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.