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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/rewt66dewd on 2024-07-26 23:54:26+00:00.

Previous

The sound of a firefight continued to come from 16 Epsilon 6. It was tapering off, though. Then there was the sound of a huge explosion. Then silence.

The Solvent Girl had freed maybe twenty of the Claxvids, but at this she stopped and looked up. "Tac, what have we got?"

"Our unit at 16 Epsilon 6 is not responding, and is presumed lost. Hostiles seem to be about to enter 16 Epsilon 5... yes, here they are. Six Alanoans. One with an improvised insignia, so maybe the captain."

"Alanoans.? Let me see... yup, E-7... fast enough. Safe for Claxvids! Great!"

"Um, Solvent Girl, you seem to be moving toward the hostiles. Turn around! Safety is the other way!"

"I'm not going to safety. I'm taking point. You - " here she started speaking to the Orion Alliance refugee team, "you run back toward 16 Epsilon 1. Take everybody who's unstuck with you. I'll be back for the rest in a bit."

"Solvent Girl, you aren't armored for this!" Tac protested.

"Armor is for defense. This is offense." The Solvent Girl moved into the near part of 16 Epsilon 5, and began spraying.

"What are you doing?" Tac demanded.

"Killing hostiles. Oh, and maybe myself, but I hope not."

"Fall back! They're almost on you!"

"Falling back... and..."

"They seem to have stopped and... fallen down?"

"Yes!" The Solvent Girl surged back forward, found the downed Alanoans, and gave each of them an extra spray in the face, just to be sure.

"I'm waiting very patiently for you to explain this to me..." But Tac did not sound at all patient.

"There's one solvent we use that is really toxic to Alanoans. Like, very very quickly fatal. I sprayed it all over where they were going to walk. Only problem is, it's kind of toxic to humans too. The suit's supposed to handle it, but I need a decontamination team sent to 16 Epsilon 5, preferably quickly. And with no humans or Alanoans in it. Oh, and no Trarchids, either. In fact those three races should probably avoid all of 16 Epsilon 5, and everything one grid unit in any direction."

"That leaves you unable to continue freeing the prisoners."

"Well... either the suit was good enough to protect me, or it wasn't. If I'm still operational, I might as well finish freeing them."

After decontamination, she did exactly that. Then she went back to her ship.

She was in the sickbay for two days. The suit had been good, but it had allowed a very small amount of E-7 in.

After she was out of the sickbay, she got a huge welcome from the freed Claxvids.

The captain had one question for her: Why?

"Well," she explained, "in my training, it was drilled into us over and over that E-7 was dangerous to humans, and especially to Alanoans. When I found out that that's who was coming, I remembered, and knew I could stop them."

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/DisapointedVoid on 2024-07-26 23:31:12+00:00.

First

Previous

Next

Rosalind thought back on the last few days - it was hard to reconcile the conflicting emotions roiling in not just her heart, but in all her crew. The joy and wonder at contacting real, tangible alien life; the sorrow and anger at the loss of life and in several cases lifelong injuries to mind and body that had resulted from it; and the growing shock and incredulity as more and more information started to be parsed via the translation matrix - both from the alien systems and conversations with the aliens themselves.

She already knew that biologists would be climbing over each other to examine the aliens unique, at least compared to any known organisms, biology. And they would probably be fighting off droves of physicists, chemists and engineers hot on their heels. Let alone all the other branches of science, history, or any other academic field - hell, there wouldn’t be a university that wasn’t tapping into their alumni network to finance expeditions or companies that would risk it all to be the first to bring some new alien gismo to the human market.

Her eyes focused as she turned her attention to the approaching shuttle carrying the alien shipmaster and “lead warrior”. The bodies of her crew had been flown over earlier to prepare for the ceremony.. She glanced over at James “Lights and gravity?”

James nodded and tapped out a sequence of commands on his data pad which illuminated the UV lights they had installed in the hanger bay to allow their alien guests to see in their full, if strangely split, visible spectrum. Thankfully the aliens could get away with some low intensity UVA otherwise she would have had to start issuing sunglasses and sunscreen to the crew. A series of alarms rang out before the gravity slowly decreased to just over half the normal ship gravity. Rosalind tried not to fidget in the lower gravity even as she activated the electromagnetic soles of her ship boots - it wouldn’t do to have the aliens board only to find her bouncing off the ceiling.

She turned to the rest of her senior officers and pointed to the air filtration mask that she was wearing “Masks?”

After some fumbling a series of affirmative noises came back to her. Thankfully the medical team were fairly confident that there wasn’t anything that was communicable between humans and the aliens but advice was to at least minimise the chance of cross contamination using air filtration, even though it didn’t seem that full environmental separation would be required.

There were a series of dull clunks from the airlock as the shuttle docked and matched pressure to the Patient Anvil. Finally the indicator lights changed from a red cross to a blue circle and the airlock opened. A rapid pattering of footsteps grew louder and echoed into the embarkation lounge as the two aliens swarmed - and that was the word that immediately leapt to mind - out of the shuttle.

The smaller alien, the ship master, stopped at the hazard line which officially marked the start of the Patient Anvil, while his companion stood beside and slightly behind him. Rosalind was glad the colours apparently stood out enough for the aliens as she didn’t relish the thought of how much effort it would take to rekey all of the established signage that had been painstakingly argued over by the Human Space Administration over the last few centuries in light of a new species potentially starting to appear on human ships and installations.

The alien clacked at her before his translator chirruped to life “I am Acting Ship Master of the Far Flung Seed, and this is Acting Lead Warrior of the Far Flung Seed. We request permission to come aboard to mark the death rites of your people.”

Rosalind stared up into the multifaceted eyes of the ship master before smiling “Permission granted. Welcome aboard the Patient Anvil, I am Captain Rosalind Xao and these are my senior officers.”

She introduced each of them in turn before continuing. “We thank you for joining us in honouring our dead. If you would follow me we will join the rest of the crew?”

The aliens bobbed their heads, with what was an oddly similar gesture to that used by humans before the translator picked up their words “Of course Captain, we have studied the documentation you have provided on your rites but please do let us know if we act incorrectly - understand that this would not be intentional. Please lead on.”

“Of course” Rosalind replied and gestured to the waiting elevator. “This way please.”

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Y’Lek and K’Rim could feel the slight vibration as the elevator moved. Even with their larger size there was plenty of room for them both and the delegation of aliens. Not that Y’Lek was entirely surprised; given the size of the alien ship there must have been lots of room for an extensive transport system. Occasionally the alien captain would explain a particular feature that was visible through the transparent sections embedded within the walls.

Apparently much of the ship was currently empty space, awaiting the completion of further mining in order to fill the cargo space with processed materials and in some cases fabricated components. They were also travelling away from the main occupied portion of the ship to a nearby cargo space which was large enough to hold the majority of the off-duty and non-essential crew for this occasion.

