mindcracklove | Residual (Chapter Fifteen)

tanadin posting in

You guys are going to flip your damn lids.
I don't know if that means you're going to just be surprised or if you're going to be pissed off at what I have done, and I hope it's the former.
And if you're not surprised, then I'm surprised.
EDIT: god dammit guys i am surprised and you are not
EDIT 2: THERE ARE OVER 50 COMMENTS WHAT

ANYWAY, here's chapter fifteen. Please don't stab me for the ending. <3

Chapter list: http://tanadin.dreamwidth.org/382.html
Map of the continent: http://tanadin.deviantart.com/art/Monstrous-Residual-map-526465833
Character status spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yvK6D0XzgjhMNjblFFQaAeJ7JkzdidaLJux1S8qsSUA/edit#gid=1227692709

Chapter Fifteen

Vicious Wilds, Minecraftia. September 20, year 373. Time instance 483Z.

It was the expression that gave it away.

That wolfish, amused, slightly cocky smile had struck a memory in Blame’s head.

He had seen that expression many times before, many of those times bringing memories that he didn’t want to remember, that he didn’t want to think about, but he had to in order to make absolutely sure.

Vechs frowned at him. “Blame? You okay?”

Blame seemed to grasp for something to say, then choked out, “I have a…a bad feeling. About Etho.”

They were instantly concerned. “Etho? Is he okay?” Pause demanded instantly.

“I…I don’t know. I don’t think so. I think he’s worse.”

“Etho?” Skera questioned.

“A friend of ours.” Paul explained. “We recently learned that he’s in critical condition.”

Skera nodded, understanding. “You should return as soon as possible. I wish you had not stopped by- you could cause irreparable damage to the fates of your friends. You’re needed elsewhere to fight off the Hostiles.”

“We needed to know who you were.” Vechs insisted. “You were a potential threat.”

Skera sighed and conceded the point. “I would have done the same. Fine.” She looked him over briefly and hesitated before coming to a decision. “I might as well give you something for the trip back to make this worth your while. I’m certain I have potions lying around somewhere.” She stood and went back inside to rummage through her drawers. Vechs and Zisteau both tensed a little when they shifted to watch her, remembering how this entire fiasco had begun with Vechs shattering the vials on the floor.

Skera, however, was not recklessly opening rotten drawers and spilling things on the ground. She slid open expertly crafted drawers and pulled out pristine bottles of liquid, carefully placing them within a small green bag.

“Paul, can I talk to you?” Blame said suddenly, standing and dislodging his cat. Paul, confused, nodded and followed him back into the trees. Vechs was confused for only a short amount of time before Skera returned and distracted him once again, tossing him the small bag that made clinking sounds when he caught it.

“There are six healing potions, a regeneration potion, three fire resist, a couple basic antivenoms, and something of my own design that you might find useful.” Skera grinned mischievously. “I don’t know exactly what it does, but I know it won’t have any negative effects. Use it when you are in need of a bit more…power, and don’t let the others use it, Vechs. A few drops should suffice.”

Vechs nodded, deciding to never use it. He instinctively trusted this woman, but it only went so far. He felt guilty for some reason, like he should trust her, but didn’t.

Aureylian opened the bag and looked through them, nodding. “Wow. You just…had these lying around?”

“I am an alchemist. I do this for fun, and because they might be useful.” Skera said, amused. “Turns out they will, but just not for me. Although…the special one I did make, hoping I would get to give it to you at some point. I did hope to meet you eventually.”

Vechs nodded and let Aureylian take it and swing it onto her back. “Thanks, Skera.” He found it a bit odd that she knew who he was and that she wanted to meet him, but alright, not too weird.

Pause and Zisteau were looking a bit suspicious but said nothing. They didn’t trust her like Vechs and Aureylian did.

Blame and Paul returned shortly thereafter, Blame looking like his face was intentionally blank while Paul looked stunned.

The identity of Skera was a shock.

Paul quickly shook it off, though, noticing that Zisteau was looking at him suspiciously.

“You should get going.” Skera was saying. “Your friend Etho needs you and I suspect that those Hostiles will only cause more damage until they’re taken down.”

Vechs nodded and sighed. “I’m afraid so. Thanks for everything, Skera.”

Skera nodded, smiling. “You’re welcome, Vechs. If you ever are not needed anywhere else, well…feel free to stop by, okay?” She seemed to mentally kick herself as she said it, realizing how bizarre that sounded.
“I might.” Vechs said, deciding that he wouldn’t unless someone came with him. He did like this area and Skera, but he couldn’t trust her, not really.

Skera nodded, then made a shooing motion. “Get going! Head due south-“ she pointed “-and get back into Illian. Wherever you need to go, you can get to from there. Hopefully the Wilds won’t harm you. How long did you wander in here searching for me?”

“A few hours.”

Skera blinked. “What?”

“We were only in here a few hours.”

Skera mumbled something under her breath in what sounded like Dranonic. “Moranaax wanted you to come here. Hopefully he wants you to get out too.”

“Who?” Aureylian tilted her head.

“The creator of the plants and animals within Minecraftia. He lies dormant beneath the Wilds.”

