Chaos God, page 4
“We have an intruder,” Ryfon smugly declared to the group in general.
“Yes, we can see that,” the blond-braided man sighed.
“This is a serious issue,” Ryfon growled.
“Where did he come from?” one of the women asked, and her voice shook with fear as she clung to another man’s side.
“There is no way to approach the camp,” the man pointed out as he wrapped his arm protectively around her shoulder and nodded in agreement.
“There is but one way,” another villager corrected. “From the Demon Lord’s castle!”
“He could not have come through the lava fields,” another woman said.
“The swamp is unknown to us,” a younger man with pointed ears added. “Perhaps this man has found a passable way through.”
“Impossible,” came another woman’s voice. “The swamp demons would have skewered him alive for trespassing in their region.”
“He must be here to destroy us!” a hysterical woman cried.
“We do not know who he is or what he wants,” the broad-shouldered blond man argued. “Let us at least hear what he has to say.”
“He might bewitch us with his words!” the hysterical woman retorted.
“Outsiders are not to be trusted,” a man with pointed ears muttered as he wrung his hands.
“We should offer him to the Demon Lord in the next sacrifice!” An older man jabbed a gnarled finger at me.
I tried to control my face, but I was being bombarded with information, and my eyebrows slowly inched up toward my hair.
“Settle down, all,” a soft and commanding voice came from behind me.
An old man with long gray hair and skin the color of frost in the morning light slowly moved toward the fire pit. Pointy ears stuck out from the thin waves of his hair, and he wore flowing robes that swished around him as he moved. His narrow shoulders were hunched, and he leaned heavily on a carved wooden staff as he lowered himself to a stone seat that was taller than all the others.
The people obeyed, and silence fell over the group.
I guessed this man was well respected by the people, and that he was in charge, but Ryfon’s puffed-out chest made me wonder about the hierarchy of authority around here. My gut instincts told me that this older man could be an important ally if I could get him on my side.
I bided my time and continued to observe the people. I knew that talking wouldn’t help unless I had a clear plan, so I was fine remaining silent until I could gather as much information as possible about this odd assembly of humans and elves and their situation.
“Let us see if we can gain some answers from the man,” the old man said sagely, and I saw suspicious eyes stare at me as several other heads nodded in agreement.
Then a gorgeous woman stepped up behind the old man and laid a hand gently on his shoulder.
She had silvery-blue hair that fell like thick silk past her shapely hips, and half of it was wound in a thick braid down her back. Silvery eyebrows arched elegantly over her eyes that were a gorgeous shade somewhere between amber and ruby red, and they were framed in thick silvery lashes. Her ears were pointed, and her skin was an ethereal shade of pale blue that hinted at lavender undertones. Her lips were a perfect pouty shape that begged to be kissed, and her nose tipped up just the tiniest bit at the end. She wore small scraps of leather armor that barely managed to cover her perfect hourglass figure, and leather boots that hugged tightly up to her toned thighs. Her arms and shoulders were clad in similar leather armor that connected intricately across her collarbone, and the look seemed more fashionable than practical as far as armor was concerned.
Regardless, she was completely gorgeous, and my blood heated as I looked at her.
She leaned down to whisper something in the old man’s pointed ear, and I got a great view of her ample cleavage as the man nodded idly.
Then the man stared right at me with his silvery-blue eyes. “What is your name, stranger?”
“My name is Levi,” I said, and I swallowed hard as the beautiful female gazed at me with open curiosity.
“Levi,” the old man repeated. “I am Wyn. Please, would you tell us how you came to this place?”
“Uh,” I sighed as the events of the last few hours flashed through my brain. “Yeah, sure.”
“Take your time,” Wyn said, and he leaned more comfortably on his staff.
“I was at work,” I began, “and this guy… I’m pretty sure he was a demon… was rifling around, so I went to see what that was all about, and suddenly he pushed me through this… I don’t know, it was like a tunnel made out of rainbow light.”
