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| The | | The Siege of the Questing Stone is a a story written by [[Fax Celestis]] (with a few parts by [[Greg Russell]] as part of his work on [[Naudia'Diva]]n history and mythology. Technical problems corrupted the version of it on ShireWiki, but it can still be found in an easily readable form on the forum: [http://shireroth.kuroshiro.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=4128 The Rite of Initiation]. |
| bright rays of the early morning sun began to peek throug Ravius'
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| window, reminding him of the task he had sworn to perform today. It
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| wasn't that he didn't want to do it, but simply a matter of
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| uncertainty.
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| He didn't know what to expect, and hated that feeling. It had been a
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| year and a half since he had washed up on the island, where the
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| [[Hunters of the Stag]] found him unconscious.
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| His first memory on the island--indeed, his first memory because of his
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| severe amnesia--had been in this very same chamber.
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| His past was locked behind a giant door, one he couldn't open despite
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| his efforts. Countless times he had tried to remember his past, and
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| each time the door had slammed in his face.
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| Whatever he had been, he was no more. There was only present and future
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| for him now, and the Hunters had taken him in without hesitation,
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| without fear, without hatred. He knew this was where he belonged, and
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| he had tried to fit in ever since.
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| He slowly sat up in bed nad absently rubbed at the tattoos on his left
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| arm. Both his arms were several interlapping tatoos with strange images
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| and unrecognizable languages on them. His left arm held a female
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| [[vampire]], wearing a torn dress, fading into dark images with strange
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| writing. His right arm was the opposite, crowned by a [[phoenix]]. He
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| was sure they meant something to someone, but every time he tried to
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| think about it, the ever-present door shut him out.
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| They hadn't give him any specfic time to be anywhere, but he wanted to
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| get an early start. He stood up and ran his hand through his black
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| shoulder-length hair. It was always messy, but the girls seemed to like
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| it, so he never bothered with it.
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| He had slept in black pants, but he quickly shrugged into a green,
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| short-sleeved shirt and went through his humble assortment of weaponry.
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| He grabbed his short bow and quiver of arrows and slung both over his
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| back. He was to receive a special dagger today, reserved for the Rite
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| he was about to perform.
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| His weapon-of-choice went into his belt: a [[kama]] with a long chain
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| attached to the pommel. It wasn't a 'native' weapon like the Hunter's
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| long and short bows, but it had found a place among the assortment of
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| immigrants here. Despite his favor, it would have to be his last-resort
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| weapon. It was designed for combat, not hunting. It would be perfect
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| against a [[goblin]], or Horjin-forbid, a [[dragon]] or a [[chimaera]],
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| but otherwise it'd have to stay as a backup.
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| With one last glance at his weapons, he gathered a greenish-black
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| cloak, put on his boots, and drew on long gloves.
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| He was ready. It was now or never. This would prove if he could truly
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| become a Hunter of the Stag.
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| Ravius took a deep breath, walked down the stairs, and stepped through
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| a large doorway into the great hall, where he was greeted by cheers. He
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| stood still, enjoying the applause for a moment, then walked up to the
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| [[Triat]]. The First, a young and hale Hunter by the name of Rutaus,
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| regarded him with a smile and gave him an arrow. Black-tipped and made
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| of a wood Ravius couldn't identify, it felt lighter than it should, but
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| also gave the impression that it would go through a brick wall should
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| the need arise.
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| Ravius turned to the second part of the Triat, the [[Aurajinrale]]. She
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| smiled, her pretty features blemished only by her lack of pupils.
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| Still, she had no trouble handing him a bone dagger carved with many
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| runes and blessings.
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| Ravius took the dagger and fitted it into the empty sheath at his belt.
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| He paused, then turned to the third member of the Triat: the High
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| Priest.
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| [[Fax Celestis]] regarded him with a silent stare, then motioned for | |
| silence.
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| "Some years ago, you became one of us in body. Today, you become one of
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| us in spirit."
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| The crowd's voice rose and fell again quickly when motioned for quiet.
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| "You are to journey forth, like every Hunter has, into the wilds of
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| this island. You are to live off the land, with no contact with the
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| outside world, until you return to us with a sign that a spirit has
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| chosen you.
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| "Your name, Ravius, means 'guardian.' We gave you that name after you
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| refused to let us anywhere near
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| you or your few posessions when we first met. Of course, you were
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| half-mad at the time..." A slight scattering of laughter. "...but
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| you're better now.
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| "I will give you one piece of advice, Ravius: stay true to your name.
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| "Now go forth, as each of us have before you, as even mighty
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| [[Sagittarius]] did, and make us proud. When you return, you shall | |
| truly be one of us!"
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| At this, the crowd went absolutely crazy, though they managed to part
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| enough to leave the way from the main hall to the front gate relatively
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| clear. Smiling, Ravius turned and walked through the ranks of the
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| Hunters, shaking hands, saying final goodbyes, and behind it all,
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| trying to stop being nervous.
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| He stopped at the front gate, and the cheering behind him died. In
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| front of him lay the [[Auleauk Desert]]. Smiling to himself, he steeled
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| himself and stepped forward.
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| As he walked out the door, he swore he wouldn't look back. He wouldn't
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| back until he found what he was looking for: a sign that a spirit had
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| chosen to be his totem.
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| He didn't know what that sign would be, how long it would take, bue he
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| knoew this was his sole focus now. He would go out into the desert and
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| hunt for food. He would explore. He would search his divided soul and
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| try to find something inside worthy to be blessed.
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| He hoped and prayed that a perfect soul was not needed.
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| Ravius was so distracted with these thoughts that he didn't even notice
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| someone approaching him until he felt the knife to his throat.
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| "You're going out on the [[Initiation Ceremony|Initiation Rite]], and
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| you can't even stop a lowly initiate from killing you? You're going to
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| come back in pieces, you know."
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| He should have been suprised, but [[Taaxa]] was always doing things
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| like this.
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| 'Taax', in Horjinic, means 'death,' and the added 'a' made it female.
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| She fit her name to the letter. She was always deathly pale and some
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| even rumored that she was cursed to always cause death around her.
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| Unlike most of the Hunters, though, Ravius didn't pay much attention to
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| superstition and actually rather liked Taaxa. He was probably her only
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| real friend, and Taaxa preferred it that way.
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| He slipped out of her arms, saying, "Are you trying to jinx me, Death?"
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| "Of course. You know I always cause trouble," she replied, sheathing
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| her long knife. It looked like she was trying to say something, but was
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| having trouble getting it out. An awkward silence vell over the two,
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| and Ravius ran his hand through his hair again.
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| "Well, if there's nothing else I need to get going. I--"
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| She interrupted him, apparently blushing. "Come back alive, Ravius.
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| This isn't me...I hate being stupid like this, but..."
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| Now this suprised him. Such gentleness coming from a woman with her
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| name was rare. He recovered from the shock fairly quickly and got in a
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| word before she finished: "You don't have to say any more. I know." He
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| smiled a small smile. "I don't want to ruin your good name."
