Stonehaven's infirmary was a cramped, herb-scented hut tucked behind the palisade wall. Martha the "Stitch-Witch" turned out to be a wiry woman with sharp eyes, hands stained green from crushed plants, and a no-nonsense demeanor that cut through the lingering tension like a scalpel. She clucked her tongue at Borin's bandaged arm, unwrapped it with practiced efficiency, and grimaced at the inflamed, ragged edges.
"Rusty pig-sticker," she muttered, rummaging in a cabinet filled with jars of murky liquids and dried roots. "Nasty business. Lucky it didn't hit bone. Elara, boil water. Stranger… Kaito, was it? Stand back, unless you know your way around wound rot."
Kaito obeyed, hovering near the doorway, feeling colossal and useless. He watched Martha work, `Absolute Comprehension` feeding him a relentless stream of information: *Plantain poultice for initial cleansing… traces of comfrey for cell regeneration… insufficient antiseptic properties… high probability of systemic infection without magical intervention…*
Martha mixed a pungent green paste. "This'll draw out the poison," she announced, slathering it onto Borin's wound. The merchant gritted his teeth but didn't cry out. As Martha reached for clean bandages, her sharp eyes flickered to Kaito. "Heard you pulled Borin and Elara out of the fire. Saw the cart appear out of thin air. Spatial storage. Rare gift." Her tone was neutral, assessing.
"Gift," Kaito echoed awkwardly. "I suppose."
"Hmph." Martha's gaze intensified. A faint, almost imperceptible shimmer of pale green light gathered around her fingertips as she finished wrapping Borin's arm. It wasn't directed at the wound, but subtly *towards* Kaito. A diagnostic pulse. `<< Analyzing Incoming Magical Scan: Low-Level Diagnostic/Appraisal Magic. Harmless. >>` `<< Damage Nullification: Engaged. Scan Nullified. >>`
Martha blinked. The green light flickered and died against an invisible barrier inches from Kaito, dissipating like smoke. Her eyes widened fractionally. "Well," she said, her voice losing none of its sharpness but gaining a layer of profound wariness. "That's… unexpected. Like trying to peek through castle walls with a candle." She turned back to Borin, her movements deliberately casual. "Rest that arm, Borin. Change the dressing tomorrow. If it starts smelling sweet, come back immediately. Or find a real priest."
Before Kaito could process the failed scan or its implications, the door flap was thrust aside. Captain Arden filled the entrance. He was a bear of a man, broad-shouldered in worn but well-maintained chainmail, his face weathered by wind and worry lines deeper than any Kaito had seen on Earth. His eyes, a flinty grey, swept the room, lingering briefly on Martha's tense posture before settling on Kaito with the weight of stone.
"Kaito," he stated, his voice a low rumble. "Walk with me." It wasn't a request.
Kaito glanced at Elara, who gave him a small, encouraging nod, though worry clouded her eyes. Borin just looked weary. Stepping out into the muddy lane, Kaito followed the Captain away from the infirmary, acutely aware of the stares that followed them. Whispers slithered through the air: "Captain's got him..." "Spatial mage..." "Unbreakable..." "Black Talons are furious..."
Arden led him not towards the crude barracks, but to a slightly larger log building near the palisade wall – the command post. Inside was sparse: a rough-hewn table scattered with maps weighted down by stones, a couple of stools, a weapons rack holding a few spears and a dented shield. Arden closed the heavy door, muffling the outside noise. He leaned against the table, arms crossed, his gaze pinning Kaito in place.
"Report," Arden commanded. "Borin gave me the gist. Garv's bandits. Ambush. You intervened. Shattered a steel blade with your bare hand. Made their goods reappear out of thin air." He paused, letting the impossible facts hang in the air. "Martha just tried a basic diagnostic. It bounced. Like she said, candle against a castle wall." His flinty eyes bored into Kaito's. "Far away isn't good enough. *What* are you? And what are you doing on my border?"
The directness was jarring. Kaito scrambled internally. The social paralysis was back, amplified by the Captain's intensity and the sheer impossibility of explaining Aurelia. *He needs the truth. Or enough of it.*
"I am… Kaito," he began, forcing his voice level. "I arrived last night. Not by choice. I was… sent. By a… powerful entity." *Annoyed administrator sounded ridiculous.* "She called it recompense. For a life that ended poorly elsewhere. She gave me… abilities. To survive here." He gestured vaguely at himself. "Strength. Durability. Storage. Understanding. That's why the sword broke. That's why Martha's magic didn't work. It's not *me*. It's… armor I can't take off." The analogy felt strangely apt. Armor that made him terrifyingly strong, impossibly tough, but also isolated him, made every interaction fraught.
