A story

Chapter 72: A story

/Travellers. The people that come from other worlds to ours, sometime through their death, sometimes entirely on accident, sometimes they even step out of cracks, or tears, and even more rarely, they travel here on purpose.

Why do these phenomena occur? Travellers that come here after death, for example, are spectacular in and of themselves. The amount of pain associated with the moment of death is not clear, yet most of the reincarnators refuse to even talk about it, brushing it aside in fear of awakening some trauma within. I cannot fault them for it.

Yet, most of them remembered naught of their journey from after their death to here. Some are born normally, and some simply appear in the middle of nowhere. Any places that no one is watching appear to be eligible for such appearances. I hope that perhaps in the future, these people will allow us to glimpse more of that which lies after death, and see the secrets that even necromancy cannot uncover.

Other travellers appear here on accident, stating that they were simply walking, got lost in thought, and suddenly found themselves in our world. It is... difficult to imagine such cases, as one would have to be truly someplace else with their mind to so suddenly and casually walk through what amounts to a gate into another world, yet it is something frequently stated, so I have no reason to doubt it.

What decides who enters these gates, and where they appear? Is it random, or are some gods playing games with them, sending them to us as a trial? We cannot know for sure, as the ways of those gods are mysterious, and strange, but we do know for sure, that many of these travellers seek to go home.

Perhaps some of the most terrifying travellers are those that step out of cracks, or rifts. Those tunnels, which usually need to be cleared from our side, and which would take root upon breaking, are simply cracked open from the inside, and out step fully fledged people, often covered in blood and wounds, and even more often aggressive.

It is not unheard of these people immediately going into a frenzy upon exiting, and oftentimes, many casualties are reported before they can be stopped and brought back to their senses. Some consider this the warrior's way of world walking, I consider anyone who claims that a lunatic.

And finally, those travellers that come to our world by their own volition, through unknown means. Perhaps they come here to observe us and our habits, or perhaps to extinguish all of us. We do not know, for we have very little contact to them.

Most of these non-accidental travellers arrive here with a purpose, and they do not wish it to be revealed. As such, we rarely are able to converse with them, as these remain hidden within our society and our own people. For now, we do not consider them a grave danger, yet it is always good to be wary of them for the future./

An excerpt from "Worldwalkers - Why?" by Ashimoto Kivadd, a leading expert on otherworldly influences.

- - - - - -

"Thanks for letting me teach the brat a lesson," Mercury said, as the two casually strolled back out of the castle, and down the main road towards an inn.

"Oh, really, thank you for doing so. I might have taken it too far if it had been me doing the teaching."

"You think he'll learn?"

"Chuchuchu, no way," she laughed, though to be fair, it was more of a snicker. "He, and maybe even that arrogant merchant we... educated beforehand, may very well come up with a cheap ploy to exact their revenge."

"We'll strike it down?" Mercury asked.

"With full force," Lucia nodded.

"Sounds good," Mercury agreed. "Well, we have some time to kill again. You hungry? We gotta look for a place to sleep anyways, might as well order some food there."

"I suppose you aren't wrong," Lucia muttered. "Well, in that case, would you be alright with staying in the view district?"

"That's the second, right? Fine by me. I'm not very picking about where I sleep, honestly. As long as I have blankets, I'm good to go. Actually, even those aren't a necessity."

"I see, does it come with the territory?" Lucia asked, glancing at her feline friend.

"You could say that. Living in a forest for a while will toughen you up when it comes to sleeping spots, I suppose."

"That does indeed seem sensible. Ah, this seems like an inn," Lucia said, pointing at a brightly painted sign of a mug and a bed, right atop a door. Mercury gave her a nod, and the two headed in.

As with most inns, the inside was dimly lit, a fireplace in a corner and lanterns sporadically hanging from the ceiling shedding warmth and some light around. The owner seemed to be standing behind a counter, a broad shouldered, gruff looking man, with a bushy beard and hair, that seemed to combine into almost a lion's mane

"Welcome," he said, with a slight Cheshire accent, almost as soon as the door opened. The handful of patrons already inside turned their head for a moment, but soon decided to instead focus on their card games and chats once more, not paying much mind to the strangers. "What can I get ya?"

"Two meals and a room for the night," Lucia said, after sitting down on a barstool, watching Mercury do the same. His eyes were barely above the counter, but he seemed content with it, so she didn't feel the need to ask any questions.

"Fer you and the mopaaw, I suppose?" the barkeep asked again. "Not from around here, are ya?"

"Yes, for me and the human," Mercury replied. "I don't do well with too many veggies, so I'd prefer mostly meat if you got anything like that."

"I do," the man said with a nod. "Sorry for assuming ya wouldn't order yaself."

"It happens all the time, especially in new places, don't worry. Also just some water to drink."

