Chapter 20: On the Subject of Mortals
Greater Mortals.
Cross wasn’t ashamed to admit that he knew very little about such creatures. Most Pawns never gave much of a thought for them. Knowledge of them didn’t help in their war, so only those specifically tasked with observing them in Stationwatch ever gave them more than a passing glance.
But every one of them knew they were important to the Sovereigns, so much so that the Bishops specifically had to tailor the war around them to keep them from getting caught in the crossfire. Any Quadrant with a confirmed presence of Greater Mortals was quarantined to everyone save for those in Stationwatch, an ever-present factor that let most Pawns continue their war without worrying about them.
And yet there was one right before him, cradled in the arm of a comrade as it fought to catch its breath. Clad in a garb made of scales that looked notably similar to that of the Swallower and bearing a mask of dark wood.
It couldn’t be confused for a Lesser Mortal.
While some might wear things, or communicate vocally with one another, every species of Greater Mortals had a distinct mix of traits that even the dullest of Pawns would note.
As soon as the Greater Mortal’s breathing had steadied, its blue eyes shifted around only to find the gaze of four wide-eyed Pawns staring it down. It quickly pushed against Armel, who let it collapse to the mud with little effort.
It rose on thin legs barely covered by the scale-garb, scooting back away from them before dropping to its knees.
“Purselle Mierchall!” It stammered out whilst pressing its hands into the mud, practically forcing its angular forehead into the grass and dirt “Moto-! Draknich Purselle lok Miervan!”
Back to grunts and gasps, but Cross could see that it did nothing to alleviate the confusion of any of his peers.
Neither Wristy or Armel had moved, just stared at the being as it groveled. But Cross caught movement out of the corner of his eye.
The sight of Misser raising his Caster.
“What are you doing?”
Cross’s words snapped Wristy out of it, making her glance back only to flinch at the sight of Misser training the barrel of his weapon on the Mortal.
Without hesitation she threw herself between them, raising her arms wide as Misser narrowed his eye.
“Have you gone mad?!?” She demanded, only for Misser to snap.
“You all heard it, right?!?” he spat “It’s using thoughtspeak! That was our language! It’s a trick, a Blanken trap of some kind!”
“That’s a Greater Mortal, ya stupid bastard!” Wristy snarled “GMs ain’t somethin’ ya just wave weapons around!”
“Really?” Misser tilted his head “I was under the impression Greater Mortals had their own languages, their own modes of speech, and that their Quadrants were complete no-go zones. So tell me please, comrade, how exactly we just stumbled across one?!?”
“I dunno, what I do know is I’mma bury you here and now if ya even think about shootin’ it.” Wristy pointed to him “This ain’t like stompin’ a few lessers here or there, Bishops could have the lot of us recycled if they catch wind o’ you shootin’ up GMs like a madman!”
Misser’s glare tightened at that, but he didn’t lower his weapon.
Instead, he looked to Cross.
Cross wasn’t sure what Misser expected of him, the situation was far above any of them. Greater Mortals were almost entirely in the department of Bishops. They were the ones who were supposed to keep track of realms where Mortals could be found. They were the ones who governed the watch stations that monitored them.
“Comrade Armel, this is your department, right?” he asked, only to find Armel still frozen on one knee.
The Greater Mortal had slowly raised its head during their argument, only to flinch and lower it upon finding Armel’s unbroken gaze upon it.
“It don’t make sense…” Armel finally muttered, prompting Wristy to glance back his way “Big numbers guy like Perignassi wouldn’t miss somethin’ like this. Unmarked world of Greaters… It just ain’t right…”
“See?!?” Misser spat “He’s your expert and even he can’t explain this!”
“Don’t think that’ll save you if ya fire that thing!” Wristy shouted.
But Cross found himself tuning them out, his gaze drawn to the Greater Mortal.
How could he not? They were the beings the Sovereigns waged their war over. They held the focus of the King and Queen more than any Pawn did. But it wasn’t free of that frailness the lesser Mortals had.
Its limbs were thin, rigid things that Cross couldn’t help but compare to the thick branches around them. Yet it wore clothing made from something like the Swallower? Why? It barely came past any of their waists at full height, and the Swallower showed no fear in pursuing it.
Cross could still see undulations in the marsh nearby as the Swallower swam in small circles, poking its eyes out and keeping them firmly trained on the Greater Mortal.
