Now I am smiling like a wicked lord, this update is so satisfying that I had to re-read the part Arexon true nature came was revealed. Oh, how I wish Arexon is the actor... ... See how him kill boss sharp sharp with swag sef . Chai now my belle don full

@ayshow6102 thank you for voting and thank you for reading
if I no vote wetin I gain abeg just tell me when and where dey are going to start counting the votes because me and my boys are already anxious to start snatching your opponents ballot boxes.
thanks for the update obehid this was the best update ever I have been secretly wishing foward to a fight between two uspecs that have full range of spectra and I got that on a stainless plate today it remains a fight between two boga beasts from different spectrums

@dragonstar14 Wow, the best. Well, I would agree that this is very action-packed. I'm happy you liked it

@popeshemoo i like that you like where it is going

@Omittesb thank you for reading and allowing me to make you happy

@elyna thank you for reading and enjoying it!

@spixytinxy Thank you!!! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Yes, oh Musa's departure is...well, let's see how Nebud handles it

@maynation LOL, thank you for reading the long long long update

@tunjilomo thank you! A wonder, wow, I didn't know everyone would enjoy this update like this oh. I'm glad I could help give your heart a workout, lol

@Queenyprinxex hahaha, I definitely understand that. It is quite daunting. And as I'm writing and seeing the number of pages increasing, it gets even more daunting. But, you can always start from the first post and take your time to read it

@lukfame thank you for reading, I'm glad I could make you happy

@cassbeat wow, best update ever...okay...anyway, me I'm just sha happy that you liked it. Thank you for the vote, and I do believe the next update will be intriguing, but I can never predict how everyone will react to the posts. I guess we shall see

@Fazemood Funny? Well, we'll see if you recognize the name when the character is introduced. Yes!!! I'm glad you enjoyed the update. Arexon is just something else, I really like that character, I hope it does not disappoint sha...

@ayshow6102 thank you for reading, Yes, spectra fights are so great! I can just imagine myself with spectra creating okun and blasting someone else's okun away. Would be so satisfying. A fight between two beasts from different spectrums? Will that happen, I guess we'll have to wait and see

Hmm u have used style to tell us that it wont be lengthy like Saturday's ehn no wahala na.. Bring it on mamie

"Wednesday is almost upon us", the obehiD addict said as he passed by the thread rubbing his hands gleefully.
Friends and friends while we gather again to witness the greatest story ever told, the legend of Nebud the soon to be great, let us have a minute silence for the good soldiers who shall loose their lives today.
Gore and glory..........!
Let the battle rage. Let the noise of war rent the air. We the Nebudite are not deterred. We will ride into the eye of the dragon with you armed with our swords and Armour.
We will not rest till it ascends the throne of his fathers.
Aaaaaaarghhhhhhh...........

decoderdgenius:
"Wednesday is almost upon us", the obehiD addict said as he passed by the thread rubbing his hands gleefully.
Friends and friends while we gather again to witness the greatest story ever told, the legend of Nebud the soon to be great, let us have a minute silence for the good soldiers who shall loose their lives today.
Gore and glory..........!
Let the battle rage. Let the noise of war rent the air. We the Nebudite are not deterred. We will ride into the eye of the dragon with you armed with our swords and Armour.
We will not rest till it ascends the throne of his fathers.
Aaaaaaarghhhhhhh...........

Aaaaaaarghhhhhhh.....
Nebud! Nebud! Nebud!

ObehiD got me anticipating Wednesdays and Saturdays.... Cant wait

@cassbeat yes it is shorter, lol

@decoderdgenius hahaha, yes oh! I like your write up but the update might not be what you are expecting sha...

@olite93 Wednesday is here, time for the next update

Part 24
---------

I had Cala’s hand in mine as I led it in through the opaque cyan fog. It was only two days old, but there was so much that it needed to know. The fog turned translucent once it sensed me. It remained that way, granting access to Cala and me. Cala’s eye widened when it saw the green sludge. It pulled its hand out of my hold and fell to a sitting position in the sludge.

A smile filled its face as it stared at the room. It sunk its hands into the green sludge and pulled them out. Its little green hands were coated with sludge that matched the color of its skin. I sighed, staring at. There was so much that I wished for it. Cala smiled and I saw Calami in that smile. Perhaps it was just a mater’s wishful thoughts, but I saw Calami in its offspring. I saw Calami’s greatness, and its flaws. The brashness!

My mind drifted back to the pits of Hakute, to the hatch and the brazen manner in which my offspring had walked to its death. Calami had been so confident, so arrogant. I warned it. I warned it not to fight, not to procreate in that way, but Calami would not listen. So headstrong, always so headstrong. I wondered if Cala would grow up to be what its progenitor had been. A painful pang filled me at the knowledge that I would not be there to caution Cala as I had its progenitor. Who would watch after my Cala? Who would protect it from following in Calami’s footsteps?

“Cala.” I called its name sharply.

It rose its head up, pulling its hands from the green sludge. It smiled at me, its teeth flashing once its eye recognized me. It only had that single center eye on its face. I would not live to see it with its outer eye sockets formed. I would not live to see its first battle. Would it be a warrior like its progenitor, or a scholar as I was? Was it selfish to hope that it would be more like me? I had to accept that Cala’s fate was in its hands. I hoped Maraci would raise it well. Maraci and Calami’s bond was such that I could rely on the uspec to care for Cala. It was young. Much too young to be Kaiser, but it had already inherited the position from its progenitor. It had an offspring of its own now, Manus. I wondered if it would have another.

“Stand Cala.” I said.

It stared at me with its mouth hanging open, and its eye wide. I could not blame it for not understanding. It was young, too young, much too young for all that was about to happen.

I reached down and placed my hands underneath its arms. Then I pulled it to its feet. Once I let it go, it fell back to the floor, and smiled up at me. I should have scolded it, but what good would that do? It would not understand anyway. Besides, it would remember this moment someday. I did not want it to remember me as a tyrant. What little memories it had of me, I wanted to be blissful.

I picked it up again, but this time, I lifted it in the air, and carried it in my arms. Cala placed its sludge filled hands against my cheeks. It wiped its hands all over my face, trailing its fingers from my face to the scales on my neck. It liked my scales.

“You will have these too one day.” I said with a smile. “When you are older, and stronger.”

Cala’s smile widened. It giggled, or well, I liked to think of that particular sound as a giggle. I knew all of Cala’s sounds. I knew the sounds it made when it was hungry. I knew how it acted when it was tired. I even knew the little whines it let out just before it fussed on its bed to be more comfortable. There was nothing about my little Cala that I did not know. I had all the love in the world for it. All the love I could bear as its sire, combined with all the love I had for its progenitor. All of that love, I gave to Cala alone.

“You must remember this place Cala, you must remember this. Remember the Isle of Brio, remember that you must come here once you are able. Tell Maraci that it was my final wish, that you must come here. This place kindles the link that you have with your ancestors, your link to the line of the Kaisers of Lahooni. This will be as a solace for you, a place that you can come to whenever you are in need. When you come here, you will know what to do. The Isle of Brio, Cala, never forget the Isle of Brio. I hope that it is your hooni features which grow first. If they do, you will master quicksand early, and will be able to bring yourself here, at will. As irirakun, it will be hard for you to learn spectra, but Maraci will help you. Maraci will ensure that you grow into the Kaiser you were always meant to be. You come here first Cala.”

I looked into the little one’s eye, but it only stared at me with its carefree vacant smile. There was no comprehension in its gaze. What else could I say to stress the importance of this place?

“You will hear tales of the wealth of Lahooni. Many will come to you, desperate to find it. You will be safe in Katsoaru, I have given Maraci all that I can to ensure your safety. There are thought bubbles to keep all with ill intentions towards you, out. There are pansophy caches to keep the port wealthy enough to support you. Maraci does not know what all of this is for yet, but it will learn once I send you to it.” I realized that I had lost my train of thought. “The wealth of Lahooni. It is here Cala, all the wealth of our ancestors, all the innovations, the things that so many will kill to get. You must come here Cala, come here with the ring, and no one will question your legitimacy. The Isle of Brio, Cala, the Isle of Brio.”

I waited, what for, I could not say. I knew that it would not suddenly age enough to tell me what I so desperately wanted to hear. All I could do was repeat the words. I knew it would remember, the only question was how long it would take for the memories to be uncovered.

I carried Cala with me to the hard fog stand in the center of the room. Standing by it, I placed my hand onto the hard fog, and watched as it disappeared. Cala made its happy sound. It clutched its little hands firmly around me, before tipping itself forward. The base of its ailerons scraped against my arm as I tightened my hold to keep it from falling into the enclosure that I had just revealed. I stared at the fortune, buried here, where no other would be able to reach it.

The green wraith rose from the tunnel.

Cala shrieked.

I laughed. “You have no need to fear it Cala. It is nothing but our ancestors, coming up to greet us.”

“Salutations.” I greeted the wraith with a deep bow. It floated towards me. I felt the dust particles poking at me. I opened my mouth and granted it entrance. The wraith went into me, searched in my mind for what I needed, and then it pulled out. Moments later, the coffer appeared. “Gratitude.” I bowed again. The wraith returned and the fog hardened.

“It is time for us to return Cala.”

The coffer followed the ring on my finger. I wore Cala’s ring. One day, Cala would grow into the ring, and it would fit on its finger. Again, I felt the sorrow of knowing that I would not live to see this.

