Our workout session was only able to take up so much time before we had to find something else to do. I resumed my side quest of making sure Kala was the most educated individual in this world. I wasn’t a master of every subject mind you, my own education was very much incomplete, but even my cursory knowledge of how things work in terms of the natural world was probably centuries ahead of what they knew now.
We killed a few hours in this way, and she came out the other end wizened about tectonic shifts among other geological facts. Dinner rolled around and we both went out to get some. I cautiously approached the mouth of the cave, expecting a potential ambush. When we emerged, I couldn’t see anyone around or even nearby. This came as a relief, but not so much that my guard would drop completely. My paranoia ran rampant thinking that there could be a group of soldiers waiting somewhere to get the drop on us, and it sucked.
The camp was as hostile as normal with no one giving off any overt signs of an ambush. We made it to the food line and got pushed around a little bit, but not grabbed and taken away. Once I had my half rations in hand, and remarkably without the sass this time, we found a quiet corner to eat. I slowly began to think that we weren’t going to be jumped by the goon squad, at least not for today. Holdrem must still be thinking things through. Whether that was a good thing or not has yet to be seen.
Once the food was finished, we returned the bowls, navigated the hostile crowd, and made it back to our room in one piece. With the door closed I let out a pent-up sigh, feeling myself deflate exponentially now that we were back in a relatively safe environment. Kala was also looking like not having been abducted was a load off her shoulders.
“It’s a good sign, right? We can assume he hasn’t said anything to anyone yet, so it’s looking like he will keep it a secret.” Kala said hopefully.
“Please don’t anger Murphy, I don’t need him fucking with me too.”
Kala cocked her head a little. “Who’s Murphy?”
“A man who has practically ascended to godhood and now curses those who believe their endeavors are going smoothly. One of his first rules was that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.”
“He sounds like a very dark and evil god.”
I chuckled at her seriousness. “The god part was a bit of a joke. He just wrote a bunch of rules on how to plan and conduct yourself in a manner that takes into account all the problems that might happen along the way. It was basically a rule book for being prepared for situations that will undoubtedly emerge.”
“I see, so we don’t have to worry about a curse?”
“Not in any official capacity, but Murphy does have a tendency to be right.” She nodded, still taking it a little too seriously. I huffed in amusement while she glared at me for laughing at her. I brought us away from the subject. “Well, I'm feeling pretty exhausted, so how about we turn in for the day.”
“Alright, I think I could sleep.”
We did our nightly rituals, which were admittedly short, and crawled into bed. It was a little early to turn in so we both remained awake for a little while. Kala was the first to fall asleep after a time, of course. I, on the other hand, had a little more trouble.
A night raid was a possibility that could not be discounted. I was starting to feel like a conspiracy theorist who was concerned about the government watching them, just waiting to snatch them away in the dead of night. I was completely powerless, at the mercy of someone else's whims, again. For once I just wished to have some amount of agency over my own life.
Resigning myself to whatever fate awaited me should sleep catch me, I closed my eyes and waited for just that to happen. It took quite a while for it to occur, but it came around eventually. The dead didn’t haunt me tonight at least, but the alternative wasn’t any better as more memories of being tortured surfaced again. I could feel the cold metal of knives slip beneath my skin, each bite sending a wave of frozen convulsions through my body.
The sleep wasn’t restful, in fact, it almost seemed detrimental as memories of being strapped to a table were given free rein to wander about my thoughts. I was awakened more than once by the hallucinated feelings of pain. Sometimes they were so intense that I would regain consciousness while believing my limbs were missing for a few seconds. It was a sickening feeling every time, like a sensation of falling, only it leaves a lasting sting.
I gave up on sleeping after a couple of attempts at it, there was no way to find peace, not when so many things hung in the balance on scales that I had no influence over. It didn’t do anything for my peace of mind to think about how these scales probably had more than one thumb pressed upon them as well. It felt like an eternity in the dark, waiting for dawn.
Despite Kala’s aversion to the morning, she seemed to wake up at a reasonable time every day. She stirred and groaned with the usual bit of morning drama, complaining that the sunrise was evil and constructed by demons to torture her, etc. I poked her until she felt like getting up. It was always a slow process with her, and she looked half asleep even as she stood.
I smiled as I watched her shuffle about. Knowing that she would always be there to be grumpy in the morning was a strange kind of reassurance. She noticed me smiling, and with a half-lidded gaze furrowed her brow at me.
“Why you shmirking at me?” Her speech was slightly slurred in reflection of her groggy state.
I just smiled a little wider. “Never change, Kala.”
