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drominasarchive · 6 months

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Interlude 3: The comfort of a familiar sound

Knock.

Dariq walked across the streets of Sandand. Today would be a great day; and tomorrow even a greater day.

Knock. He looked at all the people in the commercial district: they didn’t know what was about to happen. They didn’t know tomorrow would be the day that would change everything.

Knock. He stopped knocking on the ground with his cane. He found the spot. It was in front of an artifact’s shop, one that was abandoned a long time ago; the owner’s either died or left Sandand: one couldn’t live in this city without earning a great share of money. Dariq hated how this city drained everyone to their last penny, until they turned into a walking corpse, starved for money. The citizens didn’t even know it, but they would find out eventually about their grim fate. But that was about to change.

Dariq stood in front of the door of the abandoned shop for a while. He observed the people around the streets: there was an old man reading the newspapers that every now and then took a gaze at him; he could be as much a spy as an old man who hated other people who weren’t like him. He couldn’t take risks either way, he cast a spell of sleep person onto him. The old gentlemen fell asleep without even resisting the spell, nothing to worry about then. He kept looking around for suspicious people, although it was hard with all the people walking around the streets: camouflaging the static persons that were around the area. A couple of young unusual men passed in front of him: a young clumsy boy with dragonfly wings alongside another young man who kept looking at a compass in his pocket. The fae were quite unusual in Sandand, so he prayed that a noble wouldn’t catch an eye on him. The other man though, seemed to wear some curious clothes and had a quite expensive looking compass; he could have stolen it from him in an instant, but he didn’t look noble at all. Either way they were unusual, and that always meant a problem, but perhaps, not his problem.

He got to the conclusion that nobody was spying on him. He reached his hand to the door when suddenly a hand rested on his shoulder.

-And what might you be doing young boy? – A slender guardsman was behind him, with a dagger behind his back. They got him. Or so they thought. He turned around, ready to take a hit and put him to sleep, when he realized.

-It’s not funny, Phezan. – Darik sighed. The slender guardsman was nothing more than an illusion covering what was a young girl, a bit shorter than her, with a sand-like hair. She was malnourished and appeared to be younger than she really was, although her attitude didn’t help to make people think otherwise. – I see you’ve tracked me down, right? I assume you want to join me in this little adventure of mine?

She nodded.

-Yes, but of course! We both know that you alone would get impaled, murdered and hanged in less than an hour! – She smiled proudly. – Luckily for you, Afnel told me where you were heading to. You don’t have to be so mysterious around your officials when the fall of this city is about to come!

-You’re right Phezan, sorry about that. – He pat her head. – Next time I will tell you. If there’s a next time, that is. For the moment, shall we enter inside the workshop before I tell you what’s our plan?

Phezan got in front of him and opened the door with a lockpick. She always made it look so easy. She was so young yet so talented. Dariq reminisced for a bit of the day when he found her. Bruised up, shaking in the ground and with a twisted arm. Her father was a noble, and her mother a Fae. That’s where she got the sand-like hair, always seeming like it was a flowing sand stream. His father beat her mother to death, after putting Phezan to sale after he played enough with her. She was a slave for two years, physically abused just at the age of seven. When he and Afnel found out about the slave auction she was being put on again, they rushed over and killed all of their masters. One would think that Phezan would never recover from the trauma; but surprisingly she started talking to Dariq and Afnel only a few days after they took her in. 8 Years had already passed from those times, and Phezan had grown out to be a fine girl, able to fight for herself, and alongside Dariq. However, she lacked his firm hand and his murderous instincts: perhaps she was too young, or perhaps this world was not made for her. He never forced her to join him, she just started tagging along, but he was hoping that, after tomorrow, she may start living the life she really wants. However, this story was one of many reasons that assured him that any noble man needed to be exterminated.

-The door is open Dariq! What are you waiting for? – As always, she was incredibly fast with lockpicking. The door was wide open and nobody even noticed it. Dariq headed inside the workshop.

