Part 4

Narin found himself on a windswept hilltop in a rolling plain, alone with the except of Vordea's avatar, who stood next to him with a neutral expression, but raised eyebrows. He looked around and saw no signs of life besides himself, the grassland extending beyond the horizon. After thinking it over for several minutes, he determined they were likely on the Gheddan Steppes before the fall of Zimmil Ma.

"So why are you still here?" Narin eventually asked. "You tossed me out of the Dawn, but you followed me here."

"You gave Vordea memories that would have caused a bootstrap paradox if she held onto them, so she created me." The avatar responded. "Technically... I'm one of her children, I suppose."

"You got a name?" Narin said, huffing dismissively.

"How about you give me one, father." She said with a chuckle.

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Narin said, snorting. "How about... Sam."

"Sam?" She asked.

"Short for Samantha."

"Sam's just fine." She said, holding up a hand and shaking her head. "Someone you knew, I take it?"

Narin paused. "I suppose I did. Once upon a time."

Sam regarded Narin with interest, and waited to see if he said more. When no further information was forthcoming, she closed her eyes and nodded.

"Fine then, keep your secrets. So where do we start?"

"We?" Narin asked with some surprise.

"Vordea said I have to help you." Sam replied, shrugging. "So yeah, we."

Narin thought about this. Having someone to talk to was a nice proposition, come to think of it. Something still felt off though, and he realized they needed one other person.

"We're starting by going to get someone. The Gourmand Witch, Nicole Savill. She's a... friend, I suppose." Narin said, eyeing Sam.