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Kalon

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Chapter Twenty: Vekka

Galactic Quadrant: Darna Quadrant

Ruling Government: Talum Merchant Federation

Solar System: D-447

Planet: Ora

Location: Beneath the planet's surface, Naro City, Near City Markets

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The woman laughs heartily at the word I spoke in answer to her riddle, Ulima. Even if Nekam and Yuri had not given us the answer, we might have found it. Her riddle was a play on how people see Ulima. That is why she said four types of people, meaning that the fifth she asked for us to answer must not be considered a person. The Sage would often give Arrum and me riddles, though this is the first I have heard of this one. Her striking green eyes begin to hum with bioluminescence. They tell me one thing, do not interfere with what her hands wish to do.

“Do you hear that?” the woman asks, taking a deep breath and spinning in a circle whimsically, a grin deep upon her lips still.

“Hear what? What are you…” the first begins but never finishes.

Blood gushes from his throat, her movements so fast the man did not even register it. Between the whimsical spins lurked a blade meant to carve flesh. Her blade’s song a wild tempo of pain returned from whence it came. Her green eyes glow brightly now, there is purpose behind them.

“It is the sound of your death.” She says, kicking him to the floor.

The next man turns, but a moment too late, she has already stabbed him in his blade arms nerve bundle. The metal clangs to the ground as she spins and cuts the tendon of his knee with a quick jab of her blade. The man stumbles and she kicks him over, sending him onto his stomach. Jumping onto his back now, she pins him down. Only one of his arms and legs can fight as he tries to thrash on the ground.

“Ulima aren’t people, they are things to be used.” she says, cutting into his back, not to kill but for pain “They are beneath you, oh mighty, mighty lord.”

Her face is skewed with anger, the grin having left her already as she carves his jacket open. He squirms trying to free himself, so she cuts the other arm’s tendons, her skill with a blade is formidable, somehow avoiding the arteries, even with him fighting. Scars on her forearms as her sleeve moves tell me she is well versed in the blade, having felt its kiss upon her skin more than most. She is Ulima or was, I am sure of it.

Arrum moves to step forward but thinks better of it as she begins to speak. He can feel it now, the pain written in her eyes. Not for her, or the man, but for someone else. Perhaps someone this man wronged, someone she held close. This is revenge, there is no mistaking it. I have seen it in my own eyes before. My jaw flexes as I push back the memories, shoving them deep into the recesses of my tainted soul.

“That’s what you told her.” The woman says “Or did you forget?”

“Get off me you Vekka!” the man yells, still squirming.

She stabs him again and again, each time in places not meant to kill. Arrum looks at me, unsure if we should stop it. My gut tells me that she delivers judgment for someone, so I shake my head at him.

“You and the others forced yourselves on her.” The woman says, the hilt of the blade slamming so hard it cuts her hand “Again and again. Until she threw herself into the chasm.”

His eyes turn to us, pleading for help that will not come.

“You killed her.” She says, pulling back his head by his hair “She was everything to me, now I take everything from you.”

Her other hand stabs him in the groin, blood spills out quickly as he whimpers in pain, his eyes widen for a moment until they become like glass, hollow and lifeless.

The woman lets out a pained cry, her head hanging low. No one speaks for a time, in this small walkway off the main path the only sound is the steam leaking from a pipe above us and the drip of blood from her hand.

After giving her some time, I move towards her slowly, with my hands raised to my sides, blade tucked back in my boot. She turns to look at me, tears streaking through the blood on her face. Her green bangs covering her eyes once more. She does not fight me when I take her hand and look at the cuts. The blade was slick with blood, so her hand slipped on it. More scars to accompany the others upon her arms. Taking an icicle from the low ceiling, I rub it on her wound, washing out the debris as it melts. It is a shallow wound, so with cloth from my pocket, I tie around it tightly, pressing it firmly until it does not seep.

She stands now, collecting herself, wiping the blood from her face with the other man’s less-soiled clothes. Crystals are beginning to form on the edges of the pool of blood. Dark tendrils, and red Netheric Maka snake up the dead men’s skin. We need to pierce their hearts, lest they will rise in a few hours, having become Shulka.

The woman takes a deep breath, closing her eyes, exhaling slowly. When she finally opens them, she is one with the calm.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“I am Korra.” She says, extending her arm “Ulima of Dorasi Clan.”

“Kalon, Ulima of Yul Clan.” I say, embracing it.

“Arrum, also Ulima of Yul Clan.” He says, gripping her arm now, his eyes flitting over to the dead man she tortured.

“Help me throw him into the chasm.” She says, grabbing the second man she slew by the feet.

She means to dishonor them further in death by ensuring they will be Shulka food. We do not protest though, we did not know them and from what she said, they were not worthy of our pity.

“What of the first man?” Arrum asks, looking down at the lines tracing his skin.

“We need him still,” Korra says, grunting as she hefts the man up with us.

“Why do we need a dead man?” Arrum asks, his eyes move to me for a moment, but I also do not know.

“For the plan, obviously.” She says, then seeing our expressions “Did no one tell you of the plan?”

My jaw rolls before I finally shake my head.

“Sekat…” she says, a chuckle almost falling from her mouth.

As we reach the chasm, she drops him on the ground, moving to the edge of the railing and kneeling as though she means to pray. Arrum gives me a glance before turning back to her.

“Amara, goddess of death, hear my prayer.” She begins.

My eyes widen, a rare Goddess to worship. One I have heard seldom lips speak. Among them, was my mother, before she died. Painful memories try to surface again but I press them down. Still, it is strange that she prays to her. Most revere Amara as an evil deity.

