“No! We musssst finisssh the ccceremony!” The Lizard cried, as the newcomers began to attack the kneeling figures. He began to take up the chanting, this time in a language Dominic could not understand, as the other Lizard cast some sort of spell around the center of the room.

“Manon, quick! Break through that barrier! We have to stop the rite before it’s too late!” a deep voice shouted out.

Dominic was watching the whole thing from about five feet above his head, and when the chanting began, the shadowy figure began to descend again.

“Don’t let them finish the rite!” A high, musical voice shouted out.

Dominic saw a short, pointy ear female raise her hands, chanting in an unknown language as a cerulean blue color shot out of her hands to impact on the barrier.

“Aye, lass! I’s got it!” said a Half-Orc who must have been seven feet tall. “ARMOR!” He shouted, and his armor began to glow a soft orange color, as he ran to impact the magic shield with a *THWAP*. He bounced back, laughing and shouted “AGAIN! ARMOR!”

“Stop it Hob!” Shouted the first, deep voice, which Dominic could tell belonged to a Dwarf with strawberry blonde hair on his head and with a massive beard that would make any lumberjack jealous. “Let Manon take the shield down, then get with your crazy armor tackle!”

Hob stood aside as Manon finished her furious chanting, with the cerulean blue now dripping from her eyes as she flung her hands again at the shield. The blue stream thickened to be bigger around than the Half-Orc, and with one final syllable, the stream stopped and the shield began to dissipate into the ether.

Without a pause, Hob cried out “ARMOR!” again, and rushed towards the two Lizard men. The shield holder had his hands in his head as Targ dodged the Half-Orc as he kept chanting. The shield holder let out a cry as Hob barreled into him and he flew across the room and smacked into the wall. He sat there dazed when he sprouted three arrows in his chest and fell over, dead.

“He were mines, pretty boy!” Hob cried over his shoulder, looking at the opening the Adventurers had come in, to hear a chuckle coming from just out of sight.

“Next time, hit harder, and I won’t have to save your butt Hob” said a soft, floaty voice.

“Now boys, shut up and let's get this last one so Tadeo and Father Abraham can stop this ritual and hopefully save the human. “Manon said, the blue liquid on her face adding severity to her words, brooking no argument from the others.

“I guess it be my turn! Grobelle, lend me yur aide!” cried out the Dwarf, and he rushed towards the last Lizard standing, who was frantically trying to finish the rite.

Dominic felt himself grow colder with each word that Targ said, as the shadowy presence in the room thickened more and more. He thought he saw a hand begin to form in the shadows, getting closer to touching him, as he turned back to the action below.

Targ was able to keep chanting as he dodged the Dwarf’s mace attacks, though each swing was getting closer as he started to slow down.

“Here, maybe this will help you stay cool Tadeo!” a higher voice called out as a metallic object smaller than an apple flew into the fray to land at Targ’s feet. He didn’t even look down as the sound of gears grinding spread throughout the room, and when they stopped, there was a small pop as a white mist shot into the air.

“Dammit Svelt, I had it under control, you little shit monkey!” Tadeo yelled out in his bass voice. “Why’d you throw a Frigid Blast over here? Are you trying to freeze my berries off”

A high pitched giggle sounded from behind Manon as a small… man? popped out and responded “Trust me Tadeo, your berries are safe! But, our Lizard friend will find himself in a wee bit of trouble, or my name isn’t Svelt Silvertongue!”

Dominic found himself laughing as he turned and saw that Targ was slowing down at a faster rate, as his reptilian body was affected by the cold mist covering most of his lower body. Tadeo rushed in and raised his mace high into the air, crying out “Mace Mash in the name of Grobelle!”

His mace took on a bright red glow as it descended almost too fast to watch, and as it connected with Targ’s skull, it exploded into an array of gory bits. Dominic turned from the sight, to see the shadowy hand now accompanied by the most beautiful man he’d ever seen, with a terrifying look on his face as his face decomposed right in front of him. The hand reaching for him followed suit, turning skeletal as it wrapped around his throat, instantly freezing his entire being, and intense wracking pain assaulted Dominic’s body and mind as he tried to scream.

