ROLLENSPIEL

Les deux aventuriers sont enfin arrivés tout en haut de la dorsale. Alors qu'ils se dirigent vers la bordure du plateau à l'est, Eeri pousse un soupir. Cela l'embête de relancer le sujet, mais il faut crever l'abcès.

- Bon, tu peux me l'avouer maintenant, t'as lu mon journal?

Azazor pousse un grognement mais finit par répondre oui dans sa barbe. Il ne l'a plus taillée depuis leur arrestation par les maraudeurs, lui donnant une allure d'ermite un peu illuminé.

- Donc tu sais pour... Uzykos?

Eeri prend soin de peser ses mots, s'attendant à tout moment à un accès de colère comme le gros fyros en a l'habitude. Cependant, sa réponse est particulièrement posée, ce qui est inquiétant.

- ney, je sais.
- ça a un rapport avec le fait que tu as coupé ces fichues cordes du pont d'izam?

Le fyros ne répond pas, continuant sa marche vers l'est. Eeri ne préfère pas insister. Elle sait déjà une chose, il a lu ses notes. Et c'est pas plus mal finalement.

Une heure plus tard, Azazor s'arrête. Eeri croit alors qu'il va enfin lui en dire plus. Au lieu de ça, il reprend sa marche mais lentement et finit par se figer à une vingtaine de mètres. Eeri le rejoint prudemment, ne sachant trop à quoi s'attendre. La vision qui s'offre à elle est tout bonnement monstrueuse. D'où ils sont, ils peuvent enfin voir le sol en contrebas à l'horizon. Un sol rouge et mouvant. Encore quelques centaines de mètres, et ils sont au bord de la falaise. Tout en bas, on distingue à peine le sol. Celui-ci est littéralement recouvert de kitins. On peut remarquer des endroits plus denses en kitins que d'autres, mais où que porte leur regard, tout n'est qu'invasion rampante.

Azazor tourne son regard vers la fyrette. La peur se lit sur son visage. La peur mais aussi... l'excitation. Car ce qu'ils voient en contrebas, c'est aussi la terre de leurs ancêtres. Ils y sont enfin arrivés. Ils voient pour la première fois ce que peu d'homins des Nouvelles Terres ont déjà vu: l'ancienne terre des fyros.

Ils restent assis là une bonne heure, les jambes dans le vide, à contempler le paysage qui leur rappelle celui des dunes impériales, une marée de kitins rouges en plus. Quand Azazor prend enfin la parole.

- Eeri?

Celle-ci lève les yeux de la marée grouillante de kitin.

- Hein, quoi?
- Si je t'ai aidé avec les marauds qui te poursuivaient, c'est bien à cause d'Uzykos. Je ne veux pas qu'il grandisse comme moi sans connaitre sa mère.

Il pointe un doigt plein de menace vers Eeri.

- Alors t'as intérêt à survivre.

La fyrette sourit et hoche la tête.

- De toute façon, je te préviens, si tu survies pas, je te tue!

A ces mots, il éclate de rire, suivie aussitôt par Eeri. En bas, les kitins continuent de grouiller, occupant les terres qui furent jadis celles des fyros.

Eeri sprang up from behind a large piece of bark and threw her pique, which hit its target in the chest. Without waiting, she dashed forward, pulled a dagger from her belt, grabbed the spike with her left hand and swung its handle upward to knock the animal to the ground. She finished off the capryni with a blow from her dagger, wincing a little. Then, grabbing it by its hind legs, she dragged it a hundred meters, towards Azazor.

"Azazor, set up a fire! We're going to gorge ourselves on nosh !"

The Fyros complied at once, with the few wood he could find. He was hungry, it had been quite two days since they had last seen the trace of an animal.
As soon as the fire started to burn, he put his breastplate on it to cook the slices of meat that Eeri was carving. After that, she hung thin meat slices cut from the fatty parts on her pike, and positioned the weapon horizontally near the fire. A rather quick way to dry the meat to be able to keep it for a few days, she hoped. The task would have been easier in natural light, but the area was cool, in the shade of the canopy, and evening was coming.

The two chewed in silence, enjoying the meal. As soon as Eeri finished, she stood up.

"We don't have enough wood to finish drying the meat. I'll go back and try to drill some."

Without waiting, she grabbed her hatchet, the pickaxe Azazor luckily still had, and walked away.

The Fyros sat chewing on the rest of his meal. He watched the canopy above him with a dreamy eye. The vegetation that covered some parts and not others, the way some roots seemed to rest literally on others, as if by their complex entanglements, they helped each other not to collapse. Then his gaze followed the interlacing up to the horizon, hoping to see the places where the bark and the canopy met. At a glance, estimating the size of the various canopies was difficult, even from where he was sitting. He moved a little closer to the fire. If they had suffered from the heat during their ascent and then enjoyed the cool nights, the area they had just passed through was permanently shaded by this large canopy. They were expecting a freezing night.

Going through the top of the ridge was certainly the best way to get to Coriolis. However, they could only carry a small amount of food, as their mektoubs had remained at The Citadel. The altitude and steep path, or rather, the lack of a path and the crevasses, made the likelihood of encountering kitins almost nil. At most, they saw one or two kipestas on the hillside below. But they soon realized that they were also encountering few game. The capryni that Eeri had just hunted was an unexpected miracle. Since their departure, they had only caught one or two rather skinny and dehydrated Yubos.

When Eeri returned with more wood, she began to feed the fire with it and then brought the meat to dry a little closer. Crouching there, near the fire, she looked at Azazor, and smiled. For the first time in days, he seemed rested and relaxed.

"I have to tell you how I got through it."

Azazor, turning his eyes from the canopy to the fire, replied:

"The question I have is how we're going to get back. Going back through The Citadel is out of the question, and I don't think they're going to rebuild that rope bridge any time soon. All the more so since I won't be there well received either..."

Eeri continued, ignoring the words Azazor just grumbled:

"That's thanks to a friend of Lopyrèch. He has known me when I was young.

Azazor shuddered at the name, his jaw slowly stopped chewing and his eyes opened wide. He remained silent for a few seconds, as if to convince himself that he had heard correctly.

"He set you free?"
"ney. He took a lot of risks for that. He's the one who gave me this blue armor, mine was too flashy."
"That didn't stop them from spotting you and chasing you."

Eeri recounted her captivity and escape, only skimming over the subject of her liberator's Trytonist beliefs.

"Are you sure that's all?"

