An American Isekai'd Ch. 3

Author's note: Hey, thank you all for reading. I'm sorry it took so long for this chapter to get published, but life comes at you fast. I recently moved and have had to spend more time making money for bills, so I have had less time to write. This chapter also went through a number of re-writes to fix some plot holes and future issues. If you are enjoying my story and want to read more, I have three more in the works that will be posted starting next month. Please leave a comment and share your thoughts.

A special shout-out to both KenjiSato and Demiurging for their excellent work editing and offering their advice and suggestions.

Now if your time is free:

Chapter 3

Vamps, Elves, and Information Overload

"Oh, shit," Zeke said, staring into the mouth of the cave. Whoever was there, obviously, wasn't happy to see him. He stopped himself, mid-step, and slowly crept backwards. Hesitating for a moment, he debated on simply turning around and getting the fuck out of Dodge, but he had come here for a reason. They needed this person's help.

He turned to Saibh just in time to see her fly past him.

"Um... Mihalea. It's me, Saibh. We... uh... we need your help. We had a teensy... accident," she squeaked into the darkness. Zeke could tell her voice was riddled with fear and it didn't make him feel any more at ease.

"Saibh?... What are you doing here? Why have you brought this human to my home?" the voice returned.

"Weelllll... it's kind of a long story. He's lost, you see and has been wandering around the forest since last night. I ran into him and tried to help, but uh... I kinda got turned into a slave. But not on purpose, or anything! We messed up the spell. So, we decided to see if maybe, Eirlys would help us. Pretty please... uh, ma'am, my lord."

Zeke heard an audible sigh coming from inside the cave.

"Humans are not allowed to enter. Neither are you, for that matter, after the last time you visited," the voice said.

"Geez, I said I was sorry! How was I supposed to know how old that vase was?" Saibh pleaded.

Zeke cocked his eyebrow and shot her a questioning look. She just looked back at him, shrugging her shoulders and blushing.

"The last time I was here, I... maybe... broke a teensy weensy... priceless heirloom," she confessed.

Zeke facepalmed. He had the feeling he would be doing that a lot the more he was around her.

"It was more than just some mere heirloom," the voice roared. "It had been in my clan for twenty-five-hundred years! Not even magic could restore it. It took Eirlys weeks to put back together and it still has cracks!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! But we really need your help. At least let us come in and talk for a few minutes. After that, we will be out of your hair," Saibh yelled.

There was a long pause and during the silence, Zeke gave Saibh a flat look. She just grinned back at him and shrugged her shoulders again.

"Fine. You may enter, but do not touch anything! Luckily for you, Eirlys is curious about this human, she says his aura is odd and I want to know why he is out here so far away from his own," the voice finally relented.

Saibh and Zeke exchanged glances with one another and stepped forward into the cave.

"I mean it, Saibh! Keep your hands to yourself or I will rip off your wings! You should be grateful your mother is a dear friend," called the voice.

"Okay, okay, I got it. I won't touch anything," Saibh grumbled.

As they passed through the mouth of the cave, Zeke looked around. Despite the size of the entrance, the inside looked shallow. Stalactites hung from the high ceiling in various places while stalagmites dotted the floor below them. He couldn't see much around, nor could he find the source of the voice that had come from within. In total, it was only around twenty feet deep, and he was having a tough time believing someone lived there.

Saibh raced ahead of him and disappeared behind a large boulder that sat just before the back of the cave wall. Zeke paused to watch her and when he didn't follow, she peered from around it and beckoned him with her hand.

"C'mon, it's this way," she said and disappeared behind the rock again.

Zeke followed her, surprised to find a hidden tunnel in the wall. It looked like it was just under seven feet tall and narrow. The inside was pitch black and Zeke wished he had a flashlight, or even his makeshift torch. Saibh was just in front of him and the faint green light she emitted was enough to illuminate the immediate surroundings. She stopped for a moment a short distance in, and he could see her start to gather mana in her hand.

"Illuminate," she spoke.

A small speck of light appeared above her hand and grew to the size of a baseball. It stayed hovering above her upturned palm and though it was small, it gave off a very bright light. Saibh had to move it to her side so it wouldn't blind her.

Zeke continued to follow Saibh through the tunnel's various turns as he thought about what he had learned. They had been walking for a few minutes, and he was starting to wonder just how long the tunnel was and how the voice reached so far, when they finally came to the exit. Zeke's eyes widened in shock at the scene before him.

