The Map, the Map, the Map:
0 0 1 1 2 2 3
0 5 0 5 0 5 0
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10| ...
| .k♣♣
| ...♣♣
| ♣⌂⌂ ⌂⌂...♣
| ─Y▲ ⌂⌂...♣♣
15| .⌂⌂▲▲⌂⌂..♣
| ..⌂⌂▲▲⌂⌂.┌──
| M⌂K▲⌂○──┘..
| ⌠┌≈≈≈ ...⌂⌂▲▲⌂⌂....
| ⌠|⌠≈≈ ⌠┌──○▲▲k⌂♣
20| ⌠|⌠≈≈≈⌠⌠⌠⌠⌠|K⌂▲ ⌂⌂⌂.♣
| ⌠|⌠└─┬─────┘⌂⌂▲ ⌂⌂..♣
| ─┘~~.|⌠⌠⌠⌠⌠⌂⌂▲M O....
| ~~~~≈≈≈ ⌂..
| ~~~~~≈≈≈≈
25| ~~~~≈≈≈
| ~~~~~~≈≈
|~~ ~┌──≈≈≈≈≈
|~~~~|~~~~≈≈≈≈
|⌂⌂⌂~|~~~~~≈≈≈
30|○───┘~ ~~~♠
Not on map:
Turn 8: After meeting with Ryou, Ginya heads to the Hitengu capital downriver. Nasri and Eval return toward the Crimson Inferno.
Turn 9: Ginya arrives in Hitengu capital, Nasri and Eval arrive at the Inferno.
Population Breakdown, End of Turn
1 Katytan, conducting Diplomacy
6 Katytans working in overland Agriculture
L Katytan, working in subterranean Agriculture
6 Katytans Exploring
16 Katytans working in Construction
2 Katytans remaining
Net Population: +1
Progress Report for Turn 9
Ison Sanitelna built a wooden mill, but it collapsed in a windstorm before he was able to get it working--along with a third of the other structures built at the farmstead. No one was seriously injured.
More than enough alcoholic beverages have been brewed to keep Katytans so inclined under the barrel for quite some time, and there a reasonable surplus of trail rations is available. However, without skilled clothmakers or tailors available to Sanitelna, plant fiber harvests are being wasted on crude blankets, rugs, ponchos, and foot wrappings.
In the Crimson Inferno, work progresses swiftly. After taking measurements, the miners have dug a second tunnel into the caldera and come much closer to their mark. The upper tunnel is being converted for use as a balcony over the caldera, a firing platform over the lower tunnel, and a means of ventiliating the mines.
Temporary smelting facilities have been erected in the caldera, though they are inconvenient to use due to sporadic interruptions from minor volcanic activity or creature incursions. Metalworking tasks the back seat to smelting, as it is more sensitive to such disturbances, and Masi desires Icand to take stock of what metallic resources are available before determining how they should be allocated.
Outside the volcano itself, there has been no expansion of living quarters or any other facilities beisdes those for stoneworking. The wall and stone piles have been removed, and a road of wondrous quality has been constructed down the mountain, at Masi's direction. The stones are very carefully fitted, the colour combinations whimsical and pleasing, and the drainage excellent.
Furthermore, the layout of the approach is at the same time very flattering for the settlement, relatively pleasant for travellers, very exposed for invaders coming upward and flush with good locations for ambush by defenders firing downward. The Katytans are very impressed with Masi, and they are more willing than ever to trust in his judgement. Looking back, he has even surprised himself.
An Overdue Rescue
The nameless Katytan struggled in the terrible heat. He was so thirsty. There was no way out of this inferno, and he was bruised and battered after fighting off the creatures of the depths. Even the magma itself, a shape as large as he was had attacked him, not that he knew what it was. He'd had to hit it so many times before it turned to a lump of rock, and then it had melted away. His arms still hurt from all the punching, both his own and the creature's attacks. The child was completely lost. Why was he stuck here, with no way out? It was so dry...
He heard strange noises from a cross the caldera, high in the wall. Stone was falling. He watched with resigned interest, breathing the terrible air slowly and difficultly. What was coming now, to test him yet again?
The wall finally broke, collapsing in a cascade. The dust did not go far. The child saw some large creature emerge and lean forward, scanning the area. It shouted backward, then scanned again, and the child's eyes and his made contact. From both sides, their eyes widened. The creature vanished back into the hole, shouting more. The child felt vaguely disappointed, somehow, and settled down for another long, meaningless wait.