She raised a brow at me this time. “Well yeah, wasn’t planning to.” She yawned and shook her head like she was trying to throw off the sleep that clung to her like a parasite. It seemed to work a little as she appeared more alert than before. “Alright, I have a good feeling about today. Everything’s going to work out.”
I knew she was saying that for my benefit, to try and alleviate my apprehension. “While Murphy might protest, a little optimism couldn’t hurt I suppose.” I’ll let her hold onto it as long as possible, until the world decides to kick us down again. We would discover how soon that would be when we stepped out for breakfast.
Today would be judgment day, where we found out if I was staying, if I was leaving, or if I was going to have to kill again. My hope was that I could just run if need be.
We both stepped out into the tunnel to face the day for all the fuckery it held. The crisp morning air greeted us, yet cold steel was absent. Warm food and antagonizing words were collected, but manacles and arrest warrants were nowhere to be seen. Now even I was beginning to wonder if we actually succeeded in our persuasion of Holdrem.
I kept an eye out regardless, looking over my shoulder to see if we were being followed or spied on. Kala poked me on the arm, getting my attention and making me wince a little as she hit a bruise. “I think it’s you who need to take a breath this time. Like I said, everything’s going to work out today.”
I gave an uncertain shrug. “I’ll admit, it’s a good sign that nothing’s happened yet, but I'm still not certain that we are in the clear.”
“Well, I believe that Holdrem will keep his promise.”
I sighed. “Yeah, I hope so.”
We ate and returned the bowls like normal, still no sign of treachery. With no one showing up to interrupt our daily happenings, I figured we might as well continue with my scheduled meetings. Along the way to meet Sert we were finally intercepted, though not by whom I expected. When we were in a quiet place away from most others, Holdrem appeared, approaching us with purpose.
We turned towards him, and I began to wonder what he was doing here by himself. Kala stepped forward to talk with him. I let her take the lead for this as she was supposed to be the negotiator between us.
“Holdrem, what can I do for you? What brings you back to us?” She asked him.
He stopped at an appropriate distance and took a quick breath before standing up straight. “I have a requirement for my silence.”
That made me nervous. Him negotiating terms could be both good and bad. Good in the way that if his demands are reasonable then it improves the odds of the deal lasting and bad in the way that he could have some ridiculous thing he wants us to do that will be forced upon us because of the blackmail like nature of this situation. There was also the psychological aspect of him becoming bold enough to start haggling. It might put us at a disadvantage if he came to the conclusion that he could walk all over us just so he would keep quiet.
“I’m sure we can at least hear your requirements and discuss from there.” Kala was pretty good with words and leaving options open. “But not here, let us talk back in our room.” Holdrem agreed to that much and followed Kala back to the room. I walked behind them, staring daggers into the back of Holdrem’s head in an attempt to make him nervous and maintain my perceived position of power for as long as possible.
We made it back to the room and the door was closed, creating the private setting we needed. Kala started the conversation again. “So, what is your requirement?”
He shot a glance over towards me before returning to her. “I want to know everything. I want to know what is going on with him, why you are here, what you hope to accomplish, everything. No lies, no omissions, the truth.”
Kala and I both had a surprised look on our faces. She recovered quick enough to pursue the subject further though. “Might I ask why you feel you need to know this?”
“I want to make sure I'm not making a mistake or inviting some kind of demon into our camp who will wreak havoc upon us if I don’t say anything.”
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Kala looked at me like she was asking permission to talk about these things. I thought about it for a second. It was a quick second as it didn’t really matter at this point how much he knew, he already had enough of an idea of what was going on to put me in danger. I sighed and walked over to where they were seated.
“Fuck it, fine. If I tell you, you will keep your mouth shut about it, no ifs, ands or buts?” He gave a firm nod. “Alright then, where do I begin?”
At the beginning, like most stories actually. It started with the fact that I wasn’t from this world, that I was torn away through some unknown method. Then my tale went through a chronological timeline of exactly what happened to me, what I discovered about my regenerative abilities, and that queen bitch the almighty was the most likely culprit for everything. I kind of glossed over my time on the table, but he got enough of an idea that he looked sickly from hearing about what little I did share.
I pressed upon the idea that I was just trying to find a way home, maybe get some revenge on Alathos on my way out. Our being here was mostly just due to a lack of other options. We needed resources and information, and while you can learn a lot from nature, I was pretty sure you couldn’t find the secrets of interdimensional travel from a tree.
It felt oddly liberating to finally tell someone else about what I'd been through. Once I had explained everything, we waited for a response from him. He looked to be deep in thought, processing the massive information dump that just happened. Slowly, he appeared to be coming to grips with everything. His look as he stared at me was one of confused awe.
