Krajek sighed inwardly and signaled to Mordain to wait while he followed Aexia off the main road to a small clearing. The forest was slowly turning more humid as they ventured this way, making the ground softer and reminding them they'd soon reach the swamps.
He caught up with Aexia and started talking.
Krajek: "Look, I'm sorry if it felt like I assaulted you. I onl--"
He was cut off abruptly.
Aexia: "Where are you really from, I'm not buying your story. "
Krajek: "I don't know what to tell you. It is what it is."
(She's persistent , I'll give her that.)
Krajek turned around, ready to leave and resume the walk. There were other things to do than try and convince Aexia about who he is, it rated pretty low on his priorities right now.
Aexia:" I don't want to but if you leave me no other choice I'll have to resort to using magic. I need to know if you're associated with Zankas. You slipped up a few minutes ago, you referred to your 'world'."
(God damn. Was bound to happen I suppose. Probably the worst person to overhear it though. Argh, I guess I have to come clean with her.)
Krajek stopped and thought about the situation. Was it a bluff? If not, why hadn't she done so from the start?
He personally didn't care that he came from another world but how would someone living here feel about it was the question. He didn't want people treating him differently because of it, he knew that outsiders and foreigners were often shunned. There was perhaps no other way of proving he wasn't affiliated with that strange Zankas person.
Defeated, Krajek let his arms drop to his side and looked at her directly. Still, he was worried what her reaction could be and readied himself in case he needed to transport himself out of here in the blink of an eye.
Krajek: "Alright, you win. I don't come from this planet you call home. I don't know any Zankas though. You can ask Mordain, he's been with me ever since I landed here. I didn't even come of my own free will! I was dragged here in the middle of the desert and it was not a pleasant experience let me tell you. "
Aexia seemed stunned by his reveal and remained speechless, her mouth partially open in surprise.
Aexia :" Your powers, they brought you here? "
(Might as well spill the whole beans, the can is open anyways. Maybe she can even help me figure things out.)
Krajek:" I don't know. I only discovered them after I appeared here. Look, I barely know any more than you about my situation. Is there anyone you know that could help me figure it out? Someone specialized in magic or something. "
Aexia: "Well, I'd need to know more about it. Can the mages from your world not help you? Are you an outlaw?"
Krajek : "God no. We don't have magic in our world, I'm thinking this is your world's doing."
Her face went blank and she blinked rapidly as if trying to wake herself from a dream.
Aexia: "No mages and magic? But.. How?? All these creations from your world, how are they made?"
(Ugh, she's no help at all.)
Krajek: "It'd be too long to explain, let's just say our civilization is way older than yours, we've had time to try out different things. Let's stop wasting time alright?"
Krajek turned around once more to walk back towards the road but a hand grabbed his shoulder from behind and he panicked, transporting himself back to his world.
He opened his eyes back at his house and relaxed.
Krajek:" God damn that scared me. Reaching out to grab me like that. Better put on the body armour in case she does anything rash. I sort of doubt it but can't be too sa--"
Behind him, wide eyed and slack jawed was Aexia, looking in astonishment at the inside of his bedroom.
It had only been an instant but everything changed suddenly. The quick change of scenery had given her a shot of vertigo and malaise but she repressed all of it in order to stare at the new location she found herself in.
There was no denying it, she had been transported elsewhere. Another world it seemed like. There was nothing remotely familiar here that she could identify except for a bed and a window.
She heard Krajek talking behind her but ignored him for the moment. She took in as much of the sight as possible, as if trying to burn it in her retinas. She may never experience it again and wanted to commit it to memory.
Adorning the walls were paintings featuring scantily dressed women in an art style that felt very foreign to her. Her eyes narrowed and she frowned.
(It appears men on any world have the same basic tastes, hmpft.)
Turning her head around, she saw a strange looking chair facing a rectangular box of some kind sitting in a wooden desk. Light appeared to originate from it but she could not discern its purpose or function. Next to the desk was a closed door. She headed for it, arm stretched out and ready to try to open it when it was her turn to have an arm placed on her shoulder.
Krajek: "You can't be here!"
As swiftly as she had been transported to this strange location, she was back in her world. Next to her was a panting Krajek, seemingly out of breath.
Krajek: "Haaa Haaa. You.. Can't... Go there.. And.. I can't do this... Back to back."
Aexia: "Looks like you were telling the truth after all. The implications of this are staggering. How many more worlds exist? What are they like I wonder."
Krajek sat down on the ground catching his breath. To Aexia, it was apparent that moving himself between worlds was rather hard on him. It was a strange power, no spell she knew quite resemble that.
(Well, there is one spell but it's more of a ritual than anything else. I'm not sure how I can help him with his power. Maybe just learning about focus and control would help him.)
Aexia:, "Let's make a deal then. I'll help you with your powers and in exchange you help me with Zankas Orel."
She wanted to add something regarding information from his world but didn't want to push him outside of his comfort zone.
Krajek: "I don't even know who this Zankas is, what did he or she do?"
Aexia: "It is some sort of.. creature, not exactly a monster but not human either. I think it is also from another world, either that or its the only one of its kind. Look, if I can't help you, I likely know someone who can. Also, I can get you an exemption certificate. This will get me in trouble with the emperor but I really need the help. "
Krajek seemed to think about it for some time before replying.
Krajek:" First off, what's an exemption certificate? Secondly, this seems agreeable to me but I also want Mordain's input, he's the only one I trust in this world. "
Aexia:" You know how mages need to be registered and how in the empire they're conscripted? Well this allows a mage to be exempt from all of that. It's not often given but it's used sometimes when someone inherits magic but won't use it or for older mages who's fighting years are in the past. "
She paused to give weight to her words and added another small sentence.
" I want to say you can trust me but you'll see in due time. "
Krajek:" Let's get back on the road shall we? Can't help you until this issue is dealt with first. "
Aexia smiled and gestured for him to go on, indicating she'd follow.
(I feel better having had this talk, he's not so unreasonable as I initially thought him to be. )
They left to rejoin Mordain who was waiting patiently alongside the road. Calling it a road was a bit of a stretch however but it was in good condition for being so remote from any large city.
As they walked towards their destination, a few hours remaining at most, Aexia overheard Zankas and Mordain speak in a strange tongue.
(Is that Krajek's main language? Seems like Mordain speaks it much slower than him, so it makes sense. Ahh, this explains why they're so close then, Mordain was Krajek's first contact here and likely taught him Lanash.)
She tried to make sense of it, initially using her knowledge of the three languages she spoke fluently but to no avail. Frustrated, she tried thinking of how she could overcome this using magic. Unfortunately, the only school of magic which works with the mind is Spiritualism.. her only weakness.
She cursed herself for not being able to use Spiritualism. Her appetite for knowledge would have to go hungry today. It was especially ravenous after learning about Krajek's origins and everything that came with it. She had to pace herself however, to try and not come on too strong in case she scared him off.
She was conflicted. On one hand, to earn the trust of Krajek and for him to help her with Zankas and on the other; an insatiable thirst for knowledge that bordered on being a medical condition.
That condition not being solely Aexia however. In truth, all mages have an irresistible urge to know, Aexia not excluded, which pushes them to try and gather as much knowledge as they can and hoard it. This here was the biggest find since the discovery of magic and Aexia would not let it slip away from her grasp.
(Fine, keep your secrets. For now.)