Chapter 1 #2
"Ancelin is traditionally a woman’s name of ancient origin on Earth, though that shouldn't be relevant.
I've transferred the payment to your account and have upheld my part of the agreement so far.
I'm here, ready to take possession of the property. Please assist me with my belongings and take me to my house as promised. I appreciate your cooperation, Mr. Vallex, unless you intend to violate our contract. Hopefully, you’re not among the lawless fools you mentioned," Ancelin stated in a calm, professional manner.
"I don’t understand why it matters to you whether I have a protector or not.
We have a business arrangement, don't we? "
"Yeah, you're right, Ms. Trever. I really couldn't care less about what you do.
I momentarily forgot and slipped back into my old way of thinking, where I cared.
Follow me to my all-terrain vehicle. I'll load my stuff first, then you can load yours.
Do you need to stop at the general store before we leave?
I suggest you do. Don't expect me to take you to town tomorrow. It's a long drive to any town from where you’ll be living.” He headed towards his vehicle and began loading his boxes.
"Are you going to help me with my stuff?" Ancelin called out to Krevan.
"No, Ms. Trever." Krevan glanced over his shoulder. "You made it clear you're self-sufficient. I respect your independence. I'll park closer, though—just to be neighborly." He resumed loading his cargo.
Sweat beaded on Ancelin's forehead as she heaved her belongings into the vehicle. Krevan watched, occasionally barking directions. Later, at the general store, he advised her to stock up on essentials.
They left town with the vehicle packed tight.
Miles stretched between words as they drove.
The setting sun transformed the landscape with its rosy glow, casting long shadows across terrain that echoed Earth's diminishing wilderness.
Vibrant greens, impossibly blue water, and untamed meadows surrounded them—familiar yet somehow heightened, as if someone had adjusted the color saturation.
"The landscape matches the Galaxnet images perfectly," Ancelin observed, breaking the silence. “It’s really beautiful here.”
"If you say so," Krevan muttered. “Appearances can be deceiving, and remember beautiful things are often deadly.”
Undeterred, she tried again. "How much longer until we reach the property, Mr. Vallex?"
"Three more hours of driving ahead of us.
Silos is four hours from my land. Did you miss the part in my listing where I wrote 'remote' and 'rural'?
You're heading to nowhere, Ms. Trever. There's the town of Coti—a handful of buildings closer to the property—but don't expect much there either.
Just say the word when you're ready to return to Earth.” Krevan's eyes flicked sideways, measuring her reaction.
The silence between them hardened like cooling metal for another hour until the sky cracked open.
White-blue forks of electricity split the darkness, followed by thunder that rattled the vehicle's frame as they bounced over the uneven road.
"Is that—thunder?" Ancelin's voice thinned with surprise as she pressed closer to the windshield, looking upward.
"Yes, it's just beginning. The storm has arrived much earlier than anticipated.
Welcome to Verrian storms—intense and not for the timid.
Experiencing the weather here is a true Verrian adventure.
Hopefully, we'll make it home before the roads and fields become too muddy and slippery," Krevan said, glancing at Ancelin.
His eyes, reflecting the dim light, had an unusual gleam.
Ancelin gasped. "You're not an Earth human or any humanoid I'm familiar with. What are you? Your eyes reflect like those of some carnivorous predators on Earth. What humanoid species do you belong to?" she asked, attempting to steady her trembling hands.
Krevan smiled as lightning lit up his striking face.
"I'm a Triaxen humanoid. Sorry if my eyes startled you.
I assure you, I won't bite," he said, watching her with his eerie, otherworldly eyes.
His full smile revealed his sharp, white teeth, especially his prominent canines, which looked like deadly fangs. His smile lacked sincerity.
"A Triaxen—that explains your height and build. I'm sorry for my rude reaction. I've never met a Triaxen humanoid in person before, and I've never seen a humanoid with eyes like yours. "It caught me off guard," Ancelin said, trying to steady her trembling hands.
"Are you implying I'm like a carnivorous predator, Ms. Trever?" he asked, his irritation clear as he glared at her.
“No.” She shook her head.
