by Scott Wale
“Artum is not something we possess”, Virra said cutting off any further needless discussion.
“That’s too bad for you”, Ruk said.
“Not all that great for you, unless you have a deep appreciation for lockups”, Cerevus said with a smile.
“The overall course of action has not changed” Virra stated to everyone’s bewilderment. “I will still need to consult with the other elders and it’s my belief that the result from that will be to bring the situation to Jalpa’s attention. We are in essence servants to the Ipta and it would be injudicious on our part to keep this from them. I will speak to Arkiva and Halden in the morning. Until then, I unfortunately will have to have you placed in a holding cell, Ruk.”
“I have time, however, the window to meet the cymutt is fixed”, Ruk said. “If you want to take advantage of that opportunity, then I suggest you expedite the process.”
Cerevus stifled a laugh at the idea that anything could be expedited that went through the group of elders. He knew Jalpa would be quick to pass his own judgement on the situation, but by the time it reached the ears of the Ipta leader the opportunity would probably already be closed. Placing a sense of urgency on a matter that was headed into the hands of the group of elders never did any good either. The real question now was how would Grimtav react to no news from the scout he had hired?
XVIII.
Lake Ulea was a beautiful purple color due to the reflection of the Ulea Range that sat behind it. The lake itself never got the consideration its beauty deserved due to the daunting range that pulled the attention of all beings that passed through the area. The lake was said to hold the purest water in all of Faunar and the fact that it mirrored the color of its surroundings substantiated that claim. The lake was actually sourced from a portion of the Ulea Range far to the north. The snow melt from the range trickled out into the plains at the Milak Confluence that was just southeast of VaSaige. From there the water flowed in the Syrpin River south for a great distance before finally reaching Lake Ulea.
The water had maintained its icy cold temperatures from its travels down from the mountains, which made it unwise to spend much time bathed in the water itself. The nearby Bizti Swamp was responsible for an assortment of ways one could lose its life essence, but Lake Ulea was renowned for causing hypothermia from prolonged exposure. Reports of hypothermia were a daily occurrence most of which resulted in a being’s life ceasing to exist. Travelers who were new to the area were the usual victims; however, those that settled around the lake shore far from the mountain pass would occasionally make the same mistake on a warm day. A cool breeze that blew out from the pass helped maintain the lake’s frigid temperatures and also reminded those who had settled that part of the lake’s shoreline of how deadly the water could be.
The fact that the water was safe to drink was the primary reason that settlements had formed around the lake. Nevit had already explained the numerous Mortoptera settlements that were essentially swamp rejects. Many of Faunar’s sentient beings could be found in one settlement or another around the lake. Life was made easy by a seemingly endless supply of water and a climate that could support farms along the northwest shoreline. Settlements along the other shorelines tended to rely on indigenous, edible vegetation that was heartier and able to survive the cooler temperatures. Fishing and hunting were also sources of sustenance for these groups. These settlements tended to be smaller in size, when compared to their northwest shore counterparts, due to an unreliable food source.
Alejade, Fenrit, Nevit and Tradok had worked their way around the swamp at a safe distance until the Ulea Range came into view. The stretch between Lake Ulea and Bizti swamp was wider than Alejade and Fenrit had envisioned. Fenrit had set eyes on Lake Ulea before, but he had never gone far enough south to get close to the swamp or mountain pass. The group trekked along the stretch for a while passing many of the settlements before reaching a suitable point for an overnight camp. Nevit had suggested distancing themselves from some of the established settlements while also keeping in mind the strength of the cool mountain breeze, which would only pick up in the evening.
Much like the day before, the group set down their meager belongings and began to settle in for the night. They all took a drink from the lake after Tradok had informed everyone about the claim of the water’s purity. While at the lake’s edge, they all peered out into the void. The lake was large enough that one could not see the opposite shore and Nevit had claimed that the lake was almost as large as Bizti swamp, which the group had spent a full day hiking around.
