N.T. Lazer
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Book 3 - The Homeseeker - Chapter 10 - Nightbloom
🕑 Added 2024-07-31 16:02:01 +0000 UTCThe ten Boznoks stomped toward Zalan and Rep, all in step. The scene gave Zalan an ounce of strange relief. They looked organized. Like men who had been drilled for battle. He hoped that had to denote some sort of communication and ability to understand him. The largest of the Boznoks snorted brutishly and the Boznoks came to a halt. It made a low noise at Zalan, holding its axe out toward him. The weapon was less than a foot from Zalan’s chest. Zalan swallowed, finding it very difficult to not immediately retaliate. Nold’s training had always been much more dynamic and aggressive than negotiations. Then again, he had no idea if anyone tried anything like this before.
“This gold. I want to trade it for flowers,” Zalan explained, gesturing to the money in hand.
The Boznoks didn’t react, simply following the gold with their eyes alone.
“This money. For flowers,” Zalan said, pointing out to the meadow of Nightbloom behind the Boznoks. They didn’t turn.
“Zalan, we should leave,” Rep murmured nervously.
“Hold on, give me some time,” Zalan replied.
Zalan knelt down and placed the three gold pieces on the ground. He pointed to the gold, then to the Boznok. The Boznoks followed his finger with interest. He tried again, pointing to the money, then the creatures.
“Do you get it?” Zalan asked, feeling dumb.
The large Boznok snorted and kicked the gold away.
“Well, it was a good try…” Rep began.
“Wait, he’s doing something,” Zalan said, interested.
The Boznok looked over Zalan. He nodded toward him sharply, huffing enough air for Zalan to feel it. Zalan shook his head slightly, confused. The Boznok nodded again, his eyes focused on Zalan’s sheath. It snorted, nodding at the weapon.
“You… you want me to disarm myself?” Zalan asked.
The Boznok didn’t reply.
“Here,” Zalan pulled his sword out slowly, keeping the blade pointed downward.
“Zalan, no!” Rep hissed.
Zalan tossed the sword at the Boznok’s feet, then quickly held up his hand in another display of peace. The Boznok finally lowered his axe, satisfied. The others in his battalion visibly relaxed. The leader kneeled down and picked up Zalan’s sword. It took interest in the quality, looking it up and at different angles. The monster nodded and inserted the sword into his own sheath. Then, it flicked its head backward toward the flowers. Zalan gave a half smile, his eyes wide with excitement.
“I think we got permission,” Zalan said, elated.
“I think the monster just took your sword as payment,” Rep said, sounding disturbed.
Slowly testing his theory, Zalan made slow movements forward, making his way to the Nightbloom. None of the Boznoks stopped him. Rep sighed and followed, only to have all the Boznoks shift toward him defensively, weapons drawn. The lead Boznok drew Zalan’s sword. It pointed it at Rep, prepared to use its new weapon immediately.
Rep pursed his lips and held up his hands like he’d seen Zalan do earlier. Taking the risk to activate the Homeseeker was too much when their opponents stood between the two friends.
“I think they want you to pay too,” Zalan said from the Boznok’s side.
“I am not having us both be disarmed around these monsters,” Rep said through grit teeth.
“Just do it! Unless you have something else!”
Rep dug in his pocket and pulled out five gold coins.
“Is this good?” Rep asked, shaking them lightly as though it were enticing. “It’s even more.”
The Boznok snorted, clearly disinterested.
“Fine, fine.”
Rep tucked the money back away and looked at the Homeseeker for a second. He quickly shook his head and patted his pockets in search of anything else. With a moment of epiphany, he pulled out another Artifact. The Wind Wand he had retrieved from the Earthenbeasts.
“How about this?” Rep asked, placing it on the floor and taking a step back.
The Boznoks looked curious, lowering their weapons to peer closer at it. After a few seconds of scrutiny, the lead Boznok picked up the Artifact. It snorted, not as excited as it was about Zalan’s sword, but nodded Rep forward. Rep sighed with relief and quickly walked away from them. As he moved, he knelt to pick up the three gold coins that were kicked away earlier in Zalan’s negotiations. Some of the other warriors made low roars at him, and Rep raised his hands innocently, leaving the gold on the floor.
“A little greedy, I see,” Rep grumbled with an eyebrow raised. He rushed to Zalan’s side.
“Let’s move quick, before they change their mind.”
“Indeed. I have never heard of them allowing humans in their presence like this before,” Rep admitted, looking around with a hint of paranoia.