The tunnel led into an impossibly large cavern. It was lit brightly by the same balls of light that Saibh held, but even with their brightness, he could not see the ceiling of the cave entirely. The lights encircled the vast space every few feet, illuminating various outcroppings of rock and other geological features. However, the sight that was the most glaring stood in the center of the enormous space. A large stone plateau, maybe ten feet tall, rose from the ground, perfectly flat on the top.

On that stone, stood a house.

Two stories tall and constructed out of wood, it had warm yellow lights coming out through the windows with a staircase that had been cut into the stone, leading to the front door. It was painted white, except for the supports, and reminded Zeke of cottages he had seen in many fairy tales back on Earth. He gawked at the structure with his mouth hanging open.

Meanwhile, Saibh led the way with Zeke a short distance behind her, still marveling at the sheer size of the cavern. If he didn't know better, he would think the entire mountain was hollow. As they approached the stairs, he could tell how much care had gone into the craftsmanship. Each step was perfectly level, evenly measured, and could have been cut with a laser with how smooth it was.

As they came to the top of the staircase, they were met by a woman standing in front of the door. She was tall, beautiful, and intimidating. Jet-black hair fell straight across her shoulders and down her back. It contrasted heavily with her pale, ivory skin. Her breasts were large and being held by a black bustier that was tied tightly in the front, accenting her tiny waist. The top flowed down, over her wide hips, and into a long dress that ended at her ankles, where she wore opened-toed shoes with short heels.

Her face was slender and proud, with high cheekbones and a slim, slightly upturned, nose. Her eyebrows were thin but framed perhaps the most striking feature of her face, her eyes. They had bright red irises that seemed to glow in the light of the cavern. As she stared at them without blinking, her face wore a fierce expression of disapproval.

Zeke must have been staring too long or too hard because she suddenly turned her gaze on him, her eyes burning.

"See something you like?" she sneered.

"I... er... well... you see..." Zeke stammered. He managed to compose himself after a moment to speak properly, but not before noticing another feature of her, already striking, face. When she spoke, he clearly saw her canines. They were elongated and sharpened to a pearly-white point, while the rest of her teeth were normal, albeit perfectly straight.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

The woman clicked her tongue at him and turned to Saibh.

"Consorting with perverts now?" she asked the fae.

"C'mon now, don't be like that," replied Saibh. "His circumstances are a bit... special. Besides, I even have a tough time not drooling over you. Face it, you're a fox."

The woman just rolled her eyes and turned back to Zeke, her red eyes looking him over, judging him.

"I am Mihalea, and you should feel honored, human, you are the first to set foot in this place in six hundred years. The last one never made it out of the tunnel. So, what is your name?"

"Uh... Ezekiel ma'am. Ezekiel McGrath. Thank you for allowing me to come." he responded, enunciating his words and bowing his head. "Most people just call me Zeke."

She continued to glare at him like he was an insect she spotted in the kitchen.

"Well, Zeke, it seems you have caught the interest of my colleague. I will admit that, upon a closer look, there does seem to be something strange about you. Come, she is waiting for us inside."

"B-before we go in, ma'am. Can I ask you a question?" Zeke queried.

"What is it?" she snapped at him.

"I don't mean to be rude, and I hope I don't offend, but... Are you a vampire?" He asked.

The corner of her lip curled.

"Yes, what of it?"

"N-nothin', I'se jus' curious. I've never seen one, let alone met one before and I couldn't help but ask." he replied.

"Do you introduce yourself and speak to every steak that you eat?" she countered.

"No, ma'am," he said softly, his face red with embarrassment.

"We don't usually play with our food, either," she quipped, then abruptly spun around and started toward the door to the house.

"This way," she beckoned.

Zeke went silent and followed behind Saibh with his head lowered. This woman was scary, almost as scary as Shinnick had been. It was obvious she had no love for humans and was not pleased he was there.

As they stepped through the threshold of the door, he lifted his head to look at the interior and regained his surprise. It was... nice. Certainly not what he was expecting. He thought that a vampire would be all darkness and gloom, but the inside was warmly lit, with several landscape paintings hanging on the walls of the foyer. A staircase made of polished red wood was on the right and led up to the second floor.