The girl looked at the fire, hesitated for a moment, then continued:

"I wasn't done. I had to kill a Marauder, before I could climb. It was either him or me... He dematerialized and probably raised the alarm. I guess they think I'm a spy from another Marauders clan. They probably think you are too, now."
"I don't think so, but it will make it harder to get back."
"We'll get through it. We always find a way."

Eeri went back to tending to the meat that was drying here, while Azazor softly resumed his grumblings:

"By the way... Do you still have your crystal?"

               

                
[quote=Azazor's logbook]
After four years of travel from Silan, we finally arrived in Coriolis! Or at least where the mining city once stood. Four years to get there! We are novices, clearly. Novices, weakened by generations of living under the protection of the Powers, when Marauders or Rangers have known how to do without and travel the Silan-The Citadel route in two or three cycles.

From the top of the ridge, looking down, there is nothing. No buildings, not even recognizable ruins. Everything seems to have been swept away by the kitins. They can be seen in the distance emerging from various holes in the ground. These may be the old amber mines, since entirely colonized by the kitins. They form a teeming cloud, at first sight totally anarchic. However, this mass then splits in two. One part converges somewhere to the southeast, towards what I think is the old Matis forest, and the other one goes towards The Citadel. It really looks like Coriolis is some sort of starting point for the kitins.

We know that we are at the level of Coriolis, because, apart from this agglutination of kitins denser than elsewhere in the desert, we can still see some ruins on the side of the cliff, high up. One of them reminds me of what is left of a watchtower, another of a half-collapsed facade. But the best preserved ruin is the one we are in. It is a kind of temple more or less troglodyte almost at the very top of the ridge. Only its facade emerges from the cliff, the rest of the temple being carved in the bark. We had to go down a little with the ropes to reach it. The position of this ruin, very difficult to access by kitins from the bottom or the top of the ridge, explains its relatively good state of preservation.

Given the amber columns that decorate the entrance façade, it is most likely a temple. On the tympanum, also visibly carved in pure amber and finely decorated, one can still read "talum glad èt" (knowledge is a weapon), as well as an engraving resembling the tattoo of the Fire of Coriolis. It is difficult to say what function this temple had. A library? I imagined them rather in Fyre than in Coriolis. A place for crafting and restoring of amber cubes, perhaps, as Eeri suggests? Which wouldn't be silly, given the proximity of the amber mines.

Concerning the access ways, a staircase cut in the cliff used to allow to reach the temple by the bottom, but this one is now totally unusable, since only a few pieces remain here and there, all the rest having collapsed. There must also have been other buildings lower down the cliff, accessible by the same staircase weawing on the wall. Bending down, one can still see some remains of these buildings from time to time.

Inside the temple, there is a main hall with a half collapsed roof. The whole back of the hall is inaccessible because of the collapsed ceiling which forms a heap of rubble obstructing access to possible rooms at the back. Only two well-preserved doors, on the sides, are still accessible. One on the left, leading to a room entirely collapsed on itself, and another on the right, in which I am. On the floor, some furniture falling into dust, empty shelves carved from the bark, and the remains of a campfire, suggesting that this room was used in the not so distant past. By whom? Marauders passing through, like the famous Clan of Red Drakes Hunters that Titus' father once belonged to? Or by Rangers on an observation mission? It must be said that from the only window of the room, we have an unobstructed view on the desert and its teeming tide of kitins.

With Eeri, we decided to excavate the back of the main hall, to try to access hypothetical rooms further back. If there is still some knowledge preserved in these places, it can only be behind the rubble. It will take us several hours to create a passage towards what can be found behind all this jumble.

......

We have started excavating the back of the hall but we are pausing for a moment of reflection. One thing puzzles us. While patiently removing the wooden rubble, we could notice that some of it was probably not the result of a collapse but had been put there on purpose. It is in fact a precise place that alerts us. It is as if there was a tunnel already dug in the original heap of rubble which would have then been filled in with what one had to hand. It seems that we are not the first ones to dig a passage, but that the last ones to have done it had to fill it up again quickly afterwards. This refilling should not date from very long ago. Our hypothesis is that behind is a gallery through which kitins can potentially come out and that this has been filled in by homins to ensure a relative security for the place. However, even if it is not very prudent, we must see what is on the other side.

I think for the first time in my life I like to dig. I feel like the Coriolis miners who went deeper and deeper to find the Great Dragon and were the first to stumble upon the kitins. I may know what the story is, but I can't help but feel the excitement of my Fyros race, the excitement of going further and deeper in search of the Truth. If there are kitins behind it, then so be it. I am ready to die, here, on our land, surrounded by our ancestors. For, after all, does courage remain forever in the memories of our ancestors fallen in battle, or does it still flow in the hearts of patriots?For after all, does courage remain forever in the memories of our ancestors who died in battle, or does it still swell in the hearts of patriots?

                
"Aza, look at this!"

Eeri completes the clearing of the sawdust covering a skull that is in pretty good condition. For several hours Azazor and Eeri have been meticulously clearing what looks more and more like a tunnel dug by who knows who. Homins? Kitins? It's impossible to say. The fact remains that the said tunnel has been refilled afterwards. The state of the backfill makes no doubt about it. The two Fyros did not try to clear the entire tunnel and limited themselves in digging a narrow one that only a single homin, lying down, wuld be able to cross. By dint of going back and forth, they dug for themselves a gallery of several meters long and eventually entered a kind of small cave lined with sawdust. The cavern ends in another tunnel, perfectly open as for it. This one must not be part of the temple, considering the walls which seem rather rough. Were this cave and tunnel already present when the temple was built by the Fyros Empire? Or were they built afterwards, the tunnel leading to who knows where? Unless this tunnel is just a kitin digging?

Before perhaps venturing further into the tunnel beyond the cave, the two Fyros set out to search the ground for anything important that might have been preserved under the sawdust. Very quickly, they managed to uncover there a piece of shield in advanced decomposition, here the blade of a retch without its handle or some finely cut balls of sap probably issued from a jewel. The few remains found so far suggest that a number of Fyros died here. The light of the torch they have planted in the ground brings out the remains of this battlefield, making the scene rather gloomy.

Azazor gets closer to the skeleton found by Eeri. So far, only its skull is clear of the soil. The remainder is still buried in the soft ground made of sawdust and debris of all kinds. Unlike Eeri, it is not the first time that he is confronted with a skeleton, he has already seen one during his anatomy classes at the Imperial Academy. However, it is the first time he touches one, and the contact of the bone under his fingers gives him a shiver that runs through his spine. Clearing his throat to refocus, Azazor begins to clear around the skeleton to free the rest of the body.

