Chapter 4: Outbursts

I looked towards lai Austere. She seemed equally dismayed at the scene that was unfolding in front of our eyes. The wraith that was once the great scientist konsan Demiarch was lying in a heap, cowering in front of us, as if in fear of either the presence of human beings other than himself or the sudden bright light that penetrated the darkness of his home.

Lai Austere broke the silence.

“Fen Demiarch?… ”

The wraith just stared at us unbelievingly with hazy mist green eyes. How long must it have been since he last heard another speak, I wondered.

“Old man, are you fen Demiarch?” she repeated.

Like fog fleeing from the light of day, the haze was lifted from his eyes as he seemed to remember what was being asked of him. He nodded slightly. He crawled away from us, to a chest. I hadn't noticed it in the gloom, and he started hurriedly rummaging in the container. We looked over his shoulder, wondering what this old man could be looking for. His movements got slower, and suddenly, he turned around, and walked towards a table across the room as if he'd forgotten that he was looking for something.

“Fen Demiarch, do you know anything about your son, lensan Xero?” she inquired the man who now seemed completely unaware of our presence. Yet he stopped his busy activity on the table as if in thought.

"Xero?" he whispered, with a voice like wind blowing through cattails. He hasn't used his voice for a long time. A pity, since he was the only known living song magic user. That was a long time ago however, and by now he probably forgot how to use the power.

------~~~------

After a while of lai Austere’s monologue, the old man finally seemed to remember. His dim eyes started to shine and as his gaze wandered over to me. For a moment I doubted his insanity, yet the haze that had covered his vision returned as he spoke again: “They took it,” he said frantically. “they have Donivetu. They took it… ”
"What about Xero?" Austere intervened.
"No. Not Xero. Donivetu. They took Donivetu from me," The old man insisted.
"Did Xero have something to do with it?"
Then in a deep, confident voice worthy of a high priest he replied: "first bring me Donivetu."
I had thoughts of maybe instead torturing this seemingly sane man, who is just playing with us. Testing our patience.
Then,

baffled at the sudden change lai Austere asked: "Then you'll tell us about Xero?"
The old man reverted back to his old crazy wraith-like state, leaving us completely puzzled about the state of his insanity, and dismissing any thoughts of forceful persuasion we had. He simply continued his mumbling as before, with that soft wheezy voice and the haze covering his eyes. "They stole it. They took it with them. They took it away. Liars. Thieves. They took it."
Finally annoyed with the whole venture I interfered:

"What did they take?"
"DONNIVETU! They took Donivetu!"
"What is Donivetu?"
"They took it with them. They stole it. Its MINE!"
"Yes, yes. But what is it?"
"They took it away, yes they did. They stole it, the thieves. They stole it."
“Fine then, Who took it?”

“Them, they took it back with them.”
"Who are "they"?"
"The thieves. The liars. They took it from me. They want it for themselves. Thieves. Filth. They took it with them."
“Ok. Fine. They took it. Where did they take it?”
“Out there, they took it out”
He pointed towards the left wall.
“Is that where they went fen Demiarch?”
He nodded.
“They took Donivetu there”
“What is Donivetu again?”
“They took it.”
“No. We want to know what it is fen Demiarch.”
“They took it. They came and took it away from me. I cant go out. They took it. They stole it. They took it. Then they left. I can’t get to it. They to-”
“Alright, alright already!” lai Austere interrupted. “We’ll go and get it back for you. Lai Isäya, let’s go.”
I nodded silently leaving the old mumbling man and the hut behind.

Was this man crazy? Or was he not? Some of the things he did, made me doubt his insanity. like that strange change of voice. What was up with that? This old man is a mystery alright. If he is indeed as crazy as he seems to be then maybe these people were robbers of some sort. That would mean that we might need o fight them for that Donivetu thing. On the other hand, if this man is just acting the part, which i wouldn't put past him, that would mean were going into a trap. Either we return his trinket to him and kill of that pest called "they", or "they" will be appeased knowing that the old man sent them two young girls.

