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Undying Empire: B3 — 25. Only Teenagers
🕑 Added 2022-02-26 10:11:20 +0000 UTC1. Garu (Ethereal Clan Undead)
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Hanging on the edge of a small cliff, Garu overlooked the clearing where the six Ri’bot camps had been pitched; their leaders rested inside, preparing for the negotiations tomorrow would bring, and far in the distance just visible between the two rivers on the planes were the fires from ten thousand Ri’bot.
He couldn’t be sure who they represented in the darkness, but it was unusual; from what he’d learned while in Nethermore, lights, such as fire, weren’t typically used by the Valley Ri’bot. It didn’t appear those in the Lowlands shared that cultural trait, showing how little conflict the clans likely experienced.
A procession of torches illuminated the far east, which could have been supplies or a caravan that had lagged behind, yet these numbers didn’t make sense. Only three weeks had passed since the entire Komath and Roxim had left their lands; it should have been impossible to gather such a force within that time.
It couldn’t have been the Komath and Roxim by the numbers High Lady Tiffany gave him; they shouldn’t number more than five thousand combined, including non-warriors and children.
However, he doubted the two escaping clans were numbered in the glades; he suspected they were in the jungle since that was what they were most comfortable in, probably to the south of the visible throng.
His attention drifted to the desert Ri’bot in the clearing; he couldn’t make out the details from this distance beside their similar tent structural design to the Ques’ká. It wasn’t large enough to be the desert reptilian race, and this was a traditional Clan neutral ground, leading him to conclude they were Ri’bot.
He needed more time to investigate before doing anything rash.
Crawling down the cliff, he took care not to stumble on any patrols; a few scouts were keeping an eye around the clearing interior, and it would be safe to assume many more in the surrounding jungle.
Using one of his mist’s properties to mask his scent and presence, Garu made his way up the small hill to the southwest, where he’d left the humans. Valentina was concealed in the giant leaves overlooking the hidden camp and keeping an eye out for danger.
Dropping beside her, he smirked at her slight start. “D-Do you have to do that?” she hissed, tail and ears stiff as she glared at him.
“It shows how unprepared you are,” Garu chuckled.
“Mmgm … Well, what did you find?”
He motioned for them to join the others.
Jumping down, they swiftly rose to their feet upon hearing them rustling the brush, telegraphing their presence to them since they were unable to see in the dark jungle, overshadowed by the thick canopy.
“Garu … Is that you—Valentina?” Rafael mumbled, squinting into the darkness.
Nicole hugged her arms, rubbing them a little while shuffling forward. “Yeah, it’s them … Garu, umm—c-can I talk to you?”
Rafael was swift to jog forward to meet him, stumbling a little in the dark. “Did you find Shayla—is she okay?”
Garu was a little impressed; he seemed to be able to see what direction they were in, and he contributed it to his powers to enhance certain aspects of his body. “Shhh … Be patient. Cristian?”
The teen blinked, looking in the direction of his voice. “Umm, yeah—what’s up?”
“How long can you levitate people now?”
He swallowed, shifting uncomfortably. “Not a long time—if I can rest for another thirty minutes, maybe like … fifteen minutes—max.”
“How long will it take for you to rebuild your strength?”
“About … twenty hours. Sorry, but that’s if you want me to be one hundred percent. I, eh, assume you want me to levitate everyone like I did before. Right?”
“Yes. Fifteen minutes … It might not be enough. We need to make camp, and we’re too close to an army to rest.”
“Camp?” Gorka groaned, running his hands through his messy black hair. “I thought we were going to this big city you were talking about—where it’s safe.”
“Yeah, what about Shayla—did you find her or not?” Rafael repeated in frustration.
A low, Ragnlar-like growl rumbled in Valentina’s throat, causing Cristian, Gorka, and Nicole to shift nervously. “This isn’t home—look, if we need to find shelter, there’s a reason. If Garu wanted, we’d be dead—so just shut up and listen.”
Liking the beast human girl more as they interacted, Garu chuckled. “I’ll explain everything to you soon, but we need to get to a safe place. All of you sit tight and don’t make any noise; I’m going to search for a place where we can safely set up camp.”
