She immediately released him and got to her feet, then reached down to help him up.
"Oh goodness, I—I'm so sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to attack you. I thought you were someone from the other side."
"What are you talking about?" Hill asked, dusting himself off. "And wait! How did you use that... icicle ability or whatever?"
"Look, never mind that," she said hurriedly. "We need to leave now. We're in border territory, and this fight definitely made noise. They'll be here any moment."
"Who will?"
"The Igashians! Come on!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him along. Her strength was surprising for her size.
"Hey! Wait!" Hill protested, but she ignored him. "You're not an Igashian? What is an Igashian? Who are you? Answer my questions!"
The woman kept running, dragging him through the forest. Despite her small frame, she was incredibly fast. Hill struggled to keep up, and eventually exhaustion hit him hard. He had no idea how long they'd been running, but it felt like forever.
"Please, just... hold on for a minute," he panted, his lungs burning. "I need to catch my breath."
She glanced back at him, then stopped abruptly. "We're almost there, okay? Just a bit further."
"Okay," Hill replied, gasping for air.
After a short break, they continued through the forest.
Soon, Hill could see tents in the distance, lit by torches. He could hear people talking and laughing, smell cooking fires. They'd reached some kind of camp.
"Where are we?" he asked.
She didn't answer. Instead, she led him toward one of the larger tents at the edge of camp. When they arrived, she let go of his wrist and pushed aside the flap.
The tent was sparsely furnished—a few chairs carved from tree bark, a similarly made wooden desk with papers scattered across it. Behind the desk sat an older man with graying hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He looked up from his work, smiled warmly at the woman, then frowned at Hill.
"Ashera? Who is this?" His voice was surprisingly deep for his rather frail appearance.
The woman—Ashera—stepped inside and gestured for Hill to follow.
"Come on in. It's fine."
Hill hesitated but ultimately decided to trust her. He stepped inside and stood next to her.
"Krugen, this is an Earthling I found on the border," she explained, pointing at Hill's shirt. "He was wearing this."
The old man—Krugen—raised an eyebrow.
"Interesting. We haven't had a new arrival in quite some time," he said. "But what was he doing there?"
"I don't know. He was just sitting there, staring at the trees."
Krugen eyed Hill suspiciously. "Are you sure he's not a spy?"
Ashera nodded. "Positive. He doesn't even know what an Igashian is."
"Really? Well, I suppose that's to be expected," Krugen replied. "Say, young man, are you from Earth?"
"Uh... yes. I'm from Earth," Hill said. "I died and... woke up here. Wait, are you also from Earth?"
"Before I answer, tell me what country you're from."
Hill smiled slightly. "Gargath."
Krugen turned to Ashera. "So he's an Earthling! Good!" But then his expression turned solemn. "But that also means that the plague beasts have rampaged that far already. How terrible. But to answer your question, yes, I am from Earth. My name is Krugen. This is Ashera, and this is our Earthling camp." He gestured around them. "I'm the leader here."
Hill frowned. "So you're like me? You died and ended up here?"
"Indeed. As did Ashera, and everyone else here," Krugen explained. "We established this camp about two weeks ago. We're all Earthlings who woke up in this forest."
"So there are others like me," Hill said quietly.
"Yes. We have around one hundred fifty people in the camp currently. With your addition, one hundred fifty-one."
Hill blinked. "That's... amazing. But what's the deal with these 'Igashians'? Why did you think I might be a spy?"
Krugen sighed. "We aren't the only ones in this underground forest. The Igashians are the natives of this world, and they have a settlement not far from our camp. We're not on good terms, as you can imagine. After all, we're foreigners who invaded their territory."
"They're like... humans?"
"They look exactly like us," Krugen said, leaning forward. "Essentially human, but from what we've seen, they all have black hair."
So that's why she attacked me, Hill thought, remembering the icy projectiles. She mistook me for a native.
Krugen leaned back in his chair. "But enough history for now. You need rest. I assume you've been wandering through the woods all day?"
"Well, yeah. I just woke up an hour or two ago," Hill admitted. A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over him as the adrenaline wore off.
"I see. I'll let you get some sleep. But first, I need to know—what's your blessing?"
"Pardon?" Hill said.
"Your blessing. When you awakened, you were given one. What is yours?"
Hill immediately summoned his runes, finding it much easier than before. The information displayed instantly. As he'd thought, the line about his blessing simply stated:
Blessing: [None.]
He frowned. Was that unusual? Looking at Krugen and Ashera, he noticed they weren't looking at his runes. Maybe they couldn't see them.
Should he tell the truth or lie? He didn't want to lie, but something told him honesty might cause problems.
"My blessing is called 'The Enchained Hollows,'" he said, deciding to use his attribute name instead. He wasn't sure what this blessing thing was, so maybe the attribute would work as a substitute.
"The Enchained Hollows?" Krugen raised an eyebrow. "That sounds... interesting. Do you know what it does?"
No, I don't! Hill wanted to shout.
"It only... does stuff when I'm sleeping, I guess. I haven't really tested it yet," he lied, hoping Krugen wouldn't pry further.
Thankfully, the older man just nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Alright, we'll figure it out later. Ashera, have him sleep in the second company tents tonight. Tomorrow, we'll decide which company to assign him to."
Ashera nodded. "Of course." She turned to Hill. "Come on, then."
Hill followed her out into the night air. The camp was much livelier now, with people talking and laughing around fires. They were all dressed differently, as if multiple cultures had been merged into one. Most were young, though he saw some elderly people and a few children. The oldest looked to be in his seventies.
They walked through camp until they reached a row of large tents, each marked with a "II" on the front. There were twelve such tents, all bearing the same symbol.
"These are the second company tents," Ashera explained, pointing to one of them. "Go to the last one down there. You should see some empty bedrolls inside. Pick one and get some rest."
"Thanks," Hill said, still confused. "What is the 'second company'?"
"Oh, right," she said. "We've organized the camp into three companies of roughly fifty people each. Each company has a specific task. The second company's job is to patrol the border between us and the Igashian settlement."
Hill nodded. "That makes sense."
"So tomorrow, Krugen and his second-in-command, Zeren, will decide which company to assign you to," she explained. "But for now, just rest."
"Alright. Thanks again."
Hill entered the tent and saw several sleeping rolls, most occupied by people already asleep, but a few still empty. He picked one and sat down, grateful to finally relax.
The day's events had been so chaotic that he hadn't had time to really process everything. He'd died, been resurrected, met a strange voice, and found his way to an Earthling camp in an underground forest. It was all surreal, but strangely, he was beginning to accept it. The panic and stress were fading, replaced by an odd sense of calm. Maybe it was exhaustion, or maybe his mind was just trying to cope.
Whatever the reason, he was glad he could finally sleep.
I just hope tomorrow will be better, he thought as he drifted off.