I’m Sorry, I’m New Here

Caldivere was a town of ambition, and it showed in the architecture and the people. Sturdy structures that seemed to tickle the underbellies of the clouds, townsfolk dressed in a multitude of fashions, all filled with an infectious sense of duty and zeal, be it big or small.

In a rugged tavern with brick walls and worn leather seats, Agon sat in a booth, across from Strauss and Carine, who were each stuffing their faces as if they hadn’t eaten a decent meal in days; a feeling that he was unfortunately very familiar with. Strauss tossed a cut of meat and garlic butter, bulb potatoes to the back of his throat, occasionally drumming over his chest and putting back a cup of red liquid. Carine slurped at a hearty stew that was teeming with caramelized onions, blanched carrots and broccoli, and rich aromatic spices. The scents mingled within Agon’s nostrils. It was refreshing to see some familiar-looking food in Velicima. Agon had two hours and forty-nine minutes left on his clock. When he first walked through the entrance to Caldivere, he immediately compared the size of the town to Ruchs; the further he wandered into town, however, he realized there was no competition. Many of the Caldies looked at him as he walked along the members of Verdict; some speculated if he was a new member, while others presumed he was a fan trying to get an autograph. As Strauss walked past, many people praised his name and thanked him for his services. Carine, who was still dragging Mars along in her cage, was also praised and questioned if she would be “performing” again soon. Agon wasn’t sure what that meant, but he watched as Strauss wrapped his hand around Craine’s hip to pull her in, waving off the pestering locals.

“I got ya.” He smiled, whispering into her ear. A light blush formed in her cheeks, trailing across to meet at the bridge of her nose.

“Oh…” Agon said with surprise at the couple’s display. Carine turned to glare at him, but he had already shifted his gaze, staring at the most interesting piece of loose thread on his tunic. Her staring only intensified, causing a bead of sweat to run down the side of his forehead as he studied the mesmerizing black thread.

“Gehehehehe…” A portly man wearing a feathered hat chortled in Agon’s ear while making a disturbing face, which caused him to jump back. That man was the last member of Verdict, Kiche. Agon caught a glimpse of him when he first ran into Strauss and Carine after battling the Mourning Star, but he was as quiet as stone, then. When they began to travel back to Caldivere, he noticed that Kiche would begin to chuckle to himself, without the others paying any attention to it; it appeared to be a common occurrence, so Agon didn’t question it. Of course, that didn’t take away from how off-putting it was. Mars watched from inside the cage as Carine let herself cling to Strauss, and sucked his teeth; It was such a disgusting sight to him, but he couldn’t look away, no matter how hard he tried. After a brief tour, the group settled into the nearby tavern, all except Mars, who was forced to eat his meal outside in the back while Kiche monitored him. His side was healed, but his clothes were stained with blood. Several Caldies passed by him in his cage, mocking and murmuring around him, threatening him, and dragging their children away from his presence. Back inside, a waitress walked up to Agon’s table with a steaming hot plate and a smile.

“Here’s your seared green boar, with a side of rice and pickled veggies! Hope you enjoy!” She handed him his plate.

“T-thanks, you too!” Agon said as he grabbed his meal from her, kicking himself internally for botching the interaction. Strauss and Carine laughed, and the waitress giggled. Looking upon the plate, it was quite surreal to see an animal that he once killed look so appetizing. Then again, all of this was surreal. He wasn’t even in Velicima for a full day, and yet so much has happened for him. He felt as though he should be in anguish right now, perhaps because that was all he knew when Olagna first sent him here. But right in this moment, he felt slightly at ease. Of course, he would still grab at his chest whenever another minute passed, which did alarm Strauss and Carine at first. But he created a convincing cover for that. Agon explained to them that he had a heart condition that created small "palpitations" in his chest, and although they did hurt, he’d learned to tough it out; not necessarily a lie, but still an omission of several key details. He took a clean silver fork and softly prodded into the boar, watching as it succumbed to the fork’s pressure. The tender flesh skewered itself and dripped with a rich, succulent wine sauce that shimmered under the lights of the tavern. Agon slurped it into his mouth and gripped the fork tightly. The taste was simply divine.

“Shho, Agonsh. Yous shed Pier ish in da counfree side?” Strauss questioned while stuffing his gullet.

“Ah…yesh.” Agon responded, doing the same. The flavors melting on his tongue were too enticing not to pursue. Strauss spat crumbs from his mouth onto Carine’s face. She growled and forcefully mashed his cheeks together. “EAT FIRST, TALK LATER!!!” She scolded. Strauss choked on his meal, trying to push Carine away. Agon took a swig of water and cleared his mouth immediately before he suffered the same fate.

“Ouch…” Strauss whined. “So, as I was saying. You’re from the countryside, Agon? What’s it like over there?” A pit formed in his stomach as he processed Strauss’s question.

“Y-you’ve never been?” He deflected.

“Well, for a mission or two, sure. But it's always nice to hear the perspective of someone who actually lives in that area, you know?”

“I uh…I guess that’s true. W-well, I guess it's…it’s…” Agon paused as he searched his mind for anything viable as an answer. He thought back to his previous life, and all the experiences he’s had up until now; only one word came to his mind. “...Scary...” He said quietly.

“Scary?”

“A-ah! L-like, scary in the sense of…” He wrestled with his tongue to say the right words.

“You…you never know what’s going to happen next. Sure, it's exciting to think about, but you could blink once and…and everything suddenly starts to cave in around you. It’s overwhelming. And you might think your mind’s playing tricks on you, but it's all real. Everything you see, everything you feel; it connects. And your body won’t let you forget that sensation, no matter how hard you try. The world is wild and untamed, and wants to stay that way. When you try to make sense of it…even a little…it punishes you.” Agon’s eyes grew dark as he stabbed his fork into his food. Strauss and Carine stared at him gently.

“Sounds like you’ve seen some things,” Carine commented.

“Y-yeah…”

“Well, it sounds to ME like you’re a bit of a rebel,” Strauss added.

“...Huh…?”

“From what you told me, you’ve been trying to understand the world around you, and it keeps knocking you down. I’ve been there, man. More times than I’d care to admit.” Strauss clenched his fist on the table. Carine watched him closely. “But…from what I’m hearing, you’ve kept going toe to toe with this crazy world; getting up after constantly being shot down, that’s not something everyone can do, Agon.”

“Yeah, I-I guess you’re right. There’s still a lot of things that I don’t understand about this world, though. And it's bugging me.”

“Like what?” At that question, Agon tensed up. He had so many things he wanted to ask, but there was one question in particular that stayed in his mind ever since he first ended up here; he never had the time to ask it until now. He took a deep breath and stared directly into Strauss’s eyes.

“...Well, who is…the Greater One…?” The atmosphere in the tavern shifted. Carine looked at Agon, completely perplexed.

“What, you don’t know? Is the countryside really that outta touch?”

“Carine!” Strauss yipped.

“What?” She went back to her soup with no trouble.

“Agon…didn’t you say that you defeated the Mourning Star with your ability?”

“Yeah, but…” He hesitated. “It’s still kinda new to me.”

“Still kinda new, huh…?” Strauss thought.

“I keep hearing about this 'Greater One”. Never heard much about him until recently.”

“I see. That's surprising…well, where to start…” Strauss closed his eyes and stroked his chin, trying to gather all of his knowledge and experience into one cohesive summary. After several seconds of concentration, he leaned into the table, his expression still and focused.

“This world, Velicima, is riddled with magic. You can find it in the people, the creatures, the environment; there’s no escaping it. Naturally, that magic, like the one you used to defeat the Mourning Star, has to come from a source, and that source is the Greater One.”