A Question of Power-CH1

Terico was dressed in what looked like rags, hanging loosely over his body; all over. He looked like a desert scavenger if there ever was one, except his forge tan was more of a Technologic Hunac rather than an Ekidian desert rat. His face was masked in shadow from his cowl, his eyes flickering across the dunes that he walked across. His only weapon was an etched sword, wearing fine rubies. A beetle climbed across his arm, seeming to pace up and down as he looked out upon the desert plains. A cloud of sand rose in the distance, coming towards him faster and faster as he took a moment to stand still at the crest of the dune. The wind had ceased for the moment, just letting him watch the sand cloud come closer, dark riders under it. It was no sand storm, as Terico knew, but the Ekidian nomad hunters, searching for their latest quarry. Terico was a hunac though and the Ekidians were no cannibals. He slowly sat on the ground, sitting down as he watched them come closer, and closer. They were like a tide of darkness, dark men on dark horses who rode around the sitting man like the splitting of a tide around a rock. Then the tide came up behind him, all standing with baying horses as he sat on the ground still, a strong looking man with gray hair and many scars over his barred chest.

“Adashi, I assume?” Terico said in his eloquent speech of a learned individual.

“This one has much gall to say my name with no title,” The man said in his tribal accent, but using the speech of outlanders; the speech of the Civilized. The others laughed, understanding what was implied by his tone, before bellowing a war cry.

“Hunter Chief Adashi, then,” He said, resisting the urge to display anger in his voice. This would only piss them off more and he needed something from them; something very important. Adashi smiled at this response, he did know the way of respect.

“You are Terico, seeker of knowledge?” Adashi responded, looking at him curiously. Terico stood slowly, nodding to him.

Terico spoke again, this time speaking the tribal language, “I seek your Shaman, Yuvan, who has many things I must know as to give proper respect to the spirits.” Suddenly murmurs broke out in the crowd of tribesman, not understanding how an outlander could know there ways, even one that was a Desert rat for some time. Adashi almost smirked, but it came out like a proud smile.

“You show us much respect by not forcing us to use your tongue, as well as knowing when to use it. Hunter Geth, lend him your spare steed,” Adashi told one of his warriors. The man came forwards with a brown mare, using the reins to bring it to the man named Terico. His beetle climbed up his sleeve now as he mounted, swinging up onto it with a certain amount of ease.

“She will ride well, but do not abuse her outlander,” Geth told Terico. He nodded over a response as he looked over at Adashi, already beckoning his hunters to follow him. Terico followed with the pack of riders, making sure to ride at their speed and not get trampled by those around him. It would not be long to camp, he could have walked there by nightfall. A good deal of them wore clothes like himself, the coolest thing in the desert. Only the oldest and the youngest were clothed like Adashi. Perhaps it was simply because they were brave, both for lack of fear of death and aging. One had made peace with both after all, and the other did not think it could happen to them. Terico took comfort in the revolver slapping the inside of his thighs, worn on the inside of his rags. His sword was still a farce, needed to be reforged, inscribed, and his fake gems placed with the ones of power: The Ruby of the Heart, the Emerald of Life, and the Diamond of Eternal Peace. There were other gems that he needed, but those three would truly empower the sword to nearly its full capacity once again. Additionally, he felt a revolver was a lot more effective against large mobs of foes rather than a sword, even if it was a very, very powerful sword.

“You ride well, outlander,” A hunter said to him as they galloped into the camp, coming to a stop as Terico glanced over to who had spoken to him. A Jackal’s face greeted him, a Wild One, a Keeper of the Dead in the village. He said the rights over the body of deceased hunters and the kills, thus had to ride with them out on hunts. His black fur was trimmer than most of the older ones skin, but the graying on his fur told Terico he was growing old and would pass on the candle to another Wild One of the village.

Terico pulled his hood forwards a tad before speaking to the furry creature, “Our horses are from the same stock as yours. They just are better footed on dirt than sand. I’ll admit though… I expected more camels.” The Jackal man laughed softly at this, before shaking his head a little. Terico dismounted with the other hunters now, the priest taking his horse towards a hut near the edge of the village. Little wooden poles jutted up from the ground there, obviously the graveyard. There was a click and a clack from the beetle as it came out of the rag neck covering. Adashi came back over to the outlander, looking him over again before nodding to him.

“Come with me,” He curtly told Terico. He followed just as promptly, walking through the sandy rocks that the huts were built on shakily. This was as permanent as the next sand storm, just waiting for a reason to need to leave. However, judging from the wooden poles in the graveyard, this settlement had been more permanent then he had come to expect. Adashi suddenly stopped before a hut, a smoky trail rising from the hole in the top of the hut. Adashi spoke, “In. She does not expect you.”

