Isekai 2.1

You don’t know anything, Akira.  Nothing at all.  I hated to admit it, but this wasn’t some Isekai where I’d be marched up in front of the king and given the plot in the first manga.  This one was going to make me earn going home.  That meant I needed to learn a lot and quickly.  “The Whisperers,” I said.  “I need to know things.  They sound like my best chance to learn.”

“Good choice,” Axelenar said with a nod.  “Or a good reason.  Truth be told, if you wanted to join the red knives I’d be well rid of you.  Not that the whisperers aren’t any more dangerous.  A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.”  He walked over to a small fold out desk and wrote a note.  “I can pass you on to one of their contacts and make introductions.  From there you’re on your own.”

When he finished, he sealed it up with a ring of wax.  “Sonna!” he called out.  A moment later the pale, purple haired elf girl returned.  “You can get her to Auntie Suun, can’t you?”

“I can, but why should I?  It’s just a felyn,” she said as she crossed her arms and looked away.

Quick as a whip, he reached out and pinched her ear.  “And back home you are just a duskenelf, and it would be you begging for help from her.  No one is ever just anything.  Understood?”  He released her ear.

“Yes, Uncle,” she said as she rubbed it, giving me a glare before looking away again.

“Good.  Now to Auntie, then straight back.  I don’t want you wandering or hanging out with Yune or Taght.”  He said as he rose.

“You mean my friends?” she said as she crossed her arms.

“They are not us, Sonna.  They may be useful, but do not get attached.  They will fail you in your darkest times,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand.  “Go.  And remember as I said.  To Auntie, home.”

“Yes, Uncle,” she said as she regarded me flatly.  “Let’s go, beast.”

Ugh... seriously?  Did catgirls piss off everyone in this world?  Still, I had a word for them.  ‘Duskenelf.’  Did that mean the dwarvish looking people had their own little subgroups?  I wondered if there was any specific reason for the similar names?  Or maybe the spell Lurue had cast on me just turned their name for themselves into ‘elf’ because that was a word my brain knew.

I did as I was told, though, following closely behind her.  “Er... how old are you?” I asked.  She was about my size, but for all I knew she had decades of experience under her belt.

“Old enough to know that’s a dumb question.”

“Teenager.  Got it,” I asked, feeling tired and a little cranky myself.  She shot me a sour glare and I added, “I’ve had a long day.  Did I or Felyn or whatever do something personally to piss you off or is this just usual for you?”

She seemed to size me up before responding, “I don’t like my uncle running my life, that’s all.”  She said as she headed toward a wall guarded by two of the masked, cloaked figures.  “He cares deeply for me, but he thinks any day the Solari are going to invade Mundi, take Gateway, and continue the purge.  There’s not a lot of duskenelves to be friends with.  You heard him.”

“I honestly don’t know anything about duskenelves or what the Solari are.  I don’t even know anything about Felyn, other than everyone seems to hate me,” I said as we approached the wall.  They tapped it, and a section of it disappeared.  I felt a twinge of apprehension as I followed her out of the darkmarket.  If Axelenar wanted to betray me, there wasn’t much I could do about it.

She glanced at me, as if sizing me up.  “Elven politics of the old world.  I didn’t even live it myself.  My parents were both refugees who came to Mundi to be adventurers.”  So adventuring was a thing in the world.  She looked away as she led me into a curving tunnel.  “They died.  Axelenar took me in.”

“So he’s not your family?”

“He’s dusken,” she replied.  “We’re all family.  But sometimes family can be a pain in the butt.”

It’d just been mom and my little half-brother and half-sister, but I knew my mother’s side of the family didn’t want anything to do with us, so I conceded the point to her.  “So what are felyn?”  Her withering glare qualified this as a stupid question.  “Brain damage, remember?”

“Felyn are you.  You were the people here before Mundus the Great invaded.”  She paused as we walked in silence a moment before she gave me a sideway look.  “Huh.  I was expecting more of a reaction.”

“Brain damage,” I repeated, an easier answer than trying to explain.

“That’s not a very brain damaged answer,” she replied.

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.  “No, it’s not.  I just... I don’t know anything!  I don’t know what I am or what you are.  I could try to drool or look like an idiot but it wouldn’t help me understand what’s going on around me.”

