Since Brandt left, every kin had been obsessing over the nearby Dlooa complex. Despite the darkness, it was so close that they could barely make out the shapes of the buildings from the glow emanating from the inside. That, in turn, fueled speculation about what they may find. Thernohh did what she could to remind everyone that they weren’t there yet, thus such deliberations might have been premature.
The discussion lost some of its enthusiasm after a candle or so when the boredom of the prolonged wait finally settled in.
Anh was accustomed to just waiting, doing nothing in particular, and it took a considerable effort, along with periodic reminders from Birdekk, to remain on his post. Of his hoomin companions, Strettar sat below the tree, propped against it, and snored a little, probably napping. Gustaf had been waiting with them but had just gone after Brandt and the archers. To the surprise of the tanai. Anh followed him with his gaze until the silhouette of the wildman disappeared in the surrounding darkness.
-* He is probably just as impatient as us and went to check things out, spy a little, scout things.*- an image of Tow materialized nearby, starkly contrasted against the background, illuminated by an unknown and unnatural pinkish glow. The tanai attempted to show his apparition nonchalantly propped on a nearby tree. It worked, for the most part, although the peacock feathered headdress he decided to wear was merging itself weirdly with the trunk behind. For the occasion, he had chosen a mint-colored robe with pink trim. He dyed his goatee to match.
-* Scouting. Him? Without an eye?*- scoffed Thernohh
-* He still has the other one, you know*– responded Tow -* I think he would not be here if he struggled with putting it to good use. *-
-* I wonder what we will find there.* - mused Anh
-* Blood, guts, severed limbs and gore?*- Birdekk’s projection appeared in Anh’s peripheral vision on a side opposite Tow’s. As usual, the eldest kin wore plain, grey linen overalls and found it fitting to float cross-legged. Unlike Tow, however, Birdekk decided his apparition to be less lit.
-* That will be in ample supply, no doubt. *- uneasily said Anh -* I meant the compound, Dlooa. I avoid obsessing about what you mentioned and concentrate on the positives. *- replied Anh -* I don’t want to add to whatever we’ve been through in the last few weeks. It has been a lot already.*
-* Well that’s an understatement. *- snarkily added Thernohh. Anh rolled his eyes.
-* Thank you. *- he said. At the same moment, Birdekk decided to turn his image toward the Dlooa complex. He has done so at a rather theatrically slow pace. Not too quickly, as one would do if they wanted to merely look at something, not too slowly, for it to be odd, but certainly to be noticed.
-* You know that only we in this cranium can witness it right? *- quickly commented Thernohh. In response, Tow rolled ‘his’ eyes.
-* I see you are as anxious as all of us. *- he said
-* It’s not like I have a choice, I don’t think. *- the youngest retorted, quite angrily so -* As I see it, it’s just hoomin doing hoomin things to other hoomin. We were dragged into it by the leash of our curiosity. And sense of obligation, I guess. *-
-* What are you suggesting? *-
-* I’m stating… *- Thernohh emphasized the last word -* ...that we are getting what we deserve. So does everybody else in this Divinul-forsaken place *-
For a moment there was silence between the kin, underlined solely by the whispering of the forest.
-* I just hope… *- Birdekk now turned towards Anh -* …that we are going to get through this unscathed. *-
Anh shrugged.
-* It’s Brandt’s idea of problem-solving over there. We are here to sweep up after he’s done. I think we are safe. If anything goes awry, we are best equipped of everyone here, save maybe for the seer of the ordos, to fly away into directions unknown to us and them alike. *-
Birdekk’s projection wiggled eyebrows in unease. He then allowed it to disperse.
-* I know. But that does not quell my worries. *- he said in his parting words.
-* I can relate, but I think he worries too much. *- commented Tow towards Anh -* On an unrelated, but not quite, topic, because I want to answer your initial query. *-
-* Yes? *-
-* I don’t know much about ancient precursor artifacts, but judging from how let’s say ‘pristine’ this place looks. As little as there is to be seen… honestly, none of us have the faintest clue as to what is inside.*-
-* Well, neither do the ordos.*- Thernohh decided to return to the conversation.
-* You are probably right. *- Tow put a finger to his lips and began to rub and delicately pinch them, lost in thought -* We know it is a ‘forge’. So a fabrication facility of some sort. But what are those ‘nano’s which were being made here… that remains to be discovered. *
Neither Anh nor any other kin seemed to have anything else to say. After a few moments, Tow dispersed his projection. In his place came the warm silence and whispering of the spring forest, which lasted about a quanter and ended suddenly.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
A muffled scream echoed in the distance, followed by a short, loud lighting shot up into the darkness from somewhere before them and quite above in the air. Its intense glow caused Anh a sudden, and quite significant, ocular discomfort. Almost instantly after the blast, several men’s howls were heard, followed by a few, tanai counted nine, gunshots a few drips later. Interspersed were clanging of metal into metal and, sometimes, a scream of pain.
The commotion was brief, lasting less than a triskol. It fit what Anh could reasonably imagine a battle sounded like and despite being far away his heart raced as if he were in the thick of it.
He froze in place and it took another two or so triskols after the commotion subsided and until he gained some sense of rooting into reality.
-* Should we go there and take a look at what is going on? *- asked Tow, rhetorically, as he spoke as if it was a certainty.
-* I presuppose you decided that ‘our guys’ won? *-
-* No.*- replied Tow, stretching the word substantially -* I prssupose we can fly and it is pretty dark *-
There was no immediate answer, although murmurs could be witnessed, especially from Birdekk and Greoo.
