Belkross grabbed Nakoda by the back of his shirt with one hand and lugged him the rest of the way. The little Rider’s heels skimmed the ground as they went. “I don’t know why everybody’s so mad at me,” he whined up at the mercenary. “You basically did the same thing.”
“No,” Belkross growled. “I told the creature that, if a battle broke out, I would take it with me. You were trying to die. You were inviting an attack. Meanwhile I let it know that there would be consequences for attacking.”
“…Okay…Super cool…Maybe I should get a hat like yours. That’d make me cool, too, right?”
“That would be a start.”
“Speaking of,” Lilian said. “Belkross, take it off. Your coat, too. And, Sapphire, come here.”
Belkross dropped Nakoda onto his face and wordlessly did as he was told. Frowning, Sapphire did likewise. Lilian went to work on her blue hair, tying it up into a tight bun that rested near the top of the head. She then plopped the hat on top. They used the coat to hide most of the android’s armor, keeping it buttoned up all the way up to Sapphire’s collar.
“We can’t have your people freaking out as soon as they see us walking in with her,” Lilian told Revalynd.
“Good idea,” He conceded. He and Wyrlynd changed back into their elven forms. “Come now. It’s not too far now.”
He wasn’t wrong. The end of the jungle was abrupt, almost artificial. The party found themselves standing atop a hill overlooking a long valley. Metal cubes were lined up in rows of two through the valley. Lilian narrowed her eyes and made out windows and double doors. The metal was a dull blue, almost grey. Vegetation had begun to creep back up into the valley, with moss covering the outer walls of ceiling of these buildings. She also spotted a few small gardens here and there, but she didn’t recognize any of the fruit. The trek down into the valley was steep, but they managed it without further incident. They were little more the fifty feet from the first pair of metallic sheds when Revalynd spoke to his son.
“Go on, boy,” he said. “Wake Zahir if he isn’t up and about already.”
“Do I have to?”
The elven man almost smiled. “Yes. If he believes that we didn’t make the attempt to alert him as soon as possible I’ll never hear the end of it.”
Wyrlynd threw his head back and groaned before running off. Even out of tiger form he was still quick on his feet. Revalynd watched after him, smiling with his eyes. He glanced back and forth as the doors of these buildings began to slide apart. The sun’s rays cast shadows across the grass as elves, all of them men, trickled out into the valley. Some yawned, rubbing sleep out of their eyes. They were all dressed like the Yggdrafields in animal hides, though some wore more than others.
Lilian found herself frowning at them. Elves were supposed to be beautiful. These elves…weren’t. They were malnourished, and the exposed skin of their faces and bodies were weathered and covered in various scars made by Castrovel’s predators. Some of the men spotted the group of newcomers and frowned, but none approached. A few even chose to retreat back into their shacks instead. There didn’t seem to be any kind of fence or magic barrier keeping them here. Had the Forces conditioning left them completely hopeless that they willingly returned here daily instead of escaping into the jungle?
Pathetic, Lillain sniffed to herself.
Eventually, two of the braver elves mustered enough courage to venture over. The taller of the two was a broad fellow. His wideset features were marred by multiple nasty scars, to the point that it was a miracle that he still had two functioning eyes. The shorter elf was built like a bipedal broomstick, with delicate features that could have been considered pretty if they hadn’t been covered in a severe case of sunburn. He stood a little bit into his larger companion’s shadow, anxiously linking and unlinking his fingers repeatedly.
“Gunnar,” Revalynd said, nodding to him. He turned to the scarred elf. “Tavo. Good morning.”
They exchanged quick looks before Gunnar said anxiously, “”Um, Revalynd, you left to go get fish and came back with…friends, I hope?”
“Yeh,” Tavo grunted. “Fish don’t have legs.”
Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve finally found the brains of this operation, Lilian thought sarcastically to Belkross. The devil chuckled. She glanced up ahead. Apparently Wyrlynd had been able to find this “Zahir” quickly enough. The boy was running back, with two elves keeping pace with him.
“Revalynd!” the older of the two growled. “You fool! What have you done now?”
“Good to see you, too, Zahir,” Revalynd responded dryly while also giving his son a nod that said Good job.
Zahir might have once been very handsome, and some of that still survived through the leathery mask that was his face. His sky-blue eyes were especially beautiful. Long silver hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but he’d done a sloppy job of it, with strands poking out randomly. He was shorter than Revalynd and Tavo but made of wiry muscle that clearly came from years of hunting and perhaps hard labor. Maybe the Forces had forced the elves to build these buildings before moving in. Like making a rat build its own cage.
“I see you found new mouths,” Zahir said while doing a quick headcount of the near arrivals. “Sorry to tell you that none of you are eating for free.”
