Chapter 2 - The First Beast

CHAPTER TWO

Vrok kept walking.

Enshin followed.

The cave stretched deeper than he had expected. It was not merely one chamber connected to a tunnel. It branched into side passages, carved-out sections, storage alcoves and openings covered by hanging cloth or rough wooden doors.

Torches burned along the walls, their flames bending whenever a draught moved through the stone passageways.

Enshin’s eyes refused to remain still.

Every few steps, something stole his attention.

A crate marked with unfamiliar symbols.

A shield leaning against a wall.

A knife strapped to a man’s boot.

A collection of bones hanging from a cord beside a doorway.

A patch of moss glowing faintly blue inside a crack between two stones.

His grin returned.

“Glowing cave moss,” he whispered.

Vrok glanced over his shoulder.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Enshin said quickly. “Very normal. Completely ordinary cave moss.”

Vrok studied him for a moment before continuing.

“As I was saying, we have lived here for years. It is not comfortable, but it is safe enough. The people you see around you have lost their homes, their families and any sense of safety. We survive because we must.”

“Mm-hm.”

Enshin nodded as though he had been listening.

He had absorbed almost none of it.

His attention had already shifted elsewhere.

Two men stood near a narrow passage on the left. They pretended not to watch him, but both glanced in his direction whenever they thought his eyes had moved away. One held a wooden club. The other had a short blade tucked against his hip.

Enshin stared at the blade.

The man noticed and shifted his cloak over it.

Enshin’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

Then a torch popped beside him, and he looked at it instead.

“Fire really does make the whole place feel different,” Enshin muttered. “I knew torches existed, obviously, but seeing one on an actual cave wall hits differently.”

Vrok’s mouth tightened.

“You seem… impressed.”

“I am impressed.”

Enshin looked around again.

“This is amazing.”

The answer seemed to please Vrok.

He mistook Enshin’s excitement for trust.

“Yes,” Vrok said. “It may not look like much to an outsider, but this place has kept us alive.”

Enshin turned his head as they passed another open chamber.

Several bedrolls had been arranged against the stone. They were rough, plain and sized for adults.

No children’s bedding.

No little shoes.

No toys.

No elderly person sitting beneath a blanket.

Nothing soft.

Nothing warm.

Nothing that looked like a family trying to survive.

Just bedrolls.

Just equipment.

Just adults who looked ready to move the moment Vrok gave the order.

A small frown tried to form on Enshin’s face.

Then he noticed a rack of spears.

His eyes widened again.

“Are those spears?”

“For defence,” Vrok said.

“Right. Defence.”

Enshin leaned towards them as they passed.

There were too many spears.

Far too many.

The thought drifted through his mind and remained there.

Vrok continued speaking, his voice calm and smooth.

“The outside world forces people to become harder than they once were. Do not judge them too quickly. They have suffered more than most could bear.”

“Yeah. Suffering.”

Enshin nodded again.

“Rough stuff.”

He studied the people around the cave.

They did not resemble the suffering villagers Vrok had described.

They looked like men who had eaten well enough, slept roughly enough and fought often enough to feel comfortable in a place like this.

One of them smiled at Enshin.

It was not friendly.

It was the kind of smile someone gave when they believed the person in front of them had no idea what kind of place they had entered.

Enshin smiled back automatically.

The man looked confused.

Vrok led him around another bend.

The air changed.

The smell of damp stone remained, but something stronger pushed through it.

Animal musk.

Hay.

Old leather.

Mud.

A heavy, living scent that caused Enshin’s steps to slow before he even saw what waited ahead.

He turned his head.

“What is that smell?”

Vrok paused.

Then he smiled.

“Ah. You noticed.”

“How could I not?”

“This way.”

The tunnel opened into a wider chamber reinforced by thick wooden posts.

Crude stalls lined the walls, built from heavy boards and iron fittings. Some had chains attached to their supports. Others contained feed troughs or piles of dirty hay.

Deep scratches had been carved into the wood, as though something had repeatedly tried to claw its way out.

Enshin’s excitement froze.

Not because it disappeared.