Within an hour, however, something long and thin was dangled down to the caldera floor and one of the creatures began rappeling down. The child came alert and arose, ready to fight once more, but terror set in as huge creature advanced. It was more than double his height! The child took a few steps backward into the wall, then looked forward again. His fear left him. He was determined. Perhaps he could excape this scorching heat through that hole, if only he could... Run!
The large creature was surprised by the child's sudden forward dash and was too slow to stop him. He charged for that hole and grabbed the loose rope, leaping upward against the wall in three rapid bounds and dashing into the tunnel. It was lined with many more creatures like the one who had sought him out. He jumped, dodged, and ducked through his foes, determined to make it out, determined to survive, determined to--ow!
One of the creatures had grabbed him by the back of the neck and lifted him over a meter off the ground! He was being held at arms length and neither his arms nor his legs could reach his opponent, nor claw him from his grasp. In his rage he let out the mightest roar he could muster, forcing the creature to close its eyes and turn its head against the terrific gout of flame.
Oce Vertinanna grinned as the upper half of her shirt blazed merrily. "Geepers. Where did that come from? Resourceful little bugger, aren't you?" She stiffened up as a nearby Katytan tore off her shirt and stomped on it. It was clearly ruined, but at least nothing else would be damaged. There was a chorus deal of coughing from the less prepared Katytans in the tunnel. Oce resisted the urge.
The child stopped struggling and took on a sullen, defiant expression. Clearly the creature had other plans for him than a swift death. He would have his chance, there was no use wasting energy.
Oce laughed at his sullen expression. "Let's get you outside. It looks like you could use some fresh air, and a drink. The child kept his arms folded as he was carried out into the evening light. His cold determination gave way to wonder, however, as the cool breeze brushed his face. It felt absolutely wonderful, and this place seemed so peaceful...
The brief respite of relaxation abruptly ended as he was dropped into a pool of cold liquid, abruptly boiling around him and completely obscuring his vision. The tickling sensation of the many bubbles was intense, and he gasped, some of the liquid spilling into his mouth and abruptly exploding back out as steam.
Oce laughed as she watched the spluttering child. Eventually he had cooled down enough to swallow some of the water he was flailing in, and she dragged him back out of the tub to rest on the stone steps. The child coughed. Distantly, he felt as though he should be outraged, ready to claw at his oppressor and escape, but his body betrayed him. He simply felt too tired and to relaxed to make any rapid movements. Still, his eyes looked up Oce with accusation. Oce laughed once again. "Haha, I must choose a name for you, but I fear you may deserve mine more than I do! Let me see... I am Oce Forestfire. 'Oce' means 'courage'. Now, for your sake, how about 'Oce Dragonfire'? The child continued to stare at the creature who spoke to him, tilting his head slightly, suspicious of her intentions. Oce, the elder, smiled. "I'll give you some time to mull it over." There was some scratching at the door. "Mika, you may enter."
The Katytan child watched a creature very nearly his size enter, hesistantly. She seemed... familiar, somehow. Around her neck were the bones on an imp. He had seen those before. Mika approached nervously. "Oce? Hello. I am Mika." She extended a hand toward the sprawled form of the younger Katytan. The elder Oce bowed herself out of the room, hanging near the door outside and whistling to herself.
The younger Oce pulled himself up, staring at Mika's outstretched hand. After a moment, she kneeled down and placed his hand into hers completing the handshake for him. Oce remained impassive.
Mika let go, and called Oce's attention to the tub of water. "Look. See? We are the same." Oce stared at the reflections, disturbing them with a finger idly. He turned back, and Mika suddenly outstretched her arms. Oce stared back at Mika's smiling face with concern. Mika repeated the gesture. "Hug! Let's be friends!"
Oce slowly loosened up as she approached, though he still did not understand. He felt Mika reach her arms around him and hold him gently. Oce did not return the gesture, and remained without moment. Mika let go, looking disappointed. She immediately cheered up. "I will bring you food! Don't go!" She dashed out of the room and spoke with the elder Oce briefly. The younger stared into his reflection in the pool, his feral mind adrift in stormy seas.