"What are you doing?"
"Doesn't it show? Digging."
"Do you want to see if he was bow-legged?"
"dey, I want to see if the rest of the body has been better preserved by the sawdust. Jewelry, boots, a semblance of clothing, anything. We found only crumbs for the moment.

Eeri shrugs her shoulders but nevertheless helps the Fyros in his task. Even if it disgusts her, she is also curious to know if the homin in question left something else than his old bones in his death. After a few minutes of searching around the skeleton, Azazor comes across a box closed by a latch. He proudly holds it up to Eeri, who opens wide astonished eyes. The Fyros smiles at her and hurries to open the box. Alas, nothing is inside. Azazor's discomfited face makes the Fyrossa smile. What was he hoping for after all? To find an amber cube ?

As this thought crossed her mind, her gaze caught a brief flash of light below where the box had been. The Fyros saw it too and dips his hand to grab the object before she does.
This time, no disappointment. The object that Azazor pulls out is cubic in shape, giving off a slight purplish glow.

"Coriolis ! can't help but let go of the Fyrossa."
"There is an inscription on it. Wait…"

The Fyros blows on it to expel the impurities then starts to read the inscription. His voice echoes in the cave.

"bavèchen coriolis fyrum…"
"Rumors about the fire of Coriolis!"
"ney! But given the condition of the cube, we won't be able to read it here. We'll have to reactivate it at least."
"Yep, it's missing a piece, too."

A corner of the cube is indeed missing. Seeing this, Azazor starts to search around the skeleton for the lost piece, when a noise is heard from the back of the tunnel.

"Aza, did you hear that?" Eeri bellows.
"Help me searching!" the Fyros yells while continuing to rummage frantically around the skeleton.

Another noise is made hear, closer this time. Eeri, with a sharp ear, recognizes the rapid movement of a kitin coming to meet them.

"Aza, there's a kitin turning up!"

The Fyros looks up at Eeri, looking peeved. A kincher's growl paints the terror on his face.

"ramèch! We scram!"

They both rush towards the gallery they have dug and, crawling as fast as they can, come out panting, covered with sawdust and completely panicked. Behind them, the kincher lets out another howl.

"He… he won't be able to pass, the gallery is too narrow and…

As if to make the Fyros lie, the kincher starts furiously scratching the gallery to enlarge it. Its strength is phenomenal, and soon it seems obvious that the beast will quickly cross over to the other side, where the two terrified Fyros await it. They have faced kitins before in the New Lands, but not here. The ones in the Old Lands are much tougher, they know. And most of all, if they fall, there will be no one to pick them up.
But soon their martial training takes over and they equip themselves with the weapons they had left in the small room to the right of the hall. Azazor equips himself with his shield and his hatchet, Eeri slip on Azazor's amplifiers, her pike being anyway ineffective against the kinchers and the Fyros having formally forbidden her to handle his two-handed axe. In any case, he is the tank, he has always been, always reluctant to take care of healings.

Ready to fight, the two Fyros face the gallery from which the kincher soon emerges and explodes the pile of fill that was blocking the tunnel. It is gigantic compared to those of the New Lands. Even bigger than a Gerder or a Daï-den. Its red color also clashes. Its mandibles slam violently against each other while it lets out an even more piercing howl than before.

As if to respond to the kincher's attempt at intimidation, Azazor bangs his shield with his hatchet.

"Come here, kitin! Here, there are still Fyros fighting!"

The fight that follows is particularly violent. More than once, the Fyros must painfully take the hits of the kincher on his shield while the Fyrossa provides support from behind. Fortunately, the kitin fights no differently than in the New Lands, and most of all, Eeri is there to provide healing and cast fire spells when the opportunity arises. After a tough fight, where the Fyros sees his hatchet shatter in the kincher's mandibles and is forced to let go of the shield to fight with the two-handed axe, the kitin finally collapses under a final fatal fire spell from Eeri. The two Fyros barely catch their breath when a tremor is felt in the temple. A thousand paws crackle from the back of the hall, where the kincher has appeared.

"There are others Aza! We have to get out of here!"
"ney! Back to the rope and then to the plateau!"

Running like crazy, they just managed to hang on to the rope when a multitude of kitins, mainly kirostas, come out of the tunnel and head towards the two Fyros. These don't hesitate and climb back up as fast as they can, while the kirostas stay below, unable to follow them in their climb.

"For once, it's not because of my bullshit," Eeri gasped. "Were you able to save the cube?"
"ney" Azazor grumbled in a breath, slouching onto his back to catch his breath. "ramèch, let's hope there's no gallery leading to the plateau of the ridge."

Eeri stood up quickly and slowly started to pull up the rope.

"One more Tryker with us, and it would have broken, she laughed. We were lucky. But I don't think we'll be able to use it again."
"One less Fyrossa and I would have finished my trip here."
"Don't talk nonsense. We're just making a good team," replied Eeri. "When we're not smacking each other around,", she thought.

Eeri hurriedly climbed a small hill, and watched the surroundings, on the lookout.

"Don't delay, Aza. If the kitins have a way to get up here, they'll roll up any minute…"
"You're right. Let's not dawdle."

Azazor sit up quickly. They had to get away from the edge of the ridge and move carefully, on the lookout. The mountain probably had many tunnels, it could take only one access for a horde of kirostas to come after them.

"So that was it, Coriolis," announced Azazor, in a solemn manner.
"I guess so. I didn't really know what to expect…"
"There's nothing left but the little we could see."
"Otherwise, we'd have to find a way to get down further."
"Are you seriously thinking about it?"

Eeri stopped, and looked towards the horizon.

"geniyùch, talorùch, didraùch... dey, odraùch.*"
"Do you really think this is the time to declare poetry?" Azazor scoffed.
"Well… We've come this far, and even if it's not as glorious as we imagined, we should find the kind of quote that could remain in the legend, you understand…

Azazor shrugged his shoulders with an unconvinced look.

"The legend," Azazor laughed, resuming his walk. "What a beautiful legend you're."
"You're right, ney, that doesn't sound so good," she continued. "And there's nobody else but us, we'll be able to come up with something that's a little bit cooler later on."

Eeri followed Azazor's lead, sticking out her tongue toward him.

They found the perfect place to set up camp when it was already dark. It was a large piece of bark, luckily forming a small hut. Eeri took out what was left of the dried meat and put it between Azazor and herself. They had walked for hours. They had been right to stay on guard: a few kirostas did find their way to the plateau, and seemed to be patrolling the area in groups. The Fyros redoubled their caution. Two of them would not have been the match for several kirostas, but a group was easier to avoid than a few scattered, independent individuals. It took them several hours, however, to get around the area and far enough away.

