Chapter Two: A Stranger in a Strangely Familiar Place

Neil awakens to find himself in a strange Medieval-type world. After meeting two sisters, the three head off on a quest!

He felt a sharp sensation on his face. It was not of pain, but of cold discomfort. He felt it several more times until he opened his eyes to discover that he was lying in a field on his back, and it was raining. It was night and it was raining. He looked at his hands, seeing he was human.

“Was it another dream?” he asked himself. “No...” he looked around as his surroundings came in to focus. “I’m sure this is where we crossed over to, but…” His mind was hazy, and he found it increasingly difficult to hold on to and verify the thoughts pertaining to what had happened. “I chased them, but…was that me?”

“Are you okay?” a young feminine voice called.

“Huh?” He wiped the sweat and rain from his eyes and looked up.

###

They were now sitting in a small house, almost like a cottage. The walls and floor were bare wood except for the rugs scattered here and there, and a brick fireplace housing a flickering fire stood beside them. Neil’s hair was damp, hanging in swollen strands, and he was sitting with a blanket around himself, holding a cup of tea. Across from him sat a little dark-haired girl dressed in a v-cut tee shirt and shorts made from an almost rag-like material, yet she had an overall clean appearance.

“I can tell you, I was a bit worried,” the dark-haired girl excitedly continued, taking a sip of tea. “When I saw someone alone in the field during a rainstorm. And if that wasn’t enough,” she said with a smile. “He started talking to himself.” Neil nervously wrapped the blanket tighter around himself and took a sip of his tea.
“Speaking of which, how do you identify?” She asked. Her inquisitive nature cut into Neil like an adorable scalpel.

“…Identify?” Neil seemed a bit lost, but quickly caught himself. “Oh, my name is Neil.” He stopped to ponder the safety concerns of giving out your personal information while hallucinating or in an alternate world.

“Good ta meet ya, Neil but I mean your pronouns, so I know how to refer to ya.”

Neil thought once again, racking his knowledge of grammar. “Pronouns…I’m sure I know that one.” “Oh!” he perked up. “Like masculine, feminine, neutral. I’m a guy, so uhh…that.”

“Well, Neil be glad to stay here as long as you need.” The little girl paused, laying her chin on her palm. “Oh. That is, until me and my sister head out.”

“Head out?”

“Yes,” a deeper, yet more feminine voice said, putting a hand on the backrest of the little girl’s chair.

 She must have been the most beautiful girl Neil had ever seen, and appeared to be around his age, which he took note of fairly quickly. Her clothes seemed to be the same as the younger girl’s, only fit to her size. Her hair was lighter, a chestnut color that shimmered in the light. Her face was a bit thinner, meticulously painted with freckles like a porcelain doll with a nice summer tan. He couldn’t get his eyes off of her when she spoke.

“We’re heading out on an adventure,” the young woman continued. “To find Marksthar.” “Uhh, who?” Neil asked.

The little girl chimed in. “The wizard! Everybody in Otztark knows about him, how come you don’t?”

The other girl looked over to her sister. “Obviously, Tentesyl, he’s not from Otztark. Is this right, stranger?” She looked back over to Neil with a smile.

“Huh?” The distracted Neil broke from his trance.

“Y’know,” said Tentesyl, “It’s not polite to stare, but if you like my sister, Sentesyl, maybe you could marry her!”

“Tentesyl, mind your business,” Sentesyl said. Neil just put his head down and sipped his tea.

###

After an explanation, Neil cleared up the situation for himself.

“So…Marksthar is a wizard.” He paused. “That may or may not exist; lives somewhere in the mountains. He is supposedly impossible to find and will grant one wish per person that finds him.” He looked up at the two sisters for a second. “And you plan to find him?”

“Exactly.” Sentesyl clasped her hands together.

Neil sat back in the chair and crossed his legs, shaking his head. “Sounds a lot like The Wizard of Oz.”

“Where’s Oz?” asked Tentesyl.

“I think I’ve heard of it,” Sentesyl said looking over to her sister. “I think it’s in the Northern Region, in the desert”

“No, it’s a movie,” he said trying to clear things up.

The sisters looked at him with puzzled expressions. “What’s a movie?” Sentesyl asked.

“Never mind” Neil let out a sigh. “Anyway,” he continued. “If he exists, he seems to be my only ticket home. Just from seeing that red lightning, I’m pretty sure this isn’t my world.”

“You’re not even from this world? Woah!” exclaimed Tentesyl. The little girl’s face now housed a huge grin.

“Yah,” he said. “Either that, or I’m in some kind of crazy dream or psychotic delusion.” He couldn’t seem to figure out which scenario was most likely; he rubbed his temples and let out yet another sigh. “What’s more is that I have no idea how I got here. I just remember being chased and beat up.” He took a moment to read their faces for any sign that they may think he was crazy. It seemed to him that they had heard stranger stories.

Sentesyl crossed her arms. “Well, I can assure you that we aren’t figments of anyone’s imagination.”

Neil propped his cheek on his palm. “I sure hope not.” There was a pause; he looked down and continued. “So would I… be able to come with you?”

“Of course!” Sentesyl said.

