Chapter 1: A Night of Repose

Aoax returned to the encampment from a less than fruitful hunt. A month's travel has turned the once strangers surrounding the bonfire into familiar faces. To be expected, his fellow Delvers were grouped together, excluding Kmna. The four Humi were listening to the bard weave a tale of glee while stuffing their faces. The smell of cooking meat pushed away the stench of the surrounding swamp. The dancing of the fire mimicked the dancers encircling it.

It has been almost two months since Aoax, along with this merry band of scavengers, had departed from the closest town into the wilderness. Vroljez had hired him, among many others, to help him uncover and retrieve treasure he had bought information on. Though most of the other workers were simply fluffing: portable comforts of the rich. Aoax had enrolled as a delver.

Vroljez made his living from obtaining sights of, finding, and recovering various precious items from ancient ruins, hidden hordes, forgotten fortresses, and other areas of concealed glamour. The Sight Broker Vroljez had procured information from, as with most other sight brokers, could only see where the object or objects of desire were, not what they were. This is where Aoax and his fellow affiliates come in. Most treasure is dangerous to get to, whether it be by guardians, wildlife, or general perilous landscapes. Aoax, among five others, had been hired as the means of overcoming these treacherous tribulations and retrieving what is hidden.

This particular trove had been seen deep within the swamps of Blotaya. Not the most pleasant area of travel, Aoax felt sorry for those who could not fly above the bug-laden mire. The only other Oo with wings to fly with Aoax had been Kmna the Drake, Aoax’s attendant Jote, and a scout Tsohtsi, the rest being mostly humi and a few Solumkerd below.

Aoax, a Muzoval, was not particularly large for his species. Despite this, the fact that he was one of two Muzoval there made him stick out like a sore thumb. Sure Kmna the drake or the Solumkerd were quadrupeds too, but their physique greatly differed from his.

Frauch was first to spot Aoax, “Hey ya slimmy bird, ya took s’ long that we started withoutcha!” Aoax left his hunt on a pile of others’ before joining his co-workers by the fire.

Not paying much to the new party member Thisher exclaims, “I know it’s his nya, but I still can’t get over how good a cook Seir Vroljez is. This scrumptious stew almost deserves as much praise as I do.”

Drvkauh elbows her mate, “Deserving and craving are two very different things dear. Besides this might be the last meal we’ll ever have...” Drvkauh leans into Thisher’s arm, prompting him to wrap it around her. Despite Drvkauh’s constant depressing demeanor, her nya, natural Ghoa, absorbs any downer emotions others may feel. Aoax has felt sorry for her, but only outside her influence.

“Seems you didn’t catch much t’day, shame that.” Frauch grinned, “But it ain’t a worry, that food isn’t for us anywho. In tha morn’ we get to finally do our job.” Frauch shifted his attention to Vroljez. The man was sitting close to them before anyone had noticed his approach.

“I’m glad to see you all have gotten along so well, or at the very least most of you have. Does anyone know where Kmna is? I need to make an announcement and I'd rather not be short such a valued member of our *echem* crew.” Before anyone could respond Vroljez changed his mind, “nevermind if he’s not here one of you will have to tell him next he’s seen.”

Vroljez stood atop a crate and, with a wave of his hand, hushed the boisterous crowd. “I, Vroljez Ak Muden, Current Acting Chairman of Muden Hatid Ooaechnt, Discoverer of Treasure, am pleased to announce that, as tonight will be the last night before our beloved devers work, will allow for debaucherous behavior! All I ask is for the six delvers to be ready by sunrise tomorrow.” The crowd erupted into applause and a mad dash for pleasure drinks, smoke, food, and other things. Thisher and Drvkauh quickly raced to their tent as Frauch joined a group of solumkerd in a round of heavy drinking.

Aoax, not wanting to be left out, debates on what he wants to do. He begins to get up, but the fourth and most quiet member of his group, Mangal, urges him back down with a gentle palm. Aoax looked to him intently, waiting for him to say way he elicited him to stay. He had no control of his nya, to be illuminated, and strayed Aoaxe’s eyes to look not directly at him. “Kmna needs to be told,” His voice serene and purposeful as ever.

Aoax, slightly irritated as for him to perform this task asks, “Why now? Can’t she be told later, after I’ve had my fun?”

“Thisher and Drvkauh are in private affairs, Frauch hates all drake kind, and Kmna has aversion to me.”

