I could stay like this forever. I thought while continuing to cuddle with Kala. This was its own slice of heaven, to have someone who I could care about and who would care for me in turn, someone to be intimate with, lower my guard, expose myself without fear. She nuzzled her head a little deeper into me which brought a renewed smile to my face.
It is really too bad that moments like this couldn’t last forever. There was a whole world that demanded our attention and a plethora of problems to go with it. Least of these issues that needed to be addressed was my new volunteer position as gopher for the chef and his cooks. We probably had a little bit of time, but I didn’t want to risk being late so I should at least keep an eye out for when they start prepping.
I lifted my head off Kala, and she did the same, looking at me questioningly if not a little upset that I was breaking away from her. “What’s wrong?” She asked.
“Nothing, just thinking we should go for a walk, need to be aware if they start preparations for dinner so I can help.”
She sighed as her shoulders sagged. “Why is it that when we just start dating you seem to pick up a hundred new things that keep us apart?”
I chuckled a little bit and gave her a side hug. “You say that like you aren’t hovering around me all the time anyway.”
“I know, but I want to cuddle.” She said with her puppy eyes.
“Is that because you actually enjoy it, or are you just trying to steal my warmth?” I said with a smirk.
“Can’t it be both?” She shrugged and gave me an innocent look.
I rolled my eyes at her before standing up. “Alright you little heat leech, let’s just go out for a walk and make sure I'm not going to be late.”
She groaned but begrudgingly got up and took my hand. We walked out of the room to start our little reconnaissance mission. It was still bright out so I didn’t think they would be setting up for dinner just yet, but it never hurt to make sure.
The area where the cooking normally takes place was vacant. With a shrug we both decided to just spend some time in a secluded area so we could talk in peace. Finding an empty corner of the camp, we sat, and Kala started to ask questions.
“Tell me about your world. I still don’t know all that much about it other than it's an amazing place where you don’t have to worry about Thrainians and can get free knowledge.”
“Hmm, let’s see, if you like the idea of free knowledge then I think the internet would completely blow your mind.”
“What’s that?” She asked, eyes lighting up.
“It’s a nifty little invention that stores the entire collective knowledge of mankind and distributes it all over the world to whomever wants to see it.”
Kala started doing her best impression of a fish. “I thought you said your world doesn’t have magic?”
“It’s not magic, it’s technology. Since we don’t have any of your fancy wizard stuff, we got very creative with the natural elements of the world. It was a fairly recent invention all things considered, but it has quickly become the most powerful tool in the world.”
“Still sounds like magic to me. How do you even keep that many books in one place and move them all over the world?”
“Ahh man, how to explain this?” I did my best to describe computers, storing things as pure information, and how it all works with the invisible network that was the internet itself. You could almost see the circuits frying in her brain. If I tried to continue, I wouldn’t have been surprised if smoke started coming out of her ears. Sparing her the headache, we put a pin in trying to get her to understand.
Instead of some of the more difficult things, I went with some simple geography and explaining the general shape of my world and the countries that make it up. I even drew up a crude map in the dirt, but it got the general idea across. She seemed transfixed by it, looking between the two major landmasses multiple times.
“This is the ocean?” She pointed to the empty space between them. I gave a nod and she started to just stare again for a moment. “You said explorers sailed across the sea and found new land?”
“Yeah, there was a lot of trial and error involved and it was very dangerous, but they eventually found a path that worked.”
“I wonder if there is land across our ocean? Could we find someplace away from all this fighting and hatred?”
“A good question, one that I can’t really answer. The only way to find out would be to see for yourself one day. I don’t know the state of your navel situation or the Thrainians for that matter, but it costs a lot of money, requires a lot of preparation, and an expert level of understanding about sailing to accomplish such a thing. Fleeing across the sea probably wouldn’t be a viable option right now unless you want to lose most if not all the people you send.”
“I see.” She stated, looking a little downcast at me having shot down her idea.
I put a hand on her shoulder. “I wish there was an easy way to get out of this as well, but the reality of the situation is that you probably couldn’t make the journey with the state of the world being as it is, if there even was something out there to find.”
“I understand. Maybe if this war ends, we can find out if there is something out there.”
“Here’s hoping that the age of exploration and enlightenment comes sooner rather than later.” I said with an encouraging smile. She brightened up a little bit at that and I figured that we should check if they were starting to get the prep work for dinner started.
As it turned out, they were starting to get things rolling over there, starting fires, getting the ingredients set up, and moving all the equipment they needed around. When we approached, the chef noticed me and walked over to meet us.
“You here for some more work I take it?” He asked, cutting straight to the point.
