***Another World***

***Karin***

Setting down my backpack, I hug Ashley to say goodbye before Ascathon can take Willow and me away to another world. Normally I would feel dread at the idea of having to travel off-world, but with Willow at my side, I feel somewhat safe.

The succubus matriarch pats my shoulder. “Aw, no hard feelings, kid. We barely knew each other for a few days. A few training sessions are hardly enough to instil that kind of kinship.”

“Still,” I answer and let go of her. “You are nice... for someone who eats people. See to it that you don't get hurt. Okay?”

“Don't worry, kid.” She makes a fist-pump. “I've survived things that you can't even imagine. And it's certainly not like I would tangle with one of Ascathon's enemies. They are outside my weight-class. If something shows up that's even close to a lesser deity, I'll turn around and run for it. Besides, I'll visit you once a month. It would be a shame if you were to forget all about our training during your trip!”

“Ahahaha...” I try to laugh, sounding very artificial, in an attempt to hide the sudden feeling of vertigo at the sudden threat of the succubus continuing my training.

“Ha...” After she taught me the basics, thrilled at my talent in picking up new magical techniques, she was getting ever more pushy for me to learn some of the skills which require sexual intimacy. I really would like to unlearn one particular spell which requires me to get naked and touch my opponent.

“Haaah...” Sighing deeply, I give in to my fate and try to come to terms with picking up a few lewd things. Something tells me that I already stepped over the point of no return when Ashley taught me Energy-Drain to weaken the enemy.

What did they used to say in my hometown? The teacher rubs off on the student?

“Are you ready?” Ascathon asks, studying Willow and me.

Both of us chose wide travel clothes, trousers and shirts, made out of a sturdy synthetic fabric which – according to Willow – repels water and dirt.

Willow nods and gestures for me to come closer. “Come here, Karin. And ready yourself. This will be the first time for you to experience the pathways.”

Furrowing my forehead, I step closer so that Ascathon can touch the both of us. “But I already experienced them, didn't I?”

“Mmmyes...” Ascathon confirms, sounding like he isn't really sure how to answer that, or whether he should answer at all. “But I only took you on short trips when I teleported you before. It's like hopping into a city-bus and getting out at the next station, barely getting a look at the outside. This will be the race-car version since we are travelling to another dimension. And due to the fact that, like Willow and Ashley, you have the potential for true godhood, you will likely have a quite different experience. A mortal wouldn’t be aware of the transportation process at all. From his perspective, he would simply disappear and reappear somewhere else. You, on the other hand, have the potential to sense the pathways. It will be like throwing you into the cold water without you having ever experienced the sensation.”

I open my mouth to ask how different of an experience it will be, but Ascathon squeezes my shoulder, holding me tight. “Right! No time to waste. A proper explanation wouldn't change anything anyway! Sometimes, the only way to learn how to fly is to be thrown off a cliff!”

“Off a cliff!?”

A flash of bright light and sparks envelop us. But instead of appearing right away in another place, I find myself falling down something like a tunnel of light. Trying to flail and scream, I realize that I have no body. I am only consciousness in an immaterial world.

Instinctively, I know that time and space have no meaning in this state of existence.

Floating all around me is an immense web of these tunnels, these pathways, instinct tells me from within.

Approaching something like a nexus point, the tunnel makes a sharp turn and I find myself going in a completely different direction while I tumble without the slightest ability to orient myself. At some point, a bright centre plummets past my awareness, a point where all pathways converge. Or rather? Is it not where they converge? Again, instinct tells me that it would be more appropriate to call it a point of origin.

An uncountable number of these nexus points zap past me, disorienting me.

And then it's over as we emerge on a lawn. For a moment, I just stand there, the world spinning around me. I am unable to tell if this trip just lasted a mere instant or an eternity. Trying to remember what I just felt, I retch, my mind unable to cope with what just happened. A state of being without time or material existence.

“She is going to do it,” Willow announces.

It's as if I just took a look down the abyss of the truth behind the multiverse, and my mind shattered, unable to cope with the immensity of it all. For a moment, I was one with these pathways and, through them, with the whole multiverse. I realize that that's how a god is able to navigate the eternity between worlds and different realities. While on the trip, they simply know where to go.

Having had a glimpse at a truth beyond the comprehension of my mortal existence, I feel bile slowly rising up my throat.

“Ah, turn that way.” Hands on my shoulders, turn me away from Ascathon and Willow.

The sudden movement shatters the last bit of control over my body and I bend over, emptying the contents of my stomach on the ground. Falling to my knees, I unleash another stream of orange juice and half-digested eggs and bread. After a third time, I continue to dry heave without anything more to give.

Finally, my stomach realizes that it's out of ammunition. Oh, gods. I hope I didn't also pee myself.

Willow pats my back, cooing like a concerned mother. “There, there. Don't worry, dear. You should have seen me the first time. Come to think of it, maybe we should have told you to eat something light for breakfast. That would have made it easier.” She hands me a towel from somewhere, clearly having anticipated the need for one.