We walked through the cyan fog. I could not summon quicksand while I was inside the shrine, now that I was out of it, I reached into my anger and spoke through it, to the soul of my spectrum.

Quicksand appeared underneath us. It sucked us in, taking us back to our home.

Animaon awaited me in my lab. As soon as it saw me, it rose from the chair it had been sitting on, and bowed deeply. “You have returned sirga.” It said.

I smiled at my favorite novice. The pious ones in my port had taken to sending me novices to instruct in pansophy. I could have told them that the secret to my expert knowledge was a certain imp named Musa, but then that would spoil all the fun. None, but my most trusted acquaintances knew of Musa’s pansophy. Animaon was one of the few. It had trained under me for over twenty years now. I had received Animaon when it was barely five years old. The uspec had been unnaturally talented in pansophy.

I’d decided to train Animaon. It was so close in age to Calami, that once Calami saw how much attention I dedicated to our lessons, it insisted on joining them. That had, of course, been my plan all along. Animaon had turned out to be a favorable influence on Calami’s education. Before it came, Calami whiled away its time with Sensu, fighting and generally causing havoc. After Animaon, the three of them became inseparable. We all mourned Calami.

Animaon came over to me. It smiled as it traced Cala’s outer ear. Cala turned and smiled at the uspec. So few of us were lucky enough to receive Cala’s smiles. It was as if it already knew those who it could trust.

“How was your visit to Hamlet Kook?” Animaon asked.

I nodded. “Successful.” I gestured to the coffer.

Animaon’s face became distressed.

Cala’s wandering hands reached for one of the horns on Animaon’s head. It grabbed onto that horn and pulled. Luckily, it did not have the strength required to yank the horn out of the uspec’s head. Animaon was an irira, a hooni – mejo crossbreed. There were few ports where it could achieve its dream of becoming a pious one. Fortunately, Lahooni was one of them.

“Shall I take Cala off your hands, sirga?” it asked.

I shook my head. “We have things to discuss.”

Instead I reached for Chike. Siphoned magic was a powerful thing, it bound the one siphoning to the one being siphoned. And so, I could reach for Chike and see how it felt. I would always know the state of it. I could not read its mind, or share thoughts with it in anyway, but I could give it some nudges. I had learned that siphoned magic was a form of magic all of its own. It bound people in unusual ways. I had a hypothesis of the extents that siphoned magic could reach when shared between uspecs. I wanted to test my hypothesis with two siphoned links, but I did not have the time.

Time. I sighed.

A pool of quicksand appeared in the lab, just before the imp did.

“You summoned master?” Chike said. It was in a bad mood. I suppose we had all been in a bad mood since Calami’s death. Only Cala could improve our moods. There was so much of Calami in its offspring that we could not help but reclaim a little of what we’d lost, in Cala’s face.

I put Cala down.

“Please take Cala for its cleaning, then feed it. You can play with it after if you would like, or you could bring it back to me.”

The imp’s expression changed. “I will take care of it.” It said. It held onto Cala’s hand, and led it away.

Cala turned back to face me. It always did this, whenever we parted company. It turned to look at me one last time before leaving my presence. It was hard to face the knowledge that soon, it would be looking at me for the last time. I smiled at Cala and nodded. It turned back around and allowed Chike to take it away.

I waited till they were gone, before turning to my apprentice.

Animaon waited patiently.

“I ask something of you Animaon.”

“Whatever you ask of me I will do sirga.” Animaon swore.

“Peel of a scale from your neck.”

Without hesitating, Animaon reached for its neck scales and peeled one off. I peeled a scale off my neck and stabbed it into the empty patch that Animaon had just exposed. I knew that it felt pain, but it did not flinch.

Animaon.

The name came to me as soon as I woke. I did not open my eyes, but I returned to consciousness, knowing what had occurred, and what would follow. I remembered nothing from my unconsciousness, nothing but the name Animaon.

“Nebud! You are mine Nebud! You are mine! You belong to me!!”

I was used to this voice now. “Whose eye do you want?” I did not voice the words, I simply thought them.

“Animaon’s. Go to Damejo and take Animaon’s eye. You cannot fail me Nebud. You must not.”

I exhaled.

Slowly, I opened my eyes. I was quick to realize the extra vision which I had gained with the added eye. Sophila’s eye. Just thinking of the uspec reminded me of the events of that night.

I turned my head slightly.

I gasped.

“Musa.” I could not believe it. “Is that really you?”

The imp stared at me. It nodded. It was sitting quietly beside me. My joy at seeing the imp was boundless. I smiled. I could not believe how close I had come to losing it. It wasn’t till my relief faded, that the anger set in. This imp had made me worry. It had turned my life upside down for days.

“You have returned.” I stated flatly, now that my initial joy at seeing it unharmed had faded.

“I never left.” Musa replied. “I have been here, in this suite, the whole time. I would not leave without you master.”

I pushed myself off the ground and rose to my feet. “Not even in search of your precious heir to Lahooni?” I asked.

Musa was silent. “Forgive me master.” It said, after a while. “My behavior was unacceptable. I will accept whatever punishment you deem necessary.”

I ignored the imp, took off my belt and unceremoniously dumped it onto the hard fog ground. Then, I walked over to the cleaning room. It was strange to walk into this room and see myself in so many reflective surfaces. This was the first time that I could lounge without worry of the barracks, or Sophian. I saw the silver earrings dangling from my ears, and the dried blood on my skin. I stepped into the okun, submerging fully into it, several times.

I felt something strange.

I felt myself lifting out of the okun.

I heard the flapping of wings, and saw the drops of liquid splattering, all about me, before I registered the fact that I was flying. At long last, my ailerons had turned into wings which gave flight. They flapped, raising me all the way to the roof. I willed for myself to be lowered, and I felt my wings heeding that request. I was lowered, back to the ground.

Musa stood close to the entrance of the cleaning room with wide sockets.

I willed to be lifted, and felt my ailerons flapping. They flapped and I hovered above the ground. They continued to flap, and I was lifted again to the roof of the dwelling. I lowered myself, touched the ground and rose back up. I repeated this until the novelty of simply rising in a confined space wore off. Then I lay flat in the air and willed my ailerons to take me away. I flew over Musa’s head. The entry to the cleaning room was narrow, so I had to bend at an angle to fly through it. It was this way with so many other entryways, but I did not mind. How could I, when I was flying?

I had not thought that it would be so easy. But this flying was as easy as walking.

When I returned to the ground, I found Musa standing behind me. It had followed me about as I flew, and I had ignored it. If only I had pansophy, I could have removed my appearance as the imp had done.

I walked to the entertaining room and sprawled on a lounging bed.

Musa knelt in front of me. “Please forgive me master.”

I stared at it. “Why did you not go in search of your heir?”

Musa sighed. “I want to search with you master. I can see that you are curious about this, I can see it in you whenever the topic comes up. Let us search together master.”

“Why?”

“The heir will reward you, generously master. The fabled wealth of Lahooni is no myth. If we are able to restore the heir to its rightful place, it will show its gratitude to you. I will ensure it.”

“How can you ensure it?”

“I have a close bond with that line master, the uspecs listen to me, they trust me. If I tell the heir that you deserve a reward, it will give it to you. You can make a home in Lahooni master, the heir is an irira, just like you.” Musa’s head dropped. “I have had time to think about it, and I now understand why you were so hesitant to leave. Chiboga is the first place that you felt accepted as an irira. But you need not worry, you will be accepted in Lahooni as well, once we find the heir.”

“You are wrong Musa.”

“I am not. I promise you master, Lahooni will welcome you. I promise.”

“I despise Chiboga.”

Musa frowned. “Master?”

“The only reason I stayed was to get Sophila’s eye.”

Musa’s frown deepened. “I do not understand master.”

I laughed. “Neither do I.” I stated, between bouts of laughter. “Neither do I.”

Musa’s expression turned cautious. Did it think that I was insane? Perhaps I was. Why else did I laugh so much? Now, I couldn’t stop. My life felt like a joke, yanked from one port to the next, on the whims of a voice that I could not ignore.

“You are mine Nebud! You are mine! You belong to me!!”

The voice owned me. It told me where to go, and I went. If that was not a joke, I could not imagine what else was. How I had fought against serfdom to Sophila. I had fought as if I was free, as if Sophila was the first one to own me. But it was not. The voice in my head was my owner. It was an owner I could get no release from. One who I could not kill.

“Master, you are scaring me.”

“I listen to the voice in my head Musa.” I said, once the laughter waned. “The voice in my head is my master. First, it sent me to Katsoaru to take Marcinus’ eye. Then it sent me here to Chiboga, for Sophila’s eye. And now it wants me to go to Damejo…”

“Damejo?” Musa’s expression brightened. “But Master, that is where Takabat’s vault is! That is where we need to go in search of the heir.”

“Perhaps you are the voice in my head.” I teased.

“Whose eye does it want now?”

“An uspec named Animaon.”

There was a slight change in Musa’s face, a flicker of recognition.

“Do you know this uspec?”

Musa shook its head. “No master, I do not.”

I sighed. Perhaps I had been seeing things. Maybe I wanted Musa to know this uspec. Wouldn’t it be nice to walk into a port knowing exactly what awaited me?

“So we are going to Damejo then?” Musa asked. “Should I prepare our things?”

