When I awoke, it was to my great relief that everything appeared in order. There wasn't anybody else in the building, although things had visibly shifted around. So, bugmen can be trusted. That much, I know. I can sleep in their presence and they won't rob me blind.

My hand reached for the swords, finding them nice and safe and sound. The swords were in the sheathes, all was good.

I try to push myself up from the roll, realizing I never even threw the blanket over me. I must have been so incredibly tired. I can understand why. I know why.

I hate this. I'm still here, I'm still suffering, and all I have to show for it is two swords I stole, a fish, some rags, and pants.

Is this what life was here? Am I destined to just perpetuate this cycle until I get Mu's sword to the Queen?

After getting up fully, I realized I could shove the fish somewhat in my pocket, and did so. I went ahead and had both the swords stacked atop each other on my belt, just for ease of carrying and use. I had a long journey to go, and just having all my weapons on the side I can easily grab would help tremendously if I ever got into trouble.

Not that I could fight trouble. I might have swords aplenty, but none of the stomach to use them.

I took a few bites of the fish, and it tasted… Fine. Back into the pocket it went, and off I went to go on Queen quest.

When I exited the hut, I noticed an actual human in… Ninja clothes? He had two swords with square handle protector things on his back. Just like when I first got here. Just like with that chick. Something is up with these ninjas, man. While I'm on my way, I should get down to the bottom of this.

I strutted up to him as he was walking, my jangling swords giving away my position to him.

"Another human here? You look rather worse for wear, friend," the ninja told me.

"Yeah, thanks, hey, uh, are you like a ninja?"

"Indeed, I am a Shinobi," he nods to me.

"Cool, cool, nice, okay, so… Wait, first, you ever seen or heard of a red one of these guys?" I point at the nearest hammerhead.

The ninja peers over to him, then back to me, speaking in a hushed tone, "They won't tell you this, but there is another Queen rather than the western one." Western? He looks from side to side, then continues, "In the south are some Hivers who fit that description, or so I've heard. Red like blood, and hungry for it. If that is what you seek, there is where you must search."

Cryptic. Kind of. But this is the best I've gotten for a solid ever. So Mu was hungry for blood… Yeah, I don't doubt it, dude could kick some serious ass. "I see," I tell him, nodding, "Then uh… How would I get this in their hands?" I ask, lifting up Mu's sword slightly.

"You… Want to give the… The Hivers something?"

"Yeah, I had a uh… Friend, who wanted to pass this down to them."

"Your friend sounds quite strange," the ninja replies.

Ouch. But not necessarily wrong, all things considered. "That uh… Yeah, maybe. Anyways, if I wanted to head that way, not saying I do but, if I did, which way would I want to go?"

"You'd probably want to double back over to the Hub, go through the Roam, go south through Shem, then you'll be on your way to Catun. Just keep going south at that point, and you should find what you seek." Finally! Real directions! Awesome!

"Appreciate it, man," I tell him, ready to go. However, a question pops up in my head, and I raise a finger, "Oh, right, uh, where's the Hub?"

"Well, did you pass some ruins on your way here? In the canyons?" he asks.

"Yeah," I responded, my eyes narrowing with unhappiness.

He nods, "That's the Hub."

"Oh, I hate that. That's actually awful, why would they make it look like nobody lives there?"

"To fool those who would bring ruin to it. The Hub is a place for wanderers and those of a free path, not for conquerors."

I cross my ar- I let my arm fall down as I look at him, "Still not okay, but whatever. I appreciate the help a lot, stranger."

"It is no problem. Be careful, wanderer."

I nod with an "Mmhmm," before I turn around and get to walking.

It is then I am struck with an awful thought. I could have asked that guy so many more questions. I could have learned everything. But now it would be super awkward to turn around and be like 'uhm, actually, I wanted to talk more'. Damn it! This always happens. I get a good bit of info, I tell them thanks, I walk away, then I realize 'wait, they know more!'

Well, off into… Hell Vietnam, I guess. Is Vietnam already hell? Eh, doesn't matter. Just have to look out for beak-looking… Things. I'll just call them beak things for convenience sake because I don't really have any other name for them at the moment.

You know, this was a nice place at one point. Well, that's a lie, it's always been horrible. But uh…

Getting chased by a white gorilla-thing has really made me question God's plan here.

So here's the 411, folks. I'm minding my own business, trying to navigate through the underbrush back the way I came. I could tell because of my little mud landing hole that I had come from approximately that direction.