The building was stuffed with old artifacts that were obviously abandoned more than a decade ago. One could imagine the past of the shop: an old man with his wife taking care of their old passion dream, selling their crazy inventions to the noblemen that crossed the town. That would be until, one of their artifacts turned out wrong, and a nobleman, maybe ashamed of exhibiting such bungle, would demand the closing of the shop. It could also have been the high taxes that were rising in Sandand, or the natural death of the owners, but somehow, he had the hunch that the first option was the correct one. The old shop had a scent of bicarbonate and humidity, due to the time that it had passed before the first one was replaced. Phezan was walking around the shop curiously, inspecting all sort of artifacts, when she asked:

-So… What are we looking for? – She had found an old magnifying glass that instead of enlarging objects it would widen them, making Dariq look all round.

-We are looking for confirmation of the plans of the city. But this shop is not our objective. – He took his crane out again. Knock. Nothing. – It would appear that the owners of this establishment used to have a hideout near here, where they would carry some sort of smuggling to the lower ends of the city. -Knock. Nothing. – If my assumptions were correct, this hideout would lead to a large connection of tunnels underneath of Sandand. – Knock. Still nothing. – If we could get to those tunnels and confirm that Sandand was indeed built above the architecture of an even older civilization, our theory would turn out to be true, and we could carry out tomorrow’s plan perfectly. Some may die, yes, but the ending justifies the means. We’re not heroes after all. – Knock. Bingo. He uncorked the bottom of his cane, to reveal a long blade that he used to pierce through the wet wood. Tearing through some planks showed him what he wanted to see: a tunnel.

-Are you sure you want to do this Dariq? – Mumbled Phezan. – I know that this means a lot to you, but you do know how many lives are at stake here right? I mean, for all I know, half of the city’s population could die tomorrow. Is it really worth it Dariq?

-I told you, if you don’t want to be a part of this you can leave. I gave you the money to pay a scholarship in the academy. You are smart, and you can do great things with that head of yours. Me and Afnel? We belong here. – He jumped inside of the tunnel.

-I also belong here! – She followed. – I don’t wanna leave you guys! I owe everything to you… I need to repay it somehow…

-You don’t need to repay anything. Your future is a more than enough gift to us. Now, if you don’t want to be part of this, you should leave.

-Hmph! Fine then, go rot in those tunnels of yours! – She didn’t jump into the tunnel, and disappeared from Dariq’s sight. – Also, don’t come late! I’ve baked a great meat pie for you both, dumbass! – The door closed. That was better.

He lit up a small flying flame with a trick of his, and he started to explore these lost catacombs. There were carvings on the wall. A lot of them. He couldn’t read any of them unfortunately. Afnel knew a lot more of the history of Sandand, Dariq never cared that much, as long as his goal was fulfilled. The only thing he knew was that there had to be some way that the Sandand he knew would stay on its feet with all these tunnels underneath it. And he was sure of another thing: this network was still being used, but not by bandits, nor smugglers: they were leftovers of rotten fruit on these ruins, no poor man would be able to afford this many fruit. This was a noble’s doing.

“So now they’re using even OUR tunnels to their advantage. What a fucking scum.” Thought Dariq. He kept creeping around these complicated passages, until he found something very special. What he had been searching for. An enormous pillar of sandstone was in front of him, in a very vast and empty room. Few statues were surrounding the pillar: they appeared to be the pillar’s guardians. Though immobile, they imposed a great fear on him, big as a goliath and hard as a golem, these things had probably been alive a long time ago. The pillar was majestic, with ornaments all around it, that reassured Dariq that this was what he was searching. There were 4 more of these. But having found one was proof enough of Afnel’s theory. He could head home now.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps:

-Is someone there? Let this be remembered, the secret noble network is only available for people capable of showing their enormous wealth at an eye’s notice! – Scum. It was just scum. And it was only one man. He decided to show himself.

The man was startled, he jumped back and reached his hand into his puny short sword trying to defend himself. He clearly wasn’t trained for battle, probably a noble guard that inherited the position from his father. He made sure to impose true fear on him. He turned off his small flame and darkness engulfed the whole room.