Chapter Three: The Lucid Nightmare
Nasha hit the ground hard. "Auurghhh! Blast..." The shock had transferred throughout her entire body, keeping it mostly intact, but there was something to be said for a simple broken bone now in then, rather than the sensation of every tissue in her body feeling as though it had been injected with kiln-baked firestalk gel. She touched a shaking hand to grasp her amulet for a moment, focusing on it, then struggled to her feet and tried to gain her bearings.
As soon as she realized where she was and what had happened, Nasha stumbled backward into the wall, her face a mask of terror. Stones fell and the palace burned. She could hear screams of pain coming from her guards and servants. It was not an attack; it was the shards! One had crashed through the roof, tearing down the walls and striking her bed directly. Only her amulet had stopped it.
The shard lay suspended improbably in space just above her bed, where it had struck her. The ground continued to shake; the stasis would not hold long. Nasha looked up at the gargantuan mass of blue-hued metal. Roughly... six seconds to live. She quickly knelt and began her a prayer in rapid speech. "Goddess save me, now or never. The first and greatest of thy creations now awaits thy final judgement." A second of silence. Nasha looked up at the terrible alien light bathing her. "Katyn, please save me..."
Nasha stirred. She felt light. Unhurt. She sat up. There was no accompanying jingle of jewelry or rustle of clothing. She was as bare as the day she was... born. Hm. A simple enough turn of phrase, but something seemed odd about it now. This entire experience seemed odd. She felt her head. It was sticky. She held it to her lips. Yes, it was blood... Odd.
There came a voice. "You seem confused. Starting to get your headache, myself. It's been a long time, Nasha. You've grown. Again." Nasha stepped carefully across the cave. The dim light made it almost impossible to see anything but its sources, the radon glow of crystal arrangements on the ceiling. She expressed her consternation. "I beg thy pardon?"
The voice returned. "Mm, you need more light. There's not much I can provide. I'll see what I can find." Rummaging and scraping noises echoed throughout the cavern. Nasha slowly approached them, then shielded her eyes as a brilliant white flare illuminated the cavern. The light's source was quickly placed in a hooded lantern, a piece among the offerings. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention to your movements. As I said, it's been a long time since we last met, Nasha. I'd planned to arrange a meeting eventually. Made a mistake in waiting."
The tiny, pale-skinned Katytan set down the lantern and looked up at Nasha. She was barely knee-high. Nasha hadn't known it was possible for someone to be so tiny. Nasha laughed as she asked her next question. "Who art thou?"
The tiny Katytan hesitated. "...An old friend. Before we continue, I should make something clear. This is a dream, you are not really here. See." She came forward and put her hands against Nasha's leg feeling around them, looking puzzled, then returned to climb up upon a workbench, to save their necks. "Odd. You are actually here. That was not my work. Regardless, still, this is a dream."
Nasha shook her head in bewilderment. "Verily, a strange dream at that. So, 'friend', what calls for this 'meeting' of thine? The very world-storm itself cannot be so chaosic as the last few hours of my memory. Am I dead?"
"No. At least, not in body or spirit. Funny that you should mention that, however. Your brain has been badly damaged, and not for the first time. One of my first masterpieces... So powerful, and yet so delicate. Such are the perils of granting one's creations life and autonomy. There are many lessons I have learned the hard way, and many I have yet to learn."
Nasha's eyes widened. She only hesistated for a second before bending down to one knee. "Goddess! Please forgive my impertinence!" Katyn's eyebrows rose, and she seemed to become more alert, folding her legs as she looked down at her creation, now nearly prostrate. "Please stand, Nasha. We had this conversation already, admidst a great deal more drama and with far higher emotion than runs in the blood of Katytans today. Can you even remember what you are apologizing for?"
"We... I... The hubris of..." Nasha stared blanky. "No, I cannot." Katyn smiled slightly. "Good. It is strange, the loss of some memories came alongside the recovery of others that I thought gone forever. I have heard it said that a truly great invention is not one that does precisely what is intended; any fool can create such with enough effort. The sign of true inspiration is a device with such vast potential that its own creator cannot envision its scope. Time and again, the Katytans have proven to be such a creation."
Nasha looked up as her goddess spoke, and finally stood, again wearing a look of consternation, if milder than before. "I thank thee for thy kind words, my goddess, but I beg thy pardon, thou hath not answered my question."