Because it reached an entirely new level, and his body did not know what to do with it.

Something stood inside the nearest occupied stall.

Large.

Breathing.

Alive.

A beast.

Enshin took one slow step forward.

His mouth opened.

The creature shifted within the shadows.

Even while hunched, it stood nearly twice the height of a grown man. Its short, powerful legs supported a broad torso covered in rough, dark hide. Its arms were disproportionately long, hanging so low that its heavy knuckles almost brushed the ground.

Two large, triangular horns jutted from above its brow.

Their worn edges caught the torchlight as the creature raised its head.

Its shape was familiar enough for Enshin to recognise it as an animal.

Everything else about it was impossible by the standards of Earth.

Every nerve in his body screamed the same word.

Fantasy.

The creature released a low huff.

Warm air burst from its nostrils.

Enshin raised one trembling hand and pointed.

“Is…”

His voice cracked.

He swallowed and tried again.

“Is that a monster?”

Vrok chuckled softly.

“A gorehorn.”

Enshin stared at him.

“A gorehorn?”

“A powerful species,” Vrok said. “Dangerous when mishandled.”

“Gorehorn.”

Enshin repeated the word as though it were sacred.

The beast turned its head towards him.

Its eyes narrowed.

Enshin’s grin slowly returned.

“Holy crap.”

Vrok watched him carefully.

“We keep several creatures here. Some are useful for transport or labour. Others are more difficult.”

He nodded towards the stall.

“That one is particularly violent.”

The gorehorn huffed again, louder this time, and scraped one broad foot across the ground.

Enshin leaned closer without thinking.

Vrok’s hand shot out and caught his shoulder.

“I would not do that.”

Enshin froze.

The gorehorn’s eyes remained fixed on him.

For one moment, the cave around him disappeared.

No bandits.

No Vrok.

No suspicious weapons.

No speech about desperate survivors.

Only Enshin and the first fantasy beast he had ever seen.

His voice fell to a whisper.

“You’re real.”

The gorehorn bared its teeth slightly.

Enshin’s smile brightened.

“That is so cool.”

Vrok slowly released his shoulder.

“You have no fear?”

“Oh, I have fear.”

Enshin nodded, still staring at the creature.

“It’s just being drowned by everything else right now.”

Vrok did not seem to know what to do with that answer.

Enshin’s gaze moved over the stall.

The chains.

The reinforced boards.

The claw marks.

The ground worn bare beneath the gorehorn’s feet.

The tension running through its body.

His smile did not disappear, but something quieter stirred behind his eyes.

“Why is he chained like that?”

Vrok’s expression remained calm.

“For everyone’s safety.”

“Everyone’s?”

“Yes. As I said, gorehorns are violent and unpredictable. That one would be dangerous if allowed to roam freely.”

The gorehorn’s posture changed at the sound of Vrok’s voice.

It had already been tense, but now its broad shoulders tightened.

Its claws pressed into the earth.

Its attention moved past Enshin and settled on Vrok.

That did not look like mindless aggression.

It looked like recognition.

Bad recognition.

Enshin looked from the gorehorn to Vrok.

Then back again.

“Does he have a name?”

Vrok gave a short laugh.

“A name?”

“Yeah.”

“It is a gorehorn.”

“That’s what he is.” Enshin tilted his head. “I asked what he’s called.”

“It has no name.”

Enshin’s eyebrows drew together.

“Nothing?”

“It does not need one.”

The gorehorn shifted, causing its chains to scrape against the wooden supports.

Enshin looked back at the creature.

“That seems a little rude.”

Vrok’s smile thinned.

“It is not a pet.”

“I didn’t say he was.”

“You should not become attached to dangerous things.”

Enshin glanced towards the armed adults scattered throughout the stable chamber.

Then he looked back at Vrok.

“That’s funny coming from someone surrounded by armed adults.”

Vrok went still.

The words had slipped out casually.

Enshin blinked, as though he had only just heard himself say them.

Then his smile widened, covering the moment with excitement.

“Sorry. I mean, this place is amazing. Gorehorns, torches, caves, weapons. The complete fantasy starter package.”

