Royce was already done with today and he hadn't even opened his eyes yet. He had a massive headache centered right behind his eyes and for some reason, he was freezing, though it should be early summer. He laid there with his eyes closed contemplating going back to sleep when he started noticing his bed. The bed he was currently laying on did not feel like his normal bed. Was he laying on a cot? A hammock? Both? He opened his eyes and was shocked awake at the stone ceiling he saw above him. This made him sit straight up, which was a terrible mistake, the headache he already had intensified with the sudden change in his orientation causing his gag reflex to activate. He leaned forward, closing his eyes and covering his head with hands trying to fight the urge to vomit. After a few minutes, he was able to slowly sit back up. Looking around he noticed that he was in some type of stone structure. There was one window in this room that was open, as well as a door that was open. "Well, it doesn't appear that I'm in jail which is something." He thought to himself. Next thing he noticed was his clothing, he was not in his usual pajamas but some type of light cloth shirt and pants, the pants seemed to be a dark brown, the shirt was a long sleeve, khaki colored shirt. There was a "V" cut in the center of the collar that had a string wrapped in it similar to how a shoe gets laced up.
" Well, nothing to do but try and get up and look around." He said out loud as he turned himself to get out of bed. Standing up was the second terrible idea. Every muscle in his body felt bruised and sore. Last time he felt this sore he had played two hockey games in a day back to back. With an extreme effort, he hobbled his way to the door. Stepping out of the door he found himself at a set of stairs that go up and a door straight across from him. He hobbled over to the second door and opened it. This door opened to the outside. It was raining hard and all he saw was a rocky coast. Taking one look Royce promptly closed the door and turned around. "I will deal with that later." Thinking as he turned around and headed for the stairs. Looking up the stairs that wound around the walls of the building he was in. Not excited but not seeing any other options he started heading up the stairs. His leg protested with each step. He somehow made it up 10 steps when he suddenly heard a voice from above him. "Hey! Don't climb the stairs." Looking up Royce saw what appeared to be two men, one of which was heading down the stairs while the other stayed at the top. The man who was at the top was the one yelling. "Stay there, Ortosh will come down and get you. You will end up hurting yourself otherwise." Royce was frozen to the step both confused and afraid. The man coming down the stairs, Ortosh according to the other man, made his way to Royce. Ortosh was a large man, easily 6 feet plus and looked strong enough to carry Royce with one arm. He was bald but had a big bushy black beard. His eyes were bright green and stood out from his dark skin. The face he had shown some warmth. "Hello young one, My name is Ortosh." The man said with a friendly tone. "If you will allow me to carry you up the stairs, I'm sure you have many questions and once we get to the top of the stairs Curgo and I will explain as best we can. However, climbing up the stairs will probably do you more harm than good." The man had reached out his hand to Royce. Royce was guarded but, again, didn't really see a choice. Taking the mans hand and shaking it. "Yeah, I guess," he said a bit apprehensively. Ortosh lifted Royce up, carrying him in his arms as if Royce weighed as much as a child, and carried him up the stairs.
At the top of the stairs, Ortosh gently set Royce down where the other man who Royce assumed was Curgo. Curgo was built similar to Ortosh, though not as dark of skin, Curgo had bronze skin as opposed to Ortoshs dark brown. Curgo also had soft brown eyes. Curgo also had a beard with black hair but it was trimmed, with a full head of hair. While Curgo did look quite strong Ortosh made him look small. However, Royce stood at just under Five and a half feet and both Curgo and Ortosh made him feel like a child while standing next to them.
"Hello, I'm Curgo," he said softly with a warm smile. "Here let me help you into the dining area" Curgo had offered his arm to Royce, while his other hand pointed to the door they were standing by. Royce, once again apprehensively, accepted the arm and let himself be lead slowly to a chair by a table. This room was bigger than the room Royce had woken up in but Royce wasn't prepared to call the room large. It was warm, most likely due to what looked like an old wood burning stove sat against one wall. There was also a few cupboards and a well-sized pantry cabinet on this side of the room. The other side of the room must have been the sitting area. It had a couch, a couple chairs and a bookshelf filled with books. There was also a door in this room that Royce guessed went to a bedroom. The most surprising part was how the room was lit. Right in the middle of the ceiling was a hole that looked to be covered by thick glass which was letting in light from a large fire sitting on the glass. "Well, you look like you are feeling better." Curgo offered, snapping Royce's attention back from the fire above him. "We were a little worried you might not wake up."
