Jaded Dusk

by Scott Wale

  “I guess I found a name for my new bow, Scourge”, Fenrit said to himself.

  ***

  Whittling away the excess wood to form the arms of a bow could be done with a considerable allowance. Precision was required to carve out the arrow rest and Fenrit had always preferred to carve out a separate handle that he could attach with a natural adhesive made from sap. The sap would have to be concocted anyways to attach the slat of faunite to the arrow rest.

  Cerevus watched in silence as Fenrit tediously chiseled out the arrow rest. Cerevus had built a few bows himself, but he was always interested in learning new techniques. Watching Fenrit had been an educational experience especially with his shrewd work around the arrow rest. A premalier’s bow was their livelihood and being prudent during the construction of a new bow would pay dividends in the future.

  Alejade was uninterested in the fabrication process. She had meditated while Fenrit was shaping the arms. Now she patiently waited for the conversation to shift away from armament talk. She usually carried a staff, but rarely thought of it as a weapon. It had been used in self-defense, but for the most part it simply served as a nice crutch. She had picked up a new staff at the safety camp after misplacing her old one somewhere in the ruins of Dimday.

  Fenrit took one last scrape with his metal knife. He held out the entire bow and began to examine it from tip to tip. He was pleased with the result and so far his work had been clean and smooth. Seldom did Fenrit’s construction projects go over without a hiccup. Gluing on the final pieces was the only step that remained.

  “I’m glad you got a fire going, because I’ll need to make some adhesive for the final parts”, Fenrit said breaking the silence. “It’ll be nice to have this ready before we head out at dawn.”

  “You came across a fine piece of wood”, Cerevus complimented Fenrit.

  “The grains were favorable”, Fenrit said. “It was almost as if the wood was formed to eventually become a bow.”

  Fenrit realized how peculiar the whole situation was given how he came across the limb. Fenrit had written off finding the limb as a coincidence upon emerging from his unconscious state.

  Fenrit returned his attention to the task at hand and carefully pulled a few stones a safe distance away from the fire. He then began to coat the metal knife blade with sap. When he was satisfied with the accumulated amount he set the knife blade on top of the stones.

  “It’ll be a fine bow and it looks like you’ll have a nice memory of assembling it for quite a while”, Cerevus said while pointing at the gash on Fenrit’s arm.

  “Let me get you some patch for that”, Alejade said while fishing a gummy substance out of her cloak and then sticking it into her mouth. She chewed the substance for a while before spitting it out into her hand. She stretched the viscid substance out and adhered it over Fenrit’s wound.

  “Thank you, that should hopefully help it heal a little faster”, Fenrit said realizing he needed to replenish his own inventory of patch. “The bleeding stopped pretty shortly after the root gave me a nice lashing. My fur has always helped control the bleeding.”

  “I hope your fur is clean so your chances of infection are low”, Alejade advised. “Patch will seal up your wound, but it can’t stop what has already made its way inside. Remember, you’re here to protect me.”

  “What’s the plan when we reach Aman?” Fenrit asked.

  “Let Alejade do all the talking”, Cerevus joked.

  “We’re going to plea for the Ipta’s assistance”, Alejade explained. “We’ll take whatever they offer. It’s my understanding that respect of the Ipta and appearing inferior will only help our plea.”

  “What do we do if they offer nothing?” Cerevus asked.

  “We take their response back to the group of elders”, Alejade answered.

  “More importantly, what do we do if they agree to our highest demands?” Fenrit asked with a hint of frustration.

  “I understand your concern that this mission does nothing to address the cymutt threat, but right now our people need a safe haven”, Alejade said. “Perhaps when we return to the elders they will have a plan for our people that will go further into the future. Patience always delivers the best solution.”

  Fenrit was not looking for an argument, especially against his coolheaded sister. He knew they would both agree that the focus right now needed to be on their relations with the Ipta. Alejade would be the embodiment of the elders until the mission was complete. It would also be to the benefit of the Loupiq and Chafel people to not put any additional stress on Alejade before the negotiations.

  “You’re right as usual”, Fenrit said with a conceding tone.

  “Well I don’t know about you two, but if time gives me another shot at taking down cymutts, then I’m willing to wait it out”, Cerevus exclaimed.

  Fenrit checked on his knife blade. The sap had turned more viscous and appeared ideal for applying. He wasn’t sure how hot the knife handle would be, so he used his cloak as a layer of protection before picking up the knife with his hand. He spread the sap along the handle and then pressed the handle against the mid-section of the bow. He held the two pieces of wood together until he was confident the adhesive had cooled enough joining the two parts together. He returned the knife to the stone so he could apply the slat of faunite later after the two pieces of wood had more time to bond.

  “I believe I have a lot of catching up to do now that my slay count has been reset”, Fenrit smirked nodding to Scourge.

  V.

