Chapter 1: Welcome to Krei.

Day 1, part 1.

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“t! …” A grassy landscape with some hills and sparse trees lays before me, and no Cerberus in sight. “Well, shit!”

Looking around to get a bearing on my surroundings; it is about the same as my first impression: grassy plains with some hills and a few trees here and there.

Oh, and a river off in the distance.

It must be a pretty big one too, since I can see it from here.

It's fairly hot here, not quite tropical but not that far off either. The air is humid and sticky with the occasional cool breezes now and then.

Looking up at the sky I find that this world apparently has an orange sun, and it seems much bigger than the one i’m used to.

‘It's not extremely hot though so perhaps it's not burning as intensively as the one back on earth does..? Nono, focus. Get a bearing on the surroundings.’ I chide myself.

Continuing my survey of the surroundings, I find I have arrived in a temperate climate zone.

Abundant with greenery, plants, birds and critters swishing to and fro.

Upon closer inspection there are even some kind of grazing wildlife here too. They look like some kind of strange mix between a cow and a bunny. I think I'll call them Cubby’s for now.

Following the grazing animals west, while keeping a respectable distance, I notice something far off in the distance.

“Is that stone walls? A city? or perhaps a castle or something…?” I ponder as I try to make out as much details as I can. “Well, not like I have anything better to do…” I mumble as I start walking towards the supposed stone structure in the distance.

After walking for an hour or so, I spot a road leading to the wall, which I quickly make my way to.

The road is well maintained, even if it's just packed dirt, and helps me speed along quite a lot. Roads ftw!

Walking along the road I let my thoughts drift while taking in the surrounding nature.

‘I hope the inhabitants of this world aren't giant spiders. Or giant birds of prey… or giant insects... Actually, I hope there aren't any giant creatures at all...’

Shuddering at the thought of giant beasts that want to prey on me, I shake my head, trying to make the nightmare-like images go away.

After walking along for maybe an hour or two in this fairly warm and humid weather, I'm drenched in sweat; which isn't all that pleasant.

‘At least I don't smell… yet.’ I remark to myself.

On the positive side, I'm almost at the river now so I could perhaps jump in and wash off a bit.

‘Unless there are giant alligators in there…’

Arriving at the river, I kneel on the beach bank and inspect the water.

It's crystal clear and seems fresh. Looking around the immediate area reveals no dead wildlife.

After inspecting some shallow parts of the river, I even find some fish swimming around.

The water seems safe enough to drink, so I take a sip and taste the water.

Best tasting water I've had in my life, period.

Noticing something moving out the corner of my eye, I turn my head to look and realize it's my reflection.

Heh, who would've thought, right?

However, it looks… different somehow. Leaner and more boyish than I am used to… That's it! the reflection looks younger. Strange...

“What's up with this? I look like I did at 15. No beard and baby faced…” I say as i touch my face to check if the reflection is accurate, which it seems it is.

‘Did Cerberus do this? … Why though?’ I ponder to myself. ‘I guess it's a minor problem, in the larger scale of things. What with giant talking dogs and all...’ I muse and shrug.

Cupping my hands, I greedily drink my fill of water.

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With my thirst sated comes the next problem: hunger.

I can feel it creeping up on me and I have nothing editable on me.

Looking towards the wall I estimate it's still hours away, if I can reach it today at all.

‘It would be nice if I'd be able to find something to eat now, rather than when I reach the walls...’

Looking over at the Cubby’s, I ponder whether they would taste good or not.

‘They look like cows, kind of, but then again: How would I even go about killing, not to speak of slaughtering one of those? I don't even know the first thing about slaughtering animals… And who knows if they are pack animals that react violently when faced with violence.’ I muse as I look at the grazing animals.

‘I sure don't want to get killed by a bunch of cow-bunnies. Best to find something I can be reasonably sure can't kill me...’ I decide.

Sweeping my gaze around my surroundings; I search for any possible food source.

