Chapter 5: The Early Years – Chapter 4

Rex had been staying with the little man-eating monster for a week. Right now she was carefully using his ax to open her kiln. This one was bigger than the one he had made before, it was almost as big as her house.

 

Since he knew where to find bamboo, he had used it to make proper airflow. You can just place it inside the clay and burn it out later.

 

Kira had broken the seal on the kiln and was maneuvering the handle of the ax. On the lid of the urn she had unsealed were two hand-shaped hooks. She used the ax handle to wedge into the hooks, and lifted it like a lid, off the kiln.

 

Rex glanced inside the hut, it was now filled with colorful pottery. The house looked like a shed with a little shelf to sleep on. It had reeds and a burlap blanket on it. The sole window and door were covered with reed mats. Aside from a small person-sized space in the corner, and a little walkway. The entire hut was filled with pots or terrifying creature statuettes.

 

Out of nostalgia he had made a little clay cat, he had used glaze to make it black and gray. Kira was thrilled by this idea and began making one horrifying monstrosity after another. He was surrounded by sharp teeth, spines, and claws. If he woke up in the middle of the night and opened his eyes, he would wonder if he was trapped in some nightmare.

 

The big kiln was right next to the small square house, it had been running non-stop since it was built 4 days ago. Kira had been moving constantly between getting clay, water, and firewood. She only slept when there was a pause in the process. Rex had patiently walked her through all of it.

 

His hair was tangled, and starting to dread. His clothes had become crusted with sweat in some areas. The smell coming off his little body was foul. He resembled a rugged little castaway.

 

I don't have any way out!

 

He was inside the bowl of an inactive volcano. He was convinced it was dead, it was cold down here at night. If this were a normal volcano, the succubi would be living on the magma surface. It was honestly one of the worst places to live, he looked up.

 

If you can't fly that is!

 

The succubi had brought him here under Kira's insistence. But since she was having so much fun, why would she insist he leave? Hence, he had been trapped here on the succubi's nebulous sense of time. An adult succubus can carry about 50 pounds, 4 of them could carry him easily. But that is too much work, so they all want to do it together. Then it just gets put off another day.

 

Water was also unnecessary to the succubi, why would they care if they have it when the lake is so close by? Now they all had nice pottery and could move water with ease. It was unfortunate Kira could barely carry 20 pounds in flight, and she would be slowed down under the weight.

 

I want a bath, so bad.

 

The famous succubus bread was something Rex had unlimited access to, not that he wanted it. Kira was nice enough to let him use the water she brought for making pots. It all had been boiled before drinking, but it wasn't enough to get clean.

 

“Hey, look!” Kira came running over to Rex holding what looked at first like a clay whale.

 

“Oh, let me see what you made now.” Rex took it from her carefully.

 

The clay statue was not a whale. Whales did not have rows of sharp teeth, but sharks didn't have bone spines like this. He had heard descriptions of similar creatures that infested the waters here, but he hadn't looked at the ocean.

 

This island was called Carlog's rest, or Carlog island. It was named after a sea beast who lived in the area and supposedly nested here. Rex had just taken it as Moby dick at first, but now he was beginning to wonder. The real Carlog had died about 500 hundred years ago. From the descriptions, it seemed to resemble the Loch Ness monster

 

“Where did you see these at?” Rex asked her as he looked at the shark.

 

“They're everywhere in the water. The mama's go once a week to catch some to make new waterskins.” She was looking at him now like he was some kind of bumpkin.

 

“We should all go together, today even.” Rex said.

 

“Really? but I wanted to make more pots.” Kira looked aggrieved, but Rex persisted.

 

“Pottery is very useful, but I think you have much deeper talents. I think we need to move you to glassmaking. To get the proper materials the beach is necessary. We must go to get you what you need!” Rex explained to the little girl.

 

I NEED TO GET OUT!

 

What he didn't say, was that glassmaking shares similar chemicals to another popular industry. Most of the materials used in making glass are also used to make soap. Calcium carbonate can be gotten from shells, and through electrolysis of saltwater, you can get Hydrogen chloride. While chemically wasteful; as long as you have fat or oil, you can make cold soaps using calcium hydroxide as a base.

 

He was sick of being filthy. As a modern person, he was used to being able to shower daily. Plus he felt trapped in here, he had done everything to try to get out. It was like being stuck in a bird's nest with their chick.

 

“What is glass?” She asked with curiosity.

 

“Glass is like crystal, but it can be formed into a variety of shapes.” Rex explained to her.

 

This is the only way I can leave... The succubi only listen to her...

 

He felt like a bug stuck in the bottom of a bowl, he had nothing to do in here. The succubi were nearly immortal and did not need to eat or drink. They made various items to trade and baked bread all day. It was so dull around here. The only thing he had was a little girl who constantly tried to show him her latest pottery.

