K : "!! Bleargh!"
With a violent coughing fit, Katachi forced the quicksilver out of his mouth. The silver, slippery liquid had poured onto the pavement he stood upon, running and splashing across a huge area of the path, his feet and sabots, and the side of the fountain.
Katachi still felt the metallic substance in his mouth. Desperate, he leaned over to the fountain and submerged his mouth into the water. Bubbles formed as he began gurgling and purging his mouth of any remaining quicksilver, before he finally raised his head, letting the water flow back into the fountain.
R : (That must be uncomfortable, forcing himself like that...) "... Are... Are you okay, Katachi?"
Katachi sat down on the pavement, and leaned his back against the fountain, vehemently breathing in what air he can hold in his little lungs.
K : "... Yeah. I... I think I'll live."
R : ('I think'? That puts me on edge...) "... Why did you do that, Katachi? Why did you take that attack head-on like that, and risking your life like so? Did you not promise me you wouldn't do something like that ever again?"
Between his gasps for air and his wheezes, he tried speaking, only to garble out that which could not be understood. He took deep breaths, and properly calmed down, before explaining himself.
K : "... At one point, I think I could have been capable of swallowing that without any consequence."
R : "!?" (Swallow?! He said he could have swallowed it before?) "I... I heard that quicksilver is poisonous!"
Katachi gave a weak chuckle, as he tries to fish his tongue about his mouth, searching for any remaining deposits of the quicksilver still in his mouth.
K : "... I know. At one point, I could have gulped down that quicksilver perfectly fine..."
*Cozy's Notes : This is the second last hint I'll give you guys, in relation to his past. You can guess it at your own time, at your own leisure, on how he changed into the him that was today. Good luck, and if you think you know the answer, post a comment below. The person whom gets it right spot-on (You can't partake in this Tiat Wee, you cheater), or gets the closest to it, gets a dedication to them.
For their great creativity and understanding of the story's lore and system. Though, with the upcoming Christmas post giving away the biggest hint possible, well. The contest is still open, so good luck. Answers before the Christmas post will be given a dedication AND a role in the story, while answers after gets a dedication only.*
R : "... Is that... Even possible?..."
K : "Yeah. That was the least of my worries - I remember doing things more dangerous, like climbing a root ladder, or eating latex off trees and wild mushrooms that could drive a man deranged."
R : "!!!" (... That... Is not unheard of, though. I seem to recall a certain cult being blessed by a legend, Kafki, to be immune to poison.)
Roberia walked over to Katachi's bag, and took one of the water pouches that lay on its side.
R :"... You gurgled the quicksilver into this fountain?"
Katachi could only nod sheepishly, after fully realizing what he had done.
K : "... I hope nobody drinks from this fountain..."
*** ***
As the traveled North, questions surfaced in Roberia's mind.
R :(I have a handful of things to ask him...) "Katachi."
K : "Yes?"
R : "What... What did you and Bael talk about?"
She had been nervous. They could have discussed her lineage and actual identity without her even knowing. She laid her full focus upon Katachi's bodily signals and functions, doing her best to determine whether Katachi was lying or not.
K : "... We... We talked about... Hmm..." (Well, I did remember talking about the meaning of 'Baka', and how Bael got here, then she asked me if I was in an 'affair' with Roberia...)
R : "Well? What did you guys talk about?"
K : "... Not much, actually. We talked about the meaning of an Ohdean word while she patched this shirt up. I asked her about how she managed to come all the way here to Fereport, and she ask me about... Uhm... Us."
Roberia raised an eyebrow, in suspicion.
R : "What do you mean, 'us'?"
K : "... Well. She asked if I was in an affair with you or something. I don't even know how she reached that conclusion, but maybe some of your long, red hair was stuck onto my clothes or something and she noticed. I couldn't deny it, but I couldn't just... Blurt it out"
R : "Why not?"
Katachi's cheeks reddened and his arms shifted inward, holding his humerus close against his body.
K : "... It's embarrassing."
R : "Marriage with me is embarrassing? How is that so?"
She tried her best not to let her voice quiver, and pursued further.