  Aman had been etched out of the heart of the Echo Woods. The amount of light that immersed the city was an indication that many trees had been felled. A few large trees were scattered throughout the city that were now pillars supporting canopies that shaded most of the city. These anchor trees not only had the largest diameter trunks, but were also the tallest being responsible for the canopy that roofed the city. Shorter trees were spaced in between and appeared to serve as support structures for the Ipta infrastructure. The position of the large trees within the city appeared random; however, a sizeable gap lay between the city’s trees and those of the forest essentially creating a moat around the city from the perspective of entering the city by way of trees.

  Most of the Ipta homes were built in the anchor trees. The Ipta themselves were arboreal and spent little to no time on the forest floor. A network of bridges created pathways between trees, but an abundance of vines and ropes allowed the Ipta to travel by their more natural method. The fact that most of the infrastructure existed up in the trees hadn’t led to an oversight in city planning as a wooden wall surrounded the city not unlike the wall that had once ringed Dimday. An elaborately enormous gate welcomed visitors whose only mode of mobility kept them close to the ground.

  The Ipta were not accustomed to many visitors and the arrival of Fenrit, Alejade and Cerevus caused a great deal of commotion at the gate. Alejade knew it would be a hard sell to simply request audience with Jalpa, the Ipta leader. Creating fear in any way would hinder her progress and she would need to remain flexible with her plan. Things may only move gradually, but expecting this would allow her to remain patient and hold a demeanor appropriate for one serving as a diplomat.

  The Ipta at the top of the gate stared down at the group of foreigners. There was a long pause as the group stood in front of the gate. Alejade knew they must be discussing on how to proceed with caution. Guards typically weren’t decision makers. They were given specific instructions that they needed to follow without deviation. Surely they had visitors in the past and Alejade began to wonder why they would not follow those standards with their current guests. Did it have to do with Fenrit and Cerevus’ premalier attire that identified them as some sort of soldier or maybe the sight of a Loupiq or Chafel alone was cause for distress? This was not a time to be demanding, but surely the thoughts and fears of all parties involved could be eased with simple communication.

  “We come seeking refuge”, Alejade finally called up to the guards.r />
  “Is this your entire party?” One of the guards finally called down.

  “Yes, but in the interest of openness, we are representing what remains of our people”, Alejade called back.

  “Remains?” the guard asked. “Don’t the Loupiq and Chafel roam the Jade Plains in great numbers?”

  Alejade was caught off guard by the great numbers comment. It is true that the Loupiq and Chafel were a significant part of sentient life that existed on the plains, but they had never existed in large numbers. It seemed unlikely that the comment was made from a relative point of view considering the size of Aman. Alejade had no knowledge of the precise population numbers, but Aman itself was three to four times larger than Dimday. Alejade had no desire to understate the number of her people, but claiming the truth might jeopardize her non-threatening strategy.

  “Our people have survived a heinous attack and we now ask for your aid”, Alejade decided to respond.

  The outline of the guard at the top of the gate disappeared. Alejade felt she had done nothing to warrant the group’s rejection to enter the city. She turned to look at Fenrit and Cerevus who had remained completely silent through the exchange.

  “Shortest welcome I’ve ever worn out”, Cerevus jested.

  “They’re probably just buying time”, Fenrit speculated.

  “I’d prefer to keep talking”, Alejade remarked.

  “What’s the plan if we can’t even get into the city?” Cerevus asked.

  The guard’s head popped back up at the top of the gate. Alejade, Cerevus and Fenrit stared up in anticipation waiting for the guard to speak. The guard returned their stare and remained silent letting the tension build.

  “We ask that you leave and do not return”, the guard finally yelled down.

  Fenrit shot Cerevus a scolding look as if his comment was the cause of the Ipta’s stiff decision.

  “Would you at least send out a representative to meet with us?” Alejade plead.

  The guard disappeared again.

  “This could take a while if messages are going to be constantly relayed”, Fenrit pointed out.

  “Have patience”, Alejade suggested. “This is about meeting on their terms. We can continue to make requests, no matter how small, until they no longer seem unreasonable.”

  “Your request has been denied”, the guard shouted out without revealing his presence at the top of the gate.

  “Can you at least tell us where to find Grimtav?” Alejade asked in an attempt to keep a dialogue going between the two parties.

  “He is no longer part of our people and we are unaware of his whereabouts”, called out a different voice.

  “Surely you must know something about him or his past that can help lead us to him”, Alejade responded.

  “Stay where you are”, called out the voice from before.

  “Your strategy either worked or we’re in for some trouble”, Cerevus remarked.

  “Mentioning Grimtav appears to have struck a chord”, Fenrit observed. “What do you intend to ask and how do you plan to portray our people’s relationship with him?”