Arden's expression didn't change, but Kaito saw the minute tightening around his eyes. "A powerful entity. Recompense. Abilities." He pushed off the table, pacing the small space. "Sounds like the old tales. Heroes summoned by the gods. Chosen." He stopped, turning back. "But chosen heroes usually come with fanfare, prophecy, a purpose. You look like you got tossed through a hole in the sky and landed in the mud."
*Accurate.* "No prophecy," Kaito admitted. "No purpose. Just… survive. And try not to break anything." He met Arden's gaze. "I saved Borin and Elara because it was the right thing to do. I have no quarrel with Stonehaven. I just… need to understand this world."
Arden studied him for a long, silent moment. Kaito felt the `Absolute Comprehension` passively analyzing the Captain: the tension in his shoulders spoke of prolonged stress, the weariness in his eyes hinted at sleepless nights, the callouses on his hands spoke of constant readiness. He was a man bearing heavy burdens.
"Understanding," Arden finally grunted. "A luxury we can't afford out here." He walked to the table and tapped a spot on one of the maps – a jagged line representing the border between Aethelgard and the Wildwood Marches. "Stonehaven isn't just a trading post. It's a tripwire. We watch the Marches. And things are stirring. Deeper than bandits or goblins."
He looked directly at Kaito, his voice dropping lower. "Scouts report… disturbances. Unnatural silences in the deep woods. Animals fleeing *towards* the mountains, not away. Whispers from trappers about… shapes in the mist that shouldn't be there. Cold spots where fire won't light." He leaned forward. "And last week, a patrol went missing. Five good men. Vanished without a trace near the Blackroot Gorge. Not even a scrap of cloth left behind. Just… cold earth and a feeling of dread that made the dogs whimper and refuse to go near."
Kaito felt a chill that had nothing to do with the room's temperature. `<< Analyzing Verbal Data: Correlates with known patterns of extra-planar incursion / high-level necromantic presence / reality-warping entities. Probability: 72.8%. Insufficient local data for precise identification. >>` The clinical system message did nothing to dispel the primal unease.
"Demons?" Kaito asked quietly, the word feeling alien yet terrifyingly plausible.
"Maybe," Arden said grimly. "Or something worse. The Church sends vague warnings about 'ancient shadows stirring'. The Crown promises reinforcements that never arrive. We're on our own." He fixed Kaito with that flinty stare again. "So, you walk into my outpost, Kaito from 'far away', wrapped in power that makes steel look like parchment. You talk of recompense and survival. Fine. Survive *here*. Help *us* survive. Because if what's stirring in the Marches breaks loose, Stonehaven burns first. Then the villages beyond. Then maybe the whole damn kingdom."
He straightened. "You want to understand this world? Understand this: it's a world where darkness bites hard on the edges. Your power… it's a weapon. A shield. Maybe the only one strong enough to hold back what's coming. I don't care if you were sent by gods or annoyed administrators. I care if you'll stand on that wall when the night gets loud."
The weight of the request was immense. Kaito hadn't asked for this. He'd just wanted… not to be Kevin. To maybe talk to a girl without sweating. Now, a grizzled captain was asking him to be a bulwark against encroaching darkness. He looked at his hands – hands that could crumple steel. Hands attached to a soul that still flinched at confrontation.
Before he could formulate a response, a frantic pounding shook the door. "Captain! Captain Arden!"
Arden yanked it open. A young guard, barely more than a boy, stood panting, his face pale. "Sir! At the West Gate! Garv! He's back! But… he's… he's screaming about monsters! And… and he brought friends! A whole lot of Black Talon friends! They look angry, sir! *Really* angry!"
Arden's jaw clenched. He shot a look at Kaito, a look that held no surprise, only grim expectation. "Seems your introduction to Stonehaven isn't over yet, Kaito. The welcoming committee you scared off decided to come back for a proper introduction. Armed." He grabbed his dented shield and a heavy spear from the rack. "Time to see what that 'recompense' of yours is really worth. Try not to break the gate." He strode out, leaving Kaito standing alone in the command post, the Captain's dire warning about the Marches echoing in his mind, immediately overlaid by the more present, violent threat pounding at the gate.
The overpowered virgin wasn't just a curiosity anymore. He was a beacon that had drawn fire. And Stonehaven, caught between the whispers of ancient shadows and the very real, very angry blades of the Black Talons, was about to become his crucible. Kaito took a deep breath, the scent of mud, smoke, and impending violence filling his lungs. He followed the Captain out, the infinite power within him humming, ready. *Okay, Aurelia,* he thought grimly. *No breaking the world. Maybe just a few bandits.*