"Fuck me..." the words left me before I could even register them.
The city was a marvel on its own. However, the people too, were a sight to see.
I saw people no different than Lapia. Long ears, sharp teeth revealed by wide smiles, the few hands I managed to spot had claw shaped fingernails.
[Domi Elf Child, Lvl 6]
[Domi Elf, Lvl 26 Merchant]
[Faeton Elf, Lvl 52 Warrior]
The Domi race, I noticed, was mostly uniform. Lighter shades of hair, skin in the pale to tanned range. The few Faeton I saw had darker complexion and, surprisingly, colorful hair. I saw a red haired female and two green haired children walking with an adult that had their same hair color.
Humans were the most numerous. About six out of ten citizens were human. And in that same group, Perco was the most common race. They reminded me of Hispanics back on earth. The others were Celez Humans. Most definitely Caucasians.
I was shocked to my bones when I saw animal ears. My mouth went slack and my eyes widened. A single one was conversing with a human at a stall. Long rabbit ears stood at attention. I saw only her back side. Hair white as snow and long to her knees braided in a single rope.
Then I noticed the many eyes focused on me. Confusion set in me for a good minute until I heard a child speak.
"Ma', why is that lady glowing?" our cart passed close to him and I heard him clearly.
"Honey," the mother laughed with love. "she is a Halve. A very powerful person."
"More than daddy?" the kid asked, hugging her legs. His eyes shone with youthful innocence.
A complicated look crossed her face. No good parent would willingly lie to their children.
She made a mock thoughtful expression, with a finger on her chin, looking up. "Hmm. I don't know!" she smiled to her son and laughed. "How about you ask him when he returns?"
We moved past them, a smiled plastered on my face. All is good under heaven. Many people around them must've heard the exchange, because I saw smiles all around. That smile that reminds you that life was once simple, peaceful and full of love.
"Done being awestruck?" the Elf beside me woke me from my trance.
"No, not really." I turned to her. "Why?" I tilted my head.
"Them." she nodded to the back, where the horses that previously belonged to the group I massacred followed us. My smile vanished in that moment, an instant of memory made me close my eyes. Blood, organs, flesh everywhere. "We're going to the closest Watchers office and report what happened." she shrunk slightly, perhaps plagued by the horrors she lived.
I placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm here." I tried to smile, but failed and just squeezed her gently. It was surprisingly easy to control my strength when relatively calm.
Maybe I can stick with her in this unknown world.
"Thank you." she nodded. "To the right there." she pointed at a turn a few buildings ahead.
The horses reacted accordingly and followed her instructions.
"Aren't these horses pretty clever?" she stared at the animals in question. "Is it because you're a Halve?" she turned to me.
"No, 'mountable creatures behave favorably.' or something like that." I tapped my temple. "I have a skill like that."
"Ah, makes sense." she nodded in thought. "Saves us the need to whip them."
When the horses turned, I saw a large building that surprisingly was not white. Deep blue walls with the familiar imagery of a pickax and a ship in red, one single floor and a gate wide enough to allow carriages was the only visible entrance. Windows were near the roof, where bars covered them.
"There." she gestured to the blue building.
"You heard her." I told the horses and, to our surprise, they quickened their pace.
The large gate was guarded by some uniformed Humans and Elves in the same fashion as those from the city gate. This time, though, they did not block the way, letting us in pretty easily.
The inside held a parking lot kind of place for carts, carriages, single horses and the like. We got off the cart after finding a spot and a woman approached us.
"I'm Watcher Ulka. How may I be of service?" she spoke loudly, her face straight and looking directly to the front.
"Report of bandit activity a few days from Riverfield, along with all their horses and their valuables." Lapia spoke in a clear tone.
The woman nodded once, turned around and started walking towards the building.
"Please follow me. We will take your statements." she said over her shoulder.
We did as asked and entered the building. Though the day had a few remaining hours of natural light, there were lit lamps inside. Hanging from the ceiling and the walls, they did a proper job of illuminating the interior.
We were led to an office with little furniture. A desk and five simple wooden chairs. A hanging lamp left no shadows other than the desk. A single window near the top of the ceiling behind the woman.
She took a seat and gestured us to do the same.
"Please, make yourselves comfortable." she opened a drawer and retrieved a stack of papers and a quill.
Lapia sat first, I followed suit.
"Please state your name, your occupation, and the events you'd like to report. Take your time if any information is sensitive." Ulka hovered the writing utensil on a form with a bunch of words and lines, ready to begin writing at any moment.
"Alright." Lapia sighed. "Lapia Pofeta. Adviser of Lord Punten." she leaned back on the chair. "Thirteen days ago I departed with a small group of five merchants towards Ratunke with a missive from my employer." she took a deep breath. "We never made it. We were assaulted in the middle of the night, my companions killed. I was restrained with Numbing Rope and battered to unconsciousness." she scowled. "For three days I was tortured by those savages. Reprieved of food and water. During the day they robbed and killed. During the night they celebrated their trophies. I heard them talking about going to Kelske to meet with Urgun. I don't know much, every waking moment I was whipped, punched, stabbed, stepped on..." she took a pause.
Yikes. I winced internally. That's brutal as fuck.
"They had a healer who kept the more serious wounds from ending my suffering. They purposefully left my legs unbroken, perhaps to give me the false hope that I could escape. I don't know." she gulped. "On the third day, I heard a massive explosion and then the leader of the group talking to someone. I then called for help and attempted my escape." her voice was now barely a whisper.
I rubbed her back in silence. I couldn't find words that would alleviate her. She shook her head, a few tears going down her pained face. She looked at me and took my other hand.
