by Scott Wale
“I’m not going to pretend I understand any of that, but I’ll ask this question anyways however dumb it may sound”, Fenrit began. “Can you disable or get around anything he would have put in place?”
“If we are careful, then I believe so”, Tradok replied. “I’m not a security expert; however, I understood the need for it, which made me the resident expert at the time. For that reason, I can say no one was even close to my level of proficiency, especially Grimtav. I would guess that Grimtav did not replace my security knowledge even though I can say with plenty of confidence there are plenty of better candidates on Faunar. The cymutt attack reports I’ve read would indicate he found someone capable of at least running and maintaining the controller. The controller and cymutt army was and always has been his main concern. Hopefully, Grimtav’s desire to use the cymutt army as a means to his end has made him overlook the security I had always stressed.”
“So basically, be cautious and the security may or may not be better”, Nevit summarized.
“Jandra!” Alejade called out.
The raptor performed the same landing process it had done numerous times settling on to Alejade’s arm. Alejade and Jandra began to communicate with each other while the other three observed trying to decipher the conversation. The exchange between Alejade and Jandra quickly tangled up Fenrit’s mind on the thought of whether the aft crystal allowed Jandra to understand him or whether it allowed him to understand Jandra. He had heard Jandra speak his own language, however, it was not the same when the raptor communicated with Alejade. The thought was mind boggling in trying to determine who was actually bilingual in the different combinations.
“Jandra believes we’ll be able to make the stretch between the swamp and the lake by early tomorrow”, Alejade said after concluding her conversation with the raptor. “It’s too far to make before it gets too dark to travel. She felt no spot proved to be any more beneficial than another for camping between here and the edge of the lake.”
“Then we may as well settle here for the night”, Tradok suggested. “I’m tired and Nevit is beginning to annoy me.”
“I agree with the settling part”, Fenrit said. “We can make use of the light to setup a decent camp. I’ll see what I can forage and maybe I’ll stumble across something to fuel a fire as well.”
“Not necessary”, Tradok said to the surprise of Fenrit.
Tradok pulled his gear pack off his back and set it on the ground. He first removed some smaller items that he had stashed on top. Fenrit recognized the skin shields and the data ports as Tradok set them on the ground. Tradok reached back into his gear pack and removed his torrid sleeper. Fenrit and Alejade had not taken a good look at the item when Nevit had brought it out of Tradok’s sleeping quarters. Tradok spread the item out revealing an odd looking device that had been bunched up in the middle. The spread out torrid sleeper allowed Fenrit and Alejade to observe that it was nothing more than a bag that was large enough to hold a body. The comprising material looked thin which ultimately surprised the brother and sister who only knew it was meant to keep the large Sauronoid warm. A seal ran half way down the bag, which one could only guess was the entry point.
“How exactly does this work?” Alejade asked.
“With these”, Tradok said opening the bag and pulling out a sphere that was as large as his claw.
Tradok grabbed opposite poles of the sphere with both his claws and twisted in opposing directions. The sphere split open revealing a packet containing a viscous substance that Tradok was careful to handle. He pulled the packet out letting the two sphere halves drop to the ground.
“All you do is knead this packet and it emits a tremendous amount of heat”, Tradok explained. “In fact it emits too much heat, so if you’re using it inside the sleeper you put the packet back into the sphere container which you can use to regulate the temperature. The sleeper itself is made of a thin, breathable material so you don’t end up cooking yourself. Earlier models actually had a lot of complaints of heat exhaustion before the manufacturer decided it was better to waste energy than fry its customers. I’ll probably sleep some distance away from the rest of the group for that reason.”
“Interesting”, Fenrit commented.
“Ahhh, yes, your fire”, Tradok remembered at the sound of Fenrit’s voice. “I have plenty of these packets. More than what’s necessary for this journey.”
