Novel G.I.S.T.!

Generic Isekai Story Time!​

Temujin is unceremoniously deported to a fantasy world and now must navigate it in search of their friends, both new and old.

got sick of waiting for the wandering inn audiobooks so im writin this in the meanwhile. less fanfiction more a rip off(or heavily inspired if you're kind.)

This is being coposted on scribblehub as well, so leave reviews there if you like.

Table of Contents:

• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3

 

Chapter 1:

Spoiler

It's the end of the semester of uni, and Temujin is absolutely fucked, and that's not an overstatement. High school was a breeze as long as you buckled down and studied, but god the teachers, those beautiful caring bastards.

Compared to high school teachers, the "instructors" in uni courses were a bunch of louts too uncaring to learn how to teach, a skill Temujin didn't know a teacher could be appointed without.

From class to class all they did was watch youtube videos, look at pictures and talk, which was all part of their lesson plan. So during the semester active, every student thought they were fine. Though the assignments were tricky students could stumble their way through them, but those finals.

God those finals, stripped any sense of self-confidence and assurance Temujin had left and replaced them with spite and malice.

At least it was over now and they had the entirety of the break to look forward to. A whole free month, until they had to go back and do it all over again.

Temujin turns onto their stomach and groans into their pillow, their legs kicking their bed. Their mum hears the noise like superman would an ant fart and slams her hand against a wall downstairs. The sound reverberates up into their bedroom and is proceeded by the worst noise in existence.

"Temujin! Get down here this instance!"

You'd think the university would entitle a person to some modicum of respect, but not according to every Asian parent.

Buzz buzz buzz buzz, their phone begs for attention. It'd be cute if it wasn't so annoying.




The time is 12:05 pm, and it hasn't been even five minutes since they awoke, but the world is already closing in on them. A million dollars and a deadly snail was it?

They check which app alerted them, it's Messenger. They check which group and of course, it's their mates. Temujin Sighs and checks it.

"What about the bowlo?" asks Emilia.

"So our conversations can be broken up every time it's someone's turn? no thank you," replies Themis.

"How about we just go to the pub and figure the rest out from there?" says Salazar.

Everyone about agrees and Temujin is about to close the app before Themis interjects.

"Well well well, look who's up," she says.

"Oh hey Temujin! allg?" asks Emilia.

"whatup," says Salazar.

Temujin sighs and replies. It's not like it's a chore to have to reply but being caught like that doesn't feel very good. Like you're peeping, well they were peeping.

"Mornin, yeah I'm allg with the pub, cya there." They reply.

They shut off their phone before the barrage of messages traps them in conversation and get up from their bed.

No way they're going to the Bowlo. The last time they went they were already increasing prices, god knows how high it is now. Plus even though having to go have your turn would provide a break all the inane background music would just annoy even more.

Anyway, it's not like they dislike their friends, or even that they don't wanna talk, it's just not in them at the moment. After that hell of an exam, the period conversation is the last thing in their mind, not that their high school consolers ever understood that.

Because apparently their "anti-social behaviour" was inexcusable. Something to fix not understand. Temujin likens themselves to an old iPhone, they can do basically what anyone else is capable of, but after 2 hours or so they'll need a recharge.

They grab some clothes and give them a sniff, not rancid but nowhere near pristine, they'll do. They put them and some slippers on. Their mum is calling with increasing intensity, they reply "Gonna take a shower mum!". After a few minutes of chastising they let up. Mum wants the best but thinks of them as 13, not 19 and so micromanages.

After a quick shower and some breakfast, they'll make it to the pub in about a half-hour. For the first time in the morning Temujin smiles, they hadn't seen their friends in the whole two weeks that the exams were on. They were excited to talk and discuss everything that was happening, even though they had already been online, but it's just not the same.

Temujin turns their cramped room door knob and opens it. They're hit with a gust of wind that throws them onto their back.

"Argh!" they yell.




Lightly dazed by the sudden push, Temujin scrambles to get up on their feet soon enough. before they can wonder about what just happened, they notice something peculiar.

Instead of the usual eggshell white walls, their door frame was surrounded by a scenic view. They look to the frames surrounding and see sandstone monoliths protruding every so often from a desolate landscape. They rub their eyes and twist to get a better look at their surroundings.

sand, sand, and more sand surrounds them as they twist to get a better view. They stretch as far as they can and trip, falling onto their ass as they try to see if any corner of their room remained.

As if this was all just an incredible prank by some genius mentalist. They'd seen the shows, they know that it'd be possible, but those mesas dissuaded them from thinking so.

They protruded higher than any mountain they'd seen and were large enough to be considered proper islands in an ocean of void, but the cream at the top were the bleached white Aurelian walls that sat atop each mesa.

Finally, Temujin looks up and sees a familiar sight, the sun, but what was strange were the various dark dots whipping through the sky.

Their first thought was helicopters, then taking into count their speed, planes, but as one particular dot grew larger and larger there was no doubt in their mind as to what they were, wyverns.

Their flight or fight kicks in and they surely couldn't choose to fight, as they scramble to their feet and run in the exact opposite direction of the flying beast.

As they run they turn back and see a shadow in the distance, speedily closing in. they aren't exactly at the peak of health, but even they have a good sprint in them. They run as fast as their feet'll carry them.

They turn once again and see that their effort was for naught as the wyvern only picked up in speed as it swooped.

Temujin's brain goes a mile a minute thinking, devising, and planning, but their feet act before anything else. As the creatures closed in enough to be discernable, they jump to their left to dodge its avian claws.

In a split second they find out if their gambit worked, and as they see their door frame grow smaller and smaller beneath them they know that it did not.




A bandaged arm holds Temujin from the top of the creature's back. Their head whips back to see what appears to be a mummy dressed in roguish armament atop a saddle. The mummy, or rather fully bandaged man looks down and smiles.

"Peace be unto you, friend," it says in a deep growly voice.

A strange calmness suppresses Temujin's racing heart and instils serenity within them. Now calm they take a better look at the creature they were riding on.

Their eyes follow its red scaly skin down its back as it narrows into a tail that peculiarly bends up and into a grotesque snake's head. It bares its long dagger-like fangs and hisses at Temujin, black poison overflowing from its mouth like saliva.

"Ahh!" They scream, any sense of peace gone from their mind.

They kick their legs wildly and try to wiggle for freedom, forgetting about their ever-increasing altitude.

One foot makes contact with its hard scale-bound face, but instead of deflecting the beast, it becomes lodged within its maws.

Sharp pains cry out from their foot as it loses all sensation. A sense of internal dread unlike that of which they'd ever experienced takes control of them. A sickly feeling of doom protrudes through their foot and into their leg. Temujin looks back in a cold sweat as visible black veins encroach on their body.

The creature looks at its handiwork with a glint of pride in its eyes. The man's grip on Temujin tightens as they look back and find the culprit for their screams and the subsequent lack thereof.

"Huliq! Stop that at once!" he yells.

Huliq lets go of Temujin's foot immediately and shrinks back like a dog caught on the furniture.

"I'm sorry for that my friend, you know how amphista are, it's always the smaller heads that are the most mischievous," he says exasperated.

"I am Vell the Ragman, and you are... human?" he trails off surprised.

Vell stares slackjawed at Temujin. In his stupor, he lowers the reigns he has wrapped around his hand and the amphista nose dives. He reflexively pulls it back up and it groans in anger. Vell looks at Temujin up and down and stops at the black veins now at their thighs.

"Wait, so then the poison will have an effect!" he yells.

The last thing Temujin hears are the twin roars of the amphista as their vision blots out into the darkness, and it jets through the sky.




"Human, do you hear me?" Vel's deep voice wakens Temujin from their slumber.

They instinctively try to open their eyes but their eyelids remain welded shut. A faint smell of ammonia permeates the room.

"Hear me now, you must not succumb to the darkness." Vel implores.

Temujin, now fully awake in mind, breaks out in cold sweat. What was happening to them? Why couldn't they move their body? Is this it? Are they dead?

"Human, I will not ask again," says Vel with a note of finality.

The growing smell of ammonia suddenly spikes as what feels like two daggers puncture through Temujin's nostrils and wash over their entire body with waves of disgust. Their lungs go into overdrive, then their heart pumps maniacally and finally their torso shoots up and off the rope bed on which they lay and their eyes dart around their new environment.

It appears to be a large sandstone cave with one notable omission, the lack of a fourth wall. Instead, an epic view of the sand wastes is open and bare to see, free from any railing or guard.

Shelves, tables and furniture of all kinds are either carved into or out of the sandstone, even the rope beds frame which would normally need a material of greater shear force stays unperturbed.

"It is good that you are awake."

Vel puts a lid on the small jade cup in his hand and stows it away on a shelf, besides many other jade containers, all labelless.

"If that didn't work I'd've most likely just thrown you out," he says casually.

Temujin stares at Vel, still trying to put themselves together again. Taking a better look at Vel, Temujin notices that his figure is very human-like, almost appearing like a burn victim; any skin visible underneath his bandages is a scarred pink. However, it is obvious from his pure black sclera and almost glowing emerald iris that he's very much not. They walk over to the bed.

"It's okay, peace be unto you," with his words an eerie calmness takes hold of Temujin.

Vel collapses into a chair next to the bed, apparently exhausted by whatever strange power he just used.

"D-did you just, force me to be calm?" Temujin asks.

Vel chuckles and says "I expend such efforts to save you human, and your very first words to me are not of thanks, but that of accusation? It is sad to see the old customs all but abandoned."

A thousand questions race around Temujins mind, what old customs, who are you, where are we, what are you, but one question reigned supreme.

"How do I go back home?" they say with a nervous twinge, already knowing the answer to their question.

For the first time since they'd seen him, Vel frowns. He contemplates the question for a moment, looking out into the sepia wastes. Finally, he answers.

"Home? You are far, far away from home human, but mine is welcome to you."

As calm as their mind may be, their heart shudders in grief. A feeling of phantom activity permeates through their chest as if a ghost were holding their heart in its hands. Tears flow unfettered down their face and after a moment of still processing, they break down into sobbing.

Their home is gone. Their mum, their dad, their entire family and then there were their friends. Emilia, Themis, Salazaar. They'd been inseparable since primary school, and now they were gone. It was only now that Temujin realised that they were more than friends or even best friends. They were their sisters and brother.

Temujin lets out a wailing cry that seems to shock Vel. He pushes himself off the chair and onto the be, then embraces Temujin.

Temujin accepts the hug and cries into the cloth-wrapped shoulder of the alien. Uncaring of the impossibility of his existence. Reality is as you see it, and all Temujin saw was a man who'd taken them from a sandy wasteland to their home, even if they were poisoned on the way there. Vel was their saviour.

After ten or so minutes of crying and consoling both Temujin and Vel sat at a low table on a mat in the corner of the room. Temujin poked a spikey green cactus with an emerald green knife.

"Whats that meant to do? Scare the cactus into shedding its skin? How ingenious!" says Vel with deadpan sarcasm.

As Temujin had been talked down by him they'd gotten to know his love of sarcasm. Which in all honesty was a favourite of theirs as well. They think that Vel would have been a natural fit in Australia.

"Why do you even want me to cut cactus? Cant we just drink some water?" asks Temujin.

After all that crying and running earlier, they were sorely lacking in hydration. They'd asked Vel for some and he'd directed them to a mat to sit at and plopped a green knife, cutting board and cactus before them.

"Water? Temujin you must understand that I am more of a pauper than a prince." he smirks and continues "Besides! Cactus tastes as delicious as the finest of cuisine if you're thirsty enough."

Temujin wasn't much of a cook back home but cutting skin off is as easy as saying it. They take the knife to the cactus and it glides through as if there were nothing there at all.

"No wonder knife geeks were always on about whetstones," they think "his feels incredible!"

They cut off each side, then it's top. Leaving the cactus looking like a melon with its rind removed. They cut off a small wedge of cactus, put the knife down and take a bite.

Although hesitant at first they beam when they find that it tastes familiar.

"It's like a cucumber! Only not so... cucumbery" they exclaim.

Vel smirks and replies "So it's like a cucumber, but not like a cucumber.".

"Yes!" Temujin replies.

They both smile and laugh, though Vel does more a hearty chuckle than an actual laugh.

Temujin cuts up the rest of the cactus into bite-sized chunks and spreads it along the emerald table.

"Are you sure this is sanitary?" They ask.

"San-Ah-Tary?" Vel sounds out.

"Oh shut up." Temujin half-jokingly replies.

Vel chuckles and says "Yes yes, it's sanitary. Emerald bamboo is known for its resistance against sickness and spoiling."

He grabs a hand full of melon pieces and eats them one by one. Temujin looks up at Vel surprised.

"You know what sanitary means? Wait a minute, how can you even understand me?" Asks Temujin.

Vel's eyes narrow and he reinspects Temujin. A blue glint of light appears over his normally emerald green eyes and he replies seriously, all levity gone from his face.

"So you're from another world then. It was that, or you were some sort of elite human nobility who used a faulty, or perhaps tampered long-range teleport scroll."

Temujin blinks and his heart races.

"Please Temujin, I don't have the mental energy to pray for more peace for you. I'm not going to do a 180 just because your origin is a bit... unique," says Vel.

That calms them down. Vel waits patiently as Temujin works up the nerve to reply.

"How did you know?" they say finally.

"Well for one your arrival came with a huge burst of pure magic, haven't you wondered why I picked you up?" Vel says.

Temujin's foot aches with the memory of the amphista's bite.

"Yes, with that... amphista, it's not here is it?" they look around warily.

Vel smiles and exclaims "Of course! Hul! Up!"

A colossal red snake with two tusks peaks up from below the room's open wall. Its head alone is the size of 5 men's. Temujin jerks back off their cushion and grab the emerald knife. They hold it shakily with both hands against the beast.

"St-stay back!" They scream.

Hul hisses at them and its head curls back with its neck. They peal pack their mouth reveal an array of dagger-like teeth supporting the tusks which were two sword lengthed fangs. A putrid black poison wells up from within its mouth and flows out like saliva.

Temujin is stunned by fear as the creature flaps its two arm-wings to fly up and show its full body. The serpentine wyvern's tail curves around and reveals a more grotesque smaller head, the one that had bitten them earlier.

Vel grabs two hand fulls of cactus and throws them out of the room with an insane speed. As the cactus bits fly towards the creature their heads bend out of their way to dodge it. After a moment of contemplation, the amphista stops flapping its wings, falls just below the room and blasts off the cliff face with a gust of wind.

As if this were a frequent phenomenon the room itself has a lip that curves up specifically to break the wind and not mess with it.

"W-what?" Temujin asks, the knife now sitting in their lap dangerously pointed at themself.

"Yes, sorry again about Huliq, Hul is a good boy though," Vel remarks casually.

"Why are there two of them?! What kind of a wyvern is multi-headed?!" yells Temujin.

