-Break-
Location: Nialathrú
Φ In front of a couple, I stand, and just like all the rest I asked, they say, "Sorry we don't know much about him."
Smiling, I say, "I see."
Then I walk through the busy streets.
All around me are beastkin and humans moving things around as they work to count the resources scattered throughout Nialathrú. All objects must be accounted for so that we can properly plan our future.
It is rather boring work, but all parties doing it are invigorated. For the beastkin, it is due to their liberation and remorse for their past actions, and for the humans, it is out of happiness that they don't have to work in the freezing cold anymore.
Each party works hand in hand as they smile away with each other, I struggle to see the difference between beastkin and human. If only I could, if only the beastkin didn't function as a living being in my brain, then maybe this sadness could disappear.
One of the beastkin walking up to me says, "You're from Aplo,s right?"
"Nodding my head, I say, "Yes, my wife is the chief."
"Then would you be able to pass this list onto Orb?"
Taking the notebook handed to me, I say, "I will be on it."
And with those few words, I run, and run, and keep running away from everyone around me, but no matter how fast I move, I can't outrun this pain, this guilt.
Because I killed someone.
A Ruathar hopper Fanalis, the mercenary who was protecting the attacker Cultúir and the rest of the ministers set up to be a light for the war, and he knew all of this before he signed up. That people would die, that another bloody war down here would break out. That the hatred which had always caused so much pain and decay would grow even more. Yet he didn't care because as long as he profited, and that very idea could have brought destruction onto countless people. He was scum and deserved to die.
Yet I can't get the image of him out of my mind, of his corpse laying flat on the ground without anything inside it. Our bodies are objects made of nature like everything else, but I never truly feel like that. On some level, I think I don't fully believe that people are like that.
But when you look at a corpse and see something that was once filled with dreams, thoughts, emotions, expressions, and purpose lying on the ground without any of those things, it makes a sick feeling rush over my body.
I have never liked seeing it; no matter how many people died from disease or hunting, I never got used to seeing their bodies. It doesn't feel right, death doesn't feel right.
Putting my hands on my head, I say, "What kind of childish nonsense am I saying?"
Walking forward, I start to take slow and deep breaths.
Regardless of how I feel about this, he still tried to make many people go through this same sickening feeling, and for that, I can't forgive him. I shouldn't forgive him. But I already know that, so why can't I deal with this? Why can't I just take this hatred and move on?
Stopping, I look at a puddle of water on the ground, and as I see it, I say, "It's because I am the one who dirtied my hands, isn't it? How pathetic am I?"
-Break-
In front of me lies a sight that is both annoying, amazing, and kind of terrifying.
In the top of Nialthrú, there is a hole the same one we used to reach the surface, and under that hole is a giant structure. In place of the platform Senán built is a form of transportation system from the surface to Nialathrú. It seems to use a kind of pulley system, or so I think it was called. There are no giant plant platforms that they use to carry things from the surface to the ground.
As I stare at it dumbstruck, I soon hear shaking, and then moments later a palm drops on top of me and as it does the wind pressure from it knocks me to the ground.
Pulling his palm away, Senán says, "Did I scare you this time?"
"Not even a bit. I heard the tremors long before you got here."
"How upsetting."
As I stand up, I take a moment to stare at this magnificent creature in front of me. Gallant, beautiful, mesmerizing, even in this creature's decayed state, it was nothing but breathtaking.
Yet the mind in that gorgeous body was anything but.
Picking his nose, Senán eats a booger so big it would suffocate a school.
Seeing this, I smash my hands into the ground and say, "IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME! WHY DOES THIS IDIOT GET SUCH A BEAUTIFUL BODY!"
Giggling a bit, Senán says, "Danu warned of perverts who love animals, but this is the first time I have seen one in person."
"I am no pervert, I just understand the magnificence of that body. So you should sharpen your mind to act in a way benefiting such a form."
Burping, Senán says, "I have took life a little too seriously for too long, so I am just going to sit back and relax from now on."
"Whatever!" I say, turning my body to face the structure.
"Are you scared of heights?"
"No. Why do you ask?"
"I just saw you blindly staring at this, so I just assumed you are scared of heights."
"Not in the slightest. Just amazed that you beastkin could do something in less than 3 days."
"It is only because of how ridiculously big my body is that I was able to use beast blood battle arts to such a large extent. But the real amazing ones are the druids who worked night and day implementing this that we got in done, though they will be useless for around a month now."
"Wouldn't it have been easier for you to do such a thing with your beast blood battle arts?"