"I'll take it from here." I said, a knot on my throat.
The Watcher nodded, a scowl very visible on the so far stoic woman.
"Name, occupation and events, please." her voice was gentle now, not the militaristic screaming from earlier.
"Natasha Novak. Newly awakened Halve, no occupation yet." I sighed. I would have killed for a cigarette.
The woman nodded and gestured for me to continue.
"The leader told one of his goons to check on Lapia here after she screamed for help. When he did so, however, she kicked the man square on the jaw, making him fall. Opportunity she took to make a run for it. In the confusion that followed, the leader tried to cut my head off." I was interrupted by both women snorting, a laugh almost escaping them. "I responded in kind, butchering him in a single strike. Though I had only recently awakened, my instinct guided my actions and I readily followed. I massacred them in a few seconds." I shuddered slightly, an uncomfortable shake in my hands made me scowl. "I helped Lapia with her wounds and we set off to return here. We took their horses and the cart loaded with what they stole." I zoned out in realization of how simply the events could be summarized. A wave of relief overcame me after having recounted the previous days.
In the meantime, Lapia gave the Watcher the bandit's descriptions in case they were seen near other settlements.
"Got it." the woman put the quill aside and looked at us. "Thank you very much for your contribution to road safety." she nodded looking at me. "An investigation will begin regarding their identities and their connection to Urgun." Ulka sighed. "I apologize, but I must ask you to leave your vehicle here for the foreseeable future, as it is now criminal evidence."
Lapia nodded. "Ah, that's fine. I'll spend the night at a nearby inn."
"Who is this Urgus guy?" I asked.
"Urgun, she's a noble from Kelske, a city six months to the east." the woman answered. "There is no conclusive evidence on our side, so I'd discourage any action taken against her." she looked me directly in the eye.
"Just asking." I nodded.
"Do you require any medical attention, Lady Lapia?" the Watcher asked looking at her body.
"Not really, Natasha's help was enough to only need a week of rest and good meals." the elf smiled.
"Good to hear." she stared at both of us for a few seconds. "Anything else I can do for you?"
Lapia shook her head. "That'd be all. Thanks for your time." she stood up, I did too.
"Doing my duty." the woman stood up and smiled. Or at least tried to. It looked positively out of place. "Allow me to escort you outside."
We followed her outside and parted ways from the fantasy police officer.
Back out on the streets, the suns were hidden behind the walls. On every turn, bright lamps that kept the city from plunging into darkness hang from tall poles. Though we didn't spend that long inside, the walls were tall enough to shorten the amount of direct sunlight.
"What now?" I asked, looking around at the people still out. Clothes seemed to be mostly made of cotton, leather and linen. Footwear was mostly metallic in composition. A few armored people walked about, with weapons strapped on their backs or waists.
"Food." she simply responded. "There's a pretty good inn a few blocks away. Would you join me?" she looked me in the eye.
I noticed I had to lower my gaze to meet hers. I had no reference in this brand new world, but back home, I proudly stood at 186cm last time I measured. If my height remained the same, she was around 170cm tall. The wonders of a calm mind.
"Sure." I nodded. "I could use some fresh food."
"This way, then." she smiled and turned.
Our journey towards food and proper rest began.
"How many people live in this city?" I asked as we walked side by side.
"According to last year census, about ten million I'd say." we took a turn to the right as we came to the street. "Humans, Elves, Dwarfs, Lupum, Tigea and Luzo live here. The general populace is inclined to younger people. The term relative to each species, of course."
A coach drove past us, red horses with ox-like horns adorning their heads pulling the vehicle.
[Bhin, Lvl 36]
[Bhin, Lvl 81]
My eyes followed the odd creatures. "What do Lupum look like?" Nothing of the name hinted at what it was.
She turned to me. "Wait." she stopped me. "Let me clarify that comments about other species' features or ancestry might not be well received. You might be capable of slaughtering the entire city withing minutes, but civility is very much welcome anywhere in the world. While I understand you have little information about pretty much anything, other might not be so tolerant." she gave me a complicated smile.
"What's something I shouldn't ask or say, then?" I asked. This world has political correctness?
"Things like comparing an individual to their ancestors. We all see them with respect." she thought for a second. "I'll give you an example, but don't ever repeat it." she stared me in the eye.
"Okay?" I nodded weakly.
"If you tell a Lupum that they 'fuck quick and often, just like a rabbit' publicly, they'll go for your throat no matter who you are." her gaze intensified as I stifled a laugh.
"You gotta admit that's pretty funny." I looked away. "So the current people all have ancestry from animals?" I changed the subject.
"Yes." she nodded. "Except Halves." we resumed our capricious chase of culinary creations.
"How about Elves?"
"Foxes." she replied.
"What?" I stopped dead in my tracks, interrupting our walk. "That's awesome! Foxes? Wow." I shot like a machine-gun, staring at her with wide eyes.
Lapia blushed and looked away. "Thanks."
"What about the others you mentioned?" my eyes were sparkling with wonder as we resumed our walk.
"Tigeas are feline, Luzos are reptile." she said, and quickly added. "Do not call them cats or lizards."
"I see." she caught the words before I even said them. "How do people go about having pets, then?" I asked, the idea popping into my head.
"Pets?" she turned to me. "What do you mean?"
"Animals you keep for company?" I explained.
"If you mean what I think you mean, animals which birthed the sentient species are no longer around. The very few that do, are protected as national treasures in the descendants' main countries." she said as we crossed a street.
"Got it." then I remembered her own words. "How do people know how rabbits reproduced?"
"Lupum are a fairly young species, so their ancestors are still around." she pointed at a building a good thirty meters away. "We're here."