CHAPTER TWO [PART ONE]

The Citadel

103 Years Since the Citadel's Founding

Year of the Void-Scarring Talon, Month of the Egg.

“Lost?” she asked, as I reached the bottom of Temple Mountain.

She was three feet taller than me, six eyes spread symmetrically across her faces. Her pupils milky white, and so were her glossy lips. Her hair, white too, writhed around as if alive. Gorgon-like. Her figure itself seemed thin and long though mostly shrouded by a cloak. She was alluring, in an alien way.

“First time in the Citadel,” I said. She wasn’t wrong. I hardly had a good sense of direction, and spent a significant portion of the walk down wondering how I’d make it back ‘home’.

“I know.”

“Oh?”

“How was your meeting with your god?”

“Oh.”

“Do you think it’ll come rescue you here? Now?”

“Uh.”

“I don’t think so. But that’s likely because you have nothing to worry about.”

“Oh? Good. I was thinking I had approximately ninety-nine worries collected thus far, I’m happy to hear you won’t be adding to them. Erm. Forgive me for asking, but you’re not Burst, are you?”

“I am. In the flesh, this time.”

“I’m not one to judge whether you’re in the flesh or in a construct. You won’t try to kill me this time, will you?”

“No. That was an absent threat back there. I wanted to see the extent of what that aberration could do. Killing you now would afford me nothing. Your god would simply bide its time. Besides, there’s no telling where it’s next avatar would spawn. Much simpler to keep you within eyesight, don’t you think?”

“You’re going to be stalking me, then?”

“I am your guide to the Citadel, aren’t I? Besides, I’m not the only one who’ll be after you, you realize that, don’t you? Oh, I’m sure some among the other aberrations have their own avatars wandering this world, but finding one and knowing about the existence of one are two different tasks. I’ve done what no one else among the Dispossessed have done. I’ve found an avatar. I’ve met the aberration I will depose. I don’t need anyone else getting in my way on that count. And that’s to your benefit.”

“Not a very collaborative cult are the Dispossessed. I should be appreciative of that. Are you saying you’ll protect me?”

“Not just protect you, I can teach you. You’ve a lot to learn.”

“Isn’t that the academy’s job? I suspect I may be better off staying as far from you as possible.”

“You don’t really think that, do you?” she smiled, and I decided that she might be right. Maybe I didn’t think that.

“Why should I trust you?”

“I never said you should, but you know that there’s no sense in trusting that aberration either, is there? You’re simply going to have to get used to being a bit more careful.”

“Very well, but there’s other reasons why I don’t feel quite so comfortable having you to teach me.”

“Let’s hear it, then. Maybe I can assuage your concerns.”

“I’m not sure you’ll be able to. You said I wasn’t the first prospective freelancer you’ve had to guide, and among those, were ones you passed on over to your friend. The anatomist, was it? Biologist? I can’t quite reconcile myself with that part of your past.”

“And, if I promise to stop?”

“That won’t change what you did before.”

“So, I’m beyond redemption in your eyes? That’s unfortunate.”

“You don’t regret your actions, there’s hardly any genuine attempt at redemption here. You’re just saying what you need to to get me to enable you.”

“That’s what a relationship is, 3451-”

“Avatar will do for now.”

“Suit yourself, but it’s not something you’ll want to be called out in public.” Oh, she wasn’t wrong.

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“Fine, I guess 3451 will have to do.”

“As I was saying, that’s what a relationship is. Compromising parts of yourself to be more palatable to someone else. I want to be around you, and so I’m willing to stop doing something you dislike.”

“Perhaps if this action you’d stopped doing was more a matter of pet peeve than moral incompatibility-”

“I think it’s merely an issue of getting off on the wrong foot. If you’d found out after getting to know me better, you might be less inclined to hold it against me.”

“Sure, but seeing as that wasn’t the order of events, you might be out of luck. Where does that leave us?”

“You’re refusing me?”

“Yes. I don’t think there’s going to be any changing my mind in that regard. I think the only way you’ll convince me here is if I have no choice.”

“The threat of death would bypass your rejection?”

“I’d rather not die, just yet. This world seems interesting enough. The threat of death would get me to accept you as a teacher.”

“If that’s what it’ll take.”

From the forestry that bordered the road intersecting with the steps up Temple Mountain, the rustling of branches and leaves preceded the arrival of three more figures. Constructs. One domineered, standing seven feet tall - still a foot shorter than Burst - and seeming half as wide. The second, small and lithe. And the third, of average proportions.

“See, the fact that you had these constructs hidden about like that doesn’t really lend towards building a positive rapport between us,” I said, taking a step back away.

“It was a contingency plan, and turns out, useful given your unhelpfulness. If I’m teaching you by the point of a blade, a positive rapport may not be something to account for.”

“All I was implying was that the threat of death was enough. I know I’m weak, you don’t need to bring out your puppets to intimidate me. You filled the intimidation quota sufficiently on your own.”

“You’ll comply?”

“I have no choice. Now, how does this work. Do you keep me hostage or do I get to live a relatively normal life?”