I nodded distractedly. I do not know what I had expected from Musa, but it was not this. Perhaps I had told the imp because I hoped that it would have some insight on my problem. I had wished that it had heard of this before, that it would know how such was possible. Was it pansophy? What else could it be? But who would do such, and why? The eyes I was being asked to take were specific. The voice did not just want any boga eye, it wanted Sophila’s. It did not ask for any soaru eye, but Marcinus. And now, it wanted Animaon’s eye. Who was Animaon, and how did it fit with the others? Was there a pattern? I thought of something else, the places that I was being sent to. Was it just a coincidence that these had all been places that I had been as a young uspec? First Katsoaru, where Takabat had separated me from the imp Chike. Then Chiboga where it had brought me and Sensu, and then Damejo where Takabat had a vault. Where all of these related to the voice?

I felt Musa pulling on my tail. I turned to find it putting on the silver banneret’s sheath. It finished that and went hastily to fasten the silver neckcloth onto my neck. As the imp moved with feverish haste, I finally understood why it had no inputs on the voice in my head. It cared more for the heir it hoped to find in Damejo, than it did for my plight and the voice in my head.

“Shall we go master? I can take away your appearance now, we can sneak through the hangar.”

“Go where?”

Musa frowned. “Damejo.” It stated.

I shook my head. “We cannot leave yet.”

“But why? You have what you came here for.”

“Not yet.” I said. “We must wait for Arexon.”

“Master…”

“We wait!”

Musa huffed.

I closed my eyes, wondering if the imp had even heard the things I had told it about the voice. Or had it been so eager to find its precious heir that it paid no attention to me? I fell asleep thinking of how ludicrous it was that, even in my own mind, I differentiated myself from the heir.

I woke up to the sound of an impatient pounding on the door. Musa rose before me. It ran over to the entrance. I moved at a more leisurely pace. The fog drifted away, revealing Arexon standing on the other side of the door. It marched into the suite without preamble.

“I will ask something of you.” It stated.

I did not like this. “What do you ask sirga?”

It pulled out a sealed tube from its belt. That tube reminded me of the last time it had been in this suite. It handed it over to me. “The tube is sealed. Deliver it sealed to the great Auxa, duke of the first metropolis of Chiboga. The uspec is on the inter-port trail.”

Auxa. Why did the name sound familiar?

I gaped at Arexon. “You want me to walk into a war zone and deliver a note to a duke?”

Arexon nodded. “I know that you could possibly have your imp hide your appearance and try to sneak past them. I am asking you not to do that.”

“You are asking me to risk my life.” I stated.

Arexon stared at me. “Tell the duke that it is from me, Arexon. The duke will not harm you.”

“I am more worried about the plenum’s troops.”

“Will you not do it then?”

I sighed. I shook my head at myself, before taking the tube from Arexon. “For you sirga, I will risk my life. It is the least I can do.”

Arexon nodded. “Gratitude.”

“May I ask what is in the missive I bear?”

“No, you may not.”

I scoffed.

Arexon smiled.

It placed its hands on my arm and pulled the silver bands off them. Then it reached for my earrings and took them off. It forced the earrings into my hand, when all I wanted to do was burn them. Arexon touched my earlobes and I felt the holes on my ear fill.

“You are banneret again.” It announced, with a grin. “Keep the earrings Nebud, if for no other reason than the memories they bring with them.”

“It is those memories that I wish to forget.”

“Not all of them I hope.”

I smiled at Arexon. “No sirga, not all of them.”

“Goodluck banneret.”

Quicksand appeared underneath me. It sucked me in and teleported me to the hangar before I got a chance to bid Arexon farewell. Which, considering that it was Arexon’s magic that caused the teleportation, was probably the way the commander wanted it.

Hmm. A lot of things are making sense. Please, Obehid, change the novella in the title to novel.

Interesting as always... I kinda knew there would be a reunion...

Musa my impfriend is back baby.

Gracias ObehiD for not keeping us in a painful suspense in this particular chapter, Hah you need to read my heartbeat, this story is top notch.

Quick question.

Why is Nebud hesitating on telling Musa of its true identity? To me Musa deserves to know as it isn't a careless and unreliable subject. Nebud should consider telling it, the earlier the better. Musa has to know so that it would not seem like its master distrusted it that is why it has kept it's secret from it. (Hai, so many 'its')

As for that voice in the head, it is acting like an insecure girlfriend, it should calm down Nebud isn't going to ditch it. At least not yet.

That voice should be the pious who took Nebud away earlier and later was consumed by the fog or something right?

Calam's part was a bit touchy, made me realize that it sacrificed itself for its descendant. Nebud ought to remember its grand pater's instructions soon so as to get its wealth and ring back quickly.

Thanks Obehid. Keep it coming.

@tunjilomo Thank you. I actually don't know that you can edit the title after the fact. I've tried to do it, but I haven't been able to figure out how.

@cassbeat Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it

@maynation Yes oh, Musa is back!

@cherriex hahaha every chapter can't have suspense, I am happy you liked this one

@Fazemood I'm sure Nebud has its reasons for not telling Musa I think your points are valid though...Nebud should really consider this. It's really insecure voice, hahaha. As to if the voice is the pious...well, we'll see. Yeah, I like Calam and I really like how much Calam sacrificed. Thank you, we'll see what Nebud remembers

Part 25
---------

“I can conceal our appearance.” Musa was worried. I could tell from the nervous way in which it looked around the room, and how it inched closer towards me. It wanted to be close enough to touch me if I relented.

I could not.

The room was filled with soldiers in their armor. Most of them were serf soldiers, so they were simply decked in the head and neck armor, standing at attention with their right hands gripping their hoe-spears. The bosses were positioned behind the lines of soldiers. They had their hands gripping the hilt of the swords in their black belts. I stared at the rows of armed soldiers in their armors, with the earrings in their ears and their gazes set forward to the wall of fog in front of the room. They looked ready for war.

I did not know what time of day it was. Was it still night? Or had these soldiers been standing as they were for hours? They did not appear to be afraid. I remembered then that Arexon had mentioned something about sending some of the more seasoned soldiers first. Were they ready to die? Was I?

A soldier standing at the end of one of the neat rows, turned slightly. Its gaze fixed on my face. For a second it simply stared at me, as if unsure of what to do about my sudden appearance in the hangar. I could tell from its uniform that it was a boss, one rank below a guru. It had two silver crosses on the long chains which dangled from its ears, and two imp eyes on its face. The uspec did not appear familiar. None of the soldiers in the hangar were familiar. I’d thought that I had seen most of the uspecs stationed in the Acropolis, over my time here, but from the large amount of strange faces, I knew that I had been wrong.

The uspec’s hand on the hilt of its sword tightened, its eyes narrowing on me. Slowly, I rose my hand, and placed it on the hilt of my cutlass.

“Master.” Musa whispered, its hand lashing out immediately to touch my arm. I saw the pleading look on its face and ignored it.

Several more uspecs became aware of my presence in the hangar. They all turned slightly to stare at me. Even with my unexpected arrival amongst them, they remained in order. No soldier broke out of its lines, none as much as made a sound. Arexon would be pleased to see this order.

Moments passed in which we did nothing but stare at each other. Me and Musa, against over a hundred armed uspecs, a quarter of which had the magic of the boga eyes. I realized, as we stared at each other, that none of the soldiers knew how to react to my presence. They must have realized that I could not have come from the inter-port trail, as spectra cannot be used there, which meant that I was not part of the plenum’s contingent. I had to have come from within the port. I think it was this realization alone, which kept them from attacking me.

“Assiduity!” A voice barked.

It took me a while to see the uspec giving the order, as it was hidden behind rows of soldiers. The uspec marched forward though, revealing itself as one of the two gurus stationed in the hangar for the first day of what would be a long and gruesome battle. The gurus were the highest ranks in the room, making them the onsite commanders. I could not see the other one, but I knew that it was somewhere in the room.

The soldiers’ saluted as one in response to the guru’s order. The coordination of the salutes was actually quite masterly executed.

The guru stopped in front of me, and swung its arm in the air, bringing the side of its right hand to rest against the left corner of its chest.

I found myself saluting back on instinct. “In clover.” I ordered, once I brought my hand down from my chest.

The guru’s hand came down. It stood at attention. “The commander sent word of your impending departure sirga, you have the mighty one’s permission to leave.”

The mighty one’s permission? These soldiers did not know of Sophila’s death then. I could not help but worry for Arexon. What would happen once their deaths were known? Sophi was much too young to be Kaiser. How would it fill its new role? Will it still see Arexon as wise and seek its counsel? Or would it find out about the role Arexon had played in Sophian’s death, and have the uspec killed? Even that thought seemed ludicrous. I had never met an uspec more capable than Arexon. Arexon could morph to any situation. It was a survivor. It was also the single most powerful uspec I had ever met. It would take a lot to kill Arexon. The thought of the commander had my mind darting to the scroll I carried. What was in that scroll, I wondered?

To the guru, I turned and nodded.

The guru marched in front of me, then it turned in the precise way that I had never been able to learn, and marched forward. I followed quietly behind it.

“This is too great a risk master.” Musa’s voice was low, but it seemed amplified in the silent room. “We do not know what awaits us on the inter-port trail.”

“We must do this. We have no choice.”

Musa sighed, but it refrained from making any more statements.