So, I'm following my trail. When I get to where… It happened, I had to look away. There was… Well, a few fingers. Lots of blood. I wanted to give him a burial, but… I think a more dignified way to be remembered is through this sword here.

To be honest, if these stickmen were anything to go by, Mu's people should be exceptionally chill. I mean, I passed them a rusty sword, that guy went above and beyond and gave me room and board and even some pants. If that isn't hospitality, I don't know what is. And if this 'southern hospitality' theory is true, Mu's 'southern queen' should be more than accommodating, I feel.

I digress, of course. This was merely my sort of internal thoughts as I happened upon a small outcropping where my eyes beheld something quite peculiar indeed.

I saw a white ape-like hunched over monster with a halfway reptilian face, angular and all, with four or so eyes. It was easily well over two or three times my size, perhaps even upwards of huge. I was none too pleased to see it. However, since it was… Ape-like, I figured perhaps it was friendly.

Well, no, I never held hope for that, but my brain decided to say the most stupid thing it could as they creature saw me staring at it.

"Did you ever hear… About the gorilla… Who escaped from the zoo?" I ask it nervously.

The creature made some weird grunting noise and began to move towards me, making very aggressive noises that slightly rattled me. You know me, I'm quite fearless, but this was a bit much.

"Nope," was my genuine response as I decided to run. The only problem was that it was in my way. Thus began the great maneuver: Go around.

And that's how we got here.

The beast is now barrelling after me on its hands and tiny legs. Surprisingly enough, I think I'm outrunning it. However, that still does not exactly ease my fear of the visage of the monkey-lizard coming towards me with an express premium pass to end my life.

I almost tripped over a rock, or so I thought it was, when I was running towards where I had initially come from. Realistically speaking, running upwards is a bad idea, but nothing was realistic anymore, at least not in the 'yeah, this makes sense' sort of way.

I looked back to see it still in hot pursuit, shouting, "It wasn't that bad! Come on, man!" Reasoning was impossible, but anything to help get my distress levels down is good.

I kept up the run. This world sucks. It blows unbelievably hard. Why are there death giraffes, monkey gorrillas, weird bone slavers, bugmen, and acid at every corner? This doesn't make sense! Who would live here? Why would you live here?!

Why should I live here?

I never asked myself the why question. I mean, I guess I have my little task to do, but… Mu's gone. I'm just one guy. One one armed guy.

Maybe I should just give it up. It'd be easier that way.

I finally got the courage, or lack of it, to slow myself down, turning around and shouting with my eyes closed, "Fine! Come take me out! Do me a mercy!"

I expected to get absolutely rolled like the inferior tiny monkey that I am.

However, my expectation never came true. Instead, I peeked out one eye to find myself… Alone. Alone in some dusty place, looking at a jungle I never should have gone to.

"Well," I say aloud, throwing my arm up a little then dropping it to my side in defeat, turning back to go back on the 'road' again, "Back to business."

Thus restarted my journey back to the ruins I saw before. The journey was, thankfully, uneventful. I've had enough run-ins with genetic horrors to last me the rest of my life. I'm still iffy on people, and especially ninjas. Ninjas have had a 50/50 rate of being good for my well being, and those aren't great odds, but they're still exponentially higher than most things this world has sent me.

When I ventured through the valleys and the rocks and the weird plant-spike things, I thought for sure I'd get apprehended by something, but was more than pleasantly surprised when I arrived at the ruins in peace. Instead of simply venturing around them, I tried instead to go up a natural ramp towards them. The ramp has what looked like a path on it, leading me to believe further that civilization at least was here. Not that that's a good thing. Civilization apparently means slavery. Or bugpeople. Or slaved bugpeople. God, civilization kinda sucks when you think about it, huh?

I've had enough thinking about it, though, when I head up to the gate of this place, entering inside and finally peeking at what this Hub could be.

I… Am gonna be honest. Not impressed. It's literally a bunch of homeless people sitting around small campfires in destroyed houses.

"I'm gonna get robbed," I tell myself, holding onto a sword for comfort. It's very easy for people with nothing to risk nothing to gain everything. Don't I know it? But that doesn't mean I'm just gonna hand it over. Unless they're a hulking giant, but everybody I've ever seen looks scrawny and weak, except maybe the Trash Samurai, but we don't talk about them.

At the very least, it looks like they had a bar. A big ol' sign for it, too. What's more, it had… Lights? LIGHTS? Like, classic bar-sign lights? The implication here is that this place has electricity, which means-

Wait, if bugpeople have prosthetics already, why wouldn't they have electricity in this world? I always assume the worst, I guess. It also doesn't help the place looks like a dump.