He turned to the disgruntled beast girl. “Valentina, join me.”
She seemed a little surprised, but there was an edge of excitement in her nod, and before the others could question him, Garu leaped into the nearby branches to climb higher.
Valentina used her claws to follow at a slower pace; the markers she left against the wood caused thought to pop into his head. Once out of earshot and traveling to the west, Garu waited for her to catch up from time to time, speaking in the Ethereal’s luminous blue spot language since it could be translated by the Empress’ ability.
“You appear to be the most practical and capable of your party; Valentina, I need your opinion on Rafael.”
“Umm, okay—by the way, if my name’s hard, you can call me Val—if you want. I … don’t know him that well, to be honest. I don’t even know if I should trust you—I just know you can kill us at any time … Is this about his girlfriend?”
“Not a bad position to take. What will he do if I suggest you all rest for a day?”
“Mmh … a full day?” Valentina’s lips pulled in, balancing on a thin, sturdy branch to reach another tree. “Is … it because Cristian can’t hold his spell for long?”
“It is a contributing factor, heh, and asking a question in response to mine?”
“Sorry … Eh, I don’t know—he seems to have a one-track mind, and he thinks we can go back to our world … Can we?”
“No. So far as I am aware, the Empress has confirmed it.”
Three minutes passed in silence as Garu thought on their current predicament; if it had just been the Komath and Roxim Clans, as he originally planned, it wouldn’t have been so complicated, but the introduction of the Morseng, Polsan, and two desert tents made him cautious.
If Rafael is blinded, it was the right decision to give as little information as possible until in a safer place.
“Umm … Garu?”
“Hmm?”
Squatting on a light brown branch to examine the damage done to its trunk, he smiled. It could work if the Roxim are still in the jungle.
Valentina’s furrowed brow as she slowly clawed up to join him. “Why did you single me out—uh … What’s that?”
“Hmm … Can you smell anything?”
She sniffed and shook her head. “I mean—yeah, but nothing that really stands out or that made this.”
“I can’t either. It’s old but shows a Ragnlar has been in this area within the past month; we’ll likely find more recent markings soon.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“Quite … As to why I singled you out … because I need to understand more about your abilities, and I believe you can help me. My only issue is how untrained you are—all of you. Help me understand something; you are close to a young adult so far as I comprehend human physiology. Yes?”
She shook her head, following him further into the jungle. “Sixteen—umm, the age of adulthood changes in our world depending on where you’re from. In Columbia, where I’m from, you can choose to marry and live with someone at fourteen years old without parental consent.”
“Mmh, I was under the impression eighteen was your adulthood marker. Heh, you’re the equivalent of a five to six-year-old Ri’bot; you’re perfectly capable of becoming a full-fledged warrior in my culture.”
“Okay … Does that mean you want my help with fighting?”
Garu’s chest rumbled with silent laughter, increasing his pace to see where she would start struggling to keep up. “Combat is far outside of your reach, Val—mmh, no, perhaps the weak warriors of this generation of Valley Ri’bot wouldn’t be out of the question. However, you are far from being able to contend for the most part and would do more harm than good.”
Valentina’s ears pulled back. “Oh … I guess I don’t know much about this world.”
Motioning her to a break in the treeline, Garu smirked. “Combat isn’t the only job that needs accomplishing. Listen to the jungle and search for a predator’s scent as we move; we shouldn’t run into any patrols, but be on your guard.”
He could sense her uncertainty as they went, trying to determine how she felt about him, which was understandable; a random creature you thought was your enemy suddenly shows up and starts speaking your language while taking charge—currently, to this girl, she was his prisoner, more than anything else.
“I’ll try…”
Twenty minutes passed as he tested her navigation skills in the jungle and tracking capabilities, and as they neared the cliffs, she halted in her tracks, fur going on end. “G-Garu…” she mumbled in fright, hugging herself and shivering. “What is—is the creature I’m smelling?”
“Ah,” Garu grinned. “You’ve caught the Ragnlar’s trail and markers. Good. How fast do you think you can move to this location while carrying Cristian?”
