《Gaia's Shield》


 Prologue & Chapter 1 - The Huntress

    A very long time ago deep below the surface..


    Doctor C, Varish held her head in her hands. She felt exhausted but they had at last finished their work. She only needed one last confirmation before it was ready for bonding. She heard hurried footsteps from behind and turned to meet her visitor. Dr. Yalten was a tall pale man who looked like he was manufacted in one of these labs himself.


    -"Doctor Varish! The last phase is completed but we''re out of time. Denarian forces could be here at any minute"


    -"What of a candidate for the Nano-Xerith to bond with?"


    -"We''ve been unable to locate a suitable host, none of our scouts have reported in. It is likely they''ve been killed by the Denarians."


    -"Then.. Then we have nothing, all of our efforts have been for naught" She yelled while slamming her fist into the desk.


    -"Doctor Varish there might be another option"


    -"No I won''t allow it, to be subjected to such a fate is something I would not even wish upon my own enemies"


    -"If we don''t do something the planet''s doomed, the other worlds have already fallen into oblivion. There''s no tellinghow soon the human coalition will retaliate with world enders. Remember that they don''t believe in our work!"


    The sinking feeling in her stomach could not be stopped and it made her hesitate even more. Thinking back how happy she had been. Acquiring the research permit, funding and all the right personnel. She had believed she could save the world from certain destruction but the war had come too soon. She had finished her research just in time.


    She made her decision. "I will bond with the Xerith" She told him.


    -"You.. you know what it means ri-"


    -"Of course I know, that''s why I''m doing it. I can''t order anyone to do such a thing."


    -"You''re not a match, and a forcefull bonding will.." he trailed off.


    Varish approached the distressed man and put a tired hand on his houlder. "Yes I know I will condemn my mind to eternal torment, but I will do it so that when the time comes I can influence the Xerith to pick a suitable host. If such a time ever comes I must believe that it will come... Now tell the sorcerers and the other researchers to evacuate. I will lock down the facility once you''re in the clear.


    -"Take care of yourself will you.. You know your mind will be devoured as soon as the new host starts bonding do you?"


    She nodded. -"Now go! They''ll soon be upon us"


    After the man had left with the rest of the personnel she took a small obsidian cube and placed it in a machine. She headed to the operating table and laid down. Pushing the button and confirming her choice she closed her eyes. A loud whirring noise was heard and she was no more. Not in the sense a normal living being would "be" at least. She was apart of something else now. Something that held her aspirations alive.. For the moment.


    In a not so distant past..


    -¡±I told you, I heard screaming from over here I know I did!¡± the boy said with frustration clearly visible on his face.


    -¡±Shiv, there¡¯s no screaming nor any tracks that would indicate anything living nearby¡± a middle aged man answered the boy.


    Shiv threw up his arms in defeat ¡°I heard it really! There Varko! I hear again.¡± Hearing a distant cry as that of a small child Shiv starts running. Sighing heavily Varko mutters under his breath ¡°I can¡¯t hear a damn thing, the boy must¡¯ve the ears of a Farnekk¡± as he follows the boy through the woods. Soon he too hears the cries and picks up the pace, shouting for Shiv to wait for him. A strange sensation envelopes the man as he starts to sweat, strange.. No hot springs in this area last time we came through here he thought to himself. Spotting Shiv in the midst of removing his furs Varko follows suit and steps into the clearing. No snow or ice almost like some sort of barrier divides the clearing from the frozen landscape outside it. In the center a lone tall tree with leaves makes its home. No other vegetation grass or otherwise grows within the clearing only a soft dirt floor. Seeing Shiv next to the tree Varko slowly approaches to see what caught the boy¡¯s attention.


    Looking around the base of the tree fully ignoring the fact that leaf trees do not grow here Shiv spots some bundled cloth behind the tree. A baby, someone left baby here Shiv thought as he picks up the bundle. Piercing light green eyes looks calmly up at him from within with a smile and a giggle as it tries to grab at Shiv¡¯s wet hair. Hearing Varko approach he turns around to hand him the child. Taking the child from the boy Varko glances down at it, a girl, a baby girl, who would leave a child here? He asked himself, must be some underground hot spring or, or something. For but a moment he considered leaving the child here and heading back to the others, they¡¯ll be worried for us. Seeing the brilliant smile of Shiv as he looked at the baby with the pride of a rescuer he quickly decided to bring her with them. One more mouth won¡¯t matter and Orana needs something else to think about, this baby will do her some good.


    -¡°Vyla¡± The boy said.


    -¡°Vyla?¡± Varko responded with visible confusion on his face.


    -¡°Her name uncle, it is Vyla¡±.


    -¡°Very well, you¡¯re her big brother now Shiv. You gotta take care of her and show her how we do things¡±


    -¡±yes uncle, I promise¡± Shiv said, he¡¯d always wanted a little sister. It was as if the gods were listening personally to him. He had even had a name ready, truly Vyla would grow up to be the perfect little sister. He thought to himself.


    A chill wind catches them off guard and a heavy snowfall followed quickly, scrambling for their warm furs they leave the now snow filled clearing with another member added to their pack.


    End prologue.


    The snow falling softly adding to the already blanketed forest as a small figure clothed in white furs trudges forward. The Tranquility of the forest is abruptly interrupted by a piercing animalistic scream causing the figure to stop dead in its tracks. The scream echoes between the tall pine trees with a moment of silence before it¡¯s taken up again. Clearly judging the direction of the animal the white clothed figure starts off again in the direction of a distant mountain range.


    A few minutes later the origin of the wailing is spotted with an old contraption stuck around one of its three legs. The creature sports uneven horns and an all too wide a mouth with four sharp claws topping off its paws. The figure hesitates but for a moment before adjusting its grip on the makeshift spear while slowly circling the creature.


    Drawing closer with a few wild jabs aimed at the beast the kill is almost certain. The beast howls in despair pouncing towards its attacker drawing blood with its sharp claws. Surprised at the beast¡¯s attack the hunter is pushed to the ground with the ravenous beast on top clawing wildly. The spear sticking to the beast but not deep enough for a finishing blow. A wide jaw filled with sharp teeth clasps closely to the hunter¡¯s shoulder before a knife is plunged deep into the beast¡¯s throat. The creature¡¯s warm blood pours out coloring the white furs distinctly red against the snowy background.


    Vyla squatted down in the snow holding her bleeding arm, sloppy.. sloppy and naive she thought. Now if the cold doesn¡¯t kill me this wound will, I¡¯ll have to wrap it in something. Picking out some cloth from her pack she tightly winds the cloth around her arm, the wound isn¡¯t that bad. After tying the corpse to a branch and hoisting it up on her shoulders she sets off, using the mountain range as a guide.


    Half an hour of walking is greeted by a small campsite with a single tent, the snow cleared and stacked to make a wall around the area. A young man sits in the center near the fire pit for whatever warmth it can muster.


    - ¡°Shiv! I¡¯ve got sum grub for us, didn¡¯t give up without a fight though!¡± Vyla said to the young man


    -¡±I told you to be careful! You should just let me hunt if you can¡¯t help getting hurt all the time.¡±


    - ¡°I¡¯m good and besides I need to learn. What will I do if you¡¯re hurt or sick, or worse dead.¡±


    Responding with a grunt Shiv reached out to grab the carcass and began skinning it while humming a familiar tune.


    -¡±Not much meat on these Farnekks and I never can figure out how they are so fast with just three legs..¡± Shiv said mostly to himself.


    -¡±They¡¯re obviously magic you dummy, don¡¯t you remember the stories Nimnim¡¯s used to tell us?¡±


    -¡±Fairy tales and lies, magic isn¡¯t real. You should focus on real stuff like learning how not to get killed by wounded Farnekks¡± he said with a smirk.


    Vyla sat herself down by the fire and studied Shiv while he worked with the knife. Brown short hair and just as brown eyes on a narrow and almost malnourished face. At 19 summers old he looked almost handsome to Vyla who was still a child at 12 summers. She had been born just after the previous Starshroud as the elder called it, a long time without summer or stars and it is near impossible to know how long they last. Darkness for most of the day and sometimes all day it tests any who may call this place their home. She had heard from the more well traveled calling them Star shrouded years but didn¡¯t know how they would measure it as a normal year without the sun or stars.


    Stories are told around the campfire of the vicious beasts that haunt the forests during Starshroud and ghasts that prey on weary travelers. Vyla always enjoyed those stories that were meant to scare the other children, she were particularly curious about the ghasts. Their glowing eyes, white skin, long claws and sharp teeth seemed compelling in some strange way.


    Time went past as she explored various fantasies and scenarios in her head. She had made a habit of daydreaming ever since she finished the only two books Nimnim owned. She loved to dream of impossible things it was the only way to experience such things after all.


    Snapping back from her thoughts Vyla looked down at the piece of meat in her lap, ¡°You okay? You looked a bit out of it¡± Shiv asked her.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Gently nodding her head ¡°I¡¯m fine now that I¡¯ve got sum grub!¡± she said followed by a cheeky grin.


    Hearing her stomach growl she began devouring the food while listening to Shiv¡¯s gruff voice explaining the difference between hunting and getting yourself killed. They talked for some time before Shiv said he would take the first watch sending Vyla to bed. Falling into a deep sleep dreaming of ghasts and strange creatures from the Starshroud.