Still panting, they pecked at the meat, piece by piece, chewing slowly. The less there is to eat, the more you have to make your body believe that you are eating. Eeri began to speak in in hushed tones, so as to stay on the lookout for the slightest noise in the surroundings.

"Any idea where we are, dey?"
"More or less east of Coriolis. We should have gone west, but those damn kirostas…"
"I think we did well to stay very far away. Some of the kirostas back home can spot us from a long way away… So here, who knows."
"I'm not saying we should have gone near them."

Eeri swallowed a bite and swallowed loudly.

"Anyway, the east is our road."
"What are you talking about?"

Eeri took another piece of meat and began to chew it. She went to spit out a piece of rind, but changed her mind and chewed harder. Food was scarce. Azazor continued.

"We go west, we find a way to get off that damn ridge into the desert of the Oflovak Road."
"dey. We continue east, towards Fyre."
"BUT YOU ARE COMPLETELY INSA…"
"But shhhh!! We said no noise!"

Azazor, resumed whispering in a strangled voice, his eyes exorbited:
"You're completely insane… It's at least three months away…"
"So, have you ever been that close to Fyre? Me dey."
"And then, we have nothing to eat!"
"We'll find some."
"Eeri… We found an amber cube that seems to speak about Coriolis! I can't risk losing it. And then, there is probably nothing left, like here."
"I am ready to run the risk. I will go alone, if you don't keep up with me."

Azazor answer nothing. He knew that if Eeri had an idea in mind, it would be difficult to convince her to change it.

"We'll talk about it when it's light," he grumbled.
"I'll keep watch for a few hours, get some sleep," Eeri replied.

Eeri, on the lookout for the slightest noise, got out of the bark nest in which the fyros was already snoring. In the darkness, his gaze wandered eastward, ever further from the New Lands. Fyre, the land of her ancestors, the city whose name made the dreams of Pyr's children vibrate, when she was a child. A city so big, so far away. Probably destroyed, in whole or in part, by now. She backed up against a small bush, balanced her pike on her lap and closed her eyes. It was decided, as soon as the light of day appeared, she would leave for Fyre. With or without Azazor.

"Eeri!!!"

The Fyros was shouting his head off, but continued to pant for a few hundred yards, before screaming again:

"Eeri!!! Damn you, you filthy bodoc-head!!"

Azazor stopped for a moment to catch his breath. He had been following her tracks for days, and now he thought he saw her in the distance. She was moving fast, much faster than when they were together.
As night fell, he thought of starting a fire. The light in the night might warn the Fyrossa that he was on her heels, and she would probably wait for him, or so he hoped. Then again, the light from a fire could attract predators. Too risky, especially when alone.

"What an idea to let her go alone," he grumbled as he set off again. He could still walk at least two hours before nightfall, he had no time to waste. If only he had made the decision earlier to finally leave for Fyre… But was this a good decision? He had an amber cube, a cube that might hold a great truth about the Fire of Coriolis. It was irresponsible to take that risk, he knew. But he couldn't bring himself to let Eeri discover Fyre alone. And then… she was Uzykos' mother. His son. They had left together, they would return together.

Azazor moved forward as long as he could see where he was stepping, more and more cautiously as the night fell. When it was almost dark, he noticed a crevice in the sawdust and sat down there, axe in hand. Since they had left, they had become accustomed to the same ritual at nightfall, when they had to rest or stop in an unknown and unprotected place. Sitting down. For a moment, total silence, weapons in hand, and concentrate on the sounds, trying to imagine their distance and position in the dark. A brief isolated noise was never a bad sign, it could always be a crack of the bark. Rapid footsteps, more or less close, were often signs of wildlife around, usually herbivores, like themselves on the lookout for predators. Here, herbivores were few, so you had to concentrate rather on possible predators. In general, muffled footsteps on the bark, approaching or describing a circle around them. If after long minutes the area remained silent, they could begin to relax. For predators never wait long before signaling their presence and attacking.

When all seemed silent, he could finally close his eyes, exhausted.

***

He woke up in the same position at dawn and looked around. Everything looked different from what he had been able to watch in the dark before laying for sleep. He had not thought he had fallen asleep so close to the precipice, and now realized that only a few meters lay between him and the ravine. He stood up, stretched, and looked down at the spectacle of the desert below, once again. The desert of his ancestors, still teeming with kitins, a veritable army held back by this montain. The swarm he had experienced in the New Lands was nothing compared to the amount of kitins he could see here, and the small patch of desert he could see from here suggested him that there must be millions of them in this desert alone, if not more. Probably a number that no Fyros could ever imagine.

Quickly, he set off again, following the edge of the cliff, and after several hours of walk, he posted himself on a small hillock to observe if he could find a trace of Eeri. But nothing, she was probably already far away, ahead. He went back down and resumed his route, thinking of a better way to signal her about his presence. If only he had a firework… Or a torbak horn, it was possible to create prodigiously loud sounds by blowing into it. But nothing like that. He was walking along, a little lost in his thoughts, until he heard a growl. By reflex, he grabbed his axe and stopped.

A cuttler, in front of him, was looking at him with hungry eyes, a sort of dusty slime on its lips. Its color blended with the sawdust of the ridge.

"ramèch, I sure needed that…"

He looked around, knowing that a cuttler never comes alone. He guessed a second one, slightly behind on his left, in the shadows. Two of them? Too easy. He clutched his axe and prepared for the assault. Attack the first one, and be ready to parry the fangs of the one who would come from behind, if possible with a blow of his axe. However, his attention was disturbed by something, another presence. A third cuttler? He wasn't sure. The predator, in front of him, had not yet attacked him, seeming also to hesitate. It was then that a terrible cry was heard. Eeri emerged from the bank and rushed at the animal, daggers in hand.

"Gruuuuhhh !"
"Eeri!"
"Watch out for the third one!"
"What third one?"

Another cuttler, which he had not seen, lunged at Azazor. The Fyros dodged, and with a great kick, sent the animal into the ravine.

"Well done! Another one behind," shouted Eeri, still struggling with the first one.
"What the hell are you doing here, I thought you were days away," replied Azazor, sending a sharp blow with his axe into his attacker's jaw, knocking out some of its teeth.
"I'm the one asking you that! I thought you were gone!"

After several blows from Azazor's axe, the third cuttler ended up running away on three legs, panting and dripping with blood, while Eeri while Eeri finished off the one she was holding down with a series of dagger blows. Azazor shrugged his shoulders.

