Day 15:
Outpost
He didn’t remember passing out. He must have because he wasn’t on the back of the snake creature anymore. Instead he was lying in an unfamiliar bed in an equally unfamiliar room. The room was dimly lit from the sunlight that was making it through the curtains. Other than the bed, there was a dresser, a table, and a chair. The chair was situated at the bedside unoccupied. He could hear movement beyond the closed door, the soft chatter of voices always fluctuating, but nothing ever got clear enough for him to discern anything important.
There was a lull in sound and he nearly drifted off again before the click of the door brought him back. He opened his eyes to see the man entering the room dressed in a simpler outfit than what he had been wearing when he kidnapped Artemis. His gaze drifted over the winged serpent loosely draped around the man’s neck, the green and blue scales a beautiful backing of rainbow colored wings. “Oh good,” the man spoke, voice a low rumble that was barely louder than a whisper. “Finally awake I see.”
“How long was I out?” he asked. There was the thought of moving, of waking up more properly, but exhaustion settled more completely on his bones from it.
“Almost three days.”
Despite the exhaustion, his expression showed his shock. “Wh...what? How?”
The man shrugged, taking up the chair beside his bed. “Part of it was your body naturally keeping you out of it so that you could heal properly.” The man stirred whatever was in the bowl in his hand. “Part of it was from the medicine that got shoved down your throat upon arrival. And each morning since.”
“Medicine you made?” he asked, eyeing the bowl warily.
The man snorted. “Divine, no. I have many skills and knowledge that covers many areas of study but the best I can do in medicine is basic first aid. The healers have been tending to you since we arrived and it will remain that way until you are discharged.”
“Which is when?”
“Depends. They were waiting on you to wake before making the decision.” The man met his gaze. “How are you feeling? You haven’t made a move to sit up yet, of which is surprising.”
An amused smile pulled at his lips. “Unfortunately with a clearer head, I don’t pull quite so many stupid stunts.” He gained a snort for the quip. “Truthfully, though, I’m exhausted. I don’t even know if I would be able to get myself up if I had wanted to. Part of me doesn’t want to try. At the moment, my head isn’t killing me and I want it to stay that way.”
The man set the bowl on the table. “You don’t have a headache?”
He barely stopped the instinct to shake his head, stopping the motion halfway through. “No. Not at the moment. Nor the fog that was there when Dlmor cleared my head of the pain sometime after the initial injury.”
The man pointed at the winged serpent, the serpent’s yellow eyes on him. “Can you see Trevak?”
“Yes,” he offered, letting his confusion draw the word out.
“Describe what you see.”
He raised an eyebrow at that before moving his gaze to the serpent once more. “Green and blue scales, rainbow wings, a winged serpent that’s loosely draped around your neck that’s staring at me intently.” He met the man’s gaze again. “Why?”
“What of the Dlmor?”
The confusion filled his expression and he turned his head to look at where the man had gestured. Dlmor was perched on the dresser next to the door sitting like a kid would on the kitchen counter, legs swinging lazily as hands rested on the dresser’s edge between its knees. Dlmor met his gaze and all he could do was stare.
Gone was the shadow, ink form. Gone were the eyes that had been the same color as the rest of it. Instead, Dlmor looked like the night sky. Those large eyes were more blue than the soft fur on Dlmor’s body while still maintaining enough of the black for it to take a moment for him to pick out the creature’s pupils. The nearly black blue fur seemed to be covered in fine rainbow glitter, though the most prominent color was silver, but he couldn’t tell what caused it from that distance. It was like looking at someone’s take on the night sky turned into substance. Dlmor’s head tipped to the side, long ears he had never noticed - or hadn’t seen - moving in a way that was very expressive, giving the creature an inquisitive look. Those dark blue eyes bore into him, searching, waiting.
“It doesn’t look like ink, or shadow,” he found himself answering. He struggled to pull his gaze away and look back at the man. “Dlmor looks like the night sky.”
The man’s curiosity colored his expression. “You saw it as ink?”
“Or shadow.” He made a face. “I’m not sure I can explain it properly. Dlmor’s shape was there but it looked like it was ink and shadow.”
“Interesting.”
“I take it that’s not normal?”
The man shrugged. “Normal or not, you’re anything but normal so I doubt it matters. What does matter is that you are finally seeing the Second Plane properly.”
“Shadows and invisible creatures wasn’t, then?”
A vicious grin spread across the other man’s face. “Not in the slightest. Some of the creatures can turn themselves invisible or fake it well enough but none are inherently invisible. Though I am curious: did any creature you see from the Second Plane look the same?”