I already know there are fish in the river, so that's good and all.

What’s less good is that I can't reach them, nevermind catch them.

Even if I had a fishing spear, which I don't, I doubt I could reach them.

A fishing rod or a net would've got the job done, but again, I don't have either.

Plus I lack most of the materials needed to be able to make either too. I mean, I don't even have a knife for crying out loud.

Faced with reality, I Sighing loudly.

“…Guess it's off to look for mushrooms, berries or… something.” I mutter to myself as I look around for a likely place to find something editable.

About 200 m to the west of the road there is a small collection of bushes and trees.

‘As good a place to start looking as any.’ I figure and walk away from the road and into the shrubbery.

Only a few meters in, I already regret my choices, as I run into a giant boar-creature with huge tusks.

Easily being 1 and a half meters tall as well as almost a meter wide, it makes for an impressive beast.

Standing a few meters in front of me, it doesn't look happy to see me, if its glaring and snarling at me is anything to go by.

Freezing mid step, I try my best to not to make a sound or aggravate the boar.

As the moment drags on, my foot in the air grows tired and I'm slowly forced to lower it.

As I give in to gravity and lower my foot...

*Snap!*

A twig snapping was the last straw, and the boar with its hearty frame practically leaps towards me, as he charges me with very dangerous looking tusks at a ready to skewer me upon them.

“Shit!“

Throwing myself out of the way of its charge, I turn my head to the boar only to realize the boar has already turned and is charging at me again, and is almost upon me.

Fear and a hot sinking feeling grows in my stomach at the sight of my impending death by boar.

The hot sinking feeling rapidly grows to feel like a fire pit in my stomach.

Barely half a meter away now, I throw my hands up in front of my face as a last resort defence.

Just as something gives in my stomach and the world goes white.

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‘Something smells burnt…?’ I note in the passing as the whiteness starts to recede.

After a few seconds of blindness, my vision has mostly returned.

As I tentatively inspect myself, I notice I generally look like a mess.

My clothes are torn here and there plus all the dirt and whatnot I am coated in thanks to rolling around on the ground added on, gives me the complete “Disheveled, dirty and probably poor” look. Which I'm totally not going for.

Pinching my cheeks hurts, so I'm sure I'm not dreaming. Or dead.

“Unless you can feel pain while dead…?” I mutter quietly.

Patting myself down, I seem fine except some scratches and bruises from dodging the first charge.

Clearly, I am alive. How and why, though? No idea.

Turning my attention outwards, I search for the boar, and after a quick glance around the area, I spot it. Or rather, its corpse.

Laying around 10 meters in front of me, the boar is smoking slightly, and has obviously been burned… by something.

Looking around reveals no source of fire. Except some burned ground in front of me and the boar, which is now laying at the base of a cracked and partially fallen tree, nothing in the clearing bears any evidence of a fire having ravaged the clearing.

Walking over unsteadily to the still smoking boar remains, I kneel beside it and examine it closer: It's been thoroughly burned with some exposed parts being charred pretty badly, and as I hold my hand close to its skin, I can feel a slight heat emitting from the now dead boar.

That being the case, I tentatively try touching it with a finger.

While it's a bit hot, it's not hot enough to burn my hand, a little warmer than lukewarm: around 40-50 degrees celsius, perhaps.

“What caused this? Was I saved by a stray lightning bolt? However unlikely that seems...” I ponder aloud.

But then it hits me like a sledgehammer; Cerberus.

That strange burning heat came from when he poked me in the chest.

‘So... what? He put fire in me or…?’ I ponder as I stare down at my hands.

Trying to remember the feeling I had when I was about to get mushed by the boar, I notice how a sliver of a flame starts dancing just above my right palm. “Huh… “

Redoubling my efforts I manage to make a small flame dance in my palms.

It's warm to the touch but not in an unpleasant sort of way, but rather more like a “laying in bed with a warm cover on a cold morning” kind of warmth. Comforting and safe.

