I wondered if that was when I faced the Alpha outside. He’d had a lot more trouble hitting me then and I could almost predict his moves. Or I am just that awesome. Yeah, I’m that awesome!

I flicked to the next notification.

Well, that was handy, I guess. Next!

I pressed on the table and opened up the description.

Huh, that sounded pretty cool. I looked over at Rima and Nel, about to ask them if it was possible to activate a gift like you do a promotional skill but they were still arguing some distance away and I wasn’t interested in interrupting. Shrugging I got back down to my table management. 

“Yeah, yeah. Stand strong, I get it.” I muttered to my hand. “It’s not like I was planning to see a whole village of people murders and be all ‘Oh well, I’m out.’”

Tima hiss from behind me and I turned on the tree stump to face her. She hummed as I rubbed at her snout. She pushed her scaly nose harder into my palm, her eyes heavy with pleasure then sneezed and stepped away from me, trying to look indifferent to the attention.

“Wonder what they’re arguing about,” I asked her, indicating the siblings with my chin. Tima let out a sigh and flopped down near my feet but far enough away that she could pretend she wasn’t close. “Yeah, I don’t care either.”

I laughed at my stored mass before standing up and dusting off the seat of my pants. After the fight, we had moved away from the village, partly because of the smell and partly because the constant drone of all the flies had been driving me crazy.

Nel had found a small clearing not too far away and after I’d splashed water all over myself in a quick bath she had handed me a shirt from my sack. The midday sun had done a good enough job of drying me off.

Rima had muttered something to Nel and she had muttered something back and then they were arguing. Something about Nel being stupid and Rima being right. I dunno. Nel had dragged Rima out of earshot and I couldn’t be bothered listening even when she kept pointing at me.

But that was then and this is now. The sun wasn’t going to float up there forever and we had some planning to do.

“Oi!” I yelled, interrupting them. “It’s going to get dark soon. I think we should head back to the village, bury the bodies and see if we can find any clues as to what the fuck is going on.”

Nel said something quickly to Rima who scowled before she walked over to me, her brother following slowly behind.

‘You are correct Alexander. That was the same thing Rimatrastorama and I were just discussing. He believes it is best to head back and warn the Brood now, rather than continuing to the Grove as we had first intended. I think it is all related and we must find the cause. What if it has spread further than just the single Messenger we saw and the Pack?” Nel looked at me for support but I shrugged.

“He isn’t wrong, Nel. I think this,” I waved behind me in the direction of the village. “Is something Saza and the Brood Mother need to know, as soon as possible.”

“Zavanrosiphra, also, he will want to know of any possible threats to the Brood.” Rima added while Nel scowled at me.

“Yeah, him too.” I conceded with an eye roll before continuing. “But I think Nel is also correct. If this is like a disease or something then that means it’s going to spread...and Aeris has requested I resolve the problem.”

“Aha! See,” Nel smiled victoriously at her brother, one sharp finger pointing at him. As if that wasn’t enough, a few of her spider legs joined in. “Aeris himself has approved this mission. That’s why I think it’s best if we follow my plan.”

“No!” Rima said at the same time I said: “Which is?”

Ignoring her brother Nel sidled closer to me. “You and I continue on to the Grove at least, further if need be. Rima will head back to the Brood with the news of the Packs massacre. He can cover much more ground than either of us, especially if he rides Tima.”

“And if we’re attacked by some mutant sunflower or something at the Grove? You think you and I can handle it?”

“Exactly!” Rima exclaimed. “The Champion is wise, sister, and knows that if there is a fight he cannot guarantee your safety. Saza would not want you to risk yourself for something that may yield little information.”

“Saza will understand more than anyone. She has made similar decisions many times.”

“And she has paid for them with sorrow and pain!” Rima said, his voice dropping low as he implored his sister. “Please don’t do this. I promised father I would protect you, always. I cannot protect you if I cannot reach you.”

Nel turned away from me so she could face her brother head-on. She was the shorter of the two but right now she loomed over him. With deliberate slowness, she raised a hand and pointed behind me. “You saw the same thing I did. The Brood and Pack have not always seen eye to eye but we were neighbours and they were fellow Denvii. The Champion does not know this land nor the people but is willing to help. You expect me to come back to safety when I know I can help him? You expect me to let something like that,” she jabbed the air again. “happen again. Innocents killed for what! No! I will help Alexander find the root of this problem and I will end it!”

Even with her slitted eyes and furrowed brows. and flaring nostrils, Nel was hot. Her chest heaved as she took great deep breaths of air, the upper swell of each breast pushed against the fabric of her top and the toned planes of her stomach flexed. I would have to get her angry again sometime.

Rima couldn’t come up with a suitable rebuttal so the four of us trudged back to the glade. Even expecting the sight, it was still a jarring contrast between the beautiful scenery and the morbid additions.

We broke up into two groups to search for some tools. Nel and Rima went off one way, still scowling at each other but refusing to let the other walk off alone. Tima followed behind me slowly, out packs still swaying gently on her back.

