Chapter 59: Being Young I
Marcus was in a particular good mood this morning. Fresh food had arrived and after several days of food bars and pre-made meals, biting into a fresh apple felt like heaven. He was on his way to Azaa for his daily bloodletting, but later he would join his team to go on a “Monster Patrol”. He was looking forward to some action and also to see the ginghi warriors in actual combat. If some EXP would also come his way, he would not mind at all.
Marcus knocked and entered Azaa’s study and like always she was already waiting for him and the room looked very busy. By now he had been here several times and never actually asked her what she was doing, Marcus realized. He greeted her and the female translator that once again was joining them. He had been rude, not only to Azaa but to the Asian woman too. With all that has been going on he had forsaken even basic manners and it was time to rectify that. He formally introduced himself to the human woman and she gave him a sweet smile “Linda Sato” was her name.
Azaa started the daily procedure and Marcus used the time to ask a few questions, he had on his mind. “What are you doing normally? What is your occupation?” Mrs. Sato worked her magic and Azaa answered “I’m responsible for many things but mainly I’m the Chief(?) Preserver of knowledge and wisdom. I and the people who work with me ensure that we as individuals and as a people do not lose knowledge and understanding. We investigate and learn from the remnants of other worlds and teach them to our people.” Marcus felt like he needed to slap himself. From the start he had thought that Azaa had some kind of religious role but that was before the humans learned about their origin. These are not some backwater primitives that worship golden idols, this is a fallen society that tries to preserve and relearn as much knowledge as they can. This is why Azaa and the rest were not surprised by things like electronic tablets. They might not have the capacity to produce such a technology right now but they did not think it was magic. HECK, Azaa is basically a scientist and historian at the same time.
Azaa watched Marcus, how he processed this news, and a faint smile appeared on her face. She finished the blood draining and moved on to the blood massage. “If I may ask, how did your leader get affected by his malady.” and Marcus could hear Azaa laugh behind his back (literary). “First my father is not the leader of our people. He has a very important role, Grand Protector(?), but he does not rule in that sense. There are several institutions that govern our people. The Protector, the Council of Elders, the Preservers and the Explorers(?).” Mrs. Sato was not sure about all the special terms but the meaning should be correct. Wait, the mega buff ginghi class holder was her father? Did we already know this, Marcus wondered.
“To what caused his suffering. On a fateful day many years back he was hunting on another world, together with many strong warriors of our people and encountered a dragon(?). They tried to escape, but one breath of the dragon removed all life in the area and killed all our warriors. My father was the only one to barely survive and yet the corruption of the monster ate away at his strength for years.” Marcus listened to the translation and shivered. The dragons (there are several!) were not just a myth they were real things that wandered the worlds? And it brought that ridiculously powerful man to death’s door in just one attack? Azaa had finished the treatment and watched Marcus’ expression. “It was a great misfortune. Meeting a dragon is a thing of myth and legend. Surviving such a meeting is worthy of tale.” Marcus realized she tried to calm him and he gave her a thankful smile. He needed to tell Grace and the scientists about what he learned here.
The daily ritual was over and Marcus put on his shirt, but before he left he had one more question. “What was your reasoning about naming my class Titan?” He asked and Azaa and Mrs. Sato discussed for some time. “We have our own name for it but it would not mean much to you. It is based on a legend, a mythical figure from the times when we were still powerful, even after the fall. The meaning is “Dragon Wrangler”, one who kills dragons.” Then Titan was a good choice of a name, Marcus thought. Even if it was totally over the top and unrealistic, of course.
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Marcus thanked Azaa and Mrs. Sato and said his goodbye but stopped as he heard the translated answer “Until later.”. Marcus turned with a surprised look “Later?”. “I will join you on your patrol.” Azaa said and Marcus did not know how to react other than to nod and smile. He walked back to the rest to the team and completely ignored the events around him. She is joining the patrol? Why? Marcus knew Azaa was unbelievably strong and had a lot of duties, there was no way this was normal. Was she there to make sure nothing happened to him? He reached the quarters and was no closer to an answer. The rest of the team was as surprised as Marcus to hear that Azaa was coming with them “That means we will not get a lot of action. But we might get to see how she fights.” Was Kou’s rational comment and Marcus agreed reluctantly.
