When Theo came to, it was cold. The early morning air was brisk, and he could hear the gentle lapping of waves. The call of seagulls could be heard in the distance.

  He had made it to the coast. Somehow. The shore was covered in gravel and a bit of sand. The arid Nevada-esque landscape stretched for miles in the other direction before a series of low hills. No trees, only a shrub here and there.

  "You're finally awake." Vaz said. Theo stirred, and saw that he was naked. And that Vaz was leaning on a boulder nearby with his arms crossed.

  He was back in his Yosef form at least, he had thought that changing into that huge monster would cause him to lose his form. At least there's that.

  "Hey. Where are we?" Theo asked as he stood.

  "The coast. Obviously. I'd say three days travel from Somas capital.", "Wow." Theo said as he took the coat Vaz was offering. "Yeah, wow. What was that? And that spider- it healed us more than any potion I've ever seen. That was like true resurrection."

  Theo shook his head. "Just..." he looked at Vaz. He made his decision. He seemed like a good guy, and perhaps there was something his grandmother was missing about Yosef. She did say he refused to share his plans and other information with her, but how exactly was he a scoundrel? Theo didn't see the evidence.

  And it would be hard to stop Vazs advances without just admitting the truth. It was the easiest path forward, sure he'd probably react badly, but he needed Theo to find the real Yosef.

  So that was it.

  "I'm not Yosef." he said quickly as if he was pulling a band-aid.

  They starred at each other blankly for a moment.

  "Then who the fuck are you?" he asked cynically, as if he was expecting a punchline to a joke.

  "...My name is Theo, I'm a changeling. I become other people. It's the only thing I'm able to do, really." he said to his own chagrin.

  The air grew tense as Vaz put his hands in his pockets and walked towards the shore. He just looked out over the waves. Then back over his shoulder at Theo.

  "What kind of game are you playing Yosef?" he began to ask but then saw the serious look in Theos eyes, and didn't see the gaze of a man he had intimate knowledge of.

  "-Of fucking course." he put a hand over his face exasperated. "He was never coming to save me. I always knew what it was, in the end. Bastard." he was almost serene in his realization. Sad, but bitter sweet as if his suspicions had been justified.

  "The real Yosef might of saved you, if he weren't in my guilds prison. That's how I got his form.", that caused Vaz to snap back around to face him. "What?", he seemed angry all of the sudden.

  Theo raised his hands defensively; "He's fine! Erm- well, he's a criminal apparently. With secrets. So they had me become him to see what I could figure out-" Vaz had already been walking up to him and snatched Theo up by the collar.

  He was a bit smaller than Yosef was, but the affect was still intimidating- Theo had seen him cast some kind of magic when they fell back at the cavern. He had no idea what his abilities were.

  "Take me to him!", Theo grabbed his arms gently; "Why? Didn't you say he'd likely leave you to rot anyways? Doesn't seem like the best boyfriend. And my people say he's a murderer rapist. Did you know that?" Vaz didn't seem phased by it. "I don't have to explain anything to you, imposter." he dropped Theos collar.

  "I saved your life. You owe me something. If you can prove Yosefs innocence my guild will let him go! ...You don't seem like a bad guy, and I'm usually a pretty good judge of character. There's no reason we can solve this amicably." besides when it came to Stelios. Or Violet. Or his own grandmother probably.

  "Look around, do we look 'saved'?" Vaz gestured to the barren landscape around them and the ocean.

  "Fair point. Okay, okay. I think it's obvious what we have to do now. Find food, water, and get to the nearest port city. You have those right, in this world?"

  Vaz sighed, "Sure, if that's north..." he pointed inland, "Then if we head west." his finger when towards down one side of the shore. "We should come to Boers." then looked surprised; "Wait- what do you mean, 'this world'?"

  "I mean like this continent, obviously.", Vaz just looked skeptically at him "...Obviously."

  Some secrets he didn't have the time to explain. One secret at a time.

  Vaz adjusted his shirt and rolled down his sleeves; "Let's get going then. We get to Boers, get in contact with your guild... Then I'll trade you for Yosef." he started walking west.

  "Too bad you don't have an extra pair of shoes." Theo said following him.

  Theo knew that plan wouldn't work. Sure, Vaz would likely see Yosef again. But only because they'll be sharing a cell. But he'd put in a good word, for all that it was worth. Perhaps with Vaz around the real Yosef would be more open about sharing his secrets. Theo wasn't sure what happened, but he betrayed his grandmother somehow and people died. He knew at least that much.

