Static (Chapter Two)
Monday, May 2nd, 2016 09:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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mindcrackloveThe world is changing, but some things will always be the same.
Chapter list: http://tanadin.dreamwidth.org/382.html
Map of the continent: http://tanadin.deviantart.com/art/Static-m
Chapter Two
Kingdom of Dalania, Minecraftia. March 13, year 788. Time instance 483Z.
Vengeance stayed with Ujhin for three days until he finally decided on a course of action. He had decided to set out for New Vexia as soon as he could, to ask the king if his healers had any idea as to how to cure this plague. Ujhin surprised him by volunteering to go with him- he insisted that he was bored with his current existence and had wanted to head deeper into Dalania for some time, but had been too fearful of the citizen’s reactions.
With Vengeance by his side, however, he had a bit more protection and the word of a living man.
Ujhin slung his pack onto his back. “You’re sure you will have me along?”
Vengeance nodded. “Of course. I wouldn’t want to go alone. Traveling by yourself sucks.”
“I find it a restful, if lonely, experience.”
Vengeance rolled his eyes. “Are you ready to go?”
“More than you would believe.” Ujhin assured, checking the sun to orient himself before leading the way north. Vengeance fell into a familiar walking pattern behind him and slightly to the left, smiling slightly to himself.
Ujhin reminded him of his old traveling companion, and that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
~~~
It was late on March fifteenth when New Vexia came into sight, with its high stone walls and the towers of Davion Keep. Vengeance drew himself up to his full height upon seeing it. He hadn’t seen those stone walls in longer than he could remember, but they looked the same, if a bit weathered. Ujhin showed no recognition, continuing to lead the way up the hill that the city was placed upon.
“I might want to lead the way. People might shoot you otherwise.” Vengeance suggested. Ujhin nodded and fell back, walking in step with the other man instead of leading.
As predicted, the guards at the main gate brandished their weapons and stepped forward at the sight of them. Vengeance raised his hands in a ‘peace’ gesture. “It’s okay, it’s okay! He’s peaceful and sentient.”
“I don’t have any plans on hurting anyone.” Ujhin added helpfully.
The guards looked at one another skeptically. “Where’d you find him?” one asked, suspicious.
“The woods. Where else? He’s my friend. Let us in.”
“How do we know he’s not carrying the plague?” the other guard demanded. “The undead carry disease and pestilence everywhere they go!”
“I didn’t know there was a plague until five days ago.” Ujhin told him. “I really doubt I’m a carrier of it.”
“And I’m immune.” Vengeance added. “I’ve been exposed to it but I’m completely fine.”
The guards stared.
“You’re immune?”
“The king will want to see you, right away. He and his cousin are the only others in the city that haven’t been ravaged by the disease.” The guards rushed them both inside and gave them directions to the keep.
“Well, that was easy.” Vengeance motioned for Ujhin to lead on. “Hopefully no one murders you.”
Ujhin led the way, taking a few wrong turns but seeming relatively sure of where he was going. Several people started at the sight of him, but the streets were mostly deserted, with the windows boarded up and doors shut tightly against the outside world. People shied away from each other and the streets were filthy, remaining unswept even as they remained unused due to plague.
It was one of the saddest damn things that Vengeance had ever seen. He shivered a bit and sped up to follow Ujhin more closely, feeling the eyes of passerby on them before they continued on in their desperate and broken lives.
The two of them climbed the hill towards the keep for a couple of minutes before they were stopped by cautious guards demanding their business and asking why Ujhin had been let into the city. Vengeance once again explained and they were once again waved on, moving to the top of the hill with no further challenge. They were stopped at the gates of the keep and were waved in with one guard following them, likely due to Ujhin’s presence.
That was fine. Vengeance didn’t expect things to get ugly and, if they did, he was confident that he could handle one Dalanian guard. Dalanian soldiers were good, but they didn’t usually possess strong magical powers.
