****

Part of the old story, make sure to check out the remade Alteration here.

***

Caleb stood in front of a grinning Teruna. A few minutes passed since Blake started Alteration up to find an Antidote for Rose. Meanwhile Caleb returned from outside and Teruna took the opportunity to tell him what his son and she were talking about. Caleb was listening to her story with abnormal silence until the end.

Ohh... This situation is getting weirder with every passing minute. What kind of being is this woman? Could she really be this fantastic creature Blake described? She looks... nothing like that. But he would never lie to me and he even gave me ample proof. Could this be a dream? I rarely have any, so that's not likely. Let's just assume everything that happened and everything I was told is true... How will our lives continue? Is everything over once we wake Rose up? No, the people,or whatever they are, are after Blake which doesn't make me any calmer. Although... she mentioned something about everything going more or less to normal after this. It is quite possible that she said that just to sooth Blake and me... but it is also possible that she didn't. That is something that time will tell. I'm quite proud for Blake focusing on the goal. He didn't press Teruna but he went searching for the Antidote as fast as possible. I would be quite proud of him if I didn't want to kill him at the same moment.

-''WHAT WAS HE THINKING!''

Caleb shouted and ran to the kitchen to take a glass of water. Teruna followed him seemingly offended.

-''Your son gets you two dates with a beautiful woman who likes you and you react like this? Not only that but the dates will be the indirect cause for stopping your daughter's slumber. You are quite ungrateful.''

At the end she couldn't hold down a smile. He listened to everything while grumbling and sat down at the end.

-'' Don't misunderstand me, I would do anything for my children. The problem is that I think this was Blake's intention. His evil side peeks out every now and then. At times like that it is my duty to make him regret it...''

Caleb crunched his teeth at the end of the sentence. She looked at him with a confused look while sitting down next to him.

-''You shouldn't be too hard on him. Not many would react the same way he did in the cave! He staid there and tried to do everything he could to help me. Also don't be so dissatisfied, who knows, you may just like the dates.''

She giggled a bit during the second part of her statement, but her face didn't show any sign of dishonesty. Caleb was silent for a few moments.

Why is she after me? I don't understand her motives at all.

After a while he sighed and talked with a voice that was drained of energy.

-''Why do you want to go on a date with me? ''

She replied to him with a smile on her face.

-''Does it matter? ''

He blinked a few times unbelievingly.

-''It certainly does. It doesn't happen everyday that a fairy tale monster asks me out.''

Teruna puffed her cheeks.

-''Cruel. You shallow guy.''

Caleb rolled his eyes at her angry response.

She is probably just bored.

-''Hey, don't ignore me.''

She was about to hit him lightly on the shoulder but nearly fell off the chair in mid swing. He catched her in the last moment and continued with a worried expression.

-''So not even fantastic creatures can bounce back effortlessly after such wounds?''

She kept a pained smile on her lips.

-'' I'll live, don't you worry. Although, I know a way how you can help me.''

If she tells me to give a her a kiss so the pain goes away I swear I'll kick her out head first.

-''And what would that be?''

She stood up from her chair.

-''A certain beverage that you have could help me very much.''

Beverage..?Oh...

-''You mean that healing potion? ''

She went in the direction of the living room.

-''I certainly do. It is a potion, but it's effects are even better if it is applied directly to the wounds.''

Caleb followed her slowly.

-''I understand. How come Blake didn't give it to you? I think he mentioned something about it before I went to fetch you out of the hospital.''

He tried hard to remember it, but it was in vain. They came to a stop once they entered the living room and Teruna slowly sat down on the couch, trying not to irritate her wounds.

-''He must have forgotten. That is only understandable after what I made him go through. I just told him the most necessary though. But I think that the most painful part is done.''

She sighed at the end of her sentence.

Part of what?

He shook his head and continued with an exhausted voice.

-''Why would you do all this? What is the real meaning of the ritual? What was it's full name again? Ritual of the Straw? It nearly killed you and it endangers my kids out of some mysterious reason.''

Her expression turned sad and she replied him quietly.

-''I won't tell you right now. After we wake Rose up I'll tell you everything you want know, but not before that. I'll need you to have an open mind while I talk and you can't really have one while your daughter can't wake up. ''

I don't really know about having an open mind. Even if I could somehow ignore the fact that she endangered Rose and Blake I'm quite sure that Blake won't. But she is cooperating and helping us find a solution...Ah, this all just seems unreal.

A warm feeling on his arm shook him out of his thoughts. Teruna reached out to him.

-'' Could you help me apply this potion? It's quite hard cover all my injuries alone.''

Those puppy eyes just aren't fair.

He reached for the glass bottle which was on the table next to him.

-''I suppose I could.''

Teruna started taking off her shirt.

Wha..?

-''Hey! What are you doing?''

She stopped and started laughing.

-''My wounds are on my whole back, so what would you suggest me to do? Pour the potion on my shirt and hope that it reaches my wounds? Now that would be a waste.''

Oh, right. But she could have warned me. Has she no sense of shame?