“Yeah, might make it a regular thing.” I said with an uncommitted shrug.
“There’s always work that needs to be done, let’s get started.” He turned and apparently expected me to follow.
He really isn’t one for extended conversations. I said goodbye to Kala for now and left her to do whatever it is she does when she’s not following me around. We went through the motions for set up and he had me do much the same tasks as the last time. The other cooks at this point didn’t really pay me much attention, most simply acting like I wasn’t even there unless they needed something done. That arrangement was more than fine with me, arguably a step up from glares at any rate.
The evening meal was prepared, and we even had some time to spare before the first few people started to show up. The chef made a few last-minute adjustments to some of the meals that were apparently passable but not up to what he would consider optimal. By the time we started actually serving the meals, everything had been tweaked to the chef's liking.
The line progressed at a steady pace, the people serving up the bowls moving in a synchronized way where one person would always be filling a bowl while the other would be handing it over. This prevented any lag on our side as the food flowed smoothly. Eventually, we came to the end of the line, and after the last one was served the ones working behind the counter got to have their meals as well.
I was happy to receive another full bowl and went to go find where Kala decided to wait. Turned out that she found me first, coming up behind and giving me a playful tap on the shoulder. I twisted around to look at her standing there with a goofy smile on her face. The second thing I noticed is she wasn’t holding any food, which drove me to inquire about that.
“Oh, I ate while I was waiting for you. Take your time with your meal, I want to cuddle with you more anyway.”
I chuckled, amused by her just coming out and letting me know of her desires. “I think I can eat and cuddle at the same time, maybe.”
“If not, you better learn fast.” She said before claiming my hand as her own again. True to form, she was draping herself over me like a blanket while I attempted to eat. It proved to be a challenge to eat and fend off her relentless attack. Eventually, I managed to convince her to simply lay in my lap which let me use both my hands to eat and let her cuddle with me as desired. The compromise was accepted by all, and I was able to finish my food in a reasonable time.
After finishing the food, we retired for the day. Kala and I talked for a little while longer, she wanted to know more about how they managed to sail across the ocean in my world and I did my best to recall the history of that event. Once my knowledge of the subject was exhausted it was late enough for us to call it a night. I saw her look between our two beds for a moment in contemplation, but she seemed to decide on getting into her own bed. It was only designed for one person after all, so an entire night might be a bit much for sharing such a small surface.
Goodnights were said, and we each drifted off at our own pace. It seemed that even with the slight improvements to my situation in the waking world, my mind was still very much a wreck. Cold steel, biting and ripping through me. Knives and hatchets and saws all dancing the crimson waltz across my body. And when one sunk into my heart, I jolted awake gasping and clutching at the wound that my mind thought was there.
I calmed myself down and remembered the mantra Velshi had given me. “It’s all in the past, they can’t hurt me now. It’s all in the past, they can’t hurt me now...” I continued to murmur the line over and over until my heart decided to settle down to a resting beat once more.
Over the course of the night, the dreams woke me twice more, each time by the piercing pain of a blade being thrust into my body. I guess it would be a little much to assume my nightmares would cease just because I had a single good day. Still, I kept trying to persuade my mind to stop torturing me, though it felt like a losing battle. In the end I still didn’t get all that much sleep in.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Kala, serving as the ever-faithful grumpy alarm clock, started to stir from her place of rest. Many moans and groans of her usual song and dance later, and she was at least out of bed. She yawned wide as she stretched, attempting to shake off the last of the sleep.
“Did you sleep well?” She asked after completing her stretch.
“Not really, probably going to have some issues for a while.”
She looked empathetic to my plight. “I’m sorry.”
“Nothing you can really do about it, got to work it out myself.”
“I know what it’s like to live in pain and fear, but I also know it can’t compare to what you’ve been through. I can do this at the very least.” She said before embracing me in a hug.
I could feel a little bit of tension leave my body the moment she did that. I smiled and hugged her back. “Yes, indeed you can.” This was certainly a nice way to start the morning.
“Feel better?”
“Immensely, thanks Kala.”
“Feel free to hug me whenever you need one, seriously, I do not mind this whatsoever.”
I chuckled at that but didn’t bother saying anything else as we enjoyed the moment. Once the hug was starting to feel a little prolonged, I broke out of it. “Shall we start the day then?”
“I’d much rather go back to bed.” She said with a slight smile.
“I know, but I’m probably running a little late for helping with breakfast if I'm going to continue doing that.”
“Fiiiiine.” She dragged out the word with exasperation. I rolled my eyes at her but took her by the hand and started leading, almost dragging, her out of the room.
