The last third of this cycle has been spent walking through these grey dunes. At least I've been walking with them, the wind pulling a line from their peaks forwards. They give off a soft hiss- except, no, that's not quite what they sound like. I think if it was going the other way it would've felt like I was walking into danger.
I very much could be, though. I haven't seen anything for several days, the stores I've been keeping pressurized have had to do. Cold fish. After a few days the taste of the container seeps in. I'll need to clean it out the next time I find clean water.
At the very least, I feel I've learned the weight of this place. I've been very vigilant about the movement of the sands I walk on, staying away from the shards of metal, of places long forgotten, lest they hide some something underneath. After this much walking though, it feels natural. I felt a tremor yesterday, but I also knew right away that its path did not converge with mine. Nothing has disrupted my sleep.
The next leg of my journey should be simpler. This might sound overconfident, given what comes next, but I have had much experience there. There should be less to learn. I have seen the corners of it, pieces creeping into these grey sands illuminated green, and I should make it into it tomorrow night. The weather, from what reaches me here, seems to be relatively pleasant, as expected as the season blues.
I overall have not made up any time on my journey by my estimate. The stars confirm my position, and the complete journey should still take at least two thirds. This is good. I won't be far too early.
The lands here are as I remember them. Land torn apart by blistering pits of goo and gunk, misshapen wildlife shooting off of the ridges between the two.
The only difference is how the creatures treat me. The largest (and thus oldest) of them have given me a wide berth but the youngest haven't realized. They haven't been difficult to scare off.
There was one exception. Ol' Patchy, that sapphire drake I'd see from time to time made a go at me. I expect they'll be back tomorrow. I figure they know it's me, but I suspect they want one more good fight before its left them. I'll oblige, I mean they'd make me late otherwise.
Besides, maybe they'll have some food that isn't fish. They always nested near those Krackplums, so maybe some of those. I would give a lot for one of those right now.
I'm resting in a Stagkiller den right now- they're all busy trying to locate a mating partner this time of the revolution. It's surprisingly pleasant, and I suppose that figures given that it has to fit all their eight legs. Tomorrow I'll get back to my old spot. Probably as ruined as I've expected. I'll be glad to see its change.
For the third quarter, Patchy just stalked me. I moved swiftly- fast enough to get myself ahead of schedule in fact- to give them the hunt they wanted. I thought they'd try and get me when I slept but they seemed to notice that I was giving them exactly what they wanted.
The next day we fought, and it was an exciting one. Feathers shot like harpoons, forcing me to deflect as much as I could. My current blade was absolutely not made for that, so equally as unprepared, but maybe I could ammend that in the future. Regardless, with the land breaking beneath us, I finally got close enough to get the mortal strike.
The moments before Patchy went were suddenly peaceful. I withdrew my blade from their neck and sat with the giant beauty, their gentle breathing becoming gradually weaker. There was a moment when I stabbed them that I felt a tragic pang of grief, to have slain this magnificent creature. I remember the way they protected their eggs, the day when their last young left. I remember when their nest was destroyed, the ground cracking and pulling out from underneath it. How they rampaged about for nearly a cycle before making a new one, thrice as grand as the last.
But sitting with them, watching the bluing sunset, I saw this bird as I had not before. Their feathers were falling out, no longer the deadly spikes they were. Their eyes were cloudy. Their talons were wrinkled and thin. Patchy was very old, I knew that, but I hadn't seen it yet. And so, as they left this world to the next in the, exactly in the way they intended, I sang. It started as a murmur and grew to my full voice, a lullaby to send them off. I could have sworn that before they were gone they joined me, for a time.
I took a dozen of their feathers. The creatures of this land need the body more than I, and besides, I had been right. Patchy's lair and nest, which they had basically lead me to, had stacks of Krackplums. I ate eight before I even considered how I could use them in dishes instead of just eating them raw. Now I have plenty to eat as I walk.
For now it's just walking. It's pleasant. I'll be in the glades soon, but the lands between are barren. Not much of note. The air is incredible this time of revolution.
The only thing between me and the glades now is these damned mountains. I'll change my tune on them when I get up past this side and can slide all the way down, but for now it's grueling. The way it switches between walkable and climable repeatedly is just very. Frustrating.
On the bright side my food situation has been strongly improved. It might be blue here now but otherwise I know that the glades reach this far. Surely enough, barely underneath the snow lies patches of crop. It takes a bit of practice to identify where they are but I think I'm getting plenty of practice.
The only other thing to note is how exhausted I am. I knew that the mountain would take something out of me but I'll have to be cautious in case something else is wrong. Maybe it'll just pass. In that case at least I can justify sleeping more.
I had a strange dream. Not really a prophetic one, I don't think, but I was playing some sort of game in one of the ancient ruins. This one was larger than the ones still remaining. Huge, outcroppings reaching for miles. Me and some other people, whose identities I now forget, would climb and run around this building. The game involved seeing someone and asking a question. I feel like it had some interesting strategy to it. It slowly shifted to be more about generally exploring the city, as my movement in the dream became more natural. Swinging out a window and then in another beneath it.
At least I wasn't walking there to. I mean I like walking, but not when it's associated with the first half of this mountain while I'm on it. I'll even appreciate this walk after I get the reward from it. For now however, it's just painful.
I finally reached the other side. Far away, past the base of these jagged howling peaks, past the infinite greenery of the glades, the smoke engines spew unending. I will likely leave that way. I could visit a friend on the route.
Tomorrow I get to enjoy the final descent. You go up and down a bit in the center of these mountains, but tomorrow I get it all. The speed, the way I'll have to control it to stay on my feet. It's exciting. These mountains really are gorgeous on the other side, it makes you able to appreciate the natural beauty of what you just went through. The way the snow blows so strongly that you cannot see more than an arms length around you. The melodies of the howling of the wind. The stone, crisp and jagged, made of all of those infinite layers, the way they crack when you grab them right.
I'm enjoying a different part of the beauty of the mountain tonight. I found my first family of Kleshliks and am staying in their cave tonight. They were cautious of me at first but I offered some food and they relented. It makes sense, they really don't have any predators that look like me around here. Not even humans have much of a use to attacking them, and the ones that do don't make it out here.
The young of them run around me even now. The colorations on their shells are really wonderful, and it gives me such information about their ages. One clutch, for instance, could not have hatched more than 9 tri's ago, the way the smallest gentle green ring leads into a full blue one. They seem enamored with crawling into my lap, and those ones love to be scratched on their stomachs. It's astounding soft the fur there it is.
Outside of that my pace stays about as is. I'm getting closer to being on time, so I only need to push for a day or so. My food situation is about the same. I ran out of fish and washed their container (smells significantly better). Even without foraging though, I would still have plenty of Krackplums to reach the glades.
The base seems more jagged on this end. After the joyous descent (the Kleshliks seemed sad to see me go but I made sure to leave them with some spoils of mine) it has been mostly climbing over spires and spikes. Sleeping here was surprisingly comfortable though, there are plenty of perfect places to wedge myself in while secured with a line for a nice nap.
The smell of the glades has finally reached me, that awful sickly sweet one. I miss it very much, the feeling of walking amongst the acid bubbles. I only wish I hadn't had to return under these circumstances. I am really dreading my role in the coming precedings.
I've seen a few of the native Lugks so far. Only once did I actually mistake one for rock and try to use it as a foothold, a mistake I immediately apologized for. Through my meditations however I know there are much more than I've seen. Since I cannot sense them without that concentration I think they might be avoiding me. If I could find some way to gain their trust it would be excellent but now is not the time to discover that.
I've been sharpening my sword. Its metal already shines vibrantly but it must be as strong as I am. It has far to go. That being said, the improvements I've made to it have been noticeable. I wish I had more time to hone my smithing. I wish I hadn't the need to use it.
Nothing much has changed here. Flute-birds still dance around in the canopy, the trees all grow as before. I managed to snag a branch which will do as an excellent walking stick. It could even be an excellent sheath, and a fancy one too. The veins of this one lines up just right, forming a neat looking symbol. I'm no soothsayer but I gave seen some people read iocular tree veins. This one must be very lucky.
There's been plenty to eat now, it's not even a concern. I scared a Jackalmonkey away from something else's kill and really stocked up. I'm certainly less stealthy now, with all my cans and bottles filled with food.
Outside of that, the sun is changing hue. I'm almost there, and I'm almost on time.
It's been some days of heavy walking as I make up the time. I should arrive the night of the third quarter, which is perfect. I wonder who else will be there. I mostly dread the answer
I found one of the huge rivers, I think this one must have been the Issip. It would have been arduous to cross on my own but there was some remnants of something- a bridge, some other structure- which helped me cross. Climbing on those might have been more delicate but it was certainly faster. I made sure to mark some of the area to lead others to it. I'll have to remember it myself. I wonder how much of those have been washed away. Perhaps I should follow these rivers and see what I can find as they end.
I had to fend off some of the Jackalmonkeys. You might think that they'd leave me alone, and they mostly do, but only after I show them that I'm the type to be left alone. I did manage to scare one group out of approaching me though, so maybe it's the right idea to very loudly and swiftly announce myself. Regardless, they are not much of a problem. Especially as I make it further into the glades their stench becomes overpowering. It would be near-impossible to miss.
My sword is in much better shape than it was even two cycles ago. Perhaps this is proof that I should work with it more, but I'm also exhausted. I'll need to make sure I'm rested for the rendezvous.
A dirigible passed above me. Clearly people are getting set up soon or already. That cannot be a good sign. This one was made up of reds and brown-blacks, so although I couldn't see an emblem it was likely from the Graundeer province. Its blockiness also adds to that conclusion. They've been predominantly neutral in the previous meetings, but perhaps they have a champion this time. I hope not.
As the dread weighs heavier still on me, I'm beginning to discover how much of a toll it takes. I would be a wreck if I didn't have the walking to occupy me. I tell myself that it's worth it because I ought to, that it's moral to guide the direction of these discussions. Perhaps it's simply the organization of it all. If I wasn't filling a role, would I feel better doing exactly this? I suspect so. I've been trying to use that to convince myself that the responsibility doesn't really change anything.
In other news the glades become more lush by the hour. The trees grow taller, their canopies thicker, the ecosystem more lively. It's nice in some ways but it reminds me of why I like to live in a place more bereft of creatures. Certainly small ones.
We meet today for preliminary introductions. It's rare that I write this in the morning. I suppose that's a bit misleading, due to how early it is.
Around a hundred members have shown up. That's about what I expected. It's strange, the deference they show to me. I'm not used to it. I hate it. I may have been appointed to maintain the meeting but I am not superhuman. It feels like they expect that from me.
There are far more swords and pistols on hips this year. Surprisingly I'm much less worried than I was on the trip. Perhaps it's that I cannot do much about it now. It still feels like I've been placed in an unfair situation, but I arrived on time, as rested and prepared as could be expected. I hate the system that stuck me with this job. Perhaps I ought to bring that up tomorrow. I need to consider how I would present it.
My meditations have been going well. I am self-assured, even if I am in a precarious position. I'm looking forward to the trip I will be on after this business is over. Perhaps I should propose an end to my membership. I could be doing more good elsewhere if I focused on it. Really I should just focus more on what I can do in that regard no matter what
Renon was the one behind it. I should've known. He kept stealing those glances at me. Dammit.
I was going to start the second day of the festival. The whole process, embedding my sword in the stump we sit around. He was so goddamn eager. Rushed right up to me before I even lodged in the sword. Stabbed right into my shoulder with that foul pike of his. I stood my ground after that but there was only so much to do. I backed my way into the tents- bustling just the previous day even with the muted activities of the members- now just abandoned sheets of canvas. He stared me down, amongst them. I turned and he didn't follow. He wouldn't have been able to do much once we reached the tree line anyways.
Of the attendees, I'd guess that something like 20-30 were injured, maybe 5ish killed. It sounds bad for me as the facilitator. It was my job to keep the place safe. But to some degree I succeeded. By being there I forced Renon and his stepfather to go about their treachery in the open. Even if I couldn't convince myself of that it'd still be a weight off my shoulders. My plans are now directed, I don't need to wait tense about an attack that might not come. I've gotta do something about this, now that the council is effectively dissolved. To that end, I'll have to visit my friend in the mistflats, as I had planned. It'll be good to see them again. I wonder how much she misses me.