-'' I suggest you to take off your shirt after making me look away and then laying in the couch so that I can pour the potion exactly on your wounds. That way I won't spill too.''

She looked a bit disappointed.

-''You are no fun...''

Caleb went out of the room and in the hallway.

-''Tell me when you are ready and on the couch.''

-''Ok...''

Well if this will help relieve her pain it's ok.

He started shifting his weight from one leg to the other.

I wonder how Blake is doing. He explained to me that it probably won't be easy but time flows faster in Alteration if I'm n ot wrong. I wonder how much we'll still have to wait. With a lot of luck he'd have been finished already, with no luck it will take a long, long time. I wonder how many ch...

Teruna's voiced came from the living room.

-''Ready!''

Caleb went back at that signal. Teruna laid on her stomach on the couch without her shirt. Her bandages were neatly folded next to her.

The wounds on her back were quite terrifying. Caleb flinched when he saw them. Most were patched up, but it was still red and just imagining the pain made him dizzy.

-''H...How are you still conscious?''

-''Well I have a bit better endurance than the average human. The painkillers helped quite a lot too.''

She talked casually and joked up til now... Unbelievable...

-''Just one question before we continue please.''

-''Go ahead.''

-''How powerful are you in your current form?''

She turned her head around a bit.

-''Other than a bit higher endurance and regeneration I'm nearly the same as you. I'm not even sure if this is considered something that special as endurance is something that can be attained through enough training and discipline.''

-'' The regeneration is certainly something extraordinary. Huh, so you are human except for these things?''

A smile appeared on her face.

-''Yes. Huh, are you rethinking your opinion about me and you going on a date.''

I let my guard down for one measly second and this happens...

-''You being human right now doesn't change the fact that you and Blake forced me into this. And you are still a hedgehog who can change at will.''

Her smile grew wider.

-''Actually this world has nearly no power in it so I can't shapeshift. This is either way my true form so in this world I'm perfectly normal. And to you being forced... after the three dates you will have the chance to ask me on a date on your own so don't make such a fuss.''

Caleb's face reddened and he started to take deep breaths.

I just need to stay cal... Wait a minute!

-''Did you just say three dates? The deal was two!''

Her smile darkened.

-'' You promised me one in the hospital and I get two because of my negotiation with Blake. I'm certain that you won't go back on your word, right?''

Oh, right...

He took a deep breath.

-''I won't , don't worry.''

Teruna smiled a bit happier after that.

-''I didn't worry to begin with. You aren't that petty.''

He had a dissatisfied face on for a moment but he cheered up.

-'' I have no obligation to entertain you right now. I could just leave if I wanted to.''

If she wants me to stay she better stop being annoying.

Teruna laughed out loudly but stopped when her wounds started to act up again.

-''Actually that would be against the no avoiding part of our deal.''

Caleb's head was hanging down, drained of all energy.

Once I get my hands on Blake...

-''Achoo! Could we now go on with treating my wounds?''

Caleb hurriedly took the glass bottle off the table and removed the lid from it.

-''Umm so I just have to pour it over your wounds?''

She turned her face from him and prepared herself.

-''Yes, I'd appreciate if you hurry because this hurts me quite a lot.''

-''Of course.''

Caleb put a chair next to the couch and sat in it. Then he proceeded to carefully pour the potion over her back. Her wounds immediately started to look better and finally closed up one by one.

Incredible...

He inspected her whole back.

Not even a scratch is left...

Teruna noticed that he stared at her.

-''Admiring me, huh?''

He ignored her teasing and replied honestly.

-'' I still can't believe what happened. Just look at this potion. Your back was all hacked up not even a minute ago and now it is like the wound never happened. This is too much for me...''

She lightly rubbed her back with one hand while still laying on the couch.

-''Actually just the visible part is gone. It helped much but I still can't move as I please. This was just a small health potion so it couldn't get that deep.''

She smiled playfully.

-''Maybe if you gave me a good massage with it I could completely recover.''

She uses each and every opportunity she gets. I need to teach her a lesson. She messes with me too much.

-''Sure. As long as it helps.''

Teruna froze and a delighted expression spread across her face. He went to the kitchen and returned with something in his hands and an evil spark in his eyes.

-''I'll start now, ok?''

She closed her eyes and relaxed.

-''Sure, go ahead.''

That's it just relax...

Caleb started to slowly massage her . He was careful to be as gentle as possible.

-''Wow you are amazing at giving a massage. It would be wonderful if you could give me a massage like that every now and then.''

Caleb barely refrained from laughing.

-''Thank you. Now relax. The massage and the effect of the potion will be better if you aren't even a little bit tense.''

Her voice turned more and more quiet.

-'' Sure...''

Now it's payback time.

Caleb slowly stopped massaging with one hand and slowly reached out for the thing that he brought out of the kitchen. It was a bag with a few ice cubes in it. He took two out and quickly put one in each hand. Teruna's voice was barely audible drowsy.

-''Mhh...continue...''

