Blue did as Harata had asked and spent each day trying to build a
relationship with the mysterious Takaeyama. The Night’s Herald, who’d always
been shy and withdrawn himself, found this a daunting task. It was easy enough,
he supposed, to talk to someone like Chi, whose voice often made up 80% of any
given conversation. On the other hand, he had no idea where to begin with
Takaeyama, and it seemed they spent more time eyeballing each other than
anything else.
They’d traveled a good deal to the north, and were about two days from
Kitaka’en. There was a range of moderately sized mountains surrounding the
city in a crescent, on the north, south and west. The foothills to the east of
the city were carved in steppes and planted with numerous crops. The view from
the mountains was breathtaking- in the summer light, the city glittered like
silver surrounded by emerald. The fields, green beryl, shimmered verdant and
plentiful. Chi commented repeatedly that she’d never imagined the northern
city would look “like that”.
As they approached Kitaka’en, Harata began to wonder what to do next.
Even if they could sneak into the city somehow, it was likely that they’d been
seen eventually and reported to the police or HeadHunters. He felt at a loss for
ideas, not really sure why they were there in the first place. Food was becoming
a concern as well, and he pondered the idea that they may have to start hunting.
They were ill-equipped for such a venture, though he supposed that could be
remedied. In the meantime, they’d need to figure out what to do from here. The
Clanless called a meeting over dinner.
“We’ve nearly reached Kitaka’en,” he began, “but getting into
the city’s going to be difficult at best. I don’t know that we should
attempt it without some actual reason. Our purpose in coming north was to throw
off the HeadHunters, and it seems we’ve done so. We need to refocus our
efforts on finding the other three Champions.” He spread a map out on the
ground. It was still visible in the fading light, but wouldn’t be for much
longer. “I want you all to look at the map and then tell me where you want to
go. Just go with your gut feeling.”
Harata waited while the six Champions studied the map. Well, five of them
did. Takaeyama seemed unsure of what they were doing. When he realized that all
the others were concentrating on the map below, he brought his dull gaze slowly
to the paper. After a while, their eyes left the map, one by one, to look up at
the Clanless.
“What do you think?” He asked. Of course, Chieko was first to answer.
“I want to go to the beach!” she chimed. The others looked at her,
unblinking. Mina and Kat wore expressions of disdain, while a slight, indulgent
smile was spreading on Ayame’s face. “Look,” pointed Chi, “if we go west
from here, we can get to the shore. It’ll be a nice hike.”
“I’d like to head west as well,” Blue volunteered. “After that,
perhaps south again. I get the feeling our journey will end in the south.”
“I want to go south, too,” Kat said suddenly. With some wonder in her
voice, she looked back at the map and said, “I don’t want to go home.”
“I like west or south, or both,” said Mina, “I’m not fussed,
really.”
“Ayame?” Harata looked at the Dauern.
“I’ve never been to the beach,” she replied. “Might be nice to
travel south from there.” Chieko shot her a wide, approving grin, which, to
Harata’s surprise, Ayame returned.
“Takaeyama?” The Corduran didn’t raise his eyes from the map.
Everyone waited in uncomfortable silence, occasionally exchanging glances. “Takaeyama?”
Harata tried again.
Finally, Blue reached out and touched the silent Corduran gently on the
shoulder. Takaeyama’s gaze rolled up from the map and fixed on the Night’s
Herald.
“Is there anywhere you want to go?” Blue asked in a quiet, even
voice.
In a manner that seemed to shut out the rest of the group, the Corduran
said,
“I don’t know what I want.”
“That’s all right,” Blue answered indulgently. “You don’t have
to.”
“I want to stay with you guys, I think. Are you going to make me go
away? They made me go away…”
“No. We want you to stay with us. We just want your opinion.”
“Why?” asked Takaeyama suspiciously.
“We all gave ours. Yours is important, too.”
“Okay…” the Corduran’s face seemed to slowly go blank once more,
as though a cloud of apathy had passed over him. “I can’t talk about this
anymore,” he said flatly.
“Okay,” Blue replied. “That was fine. You did fine.”