Tentesyl looked over to Neil, then to her sister. “Wow, big sister,” she said with a sly smirk, “You seem pretty eager to have him tag along.”

“Mind your business, you little brat.” Sentesyl gently pinched her little sister’s arm.

“Ow!” She turned the injured arm away, and started rubbing it. “That hurt!” Neil couldn’t help but laugh.

“Of course,” she continued, “You’ll need a weapon...I’ll be right back.” Neil watched her as she left the room, then looked to the little girl who was holding her arm.

“She didn’t have to pinch me,” she said, pouting a bit.

Sentesyl returned with a long broadsword in a black sheath attached to a belt. There were also eight small sheaths housing daggers, four on each side.

Tentesyl gasped. “Daddy’s belt! You’re not gonna give it to him, are you?”

“Of course,” she said. “Unless our friend here happens to be a blacksmith.”

The little girl crossed her arms. “Hmph!”

Neil looked down at the sword in the girls hands. “Um thanks, but I…” He paused. “…I mean, where I come from, not too many people know how to use swords. Could you…” He tried not to look too embarrassed. “Teach me?”

She smiled at him. “Of course, I’d be glad to. I haven’t had a student since I taught Tentesyl.”

Neil glanced at the smiling ten-year-old. “Are you sure she’s old enough to be running around with one of those?”

Tentesyl put her hands on her hips. “Excuse me? I happen to be a very skilled sword handler, thank you very much. I’ve studied swordplay since I was five.”

“Wow,” he said. “You must be good.”

“I am,” she said, proudly gloating.

Sentesyl looked over her shoulder. “Tentesyl, there’s no reason to be so smug.”

“Well,” the little girl replied, “There was no reason to pinch me, either.”

“Well, it’s in the past now,” She handed Neil the equipment. “What’s done is done.” Neil smiled back at Sentesyl and received the sword as Sentesyl continued. “We will start training bright and early tomorrow, but until then my new friend, we’d better get some food in you, and then you should rest.” Neil stood up and offered to help with the cooking, but they insisted that he would just slow them down. After all, he hadn’t heard of any of the foods they were using. During the wait he studied his new sword and daggers.

Later at dinner, he raised the question he had been pondering ever since he realized what those strange markings on the blade had said, it was a strange experience. First, the symbols seemed completely alien but as he continued staring they seemed to be more easily recognizable. Not as letters of his home’s alphabet, but he seemed to be able to read it nonetheless; it was as if his mind was telling him what he was reading.

“I thought this was your father’s sword,” he asked.

Sentesyl replied with a bit of confusion in her voice.

“It is, why do you ask?”

“Well…your name’s on it.” He pointed to the markings etched down the center of the blade; she gave a slight chuckle.

“Wow,” said Tentesyl, “you must really be from a different world.”

Putting down her knife and fork, Sentesyl explained. “In our world, it’s not uncommon for great warriors to name their children after their swords or other weapon of choice.”

“Huh,” He said. “Interesting.”

“Some might be named after themselves, if they bear a striking resemblance in some way. Most names come from words describing an individual’s strengths or personality.

“I see…” He continued to eat; a few moments of silence went by.

“Where do your names come from, Neil?” Sentesyl asked, trying to break the awkward silence.

“Um…” he paused. “I’m not sure, come to think of it…”

Tentesyl made a childish face, indicating confusion. “How can you not know where your name comes from?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “I never really thought about it until now. Sometimes a son or daughter will be named after their parent or relative of the same gender.” He paused to think. “I know names mean things; I just don’t know what. They have these little books that tell you what some names mean, that some parents use if they can’t decide on one.”

The sisters just looked at each other, then at Neil. Sentesyl made a face this time; raising an eyebrow. “Why would you give your child a name if you don’t know what it means?”

            Tentesyl chimed in, “What names do the people who aren’t girls or boys get?”

            “Wh-what? What does that mean?” Neil never thought that he’d be so embarrassed about this topic before. “Never mind.”

More awkward silence.

“Well.” Neil looked down at the plate. “It sure is a nice sword.”

“Yes,” Sentesyl replied. “One of the finest in the land, made by the king of Jersey himself.”

“Um…Jersey?” Neil said snickering a bit.

“Yes. It’s a province where only humans live.”

Neil looked a bit puzzled.

“There aren’t too many humans in this country, but Otztark, Solomer City and Jersey is where you’ll find them mostly.”

A pause.

“Uh-huh…so, um, are you guys human?”

Tentesyl looked up at her sister. “He’s a strange one, sis,” she said shaking her head.

“Umm, okay,” he continued. “So, if we’re the minority, who’s the majority?”

They talked until it was late, explaining to Neil of all the interesting life on their world. There were humans, very similar to Neil (if not identical); the only difference seemed to be that they were capable of manipulating raw energy more efficiently than on earth. Neil wondered if this was genetic or had more to do with where he was. Maybe he was capable of this himself. If he learned it here and left, could he use it anywhere? Many of the animals were similar to what he was used to, although he noticed small differences here and there. Other species just sounded bizarre; there were many crustacean and insect-like creatures, and even species of animals that apparently evolved from animal-plant hybrid organisms. Among the higher-functioning animals similar to humans were the Anthros, animals with fairly human-like bodies and animal-like faces who have been living side-by-side with humans since the dawn of intelligent man. They are said to have evolved from talking animals, but sadly, today there was no proof. If they had existed at all, there was now a rumor that they had been exiled to a reservation blocked off by magical borders; something about breaking a treaty. The Anthros were a more primitive people than the humans, which is why so many humans were adamant to rise the ranks of political power. Dragons existed in the past. They were hunted to extinction long ago, before the girls’ grandparents were even born.

