When we got to the building, it seemed more like a great hall from the inside. The doors opened before us, and I could see all the tables had been moved to the side. In front of me stood a raised stage, on which sat a lone woman on a wooden throne, with a light shining down on her from above. The light seemed to be emanating from a small butterfly that illuminated the woman directly.
The throne was unlike any I had ever seen before. It looked as if a single tree had grown in an ornate manner. The arms of the chair flared out, and it appeared to be a single piece of wood, with red cushioning on the seat. In the world I came from, creating something like this would have required delicately carving all the features from a single piece of wood. However, judging by its appearance, this chair had grown in this shape, rather than being man-made.
If that wasn’t impressive, the girl on it was not who you would expect. She looked to be in her early 20s, with long, straight white hair. Her green eyes stared at me with intensity, and her skin glowed with the light. If she smiled, she might look innocent and beautiful, but her glare was one that only came with age or practice.
The woman held the red sword I had found, and as she sat in the light, it glinted in her hand. Her finger was adorned with a bright pink ring that caught the light, shining with the same intensity as my sword. The red glow seemed to foreshadow something ominous. The number of rings on her hand indicated either wealth or power.
Her boots were sturdy, the type worn by someone who was constantly on the move, and they were well-worn, not the type of footwear one would expect from someone who spent most of their time sitting on a throne. Her pants were sleek and fashionable, made of black fabric, paired with a white blouse that was slightly sheer.
All of that, and she did not have a single speck of dirt on her, save her boots. I, on the other hand, was not recognizable with how filthy I had become in the last several days.
She just stared at me appraisingly, and Rabbit eventually said, “Don’t say anything. I think she is testing you. Just keep looking back at her.”
It seemed odd, especially if it was some test, but it just became more awkward with time. After several minutes of this, she finally spoke, “Good, at least you’re not impatient. I have some questions for you, and I am sure you have some for me. My name is Sophia, and I am the leader here in the Falls Village. What do they call you?”
“Classic interrogation technique. Begin with an easy question, then gradually ask more challenging ones. Most people keep answering because they’re social creatures and want to keep the conversation going,” Rabbit commented in my mind.
“They call me Alf,” I replied after listening to Rabbit.
Some people around exchanged looks almost to say how odd the name sounded, but the leader only had eyes for me.
“Unique. I have lived a very long time and yet only heard that name once.” She seemed to drift off in thought and when she came back, it was as if she put something together. “Are you from another world? I can’t imagine an Elf with such a low level being as old as you are.”
Rabbit broke in, “I guess traveling to this world isn’t as unique as I thought. Or maybe she is just really, really old.”
Trying to listen to both conversations was annoying to say the least, but I mostly ignored Rabbit’s undertones.
“Yes. I just came to this world. In my world we don’t have magic, Elves, or levels, so everything seems unfamiliar to me. Do you know why I came here? Or how to get home?”
Her face didn’t change, but she started to play with the sword. I wanted answers to my questions and to get home. The woman in the cave had shared her method for returning home, but her mention of death left me hesitant. Sadly, the woman in front of me remained patient as ever. “This world is different. You could call it a waypoint for every bridge. Every world connects to this one and no other. The reason you came here is simple: you found a bridge to cross. As to going home, it is not likely.”
“Why not?” I almost pleaded.
“If you look around.” I did, and it was only Humans, and no other Elves besides the woman on the throne within the room. “Everyone here and across this world descends from travelers who came from other worlds. That should give you an idea of all that has been tried to return home. Wouldn’t all that have crossed over try to go back?”
It was a sad thought. Everyone in this world was a descendant of a traveler, meaning that people had been trapped here for so long that they had generations of descendants.
“Well, some could have escaped,” I argued. “Do you know where there are other travelers? Maybe from my world?”
Again Sophia started to play with my sword. “I have not heard of a traveler for some time.” She looked away again to think. “It could be because we are out in the middle of nowhere, or there could be other reasons.”
I then recalled the moment I first arrived. “When I came through the gate, I received a debuff that slowly stole my health. Could that be the reason?”
She went silent for some time, but then eventually started playing with the sword again. There was murmuring around me. I began to suspect a plot to kill travelers around the world, but before I could dwell on it, she broke in. “How could a Dark Elf survive a debuff that steals health? Were you able to get rid of it somehow?”
Her question was telling. It was as if she already knew but was testing me. “I am a Grey Elf and I just naturally healed.”
At this, the murmuring grew louder and even Sophia’s eyes showed a flicker of surprise. This was her first facial expression. Up until then, her face had been blank as if paralyzed.
Without warning, Sophia shouted, “Water!” The command sent several attendants scurrying out of the hall, only to return moments later with several large buckets sloshing with water. Before I could react, the contents of the buckets were unceremoniously dumped over my head, drenching me from head to toe. The water was so cold that my body immediately began to shiver, and as the grime and dirt were washed away, the skin beneath was revealed.
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As the water cascaded down my body, I was acutely aware of the stares of those around me. I knew I must have looked like a pitiful sight, my clothes plastered to my skin, my hair hanging in limp strands around my face. But as the last of the water dripped away, something else became apparent. My skin, once hidden beneath layers of dirt, was a deep shade of grey.
Sophia's shocked voice cut through the stunned silence. “You’re too dark,” she replied at a loss for words.
I wasn’t sure what was going on here. My skin was grey. Yes, a dark grey, but still, it described me well. There were people of multiple colors in the hall, so I wasn’t sure if this was a racial issue. However, maybe Elves were different. Perhaps they didn’t care what color a human was, but didn’t like other types of Elves?
“I’m sorry.” I didn’t know how else to reply. “Are the Grey Elves around here generally lighter? Is it going to be an issue?”
