Making New Ground

Rio looks around the room searching for anything resembling an exit.

Looking back and forth around the room, there didn't seem to be any form of an exit.

This was until Rio noticed a suspicious wall. Looking at it closely, it seemed to be the backside of a large bookcase.

Rio can see a small lever hang on the side of the book case just out of reach.

His new body is too small to reach the lever and his hooves don't help much in terms of climbing.

Pondering what to do, Rio remembers what was given to him.

"Get over here and pull this." He thinks as the hooded figure approaches the bookcase and pulls the lever.

"This feels kind of weird but having someone do whatever I tell them could be pretty nice."

With the lever pulled, the bookcase vibrates a bit before sliding to the side revealing a staircase leading upwards.

"I guess this is my ticket out"

Rio makes his way up the stairs and into a small dilapidated church.

There's nothing of much interest inside. Everything looks as if it hadn't been used in years.

Dust fills the room and cobwebs had formed around every corner of the building.

Rio begins walking before realizing that it would take forever to get anywhere in this state. Looking towards the man walking behind him he thinks of a better idea.

Having the man bend down, Rio jumps into his arms and lays down.

With his servant now holding him, he commands him to leave the church.

The sun is shining brightly outside of the church.

The church was in a secluded location. It didn't seem like anyone would be coming down here for quite a while.

Looking further out Rio could point out the outline of a few buildings.

"That must be a city or town. It wouldn't hurt to head over and find out where I am.

Rio commands his servant and they run down the dirt path leading towards civilization.

Before he knew it, the sun had fallen and the night had come.

Despite being a monster Rio still had to take care of his needs.

Dismissing his servant, He found a quiet spot beneath the leaves and laid down.

After a few hours of rest, Rio awoke from his slumber as the sun began to rise. His body was a little sore but that was to be expected when sleeping in such poor conditions.

Feeling his stomach grumbling, He figures that it might be time to find something to eat. Leaving the dirt path, Rio made his way deeper into the forest.

Walking for a bit he was met with a small ravine weaving through the trees.

The water was murky but it was better than nothing.

He was even able to spot a few fishes.

Rio almost gagged after taking a few sips from the ravine.

The taste was undeniably awful, to the point of making him want to throw up.

Not to mention the smell.

Giving up on drinking anymore water for now, Rio focuses his attention on the fish within the ravine.

Trying and failing to catch the fish himself, He orders his servant to catch them for him.

Unfortunately, His servant was just as inept at hunting as he was.

They were both too slow to catch the fish before they swam away.

"This is sad to watch. Have you forgotten who you are now, Rio?" Alberoth's voice rang out in Rio's mind.

"It would be quite problematic if you died from starvation after I used my power to give you a new life. These inferior beings should be nothing compared to you!"

Rio thinks about Alberoths words for a moment and takes another look in the ravine.

His mind turns black and his mouth curves into a wide grin. Rio lets out a blood curdling noise from his mouth. "Prostrate yourselves before me."

As the noise ends, a handful of fish jump out of the water onto the ground in front of him.

They make no attempt to return to the water and simply remain still until they eventually die.

Rio smells the fish as his mouth begins to water uncontrollably.

He forgos cooking the fish and instead opts to consume them raw, tearing into their flesh with his fangs.

Unlike the water, the raw meat provided by the fish complimented his taste buds perfectly.

Before he knew it, he had finished consuming all of the fish that had provided themselves to him.

Feeling satisfied with his meal, he continues his journey towards town.

"I must be crazy, Why did I do all of that? Eating raw fish! There's definitely something wrong with me." Rio tries his best to wrap his mind around his sudden shift in personality as he continues his journey.

Coming close enough to spot a few people moving about Rio stops his servant for a moment.

"I definitely can't be seen like this. Anyone who saw me would definitely be terrified.

If I happen to scare these people, someone could end up investigating my whereabouts.

Pondering his options Rio figures out an idea.

His servant pulls down his hood exposing a look looking man with short orange hair.

Rio jumps into the lowered hood and positions himself so that it would be harder to look inside.

As Rio comes closer to the town, he can feel Alberoth growing in excitement.

Not knowing why, Rio pressed on and entered the town.

Upon entering the town Rio notices how happy everyone appears to be.

The sky above had begun to rain slightly.

Feeling the cold rain on his body, Rio looked around for a good place to take shelter.

He makes his way around the outer edges of town and notices a small hut fit for one person.

He knocks on the door and is met with an elderly man.

The elder greets the young man in front of him

"Greetings."

Rio's servant responds with "Hello."

They exchange greetings.

The old man questions why he is being visited.

Rio's servant explains that he needs shelter from the rain and has no other place to stay.

"I see you are a traveler. I can offer you shelter until your journey ends." The old man says.

He opens the door to his humble home and offers it to Rio.

"Thank you very much!" He replies.

The man leaves the room and returns with two wooden chairs.

The old man sits down and tells Rio to take the other chair.

Rio enters the tiny hut which is barely big enough for the furniture.

The huts' walls are made out of wood planks. There is minimal dust and the room looks to have been cleaned recently. The floor is covered by a thick rug.

"My name is Kuzan."

Rio's servant introduces himself as well.

"Is this your first time in Clear Water?" Kuzan asks.

"Yes! It's my first time here." Rio answers.

"I'm sure that you had to have traveled quite a distance to reach our humble town."

Rio's servant nods in agreement.

Well I won't keep you for long. I just wanted to make sure that you were comfortable here.

"Thank you again for your hospitality. It was nice meeting you Kuzan." Rio's servant says while getting up from his seat.

"You're welcome. We'll be seeing each other in the future." Kuzan says before closing the door behind him.

Rio walks over to the windows and takes a look outside.

The rain had begun coming down much harder than before as Rio thought about where he was.

The old man said they were in Clear Water.

"I must be in Montana." Rio thinks to himself before pausing.

"Wait a minute, Clear Water Montana. That place sounds familiar. I know there was something important here but I can't put my finger on it."

Thinking on it for a few minutes, Rio decides to push the thought to the back of his mind.

Instead he decides to take a break on the comfortable bed provided to him.

He hadn't had a real bed since he was the head researcher at his facility.

jumping out from the hood, He lies down on the comfortable mattress.

"I guess I should take care of any possible troubles shouldn't I."

Rio closes his eyes to relax on the bed as his servant grabs a nearby pole and leaves the room.