Vel puts up their hand placatingly.

"Calm down, calm down, it's just an amphista and most definitely not a wyvern," says Vel.

"You keep saying that like I'm supposed to just understand what it is!" yells Temujin exasperated.

Vel sighs and says "Well, the main difference is that amphista arent unruly bastards that bite the hand that feeds them. They are loyal and trustworthy, a jinn's best friend as it were."

"Jinn? Wait, so you're a demon?" Temujin stares at Vel.

Vel just chuckles and shrugs the accusation off, "God no! Are you kidding me? The jinn wish they were me!".

"Wait, if you're not a jinn what are you?" asks Temujin.

That makes Vel freeze. He eyes Temujin and gives a short reply before changing the topic.

"Well, the jinn call me a ragman, I'd say it's quite apt, wouldn't you? Anyway, the main topic here is your arrival here. You see I picked you up because the burst of magic you came with was the highest density of mana I've sensed since I came to the void ocean. It's so high fact you could almost call it mythical."

"Mythical? So only talked of in legends and the like?" inquires Temujin forgetting about the question of Vels race.

Vel perks up and smiles excitedly "Exactly! You coming here can only mean one thing! The return of high magic to the world!" he exclaims.

Temujin just stares at him confused, he slinks back disappointed.

"If only you understood the momentous import of your mere existence," he says exasperated.

"Well, all you really need to understand are classes, levels and skills."

Temujin stops playing with a piece of cactus out of boredom and perks up, "Wait levels? Like a Litrpg?"

"Uhh, I guess?" replies Vel.

"Holy shit that's awesome! Can I pick any class or what? Is there like a class selection temple or something? Wait, do I get an interface? How do I activate it?"

Temujin blurts out sentence after sentence excitedly not noticing Vel's growing impatience.

"Does that mean I have to like cultivate? or is it straight like a video game with all the grinding and stuff? wait do I get a cheat power like being some long-lost super gods-"

"Enough!" yells Vel finally having enough of Temujins nonsense.

They shrink back as warmth fills their cheeks. They wish they had a deep dark pit somewhere to fling themselves into, well the wastes were always available. It hadn't even been a week yet and they'd already outed themselves as a geek.

"I'm sorry, it's just that you were going on and on about such nonsense," Vel says apologetically.

"I-its okay, I just got excited," Temujin says sheepishly.

Vel smirks "I could see that."

Temujins blush intensifies.

"Anyway, if you somehow know of levelling it's all for the better. If you're wondering about its specifics well, it works on your actions and accomplishments. Do enough of one thing and you may gain a class and do more of it to level up. Quite simple really." Explains Vel.

"And an interface?" asks Temujin?

"I'm sorry?" replies Vel.

"Nothing, it's okay," says Temujin disappointed.

They think for a moment and then ask "So what class are you?"

Vel stares at them pointedly and after a moment smiles, "So do you have a fetish for personal information or is it just a pass time?

Temujin blushes and stumbles over their words for a moment. They look around at the cave with a new perspective. Each piece of furniture is either carved from the same stone as the cliff face or into it, meaning that in case of a hasty move Vel needn't bother moving them.

The few objects of value that they could spot are all the small emerald containers and tools splain over the cave, plus the table. All quite easily packed especially with Hul and Huliq.

Vel probably had quite a few secrets and him only meeting Temujin an hour ago probably doesn't help with trusting them.

"I understand. I'm sorry if I'm a bit nosey its just... I'm scared. No matter what happened to me it's always happened within the realm of possibility, but this..." Temujin trails off as they look out at the barren wastes, determination absolute in their steady eyes even as their lips curl into a frown.

From this higher view, they could make out tall buildings jetting out from within the middle and most proudly the centre of the mesas. The mesas were as otherworldly as any game or movie they had seen, but sitting here in person was completely different.

It was the difference between seeing the Himalayas in a picture and in person. Nothing, not even virtual reality could compare with the sheer majesty of their view.

Vel looks up at Temujin with pity in their eyes, but as Temujin turns back to him it quickly dissipates.

"You could say im a sort of magician." he says as he grabs another piece of cactus.

Temujins eyebrows arch in surprise.

"Magic... is real?!" they exclaim "Wait is that what you used to calm me?"

Vel sighs and says "So your world didn't have magic?"

Temujin shakes their head.

"Nope, not a drop. Wait, can you teach me?" they say.

Vel eyes Temujin for a moment as blue tinge flashes on his eyes. Temujin notices and narrows their eyes.

"Did you just... inspect me?" they ask.

Vel shoots back a look of surprise, as they halt in the middle of grabbing another piece of cactus.

"Uh... Yes, yes I did. So you know about classes, levels and skills, but not magic? what a peculiar world you come from." he says as he throws back another piece.

"From what I sense you, up until very recently, have been almost completely baren of mana," he says.

"Up until very recently?" Temujin inquires with an upwards inflection, hopeful.

Vel smiles and says "It appears that the sheer amount of mana that you were teleported here with has saturated your body and far expanded it, essentially what mages do in mediation but to the power of ten thousand. As you are currently you should be more than capable of learning magic."

Temujin breaks out into a giant smile and almost lifts themself up to give Vel a hug, before stopping themselves and sitting back down. They flush in embarrassment, but their smile doesn't waver.

After a moment they say "So you can teach me?"

Vel looks taken aback by that remark, shaken more by this single question than all the others Temujin had asked put together.

"M-me? Teach you?" he says aghast.

Temujin's smile lowers and Vel noticing this hastily follows up with "Not to say there's anything wrong with you! In fact, the problem is me. I am nowhere near the level that I need to be to instruct another, I've barely reached level 25 nonetheless 30!"

Temujin laughs and says "I don't need a master! Just someone more experienced than I am, and considering that I don't know anything about this world you'd be a good teacher!"

Vel stares at them dazed. After a few moments and Temujin eating several more bits of cactus he replies.

"Well... I guess I can see the logic in wanting someone like me to be your teacher, but I must tell you that I take apprenticeships very seriously. They are unbreakable contracts that bind two together, I wouldn't even consider it if it were not for your otherworldly status. Your unique views could certainly give me many insights."

He gets up from the mat and signals Temujin to do the same and they move beside the low table.

"Kneel," says Vel in an authoritative tone.

"Uhhh, okay..." replies Temujin timidly.

Temujin takes a knee and looks up at Val, certainly all too aware of his large stature.

"He must be 6'6 at the very least," they think.

Vel places a hand on Temujins head placing his thumb at the centre of their forehead.

In a booming voice he says "I, Vel Petillius Constans so solemnly swear that I will teach you..."

Vel trails off realising that he didn't even know Temujins full name. He hesitates for a moment but before he cancels the ceremony Temujin Speaks up.

"Temujin Esen Khan"

"Temujin Esen Khan" Vel repeats then continues.

"To the very best of my ability and will do all in my power to ensure your safety, if you accept my tutelage."

Temujin and Vel lock eyes at that moment. A connection occurs between them, not of emotion or understanding, but pure unadulterated power.

As Temujin stares into his they suddenly feel like an ant gazing upon a titan. The world around them disappears and all that remains are the striking visage of emerald upon the void.

[You have been offered an apprenticeship by Vel Petillius Constans, level 25 sorcerer and level 1 chronomancer.]

[Do you accept?]

Cold words appear within Temujin's mind, halting the connection. The sudden break throws them into a bath of dry ice. Their skin screams at them to leave, to regain the connection.

"Yes! I accept!" They yell desperately.

[Congratulations, you have accepted the apprenticeship.]

[Do you also accept the oath of binding?]

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" They scream madly, only wishing to return to the previous power.

As the messages disappear the power does not, their sight clears and they see Vel's bandaged form towering over them. They notice their hands digging into his cloth vest and the lines of tears, drool and snot that've made their way down to their neck.

"W-what?" they manage to mutter before collapsing into a heap before him.

Vel just smirks smugly.

"Enjoy my power, did you? What am I saying, of course you did. I still sometimes dream of my master's but don't get any ideas. The only way I'll let you achieve it is through hard work." he says.

Temujin stays silent as they try to catch their breath from the experience. After a minute they collect themselves and sit up properly. They hug their knees and peer up at Vel.

"Chronomancer?" They mumble, but Vel hears perfects.

His mercy face turns sour as he stares down at Temujin.

"What did you just say?" he asks, anger apparent.

"T-the voice. It said you were a level 25 sorcerer and a level 1 chronomancer." Temujin replies.

Vel quietly sits down before Temujin and looks at them seriously.

"Temujin Esen Khan, I command you to never tell another living being about my classes, race, or level, nor to ever question them," he says.

"Uhm, excuse me? Did you just give me a command?" asks Temujin, baffled by the request.

Vel frowns, "Yes, though I am sorry for it. It's just that my privacy must be maintained."

"And if I don't? Like if for instance I ask why you have-" before Temujin can finish their sentence their mouth glues shut.

"Mmm! mm! Mmm!" they squeal in protest.

This lightens the mood as Vel chuckles and reaches out his hand for a piece of cactus.

"God I remember those pesky vows of silence. My master made them for every little thing as if a general vow was somehow lenient," he remarks.
"You can control me?!" shouts Temujin, finally giving up on the forbidden topics.

"Well not outright control, but I can forbid certain things and well, force a few others," he replies grimly.

"force me?! What the fuck! I thought I was just gonna follow you!" they scream.

"Well, now you can!" he replies with a twinge of guilt.

Temujin gets up and walks around the room exasperated, tempted to throw all of Vel's pretty little pots off the cliff.

Vel gets up and follows them, trying to calm them down.




"Temujin, you must understand I can't let anyone know anything about me." he says.

"No, actually I don't know! I don't know anything! That was the point of getting you to teach me!" They yell back.

Vel stumbles on their words for a bit, sighs and finally says,

"Well that's... urgh, please just sit down, let me explain. It's not like you can tell anyone now."

"Yes. I can't." Temujin retorts through gritted teeth.

They both take a seat on the mat and Vel gestures toward the cactus. Temujin picks up the emerald knife and Vel raises their hands placatingly.

"Okay okay, melon can't solve everything, but please just give me a chance." he says.

Temujin lowers the knife but doesn't let it go. Vel just sighs and accepts that's as far as he's gonna get. They start info-dumping monologuing in a wistful tone.

"As you should, or well, actually don't know. Humans are not native to the void ocean, but this was not always so. In the last high magic period the high equivalent of modern humans, what they would call high humans and the jinn call eldarin, were the natives of this place."

Hitting a moment of contention for him Vel trails off, "Don't listen to the drivel both races get into dividing the two. Their only true differences were cultural, two different kingdoms as it were."

"What does any of this have to do with you?" asks Temujin.

Vel smirks and replies "Well, everything. You did want to know about my chronomancer class."

The dots connect themselves in Temujin's mind.

They shoot up, letting go of the knife in their hand in favour of putting both on the table.

"You're a time traveller?!" they yell.

Vels face contorts with panic. He immediately scans the room as if expecting intruders at any second.

"Shush! Not so loud!" he says in a loud whisper.

Temujin can barely contain themselves as they basically squeak out "You're a time traveller?!"

Vel sighs and says "Yes. Though an unwitting one,".

Before Temujin can interrupt again Vel puts up a hand and Temujin literally backs off. He then continues.

"I was just a student. I didn't know what I was getting into, worse I couldn't even ask even if I wanted to," he says, his eyes twitching as if holding back tears.

"Wouldnt know how that feels at all." thinks Temujin though they dare not say it. Vel looked shaken up enough.

"So what happened?" asks Temujin after some deliberation.

Vel smiles though his eyes remain wistful as he continues.

"A tale as old as time. A master who gains a powerful artifact, an apprentice who covets it."

"In my case it was an artifact rumoured to give insights. I was so pressed to reach level 20 before my cohorts that I activated it and honestly, it did give me insight. Just not in the way i bargained for."

"Do you understand now why I ordered you to keep this a secret?"

Temujin looks off to side, thinking. After a moment they say, "Honestly, no. And this all still doesn't excuse you letting me enter into... whatever this is without warning me."

"I understand that, but you must understand something as well Temujin. We are aberations in this world, with insights far diverged from its norm." Vel replies, he waits for a reaction but as Temujin still doesn't budge he continues.

"Mages, wizards, kings, emperors and all others that desire greater power will chase us. For those who've think they've reached their pinnacle would do anything for further insight, trust me on that."

Vels eyes lazily scan the room.

"So do you understand?" he asks.

Temujin mulls over his words for a minute. Although it follows litrpg plot convention that people would be chasing them, would that actually happen in real life? What insights can a first-year uni student really provide to ancient and mystical beings? How could they, out of god knows how many people on this planet, be that special?

Temujin stares at Vel. They wanted to rant at the man but after sitting still and listening to his story all the adrenalin from their system was gone, replaced only by the hollow realisation that their life was now in this stranger's hands.

"Yes, I think I do." they say.

Vel beams, but soon after he stifles his smile and replaces it with a solemn look. Though after conversing with him for a while, Temujin noticed how his cheeks are ever so slightly raised.

"So then, do you trust me Temujin?" he asks.

Temujin reaches for a piece of cactus. Trust is a fickle thing. Once given not easily returned, but once received oh so easily spurned.

It was not lost on Temujin that Vel had a penitent for acting in his own self-interest. First by betraying his master for a chance at power and second by enacting this apprenticeship contract without fully informing them. They that know there will be a third but are not fully certain that they will be its victim.

Trust is not something they will simply give away.

Temujin smiles warmly and says "Yes, I do."




Vel returns it and reaches for the last of the cactus.

"Well then apprentice, it seems like we will have quite a lively time ahead of us," he says.

"One from another world and the other from-" Temujins mouth glues shut before they can finish.

Vel chuckles, "Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

"Well, first things first!" he says.

Vel gets up and heads for a shelf. There he grabs what looks to be a broom made from reeds and holds it out towards Temujin.

"Get this place cleaned up before I return, I must alert the city of your presence, and get you a bed." he says.

Temujins eyebrows shoot up.

"Y-you want me to do chores?" they say flabbergasted.

Vel smiles brightly, obviously enjoying seeing Temujin's reaction.

"Well you don't expect to stay here for free, do you?" he replies.

"I... urgh, fine." Temujin gets up and snatches the broom from Vels hands.

Vel chuckles and walks off to the cliff face.

"Wait, how are you gonna get there? Arent Hul and Huliq off chasing cactus?" asks Temujin.

Vel puts a hand on his brow to shield his eyes from the sun. He looks out and sighs.

"You're right that they're still off, but they would have caught the cactus immediately. They're probably in the city as well." he answers.

"Without you? Wont they like, go wild?" asks Temujin.

Vel looks back at Temujin astonished.

"A gentle Amphista go wild like some unruly wyvern? You truly are from another world." he remarks.

"Well, Huliq did poison me."