"I think it might have something to do with Xero," lai Austere stated simply.
"Oh really?"
"He is his son afterall."
"Yes, it is a possibility. However, considering the proximity to the main templeand the distance to the Karpat mountains, it isn't very large."
“True. It could also have been years ago as far as we know. So there probably isn't much use"
"Yeah, but does it look like we have another option? That old man isn't going to tell us anything until we bring back that thing, is he?"
"no, he isn't. So which way was it again?” lai Austere asked.
“He pointed towards the southwest, but I don’t know how reliable that is. On the other hand he probably remembers well where they took his trinket no mater whether he is sane or not,” I replied. “Can you sense any human presence in that general area?”
“Lets see.”

She stood perfectly motionless, unblinking with her blue gray eyes staring off into the distance. Minutes passed in this manner. The only thing to be heard were the worms digging their tunnels underground, and the soft breeze playing with the grass. I was amazed at this ability of her's. Using the vague area of darkness to explore the area. A mysterious element, darkness that is. No one really knows all the things it encompasses, as it is far too rare.

“Yes,” she said, breaking the silence like the crack of a whip. “there are somewhere around half a dozen people over there, they are about a crow away in the exact same direction he pointed.”
“well, that shouldn’t take more than an hour or two.”
And so we continued on our way towards whoever took that thing called Donivetu from the old man.

An hour by the raven's wing.. crow's so much easier to say.. Either way better than whatever people of the ancient times used. K... Kilo.. meters. That's right, kilometers. They're like 40 times smaller than a crow? Hah, those people sure are a mystery. The little knowledge left in our great library is all to prevent us from making their mistakes. Which helps only so much as to show us how little we know. The world is tens of times bigger according to them. Apparently we are living in a small area called Europa or something of the sort... Oh and thee was that other big chunk across the desert... Asia and... Africa... yes, that's what it was. And another one across the sea... Amriga... No. Amo.. Ami... Ame... Ah, America. Right. Anyways they sure had knack for names ending in A, its weird. And the way the lived there too.. : some people were starving while others died of eating too much. It was a strange world. Maybe it was for the better that Niidon happened, like a fresh start into a new future. Its true that man-

My train of thought was interrupted by lai Austere’s stare. She was staring quite intently, is something bothering her? Ugh... Finally she looked away. Hm, the landscape around here sure is nice...

------~~~------

We could hear them now. We were very close to their camp.
“You remember the plan well lai Isäya?”
“Of course.”
She gave me a doubting look and said, "alright..Keep in mind: dead men don't talk"
We could already see the light and shadows created by the fire playing in the tree crowns. They must be having a feast of some sort. We emerged from a bush close to the feast, and so the spectacle began…

------~~~------

They were always noisy when they got drunk. It was annoying Zak. The Captain Rógh seemed to be enjoying himself, sitting around the cooking fire turned bonfire with his underlings. Drinking bad rum and singing songs about wealth and women; completely oblivious to anything going on outside of their little feast; everything seemed to be in best order.

When no one was looking, Zak slowly crept towards the captain’s pack. In the frenzy of the celebration no one saw Zak moving away with a mysterious object.
There was a sudden noise, as if someone fell, and a girl’s scream. Looking towards the apparent source of the commotion, they saw a slender girl, not over the age of twenty emerge from the bushes, and a dark hooded figure behind her, helping her up, and whispering in her ear. All five men thought the same thing: “What luck to have such a cute girl stumble right into our lap.” Not once did the rum clear to allow thoughts about why there is a girl in the middle of the woods, and that she willingly came to them. The sixth companion was only thought only about how detrimental to his amusement it would be if this sudden distraction revealed his deed as he opened a heavy metal fan to examine the source of many rumors


"Oh.. " the girl examined the rowdy crowd with the eyes of a small animal low on the food chain. "Excuse me!" she continued in a small voice "My companion and I were on our way to Villion but somehow got sidetracked and hopelessly lost... I'm scared. It's dark and we can't see where we're going... And I heard strange noises"
Of course, pretty lady. Don't worry! Have a drink with us.