-So you decide to show your face, you pathetic rat? – Said Dariq, who walked slowly to the young man. He honed his cane with his metallic arm prosthetic to make a constant creepy sound as he closed in. – You really think you can come here and claim OUR network as yours? To claim OUR city as yours? To claim OUR souls as yours? You’re nothing. You’re a monster that needs to be eradicated, and I’ll do the honors for you. – The man was so scared that he didn’t move nor say anything. He just held his sword high. Dariq didn’t want to kill him, but he couldn’t always contain himself. He rushed towards him and used the wooden part of the cane to knock him down. The guard fell to the ground, and Dariq sank the Cane’s blade.

Knock. A scream.

Knock. Another scream.

-I’ll never forgive any of you.

Knock. Silence.

He was dead. The cane was stuck on his heart. A shame, he wanted to have more fun. Phezan was lucky to not come. Dariq didn’t want Phezan to see this. He took the cane out of the guard’s lifeless body and turned back to where he came from.

Dariq was excited for tomorrow. He was excited for Sandand’s last day.

#c6 : equinox of two souls #drominas archive #c6 : interludes

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koajan-blog · 7 months

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Interludio 1: The Hero

The hero’s beginning.

It was already late at night when Noah decided to make his escape.

He had it planned since the day he met Qatsi, to get out of this town and to find himself for once. Seeing someone so fragile, yet so brave, made him realize what he was lacking, even when he confronted his father. Yes, he did face him off, but he ended up with a scar in his hand, one that would probably never go away. It was his shame; he couldn’t bare looking at it without doing something about it. This town needed a hero, but he was not the one who they needed. Not yet at least. Although, he had to do one last thing before he escaped.

It was late at night, 2 hours after midnight. The second moon had already risen, and the sky had a shade of purple you could only see at this specific moment. The town was all silent, and the streets, even though messy due to the recent chaos, were calm and empty. That monster did a number on various buildings, although the only one who claimed to have seen that beast were him and LeChèf, who already made his way onto a western city, to pursue his dream to become a top-class chef. He exited the house, without making a sound, but not too careful, since his father was on the dungeon due to the recent conflicts. His brother was still there though. He didn’t want to wake him up. Not yet.

He felt guilty. He felt like he wasn’t the brother he was supposed to be. He’d probably be better with someone as Qatsi, or the black haired one.

“Reliable. Brave. Smart. Understanding. Daring.” He wasn’t any of these things, he thought. Noah shook these thoughts off and kept going, to his one and only stop. The place where that “beast” came from, or at least, where it emerged from. The house closest to the ruins was completely destroyed. An old couple of old men lived there, and blamed the mayor for not taking care of the “earthquakes” that crumbled their house to dust. Noah knew it had been no earthquake, but everyone else thought it was. The old men however, seemed to play dumb when asked about the beast. He probably knew something he did not want to tell.

However, he made it to the ruins, and headed downstairs. He hated these stairs. He had to walk through this hallway every time something hideous happened. Usually at midnight, even when he was a toddler, though, he had his father back then. It had been 2 years since the last time.

Under these ruins, lived a monster. A monster so scary that had to be locked up under an old dungeon that was used for torture centuries ago. A monster who killed. The same monster that took his mother from him.

He reached out to the jail where the monster was locked up in. The creature at first didn’t notice him, but when Noah coughed, the gloomy figure turned its head and looked at him in the eyes:

“Noah, is that you, my dear?” – Said the monster. Its eyes filled with a deranged and distorted hope. – “Did you see the snake? Five days ago, one of the hands came! One of the hands! One of the hands!” – It kept repeating the same sentence, like a broken record.

“I saw it…” – Words struggled at the end of his throat. Saying that word was harder every time. “Mom, I need to ask you something, what…what are those beasts?”—He didn’t expect a literal answer. She always talked in strange verses, or formulated weird enigmas.

“Do you mean… The scarlet beasts?” –She seemed awfully interested. She didn’t look so sane, and clear-minded ever since the incident. – “They are the manifestation of our crimes, of our sins. The Scarlet Tree takes human lives as price of dirtying this world with our earthly desires. It asks for cleansing, Noah. That’s why I had to…”—

“That’s enough.” –Said Noah. He didn’t want to hear it again. The thought of her mother eating his older brother was enough to make him puke. He didn’t want to hear it again. – “Then, I’ll let you know: -- He inhaled; he was ready. –I’m going on a journey. A journey I may not come back from. I am going to find that Scarlet Tree, and I’m going to rip away its roots. I’m going to cut it, burn it, and let it rot wherever it is.” –She looked scared, worried. –But before that, I need to become stronger. I need to be a hero, a hero capable of saving everyone I see. I’ll be brave, I’ll kill that tree, and… Only then, I’ll be able to save you, and save this family.

