Tel'nathar is the only known city of the dark elves, also known as drow. The actual size of the city is unknown as it extends into the depths of the earth and outsiders are not permitted below a certain level. Unlike the dwarves who have large farms around their cities to feed themselves, the drow do not though it is unknown how they manage to feed themselves. They are in a constant war with the dwarves, elves and occasionally raid the lands to their North and West.

Adrian

I am unsure for how long that I continued to vent my anger and confusion on those that were attacking or their remains but eventually I hear my K calling to me along with Kylana, Analais and Alana though the exact words I don’t catch. The bloody goop of whoever was the last target of my anger drips off my hands as I turn to those who are calling the name they know me by.

My breathing slows as I look around while my mind clears; there is not many of the Bloodclaw left within the confines of the village. Only Kythia, Kylana, Analais, Alana, and Ragnan are in view. Where did the others end up? Ria, Bryan and that short girl. They seem smaller then I remember, that and did it get brighter? No, wait, everything is smaller.

“Is that the shapeshifting you mentioned before Lykou?” K asks, calm compared to the faces the others are making.

The others seem confused, except for Ragnan. He looks scared but also proud of living through the attack. Aside from that they are also all injured.

“It is” I answer her, my voice deeper than I remember it being. An effect of me being larger in this shape compared to my human form.

“Where is dad. We need to deal with those that got away and those Kythia knocked out” Ragnan says.

“Quiet Ragnan, we don’t need to run off in vengeance like idiots. Enough of the pack has died already” Kylana scolds him.

“You don’t have a say in this, it is the alpha male’s decision to make. And since he isn’t here, it is mine and the other men’s decision to make” Ragnan says before turning to Analais and me, and continues to say “we can’t let them get away with attacking us. We need to track them down and . . .”

“Running off in vengeance is only going to get us killed. We need a plan and to. . .” Analais begins before Ragnan cuts him off.

“You’re lucky to even get a say in anything runt. I’m the next alpha male and . . .”

“You’re never going go to be the alpha male. No matter who you take as a mate you won’t be stronger than my mate and me” Kythia says.

“Stay out of this sister. This isn’t any of your business” Ragnan interrupts.

“Over who are the alphas or what we do about being attacked?” I ask sarcastically.

“Both, it is the strongest male werewolf that . . .” he starts before getting knocked upside the head by both Kythia and Kylana as all of the other lycanthropes say, “it is the strongest mated pair.”

“I’m against dying by stupidity. So, majority rules when the alpha is absent?” I say while looking at Analais. He nods and I continue, while ignoring Ragnan, “suggestions?”

“We need to determine if Ragnor fell to these people and how they found the village. We should have gotten warning from the hunters as they searched the forest” Kylana answers and I nod.

“Then I’ll get the information out of. . .” Ragnan begins before K cuts him off, “no, they are my prisoners.”

“You don’t have a . . .”

“Even if she doesn’t, I do. I think I know them, so I’ll talk to them” I say cutting him off.

During the latter half of the second sentence though, images like those in that strange mindscape where I fought that look-a-like. Memories not unlike those I relive through meditation but disordered and scrambled.

I rub my head but find it uncomfortable. Right, I’m still in hybrid form. Claws are not meant for that. I will myself to be human again and watch the world grow back to the size I am more familiar with before I finish the gesture.

I frown at my destroyed shirt and barely in place pants. I’m going to need to be more careful with what I have on when I shift.

“You’re not in charge” Ragnan says.

“No, but I agree with him, and majority rules without the alpha being present” Analais says with a frown.

“So where is Ria and the other two?” I ask as I turn to K.

K seems slightly bothered but she does answer me after a second, “the humans are at our table waiting, and the kitsune is elsewhere in our hut.”

“You left them alone” Ragnan says condescendingly.

“I left them tied up and they did surrender” she says to defend herself.

“You can’t just leave them alone, they attacked us and you should have killed them.”

“Shut up, Ragnan. Leave her alone, I told her not to kill them” I say to shut him up.

Why couldn’t he have gone missing like his father? No, I shouldn’t think like that. It is wrong to think of people like that.

“I’ll look into seeing if I can find any of the hunters that never came back since early this morning” Analais says to which I nod. He is the best in the pack at tracking and better suited for it than me.

“Be careful, we can’t afford to lose another pack member” Kylana says while Ragnan shows his age in sulking over how he isn’t in charge.

K follows me back to our hut while Kylana and Alana keep lookout for the next attack from the Althaen. When I open the door, I see that Bryan and the short woman are tied to my pathetic attempts at making chairs. They could easily have gotten out of their bonds by breaking the chair but have remained sitting.

