Chronicles of The Omniverse Archived Amarathia

The animal at the river edge perked its ears up as Taylor spoke and it tilted its head inquisitively at her, but it showed no sign of comprehension beyond responding to the sound of her voice.

Meanwhile Toka stirred at the sound of the distant melody and groaned as he rolled over and threw his arms over his head.

"Will stupid girl be quiet," Toka whined.
 
Taylor's expression fell minutely when the fox turned to meet her eyes.

"Suppose it was wishful thinking." she murmured, voice trailing off at the sound of a woman's song. Her keen ears picked up the melody, and for one reason or another, the hairs on the back of her neck rose. She blew out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, and slowly rose to her feet, turning as she searched the treeline for the source of the song.

She ignored the imp's fussing, grey eyes fixing on a figure who emerged from the canopy. She wasn't sure if she found herself uneasy or in awe. This human spectre gave her the same comfort that the feline demons from two nights before had given her.

In other words, no comfort at all.

She stepped back, reaching for her cloak and her satchel without looking away from the woman. This was what she'd wanted, right? Human interaction? She couldn't help thinking that this wasn't quite what she had in mind.

Still, beggars couldn't be choosers, and she assumed that she would be able to figure out if this woman was friend or foe soon enough.

"Hello?" Her voice sounded hollow. "Do you happen to know where I can find a village? I came from the swamp..." She thought to gesture in that direction, but she realized quickly that she didn't know exactly where the swamp was in relation to where she was currently. It was all so confusing.
 
The girl's grin only became wider. She tittered lightly and shrugged. "The swamp? What swamp?"

She moved to swing her legs onto one side of the branch and kicked them playfully. "Unfortunately, there's no sign of civilization for a long, long ways away. Poor rabbit! You could get hurt before you have the chance to set foot in the city! Or you could get robbed. Why you'll simply not survive without a guide! And I couldn't imagine spending the rest of your time with the little cockroach you keep for company. Poor little rabbit, indeed."
 
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Toka who had swiftly become roused at the sound of conversation going on around him quickly became riled up at the strangers words.

"Cockroach?! Who are you calling a cockroach! I am Tokarattihael, trusted adviser to arch demons!"

The imp hopped up to latch onto Taylor's back so he could glower over her shoulder at the stranger from relative safety.

"Tokarattihael should stab out the stupid ladies eyeballs! Then who will be a stupid cockroach!"
 
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Taylor fought back frustration. She wasn't keen on the woman's tone, and she couldn't help but feel like she was being patronized. She was about to reply when the imp exploded to life behind her, screaming in his shrill voice. Her expression deadpanned when she realized that in his small tirade he'd given this stranger more information about himself than he'd care to tell her in all their days of traveling together.

Oh the irony of it all.

"He's been helpful." she said defensively, though it was weak at best. Then, hesitantly, she added, "Do you happen to know the way? I'm not from here, and I'm afraid the journey so far has been challenging, to put it kindly. I'd be foolish to continue on my own."
 
"Even blind I would be able to tell who the cockroach is, stupid bug!" gabbered the girl with glee. Her shoulders bobbled in laughter as she stuck her tongue out at the demon. She gave her attention back to Taylor and tilted her head back with a finger on her chin, as though to muse. "Well, now that you mention it... my companion and I were just on our way back tot he city! I suppose we might have room for one more."

The girl tilted back on the branch until she dropped out of sight in the brush. Further below, there was a low, heavy grunt and a giggle. Two figures emerged from the woods this time. The first was the same girl from earlier, but now she was perched on the shoulder of a much larger, much more grim individual that rivaled her delicate physique. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and skin like tanned leather. His eyes were like coals and he stared at Taylor with the countenance of a rock.

The young woman kicked her feet against this man's shoulder. "If you can keep the imp's mouth shut, we may have you."
 
A tiny orb of electricity exploded through the air, largely harmless to someone the size of a human. It wasn't aimed for the woman though. Instead it hit a small branch hanging over her head which cracked alarmingly, but much to the imps ire it didn't fall on the annoying woman.

Toka let out a disgruntled huff.

"We don't need them," Toka told Taylor. "We have a river. Everyone knows people live near rivers. Stupid lady found us at the river going to a city. Just follow stupid river instead of stupid lady."

The imp seemed abruptly more amiable towards Taylor as the new arrival proved far more of an irritation for the little creature.
 
