Anyhoo: if you're new here and curious about what came before, the first chapter of this episode is here and previous episodes begin here. You can read this chapter below.
Chapter 2: Distinctions
Cascata couldn’t remember the last time she felt this small. She grew to full height at a young age, and the hunter’s life made her thick to match. She was used to being the most imposing person present. That was never as true when visiting her biggest brother and aunt, but this time she felt downright inadequate.
Their cottage was a contradiction: humble yet enormous. On this cot opposite her aunt’s bed, Cascata felt like a doll. She couldn’t walk because of the injury the Curator inflicted, and though her hostess was also confined to her bed, her dependence on others only worsened the malaise.
Cascata never met any other giants; her aunt and half-breed son were the only ones she’d ever seen. The elder claimed there were many more, but they lived far to the northwest, even beyond the borders of Matorbihumi. Cascata couldn’t comprehend such a distant place; anything outside the clockwork kingdoms may as well not exist to her. What made Midway special enough for this woman to stray so far from her homeland?
That story was more than a century old. The clan had more pressing issues to discuss.
“Are you comfortable, little Cas?” her sickly aunt asked.
“Nah, Aunty Itzel.” Cascata grinned. “Don’t got any o’ me favorite boneheads within’ smackin’ distance. Ya done th’ best ya can, but it ain’t gonna feel quite like home until Evan can’t run away from me when ‘e says somethin’ stupid.”
“Oh, sweetie, don’t pick on Evan…”
“‘kay. Want me ta stop breathin’, too?”
“Cascata, please, shut up,” the elder shook her head. “We’ve got a lot of listening to do. I know how much you hate it, but it’s one of those times.”
“Alrigh’, I’m sorry,” Cascata held her good arm up in surrender. “I’m comfy, Itzy. We c’n start.”
Elder Inga sighed. “Itzy, this isn’t going to be an easy conversation. Are you sure you’re up for it?”
“Of course, deary,” the giant’s voice was a sweet sort of thunder. “You’ve done so much for us, how could I say no?”
“You could say no because it’s about your time in the woods,” the elder replied.
“Oh,” Itzel deflated at the mention. “Yes, that is less than pleasant.”
“I know, and I’m so sorry sis,” the elder fretted. “You know I wouldn’t ask if-”
“I do know, Inga. Come now, it’s not as if I denied you. If my experience can help you in any way, then I should be ready to share it. Just try to forgive my frailty.”
“That ain’t hard, there be worse crimes,” Cascata teased.
“Cas,” the elder groaned. “Mr… Bolon, was it? I don’t think I can respond to your request until I get my sister’s advice. Do you mind waiting?”
“Of course not. I might learn something myself! Am I right?” Maita Bolon laughed. The ‘treasure hunter’ was a jovial sort, which Cascata found pleasant and suspicious. Both those feelings made her want to be around him.
“And you trust him with this, Itzel?” the elder asked. Cascata rolled her eyes; she was being too careful.
“Who, Maita? Oh of course, dear. He’s harmless.”
“‘less ya get between me and a good meal, ha!” Maita slapped his ample belly.
“Then let’s begin. The clan is under attack, Itzel. We’ve never experienced anything like this. We’re used to chasing off a desperate predator at night, and we cope as best we can when a hunter just doesn’t come home, but none of us ever needed to fight an army. We face annihilation, and I don’t know what to do.”
“An army?” Itzel gasped. “On western soil? Does the king know?”
“That’s…” the elder paused. Cascata had also forgotten they were technically inside his borders. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea to involve him. Still, this isn’t the army you’re imagining, Itzel. This is an army of Stingers, of the things-”
“What provoked them?” Itzel asked.
The question caught them off guard. The old giant was more insightful than Cascata expected.
“Trouble brang us another daughter,” Cascata explained. “It chased ‘er right to us, up from th’ north down an’ around an’ through the woods, right into our camp. Bigger trouble chased that trouble-”
“A true monster, Itzy,” the elder cut in. “Enormous, twice or three times the size of our biggest beast! We’d never seen anything like it.”
