The sign above the barrier to city limits emitted a purple and white hue, reading 'Rehij City' for all eyes to peer. Hand in hand, Belle and Rex would stand next to each other with radically different expressions on their faces. Rex appeared far happier than Belle, feeling the nostalgia of home; and Belle physically showed that she wanted to be fifty feet further away from the city's limits. Rex would begin to pull Belle along before a firm tug would stop him from moving any further.

  "What's wrong? Cold feet?" Rex would ask as he turned around with a concerned look. As Rex turned, he would see Belle appear as stiff as a board with a rather dour expression. Her discontent turning into a serious gaze, Belle would ask, "Rex, of all of the places you could drag me to, why'd it have to be here" Rex would take note of Belle's worsening mood and adjust his own accordingly. "I get that you're worried, you being an elf and all," Rex would bring his and Belle's clasped hand up towards their faces. "But I've got a plan. Just keep a level and a low head and stick close to me."

  "Rex, I don't think ye quite get just how dangerous it is for an elf to be here." Belle's gaze would shy towards the rugged terrain of the city's outer limits. "I'm not afraid of much, but cryptids are one of the few things that put the fear in me."

  "Ms. Belle, hold on a sec. If you want, I can take you back to the village and I can deliver your question to my aunt by myself." Rex would say, offering a second option to Belle. "Though, after what I saw you do at Brick Road--and our little scrap we had--you're one tough cookie!" Belle would look back up to Rex as he continued. "I doubt any of the cryptids here could hurt you; cause I won't let them." The ever-recurring sincerity in Rex's voice would motivate Belle to temporarily move past the mental roadblock she had set for herself. In all reality, she had never seen nor met a cryptid in person. Though the stories the elves had told of them would make checking that off on her bucket list a very low priority. Taking a few deep breaths, Belle would remoralize herself in order to keep moving herself forward.

  "Come this far. If I turn back now, I know I'll regret not learnin' what happened to me parents for the rest of me days." Belle would speak to the air, not directly addressing anyone. "Let's go, Rex."

  Mortal and immortal men both have limited information of what goes on in the Rehij City. Many believe it to be the birthplace of the cryptid species, and the place they are most willing to do their dirty deeds. No one person would ever want to find themselves in Rehij City, lest they have a purpose that needed to be kept under the table, so to speak. The city itself was initially a small village in Antarctica, though an unusual occurrence caused that village to merge with another dimension; the result of the merge twisting the land and shrouding the town in a dome of pitch black, with only the occasional light peeking through. The cryptids would then make a civilization out of the readily accessible ice and snow, using what unnatural resources were in that initial village.

  Belle found it rather difficult to find her footing in the city as the pathways seemed to warp and spin every which way. The paths would spiral, though with every step her feet remained firmly on the ground and felt as if it were the right side up. "What kinda magic is this...? Feels like me senses are all over the place..." Belle said, resisting her body's urge to vomit. "It's an adjustment for sure," Rex said, trying his best to move Belle along at a brisk pace. "But I'm takin' you somewhere that'll have something to help you adjust."

  Slipping into a larger crowd of cryptids and corrupt businessmen alike, the pair would reach the inner city. The frost-covered buildings would resemble skyscrapers, and the pathways would twist even further into spirals and other geometric shapes. The hustle and bustle was not any good for Belle, especially with the motion sickness. Her ears would be attempting to decipher the indescribable language of the cryptids, her eyes attempting to translate the language on signs, and the general commotion heightened her senses to the point where her mind was on high alert, and her body physically confused; the combination almost making her sick as she fell to her knees from fatigue. Rex noticed nearly immediately, taking a knee to figure out what was going on.

  "Rex, I can't... I can't take much more o' this..." Belle said, doing her best to form a sentence with enough volume to be heard. "It's just a little further. Can you walk?" Rex said, trying to hurry Belle along. "I know it's rough for you, but we can't stick in one place for too long right now. You gotta power through." Rex would extend his hand and help Belle back up to her feet, now rushing her along while pushing past the crowds. After a few moments, the pair would arrive at a shop which had '24/7 ODDS & ENDS' plastered on the top in neon lighting. The inside resembled a bodega corner store with snacks, refrigerated beverages, and the like. In the far corner of the shop, however, was a wall of ominous looking masks all hung from a rack on the wall. There was a relatively wide variety upon the wall. Some masks resembled animals, or other species. Some were featureless and had no notable features. And some looked alien in appearance, as if the inspiration was something cosmic rather than mortal.

