The Group settled down after the exhausting journey. Fortunately the strange old elf lady who introduced herself as a Moon-seer named Lujanne showed them to some kind of abandoned ruin garden. They were each assigned a small hut to stay in groups of two, with Fred and Tristan sharing one.
Everyone was exhausted for the day and as night came so did almost everybody rest with the exception of Fred. This odd misadventure kept getting stranger.
He picked up his rifle and snuck out, the moonlight illuminating the quiet ruins in a white shimmer. The stars here were so much more visible than Fred was used to in the trenches. Eventually he sat on a nearby ledge and began taking the weapon apart, along with unpacking his standard issue rifle maintenance kit. While doing so, he began recounting everything that seemed strange to him.
First thing that came to mind was the weather, why is it suddenly snowing, then there were all these people who acted in such a strange manner. Everybody here seems to lack the knowledge about the most basic things like the current state of the world and an insistence on using old fashioned weapons and Armour as if it were the middle ages all over again. On top of that came a strange belief in magic and all the strange creatures encountered so far.
"Quite the picturesque night, isn't it?" suddenly spoke Tristan taking Fred out of his inner ramblings "who would have thought that this old lady was the one responsible for all those indescribable horror all along"
Right, Fred remembered. The old lady whose name was apparently Lujanne explained that she was the one responsible for all these monsters. Fred should be shocked but at this point everything seemed the same to him.
"this isn't Europe…" the soldier muttered
Tristan raised his right eyebrow at that "excuse me?"
"The place, Katollis or whatever you call it. It's not Germany or Europe...it's almost like Alice in wonderland." Fred elaborated.
Tristan shook his head in confusion "I am not following, Who is Alice exactly?"
The German sighed "it doesn't matter who Alice is, she is from a book. In it she falls through a rabbit hole and lands in a strange world. What I am trying to say is that like Alice I landed in a strange world."
"oho" Tristan exclaimed "sooo you fell through a rabbit hole, landing in the forest where I found you?"
Fred groaned "no… I mean yes I... Listen I didn't fall through a rabbit hole but yes I somehow landed in the forest. Like in the story I somehow came to be in this strange place. Different, yet the basic premise is the same."
"Suppose that would explain the strange, foreign concepts you seem to be babbling about at times. But how exactly would one then go about returning to the….old world?" Tristan questioned, seating himself next to Fred
"I do not know. I am stranded in a kind of pseudo fairy tale, feudal age with elves and magic and…" Fred began to rant before his eyes widened at the thought and his breathing quickened "oh god if this place is like the middle ages will I get the black plague or be burned at stake for witchcraft?!"
"hey hey!" Tristan intervened, placing his hand on Freds shoulder "No one is going to harm you! Not under my watch! We are partners right?"
"right…" His breathing slowed and he nodded "right, partners"
the two were silent, Fred finished cleaning the rifle and began counting all the ammo clips he had left.
"I have about 100 bullets left" he remarked, "I have to conserve my shots it the future."
"100! surely that is more than enough." tristan suggested, to which fred just shrugged "Well even if you run out of ammo, it wont stop a deadly duo like us.
Hearing that Fred relaxed a bit more, A smile lit his face up which in turn infected Tristan.
"if this mage you talk about is as knowledgeable as you say than my return home must be certain." Fred hoped
"Now that's spirit. We can make all the plans for our grandiose undertaking tomorrow, so lets rest!" Tristan cheered.
The remaining night went by uneventful, and for the first time in a while the German slept soundly.
"Hey wake up, will you!"
"jawohl!"
Fred shot up, flinging his coat he used as a blanket away. Staring straight ahead, he blinked a couple of times till his stiff shoulders slumped. His tone much softer now "oh apologies, I got a little carried away…" he whispered
Tristan with a chipper attitude grinned showing his pristine white teeth.
"Think nothing of it, now come I heard dinners served!" leaving little to no room for a response the mercenary rushed outside..
Fred picked his uniform up, wearing the jacket open over his woollen pullover. Sitting up, he checked his socks, holes again and it was his last pair on top of that. His current predicament is hardly going to issue him a new one.
"What are you waiting for a feast awaits!" Tristan peaked from the door, but just as quick he disappeared once again.
Fred laid a hand on his torso feeling the shape of his malnourished form. A bite to eat really couldn't go amiss after the last couple of days. Not wishing to idle any longer he hastily threw the coat over his shoulder, slipped into his boots and headed out.