    Shiv rubbed his hands together over the fire as a light wheezing could be heard behind him, I¡¯ll hunt tomorrow. Can¡¯t have her disabled for the ceremony he thought. Peering up hoping for a glimpse at a star he wondered when summer would finally come along, it was two weeks late for the last snows. They would be hardpressed if it turned out to be a star shrouded year, the supplies are already running low. Although the threat of such a year may net them more profit from the furs they intend to sell in Travosk. He made good use of his time fantasizing as well. Not thinking of monsters but of his betrothed back with the wagons.


    Waking up with Shiv¡¯s face hovering above her she gave him a scowl as she was forced from her warm fortress of furs. Quickly donning her white furs and taking a few extra for warmth she exited the tent to find the fire almost dead. Turning around ready to give Shiv her thoughts on the matter she found him already snoring to his heart¡¯s content. Turning to the pile of firewood but finding it spent, Didn¡¯t he get more firewood when I was hunting!? She yelled internally.


    -¡±I have to do everything myself around here, why don¡¯t you just stay by the wagons next time Shiv¡± she muttered mostly to herself while hoping it might wake up her slothful companion.


    No luck there, With a heavy sigh and grabbing Shiv¡¯s axe she set off into the woods.


    Some minutes later Vyla yawned as another tree proved fruitless or branchless as she would say. No dry branches within miles would be the top of her list of personal fears along with drowning in air and being left behind by the caravan, her only family. Thinking of her close family Orana, Varko and Shiv gives her a smile and some more strength to keep looking.


    Coming up on a huge tree Vyla checked again for snow free branches seeing that there were no branches at all, in fact the tree trunk seemed almost too smooth. Taking off her gloves she felt the trunk and the smooth surface, very cold, colder than any wood she thought. Taking her axe she gently whacked it, a strange hollow metallic sound echoed back at her, this is no tree.


    Pushing against the tree and banging it yielded no interesting results, one last push she thought as she made her way to the other side. With a show of strength she felt nothing, where there had been tree or whatever it was, there was now nothing and she fell forward. A loud thud was heard as she hit her head effectively stopping her momentum. Vision swimming she tried to get out the way she came but with a silent click she found herself in utter darkness, trapped inside the tree.


    Taking her head into her hands she slowly recovered from the fall and a sinking feeling started in her stomach. Will she die in here? Starvation? Suffocation? Shuddering she tightly gripped her axe to attack the tree door in front of her.


    Not even a dent, what is this tree made off? She thought, not even Varko¡¯s battleaxe would be left without even a tiny dent. After a few minutes she found herself exhausted and instead she started to feel around the inner walls with her hands. A loud BLIP! A flash of white blinding light caught her off guard and she threw herself down to her knees with a yelp of fear.


    Well she wasn¡¯t dead, at least not yet, I hope. Taking her hands off her ears and fearfully looking around, a lamp was shining from above. A lamp.. I¡¯m rich! Only Lady Ghaela in Travosk could afford a lamp she thought. Ignoring anything else she tried to grab at the light finding her height to be inadequate also noting the glass covering that seemed to repel any axe throwing she attempted.


    Finally looking around her she noticed a glass panel with some strange symbols and some buttons with more unknown symbols. Mustering up some courage she tried the odd colored one and the panel sounded off in acknowledgement with a female voice answering in an obscure language.


    With a sudden jolt bringing Vyla to her knees again the small compartment started moving downwards with some haste. The contraption that was bringing her downwards complained with loud screeching making Vyla fear the whole thing would Collapse and take her with it.


    Coming to a stop the voice spoke again needlessly confirming that she had indeed reached her destination. The door opened without a sound and very quickly her curiosity got the better of her as she peered carefully out the door. Appearing to sense her presence the room lit up. She gathered up the last of her courage before stepping in.


    The room could fit about 6 wagons Vyla estimated with the absence of furniture she only spotted two doors on the right and left with a giant glass screen on the opposite wall. The walls seemed to be made of some sort of sleek dark metall. The large screen showed some kind of graphic depicting tiny flowing metall creatures in some sort of illustrated tube accompanied by the unknown symbols. Nimnim had taught her to read so this must be some old language with her being unable to read it. Studying the graphic it did not appear to be changing and was stuck in a loop.


    Another voice spoke making Vyla jump in fear before remembering the voice from before. The soothing female voice said its piece before returning after a minute with the same message spoken again.


    Ignoring the voice and the screen she stepped towards the left hand door and it too opened as if it knew she had approached it. Continuing through the door with the hallway lighting up to each step forward. She thought of the fortune in lamps she would have if only she could get at them. Another door ending the hallway which for once did not open at her approach spotting a green button on the side she eagerly pushed it and successfully opened the door.


    A pure white room revealed itself without any adornments except for a strange muddled window to one side and a door up ahead. The room could barely fit one wagon she mused to herself while spotting another green button besides the next door.


    Must be some sort of security room she thought as she pressed the button and with a satisfying click the door behind her shut closed and a red light started pulsating above her. The female voice lacking any of its previous smooth tone yelled out at her and the fear came surging back. Looking around wildly finding no escape a small screen had appeared. It showed a simple graphic of a person taking off its clothes. Knowing not what else to do and after some deliberation she took off her furs leaving her undergarments on.


    Vyla closed her eyes with a few seconds passing in silence a violent torrent of water hitting her from all sides screaming loudly she covered herself up as best she could against the cold water.


    Vyla still shrieking found that both the water and the obnoxious voice with the pulsing red light were gone and a warm flow of air soothed her aching skin drying her wet clothes.


    With a sound she had started to recognize as confirmation she opened her eyes to see the door had opened in front of her. Making her way into the room, noticing the lights were not working properly, she could barely make out some sort of table with an elongated object on top.


    Getting her eyes used to the dark she looked to the table stopping dead in her tracks a short yelp escaped her lips. On the table lay a deformed skeleton not entirely human and with a metal arm that protruded from the ceiling piercing its skull. More metal arms with strange tools attached were hanging from the ceiling powerless and below the skeleton an outline had been drawn taking the shape of a small humanoid.


    The skeleton lying on the table clearly outsized the outline perhaps leading to its untimely death Vyla realized. Tearing her eyes off the table she looked around the room. This room had many strange screens, buttons and adornments their purpose lost on her. It vaguely resembled Dr. Kavos¡¯s main operating room so perhaps some kind of medical facility? She guessed without much else to go on she opted not to touch anything lest her fate be the same as the skeleton on the table. After taking a few final looks she left to explore the rest.


    Venturing back with the lights going out behind her she turned her gaze to the other door. Inspecting the door she suddenly noticed that her wound had started bleeding again and a piercing pain jolted through her arm. Catching her breath she stared at the arm in horror and a myriad of thoughts raced through her mind. Poison? No Farnekks ain¡¯t venomous! Or was it this place? Something in the water she was washed with that got in her wound?


    She had no time to think she thought herself dead but if this was a medical facility then perhaps they would have more operating tables. She Ran forward with little regard to what might await her. The door opened into a split hallway with two doors down each way. Looking at the symbol above one of the doors it bore resemblance to Dr. Kavos¡¯s sign.


    Pushing open the door she was confronted with another of those white rooms she quickly consented to another wash and made her way through. A similar outline was drawn on the table and she quickly jumped on top filling it in.


    Nothing happened as she looked fervently around for some sort of obvious button to start the procedure as they opened doors and brought her underground surely a button would also start the healing. Feeling the edge of the table she found a big red button with a screen next to it, she hesitated. Feeling her left arm numbing and taking on a purplish grey color she closed her eyes and pushed the button.


    The female voice confirmed her choice as the outline started to glow with clasps appearing to hold her still. A small prick could be felt in her neck as she was injected with something. The pain becoming distant and a dreamless sleep taking her into its bosom. The strange ceiling faded away with a last glance of a metal arm moving downwards.


    Shiv exited the tent his internal clock telling him that food needed to be had. Looking around he failed to spot Vyla with only some tracks to reveal her apparent whereabouts. Grunting in displeasure he scratched his stubble in frustration. Clearly lacking in more ways to display his current mood he grabbed his spear and set off following Vyla¡¯s tracks.


    Waking up Vyla tried to stand up. Quickly regretting her effort she fell face forward on the hard floor. Oddly enough she felt no pain but her body did not respond to her either. Laying there for a few minutes she tried to gather her thoughts. At least she was not dead so it could be worse she thought. A dull pain started to envelop her body as whatever they injected her with probably was wearing off.


    The previous panic returned and she cursed the healing machine for not actually healing her. She thought of her family and Shiv as she quietly said a death prayer to whatever god may be listening. The pain rising everywhere it became hard to breathe. Flaring in her chest she coughed with searing pain and finally she could feel her heart rate drop. A last thought going through, First time I heard my own heartbeat and it¡¯s the last one, Take care Auntie and uncle. Shiv you too¡­


    And she died..


    Somewhere else entirely.


    -¡±Mr. Graz! Sir! It has been confirmed sir! Another vault opened¡± A woman said nervously


    -¡±Another? Where?¡± A small statured pale skinned man answered both with interest and surprise as he turned away from a screen.


    -¡±North of the Travoski mountains Sir. However we¡¯ve got no friends nearby Sir.¡±


    -¡±Very well.. Tell Miss Reiss to make for Travosk and tell her to bring a tracker¡± The man said without much enthusiasm. Silently observing a six legged metallic creature stalking up his forearm he motioned for the woman to approach.