"With two, it's easy."
"ney. So you're accompanying me?"
"ney. You didn't think I was going to leave the rediscovery of Fyre to a half-tryker Fyrossa, did you?"
"Now that's the spirit!"
Pointing to a cuttler on the ground, she added:
"Have you ever eaten cuttler?"
"dey. It must be gross, but if that's all there is to eat, I'm not going to refuse."

Eeri's face gave Azazor her usual butcher's smile, and she began to cut off the four limbs of the animal.

"You have to hammer the meat well before you roast it, it reduces the acidity and it's more digestible. Then if you have time, you cook it slowly, it's a little more tender."
"I know it tenderizes it, but the acidity?"
"Did you know that Fraiders sometimes eat tyrancha? Well, they can cook the cuttler too."
"And so they bang on it?"
"ney, you crush it and get the juice out. It's drier, but it saves you a lot of trouble."

She threw a thigh to Azazor.

"The head and the torso, they're really not edible. Moreover, this one is not very big. Anyway, we have to find a place sheltered from the wind, we can't light a fire here."

She fixed the two front limbs on her bag with a piece of cord, then threw the thigh on her shoulder.

"Let's go. We'll find a place to set up camp and coo…"

Eeri was interrupted by a roar of incredible power that shook the mountain.

"I know you're hungry, but still…"

Something was approaching. The two Fyros remained for a moment dumbfounded, motionless and silent. The rumbling sound came again, closer, and the air filled with an ominous tension. Peering over the edge of the cliff, where the noise was coming from, they saw a gigantic creature emerge, the likes of which they had never seen before.

"Put your amps on!" Azazor shouted.
"dey, YOU put on the amps. This time it's my turn to play," Eeri shouted back, snatching the axe from the Fyros' hands.
"But!"
"My axe won't do the trick ! Do as I say!"

Eeri dropped the meat from her bag and screwed her helmet on her head. Her hands clenched on the axe.

"A red dragon!" Azazor finally shouted.

The homina concentrated, determined to fight, and watched the kitin for the slightest crack in its carapace. The kitin was already a few meters away from them, and had slowed down, as if he too wanted to observe and appreciate its prey. Its carapace was scarlet, vivid and shiny. Each scale seemed to pulsate with burning fire, as if the kitin's veins carried molten embers. This red dragon was a huge kipesta, several meters long, surrounded by a halo of gray smoke, looking ready to explode. Its carapace, clad with sharp crests of spines, connected its protruding skull to the tip of its scaly tail. As for its pollen pouch, it was much larger than a Kipeskoo could have, and oozed a scarlet, steaming liquid, quite different from the one kipestas usually produced. To finish, the beating of its six wings made the sawdust fly around it, and generated a deafening whirring.

Focused on the creature's appearance, Eeri did not see its first attack coming. The powerful tail strike she received in the chest sent her flying for several yards and sent her crashing straight into a stump, which she caught right in the kidneys. Breath taken from the double impact, the Fyrossa collapsed in the sawdust, totally stunned. She hadn't expected such vivacity. Not wasting a second, Azazor cast a healing spell towards Eeri. Although he was not an expert mage in healing magic, the enchantment put on his amplifiers was of good quality and did the job perfectly. And yet… He still had to make sure he didn't use up all the sap crystals he had in reserve, otherwise he wouldn't be able to use the enchantment on his amplifiers. And unfortunately, the first blow of the kipesta having knocked out Eeri, he was forced to use up his stock. Circling around his friend's body, sending out bursts of healing, and dodging the attacks of the kitin who had now spotted him, he finally managed to get her up. What he didn't manage, however, was to see that her feet were getting dangerously close to the edge of the cliff…

"This way!" shouted Eeri, standing up again.
"Give me back my axe! You're a better healer than I am!" replied the Fyros.

Ignoring Azazor, the Fyrossa lunged at the kitin, whose back was now to her, and struck it with a powerful blow of the axe, hitting one of its wings. The creature turned around and retaliated with a circular tail strike, which Eeri dodged this time. Seeing that the kipesta had barely flinched, she realized that it would take much more to defeat this enemy. The wound that she had just inflicted to it was ridiculous in comparison with its size… Furious, the monster gave a third blow of tail in direction of the homina, which dodged it a second time. In truth, it was not an easy thing: the monster was so big that it was necessary to largely anticipate its attack to hope avoiding the shock. Moreover, every blow the beast delivered sent the sawdust flying, sending a cloud blurring the Fyros' vision. Spotting the kitin's glowing aura in the dust cloud, Eeri lunged at it again, screaming like a fury, striking wherever she could. But the axe only bounced off the burning carapace. The kipesta tried another attack with its tail and the Fyrossa ducked just in time to feel the sharp spines only scrape the top of her helmet. She then took the opportunity to execute a counterattack, which the kitin dodged with a flap of its wings as it gained height. Abruptly turning around despite its huge mass, the beast finally made an aerial charge and managed to hit Eeri, who flew a second time several meters away. Disarmed and slumped in the sawdust, the homina barely had time to understand that the impact had dislocated her left shoulder when Azazor's enchantment immediately put the joint back in place. Her comrade continued to circle around her tirelessly, tending to each of her wounds. Picking up her axe and checking the effectiveness of the enchantment with a twist of the arm, Eeri charged at the creature once more. The fight was definitely going to be long…

And indeed, the fight lasted a few minutes. Minutes that, in this kind of situation, were like hours. If the kitin managed to hurt Eeri most of the time, seldom did the Fyrossa succeed in touching it in return. Without Azazor's care, she would have died long ago… And when she was finally succeeding in reaching her target, the axe would come smashing against the thick carapace of the kipesta. Not once did she manage to touch its wings again, the only part that was a priori more vulnerable than the others. As if the beast had understood. As if it had understood that it was enough for it to take a little height to avoid the most dangerous blows. The kipesta was, indeed, able to fly high in the sky, out of reach of any attack. When it couldn't fly away fast enough, it would simply present its head frontally to parry the axe blow which would then hit the thick protective carapace of its skull. Meanwhile, Azazor was gradually emptying his stock of sap crystals by healing Eeri every time she found herself on the ground. He didn't even have time to take off his heavy armor to try to cast any kind of fire spell. At times, the monster tried to attack Azazor. When that happened, Eeri put on her own pair of amplifiers, to support her comrade long enough for to succeed in getting the kitin's attention again. And the manege repeated.