"Well he surely didn't mean to, he was just giving a love bite! Besides amphista venom is entirely ineffective on both me and the jinn. If you think about it's really your-"

Vel turns as he speaks and stumbles at his final few words when he sees Temujin unamused. He continues in a much more sympathetic tone.

"Bad luck that you ran into such a wyvern of an amphista! I'll be sure to reprimand him when I get to the city, now if you'll excuse me I must get going."

Vel steps straight off the edge of the room. Temujin jerks forward as they process what Vel was doing, but as they notice that he didn't fall they stop.

"What?!" they yell.

Vel looks over his shoulder as smug as one can be, "I'm touched that you care Temujin, but I wouldn't throw my life away so easily."

Temujin sighs and steps forward to look over the edge of the room. just beneath the lip of the room is a protrusion the width of a foot going all across it. Temujin follows it left as it ends and another appears a bit further up. Their eyes widen as they realise what the protrusions were.

"Steps?" they question.

"Of course, how else am I supposed to get up?" asks Vel sincerely.

"Uh- I- just..." Temujin's mouth stumbles over their words, and their hands stumble over gestures.

"Fly?" they decide upon.

"Fly? are you serious? I'm not high level enough to fly even if this was still the last high magic era, but hey maybe by the next one I'll be able to. For now, the island steps are good enough." replies Vel.

Vel begins to shuffle along the steps, but Temujin grabs him before he can leave in proper.

"Wait, what if you fall?" Temujin says. If Vel died they'd be completely fucked.

"What if I fall? If I fall then I fall." He says without a hint of panic on his face.

He notices Temujin still ridden with anxiety and sighs.

"Don't worry, I was afraid once as well." Vel looks over the edge and all the way down the startling high mesa.

"It's completely normal, but as the jinn would say If you fall into the ocean, swim,"

Vel jumps off the edge, but much to Temujin's surprise he doesn't fall, instead he slowly but surely falls.

Temujin gasps and immediately pulls Vel back into the room.

"What?" they mutter. Vel just chuckles.

"It's an ocean of void, but still an ocean. If you apply magic to it you can swim, but unless you have a flight power never truly swim. Did you think the amphista just flapped their wings really fast?"

"Fucking magic," Temujin mutters in their stupor.

"It truly is incredible, isn't it? Researching this place's secrets is one of the reasons I was able to reach level 25 when before I couldn't even go past 20." he says.

He pats Temujin on the shoulder and heads back out.

"See you soon! And be sure to sweep under the furniture!" He exclaims as he waddles away.

Temujin stared at the sand-dusted room and rather stiff broom.

"How do you even get so much sand a thousand meters high?" they think as they get to work.




Temujin drags all the furniture onto the mat, uncaring for any scratches made on the stone. If Vel wanted the job done well he should have hired a professional. Back home their family was quite well off and so they never really had to do chores, apart from putting away their dolls and the like as a kid.

Back home. The words reverberate in their mind as they sweep the gathered dust and debris from the room, they forcefully change the topic in their mind. They recap what happened to them so far, deadly flying snakes, an ocean of void and a 'high' human master. They shudder as they even think of Vel as their master. It's such an... icky, predicament they were in.

They remind themselves to check up on this whole apprenticeship deal when they get the chance. Do fantasy worlds even have public libraries? Probably not, but they might have an information guild or something.

They finish the sweeping and take a step toward the furniture when they notice more sand trailing behind them. They look behind them and see a small trail of sand wherever they stepped. They groan.

Of course, their clothes were covered in sand. They ran through a goddamn desert! They motion to take off their hoodie, it was quite hot anyway, when they notice that they're not wearing anything underneath.

Multiple alarms ring in their mind as they notice they were only in a hoodie and sweatpants for this entire time. No shirt, underwear, but most importantly no binder. Temujin cut their hair short and generally wore non-gendered clothing. Their hoodie just had their uni logo on it and their sweat pants were some shitty Kmart store brand.

Did Vel notice that they were physically female? If so, that puts them in a lot more danger. They grab the emerald knife and put it in their hoodie's pocket.

Temujin brushes off the sand from their clothes as best as they can and sweep it away. Then they look through the various shelves and cupboards that were built into the back wall. They quickly rummage through the shelves and noticing nothing of interest they rummage through the cupboards.

In one they find spare clothing. On top of his bandages, Vel wore simple off-white peasant garments making him look like a mummy peasant.

They thought of wearing them, it'd be nice to get out of these old clothes, but Vel was damn near a foot taller than them. It'd probably make them look cutesy which was the exact opposite of what they wanted.

Even still the spare pair of boots tempted them, if only they would fit. Their slippers really weren't meant for any environment apart from a comfy home. Home.

They keep searching and give a sigh of relief when they finally find what they were looking for. Nestled away in a large emerald container are all sorts of smaller containers filled with all sorts of balms and medicines, but more important are the bandages kept next to them.

Temujin takes off their hoodie, letting their torso finally breathe. Their accumulated sweat calls out for the cold breeze. Perks of being a billion meters high they guess, nonetheless it was hot as shit.

They winch at the sudden release of their rank. Right, they were just about to shower even before being chased. They try to cut off some of the bandages with their teeth but the fabric just stretches.

After a few more attempts they cut it with the knife. They wipe themselves down with the piece and after giving it a sniff they throw it out of the room. Surely there would be no one to call them a tosser?

They take the rest of the roll and one more to bind their chest down. They didn't really mind not having their chest bound it was just more comfortable to them, but right now it was probably a necessity.

Vell seemed like a nice guy, but they'd only seen his surface. Who knows what was lurking underneath.

They put their hoodie back on and put the knife back in their pocket. They dutifully clean the furniture after dragging it back. A lot of the rope furniture they just turn over and hit a bit, but the fully carved stone ones were the trickiest. For those, they just do their best with the broom.

After all was said and done they surveyed the room with a glint of pride in their eyes. They don't know what their friends complained about, cleaning was easy though quite exhausting.

They take a seat on the rope bed, and then lie down. A quick nap wouldn't hurt, would it? To reinvigorate, and that's as far as their thoughts went as they drifted off into sleep.




It was camp, year six. High school was next year and so the kids were given this trip as a sort of farewell, though 'given' is quite a stretch thinking about how much it cost the parents.

Temujin is sitting next to Emilia, she nabbed the window seat before they'd even gotten on the bus. Themis and Salazar sat behind them. Themis pointing out all the errors in nature in the opposite window to Salazar, who to his credit wasn't totally checked out. He just seemed to enjoy putting his head against the vibrating window pane. Perhaps the buzzing deafness was only complimentary to her, and not an escape.

Lollies were being handed around friend groups as everyone happily chattered away about the five-day trip. Analysing, discussing the camp itinerary like wisemen with the words of God.

Temujin just sighed as they actively watched themselves go further and further from home. Emilia takes their hand in her own and as Temujin looks up at her taken aback, she goes in for a hug. Temujin reciprocates.

"Homesick?" asks Themis, watching the two scoffing down a plastic bag filled with popcorn. Salazar's hand reaches for it, but Themis slaps it back.

"Just for that, you'll be the last to have some," she says, obviously taking glee in rejecting him.

Salazar just shrugs and goes back to his precious buzzing.

Still holding Temujins hand Emilia replies "Of course she is. Who wouldn't be?"

Themis gives her that, but smiles mischievously,

"How long you gonna hold hands?" she says in a rising tone.

Emilia doesn't let go of Temujin's hand, but instead retorts "Why's it matter to you? You jealous?".

Themis scowls and slinks back as well.

Temujin is thankful for Emilia. if only she could hold their hand now as she did back then. Who knows, maybe some of her confidence would rub off on them.

With that single thought, Temujin's ethereal form begins to unravel, as her hand's fingers peel off into oblivion.

Lucidity in dreams is a rare thing for them, but they wouldn't miss this chance to talk with their friend. No matter that it was all just them.

They needed to de-railroad the set path, but in doing so this would all unravel. If they just shut up and said nothing as they did back then they could see their friends again.

Seeing them, feeling them, hearing them they were all conditions lopped onto Temujin. If only they had the power to just reach out to them. if only they had the power, to do anything.

The bus is hit with an otherworldly push by Vel's slow falling form, he swims away as Temujin spots him.

The bus goes flying into the air and crashes into the nearby trees.

The now children stay deadly silent for a moment, but as soon as one breaks it the rest follow. Screams of panic hit Temujin like a rising wave, but before their arm is fully unravelled they tap Emilia on the shoulder.

Emilia is less filled with fear and more pure determination.

"Are you okay!" she yells over the other screaming voices.

"Yes! Yes!" Temujin yells back louder. The screaming voices only increase in intensity even as the phantoms that spout them unravel.

"I'm sorry Emilia I'm sorry!" They scream.

The seat beneath Emilia disappears as she falls within the emerald iris of Vels contorting eyes. Temujin's face scrunches, pained confusion written throughout their bodiless form.

"No! Emilia! Where are you going!?" They scream one final time, just before their unravelling head dissipates.

"Humaria!" she yells back before the emerald lake consumes her.

[You have gained a class. Augur Level 1]

[Skill obtained, Divination]

[Level up. Augur Level 1 -> Augur Level 5]

[Skill obtained, Dream Walker]

"No!" Temujin screams as they wake up in cold sweat, once more.

On top of them lay the top half of Vel, collapsed forward from the chair he's sitting on.

Temujin pushes him back onto his chair and readies to grab their knife, but as they put their hand on it they notice that Vel's bandages were undone.

They stare at his bare face, seeing it for the first time. Vel looked completely normal, save for the lightning-like patterns of green running all across his black skin.

The underside of the bandages by the wayside revealed complex interlapping runes, did he wear them to hide those emerald veins?

Vel's eyes open narrowly, only as he takes a deep gasp does Temujin realise he wasn't breathing previously.

He pants hungrily as if his lungs were starved of the air all around them.

"B-bandages. Bandages!" He screams as the emerald veins on his face dimmed.

Temujin grabbed the bandages and carefully rewrapped them, it was surprisingly simple as if by just the appearance of his skin they knew exactly where to put the bandages.

A few minutes after fully rewrapping him Temujin finally calms down, though he still took long, deep and deliberate breaths.

"Apprentice..." he says in a deep breathless voice, "What have you gotten us into."

 

Chapter 2:

Spoiler

Vel lay steady in his chair still breathing deeply. Temujin sits down on the bed to face him at eye level or rather considering his height just to rest.

Whatever just happened completely drained Vel, but they weren't left untouched.

"What do you mean Vel? What the hell just happened? And what in gods name is an augur?" They say.

Vell sighs weakly and with some effort moves his head towards the wastes. He stares at them as he contemplates what to say next.

After a few minutes, Temujin grows impatient and says "Earth to Vell, you in there?"

After another minute Vell replies in a breathless growl.

"The world is in a low magic period. This means that many things that I thought trivial back when I was still a student, are now utterly impossible. However, even during the high magic period when necromancers and witches ran free, there were certain powers that were taboo. The power of dreams was one of them."

Temujin sits up and eyes Vell.

"Wait, so I have the power of dreams?" they say, a smile forming on their face.

Vell doesn't respond. He seemed less apathetic and more utterly exhausted.

Temujin leans forward and waves their hand in front of Vel's eyes. Worry shoots through their mind. Were they responsible for Vel's current state? Were his parts of their dream some sort of spell they cast?

"Vell, please, Tell me what happened while I was asleep." they ask.

Vell slowly turns his head to Temujin and frowns.

"This isn't your fault, more a result of my own hubris," he says.

Temujin replies almost automatically, "What?". Although they could understand him, his breathless whisper still required a second to decode.

"I found sound asleep when I returned here. I thought of leaving you be, but then I sensed something strange as you slept. A concentration of all your mana in your mind."

"I did magic?" Temujin exclaims.

"No" he replies "You did sorcery."

"I thought it was fascinating so I probed it with my mind, but the damn thing was like a vortex and dragged me in. By the time I came to I was in a section of what I assumed to be your world." he continues.

"So the you's in my dream were actually you?" they ask

"Yes, well at least one of them." he replies.

"But how did that lead to you becoming like this?"

"Well... while I was in there you reached out for a power to aid you. Being your master I saw fit to fulfil that role. What I didn't realise was that once I led my mana inside of you, it wouldn't stop flowing. I opened the flood gates as it were." he says

"And your bandages?"

"Being from a high magic period my body requires a higher density of mana in the air, and since that isn't available I built myself a little incubator."

"So... as long as you rest you'll be fine?"

Vell chuckles lightly.

He goes on to say "I won't get off quite as easy. I'm gonna need you to make a trip to the city for me and ask around for a street vendor named Petina, I told him about you. Tell him that I need the crystal back and I'll get him a replacement later, then bring it back to me."

"W-wait, you want me to go to the city by myself?" Temujin stutters out, their earlier confidence vanishing at the prospect of having to deal with an entire city of aliens instead of just one.

Part of the reason they hadn't completely locked up was that Vel wasn't a human. There was a sort of a distance between everything happening to them and what their brain considered 'real', but a city was very very real.

Temujin grew up in a small town and rarely ever visited the city, but when she did it was always a nerve-racking experience.

The charm of a small town didn't lay in its people or location, but in its openness. You could throw a stone and hit a place to escape to.

The city however was infested with swarms of self-interested douches.

"Isn't there like, a messenger you could send or like a delivery person." They ask hopefully.

Vel just stares at them.

"Temujin, you are the messenger and delivery person," he says pointedly.

Temujin looks away embarrassed. Vel sighs.

"Look, you're gonna need to face this sooner or later," he says.

"I know..." Temujin clenches their clothes with their hands "I just... was hoping for later."

"Don't worry, you won't be going alone." Vel slowly turns his head back towards the waste.

He tries to yell, "Huliq!" but what comes out is more akin to a very harsh and loud whisper.

Huliq hears regardless and swims towards the room.

Temujin jumps back and grabs the knife in their hoodie, but doesn't take it out.

"Please, don't be afraid. Huliq did not realise you would be hurt, he hasn't met a human before."

Huliq peers out from behind his brother's head, his smaller tapered body perfectly able to hide behind his brothers. He hisses.

"See? He's apologising." a cocaughphony of coughs follow his words. His previously still body violently convulsed with the breakdown of his breathing.

"Please..." he manages to grumble, "Go..."

Temujin immediately rises and takes a step toward Huliq, but as they walk they remember what it is that they are going to do.

They freeze midstep and stare between the coughing Vel and the awaiting Huliq. Before they can think for a further second they run and jump onto Huliq's back, or at least try as they land just below Hul's head.

Huliq lets out a twin roar, somehow louder at Huliq's than Hul's. The amphista sinks rapidly much to the shrieking terror of Temujin, but as he does Huliq grabs Temujin and pulls them onto the saddle.

"AHHHH! PLEASE FUCK STOP!" they scream regret both immediate and intense, but Huliq does no such thing.

