The Map
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Turn Report
81 Katytans
5 Conducting Diplomacy with Ynant
61 At War
Icand's party reaches Ynant's tribe, meets with them, and present their offerings. An agreement is soon reached.
The Katytan caravan returns to hear the bad news, finding Mimikozga nearly empty. They rest for now.
Ringa's troops walk into Sumbulk uncontested, and throw a party. The village is 'sacked' without violence, flame, or huge flying rocks, and the buildings are deconstructed, the mines collapsed, and generally all traces of the Hrun settlement wiped out. The Katytans reside here while they celebrate and prepare wood-and-stone caravans.
Nasha and Mika are discovered missing, and Elna organizes the children to search for them. The search is called off, however, when Nasha and Mika's clothes are found discarded in the hallway to the metalworks, as this proves they went to the caldera intentionally. Elna tells no one else of her fears, merely assuring the children that Nasha must be undertaking some sort of Quest, and telling the other adults that she must know what she's doing.
The Underkats
Mika was disappointed. The nice man who had helped her and Oce had turned out to be pretty mean and nasty. She shuddered to think what might have happened if he'd taken them away before revealing his mean side.
Still, things were better, if still terrible. She could barely move her left arm, and couldn't do much with her right hand but make it twitch. Her legs still wouldn't move, either.
She'd been taken out of the tub, and she looked perfectly fine on the outside, now, and she felt okay inside too, but she was still trapped. Helpless. She couldn't use her body to do anything, couldn't go fight, couldn't work... It made her so angry.
Still, Oce was with her. He really wanted to go to war, but he stayed with her. That made her feel better. He was still stealing food and stuff for her, too. That also made her feel better. Masi was gone and left Mika in Nasha's care, but Nasha had eight other children to look after, ones that were actually moving around. And doing things. A lot. Mika felt bitter, but it did work out well for her.
"Oce, could you bring me some more? I'm really hungry. And put on more of that stuff."
Oce smirked, speaking in his low tones. "Don't boss me. Why do you waant?"
Mika thought about it for a moment. "Well, it makes me more hungry. And when I'm more hungry I can eat more, which is less boring. And I feel better, a lot better. I can go think about other stuff instead of getting bored, like I can pretend I'm someplace else and I can do stuff instead of just lying here. It's easier to do when I eat a lot of that stuff."
Oce gave her a lidded look, then shrugged. "If it makes you haappy..." He wandered off and Mika flopped her hand on her face a few times, to pass the time. The mobile Nasha had made for her jangled around above her head. It was very pretty, but it wasn't exactly a source of endless entertainment... Katytans and Hrun clashed back and forth with one another as if locked in fierce combat as the steady draft blew through the room's ventilation. The novelty had worn off after a day or two.
Oce returned after some minutes with a meal that Nasha had clearly prepared fresh. Mika smelled... onions, garlic, flour, and fish oil. Hmm, interesting. "Thanks, Oce."
Oce sat on his chair next to the bed and propped up the tray to begin feeding his friend. "It's inside the fisssh. She wasn't looking. Enjoy the suace."
Mika smiled and took a bite of the pasta-wrapped fish sticks. "Whoa! How much did you put in there?"
Oce shrugged. "I didn't measssure." Mika blinked a few times and eagerly bit off the rest of the fish. "Delicious! Wow. More, more! Please."
Oce smirked. "I brought you my plate. I can bring more."
Mika giggled. "Go ahead! I'll just eat it with my face. I can do that, at least!"
Her companion nodded, wearing a dark smile. She knew it was just his weird way of saying he thought something was funny, instead of lauighing. She laughed along, anyhow, and went back to her meal.
After finishing both plates, she only felt even more hungry than before. Oce returned with a platter and served her more of the food. He'd clearly prepared it himself, this time. Mika looked up from the food for a moment and noticed Oce wearing a strange expression. "What? What's wrong?"
Oce put down the fish he'd been about to serve, hesitantly. "Your eyes are glowing again. Na-Not like before. It's... different. Look."
