by Jeremy Dwyer
“Why should we walk the road when we were abandoned to be burned?” one asked of her.
“You burns are the scars from your former evil ways. Look upon them as a reminder of the evil and hatred of the false one whom you worshipped. Understand clearly that it was the fire creature who burned you, horribly, the one time you turned away from him. It was not the One True God, whom you have turned away from all these years, and who waited, patiently, for you to come to Him,” Sethunya said.
After hearing this, one of them said: “You are wise, young one, and you speak the truth.”
CHAPTER 10: Legend of Jaguar
In the continent of Volaraden, in the eastern region, was a large jungle covering the southeastern quarter of the continent. Deep in the jungle there lived a man known only as the “Jaguar,” who was a powerful warrior. He was strong and nimble, due to the waters of the Nabavodel Ocean that he drank. That ocean was along the southern and western coasts of the continent, but its waters flowed to him through an underground river that spanned Volaraden from west to east, and was accessible through a cave system. The “Jaguar” ventured into the cave, unafraid of the creatures that lived within it, and he climbed through its passages, going one hundred seventy-three (173) feet down, to where the river of Nabavodel Ocean waters was flowing. Where the river came from – and where it went to after that – was a mystery to him.
Jaguar drank the waters as soon as he met with them, and then carried more in small cups made of the skulls of tigers, which were seen as lesser beasts, and thus useful for being put into such service. Most of the rest of the world called the Nabavodel Ocean waters the “tiger waters”, but Jaguar considered them to be related something else – they were the waters of the snake-jaguar deity known as “Havatissa.”
Jaguar – and the five thousand (5000) warriors who served under him – all worshipped Havatissa at a temple that was hidden in the jungle. They did not build the temple, but only discovered it, by digging through the dirt and the mud of the jungle. They never saw the actual being, but only saw an enormous statue – sixteen (16) feet in height – made of numerous colorful crystals, including an emerald portion in the shape of a snake and a citrine portion in the shape of a jaguar. This was sacred in their minds, and they never revealed its location to anyone outside their tribe.
~~~
Desmond was a forty-seven (47) year old archeologist. Finding antiquities was his passion. He had a wife and children, but they were butchered by the pirate, Captain Keallach, leaving him with nothing else in his life besides his studies. It was all he could do to keep going – he would just research and find, hoping each new discovery would give him closure. He enjoyed the search, as it gave him purpose, and helped him to avoid confronting the pain.
Desmond spent much of his time in the ancient City of Emeth, researching in the various halls. He was not a religious man – as he did not trouble himself with believing in a deity who would allow a thing such as Keallach to kill the innocent – but he did find the subject of religion to be of interest. He knew that many great works of architecture and science were discovered, lost and rediscovered over the millennia. He was a drinker of the waters of the Medathero Ocean, which multiplied his intelligence and allowed him to keep many things that he studied in his mind at once. He could thereby connect the ancient languages, traditions, war stories, artifacts, star charts and literary works like puzzle pieces in his rapid thoughts, so that he could discover relationships and determine areas to research. Desmond did not know as much about the stars as he would like – he knew that the yellow suns were nearly impossible to predict, and he did not have expertise in astronomy – but he could reason and ask questions of those who were expert in other ways. He also kept a good working relationship with an astronomer – by the name of Celio – who had lost his own family to the same bloodthirsty pirate.
~~~
Celio, himself, was fifty-one (51) years old, and a master astronomer. He was very mathematically skilled, but he did not drink any of the great waters. He thought that the limitations they imposed were greater than the powers they offered. After all, you could only drink one (1) of them, and then all of the others would become poison. He thought that this was sign of inherent danger in drinking any of them. Hence, he drank of the waters of the so-called Dead Waters Ocean, which gave hydration and nothing else.
Celio only knew the science of the stars – the seventy (70) suns – and was determined to understand the yellow suns better. He was not convinced by the arguments of the Atrejan Ocean water drinkers that they could hear the sounds of the stars. He did believe that some sort of heat and light sensitivity was being induced by drinking those waters, and he wished to understand the sensitivity precisely and rationally. However, he intended to do this via mathematical modeling, rather than drinking the waters from what was almost certainly a toxic ocean.
Celio read many historical star charts in the City of Emeth, taken from the Seventh (7th) Hall, and was able to determine the positions of stars long ago. By mathematical modeling of the paths of the stars, he could determine the corresponding positions of the identical stars in the present. This enabled him to locate the objects on the ground, and this was a service often needed by his colleague, Professor Desmond.
~~~
As they stood in their room in the Scholar’s Hall in Emeth, Celio said: “I’ve checked for the last time – all the star path calculations are correct, based on the source information, which I’ve also checked, many times. I can’t be any more convinced from the writings.”
“Have you ever found any mistakes in Emeth?” Desmond asked.
“No. But some things have to be interpreted carefully, and can have more than one meaning, based on culture, and context, and even the precision of the details,” Celio said.
“I thought that math was always precise,” Desmond said
“Even when it comes to mathematics, there are polynomial equations of a high degree that have multiple distinct solutions. All the solution are correct, of course, but they have different meanings, and rounding errors can become significant. And there are harder problems, with more solutions,” Celio said.