If not for the torrential winds flying by their ears they would have heard Huliqs quiet snickering.

Runes on the centre of the saddle light up momentarily and a sudden draining sensation rings throughout Temujin, but within the second their descent slows, halts and then reverses.

Huliq rapidly speeds up, Temujin grabbing the reins and holding on for sheer life due to the vertical positioning of Huls's body. Miraculously instead of falling to their certain death, they were showing no signs of slipping.

Temujin notices this and stops their screaming. Their heart threatens to jump out of their body, but they ignore it as they loosen the reigns.

Their body rises to be perpendicular to Huliq's and they look around at their surroundings. From their perspective, they're riding along a sandstone bridge to the stars.

The vibrance of the navy blue provides a stark difference to the late afternoon skies of home. The sun was nowhere setting, instead just dimming as an approximation of the moon forever watching the Jinns homeland.

Whimsy creeps into the adrenalin-numbed mind of Vel, letting them forget their earthly woes. Ironically only as they literally rose to the heavens could they, a materialist, let go of themselves.

They scream again, but this time characterised by excitement and release instead of terror.

As if sensing this Huliq tells Hul to change their course to spiral up the mesa instead of climbing it directly and Hul obliges. Thus giving Vel more time to enjoy the ride.



Vel's arrival in the city is welcomed by the red lanterns of the city watch. Huliq dutifully stops at the ports in front of the gigantic stone gates of the city's walls and awaits an inspection.

Temujin not knowing the customs of the city just disembarks and walks right up to the gates. They are immediately halted by a green giant that from their perception, appeared from nowhere.

"Await your turn, human." The giant mumbles, but its tremendous size gave the words enough force to be easily heard by all around.

Temujin freezes and stares up at the creature, mouth agape. They mumble a few random syllables before a hand is placed on their shoulder.

"Talos, please. You're scaring the young lad."

Temujins head turns to see a woman with skin of charcoal standing behind them. Her skin was portioned into uneven pieces separated by molten red cracks that radiated heat and she wore what looked to be leather and bronze armour. On her torso lay an insignia of a single pure emerald on a backdrop of red cracked black.

Now that Temujin saw the symbol they turned around and saw it all across the port and gate. Hanging from flag poles, on uniforms and even the green giants otherwise baren bronze plate armour. It must be a city flag.

"So, human. What brings you to Petilius?" she asks.

Temujin turns to fully face her and gulps. What were they supposed to say, should they tell people about Vel's condition or was this city unsafe?

"Are you the Ragman's apprentice?" she asks.

Relief washes over Temujins body.

"Y-yes, I am. He sent me here," they reply.

The woman smirks "Then I'm guessing he didn't tell you of the mandatory inspections?"

"N-no?" sweat trickles down Temujins brow.

The woman just laughs and playfully slaps Temujin on the shoulder. Although it stung like a motherfucker.

"Of course, he didn't! The damn cotton-bound idiot always just flies over the walls. Huliq must have flown you here on his own."

Temujin nods, and the woman smirks.

"Go on through then. Whatever Vel maybe he's a trusted ally of the city." She says

"Welcome to the grandest city of the five islands, Petilius. Home of the mighty Ifrit!"

Talos clears his throat,

"Suck it up Talos. This is is an Ifrit city through and through and the occasional Marid doesn't change that." says the woman

Talos grumbles a bit, but eventually steps aside and disappears into a shadow. Temujin narrows their eyes and focuses on the spot Talos disappeared and they find a distinguishable line outlining his form.

He didn't disappear at all, he's just somehow turned quasi-invisible.

The woman notices Temujins scrutiny and chuckles.

"Curious huh? God knows why, but our Talos here is a high-level assassin."

Temujin's head flicks to the woman astonished. A ten-meter giant in full plate armour an assassin?

"How?" they ask.

"By being stealthy I imagine." the woman answers gleefully.

Temujin sighs and looks back at Huliq, he'd be fine on his own, wouldn't he? They see many other amphista at the dock with their riders staying on. Pairs of Ifrit guards are making their way through each amphista and searching them.

So they werent searched thanks to their relation to Vel, but whats Vel's relationship with the city? Perhaps the merchant could answer that.

Temujin turns and finally enters the city.

A barrage of lights and sounds hit them as they crossed the threshold of the twenty-meter-thick gate. The exact thing she was so averse through.

They take a step back, dazed and the lights and sounds all disappear. They look down and notice an especially deep groove in the large pebble road.

Magic? Of course its magic. Everything is magic in this world, even the air around them as demonstrated by the amphista. The better question is why is it magic, why would the ifrit want to hide their activities and who exactly from. Temujin looked up at the sky and noticed a lone cloud floating by just barely floating past the city's Aurelian walls. How would an enemy even get here?

Temujin braced themselves and then stepped forward into the city once more. Insanely loud drummers were walking through the street surrounded by dancers and groups of vocalists. They sang in a strange tonation and manner. Their vocals sliding, stuttering and bouncing almost like a vocal dance.

The silk-draped ifrit worked to visualise the spectacle by twirling in between drummers, singers, the crowd and the large Palanquin at the centre of the parade.

"What the fuck" mumbles Temujin.

They had to go to the city exactly when there was a festival, of course they did. Not only that, but they had to go up to an alien stranger and ask for directions. They'd rather go back and punch Huliq in his face.

"I'm doing this so Vel doesn't die," they mumble as they steel themselves.

"Vel? You mean the ragmans gonna die?" a childs voice props up beside them.

"Argh!" Temujin yelps from suprise.

They jump from the sudden stranger and look back to see a kid completely bound in bandages, but instead of Vels green on black they had two red hot coals for eyes.

"W-who are you?" they yell over the noise. The kid tilts their head to side, studies them for a second and then smiles. They bring out a familiar emerald knife.

A drummer's stick piercing their drum comes to Temujin's attention. The kid talks in a low growling tone, but is somehow perfectly audible even in the chaos of the parade.

"Y'know it's dangerous to carry around a knife without a holster, what would've you done if it went flying-" the kid stabs the knife forward at Temujin "into someone."

Temujin instinctively jumps back dodging the blade. The kid laughs sinisterly.

"Fun!" they exclaim as they walk forward with the knife at running speed.

Temujin follows their example and gets into a sprint running right forward right into the parade. They breathe heavily as panic infects their mind.

Why was a random kid attacking them, with their own knife! And why are they bandaged like Vel? Does he have a sibling whos out to get them? Possibilities race through Temujin's mind as they repeat please and thank yous pushing through the crowd.

The festival-goers pay them no mind as they carry on forth with the festivities, are stabbings one of their customs?

They dodge drummers, weave through dancers and rush through singers expecting someone to say something, but no one so much as bats an eye at the kid mummy slashing around a knife just behind Temujin.

Arent kids meant to have small legs? So how were they not only keeping up but walking as they do it. Each step they took magically took them much farther than usual, was it a skill?

Maybe they were an assassin like Talos, but a much more normal size.

Temujin reaches the middle of the parade, the palanquin. A small retinue of guards marched before and after it, but instead of halting Temujin they opened a space for them to run through. Finally driven to madness through desperation Temujin asks for help.

"Help!" they yell as they appear next to the palanquin.

As they yell the palanquins door opens and they are pushed forward into it. They only see the force that did it for a moment, a dark draped red-eyed warrior. A propper-looking assassin.

They crumble into a pile after hitting the palanquin's other door and by the time they pick themselves up on their seat they notice the other people within it.

An ifrit woman draped in all shades of red, orange and yellow stares at Temujin. Her dress made of strips of silk coloured like fire itself contrasted with her abyssal black skin, though it matched the separating cracks of red.

They look to their right and see the kid sitting elegantly, the knife tucked under some bandages. As if they hadn't spent the past five minutes chasing Temujin down like some raving lunatic.

The woman gives a discerning look to Temujin and then shifts her attention to the kid.

"Faustus Petilius Fairbia." she says in a voice as smooth as silk.

"Yes, mummy dearest?" replies Fairbia, code switched to a perfect formal accent.

"I hear you have been consorting with the ragman." says her mother.

"Why no mummy, I was merely having a jaunt with my friend. As you know mummy these processions get oh so tiresome." Fairbia beams beams.

The mother turns her attention back to Temujin, and says.

"What is your name."

"Temujin." they reply without meaning. Their brow scrunches in confusion. They didn't even have a single thought nonetheless tried to speak, so why did they reply? A skill?

"Were you truly merely playing with my daughter?" she asks.

"No." Temujin again replies instantly.

Confusion is replaced with anger as they stare holes into the woman, but they dare not say speak their mind. This woman had an entire parade dedicated to her, who knows what power she held.

The woman turns her head to her daughter once again, her face remaining expressionless.

"The human does corroborate your story Fairbia."

Fairbia turns to Temujin and playfully slaps their shoulder. "Now now Temujin, enough of our games. Please go ahead and tell mummy the truth."

A vile fog spreads through Temujin's mind as they reminisce about the game they played earlier.

"Yes, we were playing through the streets as you said," they say without a hint of emotion.

The cloud clears and Temujins eyes are wide with surprise. Why did they say that? It's patently untrue! In actuality, the little gremlin chased them through the streets.

"See mummy? A mere game" says Fairbia with a toothy grin.

Her mother smiles gently, the first emotion she'd shown in this interaction.

"Your influence has come a long way Fairbia, but our influence may never truly equate to mind control. If you keep trying to use it as such you will quickly find yourself stunted." She says.

Fairbia grimaces and groans.

"But mummy!" she complains.

"Now now, no buts dearest. You must learn to draw out lesser thoughts instead of attempting to summon new ones." Her mother reprimands.

"But daddy does it!" she complains.

Her mother presses her lips together, into nor a smile nor a frown.

"No deary, your father's influence although larger is significantly weaker than ours. A lady's place is manipulation and intrigue, a senators is in public service," she explains.

Fairbia harrumphs and crosses her arms. She looks out the window trying to find anything else to fill her mind. Her mother turns back to Temujin.

"I apologise for my daughter's behaviour. To be so rude to a traveller, especially one who has come as far as you, is a great insult to not only you but our fair city," she says.

Temujin was angry to be sure, but the sincere-sounding apology was very abrupt and straightforward. They blush not knowing what to say, forgetting their anger altogether as they say,

"Oh, n-no it's alright," when it absolutely wasn't.

"He's not a traveller, they're the ragman's apprentice." Fairbia says idly.

The lady's brows arch ever so slightly in surprise. She sighs and says

"The ragman? An apprentice? How disconcerting. Those of the elder blood already enjoy too many privileges here, and now there's two of you? At least you aren't a mutant like the ragman."

"He's a mutant?" Temujin speaks up for the first time in the conversation, you could call it one.

The lady hesitates for a moment.

"Why of course, you didn't think humans with such a high concentration of eldarin blood were normal, did you? You are much more the norm." she says.

"Well, no. I don't even have any Eldarin blood." corrects Temujin.

This makes the lady smile. Temujin flushes, she was very beautiful even if she looked like molten obsidian, or perhaps that even added to her charm. She continues in a much friendlier tone.

"It is refreshing for a human to admit so. My name Faustus Petilius Thenisia, I am glad we have met. However, we must reach the senate before it begins, may we continue our conversation at a later date?"

"U-uh... yeah, sure. Wait, do you know about a merchant called Petina? Vel wanted me to talk to him." says Temujin.

"Vel?" asks Thenisia.

"Uh, the ragman."

Thenisia laughs for a moment and says, "You know, in all these years I have never even gotten him to divulge his favourite food, nonetheless his name. You truly are his apprentice. As for Petina, I can easily have you escorted to him."

The carriage stops and the door to Temujin's left opens, Fairbia jumps to her feet.

"Mother-" she starts to say

"No." Thenisia cuts off.

"But-" Fairbia begins to beg.

"No," Thenisia cuts off. She waves away Temujin and they oblige.

As they leave the carriage the carriage door shuts behind them and the sound of the parade hits them like a truck. They stumble on their feet but are caught by a lone soldier.

He rights them and yells "Follow me!" over the music.



The soldier leads them out of the parade into and into a different street. Out of the parade, Temujin saw just how truly wide the streets were. Even the alleyways were more than wide enough to support a car going through comfortably.

Was it for giants like Talos, but if so why didn't they see any?

The soldier led them down dreary street after dreary street, all devoid of people. They guess that all the people were celebrating Thenisia and Fairbia's arrival.

But were they really so important to warrant it? They mentioned being a lady, so they were some sort of nobility? And if so how did the Ragman know them? Especially that murderous brat who wrapped herself like him.

Temujin blinks and reaches into their hoodie's pocket. The brat kept it! And they were so overwhelmed that they didn't even notice!

Well to be honest an escort was more than a fair trade for a knife, but Temujin still held it against the twerp.

What kind of psycho chases someone down with a blade? The rich kind they assume.

They crash into the soldier lost in their thoughts. The soldier doesn't budge and instead grabs them with their free hand to stop them from falling.

Temujin rights themselves and blushes from embarrassment.

"Thank you." They mumble.

The solder grunts and says "We're here."

He points to a door sandwiched between two grand stores with glass displays. A crummy sign on the door says Petina's Wares.

"Are... you sure?" asks Temujin, the soldier just stares.

Temujin sighs and opens the door, the soldier trodds off. Inside, instead of a store, they find a rank tunnel.

They pinch their nose and enter, the door closing behind them. Hopefully, it was spring-loaded and not some evil spirit haunting the place. Though with the bare brick walling and exposed bronze pipes, they couldn't rule that out completely.

They follow the tunnel through to an opening where to their relief they find a pair of ifrit. Temujin shrugs off the fact that just a day ago they would have freaked out and ran at the site of them, but now they were glad?

A portly ifrit stood behind the counter arguing with the posh-looking man in front of him. Unlike others they had met this shopkeeper sported a bright blue flame in between splotches of dark blue. Was he a different kind, or maybe a mutant?

"2 gold denar is a more than fair price old man!" yells the posh man, taking two pieces from a sack and slamming them onto the wooden table.

The shopkeeper slides the coins back.

"2 gold denar? Perhaps in the east this price may be fair, but here no. What you do not understand is the rarity of mana crystals in the void." he says in a stern tone.

The posh man scoffs, "Bah!". "What you don't understand is who I am!" he replies arrogance practically dripping off every word.

"I am the scion of gens Primus, Primus Petilius Gallus!" with every word he increases in volume and confidence.

The shopkeeper grins and mutters "Yes, but I truly wonder for how much longer."

Although barely audible to Temujin, Gallus freezes from his words and takes a step back. Temujin takes a step forward without thinking, seeing their turn arrive.

The shop keeps arches rising and he grins seeing them step into the fray.

"A human in the void sea? What a rare sight! You must be the ragmans apprentice, yes?" he probes.

Temujins turns to see Gallus' ever reddening face. His chalky grey splotches turn pink, matching the separating lines.

