The mind healer shook his head, “No, we did not… we … we deadened them.”
Joe blinked at that, unable to quite understand the man’s description. They’re… obviously not sure either if they can’t really explain it… but what does it mean. How do you ‘deaden’ a memory? Deadened… but not killed. What does that mean? Make them weaker? Make them… oh! Maybe… make them older?
“Did you… uh… age them?”
The mind healer blinked this time, “I… uh… we made them… deadened… weaker.”
Joe struggled with that, “Much like an old memory no longer remembered or difficult to remember as it is no longer in mind so often? Almost forgotten?”
The mind healer nodded softly at that, “Possibly, but not… truly a match.”
Joe grew thoughtful, “So you simply … then… maybe fading the memory.”
The mind healer grew uncomfortable, “I … am uncertain what more to say. I only know that we have deadened them.”
Joe nodded at that, “Do you know how to … age memories? To make them seem… faded… old to the bearer?”
The mind healer grew thoughtful at that, “I… do not know, but… I can see how that may prove quite useful.”
Joe nodded, “Amongst our people, age greatly helped in healing. My people had a saying, time heals all wounds.” Of course… it was kinda the only option… Maybe they found something better? Wish they could explain it to me though…
The healer paused at that, “An interesting saying.”
Joe nodded, “Regardless, I am quite grateful for your help.”
The mind healer bowed, “It is but my duty.”
“But you did it well. Thank you.”
“You are welcome, eccentric.”
The mind healer bowed, the other mind healers joining him before all of them headed out of his guest villa. Kilniara remained in his arms, but seemed much more relaxed, now simply resting there instead of clinging to him. She sighed, appearing much calmer, and stepped back.
“Can we go see the Grand Epics now?”
Joe smiled to see Kilniara’s face, her smile soft and her eyes staring up at him without the little crinkles of stress that normally etched crow’s feet in the corners of her eyes. His smile grew and he nodded with that relief.
“Yes. Let’s go relax for tonight.”
Kilniara actually bounced, “I finally get to see the Clan Epics!”
Joe nodded while Gwenvair came up to Kilniara and slipped an arm around her. Both hugged each other and then when they stepped back, they settled at each other’s side, holding hands with one another. Joe nodded, glad to see Gwenvair’s support and he turned to look at the other two guys.
“Ready to go?”
Garnedell smiled, “More than ready. I’ve never seen Grand Epics.”
Zilnek’s smile was even greater, a brilliant grin as he nodded without speaking. Joe took in their smiles before nodding his head towards door, “Shall we head out?”
Everyone cried out in various affirmations but none gave him a chance to respond as the boys were already running for the door excitedly, and even Kilniara was pulling Gwenvair behind her excitedly while enthusiastically skipping and hopping towards the door. Gwenvair allowed herself to be pulled along although she did exaggerate her reluctance, lightheartedly pulling against Kilniara. Joe laughed and followed them outside.
The group straggled off across the massively wide grounds of the inner city, the girls in the lead as Gwenvair was following with the two boys close behind, all four egging Joe on to move faster as he trailed far behind. They traveled for a good ten or so minutes until it became quite obvious where they were going since the glow of lights and the roar of a crowd made it obvious.
The two guys took off with that, leading the obvious way and Kilniara was soon pulling Gwenvair after her. Gwenvair laughed, joining them while jogging after Kilniara and Joe soon found himself having to speed up as well, the other four pulling well ahead of him. The four made it to the crowd but stopped to wait for Joe and when he arrived, Gwenvair led the way for them to the front of the crowd. When they arrived, they found the Matriarch sitting in a semi secluded gazebo like affair centered on a stage surrounded by several large bonfires. The gazebo was raised above the crowd to easily see the stage and was set into a set of outdoor bleachers angled into a half circle also focused on the stage. The bleachers were raised above crowd height so as to allow the gazebo and bleachers an easy view of the stage. Between the bleachers and the stage stood a crowd of people, pressed in shoulder to shoulder to be able to watch the epics preformed on the stage.
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Gwenvair stepped in and bowed to her mother as Matriarch, “Matriarch, First in Line greets you.”
The Matriarch inclined her head to Gwenvair, “Please join me, First in Line for Matriarch. And eccentric, if you would?”
There were several couches around the edges of the gazebo with a central table filled with various fruits and snacks in easy reach of all of the couches. When the Matriarch asked Joe to join her, she pointed to a couch to her side, and Joe bowed his head, grateful for the offer.
“Thank you much, Matriarch. I would be honored.”
