Wen and the strange creatures stood facing off, a steady silence settling between them as they waited for everyone to return. The group leader still had Mari too close for Wen to act, and she hated every moment that passed. Her hands rested on her revolver, but they wouldn''t be fast enough.


    Her curse was too slow. It had a strong effect, allowing her to freeze an object or person with her touch, but it took time. Those precious seconds meant that the five figures would have time to react. If she didn''t pull it off perfectly, then either Mari or she would pay for those shots with blood.


    She sighed. It wasn''t the first time her curse had let her down, and it probably wouldn''t be the last. That was why she favored it over long ranges instead of up close. It gave her time to plan things out and predict what would happen in advance. With her opponents standing in front of her with weapons ready, it was an entirely different game.


    "You know, this isn''t the friendliest way to deal with strangers," Wen said, eyeing the leader. "You could have come to use openly."


    His yellow eyes narrowed, and his ears flicked as he focused on her, drawing his gaze from the jungle below them. The mixture of animal and human features made him hard to read. Was that a sneer that crossed his face, or was Wen just imagining it? It was impossible to tell.


    "If you knew the secret of our sacred grounds, you would thank us," he said, gripping the black blade in his hand tighter. "Even in just a short time, there is the risk of making a person sick. For days, you and your friends would waste away, praying for a quick death."


    Wen watched him through all that. She didn''t think he was lying. She wondered what could cause someone to be sick by just being in a place. She wasn''t a medical expert. Her degree had been in languages, but she did know a little bit, the same way anyone would by living on modern-day Earth before coming to a new world.


    If it were caused by drinking water, simply being in the ruins would do nothing. Bacteria and viruses needed living things to propagate, and if no one stayed there for a long time, it should have the same effect as a quarantine. That made her think about chemical spills and the like, and she had heard stories of train derailments that could poison groundwater for decades.


    However, that again would rely on drinking it. It wasn''t like miasma was a thing—that she knew of anyway. It used to be how humans explained diseases, but who was to say that it couldn''t be a thing in an entirely different world with different rules?


    "You''re being awfully cryptic," Wen said, turning her back to the pack.


    She was done with posturing. She was stuck in a standoff until everyone else returned. There was no sense in dragging things out because it would change nothing, so she crossed her arms over her chest and waited.


    Sayed was the first to make it back, cutting through the trees with his oddly curved blade as he led two of the strange figures back through the forest. He bore a wide grin as he told the two figures a story without a care in the world. Wen wished she could have been as lucky.


    "And that is when I sent him flying with only a single blow!" Sayed boomed as he reached the ship. "Oh, Wen, have you also found the strange creatures, brother?"


    "Yeah." Wen sighed, resting her arms on the railing. "Everyone should be back soon, and we can clear everything up."


    "They were a strange surprise, I must admit," Sayed turned back to the two behind him. "They killed a snake that was trying to have me for its supper, as long as half the ship."


    Wen highly doubted that, but Sayed was known for his exaggerations. As he finished that sentence, Jean came out of the jungle from where he had left, followed by three more of the figures. Wen noticed their differences despite the darkness. They weren''t as similar as she first thought.


    Though they all had dark fur, the lighter fur patterns across their chests differed. They all had the same kinds of ears, but some were tipped with lighter fur while others weren''t. Wen could even recognize that two were women now, who had their breasts bound in a tight cloth wrap.


    "Such an oddity," Jean looked over them and then up at Wen. "Have you come across the Zoan as well? They were quite surprised to come across out in the forest."


    "Yeah, I''ve got five of them up here," Wen said, looking back to see that the leader had taken his sword away from Mari and approached the side of the deck.


    "Maocir, have you seen James?" the leader asked as he looked down on the group.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "He ran off to catch Ikal." Maocir stepped around Jean, crossing his arms over his furry chest. "Ikal ran off for the temple the second he thought he wasn''t being watched."


    "A troublemaker, as always." The leader shook his head. "Once Ikal is caught, James will bring your friends here."


    Wen raised an eyebrow at that. The names weren''t matching up. Ikal, Maocir, and James. They didn''t make sense together. At the same time, the leader had walked far enough away from Mari. A part of her resisted the urge to take a shot at him now that Mari was safe. However, that would be petty.


    Yet, the butt of her pistol was solid underneath her palm. She pushed the thought aside for later.


    "Who''s James?" Wen asked.


    "He is an outsider who came to live among our people a year ago," the leader said, looking back over the jungle. "He came to the island when our people needed him, and we owe him much for that."


    "He just came in and helped you without—" Wen started to object, but then she noticed Jean and Sayed standing below.