“You’re... a chosen avatar of the Eternal Mother, and I... Oh gods.” He dipped his head and made a circular motion with his hand while muttering frantically under his breath.
Oh for fucks sake, can no one just be an atheist here? Why does everyone need to worship the bitch.
He finished his prayers or whatever they were and came back to our conversation. “I apologize for my transgressions against you, eternal champion, I will endeavor to amend my mistakes.”
I didn’t know how to feel about being called her champion. On one hand, it will probably make it easier to confirm his silence, on the other, I'm not sure a champion should have such a strong desire to strangle the one whom he’s supposedly championing.
“Look, all I need is for you to keep quiet. Simple, right?”
“Of course, but... might I ask why it is you wish for anonymity? Should you not be telling all about your divine gift and spreading the Mother’s teachings?”
Pfft, teachings? What’s there to teach? Treat thy neighbor with respect and be gifted eternal suffering? “You heard my story of how Alathos found out about my abilities and tortured me to try and steal it. I’m just worried that someone else may attempt the exact same thing.”
“Ahh, right, while it is a shame to admit, I am sure that there would probably be someone who would attempt such a thing, as foolish an endeavor as it would be. She would not make such a gift easy to steal, or even possible to steal.”
“Won’t stop people from trying, and I'm pretty sure I would lose what’s left of my mind if I had to endure any amount of that again.”
Holdrem nodded solemnly. “Yes, I knew Alathos was a greedy tyrant, but to think he would do such a thing to the chosen of the goddess. It’s practically spitting in her face with arrogance and avarice.”
Yeah, not going to comment on that one. Don’t want to appear to be defending her or Alathos and don’t want to admit I think she’s a bitch as well. “So, you understand why I want this to be a secret?”
“Yes, I understand the necessity of it. Though my wish is that you could speak freely about this blessing. The world has become a twisted place. I cannot even fathom living through multiple deaths in such a way. It’s a small miracle that you were even able to retain any amount of who you are.”
I can agree with that, I'm definitely not the same person I was. “Well, I think that’s just about everything there is to know. For now, we should continue with our day-to-day life before someone starts to wonder where we all are. The less questions there are the better.”
“Yes, we have been talking for some time now, I believe my shift on guard duty is almost up.”
“Right, just please try to act like everything is normal.”
“Of course, champion.”
“You can just call me James.”
“James then. Perhaps I will see you later today? I will leave the revealing of your secret to your discretion. Until we next meet.” With an appreciative nod, everyone stood to exit. This parting felt a lot better than the last. Holdrem seemed to be honest about his promise and his apparent religious beliefs would probably serve to hold him to that all the more. I was still a little concerned that the number of people who knew about me was growing, it increased the odds that someone would make a mistake if not intentionally tell another.
Before we stepped out of the tunnel, I took a quick look around to make sure that no one was paying any particular attention to this area. Once it was confirmed to be clear I waved everyone out and on their way. Holdrem gave a simple nod as he disappeared back into the camp while Kala and I continued on our way to meet up with Sert.
“I think that went well.” Kala commented.
I chuckled lightly. “About as well as it could have, I guess.”
“See, told you today would be a good one.”
“Day’s not over yet though.”
“Don’t be such a pessimist. Your secret is safe, you won’t have to run, and you’re making some friends now, or at least some acquaintances.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, Sert is only interested in examining this curse, Velshi is probably training me so I can help reduce her own workload, and Holdrem is a blackmailing waiting to happen.”
Her shoulders sagged and she gave me another ‘really’ look. Her finger shot out and she poked me on the cheek, pressing in slightly. “Stop, being, a, pessimist!”
“Hey, if I always expect the worst then I'll never be disappointed.”
Now she just gave me a pitiable look. “That is a sad existence. Why would you want to live without hope?”
A non-committal shrug served as my answer, playing it off like I didn’t really know why. The truth of the matter was that I did though. Hope was dangerous, especially for me. The thought of having it crushed, such a thing would probably break me, so it was better to not have any at all. Such was the state of my mind that everything was thought of in a manner that painted it as hostile towards me.
The only exception, my only weakness, was Kala. She is the one person I would ever let my guard down around. More than once, she was allowed to make decisions for me, not that she could have been dissuaded from doing otherwise, she was difficult that way. I don’t even know what I would do if she was no longer here. Probably go insane.
We made it to Sert’s lab, and I knocked on the door. “Enter.” A muffled reply came from within. I did so and walked inside. Sert turned from his table and greeted us. “There you are James; I was wondering what was keeping you.”