And they certainly didn’t possess the Heart of Pain.
He fingered the gem around his neck and it pulsed softly, humming gently underneath his fingers. It was a powerful item that he wore around his neck, one of the most powerful things in the world, and no one but him, him and Kaepravah, had any idea. He released the gem and focused on walking as he and Ujhin were ushered through a grand red doorway and into the throne room.
He glanced around curiously as they entered. It had changed little since he had last been there, lifetimes ago. The windows and their faintly blue-tinted glass were the same. The banners were identical, but likely not the same ones that had decorated this hall when he had last stepped within its walls. The throne with its carved wooden frame and red dragonscale backing, crafted from naturally shed scales donated by Mokdal the Flarefire and armrests covered in smaller, purple scales from the back of Nessy Ray, the half-dragon that had sacrificed so much just as the other thirty descendants of the Mindcrackers had, two hundred years ago.
Vengeance shivered and redirected his eyes to the people in the room, not wanting to look at scales willingly given by an old friend that was likely long dead by now.
The king sat on his throne, but his eyes- bright, brilliant blue, standing out against his skin and black hair- were alert, and he sat like a cat ready to spring. Purple-glassed goggles were pushed up to his forehead, circular lenses catching the light streaming in through the windows. A simple golden circlet rested on his head, glinting brighter than his goggles.
To his left, their right, stood a woman that was likely his advisor. She had short, vibrant red hair reaching almost to her shoulders and bright green eyes that quickly evaluated any threat they possessed. A red cloak, decorated around the edges with golden thread, hung off of her shoulders and almost reached the floor behind her. She was dressed in silver and gray other than that, a similar color to the stones that made up the walls and homes of the city. Interestingly enough, a few wisps of silver showed themselves here and there in her hair, but it wasn’t a sign of age- she was in her late twenties or early thirties-, it was some kind of odd genetic effect. There was a chair behind her, but she had stood when they entered.
To the king’s other side was another chair, but it was vacant, the advisor that normally sat there clearly absent.
The king sat up a little straighter in his seat, if that was possible, as they approached. When they stopped, both Vengeance and Ujhin bowed briefly.
“You’ll have to excuse me if I can’t go through every formality in the book.” The king sounded tired. “We’ve been hit hard by this plague, and there isn’t time to stand on such ceremony.”
“That’s fine.” Vengeance took a deep breath, rocking back and forth on his feet as the eyes of the king and his advisor looked between him and Ujhin. “I’m here to ask if you have any idea how to cure the plague. The skettisren are clueless, and my friend here thought you were the next best place.”
The king shook his head. “No. Our best medics are either dead or stumped. Kalera and I are both seemingly immune to this plague, and I haven’t the faintest idea why. But why in the name of hell did you bring a zombie into Davion Keep?”
“Because I’m here to help just as much as he is.” Ujhin told him. He jerked a thumb at Vengeance. “He’s immune. He’s been exposed directly to the plague and he’s fine.”
The king’s eyes widened. “He is?”
His advisor, Kalera, looked at Vengeance curiously. “You are the first other than my cousin and I to be immune.”
“We’re barely cousins,” the king argued. “We’re so distantly related the only thing we share is a last name and Skera for an ancestor.”
“Phyren, we’ll discuss this later.” This was clearly a conversation they had had many times before. “So to answer your question, no. We don’t know what’s causing this plague or how to cure it. Rend seemed to think that the Skullblades might, but…” She trailed off.
“We haven’t seen him in three months.” Phyren finished.
“Rend?” Ujhin asked.
“Rend the Moonlight. My other advisor.” Phyren glanced worriedly at the empty chair beside him. “He left a couple months before the Bloodshadow appeared in the sky. I’d imagine that he’d stay to see it appear, but it’s been a month. I’m worried that he and the other Ashenhorns have succumbed to the plague.”