  ---

  They walked the coast for hours. Vaz kept asking probing questions, trying to figure out who Theo was. But Theo played the game tit for tat. If he wanted information on Theo, Theo wanted information on him and Yosef.

  In the end, neither got anywhere in that regard.

  But then Vaz stopped him and pointed at a distant ship off the coast. "So?" Theo asked. "So? -They could give us a ride. I have no idea how far Boers is."

  Vaz began waving his arms and jumping up and down.

  ---

  Violet was on the border of Adun. It took a bit longer than their journey in the house with chicken legs, but mostly because they had to enter from a different point in the border than they left from. It's been about a week, hopefully that was enough time for things to cool down.

  Crimes happen every day, so long as you lay low and pop up somewhere else, you mostly got off scot-free. In Violets' experience.

  She wondered what Theo was doing. Probably living off his grandmothers generosity. If only she was so lucky, then her obligations in Adun would be so trivial. Just a bit of gold, a bit of power, it all could be so easy.

  Violet looked into Adun. This part of the border was lined with farmland. Numerous farms dotted the country side, their mills turned lazily in the slight breeze. Looming over golden fields of wheat. The winter air had begun to warm a bit in the morning sunlight. A cottage or stable here or there.

  Her destiny was here. In Adun. Her time with Theo wasn't wasted though- now she knew she had even less time than she had thought. They were waiting for her to come back.

  "This is as far as we go, Violet... I uh.. I think it's needless to say but it'd be better if you didn't speak of our guild to others." Carlton said. A warm light floated near him providing heat.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Violet rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, of course. Goodbye." she said it plainly and began walking. Sinatra and Carlton looked at each other, then shrugged and walked back into Soma.

  She wished they gave her a horse or something to make her journey faster, but horses aren't built for lands like Soma. She'd steal the first horse she saw.

  ---

  Violet did find a horse at one of the many stables. She snuck up to the beast, it was white with shimmering green hair. It whinnied a bit and stepped heavily a few times as she approached.

  [Calm] Violet activated the skill and touched it on the breast. "That's it... Friend." she said, stroking it's mane gently. She took a saddle that hung on the fence nearby and strapped it on.

  She burst out of the stables and leapt over the fences, some farmers who worked the fields shouted about but it was too late. She was a dot in the distance by the time they got to their own horses. They were so far away from cities that they likely didn't deal with thieves or raiders very often. Fortunately.

  ---

  Theo and Vaz were picked up by a smaller boat that sailed out from the main ship- a wooden galleon of sorts. Theo didn't know boats.

  "Let me do the talking, you're just my simple companion. Okay?" Vaz elbowed him. "Yeah..."

  A few men rowed the small craft up to the shore. "Greetings, it seems you two are in a rather precarious situation!" one of them shouted out as they approached.

  Vaz chortled; "Is it that obvious? You're a sight for sore eyes- I'll tell ya'. My simple friend here and I are sailors, -we can pull our weight if you'll just drop us off at the next port."

  The men exchanged looks. Then looked Theo up and down. "Ay, it seems you're a bit light on coin so a bit of work wouldn't go amiss for the favor. Come on then, let's get you on board and fed."

  'Great!' Theo thought. His lips were becoming chapped in the salty air of the sea, it'd be nice to finally get something to drink and eat. But, why was he getting a bad feeling? Something about these guys rubbed him the wrong way. Maybe this is just how sailors are.

  They got on the boat and it pushed off- rowing back towards the main ship.

  "So, how'd you find yourselves stranded?" they asked.

  Theo looked towards Vaz who looked back knowingly. Then said; "Well, it all started when we were sailing nearby..." he began weaving an elaborate story about how they were shipwrecked. He was a natural, Theo supposed he really was a sailor so these were his people in a sense.

  ---

  Violet rode for a few hours before coming to Lostia. The city was massive, surrounded by walls on all sides. The blocky city was made of a smoothed limestone that would be difficult to scale. Much of the city was made of this material- their primary export. A limestone quarry was nearby.

  She stepped in line with the other traders who were getting into the city. She looked around quickly- then she found her first mark in weeks. A merchant that was selling jewelry- and he seemed more nervous than the rest. Younger. It would be fast and easy.

  Violet walked over and greeted him.