Katyn began to smirk. "No need to fear, Nasha. You could chew on my arm or sit on my head, and still I would not punish you. It is not in my nature. Apologies. I cannot reveal as much as I would like. However, events move quickly in this world, and I fear you and your kin may be gravely disadvantaged in the conflicts to come. Your leadership is faltering, and your present weakness may be its undoing--"
Nasha's eyes flashed, and she interrupted her goddess, raising a finger. "VERY well, at thy request, let me speak! These conflicts, what doth thou speak of? The empire has known decades of peace, my rule--" Katyn held up a hand. "Stop that nonsense. The empire is no more, your 'rule' is long over, and that world may not even exist any longer." She settled down again before contining.
"I played no part in the creation of the one in which we now reside, all I have is this cave and you, my creations. We--the two of us, Nasha, you and I alone--are refugees, survivors, of the shards that shattered that world and the flames that scorched it. Do you not recall your last hundred and twenty years on this earth?"
Nasha staggered backward. Her vision flickered with fearful images. The shards. It was all real, a true memory? She had taken it to be a dream. She shook her head violently. Katyn took it as a response. "I see. You are still disoriented. You will stay here. You are a danger to yourself and others in this state."
Nasha yelled in fury as the images became more intense. "You would keep me, the First of the Katytans in custody in this dank cave? By the goddess, who do you think you are dealing with?" Nasha stumbled backward and fell, yelling yet again as the sharp stones of the floor dug into her back.
Katyn did not bother answering these questions, dismayed at what she heard. "I did not want to do this, not again, but I suppose it is the way of things. I forged you first as a trinket, and next as a ploughshare. It appears you have worn out yet again. Perhaps it is high time that you be reforged as a weapon. Most convenient that you have come to me in person." Katyn advanced on her writhing creation. Nasha's agony multiplied tenfold as divine energy began to fill the room.
The hand of the goddess struck Nasha's bloodstained forehead coldly, as if she were stunning cattle for the slaughter. She slammed the Katytan's chest soon after, listening intently. Its heart had stopped. So simple, and yet so final.
Katyn shook her head over the corpse in a last fit of remorse before preparing her workshop. After a moment, the strip of metal in the lantern burned out and she became aware of a strange glow in the chamber. Katyn whirled around. An elemental magma man? Here? Impossible!
The goddess moved quickly to intercept it with a tool hammer as it charged toward her. She swung it about in great whirling patterns, tearing away at the creature until it collapsed, only to find another charging straight toward Nasha's corpse. Katyn screamed in fury and horror, rushing towards the creature, adreneline surging through her body as never before.
"NO! STOP!"
It was too late. The magma man trampled over the corpse, and Nasha's remains immediately caught fire. Such was Katyn's fury at this terrible injustice that she blew apart the magma man with a single blow. Whirling around yet again, she found a third, far taller and grander than the others, and hotter than anything she had ever seen upon the earth. Great clouds of rock vapor erupted in its wake.
It was pacing toward her with long, slow strides. Katyn screamed at the universe in general, sweeping her hammer through the air so swiftly as to shatter nearby crystals. "THIS IS MADNESS!" She whirled around again, striking upward at the magma man as it approached, and felt the hammer soar out of her hand as the magma man grabbed her arm, quickly grabbing the other as well when she tried to wrench it free.
The magma man spun around, holding Katyn high above the ground, helpless and struggling. It backed into Nasha's remains, and the intense heat left behind naught but vapor. The elemental looked down upon the struggling goddess that now stooped to headbutting its arm repeatedly. It formed a mouth and spoke. "No, Goddess. It is a dream. I am awaking."
The magma melted away. All the damage and rubble of the battle was gone. Katyn landed lightly on her feet and turned around in confusion. Behind her stood Nasha, standing calm and composed, looking down at the goddess with a compassionate smile. Katyn raised an eyebrow tightly, eyes as narrow as they had ever been. "Simply adorable. Get out of here, Nasha."
Nasha nodded and turned to go, back toward the magma flow, then paused and turned back. "Apologies, Goddess. I neither defy your will nor your power. As you desire--I shall reforge myself."
The goddess remained silent. Nasha closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and stepped into the magma flow, and felt her way through the changing currents in total peace, with the blessing of her goddess.
Poor, Poor Eval: Part IV
The return trip was no fun, Eval thought. No fun at all. Not only was Nasri not letting him chase after the beasts they saw along the way, he also kept beating Eval repeatedly in their evening wrestling matches. It wasn't fair. Nasri was 65 centimeters shorter and a hundred kilos lighter, he wasn't supposed to win. He kept pulling Eval's leg from behind and putting it over his back, and then everything went upside-down. What a cheater, thought Eval.
