[IC] Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

[EliteCommander]

"I suppose that makes sense, especially for a people who fly, though it seems somewhat dangerous to me. In Amman, we kept stores of beer for emergencies. Water is hard to keep clean, and can be filled with diseases to begin with, but you can store alcohol for as long as you want and it will always be safe to drink. Plus, it lets us use the alcohol for drink, and the water to grow food during a drought." Tarentek commented, though he stopped and paid attention once they reached the bridge. Although he was in the city with permission from their leader, it would likely be easier on everyone if he was not discovered that night. He assumed their leader would give word about his presence before leaving on his scouting mission, so he would be relatively safe soon enough. Until then, he readily followed close to Onyx.

Tarentek was quickly discovering that he was not fond of heights, so he kept his eyes ahead as he walked along. Luckily, he was a relatively coordinated individual, so he did not have much of an issue crossing the bridge. A brief glance down caused him to nearly stumble once, but he recovered and moved to the other side without incident. He decided he would keep himself quiet until they reached her den, so he remained silent as he looked to Onyx expectantly, waiting for her next instruction.

[Vesuvius00]

Tarentek's silence worried Onyx, she glance back at him many times as they crossed the bridge, but could not make out the emotion on his face. She hoped it was just because he was tired, and kept vigilant watch on the skies for sentries. As they got to her den she rushed inside, starting a fire in the fireplace and lighting lamps in every room around the den. She motioned for Tarentek to come in once she had finished, and led him to a small room near the back of the den.

"This is where you will sleep, please wait a moment." She went to the kitchen and got a large glass of water, returning to Tarentek within a minute. "Here, drink slowly. There is more." She said as she handed the cup to him. She went around the room, gathering up things she would have to move to another room by the door, and making the bed with a large white blanket and pillow. "Please try to rest now. I will call you out to the main room once the meal is ready." She walked over to the only hole in the walls of the room and hung a large sheet over the opening, covering it completely. "Also, do not move this," She said, motioning to the sheet. "It will keep anyone from seeing you as you sleep."

She left him then. If he did not come when she called she could try and wake him up, however she believed that in his state it would probably be better to let him sleep and feed him when he woke again.

[EliteCommander]

Tarentek felt strange being shepherded around in secret to Onyx's den, but he supposed it was necessary. At least it finally seemed like he was going to be able to stop moving and relax. For almost the entire day, he had been wandering the desert and was close to exhaustion. Luckily, the pair made it to the den without being spotted, after which Onyx was quick to dash around the rooms lighting lanterns for visibility.

After a few minutes, Onyx led Tarentek to a small room in the back. It had little else other than a bed, but he was not someone who required much in the way of accommodations. It was already a more comfortable room than the barracks he was used to. He sat down on the bed and leaned his back against the wall as Onyx left the room. Letting down his hood, he gave a fatigued sigh, but did his best to stay awake and alert. Although he was tired, he was far hungrier than he was exhausted, and he was anxiously looking forward to a much-needed meal. When Onyx brought him his water, he was tempted to down it all in one gulp again, but paced himself on her recommendation. Despite all he had to worry about at the moment, the small room in a nice, peaceful den was enough to at least mitigate some of the stress he had accumulated throughout the day while he waited for Onyx to call him into the other room.

[Vesuvius00]

Onyx tried to make something that tasted ok in as little time as possible, so she ended up making hot sandwiches. Ground meat cooked into a shape like a pancake and served in bread, a simple meal that she was sure Tarentek would be able to eat as much as he wanted of. "Tarentek. The meal is ready." She called as she placed the food on the small table in the main room, pouring another glass of water for Tarentek and placing it at his spot. She did not have to wait long for him to show up, although he did not seem to have rested at all since she had left him in his room. She decided that she would give him some medicine to help him sleep after he ate, as she placed two small pills next to his plate before sitting down.

"The blue pill will help your digestion, and the green one will help you re-hydrate faster. You have to take them before you finish your plate if you're going to want any more food after that." She said as he sat across the table from her.

