Chapter 9 [Awakened and Distressed | Leah]

"Nnnnnngghhh!"

Leah woke to a very, very familiar, crisp snap and an unbearable stinging from her nether region. Her hands shot to her ass and massaged the wound while she loathingly endeavored to force the sleep away. She didn't want to. That had been the best sleep she'd gotten since before her first child. As for the man who’d interrupted her peaceful slumber…

"K-Kyle, you ffffuuucking asshole! Why would y—" Her words caught in her throat when she opened her eyes. The lingering sleep that had been attempting to pull her back vanished, and her jaw dropped. She was not lying in her bed. Hell, she wasn't lying in any bed. She wasn't even in her house!

"Wh… wh… wha…" Leah gasped and tried to speak but couldn't form anything coherent. She looked down, finding that she was completely naked, and horrific thoughts rapidly crossed her mind. Unbidden memories from her childhood wormed their way to the surface of her mind. Then, her eyes focused on the scar that stretched across her stomach. No… No, I can't—

"Mm… Mommy?"

Leah heard the quivering voice and looked to her right, where she saw Maeve standing beside her. Seeing the girl's expression, Leah knew Maeve must have been alarmed by her unhinged behavior. She tried to calm down for her daughter's sake, but as soon as Leah registered that the little girl was also nude…

"Oh, gods no. Maeve…" Tears welled in her eyes, and she grabbed the little girl gently by the shoulders, pulled her closer, then spun her this way and that, checking every bit of her body for signs of abuse or molestation. Finding nothing, she shuddered, let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, and wrapped her arms around her daughter, sobbing.

"Leah, honey… Yer scarin’ poor Maeve. Ya need to calm down." Somewhere behind her, she heard Kyle trying to soothe her and vaguely acknowledged that it wasn't the first time he'd spoken to her.

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down, Kyle! If you—" Leah started, but when she laid her eyes on him... she gasped. "Oh my god… Kyle… What… what happened to you?" He was covered from head to toe with mud, grime, and… Is that… blood? Wait… Kyle's here. Maeve's here. Where's…

"Rowan!" Leah let go of her daughter and turned, searching frantically for her baby boy. It didn't take her long to spot him on the ground, just a few feet away, undressed and lying still. Unnaturally still…

"Leah, it's gonna be alright. Gimme a chance to—"

"Rowan!" She scrambled forward, scraping her hands and knees against the hard ground to get to him. His soft, brown hair wavered gently in the cool breeze, and he was... breathing, sleeping soundly despite the situation. Leah sniffled, placed a hand on her son's chest, then shook him gently. "Rowan… It's… it's time to get up, baby. Come on, Rowan. Rowan… Rowan! God, no! Rowan, wake up! Wake--"

"Leah!"

Kyle's voice boomed in her ear, and she was forcefully jerked around to face him. His brilliant blue eyes looked into hers, and through her blurred, tear-filled vision, they seemed to be... Are his eyes... glowing? I must be going crazy.

She turned away from her husband and took in her surroundings, sniffling and wiping her eyes with her grass-stained arms. What she saw was... confusing. They were sitting in the middle of an open field. Abnormally tall trees loomed in the distance... there were a few hills... then... nothing.

"What is… Where are we? Kyle, what are we doing here? Where are our clothes? Why won't Rowan wake up? What—" She stopped cold as her eyes fell on something strange just over her husband's shoulder. An unadorned brown book drifted back and forth—as if searching for something. Her anxiety rose, and she pointed and quietly hissed, "K-Kyle… Wh… What's that? T-Tell me what's go—"

"Leah. Stop," her husband spoke, and she snapped her mouth shut. That wasn't the customary tone of her sweet and loving husband. No, that wasn't the Kyle that wrapped his arms around her through the nights that she felt broken.

But… that tone was very… very familiar, and one that made her shudder, but not from fear. His voice was filled with power, harsh… and dominating. Her worries melted, the tears stopped, and she looked up at the dirty, bearded man, who'd dropped to one knee and placed a single, massive hand on either of her shoulders.

He's sooo... Her body warmed, and she felt the heat rising in her cheeks. Stop! This is not the time!

"Leah, have ya calmed down yet?" Kyle asked, his tone gentler.

No! How am I supposed to calm down with you being so— She took a deep breath… and lied, "Y-Yes. I'm better. Now, can you please tell me what's going on?" She cast a worried gaze toward Rowan, and Kyle didn't disappoint. He knew what she wanted to hear first.

"He's gonna be fine, honey," Kyle spoke softly and pulled her into a gentle embrace.

She closed her eyes. His skin was so warm... and absolutely rancid. Leah pushed him back and scrunched up her nose. "What the hell, Kyle? Did you go roll around in a cow pasture? Ugh! You… you can talk from somewhere over there."