    -¡±Here she can take Voss here, he¡¯s eager to please¡± Handing off the creature to the woman he continued looking at the screen displaying strange symbols.


    Another one joins the frayhe thought...

 Chapter 2 - Living pains

    Shiv continued to stare at the strange tree where Vyla''s tracks had ended. A number of thoughts went through his head. Was she eaten by a tree spirit? A demon? Alright calm yourself, she might''ve just climbed the tree or something. Laughing mostly at himself for thinking such thoughts Shiv tried to climb but its smooth surface was unclimbable.


    How on earth? The strange tree met his stare in silence. After some hesitation Shiv took his spear and stabbed at it. With a sudden jolt Shiv was flung back wildly flailing his arms he tried to scream but only a pained groan escaped his lips. He tried to move but found that his body would not listen to him.


    Lying in the snow Shiv considered what may have happened to Vyla but quickly found himself out of ideas. Well I hope she''s at least alive so she can drag me home he thought.


    A few howls sounded off in the distance. I hope she''ll be quick about it too.. He could hear the howls again, closer this time. Shiv closed his eyes.


    Below ground Vyla opened her eyes feeling strangely refreshed. Looking around she recognized the room she thought she had died in. Checking her arm she found it fully healed and not a scratch on her body. I''m not dead? Maybe some benevolent goddess took pity and brought me back to life. More likely it had to do with the room, she looked at the screen next to the bed.


    "Status: NX-009 depleted" the screen read. Thoroughly confused she read it again and then again. Ignoring the fact that she somehow gained superpowers of some kind she looked around. Greeted yet again by the female voice it said: "Bonding successful, please exit the room". Whatever this machine did made me smart enough for their fancy language and writing I guess.


    Complying with the voice''s wishes she stepped out into the white room. The wash did not hurt this time around but she was still scared that it might infect her again. Unsure she slowly made her way to the last door at the other end of the hallway. The door did not open when she got closer and she could not see another green button.


    She did find 12 buttons however and instinctively pushed a few. Bleep boop blip the door acknowledged her button pushing and the door slid open. The room was the largest one yet and Vyla made a guess at about twenty wagons large. The room contained twelve large glass pillars or vats as she read above each of them. They had different names like NR-001 and NK-022.


    About seven of them were filled with some sort of liquid and within half rotten malformed corpses floated around. The greenish lights gave the room an eerie feeling strengthened by the not so human corpses. Two of the vats were destroyed some time ago. It didn''t look like it happened recently however the whole place was dust free. The facility probably cleaned itself or at least Vyla hoped it did.


    Looking closer only taking a minute to calm herself she inspected the strange beings. They looked like humans but with a few extra extremities growing out of them. All of them looked none like the other and they would surely fit right in with the creatures she dreamt about.


    Her gaze turned to the far end of the room with yet another door. The door was already half open and the light above flickered in a strange rhythm. Observing it she noticed something that looked like teeth marks at the edge. Taking a deep breath she peeked above and read the sign: "Living quarters & Office stations".


    Maybe I can find some clues to this place in here, She thought as she slinked past the door. Another white room followed by some sort of observation room with screens showing the other rooms. Seeing that the skeleton from the first operating room had not moved she sighed in relief.


    The room was well lit but apart from the screens nothing stood out to her and she looked at the doors. One sign read "Living Compartments" with the next reading: "Offices" and the last read: "Dr. C. Varish" That looks important enough and it feels like i''ve been here before.


    Confronted with another code she tried the same one she accessed the large room with. Blip bloop the door answered. Well I somehow knew the last code, perhaps if I just concen- A sudden screeching halted her thoughts. Glancing towards the rightmost door she tried another code at random, blip bloop. Another heart wrenching screech could be heard behind the door as it suddenly buckled inwards.


    She frantically picked her thoughts but came up with no animal that made such a sound. Only thing that she could think off were ghasts. She did not feel like meeting a ghast right now. She looked at the left door but it had disappeared. weren''t there three doors? Maybe its all a dream.. The next screech brought her fantasies to a close.


    Thinking she might have hit her head harder than she thought she tried another code. blip bloop. Another creature could be heard from behind her screeching as well. She could not think straight as she struck the panel only causing it to give another blip bloop. Denied her only rescue she looked wildly around the room for any salvation.


    The screens were oddly blacked out only adding to her terror with the multiple screeches taking up where the other left off. One last effort with the keypad was met with two loud bangs as the two doors fell inwards. Behind crouched two pale ghasts. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    She noticed an almost too human glance between the two as they sprung at each other. Backing away she tried to get around them to escape through the doorway. The pair moved their duel in her way almost cutting her in the process.About to give up and in tears she crawled into the corner holding up her axe as a last ditch effort.


    She had been through too many of these events recently and cursed Shiv for forgetting the firewood. She looked at the creature wreaking havoc around and at each other. A lucky swipe caught one of the ghasts in its throat and it collapsed in pained screeching. The other ghast ended its misery and looked with intelligent eyes to the scared girl.


    Vyla tried to think of anything that would harm a ghast but she was fresh out of direct sunlight for the moment. Not really knowing if direct sunlight would even harm it she held out her axe a bit higher trying to steady her shaking arm.


    -" I swear I''ll, I''ll h-hack you to pieces" She said coarsely lacking any conviction.


    The ghast approached slowly without any apparent fear for the small weapon. It came to a stop a few meters away then it lept. Seeing only a white blur Vyla swung her axe hitting air she closed her eyes. Learning how to accept death seems to be today''s themeshe thought. Never go down without a fight! Remembering uncle Varko''s words she tried a second swing screaming at the top of her lungs.


    Pain erupted from her stomach as she opened her eyes to see a long claw piercing through her. It was strangely immobile and the ghast had gone mute. She brought her gaze upwards and what she saw stunned her enough to almost forget the stomach wound.


    The walls, ceiling and floor had sharp spikes coming out of them. They had fully perforated the ghast and killed it instantly. The spikes looked to be made out of the same material as the walls, a dark sleek metal.


    The wound was bleeding a lot and she started to get tired. She attempted to remove the claw but quickly gave up. Growing weaker she let herself go and darkness enveloped her.


    Shiv tried his legs again and smiled triumphantly as he stood up. His arms were still useless however and the howling had stopped but it was replaced with yips and growling. Looking at the spear at his feet he felt discouraged. At least let me die with a weapon in my hands. He backed up to a tree carefully looking around while keeping an eye on the metal tree.


    Considering whether he should make his way back to camp he quickly decided against it. Whatever was out there would run him down like an animal. Thinking of Irna, his betrothed, he forced himself to calm down. Vyla will come back soon and she''ll do something at least.


    Vyla had lost count how many times she had lost consciousness today but she was determined for this one to be her last. She had found her wound fully healed again with the same questions. let''s save the thinking for when i''m out of here she thought. Bewildered but alive she looked around the room again. The two dead ghasts still creeped her out so she kept her distance.


    Walking up to the door she stared at it in silence. Please open? As if that would work. However as if on demand the door slid open heeding her wishes. A chair with a large desk fitted with a few screens took up most of the room. On top of the desk a book was neatly placed as if it was meant for her.


    "NX-009 and its uses" Just what I wanted?, at least I got something out of this escapade. She grabbed and quickly made her way back gathering up her furs. The sign above where she had came from read "Elevator". Standing in the elevator going up she thought to herself. What a horrible place, Should I tell Shiv or anyone about this? She was not sure.


    Stepping out she noticed Shiv sitting against a nearby tree his arms hanging uselessly.


    -"Shiv! You''re here! What''s up with your arms?" Vyla asked.


    -"You! Took you long enough. What were you doing inside that metal tree? Bah, forget it! Just pick up my spear and let''s get back before we''re devoured by Farnekks"


    Nodding mostly to herself she fell in behind Shiv. I wish I could''ve gotten those lamps. There was enough of them to last us three life times at least. At her request a loud rumbling could be heard below them. The ground shook violently as large chunks of dark metal flew into the air sundering the earth on their way.


    Shiv blinked in confusion before he tried to grab Vylas arm but his arms were still useless. Calling for Vyla to run he shoved her out of her stupor. "Run Vyla come on!" The flying metal chunks seemed to follow them however and he tried picking up the pace. Vyla let herself bepushed as she stared in wonder at the torrent of metal behind her.


    Again the metal changed. Something started cutting the chunks into smaller and smaller pieces. The small pieces whirled towards her and started reforming into a small cube. Soon all the metal had gathered in a cube the size of her palm. She grabbed it without hesitation and inspected it with big eyes. She felt warm where it rested in her hand and it slowly started to melt into her hand.


    Shiv garnered another look behind him and saw..nothing?He stopped abruptlyturning to Vyla.


    -"Where''s the torrent of metal and death that came after us?" He asked her nervously. Vyla merely shrugged in response not trusting her voice to carry.


    -"Well we ought to be back with the caravan soon. You didn''t forget about theceremony did you now?"


    Vyla shook her head.


    -"And what was that metal tree you came out off."


    -"I was stuck" She said still unsure how much she should tell him.


    -"Well at least yer safe, until the ceremony that is." He said with an evil grin.


    -"You don''t spook me, I''ll be fine. I killed a Farnekk remember?"


    -" An injured Farnekk. That was stuck in a trap and it was probably old too considering its taste" He chuckled.