[EliteCommander]

Tarentek was quick to move to the main room once he heard his name. He still had a good amount of water in his cup, and the meal, in his eyes, looked greatly appetizing. Of course, with as long as it had been since he had eaten, just about anything edible would seem quite appealing.

Tarentek had not been expecting medicine, though he supposed Onyx was assigned to be his nurse. She had done nothing to harm him so far, so he saw no reason not to trust what she was giving him. "Thank you." He said with a polite nod before taking the medicine, then starting on his meal. As much as he wanted to wolf down the meat as quickly as he could, Tarentek had to force himself to take his time and not overeat. His malnourishment was hardly as bad as it could have been, but he still needed to pace himself to be safe. Hopefully, the medicine would help in that regard.

"I have told you some about my life, but perhaps I could ask a few questions about yours?" Tarentek commented after a minute or so of silence. "I got the sense that you are related to your leader. Is that true?"

[Vesuvius00]

Tarentek's question didn't surprise her, although the fog of his memory sure did. Her father had only briefly mentioned that she was his daughter, but the way he said it had made her think that he was attempting to shame Her and Tarentek at the same time. If she accounted for the fact that his memory would probably be spotty because of his condition, she could understand him forgetting such a minuscule moment. "Well," She started, not sure whether to be blunt or vague, and deciding to just get it out. "Yes, you are right. Raldel is my father, and I am his youngest daughter."

Onyx tried to force herself to keep a strait face as she thought about her family. She didn't fit in with her brothers at all, as they all decided to become Scouts and Sentries, and her one older sister was... Onyx shook herself to keep the thought from her mind. "I'd rather not talk about my family much, if you don't mind. Please." She added the last part under her breath, so she was unsure if Tarentek actually heard it or not, and then decided she didn't care. "All you need to know is that my father has not been leader of our tribe for long. He took control after the last snow-fall."

[EliteCommander]

"I understand." Tarentek said, nodding to Onyx as he continued with his meal at a relatively slow pace. "My parents were no one special in my city. They were simply warriors, like myself. They taught me what they knew and prepared me for my training, after which I became a scout for my people. My father died in battle about five years ago, and my mother was wounded last year. She lost the ability to use her leg as...effectively as before, so she was no longer able to serve as a warrior after that. As for my role, I have more knowledge than the average person about old Human technology. It was the task of myself and my scouting team to identify and recover useful materials and machines."

After giving his brief explanation of his own past, Tarentek moved on to the next point about which he was curious. "At any rate, perhaps I could know a bit more about your kind. The ability to fly is...not something I could imagine myself. Having been something you've had your whole life, I would guess it is fairly mundane to you, but for someone who has been bound to the Earth for all his years, it seems amazing, and frightening, to think about. Although, I do wonder in what ways we are different that are not so obvious."

[Vesuvius00]

Onyx had never thought that her flight was mundane, how could she, when every time she took off she could feel the pure joy and freedom of the air around her. She was not quite sure how to explain this to Tarentek however, so she decided to try telling him what her mother had once told her. "Well, to me the ability to fly has always been a blessing upon my people. Our wings have allowed us to survive what our brother race, the Gahiji, could not. The Gahiji all died years before I was born, but other than the absence of wings, they were exactly like the Elissics. The histories I have learned of my people claim that the two races may have had a shared heritage, and that it was a grave mistake on the part of the Elissics to allow the Gahiji's destruction." Onyx took a moment to get her train of thought back on track before continuing.

"As for imagination... Have you ever felt so happy and safe that you couldn't help yourself but to laugh and sing? When I'm in flight the world seems so much smaller, and I know that I am free of the lurking dangers and unpredictability of the land below. I am untouchable, and may go wherever I wish, or even simply nowhere at all..." Onyx trailed off, a light smile on her face as she recalled memories of when she had first learned to fly. "I was terrified when I was first learning, Olias caught me a lot at the beginning, but now I could fly in my sleep if i wanted to." Suddenly, Onyx realized what the biggest difference between them could be.

