Adapting to the Cheraneura people's way of life was hard at first, but their natural way of living and their strong sense of community reminded me of my friends in the Tunu clan. It has been almost a week since me and the girls began working with the Cheraneura; while I adapted to this way of life easily, Lanie had more difficulty due to her more urban oriented lifestyle, and Crystal was mistrusted by everyone who came near her.

Daily life followed a simple routine, me and Crystal would join Kawa with the hunters to catch food and collected vegetables; Lanie was put to work with the village weavers and potters for her dexterous hands and attention to detail. After we caught breakfast, Kawa would instruct me in their language and wisdom until lunch; he was very impressed with my knack for learning their language after a few days. After helping the tribe "fire-keepers", the cooks, with making preparations for dinner, I was given the rest of the day off to interact with the villagers; one of my favorite pastimes has been teaching the village children how to play soccer with a ball made from scraps of leather and filled with leaves.

Right now, Kawa was teaching me some of his tribes combat systems, and in return I gave him some lessons in Muay Thai; I wouldn't saw we've became friends, but he at least doesn't want to kill me. 

"When defending or attacking, always visualize moving in a defined area." I understood what Kawa told me more fluently. "When moving in a circle, move your body and feet as if tracing a circle in the ground; the same is true for any shape you make."

He was showing me a form of knife fighting that focused on attacking with the knife in the dominate hand and using the free hand to protect oneself. Instead of knifes, we were practicing with wooden replicas dipped in paint as a learning tool. 

The Cheraneura's style of fighting gave special attention to how one breaths when moving; one one inhales, exhales, and holds breath has a direct influence on everything they do, and it was doing any of these things in the right way that defined how affective you act. After an hour or so of practicing, I went to the elder with Kawa to discuss the progress of my group's efforts.

"Elder, how have me and my friends progressed?" I asked the village leader.

The leader smiled. "You and Lanie have done well, but your other friend still makes us wary."

"Aiden's friend is impatient and mistrusting." Kawa spoke next. "But, she is very protective of her sister, and seems to be a loyal companion to those she does trust. I believe with more time she will improve."

The elder looked towards me. "In the time you have arrived, you and your friends have been excellent at helping our tribe, which is why I have news to share. A scout we sent to the upper floors has returned with good news, the large gathering of adventurers has reached the floor above us and will progress further tomorrow morning."

I was excited to hear this. "Thank you! I promise my group will never give word about this place to anyone, just as we promised!" I bowed in deep respect.

"You have been a very honorable and trustworthy man, Aiden Ortega." The elder gave a slight bow.

Hearing him call me trustworthy actually hurt me a little, because I haven't been completely honest. "Elder, I must confess to you about something important." This felt me with shame for deceiving them. "Me and my group originally made plans to come to this mountain to obtain a small piece of cheranium for a compass that will help us navigate the Paganish Realm. Also... it is true I am a human, but I am not a human of this world." It was foolish to tell these two about my true identity, but after everything they've done for me and my friends, if didn't feel right to lie to them; which is why I told them about my arrival to this world after 'God' saving me from dying.

"Is everything you say true?" The elder looked at me, any sign of joy on his face gone.

"It is; please, let Lanie and Crystal go, they only joined my group after the plan was made." I pleaded for their safety.

The old man pointed the wooden staff towards me. "You have shown yourself to be just and kind, for your honesty, I present you with this." He opened his hand and showed me a small, yellow-orangish rock. "This is the cheranium you need for your compass; take it, as a sign of the shared trust between you and our tribe."

Kawa stepped forward, presenting me with combat knife sheathed in a decorative holster of Cheraneura design with a bright smile. I unsheathed it, revealing a beautiful blade with a flame-like tint.

"And take this knife, as a sign that you are a trusted ally to the Cheraneura." The elder finished with giving me a hug, one that I returned.

At dinner with the rest of the village, I told Crystal and Lanie about the subjugation party arriving tomorrow and that I got the cheranium ore that we were looking for.

Later that night, after everyone else went to sleep, I went down the plateau to an open clearing for some practice with my new knife. An important practice I picked up from the Cheraneura is that they place importance in maintaining the spiritual health of oneself by practicing meditation; the first moment you wake up and the last thing you do before going to sleep, meditate for ten minutes. Focusing on the rhythm of my breathing, I thought back to my years on Earth, my time amongst the Tunu, and the last week with the Cheraneura. Ready to act, I performed a fierce, yet elegant series of slashes, trusts, and blocks.

