"Your awake" a voice deep came from the hooded man turning to face Tom. As he turned a long and flat mouth full of teeth continue to speak.

"We need to talk."

Tom sprang from his bed feeling like a ball of bruise and pain. The past two day of being chased. Chased by the empire of all things. He hadn't stopped to think since he heard they were looking for him. He couldn't stop and think now. Trying to get up a calloused hand held him in place, sitting up in his bed.

"Take it slow and easy, your still pretty beat up from yesterday" The hooded figure said.

Up close he could see a snout of all things and scales. His fear began to rise to a new high which was a feat considering the last month of his life but that didn't stop his hindbrain from reaching a new level of panic. A SWAMP GATOR, that could talk was about to eat him.

As his eyes started to bulge out of his head the hooded figure reacted and took a step back and lowered his hood.

"I am called John, please remain calm"

The absurdity hit Tom like a runaway cart. As he tried to remain calm about the 7 foot talking swamp gator named John. As his thoughts raced and he slowly regained control of his breathing and his heart started to calm down he managed a confused

"What?"

"I know your gonna have a lot of questions but the nature and location of your set up means we should have plenty of time before they find us." John said as he backed into a chair in the corner and sat down. The chair creaked with his weight and his tail barely fit through the partial back.

"Where to begin" the gator man mumbled.

"I suppose I can clarify I am your mysterious ghost, and thank you for the name, I liked it so much I started having others call me a ghost as well."

"Your swamp is bigger and more dangerous than you thought, and more than kingdom would like to admit. I have killed several higher predators in the area over the last few years as a favor to you to keep you alive. I dragged you into that shrine to release the life of this area back into the swamp, to both protect myself and others who have recently taken shelter further into the bayou." John spoke and then leaned back giving Tom time to let it all sink in.

Tom swung his legs of his bed and started to collect his thoughts and he pulled on his boots.

"Who took of my boots?" was the next thing tom uttered.

John started to laugh and even broke the back of toms chair as he leaned back and fell off.

"You, you" John struggled to get out through laughter.

"You are the best human I have spoken to in a long while" John got out. His laughter tapering off to a chuckle.

"Walk with me lets get some food, the levels of life flowing out that shrine are beyond what I could have imagined, you should feel just fine by the time we get to doing the important things."

And it was true Tom was already feeling better and could almost see the bruises and scrapes on his body shrinking as his brain started to warm up and catch up to his current circumstances.

John seemed to know his way around Tom's compound far too well, or maybe not considering it was two and a half buildings in a small fenced clearing. As John gather food and tom started a fire he wondered how did all this happen.

I can't go into town because the mythical empire that almost never visits is looking for me. Well probably me but not other supplier gives that merchant anything worth bragging about. Tom's thoughts meandered and he realized questions were probably going to get him further than wild speculation.

"Why is the empire after me?" Tom asked and then followed up.

"Why have you been helping me?" he finished.

"Good questions first off the empire is after you because you have been selling life charcoal to some backwater nobles when no one in the empire has had the recipe to make it for over 400 years, its the water you use. I know that just gives you more questions but to answer your second one because I like the hermits of this swamp, and I try to make sure that they all keep alive long enough to become some of the few friends I have." John finished as he began tossing fish and and vegetables and, was that water glowing as he poured it into the pot.

"Its glowing" came unbidden out Tom's mouth.

"Yeah that spring has more life than anywhere on either continent and it's seeped into the water. That shrine you opened has been gathering it for I don't even know how long, and letting it out it's more potent than I thought.

The duality of the the most absurd conversation Tom had ever had with a tall and toothy gator man, as he made a simple but delicious stew he had made hundreds of times before hit Tom. He collapsed onto his stool and stared at the stew as it was stirred the vegetables and pieces of fish floating around in it. A fish head floated around the pot.

A stray thought passed through mundane to contrast how out of control the last day had been, most people thought themselves better than eating the head of a fish, they were missing out.

They dished up the soup and sat as John shared a bit more information.

"You got lucky I was here when I was, a city on the east side of the bayou had sent out hunters to find me, ok to kill me, not cause I committed any crime but because I'm big and scary and provide great trades on common goods. Which meant I came here to find some things."

"If I hadn't been snooping around the city I wouldn't have know that the empire was after you and not my people hiding way up north."

If a gator man beast thing could look chagrined then John would as he continued.

"That's why I had you open the shrine a while ago, as much as I prefer less magic around the bayou oversaturation would help hide where my family is hiding. That's why your going to have to pack your things, we have a dozen shrines to visits across the bayou before we can get you to the main obelisk to fix things and get you back to normal." John finished then starting pouring a bowlful at a time into his mouth and eating noisily.

Tom speechless again for the he didn't even know how many times that morning leaned back and fell off his stool onto the cool soft grass he kept short with a machete in his clearing.

"Gods above what have I done to deserve this" tom muttered.

John started belly laughing again.

"I haven't been on a good adventure in a few months boy this is going to be more fun than you've ever had" John seemed to almost glow as he said.