I'm lost.

It wasn't a useful thought. Ones that state the obvious rarely are. But they could be helpful. They could be small compromises in place of the thoughts you didn't want to get to. So when Lilly thought to herself I'm lost, as she looked up at the clear blue sky, and took a few hesitating steps across the scrubby grass, what she was really doing was trying not to think Wasn't there a door behind me just now? She looked over her shoulder. There wasn't a sign of a building as far as the eye could see.

This was a very, very impressive level of lost.

There was some sense of pride to be taken. Who could ever claim that they got lost between two completely different dimensions? One second she was in a white laboratory, and in the next she was in ... well, where was she? Beyond the scrubby shrubbery, Lilly could see an expansive valley with rolling hills of green. Within the lower lands sat a lake, glistening underneath a tranquil and peculiar atmosphere. She took a step. The world underneath her foot rippled.

Ripples in solid ground were not comforting.

"Hello." A tiny voice came to her, "What is your name?"

Invisible voices were not comforting either.

Freezing in place, she wasn't panicking yet. But she could feel the wave of it cresting on her mental horizon, waiting for the best time to crash. She looked around quickly. Nobody.

"Ah..." she began, and immediately winced. Her voice sounded so tiny in the silence as well. "Li- Lilly?"

There was a ring of a bell as if to confirm her words. From a bush, that tiny voice made its owner known. Out came a small human, too small to be a human. She had lavender skin, golden hair, and a few flower petals strung around her like a gown.

"What race are you?" The fairy-like lady continued, "Here in Anahuac, we know of the Tlacatl, the Chichimec, the Nagual, the Tecuani, the Yahui, and of course - my people - the Tlaloque!"

Oh. You're adorable. Whether she had hit her head and was dreaming or something had gone very wrong with reality, there was at least one solid fact, that the lady was so tiny and pretty and adorable and no don't touch her!

Folding her hands behind her back to resist temptation. She looked down at the little lady with uncertainty, none of the words or sounds striking a familiar chord in her mind.

"Race? I'm a human."

The little lady tilted her head. "What race are you?" She repeated, "Here in Anahuac, we know of the Tlacatl, the Chichimec, the Nagual, the Tecuani, the Yahui, and of course - my people - the Tlaloque!" She then gestured to herself, "I can help explain the peoples if it will help you find the one you are!"

Lilly blinked in response a few times. The sentence had been repeated exactly. The same words, yes, but the same inflections and pauses. ... or was she imagining things?

"... s-sure? Please, that would help."

The response came without hesitation, as if it had been well memorised, and her words fell on Lilly's ears like a prompt.

“Tlacatl

The balanced race of Anahuac. These people take pride in their adaptability and prowess in survival.

Chichimec

The giants of Anahuac. These people favor their strength and stamina that helps them survive the wilds.

Nagual

The elves of Anahuac. These people find their powers through animal or elemental magic.

Tecuani

Jaguar Beastfolk of Anahuac. Strong and nimble, these mystical people find strength in their animal ancestry.

Yahui

Reptilian Beastfolk of Anahuac. Charismatic and nimble, these mystical people find their power in their demonic ancestry.

Tlaloque

The water fairies of Anahuac. These people love nothing more than to play.”

It was almost as if the names popped into her head, floating in the space behind her eyes as they became associated with meaning. But none of them seemed to mean human. At least, not from what she could understand. What would be considered a 'balanced race'? There didn't seem a way past this conversation without replying properly, and the idea of walking away hadn't crossed her mind at all. That would be rude. So she decided to take a chance, her tongue stumbling clumsily over unfamiliar territory.

"Tla. catl?"

"Oh, a tlacatl! Welcome home!" The little lady boasted an excited smile, "You'll find your home in Xochitlan! That's right down the road."

Before Lilly could respond, the fairy disappeared back into the bush leaving her to the silent winds of Anahuac. These winds, visible with colors of gold and silver, hovered before her to take shape of a ghostly message.

Avatar Created.

Welcome to Anahuac.

Lilly of the Tlacatl.

"Thank you?" her response came automatically, however hesitant. Was it appropriate to thank ghostly sky messages? Nothing else had made sense so far. But now she had a direction! That was optimistic at the very least. Right down the road was... home? Or at least what the lady and the ghostly messages considered her home, but at the very least it was civilisation. Buildings! People! And most importantly Information! Surely, surely somebody would know the way back to the lab, if this was real. And if it wasn't, well, what else was there for her to do?

The wave of panic seemed very distant as she put one foot in front of the other on her way down the road, holding onto the hope that things were going to make sense soon.