“Tadeo! We must act quickly to save this man! He’s almost taken by the Evil one!” An older man shouted as he rushed towards the plinth that Dominic’s body was laying on. “Call on Gaia and I will call on Bruddione, and hopefully they will be able to help this man”

The Cleric and Paladin lay their hands on Dominic’s cold shoulders, bowed their heads and began to pray to their chosen Goddesses, calling out for help.

Dominic could not hear their words as he was trapped in DuPeagre’s grip, with his life flashing before his eyes. All of the mistakes he’d made, every hurtful word he’d ever said or thought, each time he’d been selfish and horrible playing over and over in his mind.

The rest of the party approached the plinth and began to call out to their personal Deities for help as well.

“Qharis, please help this man…”

“Sakura, lend Tadeo and Father Abraham your aid…”

“Nuotl, help Father free this man...

“Aequus, balance the scales for this unfortunate human…”

A golden glow shone from the assembled group as Father Abraham stopped his fervent prayer to cry out “Cleanse the foul presence from this plane and free this young man from its grasp! EVIL BE GONE!”

With the last shout, the golden glow shot throughout the entire room, ripping the skeletal hand from Dominic’s throat, ending his horrific visions as his soul sank back down into his body. He heard a maniacal laugh in his mind “I will find you, dear Dominic, and get what is owed to me. I promise you that!!” as the shadowy presence fled the light.

As his soul settled into his body, his vision blurred and he stirred slowly, slurring as he said “whaa ‘appened?” He couldn’t move, and his mind was struggling to get answers.

“Peace my son, you’ve had a run in with a nasty set of characters, but don’t worry. They are gone and you are safe” the Cleric said wearily.

“Yup! And thank Tatsuya we got here when we did! One minute later, and you would’ve been a goner!” The gnome said as he jumped up on the plinth by Dominic’s feet.

“Really Svelt? Now is not the time for your shit when this man has gone through all of this and who knows what else?” Manon said, leaning in to look Dominic in the face. “It’ll be okay sweetie, Tadeo and Svelt will get you free in just a minute. Boris and Hob are scouting the rest of this area to make sure there aren’t anymore cultists, and then we will get you out of here. Does that sound good?”

“Some guys get all the luck…” moaned Svelt as he worked on the restraints on Dominic’s feet. He mimic’d Manon’s sibilant voice “Are you okay sweetie? Does the naked human need anything? Some clothes? Maybe someone to share his human bed?”

“Shut yer gob Svelt!” Chastised Tadeo as he pushed the gnome off the plinthe. “She’s just being kind to a former cult sacrifice who looks scared out of his wits!” Tadeo looked at Dominic, “Sorry sir, no offense meant, but you look more scared than a Dwarf on his wedding night.” He looked back at Svelt, “So don’t be a shit monkey!”

Dominic tried to follow what was happening, but his mind was having trouble. “Wha I ‘rink? ‘an’t hink, ‘an’t alk.” He tried to say more, but his voice stopped working.

“Father!?! Somethings wrong with the human!” Manon cried out, grabbing Dominic’s left hand and patting it. “It’ll be okay friend, we will figure this out!”

The Cleric came back over with the Chalice in his hands and sniffed the cup. “Manon, I have some idea of what’s happening, but there are a few things here that I can’t identify. I need your nose. “

He held the chalice out to her, and she took it in her hands, but as she sniffed the cup, she loudly gasped and dropped it. “Quick Father! Cast a Cure Poison, Advanced or higher! There was Assassin’s Desire in the potion!”

“Assassin’s Desire! Oh shit monkey’s this is bad!” Svelt yelled. “Here, give him this!!!” he dug into his belt pouch, pulling out a bundle of herbs. “This is Knockroot and Mugwort! It will neutralize most of what was in that potion so you can focus on healing the Assassin’s Desire!”

He thrust the bundle at Father Abraham, who took it and opened it, casting a water spell to mix the herbs with to make a paste, which he put in Dominic’s mouth. “My boy, I know this is hard, but I need you to swallow this! It tastes terrible, but it will help me heal the worst of what was in this brew! So focus and SWALLOW!”