On the way I'll have to see about finding some tapered ferns. I'm out of bandages already, but if I can find a grove of those I'll be set. The other piece of good news is that I'll have plenty of varied food for the journey. The first day of the festival had plenty of space to exchange goods, luckily. Despite being wounded I predict the next leg of the journey to be pleasant.
I finally reached the mistflats. The smoke engines- steam engines, whatever, they almost blot out the sky when you're in the midst of them. Y'know it's weird. Lots of people have strong stances on whether it's smoke or steam. But most of the people who've been here, they don't really know. I don't know either. It's all smog. And those great machines keep working, long abandoned, and yet active all the same.
Someone followed me through the glades. I can't be sure if they're still behind me, and the fog from the machines is quite enough to make up for the perfectly flat terrain around here. The only way I knew at all was the eyes. Piercing right through the night, their brightness was impossible to miss. Even still I don't yet know if the eyes belonged to a person or something altogether different. I suppose I'll either find out or it will give me solace.
I found some taperleaf plants, and it's a good thing I did. By the time I reached them, my wounds were not so severe that I needed them for that purpose, but they have helped immensely once we reached the mistflats. The grime and mud, you sink right into it here. Being able to fill up my boots so they are not absolutely soaked through is one of the things that has gotten me to trudge on.
The closer I get to my friend's house the more I realize I have no idea where it should be. I suppose that doesn't leave that much to do other than wander for awhile. It won't be wholly unpleasant. The main problem will be the greater jleras that used to take up residence around her home. They will help me know when it's close, but I would like to avoid fighting as many of them as I can.
I was right about being followed. I woke up to them leaning over me, blade readied. I don't know why they hadn't killed me. I can't believe I forgot my boundaries. That, or they got past them, which is a much bigger deal. Regardless, I'm much more injured. I just hope I can make it, find my friend's place in time. I'm sorry that I'll worry them in the state I'm in, but I have to make it.
The vapors burn against my skin. I feel like I've been cut a thousand times from a thousand fights. At least I fared better than my opponent. Last I saw them they were face down, spread out in the sludge. I would have stopped to see who they were, figure out why they stopped, but I don't think that if I stopped I could keep going. And I have to keep going.
Even now the only thing maintaining me is this journal. As I wait the antagonizingly long time for my food to become even slightly cold, I know that I could easily let myself drift off. I won't die out here. So I keep writing.
I wish I flipped them over. To leave them face down in the deluge, well, if they had been alive they wouldn't be for much longer. Maybe it's better, so that if they died they didn't die with smog piercing their lungs. I want the opportunity to go back. I must go back.
I'll have to hold onto that to keep going. I can't go now, but once I get the opportunity I must. I think the food is finally warm now, and if it's not it'll be unfrozen.
It seems that rather than finding Jeshis' place, it found me. I must have passed out at some point, and she found me, stumbling around, bleeding to death. We haven't had much time to catch up yet. They made sure I was resting right away. Most of our interactions have been them feeding me soup as I blindly accept it. Her recipe has gotten much better. Some spice is in there I don't recognize. We did get a little time to talk but then she had to get some rest herself. Exhausted from keeping me from dying or making a mess of their living room. I'll have to find some way to make it up to them.
My thoughts are still a bit muddled. Like I'm half asleep. I have some idea that this world is... Sleeping. Dormant. That even though the terrain is ripping and moving, it is not new. It has not created in a long time. And so we all have to live off its scraps. I'm not sure if that makes any sense. I'll have to consider it in the morning. Maybe run it by Jeshis in a way that isn't murmuring or babbling. I feel like at the least I'll be able to form some idea from it.
My body is creaky. Whoever that was that attacked me was very thorough. I feel like if I moved wrong my bones would grind themselves so tightly, mesh themselves together so I couldn't move. Trapped in a fortress of myself. I'm certain that wouldn't happen. It doesn't stop me from being scared of it.
I made sure my sword was with me. It was. I should really train with a second one, and for that matter get a second one. I always planned to. With Renon's usurpation and my injury it feels more pertinent.
For the time being I can mostly only sleep and consider my meditations. I suspect my attacker had some way through my defenses. I must re-establish the base of my wards. It will be a long process. I should ask Jeshis about it. They were always fast about that kind of thing.
Jeshi and I have had a good few days. I'm mostly mobile again, so there's been some hobbling with them as they monitor around their house. It's built more into a cliff than I remember it (accounted for by its slight ability to move), and been decorated excellently. I told Jeshi as much and she just scoffed.
When I told her what had happened to the council they were all action. I'd mumbled some stuff related to it as I slept, she said, so it wasn't a complete surprise. The current plan is to find some friends and weapons, some from their sources some from mine, and go from there. A lot of trapezing across the world. I say that cynically but with them I'm excited for it. They told me a little about their current project, a little carved board game. I don't remember all the rules they described, but I love it. The current pieces look exceptional and the glimmer she gets in her eye when she starts going... I really respect that.
They showed me how they make such excellent soup. Some of the strange crops from around here are really something. Have to be cooked carefully too. There's one, the blightlump, this little tuber that you just have to cook the shit out of to make it taste like anything but then it's a nice spritzy addition to a dish. Another crop I forget the name of has to be very carefully steamed. Its water content must be kept very exact or it basically dissolves. It's got this enormous reedy stalk with all these thorny branches sticking out of it. The whole thing is awesome, the trial and error of it, the oddities.
Other than that, Jeshi and I have spent most of the time telling each other stories. I'm always shocked with how much I could still tell her about. The breadth of adventures I've been on. It looks like same is true with her. One of the best parts is how it can be done anywhere, anytime. On patrol, at dinner, when we're getting to bed. I-. Really, overall, I'm just absolutely ecstatic to get to see her. It looks like I'll be doing more of the same as we find allies, but I just didn't realize how much I missed connection like this.
We're finally going. A bit slower than I'm used to due to my injuries, but going nonetheless. We blocked up the entrance to Jeshi's house, she'd fiddled with some of its systems, and we were good to go. It's been surprisingly pleasant so far, especially with the dust gear she gave me. This stuff may have been made for the Forgotten Sea but it is quite effective against the smoke engines, especially when their output gets especially clumped. There's almost something beautiful about the spheres of soot as they hang lazily in the air.
The first person we are going to is one of Jeshi's friends, Bla'cew. They're apparently an excellent gunsmith, who honed their craft in the Jqua wilderness out west. It's good luck that they're close enough to be the first one we get to.
Our route to get there heads straight through the murmuring canyons. Really, they should be called the "crushes you to death" canyons but I suppose the person who named them was very interested in the intrigue of it all. Jeshi has reassured me. They say they know how to through. It helps that there is practically no other option that doesn't take us drastically out of the way, and I do think we'll made it, but going through gnashing cliffs can't be good. I suppose on the bright side, if it kills us, my name for it will have more credence.
We're camped in the murmuring canyons. This far in, the name almost makes sense. As the cave gently rolls underneath us, the enormous movements above feel distant. The canyons themselves were no worry once we got into them. The gnashing is very predictable, and Jeshi and I are pretty fast. Even with my injury, which is albeit pretty minimal by now, I can muster the bursts of speed required to get through. It is a lot of work, and I can imagine that breaks throughout might be helpful. I suppose in that respect the concern is only around the more grueling sections, the long corridors, the places where the mountains move the most, jostle the ground the strongest.
Actually, the biggest hindrance we've found so far was very surprising. Some variety of Greater Trawler. It came up on us right as we were preparing to enter the canyons. A huge wave of silt and ash pushed over us, and it tried to swallow me. I would not have been fast enough to avoid that if Jeshi hadn't stabbed it right in the cheek as it did. She is an artisan with their spearblades, the way they keep up the range and the awful cutting power.
As it pulled her with it, I finally got myself prepared. For the first time in a while, I drew my axe as well. It's not nearly as clean, but against a target as large and fleshy as a Trawler, it worked perfectly. Jeshi jumped off it and it tried to get an angle on them right as I came up beside it and dug into it. It nearly threw itself at me, trying to get me for the pain I had just caused it. Trawlers are surprisingly vicious but this behavior was more than I was expecting. It got moving forward again, diving deeper into the ground. There was one silent moment where we could hear nothing, not even the sound of the rocks being pushed past its body.
It jumped, catching my foot in its mouth. I was launched with it, directly into the sky. Jeshi moved in to cut deeper into it as I flailed. The landing was jarring, my left leg up to its knee in this blubbery creature's mouth. It started moving forward again, dragging me into the gravel. Its movements were less forceful by now. This was its last chance. I thrust myself deeper into its mouth.
For one instant when the saliva in a Trawler's mouth hits you you feel like you've just made the worst decision of your life. Surprisingly, this was the second time I made this decision, but the foolhardy stung just the same. I could hear Jeshi as if underwater, panting as they nestled their blades to this beast's flesh. I took a breath, smelling the rankness of the creature's mouth, and stuck my sword into the roof. The rocks moved around it for just a moment more, and then stopped. The Trawler was dead.
I crawled out if its mouth, Jeshi giving me some help, and admired our handiwork. The creature was butchered, viscous blood oozing from dozens of stab wounds. We looked closer though. You see, Trawlers aren't found around here. At least not in any way someone had recorded. But here one was, and what's more, it seemed to have some useful adaptations for the place. The thicker skin, Jeshi pointed out, would be helpful against the sharper ground it had to push through, and it had some fluid on it that seemed to diminish its shine, which might help it blend into the smoke. It even had an adaption to the Trawlers' gill-like structure that might help it filter out the larger chunks in the ground here. With no idea whether we had been the first to find one of these, we decided to call it a Grey Trawler. Perhaps not the most creative name but it does distinguish it from the mostly green to yellow Trawlers.
Something else to note about this creature is its meat. Its skin is rubbery and stretchy, and as far as we were able to attempt, inedible and uncookable. Both of our attempts burnt, and the smell disuaded us from trying a third time. However, the inside of the creature, while it looks similar, is much better. It is nearly equally as rubbery before being cooked, but once you do, even with just a little oil it becomes this flaky meat. What's even better is that it seems to expand, so in terms of taking up space in your pack it's an excellent choice. I'll have to let you know if it makes Jeshi or I sick.
We're pretty deep in the Charred Forest by now. I've been thinking about the smoke engines. That's what I'm sticking with. Steam engines just isn't correct, those buried engines simply produce so much grime. I told Jeshi about my conclusion. They humored me, and clearly found the thought I had put into it funny. She wouldn't reveal what she thought about what they counted it as. It's been fun travelling with them.
Despite the name, the land here is sometimes bitterly cold. While the ground and trees look charred, there is no significant fire to be found. Not in years, at least. It can't help that the trees, shriveled as they are, are not much of a defense against the wind. Jeshi and I have had to cuddle up to make it through the night. I'm glad they're comfortable enough in our friendship to do that. Really it's not a question. We've been through so much that even if she wasn't, it'd be clear that she cared for me. Still. It's nice.
We've seen some wildlife about. A pack of wirewolves, which noticed us but kept their distance. A lone Traxl, stalking from afar. I haven't seen it in a day, which I hope means it's left us alone. We'd be able to deal with one, and it's not yellow enough for it to be with a mate. That being said, generally I avoid armored balls of angry teeth, claws, and spikes. I'll be keeping an eye out.
Jeshi says we should be able to reach her gunsmith within a tri. After that we'll have to consider where we'll be going next. I hope the gunsmith'll have a map. I was confident going in to this trip but as we got into the Charred Forest I realized I had lost my bearings. Jeshi can lead us to the gunsmith, but even knowing our bearing and the approximate distance, that area of the world is a total blank for me. It'll be fine. Worst case scenario, we leave Renon to his own devices a little longer. When the council slew Tysis they took almost seventeen ages. We'll be more efficient than that.