Sure will.

-'' This is an awkward position for me. Would you mind if I lean a bit more over you?''

-''Not at all...''

And now that I have prepared everything.

Caleb leaned over her and started massaging her with the ice cubes.

-''AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!''

Teruna's whole body jumped up from the shock and Caleb kept her down with some effort. Her shrieking was so loud that it made him fear for his eardrums.

-''STOP! What do you think you are doing?! Idiot! Don't massage me with iceeeee!''

Aww there are lessons to be learned, no time for stopping.

Caleb feigned ignorance and had an innocent smile on his face.

-''Why would I? This is great for the circulation and I'm quite sure that I still need to continue for it to reach your deep wounds.''

Teruna struggled desperately but he wouldn't budge an inch.

-''Don't! Why are you doing this to me? I'll stop messing with you now stoooop!''

Caleb's expression didn't change a bit.

-''That's nice of you. This massage will still continue for some time. How about we chat a bit?''

Teruna saw where this is going and she did her best to keep her whimpering to a minimum, but she couldn't stop her shaking.

I guess that she has a cold weakness because she is usually in lava.

-''What do you have to say?''

Caleb continued massaging her with the ice cubes.

-''I just want to talk a bit. But I like your offer to stop teasing me. That makes the conversation start with a nice tone. Now what shall I ask first? ''

-''I don't care just ask quickly so that you stop this as soon as possible...''

She stopped complaining because he pressed the ice cubes a bit stronger so she felt the coldness even more.

-''Now, now it's rude to hasten someone. Now what was the question that I wanted to ask I just can't remember...''

-''Cruel... You have a much bigger problem with your evil side than Blake does. It must flow in the blood...''

Caleb ignored her.

-''Ah I remembered. Once we take care of Rose's problem will really our lives return to normal?''

Teruna forced herself to answer loud and clear.

-''After I make a call or two no more hits will be made on you. It won't return exactly to normal but it will be similar and peaceful.''

That is more than I hoped for.

-''Now lets continue. Do you know who attacked Rose?''

-''I already told you. It was probably just some lowly grunt. I can't tell you from which faction because I was the entire time here and there are too many potential ones.''

I don't think that she is lying.

He didn't massage her as strongly as before.

-''Good. Now tell me, why did you do that Ritual.''

Teruna hesitated for a few seconds but replied to him a moment later.

-''That is one thing that I can't tell you.''

Ok, if you want it that way then so be it.

He started to massage here again more roughly with the ice.

-''Tell me, I won't stop until you do.''

Something clicked, but both of them didn't pay any attention.

-''I said no so no!''

She wriggled desperately but Caleb didn't let her go.

-''Just do it!''

-''No!''

*knock*knock*

Both Teruna and Caleb looked up and saw Blake who stood next to the door. He knocked against the door frame to get their attention.

-''Am I interrupting something? What are you trying to do dad?''

Teruna's face was as red as a tomato and Caleb backed away from her awkwardly and started stuttering.

-''You..? I did...you see... I trie...I tried to make her talk about the things she didn't want to say...''

Blake had a very confused look on his face and a frozen smile.

-''You tried to make her talk with a massage? What is that..? Did you use actual oil for the massage?''

-''What are you talking abo..?''

Caleb noticed that the ice melted away in his numb palms and that Teruna's whole back was wet and shiny.

-''No, no! I had ice and used that to make her talk. It must have melted.''

Blake slowly backed away.

-''In the same moment I came in? Quite a coincidence. Look I don't really care what you were doing as long as you had consent. You had it, right?''

Does he think that I'm a criminal?! I need to think quickly, how can I prove that I'm no criminal...

Caleb's eyes were wide open and he desperately turned around to Teruna for help. She sat up while covering herself with her shirt. Her face was still red but she managed to get a hold of herself.

-''He had it, don't worry.''

Blake was visibly relieved but still had a bit disturbed expression..

-''Good. I have to admit I was worried for a second about your morals dad.''

Thank... Wait.

Caleb realised what Teruna said and desperately tried to explain it to Blake.

-''No! This isn't what happened!''

Blake's eyebrows rose.

-''So you had no consent!?''

Caleb stared for a second dumbfoundedly at his son.

-''What?! No! Wait! Let me finish!''

Teruna held her shirt with one hand on her and took Caleb's hand with the other.

-''He is a bit embarrassed so let him be.''

Blake looked at them both suspiciously.

-''Umm... Sure. I got the Antidote after a small eternity of searching. So... if you are finished with whatever you were doing we could wake Rose up.''

Caleb was in a state of shock so Teruna replied for him.

-''We'll be there in a few minutes.''

Blake headed upstairs and she went to the bathroom for a towel with which she dried her back.

She sat next to Caleb again.

-''Good luck explaining him what happened.''

He slowly regained the ability to speak.

-''Why?''

She smiled with the most evil laugh he ever heard.

-''I would have told you most of the information you wanted to know sooner or later. I understand now that I shouldn't mess with you that much. But you know what... ''

She came closer to him and whispered in his ear.