The guru stopped in front of the wall of fog. I stared at the impressive thing. It was hard to imagine anyone breaking into this hangar, not when it was so well guarded. But it was possible, and those with pansophy could achieve this feat. I thought of all the pious ones that would have to be on the other side of the inter-port trail, working their magic on this fog. According to Sophian’s projections, they would be close to sending people through in a matter of hours.

I knew Musa was right about the danger we faced, but I could not give into fear. How could I refuse an uspec who had saved my life so many times? I could not.

The guru stepped out of our way, and then turned to face me. It stood, waiting.

“Repeal the fog.” I ordered.

“The commander said that it gave you the key sirga.”

Of course, I nodded at the uspec. It had been foolish to think that a key that important would be given to a soldier on the front line. But if it was the key to the fog, then why would Arexon ask me to give it to an uspec on the inter-port trail? Could it not be as easily used to break into the port?

I stuck the scroll into the fog. It turned translucent, signaling that I could go in. For some reason, I found it necessary to take one last look at the lines of soldiers standing at perfect salute, their impassive faces revealing nothing of their feelings on this war. I stared at the chains dangling from their ears and was suddenly filled with memories of this port. One thing was certain, I would never forget Chiboga.

As I stepped into the translucent fog, I heard one last cry of the now so familiar order, “In clover!”

===============
On the Inter-port Trail
===============

I was standing on hard fog.

That was the first thing I noticed. Perhaps I noticed it first because it stood out on the inter-port trail. The trail that I was used to had hardened clouds as the ground. The walls were as expected, with the red light streaming in, a result of the luminescence of the clouds that the walls were made from. I could tell from the shade of that light that it was morning. The daylight dots would soon emerge, diluting the red of the clouds with their bright orange glow.

I turned my gaze from the hard ground underneath me, to my environs. Perhaps I should have sensed the danger from Musa’s proximity to me.

The area that greeted me was nothing like the inter-port trail I expected. Dwellings had been constructed directly onto the trail. There were more dwellings than I could count. These dwellings were accompanied by uspecs. Warriors, I decided, from the swords on their belts. The uspecs had the relaxed calmness of warriors, fighters, as opposed to the structured discipline which I had come to associate with soldiers. Several of these warriors talked amongst themselves as they moved between dwellings. The front row of dwellings was several feet away from where we stood. There were about ten soldiers on the front lines, between us and the dwellings. Their hands lay calmly on the hilt of their swords. They did not stand at attention, as the soldiers in Chiboga did. Their gazes were not fixed determinedly on air. These warriors leaned against the dwellings behind them and stared patiently at us.

They watched us with looks that could only be described as mildly curious.

“Master.”

I turned to face my imp, and then I turned to stare at the area behind me, when it jerked its head in that direction. Now, I understood why the soldiers had appeared so unperturbed by our presence. There was a wall behind us, and in front of that wall, five pious ones, slowly approaching. They moved quietly, probably hoping to catch us unawares and use their pansophy on us.

They stopped once they realized that they had been sighted. Then they nodded at me, and then continued moving. They walked faster this time. I noticed that there was a thin area before the wall where the ground was clouds, instead of fog. The hard fog continued, until a few paces in front of where the warriors stood.

The pious ones were all bogas. The markings on their fraises showed them to be of the Order of Fabrication.

“Salutations banneret.” One of the pious greeted.

‘Banneret.’ Had it really been that long since I had been called that? The word sounded so strange now. I cleared my throat. “Salutations pious one.” I replied.

“You come from Chiboga?” the pious asked, trying and failing, to sound unaffected. After the time that I had spent watching Sophian, I doubted that I would ever find another uspec capable of that level of aloofness. No, I could tell the effort that this uspec was making to appear as if it was not curious about the question it asked. The slight motions of its face gave it away.

“Yes, pious one.” I replied.

“How?” it asked.

The uspec was far shorter than I was. It had four outer eyes on its face, just like I did. It had no bulk to it, and it carried no weapons.

“The usual way.” I replied. “Through the hangar.”

“You are the only uspec who has left through that hangar in days.”

“Intriguing.” I replied noncommittally.

The pious ones frowned. “Who are you?”

“I am Banneret Nebud.” I replied.

“You are kute.”

“Yes.”

“Banneret…”

I sighed. “I am a messenger, pious one.”

The pious one appeared intrigued. “Messenger?”

“Yes, that is why I was allowed to leave. I am to deliver a message to the great Auxa, duke of the first metropolis of Chiboga.”

“Ahh,” the pious ones relaxed, “we have been waiting for this message.”

“I knew that Sophila would blink. It may think that it is strong, but not even Sophila is crazy enough to deem itself strong enough to face the full might of the plenum.” Another pious one said.

“Tell me banneret, what was the Kaiser’s mood when it gave you this message?”

“Morbid.” I replied, stifling the urge to laugh at my own joke.

The pious ones seemed to enjoy my response. “Morbid.” They laughed. “And to think I worried that we might actually have to spend a few months on this inter-port trail.”

“Give me your message banneret, I will deliver it to the duke, and you can await its response.”

I shook my head. “I was told to deliver it directly into the great one’s hands.”

The pious one shrugged. “As you please. The duke will get a kick out of this. Come.”

The pious one broke from the group. It led the way to the dwellings and the warriors standing there. “Are you involved in politics?” the pious one asked, making conversation as we walked.

“No.”

It chuckled. “That is good. Soldiers should remain soldiers and leave the politics to those wise enough to handle them. Let Sophila be an example to you. I cannot wait to see what the plenum seeks as repayment for its foolishness. Are you a fan of Sophila’s?”

“Certainly not.”

It nodded. “Good. Then, between you and me, you should be glad to know that the plenum has had all that they can take from it. This time, Sophila will pay for its defiance. I for one, will be on the front lines, watching Sophila squirm. How did you come to be in Chiboga?”

We had arrived on the hardened cloud flooring. I luxuriated in the feel of the floor pulling my leg in and surrounding my feet with its softness. For some reason, my departure from Chiboga did not feel real until that moment, when I walked on soft ground.

“I found it intriguing. A port with so little known about it? Who could resist?”

The pious one laughed. Warriors broke from their conversations to watch us. They stared at us, their eyes following as we made our way along their camp. There was no order to this place, just dwellings haphazardly created.

“And did Chiboga meet your expectations?”

“I am glad to be out of it.” I replied.

The pious one laughed. It stopped walking. I looked past the pious one and found that we had reached a dwelling which was bigger than the rest. This dwelling seemed to be situated right by a wall of clouds. The pious one looked over its shoulder. “Do not let Sophila hear you say that.” It winked its center eye.

I did not respond.

There were two guards standing in front of the dwelling. These guards, unlike the others, appeared capable of a good fight. They had three outer eyes on their faces, and the bulk of great fighters. They wore nothing but the belts on their waists.

“The message from Sophila has arrived.” The pious one said.

A guard nodded. It sized me over with its eyes, before turning around and pulling the curtains open. It walked into the room and bowed in front of an uspec seated behind a brown desk. “A message from Sophila.” The guard said.

The uspec glanced up. From the distance separating us, I could make out no particular features on its face. But I could see enough to note that it had completely filled outer eye sockets and gold on its arms. “Send in the messenger, dismiss the pious.” The uspec ordered.

The pious turned around. It did not wait for the guard to return before storming off with its jaw clenched.

I was nodded in. Musa followed cautiously behind me, our coffer traversing behind it.

I stopped in front of the desk and curtsied. “Salutations great one.” I greeted.

“Draw those curtains!” the uspec snapped.

The curtains were drawn.

“Rise. Your name and birthplace?”

“Banneret Nebud of Mugakute.” I stuck with my fake Kuworyte origin place.

The uspec did not look at me as it spoke. “What is the message from my dear sibling?”

For some reason, my eyes chose that moment to notice the cyan ring on its finger. This ring was the same one that I had only seen the uspecs affiliated with the plenum wearing. Sophila’s sibling worked for the plenum?

“Are you the great Auxa?” I asked.

The duke lifted its head. It stared at me. “Yes.” It nodded.

“My message is from Arexon.” I whispered.

The duke’s eyes narrowed. It stared at me with a great deal more fascination than it had shown before. The corners of its lips pulled upwards in a smile. “What is the message?”

I gave it the tube.

As soon as Auxa touched it, the outer casing of the tube went away. It dissolved into a drop of goo. The uspec laughed. “Still playing your games, I see.” It mumbled to itself.

A scroll was revealed. Auxa unrolled it. Its eyes scanned over the parchment quickly. After it was done reading, its gaze lifted to me. It said nothing, it just observed me with more interest than it had before. Then it returned its gaze to the parchment. “Do you know what is written here?” Auxa asked, its gaze still on the parchment.

“No, great one.” I replied.

“Have you never heard a tale of one who delivered an order for its execution with its own hands?”

“I have heard several such tales.” I replied.

“Yet, you agreed to deliver this without reading it?”

“I trust Arexon with my life.” I stated.

“It appears it trusts you too.” The duke said. Hail appeared. It stuck to the parchment, and moments later, the parchment went up in flames. The duke reached for the goo that had formed out of the outer casing, and placed its finger on it. The goo hardened. Auxa picked up the hardened goo and put it into its mouth. It smiled at me. “You have brought me great news Nebud.”