But not, perhaps, right now. As she stepped onto the road, a flash of light consumed her body, beginning from her head and guiding itself down to her toes. In its wake, it left Lilly of the Tlacatl, with nothing but a tribal tunic and obsidian beads as dark as her hair. The flash of light was distinctly unsettling, even without having seen the effects. But far more worrying was the distinct and sudden chilliness around her ankles and toes, and she immediately looked down in confusion. She'd had shoes a second ago, hadn't she?

For that matter-

A wicked snarl sliced through her thoughts.

Beyond the road, a pair of glowing eyes appeared, staring at the defenseless girl with insatiable desire. The snarl grew louder, hungrier, and from the valley shrubs came the visage of a peculiar coyote. It stood tall and broad with fur that betrayed any natural pattern. Its smokey coat was tainted with runic marks, each baring a brightly colored shine. The snarl bared its fangs and they burned in the same red of its eyes.

This was a cursed monster.

And this was definitely not the time to test whether this was real or not. The snarl entered her ears and shot right into the primal part of her that screamed run run run with a very small, dazed side-order of that's a very large coyote.

It hadn't moved yet. Almost as if she wasn't moving her body herself, she saw herself kneel very, very slowly, her hands closing around a fist-sized rock. And then she realised what she was doing. What if she missed? What if she connected? Praying she was fast enough and that fortune would provide her with something to climb, she ran.

The snarl burst into a howl and the coyote burst into a sprint. It gained on her, thirsty for flesh. The sounds of snapping fangs through a powerful jaw only drew closer and closer. She ran into the wilderness in an attempt to confuse the creature but it only smashed through every obstacle she had jumped, and no matter how fast she ran, she put no distance between them. It was fixated on her.

She was prey.

It sounded closer with every second, but what was worse was that the sound seemed to come from everywhere. And while she knew, logically, that it could only be behind her, ... unless it was trying to cut her off, unless it was- It had to only be behind her. Even if it was somewhere else it was only one. But the rest of her mind did not have time for logic, and sent her into terror at the sensation of being surrounded.

Ah yes, the wave of panic had finally crashed.

Skidding around a rock, her legs couldn't keep up and she fell, lungs burning as she gasped for breath and tried to scramble to her feet at the same time. Still riding that same panic, she turned towards the sound of her hunter and flung her rock almost blindly.

The thrust of her hand sent the rock flying. An inexplicable force had escaped the palm of her hand and embedded itself into it. Spinning wildly with unnatural essence, the rock impaled itself into the coyote's forehead, striking its cursed form with sudden purity. The coyote howled in distress as a flash of light consumed its body.

Silence.

The golden winds swayed once more.

Cursed Coyote Defeated.

Achieved Level 1 in Shaman Class.

Reward: Shaman Chest

And where the coyote once stood, a marvellous little chest had materialized. It was a beautiful thing, made of carved stone. Images of ancient nature and animals decorated its surface, intertwining a feathered serpent along its edges. The serpents' faces met at the middle of the chest, forming a golden lock with an ivory key waiting for the Shaman it sought.

Still only halfway upright, Lilly fell back to the ground, somehow even more out of breath than before. There wasn't even a body. Not that she wanted to see a body but-

Had she... killed it? If it disappeared into nothing it couldn't have been a real flesh and blood animal. Surely. But it had felt so real. She could still feel its hot breath as it got too close, smell the stench. Sense the weight that wanted to drive itself into her throat. Shuddering a little, she took a moment. Just to catch her breath. Just to center herself. Hugging her knees to her chest, she tried to get her heart to stop hammering.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Achieved Level 1.

Like a game? Is that what this... place was doing? Given the lab WAS working on video games, it wouldn't be too far a stretch for it to be uppermost in her mind if she was unconscious. But it had felt too real. There was no way for this to be a dream. She had just opened a door. And now there was no door to open, just...

A chest. It really was lovely, and she found herself fixating on the carvings to calm herself down. Reaching out a hand, she ran her fingers over the serpent, following its length as far as she could from where she sat, until she reached the key, and hesitated. It wasn't the strangest thing that had happened today. Or even in the past hour. Before she could change her mind, she turned the key.

The lid flew open and a spectacular ray of light shot into the sky. Once it dulled into a dim glow, Lilly peered into the chest cautiously. Inside she found a robe, a staff, and a conch, with a scroll laid over the lot of them, demanding attention. The sight of the robe made her realise she was still shivering a little, though whether it was from residual fear, adrenaline, or a light chill settling into the air, she couldn't say. But the simple placement of the scroll made it seem too important for her own curiosity to ignore, so she resisted the urge to immediately drag out and wrap herself in the comfortable looking cloth.

Mysterious scroll first, her mind insisted as she unrolled it, to be greeted with a coral blue script.

Lilly of the Tlacatl,

Blessings for you and your first adventure in the lands of Anahuac. I saw your courageous victory over a cursed being and from that, I sensed the natural power within you. Take the contents of this Shaman chest to aid you on your quest. I hope to see you progress. Wisdom as one's governance is what binds us to spiritual magic.