Ok, so it's a normal house. I was expecting something a bit more... fantastic. He thought to himself.

The vampire led the way to the left of the stairs and through an arch in the back wall, leading into a large parlor. Two couches were placed in the center of the room, facing each other, and a coffee table, made of dark wood, sat in between. Large lamps were placed on the walls in each corner and a small chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling.

Sitting on the left couch was another beautiful woman. She had short hair that was solid white and matched her skin. Her body was petite and lithe. While not as voluptuous as Mihalea, her womanly charms were still clear. Her breasts were medium sized, hidden beneath a white blouse with a green trim and floral pattern and she wore a mid-length skirt that showed off her shapely calves and bare feet.

Her face was round and kind, with slightly plump lips and a distinguished nose. Her cheeks had a pale redness to them that Zeke swore was blush, though even if it was, she had no need for makeup. The part of her that attracted his eyes the most, though, was her ears. They stuck out slightly from the sides of her head, angled with her face, and sloped into a point at the top. He knew at once that she was a classic elf.

As they entered the living space, she turned to look at him with deep, emerald-green eyes and a warm, but wicked, smile spread across her face. Mihalea sat on the couch opposite her, crossing one leg over top of the other. She placed her hands in her lap and glared at the unexpected guests.

"Welcome," the elf said. Her voice was earthy and dulcet and brought a calming feeling to Zeke. "I do hope dear Mihalea hasn't been too harsh with you, she tends to be overzealous of our home."

"Tsk," Mihalea scoffed.

The elf looked over and smiled wider, knowing she was teasing her. Then, she turned back to Zeke who was standing at the end of the coffee table.

"My name is Eirlys, and I share this house with my brooding friend over there. Who might you be?"

"I'm Ezekiel, Ezekiel McGrath. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," he bowed lightly as he introduced himself for a second time.

"Ezekiel, hmm. What a strange name," Eirlys commented.

"Most folk just call me Zeke," he responded.

"Zeke, then. Mihalea tells me you have come here seeking aid. Is that correct?"

"Yes ma'am. I, uh... I seem to have, accidentally, enslaved Saibh while trying to make a familiar's contract. I didn't mean to, but Saibh's directions weren't very clear, and I don't really know what a familiar is," Zeke explained.

"Hey, don't pin this on me, dumbass!" the fae turned and yelled at him. Zeke smiled sheepishly at her.

Eirlys placed her hand in front of her mouth and giggled. A cute sound that made Zeke blush.

"I see... Saibh does have a tendency to get into trouble," she laughed. She turned to the fae and waved her over.

"Saibh, why don't you come here for a moment and let me see what we are dealing with."

The elf opened her palm flat, and Saibh flitted over, landing on it and looking up at the ceiling so the elf could have an unimpeded view of the collar.

"Hmmm... yes, I see... oh, dear..." the elf mumbled as she took a close look at the collar around the fae's neck.

"It seems I have bad news," she said to Saibh finally. "I am afraid there is nothing that can be done. While the spell itself is simple and low level, once it has been cast it is binding and extremely effective. There is no way to remove it, as it would defeat the purpose if you could. You say that you did this?" She turned to Zeke.

"Yes ma'am, though it wasn't intentional," Zeke replied.

Saibh shot him another dirty look and he mouthed an apology.

"You owe me big! Don't think I'm gonna make it easy on you. I want three meals a day, a comfy bed, two new belts... Grrrr... I can't believe I'm stuck with you. Just you wait, I'm gonna get you back for this." Saibh raged, her voice increasing in pitch.

"Slaves shouldn't be so impertinent to their masters," Mihalea teased.

Saibh redirected her dirty look at the vampire.

"Now, now you two," Eirlys interjected, giggling again. "You shouldn't poke fun at her situation, Mihalea. Zeke here might be some sort of massive sadist."

Saibh looked back at Zeke fearfully, pleading with her eyes that he wasn't.

"I'm not," he said. "The worst I've done is pin butterflies to a board by their wings for display."

"Gyaaaah!" cringed the fae. "You touch my beautiful wings, and I'll clean your clock!"

"They weren't alive or anythin'," Zeke tried to reason. It failed miserably, and Saibh hid behind the elf.

Eirlys started laughing aloud and Zeke even thought he saw the hint of a smile cross Mihalea's face.