“If you mean shadow and ink, yes, but shapes varied. Which, since Dlmor can adjust its shape, I figured that was normal.”
“Dlmor and Belvren adjust their shapes more drastically than others. Trevak, for example, can increase or decrease its size at will and can limit that change to a specific part of its body without hindering or harming itself. Belvren are similar, though they change more in bulk and raw strength than actual size. That Walker’s Belvren is not always that hulking huge, I guarantee it.”
He frowned. “You say their names as if that’s what they are.”
The man raised an eyebrow at him. “That’s because it is. That is their type of creature. Dlmor, Belvren, Kret. Cyor, Jaun - when used as a name, they are all the equivalent of calling a cat “Cat”, a dog “Dog”, and so on.”
“Do they have their own names or do we give them those?”
“Well, that depends on the creature.” The man stood up, brushing his pants off. “Most will not name themselves for they do not interact and converse as humans do, but some have interacted with humans enough or in the right ways to obtain, gain, or give themselves a proper name. But that is a conversation for another time.” The man got close to the edge of the bed, looking down at him. “I am going to help you sit up so that you can eat. I want you to tell me if at any point you feel any pain, regardless of what kind of pain it is. Understood?”
He nodded.
He had braced for pain but very little came. In fact, the only pain he got out of the whole endeavor was the tension of muscles that had been too tight for too long. The man’s touch was sure and strong but there was a gentleness to it that spoke of a kindness that was more of the man’s true nature than the entire interaction up to this point.
“Thank you,” he offered as he took the bowl from the man. “Where are we anyways?”
“Ilmor Outpost. One of several settlements in the Second Plane. I have been here for nearly five years now.”
“So you don’t actually live alone?” The bowl contained some sort of soup. It was thick and full of things. He thought he recognized a few of the ingredients.
The man huffed a laugh at that. “Oh, I live alone. No one else comes in or out of my quarters and I do not spend my free time with any specific soul, but yes, the outpost is a hive of activity outside my quarters.”
The soup was some version of potato soup. It was hardy in the sense that it was thick and had quite a bit in it but the flavor wasn’t overly strong, which he assumed was a good thing. “So why are we here? Why at an outpost and not a private home.”
“It seems you have some misconceptions about my character.” He wondered if the man was deliberately using his own words against him. Probably. “Many hands make light work and despite others arguing the matter, humans are naturally communal animals. We thrive off of community and companionship even if some are “introverts” and other “extroverts”. I would not have been able to come after you let alone follow through with my sister’s request had I chosen to remain isolated simply because I did not care for other humans.”
“Is everyone a Ylmra?”
“No. A large amount are but there are other classifications living here and at the other locations.”
He stilled with the spoon in the soup. “What changed?”
“Pardon?”
He met the man’s gaze. “You’re answering my questions and being rather pleasant about it. I half remember most of our interaction but I know I wasn’t the easiest piece of shit to deal with. Additionally, you had been short and touchy about all my questioning. What changed?”
“Ah, that.” The man looked away. He couldn’t make out the emotions poorly masked on the man’s face from the new angle. “Nothing. I have had time to go over what I would and would not share with you and so far we have not touched any topics that edge anywhere near such limits.”
“Is knowing your name a limit?” The man looked at him surprised. He shrugged. “You kidnapped me and have now tended to me. I haven’t decided yet if you’re an alley yet but at least you’re not actively trying to kill me so it seemed only fair that I know your name since you already know my life history.”
There was a stretch of time where the man simply stared at him and he wasn’t sure if it was out of shock or a silent debate on whether or not to lie. He went back to eating as he waited.
“Elias.” He looked up at the man. “You can call me Elias.”
He wondered if that was the man’s actual name or just an alias. He tucked the spoon back into the bowl before offering his hand to shake. “Artemis.”
The man reached out and shook his hand. He went back to eating as soon as they were done. The silence that settled was brief. “You really are a different person than what I had met three days ago.”
“Equal parts pain and exhaustion at that point, I believe.” He looked at the man again. “But, then, so are you. You are not as harsh as you had been.”
“Yes, well.” The man’s gaze moved to Dlmor as the creature hopped down from the dresser on to the bed on all fours. It curled up against Artemis’s left hip bookending Artemis between the creature and Elias. The man returned his gaze to Artemis. “Before much more happens, I want to lay down some rules.” He lowered the half full bowl to his lap. “Do not go wandering off. Do not speak of how we are related. And do not speak of my difference in character with anyone. You will do as I say for anything I tell you to do from this point on will be both for your safety and education. Is that understood?”
