Episode 21 | Nightværs

Lyn:      (with feather) -look like we’re all sticking our tongues out.

Raka:     (with feather) The feathers seem to be working really well.

Lyn:      Damn the water is murky. Can you power up your headlight a little?

Raka:     This is as bright as it gets… But I agree that it’s not much.

Malaki:   There is light above, from the surface.

Lyn:      Yea but it doesn’t illuminate the floor much. I can barely see 5 steps ahead.

Raka:     All the more reason to stick together.

Lyn:      Can we swim in here?

Raka:     I don’t think so.

Lyn:      Well I do feel the water pressure but I can’t really swim. Like moving through thick goo… Hey, are those corals?

Raka:     Hm?

Malaki:   (memorizing) Corals.

Lyn:      I’ve never seen one. I thought corals grow only in the ocean?

Malaki:   (memorizing) Ocean… There are fish.

Lyn:      Where?

Malaki:   Above.

Lyn:      (surprised) Huh! You’re right!

Malaki:   I want to catch one.

Lyn:      Go for it! I’m getting hungry, could use a-

Raka:     No, don’t!

Malaki:   (subdued groan of disapproval)

Raka:     This must be Garïyarla’s sanctuary. You heard what þorianþaris said, she is a Væron of shelter and nourishment. Even the fish are most likely here because she shelters them.

Lyn:      Oooh, her pet fishies. Yea let’s not eat her pets.

Raka:     Yes, exactly.

Malaki:   (disappointed) Fine. Lead, then.

Lyn:      Where to, though?

Raka:     I don’t… I’m not sure.

Lyn:      Should we track where we’re going? With the rope, I mean.

Malaki:   Elaborate.

Lyn:      I mean we need something that’ll help us find the gate again, right? When we try to get out.

Raka:     We left our bags outside, remember?

Lyn:      Well we can still go grab the rope at least.

Malaki:   It’s not long. Not enough.

Raka:     The rope won’t help us find the way out, if the Væron doesn’t want us to leave.

Malaki:   (slight paniced accusation) You didn’t tell that!

Raka:     Tell what?

Malaki:   You can’t leave a Værons sanctuary!

Raka:     (confused) I thought you knew that? You were in Ferryce’s sanctuary with us!

Malaki:   (slight panic) That was the first I was in!

Lyn:      Weren’t you in one when that thing with Azeri happened?

Malaki:   (slight panic) I wasn’t with Azeri in it! I wouldn’t be here if I had been!

Lyn:      Hey, calm down, Mal. We’re here with you, remember?

Raka:     (sighs a bit annoyed) Look, just don’t do anything to upset the Væron and you’ll be fine.

Malaki:   (groans uncomfortably) Lead, then. You are the pack leader. I… will follow.

Lyn:      (singing) I will follow herrrr~ Follow her where ever sheee may gooo~

Raka:     (slight concern) Don’t push yourself too hard.

Lyn:      Hey, want me to hold your hand?

Malaki:   (insistently to get over his anxiety) Just lead!

Raka:     Sure. (sighs with a hint of fear in her own voice, anxious) Great… I can’t see anything ahead of us… Lyn, how about you?

Lyn:      Nope, nothing. Not a single rune- beside your… runecluster thingies.

Raka:     Guess we’ll just have to… (frightened intake of breath) go in and see where it goes.

Malaki:   I see shapes. Ahead.

Raka:     (anxious) I… I don’t see anything. Are you hallucinating again?

Lyn:      No, I see it too. Right ahead, a pretty big fishie.

Raka:     (anxious) Where?

Lyn:      In front of you.

Malaki:   It swims toward us.

Raka:     (sighs) I don’t see it-

Lyn:      Oh shit- Watch out!

Raka:     (slight panic) What was that?!

Malaki:   A big fish!

Lyn:      A Shark maybe?

Raka:     (slight hysteria) What is a shark?!

Lyn:      That thing? I don’t know!

Raka:     (hysterical) Why do you just throw out words if you don’t know what they mean?!

Lyn:      Calm down, I know what a shark is, I just don’t know how to explain it if you don’t!

Raka:     (hysterical) Where did it go?!

Malaki:   That way.

Raka:     (calming down a little) Why could the two of you see it and I didn’t?

Lyn:      Maybe it’s a spirit?

Malaki:   Not a spirit.

Lyn:      No idea then. Maybe just something the two of us can see but you can’t?

Raka:     (anxious) Do you still see it?

Lyn:      Hmm, nope. I mean, I see other shapes further away, but that thing apparently swam off.

Malaki:   The water moves. Very strong. Like wind.

Raka:     (calmer) An underwater current.

Malaki:   The fish went down stream.

Lyn:      The stream’s coming from the direction we walked to, maybe that’s an indicator that there’s something that way?

Raka:     (anxious) It’s the only lead we have…

Lyn:      We go toward it then?

Raka:     (anxious) I don’t know what else we should do…

Malaki:   (voice raised) Grasp those feather tightly! They catch wind- Er… water! Yes, Water easily.

Lyn:      (voice raised) I’m biting it! Are you sure this is right? It seems like the current is trying to push us back the further we go that direction!

