Bao meets Maria and Keyon where he left them and tells them about his conversation with Barros. They are welcome to travel east with him and his caravan. This is enough for Maria to walk down and meet them with Keyon cautiously following beside her. Bao and Maria get situated in the wagon in front of the children's while Keyon rides the horse Maria had originally been on. Just like he had done with just the three of them, Keyon stays behind the two of them in their wagon so he can see to either side as well as inside Maria’s wagon. He is still trying to be vigilant, although he is much more relaxed now that they have the security of a group.
The more Bao thinks about it, the more he feels that something is off with Keyon and Maria. “Keyon is way too exhausted for just traveling,” Boa thinks to himself, “He’s also too paranoid even for a bodyguard. At first, I thought he was itching for a fight but now I think it’s something else,” his thoughts change to Maria who is sleeping soundly now across from him in the wagon, “Why would a princess only be traveling with a single attendant in the first place? No matter how skilled Keyon might be, one warrior just isn’t enough to fight some threats.”
Bao thinks about his older brother. He always thought of Hai as one of the best hunters in the jungle yet that wasn’t enough in the face of a powerful and aggressive animal. Now, Bao, Keyon, and Maria are resting only a few wagons away from what is described as one of the most dangerous humans in the world. Bao clenches his crimson spear and imagines how this same weapon exchanged his brother’s life for a beast’s so many years ago. He has never fought a beast of that caliber himself, but Bao feels that on this new journey he might face challenges he has never imagined.
Barros meets Maria and Keyon shortly after they get comfortable in the wagon and invites them to eat with him once the day is over. This happens soon though since it takes a long time to stop all the wagons and get things ready for the night. Just before making their way to the ravine bridge, the wagons break formation and form a large circle off to the side of the road. Barros explains this is for security and makes everyone easier to keep track of. In the center of their circle, the traders set up several fires to keep warm and to prepare dinner and meals for the next day.
When the sun goes down, everyone gathers around the warmth of the fires. Bao notices that the formation of the wagons helps to break the strong winds that occasionally rip through this open area. Bao, Maria, and Keyon find Barros’ fire once the food is prepared and see that he has saved seats beside him.
“Welcome fellow travelers!” Barros bellows as the three of them approach his fire, “Good to see we didn’t lose you during all the hustle of setting up camp. I know it can be a bit overwhelming for those unfamiliar with the process,” he motions to the seats beside him and offers them to take a seat. The ground has been covered with impressive rugs and blankets and set on top are large cushions everyone is using as their seats.
Maria is the first to reply, “Thank you very much for your hospitality, Mr. Barros,” she approaches a deep burgundy cushion and elegantly takes a seat, “It wasn’t any trouble to navigate the caravan. Your team is very helpful gave me advise on whatever I asked.”
“I agree,” Keyon chimes in. He may be overly cautious, but he also isn't the type to ignore a good deed. The chance to relax a bit also seems to have done him some good, “I’ve done my share of grunt work in the past, but I’ve never had the chance to see an evolution quite like this. I’d say you got the work quickly and efficiently.”
Barros lets out another hearty laugh. He appears to always be in good spirits, “Well of course it gets done quickly. If it isn't then no one gets to eat!” The humans around him all begin to laugh and cheer with him. Some let out sarcastic protests calling Barros a cruel taskmaster, “I suppose we’re all the family most of us have right now. Most of us found ourselves in bad spots before coming here. We don’t ask a lot of questions about our past because we know that now we’re all family. We left our old lives, so they don’t matter anymore. All that matters now is being there for each other like any real family would.”
“That reminds me,” Boa says as he looks around the camp for a moment, “Most of the people here are either Sosun or Redmane, right? I was wondering if you could tell me about the other humans that travel with you.”
Maria and Keyon pause. Maria stops just as she is about to take a bite of food and Keyon chokes for a moment on some of his drink. There isn’t anything wrong with his question. They just feel like it is a little abrupt to be talking about the Sulfuges right away. The mood seems a bit too jolly to be talking about that.
