The Village of Gens was a quaint little settlement nestled between two hills.

As they entered the village, Snooze caught a glimpse of a broad, jagged river that cut through the center, where small boats dawdled about, shoring up and carving by one another. Wretchedly unsafe bridges crissed and crossed above the water’s surface where a motley rabble of folk congregated and moved, spilling away from their primary host like an undulating anthill. Snooze had not seen so many people in one place since the world before, and while part of her was pleased, another part was deeply upset that she had missed the development of her creatures. Well, they weren’t quite her creatures anymore.

The rider, named Hal--short for Halgflim, unfortunately-- had explained very speciously to Snooze along the ride as to the fate of the Ngak, and their dying out many years ago. It made Snooze sad to learn that her creations had been whisked away into the recycle bin of life, but she supposed it wasn’t unique. She’d seen countless species reach the same fate in the varied millennia since she began the world, and some by complete freak accident, even. However, the Ngak were a personal favorite of hers. She truly was not sure what to do about her conflicting emotions.

Hal was quite candid once Snooze had gotten her talking. She explained that her people were called the Brug, but had surprised the god when she announced that there were several other species of sapient creatures, as well. They apparently lived side-by-side with Hal's people, and they were as different as the elements, as far as their appearance and way of lives were concerned. Snooze had been planning to ask more detailed information, but that had been when they’d traipsed through the gates of Gens’ wooden walls, and she’d forgotten her words in awe of the place.

Hal deposited Snooze in what appeared to be a town square and wished her well, rushing off before the god could ask her any further questions. Instead, Snooze took her time exploring this new locale and attempted to learn all she could.

The market was a bustling. A myriad of awnings, parasols and pavilions spilling out from the buildings and into the road. A collection of distinct scents wafted through the square, and one in particular was both familiar and unpleasant, though Snooze could not quite place it. In addition to the collection of sights, sounds and smells, the market square was also a melting pot of species, and Snooze could not understand where they had all come from. Each were similar but distinct, and she tried to surreptitiously learn as much information about each of the new creatures as she could.

Have they all developed from different life forms? Or had evolution jumped on the microscopic level and jettisoned these creatures forward in genetic time?

She could see squat, yellow-fleshed, balloonish creatures bearing small heads with bulbous eyes and muscular arms and legs sticking out of their round bodies. Snooze learned that these were the Doa, and they bandied about quite assuredly, a rough bark escaping from them each time they turned to speak--mostly to one another. There were also tall, waifish creatures called Chalam, with bushy hair that circled their smooth, fish-like faces and continued down their bodies. They drifted along as if blown by the breeze, making soft sounds as they did, though Snooze had not heard them speak an actual language.

Qulz were roughly the same size as the Brug, though their bodies were covered in an insect-like exoskeleton. Snooze noted that their faces weren't buggy, and were closer to a sort of goblin. They wore hardly any outerwear, instead, they adorned their armor-like bodies with fragments of cloth worn at the crowns of their heads or draped across their torso like a sash. They also decorated themselves with a variety of glittering metals and gems. It seemed that they were very proud of their natural form and took pride in enhancing their bodies with the shinies.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Finally, were the Tet Tet. The Tet Tet were an anomaly for exceeding anything Snooze had encountered before, even in her most feverish of dreams. Towering hulks with broad, muscular physiques, the Tet Tet would have looked hyper-intimidating if it weren’t for some of their... rather more interesting features. Their heads were slightly larger than Snooze felt was reasonable, with two short, yet-still-floppy ears perched at the top of their scalp. Their hair appeared to grow like some sort of coral, in bunches and jagged points, yet most of them wore it “down,” in a manner that covered their faces. Speaking of faces--the vast majority of that real estate was occupied by the Tet Tet’s most curious physical trait: their massive, wide eyes. It gave them a very innocent-seeming aesthetic--wholesome even--and their tiny voices mewled out of their throats like a kitten’s--high and adorable.

But Snooze knew not to tempt fate, as it was clear the Tet Tet were serious combat challengers. They were predominantly dressed in warrior garbs such as stone armor, heavy shields, and cruel-looking weapons. The god passed a shop that had employed two Tet Tet as sentries. They stood looking quite weathered and battle-worn, though one of them was lazing quite comfortably with its arms crossed, its back resting against the wall of the business.

Snooze was overwhelmed by these sights and still could not understand how it came to be. Something had gone screwy in her world, and she needed to know how and why. Additionally, after realizing how painfully underwhelming her Godspell potency had become, she considered that she would also need to figure out how to get back to her plane. As it was, her powers were weakened, and the god was hardly able to summon more than a fart of energy from her outstretched hands. It was quite disadvantageous for a creation deity to be unable to showcase her powers in a land she built herself.

Snooze spent the next few hours trawling the village, moving aimlessly up and down the narrow roads. She occupied herself by popping into shops and even creating quite a fuss when she tried paying for a freshly baked pastry with one of the magnificent marbles that she’d copped from the tomb. Luckily, in each interaction, she’d been able to navigate based on her flexible understanding of the language rules. She’d been there in the beginning, when the first syllables of Pebbletongue were uttered, and she’d seen it develop over time. It didn’t take her long at all to piece together the proper modes of address and critical kernels of slang after spending one afternoon immersed in the world, though, each time, the looks she was given by paying with her baubles were supremely... strange. While the shopkeepers accepted her payment, they shook when they did, and Snooze had to wonder if they were angry.

However, it mattered little to her, as long as they let her patronize their establishments, and she was able to gain a gleeful haul.

Throughout the whole of her interactions, she was able to acquire:

Four delicious pastries of varying difficulty to chew.

Six pouches with which to carry whatever myriad of belongings she designed to procure.

Three staunch, animal hide belts, two for later, and one for now, which she affixed to her waist.

Two beautifully-crafted crystal hairpins, which she immediately clipped into her mane.

Finally, she acquired one old, stone knife that a shopkeeper claimed was of indeterminate origin. However, Snooze knew Stonie tools when she saw them and was reminded of the last time she saw her lovely Dela people. They had used these knives, this knife, but she couldn’t possibly tell which Meatling it belonged to. Still, they were one of two additional settlements that could craft tools like these. She also recognized the design because, of the three, the Dela people’s knives were the crappiest.

She hugged the terribly-made little tool fondly, before tucking it into one of her belt pouches for safekeeping.

------

It was a few hours later that Snooze suddenly stumbled onto something that she knew required urgent attention.

She’d made merry hoof along Gens' scenic eastern side, munching more pastries (the eleventh today) when she spotted a quirky building peeking above the town roofs. It was a colossal, stone monstrosity that didn’t seem to fit in with the other structures' vibe. It was painted a glorious green and had a single steeple jutting out of its face-side like the horn of a unicorn. However, a captivating object was fashioned on the end of the outcrop in a shape that was all-too-familiar for Snooze: a snappy little leaf.

In fact, Snooze could tell by looking at it that it was created as an exact replica of her Book of Leaf, both Standard and Travel Editions. It had the same mildly-cramped shape as if it had been designed to look like it was caught in the wind, and even the color was identical to that same symbol she’d seen countless times. There was no mistaking it: this was a clue!

She dropped half-eaten-pastry number twelve on the ground. She raced toward the building, ignoring the curious stares of the people in the village.