"The spell can be easily resisted, so there are not a lot who know or use it," Eirlys began after calming down. "A familiar contract is a similar spell, but not as binding. The only tangible way to use this on someone at this level is if they were to agree to it. Did you agree to this, Saibh?"

"I most certainly did not!" Saibh protested, then a look of realization hit her, and her face scrunched up. "Oh... maybe that was what the notification said. I just chose yes without reading. FUCK MY LIFE!"

She dragged her hands down the sides of her face in horror at her mistake.

"Then what's done is done," proclaimed the elf as she turned back to face Zeke.

"May I ask what it is that you are doing out here? Aside from catching fae, that is," she asked.

"Well, it's kinda a long story and you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you. Saibh certainly didn't." Zeke replied.

She cocked an eyebrow at him.

"As far as long stories go, if you haven't noticed, I'm an elf. Time is of no real consequence to me. As to whether I will believe you... You should let me decide that once you have told me,"

Zeke stared into her eyes, thinking about whether he should trust her and where do begin the story. Both Eirlys and Mihalea were staring at him intently and made him nervous. Before he could reply, however, his stomach interrupted with a loud growl. His face grew red at its outburst.

"Ah, of course. You have been wandering all night, after all," Eirlys said. "It must have been a while since you last ate. We don't have much here, seeing that I am the only one who eats, but I am sure I could find something. Between foraging in the woods and trading with the nearby dwarf village, I keep enough around."

Eirlys got up from the couch and crossed the room through another open doorway behind the couch. Zeke assumed that it must lead to a kitchen, as he could hear her shuffling around and the various sounds of dishware being used. While she was gone, Mihalea never took her eyes off him, narrowing them occasionally, as if she were trying to peer through him. Her suspicion of him was obvious.

Eirlys returned a few minutes later, carrying a bowl and two plates, which she set down on the table. She sat on the couch in her earlier spot and patted the cushion next to her.

"Come. Sit and eat. After that we will talk about how you got here. I am afraid I am not much of a meat-eater, so all I had was some vegetable stew and a bit of bread."

"That'll be fine, ma'am. Thank you for your kindness," Zeke said and sat on the couch next to her.

He picked up the bowl and stirred the contents with the spoon. It was a stew made from beans, carrots, potatoes, and bits of celery in a thick, milky broth. He brought a spoonful to his mouth and found it surprisingly good. On one of the plates, there was a small piece of bread and on the other were smaller portions of the same meal for Saibh. Maybe it was because they were starving, but they quickly shoveled the meal down and ate the crusty bread as the elf and vampire watched him. It reminded him of rye and was very filling.

"I am happy you are enjoying my cooking so much," commented the elf.

"Ish bery gud," Zeke replied through a mouthful of bread. She smiled at him pleasantly while he ate.

After they finished the food, he thanked her again and she took the dishes, returned them to the kitchen, then came back into the room. This time, she sat on the couch opposite to him, next to Mihalea.

"Now, let us start again. What are you doing out here and how did you get here?" she asked.

Zeke sighed and resolved himself to tell everything he could remember. He had no friends or others who could help, so he decided to place some trust in his hosts.

I'm... not from this world," he began, receiving curious looks.

"Well... that's not entirely true. This body's from here, but my soul is not."

Zeke started by telling them about his past life and how he died. He spoke of his awakening in the white room and the conversations with Ignaxi and Sulena. He skipped over the part about making his own body, though, not wanting to seem shallow, even if he was at the time. Then, he described how he was reborn.

He told them about waking up to the scene of grisly violence and how he suspected that both his parents had been killed in an attack meant to kill him as well, but he couldn't remember anything of his life here before then. He told how he had left them behind, wounded and overwhelmed, not sure what to do. Wandering through the woods, meeting Saibh, freeing the god from her belt, then accidentally enslaving her. He spoke of the dream meeting between himself and Shinnick, her tale and her mood swings, but glazed over the requirements for her blessings, since he still wasn't sure what exactly they were, and they seemed suggestive. He merely told them he wouldn't receive them until his twenty-third birthday, whenever that was.

"So, after I woke up, me and Saibh walked here and well... you know the rest," he finished.

Eirlys had sat there with her warm smile, looking at him, but saying nothing as he spoke, seemingly contemplating his story. Mihalea, on the other hand, stared at him in total disbelief and spoke the minute he was done.