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| She laughed quietly, another unusual thing. She stared at him for a few
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| moments, then reached into her cloak and pulled out a pendant. It was a
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| shard of a black stone.
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| "It's a Shardstone from my homeland. Legend has it that a great jewel
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| once gave our ruler a terrific power, but one day he was betrayed and
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| overthrown. The Stone was blackened and shattered, and the noble
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| families loyal to the old king were secretly given shards of the Stone.
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| I want you to have it now. So don't forget me."
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| He accepted the pendant and put it on. "I'll be sure to give it back
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| when I return."
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| "Good."
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| They turned their backs to each other and went their separate ways:
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| Ravius into the Auleauk and Taaxa back into the Temple.
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| Ravius had been here many time before, but never for more than a few
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| days at a time, and never before alone. Initiates didn't do that,
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| especially not with the double risk of both [[sandworm]]s and
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| [[landshark]]s. Perhaps he would be lucky enough to avoid them, but
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| seemingly luck was never on his side.
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| After another few minutes of walking, Ravius was truly inside the
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| Auleauk. A stark wasteland stretched before him, and he wasn't sure how
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| he would survive here. Truly the
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| great geomancer Sagittarius had power beyond his own understanding. Of
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| course, that wasn't hard with Ravius, since he had no aptituce for
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| magic at all. He had heard, though, that even the best geomancers on
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| the planet couldn't figure out how the environments were maintained.
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| Creating it would have been easy, but to maintain such a place would
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| need the power of a god.
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| As he was about to cross what was commonly referred to as "the Edge,"
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| he stopped for a second to reflect. This was it. He would find a
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| [[totem]] animal or he would die trying. As he took the first step, he
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| was suprised to note that the crystal Taaxa had given him was glowing.
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| Suddenly, in the bushes next to him he heard a rustle, and out popped a
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| [[jackalope]]. So that was why she had given it to him: whenever a
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| potential threat was nearby, it glowed to warn the wearer. Maybe that
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| was how she always knew when an animal was nearby.
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| He drew his bone dagger and drew up in a fighting stance. jackalopes
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| were generally harmless, but he was still an apprentice, and plenty of
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| initiates had met a rather embarrasing end by underestimating a
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| threatened jackalope. As if on cue, the animal drew its head slightly
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| downward, ready to rush. As Ravius was about to commit to a deadly
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| thrust, a second rustle in the bushes alerted him to the presence of
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| more jackalopes in the area. He realized he had stumbled into a
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| jackalope nesting area, and this jackalope was doing no more than
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| guarding his family. The entrance to the warren was probably hidden in
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| the bushes.
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| "My apolgies," he said. "I will bother you no further."
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| It wasn't actually in any of the codes that you couldn't kill an animal
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| if it was simply guarding its family, but it was definitely an
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| unwritten rule. After all, karma was expected to be reciprocated in
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| kind. He slowly backed away from the anima and sheathed his dagger. As
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| if understanding his intentions, the animal lifted its head and quickly
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| crawled back into the warren.
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| 'That's one way to make a friend,' thought Ravius as he turned form the
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| jackalope's nest, traveling rather quickly from patches of scrub brush
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| to honest-to-Horjin-land-of-the-sandworms desert.
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| There's something about being alone in the desert that makes you feel
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| infintessimally small. Perhaps it's the fact that you can see the sky
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| meet the horizon around you in all directions. Perhaps it's the
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| gigantic dunes.
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| Or perhaps it's when you step over a dune and witness a sandworm
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| battling it out with a landshark.
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| Ravius paused, watching the two monsters battle each other. It was
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| amazing seeing their gigantic forms twisting across the desert, each
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| trying to best the other. When they started coming towards him,
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| however, he turned and ran the other way. Discretion, in some cases, is
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| the better part of survival.
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| Suddenly there was a loud explosion, and bits of both sandworm and
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| landshark rained down around him.
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| Ravius paused. What had done that?
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| He went back to the crest of the dune and peeked over, exposing as
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| little of himself as possible.
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| Coming his way were eight [[Neligan]] mages, apparently extremely
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| pissed off.
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| Ravius swore to himself. Of all the times the [[followers of Nelig]]
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| could have chosen to take a hike on this island, they chose to now.
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| During his Initiation. Bastards.
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| With aid, perhaps he could have fought them. They had raw magical power
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| on their side, but the Hunters had the [[Earth-Mother]]'s blessing. He
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| didn't know what they were doing here, but he had to warn the others,
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| even at the cost of defiling his Initiation.
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| He ran back the way he came, silently wishing he were faster. The
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| followers of Horjin and [[Nelig]] had never gotten along. Fights
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| between the two went back as far as their parent gods, even before they
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| ascended.
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| No, if the Neligan were here, it was bad news.
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| Ravius slowed down and stopped, thinking. Fax Celestis had reminded him
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| to "be true to his name." And his name meant "Guardian of the God-Cat."
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| Could it be that Fax Celestis or the Aurajinrale had forseen this?
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| Would they still have sent him out if they had known about the Neligan?
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| Ravius pondered this for a few moments more, then came to a decision:
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| he would go back and do what he could to delay or obstruct the
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| Neligan's warpath.
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| Of course, with their magical powers, what good could he do?
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| Well, he did have the training that all Hunters received. He knew how
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| to make a variety of makeshift traps, and he had his bow. It might be a
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| war of attrition, but it would have to do.
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| Quickly he ran back around a few dunes, keeping within earshot of the
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| Neligan. They were mumbling to themselves, but it didn't sound like any
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| language that he had heard before.
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| Off to one side was the jackalope's nest he had stumbled across
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| earlier. 'Too bad that friend can't give me a hand now,' he thought.
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| He pulled out a few arrows and pushed them, flights first, into the
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| ground, so that just the tips of the heads were sticking out. Hopefully
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| these would act somewhat like caltrops and slow them down enough for
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| him to do some sniping.
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| He paused for a moment, then thought about what else he could do.
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| He smiled slowly, then formed his hands into a shallow bowl and blew
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| into them in a specific manner. The end result was a call that sounded
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| like a roc's war cry.
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| An angry [[roc]] would be here in minutes.
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| Ravius stood and searched the skies. Off in the distance, he could make
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| out a black winged form. Definitely a roc.
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| A tap on his shoulder made Ravius jump, then turn around very slowly. A
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| Neligan mage, his wolf-fur clothes and shaggy beard going in every
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| direction, stood in front of him, grinned, and proceeded to shoot a
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| lightning bolt into Ravius' chest.
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| He braced for the expected pain, not even daring to breathe.
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| And waited.
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| He looked down at his chest, than back at the warlock. What happened?
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| Why wasn't there a blackened hole? Before he had time to react, the
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| Neligan fired another bolt, this time without the smile.