The first few houses were simple in design and decoration. Single or double rooms with wooden furniture in various states of disarray. I tried to ignore the little children's beds with the neatly folded sheets and small toys all over the place. It was so very...human, and I had to remind myself that though they looked part animal they still had emotions and families. That made it harder when I entered a house full of bloodstains and body parts.

Tima kept watch outside as I entered one house, glanced around, came out and shook my head at her before moving on to the next. I did notice that the buildings got bigger and better furnished the closer we got to the Alpha’s house and figured it was a sign of stature amongst the Pack. Data from Old Earth said it was similar to wolf packs.

A shout went up from across the glade and I glanced over to see Nel holding up a spade and waving it at me. I waved back, trying to indicate they should start digging while I continued looking for one for me. She must have got the message because a second later she walked off towards the edge of the forest accompanied by Rima.

I found my spade in a toolshed I mistook for an outhouse at first. It was wooden, which threw me for a loop, and resembled a massive spoon but after giving the ground nearby a few test digs I was satisfied and went to join the others.

It took us most of the afternoon and was horrible work. Rima and Nel retched more than once, and I would have been right there with them if I had a gag reflex. Tima was a huge help. Once Rima had removed our packs and her saddle she found a spot, turned, and using her forelegs started to tear up massive clumps of soil before flinging them between her hind legs.

Of course, that meant that it fell to the rest of us to collect the bodies. Thus the retching. I regretted wasting water earlier, I’d need it when we were done before we were done.

I was holding the legs of a particularly large male specimen of the Wolfen species while Rima had his arms hooked under the individual's armpits when I asked him. “Hey, Rima, I got this gift...from Aeris...it says something about uniting people under the same banner or something and a limit of four. Any idea what that means?”

Huffing and puffing under the load, Rima paused to adjust the dead weight and a bit of intestine slipped out to pool on the ground between us. He gagged before answering. “It sounds like an active effect gift, probably some variation of a party creation skill that can grow with you. Aeris is wise in providing you with gifts that will further your development as Champion.”

‘Yeah, Aeris is just swell...but how do I use it?”

“I would imagine you ask someone if they would like to join you, or unite, as may be the case given the name of the gift, Champion.”

“Okay, Cool.” We reached the pit Tima had dug and threw the body in. Nel started to throw dirt on top using one of the spades and I grabbed the other so I could help. Stopping with the spade in hand I looked over at the male Denvii. “Yo, Rima. Unite with me?”...that sounded strangely sexual.

“I will, Champion.” He said with all seriousness.

It was a strange feeling. Nothing amazing happened, but it was like my view shifted slightly so I became more aware of him. I turned around so my back was to him but I still knew where he was and how he was moving.

“Well, that’s awesome!” I exclaimed happily.

Nel stopped what she was doing, planted the spade head first in the soil and leaned against the handle before wiping sweat from her brow. Rima took the time to explain things to her while I finished covering the hole and patted it down.

“Convenient.” She agreed. “It would be perfect for team combat; knowing where your teammates are, that is.”

“Yeah, but how does it work?”

“What do you mean, Champion?” Rima asked.

“Well, how do I suddenly know where you are? If I focus hard enough I can even tell what you're doing.”

“Magic,” Rima said with a shrug. Nel nodded along.

“Serious?”

“Yes.” Nel nodded. “You are in a different world than your own, surrounded by creatures and races you have never seen before, and you doubt the use of magic? How do you explain your stats and skills?”

I gave it some thought, trying to figure out why the thought of magic was so foreign in a world where technically, everything was foreign. “Everything else makes sense. A different world means different races so I accept that without issue...my stats and skills...well, so far they’re all the things I can do normally. Magic...its..unexplainable.”

“You are weird, Champion,” Rima said, before realizing he may have just insulted his idol and said quickly. “But very strong!”

Yeah, that fixes it…

“Nel, Unite with me?”

“All you had to do was ask Alexander,” Nel said with a warm dimpled smile and a twinkle in her eyes that made me think I wasn’t the only one that found that a little sexual.

The heightened sense of Nel was much more pleasant than it was of Rima and we all spent the next few minutes playing around with my new gift and learning a few things about it. For one, Tima couldn’t join and hissed in annoyance before stomping off into the forest. Rima found it odd since, as far as he could tell, she also received gifts from Aeris and in my mind, she was as human as the rest of us. Oh well.

Another thing we found out was that the connection ran strongest through me. I had an almost perfect sense of where Nel and Rima were but their sense of each other was limited to general direction and distance.

Speaking of distance, it didn’t seem to be a problem, though after about 200 yards it became a sense of general direction though thatsense still felt as strong. If that makes sense.

I freaked out then got over-excited when we found out we could now communicate with our minds. Yeah, that’s right, our minds! It wasn’t perfect and you had to focus really hard and it wasn’t so much words as it was a series of impressions and feelings so we were never going to have deep conversations with it but stuff like Attack! Or Stop! Or Yuck! Were easy. Also, Rima and Nel couldn’t do it with each other so I was stuck as the middleman.

