Not Dead Yet - Chapter 5
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Back in Berryshire
Part 1
Arõn`Roidd, 8 Nédiïn 3884
Next morning, Tedd got up early to ready Lemon and the cart, she was anxious to get going and almost started off as soon as she was hitched, long before Tedd, or the rest of the party, were ready to go. She had been acting strange most of the previous day, and he had to spend more time with her than enjoying the feast. And with Griegg feeling ill, Tedd decided not to bother him. Griegg had a way with animals that not even a Chyas could match with it's own animal cousin, but not in the state Griegg was in. Though he seemed to be doing much better today.
Gregg got up at a normal hour, about the same time as Nik, Raain, Arun, and most of the other monks, and they all went in for breakfast as the trumpet blew. Afterward, Raain brought some extra to Tedd, and they all loaded onto the cart to head back to Berryshire Town. The journey was quiet, although it was not far outside the Sanctuary that Tedd noticed the smell again, and it grew stronger as they went.
They approached town as the Roia set, and could hear music from in town, good music. Tedd, with his fox ears heard it first, "Listen!" He said suddenly as they were still an elic out of town, "I hear music from town! That alleviates my fear of the smell being from town."
"I don't yet hear music," Griegg said, "But I had reminded you, it couldn't be from Berryshire, based on how you described it on the way up."
"Yes, I know, but still, I am fully relieved. And quite excited if that is the music I think it is."
When Raain confirmed that it was the sound of Jerricho Twist And The Hurricanes, Arun jumped off the cart and ran ahead, "Silly boy," she said to the others. Tedd urged Lemon to trod a little faster even though they were nearly to the gates.
"I see we're not the only ones who've been missing the concert," said one of the town guards as they arrived. "He got back last night, been playing half the day. Either he knew you were alive, or he never heard that you were dead, but he asked if I'd seen either of you. Told him you were up at the Sanctuary. Looks like you've come back."
"That we have," said Raain. "I had sent him a message about Griegg, but I hadn't heard back, so he may not have gotten it."
"Well, that doesn't matter so much now, since I am alive," Griegg said trying to force humor past the absolute fear he had inside over why someone had wanted to kill him so badly that they faked the murder. What must have been the reward to make someone desperate enough to fake it?
They continued on to the Aurie View Lodge where the source of the music was coming from. Raain, Griegg, and Nik dismounted from the cart while Tedd took it and Lemon to the stables. The crowd had filled the barroom, store, lobby, and front patio. The three of them had to excuse their way through to get in. One person thought Nik was trying to sneak into the show following the wake of the Lodge Management, and Raain had to assure the unkept, overweight water-well maintenance manager, named Gio, that Nik was with them.
They placed their bags behind the front desk, Nira, Talur's wife, was on desk duty as they were not serving food this night. "Arun's already in there dancing," she told Griegg and Raain. It was too loud to ask about their trip, she knew.
Griegg and Raain began to squeeze their way through to the barroom where the band was, but Nik remained behind. "Would the baths be empty?" he had to shout for Nira to be able to hear him. She just nodded and handed him a key, there wasn't a need to shout "yes," or make him shout a second question to use them. Nik took his bags up to his room, and begun to remove his unessential garb (his armor and blades). The music suddenly stopped.
Jerricho had spotted Greigg and Raain entering the room, he made the band stop playing as he jumped down from the low stage that was lifted from the floor. "Ah my friends!" He said as he grabbed Greigg's hand and arm, "Great to see you Griegg. Raain, why didn't you tell me he had been murdered?" There was a smile on his face, for the obvious reason that it hadn't happened and the murdered Griegg was standing right there.
"I did, the message must have missed you. But as you can see, it doesn't matter, be glad you didn't suffer through the loss." Raain remembered how she had felt, and had to take a deep breath to prevent a tear from forming, it was probably noticed.
"Well, glad you two have made it to my welcome home concert, I'll tell you about my trip tomorrow, so many stories to tell. Maybe I'll sing some of them! Come! People make room, we have a dancer here!" Jerricho had more energy than Raain did.
"Maybe in a bit Jerr, we just got back from a day's long ride, I need to not be moving for a little bit," she laughed exhaustedly.
