymore. Smooth stone and towering columns began supporting a roof that was far too perfect to be a natural cave anymore. Even the floor was paved with some sort of cobblestone. Yet there were no more doors or even a window in sight. Were they still underground? She’d also noticed the vegetation that had been blanketing everything had started to thin out, before it finally stopped at some point. Almost like it had originated from the cavern she’d been in.

Endless corridors stretched out in several directions, yet the golem continued on at a confident pace. Unlike her tomb, there was absolutely nothing remarkable about this labyrinth. It almost looked like it was abandoned partway through construction. “What is this, some kind of maze?” Of course, no answer came from the mute golem.

It felt like they’d been walking forever, and at intervals Arc had noticed other shadows moving in the darkness. Other golems, but not like this one. What she glimpsed of them showed they were far less sophisticated. Maybe they were naturally occurring? That left the question of who the hell had made this golem. 

“I feel like I should give you a name at this point.” It wasn’t just the other golems that were staying away. She’d seen other creatures moving in the dark, snarling with sharp teeth. Yet they kept a wide berth from the golem. She was starting to see the golem as a sort of shield and companion now. 

“What do you think of, hmm,” what would be a good name for a golem? Something strong and sturdy. The silvery blue lights were reminiscent of starlite ore. Starlite ore? Where had that knowledge come from? Shaking that thought off, Arc went back to coming up with a name. “Maybe I’ll call you Myth. Like a strong, heroic legend of old that’s been passed down through the generations. You’ve been pretty heroic to me.”

A round of flashing lights answered her.

“Did you like the sound of that? Alright, your name is Myth now!”

❖❖❖

Time kept creeping forward; Arc didn’t know how long it had been since they’d left her prison cell. Hours? She was starting to get hungry, not to mention thirsty. In the time they’d travelled, she hadn’t seen a single source of food or drink anywhere. They had, however, gone up quite a few ramps, confirming her suspicions that they were underground. Just how far underground were they? She’d asked that question of herself before, but it kept coming back to her.

“Myth, I’m going to die of hunger here. Is there anywhere around here I can get food? Or at least something to drink?” Arc sighed, expecting a negative answer. Instead, lights responded, blinking rhythmically as Myth stopped moving for the first time. Swiveling its head again it looked at her, soulless eyes blinking a response, it began to look around in all directions. Soon after, it began moving once more.

“Huh, found something?” It was more than a little shocking, but at this point, Arc was rolling with anything and everything. Leaning against the side of Myth’s head, she’d certainly gotten more comfortable riding it, she waited out the tedious walk to wherever they were going.

Water trickling down rocks greeted her ears before they rounded the corner, the corridor opening into the first natural cavern she’d seen since they’d entered this maze. There was a small pool of water being fed from a waterfall, crystals dotting the ceiling giving off luminous light. The ground was covered in more moss and undergrowth, the kind she hadn’t seen for the past few floors. In fact, the overgrown feeling of this labyrinth had almost completely disappeared.

Myth reached for her, setting her safely back on the ground. “Thanks.” She smiled at it appreciatively before making her way to the water. Kneeling next to it, she promptly dunked her whole head into the water. Breaking the surface again, Arc sighed contentedly. That had felt good. Not ladylike at all, but she didn’t care. Eyes shifting to the golem, she concluded that it didn’t care either.

Taking her time to drink her fill, Arc flopped back on the ground when she finished. Lifting her injured hand above her. She wanted to check it, but knew it wouldn’t be any better. It’d be a waste to check it now. Dropping her arm, she almost died when Myth’s head was there instead, peering down at her. 

“Myth! You scared me.” Pushing herself up, Arc turned to face the kneeling golem. It was holding some sort of fruit out to her. 

“Is that for me?” Accepting it, she turned it over and over in her hands. It was spherical, the outer flesh a pleasant purple. Biting into it, it was crisp and sweet, the innards a golden white. “This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten!” Beaming up at Myth, she thanked it again before devouring the fruit entirely. 

Where on earth had it gotten it from? Myth offered her another, which she gladly took while looking around the cavern again. Arc didn’t spot it right away, but as her gaze drifted higher, she spotted clusters of the fruit growing on the ceiling. The golem would have been able to reach them easily. “Good job.” Praising Myth once more, she started her feast anew.