Kyle laughed heartily, then conceded and moved a couple of yards away before sitting Indian-style on the grass and grinning at her. That strange book circled slowly around him like he was the star in the center of its universe. It was… unnerving.

"Kyle… what's that?" She pointed at the thing again, following it with her finger.

"Mooomyyy..." Maeve scolded. Leah quirked her lips in annoyance but didn't rebuke her daughter. The girl had learned that from her mother, after all. Then, as if talking to a toddler, Maeve said, "Mommy, that's a book. And his name is Uncle Iroh."

"Uncle… Iroh…” Leah raised an eye and looked at her husband, who shrugged but kept grinning like a kid who'd just told a joke and was waiting for someone to laugh at the punchline. "Like… the old man from the cartoon..?"

The thing in question stopped moving, and the hairs on her arms stood, but Kyle just looked at the book and laughed. Then, he did something that she couldn't fathom. He talked to it.

"No, she ain’t calling ya old… Yes, I know what she said… Well, ya did choose to be a man with gray hair… Not once do I remember bein’ asked that..."

"Who are you talking to?" Leah asked, scrunching up her face in worry and confusion.

"Oh, I haven't introduced ya yet," Kyle hopped to his feet and walked closer, yet didn't get so close that she could smell him. "Iroh, Leah. Leah, Iroh."

The book turned its open pages toward her and hovered closer. She flinched back and pulled Maeve closer. Then, the strangest thing happened. Words appeared on the page, slowly—as if they were being typed or actively written out. She found its exquisite, flowing script… beautiful. There was no better way to describe it.

[Hello, young lady. It is an honor to finally meet you.]

"It's… uh… nice to meet you, too?" she responded slowly, knowing it came out as more of a question than a statement. The book glided back slowly until it was hovering just before her husband.

"She said it's nice to meet ya," he told the book, then scratched his head in embarrassment and looked at her. "Sorry. I won't payin’ attention. Grimoires can't actually hear anythin’, an’ I won’t lookin’ at ya, so he couldn't read yer lips."

"Grimoires..?" She rubbed her temples and closed her eyes. "Kyle, I know you have trouble focusing on just one thing, but you've got to stop rambling, or I'm going to lose my shit. Tell me... what... is... happening?"

She stressed those last three words and cut her husband a sharp look. He winced, then tugged at his beard and looked toward the sky—something he regularly did when trying to get his thoughts together. Leah pulled Maeve into her lap and stroked her hair. Her daughter was being unusually quiet, and she couldn't tell if it was because the girl was scared or if she'd picked up on the tense mood and decided to keep her mouth shut.

After a full minute of staring at the clouds, Kyle seemed to have an aha moment. He reached into a small… Is that a… squirrel? He unzipped the squirrel hanging by his hip, which Leah hadn't even noticed through all the dirt and grime covering him. Without looking, he grabbed something, pulled out his hand, and between his fingers sat a tiny brown bead.

"So… now you’re sporting a purse and carrying around pretty little beads," Leah forced a laugh, trying to make light of the situation. "Is there something I should know?"

Kyle gasped in mock indignation. Then, to her amusement, he struck a pose, looking to the sky while holding the squirrel in one hand and pinching the bridge of his nose with the other. "You unlearned bumpkins ain’t got no taste. This here ain’t a purse—it's a sqwallet!"

She laughed, Kyle laughed, and then—despite not understanding the joke—Maeve laughed and said, "You're so silly, Daddy."

Kyle smiled broadly and walked close enough to hand Leah the bead before backing away. She'd tried not to wrinkle her face, but that stench…

"Eughm," she coughed and examined the little ball. It was only about the size of a marble and looked like it was made of glass. Other than that, it was just… brown. "What… am I supposed to do with this?"

"Crush it," Kyle said, then gestured to the mysterious book. "After ya crush it, you'll get a Grimoire, like this one here. I… reckon it'll be easier fer ya if it explains the situation—cause I know I can’t talk in a straight line to save my life—an’ then I'll fill ya in on what I've learned afterward. Best as I can, anywhos."

"I'll get a… Grimoire..?" Leah knew she was looking at him like he was crazy. "You mean, like, from that anime with the spiky haired kid who yells a lot?"

"Yeah, exactly! Well... not exactly. It ain’t as simple as—" Kyle sighed and ran his grungy hand over his face. "Just... ya gotta do it, an’ we gotta move. We need to be outta here ‘fore anyone else wakes up."

"Before… what—who wakes up?" She looked around and promptly noticed that they weren't alone. Several large shapes stood out against the green under the brightness of the midday sun. Her jaw dropped. "Those are… people? Are they okay? Maybe we should—"

"No," Kyle spoke firmly. "You gotta crush that there Core, and we need to get gone. Now. I'll carry Rowan."

"Wait for me!" Maeve called.