    She hit his shoulder playfully and pulled ahead. Coming back to camp they started packing up the tent in silence.


    "You seem different, You sure you''re okay?" Shiv asked her.


    "I said I''ll be fine, I''m just tired that''s all."


    He nodded "Right, let''s be off then, mother must be worried sick for you."


    -"I wish she''d lay off the worrying sometimes."


    -"That''s like asking a Farnekk not to tear your arm off" He said with a smile.


    She actually was tired. Her plan to sleep through the summerlooked more and more appealing.


    She let her mind wander as they finally made their way home.

 Chapter 3 - Family first

    A sweet aroma wafted throughout thecampsite.


    -"Orana''s cooking never gets old!" Shiv said hefting his nose in the air.


    -"How do you smell it already? Are you some kind of mutant or what?"


    -"I am a wizard silly" He said rubbing her hair with a playful grin.


    -"As IF, you couldn''t even conjure snow if you tried" Vyla responded.


    Coming through the last trees they could clearly see the wagons parked in the large clearing. It was the same clearing they parked at the start of summer last year and it will be the same the next. There were thirteen wagons with twelve of them belonging each to a family and the last wagon being the elder''s.


    The wagons were pulled by a creature very similar to that of an ox but the caravan did not need to be fast. Coming closer the laughter of children could be heard with the occasional shouts of men and women. The wagons were placed like a protective barrier around the campfires in the middle.


    At the edge of one of the wagons a lone women stood peering at them. Irna greeted them with a yelp bordering on angry and happy as she headed straight for Shiv. Shiv stopped and took on a bashful expression as he tried to formulate a sentence in his head. Irna was a tall woman especially for her age of 21. A bit slender for her height but otherwise she looked quite pretty. Red long hair and yellow eyes with freckles around them.


    Irna came to a stop glaring daggers at Shiv.


    -"Shiv you said you''d be back yesterday and Varko told you to, to.. Well he told you to do something!!" She screamed at him.


    -"Alright, alright it''s all my fault, sorry Irna. We uhhhh.. Got sidetracked by.. by some Farnekks? He said not trusting his own words.


    Irnas eyes went wide. "Farnekks!?" She quickly approached Vyla asking her if she was okay and checking for wounds if she had eaten alright. Did Shiv put her in danger and so on. It was kind of endearing but she had enough of this from Orana already. Shaking her head at any accusations against her companion Shiv let out a sigh in relief.


    -"Don''t think you''re in the green yet, Come here Vyla there''s soup and bread."


    Shiv held his breath until the pair had vanished behind some wagons. Those two will be a handful in a couple of years. Irna had taken it upon herself to educate Vyla in the ways of ladies when they had become betrothed. After spending a year in service of lady Ghaela she had become obsessed with anything deemed lady like.


    Better get in some practice before dinner. Shiv stumbled off to find his uncle for some sparring.


    Irna led the way through the camp and Vyla followed with her stomach growling loudly. They sat themselves down by a large pot simmering above a fire. Next to them a pair of older women were talking. They gave Orana a look of disapproval and ignored her while greeting Vyla with a smile.


    Irna returning the favour quickly scooped up some soup into two bowls and nabbed some bread.Vyla, slightly uncomfortablemotioned to Irna that they could sit somewhere else.


    -"I''m fine right here" Irna said.


    -"Are they still mad about you serving Lady Ghaela?"


    -"Well I can''t blame them. All we''re told is that we are safer together and any who leaves are effectively banished. Such a barbaric custom" She said to Vyla almost whispering that last bit. Vyla nodded and taking a bite out of the bread.


    -"Well when I grow up I''m gonna travel the world, I love you guys but it''s boring here." She said slightly hugging Irna.


    -"You better take me with you then.. And Shiv of course, don''t worry I''ll keep an eye on him" Irna smiled at her. "Oh you better hurry up and finish! The elder was looking for you and your mother"


    Vyla nodded and slurped down the rest of the soup, standing up she said. "Thanks for the soup Irna and she''s not my mother!" Vyla jogged towards her wagon only to see that it was empty. She turned to the largest wagon in the group and started to walk briskly.


    She looked up the steps leading into the wagon and took a deep breath. Her mother or loving caretaker as she had nicknamed her stood inside speaking with the elder. She looked to be around 40 summers old and had short blond hair. She used to be a mercenary and you could tell as she looked strong enough to lift a small wagon.


    Upon her arrival the pair turned to her and Orana stepped towards her. She took her head in her arms and hugged using a bit too much strength. After the hug she steeled herself against the onslaught that were about to commence. However Orana stayed quiet. Well.. That''s new. Vyla thought visibly confused.


    -"You''re about to become an adult Vyla I can''t fret over you anymore" Orana said with a sigh.


    -"We''ll be passing by the ceremonial grounds in two weeks. Now.. Do you remember where these grounds are located? Elder Nim said taking on an educational tone.


    -"uhh near Travosk?" She guessed haphazardly.


    -"No girl, it''s in the Travoski mountains. Travosk is on the other side. Now we''ll be having studies every day for two hours until we''ve reached the foot of the mountains"


    Vyla swallowed in trepidation "But I have sword practice and herb-lore, and, and.." she trailed off.


    Orana answered "No sword or bow training until you''ve passed the ceremony" Vyla looked ready to sulk but quickly changed her mind seeing both the elders and Oranas stern faces.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    -"Let''s start our lessons now, Orana if you would be so kind" Orana nodded in response and left the door after hugging Vyla again.


    Vyla sighed as she tuned out the elders voice to a mere background hum.


    It was dark when she exited the elders wagon. Nim had forced her to learn the history behind the ceremony by heart. Feeling hungry again she stalked towards her wagon in hope to scavenge some leftovers from dinner. On her way over she remembered the book she took from the scary place. She also recalled the whole place ripping apart the earth shrink into a cube and then melt into her hand.


    Well I wanted change so I guess this is it? Ruffling through her pack she couldn''t find it. Huh? Where is it? Hey give me my book back She thought angrily. On her command a myriad of small black metal pieces erupted from her hands. They formed together in front of her in to a book. The same book. It landed in her palms gently and it only took a few seconds.


    Vyla stood still for almost a minute before she started to look through the book. It felt nothing like metal. It seemed to describe this NX-009 anything relating to it. She could barely read in the dark so she saved it for tomorrow. Hopefully she could find some time to read between her busy work, hopefully. Finding that Orana was already sleeping she wondered where Shiv was. Oh right hes spending the nights at Irnas family''s wagon as part of the betrothal. Vyla quickly fell asleep.


    Total darkness enveloped her as she opened her eyes. It was not morning yet, where am I? She tried to peer through the void but couldn''t see anything. Suddenly a low light appeared around an object which seemed to take up the center of the room. Vyla recognized it as a larger version of the metal cube which she had assimilated. Approaching slowly she stretched out her hand, it was warm and she could hear a slight hum emanating from within.


    The cube lowered itself with stairs taking shape indicating for Vyla to ascend. She stepped on to the first step as it moved by itself taking her to the top. On top rested a strange object. It floated there a few inches above the cube. It vaguely looked like Lady Ghaela''s weapon. Orana had told her it could kill at a distance faster and more accurate than a bow or crossbow.


    This one looked smaller and more lethal. In a way it made Ghaela''s weapon look rudimentary. Suddenly it turned into a spear and then a sword. It took on the shape of a few other weapons finally settling on a pitch black dagger. Vyla walked up and grabbed it. She inspected and threw it into the air. While in the air it transformed into two short swords which she caught on their way down.


    I think I''m getting the hang of this, they take whatever form I wish! She held them towards the light wherever it came from and tried to think of adorning her weapons. The hilt and handle quickly changed color but the blade remained black. Looking quite pleased with herself she heard a familiar screech behind her.


    Quickly turning around she could see a fully black ghast. It screeched again as it lunged for her. I dunno how to wield two swords what the hell, Why is a ghast here. The dual swords transformed into a single one but too late as she could feel nothing...


    Vyla screamed.


    -"What''s wrong Vyla! Come one wake up!" Vyla opened her eyes to see Orana standing above her in the wagon. Holding her hands to her throat she felt no wound or anything really. A dream.. No it was more than a dream. I know my dreams.


    -"What''s gotten you so scared Vyla not even Nim''s horror stories spooked you when you were younger."


    Shaking her head in reply she dressed herself and started helping with breakfast. Vyla speculated heavily while trying to listen to Orana''s prattling. What is that cube thing? Can I make armor for myself? Can I make a house or a ghast?


    A flick to her forehead brought her back to the conversation. "Did you listen to a thing I said Vyla?" Vyla hesitated before shaking her head in denial. "Well I hope you pay better attention to the elder''s lessons, you are doing that right?"


    -"Yes Orana" She answered. "You know you can call me mother you know I love you right?" Orana said. Vyla nodded and smiled "I love you too mom."


    -"Well don''t keep the elder waiting off you go." Orana smiled and shooed her away.


    She sat through the lessons with the elder almost falling asleep. After the lessons she had herb-lore and then she had to do her part and hunt for food. Her herb lore teacher and todays companion in her hunt was named Syde. Orana was the leader in a straight up fight and Syde was the authority a non straight up fight. If it involved scouting, foraging, hunting or bowmanship she knew a thing or two.


