Chapter Two

The outfit that Patricia gave me was not flashy at all. A pair of lightly colored breeches and tan boots, paired with a white tunic and a darker tanned vest to accompany it. She had also given me a sage cloak in the event I felt cold. I was lucky in a way my hair was naturally blonde, it blended in well with the outfit overall. Regardless of how beautiful it was, I kept the amulet tightly tucked under the vest as per Patricia’s warning. 

Corvu kept his word. He took me to a place with a painted blue wooden sign that read ‘The Dragon's Keep’. 

“This place is also an Inn.” He says to me as he opens the large wooden door to a bustling tavern. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say I was about to be welcomed by the innkeeper to begin an adventure or quest. 

“Welcome!” I jumped, not expecting the bartender’s voice to be so loud. I noticed that he wasn’t quite human but pretty close. He was a lot taller than Corvu and had a much wider face, his mouth stretched widely and opened fully when he spoke to reveal every tooth of his to be thin but sharp and pointed like most felines. Corvu must have noticed my discomfort as we sat down at a wooden carved table. There was one chair, which I sat on, and Corvu pulled over a small empty barrel he sat on the edge of. 

“They’re called Saberteeth.” He says, gesturing towards the barkeep I couldn’t help but stare at. I look at him, his eyes glowing from the half-melted candles on the middle of the round table. I could almost confirm there was no electricity around here, since there was no evidence of light switches or telephone poles anywhere. I was lucky I was more concerned about where I was and didn’t ask to borrow someone’s phone, or I would have panicked a lot earlier and probably never bumped into Corvu. “I figured since you were staring you’ve never seen one.” He was spot on. As I try not to stare and look around, I note that it’s now completely dark outside through the small hole in the wall which represented a window. That was a quick sunset.

“No.” I whisper, clearing my throat to make my next words louder. “There are very few creatures around here that are familiar to me, but only because I’ve heard about them in myths.” Corvu holds up his hand toward the barkeep, signally for two drinks. 

“We’re not myths. We’re very real.” He chuckles. 

“I can see that now.” I respond sarcastically. It’s not that I wasn’t fully aware of what was happening around me, but I just didn’t expect to have to face it so head-on. “I only know about satyrs and centaurs, they were identifiable. A lot of the others look a little unusual to me.” 

“So, you don’t know what I am then?” He asks, grinning to the left, revealing the short yet very pointed fang he had. A few of the patrons near us had got up and moved away once they turned to see our table. I guess humans are really unusual and no one wants to be near them.

I take a wild guess based on the point of his ears. “An elf?” Startled by the waitress placing the drinks in front of us I hear her laugh, 

“Oh honey bear,” She starts, her voice squeaky. I took a good look at her at this time, her body was very small, however her head was quite large. Reminded me of what I always imagined a pixie to look like, her large bug-like eyes looking down at me with extremely dilated pupils. “, you’re lucky he’s such a sweet thing or you’d be running with your tail between your legs.” Out of fear I had grown a tail, I swiftly checked behind me, but all was normal. “What’s wrong with this one?” She asks Corvu, nodding in my direction. 

“She’s just not from around here.” He smiles. “We’ll take two plates of whatever you are cooking. It smells good.” She nods and walks off, where I only just notice her feet were more like tiger paws. What was this world? “She’s a Clawhop. Don’t ever make one angry and don’t try to outrun them.” 

“I feel like I should be writing these things down.” He nods and leans to the side, pulling something out of the large hidden pocket he had down his leg. 

“I assume you know how to use a book and inkhold?” Tearing out the front pages he hands me a small hardcover book, bound with leather and rope, as well as what reminded me of a pen but I had to assume it was a modified bird feather, similar to how people used quills, just without the ink in a pot or the fluffy touch. Funnily enough, I don’t hesitate to take it and start writing notes about some of the things I have heard about today. 

“What’s he?” I ask, pointing to the man sitting a few tables away. By man, I mostly mean goat. He reminded me a bit of a satyr except he was extremely short and circular, with more of a snout and two large protruding horns out the two sides of his head that were not only thick but curled. 

“Rubusk.” Corvu states confidently as I take a sip of the odd drink I was given, “They have a mean headbutt and back-kick. But that’s a woman.” I almost choke on my drink but managing to keep it together I say,

“How do you know the difference?” 

“Rubusk are easy to tell by their size. Anything shorter than you is likely a woman, anything two feet taller than me is a male, regardless of other appearances.” I was going to die here if I kept misinterpreting things. “They also hate cinnamon.” 

Snickering I respond, “So do I.” Tapping the pen, or inkhold, against the paper waiting for more, “What else can you tell me?” 

Corvu and I chatted for what felt like hours. Long after we finished our meals and snacks afterward. Honestly, the drinks made me feel a little lightheaded so I imagine they contained some level of alcohol. That didn’t bother me too much. Although I don’t even have the time to drink back in the real world, I am of legal age to do so. He taught me about a few creatures, like the ones that attacked me in the alley. Even though I’ve heard of Trolls before, they aren’t anything like the ones I know. Trolls are known for their devilish behavior and ghastly desires, which is why they had asked me for gold and other things. Corvu didn’t want to tell me about himself, which I picked up pretty quickly, so I decided it was best not to ask. Even though there was no clock that I could see, the barkeeper called last drinks, and one by one they left the bar. Asking Corvu if we should also leave he merely shook his head. Turns out, the barkeeper that owned this place let Corvu have shelter here upstairs, and I was welcomed to stay. 

The upstairs was not too shabby. In this world, it was clear the common decor was wooden floors, walls, and ceilings. In the corner of this singular room were pillows and blankets piled up on a couple of crates to form a makeshift bed. Corvu insisted I could sleep there, and that he would take place on the opposite side of the room on some remaining sheets. He was kind to me, more so than I could have imagined. He kept a few of the candles burning since he said it would help keep any bugs away until we were well asleep. I haven’t had to share a room for a very long time, but in the orphanage, I only ever shared it with girls, and boyfriends weren’t a luxury I’ve had time to experiment with. I tried not to think about it too hard. Technically, he’s not actually a boy. 

For all I knew, when I closed my eyes and opened them again, I would be home.