“Adrian what is it with you and crazy girls, and could you untie us?” asks the just over six-foot male in yet another language that I just know how to speak; but this tongue seems more familiar to me than the one that I have been using the last few months.

“Kythia isn’t crazy. She is kickass and awesome” I retort.

“Are there any languages you don’t somehow already know?” K asks me and I shrug at her. I could look at a language list and compare it to the one displayed in the Architect’s System but I have more important things those few minutes could be spent on. Like getting stronger, more awesome and enjoying my time with her.

“You should look into that” she says in response.

“I’d rather spend the time on something else” I say while stepping a little closer to her.

She smiles at my loosely implied intention but out moment is stopped as the short girl interrupts us saying, “could you please let us out of these chairs? They are very uncomfortable.”

“I’ll have you know that I worked very hard to make those a month ago” I say even though I really only threw them together to have chairs. I don’t even use them, too many splinters. . .

“How could you have made these a month ago when you were with us?” Bryan asks sarcastically and I pause for a moment as another series of memory flashes fill my mind.

Anger at the Althaen, guilt and desperation accompany the images of me acting weakly in playing the game that those that tore me from my home according to their rules. I feel almost disgusted by the memories, why wouldn’t I just kill my way out of the city with fire and lightning? No I wasn’t there, I was here with my K.

“I have been here for the last three months” I state as an absolute fact.

“That’s not possible, you were. . .” the short woman begins before Bryan cuts her off saying, “you’re his doubleganger. What happened to our Adrian?”

Doubleganger? Why would he. . . Wait I am from the future, so that look alike was my past self? How can I still be here when I killed my past self?

“Time travel paradox” I answer in a guess before continuing to the questions I need answers to, “now, where is the camp and how did the Althaen know where the village is?”

I don’t hear his answer as more images flash through my conscious mind. Conversations that my past self eavesdropped on by bending space, the path that he had been forced to march, and the interactions he had with Ria. Why didn’t he give her the loving that she spent weeks begging for?

My question's answer begins to flash before my mind’s eye. Dozens of different morals and logical arguments that he had put himself through. My head begins to hurt before I somehow push the images back to the corner of my mind. I shake my head and rub my temples again.

“Kythia, they aren’t enemies. Could you until them? I need to meditate for a moment” I ask K.

“Okay but why, and should I leave the fox tied up for you?” she answers.

“Remembering to many things at once. Where did you put Ria?”

“In your bed.”

I’m not able to process that for a moment as my mind grinds to a halt. K tied her up and left her on a bed for me?

Here I thought it might be difficult to get her to accept other women into our bed but. . .

“Don’t expect me to let her stay though, she is too weak to deserve your. . .” K begins before I pull her to me and silence her with a kiss.

“Kythia I love you but don’t finish that sentence. Love isn’t earned by strength” I whisper in her ear.

“I only. . .” she begins before I cut her off again saying, “no, you accepted me because I’m strong. You alreadt loved me because of how I treat you.”

She doesn’t say anything in return, but I don’t know if it is from what I said it that I’m holding her and she is really submissive to tokens of affection.

Regardless, I sit down and begin to meditate. Like always, the Architect's System shows up and I actually am curious just what eating my past self did.

Gain: +125XP Brawler, +125XP Melee, +125XP Claw, +125XP Hand-to-hand, +75XP Flying, +100XP Fighter, +100XP Martial Artist, +150 XP Dragon,

Claw 2 -> 3 (+2 SP), Flying 1 -> 2 (+1 SP), Dragon 0 -> 1 (Void Grasp),

Absorption of your temporal duplicate has begun. +1000 SP, various other increase.

Lykou

Gender: Male

Race: Void Draconian?

Age: 16?

Strength 28

Intelligence 23

Mana Potential 12

Skills

SP: 1610

Dexterity 24

Wisdom 21

Mana Potency 12

Languages

Titles

Agility 24

Cunning 20

Luck 23

Traits

Options

Endurance 26

Willpower 24

Perception 20

Magic

Reality Control

Vitality 26

Alertness 21

Reality Control 5

Classes

Racial Class

Appearance 26

Charisma 17

Health 425/425

Mana 150/150

I smile at everything save for how this Reality Control has reduced my mana attributes again. Why must all that hard work be undone in what was but a moment? Yet for some reason that five makes me happy regardless of how I am upset. I don’t know exactly what it means but that it is a good thing even if the value is so much lower than my other attributes.

I glance at the large value in the SP field before dismissing the screens going fully into the meditation.