    The caravan was a tight knit community like a family on its own. When a pair become betrothed they start to save up for a wagon or build a wagon themselves. As long as they acquire a wagon with their own efforts they may marry and add to the caravan. They are even allowed to start their own caravan and many have done so over the years. The legend says that there was only two wagons in the beginning and now there were hundreds or thousands spread out over the world.


    They had no contact between them however unless they would cross paths. To outsiders they were simply nicknamed drifters. There were tales of outlying Caravans taking to the seas and those were called floaters. To them however they were all family. Every child had to learn, if you were not a productive member of the family at thirteen summers you were left behind.


    Two weeks passed quickly by. Herb lore, Elders lessons, Sparring with mother and Shiv. Vyla had been kept busy as the caravan set up camp at the base of the mountains. Up ahead somewhere in the mountains the ceremonial grounds could be found.


    -"So.. Do you feel ready?" A rough voice sounded off behind her followed by a slight chuckle.


    -"I''m as ready as I''m ever gonna get uncle Varko.. I think" She answered him.


    -"Well don''t go and embarrass us now girl just remember what you''ve learned and it''ll be easy"


    Vyla nodded while putting on a smile but she was feeling a bit dismayed. She had failed to summon the cube outside her body if that''s even possible she thought. She had not had any more dreams either and the book was gone yet again.


    Bringing her back from her thoughts she could feel a yank on her fur. One of the children had approached her and asked: "Whatts the cerimony vayla? ar yuu gonna bi okai?"


    "Well Raci, you see the mountains right. Up there somewhere is the ceremony grounds. Part of the ceremony is to survive for a week in the mountains. After a week I need to return with a fur from any animal, my own handcrafted bow and a special rock which can be found near the ceremony grounds.


    Raci looked confused for a second. "Soo wi stai herr one wiik?" Vyla nodded and Raci sprinted off.


    The next day. The whole caravan had gathered at the edge of the camp. The elder stood at the end with her hand on Vylas shoulder while addressing the crowd. It took about ten minutes, short and efficient.


    "Now.. We bring our child Vyla in front of the gods and may she bring honor to our caravan!"


    Shiv and Irna came up to hug her and wished her luck. Orana merely nodded at her but she could see a tear slide down from a distance. The elder bent down and handed her the only weapon she was allowed to bring. A single dagger.


    The elder suddenly pushed her and turned to walk away from her as the crowd followed suit.


    The ceremony had started..

 Chapter 4 - The Ceremony

    Looking at the backs of the departing crowd Vyla steeled herself for what was about to begin. One week of harsh living in the mountains did not appease to her at all. She did like however the semblance of freedom during the ceremony and she looked forward to experiment with the cube. She turned to observe the mountains in front of her as she smiled.


    Almost half the summer had gone by and the snows showed no sign of stopping. Another Star shrouded year seemed to be on the horizon. Vyla looked upwards and grabbed at the passing snow but a gust of wind made her efforts useless. She took one last glance behind her before she set off into the wilds.


    She had not gotten far before shrieks could be heard above. A Giron she thought at least two of them. Looking up to confirm her suspicions she tried to stay out of sight. The large bird creature stretched its wings while resting on the cliff side. Its wings spanned for about ten meters and luckily it was not yet fully grown. Its sharp teeth and tough wings made it quite dangerous for most smaller sized creatures.


    It did not seem to have noticed her as she made her way below the cliff and found a few bushes for cover. Keeping an eye out for the other Giron she tried bringing out the cube to at least form some sort of weapon.


    She wondered if it was considered cheating. Maybe the gods would deny her the right to take a rock from the ceremonial grounds.


    Vyla had never put much faith in the gods merely nodding during the religious lessons and said the words without further thought. However after the events two weeks ago she was not so sure anymore. Perhaps the cube was some sort of god.


    Seeing the other Giron sitting on a treetop across from the other one she tried to swallow her fear. A common hunting tactic. This is bad, not only are there two of them but they¡¯re hungry to boot. She remembered that they respond to mostly movement and sound but she sat her thoughts aside and examined the terrain. A few trees would block a couple of attack angles and the cliff would of course shelter her back but left her exposed to a frontal assault.


    Looking further along the cliffside and spotting a small cave entrance which her hunters could not fit through. A perfect hiding spot, if I can make it without getting eviscerated... I guess this is the first test.. Concentrating on the cube she peered inside and tried to visualize the room from the dream. Sensing the cube transform and move inside her arms a smile appeared on her face.


    A small obsidian cube formed together floating just above her palm. She looked at the cube with a victorious smile and tried moving her palm around. The cube followed without fail and prodding it with a finger caused a small dent to appear. She spent a few minutes playing around with the cube and had all but forgotten about the external threat.


    Gazing above she noticed that one of the Girons were missing from its perch. A cold tremor went through her body as she looked around on the edge of panic. No time to hesitate She thought as she promptly stood up and ran for the cave entrance. The Giron shrieked and denied any impulse of her wanting to look over her shoulder.


    The cube floating ahead suddenly tensed up..


    Instinctively she threw herself down on the ground and a mass of air pushed against her from above. She quickly regained her footing making it safely to the crevice allowing herself a few breaths as she looked at the cube and hugged it tightly. After catching her breath she turned inwards but came to a stop mid step. Looking at the cube again she concentrated and by her command it lit up the dark cavern.


    Smiling brilliantly in triumph she looked at the entrance still hearing the Girons shrieking outside. They''re gonna be out there for hours. Might as well look around, hopefully there''s an exit somewhere.


    Back in camp Shiv was sitting down by the fire with his left leg jumping uncontrollably.


    -"Calm down Shiv, it''s been like what? One? Two hours? She''ll be fine, you said so yourself, she''s both fierce and strong" Varko told him.


    -"I heard Girons not long after she had left, What if they got her uncle?"


    -"You and your hearing.. Syde made sure she knew of any manner of creatures that could kill her and how to avoid them. Come one, Sister! Tell your son how he''s worrying for naught." Varko said while looking over to Orana.


    -"Yes Shiv. All will be fine, nothing will happen to Vyla" Orana answered with a rigid face. But the others could clearly see her hand shaking.


    ... Varko was at a loss. "You''re a veteran of over a hundred battles and you can scare most animals into submission with a stare BUT this is what gets you? Varko shook his head.


    -"That''s not it.. She''ll survive.. That I am certain of. I didn''t raise a weakling" She answered gruffly.


    -"Then what is it..?" Varko asked but was merely met with a stare that seemed to indicate silence.


    Another voice answered him from behind. "She is worried what the gods may have to say about it" The elder sat herself down next to Varko and stirred the fire. "Remember she is not wagonborn. Found in the snow she was, like a lost puppy".


    -"The sno-" Shiv began but quickly quieted down with a warning glance from Varko. If the elder or Orana noticed the glance they did not show it.


    -"Come Orana and pray with me, I do not believe the gods would forsake Vyla. She is a good woman and will bring both strength and pride to our caravan. "


    Varko followed them with his gaze as they walked away. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    -"I don''t understand uncle. Why do we have to hide how she was found?" "You should pay more attention to the elder''s religious lessons Shiv.." Varko answered with a strict tone. For all of Varko''s pragmatism he remained a god fearing man.


    -¡°There are stories of elders who misjudged the signs of the gods leading to unjust banishment. However the stories do not tell if the elders were knowingly misusing their authority or simply ignorant.. Do not blindly trust the elder Shiv or it may bring you sorrow¡­.¡± Varko said with a sullen tone.


    -"Well, forget about that now, let''s sparr some. Come on grab your sword and come at me boy"


    In the caverns of the Travoski mountains.


    Vyla peered ahead in the cavern now lit up by the cube. She tried to move quietly but her feet echoed loudly against the hard stone floor. Trying to concentrate on the cube was a challenge and commanding it to retain its shape while emanating light was harder still. But not long after she had herself a glowing sword and feeling very heroic she braved the cavernous depths once more.


    After about an hour of winding paths she entered a large room and even with the cube''s light it was hard to see the ceiling or the far side wall. Approaching the middle of the room she could make out a perfectly circular hole and getting closer it was obvious that it was not natural, the walls of the hole looked too smooth.


    Vyla looked over the edge with the bottom nowhere to be seen. Picking up a rock she dropped it down the hole but after about three minutes she lost interest. Moving away from the hole she noticed a large backpack next to the right hand wall. It closely resembled her own backpack which was a common style for drifters. A closer look revealed the backpack to be in the clutches of a human skeleton.


    The skeleton would perhaps be about the same height as her if it still had its flesh. She or he was one of our people.. One taking part of the ceremony and died here.. probably. The skeleton had three miniature arrows stuck between its ribs and the side of its head had a crack in it. Vyla swallowed her fear and looked through the pack, it was empty.


    She had already begun regretting her decision to come here. She took another glance at the skeleton. It''s very clean, like it''s been here a long time or picked clean.


    The room gave no other clues to what or who may have killed the poor drifter.


    Vyla continued down the far side exit as the cavern once again tightened into a narrow passage. Eventually and after only two small panic attacks she came upon a fork in the cavern tunnels. The three passages looked the same at a glance but after closer inspection she noticed they were marked. Something had carved a simple vertical line next to the left tunnel. The middle passage was marked with two lines and the right one with three.


    Unable to decipher the markings she quickly chose the right hand tunnel. The path led upwards at least and with renewed vigor she started the climb.