  "So, what's your cup of tea, Belle?" Rex asked, looking to Belle for a response. Belle, nearly sapped of all of her strength and leaning against an ice cream freezer, would point to a rather plain looking mask with no unique features. Rex would take it off the wall and go to pay for it at the register, and in the split moment where he walked past, Belle would see thorns which lined the rim of the mask, confusing her. In another moment, Rex would return to Belle wearing a new pair of red/black shades, mask in hand--and paid for. "These masks help with that knot in your gut the first few times you're in here." Rex said, putting the mask in Belle's hand face side down. "They act as both a form of medicine, giving you a form that's more resistant to the adverse effects, though these masks only do that for about a day." Belle would again look at the back of the mask, concerned about the thorns. "How... How does it stay on?" Belle asked.

  "Those thorns there. It's like getting pricked from a needle, but it fastens the mask onto your face." Rex said. "The masks also come off the same way, the thorns come off after the time period's up. Enough questions though, put it on!"

  Belle would hesitate for another moment before putting the mask to her face. In a moment, the thorns would latch on to the elf and cause a muffled scream to erupt from underneath the mask as she collapsed to the ground. The pain would be indescribable as the mask merged onto her face and began to change her form from the inside out. Her biology, her entire form was being forcibly transformed into that of a human's, albeit for the day. Once the hardest of her struggle was done, Rex would again take a knee to try and console the pained elf-turned-human. "Should have warned you that the first transformation usually isn't too pretty..." Rex said sheepishly, feeling some blame for Belle's pain.

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  "Is fuath liom an áit seo(I hate this place)"Belle would frustratedly say, once she gained enough strength to leave the fetal position. "Ye'd think that'd be the one thing ye wouldn't forget." Though despite her initial mixed feelings toward Rex, he again helped her. Her senses felt dulled and relaxed, and though her surroundings were still unfamiliar, they were no longer actively harmful. Sitting up and using her magic to create a mirror at her fingertips, Belle would look at her new form. She looked just about the same, though now unmistakably human. A welcome surprise, and a good cover for the time being.

  "Sorry about that, really!" Rex said sheepishly. "I'm just so used to wearing them that I'd forgotten what the sensation was like the first few times."

  "Is that how ye know so much about these masks? From experience, is it?" Belle would say, rising to her feet. "That, and my aunt actually makes these masks for the city." Rex said. "Struck a deal with the mayor a while back. In exchange for the security of her family and friends within city limits, she would make these masks. She makes the masks you see here, and masks that are a bit more permanent as well."

  ("Permanent...?") Belle thought to herself. ("How interesting.")

  "Well, in any case, I bet you're hungry! That mask probably kicked your metabolism up to the max while disguising you. I know a spot though, let's--" Rex would be interrupted by Belle. "Let's not, actually. We're here on a mission an' we've a time limit. I can wait ta eat 'til we get ta where yer aunt is."

  "You've got to take care of yourself at some point, Ms. Belle! C'mon, it's right around the corner. I'll be buying, too-!" Rex would say, pretty much darting out of the store for Belle to follow. Conceding to Rex's tempo, Belle would follow Rex to the restaurant next door. The restaurant looked ancient, a late 80s to early 90s themed diner which had a checkered tile floor and red booth seats. The pair would seat themselves, each in one of the booth seats. Within a few moments, a cryptid waitress would approach the table.

  "Welcome to Classic 'n' Creepy Diner, home of the finest edible food in the Rehij City. What can I get y'all started with today?" The cryptid had an unnaturally tall and slim woman's figure, and it appeared that her body was made of storm clouds. Her face was entirely featureless, and portions of her head were sectioned off to resemble a ponytail. The red and white diner's uniform covered most of her body, though from her wearing short sleeves it could be seen that her "skin" shared the same color as her cloudy looking head. Her name tag had 'Cloudia' written in plain text.

  "I'll have my usual Cloudia, the Earthen Mac & Cheese and a tall glass 'o' water!" Rex said, enthusiastically. "Uh-huh." Cloudia would write down the order, then turn to look at Belle. "And for you?"

  Initially freezing at the cryptid looking straight at her, Belle would stammer a bit before saying, "The same as Rex, please." Cloudia would raise an eyebrow. "Hun, you know the Mac & Cheese is pretty big, right? Sure, you don't wanna share with Rex here?" Belle would look at Rex with confusion and then say, "We'll share it, so. Just a glass of water for me, then."

  "Alright then. I'll bring your waters out in a second." Cloudia said, walking away to take an order from another table. "Rex, how come that cryptid was speakin' English?" Belle would ask, naively. "Well, isn't that a bit of a racist remark? I thought the Silver Lining's finest of staff would be more inclusive." Rex said, antagonizing Belle a bit before answering her question. "Even cryptids can be bilingual. Besides, it's better for business if you can cast a wide net of potential customers, right?"

  "That's true." Belle would say.

  "Plus, due to inclusivity, the businesses around here can jack up their prices and the customers would be none the wiser. 'So that's why you don't see a lot of cryptids in these spots, cause locals always know where to save their money." Rex would say in a more hushed tone, being a local himself. "Well... if ye're a local yerself, how come ye keep comin' back here?" Belle would say. "Cause the mac & cheese really is to die for!" Rex said, jolly as ever.