Raka:     (voice raised, anxious) I don’t know! (stressed) I can’t see anything, I don’t know where we’re going, I don’t-

Lyn:      (calling out) Raka, are you alright?

Raka:     (terrified) No, I-

Malaki:   The fish is back!

Lyn:      Shit- Raka, jump left!

Raka:     (terrified) I can’t-

Malaki:   (cursing) Kokol frith-
(voice raised) Ræwyn! (Earth rune: roots)

Lyn:      (voice raised) Shit! What the hell is that thing?

Malaki:   (voice raised) I don’t know! But I don’t care anymore if it’s a Værons pet!

Lyn:      (voice raised) Thank’s for the roots anchors, Mal. Good call. Where’s-

Malaki:   (voice raised) Calvar, ærïa! (Earth Rune: Ground, rise)

Lyn:      (voice raised) Stop it Mal, Raka told us not to- Oh shit- (calling out) Mal!

Malaki:   (voice raised) Eteïe, ærïa! (Earth Rune: Stones rise)
Ræwyn, fyal- (Earth Rune: Roots confine)

Lyn:      (voice raised) Shut up, Mal, Raka lost her feather! I have to get to her, unroot me!

Malaki:   (voice raised, confused at the sudden interruption) The current will sweep you away!

Lyn:      (voice raised) Raka is suffocating! Come on, it’ll sweep me closer to her, I just need to grab her when I pass by!

Malaki:   (voice raised, still slightly distracted) Fine! Ræwyn, nehkoshtuïa! (Earth Rune: roots, untighten)

Lyn:      (frightened intake of breath, as she is now completely without control) Ohh shit- No, no- Too fast! (calling out) Raka, grab me! Oh thank stuff- here, feather!

Raka:     (coughing and gasping for air, then in terror) Lyn- thank the fourteen-

Lyn:      No, thank ME! I saved you! (relieved) You’re welcome, bro. Thank YOU for grabbing me.

Raka:     (terrified) I thought you were gone!

Lyn:      Gone? I was right over there, didn’t you see me?

Raka:     (terrified, stuttering and tumbling over her own words) No- for a moment I saw nothing, just the murky water, and I… I couldn’t see what lay beyond-

Lyn:      You have to calm down, Raka! I’m here, alright? You don’t have to be afraid anymore!

Raka:     (terrified) But that shape- that fish you and Malaki saw, you couldn’t tell what it was, it-

Lyn:      (speaking to clam Raka) It was probably JUST a spirit, Raka. Just a spirit. Okay?

Raka:     (calming down a bit) Yes. A spirit…

Malaki:   Tonoĥtar, xirdulïa! (Earth Rune: tendrils, grow)

Raka:     Fiyar’ta- Malaki, no!

Lyn:      Oh shit- What the hell happened!

Raka:     (still slightly terrified) I don’t-

Lyn:      Where did the water go?

Raka:     (slightly terrified) I don’t know!

Lyn:      Wait, where is Malaki?

Raka:     (panting, exasperated) Fiyar’ta… His aggressive behavior must’ve upset Garïyarla!

Lyn:      Shit, you think?

Raka:     (mild growl more anxious than angry, then resigned and a bit scared) A’sarkra nah’flæthis Fiyar’ta-

Lyn:      Okay, let’s calm down. Breathe, Raka.

Lyn:      Do you know what kind of place this is?

Raka:     I don’t know… it looks… desolate.

Lyn:      Yea. It looks like someone burnt down a forest in a rocky desert or something.

Raka:     I don’t think we’re in the sanctuary anymore… Sanctuaries are full of life and serenity.

Lyn:      This doesn’t seem like a very serene place, no… (sniffs) and I’d expect a sanctuary to smell like incense, not like… that. Urg… (disgusted sounds)

Raka:     (sniffs) Like blood and… burnt meat- flesh… Not cooked- singed.

Lyn:      And burnt wood… (shudders).

Raka:     It smells fresh. The fire I mean, like it only recently stopped burning.

Lyn:      Don’t say that… that doesn’t help.

Raka:     (weak smile) Looks like we all get a good scare today, hm? Come, we’ll see where that smell’s coming from.

Lyn:      Some of those logs are still burning… (sighs) at least the left over embers will help dry our clothes. Urg, I hate sticky, wet clothes.

Raka:     Good thing we left the backpacks outside…

Lyn:      Oh yea. All that porridge would be soaked.

Raka:     I hope we’ll find back to that place later.

Lyn:      Do you think Malaki did this?

Raka:     The fires? No, he doesn’t have fire runes.

Lyn:      Any idea where he went?

Raka:     Lyn, I- I don’t know. Ever since we entered the Waterdome we haven’t had a whole lot of control over where we were going! We went from the supermarket to… a version of the waterdome where your village was gone, to the bottom of a canyon with a watergate, to an underwater sanctuary to this! (exasperated and resigned) Fiyar’ta… Why is nothing in this world making sense anymore?

Lyn:      (sighs) I don’t know, bro. This world hasn’t made a whole lot of sense to me since I started becoming aware of it. A bit more doesn’t make a difference anymore, so I just roll with it…

???:      (sobbing)

Raka:     (concerned) Do you hear that?