Trying to ease her thumping heart, she shook her head. “Umm—I-I think twenty minutes—if I’m not worried about being careful … That’s a guess, though—I don’t really know.”
“Mmh, I was thinking the same … Okay, let’s return and grab the others. Can Nicole erase the signs of our path?”
“Only if she’s standing on the ground—she can’t use most of her powers if she’s not touching the earth.”
“I see … I suppose I’ll have you guide them here, and I can stay back with her to cover our tracks.”
“What’s important about this place—what about that Ragnlar?”
“You don’t need to worry about that, but … Stay here real fast.”
Leaping into motion, Garu did a quick sweep of the area, checking the place he’d scouted almost a century ago; some rock formations, ground level, and the number of trees had changed, but nothing made him reconsider his plan.
Garu returned to Valentina, motioning for her to follow him out of the brush; they were near the colossal green mountains that framed the valley.
“A cliff?” she whispered, scanning the peak high above them, easily visible to her with the help of the shining, starlit heavens and two moons hanging in the sky.
“Val, I am a scout for my Clan, not a warrior; more than a century ago, I marked out this area with my tutor, and there are many hidden caverns around this area.”
“Caves—what about in the jungle—wouldn’t that be safer than climbing up this? We had some caves in our jungle.”
”Eh-heh, if you wish to risk dying, perhaps,” Garu forced a smile. “High Lady Iris may serve the Empress, but should there be any lingering Thélméthra from her brood or any other, I would not be capable of protecting myself, much less the five of you.”
“What are T-Thélmotath?” she stumbled with the word, rolling it around on her tongue.
“How would I explain it to you … I have heard humans describe them as colossal armored spiders—whatever that is—and they are among the most fearsome creatures my people have ever encountered.”
“C-Colossal armored spiders?” Valentina’s face drained of color while biting her lower lip, seemingly deep in thought, and Garu turned to study the mountainous rise. “Follow me.”
He brought her into an inlet that would block them from most angles, taking her to a fissure hidden near the back. “You’ll take them into here; there is a large cavern if you take the first left and third right.”
“Okay…”
Returning to the anxious group, Garu found them wrapped in the thick barrier Nicole had crafted when they left and had Valentina carry Cristian to the location; the levitation human made sure to bring the human corpses, and Garu had him take Palko, as well, since he could provide the Empress with further details.
Nicole seemed terrified to travel to their location with Garu, cleaning up after the messy humans, but with the promise he would listen to her, she put on a brave face.
Beginning the work of covering the scent with upturned mud, compacted dirt, and repairing damaged greenery, Nicole took her time. Despite her desire to speak to him, Garu was a bit mystified when she didn’t talk for a few minutes. Eventually, she seemed to find the right words to express herself.
“Mr. Garu … I don’t know what to do…”
He looked down at her, unsure how to respond, so he waited for her to explain further. In terms of Valentina’s Columbia adult age, Nicole was basically the same age as him; clearly, there was something wrong with the conversion metric because she acted more like an antisocial one-year-old Ri’bot.
She hugged herself, rubbing her shoulders and looking around the looming jungle. “I used to love places like this … Now, I’m always so scared, and—and I don’t have anyone anymore … I know Valentina doesn’t want me around … I’m just useful to everyone.”
A single tear leaked down her cheek as she slowed to look at the vines and flowers that grew to mask the other humans’ passing. “I’m all alone—I cried, and they just let the toads take me … Nobody helped me … Nobody loves me anymore … My parents abandoned me when I changed into—into this, and … and now I feel so empty—I don’t know how to fix me. I want someone to love me like Rafael loves Shayla … Why am I unlovable?”
Garu felt the weight of her words, and even if he couldn’t understand them, he could sense the fear and pain she’d been through over the past three weeks. “Hmm … You’ve been rebuked by your clan and parents … captured and abused by unknown creatures to wander an unfamiliar world…”
He trailed off as the pain and emotion in Nicole’s face faded as he spoke, and she stopped, falling to her knees for the flora to grow around her bark-like skin to weave around her. “Why don’t I feel anything anymore … I didn’t want these powers, but they’re the only thing I have now … I want to just be wrapped in the jungle and die … What’s the point?”
