Stranger in a Strange Land
Chapter 1
Interference
The bell rang. Everyone else sprung from their seats. Backpacks slipped over shoulders. Excited chatter abounded through the cramped classroom as my peers filtered out. But, I remained, hands in my lap, chin tucked as I looked down at the desk that had been the last seat of my high school life.
Today was it: the end. The final day of the fantasy that my parents always told me about, and the start of the "real world", whatever that meant. Once I rose from this desk, I would exit the school one last time, only allowed to return either as faculty (which will likely never happen), a parent, or for the class reunion. I would have to enter the real world my parents spoke about. Get a job, find a career I at least tolerated after going to college. For that matter, I still had to attend and survive college.
A weary breath puffed from my lips, drawing the attention of Mr. Rosenberg at his desk. He was a middle-aged guy, been teaching for about ten years, and he loved history. When his kind, brown eyes spotted me still seated at my desk, he gave me a concerned look.
"Michael?" He questioned, still calling me by my full name rather than the shorthand one. I preferred the latter, but with how cool of a teacher Mr. Rosenberg had been, he got a pass. "Everything alright?"
I swallowed a little. "Yeah," I replied. "Just… thinking."
Mr. Rosenberg nodded. "That'd do it, wouldn't it?" He replied with a chuckle. Without hesitation, he grabbed a pen and paper, scribbled something on it, then rose from his desk and handed it to me. "My phone number, in case you ever need some advice."
A grateful smile twitched on my lips. I accepted the paper with a quiet nod, rose from my seat, grabbed my black backpack, and exited the class one last time.
The hallway was a flurry of smiles, laughs, cheers, and excitement. School was done for everyone. Freshmen were no longer on the bottom of the totem pole. Sophomores were on their way to their first prom next year. Juniors would be the kings and queens, finally. And Seniors… well, we'd finally be able to do things our way. Though, I did not view that in the most optimistic sense.
I weaved my way through the crowded halls, past my locker which I had already cleaned out the day before, and stepped out of Kimberly High's tall entrance and into Wisconsin's, warm, summer sun. A pleasant breeze brushed by me, blowing a little of my black hair over my forehead. I swatted those locks back into place, shrugged my backpack onto my shoulders a little further, then marched away through the large parking lot.
I didn't have a car. Never had. I preferred walking anyways. It was good exercise and kept me in good shape for sports over the years. I was not the only one who walked home from school either.
Two friends of mine were waiting at the far end of the lot. Friends that you would not expect a school athlete like me to have. One was a small, freckle-faced kid with curly red hair and a goofy grin. The other was a tall guy, taller than me, and lanky as all hell. Taped glasses sat on the bridge of his long nose, and he offered me a thin, closed smile. He wasn't one to flash his braces to the world.
"Tim, Grant," I nodded with a small smile.
Freckles beamed. "How was the last day?" he asked. When I didn't answer, he shrugged as he walked along the sidewalk. "Mine was good. Glad it's over. I'm gonna stop by the hobby shop later and get some more figures for Warhammer. Grant's coming with. One last invite, Mike?"
Warhammer; I didn't know much about it, beyond it was a very complicated tabletop game. I always assumed it was similar to Dungeons and Dragons, but with pieces and figures. When I met Tim and Grant junior year, though, I learned that it was a lot more complicated than that. Too complicated for me, but I did enjoy hearing them talk about it. Building their armies was a passion project for the pair and their escape from the world. Kind of like how football was my escape too.
"Gonna try to build a new army for the summer?" I asked as we walked towards the end of Kimberly's long entry.
Tim shrugged. "I dunno. My high-elves have been doing pretty good lately."
"They got their asses kicked by my dwarves," Grant muttered. It was rare for him to speak. He preferred to listen, and I could respect that.
"That was one time!" Tim exclaimed, spinning around and walking backward. "Besides, no one else in town can beat my army. No one. My mages are top-notch."
I cracked a smile. "I'm sure they are."
My smile wavered when we reached the end of the school's long entry. To the left was the way home, toward Darboy. To the right, Kimberly Stadium, the place I loved every fall and winter for the last four years. Seeing it again made my long steps falter.
Tim and Grant paused a few feet away from me.