Lyn:      Yea. Someone’s crying.

Raka:     Over there- behind the fallen tree.

Lyn:      Oh man, that person is huge!

Raka:     (agreeing) I don’t recognize her Rontar. Could she be human?

Lyn:      Hell no. That’s NOT a human, her skin or… or fur or whatever is too white. The Væron maybe?

Raka:     No… Væron have enormous antlers that connect them to the ætherweb.

Lyn:      Oh yea, I remember, Ferryce had those.

Raka:     Let me speak to her.

Lyn:      Sure.

Raka:     (calling out) Fæhu? Excuse me. My name is Raka. My companion and I came here by accident and… err… Can you tell us what happened here? (uncertain if she was heard) Fæhu?

???:      (sobbing whisper) They’re dead…

Raka:     What? Who?

???:      (continues to sob)

Lyn:      (somber) Raka look… on her lap, she’s holding…

Raka:     (consternation) Two bodies…

Lyn:      Are they… dead?

Andy:     (groaning, barely conscious) No…

Sean:     (hanging weak and limp on Garïyarla’s lap, in a hoarse whisper) We’re alive.

Raka:     (consternation) Fiyar’ta… What… are those?

Lyn:      (consternation) They look like humans… wait… shit I know those two!

Andy:     (more focused, hoarse whisper) I know that voice… Lyn…

Lyn:      Sean! Andy! Oh stuff, what happened to you?!

Andy:     (hoarse whisper) Lyn… it IS you… you brought a friend, hm?

Sean:     (hoarse whisper) Who is it?

Andy:     (hoarse whisper) Lyn… Cat-Lyn, remember?

Lyn:      Yea, you guys always called me Cat-Lyn!

Sean:     (hoarse) Cats… I remember there were cats in the house across the street. But I don’t remember a Katlyn…

Andy:     (hoarse) Not across the street… in the apartment three doors down.

Sean:     (weakly) Andy, we had a free standing house, there were no apartments.

Lyn:      What happened to you guys?

Sean:     (weakly) I don’t know…

Andy:     (weakly) We’ve been here for a while. That woman…

Sean:     (weakly) She hasn’t stopped crying for days.

Andy:     (weakly) We couldn’t get up… couldn’t move.

Raka:     Your bodies… Lyn, were they always like…

Lyn:      No, they weren’t like this before…

Andy:     (weakly) What are we like?

Sean:     (weakly) We haven’t looked at ourselves in a while…

Lyn:      You’re… I don’t know how to describe it…

Raka:     Fused… Conjointed?

Lyn:      Yea… And some parts are… made out of fog… or clouds.

Andy:     (calm, in a weak attempt to make light of the situation) That explains why we couldn’t get up…

Raka:     Is this what it looked like when the Eyta-Vær absorbed the other humans?

Lyn:      Exactly like that, yes-

???:      (sings a gentle lullaby while sobbing)
In your dreams, do you recall?
Lays hidden deep your one true soul.
dig for it with your bare hands
it buds and sprouts in fertile lands.
shattered, broken, yet unbent,
when through empyrean’s flame you went.

Andy:     (weakly) She… speaks…

Sean:     (hoarse) That woman… She’s just been holding us the whole time… and cried.

Lyn:      Oh stuff… You’ve just been laying on her lap for DAYS?

Andy:     (hoarse) It could’ve been weeks…

Lyn:      How did you eat?!

Sean:     (weakly) Eat?

Andy:     (weakly) Ah… I remember… food.

Sean:     (weakly) I almost forgot about that…

Lyn:      Shit- do you need food? We have- Oh damnit, no… we left our backpacks at the gate…

Andy:     (weakly) I don’t think we need food anymore…

Raka:     Has… has SHE spoken to you at all?

Sean:     (weakly) No… Not a word.

Andy:     (weakly) She’s been humming that lullaby occasionally. But she didn’t talk to us directly.

Lyn:      (despairing) Oh gosh guys… what happened to you?

Raka:     Do you remember anything that happened before you woke up here?

Sean:     (weakly) There were these creatures that came into our house in the middle of the night… while we slept. I saw that they were… harming Andy… So I jumped in. And then I woke up and we were already here… like this…

Andy:     (weakly) I don’t remember any of that…

Ashley:     The creatures took Darryl…

Lyn:      (surprised) Ash!

Andy:     (mild surprise) Ah… Ashley.

Sean:     (weakly) I remember her…

Lyn:      You look… different.

Raka:     Half her body is just… made of mist…

Ashley:     Different… of course I look different! You know why? Because you ran away, Lyn… You know what those things did to Darryl?

Lyn:      Um… Ash, are you alright?

Raka:     Something is wrong with her…

Ashley:     They TOOK him… Why did they only take Darryl?

Sean:     (weakly) They took others, too. Mikhaila, Trevor, Rory, Zoe… They are all gone… Just like the creatures.

Ashley:     (resentful) They are not gone… those things are still here.

Lyn:      They are?

Raka:     Have you seen them?

