By: Not_Omegon

“uh hello?” Harry called out towards the junkyard project of a Gator sitting in a tiny clearing. There were steel or more likely aluminum panels welded together and onto the sides and roof, an extension on the back with a couple smaller wheels hanging off so the rear doesn’t smack into the ground when it tips back, and various tools hanging off the side strapped onto some racks. The whole thing looked like it belonged in Mad Max or the Syrian war rather than in a jungle but the pink fuzzy dice that were duct taped to the inside of the windshield was something else entirely. “Hellooooooo?”

Nothing happened so they started circling the vehicle, observing the gas cans attached to the back and other side of it. Taking a closer look at the rear, there was a myriad of various items strapped together. Pipes, small sacks of whatever, boxes, it was all there. Before Harry could peak inside the small plastic windows installed in the back, its owner came rushing out from the bushes, “hol’ up there, don’t touch nothin’!”

Harry and Marcus both threw up their hands and stepped back, “woah, we were just looking.”

“I can tell. Call me Peter,” the man, Peter, broad and moderately tall, with pale skin and short brown hair not dissimilar to Harry’s. Harry and Marcus introduced themselves and they shook hands before Peter looked over at the injured Marcus, “somethin’ happen?”

“Yeah,” Marcus shrugged, “I was dropped in the side of a cliff, only way out was to jump.”

Nodding, Peter opened the installed back door, of which there was only one and it was on the right side. The inside of the modified gator behind the front seats was a sleeping bag, carpet, and several more boxes laid out for Peter to sleep in. “Here, get off your feet. I’m going to finish up dressing whatever the hell I killed and then we’ll move out. Any of you see any water anywhere?”

Both of them shook their heads. After Peter sighed and returned back into the brush, Harry swung open the front passenger door and took a seat. “Look at this, the guy used brass door hinges to make a dashboard compartment.” It was all makeshift and patchwork, and with the amount of amount of stuff added he wondered if the tiny motor would be able to go uphill.

A couple moments later, Peter returned and hung a very large and plump bird off the front of the Gator before getting in the vehicle himself. “I hope y’all made yourselves comfortable. Let’s hit the road shall we?”

Marcus leaned over to lay on his side before they started moving, “hey Peter, did you make this?”

“That I did, partially stripped a four wheeler, redid the interior, made the body, then dropped the body onto it before bolting it onto the chassis. Doesn’t hurt that I had most of that done before I got the offer so I modified it a little bit to carry more. She’s a beaut’ ain’t she?”

Harry nodded, “yeah, that’s pretty neat. Where are we going exactly?”

“Anywhere that ain’t here. There’s supposed to be more of us, so maybe we’ll find someone else and have a li’l town or somethin’, don’t know. Take a rest, I’ll handle the night shift.”

---

Alpharius was shaken awake early in the morning, just as the sun was starting to rise. His eyes fluttered open and looked up at the man that matched the description of Jurikos, a smaller white and blue dragonette with yellow feathers on his helmet and the master of the keep’s guard. Jurikos said some nonsensical gibberish that sounded rough on the ears. “I’m up, I’m up dammit get your hands off of me. Fuckin’ lizards man. What do you want?”

Jurikos said a single word and grabbed his arm, pulling him along to another room with old scrolls everywhere and a long table. On the table was a series of different weapons and some other objects, but he didn’t know what was going on still. The captain pointed at the first object, a simple metal sword, “koshye.”

He hesitated, trying to figure out if the captain was telling him to do something or the word for the weapon. Deciding to go with the simpler option, he repeated the word. When Jurikos nodded, he caught on that this was a lesson in their language. “Ahh, koshye, sword. Koshye is sword, okay.”

The captain tilted his head before pointing at the next weapon, an axe, and the process repeated. Down the line, they went over various tools, things like water and the concept of food, then they moved on to yes and no, something which was probably the most important thing to learn. Quickly knocking that out an hour later after going over it all again a couple times then putting half a mind to remember most of it to pass the information on, the rest of the keep seemed to begin waking up. The two night guards went back in for some sleep and four other guards started milling about before two of them went up to their posts. He got a lot of weird looks but nothing overt, so he ignored them and followed Jurikos into a grassy field right behind the keep where Ketna and Iskara was watching over them.