Rima was overjoyed with the thought that he could still check up on us once he went back to the Brood. I had my doubts, what with the greater distance and all, but he said that Aeris was wise and powerful and I should have faith. My eyeball nearly got stuck looking up, I rolled it so hard.

Eventually, all the bodies were buried in one massive grave and the three of us stood over the heap of mud. Nel wiped a tear from her cheek, smearing mud across her pretty face in the process.

“Should we say something?” I asked, not sure.

“Find balance.” Nel murmured, a hand over her heart. Rima followed her lead so I went along with it.

I asked Rima as we turned away. “So, was this the only Pack?”

It was Nel who answered as she came up behind us. Her voice subdued. “No, there are many Packs, as there are many Broods, and many Groves, and many...well, you get the idea. But they are across the sea in the Wilds. Here, look.”

I knelt next to her as she used one sharp talon to draw in the dirt. She drew a rectangle box first and looked up at me. “Everything within this box is the known lands, the rest...it is best if you forget them for now.”

She filled the rectangle with squiggles that slowly started to form into landmasses. One large mass crept down from the top left-hand side and swept down and across to two-thirds of the bottom right-hand side. “That is the Wild’s on to top left-hand side, full of forests and mountains. Many of our less civilized kin live there. Below that are the lands of the Denarii.”

“Denarii?” I asked.

“They are like the Denvii, only instead of being part monster and part human, they are all...something else.”

“Sirens,” Rema said from over my shoulder before bending down and drawing a small island off the shores of the Wilds. After that he jabbed at the center of the Wilds and growled. “Fox spirits and demons and dragons.”

Nel looked at me and rolled her eyes. “Zavanrosiphra has been telling you tales again, hasn’t he?”

Rima went red with embarrassment and left us alone to go explore. Nel watched him go before turning back to me and whispering “He isn’t wrong though. The Wilds are full of creatures, many who look human enough, like the wild woman who are said to be beautiful but vicious and are willing to rip a man limb from limb as soon as look at him…”

‘Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked as she squinted at me.

"On second thought, you would fit right in there.”

“Gee, thanks. So what you mean is these Denarii can be agents for Hela or Lumin but still look human whereas the Denvii who choose one of those sides become monsters because they are no longer in balance?”

“You are learning!” Nel said with a happy clap. “Now, ignoring the rest which is the human kingdom and a few islands that are home to the dwarves and the like, this is us down here. This island near the bottom right.”

She filled in the landmass with trees and marked some rivers. I looked up at her and smiled, she stuck her tongue out while she drew and her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration. She drew a rough mountain range and then a dotted line that bisected the land from the top corner down, across the middle of the mountains, and down to the lower end near the sea.

“This whole island is considered a neutral ground for all races. You see here, close to the sea, are human cities and trading ports where the Denvii may trade their native wears such as the Brood silk or the Pack’s Bores bones in exchange for items our human halves need. We are here, the patch of woods near the fork in this river.” I looked at where she pointed and nodded along. “If we continue North-West, we will come to the Citrus Pools and just beyond that the Grove.”

“Alright.’ I tilted my head, trying to better make out her dirt map. “So how long does it take us to get from here, these woods, to here..the Grove? And what's that ‘x’?”

“No more than a day and a half. That ‘x’ is the first trading town. Little more than a village if you ask me. I figured you may wish to shop for some personal items there if we have time.” She gave a self-conscious shrug and toyed with the dirt. “I have some coins I can lend you….”

Yes! Just what I wanted! I could buy some clothes that fit me properly, maybe a propper pack instead of lugging around that sack. Nel, still looking down, continued to mumble.

“...and it’s not as if I was thinking of you specifically or planning some way to get you alone. I just thought since the grove is so near and we are heading that way anyway you may like..because you look homeless...not that you don’t look good homeless...I mean, not that you should look homeless to look good...I just thought…”

“It’s very sweet of you,” I said, interrupting her. I coughed awkwardly, not sure how to handle a very attractive woman thinking about me.

Okay, wait a moment. I’m not some blushing virgin, let's just throw that out there. What I mean is, Dockside doesn’t cater to the nice nor the beautiful. I’ve experienced nice, Sanderson and his father are examples, and I’ve seen the beautiful; mainly looking out of tinted windows of a hovercar as they sped through the slums and saw how the other half lived. But together? Never...and never with a woman I wanted to...Oh my god! what happens if it ends up as a relationship? How the hell do you do one of those? I hear romance is needed...I think I’m going to be sick…

“I’m going to go look for metal!” I almost shouted, shooting to my feet and backing away from the shocked arachnachick. “Need them gains!”

Crap! Now I wasn’t sure what I wanted. I mean I know I wanted her, naked and moaning, but did I want the rest? Would she expect the rest?

Fuck it, ignore it for now, emotions are confusing.