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| Nothing happened. No magic, no lightning, no anything. Ravius knew that
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| he wouldn't get a second chance and quickly drew his kama. The Neligan
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| wizard, frightened, began to run away, but the chain on Ravius' kama
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| wrapped around his legs and the Neligan toppled forwards into the sand.
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| Brandishing the blade on the kama, he flipped the Neligan over and got
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| straight to business: "What are you doing here?"
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| The Neligan laughed. “We’re here for the [[Questing Stone]].”
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| ‘The Questing Stone?’ thought Ravius. ‘Why would they want the Questing
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| Stone?’
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| “You fools have no idea, do you? About the enormous magical potential
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| the Stone has within it? Why do you think Sagittarius carved his ‘holy
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| precepts’ in it?” He squirmed, trying to free his feet from the grip of
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| Ravius’ kama. “There are seventy of us coming, and that’s just from the
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| desert. We will take it, and kill you all.”
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| Hearing Sagittarius’ name spoken in such a derogatory manner filled
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| Ravius with a terrible rage. He roared and slashed downwards with his
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| kama, cutting clean through the Neligan’s throat. There was a burbling
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| sound, and then the Neligan died.
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| Instantly, eight heads turned towards the sound and stormed over the
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| dunes from all directions. Ravius stood over the dead Neligan at the
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| center of the rough circle.
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| ...and everything faded away...
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| Ravius stood before a gigantic jackalope, easily seven feet tall
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| without the antlers. It spoke, though its’ mouth did not move. “I am
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| Jackalope-That-Fears-No Magic. You spared me, Ravius. Now I guard you.
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| You are safe from the magics of all except the jackalopes. Slay these
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| eight, true to your name, and you shall truly be one of the Hunters.”
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| And with that, the apparition faded away.
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| Ravius again stood among the Neligan, his pendant shining brightly. He
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| smiled and dove forward, tackling the first Neligan. A kama’s point
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| through the chest sent him down. Several spells of varying degrees of
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| destructiveness struck both him and the Neligan immediately, finishing
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| off the Neligan and sending several spells ricocheting in all
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| directions. Two more Neligan fell, victim to their own spells.
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| Ravius stood, and the Neligan stared in horror. He spun and threw his
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| bone knife into the forehead of one, dropped, rolled, and wrapped the
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| tail
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| of his kama around the legs of another, pulling him into a third. Both
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| died quickly at the hands of their allies’ spells.
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| The two remaining Neligan raised their hands and began chanting in
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| unison. Ravius faced them, twirling the kama in front of him like a
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| fan. The chanting reached a climax, and a great gout of flame rushed
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| over Ravius. The screams of the Neligan affirmed Ravius’ idea: his kama
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| was protected as well, and served as a sort of extendable shield.
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| All nine of the Neligan now lay about him, in various degrees of dead,
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| and he retrieved and cleaned his weaponry. As he went to sheathe the
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| bone knife, however, he found that a jackalope antler was already in
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| the sheath. He left the bone knife at the entrance to the jackalope’s
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| den, and ran back towards the Temple.
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| Ravius returned to the Temple to find it beset from all sides. There
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| were Neligan fighting Hunters everywhere, and a nearly continuous hail
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| of arrows rained down from the Temple tower. Looking up to see who it
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| was, Ravius was started to see the High Priest alone at the top of
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| tower, shooting arrows at an alarming rate.
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| Glancing to his left, Ravius saw the First fighting alongside the
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| Aurajinrale, keeping the Neligan back from the front gate almost
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| entirely by themselves. He ran to join them. Other Hunters provided him
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| covering fire from atop the Temple ramparts, either with arrows or with
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| magic. Surprisingly, very few Hunters actually on the field, and it
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| became startlingly apparent why in the following moments: the
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| Aurajinrale took an arrow to the throat, followed closely by spells of
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| a Path that Ravius had never seen before, but presumed was the [[Path
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| of the Stygian Nightmare]].
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| Ravius heard the First swear and swing his pear in a mighty arc, neatly
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| decapitating two [[Neligan wolf-riders]], while a third fell to a
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| blurred figured that had jumped off the Temple rampart. He realized
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| that the blur was Taaxa, her long daggers slashing in all directions.
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| Then the Neligan noticed him.
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| Arrows, sling-stones, and bolts of fire all shot his way, and Ravius
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| felt time slow to a standstill. Reflexively, he reached down inside
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| himself, grabbed hold of...of something, and twisted. ‘This must be
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| what it feels like to cast magic,’ thought Ravius, as he watched his
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| hand in front of him blur.
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| He heard the voice of Jackalope-Who-Fears-No-Magic speaking. “Walk the
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| Path of the Nimble Jackalope, Guardian of the God-Cat, and you shall
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| survive this day.”
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| Ravius felt another twist, and the world sped back to normal speed.
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| Arrows and sling-stones pelted around and through him, but he was
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| unharmed. Spells fizzled out short of their intended target. Several
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| Neligan gasped.
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| Another twist, and suddenly Taaxa was unblurred, and Ravius was running
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| alongside her. The pair swept through the Neligan like the wind, and
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| when they finished a dozen Neligan lay dead. Those who were still
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| standing ran back to more fortified positions.
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| And the first day of the siege ended.
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| ----
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| “All told, we are effectively down to half-power. Nearly a hundred are
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| injured, and just under fifty are dead, including the Aurajinrale,
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| Horjin save her,” spoke the High Priest. “Thankfully, we have an
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| estimation of them and their forces now, and we have the Temple. Both
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| are distinct advantages.” He turned to Ravius. “I assume you have
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| returned with good news?”
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| Ravius nodded, and placed the jackalope’s antler on the table. A few
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| chuckles, a couple gasps, and a few questioning murmurs tumbled from
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| the crowded Hunters. A slow smile crept over the face of the High
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| Priest. “I should have known, Ravius.”
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| A yell came from outside, the First and his watch calling for help. “A
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| new Aurajinrale shall surface soon!” called the High Priest to the
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| Hunters as they swarmed out of the room. “Ravius! Taaxa! Stay here!”
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| Once all the others had left, the High Priest approached the two. “I
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| have a mission for you,” he said. “Take the Questing Stone and run.
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| Hide it, somewhere where only you two will know where it is.” He
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| reached in his pocket and pulled out a small stone. It glowed slightly
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| blue. The High Priest handed it
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| to Ravius.
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| “This is it?” Ravius asked. “I thought...”
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| “...the Questing Stone was the green rock in the center of the Temple?
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| It is, in a sense. Everyone but the Pentat, and now you, believes that
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| green stone to be the true Questing Stone. That grants it a modicum of
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| magical power. But this is the real stone.”
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| He paused. “Belief is a power thing. The Hunters believe the green rock
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| is the Questing Stone, and that belief gains a semblance of reality.
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| The Neligan believe they can take the Questing Stone from us, and they
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| try because of that. You, Ravius, believed you couldn’t perform magic,
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| and because of that you couldn’t. Now go! Take the Stone and run!”
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| Ravius stood, dumbstruck at what the High Priest had said. Taaxa
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| grabbed his wrist and ran out the door, dragging him behind.
