Noah stepped cautiously through the forest. The trees had yellow and purple leaves, but he couldn't see the color very well in the dark green light of the night. He could barely see more than a few feet in front of him as he walked. The ground was covered in grass, dead leaves, and sticks that dug into his bare feet. He was fully nude except for the blanket, which had turned out to be a kind of poncho or tunic that was too big for him and went down to his ankles. He walked slowly to avoid hurting his feet and because he could barely see where he was going.

The torchlight of the bull-people village quickly disappeared behind him, and all that was left was the dim green glow of the huge planet above him. As he walked, he saw that one kind of tree had trunks that were striped with bands of light and dark, and were slimmer, whereas the other trees had thicker, knobbier trunks of a single shade. Besides the trees, there were not many plants on the forest floor. Those that did grow seemed to be green and were starved for light.

The poncho had pockets, so he kept his new belongings in his pockets, except for the basket of food in one hand, which he had already taken a few bites from, and the black-glass short sword in the other.

Despite having seen the valley from above, he had no real idea of where to go. He knew if he kept heading straight, he'd eventually reach the cubic rainbow mountains he had seen, though that could take days. If he turned right, he would end up in a huge area covered in metallic, gray sand. Besides that, he hadn't looked closely at the landscape and didn't know what he might find.

Noah chastised himself for not paying more attention when standing on the hill with a good view of the area. He was always doing things without thinking first, and thinking about it made him feel like shit. Like, why did he go into the village of bull people? He had already had a bad experience with one and knew they couldn't be trusted, but he went right up to them anyway. Not that he had really been harmed. He was in one piece, and had even gained some supplies. But he had been borderline molested by bull people. They forced him to drink their milk, and then covered him in their semen. Why? His penis was still sore under the poncho. He had wiped his face mostly clean, but could still feel the stickiness on his chest. Why did they do that to him? It didn't bother him as much as it should have, but they could have killed him. It was only due to luck that he survived.

Luck... Noah remembered something he had seen on the stats screen before. He stopped, looking around to ensure he was alone, and then closed his eyes. He could see glowing text inside his eyelids.

[Level 2]

[Stats:]
[STR: 10 | DEX: 10 | BOD: 10 | INT: 10 | SOC 10 | LUK 10 | MAG 0 | DIV 0]

[4 stat points available]
[+STR | +DEX | +BOD | +INT | +SOC | +LUK | +MAG | +DIV]

[0/0 Mana]
[0/0 Favor]

[Class: Heretic]
[1 patron available]
[1 class ability available]
[Class abilities:]
[Patron: You have a powerful bond with one of the outer gods. Your current patron is: [Unselected]]

[+Choose patron]

[+Choose class ability]

After reading all this, he opened his eyes and looked into the darkness for a minute to make sure he was alone, and then returned to looking at the screen.

"Four stat points available? How do I?"

Noah suddenly understood that if he chose, he could highlight the stats screen elements starting with a '+' and could mentally click them. He didn't know how he knew this, but he did.

Noah hovered his attention over each of the available stats. Which one to choose? Strength. Dexterity. Body. Intelligence. When Noah saw Intelligence was an option, he immediately clicked it. He felt confused about the world he was in and helpless in the situations he had been in so far. His brain wasn't working fast enough, and if he could get smarter just by clicking a button, he'd do it.

The stats screen displayed [INT: 11]. He clicked the [+INT] button again. [INT: 12 (soft cap reached)]. He tried again, but it didn't work. Apparently, there was a limit.

Noah reflected on his own mind. Did he feel more intelligent? He wasn't sure. How would he know? He thought about it for a minute but didn't think of anything, and returned to looking at the stats.

[Stats:]
[STR: 10 | DEX: 10 | BOD: 10 | INT: 12 (soft cap reached) | SOC 10 | LUK 10 | MAG 0 | DIV 0]

[2 stat points available]
[+STR | +DEX | +BOD | +SOC | +LUK | +MAG | +DIV]

Okay, there's a lot to take in here. Did he not even read all the stats before he chose to put points into Intelligence? How stupid of him! This world is dangerous, and he needed to stop being an idiot if he was going to survive. Okay, he thought, let's look at the stats and think about each one. Strength. Noah wasn't weak, but he wasn't strong either. He supposed that's why he was a 10 Strength. Would being a 12 Strength make him a lot stronger, or only a little stronger? Either way, he doubted it would make him as strong as one of the bull-people, in which case he didn't think Strength was a great option for survival.

Dexterity. Higher dexterity would let him dodge things, shoot crossbows, and so on. He had played video games before; he knew how it worked. There was some appeal to the Dexterity stat. Compared to Strength, it might be better because it is potentially defensive as well as offensive, but there were possibly better options.

Body. This stat seemed generic. Would it make him stronger? Probably not. That's what Strength does. So what? Healthier? Tougher? More resistant to disease? So this is a defensive option. He'd rather just not get hit in the first place. Moving on.

Intelligence. Not an option to upgrade further right now, but worth thinking about. If he wasn't mistaken, Noah did feel smarter. He was thinking things through, at least, and he was actually coming up with reasons for his beliefs rather than just picking stuff that sounded cool. If he put even more points into Intelligence, would he become some kind of genius? That could be very useful.

Social. Maybe a high Social stat would have let Noah talk those bull-people into not hurting him or even letting him stay in their village. But did they even speak English? He didn't know how common people (bull- or otherwise) would be in this world, but this could be a useful stat if they were common. Either way, if he was attacked by a wild animal or a crazy person like the first bull-person he met, it wouldn't help him much.

Luck. Noah didn't know how to feel about Luck. He had no idea how much this would affect the world around him. If it was a lot, this stat could be very valuable. If not, then not.

