Fated (Chapter Forty-Three)
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Chapter Forty-Three
Skettisren tunnels under Traz’madar, Minecraftia. October 24, year 573. Time instance 483Z.
Mitven and Cezveth led the group deep into the earth through the tunnels. There was a surprisingly large amount of room, allowing even Nak to ride his horse within. When Nia asked Mitven why, the skettisren only shrugged.
“Sometimes you need high ceilings and room to run dozens of skettisren down the tunnels. There hasn’t been an emergency before the Hostiles came in my lifetime.” She sighed. “I wish it had stayed that way, but times change, just like we knew they would.”
“How?” Tarsen frowned at her. “How did you know things would change?”
“We knew about the prophecy, and Skarthon’s spirit told us of my place within it.” Mitven looked at him like he was insane. “Do humans not keep track of everything that happens in the world? You don’t have a repository of knowledge?”
“No, Mitven.” Another orange-eyed skettisren spoke up. “They do not value knowledge as we do.” She was clearly less familiar with the common language, but she was understandable.
“No wonder you’re centuries behind.” Mitven muttered. “And no wonder we call you barbarians.”
“Hey!” Zekara protested. “The only barbarian here is me!” She paused. “And maybe my sister.”
“I’ll tear ya damn ears off, Zekara!”
“If you can reach!”
Tarsen sidestepped over to Zekara. “A barbarian, huh? Bet you’re-“
“Lesbian.”
Tarsen swore viciously. “All the guys are assholes or ace and all the women are lesbians! What’s with that?!” He grumbled and moved to walk back to Samuel, arms crossed.
Nessy looked over at Zekara and frowned. “I thought you said you were bi?”
Zekara made a shushing motion. “I am, but he doesn’t need to know that.”
Mitven’s ears twitched and she looked behind her, giving Zekara a thumbs-up.
Sisters in sass.
The group continued on for about fifteen minutes before the tunnel opened up into a much larger room with more tunnels, labeled in an unfamiliar script, leading off from it. Skettisren passed through the room to other tunnels, but they paused when the bizarre group entered the room. Nessy noted that all the skettisren had either yellow or orange eyes, and going by the pronouns Mitven had been using when referring to various skettisren in their escort along the way, the males had yellow eyes while the females had orange.
“Shass kez thes!” Cezveth snapped, and the skettisren watchers quickly went on their way. He led them down another tunnel that had a large amount of traffic passing through. He had to hiss at many other skettisren as they walked, disliking the attention that they got. They passed many doorways into “buildings” that looked like they might be shops, and when they entered the massive cavern, it was very clear that is was some kind of underground shopping center. Cezveth led them around the edge and into a less populated tunnel, ignoring how awestruck the humans were.
They finally reached large, metal doors engraved with that same odd script. Cezveth knocked and the doors swung open to reveal another room, with a large table in the center. Six skettisren sat around it, but it looked like it could seat closer to twenty.
One skettisren, wearing a very expensive-looking outfit, got to his feet. His appearance sent a surprised mumble of conversation through the humans, but it wasn’t because of what he was wearing.
No, it was because his right arm was entirely made of metal. It appeared to be held together with a mixture of odd copper wires, redstone, and faint magic, evidenced by a faint purple shimmer in some places.
“Cezveth, Mitven. Ssasd kaz massen?” He tilted his head slightly, blinking his eyes curiously.
Mitven answered his question, crossing her arms. “Laz, sassen. Praz kalloz Ahzzen.”
The skettisren nodded and looked at the group standing behind Mitven and Cezveth, motioning for them to move out of the way to let him see the others better. “Welcome to the tunnels, children of prophecy. I’m fortunate to be alive at this time and I’m particularly fortunate to meet you. We have awaited this day ever since Mitven’s ancestor, the one they call Doc, came to us two hundred years ago when he was near death and told us everything that had happened concerning the Hostiles and the prophecy. That knowledge has been passed on down through the generations until today. Every skettisren will know your names, heroes. I only hope we can assist you on your journey.” He bowed.
Nia suddenly realized the eyes of the group were on her, and unsure as to what to do, she bowed back. “It’s an honor to be here.” She sounded slightly uncertain. “Thanks for not killing us earlier.”
Mitven shot a withering glance at Cezveth, who was very obviously not looking at her.
“In any case, welcome to the tunnels. I have been informed by the voice of Skarthon that Mitven and our greatest sorcerer, Xalon, will assist you tomorrow in summoning one of your ancestors to assist you on your quest to defeat the Hostiles and destroy the corruption that has tormented this world since its birth.”
Tranpar interrupted Ahzzen’s speech by pointing to the arm he was gesturing with. “How did you make a limb out of metal?”
“Aah. We’re advanced far beyond humans, and using a mixture of technology and magic, we can create replacement body parts. You see, skettisren can explode ourselves when we are threatened and cannot save ourselves otherwise. Depending on how many lifeforms are killed in the explosion, our bodies regenerate a certain amount. Usually we regenerate fully if we regenerate at all, but sometimes body parts are left out. We have learned to create replacements instead of leaving a skettisren permanently disabled or leaving them to die without an essential part of the body.
“I myself had a run-in with a fire elementalist some years back and was forced to destroy both of us in one final blast. Fortunately, I had enough algae in my fur to regenerate my form, but not enough to restore my right arm as well.”
“Algae?” Tranpar questioned.
“Yes. Our fur is good at trapping moisture, so we keep ourselves somewhat damp to allow algae and other plantlike lifeforms to grow in our fur. When we explode, it kills everything there, aiding our regeneration process.”
