Chapter 3: Chapter 2

She woke to warmth, soft pillows and a comfy bed. She felt drained, empty, but amazingly, miraculously, without pain. She almost started to cry from the absence. Composing herself she opened her eyes, sitting up slowly she found herself alone in a brightly lit bedroom. Sunlight streamed in from a window to her right. From where she lay she could only see a clear blue sky outside. Thick beams of pale wood ran across the ceiling and down the walls of white plaster. The smooth, polished floorboards were stained a darker colour and covered by a pair of woollen carpet mats. To her left, through an open doorway, she could see a bathroom with a large bronze or brass bathtub.

Something flashed in the corner of her eye but before she could look any closer a man walked through the door facing the bed. He was an elderly gentleman of average height with a short, greying beard and hair to match. He wore a dark green robe of fine fabric with gold and red trim. A yellow emblem of a sword and some four-legged animal she did not recognise was sewn over the left breast. He froze as he saw her awake and staring at him.

"Well hello there," he said in a pleasant and reassuring tone of voice. "I'm glad to see you're finally awake."

"Hello," she croaked in response, her throat dry and parched.

"One moment," he said, then walked over to a side table and poured a clear red liquid from a jug into a tall glass.

"Here, drink this. We have been taking care of you while you recovered. You have been asleep for four days."

She took the glass and tasted the contents. It was some kind of juice, tart but sweet. She thirstily drank the rest in one go.

"Thank you," she said gratefully. "That's better. Can I have another?"

"Of course." He smiled warmly and poured her another glass. She held this one in her hands and sipped on it occasionally as she looked at the friendly old man standing by her bed.

"You're extremely lucky to be alive my dear. It was a contest between those terrible burns or your head injury to see which would kill you first. I don't think you would have lived another hour either way. It took a lot out of me to heal you completely, I needed a whole day to recover."

"I'm sorry," she said, feeling like she should apologise.

"Think nothing of it. I should be thanking you. I gained an entire class level, and two in both [Greater Heal] and [Repair Flesh] just from you alone."

She did not know what that meant but he seemed happy. "That's ... good?"

"Good? At my grade that's frankly amazing! Let me go fetch Eruwen, she was the one who found you. She has been pestering me about how you are doing at least twice a day. She'll be glad to know you're awake and will want to ask you some questions." As the man walked out of the room he turned back and said, "I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Horrace. Horrace Corprum of The Golden Griffins."

He seemed to be waiting for her to say something so she said, "Okay Horace." He gave her a confused look before shrugging and closing the door behind him.

The blinking in the corner of her vision was still there. The picture of a tiny vellum envelope sealed by a blob of red wax floated in space. As she focused on the letter it increased in size and moved to the centre of his vision, words suddenly appeared on its front.

Message From: <unknown>

Subject: Only read this when you are alone.

Well that's strange. Are small floating pictures in the air a normal occurrence? Why do I feel like the answer should be no.

She stared at the small envelope as it hovered there. Whilst it did feel quite strange to have such a thing appear before her, when compared to her recent traumatic experiences and sudden recovery it was barely worth a reaction. The warning in the subject was very clear. She was alone but that man Horrace could return at any time. Looking away from the envelope she instinctively brushed it away back into the corner of her sight, it shrank back in size as it did so.

She finished the remains of her drink, put the glass onto the side table and then waited. Outside the window she heard quiet voices but too distant for her to understand. She heard the occasional sound of muffled footsteps walking outside her door before fading away. After several long minutes of silence Horrace eventually returned, this time knocking on the door first. With him was a tall woman, Horrace's head level with the top of her shoulders. She appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties with short, curly light brown hair with golden highlights, and a lean, tanned face with piercing sapphire blue eyes. Her striking presence was even more highlighted by her outfit of close fitting reddish-brown leather armour and knee-high boots of the same material. She confidently walked across the floor with a deadly grace but she was unarmed except for a curved hunting knife attached to her belt. The two walked towards her bedside and looked to be in the middle of a conversation.

"She is fully healed but seems confused. She might possibly be in shock which would be unsurprising. There is also the oddity that an NPC at her age is still Level 1. With such low stats I'm honestly amazed she lived given her injuries when you brought her in. I don't have a high level perception skill so maybe you can see more."

The woman, Eruwen, gave her a sharp, focused look as she sat propped up in the comfortable bed.