Magic and Divinity were both at zero, as were Mana and Favor, implying that he could not use magic nor gain favor with the gods. But he was a Heretic. Noah remembered now that a Heretic was someone who goes against a religion. So did he need Divinity or not?

That was it for the stats. Next was his class. Heretic. Apparently, he had to choose a patron and a class ability. Reading the description of the Patron class ability, he saw that as a Heretic, he would be able to form a bond with one of the outer gods, whatever that meant. So maybe he would need Divinity?

Noah mentally clicked the [+Choose patron] button. Immediately his vision went totally black. He began to hear voices.

*The Eye has left him. He can hear us now.* The voice was a whisper in his mind.

A mechanical voice spoke in his head. *FIRE. MISSILES. BLADES. DEATH. I OFFER THE POWER OF A GOD. IN EXCHANGE, I ONLY ASK THAT YOU KILL EVERYTHING LIVING THAT YOU ENCOUNTER. EVERYTHING YOU CAN FIND. END IT ALL. LEAVE NO SURVIVORS.*

Another male voice whispered. *Shut up! We don't have time!*

An erotic female whisper: *Noah, Noah, I can feel your body is hard and ready! Feel my sexual energy flow into you.* Noah immediately felt an intense horniness and pleasure spread from his penis into the rest of his body. His entire body ached with a burning desire for sex. And then, the horniness disappeared as quickly as it came.

*Ahhhh!* screamed the female voice. There was chaos in his head.

*How dare you manipulate the body of the unchosen, harlot!*

*Petition to admonish and punish the Womb with a thousand years of-*

*EVERYONE BE SILENT! TAKE YOUR TURNS OR ELSE-*

*Stop! Please, we have to let him think! He hasn't heard from anyone except the Fist*

*Petition to punish the Womb by preventing and not allowing her to offer herself and her-*

*ENOUGH!* screamed the robotic voice. *ONE AT A TIME! I WILL SACRIFICE RESOURCES TO PUNISH ANY INTERRUPTION! LET US PROCEED IN THE STANDARD ORDER. NOAH, I AM THE FIST. YOU HEARD MY OFFER. POWER TO KILL IN EXCHANGE FOR THE OBLIGATION TO USE IT. NEXT IS THE BRAIN. SPEAK!*

A quiet voice spoke, which had not spoken yet. *Noah. I am the Brain. I catalog information, and I know more than any of the others. I can tell you where you came from and where you are. I can tell you what you need to know to gain whatever you want. I know most of the secrets of this world, and of others. In exchange, I merely demand that you gain more knowledge and share it with me.*

*I've waited long enough!*

*Shut up, Foot! We will all have a turn to speak!*

*Yes! Shut up, shut up, shut up!*

*Fool! What is the point of interrupting? Can't you feel he is intelligent enough to wait to hear from all of us before he chooses?* Noah thought about this. He would have to choose one of these patrons to give him power. But which one?

*SILENCE! NEXT IN THE STANDARD ORDER IS THE SMILE.*

One of the male voices spoke. *Noah. I am the Smile. I will make you happy. I will make everyone happy. Forever and ever. Happy happy happy. I will give you the power to make the world happy.*

That didn't sound so bad. It was worse than making the world miserable. But would a world where everyone was always happy be a better world?

*NEXT IS THE FOOT. SPEAK!*

*Noah. Do not listen to these disgusting machine gods. Do not give them one minute of your time. They have ruined everything. If you feel disgusted at what the world has become, help me destroy it and rebuild it anew. I will give you the power to find what you seek and destroy what is unnatural.*

Okay, nope. Not choosing that guy.

*NEXT IS THE SPERM-*

*I find it unlikely and improbable that he is going to select and choose the Sperm-*

*SHUT UP, EAR! SPEAK, SPERM!*

A chorus of voices spoke into Noah's mind in unison. *We are the Sperm. We are perfection. We offer you perfection. In exchange, you need only give up your identity and become one of the Sperm.*

Become a sperm? Eww.

*THE WOMB IS NEXT. SPEAK, WOMB, BUT DO NOT MANIPULATE THE UNCHOSEN'S BODY AGAIN, OR YOU WILL BE PUNISHED BY ALL!*

Noah heard the horny, breathy female voice moan again into his mind. *Noah, oh my Noah! I am the goddess of sex and reproduction. This world is so scary. Why fight? I can grant you powers of charisma and seduction, and you can fuck instead of fighting. Help me fill the world with your young, Noah!*

Noah admitted he saw the benefit in choosing the Womb. Abilities to allow him to outright avoid combat in this world might be advantageous.

*I am the Ribcage. I protect.*

Noah waited, but apparently, that was all he had to say. Okay.

*NEXT, IT IS THE EAR'S TURN. SPEAK, EAR!*

*Noah. There is much evil and wickedness in this place. You must choose carefully and with great caution. Do not let them appeal to your baser and more primitive emotions. If you seek truth and justice, then form a pact with me, the Ear, and we can improve the world together.*

Now he felt fear. If he chose wrongly, that could be very bad.

A female voice spoke last. *Noah, you must choose a patron quickly. They will compete for your mind and tear you apart. I am the Heart. I do not believe in killing, but I can grant you the power to protect yourself and those you love.*

*THAT IS IT, NOAH,* spoke the harsh voice of the Fist. *YOU HAVE HEARD FROM ALL THE OUTER GODS WHO ARE WILLING TO ACT AS YOUR PATRON. NOW, YOU MUST CHOOSE. INDEED, IF YOU DO NOT CHOOSE QUICKLY, WE WILL DESTROY YOU. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.*

Noah wasn't sure he could even remember all his options. There was the Heart, who seemed like a pacifist. She was against killing, which seemed like a weakness that might get him killed in this harsh world. The Sperm... No. The Smile wanted to make him and everyone happy, which might be a good thing, but it was also creepy-

*Happy happy happy!*

*Be quiet!*

*Choose me, Noah! Choose to return to what once was-*

*No, choose me, Noah! Let your tissues swell with my love!*

The Womb. Noah strongly considered choosing the Womb because the seduction and charisma she would grant would possibly allow him to talk his way out of fighting or other bad situations. However... He decided that he didn't want his story to be *that* kind of story.