"You alright, Mike?" Tim asked.
I waved off his concern. "I'll be fine… um," I pursed my lips and glanced at the stadium again, looking at the stands, and the big, red 'K' at midfield. "I'm gonna go this way." I gestured to the stadium.
Tim cracked a knowing smile. "Wanting to relive the games one more time? I get it. I like to relive my victories too."
"What victories?" Grant snickered.
"I win a lot and you know it," Tim retorted. He shrugged. "We're gonna head home now. Got stuff to do. Maybe we'll see you around, Mike."
"Yeah, maybe."
Like that, they were gone, strolling down the sidewalk towards Darboy, and leaving me at the corner, looking at the stadium. Both of my hands went to the straps of my bag, clutching them tight as a sense of longing entered me.
If this was the last time I would be here as a student, then I wanted to see it all again.
My steps took me to the stadium's iron gates. To my surprise, they were cracked open. Strange, normally they were locked all the time unless a game or practice was occurring. Since school was out, I didn't think anything was going on. Odd.
But, I shrugged, and paid it no mind. Maybe the open gate was the universe's way of letting me live out my dreams, fantasies, triumphs, and defeats one more time. As quietly as I could, I squeaked through the gate, passed the small concessions booth and stands, then stepped out onto the turf.
The smell of the field was unmistakable. It wasn't grass, that was too expensive for the school district to care for in the Frozen Tundra. It was turf. Little strands of artificial grass knit together and laid over rubber padding made out of crushed-up tires. Not the softest landing in the world, and more than a little slippery during a rainy game, but it had a feeling to it unlike any other.
I stepped further onto the field until I reached the big, red 'K' at the fifty-yard line, square in the middle. Another warm breeze rushed through the stadium, whistling through the stands and making it sound like a distant crowd was cheering. It made me close my eyes and imagine.
A wistful smile cracked on my lip as I saw myself lining up on the outside, squaring off with a cornerback as I got ready to run my route. The quarterback snapped the ball. I was off, sprinting down the sideline in a Go pattern that caught the defender off guard.
One second... two... three, turn now! As I turned my head, the ball was sailing towards me, leading me further down the field towards the endzone.
I reached out with both hands, my feet leaving the ground as I dove to snag the pass. My breath froze in my lungs as I held it, bracing for impact with the turf. The defender's footsteps pounded against the ground behind me as he tried to catch up. But, he didn't. The ball hit my fingers, slipped into my palms, and I corralled it into my arms before slamming into the ground and skidding into the endzone.
Touchdown.
On instinct, I threw my arms up in victory as my eyes flew open. That's when I spotted It.
I wasn't sure what It was, but It made me freeze. Whoever It was wore the strangest outfit I had ever seen.
The clothes were what I could only describe as tattered and torn robes. Something straight out of a movie or Halloween costume. A silver belt ran around its thin waist, and a deep, dark hood covered its head. Deep shadows shrouded its face, leaving me unable to see who, or what, It was.
One of its robed arms rose, the tattered and torn fabric slipped around a bony appendage till a lone, dark finger pointed at me. The sight did more than unsettle me. It made every fear instinct in me flare to life. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. My gut twisted and flipped. Something unnatural stared at me, pointed at me, and I was terrified.
"Hey!" I barked. "Wh-what do you think you're-"
"You," It hissed, voice like cracking ice.
Before I could say anything, before I could even move, cracks opened up in the turf. Little rubber pellets cascaded into a chasm that yawned wide my feet. For a split second, I was standing on air. Then I plummeted into the darkness, screaming with terror as the blackness swallowed me whole.
Everything hurt. Aches, pains, stinging and stabbing shot through my muscles. It felt like the day after a particularly rough game when all I wanted to do was lie down and groan instead of wake up. I remember watching a documentary one time that in the college and professional level of football, it feels like the player was in a car crash a day after the game. And, if this is what a car crash feels like, then I'm glad I haven't been in one. Right?
Also, why am I lying down with my eyes closed?
My eyes cracked open. Right away, I knew something was wrong. Trees stood all around me, taller than any I had ever seen before. Their boughs branched out like thick arms, with leaves clinging to the others like little hands. Each leaf was as green as an emerald. Thin, golden beams of sunlight slipped through the gaps in the branches. A picturesque scene worthy of a spot in an expensive gallery.