“Of course Bao, what would you like to know?” It is refreshing for Keyon and Maria to hear Barros answer so openly.
“Earlier today I saw three children in the wagon behind ours. I recognized one was a Redmane. But what kind of humans were the other two?”
Bao’s companions relax after hearing that he isn’t so dense as to ask about the Sulfuges immediately, “That's true.” Maria thought aloud, “I remember hearing children's voices today, but I guess I didn’t think anything of it. Are there children here who are unrelated to the adults?”
“Ah, you must be talking about our pride and joy! I’ll introduce them to you.” He turns his face out toward a fire on the opposite side of the settlement, “Kikka! Katz! Letz! Come here for a second!”
From the other side of the fires, the three hear children’s voices calling out to Barros and shortly after, two children come running into view followed by a smaller third child. These are the children Bao had seen earlier that day. They look just like he remembered them, a Redmane, a child made of precious stones, and the boy with wings.
Bao hears a quiet Keyon sitting next to him, “I don’t believe it,” he whispers in disbelief.
“Wow,” Maria says with a quiet and drawn-out exclamation.
Barros begins the introductions, “I see you know about these two, young lady, but I’ll explain it to Bao since I doubt he is as familiar. You’re already familiar with Redmanes, well this one here is Letz.”
Letz gives several giant waves throwing his entire arm into the air as he does. With a giant grin he appears to have all the energy you would expect from a child his age. Letz is about eleven years old. His smile reveals four prominent canine teeth just beginning to grow. His hair, or fur for a Redman, is short compared to older Redmanes and it covers nearly his entire body. It is a vibrant orange with red accents dotting his head and face.
“Next to him is Katz. He’s a little slow to warm up to strangers though so don’t take it personally. Katz is a Strix, famous seafarers, navigators, and explorers. They’re bit on the frail side as far as other humans go but if you can fly like a bird then I think that’s a fair trade. The Strix empire is one of the largest nations in the world right now.”
Bao takes another look at Katz. The boy is twelve years old. He isn’t doing anything to acknowledge his introduction to Boa and the others, but he doesn’t come off as disrespectful either. He came when Barros called for them and that is all he appears interested in doing. He stands there looking at them. From Bao’s perspective it feels like he was waiting for them to say something.
He looks almost vulnerable in his blank stare and unguarded posture. Just as he remembered though, Katz has distinctive white feathers on his head with red circling his eyes. The black feathers on his body somehow seem to reflect the light from the fires and cause them to appear almost as if they are glowing.
“And my name is Kikka!” a little girl jumps in front of Katz and steals any attention he otherwise might have had, “Aren’t I pretty?” she looks squarely at the group with an expectant smile and eyes wide and fixated on them. This girl is too young to ask a question like this out of vanity. The way she asks is as if she is looking for recognition of a job well done. This is how children back home acted with their parents with chores and activities when learning something new. This young girl, Kikka, is looking for recognition and approval of a job well done.
“Wow Kikka! Yes, you are beautiful!” Maria is enthusiastic. Of the three of them, she is probably the best person to relate to the little girl.
“Really!?” Kikka clasps her hands together and brings them to her chest, “Papa, did you hear that? They think I’m pretty!” she is speaking to Barros and runs to him, jumping into his arms.
“Of course they do Kikka! You’re the most beautiful girl in the whole wide world after all!” Barros holds her in a tight hug.
Kikka breaks free and jumps out of his arms, running to Maria, “You’re really pretty to miss. Can I do your hair?” She asks with confidence that there can only be one answer.
“I would love that! I can do yours when you’re done ok?”
“OK, but you won’t be able to brush it like yours.”
