[Fan Fiction] Rellet Reimolad Roror (A sword that wields itself) Story Thread

[Cthulhu]

Chapter XXXXXIIII: A civilized path

The covered wagon was already waiting, and Alexander Jardin winked them in. "We can't exactly use a motorized vehicle inside the city, so this has to do for now."

"It should suffice." Beyond the gates, the city was already bustling with activity, but a mozeret guard walked in front of them, clearing the way. "Could you gain access to the Church library?"

"Only partially, the Apocrypha section is still off-limits. A favor for a favor, I guess." The Human Captain smiled. "Before you ask, yes, we have compiled our findings, and made them available to your scientist."

"Thank you." Beryl would give her an update, then. "Was there anything related to the nomads?"

"Not enough to be immediately useful." He glanced at the Warrior, who shuddered, averting her eyes. "The most interesting part is that there seems to be far more to the stigma matter than mere propaganda. Apparently, the schism between the Tastadi and the Loroi goes all the way back to the early post-Fall era, it is a most fundamental feud with countless layers of enmity."

“The Shacklers, their Mute slaves, and the abominable Demon they worship are our enemies!" Shining Sword objected, while still not daring to look at the Humans. "They are the ones who betrayed us, who drove us into the desert, who deny us our legacy!"


"That feud will no longer be relevant after you relocate. But if you want to say something, find your courage, and speak up!" Emberwing found her hesitation somewhat annoying, even if she might've contributed to it by asking the Humans for help. "Does that enmity also extend to the Humans?"

"Those are seen as the Tastadi's servants, and while they do receive their share of distrust due to the psionic incompatibility, it is not at the level of outright hostility." He chuckled, "The Melor, however, are legendary beings worthy of awe and fear. Mostly fear."

"What are those Melor supposed to be?" She decided to clarify it for the barbarian's sake as well.

"Hard to say. While the Priest's theory about hominid weaponization by the Soia might have some veracity, there were no confirmed cases of the local Human subspecies awakening any psionic abilities. We're not even sure if they have the capacity for that." Alexander Jardin stroked his beard. "Those melor might've been a separate, long-extinct breed, or the transformation requires some now-lost procedures. Of course, with so many contradicting myths, they might not have existed in the first place, being merely an amalgam of misunderstood references to forgotten techniques and technologies."

"Then why do their powers match those myths!" Shining Sword finally found the courage to look up. "They ate my essence, just as in the legends!"

"Then be glad about the myths being wrong, and that you weren't devoured. Or your essence was just not tasty enough, so they spat it out.“ That was probably enough fun at her expense, so Emberwing decided to get to the point which bothered her the most, and whispered into the headset. "Could the Shell fleet-lotai be based on a similar technique?"

"Let us discuss this a bit later." Answered the Human Captain silently through the head-set, and added aloud. "We have arrived at the docks, and the boat is waiting for us."


The vessel in question was a far bigger one made of wood, equipped with a tent-like structure in the aft section. Alexander Jardin guided them on board, and taking a seat beside her on a luxurious couch, continued with the topic. "Regarding the Umiak; we already checked their cloaking system against everything we could think of. Including the possibility of a superior version of our technique, recovered from another lost colony. The result is that we can't detect any abilities being used, which is why I decided to demonstrate this. You see, we did schedule a mutual showcase with Torimor Silvermist, but the bugs had to meddle in."

"Would it be possible to learn of the specifics?" She took a cup of coffee offered by one of the Humans.

"Not down to minute details, of course." The Human Captain received a mug as well. "All I can say that it is impossible for us to cover even a single ship, not to mention an entire star system."

"What if you were amplified?" The morning air above the river was rather cool, and having a hot beverage a welcome luxury. “There were some amplifier shards in that Shell scout.“

"We also can't detect Humans among their crews, or any other aliens, for that matter." He sipped on his coffee, "Hmm, this could use some milk."

"Animal milk, I hope?" She eyed him warily.

"I wonder?" Alexander Jardin grinned. "But yes, and you can't have any, it would give you terrible indigestion."


"No need, then." Was he trying to avoid this question? "Again, what about amplification?"