Then, of course, there were the demons. They came in so many shapes and sizes, it was nearly impossible to categorize all of them and they usually did not socialize. The only types commonly known were the animal demons (demons that resembled or had attributes of certain animals) and the “lesser demons” such as goblins, gremlins, imps, trolls and ogres. Apparently, the lesser demons functioned with a lower level of intelligence. Aside from information gathered by studying the animal demons, and individual battles with other demons, little was known about them. Shapeshifting was said to be common among the more powerful demons; the weaker the demon was, the simpler the form. In fact, the most powerful demons were (more often than not) gigantic and could even turn into humans, creating offspring, resulting in half demons. The half demons were born in either human or demon form and had no shifting capabilities. The half animal-demons, however just looked human…for the most part.

Neil looked over to the candles with half open eyes, noticing that they had melted significantly as Sentesyl got up and stretched. “We’d better get to bed; we have some shopping to do tomorrow in Solomer City after training.” “I’m not…tired,” Tentesyl said as she was yawning. Sentesyl and Neil looked at each other and laughed. The girls showed Neil his bed and said their goodnights; that night Neil slept soundly and couldn’t have felt any more at home.

###

The crowded marketplace was clamoring with busy talking, and occasionally shouting, people. Well, mostly people. There were clusters of people-like people that you wouldn’t quite call people. The sun was bright, and it was humid with an occasional breeze cooling; it carried such scents as cooked meats, spices and incense. There were tables selling fresh meats, fish, and bread; armor, shields, swords, jewelry, and what seemed to be magic powders and potions.

 “I thought you said we couldn’t get me a sword,” he said looking at a table of weapons. “There’s plenty here.”

“If you can call them swords,” Sentesyl replied sarcastically.

The little girl chimed in. “Our father’s sword was made with the strongest metal in the world!”

Sentesyl smiled and placed a hand atop her sister’s head. “So we were told. It was forged from a new metal that was discovered relatively recently that seems stronger than average, but we know it is a good blade.”

“Our daddy slayed a thousand demons with that sword!” Tentesyl made excited sword-swinging and stabbing motions.

“Tentesyl!”

“What?” she said quietly. “He didn’t?”

“Our father was a great warrior; a humble warrior who didn’t glorify death. We don’t know how many full-fledged demons he’s killed, and he certainly didn’t boast about it.”

Tentesyl pouted. “Well, with all the half-demons he’s killed, I’m sure they’d add up to a thousand.”

“Wow,” said Neil. “Either way, it sounds like your father was a really skilled fighter. I hope I can use this sword as well as he did.”

“I doubt it,” Tentesyl said with a giggle.

Sentesyl gave her a stern look. “Tentesyl, don’t be so rude!”

“What?” the girl replied. “It’s true, right?” Sentesyl just let out an aggravated sigh.

“You know,” Neil started to say, “This place reminds me a lot about the medieval times of my world...” The medieval era was always his favorite. The daring knights, beautiful princesses, dragons, and magic among many other interesting things. “Except a lot cleaner…”

His attention was caught by several beautiful women in low-cut dresses passing by; he continued with a big grin. “I don’t think I wanna leave.”

Sentesyl had her back turned, looking at some unmarked bottles. “Well, you may not be going back any time soon… The journey we’re about to embark on; success is said to be impossible. Most people who try to find Marksthar either give up shortly after or are never heard from again.”

Tentesyl’s voice suddenly popped by his ear, causing him to jump. “Some people came back insane!” As he looked over, she was seemingly eye level. A distant voice called, “Hey, little girl, put back that chair!” “Okay, I just wanted to do something; do you have…” Her voice trailed off toward the stand as she returned the furniture.

Neil quickly raised his eyebrows and responded with a sarcastic “Yay.”

Tentesyl came running back with a bottle. “What do we have left on the list?” she asked putting it in a suede backpack.

Sentesyl took out a pad of paper and a pen from her back pocket; it was wooden and apparently finely made. “Let’s see.”

As she clicked it and started writing, Neil walked slowly over to her with his mouth agape. “Um, I’m a bit puzzled...” he pointed to the pen. “Is that a real pen?” The two sisters just looked up at him very strangely. “Like with ink and a little ball in the tip?”

“Yah,” said Sentesyl.

“How else would they be made?” Tentesyl remarked.

“I dunno...bird feathers?”

Blank stares from the sisters.

“Well, it’s just that this world seems to lack a lot of technology that my world has. I was just a little surprised to see ballpoint pens around here. They weren’t invented ‘till well after the medieval times.” The sisters just continued staring. “Never mind.” Neil walked away to look at some potions at a nearby table.