“Being my hostage wouldn’t be so bad.”

I considered that. “No, I don’t think I’m that desperate just yet.”

“One of my constructs will stay with you. Tomorrow you’ll begin learning. Oh, this will be wonderful. I’ve never had a student before. And the God of Pattern’s own avatar, how poetic. I’m thrilled. See how my hair writhes.” I did, in time to see it stop writhing entirely and go very still.

She frowned and turned to her right, staring at the steps. In one moment, there was nothing, and in the next, it seemed as if a door was carved out of the air and opened. Beyond that, was somewhere else, entirely removed from where we were. An interior, of some sort. And through it, stepped a short, stocky figure, eight tentacles protruding from its lower mouth, it’s head skull-like. Behind this figure, another, slightly taller, and clothed head to toe in black. Burst hopped back a few steps, her constructs stepping in between her and the newcomers.

“Hello, hello, hello. My apologies for my untimely arrival.” The tentacled figure glanced towards me. “You may call me Lhu. Just Lhu. And my companion here is called Chuchotte. You’re Weaver’s Avatar.” It turned towards Burst. “And who might you be, Puppet Mistress?” Burst did not answer, instead the constructs charged forward. “Not very social. That’s not an issue. We can’t idle around too much here, alas. Come on, Avatar, let us get going.”

There was no chance to raise an objection. It’s tentacles stretched out, wrapping itself around my waist and dragging me into the makeshift door. Chuchotte stayed a moment, stanced as if it held a blade, though I could see nothing in its hands. It swung thrice at the first construct within reach, and I could only make that out because the construct seemed to melt around a Z-like three slashes. The other two constructs weren’t able to make it past the fallen one before Chuchotte had stepped into the door as well, and Lhu had unceremoniously closed it. The tentacle wrapped around me let go and retracted.

“You’ve gotten busy rather quickly, haven’t you? Not even a chance to find your footing. Perilous world you find yourself in, wouldn’t you say?”

“Where are we?”

“My liveship! Say hello, Secretary.”

“Hello,” a voice seemed to come from the ship itself.

“Secretary, this here is Weaver’s Avatar. My successor!”

“Successor? You’re-”

“Yes. I am also a copy of Weaver’s. There have been many, believe it or not.”

“Have been?”

“All dead. You can’t have more than one avatar at a time, after all.”

“But you can stop being an avatar? Are there others?”

“Only you and I, as far as I’m aware. But who knows, perhaps there are other predecessors of ours as ingenious as I am. I doubt it, of course. I’m likely the most special of us all.”

“How’d you manage to stop?”

“Being Weaver’s Avatar? Long story, for another time. Already interested in breaking away? So soon? Must’ve been a troubling first encounter. How is that old god? You know, I’ve never met them myself.”

“What?”

“Yes, you should count yourself fortunate you got to meet them.”

“How’d you know I met Weaver?”

“Your gift. Got their touch.” I glanced down at the pouch holding the deck.

“Hasn’t told me how to use it, yet.”

“Left you helpless, haven’t they? Weaver’s way. Some of these gods are a bit more generous with their avatars. I had to make a contract with a horror to survive. Wasn’t pleasant. Weaver would probably say they planned it that way. Probably would say they planned my disappearance, and my eventual encounter with you. All part of the patterns, or something like that. Fortunate for you. That it’s patterns led to me being present to shepherd you.”

“You’re trying to protect me too?”

“Was that what the Puppet Mistress was offering? Well, I’m sure I can do better than her. She couldn’t even stop us from kidnapping you. I think you lucked out with us.”

“How do I know I can trust you? It appears to me that Weaver put a bit of a target on my back.”

“In more ways than one. Being an avatar has its share of trials and tribulations. Wait until you meet one of Weaver’s manifestations. Deadly things, those. Killed their share of past avatars. Nearly killed me. But didn’t. Obviously.”

“Manifestations?”

“You’ll meet one eventually. I don’t want to spoil the surprise. Besides, no sense in explaining it to you now. If you met one, you’d be as good as dead. We’ll have to focus on the bigger priorities: making sure you don’t remain useless.”

“And the matter of trust?”

“I’ve just kidnapped you. I’m not interested in earning your trust. What are you going to do? Choose not to learn? That’s silly. Besides, I’m going to give you a real taste of the world. You have, what, a month until you start at that academy of theirs? I can make you competent by then. Harden you up, a bit. Maybe I’ll even help you figure out what Weaver’s gift does.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Wouldn’t you do the same? You’re basically my younger sibling. There should be a word for a younger iteration of a clone of yours. I’m sure there is. Chuchotte, look that up, won’t you? Oh, Avatar. I’ve never gotten to be anyone’s mentor before. I’m quite thrilled to have the opportunity.” Lhu’s excitement resembled Burst too much for me to be comfortable. “Although there is one concern.”

“That would be?”

“Mentors have a tendency of a tragic death. Particularly when Weaver is involved. I guess I’ll just have to be a bit careful, won’t I?”