“Haemish, what is that?” Indicating the pouch at his side, it was no larger than a hand.

“This?” Gesturing to the same thing. Aarav nodded emphatically. “It is a spatial bag. They are quite common, expensive but not unique by any means. You’ve never seen one?” Aarav’s eyes had widened considerably at the confirmation and now were the size of teacups. They wouldn’t close, and Haemish’s previous excitement turned nonchalance had adjusted to an alarm as if he had just seen a creeper that was going to snatch his children from under his nose.

“Umm…You have grown up in the forest, so you are unlikely to have seen one, I suppose…” the round man shifted the belt, moving the pouch back and forth; wide eyes followed it every movement. Finally, giving up on returning the Slime’s focus to his face, he removed the purse from his waist and tucked it away into his saddlebag. That look had grown to be too much. “I may show it to you later. Maybe.” His voice had faltered a little at the ravenous look this tiny creature had given.

“Ahem…sorry about that! It’s just that I’ve never seen anything like it. You are right about that. Also, it is like this legend that I have grown up with, and just now, I am seeing that the legend is true. You know what I mean?”

“Yes, exactly! I understand perfectly. Like when the churches talk of the great ones. They all fight among themselves, and each thinks that their god is the right one or the most powerful. But no one has seen any of them in tens of thousands of years, if not hundreds of thousands! Certainly, no one alive right now has ever seen them.” Haemish laughed a little at the idiocy of following imaginary gods.

“Wait, so there are gods here? What gods? Like Jesus and Allah and Jehovah?” Aarav had had to use the English words for gods of his old world, and there wasn’t a translation of them in Darfan.

“Huh? Who are Jee-zus and Ala and Je-ho-va? I have never heard of those; the four foundational elements are the basis of our gods: Ursa for Earth, Phionix for Fire, Roc for Air and Ukupanipo for Water. That last one is a little bit of a mouthful, but you get used to it. Have you never heard of them? It is the basis of our entire society-”

“Need I remind you that I grew up in the jungle?”

Haemish laughed again. “Yes indeed! Very true sometimes while talking to you, it is hard to remember that you are not a human with human education, especially when I am not looking at you! You sound like an old gruff drill sergeant!” Haemish’s face darkened a little, and he mumbled, “Or a magic instructor.” His fist clenched briefly on the reins. Then he visibly forced himself to relax with a slow outward breath. He directed what looked like a fake smile at Aarav, but gradually the old man seemed more receptive to conversing with Aarav. That can only be a good sign, Aarav thought. And he did say that he thinks of me as human sometimes! I am safer with him thinking that than thinking of me as some dumb monster!

Ignoring the dark look and pained expression, Aarav continued to talk, trying to distract the man into giving more information about this world. “So, what kind of thing are humans taught in the “civilised” world?” Air quotes didn’t seem to translate in this world, but they were still fun to do.

“I don’t know about other places, but here in Darf, the basics consist of literacy and basic magic and combat training. Everything else is up to the parents. We have an academy where one year is mandatory to learn the basics. It is for nine-year-old children. Then additional years are optional but also cost money for attendance unless you can insight someone to help you out with a scholarship. That way, the academy can pay for itself. There are enough paying students to cover the basic cost of all the first years.” Man, this guy waffles a lot. Thanks for answering my question and like ten more. Aarav reflexively amended his thought. He needed to know information, and this was volunteering more than he asked for, then that was better. Certainly better than the one-word answers he was sure to get from Rion.

“Thank you for answering my question. If I’m honest, I was expecting you to either ignore my questions or answer with as few words as possible.” Aarav decided that this man honestly would get him the answers he wanted the fastest. So there was no point in beating around the bush. He also reflected that if this was a ploy to gain his trust, the man deserved to dupe Aarav. “Since I am new to this world, I don’t understand it. Who are these gods?”

“Well, the gods are supposedly the four Elementals. As I mentioned earlier, each represents one core element. The Elementals themselves are supposed to be vast creatures of unimaginable power. They say that a single person cannot behold any of the Elementals in their entirety; they are too vast. But of course, none of this is confirmed! All just old wives tales, you know?” Haemish chuckled as he finished his tale.

“Yeah…old wives tale... so tell me, do you have a description of these Elementals, or better yet a picture? Even now, no one had seen them. They must have some description of them, right? Terrifying!” Aarav’s mind had started to wonder at the start of this tale, a vast underground beast that almost tore Resh apart. It had also been one of the catalysts to the return of Aarav’s human memories. In some twisted way, Aarav should thank it, but he was still paying for the pain and the survival. This handicap was far more a burden than he had thought it would be. Again, where is the damn training montage when you need it!

“Haha, that’s the thing! We have no idea! Or at least we have no idea if the depictions we have drawn have any accuracy! There is a door in the academy that shows each of the four individuals. It is a work of art, and I don’t know how to describe it very well. You are better of seeing it for yourself, and the seeing will be an experience in and of itself.”

“Okay, we are going to the palace now, right? Okay. I can wait that long to see the Elementals. What else are the students taught in their one year at this Academy?” Aarav asked, could I join the Academy? It might be helpful to understand some concepts of this world and learn all of the basics that everyone here seems to be taking for granted.

“Well, they don’t even really teach students about the Elementals. Usually, the parents will take their children to one of the four churches to worship the gods, pray to them, and learn their various holy scriptures. Personally, my parents raised me to believe in Ursa the Stoic. However, I drifted from the path some things happened, and I found myself unable to believe what the church preached. I’m not big on magic personally.” Aarav was a little surprised at this final statement but was quickly distracted as Haemish squeezed the flanks of his steed. He had the gryphon leaping into the air, three more of them on his heels.

“That doesn’t make sense. Magic is so useful and powerful.” Not my magic, though, not yet anyway. But in the future it will be; no doubt about it! Again, Aarav saw a shadow cross Haemish’s face. Then he put the cheerful mask back on.

“Nothing really, but you know there is nothing a spell can do that a potion or alchemical solution can’t do better!” With the last, his mask of cheerfulness became a little more genuine. There is something up between Haemish and magic. Aarav sighed, not my problem, I have enough of those for everyone here, and I’m in a position of weakness. Maybe some digging would be good, find out some dirt on these people. No, stop it, Aarav! Those are your old world habits! He sat stoically in the bag, deciding more questions and discussion could wait.

Within a few minutes of taking off, having levelled off and headed for what Aarav assumed was the capital, Brewyn, Haemish had returned to his usual cheerful self. Everyone else either didn’t notice it or ignored it as if it were a topic to avoid. Have none of you has gone to therapy? Like, ever? Burying the problem only means you have a backyard full of bodies. Aarav had not gone to treatment either, couldn’t afford it most, but he understood the principle of it. Essentially, mental Health was just as important, if not more so, than physical Health. Everything stems from the mind and all that, and not to forget the Secret of the Universe. His personal experience of “the Universe will bring you great things” was a load of horse dung. Well, gryphon dung in this case.