XXIV - Korys and his Daydream

I tried to get out of bed to alert Korys, but they insisted I stay put. Instead, Gale dispatched Arthur to fetch him.

"Egil, slow down," Gale urged, his hand on my shoulder. "You just barely woke up, and days ago, you were on death's doorstep."

I understood his concern, but this was bigger than my personal well-being. I couldn't lie idle while innocent lives hung in the balance. Somehow, we had to act.

When Arthur finally returned with Korys, I recounted what Bizar had told me during our confrontation.

"I'm aware," Korys said, his voice steady. He wasn't bluffing; his calm demeanor didn't even waver after my revelation.

"We need to go there and help!" I implored, urgency lacing my tone.

"There is no cause for concern, Egil," he reiterated. "Like I said, I'm aware of Bizar and his undead horde. How do you think I was able to rescue you and your friends?"

"I've sent people to defend Barta against them," he added.

Still, I wasn't convinced. I had witnessed Bizar's terrifying power firsthand; he couldn't be stopped by mere soldiers or adventurers.

"Would they stand a chance against Bizar?" I pressed.

Korys's eyes gleamed with a hint of fierceness. "I already fought with him after I transported you and your friends here. The wounds I inflicted made him hurry back to whence he came. He shouldn't be able to do anything for some time."

Doubts still gnawed at me. How powerful was Korys, to have bested that monster? And would the people he sent to defend Barta truly be enough to halt an entire horde of undead, skeletal dragons included?

"I'm sorry if this comes a little late, but thank you for helping us," I said sincerely.

A wry smile played on Korys' lips. "Shouldn't you be thanking the god Nox instead? Anyway, head down to the dining hall whenever you're ready for dinner."

After changing into fresh clothes, I made my way to the dining hall. The sheer size of the place took me aback – calling it a 'house' seemed an understatement.

Over dinner, we finally had a proper conversation with Korys.

I found out we were currently in the city of Brogue, east of the former Easton Kingdom.

He also shared that the god Nox was watching me during my battle with Bizar and knew that I wouldn't stand a chance, so he asked the goddess Hemerea a favor to have her emissary, Korys, assist me with my predicament.

They even had a name for a being such as Bizar, a 'drifter'.

Based on Korys's description, a drifter is an anomaly that forcefully breaches this world's barriers. There had been reports of drifters since long ago but information on their origins and methods of entry was scarce, shrouding them in an unsettling mystery. One thing they do know is, that drifters are walking calamities.

"Don't take it too hard on yourself", said Korys, "you did well back then against a drifter."

When we finished our meal, Korys stood up, his chair scraping against the floor. "Egil, let's step outside for a bit," he said.

We left Ness and the others at the table as I followed him to a door leading outside. It was my first glimpse of the exterior, and I was awestruck. We were in a vast temple, aged yet majestic. At the heart of the grounds stood a statue of a woman holding the sun in her hand, while stone sculptures depicting the sun and its rays lined the temple walls, acting as ethereal torches.

"You are a fascinating fellow, Egil," Korys finally broke the silence. "For a god to ask a favor from another god is nothing short of unbelievable."

His eyes bored into mine. "Just who or what exactly are you?"

I stood there silent. I couldn't tell him I was from a different world, gifted with several blessings. He already knew I was another emissary, but the current events told him there was more to it.

"There was one other favor the god of darkness asked my goddess, Egil," he continued, his smile eerie, as if he were privy to some grand design.

I met his gaze, intent on hearing his next words.

Suddenly, everything went white. A gust of wind whipped around us, carrying an unfamiliar scent. As my vision cleared, I gaped in shock. The sun shone brightly, and we were no longer at the temple. Instead, we stood at the base of a mountain surrounded by the ocean – but it wasn't where I had first arrived in this world.

"Where is this?" I asked, my voice wavering.

"Welcome to my world," Korys replied, his tone almost gleeful.

"This is one of the skills I received as the goddess's emissary: Daydream."

"Right now, we're detached from the real world and are currently in an artificial realm that I created myself."

I tensed, my guard up. "What are you doing? Why are we here?"

"This is the favor the god Nox asked," he explained. "See that mountain before us? I built a shrine there for the goddess and a portal leading to the outside world. If you want to get out of here, you need to get there by traversing the forest."

He then approached, extracting something from his pouch. "Wear this," he said, holding out a pendant. "Once you're close to dying, the pendant will activate and heal you of all your wounds and send you back here to where you started. Still, be careful because it only works three times."

As I struggled to process everything, he continued his barrage of information.

"By the way, if you're worried about your companions, they won't even notice you were gone."

"What do you mean, and why do I have to do all this?"

"Time works differently here than in the real world," he explained. "A year inside this pocket dimension is easily just an hour back there. Use all the skills you have to survive. Good luck!"

Before I could demand more answers, he transformed into a flash of light and vanished. Had the god Nox truly requested this? And for what purpose?

Korys had said to use all my skills to survive. What exactly lies deep within that forest?

I shifted my gears and accepted my current situation. It felt nostalgic, being in a place like this, with just my clothes and my wits. Unlike before, I no longer had Ness's blessing, but I understood my other skills better now.

I started my journey confidently toward the mountain's peak. After walking for mere minutes, I already encountered my first challenge: a wild beast, its eyes glinting with primal hunger.

The creature resembled a mountain lion but with more menacing claws and elongated canines. It was smaller than the beasts I had faced in the past, so I foolishly thought this would be easy.

I was so wrong.

The beast moved with such blinding speed that I barely registered the attack. Its velocity rivaled even Bizar's. The strike left a gaping wound across my chest.

I tried to put pressure on the wound with my hand but it wasn't enough to stop the bleeding.

As I slowly started to weaken and my vision slowly darkened, the pendant on my neck shone and activated.

In an instant, I found myself back where I had started, my wounds vanished and my shirt restored to pristine condition. I dropped to my knees, desperately gulping air, despite being safe from the beast. The experience of dancing on the edge of mortality, over and over, was far from pleasant.

I needed to set my mind straight and approach this with more gravity. Casually strolling through the forest again without a plan would spell certain death.

I wandered the coast, hoping to find anything useful, but discovered nothing. Instead, I gathered sticks and twigs, fashioning a crude spear and shield from the materials.

With no edible plants or freshwater in sight, my only choice was to venture back into the forest, hoping to find a stream and some sustenance while evading the wild beasts.

I inched my way back into the forest, eyes darting in every direction for signs of danger. Though I managed to progress further than my previous attempt, darkness began to fall. Looking around for shelter, I chanced upon a hollowed-out tree, still standing despite its immense size. I crept inside to check for inhabitants but found none. This would be my refuge for the night.

Sitting in the tree, I listened to the swaying branches and rustling leaves. So far, there were no signs of beasts, but I kept my guard up.

Hours passed, and night fully enveloped the forest. The coldness of the ground seeped into my bones, but I had no choice but to endure. Despite my best efforts to stay vigilant, my heavy eyelids eventually drooped, and I succumbed to sleep.

I awoke to birdsong the next morning and cautiously emerged from my temporary lodgings. Thirst and hunger gnawed at me, so I resorted to collecting morning dew.

Once I grew weary of that meager sustenance, I pressed on with my journey.

I trod carefully through the forest when suddenly, a low growl punctured the silence. My heart raced, but I forced myself to stay calm and assess the situation. I scanned my surroundings but found nothing. Then, a twig snapped above me.

I looked up, and there it was – the same beast I had encountered yesterday.