Stay the night. We'll go to town tomorrow.
“Oh, thank you! Thanks so much!” she said in the sweetest voice, as she and her companion joined their midst.
What may be your names pretty ladies?
“I’m called Ayu, and this here is Isa.”
What pretty names, fitting for such pretty ladies. Why don’t you come and sit closer? Why don’t you take your hood off? Here, we'll help you. Here, take some rum. Let me hold you. I'll protect you. You can can trust us. We won't do anything bad. Have some rum. You can eat some meat too, if you'd like
“Why thank you, kind sirs. You are too good to us wanderers.”
Don’t mention it. We are pleased to be able to help out such pretty young ladies Ayu. Your friend is a bit quiet. Is she a shy one?
“Yes, she doesn’t speak much. Isa, at least take your hood off for these gentlemen.”
Oh, what a pretty face you have. You shouldn’t hide it with that hood. Let us put our arms around you. We will protect you from bad men.
“Don't touch me,” she said quietly, and a chill ran down their spines.

------~~~------


Enough. These men are annoying. They didn’t realize that we are priestesses of the Jiemti, and they fail to grasp the gap in power between us and them. Pathetic fools.
She’s had enough time to talk, they seem to trust her. I wonder how their faces will look when I cut them down…


------~~~------

Draw. To the right. Slash. Blood spilt. A bloody throat. Done.

Next. Behind. Left. Stab him. A scream. Done.

Pause. I feel her. Unlock mechanism. Throw the needle. She caught it? No time. A scream. Success?

Next one coming. Forward. Left. Second needle. Throw it. It hit. Bleeding forehead. Done.

One more. Running. Fast. Left. Dagger. Throw. Hit. Done.

Five
______soft
____________consecutive
__________________thumps.

------~~~------

Five bodes breathing their last breath, saying one last word, falling to the ground. Two priestesses content with the day’s kill standing and smiling at each other. One sad boy hiding in the shadows, terrified of the scene that unfolded in front of his eyes.

------~~~------

What are these people? Are they even human? Shit. They killed everyone. What should I do now? What if they find me? Shit! Man, how can you move that fast? She stabbed three guys in an instant. And what was up with those needles, she even threw one at her own companion! Not even looking in that direction! Crap! It looks like they can fight. Or at least the tall one can. What should I do? Ok. Stay calm. If I don’t move, then they won’t notice me, right? Right! Breathe. Calm down. Ah, they are talking. I don’t think they know I’m here. What are they saying? I can’t hear. I’ll should wait for them to leave first. before I go try anything. But what if they find me. Shit, what have I gotten myself into again. I hope they won’t stay here for the night. They're talking. Do they know I'm here?

“What was up with you Isäya?” said the lively one.
“They were annoying” replied the solemn one.
“That’s no excuse! We didn’t find out anything no thanks to your outburst! And clearly you believe that annoying men don't talk as much as dead ones.”
“We’ll be fine. One escaped when we came here. I felt six presences when we were hiding in the bushes, but there are only five bodies here. If the guy was watching, then we should have no problem getting information out of him. He will come find us to avenge the deaths of his comrades and he will fail. Then you’ll get your answers.”
"You don't know the guy personally, you can't say he's the avenging type. You don't even know if it's a guy. And where's the guarantee that your senses were not wrong?"
"I am the guarantee"

Intermission 4: Demiarch's Classification of Energies and Manipulation of Such

Life Energy

Life energy is the life force contained within every living being. It can be used as a magical force by anyone, even a simple farmer. However, the use of life energy, burdens the body, and if used excessively, or in great amounts at once, it causes the container (individual's body) to spontaneously combust. The individuals' soul - the energy one draws upon when performing life magic - is in the process transformed into the individuals' desired form.

