Standoff

Muki scowled and tapped her foot in annoyance as she waited for Rosa and Sana to stop embracing each other. "Tick tock, the more seconds you waste hugging, the more time the elves get to fuck us up." 

"Can they not have time to connect? It's possible they thought they'd never see each other again. That, and how would you react if on top of that, your daughter showed up bandaged and bald?" Jenna asked. 

Muki grimaced as she pinched her face. "You're lucky my head's still pounding, otherwise you'd be prying them apart," she snarled as she decided to commandeer Sana's chair. 

Funnily enough, hearing the sound of someone sitting down in her chair was what caused Sana to shift her focus back to Muki. 

"Well took you long enough. Now, go analyze the soil while I talk with your daughter," Muki snarled as she crossed her legs. 

"You think I'd leave you alone with my daughter? I wish to know what happened to her, and believe I have more of a right to than you," Sana glared. 

"Tch, yes. This is me in the flesh. Now give me the details on what happened from last night until Jenna came to save you," Muki growled. 

Rosa took a deep breath. "I guess it is important, even though it is a bit traumatic. So last night, Aoi and I were walking back to Usagi when Aoi decided to scan some dubious QR code on a poster we passed by. I have no idea if this contributed to this place being warped here, but it's information I believe is worth sharing. It was then things got starkly darker and the path back to Usagi changed into a forest of trees." 

"I could see up to that point. But then something shut down the camera for 3 minutes. I need to know what it was." 

"Probably the wombat creature in the trees. It had large wings and could fire large energy balls out of it's mouth by yawning." 

Muki sighed as she pinched her forehead. "So that damage that hit the north side was all from some damn hyper wombat with wings?" 

"Yes. The next thing that happened was the appearance of Winona, who shot the wombat down with an arrow, killing it on the spot."

"Oh good, it sounds like those bastards are easy to kill." 

"Aoi and I were then kidnapped, with me conking out and waking up hours later in a small lake. I don't know it's exact coordinates, but it is a bit of a trek through the woods to the south of the town. It was there that Winona introduced herself and told us about the hunt. She was clearly psychotic as she kept the decapitated heads of her victims and fashioned herself like Zaroff from Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game". That was where she shaved my head, though I think you saw that already, didn't you?" 

"Yeah, and then the hunt began after Aoi was bald, right?" 

"Right..." 

"And that dwarf bear?" 

"Here for the introductions," DaVinci declared as he suddenly appeared in the doorway, startling everyone. 

Muki instinctively whipped out her handgun, trembling as she pointed it at DaVinci. 

"Calm yourself. I come in peace. Now am I to infer that you're one of high standing in this town?" DaVinci asked. 

"Close enough. Now why should I trust you?" Muki glared. 

"Would you like information about this world?"

"Again, how can I trust it?" 

"That's where it comes down to you. As you know not of my reputation in this world, my record of truth hood is meaningless before you. Your weariness is heightened due to the Aarlord elves is it not? I can help you counter them."

"And you're not working with them?" 

"Dwarves and elves struggle to get along." 

"Doesn't mean you're the norm."

"You consider all possibilities. Then shall I tell you about how the Collier's Winona and many other Aarlord elves revere as gospel came to this world?" 

"The Collier- Ah shit, I forgot and left it in the car." 

"No, it's right here. I took the liberty of grabbing it," Jenna stated as she removed a large envelope from her suit coat. 

"And this is a case for why your ideal world of having everyone share your mind is flawed," Sana growled. 

Muki shot her a glare before turning her attention back to DaVinci. DaVinci then told her about how the papers had showed up around 100 years ago in this world, to which Muki naturally refused to believe fully. 

"Kagerosa, carbon date this shit," Muki ordered as Jenna brought the papers before Sana. 

"You should focus on developing your trust in others more, before your terra chips," Sana snarled as she took the papers and walked over to a machine. 

"Tell me, what is this "carbon dating" you speak of?" DaVinci asked. 

Seeing as Muki was not in the mood to share knowledge, Sana took it upon herself to explain the entire concept. 

"Intriguing. You are Rosa's mother are you not?" 

"Correct."

"I can see where her wisdom comes from."

"You're awfully close with her. How'd that come to be?" Muki glared. 

"Simply by chance. I was tunneling to the north after hearing a rumor Evendale was sending an envoy to Buvaria for trade talks."

"Um, what?" 

"Now would you care to hear of the nations of the world? I've imparted the knowledge to Rosa, so she may explain it if you trust the tongue of a human's more than a dwear's." 

"'Dwear'? Thought you said you were a dwarf."

"Dwears are a subspecies of dwarves, like what dark elves are to elves," Rosa stuttered. 

"And this is coming from his mouth. Why should I believe it?" 

"I believe it. DaVinci saved me."

"Da Vinci!? That guy's long dead." 

"Ah, my apologies. In my haste, I failed to introduce myself. I am DaVinci, a dwear who often travels the land in search of knowledge," DaVinci stated. 

"He came across some of Da Vinci's works, and has been captivated ever since," Rosa stated. 

"He seems interesting. I'll take watch over him if that'll calm your mood," Sana stated as she side-eyed Muki. 

Muki clicked her tongue and began to storm out. "Do as you please, but know that if he fucks shit up, I'll microchip you to high hell assuming you're still alive then." 

"I'm a capoeira mestre with a Corda Branca. I'll be fine against him and especially you. But answer me a question before you leave; What happened to Aoi?" 

Rosa somberly looked away as Muki confirmed Aoi was dead. "She sacrificed herself to take down the elf. A true gamer." 

"No... She nearly killed me," Rosa mumbled. 

Muki's ear twitched. "That so?" 

"Y- Yes... She was dodging arrows, but doing so caused them all to hit me. Then she used me as a meat shield and nearly killed me, but DaVinci saved my life. I can understand why you might be weary of him, but I think that as the mayor's daughter, you need to have a bit more faith in those seeking to form ties with us."

"'Us'? You're not from this city."

"My mother works in it and I frequent it near daily on my walks, even give my cash to the 10-11 at the northern limits of the town. That, and now that the town is in this world, we all have to stick together." 

"Rich words from a "hikikomori". Then again, I wouldn't expect a girl who failed to win a single student council election in her entire academic career to understand how hardened you need to be to lead a town. My bag of a mother's already been seduced by the elves, that means it's my job to protect this place, as no one else seems to grasp that we've already been infiltrated." 

And with that, Muki and Jenna left, leaving Rosa, Sana, and DaVinci alone. 

"A shame she's so cold, but it's a sight I've seen many times over, and sadly it never ends well. But let's try and focus on joys. I have innate curiosity I'd love to quench, and this looks like the right place to do so," DaVinci nodded. 

"Then as thanks for saving my daughter's life, allow me to impart knowledge upon you and explain some of the inner workings of this laboratory and institution," Sana bowed. 

...

On the outskirts of the southern edge of town, Bisento trembled with horror and fury as she stared down at the ground. "Blood... This is Winona's blood... Did those humans kill her!?"