Douzheng keeps going on his trek along the shoreline and arrives at the northernmost boat. He couldn't see the second boat from the south now, as the curvature of the coastline and rise of the forest obscures if from view.
In inspecting the immediate area, he sees footsteps in the sand, a pile of ash that was recently was a fire, seeing that no moisture had caked the ashes, it could have been burning as late as last night. There is an indentation in the ground where a man may have lain down next to it. The boat also seems to have recently run aground. It appears to be of the make of the natives—those not of the Romani lineage, but from the tribes that they conquered.
Several tracks of footsteps lead into the forest and one pair of footsteps he followed part of the way here.
Aif continues northward over hills and through forest. After going a fair distance, he hears rustling in the underbrush to the right of him. A woolswine, one with a gash on its face is staring at him from a distance, grinding its front hooves into the dirt and tossing its head, occasionally grunting at him. It appears to get more angry the longer he stands there.
The stable-hand stares at Theric blankly, but eventually the realization hits him, "Oh, yes! There are other towns and villages on this island. I haven't been to any of them though. If I remember correctly, there are . . . four?" He scratches his head while trying to recall.
When asked about suspicious character, he responds, "Yes. There is an old [unknown] man named Aanu who lives on this side of town. The [unknown] and some of the elders say he is [unknown]. He brings nothing but bad, they say. Stay away from him."
The khaliyuna, growing impatient for its food and drink, tosses its head and utters an annoyed squawk. "There, there, girl. We'll get you feed soon."
"Also, there's the Bogudani. Stay away from them at all costs." A man shouts angrily at the boy from atop a stack of hay bales, ordering him to get back to work. He shouts back in response, "Yes, coming!" He gives a short bow to Theric then extends a hand, "I'm Tuusan."
Väinö remains in agony for several hours, continually trying to vomit and suffering from runny stool, eventually entering shock and finally succumbing to a mix of dehydration and hypothermia. The next think he knows, he is laying on his back looking up at a white marble ceiling? Or is it the sky? Realizing the perplexity of his situation, he surveys his surroundings. He is sitting on some kind of pedestal or altar in some kind of ornate marble building, but the entire building is transparent. Below and around the building is a section of unknown forest shrouded in a very thick fog. There is an exit to the building, leading into the fog-enshrouded forest. A figure walks toward him from the other side of the building.
The figure appears to be male with a shaven face and head, wearing an elaborate garment made of silk or linen. He wields a gold staff with a blue stone at it's tip, and hanging gold rings fastening into the staff near the top.
"That wasn't very smart of you now was it?" Väinö, unsure of what was going on, blinked silently at the man. "It's not very common that we get outsiders here."
Poll