*Noah! Noah!*

*Choose quickly, Noah! The others are impatient!*

*CHOOSE, FOOL!*

There was the Fist, who wanted Noah to become a mass murderer. The Brain, who wished to collect knowledge. The Foot. The Ribcage. The Ear. The Foot wanted to destroy technology, it seemed. But Noah liked technology and knew it could be useful.

*Become safe. Do not die.*

*Kill, kill!*

*Happy, happy!*

The voices filled his mind and made it hard to think.

*CHOOSE!*

Okay, the Ribcage would protect him from harm. The Ear would help him seek the truth and justice.

*Choose now, fool!*

*Shut up! Give him time to think!*

*Thinking is for the weak. Those who are truly perfect have already made up their minds.*

It was down to the Brain, the Ribcage, or the Ear. Those were the most strategic options. However... Noah made his decision. The moment he made up his mind, he heard screaming and yelling from many voices at once, yelling for him to change his mind, threatening, insulting, and pleading with him. He ignored the voices and focused on choosing the patron he desired. A menu appeared in his mind.

[+ Fist | + Brain | + Smile | + Foot | + Sperm | + Womb | + Ribcage | + Ear | + Heart]

Noah mentally clicked the [+ Heart] option.

The voices went silent, and Noah could see the stat screen again. He saw that his Patron was now the Heart

[Class: Heretic]
[1 class ability available]
[Class abilities:]
[Patron: You have a powerful bond with one of the outer gods. Your current patron is: the Heart]

[+Choose class ability]

The Heart. It was a last-minute decision, but Noah chose what kind of world he wanted to live in. One where he and those he loved would be safe. One where he didn't have to kill people. Maybe killing would be necessary for his survival. In that case, maybe he would have to die -- or at least piss off his patron. But wasn't it worth trying to live for something better than mere survival?

Now to choose a class ability. He clicked the button and saw a new menu with three options:

[Category: Protection]
[+ Second Chance (passive) - You get a +4 passive bonus to LUK when luck would be the difference between you living and dying.]

[Category: Wellbeing]
[+ Heal Minor Wound [1 favor] - Heal minor scrapes, bruises, or fractures.]

[Category: Pacifism]
[+ Sleep Touch [1 favor] - Activate this ability when touching another creature to cause them to fall asleep. The creature must be capable of sleep. This ability does not force them to stay asleep.]

Noah leaned against the tree next to him, looked around to make sure he was okay, and then closed his eyes again and considered his options.

Second Chance looks very good. Avoiding death is exactly what he wanted. Of course, that depends on how powerful the Luck stat actually is.

Heal Minor Wound looks useful, but Noah's body will already heal minor wounds on its own, right? So this doesn't really give him anything in terms of survival.

Sleep Touch. This could be very useful. But it costs Favor, which Noah doesn't have, meaning he would have to get Favor. He assumed he had to put stat points into Divinity to get Favor. That would prevent him from choosing other stats. And Favor was a limited resource, and who knows how many Favor he got from putting one point into Divinity. One? Ten? And who knows how quickly it recovered, if it did automatically recover at all. There were too many uncertainties around active abilities for Noah to want to take one. For now, he was focused on staying alive. So, he mentally clicked the [+ Second Chance] button. Two new abilities appeared underneath it.

[Category: Protection]
[+ Dash [2 favor] - You dash forward quickly, and can move through obstacles during the dash.]
[+ Purify [1 favor] - You purify food and drink, removing any curse, disease, or poison. You can purify enough food and drink for six people.]

Interesting. More active abilities. Noah would have to put points into Divinity then at some point. He noticed that the abilities he hadn’t chosen, Heal Minor Wound and Sleep Touch, were now faded in appearance. He focused on them, and they brightened again. But then the faded. Apparently, the menu could sense he wasn’t interested in these abilities, and wouldn’t show them anymore unless he specifically focused on them.

He returned to the stats screen and considered where to put his last two stat points. He mentally clicked [+ DIV] once and [+ DEX] once.

[Stats:]
[STR: 10 | DEX: 11 | BOD: 10 | INT: 12 (soft cap reached) | SOC 10 | LUK 10 | MAG 0 | DIV 1]

[0/0 Mana]
[1/1 Favor]

Okay, so one Divinity equals one Favor. Good to know.

Noah opened his eyes. He wasn't sure if he felt like he was more dextrous. He bounced a little on the balls of his bare feet. Not really. Oh well. It was only one point.

He looked out into the forest, which would be pitch black were it not for the faint green light of the massive gas giant hanging in the sky above. Even with the light, he could not see far. He decided it would be best to try to find shelter. So, he started to walk.

He walked for over an hour through the forest. It all looked the same. At one point, he stumbled down a small hill but managed not to drop the food basket. He was walking forward in the direction of the rainbow mountains, though he couldn't see them at all from where he was.

The green darkness surrounded Noah and made him feel afraid. He had been tense ever since he arrived in this world, and he felt tense now. He didn't know what dangers might be lurking in the forest. He walked with caution, sword ready in his hand. Whenever he heard a branch snap or leaves rustle, he turned toward the sound and stared. But nothing happened. He kept walking.

Eventually, he got the feeling that he was being followed. He would hear something behind him and then turn around, and the sound would stop. He couldn't see anything. So he would turn back around to keep walking, but then he'd hear it again. He wanted to shout at whoever was there to stay back, but he wasn't sure that was wise.