“Such as?” Desmond asked.
“We don’t have that much time. The guides are waiting, and they are not going to be patient. Aren’t you ready to go?” Celio asked.
“Believe me – I have the time for more information. Preparation is key before going into these jungles. The guides can wait a while longer,” Desmond said.
“If you insist, let me explain it this way. Imagine a small town laid out as a series of sections, in a rectangular arrangement. Let’s keep it small, say seven (7) by seven (7). You start out in the northwest section of the city and have to make your way through. You might make one (1) movement to the east, followed by two (2) more to the south, then four (4) more east, then three (3) more south, then one (1) more east, then one (1) more south. Each possible movement, and each turn, gives you different information, where you encounter different people and circumstances, at different times, leading to different outcomes. The example path I gave is quite different from traveling, say, six (6) to the east then six (6) to the south,” Celio said.
“I think I agree with this example, however contrived it may be,” Desmond said.
“Well, even with such a simple example, there are nine hundred twenty-four (924) possible routes through the town. A different array of possibilities exist along each route – discovering a relic, encountering an obstacle, expending some of your resources – so the difference matters,” Celio said.
“Nine hundred twenty-four (924)? In such a small area?” Desmond asked.
“Well, consider that there are twelve (12) movements – six (6) to the east and six (6) to the south – that have to be made. They can be made in any order – there are twelve (12) ways to choose the first, eleven (11) ways to choose the second, ten (10) ways to choose the third, and so on. Multiply all those numbers together. However, you have to account for
the fact that there are indistinguishable rearrangements of the identical movements. For the southward movements, there are six (6) ways to choose the first one, five (5) ways to choose the second, and so on, giving seven hundred twenty (720) ways for that. So, divide the large number by seven hundred twenty (720). The same goes for the eastward movements: divide by seven hundred twenty (720) again. That’s where the nine hundred twenty-four (924) comes from,” Celio said.
“I trust your calculations,” Desmond said.
“So, you’re ready to go?” Celio asked.
“I’m definitely ready to go – ready as I’ll ever be,” Desmond said.
“Here’s to finding something new,” Celio said.
Professors Desmond and Celio left the Scholar’s Hall and were met by their guides, who were actually twenty-five (25) muscular, healthy, and highly-experienced machete-wielding mercenaries trained for jungle warfare.
Desmond and Celio knew of the risks beforehand, having been warned by their research sponsor that they would need to be prepared for a dangerous environment and some resistance, from animals or even people. They were a bit disgusted by the mercenaries’ rough and violent nature. However, they were realistic, and felt reassured by the strength of these men. They only wished that tough men such as these had been working for them when Keallach was around – quite possibly, things would have turned out for the better.
The group went to the docks to find passage on a ship. Desmond stopped along the way at the fountain and filled several vials with the waters of the Medathero Ocean from the fountain. The mercenaries stopped and filled their own vials with the waters of the Nabavodel Ocean from another fountain.
When they reached the docks, they were met by a Chronicler, who said: “I am Silvius, of two-thousand ninety-four (2094) years. By the authority of the Oath, you will tell me your names and intended destination, so that I may record your proceedings. Additionally, I will travel with you.”
“I am Celio, astronomer and land navigator,” Celio said.
“I am Desmond, archeologist. We are headed for Volaraden, in the jungle of the southeast,” Desmond said.
The researchers, along with the Chronicler Silvius and the mercenaries, all found passage on a ship headed northeast across the Medathero Ocean. The ship eventually turned south, sailing until it reached the Colossal March Warpath land bridge. Then, the ship converted to an airship and traveled south over the mountainous land bridge, returning to sea level in the Nabavodel Ocean. From there, they traveled eastward to the western coast of the Volaraden continent. There, they were let off because this particular ship’s captain did not extend his transportation services any further.
The western regions of Volaraden were largely desert which were too dangerous to travel by foot. There were towns in the desert, but they were for mining operations and were not particularly suitable for travelers.
Desmond and Celio, accompanied by the Chronicler named Silvius, and the twenty-five (25) mercenaries were able to hire desert transport on a sand ship – it was a limited vessel that operated only over land, the way that airships did, but was not suited for traveling over the sea. This ship transported them across the Volaraden landscape until they reached the jungle in the southeast.
Their research expenses – transportation, food, supplies, and machete-wielding companions – were paid for by various well-funded scholars in the City of Emeth, so that they could bring back information for recording in the halls of Emeth. They had become accustomed to having one Chronicler or another accompany them on their expeditions, and knew that it was essential to do so, since the Chroniclers of the Oath were trusted to give reports to the Verifiers, who were the only people allowed to record knowledge in the halls.
The two researchers, Desmond and Celio, along with the Chronicler, Silvius and the twenty-five (25) machete-wielding mercenaries all entered the jungle. The researchers found the sweltering temperatures somewhat taxing on their bodies. They were healthy men, but they weren’t as young as they used to be, and had to be a little more mindful of their wellbeing and a little less physical. They were not afraid of the danger – they were afraid of becoming disabled such that they could not continue their research. Their family lives had been destroyed by the ruthless murderer, Keallach, so this was all they had. Neither had remarried or entered into any kind of personal relationships.