As Fred caught up to Tristan he was met with the kids, the wolf, a big dark blue bird, and Lujanne gathered at a stone table. Said table was lined with dishes and desert, causing Fred to fixate his gaze upon the food.
"there you are, come sit down" Tristan called out, offering a seat next to him
Fred sat down while the mercenary eyed the others at the table, Callum and Ezran refused to indulge in the food, causing Tristan to raise an eyebrow. He leaned towards Fred and whispered "don't you think its odd that one would have access to such a feast in a remote place like this?"
He received no response, causing the mercenary to turn his head towards Fred only to be met with the soldier gulping down as much as he could.
"quite the table...manners," Tristan remarked, furrowing his eyebrows at the display of savagery, receiving only a stuffed "mhm" from Fred in return
"I take it you haven't eaten a lot lately?"
"mhm" nodded Fred
"hey everybody!" Rayla said as she emerged from a nearby boulder, Tristan eyed the elf with suspicion while Fred just resumed eating, paying the current conversation no mind.
Rayla showed of her articulated hands performing various gestures, at some point she tried leaping form a nearby elevation. However the moment she landed on her feet, a pained yelp escaped her lips and she tripped. Callum was quick to get up and rush to her aid, but she brushed him off with a simple "i'm fine." shooting a quick glare towards Fred in the process.
She then turned back towards the table and announced "it's time to go" receiving various protests from the kids and Callum.
This arguing went back and forth for a bit until Rayla settled on staying just one more day. She sat down somewhere nearby gripping her pained leg while Callum retuned to his seat.
"you said you weren't a mage but how did you use that staff to shoot?" Callum leaned closer towards Fred
Fred looked up from his plate, his mouth stuffed with food and his eyes wide open. He swallowed, wiping the rest with his sleeve before responding.
"I uh," Fred remained silent for a moment his eyes darting of into the distance before facing Callum "it's chemistry!"
"you mean like alchemy? So you're an alchemist" Callum asked
"yes, I mean no…" Fred exclaimed before berating himself "how do I put this. The staff, or rifle as I call it, works with a chemical reaction. I am not an alchemist, but a soldier" before Callum could ask another question Fred added "and no before you ask I don't know how that chemical reaction works. Didn't pay enough attention in school for that."
"that's strange" Ezran added, while, with much hesitance, trying to munch on some type of jelly tart "where do you come from again."
the kids, Callum, Tristan and even Lujanne intently listened for the answer.
"A far away land, not sure how or in what way far it is. Definitely not something anybody here has heard about so it might as well be another world. Like I mentioned its called Germany, a relatively young nation compared to it's neighbours but makes more than up for it with industry and progress. We have steam and oil powered carriages that allow fast travel, flying machines that dwarf any flying creature on earth and many other innovations."
Ezran remarked "a flying machine bigger than a dragon" while starring of into the distance with a smile
"I take it you also don't know how these things work?" Callum asked
"kinda, I know for sure that they don't work on magic! This whole magic thing is pretty new to me, we don't have that at home" Fred replied
Both Rayla and Lujanne raised an eyebrow at that. Rayla got up and approached Fred.
"your lying" she accused.
"lying? I'm serious, I grew up there, in a world where this whole magic and dragon stuff is myth." Fred tried to defend
Lujanne added "the forces of magic are all around us, I find it hard to believe that there is none where you come from."
"but I am telling the truth, in fact before I came here I didn't even know elves existed, as there are only humans back home." Fred attempted to explain.
This took Rayla a bit off guard, but she quickly dismissed "I don't have to listen to this nonsense. I'm going patrolling and you" she pointed at the kids and Callum "stay on your toes." before storming off.
"she seems vexed," Tristan remarked before facing Fred "especially at you buddy"
"the journey here was especially tough on her," Callum explained with a look of worry "she almost lost her hand and had to climb the caldera with an injured leg."
Fred remained silent throughout the remaining dinner, staring intently at his food while Tristan told his usual tales of adventure and grandeur to the others.
Afterwards everybody went about their business, Callum followed Lujanne to learn magic, the kids tried to teach the tiny dragon whom they named Zym how to fly. Meanwhile Tristan practised the remaining day with his dagger, with Fred attempting to fix the holes in his socks.
"that Ezran kid, seems a bit strange to me. I suspected that someone more like Callum would be the prince."
prompting Tristan to halt his practice, "You and your suspicions, I am certain prince Ezran will be a capable king just like his father." Tristan put a fist on his chest and proclaimed "I will escort his highness until he is finally cured of his illness, I swear by my title as Tristan hero of..."