She didn’t say a word. Her eyes open-wide, in silence. Noah didn’t expect an answer. He turned his back, said goodbye, and headed for the exit. As he was exiting, he thought he was a fool to have though this was a good idea. He was a buffoon, who thought too much of himself. He was not a destined hero, nor someone with a powerful desire, like those on the tales, or Qatsi. He was just a human. Perhaps he wasn’t made for this. But maybe, just maybe-

“Please, take care”. –He froze, after those words, he heard his mother move again. To the back of the room, facing the wall. Feet stuck in the ground; he pinched his skin. He was awake, he didn’t imagine it. He did not know what to say, but perhaps, the best thing was saying nothing.

He felt a relief on his shoulders. He didn’t know why, but he did. He exited the dungeon. The last moon had gone up as well, and a dark purple sky had set on the night sky. He was ready to go. He only had to say goodbye to his brother, but Noah knew he would understand him. He would send him help and money every week, so he could survive alone with his father.

Noah decided not to say goodbye to his father. He understood he became like this due to the situation with his mother, but that did not make him less guilty. After considering various options, he opened the front door at his home and headed to the bedroom. With all the equipment ready, he woke up his brother with a smile. A sudden burst of confidence was born inside him; one that would help him turn into the hero his brother wanted him to be. “Thanks. Mom”.

He pat his brother’s head gently, until he woke up.

“Wake up, dumbass. Your hero’s gonna make a legend out of himself.”

#drominas archive #c6 : equinox of two souls #c6 : interludes

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drominasarchive · 7 months

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Interlude 2: Cordura

Moon y Emi se encontraban en la vasta jungla que era la isla del cielo, atravesando lianas y saltando ramas. Llevaban ya media hora en su misión por encontrar algo parecido a una crisálida carmesí.

Moon no hablaba mucho. Nunca le habían enseñado que hablar estaba bien. Más bien lo contrario: cualquier información de más que pudiera dar a alguien que no fuera de confianza podría ser usado en su contra. Era la forma más lógica de verlo todo. Tal y como él le enseñó. Sin embargo, había estado contando cosas de más junto a Quartz y Leah. ¿Qué le estaba pasando?

Sin darse cuenta, llevaba un buen rato sin decirle nada a Emi. Le pasaba muchas veces, se encerraba en sus pensamientos en vez de prestar atención a lo que le rodeaba. Eso le llevaba muchas veces a… Ya lo estaba haciendo de nuevo. Decidió entablar conversación con Emi:

-Y bien? Encontraste alguna pista? -Seguro que Emi debía pensar que Moon era un tío sosísimo, pensó Moon. “Siempre pensando en lo que se debe de hacer”.

-Oh, disculpa. – Dijo Emi. – Estaba mirando toda la flora de esta zona… Nunca pude llegar aquí hasta que… Los pelícanos hicieron lo que sea que hicieron. – Se la veía preocupada.

-No pasa nada, quizá Quartz y los demás ya han encontrado lo que buscábamos. En un rato deberíamos volver a nuestro punto de quedada.

-Mhm… -Rayos. Moon lo estaba haciendo de nuevo. Incomodaba a la gente con su pragmatismo. Emi estaba callada, mirando al suelo. Debía hacer algo.

-Y bien… -Dijo Moon, con una mirada perdida. ¿Cómo lo hacía Quartz para preguntar tantas cosas inútiles? No es que fueran desagradables, más bien era entretenido pero… Tenía su arte, supuso. -Qué sueles hacer por aquí? Ya sabes, como llevas tanto tiempo tirada aquí… -Esperó no sonar brusco.

Emi le miró sorprendida. No se esperaba una pregunta sobre ella. ¿Era eso bueno? No tenía ni idea.