“We haven’t received any messages from Sunspire or Skullbit, either.” Kalera reminded him. “If both we and the skettisren are clueless, then really the only ones who might have any idea how to cure this plague would be in Skullbit.”
“I was hoping the skettisren knew. Dammit! I should have guessed that they hadn’t received my runners. They would have responded, then.”
“The tunnels are closed.” Vengeance told them. “I got that information from a skettisren that lived aboveground.”
“They’re not always accurate,” the king mused. “If only I had someone who was immune that could check on things...dammit! I need messages sent to four different places at once and no one that could do it.”
“Phyren-”
“No, Kalera. I’m not sending you out there.”
She puffed up. “Why? You know I’m immune. I can’t get infected. Give me one good reason why not!”
“I won’t have an advisor!”
“You’re a big boy! You can handle yourself for a week while I go ask people if they know how to cure a disease and maybe even find Rend and get his stupid ass back here!”
Vengeance cleared his throat. “I hate to interrupt the royal Davion squabble, but Ujhin and I are immune. We could help.”
Phyren looked at him with genuine surprise. “You would do that?”
“Well, yeah. My…” Don’t say girlfriend. “...friend, is infected and may die. I want to do anything I can to save her.”
Phyren nodded, thinking. “Fine. Kalera, how quickly can you get to Skullbit?”
“Five days, three if the winds are on my side the whole way and I don’t stop to rest unless I’m about to drop out of the sky.”
“Natterax guide you, then. Get to Skullbit and see what they know. Swing by the southern skettisren tunnels while you’re there, see if you can get in and talk to their medics.”
Kalera bowed- somewhat jokingly, Vengeance thought- before a cone of fire obscured her body. As it faded, a serpentine dragon took to the air, long and sinewy like a snake with four short legs and large wings that beat with a sort of finality upon the air. Light red scales shimmered in the light as her green reptilian eyes locked with her cousin’s, monstrous to human, two Davions together and understanding.
“Go,” the king whispered, flicking a lever on the side of his chair. One of the windows swung open and Kalera did a single loop in the air before flying out of it, weaving her way through the air and into the distance. The window shut with a quiet creak before Phyren turned back to his audience, blue eyes passing over them, evaluating them.
“I haven’t even learned your names.” He sighed quietly and sat back in his seat, slumping. Clearly, he was worried about sending his cousin out despite her immunity to the plague.
“I go by Vengeance, and he is known as Ujhin.”
“Alone,” Phyren translated softly. “You carry interesting names. How I’d like to hear the stories behind their owners. Alas, we don’t have time for such things, nor is it my place to pry.” He barked with laughter, a sound that reminded Vengeance of a couple of his old teammates. “Not my business, indeed. I’m a king. Some take that to mean that everything is their business…” He trailed off, thinking, before sitting up and continuing to speak.
Just as eccentric as Skera, it looks like. Strange man. Vengeance paused to consider the man. I like him.
“So. Vengeance and Ujhin...you are really willing to help the king of a broken and battered kingdom, one of many in this bloodied world?”
“I’ve done crazier things.” Vengeance said, certainty ringing in his voice. “I want to help my friend. I won’t let her die. Not after what we’ve been through.”
“That’s admirable.” Phyren smiled at him. “Very admirable. What of you?” He looked at Ujhin, raising an eyebrow. He was clearly skeptical, but not necessarily biased to dislike the zombie.
“I have no memory of who I once was, but if I can help people, it’s what I will do.” He hesitated. “I feel like it’s what I’ve always done.”
Phyren nodded swiftly, as if that made all the sense in the world. “Very well. Kalera is heading to Skullbit, where the Skullblades keep their grand library and most of their research, as well as the skettisren tunnels. Would you be willing to go to Ashwatch and see if they know anything, as well as attempt to locate my other advisor, Rend the Moonlight? If you can find him, send him back here. If not…” He shuddered. “I fear for his life. After that, if you would be willing to go to Sunspire for me and see if they know anything, assuming the Ashenhorns don’t, I would greatly appreciate that. Report back to me once you have collected any and all information you can.”
