Chapter 2: The Marshes

Marshlands as far as the eyes can reach. I certainly hope that we aren't lost, especially since there really isn't any way to know for sure until we finally reach that man. This ordeal is getting quite annoying, especially with this person around. Why did the high priest have to make her come along? I could have managed perfectly well on my own, but no, I apparently have to learn to get along with people. Feh. Who needs that? I have been on bigger missions than this one before and never had to rely on anyone to complete them successfully, so why change that now? Oh well. No use beating myself up about this; it's not going to change anything...

This bog is rather tiring. It must be hard on Austere... her clothes aren't fit for this sort of travel. She should have thought about it earlier. I mean, the colors she chose are ideal, except for the frilly white collar on her shirt; earthen brown baggy pants, a loosely fitted shirt and that strange purplish chocolate colored skirt of hers. If she'd wear it on her waist like most people do, it would reach her ankles, but instead she fastens the upper half with a rope around her torso. I'm not quite sure how it works,but she seems to have all kinds of stuff stored in there, perfectly concealed from the unknowing eyes, and easily accessible when needed. It must be rather heavy, and not only that, but she's completely soaked from the cold morning dew. She'll catch a cold soon enough if we keep on going like this, and that would slow us down even more. Maybe we should take a small break somewhere dry. Maybe I can hunt down some animal that we can cook, since we lost almost everything we had in that incident...

"We'll take a break here." my voice shot through the still morning air. "Light a fire. I'll find food."
This is the driest place we've come across for the past few days. We should stay here for a while and rest. I looked towards her pale expressionless face. She gave me a weak nod as I dropped my leather bag to the ground. That bag contains all my possessions: a few blankets, the little money we have left and maybe a bread crumb or two. I left Austere and my bag behind and focused on hunting. After all, something must live here.

Walking quickly and stealthily through the undergrowth (or rather that's what I was trying to do, it ended up being more of a stumble with squishy noises), I soon came across a marsh dog. I managed to hide in the bushes before the creature noticed me. Its fur was covered in mud and dirt, but in places a beautiful pale golden color shone through the filth. Then it turned towards me, with its big friendly black eyes, shiny black nose and brilliantly white teeth. Yes, I thought, it definitely had been a friendly creature in the past, maybe humans even kept them in their homes as companions. But that was a very long time ago. Now, this creature had grown fangs the length of a finger and long, curved, sharp claws shining through the dark mud. A truly frightening being, this marsh dog, or rather it would be if it was any bigger or I was any weaker. It only stands to just above knee height, but that is enough to kill most humans, so common people stay away from the marshes. But I've had experience in this sort of terrain and with these dogs.

This will be just like the good old days, I thought with a sly smile on my lips.

The dog started walking towards my hideout. Did it sense my presence? Probably not. In any case, I have the upper hand here. Stay calm. Stay quiet.
. Almost noiselessly, the dog approached the bush.
Only a soft squish could be heard as it set down its enormous paws.
It came closer.
It was almost in my range now.
Squish.
Squish.
Squish.
Silently I detached the dagger from my right sleeve, grasping it firmly.
Squish.
Five more steps...
Squish…
Four more steps...
Three more...
Two...
One...
There is the head.

I thrust the dagger.

The curved blade cut effortlessly through the skin, flesh and bones of the dog's neck.
And with a downward sweep, the head was severed.
I stood up, and looked at the motionless corpse laying on the moist earth to my left.
Blood dribbled from the wound and seeped into the ground turning it crimson.
A small stream of the shining red substance made its way past the roots and twigs, slowly advancing downwards toward the water.
I stopped and watched as the stream met the surface of the puddle, the two liquids intermixed and became a single tainted unity.
I always marvel at how willing the earth is to accept everything. All things evil and all things good always return to it, just like this dog's life energy would now return to the eternal cycle...

I approached the place where I left my bag and Austere. She was busy tending to the radiantly blazing fire, yet she looked up when I arrived with my prey. For a second I thought I saw something in her light blue-gray eyes, a fragment of subconscious thought. What was it? An instant later, it was gone...
Maybe I'm just imagining things...

The puddles around us glistened in the morning light. The warm rays of the sun played with the shadows of the night still hiding behind small knolls and undersized brush. We sat there in silence with our backs toward the red orange sun looking out at the eerie beauty of the marsh, waiting for our first good meal in days.