It repeated until, suddenly, as if bored by the turn the fight was taking, the kipesta quietly turned around, moving away from a dozen meters. Disconcerted, Eeri lowered her guard and glanced at Azazor. Against such an opponent, a draw was worth a win, right? If her comrade had not been helmeted, the Fyrossa could probably have read the horror on his face as he pointed his amplifiers at the kipesta. But it was already too late. The creature stiffened, flapped its six wings, and propelled itself backward toward Eeri. Never before had the two Fyros seen a kipesta perform such a maneuver. Without Eeri even being able to react, the sharp, scaly tail pierced its belly. The monster then had only to snap its abdominal end like a whip, towards the ground, to get rid of the body of the homina, which rolled in the sawdust like a vulgar rag doll. Her mutilated and disarticulated body was going to require many care before being completely repaired… Her precious pike too, previously attached to her back, and now broken in two in the dust.

Probably aware of its success, the kitin left Eeri and turned back to Azazor, who was struggling to get his partner up. The creature let out a terrifying growl, but did not act, as if sizing up its opponent. Taking advantage of the few seconds available to him, Azazor charged at Eeri, draining his amplifiers of all magical charge, depleting his entire supply of crystals. But that was not enough to get her up. She was alive, he could feel it. But in very bad condition, almost unconscious. Not giving up, he tried to heal her without enchantment, in heavy armor, gradually exhausting his stamina in handling the sap. If the kipesta continued to observe him like this without reacting, he would have time to get her up. He had to. And just as the Fyrossa was beginning to get back on her knees, the kitin sent her back to the ground with a swipe of its tail. Distraught, Azazor clipped his pair of amplifiers to his belt without taking his eyes off the creature. It was playing with them, he was sure. This monster was playing with them, and having defeated Eeri, it was now seeking to fight Azazor one-to-one. Without being able to confirm his hypothesis, which was perhaps only the fruit of a feverish projection, the Fyros accepted the duel. If he had to die today, let it be with a retch in his hand than with amplifiers!

Long seconds passed, during which the two warriors gauged each other, then Azazor finally took action. With a deft foot movement, the Fyros picked up Eeri's broken pike and threw it towards the kipesta, who parried it with yet another tail swing and charged at his opponent. The duel had begun. Staking his life on it, Azazor avoided the kipesta's charge with a roll and picked up the axe that Eeri had let slip from her hands. Then he also lunged at the kitin, howling like a beast. This outburst of courage did not impress the monster, who sent the Fyros tumbling over the cliff with a skull blow right into his chest. Planting his axe in extremis in the edge of the cliff, paying no heed to his taken breath, Azazor managed to avoid the deadly fall. He could barely breathe, his ribs were probably broken, and he was no longer able to lift Eeri. But he wasn't dead yet. Managing to pull himself up onto the platform, the Fyros raised his axe and whirl it over his head, shouting with all the strength he had left. A war cry, perhaps his last. Drawing on his last resources to regenerate his wounded body, he charged the red dragon. With a jump, he avoided the sharp tail, and with a final roll, he managed to land a furious axe blow on the side of the creature, which probably didn't expect the frail homin to take so many risks. As a reward for his bravery, Azazor then saw a scarlet scale flying. Finally, the beast had a weak spot.

"ORAK !!!!"

But the joy was short-lived. The kipesta let out a vile howl, and at the same time, the Fyros thought he saw flames pulsating where the scale had been before he managed to tear it off. Realizing that something was in the works, Azazor unhooked the shield he had been wearing on his back and moved to stand in front of Eeri, who was still lying on the ground. He barely had time to position himself before he felt the temperature increase. As he took one last look at the creature, he realized that his impression was well founded. The kitin was swelling all over. From the tip of its tail to its skull. But that was nothing compared to its pollen pouch, which had tripled in size in barely a few seconds. With an erratic movement, the monster planted its proboscis in the ground, and Azazor knew it was the end. A gigantic explosion occurred, shattering the portion of the cliff they were fighting on, and releasing a flood of flame so powerful that it razed everything for a hundred meters. The last thing Azazor felt was the heat.

Melting his shield.

Then his armor.

And finally his skin.

((OOC: text written with 6 hands by Eeri, Azazor and Finaen))

Azazor opens one eye. A single one. He sees himself floating, flying, like smoke from a great blaze. He is floating above the desert. He sees the Great Ridge, the desert and even water further away, beyond another mountain range. The Wide Puddle perhaps.

Dead, he is dead. There is no doubt. His body is all the way down, charred, reduced to ashes by the red dragon, and he is floating like smoke. Yet he has to fight the urge to let himself be carried away.

gladuch odraèt og, didrauch fyrak gladuch, these are the words of the gey-zas who died in battle, this is his duty. To fight the smoke that rises to descend into the depths for fighting the dragon. Then he closes his eye and concentrates to go back down to his last fight.

Eeri opens one eye. Maybe both, who knows. Everything is blurred. She sees nothing, feels nothing, except the impression to be posed on a substance at the same time icy and burning, vibrating of energy. The pain and the absence of pain. A long, endless howling seems to have taken possession of her mind, a shrill crash resounding on the sides of her skull. A long and terrible scream locked in her, erasing all notion of time, of past, of present, of future.

So this is the void? The nothingness? The punishment for her soul and her seed of life, the punishment for the mistakes of her past life, her secrets, her lies, her escapes, her abandonment?


An endless, deafening howl.

A shadow emerges from the chaos. There are shadows in the void? A shape, rather, a silhouette, a helmet. The helmet of horror. The din in her mind becomes more intense and piercing, as the figure gets closer. Icy daggers come to plant themselves in her orbits, her eardrums, her throat, her chest.

The pain, last release before the death.

And suddenly, the silence. Her spirit sinks into oblivion.

Eeri gently threw the bone she was holding into the fire, the last remnant of the yubo leg she had just eaten. Her interlocutor stopped talking and looked at her, in silence, aware that it was going to be necessary to leave her some time for her to absorb what he had just told her.

"It was that, then she articulated. They didn't say anything more?"
"They said they thought you were dead. It's happened before, and sometimes they give a decent burial to the homins they find, if they can. Does that surprise you that much?"
"From them, yes," said Eeri. "I always thought they were working against hominity."
"Against hominity? You know, they need hominity. And despite what their appearance suggests, they are not all the same. Some of them have the heart to protect all of us."
"ney, I see. And we owe them our lives. They saved us and healed us… A kamist and an… agnostic."