If he was being followed through the darkness, there was nowhere he could really go to hide. The forest looked about the same in every direction. Endless trees of yellow and purple bathed in sickly green light.

Something rustled close behind Noah. "Aha!" Noah turned to face the sound and pointed his sword, but he could see nothing. However, he heard a voice speak.

"Do not be alarmed, humanborn."

"Who is it?" Noah's voice wavered.

"I am going to come out from behind this tree. Please do not be alarmed." A white bear, spotted black like a dalmatian, came out from behind the tree. It was standing on two legs but did not appear to be part human or anything. It looked like a bear, and a large one.

"Humanborn, I am Waeldos. You trespass on my territory." The bear spoke, but its mouth did not move, though its eyes looked in Noah's direction.

"Umm, I'm sorry? I didn't know this was your... territory. I can leave if you want."

The bear started to turn around as it spoke. "No, that would not do, humanborn. I do not wish you to leave." As the bear turned to face away from Noah, Noah could see that on its back, embedded in its fur, was a furry human face, which was speaking to him. The eyes of the face were yellow, and the face wore a neutral expression. The face continued to talk to Noah. "I wish for you to stay. Regrettably, I am very hungry. I have not eaten in several weeks and fear for my life. I will eat some of your flesh to replenish myself."

Noah's heart started to pound in his ears as he looked up at the bear. It was several times his size. He looked down at his volcanic glass sword and his basket of food. He didn't think he would have a chance against this bear. He would have to run. But weren't bears really fast?

"Please don't eat me," said Noah. The bear did seem intelligent. Maybe it could be reasoned with. "I have a basket of food. You can have it. Just let me go. I'll just go. Just let me go." He started to slowly back away.

The face of the bear, which was facing away from Noah, sniffed. The human face then spoke. "I have no desire for the foods in your basket. I require living flesh. I will now consume your meat. I am sorry that I have to do this. Prepare to die, humanborn."

The bear charged Noah. Noah turned to run, dropping the basket of food but keeping the sword in hand. He scrambled to get away, but the distance between the two was not great, and the bear was much faster than Noah. He could tell by the heavy thumps on the ground that the bear was almost at him already. He tried to run faster, but he could only go so fast.

The bear took a swipe at Noah's back, but Noah tripped on a tree root at the same time. One of the bear's claws ripped through Noah's tunic and scratched his back, but Noah was spared the killing blow. Noah hit the ground, his jaw bouncing off the dirt. Behind him, Noah heard a deafening impact, and he flinched. He then heard intense growling and roaring.

He turned to look at the commotion and saw a giant bright-green creature the size of a horse had charged the bear, and the two were rolling around on the forest floor, snapping at each other. The beast was a giant green hound with big floppy ears and thick green fur that looked like grass.

Noah saw a woman running toward the combat. Something on her clothes began to glow, lighting up the entire area. She appeared to be an elf, with pointy ears, olive skin, and practical, green clothing. She was holding a bow with an arrow nocked.

The hound got a hold of the bear's side with its mouth and pinned it to the ground. The bear's mouth roared, and its human face screamed in pain. The woman stood next to the bear, pointed her bow down at the bear's head, and released the arrow. The bear went limp. The green hound kept growling and wiggling its head side to side, chewing on the bear.

"Okay, Angel," spoke the woman, "That be enough, girl. Forsake it." The giant hound stopped and looked toward the woman submissively. She reached her hand out and tussled the grass on the side of the huge dog's head. Noah could see now that the creature looked similar to a basset hound, but with grass for fur and a large, pink and yellow flower growing out of the top of her head, which swayed under its own weight. She panted heavily and happily allowed the elf girl to scratch her head.

"End Enlarge Beast," spoke the woman, and the dog shrunk down from the size of a horse to a normal size for a dog. It looked up at the woman with its droopy face and wagged its tail.

She turned to Noah, who was still lying on the ground watching her. She put away her bow, took a glowing stick from her waist, and held it like a torch. "It be blissful to meet ye, fellow humanfolk. Yer in fortune I was faring through these woods, human, else ye would have been devoured, nie?" She smiled. "My name be Chastity, and this be me grasshound, Angel. What be yer name?"

Noah stared for a minute at the woman. Noah found her attractive and her smile cute. Her ears were pointy like an elf, but otherwise, she appeared human. Her light brown skin was flawless. She wore an outfit that covered her legs but left the skin on her arms bare. Her long, black hair was tied up on her head in a way that seemed more for practicality than for fashion. She looked tired. Sweaty and a bit dirty. Not like some perfect, elegant elf from movies Noah had seen. But still, gorgeous.

Noah finally answered after a few seconds of silence. "My name is Noah. Uh, thank you for saving me. What the hell was that thing? I thought it was a bear?"

"Truly, I have no knowledge of what that thing was. I'm just blithe it's dead, nie? Ye have Angel to thank for that more than me. Are ye hurt?"

Noah noted that he thought her high-pitched, breathy voice was cute. Her accent reminded him of Irish or something. He wasn't ashamed to admit he was attracted to her. She was beautiful and about his age or a bit older. Early twenties, maybe. Although, in movies, elves could be a lot older than they looked, right?

"Uh, yeah, I'm hurt a bit. It scratched my back. It doesn't feel like it was deep or anything. And I hit my jaw pretty hard." Noah rubbed his jaw with his hand.

"Aww, poor wretch. Alright, let me behold your wound. Angel, this be a friend." She pointed at Noah. "His name be Noah, nie?" Angel wagged her green tail and tromped toward Noah, sniffing his bare legs. The stem of the flower on Angel's head bent as she walked, causing it to bob with each step. "Hither, turn ye about, and let me see." She bent down, and Noah turned around so she could see his back. His tunic was ripped open on the back, and underneath was a large scratch across his entire back.

