Chapter 13: Charisma

Cal froze, his mind struggling to process the sight before him. Four people stood around him, watching intently, but he couldn’t muster a response.

People... Actual people.

It had been so long since he had seen light, let alone living, breathing humans—or mostly humans. His eyes locked onto the small woman with pointed ears.

Pointed ears... Pointed ears...

A grin spread across Cal’s face, and without thinking, he blurted out, "Wait, are you an elf? Like an actual elf?"

The group stood in stunned silence for a moment before Beron burst out laughing. Fael’s lips curled into a small smile as she tilted her head, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Yes, I’m an elf," she replied with a teasing tone. "Never seen one before? Like what you see?"

Cal blinked, caught off guard by her playful response. He opened his mouth to answer, then hesitated, suddenly feeling self-conscious. The realization that he was lying on the cold, wet ground, half-naked and surrounded by strangers, hit him like a wave.

“I—uh, yeah,” Cal stammered, sitting up slowly, wincing as his body protested the movement. “I mean, I’ve heard of elves in stories, but I never thought I’d actually meet one.”

Tain giggled from his crouched position and muttered, "Well, well, well, look at that, Fael. You’re rarer than you thought. Or anyone else thought."

"Shut up, Tain," Fael retorted, her tone playful. "I’m simply stunning, that’s all."

So, Tain's the man in the cloak, and Fael... that’s the elf.

Beron gestured for everyone to quiet down and took a knee right in front of Cal, his expression turning serious. He leaned in closer, his voice calm but firm. "Listen, kid, I don’t know where you sprang up from, but according to my intel and this little trinket," he said, holding up the compass, "you’re the one I’ve been sent to kill... or capture. It’s your choice which it’ll be."

Kill? Capture? What is going on?

Beron continued, "You don’t seem all that bad, but according to Fael here—who seems to have caught your eye—you’re a monster, or at least partially. And you’re doing something weird with essence. So, the first thing we’re going to do is ask some questions and get you some clothing. Fael might be enjoying the view, but I’m not."

Cal followed Beron’s glance down to his own body, suddenly acutely aware of his nakedness. His face flushed with embarrassment as he realized the situation.

Fael, who had been sneaking glances at Cal's exposed body, quickly looked away, her cheeks reddening as well. "I-I wasn’t staring!" she stammered, flustered. "I was just... making sure he wasn’t hiding any weapons!"

Tain snickered from his crouched position. "Oh, sure, Fael. Just checking for hidden weapons, huh?"

Fael shot him a glare, trying to regain her composure. "Shut up, Tain! I was doing my job."

Cal’s mind raced, still struggling to make sense of everything. Monster? Essence? And they were sent to kill or capture me? He felt a surge of panic rising but forced himself to stay calm, his thoughts focusing on survival. I have to stay alive, but what do I say? What do I do?

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Beron’s gaze softened slightly, sensing Cal’s inner turmoil. "We’re not here to hurt you—unless you give us a reason to. So, let’s start with the basics. Who are you, and how did you end up here?"

Cal hesitated, unsure of how much he should reveal and the last thing he wanted was to provoke these people. But the fact that they hadn’t killed him outright gave him a sliver of hope. Maybe, just maybe, he could convince them to help him.

“Well, my name is Cal,” he started, trying to keep his voice steady despite his disorientation. “I’m from St. Louis originally, but I was living in Oregon before... before I ended up here.”

He paused, trying to find the right words. “I don’t really know how I got here. One moment, I was going about my life, and then suddenly, I was in that dark cave. I don’t remember much except the pain and the darkness.”

I need to be careful about what I reveal. They don’t know about the essence sense or the red crystal. If they find out about my abilities or the leak in my essence, things could get complicated. I have to keep my secrets safe, at least until I understand who these people are and what they want.

Fael, noticing his hesitation, tilted her head. “You seem to be holding something back,” she said. Her curiosity was evident, but she was also caught in the act of staring at his exposed form. A hint of a blush appeared on her cheeks as she tried to refocus on the conversation. “So, you’re not from around here, and you have no idea how you got here. But you must have some idea about what happened to you, right?”

Damn, she knew I was hiding something? Maybe if I give them a little information, they'll lay off. I have a sneaking suspicion that the whole soul-devouring thing, even if it was just a bug, isn’t going to go over well.