The ranger smiled softly and looked at the hominid sitting across from him. It had been several weeks since their bodies had been brought to his camp, and he had taken it from there. The care he had given them was beginning to pay off. Eeri had been the first to come to her senses the day before. She had let out an incredible howl, and had become so agitated that it took two homins to hold her down until she came back to her senses. Then she fell into a dumb silence when she saw her friend beside her. The next day, she got up calmly to find him, finally accepting some food. He was hopeful for the other fyros, even if he still needed several days of rest.

"It looks like your friend protected you from the flames. He was much more burned and injured than you, but he seems to be slowly recovering. They found him clinging to you, which is probably why you were less affected by the flames than he was."
"He protected me…"
"They suspected that hisseed of life had been hit. They had to extract a huge wooden thorn that went right through his skull, and that should have killed him. I hope he didn't lose his mind completely… In any case, his survival is undreamed. And yours too! In truth, it is a miracle that you are still alive. 'Miracle', that's the word they used. Can you imagine?"

Eeri remained silent, her gaze plunged into the campfire. Her fault. It was her fault. Again. Taking the path to Fyre, as if after Coriolis it would only be a walk without any danger. Then she lowered her gaze to her hand, lying motionless on her lap. The burns were still alive there, marking her palm and a part of her forearm. She turned her left arm over, to contemplate the palm of her other hand, miraculously spared by the flames.

"It won't come back, dey?"
"I don't think so. You were in a bad condition, unconscious, unable to regenerate. They spent a long time clearing up to find you under the rubble of the partly blown-up cliff, and after a certain time, some wounds become untreatable…"
"So these marks are imprinted in our seed of life…"
"Yes. And even their technology can't do anything about it. As I told you before, it's already a damn miracle that you survived."
"We Fyros are said to be very resistant to fire."
"And to being buried under tons of rubble, obviously! By the way, how is your eye?"
"Still nothing."

Eeri got up slowly, leaning on her left arm, and took a few steps to reach the tent that housed Azazor. She looked at the scarred face of her friend, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully on a cot. A light cloth modestly covered his torso and legs.

She felt a tear running down her face.

For several hours Azazor has been contemplating the ceiling of the tent where he is lying. Several hours observing the skin canvas slightly cracked by years of wear and tear. Watching the shadows dance to the rhythm of the crackling of the brazier. Listening to vague whispers coming from outside. Sounds, laughter, where the voice of Eeri and other homins are mixed.

"… used to hunt them with their ships. But even they are careful when they have to fight them. The Flamboyants are smart. They know how to take cover when they know they are being hunted."
"Individual intelligence? I thought kitins had only group intelligence?"
"Not all of them."
"It has indeed proven himself to be particularly cunning in battle."
"Yes, and when they can't run away, they also have their terrible fire attack."
"I was probably already down… Azazor must have found his weak point to attack like that."

The pain of his burns made him stop following the talk. At first, there was only pain, like a continuous tearing radiating throughout his whole body. Darkness, silence, the feeling of floating in… a wide puddle of pain —the Wide Puddle— Eeri being swallowed by the prakker. Eeri… Then came the sensation of his own body, the impression of being bedridden, of having an up and a down. Then the sounds, whispers, Eeri telling him to fight. And now the sight. Those dancing shadows.

He didn't go down into the depths to fight the Dragon. He survived. And he owes it to the Karavan. He can't take it anymore and falls back into his anguished dreams.

…

Many days passed before Azazor could speak. His lips, which had melted together in the heat, were finally separated thanks to the care provided by the Rangers. He can now mumble a few words, articulating with difficulty. It will take him days to learn to speak again, and probably just as long to walk again. But at least he hasn't lost his mind. However, images come to him, as if from a dream. He still sees himself floating above the desert. The Rangers who take care of him were able to explain to him what happened.

They tell him about the tracking and killing of the Flamboyant by a Karavan ship when it used its flame attack and blew up part of the cliff —besides he remembers that talking with the Marauders during his last evening with them, they had told him that the Karavan was tracking this kind of kitin as a priority. They also explain to him the clearing of the rubble during several hours to find the bodies of the two homins having fought it, the body of Azazor, always gripping and protecting that of Eeri, their transport in a kind of pod and the choice made to bring them back in this Ranger camp on the other side of the ridge, in spite of their condition, in spite of the little chance of survival they had then. Yes, the Karavan, or at least these agents, made a choice that was not favorable to them: to save two unimportant homins. Thus, the defense of hominkind is indeed part of the values of the Karavan.

Eeri has just entered the tent. She has a smile on her lips and a tear flows from her only eye, the second one being hidden by a blindfold. A tear of guilt? Maybe, but he doesn't blame her.

"oren pyr my fatty! I hear you can finally talk?"
"n… ney."
"Well, don't push yourself too hard, I'm not in a hurry to hear you bellow again!"
"de… tal."

The Fyrossa bursts out laughing then, against all expectations, embraces with one arm the lying Fyros who grimaces with pain.

"ramèch, I forgot that you were sensitive. Wait, I'll see if I can get you some of that miracle cream they've been applying to you since we got here. It fixes and calms the pain.
a… ke… p."

Eeri lifts a piece of canvas to get out of the tent and then turns his head to his friend.

"I'm the one who thanks you. The Rangers told me that you probably stood in front of me, to take the flame attack. Without you, I would have died."
"MM… mm."
"Save your strength, I'll be right back."

He wanted to say "me too" but couldn't. He closed his eyes and fell back into his reverie.

…

Several weeks thus pass in the Ranger camp. This is one of many Ranger outposts in the area. There are others, more discreet, and sometimes even closer to the kitin threat, including high on the ridge. The current camp is also a place of passage for Marauders and surrounding tribes. This is a kind of peace place, preserving its neutrality in the conflicts between homin tribes and Maraudeurs clans. The Karavan has understood this and sometimes drops off injured homins found here and there.

During her weeks of rest, Eeri learns to replace the use of her right arm with her left. It is clear that she will not be able to fight as before, especially with one eye missing. As for Azazor, he is learning to walk and talk again, but progress is slow and difficult. Moreover, a piece of wood had gone through his skull, probably damaging his seed of life. The Karavan, on returning them to the camp, called it a "miracle". His chances of survival were nil. And yet, he was well and truly alive. He was alive, but badly injured. The Karavan did not know what the consequences of such an injury would be, but disorders were to be expected. For the moment, apart from a large area in front of his skull where his hair gives way to an ugly scar, nothing seems to indicate that his life seed has been touched. The worst fear was that Azazor would lose his mind. But for the moment he seems to have his all wits about him. While the hair has begun to grow back on the back of his head, despite the burns, the front will be forever devoid of hair, making his face even more hideous with its burned patches and scars.