After several more minutes of travel Y’Lek realised that the definition of “nearby” clearly needed refinement - while it was hard to estimate distance they must have moved at least two kilometres from the docking port before the elevator slid to a stop and the doors silently opened.

Y’Lek stepped out into a vast space, easily as big as the entire Far Flung Seed end to end and almost as tall and deep as his ship was in diameter. Rows and rows of humans in various patterns and colours of clothing, skin and biological matter covering the tops of the head and occasionally portions of the face stood to what he had been told was a position of attention.

He was careful to follow the captain and keep clear of the warning pattern markers on the floor - according to the discussions prior to their visit the humans were emitting some kind of energy field to separate the main body of the crew from them so that only the humans in the greeting delegation had to wear masks and walk in what they considered “low gravity”. He’d been assured that the fields were not dangerous but he didn’t particularly want to test this out or mark himself as foolish for careening into one of the fields.

Even so he was keenly aware of thousands of pairs of eyes watching him - an odd sensation he had not expected, especially given the almost total visual coverage his species enjoyed. As he moved with the group the aliens' heads actually turned as one to follow him.

The captain gestured to two benches that had been prepared for him and K’Rim before she turned and ascended a small podium facing back towards the assembled humans. Beside the podium lay the polished boxes within which the alien dead rested in. He had been somewhat alarmed when he had been told that several of the deceased were destined to be set free into space, eventually to fall into the local star but he had come to terms with the strange nature of the aliens after much discussion with them over the course of several days.

At some signal that he must have missed the humans all sat as one - after a second of delay he and K’Rim rested down on the benches.

The captain looked out at her crew for a few moment before her amplified voice was carried out over the crowd.

“There have been many pivotal moments in human history. Times where our course as a species has been altered. No such moment leaves us untouched and the incredible discovery that we are not alone in the universe is no different; we have found ourselves unwittingly flying into momentous times and I know that the history books will forever link those we honour here today with the answer to the question we have asked ever since we first looked up at the skies and felt the deep need for companionship, kinship, and the burning desire to know we were not the only ones.”

She paused to look out at the crowd, and turned gesturing to the boxes beside her “However, we know these men and women as friends, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, mothers and fathers. We know them as people and it is that connection we are here to acknowledge and celebrate today. To remember them, not as accessories to history, but as those who stepped bravely into the unknown and gave their lives to aid those in need, as those who lived up to the very best within all of us, and for whom we were all made better for knowing.”

An image resolved itself in the air above the first box. Y’Lek still wasn’t an expert on differentiating the aliens other than with extremely obvious differences but he didn’t need to as the captain continued.

“Dr {Takao Jin}, ship’s surgeon. Died following injuries sustained while attempting to provide treatment during initial contact…”

Y’Lek let the procedures wash over him as the captain introduced each of the aliens, listed their accomplishments, gave some personal anecdotes relating to thei...

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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/arekban on 2024-07-26 21:13:18+00:00.

Synopsis: Markus is summoned from Earth by evil beings looking for a 'weak and primitive' creature to use as sacrificial entertainment. What they got instead was a human. Immediately after arriving, Markus awakens to an ability so rare, so powerful that it makes every god on Firrelia desperate to recruit him as their new champion.

Learning to control his innate mastery over mana, Markus will devour the very essence of any monster, demon, or god that dares get in his way, determined to never lose his freedom again.

——

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Contrary to Markus’ mounting skepticism, Rika actually returned with genuinely useful books.

Before that, however, Markus was left with about an hour to himself. He had three and a half until his fight, and the time he was left alone in his cell he mainly spent planning. Better that than curling up in a ball, and he was past lamenting his situation. He’d gotten that shit off his chest already, or at least as much of it as he was going to.

It was just him and his destined appearance now, and like it or not, he was doing it.

Cyrus was once again missing. He’d been hoping to chat with him about a couple of his options, but they’d taken him once again in the time that Markus had been gone. He had no clue where. He’d have thought there was no chance they’d have him fighting twice in a day, but he’d have considered the same for himself not long ago. He chose to put it out of his mind. Cyrus was strong. He’d most likely be safe.

Didn’t truly stop him worrying, but he had himself to consider right now. He’d always felt guilty if he was considering himself over others, something that had been ingrained in him over a lengthy, shitty past, but that feeling could go fuck itself right now because worrying wasn’t gonna get him through this. There’d be time for feeling bad about other people after he’d saved his own skin.

So Markus set to doing just that. Mana stones got filled. He made a total inventory of his mana.

D Grade Mystic.

C, D, and E Grade Life.

C, D, E, and F Grades Blood.

F Grade Wind.

F Grade Earth (of which he had almost none).

D, E, F, and G Grades Spirit.

G and E Grade Frost.

E and D Grade Flame.

D Grade Shock.

E Grade Caustic.

A Grade Divine.

He was keeping the Mystic Mana in his D Grade Essence Stone. The higher grades of Blood and Life Mana were within him, as was the Divine Mana, the Wind Mana, the Earth, multiple grades of Spirit, the Frost, the Caustic, and the higher grade of Flame.

Each would need an intended purpose. These mana types were his weapons, and while all he currently knew about his opponent was that it breathed fire, couldn’t fly, was larger than him, and was a D Grade monster, he couldn’t make any definitive assumptions about it. Sure, that could be a dragon or wyvern or something, but it could be a million, trillion other things.

And so he needed to prepare for what happened if it wasn’t. The way he’d approach an armored target would differ to how he’d approach a squishy one, and the way he fought a creature impervious to its own flames would have to differ to one still vulnerable to fire.

Then there was the matter of size. The creature was said to be multiple times the size of a horse. It wasn’t specific. Three times larger? Twenty times?

That made a difference too. All these variables made Markus consider harder what to grab and what to hang onto. He knew his opponent could breathe fire, but did it have other tricks he needed worry about?

Regardless, using his Adaptive Resistance for the first time, Markus started setting up the process to building a resistance to fire within himself.

He’d gotten this passive before his third fight, a benefit of all the points he’d put into Arcana, and this was the only time it’d made sense to burn the mana necessary to use it, a moment in which he actually had an idea of what element he was currently up against.

The resistance required D Grade Mana of a corresponding type to generate, and would last until the mana was depleted or until a new resistance was chosen. It was his first time using the passive, and he didn’t have a fuckton of D Grade Flame Mana to spare, so while he was glad to have the option, he realised that such a barrier wouldn’t last under strain for long. He might be able to absorb some flames from attacks and keep the barrier going for a while, but he had a feeling the damage from being breathed flame on would outclass the mitigation of the passive, and would probably give him less mana than it took to block the damage in the first place.

Or, he could be pleasantly mistaken and find this made him effectively able to heal off fire. Probably not though.

That was his Flame Mana all but accounted for. He’d need the rest for maintaining his resistance, meaning he’d have to be frugal with how many Detonates he was willing to cast. He needed at least enough for a couple, though, but the E Grade Flame Mana would be sufficient to pull that off. He had enough within his glaive to do so a few times at max.