Continuing my practice, I thought back to the stampede of swamp crawlers and how I needed to use electricity to kill them all. This gave me the idea to channel magic into my movements; I began with fire magic, my strongest element, and became amazed by how the circulation of mana improved my attacks for a more "fiery" performance. Then, I decided to transition into using lightning, which gave me a tremendous increase in speed and force.

As I neared the end of my practice, I couldn't stop myself from imagining all the ways I could improve my fighting style, I originally relied on blasts of fire for explosive damage, but using lightning has allowed me to see a better way for me to utilize my skills. It was like watching the ore of my soul be refined into something stronger, cleaner, and refined.

~CREAK~

I turned around, expecting to see a monster about to attack, but found relief that it was Lanie hiding in the brush. She looked surprised as well, and cautious as she approached me.

"Is everything alright?" I asked, concerned for her and the village.

"I'm fine, I just heard you leaving and got interested." She looked flushed. "You looked great, Kawa has taught you well."

"Thanks." I appreciated the compliment. "Let's head back, we have to be rested for when they arrive tomorrow."

Walking back to the village, I decided to ask Lanie some questions because this last week I've begun to realize I know fairly little about her and her sister. "Lanie, I want to talk about your sister's attitude from... the other time." She looked away, meaning she knew which moment I was talking about. "Do you and your sister have a history with humans?"

"No, well yes, but it's not that good. The story is long, I won't boor you with the details." She tried to dismiss.

"We have a some time." I wanted to understand Crystal's actions better.

"You see... our father is actually human." Lanie began. "The town we're from had a port where humans visited frequently, that was how are parents met. He was a sailor who met our mother, they got married and raised a family for ten years. Then, our father left one day and we haven't heard from him since. Our mother went to work in the local textile mill to support me and my sister; I was better in school, so Mom and Crystal decided it was better for me to continue my education. It was a little while after that when Crystal began adventuring work, but as a rookie with no money or connections doesn't endure long, so Crystal began... offering 'services' for the humans who visited our village." She tried to avoid eye contact with me. "That's how she knows the scent of human so well."

It hurt my heart to hear how Crystal gave so much for her family. "I'm sorry... if my being here brings back any painful memories for your sister."

"It's okay, she at least doesn't want to kill you, but... I don't think she could ever stop hating humans." Lanie paused for a moment. "I studied hard to be able to make money for my family, then mom died of a flu outbreak a few years ago. I came to the capital for school, and then I figured this dungeon subjugation would be a profitable way for me to gain material for my studies."

"When do you graduate?" I asked. "I was set to finish school in one year but... I'm just not sure."

"I actually already finished, this is more for a graduation project." She giggled. "What about you? How did you get all the way here?"

I was caught off guard. "Well... I got separated from my people and my home." It was hard to keep lying to Lanie, despite her sister's actions, I did consider them friends. "I won't be able to be reunited with my parents, or my home until I find someone in the Paganish Realm."

"Sounds hard for you." She sympathized with me.

"It is." I admitted. "Lanie, do you hate me for being human?"

She looked down for a moment. "It hurt me when my father left, but I could never truly hate humans. I've seen to much kindness in humans like my father, and like you, to truly hold hatred in my heart for them."

Despite how sheepish Lanie could be, I found she was surprisingly outspoken and thoughtful once I got to know her. "It amazes me, how is it you and your sister are still single?" I joked, looking for a reason to lighten the mood.

She blushed strongly. "Well, with studying, you don't get a lot of time to think about such things. Besides, guys usually prefer a girl more dainty, someone who wears make-up and doesn't have the constant smell of oil... maybe who could lose some pounds." She looked self-conscious about her appearance; I could relate, before getting my new body I was extremely self-conscious about my soft, flabby former self.

"I wouldn't say that." I tried to ease her nerves, help her feel better about herself. "I think your plump build is very attractive." She's at least a head shorter than me, but her plump body gave great volume to her breasts and thighs. "Back in my... village, we have a saying, 'Only a man can handle curves'." I laughed lightly.

Lanie avoided looking at me, her face a deep red.

I must have said something inappropriate. "Sorry, I didn't-"

"NO, it's alright, it's... nobody's ever really complimented my appearance before. It was nice" She blushed.

Things were tense between us now, making rest of the walk very quiet. Lanie went back to her tent with her sister, and I went back to my hammock; in just a short time, I would see my wife, Rana, and my friends again.