Everything that possesses any sort of excuse for a nervous system without a doubt has a mind, which binds the soul to the body, and can thereby possess and control (its own) life energy. Whether or not all living creatures have a mind is called into doubt by the existence of the Jiemti - the tree which can sustain and transfer life energy without explicit proof of having a nervous system.

Controlling life energy also entails the ability to transfer it to another being that can bind this energy.




Song Energy

Music is hypnotic, so it can be utilized to control people’s minds and thus - bodies. In extreme cases this can lead to the destruction of the mind, which lead to the disintegration of the body and the souls' return the cycle. Usually, however, the mind would only be manipulated into using some or all life energy. (the latter case leading to spontaneous combustion as discussed above) IFF all the life energy is transferred rather than used up, the mind and body would be left intact, but in a coma.

In theory, a skilled song energy user should be able to manipulate frequencies, and with this ability, move objects or destroy them with amplified vibrations. Extending upon this theory is the idea that such a person would also be able to interfere with the frequency of heartbeats to kill living beings, possibly in great numbers.

All this uncertainty and speculation is due to the fact that I have come in contact with only one person who could use song magic with any proficiency. My beloved but long departed wife Loria manipulated song energy, though no matter how much I questioned her, she was unable to explain the technique.

Mostly through observation, I was convinced to just … use the magic like my wife did and seemingly with effects, though without any sort of accuracy and lacking the ability to control the process once it has started.


Nature Energy

Nature energy is the energy contained within all Nature’s creations (plants, earth). Not all people have the gift for using this magic at a very high level, and it requires extensive knowledge of the eternal cycle and nature itself. The greatest source of nature energy is the Jiemti, and its magic is used by the Jiemti’s priests and priestesses.
When someone is killed by using nature energy the body is destroyed, but the soul is kept whole and allowed to reenter the eternal cycle.

Nature - nature magic is the destroys the body
Song - destroys the mind or the body; can control the soul; does the same as nature but leaves body intact.

(scribbled in the margins)
It seems to be somehow possible to use another's soul. This method requires the soul to be pulled out of the container, and in the process parts of the soul are fragmented and destroyed beyond recovery. Thus this energy exits the cycle of existence… My son.. He seems to have taken a deep interest in this method…


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The magic of life is used by Xero and his followers, where Xero is the most skilled at using the life energy of others than himself than his followers. Because of that none of his followers can live very long and die off frequently, so he constantly searches for new apprentices to his evil ways.
When you kill people with life energy, you TAKE their essence (mind, soul.. ?) but the body is unharmed. The soul is shattered, and cannot reenter the eternal cycle, which is why this magic is forbidden amongst Jiemti followers, unless given by free will.

Chapter 3: Chance Conversations

I repeated the words a couple of times in my head.

Hey, Isäya…

What would I say next? Since she returned from the surprisingly short, by my standards at least, hunting outing, my companion has been wearing a pretty tranquil facial expression that was somehow foreboding at the same time. I knew from the very moment I got the assignment that she didn't want me to be there, and her current body language suggested that her opinion hasn't changed.

But there was a slight openness in her all actions today, an invitation to converse, almost.

Or it could be wishful thinking on my part. We really need to establish a partnership because I'd like to not dread every minute of this assignment. More specifically, I would like to have fun. I doubt she's going to appreciate hearing the lecture on how things we do could be oh so much more effective if we trusted one another… with our wellbeing.

I let my thoughts wander in near-meditation in the crisp morning. The day was new, still full of promises.

Above the embers, the small carcass fizzed slightly. At the same time, I tore into what was probably a chunk of the leg muscle. It was hard to tell, or, rather, I didn't want to. It's just so awkward eating the creature that was not so long ago breathing in this world. Well, alright, a potential experiment subject. When I was poking through the records, before it became a popular fact that I had unauthorized access to them, I found some indication that before the Niidon, relatives, or maybe ancestors, of marshdogs were considered to be "man's best friend." It's a very interesting concept. I am more than willing to find out what it means, but that would require finding a marsh dog, catching it, and not getting killed in the process. A lot of work, in other words.

