There I was, walking through some kind of sandstone canyon. The air was shimmering with heat, and the sun beat down like a molten hammer. I might have heard them perhaps, had I not been so diminished by heat and thirst. As it was, I was taken by surprise when the first bolt whizzed past me to clatter off of the stone.
I looked up as I was unslinging my bow. There were four human raiders standing on a rock outcropping above me: one reloading a crossbow, and three more taking aim. I jumped out of the way of the second bolt, but the third took me in the flank as I was knocking an arrow. I shot the fourth marksman in the shoulder before he could fire, and turned to flee.
At that moment, something very weird happened. I felt as if a rope was tied around something deep inside me, and was lifting me up. At the same time the world appeared to spin, and I could make out shocked expressions on the humans' faces, even though I had been facing away from them a moment before. Then everything went black.
When I awoke, I was lying on my side in a field. I could see several of what appeared to be wattle-and-daub dwellings similar to the ones in my village, although they seemed strangely far away. "Ah, it's awake," said someone behind me. Their voice was raspy, and somehow small. "Welcome to Anima. Please don't take this the wrong way, but there are several crossbows pointed at you right now. We'd rather you didn't make any sudden movements."
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