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  Nissa shrugs, “It was only a suggestion. It is the only thing I can think of to help.”

  “I guess it can’t hurt to ask them. I have no idea how we can protect them. Unless the whole village wants to leave and find a new home…I am going to stand up, do you want to ride on my shoulder?” Kala says.

  Nissa nods, and then flies up and lands on Kala, then she gathers the Cores and loot from the dead Jamya, they don’t have anything but crafting materials. The elite does have a strange green orb, the info on it says it can be used to create a weapon that can cause acid damage.

  Kala heads back through the woods towards the village. “Hey, Nissa? Did you make the plants killed the Jamya that was on my back?” Kala asks Nissa as she walks, with her sitting on her shoulder.

  “Yes, I asked the Silver Mother to help you.” She says, sounding sad.

  “Why didn’t you do that before I came along, to save yourself?” Kala asks her.

  “Because I must enter a very still state and commune with the Mother. It takes time. Plus…I do not like to ask the Mother to kill for me.” She says.

  “Ah, okay. That makes sense.”

  They get to the edge of the village and Kala stops. She gets angry for a moment when she realizes no one came looking for her. “So, you ready to meet a whole bunch of humans, and one metal man?”

  “Metal man?” Nissa asks.

  “Yeah, his name is Doc. He’s a riot.” Kala says with a chuckle.

  Chapter Two: Fairies, Wigers, and Metal Men, Oh My

  ~

  My door slams open, startling me out of my dream. I sit up in bed, "What's happening?!" I yell confused.

  Kala is standing in my doorway looking pissed, "You ass. I've been out for like two hours and you didn't even realize I was gone?"

  "Wait. What? Kala, I was asleep. What time is it?" I look Kala up and down and notice that she has burn holes all over her Herba Skin Archer Outfit. I stifle a yawn and rub my eyes, "What happened to you?"

  Kala, looks down my body and her eyes stop, then she rolls her eyes. "Geez, Jax, what is up with you always having a boner?"

  Oops! I fix my sheet so my issue is covered. "It's a normal thing for a guy to wake up...like that." I say blushing. "Anyway, what happened? Are you okay? I'd get up and hug you, but, well... you know." I say. I really look Kala over, and notice that she has silver streaks in her red hair now, and her eyes seem to have a faint glow to them.

  Kala sighs, "Yeah, I'm fine. I guess I didn't tell anyone that I was going to take a walk in the woods." She comes into my room and sits on my bed. "But still! You should have felt that I was in trouble, being that we are soulmates and all." She punches me on the arm.

  "Ow." I say and rub the spot where she hit me.

  "Aww, poor little baby. Do need me to use Heal on you?" Kala says to me in baby talk.

  My eyes go wide, "Kala. You went off by yourself? You know how dangerous it is out there. Please don't do that again. Now, will you please tell me what happened?"

  "I...Jax. I don't think you realize how difficult this new form is for me. I know I have been a human before, many times over. But I don't remember any of it, same as you. The difference being that you were born as a baby and had years with a mother and father teaching you. I have been playing along, but I am pretty much just faking it, until I make it, as a human. Things were much easier when I was just a floating ball of energy." Kala exhales and looks at me.

  "But..." I start to say.

  "Shhh." Kala holds a finger up to my mouth. "I'm not done yet. I need to just put it all out there, plus I need to lay down some rules. I have, for the most part, been a side-kick on the Jax adventure ride. I do not want to be the pretty girl on your arm as you slay monsters and take the spoils of war. I want to be a force to be reckoned with, like Jill. You can't always be around to protect me. So, I went off to try and gain some levels, and I did. I have some traits that I did not tell you about. I'll show you my User Sheet after we are done talking. I don't know why I didn't tell you. I guess I wanted to figure them out myself first. I used this ability I have to find a fairy being attacked by a monster. It called some more monsters, and I fought them, and I won. I needed that. It was incredibly empowering. I need you to back off a little and let me be the hero too. Let me take point and give me a chance to catch up with everyone." Kala stops for a moment and searches my eyes, looking for something.