Fenrit still had an adequate supply of nuts from the previous night, but decided to forage once again as this would be the last opportunity to do so and expect to come back with some rations. He had never spent time in the mountains and while he remembered some of the edibles he was looking for, he wasn’t sure what the chances were that he could easily find them. He would follow the one-third rule during this evening’s forage, but he had hoped to find an abundance of food to provide rations over the next several days. Fenrit wasn’t sure how long the journey to prominence would take or how long it would take the group to dismantle the controller. Food would be the last thing he wanted to stress over.
Fenrit ignored Nevit’s advice to avoid the shoreline. Nevit had warned that encounters with any settlements should be avoided if possible. Many of the settlements were territorial and it was difficult to judge how aggressive they would get with an outsider. Fenrit had decided to accept the risk as the richest food sources would have easy access to water. He had also observed that the vegetation was the thickest along the shoreline. That coupled with the fact that plant life was sparse in the middle of the strip between the swamp and the lake left him little choice about where to forage. He would need a closer look at what grew along the shoreline, but he was confident he could make some quick and easy finds.
Backtracking along the route that the group had come in on would be a waste of time. Tall grasses and non-flowering shrubs made up everything that Fenrit had seen on the journey to the camp site. This forced Fenrit to follow the southern shoreline that butted up against the mountains. The path grew narrow as the mountains encroached against the lake and Fenrit was concerned he would eventually run out of trail before finding anything to eat. Surely the mountains would touch up against the lake creating a cliff and leaving Fenrit on the short side. The trail began to gain in elevation, which eased Fenrit’s thoughts. Eventually the premalier found himself surrounded by trees that showed signs of damage from frost.
The wind began to pick up as the evening advanced just as Nevit had said it would. It seemed unlikely that a food source would grow any farther up the trail and the wind was already severe enough. Fenrit’s instincts told him it was time to turn around and search elsewhere. A clearing caught Fenrit’s eye as he turned to head back down the trail. The clearing was full of shrubs that from a distance appeared to be free of frost damage. It was definitely worth investigating given how poorly the hunt had gone up to this point.
Fenrit’s eyes had not deceived him. Not only were the shrubs in pristine shape, but it was one of the largest blonde berry briars Fenrit had ever seen. Blonde berries were not a common sight on the Jade Plains as the fruit and bush itself was very cold tolerant, thus it thrived better in the environment where Fenrit currently stood. Fenrit had been surprised that he hadn’t picked up the scent when he was farther down the trail. The berries were very potent and an obvious pick up for anyone who was familiar with the smell. Fenrit leaned his head into one of the bushes that contained a thick cluster of blonde berries. He inhaled deeply, but to his surprise the scent was very faint. Fenrit stood up straight and began to contemplate the situation at hand.
Something wasn’t quite right with this particular briar. The blond berries scent was weak, which might account for the reason that this whole briar had gone undetected and uneaten. The first question that came to Fenrit’s mind was how could the whole briar be made up of berries with little
to no scent? Surely, if these were grown in the wild there would be a select few berries with the no scent mutation, but a whole briar? The yield of each plant also seemed excessively high to Fenrit. Not only the number, but the size of each berry seemed abnormally large. Was it possible these were not blonde berries? If not, were they some sort of derivative? Were they even safe to eat?
Fenrit began to assess each plant to see if a few berries had been plucked or if even a few small bites had been taken out of a single berry. The premaliers had extensively covered all the different forms of edible plants that existed on Faunar. Fortunately, the Loupiq and Chafel that had compiled all this information weren’t so arrogant to think they had come across all the plants in existence. For this reason there were a few simple tests one could perform to determine whether a plant was toxic or not. The first was to check the surrounding area for corpses of smaller creatures that had made the unfortunate mistake of not knowing a plant’s toxicity. This check cleared Fenrit’s survey. The second test was to look for bugs on the leaves or decomposing invertebrates around the roots. Some bugs and decomposers were drawn to toxic plants due to their ability to consume a food source that other living beings avoided. This second test also cleared in Fenrit’s favor. The final test was simply to slowly consume the plant. Fenrit took a berry and placed it in his mouth waiting for a while to see if there were any immediate reactions. When nothing occurred he spent some time chewing the berry. The usual blonde berry flavor was present, but Fenrit was hesitant to swallow until he had thoroughly chewed the berry. After a lengthy period, Fenrit finally swallowed the berry. It would be unwise to scarf down a handful at this time, but for now he could fill up his satchel and if he was still feeling normal by the time he returned to the camp then it’d be safe to assume these berries were edible.