"Tarentek, do you have gods? I don't mean the kind that you could prove exist, but the deep belief that there is someone unseen watching over you." Onyx tried not to ask the question too suddenly, but she hoped that he would understand that what she asked had a stronger meaning than the words could imply.

[EliteCommander]

Tarentek tried to understand how it felt to fly from Onyx's words. Her way of describing the experience was quite vivid, though he doubted he would ever truly understand what it was like to fly under his own power, not unless he found a way to grow wings. He had not heard of this other race she mentioned, but if they had indeed died out, then why would he? "The way you make it sound...I do wish I could experience it, and not passively as before. It does seem like flight would give your people a great advantage." He commented, giving a pause to take a drink of his water. "Although, I suppose my people are not without any advantage. I am somewhat...larger than everyone I have seen so far here. I am honestly surprised you were able to carry me here; it could not have been easy. I do remember that my kind tended to have at least a bit more in the way of...muscular definition compared to most of the traders and other visitors to our city. Then there is our regeneration."

After Tarentek trailed off himself, Onyx asked a question about his people's gods, which he had no problem answering. "Yes, Koisk, Jhala, and Vikrii. They are our body, mind, and spirit, respectively. I could explain more about them, if you are curious." He offered.

[Vesuvius00]

"Do you trust in them? Would you place any and all hope for not only your life but the lives of everyone around you in their hands?" Onyx hoped she would be able to remember the names he had said, they did sound a little familiar already. "I ask because one thing my tribe has noticed about most outsiders who have recovered more of the Past one's Relics than we have is that they all seem to have a more disjointed relationship with their supposed greater beings of faith. They learn more of the lost past and lose sight of their beliefs, becoming a shell of what they may have been."

[EliteCommander]

Tarentek leaned back in his chair, lightly scratching his chin. "I...do not know how to answer that, honestly. To pursue lost knowledge is not opposed to our beliefs, but instead central to them. Perhaps I can explain." He said, leaning forward again and taking a quick bite of his meal before continuing.

"Koisk is our body. She gives the gift of the physical form we carry through life; she gives strength, fertility, and ensures our lasting good health. My people, the Karisskan, will heal from any wound that does not kill us. If an injury is terrible enough, it can take a long time to recover, such as with my mother, but even her leg would have healed completely given enough time. Vikrii is our spirit. He gifts us the essence of life, the spark of our being. And, he shepherds us through death, beyond our world. But Jhala, she is the one most central to our daily lives, for she is our mind, our thoughts and knowledge. It is her gift that separates us from simple beasts, not our bodies, no matter how strong or resilient they are. She grants us reasoning and understanding, and to serve her is to expand that knowledge. We seek the lost knowledge of the world before because it strengthens her gifts. So you see, gaining that knowledge is a core part of our values." Tarentek explained.

[Vesuvius00]

"I think yours is the only race that has such a belief." Onyx said quietly. "My people have a very different belief from you. Our bodies and physical abilities are simply a visible interpretation of the strengths of our spirit, soul, and heart. Earlier you said you didn't think that I would have been able to carry you for so long as I did, that is because my strength is less visible to you than it is to my people. Spirit is our will to live and our hope, without it we would be too heavy with the burdens of sadness, fear, worry, and anger to even be able to fly at all. The strength of our will, our spirit, becomes the strength of our wings, and therefore so long as we believe in ourselves we gain the strength to do what we set out to do."

Onyx paused a moment before continuing. "Our soul is our eternal self, and cannot be harmed by anything in this world. Our soul is where we learn to recognize others and we gain our sense of self through it, and it is all that will be left of us once we have passed. Our soul gives us trust and friendship, along with promise and continuity. The strength of our soul becomes the power we inherit when we come of age, our acceptance by the rest of the tribe as who we are. those with a strong soul are better leaders than those with a weaker soul, however a strong soul is more likely to be corrupted by the powers of Fellagang and his minions. Lastly, heart. Our heart guides our decisions and grants us compassion and joy, along with love and loyalty. Our heart is untouchable, for we cannot change its strength on our own. The strength of our heart becomes our agility and speed, as well as our link to Heillias. Those with a stronger heart look more delicate than those with a weak heart, and are often easier to get along with than those without a strong heart."