The last part of the journey, up the mountain was the hardest. Coming down had definitely been a lot easier. Eval knew it was easier to run downhill than to climb uphill, and he beamed at having figured out the problem.
"What are you smiling at? You're going to have a lot of explaining to do when we get back to Nasha." Nasri intentionally stepped a little funny so that his shoulder would bounce off of Eval's arm as they walked. Eval returned to moping.
Nasri, frustrated after spending so much time with a conversational dynamo as rich as Eval, still was not satisfied. "Oh, come on. How old are you, ten? You've got to be smarter than you pretend to be, Eval. Dragon's fire, you're an embarassment to all of us. To Katyn herself!"
Eval stopped walking. That was over the line. "Goddess creates everyone equal! You know that!"
Nasri looked back, rolling his eyes. "Yes, yes. I've heard that a million times. If you think so, prove it! You're older than me by at least five years--don't tell me, I don't care--but you're still good for nothing. I can even hunt better than you, you clumsy oaf, and I haven't spent the barest fraction of the time practicing that you have. And keep walking, damn it!" Nasri continued on.
Eval continued, severely embarassed. "I'm not good for nothing..."
Nasri hissed. "Name one thing. Other than hauling rocks, which you may be the first Katytan of all time to fail at without a medical excuse."
Eval glared at the back on Nasri's head. That was uncalled for. He hadn't even thought of suggesting hauling rocks. "Kitties."
Stomp, stomp, stomp, swing! Nasri turned around, absolutely baffled. "What?"
Eval went on, though his ears were burning from ever-mounting embarassment. "I'm good with kitties. Nasha said it was my sacred duty to take care of the kitties, because I'm so good at it. I feed them, I groom them, I help them when they get hurt... But we don't have any kitties anymore. That swamp lizard ate the last one, Icand told me so."
Nasri met Eval's gaze silently for a moment. Eval sniffed and wiped away a tear that crept onto his cheek. Finally, Nasri sighed and averted his gaze. "Sorry, Eval. I didn't know. Nothing's ever been easy for you, huh?"
Eval shrugged, unsure how to answer such a question. Nasri turned around and continued climbing. "We have a ways to go yet, but we're almost there. Stay close to me, Eval." Eval nodded and followed as they approached the ashen peak.
Loose Ends: Chapter Four
Cough. Splutter. Both at the same time, even. At least there was no vomit. Of course, Nasha hadn't eaten in how long? But she wasn't hungry. Yet.
She struggled onto the shore. It was still night. "Still?" Why had she thought that? She hadn't seen the sky for at least a fortnight. "This is a real headache," she thought, wryly. "I'm in absolutely terrible shape. Small wonder that Katyn would want to chew me up and spit me out. 'Again', apparently."
Nasha's mind flickered back to the past. Memories from before her own birth were available to her now. "My own creation," she corrected herself. Nasha had always had memories from before her own 'birth', but never like this...
They were the memories of a time and a land now made unreal, of a Katytan Empire numbering in the thousands. In this land there were others like her. Nasha panted on the shore, still coughing intermittantly, struck by the thought. There had been others like her, or at least something similar. 'Female' and 'male' Katytans, with their own children. She'd thought it just another dream or fantasy, the stuff of her own imagination, but it seemed there was more to it now.
They had been much like humans, but far more flawed. They became inbred, worse than the most isolated of human peasants, and they slew their own kin over trifles. Nasha had not been one of the first of them, but rather the first of the second generation. It was such a strange thought. "No," she'd never been told of her parentage, and Katyn had said she'd made Nasha 'First as a trinket, next as a ploughshare'. What was the truth? And just how much of that original Nasha, who had been so imperious and quick-tempered remained in her current incarnation?
Nasha rolled over, making an important discovery--existential crisis and starvation did not mix. She struggled upright with one arm badly bruised and the other shoulder sore and swollen, and became very dizzy from the poor bloodflow to her brain, stumbling forward toward the dark outline of the quiet mineshaft next to the caldera, though she could not see much else besides red and blue spots.
Vision and sensation returned as she approached, limping somewhat on a twisted ankle she had not noticed earlier. With them returned the pain in her head, only abating once more after she was well into the tunnel.