-''Messing with me can be fatal.''

A chill went through his entire body and he just sat there thinking about everything that happened.

-''You are actually lucky that I'm satisfied with just this as my revenge.''

Blake was sitting next to Rose and slowly poured the Antidote in her mouth. Teruna and Caleb were a bit behind him and both were still a bit red. Caleb had a long talk with Blake prior to them going to Rose's room and he sorted everything more or less out.

Blake made Rose drink the whole content of the bottle and now they were just waiting silently.

She really did it this time... I nearly believed that my dad was doing that. Good that he is usually honest with me or else I would really start thinking that something is actually going on between them.

Blake sighed.

Oh, who am I kidding? If it hadn't been for that ice bag I would have totally misunderstood. Good thing dad remembered to show it to me. That hedgehog is really good at pranking people. I'm just disappointed that she got dad to heal her wounds. It would have been a good bargaining chip if he hadn't been so damn compassionate.

He leaned back and stared at Rose.

This is taking too long. Come on Rose, don't leave me hanging!

Blake took her hand and squeezed it gently.

Rose's eyelids slowly opened and she looked at the people around her with confusion.

-''Wha...? Why are you all here?''

She looked at Blake and Caleb then her gaze fell on Teruna with a puzzled expression.

-''Who are you? Wait... You are the lady from today which was severely injured! How can you be fine now?!''

Blake calmed his sister down and gestured her to be quiet.

-''It is quite a long story so just make yourself comfortable in your bed. Listen and don't interrupt me.''

Rose nodded and he started to tell her everything that happened today. Her expressions changed frequently from bored, amazed, unbelieving and many other. He described every fantastic event a bit more in detail than the other ones so that she gets a better grasp of the situation. Every now and then she glanced at Teruna with disbelief in her eyes. When Blake finished she sat for a few minutes in silence. He didn't mention anything about the massaging incident because now wasn't the time and he was sure that Caleb would rather tell her the rest himself than letting Blake tell what he saw.

I'll check later if he told her. It was his rule that we don't keep secrets so he should lead with example.

-''This... this is really happening?''

Well now I have at least a more elegant way to prove that than the last time.

-''Do you remember how Teruna was slashed up and bled heavily?''

-''Yes...''

-''Well her wounds healed. Nothing is left.''

Rose's eyes widened and she looked at Teruna.

-''Really?''

Teruna sat in her chair with crossed arms.

-''Yes. Ask your father too, he inspected that part quite carefully.''

-''Ok...''

Caleb cleared his throat.

-''*Ahem* I'll tell you about that later. Just take my word that her back is fully healed.''

Rose had a confused look on her face but didn't say anything. Blake continued their conversation.

-''It isn't anything important, just something stupid that dad did. But the important thing is, do you believe me now?''

Rose nodded.

-''Good. Do you remember who attacked you? What happened?''

-''It's a bit hazy, but I remember some monster attacking me and it really hurt me. I immediately logged out of the game because it was unbearable. I still felt the pain, but I thought that I was under shock and imagining it, but the wound was really there when I took the goggles off. The wound was big and a lot of blood was flowing out. I was scared and panicked. I wanted to get up from the chair and somehow slow the bleeding down, but I collapsed after two steps and couldn't continue. My consciousness slowly started to fade and the last thing that I remember was your face. I guess that I can blame the poison for that.''

Blake noticed that she started shaking so he started to pat her back soothingly.

-''It's ok now. You are safe. We won't let this happen a second time.''

Rose stopped shaking but she was still terrified by everything that had happened. Blake turned and faced Teruna.

-''It's your turn. Rose woke up so keep your promise.''

Teruna leaned back in her chair and started talking with a quiet voice.

-''Sure. What do you want to know first?''

He cleared his throat.

-''Why did you force me to do the ritual?''

She took a deep breath and started talking.

-''May I suggest another question?''

Blake looked at her with surprise.

Does she hope to evade the question? Well I am a bit curious about what she will suggest... I'll just ask her again later, but for now lets hear it.

-'' Go on.''

-''How about I answer you the question about what you gained with the ritual?''

-''Do that.''

Maybe she wants to sugarcoat something with the benefits from the ritual.

-'' You have seen the side benefits already so I will skip that and start with the main benefits. You are now in the faction of Lava hedgehogs. Do you know what that means?''

Why doesn't she just say it?

-''I think that I do. It is the same as if I gained a lot of reputation with a faction and they give me the status of an ally. I am then able to purchase some items at a bit lower price from their merchants and I can sell my stuff for a better price. Also it will give me tons of potential new quests, influence how others see me and generally give me a lot of new options. Not to mention that I will be able to get some faction specific items and maybe gifts.''

-''That may be true in regular games, but not in Alteration. You can become an ally of an faction, but you can't become part of an faction without enormous amounts of work and luck. Also an ally doesn't have all these benefits that you mentioned. The change in prices is quite small, the way other factions see you changes a bit and you get a solid amount of new quests. No, you are actually now part of my faction.''

