While Klyran was thinking about going out to find some food, the young woman was rushing around the house, ignoring his strange behaviour. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the items was ripped away from his hand and a wooden bowl has taken their place. The younger woman also handed him a wooden spoon, before she hurried around the house again.
'Am I supposed to eat this?' he looked at the strange items in his hands.
She offered another bowl to the elder woman who was taking care of her husband and even helped her feed him some of the food. When that was done, she tidied up a bit and then rushed back outside, shouting something in her wake.
Klyran observed the concoction that was now in his hand. The plants that he has seen before were chopped and thrown into some type of liquid. It seemed a bit thicker than water and looked rather horrible in his opinion. In that moment, Klyran could not help but think that the young woman only ruined the perfectly good plants.
'How disgusting' his nose wrinkled.
He poked them with the spoon, noticing that their texture also changed. While the plants that he held in his hand were tough, those were soft and easy to crush. The smell has also changed, he quickly noted.
Looking around, he saw the old woman eating quietly, while still keeping an eye on her patient. Seeing no harm in it, Klyran gently scooped some of the food on the spoon that was in his hand and tried the strange looking substance. It took him by surprise, but he enjoyed what he was eating. It was much more different than anything that he tasted in his life. The plants were soft and better tasting than the plants that he was used to eating in his own world, where they were bitter and sometimes even hard to chew. From the corner of his eye, he saw the old woman sip the liquid from the bowl and so, Klyran copied the motion. He was once again surprised, not expecting it to have such a great taste.
'Not bad' were he in his true worm, there was not doubt in his mind that even his tail would be making a happy motion.
Once everyone has eaten, the black haired young man decided that rather than sit around in the hut, surrounded by the smell of sickness, he would much rather go outside. He quietly gathered the bowls and spoons and decided to take them to the river, to wash them.
'I should do at least this much to thank them for the food' he nodded to himself.
On his way, he noticed for the first time what life here was truly like. He saw some young children running around and chasing each other. As he walked, he also got the chance to take a closer look at the animals that humans apparently kept. He looked at the birds that were kept in cages, seemingly content with their lives, while another woman was collecting their eggs. She carefully examined all of them and some, she would put in her basket, while others she would lay back down in the hay that the birds used.
'How peaceful... I can nearly see myself living here' Klyran smiled.
The further he walked, the more Klyran was able to see and understand. He saw other people working the land. In that moment, when the smell of the same plants hit his nose, Klyran realised that those were not plants that he would have been able to find in the forest, as they all seemed to be grown in the village. Life was good here, he could not help but think. The people did not seem rich, but they were content with their lives.
Klyran gently knelt on the grass near the river and washed the used bowls. He examined each of them, noticing various cracks, or other signs of wear. They were obviously often used. After realizing that those items were quiet frail, the young man took his time to be more careful with handling them.
Once done, he rose and made his way back to the village. He arrived back at the hut, just as the old woman was exiting it. Upon seeing him, she gave him a kind smile and said something he could not understand. She gently grasped his hand and led him back inside. She sat Klyran down on the floor, while she went to gather her supplies that were now scattered all over the small home. By the time she was done, the young woman from before returned. She smelled of soil and her clothes were now dirty, the young Ryan was quick to notice. She bowed her head to the old woman and then, she looked at Klyran and did the same. While not understanding the words, he gave her a smile in return, which seemed to satisfy her.
Then, the old woman approached him again and gently grabbed his hand, urging him to follow her. She said goodbye to the couple and led the two of them outside. Klyran followed her without questions. While they walked, he would at first stay a step behind the old woman, only to come closer to her and then bend his arm, so that she could lean on him more easily. His efforts were rewarded with another kind smile and Klyran could not help but think how much he liked this little creature. The two of them walked to the other side of the village, to another house, one that seemed empty. She led them inside and quickly set to work to kindle a fire.
Unsure about what to do, Klyran went and sat in front of the fireplace, while the old woman was busy emptying her bag and setting the various bottles on the shelve that was filled with even more bottles. The fire was rather nice, he thought and went closer to it. Klyran felt rather cold the whole day and here he was, sitting in front of a fire. He wished to touch it, to feel its full warmth, but when his hand was nearly touching the flames, it was suddenly grabbed. The old woman was looking at him in horror, her eyes were filled with fear. She shook her head and made a motion of touching the fire, only to retract her arm and shake it fast, as if in pain. Klyran then understood that touching the fire was not something that those creatures were capable of and, not wishing for the old woman to know of his true nature, he gave her an apologetic smile and then moved farther away from it.
