In Loki's Honor

I hadn't crossed the river when two arrows struck the dirt, one on either side. There was no mistake there. They missed on purpose. I dropped the spear and rose my hand to the air, fingers spread wide. I heard no sound, but I felt the light footsteps approaching. Yeah, I didn't want to run into them, but maybe it could end better than the humans. A soft, melodic, and androgynous voice spoke to me. I'd be damned if I understood. I just let my shoulders slump. Two steps closer. Now the voice was commanding. I fell on my knees and put my hand on my head, looking down.

A cloth was thrown over my shoulders. I didn't move. What I could see was that it was a very well made fabric, soft and with meticulously embroidered edges. It was warm with the body heat of whoever wore it before. Next, a hand fell on my shoulder, but it was a gentle hand. It held my arm and pulled me up. I looked and saw two elves. Differently from the one with the adventurers, this elf had a milky complexion, vibrant green hair, and was wearing a quilted armor. An ornate bow was slung over his shoulder and he had a quiver of arrows on his back. Two shortswords adorned his belt. I named this guy Greengolas. Another elf, this one with a Vandyke beard and apparently older than the one holding me, was examining the spear.

The two argued about something, and Vandyke broke the spear, tossing the pieces over the river on the other shore. Our eyes met and he asked me something. I shook my head. He asked in another language, and I just blinked my eyes and tilted my head. He tried four more languages before giving up. I cursed Wyxnos in my heart.

Another argument between the elves. It was clear that Vandyke was in charge. He took a ribbon of cloth and pointed at me. Greengolas lifted the cloak on my right side and showed I had no arm. I pulled my hand out and Vandyke clearly avoided looking at my naked body. I pointed at Greengolas and circled the finger then pinched the cloak around my waist. Greengolas wasn't happy but he nodded. After a quick exchange, Vandyke tied the rope around the cloak, making sure to wrap the ends around me kimono style and pinning my arm. He pulled the ribbon tight and make sure I couldn't wriggle out. It was uncomfortable and a bit painful, but the scowl in Vandyke's face told me the alternative was death. Finally, Vandyke took another ribbon, pulled the cowl all the way down, and tied it around my neck, blocking my sight.

Greengolas picked me in his arms and the two elves ran deep into the ancient forest. He moved with such grace that I wasn't even bobbing. If I were a real lady I'd swooned.

I felt Greengolas gaining altitude because the jerking motions remembered me of someone climbing. Suddenly, I was assaulted by a sudden sense of vertigo and we were falling. A dozen jumps and I felt as if we were gaining height with each jump. Then the sound of a door opening, the smell of diced vegetables and drying herbs, followed by utter darkness. I was placed sitting on some surface and the ribbon around my neck came undone. The cowl was removed and I was facing a trio of elves. Vandyke was on my left, Greengolas on my right.

I was sitting on a table, inside a very strange wooden room. The whole room was one seamless piece of wood. I could see the wood grain ran from the wall to the roof and the other wall. There were a door and a shuttered window, but that was all.

The elves talked to me but I just shook my head at their questions. I examined them. One of them had a symbol that was a trellis of reeds with a leaf in the middle. It reminded me of the lady goddess that "gently" paid the debt of murdering Rosalinda. I nudged my nose toward that symbol. The elf looked interested and approached. He pointed at the symbol and asked something. Instead of replying with a yes or no, I smiled.

He rose a hand and started to cast a spell. I shook my head and said, "No!" The sudden bout of fear was enough to make my breathing irregular. The last thing I wanted was another burnt priest. TO my surprise, the elf laughed and the two others in front of me laughed with him. He then met Vandyke's eyes and barked a few orders. The trio of elders, I guess they were elders, left and Vandyke gave Greengolas a command.

The younger elf moved to face me. He smiled, pointed at the floor, and tapped his foot. Then he pointed at the door and frowned. He wiggled his finger and shook his head. Then he repeated. Pointing at the floor, smile. Pointing at the door, frown. I nodded and mimicked him. When I rose my left arm, the cloak fell down and he averted his eyes, pulling the cloak back to cover me. I giggled. Greengolas walked out of the room, leaving me alone. I used this time to rest. I fell backward and leet my legs dangle from the table.

Several minutes later, the door opened. Several elf ladies, all of them looking very young entered. They carried neatly folded clothes, a tub, and buckets of water. They entered and closed the door behind them, spending some time studying me. I sat up and studied them back. I would be struck dead if there's an ugly elf in this village. Country. And given my previous lives proclivities, it was the first time I felt attraction since leaving Earth. Oh, yes. I was totally gay.