It was definitely not Kimberly Stadium.
I bolted upright, an action I immediately regretted as a sharp pain lanced through my abdomen. The pain slowly dulled to a faint ache, like I had done too many sit-ups. Carefully, I propped myself up on my elbows and looked around.
I was in a forest; a dense, but bright, forest. Patches of green grass slipped between my fingers and lay bent beneath my body. Gnarled roots from the nearby trees jumped up and down through the soil, creating plenty of little hiding places for small critters like rabbits. I even saw one dash beneath the trunk of a large pine to my left.
Rapid breaths rushed in and out of my lungs as panic gripped me. Where was I? What even was this place? How did I get here?
All of those questions had to wait. A faint rustle in the nearby brush made me freeze. My breath lodged in my throat as I held it, trying to not make a sound. I felt like a deer in the sights of a hunter during hunting season back home. My dad took me a few times when it wasn't football season in the winter. I always commented how I was glad I would never have to be on the other end of the sights.
Why do I get the feeling those words are coming back to bite me?
A twig snapped, making me jump in place. I didn't dare rise to my feet for fear of drawing the attention of whatever was nearby. The lack of any sound, any birds chirping, or any animals loping around caused more anxiety to well up within me. My throat bobbed as my eyes flicked around me, searching for any threat.
That's when I felt something sharp touch the nape of my neck.
"You tread on dangerous ground, human," A smooth, calm voice said even as every single hair on my body stood on end. The sharp object, whatever it was, prodded my neck. "Turn around, slowly."
He didn't have to tell me twice. Carefully, I got to my knees, kept my hands raised, and turned around.
A tall, slender man stood behind me, with a bow and arrow pointed at my face. I nearly went cross-eyed as I stared down the arrowhead. It didn't even waver as the guy pointed it at me.
Wait… was this guy a guy? I mean, he sounded like one, but he also looked a bit too pretty for a rough and tumble hunter. He had long, blonde hair that was neatly combed and cleaned. His pale face was clean-shaven. Sharp, gray eyes carefully studied me as I analyzed him. His stern brown furrowed, and on the sides of his head, I noticed pointed ears poking out through his long locks.
Pointed ears? Confusion filled me. Is this hunter cosplaying as an elf or something?
The guy sure looked like he was a cosplayer and a damn good one too. At least, that's how I judged his outfit from my limited exposure to the hobby. Tim and Grant told me about that stuff, and while I always found it strange, I never judged it harshly. Some of the stuff actually looked pretty cool. And this elf looked quite cool, with his mottled outfit of greens and earth tones, allowing him to seamlessly blend into the environment. It was no wonder I couldn't spot him.
"Um…" I swallowed hard as I stared down the arrow. How was it not moving? How strong was this guy? "Hi. Uh… nice bow?"
The Hunter arched a thin eyebrow. "You speak Eltharin?"
I blinked. "I speak what now?" This guy appeared very committed to his role, wow. "Um, look can you drop the act. I'm in a bit of a situation and I'd like to figure out where I'm at exactly."
The Hunter frowned. "You know very well where you are, human."
I scoffed. Fine, if this guy wanted to keep up the act, whatever. No skin off of my back. So long as I got home and he got that arrow out of my face, I'd be fine.
"Actually, I don't. Care to enlighten me?"
"Sonnos!" A new voice called, startling me and making the Hunter sigh.
A second guy emerged from a nearby thicket, bow slung over his shoulder. He wore the same mottled gear as his friend. Unlike his friend, he sported long, black hair that looked as shiny as fresh shoe polish. Icy, blue eyes shot from his companion to me. Instead of appearing hostile, the second hunter tilted his head, giving me an intrigued look.
"He's beyond the human range," The first hunter, Sonnos, said.
"I can see that. What is he doing in Chrace?"
"I know not, Thobos, but here he is. I found him lying down for no damn good reason." Sonnos then leaned in close to Thobos's pointed ears and whispered something I could not hear. Thobos's brow furrowed and he nodded.
"If this is what you think it is then it is best for us to not act rashly."
