It had been a day like any other… Or actually, it had been way better than average. Tia had sold her wagon load of grain yesterday for 30% more than she had been expecting, and although it wasn't much of a profit, to beginning a peddler like her it had been a great accomplishment that she had celebrated with a good meal and a beer at the inn she had been staying at.
"MMmmm~ That meat was great…"
Licking her lips as she remembered the great stew with large pieces of sausage in it she had last night, Tia went through the knapsack she had left next to her bed until she found one of her prized possessions, a small hand mirror made out of polished metal, its rim and back sported a delicate pattern of flowers and plant life which had been painfully created by welding on additional beads of metal that had then been shaped into plantlife and flowers over the course of several days by a skilled silversmith.
This mirror had been a present from Tia's father, he had given it to her on the day she gained her initiate guild licence and set off to make her way towards an apprenticeship, she still remembered how he had ruffled her head with his rough hand and laughed as he stated merchants needed to keep their looks in order to be taken seriously. To this day, that memory was still fresh in Tia's mind, and it was just as precious as the mirror itself.
(Great as always!)
Her spirits high as her mind was still filled with the taste of the beer and stew from last night, Tia wiped away the grime from her eyes before splashing her face to wake up completely. Finally, the pair of ears that had been slumped down her sides started standing proud as she stifled a yawn.
(Time for another great day!)
Storing the mirror away in her knapsack, Tia grabbed it and left the inn room she had stayed in overnight.
Tia was a descendant of the rabbitmen tribe, the large pair of rabbit ears on top of her shoulder length brown curly hair and small, fuzzy tail above her hips was proof of that, it was even her 4th best self-proclaimed charm point, but it still attracted some unwarranted attention.
"Oh wow, that's one cute tail, I would love to see it boun-"
Another thing she inherited from her blood was incredibly strong legs, which was both a blessing and a curse because she could easily knock sleazy guys like the ones she just passed out, but with too much force it could cause permanent damage.
"- Argh!?"
"Shut the fuck up. Parasite."
Glancing at the sleazy looking guy she had just kicked in the shin just softly enough that it didn't break, Tia made note of the metal tag hanging from a string around his chest before continuing on with her day making an effort not to get too annoyed at that unwanted comment.
(Fucking adventueres…)
Adventurers were an annoying but ultimately necessary part of Tia's life, as a peddler she often traveled outside of knight patrol routes and the safety of recognised trade routes to beat the competition's prices. If she had been born nobility with gold coins flowing out of her ass Tia could have afforded to hire retired knights for protection against monsters and highwaymen, but as she wasn't she was stuck dealing with adventurers.
(Just a few more trades like the one last night and I'll be done with this…)
Although she loved being on the road and actually practicing trade; feeling the product with her own hands and reading the subtle shifts of commerce, Tia would much rather do so under an old master with a bit more security. The problem was that the old farts who had gotten rich as traders and peddlers were all members of trade guilds, and to even be considered as a pupil, hefty guild fees would need to be paid beforehand.
This was partly so the would-be aspirants could show their skills and connections, but mostly because these old merchants loved coin more than anything, and the only way to befriend them was paying an exorbitant fee for their knowledge.
Collecting her wagon, Tia thought to repeat her route and bring in more to her current town before demand caught up, so she set out immediately and reached the town gate as it opened.
"Going for a day trip to the next town over! 50 copper per head for 4 people max!"
As she prepared to leave town, Tia shouted at the mass of adventures bunched up near the wall. Within a few seconds a group of 4 men in leather armour with various iron weapons ran over and along her empty wagon. Leading the 4 man party was a middle aged adventure with receding hairline and a patchy grey beard.
"Morning ma'am! We're available."
Speaking as the leader of the group, the middle aged adventurer who was walking right next to Tia's wagon offered his service, and after Tia glanced at the other adventures behind him to make sure the one she had the misfortune of meeting this morning wasn't among them she extended her hand.
"Can you keep quiet for the trip?"
"Sure, ma'am."
"Then come aboard."
With a quick handshake, the contract was established as the middle aged adventurer and his buddies climbed onto Tia's wagon; if they kept her, her wagon and her goods safe for this short journey each of the adventures would earn 50 copper coins, easy work for lounging in the back of a wagon all day.
The journey to the neighbouring town took a few hours, and so did the negotiation to purchase more wheat, so when TIa was finally done and left the town with her wagon filled with wheat, the sun was starting to set.
"Ma'am, this is going to be cutting it pretty close."