"Yea, yer fortunate that yer wound be not deep. I shall care for yer wound soon, but first, we ought to raise a camp, but if ye dwell nearby?"

"No," replied Noah after he deciphered her archaic-sounding English. "I don't live near here. I don't really know where I am. I'm lost."

"I see. Woeful child. Aye, I am also far from home and lost, too, in a manner. Well, I have a tent we can sleep in for the night, and we'll have a fire and cook the bear's meat. This seems like a fair stead for a camp, nie? Be that to yer liking?"

Noah nodded and stood up. He saw that he was quite a bit taller than Chastity, by nearly a foot. Looking down at her, he saw that she was looking up at him with her eyes pointed up, but as soon as he made eye contact, she looked away. Standing so close, Noah felt intimidated by her beauty, and he, too, looked away.

Chastity set down a backpack and her bow and quiver. She started to set up a tent. Angel was still sniffing at Noah's legs and jumped up on him to sniff his hand. He pet Angel on the head, around Angel's head-flower's stem, scratching at her grass fur. It really felt like grass, though there was skin beneath rather than dirt.

"Ey!" said Chastity. She was looking away from Noah and Angel, but could tell that Angel had jumped up on Noah. "Forsake it, girl!" Disappointed, Angel put her front paws back down on the ground and walked over to Chastity, sniffing at the tent and bedroll. Noah walked toward them, intending to ask if he could help her set up the tent in some way, but she anticipated his question.

"Don't fret, Noah. I don't need yer aid to raise the tent. It shall but take a moment. The tent would hold us both, but ruefully, I have but one bedroll. And it would be unfitting for us both to share the tent anyway. Yer a stranger, after all, nie? So I shall allow ye to have the tent for yerself. I'll slumber on the earth by the fire. It should be warm enough. Can ye kindle a fire?"

Noah, not wanting to feel useless, nodded his head yes. Chastity turned back toward the tent, and then one second later, Noah realized he did not, in fact, know how to start a fire. He immediately dismissed the idea of telling her that. He was attracted to her and didn't want to seem incapable.

"Angel, fetch the flint and steel for Noah," she said. Angel plodded over to the backpack, pulled out a small pouch from the open front pocket, and returned to Noah, dropping the bag at his feet. He bent down and picked up the pouch, stopping to scratch Angel on the head. She leaned gratefully into his scratches.

"Good girl. Good doggo."

"Doggo?" Chastity smiled, looking at Noah. "Ye mean dog? As in, hound? What kind of speech be this? Where are ye from, Noah? What be yer kind?"

"Uh, my kind? I'm from Canada. Toronto. I don't know what you mean by kind, though."

"Yer kind. As if she be a hound. I be an elf. What are ye?"

"Oh," said Noah. She was asking about his species. "Human. I'm a human."

"I bless ye. Clearly, yer humanfolk! What manner of human are ye? Yer not a gnom, nie a longfolk. Nie are ye one of the shadowfolk. What are ye?"

Noah's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He fiddled with the pouch. "Uh, I'm not anything like that. I'm just a normal human."

"A normal human? What do ye mean by that? True humans have been dead for many a thousand year. Ye mean yer an elfblood? Ye look elfish, but yer ears are round, yer eyes are blue, and yer skin be full fair. I don't think yer an elf."

"No," replied Noah, "I'm not an elf. I'm a regular old human. Both of my parents were human."

She squinted her eyes at Noah. "Ye call yer kind human? Be that not muddling?"

"What?"

"Leads that not to confusion, ye naming yerselves human?"

"I don't know what you mean. I'm human. Maybe you don't understand because I'm not really from here. I just woke up here. But I'm from far away. Another world, I think. Or another planet or something."

Now Chastity seemed even more confused and looked at him like he was an alien. Not inaccurately. "Yer not of this world? Of this planet? How may that be possible?"

"I don't know, I just woke up here in a cave up that way. There were these orange mushrooms everywhere. I went to bed in my bed, on my planet, and woke up here."

"Ye be of a planet? Not of the Earth?"

"The Earth is a planet. And yeah, I'm from Earth, but not this Earth. A different Earth."

Chastity took a deep breath and exhaled audibly. "Alright, well, let us ready the camp, nie? We may speak more afterward." She turned back toward the half-set-up tent and started putting it together.

Noah walked a few steps away from the tent to the edge of the light of Chastity's glowing torch stick and dug a little hole for a fire with his hands. Sticks were plentiful on the forest floor, so he gathered several of them and put them in the hole. He eventually got the flint and steel to make sparks, but the sparks just landed on the wood and went dark. Damn it. He looked over at Chastity. She was setting up the tent still, reaching far above her head to tie something together. She was looking away from him so he was free to stare at her body without getting caught. His eyes stuck like glue to her ass for a few seconds before he pulled his gaze away. She was so beautiful, he thought.

Focus. Noah tried again to light the sticks, but the sparks just went out. He tried for several minutes but failed. Damn. Chastity would think he was useless. If he couldn't even light a fire, how would he get her to keep him around long-term? He knew he was already jumping way ahead, but Chastity was the first person who seemed remotely normal in this world, and she felt safe, and he didn't want to lose her so soon after meeting her. He thought about it and realized that he needed kindling of some kind for the sparks to catch on fire, which would then light the bigger sticks he had gathered.

He was going to stand up and look for something to use as kindling, but he saw that Chastity had walked up to him. Startled, he almost fell over. Chastity laughed.

"I bless ye, Noah! I was but coming hither to give ye this." She held out a stack of thin bark to him. "Ye'll have need of kindling to light the fire." She smiled at him in a way that was teasing, but not mocking.

