Being alone with your thoughts with nothing else to disturb you can be a scary thing sometimes. Sometimes you realize things, like how very alone and scared you are. You sometimes realize that nothing seems to be working, that it can be hard to imagine any kind of future. You wonder where you will be the next day, whether you will be alive or whether you will end up with your own gun in your mouth. One never knows where their thoughts will lead them in the silence of their own company.
The towels could dry the water off of him, but not the sticky residue of fear. He was lost and he knew it. He knew he was not only physically lost, but mentally and perhaps even spiritually as well. Even when he found home, when he got back to his squad, he knew he would still be lost and vulnerable.
Crinnan felt like he was missing something, like he was incomplete. It was not anything so identifiable as love or companionship, he was not worried about that. It was more like he did not fully know himself. It was like he was living in his body with his mind and memories, but he saw himself as a stranger. He did not know who he was looking at when he looked in the mirror. When he found himself in times of deep thought, he did not know who was talking to him in his head. He had never felt that way before that day.
Everyone thinks like that sometime. We all have the capacity to get lost in our own minds to the point that everything normal seems foreign. It is funny when you finally snap back into reality how it is all pushed aside so quickly, how everything that was dominating the moment can so simply be thrown in the backseat and left for another time.
As quickly as Crinnan threw his shirt over his head, he found myself back in reality and everything was gone. He pulled back the curtain that led into the main room and stepped forward.
As Crinnan walked in Sage looked up at him. “Feel better?” He asked, crossing his legs and folding his hands in his lap.
“Yes.” Crinnan said, rubbing some of the wet out of his hair with the towel, “My neck is still a little bit sore.”
“You will get over it I am sure.” Sage said, still wearing his smile. He paused and looked away from me. “You have been having quite a day have you not?”
Crinnan nodded, and threw the towel on a bed in front of him. “It has been a long day.” Sage nodded and leaned back on the bench a little.
“I should say it’s a bit funny.” He said, looking Crinnan square in the eyes, “How quickly and absurdly a person's variables can change.”
“What do you mean?” Crinnan asked as he leaned back on the mattress.
“This time yesterday you were with your friends, your squad mates.” He replied, “You were probably smiling and enjoying yourself because you were comfortable. You were with people you were familiar with and you enjoyed their company. Now here, thirty six hours later, you are with a half-crazed forest dweller, a 1000 year old disfigured mutant Elf, and a parade of sexually abused children. Not to mention you were almost sodomized by one of the three Presidents of the Agra Triangle Corporation...”
“I do not believe he had any intention of...” Crinnan said, but was quickly cut off.
“I am merely and simply commenting on how one can never know how quickly their conditions can change.” Sage said. “I find it fascinating.”
Crinnan hummed and fell backward onto the bed. “Well, you got some of that right at least.” Crinnan said, cracking a half smile.
“Oh yeah?” Sage asked, “What was that?”
“You are half-crazed… at least.” Crinnan replied. Sage chuckled and stretched his arms out.
“Do my ears deceive m?.” He asked, “Is the hardened soldier in fact capable of humor?” Sage smiled and shook his head. “But yes, you are right. All this time alone takes a toll on a person.” He maintained his little laugh and looked away. “Do you plan on getting any sleep?” He asked, looking at Crinnan out of the corner of his eye.
“I want to get going.” Crinnan said, “We have stayed here way too long already.”
“Resilient boy.” Sage said, standing up. “Our guides should be here soon, we will leave when they arrive... The children are downstairs being entertained by Garb.”
“The children...” Crinnan muttered, “How many did you say will be going with us?
“Just one.” Sage replied, “That Wolvyn boy Freyja.”
“Splendid.” Crinnan said with a sigh. “What are you going to do with him”
“We will just have to see how our variables unfold.” Sage replied, “I should say that at this moment I do not have any idea what will become of him.”
Crinnan groaned and stood up. As he walked back into the bathroom to put on his armor Sage trailed behind and watched him closely.