Tradok reached for the odd looking device that had been rolled up into the torrid sleeper. He pressed down on the top of the device and several prongs shot out as the device opened up revealing a chamber in the center.
“We can simply put the packet into this device”, Tradok continued. “The device emits light which is generated from the heat of the packet. The device is designed to release the excess heat, which will be as warm as a fire. You could even cook food over it if you desired. The benefit is that you won’t char your food. If you don’t need the light, you could use a raw packet, but I wouldn’t advise laying anything directly on the packet. Especially any part of your body”
“What’s in the packet?” Alejade asked.
“Just two chemicals that when brought together create an exothermic reaction”, Tradok explained. “The sphere and lighting device are meant to be safety barriers, so if you plan on just using a raw packet then you need to treat it just like you would a fire. You also bring up another point. The downside is that it will take two or three packets to get through the night. The heat and or light will slowly decay as the two chemicals are depleted. Unfortunately, the best safety precaution to follow is to not touch a raw packet until the light is nearly gone or it’s starting to get too cold.”
“Well, I guess I just need to forage then”, Fenrit concluded. “It’s almost dusk, so I better get moving.”
“When it gets dark I will at least get this thing going”, Tradok said patting the lighting device.
“Good luck with setting up the camp”, Fenrit said. “I’ll return before it gets too dark.”
“Can you get me some Kvinta juice while you’re out?” Nevit quipped.
“I’ll see what I can do”, Fenrit returned the banter.
Fenrit scurried off into the plains to the northwest. Scourge remained slung around his shoulder and he carried his usual satchel with him. Traveling light could be considered another skill of the premalier that mostly went overlooked. The rest of the group was not surprised he didn’t head in the direction of the swamp, but he did appear to be headed in a direction that was predetermined.
“I wonder how he knows where to go?” Nevit thought aloud.
“He knows more about these plains than I could ever hope to learn”, Alejade answered. “He understands them to the point where even if he’s not familiar with the exact location, he can read the land. I’ve watched him leave many times to go forage and he has never come back empty handed.”
“His knowledge of the land is very impressive”, Tradok agreed. “We all have our skill sets and it seems the more passionate we are, the more impressive the skill. Much like the way Fenrit reads the land, I can’t fathom how you understand that raptor.”
Jandra tilted her head in the direction of Tradok. Her look suggested she was aware that the conversation was about her. She couldn’t understand Tradok which left her with the option to try to communicate through Alejade or let it be. She decided she too needed to get in a hunt before darkness impaired her ability to catch prey. She had been in flight without taking a short break to eat since leaving the group earlier in the day. She screeched out her plans to Alejade and then took flight heading towards the marshes that bordered the swamp. Jandra had hunted the marshes before and they were infested with small catches, of which a few would make a hefty meal.
“Jandra has decided to search for her own meal”, Alejade said explaining the raptor’s departure.
“Where will she sleep?” Nevit asked.
“She’s not comfortable on the ground, so considering that there aren’t any trees nearby then I
imagine she’ll find either a small grove out on the plains or just spend the night in a tree at the edge of the swamp”, Alejade explained.
“Hopefully she comes back then”, Nevit started. “I would advise against being anywhere near the swamp. There isn’t even much safety up high in a tree. Plenty of creatures have adapted to catch a meal that thought it was climbing up to safety. Not to mention the things that reside in the swamp that is neither creature nor beings like us.”
“She’ll return to check on us before she settles down for the night”, Alejade said assuring herself more than Nevit. “What else resides in the swamp?”
“Most legends can be summarized as various evil spirts”, Nevit started. “Think mountain seraphs except they are not there to help, but rather make sure a traveler’s journey comes to an abrupt end. Those that are more skeptical attribute the legends to things like carnivorous plants, sinkholes and vermin swarms. All of these have been confirmed to exist in the swamp.”
“Good thing we decided to avoid all of that by traveling around the swamp”, Alejade expressed with a hint of fear.
