The sun was setting over the bustling city as John sat eating another amazing meal from Agatha. As he savored another exquisite meal, a familiar face caught his eye. An elven woman, standing approximately 6 feet tall gracefully entered the establishment. Her strawberry blond hair cascaded down her back in a ponytail, with a few rebellious strands escaping to hide behind her prominent ears. The elf’s ethereal beauty was undeniable as she strode past the bar and disappeared into the kitchen
Moments later, muted squeals of delight echoed from behind closed doors, signaling a joyous reunion between long separated friends. Shortly after, another captivating figure entered the inn - the blue skinned beauty John had encountered days before. Her shimmery skin still bore a faint azure tint, but this time she seemed to radiate an aura of otherworldly grace. Her hair, a mesmerizing blend of white and blond, flowed like liquid light, so fine and lustrous that it appeared to be woven from strands of pure sunlight. Her large captivating eyes sparkled with the hue of a spring sky just after dawn. Taking in the room with a sweeping glance, she settled at a table near John’s and produced a book from a bag.
Within half a minute, the rest of the group filed in. John’s eyes widened in recognition as he realized there were all the same individuals he had met on the wagon ride into Zephyr’s reach. Despite his usual difficulty with names, he found himself easily recalling each one: Lehara was in the kitchen, Lila was at the nearby table, while Marcus the one called ‘Grumpy’, and Rowan claimed the table adjacent to his. Curiously he noticed that Sven was absent from the group. His eyes scanned the inn, searching for any sign that he was already present or going to walk in, but to no avail.
John offered a polite smile and nod to the men before turning his attention back to Lila who briefly met his gaze before returning to her book. As Marcus rose and made his way to the bar, John couldn’t help but marvel at his imposing stature. Standing at least a head and shoulder above himself, and nearly twice as wide, his broad shoulders looked capable of effortlessly supporting multiple people on each. Despite the armor he wore, one could easily see how muscular he was. It spoke of years dedicated to physical training, yet surprisingly, his skin bore no visible scars or mishaps.
Weather-beaten and tanned, Marcus’s face was a canvas of rugged features - a strong jawline, prominent nose, and deep-set brown eyes that seemed to pierce through whatever they observed. His vibrant black hair was cropped short, complemented by a well-maintained beard that sported a distinguished salt-and-pepper look.
As he moved, his armor caught John’s attention. Crafted from some type of leather with strategically placed metal reinforcements, it appeared well-worn yet impeccably maintained. The same could be said for the broadsword and shield he carried. The ensemble looked as if it had been tailored specifically for him. A perfect marriage of form and function.
The sound of shattering glass broke John’s reverie. Clara had fumbled a glass, her attention clearly diverted by Marcus’s commanding presence. Without hesitation, Marcus knelt beside her, gathering the sharp shards with care. “Miss, please don’t,” he gently urged, his deep voice resonating with concern. “Let me handle this. The glass is sharp and I’d hate to see you hurt. Do you have a broom or mop nearby?”
John could practically see her eyes replaced with hearts as her eyes grew wide with admiration. His chivalrous gesture extended to carefully brushing a strap piece of glass from Clara’s foot, an act that elicited a knowing smirk and snort from Rowan.
John’s gaze shifted to Rowan, noting that he too possessed a certain allure, albeit starkly different from Marcus’s. Probably a full head shorter than Marcus, Rowan was his polar opposite. Slender and agile, he gave the impression of a scalpel where Marcus was the hammer. John watched as Rowan took out a coin and spun it on the table, his movements fluid and precise. The grace with which he moved reminded John of a cat or a professional dancer.
Rowan’s complexion was remarkably pale, almost ghostly white. His features were sharp and defined, with high cheekbones and a narrow jawline. What caught John’s attention the most were his eyes - a striking shade of gray that seemed to shift in hue and intensity. His jet-black hair was short and messy, complementing his overall appearance. Unlike Marcus’s heavy armor, Rowan wore form-fitting clothes that seemed to blend in with the shadows cast by the pillars of the inn. Around his neck, he sported a pendant shaped like a raven or crow. Instead of a broadsword, John noticed a bandolier of knives and a short sword.