"Thobos…" Sonnos warned.
Thobos gave Sonnos a smirk and shrugged. "If it bothers you so much, bind and blindfold him. We'll let father sort this out."
Bind and blindfold? Hold on! Was that necessary? It's not like I can hurt them. These cosplayer hunters are the ones with weapons, after all.
I uttered a sound of disbelief. "Okay, okay," I rose to my feet, which immediately set both tall hunters on edge. Sonnos leveled an arrow on me again while Thobos grasped a dagger strapped to his hip. Awfully jumpy folks. I raised my hands. "Look, I get it. This is your guys' idea to act like elves and stuff. Cool, no judgment from me. I even have a pair of friends that love this sort of stuff. But, I need to get home. Can you two point me in the direction of the closest town or something?"
"The closest human city is leagues away," Thobos commented. I had to suppress an eye-roll. What did that even mean? "You won't make it there on your own."
A small amount of frustration bubbled inside of me. Can't these two see that this was technically an emergency?
"Am I near Kimberly?" I asked.
They both gave me puzzled looks. I sighed.
"Kaukauna then? No wait, it doesn't smell bad. Appleton?"
Sonnos leaned towards Thobos. "This one is addled, more so than the others."
"That he is. Bind him at the least," Thobos commented.
"Now wait a damn minute-"
I didn't get a minute. I barely even got a second. Sonnos moved so fast and so smooth he would make any athlete green with envy. He stored his arrow, slung his bow over his shoulder, and grasped my arms with two firm hands all within a couple of seconds. The quickness of it all made my head spin and left my jaw ajar from shock.
A rope cut into my wrists as Thobos tied a cord around them.
"Not to worry, strange human," Thobos commented. "Don't do anything rash and nothing will happen to you.
He slapped me between the shoulder blades hard, then urged me forward. There was nothing I could do to resist, and why would I? I'm pretty sure if I said no, they would not hesitate to kill me with an arrow through the head or a knife to the throat. They may be cosplayers, but those weapons looked very real to me.
As we moved through to the edge of the forest, I could only think of one thing.
These guys are intense.
I'm not in Kansas anymore.
Well, specifically, I am not in Wisconsin anymore. Definitely not in Wisconsin anymore. Emerging from the forest onto grassy plains with soft, rolling hills told me that much. Only one part of Wisconsin ever looked this picturesque, and it was not Kimberly.
My hometown is nothing more than flat plains with the only splashes of color coming in spring with the arrival of flowers and dandelions, and in fall when all the leaves on the trees died. Here the rolling hills were alight with all different kinds of wildflowers, looking like a rainbow had been painted onto the grass.
As I followed my two captors, I noticed that the land started to look more cultivated the further into the hills we walked. The grass was more tamed, the flowers grew in what looked like carefully tended beds.
Then, after a few miles, we reached what appeared to be a farm and an orchard. Apples hung from branches, the fruit so red that they didn't even look real. Oranges swayed in the wind in another row, so fat they would make the entire state of Florida jealous. Grapevines crawled up and down many trellises. Then there were the vegetables bursting forth from the soil in numbers that blew me away.
At the center of all that cultivation stood a farmhouse unlike any I had ever seen before. Back home, farmhouses were simple things built for people that preferred a simple life. That was not the case here.
The house was tall, the first floor easily twice the height of a first story back home. The exterior was wood and painted a flawless white with some silver and gold accents near the joints of the home. A fence made of woven branches surrounded the house.
Working on one of the railings was another tall, lanky figure with coal-black hair and sharp blue eyes. His brow furrowed when he spotted me and my captors. With a sigh, he set the hammer he had down and rose to his feet.
"Sonnos, Thobos," He greeted, blue eyes flicking to me, filled with the same suspicion as Sonnos as well as Thobos' curiosity.
"Father," My captors said together, bowing at the waist.
My eyes widened. There was no way that this guy was Sonnos and Thobos' father. They looked like they were the same age, for Pete's sake. Unless their father was very young when he had them, or he was aging incredibly well, then there was no way he was the actual parent for these two.
Maybe he adopted them?
Sonnos and Thobos' "father" gestured at me. "Human?"