I did not know what to say, or what to think of all that I had seen. Did this uspec also have pansophy? What great news did I bring it?

“Are you in need of money?” it asked. “I have several pieces of worth I can part with for a friend of my ward’s.”

“Your ward?” I was confused.

“Did Arexon not tell you about me?”

I was just about to shake my head, when I remembered why the name ‘Auxa’ had sounded so familiar. Auxa was the uspec who had saved Arexon’s life. I recalled Arexon telling me of the uspec who had made it realize that it could do its serfdom. But, Auxa was Sophila’s sibling, which meant that Sophila had made its own sibling a serf.

“Yes, great one, it told me.” I looked at the uspec with new eyes. “I am in no need of money.”

“Where are you headed?” it asked.

“Damejo, great one.” I replied.

The uspec rose. It walked over to a coffer a few steps away from its desk and pulled out a tome from it. “Do you like to read?” it asked.

“Yes, great one.”

It approached me with the tome. The uspec handed the tome over to me. I took the tome, sizing the uspec up as I did. It was shorter than I was, only several inches taller than Musa. It had some bulk to it, but not the obvious bulk of a great fighter. Although, after Marcinus, I had come to realize that uspecs who fought with weapons did not appear as bulky as those who brawled.

I took the tome from the uspec. INTO DAMEJO, the title read. “Gratitude great one.”

It smiled at me. “Just a little gift in payment for the much greater one you gave. Come Nebud, I will see you out.”

The duke led the way and I followed.

Thanks Obehid for the update.
I just hope you remember tomorrow is Wednesday

ObehiD tortori mi more time

Nice update.. Am happy things have turned out good for my dear Nebud


Just like Oliver Twist, I can't wait for Wednesday to come for you to FEED ME MORE

Obehid choice of weapons are funny Hoespear? What's that? I had a small laugh when I saw that. Lol. This part is good. Sophila's death must be a great relief to many, they have been counting on its death day like Christmas . Now it has happened all thanks to Nebud son of Calam and grand son of calami, indigene of Port lahooni ( that's Lagos I guess?) . Nice one Obehid

@maynation thank you for reading! LOL, yesterday was Wednesday? So I missed Wednesday like that, I guess we'll have to wait till the next Wednesday for the update hahaha

@Omittesb tor tor, lol. Thank you for reading. Yes oh, I'm happy Nebud made it out of there in one piece out of all the many suffer that it suffered in Chiboga.

@Fazemood LOL, you like that? Yes, the hoe-spear is a mixture between a hoe and a spear. So imagine a normal long spear, but the flat end is a hoe instead. So it's a double-sided weapon. Sophila has really suffered a lot of uspecs, I'm sure they'd be throwing a party somewhere not that it is gone. And yes, Lahooni is the spectral port that coincides with Lagos. Thank you for reading

=============
VOLUME SEVEN
=============

~~~
Mejo
(A Spectral existence word which represents one of the five spectrums in the spectral existence. This word refers to the people of this spectrum, that is the uspecs of the Mejo spectrum who have horns as their distinctive feature. The uspecs in the Mejo spectrum are sometimes called hail people as they are so tightly bound to the hail in the spectral existence. As such, mejo eyes give an uspec the magic of the hail, which allows them to use hail to alter a thing’s temperature. The uspecs in the Mejo spectrum are bound to the worry emotion.)
~~~

Part 1
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The Third Metropolis of Damejo (the spectral port which coincides with Yobe State, Nigeria)
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“Kuworyte.” I said in response to the question that I had been asked.

The attendant’s head moved in a way that appeared to be a bow-nod hybrid. The uspec had four curved horns on its head. It had no belt on its waist and no garments on its body. There were other attendants in the hangar, but they all appeared as the one standing at the other side of the table. It placed two tags on the counter in front of me.

I smiled at the sight of those tags. Their presence meant that the Kaiser of this port did not feel as Chiboga had about the presence of imps. I found that uncharacteristically pleasant. I picked up the tags, handing one of them over to Musa as I asked, “do these not come with a price?”

“Admittance to Damejo is free, noble one.” It replied, timidly glancing away from me. The uspec only had one outer eye filled. At first sight of me, the uspec’s eyes had widened, darting over my outer eyes with a fascination that I found amusing. It had probably never seen an uspec with so many eyes.

What sort of port was this? The tome that the duke Auxa had given to me, had contained mild descriptions of this port. I was grateful for the stress that the book had placed on the cold. Apparently, mejo ports had a constant stream of falling hail. In the slums of a port like this, the hail would be what the book had termed ‘uncouth’, hard pellets which fell forcefully onto the ground. In the burgs though, the hail took on a much finer form, like grains of a white powder. Although, the book was careful to warn about the ‘cyclone’. According to the book, there were parts of Damejo ports that had hail combined with fast drifting fogs, the combination of which was almost impossible to navigate through.

“Do you have a specific destination in mind, noble one?”

I pulled my attention away from thoughts of the tome I had read. “The Labyrinths of Damejo.” I replied. “The Mausoleum, specifically.”

The uspec’s casual nod made it clear that my request was not one that it found surprising. “The Mausoleum can only be reached from inside the Labyrinths, noble one.” It said.

I nodded in acceptance. The Labyrinths of Damejo. That was another thing I owed to the tome. I did not know where to start my search for Animaon, but the uspec was not the only reason I was here. Fajahromo. The name echoed in my mind. At long last, I was close to Fajahromo. Fajahromo had come here in search of Takabat’s vault, and all the vaults in Damejo where located in the Mausoleum.

“This way noble one.” The uspec called out. It gestured for us to follow. I took the opportunity to transfer the tag unto my scarred chest, before following the uspec. As I glanced at my chest, the scars from my scourging visible, I wondered if perhaps my scars were why the uspec had stared at me as it had. With a shake of my head, I dispelled the worrisome thought, choosing instead to believe that it had been awed by my outer eyes, instead of horrified by my marred flesh.

We navigated around the counters and moved towards the curtains at the front of the room. The uspec pushed aside the curtain, revealing a room filled with portals. A single naked imp stood by each spot of quicksand, holding a bowl filled with pebbles. We were led through a maze of portals, to one close to the right wall of the room. Once we reached that portal, the uspec gestured for us to get onto the quicksand.

“The Labyrinths,” it said to the imp standing closest to us, before bowing to me, and walking away.

The imp pulled out a yellow pebble from its bowl and let it fall onto the surface of the hardened quicksand. Once that pebble touched the quicksand, it softened, sucking us in.

I felt the cold first.

The ground was made of foam, but even that was cold. The cold from the foam ground seeped into my body. I found myself shivering before I became aware of the rest of the room.

It was a somewhat large room. The walls were the same color as the foam I stood on. I turned around, my expectant gaze rising to the ceiling. My feelings about hail were mixed. On the one hand there was the beauty of seeing something so foreign, so resplendent in its rarity. Then there was the practical part of me, the part that knew that the beauty of the sight might not be worth the discomfort of the low temperature. It was with a frown that I returned my gaze to the empty room. There was no hail falling into the room, the ceiling, as every other wall in here, was sealed.

Then why was it so cold?

A portion of the wall in front of me sublimated in a vapor of cream fog. Out of that drifting fog, came an uspec dressed in nothing but the natural horns on its head. It had one of its outer eyes filled. The uspec wore a friendly smile on its face as it walked through the fog. Once past it, the uspec stopped midstride. Its lips parted as it stared in shock at me. This uspec was considerably taller than the last, so I could not confuse the direction of its gaze.

It gaped at my mangled flesh.

“Perhaps you would like to reconsider master.” Musa spoke for the first time since we left the trail. The imp had offered its services in healing my scarred flesh. I had refused at the time. I could not even properly formulate my reasons for wanting to keep my skin as it was. Perhaps in some way, I thought of the scarring as a souvenir of my time at Chiboga. This was the price I had paid for my foolishness. By keeping it plain I was less likely to repeat my mistakes.

The uspec swallowed nervously, before approaching with a great deal more caution than it had showed when it sauntered in. Or perhaps, I thought with a grin, I kept the scars for the intimidating effect that they seemed to have on lesser uspecs.

The uspec bowed deeply to me. “Salutations noble one.” It greeted.

I nodded dismissively at it. “Where am I?” I asked.

“The Tundra, noble one, the northern Vacuous chamber.” It replied.

Vacuous chamber. I recalled reading something about it. The Labyrinths, so named for the mazes that filled the burg, had only two maze-free, vacuous, chambers. Those chambers were the Tundra and the Terminal. I had a brief memory of the map of the Labyrinths which I’d seen in the book. That map showed that the Terminal Vacuous Chamber bordered the Mausoleum.

“I desire a suite in the Terminal.” I stated.

The uspec bowed. “As you please noble one.” The uspec’s wary gaze scoured over me. This time, it made a studious effort to avoid even glancing at my chest. I took my time to study the uspec’s lean body. It had no muscles, and the horns on its head were wispy, but it did not appear to be affected by the cold. “Would you like to purchase a coat before you leave for the Terminal?” it asked.

Was my shivering that obvious then? I had tried to conceal it, but it seemed that I had failed in that respect. I saw no need to hide it then, I nodded at the uspec. It bowed.

“The market is heated, noble one.” It said, as it led the way to the section of the wall that it had walked out of.

