In response to the man that I tell him that I wasn’t a warlock, and I explain that I came from Blanchard Caverns, and he gives me a strange look. He then asks me how I came to have Xiantha at my side. She decides to tell that part of the story and fills him in on what happened to her, and she attributes her rescue to me.

Before she can complete her story, the man stops her by saying, “I have heard enough, and you two need an education on who you and we are before something bad can happen to you. For now, my name is Guard Trevor Blackshear, and I will escort you back to town and to someone who can hear your full story and bring you up to speed. Then they will help you get where you should be. We will just have to make a quick stop at the wall to dispatch a cleanup crew to make sure we remain safe.”

Xiantha and I consult in our minds and agree to go with him since someone who can educate us, might also be able to help Xiantha, and I get to our respective homes. We follow him towards the city and as we get closer the dirt and stone path changes to a cobblestone road leading into the city. As we get closer to the walls, the buildings look less like they are organic, and more like they were designed and molded to resemble things such as trees, mushrooms, and ferns. The tallest building there is shaped like a spiral horn, almost like what you would expect for a unicorn to possess with a stairway on the outside and openings into the horn at various points on the way up. Overall it appears to be around 100 to 150 feet high and around 80 to 100 feet wide at the base. The mushroom and tree looking buildings seem to top out around 75 feet though there are not many that height.

We enter the city, and after passing through the gate, we come to an intersection that contains a crystal fountain in the center with some kids playing around it. They were not all humans either, there were if I remember my RPG’s right creatures that looked like kobolds, elves, even a fairy looking creature playing together. Guard Blackshear noted where I was looking and said that I would come to understand later. I asked him about how the buildings were made since I could not see any seams or fasteners of any kind to use in the building. He informed me that there is a class of mage known as rock shapers that helps to design and grow these buildings from the rock and crystal that surround us. Even with magic, it can take up to twenty years to properly grow a building such as the horn building. He then tells me that the horn building is where we are going but luckily we are going to the lowest level, not up to the top. Xiantha interjects that buildings at all are difficult on her world due to larger creatures constantly looking for a meal source. They have to keep moving and finding hiding spots to rest. I do not envy her old life, and start to wonder why she would want to go home. She hears that thought and responds “ This is not my world. Yes, it may be soft and easy, but I do not know the rules, the people, or anything about it. Why would I want to stay in a world where I was forcibly kidnapped to enslave me?” I understand what she is saying and acknowledge the point to her.

By this time we have reached the horn building in the center of the city. Guard Blackshear informs us that it is the administration building and that once inside to have a seat and he would give his report and find someone to help us. We enter the building and sit down to wait. He tells us that it should be no more than a half hour, so Xiantha and I start telling each other about our lives. For her, it’s fairly easy. Her people are born similar to how live born sharks are. They are delivered, and from that instant, they either kill or be killed. They leave their mothers and start looking for anything smaller than them to eat to grow. Eventually, they increase in size and start to specialize based upon their hunting methods. At certain points in their life, they then evolve into more specialized forms based upon how they have acted to that point and obtain magic as well to help them. From her descriptions of the different types it sounds like the demons go from imps, then can evolve into different magical types of demons. Eventually, they evolve from that into an even greater form but she has never seen one so could not tell me about it. She tells me that she started out about 6 inches tall imp and over the past 17 years has developed into what she is now an almost 3 feet tall imp. She says that most imps evolve before reaching three feet tall, so she is hoping to do so soon. I then tell her about my family and upbringing and my hopes and dreams. Honestly, after hearing about her life and how she hopes to survive to get stronger, my own ambitions seem very shallow.

Eventually, Guard Blackshear returns with an older woman beside him. He introduces her as Elder Warlock Tabitha and places us under her care before returning to his post. She asks us to follow her and leads us outside and up two floors to a room set up very similarly to how the cave where I killed David was. Immediately I feel nervousness from Xiantha, and I honestly cannot blame her. We have no idea what to expect here, so we pause by the door. Elder Warlock Tabitha looks back at us and says, “No harm will befall you here, we are just here to talk. Please call me Tabby unless we are in a formal setting. Please sit, and make yourselves at home.”

She waits while we both make our way over, Xiantha perches beside me so that she is not sitting on her tail. Once we are seated, she directs her next words at Xiantha “I do not wish to frighten you little one, but my demon will be joining us to help explain things, he will not harm you I promise.”

Xiantha climbs into my lap for protection and nods her head, and we hear heavy steps coming from behind us. I look over my shoulder and see a creature around 7 feet tall. He reminds me of that balrog from the lord of the rings movie but no wings and no fire. He speaks in a deep rumbling voice “Greetings little ones.” He moves to stand beside Tabby, and in my lap, Xiantha is shaking like a leaf. I also am feeling more fear than I have felt in my life and I have to wonder if some of that is transferring from her, so I try imparting calming thoughts to her.

Tabby says to me, “While your little one calms down would you mind telling me your story?”

I proceed to fill her in on everything that has happened over the last day which takes about 15 to 20 minutes, then she asks Xanitha the same question, and she tells Tabby of the events from her view. At that point, Tabby starts asking us questions to clarify events. When we confirm for the third time that Xanitha willingly chose to bond with me, she relates that all warlock bonds have been forced to this time. Even between her and her demon. She says that the forced bonding weakens both the caster and the demon causing them to not develop to their full potential. She lets me know that no bonded demon has ever evolved from a lower rank into a higher one. They stay as you receive them, and you can never summon another again. She tells me I am unique in two aspects, one I did not force the bond, and two I have not used up my ability to summon a demon to this world. This means that once I learn how I could possibly bond to a second demon.

I ask her at this point is there a way to send Xiantha back to her world and release the bond. She informs us that there is not a way to as far as she knows, and according to all they know, once the bond is formed, it’s there forever. At this point, Xiantha starts to cry again, and I rub her back to soothe her and mentally tell her that I will be with her and we will work together to try to find a way.

After Xiantha calmed down, Tabby asked me whether or not David had detected me before I hit him with the rock. I told her that I did not think so, he never turned or acted like he even knew I was there. She told me that is a good thing because once he revives he would not be able to find out who killed him for vengeance. At that, I exclaimed, “How the hell do you revive from a crushed skull?”

She replies “That is part of the education your about to receive.” She has us follow her again to another room where a man is sitting behind a desk. She introduces him as Lawrence or Teacher Lawrence if we are so inclined and explains that he is a Mind trap mage, which is a mage that has trained their mind so that they cannot forget anything he will be our instructor on the basic knowledge that we need to make informed decisions. She said that he could also impart the information directly into our minds, but she understands that neither of us would want someone we do not know or trust to get into our heads, so while it will take longer, she would rather foster trust, than speed.