Blake tilted his head.

What does she mean?

-''Explain that please.''

-''You are now actually a part of the Lava hedgehog faction. You gain a lot of obligations, perks and... options with this.''

Teruna made a little pause to find the right words.

I don't really like the way she said ''options''...

-''We will treat you as our kin. When you are in need of help we will be there for you if it is a reasonable problem. We will share everything we have with you and you will share everything you have with us. We shall give each other advice and share our experiences. We will prosper or fall depending on how our faction does. If the faction blooms and gets stronger, wealthier and more influential we will too prosper. Should the faction get weaker we will feel the effects too, one way or the other. Players won't recognize that you are in our faction and under certain circumstances they will even see you as part of the game, but there is time for that later. Many intelligent beasts will recognize you based on your true nature, but fear not they won't react much differently than before if you are in the presence of other players. In the case that you encounter a monster alone anything can happen, but the most common thing will still be a fight. There are some differences in combat too. Every time you do something significant it will give points to our faction. The sort of points can vary and they can be used for many things. There are common points and some which are more rare.''

Blake held his head and spoke up.

-''Wait! Wait... I have troubles keeping up... There are a lot of things that I haven't expected. Give me a second to sort my thoughts.''

He massaged his temples.

Faction...Kin...Prosper and fall of the faction...Players...Monster... There are so many things that I must remember. Now more than ever I wonder why she made me go through the ritual. I am gaining much more than they do... There must be something wrong. Ugh, I think that I am calm enough now.

-''Ok, continue. But please just tell me the important stuff.''

Teruna puffed, but was still talking with a quiet voice.

-''I will tell you everything like it or not, but I don't mind making pauses so you can gather your thoughts. This is rather difficult for me too.''

Blake thought for a second and then replied.

-''I'm ok with that. Continue.''

-''You won't be able to receive any Reputation from quests that we send you on as you are now truly our kin, but they will give affection points with the person who gave you the quest. Although it sounds like a game the principle is pretty similar to the real world. If you help someone they will like you more because of it, but under certain circumstances you won't get any affection points. You on the other hand will be able to give others Reputation, but just passively and only if they get a faction quest. These quests can only be handed out after you consult with high ranking kinsmen. Also you will be able to boost our areas of influence with your actions and many other factors, but you can make our areas shrink too under certain circumstances. Sometimes members of your faction will ask for advice even from a distance. You will get the call for aid in form of a message. If you help them solve certain problems like that you will get a cut of the reward. Again you will get points that will aid us in making our faction prosperous. Basically you can, and will, affect the faction greatly which, depending on your actions, can be positive or negative. You can determine yourself where you want to help out, but I will always advise you and if needed force you, if something is urgent. You can also make an impact on our connections with other factions, but that is something quite hard. You will also obtain some faction specific abilities with time. Because of the way I made you join our faction you have several more benefits, but you don't have the option to leave. Leaving would also be a bad choice as this is not something that is supposed to happen. You would be a fool if you throw away all that which you will gain through this after all you have been through and that what your family has been through. I am still not quite myself after that accident so there is a good possibility that I failed to mention some other perks. If I remember them I will tell you about it immediately. ''

Blake raised his voice.

-''I understand... I won't comment until you are finished though. Now It's clear what you gave me, but still I don't understand why.''

Teruna laughed bitterly.

-''I am informing you of all the powers and responsibilities that you received, but you have yet to grasp what it all means. There are many aspects of the story that I am telling you right now. This is just one of many. If you don't think that this is a story but just me answering questions that is because you still think that you lead this conversation. Rest assured that I will tell you all you want to know, but I will do it my way so you understand everything. Now sit back again and listen to my story for it is an interesting one. I'll continue with a bit of background information of our faction. Before that I would just like to have a glass of water, my throat is dry from all the explaining.''

-''Sure. Dad please get Teruna a glass of water.''

Nothing happened for a few moments so Blake turned to face Caleb. Once he faced him Blake understood immediately what was wrong with him. His eyes were wide open and he stared at Teruna.

It is true that she is behaving quite differently than before. Dad spent more time with her so he is probably even more shocked at how she talks quietly and seriously. Something is wrong with Teruna but I'll leave that for when she finishes talking. But wow... I will need some time to process all this... I shouldn't think about what this all means and how to proceed before I hear her out. It seems like she has still to say the most important part which will connect all the bits and pieces I know...

Teruna looked at both Blake and Caleb with a confused look.

-''Umm, the glass of water?''

Blake interrupted his raging thoughts and tried to get his dad's attention.

-''Dad!''

Caleb looked at him absentmindedly.

-''Go get Teruna a glass of water.''

He nodded but made no effort to move.

-''Aha.''

It doesn't seem like he actually listened to me...

Blake raised his voice a little.

-''Dad! Get Teruna a glass of water and this time don't even try to make any ice cube prank!''

Caleb's face reddened immediately and he shot up from his chair.

-''Yes. I'll get it now!''

Rose tugged Blake's sleeve.