A species very different from humans, and just as unique.
Tranpar grinned at him. “That’s really cool! Do you think I could look at your arm to see how it works?”
Samuel put a hand on Tranpar’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. He’s easily excited. What were you saying?”
Ahzzen laughed, which sounded like a mix between laughter and snakes hissing. “It’s fine, do not worry. No, it’s best if Mitven shows you to where you will stay until tomorrow, before I begin to ramble again. Sleep well, fated ones.”
Ahzzen waved for them to leave and Mitven led the way back down the tunnel, grinning slightly to herself at the babble of excited conversation in the group behind her. She took them into a side tunnel, indicating a row of empty rooms.
“You can rest in these until the morning. We’ll wake you up then. Don’t wander far and don’t get lost, m’kay? I don’t want to have to drag your asses out of the lava pools.”
As the group separated into various rooms, figuring out who would be in the same room with who, Tranpar raced up to Mitven. “Can you show me to where you guys make the metal limbs? Please? I’m really really curious and I’d like to know how they work.”
“Well…” Mitven exchanged a glance with Samuel as he walked up as well, frowning slightly. “As long as your guardian is fine with it.”
Tranpar whirled around. “Can we, Samuel? Please please please?”
Samuel sighed. “Only if I come with you.”
“Yesss!” Tranpar bounced. “Thank you! You’re the best, Samuel!”
Mitven laughed as she led the way down the tunnels, shaking her head slightly.
-~-
“I had no idea that the skettisren had a tunnel network that elaborate.” Vechs confessed, looking up at Doc. “And those metal limbs…that explains you quite a bit, doesn’t it?”
Doc only nodded. He had been very quiet and thoughtful ever since Mitven had appeared in his orb, not reacting to most people or answering questions. However, as another skettisren raced up to Mitven and practically knocked her over in a hug, a sharp intake of breath could be heard from the Mindcracker. His friends looked up at him, but Paul continued to focus on his orb, listening to the conversation.
Paul heard Mitven introduce the younger skettisren to Tranpar and Samuel as Steffen, her adoptive brother. He frowned, the name ringing a bell in his head. It suddenly clicked and he looked up from his orb at last, speaking.
“Isn’t that your name, Doc?”
Everyone’s heads snapped around to look at Paul, confused.
“Yes.” Doc muttered in response to Paul’s question. “Yes, it is. And that…” He hesitated. “That’s my sister, Mitven.”
A million questions were flung his way but he held up a hand to quiet them. Several Mindcrackers didn’t cease, however, until Blame slammed the hilt of his sword into the table to silence them.
“Let the man speak!” He barked. He didn’t want to be here, he was grouchy due to how close it was to the twenty-fifth, and all this noise was making his head hurt. The only reason he was in the room was due to how important the current events were, but dammit, he would leave if he had to.
Doc nodded to Blame and continued to speak. “I thought that the names of Tranpar and Samuel were familiar, but I was too young to remember that well. No, that is me in this orb.” He tapped the surface with a claw. “Listen to me when I tell you that when Guude found me and added me to the ranks of Mindcrack, the skettisren did not know how to make metal limbs.” Doc paused, collecting himself, before continuing.
“I have been pulled all over the timestream, but I didn’t think…I didn’t realize that we were nearing the beginning of the time loop. When… when that spell is cast, I am pulled out of time.” He motioned at his younger self in the orb once more. “I am shot between a half-dozen different time periods until I end up several hundred years in the past, when Guude found me. In one of those time periods, I was forced to self-destruct with very little around me. I only regenerated half my body, but other skettisren found me and saved my life.” He motioned at the metallic left half of his body. “I was in the year 895 at the time. Shortly thereafter, I went back in time once more.”
“I never knew that.” Guude whispered. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wasn’t prepared to talk about it. I didn’t understand.” Doc shuddered. “I hopped from timeline to timeline for about ten or twelve years before setting down in the year that Guude found me in. I could barely remember where I came from- hence why I did not recognize the events until now- but I did remember my adopted sister, Mitven.”
“Why, though?” Paul asked him, frowning. “Why were you pulled out of the timestream?”
Doc looked at his past self walking with the small group, chattering away with Tranpar about skettisren. He was maybe eight or nine, not old enough to really know what was going on. “I think Norazdomu interfered and didn’t want two of me walking around in the same time period.”
“What do you mean, Doc?” Vechs asked him, already having a suspicion in his mind.
“I think I’m the one that will be summoned by the descendants. I think Norazdomu intends to trade one of me for another.”
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Date: Tuesday, October 13th, 2015 03:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Tuesday, October 13th, 2015 06:16 am (UTC)Or am I missing something here?
-Anon Cami
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Date: Tuesday, October 13th, 2015 11:02 pm (UTC)That is exactly what is going on.
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Date: Tuesday, October 13th, 2015 01:46 pm (UTC)When are you going to make Adrian feel terrible? Next chapter? Is he awake yet?
Skettisren are interesting. (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::)
-the lurkiest lurker
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Date: Tuesday, October 13th, 2015 11:03 pm (UTC)Ahhh, yes. I'm glad you guys didn't forget about Adrian... c:
AND I LOVE SKETTISREN OKAY
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Date: Wednesday, October 14th, 2015 12:41 pm (UTC)-TLL
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Date: Wednesday, October 14th, 2015 10:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Thursday, October 15th, 2015 03:29 pm (UTC)But I want more Axid.
:3
-Random Anon
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Date: Friday, October 16th, 2015 01:50 am (UTC)