Time had no meaning in the smoke. Henry couldn't see anything. His world revolved around holding the small hand and moving forward. After what seemed like an eternity, Henry burst out of the burning building and tasted blessed, wonderful air!
He tried filling his lungs, but that just set off another coughing fit. He doubled over and felt the small hand patting his back. He eventually got himself under control and wiped his eyes, straightening up. He saw his savior, Bezzi-ibbi, grinning at him with his eyes.
In the afternoon light, Henry could see that Bezzi-ibbi truly looked like a leopard boy or maybe a jaguar. He had spots around the sides of his face and small ones on his cheeks. He also had small whiskers above his upper lip, and his nose turned up slightly in a feline way.
Bezzi-ibbi nodded at Henry and growled, "Family." Henry stared back at Bezzi-ibbi for a few seconds before glanced around, trying to get his bearings. His life had been awfully strange for the last few weeks, but dealing with Bezzi-ibbi was even odder than usual. The kid reminded him of the wild child in The Road Warrior but with the addition of fangs and cat ears... and wearing a dirty suit.
Surreal.
Henry saw he was on a wide street with large buildings all around, probably other warehouses. In the distance, he noticed a wide gate with wagons moving in and out. He could feel the heat of the fire behind him, and a large crowd of onlookers had gathered to watch the warehouse burn.
Not good, he thought. Henry was painfully aware of the fact he was new in town--heck, new to this world--and he'd just killed some people in a burning building. It probably wasn't the best situation to be in. It wouldn't require a game of Clue to know that Henry Sato, the blood-covered man with a goatee who'd just stumbled out of the burning fucking building, was somehow involved. He quickly grabbed Bezzi-ibbi's hand and began walking away when a voice rang out, "You there, stop!"
Henry kept his head forward and didn't turn around. He needed to get away. But before he could take a dozen more steps, horse hooves rang out on the flagstone road, and he was stopped by a man in a red uniform. Behind him, a group of similarly uniformed people wielding spears surrounded Henry.
The man on the horse hollered, "In the name of the Mirana Guard, what is going on here!?"
Henry tried to stall, "Uh... what is your name?"
The man blinked in confusion. Henry noticed he was younger than he'd first thought, probably in his early twenties or late teens. He could even be as young as sixteen. Henry was going to guess he was about nineteen-ish, so several years into adulthood by Ludus standards, same as Mareen.
The man drew himself up proudly and said, "My name is Timothy Boone of the main branch Boone family. I am a lieutenant of the Guard, and I will have answers!" Boone's otherwise handsome face was scrunched in anger under his dark hair. "Who set this fire? What were the explosions?"
Henry scratched his head and said, "I didn't see anything. I guess I'll be going now." He took a step before realizing how lame that probably sounded. He was covered in char and blood, had just come out of the burning building, and was leading around a little animal boy in a fucked-up looking suit. Uh oh... The Guard members around him levelled their spears.
Without warning, Bezzi-ibbi jumped in front of Henry, bearing his fangs and making a sound like tearing cloth. He crouched down, retractable claws springing from his fingers. The strange, smiling little boy from before was gone, and in his place stood primal ferocity on two legs with lots of sharp pointy bits aimed at the city guards.
The man on the horse, Boone, blinked and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything more, another Guard officer on a horse rode up. "What the hell is going on here?" she asked.
The new guard sat her horse with casual skill. Her hat sat on her head at a rakish angle and somehow didn't fall off. Henry started as he realized she was the same race as Uluula, an Areva, but with some obvious differences. Where Uluula was fair, this woman was dark. She kind of looked like... well, an Arab elf.
Henry thought she was fairly attractive, even in her uniform, but her eyes were out of place in her relatively youthful face. He would have thought she was in her early thirties if not for the eyes. They were framed with slight crow's feet and regarded the world with the type of curious boredom that Henry associated with elderly people.