Onyx hoped that she still made sense to Tarentek. He looked very tired as he was listening. "Enough questions for tonight, you need your rest. finish the rest of your plate and i'll get you some medicine to help you sleep if you need it."

[EliteCommander]

Tarentek did not think he could actually understand Onyx's beliefs without a much more in-depth explanation of the beings she was referencing, but it was obvious those beliefs were strongly-held. Of course, he felt that a more likely explanation for her ability to carry him was simply that she was much stronger in flight than he initially assumed, but he also did not doubt the power of faith in motivating someone towards their goals. Whatever the case, Onyx's suggestion that he get some rest was starting to seem quite appealing.

"Oh, I do not think I will have any trouble getting to sleep. I will finish my meal, then retire for the night. Thank you for your hospitality. I hope my warning helps your people." He said. After a few minutes, he was finally able to finish what was left of his meal before bidding her goodnight, then returning to his room.

As Tarentek was undressing himself, he sat down on the bed with his robe in hand, running his finger through the hole in its front. The robe was not his originally, but rather that of his friend whom he escaped Amman with, as his own robe had been torn to shreds by the same weapon which gave him his scars. Tarentek had done everything he could to save him, but the bullet had pierced his heart, and the bleeding outpaced his regeneration. His death, unfortunately, was not quick nor painless, but at the very least, he had a chance to give his final words to another. Tarentek could not help but to wonder how many of his fellow warriors had not been given the same opportunity. How many had died with unfinished arguments, unconfessed love, or other unsaid words? There was always the possibility that some had survived, but with what he had seen during the battle, he held little hope. There had been far too much death; it was something that he was still having a difficult time coming to terms with, so for the moment, Tarentek did his best to push the thoughts aside. After finding a place in the corner of the room to tuck away his clothing and other belongings, he finally laid down in the bed for some well-deserved rest.

[Vesuvius00]

After Tarentek went back to his room, Onyx spent a few minutes cleaning up and putting out the lanterns around the den before she went to bed herself. A lot of stuff happened today, and it doesn't seem like tomorrow will be any less eventful... Her thoughts slowly drifted into silence as she fell asleep.

-- - --- - - -- - --- - - -- - --- - - -- - --- - - -- - --- - - -- - --- - - -- - --- - -

Onyx woke the next morning to the sound of someone calling her name. Yawning and stretching, she walked over to one of the square holes in the wall of her room and pulled the cloth that she had hung over the opening out of the way. She quickly saw who was calling to her, it was her eldest brother, one of the strongest sentries in her tribe. "Opal! Brother, what is it?" She called out to him.

As soon as he saw her he flew over to land on the ledge just outside of the square hole. "Good morning sister, or should I say noon?" He greeted her with a small smile. Onyx looked up at the sky, and sure enough, the sun was already past The tallest mountain peak. I slept that long? Well... It WAS almost high-moon when I fell asleep last night. Her brother's smile dissipated and was quickly replaced with an undecipherable mask. "Where is the outsider?" He asked in a voice just as stony and cold as his expression.

"He should still be asleep. Would you like to see him?" Onyx only took a moment to wonder about the fact that Opal knew about Tarentek, before she realized that the entire tribe must know by now. She let out a sigh as Opal climbed through the hole in the wall to stand beside her in her room.

"I do not wish to see or associate in any way with him. I am simply under orders to take you both to see Raldel." Opal's words surprised Onyx. Her father had said he was going to do a reconnaissance mission, however she thought he would have taken longer doing so.

"Father has already returned? I thought he was going to assess the situation, not go on a field trip." Onyx was leading her brother to the room Tarentek was in as they spoke. She kept speaking before Opal could respond, "Wait here. I will wake him up." Ignoring her brother's slight grumble about being told what to do, she quietly entered the room. Tarentek seemed to still be asleep, as he did not stir when she said his name. She walked over to him and, hoping that he wouldn't react violently, shook his shoulder until he awoke.