“Yes, but I have a question.” The man gestured for him to ask it. “When will you take me back to my friends? Three days is a long time to not hear from me.”
There was a lull in sound and he nearly drifted off again before the click of the door brought him back. He opened his eyes to see the man entering the room dressed in a simpler outfit than what he had been wearing when he kidnapped Artemis. His gaze drifted over the winged serpent loosely draped around the man’s neck, the green and blue scales a beautiful backing of rainbow colored wings. “Oh good,” the man spoke, voice a low rumble that was barely louder than a whisper. “Finally awake I see.”
“How long was I out?” he asked. There was the thought of moving, of waking up more properly, but exhaustion settled more completely on his bones from it.
“Almost three days.”
Despite the exhaustion, his expression showed his shock. “Wh...what? How?”
The man shrugged, taking up the chair beside his bed. “Part of it was your body naturally keeping you out of it so that you could heal properly.” The man stirred whatever was in the bowl in his hand. “Part of it was from the medicine that got shoved down your throat upon arrival. And each morning since.”
“Medicine you made?” he asked, eyeing the bowl warily.
The man snorted. “Divine, no. I have many skills and knowledge that covers many areas of study but the best I can do in medicine is basic first aid. The healers have been tending to you since we arrived and it will remain that way until you are discharged.”
“Which is when?”
“Depends. They were waiting on you to wake before making the decision.” The man met his gaze. “How are you feeling? You haven’t made a move to sit up yet, of which is surprising.”
An amused smile pulled at his lips. “Unfortunately with a clearer head, I don’t pull quite so many stupid stunts.” He gained a snort for the quip. “Truthfully, though, I’m exhausted. I don’t even know if I would be able to get myself up if I had wanted to. Part of me doesn’t want to try. At the moment, my head isn’t killing me and I want it to stay that way.”
The man set the bowl on the table. “You don’t have a headache?”
He barely stopped the instinct to shake his head, stopping the motion halfway through. “No. Not at the moment. Nor the fog that was there when Dlmor cleared my head of the pain sometime after the initial injury.”
The man pointed at the winged serpent, the serpent’s yellow eyes on him. “Can you see Trevak?”
“Yes,” he offered, letting his confusion draw the word out.
“Describe what you see.”
He raised an eyebrow at that before moving his gaze to the serpent once more. “Green and blue scales, rainbow wings, a winged serpent that’s loosely draped around your neck that’s staring at me intently.” He met the man’s gaze again. “Why?”
“What of the Dlmor?”
The confusion filled his expression and he turned his head to look at where the man had gestured. Dlmor was perched on the dresser next to the door sitting like a kid would on the kitchen counter, legs swinging lazily as hands rested on the dresser’s edge between its knees. Dlmor met his gaze and all he could do was stare.
Gone was the shadow, ink form. Gone were the eyes that had been the same color as the rest of it. Instead, Dlmor looked like the night sky. Those large eyes were more blue than the soft fur on Dlmor’s body while still maintaining enough of the black for it to take a moment for him to pick out the creature’s pupils. The nearly black blue fur seemed to be covered in fine rainbow glitter, though the most prominent color was silver, but he couldn’t tell what caused it from that distance. It was like looking at someone’s take on the night sky turned into substance. Dlmor’s head tipped to the side, long ears he had never noticed - or hadn’t seen - moving in a way that was very expressive, giving the creature an inquisitive look. Those dark blue eyes bore into him, searching, waiting.
“It doesn’t look like ink, or shadow,” he found himself answering. He struggled to pull his gaze away and look back at the man. “Dlmor looks like the night sky.”
The man’s curiosity colored his expression. “You saw it as ink?”
“Or shadow.” He made a face. “I’m not sure I can explain it properly. Dlmor’s shape was there but it looked like it was ink and shadow.”
“Interesting.”
“I take it that’s not normal?”
The man shrugged. “Normal or not, you’re anything but normal so I doubt it matters. What does matter is that you are finally seeing the Second Plane properly.”
“Shadows and invisible creatures wasn’t, then?”
A vicious grin spread across the other man’s face. “Not in the slightest. Some of the creatures can turn themselves invisible or fake it well enough but none are inherently invisible. Though I am curious: did any creature you see from the Second Plane look the same?”
“If you mean shadow and ink, yes, but shapes varied. Which, since Dlmor can adjust its shape, I figured that was normal.”
