CHAPTER 13

The campfire lit up the small enclave, fighting back the approaching night sky as best it could. The air was warm and comfortable as Kopius struggled to feel the same. Once mildly comfortable, he took a deep breath and felt relaxed for the first time since he had awakened in the cave.

The familiar smell of burning wood brought about a nostalgia that could breach the strongest of personal defenses. For all the faint and particular smells of the forest, the scent of burning wood was one of his favorites. It brought with it the joy and wonder a child would feel being unleashed into the wilderness.

Being a young boy in the forest for the first time had convinced Cory that ogres and trolls were real, gnomes lived in the trees with the elves, and that animals did understand him! Kopius began to wonder if his active childhood imagination was about to catch up with him.

Brushing the thought away, Kopius noticed that Cici had finished whatever preparations were needed and had taken to his stool opposite the fire. The man went about his business with the practiced efficiency of a person who had done it a thousand times.

Cici cleaned a small, dented pot, tipping it over to clear out any straggling pieces of debris. Satisfied, he poured liquid into the pot from–what Kopius guessed–a small waterskin. He then placed several items into the pot before making sprinkling hand motions over it.

Is he seasoning or casting magic? Kopius wondered.

Cici hung the pot above the fire, stirred it a few times, and then sat back on his stool. The big man pulled a large violin–or a small guitar, Kopius was not sure–from out of nowhere and started to tune it. Plucking at a few strings and making small adjustments, he fiddled with the instrument.

“Mind if I play a tune?” Cici asked, looking over at Kopius.

“Go for it,” Kopius replied. This better not give me a headache.

Cici smiled. “This is one I have been working on.”

The song started off soft like the way it feels to wake up from a good nap; there were no words. Harder cords started to twang as the song picked up, and Kopius felt a hint of wanderlust followed by the chills. Cici continued to build to crescendo and pull-back several times. By the end of the tune Kopius felt like he had gone on an exciting journey. It was reminiscent of the acoustic, classic rock-and-roll his Papa would play in his workshop.

“Wow,” Kopius blurted. ”That was great. Gave me ‘Stairway to Heaven’ vibes.”

Cici frowned upon hearing the song's evaluation.

“You felt like walking to your death?” Cici asked.

“Ah, no, not at all,” Kopius replied with some confusion.

“Did the song take you on an adventure?”

“Well, yeah, I guess so. I felt like I just did something exciting, if that’s what you mean,” Kopius answered. A look of disappointment washed over Cici’s face. Even with the firelight dancing about, the big man looked distraught. Cici placed his instrument on the ground and paced around the fire; possibly talking to himself, given the hand gestures. He stirred his pot some more before taking a seat back on his stool.

“Adventure is not what I am going for.”

“What are you going for?”

“A song to capture a heart.”

“Oh, I see,” Kopius said. ”Trying to win the affection of a special lady?”

“No, no, no,” Cici said, raising his hands in protest. ”The affection has been won. I need to un-affect, be done with her.”

“So you’re writing her a love song?” Kopius asked as if he had missed something.

“Not just any love song,” Cici replied in all seriousness. ”A love song so pure it rips out this vile creature’s heart.” He made a motion with his hands like he was tearing out his own heart. Kopius, utterly confused, had the feeling that this ‘Kali Ma’ gesture was not a metaphor. Kopius mimicked the gesture, and Cici nodded in approval.

“That will have to be quite some song,” Kopius managed after a long pause.

“Indeed,” Cici said, glaring at the fire. ”Then I will finally be free.” He had a thousand-yard stare going for a few seconds before snapping out of whatever thought had captured him. “You hungry?”

“No, I had a bite to eat earlier,” Kopius answered. “I should be good until morning.”

Cici produced a bowl from his sack and filled it with the contents of the pot. He sat back down, waved away the steam, and then dove into his meal. Kopius took this time to resituate himself on the ground, closer to the fire, allowing his back to rest against the stump. By the time Kopius found a comfortable position, Cici had finished eating.

“Alright, Kopius,” Cici said, also getting comfortable on the ground. ”Tell me your tale.”

With little else to do, Kopius gave him the long version. Every detail he could remember, regardless of its relevance, he relayed to Cici. Though Kopius did leave out the various nervous breakdowns and pity parties he had had. Cici sat patiently, fussing with his instrument and sometimes stoking the fire. He would ask for clarification every once in a while and informed Kopius that the bush-monster was called an Allgitator. Kopius also covered, to the extent he had explained to Oh-jin, the fact that he was stuck in a game or dreaming–maybe dead.