"And for the lady?"

"I'm fine with anything, as long as it tastes decent. Though I'd prefer to try a local meal if it wouldn't be a bother," Lucia said with a surprisingly friendly tone.

"Mh. I can get you that much at least," the man nodded. "Tell ya what, I like a good story, if you can spin a decent tale, I'll give ya 20 percent off."

"Fine by me," Mercury said. "What's your name, old man?"

"Carys," the man replied. "Yours?"

"I'm Mercury Rainfall Starlight, pleased to meet you."

"Just Lucia is fine."

Carys gave the both of them another quick nod, before handing over two glasses of water, and then heading back into the kitchen. Seems like the place was a one-man operation, but given the amount of people in the inn, Mercury would guess it wasn't too much of a hassle to run. Then again, perhaps it wouldn't be running for too long anymore, with drafts for the front lines coming around more and more. Small cities like this were prime targets for military recruiters, and declining a summon could get you in plenty of trouble.

After a while, the man came back out with two plates in his hand, some smoked fish with a small bowl of vegetable soup for Mercury, and potato pancakes with some fancy stew to the side, a thick soup with all kinds of vegetables and thin slices of meat in it. The innkeep had even added a small desert, just a slice of something right in between bread and cake, with whipped cream on it.

"Hope it's up to yer standards," he said, though Mercury was certain he could hear a little bit of pride shining through there. And, to be fair, after just one bite, Mercury knew why the man was proud. This food was very decent, especially for the times they were in.

Of course, comparing it to what he had eaten in the modern world, it was a little bit bland, but he had gotten used to this medieval cooking, and by those standards, Carys was a really, really good chef. When the two travellers looked up from their plates, they also saw a big smile plastered on the gruff man's face. Still, he didn't interrupt their eating, instead refilling a couple drinks all around the place, and whipping up two more meals before both Mercury and Lucia had finished.

"Now then, I believe I'm owed a story," the innkeeper said with a smile, obviously happy that his two new guests were happy with the food.

"I'm not much good at spinning a tale, I'm afraid," Lucia answered, her head held high even as she admitted a fault. Or perhaps, she was really just deflecting the responsibility over to Mercury, being exhausted after having a full meal.

"Well I'm alright at it. Carys, you want to hear something made up, or something real?"

"I'm sure much of the made up is the exaggerated real, so either is fine. A story needs to be nothing more than a story, after all."

"I got a couple good ones from when I was more little."

"Any of those would do, 's long as they're not boring," the man replied, wiping down the counter once again, as he had already done countless times before.

"Hm, well then," Mercury nodded solemnly, closing his eyes and thinking for a little while. "Back where I was from, there was little magic, and those who practiced it were often frowned upon. With no teachers or masters to call their own, and the people laughing at their meager efforts, you can imagine, that in newer times, magic was on the down low. Of course, people liked to tell each other stories of the olden days, of titans and gods, frost giants, world serpents, hundred handed men who had reached enlightenment, but these had long since become nothing more than children's stories. Nothing to take seriously."

"Really, with so little magic to go around, the world had become quite dreary and grey, with many people simply doing their work, day in and day out, with nothing to look forward to, no more vibrant spark in their life. The colour of all life in that place had been locked away in tomes, hidden archives, and behind seals and wards, hundreds of layers deep. Magic had been turned into petty parlor tricks, and all that mattered was efficiency. Another cog in a machine whose many interlocking teeth gnashed down on any amount of spark."

"Dreary," Carys muttered.

"It was," Mercury nodded. "There had been countless of great people in the past there, ones we told many tales about. Perhaps ones that may still roam these lands to this day, if one likes to believe such things. There was the brilliant mind of Einstein, or king Leonidas of Sparta, one of the greatest warriors to ever walk the earth. Yet, even long before those, there were even more stories of even greater heroes. Prometheus, the fire at the very beginning, who gave thought to the people, and Odin, who fought hard and long to drive back the frost giants of the north. In the east, there were many dragons, and Brahma, the three-headed creator."

"Yet, those beings long since didn't roam the lands anymore, or at least, no one had seen them. And for a long while, the many toothed machine ate all the joy in the world."

Mercury gave a long sigh as a dramatic pause.

"Yet, of course, magic is unruly, and its flame can never truly be extinguished. Old tales were still told, occasional sparks of colour in a place that had become so grey. And when one is near a powderkeg, occasionally but a spark is enough to light it."

"I myself was not there when it happened, but the brother of a good friend of mine had seen it with his own eyes. In a library, an old woman, walking with a cane, had pulled forth a book from the shelf, placed it down, and when she opened it, he could see licks of lame coming from it. The brother couldn't lift his eyes off the spectacle, seeing colours that had never been there before, illuminating the place all around him. The flames shed light that gave life, washing away all the grey, and slowly creeping forwards from the table she had placed it on."