I noted, as we approached, that the wall remained drifting fog even after the uspec walked out of it. The closer we got to that cream fog, the warmer I felt. I sighed when at long last I was enveloped by the warm fogs. I was loath to leave.

But true to the uspec’s words, the area we walked into was warmed.

I was baffled by the sights that greeted us. I had read about the mejos’ penchant for building dwellings out of hail, but I had not quite imagined this. We walked into an underground pathway. The trail led all the way down a straight road. Other roads seem to veer of the one straight road that we stood on. I saw boards with markings on the bends which led off the main road.

“Where is this?” I asked.

“The Tundra market, noble one.” The uspec replied. “The dwellings are built on top of this. Please follow me.”

The roof was the real wonder. It seemed to be made of a million globs of hail. This hail however seemed to be emanating heat, which was a far cry from the cool normally associated with them. The hail must have been giving a mixture of color and light, because they shone with a crimson glow. The glow reminded me of the few infernos I had seen created using the magic of the mejo eyes.

We were led a few paces down, to the first path which veered off the road. I frowned. The path appeared short, culminating in total darkness, only a few steps away from where the path began. A sign by the path read, Tundra One Stop Guide Shop, in swirling calligraphy. The uspec, seemingly unperturbed by the darkness, walked into the path. We followed behind it.

There was an odd sensation to the darkness. As soon as we walked into it, the black gave way to a bright shade of lime. The store we walked into reminded me of the pious school I had escorted Sophi to. Several imps sat on desks, their eyeless faces fixed on us as we walked in. The imps did not move, only the barest of chest motion showed that they took in air. They were all dressed in the same shade of lime green as the room. Behind the rows of seated imps, was a small kiosk filled with tomes small enough to fit in my palm. Two imps dressed in a slightly darker shade of lime walked around, seeing to those shelves.

“What do you have for me my friend?” a voice called out from behind us.

We all turned. There was another uspec standing there. This uspec was dressed in a light lime green cloak. The cloak appeared to have buttons along the middle, none of which had been done up.

“Noble one.” The uspec bowed when it saw me. The other uspec, the one that had led us here, bowed then, and slowly walked out of the store.

“What is this place?” I asked, staring at the uspec’s retreating back.

It was the one in the cloak that answered. “A guide shop, noble one, just as the sign says.” This uspec had two imp eyes on its face. I could tell from looking at it, that it was not young. The horns on its head were slightly bent.

“Guide for what?”

“Why, through the Labyrinths of course. This burg is a maze noble one, and if you have any plans on leaving the vacuous chambers, you will need to purchase a guide. My imps are the finest guides in this burg. There is no Labyrinth that they cannot find the way out of.”

“All I want is a cloak.” I stated impatiently.

The uspec chuckled. “Even the market is a maze, noble one, rent one of my imps and they will guide you to the cloak shop, and further, if you desire.”

I turned back to face the imps and found them staring at me with the same vacant expression they’d had when I walked in. My sweeping gaze roved over the kiosk behind the imps. “Are there no maps? No tour books?”

I turned back just in time to catch the smile on the uspec’s face waver. It was quick to put the smile back on. “Of course noble one, but why bother with a tome, when you can be guided by well-trained imps?”

“Stop wasting my time.” I snapped.

The smiled on the uspec’s face faltered. “As you wish noble one,” it bowed. “Follow me.” It led the way, weaving around badly arranged desks. Was everything in this burg made to resemble a maze? I would think that the obvious thing to do would be to allow a straight path through the desks.

“What kind of maps do you seek, noble one?” the uspec asked.

“A detailed map of this burg in its entirety.” I stated. “I want a current one. If I find anything amiss in what you sell me, I will return, I can assure you of that.” The uspec turned back around. Its gaze darted to my newly claimed boga eye. It nodded, and then bowed. Then it turned back around. I wondered if the uspec would be so meek if it knew that I could produce no fog. Not that I felt the need to inform it. “A map of this market and of the Terminal as a whole, too. Also include a map of the Mausoleum.”

The uspec turned back around. “No one sells maps of the Mausoleum, noble one.”

“How is it reached?” I asked.

“A moment, noble one.” The uspec moved around its shelves. I found that while I had been talking, the imps standing around the kiosks had been searching through the tomes on display. One of the imps pulled a tome out and brought it to me. It gave the tome to Musa, and turned back around without as much as looking at me. I wondered if this was some sort of training.

Musa gave the book to me. It was a small tome, only a few pages long. But each page contained a rich sketch of an area in the Labyrinths. I was shocked by the winding paths and the loops and swirls. One thing was clear, I would get lost if I ever attempted to make my way through one of these Labyrinths.

The uspec returned with another tome. It saw the direction of my gaze and pointed at a spot on the page. “I do not know why they include such things in these maps, noble one. It is not proper.”

It took flipping through several pages to see that the place the uspec pointed out, was a road that bordered the slum. That road led to a place I had read about while I was in Katsoaru, the isle of shuns. It was in flipping through the pages, that I realized that the tome was actually just a very large sheet of paper folded into smaller ones. Unraveling a sector showed the full map of the Labyrinths that neighbored the Tundra.

“This is what you are seeking, noble one.” The uspec stated. It held a much smaller map tome open in front of me. “This,” it pointed at a store close to the edge of the map, “is where cloaks are sold. And these are the portals. You can reach the mausoleum through them.”

“Where are we?” I asked.

“Here.” The uspec pointed at a store only a few shops away from the cloak one. This was the store it had assured me would be difficult to find? I shook my head at it.

“How much for the maps?”

“Ten pieces of value for the map of the Labyrinths, one piece for the map of the Tundra, and two pieces for the map of the Terminal.”

I counted out thirteen pieces of value into the uspec’s hand.

“Gratitude noble one.” It said with a bow as we walked out of the store, our maps in tow. I was still sorting through the map of the burg when we walked into the darkness which led back to the main road.

“Do you think you could possibly figure out the way to the cloak shop?” I teased.

Musa laughed. “Only if I try really hard, master.” Musa teased in response.

We both laughed at the store owner. We made our way along the straight road. It had only taken a single glance at the map for me to realize where we were going, that was how easy it was to reach the shop. Three stops passed and then we turned left.

Tundra Cloaks and Hail Coats, the sign read.

We walked in through darkness and emerged onto a store lit with almost blinding white light.

I shivered.

Wasn’t the market supposed to be warm? I thought with a frown. Garments hung from various levels in the wall. The arrangements of garments left narrow passageways which one could walk through. Another maze, I thought with a grimace. I walked between a rack of leather coats. I was pleased to find that some of these coats actually radiated heat. That was exactly what I would get.

An uspec appeared in front of us. It wore an elegant looking fabric coat, much thicker than the leather ones around us. Two imps in leather coats stood behind the uspec.

“Welcome noble one.” The uspec bowed. “Will you and your imp desire cloaks? The imp cloaks are in another part of the store, but my imp can lead yours there.” I nodded.

Musa was led away.

The hour that followed was one of the worst of my life. I decided then that I did not care for garments. There were so many different kinds, some made of thick fabric, others thin. There were coats like the first one I’d seen, which gave off heat, and some that could be changed to cool instead of heat, not that I could think of why anyone would want that. I had just begun to relax when the garment shopping ended, until I realized that I would also need footwear.

Footwear.

There would be footwear for hail covered grounds, and footwear for cloud grounds that were cool. When at long last the shopping ended, all I had to show for a wasted hour, was two garment cloaks, a leather coat, and two footwear. Musa seemed to have made much more use out of its time. It had vastly more coats and cloaks than I did. I was just glad to pay and be out of that place.

Although, I did learn that the Mausoleum was outdoors. That knowledge led to my decision to garb myself in my newly purchased garments. It was the first time that I had been so adorned. I chose the lighter fabric cloak, with hail footwear.

We left the cloak shop and made our way to the portals. A sort of excitement ceased me. There was something about being on my way to the Mausoleum that uncovered feelings I had not known I had. I thought of the secrets hidden in Takabat’s vault, of a ring that could make me Kaiser.

Kaiser.

In Chiboga I had not let myself think it. Was it fear of jinxing my escape by dreaming of a life after? Or was it the knowledge that Arexon would have seen it if I did? That thought puzzled me. Arexon was a friend. It was one of four people that I trusted. But this knowledge, the possibilities it revealed, it seemed too fragile to grasp, like if I dared to think too hard on it, it would break into pieces and I would watch the shards slip away.

Tundra Outs to Get About, the sign by the portals read.

We walked through the darkness and emerged in a roofless area. I was glad for my choice to be cloaked, when I stepped out of a blissful warmth, and into cold I could not have imagined.

The hail that fell was fine, it filled the area with an ethereal beauty which I had come to associate partly with the hatch. If only it was not so cold. Perhaps I should have gone with the thicker fabric.

“Your destination domina?” an imp asked. The imp wore nothing but a light shirt, and trousers. I did not know how it could stand the cold.

“The Mausoleum.” I stated through chattering teeth.

Luckily, I did not have long to endure the hail.

The white ground underneath me softened and sucked me in.

I was still contemplating the cold when I arrived in a roofed room. There were so many things to note about this room. There was a businesslike briskness to the movement of the uspecs and imps. The counters that filled the room appeared much more meaningful than previous counters I had seen. Several keys lined walls and light sources streamed down a continuous glow of yellow light. So many interesting things were suddenly revealed to me, but I found it hard to focus on any of them.