A few hours later the gang gathered in a courtyard of a larger building. The sounds of people and animals filled the air. “What is that?” Marcus stood in front of a large beast that had a suspicious looking saddle on its back. It was a mammal, had four legs, short fur and a long neck with a surprisingly small head. A long tongue escaped its mouth and licked over Marcus’s armor. “It likes you.” Janette laughed. Mrs. Sato had joined the patrol for obvious reasons and a handful ginghi warriors prepared nearby too. Several of the beasts called Kakou were prepared for the humans to ride on. The apparent leader of the warriors said something “Apparently we are too slow and weak to keep up, so we have to take the mounts.” was Mrs. Sato’s translation. Marcus looked at the warrior and even so it hurts he was most likely correct. If the warriors moved at full speed the humans would only slow them down. The ginghi showed the humans a rough map and the path they would follow. If Marcus got his dimensions right they would cover over a 100 kilometer in one day. He could without any problems run such a distance but he was not fast and the others were faster but had most likely not enough endurance to keep up the speed. The Kakous were a good choice.
They stored their items on the backs of the beasts and Marcus saw that Janette had more weapons than usual with her. Besides her pistol and large rifle she also had several grenades and a machine gun with a big magazine stowed on her Kakou. “You got something else planed after we are done? Maybe start a war?” Marcus said as a joke but Janette looked serious. “If I run out of ammunition I’m dead weight and Achara does not bring her rifle anymore. I don’t want to become useless half way through the patrol. Besides it is better to be prepared for different scenarios.” Sometimes Marcus forgot Janette had also this side on her. The tough soldier who wields deadly power.
The last person to arrive was Azaa. She wore a dark blue coat and underneath a silver armor like her sister. Once more Marcus suspected that this armor had been made just for her. It perfectly fit her body and reinforced her slender look. Besides her armor she also wielded a spear with a silver point and metallic looking shaft. The weapon was not ordinary Marcus was certain, but he did not dare to ask about it. The other warriors bowed to Azaa and Marcus could feel the reverence in their actions and body language. They set out after the humans got on their new rides. It felt like the mounts were following the warriors more than the humans actually steered them but that was okay for Marcus. He had no experience with riding and he hoped to not end up in the dirt in front of Azaa.
They quickly moved over fields and through forests and they got to see ginghi working the fields. There were no machines and most was done by hand or supported by animals. If we would give them farming machines they might be able to greatly improve their agriculture output and food security, Marcus thought. It would be a small price for an alliance and the knowledge they had gained already.
They left the city well behind and after an hour they reached an area of forests that was hard to traverse. Rocks, rifts and steep hills made progress difficult and the humans went on foot. Marcus was not sure how far they had come but Azaa looked not even one bit exhausted after keeping up with the quick mounts. Janette looked over the top of a small hill, together with one of the warriors who was most likely a scout, “Monsters.”. She said and the man said something too that seemed to confirm her words. Azaa said something and Mrs. Sato translated “Your friend has very good eyes.”, “Yes, and “his friend” can also shoot very well too.” Janette said with a snide tone. Mrs. Sato translated and Azaa smirked.
Marcus joined the rest on top of the hill, to get an impression of the situation. Further down in a valley several dark furred creatures moved around. It was hard to tell their exact numbers but there were at least ten and each had the size of a grown brown bear but was not nearly as cuddly. The leader of the warriors said something “It is time to fight. These are Frillars(?), they move fast and far, and attack our villages. They are pests we need to eradicate.” A second later the crack of a shot started the fight prematurely “First down.” Janette said without a hint of regret.