"Ok, ok, but that just means I'll be playing later into the night!" The crowd cheered. "Let's play the Merran song!" He gave a quick six count and the band started playing a loud ruckus tune. Jerricho played a large six-stringed instrument, that sounded like a growling lion, also in the band were two stick-drum sets, two hand drummers, three different sized brass and reed wind instruments, a large slide-trumpet, two regular trumpets, a piano, a shoulder held eight string instrument played with a bow of woven majna strings, and two others playing instruments similar to Jerricho's guitar but slightly smaller. Jerricho sang,
She's a mean one, that Kluh Ehs,
Her rage does not equate!
She's short and so cute,
She's a brute and so uncouth,
She's a Merrrr-ren, she's Kluh Ehs.
She'll treat you as a friend,
and gladly let you in,
She'll even give a grin.
But don't piss her off.
She'll cut off your head,
if she don't like your shoes,
She'll shoot ya in the knee
And run ya up a tree!
Oh yes, she's a mean one, that Kluh Ehs....
And the song continued.
Raain thought, as she listened that Jerricho would certainly be dead if Merran Kluh Ehs had heard this song. The song was true enough, she was kind and friendly, until her temper rose, her temper was pure rage. She didn't have an executioner, she was the executioner as well as Merran of Sarymnaea.
After that song, Jerricho played a few more before insisting that Raain dance while he played the song she had dubbed "the best song in the world." And so she got up and danced. And it was the best song, and the best dance, in all the Avel`Uun~Auriese~Kaea. When it ended, the cheers lasted longer than Raain had begun to want. People were crowded outside the windows and applauding for her there too. She gave a bow, and sat back down. Jerricho played one more song (the one song he ever played that he or someone in his band hadn't written, Closing Time.) They'd been playing for seven hours with very few breaks, it helped to have a large band, but they were tired finally, and it was late, the midnight bell rang softly in the distance a moment after the applause ended.
Part 2
Elõn`Roidd, 9 Nédiïn 3884
THUD!
It wasn't the first time Arun had rolled out of his hammock, but he never got used to it. His shoulder and face hurt as he tried to get his wits about him from being woken by falling out of bed, the wood floor wasn't soft. How rude, he thought at his hammock behind the front desk of the Aurie View Lodge. He rubbed his face with the hand that belonged to the shoulder that didn't ache, and glanced out the windows, the day seemed to be starting slowly. The few bits of fog surrounding a few buildings and the central park were illuminated silver under the breaking light of Merroi (Verroi was still below the taller mountains on the southwestern horizon, but only for a moment longer).
A golden light fell upon the town as Arun watched, Verroi had risen over the Tilsclev Range, the mountain range dividing Cleveal from Tilstroal, the nation to the west. The gold started on the distant rooftops and peaked through the top of the central tree. The gold and silver shadows through the tree crossed on the window Arun was looking out. He heard scuffling of feet upstairs and knew that guests and residents were rising. Picking up his blankets and rolling them up, he couldn't help but recall several of the times he'd asked for a cot behind the desk for his night shifts, but no one ever put one there for him.
Can I have a cot--Raain, can I have a -- behind the desk--can I have a cot, Raain? -- A cot would be great--this hammock is killing me-- desk--I keep falling out--Raain can I have a cot?--for the nightshift--cot-- The thoughts swam randomly through Arun's head, fast and then slow, and round about over and back and in and down, and up and left...
Shut up thoughts Arun shook his head as if trying to clear his brain of clutter. It does no good to dwell on what no one will do, they could get me a cot--Raain, can I have a cot?--for the night shift--desk--QUIET! his thoughts were too scattered today, there would be no way he could move the bread if this kept up. hammock--cot he hit himself over the head.
"Arun, quit hitting yourself and come help me," it was the gruff voice of Talur, carrying a tall stock of majna leaves. This is what Arun needed to clear his head and get the day going right, he bounded after Talur towards the kitchens.
Talur fat fingers were perfect for getting a good grip on the dense leaves at the top of the stock, Arun watched in longing as Talur ripped the top off the stock, setting it aside, Talur handed Arun the remaining two foot long leaf stock, "Juice this, and then we'll go smoke this," he indicated to the top.
"Can't we smoke it now? My brain's not steady today, I fell out of my hammock again. I keep asking for a cot but no one gets me one."
"Alrighty then, come on out back." Talur carried the majna leaves and lead Arun out the back door to the vegitable garden that stretched out from the back of the lodge. The mists were still hanging around the tomatoes and corn, and the berries were damp with dew glistening in the gold and silver morning light at the edge of the long shadow cast by the three floor building, half of the garden was in shade.
As Talur pulled his pipe from his belt, Griegg, Tedd, and Jerricho came around the side of the stables and joined Talur and Arun in a circle under the light of the roia.