Relaxing in the afterglow of her meal, Arc became aware of a distant sound. One that was getting closer. “Myth?” Nervous, she looked over at her only friend. It blinked at her from where it had sat down, but didn’t move otherwise. Did that mean it was safe? Certainly didn’t feel safe. Erring on the side of caution, Arc moved to Myth, climbing back onto its shoulder.

From where the two of them sat by the waterside, the noise was coming from the corridor furthest away. Clanging, shouts, heavy footsteps, there were people down there. People! The first breathing beings she’d be meeting since… She woke up? Broke out? Arc wasn’t sure what she’d call it, exactly.

They were getting closer, she couldn’t make out words, but they were definitely fighting. Straining her ears, she tried to glean any information she could before the conflict spilled into her happy little cavern. Two groups fighting each other? She couldn’t hear monsters, just people. It was a little exciting trying to piece it together. Myth hadn’t shown any sign of there being a problem, so she’d gotten a little too comfortable with the situation.

Should I choose a side to help? I’m sure Myth would help if I asked. Although, Arc had no way of knowing that. She also had absolutely no stake in whatever conflict these people were having. Crossing arms and legs, she contemplated what her potential move in this situation could be. If she arbitrarily chose a side as soon as they burst in, what if she ended up helping out the aggressor? She definitely didn’t want that. There also was little chance of this being resolved by just talking it out…

In the middle of her contemplation, three people came tumbling into the cavern, injured, the most injured of the three hanging limply between the other two. One of them looked right at her, then turned to call over their shoulder. Words she didn’t understand, but it didn’t appear that they were worried about Arc and Myth at all. That didn’t make logical sense. How could they have not seen a gigantic golem sitting there, quite plainly, by the water, or the lady sitting on its shoulder?

“Hey, Myth,” Arc leaned in closer to whisper to her friend, “can they not… see us? Are we invisible or something?” Myth’s head swiveled to her, lights blinking in the way she’d come to understand meant ‘yes’.

Seriously? Don’t question it. Watching the three injured was hard. They had makeshift bandages binding wounds that needed attention, the worst one among them didn’t look like they’d live. Just a boy. Her stomach lurched, no matter how many times she looked away from the boy, her gaze inevitably returned. It was completely illogical, but she wanted to help that boy, even if it was just to ease his suffering until he passed.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Damn it!

“Myth, if I asked, would you help defend that boy?” 

The golem, to its credit, turned to look at her, lights flashing, before looking down at the boy. It stared at him for a while before returning its gaze to Arc, like it was asking ‘why’.

“I don’t know why!” she huffed, feeling so out of sorts, “I just feel like I need to help him and I hate it.”

Myth kept its blank gaze on her for longer than she felt comfortable with, before its eyes blinked. Lights flashed Arc an affirmative before it stood.

To the newcomers, it looked like the pair appeared out of a static haze. They had in fact been phased out of reality, not just invisible. Startled cries rang out all around as both parties turned to defend against this new perceived threat. Myth moved with precision as it swung its massive arm down between the two parties, easily sweeping the aggressors of the injured boy away, crushing them against the wall. That was all it took.

Patting the golem’s head, Arc signaled to Myth to put her down. It took a step back from those still brandishing their weapons. Reaching up to grab its passenger, the golem made sure to set her down as far away from those that were armed. Arc’s appearance seemed to send a new shockwave through everyone as voices were raised again, words she still couldn’t understand. She didn’t care, didn’t give a damn at whatever it was they were yelling about, just started running toward the wounded.

Trusting Myth to keep her safe, she skidded to a halt in front of the boy and his injured protectors. Unsteady on their feet, they pointed swords at Arc, intent on protecting their charge. Frustrated, she pointed at the boy, “He needs help!” this sent another round of shock through those there. Weird.

Out of those who were defending the retreating injured, one stepped forward, a tall, lanky blonde, leopard spotted ears poked up through his shaggy hair. He appeared to be a therianthrope of a feline variety. When he spoke, the others listened, lowering their weapons.

“Good.” Arc huffed in relief.