When Henry didn't say anything and the guards just stared back at her, the woman sighed and dismounted. She cautiously approached Bezzi-ibbi, who didn't move but growled deep in his throat. She studied him a moment, and her eyes widened. "Bezzi-ibbi?" she asked. Then she fired off a question in a hissing, yowling language. Bezzi-ibbi answered in the same language. The woman replied, and Bezzi-ibbi relaxed, coming back to stand by Henry.
Henry breathed a sigh of relief.
The woman turned to the lieutenant on the horse and asked, "Did you ask them their names or ask who they were?"
Lieutenant Boone opened and closed his mouth a few times. "Well, no... did you just say that little boy is the missing Bezzi-ibbi, Captain? But he's been gone for a week!"
The woman said, "I just confirmed it. He matches the description, and he said he's Jaguar Clan too. People don't lie about that."
"But Captain Haili, what about the man? He's covered in blood! We should arrest him!"
"Bezzi-ibbi said this man saved him and is part of his Family." The Areva woman snorted. I'm not in a hurry to piss of the Jaguar Clan more than they already are, are you?" She hopped back up onto her horse and hollered, "Guard, stand down! One of you... you, Private Tilsen! Go tell the Jaguar Clan to send a carriage. We've found Bezzi-ibbi!"
Then Captain Haili shouted, "Get the fucking water mages over here! We need to contain this fire! You, you, and you," she pointed to three uniformed guards and said, "go get buckets, have the mages fill them, and water down the surrounding buildings. Move!"
Then she pointed at Henry. "I plan to visit to the Jaguar Clan house later, either tonight or tomorrow, to debrief you. Don't go running away on me." After that she rode off, probably to yell at someone else. Lieutenant Boon watched her leave, glanced at Henry, then sighed in resignation before following his superior officer.
Henry sat down on a nearby curb. His adrenaline was fading, and he was suddenly very tired. He knew that physically he could probably keep going due to his unnatural endurance, but he was mentally exhausted. His fatigue was less from the fighting and more from being scared shitless in the smoke and from the talk Jason had insisted on in their jail cell. Henry had to deal with some of his issues; he couldn't pretend otherwise anymore.
"I really hope Jason is still alive," he sighed. He gestured one of the nearby guards over and told her his friend was missing. On a hunch, he said it was Jaguar Clan business. The young woman took out a pad of paper with a businesslike manner and asked him to describe Jason in detail. Henry described Jason, including Uluula for good measure, while the guard took notes. When she was done, the guard took off at a run to pass on the information.
Wow, they really take their jobs seriously. Henry was actually impressed. He slowly scanned the scene in front of him, taking in the chaos. Bezzi-ibbi gave him a fanged smile and patted him on the back. "Family! Jaguar Clan!" he said.
Henry looked up at the clouds. The sky seemed familiar, but he was definitely not on Earth anymore. He wondered how much more weird shit he'd encounter in the next few hours. Probably a lot, he thought. He really, really hoped Jason was still alive. Henry didn't want to be stuck in this weird, fucked-up world by himself.
The Jaguar Clan
Henry and Mareen sat on opposite sides of the carriage as it trundled out of the Mirana commercial district. Bezzi-ibbi sat next to Henry and openly stared at Mareen as she fidgeted and peered out the window.
Until about fifteen minutes earlier, Henry had still been in front of the burning warehouse, loitering with nothing to do after giving a guard his statement. He'd watched as a few Guard mages arrived and began poking around the area. He'd sensed them use small amounts of magic in bu
rsts as they investigated. He was curious what they were doing but not enough to actually ask them about it. Not long after that, the carriage from the Jaguar Clan had arrived.
After he'd gotten into the carriage with Bezzi-ibbi and travelled a short way, he'd seen Mareen walking on the side of the road. He'd banged on the roof for the driver to stop and gotten Mareen's attention by waving. He knew she had probably been looking for him and Jason.
Mareen had only been in the carriage with him for a couple minutes, but she hadn't really spoken yet. Henry thought she was probably worried about Jason, just like he was.