“The swamp is no leisurely hike, but it’s also not as horrific as Nevit makes it out to be”, Tradok clarified. “As much as it pains me to say this, we would have been just fine with an experienced guide like Nevit to lead us through. It still wasn’t worth the risk to save only a little time given how slow making our way through the swamp would have been.”
“We would have timed that poorly”, Nevit said. “I’m not sure what’s worse when in the swamp. Keeping still in the dark or trying to move in the dark.”
Hearing the word ‘dark’ made Alejade realize they were supposed to be setting up the camp. She began to look around at the minimal supplies the group had carried with them and then internally questioned what there really was to set up. She had only carried her staff and a canteen of water. Fenrit and Tradok had tasked themselves with food as Fenrit was confident in his foraging abilities while Tradok insisted on supplementing with flash. Alejade would remove her hooded cloak when it was time to sleep and lay it on the plains grass. This would take all of but a short moment meaning there was absolutely nothing to setup for the time being.
“There’s not going to be much to our camp”, Alejade said. “Maybe we should have continued for a little longer to close that much more distance between us and the mountain pass.”
“I just thought of that as well”, Tradok said.
Tradok flattened out his torrid sleeper and then spread his inventory of spheres that were inside the sleeper to different corners to keep the sleeper weighted to the ground. The wind was nearly non-existent, but a huge gust could easily lift the sleeper off the ground forcing the Sauronoid to give chase. Tradok grabbed one of the heat packets and gave it a quick twist. When he was confident the chemicals were beginning to interact, he opened up the lighting device and tossed the packet inside. The device gradually lit up as the exothermic reaction reached its peak potential. Shortly thereafter all three individuals could feel the heat emanating from the device.
“You weren’t exaggerating the power of these packets”, Alejade exclaimed. “This truly does replace the warmth of a fire.”
“Yes, I imagine Fenrit will want one of us awake at all times to keep watch, so it shouldn’t be an issue to keep a heat source alive”, Tradok responded. “That’ll be more relevant when we are in the mountains and hypothermia is a more threatening possibility. I realize we have some time before dusk and a little more time before it becomes difficult to see, but this is essentially our camp all set up.”
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Nevit quipped.
“It’s all we need and allows us to travel light”, Tradok commented. “I think I’ll indulge in some more flash. Anyone else interested?”
“Sounds good to me”, Nevit said. “Sleep is always difficult for me to find when I’m dealing with hunger.”
“I’ll warn you now that this won’t satisfy your hunger”, Tradok said. “It’ll keep you going and to be honest you don’t want to eat too much in an effort to satiate yourself. It’s even less wise to eat quite a bit if you’re not used to it.”
“Maybe I’ll wait until Fenrit returns before committing to some”, Nevit decided.
“I plan to do the same”, Alejade added. “I mentioned that Fenrit never fails to return empty handed, but that doesn’t mean it’s always something you’ll enjoy eating.”
“I’m feeling misled”, Nevit began. “I thought this journey was going to be full of incredible feasts.”
“When we get back to Shadowport I will get you a several day supply of Kvinta Juice”, Tradok offered.
“Speaking of things you don’t want to eat too much of”, Nevit trailed off.
“What’s that?” Tradok asked.
“Kvinta juice is the most delicious substance on Faunar, but it is the fermented fruit of the xiwl plant”, Nevit answered. “The fruit, just like the rest of the plant, is completely toxic. The toxins will pass through your body if consumed in moderation, but I’ve known more than one person to succumb to the fate of Kvinta poisoning.”
“Yes, I’m aware”, Tradok said with a smile.
“Glad my death amuses you”, Nevit countered with a fake sense of indignation.
“The xiwl plant actually has a lot of medicinal uses”, Alejade pointed out. “Most of the uses are made from extract of the leaves. I had no idea the fruit was used for anything.”