For a few moments, everyone remained in an embarrassed silence. It was
the most anyone had heard Takaeyama speak; his dull, quiet voice seemed too weak
even for such a brief exchange. His gaze fell to his hands, and the others
shifted restlessly. Eventually, Harata said,
“So, then, it looks like we’re all of a pretty similar mind. We’ll
head west until we come to the shore, then head south.”
There was a collective nodding of heads, and then they dispersed, most
getting ready for bed. Harata motioned to Blue, who joined him on the outskirts
of their campsite.
“He said ‘they’,” the Clanless’s voice was hushed and urgent.
“’They’ made him leave. Any idea who ‘they’ are?”
“None,” replied Blue. “He never said anything like that before.”
“You’ve got to try to find out more about them. It may be why
he’s gone all weird.”
“Possibly.” After a pause, he added, “I’ll do my best.”
“Thanks.” Harata clapped Blue affectionately on the shoulder and
turned to make his way back to the others. The Night’s Herald remained in the
fresh-fallen darkness, his head leaning against the trunk of a tree, knowing
that he must do as Harata had asked, willing himself to accept that this duty
would not change. He felt himself fill with calm, a soothing warmth washed over
him. This is what is, no more than that.
The current that battered and swept over him left a constant rushing in
Takaeyama’s ears. He was aware only of this howling rush most of the time. As
though a surgeon had entered his head, gently snipping away at nerves and
tissue, he’d somehow lost connection between his mind and senses. He could
see, hear, feel, surely- but these sensations were swept off in the speeding
current that had dragged him under. He could not register the things around him,
file them in their proper place. Whatever river of despair that had swallowed
him, it kept him there to prevent him from remembering that thing he did not
wish to recall.
Somehow there were all these people around him. The blonde girl- he could
not recall her name- had called him to the surface of the river once. There were
others, some whose presence he was aware of. They lurked like ghostly shadows in
the corner of his mind. They moved without substance, worked their mouths
without speaking. And then there was the other- the one who could occasionally
pull him from the turbulent undertow, help to restore moments of coherence.
There was something about that one… something that seemed to coax his weakened
soul back to solid ground.
The few moments of lucidity he had, he couldn’t hold on to. As quickly
as they would come, they would fade. It was comfortable there in the rushing
waves, peaceful and without pain. The alternative, with its sensations and
awareness, bought a discomfort he did not wish to prolong. Despite the siren
song of the man who could bring him back to the waking world, Takaeyama found
his soul unwilling to return. He would remain beneath the water forever.
The seven Champions turned west the following morning. Summer had truly
set in by now, though this far north the heat was not stifling. They’d been
blessed by a stretch of good weather. Dappled sunlight, filtered green, fell
around them. Overall, spirits were high. The HeadHunters appeared to be shaken,
and the few days they’d spent together had put most of them at ease with each
other.
They’d journeyed three days to the west, and were about halfway to the
shore on the night that Chieko, who’d been
sitting watch, shook Harata awake. He looked up at her, slightly disorientated,
and then sat up, figuring it was his turn to take over the watch. There was a
hint of panic in her usually cheerful features, prompting him to realize
something must be wrong.
“Chi, what-“
“Shhhh,” she pressed her finger to her lips. “Listen.”
He heard it. Echoing through the forest, the sound of haunting, rhythmic
drumbeats was punctuated occasionally with a howling whoop. The driving rhythm
seemed to cause the darkness to become heavy somehow- the night pressed on them.
“What is that?” Harata asked.
“I don’t know,” answered Chieko, a slight whine of desperation in
her voice. “Do you think it’s the Angemal?”
“It wouldn’t be the HeadHunters. They’re sneaky, quiet, you
know?” After a pause, the Clanless sighed. “Let’s get Blue.”
After waking up and listening to the sound of the drums and voices, the
Night’s Herald stated, in his usual, unworried voice,
“It’s the Pantagruel.”
“Huh?” Harata asked, confused. “The Pantagruel? What are they
doing?”
“It’s a ceremony. They have their own way of praising the gods. Not
much is known about it, but hallucinogens are rumored to be involved.”