He rummaged around the nearby cabinet for a mirror and held it up for Mika to see. She blinked. Oce was right. It didn't look like fire or molten whatever or anything else she'd heard it described as, it just looked... Red. Like, um... A lunar eclipse, maybe? Ginya had told her about those. It was soft. It was subtle. It wasn't right.
"Hmm... Um... I dunno if I... Well, I do feel like eating. I'm still hungry. I dunno if I should eat any more of tha... Well, I shouldn't waste the food..."
Oce just blinked. Mika lowered her face to the platter and grabbed a fish stick in her mouth, mumbling through it to change the subject. "This is really good. Mmmm. Yummy."
Oce stared for a moment longer, then grabbed one and ate it himself. His eyes immediately began watering and he lowered it back onto the plate, then took a quick step over to the water basin and put his entire head beneath the surface for the over a minute before coming back up. He then looked back to Mika, gasping for air, speaking quickly in a terrible rush from the sudden dose of the powder he just consumed. "Nasha knows we're taking it. She'd been making more, she's known for a while. She knows that you've been taking too much and she knows now that it isn't really doing anything. Masi never saved a kid who took too much before, the adults he saved were crippled forever and they all died in the end. We broke it... We 'broke the rules'. No one knows what's happening now. I don't know how you can even stand to eat that much of it. I can't stand the smell, I need to plug my nose to cook it. What are you doing now?"
Mika blinked a few times by Oce's sudden outburst. He rarely spoke that many words in a day. But she'd gone back to eating, she was hungry and she couldn't just wait until he was done talking. She noticed now, however, that she had her right hand clamped around one of the fish sticks, somehow. She waggled the arm. She couldn't release the grip. Confused, she simply raised it to her mouth and ate it away. The hand began to twitch again after she put it down, and the grip relaxed. "Um...I dunno. Um." she suddenly tried to pick up another one to distract herself, but failed miserably. "Um, I'm tired, Oce. You... You can go. I really need to sleep."
She was lying, of course. Oce huffed and stormed out. She knew it was just the dose he'd eaten. She knew he knew. But she really didn't want to stress out thinking about things while he was still around. She didn't want to stress out about eating, either. She bit down a couple more fish sticks, then paused, thoughts beginning to drift. She still didn't feel right. Maybe sleeping would be a good idea. She closed her eyes and began to see...
Mika awoker. She was in the medical center again. Nasha was looming over her, among many others. There was a new face in the crowd, hanging back behind Nasha's leg. Mika tried to sit up. "Oh no... Did I 'splode again?"
Nasha's gaze was stern. Her eyebrow raised. "No, but you've been unconscious for just as long you were that time. For the last few minutes you've been muttering to yourself. I take it you don't recall?"
Mika blinked again. "Um... No? I don't really remember... Uh. Well, I only remember weird stuff..."
Nasha sighed heavily. "I don't know what you think you're doing. I've been trying to be nice. Reasonable. I know it's hard to give up fire powder when you start so young, hard to hold back. You almost killed yourself, and now you've going into trances and speaking in tongues--or worse, I don't really know. You and Oce have caused a lot of trouble. You already have a debt to repay that could last you for fifty years, and you're only digging yourself deeper. I know it's hard for you, but you're not the first kid who's had to spend her childhood on a hospital bed, and certainly not the last. Please show a little dignity and respect for those who take care of you."
Mika burned with embarassment. "I'm not trying to be a burden... I just... I just like pretty things and nice food. I just get a little carried away, that's all..."
Nasha frowned. "Oce has gone to war with the others, I'll Be Your Host from now on. Let's bring you back to your room."
Mika was carried. The other children were sent off to play a game afterward. Nasha shut the door behind them. "You've been very lucky so far. You shouldn't keep counting on it. I'm going to wean you off the drug, slowly. This is going to be uncomfortable. I'll do my best to help you through this, but don't even think of trying to change my mind. I won't put up with it."