“Indeed…” Wyn murmured, and the corners of his eyes crinkled with an interested expression. “Go on.”
I cleared my throat, and my pulse kicked up a notch as I realized how insane it all sounded, but then again, judging by his ears and the color of the woman’s skin, I was talking to a group that contained more than a few elves.
I gestured back in the direction I’d hiked and continued. “So we fell through the rainbow tunnel thing for a while. Then we landed in some cave over there in the lava fields. He tried to kill me, and he said my death was the only thing he wanted.”
“Please, continue,” Wyn encouraged me after a pause.
“The demon attacked me, and I defended myself.”
“You defeated the demon?” the gorgeous woman at Wyn’s shoulder asked, and her amber-red eyes were wide.
“Yeah.” I gave her a subdued version of my cockiest smile.
I was rewarded with a soft blush of pink across her face, and she pressed her lips into a thin line. I wasn’t sure if she was suspicious of my explanation, or if she was trying to hold back a smile.
Several of the other villagers’ expressions started to shift slightly to impressed reactions to my story. A few nodded, and I heard some murmured words that I found to be rather encouraging.
“How did you kill the demon?” The woman cocked her hips to the side, and the movement stirred something deep inside my gut.
“I kicked it off a cliff and down into a gorge,” I answered.
I had a feeling that Wyn and this beautiful woman were more curious about me than anyone else. The large blond man sitting near me also looked at me with curious midnight-blue eyes, and the rest of the people seemed to look to these three for guidance and decisions.
Which made me realize that even if all this Ryfon guy wanted to do was get rid of me as fast as possible, gaining the others’ trust could be immensely beneficial to my overall situation.
I allowed my face to remain open so they could have the chance to read the honesty in my words. It was an odd sensation. I was so used to putting on different masks with different audiences to get my way depending on the circumstances, but rarely was the bold and blatant truth the right choice to go with.
One of the villagers had mentioned a Demon Lord with genuine fear in their voice. Their overall situation seemed hopelessly precarious at best, and I was pretty confident that these people were no more friends of the demons than me. If I could prove myself useful to them, they would be much more likely to allow me to live, perhaps even help me get back home.
I groaned internally as I realized my escape room was completely unlocked at the moment. Anybody could walk right in and steal every penny from the register, or worse, totally trash the place. I knew there was nothing I could do about any of that at the moment, and besides, that’s what insurance was for. I would deal with the damages and theft after I got back.
“This is utter nonsense,” Ryfon exclaimed with growing anger. “We are supposed to believe a single word this stranger says? He is surely the demon in disguise come to steal our supplies. He will make off with one of you the instant we allow our guards to fall.”
Wyn’s face reminded me of a patient parent allowing their toddler to throw a fit about not getting their way.
“We do not trust outsiders,” Ryfon concluded his tirade, and he folded his arms over his puffed-out chest as he clamped his jaws tightly together. “This is how we have survived all these years.”
“Yes, Ryfon,” the beautiful woman agreed. “We have survived this way. For many years, and yet surviving is all we do. If Levi can kill demons, perhaps we--”
“Do not tell me that you are foolish enough to believe this stranger’s words, Elora!” Ryfon scoffed. “What evidence does he provide that he has killed a demon?”
At Ryfon’s valid question, Elora, Wyn, and the blond man’s eyes turned to me.
I just shrugged and gestured at the demon’s black blood that was still splattered across my shirt and hands.
“Is this proof enough for you, Ryfon?” the blond man almost chuckled.
“Do not be a fool, Ayen.” Ryfon scowled. “There are other explanations for this stranger’s unseemly appearance.”
“For example?” Ayen asked, and he gazed at Ryfon with exaggerated patience. “Please, do enlighten me.”
Ryfon’s mouth opened and closed several times before he sputtered like an idiot. “We simply cannot trust what he says. He is an outsider!”
