He stood silent, unable to utter a word. In his mind, he had nerded out over this moment for his entire life; however, this was the first time he had to face one of his fantasies playing out in real-time.
A difference between a nerd and a geek is that geeks are the nerds that can live in groups. Nerds, on the other hand, are mostly anti-social. So while the professor could understand his students' enthusiasm about certain hobbies, he couldn't stand attending a fantasy convention, LARPing, or even playing a tabletop game of more than just two people.
Professor Anthony Hendrick|Hendrick would rather stay indoors, have a cup of herbal tea, and maybe watch a movie, read a comic, or even better, a sci-fi novel.
Alien stories were one of his passions: the technologies they have, the different biology that gave birth to them, their habitat, their needs, their culture, etc. So when your favorite hobby becomes something real, staring at you in the face, it is natural to get overwhelmed and black out in your own head for a second.
Aliens are real! That's one problem finally solved.
How do they speak? Are they telepathic? They have mouths, so they must be a talking race. The books called them the Grays, but they look like they have many shades of skin color. And those pointy long ears that resemble elves—these weren't in any conspiracy theory he read.
He hesitated even more! What to say? What to do? He is not designed for social interactions, let alone being the first man to speak to an alien.
He raised a hand, lips curving in a smile, and spoke:
"Hello!"
"Hey!"
That was too fast.
That alien, they "hey"ed him so quickly he was now sweating buckets and could no longer keep a smile.
Her voice was very human… very nice at that. Everything about her appearance was actually appealing. Eyes wide, hair long and black, even smiling so naturally, it is like she is just another girl from the university.
Still, a man of his age is able to compose himself, so he asked, caution in his voice, as his eyes scanned the alien:
"Who are you?"
"I am Kahori, and this is my sister, Samara. Say hello, Samara."
The alien in the back—dressed in a ninja-like manner despite it all being rags—put her right hand above her left and extended them very rigidly and awkwardly.
"Qimi." Samara spoke in a word that neither the professor nor any of his students understood.
"That's…" He pointed at Samara, then turned to Kahori, "A different language. How do you speak our language?"
Kahori smiled, took a single step towards the professor, causing all the students to step back and the ones holding firearms to focus on her. She lowered her hood and revealed a necklace made of colorful and beautiful stones, one of which had a character glowing on it.
She pressed her finger on the stone, and the character stopped glowing, then she spoke:
"Qi zeli ni, ziqi?"
"Translation technology! Of course."
The professor realized that such an alien technology should at least exist if the aliens were planning on making a visit to our world. It is just something he didn't think he would witness so casually.
She touched the character once again for it to glow and spoke:
"I assume you are the chief of this clan."
He looked around him and shook his head, replying:
"I am a professor, a teacher. These are my students."
"A Sage!" She raised her brows in shock and changed her attitude right away, "Such a noble person! We are humbled in your presence, sir."
Kahori performed the same greeting her sister did a while ago and added a slight bow to it, but she never ceased her posture.
"I am sure you are misunderstanding. I am just a teacher, not a leader. I hold no social hierarchy. Do you get that?" The professor spoke with humility, trying to stop the misunderstanding from developing further.
"Aren't you a man who passes his greater knowledge to those with lesser knowledge, and seeks to learn from those with knowledge greater than his?" She asked.
"Of course," he said.
"That is a very revered path in our past world. The Path of Sages, whom even the Kings must revere," she insisted.
"That is a very noble culture you have, Miss Kahori. But right now, I am but a man trying to survive," he said and didn't dwell on the matter. "I would love to accept you as guests, but the people I am with have suffered from monsters, and you, two… strangers that do not look like us may be seen as a threat."
"An insight expected of a Sage," Kahori said.
"Then may I know the purpose of your visit?" The Professor asked.
Kahori took off her large backpack and placed it on the ground, then fished out a tablet from it carved from silk-like materials.
"I shall now deliver you the high words of the Elden Kings," she said and spread the cloth scroll.
Professor Hendrick felt like it was something too great to be told to him, but he fixed his posture anyway.
"Greetings, inhabitants of this uncharted realm. We are Elden of Alfar, lords of the Alfari. Our world of origin, much like your own, has fallen to monstrous entities. We have pursued these creatures through the 'Rift|Hidden Paths' in an attempt to quell their endless invasion. Alas, the Lords of the Abyss are indomitable and seek our annihilation. We seek sanctuary for our people who do not embrace the Path of the Warrior, while those who do stand against the greater threats. Extend your aid to us, and we shall reciprocate in kind—a just exchange for a just alliance."
Kahori finished reading the message and put it down.
"Alfari?" The professor muttered.
"That we are, Lord Sage," she said and bowed. "I haven't been graced by your noble name."
"I am Anthony Hendrick, and as I said, I hold no power to speak of," he greeted her with the same respect she had shown him.
"Aanotuni? Henodi…" She asked as if she just encountered a tongue twister, then spoke in obvious distress, "I apologize, I am unable to comprehend your name, sir."
"It is not a problem, Miss Kahori," he said, then returned to the subject. "As said, I am a simple man with no power to negotiate with your kings. We are only survivors."
"I understand. In that case, my sister and I shall make camp nearby and search for any chiefs or kings among your people. If you know one, please guide us in their direction. I shall barter this information with information of my own," Kahori said.
"Wait! Are you a trader or an envoy?" The professor asked.
Kahori paused for a while before answering.
"I apologize. I understand that you meant to ask me between two things of different natures in your tongue, but my Mind Rune has translated the same word to me. In my understanding, I am a tongue which is both the things you asked for. I talk terms of alliance, and I exchange materials and knowledge of value."
Knowledge!
That's it! That's what he wanted all this time he was racking his brain in the office.
"You said I am a Sage. We can exchange all sorts of knowledge, right?" The professor asked.
Kahori's eyes widened as she nodded aggressively:
"Of course, to receive the words of a Sage is the highest honor," she said and made her pose of respect once again.
The professor turned to Raj and spoke:
"We need to get them inside. Tell the people these are visitors from other shelters who are sharing information with me."
"Sir, I advise against it," Raj said as he looked at the two aliens and then approached the professor. "I have nothing against them, but that woman in the back, Samara, I saw her fight a pack of Gobzkin before they approached our post. She was like a war machine that killed Gobzkins in close combat with strange powers."
"If they approached us with that kind of power and we are still alive, they don't seek to harm us. Plus, they are also victims of monsters. If we can learn from them to do what they do…"
"I get it," Raj said and exhaled. "Give me ten minutes. And make them disguise themselves before walking in."
The professor patted his student's back as the latter walked into the shelter and started making an announcement for the other survivors.
Crowd control was needed when hope is in short supply, and people may act stupid if they weren't told what they needed to hear. The professor and his students, who long protested the decision of the politicians in their campus, found themselves doing the same thing those whom they held in contempt once did.
An irony of fate, but those with responsibility must do everything in their power to achieve the best results possible for the sake of their people.
Professor Hendrick was now readying himself to know the mysteries of the invasion of monsters, how to stop them, and how to finally seek allies that can weaponize humanity in its hour of need.