"G'morning," said Jerricho dragging his short tail. Jerricho's features were distinctly humon, except for his cat-like tail and odd nose that was somewhere between a man and a cat. His Caitian features almost lost through the generations mixing with humons. Jerricho's tail was far less spectacular than Tedd's fox-tail, which was almost always in the air.
"Late night, for sure," Griegg said as he began to pack his own pipe that he'd brought out unsure if Talur would be up yet.
"Put that old stuff away, Griegg! I got fresh leaves for ya, is that the same leaf you left here with 6 months ago?" Talur said.
"Habbit," Griegg replied as he knocked out his pipe and pocketed it, "yeah, it's old, will be nice to have something fresh."
Jerricho lit a wick and handed the flame to Talur for the first toke, but Talur passed it to Arun first.
Arun took his toke and held the smoke of the majna leaves in his small lungs, and felt his brain slide into place. "Haahhh, that's better," he said with smoke drifting from his mouth as he spoke. He passed the pipe and wick to Jerricho with his now focused mind. A smirk grew across Griegg's face, he was proud of Arun's progess of control.
"Think you can hold the pipe and light it for me?" Jerricho asked Arun, who did just that, and then passed it on to Tedd who also toked the pipe floating in midair, and then Griegg and Talur, there was just enough leaf for the circle.
"Though that was impressive Arun," it was Raain, shouting down from her bedroom window, "but I told you guys, not around the Lodge."
"We're not around the lodge, we're behind it!" Jerricho retorted and Raain scoffed turning away and closing her window. Everyone but Griegg laughed at Jerricho's jest. "Well, she is right, that was impressive, Arun."
"Thanks, it helps a lot when my brain is out of control," Arun said.
"So, Griegg how was the trip up to the Sanctuary?" Talur asked as the pipe was passed around a second time.
"Less helpful than I'd hoped for my questions, though I think Raain and Nik found some interesting things," Griegg said. "I came down with one of those headaches, other than that it was pretty uneventful."
"No answers as to why someone would have wanted you killed?" Talur continued.
"They never give me answers, I was hoping for some advice for the journey and what I might find out, but they basically just told me to take Arun."
Arun choked the smoke he was holding. "Take me!? Take me where?" Arun was comfortable at the Lodge, he didn't want to leave this home. It was more enjoyable, more lively, yet quieter than his childhood home in Hobbtroal, on the other side of the Brinn Mountains. He didn't like change, and traveling across the continent to the southern corner was quite the change in scenery, and that journey would be more difficult than private airship that his parents had hired to take him. He'd demanded the airship to land on the edge of the Plains of Berryshire, away from town, he didn't want to be seen like that; he told everyone he had walked most of it, catching chocobo and riding-cats when he could, he claimed bravery instead of wealth.
"You'll be coming with Raain, Nik, and I do Kyshroal to help with the investigation," Griegg told him. His voice was matter of fact, yet empathetic, though successfully hiding his concern.
"If you're going to take Lemon this time, I'll be going too," Tedd chimed in. Too long he'd been away from his beloved horse while Griegg had gone, and when he'd heard Griegg had been murdered, he feared the worst for his Lemon. Finding them both alive and well, he vowed to not let Lemon travel without him.
"You'll be a welcomed addition, though I don't think we'll take Lemon on the airship," this time Griegg couldn't hide his concern, but this time the concern was for himself. Griegg could face any creature without fear, any task was simple for him, unless it involved heights, especially flying. Cliffs were one thing, you could at least tumble, but he was an Avel-man, the Kaea was not for him, not solid enough, too much chance for a splat. One hundred percent chance of splat. His magic wasn't powerful enough to stop him from falling out of the air.
"Well, I guess being picked up by an airship wouldn't be so bad, but I didn't think I would be leaving Berryshire any time soon," Arun said, gazing at the feet of his much taller friends.
"It won't be picking us up, we'll be going to Quagloria to--"
"QUAGLORIA! But that's a couple hundred elecs from here, through forests and marshes. And it's a huge city!"
"It's a great city, lots of good music," Jericho said. "Lots of bad music, too. But it's a good place if you keep your eyes open and your pockets closed."
"You won't be alone. Anyway, it shouldn't be that big of a deal, you've done worse, Arun. Your journey from Hobbtroal through the Osul wastelands, Craig's Crags, and down into the forests of Gorelium, denser than anything in Cleveal," Griegg didn't know Arun had flown over all those dangerous places. "This is your next chance to grow in your learning. Time for the next chapter in your life Arun. You've been here for a couple years now, it's time. If you don't go on this, what was the whole point of coming here to begin with?"