“Oh.” Aureylian’s voice was small.

“He usually makes intruders wander for weeks. I’m surprised he let you through so easily.”

“We got attacked by two of those purple dogs.” Vechs said accusingly, pointing at his leg where the bandage still marked his wound. It hurt, but it wasn’t agonizing and he had been through worse.

“Lokolangs. Likely a test. Clearly you passed.” Skera grinned at them.

“We should go.” Blame mentioned.

“Right.” Vechs reached out and shook Skera’s hand. “Thank you for the warning and your help. We appreciate it.”

“Anytime.” Skera smiled. “Now, go. Your friends need you.”

The group said goodbye to her before leaving, Blame motioning for his cat to follow. She got one last hiss in at Shadeclaw before darting off into the trees. The black cat looked offended but merely stalked away, trying to look dignified.

~~~

It took a surprisingly short amount of time to get out of the Vicious Wilds and back into the Kingdom of Illian- clearly Moranaax wanted them to leave as quickly as possible, either due to favor or disliking them on his turf. They were out into regular oak woods within two hours. Their nerves quickly relaxed, glad to be out of that gloomy and dangerous place.

“I’m surprised we didn’t run into worse than those two lokolangs.” Zisteau admitted. “The Wilds are usually worse than that.”

“I guess Skera was right about Moranaax.” Vechs shrugged. He expected Paul to speak up, but noticed that he was quieter than usual, lost in thought. He had been the past two hours, but Vechs had figured that he had just been focusing on the environment.

“Paul? What’s wrong?”

Paul jumped when his name was mentioned. “Huh? Oh. Nothing. I’m okay.”

Vechs frowned. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Fine.”

A troubled mind.

Vechs didn’t believe him.

“Didn’t Blame pull you back earlier?” Zisteau asked, remembering. “What was that all about?”

Paul started to deny it but Blame held up a hand to stop him. He had been meaning to mention this anyway, but hadn’t been able to make himself do so. “I recognized Skera.” Vechs realized that the Skullblade was very, very tense.

Silence for a moment.

“What?” Aureylian asked, finally.

“I know her.” Blame snarled. “I knew that I knew the name Skera! I knew it wasn’t good news! I knew I’d heard her name before, and she’s damn lucky to be alive, damn lucky I didn’t hunt her down and kill her! The only reason she’s here now is that she’s an alchemist, she’s extended her lifespan somehow! I had never, ever fucking anticipated running into her!”

Vechs frowned, confused. “Blame, what? I don’t-“

“That was Skera Davion, daughter of Kaltaerion!” Blame almost roared, fists clenched and shaking from the force of emotion running through him.

Skera Davion…

Vechs was stunned, mind reeling and trying to understand and comprehend what this meant.

“Are you sure?” Zisteau demanded immediately.

“Yes, I’m sure!”

“How? How do you know it’s her? You never saw her previously, did you?”

“Did you even look at her face?! She had the same look, the same expression, hell, the same physical features as Kaltaerion, as Vechs!”

“Black hair, blue eyes, extremely tall.” Paul muttered. He had been told by Blame earlier, but he was still thrown off from the news. The blue eyes remark was clearly in reference to Vechs only- Kaltaerion had had crimson eyes.

Vechs suddenly connected the dots and had to lean against a tree to keep his legs from buckling, stunned.
Aureylian was immediately concerned. “Vechs? Are you okay?” She hadn’t worked it out yet, even though she’d been previously filled in by Vechs about his relation to Kaltaerion.

“I don’t know.” he whispered quietly, shaking. “B-but Blame’s right. It was her. That’s…that’s why…that’s why I trusted her. I knew her. I knew her, I can’t remember it, but I knew her.”

“You knew her? H-“ Aureylian cut off as it suddenly hit her.

As it suddenly hit the group.

Skera Davion. Daughter of Kaltaerion Davion.

Vechs’s mother.

Alive. Living in the Vicious Wilds. She had to be over a hundred years old by now, all because of her alchemy…

Vechs looked back the way they had come, but knew he would never find his way through the Wilds in a million years unless Moranaax wanted him to.

“Don’t trust a damn thing she’s given you.” Blame continued. “You can’t trust-“

Vechs glared at him, pushing his goggles up his face so that Blame could see the silent message in his eyes. You don’t trust her but I do.

Blame sighed and shook his head. “Suit yourself. We need to get moving.”

“Give him a minute to take it in, at least!” Aureylian protested.

Blame sighed and leaned against a tree. “Fine.”

He couldn’t stay still long, though, and soon started pacing. Clearly the appearance of Skera had thrown him off.

Vechs was also thrown off, but his mind wasn’t spinning with unpleasant memories of Kaltaerion. It was spinning with questions, wondering as to how Skera had ended up in the Wilds while he was in Valtarian, wondering how he didn’t remember her, wondering for the hundredth time why he couldn’t remember anything before the age of six.

He was still wondering when they set off walking again, the stunned group following Blame’s lead, as he had taken the map from Paul.

He was still wondering when Zyr dropped from a tree onto Blame’s back and dug his stinger into the Skullblade.