"Well, if we were to find amplifiers compatible with both us and with this particular technique, then we could test it." He shrugged. "I have the hunch that the god-artifact might provide the key to this mystery. After all, the entire planet is somehow protected against just farsight in particular, while all other abilities work as expected.“

"I can only hope that we can gain access to those keys quickly enough." The boat, likely propelled by the underwater drone, was now approaching a flat, stony hill. This obstacle forced the river to flow in a curve, creating a crag on one side, and a broad, sandy bank on the other, which the shuttle used as a landing strip.

As expected, the barbarian was dumbfounded by the unknown thing in front of her. "This is a small flying machine we'll be using to get to where the horde is. Get inside, don't touch anything, and don't embarrass our race by doing something foolish."

"I already understood that we'll be using a fantastical aperture, since we were traveling upstream instead." Shining Sword steeled herself. "I'll behave, don't worry."

She still flinched as the Humans showed her how to strap in, and the shuttle launched immediately, with barely any sound or vibration. Zarjow, who was sitting across her, announced, "Estimated flight-time is about an hour, since we'll have to evade a couple of sand storms."


“Everyone, use this opportunity and rest for a bit.“ Emberwing decided to take a quick nap, only to find herself in said dust storm. The ground, the air, the sky, everything around her melded together in a dense haze. Did she stumble into a local's dream?

No, there was an artificial bubble protecting this outlook, keeping the howling winds at bay, and a small, dark-haired Human leaned on the transparent material. He turned around to look at her and spoke, but she couldn't understand the language. Suddenly, Zarjow appeared beside her. He rustled the kid's hair, and the boy simply faded out.

"Welcome to my humble dreamworld." She could faintly sense something decidedly alien behind his outwardly friendly veneer. "If you're already here, you might as well ask any questions, you must be brimming with them. Unlike the Captain, I won't waste our time with flirting."

"What is this scenery? Where are we?" Somehow, she understood what flirting meant, but choose not to acknowledge it.

"This desert world might've triggered some old childhood memories. The where is actually Terra, but the main issue is when, namely the year 2099, at the beginning of the Encapsulation era." He waved his hand and the storm disappeared. Not that it changed much, all she could see were monotone brown, dust-covered plains under a similarly-colored, densely clouded sky. Abandoned farms, city ruins and dry riverbeds dotted the lifeless landscape, and the dim sunlight, filtered through the opaque atmosphere, painted everything in a sickly, yellowish hue. "We are in the then-newly-built Ural arcology, but it doesn't really matter, since the view would be similar from any of them."

"This looks worse than those history lectures would suggest." She refrained from any comparisons to the Umiak homeworld. "You must be very old for your species, I assume."

"I don't plan on dying anytime soon, don't you worry." The Human chuckled. "The information in the lectures was prettied up, of course. We had no idea what degree of historical accuracy your Empire would regard as its outward standard."

"Was your guess that far off?" Admittedly, the Mannadi and Tithric incidents, as well as a number of older events, were certainly painted favorably.

"Somewhat, which is why I decided to correct it." He turned to face her. "The Encapsulation wasn't voluntary, but this hiatus gave us plenty of time to reflect on our mistakes."

"And what would those be?" The cultural files didn't contain much information about this era.


"Not having any purpose. Finding one is the penultimate quest for any civilized species, but we strayed from this arduous path, abandoning the search in favor of hedonism. Lacking a goal caused us to seek solace in ever more frivolities, until there was nothing left to consume." Zarjow pointed at the ruined scenery outside. "See for yourself where this had led us to."

"Most species do not have any goals, being content with simply existing, and it seems to work well enough for them." Not that she knew or cared much about aliens. "I presume that you have you found one?"

"Yes, and the Captain's name is a surprisingly fitting allegory." The Operative smirked ever so slightly. "For we are the Gardeners of Man."

"You grow Humans? Is that the reason for your absurd population density?" No, it wasn't meant to be literal. While this dream connection didn't reach the level of sanzai, it nevertheless enabled her to better understand his metaphors. "A Garden in the meaning of Civilization?"

"Precisely, and after destroying our garden quite thoroughly, we had no other choice but to plant it anew." The Human stroked his beard, which appeared longer and denser than in reality. "A counter-question, if you'd allow, what are the Loroi warriors for?"


