Gifted Eko and his men were standing in the gatehouse’s shade as the day was already warm. He’d allowed a little relaxation today, given the low traffic through their area. This entrance usually had small parties or single travelers as they moved towards the hunting grounds or untamed wilds up north, while the southern or eastern gates saw much heavier traffic leading into the Alliance’s heartland.

He glanced at his two troublemakers, Veti and Seb, keeping a close eye on them. They were out in the sun nearby, working the slow trickle through the gate as punishment for mouthing off at the wrong merchant, who’d gone on to spread nasty tales. If it wasn’t for their family’s close connections with a minor branch of the Leighsal family, he’d have already tossed them from the guard.

The two idiots had just waved in Mak, the peddler, when a woman walked up with a man trailing behind her. Even at a distance, the woman was striking, wearing an ill-fitting dress with a strange wide leather belt, roughly matching pants, and ugly squared shoes. Under the shabby clothes hid a beautiful young dark-haired woman with nearly unblemished skin showing only hints of the sun’s caress, while her dress did little to conceal the attractive form underneath. Even with the beautiful woman in the lead, the strange man behind her drew his attention, and Eko was sure he’d never seen him before. Standing head and shoulders taller than either guard but dressed like a beggar, he stuck out from the usual travelers. If the stranger had even a modicum of martial ability, he’d have fit in with the temple’s Elites due to his size alone. He was clearly unbound with the heavy staff, so perhaps a frontier Common playing at guard work?

Eko considered stepping in, realizing that Veti would likely flirt with her like the fool he was, always believing himself the spirits’ gift to women. His even more foolish cousin Seb would then try and intimidate her companion, which looked incredibly silly given the relative size between him and the vagrant giant. He almost sighed in frustration, knowing he’d have to discipline the fools again while facing their families' wrath.

He was just starting to move in their direction when shivers suddenly crawled up and down his spine, and he frowned while trying to extend his senses to pick out the source. His instincts were screaming of impending mortal danger as if a monster had awakened and was only moments away from springing forth to ravage the town. Seb and Veti hadn’t reacted to the warning, but the idiots were too weak to sense another’s strength, let alone feel their peril. The woman backed away from his guards, but the giant man scowled with murderous intent just as a powerful pulse of death swept over and past Eko and his men.

A cold sweat hit him with a prickling chill while the crawling sensation was joined by a hollow pit in his stomach. He hadn’t felt strength like this since his time in Bailemor – before moving to Herria and the Northmarch region. Still, he’d been there for the famous battle against Neonack and her filthy blood cult. He could only hope that Herria didn’t suffer the same fate as that poor region where thousands had lost their lives, and some local family bloodlines were nearly wiped out before they managed to bring down the Blessed and her people.

Shaking off the dark memories, he realized that he might be able to appease the powerful monster disguising itself as a simple man before matters deteriorated further. Engaging one of his minor agility abilities, he blurred forward to close the distance, appearing next to the growing trouble and body checked into Seb, throwing the weaker man through the air to land meters from the road. Quickly turning, he swept out his right arm, careful in his power but still connecting with Veti’s gut, a whoosh of air from Veti evidence of the power of the strike as he folded forward, trying to breathe as his diaphragm momentarily forgot how to function.

Now at full display, the monster’s power swept beyond the wall and into the city. Those closest to the gate felt it most keenly, with warriors and Gifted turning north to face the danger. The guards he’d left near the gatehouse showed appropriate intelligence as they dropped to kneel on the ground while bowing their heads towards the monster in beggar’s clothes. The small open square past the gate had other people prostrate as well, some on one knee with their head down, while a single woman he didn’t recognize bowed at the waist.

Eko bowed to the shabbily dressed giant with deep respect, even more than he would show to a Blessed in the capital. “My most humble apology, oh merciful Blessed, but we had no word of your arrival. By your strength, I am Gifted Eko, leader of the North Gate. I must own my shame by admitting these two were my men, though no longer! They will be ejected from the guard immediately.”

***

Eli looked around with surprise and confusion after his emotions had been whipsawed back and forth. First, he’d felt rage at the two guards and their treatment of Dara. The alarming parallels with that disgusting corporal from his past, and the complete disregard for anything beyond their own carnal pursuits, made him snap. When he lost control, there was a strange explosion in his chest, and a heady feeling of power filled him. In a heartbeat, he was suddenly aware of people beyond the wall and even further into the town. He felt like he could almost close his eyes yet still point out where every single person was, and for some reason, they were all kneeling or bowing in his direction.