K : "..."
Katachi remained wordless.
R : "Are you, perhaps, regretting marrying me?" (Does he trust me or does he not? Is he simply using me as a shield against that woman Bael, or did he consider my feelings? Or perhaps... He really loves me?... I... I don't even know.)
K : "!! No! Nothing of the sort! It's just... Well, I..." (I'm sorry, Roberia. I can't answer that question. I can't answer that while I'm not so sure myself. I don't know if it's regret, or something else I feel..)
Katachi couldn't speak any further.
And so, the two of them stayed silent for the journey ahead.
*** ***
Without even realizing, a small outpost had surfaced into their view.
R : "Here we are... There's the official borter."
*Cozy's Notes : Well. Borter = Border Port. Instead of a federal post or a customs and immigrations post, or border guards (Lol, border guards, in an age of magic? Are you crazy?), I prefer using borter, even if the word doesn't exist.*
The two had finally reached the border that separates Findel from Anik. On the posts, two guards donned in proper uniform sat on benches laid upon either side of the path, waiting patiently and looking at the two figures on the path. Behind them was a small hut, with stone walls and an open archway with no door.
K : "They... They look menacing..."
R : "Is this your first time crossing a border, Katachi?"
K : "... No, no, it isn't, but the unsettling feeling never seems to bland..."
Katachi knows that in his heart - He could not avoid the border check. Although it was entirely possible to move from Findel to Anik without passing the borter, they can't do anything without the Band of Approval that states their permit to access the country. Moreover, without the Band of Approval, they are practically exposed to danger.
R : "You'll get over it eventually, Katachi. Let's go."
Katachi feebly protested, and continued walking.
People without the Band of Approval play a great risk when in a foreign country - They will not receive their country's protection should anything short of an accident, or an attack from bandits. Their house, belongings, all their possessions will be reclaimed by the country they came from.
Though not a particularly scary prospect for Katachi, since he was poor to begin with and everything he had belonged to Mother Rinnesfeld, spare for his thousand-paged paper book, and his wooden dagger.
Roberia, however, ought to be far more nervous.
Had she died in Anik without a Band of Approval, not only will it throw her country into chaos, but a good portion of the treasury back at her castle will be given to the Cabinet - A wider deposit of gold for the ministers to spend, but with Rugnud's current situation, gold only served to seed more corruption.
After a while, they reached the borter.
*** ***
"Halt!"
The guard sitting on the bench stood up to face the two, and barked.
Upon a closer inspection of their uniforms, it was clear that they were well-equipped to face resistance. Katachi recognized the items and equipment they had with them.
Their uniforms, a viridian brilliance, had some fabric sewn onto the chests, serving as pockets. On their shirt was a vibrant badge of a crested shield with what seems to be a small bird, and on their sides were belts and pouches. The stitching was well-done, and their uniforms served to reinforce their authority and intolerance against illegals.
But the things strapped onto the belt was what made Katachi uncomfortable. On the blackjacks they carried on the side, Katachi saw for a brief glance, a familiar symbol - The Richter rune.
A rune that is usually used for spectral projection.
Assuming that the guards used proper equipment, the blackjacks on them are not to be trifled with. Being able to cast a spectral projection meant that they are technically able to hit anyone they have a vivid focus of, from any distance, from any range. Though people may argue that wearing armor made to absorb spectral magic was a viable solution, it is impossible to become completely immune to spectral projection, not unless they are experts at illusion, or spectral magic itself, or followers of Sha'koth, the Trickster Legend.
The other magic items by their belts were basic tools like an Axia coin, Croxa's Lantern, and a couple of other things standard and expected of a guard. The Richter runed blackjack, however, has Katachi both shaking with eager curiosity, and quivering in fright - An understandable reaction, from just about anyone who had just recognized its potential without any safeguard or method against or around it.
Katachi feared that he may be attacked with the weapon. Simply looking at it made his head giddy.
K : (... We... We wouldn't be attacked by those, will we?...)
"Have you come to enter Anik?"
K : "Yes, we have."
R : "Yes."