As John’s eyes swept across the table to observe the third companion - the one he’d been told was called Grumpy - he was surprised to find that the man had vanished. Trying his best not to appear obvious, John scanned the inn but couldn’t spot him anywhere. He wondered if the man had perhaps stepped out to use the facilities, which led to the strange realization that he himself couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt the need to use a bathroom. Clara brought a plate of food for each of the two men at the table as well as drinks.
A few minutes later, as John was nearly finished with his meal, he saw Agatha and Lehara emerge from the kitchen. They had their arms around each other’s shoulders laughing so hard that Agatha had tears in her eyes. Lehara continued whatever story she’d been telling her voice carrying across the now-quieter inn. “...Anyways, how was I supposed to know it said ‘Guaranteed to bring you back where you started every time’?” Her words sent Agatha into another fit of laughter, causing her to smack her fist on the bar a couple of times in mirth.
John looked around the room again, noticing that basically all of the regulars of the bar had gone home for the evening which was shocking considering the time of day. Even the girls working had slimmed down to just Clara who was busy wiping down a table. Freddy the tavern’s dishwasher could be heard cleaning dishes in the back, and Sara the other girl working the front tonight was in the process of walking out the door.
Agatha and Lehara made their way over to John’s table. Lehara slid into the bench across from him, while Agatha perched on the edge. An uneasy feeling crept over John and down his spine and tail as he realized how spread out the group was around the inn. From the fact they wandered in at different times, to the fact they sat near John but not at any of the other tables, to the fact that they all appeared to be doing something but he got the feeling they were really paying attention to him. It almost felt…tactical.
Agatha gestured towards John with an open hand “Lele, this is the girl I was telling you about. I think she was attacked by a Rex. Her name’s Elena and I promise she’s one of the good ones.”
Lele, Or Lehara as she had originally introduced herself to John, smiled at him. “You said she's the one that fought a Golthorr by herself? That's very impressive for an initiate!”
Agatha nodded and added. “Yes, it was the one that went after Clara’s sister and her child.”
Lehara turned to John, her smile still in place. “So, Elena. That must have been some fight! What happened?”
John’s unease grew as he looked around the room once more. Gareth was cleaning out the dishes but John got the weird feeling that he purposefully wasn’t looking his way. Clara was carrying things into the kitchen, whistling "Sweet Dreams" to herself. John looked at the two men at the other table who were slowly eating their food. But from the furtive glances they shot his way, he didn’t think they were really paying attention to the plate. Rowan was using one of his knives to cut the food, spear it, and bring it to his mouth. The knife’s gleamed with a wickedly sharp edge. An involuntary shudder ran down John’s spine and he felt his tail twitch accordingly.
Not looking away, John responded. “Uh, I don’t know,” he began hesitantly acutely aware of the attention focused on him from everyone in the room. He turned to look back at Lehara who just continued to smile pleasantly. His instincts were screaming 'You dummy, something's wrong' so loudly the back of his neck started to itch. “I was walking through town back here, I heard the screaming and I ran over. When I got there, I saw this odd, beast-looking...thing. I couldn’t see it that well. Actually, that’s a lie - I could see it fine. It just appeared to turn invisible in the shadows. But not like all of it? Just part of it. Anyways, I didn’t know if anyone else was coming and the kid looked dead if I didn’t do anything. So did the mom. So I hit it. And it hit me and I hit it back and it hit me back. I felt like I was really going to die, but I ended up killing it.”
Lehara’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You just...hit…it?”
John hesitated, feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the intense scrutiny. “Well, I mean…”
He glanced at Agatha, who looked at him expectantly and smiled. She nodded her head slightly as if to say “Go ahead”.
John breathed in and sighed. “I mean, I’ve got…powers? It sounds silly, I know.” Lehara’s smile never faltered, but it also never touched her eyes. He could tell from just a look that the conversation was about to take a very serious turn.
Lehara rested her left hand face up on the table, and with the other hand, put a knife on the table. The flash of silvery metal drew his attention towards it.