I looked around the marshlands wondering how many creatures were taking their morning walk right now. What I noticed was the lack of mosquitoes, and again I felt uneasy as streams of formless energy shifted around me. We shouldn't have stopped.

"We should get moving. Cut off a piece to eat while we walk if you want to. I'm going to pack the rest. " As I stood up, I reached into one of the pockets hidden between the folds of my skirt and pulled out a small wooden knife and a bottle of I’Amai.

I attempted to clean the dirt off the marshdog's hide, and proceeded to abundantly sprinkle it with the clear golden liquid. The chemicals reacted fast, drying the skin before my eyes. I gave it a few more seconds to air out before I spread it out on the ground near the dying fire and started cutting slices of meat from the bones. I arranged them on the hide, rolled it up carefully, and glanced over my shoulder. Isäya finished polishing her weapons and was now examining the contents of her backpack.

I took a deep breath. "Could you put this in your shoulder bag?" I lifted the decently sized bundle so she could see it. "It would be a bit awkward, not to mention unsanitary, to have it along with all the other stuff in my s--"

"Isn't it a bit awkward and unsanitary either way? I didn't notice you preparing the meat - it'll just go bad in a few days considering the temperature around here when the sun is at its hottest."

"It won't." I held up the I’Amai in my other hand. "This acts as a preservative. The meat will last until we finish it, and the hide will feel as though it's just been taken off for at least a few years."

"Now that's a handy little thing. What's the shining water called?"

"I’Amai. I uh... had the liberty of showing some chemistry manuscripts the light of day … at some point long in the past, and while I was at it, I ah.. accidentally noticed .. some random words and pictures... Long story short - the dev team has been into illegitimate business of their own, and I borrowed this from them. They aren't going to make a public statement about my acts of trespass because that would necessitate a public statement about their production of hazardous materials, so to speak. We all know that they're just trying to be as useful as they can, and I don't mind thanking them for their talent. In the first few seconds I’Amai will seep through the top layer of flesh and burn everything underneath. And then it dries up, leaving only particles which help to preserve." I giggled. "Preserve the remains of the stupid sucker who got in your way… among other things."

"I'll keep that in mind." She took the hide with the meat inside and put it in her bag.

Together we covered the signs of our stop, after which I stretched my arms out over my head and arched backwards, cracking my back. Then I turned from side to side, causing a few other cracks to sound from my lower back. After that, I systematically cracked my shoulders, wrists, and all fingers. Those, except thumbs, I cracked twice, just to feel complete. Cracked my knees, ankles, and toes, and finally looked expectantly at Isäya.

"All set. Let's go?"

She gave me a weird look, but turned around and started walking ahead without saying anything.

***

We walked with our backs toward the sun while it was still low in the sky, and along its path as it rose high above our heads to ceaselessly try to hinder us with its death rays. This journey would have probably been easier some time later. These less-wet patches that we tried to follow would probably be completely dry for most of the warm season, which would explain how some old dude managed to get all the way out here. If he wasn't whipped to do it.

I thought for a moment and concluded that the latter scenario was just as likely, given the crimes the man has committed against his own Order.

The sun made it hard to see things as they were. A whole portion of the color spectrum seemed to have disappeared, leaving the moist earth immediately in front of us to be represented entirely in the contrast between dark red and .. something other than dark red, which really could have been any color. Past my squinting, I couldn't see anything further out. I tried glaring at the sun, but, as expected, found that doing so helped my seeing problem in an inverse fashion.

The journey was uneventful. There was a distant, throbbing need to hurry, but also a fear of the unknown, the mysterious power that flowed around us, the treacherous landscape, the strange, at times quite prickly, plants, and the theoretical sleeping snakes. For that and other.. more cosmetic reasons, we made way slowly.

Out of helplessness, I decided to try my luck with both the snakes and my companion.

"Hey, Isäya, did you have trouble finding that marshdog?"