"You!" he spits out, baring his teeth as a wolf would its fangs.

"How dare you interrupt my barter!" he yells.

The shopkeep chuckles and mutters under his breath "Barter? An interesting choice of words."

"Shut up Petina!" Gallus yells breaking his voice.

"A lord should rarely raise their voice, so once it may be needed it may retain its force." Tides Petina, "From the aptly named book, Lord. As a merchant I am quite privileged to have read it, as have you yes?" he continues.

Gallus stops and collects himself, though the colour doesn't leave his face. "Fine." he lets out.

"Now, human. Why have you come to see me?" asks Petina.

"U-uhm... Ve-" they stop and correct "the ragman. would like his crystal back. He said he'll replace it later."

Though revealing his name didn't seem to trip the contract between them, they don't think Vel would be very happy to have it out there.

Petina stares at them, "Did he know?" he says rhetorically.

"Y-yes. He also told me to get whatever I needed from here and to charge him." They continue.

"his crystal? The mana crystal was brought in by that lunatic? And you're his apprentice?" questions Gallus.

Temujin nods and looks away from the boy. They weren't afraid, but the intensity of his glare was certainly uncomfortable.

Gallus scoffs, "Of course, you would be. How else could you be so ill-mannered?"

Before Gallus can continue Petina puts a small emerald box on the counter. "Here, what else do you need?" he says kindly.

"What?! You're actually giving it to him? He's not paying you, what if that lout just runs away with it?" Gallus says quizzically.

Petina just shrugs, "A lout, most definitely, but a liar, no. Besides, he's a war hero! Can you imagine what the citizens would say if they heard I rejected the soother of waves?"

Temujin quietly pockets the box as Gallus turns his attention to the merchant.

"Him, a war hero? He's an interloper who convinced our people to surrender! It was my family that protected us all!" he yells for the first time with true conviction.

Petina shrugs again. "Maybe, but I don't really care. You should already know this by now young lordling, but the people's perception of your actions are far more important than the actions themselves."

Gallius steps forward and Temujin flinches back, remembering Faribia early. This makes him smirk "Well, at least you know your place." he says apparently forgetting earlier.

He grabs his gold denar, puts them back in his pouch and leaves, but not before saying one final thing "I will remember this human."

Worry shoots across Temujin's face, but internally they just sigh. An arrogant young lord who immediately picked a fight with them? That's gonna be annoying, but according to every novel they'd ever read, he's screwed in the long term and they take solace in that.

Although the room was large the portion the customers could walk in was a square closed off by three long counters against the entrance. Petina's wares lie behind the side counters glass and on the back walls shelves.

Petina smiles and brings over a tray from the side with a few cups and a kettle on it.

"Please have some tea, it's freshly made! Even young master Gallus quite enjoyed his cup," he says pointing to an empty cup with some stray tea leaves.

He moves to pick it up, but Temujin snatches it first. They'd never do something so rude or so sudden usually, but something about the cup called to them. Something intrinsic to them, but still new. Like resurfacing memories from old family photos.

They looked into the cup, as Petina eyed them. "Curious," he mumbles as he turns to a shelf and rummages through it. Temujin focused on three distinct areas of the cup, the rim, the side and the bottom.

At the rim, they saw what looked to be a divining rod. One prong went out to two others, but as their eyes focused and their mind pulsated with a strange power its meaning started to change.

Petina offers a small magnifying glass and Temujin takes it wordlessly. They hold up the cup and use the magnifying glass on the pattern. A smile breaks out as they figure it out.

"Butterfly knife" they mumble. Petina nods smiling brightly.

They move their attention to the side where they see a line with two offshoots. At first, they think of a wrench, maybe something mechanical? The knife signifies disaster so if this is the wrench it could be related to something like a car crash, but wait why did they know what they signified and since when have they been both able and willing to read tea leaves?

Their brow scrunches, but before they can put the cup down the cup they hear a muttered phrase from Petina, "Peace be unto you."

They calm down. Even if this wasn't something they'd usually do, flying, or rather swimming, on a winged duel-headed snake isn't something they'd do either, but they did here. Besides, isn't divination one of their skills?

As the word divination pops up in their mind a bunch more mental connections are made, like the owner of the cup whose tea leaves they were reading. This isn't just anyone's fortune, this is Gallus'. A real, living, breathing dick, but still worthy of avoiding whatever tragedy was about to befall them.

They pick the cup back up and continue reading. The side pattern wasn't a wrench at second glance, the top line was too straight for that. It looked more like a capital F. So something starting with F, or maybe someone? They could immediately think of a certain knife-wielding noble who'd certainly be inclined to do it again. "Fairbia." They mutter.

Petinas face turns quizical. A knife adorned with butterflies and young lady Fairbia? That sounded like more a fact of life than something an oracle would say. Was his hunch wrong? Impossible, he was the highest levelled merchant in the city, and he could literally smell the money-making potential from the human's skill.

Temujin concentrates on the bottom of the cup intently trying to figure out not the pattern, but its intended meaning. On the bottom of the cup lay a perfectly clear kettle. Was Fairbia once again brewing up trouble with a knife? No, fortunes couldn't be that stupidly self-referential, but what else could it mean?

They think about what a kettle does. It boils water, or can even brew tea. The fortune they were currently reading came from a cup of tea, so a kettle could bring a new fortune. Ending the previous one. "Death," they mumble."

Petina's jaw drops. He hated that Primus brat as much as anyone else, but he didn't wish for his death. If nothing else his father and grandfather would be devasted, and the most powerful warriors in the city being unstable was a very dangerous prospect.

"Are you sure of this?" he asks calmly.

Temujin's head flicks to him and they take a step back in surprise. They were so immersed in the tea reading that they had forgotten all about the merchant. A feeling of release flows through them as the buzzing activity in their mind subsides.

"What? Oh! Uh... yes?" they say uncertainly.

Petina grunts and says "I see. This information is very valuable, tell your master that we are even not only for the crystal but for anything else that you take from me today."

"W-what?" they stammer.

Petina smiles warmly and continues, "Please, don't be shy. What do you need?"

Temujin hesitates for about a millisecond before spluttering out "Clothes. And maybe some soap."

A blue glint flashes in Petina's eyes. He laughs and walks away saying "Give me a minute, I'll be right back."

"Wait! Don't you need my measurements?" call Temujin.

Petina laughs again as he walks into his back room, "Please young miss, I am no amateur."

Temujin stares at his disappearing form and flushes. How had he known? They swore he called them a boy earlier so why now?

They stare into a mirror and look at themselves. And beyond that, in a world of swords and sorcery, were they really defined by their sex?

Temujin only really ever told their close friends and parents, so about 6 people total in their previous world knew or really care and that was fine with them. They didn't really speak out when misgendered because it was a very personal thing and way too many people somehow got more offended at being corrected than anything else.

However here they'd been chased down and poisoned by an amphista, and then flew to a city of ifrit. They'd been chased by knife-wielding children and been chastised by a noble scion, but still, they were no longer afraid. Whilst yesterday's version of them would've had a fucking heart attack.

Petina comes back with a small cloth bag in hand, he tossed it to Temujin. They caught it with both hands and kinda just looked at it.

Petina chuckled, "It's alright human, all I want for it are two things. Your name and a promise you will return here for your future merchantile needs."

Temujin blinked and stammered "Y-yes, of course! My name is Temujin,". Petina beams and says "A fine name Temujin. I also included a few gifts in there. Something useful in case you wanted to help Gallus and something for yourself. Plus, keep the magnifying glass."

Temujin looked at the magnifying glass they'd put on the counter and picked it up, "T-thank you!"

They stood around looking at the merchant for a while until Petina waved his hand towards the door.

"O-oh yes!" Exclaimed Temujin as they turned to leave the store, but they stopped themselves. Instead, they turned around and faced the merchant. One brow rose in surprise.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked.

"Uh-Uhm, no. It's just that, I'm not a miss or a mister. I'm neither." They say with each word gaining confidence.

Petina's brow lowers and his lips curl into a sly smile. He chuckles and says "You truly are an oracle."

"Excuse me?" questioned Temujin.

"None, other than an oracle would be brave, or perhaps foolhardy enough, to claim the same status as the jann elders." He explained.

"The jann?" asked Temujin.

"I guess a human would not know much of them. They are a tribe of jinn that was created to guard the void ocean itself, not just the five islands that we inhabit. Their elders are known to be neither man nor woman, claiming them to be abstractions below themselves." explains Petina

"Uh... I wouldn't go that far, but I guess yes?" they reply.

Temujin turns to leave once again, but as they reach for the door handle Petina speaks up

"Then I hope you fair tithings, and the strength to prove your convictions."

"Strength?" They ask as they look back.

"Well yes, you will need to fight off any challengers to your claim as is the jann tradition," he explains.

"But... I don't follow jann tradition," says Temujin, confused. Being a-gender is a status symbol to them? They can't tell if that's super progressive or problematic.

"Maybe human, but we do," he replies with a smirk. Temujin sighs. Great, another thing to worry about.

The merchant waves a goodbye and Temujin waves back. They leave the shop and stand outside frozen in their thoughts.

That went... not that bad. It appears this world isn't that bad, apart from the whole no internet thing, but maybe that's just another bonus. They inspect the bag that was given to them.

"Why didn't I ask what it was?" Temujin chastises themselves.

It wasn't that serious though, because they think they know already. they loosen the rope around the bag and put their hand inside, and then their whole arm. They smile brightly after confirming their suspicions.

Petina had given them their own bag of holding! And for what, a single tea reading? Was their divination skill really that impressive, or was it just the person whose death they predicted that inflated the price?

They always wondered how characters could always get exactly what they wanted from up to a thousand cubic meters of storage space without jumping in themselves, but now they knew.

As they put their hand into the bag they immediately had a mental picture of everything inside, and could even drag objects up with their mind, but once in their hand, they had to use their own strength to pull it out.

They remove their arm from the bag to check the box they picked up earlier and inside find a rough uncut red stone. Mana crystals look like gems? It made sense they guess, as both were crystals. They shut its lid and plop it into the bag.

Apart from the box they just added the bag contained a pair of adventuring clothes, a few bars of soap and two more stone boxes.

They grab the first box out of the bag and are immediately surprised by how light it is. The box is adorned by a circle with a house inside that has a line going through it. A warning against houses?

They open the box and immediately regret their action as a pungent blow stench pushes them back into the door behind them. inside they see a small black ball with a fuse coming out of it, a stink bomb and an extremely powerful one at that.

The warning must be not to use this inside closed areas, or any areas at all if it was up to them. If the stench was this bad unexploded who knew the pandemonium that could be created if a certain young ifrit got their hands on it, but is that really what Petina wanted?

They close the lid, and throw it back into the box. None too soon as well, as all the passing ifrit eye them. The procession must be over then.

They bring out the second box and it too was light, but unlike the other, it had no warning. That was either very good or very bad.

They open it expecting the worst, but inside they find pads. Pads? They blink and remember what Petina had said.

"Something for yourself."

Well, they hadn't thought about their period much since they came to this world, but they guess there was no magic cure for it. They wonder if people had to deal with this shit in the high magic period as well.

They stow it away and look around, where would they go next? Gallus' life was in danger, but so was Vel's. A spark of power ignites something in their mind and suddenly they know that they had time.

The knife on the lip was the danger in the present, a betrayal would happen in the present, but not so soon that they couldn't go help Vel first.

Fairbia was present on the side meaning they would be involved in the not-so-distant future. They don't know exactly what an auger is, but they're damn good at it.

Temujin looks around and finds two tall towers on either side of the giant gate. They start to walk down a random street towards it when they notice an empty side alley with two large boxes. The perfect size to hide them, if they used it to change.

They thought about if they'd do this back in Australia. The answer was decidedly yes, but they shrugged.

"When in fire demon Rome," they thought.



The adventurer's clothes featured a durable red cloth base reinforced with orange fabric padding, but no leather. It protected the chest, shoulders and arms whilst letting Temujin stretch without holding them back. They couldn't really complain, but were a bit disappointed by it, at least they looked the part now.

Whereas before they were rocking Kmart-chique, now they fit in with the vibrant reds, oranges, yellows and the occasional blues of the city folk.

For what Temujin assumed to be peasants the citizens were very well dressed and from what they could see the ifrit didn't have any homeless or lower class.

Temujin chose to believe that they were just that great, and not the much more nefarious thought of them hiding their exploited class under the rug. It wouldn't really surprise them, it'd even humanise them even more.

The wide streets of Petilius were filled with the chattering of its people, even though the night was upon them. Cities are cities no matter what world they guess.

The dimmed sun cast a warm red glow upon the large pebbled roads and as Temujin walked they felt as if they were in a fairy tale, they guess that they were in a way.

Their mother loved to tell them stories of myths from around the world as a kid to get them interested in reading. It worked, but web novels were probably not what she had in mind.

The ifrit and jinn, in general, were part of Arabian mythology, but Petilius sounded decidedly Latin, so roman. What was more pressing was that these myths, in a way, turned out to be true.

The ifrit walked in and out of their townhouses, taverns and shops going through their daily routine like any human from their world, but in their world, the ifrit were thought to be aggressive spirits who hated humanity. Thankfully, apart from the occasional stare they couldn't really feel any animosity from them.

Temujin soon enough arrives at the unmissable gates and they cross its threshold, leaving the hustle and bustle of the city behind. They turn within its gargantuan cross-section and see the streets eerily empty. They sigh and turn to leave but crash into a guard.

They fall back and look up to see the guard from when they entered the city. The guard purses their lips and gives them a hand up.

"O-oh thank you..." Temujin trails off, not knowing her name. They probably shouldn't be the one apologising, but that's a matter for late at night when they can't sleep.

"Watch captain Velia." she says with an eye-roll.

"Y-yes... sorry." replies Temujin.

"I see you've changed out of those weirdly dreadful clothes into something much more normal," Velia remarks.

"Uh, yes. I went to Petina the merchant on behalf of the ragman." They reply.

Temujin only now notices the scimitar in her off-hand poised and ready for use. Another lay still in its sheath their hand whilst not reaching for it, close enough to draw it within an instance.

"I am well aware human. Your presence is required by the city watch, you will follow me," she says all warmth disappearing from her voice.

It's amazing how context changes your perception of your surroundings. The warm glow of the sun turns to crimson blood as the previous majesty of Petlius' city gates, turns to terror as they notice the sentries circling the top and towers of the surrounding walls.

Patrols of guards head in and out of the tower bases with clockwork efficiency, each individual foot timed with each other resulting in an entirely different rhythm than that of the earlier procession.

The clattering of weapons, the stomping of their marching and the low murmuring of their quick communications ring out like a symphony of war.

Two blazing warm hands grab each of Temujins arms and practically left them up as they're moved forward and ushered to the western gate towers entrance.

