While they progress towards the west, in direction of what they think is Fort Beacon, the mektoub of Eeri collapses behind them. The former legionary may well pull it, shout at it, that's no use, the mektoub refuses to get back up.
"We should lighten your toub Eeri, it carries too much weight," Azazor suggests.
Without waiting for her agreement, he starts to rummage in the bags of the mektoub to chuck out what is superfluous. While doing so, he causes the izam eggs of Dorothee to fall.
"ramèch! I had forgotten about them!"
"But watch out, you bodocskull! Oh dear, two eggs have hatched..."
Unfortunately, the two young izams, born locked in the egg box, had ended up dying and rotting there. A rancid smell emanates from the box and worms are already swarming on the little corpses.
"It could still be a meal, at this point..."
Azazor gags at Eeri's suggestion. Then feeling his stomach crying out, he swallows.
"We lighten up, then we'll eat what's not too rotten."
Still poking around, he comes across a strange box.
"What is this stuff," he mumbles while starting to open the box.
"Oh nothing, give it to me, I'll take care of it," says Eeri in a dry voice, rushing to take the box from the Fyros' hands.
Azazor keeps the box firmly in his hands, challenging Eeri with his eyes.
"What is it?"
"Some... Some... Well, nothing. Something I want to try out. And also probably a bargaining chip. Give me that."
"talen," he shouts out while pulling the box to him.
Eeri resists. Azazor too. They looks like two children bickering over a toy. The box slips out of their hands and opens when it touches the ground. A dagger, some small vials, and a larger one, which escapes and rolls on the ground, a little further, under Eeri's terrified eyes.
"Is that what I think it is?" he asks coldly.
"Oy... talen... You're right, that's probably what you're thinking."
Eeri bends down, trying to keep as calm as possible, and carefully picks up the vial.
"I've gone through a lot to get this, I'd like to see this experiment through to the end."
Azazor, under the fatigue and the fear accumulated until now, explodes of rage.
"AND WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO TELL ME ABOUT IT?"
He then violently grabs a bag on the mektoub which is mooing with disapproval.
"And what's in there? A goo bomb? A Karavan artifact? A Kami head?"
Without waiting for the answer, he throws the bag away and takes another one.
"What about this one? Is it the one with the books stolen from the Imperial Academy?"
He then throws it at Eeri who dodges.
"You're a piece of shit Eeri since you left the Fyros legions! A miserable slut who makes friends with the rotten people of this world, who schemes with her pals, who… who betrays, who lies!! tramèch, to me! YOU LIE TO ME!!!"
Eeri remains silent for a moment, trying to control her rapid breathing and her shaking. When the Fyros finally sits down, turning his back to her, still seething with anger, she replies in her calmest voice:
"dey. I did not lie to you. You never asked me what was in my mektoub pack. You didn't care about it."
After a while, she adds:
"And if you had take interest for what we would have to be up against down here, instead of spending your time turning pale while ogling maps in the basement of the Academy, you'd understand my choices."
"Oh, cause you think I haven't thought about it? You think I don't have a plan? I didn't wait for Eeri to come up with an idea of how to get past the Marauders fortress. Eeri who carries poison from some orskos without telling his companion. Eeri who thinks it's enough to show up at the Marauders' with poison as a bargaining chip."
Azazor turns to the Fyrossa behind him and observes her intensely.
"I never said anything about your fucking goo experiments, out of loyalty. I expect the same from you. You tell me everything about our trip or you turn around."
Then he gets up and retrieves his bag. He takes out Barmie's map and looks up at the sky, trying to spot the day star through the haze.
"And if..."
Eeri explodes.
"That's enough of that! You think I'm stupid? My fucking experiments, as you call them, you didn't even care why I did them. You think I'm an axe with legs? A bodyguard? Go on! Go on alone. You won't make it 200 meters..."
"Then stop lying, damn it! Have you already forgotten about the Fyros pillars?"
