by S. K. Ng
“But… would it not be tasteless?” asked Sky, looking puzzled.
Ray stopped eating and looked at Sky. So did Clover.
“Matter _ what is it of this that it is tasteless or tasteful?” asked Ray.
“Of course it matters, Ray! That is the reason why we eat, is it not?” answered Sky disbelievingly.
“No!” answered Ray.
“What do you mean by ‘no!’?” Sky asked, looking more puzzled as he began to tear away a piece of the dead bird.
“Taste _ it is not of this which forms the reason why we eat, Minvian Proest; but rather for the sole purpose of survival only,” answered Clover on Ray’s behalf.
“Well, of course, I agree with you that we eat for the purpose of survival, but we also eat for the purpose of enjoyment, do we not? For the pleasure of the senses, that is the point of life, right?” Sky said as a matter of fact.
“No!” said Ray, as he began to eat again.
“No!” enforced Clover just before she put a piece of curried bread in her mouth.
Sky dropped the piece of dead bird back onto the plate.
“Really?” asked Sky.
“Really! Eat _ the purpose of this is strictly for survival only and not for the pleasure of the senses because in order to eat, you will have to hurt and kill and destroy a life; which in turn causes unnecessary suffering to innocent living beings!” Ray pointed out strictly.
“Survive _ it is the right of every living being to do of this, so we do not have the right to deprive them of their lives just because we like the taste of their flesh in our mouths; therefore the killing and eating of animals causes suffering to the animals themselves and should not be practiced by anyone!” added Clover.
Sky leaned back in his chair. His jaw was wide open in disbelief.
“That is ridiculous! Absurd! Are you saying that I do not have the right to eat this pigeon because it has the right to live?” argued Sky as he waived the piece of pigeon meat in front of Ray and Clover.
“Yes!” Ray said with a firm stare.
“Definitely!” Clover added with a firm stare at Sky as well.
“You Elementhars are crazy! Crazy! If that is the case, why you do you eat fruits and vegetables. Why do you not just choose to starve to death!” retorted a very angry Sky.
“Sun _ if only I could draw energy directly from one of it, I would abstain from even the consumption of plants, but since that is not yet possible, I choose to eat plants rather than animals to show compassion and respect for the higher forms of life; for animals are more similar to us than plants and like us, they have feelings and emotions. Feel _ they do of this of fear, pain, sadness, disappointment, anger, happiness, gladness and such, so killing them is tantamount to killing another human being!” Ray explained.
“Agree _ I do of this with every word that Master Iddell had spoken, bearing in mind that there is the Law of Retribution, which is a physical and natural, all engulfing law that no one escapes from; and so if you are merciless against a component of nature, an animal for example, then nature will reciprocate by being merciless against you. Saying _ of this, it goes ‘Live and let live; or kill and be killed’; and we prefer to live, so we let live!” stressed Clover.
Sky shook his head. He could not believe what he was hearing. Unfortunately for Sky, he was wrong. Thinking that he was right, he continued to argue with Ray and Clover.
“I do not believe in this rubbish! Phah! Then what about all the demons that you have killed? Hmm!? What about all the robbers and assassins and even the Serpentians who lost their lives to your blades and your mysterious magical powers, huh?” questioned Sky.
“Live _ they did not let us do of this, so we reciprocated by not letting them continue to live, what is so confusing about that?” asked Ray.
“What? What did you mean by that?” retorted Sky.
“Self-defence,” explained Clover.
“Self-defence? What happened to ‘Live and let live’?” asked Sky rhetorically.
“Agreement _ it is in complete of this with the “Live and let live” philosophy, which in essence is also in complete harmony with the Law of Retribution,” answered Ray.
“Meant _ what Master Iddell did of this was that if someone provokes or attacks an innocent person or party without being provoked by that said person or party, then the attacker has forfeited his right to live as he has chosen to kill, and therefore he shall be killed as a result, and we humans, as one of the elements of nature, then have the right, or even duty, to kill the attacker in order to restore equilibrium and order,” interceded Clover before Sky could say a single word.