Being polite in response to their reaction didn’t make me feel comfortable, but I was at their mercy for the moment. While I might have come from a civilized society, it wasn’t that long ago that the pigment of someone’s skin was the main attribute of how they were judged in different countries.
“Yes,” she replied sternly, and I knew my life wasn’t going to be good here. I needed to get home. “The Grey Elves are extinct at the moment. Well, not anymore it seems.”
“Oh,” I replied dumbly. “Oh,” I said a second time, realizing the implication and coming to the realization that I was a problem. “Why did they go extinct?”
She considered me for a moment and then replied, “Before I was born, the Elves united to kill them.” Under my unflinching stare, she eventually continued, “They had their reasons.”
Every genocide had its reasons. It didn’t mean they were good reasons or that it was right. The danger sense that had been screaming a moment ago had intensified to the point where it was almost deafening, making it difficult for me to think clearly.
“And what is going to happen to me?” I asked the obvious question.
“All of that happened long ago, and I don’t hold the same prejudices.” At that, I realized my chest had been tight and was just beginning to loosen. “However.” There was always a however. “I am pragmatic about every citizen. You need to be useful to stay here. As I recall, Grey Elves had no affinity in any skills, can’t use magic, and are generally useless.”
“I have two magic skills at level 1,” I interrupted.
“Are they capped?” she questioned as if she already knew the answer.
“Yes, but I still have some magic.”
“If I took some needle and thread and pushed it through some cloth, does that make me a seamstress?”
Not sure where she was going with this, I replied, “No.”
“Yet, with that simple action, I received that skill at level 1. You have two skills at level 1, and they are both capped. You are not a mage.” She breathed out heavily. “See? You are not from this world, and already we have to explain basic concepts to you. A person isn’t even considered for a profession unless they are level 20 at a skill, and yet you are capped at level 1.”
“Even if I don’t get any useful skills, I can still help out. I mean, you don’t need a skill to do something. Also, if there is a way to increase my affinity then I can raise my skill level.”
“There is no way to raise your affinity. We have a saying. You cannot teach a cow to climb a tree.” It was an odd saying, but I got the gist of it. “Everything you do will be subpar and thus take up resources.”
“Then can I leave?”
She started to spin the sword in her hand, but did not reply. Eventually, she stopped. “This sword is unique. The blade isn’t made of metal but made from a crystal that's impossible to shape.” That didn’t make much sense because clearly there was a sword shaped out of it. She then looked away from the sword and directly at me. “The sword in question has a curse. If you had used it against anything, you would have been dead by now.” I was doubly thankful that I was crap with that blade. “More important than anything else was the fact that I left the sword in my friend's grave as a testament to how he saved our lives. It was a curse that would be buried with him. So, how did you come to possess this blade?”
I could tell by the way she looked at me that lying here would mean my death. I asked about leaving, and her response was to accuse me of grave robbing. More than that, I had robbed a friend of hers who had sacrificed his life for her. I didn’t think I could win any argument or justify why I needed it to live. The only option I had was to shift the blame.
“Well, when I arrived, I met a projection, and she had told me where to find this equipment.”
She cocked her head to one side as if considering what I had just said. “So when you entered this world, you were given the choice of three.” I assumed this was what they called the choice between Strength, Power, or Knowledge, so I nodded. “And you chose knowledge?” Again I nodded. “And you asked for the knowledge of some type of survival gear?”
“No. I asked for what knowledge I would most likely want. She then told me I would want to go home, but I was too weak to make it. She then told me about three treasures that would make me strong enough for the journey. The first one is to the east. The second is, I think, in the ocean, and I need a key. And the third, I have no clue where, but she said that I would die if I took that one.”
She was contemplative for a while, chewing over what I said. Eventually, she replied, “I am confused. You said that she told you where the grave was.”
“Oh, no, sorry,” I replied in a ramble. “After sharing that with me, she advised me to check the plateau above, to see the places she had described. I believe the only reason she sent me there was to get this gear.”
She remained silent for some time while people whispered about what was happening. Eventually, she continued, “I am not sure. The rules are unbreakable. The only help she is allowed to offer travelers is the choice of three. You must not have understood what she said. Maybe this was your third treasure, and you would die for taking it. It is the only thing that makes sense.”
Yep. She was planning to kill me. This wasn’t looking good. I couldn’t let her dwell on that thought, so I quickly asked Rabbit for the exact wording and then countered, “No, it was very clear. She said, ‘Only once you have drunk the waters of death can the third be seized from the grave's grip.’ I know I took it from a grave, but I didn’t drink from the waters of death first, so I don’t think this can be it.”
It was a thin argument, and I was starting to worry she was right since it did specifically mention taking it from a grave’s grip. However, this time, Sophia’s reaction was different. She had maintained an expressionless face the entire time, but then, for the second time, she visibly reacted. It was clear I had surprised her, and for the first time, she seemed shaken by the possibility that the choice of three could be usurped.
She quickly got herself righted and continued her judgment. “Very well. I will accept that you were told about this tomb and that you did not have malicious intent. You will not keep the sword or any other belongings in there. I will give you a chance to live, but only a chance. Prove to me you are worthy of our protection. Prove to me you belong here. We will send you around to get training with everyone, but mind you, you are not one of us, and I am not your Lady. As such, you cannot address me as ‘my Lady’ and thus will only address me as ‘Miss Sophia.’ For the same reason you are not one of us, you will not be allowed a real weapon or armor within the town limits. If you are not useful to us then you will be banished from our society. Do you agree to the terms?”
If they banished me without weapons or tools, I’d be dead within days. So I agreed without hesitation, hoping I could level up fast enough that, if they kicked me out later, I’d still have a chance to survive on my own.