"I know, that's why I paid you."
Dismissing the adventurer sitting in between the sacks of wheat, Tia heard him scoff in annoyance, but ignored it as she pulled her crossbow out of her pack and loaded it. In the end she never noticed how the 4 adventures had been quietly discussing something among themselves.
As the sun started setting, monsters started becoming more active, and although Tia had hoped it wouldn't happen, her wagon quickly picked up a trail.
"It's a pack of kobolt's! They've got our scent pretty good!"
Although they were classified as scavengers, these particular dog-headed half people were nothing but skin and bones driven by desperation.
"Then do something about them!"
Figuring this was the job Tia paid them for, she focused on driving the wagon.
"Calm down ma'am."
"Yeah, shut the fuck up missy."
While the middle aged adventurer was trying to be diplomatic, his friend wasn't willing to do that.
"Not now Dave!"
Snapping at his buddy, the middle aged adventurer was busy trying to figure out how to overcome their current situation. Looking back at the pack of kobolt's, he figured they weren't going to let up without a meal, and he and his 3 buddies weren't enough to protect their employer, the cargo and the beast of burden at the same time. Even if they managed to beat the pack of 10-ish kobolts it would cost them at least the beast, something which would be a death sentence in of itself so far from city walls.
"Shit… Any chance you're willing to give up some of this wheat ma'am?"
"No fucking way!"
"Okay then, we'll act when the reptile starts getting tire-"
While the middle aged adventurer started to hash out a plan, one of the other adventurers, Dave, was starting to get sick of Tia's attitude.
"Shut the fuck up old man, you heard her, the little missy dosn't want our help!"
"The fuck is your problem!?"
Not wanting to take her eyes off the road, Tia made the mistake of keeping her eyes fixed forward as she responded to the adventurer being a problem.
This would turn out to be a mistake.
"My problem is you bitch, despite calling us parasites you expect to just leach off of us!"
"DAVE! NO!"
Hearing the middle aged adventurer panic, Tia turned with her crossbow in hand just to see the adventurer Dave swinging his sword at her. As the adventurer's sword broke through Tia's crossbow and cut partly into her arm, she finally noticed his resemblance to the adventurer she had seen first thing in the morning, perhaps a brother or half-brother.
(Ah. This fucking sucks.)
Seeing the ground on the side of the road closing in, Tia didn't feel the wound on her arm, but she did however feel herself landing badly on her one leg.
"ARGH!-"
Hitting the ground hard on her leg, Tia felt her ankle snap and winced in pain as she heard the howl of the monster who had just been served their meal.
"ACH! FUCK!"
Acting out of survival, Tia got to her feet despite the pain and started running after her wagon out of instinct, despite the searing pain. Although had been a fast runner all her life, with a strain there was no way she was catching up to her wagon again, or escaping the monsters on her tail for that matter.
With no other choice than continuing to pointlessly extend her life expectancy, Tia continued to run as she clutched her arm to stanch the bleeding, though even with the best of her intentions she was still losing blood from the cut and even with her strong legs exhaustion was starting to gradually take hold along with ever increasing pain from her strained ankle. It wouldn't be long now before she tripped or fell over dead, both Tia and the hounds chasing her knew that, but still she continued to struggle against the inevitable, even as the sun was gradually starting to set.
(This can't be how it all ends…)
Frustration had been steadily mounting ever since she was robbed, along with a refusal to accept reality. In the end, those emotions gradually clouding her mind was what sealed Tia's fate.
(Ah.)
A single lapse in judgement was all it took, a single misstep sent Tia flat on her face, and as she tumbled in the dirt the last bit of resistance to her imminent death faded.
(I'm tired.)
It all seemed like too much effort now, exhaustion and lack of blood had robbed Tia of her will to live, so she made no attempt to get up after she slit to a stop on the dirt road, even as the hounds closed in to make their kill.
(Dad, I hope you don't worry too much… I'll be going to mom's side now.)
Still, fate, or rather someone had different plans for Tia.
With a loud clang, a rod made of published metal hit the ground right beside Tia, burying itself halfway into the dirt as lightning sparked from its tip, creating multiple arcs that trapped Tia inside.
"What… The?..."
Just as confused as the hounds surrounding her on all sides now, Tia forced herself to her knees as arcs of lightning sparked all around her while somehow not impacting Tia who was stuck inside. Still, Tia didn't get much of a chance to wonder what was going on as her surroundings suddenly erupted. Dust, blood and guts seemed to erupt all around Tia all of a sudden, as the hounds barely had enough time to yelp in pain before passing. Although it probably only lasted for a couple of seconds, the eruptions all around Tia seemed endless and were all way too loud for her delicate hearing, but just as soon as it had started, it came to a stop.