"Uh, yeah about that. Where am I?" Royce asked
"Right to the point then." Curgo chuckled as he and Ortosh sat down. "Yes, that is understandable, however, you have been asleep for at least three days so you need food." At that Ortosh pushed a plate of eggs, bacon and a biscuit across the table to Royce, saying. " We will answer any questions you have but please eat something first."
At that Royce realized how famished he was, so with a glance at his food he dug in with a gusto.
Once again the two men chuckled, while Curgo said "Well I guess that is a compliment to my breakfasts. I shudder to think what our table will look like when he tries some of your dinners." taking a hold of Ortosh's hand.
"We will need to re-stain the table." Ortosh joked back. "Now young one, You are currently on the island of Ozom. More specifically you are at The Lighthouse. Once again I am Ortosh and this is my husband Curgo, we are The Keepers of The Lighthouse, though that doesn't require much work so "Keepers" is more a formality. What was your name?"
Royce was able to get in touch with reality long enough to swallow before answering. "Uh..Royce, Royce Kordem." With this pause to have to speak, he took his time in eating his food so he could actually a hold a conversation. "So, I've been asleep for three days you said? How did I get here?"
"Well, we saw you in the ocean heading toward the shore. Thankfully Curgo is a strong swimmer and was able to get to you before you were dashed across the rocks. How you into the water is not something I can tell you, unfortunately." Ortosh answered
Curgo continued saying. "Ortosh carried you here and I've been caring for you. I also apologize, I had to remove the clothing you were wearing. They are dry, though they are not of a material I do not know of."
"Oh, yeah. That is fine thank you. Where are they?" Royce asked, "I shall fetch them for you." Curgo answered and stood heading to the other door Royce had seen earlier.
"Now, crazy question, but do you happen to know how I can get home?" Royce asked, fearing he already knew the answer.
"I can not answer that." Replied Ortosh with a touch of sadness in his voice.
"However, we may know where you can get that answer." Curgo had come back and handed Royce his clothes. A Shirt, and a pair of jeans. "No socks and shoes? I guess I can't complain too much." Royce thought to himself. "I have clothes in my delusion."
"Where is that?" Royce had brought himself back to the conversation.
"Ortosh comes from a tribe deep in the mountains, they have an oracle living among them that may be able to tell you more and help get you home."
" , what?"
"Don't strain yourself, I'm aware this is a lot to take in, you still have a few days before you are fully recovered so you can take as long as you need to get adjusted." Ortosh quickly offered. "You can, of course, stay here, we aren't going to kick out into a world you don't know anything about. We will try to answer as many questions as you have for us."
Curgo then added, "The bedroom downstairs is yours to use if you need your privacy, we can also set you up with a sectioned off space up here, where it is warmer."
Once again Royce was feeling overwhelmed but he managed to get control over himself to ask one last simple question. "Uh, do you guys have anything to drink?"
At this, the two men let out a roar of laughter, to which Royce was able to join in. They brought Royce some beverage that was similar to coffee, Royce couldn't pronounce what they called it so he didn't even try. He just drank and continued the conversation.
Ortosh ended up moving the bed up to the living room, while curgo got some wood and gave Royce space where he could stay and have some form of privacy without having to go up and down the stairs of the lighthouse. He at first could only move around the living room and even then barely, but under Curgos care, he was able to move with less discomfort. Eventually, he even stepped outside of the lighthouse to walk around on the shore. The entire time he didn't say much. He was too absorbed in his situation. Not sure what to do, or there was anything he could do.
A few days after first waking up. Royce made his decision. "I think I'll go talk to the Oracle if that's ok with you guys. Though I would need help getting there." He said at breakfast that morning. To which Curgo and Ortosh nodded. "Absolutely my friend, I've actually got someone coming to visit soon who can accompany you on your journey." offered Ortosh.
"We would also be more than happy to teach you some skills you may need. Ortosh is the better fisher, but he says I'm the better cook. Don't believe him." Curgo added with a loving shove at his husband.
"Well, Curgo, as you know, is an excellent healer, he is also quite adept at knife play if you can believe that," Ortosh added shoving back, almost knocking Curgo off his chair. "Between the two of us, you will learn enough to get you there safely."