---

Iskara was amused by the captain’s little trick but her mother was not. “It was supposed to start lessons after breakfast, which means you don’t wake up early to drag it out so you can beat it to the ground. It doesn’t even have armor! Ughhh,” Ketna facepalmed.

“I’m not going to crush him and I already taught him some words so we’re good,” Jurikos yelled back up towards the balcony. “If he going to be pushed into the guard, I’m going to at least make him useful as fast as possible. I don’t even know if he’s held a weapon before so I’m going to test and teach him a little, then you can have him, okay?”

“How do you figure it’s a he?”

The captain looked over at Alpharius, “do you think women are that small?”

“Uh huh… anyways, I want it-… him before lunch,” Ketna stated in no unclear terms before leaving. Iskara opted to stay though, Jurikos was not great at holding back and watching him smash someone is some of the best entertainment around.

It seemed not to be though as the captain began naming every weapon laying against the wall. Put off by the boring show, she glided down to the ground, “you do want to know just what he’s made of, yes?”

Jurikos turned to regard her, “yes, but-“

“So don’t you think it is important he starts as soon as possible? We’re down two men and even though he is tiny and… weird, arrows care not who shoots them.”

“ohhhh no no no no, we are only doing language so I can work up to some basic commands and orders, and then Keros is coming out here to size him up. No fights today.”

She put her hands up and huffed, “okay, I get it.” She stood back and let him teach the funny looking one in the most repetitive manner possible. Jurikos named the back field, the rear balcony, the sheds, making him repeat everything as they went. “don’t you think you’re forgetting something?”

“What do you mean?”

“Nevermind…”

“What? Tell me!,” Jurikos narrowed his eyes, “are you groxshitting me again?”

“Just get back to your little lesson, but he’s looking a little bored,” she pointed at Alpharius who was very slowly backing away from them. Grabbing a leather wrapped wood stick from a rack, she tossed it towards Jurikos, “here, there’s no way you’re teaching him how to speak in one morning. At tell him how to hold a weapon on his own.”

He tossed it right back, “nope, not until he gets some protection. Wait, where did Alpharius go?” Not satisfied with her shrug, he rushed back inside, “don’t scare him off again, so insufferable.”

Or maybe don’t be such a hardass, she rolled eyes and took to the wing to get back up to the balcony. “Hykol!” She shouted at the dragonette, “Alpharius ran off somewhere, can you help find him?”

“Don’t yell inside the keep, how many times do I have to tell you that? And no, I have stuff to set up so go look yourself since you’re not out on the hunt today. And him?”

“Have you ever seen a woman that small?” With a quick glance at the suddenly contemplative man, she continued on her way deeper into the keep. She could hear the clacking of Jurikos’ claws on the stone floor in the main hall but he was definitely looking in the wrong place. Jumping off an interior balcony, she glided down and around into the library, finding him around the corner sitting on a bench. With all haste, she walked forward and tried to grab him as he wasn’t paying attention. This didn’t work out too well though as he freaked out and slipped away. “Hey, get back here!”

Alpharius darted around a column, slapping away her outreached hand yelling as he did so. “Wuddafuggisrongwithyu!” Weary of whatever she may do next, he crouched down with his hands back then leaped more than his body height up into the air and grabbed a rafter beam, then pulled himself up.

The ruckus was quick to attract the captain as he rushed in and immediately started berating her but she didn’t argue with him, she knew she messed up. “I’m sorry, okay! I’m sorry!”

---

He rarely was ever scared out of his mind. Sure, he’s been chased before, he’s seen a lot of fighting before, he’s even been in a few himself and he could tell whatever was between his captain and the Lady’s daughter wasn’t healthy. Figuring that it was just better to leave them be, he went back to the library to wait for someone else to come by and to look at their scrolls and whatever imagery they had to see if he could find out more about the world he was in. That didn’t happen as intended though as the notably troublesome woman seemed to have followed him and wrapped those vicious looking claws around his arm. That was when he had enough, that was hitting a little too close to more unfortunate days.