  “I believe the Ipta know what he has been up to, so any news we bring shouldn’t be a surprise”, Alejade answered. “If we can’t get any assistance from the Ipta, then maybe they’ll at least share what they know about Grimtav. I refuse to return to the elders empty handed. If information is all we bring back, then our mission won’t be a total failure.”

  The gates began to open and a set of four guards flanking a fifth individual marched out towards the group. Each guard was armed with a whip. As the ensemble approached the group, Fenrit recognized the whip was made with a tenik root. He began to wonder if a blow from the whip would deliver an electrical shock. The gash on Fenrit’s arm reminded him that whether the whip shocked a target or not, the punishment would be far from pleasant. The lanky arms that were a common trait of the Ipta also meant the weapon could be used at a considerable range.

  The guards halted a few paces in front of the group. All four guards wore a similar uniform, which appeared to be a crudely made leather armor that might be capable of stopping a lash from the whip, but would easily be pierced by an arrow. The fifth individual wore nothing but a blue vest without sleeves that exposed the sizeable muscles on his hairy arms. He flexed his arms as he first looked over Fenrit, then Cerevus and finally Alejade.

  “My name is Emur, captain of the guard”, the fifth individual said matching the second voice from before. “Why do you inquire about Grimtav?”

  “We believe the attack I mentioned earlier was his doing”, Alejade answered. “We wish to reason with him.”

  “You don’t reason with Grimtav”, Emur said with a laugh. “There’s a reason he no longer resides here. We don’t wish to become involved in any affair you have with him.”

  “We don’t wish to bring harm your way”, Alejade explained. “Right now our people just need sanctuary. Our village has been demolished and remaining on the plains at this time could mean the end of our existence.”

  “Grimtav left Aman long ago and has not returned since”, Emur said. “Harboring your people could change that.”

  “I can’t deny that is a possibility”, Alejade began to reason. “It’s also a possibility that once we’re wiped from the Jade Plains that Grimtav attempts to extend his control into the Echo Woods.”

  Emur pondered this thought for a while. Alejade had leveraged her argument on the fact that Emur simply stood between her and the entrance to Aman. His job was to assess their threat to the city and if he deemed it minimal then they would be allowed to enter after which they would be someone else’s problem. It was probable he would deliver a final decision as collecting more information just meant more responsibility of passing that information on to the next representative whose assignment was to oversee the guests.

  “I cannot guarantee an extended stay, but we will escort you to the guesthouse if you’re willing to leave your weapons with the guards”, Emur finally offered.

  “I think we can abide by that”, Alejade agreed holding out her staff for confiscation.

  “We’re more concerned about what your friends are carrying”, Emur said pushing aside the offered staff.

  Alejade glanced back at Fenrit and Cerevus. She probably should have sought their consent before surrendering all of the party’s weapons, but she didn’t want to take the risk that one of them would refuse. There was no reason to believe the Ipta would turn aggressive once the group was defenseless. More importantly this sign of good faith might get them in front of Jalpa sooner than she had originally anticipated.

  “You may have my bow and I’m also carrying two knives”, Fenrit said disarming himself and handing his weapons over to one of the guards.

  “I’m only carrying a single knife in addition to my bow”, Cerevus said following Fenrit’s lead.

  “Very well. Follow us”, Emur directed.

  The procession entered through the main gate with Emur leading Alejade, Fenrit and Cerevus and the four guards tailing behind. Many of the citizens of Aman had already crowded around the gate to see the spectacle of visitors. A lot of commotion had been made between when the visitors had first approached the gate and now. The citizens gawked and stared as the three strangers passed by on their way to the guesthouse. Alejade was making note of the diverse Ipta. Most were lanky, a few had a muscular build and very few would be considered overweight or worse. Alejade noticed that hair thickness and where hair grew was a distinguishing characteristic much like the color and pattern of fur for the Loupiq and Chafel. Clothing appeared optional for the Ipta. Some individuals contained an abundance of hair leaving no need for clothing while others either dressed appropriately or suffered during colder conditions. All of the Iptas had characteristically long arms, which was indicative of their arboreal nature. Many of the Iptas were viewing the party from their position on a nearby anchor tree. Some were perched on giant limbs while others were simply grasping the trunk. Some were mo
re gifted with long arms than others and muscle mass didn’t appear to be correlated with climbing ability.

  The party proceeded up a spiral set of stairs that wrapped itself around one of the giant trees. A closer look at the tree trunks revealed deep diagonal grooves that appeared to coil along the trunk all the way up to the top of the tree. Alejade noticed there were a few structures in Aman that had been constructed on the ground. The staircase led to a circular structure that was considerably lower compared to the others. Emur halted at the doorway of this lower structure while the staircase continued upward to a larger structure that appeared to be a node in a network of transit. Several ropes, bridges and limbs projected from the structure above and connected the anchor tree to various points throughout the city. A few of the Ipta were simply vaulting across the smaller gaps between trees.