Wow, hey! Novus here! What an awesome wilderness arc don’t you think? That boarlus was crazy! How in the world does something evolve like that? And that blink panther?

That thing teleported around and Tess still kicked its ass!

Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I think she appreciates the system I gave her. She’ll get to explore this whole new world, use these awesome powers, and be the badass she is!

I’m seeing a biiiiit of a problem, though.

Maybe you saw it too?

Tess isn’t exactly thrilled to be here!

I know! Shocking right?

I set her up with this interesting new system in this interesting new world and all she wants to do is complain about it. She should be excited! I would be! I’d be testing out all these new skills and making all kinds of fun combos.

All these interesting goodies, who wouldn’t be excited!

Not Tess I guess. (Ooh I rhymed!)

That’s also what makes her so cool, though! Tess doesn’t take nothin’ from nobody, not even gods! So don’t worry, I’m not about to do anything crazy and alter her personality. As a god, I totally could. It’s just not that interesting. Their heads get all weird.

Zealots are not interesting.

I was hoping the idea of quests would get her interested, but I still think she’d rather stick around in this small village for the rest of her life.

Maybe she needs an incentive?

Oh! What if I said she could make it back home if she gets to level twenty or something?

No… See, technically, Tess wasn’t supposed to live past the landslide. Something to do with destiny, karmic cycles, reincarnation, and a bunch of other stuff I stopped listening to halfway through. You hear one spiel you’ve heard them all you know?

I think some god wanted to make her an angelic messenger or something? I don’t know.

That’s nowhere as interesting as my thing! It does mean I can’t exactly bring her back home, and I don’t want to lie about it. Lying isn’t interesting. Well, except when it is.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

This is hard!

Oh! I know!

If Tess doesn’t leave the village, I can just bring the interesting things to her! I’m sure there’s something that will pique her interest!

Oh! She’s waking up! Okay, you guys go have fun! I’m going to get things started!

Nothing like a little Deus Ex Machina to get things going!

***

 

The ringing of bells and the smell of cooking meat woke Tess from her slumber. For a moment, the woman assumed she was back on Earth. Robert was cooking breakfast like he always did with some strange music playing the background.

Tess reached for the cup of coffee he left at her side when he cooked.

The handful of dirt shocked her back to reality.

She opened her eyes to the wooden house from before, the artistic wood paneling around her to give her privacy. Someone had draped a thin brown blanket over her as she slept along with a tough pillow for her to rest her head.

“Just great,” Tess sighed.

“The slumbering beast awakens!” cackled Esti. “You sleep like the dead, girl. A whole night and half a day! I thought you would wake with the morning bells but you wheeled right past it.”

“Surviving without proper equipment will do that to a person,” Tess answered dryly. She stood, pulling the blanket off and folding it up next to the pillow. The inside of her mouth felt like cotton, and Tess smacked her lips together to try and bring a bit of moisture to her dry mouth.

Esti folded back the wood panels and thrust a cup in Tess’s face. “Here, drink this to getcha going.”

Tess grabbed the cup and took a sip. An earthy, tea-like taste washed over her, instantly perking her up.

Esti smirked. “My own special blend. Not even the Lur caste can match the taste.”

“It’s amazing, thank you,” Tess said.

“No trouble,” Esti answered. “Now, get some meat in ya, and then we’ll see about the washing.”

The old woman placed a plate of piping hot sausages in front of Tess. The smell of unfamiliar spices and fat filled her nostrils. Grateful, Tess thanked her host before diving into the food.

“Once you’re finished, I’ll take ya for washing,” Esti said.

After her third sausage, Tess finally had the sense to stop eating. Any more and all that food would come back out the wrong end, and Tess was not about to waste such a delicious meal. She handed her plate back to Esti, who wiped it clean with a pail of water near the stove.

“Alright, come with me,” Esti said.