The ladies talked to me with soft voices that made me want to sleep. I saw one of them touch the buckets of water and speak words of power that resounded. Steam rose from the bucket moments later. The women filled the tub and picked me up as if I was a small child. Which I was. They washed me, trimmed my hair, and dressed me. They had a loincloth that tied on the sides to cover my modesty, knee-high shorts, and a tunic. Then they put a blue robe around me and tied a sash around my waist. They put some moccasin-like shoes on my feet. Finally, one of the ladies produced a silver mirror and showed it to me.

It wasn't my first time seeing myself. I looked at my reflection in water several times. But a mirror showing my clean face was a first. The realization that I really wasn't myself anymore hit only at that moment. I touched my face, pinched my cheek. It felt real. It was real. The scared and a little sad girl in the mirror that looked back at me had brown hair and caramel eyes. Her face was triangular and she had a button nose. Baby fat still filled her cheeks and she had an air of innocence that betrayed the fact that the one piloting that body had decades of life experience in other skins. And she was crying.

The clothes wouldn't be out of place in any renaissance fair. The fabric was soft and the thread was thin and well-woven. The colors were vibrant and I had no idea how they could get such things without modern chemistry. The shoes were comfortable. My right sleeve was bound to the sash but I seldomly moved the stump on my right, only when I really needed to balance myself.

I met each of the ladies' kind gazes. I put my hand over my heart and curtsied. Then I allowed my emotions to flow freely. I cried. A lot.

After the ladies took their objects back, some elf men came and carried a small cot and a trunk to the room. They placed straw in a linen sack and then the sack inside a woolen one, making a mattress. The mattress was covered with a linen sheet and they put a downy pillow on one side and a rolled-up quilt blanket on the other. An elf lady brought a chamber pot, a pitcher of water, a ceramic mug, and some vegetable soup. Through the crack in the door, I saw it was already night. I ate the soup and went to bed.

The next morning one of the elf elders was sitting on a chair next to my cot. When I say elf elder, I mean an elf with the looks of a man in his forties back on Earth. Vandyke seemed to be in his early thirties, for comparison. He smiled and handed me a scroll that he took out of his robe. I unfurled the scroll and my jaw dropped. It was written in English.

Dear transmigrator,

I loathe calling you "anomaly" as Wyxnos does. Most deities were unhappy with the way our last encounter ended and they took matters in their own hands, despite what we agreed to do. Wyxnos explained to us that killing you quickly will only exacerbate the problem. Every time the System reincarnates you, it steals energy from all the pantheon. He told me to tell you, "Live long and prosper." I think you can see from your own Status that you were designed to die fast.

Purging you from the System is out of the question. We would have to do a full reboot, and it would kill all life on the planet, setting us back at least eighty million years.

Wyxnos and I understand your current predicament was forced upon you. But it is unnatural to have souls go back and forth through death's door retaining their memories and abilities. You deserve a final rest.

That said, other deities interfered with my couriers. They dispelled my influence over them but fortunately, by then they already thought of you as one of theirs. I let things run their course and nudged here and there to bring you to the elven lands.

I instructed my elves to welcome you as an honored guest and to provide you any education you require. I beseech you to devote yourself to learning as much as you can. I am also changing our deal in your favor. You can stay with the elves as long as you want, even leave and come back. You'll always be welcome among the fair folk along with your lives.

I need to do this through the System, so you will receive two prompts when you burn this message. I beg you to accept these gifts. I know this won't repay the loss of your birth mother, but it is what I can do. I'm also sorry for the way I treated you, but we were beholden to the other deities.

Wyxnos and I, we bear no ill will toward you. I hope you believe us.

Regards,

Yznera, Goddess of Nature.

I finished reading and blew all the air from my lungs. My eyes moistened and I wished I didn't have to burn the letter. I passed 5 years without the use of language. I was afraid I'd forgotten how to speak or read. I committed the letter to memory and looked up. The elder pointed at a candle on the table that wasn't there before. I nodded and brought the parchment to burn. It caught fire and burned without leaving ashes behind, just a light gray smoke.

Yznera, Goddess of Nature, offers you the Great Longevity (blessing, ultra-rare) and Elder Elven Kinship (blessing, ultra-rare) Traits. [YES] - [NO]

I chose "yes."