Vengeance nodded. He supposed he should bow, but he wasn’t really one to display great respect unless he felt they had earned it. An initial bow was all that an unknown king would get from him. “It’ll likely take several weeks.”
“I can lend you horses,” the king offered.
“That would help.” Ujhin agreed, glancing at Vengeance.
“I have...a bad track record with horses.” Vengeance cleared his throat.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Ujhin turned back to the king and bowed. “The use of Dalanian horses would be much appreciated, your majesty.”
“Call me that again and I’ll throw you out the window.” Phyren told him cheerfully. “I hate being addressed like that. I feel like an old man. I’ll have a stablehand that’s still alive bring out the horses by the southern gate. Do you need anything else?”
Ujhin glanced at Vengeance, exchanging a look, before he shook his head. “No. We have everything else we might need.”
“Are you certain? I can see that Vengeance is armed, but you are not.”
Ujhin seemed to realize this for the first time. “I’m not,” he agreed. “I wouldn’t dare to-”
“Oh, hell with it.” Phyren jumped to his feet. “I’ll find you something from my armory if I have to. You’re a couple of mysterious men offering me help. What could go wrong?” He motioned for them to follow him out of the room and he led the way down a hallway and into another room, unlocking it with a key from his belt.
Vengeance stepped inside first and cast his eyes around the weapons lining the walls, as well as various other items. He frowned slightly and stepped forward to look at an old, tattered red cloak attached to the wall, one similar to Kalera’s.
“That belonged to Bloodknight Adrian Davion, who helped rebuild Dalania after the Shattering two hundred years ago.” Phyren told him, stepping forward to practically tower over him. Vengeance wasn’t a short man, but Phyren was close to six and a half feet tall.
“I know,” Vengeance mumbled, but Phyren didn’t catch it, as Ujhin had spoken.
“This spear. What’s its story?”
Vengeance turned and his breath caught in his throat.
A spear made of tough, well-worn wood was fixed to the wall, its dragonbone head shining light gray in the light. He stepped forward to look at it more closely, knowing deep in his heart that he knew it. He knew it as well as he knew his own skin.
“Oh, this! This is Boneshear, once owned by a man named Samuel Soares, who lived during the time that Dalania was rebuilt. He was very helpful in its reconstruction and, if I recall correctly, the mate of Shred the Mainframe, who is related to Rend. He’s descended from her brother.”
Vengeance felt shivers run down his spine at the names being spoken. I know them. He speaks of them as long-dead historical figures, and I knew them. My friends. My allies. He struggled not to laugh. How I’ve changed. How things have changed. Yet, as he glanced around, the stone seemed unchanged from when he had helped to build this very room. How time fools with us.
Ujhin looked just as affected, shivering. “That spear…”
“You are welcome to it if you will use it to defend those who cannot defend themselves.”
“That’s what it was made for.” Ujhin whispered, removing it from the wall. His partially-rotted hands gently caressed its surface. “I will return it to you in the same condition it left you in, if somewhat more battleworn.”
“You won’t break the head, and that’s what matters. Just don’t lose it- important artifacts of the past are a pain to replace.” Phyren grinned at them. “Is there anything else you need before you go?”
“No. Thank you.” Vengeance nodded, somewhat respectfully, at him. “We should head out for Ashwatch at once, before things get worse.”
“Of course. I trust you know the way out?”
“Yes. Come on, zombie boy, we’re leaving.”
“Right. Yes.” Ujhin gripped the spear tighter and said goodbye to Phyren before following Vengeance out.
“You okay? You look shaken.” Vengeance put a hand on Ujhin’s shoulder.
“I’m fine.” Ujhin adjusted his grip on the spear. “I’ll need to make something to hold this on my back when I’m not using it.”