"Being a warrior is the centerpiece of our civilization, even the word Loroi means warrior." Emberwing had to settle for a standard answer, such a philosophical question was far too many ranks above her station. Although she understood what he was getting at, the Loroi also struggled long and hard to rise out of barbarism, to rediscover their lost legacy and to rebuild their Garden. Maybe this racial trait applied to them as well. "Through our trials, discipline, and way of life, we forge us into beings worthy of our honored ancestors."

"Which only proves our kinship, as the goal we arrived at is very similar, we also strive to catch up to our Soian legacy. If it weren't for this great revelation, we would've most certainly resorted to follow the same folly as the Umiak." His smile turned grim, and she could sense something subtly malicious. "Swarm out from our ruined homeworld to devour everything and everyone. A plague of locusts let loose upon this godless universe."

"Then it is very fortunate that you chose to follow a proper path." This was certainly some very interesting information. Very troubling as well, since she could feel that there was more to their goals. "Let us pursue this legacy together."

"Of course, dear cousin." At least this statement appeared to be truthful, whatever hidden malice there was, it wasn't aimed at her or the Loroi in general. "I hope that soon enough, we will be able to do away with all the secrets between each other."


The dream ended without a warning, and she couldn't give him a sarcastic reply. Awakening in the shuttle, she saw Zarjow standing up. He noticed her looking at him, nodded and smiled. Could this dream connection have been intentional? As if sensing that question, he spoke, "What a surprisingly helpful god, fostering understanding between siblings."

"I very much dispute its interpretation of being helpful." While the dream yielded more information about the Humans, it certainly didn't help her to relax. "When will we arrive?"

"We've just landed." The shuttle vibrated slightly, opening the rear hatch. "Your associates will be here in a short while."

"Where is the horde?" Exiting the vessel, they emerged in a long valley with very steep walls. Two other shuttles stood there, and many Humans, as well as those eight-legged drones, were busy setting up camp.

"They will be there in about two hours." Alexander Jardin, now dressed in combat armor, but without the helmet, emerged from another hatch. "This leaves us with enough time to work out a strategy."

Emberwing extended her senses towards the canyon's entrance where the Human pointed to. Yes, there was something in that direction. A foreboding, a diffuse cloud of signatures, with a single one burning bright like a star. "She is coming."

"That she does, and she isn't in a good mood. A dust storm delayed them for two days." With a roar, another shuttle landed vertically, just a short distance away. "Your associates are here."


"Thank you." Emberwing noticed that Shining Sword was standing there in a daze. "There is no time to gawk."

"Forgive me for taking time to process it all." The Warrior pointed at the drones. "What are those? I can't sense them, either."

"They are machine servants, and don't have any signatures in the first place." She sent the idea of a tool which carries out orders by itself.

"Spirits inhabiting the inanimate?" The barbarian appeared confused for a moment. "There are legends about this kind of thing, but I always assumed them to be nonsense."

"While such stories might be heavily distorted, they are certainly based on real appliances which our ancestors had used." Meanwhile, Beryl and Tempo approached them. "This is Tempo, another diplomatic advisor, and Beryl, a Rememberer. You can tell her those myths later, she will be happy to analyze them."

"What kind of myths?" The Listel perked up.

"About autonomous machines, or Spirits inhabiting tools, as our barbaric ancestors called them." Beryl did mention that once. "Speaking of that, any news from the construct?"

"It keeps hiding." There was a hint of annoyance from Tempo. "What do you need me for?"


"How about taking a seat over there?" The Captain pointed to a pavilion the Humans have finished constructing. "We have freshly brewed coffee and delicious pastries."

"If you insist." This mission was dangerously close to becoming a luxury vacation. However, tasting those pastries proved that they were actually worth the risk. "Let me recap the whole issue one more time. We need to stop the approaching nomad horde, because it is the favor we need to progress with our main goal, to secure the Church's cooperation. The primary plan is to offer the barbarians resettlement and integration into the Union."

"And the secondary plan is to scare them with the Melor?" Fireblade sent her memories of the Human's technique, which caused Tempo to frown.

"Then, the fallback plan, which I'd like to avoid, is to use violence." Emberwing noticed silhouettes moving about the cliff's edges, and considering the great number of combat drones down here, this plan was certainly solid. "The Humans likely chose this place because it is possible to trap the host in here."