“I offer you the body of another guilty wretch. I beg that you torment their soul even in the afterlife. May their cries be heard by all the hells, and may they be made to watch the six others I have sent you in her name suffer endlessly.”

There is a fierceness in her tone. One that speaks of bitter vengeance, more so than her words.

“One left, my Goddess,” Korra says.

Arrum looks at me again, his head moving sideways a little. Despite his eagerness to remove the stain of Ulima, he is wary of her. He may not be as superstitious as most, but he still believes in Hempki and the teachings of our Clan.

Most who worship Amara are seen as demon worshipers. As she is one of the three high gods of the hells. Or so it is told. I do not believe in the Gods, nor their teachings. There are many gods that my people believe in, but only one thing that I believe, when we die, only the void awaits.

While our looks are exchanged, Korra pushes the man's body over the ledge, the sound of bones breaking against rocks as it hits the edges echoes, until we can hear it no more. It will take some time for his body to reach the bottom. By then, we will be gone.

Our stride is swift, moving back to the other man. His fingers twitch now from the Netheric Maka. A few hours is all we have until he awakens, something new. Whatever we must do, it must be quick.

“Korra,” I say, her vibrant green eyes turning to look at me “What is the plan?”

A grin slips onto one side of her face as she pulls her hair back into a knot. Uncovering her face fully now. I had not realized it before, but she is pleasing to look at. She looks to be only a few years older than Arrum and me. Her eyes turn back towards the dead man whose arm fully twitches now.

“There are three phases.” She begins, leaning down and examining him “First we need to clean him up and put him in fresh clothes. It must not look like he died by a blade.”

“There is a hole in his throat.” Arrum says, crossing his arms “How do you propose we hide that?”

“Make a bigger hole, obviously.” She chuckles, looking at me now “Are you as unimaginative as your friend?”

Arrum rolls his eyes at her remark. She does not react to it, her eyes still look at me, for some reason, the way that she looks at me, there is comfort in her eyes.

“What is the second phase of the plan?” I ask her.

“One step at a time.” she says as she cuts the bloodied clothes off the man “Besides, if they did not tell you, perhaps you are not meant to know all.”

“She is as helpful as her cousin.” Arrum sighs.

She stands sharply, moving into Arrum’s space, locking eyes with him. Arrum does not flinch or back down, he spins his blade in his hand.

“Do not speak ill of Yuri, or you will find your tongue removed from your body.” She says, spinning her own blade in her hand.

“Do not threaten Arrum, or I will send you to meet your Goddess,” I say, blade in hand as it presses into her back gently. She may be attractive, but I am not so naïve that I would let my guard down.

She lets out a laugh as she turns her head, looking down at the blade. There is no fear in her eyes, only an untamable wildness unlike any I have known. It dances behind her eyes, it is in the grin that fills her mouth, in the tongue that licks her lips invitingly. Yet, there is still something else there, something that longs for something more than violence. Deep beneath the surface.

“You would not be the first to try.” She says, turning her body to me now, pressing into the blade, a fierceness in her eyes as the grin becomes deeper.

My eyes narrow at her as I speak.

“I would be the last.”

There is silence that hangs between us, each measuring the other, wondering, who would win. I can’t remember the last time I wanted to find measure with someone besides Nekam. Her blade’s song though I only heard it for a few moments was beautiful, even when it struck sad notes.

Her hand gently pushes my blade away. It stays in my grasp even as I lower my hand to my side. Arrum breaks the silence between the three of us.

“I did not mean offense.” Arrum says, rolling his jaw for a moment “Yuri is one of the few that have been kind to Kalon and me.”

She does not turn from me, but her expression does loosen from his words, her eyes ask me something I don’t quite understand before she looks away. Pressing the thought from my mind, I refocus myself as I put my blade back in its sheath.

The sound of bones shifting and popping in the dead man turns all of our focus. The red lines have become thicker, ebbing from his chest outwards.

In silence we redress the man with fresh clothes, though Arrum and I do not understand the purpose. He is a dead man, why should it matter?

“We can leave him here, for now.” She says.

“If someone finds him?” Arrum asks her.

She lets out an exaggerated sigh as she looks to me, rolling her eyes.

“Is he always so paranoid?” she asks me.

Arrum gives an expression of annoyance but says nothing, nor do I.

“Look, very few people use these walkways. It will be fine.” She says rolling her neck.

“You’re sure?” I ask her, though I think she may be right, whatever we are doing must be quick, lest he walks from here on his own.

She moves fast into my space, causing my heart to tremor for a moment, but I do not flinch, she tests me, I can feel it in her bodies motions. She leans in close to my ear, her breath slowly exhaling on it, causing a shiver down my spine. My eyes slide towards her hand that places itself slowly on my shoulder.

“Positive.” She says, pushing me away playfully before strutting down the walkway backwards, her eyes fixed on mine.

Arrum comes to my side now as we move to follow her towards whatever awaits.

“Do not let her ensnare you. I get the feeling that her webs are not easy to escape from.” he says, low enough so only I can hear.

“Do not worry, my mind is clear.” I say, there are more pressing concerns on my mind than her.

He gives me a look, one that gauges me, satisfied enough he nods, though I can tell he is not entirely convinced as he lets out a sigh, shaking his head.

“Keep up.” She says as she turns the corner.

As soon as her shadow disappears, I hear her boots pounding the ice, her pace exploding.

“Sekat.” Arum curses, running now to catch her.