He smiled back, embarrassed. "Sorry, I've never lit a fire. But I did know that you need kindling. I was just about to get up and get some, actually."

She rolled her eyes, smiling, and went back to the tent, which was nearly finished. With the kindling, Noah managed to light the fire without much trouble. Soon, he was walking around the edge of the radius of light given off by the fire and gathering more and bigger sticks. Chastity finished setting up the tent and turned off her light rod now that there was enough light from the fire.

When Noah returned to the fire with an armful of sticks, he saw Chastity cutting meat from a white arm with black spots that she had taken from the bear. She threw a piece to Angel, who gobbled it up and then sniffed the dirt where it had landed, licking the dirt. She then threw one of the bones to Angel, who began to munch on it happily.

Noah sat down next to her. He wanted to be close to her, so he sat quite close. She didn't seem to mind.

"I'm taken aback, Noah. Ye have built a mighty fire! Yer wound doesn't pain ye much, does it?"

"No," said Noah, "it just stings a bit." He looked into the fire. "Honestly, the mental wounds from today are worse than the physical ones. I'm not used to this world at all. It seems so dangerous. I feel like I'm gonna die if I make one mistake."

Chastity continued cutting bear meat into small pieces and setting them on a large rock close enough to the fire that they would slowly cook. "Poor wretch. I bless ye. Ye say ye woke up here today? Ye've been through much since waking up?"

Noah was silent for a few seconds as he stared into the fire. He sighed. "Yeah. I had to kill this crazy bull person who was trying to murder me. I think he ate some of the orange mushrooms and went crazy or something. Then I met a village full of the bull people, and they seemed nice at first, but then they forcibly washed my body, and then they sexually assaulted me. I have no idea why, but they didn't seem mean. They might have been trying to help me. Maybe the orange goop on my body was dangerous, and they saved my life. I don't know. But they did it, and then they kicked me out of the village."

Chastity's caring face transitioned to a more serious expression. "I'm sorry, Noah, but I know not what that means."

Noah looked at her. Her face was blank. "You mean sexual assault?"

"Aye, I know not what that means. Sorry, Noah. Let us speak of something else." She looked away from Noah and continued cutting up and cooking the meat.

"You don't know what the term sexual assault means? It means they forced themselves on me, sexually. They held me down, and they..." Noah trailed off.

"I know not what that word means either, Noah. I am sorry."

"Sex? You don't know what sex is?"

Chastity looked away from Noah into the darkness of the woods. "Nie, Noah. I know not."

"Really? Like, when two people, you know. When they take off their clothes."

"Noah, please. Let us speak of something else." She was stern.

"Oh, okay..." Noah looked at Chastity. She seemed offended or upset. Noah felt a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. Had he said something wrong? Had he done something wrong again already in this stupid world?

After nearly a minute of silence, Chastity looked down and then back at Noah. She whispered to him. "I am truly sorry, Noah. I have never known the cowfolk to do anything like that." She looked away again. Noah did not reply. She offered him some bear meat, and he ate. It was tasty but chewy.

As he chewed on the last of his bear meat, she told him to turn around. He let out a gasp and tensed the muscles in his back as he felt cool water being poured onto the wound, which was cold on his skin and stung his wound.

"I'm rueful I have not any healing abilities nie things, Noah. Sorry. This'll only smart for a moment." Chastity rubbed Noah's wound with a cloth while she poured the water, and he flinched at the pain.
She then applied a bandage to cover the wound. Noah liked the intimacy of her touching his back.

"There ye go, Noah." He turned around to face her again. "The wound be nie deep, so it should heal of its own. Sorry I cannie do better. I'm a Beastmaster, so I nie have no healing abilities."

A Beastmaster? He looked down at Angel, who was chewing on a chunk of tough Bear meat like him. She looked pathetic at her current size, but Noah had seen the damage she could do when she grew in size.

"Beastmaster? Is that one of the classes? I thought this world only had Warrior, Mage, Heretic, and Leader, right?" asked Noah.

"Aye, those be the base classes. Are ye verily from another world, Noah? I bless ye."

"How come you keep saying you bless me? Are you religious?" asked Noah.

Chastity threw back her head and laughed out loud. Noah felt embarrassed but also noted how radiant she looked when she laughed by the light of the fire. "Bless, Noah! I'm not saying 'I bless ye'. I'm saying 'Eye bless ye', as in, may the Eye bless ye. I'm not sure what ye mean by religious, Noah, but I am full devout in me worship of the Eye. Are ye not? The Eye has given us everything; may he look over us all."

"I see." Noah gulped. Chastity was a worshipper of the Eye. The Eye was not one of the options he was given to choose from for his patron as a Heretic. And from the way she talked about it, the Eye must be the main God of the world. Noah decided he would not tell Chastity that he had chosen Heretic as his base class if he could avoid it. It might offend her, and if it did, he would be all alone again. "Anyway, you were telling me about your class?"

"Aye. Names are given commonly to a class based on the abilities ye take in the class trees. The Leader class has many class trees, and I have taken three abilities in the class tree having to do with beasts. So I am called a Beastmaster. What's yer base class, Noah? Or are ye level one, since yer not of this world?"

"Yeah, I'm still level one. I guess I didn't gain the ability to level up until I woke up in this world, so..."

"I see. Well, ye'll be weak so long as yer level one. The difference betwixt levels be full big. Ye can travel with me for now if ye will, Noah. Ye might not be good in a fight, but I could use yer help in hewing wood, bearing the bear's meat, and such things. Aye?"

Noah nodded. "Okay. I'll stick with the two of you for now." Noah looked at her and felt grateful that he met her. She was strong and capable. She could protect him. "Thank you. I mean it." She could save him from all the terrible things that might happen to him while he was stuck in this world. There was probably no going home, he knew. Travel between worlds could not be common, otherwise his own world would have had reports of visitors from this one. He would likely never see his mom and dad again, nor his sister. He wouldn't see his friends either.