"So it was you!" Shining Sword interrupted her. "You've caused the collapse!"

"It was the Human's doing." Clarified Midnight in a very blunt way. "So far, they've held back considerably, and I'd advise you lot not to test their patience. Our alliance with them outweighs your existence."

"There are considerations far beyond this remote world." Added Tempo in a similarly harsh tone. "What we offer is the best possible solution."


"I already promised my cooperation." The Warrior answered with a dose of impertinence. "What is so important about the Church, anyway?"

"That god they worship is likely a Soia artifact, which might be helpful in the war we're currently fighting. An alliance with the Humans is also crucial for the war effort." Embewing understood what the Mizol were getting at, and transmitted the bare minimum of information regarding the war, restricting it to just the scope.

"The Demon is an artifice of the Ancestors?!" Shining Sword did not seem to understand the war issue, instead reacting to the god-artifact. "Another piece of our legacy the Shacklers usurped!?"

"Or an artifact our ancestors had lost, and which those Tastadi managed to preserve." She sent the picture of the pillar. "There are several such things floating around the planet, except that those are broken and long dead."

"Fine, you've made your point." The Warrior shook her head. "No need to remind me of our failures."

"I'm merely honoring our ways by being as honest as it is feasible." Emberwing added a degree of empathy to her message. "Let us work out a strategy for the talks."


Which was straightforward enough. The Warlord had no real choice, she could make herself useful, or she would be an obstacle which needed to be dealt with. Considering the advantages, there were no good reasons to refuse their offer, except if she valued her glory over her people. The only issue would be convincing her quickly enough. "Is there anything your mother is particularly adamant about?"

“Her declared goal is to restore our legacy.“ Shining Sword was devouring her fifth pastry. “But beyond all the nonsense about the trials and so on, the main point is to get us out of this accursed wasteland, and secure a proper living.“

"What is the significance of the trials I keep hearing about?" Emberwing directed the question at the Listel as well.

"According to the archives, there are legends concerning the restoration of the Soian legacy through the completion of seven trials." Beryl sent a short assessment of this myth. "All the Warlords who tried to unify the local Loroi seemed to follow this path.“

"Those trials are merely old hag's tales, my mother only adheres to them because the people want to believe in this stuff." Shining Sword stopped herself from grabbing another sweet. "There's not even a single common version of the myth, every clan has their own favorite one, and every generation of loremasters tries to sneak in more embellishments."

"You've said that you don't know why your mother targets this city in particular, could it be related to those legends?" Understanding her intentions would certainly help. "Is there a deeper meaning to it? Why not conquer another city?"

"She says that this city is the pivoting point of destiny, and refuses to elaborate further.“ The Warrior ruminated for a moment. “You've said that the Demon the Tastadi worship is an artifact? Perhaps it can be used against our enemies, and that's what my mother aims for."

"Whatever the thing is, I shall claim it for the war effort.“ The Union needed any help against the Shells.

“If you want it so bad, then simply tell her that directly, no need for fancy arguments.“ Shining Sword became curious. "Who are you fighting against?"

"Those things!" Fireblade sent a vivid scene of an attacking hardtrooper. “They can and will devour everything if we don't stop them.“

"Fighting a worthy enemy could actually be a good argument.“ Surprisingly enough, the Warrior answered with glee. “Nowadays, it's almost impossible to find a mighty monster to prove one's worth.“


“I loathe to interrupt your girl's talk, but the guest of honor will arrive shortly.“ Alexander Jardin looked at them with an amused expression.

“Thank you.“ Emberwing stood up, concentrated, and extended her senses towards the horde's direction. Detecting her probing, the other side did so as well. Still out of reach for a proper conversation, the interaction made both of them keenly aware of each other. “I've made my presence known to the Warlord, she should be able to understand my intentions.“

“Should I prepare another coffee set?“ The Captain was definitely taking it not nearly serious enough. Or maybe he did, since the Humans began to rapidly deploy camouflage tents, hiding their camp.

“Make that five.“ So many, as to match their numbers, separated from the horde, quickly approaching this location. Emberwing had only enough time to change into a proper Union armor which Tempo had brought along, and the Loroi positioned themselves to receive the delegation.