"Do you actually expect us to believe a bullshit story like that?" she scoffed. "I have been alive for over two thousand..."

Eirlys interrupted her by placing a hand on her thigh and gave her a look but said nothing. Mihalea at once went quiet. The elf turned back to Zeke with the same smile she had been wearing since he arrived.

"That is an... interesting tale. I am less incredulous than my cohort, it seems. I do not feel any malice within you, nor did your body language say to me that you were lying, though I did sense you may have left some things out. This tells me that you, at least, believe what you say."

She paused for a moment, before continuing.

"There are, of course, ways we can verify some parts of your story. When night falls, I shall have Mihalea go and search for the remnants of the rest of the group that you spoke of. In the meantime, why don't you show me your status book?"

"I'm sorry, my what?" Zeke questioned, confused.

"Your status book, dear. The book that holds all the information on your status, skills and abilities."

"I'm 'fraid I don't know what that is. What you see on me, now, is all I was carryin' when I woke up. Except for the sword I took off one of the people that was there. I didn't see any book around," he replied.

The elf giggled at him again.

"It is not a book that you carry in your bag, but one that you carry in your soul. It is considered one of the basic abilities and can be used by anyone. Children are taught how to summon it nearly from the time they learn how to speak. Here, allow me to demonstrate."

She lifted her right hand with her palm up.

"Status Book," she chanted.

There they were again, words that did not sound like they belonged with the rest of the language being spoken, but Zeke didn't have time to reflect on them.

In the same style as the gods, a black, leather-bound, book with gold lettering on the front materialized in her hand. It was extremely thin, only seeming to hold a single page. The words centered on the cover read 'Status Book' in bold text and below was, what Zeke presumed to be, the elf's full name, Eirlys Fimbulvetr.

Zeke looked at the tome with amazement. The writing on it was strange and square but had parts with broad loops. He had never seen writing of that type before and was even more confused by the fact that he was able to read it. Eirlys handed him her book and he gave it a lengthy examination, turning it around several times, even peering at its spine.

"Before you open it and try to read all my secrets, you should know that doing so without the owner's permission is considered very rude and an invasion of privacy. It is even punished harshly in some countries," she warned. "You would not learn much anyway, the contents can be hidden from others or changed. It is, after all, your book."

Zeke looked up from the book and sheepishly handed it back to her.

"With that being said, I would still like to look at your book. It may hold some clues as to who you are," she said. She lightly tossed her book into the air above her and it disappeared.

"Do I need to gather mana to do it?" Zeke asked.

"No," she replied.

Nodding, Zeke held his hand out before him, the same way the elf had, and repeated the chant he had heard her say.

"Status Book."

Instantly a book identical to the one Eirlys summoned appeared in his upturned palm. After glancing at it for a moment, he opened the book. As he had thought, there was only a single page, blank on the reverse. Written on the page was a table of contents that reminded him heavily of a game's menu screen. The menu read:

***

Stats

Skills, Spells, and Abilities

Inventory

Party

Quests

Encyclopedia

***

"So how exactly does this work? There's only one page." he looked up, questioningly, at Eirlys.

"Press your finger on the word of the option you wish to read," she replied, amused at his childlike ignorance. He nodded and looked back down at the page.

"Ok, like a touchscreen."

The others looked at him in confusion, but he was already too focused on the book to notice. He pressed on the word "Stats" and the book started to change, glowing with white light, and two more pages were added. Turning the page, he saw what he immediately knew to be a status screen outlined on the new page.

***

Name: Ezekial McGrath

Race: Human

Age: 18 (18th day of Samakuns)

Level: 5

Class: None

Subclass: None

Title: 'Blessed'

HP: 200/200

MP: 80/80

STA: 100/100

SP: N/A

Attributes:

Strength: 5

Agility: 6

Endurance: 10

Intelligence: 6

Willpower: 8

Wisdom: 5

Luck: 5

AP Available: 5

***

Zeke looked over the numbers, wondering what they meant and how they related to the world. They seemed low to him, but without anything to compare it to, it was hard to tell. There was also the question of his apparent birth date. He had no idea what month it was currently, or even how many there were in a year.

He handed the book to Eirlys, thinking he could always go through the section that was marked "Encyclopedia" later. It might be like a tutorial and give a more detailed explanation of what each meant.

