Waking hours
...A chilly wind blew.
...A chilly wind blew but its sound was not unpleasant, and its temperature comfortable.
...
"Hmmm"
...
Peter, who was enjoying the feeling of a bed and thick blankets, in his sleepiness barely noticed the situation. Pretending it was just one of these vacations to some cold, idyllic place his parents loved to visit. Where its climate made perfect the comfy hug of the blankets and ideal the hot soup or chocolate.
The nearby window creaked.
This was enough to wake Peter.
...
Father Klaus was worried. He contemplated in his study room the possibilities of the stranger that the local villagers had just picked up the other night.
When they brought him the boy it was immediately clear the he was not normal. For one, his clothes were made of the finest thread and leather, with craftsmanship exquisite, they were lined with complex brocades. Second, through the water and mud he could see how much he seemed to care about his appearance, in fact, he seemed to use so many beauty products that he looked slightly feminine when seen under the wrong light, and his hair and beard had been neatly trimmed to the millimeter. Third, those wine bottles he was carrying, they had thick, high quality glass and strange names on them, aside from the fact that their dates were marked far into the future.
In other words, he looked like one of those pansy nobles from Natalia. Exactly what he didn't need right now.
To make matters worse, the blood and slime in said bottles told a very clear message: he had gotten into a fight with some monster girl, a slug one. Knowing how these nobles are, especially the young ones, he'd probably throw a tantrum, and a figurative rock into his machines, if his parents ever found out. Not fatal, but it would definitively slow his plans down. He hoped that was not the first monster girl he ever saw.
To top it all off, during the general check up, the nun found out that amongst clear medical issues like hypothermia and high levels of tension, the boy had the most bizarre Qi and Mana readings he had ever seen. He had a great stockpile of them, yes, but his aura and meridians were both underdeveloped. So underdeveloped in fact, that they wouldn't have been much different from that of a newborn. No, more than that, they started developing the moment they were stimulated from the examination! This kind of artificial growth would raise eyebrows even if he was a youma, but on a human? What kind of monster blood do you need to have for some bizarre thing like this to happen?
At this moment Klaus found a plausible hypothesis. A son of a noble, possibly from Natalia, running away from home and he has the blood of a monster, likely a high level youma. If this is right, and if is taken into account two possibilities:
1- He ran away on his own (the most likely option, seeing what he was wearing and carrying);
2-He was banished.
If we put this together with his previous hypothesis then...
Maybe the boy is not so dangerous after all. Still, he couldn't be too careful, he could very well be wrong about all this.
Noticing that he had started overthinking about things, the father stood up from his desk, his non ceremonial garb of white and yellow shifting pleasantly as he moved the chair and stood up. Stretching, the wizened man did his morning routine and cast the usual spells and Qi seals. This small ritual calmed his nerves, as it usually did. For it is in small things like brushing your teeth and stretching that you normally find a brief breather from such stresses.
Now back into his usual mindset of the friendly rural priest, he pushed his thoughts of scheming aside and took a moment to sympathize with the boy. Whatever his situation was, he must have suffered a lot. Although a small voice still tried to instill the notion that the boy was dangerous, Klaus put it in its place. The possibility existed, but Klaus was the kind of person that preferred to see before judge, and so he left his judgement for a later time.
"Sigh. First, we need to get him up to shape, Wouldn't want someone putting their nose where it's not their business when you're not even capable of talking properly", Klaus decided that for now he would hear his gentle side and let the boy be, within reason.
The boy will probably still absolutely hate it though.
As he was thinking this, the door to his room opened, revealing a fully garbed nun. "Father Klaus, I've come to inform you that the patient has woken up".
"And how is his condition, both physically and mentally, I mean", said the father;
The nun puts a finger to her lower lip and answers tentatively: "Well, physically he has made pretty much a full recovery, although that mana condition of his prevented us from fully healing him on fear of causing any side effect, so he still has a slight cold. Mentally... he's really quiet, much more than I would think for someone in his situation. How should I say it... pensive, I think would describe him best right now. He accepted our food and we did the check ups no problem. He's just...thinking, he barely acknowledged our presence, like he's completely engrossed in whatever is in his mind."