“You’ve been through a lot…” Garu dropped down in front of her, watching the leaves grow to touch the shimmering green light of her hair, colors tinting black and gray. “The others have only survived because of your powers, Nicole … All they do is take from you?”
She shrugged, downcast eyes on the growing grass. “No one asks me how I’m doing—wants to talk to me … I’m from the United States … I don’t speak Spanish, so I guess they can’t, but … no one wants to let me talk, and Rafael only talks about Shayla … My parents ran outside of that dome before it closed off the area … I really am alone.”
Garu held out a hand. “I don’t know the swamp you’ve walked, Nicole, but I believe Empress Elinor can help you … She cares for all of the humans, and there are girls your age in Nethermore … It is safe … Look to Empress Elinor.”
Nicole released a long breath. “I just want to be loved … To not be looked at like I’m a monster or a tool.”
“I promise you, Nethermore will welcome and love you,” Garu said, smiling up at the twinkling specks poking through the canopy. “For now, why don’t we get to know each other? Talk to me.”
“What about being quiet because of the bad toads?” she dully asked.
“I’ll take care of that if that happens … Right now, aren’t you more important?”
She looked up at him and sighed, seemingly drained of all emotion. “I suppose…”
Still, Nicole rose to her feet and took a step forward. “I listened to everyone … I couldn’t understand them, but I listened and tried to comfort them … No one let me, though. Valentina let me sleep next to her, but I know she sees me as a burden … She wants to leave. I get it … It just sucks…”
It took over forty minutes to get to the edge of the mountain, but Garu listened. Her parents hadn’t been the most attentive, choosing to put more of their energy on world events than providing her with the attention she sought. She wanted their love and found happiness in the gardens and books when they were busy on the phone, volunteering in social activities.
Nicole didn’t want to seem needy or act like the charity work they did was a bad thing, so every year, be it some event called Christmas or the day of her birth, they were always looking at the world instead of her.
She acted out a bit at a place called school, she’d admitted, which caused her to be somewhat isolated by her peers. Nicole hoped it would draw a little attention from her parents—it did, but not in the ways she wanted—she was causing trouble and taking away from their work helping others.
She’d been suspended from school for starting a fight with a girl that ruined her school garden, then stole and ripped her book, but the girl convinced the school staff that she was faking it all. Considering her record, no one believed she didn’t do it herself and tried to blame the girl to get out of punishment. All Nicole wanted was for her parents to see her issues instead of the world’s.
The others weren’t any different; no one would hold her, and she figured it might be how she acted, yet she’d been scared, too.
Once getting closer to the caves, she began to grow sleepy, having used her powers for so long, and after she collapsed, Garu carried her into the tunnels. He mainly listened, humming at times or asking for clarification on specific topics he wasn’t familiar with.
Her life had been filled with internal anger and loneliness, wondering what was wrong with herself or why the world was more important than her. There was a bitterness that had surfaced from all of her experiences over the past three weeks.
Each of the humans seemed to have their own emotional damage, and they were all crying out for help in their own ways. Many of the concepts and attachments Nicole had explained seemed trivial to him, growing up in a strict Clan at a time of war struggles, yet at the same time, he couldn’t say it wasn’t important since he’d never lived such a bizarre life.
Entering the caves, he caught sight of Valentina upon rounding the corner of the massive room that had been furnished by the Ethereal in case they needed a safe refuge; he hadn’t been to the location to see what was done with it while alive after discovering it, but it would more than suffice for their needs.
“What happened to Nicole?” Valentina asked, standing as she saw him carrying the twelve-year-old girl. “Is she okay?”
“What happened to Nicole?” Rafael asked, voice loud enough to send an echo.
“Shhh…” Garu interjected to their questions, flipping over one of the protective covers on the fur-padded cot that was still set up in the corner and setting her on it. “She exhausted herself.”
Noticing the girl’s fragile neck, unlike Ri’bot stationary heads, he turned to Valentina. “Could you make sure she’s comfortable? I’ll light a fire.”
Gorka breathed a sigh of relief. “Finally, a fire.”
“Yeah, I can’t see a thing in this place,” Cristian muttered. “I hit my head a few times, and Valentina had to carry Yago, Vega, and that dead toad in.”