Regards,

A friend

Further down the scroll came descriptions for the gifts:

Cloth Robe of the Apprentice

Light Armor

Teotl Restoration x2

+1 Wisdom

+0 Armor Bonus

Wooden Staff of the Apprentice

Simple Weapon

+1 Magic Damage to Attack

Moon Conch of the Apprentice

Totem

Ability: When blown, cure light wounds.

The scroll disappeared and in its place remained a simple letter. The parchment was grainy and the ink was in a plain black which, after all the mysterious gold and blue messages, seemed to be of markedly less significance.

First Adventure Quest Completed!

New Quest: Learn a Shamanic Spell

A friend. Aid. She latched onto the words, already more comforted, and strange as everything was, she would rather be grateful for extended friendship than be suspicious of the circumstances. There were always good people in the world, she was sure of that. Even smiling a little, misplaced as the optimism might be, she wrapped the robe around herself and lifted the staff in her hands, giving it a small, experimental swing. This wasn't likely to have given the coyote any more trouble than the rock, but...

Come to think of it, what had happened with the rock? She'd felt something and then... what? Looking down at her free hand, she tried to find some evidence of the strange sensation, but it was just a hand. Fingers, palm, lines, all as she'd always remembered them. And yet it had done something. Her eye caught the conch at the bottom of the chest and she lifted it more uncertainly than the other gifts, the last sentence of the letter resurfacing in her head. Learn a spell.

More questions. More strangeness.

The city had to have answers. Slipping the conch carefully into the waistband, she turned her head about. It wasn't hard to remember the direction she had come from, the coyote had created a trail of destruction that was easy enough to find and follow. All she had to do was walk it back to the road, and hope nothing tried to eat her again in the meantime.

With a goal in mind to alleviate the confusion somewhat and comfort brought on by the words and help of a mysterious friend, Lilly was able to study her surroundings a little more in depth.

The world around her was lush in flowers and brush that time and human hands had forgotten. The valley itself lay with earth painted in gold, bronze and greens. The winds brought sweet fragrance from the blossoms on the shrubbery and cacti that dotted the landscape where packs of unusual wildlife roamed. Anahuac was a mystery, but a beautiful, rustic one. A whimsical, fantastical one, heavy with the nostalgia of a place one had never been, but could recognise. The only way she would have been able to describe it, if she was asked, was that it felt like a well-worn passage in a favourite book.

She set foot once again on the dirt road and followed its winding path down the valley. The dirt soon gave way to pebbles intricately aligned against one another, and then those pebbles gave way to bricks of sand carved with cubic patterns that both entranced and directed the eye. Along the path and up, to find a banner woven with the image of a gold and crimson marigold, welcoming her to Xochitlan, the Place of Flowers.

Beyond the banner lay the modest, clay gate of the city. The wilderness had now grown with crops of maize and the silence was forgotten against the rabble of crowds going about their lives.

Two guards stood at opposite ends of the gate. They were Tlacatl men, wearing the traditional tunic of a lesser warrior. A hide helmet toughened in salty brine rested on their heads and a matching shield bearing the marigold was held at their sides. In opposite hands, the men held long spears that crossed in front of the gate, barring entry.

The gate brought an immediate interruption to her peace, and she hesitated, holding her staff close like a shield. But she had come this far, she refused to let the worry of being turned away stop her from at least trying.

But. What was she supposed to say?

"Good morning?"

That was a start.

"Good Morning." One of the guards smiled at her. A smile was always appreciated, and she responded with a sunny one of her own.

"I'm sorry to bother you. I'm very lost. Is this..." her mind grabbed uncertainly for the unfamiliar name. "Xo... Xo..."

"Xochitlan." The guard answered, "You are at the southern end of Lake Tezcoco. Where are you trying to go?"

An excellent and perceptive question, sir! I wish I had an answer myself.

"Xochitlan," she murmured, looking up at the banner as if to fix the symbol and the name in her mind. "I'm afraid I don't know. I am trying to go home, but I don't know where that is. Is there anyone in the city who could help me with... a map, or something?"

"A map? You can buy anything you need in Cualli's Corner,” he said, as he and his partner moved their spears to allow her access to the gate. “It's immediately to your left once you enter Xochitlan. Can't miss."

"Ah! Thank you so much!" Her voice brightened with hope, and her smile in proportion, as she stepped through the gate. "I hope your day goes well!"

As for her day, she'd taken only a few more steps inside when the inevitable occurred to her. Buy? She didn't have any money. Suppressing a sigh, she took in a full view of the city proper. It certainly held true to its name. Gardens of marigolds adorned the earthy, adobe homes. From the lake, carefully drawn out streams flowed into the city to bring in a crystal blue color. Precious stones brightened up clay features and flower dyes accented them further. Xochitlan was an artisan's paradise.