Kikka runs behind Maria as she hands the little girl a comb from inside a bag. The little girl is, without exception, an astonishing human to behold. She really does appear to be made entirely out of some type of precious stone. The parts of her that would normally be considered skin continue to change colors as she moves around with the light touching her from different angles. It’s not clear what color the stone is naturally.
Right now, the little girl is a warm orange but that is only because of the fire. This afternoon when Bao saw her in the wagon with only a small about of light, she appeared to be more of a pastel green. Tonight, Kikka’s eyes and hair are vibrant, their color shift faster than the rest of her body. Her appearance seems to match the happy and lively mood of the evening. Looking at Kikka’s hair, you can see what she meant by it not brushing the same as Maria’s.
Her hair doesn’t flow the way you would expect hair to. It breaks easily into strands as normal but then slowly bundles back into its original solid shape so that no matter how Maria brushes it, Kikka’s hair doesn’t change into anything other than its original shape. Kikka didn’t seem to mind though. She continues happily sitting with Maria as she does her hair.
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As the children are introduced, Keyon grows somber but speaks up once the conversation dies down a little, “Barros, I noticed you also had a Bolbian working for you. I’d like to know the circumstances surrounding that if you don’t mind.”
“A Bolbian?” Bao interrupts. This is the first time something he has learned since beginning this journey has come up.
Maria was surprised, “Bao? You know what a Bolbian is?”
“Didn't I mention I met one the day before meeting you and Keyon?”
“That's quite a rare thing Bao,” Barros speaks in a way that sounds like he is congratulating him, “It’s true we have a Bolbian working here. Don’t worry, I won’t bother bringing him out to introduce you. He’s been working for me for a while, and I can tell you he is exactly what you would expect. The Bolbian is a spineless lowlife and a sniveling coward.” Barros crosses his arms and furrows his brow just thinking about him.
“Really?” Bao is surprised how a gentle man like Barros could suddenly speak so badly bout someone, “The Bolbian I met didn’t seem pathetic to me. He was just an old man living a quiet life.”
It’s clear Barros feels a little bad after hearing that, “Sorry to break it to you Boa but that man more than likely wasn’t all that he appeared to be. Let me ask you, did he tell you anything about Bolbians? Anything about why the rest of humanity hates Bolbians?”
“Isn’t it because they look so different from the rest of humanity?” all eyes were on Bao.
“You bought something like that?” Keyon spoke out almost sounding disappointment, “Look around you Bao, this camp has Sosuns, Redmanes, a Strix, and a Zultanite but you think something like appearance is enough to make an entire race be detested by humanity?”
“I didn’t realize how serious it was. What makes them so bad that you should hate them before you even meet?”
“It's alright Bao, I'll explain it to you,” Barros interjects. He understands, like Keyon should, there is no real reason Bao would know any of this. As the host, he feels like he should help to get things straightened out, “Bolbians are not hated for their appearance Bao. A long time ago, longer than anyone really knows, this entire continent and every human race was threatened by the Bolbians. You see, most humans are created by Uri, the God of creation and protection. Bolbians are different. They are a chosen race. Handpicked and cultivated by Su, the God of death itself.
“For hundreds of years, Dragons ruled the skies, and Bolbians swarmed the oceans and lands. Both Dragons and Bolbians alike sought nothing but the death of all other humans. That was all Su made them for. They had no other purpose. In that time, there was no safe place and all of humanity lived in fear and death. It wasn’t until another child of the Gods, a powerful demigod, banished the Dragons to subterranean life. Once they were all underground and out of the picture, the rest of humanity had a fighting chance. Today, Bolbians are almost extinct. A fate that they no sooner would have wished for each and every other human. Its only at the mercy of the people alive today, that any are still alive at all.”
Bao knows about Uri, the God of creation and about Su, the god of death, of all the gods that influence the world, they are the most powerful. His people don’t venerate any of the gods however, and to his knowledge, they live lives completely devoid of their influence. To hear Barros talk about a giant war in the past that began and ended with the sway of gods...This was a lot for Bao.