We made it to the gunsmith. Its name is Churlok. It's hearty and good humored, and its workshop is incredible. Guns of all varieties, cluttering walls and desks and tables. Long rifles, energy blasters, automatic needle guns. Almost all hand crafted, with all sorts of engravings and special touches.
When Jeshi let him know what was going on, it was in immediately. That was the only part of the night where he was more serious. I think it'll make an excellent member of the team.
As it happens, I do know where we are. Right as we were crossing the rock structure Churlok resides in (I'd call it a mountain but it's much too small, but isn't simply a spire or hill), I realized I'd seen the area before. That means we can be on the way to Domt tomorrow, and arrive in about a day and a half. After that we'll probably have to figure out where we could get mass amounts of supplies for Churlok's guns, as well as for the armorer and bladesmith we'll visit later on. As far as it appears the trip has been going perfectly. Getting along with Jeshi's friends, seeing with their enthusiasm, it all speaks well to the future.
We left Churlok and went to visit my friend. It'll catch up a bit later, once he's found a way to move some of the larger tools. The friend's Fenth. It'll be good to see them again. Last time I remember we saw each other was hanging out on the Infinite Savannah. Watching all sorts of Meerkats. I feel we must've seen each other more recently but I can't think of any example.
Their place is inside one of the canyons that sprout of from the bottom of these mountains. I actually didn't know what the formation was called, Jeshi had to let me know that it's the Ghttosh range, apparently. It's surprisingly compact, especially with how flat the land around it gets. We should reach Fenth by this evening.
I have no doubt they'll be excited to join the cause. They might not be as specialized as Churlok is, but when you're as much of a behemoth as Fenth, getting an opportunity to use it must be exciting. At least, I know it'll be exciting to Fenth. They never shut up about their axes, I feel like I know more about those axes than my own life. I could write a more accurate and interesting biography for those axes than I could for myself. I don't know what it is with me and being smitten with people who show such passion. It is a very important and endearing trait to me, though.
We made it to Fenth. It already seems like they'll get along with Jeshi famously. Also, I was absolutely right about them being in. I could barely even get the words out before they were volunteering themself to help. They got their axes and were willing to walk into the snowstorm right away. Jeshi and I had to make it clear that we wouldn't make it without at least a few hours of rest. We'll leave in the morning, and meet up with Churlok either on the way or at the next place. Another one of Jeshi's friends, but she has yet to say what their role is. I'm excited to meet them.
Until then we have to live in Fenth's... quaint living arrangements. The whole place is basically a single big room. It looks like they use it for everything, with a hand-stove off in one corner, all sorts of exercise gear strewn about the place. It has a tiny bathroom, but that does come with a full shower at least. Technically the place is about twice the size of this room, because it's got a porch/courtyard area. Of course, right now it's been consumed by snow. Apparently Fenth has been working on an extension underneath, and is manually mining it out themself. For now though, it's basically only this. There isn't even much of a bed, just a large soft surface covered in blankets in the center of the room. At least it has space for the three of us, although it is a little cozy. And as much of a mess as things are, in regards to Fenth's house and otherwise, we're going to be okay. A soft line of light filters in through the translucent windows inset entirely across two of the walls, and I'm warmly huddled with two people I care very much about. All in all, things could be much worse, even ignoring the goings on of the world.
We got to the next ally. It's been really quiet for the walk, except for Fenth. I think they've been scaring everything away. It turns out Jeshi had mentioned the next person, and I really shouldn't have forgotten given that we've met. His name is Blejk and he and I went on a short junk dive into this crumbling ship thing. It was getting pulled into the earth over at Ursiy. We didn't interact very much but he seemed dependable, and quick. He was poking around ahead for most of that dive, yet was still the first one out and giving others a hand when it started to slip farther. The dives in that area are really exciting. You've got to manage your resources as the very ruins you're delving slip deeper, and towards becoming permanent. What I'd do to know one of the safe entrances into those caverns. We'll "safe". Maybe I should set a note for that after this business.
Despite his size though, Blejk can absolutely hold his alcohol, and so he and Fenth are absolutely wasted and going to have a pair of hangovers tomorrow. On the bright side, our next destination has some friends from both me and Jeshi. The city of Mure. In fact, that's where the twins were last hanging around, so there could even be four new members over there. With Churlok meeting us there it'll be a veritable party. We'll have to see about keeping a low profile. Until then it'll be just the five of us on our walk to one of the few outcroppings of civilization.
For now though, it's just Jeshi and I hanging out in silence as Fenth and Blejk sleep. They both snore and it's kind of synchronized. It's the quietest it's been in days, just Jeshi carving something and me writing in here. I don't miss the silence when they're awake, but I do like it how it is right now. It's hard to miss it when I love every bit of this journey. I think I like being solitary too, I just don't get the opportunity to introspect about it, as strange as that seems, but it's good to have the opposite as well. I'm happy to be with friends.
We passed right through the Flazsa Mesas and into the expanse. It's been a calm journey so far, but not calm in a comforting way. The air seems stale, and everything is much too quiet. Even the wind still whistles by but as if muted. You can barely feel it. I've been a little antsy about it, but Jeshi seemed to notice it too, which helped. Fenth and Blejk have just been keeping each other tuckered out with all the running they're doing.
As for causes, I really hope that what I might think the cause could be isn't it. In one of those ancient books I read about some type of spectre, a Shezch, a creature that manipulates the air so well that it could choke you after the air got into your bloodstream. I thought it was all myth at first but they seemed very adamant that it wasn't.
Assuming that it is that, what should I do? There is the possibility that it wouldn't pay us any mind. There is the possibility that it would decide to leave us be. Other than that, I would have to learn how to attack something incorporeal really fast.
The only other observations of note have been some strange tracks. They're continuous and repeated, leaving lines across the sand. They crossed our path a few times, and based on their depth seem to be pretty randomly heading through here. I would associate them with the Shezch but I don't think that makes any sense. Why would an incorporeal entity leave a trail?
Besides that, we are running a bit low on food. We found a crop of Wavel high up in the mesa, and stocked up on that, but we could only take so much. Fenth didn't take a bag, they didn't have one, so we have less space than we could have. Once we reach Mure we'll be able to rectify that but until then there isn't much that we can do. One of us could try and fashion one, but none of the crops out here bend and hold together well enough for that to really work.
Despite the negativity of this entry, I feel generally optimistic. If I felt this feeling in the air before it passed without note. We'll find more food before long, and worst-case we could always try and find one of the larger burrowing creatures, as gross as they are to deal with. The walk continues.
I don't have any idea what's in this desert anymore. I think I discovered what those tracks were. Well, more accurately we saw what was making those tracks, we still have no idea what it is. We saw it yesterday, a ways away. It looked like a Trawler, but it was much too big and the sun reflected off it strangely. The weirdest part was how close it was. I had been vigilant and there were four of us, yet we only noticed it when it had already closed most of the distance.
As it got closer we all got prepared for a fight, but the thing dove down. Not uncommon behavior for a Trawler. The weird part was when it stayed down. They have to come up after a relatively short time, and it couldn't have moved out of our sight by then. We slowed down and tried to wait for it when it started to be down for awhile but just... nothing. Not even shuffling from the sands.
The air has gone back to normal. I can't shake the uncanniness of this area. It feels almost like an omen if that was related to the Shezch. But I still don't believe it. If there are Shezch, and one was out here, that wasn't it.
After the thing left we were still juiced up for a fight. Everyone was tense. Jeshi got Fenth and Blejk talking about their weapons, which was the perfect way to calm us down. Really smart of her to realize that that was going on, I only realized later. All the stuff about Fenth's axes was stuff I knew, the reason they weighed different amounts, their slightly different curvature. Still, it was interesting to think about again, and Jeshi asked some good questions for them. Knowing what Blejk was ready for was very enlightening though. In our mission together he hadn't had a reason to fight anything, although I did see him prepare his mace once. The way he uses that seems nasty. A short mace, he holds it at nearly the top of the handle, so the rest lays against his forearm. I would worry about the pressure breaking something there but he doesn't seem worried because of his technique and experience. Plus, he pairs it with a custom pistol, a huge-barreled thing that fires something more akin to shells. He basically packs junk metal into those rounds. It makes him very reliant on short range, but he's very prepared for that it seems.
The information about Jeshi's weapon was also not that new, but there were some details I didn't know about. The pure intricacies of those spearblades are astounding. I didn't quite know all the details with how they switch forms, so that was also very interesting to know about.
Then it was me. I didn't think my gear was that interesting, just the sword and axe, but they seemed to disagree. It really helped me, worked me into giving more interesting details. Jeshi seemed really interested in the detail I've given to sharpening and improving my sword, while Fenth was excited about the details my axe has to make it more effective as a tearing weapon. Blejk seemed to just enjoy it all. Besides that we mostly seemed to agree that we could all use some longer ranged options. Fenth was adamant that they could just throw their axes as far as necessary, but the rest of us will need to see what Churlok can help us with when we meet back up.
I was right not to take that thing as an omen of anything. It came back, appeared right between the four of us. It hissed as it surfaced, pushing directly for Blejk. He jumped backwards and took some steps to the side as it thundered past him. The thing is surprisingly narrow, certainly half the width of a Trawler, with interlocking ridges down its body. Jeshi was prepared to attack it first, stabbing at its plating. She connected and was ready to push another spearblade in when an appendage launched out and grabbed at her, at which point she retreated. The thing chugged back under the sand and there was a terrible moment of silence. I have no idea how it moves so silently. Trawlers might be somewhat sneaky but they are never nearly as quiet, even when still.
I reached out. I tried to feel the thing. If I couldn't hear it, at least I could sense it. Nothing. I felt the sand more clearly though, and as it burst up underneath Fenth I jumped to push them out of the way. Another one of its appendages missed her, and there was a solid clang as it knocked into me and my shin guard. It was metal. I rolled away and called to my friends. This thing was no beast at all but some contraption. I have no idea if the thing was controlled manually, and if they could hear me, but it pushed back into the sand. Fenth smashed an axe into the outside, leaving a major dent, and then it was submerged. We haven't seen it again since.
We were all shaken up after the confrontation with that thing, but we'd handled it well. We didn't know all of what it could do and what its motives were, but it seemed to be leaving us alone. We'll be keeping shifts in any case.
Other than that, I've been working on my control again. My sensing has been weak, and I cannot leave alarms effective enough to warn me of danger anymore. Plus, I think I've been discovering some incidental gains from training it again. Namely, the walking has been noticeably easier on days after training it, despite the mental toll. I think I'm subconsciously augmenting myself with my control. If I could find a way to actively do that it would be extremely useful. Especially with the council scattered, I'll be in less situations where I can rely on someone else's control, so any excuse to work on it more is good.
I always forget how enormous this desert is. It helps that the surrounding areas are diverse, and you can basically wholly avoid it by hugging the coast. Still, it just goes on and on. Especially as the cycle yellows the sand looks like it's everywhere. Sometimes it looks like the sky itself is made of sand, even without the storms.
On the bright side we're reaching less completely exposed places, which means we won't need to be so careful about sun protection. More specifically, we're approaching the choice between the ruined section of the desert or the breeding grounds. Everyone pretty easily agreed that it'd be best if we didn't have to deal with wurms, so the ruined section it is. An environment where Trawlers are at the bottom of the food chain is not my idea of a good time. Besides, we can handle whatever bandits try to extort us. The only downside is the half-day it'll slow us down by. All of us accepted that. Besides, we'll need to wait for Churlok anyway.
Other than that, nothing much has happened. We'd've run out of food right around now but yesterday we found a grove, which had some snareapple trees. Those aren't really main food items, but we can stretch them at least until the ruins. Plus, Fenth has shown us how to make a mean jam with them, which meant we could take more and preserve a bunch of it. They say it's especially good with fish. Not exactly useful when we're in a desert, but I'm going to see if I can keep a jar of it to try.
We're in the ruins. Shit has sunk deeper here than I remember it. Buildings coming apart.
At the very least, it'd be really difficult for that mechanical thing to maneuver in here, so we're almost surely past it. We also haven't seen any sign of bandits in this section so we've got plenty of peaceful walking. We should arrive in late, the day after next.