How could the groveling creature before them defeat a being like that?
Some type of ingenuity no doubt, but it did nothing to explain its most curious characteristic.
“Sorry…” there it was again, a voice in their heads “Dark Ones, angry… sorry.”
Even if its voice was weak compared to a pawn there was no denying what it was doing.
“It’s using thoughtspeak.” Cross repeated Misser’s words, prompting Wristy to groan.
“That ain’t no excuse for-!”
“It’s using thoughtspeak!!!” Cross interrupted her louder.
Wristy frowned at him, but Misser seemed to catch on immediately. Suddenly he turned his weapon around towards the tree line and began looking for movement.
That was what finally wiped the anger from Wristy’s face, as she quickly hurried to Armel’s side and dragged him back up to his feet.
“Move! Move!” she said whilst hauling him into the shrubbery.
The Greater Mortal stared in wide-eyed panic as the four of them leaped into action, watching as they hurried into the densest group of trees and bushes, they could see.
But a hiss behind it shocked them into action, as the splashing of water drew to the edge of the marsh and sent the Greater Mortal running after them into the brush. Armel cursed before quickly darting out of a shrub, pulling the Greater Mortal back with him under cover as the Swallower gave chase.
But suddenly, the Swallower paused and turn its head skyward. A shadow passed overhead, with the Swallower’s hisses dying down as it turned and sped back into the marsh.
Mere moments later, she appeared.
A pale form descending from the sky, lowering herself until the very toes of her Pearlglass greaves hovered over the water of the marsh. There she stopped, casting a glance one direction then the next.
Cross and the others practically forced themselves into the ground under the cover of the swamp’s vegetation. The fact they hadn’t been cut to pieces immediately, proving that Lady Khullic couldn’t see them yet.
But she was right there, and only drew closer as she floated down to where the Greater Mortal had last spoken in thoughtspeak.
Her greaves sank into the mud as she dropped low, rubbing the tips of her gauntlets along the sides of the soggy tracks they’d left in the ground.
A low giggle, barely held back by her sealed lips.
Cross forced himself to stay still as she followed the tracks, strolling just past them as her wings shattered into Pearlglass shards. Those shards followed her as she traced the path of footprints, only for her giggles to die down as she realized the moisture soaked swamp had already led the prints to lose form.
She stared at the prints for a moment before narrowing her eyes behind her visor.
She came to a stop at the end of the trail, only to raise her head as a drop of water panged against her helmet.
“Again?” she murmured before shrugging as she continued forward “Rain all you want, I don’t mind.”
She lowered her head for a moment before her form started trembling. Her shoulders shaking as more raindrops plummeted from above.
She suddenly fell forward onto her hands and knee, practically pressing her head against the floor of the swamp as giggles emanated from within her helmet.
“Won’t stop me, can’t stop me!” she chittered whilst crawling forward, her pearlglass shards trailing behind her as she practically ripped the bottom portion of her helmet off.
“No weather, no bishop can keep us apart here~!” she sang before a pale tongue slipped from her teeth and dragged itself along the floor of the swamp “My enemy! Sweetest enemy! Teach me! Fight me! Let’s learn together! Intertwined in bloodshed!”
She lunged forward, rising to her feet again as she glanced one way then another. Her shards formed back into wings as she ascended back towards the canopy, the growing pittering of rain hitting her armor disappearing as she practically melted into the green.
But Cross could still hear the giggling, even when Khullic was out of sight he could practically feel that nigh-manic laughter echoing through the woods.
Even when he couldn’t hear it, when nothing more than the ambience and pattering of rain was left, he didn’t trust it.
He didn’t risk moving from the partially sunken shrubbery at the edge of the marsh. With how fast Khullic was, it would take no time for her to come back. Even with the sound of rain growing around him, he couldn’t bring himself to risk moving.
But his comrades didn’t seem to share his hesitation.
“She led her right to us.”
Misser’s voice made Cross’s head snap to the side, leaning back against the leaves and branches until he could see his allies behind him.
Misser was glaring at the Greater Mortal, who had pressed itself to the floor as Armel held a finger to its lips.
“You still think its not some Blanken Trap?” Misser continued, only for Armel to shake his head.