They muttered to one another, spirits seemingly rising with the thought of a fire that they could cook on, but Valentina was the one to ask the right question after pulling the protective sheet over the girl’s body for some reason and tucking a part under her head.
“Will that attract predators or the army?”
“No, this tunnel has an opening and breeze further up that will carry the smoke toward the Empire’s land…”
Blade flipping around after placing the dry and protected logs in the corner, he rubbed and pressed on one of the gems on the hilt for the edge to illuminate a brilliant red. Touching it to the pyre, it lit on contact, making the humans wince and cover their eyes.
Adjusting his own vision, Garu walked to the stone seats that had been carved out of the floor and used his weapon to smooth out the mineral build-up before sitting and gesturing for them to do the same.
“As you know, I was sent by Empress Elinor, a human with powers like you, but far, far more powerful … To me, she is practically a deity, and I have been tasked to spy on the gathering armies to her southeast, report on the condition of the humans still captured, and High Lady Tiffany has asked me to bring the humans with abilities back to Nethermore. Those are my goals.”
Rafael puffed out a long breath, rubbing the light fuzz on his face. “First, can you finally tell me about Shayla’s condition?”
“I’m fairly certain I know the general area she is in. Unfortunately, two powerful Clans from my days alive are already gathered in the area with a force roughly ten thousand strong.”
The color on the teens' faces drained in the firelight, vision drifting to the flames as they grew.
“Ten … thousand?” Rafael mumbled in disbelief. “Wasn’t there—there were only like a few hundred that attacked our town and several dozen that guarded us. That’s an army, too … not citizens?”
“It’s dark, but a force that size near this neutral ground—at least, it was neutral when I was living—I can’t see it being, as you put it, civilians. To our south, beyond the river we passed, should be the Komath and Roxim. Their leaders are gathering in a clearing to our northeast.”
“Isn’t that good?” Valentina asked, brushing back her long striped orange and black hair, knots keeping it in place partially unbound. “You can assassinate their leaders.”
“Yeah!” Cristian grinned. “We can take out their leaders and, in the panic, save everyone.”
Rafael slowly shook his head, fingers folding together as he leaned forward to rest his knuckles against his chin. “No … ten thousand of those insane toad people … If we let them know we’re here, they’d swarm us like ants.”
“As I said, I’m here to spy on them, Val, not be seen and give them an idea that we know how many warriors are gathered at our borders. We cannot be seen, which is why I need to be cautious … There are two Clans I don’t recognize that likely come from the far east; they could be far more powerful than the Clans the Empress expects to face.”
Gorka hissed, rubbing his arms. “War … I’m not a fan of war … How are we going to get Rafael’s girlfriend if there are so many soldiers?”
“I’ve worked that out, but you need to rebuild your strength because we need to run for Nethermore once we execute that plan. First, I need to get a few materials we’ll need for the escape … For that, I need to understand exactly how you grow stronger and the limits of your abilities.”
Upon inquiry, each of the teens gave him a rundown of how killing things and using their powers helped them grow. Figuring it was something of that nature, he discovered a surprising feat that Cristian had been able to advance to.
The boy’s only skill had been practicing his levitation to fly, and he’d been able to accomplish that for a short time; it took a lot of a resource he used called Mana, yet he’d been trying to decrease the time it took to rebuild.
However, it was the number of individuals he’d been able to float which had piqued his interest. “Hmm … Okay, I believe I can work around your abilities, but you cannot use them until they are needed. A scout needs to be ready to retreat and cut losses; some information is better than none.”
He turned to Valentina, ears up and listening to him intently. “You don’t need to sleep for another two days, so you can help me gather the materials we’ll need. Can you pick up one of these … eh, skills was it … to hide your scent and increase your proficiency at leaving fewer tracks?”
“Umm, yeah, as I said, I have some passives for it, but I’ve been putting a lot of my energy into increasing my strength to handle the big threats … I didn’t realize how strong some of the creatures are here, though.”
“If you are supposed to be an assassin, then I would think your best path would be no different to the Ethereal Xaria; you should focus on killing without ever being seen. I can help you understand how to move through the jungle and teach you a trick your unique physiology can use in this ecosystem.”