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| “Now let us hope there is something for you to come back to,” the High
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| Priest said to himself, picking up his bow and stepping out the door.
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| Outside, the battle raged, the night illuminated by momentary flashes
| |
| of magic. The High Priest mumbled a few words and his arrow lit on
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| fire. Shooting it into the air at an angle so steep it had no hopes of
| |
| hitting anything, he cried, “[[Aurarengo]]!” Moments later, great bolts
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| of fire rained down into the battlefield, causing troops of both sides
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| to scatter.
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| Only the First remained on the field, locked in combat with six
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| Neligan.
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| “To the walls!” he cried to the Hunters, and unquestioningly they ran
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| for the Temple, firing arrows behind them as they went. The Neligan,
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| driven back by the arrows and raining fire, returned to a relatively
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| safe distance.
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| And still the First and the six Neligan stood together, none willing to
| |
| make the first move. In a blur of violence, tow of the Neligan leapt at
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| the First, unnatural talons sprouting from their fingers. The First’s
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| armor and spear glowed blue as he spun, his spear slicing through one
| |
| but getting stuck in the second.
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| Three arrows sailed at him and he dove, two of them missing him
| |
| completely. The third he grabbed in an unreal blur of motion and threw
| |
| back at its’ source. A scream indicated that the First had scored a
| |
| hit.
| |
| The fourth remaining Neligan spoke a few words and the ground opened
| |
| around him. A gigantic landshark covered in sharp quills heaved itself
| |
| out of the ground and eyed the First hungrily.
| |
| Terrified, the First abandoned his spear and dove under the
| |
| [[bullete]], pulling out two long knives and slashing the creature’s
| |
| unarmored stomach. The landshark howled in pain and rolled sideways,
| |
| leaving the First totally uncovered. Four arrows shot at him, catching
| |
| him twice in the chest, once in his right arm, and once in his left
| |
| leg.
| |
| Undaunted, the First stumbled to his feet, braced himself, and took
| |
| four more arrows in the chest. He reeled, then threw both knives into
| |
| one of the Neligan. He fell to his knees, and the bullete shot a large
| |
| quill into his back. He screamed and pitched forwards, landing facedown
| |
| on the Neligan he had left his spear in.
| |
| The world seemed to pause.
| |
| The First grabbed his pear, levered himself to his feet, ripped the
| |
| spear out of the body, and threw it at the bullete. It hung in the air
| |
| for a moment, then glowed orange and shot forward like a rocket,
| |
| driving through the bullete’s eye and coming out its’ back. Another
| |
| three arrows shot the First in his back, and he once again fell face
| |
| first onto the ground.
| |
| Showing incredible fortitude, the First reached to his right and seized
| |
| the bow of a fallen Neligan. He rolled onto his back, grabbed a
| |
| discarded arrow, and shot it straight up.
| |
| There was a terrible pause and silence, until the Neligan and Hunters
| |
| heard the thunder. Several bolts of lighting struck in quick
| |
| succession, surrounding the prone First, incinerating the surviving
| |
| Neligan and the dying bullete. More lightning struck, until the area
| |
| around the First was one gigantic lightning bolt.
| |
| And then there was again silence.
| |
| A great roar rose in the throats of the Hunters, and hundreds of arrows
| |
| rained out from the ramparts of the Temple. Archers blind with fury
| |
| shot arrow after arrow, killing many Neligan before they
| |
| were able to retreat out of range.
| |
| And the first day of the siege truly ended.
| |
| ----
| |
| During the fighting, Taaxa and Ravius managed to slip over the Temple
| |
| wall and run for the reaches of the Hordius Ten jungle. Just as they
| |
| were at the jungle’s edge, they saw the lighting behind them and felt a
| |
| great sorrow in their hearts. “...no...” whispered Taaxa, “Not him. Not
| |
| the First.” Ravius stood openmouthed while Taaxa stifled a sob.
| |
| Shaking himself, Ravius grabbed Taaxa’s arm and started dragging her
| |
| towards the jungle, but she resisted, reaching out towards where the
| |
| lightning flashes had originated and crying in earnest.
| |
| And the still-discomforting time lapse came over Ravius again. He heard
| |
| several thwupping sounds and saw, in slow motion, several arrows sail
| |
| across the moonlight. Still slowed, he pulled Taaxa’s arm and she
| |
| stumbled towards him. Four arrows thunked into the ground around her,
| |
| while a fifth went through the palm of her outstretched hand.
| |
| Immediately she came to her senses, yelped in pain, and tore off
| |
| towards the jungle just behind Ravius. She pulled the arrow through as
| |
| she ran, tossing it off to one side and speeding forwards.
| |
| More arrows slammed into the ground around them as the jungle rushed
| |
| nearer.
| |
| It appeared one of the Neligan wasn’t satisfied with simply arrows: a
| |
| lightning bolt glanced off Ravius and struck a tree.
| |
| “Dammit!” Taaxa swore. “Why can’t we get away?”
| |
| Ravius tried to speed himself with Jackalope’s power, but the twist in
| |
| his gut was stopped by something. He growled under his breath, spun
| |
| around and drew his bow.
| |
| Taaxa stopped. “Ravius! What’re you doing?” She wrapped a bandage
| |
| around her hand as she spoke, covering herself from arrows with a
| |
| fallen tree.
| |
| “Being true to my name,” he replied, and let loose an arrow. There was
| |
| a squishing noise, followed closely by a thud.
| |
| Taaxa smiled, tying off her bandage, and said, “You know, sometimes you
| |
| don’t make sense, Ravius, but it’s those times I admire you most.”
| |
| Another squish, thunk, thud as Ravius let fly another arrow. “That’s
| |
| all right,” he replied, readying another shot, “a lot of this doesn’t
| |
| make sense to me.” Thunk. “Like what the High Priest said about faith.”
| |
| Thunk. A scream. “I couldn’t use magic because I believed I couldn’t.”
| |
| Thunk. A gurgling sound, followed by crashing brush. An arrow zinged
| |
| over his shoulder. “Now that I’ve been chosen by Jackalope, I don’t
| |
| think I can.” Twang. Another scream, and the sound of one man running
| |
| away. “That is, except for what I can gather from walking the Nimble
| |
| Jackalope’s Path.” Twang. The running man stopped. “And what about who
| |
| I am? Where I’m from? How did I get here?”
| |
| Taaxa shrugged. “Sometimes the gods call us to great things.” She
| |
| paused. “Think they’re gone?”
| |
| “Yeah, they are,” Ravius replied. “We should set up for the night. I’ll
| |
| take first watch.”
| |
| The night passed uneventfully, though Ravius’ dreams were filled with
| |
| Jackalope-Who-Fears-No-Magic, teaching him about the [[Path of the
| |
| Nimble Jackalope]], [[Horjinic magic]], and the language of the
| |
| jackalopes.
