In the wake of the Crimson Palaces collapse a new governance was formed in the ‘tetrarchy’ helmed the usurpers of Count Fel creating their own rule of Óðal and setting it for a new course. To start with the name was changed to Logos, Logos becoming a city rather than a town with projects to increase the size and population of the new city starting barely a week after the remnants of the new way of governing was formed. Though this was in part because Count Fel actively kept anyone from increasing their own lands while doing it himself.
At its helm the Head of the Julia, the Head of the Manta, the Head of the Othson and the Head of the Gunnarson. The four largest families/merchants/guilds in the city seeking to create a far more prosperous society for the people of Logos who were oppressed by the forces of Fel with information regarding the old count outed to the public letting them hear all about the mans many murders and slaughters of neighbouring villages and towns so he could sweep them up under his control and claim his aid was out of the goodness of his heart.
In any case Marduk found himself seated on the dock next to Adalgard’s ship as the woman prepared to leave, after the Tetrarchy announced their taking control and explained what they wished to do with the town she was finally free of whatever duty she felt necessary to commit to during the march on the palace and went back to her life as a travelling merchant.
“So you’ll be heading north toward the tundra?” He asked the woman as she made sure the cargo he’d helped her with was strapped down tightly.
“That’s the plan, once I’m up in Barakah I’ll probably stay there for a while and see about settling down for a while. The life of a travelling merchant isn’t meant to be spent in between murder plots and power struggles of local lords, it's meant to be spent buying and selling wares providing a service of exotic goods to those who can’t see the other parts of the world…” The woman blew an exasperated sigh sending her bangs flying out of her eyesight.
“How is settling down travelling?” He felt the need to ask.
“I was getting to that,” she sighed again, tension leaving her shoulders as they slumped. “This past month and a half has been way too much for me, so getting away and living somewhere completely different for a while would be a nice change of pace.”
She frowned looking down at the boards of her boat's deck.
“That isn’t to say I won’t come back and visit the Nikkal some time though, I really enjoyed my time with them and I want to see what becomes of the child Ochre took on as an apprentice.”
“Apprentice?” Marduk asked in a confused tone.
“What did you not realise what she wanted him for back then?” Shaking his head the woman explained. “Ochre is like a lot of older dragons, she wants as many of her own children to spread her teachings to as possible but since there aren’t many Male dragons left she adopts apprentices of all kinds.”
“Oh that makes a lot of sense…” He sort of felt stupid for not realising it himself, but then again he was still too terrified to really get more than ‘she wants a sacrifice’ out of what happened at the time.
…
‘Wait does that mean she’s met other dragons?!?’ The realisation hit him when he understood what she said.
“Does that mean you’ve interacted with other Dragons?” The Suran asked in a tone somewhere between childish excitement and complete horrified terror.
“Yes, there are a handful of them who have taken it upon themselves to rule the lands of men. Which is to say all the current rulers of the regions are Dragons, Ochre is the Queen of Duranki and Barca Crags, it's why she lives between them.” The explanation blew the giant crocodilian’s mind.
“I- I’m not sure how to feel about learning that… for so many years Ochre’s presence was something to fear in Saurian society… and now I’m learning she and other dragons rule the world..” Dragging a hand down his snout the man stared out into nothingness hoping he would see another dragon that soon.
His heart barely survived his first encounter with one.
“Well you’re in luck most of them aren’t nearly as direct as Ochre is- that's enough about that though you distracted me. I was going to ask where you want to go now? You said your goddess gave you a mission right?” Changing the subject, the half-Spriggan woman addressed the elephant in the room for Marduk.
When he woke up after blacking out in the palace while helping the changeling women he was in the care of healers at a temple in the town who were quick to tell everyone he was radiating a divine aura. This meant explaining what he had seen when he was out and quickly the meeting with his god was spun into him being a demigod somehow through rumour making it hard for him to take to the streets without people making offerings to him as a medium to the gods even if his goddess wasn’t related to them at all.
The people of Logos didn’t seem to care about that though, merely the idea that they were visited by two divine entities was enough for them to erupt into festivities celebrating the arrival of the god borne pair. Which was where he learned that Augustus the researcher was actually the grandson of a god who cared for the Áes Sídhe people of which he was.
The festival that had occurred was what kept Marduk in the newly minted city for as long as he had after what happened, originally he had planned to leave immediately and be done with what occurred. But life wasn’t so simple and he’d begun to chalk it up to his newly reformed blessing.
One of the most notable effects of his new blessing was being able to speak fluently in a language he encountered, however he had to hear it first and could simply speak it by having it named. It would make his life a lot easier for certain, but he was unsure of what other things he’d been blessed with were.
“Hello? Anyone in there?” Adal jokingly asked while wrapping her knuckle against his skull like a door.