Frozen Tomb’s icy field was unlikely to be of use this fight, the creature likely able to smash through the ice or nullify it with heat. Still, the ability the skill gave him to summon icicles could definitely come in handy, and was one of his only current means of attacking from range, so he elected to keep a good portion of Frost Mana within his body.

His current Mana Capacity was over 7000. He had plenty of space to do what he needed.

Spirit Mana was his bread and butter. He used it for almost everything. Rend was important, too, as was staying alive, so the higher grades of Blood Mana stayed within his body for their greater potency in healing and blood-based abilities.

Then there was the Wind Mana…

His opponent was likely to be in the air. He was a Jumpmaster, wearing a lightweight set of armour, bolstered by magical greaves that made him lighter and take less fall damage. He was practically built for aerial combat at this point. The only thing he was missing was a good source of Wind Mana, let alone an understanding of it.

Bat cores…

He had 12. Those were regular monsters. Native to the caves below. No reason to feel bad about using them.

They were G Grade. He could combine them to roll for a higher potency of core.

He did so.

Four combined into an F Grade core. Six more combined into another F Grade core with a different passive, and the final two didn’t combine at all.

One offered a single flap of wind during travel per hour to boost yourself slightly higher, something Markus envisioned somewhat akin to a double jump, and the other offered a basic enhancement on hearing.

…double jump. Who the fuck wasn’t picking that.

Combination options didn’t stop there, however. That hearing passive bat core could be combined with a slime core and a giant core to form a ruined cavedweller core.

Ruined… what the fuck did that mean?

Markus had tried staring at the giant cores since his revelation to determine more about them, but their label had never changed. Casting [Identify] whilst looking within himself at the empty space in which they swirled hadn’t elucidated him much either, but he knew there was something wrong about them. He could feel it, an almost permanent weight on his chest.

Had he felt that way since he’d picked them up, or only since his discovery? It was hard to say. Markus was constantly between some ache or pain or discomfort or other lately. Needless to say, whether it was in his head or not, something about them felt wrong. Like they didn’t belong where they sat, constantly brushing against his spirit, a reminder of what he’d done.

“You were like me, right?”

That’s it. He was talking to himself. He’d told himself he wasn’t gonna get caught up in emotions now, but here he was talking to himself. God fucking damnit, man. Just bottle it up, move on, prepare for your fucking death match and—

“I didn’t know you were people once. I feel really bad about killing you guys.”

He almost swore he felt something swirl inside of him. He clutched a hand to his chest, his fingers feeling numb. Was it… recognition?

He was probably imagining it. Probably just his addled, stressed out mind pushing him away from doing what he was thinking about doing. Or maybe pushing him towards it. He couldn’t fucking tell.

“I can’t imagine how you feel.” Markus rubbed the back of his neck. He stared at the wall as he spoke. “I was kidnapped too, and…” he sighed. Was he really doing this?

He inhaled.

“I got kidnapped. I got to fight back though. Or at least… feel like I’m fighting back. And I kept hold of my own mind. I mean, maybe not entirely, because I’m sat here talking to you, but…” Markus shrugged. He laughed dryly. “Sounds like you didn’t get any of that. You just got cursed. Dumped in a dark, shitty dungeon and forced to fight for your lives until someone came along and ended them. You didn’t deserve that.”

He felt a pulse resonate through his body. He hadn’t imagined that one, or if he did, the hallucination was really fucking lucid.

He looked within himself. Really felt out the motions of the mana resonating within his body. To think that he was actually getting some kind of sapient response from within was ludicro...

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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/Spartawolf on 2024-07-26 20:21:53+00:00.

First/Previous

“What the hell?!” Sephy yelled in shock, quickly bringing her plasma rifle to bear as the ground stirred all around them, revealing several Zorn standing up, camouflage still stuck to them like a second skin. 

“Back to back!” Alora ordered them all as she quickly drew a wand out of her robes. “In a circle! Stay close and cover each other!”

“Don’t let them get up!” Nika growled out in a challenge as she quickly drew her plasma rifle, letting loose a burst towards a shape in the earth that was rising up. “Put them down!”

Be careful, there’s a lot of them! Chiyo called out as she gathered her power.

“Good thing I have a lot of ammo!” Jack growled as a liberal blast from his heavy plasma rifle obliterated two of the closest Zorn charging at him and Chiyo, before something pinged off of his armour. Looking down, he saw a crude arrow clattering to the ground, with one of the Zorn having shot at him with a shortbow or crossbow of some kind. 

“That’s the spirit!” Sephy called back, regaining her confidence as she crouched down, putting an accurate burst of plasma into the chest of another Zorn, who stumbled but kept coming with a determined snarl, until Sephy fired a follow-up burst that took its head clean off.

Huh. 

That was unusual. 

Zorn weren’t known for pain tolerance or that kind of willingness to stay in the fight, and Sephy has never fought any that defied those traits before. 

“Careful with these ones!” She called out to the others, erring on the side of caution. “Something’s off!” 

“Pyrallis!” Alora yelled out as a jet of fire from her wand lanced out, zigzagging and slamming into yet more Zorn that seemed to all be rising out of every patch of dirt around them! The Zorn clearly felt it, but they did nothing to stop it from burning them as the closest one closed the distance, forcing Alora to quickly chant a brief prayer and summon her spear of faith, where the muscle memory of her combat drills growing up forced her to use the tip of her spear to parry the Zorn’s own before catching the monster under the jaw using their own momentum, forcing the point up through its mouth into its brain.   

“Getting really sick and tired of you ooga boogas,” Nika growled to herself as she rapidly switched to her shotgun, blasting another Zorn’s legs from under it. 

We need to move! Chiyo warned, as she used her power to halt the flight of several arrows fired towards Jack that had been dunked in excrement, before flinging them right back to sender. Dante gave a loud barking challenge as his markings lit up, and he discharged a fierce bolt of lightning that slammed into another Zorn before forking out and bouncing into several more, which seemed to be very effective.

“Back the way we came!” Alora ordered. Though they had obviously been tracked that way, at least they knew there weren’t any traps lying in wait back there. “Stay to-”

Suddenly there were several loud bellows, as several large, bottle-green cat-like reptiles burst from the ground ahead, which they recognised as Zorn mounts complete with yelling riders. Several more sounds joined it, making a cacophony of malevolent-sounding snarls and barks as several more creatures popped out of the ground. These smaller beings resembled some kind of canine, with sickly pale-yellow skin, beady feral eyes and a snarling maw of thick, powerful teeth that reminded him of pit bulls from his home world.  

“What the fuck!?” Jack exclaimed as he flicked the switch for his underbarrel grenade launcher, the *THWOOP* of the grenade arcing out and slamming into one of the cat-lizards before erupting in explosive fury. “How the hell were all these things hiding here!?”