The sleepy community outside the gates was relaxed, and only two voices could be heard. Nasha looked around with confusion as she approached their source. She knew she had been here before--she'd founded the darn settlement, even--yet it seemed so unfamiliar and alien. Perhaps it was just the night. Soon she could make out the voices.
"--just find it a little odd--"
"--LOOK, I'm sorry, Masi! I don't know what happened, but I know I didn't fall asleep! I only woke up an hour ago--"
"What, you have 'no idea'? Are you sure you didn't eat something, drink something? I don't see any bruising, so don't use the concussion excuse--"
Nasha entered the room to find Masi arguing with Nana, her ceremonial assistant, who was seated in a chair. "I beg thy pardon, am I interrupting something of importance?" Nasha raised an eyebrow in askance, more at herself than the others, she thought. Her mouth hadn't configured the sentence exactly the way she'd intended. Nana's facial contortions indicated that she'd picked up on it.
Masi maintained his composure and turned to her with his eyes closed before releasing it. "NASHA! Where in the earth's depths have you been? I was just about to raise the alarm! I don't care how hard you've hit your head or what fantasies you've been cooking up, you have a responsibility to your people that right now, requires following doctor's orders."
Nasha was outraged. "How dare thee speak to thy Queen in such a mann--" Abruptly, she blinked and slapped herself. "Sorry, Masi. Somnambulation. You know how it is."
Masi was incredulous. "Feeling... better?" He shook his head, trying hard to keep up. "SIT DOWN, Nasha. You were in a deep coma. Poor Nana can't even remember how you escaped."
Nasha quickly shuffled to the bed and sat on it. "Well, that makes two of us, now doesn't it?" She shielded her mouth with a hand and stage whispered to Nana. "I blame the pixies."
Masi shook his head repeatedly. "I can't deal with this, I have too much work to do. Clean her up, Nana. You know how to tie a bandage. Don't wake me up unless she needs to be physically restrained, or else falls unconscious again. You do know how to tell that apart from sleeping?" Nana nodded, and Masi immediately headed out the door. "Goodnight."
The two Katytans sat across from each other in awkward silence for a moment, both preoccipied with their own thoughts. Nana spoke first. "So... I heard you went crazy. Is that true?"
Nasha laughed and laid back on the bed, carefully. "Don't you mean crazier? No, seriously, it's just a head wound. I must have fallen more than twenty meters."
Nana winced. "That's horrible! Are you alright?" Nasha gave her a long look. Nana shook herself. "Right. Stupid question." She stood up and moved to the bedside to scour away the rock and dust that was still on Nasha's skin and in her hair.
"Nana, could you go to the kitchen for me, first? I haven't eaten a thing since my injury." Nana's eyes widened. "Yes, of course. I'll bring you some... uh... turtle soup." She rushed out. Nasha closed her eyes and slowed her breathing, trying to conserve energy and reduce the burning sensation in her gut. She began to doze amidst the interminable wait, hallucinations from ancient times dancing across her vision. The smell of approaching food brought her back to the present in a snap, and she watched Nana enter, sitting up eagerly.
Nana held the bowl above her head, out of reach. "No stew unless you follow orders! Lie back against those pillows and rest. Your arms are both injured, let me feed you." Finding herself in a hopeless bargaining position, Nasha laid back and allowed herself to be doted upon. "Mmmm. Not bad. More than just turtle soup, huh?"
Nana nodded. "We had a bit of giant eagle meat left; I thought you'd appreciate it." Nasha swallowed, then shook her head sadly. "I could an entire bird, head to toe right now." Nana laughed. "I'll make sure the next kill is reserved for you, so long as I can have a piece." Nasha nodded. "Mmmph. It's a deal."
After a moment, feeling sudden a wave of nausea, Nasha waved the meal away. Nana took a spoonful for herself, then set aside the remainder for later. The ill feeling passed, though it jogged Nasha's memory. "Oh, Nana. I recieved another vision from the goddess tonight," she began, casually.
Her aide paused. She did not seem very surprised. "Yes, Nasha? Please don't tell me we're leaving the Inferno so soon..." She set down the spoon and folded her hands in her lap, uncomfortably.
"No, no. We didn't talk about it in detail, not exactly, but I think Katyn wanted us to stay here. She headbutted me in the arm a lot." Nasha raised the black-and-purple mottled limb. That got Nana's attention. Her eyebrows rose to the ceiling. "Pardon?"