 

Since he came to this world he had been working non-stop on some project or another, and that was all taken away. He felt restless now, and often it was just the two of them. He didn't know where the adult succubi went today, he assumed they were running the exchange. A thought had begun to take root in his mind.

 

I bet they want to force me to continue to babysit, they are probably living it up, now that they are free...

 

-

 

In a lake at the foot of a large mountain 12 adult succubi were lazing around in the lake, taking their daily bath. It was a warm day, and the water was nice and cool. The lake was set in a very shallow basin that was filled with foliage. They had discarded their clothes haphazardly around the shore. This was a warning to any prisoners that death was ahead for any unfortunate fellow. A set of prisoner clothes was tossed out in front, as an example to any others.

 

“Taking in that strange little creature was a wonderful idea, he can entertain our child.” A beautiful woman said, floating on her back and using her tail as a paddle.

 

“Indeed, why would we ever get rid of it? Kira has been so happy lately.” A woman said as she rinsed out her long hair.

 

“By the way, weren't you supposed to open the exchange today?” The floating woman asked.

 

“No, the prisoners have been acting up, I think they plan to rebel again.” The woman who was asked responded.

 

“We can just stay on the hill for a while, and after a few months they will beg us to come back.” The long-haired woman finished rinsing out her hair.

 

“Hey have any of you noticed our new pet has started to stink a bit?” The other long-haired woman decided to join in the conversation.

 

“That's true, we should probably take him for a bath. Kira does well enough feeding, and watering him every day.” This was the receptionist he normally spoke to.

 

“We can just toss it in the ocean when we go fishing later.” The floating succubus suggested.

 

-

 

Achoo!

 

Rex sneezed loudly, he had suddenly gotten a sense of chills running down his spine.

 

Why do I suddenly feel like an animal in a cage!

 

He glanced around at the cliff walls surrounding him.

 

I almost forgot!

 

“I'm gonna go find the mama's and then we can go fishing, and make glass!” The little girl flew away excitedly.

 

Rex now found himself completely alone, this wasn't so uncommon.

 

“Is this how our dog Fifi felt, every time we went on a trip?”Rex often talked to himself when he was alone.

 

This island was a tale of two cities. Not in the way of different beliefs, but that their worldview was completely different.

 

The people here were all war prisoners who didn't get ransomed. Most of them were too old to be useful to the demons. They had much more useful mines, and labor camps after all. This place was almost treated like Australia was originally, and is mostly used to exile these prisoners. With the constant conflict, all the elderly would just get in the way.

 

The average lifespan in this world was only around 35 after all. This is assuming human life is between beastman and dwarf in the spectrum. Rex had woken up completely alone in this world, he didn't have parents. None of the succubi had seen a human before either.

 

Rex walked into an abandoned hut. It was almost identical to Kira's. Every child succubus was given one of them. When they joined the demon faction they were commonly used as spies. A succubus could mimic the female of any race, and could vastly change their physical body. It was miraculous to see it. Their horns and tail seem to be the only thing they keep, but they can retract them just like their wings.

 

The main issue for the species is finding some way to overcome their parasitic nature. This seems to be common among the demon races and is what leads to a mixed-race faction. They shared common traits in these ways, and it leads to the demon faction.

 

The other main factions, were the beastmen, the elves, the skaarm, and another joint faction.

 

The beastmen are comprised of many different species with heavy animal characteristics. They were very warlike and hated the elves who fought them for territory the most. The skaarm is their next biggest rival, but the skaarm are just better at it. Each beastman is fairly powerful alone and has access to very strong magic that is species-based. They made Rex think of the monsters in games a little bit. Based on the species, it changed the abilities they had. This made them fairly unique, but they clashed strongly. The reproduction ability though is truly amazing, 7-8 babies a batch.

 

The Elves were much like Native American tribes that lived in the forest and plains. They were great archers, and also favored spears. Elves have incredible agility compared to some of the other races, this makes them a very mobile and nimble army. They also have a fair amount of diversity among themselves, and this has bred several sub-species. Elven magic seems to affect nature and is stronger the longer the elves have resided in an area. They are long-lived at 200 years, but their reproduction seems only on par or weaker than humans.

 

The Skaarm were similar to the beastmen, but they were a race of insectoids. The succubi weren't able to infiltrate them, and not a lot was understood about them. They didn't have a vocal language and tended to live in hive structures. They had a fierce reproduction ability and were hated by all other races. If you saw a migration where they were building a new hive, it was something to be destroyed immediately.

 

The last major faction is mostly the underground races. These were the dwarves, goblins, and gnomes. These three might be related to each other, as they can cross-breed. They also share photosensitivity as a weakness. They are kind of everywhere underground and treat everything under it as theirs. Their reproduction is about the same as humans, with slightly longer lifespans.