Think about it later! Chiyo projected out as one of the larger beasts charged straight for them both, spurred by their rider. Jack quickly let out a burst of heavy plasma fire before both he and Chiyo dodged out of the way, with Jack blasting the larger beast point blank in the flank with another burst, smashing through the bone plates and getting into the softer flesh beneath, causing the beast to violently smash to the ground, taking its screaming rider with it.  

Watch out! They’re trying to cut us off! Chiyo warned the others as another rider, spotting the Ilithii getting separated from the others charged at her. Spotting the threat in time and setting her jaw, Chiyo focused her will as the charging beast picked up speed, before she summoned a wall of telekinetic force that the beast smashed into with a sickening crunch of bones, causing their back half to flip up over it, launching its rider who got some impressive air before slamming back to the ground, head first. 

“Shit! We’re getting separated!” Nika cursed before her discipline took over. Getting to one knee in a firing position, she quickly let loose several bursts that slammed into the closest Zorn charging her way, though they seemingly showed no regard for their own lives as they were cut down. She spotted more in the distance that were still taking shots at them with bows and arrows, but she paid them no mind - their armour would easily protect them. 

She was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a guttural snarl behind her, and using her tail to aid the movement, the Kizun quickly dodged the small creature that had tried to rapidly close on her from behind, unable to halt their leaping momentum as the Nika’s shotgun blast took it out, obliterating it's back half. 

She then cursed again as a rider made a pass at her and knocked her staggering to the side, the point of the Zorn spear just grazing the shoulder plate of her armour as she turned away just a nanosecond too late. She quickly primed a grenade and threw it hard, the activated adhesive sticking to the back leg of the beast, detonating a few moments later to the sound of a frustrated shriek.

“Uh, ok!” Sephy muttered to herself as a Zorn got in close, and she quickly raised her plasma rifle to deflect the blow of the greatclub aimed at her head. Quickly clinching in close and trying not to gag at the stench, Sephy drew her stiletto and stabbed the Zorn in the chest several times, the thin point of the slender knife easily piercing through the ribcage to get at the inner organs within. The monster snarled but showed no signs of feeling the pain as they snapped their head forwards and caught the Skritta on the cheek with a headbutt.

“Motherfucker!” She snarled, pulling out one of her pistols and mag dumping the tenacious thing until it finally slumped down to the ground, still moving, but uselessly. She shot it in the balls for good measure before looking around, quickly picking off a Zorn that was trying to shoot at Alora with a bow and arrow. 

Hearing a thundering charge behind her and a warning bark from Dante, Sephy glanced back and immediately jumped as high as she possibly could, using her wings for propulsion as one of the Zorn cavalry passed by underneath, narrowly avoiding the snapping maw of the cat-lizard wanting a bite of her feet as she dropped down, headshotting the rider with a pistol before yanking on the reigns hard, sending the beast clamouring into another one that was charging the opposite way towards Dante. 

Dropping a grenade at the two tangled beasts, Sephy quickly lept out of the blast radius and looked up to where her drone hovered dutifully above them. 

“Heh!” She grinned. “That is SO going on NetTube!”

“Krealash!” Alora cried out, waving her arms forward with a burst of divine nature magic, causing roots and vines to spring up from the ground to entangle the closest group of Zorn charging towards them, making them sitting ducks as the others finished them off from afar with gunfire. The entanglement would remain for a few minutes, and would cut off most of the enemy on that side. 

“Form up!” Alora called out, as she saw that most of the Zorn cavalry were slain, but had succeeded in separating the members of the team to try and pick them off. “Try and get to me!” 

“Watch out for the dogs!” Jack yelled out as one of the beasts darted past him to go for Chiyo, dodging the swing of his axe. He left his axe buried in the ground as he tried to switch to his heavy plasma rifle, but was distracted by another Zorn that chucked a spear at him before grabbing another from a dead comrade. Blocking the spear with his rifle, Jack knocked the Zorn back with a kick, before quickly drawing his Photon Revolver and blasting the Zorn twice in the chest, before his third shot hit it in the face. Spinning around and firing, he caught another of the Zorn hounds before yet another one zipped up from out of nowhere and clamped its jaws around his ankle, the plates of his armour holding. 

“Fucking Shitbulls!” Jack snarled as he aimed his gun carefully before shooting the beast off with a few blasts, the stubborn creature still clamping on to his armoured leg until it no longer had a jaw to do it. 

Jack! Chiyo exclaimed in a panic, as she levitated in the air, the ‘Shitbull’ that got past him latching on to the Ilithii’s foot as it tried to drag her down. 

Bringing his rifle up then immediately dismissing the foolish idea, Jack sprinted over as quickly as he could, summoning a knife and plunging the blade into the thing’s neck.

It’s not letting go! Chiyo told him, her voice laced with pain as Jack tried to dislodge the...

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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/stargazer_hfy on 2024-07-26 19:20:50+00:00.

“All clear,” Anders said over the radio, and Takeshi made a dignified squee of excitement as he leapt away from the hull of the Seeker, traveling off into space. Antoine could tell from a glance that he’d missed on purpose. Despite that, his course quickly corrected itself as the Toormonda guided him to the correct location without the man being required to use his MMU for course correction.

Seeing that, Antoine was able to relax a little. He waited until Takeshi had finished making the jump and the other ship’s airlock had cycled completely before making the leap himself. The Toormonda was two hundred meters away from the Seeker, the length of two soccer fields. Despite being trained for EVA’s, Anders wasn’t entirely confident in his ability to gauge the jump perfectly, so having both the Toormonda’s guidance and the backup of his MMU were reassurances when it was his turn.

Despite that, his balls clenched up in fear once he was spinning in the middle of the two ships, slowly passing the distance, feeling helpless.

And then he landed on his feet in the airlock with a thud. The door closed behind him, and then the gravity pulled him forward towards the floor.

He got his feet underneath him and everything sort of reoriented in his head now that there was actually a down again. The inner airlock cycled and he joined Takeshi and Anders inside the alien ship.

They waited for the other two members to join them. Rajesh was next, followed by Liu. Once they were all aboard, a hologram abruptly appeared nearby.

“Hello, friends, and welcome to--”

Anders shot the hologram with a beanbag round. The projectile smashed into the wall behind the hologram, which didn’t even flicker.

“Apologies. I am not really there, you see. I did not mean to frighten you, Commander Anthony Anders. This is just a hologram. I plead for your forgiveness, and assure you that I am not troubled by your response to my sudden appearance,” the hologram said.

Anders lowered his weapon and frowned. “I was startled. I thought I cleared the ship.”

“You did. It was a most impressive sweep. I can tell that you have had military training in clearing large areas before. The Toormonda itself was most impressed,” the hologram said.

“You’re not the Toormonda?” Takeshi asked.

“No. I am Eolai. I am standing next to Diego at the moment, and I would ask him to join us in communicating in this way except that he is on the floor laughing so hard I fear that he is not getting enough oxygen to his brain.”

Anders tisked. “I suppose that there’s no clearing for a hologram, is there?”