“Dlmor and Belvren adjust their shapes more drastically than others. Trevak, for example, can increase or decrease its size at will and can limit that change to a specific part of its body without hindering or harming itself. Belvren are similar, though they change more in bulk and raw strength than actual size. That Walker’s Belvren is not always that hulking huge, I guarantee it.”
He frowned. “You say their names as if that’s what they are.”
The man raised an eyebrow at him. “That’s because it is. That is their type of creature. Dlmor, Belvren, Kret. Cyor, Jaun - when used as a name, they are all the equivalent of calling a cat “Cat”, a dog “Dog”, and so on.”
“Do they have their own names or do we give them those?”
“Well, that depends on the creature.” The man stood up, brushing his pants off. “Most will not name themselves for they do not interact and converse as humans do, but some have interacted with humans enough or in the right ways to obtain, gain, or give themselves a proper name. But that is a conversation for another time.” The man got close to the edge of the bed, looking down at him. “I am going to help you sit up so that you can eat. I want you to tell me if at any point you feel any pain, regardless of what kind of pain it is. Understood?”
He nodded.
He had braced for pain but very little came. In fact, the only pain he got out of the whole endeavor was the tension of muscles that had been too tight for too long. The man’s touch was sure and strong but there was a gentleness to it that spoke of a kindness that was more of the man’s true nature than the entire interaction up to this point.
“Thank you,” he offered as he took the bowl from the man. “Where are we anyways?”
“Ilmor Outpost. One of several settlements in the Second Plane. I have been here for nearly five years now.”
“So you don’t actually live alone?” The bowl contained some sort of soup. It was thick and full of things. He thought he recognized a few of the ingredients.
The man huffed a laugh at that. “Oh, I live alone. No one else comes in or out of my quarters and I do not spend my free time with any specific soul, but yes, the outpost is a hive of activity outside my quarters.”
The soup was some version of potato soup. It was hardy in the sense that it was thick and had quite a bit in it but the flavor wasn’t overly strong, which he assumed was a good thing. “So why are we here? Why at an outpost and not a private home.”
“It seems you have some misconceptions about my character.” He wondered if the man was deliberately using his own words against him. Probably. “Many hands make light work and despite others arguing the matter, humans are naturally communal animals. We thrive off of community and companionship even if some are “introverts” and other “extroverts”. I would not have been able to come after you let alone follow through with my sister’s request had I chosen to remain isolated simply because I did not care for other humans.”
“Is everyone a Ylmra?”
“No. A large amount are but there are other classifications living here and at the other locations.”
He stilled with the spoon in the soup. “What changed?”
“Pardon?”
He met the man’s gaze. “You’re answering my questions and being rather pleasant about it. I half remember most of our interaction but I know I wasn’t the easiest piece of shit to deal with. Additionally, you had been short and touchy about all my questioning. What changed?”
“Ah, that.” The man looked away. He couldn’t make out the emotions poorly masked on the man’s face from the new angle. “Nothing. I have had time to go over what I would and would not share with you and so far we have not touched any topics that edge anywhere near such limits.”
“Is knowing your name a limit?” The man looked at him surprised. He shrugged. “You kidnapped me and have now tended to me. I haven’t decided yet if you’re an alley yet but at least you’re not actively trying to kill me so it seemed only fair that I know your name since you already know my life history.”
There was a stretch of time where the man simply stared at him and he wasn’t sure if it was out of shock or a silent debate on whether or not to lie. He went back to eating as he waited.
“Elias.” He looked up at the man. “You can call me Elias.”
He wondered if that was the man’s actual name or just an alias. He tucked the spoon back into the bowl before offering his hand to shake. “Artemis.”
The man reached out and shook his hand. He went back to eating as soon as they were done. The silence that settled was brief. “You really are a different person than what I had met three days ago.”
“Equal parts pain and exhaustion at that point, I believe.” He looked at the man again. “But, then, so are you. You are not as harsh as you had been.”
“Yes, well.” The man’s gaze moved to Dlmor as the creature hopped down from the dresser on to the bed on all fours. It curled up against Artemis’s left hip bookending Artemis between the creature and Elias. The man returned his gaze to Artemis. “Before much more happens, I want to lay down some rules.” He lowered the half full bowl to his lap. “Do not go wandering off. Do not speak of how we are related. And do not speak of my difference in character with anyone. You will do as I say for anything I tell you to do from this point on will be both for your safety and education. Is that understood?”
“Yes, but I have a question.” The man gestured for him to ask it. “When will you take me back to my friends? Three days is a long time to not hear from me.”