The twenty-five (25) machete-wielding mercenaries were ever on their guard. They weren’t afraid, but they weren’t going to be surprised by an attack, either. The heat was powerful and stifling in the jungle, but they were trained and ready. Their machetes cut through the jungle vines, and their muscle made it fast. The Nabavodel Ocean waters they drank made the work very fast, while letting them be on their guard, as well.
Silvius had no fear whatsoever, and was not disturbed by the temperatures. He was protected, as were all Chroniclers of the Oath, by a Guardian Angel of the Oath. He was in no danger, unlike the rest of them.
~~~
The warriors who served Jaguar noticed the entrance of the twenty-eight (28) new outsiders, and brought a message back to Jaguar.
~~~
“Outsiders have entered our jungles. There are twenty-eight (28) of them, many with blades,” one the warriors said.
“Lead the outsiders to me. I shall decide what to do with each of them: whether he is to become a feast, a slave or a sacrifice to Havatissa,” Jaguar said.
The warriors stealthily moved through the jungles, and kept themselves hidden from sight, but not from sound. This was entirely purposeful.
~~~
“I hear something!” one the mercenaries said.
“Animals!” another said.
“No. The foot pacing that I hear is no animal. These are men,” the first mercenary said.
“That way!” another one said.
The mercenaries moved quickly in a southeasterly direction, and Desmond and Celio had no choice but to follow, as these were the only protection they had. Silvius followed out of curiosity, and according to his duty to the Chronicler’s Oath to record all that he saw.
After a brief run through the jungle for only a couple of miles, Desmond and Celio were a bit winded. Silvius was not, nor were the mercenaries.
They were met with two hundred (200) warriors carrying spears and various kinds of blades, and dressed in animal skins.
There was an additional warrior who stood out in the center. He wore a different animal skin, had long animal claws tied to his hands, and he carried no spear. “Welcome to my jungle. I am Jaguar. You are my feast,” Jaguar said.
The mercenaries held up their machetes, expecting a war of twenty-five (25) against two-hundred (200).
That’s not what they got, however.
They got a war of twenty-five (25) against one (1).
Jaguar moved with speed they had never imagined. He disarmed them, using leaps and jumps like his namesake animal. The animal claws he kept tied on his hands were used to rip through throats and eyes. The mercenaries were fast. Jaguar was just faster. His water was no more pure – in fact, it was less pure, having traveled through the underground river and picked up impurities, whereas their water was from the fountains of Emeth. Instead, Jaguar had a high innate potential for using those waters.
The one (1) had been victorious in the war. Jaguar defeated all the mercenaries.
Silvius dutifully wrote all of this down. The Ursegan Ocean waters that flowed through him allowed him to slow down time around him, seeing the actions of Jaguar in detail, observing them from a purely scholarly perspective. He had no fear of any harm to himself. The Jaguar approached Silvius and swiped a claw at him, but his hand was stopped by some force he could not see.
“My hand is withheld by a greater power! It is Havatissa! He favors you! I cannot strike you, outsider, for you have his blessing,” Jaguar said to Silvius. However, Silvius was in no way blessed by Havatissa.
Desmond and Celio were frightened. They knew that – for some reason – noth
ing ever seemed to happen to the Chroniclers of the Oath. They did not know why, but it was a fact, except for that famous one named Bartholomew of Priasta. They weren’t sure why he died, but that was the only death of a Chronicler known to them. Hopefully, the “blessing” would extend to them.
“I took away all of your blades, outsiders. Now, you will tell me who you are, and why you are here,” Jaguar said.
“I am Desmond. This is Celio. We come in search of knowledge of ancient things,” Desmond said.
“I am Silvius, Chronicler of two-thousand ninety-four (2094) years. I am here to record all proceedings,” Silvius said.
“You have found knowledge of me, my jungle and my power. Write it down, so that it may be read. Havatissa has sent you so that the world may learn of me, and that, through me, the world may know him,” Jaguar said.
Silvius wrote all of this down into his book.
“What did you come to find?” Jaguar asked.
“There is a temple within this jungle, and in it, there are lost treasures from ancient times. We wish to learn of the past,” Desmond said.
“You speak of treasures! Did you come to steal from the temple?!” Jaguar screamed, furious.
“We came to learn,” Desmond said, worried about his word choice.
“Only thieves speak of treasures! You will never leave this place alive!” Jaguar said.
“We’re not here to steal. We have no power to take what belongs to you,” Desmond said.
“That is true! But someone more powerful sent you – and sent the warriors – and they will steal the sacred things they call treasures. This is forbidden by Havatissa!” Jaguar said.
“Who is this Havatissa?” Silvius asked.
“He is our god! He is a jaguar. He is a serpent. He is powerful. He blessed you, so that I may not strike you,” Jaguar said.
“Show me where this temple is,” Silvius said.