Joe sat in one of the couches, and Kilniara immediately sat down beside him, cuddling up against his side with a sigh. The two boys took another couch way off to the side, eagerly settling in to enjoy the show while Kilniara glanced up at Gwenvair and pulled her down to sit on the couch with them. Joe shuffled to the side to allow them room, and Gwenvair wrapped an arm around Kilniara to offer her comfort as well. Joe found himself disconcerted, especially as Gwenvair’s mother was their watching, but both Kilniara and Gwenvair seemed unconcerned, with the Matriarch nodding with some sense of satisfaction or happiness while looking at the three sitting on the couch. Joe’s upset increased when Gwenvair took advantage of Joe’s arm around Kilniara to snuggle her cheek against his hand, resting her head against his arm. Joe froze, but didn’t move and Gwenvair simply rested against his arm while cuddling her head into Kilniara’s neck. She’s just hugging Kilniara… just hugging Kilniara… relax.
Joe’s tension slowly ebbed and finally vanished when the act on the stage finally began. Joe leaned back and found himself actually relaxing, even looking forward to the show. Been too long without TV or entertainment, I guess. Huh… Might as well enjoy it. Hopefully something good.
That evening passed rather enjoyably for Joe, while Kilniara, Garnedell and Zilnek all proved enraptured by the epics. Even Gwenvair and the Matriarch, to a lesser extent, seemed to enjoy them quite a bit. Joe found it rather lacking, compared to any Hollywood epic, but lacking entertainment and his burning the candle at both ends for almost two thirds a year left him more than willing to enjoy the evening.
The epics proved similar to those they had seen in the outer city, but the quality proved quite a bit more involved. The epics also appeared to be much more detailed and longer, although Joe wasn’t sure if that was a difference in quality due to the clan event or if it was simply because the epics seemed to grow more detailed and more involved over time; something he’d easily recognized over the last couple days of the event. He’d just about asked questions, but when he glanced over and saw their rapt attention, he closed his mouth and left the questions for the end of the show.
Like the shows in the outer city, several people worked together to put forth their displays, the criers working as narrators and giving voice to the actors and monsters, several magicians creating illusions for both the entire stage as well as to cover the actors and create illusory monsters for the actors to slay. The actors, as before, acted out their parts, their focus purely on the physical. Here, however, there were several actors on the stage playing various parts. The hero or heroine, of course, but also the monsters were played by several actors, depending on if the hero fought single monsters or groups.
Most of the mini plays were only about ten minutes long by now, but there were dozens and dozens to go through, and Joe still had no clue who all these people were. But, about an hour and a half or so later, Joe perked up when a name he recognized came up.
“To the Epics we add Allanar Galgandar, water mage of the clan and budding mist mage! Behold the great works of Allanar, adding to the Epics!”
Joe raised an eye at that but found his interest piqued. The stage changed, taking on the form of the city wall with the view raised enough to see over it and overlooking a vast sea of monsters rustling in the field below the walls. Then, off the side of the stage, Allanar stepped up, and Joe did a double take, certain it was actually Allanar. But, with his second glance, Joe noticed that Allanar was just a bit too handsome, just a bit too tall, and just a bit too more than he normally was. Allanar came upon the wall and turned to look at the audience, standing tall and raising a hand before speaking rather pompously.
“No monster will lay a hand upon the walls of Coushar while I, Allanar, stand to defend.”
Joe had to fight real hard to keep the smirk and snicker hidden, clenching his jaw hard and struggling to keep his face stone. Allanar turned away from the audience and then face out over a field of monsters, flinging water projectile after water projectile into the beasts. The monsters exploded into the air comically from the water strikes, hundreds of beasts dying in poorly animated ragdolls into the air before striking the ground. Entire swaths of the beasts were destroyed even as the crier shouted out grunts and cries of effort.
After a few moments of this, the monsters suddenly began to fade as a massive slime as tall as the city walls wobbled into view, rolling over and ingesting all the monsters in the way. It came upon the city walls and Allanar stepped forward heroically, raising a pointed hand towards the beast. The crier spoke strongly with a thundering voice.
“Beast! You will have no escape from my wrath!”
Actor Allanar then stepped over the edge of the wall and Joe felt his eyebrows raise when he saw Allanar ‘fall’ down the wall to land on the ground, his robes fluttering around him. OK… that was… wow… that was really well done. Actually looked like he fell there. Nice… that …
Joe’s thoughts cut off when another character leapt off the city wall, falling down to spear into the slime. Joe felt his eyebrows rise. Is that me? Is that… how is … Joe’s thoughts cut off when Allanar began fighting the slime. He fired off water bombs and massive strikes at the slime, utterly destroying it even as Joe’s figure continued to fight the slime as well. Every once and a while, Allanar did offer some help to Joe’s figure but for the most part seemed to be the one doing most of the damage to the slime. After a few moments of heroic struggle, the slime finally died and Allanar rose back up onto the wall before heroically claiming victory with a raised fist and pose on the wall, the narrator calling out an appropriate, if cheesy victory line.
“The beast falls! I, Allanar, am the wall defending the city!”