Dominic focused all his energy on swallowing the mash in his mouth, almost gagging on the horrible texture. Manon began petting his arm again as the mixture slowly slide down his throat. When it reached his stomach, he began to feel tingling throughout his body as if it was waking up after sleeping in an odd position.

Father Abraham lay his hands on Dominic’s head and began to chant “Great Goddess Gaia, I ask for your aid again. Please help cure this young man of the foul poison forced upon him. CURA MAXIMUM!”

Dominic felt his body seize up as the spell rushed through his body, expelling the poison from his veins through every pore in his body. The poison ate holes through the little clothing he was wearing, and his body began to shiver. He started to curl into himself, and Tadeo placed a hand on his shoulders.

“Hold still. We have to get the poison off of you before it starts to sink in again. Manon, water spell please!”

“One Undine’s Splash coming right up!” She said as she raised her hands. Water rushed out, covering Dominic’s whole body and washing away all of the poison, as well as ripping off the tattered clothes on his body.

Dominic’s mind started to clear with the washing of his body, and he became keenly aware of the cold… and his fully nude body.

“Umm, would someone happen to have something for me to wear?” He whispered, feeling his face burn all the way to the tips of his ears.

“Is that what all humans look like naked?” Svelt asked. “Kind of… pink, no?”

“Shut yer gob, ye little monster. If ye thinks he looks oddly, I can attest to the fact ye look worse than a goblin scrotum in the cold night air.” Tadeo said, shooting Svelt a nasty look.

“I have so many questions…” Svelt giggled, when Father Abraham handed Dominic a brown roughspun robe, helping him maneuver it over his body.

“No worries my son. This robe will keep you warm until we can get you some better fitting clothes. Not much protection, but it’ll do.” Father Abraham turned to the others, motioning for them to head towards the exit. “Now, let’s get out of this dark place before we all catch a cold.”

Father Abraham helped Dominic down from the plinth, and he held tight to Dominic’s arm as they began to walk through the exit.

“My son, I know you have been through much, but be at ease. We will help you to the nearest town and make sure that you find your way home once you feel better. Just rest your voice and lean on me.”

Dominic couldn’t help but feel relieved as Father Abraham helped him through the tunnels that made up the cultist den. The flickering torch lights were not much help with his lack of glasses, and there was an iron tang to the air. He knew that meant that there was a bloody scene before him, making him very glad he could not see more.

Much quicker than he imagined, there was a bright light coming from the end of the tunnel, and the group walked out into a forest clearing in front of the cultist’s cavern.

“Come sir! Boris has made a fire and started a stew for us as he survey’s the area for any signs of fleeing cultists.” Manon came to Dominic’s other side, taking some of the burden from Father Abraham to help Dominic towards the fire circle.

“Hob, take Svelt out to set up his sentry bots, then let Boris know that the food is ready if he’s finished his walk in the forest for the moment. Make him come back… by force if ye must.” Tadeo told the two, then he pulled bowls out of a pack, filling them with stew and handing them out to Manon, Father Abraham, and Dominic before filling one for himself and sitting down by the fire.

Dominic waited to see what the others would do, squinting to see if there was a spoon available for use. He saw Manon lift the bowl to her lips, blowing at the hot liquid before she slowly sipped from the bowl.

“Ah, nothing like a good Wayward stew after fucking up some bad guy’s plans for world domination!” Manon said, burping loudly and giggling.

Dominic just stared as Father Abraham and Tado joined in, giggling themselves. Father Abraham laughed so hard, some stew shot out his nose, hitting the fire and setting the three off again. Who the hell were these people?

“Did we miss the stew nose spray again?” Svelt said, running into the clearing while putting a large object into his tiny belt pouch.

“Alas, you did little rascal!” Father Abraham chuckled. “But do not worry, it only burned a little bit, and just hit the fire, not anyone sitting behind it this time.”

“Hmmpf!” Was his only response as he filled a bowl bigger than his head with stew and sat down next to Tadeo. Hob followed suit, but sitting on Manon’s right, leaving space for the never-seen Boris to sit between him and Tadeo.