“As insightful as ever. I’m gonna get a drink though, it’s hard enough to talk to him sober.”

---

Aoax eventually finds Kmna. She’s looking over a watery part of the swamp, her massive figure creating a shadowy tear from the glow of the night’s zuyg of the Sakzyg Oiov. Aoax sits himself beside her, mindlessly ruffling his scaethers in an anticipation. The slivers of zuyg-light through the trees creates silver snakes across the murky water. Nocturnal Nel stur underneath slithering and breaking the zuyg's serpents.

Kmna says nothing, her gaze transfixed to the serene swamp before them. Aoax lets a few minutes pass before saying, “Vroljez is allowing for drinking you know.”

Kmna cranes her veiled head to face Aoax, “that so.”

“Yeah, but I can see you want to be alone, I… I just thought you might want to know.” Aoax takes a few moments before getting up. Though hushed, Kmna had an imposing presence about her that kept the other workers away during the travel. Aoax looks back to the hardened figure, “You know we have to work as a team tomorrow, we’ll have to rely on eachother.”

“I will rely for you, no kakagoh.” Kmnas voice was slathered with malice.

Despite what would have been better judgement, Aoax prodded the layered statement, “what’s wrong with the humi, what did they do?”

Kmna, still transfixed on the water, motions for Aoax to sit beside her. “If you have time for story, I have one I speak.” Aoax, now hopelessly curious, nods for Kmna to proceed. “First you need know, why I wear veil. It is for hiding Naioqjak Comiv death brand.” Kmna reaches behind her horns, unhooking the chain holding the velvet and gilded veil over her face. Upon her lapis forehead is a scarred brand of Death Service.

Aoax recoils in fear, this mark is only for ones who commit a crime so egregious that they are sentenced to death or eternal service in the death battles of the naioqjak comiv. The naioqjak comiv being a sport of battle between any who wish to participate or are forced to. Most naioqjak comiv fights are until the losing party concedes or becomes incapacitated. But the nastier and more rare form is a fight to the death. “That explains why you don’t have a Haln, you must be forbidden to have it. But how in the world are you here and not behind bars?”

“You right to think I am to be apart ‘till death, but I have pardon from well behavior. Despite my requirement to kill other, I never have.”

“If you’re so virtuous, what could you have done to become apart of it in the first place?”

“I was young and stupid, revenge a cloud of judgement. Me and mother lived in a mountain cave near kakagoh village. This in Chvat, old way of thinking still very big. kakagoh hated we, always make remark in presence, sometimes even throw stones.” Kmna lowers her head to stare into her own reflection. “Mother allowed for this, the grounds outside village very good for hunt. I just begin to hunt for self, not knowing boundaries I take small livestock from kakagoh. I eat on area as per custom, kakagoh see, yell, and I run. For fear of anger, I not tell mother when home. Instead I leave to use Sg*ih Dg*ihtia, Suyk ghoa, to sway kakagoh from anger. I come home, find mother soaked in blood, kakagoh bodies all around cave. The twisted kakagoh had taken their gathered hatred to butcher mother. I was so… so angry. I return to village and kill many. I did not see who I kill, only that I did. It only after anger go ‘way I realize I not harmed. Filthy kakagoh try to fight back, but weapons bounce of hide. This was my nya, and what let me survive naioqjak comiv with no kill. Those kill, known bad.”

“But they don’t let Oo out on good behavior, who pulled strings?”

“This, I not know. One day warden come to cell and tell me I free. I try to find who let go, but no success. Later I return to village, long past embitterment from hundreds of years apart of naioqjak comiv. In end this not matter as humi lives short, three generations had passed and I only known as local legend.” Kmna turned to Aoax with sullen and tired eyes, “I sorry for tell tale of old drake’s woes, forgive for sharing private matters.”

“No, no I-it’s fine. I just… wasn’t expecting such a story to come from you. I’m sorry for what happened.”

“I not know why I tell you these matters, maybe it age. Maybe it for you muzoval are hated by humi almost as much as drake.” Aoax sits speechless as this trove of private story is burdened upon him. It was true, muzoval were regarded as inferior to humi, but he never had such rancor directed to him.

The Suyk was drawing closer to set; the chirping of insects and other Nel (found in Division of Ideas) filled the silence. The cool night air weighed the excitement of the camp to slumber, something Aoax felt was calling him too. Kmna lumbered his immense body towards the camp, asking for Aoax to accompany him back.