“Zahir,” Revalynd growled, allowing some of the tiger to seep into his voice. Zahir stared back at him, unfazed. Revalynd finally shook his head and gestured to Lilian and Sapphire. “The women are the only ones that speak our tongue, so they will be translating for the rest.”
To prove her point, Lilian took a step forward, hand to her chest. She said in perfectly serviceable elven, “It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Lilian.” She quickly introduced the others, though she gave Sapphire’s name as “Seraphim.”
“This is Zahir Ormingun,” Revalynd said before gesturing to the younger elf to Zahir’s left. “And Tyrannus, his son.”
“Just ‘Tyr’, please, and hello-hello!” Tyr greeted with a pleasant wave.
The boy was his father’s teenage ghost (at least in appearance since Lilian recalled that elves were supposed to be appear youthful for the majority of their long, long lifespans). His skin was tan rather than weathered, which made his blue eyes pop beautifully. His sharp jaw was peppered with dark scruff. Like his father he wore his hair in a ponytail, but his was as black as midnight. Also, like Zahir, his body was composed of lean (beautiful) muscle.
Then and there Lilian decide that she did not like the man, and that his easygoing smile was the most annoying thing throughout the galaxy. She barely suppressed a disdainful sniff in his direction before returning her attention to Zahir. He and Revalynd seemed to be co-leaders of this pitiful tribe.
“As far as food goes,” she said, “we have enough to feed ourselves. Do not worry about that.”
Zahir studied her before telling Revalynd, “Some fish you managed to catch, Yggdrafield. Your special rod work after all?”
“It bore unexpected fruit. But not in a way that can be replicated any time soon.”
“He was fishing for fruit?” Tavo asked. Gunnar gave him a sympathetic pat.
“Pity,” Zahir said darkly.
“Has our other unexpected guest awakened?” Revalynd asked.
“He’s begun to toss and turn. Nomi’s managed to slip him some broth here and there. Which he will work off as soon as he awakens.”
Revalynd ignored that last comment. He pointed at Nakoda’s butterfly-imprinted pauldron. “This boy has a connection to the stranger. Introducing-or really, reuniting them could stir the stranger back to consciousness.”
In answer, Zahir glanced upwards at the brightening sky. “Did you notice the unit flying about?” he asked. “Seems far too soon for them to be doing another inspection.”
“Whatever their motive, we can handle it. We can hide the newcomers.”
Zahir didn’t look convinced. “Until then, you’re accountable for them.” He smiled. It came nowhere close to touching his eyes. “I’ll show the boy to the stranger’s quarters.”
That smile made Nakoda shudder instinctively. He stepped towards Lilian and asked out of the corner of his mouth, “What’s going on? Why’s he looking at me like that?”
“He’s saying that he’s going to take you to the other Rider,” she told him. “And I should go with you to translate.”
“Oh, okay. Oh! Hey, ask him if I can bring Don, too.”
Lilian turned to Zahir. “I will be going as well to act as translator.” She gestured to Don. “This creature is a part of the same order of knights as Nakoda and the man you found. Its healing magic could stir the Rider from his slumber.”
“This ugly thing?” the elf grunted skeptically. He turned to his son. “Go. Make sure that our other guest hasn’t miraculously wandered off.”
“Yes, sir,” Tyr said annoyingly and hurried off. Also annoyingly.
Repressing the urge to roll her eyes, Lilian told Zahir, “Lead the way.” The weathered elf shot Revalynd one final glance before taking off down the valley. Nakoda, Don, and Lilian followed. Yet Belkross stayed put so that the girl could keep tabs on both groups.
“Wyrlynd,” Revalynd said, stepping towards Gunnar and Tavo, “stay with the newcomers. Maybe take them to Nomi’s. I need to prepare the hunters for what is to come.”
“Can do, Dad!” Wyrlynd exclaimed. There was clear relief in his voice. Relief that the fiasco in the father hadn’t lost him his father’s favor. Once the older elves departed he turned to the group. “Come on!” He took Sapphire’s hand in both of his. “Time for the tour!”
Sapphire hastily agreed before translating Wyrlynd’s intentions to the others. While she allowed herself to be led forward, Belkross signaled for Paco to hang back a little. Curious, the gunslinger told Turtle to slow down. The tiger boy didn’t seem to notice. His attitude towards Sapphire had done a complete turnaround.
Goodbye, Murderous Loathing. Hello, Schoolboy Crush.
“What’s up?” Paco asked Belkross under his breath.
“My mistress wanted me to inform you of the nature of our contract. In the worst-case scenario that she dies, I will disappear. If she needs to summon a creature to defend herself, I will disappear.” Belkross rolled his eyes. “Basically, if I disappear, the situation has turned for the worst.”
“Alright then.”
