Quantum Rip: Welcome to Ethos

The others (Part 1)

"Why?" The pained look of betrayal in her eyes nearly killed Edvard, yet he stood his ground.

"Please, go..." It came as a whisper, and instead of keeping up her act, she smiled. A smile of the devil.

"But it is you or me. You know the rules."

"Nooooooo!" Edvard shouted as he focused the bow on her heart, "Gooooo!"

"I can't." She said, a dagger suddenly appearing in her hand. The sight nearly causing Edvard to lose his grip on the bowstring and the arrow trained at her heart.

"Why? Why not just turn around and leave?" Edvard asked, his voice constantly breaking as his wife took a step forward with the daggers. Yet, he couldn't let the arrow fly. "WHY!?"

"You know the rules." The devil in his wife's appearance said as she jumped forward, Edvard throwing the bow to the side and blocking her strike with ease. Her strength was impressive but nowhere near to that of an orc.

"Just go!" Edvard shouted as the two struggled. Edvard trying his best to disarm her without harming her and she instead doing her best to push her daggers into him.

Their struggle lasted for just a few short minutes, but those minutes felt like years to Edvard. All his past wonderful memories tainted by this... This devil!

In the end, he managed to disarm her. Yet, no matter what he told himself. He just could not bring himself to harming her. Pushing her to the ground and tying her hands, Edvard sat down and breathed out as he finally relaxed. Throwing the bloodstained daggers to the side, far away.

"What now?" He asked, staring at the woman thrashing on the ground and trying to now bite at him. The sight broke his heart. He did not even take in the fact that he was bleeding out, nor how many cuts covered his body.

She refused to reply, but her actions made it clear. "I won't..." He said, picking her up and starting to move with her to his home. Only for the world around him to melt and his sights to blur. Whether he died from blood loss or if it was something else was unknown.

The last memories he had were the two laying in the dirt, her warmth warming his heart and her actions confusing his mind.

...

Half dead, Maxwell walked towards what he assumed was going to be but another illusion like so many before. Falling into the oasis he didn't realize what was going on until he almost drowned. With frenzied movements he struggled back up, his lack of an arm nearly costing him his life.

He did not rush out of the water instead, he enjoyed its cool and refreshing feel on his burnt skin as he sated his thirst while swimming in joy. Not a single care for the world around him. He enjoyed himself until he became too tired to swim, and only then did he climb out of the oasis spring.

Moving to the shade of one of the many trees of the oasis, he rested and smiled and laughed as he realized he might just survive. He had no plan from here, but at least he won't die in the sun. Over the past few days, death had been too close and he had turned half-mad from dehydration.

Luckily the cacti he had dared to milk for fluids had not been poisonous, or he would no longer be here. Though a few had been hallucinogenic.

'Dammit, this can't be earth. The sun is weird and there are no buildings, most deserts on earth have been reformed into cities. The only place where that isn't true was where our lab was. And I would have found it by now!' He monologued as he thought of how he would die in this oasis.

It was a more pleasant death. Not in a day or two, but it would certainly be his last resting place. He would fight to survive, but he didn't have any grand ideas of being able to ever leave this little piece of heaven on earth.

As he layed and enjoyed the shade after days of being in the sun, he realized this more and more. He had nothing to take water with, leaving the oasis would be a death sentence to him. As such he stayed, days turning into weeks and weeks into months.

If not for the plants similar to date palms, he would have died long ago. He did not know what they were but they were truly good. The fruits of life he called them as he settled in his new life.

...

Aneko had walked for days in the dark. The coldness from the cavern having chilled her to the bone, robbing most of her strength. Luckily on the fourth day she was found by a miner, one who had hoped to rediscover one of the abandoned mines and make a fortune.

At the time of rescue, she had hardly realized what was going on, leaning on the dwarf's shoulders as he helped her to his village. Only after having eaten and slept for over twelve hours did she realize that it was not a human who had saved her.

"Who-Who are you?" She asked in fright as she looked at the gruff dirty dwarf in front of her.

He was currently busy sorting through a bunch of rocks he had gone back to recover. His expression was not one of joy, none of the rocks were of any worth. The mine had clearly been abandoned for a reason.

Hearing the female speak he stopped his actions, already deeming it futile. Turning to her instead, he looked at her with curiosity. It made no sense how she had appeared in those caverns. Deep within the mountain with the only route being from their village or the city further into the mountain.

{"I'm Kurburi, how did you end up there?"} He replied, causing both of them to realize that they couldn't understand the other. Luckily, this did not deter either of them, the dwarf was kind and opened his home to this stranger he knew nothing about without reservation.

Aneko stayed with this dwarf who showed her kindness, trying her best to learn their language when he was home and able to teach her the basics. Quickly, the Navoi became impressed by her diligence and more so by her amazing progress.

While he could not understand the notes she took on the rocks, he was impressed enough that she knew how to write. It was not something everyone could claim to be able of in this world. Not even among the Vespes.

Like most in his village, he was illiterate, seeing Aneko write truly left him astonished. Making him wonder all the more who she was and how she ended up in the abandoned mine if she was so learned.

…

Waking up groggily, Ghakarhi struggled to free himself.

His arms burned from the pain of needing to carry the weight of his entire body. In fact, his entire body ached. Looking down, he was shocked by what he saw.

He was stark naked, his feet bound by massive chains and his hands tied by the same. Suspending him midair.