Chapter 38: Together Alone (Part 2!)

Footsteps mixed with the splashing of water entered the port of Tuivi’s Rest. Vega and Ren had found their target. Evening sky became visible, with the spores here noticeably thinner. A few hundred buildings cobbled together by the coastline, with a stone pier occupied by military ships.

“~This is the-the place. All we need to do is just get to that ship.~” Vega pointed out to the ship in question, with high flying sails the color of turquoise. Almost intimidating as that very ship dwarfed some of the buildings in the port.

The entrance into town was a wooden bridge standing on rocks that peered out of the river. Checking for anyone guarding, Vega threw a metal ball, testing if someone would be alerted. Landing hard in the middle of the bridge, no one came and no noise was heard.

“~Coast is clear-clear. Get it?~”

“~Just go!~” He ordered, with Vega rushing over it, operating a blitzing plan in mind. Reaching the end of the bridge, the city and its style came into view.

Along the perimeter of the city were systems of geysers that ejected high and at the same time, seeming the reason the air was more humid. On the street Vega could see seemed to be the main one, as there were carts full of ores and material left alone.

“This place really is something else. But-but where is everyone.~” Vega wondered aloud. She took a few testing steps on the blue tiled ground and the noise made a clacking sound. If there were people, there would surely be a lot of noise. “Weird. Must be the bad-bad guys.”

“~Do you see a place where I can join you?~” Ren whispered from the river behind her.

“~Unless ya want to be in a hot geysers, then no.~”

“Sucker.” Kaliba insulted Ren.

“Don’t be mean. It’s not like ya can handle hot water.” Vega said, now shaking the umbrella to get Kaliba to be kind.

“~Vega. You’ll be okay, okay?~” Holding out his fist to her, Ren wanted her courage to remain even if alone.

“~No doubt. Thanks buddy.~” Pounding her fist into his, they traded each other smiles for each others’ strength. Soon after Ren ducked back into the water with Vega charting a course for sabotage.

Sneaking across the main street, lights made by burning strands of leaves light the path. Stepping over grates, she saw systems of great bubbling water chambered between natural rock. Canals connecting the geysers lined along main streets, and every minute boiling hot water flowed upward.

Using these geysers to mask her movements, once the geysers fired off she would run with all her might until she found a sufficiently sized object to hide behind. Crates, windows, and cultivated gardens protected her from line of sight.

Within four minutes of this process, she noticed that the main street became barricade. Hastily built wooden stakes had been established midway through. And overlooking them was the ship she needed to get to.

“Darn it. Maybe I can squeeze past. There-there might be a gap.” Vega climbed on top of a cart and kept most of her body behind a building. From her view, she saw a great many armed soldiers.

These men were different from the raiders, the closest memory that involved land based skirmishing for her. While the raiders in Fort Jao were equipped with bronze discs and helmets paired with basic spears and wicker shields, these men appeared a finer class.

Not necessarily richer, but a flavor of military pride flashed out of them. Belts were decorated with talismans and charms. Shirts were well fitted and paired with padded trousers. Although their armor was also bronze, most of it was painted a cooked meat color, a delicious golden brown.

In their hands were spears that sported axe heads and shields glued together wood with animal hides covering them. The scarecrow knew that their occupation was war.

“That’s a no go.” Searching around for a new course of action, her eyes found an alleyway that despite not directing towards the port, could prove to find an unseen entrance. “Here we go.”

Much to her surprise and luck, the alleyway connected back into other squeezed together paths. Close together two story homes created alleys packed with markets full of wares. Plants with long needle-like tongues in boxed off gardens snatched up whatever spores that got through the geysers.

Feeling more comfortable and not hearing any footsteps, Vega took a chance and went to touch one of them. Putting her right arm next to one, its tongue slashes three times before retracting inside the plant’s bulb.

“Wow. That’s cool-cool.” She raised her arm to her eyes, noticing that the plant managed to get through two layers of her armor. “Maybe I can use this.”

Making a mental note of the plant, Vega ran on in the direction of the port. Getting closer to the port makes certain beats and melodies in her mind. Detecting a sort of mean rhythm this place of controlled chaos became chained up by the marching of soldiers and the organizing of weapons of war.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Somewhere in the past and in the future, this place is the home of people who have lives of their own choosing. But right now, it is forfeit and Vega hated that.

“I find the dude that’s behind all of this, I’m gonna punch him in the face.”

“Watch out.”

“Kaliba, saying watch out is more distracting then-” The scarecrow tripped on something, and fell forward into a pool of blackish liquid. Pushing herself off the ground, Vega reached out for Kaliba who was too in that same puddle.

“What did I say?” She shook the crow with both of her hands, making Kaliba’s head gyrate.