"Okay, you want to know everything? Yeah, I got a goo bomb in my bag. Goo filters, too, which I even installed on your stinky helmet. I've got a cure for poisoning. I have poison, but I also have antidotes. But you, you stupid filthy bodoc, you're so stubborn that no matter what I do..."
Without letting her finish her sentence, Azazor approaches her and sends her a slap that could peel the leather off a ploderos, sending the Fyrossa to the ground.
"The bodoc still has what's needed for..."
Slightly stunned, Eeri retaliates by sweeping Azazor's legs with a kick, giving in turn the Fyros the opportunity to study the sawdust closely. Azazor looks at her with murderous eyes but remains on the ground.
"You want us to kill each other, that's it?"
After a heavy and motionless silence, Eeri spits the sawdust she almost swallowed in her fall, grumbling something unintelligible.
The Fyros, still ranting, gets up without looking at the Fyrossa.
"If you want to go on along with me, you obey me regarding the road to take."
He points a finger towards the east.
"Fort Beacon must be somewhere that way. Take back your shits and let's go. This place is driving me crazy."
"Then never lay a hand on me again. We follow your way, but you never lay a hand on me again."
"So start not lying to me anymore."
Eeri gets up slowly, then approaches the mektoub and rummages in her bag, to take out a vial of which she makes the animal drink half, patting its head.
"Pfff, first of all I never questioned your route," she grumbles.
"Really? And who has us..."
A dull tremor suddenly sounds, which makes the mektoub raise its head in fear.
"We... We mustn't stay here, says Azazor in a slightly hoarse voice."
He then sets off without waiting for her, a quick and chaotic whisper on his lips. With all the vivacity she can muster, Eeri picks up and packs most of her packets and stuffs them into the mektoub's pack, keeping what she can't put there in by hand. Then, grabbing with one hand the tether of the animal, which this time follows without being begged, she catches up with the Fyros who walks with a quick step towards the west, throwing from time to time a terrorized glance towards the foggy horizon. Eeri in turn looks at the horizon, intrigued.
"That mektoub is paranoid. It's nothing but the cracking of the bark," she grumbles to reassure herself.
Text written with four hands by Azazor and Eeri
"We should lighten your toub Eeri, it carries too much weight," Azazor suggests.
Without waiting for her agreement, he starts to rummage in the bags of the mektoub to chuck out what is superfluous. While doing so, he causes the izam eggs of Dorothee to fall.
"ramèch! I had forgotten about them!"
"But watch out, you bodocskull! Oh dear, two eggs have hatched..."
Unfortunately, the two young izams, born locked in the egg box, had ended up dying and rotting there. A rancid smell emanates from the box and worms are already swarming on the little corpses.
"It could still be a meal, at this point..."
Azazor gags at Eeri's suggestion. Then feeling his stomach crying out, he swallows.
"We lighten up, then we'll eat what's not too rotten."
Still poking around, he comes across a strange box.
"What is this stuff," he mumbles while starting to open the box.
"Oh nothing, give it to me, I'll take care of it," says Eeri in a dry voice, rushing to take the box from the Fyros' hands.
Azazor keeps the box firmly in his hands, challenging Eeri with his eyes.
"What is it?"
"Some... Some... Well, nothing. Something I want to try out. And also probably a bargaining chip. Give me that."
"talen," he shouts out while pulling the box to him.
Eeri resists. Azazor too. They looks like two children bickering over a toy. The box slips out of their hands and opens when it touches the ground. A dagger, some small vials, and a larger one, which escapes and rolls on the ground, a little further, under Eeri's terrified eyes.
"Is that what I think it is?" he asks coldly.
"Oy... talen... You're right, that's probably what you're thinking."
Eeri bends down, trying to keep as calm as possible, and carefully picks up the vial.
"I've gone through a lot to get this, I'd like to see this experiment through to the end."
Azazor, under the fatigue and the fear accumulated until now, explodes of rage.
"AND WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO TELL ME ABOUT IT?"
He then violently grabs a bag on the mektoub which is mooing with disapproval.
"And what's in there? A goo bomb? A Karavan artifact? A Kami head?"