The bald guard signaled another guard with short, grey hair to move towards them. Katachi felt uncomfortable at his approach.
"We got a woman over here! Frelti! You check the other woman!"
A lady wearing a proper uniform with short, blond hair stepped out from behind the archway. She approached Roberia, with an air and aura that struck her as dangerous.
Very, very dangerous.
She seemed far more aggressive and powerful than the others whom wore that uniform. Simply her walking was enough to send chills down his spine.
It was a strong, powerful and confident march - One that was firm, and one that lusted for battle. A headstrong posture that almost seemed too eager to witness every little trick her opponent has to offer.
A powerful stance, much like Roberia's.
R : (!! Frelti? Lindra Frelti, one of Luce Frelti's younger sisters, perhaps...)
Roberia glared at the woman, and when they locked eyes, they seemed to instantly recognize each other.
L : "... Well. What brings a pretty thing like you to Anik, Roberia?"
She had a friendly tone, but her comparatively deep voice for a woman made it sound stern.
R : (That voice...) "Hello again, Lindra."
"! Frelti, you recognize this person?"
"! They know each other?"
K : "!!" (They recognize each other...)
L : "Yeah. She's fine. She can pass."
The female guard turned around, and walked back to the archway.
"... What's this, kid?"
The guard withdrew Katachi's wooden dagger from its sash.
"Is this wood?"
K : "Uh, yeah, it's wooden."
The guard inspected the wooden dagger thoroughly, and found a strange carving on the fuller.
"What's this symbol mean?"
K : "Ah, er, it's a carving of an Anikan symbol. It's supposed to mean 'calm'."
"Check it up. This symbol. Search if this really means 'calm'."
With a cold, swift instruction, the guard beside him pulled out a small strip of paper. He wrote something on it, and ate the paper.
"... Yeah. It can be used to represent a state of 'calm'."
K : "!" (... That's one of Sha'koth's reincarnate spells. That man with the Richter blackjack is no joke neither...)
"What would you need this dagger for?"
Katachi tensed up. He didn't expect the question at all.
K : (... I can't just say that I'm using the wooden dagger to attack people... That's not very ethical, and it will most likely deny me of the Band of Approval... But I shouldn't lie, either...) "... I..."
"... What's wrong, kid? Speak up."
K : "I... I'm using the dagger to cut and harvest plants."
"!?"
The guard had a confused look upon his face.
"Harvest... Plants?"
K : "Uhh... Yeah. The wooden part is all I need. I'm... I'm not going to Anik to kill people, and a steel dagger is too heavy, so I'm just using a... A wooden dagger..."
"... I guess, this thing is pretty blunt that you can't hurt other people."
The guard poked himself with the wooden dagger.
"... Very well then. The two of you, head towards the archway."
K : (Did... Did we pass?)
*** ***
The woman, Lindra Frelti, awaited them as they passed the archway.
L : "You know what to do, Roberia."
With a signal, she pointed at Roberia's ponytail.
Roberia undid her hair, and removed her two-banded green-gray hairband, to reveal the Band of Approval
K : "?!" *surprise* (Her hairband was the band of approval?)
Lindra took the hairband from her, and swapped it for another hairband with a different color - A two-banded green-red hairband.
L : "There you go."
R : "Thanks, Lindra. Do send my regards to your sisters."
L : "Certainly."
The woman Lindra then walked to Katachi.
L : "So, this is your fresh meat, is it?"
Roberia glared at her.
R : "... Yes."
L : "... Very well. You have short hair, so a small Band of Approval is a bit hard.
Lindra then opened a drawer, and looked into it. Inside, Katachi could see many smaller boxes segregated within. Many two-banded bands were within the drawer itself - Of different colors and different shapes. Some were in the form of belts, some were in the form of rings, some were in the form of hairbands like Roberia's, some were in the form of slings, some were in the form of anklets. There were a huge variety of bands to choose from.
Lindra withdrew a Band of Approval shaped like a bracer.
L : "Arm. Out."
Katachi silently followed the terrifying woman's instruction.
*** ***
K : "Whew."
R : "We passed..."