  "Hey there! I'm Salean, do you have something cheap, just for a small gift?" the merchant looked down at her from his wagon. Violet was dressed in the leather armor from before, her shoulders draped with a small cloak that reached down to her waist. A short sword and daggers hung at her side.

  "Adventurer?" the merchant asked. "Yes. Just passing through, figured I'd get a gift for a friend of mine." she explained. Trying to get a feel for the mans personality. Could he be wooed? Or was it better to antagonize him as if she was trying to lower the price?

  "...Well, I have some baubles an adventurer might be interested in. Enchanted even. I have one bracelet that glows in the presence of goblins...." he began sharing his wares with her. All the while Violet smiled, and queried further. Keeping him talking.

  She tried at first to woo him, but her outfit made that difficult. So she went for the antagonistic root.

  [Slight of Hand] the skill activated and she made a dramatic gesture with one hand, and a ghostly version of the hand apparated with it. While her free hand snatched a gold chain from his collection. It was a simple skill, creating an illusory arm while the real one was made invisible.

  A high level merchant would've noticed that. But her new level 37 skill [Thieves Gambit] gave her a powerful feeling that he wasn't so high leveled.

  She smiled as she bought the cheap trinket. She had gotten what she came for. When it came to her turn to get accepted into the city, she bribed the guard with the gold chain. Like all guards, he knew the process. Say the right words, offer the right bribe, and they'd always let you pass.

  The thieves guilds always had at least that kind of pull. They kept crime down far more than a patrolling guard ever could- there was no reason they couldn't make a mutually beneficial deal.

  She walked into the city. The streets here were wide, and cobblestone. The buildings were very angular and smoothed. Limestone is a soft stone, easy to carve. And easy to replace. So it was everywhere.

  Violet went to the meats section of the market square. It was kept apart from the rest for hygienic reasons. Various corpses of monsters hung from racks, cuts of fresh meat were displayed and people browsed about as they did their daily shopping.

  She went around the corner of the buildings and down a set of stairs that existed on the side. It went underground. There were people posted outside but they ignored her as she passed.

  These catacombs were smoothed limestone like the walls. A door cut in the walls in places so that rooms could be built. There was a room dedicated to training, rooms for loitering about and drinking, and private rooms to discuss nefarious tasks. She went to one such room that acted as a office for her boss.

  Her gangs boss that was. Each gang had a different 'head', and those heads would negotiate with each other over possible territories and set limitations on certain crimes.

  A woman with blonde hair and a tinge of green to her skin leaned on the outside of the door. She was muscular, about Violets height. She had red eyes and fangs that poked out slightly out of her mouth.

  "About time Violet. That last one took a bit?", she asked, her voice rough. "No, I never finished." she sighed. "Oof, he won't like that. Goodluck." she leaned over and rapped the door a few times with a knuckle. "Violet."

  "Send her in." a complacent voice sounded.

  Violet stepped into the large room. A rectangular fireplace was lit, apart from that the room was alight with orange wall sconces. A even more muscular figure than his sister- the half orc Celyphous sat scribbling away on a piece of parchment in front of him. His blonde hair was cut short.

  "Violet, it's good to see you. Hopefully you have good news for me?" he asked, looking up at her with a genuinely pleased expression.

  "No, I'm sorry Celyph- I ran into some complications."

  Celyphous deflated and sighed, "Alright then. -What happened?" he set his quill aside and leaned back. Violet sat down in one of the chairs across from his desk and began regaling him with the tale of the last month or so.

  By the end of it, Celyphous was leaning forward with great interest.

  "A guild you say? Like an adventurers guild? Not a rivaling thieves guild?", "Yes. Their main base is in a swamp somewhere in Soma." Celyphous nodded. "And what's this about other worlds?" he asked.

  "I know, it sounds crazy. But I've seen it, Celyph. Building made of glass and metal that went up for acres. Our world was created in theirs, I-I'm still trying to figure out what it all means myself."

  "Ah, I always suspected there was more to this world than a man could possibly understand... And that seems to still be the case. I've heard rumors from the other heads, they have people in their ranks who claim similar things- without proof. That they're 'players' from another world. But they just assumed they were hungry beggars looking for a handout in exchange for their wild stories."

  "But it's true..." Violet said looking down at her hands, she still hasn't come to terms with it. "I believe you."

  "Thanks.", "So, you went to the estate, and were chased out because of some doppleganger who has ties with a guild from another world. Some of whom are outrageously powerful.", "Yes."