“Show me.” she said coldly, her voice not inviting any debate. Dragging his eyes from the deadly weapon John looked back up, and Lehara wasn’t smiling anymore. She looked ominous. He looked around and saw that Gareth was hurriedly walking back into the kitchen and Grumpy was by the bar. He had his bow in his hand.
A random thought came to John's brain. ‘Did he tell Gareth to get back in the kitchen? And wait, when did he even move?’
John looked at Lehara and then at Agatha. He was sure Agatha could see the worry, the fear, and the pain in his eyes. And when he saw her, she looked almost sorry. She backed up from the table. John could swear he saw a tear forming in her eyes.
John looked back at Lehara. ‘Agatha called her, what was it? Lele?’ Her eyes looked hard as granite. John put his hands on the table in a placating measure and spread out his fingers. “Lele, I-”
She looked at John and instantly silenced him with a response that was barely over a whisper. “That's the name for my friends. You and I aren’t friends. Do not call me that again.”
The sudden quiet ferocity of her words and vitriol in her voice made John recoil slightly. “Lehara, I’ve got powers. I can apparently manipulate blood?” He held up his hands from the table in a gesture he hoped would be understood as a surrender.
“Fine. Give me your hand,” she said and held out her hand palm up. John noticed the dagger was sill in her other hand.
John’s voice came out small, and kind of timid. “I’m not going to lie, you’re -”
“Give. Me. Your. Hand.” Her words were clipped, and in that moment John was scared. Not for his life, but genuinely frightened. He felt the danger in the room, and the walls felt almost closer. It was as if the universe itself were looking in on their room and the immensity of it all was scrutinizing everything he was, and would ever be. A Debuff flashed in his vision.
Debuff Forced Subjugation Aura - (Domination) Level: 3 Effect: Decreases overall willpower by 30% Causes intense feelings of fear and submission, reducing attack power by 20% Increases spellcasting time by 20% due to overwhelming pressure. Duration: Permanent until aura is suppressed Note: Feels like the universe just put you in your place, huh? Try not to enjoy the view from the ground too much. Also, in case you were wondering, the ground is not supposed to taste like shame and feet.
Upon seeing the debuff appear, John realized that they were doing something to him. They were manipulating him into capitulating. And that realization angered him. His brow furrowed as he looked at her and the debuff expired.
“No.” he stated adamantly.
“What?” she looked at him, her eyes hardening.
“I. Said. No.” The men at the next table were no longer pretending to be eating and were instead paying full attention to John. He could see that his defiance only made them tense, and ready to attack. He also knew that he was in a really bad position. He wasn’t exactly tactically minded, but even a dummy like him knew that being a mage in the middle of a group of enemies wasn’t idea. John looked over at Agatha who looked a bit frightened herself.
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‘I bet this bitch put a mental whammy on Agatha Too.’ John thought. ‘She’s probably just as much a victim here as I am.’ The thought pissed off John even more. ‘Agatha and Gareth have been nothing but kind to me and these assholes come in here to try and kowtow us?’
John looked around and suddenly the situation was even worse. ‘That pretty girl has Agatha right near her.’ John looked at the girl, judged distances and realized that he might not make it out but at least he might be able to give Agatha and Gareth a fighting chance. ‘If I can just get Agatha to go to the other room, maybe I can-’
Before John could finish his thought, the knife flashed out and struck him in the hand. It hurt, but not nearly as badly as some of the other things he had been through.
“AGATHA, GET OUT OF HERE,” he half-yelled as his hand started bleeding. The blood flowed out and dripped onto the table. Instincts took over and his blood formed into the shape of a gauntlet. The gauntlet looked oddly segmented and spiked and he knew it wouldn’t provide much in the way of protection. But not much was better than none.
Within moments, the blood was covering his arm. Unlike the last time he had used Gory armaments, this time there wasn’t an initial health cost. Also unlike last time, the blood quickly covered his whole arm, and chewed through his health and mana quicker. The sleeve of blood ended in two sharp spikes, both of which looked deadly and sharp.
John brought his blood covered arm forward to punch Lehara straight in the nose as hard as he could. She might die from it, but hopefully that would cause enough confusion to give the good guys a second or two to react.