Without waiting for the answer, he throws the bag away and takes another one.
"What about this one? Is it the one with the books stolen from the Imperial Academy?"
He then throws it at Eeri who dodges.
"You're a piece of shit Eeri since you left the Fyros legions! A miserable slut who makes friends with the rotten people of this world, who schemes with her pals, who… who betrays, who lies!! tramèch, to me! YOU LIE TO ME!!!"
Eeri remains silent for a moment, trying to control her rapid breathing and her shaking. When the Fyros finally sits down, turning his back to her, still seething with anger, she replies in her calmest voice:
"dey. I did not lie to you. You never asked me what was in my mektoub pack. You didn't care about it."
After a while, she adds:
"And if you had take interest for what we would have to be up against down here, instead of spending your time turning pale while ogling maps in the basement of the Academy, you'd understand my choices."
"Oh, cause you think I haven't thought about it? You think I don't have a plan? I didn't wait for Eeri to come up with an idea of how to get past the Marauders fortress. Eeri who carries poison from some orskos without telling his companion. Eeri who thinks it's enough to show up at the Marauders' with poison as a bargaining chip."
Azazor turns to the Fyrossa behind him and observes her intensely.
"I never said anything about your fucking goo experiments, out of loyalty. I expect the same from you. You tell me everything about our trip or you turn around."
Then he gets up and retrieves his bag. He takes out Barmie's map and looks up at the sky, trying to spot the day star through the haze.
"And if..."
Eeri explodes.
"That's enough of that! You think I'm stupid? My fucking experiments, as you call them, you didn't even care why I did them. You think I'm an axe with legs? A bodyguard? Go on! Go on alone. You won't make it 200 meters..."
"Then stop lying, damn it! Have you already forgotten about the Fyros pillars?"
"Okay, you want to know everything? Yeah, I got a goo bomb in my bag. Goo filters, too, which I even installed on your stinky helmet. I've got a cure for poisoning. I have poison, but I also have antidotes. But you, you stupid filthy bodoc, you're so stubborn that no matter what I do..."
Without letting her finish her sentence, Azazor approaches her and sends her a slap that could peel the leather off a ploderos, sending the Fyrossa to the ground.
"The bodoc still has what's needed for..."
Slightly stunned, Eeri retaliates by sweeping Azazor's legs with a kick, giving in turn the Fyros the opportunity to study the sawdust closely. Azazor looks at her with murderous eyes but remains on the ground.
"You want us to kill each other, that's it?"
After a heavy and motionless silence, Eeri spits the sawdust she almost swallowed in her fall, grumbling something unintelligible.
The Fyros, still ranting, gets up without looking at the Fyrossa.
"If you want to go on along with me, you obey me regarding the road to take."
He points a finger towards the east.
"Fort Beacon must be somewhere that way. Take back your shits and let's go. This place is driving me crazy."
"Then never lay a hand on me again. We follow your way, but you never lay a hand on me again."
"So start not lying to me anymore."
Eeri gets up slowly, then approaches the mektoub and rummages in her bag, to take out a vial of which she makes the animal drink half, patting its head.
"Pfff, first of all I never questioned your route," she grumbles.
"Really? And who has us..."
A dull tremor suddenly sounds, which makes the mektoub raise its head in fear.
"We... We mustn't stay here, says Azazor in a slightly hoarse voice."
He then sets off without waiting for her, a quick and chaotic whisper on his lips. With all the vivacity she can muster, Eeri picks up and packs most of her packets and stuffs them into the mektoub's pack, keeping what she can't put there in by hand. Then, grabbing with one hand the tether of the animal, which this time follows without being begged, she catches up with the Fyros who walks with a quick step towards the west, throwing from time to time a terrorized glance towards the foggy horizon. Eeri in turn looks at the horizon, intrigued.
"That mektoub is paranoid. It's nothing but the cracking of the bark," she grumbles to reassure herself.
Text written with four hands by Azazor and Eeri
---
Eeri"Quand on a le nez trop près de la bouteille, on ne voit plus le bar"