It was Mika's turn to frown. "I know, you don't have to be so mean about it..." Nasha sighed and held her face. "Yes, I'll do the same. It was silly to begin experimenting with fire powder again. I only hope Masi can handle Nana for now. She's doing well in her role, but I don't like her behavior... It's a good thing that's not something you've picked up."
Mika leaned back, not comprehending what Nasha was rambling about. "Yeah, sure... Anyway, I'm hungry, and I'm doing what you want me to do, which is llie here and do nothing, so it'd be really nice if you could bring some more food for me..."
Nasha looked down at her for a moment. It was a hard gaze. Piercing, even. Finally, she nodded. "Yes, you'll be well fed. Just rest, Mika. The more you rest, the faster you'll heal. Like it or not, you'll have to get used to it sooner or later. You won't be able to do much for years, and it's enough to feed you--we can't keep you entertained at all hours, especially in the middle of a war. Please try to understand."
"Hmph..." Mika made a show of defiance, though it was transparent. Clearly she was miserable about it. Nasha sighed. It was a terrible injustice, that one so young would be forced to endure this torment, but the child had brought it on herself, she and Oce. She should have been watching them more carefully, but there were so many distractions... The Hrun. Nasha could blame the Hrun. That felt a little better. As she headed to the kitchen, she idly wondered how they would taste.
Mika ate, and slept. And ate, and slept. She then ate, and following that, she slept. And her prayers went out to the heavens...
Loose Ends, Chapter Seven
"Pardon my intervention, Nasha."
"It is an honour. I would never question your judgement, my goddess."
"...Yes, well. It would please me if you could transport the maimed one to the volcano, tonight. She is sound asleep, and will not awaken."
"Why?"
Katyn chuckled lightly. There was no vision, only sound.
"I am sorry. Her time is up. At this rate, she will not survive long enough to heal on her own, and in any case, I do not like to see the waste of a good mind."
"Why now? You have never intervened in this way before, no matter what suffering we endured."
"All your life has been in preparation for this time, Nasha, this conflict. Not with the Hrun. One far greater than that. Of course, I do not mean your purpose lies here, it's just the unfortunate fact that you will need to survive it..."
"Your dire warnings could do with being a little less vague."
"Please come. I will not waste any further time with explanation until you do as I say."
Nasha rolled out of bed. The nerve! She'd thought Katyn satisfied with her for now, after she'd relinquished her responsibilities to Nanae, but perhaps it was not to be. Regardless, the thought of disobeying was scarcely fathomable. How did one establish a bargaining position against a god? Perhaps she would learn the answer, if Katyn truly did plan to explain...
Groggily, Nasha stumbled out into the hallway and across to the room Mika had been assigned. Indeed, the child was fast asleep, although that came as no surprise. Nasha readied herself and carefully lifted the sleeping child, wrapping her arms around Mika's paralyzed lower body and holding her over her shoulder. From there she headed down through the metalworks out into the caldera, resting by the edge of the lava flow. Nasha muttered to herself. "Now what?"
She felt something hit the back of her head, and everything went dark. Nasha stirred and pulled herself up into a sitting position, under the radon glow of the crystals in the cavern. This seemed awfully familiar...
"Would it kill you to be less obnoxious when dealing with your... whatever you want to call us?"
"I see the fire powder has put your back up a little. It suits you well, Nasha." Katyn was hard at work. She didn't bother illuminating the cavern any better.
Nasha sighed. "If you're going to evade my questions, I'll just sit here until I get bored and go find something to hit myself in the head with again."
Katyn still did not turn around. "Yes, I've been trying to find a way to solve that problem. Building you a new brain every time you fracture your skull gets tiresome after the first time or so."
"Was that all you intended to do?"
"Of course not. Your whole body is a problem, it is not suited for battle. But it won't be wasted, either. You do your part well and are still my most cherished, but I must focus my attention elsewhere for now."
"I see. Then why have you brought me here?"
"I thought you deserved some explanation. It is easiest this way. It is nice to converse as I work."
"And Mika?"