“He says he has killed a demon,” the youngest villager said. “If this is true, then Levi may be able to help us.”
“I am curious to know more about him,” an older man agreed. “I believe young Goren may have a point.”
“Goren is a child,” Ryfon practically spat the words at the older man. “He knows little of our world.”
“He is just as much a part of our community as you or I,” Wyn countered, and he glanced at me with silvery-blue eyes that were filled with wisdom. “We agreed long ago that every person has a voice within this camp, and not once did we specify when or under what circumstances that right begins.”
“Do you mean to tell me that you intend to allow this outsider,” Ryfon spit the word like it burned his tongue, “to have an equal say? Outrageous. We must deliver him to the Demon Lord at once.”
“We have never turned another away before,” Wyn pointed out.
“It has been years since we have seen another,” Ryfon countered. “Not since the lava fields made the way impassable have we seen a face other than those you see around you now!”
“And yet,” Wyn mused patiently. “If the lava fields had not spread, we would still welcome all with open arms and offer them food and shelter. I see no reason we should receive Levi any other way.”
“Old fool,” Ryfon grumbled through gritted teeth. “You will get us all killed.”
“The Demon Lord is succeeding at that on his own,” Elora said acidly.
“Well said, my dear.” Wyn patted Elora’s hand on his shoulder, and then he turned back to me. “I desire to welcome you to stay with us for as long as you choose, Levi. Unfortunately, I do not make decisions for anyone other than myself, and we must hear what these fine people think.”
“I am with you, Wyn,” Elora said instantly.
“As am I,” Ayen remarked a second later, and he smirked at me. “I am curious about this man.”
Several more murmurs of assent and agreeable nods passed through the group around us, and a small spark of hope lit within my chest. Perhaps I would be welcomed honestly, and there would be no need for me to manipulate my way into these people’s lives.
“I am wary yet of his motivations,” a middle-aged man said as a thick woman clung nervously to his arm.
“Perhaps there is a way for Levi to prove himself to you?” Ayen asked the older man.
The gray-haired fellow pondered that for a moment, and I could tell he liked the idea of forcing me to prove my worth.
“I’m down to prove myself to you,” I said casually, and several people stared at me with confusion.
“Down to prove yourself?” Elora repeated. “Does this mean you agree?”
“Oh,” I chuckled. “Yeah, I agree. I really just need somewhere to rest until I can figure out how to get home. This place would be ideal, so what do I need to do to prove that you can trust me?”
“You will not find a way back from whence you came,” Wyn said with sorrowful confidence.
“I don’t understand…” I shook my head at the old man, but I didn’t get the chance to ask for more explanation.
“The wolf-sharks!” Goren declared, and a spark of excitement colored his tone. “Let the stranger prove himself among the wolf-sharks!”
I blinked at the kid’s eager expression as several other faces seemed to pale around me.
The fucking what?
Chapter 4
Trepidation gripped my throat, and I swallowed hard as almost every pair of eyes around me went wide with anxiety.
“Goren,” Elora began with a concerned tone to her melodic voice, “I do not believe--”
“That is a superb idea, boy,” Ryfon announced before Elora could finish her objections.
“Hang on a second,” I interrupted. “What the fuck is a wolf-shark?”
“Oh, ho!” Ayen let out a single burst of laughter.
“What’s so funny?” I asked the big blond guy, and something about his mirth only worked to increase my suspicions that a wolf-shark was not any kind of creature I wanted to meet.
“Are you quite earnest in your ignorance?” Ayen gasped lightly, and he stared at me with puzzlement.
“Um, yeah?” I narrowed my eyes, and I looked at Elora and Wyn for any helpful information. “Will somebody please tell me what a wolf-shark is?”
“He does not know of the wolf-sharks,” Ayen muttered loudly under his breath, and he shook his head in astonishment. “How far have you traveled from?”
“Far,” I grumbled. “I don’t know how far exactly, but I know there’s nothing like this place anywhere near the city.”