“We killt it though,” Cascata finished. “Our new northern daughter opened its belly. We think tha’s what started this.”
“A thing from the silence.” Itzel paled. “They can die?”
Cascata and the elder looked at each other. They were getting to the hard part now. The elder was worried they’d traumatize her poor sister before they could dig any wisdom out of her, so Cascata wasn’t supposed to talk if her aunt began to get scared. This might get boring, then.
Curious, she gave Maita a glance. His smile was gone, but he didn’t look scared. He wore the face of someone doing hard math; was he so lost by their conversation that he turned his thoughts to other matters, or was this scheme connected?
“What are they, Itzy?” the elder asked. “What did you see while you were in there?”
“Come, dear, I don’t have the eyes to see anything in there,” Itzel regained some composure. “Does anyone have something from the Dawnless Woods on them? I mean something made from the creatures, a bit of that armor of theirs.”
“‘ere, I got a knife.” Cascata winced trying to reach for it. Ever since the damned Curator redid all the Stinger’s damage to her shoulder, any slight movement could cause its blades to stab at her from within.
“Stop that, I’ll get it,” the elder scolded, lifting the blanket and retrieving the holster from her right side. She stood and hobbled over to her giant sister. “Here you are, Itzy.”
“Thanks dear. Yes, this is what I mean,” Itzel held the knife between her thumb and index finger so they could all see. “Now. Do you all know the seven elements? I’m sure you do, Inga, you had the same schooling I did.”
“O’ course,” Maita answered. “Earth, wind, water, life, fire, light, and lightning.”
Cascata was relieved she didn’t have to answer. The subject bored her, so sometimes she would forget one or two.
“Life,” Itzel repeated. “That’s the one I want to focus on. It transforms some of the others: earth and wind and water.”
“Bone an’ breath an’ blood, yeah,” Cascata recited. “It’s what makes wood an’ skin diff’rent from rocks.”
“Right.” Itzel nodded. “And also the stuff in this knife. But what did life transform this from?”
Cascata opened her mouth to answer, but hesitated. She thought it might be one of the different flavors of earth, because the knife was a lot like bone. But...
“Perhaps metal,” the elder offered. “I know that falls under earth, but we can use this in ways we can’t use bone.”
“I dunno, mum,” Cascata said. “Metal comes back after ya melt it. This stuff ain’t the same after fire.”
“Could be a mix,” Maita suggested. “Different earths and some air and water besides.”
“Or it could be something else entirely,” Itzel finished. “The point is, it’s new to the world. I’ve never seen anything like it, never heard anyone describe something like this. I really believe it didn’t exist in this world before Midway went dark. It’s sort of miraculous, if you think about it…”
“Indeed,” Maita interrupted. “What does it have to do with ‘your things from the silence’?”
“Ah, right, thank you dear,” Itzel cleared her throat. “Everything that lives in there has this substance, but in those weeks we were escaping from Midway I began to notice some monsters had more of it than others. There were the beasties, of course, all those types you hunt and a few I haven’t seen since. Then there were the scarier ones, the ones sort of like people-”
“Like that giggly stick ‘o broke ‘is fingers off’n me shoulder,” Cascata growled. She grimaced, remembering she wasn’t supposed to talk anymore. Oh well, damage done. “e’s covered in that stuff, head ta toe.”
“Yes dear, like that monster. I’m so sorry.” Itzel gulped hard before continuing. “I thought it was just those two classes of them, at first. Then I stumbled into the silence that once. One moment it was normal, with wind and chirps and little Gabor’s coos. Then I thought I went deaf for a moment, it was like the forest died around me. I was confused, and that’s probably why I didn’t stop right away. That’s when the third kind found me.”
Cascata grit her teeth as she watched the old giant tremble. Whoever it was she found in the silence left such an impression that even the memory could scare her this bad. The hunter matron wished she could find and extract some vengeance from it.