"Apparently," Sonnos sniffed. "I had my doubts at first, what with the green hair and all."
Wait, what!? I tried to jerk my arms up to my head, forgetting that they were bound behind my back. All I managed to do was almost pop my shoulders out of place. An amused smirk cracked over Thobos' face when he spotted me move.
"That's a revelation to him as well," Thobos commented.
His father raised a thin eyebrow. "The green hair, or being a human?"
"When did I get green hair!?" I exclaimed.
That made Thobos chuckle and Sonnos frown.
"There's your answer," Thobos commented. "Sonnos came across him in the forest while hunting. We brought him to you because… well, we weren't sure what to do."
"I knew what to do," Sonnos grunted. "You just don't have the stomach."
"Sonnos," The Father said, voice stern, almost scolding. "It is one thing to take meat to survive. It is another to commit murder. While this human may be beyond his bounds in our land, that does not give us the right to take his life. Unless he tried to harm you?"
That made me snort indignantly. "Yeah, right. Me, attack the guys with weapons pointed at me. Do you all really think I'm that stupid?"
"Well, you are human," Thobos replied.
I gritted my teeth. "And aren't you?"
It was as if I slapped all three of them across the face. Sonnos' expression darkened, while Thobos' smirk ran away from his face. Their father's brow furrowed as a long frown creased his flawless face. A low hum came from him as one hand went up to his chin. He was studying me. Every little twitch in my facial muscles, every crease and crinkle of my lips, and every fidget from my body he scrutinized. With a sigh, he nodded.
"This one is addled," The father said.
"We came to the same conclusion," Thobos agreed.
I hung my head. "What does addled even mean?"
"Confused," Sonnos said before dropping his voice just low enough for me to still hear him. "Idiotic human."
"Before you retort to my son's rudeness," The father spoke right as I opened my mouth to snap at Sonnos, "you must know that all three of us are, in fact, not human. I'm sure your confusion will clear with due time, but I will give you some knowledge. We are Asur, chosen people of Asuryan. For now, that is all you need to know."
Asur? Asuryan? I'm sorry what? None of those rang a bell.
Wait… Asuryan, the more I thought about that name the more it sounded familiar. I wracked my brain for an answer, but none came. It was as if the solution was right at the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't put it into words. Regardless, I wasn't given much time to ponder what the Father said before he continued speaking.
"You may call me Sunudor, human. Now that we have been introduced, what is your name?"
"Father, are you sure this is wise?" Sonnos asked.
"You're questioning father?" Thobos replied.
"I am simply trying to make sure we do not do something we will all regret," Sonnos sighed. "You know how some of our kin feel about humans, especially those that leave their bounds."
My gaze flicked back and forth between the two brothers as they bickered. Everything about this situation still made no sense. I still had no idea where I was, had no idea who I was with, and was pretty sure these three called me crazy even though they were the ones who looked insane. I mean, who runs around all day in cosplay gear pretending to be Asur, whatever that meant.
"Children," The father patted the fence railing, silencing his sons. He gestured at me. "Let the human speak for himself."
"Huh?" I intelligently replied.
"Your name, human," Sonnos huffed with a roll of his eyes.
"Unless you don't have one?" Thobos remarked.
"N-no, I do," I pursed my lips. I guess giving these weirdos a name won't hurt. Maybe it will help them find my parents, and thus a way home. "My name is Michael. Michael Van Camp."
Sunudor gave me a puzzled look. "Michael Van Camp… a curious name. From what human city or realm do you hail, Michael Van Camp?"
A nervous laugh left my lips. "That's just my full name. I prefer to be called Mike." I glanced around me at the foreign landscape. "Any of you guys know where Kimberly is?"
No answer. Not a peep came from the three Asur. They looked as confused as I felt.
"Alright, so how about Wisconsin?"
Still nothing. They were looking at me like I grew a second head. My shoulders dropped and a frustrated chuckle left my lips.
"Now you're gonna say you've never heard of the United States."
"I've never heard of these United States," Sunudor commented.
That made me bark out a laugh. "Of course not! Oh, why would you have? Great…" I uttered a heavy sigh and hung my head. None of this made sense. Everyone in the world has at least heard of the United States. So how come these three did not know about it? "Fine, where am I exactly?"
