Blood Shaper

Kay stared up at the building. He’d been expecting something… fantasyish. Something suitable to an international organization that dealt with people from other worlds. He didn’t expect a stone building that looked like every other building around it. It was in one of the better parts of the city, but it looked almost identical to the shop next to it, with the exception of the large sign and wares sitting outside.

“This is where we leave you.” Arlen patted him on the back. “Torren’s going to head in with you and get the job marked off as done but we’re all heading back to the guildhall.”

The rest of the group all waved and said their goodbyes.

“Thank you all very much.” Kay called out to them.

“Come and look us up when you get settled, if you want.” Delilah told him as the rest started walking off. She stepped in closer. “And, don’t worry about Torren.” She whispered. “He’s a good guy, he just doesn’t talk much.”

With everything else going on, Kay had barely even noticed that the other man wasn’t talking to him, but he nodded and thanked her quietly. He didn’t have a reason to be rude.

Delilah ran off after the rest of her party while Torren opened the door. He gestured for Kay to step in, and he did.

As Torren closed the door behind them, Kay took the time to look around. The room was set up a bit like the few receiving rooms he’d been to in different offices. Near the back of the room was a desk with a chair behind it. Opposite that were a few stuffed chairs for people to wait in. The room was nicely decorated, with a large rug covering most of the stone floor and a few interesting paintings and sculptures dotting the room. Off to one side was a hallway leading deeper into the building and a small staircase.

Sitting behind the desk was a young woman that Kay was fairly certain was human. Of course, identifying people’s species hadn’t been something that he’d had to do before so he wasn’t the best at it.

Next to her on a small stool was a child. No, a midget? Wait, a little person. Midget is rude. The man was short, obviously. He might have been three feet tall, if that. And definitely a man, not a boy, if the wrinkled face and shock of white hair were anything to go by.

They walked inside, Torren’s armor clanking loudly, even as slowly as he moved, drew their attention.

The short man hopped off his stool and looked up at them. “Ah, Torren! Welcome back. Would this be…?”

Torren nodded. “Yeah. This is Kenneth, the Outworlder. Also known as Kay.” He turned towards Kay and gestured with an open hand at the little person. “Kay, this is Representative Springcall of the Bureau of Outworlder Affairs.”

“It’s nice to meet you Kay.” Representative Springcall held his hand up and Kay had to lean down a bit to shake. “And, as callous as it might sound, it is both policy and my personal belief that it is kindest to tell you as soon as possible.” The man’s tone was solemn and sad. “The Bureau of Outworlder Affairs cannot send you home. We don’t even know if it’s possible. There are theories about it, but no one has been able to prove anything at all.”

Kay closed his eyes, his face a mask of pain and anguish. “Fuck!” He hissed.

“I’m sorry.” Springcall said quietly.

Kay stood there for an unknown amount of time, struggling with his emotions. He wanted to break down and cry, to rage and shout and reject the man’s apology. More than anything though, he wanted to wake up in his bed, this whole thing being a weird and terrible dream. But that wasn’t going to happen.

The sound of shuffling papers and someone writing something pulled him back out of his head. He repeated Raphael’s words to himself again. Get somewhere safe, then I can break down.

He opened his eyes to see the young woman handing Torren a small piece of paper. He took it and placed it in a small bag at his side, then turned to Kay.

“Kay. I’m sorry this happened to you. Like Delilah said, come find us if you want to, okay?” He held out his hand.

Kay reached forward and shook it. “Thank you. If it’s possible I will, even if it’s just to say hi.”

Torren nodded, a small smile on his face, then he walked out the door.

“Come up to my office.” Springcall motioned at the stairs and started walking. “There’s some tools I have that can make explaining certain things easier, and the seating will be more comfortable for both of us.”

“Thank you.” Kay replied, mostly by rote as he followed behind.

“Of course! Us Outworlders have to stick together!”

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