"I wanted to meet Matthew," Arun said sheepishly. Arun always wanted to be brave, but he found too often that fear controlled him, held him back, stationary. He'd move slowly through life for a few years, and then make a sudden huge change, and then go back to being slow, but he preferred the slow times.
"Well, Matthew will be in Vilantroal." Griegg felt like he had more faith in Arun than Arun had in himself, which made Griegg feel like losing faith in him.
But the idea of seeing The Eternal Matthew Clevell again was enough to bring Arun back up to a positive mood after the sudden shock and fear of the long journey that was to come, and where that would take him, and when or if he'd ever be back in Berryshire. Arun took another toke on the pipe he'd been holding, and passed it by hand to Talur.
Each took a turn washing their hands and face before reentering the kitchen. Arun went straight to the remaining majna stock and carried it by hand to the juicer and began squeezing the golden green juices into several pitchers which he then set out behind the bar, ready for the morning customers to drink with breakfast.
Griegg began frying some thin strips of fatty meat that had been soaking in tula nut syrup overnight, while Talur began cooking the eggs that had rolled down the tracks from the intricate hen nest complex along a side wall. Three rows of ten straw-padded cages along the wall each with a hole through the wall to hen-house on the other side where several of the hens were flying in circles inside before going out to the aviary for a larger flying area.
Tedd was too furry to work in the kitchens, and so he joined Raain in setting the tables, while Jericho finished cleaning up the band stage from the welcome home concert the day and night before.
Part 3
Over the course of the breakfast period, forty-seven people were served, mostly locals. But near the end of the meal, the doors burst open and stumbled in a tall, beastly hairy creature, gasping as he hit the floor in relief as the healing symbol over the door glowed brighter than it had ever done before. With a great sigh as the glowing sigil faded back to normal, the hairy beast rolled over onto his back, propping himself against the wall opposite the door.
"Water," he managed to get out in a deep, gruff but exhausted voice.
Grabbing a mug and a carving knife just in case, Griegg hurried over and handed the mug of water over.
"You won't need the knife, although your door is helpful, I wouldn't have the strength to fight you even if I wanted to. And I don't want to fight, I need help. I'm a Landless." He pulled from his waist belt a disk of white marble with the Landless Declaration on the front, instructing anyone to welcome and provide whatever necessary within means to the person holding this disk.
Griegg turned the disk over to see the owner's ID. An etching of the face of the humanoid beast smiling awkwardly, clearly an etching from several years prior. "So, you're name is Turvin?"
The creature apparently called Turvin nodded as he drank the refreshing cold water.
"Sorry, not to be rude, but what are you?" Griegg had never seen anyone quite like this guy.
Turvin choked and chuckled. "What am I? Good question. A mix: humon, for starters, then thrown in wolf, lion, falcon, shame I didn't get the wings," he added as an aside. "Some other things I haven't figured out. 'Parently my ancestors were open minded." Turvin did indeed have a strange look, the build and nose of a large wolvienn, but almost the mane of a lion, and the eyes and feet of a falcon, but grey as a storm cloud.
"I was in the forest to the South, woke up yesterday to a stench like nothing I'd ever smelled before, worst thing ever." Several people were now standing around listening to the story of this stranger, including Raain, Arun, Nik, and Tedd; Tedd understood the smell Turvin was referring to. "I packed up in a hurry and ran towards the open plains. But I was deep in the forest, it wasn't a short run. As I ran, I noticed the forest wasn't glowing as brightly as it should, the blues were dull. Like the forest was dying."
Tedd broke in, "I smelled something a few days ago as we traveled to the Sanctuary, but couldn't see any evidence of source."
"I don't know about source, but the ground and river is poisoned. Pump the water you can, in a few days your water will be deadly if a way can't be found to clean it. I'm looking for help," Turvin ended with strength and determination, and expectation that his request would be met.
"Well," Raain said, "you've come to the right place to find that kind of help."
"I suspected as much, this Lodge is famous." Turvin paused and looked closer at Griegg, then suddenly moved a lot closer, looking him deep in his eyes. "You were dead, or so I was told."
"Apparently no one told me I was supposed to be dead, until I got back here a few days ago."
"Glad you're alive, I wanted to make a Landless out of you."
Griegg stood, shaking his head, "Matthew wants that too, but I have too many responsibilities here."