-''What ice cube prank?''

Blake shook his head.

-''Unimportant. Dad will tell you later anyway.''

He turned back to Teruna.

-''While we wait could you just tell me why you didn't give me a heads up before making me go through the ceremony?''

-''You will see. ''

They waited in silence until Caleb came back carrying a tray with glasses and a jug of water. He then poured some water in a glass and handed it to Teruna.

-''Thanks. ''

She took a few sips and continued.

-''Now for the background information... My faction was a proud and strong one. We were feared by many other factions and nearly all neutral settlements. They called us the underground nightmare, the hellgehogs and many other names but none of them matter now. Even before the split we were one of the mightiest factions. Others may have been more influential or even have stronger individuals in their ranks but no one had our determination and solidarity. Now it's important for you to fully grasp the nature of Alteration. It isn't a game made by humans as you have already concluded by now. It is another world, dimension. Call it whatever you want. It existed as long as Earth did and they were quite similar in the beginning. The main difference was that our world was full of magic. It was part of us and everyone accepted and harnessed it as we saw fit. Your world had magic too, but the beings that had it jealously guarded it from the sight of others. They hid in fear, because they didn't want anyone else to learn the powers they had. The monsters hid, fearing each other and a species that had nearly no magical affinity came to rule the world. As you know, I'm talking about humans. They spread across the whole globe and just a few of them were aware of the existence of monsters. Some even managed to develop magic of their own, but the rumors about monsters just stayed rumors and after many centuries they turned into myths. Your monsters realised their mistake too late when there were too few left of them. They didn't know what to do so many beings tried different approaches. Some interacted with you, some fought you. The outcome was the same. Humans didn't recognise the monsters and they hunted them while calling them abominations, invaders and danger for the world. The same world that they were once a part of didn't have any room for them now. They hid in the deepest corners of the world and consulted themselves on what they should do next. Some wanted to reclaim their land, but they were too few, who haven't used their full potential for centuries. Others wanted to live peacefully alongside the humans, though they weren't many. Humans had shown that they had no intention to share. The only option that they had was to develop their powers. Monsters that had similar magic affinities formed groups and researched the arcane arts. But that wasn't just limited to the arcane arts. Beings that had no special talent for the arcane harnessed their instincts and techniques. Time flew by and humans became aware that something was happening in that corner of their world. They sent their troops which were decimated by the acquired techniques and abilities. The monsters started to hope that they will manage to reclaim their land but the never ending hordes of humans didn't stop. They circled them and were beating their abilities with pure numbers. The magic they acquired was still too new... they were inexperienced...and few... Though, if all which were left would have gathered and stood their ground they would have won... The sky itself would burn and the humans would be beaten. They didn't do it. All the weaker races fought as one against their enemy, but the strong creatures ran away. They were suspicious of each other, fearing treachery and backstabbing. Many races vanished that day, full of sorrow,regret and fury. Even more were crippled, left to hope that they will manage to prosper again in some far future. The strong creatures watched this all from afar and they turned their guilt into hate towards the other strong ones. Every race scattered in their own direction and even some weaker species fell because they were corrupted by their emotions. A few years later my world discovered yours and started to research it. We didn't expect to find a world which was ruled by just one race, especially not such a weak one. We looked through your whole planet hoping to find a bit of magic power. After months of searching we started to discover your monster races one by one. We exchanged knowledge about magic and many other things including our history. They were amazed by our planet and asked us if they could live on it too. We allowed it. After a few decades we transferred nearly every monster to our world and your world lost all it's arcane power.''

Blake interrupted Teruna.

-''I'd like another pause if there's no problem.''

Teruna smiled weakly and hollowly.

-''On the contrary. I could use a little pause too. It isn't easy to telling such a big story.''

She drank the rest of her water up and Blake already had the jug in his hands.

-''More?''

-''Yes, please.''

He refilled her glass and sank again in his thoughts.

This is kinda too much for me. Lets just concentrate on the important parts. She is from a real world. I had figured that much even before. So the worlds were similar... both had magic,her's was just full of magic. The monsters from her side were normal while our were dumb... Humans took the world over while the monsters either stagnated or disappeared. Humans didn't want to have anything to do with them or even let them exist. They beat them because of their huge numbers and good circling strategy. Although one of the probably biggest factors was that the big monsters didn't cooperate... Then everyone dispersed and a few years later the other monsters came and brought them to their world.

Blake took a deep breath.

Ahh... even a short summary is a bit longer than I'd like...So lets see... I understand everything except why they saved the monsters of our world. I know that there were very few after the catastrophic fight but still... why would they do it? It surely wasn't just because they were kind...

-''Why did your people save our monsters? What was there in for you?''

-''First let me make this very clear. The people that saved your monster certainly aren't ''my people''. The only thing that connects us is that we are from the same world. Now for your question. The faction that researched your world and saved the monsters was by far the most advanced one. They decided that your monsters would be transferred. Their motives are not clear to me but it could have been really anything. They were a weird bunch. Some say that they wanted to strengthen the magic in our world by bringing new monsters which had an affinity for magic. Others claim that they wanted to have various races under their control so that they could make an interracial empire.''