Still, the idea that humans suffered, were blamed, died, and are still suffering for something the gods caused doesn’t sit right with him, “But we’re talking about, ‘descendants’, right? Isn't it wrong to hold it against their descendants if we don’t even know how long ago this happened?”
“Listen Bao. You said the Bolbian you met was old, right? Well, you’re not wrong, but looks are a little misleading. The truth is that when Bolbians were created by Su, that was all there would ever be. No one knows why but they were not given a method to reproduce. Some people believe it’s because Uri wasn’t part of their creation.
“Instead, a Bolbian grows a copy of themselves in a hard egg stored in their abdomen. When a Bolbian’s body gets old or is in danger, this egg hatches and the Bolbian transfers to the new hatchling, memories and all. So, unless you kill a Bolbian before it grows this egg, the same Bolbians who once sought the death of all humans continue to live forever.”
“Wait. When you say forever,” Bao believes that’s surely an exaggeration.
“That's right. Only a hand full of humans live like that. I think Dragons, Elves, and Bolbians are the only ones. They’re a kind of human who don’t die unless someone takes them out. Aside from that, certain magical beasts also have that trait, but they’re one of a kind and even for magical beasts, they’re extremely rare.
“That’s why I keep this Bolbian in captivity. So I can keep a close eye on him and make sure he is easy to manage. Most Bolbians you’ll see now are slaves. That's why I said it was rare for you to see your Bolbian friend like you did. I’m sure if you went back there now, he’d probably be gone. He wouldn’t want to risk being found by anyone.”
“Do you understand now Bao?” Keyon wants to make sure he understands.
“I understand what you’re saying Barros. But I’m still not sure how I feel about holding the past against someone for so long ago. If they’ve already paid enough and they’ve changed, then I think things would be different if they had a second chance.”
Keyon sounds a little disappointed, “We’ve been over this before Bao. Humans don’t change that easily.”
“What do you mean by that? It was hundreds of years ago, wasn’t it? Or do you mean it's like a Sulfuges?” Bao is getting frustrated and feels like he is being put on the spot for this conversation.
“Ah! I knew we’d get there eventually.” Barros shouts.
“It’s true, I suppose we’ve been meaning to ask you about that. We’re also not getting anywhere talking about Bolbians,” Maria chimes in.
“Well, the difference between the two is more in severity than anything else if I had to put a finger on it. You see, Bolbians are driven to kill without reason. That’s Su’s nature. Whereas a Sulfuges is cruel and bloodthirsty but prefers to be solitude. They only attack other humans when their territory is threatened or when their bloodlust takes over. But even then, once they’re sated, they usually return solitude.”
“That's not true! Arnit isn't like that!” Kikka speaks up while Maria is still playing with her hair.
“Arnit?” Maria asks.
“Kikka, I’ve told you not to talk like that.” This is the first time Barros has spoken with a stern voice since meeting the others.
Keyon is dumbfounded, “There is no way she is talking about the Sulfuges is there?”
“That's right!” Kikka speaks proudly and confidently “Arnit is my friend. We've been traveling together for three whole years. He even let me give him a name since no one else would.”
Maria is shocked. “Three years?!”
“That's right. Arnit has always been with me. Ever since I can remember, we’ve always been together.”
Maria turns to Barros “Is that true?”
“I really have no idea. Kikka and the Sulfuges both say the same thing. I can’t put too much stock into what either of them says though. Kikka is only around nine years old, so I don’t think she would remember three years ago very well. It can’t be too off though since Letz also says that they were already together when he met them.”
Keyon looks at Barros coldly and directly, “Where exactly did you meet the children?”
Barros thinks about how to answer Keyon's question, “By now I’m sure you’ve guessed that I didn’t pick up these kids through the most legal channels. The truth is that I found both the kids and the Sulfuges about 6 months ago with some slave traders on the northern border of Tab. I want to be clear though that me and my crew are merchants. We don’t trade slaves. My plan has been to find homes for Katz and Letz. Our work means we have business all over the continent so we’re going to the eastern plains for Letz to meet the nomad Redmanes.