“The city?” Wyn parroted with bemusement.
“But no cities remain,” Elora said with uncertainty, and she furrowed her silvery eyebrows at me.
I glanced around at the villagers, and they were all looking at me like I had three heads. With every second I spent in this weird place, and with these people, I became more and more certain that I wasn’t on earth anymore.
“What do you mean?” I asked, and my stomach tightened with dread.
“Every last city has fallen,” Wyn said in an ominous tone.
“That’s impossible.” I shook my head emphatically. “I was in downtown Boston just a few hours ago.”
“Bos-ton?” Elora asked, and I couldn’t help but enjoy the way her lips wrapped around the word.
“Yeah, Boston. You know, Boston, Massachusetts? The good ol’ USA?” I looked around at all the increasingly confused faces, and I knew I was definitely not in North America anymore. “America?”
“The cities were destroyed when the demons brought Ragnarok to us.” Wyn scratched his chin as he studied my face.
“Ragnarok?” I repeated, and it tickled a memory somewhere in the back of my mind like I’d heard the word before.
“America, you say?” Wyn murmured, and his eyes looked far away.
“Hang on,” I stopped the old man, and I was starting to get a little frustrated with this roundabout conversation. “What’s Ragnarok?”
“The end of the world,” Ayen answered bluntly. “What is America?”
“I have heard of this place before,” Wyn said slowly, and his silvery-blue eyes focused on me once more. “You are not from this realm.”
“I was starting to think that myself,” I grumbled softly.
“The stranger has indeed traveled a great distance to come here,” Wyn announced to the entire group. “Levi comes from Midgard.”
“Mid-what?” I shook my head. “No, I’m from Earth.”
“They are one and the same, my boy.” Wyn nodded sagely.
“Right…” I murmured with a heavy dose of sarcasm, but before I could ask where I was, a rumble of shock and surprise rippled around the group.
“This is impossible!” the hysterical woman from earlier cried.
“Ylva is correct,” a middle-aged man beside her said with confusion. “Travel between the worlds has been lost to us since the time of Ragnarok.”
“And yet, here he is.” Wyn shrugged lightly at the people, and then he turned back to me with a welcoming smirk.
“It does not matter from where he has come to us,” Ryfon reiterated with frustration. “We simply cannot trust him.”
“We should allow him to prove himself,” Goren insisted.
Several suspicious and wary faces stared back at me, and they nodded in agreement with the young man’s proposal.
I looked at Goren a little closer, and I decided I liked him. He was willing to speak up for himself even though it was clear he had not yet earned a high level of respect from some in this encampment. He had curly black hair that stuck wildly out from his face and kind green eyes. He turned around to look at the other villagers, and I noticed that his ears were longer than all the humans present, but not nearly as long as Elora, Wyn, or Ryfon’s. I wondered idly for a moment if he was only part elf.
“Thanks, man.” I nodded at the youngest member of the camp.
Goren gave me a puzzled expression, but before he could speak again, Ryfon started sputtering his irritation once more.
“Enough of this hindrance of a discussion!” Ryfon stared hard at me with muddy-brown eyes.
“Okay, so I’d sure like to know what the fuck a wolf-shark is.” I stood from my seat.
“It is a wolf…” Ayen said slowly like I’d asked him to explain quantum mechanics to a four year old, and then he laughed, “and it is a shark.”
“That’s helpful.” I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t help but smirk at the big blond guy’s humor. He seemed like the most light-hearted person in this entire place. I couldn’t blame the people for being hopeless and pretty resigned to their situation, but I liked Ayen’s good-natured perspective. “Sounds like a pretty shitty time to me. If you want me to prove myself by going on some suicide mission, I think I’d be better off finding another camp instead.”
“An excellent idea,” Ryfon nearly choked on his smug expression. “Go ahead, enjoy yourself. You still have several hours of daylight to wander.”