“There are several technologies which would disrupt the methods used to generate this image for the human eyes, which are used to counter holograms when military or police actions are required,” Eolai explained. “In fact, soldiers and law enforcement often carry a device no larger than the weapon in your hand which is capable of such a jamming field, as well as having many other uses. It is possible for me to print up one such device from the material and instrument printer for your use, if you would like, Commander.”

Anders tisked again. “I wouldn’t mind examining one and/or reading its specs and capabilities, but I’m not bringing an unknown jamming device aboard the Seeker.”

“As you wish. I shall order one printed anyway, and you may place it in the reclaimer after you have concluded your examination of it,” the holographic Eolai said. “Oh good, it seems that Diego has recovered himself enough to join us.”

“Hey guys. I totally bet myself twenty bucks that Anders was going to shoot something when Eolai made his appearance,” Deigo’s hologram said, rezzing into existence next to Eolai. “It’s good to see you again. Before you ask, we’re standing on what I think is the flagship’s bridge and I can’t see your surroundings. Just you guys standing next to each other. Eolai wants to know how much time your suits have before you run out of air.”

Each of the crewmembers checked their O2 levels and reported that they each had a little over six hours on their timers.

“I’d like to leave at least an hour on our clock to return to the Seeker before we hit the red line,” Anders said. “So that gives us five hours for the grand tour.”

“I understand. However, given the limited amount of time that we have for this, perhaps it would be best if you separate? My peers would be happy to guide you to the areas of the ship which have to deal with your individual specialties.”

Anders frowned. “I don’t like the idea of splitting up.”

“Relax a bit, Anders,” Takeshi said. “I understand why you’re being paranoid. But the fact is that if we spring some alien trap and die, then it still counts as a mission success because it tells the captain that the Yonohoans are untrustworthy, doesn’t it?”

Anders shot him a glare, but Eolai just laughed.

“I assure you that you are likely safer on this ship than you were before you left the Seeker. We Yonohoan are very, very serious about the safety of our children, and the Toormonda has one of the absolute highest safety ratings of any ship capable of interstellar flight,” Eolai said. “However, if you prefer to remain together, that is also acceptable.”

Anders groaned as he came to his conclusion. “I absolutely hate to say this, but we will cover more ground and get more accomplished if we split up than if we remain together.”

“Excellent!” Eolai’s hologram exclaimed. “Anders, if you will follow me, I will show you the material printer area. I have ordered up a number of items which you might find interesting. They are commonly used by security forces. I understand your reluctance to bring unknown technology aboard the Seeker and will not pressure you to do so, I simply thought that examining them would help you pass the time.”

Four more holograms appeared, and the Yonohoans requested that each member of the away team follow them so that the tour could begin.

“Captain, come in Captain Moon, do you read me?” Takeshi’s voice asked over the radio. Captain Moon had already been listening to the mission channel, so she simply tapped the button to unmute herself.

“This is Captain Moon. What is it Takeshi.”

“I’d like you to apply some power to the Tunnel Drive. Don’t go anywhere, just warm it up a bit. If possible. My guide is showing me some of the instruments which would be capable of detecting it. We’re having difficulty because there are no equivalent English words for some of the Yonohoan terminology she’s flinging at me. But she says that I should find the results of even a twenty percent warm up to our drive very illuminating.”

Captain Moon considered the request. “We’ll go nice and slow, Takeshi. I’ll have engineering start to warm the girl up for you and top it out at thirty percent. The fleet knows about this little experiment, right? They’re not going to get nervous that we’re running?”

“We are aware of and approve of this educational experience, Captain Moon,” Eolai’s voice chimed in over the radio.

“And you are also monitoring the mission’s radio frequency,” Captain Moon remarked.

“Apologies, were you not expecting us to? We can mark this frequency as one not to be observed if you would prefer privacy,” Eolai said.

“No. If we require privacy in our communications we have methods and protocols for that which we have yet to demonstrate. We would prefer that any methods we mark as an attempt to secure our communication be treated as something which is not to be deciphered,” Captain Moon said.

“I understand. At your request, we will designate whatever frequencies you wish as channels to be secured and used for diplomatic reasons. Unfortunately this will not prevent the civilians on the planet from listening in entirely. Many will comply with the requests to ignore certain frequencies, but we cannot control everyone’s actions without becoming tyrants,” Eolai said.

“I understand and thank you for the consideration. When Antoine returns I’ll have him start assessing whether or not to have frequencies set aside for our secure communication methods,” Captain Moon said. “Engineering is ready, Takeshi. We’re going to start applying power now.”

Almost as soon as she finished speaking, Takeshi made an exclamation of surprise. “Ah! It is no wonder they knew where we were going to appear!” he said. “Already the instruments are detecting a massive influx of quarks and gluons, and six kinds of readings which I don’t have words for! Right now the Seeker is in the center of a sea of glowing sub-subatomic particles which is only growing larger every second.”

“We’re only at three percent power,” Captain Moon observed. “Is our engine really this noisy?”

“Unfortunately yes. At least, to the senses of a Toormonda ship it is,” Eolai’s voice said. “I’m afraid that military grade scanners make the emissions of your ship even more obvious. We are reasonably certain we’ve identified your origin point for the jump into our system. We have marked it in the Toormonda’s astrogation files for Takeshi to review. We are not asking you to confirm nor deny it at this time, and you may wait until he returns to discuss it--”

“Captain, they are accurate as to our origin point within ten light years,” Takeshi said. “I can’t be more certain of that without reviewing our our own system and the results side by side.”

“Takeshi, I would have preferred you kept that to yourself until you return to the ship,” Captain Moon said sternly.

“I apologize, but it...
***
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Of Men and Dragons, Book 2, Chapter 40

An Image of Em'brel

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Of Men and Dragons, Book 2, Chapter 39

An Image of Em'brel

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Jack was in a good mood today. Of course, he still wasn't happy about the whole kidnapping thing, but at least the kid's sharp mind and inquisitive nature meant his stay here wasn't all that unpleasant either. Admittedly, Jack might be trying to justify things to himself, but what was the alternative? Assassinate the kid's father? This was definitely a lesser of several evils situation, and he was determined to offset the evil with as much good as possible. Of course, it helped that the kid was such a willing student.

To'brel was looking at the wall they'd built in confusion. "But why doesn't the dirt just wash away in the rain?"

Jack smiled. Despite seeing the evidence in front of his eyes, To'brel was still asking obvious questions, which was good. It meant he was doing more than simply memorizing what he was told. Instead, the kid was genuinely trying to understand the concepts behind what he saw.

This time, Sare'en did the translating while Orth'kun kept an eye on everyone. Grim was also present and enjoying his scritches from Sare’en while also keeping a wary eye on the slightly nervous To'brel. At least each seemed to have accepted that the other was no immediate danger. "Well, think of steel. It's a substance made by combining purified iron and carbon, but it's far stronger than either on its own is, right? This is somewhat similar, even if it's on a very different level. The mud, clay, and fiber combine to be studier and more stable than any of the components. It'll still wear down faster than stone, but it's more durable than skins and easier to repair than either. The final whitewash finish gives it a little more protection by granting it a degree of water protection. It's quick, easy, durable, repairable, and offers better thermal protection than almost anything else so readily available. It's my hope to spread this idea far and wide amongst your people to increase the general quality of life for everyone.