    Please let this be the exit. She thought leading the way with her sword of light. Finally after what felt like an hour.. There was light


    Escaping the underground vyla sat herself down just outside the exit. She had merely rested for a moment before a strange sound caught her ears. An intense wind emerged from the cavern behind ruffling her clothes. It was some kind of howling and she looked up at the cliff face.


    The whole cliff was riddled with cavern passages and some of them were perfectly circular as the one from before. The wind seemed to be blowing through the mountains resulting in this strange but beautiful sound..


    It was a wondrous experience like none she had ever felt before. Vyla let the cube rest and closed her eyes listening to the tune of the mountain. It was as if Aanos the god of the mountains and Ishelm of the sky was blessing her with their conjoined presence.


    However another chorus joined the mountain howls and a strange symphony arose. The new sound did seem, oddly enough, not to be product of the wind and mountains.


    Vyla opened her eyes and her face distorted in terror. Hundreds of small humanoid shapes ,barely tall enough to reach her waist, stood inside each tunnel. Her gaze shifted to her tunnel and saw three small blue skinned figures singing. One of them glared at her and flashed a toothy grin with very sharp teeth.


    The wind stopped and the singing pygmies retreated back into the depths one by one stopping their own song. The three close to her seemed to hesitate as they looked to be bickering among themselves. They were clothed in some strange simple fabric and were completely covered in blue fur. Their yellow eyes seemed to be their only distinct feature.


    Vyla closed her mouth and slowly started to back away while holding her sword in their direction. One of them turned to the cave and gave away a series of yelps. Vyla hoped it wasn''t to call for even more of them. Taking another glance at her surroundings she noticed she was in some large valley perhaps hidden between the mountains.


    I seem to be trapped here, unless I wanna go through those tunnels again.. She had managed gain a fair amount of distance between them before suddenly the middle pygmy stopped bickering and rushed towards her. The thought of fighting and killing them easily with the help of the cube flickered past her mind. It was however quickly pushed away as her recent memories of failure to control the cube manifested themselves.


    She ran..


    Shiv spun around ready to strike but was quickly beat down by his mother''s backhand.


    -"You''re distracted, what''s wrong? If you''re worried about Irna seeing you humiliated there''s no need to fret. Syde took her hunting" Orana said with a smile.


    -"I thought I heard.." Vyla? Screaming? I know my hearings good but this. No just my mind playing tricks on me for worrying too much. He thought.


    -"Enough with the excuses a real enemy won''t wait for you to regain your bearings. They''ll skewer you where you stand and then do the same to your friends." Orana lectured. Shiv began a protest but was silenced by a upheld hand.


    -"I can see you''re tired so let''s stop for today. Dinner''s in an hour so start up a fire and invite Irna over." She said as Shiv walked off with his head down.


    Maybe I''m a bit harsh on him but I''d rather be harsh than him ending up dead. Perhaps when Vyla returns I''ll give them both a real challenge. Orana sat down so caught up in her own thoughts she didn''t notice Syde running up to her.


    -"Orana there''s a problem, one of the scouts have gone missing."


    Orana promptly stood up and shouted -"Notify the elder and gather the scouts at the eastern side. You have five minutes."


    Syde nodded striding away with due haste barking orders at the nervous young man who followed him. Orana grabbed the lightly adorned horn at her waist.


    Some distance east resting up against a tree a woman kneeled above a middle aged man. She looked to be in her mid twenties with completely white eyes and bald. A slim furred white armor covered her entirely except for her bare head.


    -"You shouldn''t have fired that arrow" The woman said to the dying man obviously displeased. "A mistake which will cost you your life unless you promise to be.. exxxtra nice.. when your friends arrive."


    "You see it was only by the grace of my employer that I managed to avoid it."


    "See this thing here?¡± A six legged metallic creature crawled up her arm. ¡°He''s called Voss and he''s actually quite.. nifty... But enough of that. I have another offer for you. If you can tell me where your little immortal is hiding I''ll even make it comfortable.."


    Seeing the blank look on his face she knew he had no idea what she was asking of him.. It''d be bad if this one died, the drifters are powerful warriors and I¡¯d rather be diplomatic about it.. The woman deliberated as the sound of a horn echoed out in the forest ahead¡­


    Here they come¡­

 Chapter 5 - The absence of fear

    Not too long ago..


    The carriage complained loudly as it sped across the cobblestone. Outside ancient buildings aligned to the road on both sides could be seen. They looked to be mostly in ruins but many of them had been rebuilt using basic materials. A tall white tower loomed in the distance completely overshadowing the rest of the town.


    -¡±Lady Ghaela won¡¯t like you sniffing around her town Ms. Reiss.. She can be very particular about appearances and she would at least expect a visit.¡± A large man said from across a woman in the carriage.


    Ms. Reiss looked at the buffoon in front of her. ¡°Well.. No need to tell her I¡¯m in town. My business here will be handled discreetly and quietly.¡±


    -¡±But.. The lady will know.. She always knows¡± The man hissed. Preposterous, this buffoon obviously already told her. No loyalty these days. Reiss gave a heavy sigh.


    -¡°So she is already expecting me you say? How is that even remotely possible? I¡¯ve only been in contact with one person in this town and that person is you Oswald. So if you¡¯re saying what I think you¡¯re saying you know how I deal with betrayers.¡±


    Oswald covered his face and tried hiding behind his obscenely large jacket. ¡°I told no one I swear to you Reiss. it-it¡¯s Ghaela she¡¯s a mutant you see, blessed by the gods.¡± Oswald said nodding hurriedly.


    Lady Ghaela, a mutant.. I know it¡¯s a popular theory among the less fortunate but there is no evidence. Reiss thought. -¡±Just a stupid rumour but I will give you one more chance for redemption. Listen carefully..¡±


    Back in the now..


    Standing above the dying drifter scout Reiss was growing worried. She was no doctor but with the approaching drifters she was not about to let the man die.


    She remembered the words of Graz regarding Orana. The terms ¡°monster¡± and ¡°boundless strength¡± were tossed around. How did he know of this warrior but she did not? Well he had met her in single combat.. ¡°Not much of a combat, mostly me running away¡± Graz had said..


    If Graz feared her to such an extent she wouldn''t engage in a futile endeavor. No.. a more.. diplomatic touch was needed.


    -¡±Right, Voss they will kill me on sight if they see you. These drifters hate technology so go and hide but stay within earshot.¡± Reiss told the little creature. It turned to her appearing to consider something but after a second or two it leapt off her arm diving into the snow and disappeared.


    They appeared one by one from the bushes and trees circling her with their bows drawn. Raising her hands slowly she said ¡°You¡¯re late, I expected you about five minutes ago..¡± Not even a smile.. I guess drifters aren¡¯t known for their humour.


    Syde stepped out with his dagger drawn and whistled loudly, another whistle answered him from the forest.


    -¡±Your man here needs medical attention.. uhh.. He attacked me first..¡± She said while stepping away from the bleeding man. Syde scowled at her but slowly walked up to the man checking his wounds.


    Another group emerged in between the scouts wielding sword and shield with javelins on their backs. A large blonde woman stepped forward with a large two-handed axe clearly ready for battle. Reiss assumed her to be Orana merely based on her presence alone.


    She pointed to the wounded man saying some words in their language and two of their warriors started carrying him away. The ¡°monster¡± observed her for a moment before she spoke in the common tongue.


    -¡±Why are you here?¡± A simple question but Reiss still shuddered at the weight behind it. For a moment Reiss reconsidered name dropping her employer here. These people are unpredictable, there¡¯s no telling how they¡¯ll react.


    -¡±I mean you no harm, I am.. Searching for someone.¡± Reiss said not willing to back down.


    -¡±Say that to the scout.. If it is as you say, that he struck first. You will find no enemies here.. But if he tells a different tale the gods will be swift in their judgement¡± Orana said her accent flawless.


    -¡±Please.. Your weapons. You have my word that no harm will come to you under my care.¡±


    Reiss dropped her sword and started pulling daggers out of every spot possible. She hoped that her outfit would not incite them as it was quite high tech but Orana seemed practical enough that it wouldn¡¯t bother her.


    -¡±I hope you have a stew going I¡¯m famished, you see I had to leave my supplies for the numerous bandits that snoop around between here and Travosk.¡± Reiss said on a whim.


    -¡±You do not strike me as someone who would get surprised by mere bandits¡± Orana said completely disregarding her.


    -¡±They grow more bold every year and with a starshroud year they will be even more daring. The road to Travosk will not be easy¡±


    -¡±For all I know you could be a bandit scout yerself¡± Orana said with a cold face.


    Reiss decided to hold her tongue until she was hopefully proven innocent..


    -¡±So.. What do you do for fun here..?¡±


    Vyla silently peered through the tree line from her newly acquired hiding place. She was sitting quite safely up in a tree betting on that the pygmies weren¡¯t the most able climbers. No snow here and full of strange trees. I think the elder called them leaf trees? Well I can¡¯t be sitting around any longer those things look like they don¡¯t give up that easily.


    She had run until her legs went out beneath, her longer legs gave her at least some advantage. She did not know how far they would venture from their caves but it never hurt to be careful.


    Only one day had passed and she hadn¡¯t slept at all so first on the agenda was finding shelter. The mountains were out of the question, she didn¡¯t know how far their tunnels reached.