The large door is swung open and Temujin is plopped into the centre of the stone room. Although no lanterns or windows are present in the room, the combination of the gathered ifrits glowing patterns lit it in an orange glow.

A circle of ifrit guards decked in bronze armaments stand over Temujin like statues. Their discipline allowing them to nor tremble nor show emotion as they hold out their heavy spears against Temujin.

Terrified of the sudden development Temujin scours the room for anything that might help.

They see a crimson light peering through a staircase behind the guards. A window maybe? Although even if they could reach it, what were they meant to do, jump?

Behind them watch captain Velia stood firm with both scimitars, blocking any chance of reusing the entrance.

The soldiers break into two lines as a lone chalk and pink ifrit walks forward from behind them, his dim pink not creating enough light to be visible past the guards.

Gallus smiles with glee as he sees Temujins panicked expression and ever-accelerating breaths.

"Now, now" he gloats, "I wouldn't want you to die... at least not of a heart attack."

The guards' expressions drooped as they heard Gallus's words, either from their cliche nature or for pity for the poor human.

"Did you really think I'd let you get away human? Though not putting up a fight is all but expected for the ragman apprentice."

Temujin looks around the room for objects. The guards' bronze helmets reflected their light to the ceiling. The ceiling held no patterns and was one solid piece of sandstone. The same sandstone made up the walls, floor and stairs. In fact, it was used everywhere they'd been. Gallus's clothing perfectly reflected his obnoxious personality. Each piece of flame-coloured clothing worked together to make the eyes look up towards his now contorted face.

Temujin smiles as their panic dissipates and their breathing returns to a much more manageable level. They pick themselves off the ground and brush off their new clothes.

"What so funny human?!" screams Gallus, a familiar pink returning to his face.

Temujin jumps back, their heartbeat accelerating. Gallus sees this and calms down some.

He sighs and says "Aren't you gonna ask me why I called you here?"

Temujin nods. The guards all exchange looks, some deigning to lower their spears before Velia shoots them a glare and the weapons all rocket back up.

"Perhaps we should continue this conversation just the three of us?" suggests Velia.

Gallus looks at Velia and then at Temujin, then puts a hand to his head exasperated. He sighs and says "Fine. Guards' you're dismissed."

The guards all look to Velia and only move after she gives a slight nod. Gallus notices this, as he always does, but keeps it to himself. Better to be thought of as lesser than as capable.

Velia sheathes her scimitars and walks forward to allow the guards to file out. Once they all clear out she shuts the door behind them. With only one bright ifrit left and no open door to let light in, the room was entombed in darkness.

Gallus turns and drags two chairs to the centre of the room, Velia thinking in the same vein drags a table. Temujin can barely see what's happening and their heart flutters in panic in case they were up to something insidious.

Velia leads them to a seat and helps them sit down. She plops a lantern on the table and lights it to illuminate them.

Gallus sits arms and legs crossed. He looked closed off in every sense of the word.

"You have two things I want human, and it is within your interest to be as straightforward as possible," he says.

He stares at Temujin intently awaiting an answer, but when none comes he sighs.

"Well? Are you so out of your mind that you can't even mutter a single yes or no?" he says annoyed.

"N-no" stammers Temujin. A warm hand is placed on their shoulder and they jerk back.

Velia smiles reassuringly, "Please, don't be scared. The young master simply wished to... well, scare you. However, we have changed tactics. I assure you, you were never in any real harm."

This doesn't do much for them, but directly hearing they were always safe is at least a little reassuring. If they can be trusted that is.

Galus leans on the table, hand on chin. He looks to the side boredom written on his face. "Just give me the crystal already," he says exasperated.

"No," replies Temujin, their voice steady but not confident.

"You realise you are stuck in a room with a level 35 sword dancer, yes?" says Gallus.

Temujin looks at Velia in a new light. They're the single highest level person they'd seen in the world, but in games and the like level 35 wasn't even middling. Was this world's levelling system exceptionally harder than rpgs from home?

"Well if you didn't before, now you do. Hand it over," he says impatiently.

"But it's not mine to give... it's the ragman's." Temujin says meekly.

Gallus rubs the sides of their head with their fingers and groans. "Yes indeed, I was there. Just cough it up will you?" he says.

Velia's brows arch in surprise. She looks to Gallus and says "Young master, you didn't tell me the crystal was his."

Gallus sighs and looks up at Velia. "Does it matter?" he replies.

Velia grimaces and her eyes wander between Temujin and the stairs at the room back. "Can I suggest that you sort the second issue first?" she says.

Gallus harumphs but complies. He grabs a small golden brazier from his bag of holding and sits it on the table. Next, he brings out a knife and pricks his fingertip, allowing a few droplets of blood to fall into its ash-filled cup. The ashes combust into a haunting white flame.

"This is a flame of judgment. You may not have heard of it as they are seen as barbaric in the east, but we ifrit are not afraid of petty fire. Considering your soft fleshy exterior, I think you should be." He says deadly serious.

From their two meetings, Temujin generally thought of Gallus as an ass, but from time to time in moments such as these, his eyes sparkled with conviction and fervour. It revealed a much more pure and tempered side of him. If only he would let it shine.

He puts his hand in the flame. Temujin jerks forward, their hand automatically reaching out to stop them. They stop when they notice that nothing happened. Gallus' hand stood firm in the flame unharmed.

Gallus is surprised by Temujin's care, but he quickly switches his face to cold stone.

"The flame of judgment does not harm those who it judges truthful. If however, you lie or attempt to deceive you shall be burnt with an intensity that even we would be harmed from," he explains.

He removes his hand from the flame and gestures for Temujin to put in theirs.

Temujin obviously hesitates, but Velia speaks up before Gallus has a chance. "The flame of judgement will not harm you human if you just answer truthfully. It is a method of confirmation, albeit a very traditional one." She says.

Temujin believes that fully, for what would be the point of just burning them. For a quick laugh? No. The thing was that even knowing they wouldn't be hurt putting your hand in a roaring flame is still, well, putting your hand in a roaring flame. Every self-preservation instinct in them screamed for dear life telling them not to.

Even still they shakily held out their hand towards the brazier. After a few too many moments of hesitation Velia grabs their arm and forcefully moves it into the flame. Temujin yelps, but as expected they're unharmed.

The flame felt warm, though not uncomfortably so. They assume that this is a magic object, the second or third one they had seen so far. For a world of sorcerers and wizard's they had seen surprisingly few of them. The only magic user they knew of was Vel and he was far from the norm.

Gallus begins the questioning. "What do you know of the news of an oracle arriving in petilius?" he asks.

An oracle? The same thing Petina had called them, had he told him? But how as it possible that Gallus found out so soon, it barely took them twenty minutes to get to the city gate.

If they answered yes the next question would probably be asking if they knew who it was, then they would get suspicious and ask if they were the oracle. They don't know how big news being an oracle was, but if Gallus had cornered them within the hour to confirm it, it probably wasn't anything they wanted to be involved in.

Although if push came to shove they were actually an augur, they were just labelled as an oracle. Would the flames agree?

They needed to steer the conversation away from that with the truth. Gallus frowns, but before he can speak up they reply "Y-yes, Petina told me."

He had in fact told them that they were an oracle, so a truth and the flames of judgment agreed.

Gallus looks annoyed that they were cut off by them. They were fine with Velia, were they just used to her?

"I see. What else did he tell you?" he asks.

"Well, what do you want to know?" they reply.

Gallus' eyes narrow. "Did they tell you about the identity of this oracle?" he asks.

This was the litmus test of the flames of judgement. Had Petina informed them of any part of their identity? They'd told them about the jann and how their elders were a-gender as well. Technically being similar to the jann was a part who they were now, but what would the flames decide.

Temujin was socially anxious yes, a coward no.

"No, although he did get me to tell him about mine," they say with confidence.

Their eyes wince in anticipation of burning, but the flames don't harm them. A smile breaks out on their face as frown does on Gallus'.

He had noticed how the human winced as they answered, they had questioned their own answer and so what they said was most likely only technically correct. The smile they now held confirmed their suspicion. Gallus was rude, entitled and by all accounts a lecher, but an idiot he was not.

This human is weak-hearted, though strong-willed. He thinks for a moment and decides the best course of action is confrontation, let them answer before they can think.

"What did you tell him about yourself?" he asks.

"I told him that I'm neither a man nor a woman. I'm gender-less, like a jann elder."

That makes both Gallus and Velia pause.

"That..." Gallus searches for the right words "It is quite rare to find a human who knows of such an obscure jinn custom. It's practically unheard of one invoking it."

Temujin stares at Gallus unperturbed.

"Do you know the identity of the oracle?" He continues.

"As much as one can," they reply.

"What do you mean by that?" he questions.

Temujin pauses, they think about what to say next but before they get anywhere Gallus interjects, "The flames of judgment are not an invitation to demonstrate your wits, they are an opportunity to prove your sincerity. If however, I deem it unfruitful I can resort to... other methods."

He slams his knife into the stone table, it pierces into it as a normal knife would wood.

Temujin's heart beats rapidly and they start to sweat. Gallus wouldn't resort to anything like that, would he? As far as Temujin could speculate the fact was that they didn't really know the boy, nor did they fully understand the aristocracy. Of which they think he was quite powerful.

"Do you know the identity of the oracle?" he asks again.

Temujin stumbles over their words, but after only a few seconds Gallus yells "I did not ask you to think human!"

"Do you, or do you not know the identity of the oracle?!" he yells louder still.

A lord should rarely raise their voice, so once it may be needed it may retain its force. He had never read lord, it was not an opportunity afforded to him not that anyone would know. Petina was wise although decidedly out of his place, he wouldn't be allowed to continue his comeuppance soon enough.

"Yes!" squirms Temujin. Gallus grins.

"Are you, the oracle?" he continues in a calmer voice

Temujin's hand trembles and they try to remove it from the flame, Gallus' grin grows to a smile.

"The flame of judgement will never let you go until you have answered its igniter's question. Answer me, now," he says, confidence oozing.

He had got them, he knew it. He had no doubts of course as if he didn't believe in himself, who would? However it was satisfying to catch them, all on his own.

Temujin's eyes shut as their face scrunches in preparation for what might be coming. Sweat drips down their brow successfully avoiding their eyes, but dripping down onto the table.

Velia stood silent expressionless, though one of her hands strayed towards her belt's healing potion compartment. She was charged to answer to gens Primus, but that didn't mean she was happy about this situation.

Gallus and Velia focused on the flame whilst Temujin focused on its warmth, how much would it hurt a stray thought plagues their mind.

They think of their dream from earlier in the day and a connection is made. Just like how Vel described it, it feels as if the flood gates were opened and their entire being is poured into a formless message in their mind. They weren't religious, but they sent out a silent prayer.

"Please, save me." they think with a conviction they'd never normally be able to muster.

Finally, with bated breath, they squeal "No."

The flame flickers but does not react. Temujin immediately pulls their hand from the flame and Gallus is left staring at their still pure white splendour.

Velia's hand returns to their side and clenches into a fist. A single bead of sweat flows down their face. They curse the unruly bastard for running away.

They all hear a faint twin roar from outside. Both Gallus and Velia ignore it thinking it some mischievous amphista, only Temujin considering which amphista it was.

Now of all times Temujin's feet felt like weighted irons, was it an effect of the flames of judgment or a weakness of their own making?

They get up from their chair and with nary a word nor hesitation, they stumble through the dimly lit stone room to the light at the stairs.

Following a light at the end of a dark path is normally seen as a sign of death, but here it was their only hope. Besides, thinking of the knife they were threatened with and not being able to forget the entire regiment who bared their spears at them, they knew that the darkness too meant their end.

They fall onto their hands at the stairs, hitting the bottom step with their foot. Not used to these situations they looked back to check on the other two. Gallus was turning his head to face them and terrifyingly had blurred behind them with both scimitars out, leaving a trail of after images.

They only caught a glimpse of Velias face before scrambling up the stairs on all fours, but it wasn't that of a stern warrior but that of a conflicted bystander.

They reached the window next to the top of the staircase. There appeared to be many but only one was displaying a large amount of the bloody light, the one without a cannon shoved in its space. This room seemed to be some sort of anti-air defence. Why the hell did a city a thousand meters in the sky need so much obviously new equipment, what happened here?

Normally one would feel some trepidation at jumping out of a city to their certain deaths, but a familiar comforting sensation in their head told them otherwise. Temujin puts their trust in the feeling and jumps right into the bloody light. They look back one final time to see Velia right next to them, her hands a centimetre from their body, following it as it left the building.

At any moment she could have stopped them, but they didn't. Temujin suddenly liked the watch captain a lot more.

They fell from the tower out into the air and immediately regretted it. They screamed for a few seconds before bashing head first into Huliqs saddle in the air.

Hul roars as Huliq helps Temujin onto the saddle propper, their screams reserved for when their now hammering heart eventually gives out.

The runes on the saddle glow and dark spots appear in Temujin's vision. This excursion had taken a lot out from them, but it wasn't so bad for a fetch quest. They hope they hadn't disturbed Huliq's sleep too bad, but how did they know it was sleeping?

They look to their side as they droop forward, noticing Huliqs wings had no feathers nor scaley replacement. Instead, they sported a membrane bridging out from a scaley bone.

Their eyes finally close and they silently pray that Gallus shits himself on his way home.

[Level up. Augur Level 5 -> Augur Level 6]


Velia walks back down the stairs head lowered. Gallus eyes the watch-captain but more importantly eyes the certain lack of a person with them.

"Well?" he asks, "Where are they?"

Velina looks back at Gallus and shakes their head.

"They got away," she mutters as if him hearing her less would make it less true.

"What!? What do you mean they got away?!" he shrieks. Completely forgeting his earlier demonstration of restraint.

"They got away," solemnly repeats Velia.

"Impossible! You're a level 35 sword dancer, you could've disabled them in an instant!" he yells.

Velia just shrinks back taking the abuse. Normally they would've handed the lordling his ass, but he was only speaking the truth. She had let the human get away.

"Did you even try!?" he yells.

Anger overtakes her shame and she stomps forward. The rustling of her leather and bronze armour was suddenly much more audible without the heavy breathing of the human.

Gallus hesitates and takes a step back before she uses a dazzling step to appear mere inches from his face. She puts her hand into the flame of judgment and snarls at him, "I tried."

She walks away and leaves the tower. Leaving behind not a scion of gens Primus, but a scared child who had overstepped.

 

Chapter 3:

Spoiler

Faustus Petilius Thenisia sat on her padded wooden chair watching over the senate floor. The last of the senators were shuffling into their seats and the viewing balconies were filled to the brink with ifrit. Her father Fairebius sat on one of the two obsidian thrones at the center of the circular room, facing his most bitter rival and oldest friend Primus Petilius Galerius.

Two large gold banners with the insignia of a glowing blue wave covered the room's back wall, hiding its sculpted emerald iconography. A reminder of the emperor of waves dominion.