Crazy sandstorms today, we made basically no progress, no more than an hour at standard conditions. It's shocking how effective it was even with all the buildings. The way the wind and sand weaved through the ruins.
It wasn't that bad, we got to hang out inside and have a somewhat relaxed day. Telling stories by dim light while the weather rages on outside. We'll be able to get back to things tomorrow.
We got back to walking, and within an hour we heard tremors. We stopped. I felt around us. We'd be walking in a field of sinkholes and we didn't even know it. The ground gave way beneath us.
I feel for a pretty long ways. I slowed myself as much as possible, but a few of the things I grabbed into just broke underneath me. I heard everyone else at the start but I think they stopped higher up than I did. Fenth get an axe into a wall, and I think they caught someone, maybe both of them. When I reached the bottom, the tunnel kept collapsing, closing up the way I'd fallen.
I rolled out of the way of the rocks not caught in the ceiling, coughing through all the dust kicked up in the chamber I was in. I wasn't all that injured, just beat up a bit. I'd have a bunch of bruises later. The cavern was tall and rectangular. At the other end was two figures. The first seemed to be inspecting the other, who was slumped on the ground. I squinted. The standing one was taking a pistol from the other, a skeleton. Had to be pretty ancient too, no flesh on it whatsoever. As my eyes adjusted I noticed that there were another couple skeletons against a wall in the back.
The scavenger had this enormous cloak on. It was draped over their shoulders, covering their entire torso. They pulled one side open, and light glinted off of several items inside. More guns. They put the pistol in next to the rest, on some sort of hook or rope. They must've had two dozen in there. It looked almost like wind chimes. The gunslinger walked over to a nearby wall, and stood against it. I stood up, and looked to where they were looking. One part of the wall, a huge flat stone, was slowly sliding down. From the very top you could see in to further cave ahead.
I walked over, and sat on the floor in front of the sliding stone. The gunslinger looked to me, and gave me a curt nod. They had a large scarf covering their mouth, and a flat-brimmed hat. I gave a nod back. The wait had little to distract myself with, about an hour and a half of just the grinding sound of that stone. There was one little stream of water coming out of a crack in a different wall. I drank some of it. The water was a bit musty, but not terrible.
When the wall came down to about 15 feet, I stood up from where I had been sitting. I took a few steps back, ran and jumped off the wall, and grabbed the top of it. I was almost surprised I'd gotten it on the first attempt, but it gives further credence that my control is somehow augmenting my physical abilities. I reached my arm down which the gunslinger did the same to reach. I pulled them up and we went into the next room.
The next room was much more cluttered, with pillars and parts of buildings laying all across it. The gunslinger pointed to the far end, where some of the debris lead up to a hole in the ceiling, and into another room. A soft dripping accompanied this one, along with the grinding behind us. We walked carefully through it, being careful of loose stones. At one point I stepped forward and landed on the leg of a corpse, which had been hidden by a small step I hadn't noticed. The bone crunched, way more brittle than it should have been. For one moment the cave seemed to be filled with only that one sound.
Then, screams rang out from all around us. My compatriot rushed forward and I followed. From the ruins around us, crawling out from debris, climbing in from holes they'd been in, were corpses. Skeletons with throbbing flesh on them. The cavern lit up as the gunslinger grabbed one of their guns from their collection and fired it. Once, twice, click. They threw away that revolver and reached for another gun. I stayed close, covering the other side and slicing one of these creatures diagonally. It didn't stop right away. I kicked it to the ground, spinning to it face the ground, and stabbed into its back, pulling my sword out to discover some goo on it. This thing had some growth on its back which pushed numerous spindly outgrowths into it. Presumably what animated it.
As me and the gunslinger ran, more of them kept coming, all of them screaming. It wasn't quite screaming, just some strange approximation by whatever those things that had latched onto them were. We got to the debris that would lead us into the next room, and we both climbed, navigating the huge steps of building. At the top, the gunslinger fired once more before going through the hole. I stuck my head in to see a narrow vertical shaft, with the gunslinger already partway up. At the top was a shaft of light. I sheathed my sword and climbed.
The screams at our backs were only getting louder, but I tried my best to focus on the climbing. Looking for the handholds, footholds. Four gunshots rang out from above as the gunslinger emptied another gun before dropping it below. The creature they had hit had fallen, but more were taking its place. They weren't great at climbing but they definitely wanted to get to us. I went back to climbing when I felt my foot slip as place it had been crumbled. One of them grabbed me, trying to pull me back down, digging in sharp nails. Another shot from the gunslinger blasted into its face and it let go. I scrambled up the last section of the climb.
This part of the cave sloped upwards, with the surface visible no further than 40 feet away. The creatures were still coming, despite the gunslinger's best efforts. Looking to the wall at the shaft, I noticed a bit made of looser rocks. I slammed the hilt of my blade into it. Once, twice, thrice, when it finally went. The rocks on that part of the cavern became unstable again and dropped, slamming into the face of one of the creatures. The cavern shook and we started to run as more began to fall. The screams of the creatures were clamped off as the final rocks fell, trapping most of the noise. I took a breath, as did the gunslinger.
We walked back onto the surface, and I felt around me. I could feel the rest of my friends, also on the surface, at what must have used to be a street intersection, quite close. I turned to the gunslinger but saw that they were already walking, the opposite direction from where I was heading. They turned back and tipped their hat towards me slightly. I gave them a wave.
I found my friends waiting. They were excited to see me. Clearly, Jeshi and Blejk had been worried. Fenth seemed unsurprised but pleased by my arrival. We walked on, as we exchanged the stories of the caves we'd fallen into. I'd been right that they'd all been together. Their story was much more about crawling and climbing than mine. They seemed surprised by the bit about the creatures I'd experienced. I can't say I wasn't either. Luckily, we made great time the rest of the day, so we're still on track. We'll make it to Mure tomorrow night.
We're in Mure. The city is higher up than I remember it. It's a good thing we haven't gotten to Cvek yet, her vertigo would not be helped by this. There's been a ton of introductions. When we arrived, I took everyone except for Jeshi went to see the twins. Polsis and Telk, ex-assassins, both a lot of fun. Polsis is the talkative one, and he was quick with the complements. Telk is by no means shy, but they aren't nearly as outgoing, mostly hanging near Polsis. I took them off to the side for a moment to catch up, and they're as funny as I remember them. I'm sure they'll be more comfortable showing that to the rest of the group in time.
Blejk and Fenth were absolutely enamored with the glass armor the two were known for. To be fair, I am as well, but that isn't nearly as interesting. Fenth showed restraint but I could tell they wanted to test the claims that it could withstand huge physical attacks. I know of course that it can, but I think it might be more exciting for them to see it in battle. The way it's been tempered is extremely engaging, and Polsis gave some details about that. He seems very comfortable already.
After not too long, Jeshi caught up, bringing their friend with her. Zir name is Qil, a mechanic and repair-person, and a hobby armorist. Ze must have just come from work, given that ze was splattered with at least two types of machine oil. Despite being rather short, Qil seems like ze'll be an important addition, with zir hammers. Plus, after not five minutes, ze and Telk were going over the intricacies of Telk's armor. Polsis got out a bottle of some interesting alcohol from this desert fruit, and we all passed it around.
His and Telk's place is very open, so we mostly all found a soft place in their living room to sleep in. Churlok should be here soon, and then we'll go find Cvek. I only know where she was a couple cycles ago, so it might be something of a hunt. From there we'll have to figure out what Renon is actually up to.
We've been headed south-west. I haven't had the time to write anything else down. The nights are rather exciting, with so many of us. Churlok arrived on the second tri, fourth quarter, with a hovercart. It apparently had a completely eventless trip. Maybe we should have travelled with him.
We've been keeping up outstanding pace with it, trading out who rests on it. It's been modified so its battery is significantly more efficient, even small amounts of scrounging every day is enough to keep up with it. Churlok and Qil make an outstanding team. On the second day, Blejk found some weird power source. From an aircraft apparently, an ancient one. Seemed like a long shot that it'd be able to work with the machine but they got it to. It was really effective as well.
The land's been kind to us. We're right on the edge of the Ozlit Tide-dunes. The hovercart means we can be a little less cautious, but nothing has really even reached us. We're almost past them, so if that's a sign that something significantly larger is coming, hopefully we make it out before it has the chance to wash over us. This time of the cycle, with the black sand stained orange, the sunsets are especially beautiful. Way off, the inklings of water dim, while the sand turns vibrant colors with the retreating light. The small mounds in the mostly flat expanse is a large part of it, I think.
Our course has been changed slightly. Instead of heading directly to the jungle I last knew Cvek was in, we're heading to an abandoned safe house Blejk knows of first. From there, I'll continue on my own, while everyone sets up. After I find Cvek, we'll work our way back, and rejoin with everyone.
The greatest luck we've had so far is everyone's enthusiasm. I knew I kept good company, but with even friends of friends being in with practically no warning, I feel very confident. Even those who knew little about the council (namely Blejk, who'd heard rumors, and Churlok, who'd heard nothing) were immediately in.
We didn't make it out of the Tide-dunes in time. We made it to the base of Ozlit now, but we're all pretty drenched. We had to start a fire before we continue on, which is not ideal, a group of eight will definitely draw attention if anyone sees us. That being said, of all the places for a fire to be inconspicuous, the base of a volcano is certainly not the worst choice.
Luckily, Blejk's safehouse should be pretty secure. As long as the thing hasn't collapsed, we should be able to lose any tail we might have, and have a place prepared to wait out in.
The only worry for that might be the food, but we're pretty set on that front. Polsis and Telk brought several packs of food alone, and it's good stuff too. They had this outstanding fried bread and some Uishqa, bottom-dwelling fish found predominantly in a lake east of Mure. I got out Fenth's snareapple jam, and passed it around. She was right, it was excellent with them, especially because of how salty they are.
We arrived at the safehouse. It's absolutely covered in dust, with remnants of previous jobs stashed there. Parts of ancient technology half-scrapped and left lying across every table. Clearly, no one has been here in a very long time, and the place's upkeep has suffered for it. It's a very good sign for the privacy of the safe house, and proof that Blejk led us well.
Tonight we rest, and then tomorrow we'll get to work. For everyone other than me, that means collecting supplies and gathering information. Beginning to work up the weapons we'll need for a larger-scale attack.
For me, I'll have to head to Cvek. Last I heard, she was in Tyulia, which is just off the coast here. If it were the right time of season I could walk, but unfortunately it isn't nearly blue enough. That means I'll have to grab a dinghy (there's one that will fit my needs that was left here) and trudge to the Beach of the Battle of Kasda Major. Ideally it won't be restless during my visit. Either way, I'll make it through and find Cvek.
The worst part of the beach was the stillness. I could feel everyone there. They didn't appear to me, but it's as if with every step they pulled the sand from underneath me. I felt terrible even hours after I left. The fog didn't help. I'd left early in the morning, before even dawn, and while I generally like the fog, it felt stifling. It was like a blanket over the land, and over my eyes as well. Not physically. I just felt hazy. I'm shocked I was able to row to Tyulia successfully.
The atmosphere was somewhat the same over there too. It looks like shit compared to how I last saw it. I can picture practically the same approach, but with more vibrant plants, the rustling of animals, the ocean teeming with life. If Cvek is still here I'll have to ask her whether it's a seasonal thing.
As I cut through the forest, though, some of my resolve came back. The beach weighed heavily on me, but I had crossed it. Next visit I wouldn't do it alone. I must have been in my own head, thinking about these things, because in no time I'd reached the center of the forest. It was still early, so I sat down and used my control.
I'm yet to find Cvek, but I have felt something built here and surrounded by traps- exactly her style. The rest of today was spent training my control by looking more carefully with it (which didn't discover much), so I'll make it there tomorrow. I'm feeling much more confident in my control, enough that I can maybe allow myself not to become reliant, but generally to use it more frequently. An everyday thing rather than when it comes up around every tri.