"Good morning." She said softly as Opal walked in. She shot him a glare that she hoped he would read as 'be quiet' and continued speaking to Tarentek. "This is Opal. He has been sent to bring us to see Raldel again."

[EliteCommander]

Tarentek's dreams were chaotic, and not always pleasant, but his sleep was refreshingly restful. Nevertheless, it took him a few moments to come to his senses after being shaken awake. He groaned and stretched out his muscles as he sat up on the side of the bed. He was not dressed, but unlike other, mammalian races, the Karisskan's reproductive organs were contained internally, so modesty was not a worry for them, though other races were sometimes momentarily surprised.

After letting out a yawn, Tarentek finally registered Onyx' glare, and fortunately, caught its meaning. "Oh, of course. I will get dressed at once." He said simply before standing up, which made clear his comparatively large stature. He hoped that Raldel found the evidence of the attack that he had been searching for. Although, after what Tarentek witnessed, he found it incredibly likely that he would have found overwhelming proof. If the city was annexed, enemy soldiers would be occupying it in force. If it was destroyed, then the demolished city would be evidence enough.

[Vesuvius00]

Onyx noticed in time to look away before Tarentek got up, although it seemed that Opal was not so lucky. "Hurry up." Was all she said before leaving the room, dragging her brother with her. Onyx would have to speak with Tarentek later about clothing, but for the moment she busied herself by taking inventory of the contents of her med-pack and refilling her water-skin along with an extra one for Tarentek.

Opal was staring into space for awhile, so long that Onyx had to pour a glass of water over his head to make sure he was still awake. "Wha- Hey! Why'd you do that!" He yelled as he freaked out.

"Oh, just making sure you were still functioning. Quit being such a Kit, I didn't get your wings wet." She handed him a small towel, and while he dried his hair she asked him what he had on his mind that would cause him to become so unfocused.

"A lot of things at the moment. The usual worries, and then..." He let his sentence drift off as Tarentek walked out of the room. Onyx gave Tarentek the water-skin she had prepared, and then Opal reapplied his mask and ordered them to follow him to Raldel's den. "I'll tell you about it later." He said as they took flight.

"Ok." Onyx looked down at Tarentek, who was standing just outside the door, looking at the bridge they had crossed the night before. "Tarentek, I can carry you there if you wish." She called to him.

[EliteCommander]

Tarentek did not notice Onyx's quick departure as he dressed himself and gathered up his belongings as quickly as he could. He felt better than the day before, but still noticeably fatigued and weak. His muscles still ached from the long trek through the desert, and he was overall more sluggish than usual. However, as long as he could retain the goodwill of his hosts, then he would recover.

As Tarentek stepped out of the room, he noted that Opal suddenly stopped whatever they had been talking about, likely because of his lack of trust for outsiders. It was an attitude that concerned Tarentek, but he could not do much to change that at the moment. If Raldel's opinion changed because of his warning, then Tarentek might be able to earn some trust, but if not, then he could at least hope to be tolerated. For the moment, he was simply glad to have more water, which he immediately began to drink somewhat conservatively.

After they made their way outside, the others started to take flight, and Onyx offered to carry him to their destination. Before, Tarentek might have said yes, but now he hesitated, looking off the side of the bridge at the long drop below. In theory, the concept of flight was amazing to him, but actually being in the air and seeing the long drop beneath him made him more nervous. He still remembered vividly the fear he felt, even if only for a brief moment, when Onyx dropped him. "Oh, I, um...I know what I said about flight yesterday but...does there happen to be a walkway to his den? We can fly if we need to, but...I would really be more comfortable with my feet firmly on the ground." He asked, his demeanor embarrassed and nervous.

[Vesuvius00]

"Of course, everything is connected by bridges here, so you can walk all the way if you feel well enough." Onyx understood his hesitation to be carried again, he was a creature bound to the land after all. "I will stay beside you along the way. Opal must go ahead and tell Raldel that we are on the way." As she said so, she saw her guess was correct. Opal nodded to her and left without saying another thing, while she flew down to hover next to the bridge.