She blinked in surprise as passed through a stone arch and into more familiar aqueduct tunnels. “Alright...” She pointed at some of the defaced murals.  “I’ll tell you what I can. I don’t know much history, though.  I know there was an invasion and your kind lost.  Now you’re out in the mountains and forests making life hell for everyone trying to move past Gateway.  There’s always horror stories of felyn infiltrators slaughtering farmers, and doing worse.”

That explained the bounty at least. “Why’s the city named Gateway?” I asked.

“Depends on who you ask.  Humans say it’s because when you won the invasion, the city was ‘a Gateway to a new life’.  Others think it’s because there’s an artifact the adventurer’s guild uses to teleport people into dungeons.  Or that it’s a translation of the felyn word for this place,” she said as she shrugged.  “Gateway does bring in a lot of people from other lands.  Everyone wants to be an adventurer and get rich quick.”

I nodded slowly.  “So there’s adventurers and dungeons, so that tracks,” I folded my hands behind my head.  “Can Felyn become adventurers?”

“Theoretically.  Anyone sworn to the law can... but most Felyn can’t get sworn to the law.  Most of those are slaves who are given their freedom by their owner,” she said as she frowned at me.  “Also, dungeons are really dangerous.  You never want to go into one alone.  And you need guild permission too.  And you need to have your soul changed so you can actually hurt the monsters inside.”

“My soul?” I blinked in shock, now getting a leery look from Sonna.

“Yes.  Your soul.”  She said that like a soul was so self explanatory that it was idiotic to ask further.  “A mortal without their soul altered won’t last a second against a monster.  Literally.  Their claws rip through armor like it’s paper.  But if you fortify your armor with your soul, then you might last longer.  But modifying your soul is very expensive.”

I nodded slowly.  Hopefully this Isekai would thrown me a bone and my soul would be... ‘stronger’ or something.  Some advantage.  I wasn’t asking for superhero powers but some advantage would help.  “What about the Whisperers?”

“They’re spies.  They find out secrets and sell them to people who are interested.  Sometimes they give us tips on good targets.”  Sonna said as she raised her hand, showing a brass ring on her finger.  “Auntie’s one of their agents.  She’s the one Axelenar goes to when he wants news on a rival.”

“Could they help me become an adventurer?” I asked, feeling something tugging on my butt.  I blinked, glancing back, and realized it was my tail.  Oh, yeah.  I had that now.

“Want to be rich?” she asked, but in a dull and disapproving tone.

“I don’t want to be poor,” I said and then sighed.  “More than anything, I want to know stuff.  These dungeons and being an adventurer feel...”  I wasn’t sure.  “Familiar?”

“Mmm,” she relaxed her frown.  “That’s a better answer than most.  Lots of people want to be rich.  And sure, you can be rich as an adventurer.  And you will be, till you’re dead.”

I lowered my arms.  “I’m guessing you knew someone who died as one?”

“My parents,” she said as she crossed her arms.  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

I nodded as we stopped at a section where a stone ladder was carved into the wall.  “Up there’s Auntie.  Big human woman.  Just tell her Uncle Oxxo sent you for jam.  If she says she only has brisberry, ask if she has any cinnamon buns.”  She paused, “If she doesn’t, come back down.  I’ll wait a bit.”

“Right.  Right.  Spy talk.”  I nodded and then gave her a small smile.  “Thanks.”  If it weren’t for people helping me right now, this would be the shortest isekai ever. “If there’s any way I can pay you back...”

“Come back to the darkmarket when you settle in with Auntie.  I’ll introduce you to my friends.  Well, I’ll introduce you to Yune.  Taght will be there too.”

“Yeah.  Sure,” I replied, giving a little wave before I looked up.  A hole was cut in the ceiling.  I took a deep breath.  I was beat, and hungry, and sore.  All I needed was to climb way, way up...

As I ascended, my ears picked up a babble of conversation above.  Plates clinking.  A smell of food that made my stomach positively snarl.  I climbed and climbed, my legs starting to shake as I saw a wooden trap door overhead.  Slowly I pushed it up and out of the way.

The room I was in had a large copper bucket on a chain and winch, and several copper barrels.  There were capped jars with a faint ammonia smell and bottles the reeked of vinegar.  I looked around, wondering just where ‘Auntie’ might be found.

The door to the small room opened, a boy entering with a bucket.  He goggled at me a moment, then yelped!  “Felyn assassin!  Felyn assassin!  We’re all gonna dieeee!” he wailed as he rushed out.

