Chapter Text
"There's a dragon in there, you could not make me go down even if I never had to work again."
"Dragons? The rumor mill must've been cooking, there's no dragons there. Now, fae on the other hand-"
"Pssh, the fae are just a myth, all that's down there is a maze of white."
"White?? You obviously haven't seen the checkered room, that's about as far as you could get from white without going into the Void."
Everyone had a story about Wonderland. None of them were ever the same. Word had spread over half the country, of the mysterious hole that had opened just outside of town. Adventurers, archivists, storytellers, even just the curious had gathered to see what might be down there. There seemed to be only one consistent part to what everyone said: even if you went down with a group, when you were down there, you were alone.
Anathra knew of the stories. It was hard not to, at that point. He had never gotten around to seeing it in person, though. When the opportunity came, it would be foolish to pass it up. And so he was here, in a tavern in the nearest town, a place called Neth, listening to the stories swirl about the place. It seemed, from what he heard, that another party had gone down and were now in the stage of the slow return, trying to figure out who would be coming back, when, and if they all would come back at all.
(Most of the time, everyone made it out. A bit changed, sure. Certain types of stories had certain damage that came along with them. It wasn't usually that dangerous. But, that was only most of the time.)
A man with a glowing red mark wrapped around his upper arm. "I'm telling you, it's like the ground had the sun stuck under there."
A woman looking around like she was expecting someone to be looking back. "More like the moon to me."
Someone with a hood over their head whose feet tapped the floor as if they were afraid it would vanish from under them. "You mean the mats?"
His listening was interrupted by a question directed at him.
"Mind if I sit with you, stranger?"
Anathra looked up. He had gotten a seat at the far edge of the bar, partially to avoid the possibility of this, but it had filled up a bit more than he realized, and next to him was one of the only seats left.
"Go ahead," he said, gesturing vaguely next to him. "Though I do hope you don't mind the fact that I'm not the greatest conversation partner."
"No need for that, I don't think you've got a story yet." The stranger was dressed in all black, not adventurers gear, closer to some of the scholars Anathra had seen. The only color was a long, thin scarf, color changing and wrapped around multiple times.
"That obvious, is it?"
"Well you aren't talking to anyone, and folks who come back up usually have someone they want to tell. Been around here long enough to know."
"Ah, a local then?"
"Born and raised. Never saw it this busy before Wonderland though. Definitely a change of pace."
Anathra nodded, looking around the bar. "Certainly a bit more like some places I've seen than your usual small town."
"Ah, a traveler. The mask makes more sense now." The stranger tilted his head a bit, half-gesturing towards the thing that covered one of Anathra's eyes and curled around half his face. "Your guild's mark?
"No, the mask is another story. Not one I'm telling tonight though." At the mention of it, his fingers went to the base of the mask, as if to check it was still there.
"A shame. Would love to hear it sometime."
The two sat in silence for a moment before Anathra realized something. "You never did give me your name, did you..."
He looked over, and the stranger was gone. In their place was a small pile of coins and a note. Consider your room on me. Just tell me your stories if you find me again. The ink was...almost just black. But rainbows danced across its surface at certain angles.
"Huh." Suppose a city on the outskirts of a place like Wonderland would have its share of odd people as well.
He picked up one of the coins, turning it in his hand. It didn't seem counterfeit or fae, both of which could be a danger to pay with. But it was still just a bit worrying. Anathra would rather not get in a deal if he could avoid it. He had the money for a room already. And so, he took the note, and the coin, and slipped it into his satchel. Not a worry for tonight.
He was falling down the rabbit hole tomorrow, after all.