“Are you feeling alright?” He asked with a different tone. “Do you feel any changes?”
“I feel fine.” Crinnan said, tying the string on his bracers, “Why do you ask?”
“You just underwent a NaNe purge...” He replied, pointing to the bruise that Cade left on Crinnan’s neck. “This means you are now vulnerable to sickness and your wounds will not heal as rapidly. I have no idea what sort of toxic air you could be breathing around here.”
“Everything feels normal.” Crinnan said, dismissing his concern. “Sage hummed and crossed his arms.
“Well you should show a little bit more care in the next half of our journey.” He said, “I do not want you getting an injury that could become infected, that would slow us down more than Freyja.”
“I will be fine.” Crinnan said as he secured his rig. “I have not been killed yet.” Sage hummed again and turned away.
“I do not suppose we will be warmly welcomed back to this place.” Sage said, facing the window that Cade had fallen out of. “The innkeeper gave us a free room and we blew out the window and shattered his furniture. I hope we are out of here before he finds out.”
The thought of that left Crinnan feeling uneasy. He thought back to the conversation he had with Jethro and the free dravink he had been given. He felt bad but knew that Sage was right. They could not afford any more setbacks.
“Either way.” Sage continued, “I am going down to the village minister's lodge. I want to check and see whether our guides have arrived yet.”
“I will join you.” Crinnan said, sliding my short sword into its scabbard, “I am ready to leave.” Sage nodded and cracked a smile.
“Tis probably best that you not be left alone anymore.” He said, “We do not want any more incidents.” Crinnan hummed and the two walked out the door.
***
The village was illuminated only by the soft flickering of torches. The brothers had set and their cousins the stars had come out for the night. Crinnan and Sage walked down the dirt street in the torchlight, heading toward the tent with the stream of smoke coming out the top.
Under the blanket of night, the Belhaasi weald felt even more eerie than before. You could hear the howls of unknown beasts coming from the woods and from time to time you would notice a rustling nearby. Crinnan did not like the uncertainty the weald made him feel.
“Not scared of the dark are you?” Sage asked, looking over his shoulder, “I should say you seem a bit skittish.”
“I am fine.” Crinnan said. His words felt only half true.
“Well you had best be on your guard.” Sage said. “These woods are very dangerous at night... I would not want you haphazardly stumbling down a sewer entrance or to be plucked up by some ravenous Toraan.”
“I will stay vigilant.” Crinnan replied.
“You will stay vigilant?” Sage repeated with a half chuckle. “My dear boy, we do not live in the Age of Blood… You are no knight in shining armor, quite the opposite in fact… anyway, here we are.”
The two walked up to the tent and Sage pulled the door flap back. “You first.” He said. Crinnan hesitantly ducked inside.
The lodge was dimly lit by a small fire pit in the middle with smoke rising to a hole in the top. The shadows cast from the flame did not help with the eerie feelings Crinnan had develop
ed from outside, in fact they worsened them a bit.
Crinnan looked around briefly but stopped when he saw the hooded being seated on what looked like a pile of animal furs. Two people sat on either side of him smoking something from a pipe. One was a muscular male Elf, shirtless and hairless, the other was pink haired female Faire. The hooded person, with his head lowered, raised his hand and motioned for Crinnan to come to him.
“You are the Black Knight.” he said in a voice so soft it was almost a whisper. “The one from the vision… Demon...”
Crinnan nodded his head and tried to get a look at the face behind the hood. He could see his pale skin and dark red lips but the rest was covered in shadow. The smooth skin surprised him, as he expected to see a wrinkled elderly Elf.
Crinnan looked at the people sitting next to to the hooded one. One was a rough skinned and heavily built male Elf with a squared jaw and no shirt. He looked as if he were a statue of an ancient warrior as there was a sword on each of his hips and an axe on the floor next to him.
The other person was a female pink-haired Faire with a petite muscular build. The Faire were a type of Elf known for their bright hair and long ears. The Elf had his eyes closed and the Faire stared at Crinnan with an intoxicated looking grin.