 

Rex was just looking over the abandoned home when he heard wings. He stepped outside and saw the “mama's” with Kira in tow.

 

“Oh, look, they even brought vines...” Rex mumbled.

 

-

 

Rex was lying face up floating in the ocean, he was only a few meters out. Vines were tied all over his body and floating around him on the waves.

 

“They just dropped me in the water, and flew away.” Rex mumbled to himself as he was pushed towards the shore.

 

A large ripple appeared next to him before a little girl's head emerged.

 

“Look! I found lots of shells!” She was completely naked, but there wasn't anything to see.

 

“You are doing great, could you please push me to the shore?” Rex asked.

 

The flight was just too jarring, he didn't trust moving.

 

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-

 

Rex had finally regained feeling in his everything. He was standing in waist-high waters and washing his clothes. He had spent the last 15 minutes getting clean as the little girl collected shells. The thought of getting naked in front of her didn't bother him. He treated just like he did when his dog Fifi walked into the room. They were just too different.

 

They had a pile of shells over knee-high already. Kira could hold her breath for nearly 5 minutes, he just couldn't compete with her. Her tail also gave her an advantage in the water, she was faster than him. 90% of the shells they had gathered came from her hands. If he saw a shell, she would race him, so he gave up.

 

They had been here an hour and were still waiting on the “mama's” to bring their catch. All they had brought were some iron knives though, which seemed strange for fishing.

 

As if on queue he could hear the sounds of wings.

 

Looking over he saw the succubi flying low and slow over the water. Shark fins appeared in the water behind them. The fins were very large, and he saw other protrusions appearing with the fins. The succubi seemed calm as they landed as a group on the shore, and turned to face the water. They were walking backward slowly.

 

The more shocking part was the 6 large sharks following them. They continued to move forward madly, driving themselves onto the beaches. They looked like dark gray versions of a great white. They were larger at 25 feet and seemed to have bone armor shaped like scales. They also had bone-like protrusions coming off like spines in places. This was the clay model he had seen Kira show off.

 

“Oh my god, are all those monstrosities real?!” Rex couldn't help but ask himself.

 

“What are you talking about?” Kira who was standing next to him asked.

 

“I was just thinking, those are some big fish.” Rex mumbled to himself before he remembered. “Hey Kira, can you help me gather some seeds from this tree?”

 

The tree in question resembled a palm, the seeds were too high for him to reach. He was against using fish oil to make soap, for obvious reasons.

 

The real issue he was running into was hydrogen chloride which you got from saltwater electrolysis. He didn't have a battery or any way to make electricity strong enough. Magic existed, but he had no way to use it. This was the quandary he was trapped in. Almost every race had magic users of some sort, the succubi couldn't, because their charm abilities replaced it.

 

A contradiction suddenly appeared and he couldn't stop himself from walking towards the succubi who worked the exchange.

 

She still hadn't told her his name even when he asked, they were all fairly casual though.

 

Currently, she was butchering the shark creature, extracting the organ the waterskin was made of. They had led the sharks on shore and waited for them to suffocate, now they were just butchering them. Cutting open the heart she extracted a colorful stone crystal.

 

“What is that?” Rex couldn't help but ask.

 

“It's a magic stone, they are used in enchanting. We sell them sometimes with the ore.” She answered.

 

“What's its purpose?” Rex asked.

 

“I don't know.” She replied.

 

“How are you able to run the exchange if you can't turn your charm off?” Rex asked the question that had been eating at him.

 

“Oh, the bars on the door are enchanted.” She answered it like it was obvious.

 

This was the second time he heard this phrase, “Enchanting” what was it?

 

“What is enchanting?” He had to know.

 

“It's giving something spell-like properties.” She answered vaguely like she didn't know very well.

 

When he was in high school Rex had been pulled into an MMORPG with his friends. He played an Elven enchanter and wondered if the idea was similar.

 

Those noble creatures were nothing like these savage things...

 

Some hatreds die hard, and until he pays back that old mangy elf, he will never know peace.

 

“Could we stop by the exchange on the way back?” Rex asked her curiously?

 

She nodded but he could see she wasn't happy about the extra stop. Rex didn't mind though as he knew could convince Kira.

 

“Where did you get the bars?” He asked as the thought occurred to him?

 

“They were already here in that tower, we just moved them.” She answered.

 

Rex stood rooted on the spot, his face blank. His green eyes were bright as his brain rapidly churned. A movie was playing out in his head, something he had seen before. This island was really strange, yet someone had built something here. They even chose to die here as well leaving their body for anyone to find. Hiding what was most important to them.

 

The door in that room needed to be opened. If he was right about what was inside, It could change his entire destiny. He could see the shadow of a great figu...