"If that is her name, yes. Don't worry, her brain is in nearly perfect condition--and in many ways far better than yours is or was, I'm pleased to report--so there is no need to 'reforge' her in the manner you fear. Still, this work is not simple healing. I thank you for your wonderful testing and maintenance, it is part of what allows me to indulge in this side project."
"I see. You're... very welcome. I suddenly find myself unwilling to ask any more questions. I suppose I will take my leave, then."
"Are you sure you wouldn't like to be reborn? Think of all the great adventures 'Nasha, Warrior Princess' could have."
"Mmmm-hmmmm. Considering what happened to the previous 'Nasha' upon her supposed 'rebirth', I think I'll pass."
"That's hardly fair. 'Queen Nasha' was crushed by what was effectively a megaton meteorite. All you suffered was a little fall, and you didn't even reach terminal velocity. It wouldn't kill you very much, there'd be plenty of your mind left."
"Mmm. Thanks, but no thanks." Nasha began to head for the exit cautiously, through the dark.
Katyn sighed. "Sometimes I wonder why I bother being so polite. I'm just sentimental, I guess."
Nasha was trying to escape the conversation, but having difficulty. She suspected Katyn was enjoying this. "I mean no flattery by saying this, but it is your greatest trait. I only wish you'd show more of it, sometimes."
"Hmm, yes. I see. Of course, my affections are easily swayed by the words and actions of my greatest creations... Although I am fairly pleased with the events of the past few years, you personally have done nothing to please me in quite some time. Your own works, though still amusing, are becoming rather stale due to your preoccupations. I am only allowing you to make your own decision in this matter due to a combination of nostalgia and simple faith, something I do not want to regret."
Nasha hissed and turned around, heading back toward the sound of Katyn's voice. Despite her best efforts to surpress the conflict, her shame was now fighting with her sense of indignation. "Very well. Let me play this game. If I submit and you find you've made a mistake, what then?"
"What, indeed? Of course I would regret my decision if it proved to be in error somehow, but I'd give the New You all the respect and and attention you deserve, regardless. I can't fathom there being any such problem, however. You'd somehow have to be useful for even less than babysitting, cooking, tending firestalks and providing adorable offerings to not at all adorable spoiled brats, and it'll be hard for you to not be useful, with the gifts I would give to you."
Nasha surrendered to the old, buried emotion Katyn was working to dig up, despite being well aware of the ploy. "Very well. I've failed you. Again, apparently. I don't know what it is you expect from me, exactly, but reforging myself into a weapon is not something I can do--despite all other Katytans being capable of doing so if they wish." Nasha glared into the darkness for a moment, hoping she'd made her point, before continuing. "If you think you can 'fix' whatever's 'wrong' without undue waste or destruction, do so, but please--I don't want to die, in any way, shape, or form."
Katyn was silent for a moment. Completely silent. She had ceased working. Finally, she responded. "I thank you for your candor, and I suppose I must apologize for inadvertantly engineering your current situation. I will see what I can do to make it up to you. In the meantime, who is minding the children?"
Nasha was pleasantly surprised with the concern, though not quite impressed. "Elna."
"Ah, yes. The caravan has returned safely. In that case, let us begin, There's no need to hit yourself on the head, all I need is to find your key... Oh, yes. Of course. I keep that one around my neck." Katyn's tone was mocking, yet sincere in a way. There was a jangling sound in the darkness.
Nasha was puzzled, but not for long. She felt something click.
The Joy of Conquest
Ringa stretched as he walked through the village square. "Ahhhhk... Easiest victory we've had in twenty years of campaignin'." His third lieutenant, Akkar, rushed to follow. "Yes, sir. Truly a blessing." Ringa patted him on the back. "No blessing, lad. Jus' plain ol' serendipity. I wonder what spooked 'em? Sure wasn't us."
"The scouts report nothing, sir. No beasts, no birdmen, no nothing. Could be they were recalled home to aid another cause."
Ringa shrugged. "Ahhh, well. Let's live in the moment for now. A glorious, bloodless victory is something to celebrate. Let's see if they left any good booze around here."
"Yes, sir!"