    Looking upwards she had been relieved to find that there were no Girons in the valley. A strange thing as the valley seemed to be the perfect hunting grounds for a Giron.


    If you did not count the indigenous population the valley was like a paradise. Streams flowed down from the mountains with beautiful waterfalls. The grass, the trees, the easy prey even the sky was clear but it showed no stars and no sun. A magical place. A place made by the gods..


    Vyla sighed and climbed down the tree as she reached the ground a faint singing could be heard. Those pygmies really like their singing don¡¯t they. But the mountains are far off did they follow me here?


    An obsidian spear formed out of her hands and she stalked towards the sound. She wasn¡¯t used to moving through well anything that wasn¡¯t snow. The singing grew stronger and soon she came upon a large pit. It looked to be about ten feet deep, five wagons across and strangely circular. A single cave passage was the only entrance.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Down in the pit stood a lone pygmy singing a somber tune. It looked quite pitiful and lonely as it stood there wearing a sorrowful expression. Was it in mourning? Lost its mate perhaps. She thought.


    She had come ready to kill but could not bring herself to attack the creature. It suddenly stopped and turned in her direction she gripped her spear tightly in response, ready to either fight or flee.


    A squeaky voice interrupted their stare off and three larger pygmies approached the singer. Surrounding the lone pygmy they proceeded to communicate in their strange language. Their squeaks turned from playful to hostile as one of them slapped the poor creature over the head.


    I almost feel sorry for the poor critter. They do look kinda cute if you were to disregard their sharp teeth and violent tendencies. The pygmy fell down on its side covering its head as the three held back no longer. The beating went on for about a minute and she could hear the cries of pain, it was brutal.


    The small pygmy screamed and screamed and their eyes locked again as it called out while grabbing in the air towards her. The beatings didn¡¯t cease as they continued to ignore the wailing and by this point the largest among them had armed itself with a branch.


    She could look on no longer and while every survivor instinct complained in her she made her choice.


    The spear took one of them straight in the back killing it almost instantly. Going down on its knees it gave off a gurgling sound as blood dripped from its mouth gasping for a last breath. The two others turned to see a small girl in light clothing landing gracefully she raised her hand towards their dead comrade.


    -¡±Spear! Return!!¡± She shouted. The pygmies cowed in fear and backed away at her sudden outburst. Several seconds went by and nothing happened. Great. NOW it decides to misbehave.


    The two pygmies shared a glance before they approached snickering lightly to themselves. Arming itself with the branch the pygmy made a lunge but something caught its foot and it fell face forward with a yelp.


    Looking behind it she could see the wounded pygmy grasping the ankle wearing a slight victorious smile.


    Taking advantage of the confusion she quickly tried the spear again. It vanished in a cloud of black smoke flowing towards her and reforming in her hands. The pygmy looked bewildered for a moment before regaining its senses and renewed its approach.


    Vyla lunged forward but the creature nimbly leapt out of reach as its companion came forward in turn. Sharp teeth closed around her left arm causing her to drop the spear but it merely reverted to its cube form and vanished.


    She shook her arm wildly trying to shake the creature off. She formed a dagger in her other hand and stabbed wildly catching her assailant in the side. The pygmy screamed taking a chunk out off her arm with it as it sprawled down on the ground.


    The last pygmy circled her cautiously as it licked its teeth in excitement. The flesh ripping apart had caused her to lose her weapon again and the pain interfered when she tried to summon it.


    The pygmy had seen her strange weapon twice in action now and it seemed to be waiting for her to pass out only making some casual feints. Vyla clutched her arm trying to stem the tide of blood as she looked at the pygmy she just stabbed. It wasn¡¯t dead yet but it was in no condition to move.


    The small one seemed emotional so maybe I can use the wounded one against it. She thought while circling towards the bleeding pygmy. The last one showed no emotion as she neared and it looked like it wouldn¡¯t care for its fallen comrade.


    By the fires of Agryr She cursed inwardly. I managed to avoid brushing too closely with death for two weeks and I¡¯m about to get done in by some midgets..


    One last idea came to her mind, closing her eyes she fell backwards. The pygmy leapt at her taking a bite out of her shoulder squeaking in triumph it went in for a second bite. Going for her throat a obsidian blade suddenly materialized seemingly out of her throat piercing the pygmy¡¯s head straight through its mouth.


    Vyla stood up only to collapse again, she tried again but fell over next to the beat pygmy. Their eyes locked again and both could see death in each other''s eyes. Sensing the cube within her, This thing healed me before come on¡­ Maybe I can heal this other fella? She reached her hand over and placed it across the pygmy¡¯s face.


    She could feel a strange sensation emanating from the cube and it seemed to be guiding her. It¡¯s telling me how to heal? Maybe it''s acting in self defense but I guess the other fellow will die anyway..


    -¡±Zorf¡± The pygmy said and pointed to itself. ¡°You¡¯re Zorf?.. Vyla¡± she responded pointing to her.


    -¡±Rylah?¡± ..Close enough she thought.


    She hesitated and finally removed her hand from Zorf¡¯s face.. I¡¯ll try it on the one I stabbed in the stomach first.. She crawled over and placed her hand on its face. The same feeling arose from the cube and she let herself be drawn in.


    Five black tubes erupted from her fingers and pierced the pygmy¡¯s head causing it to make a sound Vyla would never forget. She had little time to care for its plight as her vision went black but she was soon joined by images flickering past too quickly to make sense of.


    Memories, emotions they flooded her mind causing incredible pain. The cube was devouring everything and with every pulse she felt her head explode into thousands of tiny parts but each time they rebuilt themselves.


    Her mental power was draining but with one last effort she forced herself to detach from the pygmy. She opened her eyes only to see that the pygmy had been replaced by a corpse of skin and bones. Alien memories mostly of tunnels and eating appeared but she pushed them inside the cube calming her mind. She had become good at that lately..


    Her wounds were deep and she would not live for long unless she could stop the bleeding.. What if? She felt stupid for not thinking about this earlier. She couldn¡¯t command the cube to heal her but maybe it could stop the bleeding.


    Suddenly it came easier now, commanding the cube, her strength surged as she fully wrapped herself in black smoke. They power was exhilarating.. She felt like she was stretching her mind for the first time in a thousand years.


    She willed a sword out of the smoke and then another and another continuing until countless blades surrounded her. I wonder how many of those pygmies I could strike down with this power¡­ She started with wrapping her wounds but as soon as she finished it slipped away. All that power.. gone as quickly as it had come..


    Vyla felt nothing. All that power had left some sort of void inside her. A void she wished to fill at any cost..In fact she hungered for it. The feeling she had.. She had to feel it again. Her gaze fell upon Zorf. The poor creature had crawled backwards all the way to the wall of the pit and even some of his wounds had strangely healed.


    Zorf had a look of sheer terror written across his face and he wanted dearly to run but his legs would not carry him. The visage of the human girl wrought in shadow and smoke had left him without words. She had saved him.. But the look in her eyes told him she was not his friend.


    Rylah or whatever the human¡¯s name was walked slowly towards him wearing a hungry look. Zorf scrambled for the branch holding it meekly up towards her. A silent prayer escaped his mouth the human coming closer and closer. He closed his eyes..


    Vyla stood above the poor creature known as Zorf. Now she only needed to stretch out her arm and let the cube guide her. She would never feel afraid again. She may have been raised as a drifter but she was always afraid, every hunt, every spar with her mother, the facility and almost every aspect of her life, wrought with fear.


    She made her decision.. Concentrating on the cube she found that it was gone.. She instinctively reached for her wounds but found them still wrapped by the cube¡¯s power.


    No! Damn it! My cube!! She fell to her knees clutching her face as tears started to well up. But with the cube¡¯s absence her mind cleared ever so slightly. Wait.. What was I about to do? She looked down at Zorf still holding up the branch at her with his eyes closed.


    It dawned on her. What WAS I about to do? Kill an innocent creature for.. For what? But he might not be innocent.. He IS a pygmy after all and I could¡­ She shook her head. No I¡¯m not that person am I? She wasn¡¯t sure. She felt confused and worse she felt scared.


    Not knowing what else to do she kneeled down beside him and took his hands into hers.


    -¡±I don¡¯t know if you can understand me but.. I¡¯m sorry. I-I don¡¯t know what came over me.¡± Vyla whispered through the tears.


    Zorf had opened his eyes when he felt her hands on his and now saw Vyla again. No hungry eyes.. She is sorry? Humans never sorry.. He squeezed her hands and tried to stand up but his wounds were still too severe.


    He still felt frightened of her but that other human seemed long gone replaced by this crying girl in front of him.Zorf concluded that maybe she had eaten a berserker mushrom of sorts, like the northern pygmie tribes liked to do.


    He spoke -¡±Rylah.¡± She looked at him as he pointed towards his now open mouth in quick succession.


    -¡±You¡¯re hungry? Now!?¡± She stared incredulously at him and after a few seconds she started laughing. She couldn¡¯t remember last time she had laughed this hard..


    Zorf stared back at her seemingly annoyed. Stupid human..

 Chapter 6 - Starlit memories

    The snow had been falling relentlessly since she had arrived at the drifter¡¯s camp. Reiss sat in a small tent alone staring at the ground in contemplation as children peeked at her from in between the tent flaps.


    She looked up suddenly and the children bolted with exaggerated screams and laughter. The sound of children faded away and the shallow silence set in again. She had been waiting for almost two hours to see the elder and she was getting very impatient.


