Chapter 2: Humble meeting with the mountain spirit

After having calmed down, Thomas assessed his predicament calmly. He was somewhere in the woods, he was still in his hospital gown and he looked like he was around his twenties (or thirties, he has no idea) again. Then there's also, that this doesn't really feel like an afterlife (Well not that he could really say how an afterlife should fell). So there isn't really much he has to deter-

"#§$%#§$$##§§§#%#%&§%$#%%##$&§#?!?!?!"

"AAaah!!! What the?!?"

A shrill and distorted voice (though it sounded more like an animal screech than actual words) suddenly errupted without warning, startling Thomas. The voice felt like it came directly from within his head, although that doesn't really make sense. He frantically started to look around like a frenzied animal, looking left, right, up, down-

"#####%&%$$?!"

"AAAAaaaaAAaaAAAaAhhHHh!!! WHAT IN THE WORLD!?!?"

From out of nowhere, a strange creature appeared in front of Thomas. The creature was very tall and looked humanoid with dark blue, glowing, translucent skin with a white, mask like face that looked like an owl. It's expression was full of rage whilest moving arms in anger (Well it's 'expression' were only two black dots with no mouth or eyebrows so that was just a guess).

"$$$$&%&%$$$##!!!"

"Gah! What do you want?! What's your problem!?"

"...###§§§$$&%&%? ##$$$$$%$&&#?"

"...I ...got no idea what in blazes name your saying."

"..."

As the creature calmed (more like simply became annoyed), it looked at Thomas with a confused and curious look on it's face. After a minute of silence and staring, the creature got closer to Thomas with one of it's humanoid arms outstreched and pointing it's index finger at him.

"H-hey! What are you- Gah!"

Before Thomas could get another word in, the creature poked him at the forehead, causing him to recoil.

"Ow!- Ey! What's the damage?! You-"

"Can you understand me now?"

"Eh?"

The creatures sudden, perfect speech sounding in his head threw Thomas off so hard, that his brain basically short fused, causing him to just stare at it in shock.

"I said, 'do you understand me now', idiot."

"..."

"Hello? You good?"

Thomas continued to simply gaze in shock for a very long while, which in turn just annoyed the creature further.

"Hey! I'm talking to you boy!"

. . .

"Have you finally come back to your senses boy?"

"Huh?!- Oh! Yeah, no worries. I was just shocked by your sudden appearence and everything else really, hehe..."

"Eh, s'not that big of deal really, was just sort of lashing out after being woken up from my nap."

"I see... sorry about that."

"No problem, I myself am also sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you like that," the creature looked of to the side as it continued talking, "In hindsight, you couldn't have know I was there, so I'm to blame really."

After both of them have calmed down, Thomas and the creature were both currently resting in the shadow of the huge tree. Thomas was sitting whilest leaning against said tree, while the creature was laying on their side slightly floating above the ground with it's eyes closed. Thomas simply looked at the creature while it hovered in place.

Jury's still out on this being the afterlive...

"It's not."

"Agh! What!?"

The creature looked at Thomas.

"I said, 'It's not' boy."

"Well- yes, but how did you kn-"

"I read your thoughts via magic boy."

Thomas took a second to process what he just heard.

"Did you just say 'magic'?"

"Yes I did boy."

"You mean actual-"

"Yes, yes! Real, actual magic!"

After Thomas heard this, he had finally connected the dots in his head and realised what was currently happening.

"This is another world!"

This must be like those animes and mangas Evan got me into! Heh, guess the him and others were right about invinting me to those 'anime nights' they sometimes held.

The creature gave a questioning and inquisitive look at Thomas.

"Oho! 'Another World' you say?"

"Oh- Well I... uh... actually I don't think you'd understand, honestly"

"Well we'll see about that boy!"

The creature lifted one of it's arms towards, pointing it's index finger at Thomas's forehead once again.

"H-hey! Don't you dare try-"

And just like last time, swiftly poked him right on his head.

"Ack!- Oh, come on! That hurts you know!"

"Oh, don't be such a bother boy! Now, let's see those memories of yours... oho!"

The creature put it's hand to it's chin and closed it's eyes. For a while it seemed in deep thought whilest making various sounds like "Aha!" or "Mhm!", after a couple of minutes though it clapped it's hands together and began talking again.

"I fully understand now boy! It truly appears, that after you have died, you have been transported to this world by some strange fate. Truly, for fate to have you brought here, perhaps you must be the one I'm looking for boy!"

 "...okay?"

"Ah! Forgive me boy! I've just now realised, that I have never told you my name!"

"Eh, 's no problem. Pretty sure most guys become friends for years, without ever telling eachother their names."

The creature stood up (even though it was floating above the ground), and presented itself in front of Thomas.

"Listen up, human! My name is Horst! I am the great spirit of the 'Mountain Crown'! I protect these lands and those who reside within them from harm! Those who have gained my recognition receive my blessing!- Anyway are you perhaps going to travel anywhere? If so, I can I come along?"

"I- Wait what."

"LOOK, I don't have anything to do here anymore! The people who resided and worshipped me have left this place CENTURIES ago! There's just monsters and animals left in this wilderness! No one even tries to come up here anymore for my blessings or some sort of great weapon I can bestow upon them- I FEEL COMPLETELY USELESS AND BORED HERE!!!"

After having spoken in such a high and mighty voice, Thomas felt somewhat let down and shocked when Horst started talking like a guy in his forties complaining about being fired from his office job at a bar. He sighed, remebering similar people appearing at his diner from time to time.

I guess being suddenly 'let go' from a job is sort of also a thing for deities, huh?...

He then imagined Horst in a business suit sitting in front of a chef from a company he worked all his life for and being told he was fired, then later on sitting in a bar drinking his sorrows away, too scared to tell his family that-

"-ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME BOY?!?!"

"Ack! I am, I am! Alright!? ...Sheeeesh, don't just scream at somebody like that when their thinking..."

After being brought back to reality by the spirit, Thomas began to think about their offer.

He began to answer shortly after.

"I guess it would be-"

And got immediatly cut off by Horst.

"Wonderful! Let us form a familiar bond then!"

"W-wha! You didn't let me even finish!"

"Now then."

Horst then grabbed Thomas right hand with his left, whilst hovering their right hand directly above.

"Huh?"

Thomas had almost no time to react when a small, blue light appeared on top of his right hand and just as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone. 

"...what was-"

Before he could continue he, once again, got cut off by Horst (who appeared to overly excited).

"Now, let us move!"

"Wh- HEY! Let me finish you damn weirdo! And how about you tell me where we are even going?! Not to mention, I don't even have any real clothes except this hospital go-"

But Horst had already floated down from the small hill into the thick forest. He turned to Thomas with a excited look in his eyes, like a child at a toy store.

"Come on Boy! We have to move quickly! This way, this way!"

Thomas simply blinked a couple times, after which he let a frustrated groan, chasing after the overjoyed spirit. Running barefoot after Horst, Thomas tried to get their attention, though the deity didn't appear to care. As they disappear into the forest, their banter was still heard clear as day.