The men went out, searching home by home. "All clear! No booze here!" "No beverages detected, sir!" Ringa laughed heartily at their enthusiasm and turned to another of his lieutenants, who was busy debriefing her troops. "Nana, go check for crops that might be still growin' in the northwest fields. You'll find something to brew, I'm sure." "Yes, sir! I always do."
Ringa chuckled to himself, and heard Masi's voice behind him. "I suspect we may have a problem, here. It's possible the High-Tengu and the Mage may have passed this way. They would be long gone by now, but that little girl is in a position that affords her great power, respect, and authority, however undeserved. I can fathom no other explanation for such a departure, with no signs of outside infleunce other than a feather."
He held up the evidence for Ringa to see. It was muddied, but unmistakable. Ringa briefly considered that Masi might be trying to fool with him, but his eyes were too keen to be misled by paranoia--the feather would have to have been planted to bake in the sun and local soil for weeks to achieve its current state. "I see. Could be true. But you already have scouts on both our flank, eh-hey? We'll stay alert in case we need to pull out, no need ta worry."
Masi nodded. "Just keeping you informed. Enjoy yourself, I can direct the deconstruction work. Of course, if you enjoy shouting orders, be my guest."
Ringa laughed again as Masi smirked and walked away. Of course, it was true. A young soldier rushed up to him. "I found boooooooooze!" Ringa looked down and sniffed. "Smells like piss." The soldier checked this out for himself. "...Ew. Why and how did they put that in a jug?" He wandered off to dump it, since Ringa was too redfaced with mirth to answer.
Ringa sighed. There were some days he wished would just go on and on... But surely, there would be many more to come.
Yane's Crazy Dance
Yane practiced in the training area the Hrun had been nice enough to build for her. She held Bellblossom high before her, struggling to remain upright. The axe was massive. If she couldn't hold it without falling over, first, there wasn't much use in learning to fight with it.
Eventually the strain lessened as she worked it out, and the muscles of her arms went from 'sore' to 'pleasantly numb'. She began to stretch and move it around experimentally.
It was surprisingly easy to wield, despite the size and weight. She'd balanced it perfectly and crafted it from the best steel. Pressing a button on the haft caused the blades to pop out on the bottom end of the haft. They weren't just good for kayaking with, they were fine weapons in their own right.
She struggled with this arrangement for a moment, then decided it was too advanced for her, and pressed the button again. The blades retracted and she was left with the axe, breathing heavily by now from the tension.
Presently, Yane noticed that a crowd was beginning to gather around the practice yard, intrigued by the sight of Yane the performer, the magician, wielding a sort of bardiche taller than she was. Never one to turn down the opportunity to please a crowd, Yane began to move around the yard, as though in a dance, and the enthusiasm quickly picked up.
The Katyans of the Second called for their instruments, and the band began to play a light-hearted martial tune, emphasizing their flutists, backed up by drums and low horns. They started out slow, to spare their performer, but Yane's grin made it clear she was ready for more.
The sound of rushing air, heavy bootsteps and of the axe slamming into the dirt soon entered the musical score as they improvised, their way through the song, and soon Yane could neither feel the exertion nor hear the cheering crowd, and she soon began to sing, often wielding the axe in one hand, improbably twirling and twisting it with her wrists.
"Kah kweh nelo gah weh, ka-leh-lo te-ah-lo weh,
Kah kweh nelo oh reh, ka-leh-lo eh-ni-no reh,
Ni ha lo en gah weh, tre siba ne-ah-no-eh,
Kiba ko nialo, tre siba ki-ah-no-eh,
Kisalo."
The drums picked up and Yane performed a complete circle, twirling the axe around to her sides, one, two, three, four, sweeping it back and forth before her, one two three four, kicking it into the air by the blade, bouncing the haft off her other foot, striking it with the back of her head as it fell, catching it in the small of her back, and jammed a button on it, sweeping it back to her front in two twirling lateral halves to sweep back together, and finally revealed the weapon's own musical abilities, injecting a spastic tweeting tune into the beat as she readied for her next piece.