“Ever since, I’ve likened this stuff to marble, because the creatures in the silence were practically sculpted from it. There were so many, and they were on me so fast! They just loomed over us, like monuments to some dark god. If I’d taken one more step, they’d not have left a scrap, I’m sure of it. They didn’t speak, but they were telling me I was unwelcome.”
“Didn’t you say you can’t see in the dark?” Maita asked. “How could you tell they had more of that stuff than the people-kind or the animals?”
“Oh, no, I couldn’t see them. I spent weeks in there, though, your other sense can tell.” She scratched a fingernail against Cascata’s knife to demonstrate its unique sound. “Plus, when there’s that much of this in one place, you can feel it on the air. It sucks the heat from the atmosphere and makes everything heavy. It pulls on you. Until you meet one - no, maybe you need many of those types to gather - I don’t think you can understand what I mean.”
Cascata and the elder exchanged a glance.
“She was right, before. Fleahorn was probably one of those.”
“Aye,” Cascata agreed. “I feel somethin’ in yer tent now that we’re usin’ his collar fer the smoke-hole. It’s a kinda peaceful feel, when it’s dead…”
“So you think they angered that dark god when his monument got smashed.” The women looked at Maita as he summarized. “More to the point, you believe there is a dark god, and this armor stuff is his hallmark. So what’s your advice, old Izel? Do they appease or oppose him?”
Cascata smirked and gave him a sidelong look, but the elder pre-empted her. “Well, there’s a step between where we are and that one, son. We came to learn what she knows about these creatures. Once we know what she does, we can talk about fighting or fleeing…”
“Oh sister, you know I want you to run. I don’t know much about fighting, despite my size I was never so good at it. Stay with me, or if that’s not safe enough, join the west. The king is a good man. He already considers us to be his subjects, you’d lose no freedom-”
“Hold on now,” Cascata tried not to sound annoyed. “We ain’t talkin’ about that yet. I know ya ain’t learnt in fightin’, aunty, but it’s my favorite kinda math. What ye’re tellin’ me makes me like our fightin’ chances. When you met them mon’ments, you walked away. Tha’s ‘cause they let you, isn’t it?”
“Well, yes dear,” Itzel conceded.
“An’ he’s mad at us in the firs’ place ‘cause we killed one of ‘em. I don’ think he’ll risk another if he likes ‘em so much. There’re reasons they didn’t chase you, and I think they’re the same reasons they won’t come ta kill us now. If there only be these three types, like Itzel says, then I think we only gotta worry about them people-lookin’ kind. And my hunters’re worth at least three of each o’ them.”
“But we don’t know if he has more secrets, Cas,” the elder argued. “We don’t know what he has lurking near the river or along the roads.”
“Roads are just thick with the man-types, I can tell you that much,” Maita said. “He’s not hiding anything new there.”
“Why’s everyone convinced the god is a ‘he?’” the elder grumbled. “Before that, Itzel: is there anything else you can remember that might help us understand our enemy better?”
“Inga, I’m afraid I wasn’t hiding anything like that from you. I didn’t understand much of what happened as I fled Midway. I wouldn’t have guessed the forest would organize against us this way. I don’t know what comes next.”
“I do,” Maita claimed. “More or less. It’s frightening, but an opportunity comes with it. Will you take it?”
Once again, he had everyone’s attention. Cascata was the first to respond. “We listenin’, merchant. Go on.”
“I’m not a Mercha-” Maita shook his head. “I was coming from the east when I discovered the change in the west. I had intended to go south until it became clear something changed, and I had to keep heading west until I knew what that change was. I can’t prove my theory, but because I know why it’s happening, I believe I understand what is happening. The master of the woods is going to dispense his justice and replace his losses at the same time. That general you killed, he’ll want to fill that void. To do that, he’ll determine which of his man-monsters are strongest by pitting them against the others, and then he’ll put them to seeing to his justice. Whichever one inflicts the most vengeance, that’s the one he’ll promote. He’ll pursue two agendas with one task.”
“I know you said you can’t prove it, but is there any basis for this theory?” the elder asked. “You understand if we wonder how much of this is assumption.”