  "I know you...want me, Jax. I feel my body react to you, and I enjoy the feeling. But, can you back up? I'm not going anywhere. I...I love you, Jax. Will you let me set the terms of intimacy between us? I promise, I will let you know when I am ready." Kala leans in and gently kisses my lips and then sits back with a smile on her face.

  Damn. I feel like an ass.

  "I love you too, Kala." I feel butterflies in my stomach when I say those words to her. "Of course, I will do anything you want. I had no idea all this was going on with you. I feel like a self-absorbed ass-hat. I never thought of you as my side-kick. I will let you kick the ass of any monster you want, I'll only intervene if it looks like it is going poorly." I look at her, and then I laugh, "Yeah, I'm really way too horny, like all the time." I grimace and then make an I'm sorry face at her. "I will dial it back. You are just so damn hot, that I turn into an idiot." I say.

  "Do you want me to wear a burka, so you can be normal around me?" She says, sounding a little angry.

  "What? No, I'm sorry. I'm no good at this. I should probably just stop talking. I agree with everything you are saying and will support anything you want to do. I mean that in all sincerity." I say, trying to not put my foot in my mouth.

  Kala laughs, "I know, Jax. I was enjoying watching you squirm."

  I reach up and touch one of her silver strands of hair. "Kala, what happened to your hair? And your eyes, are they glowing?"

  "Hold on, let me pull up the 3D image of myself. I haven't had a chance to look." Kala touches the air in front of herself, looking at menus I can't see. Kala then smiles and laughs, "I like it! I think it makes me look pretty damn cool, like a superhero."

  "I like it too...so, are you going to tell me how this happened?" I ask her.

  "I swallowed a fairy tear." She says.

  "Oh, well that explains everything." I say sarcastically.

  Kala yawns, "I am tired, dirty, and hungry. You will now proceed to draw me a hot bath, make me some breakfast, and then I am going to take a nap. In that order. Nessa will fill you in on the rest of the story." Kala stretches and yawns again.

  "But..." I say start to say.

  "Now, Jax...Nessa is a very attractive fairy woman, can I leave you alone with her without you getting an erection? Or does she need to wear a burka too?" Kala smirks at me.

  "Nessa?" I ask.

  "Yes, that is me." I hear a woman’s voice say. She sounds like the wind when she speaks. A small woman flies into the room, she is wearing a silver dress, and her eyes look like little balls of mercury. She lands on Kala's knee and then does a little curtsy.

  "Ah, okay." I say.

  "Really? That's all you say, Jax? This is the first fairy you have ever seen and you are like, ah, okay? We need to work on your social skills." Kala looks at me, waiting for me to reply.

  I hold my hand out to Nessa, "It's nice to meet you Nessa. I'm Jax."

  Nessa looks at my hand perplexed. "It's nice to meet you too."

  "Ugh, Jax. Are you expecting her to shake your hand? How is that going to work? And, if you don't remember, no one on this planet even knows what it means when you put your hand out like that."

  "Sorry, force of habit." I say.

  "Well, you kids have fun. Jax, I'll have Doc help me bring water in for my bath. But, I do expect some food when I'm done." Nessa flutters up off of Kala's knee and then Kala gets up and leaves the room.

  Nessa stays in the air, her silver eyes looking at me.

  "Um, Nessa? Would you mind waiting for me in the next room? I need to get dressed." I say to the fairy.

  She no
ds her head and flies out of the room. Man, I really should just sleep fully clothed for how often people barge into my room when I'm sleeping. A few minutes later I enter the living room fully clothed. Nessa is sitting in the window sill with her eyes closed, soaking up the morning sun.

  I spend the next hour making food and talking to Nessa. My Cooking skill is still only at level two, so I'm not sure how good it's going to be.

  Kala comes out of the bathroom rosy cheeked and smiling. "Hey, Jax? How are Jill and Aurelia doing? Are they still sleeping?" She asks me.

  "Yeah, I looked in on them after I got up. Aurelia is sleeping snuggled up to Jill. That Dire Wiger, umm, what is its name? Oh yeah, Thunder, is laying on the bed with them. He growled at me when I looked in on them." I say with a chuckle.