There was a long pause after Kopius had finished. Cici sat by the fire slowly nodding his head, sometimes shaking it in disagreement. It was clear the man was having an internal debate. A few times the handsome man started to say something but would stop himself.

“That is quite a bit to take in,” Cici finally said. ”Even more to have gone through it, I imagine.” He paused to scratch his beard. “An old mysterious man in the valley and a stranger lost in a new world. This would make for quite a ballad.” Cici groped inside his coat again before producing a sheet of parchment and a writing instrument. After jotting down a few things, he returned the items.

“Apologies,” Cici said with a smile, ”you have to write down the good ideas when they come. Now let me make sure I have heard you correctly.” The man sat up into a crossed leg position and used his fingers to count. “You are not from here?” Cici asked.

“Correct,” Kopius answered.

“You were given magical gifts in a cave?” Cici continued, to which Kopius looked at his “magical gifts”. He had untied the mess of a sword sheath from his person, and it lay in a heap beside him. The two swords would be great for blocking attacks but they looked as though they would have a hard time cutting through wet paper. His clothing often chaffed and his sandals did nothing to protect his toes.

“Some magical stuff happened in the cave,” Kopius said, ”but I wouldn’t call these magical items.”

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Your profile, you cannot see it?” Cici kept the questions coming.

“I can see my name and what I guess is my level next to it, but that’s it. Oh, when I was stuck in your trap, I did see a timer,” Kopius replied.

“Yes, the number next to your name is your level. What is yours?”

“Two.”

“Two!” Cici practically spat out. ”Were you born yesterday? How old are ya?!”

“I’m thirty-two! Why? What’s that have to do with anything?” Kopius said defensively.

“Most young children are around level 5, level 10 by their teens. You would have to be level 10 to find work, depending on the profession, that is.” Cici chuckled a bit. “Hell, my ma said I was level 4 before I got off her tit. We can talk about that later, though–the levels, not the tit, eh?”

Kopius laughed. “I take it then that your level and your age are not the same?”

“No, not at all. You will find that most strive to reach level 20, and then their progress slows dramatically,” Cici replied.

“Why level 20? Is it just hard to move up from there?” Kopius asked.

“You are given a Form at level 20. Depending on what you choose to Practice at level 10. It is all quite complicated, yet simple once you understand,” Cici said.

Kind of like baseball, Kopius thought with a slight smile before asking, ”Do you have a short version? I mean, you’re given a Form but choose a Practice. How does that work?”

“It would take some time to explain,” Cici answered. “But that leads me to my last thought. You have said, in detail, that you are not here. You think this a dream or the like. So why do you want to know?”

It had dawned on Kopius, while magically glued to the trap, that he may be here a while. He’d sporadically opened his profile window throughout the day and night, but to no avail. Nothing new had appeared. He had also figured that he wouldn’t just sit around and wait for the universe, fate, and/or destiny to get their collective shit together either. Kopius had no desire for power or world domination; he just wanted to figure out what was happening so that he could return to being miserable as Cory.

Considering he had no idea how long he would be stuck in this world, Kopius knew it wouldn't hurt to get a lay of the land. For all he knew, Oh-jin had already found a solution and was awaiting his return. Yet, when Cici confirmed that the number next to Kopius’s name was a level indicator, it piqued his curiosity. If there are levels, then there might be skill points or something, Kopius thought. This Practice and Form stuff just sound like Classes and Professions from old RPGs. There might be abilities! Oh, I hope there are passive abilities... His mind started to race with different combinations of skills and abilities before he cut himself short after a glance at Cici.

“I, ah, well, on the off chance that this is real,” Kopius said, gesturing to nothing in particular, ”or that I am here for an extended amount of time, I figure the more information the better.”

“I see,” Cici replied thoughtfully. ”It is not a subject I can cover in a short time, nor is it easily summarized.”

“Just give me the basics,” Kopius said.

“The basics are these,” Cici began. ”Upon reaching level 10, any sentient being is given a list of Practices of which you would choose three–well four. One of the Practices is chosen by the powers of the Universe itself. The others are meant to build off your strongest inherent abilities. You can choose to advance all or none of the Practices, but come level 20, the Universe gives you your Form.”