“Could’ve ratted us out just now if it was.” He said before nodding to Misser “But you’s right, weird stuff goin’ on here, ain’t no reason not to finish the mission though.”
Behind him, Wristy nodded furiously at the concept. But Misser still didn’t look convinced.
“Why? Aren’t Greater Mortals cause for a Stay of Conflict?” Misser put forth “Thought Bishops were supposed to get involved the moment something like this happens!”
“You really want to risk talking to Khullic about it?” Cross snapped “What if this was what she and Formal were talking about? About us already winning?”
The others went silent as that, as none of them could deny the possibility.
Back in the Helm, the two Knights seemed like they knew things about where they were, or at least had suspicions. It was confusing then, but Cross understood that Knights were a different of Servant compared to Pawns. If their sensory abilities were heightened along with their physical ones, then it wasn’t impossible that they could deduce things about the planet faster than they could.
“Then why hasn’t she called for a Stay, then?” Misser asked “Instead of digging through mud for us like some Haze-Crazed lunatic.”
“Ain’t no bishops keepin’ us apart here…” Wristy repeated Khullic’s words “Her lads were goin’ about them bein kept from combat, even Formal didn’t understand it.”
“But that doesn’t explain-”
“Rules of Play don’t say she’s gotta call for a Stay, just get a Bishop involved.” Armel snickered before looking the direction she’d left in “Seems she’s makin’ the most of things.”
Cross found himself grinding his teeth together. The more he learned of Khullic, the more he found himself cursing their poor luck. Out of all the Knights in the Quadrant that could’ve found them, it had to be one who’d go so far as to use loopholes in the Rules of Play to feed her battle-fixation.
There was no telling how long it would take for her to get Perignassi on the scene. If what they surmised so far was true, it wouldn’t be hard to picture her sending the slowest possible vessel she could in order to buy time for her hunt.
They could be trapped there with her for several days, and Cross couldn’t picture them lasting so long with someone like Khullic combing through the woods.
“We need to get to the Rook.” He stated firmly as he poked his head from the bush “With Formal gone, it’s the only thing that could stand up to her.”
“That’s really the only option here?” Misser scoffed “If she’s as battle hungry as you claim then surely, she’ll seek out the Rook first. Why not let her get herself killed then wait for the Bishop to put an end to things?”
“That… ain’t actually a bad idea.” Wristy conceded before looking to Armel “Be easier for her to find our cargo than us.”
“I know, but…” Armel looked down to the Greater Mortal, who flinched back as he pulled his finger away “This whole thoughtspeak thing, it’s got me thinkin’ wild.”
Cross tilted his head at that.
“How so?” he asked
But Armel didn’t answer, instead took the trembling Mortal’s hand in his before bringing its finger to his mouth.
“Draknich Purselle!” it cried out as it frantically attempted to yank its hand back “Miervelle Lik Moto, Grikt Nurvakh!”
Armel narrowed his eye before pulling the finger out, a tiny drip of clear blue fluid seeping from a small wound he’d made in the tip.
“She’s natural.” He said as he let her pull away “Grew right n’ all. No Blanken meddlin’, no clue how she learned thoughtspeak.”
The Mortal dropped to her knees after scooting back, clutching her wounded finger to her chest before bowing again with her eyes squeezed shut.
“Who cares? This is a Bishop’s job.” Misser shook his head before pointing to the Mortal “Natural or not, I’m not travelling with that thing. We’ve enough problems without her accidentally calling in that maniac.”
“Sor-” the mortal’s voice strained as it clasped its hands together “Sorry…. dark ones… talk… hard…”
“Oh, so you didn’t have to reveal our location?” Misser glared at her, only for Wristy to step closer.
“Ease on it, Newblood.” She spat as Armel approached the Mortal and knelt before her.
“Not want… danger… mission.” The mortal struggled to speak “You help… yes?”
“Oh? Whatcha know about our mission, then?” Armel asked, prompting the Mortal to point towards the broken trees leading to the swamp.”
“Save!” it croaked out “Stop… false god, right? Father bring… send warrior. Save… us!”
They went quiet as it spoke, its words only bringing more confusion.
“Your father?” Cross narrowed his eye at that, sharing a suspicious look with Misser before asking “Who exactly is your father?”
“Protect!” she squeaked before her lips stretched into a smile “Dark Father! Dark Father send warrior… no?”