Blake looked at her suspiciously.

-''They 'were' a weird bunch? Not 'are'?''

-''No. Some of the monsters that they transferred turned on them and they fought for many years. The result was the annihilation of that faction. Is that all? Can I continue now?''

-''Sure.''

-''Ok, so there is one more thing that you need to know. Nobody feared to use magic and altogether the world prospered, but there is a lot of evil in my world. Known and unknown. Many things in my world are still mysteries. For example we can't even guess the size of our world. Whenever someone tries to travel into the unknown to see what there is still to discover they disappear. Most people just slowly explore our world, no one dares to go deep into the unknown anymore. We make small towns every now and then so that the exploring can continue but you can imagine how slow this method is.''

Blake nodded.

It will take an eternity if they want to do it like that.

-''I think that this will be enough general knowledge about the world. We are coming closer and closer to your original question.''

Good.

-''But first I'll tell a few more things about our faction. About our reason to wage war against all the other factions more specifically.''

Come on...oh well, that sounds interesting enough.

-''We waged war because our faction wanted to take Earth.''

Her voice was very quiet. Blake looked at her with a shocked expression.

-''How do you mean 'take Earth'?''

Teruna could barely look him in the eyes now.

-''We decided that a race such as humans doesn't deserve to rule over a whole world weak as they are. We wanted to make organised actions around the globe and force humans to give up and let monsters come back on Earth. Of course we planned to also lower the number of humans as they had spread everywhere... The other factions were against it. They had plans for sending some monsters back to Earth too, but they weren't nearly as aggressive as ours. They didn't let us pass through to Earth and we then declared war. The battles were bloody and numerous. Many factions fell before our might, but we weren't aware that they had an ace up their sleeve. Some of their best magicians and thinkers were tinkering on unimaginable spells that would help us accustom monsters to Earth and humans. That was at least the official version. I think that something else was behind it... maybe they needed something from Earth or wanted to make the amount of monsters smaller as we need to explore much more to make as many settlements as we need. Who knows? These spells that I mentioned were prepared through many years and some mages who worked on it even lost their lives. The end product was that what you call Alteration. A world of monsters and adventures which is actually a magical world where we succeeded to warp some laws of nature. We made these changes according to your image of VRMMORPG games of course, that way you aren't even able to tell that you are actually in another world. We, the hedgehogs weren't affected by the good sides of the spells so it was easy for other factions to hunt us and get rid of us. They only died under certain circumstances, other than that they just kept respawning. We on the other hand died immediately when we received lethal damage. Even after that we still put up a good fight, but of course our numbers dwindled while they didn't take nearly as much damage as we did. After all our sufferings I got an idea that if I bind some player to our faction and put him on a high position we could be too affected by the spell. And here we are now.''

Teruna paused and looked fearfully at Blake who sunk in a deep silence.

-''You made me go through the ritual so that a monster race gets under the effect of the rules of Alteration? And that monster race is coincidentally one that wants to come to Earth kill a good portion of us and let monsters rule again our world.''

He clenched his fist and and forced himself to be as calm as possible.

-''You didn't have to bother telling me all this. After that last part it's obvious that you know my answer. You forced me into an irreversible contract which helps the enemy of all mankind. And what is that joke about putting me on a high position? It is obvious that I just have to stay alive to be useful to you. Give me one reason why I should listen to anything else you have to say.''

Teruna sighed.

-''Actually you get the highest position. That is needed for for the spell to affect the whole faction, but there are more reasons for you to get the highest position.''

Blake was dumbfounded for a few moments.

-''I can't make sense of your words...Highest position..? How does that fit in with your attack on Earth?''

Teruna looked him deep in the eyes.

-''May I suggest another question?''

Will I be a puppet king that dances when others pull the strings? No, she would probably say that directly. This must be something else.

-''I suggest the question 'How big is my faction?'.''

Does she want to impress me? Wait... Maybe they want me to cooperate with their attack on Earth. She will boast now with their military size and offer me a part of the conquered Earth.

Blake started stuttering.

-''O-ok. Answer it.''

-''Fifteen.''

Blake blinked a few times unbelievingly.

-''Thousand?''

Teruna's expression grew darker and sadder.

-''No, just fifteen hedgehogs are in your faction... The war I talked about is long finished. It's an extermination now. We simply couldn't do much against enemies that kept respawning while we died. They pushed us back with every passing day and after a while we found ourselves running away. Our last hiding place was many miles south from the volcano. We tried to recover and our plan was to simply hide until they stop hunting us, but it was in vain. They found us and killed everyone they could. Only a warrior managed to flee with the young children of the faction. They ran for a long time and didn't stop until they reached the volcano near Lorasawa. As you know that warrior was me... and you met a few of the children already. A few years have passed since that battle, but I know that they still hunt for survivors.''

Her eyes filled with tears and she grabbed Blake's hand.