Confused by the groveling, his bewilderment only grew when the new guy, Eko, beat up his own men. From his words, the guy had some authority over the two dipshits harassing him and Dara, but why did he assault his own people? It only added to the mysteries bouncing around Eli’s head, and he glanced at Dara for help.

She seemed fine if a little shocked at the quick turn of events. Her eyes narrowed on the offending guards but went wide again when she noticed the various people bowing or kneeling beyond the open gate. Turning back to him, she met his eyes before leaning in close to whisper, “Just tell them, ‘Rise’ so they know they may leave without giving offense.”

Confused but trusting her, Eli said, “Rise.” He’d intended it as a simple statement, but the word boomed loudly and reverberated in the air like he’d talked into a hot mic at full volume, and he flinched as his voice echoed back, unsure what had just happened. Filing the questions for later, he tried to retract his aura, but he found it more difficult than expected while his emotions raged almost out of his control after too many things had changed, had happened, in too short a time.

His single word was apparently enough as the people around him stood up from their different forms of respect. Silent, those nearby quickly moved away from the north end of town while a few more distant stuck around but kept an eye on him from a safe distance within the town.

Eko had straightened up from his bow as well. “If you wish for further atonement, I will eject them from the town. I ask for mercy on their behalf, little that they may deserve it. Their life is yours to take, but they are young and foolish.”

Eli stood still, trying to parse the stilted formal language Eko used. While his translation program gave him the words, he had to reread them in the chatbox to confirm he’d heard right. Somehow, Eko assumed that Eli would kill his two men and had offered to eject them, which splashed a little cold reality into his mind. He stopped himself from making a stupid quip and instead examined his feelings. No, death wasn’t what he wanted from the two fools – he’d happily have roughed them up a bit, but he wouldn’t have killed them.

Sighing, he slowly relaxed, realizing the fight was over, though he left Tracking on just in case. Both offending guards were shaking where they knelt a few meters away, their eyes staring down at the ground. One looked like he was still struggling to breathe, while the other held an arm close to his side with apparent pain.

Eko made a slight sound as if clearing his throat, and both guards did a full kowtow toward Eli before sitting back on their heels again, adopting a strange posture as their hands dropped limply to their sides. Behind them, their fellow guards had backed up towards the gatehouse and were pointedly looking at anything other than the source of the commotion. Behind them, the faces of little children peeked around the wooden structure beyond the edge of the gatehouse. A few older kids were there too, but when they saw his eyes on them, they jumped with fear and pulled the younger kids away.

Talay. Calm.

Eli took a slow breath, trying to find his center again as his emotions hammered for his attention. There was a scary part of him that wanted to punish these bullies, to make them feel pain and hurt them for what they’d almost done or could have done. The sight of the little kids helped him the most, seeing the terror in their expressions as they saw only the monster he feared becoming.

“Alright, guys,” he started, trying on a smile against the anger that still bubbled inside his chest while staring at the two offenders. “Let’s just chalk it up as a learning experience. I don’t think this needs to get bloody.” His eyes went to their boss next. “I’ll leave it up to you whether they should be fired, but if I hear about them doing this to other innocent travelers, I plan on talking to you about it next time.” His eyes returned to the two again, who’d started to relax but stiffened again when they noticed his attention. “After I’ve dealt with these two first, of course.” He smiled then, putting on the most threatening expression he could imagine as if daring them to step out of line and promising violence if they did. It helped that a piece of him still yearned for it, but he shoved the errant thought down.

The two men bowed again, but they hit their foreheads against the dirt ground hard enough that he heard the thump. Thoroughly confused, he decided to roll with it and simply nodded before turning back to Eko since they still needed to find a safe place to stay. “So, now that we’ve had our little excitement, is there somewhere we can stay? Like a hotel or something? Maybe there’s an inn here?” He looked to Dara since he hadn’t planned on taking the lead, but he’d screwed up their plans pretty thoroughly by this point.

She stepped forward as Eko glanced over at her, lowering her voice so the other guards couldn’t hear. “Gifted Eko,” she said quietly with a nod. “As you can imagine from our disguises, we’d prefer to keep our identities hidden for now. Unfortunately, your men forced us to reveal some of our strengths as some insults are simply too much.” Eko’s features smoothed out to a pretty good poker face as she made her introductions and his eyes darted between them. “We are simply passing through and will leave Herria tomorrow morning,” she said, barely above a whisper. “We’re looking for safe and suitable lodging and would appreciate your assistance in this matter. Can we count on your continued discretion?”