Nasha shook her head, smiling, but not feeling up to laughing at the reaction. "It's a long story. The gist of it is, we're going to be staying here for a while, and sooner or later, we're going to have to fight for our survival."
Nana wrung her damp cloth over the bucket for considerably longer than necessary. "Ugh... Nasha, I'm sorry, this is really not the time to go around issuing dire warnings..."
"What? What's wrong?" Nasha had never seen this sort of reaction out of her aide before. Nana resumed her work, scrubbing Nasha's arm. The Katytan tensed under the pain. "Nasha, look, Ison's already founded his own settlement--as if he needs the ego boost--and not only is Masi unwilling to listen to a single contrary word you say, now, he's getting way too popular now and he'll turn most of the others against you, too.
"I like you, and even I don't know what to make of it now. You joke about it, but a lot of us really do think you're crazy, and 'visions' coming alongside comas and head wounds are not going to help matters. We'd never have made it this far if it weren't for Masi protecting your image, you know that?"
Nasha sighed, holding her aching head and trying to relax as Nana moved onto her legs. "I know. I'd been denying it. You know I've never liked him much, I wouldn't put up with it if I didn't have faith in him. Now, please fill me in. What has been happening, in my cognitive absence?"
"Well, as I was saying, Sanitelna's gone all the way over to the Green Hills to start farming, and Masi's playing along with it now. He's got practically everybody working on getting a road built to retroactively make Ison's dumb idea a bright one. It keeps everyone busy, and happy, but we're not going to be making any real progress until the scouts return--"
Nasha extended the sentence for Nana, sighing. "--and we're not going to be able to train or equip new warriors until it's done. I get the picture."
"If you say so, but I think even that is being too optimistic, Nasha. With production so far below expections, I doubt Masi will be willing to slow it down for the sake of martial exercises unless the conflict you portend comes to our doorstep in fleshy form. He percieves sparring to be nothing more than coarse entertainment, and puts so much faith in strong armour that he'd rather field a total incompentant in iron platemail than a swordmaster in bronze cuirass."
"Yes, I know. It is not his opinions that bother me. It's the irrationality behind his mask of reason. We could easily field ten swordmasters in iron plate--with steel blades!--if only our time and resources were allocated in that direction. Masi prides himself on efficiency so much, but he can't see the big picture." Nasha rolled onto her back to allow Nana to continue her work.
"Pardon me again, Nasha, but it would seem that one must be an oracle to see 'the big picture'. That's a bit of an unreasonably high standard to hold someone to."
Nasha laughed, though it was hard to do in her current position. "No, no. That's not what I meant. And it's not like the Goddess told me what's going on in no uncertain terms, either. What I meant was much more basic--the big picture of how to run an independent nation. He's still acting as if we'll be able to depend on human merchants to bring us everything we need in trade, and human mercenaries to do all our fighting for us. We're on our own, but still he believes that wealth--and ostentatious displays of it--will solve all our problems."
"He's not alone, Nasha." Nana slowly worked her way up. "Actually, I think besides Oce and the children, it's probably us that are alone in thinking otherwise."
Nasha sighed again, trying to enjoy the backrub. "I appreciate the solidarity, but even though you recognize the problem, I can tell it hasn't really sunk in for you, yet. Those are new bracelets. Nice, but impractical."
Nana glanced at the wooden bands her arms, surprised. "So what if they are?" Nasha clicked her tongue, chidingly. "I know we're still short on wood, and those were fashioned from fresh fine-grain, not scraps. You went out of your way to get them, when you could have gotten a buckler, instead, or asked for arrows to practice with."
Nana smiled to herself as she cleaned Nasha's neck and hair. "And how do you know I didn't do that as well?" Nasha stretched out, taking a deep breath before answering. "No real evidence. I just know you too well. You might want to look into the shield, though. You'll need it once I get out of this bed."
Nana laughed. "What, you wish to spar with me? You've never taken up arms in the past! Surely, the great Elemawaura has lost her divine mind."
"Don't I know it. No worries, O Shield Maiden, I'd never ask you to fight for me, only with. Watch the head, though. If any more screws come loose, I'm not sure I'll be able to resist becoming a bard." Nana nodded with mock gravity. "I need no more discouragement, O Toneless One." They both laughed together.
Mika and her cohort took the opportunity to sneak out of the room unnoticed, vanishing into the night.
(More to come. Maybe.)
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Topic: Battle of the Gods IV (Read 71746 times)