The fields are nice and flat for the most part so I can cruise along at a steady 25 to 30 miles an hour without issues. Being all dirt and grass helps as well, not a lot of slop to get stuck in.' Chloe thought as she looked at her now giddy passenger. It was nice seeing someone so excited to just sit in a car. Like giving a kid a ride in something kinda cool.

  It was only a few minutes before they found a well defined trail and were cruising even faster along. Overall the drive took less then 30 minutes and she was able to see a small cluster of buildings, not unlike a small village in some of the role playing fantasy games she's played. Her passenger was gesturing ahead of them to an open space so she decided to park there and shut off the humvee.

  As they got out the guards of the village ran up to greet them, but Dakota walked up to assure them. "Don't worry, she's not openly hostile. She's even kind of nice, shared delicious snacks with myself and hunter. But she has many strange things that I believe the elder should meet her, and see if he knows where she might be from." Dakota stated, and the guards stepped past him to her.

  After a game of hand gesturing Chloe figured out they wanted her to follow them, so she strapped her pistol to her hip and followed them. They didn't seem to know what she grabbed and didn't question it as they led her to a large longhouse.

  Inside it was actually kinda nice, a large cooking area to the side, a firepit opposite it, a pair of long tables, and a raised chair not unlike to a throne. The woman who sat there could be described as aged but not old. Her hair was properly silver yet she didn't look very old, and still pretty fit, but was pale. Her passenger looked like a young man with dusty brown hair and a good tan, similar to his blond friend. It seems everyone here was in good shape actually.

  Suddenly they sat her down and the woman on the throne said something, and looked to the man she drove here who said something back.

  "Dakota? Who is this stranger you've brought to our village? I understand she's not a threat but why?" Lady Moira Soska asked as she looked to Dakota. Who for his part stood at attention and looked straight ahead.

  "Hunter and I found her at the edge of the forests, she looked lost but was grateful to have found someone. She offered us some of her supplies and in return I showed her the way back here. From what I can tell she may not actually be one of our own people despite what I initially thought. She can't understand us that is for sure."

  "So that explains the lack of ears and tail, and the face bearing resemblance to an ape. Very well. Go to my room Dakota and grab the spellbook off my desk and bring Lucius here. He can cast the beast speak spell, it should work." Moira said and sat back, studying the new guest to the village. This stranger didn't look too different from anyone else, but she wore strange clothes. Her pants and shirt had a strange spotted pattern consisting of mainly black and green, and black boots. However a blade was strangely absent so the woman likely wasn't a soldier.

  Dakota would go and fetch the book, bumping into Lucius along the way. "Lady Moira is wanting to see you in the main hall master Lucius. She asked me to fetch you and the spellbook."

  "Ah, of course I assume it's to do with the surprise guest you brought. Very well ill see you there." And with that the arch mage left to the main hall, his blue and grey robes flowing as he left.

  It was only a few minutes of awkward silence before Chloe noticed a man walk in, he sported nice looking robes similar to a fantasy wizard, brown hair, pale skin like the leader woman, and faint spots similar to a cheetah. Then the young man came back and handed the older man a book that he proceeded to open and read aloud from. Soon his voice would distort and shift until finally he spoke. "Hello? Hellooooo? Can you understand me?"

  "Uhh, yes? Yes I understand you. I don't know how but yes." Chloe said in response before a giddy look crossed her features. "Wait. Your using magic aren't you?"

  The man smiled and answered as he closed his book. "Yes, I just casted a spell allowing you to speak with us, but it's not permanent. But it should at least allow for introductions and questions. My name is Lucius Soska, and the lady in the throne is my wife and head of the village Moira Soska. You may refer to her as lady Soska and myself as lord Soska." He said as he moved to stand by his wife as I now knew.

  "Well it's a pleasure to meet you both." Chloe responded respectfully. "I'm Chloe Price, and as you guessed I'm not from around here. As far as I can tell where I'm from isn't even on this world."

  This time lady Soska leaned forward and asked. "And where are you from, and why are you here?"

  "Well I'm here because I was given an offer to come here to your world. By who I don't really know but I didn't really have a reason not to accept. As for where I'm from it's a place called Texas. A nice place but the summers are blistering hot." Chloe stated, remembering the home she just left. She wasn't gonna miss too much.

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  "I see." Moira stated as she thought on that. "So your here by unknown means with no home to call your own? You claim you didn't have anything to care about in your old home. What did you do before coming here?" She asked as she hatched a plan.

  "Back home I was retired Air force. It's a branch of my nations military that focused on fighting enemies I the air. However I served in a home based logistical and security role. So I was trained in hand to hand combat as well as ways to defend a base." Chloe said, not going into all the technological stuff she dealt with like emails.

  "Good, we can use you. If we let you stay here would you be willing to work as a guard and huntress? Those wouldn't be your only duties of course, but would be your primary duties." Moira asked as she got up.