Turns out I was rather late, and the chef exchanged some quick words along the lines of, “if you’re going to show up, then do so on time.” I basically was tasked with throwing things away and dumping food items into the appropriate receptacle. The food was served and everyone who was working got their share as well at the end of it.
I ate with Kala as usual, and afterward we went to see Sert in accordance with the schedule for the day. Along the way though, we were stopped.
“James, Kala.” We were both addressed from the side and turning to the source found Durdan there.
I took to talking with him. “Durdan, is there something you need?”
“No, well, maybe a little bit.” He paused for a moment as his eyes flickered downward. “I was thinking about our last conversation, for most of yesterday actually.”
I cringed while remembering that. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t in the right mind at the time. I was just feeling frustrated and said some things because of it. This is just, not a very pleasant situation to be in.”
“No, no, don’t worry about that, I'm not upset. What you said... it made me consider a few things. I took some time to think about it, and I've come to a decision. I will be calling a meeting tomorrow morning that the whole camp will attend after everyone has had a chance to eat, and I'd like to ask you to be there for it.”
I didn’t really know how to feel about that. It didn’t feel like there was anything sinister about this meeting, but it was strange that he was asking and not telling me to attend. “Would it be a problem if I said no?”
He looked a little concerned, but not angry. “Not really, but I figured that it would both be of interest for you to attend and it would greatly help me.”
Again, I took a moment to consider what this could be. “I’m not in trouble for anything, right?”
“No.”
“Will you tell me what it is?”
“I think it’s best if it is kept secret for now.”
I thought about it, and mentally shrugged. “Then, I guess I will attend.”
He gave me a slight smile at the confirmation. “Thank you, James, I look forward to seeing you there.” With that, Durdan turned and went back to his business.
That was odd. Well, as long as I wasn’t getting in trouble for something, I could at least see what he had planned. Now that the distraction was over with, we continued on towards Sert’s lab.
Arriving at the door I knocked and was summarily told to enter. “James, good morning to you.”
“Morning Doc, how are things going here?”
Sert paused for a moment, not enough that it was awkward but just enough that it was strange. “Nothing much really, just conducting another experiment.”
“Anything concerning me?”
Another pause, I was beginning to wonder what was going on with him. “Yes actually, are you feeling anything wrong or off right now?”
“No? Why?” I asked with growing confusion.
“Hmm, fascinating.” He started scribbling in his book and I was feeling like I missed something.
“Do you have any intention of clueing me in or am I going to be in the dark this whole time?”
“Yes, my apologies. Were you at all aware that I just spoke to you in three different languages?”
“Wait, what? No, I didn’t hear any difference.”
“Indeed, I thought so; you did not hesitate to reply to any of them and it would be strange if you could switch languages that smoothly. I was told you spoke Ulgrish, and to my ears you have a perfect grasp of the language. However, I noticed that when you spoke to Miss Kala there, you used river tongue. Now, knowing multiple languages is not in and of itself odd, but the way you simply flow from one language to another with no hesitation is, which prompted me to conduct this experiment. I need only confirm one more thing, please say something to me, a few words will do.”
“Uhm, the weather’s really nice today?”
“Interesting, now I'm hearing you in my native tongue. It seems that your passenger is translating languages both for you, and for others as well. It also seems to take into account what language the listener wants or needs to hear it in. Apparently, since I also know different languages, I have options. Try speaking to me again.”
“What do you hope to achieve this time?” I asked.
“Hmm, well, I was attempting to see if I could hear you in a language that I did not know all that well, it just went back to my native tongue. It seems that you must have an understanding of the language you want to hear, I wonder to what extent though.”
“Okay, I guess that’s all interesting to know.” I said, already under the impression that that was more or less what was going on.
“Yes, I will have to conduct some additional experiments on that in the future, but for now we can focus on other things.”
Sert began to get into his other experiments, including some tests on whether I could establish a connection between myself and my unwanted tenant without outside help. That involved a lot of trial and error, simply searching through the river of magic that was flowing inside of me to attempt to find the source, also known as, giant magical snake. It seemed the process was more difficult than just tracing back the flow of magic, and despite Sert’s best efforts to guide me using his previous experiences, it remained hidden, so that was put on the backburner for now.
Some more of my magic was extracted and used in a kind of potency test to determine if it had more kick than the regular stuff. Initial observations would say that it is just like any other source of magic, only I seem to have a rather large amount of it at my disposal. There also appears to be no downside to me running dry or otherwise using it all. No matter how much he takes or that is used, I do not feel the normal fatigue that would be associated with consuming what is essentially the lifeforce of the residents of this world. Perks of being born without reliance on mana I suppose.