Dominic slowly shook his head, and lifted the stew to his face, taking a whiff. It smelled of rosemary…. Pork…. Maybe honey? Whatever was in the stew, it would taste better than the last two things he’d had to drink. He softly blew across the bowl before taking a tentative sip.

As the liquid hit his tongue, an assortment of flavors assaulted his tongue and he began to drink faster. Before too long, the bowl was devoid of liquid, and there were chunks of meat and veggies at the bottom. He glanced towards Father Abraham and saw him using his fingers to pick up the bits on the bottom of his bowl, and he did the same.

The meat was tender and delicious. He barely needed to chew, though he was satisfied to see that the veggies were not soggy in the slightest, just like he preferred.

After he finished his food, he glanced up and squinted, seeing that there was a new dwarf sitting next to Tadeo. He was a little larger than the other dwarf, but had no beard, a slightly slimmer face, almost a ‘pretty boy.’ He figured he was staring at Boris, so he squinted at the rest of the group, seeing that they were all avoiding staring back at him.

This went on for a few minutes, before Svelt broke the awkward silence. “Okay Pinky, I have to ask. What is with the squinty look you keep giving us? Do you have a weird scan requirement? What were you doing in that cultist cavern? Where are you from? Why do you have designs on your skin? Are you a mutated human?”

He looked to be ramping up for more questions when Father Abraham lay his hand on Svelt’s shoulder and gave him a look that said ‘that’s enough for now’.

He turned towards Dominic, and smiled. “Please excuse Svelt, he really does mean well.”

“No, I really don’t. At least not yet with this human. I just want to know some shit! He could be a plant! The Reylap clan has always been after my secret recipes!.”

“Sigh” The whole group rolled their eyes as Tadeo smacked Svelt on the arm.

“Yes Svelt, the Reylap clan found a sect of the Evil One’s cult who needed a specific sacrifice, found someone who fit the bill who volunteered to possibly die in the most horrific way, in the hopes that a very specific group of Adventurers would come to rescue said sacrifice, just in the hopes of finding your “secret recipes” which no one in their right minds actually wants.” Manon chastised Svelt, with Hob nodding along with her.

“Hey, it could happen!” He protested, standing up tall and pointing at Manon and Hob. “And I’ll have you know that the Gnomish prince of Tegratia once offered me his eldest daughter’s hand in marriage for my Self-Saucing Swiss Roll recipe!”

“Children, this is not the time nor the place for this type of conversation. Please put it away for later.” Father Abraham chided the three.

“Now, sir, let us introduce ourselves. I am Father Abraham, Cleric of the Great Goddess Gaia and Leader of our team of Adventurers.” he said, touching his chest. “Next to you is Manon Berrilys, Wizard of the Fourth Circle and our team’s Enchanter; Hob Ilgrall, Fighter and wielder of the Armor of Bashing; Boris Redbraid, Ranger and our team’s navigator; Tadeo Redbraid, Paladin of the Goddess Grobelle and our team’s Battle Leader; and…. “

Svelt jumped up, shouting “Wait! Let me do it!!” Father Abraham wearily motioned for him to proceed, and he bounced gleefully closer to Dominic.

“And I am the amazing, majestic, and fantastic Svelt Silvertongue. Maker of Mighty Machines of Magic and… uh… Might! Creator of horrible brews such as The Nut Freezer and the Purple Nurple-er!” He let out a maniacal laugh as he reached into his pouch, threw down an item that burst a flash of light and when Dominic’s vision cleared, Svelt was sitting on top of Tadeo’s head with ‘tah-dah!’ hands.

“Very nice Svelt.” Father Abraham said, nodding to the small gnome as Tadeo thrust his head back, throwing Svelt off with a yelp. “Sir, would you be so kind as to introduce yourself to us? Then we can move on to other questions.”

Dominic sat up tall, looked around the circle, opened his mouth, and nothing came out. He put a hand to his neck, feeling his Adam’s apple moving as he tried to speak, but there were no vibrations. He began to feel a panic rise within him, as this was the last straw in an already insane day, when Father Abraham reached over to him and said “PEACE young man” with golden glowing eyes.

Dominic felt a calm infuse his body, and he relaxed into his seat. Manon touched his arm and asked, “Can you read and write?”. After he nodded, she handed him a piece of parchment and quill, motioning for him to write.