Unfortunately the table was in the way and John’s fist ended up being six inches too short to connect. At once his blood reached and changed shape taking on the form of a long thin stiletto spike. The deadly implement rocketed forward, headed directly towards Lehara’s face. Still connected to him, it pierced the air clear through to the other table.
He missed.
If her head had been there, John was certain she would have had a new nose. But he looked in horror as she stared at him from the other bench, her head tilted to the side. Agatha hadn’t moved, not had the folks at the other table. Agatha looked a little uneasy seeing the spike of blood, but Lehara just smiled at John. And then she did the one thing he never expected.
She put her hands up. Straight up and gave him the universal sign of “I surrender”. John’s brain stuttered for a moment as it tried to comprehend what he was looking at. Both of her hands were up with empty palms. “Peace Elena. I yield” she said calmly.
John’s brain acted like an old windows PC and started the long rebooting process as he shook his head in stunned disbelief. He looked down and saw the blade of the weapon was facing her and the handle was facing John. It was even mostly on his side of the table. Although as fast as she was, John was under no disillusion that she could still reach the blade before he could.
‘What the fuck?’ John thought to himself, his confusion plastered all over his face. ‘Yield? Why would I yield? This bitch cut me!’ He looked over at the faces of everyone still in the room and half of them seemed to be even smiling at him. That pissed him off even more. “What the fuck was that for?” he demanded.
Lila laughed from the other table. “Oh this is simply superb!” Her voice was a little deeper than John had been expecting, but it still sounded like honey. “Lele, I like her!” Her book was on the table and from the writing he could see, he realized it was more of a notebook than a reading one.
John felt like this whole situation was something that he was not meant to understand as he shot Agatha a confused and hurt glance. Lehara slowly and gently put a hand on his arm. “Peace Elena. I am truly sorry, but we had to see.” John retracted the blood spike and reformed it back into his blood sleeve.
John abruptly and angrily pulled his arm away from her, making sure he was out of reach. “The fuck? That fucking hurt! I don’t know what you felt you needed to see, but you need to work on your communication skills lady!”
Seeing as how everyone had calmed down except for John, he held his hand over the cut and the blood of his gauntlet flowed back into him. “Blood of life, flow strong in me” he said as the blood started mending the found. John felt a little winded, and his hand felt stiff, but a moment later, his wound was gone.
And yet from the looks everyone gave him after that, you’d think he also healed a third head onto his shoulder that started offering free cars.
Everyone crowded around the table except for Agatha who mouthed “I’m sorry” to John. A deluge of questions assaulted him from all of them at more or less the same time.
“Wait, you can heal? Did you pull the blood back in? By the stars blood magic can do that? Demon spawn can use divine power? Can she do that again? I didn’t see it well the first time. Give me the knife Lele.”
John looked at Lila as she asked to have the knife, and he recoiled further into the bench. His previously unwounded hand covered up the other one. He scooted back on the bench away from the crazy folks.
Lehara held out her arms motioning for everyone to give John space and offered another arm out to him to shake his hand. “Please tell me that nobody else has spoken with you yet.”
John pulled his legs up onto the bench and put his back against the wall. His tail swished angrily at being compressed. “What are you talking about? Can you please back up or better yet go away?”
Lehara sat back down and didn’t retract her hand. Out of a sense of it being awkward to be offered someone’s hand and not shake it John reached out and hesitantly shook her hand. As soon as he saw her quizical look, he remembered people don’t shake that way. He let go and grasped her forearm and she grasped his.
Lehara repeated the question. “Nobody else has spoken with you yet, correct?”
John’s eyebrowed raised in confusion. “I spoke with Agatha like 30 minutes ago. And I spoke with Gareth and Clara - “
Lehara shook her head. “No, I mean as in have any other groups recruited you?”
“Recruited? For what?” John asked. He was really starting to get irked at people talking to him like he had any clue about what they were talking about. “I’m sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He let go of her forearm.
Lehara turned to Agatha who still hadn’t moved. “Agatha, you said she was attacked by a Rex?”