"The clothes the woman was wearing turned blue and green, all shades, the floor regained its wooden shine, beautiful, rich, and deep. The colours crept forward slowly, grasping and tearing at the dullness that enveloped the library, and their spark fought hard against the lecherous listlessness of the machine. The old woman's forehead wrinkled as she spoke, read from the book, words so vibrant that tears ran from the brother's eyes as he heard them. And when his tears felt, they also brought colour back. Soon, other people also heard the story and began to cry, and after a few minutes, that felt like an eternity, the colour reached one of the bookshelves."

"Then, the place came to life. It began with but a second tome of stories, lifting itself from its designated, sorted, and stable place. It lifted into the air, uncaring for what it perhaps was expected to do, where it was expected to fall, and began to sing along to the old woman's tale. Then, soon after it, another book, and yet another joined, and the keg was lit."

"Within moments, the entire library lit aflame with colours and stories, with magic so old and so wonderful that any who heard it sought out more of it. It became a beacon, shining and spreading its light around the land that had turned grey, and as the hours passed, the people reclaimed more of what had always been theirs. What had been given to them so long ago was reclaimed, ripped back from the many-toothed machine, its cogs tearing themselves out, breaking free, and singing wonderful melodies, as their eternal jailor screamed and crumpled."

"And then, it was done. Magic had been returned, the machine had been destroyed, and stories had once prevailed over that which was expected. The cogs had broken free, and the people were once again allowed to live out themselves and their passions. The flowers that had wilted regrew their petals, and the world that had once lost its shine began to radiate once more. Magic had finally returned."

"That's a mighty story," Carys said with a smile.

"And a good one at that," Lucia added.

"Stories from good friends are always the best ones," Mercury said with a smile. "It's one I heard when I was having some trouble, and a friend told me about this to cheer me up and motivate me, I suppose. I miss her, sometimes."

"Must have been a good friend," Carys added quietly, not wanting to disrupt the mopaaw's thoughts too much.

"She was," Mercury nodded. "Perhaps I will see her again one day, but the chances are slim. The place where I am from is far away, and I doubt she would recognize me as I am right now."

"Mh, it is difficult to lose someone dear to you," Lucia said. "Perhaps, once this is all over, I can help you find her as well?"

Mercury shook his head. "No," he said. "I have many thing I still need to find, and many friends I have lost. Before her, there are others I must search for."

"Others?"

"Indeed, others. Only a handful of people, three wolves, and an archer, who had sworn to travel with me. Yet, in the city where I met Yvette, there was a blood ec-"

Before he could finish the sentence, Lucia snapped his mouth shut, as all murmurs in the bar went silent, and people turned their heads at them. The priestess gave her travelling companion one more piercing gaze, before letting go of his snout and allowing him to speak again.

"What? I said flood. There was a flood, nothing more. Jeez."

"I'm sorry to hear of your loss," Carys said, and with that, people returned their eyes to their own tables once more. "I sincerely hope they survived, and you can find them again."

"I hope so too," Mercury nodded. "But for today it might be best if me and Lucia head into our room to rest. The road has been long, and I'm tired."

"Sure, here's the keys, it's the third door on the left."

"Thank you for the food, Carys," Lucia said as she got up.

"No, thank you for the patronage, travellers. If there is anything you need, let me know," the innkeep replied, sending the two off with a slight smile.

Back in the room, Lucia shot Mercury a glance, before double checking that the door was locked and no one was listening outside.

"I'm guessing you'll tell me not to say anything related to that kind of event?" Mercury asked, given her nervous demeanor.

"Yes, that was what I had intended. Luckily, you were sharp enough to come up with an excuse back then, but please, keep in mind that such things aren't a lightly discussed topics. They have ears everywhere, and simply uttering the words may call down their fury."

"Who's 'They'?"

"They are the blight that blackens the sky, the blood that covers the dirt. That is all I can say, and all that is necessary for now. Just know that they are not to be spoken lightly of," Lucia said, sighing at the end.

"The topic seems to bother you."

"It does, because it places me, and all the people around, in imminent danger if we do not choose our words wisely. I request you allow me to hold my tongue on this topic for now, as we have spoken enough on it today, and perhaps any more would be too much."

"Find by me," Mercury shrugged. "Sorry, wasn't aware it's such a big deal."

"It is, sadly," Lucia said. "I also apologize for so rashly shutting your mouth, and not informing you of this beforehand."

"It's fine. It happens. How about we call it a day for now, and we see what we use our time on tomorrow?" Mercury asked, already having forgiven her. He knew she didn't mean anything by it, and he also understood that sometimes, things like that couldn't be avoided, so there weren't any hard feeling.

"I agree. Well then, I shall prepare myself for bed."

"Me too."