The kid was looking at Jack oddly. Then, after a moment, he came to a decision. "Why, though? Why share this knowledge so freely? Possessing a village of the strongest, warmest houses would give you a considerable advantage for growing and keeping a thriving village. So why just give the knowledge away?"

Sare'en also looked curious at the human's generosity, though less confused than To'brel. Jack sat back and considered the kid's question. Finally, he shrugged. "You know, among my own people, that philosophy is quite common, but through our history, there have always been a few rogues determined to share their ideas freely in the hopes of benefiting as many people as possible, even at the cost of their own fortune. The inventors of seatbelts and insulin come to mind..."

At the look of confusion on the kid's face, Jack realized at the end there he'd gone off-topic enough that explaining what he'd just said would be difficult. So, with a shake of his head, Jack tried to return to the topic at hand. "Anyway, I've got a lot more to teach you all, but before we can get into much of what I know, one of the first steps is ensuring you have enough stability to spare some time for academic learning. It's virtually impossible to worry about abstract concepts like math and physics when you've got a leaky roof and an empty stomach. Plus, something as simple yet beneficial as this wall here," —Jack slapped the new construction— "should spread like wildfire if given half a chance. I'm just speeding the process up a little, is all."

It was at that moment that Jack's leg chose to spasm. It wasn't the worst spasm he'd endured, but it was more than enough to make Jack stumble, only to be stabilized by a concerned Sare'en. He closed his eye and focused on breathing for a moment while waiting for the spasm to pass. Then, re-opening his eye, Jack noticed a thoughtful-looking To'brel looking at him, as if trying to unravel a puzzle. After a moment, the kid finally spoke again. "Is it true what they say? Did you get injured fighting an entire army by yourself? No offense, but even if you weren't injured, you hardly seem capable of fighting me, let alone an army..."

Jack closed his eye again as memories flashed through his mind. The young raider's face came to the forefront even as Jack struggled to shove them aside. Not that they didn't deserve his attention, but this was not the time or place. Shaking himself free of his contemplation, Jack was met by Sare'en's confused and concerned expression. He was mildly embarrassed to realize more time had slipped by than the single moment he'd thought. He took a steadying breath that was only slightly shaky as he blinked his eyes to banish the unwanted tears threatening to form.

The kid looked more lost and confused than ever as Jack struggled to find an answer to his question, rather than snap at him in misplaced anger. Finally, he smiled sadly. "That's a story I'm not prepared to go into right now, or possibly ever, but I will say that, while it's probably been changed or exaggerated in the retelling, there's a kernel of truth there. But though I want to ensure the safety of my friends and family, I'd prefer to do it by preserving life rather than taking it."

Orth'kun, who'd been quiet almost the whole time, chose that moment to speak up. "Well, I don't know about the raiders, I joined up after that, but I can tell you that by combining his magics with several simple ideas and tools, the wizard and S'haar helped my village deal with a mated pair of wolgen with only a single casualty. When asked what payment they required, all they asked for was the future promise of trade deals. I'm not some scholar who understands the workings of even half of what goes on in this outpost of theirs, but from what I've seen, you can trust Jack's intentions and ability."

Jack nodded his appreciation for the guard's words before turning back to To'brel. He saw something of the raider's face in the kid. Maybe it was just the similarities in age, but he couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if he'd ever gotten the chance to speak with the raider the way he was now speaking with the young noble. Jack smiled again. "Well, anyway, enough about the past, let's talk about the future of argu'n construction. Let me explain what whitewash is and how it can be made. There are a few methods, but the most readily available here will be either limestone or eggs and shells..."

As Jack continued his explanation, he couldn't entirely banish the idea that this kid was, in some ways, a second chance for him. Not that he could undo what had been done, but maybe he could do things better this time...

Angela wasn't in the best of moods. Why did she have to do all of the menial labor these days? Well, maybe not all the menial labor, but at least the mining... True, she'd co-opted the mining harness for her own use without asking. Also, S'haar and Jack had agreed that it was probably a good idea to ease their new guest into the Outpost before throwing Angela at him in all her "glory"...

As Angela hefted another beam into place, she pouted. It's not like she was that scary. She'd even spoken with him once before, and he'd seemed perfectly reasonable! Admittedly, the kid hadn't gotten a look at her apparently intimidating new body, nor had he known who she was until the conversation was over, but still, this seemed like overkill!

What's worse, Jack was just out there palling around with the kid while Angela was stuck in here all alone! True, she'd tapped in to listen to the conversation, but Jack was ignoring her because he wasn't responding to any of her jokes or taunts.

It was with interest that Angela noticed Em'brel's signal approaching the cave. The AI kept working while she waited for the girl, but a portion of her attention was held by the fact her signal appeared to be approaching with uncharacteristic lethargy.

Once the signal was just outside the room Angela was working in, a surprisingly timid voice called out. "Angela, are you there? Can I come in?"

The AI locked an extra brace into place to be safe as she responded. "Yes and yes. To what do I owe your company? It's rare for anyone to come into the cave, now that you're all living out there."

The girl slinked in, looking somewhat guilty as she did so. Angela kept working while Em'brel looked around for a place to sit. Finally, after a moment of relative silence, or at least as much silence as digging through loose rubble for ore could get, the younger woman decided to answer the question. "Well, I just needed to get away from everything and everyone for a minute. A few minutes... Maybe a little longer..."

Angela gave the girl a curious look. Despite the AI's face lacking any practical emoting ability, Em'brel must have deciphered the intent because she started explaining. "I'm jus...

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Of Men and Dragons, Book 2, Chapter 38

An Image of Em'brel

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Sare'en watched as Em'brel stabbed her practice dummy with a little too much enthusiasm before the herder reloaded her belly bow to continue her own practice. She couldn't understand where the young noble found the drive to learn all those complex lessons from Lady Angela, oversee the construction of yet another groundbreaking structure that she designed with only minimal guidance from the dragon, and still have enough energy to train more than anyone other than the guards whose job was to stay in peak combat readiness.

As the herder girl aimed and let fly, she reflected on her own accomplishments since arriving. She was still mostly in charge of preparing meals for their household but also had her hands full training Grim while also tending to the arlack. Sare’en was amazed to realize how much she'd also been handling. In her own way, she'd already come a long way since arriving at the Outpost.

Of course, her lack of focus on her current task showed as the bolt flew wide of the intended target, reminding her that she was still far behind even the average worker in some areas. Of all the workers here, she was the worst shot, and by a noticeable margin.