“That’s what I figured,” Terico said, pulling the flap back. The light of day made him ill adjusted for the dim fire light in the tent, pulling inside. Last thing he heard from Adashi was him scoffing. Terico took a seat on a mat, getting adjusted to the light. He blinked a few times before the three people in the tent became clearly outlined to him. A Falcon wild one, white feathers brushed and clean looked at him. His eyes were a stark pink, his clawed hand holding his beak and considering. Terico slowly turned to the youngest person in the shack, a young Hunac with deep blue eyes. Terico knew she was the student of the elder, turning to the woman with glassed over eyes and in a long brown robe. Only Terico and the older woman were wearing clothes, the other two letting the smoky warmth course into their skin and out of as well.

“Yuvath, who is there?” The older woman asked, looking at the younger child. The girl glanced over to Terico, considering him. She took a moment to check his waist region, but nodded and turned back to the mother.

“A desert rat, swept in by Adashi,” Yuvath responded, not disdainful, just a tone of disinterest. Yuvath did know this Desert rat was either well taken care of or was not interested in any gender. Terico pulled a tattered card from his robes, making the twang of the card material as he moved it a little with his other hand; holding it still with his main hand.

There was a gasp from the older woman, taking a few moments before speaking, “He cannot be a desert rat. Desert Rats do not find things like that!” Both the falcon man and the girl looked perplexed at the old shaman.

“Find what mother?”

“He has The Gypsy’s Cards! I can smell the power from here, child. You should learn to smell it too.”

“I can’t smell anything but smoke, mother.”

Finally the falcon’s man’s voice interjected, “Da doc’ has spoke. You’d bes’ listening.” Terico resisted an urge to laugh at the accent. He was a foreigner himself, obviously a coastal nomad from that accent. Though, once Terico had calmed down, this was an oddity. He cleared his throat for a moment.

“I am Terico De Calveraz. I have traveled a long way to meet one with your special talents, Yuvan. I have brought this card as a gift and a second as payment. I believe these are the last that have eluded you, good spirit seeker,” Terico told them, his eloquent foreign accent throwing them all off guard.

“I… I… He’s… not a… desert rat,” Yuvath finally concluded. Yuvan promptly smacked her daughter over the head with a reed.

“Quiet, this man apparently knows more about spirits than you ever will. You’d do well to learn from both of us,” The older woman berated her child before turning back to Terico, she then smirked, holding out her hand. He placed the card gently in it, pressing it down to assure to felt it. She brought it up to her nose, smelling it before setting it into a stack. She finally cracked her lips to speak directly to the traveler, “Long way indeed, Terico of Ondernass. Now… I am curious, payment for what?” Terico took a deep breath, closing his eyes and slowly drawing his sword. The girl readied her hands, seeming ready to grapple with the stranger. This elicited another smack of the reed, the older woman’s senses finer then previously shown. Yuvath groaned as Terico gently placed his sword’s blade into the fire, the hilt sticking out to hold. “Oh, oh… I see… a spirit summoning… you’ve brought a sword. Its power is faint, so very faint, but you hold onto it well,” Yuvan told him in a soft, gentle voice, slipping towards a trance.

“Closness,” he murmured to her. She closed her eyes, focusing on the name and the sword. Slowly a figure in the smoke drew into a form, a softly feminine form which looked at them all before focusing on the man named Terico.

“Ah… it’s been a while since I’ve looked into the world of the living,” the form spoke, seeming to not notice anyone in particular. Yuvan’s eyes shot open, looking up at the form in the smoke. This was not what should happen. Terico smirked behind his covering of shadows. Yuvan was skilled with spirit summoning, but this power was to be activated by this sacred wood that was only gathered by the nomads. Her form flickered in the smoke, her tongue known only to Terico.

He spoke back in it, “Summoner of the Early Era.”

“A new era, my descendant?”

“Yes. IT has been several millennia since your death.”

“Time is funny in the afterlife, than, regardless, I know if you speak in this tongue and know how to summon me… you are the one who will become the greatest of your age in power. But… this sword’s power is faint.”

“Gems lost to time, the forge is unknown, and the inscriptions are to be made with a sacred knife I do not have.”

“Perhaps they no longer exist.”

“Do not taunt me, Closness. I only have so long before these individuals figure out what’s going on.”

“My lovely pet, you are as impatient as Ulysses. He made a lovely woman though… Oh, yes, yes, you want HELP. That’s it. I know I left a part of my self in every thing I used in and on the sword because I knew that I would need to return, in some form or another, to stop something. Oh, so bothersome, this stopping of Life Vampires and the sort…”

“You’d much rather have been left to your work, I know that much.”

“You are I in the same mold, I can tell. Your none to lead anyone on though… but you think the same, consider the same. I will help you… Even if you aren’t off to stop some great thing in the world… The gems, oh, let me see… one is Emerald in the Jungle… some hippie has it… Another… oh my, the Ruby, Hehe… silly Punexia, just has it on her mantle. Now… the Diamond… why, it’s right next to you…” She suddenly pointed at the Falcon, the silver amulet with the diamond inset becoming visible to Terico, blinking as it seems to flicker into existence. All of them were staring at the figure at the moment, then at the falcon as she spoke. The women were confounded, staring back and forth between them. The falcon though, stared back in shocked horror at the moment.