I glanced towards Austere. She must be more tired than I thought. Maybe she's not used to this sort of travel. I don't think we ever had a real conversation… I don't really know anything about her… other than her name… I have never pronounced it... Strange…

Intermission 2: An Excerpt from an Unidentified Tome from the Jiemti Library

…

The lands as known to the Jiemti, are littered with ruins of a past civilization. These ruins seem to have been a home of millions of people, suggesting the high level of advancement of their society. Furthermore, some remnants of their technologies remain buried within the ruins. Certain priests and priestesses are trained especially for exploring these immensely dangerous and unstable environments and retrieving artifacts and information.

As part of these expeditions, the Order has discovered that the world as it is known to us, is significantly different from the one our ancestors lived in. In particular, in ante niidon times, there was a far greater diversity among beasts who walked the earth in much greater numbers than we see today.

...

Chapter 1: Many Weeks and Broken Promises

I hope it looks like we're merely walking nonchalantly through this … marsh... because we feel like it... and not some other reason. But, uh, on the other hand, that would suggest serious mental problems, which I refuse to admit having. Openly. Oh yes, the absurdity of my reasoning is endless. I'm not even entirely sure why I'm trying to mask the fact that I'm barely dragging my feet here, miles from civilization. Alma mater, alma mater - one vigorous training program, I guess. Oh well, I hope the damn snakes are impressed! …if they're even around. Mmm, better hope not.

Ugh. Of all people, I should be more in tune with nature than petty concerns.

But damn that itch! It's that one thing that is preventing me from being a part of the surrounding whole. Oh… A burr… Problem solved! Maybe.

I pulled the spiky ball off the hem of my wet skirt and looked around, now noticing how otherworldly the moorlands looked in the dying predawn twilight. Everything was quiet, and nothing except us stirred. Even the low clouds that hung in random patches over the land were eerily still. The tall grasses we moved through appeared velvety because of the moisture that condensed on them. As we brushed against them, the fake frost would migrate to our clothes to form dark wet patches.

I'm kind of used to traveling barefoot, and I don’t' really mind the soft, moist… ground? Mush? Yes, mush between my toes. But, yeh, compared to that, the wet skirt is causing me lots of disquiet.

Or maybe that's the presence of formless energy. Energy always finds a form unless interfered with…

I looked toward my companion with a subtle realization.

She probably noticed everything. Probably feels the same way I do. Am I willing to break the silence to confirm? Ha, a funny. I amuse myself. We haven't spoken much since the.. ah... incident a couple of days ago. All that consisted of was, "Distract those two guys while I take care of the big one," to which I didn't even answer.

I would be less worried if she looked like she wanted to kill me right now. Her face shows no emotion whatsoever. Shish, sleep deprivation sure does make even the prettiest of things look lifeless. Why, yes, that is a very fitting observation at this moment. Yeah, whatever, the cold wetness is a really big issue right now too. I kind of think her outfit is better suited for these kinds of travels than mine is. Her dark burgundy wrap dress is not tight, not too loose either. It underlines her athletic figure, but still serves it's main purpose well. It covers her so completely that one couldn't tell she had armor and a whole arsenal of weapons under that thing. No, I am not smiling mischievously, not marveling at my companion's beautifully hidden destructive power. Well, technically, not all of it is even hidden. Her amulet and earrings are plainly visible. Silver, reflecting slightly with blue and red, respectively. There's also a bindi on her forehead, but it disappears as soon as anyone looks at it, I swear!!! Okay, it just shows only when she draws on its power. Go figure. And yes, I am not smiling because I might end up on the receiving end soon.

Intermission 1: Excerpt from the Genesis

Fellow scientists and friends–

Our greatest fear has come to pass; we were unable to end the war peacefully. Our failed mission instead pushed the madmen called politicians to unleash their ultimate weapons.

We were shocked 3 years ago to find Europe once again a war zone. Just like in the times of Napoleon Bonaparte, France had rapidly conquered neighboring nations. However our governments failed to learn from past mistakes. We tried to prevent it… They did nothing, preferring to just wait, trying to appease this tyrant as they had tried to do with Hitler when he rose to power in Germany.

Just like in 1939, the remaining countries bonded together to try and stop France. Yet eventually all alliances broke apart, and human kind descended into bloody madness, all nations fighting one another. The Congo failed to learn from our past mistakes in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and resorted to the use of nuclear weapons.

Now there is no one to fight anymore: no soldiers, no tyrants, no wicked ideals, only victims; victims of this insanity that our governments have brought down upon us.

Now we have to put the hatred behind us and look forward into the future. Although it seems that we have lost everything, we still have our knowledge.

We will rebuild a society that is educated; a society that can think for itself; a society where each individual exists for the good of the whole and the whole exists for the good of the individual.