“Loooook-”

“Okay.” Vega stopped suddenly as Kalbia flew out of her hands. What had tripped was a little less than sickening. Apparently, there was a dead body next to her. The puddle she fell into was blackened blood. Not that it was especially gruesome, it only seemed that the person was executed via arrow in the head.

In my ratings of deaths, that has to be a four of ten. The headshot brings it up a bit but aside then that, its rather disappointing..

“Poor lady. She shouldn’t have gone and gotten shot.” She poked her head and regarded this situation as one would to a child being punched by a bully. “Now, I’m gonna punch the dude that did this very hard. Like, really really hard.”

“~Move it!~” A booming voice yelled as the sounds of moving feet came near. Vaguely Iozian sounding people became louder and louder as the seconds passed by. Believing that her ‘stealth mode’ wouldn’t work the situation

“Ya wouldn’t mind if I lay next to ya, would ya?”

No response.

“Thanks.” Vega offered, as did her best impression of a dead person. She tried to recreate the position of the Snake Skin that she killed, but of course she wasn’t the best at simulating its brain and bone caked around the floor.

A mob of Iozians were being pushed by a team of armed officers down the very alley. All of them wearing vines around their faces and leaves covered where their mouths and noses would be. A key note is that no Blight Elfs were among them, much to Vega’s iconic relief.

The Iozians treaded carefully around her and the body in the vain effort of respecting the dead. However the Tripolians violated that effort by treating the passing as a simple venture, like they were stepping over a piece of shit.

And after a minute of playing dead, the people were no longer in sight.

“You have very pretty eyes.” Vega complimented, gently caressing the face of the dead woman. “Well, back to it!”

Trailing behind where the people were led to, Vega soon found herself at the mouth of a whole military operation. Taking to hiding in an empty barrel, she looked out from a hole in it.

Iozian pirates pushed carts of glittering material, Tripolian priests blessed crates of equipment, all the while finely dressed elders wrote and logged all that was being processed.

Even though everything in this section of the port was moving and operating, there was an air of tension.

Not of rebellion or mutiny, but an odd absence. She could see in their movements, like the restless legs of an officer or the lounging around of Iozian bandits.

In fact, when she gazed at it, the harbor section of the port lacked that fullness a place like this should have. Cold Cavern, while being a village, had ports that always pumped and filled, like a healthy heart. Here there were only four ships that seemed to be in the interest of the Tripolians, as they weren’t unloading supplies from the native Iozian ships here.

But then it struck her, it all made sense again. The message was written to the Barbed Lass, from that Ani Arma fellow she had heard about. That was the reason why everyone was so off center. They had to be here.

“Ya seeing this Kaliba? Helping people has a neat way of helping out in the future.” Verbally patting herself on the back, Vega didn’t feel that great loneliness she feared. Nor the venomous sadness or anger. All of it faded, like rain on a piece of paper.

Don’t get too proud now.

Her vision scattered, as a throbbing pain in her head ricocheted around. The Voice returned to her.

“What do you want?” Vega wouldn’t let this assault go unnoticed.

Look out to the sea. Close your eyes. Count to three.

“No.”

Why not? Isn’t that your function?

“It… it isn’t.”

Why do you think a fool thing like that?

“I don’t believe it.”

Hmm. You will soon see. Humor me. It’s not like you’ll get caught.

The strain on her psyche forced her to concede. As soon the pain subsided, she followed the instructions. Look to the sea. Close your eyes. Count to three.

One,

Two,

Three,

Waiting in awful suspense, Vega slowly opened her eyes. Out there, before the geysers and the spore cloud smoke, there was a faint body. Not a body of water, but a bowl.

“No. It can’t be.” She leaned out of the barrel, knowing what she thought could be true.

It isn’t. Think again.

With every passing instant, that feeling of being alone stacked higher and higher. The ship wasn’t the Barbed Lass, instead a backup ship. Whatever or whoever was on it didn’t matter, for its mission was clear. To pick up the documents on the Soft Belly vessel.

What will you do?

Worry and the freezing caused by it kept her from responding. The Voice seemed insurmountable to attack. No words nor phrase nor prayer could best it mental combat.

However, just then, strong enough phrases came to her. Not words that she said, but words that spoke in the voices of her friends.

“I’m more than enough. What matters is that I try to make a world with less suffering.”

Oh?

“And… I’m stronger than you.” Vega spoke with a pride not earned by birthright or riches, but with the strength of one who created happiness in a world of pain.

Scared? Absolutely.

Going against the odds? True.

And yet, she stepped out of the shadows and made her way. She was going to complete this mission. Even if alone, the kindness of her friends will walk with her in a place of hostility.

The scarecrow wouldn’t be happy staying in one place, especially when she doesn’t know who the Voice is and the mysteries behind the name Kaliber.

But Vega would be happy fighting for herself and others, no matter what.