Maita sighed. “I do. Some of it is assumption. You should understand better than anyone, though: I’ve been living in this tyrant’s shadow my entire life. These assumptions of mine were formed from a lifetime of sneaking through his domain and retrieving his squandered wealth. My family has been doing this since Midway went dark. The people of every clockwork nation would say it’s impossible - much like what they’d say about your lifestyle. We must be doing something right, yes?”
Cascata saw the treasure hunter’s personality change over the course of this conversation. She didn’t blame him for the fake persona; it seemed like a good way to thrive amongst the squatters of the clockwork nations. The act was slipping now, and Cascata was glad. It didn’t seem intentional - his accent sounded more like Itzel’s and the elder’s now, maybe they made him drop his guard? Regardless, this exposure felt honest. He wasn’t trying to fool them.
Think I might wanna pretend I see it differently, though. “Fer somebody who ain’t a merchant, ya sure are keen on sellin’ this story. Why ya want us ta buy it so bad?”
“Sell you-” Maita grimaced and rubbed his forehead. “No, you’re right. This should sound suspicious, coming from a stranger. And there is something I want from this situation. From you. But it’s not at your expense, see? This is for our mutual benefit. I’ve described the danger, but you do remember when I said there was also an opportunity? I can help you win this war.”
The room was silent for several seconds. “How?” The elder asked.
“There’s a place, south and a little west from the abandoned city. It’s where the road forks, it’s where I noticed the change in the west. It’s a shelter, the kind of building you can’t make without magic. I’ve been all over those woods, and the only place he’s guarded as well as this tower is the old city. Something’s in there, friends. Something vital. It might even be his home. Now that you’re in his sights, the guards have vanished - near as I can tell, I mean. I’m sure it’s not completely undefended. The point is, my family has been watching that building for generations, and this is the best chance we’ve ever had. Give me four of your best warriors, that should be enough to claim whatever he’s deemed so crucial. If he’s in there, four is enough to even take his head. I realize it’s a lot to ask, but this is the first chance in a hundred years. None of us will live to see another one.”
“Maita, I’ve never seen you like this,” Itzel observed. “Who are you, really?”
“The same man you’ve always known, Itzy,” Maita assured. “I’m just forced to take things a little more seriously right now.”
“Four warriors,” Cascata repeated. “If we count you - should I count you? Killin’ another Fleahorn, I’d send more’n five if I wanted it ta be a sure thing. More fer the god hisself. Ya got a lot of faith in us, fer bein’ strangers.”
“So does he, to commit this much against you,” Maita countered. “It seems warranted, considering your harsh existence. And- to be completely honest - I’m a bit desperate. This isn’t a sure thing. Four are capable, but I couldn’t guarantee success even with ten. It’s a gamble, ladies, but ya won’t ever see these dice again.”
The clan could usually spare four warriors, but could they now? They had fewer hunters now than at any point in their history. Plus, if Maita, Trent, and the elder’s math was right, individual enemies would be more potent without the Curator controlling them. That meant if even one monster survived longer than Cascata’s last hunter, she couldn’t be certain her civilian family could finish it off. They needed every fighter they had, especially with her, the hunter matron, confined to bedrest. This request of Maita’s was a gamble, one with very high stakes and no guarantee the reward would be worth the risk.
“Is it possible, Cascata? Can we spare them?” the elder’s question surprised her. Cascata would have thought she wanted to deny this stranger, but it sounded like she trusted him. “Could the herd help us hold long enough to allow it?”
She wanted to say ‘yes.’ She liked this opportunity, it felt good. Was this a feeling game, though? Wasn’t the elder supposed to be opposed to it? Her wistful tone made her sound naive, like she’d lost her objectivity because she wanted something too badly. What was she hoping this would accomplish? Maita hadn’t explained how whatever was being guarded would help them win, unless it was the ‘dark god’ himself. What made the elder certain this tower was valuable?
The hunter matron frowned and stared into her lap. Compromise; this feels like we need compromise. Where’s the middle ground here?
Guess we’ll find out. “I need some details ta know. How many days ya need, Mait’?”
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