Cvek isn't on the island. I can sense all of that. I feel excellent. I can't tell if it's some out-growth from the festival. That that's somehow manipulating my control. That name's so cowardly. Were the eldest practitioners so worried about being wrong that they refused to be more specific. Anyways, I mention this because I think I'm discovering a lot about it. While it is an extremely wide set of abilities, from clarity of senses to strength of body, it has a direction to it. It might not be the same direction as everyone, but some things are noticeably more difficult. To some degree you are the one being controlled.
I suppose in that sense the namers weren't wrong, but they really couldn't be. It's power. There is some control, on at least one side.
I went through Cvek's camp, avoiding her traps. She had been here within a cycle, judging by the animal skin on her table. The hide of a Vrideous. It hadn't begun to crack and harden yet. I felt a little bad for snooping, but I also found an animal journal she was working on in her room, too. She lists several locations of the Vrideous, notably three on Rtaea, the archipelago south of here. I'll have to head there. Perhaps I'll swing a bit east so that I can walk more, follow the Shattered Silt sandbars. She might not still be there, but she'll have been there more recently.
I found Cvek. The trip to Rtaea wasn't too bad, following the current and all. I mostly just coasted. A few Paudcraws caught on. I gave them their space, as they clearly didn't like being near me, all bunched-up in the corner of the boat. When I landed on the sandbar they climbed out, and I helped the last one, who was struggling. It seemed thankful as it looked back until it realized I had given it the boost, at which point it scampered to join the rest. They're really interesting creatures, with their almost bladed shells, and the vast variety in color. Outstandingly intelligent for their size.
From there, I walked across the sandbars. They're really outstanding, the soft mist that rolls in from the land rather than the water, and the fish flitting around to the sides. I hear it's even more beautiful at a greener part of the cycle, when the Snap Lotuses bloom.
Cvek wasn't on the northern part of the archipelago, but I pretty quickly sensed her. With the boat dragging over my shoulder, I walked across the coasts, using the boat to cross between the islands. The rockiness between the islands meant it was faster to rely on walking.
When I reached the island she was on, I left the boat and went right towards her, pushing directly through the vegetation. When I saw her, she was perched on a tree, overlooking a little cove. I couldn't see what she was looking at but I immediately called our her name. She whipped around and fell out of the tree. I was too excited to try and be less surprising.
She'd fallen right down into the cove. Luckily the sand there was thick and soft, but the Vridii she'd been stalking now very much noticed her. I jumped down, landing heavily next to her. The tusks of those things are really to be avoided, is what I remembered, as we drew our weapons. An old one pushed through the group surrounding us. Enormous, it must have been 7 feet tall and heavy for it. The cracks in its coat told me that it would take a lot to cut into it.
I threw my sword aside as it charged, throwing myself in the way of it and Cvek's shot. She held off from firing as it slammed into me. I could feel myself using control, pushing my muscles to be more effective. It stopped almost dead, and began sliding back. I was almost as astonished as the rest of them but part of me felt perfectly comfortable with it. I pushed it back about a meter and then released it. There was silence as it looked down on me. With a noise to the rest, it turned away and slithered off. They followed it.
Cvek was rather excited to see me. I could tell she cared a lot about what she was observing from the Vridii, but she seemed to have instantly forgiven me for interrupting that. I showed her the creature log that'd helped me find her, and she thanked me, told me she thought she'd lost it. She's concentrated on scribbling in it now, adding her more recent findings.
She, too, was very willing to join our group. She knows some hidden current that runs around the route I took, leading basically exactly to where we need to go, so we should get back even faster than I made it here. It's good to have her helping out. All the knowledge she keeps track of, it's really amazing. She may get a little paranoid sometimes, but if anything that's only more reason to be around her, so I can reassure her. Especially now she seems excited, more than anything.
We had to hold off for a day because of the weather, but yesterday and today went relatively smoothly. Other than our encounter at sea (I'll elaborate later), things went perfectly. We pushed through the last few hours of the night and are back at the safehouse. Only Jeshi was awake when we returned, and helped her find a place. They really spruced the place up, clearing it of dust and moving the junk. It looks like they've got quite a lot of supplies already, although Fenth and Blejk are still out. There's even mattresses, which I have no idea how they found.
The encounter at sea tells me a few things about the current Cvek had us following. As we reached the apex of the current's curve, where it hung the furthest out to open waters, something stirred. In no time some type of serpent was coiling laps around our boat, rocking us viciously. I didn't recognize it, but Cvek called it a Tyala. She seemed surprised to see one. It rose out of the water, holding its frilled head above our boat. It made a noise- like a hiss, but a deep, throatal hiss- its fangs glistening with hate, and likely poison.
I drew my sword, standing off with it. Behind me, Cvek took a shot, hitting it just below the eye. It shook and I jumped, leaving the boat rocking behind me, and stabbed into the bottom of its mouth. I hung there for a moment before my sword schlorped out and I fell back to the boat. The thing was furious, letting out more of a screech this time, and disappearing underneath the water. Cvek and I took a moment to situate ourselves, and continued on. It followed us for a bit, writhing underneath the boat, but once we got a little further into the current, it turned around suddenly. I'll have to see what I can learn about the current. It didn't feel quite normal.
When Cvek and I reached the Beach of the Battle of Kasda Major, it was as if my control was creating a bubble around us. At a distance I could see wisps, the beginnings of spectral figures, but none of them bothered us. The rest of the trip was uneventful. Looking back I'm shocked how quickly I found Cvek. It was outstandingly good luck that she was so close by, I found out. She only planned to stay in the archipelago until the cycle fully yellowed, and would be otherwise significantly further away. If I were to take that as some sort of sign for how this quest would go, then I'd be predicting an outstanding success.
The safehouse is bustling. I was barely waking up, coming out of the nook of the wall my bed's in, when Jeshi swung by and handed me a mug of some soupy drink. Very invigorating. She's taken the role of leading everyone. Maybe leading is a bit strong, since mostly people are just doing what they think is useful, but Jeshi's been directing that somewhat. They've been staying in the safehouse and keeping track of everyone, as well as helping with the menial tasks around here.
Fenth and Blejk got back late tonight, with mostly food, but also some materials. Blejk has some plans to delve into some ruins nearby the day after next, and Cvek volunteered I'll be joining them.
Polsis has mostly been doing the main tasks in the safehouse, especially the cooking. He's really excellent at that, and just generally a positive force around. Telk has been mostly patrolling outside, gathering information about the area.
Finally, Qil and Churlok have been the most busy of us all, working long hours on new weapons and armor. When I woke up, Qil was not far behind Jeshi to talk to me. Ze had some ideas for an armored cloak, which sounded perfect. Light but protective, especially against stabs. Churlok is too busy to help me with firearms, making this delicate railrifle for Jeshi. He has been somewhat finished with it for a day, but keeps tinkering to make it more precise, efficient. It's really a perfectionist.
It's funny to see the Qil and it work next to each other. Churlok's hefty figure next to Qil's slight one. They banter through most of the time working, or bounce ideas off each other in a more theoretical sense.
Other than continuing as we have, we'll have to figure out what Renon's up to. Cvek, Polsis, and Telk will likely be well-suited for that. Plus, the fact that they know each other doesn't hurt.
Cvek, Blejk and I made it to the ruins today. We arrived just after noon but Blejk wants us fully rested when we go in. He's mentioned something about him recognizing some of the signs of danger. I haven't been able to notice what he's talking about, but I trust him. Besides, if he's willing to go in at all despite those dangers, there must be the possibility of some pretty useful stuff.
We've delved into the ruins. They must not have always been sunk so deeply into the earth. Cvek's been making note of the type of rocks. She thinks it was something Ozlit did, way back when it was more active. To bury this entire thing, and maybe even surrounding objects too. It's an awesome display its strength.
The idea of surrounding objects comes from Blejk. His theory is that we're in some massive steeple, larger than all the areas around us, and that's why we found it, but that far deeper is the rest. Admittedly, the ruins have been extremely vertical. It's a good thing we brought plenty of rope, as we've needed to climb down lots of sections where the interior has been damaged.
So far we haven't experienced any dangers other than the terrain. Even then, despite the fact that much of the interior has crumbled, the structural integrity remains strong. Blejk has been tapping on walls as we go, listening for hollow areas or any sign that we are no longer safe, but it's all been very smooth so far. We're resting in here even, that's how comfortable he and Cvek and I are.
This means we'll be down here perhaps longer than originally expected, but that's alright. I've sent a message attached to a pathing balloon to reach the entrance to the ruins. That way, if any of our allies come searching for us, they'll know that there's nothing to worry about.
We're trapped in here. Blejk and Cvek appear to both have been right- after the first few hours of exploring, we found this huge cavern. It looked like a bubble in the stone, and on the other side was another building, smaller, less grand. We cautiously went over, and looked through the building's other exit.
A cavern, enormous and dark, with scatterings of buildings inside it. On the edges were collapsed rock. Cvek spotted something and took off. Blejk and I followed, eyeing the cavern nervously. It clearly wasn't completely stable. She was stopped in front of this metal door, trying to pry it open. Blejk motioned her aside and stuck the hilt of his mace into it, looking to pry them open. I asked why this'd drawn her attention. She was really excited, some ancient tech she'd heard about. She didn't have much details but clearly it was something extremely rare. Blejk had got a crack in, and Cvek and I grabbed the other side, getting it open. We walked in, Cvek heading right down the ladder inside. I left Blejk poking around on the top floor as I followed down the hatch.
At the bottom was these... objects. Spindly structures around some sort of core. Various patterns of them, textures, sizes. Cvek had picked one up and was staring at it, awe-struck. It looked like some art structure. I opened my pack and carefully put a few in, next to the scraps. I climbed back up, giving Cvek a few more moments to admire these relics. When I reached the upper level, Blejk had stripped a few panels from the walls off and was tying them to his pack. Tungsten, he told me, and a lot of it. Cvek rejoined us and we left.
At this point we had practically full packs. We could fit a few bits of junk, but for anything larger we'd have to resituate everything, leave some stuff behind. Blejk said as much, saying we should go. We'd found plenty of raw materials, a supply of batteries, and whatever Cvek's relics we're. We agreed with him.
Walking back to the tower, I drifted a bit wide, over to another building. I rubbed the window, dirtied from decades of disuse. I peered in when something slammed into the window, leaving deep cracks. I jumped back. A metallic hand. Something still active after so long. Inactive until my promoting. I backed up as it slammed again. Blejk and Cvek moved over but I waved them away, to the tower. They began moving, keeping an eye on me.
With another slam, the window broke. Glass and dust blocked my view of the thing as it climbed out of the window. My sword stayed still in its holster. There was a sound of it clamping down, and a pause. Then a chunk of the building came out, flying towards me. I took an instant step left. The dust had cleared, and the thing became visible. Metal augmentations attached to soupy bones. It must have replaced things, but this thing was autonomous. It swiped at me, and I took a step backwards, but as it tried again I gave it a swift kick to the stomach. It fell back into the house, taking it apart more. I ran to Blejk and Cvek, who seemed moments away from stepping in to help. A piece of debris flew to my right, as the cave began to rumble. I glanced back as the building it'd fallen into collapsed downwards, and pebbles started falling from the ceiling.
Blejk darted into the tower, and started rushing up, making sure the ropes we'd left were easy for Cvek and I to access. A rock fell just outside the door and we kept climbing, making it up. We climbed for nearly 20 minutes, when in a corridor, the rumbling began to come from above us. A rock fell ahead of us, blocking the way, and going back wasn't an option. The rumbling grew louder. I dropped my pack to the ground and called for the other two to get close. They got nearby and just in time, as the ceiling dropped. For an instant I could see it crushing us underneath it, falling just the same as if we weren't there.
And then I caught it. My arms strained as rocks from above pounded on it. My control seemed to surround my body as it helped me stay there, not falter. After one minute, two, it seemed like it had finally stopped. I slowly let go of the slab, resting it so it would not fall. We took stock of our options, tried to push our way out, but anytime we did it seemed to be either stuck or moving all sorts of other debris. Eventually, we decided to take an alcove close by and rest there. We'll figure out what we can do after that. I'll need it too. Never has my control exhausted me like that- both physically and mentally.