| |
| When Ravius woke, he sat up to see Taaxa boiling some water and putting
| |
| together a poultice. She spoke without turning. “I did a little
| |
| scouting, looted the bodies of those Neligan, gave them a decent
| |
| burial. Look what I found.” She indicated a pile of miscellaneous odds
| |
| and ends. Curious, Ravius sifted through it. He found several short
| |
| bows, a few quivers, three long knives, and a roll of parchment covered
| |
| in unfamiliar runes. “What’s this?” he asked.
| |
| Taaxa shrugged, wrapping the poultice around her hand. “No idea,” she
| |
| replied, “but I thought the High Priest would find it interesting.”
| |
| Ravius nodded. “Probably would. You got the Stone?”
| |
| She patted her pocket, then pulled a blade out of the boiling water.
| |
| “One of the Neligan carried this.” The dagger was ornately wrought,
| |
| hooked on the end, and was engraved with several runes. Looking closer,
| |
| Ravius realized those runes as the word for “Eversharp.”
| |
| “Let me see that,” he said. Taaxa handed it to him on a piece of
| |
| leather, saying, “Watch out, it’s hot. I sterilized
| |
| it.”
| |
| He looked at the detail of the blade, his gaze traveling down to the
| |
| grip. He jumped as he realized that it was ivory carved to look like a
| |
| tiger. A worn tiger, but a tiger nonetheless. “This is Horjinic! Why
| |
| does a Neligan have it?”
| |
| Taaxa stared at him. “That’s what I was wondering.”
| |
| Ravius touched the blade gingerly, and found that it was already cool.
| |
| “Wow, this thing’s obviously enchanted with something.” He looked at it
| |
| once more, and said, “Mind if I hang on to it?” Taaxa shook her head.
| |
| “You’re awfully quiet today, Taaxa. You alright?”
| |
| She hung her head. “...not really,” she whispered. “The First was a
| |
| good friend of mine.”
| |
| Ravius sat down next to her, sheathing the knife, and put his arm
| |
| around “I’m sorry,” he said as she nuzzled into his shoulder
| |
| momentarily. The action seemed to reinvigorate her, as she stood up and
| |
| said, “Come on, let’s find something to eat.”
| |
| ----
| |
| Dawn broke over the Temple slowly, bathing the scorched and battered
| |
| battlefield in liquid-golden light. But the morbid beauty didn’t stir
| |
| the hearts of the Hunters. Instead, the Temple was near a state of
| |
| panic that morning. The entire [[Pentat]], except for the High Priest,
| |
| had been slain in the previous day, and the Hunters were concerned
| |
| about their surviving leadership. Despite their protests, the High
| |
| Priest refused to leave his post at the top of the tower except to
| |
| sleep and eat. Other Hunters patrolled the Temple ramparts watching for
| |
| even the slightest indication that the Neligan were attacking again.
| |
| And then it came.
| |
| A cry from the rampart, followed in quick succession by a few more,
| |
| warned of a coming attack. But Fax couldn’t see Neligan anywhere on the
| |
| ground.
| |
| Arrows began flying upwards as dark shadows swooped towards the Temple.
| |
| Fax swore to himself for not thinking that the Neligan could use rocs
| |
| to attack from the air.
| |
| Some dove for the Hunters of the ramparts, but most were driven off by
| |
| the hail of arrows swarming upwards. One roc succumbed to the arrows
| |
| and fell, landing mere yards from the wall.
| |
| Fax mumbled to himself, and drew three black arrows. Each had an eye
| |
| etched into the head. He notched one and fired, piloting it with his
| |
| mind’s eye to its’ mark. Another roc fell, the arrow protruding from
| |
| its’ throat.
| |
| A fury began to well within him, a fury only those who walked the
| |
| [[Path of the Berserk Sandworm]] felt. He dropped his bow and drew his
| |
| pair of blade talons. Without a second thought, he dove out of the
| |
| tower, streaking towards a roc like a diving peregrine. He connected
| |
| with the roc with a sickening crunch: the roc’s ribcage had shattered
| |
| from the impact. Pushing off, he jumped for another, landing talons
| |
| first in its’ neck. The roc cried a burbling scream and blood flowed
| |
| out onto Fax, soaking him from head to foot.
| |
| Fax jumped to the ground and tapped into the [[Bloodwrath]] in others
| |
| who walked the Berserk Sandworm’s Path. Voices of those touched by the
| |
| Bloodwrath screamed and joined Fax on the field, several of them by
| |
| jumping over the wall.
| |
| And then Fax felt the fury rise like never before. He threw his head
| |
| back, and he roared, and he changed.
| |
| His body elongated and his clothes and gear merged into his body. His
| |
| skin grew tough and leathery, and his eyes sunk backwards. The roar
| |
| became a scream, an animal primal scream, from before the age of man.
| |
| And then, where Fax had stood moments before, lay a sandworm. An
| |
| immense sandworm of raw, primal energy and berserk, red fury trembled
| |
| and twitched.
| |
| It screamed, and the ground itself trembled in fear. Rocs fell to its
| |
| thrashing tail and fled from its gnashing teeth. Those the Bloodwrath
| |
| had summoned chased some of the fleeing rocs, but few were brought
| |
| down.
| |
| When it was over, seven rocs lay broken and dying, just from the
| |
| sandworm alone.
| |
| And in the center of the carnage lay Fax, returned to his normal form,
| |
| shivering with adrenaline and fear. One of the retreating berserkers
| |
| picked him up and brought him inside the Temple walls.
| |
| One Hunter slipped out and began harvesting roc’s feathers and blood,
| |
| components for some spells.
| |
| ----
| |
| The screams of the rocs were hidden by the jungle’s branches, but the
| |
| earthquake was not. It wasn’t violent enough to throw Ravius and Taaxa
| |
| to the ground, but it did frighten some animals. The pair chalked it up
| |
| to magical activity.
| |
| “So, now, Taaxa, we’re relatively safe. We’ve at least lost the Neligan
| |
| in here. But we can’t stay here forever.”
| |
| Taaxa nodded. “There’s only so much jungle to hide in. But I know
| |
| somewhere where they’ll never find us.”
| |
| Ravius looked at her questioningly, toying with the Eversharp. “Oh?
| |
| Where?”
| |
| “The [[Sagittandi Caves]],” she replied, looking northwards at the
| |
| mountains.
| |
| “Taaxa, are you insane? We don’t know where the Cave’s entrance is, or
| |
| where to go when we get in there, or what’s in there, or even if they
| |
| exist!”
| |
| “That’s what you think,” said Taaxa.
| |
| “—and if the legends are right, it’s suicide, I te--...” he cut himself
| |
| off. “What? You know where the Caves are?”
| |
| She nodded. “I found them during my Initiation Rite, but
| |
| Silent-Vampire-Bat told me to keep them hidden until there was a day I
| |
| needed them.”
| |
| “...Silent-Vampire-Bat is your totem?”
| |
| “No, he’s just an informant I know among the spirits.