“Hold on,” Kopius protested, hands raised as if Cici had just pulled a gun on him. ”Powers of the Universe? Sentient beings? Form changes? This all sounds like a horrible He-Man reboot.”

Cici regarded Kopius the way one would look at a small child who had just eaten a booger.

“Yes, and much more!” Cici said with a hearty laugh. “This is only the tip of the snowcap!”

“Iceberg,” Kopius said, laughing a bit too.

“Iceberg?”

“Yea, an iceberg. Tip of the iceberg? It’s a saying where I’m from.” Kopius wondered if there were icebergs here.

“Ah!” Cici said, snapping his fingers. “Because of what is beneath the surface! Very clever, Kopius, clever indeed.” The man almost seemed smitten by the metaphor.

“So does ‘tip of the snowcap’ mean something of the same?” Kopius asked.

“Care to take a guess?” Cici replied.

“Maybe something about reaching the snowcaps is like finding the truth?” Kopius garnered a guess.

“I do not follow,” Cici answered.

“Well, if I wanted to reach the snowcaps, I would have to climb a mountain. In that same line of thinking, finding the truth of things can be like climbing a mountain,” Kopius explained. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m just talking out of my ass.” He threw small pieces of debris into the fire.

“You are not wrong,” Cici said after a thoughtful pause; Kopius perked up a little. “You are not right either, at least not how I understand the saying. The way I was told is that the snowcaps represent knowledge, and to acquire it, one must tread lightly. To trample the snowcaps would create an avalanche, consuming you and all in its path.”

“That’s a bit dark,” Kopius said with a chuckle.

“Your version has shades of black too,” Cici shot back with a laugh.

“You mentioned ‘sentient beings,’ not just humans. What are we talking about? Elves? Trolls? Sprites? Man-eating Giants?” Kopius asked, steering the conversation.

“There is no shortage of humans on Metem. They breed like trapped rats and often smell the same.”

“Not a fan of humans?” Kopius asked.

“Depends on the day, if I am being honest. But I cannot hate what I am–or at least, half of what I am,” Cici said with a hint of scorn. He looked Kopius in the eye before he spoke again. “I am a Slasher, a half-breed.”

Kopius sat there, not understanding the intensity behind the words.

“So, what, like you’re from two different races?” Kopius asked.

“Yes,” Cici replied.

“Is that a problem?”

“Depends on where you travel,” Cici said, the intensity fading from his eyes.

“You look pretty human to me,” Kopius replied.

“I am only half human. My father’s race, the Astral Lumen, has similar features to humans as well. You can see the subtle differences in better light.”

Kopius reached up and rubbed on his now slightly pointed ears.

“I don’t know if I am human–I mean, anymore. I was human before I woke up today, but now…” Kopius said while examining his new body. ”I don’t know. I look mostly like myself–but with noticeable changes.” He ran his hand past his ear.

“I cannot quite place your features,” Cici said. ”At first I thought you were a human, but then I only saw your backside” He winked. “After that I… for a terrifying moment, I thought you were the Shadow of the Valley taken form! But now that I have had a better look, I would guess you are not fully human either. Too bad for you.”

“Why too bad for me?” Kopius inquired.

“If you are of mixed blood, life comes with all the trouble of both races and the benefits from neither–mostly. Some major cities segregate their populations, and the mixed breeds are always the lowest rung of the ladder, if on the ladder at all. Depending on the kingdom, only purebloods can roam freely. In others, the sweat of your brow is all that is measured. Needless to say, life is easiest for the pure’s, human or not, and then the rest of us fight for the scraps. Oh, and everyone hates the gnomes.”

Kopius found that last bit a little strange. He also noted that rampant bigotry seemed to be a staple for any growing society. Hating those that looked or sounded different was a knee-jerk reaction for a lot of humans in the real world. Maybe humans are just genetically assholes, Kopius thought.

“Is that why you camp out here?” Kopius asked.

“No, not specifically. I do not get bothered too much,” Cici said, then flexed and kissed his covered bicep. His smile was part ‘I’m a sexy bitch’ and part ‘I'm one bad mofo’. Kopius couldn’t help but have a chuckle at the large man.

“Now, we could blather all night, but I need a good night's rest after the scare you gave me,” Cici said jokingly as he found a comfortable position to lay down. “Be a good sort and throw a few more pieces of wood on the fire before you sleep. We can talk about traps in the morning.” Kopius, feeling the weight of the long, long, grueling day fell asleep on the hard ground as if it were cloud nine lady herself.