-''We are innocent! Hunted since our birth and trained for survival we had nothing to do with the old faction that planned the aggression. So many decades and centuries have passed and we are still being exterminated... No one else is left. It's just me and the kids! Help us! With you we can evade total annihilation. The rules will protect us and we will be able to make a new hedgehog faction! One that will be better than the last, one that will make it possible for the children to live in peace and prosper, one that will help us stand up to our cruel and heartless enemies...''

Tears flowed down her cheek and she started sobbing. Blake stood stupefied.

She just protects the children...So many years have passed since the war and the other factions are still hunting them... No matter what the faction did in the past,this is unforgivable!

Tears started welling up in Blake's eyes.

I am their only chance. Teruna took the risk and nearly sacrificed her life for the little ones to have a chance. They were all trained since their birth to hide and survive. That kind of life isn't worth living for... Now they are the only ones left. Everyone Teruna once knew is now dead. The little ones were hopefully too young to remember...

He clenched his fist.

I... I can't leave them be. I'll will help them rebuild their faction, though it can hardly be called one now... No! There have to be some other survivors somewhere! If that world has game rules then seemingly impossible things can be possible I just have to do everything I can and some opportunity will show up.

He rose from his chair and put his arm on Teruna's shoulder.

-''I will help you. No one deserves what the other factions are making you go through. I will do everything that is in my power to rebuild your faction.''

She stopped sobbing and looked up at Blake with disbelief.

-''...really?''

-''If everything you have said is true then yes.''

She nodded hastily, stood up and hugged him.

-''It is! Words can't describe the gratitude I feel right now!''

Blake looked surprised, but a smile appeared slowly on his face and he patted her back awkwardly.

-''It's ok. I understand now the whole situation so lets make our faction strong together. No more fear and hiding!''

Teruna calmed down and sat down again. She looked at Blake gratefully.

-''Yeah. With you it's possible.''

Blake cleared his throat.

-''There are still things that aren't really clear to me, but you will explain them much easier to me once we go back to Alteration. But one thing is really bugging me. Why do you allow humans to enter your world? How does that help monster grow accustomed to Earth and the humans? Don't we just play normally and kill the monsters we meet?''

-''Well there are many factions and most don't really have good relations. The more civilised ones are those who are a part of the Alteration starting races. You call them NPCs most are just living their normal lives and using the players, though after time most open up and become friendly. They get used to humans by interacting with them. I'm not sure myself how they will proceed after that. Maybe they just wanted to bring you humans here so that you do our dirty work while you think you're playing, maybe they will reveal everything to the humans after most of you start playing the game hoping that you will be open minded and let monsters back on some uninhabited places on Earth. I don't know, your guess is as good as mine.''

Blake nodded.

-''I understand. So the starting races were the ones who you waged war against?''

-''Well yes. Though not everyone hunted us to this day. Some wanted to stop after the war but their allies didn't let them.''

This will be some pretty useful information later, though I can't do much with it at the moment.

-''I don't really understand the respawn system too. Does everything respawn? You mentioned some conditions.''

Teruna thought for a second and then replied.

-''I did but I can explain that to you in the game. There is still something more important.''

Blake's eyebrows rose.

-''And that would be what?''

She smiled nervously.

-''I need to make the call. This will confirm that we are really affected by the rules now and that you joined our faction.''

Oh right. She did mention something like that before...

-''Didn't you say that I already joined your faction with the ritual? Also, who exactly will you call?''

She nodded.

-''You did. This is more of a formality. Also it needs a bit of time for the rules to protect us too. Such mighty spells can't be changed in mere minutes. That is also the cause of the rules failing to protect Rose. You interacted with her right after the ritual and my remaining magic probably disrupted her protection a bit. But I don't think that it was completely lifted, she would have probably been dead if it had been. I'll call an organisation made by a few chosen individuals from my world, someone has to make and sell the machines which connect you to Alteration.''

Blake answered with a pensive voice.

-''Make the call then. With that it will be official.''

He handed her his phone.

-''Here. Tell me when you are finished, I'll be in my room.''

Teruna started dialing up a number while he headed for his room. Rose and Caleb didn't move and just thought about everything they heard. Blake turned back and walked to his room where he relaxed in his chair. He closed his eyes.

So much happened today. A moment of peace like this really feels good right now...

He rested for a few minutes like that until he heard Teruna's happy voice.

-''It's done! You are officially a part of our faction and we are protected by the rules!''

Blake smiled.

-''That's great to hear. Nothing stands now between us and our plans to make a new faction! I'll now start Alteration up to see all the options I get from being the leader. I know that you already told me all of them, but I just want to really see it and start planning ahead. Join me if you want.''

-''You do that. I will join you later, your father and sister might still have some questions.''

Blake leaned back in his chair and put his goggles on.

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#7499c4 bgcolor=#d2e4f2][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#7499c4 bgcolor=#d2e4f2][br][/br]Logging into Alteration... [br][/br][/col][/box]

Table of Contents