"Not really."

"You see any other life?"

"I saw a few toads and other small life of the sort. Nothing big though."

"I haven't seen anything moving for a while now. I'm almost not afraid of the fact that I'm half blind because there's nothing.. no one around."

"The marshdogs are the only larger animals around here and they aren't out during the heat of the day... they hide in the shadows. The rabbits are nocturnal as well, so we won't be seeing those either. This is just that hour of the day when time seems to stand still around you, and it's nothing unusual. Don't let it get to you."

I took her word for it because it agreed with what I thought. In this situation her sense of perception was much better than mine. Or rather, her ability to manipulate air around her, amplifying smells and sounds, was a lot more effective than anything I could dish out.

I silently appreciated the extent of her witchery: she wasn't even squinting - simply had her eyes half open, as if bored. All the while the bindi, like a drop of water, shone on her forehead.

We walked in silence for a while. "You ever wonder what it'd be like if they didn't attack people?"

"Marshdogs? I think that people would simply attack them. They would hunt them sooner or later for their meat and their strength."

We suddenly found that we both had a lot to say on the topic. For a while, we traded opinions, but eventually the heat killed the conversation. I didn't mind the warmth though. It pushed the worry out of me, and while not worrying was proven to be one of the less effective strategies for survival, it made me feel happy. Much better than sulking about all the unknowns and how I could die at any moment.

***

I noticed the small hut when it was almost in front of me. It occurred to me that it wasn't all that far away because from here I could see all the small faults in its design. It looked like it simply grew out of the ground, just like the grass that surrounded it on all sides. Okay, I guess it was rather sinking into the ground, and the architectural faults weren't all that small. The structure was leaning heavily to one side, and there were many gaps between the boards it was made of. The whole shed, for it really was more a shed than anything else, had a green tint to it. The rotting planks were losing their battle against the fungus that apparently didn't mind the harsh elements.

I wondered how far away the tree that it was made from was. There certainly weren't any trees that I had seen since we entered the marsh, unless they grew here a very long time ago and since were all cut down.

I quickly scanned the area for possible traps, but couldn't determine if there were any. Oh well, couldn't be worse than the marshes themselves. I didn't see the sense in attempting to be stealthy at this point since we've been out in the open for too long a time. I decidedly walked toward the door and paused a short distance away, looking at Isäya for confirmation. She brushed a loose strand of blonde hair from her face and waited as I cautiously pushed the door open.

A figure cringed in the shadows of the shack.

"Demiarch?"

The old man lifted his bony hand to shield his eyes from the brightness outside of his miserable shelter. He unhurriedly studied us, thoroughly committing all the details to his memory. Or perhaps just slowly coming to terms with the fact that here we were - other human beings, I thought.

Intermission 3: Zudi'kot Social Order System

First proposed by historian Eser Ha-Makot, and later refined by scholars Stephan Zubke and Naya Abadi, the social order system focused on defining relationships between people in a disordered society.
The honorifics are said before the name of an individual, and written as a separate word.

...

Whenever people of the same specialty are referring to each other knowingly, they state only the honorifics which are based on superiority and their familiarity.
The conventions are as follows:

distant superiors - "Kon"
close superiors - "Gra"
polite equals - "Lai"
close equals - None
close subordinates - "Fre"
distant subordinates - "Fen"
rude way - "Len"

...

In cases where individuals belong to different trades an occupational suffix is added to the honorific as follows:

"rod" - Creators (or people in professions that involve gathering raw materials, such as farmers, herders, miners, etc.)
"kee" - Maintainers (or people in professions that maintain the status quo, craftsmen who take from the creators, scribes, medics, etc.)
"zer" - Destroyers (or people in professions that undo creations, such as warriors, butchers, etc.)
"san" - Priests of the Jiemti

…

Generally a persons trade is discernable from their attire, but nonetheless it is necessary to introduce oneself upon meeting by stating the occupational suffix and name. The person who replies will then apply the perceived honorific.
...