“As far as I know it’s just used in brewing Kvinta juice”, Nevit said. “Legally brewed juice can only be sold in containers with a clear warning and any eatery or drinkery that sells it will limit an individual to two drinks, which even for a scrawny person is only maybe a quarter of a lethal dose.”
“Interesting”, Alejade said. “I wonder if the concoction does anything to medicate one’s innards.”
“Not out of the realm of possibilities”, Tradok thought aloud. “Nevit is one of the healthier beings I’ve known. I always figured that was because he was a Mortoptera.”
“That’s a common misconception”, Nevit corrected Tradok’s last statement. “Mortopteras come in the same spectrum from sick to vigorous as any other species. Typically, those on the sick end of the spectrum don’t last long in the swamp forcing them to seek life on the outskirts. Most of them congregate in different settlements around Lake Ulea and some even up along the Syrpin River. When I initially left the swamp, I spent some time with these individuals. Being around a bunch of ailing Mortopteras is probably what made me want to go out on my own.”
“If your eyes weren’t black, I wouldn’t have believed you were being serious”, Tradok said. “If there was ever a being on Faunar that needed a tell, it’s you.”
“Yes, well some of us are comprised of more than just a single, surly attitude”, Nevit said while his eyes shifted from black to blue instantaneously.
“Dusk is finally upon us”, Tradok said changing the subject.
“Hopefully the new day brings favorable experiences”, Alejade said.
“New day?” Tradok asked completely baffled by the statement.
“Dusk, the beginning and end of the day”, Alejade said confused by what needed explaining.
“That’s a new one that will need some explanation”, Tradok clarified.
“That, I can do”, Alejade responded. “First, when do you think the day starts and ends?”
“The city operates on the concept that it starts and ends at the polar opposite of when the sun is at its apogee”, Tradok began. “Long ago someone realized this happened to correlate to a star named Jorius that also reached its apogee the same time each night. I can point out the star when it gets darker. I thought this was the commonly held definition of a day other than a few spiritual sects that held on to the belief that dawn brought forth a new day. Now that I think about it, you’re basically telling me the opposite of that.”
“I’m aware of Jorius and other basic celestial bodies”, Alejade said as if she needed to d
efend herself. “Our people’s historical texts have taught us that the day is not related to astronomical events, but rather a brief piece of the Maker’s existence. The brief story of events is a subject regularly studied due to the lack of other instances pertaining to the Maker’s presence on Faunar.”
“This sounds extremely religious, but you have my attention”, Tradok said with as much consideration as he could muster.
“All that exists on Faunar is said to be the creation of the Maker”, Alejade began. “All living things contain a life essence that coalesces at the beginning of a life and disperses at the end.”
“I thought this was about the day”, Tradok said growing impatient with the history lesson Alejade was trying to share.
“I will get to that, but first it requires some perspective”, Alejade reasoned. “The historical texts I have read are not clear if the Maker and the life essence are one in the same, however, I believe that they are. The Maker’s will is that all living beings seek to bond with each other. The Maker created the original life forms on Faunar and then left them to their own will. The fact that all beings have free will leads to the opportunity for good and evil to exist as the mind is allowed to act independent from the life essence. Again, the historical text left this open for interpretation, and I’ve chosen to believe that this is the reason that good and evil are allowed to exist. The Maker returned to Faunar to see the progress of its creations only to be welcomed into a world of evil. The Maker’s creations had ignored its will that they bond with each other and instead sought more malevolent pursuits such as avarice, fury and the subjugation of those viewed as lesser beings. The Maker fought to bring an end to these actions. The historical texts detail how the Maker manifested a physical presence on Faunar for the first time since establishing its creations and the last time since the outcome of this battle. Faunar had been covered in darkness since its creation and had always existed that way. The Maker had reasoned this is what allowed evil to exist. As the Maker battled evil it brought light to the planet and each day after the battle, the period of light extended for a little longer. This continued as the day slowly grew longer while simultaneously evil was slowly being removed from among the creations.”