There was a click as Terico drew his revolver and pointed it at the Falcon man. “oh, OH! Wow, that’s a pretty weapon,” Closness suddenly blundered out, causing the women to focus on her again. Terico stared the Falcon down, who now looked down the gun barrel in horror.

“That’s the amulet… of Eternal Peace. Why would a priest of Life wear the amulet of death?” Terico stated, licking his lips with this discovery. It was delicious to know he would barely have to move to get the first piece. He might also gain a little fame in the process. The falcon’s eyes adjusted, turning from horror to stoic determination. His bravado faded as the amulet fell from his neck, feeling the pitter patter of an insect on his back. With a thump, it became visible to the women, who had turned to look at the scene as Closness looked on with amusement. He closed his eyes and breathed deep as Terico pulled the amulet to him.

“I…Dis is har’ to talk abou’ mon,” the falcon answered, obviously thinking he was some kind of police officer or detective. Terico utterly forgot about the falcon and instead ripped the diamond from the amulet of light distortion. The enchantment faded away when there was a crack and the diamond was able to be pulled free, revealing it to the women in the room. He chuckled and put it into his pocket. The falcon continued shivering as Terico looked back to Closness, sliding his revolver away.

She responded first, riveting the others attention back on her, “Punexia… a Mechanically inclined one… good sized city. The hippie is with… let me see… a commune. A druid… my, much I can discover with a little tugging. Now… my forge… Igno hid it after my untimely death, despising its powers. For the sneaky route, you can ask for Ictinus to help you, but Igno probably would be the best man to ask. The carving knife… a Dread Summoner of the Stars has it, apparently a family heirloom. You can choose your own path and I suggest you learn a few tricks of your own… Terico. You have learned one at least… that is a nice gun… and the insignia of its maker is easy to see, Terico.” She then clapped her hands thrice, letting the smoke resume its old shape. Terico pulled his head down, glancing at the others.

“Well, Mr. Falcon, I assume you are a silent balancer. And you know that this…,” Terico looked hard at the older woman, “Punexia is hiding her real age from everyone in the village. You work for Igno. Now… you have two choices… Mon, either help me out, or I’ll share the contents of what I know outside of the fire tongue,” Terico said, his Feron seeming just fine to him, but uttered so ineptly by the standards of the falcon it took a while for him to understand. Then he blinked before nodding.

“I’m Kola Don, boss mon Terico. Let me get dressed,” He said in closing as Terico stood up. He then pulled his sword from the fire, looking at the two women. Yuvan had stood up to stare into the eyes of her client, wondering what sort of magic had be wrought in this room.

She finally muttered as the Falcon clothed himself, “If you did not me, why did you come here?” He showed her the sword, the remnants of the smoke still flickering on it and the edge of the sword sharpened, yet all the sword had been was heated. She nods her head in understanding, “The wood… you know the wood. Terico, a normal man I would not let such an affront pass, but you obviously on a great mission and you have paid a great amount for this. Pah on your gift, that was a bribe to ignore your trespass.”

Terico bows to her before speaking, “You are more observant than I had given you, Yuvan.”

“And you are a greater man then I originally gave. I had feared perhaps that no men like you still existed.”

“Thank you, Sage.”

“Now, though, I must ask one more favor to pay for the use of my wood… Yuvath is young but still needs to bear a child. You are the only one I have met yet worth her…”

“You have to be out of your mind if you can ask me to have sex with a stranger,” Yuvath blurted out, her young body suddenly catching Terico’s eyes. However, his mind restrained him. He knew that any passion left unchecked would ruin his goals of power and would end up hurting people. Simply by interacting as he had, he almost had set up a forced marriage that would hurt either side of the decision. He shakes his head to Yuvan.

“She is too young for me,” He said in sincerity, she was barely sixteen and he was almost thirty. At least from looks, though he knew he was younger and she could be older. He had to try though, he could not stand having a woman forced on him in the very least. Yuvan nodded.

“Return in several years.. You may think differently, Terico,” Yuvan said with a mystic sense as Terico brought up the flap and walked into the sunny desert. The falcon-man followed as Adashi walked up to him now, the sun setting in the far west.

Adashi greets them, “ So, your meeting is finished? Ah, so you must realize that you perhaps should leave now…” Terico tilts his head a little as he looks at Adashi. The Falcon-man looks curiously at this man. “Oh, I mean no threat. I’m just saying it is getting dark and we know not to waste a moment of it,” Adashi said before offering them. He still seemed a bit odd, much friendlier. He then chuckled. “Oh, you think I’m Adashi. No, I am the Night Chief Josiah,” He told them with a jovial smile. He was apparently a twin.

Terico nods before walking quickly after him. Kola jumped in after, following on his quick feet. They soon set off on the mounts back to the Capital city of the Ekidian Desert.