Eko blinked for a moment before nodding with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Of course. I will have to report the details to my commander, but I wouldn’t dream of telling anyone else. As to your accommodations, we have a Lodge here. It is simple, as Herria is only a border town, but I would be happy to show you the way! Yes, please, this way, honored travelers.” Eko gestured through the gateway as if in a hurry to get them on their way. He made some kind of hand signal at his three guards near the gate, and one of them nodded before dashing off into town.

Following Eko, Dara and Eli walked through the gate and into Herria for his first view of civilization in this new world. Honestly, it was nicer than he’d expected from his first impressions outside the wall. It didn’t smell like human sewage inside, though there was a stink that reminded him of too many people forced to live in a small space. The buildings were a mix ranging from rough log homes all the way to some with stone walls and a sort of thatch roof. They were mainly squared off, especially the wooden structures near the walls, but the farther they traveled, the nicer the homes became. He saw some tile roofs and taller buildings in the distance and guessed that might be where they were heading.

The whole place was also much larger than expected since, from outside, he hadn’t had a view of the rest of the town hidden by the slightly different elevation and a few low hills. A prominent building on the tallest one near the center looked almost like a palace with large outdoor spaces, balconies, and a garden on the top floor. Like most of the buildings in the town, it followed a similar squared architectural design, but with a few artfully rounded sculptures and stonework at the edges to soften the harsh lines. The lush plant life growing throughout, with small pools of water and fountains reflecting rainbows against the nearby stones, only added to the overall beauty. The balance of architecture with nature blended together raised the aesthetics to another level.

“Damn, nice place!”

Eko turned to Eli, “That is the temple of Dia Leigheas. It is the pride of Herria.” There was a warmth in Eko’s voice as he spoke on the temple. As they continued walking, Eko explained how the temple was founded decades ago. In fact, there were still some around that had witnessed the construction first-hand.

Shit, a lot of living eyewitnesses to the gods around here. Definitely not in Kansas anymore.

He pulled up his status and was surprised to find a new buff that even incorporated his new naming scheme.

Name: Eli Tal

Species: Human

Race: Restricted (Anomaly)

Level: 8

Evolution: High Mundane

Abilities: Tracking, Identify, Manasight, Healing, Flamethrower, Lifesight

Modifiers: *Blessing of Leigheas (+Mana Regen, +Defense, +Health Regen)

*Passive Blessing – Minor passive blessing of the Mortal Domain.

Mortal Domain?

The words seemed to imply that there were other domains, though he had no idea what they could be. The little note and blessing looked like another game mechanic or maybe a progression buff. Also, the name “Leigheas” tugged at a memory – it might have been a coincidence, but he could have sworn that there was a goddess of the earth or forest back home with that name. The idea that there could be some sort of cultural bleed between Earth and Lurra was crazy but seemed entirely possible. After all, he had ended up here, so why couldn’t others?

Plenty of people were going about their business, filling the sprawling town. After days of traveling through the forest with only Dara for company, it was a strange feeling for him. Most of them were dressed similarly to Dara, with loose flowing dresses over pants for many women, though some were in long robes of various colors. The men were also in pants, but most had on multiple layers of different shirts held closed with simple ties or large buttons. The better dressed had thick jackets with embroidery up the middle and along the shoulders with bits of glass or jewels around the neckline.

The various folks displayed different shades of skin color. However, they tended towards an olive complexion or almost light brown and tan. Eli saw a few darker and paler examples, but they were more of an exception and stood out a bit. Hair colors were all over the place, and unless hair dye was a popular thing, a few even sported blue and purple hair that looked surprisingly realistic.

The closer to the city center they traveled, the more congested the roads became. Still, a small bubble of distance formed around their small party as people seemed to unconsciously move from their path while walking through the town. It was a good thing, too, since there were a lot of two-wheeled carts and even a few large wagons that transported goods and people. The strange thing was that there were no draught animals anywhere – no horses, oxen, mules, or anything else. Like the peddler earlier, who carried a half-ton on his back, physical strength had to be a common ability since everything looked human-powered.

