Chapter 9: The Village

The sun is even brighter than I remember. Perhaps it was, I am in an entirely new world after all. An alien world wielding no remorse for those lost in it. While I ran through the fields till dawn, I wondered idly on the possibility that I wasn't the only one tossed into a new body in a new world and granted gruesome powers.

In the end, as the sun came up, I concluded it was possible, but chances were I'd never find out. I don't know how many people there were in this world but even if there were simply a thousand it would take forever before meeting another like myself.

For now, I satisfied myself with seeking out the nearest settlement. My ghostly companion's existence reassured me that there were indeed pockets of civilisation scattered throughout the…

"What did you call it again?" I huff, trudging through the long grasses. I'm thankful the sky held only one sun over my head.

"The shattered lands." he says with a chirp, evidently ghosts don't feel exhaustion.

"Right, the shattered lands." I had him give me a brief history of the world while we walked. He didn't question my ignorance luckily, I didn't want to explain how I was killed and transported into the body of a dead Warlock, although, from his brief history of the world, I doubt he would be shocked at the news.

"Yes. The land shattered by the will of the gods to adhere to the love and request of their followers for the land to be free of violence and bloodshed."

He has a dreamy look on as he starts muttering on about their charity to lowly mortals like themselves, however I find it a bit odd that gods throwing the solid continent apart and to all corners of the planet to be a charity.

There were many continents, some were debatably countries given the small sizes. Each continent represented and to an extent, exclusively served the god that participated in the war. I was lucky enough to be on the continent belonging to the god of life.

I thought perhaps that may be the reason I lived still, perhaps not the way I intended, but still I live.

"How much longer to the town, Anselm?" My thighs and feet ache and groan with each step, I long for respite of any kind, food, water or people. But all I see is hills, valleys and grass all round.

"Town? We're far off from the nearest Town unfortunately."

"Hells! I need water damn it." Perhaps I shouldn't have left the cave so hastily, I could have subjugated the goblins.

He floats into the sky, scouting ahead best as he can before coming down, "Well, there's a river up ahead, but there's a village right next to it so I don't think you want to be drinking from it."

"Why not? Are there laws or something against it?"

He regards me with a strange look, as if I was nuttier than he thought, "Well, no, but it's rather disgusting don't you think? Drinking from…" he gags at the thought, "The river."

I shook my head and trotted on. Trying my best not to despair. "How far away is the village?"

He shrugs, "At your walking pace? Another day."

"Why the hell is the cave so far away from civilization?" I shoot my question at him, this time I wasn't just ranting and complaining, I genuinely wanted to know. "There's an entire days' worth of land here, a city or two could fill it."

He places his hand under his chin in a thinking position as he floats next to me. "Well, when I died, I was going to war. The cave was past the border of my Kingdom."

"So, there are law preventing Kingdoms from building so close to each other." I muse.

"Well, probably, I wouldn't know. But I think it's just to give a bit of space and time to mobilize the armies before the first major casualties and losses occur, especially if the attacker is launching a surprise attack, rare as it may be."

"How long have you been…dead?"

The question catches him by surprise and he falls out of the sky. "Huh? Why?"

"Information decay. You could have been in there decades; things must have changed."

He has a far-off look now, staring a hole into my head. "Uh, I don't know…"

It's obvious the line of questioning greatly troubled him so much that he just stopped walking. I let him be though, he would recover and I had other things to worry about.

An hour ago, I munched on my last roasted rat stick and despite trudging through large fields the only thing that seemed to be out here was blades of grass and sand. I hadn't even spied an insect all this time.

With the village being a day away I could manage. I'd starved in the cave and I'd like to think that experience increased my tolerance for an empty stomach.

Hopefully the villagers would see it in their kind hearts to gift me a small meal and a jar of water.

***

The blighting sun set and rose rather quickly. Although the night was cold, the natural breeze of the open world was a welcome.

The sky was exceptionally beautiful with it's two moons, it looked like they orbited one another whilst orbiting the planet, I didn't care much about the science though, I only appreciated its beauty.

Anselm did so too. Perhaps having a much greater appreciation for the sky given he was stuck in that cave for near centuries I'm sure.

While I dosed, he told me the story behind how the sky was made, the convoluted drama behind the celestial bodies and the relation with the gods who made them. It was the perfect lullaby as I couldn't remember a thing now that I'm awake.

I got up as the sun did. And I went on trudging through the fields and when the sun set for a second time, I could make out the faint outline of a settlement on the horizon. I'd made it to civilization at last.

I want to walk through the night, get to the village and spare myself the hunger and thirst. But Anselm advises otherwise.

Apparently, the people of this world, especially villagers, didn't take kindly to strangers knocking on their door step in the depths of the night like the god of vengeance and reckoning often did. I conclude that the people of this world were subject to many superstitions.

Still, I heed his advice and wait.

It's a long night with a growling stomach and a parched throat. In my frustrations I couldn't stand Anselm and did not summon his spirit again. Still I praised the god of whatever that made the sun as it came up.

Quick on my feet, I approach the village, there was the river Anselm spoke of but it was farther away from the sounds of voices I began to hear, other humans being the more interesting party I headed for their voices. The closer I got the louder I heard what sounded like chanting.

The village has a very simple set up. It had no need for walls or fences aside from the animal pens and perhaps the barbed food stands I caught a class of ahead.

However, the people had gathered in front of what could effectively function as a gate. It was a sort of totem pole with a board that said Arak Village hammered onto it. There about three dozen or more people stood and chanted strange words.

I came at them from behind so I didn't interrupt their bowing and chanting with my presence. I took a look around the village from where I stood.

They truly didn't have a lot and it seemed like all they had going for them was the pen of sheep and cow in the corner and perhaps the barbed stand that sold some sort of goods.

Their houses are small and are clustered together. I'd think they'd have a town hall because of all the RPG game tropes but there weren't that many of them to forgo simply shouting out whatever new information that graced the village.

I stood about for close to thirty minutes behind them while they bowed, prostrated and chanted to the totem pole with colourful imagery.

It irked me a bit how all three dozen of them could be in tune with each other's movement, but I guess that's what choreography is for, either way, I got impatient and I seriously doubted I could resist stealing one of their sheep for much longer.

"Hey!" I call out. "Uhm, can anyone spare me some food and water?"

At the sound of my voice they stopped moving, standing deathly still in front of their totem. Freaky.

Freakier is the way they scratched their feet on the floor to turn a smooth one-eighty and face me.

"Whom do you worship, Strange one?" they spoke in unison, their voices overlapping each other's, even the children.

I start backing away, people speaking in unison is generally never a good sign. I've seen Supernatural.

"Uhm, I'm no one." I force a chuckle, "Look, sorry to disturb your…activity, I'll be on my way."

They took a step forward, moving at the same time. "Do not be frightened…No one. We will guide you to venerate they that is-"

Nope! I bolt off the in the direction I came. I'd heard similar lines before in movies and cartoons. I am not giving up my consciousness to serve so unnatural being.