The woman led Tess out the back of the house. A small garden with a simple dirt path led to a much longer house behind. The houses nearby had the same layout, gardens with small dirt paths leading to this communal building. Other Jejende were walking along as well, many with kids tagging along.

“Bit late for a wash today, don’t you think?” Esti called to one.

A woman turned, pulling along a child with hair the same silver as Mirari’s. “This one here thought he could help his father muck out the stables. Instead, he tripped on top of it.”

Esti howled with laughter. “Now, there’s a story to tell when he’s older. He’ll be right embarrassed.”

The woman chuckled along as she walked into the longhouse. Tess and Esti followed after.

The door opened to a steamy atrium with two long hallways. Above were multiple vents, currently closed so they didn’t let the heat out.

Esti pulled Tess to a hallway on the left. A large bath greeted them, filled to the brim with women and children.

“Hand me the dirty ones when you’re finished and we’ll make sure to get them washed,” Esti said.

Tess nodded, a little put off but unwilling to refuse Esti’s hospitality. Plus, a hot bath sounded like just the thing. “Thank you for all of this.”

Esti waved it off. “Don’t use all your thanks yet. There’s still plenty of day to go. Now, get going. Lubat knows we’ve got enough to do today.”

Washing didn’t take long. The village had done a great job with the bathhouse, making sure there was always enough water and heat. Tess leaned back and soaked in the waters, wishing for the feeling to last forever. However, the sounds of other women and children made Tess a bit uncomfortable, and she eventually left.

She dressed in the same set of robes all the villagers wore, a simple tunic with a belt and some underclothes. They were surprisingly comfortable despite their rough look.

Tess met Esti outside, the woman hawking tea bags to those coming out of the shop. Many were happy to trade with the fiery woman, but Tess also noticed more than a few of the villagers ignored her outright.

“Back already?” Esti asked. “I was sure you’d spend at least another hour inside.”

“I didn’t want to impose more than I already have,” Tess lied. She wasn’t about to tell this woman that bathing with others made her uncomfortable. Not when everyone had already been so accommodating.

“Suit yourself,” Esti said. “We can head back and you can tell me all about yourself.”

Esti led Tess back to her house, where Mirari was already waiting.

“Couldn’t sit outside like a proper person, could ya?” Esti bickered.

“Only because I couldn’t wait one more second to see your face,” Mirari joked.

Esti rolled her eyes. “Save those lines for when a nice girl comes around.”

The two Jejende situated themselves around the central cooling stone, the chilled air a refreshing distraction from the heat of the day. Tess joined them, sitting cross-legged.

“Alright, let’s start the interrogation,” she said.

Mirari smiled. “Don’t worry. You aren’t under suspicion. Many travelers find themselves lost in the Kalbas woods after crossing the mountains or the northern seas. You aren’t the first.”

Tess snorted. “Trust me, if it was something like that I wouldn’t be hesitating. No, I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”

Back! Did I miss anything? Oh, are we doing backstory? You should start with the mountain lion fight! And don’t forget to mention how I saved you!

 

Tess clicked her tongue and dismissed the box. The suggestion from this god only made her want to lie. But she also had no clue what was normal in this world. If she got caught in a lie there was every chance all this hospitality would end. Tess might even end up in jail.

Mirari and Esti waited patiently, neither wanting to pressure the woman. Both knew how difficult it was to make a journey through the woods, and the fact that Tess had survived without much injury showed she had a level of skill.

Tess took a breath. “I’m sure you can already tell that I’m not one of you.”

“Could tell that as soon as you walked into my house,” Esti said. “Pink Jejende don’t exist.”

“Is there anyone who might look like me?” Tess asked.

Mirari shook his head. “I can’t say for certain as I’ve never seen a Hezakian, but the Iparkians have green skin.”

“Right,” Tess said. She took another breath. She rubbed the back of her head, ruffling her still damp hair.

“Grah!” she complained. “Okay. There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to throw it out there and hope it makes sense. I’m not from this world.”