My head wanted to explode.
I grew a huge hump on the back of it and couldn't help but hiss if something touched it. I felt dizzy and clueless about where I woke up or how I got there. The morning light irritated me and my bed nearly broke my spine.
To call it a bed felt too generous, just a stack of straw on the messy ground and I itched from it everywhere. Ugh, my head hurt badly, and worst of all, my stomach felt empty, grumbling all the time and that sound became too familiar by now.
I tried to remember, but things were hazy. I arrived at the university one moment and chased after a cute girl, then I turned into her somehow. The campus long disappeared, but what happened next?
I met Alex, but she looked different now, and... Yes, I found this settlement in the middle of the night. Someone cooked meat in here, a huge person, green and menacing, and then they hit me in the head.
I found myself still in one piece though and they put me in bed, whatever that meant. At least they didn't kill me, which seemed like a solid win with my current luck. To die twice on the same day, yes... I already died once.
For now, I still felt the lingering smell of food. It convinced me to move so I drowsily sat up to observe the room. It looked rather spartan and primitive, the round roof covered with reed, no chimney or a hole for the smoke to escape. They built the walls from dirt, with only a stool, a stove, a chest, and more straw in the way of furniture.
When I tried to look down two large mounds obstructed most of my vision, which I couldn't remember from earlier. They felt sensitive, I blinked in confusion while I inspected them. My head ached and after a hasty move, I felt sharp pain below that made me cry out.
As it turned out I sat on my tail... Yes, now I had a fluffy and warm appendage too. My hair was a mess though, entangled with the rest of my body and it took me a while to put the puzzle pieces together. Alexandra gave me this new body, meaning I didn't just dream it up. I died in the eyes of my family and everyone in my world, and my roommate hit on my sister. I needed to deal with that later.
I heard a noise and the tall, green, muscular woman from yesterday quietly observed me. Yes, she looked like a woman but with massive tusks. They made me jump after I cluelessly fondled my recently gained body parts right in front of her. I felt the blood rush to my face.
"I just... I wasn't!" I tried to explain myself as I let go of my chest and sat on my heels. I didn't even consider if she understood anything I said. She must have because she laughed. "What happened? Where am I?"
"Oh, you visited our small village at night, Goddess!" The creature said in a husky voice and I could perfectly understand every word. "The leader of the hunters put you to sleep since he thought a stray from the neighboring tribe came to steal our food. By accident, of course, the people became restless recently and acted before asking questions. If you'd like, I will punish him, once he returns from the hunt."
"G-goddess, me? N-no, I'm... Wait, you people know me?" I stuttered in confusion, but Alexandra introduced herself as the Goddess of Luck. I didn't want to impersonate her per se, but I needed to make the best out of the situation, whatever granted me food and safety. "Who are you?"
"Of course. While in the darkness we didn't recognize you, but everyone knows the great Alexandra." She bowed her head and from that huge creature, it felt surreal. "I am Charlotte, chief of this humble tribe. I welcome you with great pride and honor and sorry for that little incident..."
"No, you don't have to worry about it hahaha!" My voice sounded so different than it used to, I fought with my conscience but didn't want her to bonk my head again. "And would it change something, if I told you... Hypothetically of course, that I'm not the Goddess?"
"Our village welcomes everyone that means no harm to the orcs. Whatever your situation, I'm sure we can work things out." She ensured, looking strong and serious, a bit menacing, but her name sounded rather human-like. Her cultured and calm demeanor reassured me, and she immediately knew, I lied. "But if that were the case, I can't call you Goddess Alexandra, right?"
"Right... I'm Natha... I mean Nati. Nice to meet you, Charlotte." I introduced myself and stood up to reach out for a handshake. That's when I realized, I did not know the customs of this world. But she took my hand and nearly crushed it so I did my best to endure.
I wanted to ask her so many questions, but the first noise I let out came from my empty stomach so I set my priorities straight.