-Verás, soy una persona bastante aburrida… -Dijo Emi con una triste sonrisa. -Mayormente me dedico a dibujar y a buscar plantas nuevas. A veces capturo insectos… Y ya. No pude hacer mucho nunca, no fui muy habilidosa en nada y creo que sigo sin serlo… Al menos Alphen está de vuelta, lo cual quiere decir que si salimos de esta con vida, podré ir a ver mundo! -Era una sonrisa amarga, pero eso le daba esperanza. Moon estaba pensando en otra cosa sin embargo:

-Creo que tu y Quartz os haríais buenos amigos. Con Leah no lo creo tanto… -Eso último lo murmuró.

Emi soltó una risa tímida:

-Piensas mucho en Quartz verdad? Quiero decir, se te nota en la mirada. Estaba contando sobre Alphen y yo y lo primero que piensas es en él? -Volvió a reír. – Me parece que tienes la cabeza en otras cosas…

-Pues claro! -Gritó indignado Moon. – Estamos trabajando juntos y… y siempre se le da todo mejor… Alguien como yo, que fue entrenado toda su vida para algo como esto no le llega a los talones y… es frustrante. Siento que estoy aprovechándome de sus habilidades. No aporto nada la mayoría de veces y… y… -Estaba contando como se sentía. “Moon, eres imbécil”.

-Te fustigas mucho Moon… -Dijo Emi. -Quizás no deberías centrarte tanto en lo que hace mejor que tú sino en… Lo que tenéis en común… Perdona, no se me dan bien este tipo de consejos… -Suspiró. – Siento que muchas veces nos limitamos a actuar como queremos debido a unos estándares que se nos pusieron hará mucho tiempo y… quizás esos estándares ya no se sustentan como tal. Me pasaba lo mismo, hasta que llegué aquí y, bueno, pude ser yo misma, sin que nadie me juzgara. Creo que deberías hacer lo mismo Moon… -Silencio. – Y si me preguntas a mí. Parece que a Quartz se le ilumina la cara cuando te ve. No creo que se sienta usado, ni aprovechado sabes?

-Supongo que tienes razón Emi… -Un poco de la confianza que se le había escapado estaba volviendo. – Quizás puedo hacer algo por Quartz, al igual que él hace algo por mí… Sí… -Al fin y al cabo, una luna como él necesitaba de un Sol como Quartz para recibir su brillo de él.. “Qué analogía más patética” pensó Moon, soltando una sonrisa.

Sin darse cuenta, se chocó con un árbol. Eso le pasaba por divagar… Siempre se lo decían. Nada cambiaba al final…

-Moon? -Dijo Emi. – ¿Estás viendo lo mismo qué yo?

Se levantó con una mano en la cabeza, mientras analizaba el chichón que le iba a salir; cuando alzó la mirada y vio un grotesco paisaje: un claro en el bosque, lleno de animales muertos, podridos. Las raíces del árbol carmesí estaban entrelazadas en los animales. Se estaba alimentando de ellos. Atravesaban los animales, cruzando las bocas y conectándolas con alas, piernas, y otras extremidades.

En medio de esa masacre, yacía clavada una espada en un cuerpo sin vida, de un humano. Podrían haber pasado eones, ya que ese humano, ahora formaba parte de la flora local: cubierto de plantas, ahora pudriéndose por los animales alrededor. Bajo el cuerpo enflorecido, había una placa de metal, con un grabado:

“Cordura”.

#c6 : interludes #drominas archive #c6 : equinox of two souls

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drominasarchive · 7 months

Text

Interlude 1: The Hero

The hero’s beginning.

It was already late at night when Noah decided to make his escape.

He felt guilty. He felt like he wasn’t the brother he was supposed to be. He’d probably be better with someone as Qatsi, or the black haired one.

He reached out to the jail where the monster was locked up in. The creature at first didn’t notice him, but when Noah coughed, the gloomy figure turned its head and looked at him in the eyes:

He pat his brother’s head gently, until he woke up.

“Wake up, dumbass. Your hero’s gonna make a legend out of himself.”

#drominas archive #c6 : equinox of two souls #c6 : interludes

0 notes