Klaus straightens his garb and looks at the nun, with a calm expression he told:"Oh, then as the man officially responsible for him, it seems to me only evident that I should make myself known!", with a hearthy and deep voice.
...
"This is real, isn't it."
For the past few moments Peter had been thinking about his situation. Looking at the white stone walls and ground. The wooden windows, table, chest and bed. Hoping in vain that they would somehow give him an answer. So engrossed he was in this strange catharsis that he didn't think to speak to the nuns, who may or may not be human, that used spells to check on his condition and gave him some good soup and new clothes.
It was warm, and as it went down his throat, this brief sense of comfort and normality slowly brought him to his senses.
"This is real, isn't it"
Peter wasn't going to kid himself into thinking that this was some dream or any other onyric state. He knew what those felt like, and this felt like real life. And even if it wasn't, he decided it would be in his best interest to treat it as real life, because anything else would be running away from what was clear to his senses. The vision of the room and the solar rays passing through the dust. The sound of birds and wind, and from the distance what seemed like shouts. The smell of grass wet by morning dew and a distant odor of manure and bone meal, he wondered if he was close to a farm. The tactile sensation of the bed, not half bad in quality, and the chilliness of the ambient, too cold for back home. Confirming this reality was the delicious taste of the hot vegetable soup, with carrots, garlic and cabbage, all obviously fresh.
"Heh, after last nights situation, looks like I used up all the panic I had in my body. In fact this is starting to feel kind of pleasant and calming. As much as a world with things like THAT can be..."
He didn't have much time to enjoy such a zen state on his own for long. Because Peter started hearing footsteps coming from beyond the door. "Is it another nun?", though the boy. "If it is, I have to thank them properly this time".
As Peter calmly put the empty wooden bowl and spoon on table beside the bed, the door opened. From it came father Klaus, this time in full ceremonial garb, again in white and yellow.
"Let's see, those women called themselves nuns, so he should be...".
"Good morning, father. Before anything else, I'd like to thank those that in their kindness saved me and game me nursing, and I'm sure you're one of those people, so... Thank You", calmly said Peter as soon as the father had positioned himself in front of his bed.
Klaus let himself be surprised for a moment, the boy seemed to be little different from what he had expected, at least he seemed to be more pleasant than the usual type of nobility. Showing a refreshing smile, the priest said: "It is only my duty, young man. More importantly, I didn't do much, it was mostly the nurses that cared for you, and it was Lazarus that brought you here."
"You did more than enough, father... But Lazarus, is that the name of the person that took me here?".
"That's right".
"I see... Well, where are my manners? My name is Peter Wellesley Correia , nice to meet you", I think I'd better be honest here, no need to lie on something I don't need to, was Peters mindset.
Father Klaus quickly caught on to the boys name. "Quite long, and those don't sound like surnames from someone from the Ilias continent. In fact, they sound almost Natalian, is that were you come from young man?".
"I'll leave that to your imagination", said Peter with a calm expression.
Both men laughed for a moment after this little jest. The priest then looked at the boy with a hint of seriousness and said.
"Look Peter, I won't butt in any further if you're not comfortable with it. Iliasville, the village this temple is in, is not unknown for accepting people wanting to run away from trouble, at least in recent days. We're a hub for adventurers after all. But you need to at least help me a little bit here, I already have an idea why you're running away, but I need at least an official reason to keep you here. If you can't even give me a place, this is going to be difficult for both of us. And you don't want to just be thrown back into the wilderness by yourself, do you?"
Peter, almost did a spit take. Had he still been drinking the soup, he would have definitely done it. This certainly caught him off guard, but he tried not to show it in his face. With practiced precision, he put on his 'neutral face number one' and tried to prevent thing from getting any worse than they already were. He barely had gotten here and again he was threatened with cold and homelessness.