Sky sat silent and frozen. A piece of grilled pigeon was held still in his hand. His mouth was gaped wide open in disbelief yet again.
“You Elementhars are crazy!!!” he finally yelled out.
“No!” said Ray.
“Unenlightened _ you are of this,” said Clover.
“Correct!” agreed Ray.
The three soldiers ate the rest of their dinner silently. Sky was visibly upset with Ray and Clover, who in turn, were irritated by Sky’s ignorance. Ray was the first to finish his meal and sat silently waiting for Clover. When Clover had finished hers, both she and Ray afforded a polite bow to Sky and returned to their rooms. Sky meanwhile, was still infuriated as he sat there alone finishing his dinner. He finally left for his room with a bottle of wine in his hand.
Ray, Clover and Sky were on horsebacks even before the first rays of the sun appeared over the top of Eastern Falls Range. They rode on silently at a relaxed speed. Sky was not smiling. Neither was Ray nor Clover. The animosity between Sky and the Elementhars was building up. Each side was offended by the other’s principle and outlook in life. This did not surprise the Elementhars, however, for they knew that their way and their outlook, although more true and harmonious to nature and the various Receptions, were rejected by the general public simply because they were not advantageous or ‘profitable’ to the self.
Sky wondered what was wrong with these Elementhars. So who cares if a few animals get slaughtered? Big deal! Sky believed that life was unfair, and that it was not meant to be fair! It was all about the survival of the fittest! The conquest of the strong over the weak! The strong was king! The strong was God! Or so he believed! Compassion!? What a silly idea! Suffering? Who cares! Stupid, ridiculous Elementhars!
It was a little past noon when the trio finally stopped for lunch. They led their horses to a small stream so that the tired animals could quench their thirst and then they tethered them to some nearby trees so that they could graze the grass. Lunch was unceremoniously prepared and ate in silence. A gentle breeze blew and provided some comfort to the tired soldiers.
“You two really believe in all that rubbish you said yesterday, do you not?” said Sky finally, unable to control his irritation.
“Yes!” replied Ray and Clover simultaneously.
“What is wrong with enjoying life? Of fulfilling the pleasure of the senses?” asked Sky in a sarcastic tone.
“Line _ in nature there exists one of this that differentiates good and evil; right and wrong; righteous and unrighteous; fair and unfair. Division _ this of this is done along and in accordance with the Law of Retribution, whereby if one does an action and receives the ‘retribution’ or ‘reciprocation’ of one’s action and as a result, one suffers or experience unpleasant feelings, then that action is deemed evil, wrong, unrighteous and unfair. Action _ if one does of this and receives the ‘retribution’ or ‘reciprocation’ of it and as a result, one experiences no suffering but pleasantness or even joy, then that action is deemed good, right, righteous and fair. Law _ of this, it is all encompassing and there is no escape, just acceptance and compliance; therefore, if the eating and drinking and having fun hurts no living being, we shall not be hurt in return and that denotes a right doing; but if it hurts a living being, for example the pigeon that you ate last night, then you shall be hurt in return as a consequence, or as nature’s
retribution; and that denotes a wrong doing,” answered Ray.
Sky shook his head in disbelief. What were these two morons talking about? Lines!? Divisions!? Some sort of all engulfing natural law!?
“So you mean to say that there is some sort of justice in this world!? Some sort of judgement!? Some sort of reward and punishment!? Really, have you seen justice at work? Robbers and killers go unpunished while honest warriors die in vain to protect an ungrateful society! Where is your ‘justice’? Where is your ‘judgement’?” retorted Sky.
“Justice _ I have seen of this, it just takes a long time to happen but when it does, it happens severely and the result is always devastating!” answered Ray.