"O-Okay," Leah released her hold on Maeve, and the girl rushed to follow her father, who had already lifted Rowan and started moving. She clambered to her feet and set off after them, unsure what to think. Crush it... let the book explain the situation... let it explain..? It? The book?

Leah looked at the book drifting alongside her husband, moving of its own accord and seemingly positioning itself out of his way as he scanned the surroundings. She rolled the bead between her fingers, squeezed until she heard a faint crack, and... Is something supposed to—

"Congratulations Human, for reaching Stage 1!"

"Aaah!" Leah leapt back and nearly tripped when a loud, feminine voice that sounded like it came out of a robot screamed inside her head. "What the fu—"

"Congratulations Human, for being one of the first one thousand Humans to reach Stage 1!"

"Human. Please use your Grimoire to select a reward."

"Please do wh- Oh, shit!" She placed her hand on her chest and breathed out. A book—similar to the one following her husband, though unappealing and threadbare—was suspended in the air right in front of her. There was no sound, no warning, nothing. Just… poof. It opened without assistance, revealing the ragged inside cover and a blank title page.

[Name?]

"Name..?" Leah stared at the word, uncomprehending. "Uhh… Ky—"

She stopped herself from calling her husband. What if I called his name? Would it think I was answering it? Why is it asking for my name..? Should I really tell it? Why—

“Oh, right.” Kyle lifted Rowan with one arm and started walking. “Ya gotta tell it yer name an’ do a couple other diddies ‘fore it’ll start talkin’ to ya.”

Right… Well, Kyle sure seems to think I should tell it. What if I give it a different name? Maybe my character's name from our last tabletop campaign? Zolis Fezum, the tall and valiant elf girl. No, I'd feel silly every time it called me that. Not to mention… I’d never here the end of it from Kyle.

"My name is Leah," she said confidently. After that, she watched in awe as the ink took on a life of its own. It swirled and expanded until it reached the outskirts of the page, where it started glowing. She had little time to study the phenomenon because the cover slammed shut and blocked her view.

A blinding flash caused her to avert her gaze, and when she looked back, the book--Grimoire--had changed. It looked more like Kyle's now but considerably thinner. The Grimoire opened again a few seconds later, and there were new words on the page, along with a quirky, eye-catching border.

[Achievement | Host has Awakened and reached Stage 1]

[Reward | Innate Ability, Appraisal, Tier 1]

Again, the book moved of its own accord, flipping to the back cover, where a new page grew from its spine, then filled with ink before slamming shut again. Despite how fascinating it was, she was beginning to dislike the whole affair. The Grimoire just kept doing its own thing without any regard for her. It opened on its own a third time, and she was about to say something but bit her tongue when she read the new prompt.

[Achievement: Host is one of the first one thousand Humans to Awaken]

[First Reward | 1 AAP. 1 IAP.]

[Second Reward, Option 1 | 1 AAP, Random Tier 0, Stage 1 weapon—Medium]

[Second Reward, Option 2 | 1 IAP, Random Tier 0, Stage 1 weapon—Medium]

So… Like rewards in a game? Not exactly the same as Skyrim. This all very… No wonder Kyle’s acting all excited. Leah rolled her eyes. Leah could feel her eyes getting wet—this was all too absurd—she couldn’t even cry, since it’d only worry Maeve. She sniffed and wiped away the tears before they could fall, then focused on the book.

I’m going fucking insane, aren’t I? At least it's asking my opinion this time. But what do these letters mean? Stage 1? Is that something like rarity? Maybe Kyle knows. He’s obviously been up to… something.

Leah looked at her husband, who was still walking straight ahead and answering Maeve's long list of questions. She inspected the blood that was mixed in with the grime. He'd had some on his arms and chest, but his back… If it weren't for him acting so casually, she would have thought he'd been dragged shirtless down the highway by a tractor trailer.

No, that isn't right… She picked up her pace, not slowing until she was walking just a few strides behind him. Her blood turned to ice when she got a better look. What the hell happened to him?

It was hard to see beneath the muck, grime, and whatever else was covering him, but it was there. And it was dreadful. His skin looked like someone had taken sandpaper to his back and scraped at it for hours. She studied him further and found that it wasn't just his back but all of him. His back was the worst, but everywhere she looked, his skin was red or torn, with some bits hanging off like skin peeling after a bad sunburn.

"Kyle…" she whispered and could feel her eyes start to water again. She recalled what he'd done in the alley—how his arm had been mangled and what he'd gone through… for her. They'd only ended up there because her husband had tried to place himself between her and those men in the first place. She hadn’t been strong enough to break away when the first one grabbed her. She was weak. Pathetic.

The damned fool was always doing that—putting himself between her or the kids and any passing cars, standing slightly in front of a stranger who came too close, jumping in front of a fly ball that had almost hit Greyson at a ball game. Leah couldn't think of any other reason he'd be willing to endure whatever caused… this.