"...You seem to be used to this kind of thing... Fine, Natalia it is. And what about a reason for my escapade? Any suggestions?". This may seem to be quite a gamble by Peter, and indeed it is, he knows nothing about this priest, or what he's planning. But when the alternative was to be thrown back in to sludge woman land, and die of hypothermia, trying to get the shady priest to form an excuse for him seemed his best option, after all, he knew nothing. And knowing nothing meat that he couldn't make up a plausible excuse. So he should get the man talking, the priests' imagination filling the gaps for him.
In other words, Peter was completely powerless. "And this priest knows that. The only thing I can do here is hope that this deal is better than it sounds like. Which is unlikely, but it still gives me a chance of survival different from 0".
Klaus paused for a moment and nonchalantly said: "Oh, how about this. You lived in rural Natalia together with your parents and siblings in an isolated farm. One day a rampaging monster girl... a spider girl, attacked your farm and had to run away. I knew your parents personally, so your best option was to gather whatever precious belongings and heirlooms your family had and bolt towards Iliasville, but you got attacked by a slug girl in the way here and ended up collapsing. Also, what's something you're really good at kid?"
"Studying, martial arts and drinking"
"What weapons do you know?"
"I'm pretty good at unarmed fighting, and also passable with a sword. And by passable I mean I know the fundamentals and how to apply them".
"What kind of sword do you use, boy?"
"One good at cutting but decent at thrusting, single edged, slightly curved and two handed. And... let's see... from this size to this size". Peter gesticulates with his hands, showing his preferred sword lenghth.
"I see... A Kriegsmesser?"
"Yeah". That was a lie, what he had actually used to was a Tachi from kendo and kobudo. But figuring this was close enough, and that he didn't want the suspicious priest to have even more ideas about him, Peter confirmed the name of the familiar western design. He could deal with it if he got caught later. Right now, he wanted no more surprises.
"Your job at the farm was to serve as a makeshift guard, but your parents saved you and urged you to escape. So you did, and that's where you've found yourself right now. What do you think of this story?". Inquired Klaus while looking at the young man straight in the eye. His semblance neutral and pensive.
"If you think that's the best option, then go ahead.", feeling a headache coming, Peter wanted thinks to be over already. He was no stranger to lying, but faking an entire persona was not something he was comfortable doing.
"That I will. Name's Klaus, by the way. And also, just use Peter, your surnames make you sound like a noble."
Peter inhaled deeply.
Exhaled.
"Sigh"
"Fine"
"And before I forget, you're good enough to go on and take a look around. Just don't cause trouble, I'll know. You can also ask one of the nuns or the guards about where and when to eat, bathe, etc. You'll get a few weeks of free time, after that you're gonna have to find some work. I can still give a little financial support, so don't get too worried about it!" Klaus says seriously as he leaves, closing the door quietly.
"Don't get too worried about it he says... Man, is everyone in this world out to make sure I don't get a breather", Peter heaved a long sigh, again. His little zen moment was utterly ruined. But he had heard and learned about some important things: the existence of monster girls and magic. He also needed to fresh up on some geography, history and politics if he didn't want to be thrown around by other people in their games.
If anything else, he could at least have a little hope, if a bit childish. He sure wanted to know if he could do some cool magic as well. That would always get him going.
It should be about two and a half hours after sunrise. Still plenty of daylight left.
The young man stretched in front of the window, bathing in the sunlight. "Now, I should know the basics before I start walking around all willy nilly, that means one thing. After all, someone without any knowledge of the world is going to be suspicious. To the library it is!", thought Peter before doing a small prayer. "Gosh I hope this place has one."
...
Surprisingly, this place already has pretty advanced printing knowledge. The books he had obtained showed clear signs of mechanized typography of some sort, what with the slightly smudged paper and blurs every now and then. Heck, they even had what looked like a Renaissance prototype of a newspaper! Very local, and It didn't seem to serve for more than notices regarding Illiasville and other close by villages. But it was something, and more importantly, it provided him with today's date:
Johannes calendar 1445/06/01
June first, 1445.