We're out. I don't know how much longer we could have stayed, probably pretty long, but they came to find us and Fenth picked through the cave-in to pull us out. The speed at which they got the rocks out of the way was impressive though
We've been going through the findings back home. A lot of important stuff. Blejk had pointed us towards which raw materials were important, plus all sorts of batteries and small electronics. He'd just been pulling those out of the wall with perfect accuracy.
Cvek's special relics seem useful too. They seem like some sort of battery, or Qil even suggests a reactor. Regardless, not only are they very rare, but very valuable on their own merits. Cvek is keeping one for herself but the rest we're finding uses for.
Qil finished the cloak, and it's outstanding. Way lighter than I expected, and strong too. It won't quite stop a bullet when taut, but it'll slow one down enough that it won't be dangerous.
Finally, we're switching to getting info about Renon. We've got plenty of materials, and Fenth just got even more food yesterday, so the only thing stopping us from getting to stopping him is the speed at which Churlok and Qil can work, and how much we know of what he's doing. Most everyone's getting in touch with the information networks they know, while Fenth and I are mostly setting up to receive information in person.
Everyone's out pretty much. I've had two slow days watching over the fork, no meetups yet. Very slow, relaxed even. I've finally gotten around to carving that Iocular tree branch into a sheath. My current sheath is nothing special and the Iocular one feels very strong to my control. Maybe that's something else but even if so, it looks excellent, it's hardy, waterproof, and easy to clean, so it can't turn out too badly.
I'm relatively close to the safehouse so I get a bunch of opportunities to see what Churlok and Qil are up to. They seem to enjoy my awestruck presence. The stuff they're working on is outstanding. Qil has moved onto this huge suit thing using a bunch of batteries. Ze plans to electrify it somehow. It's going to be quite the machine. Churlok on the other hand is done with the rail rifle so is making something for Telk. A huge ballistic rifle. Light, foldable, and yet enormous. We'll have quite the backup with them behind us. Afterwards Churlok has mentioned moving on to something for me. I've been thinking about something simpler. A revolver, I think, would work excellently with Churlok's precision.
That being said, I made it clear that it should help itself especially once we figure more about what Renon's up to. He's got this versatile machine gun, with all sorts of little gizmos and attachments. I can tell he's been thinking of changing it pretty substantially, although he might want to know how he'll need to use it first. If that'll take awhile, it shouldn't put my stuff in the way. I've handled myself on my own with only my sword for several cycles. A part of one more won't change anything.
Telk got something set up, a meetup north of here along the coast. Fenth is taking the lead but I'll shadow them a bit in case they need assistance.
I finished the sheath, and dropped the old one back home. I was worried I wouldn't be able to make it at the same quality but it's a much nicer fit. Even the sound of drawing and sheathing it is nice. This full, almost musical sound. It feels like I know where the sheath is more clearly.
Fenth made it to the meetup location. They'd be fine even if I didn't check that they did, and they'll be fine after. So, I've diverted my attention.
There's a traveller on the road. Clearly not familiar with the land, they're checking their maps often. Don't seem prepared either. I'm giving them my protection. So far I've been mostly scaring predators away. I imagine it'd be frightening if they noticed, or at least strange. I've avoided scaring off the friendly or not-harmful fauna though, which'll help if they do.
The traveller is approaching the range that extends from Ozlit. I've perched myself on the top of the nearest of the peaks. From here you can see anywhere. I saw Fenth heading back through my telescope. They looked unharmed, so things seem to have gone well. The view up here is just amazing.
The traveller seemed more confident trekking past Ozlit, so I left them on their own. I made it back to the safehouse. Churlok had most of a full revolver for me, and it's generally busy.
The information Fenth got leads to another meetup with another informant. A thief lord, they were described as. I have my hunches but just that isn't very much to go on.
For now, Fenth, Telk and I will prepare to head to the meetup. We'll leave in two quarters, because with the hovercart (which has been further tinkered with) we'll be way to early if we left any later.
The revolver Churlok made is really a work of art. Engraved, with an outstanding weight balance, and even left-handed features. It said that it was for himself, that it wouldn't consider a weapon complete unless it was really fully made, and that isn't wrong- I've seen the way he admires his work and smiles as he does it. However, I do also know how much he fits the piece to every specification, painstakingly doing everything so his friend can have the perfect firearm. Churlok really outdoes itself everytime.
I've had no true chances to test it yet, which is a good sign for the journey. If I do it'll most likely come later on the trip, as we approach the Un-glacier.
I was right about my assumption. The thief lord in question is indeed Emirick. I haven't seen them since they stole from me, betrayed my trust and ran. There's no helping it though, Telk has to stay back at the vantage point, so Fenth and I will go get the information and drop off the copper wire.
I wonder how Emirick will act. I haven't seen her in quite some time. Will she gloat? He never was the type to get right to business, so I can garuntee he won't be stone-faced. After everything though, I still don't hate them. I can't call him my friend anymore, and I probably will act very coldly, but I do not wish ill on them. Stealing one set of locations is not unforgivable, even if it is significant.
The Un-glacier is pleasant, surprisingly. The soft grinding and crunching of the wind. The way the flora sways with it. None of us are motion sick from it either, which is good. I wasn't sure how Telk'd fair given they've never been before, but they do have really good balance and direction.
The confrontation with Emirick wasn't much of confrontation. No boasting. They even made sure to say that they hadn't given Renon any of the stolen locations. I believe her. What's strange now is that I still couldn't mend our friendship but I can imagine the situation where I could.
Apparently, Renon has something going on north of where the council met. Emirick specifically pointed out a mine. Also, he said, there's been rumors that Renon's stepfather's forces are trying to summon something. At the very least, they've been getting a lot of materials. Curious ones.
Fenth and I handed over the spools of wire and headed back to Telk. Our head home has been sombre so far. When the wind really howls around here, as it's begun to, it feels better to just be.
I'm absolutely exhausted these days. It's a good thing in travelling with Fenth and Telk. Fenth never seems to get tired, and Telk is always confident in their abilities no matter how tired they are. I guess I'm confident despite it too, but I can definitely tell that I'm less effective than usual. It's all this training I've been doing with control. I feel like I'm harnessing it in ways that'll be useful, but for now it's just been leaving me drained.
We made it home just as the yellow left the sky. Our plan is made clear, now we only wait until everyone's prepared to leave. Apparently Churlok and Qil are working on something extra for transport.
I talked to Jeshi about control. She helped me with my wards a lot. I feel like if I developed them I could do equally powerful things (as the recent powers can do) with them, but I'm not there yet. Other than that though, they didn't use control all that much, so couldn't tell me about my new abilities. When you live so close to the council you're bound to pick some up, but she hadn't interacted with them in a long time. I guess she won't again, with it shattered.
I still need to wrap my head around that. That there's no council. What's strange is that it didn't do much. Just met once a cycle, and then secluded itself. But still it's like I can't conceive of a world without it. Of a version of control without it. Working with Jeshi helped. It reminded me that even with it gone a fraction of people know how to do a few things with it. Parlor tricks, techniques used out of convenience. Control is not something that was centered on the council.
We set off this morning. Qil and Churlok expanded the hovercart, enough that we can all stay on it. Added some railings, an extendable roof and doors for when we want to sleep in it. It's really something.
Jeshi is still leading everyone, assigning jobs and such. They're awfully good at that. I've realized that she's giving me the easy jobs. If I wasn't so exhausted I'd be upset, but I couldn't possibly get firewood or whatever else effectively. Stoking the fire took a lot out of me as is.
Plus, I don't feel as guilty when I see how effectively everyone is working as a team. How Qil and Churlok made weapons and armor for everyone, and then even modified the hovercart. How everyone found contacts and got information. I'm really optimistic about how things're going.
We made it to the docks of Yuun. Not all that busy this time of the cycle, but Polsis found us a ship. We had to shut down the hovercart to bring it onboard. There's no reason to worry that the crew or captain will make any note of that. They've certainly transported stranger or more notable cargo. Likely morally dubious stuff too.
We're still docked until early tomorrow. For now the rocking of the waves laps against the docks. I can feel my strength returning. It's like the waves are holding me up. The gentle waves crash in my mind, the foam before my eyes. All will be well.
This ship isn't nearly as big as I might've hoped as we get into more open waters. The waves get enormous out here, like they're trying to topple buildings. We're managing though, and the crew hasn't needed to ask us to help yet. I expect that'll change. Jeshi's gotten seasick. She was trying to hide it at first but I confronted them about it. They played it down, but I'm taking care of them now. Now that I'm feeling better it's my turn to keep them from pushing herself.
It isn't that much of a sacrifice though, as I don't need to organize the rest of our group. They've been figuring things out for themselves, tinkering with things, exploring the ship, etc. Plus we've been hanging out and playing a bunch of card games. Churlok taught us all a new one, which it calls antonym. Telk and Polsis have apparently heard of it under the name switch, although the two of them only let us know after cleaning up the first few games.
Other than that, I've been spending a lot of time practicing my control. I've found that just sensing helps a lot. Being able to do more with that applies to my other abilities too, now that I know how to think about it. It's all just energy. I repeat that to myself to clear my mind. It's been helping.
The seas have gotten turbulent. We're past halfway there. I guess turbulent isn't quite right because they were turbulent before, but it's much more now. We've been busy helping with the rigging and such. Well except for Jeshi that is, they haven't gotten any better. She was really set on helping but she can barely stand. She might be sick too, so everyone's keeping away from her, except me. Mostly that means replacing a damp cloth for their forehead, eating with them, keeping them from being totally bored. The rest offered to cycle through the job because they seemed worried about me being bored. It's definitely different from hanging with them all the time, but it's not worse. Jeshi and I have had lots of time to talk- about our hopes for the future, our plans. They are an excellent listener, and I hope I am one too. There aren't awkward silences, because we're too comfortable. Pleasant moments of quiet. Besides, I still interact with everyone else a little (for as long as I'm not sick too, that is, but I'm hopeful that time won't come), play a few games of cards late in the evening, after Jeshi's asleep. Even with the pounding of the ocean outside, that's calming too.
There does seem to be something frightened about the ocean, though. Especially when I need to get more water or food for Jeshi, the space outside the cabin screams with wind, water being thrown every which way. The sensing of my control feels off too. Like all the animals in the ocean are moving against us.
We saw whales today. Must've been a whole pod of them, enormous and bony. It's like they're all ribs. At first it was just the biggest of them surfacing, showing off its elegant tail, but eventually a few others surfaced around us. Half a dozen, at least.
Jeshi is still sick, although it's getting better. She can move around a little, although the seasickness makes that a bit difficult. It's kind of shocking that she got actually sick, and none of us did. The fact that she's the only one who gets seasick is probably just a coincidence though.
We're sailing through the interior of the continent now. Headed down the Plothra river. It's strange, we're not fighting against the waves anymore, but the jungle around us feels even more dangerous. I've always wondered how true the stories are, but something certainly feels off, even in my control. I wonder what's causing it. Perhaps something unknowingly driving things away, or someone intentionally using control to ward others off. Or maybe it just really is dangerous to be here. I doubt it's really safe.
The rivers here are really amazing. I didn't realize how large they were, I guess I was always more distracted by the jungle that grew alongside them. I especially didn't realize the level of infrastructure that existed. There's a surprising amount of locks along the journey, and well-kept ones at that.
Besides all that, we're heading into crocodilian territory. We've already had to slow down a lot because of the debris along the sides, and that won't improve. The whole crew's gotta be on guard in case some of them try and make a move on the ship. We're ready too, in fact, Jeshi is even feeling mostly better. There isn't the amount of shaking in these silent waters. Whatever happens we'll deal with it.
We've left the uneasy feeling behind. Clearly it isn't related to the crocodilian territory. That doesn't mean we're safe, though. I saw one of them last evening. Keeping pace with the boat, right alongside it. Huge, must've been a third of the boat's length. Scales on scales on scales, a flabby behemoth. From what I've heard they get even larger.