    She sat in silence but just as she was about to voice her complaints a young man peeked his head in and said ¡°Miss Reiss? The elder will have you now.. If you would follow me.¡± Reiss gave a quiet sigh and replied ¡°Your elder finally finished speaking with your gods? I hope she was pleased with what she learned.¡±


    Shiv gave a strange look at the weirdly thin-clothed woman sitting inside the tent. She speaks our language very well.. He thought. ¡°Although she is wise beyond any of us the elder does not possess such powers.¡± He told her with a stiff face.


    -¡±So you say.. But I am somewhat familiar with the leadership of drifter caravans. The elder is the sole practitioner of shamanistic magic in a caravan or rather, magic of any kind. If someone other than the elder, and her apprentice of course, attains any proficiency in magic they will be exiled.¡± Reiss said with a hidden smile. If they let me wait for two hours the least I can do is stir their pot a bit in return.


    Shiv stopped promptly almost causing Reiss to walk right into him from behind. He turned around and stared right at her with disbelief drawn all over his face. ¡°You..I think I wou-¡± Reiss cut him off with a gesture and said: ¡°Perhaps only five persons of your caravan knows the truth.. However there is never any problems with such individuals because they always perish during the ceremony. Strange isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Reiss felt her hidden smile starting to bloom fully but hid it with a sudden coughing fit. The confused look on the poor man left her with a warm feeling inside but she had to stop herself from saying any more on the subject if she wanted to achieve her real goal. Perhaps I can learn a thing or two.. The newborn immortal must be a drifter but the signal little Voss displayed earlier came from further away.. Maybe the subject is out hunting or.. Or maybe the one I seek is attempting the ceremony?


    Switching the subject Reiss said ¡°So how many are taking the ceremony this time?¡± Hearing the new subject Shiv¡¯s face changed drastically again from confusion to worry. Reiss picked up the change quickly and continued:


    ¡°Oh someone close to you? Don¡¯t worry she¡¯s going to be fine. Unless of course something strange happened recently..¡± It was almost too easy to read his facial expressions as he confirmed everything to her and yet did not speak a single word.


    Shiv snapped back from his worries and said ¡°The elder is waiting.. It would not be proper to be late¡± He turned his back on Reiss again and started walking with hurried steps.


    So a single participant, a girl is up in the mountains. This will be very interesting.. The ancient elders enchanted the ceremonial grounds with the help of their gods. The nature of the enchantment is what kills stray magic users among the drifters if they have not received the blessing from the elder marking them as an apprentice and future elder. It will be hard to squeeze anything out of the elder so I might as well be polite..


    Reiss had just finished her scheming as they came to a stop in front of a large wagon.


    They entered..


    ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    Somewhere in the Travoski mountain rage..


    It had become night again and only five days remained of the ceremony. She had to get the recognition of the gods and survive for a week. It seemed a bit easy with this power she had stumbled upon and worried that the gods may not accept her.


    Many thoughts went through Vyla¡¯s head as she thought how she would get rejected. Would she die? Or would the elder know as soon as she came back?.


    Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud burp and she looked at Zorf sitting content up against a tree. His wounds had healed as soon as he had begun eating and her powers had kept her bleeding in check. After she had devoured the hostile pygmy she discovered a few strange things. She now knew how to speak their language and quite fluently at that as well as knowledge of the many tunnels that ran through the mountains. She had almost scared Zorf to death by answering one of his insults against her with her own.


    Zorf had calmed down after promises of food and she had easily felled a prey. Now Zorf was eating happily and not seemingly bothered by her presence at all. Strange how a simple thing as food can bridge the gaps of distrust Vyla thought, although it hadn¡¯t been easy..


    She did not blame Zorf for his distrust for her, she had wanted to devour him. She had also listened to the description Zorf gave of her when she was wrought in shadow and smoke. I would be frightened of such a being as well.. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    She spent a lot of time theorizing what her powers were. Obviously she had gained something significant from that underground facility. This cube was that something but she did not understand it even a little. The only thing she knew was that it could take the form of different weapons and bandage her wounds.


    It lived inside her and felt like a whole different being, a very dangerous being.. Well no use in worrying about stuff I can¡¯t control, for now at least.


    Zorf had fallen asleep but as tired as she was she couldn¡¯t bring herself to sleep as well. A life time of survival training in the snowy woods had her always on edge but Zorf had been very clear, no dangerous animals exist in the middle of the valley. She hadn¡¯t slept for almost two days now so her body quickly overcame her instincts and a deep sleep enveloped her.


    She was lying down on the floor in a dark hallway with slick metallic walls that seemed to go on forever. The walls were deathly cold to the touch and a slight vibrant hum could be heard in the background. Vyla slowly stood up with one hand supporting her on the wall and peered down both paths.


    She started walking and after what felt like hours a white door appeared ending the hallway. Behind it she saw a familiar sight of a large cube hovering with that slight hum accompanying it. She approached it eagerly at first but she stopped suddenly as she recalled Zorf¡¯s fear of her.


    She didn¡¯t want to lose herself again but in the end her curiosity gave in and she walked up to it. Last time the cube had morphed one of its sides into stairs that allowed her access to the top but now it looked like a doorway was forming leading inside the cube.


    Vyla took a quick glance backwards but saw only darkness before looking up to the newly formed doorway. She tried peeking inside but it was shrouded in complete darkness so there was only one way.


    I can¡¯t back out now.. Hopefully I¡¯ll get some answers.. The cube was still a bit off the ground however and another set of stairs leading up to the doorway had not formed. Vyla thought for a bit and quickly realized what it wanted her to do.


    She reached out with her arm towards it and concentrated heavily. A crude set of stairs started to form out from the entrance and finally connected with the floor right in front of her. I guess I¡¯m not completely useless She thought as she started up the steps. The darkness around the doorway was impenetrable but it did not stop her from entering and it quickly gave way once she was inside.


    Vyla had seen many strange things recently, strange and beautiful things, especially in the valley. But this, this had her utterly speechless. She had entered a vast unending dark room. No not a room but a whole new world with a myriad of dim tiny lights littering the night sky.


    She had seen the cloudless sky above the valley she was in but this was different. The valley sky was devoid of anything, no sun during the day or stars during the night.


    She stared in awe for minutes before noticing that two of the lights shined brighter than any of the others although one of them shined a lot brighter than the other. It looked like she could almost touch it as she reached out her arm and felt warmth when her hand clutched a white orb.


    She had plucked it directly from the sky with the power only known to gods.. Vyla felt a wave of dizziness come over her as she realized what she had just done. But this was her, or at least the cube¡¯s dream world so maybe it wasn¡¯t that strange after all.


    She put the bright star back and it rejoined its dimmer brothers and sisters and reached for the second but slightly less shiny star. She grasped it as well without resistance and she looked at it trying to figure out exactly what they were.


    There was two of them, she could grab them but not any of the dimmer stars. She put the one she held to her head as familiar scenes suddenly flashed into her mind. She saw tunnels, she saw herself beating on Zorf.


    She pulled the star away from her head and gasped for air as the flashing memories had left her slightly exhausted. This is the memories of the pygmy I.. I devoured.. The cube stores them in here? But what of the brightest star? I thought I had only.. Done it once?


    Vyla broke out in cold sweat. Did I kill.. Or devour someone in my sleep? She fell to her knees and grasped her head in her hands but soon she realized. There¡¯s no way, the caravan would¡¯ve known if someone died during the night.


    Shaking her head she stood up again and exchanged the pygmy¡¯s memory star for the unknown one and mentally braced herself briefly before putting the stone against her head with a silent prayer.


    Vyla found herself sitting in a quite comfortable chair in a very white room. A large desk was in front of her and on the other side sat a woman staring at her with tired eyes. She had blond hair up in a bun and wore a white coat, she looked to be in her forties.


    The woman smiled gently at her, almost how a mother would smile towards her child.


    ¡°Hello Vyla, I¡¯m glad we finally meet. My name is Doctor Varish and we have a lot to talk about.."


    ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    A story told among all drifter caravans..


    It can be said that they were the first. They weren¡¯t the only ones braving the roads and always on the move but they were the first who traveled the path together.


    It was at a crossroads in the forest they met for the first time. The two wagons, one owned by a woman the other by a man. Neither of them remarkable nor powerful and the roads they traveled were fraught with peril so they were at an impasse. Every road ahead held danger and also reward but they did not dare brave them alone so they made a pact.


    They would keep each other safe and always keep a fire against the terrors of the night. They also knew that it was by mans folly that the world had been cursed in eternal snow. So they held their traditions dear and would do no trade nor invite any man to their fire who held technology close to their heart. They knew the gods would punish them again if their quest for godhood would be rekindled like the man of old.


    They traveled many miles over forgotten roads forging strong bonds during their travels. They preached the truth of the ancient man and their folly to any who would listen.


    In time they came to the end of all roads and as they looked back on their lives they fell in live. With the grace of the gods the first baby to be born as wagonborn came into the world.


    They knew that for all their travels this was their greatest accomplishment.


    Out on the roads they went again finding that now they were changed. Wagons roamed the paths they had once traveled and they recognized most of them as those who had taken their words to their hearts.


    Finding strength in each other they formed the first caravan with the people they knew and it was since then that people from all corners of the world could always count on that as long as there was roads there would be drifters.