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Stories

• Hutaaken Talkin'
• Dear Instructor
  a letter written by Christopher Nole

Hutaaken Talkin'

"It's strange, though I can't see a thing, I feel quite comfortable here. I can imagine myself at home. It makes me think that in ancient times we must have dwelled in caves like this, windowless rooms with just one opening, and we've never come far from that design. It feels natural, and one doesn't have to see to know where the portal is." The Hutaaken indicated it correctly. "One can tell by the movement of air, and by the way no echo comes from its direction. Even a small creature approaching causes a perceptible change. Very safe, actually. And here as well, there is the handiwork of Pflarr."

Ryork said nothing, not wishing to encourage the conversation. The others could be heard sleeping; it was the third watch.

"We should stay by here a few days to refresh ourselves and work on our skills. I was chagrined at what just a few days' neglect had done to my discus-throwing; though my misaim may have been due in part to some excitement about the encounter, I suppose. And of course we need to understand exactly what we are to do with the Blade of Ochre, now that we have found it. I hope and pray that we may receive some wisdom on the matter."

"My word, we are chatty tonight, aren't we, priest?" said Ryork.

"Well, I have hardly slept -- there is so much to think about from today's events. It is an exhilarating thing, to be picked up by the scruff by one's God and carried away with His strength, praise be to Him! But afterward I felt mightily drained, as you may imagine. That's when we were standing in front of the cave and I was suddenly afraid to enter. I mentioned it to you, you'll recall. What I feared was that the responsibility for wielding the Blade might fall to me, although I knew in my liver that if it were my burden alone I would ultimately prove too weak. I felt more humility then than I have ever known. It was never more plain to me that whatever strength and wisdom we have beyond the ordinary must belong to Him who created us; and any achievement we have beyond the commonplace requires His continued grace, which requires our continued faith."

Ryork allowed himself the luxury of a yawn. Japhorex continued.

"If I had been the one chosen, I would have accepted the responsibility; but I'll tell you honestly, part of me is much relieved that it was, uh, Clay instead. In a moment I saw the wisdom of the choice. My fear passed, and I felt an extraordinary lightness of heart, and was glad down to my very toenails to be privileged to have been part of these events. If I died tonight, I'd have no regrets at all, save not having had the chance to tell my people and add my small book to the glorious Story. I tell you, Royark, we have been made part of great events, and are fortunate indeed to be witness to these times."

"Whether we are fortunate, or something else, remains to be seen. And while you may have been made part of these events, understand one thing: I have chosen to be part of them, at least for now."

Japhorex pondered this. "Of course you have chosen, we all have, but we have also been made. The two ideas are not inconsistent. You did not choose the time and place of your creation, nor the world you found yourself in; the Immortals did. And no glory accrues to anyone, mortal or immortal, whose followers are without choice. No; there is a purpose to your being part of this, and not just your own. Don't you already suspect it? Do you reject the idea of not being the only one participating in your destiny? My high priest told me about you; how you did not come to Hutaaka like the others by submitting to Pflarr, but by some other agency. Be that as it may, you understand that you would have not succeeded unless Pflarr had willed it also. As is true in so many things, anyone by himself can only go so far.

"Through no choice of ours, we have been granted the miraculous gift of life, which gives us the ability to see to our daily needs, and the opportunity to find our Source. That alone is a wonderful thing, in which we take joy every day. We can leave it at that; most creatures do. But if we have any ambition to partake of the world of greater things, we must renew and maintain contact with our Source, and prove that the extraordinary gifts we desire will not be wasted. It's logical, really. I would think that you in particular, Royark, would not want to overlook the possibility of help from the Immortals. Even Pflarr needed to enlist it many times, though he, too, was too proud to ask at first. The fact that it appears that your Source remains hidden from you, I fear, is limiting you. But the Immortals would know how to help you."

Ryork stared at the Hutaaken, whom he had no trouble seeing, whose own gaze was wandering abstractly. Looked at one way, here was a servant prating endlessly about the god of servants; looked at another way, here was well-fed creature, no blemishes, no whiff of taint, a layer of soft fat; slices would dance in the skillet; heart and liver were mentioned. Hmmm. Safe, he thinks. Jik wouldn't even ask where the meat had come from. Clay would be the only witness, and he was asleep. Died happy -- gone to Pflarr.