Grim looked up at her expectantly before Sare'en sighed and nodded. "Alright, boy, fetch!" With that, Grim bounded off with eager abandon. Maybe he was a little too enthusiastic...

Sare'en shouted after him. "Gentle! Be Gentle! Fea'en will throw a fit if you maul another bolt so soon!"

Grim retrieved the bolt with a gentleness that would have surprised anyone outside of the Outpost before bounding back and dropping a well-slobbered but mostly intact bolt at Sare'en's feet.

Slobber she could handle. Sare'en picked up the bolt and was cleaning it off when she caught a chuckle from behind her. Looking back, she could see Em'brel laughing while trying to catch her breath by leaning on a spear. "He's come so far in such a short time! I never would have believed it if I didn't see it for myself!"

Sare'en sighed as she examined the bolt for teeth marks. Since she was also using them to train Grim, she only used the worst and most worn bolts. Even so, if she went through them too quickly, it would only earn her the ire of the woodworkers who had to replace them. "Yeah, at least one of us is showing improvement. I'm starting to wonder if he's not the smarter of the two of us."

Em'brel grinned as she leaned. "Now, you're not being fair to yourself. Look at Grim and the arlack herd! Both have come such a long way so quickly!"

Sare'en smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. I was actually just thinking kind of similar a minute ago. Still, it's frustrating that I just can't seem to get this."

Ger'ron chose that moment to walk around the bend and catch the two women at rest. "Well, if you want to get better, might I recommend you actually practice, instead of merely talking about it?"

Sare'en's tendrils flattened in shame while Em'brel chuckled guiltily and stabbed her dummy again, though Sare'en noticed a little of the wild edge that had been there before seemed to have faded.

To'brel had been uncertain just how long he'd have to wait to find out more, but apparently, the answer was not long at all. S'haar, Jack, and Lon'thul walked into the cell, and S'haar unceremoniously plopped a large flat-faced stone onto a rough table. The stone had an odd symbol carved into it, consisting of a circle surrounded by a triangle with three lines connecting the two.

The intimidating woman turned to the noble with an indecipherable expression. "So I hear you'd like to get out of this place and get a breath of fresh air. That's fine, but you're gonna have to swear an oath first."

To'brel nodded hesitantly. "Well, yes, though I suppose it depends on the oath... I was thinking..."

The noble was suddenly cut off when S'haar took a knife and quickly cut a slash into her own hand. "He who swears on my blood this day will stay within the bounds of the Outpost, seek not to harm any of the guests or residents herein, either directly or indirectly, and will obey any reasonable command he is given in return for greater privileges and freedom, until such time as his release is negotiated by myself or Jack."

S'haar placed her hand on the stone, leaving her bloody mark before flipping the knife to catch it by the blade's tip and extending the handle to the kid. "That's the deal. Take it or leave it."

To'brel looked up at the warrior woman before looking down at the knife, whose design was totally at odds with the pragmatic attitude of its wielder. He'd seen several oath knives before. Their quality varied based on the status of the parties involved. They were always far finer than most of their more common counterparts, but this was something else entirely. The blade itself was made of simple but obviously high-quality steel. The edge was so fine he couldn't imagine how many hours went into sharpening it. The handle was carefully wrapped in supple leather that almost looked like it was grown from it rather than cut to fit. At the end of the pommel was a sizable clear rock, cut in an odd way to show sharp edges and flat-surfaced that shone brightly in even the dim light of the cell.

The knife was worth a small fortune. This was a blade worthy of the leader of a great city, not the son of a replacement leader of a backwater village struggling to survive.

To'brel looked back at S'haar. Her words echoed around in his head, though her face betrayed none of her thoughts. The noble couldn't find any flaw or trap in her words. On the contrary, it had been more generous in its simplicity than any of the more complex oaths he'd been contemplating. True, the term "reasonable" held the potential for complication or misunderstanding, but his gut feeling was that its ambivalence was meant more for his benefit than harm. Although, that made him wonder why he trusted these people so quickly and easily in his current situation?

Realizing he'd been standing lost in thought for more than a minute, To'brel reached a decision. He grabbed the knife. He paused a moment at the absurdity of them letting him be armed when their hands were clearly empty, but he didn't even have to glance at S'haar to realize that if he was foolish enough to try something stupid right now, she was more than capable of handling anything he would attempt.

Instead, he slashed his own hand and applied his blood to S'haar's. "On pain of death, I so swear." Then it was done.

S'haar merely nodded while Jack spoke. The warrior woman looked at the tiny male before turning her cool gaze back to To'brel. She took a breath to translate when Lon'thul spoke up first. "He says, 'Welcome to the Dragon’sOutpost.'"

To'brel cleared his throat. "Ummm... So what now?"

Lon'thul grinned. "Now we go out and get you into trouble!"

Jack spoke somewhat sharply in response, to which Lon'thul's grin only widened. "Yeah, go out and see some more of the Outpost. That's what I said!"

S'haar glared at Lon'thul with enough heat that To'brel was certain the hunter would finally be cowed. But, instead, he shook his head, looking for all the world as if she was an overbearing parent rather than a dangerous warrior and the leader of this outpost. "Yes, fine, I'll keep him out of any real trouble! I know you've got some bodyguards set aside for him, but since I've got the rest of the day free and he already knows me, I figure I'd give him a brief tour. At least that way, he'll have some idea where he's trying to get to while being escorted by total strangers in an even stranger place. I think you all forget just how weird this place really is!"

S'haar glanced at Jack, who merely shrugged before turning back to Lon'thul. "Alright, but you will be responsible for any trouble he causes or gets into while in your care!"

Lon'thul's grin never wavered. "That's perfectly fine. What's the worst that could happen? I have to clean a few more dishes after dinner tomorrow? Maybe clean a latrine or two as well? That sounds like every other day, anyway!"

S'haar's glare lost some of its edge, and she looked exasperated as she turned to Jack. "Maybe you should go too. You might be able to keep Lon'thul from getting into trouble while he's keeping To'brel from getting into trouble."

Jack developed his own grin as he answered. To'brel didn't know what he'd said, but from Lon'thul's laughter, it was evident that it had appealed to his own unruly humor.

S'haar evidently had enough because she heaved the world's most defeated sigh before gathering the stone and knife and turning to leave. She stopped momentarily to speak quietly to Jack before, much to To'brel's astonishment, she leaned in and gave him a quick affectionate nuzzle before continuing on her way.

To'brel remembered they'd referred to each oth...

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Of Men and Dragons, Book 2, Chapter 37

An Image of Em'brel

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To'brel hadn't been sure what to expect in the morning but wasn't overly surprised to be greeted with a warm meal and a fresh change of clothes that fit quite well. What did surprise him was when several chairs were brought in without explanation. One was positioned to face the other three, and it became clear that this would be another meeting. Not knowing how long he'd be sitting and talking, he stretched a little to loosen up his joints. Eventually, three others entered, two of whomTo'brel was quite familiar with by now.