Was it… the people who put us here? Did he go through this… just to keep us safe? Before he turned around, she forced back the tears a second time… and smiled.

"What's up, darlin'?" he asked. "Everythin’ alright?"

No, everything is not alright! Leah pointed to her Grimoire, and her voice choked when she asked, "What—cough—What do these letters mean?"

Kyle’s eyes twitched when her voice cracked, but—to her relief—he didn’t comment. She knew he wouldn’t. His ability to read a room was something else, and rarely ever did he do something that would make her uncomfortable—unless it was necessary. Gods, his momma raised him right.

"Letters? Oh, I reckon ya got a reward o’ some kind. Now, let's see what ya got…" His excited, boyish grin looked so off hiding under his thick, dirtied beard the way it was. It was adorable. He slowed slightly and read the prompt. "Interestin’. I reckon yer gonna have more points than me by the time ya get to my Stage. Well… makes sense if Abilities work the way I’m thinkin’ they do. I did skip a whole Tier an’—"

"Kyle... You're rambling babe," she playfully admonished him.

"Oh, shit. Sorry. I'm just… This is all so excitin’! The last handful o’ hours have been pretty rough. I ain’t had no one to talk ‘bout none o’ this stuff with, an’—" Kyle stopped and coughed into his hand. "Sorry. IAP means Innate Ability Point. AAP means Active Ability Point. Pretty much just passives and actives. Well, far’s I understand it, anyhow."

"What is this, some kind of sick, twisted game? What do you mean by points? Passives and actives? Like… the points you use to learn stuff in Path of Exile or Skyrim?" She felt terrible for cutting his rant short, but he would have gone on for hours if she didn't, and she needed to know what was going on so she could help.

"Mhm. Mhm." He nodded vigorously yet didn't open his mouth. It was obvious he wanted to say something else, but he would have to wait.

"And this... Weapon... Where does it come from?" She eyed the bag on his hip, hopefully. "Is someone supposed to bring it? Can they get us out?"

"No. If it works the same as this here back, then it just…" He opened his free hand like he was imitating an explosion. "Poof, an’ there it is. Ahh… I'd take a step back right after ya choose. This here landed right in my lap. Luckily, it won’t nothin’ big…"

If I keep asking questions, I'll never find out what's going on. I'll just pick the first one so I can get this shit over with. The prompt vanished. "What the—"

There was a loud pop, a flash of something brown materializing in front of her, and she barely managed to hop back in time before a thick wooden bat fell on her bare toes. She yelped and scurried away from the thing—which lay motionless on the grass.

"Told ya," Kyle called over his shoulder, laughing.

"Asshole," Leah muttered, then walked over and scooped the object up. It looked kind of like a bat but a bit thicker on one end and only slightly longer than her forearm. On the fat end, there were a couple of lumps that made it look like a fucked up femur.

Hmm. Aside from almost breaking my toes, this thing is actually pretty cool. She swung it like a bat, and the momentum almost made her spin. Bit awkward to just tote around all the time. What the hell am I supposed to do with it?

[The Host should use it to kill monsters and get stronger.]

"Wha… huh?" Her Grimoire flew up and into her face, making it so the text was all she could see. She pushed the book away and reread the prompt. This thing responded to my thoughts again… What do you mean kill monsters?

[To gain enough Experience to reach the next Stage, the Host must slay monsters. Host's reward may be a simple weapon, but it will still cause damage when swung with enough force.]

Leah stopped walking and gaped at the text.

[It seems the Host does not understand. Checking permissions. Permissions granted. Searching memories and local sources of information to better relay the situation. Search complete. More agreeable speech pattern recognized. Host's Core Stage is too low to customize her Grimoire without aid. Cost: 50 Mana. Does the Host wish to proceed? Y/N.]

She read and reread the prompt, making sure that she understood what it was asking. Kyle's book seemed to communicate with him like a person, and hers appeared to be offering to do the same. But... I do understand... I think. I'm just... this is all too much. You know... maybe it would be best if I didn't feel like I was chatting with a computer.

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, pain erupted from behind her brow, followed by a chilling sensation so potent that she felt like she'd been dunked in an ice bath. It didn't last for more than a few seconds, but she was left panting once it stopped.

[Revising speech patterns. Revisions complete. Look here, girl, I know usin' that blasted Mana before yer ready can be pretty jarrin', but I need ya to pull yerself together. We got some things to cover, you an' me.]

Leah blinked. What the hell is this? This is really what you chose?

[No, lass. This here be yer own doin'. Now, I'm gonna go through everythin' I can help ya wit', an' yer gonna keep up wit' yer matey an' yer little crew, got it?]

Sure..? Leah realized that Kyle had slowed for her and hurried to catch up. At the same time, her Grimoire flipped to the next page…