-* Since nobody seems to want to commit to anything, I decided we would go there. *- finally said Anh and flew into the air. Once he left the relative safety of the forest and intruded into the clearing before the compound, he quickly gained altitude. As he did so, more details emerged of what had happened just a few triskols ago.
The buildings’ outlines were barely visible, lit only by a large bonfire. Rectangular obelisks of unknown purpose were placed around and cast long, flickering shadows on the compound’s walls. As he got closer, he could resolve hoomin figures standing, walking, and rummaging upon and along, presumably, corpses on the ground.
Among them, one stood a tall figure with a long blade in his right hand, lowered toward the ground.
-* I think this is Brandt. *- mused Anh while looking towards the man. He was maybe thirty or forty mers from him.
-* It is. *- grimly said Greoo -* And we finally got to see him with a sword drawn. *-
-* Not the most glorious of circumstances, to be honest. *-
-* They took the victory, it’s as glorious as it gets. *- shrugged Thernohh
-* I can’t attach splendor to being better at murdering others. *- Greoo grumbled -* Even if ‘others’ are just as bent on murdering you. *-
The Nord was looking for something in the air, nervously.
-* I wonder what is he looking for…? *-
Brandt gazed toward somewhere in Anh’s vicinity, but not quite at him. Tanai observed this curiously for a moment. Suddenly, Nord turned his attention from something in the skies to the ground. What he was searching for there turned out to be a pistol near the body of a killed templar. Hoomin leaped toward it grabbed it, and aimed right at the Anh. Then a gunshot was heard. Tanai didn’t have time to properly register as to what was happening. When a bullet whizzed through the air, too close to call it even remotely comfortable, He panicked.
-” WHAT ARE YOU DOING! ”- he shrieked toward Brandt. The answer came almost immediately, but not in any form Anh might have expected.
-” TRAWINS! DON’T WASTE TIME! GET THEM! ”- shouted Brandt as loudly as he could. Almost at the same drip the ordo seer flew uneasily nearby, not paying Anh any attention, and disappeared into the darkness.
-” THE SEER!” - again shouted the Nord -” GET THE SEER! ”
Confused Anh turned his head towards the flying figure, then did so toward the ancient aberrant on the ground, and again into the darkness.
-” GO! ”- Brandt’s commandeering shout forced Anh into action. He turned and followed where the other tanai flew.
He could barely notice their figure, but at the same time, they didn’t pay much attention to anything, other than trying to be as far away from the compound as possible. It didn’t take long, maybe a couple of dozen drips, when Anh was beside them, several mers up in the air.
-* Why are they holding to their stomach like that? *- Greoo pondered when they finally managed to make out the silhouette of the other tanai from the surrounding darkness -* They are wounded! They need our help! *-
-” Hey!”- shouted Anh
-* We need to get them back to the complex! *- worriedly continued Greoo
-” Be gone!” - the templar barked back, then spit something out -” Unless you’re here to kill us. Then do it, like your owner ordered you to. ”
-* Was that … blood? *-
-* They must be grievously wounded! Look how uneasy their flight is! *-
-” No! We’re not to do that! Of course not! ”- Anh continued to shout -” We want to help you! You are wounded!”
-” Sure. Just like you helped Ksintsaxai. ”- this time the ordo spoke almost inaudibly and did so with great difficulty. -” Get out of our way! ”- they spit again.
-* No. Of course not. Tell them! *- Tow and Birdekk said almost in unison.
-” Stop! We… we will help! ”- there was no answer. Instead, the ordo continued into the darkness and away from the Dlooa complex. Anh paused, anxious and unsure of what to do next.
-* We need to get them! *- grimly said Thernohh after a few drips, shaking the dominant and other kin from their dazed state.
-* No we don’t! *- Greoo barked back -* We’re not Brandt’s pawns! If these tanai want to go, we let them! *-
-* Anh! Go after them.*- Thernohh insisted.
-* Don’t you dare! Birdekk! Tow! Help me! *- shouted Greoo, but received no answer. Anh was confused, and it didn’t seem like the kin were to be of any help.
-* I’ll speak to them once again *- he said uneasily, then flew in the direction the ordo disappeared a few moments prior and caught up to them a few drips later.
-” Stop!” - he again shouted, this time with anxiety in his voice – “Please!”
There was no answer, not even an acknowledgment that Anh was there.
-* Why aren’t they reacting!? *- exclaimed the dominant.
-* Follow them! *- commandeered Birdekk -* We need to find a way for them to surrender, and come with us! *-
-” Please! Stop!”- Anh continued trying to grab the other tanai’s attention -” We want to help!” - there wasn’t anything but cold indifference.
Suddenly, he felt a slight tingling at the base of his skull. One of the kin was preparing to Craft and judging from how quickly the sensation grew, it was being done aggressively and very against the consensus of the variunity.
-* No! *- shreiked Greoo
The metallic scent appeared out of nowhere, and a sudden shock struck all of them. Instantly, the seer was struck with an invisible force and immediately paused and curled, although still managed to keep themselves in flight. A second strike came a few drips later. The seer gurgled some then fell into the woods below.
-* They. Made. Their. Choice. *- slowly and coldly announced Thernohh.
All of them heard the limp body fly through the trees, tumble in the branches, and crash with a silent ‘thud’ on the ground. That sound reverberated grimly in their consciousnesses for a few drips. Then it was replaced by mental silence they never experienced before.