Back Again

[Yanahalqah]

Zi’da 16 Arc 716

Yana sighed as she popped into Uleuda, already making her way to the meditation area out of habit. There were still one hundred and seven trials of punishment waiting for her, this trial not included. For two breaks the young Yludih was to meditate, reflecting on her actions from back in Saun. It had been Saun, right? Or Ymiden? She wasn’t entirely sure anymore, it felt like an eternity ago, and each trial spent in Uleuda was flowing into the next one. Her grasp on the flow of time had slipped a long while ago, it seemed, with her brain doing its utmost best to help her forget. Not that she could of course, each trial the small mediation chamber reminded her. At least things were improving. Since her talk with Quiome she had somewhat recovered from the worst of it, but saying she was over it was a bit of a stretch. She was still struggling, truth to be told. As much as possible she avoided the forest, only going in when it was absolutely necessary, and if she did she felt uncomfortable the whole time. Yana was aware she was merely running away again, of course, but she couldn’t quite help it. Perhaps she just wasn’t as resilient and tough as she had believed she was.

A Yludih monk awaited her near the spiritual zone of the city, cloaked in his ethereal robes, guiding her to a free chamber. For all his serenity and kind words, Yana knew well enough he would stand guard before her door to make sure she spent the full two breaks in there. The man might not dislike or distrust her per se, but not everyone had been happy with the “light” punishment the scarred Yludih had received. A guard -in name only, mind- was a compromise, a way to try and keep everyone calm. To convince those skeptical of her acceptance of the punishment that she would indeed be stuck in a meditation room.

She lowered herself onto the crystal cushion, eyes on the closed door. She’d found it uncomfortable at first, but after maybe a week she’d gotten used to it. The position in which she sat seemed to help too. Reluctantly she closed her eye, her chest moving up and down as if she’d once more let out a deep sigh. She was supposed to be meditating but it had never worked. Her mind drifted instead of becoming clear. The only reflecting she did was on that trial, on the mistakes she’d made. On the people who had died. On the trail that had followed. Torment couldn’t be the true meaning of this penalty, now was it? If it was, then she was doing it very right, she found. A light punishment eh? They knew nothing. Her crystals glowed a melancholic teal.

Oddly enough, the two breaks did pass fairly quickly, even though they still did not feel as if they had. The monk placed a gentle hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture, the meaning of her glow not lost on him.
“Acknowledging and accepting your faults and mistakes is the first step to personal growth,” he spoke softly, encouragingly. “It may not be pleasant, but everyone needs to struggle through it. It just takes some time.”
He gave a slight smile, but Yana did not return it. As she had no mouth, let alone lips, it wasn’t something her mostly blank face could do. Yet, the color of her radiance did shift a tiny bit for just a moment, which made the monk’s smile grow.
“Oh yes, before I forget. Your mother wanted to talk to you. She’s waiting in the eastern meeting plaza.”
“Thanks,” Yana replied, deciding to head there immediately.

It was a rare thing for her mother to call for her. Or rather, it was rare that they met here in Uleuda. There wasn’t any tension between the two of them, really, but Yana couldn’t deny she had been actively avoiding her lately. The woman would only want to fuss and try to comfort her, actually achieving the opposite to her intentions. At least one of them would get hurt when it reached a certain point, and she’d rather not have that.

Finding her mother wasn’t that hard of a task, not in the slightest because the older woman had the crystals of her body colored in varying shades of yellow. It changed with her mood, but the darker parts of her body always remained as such. Yana wasn’t sure what exactly the color meant to her mother, but obviously it was something important. Not per se the color, but the connotation or so.

As soon as the woman noticed her daughter approaching, she placed her book down, and stood, pulling Yana into a tight hug.
“Yana, it’s been a while! I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too, ma,” she responded, a little less enthusiast than she would have wanted.
“Please sit,” Risalqah commandeered, practically pushing Yana into a chair already. Then she plopped down in a chair opposite to her daughter, a small table in between the two of them.
“You had me so worried, you know,” Risa began, eyes fixed on Yana’s face. “You looked so small and fragile on that trial… I didn’t even get to talk to you…” Of course there was a bit of hurt in her words, even if she did not show it in her expressions. She merely eyed Yana, appearing not to see the scar on her daughter’s face, but Yana knew she did. She knew she disliked it, too. Once, arcs ago Risa had tried to touch Yana’s cheek, like she had often done when she’d been younger. Her fingers had come dangerously close to the damaged part of her face, and Yana had lashed out on impulse. Risa had never brought the scar up again. Yana knew she thought of it anyway, that she internally sighed at the sight of the crack.

“What’s this about, ma?” There was something about the situation that just did not feel right.
Risalqah sighed. “I know the past season has been hard on you sweetie,” she spoke gently, “but you just can’t be running away from your problems.”
Yana’s light changed, Risa looked a little desperate.
“I’ve talked with a doctor, a psychiatrist-”
“I’m not sick, ma. I’m fine.”
“No you’re not! That’s exactly what I’m talking about! You’re running again. You have to face your problems. Or at least try.”
A snort from Yana. She crossed her arms. “The psychiatrist said that?”
“Basically, yes. We- we think you need to go back to the forest. Back into the action. See that things do not always turn out that way-”

“I’m not going back!” Anger, fear, sadness. All mixed into one burst of emotion. No. Going back would just make things worse. Surely a psychiatrist would know such a thing? Back in the fray? Back near the Nulliem? No. No! She shook her head violently. Her mother looked quite miserable, eyes cast down.
“An Ancient One will bring you there and keep you safe. It’s just a routine operation. Just a check of the border, that’s it.”
“No! I’m not going!”
“I’m sorry sweetie.”