Vengeance nodded, not sure how he felt about that particular item accompanying them but not about to protest. “Let’s find those horses, then, and get going. We have a lot of ground to cover, and a lot of Skullblades are waiting on us.”
Ujhin nodded and took the lead, taking them to the southern gate and to the horses. He attached his pack and spear to the horse’s saddle and waited for Vengeance to do the same before swinging himself up onto its back and leading the way south, along the mountains so that they could turn west to Ashwatch.
It would be a long trip, and Vengeance wondered what he had gotten himself into.
-~-
Vechs exchanged glances with the other Mindcrackers. “So this is what Dalania has been reduced to.”
“I’m glad to see that Davions haven’t changed, though.” Skera remarked. “That Phyren boy is definitely descended from me, and Kalera looks just like Aureylian here.” She put an arm around Aureylian’s shoulders.
“Vengeance seemed to know the area,” Blame mumbled. “Adrian’s cloak and Samuel’s spear seemed to bother him.”
“Ujhin too.” Paul put in. “I wonder where they come from…”
Vechs was about to answer when a voice rang in his mind.
Maker.
He exchanged glances with Iirkolav. “Oros wants to talk.” Iirkolav told the room before turning and leaving, left foot clanking noisily on the stone floor. Vechs wasn’t far behind.
“He never wants to talk.” Vechs mumbled. “I wonder what he wants.”
“I don’t know.” Iirkolav paused upon reaching the door into the chunk and opened it, stepping through. He waited for Vechs before walking across the grassy field, past where Arcbiter and Spalor were cloudgazing. “It must be important.”
“Or he’s fucking with us.”
“Have you ever known Oros to fuck with anyone? I’m surprised he’s even awake.”
“Mm. He sleeps a lot for a guy made from a chunk open to all worldbuilder clans.”
“The others still think that was a bad idea.” Iirkolav told him. “Blame especially.”
“Blame can suck it.” Vechs grinned at his counterpart. “It hasn’t backfired yet, has it?”
“That’s what we said about the other Hostiles, and then look what happened.”
“We all make mistakes.” Vechs paused as the rocky spire that was Oros’ usual haunt came into sight. Sure enough, the massive serpentine Hostile was wrapped around it, crimson scales reflecting in the sun. He was a good hundred and fifty feet long with a massive wingspan, hidden as his wings were folded against his back.
He must have seen them coming, as he moved- actually moved- and slithered down from the spire, strong arms pulling him forward to meet them while the end of his tail still wrapped along the spire’s stony surface. His dragonlike head lowered to the ground to see them better, forward-curving horns looking as intimidating as ever.
Vechs gazed into the youngest and most powerful Hostile’s eyes- black with blue irises, with dark rings for pupils. Inside Oros’ pupils, however, the space flashed between every known color and several that Vechs couldn’t quite recall seeing before, faster than he could register and with no apparent pattern.
Oros regarded Vechs and Iirkolav for about thirty seconds before lifting his head and stretching his wings before folding them once more.
“The stone shifts.”
With that, he turned and crawled back up the spire to attempt to soak up as much sunlight as he could while he slept.
Vechs and Iirkolav exchanged glances.
Ominous and meaningful. The words of one who has gazed into the minds of those who traverse its depths and has seen only darkness before them.
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Date: Tuesday, May 3rd, 2016 03:24 am (UTC)G.C. (::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)
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Date: Tuesday, May 3rd, 2016 05:42 am (UTC)-Observing Anon
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Date: Tuesday, May 3rd, 2016 07:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Tuesday, May 3rd, 2016 10:22 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: Tuesday, May 3rd, 2016 05:48 am (UTC)-Observing Anon
sadie here
Date: Tuesday, May 3rd, 2016 11:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Tuesday, May 3rd, 2016 04:53 pm (UTC)Starting to think that Ujhin is Samuel, and that upon being close to death he drunk the Zombie potion that ended up in his possession from Velloh's death. The potion must have significantly changed his appearance though for Tarsen to not recognise him. Also Ujhin's reaction to Samuel's spear lends support to this theory.