I was about to take my chances falling down the shaft when a woman called out, “Puck!  What are you screaming about?”  Then a huge woman stepped into the doorway.  The blond haired boy peeked at me from behind her wide bright blue dress.  “Felyn!”  From her belt she drew a chopping cleaver.

“Uncle Oxxo sent me!” I blurted out!  “For Jam.”  If this wasn’t Auntie, I was between a cleaver and a long fall.  I wondered if Felyn took less falling damage.  I doubted I had resistance to cleaver.

The woman was meaty, with heavy arms, heavy shoulders, all on a heavy body.  Thick brown braids were tied back in loops and she eyed me like she was about to make catgirl chops.  “Fraid you’re outta luck,” she said in a low voice, my heart plunged.  Then, “I think we only have brisberry left.”

“What about cinnamon buns?” I asked with a small, hopeful smile.

She stared at me, but straightened.  “A brass ring sent you, huh?  What’s your business with me?  I don’t know you, Felyn.”

“My name’s Akria.  I’m... I just got to Gateway and I need help.  I know about the bounty.  If I’m going to stay here, I’m going to need help.”  I glanced behind me.  “A... person sent me to a person who sent me to you.  You’re with the Whisperers?”

She looked down to the boy.  “Back to dishes, Puck.  I need a chat with this felyn.”

He gave me a sour glare and skulked off.  She stepped in and closed the door.  She glanced down the trapdoor and kicked it shut with a foot.  “Don’t tend to work with felyn.  Especially ones I don’t know.  Why hook up with us?  Go swear yourself to the law.”

“A law that’s got a price on my head?” I countered.  “No thanks.  I need help, and I’m willing to work for it.”  I swallowed and looked away.  “But if you can’t... I’d appreciate it if you can point me to someone who can.”

She was silent for far longer than I liked.  Then she walked over to the trap door, looking down at a shocked Sonna clinging to the ladder.  “I’ve got her,” Auntie said in a softer voice.  “Give your uncle my regards.”

“Right.  Right,” Sonna said, and then gave me a small smile.  “Good luck, Akira.”

Auntie closed the door and then stepped out.  She lead me down the hall to a nearby kitchen.  I could hear the conversations more clearly now.  “Puck.  Go get the laundry.”  The boy rose sullenly but slipped out of the room.  Auntie then walked over to a chopping block where she started to quarter a strange green meat.  “Now, I want to know who you are and why I should help you.  As I said, I’m not in the habit of keeping felyn.”

I took a deep breath.  “Who I am... I’m a felyn with brain damage.  I woke up a few hours ago with no memory of who I am, what I am, or even where I am.”  I then retold the story leading up to her.  I finished, “As to why, I know how to run a counter, I have really good ears, and I’m desperate.”  My stomach snarled at the smell of the food.

She hadn’t stopped working, but had peppered me with constant questions, seeking holes in my story.  When I finished, she wiped her brow and regarded me.  “It’s a story.  I’m not sure I believe it, but there’s magics that’ll wipe a mind clean like that.  Puck!” She shouted, looking down the hall.  “Where’s that laundry?”  The boy returned, his arms carrying a huge wicker basket of laundry.  She walked over, plucking some garments from the pile. “You’re Elisse’s size,” she said as she extracted out a blue dress.  “Go down the hall.  Second door on your right.  Get cleaned up,” she instructed as she passed me a rag.  “We’ll see if you’re of any use.”

I held the clothes and followed her instructions.  It was a bathroom, and thank goodness this was a world that had invented the toilet.  It was a stranger design, with a water tank near the ceiling, but it was just what I needed right now.  ...too bad there wasn’t anyone that explained how a girl used it.  I worked it out, but missed my old body.  It’d been easier at least.

Once I’d taken care of that, I got the rag and the bar of soap and proceeded to ‘clean up’ as well as I dared.  I tried not to look too much at my body.  It didn’t feel like mine, and it didn’t feel right looking at it or touching it too much.  Besides, I didn’t want to look at the bruises or think about what had happened to it before I’d woken up in it.