Ashley:     (ominous whisper) They hide in the bodies of those they took. Any of you could have one inside them right now… Lyn… why didn’t you help me?

Lyn:      Um… I did help you! I was the only one that came running when you were crying for help when that spirit absorbed Darryl!

Ashley:     But you didn’t help me when I was attacked by one of those creatures…

Sean:     (weakly) Leave her alone, Ash…

Lyn:      I- I don’t know what I could’ve done to help you!

Ashley:     (condescending) Of course. You were always a coward…

Andy:     (weakly) There is no need to be rude, Ashley…

Ashley:     (angry) Shut up, Andy! She’s always been too afraid to take responsibility, too afraid of conflict. That’s why you ran from home, isn’t it? And that’s why you ran when those things appeared!

Lyn:      Calm down, Ash, I’m sorry about what happened to Darryl but-

Raka:     There was nothing she could’ve done about it, mere mortals can’t touch-

Ashley:     Even now you hide behind that woman. Coward… (flares into anger) COWARD!

Raka:     (urgent) Watch out-

Lyn:      (shoved out of the way) Hey- (shocked) Raka!

???:      (desperate, sobbing shriek) No… No! NO! DO NOT HARM MY CHILDREN!

Andy:     (weakly) She speaks…

þorianþaris:  Get away, little mortals!

Raka:     Þorianþaris!

Lyn:      Dude!

Ashley:     What are you?!

þorianþaris:  I’ll keep her at bay!

Raka:     (panting in suppressed pain) Fiyar’ta- Lyn, Run!

Lyn:      Shit- yes!

Ashley:     (screaming in anger) COWARD, COME BACK! SHOW ME THAT RUNNING AND HIDING ISN’T THE ONLY THING YOU DO!

Lyn:      (breathless) Shit- shit, shit- Raka, are you-

Raka:     (breathless, panting and tumbling over her own words) We have to- find a place to hide-

Lyn:      (breathless) Ahead, on the right, behind the uprooted tree!

Raka:     (breathless) Yes- (still panting, then groaning from pain) Fiyar’ta- I did not expect that-

Lyn:      Her arm turned into a giant scythe, no one could’ve seen that coming!

Raka:     (groans and clenches her teeth in pain)

Lyn:      Oh stuff- are you alright?

Raka:     (growls) No! No I’m not!

Lyn:      Stupid question, sorry- Let me see that… (sharp intake of breath through gritted teeth) That doesn’t look good… But I think she only sliced your shoulder and part of your back. I don’t think that scythe went in too deep. Can you move that arm?

Raka:     (groans and tries to move, but is hit by the pain and she shudders) I don’t think I want to find out.

Lyn:      Fair enough, but it seems you can still move it a bit. That’s good, right?

Raka:     (groaning in pain) I think so…

Lyn:      Shit- I wish we had something to clean the wound, or… some way to stop the bleeding…

Raka:     (trying to subdue her pain a bit) Water?

Lyn:      Did you take the waterskin with you?

Raka:     Heh… (laughing slightly, then panting) We had plenty of water in the sanctuary, I didn’t think I’d need it… Vus (Water Rune: Water)

Lyn:      Oh right, you have water runes-

Raka:     Take it- the waterbubble. You can guide it where it needs to go, right?

Lyn:      Oh yea, my super powers! I completely forgot, hold on- (noise of strain, as she focuses on guiding the rune, sheepishly) Oh sorry- close enough, I guess.

Raka:     (clenching her eyes and teeth and groaning) Ahh- O-væ’tu-

Lyn:      Oh- Raka, before I forget! When Ashley flared up, a large rune lightened up inside her chest!

Raka:     A… A rune?

Lyn:      That of the dreameaters, that rune was inside her!

Raka:     What?! (through gritted teeth and with suppressed pain) Fiyar’ta- Ferryce?!

Ferryce:  I’m a Væron of maintaining, not of healing, Raka.

Raka:     (in pain) Ferryce, what’s going on?! Where are we?

Ferryce:  I don’t know.

Raka:     (slight panic) What?!

Lyn:      Are we even still in the sanctuary?

Ferryce:  No. I don’t know what or where this place is. And before you ask, I also don’t know where Malaki is.

Raka:     (terrified and in pain) Fiyar’ta- How do you not know?! Væron are supposed to know everything!

Ferryce:  Everything we NEED to know to fulfil our duties.

Lyn:      How did thoriandude get in here?

Ferryce:  Again, I don’t know. I assume through the connection to Garïyarla.

Raka:     (growling in pain and terror) Gonaraĥ! If even a Væron doesn’t know what’s going on, how are we supposed to-

Lyn:      Shit, what was- wait, I’ll take a look, you stay here.

Raka:     Be careful! (tenses up, as pain runs through her body)

Ashley:     She can’t have gotten too far.

Darryl:     (low rumbling) I smell blood…

Ashley:     (impatient) Where, Darryl?!
(pause) Ah. I see the trail she left…

Darryl:     There… behind the tree roots.

Ashley:     (triumphant smirk) Well done, Darryl.

Lyn:      Oh shit- (hushed) Raka, she found us!