Fortunately the captain came storming in right after he perched up near the ceiling and kicked her out but he could see her still hanging around outside the library. As he thought about how the other Alpharius would get a kick out of this tonight, Jurikos turned his pleading into another lesson on the dragonette language, as he explained the word meaning ‘down’ and then asking him ‘down, yes?’

He took a deep breath and nodded, keeping an eye on the menace before replying, “Yes, down.” He jumped and landed gracefully, though his heart was still beating like a jackhammer. He pointed a thumb towards the exit, “field?” Jurikos replied no though, so whatever they were doing before was over. The captain held a hand up telling him to stay, so he did. A feeling of boredom also decided to stay, probably brought on by what might be a ‘hurry up and wait’ style of doing things from Jurikos. Looking outside the doorway after he left, Alpharius saw what was probably the other huntresses chatting with Iskara before heading out, leaving him entirely alone.

It wasn’t too long that he was left alone though as the lady Izniri herself walked in with Hykol, Kero, and Jurikos in tow. Like yesterday, a ritual was set up but he couldn’t help but to be amazed when it started to work. Ketna Izniri opened talks again, “apologies for Jurikos here waking you up early. Now then, I understand he started teaching you some basics already?”

“Sort of, mostly just weapons.”

“Of course… I want to know more, more of… anything really. You are from a place called the United something something, what is it like? You are quite odd, what exactly are you. What is your background and other general things about you. And what are the finer details of how you arrived here other than that you don’t know?”

Oh, uhhh,” Alpharius tapped his chin a few times, “I suppose I’ll start with the easiest. America is a big country, a massive global superpower with the most lethal and potent arsenal ever assembled. It is wealthy, so wealthy that I can’t even imagine the amount of money that flows through individual cities let alone the whole country, but it is a troubled empire. I’m from a part of it that isn’t doing very well, where buildings are falling apart, many are addicted to harmful substances, and families are atomized and broken. I guess that leads to me. I hope you don’t mind if I just skip that part, I came here to get away from that mess.” Ketna nodded, “okay, so I was offered to just be taken to a new world, just like that out of nowhere. The offeror spoke in my mind and when I doubted it because I thought I was going mental, it opened a small portal before me, proving its legitimacy. It wasn’t a hard choice so I took it, I had about five days to get whatever I can together then it opened a larger portal that led me a few steps away from your keep. With the small amount of time given and what little I had to begin with, I gathered some things, took some information on how to survive, and some things to have it all keep working. Don’t touch any of my stuff though, I will not tolerate someone breaking my things.”

“Don’t worry, we won’t. As much as what I could see from a distance is interesting, it will not be bothered by us.”

Jurikos spoke up, “Alpharius, are you male or female, and how old are you?”

He raised an eyebrow but quickly remembered that these people have never seen a Human before, “I am a male and seventeen years old, but I don’t know if our years are the same.”

The captain seemed slightly taken aback, “wow he is young,” he whispered towards Ketna who just went along with it. “What were you before coming here, what was your job?”

“I was a student, nearly everyone my age goes to school.” He could tell the captain was about to ask what a school was but Ketna leaned over and likely whispered an explanation into his ear or just told him to not bother, either way he didn’t continue. “Oh! Before I forget, there is one really important detail from when I got here, something the strange mind voice said.”

That had everyone’s attention, so he went on. “I was not the only one to come here. There are seventeen others somewhere. I don’t know where, but they’re somewhere and I assume they’re nearby judging from the implication that we would be together.” He omitted the eighteenth, which is already found and with him, who is the nineteenth.

“More of your kind?” Ketna looked over to Kero, “get Iskara to put together a hunting party, now. Alpharius, follow me outside, you’re going to learn how to be carried properly. I believe it may be prudent to find these others and I need you to help with that, assuming you can speak to them.” She wasn’t going to turn away more manpower. Arrows care not who shoots them, that is a common phrase around here and it is proven true time and time again. In the great board game that is the Farkeeps, the more pieces that you can show but not dangle in front of the master, the Suzerain, the more your bargaining power grows, and it grows exponentially. Hatih is an able recruiter, but she is better, and between the expanded basements and potential growth and population, she may be able to corner Hatih for good.