John rolled his eyes and his head. “Lehera, I have -”
She interrupted him. “Please, call me Lele.” she touched her chest. She seemed to get excited like meeting John was the best thing to happen to her. “It was unkind of me to attack you, and I’d like to make it up to you. The best way I can do that is over time, but how about small bridges first?”
“Ok, Lele. Look, I don’t think I was attacked by a Rex. I have no idea what a Rex even is.” He held up a finger while he made his points, putting up a new finger for each point. “Secondly, it’s kind of rude to interrupt people when they are talking. Third…” A vision of John sitting at a chair in front of Athena came to mind. “Soon, you'll meet people who can help you on your journey. Listen to them. They'll need you as much as you'll need them. They'll guide and help you, leading you where you need to be.”
His attention returned to the group in front of him who seemed to be waiting for him to finish his third point. He thought to himself, “Athena, I’m gonna trust you here. There better not be multiple groups.’
“Third, I feel it’s only right to recap my life so far. I’m really not from around here. I think I’m from a different planet? My name is John. Well, it was. I only woke up here a couple of weeks ago. And in that time I’ve been shot, and stabbed”
John looked over at Lehara who turned a bit red when he said that. John shook his head and waved her thought off. “Not by you. I was jumped in an alley saving Gareth’s life and business. For my troubles I was almost disemboweled. These kind people offered me a room and board. I was insulted so many times I started counting.” “I’ve had my tail pulled by a teenager,” John’s tail flicked as if it was extra annoyed at that one. “Then I got the shit kicked outta me by a giant ass lizard. And I killed it in the process.”
For emphasis, John reached into his inventory and pulled the head of the lizard out of it. He intended to place it on the table. It appeared and was much larger than he thought he remembered it being. It was also much heavier than originally perceived. It made sense now that he thought about it, but what was supposed to be a funny joke at the group’s expense ended up costing the bar a few glasses, plates and probably a table. The group looked more shocked than anything and Agatha actually let out a scream as the jaws of the predator opened towards her and she fell on the floor. Blood drained from it and pooled on the table. It still smelled like it did a few days ago.
John pulled it back into his inventory, used Hemokinesis to pull the blood into a ball and also put that into his inventory. He continued his story. “I gained a few levels, woke up here, found out I hate being tickled. Found out…some uh…other stuff.” He felt his face flush with heat and he rubbed his neck a bit embarrassed. “And then I got cornered in a booth and had a crazy woman assault me.” He looked over at Lehara who turned more red than she did the first time, which made him feel a bit better. “And now you’re here asking me to call you Lele. Which I should remind you happened after you very adamantly insisted I never call you that. All in an attempt to make up for the fact that you threatened me and made me worried you hurt Agatha?”
Lehara was about to say something when Lila sat down and shoved her down the bench more. “I’m sorry, did you say you’re from another planet?” She held her notebook, determined this wasn't going to be good enough for whatever she was about to write, and then quickly replaced it with a new one. Hooked on the cover was a pen. “Lele, I think I might have to leave you and follow her around.” She nodded at John and then opened the book to the first page. “You said your name was John, but you’re obviously a woman and John is obviously a Man’s name. Was Elena your last name? Do you prefer John or Elena? Does your planet consider John to be a Feminine name? Do you-”
Lehara put a hand on the top of Lila’s hand and then looked at her with a finger on her lips. “Lily, if you don’t let the poor girl have ten seconds to process this, you’re going to scare her away”
John felt his anger start to rise again. He looked at Lehara and pointed at her. He shook his finger to emphasize his points. “Thank you. Also, I’m going to need a LOT more than ten seconds. And frankly, I’m not sure If I forgive you or trust any of you.” he turned his gaze to Agatha. “Even you Agatha. I really hope you weren’t in on this. Because if you were, I don’t know if I should stay here anymore. All of this wasn’t cool.” His voice softened and he sounded slightly hurt. “I thought you and Gareth liked me. Maybe even call me a friend. Where I’m from friends to have their other friends hurt them”
John looked back at everyone else. “And as for you lot, you can suck a dick. I don’t think I’ll ever want to spend any more time with you than I’ll-”
The one called Marcus spoke up at that moment. His voice still as deep as it had been when he spoke to Clara. “She’s Lying. Only at that last part though. Also, Lily had an excellent question. John is a man’s name. Why were you called John?”