“Not really,” Ascathon comments. “As a god, the first time is somewhat bearable, but I have taken enough people with potential with me to know that it's harder on them for some reason. They always soil themselves.”

Taking me by the arm, she puts one arm beneath my shoulder joint and lifts me back to my feet, making sure to support me.

“Thank you,” I mumble while trying to clean myself. To be honest, I wouldn't be able to stand right now if it wasn't for Willow's assistance.

“Take the bottle and rinse out your mouth.” Holding a bottle of water in front of me, she holds me steady while I do my best to return myself to an acceptable state.

Having taken care of my dilemma, Willow looks around, inspecting the crowd of people who are staring at us with wide eyes.

There are several stone houses with paths made out of cobblestone connecting them. From the looks of it, it seems like we are in a village which is located on a small hill. Beyond the gentle fall of the hillside is a stone wall twenty feet in height. We appeared in the clear area between the village’s outer wall and the settled area, somewhat above the wall's height. It seems like it’s forbidden to build houses right next to the wall, because there is a generous distance between the settled area and the line of defense.

Now that I slowly start getting my act together, I can also see the logic in that. Should the wall fall, the tightly packed houses automatically turn into a second line of defense.

Above us on the hilltop is a large elevated structure. It isn’t quite what I would have called a castle from my world. The large block-like building seems to be made out of solid stone. At least I can’t identify anything that looks like bricks or stacked stonework. Someone must have invested a lot of time to shape the stone with magic, or the people here are capable of creating some form of cement. Something I am only aware of thanks to Ascathon’s learning machine.

In any case, the large central building of the settlement has more in common with a bunker instead of a castle. I don’t want to know why the people of this world invest so much time and energy in creating such a monstrosity when the rest of their living conditions seem to be so poor.

Pulling her eyes away from the gawking crowd, Willow turns to Ascathon. “What’s with the primitive place? They look like medieval peasants, dirty and in rags. It's worse than in our world.”

Ascathon looks around, wiping his hands on his dark robe in an attempt to remove some sweat and to give himself something to do. “Actually, this is a pretty advanced settlement for this world's standards and, with its two thousand inhabitants, also one of the largest.”

My eyebrows rise involuntarily as I reassess my first impression of this village. Admittedly, from our vantage point I can see only a part of the place, but judging by what I can see I can hardly imagine that there are two thousand inhabitants in this settlement. If Ascathon hadn’t said so, I would have said that there are no more than two or three hundred people in this place.

Reassessing the houses with new eyes, I also realize that each seems to harbour several families on three separate floors.

Not caring the slightest about our audience, Ascathon waves his hand, indicating the world behind the walls. “This world is frequently ravaged by heavy mana storms. The uncontrolled magic mutates and transforms the inhabitants and animals at best, kills them at worst. The locals are mainly concerned with surviving what’s beyond their walls. The language is the same as at home, so this is a perfect training trip for Karin. Just blend in with the locals and fight the things outside.”

He pats his chest, then his hips, searching for something. “Ah, there they are.” Reaching into his pocket, he hands us two amulets. “Here, take these. They are enchanted with a combination of illusions and an adaptive glamour which influences the minds of those looking at you.”

I accept the gift. Ashley already started teaching me transformation, but I am far from being able to do it perfectly. Without her supervision, I would be hesitant to use it. It would be quite bad to end up locked in a form which is hideous to look at.

Willow takes hers and glares at the crowd, then back at Ascathon. “And you didn’t think that it would have been better to give us these before you teleported us into the middle of their settlement?”

“Ah.” Ascathon notices the mortals for the first time. Putting on a slightly conflicted expression of indecision, he raises his hand. “No problem. I’ll just-”

“Not necessary!” Willow quickly slaps at Ascathon’s hand in an attempt to stop him from doing whatever he intended to do. “I doubt that they would be any more inclined to accept newcomers if you wipe out everyone who saw us arrive!”

Sucking in a sharp breath, the crowd retreats a few steps, at least the front rows who heard what was spoken. Of course, it doesn’t take long until murmurs start making the round and some of the smarter villagers decide that it’s in their best interest to be on the other side of the village.

Pursing my lips, I try to count the people in our vicinity and realize that Ascathon was just about to murder fifty or seventy men and women for no other reason than that they could have overheard something that may or may not be inconvenient for Willow and me.

“Whatever...” Ascathon lowers his hand. “Just say that you and your apprentice are wandering wizards who are drifting around after your settlement was destroyed. Tell them some sob-story that you were caught up in a mana storm and changed by the wild magic inside it. I am sure that’s believable enough.”

“You still haven’t explained why you chose exactly this godforsaken place,” Willow returns Ascathon to the issue at hand.

“Well.” He spreads his hands. “As you say, this place is indeed godforsaken. This world is close to one of the dead zones and the fabric of time and space isn’t stable. Hence, the mana storms. It’s no guarantee that you won’t be found by the Council, but it’s all I can do.”