My eyes trailed the uspec instead. It had been so long since I’d last seen it, but I would never forget this uspec’s face. How could I? This was the uspec who had taught me the reality of my de trop station. The first noble to ‘befriend’ me. So much had changed in my life, but it appeared just the same.

Fajahromo.

thanks for the update

ghen ghen!!!
would fajahromo recognize Nebud?
would they Fight or become friends?, let me keep my fingers crossed.
lovely update my sweet ObehiD

Fajarhomo better prepare for a showdown

I doubt Fajarhomo would recognise Nebud.
And if it does, I can't seem to fathom both uspec's reaction.
Gratitude for the update, ObehiD

@dragonstar14 thank you for reading

@Omittesb ghen ghen really oh! The meeting between Nebud and Fajahromo is starting to seem like a possibility after all this time. What will happen? Thank you for reading!

@cassbeat hahaha, it's really prepare for a showdown. I wonder if there will be a showdown between them, and if there is, who will win

@HotB Gratitude for reading! hahaha, and I appreciate your use of the spectral terminology, lol! Yes oh, that meeting (if it happens) would be legendary

obehiD:


@cassbeat hahaha, it's really prepare for a showdown. I wonder if there will be a showdown between them, and if there is, who will win

Well even if there's no showdown I'm sure they'll get to meet tho

cassbeat:
Well even if there's no showdown I'm sure they'll get to meet tho

I'm sure you're not not right

Part 2
-------

Uspecs fleeted by. I saw clothed imps move before my eyes. They darted, disappearing, and then reappearing, but my gaze did not follow them. My gaze did not lock on the dazzling display of keys hanging like ornaments from the walls. I did not instantly become fascinated by the arrangement of the counters in the room, the mazelike pattern of the surrounding décor. Instead, my mind noted the little things, like the footwear an uspec wore and the cyan sole that appeared on it. The footwear had the sole raised a few inches from the bottom, with spokes sticking out the base. I could tell from my recent education on this accessory, that this particular footwear had been made for traversing through hail covered grounds.

A coat caught my eye. It was red, but the bottom half of it was in strips. These strips allowed for the tentacles of the soaru uspec garbed in the coat, to drift out of the confining material. I found my mind fixating on that, and heard my thoughts as I wondered if perhaps the Tundra coat shop I went to had something similar for kutes. I was only just noting that my tail was trapped within the confines of the light coat that I wore. The coat, as all uspec coats, had holes cut out for ailerons, but nothing for the features.

My eyes drifted back to the right of the room, where an array of red counters met parallel lines of white. I found it intriguing how the occupants of the room easily navigated through this maze. Granted, it was nothing compared to the mazes which I’d seen in the different labyrinths in this burg, but it was still somewhat complex, more so for one used to straight roads.

Its coat was an interesting shade of maroon.

The design of the counters was odd. The counters were not like others that I had seen, having the customer on one side and the attendant on the other. Instead, these counters were built around the attendants. And so, the attendants stood within holes carved out in the center of the counters. I supposed that this design was necessary to keep the mazelike counter arrangements.

Its footwear was not the type made for walking in hail. It was flat, as the one I wore was, and had a covering only for the sole and sides of its feet, leaving most of the upper part of its feet exposed.

Uspecs seemed deep in conversation as they walked around the room. I heard several loud guffaws. An imp or two narrowly missed tripping over me as it ran along on one errand or the other. The imps in this place where the smartest dressed imps that I had ever seen. They wore fine robes made out of a light brown material, and moved around with singular focus. There were no imps standing around waiting to be called on, it was as if they all had assignments to perform.

It turned towards me and for a second I forgot how to breathe.

My mind stopped its wandering then, all parts of my body colliding into one thought.

Fajahromo.

My heart was pounding. Suddenly, I was back in the pits, staring from the arena, at an uspec I had called friend, and just waiting with bated breath for that uspec to come to my rescue.

Its eyes narrowed, and I felt a congestion in my chest. I saw those eyes as they had stared at me the last time we’d shared the same room. I felt a sharp jolt of pain course through me. Suddenly, I was seeing another uspec standing by Fajahromo. A small uspec, one that I was bound to. The young stood by Fajahromo’s side, basking in the glow of its approval. My heart twisted and tore at the sight of my own offspring running towards me with a dagger in its hand.

I shook my head, dislodging myself from the past, just as Fajahromo looked away. I realized that the uspec had never really been looking at me, and even if it had, it would not recognize me. There was nothing of the de trop Nebud, in the banneret that I had become. I was suddenly grateful for the lacerations on my chest, as I knew that they would be one of many things which would prevent Fajahromo from identifying me.

Then Fajahromo lifted its hand in the air, beckoning towards uspecs on the other side of the room. Those were most likely the uspecs that it had been staring at. I watched as four pious ones walked over to where Fajahromo stood. They were all dressed in light coats. Two of them had a single strip in the back of their coat, with room for their flapping tails to move outward, the other two had horns on their heads. Two kutes and two mejos. They all had fraises on their necks, facts which declared them as pious, but when they saw Fajahromo they bowed to it.

Fajahromo smiled and I shuddered, my mind taking me back to all the times that it had gifted me with that smile.

Then it lifted its other arm and two things became evident.

The first was the slits in the arms of the coat that it wore. Those slits showed off four golden bands. The last time I had seen Fajahromo it had only had three, the sign of a majestic. Now it had four, which meant that it had become the duke of a metropolis. How was it that Fajahromo always managed to grow in power? That realization was far less jarring than the other one that I made.

It was right there on Fajahromo’s finger. I could not help but note the irony of Fajahromo wearing that ring on the same hand, on the same finger, as I wore mine.

The ring is the most beautiful color that I have ever seen, a blend between cyan, red, and gold.

Arexon’s words came back into my mind. The moment I laid eyes on it, I knew exactly what it was. I did not need the confirmation of the colors that Arexon had described, although it truly was the most beautiful color that I had ever seen. There was something about the ring that drew me, something that called to me. I would know if I shared space with this ring, I would always know. The ring felt like a part of me, and now, seeing it, I felt close to being complete, as if a lack I had never known existed, had suddenly been revealed. I felt warmth in me, a certainty of what I would be, a vision of a future that I could not fully articulate, all as obvious as the yellow light surrounding me, and the hard counter that I leaned on.

“It is mesmerizing is it not?”

Just as quickly as the certainty had developed in me, it went away, eroding whatever confidence I’d had, and leaving me feeling oddly cold and shaken. The strong feelings only lasted for a second, but it was a long second which I would not soon forget. One thing was obvious, the ring belonged to me, and Fajahromo had it.

“Salutations noble one.” The uspec who had emerged in front of me, breaking my gaze on the ring, bowed with flourish. I tried to look around its shoulder, but when I did, the ring was hidden, no longer exposed as it had been before.

Grudgingly, I shifted my focus to the uspec, although I could not keep my gaze from darting back to Fajahromo.

It was with a pleased smile of smug satisfaction that the uspec informed me that I was, “not alone in my admiration for the great one, as all patrons who come to the mausoleum are quickly in awe of the legend, the great Fajahromo. The duke is only a recent client,” the uspec explained, “having come to us in search of its sibling’s vaults, but the legend of its victories in the pits of Hakute far precede it.” This was not the first time that I had heard of Fajahromo’s supposed feats, one of which included killing me.

It was a struggle to keep my countenance civil as I replied. “I am an old friend of the duke’s.” I found that explanation far more preferable to the uspec thinking that I was one of the many fools who believed in Fajahromo’s reputation. Although, I hesitantly admitted, the uspec was bulkier than when last I had seen it.

The uspec gaped at me with wide eyes. “You do not say!” it shrieked. “Well then, perhaps you can solve the mystery of the ring.”

“The ring!” Musa gasped. It was the first time that I had ever heard Musa intrude on a conversation I was having with another uspec. I realized that while I had been fixated on Fajahromo, I had forgotten about the imp’s presence behind me. Had it not seen the ring? How could it have missed it? The ring appeared like a large blaring sign to me, calling me to it. I took my gaze from Musa back to where Fajahromo had been standing only seconds ago.

That spot was unoccupied, now taking up by walking uspecs.

“Where did it go?” I asked, my eyes scouring the room.

“Oh, have no fear, noble one, the duke has only gone on its daily escapades.”

Daily escapades? With Fajahromo gone, I realized that my attention could focus solely on the uspec. I had not noted before that it was slightly bulky. It had all of its outer eyes formed and two of them filled. I could tell from the color of those eyes that they were both imp eyes. The uspec was dressed in a robe that seemed to be darker than yellow, but not quite brown.

“Which escapades do you speak of?” I asked.

The uspec was only too eager to share the tale. “It is said that many years ago, an uspec of the duke’s line bought over a hundred vaults in the mausoleum, and bequeathed each vault and the unknown contents of that vault to a different uspec in its port. Since then, it has been a custom for the uspecs of that line to take possession of those vaults and add wealth to the one left there by their ancestors. It is in one of those vaults that the duke found the ring it wears. The ring which is shroud in mystery. Some say that the ring was left here by the first descendant of that line to buy the vaults, others say it was left more recently, by the last uspec of that line to purchase so many vaults. A pious one named Takabat. Takabat came over the years to deposit many more items in its vaults, and some say that the duke will not leave Damejo until it uncovers every vault that its sibling bought.”