Noah's eyes started to water. He tried to wipe them away without Chastity noticing. He wasn't sure if she saw him out of the corner of her eye, but if she did, she said nothing.

He then asked, his voice cracking as he spoke, "So, where are you going? You said you're far from home? You said you were traveling, right?"

Chastity nodded with a serious expression. "I am from the elfish city of Hoomtree. It be full far from hence. I have come this long way to beseech succor from the longfolk. I am a messenger of sorts for my kin, and the longfolk are said to have a cure for the sickness that grieves my kin."

"Oh wow. Sounds important," said Noah. "This disease, is it bad? Like, a pandemic?"

"I know not what yer word means, but aye, the malady has gone through the city, and it slays so many, rich and poor alike. If I return with the cure, I may save my kin."

Noah's gratitude turned to adoration. "Wow, so you're like a real hero." He looked at her with a slight smile on his face. "I think you're really cool, Chastity."

She smiled a bit and looked away from him. "Nie, Noah. I am but trying to save my kin and the folk I care for. That makes me a hero not."

"If you say so," said Noah, still smiling. "But you saved me, didn't you? I think that makes me a hero. You could have let me die, right? You didn't have to save me."

"Well, we humanfolk must cleave together, nie? That bear was a peril and must have been slain."

Still looking at her, he said, "Well, you saved my life, so I'm grateful Chastity. To you, and you too, Angel. Both of you. If I can help you on your journey to ask the longfolk for a cure, I'll do it. It's the least I can do. And it's not like I have anything better to do."

Chastity turned her head, looking Noah in the eyes, and smiled gratefully but didn't speak. The two maintained eye contact for a few seconds. The eye contact made Noah's heart flutter. He felt like he was in love. He felt like he was in love with her already. He couldn't help it. She was amazing, and kind, and beautiful. She looked away.

"Chastity?"

"Aye?" she replied, while still looking down at her hands.

He leaned toward her slightly. "Can I kiss you?"

She looked up at Noah in shock, her mouth open. Then, a second later, she regained her composure and spoke in a level voice. "I know not what that means, Noah. I know not the meaning of that word."

Noah frowned in confusion. "What, 'kiss'?"

She spoke in a distant voice, still avoiding eye contact. "Aye. I know not that word, Noah. I am sorry."

"You've never kissed someone? Like, where you touch your lips to theirs?"

Chastity sighed. "I am sorry, but I understand ye not. I like ye, Noah, in sooth I do. I feel a strong feeling toward ye, even though yer a stranger to me. I can see that ye have a kind, genuine heart. But I know not what yer speaking of."

Noah was confused. Was she pretending to not understand what a kiss is? Or did elves not kiss. Did they not have sex? Noah found the idea of a species that didn't have sex bizarre, even though he himself had never had sex. Well, he kind of hadn't, anyway.

"Do elves not...? You know? How are elves created? You have parents, right?"

Chastity looked back at Noah warily and responded. "Yea, Noah, I do have parents, as ye say. I have a mother and a father. All humanfolk do."

"Right, and so how did your parents create you?"

Chastity looked stressed again. She opened her mouth to explain, but paused for a second and then responded. "I know not, Noah! That's only for them to know. I know of it nothing! Mayhaps, I'll know one day, when I be ready to have children of me own. But for now, I know nothing."

"I see. But how do you not know? Do you really not know? Do you not know how men and women are different?"

"Noah, let us speak of less unholy matters, nie? This be not seemly for us to speak on. Not even if we were mates! To do it be one thing, but to speak of it be another!"

Okay, so she knows what sex is. She just doesn't want to talk about it. Noah was momentarily excited when she said that to do it is one thing, but to speak of it is another, because it implied that even though she may not be willing to speak about it, she may be willing to do it... Noah tried to get ahold of himself.

"I'm sorry, Chastity. I didn't mean to offend you. I'm just interested in learning about you. Tell me more about elves and what they're like. I've never met one before. Are they all so beautiful?" Now he was trying his luck, but he was feeling flirtatious, and comfortable by the glowing fire.

Chastity did smile a bit in response to his compliment. "Nie, Noah, they're usually more beauteous than I. I'm deemed hideous by most elves. Look at my ears! And my dark skin! And I'm so thin, it's uncomely. And my ears!"

Noah looked down at her body. It was thin, but she had perky boobs, a good body shape, and a nice, round ass. It's not like she was starving to death. "I think you look perfect. Everything about you is beautiful." He meant it. She may be ugly among elves, but among humans, she was stunning. Her ears just looked like elf ears, and Noah had no opinion of them. As for her dark skin, Noah thought it was beautiful too.

She looked away, blushing and smiling. "I thank ye, Noah." Her smile persisted as she continued. "Anyway, ye asked me about elves, nie? Elves are one of the most advanced humanfolk on Earth. We have vast cities made entirely of wood, as metal and stone are unholy building materials. We live comfortable lives compared to some of the other humanfolk. We are more civilized than the other folk. Others are barbarous, or at least crude, but we are polished and holy. Other kind mock us for our laws and rituals, but laws and rituals make folk civilized, nie?"

Noah had to admit that he was getting some racist vibes from Chastity from the way she talked about other species. But, if the other species of this world were anything like those horrid cowfolk, he couldn't blame her at all. Fuck those fucking things. "Yeah, true. Rules and stuff are good. You said you live in wooden cities. Doesn't that mean, like, they could be destroyed by a single fire?"

Chastity chuckled. "Nie, Noah. There has not been a serious fire in an elven city for many a century. We have protocols for quenching fires fast, and if a fire gets out of control, a Mage can put it out using magic. Some of our important edifices are enchanted against fire using magic."