| |
| Swiftly-Striking-Cheetah is my totem.”
| |
| They began walking towards the mountains as they spoke. “Mine’s
| |
| Jackalope-Who-Fears-No-Magic,” Ravius said. He chuckled. “Here’s hoping
| |
| our totems get along.”
| |
| She laughed, a melodious, full-throated laugh that came unexpected from
| |
| her slight frame. But it was a laugh that fit. “You really don’t know
| |
| much about spirits, do you?”
| |
| Ravius had to admit that he didn’t.
| |
| “Let’s put it this way: if our totems didn’t like each other, we
| |
| wouldn’t be able to stand each other.
| |
| “See, humans and other intelligent creatures—[[dolphin]]s, some
| |
| [[dragon]]s, [[phoenix]]es and the like—don’t’ have a separate spirit.”
| |
| Ravius blinked and stared at her with a lost look.
| |
| “Oh, wow, no one has explained this to you, have they?” She chuckled.
| |
| “Okay, here’s how it works. Everything has a spirit. Rocks, trees,
| |
| animals—all of them. Even ideas. But that spirit usually resides with
| |
| the being, not in it. When it’s inside the being, that being becomes
| |
| intelligent. Animated. But then the physical being doesn’t have a
| |
| spirit with it.
| |
| “Our totems fill that void by giving up a part of themselves. By doing
| |
| so, they become the embodiment of an aspect of their former selves, and
| |
| also no longer have a physical half.
| |
| “So they exchange a completeness of one kind for a completeness of
| |
| another. They give up their natural selves, by their own choice, and
| |
| lose their physical aspect, to gain a name and, with it, a higher
| |
| echelon in spirit power.
| |
| “Some continue upwards to become demigods, minor deities, and even
| |
| gods. Horjin did this: when he became intelligent, his spirit-half
| |
| joined with his being-half and brought him to a new existence. Soon
| |
| after, an idea-spirit, Triumph, became his totem. And when Sagittarius
| |
| named Horjin, he became a demigod because another idea-spirit, Faith,
| |
| became his totem. And he became a complete god not soon after, when the
| |
| idea-spirit Hunt became his third totem. All the totems merged together
| |
| with Horjin at that point, and they became one being, both spirit and
| |
| physical, and a god.
| |
| “In a sense, each of us are on a path to godhood, but even our best,
| |
| Sagittarius, only became a demigod.
| |
| “When we take a spirit as our totem, or when a spirit chooses us, we
| |
| gain traits and aspects of that spirit. They reflect themselves into
| |
| our physical being.
| |
| “Sometimes totems are temporary, choosing us for great feats or a few
| |
| short days, but this is uncommon. Usually the bond between being and
| |
| totem is permanent.
| |
| “And number of totems doesn’t have anything to do with proximity to
| |
| transcendence. Most commonly, we as Hunters have one totem. A few of
| |
| us, like the High Priest, have two. But it’s not number, but intensity,
| |
| that makes you closer to transcendence. Horjin had Triumph, Faith, and
| |
| Hunt as his totems, three very powerful concepts, and they combined
| |
| with him to make a god. But the intensity of the belief in
| |
| Swiftly-Striking-Cheetah and Silent-Vampire-Bat is nowhere near enough
| |
| for me to transcend.
| |
| “In short, it’s belief that causes a spirit to first become a totem and
| |
| then a god. It’s belief that calls the spirit into existence to begin
| |
| with.
| |
| “And not all totems are good, either. They have thoughts and ideas and
| |
| moral, just as we do. In fact, without them, we don’t have thoughts or
| |
| ideas or morals. Without them, we’re animals.
| |
| “And then there are the ones we can’t understand: the Unspirited. They
| |
| are capable of higher thought, of assuming the forms of animals, and of
| |
| other things as well, without the assistance of a spirit. In fact, the
| |
| spirits seem to shy away from them, and this makes some of our Paths of
| |
| magic not work.
| |
| “That’s how our magic works, too. We’re not so much casting magic as we
| |
| are increasing the belief in a particular spirit and focusing that
| |
| belief into a particular action. Offerings make the transaction easier,
| |
| as does a transaction with a totem, which is why most Hunters follow
| |
| Paths related to their totems.
| |
| “And since spirits are incorporeal, they are—theoretically, of
| |
| course—everywhere at once. But only the greatest spirits, the gods, can
| |
| exert that kind of influence. So most spirits choose to exert a greater
| |
| influence over a smaller area, or to become totems.
| |
| "Sometimes a spirit, usually an idea-spirit, elevates simply from the
| |
| belief in it. The spirits of greater concepts like Life, Love, Passion,
| |
| and Song all gained transcendental status from our belief in them. From
| |
| there, they took names and decided on appearances and became the totems
| |
| of those who later became gods, like Viviantia, Mors, or Alejia.
| |
| "Whether or not their wards knew then that they had a totem spirit
| |
| isn't important. Most people pick up totems at some point in their
| |
| lives, but don't ever know about it. Sure, they'll pick up traits and
| |
| they'll find a certain affinity for things related to their totem, but
| |
| they may never find out.
| |
| "Hunters are unique in this regard. We, as a people, have made a pact
| |
| with the spirits. Mainly, it means anyone marked as an initiate Hunter
| |
| at birth will not receive a totem until they are initiated. It also
| |
| says that anyone who is not born a Hunter but chooses to join us will
| |
| lose any totems they have, and will get a new totem when they are
| |
| initiated. It may be their old totem returned, but it's still a break
| |
| between welcome and initiation.
| |
| "That's mostly to figure out how one will react when unprotected. Not
| |
| like we turn anyone away; people pretty much have to go through hell
| |
| just to get to us, and they have to really want it to give up
| |
| everything and come here to begin with. It's more to find out what
| |
| they'd do if they were abandoned by their totem.
| |
| "Sometimes our totems don't agree with our actions, and sometimes the
| |
| link just fades. When that happens, a Hunter becomes totemless and must
| |
| perform another initiation to find one. In the meantime, their totem
| |
| effectively becomes the Earth-Mother herself, a combination that rarely
| |
| works because of the inhuman methods and needs of the Earth-Mother.
| |
| "We really don't know how it works when it comes to spirits living and
| |
| dying. That was something the Aurajinrale was looking into before she
| |
| died. Hopefully she took notes so that her successor can continue.
| |
| "Our society is similar to the spirit world. Each Hunter is like a
| |
| small aspect of Horjin, who, along with Nelig, Viviantia, Mors, and
| |
| others, are aspects of the Earth-Mother, who is an aspect of the
| |
| Universe, and so on and so forth.
| |
| "So, really what it comes down to is that all spirits are really the
| |
| same spirit, the Metaversal spirit, but just aspects and sub-aspects
| |
| thereof. But we, as Hunters, follow Horjin and the Earth-Mother,
| |
| because we believe that moving further upwards would cause problems on
| |
| all sides. It is good for us to worship Horjin and the Earth-Mother
| |
| because our concerns are the same. Above them, our concerns start to
| |
| differ, and problems arise.