“Maybe you just haven’t met anyone else that’s tried. I doubt I’m the first,” Zalan replied.
Rep looked unconvinced.
They walked briskly through the Boznok’s living spaces. The tribe was living in either rudimentary stone homes or teepees of branches stacked together. There didn’t seem to be a distinction on the kind of Boznoks that lived in the stone or wood homes. It made Zalan think that they probably didn’t mind the difference in strength or structure. There were other Boznoks that looked almost identical to the ones that had confronted them, but these creatures were lacking horns. At first, Zalan thought that the horns meant that they were fighters. Then he realized that they were the female Boznoks. The discovery fascinated him. There was really a whole system of living among the monsters. He wondered if they shared a collective language, or if it was different between tribes. None of the sounds they made sounded intelligible to him.
The Boznoks watched Rep and Zalan warily, clearly uncomfortable with them in their home. The two friends kept as much distance as they could while making their way to the flowers. Some of the creatures snorted loudly as Rep and Zalan passed too close to shelters, warning them to back off. Others held up weapons in a show of strength. But the majority watched with shameless interest. Almost half of the tribe were following the two travelers, watching their every step for signs of betrayal. Rep and Zalan were possibly the first they had seen of humans who didn’t immediately rush into battle. Both species were equally fascinated with the other.
Finally, Rep and Zalan were at the edge of the Nightbloom patch. They looked over their shoulder to see dozens of Boznoks staring at them carefully. The armed Boznoks stood closest, making sure Rep and Zalan weren’t up to anything dangerous. The lead Boznok was swinging around Zalan’s sword, the other creatures marveling at it. The leader was showing off, striking poses and generally swinging a sword like it was an axe or club. Other Boznoks were looking over the Wind Wand, running an investigation by poking at it several times. It seemed they knew it was an Artifact, but were unfamiliar with what it did.
The Nightbloom were in full bloom under the shade of the cliff. They were a mellow pink color that waved daintily in the sea breeze. Zalan liked the faint smell they gave off, like ripe plums. Rep knelt down and examined them, satisfied that they met Oshrad’s description. He made his way through the small meadow of flowers, searching for the best looking ones he could find for Ma. He plucked a small bouquet of Nightbloom from the ground, taking his time as he added them to his hand.
Knowing they would be leaving soon, Zalan turned to admire the Boznoks. Proud of the way the situation had gone, Zalan assessed the new reality. It was possible to communicate with some monsters. With a dread in his heart, he suddenly wondered if the Boznoks were an anomaly. The only creatures that would hear humans out. He hoped that wasn’t the case. Rep continued to gather flowers as Zalan and the Boznoks watched one another with an odd mutual respect.
“These roots are so long,” Rep noted as he held up the flowers he’d gathered.
“Wow, yeah, they almost look like roots for weeds,” Zalan said, turning to look down at the roots.
“Shall we be off?” Rep asked, raising a small bouquet of Nightbloom.
“None of this makes sense,” Zalan said, glancing at the Boznoks. “Fighters over Level Fifteen shouldn’t have a problem with those Earthenbeasts or Bloodbeaks. And Boznoks can’t be that bad, even at these large numbers. What was preventing the guards from getting the flowers for Ma? She clearly loves them, and they are loyal to a fault. They would have wiped these monsters out without hesitation.”
“I do not particularly care. I wish to be off,” Rep said dismissively. “The many eyes of the Boznoks on us unnerve me.”
“All right, fine, let’s go,” Zalan said, looking back at Rep. His eyebrows came together in disappointment. “You should get some more lively flowers. These ones already look like they’re dying.”
“I grabbed the most vibrant ones I could find,” Rep said, holding up the flowers to show him.
Rep and Zalan watched as the flowers wilted and drooped within dozens of seconds. Staring dumbfounded, the duo gaped as the petals withered into dry husks and cracked apart between Rep’s fingers. They went so fast, Zalan felt like he was watching them in fast forward. Rep and Zalan looked at one another.
“Did they just die? It’s only been like two minutes out of the soil!” Zalan exclaimed.
“Perhaps it was a bad batch. Let me grab another!” Rep said quickly.
This time, both Rep and Zalan pulled a flower from the ground. They stared at it nervously. Within seconds, they could see it browning at the edges.
“Dear God. They shrivel into nothing within minutes!” Rep said, horrified.
Zalan watched his own turn yellow, then brown. The once delicate flower crunched in his hand where it was living and fragrant seconds before. He ran a hand through his hair.
“I think I just figured out why none of Ma’s people could get her these flowers,” Zalan breathed, watching the disintegrated petals drift away in a faint breeze.