“Fascinating.” I said, once it became obvious that a response was required of me.

“Well, since you are a friend of the duke’s, perhaps you can provide some insight on the origin of the ring it wears. It is truly the most unbelievable artifact that I have ever seen. There is something so richly noble about that ring, that one cowers in its presence.”

“The ring is a new acquisition.” I stated flatly.

“Oh.” The uspec’s cheery disposition wavered. It turned its gaze from me, to the neckcloth on my neck, and then my imp, and the coffer beside it. “Well, I am here to serve you noble one.” It said, and then repeated its previous flourished bow.

“Serve me?” I asked with a frown.

Lines of confusion appeared on the uspec’s face. “Normally uspecs who come to the mausoleum do so in search of a vault, either to go to one they already own, or to purchase one.”

“A vault.” I muttered. Then, “a vault!” I exclaimed, when it looked like the uspec’s mild confusion was beginning to turn into suspicion. “Of course, why else would I be here?”

The uspec smiled then, all previous misgivings apparently forgotten. “Then you came to the right counter!”

I noticed for the first time that the uspec wore a chain on its neck. This chain seemed to be made of links of thick scales, with a large circular pendant at the base resting against its chest. That pendant was inscribed with scribbles that could only be described as a maze. The uspec dislodged the pendant from the rest of the chain and brought it down against the counter. As soon as it touched the counter, a piece of the surface shifted, exposing a mini-maze structure. The uspec lowered the pendant, matching the maze on one side of it, with the maze extrusion from the exposed surface of the counter.

Then the uspec twisted the pendant, and pushed against the counter. A part of it swung freely, granting entrance for the uspec to move to the space within the counter.

“Will you be purchasing a vault, or requiring access to one you already own?”

“Purchasing.” I replied.

The uspec smiled. “We have several quite affordable vaults…” it began.

“Tell me,” I interrupted it, “how long have you been in the mausoleum?”

“Myself, noble one?” It placed its hand against its chest theatrically, smiling as it replied, “several decades now, noble one. I was born in the Labyrinths and reared on these very counters. My progenitor was a mausoleum clerk, just as I am.”

“Decades.” I tried to infuse interest into my gaze and voice. “Then you were here when the pious Takabat purchased vaults.”

It nodded. “Yes noble one. I recall it was quite an event, and an expenditure on the pious one’s part. We all wondered how Takabat came across so much wealth.”

“Wealth?” I asked. “Surely the vaults are not that expensive.”

“Oh, you need not worry noble one, the prices vary. We have very affordable vaults.”

“But those are not the ones that Takabat purchased?”

It shook its head. “Not at all. Takabat purchased room-vaults in the stacks as well as in the single layered crypts. Room-vaults in general are more expensive than lockers, and much more expensive than boxes. And room-vaults in the stacks are far more expensive than those in the crypts.”

“How many stacks are there?”

“There are two four layered stacks, one two layered stacks, and thirteen crypts.”

“Which did Takabat purchase the most amount of room-vaults in?”

The uspec chuckled. “So many uspecs, caught up in the fever of the duke’s presence, ask the same question but are greatly disturbed when they realize that they cannot afford it.”

“And what do you tell these many uspecs?”

“The truth. Takabat purchased the most room-vaults in the mansion. We call it that because it is the grander of the two four layered stacks. Would you like to hear something even more awing?” It asked, leaning over the counter, a conspiratorial twinkle in its center eye. “Takabat purchased thirteen of the twenty room-vaults on the highest layer of the mansion. It purchased so many room-vaults in the mansion, that the duke, Fajahromo, has spent four days searching there and it is still yet to reach the room-vaults on the highest layer. Fascinating, is it not, noble one?”

“Mesmerizing.” I replied. Now, truly fascinated by the uspec’s tale. “I will take a room-vault on the highest layer of the mansion then.” I stated.

The smile faded from the uspec’s face. “I did not mean to mislead you noble one…I only added those details as part of the curiosity of Takabat’s wealth. A banneret could not possibly afford a room-vault in a crypt, not to talk of the prime spots in the mansion.”

“How much do they cost?” I asked.

“A room-vault in a crypt costs half a piece of worth.”

“I was referring to the highest layer of the mansion.”

“Five pieces of worth.”

I almost screamed the extortionate cost out at the top of my lungs. Five pieces of worth for a vault? Five pieces of worth. I could buy a small port for that price! Well, I did not actually know if it was possible to buy a port, but if it was then five million pieces of value had to cover it.

I had made a small pouch of each of the denominations and kept them in my belt. I had twenty pieces of worth in my worth pouch. With my gaze on the face of the clerk, I placed my hand into the pouch and counted out five pieces. I would not miss the money, but that did not mean that I could not appreciate its cost.

I placed the pieces of worth on the counter, watching with slight satisfaction as the uspec’s eyes widened, staring disbelievingly at the fortune. Its gaze snapped from me to the money, then back to me. “How…” it began, and then it shook its head, and cleared its throat. As it gathered itself, I wondered what story would be spun of the fortune that I used to purchase the room-vault. And as that thought crossed my mind, I thought of another, Takabat’s fortune. If a single room-vault cost five pieces of worth, then on just one layer, Takabat had spent sixty-five pieces of worth, and those were not the only room-vaults that it had bought. How did Takabat come across such wealth?

The fabled wealth of Lahooni.

My inheritance.

The words filled my head before I could dwell on them. I found the second much more troubling than the first. When had I come to think of that wealth as belonging to me? A wave of anger rushed through me as the thought continued to ping in my head. I realized that I was angry at the spendthrift way that Takabat had parted with money which belonged to me. The emotion left as quickly as it came, but I was left feeling shocked by it. I was not yet sure that I liked it.

When my attention returned to the counter, it was to find it empty. A single vial sat in the place of my money. I stared quizzically at it.

“That is your key noble one. Once you imbibe it, you become the key, your life and identity alone will grant access to the room-vault. You can access the layer that the room-vault is on by stepping into any portal in the mausoleum. The key in you will guide you to the right place. When you die, the ownership of your room-vault will automatically pass to the heir you declare.”

“And if I were to purchase multiple room-vaults?”

“Then the portal will guide you to whichever room-vault is foremost on your mind. Once you arrive at the layer of your room-vault, a green trace of dust will appear on the grounds leading to your room-vault. Only you will be able to see and follow this trace. If you own multiple room-vaults on the same layer, you will be led to the unopened ones by a trail of green, and the opened ones will vary in color from red to white, depending on how old the room-vault is.”

I nodded. “Where are the portals?” I picked up the vial from the counter, mindful of the uspec’s still disbelieving gaze as I imbibed its contents. I had not come here with the intention of purchasing a room-vault, but now that I had one, I was starting to see how useful it could be. If I had not purchased one, for example, I would have no access to the vaults which Fajahromo was scouring through. Now, I knew that Fajahromo had not yet searched the room-vaults on the highest layer of the mansion, so all I needed to do was go to that layer, and wait for the uspec to arrive.

As soon as it was empty, the vial disappeared, decomposing into a vapor which drifted in through my nostrils. It was a strange sensation.

The uspec bowed as it walked out through the counters. “All portals in this burg are outdoors, in areas exposed to the hail. Majority of the portals in the mausoleum are the exteriors. As soon as you step out into the hail, the ground underneath you will soften.” It led us through the maze of counters as it spoke. “As the stacks are home to only our most illustrious clients, the layers are furnished with a luxurious cleaning room, food and a lounging room to enjoy it, and messenger imps who will see to your every whim. Most of our clients who purchase room-vaults as large as those in the highest layer of the mansion, do not bother with rooms whenever they come to the labyrinths, they simply rest in their room-vault.”

“Intriguing.” Even if the room-vaults weren’t large, I had every intention of staying in the one I had purchased until I found Fajahromo. I did not care how many days it took.

“To this end, the room-vaults are furnished with lounging beds and several coffers. The furnishing is yours to change, as you now own it. Though we provide a complimentary cleaning service whenever requested, we realize that you might prefer the contents of your room-vault to remain confidential and so we provide cleaning supplies if you would like your own imps or servants to clean it for you.”

A part of the wall parted, allowing for the cold to seep in. I found myself shivering before I stepped out of the room. As soon as Musa and I were standing on a bank of fine hail, with more hail falling on us, the ground underneath softened and pulled us in.

We were taken to a walkway.

The first thing I noticed was the trail of green that emerged on the ground before me. That trail started at my feet and grew, stopping at a set of fog doors two doors in front of us.

To my surprise, another trail began. This trail was made of white specks. It reached in front of me, and then curled around me. I turned around and watched as the white trail made a bend around the side of a walkway.

I frowned. The green was unopened, the one that I had just purchased. What was the white?

When you die, the ownership of your room-vault will automatically pass to the heir you declare.

My eyes widened. Whose room-vault was revealed by the white trail? My sire’s, Calam?

“Master?”

My gaze shifted away from the white trail. “Is the trail behind us?” it asked curiously.

I cleared my throat, and shook my head. “No.” I jerked my head forward and led the way down the green trail. The fog door was only a few paces away. Both the white and green trails faded once I placed my hand on the fog door. Later, I promised the white trail, once I was done with Fajahromo, I would find out what had been left to me.

“What do we do now?” Musa asked.

“We wait till Fajahromo’s search reaches this floor.” I replied as we walked in. “Then we attack.”