Sky snorted at Ray’s answer. There is no such thing as justice! Or is there?
“Oh really? Give me an example!” Sky challenged.
“Shadow Deathmerchant Clan _ they of them were a powerful and fearsome organisation many years ago. Murder _ they got away with the doing of this to many people, but today, they are a crumbling organisation whose members have been hunted down and killed by us. Kill _ the more the Shadow Deathmerchant Clan do of this, the more enemies they will have; and the more enemies they have, the more they will be hunted down and killed as a consequence. Killed _ in the end, they will all be of this; and from this there is no escape and no other possible outcome!” replied Ray.
“The Shadow Deathmerchant Clan is just temporarily weakened, not finished! They may recover and return to prominence,” argued Sky.
“Unlikely _ it is of this, for it is no longer easy for them to find willing recruits and even if they did, it will take years to build up the recruits’ skill and experience level, by which time the Fallsian Military will have found their lair and destroyed them,” counter-argued Clover.
“You two are hopeless!” declared Sky.
“Unenlightened _ you are of this,” said Ray and Clover simultaneously.
With their horses fed and rested, the three soldiers continued on their journey. The travel over the next few hours was done in silence. Sky was ever the more offended and upset. But so were Ray and Clover, though they did not show it at all.
Sky began to understand why there were many soldiers who disliked Elementhars and why Elementhars generally did not wish to serve in the military. They would never fit-in, he reasoned, for soldiers ate whatever they needed to in order to survive, or in his case, whatever pleasured his palate; because life was short and it should be lived to the maximum! Why bother to distinguish the difference between right and wrong, good and evil and so on? It made no sense. It was a ‘dog eat dog’ world out there, and he reckoned that it was all about the survival of the fittest. He also believed that life was all about enjoying oneself to the maximum before one’s time was up. He felt that that was all there was to it, nothing more!
It was late afternoon on the 22nd Day of Fourth Month of Dry Season when the three soldiers arrived at Southgust. Ray and Clover were amazed at what they saw. The town looked perfect, as though it had never suffered the earthquake. There were hardly any signs of debris, rubble or destruction. The whole town looked clean and new. Sky was smiling.
“Why do the both of you look shocked?” Sky said with a smug tone.
“Amazed _ we are of this of your rebuilding capabilities!” answered Ray humbly.
“Amazing _ it is truly of this!” added Clover.
“Thank you! We, the people of Southgust, pride ourselves in our recovery skills. For many years, we have had disaster after disaster hitting us, and so we made it a point to learn how to recover from them fast. We are resilient. We are survivors. What you see today is a testament of our spirit and skills!” said Sky proudly.
Ray and Clover were silent. They heard the mistake in Sky’s answer. If the people of Southgust were not sinners, or transgressors, then why did they suffer one disaster after another? Sky took pride in the town’s recovery capability, but he saw not its failure to avoid the disasters in the first place!
Ray and Clover rode on along with Sky, looking left and right and admiring the neatness and the cleanliness of the town. All the buildings were perfect. Not a single crack or chip was visible. The townsfolk were busy going about their business as though the incident one and a half months ago had never happened. Ray and Clover were dumbfounded!
“The Channeller is this way!” he said as he turned off the main road and trotted down a less busy street.
The street led the three soldiers toward the eastern edge of the town where their eyes fell upon a huge, beautiful mansion. A well trimmed hedge formed a natural fence along its perimeter. Large, beautiful and majestic looking trees flanked a double storey stone house made of pure white marble. Ray and Clover did not remember seeing such a mansion the last time they were here in Southgust. It must have been recently built, as impossible as it was. The trio stopped at the gate and dismounted. Sky rang the large doorbell three times. The huge front doors of the mansion opened and a male servant ran out to meet them.
“Greetings and welcome to the humble abode of Master Resonance Styruss, Channeller and healer. To what does my master owe the pleasure of your presence?” said the servant.