"Um, I assure you, I didn't come to steal your food, but I need something to eat before we continue." I kept adjusting my voice the whole time. While Alexandra's sounded soothing for my soul when I mumbled to myself, it behaved differently when I talked to others. I didn't want to send her the wrong signals with some accidental mockery. My headache reminded me not to upset them. "I'm embarrassed to say but I'm about to starve to death."
"Of course." She bowed again. "Follow me."
The orc woman led the way out of the shack. The village looked just as unimpressive during the day as at night. I couldn't observe my surroundings for long, but there wasn't much to find.
It felt rather lively though, robust green creatures ran around from children to the elderly, and they seemed busy. Yet each time one noticed me, they stopped to bow their heads. I returned the gesture to everyone.
I had a hunch, that they didn't give this much respect for anyone.
As much of a klutz, as this Goddess seemed to be, the people here knew Alexandra. I couldn't tell if they liked or feared her but I wanted to learn more. Not before I filled my stomach, of course. Charlotte led to some mess hall, the largest building across the little stream I followed here.
Easy to cross without a bridge, it gave the village a nice atmosphere and fresh water. I already imagined how I'd spend my days here, although I had no idea, what other options existed, or if I remained in this world forever. Not that it seemed that bad.
There must have been a reason why the Goddess decided to save me, but she disappeared too soon. I couldn't ask anything from her, and I assumed the worst. It seemed unlikely that this world needed programmers, and since I planned my whole life around that easy work-from-home idea, I needed to make new ones.
A table full of different dishes waited for me now, with some simple, others exotic-looking, they served fruits, meat, and things I could not recognize. Charlotte motioned me to eat but excused herself shortly after. I took my time to taste everything.
I must have been quite the sight. Every time I looked up from my plates, new eyes were fixed on me. The building filled up with orcs and the young ones curiously observed me.
They acted brave enough to sneak up on me, while the older ones kept their distance and leaned against the wall, on the opposite side of the mess hall. I barely noticed all this from the corner of my eyes, too focused on my food, but their stares made my skin tingle.
"Hey, hey, how is the boar?" One of the kids asked.
"Mhmm!" That was my honest answer.
"Can you eat it all?" Another chirped in.
"Mmm!"
"Can I braid your hair?" This one seemed like a little girl.
"Look at her go!" A fourth one yelled.
Even after devouring more food, than seemed possible during an entire week, I starved. This body had an insane capacity, and I imagined how spectacular it would have been if people saw Alexandra eat on the campus like this. I felt shy too but my hunger won.
I probably destroyed a tribe-sized menu, before I became too self-conscious to continue. I still wanted to eat a similar amount but felt embarrassed since my appetite seemed insatiable.
It scared me, where did all that food go? My soul occupied a body that looked and felt but behaved differently than I expected. And my long, messy black hair somehow ended up in two, rough braids in the meantime.
"Thank you for the food." I said, looking for the village leader. "Where did Charlotte go?"
"Mother is busy this morning but will return soon." The little girl explained, eyes glued to my hair. "Are you a Goddess?"
"I, um... No. But yes. Kind of." I couldn't explain something I did not fully understand either. "So is Charlotte your mother?"
"Hahaha, no, not like that." The other kids joined in. "She is the Mother of this tribe, but she doesn't have any children."
"She served as a slave in Cranta. Those can't have kids."
"Oh, is that like an oath or something?" I asked curiously, but they shook their heads. They happily explained the basics since I knew even less than the young ones.
"Not an oath, it's a curse. A curse!"
"It's part of their contract."
"The moment you are sold, you can't disobey your master."
"You become sterile too." They showered me with information from every corner of the mess hall. The kids didn't care if my questions sounded trivial or not. They raced to shout the best answers over each other's heads but of course, this led to a cacophony.
"As long as your master lives, you can't break free!"
"Even if they die, you'll remain sterile for life..." The little girl added.
"That sounds quite harsh." I shook my head.
"All of the Lesser Races were enslaved." The kids chirped.
"But Charlotte was special, she served a mage." She explained proudly. "Only personal slaves got an actual contract."
"Really? And what happened to her master?" I asked curiously.
"He disappeared, of course, just like the rest of them, thanks to you."