The elf took the book and held it open for a few moments, glancing over the pages.

"How interesting..." Eirlys commented. "Your title is 'Blessed' and it seems your attributes are unusually high, for your level that is. Normally, humans receive five Attribute Points for every level they gain; elves, dwarves, and fae receive seven; beast-kin get between seven and nine, depending on the tribe; and demons get ten. You distribute them as you wish. You, however, have a total of forty-five already distributed with five more to spare, meaning you receive the amount a demon does per level."

Both Mihalea and Siabh stared at Eirlys in disbelief, then, as it dawned on them that she wasn't joking, their eyes turned to Zeke, bewildered.

"How is that possible?" Mihalea demanded to know.

"I am not sure. It does lend some credence to his claims, though," responded Eirlys.

She turned back to the table of contents on the earlier page and her eyes lit up in wonder.

"Oh? What's this? Encyclopedia? How very odd. I have never seen this entry before."

"What do you mean?" asked Zeke.

"I mean my book, and others I have had the privilege to view, do not have this option. Your book seems to be unique." she replied.

"It must be Ignaxi's doing, they said they were the one who designed this world's mechanics" Zeke said offhandedly.

"That may prove to be especially useful. I wonder what new things it contains...," the elf mused, almost to herself.

She handed the book back to him and he decided to thumb through a few of the other options, starting with his skills.

Most were things he expected to see, various skills relating to certain actions or vocational paths that you would normally find in most fantasy games. There were entries like; metallurgy and crafting; weapon and shield skills; elemental magic; and even more mundane things, like charisma and bartering. His highest skill, which was under magic, was Casting at level ten. There was one skill, however, that stood out, being vastly different than any of the others. The skill was called Beta Tester.

What the hell is that suppose' ta be? He thought.

"So, how do I figure out what these skills do or what abilities come with them?" he asked.

"Select one of the skills and a description will appear on the opposite page with the associated abilities below it. If the skill deals with magic, there will be spells, instead," Eirlys explained.

Curious about the odd skill, Zeke pressed Beta Tester. On the next page, words began to appear as if being written by a ghostly hand.

***

Beta Tester Level 1

Deals with changing and reprogramming the various systems that drive the world. Test innovative ideas, create new spells and abilities, change stats and classes, etc.

Abilities:

Debug Mode

SP cost: 1

Displays informational data on any object or person within the focus crosshair.

Effect time: 1 hour

Debug Room

SP cost: 1

Transports user into the debug room to implement, adjust, and test backend world systems. Can only be used once every 90 days.

Effect time: 2 hours

Dragontongue

SP cost: Passive

Free-flowing and fluent knowledge of all languages spoken within the world. Any language will be translated automatically in the mind.

***

Having played video games most of his past life and been particularly enthralled with modding towards its end, Zeke was familiar with a debug room. It was a space where you could access all the hidden workings of a game that aren't usually accessible and is used by developers to test the programs they wrote.

Ignaxi never told me anything about this. They said the world was like a game, but just how much of that is true? Does this mean I can change it? he thought as he looked over the costs.

I need SP to use it, so I can't find out what it does right now. I'll need to figure out what SP is and how to get it. The third ability, though, must be why I can speak Saibh's language and why I can read. Does that mean that spells are also spoken in a different language? What language do Eirlys and Mihalea speak? It doesn't sound like Fae and Saibh has been speaking the same language as they do now. How does the skill know which language to use?

Eirlys interrupted his thoughts.

"As much as I am sure you would like to learn them all, would you mind terribly if I took another look?"

"Oh, sorry. I guess I should stick to the task," Zeke replied. He snapped out of his head and handed her the book.

She spun the book around to face her and started to read the contents on the left page. With every line her smile seemed to grow wider. She pressed on a few items while she was reading and, when finished, she glanced up at Mihalea, grinning from ear to ear, and handed the vampire the book. Equally curious, Saibh flew behind Mihalea, much to the chagrin of the busty woman, and began reading over her shoulder.

The two repeated Eirlys' movements, then simply stared at Zeke with amazement.

"Seems I owe you an apology," Mihalea spoke through her teeth. "Although your story still sounds like a fever dream of your own design, if what is written in this book is true, you are actually blessed by the gods."