Raka:     (in turmoil) Zathiraĥ’mæ! Fiyar’ta-

Lyn:      And there’s a giant beast thingy with her! What do we do?!

Raka:     (terrified) I don’t… I don’t know!

Lyn:      Can you get up?

Raka:     (groans, as she tries to push herself up)

Lyn:      Here, I’ll help you-

Ashley:     You can’t hide forever, Lyn.

Lyn:      Shit-

Raka:     No-

Ashley:     Tell me where Darryl is.

Lyn:      Darryl? Ash, you just called that beast Darryl, what are you-

Ashley:     (dismissive) This is not Darryl. This is the thing that has fused with Darryl.

Lyn:      What?!

Darryl:     I am also Darryl, Ash. I’m still the same.

Ashley:     (dismissive) You are NOT Darryl. Stop pretending.

Raka:     (huffing and groaning) Lyn, we have to-

Lyn:      What exactly do you want Ash?!

Ashley:     Grab her, Darryl.

Lyn:      Shit- Quicker, Raka!

Raka:     (panting in pain) I’m trying- (in pain, through gritted teeth) No- Lyn! (panic) No- no- NO! MYR! (Fire rune: Fire)

Malaki:   (calling out) Ræwyn! (Earth Rune: Roots) Yseïr! (Wind Rune: ferocious wind)

Raka:     (relief and disbelief) Malaki!

Ashley:     Darryl!

Darryl:     Why are you hurting me?!

Malaki:   (yelling in exhilerated frenzy) PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER, AZERI! SURELY YOU WON’T BUDGE TO A PESKY VÆR!

Raka:     (confused) What… Azeri?

Malaki:   YEN ṽODYïA! (Wind Rune: blow away)

Raka:     Malaki! Come back!- (groans in pain, then in realization) Fiyar’ta- Lyn! (panic) Lyn! Are you alright? Lyn!

Lyn:      (groans, weakly) I’m fine… give me 5 more minutes…

Raka:     You’re… You’re not hurt!

Lyn:      (groans, weakly) Are you sure? I feel like Darryl chewed me like a squeaky toy…

Raka:     You aren’t wounded, your clothes… aren’t even pierced! (panicking hysteria) Fiyar’ta… Ferryce- Ferryce, what’s going on! Surely a Væron like you would know what’s going on!

Ferryce:  That’s not how it works, Raka. Væron knowledge is not limitless or omnipotent.

Malaki:   (calling out) Yseïr! (Wind Rune: ferocious wind) Tharan! (Wind Rune: thunder) (calling out to Raka, amused) WATCH, AZERI! THIS IS HOW YOU DEAL WITH VÆR! (laughs like an idiot)

Ashley:     (angry) Leave Darryl alone!

Darryl:     (snaps) Why are you hurting me?! I’ve done nothing to offend you!

???:      (sobbing, begging) No- please- Don’t harm my children!

Malaki:   (growls) Let go!

???:      (sobbing) Please… Please stop…

Lyn:      There’s that crying woman again… Where did SHE come from? Why is she clinging to Malaki like that?

Raka:     (burrying her head in her hands in despair) I don’t know- I don’t know what’s going on anymore-

Lyn:      Raka? Look, I know not knowing stuff isn’t easy for you but… if even Ferryce doesn’t know, then we’re all in the same boat. That makes it OK, right?

Raka:     No! If anything, that makes it worse! (explosive release of air) I was always able to deal with all kinds of strange things, knowing the Væron knew there was a logic behind the workings of this world. If even a Væron doesn’t know-

Lyn:      Oh shit- Smalltalk later- (calling out) Malaki!

Malaki:   Don’t try to stop me, human, I’m busy! (growls, as he tries to tug free from Garïyarla) Let me go! Thrausar Kyrjir!

???:      (wailing) No… My children… you can’t harm them!

Malaki:   (accusation) Your children are Eyta-Vær that merged with humans!

Lyn:      Get away from her, Mal! She doesn’t look right! She is crying blood!

Malaki:   (calling out) I see that!

Raka:     B-blood?

Ashley:     You will pay for hurting Darryl, you disgusting werewolf-mutt!

Malaki:   Yseïr! (Wind Rune: ferocious wind)

???:      (cries out in pain and despair) No… NO! (in anger and pain) Aaaaaaah!

Ashley:     No! What are you doing, get away from me!

???:      It is alright, my child. I will help you.

Ashley:     NOOO!

???:      (angry) I have asked you for weeks NOT to harm my children, yet you continue hurting them!

Ashley:     (calling out) Lyn! Darryl! Help me!

???:      (angry) I shall inflict the pain you have brought them a thousand fold!

Raka:     Fiyar- What is that woman doing?

Lyn:      Fusing… She’s fusing with Ash! Like the Dreameaters! Is she a dreameater?

Raka:     A… Dreameater… It’s… not impossible-

Lyn:      Is she the queen of the swarm? Leader of the pack?

Raka:     No… No, she can’t be. Spirits don’t have a leader-

Ashley:     (pleading) Lyn! Help me!

Malaki:   Kokol farue- YEN ṽODYïA! (Wind Rune: blow away)

???:      Come back!