Kneeling next to the boy, Arc realized very quickly that he wasn’t a ‘boy’ at all. He was definitely a man, just of smaller stature. Actually, he may be around her height, just a few ticks taller. His face was pleasant enough to look at, angular but a bit thin, a beauty mark just under the corner of his left eye. It really was no time to be gawking, but the reality was that she had no idea how the hell she was supposed to help this kid.

A shadow loomed over them, but this time, Arc wasn’t surprised when she looked up and saw Myth kneeling next to her again. It was silently watching her and the boy, its lights blinking and flashing. If only she could understand what it was trying to say. “Myth, what do I do?” This time, the golem actually tilted its head before it pointed at her hand. “My… hand?”

What about her hand? Confusion was written all over her face as she kept looking up at the golem. It seemed to think for a moment before it turned its hand over, what passed for its palm up. Lights started dancing and swirling around it in an oddly familiar pattern. When I touched the door.

Taking a steadying breath, she lifted the man’s hand, uncaring as his blood transferred to her. His arm was badly mangled, looked like a monster attack, the rest of his injuries looked on par for a monster attack as well. Had he been unlucky enough to be attacked while they were trying to defend against their aggressors? All Arc could do was make assumptions since she couldn’t understand what they were saying.

Gripping his hand tighter, she focused, expecting the same light to appear again, only to be faced with disappointment. Again and again, she tried manifesting that light, the problem was, she had no idea how she’d done it to begin with. How? What had made it work the first time? She’d desperately been wanting to open the door when she’d touched it.

A calm overtook Arc as she felt it again, that presence that had been with her at the beginning of all this. It, like Myth, didn’t speak, but she could interpret its will somehow even without words. Glancing over at Myth, Arc wanted to confirm if the golem felt it as well. She found it looking up at the ceiling, the lights on it going wild in rhythmic patterns. Was that confirmation that it felt it too? Peeking at the others gave inconclusive results. Most of them were looking at her and the patient worriedly. She couldn’t really confer if they felt it or not based on that.

Okay, mysterious thing, what am I supposed to do? First she felt its outrage at being called a ‘thing’, but it did give her a vague answer; will and intention. It then proceeded to mock her for not knowing before disappearing again. “...rude.” she muttered under her breath.

Couldn’t be hard, right? She’d already made the light appear when she touched that door. Her ‘intent’ then was to ‘open’ it, that should be enough. Just make that ‘intent’ into ‘heal’, right? Shouldn’t be hard.

Focusing on their linked fingers once more, Arc began to force the idea of ‘healing’ into the touch. It felt like she was staring a hole into the back of her own hand, but nothing was happening, and the situation was worsening. Will and intention. Wait, weren’t will and intention basically the same thing? Was that weird thing leading her on? Why was it she trusted it anyway? She really shouldn’t, that itself was pretty suspect.

The man-boy chose that exact moment to start coughing, blood flying with every hack. Ah, shit! How the hell was she supposed to go about healing this little prick? Why did she want to save him so badly anyway? Why even did she think she had the power to heal anyway? That was all a bunch of bullshit! 

Clasping his hand in both of hers now, she glared down at his stupid face. “Alright, you son-of-a-bitch, you’re not dying. Not today, because I’m not going to let you!” Releasing one of her hands, she reeled back and slapped him across his face. Out of sheer frustration? Probably. 

Silvered blue streaks followed her fingers after the slap, the hand still holding his wreathed in it. Unknown to Arc, that same light circled the heart of her irises, giving her a mystical, ethereal look that had the other humanoids stepping back. 

Veins of light wound their way down the man’s arm, patterns and circles forming without rhyme or reason. They spread until they encompassed his body, growing brighter. There was no change at first, then slowly limbs started to reset themselves and wounds began stitching themselves closed, certain things even regrowing entirely. It was actually kind of macabre how everything just pulled itself back together again.

An hour, a minute? Arc didn’t know how long she’d been holding the connection for, grasping onto that feeling, but it was draining. Gritting her teeth, she kept hold as long as she could before succumbing to darkness.

❖❖❖

“I feel like shit.” groaning, he opened bleary eyes as he sat up. Everything hurt, like he’d run for a thousand miles straight. His throat was dry to top it off. A clamor next to him turned his attention there. He came face-to-face with his leader, and he’d never seen this expression before. “...what?” 