The mercenary gave Paco’s lack of a reaction the side-eye.
“…Yes. Alright then.”
There were that many buildings left to pass by the time the group reached who Wyrlynd was looking for. She seemed to be the only female elf at the encampment. She was dragging a long table out onto the grass in front of the unit she likely called home. She was tall with a willowy figure, with a mane of long, wavy copper hair falling down her back. The corner of her eyes and full lips were highlighted with laugh lines. She wore a shawl with a hood over her leather clothes, using the shawl to ward off the sun’s rays.
“Mama Nomi!” Wyrlynd called over with an excited wave.
The elven woman turned in response to his voice. She tilted her head at the sight of his companions, yet her expression remained pleasant. “Wyrlynd,” she chuckled, giving up on the table for the time being. “Mornin’, Kitten. Who’re your friends?”
“Dad and I ran into them over at the lake,” Wyrlynd said. He introduced everyone, even Turtle.
“What a variety,” Mama Nomi noted.
“There are a few more, but they went to talk to that other guy we found.”
“I see.” Mama Nomi took a step forward, making eye contact with Sapphire. “Well, aren’t you a real beauty, hon.”
“Thank you,” Sapphire replied, feeling self-conscious for the first time in her…well, existence. She’d never thought of herself once as beautiful. Just as…Sapphire…A Sapphire.
She repressed a wince as memories threatened to float back to the surface. Memories and secrets. Secrets that could put everyone in danger-
“Seraphine is the only one who can speak elven,” Wyrlynd spoke up. “Her and the blonde girl, Lilian.”
Mama Nomi nodded in understanding, her gaze remaining on Sapphire. “Well, that’s not gonna stop me from making y’all feel welcome with the limited resources I have and the unfortunate circumstances we find ourselves in.” She clasped her hands together and said to everyone (for whom Sapphire promptly translated), “Name’s Nomi Newcastle, but everyone calls me Mama Nomi. If Revalynd’s the sword, and Zahir’s the grit, then I’m who you come to after a long, stressful day. So don’t none of y’all hesitate to come a knocking on my door.”
A mischievous smile spread across her face. “Especially if you’ve got something worth trading.”
That caught Paco’s attention. “Trade? Hmmm, what do you have to offer?”
After Sapphire translated, Mama Nomi held up a finger telling them to wait, disappeared into her unit, and then returned fruit the size of your average humanoid head. It had the shape and texture of a pineapple, but colored various shades of purple, with yellow leaves jutting out of the top. “Tavo, Cleetus, and Jilly Job got me a few of these a few seasons back.” She shook it. “My boys sliced one of them up, at their share, and the juices healed all their wounds from a recent hunt.” She shook it again. “And, as a plus, it tastes so goooood!”
“Huh,” Paco said, tugging on his goatee thoughtfully. Through Sapphire he told Nomi, “Well, I’ve still got fangs we saved from some snakes. And fangs we got from another, bigger snake.” He pointed at Belkross. The mercenary was still wearing the Flying Shadow’s head, though it’d definitely seen better days. “And we’ve got that, or some of its fangs, too. Or some leftover lizard meat we caught earlier.”
“Oh!” Wyrlynd managed to outdo the gunslinger’s reflexes by darting in and plunging a hand into his coat. He yanked out the bloodstones and held them up. “They’ve also got these!”
And this is why I hate children, Belkross thought mildly.
Like Revalynd, Mama Nomi visibly reacted to the sight of the bloodstones. Her eyes widened, her hold on the fruit tightened, and she took a step back. None of the other eavesdropping elves reacted nearly as negatively. Some of them narrowed their eyes, likely wondering if the strangers had somehow threatened the woman. But none seemed to recognize the stones for what they were.
“Zahir was right,” Mama Nomi murmured. “The Forces vessel…It’s coming for us…because of you.”
Paco snatched the stones back from Wyrlynd. The boy flinched before telling the woman, “No, Mama Nomi! I know what you’re thinking, but Sapphire and the others aren’t like-”
“I knew it!” She grimaced at Sapphire. “You’re one of them.”
“I am what I am,” the android replied, showing her hands. “But that does not mean that our chances of survival are zero percent. These Forces vessels, how many units do they deploy during an average inspection?”
“Units?”
“Others. Like me.”
Mama Nomi’s brow furrowed further. “…A dozen or so blazes. An onyx to direct them. And the sapphire always stays on the ship.”
Belkross arched an amused eyebrow once Sapphire finished relayed the information. “Heh,
he laughed to himself. “Well, If they’re bringing a vessel here, that could save us a trip.”
He glanced towards the sky, towards the rising sun. The blood of this fake body began to pump faster in anticipation of the battle sure to come. Lilian, he thought. We’ve been made. How are things on your end?