“Sorry, slept in a little to heal some of these bruises Velshi gave me.”
“I hope she wasn’t too rough with you.”
“Not really, just multiple hits with a stick will still bruise after a while.”
“I see, her previous occupation seems to be bleeding over into her new one a little.”
“You know, she mentioned something about that. What did she do before?”
“I only know the basics, but she was an officer a few years ago. She trained a great many recruits in her time and served in many battles with honor and ferocity to match. I’m not sure what happened to her, but one day she came back from a deployment and decided she was going to be healer, haven’t seen her wield a sword offensively since.”
That sparked some curiosity in me, but Sert probably wouldn’t be able to satisfy it and Velshi probably wouldn’t want to talk about it. I wouldn’t be one to pry anyway, I knew how annoying that was when people tried to ask you about your past. My hand came up and scratched a bit at my scar and I realized that I had grown a bit of a beard. I’d need to find a way to shave soon.
Sert continued talking. “Speaking of Velshi, I had a conversation with her the other day, and we came to the agreement that I would have you for two hours out of the day and she would get four.”
“Giving her double time huh? I would think that you would want to spend as much time examining me as possible.”
“She was quite insistent that I do not wear you out before her lessons. Besides, I could spend most of the day testing theories on the data I collected already, so two hours will be plenty of time.”
“I guess we should get started then before she comes in here wondering why we are taking forever.”
“Indeed.” He flipped over an hourglass on his table to keep track of time. “First order of business, we should drain your magic away while we can.”
Now that it was brought up, I did feel a little too warm, bordering on hot. I agreed that it was probably a good idea and he brought over a crystal. Sert placed a hand on my chest, and the magic in my body started to be drawn out and into its new housing. Now that there was no danger of burning up, we started with his experiments.
He asked me a lot of questions about the magical snake, like if it had changed in any way, if I felt different after it had given me its magic, did some unexplained power manifest itself and a couple other development related inquiries. I answered negative to the majority of them, after which he changed to a more hands-on approach.
He took the sample of magic he had extracted from me and began to use it in conjunction with rune carved crystals and slabs of metal. This test was to determine if there was anything unique about this magic that would prevent or change the function of runes.
I was able to see a variety of different effects being produced from these rune carved objects. Some created lights, others started floating, and one even produced a small amount of water that dripped from it. The metal piece that he had was interesting as well. It was a square but had runes carved in a circle in the middle of it. When he put my magic into the runes the center of the circle started glowing red hot. It was a magical hot plate, which was both bizarre and funny at the same time. It seemed like it was such an efficient idea that it found its way into another universe.
The conclusion of the test was that my magic could interface with all the common use runes that you would find lying around. He put away the crystals and then pulled out a small sewing needle.
“Might I see your arm for a moment.” He asked me. I raised an eyebrow but held my arm out for him. He held my wrist steady. “I’m going to give you a quick poke, I apologize for any pain.” Before I could even ask why, he jabbed me with the needle on the arm, drawing a little bead of blood. That made me wince and let out a hissing sound at the abrupt sting.
He held my arm and stared intently at the drop of blood. After a moment he wiped it away and watched as it reformed again. Seemingly done with whatever that was, he let go of my wrist and I suckled a bit on my arm to get rid of the blood.
“What was the purpose of that?” I asked him.
“I thought since the serpent’s magic is healing based it would regenerate your wounds. It appears that is not the case.”
I poker-faced harder than ever before. He almost stumbled upon exactly what this thing was doing by virtue of being smart, and I didn’t like the idea of him pursuing it further. A pin prick could evolve into something far more violent. Luckily, he believed that it was not automatically healing me from any wound, though he was only missing the key detail that I need to die first.
To my relief he moved on to other things, including poking at the snake itself again. A generally bad idea that anyone would tell you should not be continued. But Sert was not anyone, and he was more than a little crazy. He prodded it with reckless abandon, sacrificing several crystals in the process and at the end it stunned him again before he gave up on it for the day.
Two hours passed by in a flash. Sert had already flipped the hourglass and it was all but drained now. “I think that will be all we can do for today. I have a lot to go over and more tests to think of. You should meet with Velshi so you can continue with your lessons.”
“Alright, have fun with all that Sert.”
“You as well James, try to learn something interesting today.”
With that part of my day reaching its conclusion, I made my way out. Perhaps Velshi would ease up with the learning stick now that I had some measure of control over my own magic. Possibly, but I would probably have to be aware of it just in case she sprung it on me again. I wonder if we will get around to any actual healing today?