The uncanny thing were its eyes. There was something familiar about them. I can't explain it. The deepness of the yellow. It was almost intoxicating. I can't get them out of my head. Those were not the eyes of a crocodile.
Other than that, Jeshi is back to normal. Maybe even better than normal. She asked me if I was doing some control on her, diverting my health to help her. When she first said it it seemed absurd, but now I'm thinking otherwise. Maybe I was. I tried something like that on myself, pulling the energy from one arm to the other. I can definitely do it. It seems like I'll keep stumbling on these uses for it. This one seems rather useful. Even amongst myself. I could consolidate my strength, or focus my body's healing. I'll have to practice that in the quiet hours.
We were attacked this afternoon. I peered over the railing and saw the river swimming with eyes. It was as if it was glowing. Then, the crocodilians writhed onboard, pushing one after another. Fenth was on deck too, and immediately tackled a monstrously large one. I joined in, kicking one into another, keeping them from swarming Fenth.
The boat's crew pushed in, armed with spears and pistols. The crocodilians had some rusted firearms too- must've been kept underwater, covered in barnacles. It was shocking that any of them could fire. Red and grey blood fell onto the deck.
When the crocodilians retreated they pulled their wounded with them. If any died, they went too. Seems more likely to me that they were at most badly injured. The crew suffered about the same, although we're really only battered. The boarding reminded me why people don't take this route anymore, but at the same time, it's hard to lay that all on the crocodilians. They were pushed out of their last home, and clearly don't have very much. Banditry might not be ethical, but it's not as heinous as it might seem.
Luckily, we're almost to port. From there, we head to Renon.
We're on the trail. We got off just before port, had to wade through some of the mud to get to shore. Had to push the hovercart through it too. It's unlikely that Renon is looking out for us, but there's no reason to advertise our arrival. Even at a small port like this. Blejk seemed disappointed. Talked about a confectionary he wished we were visiting. I can tell he didn't really mean it though, he understands the use of keeping a low profile.
Qil and Churlok had a little trouble getting the hovercart to start but it's been running perfectly ever since. Churlok estimates that we're going to arrive somewhere near the end of this cycle or the start of the next. That'll certainly be a dramatic way to arrive.
After over a tri-quarter of the shlock on that ship, it's amazing to get fresh food again. All these tubers and stuff grow around here. They're extremely varied too, even amongst the same types. It makes them a little difficult to cook with, but they're excellent raw.
I can tell getting off that boat has everyone in better spirits though. I didn't realize how much I missed solid ground. It feels almost more real from so much time drifting at sea. It's not like taking the boat was a bad thing. It made the most sense for our trip, and there were moments where the ocean's majesty really made itself known. It's just that we don't need to deal with its drawbacks anymore.
Plus, it must help that Jeshi is interacting with everyone again. They're really fun to be around. Sometimes it astonishes me, just how well they bring us together. Just stop and stare as they involves everyone. Not only would I be dead if she hadn't been there for me, I don't think this group would be together. Not just to the level of cohesion it is, but at all. I don't she'd like it if I said that. That or she's just unwilling to accept compliments. I'll just have to make it up to her in other ways.
I was in around the same situation as this the last cycle. Making my way to a situation I knew could only go poorly. There was a feeling of dread last time. Like I was walking under an enormous and precarious rock structure. This time it's different though. I have friends with me. I'm significantly stronger than I was. Things won't be easy for us, but we'll take care of Renon. Deal with whatever he needed the council out of the way for. And I care too much for these friends to let something happen to them. I know I can't control that, not fully. But I just feel like it won't happen. I know that maybe I should be ready for the worst, but I refuse to accept that. Things will turn out well. I'll make them.
We're nearly to the Phloa plateau. We've still got to decide whether we're going over or around it. From there, it's just through the Slact Fields to the mine Emirick pointed us to.
We've decided to go over the plateau. Qil and Churlok are confident in the modified hovercart to handle the slopes, and most of us are rather used to high elevations. To Fenth it'll be like being right at home, Jeshi, Cvek and I have travelled enough to be used to it, and Polsis and Telk had to train for all sorts of environments. Churlok is sure it'll be able to handle it, Blejk is confident in his athleticism, and Qil, despite not having been there in a long time, grew up in Oweq. The rapid changes in elevation that go along with living there should mean ze'll be quite prepared.
If it weren't for the wildlife on the top of the plateau it'd be a shorter trip, but with so many people acclimated to the environment it shouldn't slow us down too much.
Here, at the top of the world, all I can think of our my friends. Of the ones I haven't seen in a long time. Of the ones that are right here beside me, new and old. I'm being a little sentimental. Polsis pulled out some Urvarian wine and we all had a bit too much.
I do mean it though. All of it. The way they care. It's almost more intoxicating than the alcohol.
We've had to bundle up. A huge storm has hit. We've got the scarves and coats for it, so it's mostly a matter of waiting it out. The only concern would be about the predators up here. It's shocking, Cvek was telling us about it. The animals that live up here (with very few exceptions) are pretty much all fighting for the same niche. To be the most apex of all of them. They all have huge broods, so even when most of them are lost the species continues. She was telling us how the environment influences that, but also that this competition means they eat anything else out. They also said that there must've been something about the plateau that hadn't been discovered that further lead them into this path of predation.
That being said, I'm not worried about it. These creatures may be the most apex of apex predators, but we've got Fenth. A pack of Sniflops was sniffing us out, trying to see if we were weak enough to take, and Fenth just howled. It was agonizing to listen too. Like it was wrenching itself into your brain through your ears. They backed off pretty quick after that. Some other groups have begun to do the same but they've kept more of a distance.
We're right at the edge of the plateau now. It's just time for our descent. Qil and Churlok assure us that the hovercart will work perfectly heading down but I've been roped into Fenth doing something stupid. We're gonna sled down, see who can make it the farthest before being bucked off by rocks. Right now we're finding or designing our sleds. Telk is also participating. Polsis thinks we're gonna get ourselves killed, Churlok seems interested but needs to tend to the hovercart, and everyone else is just mildly amused. Oh, except for Blejk who thinks this is going to be the funniest shit ever. I can't confirm it won't be, but I think things'll go fine.
It's interesting to see the different designs for sleds. Fenth, upon proposing the contest, immediately ripped a piece of bark and wood from one of the few trees up here. Telk is poking away at some relatively thick slate in order to make a long sled, and I've been carving this tiny sphere cap. My competitors' sleds display their creators in a way I find very funny. Fenth saw something they liked and went with that without a second though, while Telk is patiently sculpting an advantageous position for themselves. I guess the same is true for me. I'm relying on my skill in order to maneuver the sled.
Anyways, it'll be a rapid descent tomorrow and then we're about there. Less than a tri-quarter to go.
The sledding was a mess. It was awesome. We started and immediately the trail got rocky, steep, and narrow, funneling all of us together. It was a feat of skill and cooperation from each of us to avoid each other. Then it opened up onto the most jagged, rock-covered, cluttered and uneven stretch of mountain I'd ever seen. I watched Telk get launched skyward while Fenth disappeared down a lower section. I just barely managed to keep from running directly into a sea of spikes. Somehow, we were all still riding, as Telk landed far in front of me and Fenth hollered behind me. I followed as Telk's ride shuddered under the trial it was being asked to overcome. The rocks were scraping at the bottom, tearing it apart. I gained, and right as I made it in line with them, their sled turned directly into my path. I bailed, watching Telk go careening to the side and to an uncoordinated but safe stop. Fenth was behind us but seemed to have ran into some trouble too as they clung to the last shard of their sled, rolling down. They came to a stop past Telk. We decided that Fenth had earned it, even if they'd finished with less than half of a sled.
Telk and I were pretty uninjured if a little sore, but Fenth, despite their cuts and scrapes, was do excited that if we were at the top again I'm certain they'd give it another go. I treated them once we got back on the hovercart. Before I'd found it a little bit rickety but after the sledding I don't think I'll complain about that again.
I've never delved so deeply into the Slact Fields. It feels desolate. Mines everywhere, but nothing moving. Not wildlife, nothing. The giant spires of crystal shoot out of the ground like toppled buildings, but I've never seen one move. There's a trapping sensation from being here.
I hope we won't have to stay too long, although at this point that would mostly be about the time it takes to thwart Renon and then leave. We're nearly there.
We were almost there, but we got intercepted. On the trail before us, a figure. Gave me a headache right away, just to perceive them. As we drew near I recognized them. The one who'd been following me after Renon's betrayal. A would-be assassin. I'd forgotten about them. I wanted to flip them onto their front after our fight, so they'd survive or at least not have to die drowning in the muddy ground around the smoke engines. How could I forget. I had to remember.
I stepped out of the hovercart and motioned for my friends to continue. The stranger kept their eyes locked on me. Completely ignoring my allies. I motioned them forward. They were waiting to help. I could barely get the words out but I told them it had to just be me. I'd messed up and I had to handle this on my own. I couldn't stand to let this stranger get a fair fight. They looked like they'd been through a lot to get here. I owed it to them to give them a fair fight. I owed them more than that really. How could I have forgotten.
My friends accepted my half-explanation and continued on. Me and my enemy circled each other. Then we clashed. They were significantly better than when I'd last seen them. Their face had been scarred and blackened. The scar seemed to grow as they put more power into their wild swings. They fought viciously. They were certainly stronger than me, and better I terms of raw skill. It was all I could do to defend against the flurry of attacks.
But I calmed down as we fought. Focused on my breathing, moved with my opponent's rhythm. I was worked up because I'd forgotten them. There was nothing I could do about that now, though. What I had to do was get back to my friends. And so, despite my opponent's form and power, I began to move with the attacks. I began to feel out where the openings were. They had the upper hand, physically, but where I had friends to win for they had nothing. I could tell. Something about the desperation in their attacks. They seemed to be inflicting just as many cuts on themself as they were on me. Maybe it was intuition from my control.
Finally, I saw the end of the fight. I drew my revolver, and fired its first shot. I aimed wide of my opponent, hitting the ground behind them, but they dodged just enough anyway for me to close the distance and knock them in the head with the hilt of my sword. It was a weak blow but they passed out right away. When I went over to see what I could do I discovered they'd not only been hurting themself in the fight, but that they'd come into it severely wounded.
I'm carrying them with me now. I forgot them last time, and I can't change that, but I can give them as much medical assistance now as I'm able to provide. It's the least I can do. They don't deserve to die. They haven't woken up yet but they should sometime tomorrow. I'll catch up with everyone else before then. I'm making the time for it. I'm moving very fast, even with them.
I was really worked up last night. Even the calm I felt-- well, it was mostly just calm compared to how completely upset I was. That being said, now that I've met back up with my friends, I can tell that my judgement wasn't terrible at least. I explained the situation (probably a little frantically) and no one had a problem with nursing them to health. They agreed that no one deserves to be left without anything like they'd been. Even if they'd tried to assassinate me, they couldn't have known me. And even if they held some grudge now, that didn't change the basic help they needed.
They haven't woken up yet. Their wounds run deeper than I'd realized. It's a good thing I hadn't jostled anything too much carrying them back to everyone. I wonder how they got the injuries. Clearly these are not the same injuries I'd inflicted in our first meeting, or if they were there was something else that had prevented them from healing. That said, the curiosity here is a fearful one. There's no good answer to the question, only less bad ones. No one deserves to have these injuries left untended.
With all that written, I need rest too. I wasn't very injured in the fight, but that, along with catching up on foot while carrying someone means I'm exhausted. I need to be prepared for when we reach the mine.
Well. We made it. It's too late for us to rush in so we're going to do it tomorrow. Right now, we're camped with a view of the entrance. The assassin still hasn't woken up, although their wounds have mostly been treated as much as we could. Someone's going to need to stay with them. Telk volunteered. Said that someone needed to guard the entrance and hovercart anyway, and that they were a good choice. If that mine is extremely open we might regret leaving them behind, but it doesn't look it from the entrance. Besides. We have a team full of extremely skilled people. Qil just charged up zir mechanical suit, that huge suit of armor electrically charged and controlled. It's even got these two hammers molded from its arm-guards, so that they can be stored right where they'll be needed.