Welp, he hopes he doesn'tt end up blurting out the wrong date when talking to someone like an idiot. The rest of the paper, for the most part, showed no great problems for the most part, It seemed to Peter that these villages were quite peaceful.
If not for the near daily sexual assault by monsters. Yeah, those things, that fascinated him as much as they terrified him. An entire class of beings with bodies similar to human females, and whose favorite dietary supplement was mans' sperm, and they were pretty enthusiastic about getting it. No one species, but in fact a cornucopia of different lifestyles, cultures and biologies, from the most simple to the most grotesque. And from the most benevolent to the most malevolent. Sometimes interchangeably.
I'm completely fucked, thought Peter.
Their attacks were so common to those outside main villages and metropolises that people didn't even seem that bothered by it. Business as usual. As long as people didn't get eaten, they might still get a pass, which is exactly what happened earlier yesterday according to this journal, with an unfortunate traveler and some slug girl.
He shuttered, that could have been HIM right there.
A few breathing exercises later, Peter was once again back into proper. Deciding that he'd better save the nightmare fuel for later. After all, for what it's worth, it seems to be pretty safe inside these villages.
Now let's see, what about geography and general history?
The Great Monster Wars;
The World Map;
Ilias and the creation of the world;
The Great Disaster;
The Monster Lord;
Tartarus;
The Magic Renaissance;
The sun flew through the sky, unnoticed by Peter. For as he read more and more. The more engrossed he became. For as much as this world terrified him, it was equally as fascinating. And so, for the entire day, he threw himself into studying the basic the this world. In books meant for children mind you, but very useful for someone who wanted quick, surface level knowledge.
Oh boy, he sure hoped he could learn some magic soon.
...
Peter chose to eat in his room for now, avoiding as much contact as possible until he was ready to introduce himself to the world. And tomorrow would be that time. He should also thank that nun for remembering him about the time.
"So, for now, try to look for a job. I have a deadline, a flexible one, but still dangerous. I have no Idea what that sleazy priest is going to do if I just laze around and do nothing" thought Peter as he laid in his bed.
"But Illias, Alipheese the First, the Monster Lord and the Great Monster Wars, huh". That story was a badly told one. The sensationalism practically seeped through its pages. He knew something was wrong with it, and to make matters worse. "Pretty much the entire history seemed to start from this event. Every history before a thousand years ago seemed patchwork at best, they seem more like a fairy tale than anything else". A thousand years of history. Yeah, right. But still, it was only what he could gather from history books for children, so he shouldn't jump to conclusions.
The great disaster and Tartarus, that's another mystery. But at least the historians tried not to pretend to know anything about it. But more importantly, the changes it caused. "The people want coexistence, but that is a pretty bumpy road, to say the least." Peter remembered his own situation and what he had read in the newspaper. "And not everyone agrees with it". His mind turned to the human kingdoms. The city states and independent hamlets of Ilias continent. The Natalia theocracy, with its warring nobles and internal strife. The stable Sabasa kingdom. The great rival empires of Noah and Gold. The mysterious Snow Continent. The Monster Lords' home, Hellgondo.
Ever since the great disaster, human and monster affairs have intermingled in ways nobody would expect. There is resistance and acceptance to it, but one thing's clear. Nobody was ready for it.
"I'm lucky I got thrown into Ilias continent", for once, Peter thanked whatever deity there was that he had escaped the worst of the bunch. Things don't look like they will blow over soon. In fact, his gut told him they could get worse.
But for now he would relax, and leave such thoughts to the him of tomorrow.
"God, I hope I can learn some magic".
...
..
.
Hello! John here.
A new character and a little bit of world building. More importantly, Peter has an immediate objective and a little bit of knowledge to go with it. Now he won't look like an absolute dork in front of everyone! He's already interested in this world, that's the kind of person he is, now he only needs to get a little breather and start working! Hoping he doesn't get bashed and outsmarted again next chapter.