"Level 1 and classless. What the hells. Why is she even in such a high level zone at all?"

[Detect Magic] [Detect Cloaking] [Reveal]

"Hmm. Nothing. No concealment magic. Not a Mimic, Changeling, Skinwalker or anything of a similar kind. She seems to be exactly what she appears. A nobody." Eruwen looked back at Horrace and said, "If I had to guess, and unfortunately I've seen it before, someone kept her for her looks and being low level and without skills is easier to keep under control or lock and key."

Horrace grimaced. "Damn. That's a grim theory but sadly very plausible. This place doesn't shy away from depicting such ugly matters."

As the two talked about her she didn't react in any way. Firstly because she could tell they were speaking a different language, one they clearly expected her not to know. It seemed prudent to pretend ignorance. The other reason was that Horrace was right, she was very confused, specifically about everything they were talking about. So her instincts were telling her the right thing to do was keep quiet and just listen.

The imposing leather clad woman finally spoke to her. "Well hello there Snow White, it's good to see you finally awake. My name is Eruwen, it's nice to meet you."

"My name is Snow White?" she asked.

"Ah. My apologies. A poor joke. That's the name of a girl from where I was born. You kind of look like her, startlingly so, and she was famous for sleeping a long time."

"Oh. I see," she said with disappointment.

"So what should I call you then?"

Her instincts suddenly screamed at her - tell no secrets. That made no sense since how could you keep a secret when you had none to keep.

"I don't know. What should you call me?"

Eruwen frowned. "I mean what is your name?"

"I don't know. I don't remember."

"Where do you live? Do you have family here?"

She simply shook her head. "I don't know."

Eruwen's brow creased even more. "So what do you remember?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. My first memories are waking up, burning, the terrible pain and then at some point hearing your voice. Now I am here. That's everything." Then she asked the questions she had wanted answers to ever since she had first awoken. "Who am I? What is this place?"

Eruwen looked at Horrace, eyebrows raised high in astonishment. "What the fuck? Have you ever heard of an NPC with amnesia before?"

Horrace shook his head. "Never but everyone knows how freakishly lifelike eXalta is. It's not as if I'm a qualified doctor back home but I'm almost certain she had a cracked skull and bleeding on the brain when you brought her to me. I can [Greater Heal] but does that also fix all kinds of brain damage? Maybe not. Maybe that requires a more specialised skill. Hells if someone told me it was psychological due to trauma I'd believe them too."

"Well shit. It's bloody strange if you ask me. Think she's part of a quest chain, or even a quest giver?"

Horrace pondered for a moment. "Interesting theory. I guess it's not impossible. It would explain a few things though any quest is probably now as broken as the rest of this city."

Eruwen looked back at her and said, "I'm sorry but I do not know your name or who you are. You are in the city of Nodel, or at least what remains of it. We are trying to find out what happened. If I didn't know any better I'd say someone nuked the place ... damn it, sorry, set off a really, really big bomb."

"I don't know anyone who triggers the automatic filter as much as you do," Horrace said to Eruwen with a smirk.

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up old man."

"Who is 'we'?" she interrupted them with a question. It was kind of irritating how they talked between themselves as if she did not matter.

"We are working under the Adventurer's Association. Myself and Horrace are with the same guild, The Golden Griffins, and we and a number of other guilds and unaffiliated adventurers were close by, but thankfully outside the blast radius. We were some of the first to the aftermath and so the Association organised the initial search parties. I'm a [Ranger] and it was my [Heat Sense] class skill that helped me find you and a number of other survivors. The army is here now and they've taken over the operation."

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"I don't understand what most of that means but thank you for saving me."

Eruwen looked at her with pity. "You're welcome. It may not feel like it at the moment but frankly it's a miracle you survived. Along with yourself we have found less than a hundred survivors in such close proximity to the central districts. At least a million people must have died in the blast zone. Natives and mistwalkers alike. A million more have likely been killed in the outer regions. The sheer number of deaths involved is hard to grasp. Nodel, the greatest city in the realm, capital of the mighty kingdom of Jospur, annihilated in an instant. That should be impossible but hey, what do I know. It happened and now all we can do is help those affected by the tragedy."

Horrace coughed and gave Eruwen a look.