'Note to self' he then thought, 'Those creatures are not fire resistant'
That night, the old woman allowed Klyran to sleep on the fireplace, while she laid down in front of it. It made him feel bad, but his attempts of switching with her have all ended in failure. And so he slept above the fire, feeling warmer than he was the whole day.
During the night, whenever he woke up and noticed that his new friend was still asleep, Klyran would think about that strange window that appeared before his eyes. Just when he thought of it, the transparent screen appeared once again when we glanced at his arm. He could see his name on it, but the rest of the information was strange. He then tried it with his other arm, then his right leg, then his left leg. Each time, that strange window appeared. Then, he thought about his own name, that stood at the top of the window whenever it was summoned, and it appeared once again, surprising Klyran.
[Character Information]
Name: Klyran
Race: Ryan
Occupation: Swordsman (Level 2)
Strength 16
Magic 18
Physical Defence 20
Magical Defence 20
Vitality 20
Agility 16
Accuracy 7
Luck 9
Passing the time, Klyran would close and then reopen the window. Unlike what he believed, it never disappeared. It was not a mere fragment of his imagination.
'So I am not going crazy...'
The next morning, after the old woman fed the both of them, she went out into the village. Klyran, not having anything better to do, followed her. He saw the young woman from yesterday who smiled and waved her hand at the two of them and they waved back. He also saw the man that smelled of sickness near her, but today that horrible odour was gone and was replaced by his own smell, one that he shared with the woman. Klyran was glad to see that he felt better.
Whenever he encountered someone, the Ryan would try and observe the new person. And just like in his own case, the window would appear, similar to his own. A fact that he easily noticed was that the numbers that appeared on the window were different to him. While his were ranging mostly between 15 to 20, those new creatures could barely reach a 7. But even the rare 7 was never allocated to strength or magic. It mostly went into vitality, accuracy or luck. Even his new companion had low numbers. Klyran then glanced at the small woman walking beside him.
[Character Information]
Name: ??
Race: ??
Occupation: Physician (Level 7)
Strength 3
Magic 2
Physical Defence 1
Magical Defence 1
Vitality 5
Agility 2
Accuracy 6
Luck 4
What Klyran could not understand though, was why most of his numbers were written in red. As a matter of fact, the only numbers that were of the same colour was his Accuracy and Luck. After meeting Aldryn, the Ryan also noticed that the Race, which initially showed ?? now displayed the Race Human whenever he observed one. Whenever he could spare his attention, he would open up the window and simply stare at it while walking ahead. It was as if he hoped for an answer to appear.
As the two of them walked, another man on a horse has arrived to the village, shouting for someone. The old woman quickly made her way to him and the two begun talking.
Once the discussion was finished, the woman hurried back to her home and grabbed her bag. She threw many of the bottles that she had stored on the shelve into the old thing and then set it on her shoulder. Seeing this, Klyran grabbed the bag from her and put it on his own shoulder, which caused the woman to smile.
'Does someone else needs her help?' he wondered.
He followed her out, to where the same man was waiting for her with the horse. He helped her mount it and then grabbed the reigns. It was Klyran's first time seeing this beast from up close. While it was bigger than him, its eyes were gentle and intelligent. He petted its muzzle and smiled when its ears flickered in delight. And so, the three of them set off on their way.
The journey has taken around an hour, but luckily, they only had to travel to the next village. There, Klyran quickly noticed that the smell of a different sickness was all around the settlement. There were many people suffering from it. Once the old woman was on the ground, she rushed into the first house, not even waiting for her companion. Klyran then looked at the village, so much more different than the one he spend the previous night in. Some of the houses were burned and there was the smell of what he now knew was blood lingering in the air. There were no children running around and playing on the streets, but many were heard crying.
Klyran approached the house where the old woman that he got to know was and was baffled by the sight. There were many people laying down there. Most of them having sustained one injury or another. They smelled of fear and blood. The women inside were rushing around, tending to their injuries. In that moment, Klyran felt anger. They did not deserve this. What sort of beast attacked the village? Those were the only thoughts running though his mind. He quickly went back to the man with the horse. He took him by the hand and pointed to the house and then to his weapon that was attached to his hip.
While the man tried to say something, making wild gestures, Klyran was unable to understand him. His eyes were filled with anger and irritation begun appearing on his face. The man then sighed and pointed him toward the forest, where Klyran quickly noticed signs of something passing through. He nodded his head and then went back into the house. He quickly found the old woman and gave her a hug. Then, with a gentle smile, he stood up, gripped his blade and went out, going in the direction that was pointed to him. On his way, he gave the man a confident smile and a small wave.