"My ancestors were formidable hunters, and I've inherited many of their deadly and useful traits. But rest assured, I won't harm you unless provoked and I won’t eat you.”
“That’s good to know.” She bit her nail.
"Five years in Hellgate Prison didn't strip away all my manners," he said, jaw tightening. "Better you hear about my prison record from me than through Verrian gossip. People here... they keep their distance from me."
Ancelin's breath caught. "Hellgate Prison? The place they send people to die?"
Krevan's eyes flickered with something dangerous. "Being venomous has its advantages. Survival was one of them. It makes folks nervous and they typically leave me alone.”
They returned to their uneasy silence as thunder rumbled, and rain began to pour down in sheets.
"Can you see where you're going?"
Krevan ignored her question. Ancelin pressed herself against the door, as far from him as the vehicle allowed without tumbling out.
The all-terrain vehicle lurched sideways off the dirt road, cutting across open pasture. The sudden movement threw Ancelin toward the center console, her thigh brushing against Krevan's. She jerked away as if burned.
"Where are we going?" she asked, breaking the deafening silence between them.
"To the properties. Yours and mine sit within view of each other, but there's no proper road to get there." Rain hammered the roof. "We'll stop at my place first—I've got a garage. We can wait out the downpour before I take you to your house. Unless you prefer getting soaked to the bone."
Ancelin sat rigid, offering no response. Outside, the world had dissolved into sheets of water and darkness.
Krevan navigated with unnerving precision through the storm, his reflective eyes catching what little light remained.
"Having second thoughts, Earth girl?" His voice dropped low.
"You should be. You're stranded on this wild planet with an ex-con from Hellgate Prison as your only neighbor.
Just you and a Triaxen male who could snap you in half without trying.
" His attention returned to driving. "Bet you wish you'd listened to me now. "
"Mr. Vallex, I understand the risks." Ancelin's voice was steady despite her white-knuckled grip on the door handle.
"But your warnings, considerate as they are, won't send me running back to Earth.
If you're planning to intimidate me, I'd prefer you just get on with it. So far it’s not working.
" She pressed herself against the door panel, maintaining as much distance between them as the vehicle allowed.
"If intimidation were my goal, you'd know it.
" Krevan's eyes flashed in the darkness.
"I'm not sure what you're expecting, Ms. Trever," he said as they rounded a bend, revealing a sleek structure rising from the wild landscape.
The house stood defiantly modern against its untamed surroundings, its clean lines and expansive windows reminiscent of the luxury estates in Earth's wealthiest districts.
"Ancelin." Krevan's voice dropped an octave as he emphasized her name, his reflective eyes fixed on hers while the vehicle halted before a row of garage doors.
"A female neighbor wasn't part of my agreement.
When I'm... surprised, people tend to get hurt.
But I can adapt." He gestured toward a distant shadow barely visible through the downpour.
"Your place is back there—two hundred-thirty meters.
We'll wait out this deluge here, get some food.
Better to reach your house in daylight anyway.
That generator will need coaxing after sitting idle for so long.
" His finger jabbed a dashboard button, and one garage door lifted to reveal a meticulously organized space housing two other vehicles and a workshop area.
The vehicle glided into place with practiced precision.
As the engine died and the garage door sealed behind them with a mechanical thud, he added, "Grab what you need for the night.
Clean clothes, maybe." Lightning illuminated his face through a small window as he stepped out.
"If this storm keeps building, we might be checking tomorrow whether your roof survived.
" Without waiting for her response, he moved to retrieve his belongings from the back.
Ancelin jumped out of her door and hurried to the back of the vehicle to confront him.
“What do you mean whether my roof survives?
Are you saying you sold me a house that's falling apart?” She was flustered, placing her hands on her hips and staring at him intensely.
Her anxiety had been building, especially during the last two hours of their trip.
“No, Ancelin, it had a roof this morning.
It is an old, weathered building, and Verrian storms are harsh.
Remember, I sold it to you with an 'as is' clause.
The house needs work. It's been vacant for about eight months since I moved into this house, and it needed repairs when I left. You did look at the pictures and read the description, right?” Krevan paused in unloading the vehicle to wait for her reply.
"Yes," Ancelin replied, her eyes dropping to her feet.