Lyn:      Mal!

Raka:     You upset her-

Malaki:   She started growing horns!

Lyn:      What?

Raka:     Those aren’t horns-

???:      I will do to you what you have done to my children!

Raka:     Those are-

Lyn:      Antlers!

???:      (lunging at the trio in anger) RAAAH!

Ferryce:  (flares up in anger) ENOUGH OF THIS!

???:      (confused, clearer and soft spoken) F- Ferryce (Ferris)?

Ferryce:  What has gotten into you, Garïyarla?!

Raka:     (surprise) Garïyarla?!

Lyn:      SHE’s the Væron?!

Garïyarla:  (confused, clear) What are you doing here, Ferryce-

Malaki:   Yseïr! (Wind Rune: ferocious wind)

Ferryce:  (angry, scolding) Malaki!

Raka:     What are you doing!
Garïyarla: (back to the crazed self, angry) You DARE invoke Runes before a Væron?!

Malaki:   (ignoring her) Tanhæ’wyv! (Wind Rune: whirlwind)

Lyn:      (coughing) Mal, stop! You’re blowing up all the ashes!
Malalki: (starts laughing like a maniac) TANHÆ’WYV, YES! TANHIA! (Wind Rune: Whirlwind)

Garïyarla:  (angry) Insolence! You will SUFFER for this, SKUR!

Malaki:   (screaming his lungs out) IÆR’WYV! ËRIL’WYV! (Wind Runes: More wind, increase wind)(triumphant) Yes! YES! I turned ash into water, HAH! (laughs) Air to light, trees to… coral, yes coral! I changed what the Væron made, I can defeat the Væron …

Raka:     (exhausted) Eväi’s sake…

Lyn:      (exhausted) Where are we now?

Garïyarla:  (dazzled and bewildered) In my sanctuary.

Ferryce:  Good. About time you regained you wits.

Raka:     Is this the bottom of the lake?

Garïyarla:  (dazzled) Yes… But… What has that Skur done to my sanctuary…

Lyn:      Well it looks like… He created a vault in the middle of the lake that holds the water off?

Garïyarla:  But how-

Lyn:      Hey, stay positive. At least now you have more light down here.

Garïyarla:  A mortal shouldn’t be able to affect my sanctuary, especially not with runes-

Ferryce:  (impatient) That doesn’t matter now. Will you PLEASE explain what that was all about?

Garïyarla:  (bewildered) I’m… not sure…

Malaki:   I defeated a Væron with windrunes, Azeri! WIND RUNES! (growling) Pesky Væron- I DEFEATED YOU! I destroyed your beast and your ash-monsters with nothing but my runes! HAH! I DEFEATED YOU, VÆRON! (starts laughing until he wears himself out, then lets himself drop backwards onto the ground where he continues to laugh in exhausted bursts, then slightly more exhausted) Now I just need to find the one that took you…

Raka:     (exhausted) I think… he finally wore himself out.

Lyn:      (tired) Where does he get all his energy from…

Raka:     It might still be an effect of the Sparkthorn.

Lyn:      Oh yea… (confused) Rain? Why is it raining?

Garïyarla:  It’s all the water your companion blew up to the roof of the waterdome. It’s coming back down.

Lyn:      Is this hollow gona fill up?
Ferrye: Maybe in a few days. It will take a while for that thing Malaki did to wear off.

Lyn:      Hm. Hey Raka, your wound is gone.

Raka:     Hm? Oh. You’re right… as if it was never there…
Garïyarla: It never was.

Raka:     It… felt very real to me.

Garïyarla:  (sighs) It… was all just a nightmare.

Ferryce:  (in a commanding tone) Tell us what you know.

Garïyarla:  (mild frustration, scolding) Ferryce, I understand that I am in your debt for bringing me back to my senses. But for Athæona’s sake, do respect the etiquette of another Væron’s sanctuary. Having you in my sanctuary, on top of what that Skur did to it, is very upsetting.

Ferryce:  Apologies, Garïyarla. Please. Tell us what happened.

Garïyarla:  I don’t know how long I’ve been in that state. My memory is hazy… Since the Eyta-Vær (Veyr) appeared, not much has made sense to me. (uncertain) You… know of the Eyta-Vær?

Lyn:      Like hell we do. I was in the village when they absorbed Ash and… basically everyone but me!

Garïyarla:  Ah… I remember you… Yes. Lyn. The one they called Cat-Lyn. You managed to escape because you could see the Eyta-Vær before they manifested.

Lyn:      Yup, that’s me.

Garïyarla:  They did… strange things to the humans they absorbed. The humans didn’t just vanish… Humans… are creatures who dream. The Eyta’Vær fused themselves to those who dream.

Lyn:      Um. What?

Raka:     Like a parasite?

Garïyarla:  No. I don’t know why they did it- they are not supposed to be able to do that.

Ferryce:  Yet they did.

Garïyarla:  Yes. And in their fusion, they became physical, attained blood and flesh and…

Lyn:      (impatient) And?

Garïyarla:  They… became able to influence the world around them. Not in the way a creature leaves a footprint in mud, no, more in a way that… They could change the world around them simply by thinking of the change.