| |
| "What's strange is that the Neligan are simply a diversionary sect from
| |
| us. They follows Nelig, god of the beasts, and belive that our
| |
| intelligence, gained from our unity with the spirits, is a blasphemy.
| |
| They see their intelligence as a need to repent, and try to bring
| |
| themselves closer to the animals.
| |
| "In short, we're the same, but we have different motives. ANd they're
| |
| pretty much evil. We've got a few former Neligan in our ranks, but they
| |
| left before they got too deep, and were very lucky. Most who try to
| |
| leave the Neligan die in the process.
| |
| "From what we know, the Neligan praise magic very strongly, as well as
| |
| refuse to use any man-made weapon beyond the short bow. Instead,
| |
| Neligan learn a variety of magical tricks that enhance them physically.
| |
| Growing claws or spines is popular. Less popular but more powerful is
| |
| shapeshifting or elemental enhancements.
| |
| "Thankfully, the Neligan aren't blessed by the Earth-Mother, and can't
| |
| perform rites like the Rite of War. But Nelig does grant them other
| |
| powers: they can all speak to wolves, as well as shift into a
| |
| wolven-form. That's why we try to keep a close eye on the wolven
| |
| populations on the island.
| |
| "This is really only the second major conflict we've had with the
| |
| Neligan. The first was when they first split away, led by the first
| |
| tainted Hunter, Diva. Only four of them first left, but at that time
| |
| that was almost a tenth of our poulation. This time, they want the
| |
| Questing Stone, for--apparently--its' geomantic powers."
| |
| "Wasn't Sagittarius a geomancer?" interrupted Ravius.
| |
| Taaxa nodded. "He was. A powerful one, at that. He made his island, as
| |
| well as summoned or created al lthe original inhabitants of the island.
| |
| Once he finished that, however, he refused to practice any more
| |
| traditional magic and kept with our Paths.
| |
| "Speaking of Sagittarius' original creations, we're going to meed one
| |
| in the caves. She calls herself [[Peletovitaraaua]]."
| |
| "'Musician'?"
| |
| "Yes. She's a very old phoenix, the first of Sagittarius' creations,
| |
| and the only one of her kind. Don't worry, though. She's my friend."
| |
| ----
| |
| The High priest awoke in the main temple chamber, wrapped in blankets,
| |
| with a Huntress he knew as [[Risia]] sitting over him. She was an odd
| |
| one, a tall woman standing just under six feet. Somehow, she managed to
| |
| use a claymore double her height, and was a follower of both the
| |
| Berserk Sandworm's and Healing Unicorn's Paths. She was the one who
| |
| brought him inside, and now she was the one nursing him back awake.
| |
| He sat up slowly, holding his head. He forced a smile. "I didn't know I
| |
| could do that."
| |
| She remained serious, bandaging his upper arm. "Neither did we. It
| |
| scared the hell out of us, even through the Bloodwrath." She tied off
| |
| the bandage and finally broke int oa smile. "Certainly did a number on
| |
| you too. I've done the best I can putting you back together. You almost
| |
| look good enough to pass for a husband now--" she stopped, her eyes
| |
| growing wide, and she put her hand over her mouth. "I...I...I'm sorry."
| |
| she said, fear visible in her eyes and in her trembling hands.
| |
| He smiled. "It's alright," he said, kissing her hand. "I promise you
| |
| when this is over, we'll see about trying out that dream of yours." He
| |
| chuckled. "Now I know why you've always seemed nervous when you talk to
| |
| me." He kissed her once more, this time on the lips, and heaved himself
| |
| to his feet. "Now, let's see what we can do about those Neligan, eh?"
| |
| She smiled and grabbed his arm. "Not yet. Let's see what we can do
| |
| about those dirty clothes first."
| |
| ----
| |
| Not too long after, Fax Celestis and Risia stood atop the Temple
| |
| ramparts, surveying the battlefield. A lone Huntress gathered roc
| |
| feathers and blood for use in magical spells, returning infrequently to
| |
| deliver her collections.
| |
| "What do you think I should do?" Fax asked Risia.
| |
| "Wait out the siege," came her immediate reply. "There's no way we're
| |
| giving up the Temple or the Questing Stone. We've worked too hard for
| |
| all of this to just--" she stopped, watching the scene unfold on the
| |
| battlefield below.
| |
| A man snuck up on the young Huntress, no visible weapons but still
| |
| exuding an air of malice. Risia gasped and Fax called out, "Look out!"
| |
| The Huntress, startled by the call, jumped up and spun around,
| |
| scrabbling for her knife. The man grinned, an eerie
| |
| grin, full of hate and pain.
| |
| Fax had seen that look before. He swore to himself, then gathered his
| |
| senses and cried to the Temple below, "To arms! [[Ditantove]]!
| |
| Ditantove!"
| |
| Risia startled at his words, paused. "[[Unspirited]]? Here?"
| |
| Fax grabbed her arm and pulled her down the stairs. "The Neligan must
| |
| have something to do with it! Come on!"
| |
| A small group of Hunters more capable in their physical prowess pushed
| |
| out the gate and began running for the Huntress, Fax and Risia close
| |
| behind.
| |
| Magically-inclined Hunters had (correctly) chosen to stay out of this
| |
| fight. The Ditantovek were ruthless, shapeshifting, killing machines,
| |
| and were entirely immune to Horjinic magic due to their lack of
| |
| connection to the spirit world.
| |
| The Diantove growled and shifted: his arms grew into long blades; his
| |
| spine became spiked and ridged; his jaw moved forwards; his neck
| |
| elongated; and three extra legs sprang from his abdomen.
| |
| He was more nightmare than being then. The young Huntress, panicking
| |
| and inexperienced, mumbled and thrust her hands at the monster. Flames
| |
| exploded from her fingertips, washing over hte beast, but he stood
| |
| unharmed.
| |
| The rescue team, finally within accurate arrow range, unleased a volley
| |
| of arrows at the beast. Most bounced off harmlessly, but one or two
| |
| found chinks in its armor.
| |
| "Run!" called Fax to the young Huntress. And she turned and ran towards
| |
| the rescuing Hunters.
| |
| The beast charged after her, enraged by being denied his prey. The
| |
| rescuers dropped their bows and pulled out a variety of melee weapons
| |
| in varying degrees of sharp and pointy. The Huntress dove behind the
| |
| line, while a bear of a man by the name of [[Veusditan]] brought a
| |
| massive warhammer down on the beast's knee. It roared and collapsed,
| |
| its knee shattered and useless.
| |
| The beast roared again and heaved itself to its feet on its remaining
| |
| four legs, thrashing out wildly with its arms. Veusditan and three
| |
| others were thrown close to thirty feet, but they got to their feet and
| |
| charged back in.
| |
| Fax stood back with the Huntress and Risia, all three of them shooting
| |
| arrow after arrow at the monster.