As they were speaking with the guards, asking how the "guest" was doing, the young noble felt relieved to see the easy-going hunter, Lon'thul. He was actually astonished at his relief. This was the male who'd attacked him and his father, then kidnapped To'brel. So why would he feel anything other than anger or fear in his presence?

Of course, as odd and uncomfortable as that line of reasoning might be, it was still preferable to the disquieting feeling that came with the sight of the second guest. He was still glad that Em'brel was alive and well, but her simply being in that state shook him to his very core. Had his father really been trying to kill her all this time? If she returned and bound herself to a male, would they resume her father's role as village leaders? If so, what did that mean for himself and his role in the village? Would his father be executed? Would he be exiled? Or worse?

Both lines of thought left To'brel uncomfortable, so instead, he turned his attention to his third host as they walked into the cell. Of course, that one raised as many questions in his mind as the other two, but at least they weren't as disquieting.

This one was an enigma. He'd been present at the meeting last night but had stayed quiet the entire time. At first, To'brel'd thought it was a child because of its stature, but now he moved with an odd stiff gait that made the noble think of a wizened elder. He used a walking cane and favored one leg, and when he sat down and pulled back his hood, there was a strip of dark leather covering one of his eyes, though it didn't completely hide the sizeable red scar that had obviously cost him that eye. The scar was the only part about him that was appropriately colored; the rest of his skin had an unhealthy pale hue. To'brel wondered if this male was about to topple over dead.

The male smiled and nodded affably in his direction before speaking. When he did so, To'brel was confused when he couldn't understand what was said. It took him a moment to realize the male spoke in an entirely different language.

To'brel was just trying to puzzle out what they expected of him when Em'brel started speaking. It took him another moment to realize she was apparently translating what the male said. The noble blinked a few times as he processed this and turned his attention back to the odd male. "It's a shame we had to get to know each other under such circumstances, but it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Jack, and this was originally my outpost before I turned the reins over to my partner, S'haar. You already know Em'brel, who's here to act as my interpreter, and Lon'thul, acting as a bodyguard to both Em'brel and myself right now."

At this, the hunter grinned and winked. "This is what Jack would call 'light duty.' Today's supposed to be a day off, but I figured this was more interesting than sitting around bored. So how're they treating you? You sleep alright?"

To'brel had, in fact, slept far better than he's thought he would, having been kidnaped and all. Though his dreams had been...odd, to say the least, he chalked it up to sheer exhaustion. Still, everyone was staring at him, waiting for a response. He finally cleared his throat. "Umm, yes... As well as could be expected... Considering..."

The hunter seemed as unfazed as ever by the response. "Yeah, I understand. Sleeping in a new bed can be offputting sometimes!"

To'brel just looked at the hunter incredulously before shaking his head in exasperation. "Yes... It's the bed that's offputting about all this. Not the fact that I've been kidnapped, am being held in an outpost that could only have come from some lunatic's fevered dream, or that I was visited by a dragon last night. That's all well and good, but the bed... Yeah, that might take some getting used to!"

For a moment, he'd been so caught up in his incredulity that he had forgotten about his other hosts until the male, Jack, threw back his head and barked out some high-pitched laughter. Then, after a moment, Jack caught his breath and grinned before speaking, with Em'brel still translating. "Well, if you can trade banter like that with our resident master hunter, you must be in surprisingly good spirits! Also, apparently, my sister paid you a visit last night. She can be a bit forward at times. I hope she didn't trouble you too much."

To'brel paused a moment in thought. His sister? Whatever giant being had been outside the noble's window last night and spoken in such emotional tones without even the hint of an accent, apparently was a dragon and was also this male's sister? He remembered her saying something to that effect the night before, but it had been lost in everything else going on at the time.

The young noble had to shake his head a second time. "I'm sorry, did... did you just say’ sister’?"

Jack smiled and nodded. "That I did. Though, to be fair, we're not related by blood. Still, we're closer than many families. Together, we've seen wonders and traveled over distances you couldn't possibly comprehend. Not right now, at least." Jack spread his arms wide to encompass the Outpost. "But now, this is our home, and these are our friends and family. We're here to stay, for the foreseeable future, at least."

Jack settled back into his chair. "I hope she didn't keep you up too late."

To'brel shook his head again, this time to emphasize his response. "No, if anything, she helped take my mind off..." –his gaze darted over to Em'brel again– "troubling thoughts."

Jack leaned back and nodded. "Good, glad to hear it. She can be intimidating at first and mischievous at times, but no one here is more likely to help you out when you're in trouble, big or small."

Lon'thul barked out his own laughter. "Hah! This coming from you? Please, I swear the two of you are practically competing to see who can be more of a... What's the word? Oh yeah, more of a humanitarian!" The hunter shook his own head, laughing again. "Leave it up to a human to name the act of being selfless after their own species..."

Jack whapped his cane across the hunter's legs. Of course, it harmlessly bounced off the bone plate, but it still got the point across. The rebuke was somewhat lightened by the sheepish grin on Jack's face. "Hey now! Back when we came up with that word, we weren't aware of any other intelligent life!"

The hunter shook his head. "That's no excuse. Here I am, a humble 'primitive' argu'n, yet even I'm aware of other intelligent life! I'll have you know I'm even friends with a human!"

Jack pointed a finger at the hunter and said something unintelligible before Em'brel cleared her throat. "Um, guys? You're getting a little sidetracked..."

Both males turned their attention to Em'brel and then To'brel, respectively. The hunter had his usual trouble-making grin on his face, but Jack at least looked apologetic. "Ah, yeah, sorry about that.

To'brel wasn't all that concerned with the distraction. Instead, he was still focused on something Lon'thul had said. Assuming he understood what they'd been saying, Jack wasn't argu'n. He was something else entirely. As was his sister. This was only getting more confusing as the discussion went on.

Finally, he'd had enough. To'brel didn't know if they were trying to overwhelm him or if this was the norm with these people, but instead of getting lost worrying about that, he decided to get to the heart of the matter. He looked Jack in the eyes. "So, what's this whole discussion about, anyway?"

Jack sat back and looked thoughtful, as though making a decision. Finally, he seemed to come to a conclusion because he leaned forward, his expression more serious this time. "Well, I'm here to more or less decide what happens with you. Of course, ultimately, it'll be S'haar's call, but in matters such as this, she places considerable weight on the thoughts and opinions of people who have earned her trust. So we agreed that it might be best for someone less...intimidating to speak with you first. To get an idea of what you're feeling and thinking moving forward."

Jack thought a moment more before continuing. "This isn't anyone's ideal scenario, but however or whyever it happened, you're here now. Most people come to learn and work, but you don't have to do either. So I guess the question is...

Content cut off. Read original on https://old.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/1ectoa0/of_men_and_dragons_book_2_chapter_37/

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Candleman is a distinctive action adventure story entwined with low-light gameplay. Acting as a little candle who can burn for only 10 seconds, venture through an unsettling darkness with challenging levels and a smooth difficulty curve.

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