  Celyphous grinned. "Fantastic work." he said. Violet started- she was surprised. "Oh? Of course it was a failure. But this information is worth much more than a few artifacts. Fate smiles on us this day- this information is a powerful bargaining chip with the other heads."

  "Do you mean? That perhaps-", Celyphous raised a hand; "Not so fast- but maybe. We're at least getting closer, and that's something."

  Violet smiled for a moment, if she could accomplish her dreams she could die knowing- and then she remembered the other piece of news she had for him. Celyphous noticed the sudden change in her expression and frowned as well. "What?" he asked.

  "Celyph... I'm dying."

  ---

  "So you're our new stowaways then?" the captain asked, a short man with a tall hat. "Ay captain, we were blessed to be saved by your fine vessel. My simple companion and I know sailing, and can pull our weight. All we ask is that you leave us at the next port you dock in."

  The man looked between Vaz and Yosef. "Where's this ones clothes?" he asked. Theo stood there in nothing but a trench coat like a 1950s detected or some crazy person who went around flashing people.

  "He was... Inconvenienced in the time of the wreck..." Vaz said after awhile. The sailors looked at one another before laughing.

  "Aha, well- we wouldn't mind the extra hands. You'll have to sleep in the brig, but luckily for you it's empty. Quartermaster-" the captain gestured to another sailor. He was dressed in finery, even more so than the captain himself. A tasseled noble outfit that has been dried by the sea air.

  "Yes sir.", "Get this one properly clothed, and show them to a wash basin. They reek."

  They were led below deck, the brig was in a corner past the cargo hold. Various rope nets partitioned the cargo and a metal gate needed to be unlocked to allow them into their new quarters.

  It was dingy, dusty, but warm compared to the winter air of the ocean.

  They rolled in a barrel with water and used it to wash with, the quartermaster also brought them some dried meats and fruits. Theo still had a creeping suspicion about these sailors, but Vaz seemed unbothered.

  "Gods, you look just like him." he said after they were left alone. "...Well, that's kind of the point." Theo said after awhile. He put on the light sailors clothes. A pair of brown slacks and a white shirt.

  Then Theo had a thought; "Wait- you told them we know how to sail, but I don't.", Vaz scoffed; "Don't worry. It's easy."

  After awhile they were called above to do random sailor tasks. Wiping the deck, adding tar to the ropes so they didn't dry, wrestling with ropes and emptying the chamber buckets... It wasn't easy.

  By the end of it, Theos hands were raw and cracked. His muscles ached. He adopted some of the strength the original had, but he still had to mostly rely on his changeling forms natural strength.

  The other sailors mocked him for clearly being green, but Vaz made up for it by putting them to shame. He was a talented sailor. And at the end of their work day they were gifted some wine, a simple meal, and were allowed to roam about the ship. Shift over.

  But the work day never felt as if it ended as he never got to leave the ship. It still rocked about, churning his stomach. He was afraid to drink the wine- would he even be able to keep it down?

  They sat in the unlocked brig, Theo was chewing on a chicken leg. Or what he assumed was a chicken leg. It made him think of his grandmothers pet house. That would be a massive chicken leg. He chuckled.

  "Going mad already? It's been one day on the sea." Vaz smirked. "No, just remembered something is all." Theo tossed the left-over bone into a bin that they'd dump into the sea later.

  "Wine?", Vaz asked offering him the wineskin. Theo took one look at it and shook his head. "I'm seasick as it is.", "Suit yourself." he took a hardy sip.

  Theo went to lay down. Vaz joined him.

  "Vaz?", "Mhm?", "Why are you holding me?"

  Theo was just looking up at the ceiling and felt Vaz wrap his hands around his waist and nuzzled his shoulder.

  "Just let me have this. You even smell like him." he said pleadingly.

  Theo went to say something then stopped. He couldn't believe the absurdity of this situation. Being a doppleganger was tough. People always saw a piece of the person you pretended to be, and refused to see the rest. He was his own person!

  The fortune did say that his kindness would be the death of him, perhaps he should set strong boundaries from the start in situations like these... Going forward. He just didn't have the heart to shrug off Vaz. He seemed to have had a tough couple of months. Theo could relate to that.

  But then he shuddered.

  "Vaz..." Theo said after another minute. "It's nothing- just the motion of the ocean." Vaz said.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avaSdC0QOUM