Eirlys nodded at her associate before speaking.

"Night has fallen; would you like to confirm the other parts of his story?'

Mihalea looked at Zeke again, then stood and made her way toward the front door. After a moment, he heard it close behind her and a thought struck him.

"Are day and night different here? It don't feel like it has been that long since I woke up next to the carriage."

"A day lasts twenty-one hours," replied the elf.

Zeke narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"So how long is a week, a month, or a year?" he questioned.

"There are six days in a week, five weeks to a month, and fourteen months to a year," she replied. "In total, there are four hundred and twenty-four days in a year."

Zeke had never thought the length of a year would astonish him as much as it did, it was just something he accepted when they taught him in school, and this was the first time since he arrived that he truly felt ignorant. He knew when he was sent that it would take some time getting used to, but he didn't think he would have to completely reevaluate all the common sense he had from his previous life.

Eirlys handed him back his book and he decided to read more while they waited for Mihalea to return. He thumbed through each skill, one after the other, and each time he pressed a new one, the writing on the right page would disappear and be replaced with new ghost writing. Most of the abilities were mundane, adding bonuses to his attributes or making work in general easier, but there were a few that stood out.

***

Rapid Growth

SP cost: Passive

Doubles the amount of EXP earned and grants double the amount of attribute points gained per level.

Limit Breaker

SP cost: Passive

Allow you to exceed the level cap of 100, extending it indefinitely.

Longevity

SP cost: Passive

Extends your average life by two years per point in the Endurance attribute and slows the aging process of the body after the age of twenty-five. Aging resumes within the final ten years of life.

Aura Sense

SP cost: Passive

Grants the ability to sense the mana of individuals and objects.

Unwavering

SP cost: Passive

Grants a 50% resistance to all status effects.

Sex Appeal

SP cost: Passive

Members of a different sex are unnaturally attracted to you. The strength of the attraction is determined by the difference in Willpowers between the target(s) and user.

Archivist

SP cost: Passive

Grants the assistance of Oracle, in the form of the menu option 'Encyclopedia'.

***

Every time Zeke read a description, his jaw dropped further. Especially with the skill 'Longevity'. If he understood it correctly, it meant if he put all his attribute points to endurance, he would live for hundreds, even thousands of years. That gave it some serious incentive but also gave him pause.

Do I really want to live that long? Doesn't this seem a little broken?

As he was still digesting the, obviously overpowered, abilities, Mihalea returned from her task.

"It is true. I found the remains of the battle. It seems that they were involved as well," she spoke softly to Eirlys.

"They?" asked Zeke.

Eirlys looked at him, her smile never wavering.

"Nevermind that right now. What did you do with the remains, Mihalea?"

"I buried them in a clearing a short distance away and destroyed what was left of the carriage. We do not need to attract any more attention." Mihalea replied.

Zeke felt a pain in his chest when he remembered all the people dead around him when he awoke. A wave of guilt washed over him, and he felt pathetic for not doing something for them himself. That woman had given her life for him, and he had just left her body there. He couldn't even remember who she was and knew he should find a way to make up for his attitude and honor them.

He sighed heavily.

"I don't know who I am or where I'm from, at least not in this world, and, according to Saibh, the nearest human settlement is a two-week journey from here," he spoke to the couple. "There is so much that I don't know. I feel like an idiot."

"Hmm... then it seems you are left with only two choices," Eirlys interjected. "We can give you some supplies and you can try to make it, or... you can stay here with us and train."

"WHAT!?!" Mihalea and Saibh cried simultaneously.

"You can't possibly be serious," the vampire objected.

"Let us look at things as they are," Eirlys responded calmly.

"Zeke has little chance of making such a long trip. Even if he was able to, there is no foretelling what would befall him once he arrived. Judging by his clothes, he is obviously not a commoner. Combine that with his blessing and abilities and there is little chance that the attack on him and the others was an act of random bandits.

There is simply too much for it not to be related. If something has happened to the gods and Zeke is the one who has been sent to investigate, then we are honor bound to help him, since we, too, once received blessings."

"You both have blessings?" Zeke asked, stunned.

"Yes, though they were given an exceptionally long time ago. We both received the blessing of Unagwa, the god of war," she explained to Zeke. "But that is a story for another time."