 

“Hey, we're about to leave! The mama's want you to get ready!” Kira yelled down to him from the sky.

 

The succubi had left to carry everything back, a pile of vines was on the ground. The intention was very clear by what Kira was saying.

 

“They want me to tie myself up?” Rex felt like he was a dog being told to leash itself.

 

“Hey! Hurry up!” Kira was as happy as usual though.

-

 

Inside the succubi home, in the clear center area. Rex was lying sprawled on the ground with a rope thrown carelessly around him. He had not had a gentle landing and was covered in dirt. His briefly clean appearance was already tarnished.

 

He stood on wobbly legs after a minute, a deadpan expression on his face. He began to casually untie the knots as if he was trying to brush off the entire thing. The lights were on, but no one was currently home. His mind was boiling over what he had seen.

 

He had been inside of the exchange, and this had given him more fuel towards his speculations, during the next fishing trip he needed to visit his first base. If he was correct then there was gold just sitting in the succubi's backyard, and they had no idea.

 

There were originally multiple sets of those bars that the succubi used. Enchanting was simple, it was some silver alloy he saw that they poured into an engraving. It looked like a small circuit, it was wavy though. It almost seemed like a wiring diagram, but it changed depending on the engraving you used. The magic stone seemed to be a battery, it powered the circuit and turned it on.

 

When the final vine was untied, Rex just stood for a moment.

 

“I need to get into that room.” He had a week to prepare.

 

“You can come into my room anytime you want though?” Kira answered him confused.

 

Looking over at her, he still had a deadpan look on his face.

 

“Why don't we start making the new stove for glass.” Rex said flatly.

 

“Okay! Let's build it on the other side of my house! It'll be like a little city!” She seemed very happy about this.

 

Most of the succubi houses had a lot of space between them. The entire ground was a solid sheet of black stone. The walls were covered in it as well. He had found quartz everywhere when he was testing to see if he could tunnel out.

 

I feel like the family pet, who happens to also be on the menu when he is no longer loved...

 

He had wondered why only Kira had told him her name, and he was beginning to think his speculation might be right. None of the other succubi treated him the same, they kept some distance.

 

“They probably intend me to be Kira's first meal” Rex mumbled.

 

“Why would I eat you, the elves live much longer.” Kira answered him as if he was the family pet.

 

The feeling her words instilled in him was very mixed. He didn't like humans being called inferior; but if you told your poodle that he suddenly looks delicious, wouldn't he have mixed feelings too?

 

“Why don't I start building the kiln, I need you to make some special pots” Rex began to explain. “We will be mixing this black rock into it, you won't be able to use your hands. I will let you figure out how to do that.”

 

Building the smelter would require doing the same after all. If he was going to build something that could get to a thousand degrees, why just make glass in it? Kira had found coal already, she often flew around when she hunted for the “mama's.”

 

Rex walked behind Kira's house, he had added a simple awning. Underneath it was the clay they stockpiled, as well as bamboo, obsidian, straws, and fibers.

 

Kira was fairly good at making baskets, she was much better with her hands than him. He pulled an old burlap shirt out of a basket, he didn't want to think where it came from. Putting obsidian inside it, he reached for a pestle-shaped rock.

 

Processing the obsidian was as easy as it seemed. Just keep swinging away. Once it is powdered he just dumped it in the basket, they would both need it after all. This went on for 30 minutes and he had filled several baskets.

 

The design of the smelter was simple, it looked like a big drum with a smokestack coming out of the middle. It was just a giant vase. The most important part was the air intake, which he would place in a bamboo tube initially that would get burned out in curing. This was convenient because he could use bamboo on the bellows and it would connect naturally.

 

Removing the ax head he began mixing the clay. The handle was his stir rod, and the ax head was his spatula. Touching it was bad, as the obsidian dust could get in his skin.

 

The foundation was easy as it was just flat, then he had to place the bamboo in. From here it got monotonous, he just went in circles building up the walls. Once he finished the walls, he placed bamboo strips across the top and did the partial ceiling, leaving a hole in the middle for the stack, next they would start a fire and partially cure it. This was so they could add the stack, Kira would do this part though.

 

Building the kiln had taught them this routine, it was easier to build something high up if you could hover using your wings.

 

“Hey! Will this work?” Kira called over.

 

Rex looked at what she was holding.

 

She had made a series of pots, where she used the first large pot to mold all of the following ones. They went from stockpot to shot glass sizes. It was a set of close to 15, she had just removed 2 middle pots and used them as a mold.

 

“I didn't expect this out of you, what a smart girl.” Rex said as if this was something he would come up with.

 

“I'm gonna make the pots! Then I will help you finish the stove!” She yelled.

 

“Alright, that's sounds good.” Rex responded.

 

I hope you never grow up... please... please don't grow up...

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