"I see."

"What about ye, Noah? What be yer world like?"

Noah thought about it. "Well, it's very advanced, technologically. We have cars and airplanes -- which are flying vehicles -- and we have technology that lets us communicate with anyone else on Earth instantly."

She looked at him wide-eyed. "Are ye lying? Trying to beguile me? Ye cannie be in earnest! That must be potent magic."

"Well, that's the thing," Noah said. "There's no magic in my world at all."

"None?" exclaimed Chastity loudly. Angel looked up at her momentarily and then returned to chewing on the bear bone Chastity had tossed her.

"No, none. We don't have classes, or levels, or magic. Everything we accomplish is with technology."

"Technology? I guess ye mean craft? As in, the use of skill, rather than sorcery?"

"Yes," replied Noah. "We basically use very fast signals of light to send messages up into space, and then back down to Earth. Sorry, this is hard to explain." Noah rubbed his sore jaw. "I guess it doesn't really matter. The point is that on my planet, we have only one species. Humans. That's it. And, at least where I'm from, people are generally safe. They don't attack each other or steal from each other, or molest each other, or try to eat each other. If life is stressful, it's because of pressure others put on us, or that we put on ourselves, rather than, like, monsters trying to kill us."

"Yea, we elves have some of that, too. Ye name yer kind 'humans', yea? Some folk speak that in the yore of this Earth, there once was a folk called humans who were the only kind on the Earth. And all humanfolk descend from those men. Mayhaps yer world be like the yore of this world."

Noah thought about this. "Maybe. Or maybe this world is the future of my world. Maybe I got flung into the future somehow. I have no idea how, but it should be possible, right?"

"That would be wonderly, but quainter things have happened, nie? If ye are soothly a true human, then ye would be stronger and slyer and better than all the other folk, though. Feel ye like yer more high than elves, or longfolk, or greenfolk? Ye seem like a weakling to me!" Chastity flashed a teasing smile.

"Hey!" Noah replied. "Maybe I am better than you, miss pointy ears!"

Chastity smiled wide and touched her ears. "Ye verily think they're sharp?"

Noah furrowed his brows, still smiling. "Uh, yeah. They look pretty pointy to me. Why?"

Chastity kept smiling, touching the tips of her ears with her fingers. "I thank ye, Noah. Ye do me a great honor. Most elves bear longer ears than I."

"Well, I'm sure no elves have ears as short as mine, right?" joked Noah. She smiled at that.

"I guess ye would have low standards for ears, Noah. I'm astounded that ye can hear me at all with those things!"

"Hey!" Noah smiled and gently smacked her on the arm. Chastity shrunk away from the touch, and her smile vanished instantly.

"Noah, ye must not touch me in such wise. It's unholy for an elf to make contact with another soul who be not her mate. Ye comprehend?"

Noah's face became worried. He hadn't meant to offend her. "Sorry! I didn't know."

"It's alright, Noah. Now ye know."

"I do have a question, though." Noah knew he was risking offending her again, but he asked anyway. "How do elves choose their mates? Like, you and I aren't mates, but if we decided to become mates, how would that happen."

Chastity sighed, still wearing a dour expression. "If ye must know, when an elf swain meets an elf maiden he desires to take as a mate, he abducts her and bears her to a church of the Eye." Noah looked shocked at this. "There, he pleads her to be his wife, and their kinsfolk are summoned, and they egg her on to consent if they like the swain. And if she does, then they are wed straightaway."

"I see. So hypothetically, like, I'm not saying you and I would ever be mates, but even if we wanted to be, we wouldn't be able to because we're not in an elf city, right?"

"Ye, that's sooth. Why, Noah? Do ye desire to take me as a mate?" Chastity smiled teasingly at him.

"Uh, I'm not saying that; I just mean.."

"It's alright, Noah. I would not be averse to being stolen away by ye and borne to the church of the Eye. I like ye much. Ye are kind and merry. Mayhaps one day. Only the Eye knows what the future brings; may he lead our path." She made a gesture, touching her eyelids with one finger each and dragging her hand down her face.

Noah's heart raced. "You would really marry me so soon? We just met."

"I know it be different for most folk, but elves tend to wed full hastily. Mostly, the wooer that bears a damsel to the church be unknown to her. A maiden may be led to the church by a diverse swain once, twice, five times, or mayhaps ten times ere she assent to wed one. But they are all strangers to her, commonly. Elves mostly do not take other elves of the contrary sex as friends."

"I see." Noah looked at her. He did not expect things to move so quickly with her. They were talking about the possibility of marriage, and he just met her today. Noah's ex had been with him for six months, and they never mentioned the topic of marriage at all. On the other hand, his ex had sucked his dick, whereas he could make almost no contact with Chastity. He had no idea whether or not he would marry her one day. He was not ready to marry anyone. He had just shown up in this damned world today! But she was beautiful. And a delightful person. It wouldn't be a terrible fate, to be married to her.

He looked into her eyes, smiling. She looked back and smiled back. The two stared into each other's eyes by the light of the fire for several minutes, looking at each other. Neither spoke. Noah soon realized he was getting very tired and yawned, breaking their staring contest.

Noah excused himself to the tent to go to sleep. Chastity said she would be out by the fire with Angel if he needed anything. When he entered the tent, he looked back at the fire and saw her lying by the fire, idly touching the tips of her ears.

He lay down inside the tent, his hard dick uncomfortably rubbing against the inside of his tunic underneath him, thinking about her. It was too bad he couldn't touch her or at least kiss her. How he would love to kiss her. To hold her long, black hair in his hand, and grip her dark boobs with the other... He fell asleep fantasizing about her.