  Just then a door opens and Jill, Aurelia, and Thunder come out. Thunder runs up to me and starts rubbing up against my leg and purring. "Oh, so now you like me, since I made food?" I say to the Wiger. He is already big, about as tall as a medium-sized dog. Thunder chirps at me and lightly bites my leg. "Okay, okay, geez." I grab a bowl and put some meat in it and then place it on the floor. I stand there and look down as it begins to scarf down the food. Thunder notices that I am still standing there and he growls at me. I roll my eyes and back off.

  I walk over to Jill and hug her. "I'm relieved that you are awake. I was pretty scared after I Awakened you yesterday. So? How's it feel to be a Progenitor?" I ask her.

  "I don't know, I don't feel that different. Although, I think I can sense the energies around me now. Plus, it's still hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that I am now immortal. Do I still age, or am I going to be 18 forever?" We both look over at Aurelia, will she be a child forever?

  "Yeah, your guess is as good as mine. I really don't know how it works. But, I'm thinking that maybe we don't age anymore. Or, we might just age at an extremely slow rate. I have been here for almost a thousand years, and my User Sheet lists me as 29." I say.

  "You are mostly correct. You will age extremely slow until around your forties, and then you will stop aging all together." Doc says from the doorway to the backyard. "At least that is what the original Progenitors were like. It may be different for humans that have become Progenitors."

  The metal man's body ripples, his face almost looks like a real human, he even has eyelids that blink. Ever since he absorbed a pea-sized ball of metal that was part of the Watcher, Doc has been different. He is able to control his form better and he knows a lot more about this world.

  "Good, everyone is here." I say as I look around the room. "It's a beautiful day, how about we all sit in the backyard and eat breakfast? I think we still have much to discuss." I look over at Kala. "Do you still need that nap Kala?" I ask her.

  She sighs, "I guess not, I'm feeling pretty refreshed. Plus, we really can't afford to waste time. Maybe we should just turn this into an official meeting? We should probably update Livia and the village elders."

  "I will go and ask her to come." Doc says. "I need to return the books she gave me, plus I want to see if she has more."

  "Thanks, Doc." I say to him. He nods his head and leaves.

  "Kala? There's something on your shoulder..." Jill says as she tip-toes towards Kala with some rolled up paper. "Hold still and I will swat it."

  "Stop! It's not a bug. This is Nessa, she is a fairy." Kala says.

  "Why would you swat me, human? Even if I was a bug? We all play a part in the cycle of life, needless killing only disrupts the balance." Nessa's eyes glow brighter for a moment.

  Jill looks at Nessa and then Kala, and shrugs. "So, I sleep for 15 hours and we now have a fairy in the group and Kala looks like Storm from the X-Men."

  "I don't look like Storm." Kala says.

  "Wait, how do you even know what I am talking about? Aren't you a native of Crucible?" Jill asks Kala.

  "Oh, I think I forgot that part last night when we were telling our stories. I absorbed a ton of info from the A.I. that was on Jax's scout ship." Kala says.

  "Alright, everyone load a plate of food and let’s meet outside. We can discuss more over food." I say.

  Kala brings everyone up-to-date on what happened to her this morning. She also shares her User Sheet with everyone, so they can see her new skills, traits and perks.

  "Damn, Kala. That Consume Core skill is an awesome. It's kind of like you are a hybrid necromancer, archer, and blue mage." Jill says.

  Everyone looks at Jill with blank stares.

  "Ugh, am I the only gamer here? A necro uses souls for their own power and can control the undead. Obviously, Kala can't control the undead, but she can consume the Cores of the living to gain skills and boost her own power. Blue mages gain the skills of monsters, after being attacked by a new skill they do not possess. It's not quite the same, she just straight up kills and then absorbs the new skill." Jill explains to us.

  Just then Doc arrives with Livia, Farely, and four other villagers. I stand up and run my fingers down my arm and then tap my forehead. Which I think is the proper way to great the native humans of this village. Livia and the elders exchange looks, they all have smirks, and one of the elders covers her mouth and laughs, causing them all to laugh.