Willow sighs. “Okay. We will try to make the best of it. Just make sure to get us home as soon as possible.”

Ascathon nods and, surprisingly enough, hugs Willow, then pats me on the head. “Take care of yourselves.” Then, with a flash of light and sparks, he is gone.

For a long moment, Willow just stares at the spot where he has been. “That’s certainly a new one. Something must be really worrying him if he gives me a hug!”

Furrowing my forehead, I look up to her. “Aren’t you two close? I mean, you are doing the deed.” It's hard not to overhear them, as loud as Willow is. “Isn’t a hug the least you could expect from him? And aren’t you worried about him being alone with all those beautiful succubi and Ashley?” One might think that Willow is at least worried about her position.

The elemental suddenly starts laughing at me. “Oh, dear. You are just too innocent. Precious!” She ruffles my hair. “We may pleasure each other when we feel the need, but we are more like friends with benefits. The same goes for Ashley and all her daughters. Strictly speaking, I am still his servant. If I had those kinds of feelings for him, I would be a very pitiful woman. Or anyone else for that matter. I think the only kind of woman who would be able to get into that kind of relationship with him would have to actively pursue him and fight for him to acknowledge her as an equal. I would never do that, nor would any succubus.”

Our private exchange is interrupted when the crowd parts like a sea, making way for an elderly man in yellow and golden clothes with a red overcoat. In his hand is something that hovers on the edge between a ceremonial scepter and a staff with a shining crystal at the tip, spreading a gentle, green light.

For his apparent age, the man moves with incredible speed and agility, taking long strides as he approaches us, pointing the staff at Willow and me. “Who are you!? What are you doing here?”

Willow raises both hands while I take a step back, hiding behind her, the numbers telling me that I don’t want to be in the old man’s path should Willow and he come to blows.

The elemental’s power level is rated at eleven, while the old man is on a nine. For short, now equipped with the knowledge what logarithmic means, I can tell that either of the two would see me as nothing more than a toddler or a fly. On the other hand, Willow should be able to deal with him easily enough should he prove hostile.

Willow smiles, trying to sound cheerful. “Hello, there! My name is Willow and this is my apprentice, Karin.” She gestures at me. “To be honest, we don’t know what we are doing here ourselves.” She bows to the elderly man, without doubt flashing him an ample amount of cleavage thanks to her low neckline.

Clearly relying on centuries of experience, she starts spinning her tale. “Our benefactor, Ascathon, is the ruler over a large settlement named Illian. Last night, we were attacked by a powerful beast, the likes of which we have never seen. It mowed down the outer walls like grass and killed most of the peasants before our benefactor barely managed to repel it. The settlement was destroyed by the magic he had to unleash in order to drive the monster away.

“Ascathon wasn’t sure if he would be able to defend us, should the beast come back. So he teleported us as far as he could several times and set us down here, the first large settlement he could find. To be honest, I don’t even know how far or in which direction he teleported us. Master wields powerful magic and is quite proficient at teleportation, but he is kind of a dundlehead when it comes to informing his subordinates about his plans. He could have taken us across half the continent.

“I assume that he intends to dig through the ruins in order to search for survivors and to get back some of his belongings. I expect him to be back in a few days, a few weeks at most if he decides to unearth his own quarters. Like I said, the beast pretty much destroyed the settlement. It would be nice of you if we could petition for asylum until he returns to get us back.”

Furrowing his forehead, the old man points at us with his stick. “You don’t look like humans.”

“We were caught in a mana storm a few years ago. We survived, but the wild magic changed us.” She puts on the amulet and transforms into a human looking version of herself with tanned skin and average, brown hair, then she nudges me to do the same. “It’s kind of a sore point for us since people tend to treat you differently if you don’t look like them.”

“Hmm,” the old man narrows his eyes, clearly undecided on what to do. “That’s quite the tale, and I find it suspicious that this Ascathon didn’t even take the time to greet me, the owner of this place.”

Willow bows again. “Like I said. The attack wasn’t that long ago. Alone, he was confident in his ability to evade the monster and he might still find some survivors.”

He reaches up and strokes his beard, lowering the staff. “I can remember a similar case of when one of the guards on the wall was caught outside during a storm. Though he was less lucky and his mind was warped alongside his body. We had to put him down.”

“I can assure you that we won’t go on a crazed killing spree,” Willow reaffirms. “It’s been three years since the incident and nobody had reason to complain. Should you allow us to stay, we can be quite useful in the defence of this settlement. I promise that we will pull our weight.”

“I am Belarius, the owner and founder of this town.” The old fellow grumbles and I let out a sigh of relief when he gestures for us to follow him. “Let’s first find you some quarters. And then we can assess your skills to find you something to do that earns your keep. I am certainly not the person to turn away a pair of powerful wizards who can fight the beasts outside the walls.”