"I'll be sure to ask them the next time I see them, then. Now let me give you some advice, Jabberex, which you will do well to heed: If you want to get anywhere with us, try getting our names right." He brought his face close to the priest's ears. "Hear me? It's Ryork. Don't get it wrong again. Then it's Clay -- Sigyn -- Jik -- Christopher -- your friend Sharadin. Plus, the Blade of Igor. Practice them. And Gorgaroth from the Draconic Council -- you will not want to get her name wrong, I assure you."

This reproach brought an end to the sermon. Neither spoke for a while; eventually the deodanth could see Japhorex beginning to nod. But the priest still had a few words left in him.

"I'm very tired. Sorry if I offended. I mean only the best."

"Yes, I'm sure you do. Now why don't you go to sleep? You need it. I'll keep the rest of the watch. I don't foresee any danger."

"I am obliged; thank you. May I say one thing, Ry-- Ryork?"

"'Ryork' is correct. What now, Japh?"

"Seek an audience with Pflarr. Maybe tonight, here from this cave where He has brought us. Offer a tangible sacrifice of your knowledge; some scroll, or perhaps that orb I've seen you with. If He accepts it, it will be purified of falsehood. I believe He has already taken a special interest in you. He led you here, He healed your wounds, He let you see His sign. So assert you are worthy; ready for the truth, ready for great things. Ask for His aid."

"How ready are you, Japh?"

A wolf expression crossed his brow, but Japhorex didn't answer. However, a few moments later, on the verge of sleep, he had this remark:

"Deodanth -- means given by, or to, the gods. Probably both."

Dear Instructor

I know that you have told me to keep a journal of my adventures, however I have not really done a very good job at that. I still feel that it is important for you to hear about the situations I have found myself in.

Since I left the school, this group of lost souls has traveled far. We were sent on a mission to warn nearby kingdoms of a threat from someone called the Master. If you know anything about this plague, please pass word onto me. We have learned that this blight is not an individual, but rather the force that threatens all life. But I write you this letter not to tell you about our current mission but rather to inform you about the developments amongst my traveling companions.

Much as you predicted, Random has wandered off on her own. I suppose she realized this party was not going to stand for her dabblings in black magic. I hope she can find a path to wisdom before she destroys herself. She always had the potential to be a strong leader, if only she learned to use the powers within herself.

Rasalon is still off running his business. I do not know when I will see him again.

Rainbow and Koda traveled with us for a while, but recently they have gone their own way. I don't really understand why. Rainbow had started to become friendly with Ryork. I think Ryork was even starting to react, although he would never admit it. I thought the two of them would make a nice pair. Ryork has the depth to really captivate Rainbow's interests and some of Rainbow's lighter side may have rubbed off on Ryork. It is a shame that a relationship never had a chance to develop. It may have even helped Ryork to start looking into the future, instead of always wondering where he came from.

Sigyn has proven to be a good ally. She really came through for me when I needed her, but I will tell you more about that later.

Jik Morninglory has joined us from the Draconic council. At first he was very cautious of us, but as time rolled on he began to open up. I think that we will become great friends, which would be good. I don't want to get on his bad side, since he seems to have friends in high places.

One of our latest members to the party is Jaforex. He is a Hutaakan priest. I do not know what you know about the Hutaakan. They are quite extraordinary creatures. From what I know they were created by the immortal Pflarr, which they now worship. Pflarr seems to be knowledgeable however his powers have yet to be seen. This priest has been helpful in providing a direction for us to search. Before him we seem to have been wandering around in circles.

Last night a stranger wandered into our camp. It was alarming that no one else saw him approaching. Lately our sentries seem to leave something to be desired. He was revealed to the rest of the party by the tip of my blade. He tried to act calm, but he came off as just being another one of those arrogant mercenaries. He kept on talking to me like we were in some sort of brotherhood, however I saw no such kinship. He talked of some sort of power that I had never heard of. Apparently he is in some sort of fellowship with something called the force. Just what we need, another mono-termed mystery.

As we talked, Sigyn moved into position. With a signal, she had the stranger's life in her hands. All the time he pretended to be in control. It was perhaps best that we left him believing that. If he stays with the party he will need all the confidence he can get. Without it he would probably hide in the background like so many before him. It would be refreshing to have a forward fighter that might actually fight.

Seeing that he was no threat to us, we let him live. He was allowed to follow us. Whether he becomes useful or not remains to be seen.

Those are the highlights of my travels. I hope to be writing you more often, however it is difficult to find the time. Someone has to be keeping this party from getting killed.

Sincerely,
Christopher Nole