"I really appreciate that I appreciate everything you have done for me," Royce said, with a small crack in his voice. These people are strangers yet they were had helped him get back to health, and we're going to help get him somewhere he could hopefully get home. "I wish I could pay you back for everything you have done."
"Oh hush young one,"Ortosh answered.
"We are happy to help and think nothing of this "paying us back" that you speak of. Sometimes people want to help because it's the right thing to do, not for something in return."
"I know, I'm just not used to it. I'm used to doing everything myself, not getting help from anyone, much less complete stranger." Royce managed to get out holding back tears
The two men glanced at each other then Curgo stood and knelt down to look at Royce in the eyes. "To start your lessons I offer some advice. You can't get through life all by yourself, you will need peoples help. It's ok to let people help you, and you won't' be a weaker person because of it." With that Curgo hugged Royce for a few moments. Letting go Curgo and Royce stood. "Well, where shall I begin my next lesson than sir?"
"None of that "sir" business and you are going to go with Ortosh and help him catch dinner."
That started a training which Royce found to be surprisingly enjoyable. He spent the next month learning everything the couple was able to teach him. Ortosh taught him how to build his own fishing rod from the wood that occasionally washed up near The Lighthouse, as well as how to clean and cook what was caught. Ortosh also taught him how to recognize beneficial plants for food. Curgo also taught him how to cook, as well as some basic healing, from cleaning and wrapping wounds to finding medicinal plants. Curgo also taught him how to use a knife to defend himself. When Royce wasn't learning from them he was reading the books the two men had. Royce wasn't sure how the two men knew English but he counted on that not being the norm. He had both Ortosh and Curgo teach him the most common language in Ozom, which oddly enough was called "Common" According to Ortosh, it was actually a combination of Human (what Royce called English), Elvan, and The Swamp language. Lastly, Royce made sure to jog up and down the stairs a few times a day, to get himself into shape. He wasn't sure what he would encounter, but he knew he didn't want to get eaten because he couldn't run anymore.
One day, while they were about to sit down for dinner, they all heard a loud banging coming from downstairs. "Ah, that must be Kri, I was wondering when she was going to show up," Ortosh said as he stood and left the upstairs room. "Kri?" Royce asked Curgo.
"Kri is Ortoshs, niece, she is the one he mentioned may help you get to the Oracle," answered Curgo
"Ah, well shall I get a plate for her?"
"Best do, She is probably hungry from her journey, and make sure to give her a double helping, if I remember correctly, she is the only one I've known that could eat more than Ortosh. Well not including you." He added with a smirk.
Royce rolled his eyes as he stood and headed to get a plate from the cupboard. Royce was actually guilty of needing to stand to calm his nerves. If this Kri was anything like her Uncle Royce was expecting her to be tall and built like a truck. He wouldn't be surprised if she could lift him as easily as Ortosh does.
"Uncle Curgo!" came a voice from behind Royce
"Little Kri, how are you darling?"
With that Royce turned around and was almost floored by the person he saw hugging Curgo. She was nothing like Royce imagined. She was tall but not as tall as her uncles, with long red hair that went halfway down her back. She was wearing what looked to be a combination of fur and leather shirt and pants with soft leather boots tied up to halfway up her calf. She was not nearly as muscular as what was expected but there was some definition, and.."Wait, how big is that sword"
Kri was holding a sword that was to Royces best guess close to 7 feet long and she had it strapped to her back as if this was the most normal thing.
Curgo actually walked around his niece and was looking at the sword commenting. "Now now Kri, is this weapon really appropriate for a young lady?" He said this with a straight face...for a whole second before bursting into a belly laugh cause Kri and Ortosh to also laugh.
"Oh Uncle, what a joker you are." Kri chuckled while casually punching his shoulder. Which caused him to fall back a solid five feet.
Royce watched this entire scene holding the plate with Kri's food not being able to move. The entire scene he witnessed was the oddest one since he woke up at The Lighthouse. This girl was half her uncle's size and just knocked him across the room with a casual blow to his shoulder, and Ortosh expects Royce to travel with her to the mountains to meet this Oracle? If Royce could wake up early that would be great. He didn't want to say something on accident and have her use him as a throwing spear, which he was convinced she could do easily.
"Royce, stop standing there and come join us." The two men and Kri had sat down at the table and were all looking at him. Royce snapped himself back to reality (or whatever reality he was in) and put the plate in front of Kri before sitting down himself.