“I do hope we are not late.” Sage said, closing the tent flap behind him. “We were hoping to find that our guides had arrived.”
The hooded village Minister lifted what looked like a cigarette to his lips and took a deep drag. After holding it in for a few moments, he exhaled and handed it to the statuesque Elf to his left.
“They are here.” He said softly. “Guntz and Nora they are called, and they will guide you along the quickest path to the caverns.”
“Very good.” Sage said quickly cracking his knuckles. “Then I should say we are prepared to leave.” The minister nodded at Sage and then looked over at Crinnan.
“What ails you, Demon?” He abruptly asked. Crinnan could not see them but he knew the Minister’s eyes were locked onto him
“What?” Crinnan asked, “There is nothing wrong with me.”
“You are not normal.” The minister said, standing up and walking toward him. “Where is your NaNe? I sense you are… empty...”
Sage sighed. “The boy has been purged.” he said, approaching the minister. “It happened less than an hour ago.”
“Quite unfortunate and very curious.” The minister replied. “But rectifiable.” He stood up, and slowly walked over to a cabinet, promptly opening it. Crinnan could not make out what was inside but it was not long before the Minister closed the cabinet and returned to the others.
“We can remedy your condition.” The minister said. He held in his hand a shining cylinder similar to the one that Cade had shown Crinnan before. He looked at it and hummed.
“Will it take long?” Crinnan asked.
“That should be the least of your worries.” He replied. “Without your NaNe your time in this world will be very short.”
“Everybody’s time is short here.” Crinnan said.
“Are you declining my offer?” The minister asked. Crinnan did not know what to say. He stood silently for a moment but soon enough their silence was interrupted.
A villager burst into the tent, panting heavily. A look of fear was smeared across his face and he took no time to try and catch his breath. Crinnan noticed his finger was splinted.
“Govians are here!” He said with a panicked tone, “They say they are after the Demon.”
“Indeed.” The minister said, looking to Crinnan. “We will have to postpone your flood until you solve this problem.” He walked over to the mess of furs and sat down again. “Go and help them Guntz.”
The Elf silently stood and retrieved the heavy axe lying on the ground next to him. He did not say a word as he walked over and stood next to Sage. He instead closed his eyes and waited for further instruction.
“Do not let any harm befall you Crinnan.” the minister said, taking a drag of the cigarette. “Go now.”
Crinnan looked over at Sage and he nodded. Crinnan sighed and ran his fingers through his hair and then turned and left the tent.
They stepped outside into the torch lit village to find a squad of about thirteen Govian soldiers staring directly at them. As Crinnan neared them he began to hear a bit of mumbling and whispering among them. Sage and Guntz walked silently next to Crinnan surveying their upcoming opponents; Crinnan too was working on a strategy in his head, trying to figure out how to make it out of there alive.
“Here is the Demon!” one of the soldiers shouted with a thick Govian accent, “Come to save the day!” The Govian bowed before Crinnan and the others laughed. Crinnan continued to walk in silence.
As he got closer to the squad Crinnan was able to survey their armaments a bit better. He was relieved to find that they were a lightly armored team of mostly scouts and swordsmen. He noticed a few rifles, but felt it was nothing that he could not handle.
The tallest of the Govians stood as Crinnan approached and walked over.
“Ah!” he said erotically, looking him up and down, “Hail Crinnan Jamiso the second; Son of the mighty warlord of the same name!” His accent was strong and his s’s were elongated which added an extra element of creepiness.
“We have been looking for you, my most elusive lovely.” The Govian continued with a thin lipped smile. “It would be my pleasure to introduce myself to you. I am Captain Revaan Lyander Daarluck. You stand before my most handsome and quite capable squad.” He bowed slightly, locking his darkly lined eyes onto Crinnan’s. Crinnan smirked.
“You wanted to discuss something?” Crinnan asked, reserving any sign of interest or emotion but exerting confidence.
