Taal and I are still in the Interrogation room, Taal has only just started with his questions and I with my lies about Earth. After shaking his head in surprise about my last name, which I pronounced alright I’d like to think, Taal asks some more questions.
“Alright, now you did say don’t get you started on where you live, but I’ve got to ask. Protocol you understand.”
“Yes, of course. Now for the city I am from, the name is like my name, long and complex. It is:”
“Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit.”
“And that means?”
“Uhh, Some of those won’t really translate well so ill translate what I can, it means:”
“The city of angels, the great city, the residence of the Emerald Buddha, the impregnable city of the God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarn.”
Taal looks at the Lie Detector crystal and taps it a few times before turning back to me. “Um, alright. I hesitate to ask but, country?”
“Yes, so a bit of backstory, the country started after a traveller started another city on a hill so the name is quite old and strange. At least for me.”
“Yes of course, please.” Taal replies with a sigh, resigned to his fate.
“Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu”
“Which means” I say before coughing a few times quickly.
“The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the slider, climber of mountains, the land-swallower who travelled about, played his nose flute to his loved one."
Man, young me really liked tongue twisters and am I right?
“The Land-Swallower?”
“Mate, I didn’t really do well in ancient history and languages class, I don’t know what it means.”
I really don’t, just one piece of info that I never googled, now onto an idea I have cooked up, it might not be a good idea but I need to get a read on this guy.
“So, now that I have answered two of your questions, mind if I ask some?”
“Um, sure. What do you want to know?”
“Well first off, I know it's not really a question but I would like something to eat and drink. I only really had a small lunch so I’m downright starving at the moment mate.” I ask as friendly as I can.
“I’m sure we can accommodate something for your continued cooperation, your other question?”
Slowly wiping my fake smile off my face I ask, “Yes, um. Did the Institute setup this fake murder or did you?”
A quiet pause, Taal is tense, Koda tells me that he’s tensed his legs, hard. They definitely did.
“You see, that was a rhetorical question.” I say leaning forward, arms on the desk. “I know that the Institute set this up cause I know that I would never do something like this, so what I want to know is… Is this Alaline Feaph a real person? A fake who exists on paper only? Or a body that you can’t tie to a murder?”
“I am afraid I cannot say, I don’t know all the details here. I am just here to collect information about your World.” Taal replied diplomatically.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“Yea I’m calling bullshit on that, dick. OutWolders are common but not that common, Oghqoa is not some massive city but something mid size. The possibility that an OutWolder arrives here is low as hell so they are not going to bring in some low rank bucko to do this. Especially in Guard territory. You ought to know what’s going on here.”
Taal stays silent for a few moments before Koda tells me that his legs have un-tensed. His old voice becomes hard and venomous.
“Michael, or whatever your name is. You are right, not about everything but some. Us Institute have protected Land from the madness of OutWolders, do you know how many would be tyrants have Crossed over and tried to just take over whole countries. Some have even succeeded!”
Taal, the old, almost battle weary man, leans forward in his chair and slowly rises.
“Muahaix is estimated to have killed off half a million people by himself, he nearly took over a massive country to the west. People like him, people like you who come here through some tragedy or bad luck end up ripping our world apart in more ways than one.”
“So before you even get to know me at all you just, assume and frame me for murder?” I ask shocked.
“You’re an OutWolder!” He laughs standing up, “OutWolders are completely unpredictable! One moment they wage war, the next they become some great advisor to the King, like that Droaldoph Ca from a few years ago. He gave some solid advice but he was just some old man from before his Crossing, some no-body who gained a very reputable position just because he’s from another planet.”
“And don’t even get me started on the ones who limit their protection Powers, yes I know that Creature and Power gave you some kind of Power to limit germ spread but too many have messed with it and caused all sorts of brand new diseases to come and sweep across the world.”
“One kept turning people to stone for Creatures sake! What kind of person just messes with that Power to keep us all safe and instead risks the health of an entire world!”
“I get your point Taal.”
“Oh I don’t think you do!” he says, slapping his hands on the metal table.
“Oh I get it, The Institute: Fighting for justice, for good, and animals everywhere. Well guess what mate, we have a saying. "the road to hell is paved with good intentions". If you can’t see that at least sometimes, it’s wrong. What do I have to do to prove it to you? Stay stuck in some cell in that Institute City out west, telling you every little thing about Earth until I die of old age?”
“Hump, you OutWolders are all the same.” he says leaning back up, collecting his things and walking to the door. “I will let you calm down a little. I will be back.”
The door closes and leaves me in silence, Koda stuck with him. “Wow.”
As the door closes behind him my initial thoughts are of disgust, how could someone be this corrupt and still be in this position! But as I sit there in silence for few I start to put myself in his position, just from Number 2’s small mentions of OutWolders so far over conversation (not Recollection Report) some have been really bad, like kill off everyone and anyone kinda bad.
And he’s right, OutWolders do mess with their protection Powers, I mean look at me. I messed with it by training it, lowering almost to zero some times, that and the alcohol allowance I added a while back. With a world history of the native population getting either killed off or is better off from OutWolders I suppose it's no wonder that some would think of that.
Great, so I now not only have to put up with the Institute but I may just need to put up with normal people hating my gut as well. Well, I say that but we already met someone like that, Illiard from Farmers Rest…
Time passes, I sit there in my Suppression/Straight Jacket for what is definitely a few hours. Yea that food is not coming any time soon I suppose.
I go through the Memory Palace looking at police interrogations and other methods I have seen online, JCS on YouTube and others are a big help, as I sit there I start to feel strange, like a tingling near my Well moving from it up my Mana Network and pathways, across my entire body I feel a heat, pain, dizziness. My hands start to shake in the jacket, my legs jitter and spasm, I cannot control my head at all as I gasp for breath.
I can feel my heartbeat, fluttering, heart palpitations, like I have a butterfly in my chest. As my body shakes I fall off the chair sideways, the chair unmoving as I jitter along the floor. My mind is blank, in pain and feeling this strange heat, like I am burning from the inside or have a high fever. My eyes fluttering open and not seeing anything of worth aside from the floor and wall.
As I fall, I do not realise that the multi-door has opened with Capitan Lincastle, Taal, Adoazze and some others, one stands nearby and takes charge directing them to let me flail about and to take off the Jacket as she pulls a circular tube from her shirt with a blue crystal in its tip. As it lights I can feel a foreign feeling spread into me, it enters my Well and after a moment I start to feel better. Some minutes pass and I am sitting upright but hunched over, arms by my side resting on the floor and sweating like I had just run two marathons back to back. My throat is parched and raw, was I screaming?
Blinking tears from eyes that can barely move and just able to see, I find Adoazze and this doctor? standing in front of me, as I appear awake the blue light from the crystal attached tube fades and I start to feel a little better. Adoazze hands me a glass of water which is stopped before I can take in big gulps, I cannot hear anything more than a tiiiiii so Adoazze mimes sipping from the glass which I do.
Ahh, sweet, delicious water, oh sweet nectar of the gods, oh grandest of all beverages!
Coughing a bit I take in a deep breath and look up toward the both of them, “Thank you.” I croak.
So, that was the Shakes huh, great.