The two hours of experiments came to a close, and Sert thanked me for my cooperation before diving back into his notes. Kala and I took our leave and made our way over to Velshi for my next lessons. The trip was uneventful, with only some more curious onlookers gawking at our public display of affection mixed in with the regular crowd of untrusting leers. It was probably throwing them for a loop to see what they thought was a Thrainian obviously enjoying the affections of another race.
We made it to Velshi’s little home and entered. We were greeted by a very pungent smell as Velshi was apparently working with some medicinal supplies. She looked over her shoulder but kept the rest of her body focused on what she was doing.
“Just give me one moment you two, I need to finish this first.” She said before turning back to her little spot of alchemy.
Kala and I simply took a seat and waited, watching the process in the meantime. She mashed, mixed, heated, and cooled a couple of different things until she ended up with a slightly viscous liquid. Seemingly satisfied with the result, she turned her attention back to us.
“My apologies, I just had to complete that before the reagents expired. How are you feeling today?”
“Alright, still losing some sleep and not exactly being looked at with friendly gazes though.”
“Yes, recovery from trauma is not a quick process I'm afraid. As for the stares, well, that’s a trickier kind of issue.” There was a little pause in the conversation as we both thought over things. “Anyway, shall we start the lessons for today?”
“Yes, I think it will be good to have a distraction.”
“Let’s begin then.” Today’s magic lesson started off with more about controlling the flow inside of me, specifically the act of stopping an excessive buildup of energy so I could avoid exploding. Dumping extra magic into a crystal would only work if I had access to such a thing, so it was imperative that I learned to stop it all together.
Unfortunately, we encountered the same problem that I was having when Sert wanted me to establish a connection with the snake. In order to stop the flow, I needed to find the source, which, again, was the snake, and the illusive bastard didn’t want to show itself, apparently not without any kind of assistance at least.
I was given some homework to continue practicing with stemming the flow, but we moved on to something more productive in the meantime. We started up with learning more runes and their various known uses. My curiosity was sparked about how they actually came into being, so I asked.
“What makes a rune do what it does? Is there some kind of set-in stone language that needs to be followed or do people just make up scribbles for the words and then somehow make them work?”
“It’s all about intent, the words hold the intention, the will, to direct the magic. It was actually the Thrainians that came up with the language of runes and made it the only one. It helps to direct energy when everyone is in agreement that the runes mean the same thing.”
“So, if somebody doesn’t know what a carved crystal does, they can’t just pick it up and use it?”
“Actually no, the one who carves the runes puts their intention into the object, so as long as it receives magic, the intent behind the words will still activate the spell.”
That was interesting to think about. I didn’t imagine that they would have an ample supply of crystals to use, but it might be worth some time to experiment if I get the chance. The rest of the lessons went by, and I came out with more knowledge about the language of runes. Learning this language made me consider something else as well.
“What’s the most common language that writing is done in?”
“Again, it is the Thrainian language that most books and scrolls end up in. They have more access to the supplies needed to produce such things and thus we end up having to read what they write whenever we can get our hands on some written works.”
“So do you write in the Thrainian language?”
“I tend to, yes. It’s easier than having different books in multiple languages.”
“Is there any way for me to quickly learn the language?”
“Hmm, I wouldn’t say quickly, but it’s fairly straightforward in terms of a written language. I could create an alphabetical sheet for you if you want, explain what each of them sound like and then you can study in your own time.”
“I would appreciate that, thanks.” Being able to read would be a valuable asset in the future. After we got through the magical portion of the lessons, Velshi took me outside for more swordsmanship lessons.
We worked on proper forms for attacking in a way that will allow you to either move quickly into another position or keep your defenses up. I was expected to have proper footwork at the same time as well. She would occasionally give me a shove or do a slight counter move designed to put me off balance, my job was to both remain on my feet and complete the maneuver.
After we concluded the last of the lessons for the day I asked if she had anything new to say about my current mental state. “I’m afraid I haven’t found anything in the books we have about treating mental problems yet. There are still a few that need to be read through, but it is not a well-studied thing. If I can’t find anything by tomorrow, then we will start writing our own book on the subject.” She said with a slight smile and a shrug.
“I guess that’s fine, but I do hope you can find something though. It would help if we didn’t need to lead the way in psychological treatment.”
“Indeed. I will see you tomorrow then.”
As good as a dismissal as I would get, Kala and I left to get lunch. My mind was free to wander at that point, and despite the many things there were being juggled right now, Durdan's invitation to the camp meeting tomorrow stood out. I wondered what was going to happen when I showed up. He said it would help him, but in what way? Well, we will be finding out for ourselves soon enough.