After a few minutes of experimenting I suddenly start feeling incredibly weak. And hungry. Really, really hungry.

I lean and slide down to sit leaning against the tree by the, for lack of better words, cooked, boar.

Looking at the boar hunger pangs flare up and saliva flood my mouth like a broken dam. “I might as well, right?”

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Having eaten my fill of the, surprisingly tasty and well grilled, boar which meat came away surprisingly easy, and in large strips from its grilled body; I decide I still need to get somewhere safer, and preferably very fast, too.

Therefore I decide to forgo further experimentation with whatever the origin of the flame is for now, and instead focus on getting somewhere safe… r. Safer. Less likely to get me killed? -Yeah, that.

That decided, I promptly walk back to the road and the river, and once back at the river I drink my fill of the delicious water before I look up at the sun to confirm its position.

I reckon I still have 4-5 hours of sun left.

With that confirmed, and with my hunger and thirst sated; I stand up and promptly resume my walk along the road towards what I believe are man-made structures of stone.

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An hour or so later a cart, being pulled by two strange lizard creatures, comes rolling up from behind.

The creatures look strangely similar to giant salamanders.

One of them is green, while the other is red, but otherwise there is nothing I can see to tell them apart.

The driver seems to be a middle aged man, entirely human looking, strangely enough.

He is wearing some kind of work clothes and guessing by its lack of design and dirty spots here and there, I would guess manual labor of some sort.

‘A farmer perhaps?’ I ponder as the cart slows down as it approaches my vicinity.

From first spotting the cart far off in the distance, it only took it roughly 10 minutes to arrive before me. It must be going at least 50, maybe even 60 km/h. Crazy, especially with roads like this.

As the cart lines up besides me the driver says, in a surprisingly deep voice: “What have we got ‘ere? A lil lone boy out in the wilds?”

Jumping down from the wagon, he looks me over with a cool demeanor. “Ye dun look like da type ta survive out here in the wilds... Wha' happen'd ta you?” he says as he regards me carefully.

Thinking on my feet, I make up a vague story.

“I'm from a small village out in the wilds, from over yonder.” I say while indicating towards where I came from while looking him in the eye.

“I am trying to make my way to the closest town to find work and shelter.” I say and pause a moment before continuing: “I have no place left there anymore.” I finish, gaze dropping towards my feet.

A moment of silence ensues, as the old man is seemingly contemplating something.

‘Perhaps mulling over how true my story is?’ I muse as I do my best to keep my nervousness from showing.

Seemingly done mulling, the man nods once and looks me in the eye. “I see. Not enough food to go around huh?” he mutters quietly.

Nodding slowly, I reply with a quiet: “Yeah…”

A moment later, he grins widely and says “Ya wont a ride then? I'm going to da city to sell mah wares and I could use da company.”

Grimacing, he continues: “It gets real dull after a few hours or so of riding alone. It's really too bad Dera and Sera can't speak.” he says as he pats the lizards pulling the cart on their heads. “But what they lack in intelligence, they more than make up for with their great endurance, strength and speed. If only they could talk, then they'd be the ultimate beast of toil.” He says and smiles at the creatures. Snapping out of his monolog, he looks up at me and smiles apologetically. “Sorry, I'ma ramblin' again"

“No, it's fine. I've never seen such a beast before. What is it called?” I ask full of curiosity.

“Hmm? Never seen a Tarr 'efore? Dera and Sera here are Tarrs. One a day few known types a' docile monsters dat can be trained ta do various duties.”

Nodding, I reply with a simple: “I see.” as I look at the creatures.

“So, how about that ride?” He then says suddenly.

Grinning widely at him, I reply with: “I would love a ride, my feet are killing me.”

Laughing a bit, he climbs back up on his wagon and waves to his right. “Hop on and let's be on our way then.” he says.

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End of chapter 1.