“You don’t think they’ll find us?”
“They’re down in the valley. I doubt they’ll wander up here. We may
have to be on the lookout tomorrow, but since we know they’re around, we
should be okay.”
“I’m going to take a look,” Harata suddenly stated. “If I see
their camp, I can get a better idea of which way they’ll go.”
“I’ll go too,” said Chieko brightly. “I want to see.”
“Maybe you should stay here.”
“Why? I’m the scout, remember? It’s good for my training.”
Chieko’s logic was sound, leaving Harata without a retort. He merely
shrugged and said,
“Fine. Let’s go.”
They made their way down around the mountainside, moving as quietly as
possible, though the thundering drums in the valley made this endeavor quite
useless. They wound about until they found a place where the mountain sloped
down sharply, allowing a clear view of the valley below. There, they stopped to
watch the spectacle of the Pantagruel’s dance.
A huge bonfire bathed the valley in an orange glow. In its light,
enormous shapes like living boulders swayed to the rhythm emanating from the
shadows. When the fire rose, huge arms could be made out in the darkness,
pounding on rustic hide drums. Occasionally, wild, painted features could be
seen, mouths open, panting and howling. The fevered pitch of the dance, the
thunder of the drums, and the flare and ebb of the bonfire caused the scene to
be mesmerizing. Harata and Chieko gazed into the valley, unable to tear their
eyes away.
They remained in their place for far longer than they’d intended. The
sound and motion below them reached its frenzied pinnacle, then ended abruptly,
filling the night with an astounding silence. The Clanless shook his head,
driving off the haunting sound. He studied the valley by the light of the
bonfire, looking for any possible routes the Pantagruel might take. He had but a
few moments- the giants were quick to douse the huge fire. There was a
tremendous hiss, the voice of a burning serpent, as several of the men
poured buckets of water on the dancing flames. Despite the smaller campfires
that dotted the ground, it was now too dark to discern much.
Without a word, Harata and Chieko returned to camp.
Blue was there waiting for them. He sat beside Takaeyama, who’d been
silent since he’d spoken over the map. The Night’s Herald watched the two
approach through the blanket of darkness, looking for all the world as though he
were in fact watching nothing. The Corduran, in truth, was watching
nothing.
“It was amazing!” Chi exclaimed in hushed excitement as soon as
she’d come close enough.
“Did you get a good look at their camp?”
“Not the best,” Harata answered, “but it looks as though they’ll
go back out the way that they came in. That leaves us ok, as long as we’re
careful.”
“Well, that’s good then,” the Night’s Herald said without
passion. He listened patiently as Chieko described the Pantagruel’s dance.
When she’d finished her highly animated tale, the three decided to wake Mina
for watch and get back to sleep. After he’d told her of the strange happenings
in the forest, Harata said,
“We’ll have to be extra careful for a bit. If you hear anything, get
me up right away. We don’t want to get stumbled over unexpectedly.”
“What, you mean like we are now?”
It was then that
Harata became aware of the thrashing in the brush behind them, at the edge of
the small clearing where they’d made camp. After a few moments, an enormous
man burst forth from the trees and bushes. He towered over them where they
crouched, merely a silhouette, a dark monster of childhood. His head pivoted
back and forth, searching in the dark. When he realized that he was not alone,
he approached the Champions. Suddenly, he began to laugh. It was a booming,
jovial sound, ringing through the forest.
“Damn! You guys look so small!”
He continued to lumber forward, swaying slightly. He stopped again and
shook his head.
“Ugh. I think I took too much…” With those words, the intoxicated
Pantagruel crashed to the ground.
Harata searched out Blue’s eyes in the dark, flexing his tingling
fingers.
“Wait, wait, wait. Lemme try again. Think I got it. Harata, Chi-chi,
Ayumi, Mina, Takae… something, Kat, and uh… What color are you again?”
“Blue,” the Night’s Herald replied calmly, pointing to the stripe
in his hair.
“Right, right,” the giant man’s laughter boomed out.
In the morning sun, he was a spectacle to behold. Though Takaeyama was
equal in height, this man’s build differed greatly from the lanky Corduran’s.