"You are in the Outer Asur kingdom of Chrace," Sunudor answered. Little did he know, that did nothing to help me. "One of the few that are still relatively safe to live."
An indignant snort came from Sonnos, which earned him a sharp glare from Sunudor. Sonnos ducked his head at his father's stern stare. It was as if they both had an entire conversation with a couple of gestures and a look. Perhaps they did because Thobos looked highly amused.
"Okay… Chrace," I nodded my head, letting that "knowledge" sink in. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Addled indeed," Thobos nodded.
"I am not crazy!" I barked, wrists wrestling with my binds as my temper almost got the better of me.
"Addled means confused, not crazy," Sonnos said. "And you are clearly a confused human."
"W-well, yeah, but-"
"Michael Van Camp," Sunudor began, making me sag where I stood as I admitted defeat. These three were either the most committed actors I have ever met or completely out of their minds. Of the two, I wasn't sure which was more possible anymore. "You have strange names for your home. I have never heard of them. But, that does not mean we cannot assist in finding your way home."
"Father?" Thobos questioned, one of his eyebrows rising. Sonnos stiffened where he stood, unsure of where his father was going as well.
"You may stay here until such a time as you find a way home," Sunudor said, causing both Sonnos and Thobos' jaws to drop. Their father picked up his hammer again. "You will have to work, though. I will not give a human food for free. Such a resource is too precious in times like these."
"Father you cannot be serious!?" Sonnos exclaimed.
Again, one sharp glare and Sonnos was silenced. With a respectful bow, he turned on his heel and marched to an opening in the fence. After that, he strode into the farmhouse, quietly shutting the tall door behind him. Once he was gone, Sunudor uttered a weary sigh.
"Your brother..." He shook his head as he knelt to continue working on the fence. "He is as set in his ways as you once were Thobos."
"You mean he's still an arrogant arse," Thobos remarked with a smirk.
"We all bear that prideful seed, Thobos. Never forget that," Sunudor replied. "Now, untie Michael Van Camp. He seems to be of sturdy stock. I could use his help with this fence."
"Hey!" I jerked my hands away from Thobos as he drew a knife to cut me free. "I didn't agree to anything!"
"From what it looks like, you don't have much of a choice," Sunudor gave me a look that made him look amused like Thobos. "Unless you prefer not to eat while you are here?"
I opened my mouth to argue, but my stomach did all the talking for me. It growled, loudly. Thobos chuckled at the sound while Sunudor gave me a knowing smirk.
With a heavy sigh, I nodded and allowed Thobos to cut me loose. If I couldn't find my home right away, then I would have to find food. If these people were offering food for work, it would be stupid not to accept the offer. Besides, this was a temporary situation.
"Father," Thobos tossed the rope binds that were around my wrist to the side. "When you are finished with Michael Van Camp, Sonnos and I must speak with you, in private."
"Very well," Sunudor nodded. "Go tend to the animals."
"Yes, Father."
Without another word, Thobos left, his feet barely making a mark in the grass as he strode towards a set of pens off to the side of the farmhouse. Once he was gone, Sunudor exhaled and glanced up at me.
"How many branches can you carry?"
Good question. That depended on the size of the branches. Being an athlete did help in the strength department.
"How much food are you willing to give?" I replied.
Sunudor's serious mask fell, replaced by a wry smile that made me feel both at ease and a little nervous. Whatever he had planned for me, I had a feeling I would be exhausted by the time we went to eat dinner.
Hello everyone! A new commission, which means a new story for ya'll to enjoy! This one comes courtesy of firetrail over on Fiverr! If you're interested in commissioning a story, chapter, or even a one-shot, message me over on Fiverr! I have the same username there as here, just all lowercase: thebobcat18
Now then, Warhammer Fantasy Battle. This is a new one for me, I'll admit, but I gotta say: this was a lot of fun. The lore for this universe is so deep and rich, I'm excited to explore and learn more about it. I hope you all are prepared to join me on the ride. I'm sure it'll be a blast! Anyways, let me know what you all think of this chapter! As always, I hope you all enjoyed it! Have a nice day!
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