One-third of the briar would have filled up several satchels. Fenrit crouched down eager to pick the berries and get back to camp. At first he forced patience upon himself as the vines contained the tiny thorns that were uncharacteristic of normal blonde berries plants which had thick, long thorns. After a while Fenrit realized the thorns presented no hindrance at all and he picked up his collection speed. The amount of berries that Fenrit was able to cram in the remaining space of his satchel would feed the whole group for the next few days. Between this haul, the nuts and Tradok’s flash, the group would be set on food for the next several days.
Fenrit stood up and his attention immediately went to the edge of the clearing where he spotted the silhouette of another bipedal being. Nevit’s warning about avoiding an interaction with any other beings floated through Fenrit’s mind. He dove to the ground hiding under the cover of a briar and hoping the figure hadn’t seen him. While lying on the ground he came to a terrifying revelation. The blond berries weren’t wild, they had been cultivated. If the other party wasn’t prone to aggression before, they surely would be now when they found out Fenrit was stealing their crop.
Fenrit knew he was in the wrong. His options were to come clean and hope for mercy, flee the scene or battle it out. The other being could potentially be very contentious, which Fenrit deemed the most important factor in making his decision. Fenrit could still flee if necessary, after coming clean, but he would lose the advantage of the other being possibly not even knowing he was there. Bloodshed seemed like a better option as a reaction rather than an initiation, especially considering that Fenrit knew he was at fault. The safest, best choice was to flee.
The other being entered into the briar and Fenrit judged his distance from the sound of the frosted grass that was being crushed beneath their feet as they checked the status of their crop. Without moving too much, Fenrit peered through the thorny brambles to see if he could get a view of who or what was approaching. Fenrit caught a glimpse of the furry chest through a thick, thorny, tangled mess of creepers. From Fenrit’s vantage the figure couldn’t be that tall, which mixed with the furry chest must mean it was a Kapi. The figure repositioned itself giving Fenrit a clear view of its head and confirming his suspicion.
Kapi were known to isolate themselves in the mountains and foothills and rarely come down into the plains. Their thick, furry hides allowed them to stay up in the mountains year round and their body’s ability to alter its metabolism meant they could essentially eat large meals and go for days without worry about where their next meal would come from. All Kapi were born with long, furless tails, but many of them truncated it at an early age as exposure to frost would often mean the loss of a tail and a vulnerability of causing further damage to the rest of the body. This particular Kapi still maintained its tail although Fenrit noted that it was wrapped in bandages in a pathetic attempt to insulate the tail.
The Kapi began to nose around causing Fenrit to fret that it had picked up on his scent, yet couldn’t quite position him yet. The Kapi’s whiskers that protruded from its nose on the tip of its elongated snout pulsated at each sniff. Fenrit continued to wait for his opportunity to get up and sprint away. If the Kapi had picked up on his scent, yet still maintained its ground, then it likely wasn’t going to back down from Fenrit revealing himself despite the considerable difference in size between the two species. The Kapi hopped to the far end of the bramble and Fenrit’s view became obstructed by one of the bushy rows of blonde berries. It was time to start crawling to the opposite end of the bramble and then make a dash back down the trail.