“I really don’t know more than that,” he said, trying to sound as genuine as possible. “But..... I woke up with this... ability to sense things, with this energy inside of me. But I don’t know how or why.”

Beron, taking in Cal’s response and Fael’s reaction, gave a nod. “Alright, Cal. We’ll get you some clothes and ask a few more questions. But remember, we’re not just here to be nice. We need to understand what you are and what you’re doing here. Fael, why don’t you give him a hand with that?”

Fael, still slightly flustered but regaining her composure, nodded and stepped forward. "Sure, let’s get you sorted out. And don’t worry, we’ll get to the bottom of this.”

As Fael and Beron worked to get Cal some clothing and make him more comfortable, Tain watched quietly, his earlier amusement fading into a more serious expression. He could sense that there was more to Cal than met the eye, and he was sure the boy was lying. Pulling Jora aside, Tain spoke in a low voice.

“That guy, Cal, is lying through his teeth. He’s hiding way more than he’s letting on. Did you notice? He didn’t mention how he got into this cave, why he was here, or anything about the armor strapped to him. He’s giving us very little to work with.”

Jora frowned, crossing her arms. “What are you getting at?”

“Think about it,” Tain continued, his tone serious. “When we first entered the cavern, there were already at least five or six dead bugs. I’m willing to bet that was him. He probably knows about the regeneration, and I’m guessing he’s aware of the essence disappearing from inside him. There’s more to his story, and we need to find out what it is.”

Jora’s eyes narrowed as she considered Tain’s observations. “If he’s hiding something, we need to be cautious. We don’t know his full capabilities or his intentions.”

Tain nodded in agreement. “Exactly. And if he’s capable of that kind of regeneration and essence manipulation, he might be dangerous. We should keep a close watch on him and dig deeper into his story.”

Jora glanced back toward where Cal was sitting, now dressed in a simple set of clothes Fael and Beron had found. Cal looked somewhat relieved but still tense, his eyes darting between the group as if trying to gauge their intentions.

“I’ll keep an eye on him,” Jora said, her voice low. “But let’s be subtle about it. We don’t want to spook him or make him feel cornered. He might reveal more if he feels secure and trusted.”

Tain agreed. “I’ll keep my distance and observe. If he makes any mistakes or slips up, we’ll be ready.”

With that, the two returned to the group. Fael was now carefully examining the essence traces left in the pool, while Beron was talking to Cal, trying to extract more information.

“Cal, you mentioned that you don’t remember how you got here. Can you tell us more about what you remember before you ended up in the cave?”

Cal hesitated, his gaze shifting nervously. “I really don’t remember much. It’s like I was pulled out of my world and suddenly found myself here. Everything before that is a blur.”

Beron raised an eyebrow. “And the essence you’re using? It’s not something that’s typical for someone who just appeared out of nowhere.”

Cal swallowed hard, trying to maintain his composure. “I don’t know how to explain it. I just... I felt like I had to fight, to survive. The energy or I guess essence, it’s just something I learned to adapt to. I didn’t have a choice.”

Fael, who had been listening quietly, interjected. “You’re saying you’ve had experience with this kind of essence manipulation before? It’s not something you just picked up overnight.”

Cal looked down, struggling to find the right words. “No, it’s not something I had before. I just—”

He was cut off by Beron, who now stood up, a serious expression on his face. “We’re not looking to make things difficult for you, but we need to understand what’s going on. For all our sakes, and yours. If you’re hiding something, it’s best to be upfront about it.”

Cal met Beron’s gaze, his resolve wavering. He knew he had to be careful with his words. “Alright, alright. I... I don’t know everything about how I got here or how I can use essence, but I promise I’m not trying to deceive you. I just want to figure out what’s happening and find a way out.”

Beron nodded slowly, as if weighing Cal’s words. “We’ll hold you to that. For now, let’s focus on getting out of this cave and figuring out our next steps.”

He smiled and helped Cal to his feet, simultaneously checking the shackles and ruffling the boy's hair.

Cal grinned in response, though his senses were focused elsewhere. Being this close to Beron, he could smell it now—the essence radiating from him, filling the air. It was a unique, almost intoxicating scent that spoke of power and skill. Cal noted with a mix of intrigue and wariness that Beron didn’t possess a core, yet his essence flowed deeply through his flesh and bone.

Oh yes, Beron, and I’ll take care of you too.