“Y-Yes! I am, I was just thinking…” His voice trailed off before he let loose a sigh. “I learned of the Lakar and Maláka from Minerva so I think I will travel south toward them- Augustus also expressed interest in joining me some time later after he makes contact with the Ur-Nikkal.”
“Mhmm” Adal hummed as she walked across her boat and stepped up onto the dock. “You going to take her with you like Sophus asked?”
“Minerva?” He questioned back and she nodded, taking a seat next to the Saurian, the pair watching the goings on of the harbour as they did.
“I… I don’t know” He couldn’t deny his wiring that told him not to speak with her for breaking his trust, but he also liked how knowledgeable the Lamia appeared to be from their conversations.
Her knowledge could prove invaluable and her companionship would be something he would be grateful for, be that in bed or out of it.
Another sigh escaped him.
“No harm in it and it really does seem like you enjoy each other's company.” Adalgard shared her opinion, making the man hum in agreement. “Plus it’ll keep you from sleeping with every other woman you speak to”
The brown haired woman laughed at her joke when it caused the man to seize up.
“I haven’t slept with every woman I've met, just those my instincts told me were right.” He tried to defend himself poorly.
“Well you’re two for two at the moment, if those changelings had gotten their way and not been executed you’d have something of a harem forming.”
“...” Going silent, Marduk looked away.
‘She’s right about that… damn it…’
He wasn't really sure what to do about his situation, he'd asked the woman herself if she wanted to already and so that promise was there but part if him said that he should just leave on his own seeing as he no longer needed a language teacher but he also didn't to make someone who clearly thought highly of him sad or disappointed.
“Anyway I'm going to see the children one last time before I leave the town.” Not waiting for him to finish, the half-Spriggan woman gave a parting sentence before she left him alone on the dock.
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With the events that transpired at the Palace, Marduk’s presence as a god blessed or touched individual had become something of a rumour around the town spreading fast and quickly causing problems for him in the time after he woke. As such he was forced to make any trips through the town short and with an escort to help him from being swamped by whoever wished to ask things of him or give him items like free food, clothing etc.
As such he spent most of his time alone in the Julia Manor, such as right now-
Marduk’s thoughts wandered to the words of his goddess, though her image was a haze beyond the face of a falcon, her words remained. He’d avoided thinking about them for the past week and a half, but finally they’d gone unanswered long enough and forced their way to the forefront of his mind.
‘Your mother asked me when she joined my flock to bless you again, so I have. She is of great love for her spawn and would see you prosper in this journey you have taken on.’ he repeated internally, the words still fresh as morning dew.
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It was the complete opposite of the final words she had scarred his mind with-
‘If I was told by killing you I could rid myself of this Curse, I would do it in an instant’
Perhaps he had let the words of a dying woman in pain from a curse that stripped her of her being, of her mind and of her soul, that carved away at the person she once was destroy his image of her?
If Zäna still happily talked about his mothers love now that she was with the Goddess… then…
‘I- I think I forgot who my mother was while she was suffering… At what point was she still even my mother? And when did she become that Husk wearing her face?’
Letting out an exasperated breath he dragged a hand down his face staring at the garden with the white marble statues, they were being prepped so they could be painted soon. He wondered what they would look like when they were.
As his mind wandered away from thoughts of his mother and his eyes lingered on the statues he was reminded of the Changeling twins Líadan and Oébfinn, he wasn’t really sure what he thought would happen once he’d helped the pair. But seeing as he didn’t get to help them and by the time he woke up they’d been convicted of colluding with Count Fel and sentenced to death for it, he would never get an answer on that front.
From what he learned via Adalgard, Changelings were considered the worst of the Fae for being manipulative, actively malicious and constantly scheming ways to murder and replace people in their own homes.
As such even if they hadn’t wanted to do what they had done for Fel they would be killed to keep them from acting on their Nature.
It was odd to him that you could be executed simply for being born to a certain nature, but then again that had happened in the history of his old life hadn’t it?
Killed for what you are and who you could be instead of with some factual basis.
‘If I was told by killing you I could rid myself of this Curse, I would do it in an instant’ the thought returned again as he looked at the flower beds in the garden.
The sound of slithering nearby kept him from thinking about the dying woman's words as he turned toward its source.
“You always seem to wear such dour expressions when you are alone, Marduk.” Minerva spoke in a soft tone offering a smile as she approached him.
“I think I find myself more impressed with the smile you wear constantly despite your history.” He replied, shrugging his shoulders free of some invisible weight.
“Perhaps you just haven’t learned to stop worrying about sleeping Hydras and fish without worry- that is that saying if I remember correctly?” She quoted in an unsure voice.
