Wyris appeared. He was a colossus with a full body tattoo and a long, braided, black beard. His eyes were black, too, deep black with a glint of curiosity and mischief.
"Your guest is in good hands, master. Well, in a manner of speaking." His master laughed.
"I'm glad you've granted yourself a few moments of pleasure, and with a human, no less."
Ozak nodded knowingly, which enraged his guest.
"I don't know whether to be insulted or not. And please don't talk about me as if I weren't here!"
"My apologies, darling."
"That's all right. Anyway, you don't mean a word of it."
"Good." the beast finally declared, "I'll leave you in Wyris's hands now, and he'll accompany you to the gate."
"But why not you?" she inquired, not understanding how he could get rid of her like that after what they'd been through together, however short.
He winced.
"I can't."
Then Nicole immediately let out a horrified sound. "Your wound, is that it? I knew it!" she exclaimed without even waiting for his confirmation. "And yet you still insisted on one last round?" she added, even though it was she who had asked for it.
A strange silence greeted Nicole's worried stammering, and it intrigued her to no end. She turned from her lover to Wyris and then back to Ozak with a question in her eyes. He was tense, but answered her with a smile all the same.
"You're right, it's the wound. But as I've already told you, you don't have to worry, it will simply take a little time."
"You promise?"
"I promise. Besides, you of all people should know that this injury in no way diminishes me."
Nicole couldn't help but laugh. "That's true, but it's also true that despite your looks, no I mean your position, you're not very good at lying."
"I'm going to take that as a compliment?"
"It is."
He apparently hadn't expected a sincere response. "Oh."
They looked at each other. They couldn't part like this without one last kiss. They kissed like desperate lovers. Then, finally, Nicole slowly stepped back to join Wyris.
"You really don't want to tell me your name," she said to Ozak.
He hesitated for only a fraction of a second. "Why not? You can call me Garin."
She thought for a moment and nodded. "It suits you. Mine's Nicole."
"I don't know what that means, but it suits you, too. Have a good trip."
She nodded, unable to say another word.
Wyris, meanwhile, having had the discretion to turn his back to let the lovers say farewell in privacy, turned to his master.
"I'll meet you at House Pet for the card tournament. The bros want a rematch."
"Count me in. I'm not going to miss the chance to make some easy money."
"I don't want to hear that from you!" exclaimed Wyris as he walked away with the precious guest.
But the latter knew she couldn't leave. Not like this, anyway. She stopped, hesitated, then retraced her steps.
"What if you came to visit me, in my world? Have you ever visited the human world, Garin?"
"Yes. A long time ago."
"I don't even dare ask when exactly. But that's fine, the human world changes so quickly, but since you've been there before, you won't feel like a total stranger and you'll know how to find me faster. What do you say?"
Garin opened his mouth to answer, but Nicole didn't want to hear it. She couldn't bear a negative answer. So, she continued quickly.
"See what we'll do, I'll leave you my address, and it'll be up to you whether you want to see me again or not. What do you say?"
Once again, she didn't give him a chance to reply. She looked around for something to write on the wall. Finding nothing, she spelled out her address.
"There's two of you, I don't think you'll forget. Anyway, I've made my move. It's up to you if you want to take the other."
And after one last look, she left.
Nicole and Wyris walked in silence, skirting a deserted corridor, until they came to another door. Wyris opened it with a key, and they emerged into a bustling underground square, filled with people of all kinds who, it seemed, were normal this time.
Amazed, she looked around and saw that there was everything. Store, hotel, market, restaurant, boutique, club and bar, everything. The only difference with a human city was race and magic.
"This is incredible, Wyris!" exclaimed Nicole enthusiastically.
"Isn't it?"
"It almost feels like home on festival day." She sighed, then grimaced. "And to think that when I arrived, I ran into a bunch of weirdos who had nothing left. If it wasn't for Ozak—I mean Garin—I'd be dead by now, or worse. My money's on worse."
Nicole didn't notice her guide's reaction to the sound of the name Ozak, but he made no remark, only his face hardened imperceptibly.
"Wyris?"
He pulled himself together. "Yes, the master told me about it. Bad luck, but the portal that connects our two worlds lies in the domain of the cursed."
"Cursed?"
"Those who live on the surface. We're not allowed to go there, and they're not allowed to come here."
"Oh, a conflict of people. We have that at home, too."
"In our case, it's a little different. Two hundred years ago, two clans fought over power, forcing the population to choose. Of course, there are always neutrals. For me, they're the worst. The master has eliminated most of them. Don't make that face, I can assure you it was for a good cause."
"That's what they all say."