"Well, Royce this is Kri, my niece. Neice Kri, this is our house guest Royce." Ortosh
"*Beannachtaí*," Kri said without paying attention. "Whose idea was it to make *aicme*, which one of you loves me?" She said as she started shoveling the food into her mouth. To which Curgo turned to Royce "Told you, she could eat."
"Royce and I caught the fish this morning, however, we weren't planning on you being here until tomorrow. Curgo has a salmon currently being smoked upstairs." Ortosh replied. "Speaking of fish, where is Notaku? We kept a fish that nearly pulled the poor boy over here into the ocean just for him"
"Oh, you know him and stairs. He will stay downstairs as long as we are here, then be mad at me for a few days after." Kri answered between mouthfuls.
"Notaku?" Royce asked, regretting asking as soon as it came out of his mouth. He was full upon oddities for the day and was not excited for more.
"Notaku is her pet," Ortosh said, putting emphasis on the word pet. He has been following Kri ever since she got him out of an Eagles nest a few years ago.
"Companion." Kri corrected sternly. "It was also a Roc's nest, not just some eagle. No way a simple eagle could take Taku in a fight."
"Uh..OK" Royce said sheepishly. Once again trying to avoid any other surprises.
Luckily for him, the dinner went along fairly normally, Kri and her uncles swapped small talk and caught up on how the family was doing. (Mom is good but she wishes you would come visit, dad promises not to shrink you anymore.) They also got news from around the island, which was not great. According to Kri, there was a rumor of sounds coming out of The Crag.
"The Crag?" I wasn't aware the canyon had a bottom?" the Curgo had asked her when she brought this up.
"I wasn't either but we have had people from all over give us news that there is something down there, and if the rumors are true the sounds are of something being built." She replied ominously.
"That is unsettling, maybe it is high time we went and visited your sister," Curgo said to Ortosh
"I agree, I'd like to get more information if possible and we can't do that here." Ortosh had a look of deep concentration on his face. "Which brings us to the real reason we called you here."
"What, you wanted something besides my wonderful company, and to bask in my beauty," Kri said sarcastically with a flitter of her eyelashes.
"Yes, as much as we do love to see you, Royce here has a question for you," Curgo answered seriously while looking at Royce.
Royce was wondering when they were going to get to him, yet he still hadn't prepared himself for it. He took a long drink of his water to buy some time. Unfortunately, the three other people staring at him caused him to choke.
Spluttering, he was able to clear his throat and get words out. "Uh, yeah. So I heard about The Oracle of the Mountain Tribes and was hoping they might be able to tell me how I might get home." Royce started out sheepishly but as he spoke he gained some confidence. " I was hoping you could show me the way there?"
Kri took a look at him then started conversing to her uncles in a language that didn't seem to be any of the languages Common consisted of. He sat there confused and downtrodden, so he just stared at his cup and waited.
A few minutes of talking and they all looked at him again. "Alright, I'll do it." Kri answered, "Though I don't like it." Royce had perked up but had his excitement dashed away at the last statement.
"Oh, don't take it personally, I don't like it because of my own reasons, nothing to do with you." Kri offered reassuringly, which made Royce feel better.
"We are leaving in a few days, long enough to get things packed up for you and my uncles who will be joining us for the first few days of our journey but will separate when we get to the mainland."
With that, they finished dinner, cleaned up and all headed to bed. Kri took the downstairs bedroom so "Notaku won't be as upset with me." Over the next few days, they packed up their bags, Curgo and Ortosh helping Royce make sure he had everything, and making sure he knew how to pack his backpack correctly. The night before they were to leave Kri "convinced" Notaku to climb the stairs and join them. She mostly carried him over her shoulder. Notaku turned out to be a very large badger (it was almost as big as Royce, Royce was starting to wonder if there was anything on this island not as big or bigger as himself.) Notaku was less than pleased at having to come up the stairs but seemed content enough when Royce offered him the fish they caught for him, only looking at them with irritation when he had finished eating. They had a special dinner courtesy of Curgo and Ortosh which was delicious filled them up so much they all barely made it to their bed, Kri didn't even make it to the door, she simply laid her head on Notakue and fell right asleep.
The next morning, they woke up early and had a quick breakfast before double checking they had everything, before going downstairs.(Take growling the entire time because Kri wouldn't carry him.) Curgo and Ortosh took a moment getting their emotions of leaving there home in order before the companions all set off east towards the mainland.