"Kina ele amo, pavere nialo kay,
Aqo enialo, lemere acona que,
Vihi prue miako, lena treben-tu diay,
Kassiri tozu prihako, da-sen ku creay!"
The music continued a bit longer, as if getting ready for another go, but died as it became obvious that Yane had stopped dancing and the axe was drooping to the ground at her side, not in use. She glazed blearily at the dirt for a moment. "That was... fun."
Thump.
Those nearby quickly rushed in to make sure the fallen Yane was quite alright. It seemed so, as there was a smile on her face, but her eyes were closed, she was completely limp, and could not be shaken awake. She began to snore when lifted up, and seemed to reflexively bat away any hands that reached for her axe with the back of her hand, however, so the crowd quickly dispersed in good humour and she was taken to one of the barracks beds to rest.
On the distant edge of her consciousness, Yane heard voices.
"What a weirdo."
"Should we really just leave that thing lying there?"
"You know the one that giant guy had like that. I don't think we're supposed to touch it. Just throw some canvas over it."
"Okay..."
"Seriously, though. What a weirdo."
"Hey, cut that out. I saw you enjoying it."
"So what? It was hilarious."
"Sure..."
"What was she singing about, anyway?"
"I dunno... Something good, though. Something really good."
"Mmm... Heh, heh. Haha. Heh."
"What?"
"Oh, nothing..."
The voices faded away, and Yane was left to sleep.
Loose Ends: Chapter Eight
"Good morning, Nasha. Are you awake? Can you see?"
The Katytan laid with her back to the iron tabletop could not at first, but she blinked a few times and a familar face was soon visible, however dim, indistinct and fleeting the image.
"Who..."
"It may take some time to adjust. I have a task for you as soon as you are able."
The face turned and faded away, flickering. The dim glow, the images... Nasha--that was her name, wasn't it?--struggled to make sense of the situation. Memories came back as a jumble of concepts and images, too many to count by several orders of magnitude, too many to even have a word for. It was too much to handle, just now. She blocked them out.
"Where am I?"
"Don't you remember?"
"I... remember being here before, but I do not remember where 'here' is." She paused. "I remember seeing you before, but I do not remember who you are."
"Hmm, interesting. I suppose that's not so bad, you'll get over it. I am Katyn Kolanna Alanitan, your goddess and creator, and this is my domain. Do you remember who you are?"
"My name is Nasha..." Nasha grimaces as she groped for the word, and spoke it with an expression of pained exertion, "Elesmawaura, and I am... The First Katytan. What is 'The First Katytan'?"
"Try to remember. You have corrected people upon it many times in the past."
Nasha tried to recall. She failed. "At least I know what it is not."
"Yes, you do. Don't worry, your answer will come to you."
The was silence but for Katyn's quiet labours at her workbench. Nasha, frowning, slowly processed the swarm of stray thoughts that clouded her consciousness, and after some minutes she found that she could now see clearly.
The cavern was beautiful, its contents even moreso. She recognized many of the decorations, and with some difficulty she concentrated on her loose muscles, at last managing to move her feet off the table, standing upon them after a minute more of steadying her breathing.
She slowly made her way to the rows of tiny figurines, barely the length of a finger, and sat on the floor to admire them. Yes, they were familar... She had made many of these herself. One in particular jumped out at her, and acting on a distant instinct, she carefully reached out and picked it up, inspecting the bottom.
It read:
"NASHA ELESMAUWARA
First Among the Katytans"
Nasha smiled and turned it over in her hands. There was no rush of remembrance, now, it was only a gentle steam. Already she felt far more at ease. She replaced the figure upon its shelf, and slowly made her way down the line. The better part of an hour passed as she digested the history of a thousand Katytans, much of which she had forgotten long ago, as the world above had no memory of its creators.
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted another row of figures, deeper in, and felt an unsettling apprehension, unsure whether she should approach. Katyn finally saw fit to comment. "Go on. It will be unsettling and unpleasant, but enlightening. Even I learn or relearn a few painful lessons every time I brave that corridor. You should feel proud if you do--I have done so only a dozen times since I created that gallery, over a hundred and fifty years ago."