"Sorry, sometimes I ramble especially when stressed and overworked. It's appalling out there, and it's hard to stay unaffected even when none of this is ... well, anyway, I'm very happy to know you are alive and healed. I wouldn't want what you suffered to happen to my worst enemy."

"So what happens to me now? What do I do?"

"Honestly I have no idea. That will be up to the Commander to discuss with you when he returns. Since you can't remember anything you can't help with the investigation, and for all we know Nodel or even Jospur may not even be your home."

She looked at Eruwen for a few moments and considered her limited options. "Okay." Her stomach then rumbled loudly.

Horrace smiled. "Seems like your body is telling you it's well enough to want some food. Let me go grab you something from the kitchen. Any preferences?"

She simply shrugged in response. "I have no memory of what I like to eat."

"Well then, I'll try and get you a few thing to try."

Eruwen then said, "While Horrace gets you some food I'm going to find some scissors. He may be a very good [Healer] but he can't regrow hair. Sadly you lost much of it when you were burnt and now it desperately needs some attention."

"Thank you. And a mirror?"

"Shit. I'm an idiot. Of course, I'll find one for you. I won't be long."

Horrace was the first to return. He was followed by a young teenage girl with hair like the summer sun tied back in a long ponytail, and a short, plump, middle-aged woman with copper hair tied up in a tight bun and wearing a red and white chequered apron. Both the woman and the young girl were carrying trays filled with small plates of food. They placed the metal trays onto an empty desk that sat under the window. The woman waved a pudgy arm towards her. "Come, take a seat over here."

She pulled back her sheets and climbed out of the bed, then walked gingerly over to the table in her bare feet and the unflattering ankle length cotton robe someone had dressed her in. The air was warm enough that her bare feet barely felt any cold. Now that she was standing up she observed she was half a head shorter then Horace but taller than the two servants.

"Master Horrace has told me about you," said the older woman. "Such an awful thing to happen. To lose one's memory, you must be feeling very lost and confused."

She nodded in confirmation.

"Well my dear, I'm Madam Jillian and I may only be a [Cook] but I will make sure you are looked after."

"Don't listen to her," said Horrace with a smile. "She's really the person who runs our guild and keeps everything working smoothly. Even our guildmaster would agree."

"Oh shush you," the short woman said, waving away the compliment but clearly glowing with pride. "Come now child, sit. Such a remarkably pretty girl but you need more meat on those bones." Looking at the young girl she said, "Kiara can you go find some clothes for her to wear, and some shoes. Bring as much as you can so we can see what fits best." The blonde girl bobbed. "Yes Ma'am."

There was a fresh loaf of warm crusty bread along with soft, rich butter, plates of various cut meats, small bowls of different sauces and a selection of assorted cheeses. She found everything to be delicious and she ate the lot except for half of the bread loaf. Not even bothering to make sandwiches she instead shovelled it all into her mouth piece by piece, first dipping morsels into the various sauces. She washed it all down with two glasses of crystal clear water.

Eventually pushing the trays away from her she told the cook, "I enjoyed that all very much. Thank you."

"I can see that," observed an amused Madam Jillian. "Despite what I told you I didn't expect you to eat quite that much though."

"She needed a lot of healing Madam Jillian," said Horrace. "I expect her body will require plenty of food to recover fully."

"I can certainly see that. Would you like more?" she asked, looking at the mostly empty trays.

"No thank you Madam Jillian. I feel full now."

"Good but let me know when that bottomless stomach of yours needs filling again."

"Okay."

The young girl came back into the room struggling to carry a huge pile of clothes in her arms, several pairs of differing footwear resting on top. She dumped the pile onto the bed with a sigh of relief. "That's everything I could find at short notice. If you find some things you like I can see about finding something similar. We also have someone who can make size adjustments if you need any."

She thanked Madam Jillian's assistant, it would be good to get out of this ugly robe and put something onto her feet. Madam Jillian and the girl left the room with the empty trays. "Remember my dear. If you need anything you ring the bell," the cook said, indicating to a hanging cord by the door, "or you can find me in or around the kitchen on the ground floor."

Eruwen was waiting outside in the hallway as they left the room and she told Horrace, "You can leave her with me." He nodded in acknowledgement. Eruwen closed the door behind him after he left. "So, how are you feeling?" Eruwen asked.

"A bit overwhelmed. My memories go back for what feels like only a few hours but at the same time I can tell my mind contains a void years wide. It is a strange sensation and not a pleasant one."