He seemed to be made entirely from muscle, with arms as big around as Harata’s
legs. He wore grubby, stained overalls and huge, black steel-toed boots. His
head was covered in pale stubble, the fine strands of his hair cropped close.
His nose was flattish and his smile broad. When he laughed, it looked as though
he could swallow a person whole. His grey eyes, accented by a few fine laugh
lines, were soft and kind, lending a feeling of gentleness to the man, despite
his enormity and filth. A hoop dangled from his earlobe, and from that an orange
stone bead hung.
“Don’t worry about it Kazuki,” Harata addressed the Pantagruel.
“You’ll get all of them eventually.”
“Just Kazu is ok. Weird, me running into you guys. Whatcha doin’
here, anyways?”
The Clanless heaved a deep breath. “You know the Legend, right?”
“What, like, the Legend? Sure” Kazu began to recite, in a
surprisingly clear voice, the entire Legend of Diasminion. He went on and on,
the others exchanging glances that ranged from astounded to uncomfortable. He
wound to a close after some time, finishing with, “And the Clans, so long
divided, shall be united under their Champions, never again to be torn
asunder.”
Chieko started clapping enthusiastically.
“That was great!” she beamed. “My dad can say the whole thing, but
I always mess it up somewhere.”
“I tell my kids before bed. They love the Legend.”
“You have kids?”
“Yeah, boy and girl.” Kazu turned back to Harata. “Why’d you ask
that, anyhow?”
“We’re here because of the Legend.”
“What, like some kinda fan club? Or, uh, one of them… uh, study
groups?”
“No…” Harata spoke slowly. “What would you say if I told you I
was the Clanless, and everyone here was a Champion… and you are, too?”
Kazuki’s features twisted as he concentrated hard on the question.
Finally, he said, with an utterly blank look on his face,
“I dunno. Could you try telling me? Then I’d know what I’d say.”
Harata took a deep breath once again.
“I am the Clanless, and these guys are Champions. You’re a
Champion, too.”
“Woah. No kidding? Am I really?”
“Yep.”
“Oh, uh, then… What do I do?”
“We need you to come with us. We’re going… well, west right now.”
“What about my job? I gotta go back today.”
Chi crept up a little, her eyes even wider than usual.
“Kazu,” she said, “this is the Legend. You’ve gotta come
with us! If you don’t…”
“But… the HeadHunters will come after me. And they’ll go to my
family.”
Unexpectedly, it was Ayame who spoke next. She looked directly at the
Pantagruel, never letting her eyes wander to the others. She knew that if she
saw them, she’d lose her nerve and be frozen, speechless once more.
“We have a duty, yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“You and me. Pantagruel and Dauern. We have a duty, and we have to
serve the Upper Clans and all the others above us. But…” Her gaze became
intense, though not fierce, “This is a higher duty. This is the end of
the world. We have to leave the obligations that were given us, but it’s for a
more worthy cause, right?”
“Yeah, you’re right…”
“The HeadHunters won’t hurt your family- as long as they answer the
questions…”
“Yeah. Yeah,” Kazu’s expression clouded a little, but he shook his
head vigorously and said, “Right, I’ll go.”
“We’ll need to get moving, then,” Harata said, and they all rose to
break camp.
There are two Champions left, the Clanless thought to himself as
he went about his usual task of masking their trail. It was harder now that
Kazuki had joined them, as the huge man left a trail that might have been made
by an ox.
Harata smiled broadly. He enjoyed the company of the jovial Pantagruel,
who seemed to live for laughter. Kazu and Chi had become fast friends, spending
their free moments chattering away and giggling. The Pantagruel had taken to the
Task with the same open innocence as the GelbFaust.
The suns were on the verge of setting. As soon as he’d finished the last
of his work, Harata returned to the others where they waited, ready to make
camp. He couldn’t help but feel that overall things seemed to be going a bit
better than before.
They assembled in a broad clearing to make camp as usual. From the brush
came the sudden sound of gun chambers being loaded.
Snick. Snick. Snick-snick-snick-snick.
“Oh, shit.”
The HeadHunters had found them.