He hunched over and did his best to write without making too many inkblots on the page, but was able to scrawl out his name ‘Dominic’ onto the parchment, holding it up for others to see.

“Ah, so your name is Dominic!” Manon said with glee, clapping her hands.

“Now can we ask him why he’s squinting?” Svelt asked, hunched over working on a contraption in his lap.

“Yes, why are you squinting my boy?” Father Abraham asked.

Dominic hunched over again, writing slowly to avoid mistakes, and when he finished he sat up and passed the parchment to Manon.

She read it aloud for the group. “I need my glasses to see, but woke up in there without them.” The group sat in silence for a few minutes, and Hob chimed in.

“What in the blue blazes are glasses?”

The rest of the grouped nodded in assent, and Dominic motioned for the parchment, bending over to write more. This time, he added a few questions of his own. Handing it back to Manon, he sat, waiting patiently for answers.

“They are a device that goes on my face to help me see.. Otherwise, I have to squint. Where am I? What is this place? What are you all!?!?!?”

The group again sat in silence, with Father Abraham breaking the silence with the clearing of his throat. “My boy, are you not from a local village?”

Dominic shook his head, and the group sharply breathed in as one. Father Abraham then asked, “Are you… from far away?” Dominic nodded in assent, and Hob butt in. “Are you from Bairsville? That’s the farthest place I can think of!”.

Tadeo cleared his throat. “I think Father Abraham is asking if he’s a Rover from another realm or plane.” He turned towards Dominic. “I know that they be rare, but might ye be from another realm or plane?”

Dominic shrugged, then motioned for the parchment again. He scribbled answers as fast as he could, then handed the parchment back to Manon.

“I am from a planet called Earth. It is very different from what little I can see here, with only human beings and no other types of people like all of you.” As she read this, Dominic pointed to everyone, except for Father Abraham. “I don’t know if my World is on another plane or realm, or just another planet far from here. All I know is that I went to bed in my room, and woke up on that pile of rock.”

“I think it’s called a plinth,” Manon said.

“Eh, I’d call it more a dais than a plinth,” Svelt chimed in.

“Oooo! Or an altar! It was meant for a sacrifice!” Manon rebutted, then paused, turning to Dominic and seeing the color draining from his face. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring back unsavory memories.” She shrugged. “Svelt and I enjoy words, especially finding the right ones.”

Tadeo and Father Abraham let out sighs, but surprisingly it was Boris who spoke. “So, you’re from another world, and woke up in the middle of a sacrificial rite?” Dominic nodded. “Alright, we stopped the cultists and saved an innocent. Let’s drop him off at the closest city and get back to the Collegium.”

“Now hold on there a minute Boris,” Tadeo said, putting his hand on Boris’ shoulder. “We need to make sure that he’s taken care of, considering that he’s been ripped from his world and all he knows. We can’t just drop him off all alone!”

“Fine! Just figure it out and let me know when we are leaving. I’m going to clean the bowls and figure out the best way home.” Boris said, getting up and collecting all of the bowls, then he walked off into the forest.

Dominic just squinted in surprise, and Manon leaned over. “Don’t worry Dominic. He’s a little prickly with new people, but once you get to know him he’s…”

“A delightful asshole,” Svelt said. Tadeo just pushed him off his seat while rolling his eyes.

“Forgive me brother, Dominic. He’s used to rejection from people because of his mixed heritage and his looks, so he tends to push others away before they reject him.”

Dominic just nodded, figuring it was easier to agree than worry about having to write more with the damned quill.

Father Abraham took control of the conversation again, stating “I know it’s a lot to handle Dominic, but you are safe for the moment. Please, relax and we will try to answer any questions you may have in just a minute. First, can you look at your display and let us know if there is a reason that you cannot speak?”

Dominic squinted what he hoped was a confused squint at Father Abraham, and held his hand out to Manon for the parchment again. Once she placed it in his hand, he got to work writing.

“What display? Is it like a status screen? Tells you about health, stamina, etc?” Manon read over his shoulder. Gleefully she said, “Exactly! It helps us know our inborn strengths and figure out how best to grow, especially once you find which class or classes best suit you.”