Raka:     Is it like… this thing Lyn can do, taking control of Runes?

Garïyarla:  (uncomfortable) Yes, and no. Surely, when they bent a tree into impossible shapes, or guided streams to flow upwards, they affected the runes as well. But their influence was different, they- I can not say more.

Ferryce:  We understand.

Raka:     What happened then?

Garïyarla:  Despite what the Eyta-Vær had done to my protégées, I let them remain in my dome, woven of water and sky. I did not know what else to do. I wanted to find a way to separate them from the humans- the humans were put in my care, after all. But their influence altered my dome so greatly I could no longer discern between what was reality and what was the nightmare they created. Until I finally became part of their nightmare…

Raka:     Where are the Eyta-Vær now?

Garïyarla:  They are still in that nightmare they created…

Raka:     Is there any way to deal with them?

Garïyarla:  I don’t think that is in our power.

Ferryce:  Agreed. This is something beyond a Væron’s capability.

Garïyarla:  But now that I am of clear mind again and am aware of their influence, I can seek the help of the fourteen.

Lyn:      Your gods themselves? Wow!

Raka:     (concerned) Garïyarla… What will happen with Lyn, now that she is aware of… everything?

Lyn:      Oh damn! I didn’t think about that- Yea, will you… put me back into the village and make me dumb again?

Garïyarla:  (considering) No. That won’t be necessary. Not all humans are kept in places like this. You are… free to go where ever it pleases you.

Lyn:      YAY! I don’t have to be dumb anymore!

Garïyarla:  How did you know that you were being kept dumb?

Raka:     We spoke to Þorianþaris.

Garïyarla:  (mild surprise) Þorianþaris? Have they asked you to seek me in my Lake and guide me back to clarity?

þorianþaris:  I have, Garïyarla.

Garïyarla:  (reliefed) Þorianþaris! You return to me… despite what I have put you through…

þorianþaris:   (soft) You are my Væron. I would never leave you.

Garïyarla:  How did you manage to sustain yourself?

Ferryce:  They have been leeching the knowledge of a nearby village. As I understand, they pledged the removal of their mark on said village in exchange for Raka bringing you back to your senses.

Raka:     (exhausted) We have done our part, Þorianþaris.

þorianþaris:  And I shall do mine.

Garïyarla:  (with sadness, knowing this is their end) No… my friend…

þorianþaris:  It is done.

Malaki:   (raving) Don’t believe it, Raka!

Raka:     (mild) What?

Malaki:   (sly) Væhar are deceptive creatures. You have no way to verify that it really removed its mark!

Raka:     (too exhausted for arguments) Shut up, Malaki…

þorianþaris:  (laughs bitterly) You are wrong, Vær-Bane Malaki.

Garïyarla:  (with a sob) No…

þorianþaris:  Without my mark, without the sustenance the inhabitants of this dome provided me with, without a purpose, I can not sustain myself.

Lyn:      (confused) What is happening?

Raka:     Shh…

Ferryce:  They no longer have a purpose. They returned to the weave.

Lyn:      But they only just removed their mark, how-

þorianþaris:  I have not nourished since you left that village. The knowledge I drew from your companions, and the journals, were just enough to sustain me until now.

Garïyarla:  (somber) You were a good Væhar, Þorianþaris…

þorianþaris:  It was a pleasure being your Væhar, Garïyarla. Wakas andaïl anïr. (wa-KAS uhn-DUIL uh-NEER, seek contentment in life)

Garïyarla:  (almost sobbing) Wakas andaïl anïr. (wa-KAS uhn-DUIL uh-NEER)

Ferryce:  They sustained themself until they found someone that could free their Væron master. They were a good Væhar indeed.

Garïyarla:  (sobs gently) This is my fault…

Ferryce:  (understanding) You were in a conflict of interest. You did what you deemed right. Neither decision would’ve reaped favorable results. The Fiyar’ta will understand this.

Garïyarla:  (bitter) I’m aware, Ferryce.

Lyn:      Hey… Garee…Arla?

Garïyarla:  Yes?

Lyn:      Can I… ask a question?

Garïyarla:  I… seem to owe you answers. So you may ask. Within reason.
Ly: Were those in that… nightmarish place, were those the people I knew? Or were they all Dreameater spirits?

Garïyarla:  Part of them were the real people you remember. Part of them were Vær.

Lyn:      What will happen to them now?

Garïyarla:  I’m unaware of the path the gods will chose for them. Perhaps they will find a way to separate the Eyta-Vær. If not, perhaps they will bring them back to where they came from.

Lyn:      Earth?… Juropa?

Garïyarla:  Where ever they’re from.

Lyn:      Will they remember any of this?

Garïyarla:  Like a dream from nights past. They might. They might not.

Lyn:      Did I… come here the same way they did?

Garïyarla:  Possibly.

Lyn:      (sigh) You’re very vague.

Garïyarla:  Because I do not know more, little human.

Lyn:      Hm. Fine. (whispering to Raka) Pst- Hey

Raka:     Hm?

Lyn:      You still got that arrow thing to take care of.