Henry didn't know if Jason had made it out alive. With his teleporting abilities, it shouldn't have been a problem to escape, but Henry could easily have seeen his honorable friend staying behind to help someone else. He wanted to avoid thinking about all the things that could have gone wrong. He didn't want to tell Mareen what had happened yet either. He figured she'd probably be extremely worried about Jason. Based on how quiet she was being, she probably already knew something was wrong.
Jason better have made it out, he thought.
Henry felt awkward alone in the carriage with Mareen. He didn't want her to fall to pieces over Jason being missing; Henry wasn't very good at dealing with crying women. He was also confused about Mareen's body language. He thought she looked upset, maybe even angry. Was she grossed out that he was covered in blood and dirt? Maybe she was disgusted he was so dirty or wondering where Jason was.
Henry had never been very good at comforting anyone. Was she going to cry? If she cried, she'd probably hide her face, which would be a shame. He thought her dark, sparkling eyes were one of her prettiest features... He shook his head and looked out the window. That line of thought was dangerous.
Now that he thought about it, why hadn't she asked about Jason yet? Not that he was complaining, but the ongoing silence was making him jumpy.
Without warning, Mareen blurted, "I have something for you." Henry was nearly startled out of his skin, but he gave little outward sign of it. He couldn't keep himself from blinking rapidly as he tried to digest the question, though.
"You have something to give me?" he stammered. Henry had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. Then he remembered she'd had to run an errand or something earlier. That's right, we weren't supposed to move until she got back. He felt a little sheepish.
"Yes," she said, nodding. She took a couple items out of her satchel, causing Henry to notice it for the first time. Get it together, man. Stop staring at her eyes, and definitely do not look at her tits. Pay attention to your surroundings. She's with Jason anyway. In Mareen's hand, she held a ring and a necklace, more like a choker. Both looked like they were made of grey plastic.
As Henry watched, Mareen attached the necklace around her neck. It looked like a close fit. Then she handed the ring to Henry. "This is for you."
Henry examined the ring in his hand. It was smooth and lighter than he'd thought it would be. It was also really thin. It looked too small for any of his fingers, but without thinking, he tried slipping it onto to his pinky. The material of the ring expanded to create a tight fit.
Suddenly a flash of light blinded Henry, and he felt the ring on his finger grow cold, so cold it stung for a couple seconds. As quickly as it came, the sensation rapidly faded away. "What the fuck?" he yelled.
He rubbed his eyes, trying to work away the afterimage from the light. He could barely see Mareen holding her hands out as she quickly said, "Please calm down. I merely... formed an indentured servant contract with you."
"You what!?" hollered Henry. This day was going to give him a permanent twitch--he could just feel it. "How am I a servant?" He looked at his finger. The ring had vanished; a grey-silver line now went around his pinky. A similar band was on Mareen's neck. He held up his hand, asking, "And what the fuck is this?"
"I just... I wanted to repay you for all that you've done for me and the village. You are now my employer for ten years. I'm your indentured servant, honor-bound to your service. I am not a slave, but my life is not really my own either. Whether you pay me or not is your choice."
"So you tricked me into this? Now I'm, what, bound for ten years?"
"No, no," Mareen's voice was frantic. "I'm the one who is bound. A servant contract cannot be made without the serving party being willing. I wanted to repay everything you've done for me and for my family."
Henry shook his head and grated, "This makes no sense. Why me? Aren't you worried what Jason will think about this? You two are together, right? Why didn't you give him whatever the fuck this is? A tattoo ring?"
He was looking Mareen right in the eyes when her mood drastically changed; he actually witnessed the transformation. Almost in slow motion, her worried expression vanished, transitioning into blazing eyes and bared teeth. Henry had never seen her angry before. He soon learned he didn't enjoy the experience.
Mareen's nervous stutter completely vanished. "Listen here, you, you, stupid man!" shouted Mareen. "I am not courting with Jason! He is my friend! How could anyone be impossibly stupid enough to think that we're courting? Are you all children? And you... you are going to shut your rotting mouth while I explain this!"
She was actually growling and cursing in Luda.