(... Wait… I'm unharmed?)
While shards of rocks and dust had been kicked up all around her, Tia realised she hadn't suffered a single injury from the eruption, as the lightning cage which surrounded her had reflected or destroyed every single piece of shrapnel or debi heading towards her.
"This is all… Far too strange."
As the lightning suddenly seized, Tia noticed several pillars of light floating in the night sky rapidly closing in on her, but that was the last thing she saw before exhaustion and blood loss reaped her consciousness.
Next thing she knew, Tia was laying in a way too comfortable bed looking up at an unfamiliar ceiling. This sudden change gave her a mental whiplash, it was like someone had suddenly taken her mind and stuck it into a well, wiping it clean.
Getting up with a bit of effort, Tia found herself wearing clothes made out of a fabric softer than any material she knew existed inside a room without any windows or doors. The floor, walls and ceiling seemed to be made out of some sort of metal that was also somehow soft to the touch. Just when Tia was starting to accept that she wasn't dreaming and (Probably) wasn't dead, she was addressed by a disembodied voice which seemed to come from all around her and inside her head at the same time.
[You've been under for 5 days, but everything should be alright now. Bones have been set and regenerated, and your blood levels are back to normal… I had to prototype an entirely new blood synthesis sequence as surgery on people from your world is more of an art than science at this point, it was fun.]
"... What is this?"
Realising that whatever had just addressed her had some way of watching her, Tia pulled the blanket of the bed up around her as she glanced around, ears raised in heightened alert.
[Calm your tits lady, I saved your life. If I wanted to do anything strange I would've done it when you were asleep.]
"... If you're trying to calm me down, reassure me or gain my trust then you should really consider your words more carefully."
Feeling her face heat up in anger, Tia made the decision not to trust whatever voice was talking to her.
[Eh, words are hard, especially when I've just learnt the language. I find actions far more impactful. I saved your life.]
"You expect me to be thankful for that in this situation? Where is this, who are you and why did you save me?"
Tia knew full well that most people didn't act out of the goodness of their heart, and seeing as she didn't have any coin on hand Tia didn't like the implication that she should be thankful at the moment.
[Not really, you're onboard the cruiser Protective 14 currently starbathing, my name is Mac. And because I could, I guess.]
Taking in the surprisingly honest sounding answers, Tia still didn't trust the disembodied voice, but figured there was some room for negotiation.
"... I would like to go home now."
[Okay then, I'll drop you off at the city of your choice in two days time.]
"No, I would like to go home now."
Figuring she had some room to press her condition, Tia waited in silence for an answer, but it took a few seconds before the voice responded.
[Getting you home would mean Protective 14 would need to abort its current starbathing manoeuvre. That's not currently possible.]
"You can't just make up random words and expect me to believe them."
Hearing yet another unfamiliar term which sounded like a bullshit excuse, Tia's patience was starting to run out as annoyance had pushed all confusion about the strangeness of her room aside.
That is until the wall opposite to Tia suddenly turned transparent, revealing a sea of flame outside as the disembodied voice returned.
[Protective 14 is current star bathing, literally bathing in the sun to collect fuel. Any attempt to deviate from this manoeuvre before the gravitational sling assist is complete will result in the loss of the entire craft, yourself included. If you want to die fruitlessly you should've done it before I decided to save your life and spend a ton of resources doing so.]
Although she heard quite a bit of annoyance and exasperation in the disembodied voice calling itself Mac, Tia's attention was firmly held on the sea of fire seemingly right outside her room.
"... That's the sun?"
[Right, that's what you people call it… Yeah, that's the sun. Go take a look around.]
At the voice's insistence, a part of the transparent wall suddenly disappeared, creating a door into a large and somehow even stranger room with countless lights, glowing runes and mirrors displaying glyphs Tia had no idea how to read. Walking into the room, Tia found the entirety of the outside were transparent to the outside of the ship, showing arcs of fire and burning all around.
[As you can see, Protective 14 and yourself aren't returning home anytime soon, so get comfortable for the moment and grateful that you're still alive. In 52 hours you can go back to your old life and dismiss all this as a temporary bout of insanity.]
As much as Tia hated to admit it she no longer had the option of ignoring this 'Mac' feller.