Chapter 23: Tests, There Is Something Wrong

That was more than strange, the old woman had just vanished, and that was disconcerting. If she could just appear and disappear without warning, then I would have to be a lot more cautious about the things I said about her.

It would probably just be best to get in the habit of not talking bad about anyone in this world. I was a little fish in the ocean right now, just waiting to be swallowed up by whatever came along next, so I don't want to make any early enemies.

I walked down the walkway and back to the stairs. The grass carpet was nice to walk on, almost like a padded floor, and the whole place seemed to have a permanent wood stain smell.

I hadn't really had a chance to look around or really take in everything. Since I had come to the world, I constantly moved and met new people, and it was still only the first day.

The railings and everything was all a dark color, and the sounds of the fountain made me feel a bit more centered as I walked down and out of the castle. The yard was the same as before, empty, and there were still guards up to lazing around.

Heading out of the castle wall gate, the friendly guard with the wife, Lidy, waved and nodded to me, but the one called Trig ignored me. I was more than okay with and, but I would have to ask the other guard's name on the way back.

I got to the other side of the bridge, and then I realized a blatant fact.

"That you forgot to ask for directions?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin as I whipped around to find Mex staging behind me with a self-satisfied smile. He was now shirtless like me and in some rough-looking shorts, and he threw a pair almost identical to me.

"What's the deal? Saving the idiot me a trip out here so you could give me directions?" I asked suspiciously.

"Change your pants; they will just wear out fast once we get going. These shorts are of good material and will let you move more freely. Since we are running, you're going to have to keep up; I would like to introduce you to some of my friends on the way. We won't stay long, but chop-chop," Mex said, but he was giving me a severe look.

I quickly changed my dirt jeans into my shorts, but it took me a minute to get my belt and the knife and flashlight that I had yet to try. Something about the flashlight told me not to touch it and that I would know when the time was right.

I also grabbed my torch lightsaber thing, but the shorts had no pockets, so I decided to carry it with me. I had no idea where we're going other to the left at some point to the west.

I nodded, and we started on a brisk run north for about five hundred meters, and then we turned into the forest. The trees all had bright green leaves, and the ground was littered with multi-colored flowers and tangles of vines.

I could hear the sounds of bugs buzzing and some strange high-pitched clickings, but as we ran, it felt like we were the only ones here. The birds chirped and called, but none flew around; it was almost like the forest had stepped aside for us to pass.

I also noticed that when I stepped too close to the vines, they would try and stretch to me, and when I slowed briefly, one tried to grab my foot. The flowers also hissed at me when I got too close to them.

I discounted the noise at first, but when I got too close to a tree that had some flowers growing on it, then things started to hiss at me like snakes. I was only momentarily distracted, but they did make me think about Mary's snakes hissing at me.

Suddenly, Mex slowed down and then stopped, turning to me. I slowed down to a stop and waited to see what he had to say. The severe expression was gone from his face, but now a tired one replaced it.

"So, Kazz Foreman, I have come out here with you today to introduce you to my four elementary friends, but first, I would like to talk to you about Nixi. I know you had a brief encounter with her, and I am sure that you got a small measure of her power just from that short exchange, yes, no? Mex said wearily.

"You both were able to sneak up on me without me noticing, so I guess you are both strong, but I wasn't able to see a real difference," I told Mex, kicking a vine away that was trying to attack my foot.

"What? Wait… I am going to get very scary looking, but I want to try something, okay?" Mex asked me.

"Uh, sure. Why what's up?" I asked back, and Mex looked up but then looked back at me with a scowl.

"There is something wrong with you, and I want to see how wrong it is," Mex said as his skin started to ripple.

Veins under Mex's light blue skin grew enormous, and I could watch them pump blood as his muscles writhed under his skin. Mex grew and expanded to almost twice his size, and he no longer looked like a friend but he was just showing me something, but he did not look impressed.

"Nothing? Not even a little bit of fear or worry?" Mex snarled at me, reaching out to the side.

A black hole opened in the air as he did, and Mex reached inside, grabbing something. When he grabbed the thing, the black hole moved away from Mex and unveiled a massing straight black greatsword.

"Hey, uh, what's the big sword for?" I asked, looking at the gigantic etched two-meter long blade of black, some kind of metal that I had never seen; it almost had a green shine to it.

"More tests," Mex said as he advanced on me.