| |
| Several Hunters went down under a great gout of fire that sprung from
| |
| the beast's mouth. At that, Risia swore and dropped her bow.
| |
| Fax looked at her questioningly, but he saw that the Sandworm had
| |
| possessed her and stood back.
| |
| She roared, a great roar that her frame shouldn't have been able to
| |
| create, and unsheathed her claymore. Her eyes glowed a burning red and
| |
| she dove forwards, sword held above her head.
| |
| The monster saw her coming and breathed in her direction, but her sword
| |
| drew the flames towards and into itself. Suprised, the beast made a
| |
| horrible mistake: it paused.
| |
| And during that half-second of hesitation, Risia's claymore chopped its
| |
| head in half, then buried itself hilt-deep in the monster's chest.
| |
| The pair collapsed in unison: one dead, the other passed out from
| |
| exhaustion. Fax put his arm around the Huntress, then asked the
| |
| uninjured to help her back to the Temple. Gently, he picked up Risia
| |
| and carried her back himself, her claymore dragging on the ground
| |
| behind him.
| |
| ---- Ravius and Taaxa continued northward, and the jungle around them
| |
| gradually subsided to forest as they steadily gained altitude.
| |
| "So where is the entrance to the caves anyway?" asked Ravius.
| |
| "It's behind [[Veusfaax]]," she replied, "...which should be right
| |
| behind this hill. Not that the hill would stop you seeing it anyway."
| |
| The pair reached the crest of the hill as she finished, and the trees
| |
| parted to reveal what most Hunters called the Spire.
| |
| It is said that Sagittarius created the Spire during his last use of
| |
| [[Khaz Modanian magic]]. The Spire was a crag nearly 29,000 feet tall.
| |
| "Shit," said Ravius. "We're going up there?"
| |
| "Yup."
| |
| "No other way?"
| |
| "Nope."
| |
| "You sure?"
| |
| "Yup."
| |
| Let's go," he said, and began hiking towards the Spire.
| |
| ----
| |
| "How are they controlling the Ditantove?" Fax Celestis asked himself as
| |
| he laid Risia onto a bed.
| |
| The young Huntress, who had followed him into the room, piped up at
| |
| this: "We killed it though, didn't we?"
| |
| "We got lucky," replied Veusditan.
| |
| "That we did," said Fax. "Must've been a young one. The older ones are
| |
| tougher and smarter."
| |
| The Huntress piped up again: "They're intelligent?"
| |
| Veusditan nodded. "But they have no spirits." He paused. "If they're
| |
| intelligent, they may be voluntarily working with the Neligan."
| |
| The three pondered the idea for a moment before Fax said, "That's
| |
| frightening."
| |
| The young Huntress replied, "Yes that is."
| |
| ----
| |
| Ravius and Taaxa spent the night at the base of the Spire...or at least
| |
| at the closest shelter they could find: a damp outcropping of rocks
| |
| just under a uarter of a mile away.
| |
| They had to eat smoked and salted foods in the morning because it was
| |
| too damp to start a fire, even a magical one.
| |
| "Wonderful," said Taaxa as they broke camp. "I'm cold and I'm wet. So
| |
| was my breakfast. So is my bedding and my clothes and I haven't had a
| |
| bath in three days and I'm hungry, thirsty, dirty, sore, and too tired
| |
| to list everything else I am!"
| |
| Ravius grunted a response: "Save your energy. We climb today."
| |
| They climbed for nearly six hours straight up a damp, smooth crag
| |
| without tools or a guide. Taaxa had done the climb once before, but her
| |
| experience didn't help very much. The terrain had eroded and changed in
| |
| the interposing years enough to make the climb essentially a different
| |
| mountain.
| |
| They found something of an overhang at that point and used it to inch
| |
| their way behind the waterfall. Once they reached the center of the
| |
| shelf, they sat and ate ad regained their strength.
| |
| Two hours further up the mountain, the pair came to another shelf. They
| |
| stopped and rested again, but for a shorter period.
| |
| "Ready to go in?" asked Taaxa. It was the first she'd spoken since thye
| |
| began their ascent.
| |
| "Um, go <u>in?</u> Don't you mean up?"
| |
| "No, in," she replied, pushing on the wall behind her.
| |
| Except she wasn't pushing. Her hand had gone clear through the wall.
| |
| "An illusion?" asked Ravius.
| |
| "Would you expect any less from the oldest of Sagittarius' creations?"
| |
| The pair walked through the wall into a gigantic cavern, riddled with
| |
| rock formations and groups of crystals. In the middle of it all sat an
| |
| old phoenix. "Peletovitaraaua?" asked Taaxa. "It's Taaxa. Remember me?"
| |
| The great bird lifted her head. "How could I forget you, child?
| |
| Welcome. And who is this fine young man you bring with you? Hmm? Your
| |
| lover, perhaps? Hmm?"
| |
| Ravius had never seen Taaxa blush before, but it spread across her
| |
| cheeks quickly and fully, turning her pale form ever so momentarily
| |
| into a vibrant vision.
| |
| "N-no..." she stammered. "This is Ravius. The High Priest has sent us
| |
| to protect the Questing Stone."
| |
| "Ahh...you have it with you, then. I thought I sensed Sage's work. It
| |
| has been so long since he left us, hmm."
| |
| "Sage's?" Ravius whispered to Taaxa.
| |
| "It's what she calls Sagittarius. They were great pals, you know."
| |
| "Tell me, children, how goes guarding the stone? Hmm?" Somehow,
| |
| Peletavitoraaua gave off the air of a kindly, spry old lady who loved
| |
| digging into gossip.
| |
| "Well, we're actually doing alright, aside from being chased by some
| |
| Neligan. I'm more worried about the rest of us back at the Temple,"
| |
| said Ravius.
| |
| "Oh? Why is that, my child? Hmm?"
| |
| They're under siege by a group of Neligan. The First and the
| |
| Aurajinrale are both dead, and that was when we left three days ago.
| |
| Who knows what condition they're in now?"
| |
| "Hmm...sounds like quite a quandry you've got there, children. What do
| |
| you think we should do? Hmm?"
| |
| "We came to you to hide," replied Taaxa.
| |
| "And is that what you want to do? Hmm? Hide?"
| |
| "Not really," said Ravius. "I want the Neligan to go away."
| |
| "And how will hiding here get you closer to that goal? Hmm?"
| |
| "It...it won't do much of anything."
| |
| "So what should we do then, my child? Hmm?"
| |
| "...go get allies and help?"
| |
| "Now you're starting to sound like Sage, child! Now, let's see what we
| |
| can do about your empty stomach and wet clothes, hmm?"
| |
| ---- | | ---- |
| ''See also:'' [[Horjin]], [[Cedrism]], The [[Divine Census]] | | ''See also:'' [[Horjin]], [[Cedrism]], The [[Divine Census]] |
| [[category:religion]] | | [[category:religion]] |
| [[category:fiction]] | | [[category:fiction]] |