Well, it's got a door out front. I can lightly hear some conversation happening inside, so maybe it's not entirely hopeless here. I look around to find nothing else really of interest, not even a shop. I guess people come here to drink their problems away.

What am I saying? This place is the best! I'm gonna get a beer and forget everything!

I open up that door, and I am immediately welcomed by a great silence and many stares throughout the room.

At the very least, everyone here appeared… Decent. Clothes. Some hats. There was, I think, a bartender at a bar-desk thing. They even had a stash of weapons, it looked like. Lots of crossbows.

I saw some guys in what looked like armor of some kind with big ol' swords on their backs, holding cups of what I assume is alcohol while looking towards me. Which reminded me, I need to get like a bodyguard or something. There is just no way I'm living out my life alone. I got one too many sassy quips to live alone, and my skills at survival and combat were about as high as my kill count right now.

I decided it was time to break the awkward silence, trying to head up to the bartender. However, my trek is interrupted by a bearded man in what looked like a pirate hat brazenly grabbing my one arm with a shit eating grin.

I immediately rip my arm out of his grasp, not at all liking his calloused touch. Felt crusty as hell.

The man's grin, however, refused to fade as he told me, "Hey, so, a one armed man walks into a bar-"

"This better be good," I tell him. It probably would be, and I was prepared to laugh my ass off, but it could simultaneously be an insult.

"And the bartender asks, 'What'll it be?' So, the armless guy says, 'Gimme the strongest thing you got.' Bartender looks at it, and says, 'It'll be an arm and a leg.'" He then starts laughing at his own joke like it was the funniest thing he had ever heard.

I, however, was not all that amused. "Man, that was kinda a flop," I tell him,

"What? No, it was good man, fuck you!" the guy roars back at me, still laughing.

I wave a hand around the room, "You see anybody else laughing, old man?"

"Who you calling old?" the guy quietly glares, his eyes narrowing.

I could spot some guys in what looked like black rags starting to walk on over to me, and I felt like I was in imminent danger. Rather than overreacting, I could just act as though I never saw them. However, most alarmingly, I could see the sort of square handle guard on their swords on their backs, much like every other ninja I've run into. Oh no, not the NINJAS AGAIN.

"Calling you old, man," I reiterated for him. Hopefully the ninjas weren't on their way to ruin my day.

The pirate hat beard guy almost started to stand up when I heard a, "Oy, you."

I look over to the ninja calling me out.

"Get on out of here. Don't need your riff raff here." Why am I getting kicked out? I didn't do anything!

"Excuse me?" I ask.

"You heard me. Making trouble for our paying guests," the ninja crosses his arms, the other one starting to flank me.

I knew better than to test my luck. Especially against ninjas. I know ninjas get weaker the more there are, that's the rule, but ninjas still outskill and outperform me in every way. I was sure of it.

I backed down, starting to turn around and leave out the way I came, muttering, "Stupid paying customers." Well, I could always ask one of the homeless to be my bodyguard. I'm sure that could work.

At least until they realize all I got are a fish and a few swords. And only have one arm. And they could just rob me.

On second thought, bodyguard plan can wait until I rake in some cash. I'd rather have a bodyguard I can trust, and usually that requires money.

Once I was out of the bar, I kept my head down as I made way to leave this stupid town. Call it 'the Hub' like it's going to be hustling and bustling, then it's just this. You know what? Maybe there's a better place just down the road.

I say my goodbyes to the town, which was more silent indignation, before I head back on the road again. Now, where did the guy say to go?

Uh… He said, after the Hub, go… South? Which way is south? I don't know.

I sigh. Well, time to play the guessing game. Assuming where I came from is, like, north, maybe I just head the opposite way. Sure. Let's try that. I'm in no rush.

I hate this place. Did I mention that? It really is the suckiest place I could have got caught up in. I mean the planet, of course, but I guess this place is a close second.

Once again, a problem has arisen in transit. This time, I stood across from exactly what I thought I would never see again: The soldiers from before. Namely, 2 of them, both female. They had the metal plates covering their chests as well as rag skirts. They had those helmets, which I could now tell had spikes on them. Funky and funny as that is, it was overshadowed by the fact that one of them had a crossbow, the other having a big ol' club.

The two women both looked like toothpicks in terms of actual size, but the weapons were more than enough to make me be a bit on the cautious side. So, I began diplomatically as they came out towards me. I raise an arm, "Ladies, please, there's enough of me to go around."