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"Companion?" Taylor said under her breath, her eyes following the woman as she dropped from the branch and into the underbrush. Sure enough, when the woman came back into view, it was on the shoulder of an imposing-looking man. Other than his size, at first glance there wasn't anything about him that immediately drew her attention. Yet, she could feel the burn of his gaze as he stared at her. She returned the stare, her expression unreadable but her eyes shifting like a lake's surface that had been disturbed.

By the spirit...those eyes...

Her confusion broke, her expression flinching at the noise of the imp's orb went flying through the air. Glancing distractedly between Toka and Luli, Taylor managed to reply:

"I actually have very little control over him, I'm afraid..."

Meanwhile, Toka hissed in her ear angrily, for once siding with her now that he'd been presented with an adversary he found more annoying than she. Taylor met the angry eyes of the imp, her brow furrowed as she considered her options. Toka was right. The strange woman had told them the next town was along the river, but she had no way of knowing how far they would have to walk, or what resources would be available, or even which direction to go...

"I'd appreciate the help." she admitted softly, turning to look at Luli, though still very aware of the man's stare. Whatever protests the imp brought up Taylor ignored. He would come along. It was better than being left behind, after all. "We'll try not to be a burden."
 
"Of course. A saint like myself could never abandon someone in need," sang the young girl. Below her, the man rolled his eyes and grunted.

With a snort, the spritely girl slipped from the grown man's shoulders and danced over to Taylor. "So tell me, little rabbit, what is your name? I am Luli-" She arched her hand high in the air and pointed behind her. "And that is Duke. We already have the name of the stupid roach."

Before Toka would have a chance to react, she darted behind Taylor and off into the woods downstream. The hulk began to follow her.
 
Toka settled for blowing a raspberry at Luli's back from his vantage point atop Taylor's shoulder. With his indignation momentarily soothed he hopped down to start digging through Taylor's pack for something to eat.
 
"Taylor..." the woman managed, turning in a slow circle and following the other girl with her eyes. She glanced to Duke briefly before turning to grab up the last of her things, making sure her bow was easily accessible. She tried not to disturb Toka too much as she picked up her satchel and hooked her shoulder through the strap. The imp's grumblings faded as she started to walk with renewed purpose. Keeping a comfortable distance, her steps were relatively quiet, eyes fixed on the figures ahead of them as she contemplated the fortune of being discovered by the two strange individuals.

The misgivings didn't disappear completely even as they walked, even though her curiosity grew with time. Who were these people? What was this place, exactly? Would they know of Enda (an unlikely possibility)? Was it possible that Taylor was nowhere near the place she was supposed to be?

"Do you mind telling me what this place is?" she asked, realizing she didn't have to raise her voice much considering how close the air was. "I...managed to get here by accident and I'm trying to find out just where I ended up."
 
"I've hardly met anyone who's done this good a job at getting lost. Even this rock of a man has a sense of direction," giggled Luli, flicking a wrist in the direction of her guard. "Alas, I must dispose of my wisdom, as I always do. Do you know of Amarathia, or are you a stranger of the farlands?"

Duke's pace was not as fleeting or excitable as Luli's. He fell back the same distance as Taylor, but kept a couple yards away, as though he detested the thought of coming too close.
 
Taylor was just fine with the distance. She kept one hand on her bow, the other hanging freely close to her satchel. She took a deep breath and sighed, debating how she should explain her predicament, or if she even needed to explain her predicament.

"I...I don't. Know of Amarathia, I mean. I woke up in the swamp a few days ago." She glanced towards the ground. "Not sure how I ended up there."
 
"Ah. So she is an outsider," said Luli. The hulking man turned his head gently to peek at the ranger. He had never met one of these people, but it didn't sound particularly appealing to him.

"This place wanted you. It's been known to happen, here and there."
 
She continued on in silence, mulling over what Luli had said. This place wanted her? The concept wasn't exactly new, nor did it surprise her that perhaps she'd ended up here intentionally. As to who or what orchestrated it, she couldn't say, but she had given up on the existence of coincidence a long time ago.

She could ask why Amarathia had chosen her, and for what purpose, but the question would likely go unanswered. As mysterious as this couple was, she believed that they also had no idea why she was here. It did occur to her that the 'farlands' as Luli called them were likely unrelated to any world that Taylor was familiar with. That presented a problem.

"You mentioned the farlands," she said after an extended silence. "It's a world of it's own, correct? Do you know where it is in relationship to, say, Terra?"

It was a long shot, but being in such an unfamiliar place was disorienting, and she was willing to do anything to find some traction.
 
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