"The Eternals usually get what they want in the end. You'll help me save the valley's water and forests, and I'll help you find your assassin, and then you can join our ranks. Maybe take the Hobb, too." Turvin turned to Arun who went red.
"Me? a Landless?!" It seemed, suddenly, everyone around Arun was making plans for his future and he was just going to be forced into whatever chaos life was going to throw at him. "I, I never thought about becoming a Landless," Arun lied, he had thought about it and was terrified of the idea of not having a place to call home, of being constantly on the move, of relying on strangers to hopefully honor the Declaration instead of slitting his throat like some places do that don't like being forced to accommodate these ruffians. Landless were viewed often less favorably than Wildlings: similar in poverty as the Landless, but with less travel and more reliance on the land rather than taking from the communities they passed through.
"How did you come to be in this condition?" Griegg asked.
"Hhorq," Turvin replied gravely. He pulled out of his pocket a red cloth, stained in blood, bearing the spiked tree that belonged to the hhorq tribe that for so many decades claimed the lives of the Berryshire, Mayhart, and Oldlake residents, and travelers. There was only one way that Turvin could be in possession of this cloth: "The tribe attacked me as I ran, they are all dead, except the chief, whom fled."
The barroom had gone completely silent as soon as the cloth has been pulled out, but a slow murmur started to grow, and then was suddenly broken with cheers and shouts and applause. This was a victory for the entire valley. Nabal ran out of the bar to ring the bells, shouting as he ran, "The hhorq are dead! A Landless killed them all!"
"I'm sorry the chief got away, I really shouldn't have this."
"He's dead. We killed him a few days ago. I wondered why he was alone," Griegg said, again having his parents' killers killed by a stranger.
"Ohho! You found him, and beat your foe?" Turvin started to hand Griegg the cloth, but Griegg put his hand up in refusal.
"I did not slay him. It was a stranger to this land. You slew the tribe as they attacked you, you overcame overwhelming odds, the victory is yours, keep it. I have not earned it. But thank you."
"You fought them your whole life, I'm sorry the victory was taken from you," Turvin said, putting the cloth back in his pocket, later he would find a way to incorporate it to his armor, as is the Landless tradition.
Nabal came running back into the lodge, and tripping over Turvin's feet, rolled down the hall knocking over a few people that hadn't left with Nabal to go tell their families and neighbors that weren't there the news of the hhorq threat being eliminated for once, after generations.
Talur helped Nabal to his feet, as Raain and Griegg helped Turvin into the main barroom to take a seat. Arun brought him an ale and plate of elk meat from the elk at the Sanctuary.
Tedd sat down across the table from Turvin, "You said something about the water and forest being poisoned? As great as it is that the hhorq aren't a threat, poisoned water is."
"It's the river coming in from Taulav," Turvin began, though the locals knew it must be, that's where the hhorq stayed. "I don't know how far upstream, but above the Falls, for sure." The hhorq main camp was at the base of the Falls. "The last hhorq told me as he died laughing, spewing blood."
The people around the barrooom were wanting ale to celebrate, but none was being served due to this new concern.
"Quiet! Quiet!" Griegg called to the room, "I know you want to celebrate," cheers went up from the crowd, "but the danger is not over! There's another threat, the threat that drove the hhorq to their run in with Turvin: the river has been poisoned! The Forest of Taulav is dying." This silenced the crowd completely, as silent as Turvin's initial arrival had. Though outside, some celebrations of the hhorq demise could still be heard.
"What are you going to do about it?" Jericho sat down at the table.
Raain glared at him, "Maybe sing to the Temple, you'll be coming."
Jericho laughed, "Me? Oh yes, now you want my voice for magic rather than entertainment."
"Yes, we do want your magic," Griegg said without the sarcasm Raain had.
"Sounds good!" Jericho slammed the table with one paw and downed his ale with the other. Whipping his lips with the back of his paw, he said, "When do we leave?"
"As soon as possible," said Turvin.
Nira tented to Turvin's remaining wounds, Talur took Turvin's armor to the town smithy for repair, Tedd and Arun readied Lemon and the cart, Griegg and Raain discussed plans of route to take to the Falls: whether to follow the river upstream or go around the mountain to the top and straight to Eva's Temple. They decided that having as much information as possible would be best, there was time before the waters got to Berryshiretown and another week before the water reached Oldlake. And they hoped they could avoid seeing the Valswynn.
Part 4
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | TBC
