I sat for a long time, staring out into the stream. Dragon sat in the back of my mind, and I tried asking questions about our situation, but, for some reason, he ignored me, instead content in the simple pleasure of a peaceful world. The only rise I managed to get from him was when I’d begun skipping rocks into the water. He rose in my mind, like a giant blocking out the sun, and I quickly dropped the pebbles to the ground.

It was around that time that Vekrem, eyes red and puffy, appeared. “Sorry that it took so long, but I suspect it’ll be some time before I make my way back here.”

“It’s no problem,” I replied, my stomach growling loudly as a pain shot through my body. “Ugh…” I set my backpack down, rummaging through the contents.

Vekrem held out a hand, “Wait.” Putting down the sack of materials he carried, he pulled out another mushroom. I’ll tell you, I was getting real sick of mushrooms. He held it out to me. “Here, eat this.”

I merely stared at it as if it were a poisoned vial.

Vekrem reached out, opening my hand and placing the fungus in my palm. “Eat it!” he insisted. “It's called a Plump-Shroom. It’ll keep you full for hours—sometimes even days if you aren’t active.” Vekrem turned back down to retrieve his own.

“Ah,” I replied, taking two to three bites. It tasted… ok, for a plain mushroom at least. “Not bad.”

When Vekrem’s face turned back up to me, he gave me a start, and then laughed. “You’re only supposed to take a single bite!”

I stood, panicked. “Now you tell me! What should I do? Make myself throw up?” I started to put fingers in my mouth and down my throat.

“No!” he replied. “It’ll just make you… need to go. And it won’t be pleasant.”

I pulled the fingers out of my mouth, grimacing. “Shit…”

Vekrem smiled. “Literally.”

His sudden humor made me laugh. “So, you can joke.”

“When the occasion calls for it.” Vekrem raised the mushroom to his mouth, taking a single bite, and placing the shroom back into the bag. He hoisted the sack back to his shoulder. “Well, come on, we can’t wait around all day.” He gave me a nudge with his elbow as he walked by.”

“I like him,” Dragon said in the back of my mind.

I found myself in agreement.

***

The rest of the day's walk was, surprisingly, pleasant. At least, up until the moment where the Plump-Shroom had reared its ugly head, causing me to defecate behind a bush. Vekrem laughed, and then quickly moved upwind. I used the bush to wipe, and then washed my hands with a bottle of water I’d brought from my open world.

Vekrem looked oddly at the plastic container, as if he wanted to study it, but didn’t know if he should ask. Not sure if I should alter the world more than I already had, I pretended to ignore him, shoving it back into my backpack.

We continued on, all throughout the night, guided by the light of glowing mushrooms and into the next day, where the sun gave a very different feeling to the forest.

“How much longer?” I asked tiredly, yawning and rubbing at my legs which burned from the long trek we’d walked so far.

“Not long,” Vekrem replied, swatting at a large mosquito-like bug that landed on his neck. “But, before we arrive, there are some rules we need to go over—since you say you can’t remember.”

I crossed my arms, ignoring his subtle accusation. “Rules? Like what?”

Vekrem nervously twiddled his thumbs. “Well… how do I put this? Humans… are not exactly… well—”

“Just spit it out!”

“Humans are considered property,” he replied, not daring to meet my eye, kicking idly in the dirt with his booted foot.

“Property… so slaves? Humns are slaves?”

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“Exactly.”

“So what, I’m expect to—”

“Act like my servant? Yes.”

“And that means—”

Vekrem threw his bag at me, and I caught it mid-air, the contents striking me lightly in the chest. “Carry my bags. Wait on my demands. That sort of thing.”

“Not a chance,” I replied, setting the bag to the ground.

Dragon rumbled in the back of my head, a slight bit of anger in his words as he said, “This is your fault. The world is this way because of the choices you made.”

“Me?” I replied incredulously. “All of this… is because of me?”

Dragon sent a wave of approval. “Yes. Such is the burden of one such as you.”

Remembering my conversation with the hooded figure in the void between this world and my own, I said, “An Araneae?”

“Do not speak that word!” Dragon boomed. Then, more softly, he added, “It will bring you naught but trouble and misery. I merely wish to convey to you that your choices matter… and have consequences.”