"In actuality I suck at using it, just like the rest of the modifications that brought me to this state, my druid horns where implanted on me. So I didn't start my life learning how to use this battle art."
Suddenly, every other person in the area stops and looks towards Senán, then I say, "Modifications?"
"I guess I never brought this up before, but I happen to be just a normal beastkin who was turned into this giant beast you see in front of you."
Some of the druids in the area run up and say, "What do you mean you where turned into this?"
"How is this even possible?"
"So it's possible to implant Druid powers into other beastkin?"
"Why have you never brought it up?"
"We thought you where Chosen by our ancestors spirits to be like this, but your just a science experiment."
"Do you know how many theories we have made about your existence?"
Senán laughs a bit, then, rubbing the back of his head, says, "I don't really see how this is such a big deal?"
"WELL, IT IS!"
ΦWillow, seeing the druids arguing with Senán, starts to walk away to the large elevator. Walking up to a beastkin, he says, "Willow Berk. Of Aplos."
The beastkin writes his name down, then lets him move forward.
The platforms to move up and down in a cycle are all rather large so they can move supplies, people and animals from the top to the bottom easily.
To get on, one must quickly move onto one of the platforms before it heads up. Though for larger objects there are ways to stop it before sending it upwards.
Willow, waiting for a platform to reach his level, jumps onto it with a shaky yet excited grin, and then he allows it to take him upwards.
As he moves through the sky, he heads towards one of the walls. Each platform has three walls made out of plants with rails attached to each of them that hold a binding in case one wants to bind themselves to it.
During the first movement of people from the top to the bottom, they had a fourth wall that the druids could create, but it was removed when they tried to make it move faster than before.
But against all of the walls are a series of small little windows that allow one to see out into all of Nialathrú from above, and looking through one, Willow says, "This place looks way better when you're not falling from the sky."
As Willow looks out of the window, his eyes are drawn to a location which causes images of the Fanalis dead body to flash in his mind.
Falling to the ground in the elevator, Willow says, "What is wrong with me?"
But moments after that, the elevator shakes, which causes Willow to look around, and above him, he sees Senán's head. From the outside, Senán is holding the elevator that Willow is on, bringing the whole chain to a stop.
And as he stares over at Willow, he says, "Don't allow pain to fester, because if it leaves for a little too long, you may end up hurting those you care about. If you truly care for your allies, let them suffer the pain you feel now instead of later."
Senán, let's go, and as he does, the platform moves upwards, and Willow shouts, "THANK YOU!"
-Break-
Location: Mable Mansion
ΦStanding in front of the door, I take a deep breath then prepare to walk in.
But as I put my hand on the door, it bursts open, and Orb flies directly into my face.
Both of us manage to land and regain our footing. Then I stare at Orb, who has both his wolf ears and tail out and is wearing a woolly dark blue top, with dark blue pants as well, and throughout both is a silver design that wraps around into a crest.
With an evil smirk on his face, he says, "She is coming!"
Rushing out the door, Suzuka tries to tackle Orb. Interupting her, I wrap my arms around her and hold her still, but like a rapid animal, she shakes in my arms saying, "Let me go, I need to kill him!"
Looking at Orb's smiling face, I say, "What did you do?"
Orb looks at Suzuka, and she turns red, then says, "If you tell him, I will kill you!"
Holding up a doll, Orb says, "I found this doll of Maple she made?"
Looking at what looks to be an amazingly crafted yet freaky doll of my wife, I look down at Suzuka, who turns her head away from me, and she says, "I DON'T WANT TO STEAL HER! I JUST WANT TO BE HER DOG!"
Falling to the ground Suzuka says, "I know I am weird, but still I don't know what to do with this friendship with these feelings!"
Orb slowly walks up to her and sits in front of her, saying, "I think this is super cool."
"You do?"
Orb's hair turns pink, and he says, "Of course I do! Just from touching it I can feel the surge of emotions you have poured into it. Suzuka, you're a caring person, and the love you have is the sweetest drink anyone could ask for, so make sure to share it with all those you want to."
Suzuka, with a smile, nods her head and hugs Orb, then looking at me through the hug, Orb says, "She is so easy?"
Suzuka punches Orb in the stomach, then stomps away.
As I look at Orb on the floor holding his stomach that has been ruptured from Suzuka's strength, I ask, "Why do you always pick anatognize her?"
"Because if everyone is too nice to her due to her behaviour, she will grow up into a spoilt brat. So I got to make sure someone is always there to challenge her in some way."
Standing up, Orb walks back into the room and says, "Now Willow what did you want to talk about?"