“They only become fragile and die once we pull them from the ground. Perhaps if we take some soil?”
Rep dug around the roots of the sensitive plant, pulling out a wad of earth with the flower. Roots hung out from the bottom of the soil in Rep’s hand. The flower began to droop. The rate of death was slower, but still visible to the naked eye.
The lead Boznok snorted loudly. Rep and Zalan threw it a nervous glance, seeing its arms folded.
“It looks to them that we are just uprooting flowers for no reason,” Rep hissed urgently.
“Well, what are we supposed to do?”
“I do not know!” Rep said, trying to pack more soil together to pluck another flower.
Zalan joined him. They made a small pile of soil, enough to fill a pot. Zalan placed the mound around the next flower, packing it tightly, then pulled it slowly up. Rep watched from below, sticking any roots into the rising dirt as Zalan straightened to a standing position. The flower’s colors began to fade. This was the slowest death so far, but it was still gradually wilting. Rep watched it, biting his lip nervously.
“What are we going to do?” Rep asked.
“Look, it’s a lot slower! Maybe we can get it back to her in time!” Zalan said.
“This will be dead and dry in minutes!” Rep said urgently.
“I know, but we can use the Homeseeker! We pull a fresh flower inside a fresh pile of dirt the second before the Homeseeker warps us home. Then, we run as fast as we can to Ma’s place. If we get it in her pot while it’s still alive, that counts, right? She said she had the means to keep it alive,” Zalan said.
“What if we are too slow and we bring her a shriveled stem? She will break our legs and have us thrown out,” Rep said, watching a petal fall. He rubbed his leg, as though already anticipating the pain of having it broken.
“This one has lasted pretty well. It looks like it has a few more minutes in it. I think it could go like five minutes with a fresh one. We might be able to make it!”.
Rep bit his lip and scrunched his face in thought. A slightly strong and graceful wind passed over them, brushing the flower with enough gust to claim two petals. Rep’s eyes widened in horror, anxiety dashing through his pupils.
“Don’t be scared. I really think this will work. People might even help us get there faster once they hear it’s for Ma,” Zalan assured him.
“No, Zalan, that was not a sea breeze. It came from the Wind Wand,” Rep said.
“So what?” Zalan asked, turning toward the Boznoks.
The Boznoks were looking at the Wind Wand in wonder, enjoying its control over the wind. But as soon as the air current faded, the wand cracked and began to turn to dust. The Artifact had run out of uses and was degrading. It was then that Zalan remembered that the Wind Wand only had a single use. The warrior Boznoks watched the Artifact turn to dust and spill away into the ground. Turning sharply toward the two humans, they looked greatly offended. Shouts erupted and many arms were pointed to Rep and Zalan.
“Zalan, we need to go.”
The Boznoks drew their weapons and began walking toward them.
“We don’t have time to make another mound of dirt!” Zalan said, holding nervously to the flower in hand.
“Then we take the one we have!” Rep said, activating the Homeseeker. He began glowing a faint black.
The Boznoks hesitated, the glow around Rep giving them pause. Rep placed the Artifact against Zalan’s arms, and he and the flower were also shrouded in the dark color. They would be teleported back to the Journey House within another ten seconds.
“Quick! Grab some more flowers before we warp away!” Zalan said. “Maybe some of those will last longer.”
“If I release you, I might warp away without you!” Rep said.
“Then get the flowers really fast!” Zalan urged.
Rep knelt down and grabbed as many flowers as he could in a single swoop, then pulled them out. Even as he watched them dying, he tried to force the roots of the bouquet into the pile of dirt in Zalan’s hands. The Boznok’s took even more offense to watching their meadow be torn asunder. They began to rush in with weapons raised high. The glow of the Homeseeker crescendoed. The flowers in Zalan’s hands continued to die.
“How much longer? They are going to hit us before we are gone!” Rep said.
“We can heal!”
“We will not have time to both take a Healing Rest and rush the flowers to Ma!”
Zalan didn’t consider that. He looked back at the monsters.
Horns down, the lead Boznok charged forward with Zalan’s sword drawn. He thrust blade forward, trying to gorge Zalan with his own weapon. Rep shoved Zalan downward to avoid the blade and kept his grip tight to make sure the Homeseeker would take them both. While they were able to avoid the weapon and horn, the Boznok crashed into them, just as the Homeseeker reached the zenith of its charge.
At the very last moment, the large monster began glowing black alongside the two friends.
Zalan, Rep, and the Boznok warped out of existence.