“We are here to consult the master on a matter of great urgency, a matter on behalf of the king,” answered Sky.
“Very well, if you would wait a moment, I shall report to my master. I shall be back shortly,” said the servant before bowing and running back into the mansion.
Ray’s eyes wandered across the mansion, taking in all of its details.
“Luxurious _ it is very of this,” commented Ray.
“Luxury _ its aspect of this is almost a match to the upper class of Fallsene City,” added Clover.
“Now you begin to see, do you not? When he first arrived, he was broke. No better than a beggar. But look at him now! Look at this! The richest man in the whole of Southgust. And he shared his wisdom with us. Such benevolence! Better than that stupid hermit, Truthkeeper! He offered us nothing but poverty. Taught us nothing but failure! You two have much to learn!” said Sky proudly.
“Disagree _ we do of this with you,” said Ray and Clover simultaneously.
The male servant ran out to the main gate with a set of keys. After unlocking the gate, he opened it and invited the trio to enter. He took the reigns of their horses from them and invited them to enter the huge marble mansion, while he led their horses to the stables at the back. Upon entering the house, Ray and Clover were awestruck at the sheer spaciousness of the living room. Large, expensive looking furniture decorated the room. Female servants appeared from what Ray and Clover assumed to be the kitchen door and set down an assortment of drinks and snacks on various coffee tables. The trio sat down and made themselves comfortable. Sky immediately helped himself to some drinks and snacks. Ray and Clover, however, refrained themselves from doing so. They sat upright and waited patiently.
And they waited and waited and waited. Ray’s lips were dry while Clover’s throat felt as coarse as sand, but neither took any of the offered drinks or food. Sky, on the other hand, finished his first plate of cookies. The female servants reappeared with more food and drink.
“Eat up! What is wrong with you two?” said Sky.
“Idea _ it is not a good one of this, Sky!” replied Ray.
“Ahh, whatever! You two are really weird!” said Sky as he took a sip of orange juice.
Then the trio heard a door open on the first floor. A man in his early sixties, of medium height and weight and dressed in a green suit, walked down the staircase and headed towards them.
“Welcome to my humble abode! I am Channeller Styruss. How may I help you?” said the man as he took a seat on the sofa facing Ray, Clover and Sky.
“We are here on behalf of King Patrum. We require your expertise in the investigation of a crime. The king offers you just reward for your service and co-operation,” said Sky.
Channeller Styruss raised one of his eyebrows in curiosity. There was a slight smile on his lips.
“Most interesting! May I know the nature of the crime?” he asked.
“Murder _ the nature of the crime is of this, but what we require is not about the crime itself but of the perpetrator of it, for he disintegrated into a pile of dust after committing it and we do not know what he was or how he did it,” explained Clover.
“I see. This is very intriguing. And I suppose you would like me to use my powers to reveal the identity of this murderer and explain his strange escape method? This is hardly a challenge for someone like me! I can do it, but it will be quite expensive. 300 gold coins would be fair compensation for my effort, what do you think?” said Channeller Styruss.
Sky almost choked on his drink. He opened his mouth to voice his disagreement but Ray stopped him.
“Coins _ 300 gold of these we shall compensate you if you are successful,” said Ray, much to Sky’s surprise.
“Very well then. Please give me a moment to prepare. Meanwhile, please eat and drink,” said the Channeller as he excused himself and returned back to his room upstairs.
Sky helped himself to another cup of orange juice. Ray and Clover still neither ate nor drank anything.
A few male servants showed up to place various items on the coffee table in front of where the Channeller had sat. There was a small copper urn with a few incense sticks planted into it. There was also a silver bowl of clear water. The servants placed a small plate of lime fruits and a small knife as well. The last servant brought a candlestick with a burning candle and a plate with a small towel in it.
“Please, sirs and madam, enjoy the food and drinks!” said the last servant to the trio, while pointing to the abundance of snacks that were already there on the coffee tables.