Nasha nodded without turned around, and slowly made her way forward. These figures were different from the others, not cute, but sinister. They lacked innocence, humanity, and a sense of understanding, oozing pride, anger, and negativity. There were exceptions--many expressed joy, curiousity, or modesty in contrast to the rest--but they were lost in the morass.
Distantly, Nasha heard Katyn's voice. "It's not entirely a fair cross-section, but most of the works that were of pleasant nature were crude in make and design. An unfortunate reality was, the scum rose to the top. Gold-plated scum..." Katyn let out a strained chuckle, leaving the thought there.
Nasha continued to inspect these works of terrible beauty. Most she did not recognize, to her relief, but some she did. The memories were painful, but they stayed back. None of them hit her hard, she had dealt with this before. Something was missing, however...
The words came unbidden to Nasha's lips. "Where are mine?"
"In a box. As I said, the works of pleasant nature were crude in make and design. I could dig them out for you, if you like."
Nasha turned around, surrounded by the sea of faces, a sense of revulsion growing within her. She swallowed. "I would."
Katyn went to her archives and Nasha followed. The items they sought were soon retrieved. Katyn could not bear to look, and covered her eyes in disdain as she stalked off, but Nasha was entranced.
Certainly, they were not 'beautiful', but at least they were rather pretty, the work of a skilled amateur. Nasha could not help feeling joy well up within herself as she looked upon them, carrying with it a strong sense of nostalgia. She tucked them back away after having her fill of the distant memories, nearly two hundred years old, and returned to her creator, smiling inwardly as much as outwardly.
"Thank you, Katyn. I am more than satisfied with the work you have done, for now. What is your will?"
Katyn waved Nasha forward, and soon her task was clearly, merely from the sight. Nasha's eyes widened. The empty face gazing out toward her was familiar, though she could not place it. The form of the child was sprawled out on the workbench in pieces, made of metal, and gemstones, not flesh and blood. The work was intricate beyond words.
The goddess noted Nasha's expression of terror and awe with interest, and nodded to herself. "You are the first 'mortal'--assuming the Katytans can truly be called 'mortal--to see this, my greatest works as they are yet unfinished. Indeed, few gods have. This is Mika, the child you know. She is not dead, but in stasis, and I work to repair and improve on her."
Nasha continued to gape in bewilderment. "Why?"
"The answer is complex. It is true that I have not done this before, despite there often being the need, but that is because my efforts have gone into new Katytans. You see... It is difficult to strike a balance between quality and efficient production, but vital, as failure to do so would result in either chaos and disintegration or an overwhelming defeat.
"You see the patterns upon her arms? I am sure you have often wondered about their purpose. No? Well, they are not mere decoration. Without them I could not remember and reference my designs, and without them I could not do what I am doing, now. Over time my methods have improved mainly in efficiency, I am content with the quality of the Katytans, for now. Still, this is a time of dire need, and it demands extra effort toward a specialization of purpose. I do not like the stress of working at all hours, but these few years of exertion will pay for many more of peace and prosperity, if were are to succeed.
"We will work on Mika, now. You will learn much, as will I. I have not worked with an assistant since before the creation of the Katytans, as none but the Katytans--you in particular--are fit to do so. My work with you is not yet done, but it is sufficient for now that your mind is prepared. Are you ready to begin?"
Nasha continued to stare for a moment, slowly shaking her head in disbelief. The deepest secrets of the Katytans were being offered to her alone. After a time, she nodded, eyes glittering in the darkness. "Yes. Teach me!"
Katyn paused for a moment after turning with a raised finger, then muttered to herself. "I'm going to have to invent some names for these new pieces, so bear with me, here. This is the flongabula. It regulates breath patterns under circumstances where the kibbulula, here, is under stress from the--" Katyn shook her head at Nasha's expression. "Let's start with the basics..."
Both the goddess and her champion had the feeling this was going to be a long, long day.
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Topic: Battle of the Gods IV (Read 70259 times)