One thing I could do was look at the mirror and take it what a ‘felyn’ actually looked like.  My skin was unnaturally white.  Not pale.  White.  It was rather unnerving.  I had black stripes too, and they ran down my back, torso, and limbs.  The ‘gray fur’ was simply layers of dirt I washed off in a copper basin next to the sink.  Bright red eyes looked back at me from the mirror, and I examined my teeth.  The white was spoiled to dark bruises that were rapidly turning purple and black.  My breast size was bigger than I ever wanted on my body, and the rest I tried to ignore till later.

When I was clean enough, I had to put on the dress.  The underwear was a bit of a challenge, but I figured out it tied on like some swimsuits I’d seen.  I had to make a hole for my tail.  Then I put the dress on.  There were still bruises around my neck though.  I tried to not imagine them as hands.  Finally I sighed and stepped out, returning to the kitchen where there were several bowls on the counter... and a collar and cuffs.

“Put those on,” Auntie said, gesturing to the bindings.

“I didn’t plan on being a slave,” I retorted in alarm, wondering how quick I could run.

“You won’t be,” she said impatiently.  “The only felyn in Gateway are sworn and slaves.  I couldn’t pass you off as sworn.  Too rare.  But I can say someone paid their tab with you.”  She gave a wave of her hand.  “Don’t worry.  None of the slaver enchantments are active on them.  Just get them on.”

I swallowed.  I really had no way to verify that, but if Auntie wanted to screw me over, she could just fire me.  The collar and cuffs were silver, with red gems, and they snapped closed.  I put them on.

“Go jump in the fire,” she said, pointing at the fireplace.  For a moment my heart stopped, but then I realized nothing was happening.  “See?  You’re fine.”  She said with a nod.  I conceded with a nod back, though ‘fine’ was a stretch.  “Alright. Take a bowl and eat up.  You look like you’re about to fall over.”  She said as she slid one of the bowls over to me.  I swallowed, but was too hungry to be picky.  The squares of green meat had a spongy texture I couldn’t quite place, but the other bits were similar to potatoes, but tasted more like yams and the sauce was thick enough to fill me up.

While I ate, a strange girl with blue dragon like wings came back into the kitchen.  Two blue bull horns poked out of her long black hair, and I spotted a blue scaled tail coming out the rear of her dress.  She started when she spotted me, but Auntie took her out into the hall a moment, returning alone.

When I finished eating, Auntie gave a nod.  “Alright, Akira.  Here’s your test.  I want you to go out into the commons and serve dinner.  Clear tables.  Mop up.  And I want you to listen.  I want you to tell me something interesting you overhear or notice.  Elisse will point out where you’re to go.”

“And if I can’t?” I said nervously.

“Then you’re no good to the Whisperers.  Do the job, and keep your eyes and ears open,” she said as she nodded to the door.  “Go.”

I took a deep breath.  Eavesdropping wasn’t the hard part.  I’d overheard more than a few awkward conversations in the convenience store during the graveyard shift.  What counted as interesting?  I picked up the tray and headed down the door.

I stepped out into a space both alien and familiar; alien in that there were dozens of people of all sorts that I could only guess at, familiar in that in whatever world you went to people needed to eat.  I’d worked enough food services to know the drill.  I spotted the dragon girl and sidled over to her.  “Elisse?  Auntie–” I started to say.

“The tables are numbered one to thirteen, starting left by the door and going right.  Auntie wants me to help, though for the life of me I can’t image what she’s thinking taking on a felyn.”  She shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose.  “Just... do whatever she wants you to do and try not to make too big of a mess.”  She gestured over at the corner.  “That Sadok stew is for table three.”

I died and went to another world as a waitress.  Not the title I imagined, but I wasn’t dead yet.  I knew to smile politely as I walked to a table of four humans and a dwarf.  “Your stew,” I said as I passed them out.  I noticed the guys eyes dip.  So.  That’s what that was like.  The sooner I could get back home the better.  Or at least a body that wasn’t so... starable.

“Didn’t know Auntie got herself a pelt,” one of the men sniggered.  As I turned away, a hand not so callously palmed my backside, making me yelp and jump away to the raucous amusement of a half dozen tables.  Oh yeah.  Thanks for the experience elusive voice beyond but I’d like to restart this experience with a Y chromosome right now!  I had no idea if I was supposed to be angry, fake a smile and blow it off like no big deal, or just cry.  Worse, if he was dumb enough to cop a feel, maybe I could use that to find out something interesting?  The fact the last was even on the list hurt almost as much as the fact I wanted to sand my left buttock off.

What should I do?