    They were the counterexample to her first thought. Alex and his crew always stuck their noses in other people''s business. Alex would maintain that it was for selfish reasons, even though it never matched up for her. She had to admit that her first instinct might be wrong.


    "There they are," the leader said, pointing over the railing.


    Alex, Erin, and Artur emerged from the trees. Alex supported an older man with his shoulder, and Wen didn''t have to guess that it was the man called ''James.'' The tattered jacket he wore over his shoulders made him stick out. Red and black were the Military Police''s colors. Now, she had to ask why a member of the Military Police would ever help out a group of people. They weren''t known for being nice.


    Well, that wasn''t quite right. Most people in the nightsea saw the Military Police as people saw the regular police on Earth. They thought the Military Police were necessary, if somewhat regrettable. On any of the Twelve Kingdoms'' islands, the Military Police were the government and provided all the necessary services that made people''s lives possible. They had less authority in the Fringes but would step in to bring in outlaws and warlords whenever possible.


    In that light, they were positive. They used to sign Wen''s checks, so she couldn''t complain. However, she also knew the darker parts of the Military Police. They had their hands in killing dissidents and making sure that everyone in the Empyrean stayed in line. That, in Wen''s mind, wasn''t that different than the regular police, especially in more fascist regimes. They existed to protect the way things were at all costs. Stepping on a few heads was just part of the job.


    "You''re not writing a thesis," she whispered, pushing the thoughts aside.


    That world was far behind her, even if the habits were hard to break.


    "Man, it looks like we all found them." Alex sighed as he looked over the crowd, shaking his head. "Furries."


    Wen snorted, but no one else seemed to understand him. While the strange creatures weren''t quite what people on Earth would imagine with the statement, specifically lacking animalistic faces, they were a close approximation. The leader tilted his head as he stood next to her but didn''t comment on the words. Without the context, the word didn''t mean much.


    "Alex!" Mari blew past them all and quickly descended the ladder.


    Alex let the old man stand alone, and Mari jumped into his arms. Alex managed to catch her but staggered until he regained his balance. Again, Wen wondered if Mari was more a child than a machine. She certainly acted the part of a child.


    "There are cat people," Mari said.


    "And who is this?" the man with Alex asked, looking over Mari. "She''s very blunt."


    "Complicated." Alex shrugged before looking down at Mari as she lay in his arms. "We''ll talk about it in a while, Mari. First, we need to get everything settled."


    He handed her off to Erin, who helped Mari to the ground. Erin held her hand off to the side, momentarily mollifying the android.


    "Hello, everyone." The man against Alex''s shoulder waved. "I''m James, and I''m glad we got everyone to one place. We''ve talked about your situation, and I think it''s best if we invite you all to the village for the night."


    "Just like that?" Wen asked, raising her eyebrow.


    "Well, it''s best if you don''t go trying to repair your ship in the dark, and despite how they act, Aapo and his people are some of the most friendly I''ve met."


    The one next to Wen puffed out his chest as James said that, and Wen shook her head. How had she gotten wrapped up in all of this? Had it started on Diamond Peak when she decided to join Alex? Or had it started back on Tombstone when he had taken down Goldfist? Jean would say it had all been set in motion the moment she had walked through a portal in the park and found her way to another world.


    "No one will be left behind this time then?" Jean asked, his smile gleaming in the dark.


    "I think the ship can manage without us out here," Alex said, looking around. "It''s so dark, I can barely see through the shadows."


    "You don''t need to worry about your ship," James said, curving his back as he put his hands on his hips.


    "Why''s that?"


    Crack.


    "We keep an eye out for any intruders on a rotation," James said as he popped his back. "When we see someone come into the island, we get ready for if they land."


    "So you want us to trust in you?" Wen said, looking over the animal people standing on the deck. "That is after you threatened us."


    "We did throw hands," Alex said, raising an eyebrow at James. "However, we can lock the door on the ship. I don''t think anyone will try to bust their way in tonight."


    Wen didn''t have that level of confidence. However, she also didn''t think they could fully check out the damage to the ship that night either. It was a balancing act, and the question was if the risk was worth it. The problem was out of her hands, though. They had elected Alex to be the leader of their group, and it wasn''t unreasonable to leave the ship behind.


    "Everyone good with that?" Alex asked.


    A round of agreements was passed among them, though Wen didn''t join in. Instead, she promised to keep an eye on these strange new people. She could be the eyes that everyone else was not, and if they slipped up and came for the ship, she would handle them.


    "Alright. Mari, lock the doors. We''re going to their village for the night."