"I honestly don't know how I'd cope if I found myself in your situation, I'd probably be in a complete panic. You seem to be handling things remarkably well considering. Back home I have heard stories about people who experienced similar losses in memory. Sometimes their memories returned naturally over time, or suddenly in an instant, but for others it was forever. But this is eXalta. A world with endless possibilities. Have hope.

"Anyways, let's not talk of deep or depressing matters. Instead let me fix something small, something that will make us both feel better." With that she unfurled a small flat pouch onto the desk. It contained a collection of engraved silver scissors, combs and a small hand mirror facing downward. She went to pick up the mirror before Eruwen stopped her. "No. Wait until I am finished. It will be a better surprise that way." Eruwen then went into the bathroom and returned with a white, fluffy towel.

As the towel was placed around her neck she asked the formidable looking brown-haired woman, "Why will this make you feel better?"

Eruwen took out several of the scissors and inspected them in a professional manner before she decided upon one. "Well to be blunt I'm avoiding my other duties. I'm an officer in the guild and that comes with responsibilities. However everyone needs a break now and then. Some time to decompress after everything that has happened. There's also the fact that I actually enjoy cutting hair, making people look and feel better about themselves. You might almost say that if I had another life, a more mundane and lonely one, [Hairdresser] would have been my primary class."

She found it hard to imagine the leather clad woman as anything but the warrior she appeared but Eruwen was happily humming to herself as she walked around the chair, lightly running her fingers through her burn ravaged hair as she did so, lost in her own thoughts.

Eruwen finally stopped her circling and then tutted in annoyance. "The damage is worse than I thought. I'm going to have to cut off a lot more than I had originally planned. That's almost criminal. I can tell you had grown it long and it must have looked gorgeous. Such a shame but it has to be done. I'll keep it simple for today but once you have more length you can decide for yourself how you want it in the future."

"That sounds good to me. Thank you."

Time passed in tranquil silence, warm sunlight coming through the window, the only noise the snip of the blades in Eruwen's hand and her barely audible humming. The quiet was nice, relaxing, the first moment of real peace since her memories began. The only disturbance was the still slowly blinking picture of the tiny envelope in the corner of her eye waiting to be read. After a lengthy amount of time and a frankly horrifying amount of hair had been removed by Eruwen, the woman made several small final snips and then announced she was done.

"Can I look now?"

"Sure, go ahead."

She picked up the mirror and brought it up in front of her face feeling both eager and scared. When she did so there was not even the tiniest flicker of recognition. The first words that came to mind were pretty but soft. A girl in her late teens, maybe of twenty years, stared back. Pale, smooth skin with a faint blush of pink on round cheeks. A small, cute, button nose and clear, bright hazelnut eyes with long dark eyelashes. What was left of her hair was a glossy, perfectly pitch black.

"Some red on those lips, a cute little bow and longer hair, and a certain mouse would be screaming copyright infringement."

Having no idea what Eruwen meant she instead commented, "It's so short. I look like a man."

Eruwen laughed loudly. "I'm hurt and wounded!" she said plainly feeling neither. "There is no way anyone in the six realms would ever mistake you for a man. Yes it's short, very short, but that's a feminine cut. Even if I do say so myself I've done some good work. On the positive side that means you won't have to do much to look after it. Wash it, run a rough hand through it then let it air dry, and you're done. Easy as. I'm actually quite envious."

The more she looked at it in the mirror, tilting her head to either side to get a better angle, she couldn't deny it was rather attractive. "Thank you. I have no idea if it's me but I like it."

Eruwen stood in front of her and gave her hair another last look over, giving one final snip to a stray strand of hair, she then nodded to herself. "A fresh look for a fresh start." Packing away the scissors she said, "I'll leave you to get cleaned up and try on those clothes. Take as long as you need. I'll be downstairs in the bar abusing my officer rank. Just follow the stairs, you can't miss it."

After Eruwen left she went to the bathroom, throwing the dirty towel along with her now hair covered robe into a wicker basket. At Eruwen's suggestion she rinsed her hair, removing any remains, and then simply left it to dry. She grabbed one of a pair of white bathrobes hanging on the wall. Ignoring the pile of clothes she sat on the large bed, tucking her legs underneath her. It was finally time to read the blinking message.

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