Henry was shocked. He leaned back on his bench very slowly and folded his hands in his lap. No sudden movements. He was wise enough to know when to act neutral and just be very attentive. Henry had heard what Mareen did to one of the demon wolves, and she seemed angry enough to spit acid at him too. It actually looked like a good possibility she might jump across the carriage and attack him. He kept his mouth shut and nodded very carefully.
No woman had been this angry at him in years. Proper, kindhearted Mareen was screaming and using profanity. What the fuck is going on? What did I do?
"Listen closely. This is my decision. I don't care what anyone else says. Not my grandfather, not you, not an unholy angel in heaven is going to tell me what to do my life! Yes, I'm sorry I tricked you, but I knew you'd act like this, like an idiot from Earth who still hasn't accepted you are ON ANOTHER WORLD NOW! Another world with completely different rules, you doomed fool!
"What you know or what you think you know is completely useless until you actually understand this world! I'm from here. Learn from me! I will teach you! Anyone from this whole doomed planet would understand what I was doing here. You are impossibly ignorant, and you don't listen! You don't pay attention!
"I mean, look at you! You're covered in rotting blood and God asunder knows what else. What is wrong with you? There were explosions and a fire! You could have been killed... again!" Mareen's voice broke as she choked back a sob, but the sound was overcome by her fury.
"I just had to walk for miles not knowing if I would ever even see you again," she snarled. "You had simple rotting instructions to stay by the gate, but did you follow them? NO YOU DIDN'T! You have been in a city for less than a rotting DAY, and you are already covered in blood! Whose blood is that? You are an idiot! You followed a whoreson STREET KID into an ALLEY!? What the rot is wrong with you?
"And what is with this Mo'hali boy? Where did you get him? Actually never mind. I don't want to know right now."
Mareen's voice lowered slightly, and she said, more to herself, "No, that wasn't fair. Knowing you, you probably helped the boy..." Her eyes flashed, and she started yelling again, "But that's no excuse!
"I am going to help you whether you like it or not!
"This was my rotting choice! You have no obligations related to my servitude. Yes, as an employer of an indentured servant, you are supposed to give me room and board, but I chose this for myself! If I have to, I will pay my own way to support myself! But for ten years, my life will be spent trying to help you with your stupid rotting, stupid... GAH!"
Mareen screamed incoherently for a few seconds. Then she clenched her fists before growling, "This is the way things are now. It's done. There's not use in complaining about it."
She threw her satchel into Henry's lap and growled, "Take this. I got this for you and Jason. This is what you need to start an adventuring company. Now if you want to know more about the servant bond, we can talk about it later."
Mareen's tone became slow and cold, "Right now I think you should read what's in the rotting satchel and don't EVER mention even the remote POSSIBILITY that I am courting with Jason ever again, you fool! What the hell is wrong with you people!?"
Mareen was breathing heavily, and Henry didn't say a word. That last sentence had even been in English. Henry was completely freaked out.
Bezzi-ibbi began clapping and laughing; his ears quivered in mirth. Mareen flushed and looked out the window. Henry, on the other hand, slowly did what he was told and examined the papers in the satchel. He'd fought monsters, had a life and death struggle with criminals in a burning building--he'd almost died in a fire--but what he'd just experienced was by far the scariest thing he'd seen since arriving on Ludus.
* * *
The Jaguar Clan estate was huge. Like most of the other buildings Henry saw on the ride through the city, it was built from wood and rammed earth. Henry recognized the earthen construction method from his time in the Middle East. The architecture was almost Victorian with an Asian flair, mostly in the details.
The carriage pulled up to a large gate made from thick branches of a dark, horny wood. The grounds around the mansion were large and well-kept, the course Ludus grass uniformly cut. A stylized motif of a snarling jaguar was painted on the thick wooden fence surrounding the estate.
Two jaguar Mo'hali were manning the gate, one male and one female. Bezzi-ibbi bared his teeth at them out the window of the carriage, and they returned the gesture. Henry had no idea what the greeting meant. When Bezzi-ibbi sat down again, he patted Henry's shoulder and said, "Family." Then he nodded firmly.
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