Dominic scribbled more before he let Manon read more. “Yeah, I don’t have anything like that. On my world, we don’t have a status screen, and I def. don’t have one here. Should I?”

Father Abraham had pulled a pipe out of his belt pouch during the exchange and was puffing when he heard the last bit. He started coughing loudly, with Svelt jumping up to whack him on the back and saying “Hold up your hands! Mama Silvertongue said to always life your arms when choking!”

“He’s fine you little shit monkey, sit yer ass down!” Tadeo growled, grabbing Svelt by the back of the shirt and dragging him over to sit by Hob. “Sit, and don’t move. Hob, if he moves, you know what to do!”

“Ooo! Snot rocket to the fore!” Hob said, snorting then clearing his throat. Svelt, Manon, and Dominic all shivered.

“I’ll be good,” Svelt grumbled, taking out another machine to work on at Hob’s feet.

Father Abraham had quit coughing by this time, taking a pull from his water skin, then sitting up to look at Dominic. “My son, all sentients of this world have access to their display after they are Anointed by the Great Goddess Gaia and have her blessings Awakened in them.” He looked a bit sour when he said the next part. “But this generally happens on a child’s sixteenth year. And I hesitate to ask, but you are much older than sixteen, no?”

Dominic nodded, and showed on his fingers that he was thirty-two years old.

“Oh, by Luzrasils Balls, that’s not good, is it Father?” Hob said.

“Honestly, I’m not sure.” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “While I have heard of late Awakenings if a child was not able to go through the Anointing at the normal age, but never this long after. I think the longest I’ve ever heard was five years, and that was a special case where the child had been shipwrecked alone on an island. Her clan was able to Anoint her soon after she was found, but it was a risk. And there were… consequences.”

Svelt looked like he was going to ask, when Tadeo shot him a wide eyed look that promised a rocket or two going his way, and he gulped, held his hands up and motioned for Father Abraham to continue.

“I will have to pray on this, and see if perhaps the Great Goddess will let me know her will.” Father Abraham said with a sigh. “Then, perhaps I can take another look at you and see why your voice isn’t working”.

Dominic scribbled on the parchment, then thrust it at Father Abraham this time. “‘Do I need to be Anointed and Awakened?’. The short answer is no, but the longer answer is that life will be much harder for you here if you are unAnointed. Many smaller towns are filled with prejudices towards anyone not Awakened, to the point where some won’t hire you for anything decent.”

Dominic’s shoulders slumped, but Manon rest her hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry Dominic, Father has a wonderful rapport with the Great Goddess. I’m sure she will send him something to help!” She smiled at him as he turned to face her, then she looked at the Father.

“Do you have anything that will help Dominic rest? He’s had a taxing day and I think that a rest will do him well.”

“OOoooo! Manon and Dominic, sitting on a buck…”

“Snnnngg, ptew” Before Svelt could say more, Hob spit a massive amount of green ooze at him, landing on the back of his head and whipping around to smack him in the face. Svelt wiped off just enough to say “Worth it!” before he pulled a towel out of his pouch and worked on wiping off the rest.

Tadeo walked over to Dominic, holding out a roll of material. “Here, take my bed roll. It’ll be a little short, but it’ll help protect ye from the cold earth below ye as ye rest.” He helped Dominic up and over to a shady spot of the clearing, far away from the cavern entrance, but close enough to the group.

Manon followed the two, setting a cushion down near him. “I’ll stay here until you drift off, just in case you are too nervous to sleep! The boys will keep us all safe, and when you wake, Father will hopefully have some answers!”

Father Abraham came over, handing Dominic a potion bottle. “This is a mild sleeping potion. It will help you get some rest, but it won’t make you dead to the world, just in case there is trouble.” He smiled reassuringly at Dominic. “Don’t worry my boy, I will have answers when you wake.” Then, he walked to another area of the clearing and Dominic assumed he was going to pray. He couldn’t see clearly enough to tell.

He looked at the bottle in his hands, pulled the stopper and thought “Well, bottom’s up!” and drained the bottle in one pull. He then lay down, and before he knew it, he was out