“What? You almost fucking died, Reiss, that’s what!” a slap to the back of his head had him flinching while he tried to process those words. Almost died? What had happened? Better yet, what was the last thing he remembered? Right, those fuck-faces they’d hired to pad out their expedition had turned on them as soon as they’d found that ancient tech. Working or not, ancient Zyweissi magitech always sold for a premium. What had happened to him, though?

“Ah, that cave croc came out, and…” Panic started to set in as Reiss examined himself. Every spot that he remembered that croc taking a bite out of. Even bits he knew were missing. It was all there. Every bone fixed, every missing part intact. “How?” Unbelieving eyes met Kale’s, the leader of their little band.

Kale was sitting next to him on the ground, legs crossed. “You won’t fucking believe it,” He reached up, scratching behind one of his pointed cat ears. Kale was a cat therianthrope that had been through more than one scuffle in his life. His torn ear was proof of that, even if it was decorated and held together with piercings now. There were other scars that weren’t as easy to cover. Reiss had been with him for a long time, they were brothers, despite being different species. He could tell that whatever had happened really shook him to the core. “Maybe I shouldn’t say anything and just point at that.”

Following the direction Kale was pointing, Reiss almost fainted on the spot. Was that a working Zyweissi magi-golem? It was a little overgrown and dirty, but it was lit up, and he could see gears moving. To scavvers like them, it was a fucking wet-dream. “Is that what I think it is?”

“Uh huh, yep. Scared the piss out of us, but killed all those assholes in one hit.” Smacking his fist into the palm of the other, Kale imitated the blow, silently mouthing ‘pow’ along with it. “All of them.” He enunciated every word for effect, “That’s not all, though, check out what’s sitting in its lap.”

On cue, Reiss’ gaze dropped to its lap, fixing immediately on the woman laying curled up in it. One of the golem’s hands was laying over the top of her, protectively. “A woman?”

“Not any woman. She’s a fucking Zyweissi, Reiss.”

What? “No, that’s impossible. The Zyweissi race died out millennia ago.” There was absolutely no way that was true.

“I fucking know!” Kale leaned forward, annoyed and excited, “But I heard it! She was speaking the language fluently, commanding that golem around, and she’s the one that healed you. You owe her your fucking life, man.”

This was all really hard to follow, everything they’d learned about the Zyweissi race explicitly stated that there were no survivors. They all just disappeared one day, millennia ago. Their great city was cut off and nobody has been able to access it since. All that knowledge and technology just going to rot in there. Magitech was the way of life for the Zyweissi, so it made sense that they’d protect the city with a powerful shield that would persist to this day. There was so much about them that was shrouded in mystery to begin with, and now nearly five thousand years later, almost everything about them was lost. Yet, if Kale wasn’t fucking with him, then that woman right there was the missing piece he’d been looking for all these years.

Fascinating. For as long as he could remember, Reiss had been interested in all the different races of the world. Even the long dead ones. Not knowing who his own parents were, he used to dream big that he was secretly the last survivor of a dead race. He wasn’t a street orphan anymore, so those dreams had long died. Reiss was just an unwanted child that was thrown out because there were too many mouths to feed. The only special thing about him were his wits.

“Has she talked to you at all?” His gaze had wandered over to her again, and it was an epic struggle to pull his eyes away, “Zyweissi are inherently born with the gift to understand and communicate verbally and non-verbally in any known language. They were born ambassadors and peacekeepers.”

Kale scoffed at that, “She didn’t get that memo. All she did was speak that ancient crap and didn’t understand a damn thing we said.”

Was that part of history not true? It was one of the few well-recorded pieces still intact about the Zyweissi. There was also quite a bit of fantastical crap too. Rumors of how the more powerful Zyweissi could bend the world to their will. That they actually had two faces, two forms, and had commonly been called spectral demons because of a special inborn ability they had.

The ability to travel to anywhere in existence on any plane or dimension. Now that, he didn’t believe. How could anyone actually swallow horseshit like that?

“So you haven’t been able to talk to her.” Reiss surmised their conversation, “I guess without me around, you wouldn’t have been able to.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re so smart.” Kale threw his hands up, exasperated, “Stop stroking your ego, dumbass. Only a dumbass like you would study a deadass language like that and even learn how to speak it.” Turning away from Reiss, Kale sniffed indignantly, arms crossing, “dumbass.” He added, for extra effect. Yep, he’d said ‘dumbass’ three times.