The two were on their merry way onward, but their journey was stopped short before something... strange.
There was no one around. Nobody at all.
Though the gap between the borders were rather dangerous, they would have at least expected a settlement, or something like a cabin all the way out here, between the borters of Anik and Findel.
The small amount of land between the borters are often bountiful with resources. Rivers for water, land for farm, forests for wood and , quarries for rock, there are many things that can be used to create a place to settle and rest at. But... There was nothing. There's nobody around them. Nothing but the plains about and the sun glistening down on them.
K : "... !?..."
That was no sunbeam in his eyes.
K : "Roberia... Do you see that?!"
Roberia turned her head to her right, towards where Katachi stared-
R : "! What is that?!"
-to see a yellow stream flowing into a huge pool of red, murky mud-like liquid.
The two of them looked at each other briefly, in shock.
K : "... !"
R : "... !"
They raced towards the strange lake.
*** ***
Upon arrival, they were shocked by what laid before their eyes.
The huge pool of murky mud-like liquid was actually formed from the yellow stream and blood.
Several corpses were found within the huge pool of strange, honey-yellow water. Within, many chunks of viscera and bones floated within the pool, and the red blood seemed to seep out ever so slowly. Even as one of the corpses has its flesh eroded to the bone, the blood seemed to siphon outwards lazily, like smoke emerging from an incense. A sickening, sour odor of blood, rancid fat and rotting flesh could be smelled in the air.
K : "Mmhh!"
R : "!!"
Katachi gagged. The entire scene made his stomach churn and groan. Had he food in his stomach, he thought he would most probably have puked it out a long time ago.
The view was absolutely atrocious. It was sickening enough to make anyone vomit in revolt. The entire lake looked like some giant tomato soup. Katachi wasn't sure if he could eat anything for a while after looking at that.
Roberia simply stared in silence, with eyes wide and a frown on her face.
K : "... What... Is this?..."
R : "I don't know. But this is pretty nasty. I haven't seen this much death in a place before aside from- !" (Oops! I almost gave myself away again!)
K : "... ? Aside from...?"
Katachi's head cocked in her direction.
R : (I have to find something to distract him with...) "... Uh...! The river! Look at that branch floating down the river!"
Katachi turned his head to look at the yellow river once again - The scene was... confusing.
K : "What a big branch..."
A large branch that had presumably fallen off from a tree was flowing down the river slowly, at the speed of the viscous currents. Something was definitely off.
K : "... That's not... physically possible, is it?"
The situation was familiar to Katachi. He had often waddled in rivers and the like, when there were no children out in the field playing with the Plaincoat Sheep. He recalls seeing branches smaller than the one in the yellow river, sinking to the very bottom of the lake.
How was it possible?
The large branch should have been much heavier than the smaller branch he remembered. Yet, the large branch is being carried away by the lazy current, while the small branch remained submerged in the weak rapids.
This prompted Katachi to get closer.
K : "... Let's go."
R : "Okay."
*** ***
They arrived at the yellow river.
Katachi looked about, and found a stalk of grass that was especially long. He plucked it, and dipped the tip of it into the river, to test its speed.
What he didn't expect, however, was for the yellow river to suck in the simple tip, and tug at the tiny stalk.
The strength was unbelievable.
The small tip of grass in the river had been snapped right off of the stalk in his hand.
K : "!!!"
R : "!!!"
They realized immediately, the reason why people lay dead in the huge lake.
The yellowish liquid in the river was extremely sticky and viscous, and sucked up pretty much anything that landed within. Branch, bone, foot, it didn't matter what entered the stream - They were pulled along its steady flow, all the same.
K : "... It's like... A river made completely from sticky goo..."
R : "... That's horrible..."
They could only stare, in helplessness, over the lives lost because of it.
K : "... Vithrolu have mercy on them."
With that, Katachi turned and began to walk upstream.
R : "Where are you going? The borter's that way!"
K : "I'm going to the source of the goo river, and I'm going to shut it down completely. The borter can wait."
Katachi marched upwards.
R : "... I agree."
Their journey takes another detour.
*** ***
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