As the last of the congregation filled the room Galerius began the meeting as it was his turn.

The old patriarch rises from his chair and walks to the center of the senate floor. He looks up, choosing to face the spectators instead of his fellow senators. This is the cause of many disgruntled voices from the Faustus faction and many nods of approval from his own Primus faction.

"Senators, magistrates and the bright ifrit of Petilius. I, Consul Primus Petlius Galerius wholeheartedly welcome you to this session of the senate," he yells, his commanding voice skill sending it to all in the building.

A round of cheers rings out from enthusiastic spectators, he was after all the people's champion. What was more shocking were the silent frowns of more than a third of them. Had gens Primus truly fallen so far?

After the applause dies down through the forceful coercion of the guards, Galerius continues with his right of introduction.

"As I am sure all the fair citizens of the city are here for one issue, in particular, I hereby call the motion to move the discussion of the rumoured oracle to the forefront of the senate," he yells.

This causes another louder round of cheers, buying back many of the previously unenthused spectators. Many senators of both factions groan. The public adored discussion of rumours, but senators just saw it as taking up valuable time.

Fairebius holds up a hand causing the complaining senators to stop their yammering. Him being a staunch traditionalist he didn't dare to stand, but everyone still knew he was to speak.

"I agree with Galerius," his low voice booms from his speech skill. A few gasps were heard from the younger senators. Thenisia sips from her goblet of spiced wine and calls for her handmaid.

Fairebius looks around the senator's semicircular seating. Voices turn to shrill gasps wherever his vision crept. After silence is reaffirmed he continues.

"The way most would look at the rumour of an oracle is as hearsay, however, we must consider not only the views of our citizens but also of the other four cities," he says.

This causes much murmuring amongst the senators. Galerius picks out a member of his faction to act as the first speaker on the issue and the Senate hearing continues.

"Selpha, send a message to Quintus's viewing box, tell him to get over here without any dawdling," says Thenisia showing emotion her voice. Around others, emotions were a weakness, but around Selpha she was weak already.

What better explanation for gens Faustus and Primus was there than the location of their viewing boxes. Thenisia's box sat next to the senators behind her father's chair, whilst Quintus's box also sat behind his father's but was built above into the public spectator's balconies. gens Faustus, the clan of the aristocracy and wealthy opposing gens Primus, the clan of the people and its defenders.

The human servant bowed her head and left the viewing box for Quintus'.

Perhaps He could enlighten her on why the ragman was so late. Although it was unexpected that Gallus knew of the ragman apprentice, it was not surprising he harassed him. Them, she reminded herself.

It was quite amazing what a few gold denar could dig up on someone so new to the city.

Galerius and Fairebius took turns calling up senators to discuss the rumours. As expected all but the most excluded senator had been tactfully ruling out its credibility even if they themselves believed it. It was in the interest of the free city of Petilius to stay as mundane as possible, or else it might not remain so free.

Eventually, a motion to dismiss was brought forth and both consuls agreed on it. Just like that over three-quarters of the spectators began shuffling out of the balconies, the grand palace and then the city sanctum.

Thenisia sighed. If the citizens would put half the interest into politics as they did rumours the city would've been a much better place, but they had grown tired from a hundred years of complacency. Until of course, the emperor of waves arrived.

Thenisia hears a polite knock before Quintus barges in past Selpha, his man servant stood waiting for Selpha to enter first. At least he held a shred of elegance, then again that was what she liked about Quintus.

"Thenisia." He acknowledges before he sits beside her on a padded wooden chair. He reaches for an empty goblet but Thenisia slaps his hand away.

"I will not have you stumbling out of another senate hearing drunk, Quintus." She says jovial, a slight smile appearing on her face.

Quintus smiles back going against his face naturally frowning cracks, but it quickly disappears. He looks away his face twitching, trying and failing to hide his misery. Unlike her Quintus was a warrior, he held no skill to mask his emotions but even still he was particularly bad at it.

"That was a lifetime ago, I assure you. I have not acted out in such a way since I was a teenager. Why have you called me here?" he says professionally

Thenisia's smile slips. It was not long ago that she and Quintus would share drinks over a warm meal and laugh until the sun came up. She thinks again and realises that was in fact more than two decades ago. The more she went through life, the shorter its totality became. Where did the time go?

Maybe if they didn't share those drinks all those years ago things wouldn't have ended up like this, and they could still talk like they did. All intrigue left behind.

"I understand that your son assaulted the ragman's apprentice," she says calm and collected. Her face was devoid of all emotion thanks to her facial control skill.

Anger flashes through Quintus's face and it convulses trying to suppress it. She'd stabbed a dagger into his heart and she knew it. Why did she hurt him?

Paladin or no it was a miracle he had survived in the courts of the city. Perhaps that was the privilege of a warrior class, or maybe as he had once said she was simply his weakness. Just now to a very different result.

"My son simply questioned them, they were unharmed during its entirety," he replies with a growl.

Thenisia smiles deliberately, not genuinely. Only intrigue classes could usually tell, but he got the message.

"Is that why they were seen jumping out of the gate towers? You say they were unharmed, of that I am sure, but praytell, what could have spurred such an action," she says.

He knew that she knew the truth, and he hated it. This game of talking around the obvious for new tidbits of information, or to trick concessions was never his cup of tea.

He looked down at the senate floor, they were discussing higher taxation of citizens to pay the emperor of waves tribute. After all, what better way to pay than with the people's money.

As expected the Faustus faction brang up points for and the Primus faction brought up points against, but the final decision came down to the two consuls.

"How do you think your fathers going to vote?" asks Thenisia as she sips on her goblet.

Quintus had calmed down a little, though he had given up on forcing his frown into a neutral expression.

"One of our senators will bring up an addendum to tax the aristocracy triple the normal citizens and then they'll all fight until equal taxation is brought up," he says as he grabs a goblet, Thenisia this time letting him.

"And your father will vote as?" she questions.

Quintus's manservant pours spiced wine into his cup and he sips it slowly, considering whether he should answer. Eventually, he comes to an answer.

He lowers his cup and says "Against."

Thenesia slowly turns and looks down at the standing old man. Although even older than her father in age, his skills made him healthier than most.

She had expected him to make a few shows of favour to the citizens, but to go as far as voting against taxation for the emperor of waves? Either the old man was crafty or senile. They couldn't handle another war even if most would disagree.

"Quite a strategy. Why should the citizens pay the same percentage as the aristocracy, when they weren't afforded the same privileges. Yes?" she asks to confirm.

Quintus nods and takes another sip of wine.

"And do you agree with his decision?" she probes.

Quintus stares at her pointedly. He was loyal to his father, as was she, but he had the loyalty of a warrior and she did of a daughter. Familial ties were rarely tested, but a warrior's trust was reaffirmed every day on a battlefield. Besides, he was the only child and doted upon whilst she was the eldest of six.

He gets up from the seat and leans against the railing, wine in hand. After some hesitation, Thenisia joins him.

She didn't hesitate because she feared the looks of others, the box had been enchanted to be private and none could see inside, but she did fear his rejection. Sitting with a political rival was formal and common, but leaning beside them drinking?

They once again paid attention to the senates ongoings. A younger senator brought up taxing the aristocracy triple, as Quintus had said. It caused much outrage amongst the Faustus senators and an equally cheery response from the spectators. The other aristocracy was silent in the two large boxes that line the senates sides.

Thenisia looked back up at Quintus. Whether from a skill or genetics his flames had barely dimmed. He was just as beautiful as her, with the same pitch black obsidian skin and bright red flames peaking in their gaps. She often wondered why exactly he hadn't married.

Even if he still wanted to keep Gallus as his heir despite his status as a bastard, no citizen would oppose the paladin of the people. Plus the aristocracy all hated him anyway.

Was it his father's scorn? No, he was a superstitious man, but he was still kind. He'd simply ignore the tale of the ifrit of neither flames and ash.

"How is Gallus," asks Thenisia, timid in spirit.

Quintus stares at her for a long moment, his eyes narrowing not from suspicion but misery.

"He is well if a bit paranoid that the world is out to get him," he replies in a hushed tone.

"And you would disagree?" she replies.

Quintus looks down at the senate, then up at the spectators, then across to the hidden aristocracy and then finally at the banner with the insignia of a wave. He looks back into Thenisias eyes, almost breaking her three decades of training as she forcibly stares back.

"I think the world is out to get us all. It's all just a matter of if you allow it," he replies.

She shows a toothy grin before her grip on her skill tightens and her face returns to neutral. This makes Quintus laugh before he takes a sip and turns his attention back to the senate.

Her heart flutters. She had a husband and a child, but Quintus could make her feel like she was a teenager again. If she was his weakness, he was hers.

She looked at him for another moment before she saw movement in the corner of her eyes. She turned around and saw Quintus's manservant rushing forward with a dripping black dagger in hand.

He spoke no words, uttered no warcry and instead looked quite bored of the whole ordeal. As her mouth moved to command him to stop, Selpha had already engaged mirage step. She left a trail of afterimages as she closed in on the would-be assassin, but as she came within grabbing distance he simply sped up.

"Stop!" Thenisia screams, her voice caged by her box's privacy enchantments.

The assassin does not stop, nor hesitate for even a moment. The dagger meets Quintus's back and strikes true impaling him. Not a drop of the viscous black liquid is wasted as it forces itself inside him. Their bodies clash and momentum once gained is not easily stopped.

Selpha appears behind the assassin as they pull out the now crimson blade. She punches the assassin attempting to knock them out with true strike. Their blow hits, a moment before the assassin's own dagger pierces their neck.

A fountain of boiling blood streams forth as Quintus falls the story down to the Senate floor.

As the senators would later describe they saw Quintus of gens Primus, fall from the detached Faustus viewing box to the senate floor. Galerius upon seeing his fallen son, did not hesitate as he flew a story and twenty meters forward in one mighty leap to catch him in the air. In the process collided with the blood spraying it over the errant opposition senators, who scrambled like cowards. Quintus might be dead.

As the spectators would later describe they saw the people's paladin be thrown out at the vile hands of the aristocracy. Rumours often floated about how the noble class would often spurn gens Primus for their love of the people, culminating in the birth of Gallus. Now he was not only cursed in form but cursed by both the lack of a mother and the loss of a father. Galerius held his son in his arms, pouring forth potion after potion wrestled from the vile senator's hands. Blazing tears flowed down his crumpled cheeks and burned through his son's clothing. Through their final screams they knew, Quintus was dead.

As the aristocracy would later describe the assassination attempt had failed. Whatever contemptible fool had tried to kill a noble family with mere poison deserved the comeuppance the old patriarch would enact. It was unfortunate to see one of their own foamings at the mouth like a fool, but they knew that this attack was neither there's nor any ifrits attack. For as old Galerius screamed from his anguish, his son screamed with him, and their combined battle roar skills shook the grand palace's foundation. The poison cooked away from his sons boiling blood and his own scorching tears. Quintus was alive.

The emperor of waves banners fell from their hooks, the final ember that reignited both the aristocracy and the citizen's belief in gens Primus's standing.

"Quintus stop!" screamed Thenisia as she saw Quintus fall and disappear from her life for perhaps the last time. Her Lady's authority skill activated subconsciously as if she could command the world itself to save him. Thankfully her box's enchantments stopped her scream from being heard by the rest of the congregation.

As she would later tell no one, when she saw the love of her life presumably die in front of her she did not cry. Instead, her face twisted to such wicked anger that even her facial control skill could not contain it. She roared, not screamed, at the guzzling corpse of the assassin sitting against the railing.

She pulled him off the railing and onto the floor. She climbed onto his chest and tightened the grip on her metal goblet. She raised it and smashed it down into the corpse until her yellow, orange and red dress only showed one colour. All the while screaming every combination of every obscenity that came to her mind.

She only stopped once a knock came on her viewing box door. Even on the eve of a murder, protocol beat all other instincts. Selpha helped her mistress off the brutalised body, the face no longer recognisable. She gently covered her mistress with a shawl and escorted her out of the room, making promise after promise to attest to truth spells at a later date to the army of guards that stood outside.

Thenisia only looked forward mindlessly. Her eyes in use by her mind to comb through the details of the assassination attempt.

Mirage steps, although not the fastest movement skill, was foundational for a plethora of warriors. However, thanks to a monthly bribe to a servant of the Primus household, she knew all there was to know about the would-be assassin. At least she thought she did.

He unlike Selpha was a butler and nothing else, so how had he sped up? No butler skill she knew of could do such a thing in such a manner. Selpha should have easily caught up with him, and even if she hadn't her lady's authority skill should have stopped him in his tracks not allowed him to kill himself.

Furthermore, Quintus was a doofus, not an idiot. He believed in the best in people but would never have allowed his and therefore the city's safety to be endangered. Who had wanted his life, and for what purpose.

What mattered now was not only her own safety but the safety of her children. Both Fairbia and Gallus.

Gallus might not know his true mother's name, but that was okay. Neither did the rest of the world and the time she could have revealed the truth had long since gone.

Now it would do more harm than good. Gallus did too much harm on his own. He was like her in that way, if only he weren't cursed.

Thenisia is escorted out of the grand palace and back to the Faustus estates on her personal amphista.

A horn rings out from the grand palace echoing back from more horns on the walls. The ifrit of the city hurry back to their homes in terror as a state of emergency is called.

The only people left in the street are district checkpoint guards rushing to the walls and two conspicuous forms, one mummy and one human.



Temujin huffs and puffs, half expecting to blow the city away. After providing Vel with the crystal they had assumed that his road to recovery would be a long path. Especially so due to the fact that by his own admission this was low fantasy, not high. Vel seemed to have forgotten that.

As soon as he had the crystal in his hands he threw it into his mouth and ate it like an especially crunchy crouton. The very second after he jumped off his chair as spry as a spring chicken.

He'd told them about the roman styled senate and they'd very excitedly wanted to go with him. What a fool they were.

They'd entered the city and were leisurely making their way to the grand palace when the horns had gone off. Vel immediately switched his walk to a full-out sprint without a word to Temujin, forcing them to play keep up.

They weren't exactly unhealthy, but they wouldn't dain to call themselves fit either. After what seemed like an eternity and a strange amount of salutes from the passing guards they reached the city sanctum.

The innermost area of the city, the city sanctum, was a series of gargantuan buildings and estates all in a myriad of styles. They ranged from the central grand palace's ottoman to the many surrounding houses greek. What stood out most of all was the liberal use of wood.

Honest, actual to god wood was used exactly as it would be back home. Signs, fences, chairs and furniture all lined impressive wooden decks on many estates. This was the first time they'd seen any since they arrived in this world.

Vel stopped his sprint and looked in the air panting, his hand blocking his eyes from the harsh sun. Temujin stumbled over their steps and collapsed beside him, having a heart attack from the sounds of i.