  Chloe would sit silently in thought before nodding. "Of course. I'm happy to help however I can, especially if your offering me a place to stay that isn't my humvee. To be honest I was fully prepared to camp somewhere for weeks. What do I need to do?"

  And like that Moira took a complete stranger and made them into a guard and worker for the village. Even having them swear an oath before telling her she would need to learn their language before actually taking to her duties. They set her up in an empty hut at the edge of the village so she could have some privacy.

  Chloe appreciated that they gave her a relatively isolated little home. She could easily convert one of her water barrels into a rain catch at some point so she could reliably have clean water. The hardest part of everything would be getting bio diesel made but she had plenty of time to figure that out. For now she just moved everything into her new home. Only one day in a new world and she's already got a job and home, so she was pretty lucky.

  --------------------

  Hunter had just made it back with the others when they saw the large black cart pull up beside one of the empty huts. So the stranger was at least given some time to stay here. That's nice. But a couple guards were there keeping everyone away, probably because the cart was a magic cart. Or maybe just at Moiras demand. Either way they all went to the butcher house to present two stripped deer and a few geese.

  "Hey hunter. I'm betting you saw our guest claim a new home?" Dakota asked as he walked up. His tone was a bit proud.

  "Yeah I saw that. What's it about?"

  "Well she's gonna be a new guard and occasionally help us hunt. Apparently she's from another world and has military training. So it may prove useful. Moira also thinks she has knowledge that'll help us in some way." He said I an excited tone.

  After a while Chloe set out her sleeping bag atop the well made bed she was given. It seemed cloth full of wool or something similar was used for a mattress. She then decided to lay back and relax a bit before suddenly cringing.

  "I've been sent to a world of neko cat people... The anime nerd paradise... At least they don't look freaky. And are nice enough to be around." And with that she took out her phone, and realized something as soon as she clicked an icon. "Damn, no internet." And she got up and went back outside.

  Zoe was busy preparing the days kill for dinner, the geese were gonna be used for a stew and the deer would be cut into jerky strips. She wasn't very strong, and usually kept to herself. She kept her hair short, the black silken top kept out of the way easily if it was short and tied out of the way. She stood half a head taller then most and was probably the only one who could easily lift an entire deer to the drying rack without help. And she was the only hunter who actually preferred to hunt in metal armor, while everyone else preferred a gambison.

  Once she finished up she stepped out to breathe some fresh, not blood stained air, she noticed a new face. The new guard woman. Apparently she didn't speak the neko language, but would be learning over the next few weeks. And anticipated being able to at least kinda communicate. But that was Amandas job, being the smartest in the village meant that she was left teaching those who needed. But she enjoyed it.

  As the sun lowered Zoe decided to go to the main hall, after all a communal dinner was being hosted tonight and Zoe was hungry. Maybe the stranger would come as well. Zoe had heard her name before but promptly forgot it. It wasn't worth remembering if they couldn't talk to each other.

  Chloe, after spending time people watching decided it was late enough and went back inside for rest. She had a busy day tomorrow with learning how to speak, read, and write. So off to bed she went.

  The next morning she awoke to the sensation of her stomach demanding to be filled. She would get up and dig through her food stocks, and choosing to finish off the opened mre. Beef ravioli was a poor breakfast but it was filling and before long she was outside, a piece of parchment in hand with a list of foreign characters wrote on it that she was told meant "I'm looking for Amanda Friez for language lessons."

  It didn't take long for her to find her way there, and the mind numbing repetition with pictures ensued. This routine would go on for a week straight before Chloe was able to actually communicate with any sense of the word. But learning alongside the kids actually made it bearable. She didn't feel like they were insulting her after she learned the basics at least.

  In fact the kids were quite friendly and loved being able to sit on her lap in the cross legged position. And she didn't mind, as long as they didn't climb all over her.

  After the first week was up Chloe was walking back to her hut when she spotted Hunter running up.

  "Hey, Chloe. Lady Soska want you. In the main hall."

  At that I'd nod. "I be, uhh, here soon?" She'd ask, still getting the minor differences in the words mixed up. And hunter leads her there after a gentle correction of vocabulary. And soon they are greeted by Moira in the main hall.

  "Good. Your here. Come." She says plainly and leads Chloe to the armory.

  "After today, once Amanda is done with you you come here to meet Edmond. He will train you. Um. Teach you job." Moira said before gesturing to a rack full of melee weapons and various armor. Upon closer inspection it was all beat up, probably for training.

  "Yes. I come here after learn." Chloe said before gesturing to the gear. "Very, hmmm, used."

  "Ah, it's to learn with. Not full use." Moira stated clearly.

  'So, training gear, and I'd be learning my job while carrying it. Just like basic training.' Chloe thought as she looked over it all.