The crowds of people were humble, at least the natives were. They wore simple tunics or robes, always decorated with a marigold or two. Besides the natives, there were a number of various foreigners running around. Obvious foreigners. Some were dancing, others jumping about frantically, a few were dueling each other, they were an energetic mess. They wore fancier tunics, robes, even armor. Most striking of all, however, was that they were not all Tlacatl.

Tourists? Visitors? People on (the word popped into her mind again) quests? And some of them seemed so strange. Like humanoid animals, or people much larger and much smaller than they had any business being. Here and there she could see little creatures like the lady who had directed her. It was clear that if anyone held information to the lands around the city, it was here, this hub of activity where everyone seemed to be coming and it was accepted as the normal events of the day. A quick sidestep interrupted her musing as she tried to avoid blocking the way to and from the gate as others passed by her, and she remembered why she was here.

Immediately to your left once you enter.

'Cualli's Corner', a wooden sign proudly boasted in marigold paint. The adobe dwelling was humble but the clutter of odd goods and curious trinkets laid across the shop brought it a personality that beckoned any passer-by. She stepped through its beaded doorway.

"Hello!"

The greeting was jovial and welcoming. It came from a jolly man behind the brick counter immediately across the doorway. He looked like any other native resident of Xochitlan with the small exception of a jade ring hanging from his nose. That was the mark of the Pochteca, the traveling merchant class.

"Come in, come in to Cualli's Corner! I am Cualli!" he continued, "Trinkets, and totems, and trifles all for a shaman apprentice such as yourself. If you want it, I got it. And if I don't got it, you probably don't need it, but I'll send for it. Cuality customer service from Cualli."

Encouraged, she opened her mouth. And halfway through the motion, suddenly thought Wait. What AM I going to do with a map? I don't know any of the names or the places. The lab door's not going to be marked with a big EXIT sign.

Better to say something about wanting to look around. But what she actually said, without asking permission from her brain, was "Do you have any shaman spells, sir? A very easy one?"

"You're in luck. I just brought a collection of spells from the rainforests in Mazatepec and they're good ones." Cualli shuffled about behind the counter. He brought out a collection of scrolls and set them in front of Lilly, "Here you go, cantrips and rank one shaman spells. As a first time customer, you can have a scroll on the house! You look like you need it."

She probably looked like she was in need of a lot of things, including a bath, and accepted the kindness with a delighted smile. "Thank you!"

Some of the scrolls seemed geared for making contact with nature a softer one. Who knew how long she would have to be wandering around? One of them could be useful. But it was hard to make a decision when the memory of hot snarls were still fresh, and insidiously trying to work its way back to the forefront of her mind. She didn't want to be helpless like that again.

Running hadn't worked. Her fingers ran over the scrolls as she tried to work out what she wanted. Obstacles hadn't worked. If there was just a way to-

Ensnare

What? Pausing, she quickly went back to the last scroll but one that she had glanced at.

A beautifully flowing script said In a targeted area, all manner of plants tangle up creatures within or entering, holding them in place until they break free.

And underneath, in much smaller, functional type, Ensnares 1-2 targets within mid-range, duration: 10 seconds, cooldown: 30 seconds, damage: 20hp + Wisdom Modifier (20hp)

She poked at it timidly. "This one, please?"

Cualli nodded, "That's a good starting spell for a shaman. I can tell you, the roads are riddled with dangers and being able to delay them a bit goes a long way."

"To learn it,” he went on, handing it to her, “you must focus on the scroll for a minute. You'll absorb its energy and the scroll will be consumed."

She stared at the scroll, trying not to feel incredibly silly as she stood there. For a minute, and it felt like the longest minute of her life, nothing happened, and she was beginning to feel as if she was too worried about focusing properly to actually focus.

And then she realised that the paper had warmed up significantly. It had been so gradual that she hadn't even noticed it start, and was now a comforting warmth in her hands, that traveled down her arms and somewhere into her chest. There was a brief second where she felt she was in an open space, surrounded by plant-life that almost seemed to have been waiting for her to arrive. And then she was back. The scroll had crumbled, fluttering up into the air like ash, or fragile butterflies, before even the fragments disappeared.

And the world was darker. Even as she looked at the jolly shopkeeper, night seemed to fall. But not like a slow, gentle curtain as the sun sank past the horizon, but like a heavy iron door over the sky.

She spun to look out the window, perhaps hoping that the learning effects had played tricks on her eyes. Yet the darkness remained. Natives and adventurers alike were looking to the sky.

A dark wind blew across Xochitlan

The night sky became shrouded in an inky mist and right in the center of this mysterious haze emerged a colossal, silver moon.

Learn a Shamanic Spell Completed!

Eternal Darkness has Begun