Above them was a large golden amphista with a small carriage built onto its back. On it was stamped a golden amphista on a dark red background, the insignia of gens Faustus.

"What the fuck?" Vel mumbled under his breath.

Vel looked down at his struggling apprentice and picked them up in a princess carry. He had no time to dilly dally. Temujin would have normally protested, but they were just glad for the break.

Vel brought the two of them away from the very center of the city to a corner of its inner sanctum. To a large plot of land filled to the brim with trees, grass, flowers and even some songbirds.

A mansion fit for even the billionaires back home sat at its center, overlooking the grandiose display of wealth. Temujin hadn't even seen water since they'd come here, this shitty garden was fed better than they were.

Although they had eaten plenty of cactus this morning they felt a thirst come on just from seeing it.

Vel walked up to the guards at the metal gates and plopped Temujin down. He exchanged a few words with them before promptly being let in. Temujin picked themself up awkwardly.

Both of them walked through a cobblestone path to the sandstone mansion doors. Its construction was extraordinarily mundane. In fact it looked like a normal stone building from the outer districts of the city, just scaled up to monumental size.

The windows lacked any glass and instead let in both the air and the light, though blinds were set tied back at their corners. Temujin wondered how exactly security worked here, everything was so open and free.

The mansion doors open and much to Temujin's surprise, a human maid welcomes them.

"It is good to see you ragman. It also nice to see another human face here, I am Selpha good to meet you Temujin," she says in a solemn tone.

Both Temujin and Vel raised their brows in surprise, though for different reasons. Completely ignoring the fact she already knew their name, she was the first human they'd seen since they came here. Well, low human that is. Vel didn't count.

They felt like jumping up and hugging the woman but they settled for staring wide-eyed. She ignored the stare and focused her attention on Vel.

"It's... good to see me?" questioned Vel. Genuinely astonished by the words.

"Yes, just fifteen minutes ago an attempted assassination of Primus Petilius Quintus took place in Lady Thenesia's viewing box," she says.

Vel pauses for a minute trying to process the absurd sentence, but before he can strum up an answer both he and Temujin are pulled inside by the maid. She shuts the door behind them and pulls them along.

"W-wait!" protests Vel, "Arent you going to tell me more? I mean you can't just drop a bombshell like that on me and just move forward without a word!"

Selpha sighs and fills in the duo in quick to-the-point sentences, squeezing their arms until they yelped whenever they tried to interject. Selpha takes a longer route to get to Thenisias drawing-room, but in exchange, she buys enough time to fully fill in them.

Although Temujin was astounded that an assassination had taken place they barely understood the complex politicking around it. So they were mainly confused whilst Vel fell into deep thought. Once they had reached their destination Selpha let them go.

She put her hand on the door handle but before opening it she turned to the duo.

"Don't say anything about the blood," she says as she opens the door. Inside sat a brutally strange version of the Thenisia that Temujin had met the day before.

She'd switched out from the dress and now wore a more casual gown, though her obsidian face and charcoal hair were still stained with the blood of the assassin.

Temujin gasps whilst Vel calmly walks into the drawing-room and takes a seat at the table Thenisia was hunched over. She was meticulously combing through various tomes. Vel picks one up and quickly shows both himself and Temujin the title before Thenisia slaps away his hand and returns her book to the table.

The book was an old encyclopedia about various service classes. They guess she was researching if there was a butler skill that was faster than mirage-step. Selpha had been quite shocked by it.

"Why if it isn't the ragman and his apprentice. To what do I owe the pleasure?" asks Thenisia in a cheery voice. Her stoney face still buried in her books, not caring to even look at them. Temujin wonders how she even knew it was them.

Vel shares a look with Selpha and everyone stares at Thenisia for a long while, before Temujin breaks the silence.

"We're here to help," they say plainly.

Thenisia snorts. Vel is taken aback by this, never seeing her do something so inelegant before. Although he hadn't seen her caked in the blood of her enemies either.

"If you wish to help, you can keep Fairbia busy and out of trouble for me," says Thenisia.

Temujin flinches at that. Would keeping Fairbia busy entail being chased whilst almost being stabbed again?

"My lady, you have worked well with the ragman in the past, perhaps you may let him assist you once more?" pleads Selpha. Her fist tightens into a pale white. Vel notices and sighs.

"Just tell me what it is you are trying to accomplish. We can't do anything if you won't let us Thenisia," says Vel.

Thenisia finishes a book and throws it behind her, Selpha uses mirage-step to appear behind her and catch it. She sits the book down on a chair and nervously stands back behind the lady.

Vel sees that Thenisia wouldn't respond and gets up. He walks over to her and grabs her arms. She resists of course and to be honest Vel was about equal in strength to her, but she wasnt her normal self.

She struggles again and again her vision solely focused on the table, not giving Vel the time of day even though she was in his grasp. After a page of reading, she finally breaks eye contact with the table and stares back at him.

Vel lets go of her as her bloodshot eyes meet his. Although she had the facial control skill, even it required some semblance of control in the first place. Right now her normal neutered expression was replaced with one of pure fury and despair.

"Please Thenisia," says Vel in a hushed tone.

Thenisia's facial control skill reactivates and she fixes her posture.

"No combination of butler skills I've researched matches the display of skills used by the assassin. It is my working theory he was replaced, although if so he should have reverted when he killed himself," she says speedily.

Selpha smiles seeing her lady regain control of herself, although even she didn't know for how long. Temujin takes a seat and awkwardly taps the table.

"Right now I must contemplate whether or not whoever orchestrated this will strike again, and then at who." Thenisia continues.

Vel turns and looks at Temujin. They had told him about their tea reading prediction and their ordeals in the city, would he reveal them outright?

"I see. I would send a message spell to Petina and sell him this information in exchange for any new information he might get his hands-on," he says.

Temujin sighs in relief, which is not unnoticed by both Selpha and Thenisia. They were brought up in courts and thrived. From that one action, they knew that Temujin was hiding something that was of use.

"Do you have any idea who the next assassin might be?" asks Thenisia as she grabs a small black gem hung around her neck.

"Maybe, you have many rivals." hedges Vel, all too aware of the truth spell enchanted on the gem.

They stare at each other, but this time Vel doesn't back down. Temujin watches the two's tension build.

Should they tell Thenisia? It would certainly make this entire exchange much less intense and would really help her out, but Vel had already told them not to reveal their class to anyone.

Maybe if they say they know the oracle? No, they might pull Temujin back into some flames of judgment and they barely managed to escape Gallus last time.

Temujin was never good at these situations, Emilia was usually there to navigate them through them. If Emilia wasn't around then Themis loved to do verbal jousting and would gladly their pace. Then there was Salazar, he admittedly wouldn't be of much help but at least they'd suffer together.

Temujin's vision focuses on Thenisia standing over them. As they'd gotten lost in their thoughts they'd walked over. The lady was still caked in blood and unlike Vel, Temujin was quite affected by it.

Beads of sweat roll down their brow as they look away from the ifrits blazing stare. It was amazing how quickly they were normalised in their mind, but right now what she saw wasn't just another person but an entity who presumably held a great deal of power.

"Temujin," Thenisia says somehow with both tenderness and bloodlust, "Do you know anything that might help me in my investigation?"

A strange power exerts itself on Temujin's mind. A hazy fog that slows down the normally blazing-fast cogs of her mind. They suddenly can't think of anything but the question poised.

It was simple enough and before they can think they automatically try to utter yes, but before they vocalise the sound a sharp pain slaps them out of it.

Vel had casually walked up to them and backhanded them. Temujin stares up at him aghast, their eyes getting watery. He ignores them and instead scowls at Thenisia.

"I will not allow you to coerce my apprentice Thenisia," he growls.

"And why might that be, ragman. Have you not been entirely forthright?" she remarks, completely unperturbed by Vel's apparent anger.

Temujin rubs their head feeling a headache coming on. There it was again, that strange power that bent them to Thenisias will. It was either a skill or magic and considering her lavish home probably a very high-level one. If they raised their level would they grow stronger and be able to resist, or was it just a test of willpower?

"Your anger is misplaced. What will you achieve from venting it to a teenager?" says Vel struggling to keep calm.

Vel's pale bandages and poor-quality clothing lent to him look like a vagrant, but here he was talking on equal ground with a noble.

From what Temujin knew from back home level 25 wasn't very high, but Vel had previously put importance on level 30. Did this world's levelling system work from level 1 to 50, or was everyone here just low-level?

Although Thenesias face remained as still as ever on its surface, beneath a war was being fought. Torrential grief mixed with raging anger as she looked back at Temujin. They shifted in their seat uncomfortable from the staring, but it did not break.

Vel's anger fades into pity and he frowns as he puts a hand on Thenesias shoulder.

"Why are you such a mess at Quintus being attacked? You've only ever complained about him before, and you've never acted like this even on the precipice of war," he asks gently.

Thenesia shifts. She takes a seat at the table behind her not minding the books. Selpha starts to correct her but thinks better. She puts her right hand on her dominant left arm and squeezes.

Even Temujin could tell that she was miserable, and if they could tell both Vel and Selpha surely could.

After a long pause, Thenesia mutters "It wouldn't help, Vel."

Vel's eyes go wide and he glares back at Temujin. They flush and idly look out of the window of the room, pretending not to exist.

The room once again falls into silence. Temujin looks between the three people all trying and failing to communicate and grits their teeth as they build up the nerve to speak.

If they told her, she could help. They knew that but still hesitated. They were as good a person as any, but as Themis would have said they have to take care of themselves first and foremost.

Temujin looked back up at Thenesia and noticed something that caused alarm in both Vel and Selpha. A lone tear flowed down her stoney cheek and off her expressionless face.

Temujin didn't know how the noble kept their composure so easily, but now did. It was a skill and one that was slipping.

"I'm the oracle," says Temujin their heart aching from pity.

Everyone in the room stares at them. Vel's eyes are wide from alarm, whilst Selpha's narrowed with suspicion. Thenisia stayed expressionless as always but her stare intensified.

"I-I mean I'm not one, I'm the person that people think is an oracle. I'm actually an augur." they correct.

Thenisia looks back at Vel. "Well, at least your apprentice has some pity," she remarks wiping the tear from her face.

"Yes," Vel says with a grimace, "it's quite unfortunate."

"An augur is a class from eldarin legend. You predict the future from signs in nature, yes?" asks Thensia.

"Yes? No? Maybe? I'm not quite sure I..." Temujin trails off not knowing if telling her she recently obtained the glass would trip an alarm in her mind.

She did seem very crafty, so much so Temujin was beginning to think the tear might have been a ploy.

"Yes," says Vel firmly. He takes a seat next to Temujin apparently done with facing Thenisia.

"So you can predict the future for us?" asks Selpha.

"Uhm... about that, I may already have, I read a fortune that said that Gallus would be betrayed by F and eventually die. Until now I thought it meant Fairbia," replies Temujin.

Thenisia's eyes unfocus for a second as she processes the information. Once done, she jumps off the table and towards Temujin. Selpha interrupts her lady mid-dash and calmly, though forcefully, sits her down at the table propper.

"What!?" screams Thensia with a snarl. She imbues her voice with her coercion skill, compelling Temujin to continue. Both Selpha and Vel flinch at the power exuded by the sudden command, though they manage to resist it fine.

A thunderstorm rolls into Temujins mind, booming with malicious intent. Temujin cowers back into their chair and winces, closing their eyes from the mental strain.

"I read a teacup he had drank from and the signs I got from it told me his future," They in an uncharacteristic calm and low tone.

"Thenisia!" yells back Vel, scrambling to his feet and summoning an arrow of mana in his hand. In response, Selpha mirage steps behind him in an instant and holds a small thin blade to his neck.

"When?! How!? Where!?" screams Thenisia. She doesn't rise from the chair she was plopped onto, but she does dig into its wood with her gold nails.

"I don't know," responds Temujin. A grief-stricken scream takes up their internal monologue, wiping their mind of any errant thoughts.

"What else do you know that I want to know!?" yells Thensia fed up with Temujin's lack of answers.

Temujin is allowed to ruminate on the question. They immediately think of Vel's past and his status as a time traveller. Temujin opens their mouth to tell Thenisia as she commanded, but before a single word can be formed their mouth glues shut.

They sit in silence for a moment before Thenisia, exasperated by the silence commands them once again.

"Tell me! Now!" she screams, her voice cracking from the exertion.

The thunderstorm in Temujin's mind strikes lightning down upon their self. They cower from it, but it always strikes true. They funnel their inner strength at opening their clamped shut mouth, but great chains of oaths bind it.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place they struggle futilely quickly expending all their mental energy trying to fend off both forces. Blood flows from their eyes, nose and ears as the stress takes its toll on them.

Seeing his apprentice struggle Vel Hesitates no longer and shouts with incredible force, "Stop!". His mana-infused voice reverberates through not only the room but the entirety of the estate. Causing all servants, mechanical devices, animals and even the flow of water to stop.

Vel manages to move out of the path of Selphas's knife as he collapses to the floor. Over half his mana supply was used up in an instance. Vel gets up shortly and grabs Temujin, as he does they're unfrozen.

"I do not understand why but I know you are in grief, for that, I will not hold a grudge. However, if you ever so much as lay a hand on my apprentice again, I will not hesitate to use force," he says in a low and calm voice.

Vel puts an arm on Temujin and leans on them as they walk out. Temujin looks down not being able to meet his gaze, he'd gone to such lengths to make sure they weren't harmed. He still tricked them, but he was still good.

Vel puts his other hand on his temple rubbing it. His master-apprentice contract burned like a hot iron in his mind. They leave the room, then the manor and walked off towards the city gates.

Once they were safely out of the room and earshot Selpha closes the doors. Thenisia disables her facial control and reveals pure rage.

She grabs book after book from the table and throws them against the wall screaming. It had been barely an hour and already she had two tragedies on her hands.

She stops her venting once she runs out of books and calmly sits down.

She looks up at the silent Selpha and says, "Send a message spell to Galerius, tell him that Gallus is most likely the next target. The old coot may be against him being his successor, but he still loves him. Also, sell the information to Petina as the ragman... Vel suggested."

Selpha nods and begins to walk off before Thenisia adds, "And send a courier to him as well. Apologise and give him a mana crystal. Say that we'll provide whatever reward he wishes plus full resources to help train Temujin and our full confidentiality."

Selpha nods and exits the room.

Thenisia sighs and looks out at the amphista-flooded sky. News will be spreading everywhere and the vultures would come soon. She needed the ragman on her side and that outburst didn't do her any favours.

When she was his age she was the haughtiest of the haughty, it took a tragedy to temper her into what she was now. She wished to the gods, any and all that would listen, that this would not be his.

Tears now flowed down her cheek freely as she balled up in her seat and sobbed. She hoped the culprits of the assassination attempt were long gone from the city, for the further away they were the longer she could hunt them and make them suffer.