‘I haven’t heard that in ages…’ Feeling a little nostalgic for the old Saurian saying he nodded his head.
“You got it right, I haven’t heard anyone say that in a long time.” He commented, breathing a sigh as memories that had been buried a long time ago resurfaced.
They were of his conversations with Garash and Mushen, the priests always willing to share their time to talk with the young Saurian when he visited Ur-Nikkal. Mushen especially was insightful and often reminded him of Monk with the sort of wisdom he shared and lessons he tried to teach Marduk.
A thought came to his mind and he felt the need to ask impulsively even if he somewhat knew the answer already.
“Do you have siblings Minerva?” He asked, turning his eyes to meet hers.
“Do I have siblings?” She repeated in an incredulous tone clearly unsure of his intentions. “Why do you want to know?”
“I was missing my own siblings so I thought I would ask if you had any that you miss?” The woman raised a brow at him and shook her head.
“Even if I did, they would have turned on me all the same when I was exiled.” She breathed a sigh as the memory weighed on her.
“Trust is the heart of society?” Marduk quoted a Saurian proverb and the woman offered a warm smile.
Even as he spoke the words his own heart told him he wasn’t to trust her, to keep her at arms length for the incident with the Harpy, but if word of Sophus’ children was to be believed the Lamia had cut off ties with the Harpy after what happened. The boys being great sources of rumour and gossip for Marduk once he could speak properly with them, he liked to think he wasn’t one for gossiping, but it was hard to ignore when you wanted to know things in this world.
“When will we be leaving?” The blue eyed woman asked changing the subject.
“...” Marduk stayed his inclination to respond instantly and thought on his answer for a moment.
‘I don’t really know when I want to leave, we have to travel over land for quite a while to get to a place where we can actually head south. So it would probably be better to head out soon so we don’t waste too much time with autumn being soon… wouldn’t want to get caught in the northern lands when it snows- I don’t have to think twice about to know I’d probably die if I was in a place cold enough to snow.’
Living in the Great Basin his whole life he’d only really experienced year long spring with little in the way of drops in temperature.
“In a couple days? It gives us time to make sure we have what we need for the journey- Leone and Cesare made it clear we’re better off travelling between towns and villages than from region to region as it would only heighten the chances of being robbed or attacked by monsters.” That being among many other things he discussed with the boys.
“Sounds like a plan!” Minerva replied excitedly hopping up and down, her elation clear as the sky was blue.
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At the end of the next day Marduk had sorted out all he needed to for the first leg of their journey to the town of Zaros through the western forests behind Logos that he’d seen when they first arrived, Zaros being roughly ten days travel by foot and being notorious for its greater wolves, a type of wolf that grew to nearly three times the size and hunted mainly large livestock creating a somewhat profitable economy of huntsmen around killing and selling the pelts across the region as the pelts are slash resistant making them very valuable for clothing.
In any case, what the Saurian had packed, besides food to supplement the first few days, was simple cooking utensils, waterskins, two maps(one of the forest and the other to Zaros), a rudimentary fire starter, a pair of daggers, whetstone, tinderbox, fishing net, bedding(for Minerva) and lastly a small ruby engraved with a protective rune supplied by Augustus.
The rune was something that reminded him of his sister Ninti, she might not have followed the path of their mother but she had taken on the path of a shahmen when she left the Ahkula.
Anyhow of this was provided by his hosts with the expectation that he would pay them back whenever he came back to the city at a later date. He didn’t tell them that he was likely never coming back, but he also assumed they guessed as much and it was more formality on their part.
“That’s all of it then?” Minerva asked, sharing a look with the man as he set the large chest of equipment aside so he could carry it the next morning.
“Yes.” His laconic manner of speaking returned while he was distracted with thoughts again.
Unfortunately for him the Lamia’s years of experience with Saurians saw right through his ‘expression’
“Coatl got your tongue?” She asked with a raised brow.
“I- what?” He’d never heard the saying before.
‘Wasn’t it meant to be cat got your tongue?’
“Are you not familiar with that saying?” The black haired woman questioned.
“No.”
“Ah- well you know what Coatl is, yes?” He shook his head in response. “You must not have had them in Ahkula… well they’re a small limbless dragonoid with feathered wings that are known for capturing worms and other much smaller animals with lightning fast movements- ah this is getting off track and you’re distracting me-” She let out a frustrated huff.
“What was occupying your thoughts?” She reset and asked her actual question.
‘Ninti’s failure to warn the Cahautl’ He answered internally not wanting to let the thoughts out.
He held the protection rune in his hand feeling the groove of the marking on the gem. He was missing his family again, though not free of the Husks final words he was finally beginning to feel for his brothers and sisters in a way he hadn’t for years.
“It isn’t your concern.” He replied after a couple minutes of silence cutting the conversation off.