I believe this may have been a mistake.

Instead of replying amicably, as most fair women would to me, the crossbow woman resorted to pointing said weapon at me. "Nice try," she says in a gruff voice, "But I want your money."

"Ah. Sorry to point out, but I'm actually dead broke. None to speak of," I continue to try and be courteous.

The woman refuses my calm and collected response, "You expect me to believe that? Cough it u-"

"Wait," the clubwoman stops her, letting her lower the crossbow, "Maybe he really is broke. Swords look good though. Think we should take 'em?"

The crossbow woman nods viciously, "Yeah, we should."

"Eh, heh heh, ladies," I begin my attempt at persuasion, "You know, one of these swords is a great family heirloom, so, I can't really just give them away. I'm sure we can work something out, maybe a more mutually beneficial agre-"

The club woman interrupts me by starting to walk forward, tapping her club on the palm of one of her hands while chuckling, "Don't really like your face there, or your big words there, punk."

I nod with a sigh of acceptance, "Yep."

They almost looked victorious when I did that.

They looked furious when I immediately turned tail and bolted.

"Get him!" I heard behind me, not willing to check which of them said it.

Okay, look, I'm not the greatest charmer, alright? But in my defense, okay, I'm not really interested in the whole… Uh… Well, just don't worry about it. I'm just a bit too awkward, I guess.

I kept up my pace when I heard a snapping sound ahead of me. A crossbow arrow just hit a craggy rock next to me in this accursed valley.

I slid around a corner, keeping up my run as I heard an aggravated, "Come back here!"

I found what looked like a decent shaped rock to hide what I considered most valuable and smiled as I had the ultimate plan.

I gotta double back this way anyways. So, if I can just make a contingency plan, I can easily make it back here and pick up Mu's sword and get back to what I was doing. If I get knocked out, I can take it like a man, keep going, and forget it ever happened. Or, if all goes well like I think it will, I can just grab the sword on my way back over after losing these bitches.

I go ahead and unloop Mu's sword, quickly ducking down and shoving it into a small crevice with the rock before continuing my run.

I came to a fork in the road as I came before a large pillar, slowing down a tad to take it in and check where I could go. I looked back to see the women chasing after me in sprints of their own.

I decided I'd go ahead and take the right path, seeing that it went kind of upwards. I charged on up, and found that trying to go up some elevation was uh… Not quick. In fact, without shoes, it also hurt. Think I was starting to feel sore, too. Not great.

I look back to see the club woman chasing up the elevation, having difficulties herself. Slightly good-er. However, the crossbow woman was reloading, placing an arrow on her little shooter.

"Fuck!" I couldn't hold back, trying to run up the hill as best I could.

But this was the very bad, no good day.

First, I heard a twang behind me, clear as day.

Then, I felt my foot slip on the dusty soil, thinking I might have stepped on a pebble.

After that, I think my ankle may have twisted, causing me to shift my body a tad.

Following that, I felt a horrific pain in the side of my belly as an arrow ripped into my abdomen.

Finally, the twisted ankle and arrow combined made me fall over unexpectedly downhill. Over the craggy, rocky soil full of sharp pebbles.

Suffice to say, a sailor would think me a god for the amount of expletives I hollered down that great descent, though I'm sure it was only a few yards at best. However, I didn't feel like a god. Felt both like a chump and a failure.

And I also felt pain. Lots of pain. My only hand instinctually grasped at the arrow wound, the area feeling rather slippery and hard to get a hold of. I think I know why. I just don't want to think about it.

With rocks, sand, probably some dried mud, and now my own blood covering me, I had to look like the hottest mess that ever walked this Earth. Except this isn't Earth. I'm not home. I'm not okay.

The two women gathered over my probably crying form, and I yelled to them, "Why?! Why would you shoot someone?! Fuck you!"

"Alright, now, what's he got…" one of the women investigates.

"Could take his pants," the wretched crossbow chick offered.

In my stupor, I couldn't filter out my disabled brain's thoughts, "What? Woah, woah, I was joking about the beneficial stuff!"

They both looked at me with disgust, though their faces were darkened by the sun overhead.

"Bust his teeth in," the crossbow woman orders.

"What?"

"With pleasure," the club woman brings her club up, grasping the top part of it and motioning to batter my face in with the handle of it.

"Wait, wait," I hold out an arm weakly, trying to shake it, "No, no, no-"

I felt my world turn to a land of stars.