He grinned. “We’re going Ranglar hunting.”
“W-We?”
“Yes, they aren’t all that dangerous—well, to an Ethereal, like me—heh, we trained to fight Quen’Talrat. If you can kill a Ranglar, you will be on the same level as the warrior Ri’bot in the Valley. You have the tools; it is the experience you lack. We will need the Ranglar’s corpse to retrieve Shayla, and to make it more believable, we can take two to three more captives.”
Rafael’s eyes widened. “Wait … You’ve been talking about scent and stuff … You’re going to use the Ranglar blood on Valentina to make it look like this monster attacked the humans and carried them off?”
“I am.”
Gorka grinned. “Woah, nice guess! So, she claws up the place and takes out the guards, too?”
“I can help with that, but yes, she will need to make it look believable, which means she needs to stalk one and learn their habits … You will be doing that while I spy on the Clan Summit.”
Valentina’s thighs tightened together. “By myself … It smelled so out of my league.”
“By the way you moved through the jungle and the strength I’ve seen, you have the ability, but not the skill, which is what I will be helping you refine tonight. The others need to rest, but your stamina isn’t the same as theirs; you recover a lot faster. I think you can do it.”
The Tiger Beastkin sucked in her lip, tail waving behind her as she thought. “Mmgm … I really want to not be weak … I want to learn more about this jungle … I don’t want to be powerless…”
“Then do it!” Cristian chuckled. “You would split off and explore every chance since we got here.”
Gorka raised his hand. “Wait, what about Rafael and me?”
Garu rubbed the back of his head and stretched out his arms. “You will be carrying some of the medical supplies that are still usable here … Likely not much, but you can bring everything needed without it being snagged on things or wasting Cristian’s Mana.”
He twisted to look at the older teen; the young man had a serious expression. “You have the most important job … Convincing the humans to not panic and follow instructions. Your connection to this Shayla girl will allow her to put trust in you, and thereby me; we must be swift, and we won’t have the ability to explain every detail to them.”
“I … can see the importance in that … I only hope Shayla isn’t hurt.”
Garu’s eyes narrowed. “Trust me, they will be injured. Do not freeze up when seeing the condition of your loved one, or you might get everyone killed. Steel your heart and prepare for the worst … even her death.”
Rafael’s jaw locked, fingers pressing into his thigh, but he nodded. “I get it … Umm … if there’s nothing else, can you tell us a bit more about this Empress Elinor—she got necromancy powers—eh, you’re … already dead?”
“I was killed facing Quin, a Quen’Talrat during the United Campaign. Also…” Garu’s vision softened while drifting to the twelve-year-old girl, chest slowly rising and falling as she rested. “Nicole has felt like a tool and inhuman … I do not understand everything she told me … Still, she is dangerous to the point we Ri’bot call suicide.”
“No way,” Gorka muttered, everyone following his gaze to the girl. “She always seemed so shy but—really?”
Valentina sat back, vision falling to her lap and ears folding back. “Was it … something I did? I have been pushing her away—trying to figure all of this out.”
Cristian rose, crossing his arms and looking at the abandoned girl. “I hope it wasn’t anything we did.”
“Dammit,” Rafael growled, punching his knee. “I’ve been so self-absorbed … I didn’t even notice. Umm … What did she tell you … Is it us?”
Garu centered on the eldest human. “You can understand her language … When she wakes up, talk to her, and try to understand because I can only turn to the Empress in this matter.”
“We will,” Cristian replied, puffing out a long breath. “Man, the last three weeks have been … Yeah … We’ve lost so many people—I never thought—” he choked up, throat constricting.
Gorka nodded, slumping against his knees. “I don’t know what happened to my family … I was sleeping over at a friend’s when all this went down.”
Garu rose to motion at Valentina. “Take this time to release the emotions you’ve built up … Tomorrow, you’ll need a clean mind and heart. Now, let’s begin your training, Val.”
Drawing in a long breath, she let it out and nodded, following him out of the cave.
I doubt the High Lady thought this is how my mission would go, but adapting in the field is another part of war.
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