I held my hand to my temples at the sudden pain in my head. Vekrem looked concerned, and, not wanting to explain myself, I picked up the bag. “Fine… but just until we leave town. I’m not interested in becoming anyones servant.”

“Of course,” Vekrem replied. “I’d never expect you to. But, and this is most important, do not intervene. No matter the manner in which you see others treated, you must walk away. There is nothing you can do for them. Nothing!”

“Yeah, yeah—” I replied half-heartedly. “Let’s get on with it.”

It was a short walk until we reached, what appeared to be, a stairway carved into stone. In front of us was a looming mountainside that, in our walk here, I'd not even noticed; the density of the forest shrouding it from sight.

“It’s a long way up,” Vekrem said, pointing to the sky. “Think you can make it?”

I shifted the bags on my back. “Guess I’ll need to, won’t I?”

He smiled, and we began the trip up, one grueling step after the last.

It felt like we walked for days, although, from the sun, It’d only been a few hours. Still, my legs burned with agony, my mind was unfocused from lack of sleep, and the higher we climbed, the more difficult it was to breathe. Vekrem shot me one pitious look after the next, clearly torn that he was unable to help me.

We turned a corner, heading through a passage in the cave and coming out the other side. The tiredness that claimed my body was washed away by a stunning sight.

There, atop the peak, looking down, was a valley of faintly glowing buildings. I could see the silhouettes of people scurrying about like little ants, going from one build to the next.

As engrossed as I was, I didn’t notice as someone from behind brushed against me. I turned quickly, seeing a peculiar sight. Before me was a smaller creature, anthropomorphic in nature, with both human and rat qualities, but, unlike Vekrem, moreso on the rat side. Like the Chitik, they were short, no taller than four and a half feet, and they wore a brightly green robe with gold inlays and golden cuffs. Their rat ears were also pierced, adorned by a multitude of golden rings.

Catching my eye, this Rodrent, unphased by my hanging mouth, pulled a single whisker with two long, black fingernails. “Why is your servant blocking the way? I—” turning to see Vekrem, his tone changed. “Oh, it’s one of your types. Surprised they let you own a servant at all, seeing as you’re so closely resembled. Is this your cousin?” The man barked a laugh. “Bah, sometimes I fear for our kinds future knowing that yours is allowed to exist. Well then, what are you standing there for? Move! Make way for your betters.”

“Apologies,” Vekrem murmured, his fist bunched up so tight that I was surprised he didn’t cut himself with his own claws. As the shorter Rodrent moved away, Vekrem whispered, “Prick.”

“Language,” I reminded him with a false smile.

He didn’t return it.

Dragon reared up in my mind. “This place seems so full of conflict. I fear we’ve done much harm.”

“Maybe,” I replied. ‘But nobody can know the future. Maybe this was how everything was always supposed to turn out. It could have been even worse if we’d never come.”

Dragon was quiet, and I took his silence for disagreement as he settled back into his quiet corner.

“Sorry,” Vekrem finally said, releasing his grip. He shook his head, disappointingly. “There’s a reason I lived alone.”

“And you’ll need to tell me sometime.”

“I’m sure you’ll get to know why very soon. To some of my people, I am but a step above humans, no offense.” I waved my hand dismissively, and he added, “We all are very similar, biologically speaking, but they see it differently. To take on more of a rodent's qualities is seen as being more pure. A return to the natural order… as if there is anything natural about the hybrid’s curse.”

“Hybrid’s curse?”

“Long story, perhaps another time.”

I ran my hand through my hair, pondering what it all meant. “So your kind typically rejects their human side?”

“Very much so.”

“And is that how all hybrids feel?”

Vekrem put his hand to his face as he considered. “Unclear,” he replied. “I’ve never thought to ask.”

“Are humans slaves everywhere in the world?”

Vekrem narrowed his eyes, looking around suspiciously. “Perhaps this conversation would be better had outside this place.”

I turned to see another group of Rodrent with a human entourage carrying a pile of various goods in tow as they began their way back down the mountain.

“Understood,” I replied. “Should we make our way? I can’t wait to see the city. And to find a bed to sleep in—if there are any. Hell, I’d even take one of those mushroom bed’s you had. Actually, that reminds me, where are we going?”

“To visit an old friend,” he replied.