Vrok watched him for longer this time.

Enshin looked back at the gorehorn.

The creature had not relaxed, but it was no longer baring its teeth.

For some reason, that made Enshin even more curious.

He wanted to ask more.

He wanted to know what gorehorns ate, where they came from, how strong they were and whether they could understand people.

Had this one been born in the cave?

Did gorehorns possess magic?

Could someone ride one?

Was this gorehorn actually violent, or had he simply spent too long trapped inside a wooden stall?

Questions filled Enshin’s mind too quickly for him to organise them.

Vrok stepped slightly in front of him, blocking part of the stall.

“There is much more to see.”

Enshin’s gaze remained on the gorehorn for another second.

Then he nodded.

“Right. Tour. Yes. Very important.”

Vrok turned away.

Enshin followed, but more slowly this time.

Behind him, the gorehorn huffed again.

Enshin looked back over his shoulder.

The beast was still watching him.

He raised two fingers in a small wave.

“See you later, gorehorn.”

The creature did not respond.

The gorehorn’s eyes followed him until the stable chamber disappeared around the bend.

The tunnel beyond the stables felt narrower.

Or perhaps Enshin was finally noticing the walls properly.

Vrok resumed his speech, his voice returning to that tired, controlled tone.

“As you can see, survival here requires discipline. We keep what we must. We use what we can. Nothing is wasted.”

“Mm.”

Enshin nodded.

His eyes shifted towards another locked door.

A man stood beside it with his arms folded. He was not pretending to look tired or frightened.

He looked annoyed that Enshin existed.

“What’s behind that one?” Enshin asked.

“More supplies.”

“You keep a lot of supplies behind guarded doors.”

Vrok smiled patiently.

“In desperate times, supplies are worth more than gold.”

“Right.”

Enshin kept walking.

Another piece.

Guarded doors.

Too many weapons.

No children.

No elderly people.

No families.

A chained gorehorn.

Bad acting.

Armed adults.

Vrok’s voice rolled over everything like a blanket trying to cover bloodstains.

Enshin still smiled.

He still looked amazed.

He still reacted to every fantasy detail with barely contained joy.

But the quieter part of his mind had become louder.

The cave did not match the story.

Vrok led him through another passage and into a larger chamber where several men sat around crates, eating from wooden bowls.

They looked up when Vrok entered.

Their conversation stopped immediately.

Not respectfully.

Carefully.

As though they had been caught discussing something they should not say in front of him.

Vrok raised one hand.

“Continue.”

The men looked down and resumed eating.

Their conversation did not return.

Enshin watched the exchange.

A leader of frightened survivors should have made people feel safer.

Vrok made them silent.

That thought landed more clearly than the others.

Enshin’s smile twitched.

Vrok looked back.

“Is something wrong?”

Enshin straightened.

“Nope.”

“You seem distracted.”

“I’ve been distracted since the magic circle.”

Enshin grinned.

“You know, because I got teleported into another world. I’m still processing it. Ten out of ten experience so far.”

Vrok gave another controlled smile.

“I am glad you can still see wonder here.”

“Oh, I see a lot.”

Vrok did not seem to like that answer.

His smile remained, but something in his eyes tightened.

They continued deeper.

The cave grew louder as they walked.

Distant voices echoed from somewhere ahead.

Men laughing.

Cups knocking against wood.

A rough burst of shouting, followed by more laughter.

Enshin turned towards the sound.

“What’s that?”

Vrok’s confidence returned.

“Our gathering hall. It is where our people eat together.”

“Gathering hall,” Enshin repeated.

The voices ahead did not sound like families sharing a meal.

They sounded like a gang enjoying itself.

Vrok gestured forward.

“Come. It is time you met more of those you were summoned to help.”

Enshin looked towards the sound.

Then down at the weights strapped around his wrists.

He smiled faintly.

“Yeah,” he said. “I’d love to meet them.”

Vrok began leading him towards the noise.

Enshin followed.

His grin remained easy.

His eyes kept moving.

The pieces kept stacking.