John shot him a look that he hoped would wither steel. ‘Man, I really gotta work on my intimidation skills” he thought as he looked at Marcus who seemed to be somewhere between nonplussed and amused. “You can shut right the hell up big guy.”
Agatha sat down next to John on the bench. “Wait, your name was John? Do men look like you on your planet?” She looked up and down John’s body confused as to why he looked feminine.
John signed again, more defeated. “...No” His shoulders sagged and he seemed a bit depressed."I was kind of...reborn in a woman's body."
Agatha smiled at him and rubbed his back. With her other hand she motioned in a grandiose manner in front of her. "Oh. Well in that case, Welcome to Womanhood!” Agatha declared, a mix of humor and sympathy. “Where your boobs will be forever sore, your back will hurt about 10 years earlier than most guys, a good week out of every 30 days is going to suck.”
She waved her hand in a different direction as if when she motioned was some great prize. “Oh and when you hit 40 or 50 you'll notice that guys look better and better but your looks will go downhill.”
Most of the men of the group give her a 'What the hell' look, but Marcus just shrugged and nodded. Agatha continued, undeterred by their reactions. “But on a positive note, you have so much more clothing you can wear. If you don’t feel like doing something, a big strong man will do it for you.” She gave John a big cheese smile and a thumbs up. “And keep in mind that while you now get to hear all the girl talk that you probably wondered about, Woman code dictates that you cannot tell any of it to the guys that ask.”
John looked at Agatha and then the other two girls in the booth with him. “...Yay” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I hate my life.”
The group fell silent for a moment, seemingly unsure of how to respond to John’s blunt statement. Lehara was the first to break the awkward silence. “Elena. Or John if you prefer…I know this must be incredibly disorienting for you. But I promise you, we’re here to help. You said you were looking for people to help. I’m sorry I didn’t realize you meant people to help you. But now that I know, we’re here to help.
John raised an eyebrow skeptically. “Help? By stabbing me?” Lehara looked away for a moment. ‘At least she has the decency to look ashamed,’ John thought to himself.
“That…” Lehara took a moment to find the right words, but settled on the simple ones. “Was a mistake. We needed to be sure of your abilities, but I went about it the wrong way. I truly am sorry.”
Lila, who had been scribbling furiously in her notebook, looked up with eager eyes. “But it did confirm you have blood magic, and that you’re at an Initiate tier. Blood magic is incredibly rare to see, and unfortunately there isn’t much we know about it because most blood mages are not very nice.”
John shifted uncomfortably under her intense gaze, feeling like a deer caught in very judgmental headlights.
Lehara rolled her eyes so hard it seemed like they might get stuck that way. "What Lily means is that blood mages tend to be murderous assholes, and they have to be put down. You know, like rabid Snugglepaw, but with more magic and an unfortunate fashion sense for black robes."
John chuckled nervously, his tail twitching behind him. "Well, I promise I'm apparently more of a 'heal your boo-boos' kind of blood mage than a 'sacrifice virgins under the full moon' type. Though I can't promise anything about the fashion sense."
Lily's stern expression softened slightly, a hint of amusement creeping into her eyes. "Don't worry, Elena. One step out of line and we can dissect you to see if blood mages are different" She made a slicing motion across her throat, but there was a playful glint in her eye that took the edge off the threat.
"Great," John muttered. "No pressure or anything. I'll just be over here, not being murderous and trying not to trip over my own tail."
Lehara snorted. "Don't mind Lily. She's just cranky because the last blood mage we met tried to turn her into a walking blood fountain. It really ruined her favorite tunic. But I think she likes you, Elena."
As the tension in the room eased slightly, John found himself whistling nervously, a habit that seemed to surface in awkward moments. He quickly stopped when he noticed Lily's eyebrow raising dangerously high, but there was a smirk playing at the corners of her mouth. She went back to writing in her book.