“After that, it’s southwest of Tab to the Strix Sea Empire. Kikka is a different story though. There isn’t a place I can bring her home to, so I’ve decided to adopt her as my daughter. For the Sulfuges, After I find a home for Letz, we will keep moving along the eastern side of the mountain range. We’ll go north as far as we can until we reach the frozen bogs. Once there, we’ll let him free in a land populated by nothing but monsters and beasts. I think that plan has the least risk involved. I think by going with a plan to lets him free we run less of a risk of him acting out.”
Keyon continues to pry, “If you were just going to let them all go, why did you buy them in the first place? If you’re really don’t like slaves, then you should have just liberated them from the traders.”
“We’re just merchants Keyon. We can defend ourselves on the road but raiding slavers would be too risky for us. As merchants though, we can buy things,” Barros gave a little chuckle, “Katz was the one who initially caught my attention. It’s a rare sight to see a Strix as far north as he was. After him, it took seeing Kikka to convince me to take them all with me. There is nothing good in store for a Zultanite as young as her to grow up in slavery.
“I was able to purchase Katz and Letz without any trouble but buying Kikka was how I ended up with the Sulfuges. I guess they were desperate to get him off their hands and making him a package deal for a Kikka was probably the only option they had to get rid of him.”
“You could’ve just killed them. The traders, the Sulfuges, or both, I don’t think it would’ve mattered.” Keyon may be forcing the subject, but he doesn’t seem to be enjoying the conversation at all.
“Noooo!” Kikka runs to Keyon and scolds him, “You can’t kill people! Killing people makes them look ugly and no one wants to look ugly. Isn’t that right papa?” She turns to Barros for affirmation.
“That's right Kikka, no one wants to be ugly.”
“What’s that about?” Maria seems to be more interested in Kikka than anything the others have been talking about.
“From what I understand, Zultanites are very attuned to the visually aesthetic. For Kikka that manifests itself in an aversion towards things like death and violence. I’m not sure if this is for every Zultanite or if Kikka is special like that. Oh but of course she is special!” Barros reaches across the group and grabs Kikka with both arms into another giant hug.
“Aaaah! Papa, you’re crushing me!” Kikka laughs as she brakes out of her father’s grip. She runs towards the other two children had left several minutes ago, “I’m going to go play now papa!”
Barros stands up and pats himself down to clear off any food or dirt that might have clung to him and begins to walk away, “Well, that’s about everything out of the ordinary for this bunch I suppose. I’m going help tear down for the night but feel free to ask me or to talk to anyone else if you have more questions.”
Bao, Keyon, and Maria, finish their meal and help their hosts clean up. Spirits are still high throughout the camp but the three of them are a little more somber than the rest. Bao still has unreconciled thoughts from their conversations. The treatment of the Sulfuges and Bolbian seem foreign and harsh to him even in the face of the threats they might pose.
Maria has spent her life as royalty. She is not unaware of the hardships of others, but she certainly has never needed to confront those hardships. Seeing Katz, Letz, and Kikka’s situation forces her to confront, at least in her own mind, the problems that might have led to them being taken into slavery. These are not issues that she can solve on her own, but it is well within her sphere of influence to discuss this with influential people. For now, she resolves to watch carefully and learn what she can to better relay her feelings in the future.
As for Keyon, his thoughts begin to consume him as the night draws on. He is thinking about the Strix boy, Katz. His blank stare is an image burned in his mind. A life in slavery is a harsh and unforgiving one and Keyon is sure that, for someone like Katz, he understands better than most. Tonight, bitter memories and old wounds begin festering in Keyon’s mind. Under a bright and tender moon, and beside a warm fire, he is the only one who doesn’t sleep.