Also freaking Oros! Man he's impressive, though cryptic as hell "The stone shifts" wtf? O_o
I'm also willing to bet that all that are descended from the Mindcrakers in some way are immune, so Ashwatch should be fine as their freaking related to Blame xD
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Date: Wednesday, May 4th, 2016 06:45 am (UTC)And if your theory about who's immune is right (and it seems likely) then yes, all the Ashenhorns would be safe. Perks of all being descended from one person. XD
-the lurkiest lurker
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Date: Wednesday, May 4th, 2016 03:30 pm (UTC)Someone said to me in the Static Theory chat that it would probably only be direct descendants that were immune as Tanadin wouldn't keep that many people alive xD
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Date: Thursday, May 5th, 2016 02:25 pm (UTC)Yeah, fair enough. xD
-the lurkiest lurker
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Date: Thursday, May 5th, 2016 09:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Thursday, May 5th, 2016 10:11 pm (UTC)-Observing Anon
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Date: Wednesday, May 4th, 2016 06:43 am (UTC)I'm almost crying because nostalgia. I do this so much. If I get nostalgic about something, it gives me more feels than character death, I swear.
Cookies for a chapter sooner than last time! (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::)
-the lurkiest lurker
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Date: Thursday, May 5th, 2016 05:28 am (UTC)-Observing Anon
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Date: Thursday, May 5th, 2016 07:46 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: Friday, May 6th, 2016 02:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Friday, May 6th, 2016 03:26 am (UTC)-Observing Anon
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Date: Friday, May 6th, 2016 11:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Friday, May 6th, 2016 02:51 pm (UTC)-Observing Anon
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Date: Friday, May 6th, 2016 08:03 pm (UTC)Keep your eyes on Oros.
He can speak DIRECTLY INTO THE MINDS OF VECHS AND IIRKOLAV. WHICH IS A BIG DEAL. WE'VE ONLY SEEN ISHTILLION DO THIS BEFORE.
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Date: Friday, May 6th, 2016 08:51 pm (UTC)-Observing Anon
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Date: Saturday, May 7th, 2016 06:22 am (UTC)-the lurkiest lurker
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Date: Monday, May 9th, 2016 11:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Tuesday, May 10th, 2016 07:14 am (UTC)-the lurkiest lurker
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Date: Friday, May 6th, 2016 10:09 am (UTC)*cough* Zisteau.
-the lurkiest lurker
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Date: Friday, May 6th, 2016 11:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Friday, May 6th, 2016 02:45 pm (UTC)-the lurkiest lurker
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Date: Friday, May 6th, 2016 08:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Friday, May 6th, 2016 08:44 pm (UTC)-Observing Anon
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Date: Friday, May 6th, 2016 09:47 pm (UTC)hence the name
Static. Unchanging.
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Date: Saturday, May 7th, 2016 06:24 am (UTC)There's some of that over on Dallenkra and the RiR chapters, if you want to join, Observing Anon. I haven't seen you there.
-the lurkiest lurker
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Date: Saturday, May 7th, 2016 08:33 am (UTC)-Observing Anon
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Date: Saturday, May 7th, 2016 11:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Monday, May 9th, 2016 10:24 am (UTC)-the lurkiest lurker
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Date: Saturday, May 7th, 2016 11:17 am (UTC)(Pssssst anons hinthint join p:m so you can yell at me live hinthint) what I didn't say anything haha
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Date: Saturday, May 7th, 2016 11:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Monday, May 9th, 2016 10:24 am (UTC)-the lurkiest lurker
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Date: Monday, May 9th, 2016 11:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Tuesday, May 10th, 2016 06:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Tuesday, May 10th, 2016 11:21 pm (UTC)-Observing Anon