"I still do not believe this is a wise idea. We have secluded ourselves from this world for a reason. I do not want to invite the world's troubles into our home simply for the sake of a gift I received more than a thousand years ago," Mihalea protested.

"There is no need to be worried. If the news of the attack has already reached the ears of the ones behind it, then as far as this world knows, he is dead. No one is likely to come looking for him," Eirlys countered.

"Now, if this matter is settled, let us show Zeke to his room, so that he may rest. Tomorrow we will start his training."

She finished her words with an air of finality that made the vampire pause, hesitant to continue her argument for a moment.

"What about the hyperactive one? I do not need any more broken decorations." Mihalea asked, summoning resolve and pointing at Saibh. She had been watching and was unusually silent as the pair argued.

"They are a package in my view, due to her predicament. I don't think she will take up much space and will be on her best behavior," Eirlys said, eyeing the fae with an intense gaze.

"Yes! Yes! I promise to be a good girl," squeaked Saibh, enthusiastically nodding.

The vampire just rolled her eyes and sighed, slumping her shoulders slightly in defeat.

"This way then, the guest bedroom is upstairs," she waved.

Zeke bowed his head, thanked Eirlys, and followed Mihalea up the stairs while trying, unsuccessfully, to not watch her ass sway along the way. They reached the top and went down a long hallway with several doors. As they walked, they passed a stone pedestal with a cracked vase standing on top and Zeke made a mental note to give it a wide breadth as he passed.

Mihalea indicated the bathroom on the right and came to a stop at the last door on the left, opening it for the pair. The inside was plain, compared to the rest of the house. It had a full-sized bed with two pillows and a comforter and a few decorations on the walls, but it was still nice, if a little dusty. It was better than the alcove he had slept in earlier that day, at least. Before leaving, the vampire turned to Zeke.

"You may have the fortune of the cosmos on your side, but I will warn you now. Take Eirlys' kindness for granted or cause us any trouble and you will wish you had died in the forest instead. Be ready in the morning, my training is not for the weak or faint-hearted, I will crush that luck of yours and turn you into a real man," she warned.

Zeke's eyes went wide. All he could do was nod as Mihalea closed the door behind her, leaving Saibh and himself alone for the first time since they had arrived.

"I'm not sure which one is scarier," Zeke said offhandedly to the fae.

"Meh, they both are actually good people, they just like their privacy," Saibh said. "Finally, though! A bed to sleep in. It's been so long, I'd almost forgotten what one feels like. I call the right side!"

"Hold on, how is this going to work? Are we sleeping in the same bed? I don't want to roll over and crush you while I'm asleep," Zeke stopped her.

"Oh, don't worry about that," Saibh responded.

The fae flew to the middle of the room, near the foot of the bed, and did something that made the already overstimulated Zeke's jaw drop once again. She looked at him and suddenly started changing size, growing larger until she was just shorter than he was.

"You can change size!?!" Zeke exclaimed.

"Well sure, all fae can," Saibh said simply.

"Okay, I'm done. I've had enough for one day. I'm going to bed. I'll figure this shit out tomorrow," he said and headed toward the side of the bed that Saibh hadn't claimed.

As he sat down, he felt the mattress underneath. It appeared to be stuffed with goose down and straw and was extremely comfortable and the pillow felt like it was made the same way. He kicked off his shoes, took off his shirt, and crawled beneath the comforter, keeping his pants on. He felt Saibh crawl in next to him and it finally dawned on him that he would be sharing a bed with an extremely attractive woman. Remembering Shinnick's words, he turned away from her to shield himself.

This is going to be rough, he thought, but being mentally exhausted from everything he had experienced today, he quickly fell asleep.

*

**

"Are you sure this is what you want?" asked Mihalea as she returned to the parlor.

"Yes. Frankly, while life with you is what I wished for and is great, things in the past few decades have grown dull. I know it will not last long, but I think having him here and helping him will bring good things and it will make the house much livelier. You worry too much, my dear," Eirlys replied.

"It is only because I love you that I let you get away with this. My only desire is to keep you safe and make sure that the others do not find us." Mihalea said.

Eirlys crossed the room and took Mihalea's hands into her own.

"I love you, too. Perhaps by training him, a time will come soon where we will no longer need to hide." she encouraged.

"I hope so, love. I hope so," the vampire responded.

Eirlys leaned into her and kissed her softly on the lips.