  "Alright, this is the second time someone has laughed at me when I have exchanged the greeting. What am I doing wrong?" I ask annoyed.

  Livia, the older woman who is in charge of the village suppresses a laugh and then holds her hand up. The other villagers quiet down. "My apologies, Jax. But, the way that you greeted us is the formal greeting used for someone’s mother-in-law. You must only use your index finger and start at your elbow and then tap your forehead only once." She demonstrates for me.

  After the formalities, everyone sits down and I bring them up-to-date. There was a lot of stopping, gasping, and questions. Livia and the four other elders all got on a knee and did an elaborate ritual of touching the blue tattoos on their arms and tapping their heads when I told them I was The Wanderer. It took a lot of pleading to get them to stand up. Then I got to the part about The Caste, and how they were coming to kill everyone.

  Livia stood up quickly, knocking over her chair. She had a terrified look on her face. "What do we do? I left with my parents many years ago, from far away to escape The Caste. They killed or enslaved everyone in my home city, and it was not a small village like this."

  "We may have a plan. Nessa? Would you care to explain?" I say.

  The fairy flutters into the air and Livia and the elders gasp. I guess they didn't notice there was a fairy with us.

  "I have lived a long life, and not once have I seen a fairy before. You are so beautiful..." Livia says to Nessa.

  Nessa curtsies in mid-air "It is nice to meet you all. Fairies tend to keep to themselves, it is our way. My home and family were killed by the red-eyes, this is why I am here. If I can help prevent your village from the same fate it would bring me joy."

  "How can you help us?" Livia asks the fairy.

  "I will ask the Silver Mother to hide your village, it is how the fairies have remained hidden for hundreds of years. It will require 12 to 14 hours of intense communion with Mother, and I must draw upon the Core energy of 50 villagers." Nessa tells them.

  Livia and the elders murmur, a few times there is an angry exchange, then Livia yells.

  "Stop! We have no other options. I will not force anyone to be part of the process that Nessa requires. We have no hope of winning a fight, and I will not leave my home again." Livia turns to Nessa, "I volunteer."

  After some shocked exchanges between the elders they all stand and volunteer as well. "We will get the word out and find the other 45 people needed. How soon can we start and where do you wish us to gather?" Livia asks Nissa.

  "We can start as soon as you have everyone. The center of the village will work." Nissa says.

  Chapter Three: The Hidden Village

  ~

  A few hours later we are all gathered in the middle of town. It looks like the whole villag
e is here, hundreds of people. Many look scared, the tension in the air is thick. Livia stands on a platform in the middle and speaks to everyone, explaining the situation. She leaves out the part about me being the Wanderer. I exhale a breath that I didn't realize I was holding. The last thing I needed was the whole town going to their knees and worshiping me. I'm no god, I am just a man.

  After what seems like hours Livia convinces 45 more to be part of the people that Nessa needs. Then she has the rest of the town start to gather supplies from outside the town, in case they are unable to leave for awhile. I see Livia motion for me to come over to her.

  "Jax, Nessa tells us that we will have to sit in a circle for 12 to 14 hours." She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a key. "Jax, we built this village over ruins that we found. This is a key to a trapdoor in my home. It leads to a metal door, that we have never been able to open. Maybe you will have some luck. Just be careful, the door emits a red light and talks a strange language directly into your mind. There were bones on the ground from creatures, so we never used force to try and open it." Livia tells me.

  "Thank you, Livia, and good luck. I really hope all of this works." I say.

  I step back and watch as the 50 people sit in a circle, with Nessa in the middle. The fairy is also seated on the ground, her eyes closed. She begins to hum, and the sound gets louder as she goes on. It is beautiful, like the wind singing a lullaby. The 50 people begin to glow and then a thin stream of energy leaves them and enters Nessa. She begins to glow brighter, the hum gets louder. Kala walks up and stops next to me, I turn my head and look at her.

  "Kala? Your eyes...they are silver and glowing like Nessa’s." I say concerned.

  "I am okay, Jax...can you not see? It is so amazing..." Kala says, tears in her eyes.