"the northern border and so on," Fred interrupted "you still believe that lie about Ezran being sick? they clearly came here for another reason and what about our plans to visit the capital?"
"Even if that is the case, my loyalty lies with the crown. I cannot just abandon them."
"They seem capable to take care of themselves, they did almost make it up the mountain on their own." Fred suggested
Tristan furrowed his brows "almost, you shot their elf companion at the town remember. What if something worse happens to them instead of a leg wound."
Freds, head dropped as he let out a sigh "you do have a point…. I ought to apologize to the girl at the very least, right?"
"far be it from me to sympathize with an elf, I know what their capable of" Tristan grumbled with clenched fists, before loosening his grip and adding "however she was escorting the princes so probably?"
"right" Fred sighed as he finally finished mending his clothes "I'll be off then. We can talk about the plans after I had a talk with her."
The evenings on the Caldera were chilli and quiet, but Rayla couldn't help but tense up as she wandered the outskirts of the ruins. The occasional sting from her leg causing her to stumble, and grip her blades even tighter in anticipation. Her eyebrows furrowed as the pain kept reminding her of the vulnerable position she was in now because of that damned pinhead.
Leaves began rustling nearby, Rayla head began darting around, as footsteps grew closer until finally.
"there you are!"
She turned to face the source, it was that pinhead in his grey uniform and pointy helmet. Slung on his shoulder was the weapon which caused her so much dismay.
Rayla gripped her blades even tighter at the sight of that and snarled "come to finish the job human."
Fred tried to put up a smile and friendly attitude, but when he heard that his front quickly faded and his lips fell to a frown.
"finish the...job, Gott nein." he declined "I...i was just" he stuttered as he fumbled with his left hand in his jacked pulling a silver canteen out and taking a gulp.
"I thought I could help you patrol the area, to keep the princes safe." he said, now with a lot less stutter.
Raylas frown turned to a scowl and she began storming off "I don't need your help, go away."
"But you said dark forces are approaching or something, oder?" Fred tried to argue while following
Rayla turned around and snapped "Dark forces like you! I don't trust you or your wannabe show-off friend."
Fred sighed "I confess, I actually came here to apologize. I thought maybe if I offered to help you would be more receptive. I see now that you believe me to be part of the problem, my apologies."
"I don't care for your apology, your boom-stick, put me in this vulnerable position and you almost shot the princes at the town."
"I didn't know they were that important, someone gave me an order so I just took the shot. Fred explained but Rayla only grew more furious at that.
"So you just took the shot!? You just blindly follow orders, even if you risk killing a child."
Fred remained silent, his eyes dropped as he began looking at his hands "I...i...don't know any other…"
Rayla rolled her eyes and just began storming off, but before she could get any further the sharp pain in her leg returned, causing her to fall.
Fred once again caught up "listen I may not be a good person but at least let me help with the leg."
Rayla scowl remained, despite that she relented with a nod.
Fred rolled the cloth of her pants up to the part where the bullet grazed the leg, the wound seems to be healing well enough but it was clear that it had gotten dirty again. The soldier pulled the silver canteen along with some cloth out of his jacket and warned "it may sting, but it will keep the wound clean."
As Fred applied the cloth covered in alcohol, Rayla winced at the painful sensation. She just wanted to be done with this pinhead, but that was when she notice a strange background melody. Her head began darting around a bit and her eyes widened. Freds eyelids also seemed heavy and his head began slumping.
Rayla frantically looked around seeing a rose bush nearby, trying to move her legs but the exhaustion wouldn't let her. With all the strength left, she mustered a commanded "dump all the alcohol on the wound!"
The sudden show of authority caused Fred to instinctively jump up and do as told. Only afterwards did he let out a final exhausted "...not...necessa…" before dropping to the ground and falling asleep.
Rayla winced at the pain as she too dropped to the ground and closed her eyes, the last thing she saw being the parting of a nearby shrubbery.
AN: NEW CHAPTER, after what feels like forever. These don't even take that long to write, this one i finished in 2 days. I really ought to work on my consistency in terms of writing, but you don't need to concern yourself with that.
Thank you for reading the chapter, and another thank you to all the kind reviews. As always feel free to give criticism in the reviews if you have something in mind. I hope you liked reading the chapter and till next time.
-Kekolander
Update I think i figured out how to update chapters on this site so... yay! I'll try to correct some grammatical mistakes in the previous chapters when i get to it.