That is to say, we'll stop whatever Renon is doing. My only concern is why he and his stepfather needed the council out of the way for it. On the bright side, the council's tendency to do nothing means that me and my group should be much more effective than they would be, so maybe doing their role isn't a concern. On the less bright side, something feels off. I guess we'll find out tomorrow.
We failed. I can't believe it.
Renon, his stepfather, their forces. The did it.
We went down there. We fought through them. We interrupted their ritual. And still they made it.
What they created in not quite sure. I'm not certain what their plan with it was either. It certainly isn't following it. A gigantic creature, with a dozen limbs covered in spines, a dozen dozen teeth sharper than a well-crafted knife, a dozen eyes more piercing than the sturdiest spear. It seems to be made of crystal, which must be related to it being summoned here. That, or the other way around.
The only thing I do know is why Renon destroyed the council. As useless as they were, they would know how to (or how to get the knowledge to) defeat this creature. We do not. It scrapes clouds, gathering mist at the top of its many-mouthed head. What can be done against that?
For now, Jeshi has us doing what we can. After all, what else can we do? If all we can do is clear people out of this thing's monstrous path, then that's what we'll do.
We're keeping pace with the behemoth. We expected Renon and his stepfather's forces to follow but it seems that they've either been destroyed or are hiding. I still can't imagine how summoning this monstrosity could ever have been beneficial for them. It's cutting a path through the continent. Wildlife of all sizes flees right past us. Even the largest of predators. Not a second look to see if we might become prey. It'll come into contact with a town, on its current path, in about eight days, Jeshi says. Churlok and Qil think we can outpace it by then.
There's not much I can do for now. I've been trying to think of a way to defeat this thing but there's just no way. Cvek doesn't know anything about it, and she knows about all sorts of animals. Maybe there's some weakness but I don't know how we'd find or know it.
Our passenger has woken up. They can still barely move, and haven't been talking to us, but they are certainly awake. I can see them paying attention to our conversations. I hope they know that if they wanted to go, despite their injuries, despite how they've attacked me, we'd let them. I hope that getting this close to that monster hasn't put them in harm's way.
The thing's about a tri away from a city now (Reyjip), and it seems to be almost drawn to it. Strange how it still hasn't noticed us, then, but we don't have time to wonder why that is. We're gonna get in front of it and warn the people away. Maybe shoot at it or something too, to distract it. Maybe we'll even find a way we can hurt it.
Our passenger is fully awake, although they still aren't speaking. At some point I'd assume it was from injury, but I haven't seen them even try to. They could just be deaf or mute? None of us can speak sign language so maybe we'll write some notes. Tomorrow, I guess. I've told them that we'd let them leave but also want to help them, and they haven't tried to leave or attacked any or us. Again though, if they're deaf that might not mean anything to them unless they can read lips. They do seem to enjoy the meals we've cooked, at least.
We're approaching Reyjip now. We've gotten a sizeable lead on the beast, so as we reach the outskirts we've been trying to tell as many people as possible about it. Our instructions can only be pretty simple, we can't spend an hour on each resident to make them understand. In many ways it's like tornado warnings. Hole up in a safe, sturdy spot, away from stuff like windows. We're making sure they know that the better idea is to leave immediately, but if they must stay, they should do what they can do be in a protected part of their house.
Our passenger has yet to tell us much. They don't speak, and I suspect they can't hear us. We've given them some notes. Restating our intentions, a little bit about the monster. They wrote back, telling me that they will accept our treatment. Nothing about who they are, what their attacks were about. I think they're still being cautious around me and the rest of my friends. It's better than hostility.
Reyjip isn't totally destroyed. The thing came through, but as its shadow crested over the town, the townsfolk suddenly felt more cooperative. There's certainly been injuries and likely deaths, but we have to leave them to deal with that. The thing lumbers on. Our distraction didn't last long. We're not even an annoyance to this thing, it just noticed it was being attacked for a couple minutes before shaking it off.
The closest we've come to harming it was Churlok. It formulated its firearm into this unwieldily big rifle, and shot at one of the extremities of the monster's form-- a crystal growing on its arm, at the elbow. Cracked it a little. Churlok's been set on that, telling us that it can modify things so they work better. New ammo or something. He's also said that if we were closer it'd be more effective. That probably means we'll have to find a way to have him all set up but away from the creature, all while not on the hovercart. We're not risking the hovercart (not yet, anyway), and when it's the only place for our passenger it especially needs to be far from harm.
Speaking of them, our passenger is moving about. They've even offered some help: serving food, passing over tools or supplies, that kind of thing. Past that, they've added more to their note. They'll tell me about why they attacked me. I'm curious to hear (or I guess read) it, but I'm mostly happy that they seem to be acting positively with me and the rest of the group.
As I get into the rhythm of following this monster (literally, somewhat, as I grow used to the sound from its great lopsided gait), I understand that I've been thinking about things wrong. Well, maybe not wrong, but in a way that hurts me. I've been living too much in the present. Acting almost entirely on instinct, one moment to the next.
It makes sense. It's a danger response. I need to always be on my toes, my body thinks. But this is a manageable danger. And I need to be thinking of the future. I need to remind myself that one exists after this, and that I'll reach it. We will. Me, my friends, even our passenger. Their name's Itiq. They were hired by Renon's stepfather. Yitlis, they call him. I've only known him by his relation to Renon or as the Archduke of Ligus, and that title is much too dickheaded for me to use. Yitlis though. It's an interesting name.
Anyways, Itiq says they'll tell me about why they were so upset with me after our first confrontation. I'll have to ask them after about our first confrontation. Why they didn't kill me, how they got past my wards. It can wait though. It seems that Itiq is most comfortable keeping these discussions to a minimum, and if that's how they want to handle it, it works for me. I have time. We have time.
Churlok has modified the ammo that he thinks will effect the creature. We're just looking for a good opportunity to attack it. I just hope the hovercart lasts until then. We've been really pushing it, and Qil's had to basically maintain it nonstop. It's made it this far, I guess.
Itiq has explained the situation better. They're being very understanding about it. I understand now that much of their time not interacting with everyone else has been spent meditating. I suppose that must be helping them. I figure a lack of it is part of what lead to their complete rage in our second meeting.
Anyways, the reason they gave is that there's this strong importance given to finishing off the wounded in the teachings they were given, prevent the dying from suffering. I gather these teachings must've been some sort of assassin-related thing. Polsis and Telk have been rather cagey about it, and while they weren't in some assassin lineage or in an established methodology, they seem to know what Itiq is describing. I'm not sure what's so uncomfortable about it, but they don't seem upset with Itiq about it.
I think Itiq is reevaluating these teachings. They certainly don't seem wholly opposed to them, but given that both of us survived, so neither was truly dying, it seems to me that it follows that finishing either of us off would've been bad. I don't know. I mentioned that I'm curious about how they got past my wards, but that'll have to wait for tomorrow at least.
It worked. Churlok shot the thing and it worked. Took up a spot on an elevated place, with Telk spotting, and shot it right at the base of one of those crystals. It hit it. Nothing happened for a minute. Then cracks, all through it. It turned to look as the thing fell away, toppling to the ground off of the creature. It didn't seem so much in pain as it was furious. It started sniffing for us immediately. It was all we could do to get away from it, as we escaped to a large low-hanging outcropping of a ruin we'd scouted before. It was disquieting for it to poke around near us. I'm sure if it discovered where, exactly, we were, it could have gotten to us. But it didn't. Churlok is working on modifying more ammo with the specifications. All I'm hoping is the thing doesn't make it to another city before we find a way to take it down. It's started on a new path after our shot, barging further to the low-lying parts of the surrounding continent.
Itiq explained a bit about the wards. Nothing specific, but that they knew how to deal with them. I should have figured, with Renon's stepfather sending them after me, but I hadn't realized it yet. I suppose it's surprising how prepared he was. It makes the failure of the summoning of this beast more surprising, but with everything I see from it, it seems like Renon and his stepfather were simply overconfident. They'd eliminated the council, meaning they could summon this thing all they wanted. And they could, me and my friends didn't arrive in time to stop them. But even with all that accomplished, I don't think anyone could control this thing.
The terrain is changing. We're going to be passing lake Itlyros soon. That or this thing'll go right through it. We have to plan for that, because if it does we'll have to take a longer route. With the engines sputtering as they are it would be too risky to go right across the lake, especially with how rough it'd become.
Sure enough, it went through. We're working on catching up. Luckily it isn't hard to track.
We caught up. The hovercart is really struggling. We're working on getting enough equipment together in order to actually attack the thing.
Well, that's not entirely true. Cvek has a theory, one I ascribe to. She believes it's just an animal, not some primal force of destruction. A powerful one, sure, but not one that deserves death. We'll still need the flitted rounds Churlok is making, I order to get the thing's attention, but Cvek hopes we'll be able to coax it back into a calmed state. Polsis has been scoping out nearby caves and such so that it can have a similar place to go as it came from.
That's another thing, its summoning. It was not exactly summoned, more awoken. Itiq filled us in. We really should have realized (why else would Yitlis and Renon go so far north), but we do now, and that lets us know that it'll probably be more comfortable in some mine or cavern.
We've reached the Pafroth Gardens. Its spires of tall, firm cactuses. The creature isn't effected at all, just walking right over them. Those cactuses can barely be cut with standard tools, but having such a weight advantage makes it trivial.
Luckily, despite trampling the cactuses, the flowers on the vines that snake across the ground seem to be doing just fine. They curl up when they receive stimulus, and the shaking as this creature comes near is plenty. Some get shredded, but most survive. There's also something beautiful to it. I'm trying to remember the image. the way they're shaken shut as the behemoth comes near, and how they daintily open after it's left. The bits of the few shredded ones being pushed by the wind. Maybe I'll try and paint it once I'm done with this.
I'm exhausted.
I had to leave to find replacement parts yesterday evening, so when I got back it was late. Tonight I had to do it again. The hovercart is not keeping up with the continued stress we're putting it under, but we don't really have another option. Without it there's no way we could keep up with the creature. It just never ceases. It cannot be anything but in movement.
I'll have to rely on everyone else to fill in where I can't be helpful tomorrow. Hope that they can accommodate for my now dissimilar sleep schedule. Qil's keeping my hours too, now, although it might be more accurate to say that ze's keeping every hour. With Churlok focused on manufacturing a way we can take the creature down, Qil has to spend basically every waking moment keeping the hovercart together for one more day. The whole thing's unsustainable, so we'll need to do something about the creature soon.
Jeshi and Fenth have been taking good care of me. Itiq is helping too, but with Qil especially. I've been doing my best to keep Qil awake too. I'd feel bad about it but ze asked me to do it. Talking about whatever to keep them awake. Ze makes surprisingly good conversation even when tired.
I feel like there's nothing I can do. I know that's not true, I'll make it through this in some way. All of us will. We may not be the same afterwards, maybe the creature will destroy more because I failed. But I'll still be. And yet I can't feel that logic. It's like the world is collapsing on top of me.
I should really talk to my friends about it. I will make it through this, onto further things. I will.
For now I'm just going to keep updating my diary. Put the emotions somewhere, at least.
I reread last night's journal. Those feelings are wrong. They were genuinely felt, but I had to push past them. There is life after this. Even if it's lesser, there are infinite surprises waiting for me. There is so much to go and I'm excited to see which of the unlimited paths I take.
I've got my friends, my knowledge, my skills. My control, which has been honed across this journey. My resolve, which I'm feeling grow strong now.
That is all to say that we're going to go up against that thing. Distract or confuse the creature enough that we can get it to calm down, lead it to somewhere for it to rest. It's on course to a small town Blejk knows of, Yueip. It won't get there. Churlok has the ammo, we have each other. We will subdue it.
With that, I'm leaving my diary here. I feel confident in our success, but I don't want the diary to be damaged, regardless of what happens. I think it's worth something. If you're reading this, then you must know whether we succeeded. I like that thought. The certainty of it.