Revaan stroked his curved, thin beard with two long-nailed fingers. “Why, yes.” He said smoothly, raising an elegantly jeweled hand, “You see, my most lovely, my squad and I have traveled quite a long way to find you today. We are under direct order of Bishop General Dietsa who was commanded by His Grace the Grand Emperor Cidro himself to find and present you to the Almighty. I know you are both flattered and honored to be the recipient of such high attention, so I am confident that it will be difficult for you to decline such an offer.”
One of Revaan’s soldiers spit in the dirt and grinned at Cinnan. His teeth were rotted from sugir use and it looked as if his gums were infected. Crinnan groaned and shook his head.
“Impossible.” Crinnan said with his arms crossed. “You see I have very important business to be taking care of; anything else is going to have to wait for another day.”
Revaan laughed softly and shook his head. “Dear, lovely boy. I do not believe you fully understand the magnitude of a personal summons by his benevolence.” he said, poking one of his gold-dressed fingers into Crinnan’s chest, “You have no choice.”
Crinnan looked up towards the canopy of the forest and sighed. The disagreement had come. He did not know what to say anymore. He allowed his mind to race.
Finally he shrugged his shoulders and returned his gaze to eye level. The two locked eyes and Crinnan smiled.
“My choice is my own.” He said slowly. He knew this was going to anger the Govian for they saw their Emperor as a demigod of sorts and his will came before all personal wishes of every citizen of the Govian empire.
“Unlike many others; I have not allowed the leash of the emperor to choke my freedom. I go where I desire and I do as I wish. His benevolence will have to wait.”
The Govian was offended. He stepped backwards and stroked his beard again. “Young sinner,” he said with a hiss, “You forget your place.” Revaan began to walk a circle around Crinnan; this was a sign of authority and power. It meant nothing to Crinnan.
Crinnan’s eyes scanned the soldiers in front of him. He was searching for scouts with energy weapons. A plan was formulating in his mind.
“You clearly neither understand nor recognize the disgusting blasphemies you allow to proceed from your beautiful mouth.” Revaan
quickly snapped as he jabbed his finger into Crinnan’s chest again. His eyes scanned Crinnan and he smiled and placed a finger on Crinnan’s lips. “I believe somebody forgot to teach you how to correctly use these lovely lips of yours when addressing your superiors.”
Crinnan snickered. The Govians were quite “friendly” amongst themselves and quite attracted to any and all foreigners. Crinnan groaned at the thought of anything even remotely close to sexual interaction with Revaan.
The jeweled hand rose up and came to a rest on Crinnan’s left shoulder. Revaan walked to his side and pressed his face into the side of Crinnan’s head. For a moment Crinnan stood there as Revaan breathed on him, inhaling his scent. The feeling of his greasy skin and the prick of his moustache was enough to make Crinnan gag.
“If you come willing, you will live.” He whispered in his most seductive and erotic tone. “The divinity will give you all you could ever desire, and perhaps more.”
Crinnan’s head turned and their eyes met once again. He sighed and lowered his head.
“At what cost?”
Revaan chuckled and brought his free hand up to stroke Crinnan’s cheek “No cost my most lovely young Demon.” He said, smiling, “Though I am open to any act of… charity?” Crinnan’s mind vomited and he knew it was time to carry out his plan.
“We will see what we can work out.” Crinnan said with a grin “As long as you hold your end of the bargain.”
The Govian laughed and pulled away. He stood squarely in front of Crinnan and reached out his arm. As quickly as possibility would allow, Crinnan swatted his arm away with one hand and pulled his sword from its scabbard with the other. In the same movement with my free hand he pulled his pistol from its holster under his right arm. As Crinnan spun to kill the Govian before him he began firing at the scouts that he had counted earlier. He had no idea how accurate he was but by the time that Revaan’s greasy head hit the dust the swordsmen behind him had drawn their weapons.
Black Knight - Awakening: Part One Page 19