Kale was definitely rough and tumble and spoke crassly, but he was incredibly squishy under that. Most people just didn’t give him a chance. “Alright, bro, I got it. I love you too.” That earned him an extra punch to the shoulder and some grumbling. 

Laughing it off, Reiss’ attention shifted back to the Zyweissi woman, “How long has she been out?”

“Since she finished with you. Passed right the fuck out, then that golem of hers scooped her up and sat itself down over there and hasn’t moved.” Kale shrugged, getting to his feet, “Anyway, I don’t know when she’ll wake up, so get your ass over here and get food. The others were worried about you.” He said that, but Reiss knew Kale was the most worried.

Watching Kale as he retreated, Reiss’ gaze was inevitably drawn back to the sleeping woman. “Not much for it.” 

Rising with some difficulty, he shuffled over to where the others were gathered. In total, there were six of them, counting him. As he passed her, Ceila reached up and grabbed his hand, stopping him. Relief was plain on her face.

Ceila was an extremely rare type of therianthrope. She could be described as an ethereal bombshell by some. Her eyes alone were enough to capture the hearts of most people. They were soft and round, a pale purple that always shone with sadness. Her skin was so pale it was practically translucent. As for her trademark horn, she no longer possessed it, instead hiding her forehead, and its nub, behind a fall of silver hair. 

“Reiss… I’m so happy you made it.” Tears were gathering at the corner of her eyes, bandages winding their way up her arm. If Kale was his brother, then Ceila was his sister. They’d grown up together on the streets, the others joining them at various stages in their lives. She was the group’s princess. Ceila’s delicate nature belied the steel that ran through her.

“Believe me, I’m happy too.” He patted her hand reassuringly before sitting next to her. “What happened to your arm?”

“Croc took a bite out of it while I was saving your scrawny ass.” When she smiled, her whole face lit up. He always loved seeing her smile. 

“Shit, I’m sorry.” It was never a good feeling finding out someone was hurt because of your actions. The person on his other side handed him a bit of jerky, the only fare they had down here in this labyrinth. “Thanks, Bengeirr.”

Bengeirr was a giant of a man, literally, he had some giant in him. He was the one that always covered them in a fight. Grizzled, swarthy and a bit hairy, he was intimidating, but was probably the most well-mannered of all of them. Currently, his luscious red mane was tied back, braids adorning his beard. “No, you don’t get it, Reiss.” He was a man of few words, so when he spoke, everyone listened. “You were going to die. Your insides were outside.”

Something came flying at him, he barely managed to catch it before it smacked him. “Yeah, shithead, stop doing stupid shit. We’re indebted to that woman now, and I want nothing to do with her.” Kale grumbled, “Nothing good is going to come from some woman, from a supposedly extinct race, appearing out of nowhere to save us.”

Glancing at what was thrown, Reiss discovered it was a canteen. Uncorking it, he took a long draft from it.

“He’s right, there’s nothing I could have done to save you.” This time it was Aresh speaking up. They were their medic, they were sporting bandages around their abdomen. It stood in stark contrast to their dark, swarthy complexion. From what little they had shared, Reiss knew they were from a race called thirdgender. A militaristic race comprised of female and male presenting people, but anyone was capable of giving birth. They hailed from a far away continent, so very few people knew of their existence. That was all Aresh had cared to share. They were their newest member. “She was pretty rough with her handling as well. Slapped the crap out of you.”

“What? She slapped me?” Taken aback, Reiss looked over his shoulder toward the woman again, only to see the golem with its head turned completely around, openly watching them. Unnerved, he swung back to the group. “Fuck, that thing is creepy.” A chorus of agreement rang out to that sentiment.

“Kale is right, though,” The second-in-command, Quail, brought the conversation back on track. Like Aresh, he was darkly complected, a beautiful shade of deep brown, his pointed ears indicative of his elven heritage. “We don’t know what that woman wants. What her motivations are. That golem is watching us, it wants us to know it’s watching us.”

Ceila shifted her gaze to the golem for a moment, huffing a tiny sigh before returning to everyone, “Well, we’re not going to get very far throwing out hypotheticals. Reiss, you’re going to have to talk to her when she wakes up.” She patted him lightly on his knee, giving him an encouraging smile. Great.