The Rangers tell them that they should wait before going back on the road, that they could accompany them, as ranger expeditions towards Fort Beacon and passing by Oflovak's Halt are regularly organized. This is mainly a rotation of Rangers, so as not to leave always the same ones at the front. The way back would only be safer and faster for them. Azazor and Eeri hurry to agree. Their condition would not allow them to make the journey on their own anyway.

Thus, the days continue to pass slowly in the camp, waiting for a future expedition…

He is sitting with his friends at the Thesos bar. The flames of a brazier light up their smiling faces. There are of course the legionnaires, Naveruss, Wixarika head leaning on Lylanea's shoulder, Zuros and even Lopyrech, back from the dead. There is also Jazzy and the whole Drakani gang, the Talodis, the Rangers of the Almati Wood Circle and others. They are all there, listening to the story of their journey. Eeri is also at his side, and Uzykos, their son, in a red tunic and playing with the mace of Naveruss. The shooki is flowing and the laughter can be heard all the way to the fortress. He speaks, without difficulty, without the need to articulate. His wounds have miraculously healed and he is not in pain anywhere. He is at the episode with the red dragon.

"So we accepted the fight. We fought with savage fury and met death incarnate with all its horrors, without backing down or complaining. Neither of us asked to be spared nor did we run away. We fought as long as we could stand. And when death in the form of a rain of fire fell on us, we greeted it with the smile of proud fighters who had died with dignity. I understood then, just before I lost consciousness, what akep really meant. akash depyr, death with honor. And yes, I thanked then with a last sigh this red dragon for having resisted us so valiantly."

He pauses for a moment and then resumes.

"And yet my friends, here we are, before you. For destiny had not finished with us. It took the form of the Karavan, which came to our rescue and saved us both. Yes, the Karavan!

Do I regret being saved? No! I, who do not hold the Karavan close to my heart, say thank you to them. For if this death in front of the red dragon was the most beautiful that I had been offered, the one that will come one day will be even more beautiful. But not yet! Not today! So let's live my friends, and raise our glasses to life! May it be the most glorious of all! CAL I SELAK!"

They all raise their beakers, shouting the legionnaire's salute. And many laughs are heard. It's Uzykos: he has managed to raise the mace above his head. He is strong! Like his father! The laughter becomes even louder when he falls backwards and starts to cry. A cry… Almost a scream. Yes, a shrill scream, getting louder and louder. A shriek! And… and her son's face which changes. Which… becomes… vaporous… as if seen behind a smoke screen. The smoke of a great fire. A hot breath… A breath of fire! It is now a dragon in front of him! HIS dragon! And what he thought was crying was its scream. A hoarse, guttural sound that cuts through him. A pouch under his gullet begins to swell, swell… And fire begins to spurt out over his body as it burns, burns like a blazing log which consumes.

He wakes up with a start, sitting on his cot. It is still dark. He touches his face with his hands and feels the still vivid patches of his burns. But he doesn't burn. It's that damn dream again. Always the same one. Tomorrow the long awaited return expedition will leave. The trip will be painful with his disability, but it will probably be nothing compared to the outward journey. His body stabs him around. He feels like he is in too small a body. It irritates him all over. The ointment he applies to himself several times a day does him good, but it's not enough to take away that dry, tight feeling on his skin. And of course, the pain. Especially when he doesn't moisturize enough.

Sitting in his camp bed, he thinks back to the evening he spent a few days ago with a group of Atakorum nomads who came to the camp to trade potions. He also had a new revelation on this occasion. One more, of course, but this time concerning him specifically. When he told the nomads his name, Azazor, they were taken aback. In their cult, a form of kamism that does not say its name, Azaz is the name given to the spirits of the desert that only certain sages of their tribe can see. What could have been a simple coincidence turned out to be more profound than that when he gave them his last name: Eridlo Mirihus. One of the nomads then explained to him that Miri is a very common name among them. Maybe one of his ancestors was one of the few Atakorums who managed to escape during the Great Swarming and reached the New Lands, while most had settled on the other side of the great root ridge. When you think about it, this is not absurd. Mirihus means third in lineage of Miri and his father had explained him that his mother was from a nomadic family. So after all, why not? In any case, we all have an ancestor from the Old Lands. From a nomadic people who are very fond of potions and strange rites, this does not surprise him at all. He himself is a stranger among his people. Even more so now with his bloated face and body.

Azaz, the protective spirits of the desert… Yes, the Kamis may also have had something to do with their miraculous survival. Perhaps this was the answer to the "miracle" that the Karavan spoke of? Too many unanswered questions. Too much to think about at the moment. Azazor rests his head on his cot and tries to sleep a little more before tomorrow.

Then comes the long awaited departure. After years of travel on Oflovak Road to the edge of Coriolis, after having survived a thousand dangers and lived what few homins of the New Lands can claim to have lived, our two adventurers take the way back, wounded and bruised in their bodies, their convictions shaken or sometimes reinforced, but above all proud to have been able to go through with their ideals. As they turn their gaze towards the east one last time, melancholy catches up with them, a touch of bitterness at not having been able to go all the way to Fyre and beyond. But they have so much to tell, so much to share. Azazor takes in his pocket the broken amber cube he could protect from the flames, the only proof he has left. He shows it to Eeri who smiles at him. Yes, they have so much to tell, but also to offer. And it is thus with a smile that they turn back towards the west, where their folks await them.

Eeri fell silent, closing her eyes for a moment, having said these last words in an unusually slow and calm voice, as if emerging from a dream. When she regained consciousness of her surroundings, Azazor was still writing. The skin on his bruised forehead was slightly creased. He displayed a concentrated pout as he wrote the last word, while looking up at her. She looked at him, confused.

"I… I digressed. You wrote all this?"
"ney."
"Oh, toub… I was just thinking out loud. Wouldn't you like to erase the last things I said…?"
"You asked me to write, I wrote."
"Well, we can always proofread and edit, right?"

The Fyros grumbled, he had no desire to spend time adjusting every sentence.

"If you're not happy with that, just learn to write with your left hand. Besides, it was kind of touching."
"Touching… For a Fyros girl who is half Tryker and half impotent…"

Azazor smiled and looked over Eeri's shoulder. A Tryker was coming towards them, smiling, emerging from the strangely familiar gloom of this place they had walked through years ago.

"… And half old, too," Eeri continued.
"Save your halves for later, I know one who's coming to offer us baba in full mugs."