"I'd like to remain in flight for now, I will go over the path to lead you there." Onyx waited until Tarentek started crossing before she flew all the way to the other side to wait for him again. They continued like this, Onyx flying ahead and waiting for Tarentek to catch up before going ahead again, all the way to Her father's den.

[EliteCommander]

Tarentek was relieved to hear that he could simply walk to their destination. He had worried that Onyx's people might not have built walkways to every location, since they could just fly everywhere. However, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. If any of their people had their wings permanently injured, perhaps in battle, they would need to be able to function in the village. As well, it would be quite inconvenient if the village had to shut down completely on the rare occasions that it rained.

Eventually, the pair reached Raldel's den, where they were met by Opal, and Raldel himself. It appeared that the scouting mission had been successful, as Raldel got down to business almost immediately, describing, in detail, everything they saw. Much of what he had learned Tarentek had already witnessed for himself, but some of what he saw was news even to Tarentek. As expected, most of the fortifications on one side of the city had been demolished, but the city itself was intact, only now, it was the soldiers of this Empire in control of Amman. The citizenry still appeared to be made up mostly by Karisskan. All of the armed warriors guarding this city, however, wore the same uniform, but consisted of many different races, most of which none of them had neither seen nor heard of before. Almost all of them carried old Human weapons, or "relics," as Raldel described them, that were in notably good condition. The scouting mission also confirmed that the enemy had returned to functionality the ruined vehicles that could be found in most Human cities, and on the roads between them. In fact, Raldel and his team had witnessed more of this Empire's soldiers riding in on these vehicles from the east. The number of soldiers they saw at Amman was massive, and certainly far more than would be needed to defend the city, which did suggest that they intended to continue this expansion. Internally, Tarentek was relieved to hear that his home had not been entirely destroyed and his people were still alive, but he doubted many of the warriors, his brothers and sisters in arms, had survived the battle.

After Raldel finished his recollection of all he witnessed, Tarentek was not sure what to say, or if he should even speak up at all. The decision of what to do with his people ultimately rested with Raldel, but Tarentek still felt he could be helpful. He did, after all, have experience with their weapons and tactics. "So...now that you have seen the enemy yourself, what do you intend to do? I could give you all of the details about them that I can remember if you would like." Tarentek offered.

[Vesuvius00]

"I don't believe that will be necessary, as we were able to see how many troops they had and the races that they had incorporated. None of the races we saw could fly, and many of them seemed ill-equipped to survive on their own if needed." Raldel paused a second before continuing. "While we did not see any of your people within their ranks yet, the sheer number and diversity of races there made it seem that they were forcing the residents of each place they took over to join them."

Onyx tried not to think too much about what the direction the threatening group was coming from may have meant. Her people originated in the southwest, and had been steadily moving in each direction over the past few centuries, each tribe moving every few years, and when a tribe got too large to move all at once, half would stay where they currently were and become a brother tribe of the one that went on ahead. To the east, Her own tribe's sister had lost contact with them a few months ago. Suddenly, before she could stop herself, she spoke the worry in her mind.

"Raldel, this enemy may have already fought our people before. We have not heard anything from our sister tribe in the east for months now, and there were also other tribes out there as well." Onyx paused to take a breath and calm herself for the next point she would have to say. "You say you did not see any race that could fly among them, but they will defiantly have met at least one tribe before getting to here. Meaning that if what you said is true, that they are forcing the people of the nests they attack to join them-"

"Then we may end up fighting people of our own race." Raldel finished her thought, a somber look on his face. "You are most likely correct Onyx. That or, they're all dead." Raldel remained in silence for a minute or so until one of the men behind him, who Onyx had not noticed until now, placed a hand on Raldel's shoulder and said something to low for Onyx to hear.

Whatever the man had said had shaken Raldel from his silence, and he reached into his pack to pull out a small object, placing it on the table in front of them. "Tarentek, we managed to take this and a few others like it from an unguarded vehicle near the city. Do you recognize it?" As her father finished speaking, everyone looked over at Tarentek expectantly.