❖❖❖

It was a familiar question when she came to. Where am I? There was something hard beneath her, reaching a hand out she felt cool stone. Memories came flooding back to her as she opened her eyes. “Right, I was… here.” Mumbling to herself, Arc levered herself up. She was sitting in Myth’s lap. The last thing she was doing was, “That kid…” but he wasn’t a kid, was he? Were those people still here?

Clambering up the golem’s shoulder, she peeked over it, searching for them. It wasn’t too hard to spot them. “They certainly are a ragtag group, aren’t they?” Whispering to Myth, she continued to watch them. Really, they seemed like a close-knit group, the camaraderie was strong between them. That much was apparent just from observing them. Actually, it made her feel a little bit jealous. All she had in this life was apparently this golem that she couldn’t even speak to.

Sliding back down, she sat herself on Myth’s thigh, looking down at her bare feet. She hadn’t really thought about it before, but why were her feet bare? Arc had so many questions, but no answers to them. She didn’t even know who she really was, just some words inscribed on a wall. None of it felt real.

Something touched her head, gently patting it. Looking up, she saw it was Myth, awkwardly trying to comfort her. At least that’s what she thought it was doing. “I’m okay, but thank you.” 

Next thing she knew, she was being scooped up as the giant golem stood. Casually, it reached up to the ceiling, plucking another one of those delicious purple fruits. As it handed it over to Arc she quietly thanked it again, “You’re so nice to me, I can’t help feeling like I don’t deserve it. If that dumb wall is to be believed.” Sighing, she took a bite, slowly contemplating her next move.

There wasn’t much she knew about the world, and the weird things she did know just came to her out of the blue. Couldn’t rely on that, at all. Looking up at Myth, she quietly watched as its lights flashed at her in response. Giving it a weak smile, she went back to eating the fruit. “I wish I knew what you were saying.”

Voices drew her attention, shifting, she peeked over the golem’s arm. Arc became instantly aware that she’d become the center of attention for that group. “Oh, right, them.” She hadn’t exactly gotten to them in her thought process yet. 

Their voices were carrying over, but she couldn’t understand them, so she just watched on curiously. It sort of looked like they were egging the short one on, pushing him toward her. Anxiously, he looked up at her before glancing back at the others. She wasn’t sure what they were up to, but it was good to see him well. After a few more exchanged words, he started forward.

Coming to a stop just below her, she got a pretty good look at his face for the first time. Last time she’d looked at him, it was more of a peek, getting general details, but looking at him now. Well, her assessment didn’t really change. Pleasant enough to look at, definitely better now that he was conscious. He was fidgeting a little, trying to find his words? Not that she’d understand him. Propping her head on her fist, she leaned her elbow against Myth’s arm, staring down at him.

“Hel.. helloff?” The pronunciation was definitely off, but he certainly had just greeted her. The most amazing thing was, she understood him.

“Hello, little man.” Shifting, she crossed her arms across Myth’s, leaning forward, “Your pronunciation is a little off.”

Flustered, the man paused before speaking again, “Hello,” he repeated, correctly this time, “Umm, I thank for save.” It really looked like he was struggling, still, it was nice to hear someone speaking a language she could understand. Even if it was a bit butchered.

“You’re welcome.” He was being cordial, so that was nice. Studying him for a moment, Arc turned to Myth, placing a hand on its shoulder. Pointing up at the fruit, the golem understood her intention, reaching up to pluck another fruit. Handing it off to her, she tossed it down to the guy. When he caught it, he looked confused for a moment, examining it before taking a cautious bite. Surprise instantly lit his face before he devoured it with a voracious appetite. “That good, huh? I thought so myself.”

Having enough grace to look embarrassed, he attempted speaking again, “Not much food, dried meat, water.” His speech was so stunted, Arc had to wonder if he even understood some of what she was saying. What did she even say to him? How much did she share to get information? That’s what she wanted most, and it wasn’t like he didn’t owe her. She had saved his life, even if she wasn’t quite sure how she’d done it.

“Sounds quite boring.” Shifting her gaze up to Myth, she found the golem was already collecting more fruits. It had read her mind, it already knew her so well. “I do have a question. What is your name? Also, who exactly are you lot?”