  "What exactly makes it so special? I don't get it." Belle would say, mildly confused. In response, Rex would list off the ingredients in the Earthen Mac & Cheese. It seemed that Rex had managed to guess every ingredient that's in the pasta dish with near 100% accuracy; learning with 100% accuracy after pestering the line cook for years on end. The recipe seemed normal at first, though the last ingredient was...

  "DIRT?!" Belle would scream as she stood in shock, garnering the attention of every other patron in the restaurant in turn. Belle would quickly apologize and sit down, her face red with embarrassment. "Dirt." Belle would say quieter, still in disbelief. "I'll have to pass on this one, lad."

  "Ms. Belle, you gotta give it a try. You'd be the first person I know who would!" Rex said, basically pleading with Belle. "Can't imagine why anyone wouldn't." Belle would say sarcastically, looking through the paper menu for another item on the menu to eat. "C'mon, just one spoonful! You owe me that at least, given that I'm helping you and all." Rex said, using that leverage to try and sway Belle. "Fine. But only one." Rex was visibly excited at Belle accepting his terms. As the two waited for their food to arrive, they would talk to pass the time while sipping on their waters.

  Once the food arrived, Belle would understand why the waitress asked if the pasta wanted to be shared. The dish was deep and equally as wide, nearly taking up the entire circumference of the table. Belle would be shocked, both that the dish was so large, and that Rex had the ability to put away so much food all at once. "That's the power of the dirt. Makes the mac & cheese grow."

  "Ye can't be serious." Belle said in disbelief. "That's what the line cook told me! Let's dig in!" Rex said, taking the spoon from his cutlery rollup and ravaging the dish like a hungry wolf. Within a few minutes and without pause, Rex had eaten over half of the pasta in the dish. "Jeez, have ye ever heard of the word 'restraint'?" Belle would say, looking a bit disgusted at Rex rampaging through the pasta. "I tell you; one bite and you won't be able to stop. C'mon, try it!"

  ("This lad's got me eatin' dirt in me pasta."...") Belle would think, digging her spoon in for a spoonful. ("Hells, why not?") Belle would eat the pasta, and despite everything, it was far too good to pass up. Though unlike Rex, Belle would continue at an even and reasonable pace. "Good, right?" Rex would say, trying to gauge Belle's reaction. "Serviceable. Nothing more, nothing less." With that, Rex simply nodded and looked outside to the city while Belle finished her food. While the city was already built with oddity in mind, the occasional interesting face would pop out to Rex within the Rehij square. Though this time looking outward, he felt a sense of unease. On the street, there was some maniac, waving a flashlight around on one of his arms, using it to get the attention of others and to ask questions. Perhaps he was a reporter or some kind of informant getting new stories. Though it would be weird for a cryptid dressed as a cowboy to be a reporter.

  ("A cowboy...? Who is that?") Rex said, squinting his eyes as he looked out the window. Though there was a good distance between them, Rex could make out some of the features of the figure. Six arms with a humanoid top and a large spider body for legs, almost like a centaur. And the thing is, looks like he has...

  Three ...

  Heads.

  And is looking right at Rex.

  "Crap ." Rex said, his joviality gone. "Ms. Belle, we gotta leave. Now."

  "Huh?" Belle said, before being grabbed by the wrist by Rex as he stormed out of the restaurant. "Sorry, Cloudia! I'll pay the bill later, gotta jet!"

  Cloudia would just sigh, disgruntled both by the waste of food and the fact Rex dipped on his bill. Despite his good nature, Cloudia simply refused to let bygones be bygones. "Damn kids... Dining and dashing like that."

  "Don't worry 'bout that none. I'll foot the bill, for a price." A deep, southern voice would hit the air, causing Cloudia to freeze in place. The clacking of his six legs on the ceiling would stop as Cloudia looked up towards the cryptid. "Good. Bad. Ugly." Cloudia would greet each of the heads on the spider-like cryptid. "I would say it's good to see you again, but I'm not supposed to be seeing you."

  "We can save the small talk for later. I'm on a hunt. That boy and the girl with them, which way did they go, and what's their names?" The head currently in control of the body, named Good, would ask this while taking out a wad of cash from seemingly out of thin air. "Boy's name is Rex, and I think the girl's name is Belle. Think she's got a mask on, too. She acted real skittish while I was talking to her, and there was a faint scent about her—something angelic and almost elf-like.." Cloudia said with only some hesitation while she counted and pocketed the persuasive tip she just got. "Now that's some cooperation. I'll buy you a drink on m' way out once we're done here." Good would leave as quickly as he left, a sly grin on his face while he began his pursuit.

  "Sorry, Rex. But you know how I feel about leaving a tab open." Cloudia said to no person in particular, leaning against the bar. "Find it in your heart to forgive me."