Fenrit laid flat on his stomach and began crawling on his hands and knees making sure he remained hidden beneath the bushes. He kept his ears open hoping to pick up the position of the Kapi and giving him the head start he would need to escape. The frosty grass crunched with each motion and every impact sounded louder than the last. Fenrit was sure the Kapi would hear him and then the chase would begin. He continued crawling to the far edge of the bramble and had gone a considerable distance from his starting point before turning around to see if he could catch sight of the Kapi. He waited, watched and listened for any hints that would tell him when he needed to get up and move. One of the bushes on the far side of the bramble began to move and Fenrit took this as a positive sign to keep crawling forward. He made it half a dozen more paces when the bush that was only a few body lengths behind him began to jostle. Fenrit turned his attention to the bush just as the Kapi’s head poked through. The Kapi immediately turned its attention to Fenrit and its eyes widened while it let out a ferocious hiss. Fenrit sprang to his feet and went into a full sprint. The Kapi gave chase as expected and now it was a game of endurance. Fenrit headed back towards the trail that he followed earlier going up the hill and pointed himself in the direction to head back down towards the camp. A second Kapi ran out of the woods cutting off his path and let out a high pitched shrill that made Fenrit’s ears ache. Despite the pain in his ears, Fenrit reversed course to head up hill following the trail into unknown territory. The first Kapi along with a third one came hopping out of the woods to hunt down the premalier. Fenrit’s lungs burned as he sucked down the cold air while trying to maintain his rapid pace. The three Kapi weren’t gaining ground on him, but he wasn’t losing them either. Surely, they were adapted to the cold climate and they would eventually win a footrace, so Fenrit needed a new escape plan.
The climbing elevation, the cold air and the weight of all his gear began to wear on Fenrit’s legs. He couldn’t hold on much longer and there was no telling what the Kapi would do when they caught him. The fact that there were now three of them also took away the option of using Scourge to at least threaten his way out of the situation. Perhaps, armed combat wasn’t an option, but maybe Fenrit could use his size to his advantage in hand to hand combat. The trail had now gained enough elevation that there was a cliff off to one side that descended directly into the lake. All Fenrit had to do was threaten the Kapi with the brute force of being flung over the cliff into the frigid lake and maybe they would cease their pursuit. Running would soon no longer be an option and Fenrit wasn’t doing himself a favor by burning all his strength trying to flee. It
was time to stand his ground and let the Kapi make the next move.
Fenrit sprang over towards the cliff and halted a few paces away. The Kapi followed suit and stopped a few paces away from Fenrit. They all spent a moment looking each other over as if to say ‘what now?’.
“I imagine it’s too late for apologies, but I didn’t know I had stumbled into the middle of a farm”, Fenrit explained in between pants.
“He thinks it was a farm”, one of the Kapi laughed.
“I don’t understand”, Fenrit said.
“The berries aren’t our dinner”, another Kapi explain. “You are.”
The bramble had been a trap. The fact that the Kapi ate meat wasn’t surprising, but that they would consider eating another sentient being was a startling revelation. The Kapi had announced their intentions and as far as Fenrit was concerned that meant he could defend himself by any means necessary.
“You still have to catch me”, Fenrit taunted them.
“Three against one, shouldn’t be too hard”, said one of the Kapi.
“I guess we shall see”, Fenrit said while he lifted Scourge off his shoulder along with his satchel to let his gear fall to the ground.
Fenrit did not want to be encumbered in a fight where agility would mean everything. He still had his back to the cliff, which meant he could use an attacking Kapi’s momentum against them.
The head Kapi sprung into the air and opened its jaw ready to tear the flesh from its prey’s skin. Fenrit sidestepped the attack and followed through with a push of his own as the Kapi tumbled towards the edge of the cliff. The Kapi dug its claws into the ground halting its progression towards the edge. It stopped just mere steps away from the edge, but Fenrit picked up Scourge and ran at the Kapi. He gripped his bow tightly with both hands and pulled it back behind his head. With one final lunge forward he swung Scourge striking the Kapi in the torso with just enough force to knock it over the edge. The Kapi squealed as it plummeted into the lake below.