There was something off that bugged him as they continued down the road, his head turning to try and figure out what was bothering him. He only realized when a particularly tall woman ducked out through a doorway almost directly in their path, her height compared with those around her drawing his eyes. Yet when she straightened to her full height, she was still a centimeter or two shorter than him. He looked again at the people around him, but outside a couple of guys pulling a massive wagon, everyone else was a good deal shorter than him. Shaking his head, he added it to the growing list of mysteries.

***

The energy from Herria shined like a beacon for those with the senses to see it. A bright white light of energy had not only blanketed the town but bits and pieces of the power, so poorly controlled, leaked out into the larger countryside. There weren't many left to notice in a region as isolated as the Northmarch as most beings with the appropriate power or senses had long since fled or been hunted to extinction by the cultivated lands in the south. Most, but not all.

Near Herria was an ancient forest with trees already grown old before any of the current gods were even born. Once filled with monsters, magic, and treasures, much of the powers had long departed. There were still lingering magics that held most at bay or otherwise consumed them in their foolish pursuits within the woods. However, one particular being still resided within the shadowy trees. Old stories shared around sputtering hearths on cold nights described the most fearsome and malicious creature within these elder woods. The tales all agreed that the demon would consume them if not held by some ancient Accord with gods who’d already passed beyond to join their ancestor’s spirits. All were warned to stay away from Eld Forest and the creature hiding within.

The slumbering demon slept the long sleep as he dreamed of a day he would be free again, to find the power to break his chains, to once again consume strength unchecked – a dream of his destiny. His subconscious reacted as a minuscule filament of energy passed through his woods, and his skin flickered, almost like a mirage, before settling down again. Fingers curled and clenched for a moment before his eyes opened in confusion. He looked around for the source of the disturbance he felt in the air, like an echo of sound slowly fading in the distance.

He yawned and stretched while satisfying cracks escaped. Groaning in pleasure at feeling his muscles and tendons react, he stood up from his bed. Nostrils flaring, he inhaled and tasted the wind without detecting anything amiss. Opening his other senses, he extended his awareness to the rest of his forest to get a better feel for whatever had intruded into his world.

It had been to the west of here, where the edge of his ancient trees fought their eternal war with the hills and plains nearby. “When did that happen?” He paused, surprised by the encroachment into his lands where the forest had lost ground to the encroaching humanity. The west wasn’t a direction he generally cared much about, with only a few smaller towns and a single city near his woods, so much of his attention was on the filthy giants in the north or some of the silly gods of the south.

Feeling the edge of his woods in the west, he could tell it had happened beyond the boundaries, or it would have lingered within his domain. No, the excitement was too far away, and only a fraction of that new power had penetrated the heart of his woods. Still, the fact that it had made it to him, even weakened as it was, gave him a flavor – a tasty flavor.

He stood up from his bed, moving to the opening in the stonework nearby. Even though he couldn’t see to the west from this spot, he didn’t need to rely on only his eyes to see; his other senses were more than enough. Extending his power over the forest, he searched for what didn’t belong, like overly powerful animals, magics not bound to him, or intelligent thought. In his woods, anything smart enough to serve him did so. If they didn’t swear service, they helped him differently since he did need to eat after all.

“Is someone in my woods?” He could feel a person's intelligence, but they were weak. There was something familiar, and he thought of that group of scoundrels along his southern boundary that he’d run across a few years ago. They’d foolishly entered his domain without proper respect, and he’d had to show them the consequences of such actions. They’d barely been worth the effort of hunting down, but he had a reputation to uphold, and the rest hadn’t dared to leave the trails ever since.

A thin tendril of essence within the woods sent back impressions, vibrations of power and potential not unlike a web vibrating for a spider when prey becomes stuck. The trapped human didn’t have the intoxicating power and was a tiny spark to the inferno that had awoken him. No, the weak intelligence wasn’t his prey, but someone stupid or crazy enough to fall into his trap days ago. Even now, the person approached the core of his woods unwittingly. So there was a human nearby, but his desired prey was further west.

The strange power and prey felt different than the gods he’d faced in the past. There was a feeling that they all had in common - a particular flavor and spice that went along with their divinity. This power, though, was unique to his senses and tasted terrific. He had to sample it.

“Outside my woods, but close? Not a god. No, that doesn’t feel right. A fledgling wielding primordial power? Oh my, oh my! So long since I tasted something so sweet.”