Raka:     (in realization) Oh- yes. Garïyarla, I hope it’s not too early, but I have a favor to ask.

Garïyarla:  Ask it. I owe you my clarity and sense.

Raka:     We… are crossing the Skundr, trying to fix the tangleweave that caused all of this. Ferryce suggested I patch the hole using an arrow with a thread-rune.

Garïyarla:  (considering) An arrow with a thread that permeates the weave… A sound plan, yes.

Raka:     But I need to shoot this arrow into the Aetherfrays. We have not come across any Aetherfrays for a few days. Are there any in your… “area” that you could pull the arrow through for us?

Garïyarla:  Certainly. There are frays just beyond the Tripeaks. Give me the arrow. I will take care of this for you.

Raka:     Thank you…

Lyn:      (exhausted) I think Malaki passed out over there…

Raka:     (tiredly) Hm? Seems that way…

Lyn:      (yawns) I feel him. I’m just about ready to pass out myself.

Garïyarla:  Of course. You have been through a lot to bring me back to clarity. Allow me to bring you to a place where you can rest. I will take care of your arrow while you do.

Raka:     We… still need to pick up our backpacks.

Garïyarla:  I will make sure all your belongings will be there, along with the arrow.

Raka:     (exhausted sigh) Alright. We’ll take that.

Garïyarla:  (whistful) Wakas andaïl anïr. (wa-KAS uhn-DUIL uh-NEER)

Auril:    (exasperated) He was insanely unstable in this recording; she simply HAS to tether him now! How- How is it that she is STILL not tethering him?

Yosha:    (distraught) Why… Why did all of those things have to happen to her? She’s given up so much already… Raka deserved better…

Auril:    The last four recordings were so out of tune for documenting Raka’s work as a patcher, I will have to- I HAVE to remove them from the collection!

Yosha:    (distracted) Wh- what? No, you can’t!

Auril:    I can’t use them! They’re too loaded with-

Yosha:    Yes, yes you can! The last few might’ve been… a bit much, but they were absolutely necessary, I’d argue even vital, for the documentation of Raka’s work! The last two especially!

Auril:    No! Those last two would absolutely put the development of the windshell at risk! And they could affect Raka in a bad way, too!

Yosha:    Akasar Raka took some great risks in the choices she made, and I think that is important. It could affect how she approaches fixing the tangleweave! Not including them in the documentation would be the same as dismissing, even invalidate the progress she made as a person!

Auril:    No it wouldn’t, if anything, deciding to include these would be dangerous! For her AND my project!

Yosha:    How? How could people listening to these be a danger for Akasar Raka?!

Auril:    Well because- She- She neglected to tether off Malaki in a most critical moment and the situation completely escalated!

Yosha:    These recordings could paint her as the greatest patcher of our time though, maybe even for future generations!

Auril:    She could lose her job as an Akasar! And it could also endanger the progress of my work!

Yosha:    But she already mentioned in an earlier recording that she doesn’t like being an Akasar and would quit if she had a choice! She said she would much rather be just a patcher! She is here because she is very good at what she does and needs to teach it to other students here, with recordings like these she doesn’t NEED to stay being an Akasar anymore!

Auril:    Alright, great, lets assume she lost her job as an Akasar but became known as the greatest Patcher of Kærûn and gained fame that way. Do you honestly think the Magistrate would let me continue working on the projects like the windshell? Do you think the general public would trust in any future projects I work on, or even past ones for that matter, if they think they could potentially violate privacy the way these recordings have?

Yosha:    (slow) This… isn’t about Akasar Raka at all, is it?

Auril:    What?

Yosha:    You keep mentioning how it will ruin your project of the windshell, as if that was the more important aspect right now. You don’t really care about what happens to Raka, do you?

Auril:    Yosha, if Raka lost her position as an Akasar and the Magistrate rejected the idea and work I’ve done on the windshell and subsequently the documentation of Raka’s work as a patcher, then that would mean that all the material we have to back her up as “the greatest patcher of Kærûn” isn’t going to matter. The Recordings will not be used in classes, no one will learn anything from the recordings and Raka’s reputation as a patcher is going to be affected as well.

Yosha:    (with a small, sad voice) I… disagree. I think her reputation can only benefit from these recordings.

Auril:    (sighs) Well, it looks like… we’re not going to reach a conclusion on this matter, and probably won’t until Raka returns and has a look at these recordings.

Yosha:    (a bit sulkingly) Right… it’s her decision…

Auril:    Maybe we should take a look at this matter again tomorrow. Shall we do the references for now?

Yosha:    (sulkingly) Sure…

Auril:    Alright then. Date of recording, same as the previous one. Vocal enchantments were woven by Kessir Riliniki, Eyþór Viðarsson, Carollyn Monterola, Ester Ellis, Sean Howard, Eli Hamada Macllveen, Boyd Barrett, Christy Luse, Hakim Maiky, Hem Brewster and Travis Vengroff. With special guest voice of Maria Franz from Heilung, Euzen and Songleikr.
Music-Shells came from Fuimadane. Audio-Enhancements by Sarah Buchynski. Written and Produced by Kessir Riliniki.