A shadow was cast over Yana’s figure, a large male Yludih standing behind her. A big hand was placed on her shoulder, and she stood out of reflex, trying to break free from the grip. He and her mother exchanged some words, but she could barely make out what was said. The only thing on her mind was to get away, to run. To hide. She struggled, she cried out, but to no avail. He was too strong, to massive. Her punches did not damage, nor did her kicks. In the end, all she accomplished was being knocked on the head for being too hysterical, and losing consciousness because of it.

It was sometime later that she woke back up, head hurting, mind calm, until she noticed she was in the crystal forest, having been placed against a tree while the Ancient One briefed the small group of what they were going to be doing. Yana froze in her spot, eye wide, terrified. Everything was coming back again, more vivid than usual. She huddled up in fetus position, already starting to suspect Nulliem to come swarming from all directions, erasing everyone. Last time she had been able to keep her calm, strangely, but now? Last time she hadn’t known how bad the situation had been. How dire. How many had been eaten by the void creatures. And it was all her fault.

[Sintih]

Sleep had only come after a long time. Sintih had been tossing and turning for most of the evening as the events of the day kept repeating in his mind. Around him, Heran's unit, well three of them, were sleeping soundly. He could tell by the noise of their snoring. Tonight had been the last night on this campaign and possibly ever that he could join these men for a meal and some laughs. There had been very little of it even thought Sin hadn't told them anything yet. They would find out soon enough and he didn't want to disappoint Heran to his face. Sleep had taken a long time to reach him. His brain didn't want to sleep, trying to hold off the morning's arrival as long as it could.

But he had fallen asleep and when he did, dark gave way to light almost immediately. It was almost like blinking your eyes while blinking with rupturing magic. You closed your eyes and poof, you opened them in a completely different place. There was none of that dreary real life stuff here. Bright white light spread out of the giant crystal at his back, illuminating the city of Uleuda. He couldn't even sleep through his problems and wake up refreshed in the morning. Not that he wanted it to get to morning so quickly but between thoughtless sleep or constant pondering of his actions and rethinking his actions, Sin knew which one he'd rather choose.

For the first break, Sin quickly visited his parents, more of a courtesy than anything else, really. He didn't mention Idalos unless in answering questions and avoided anything about his current situation. He left soon after to head for his class for the day, or night depending on how you looked at it. Sin took his place, cross legged on one of the many crystal seats on the floor, arms crossed and staring at the crystal floor in front of him while he waited for the rest of the class to gather. His attention was drawn back to the present when the chiming gasps of surprise of his fellow students sounded through the room. Raising his head to face the reason for the surprise, Sin came face to face with an ancient. "Sintih? Come with me, please. You're excused from class for now."

The eyes of his fellow classmates burned several holes in Sin's back as he got up and walked out. While it was indeed true that he was behind most of the people his own age and was taking classes with students five to seven arcs younger than him, there were also things he far outclassed them in. But no explanation came as Sin followed the ancient out of the building and down the street. He didn't ask any questions, not really connected to the present as he walked behind the man. Their walk took them to the city gates and through them, where they were joined by another ancient carrying a crystal body over his shoulder. The ancient looked buffer than most ancients he'd seen, the body over his shoulder wasn't moving but that didn't necessarily mean the Yludih was dead.

After some time, they stopped and the second ancient put the Yludih down against one of the many crystal trees that grew on the edge of the forest. Sin waited together with the ancient as slowly but surely several Yludih joined them until there were about fifteen of them, including the one against the tree. Once the last person had arrived, the ancient one began informing them of their task today. "For today, you all will take part in the patrols. For most of you it'll be the first time this has happened. For some of you, it won't be." The ancient glanced down at the Yludih against the tree as it woke up. "Your patrol will be simple and I will be watching over you just in case. Experience is necessary for your survival both here and in Idalos and you won't gain much of it by sitting in class."

Sin looked at the Yludih by the tree who had decided to roll herself up to a little ball of crystal. Useless. His face tightened in a harsh look that nobody noticed as the crystal face he had here had nothing to tighten on it. It would take arcs before facial features would start showing on the young Yludih. "That being said, I won't interfere unless I know you're going to die so make sure to defend yourself from anything and everything that tries to attack you. Nulliem have been spotted in this forest before." Once he was finished with the introductions, the ancient one quickly showed them their route, carving a simple map in the crystal floor of the forest. By the time he was done, the buff ancient returned with weapons for all of them. There were spears, swords, axes, anything a Rynmere knight might use was available here as well, although only in crystal form.

"I'll be in charge." One of the Yludih piped up, a somewhat bulky crystal humanoid. "I'm the oldest and I've seen a nulliem before." Sin couldn't even bother to object. His mind was still far away in Idalos and he'd missed most of what had been said so far. He got the gist of it but he hoped someone else knew the way because he didn't have a clue. The weapons were handed out and Sin managed to get his hands on a short sword, or long knife, while the others all tried to get the long handled weapons like spears. He could see the advantage in those but he doubted he could use one to great effect. He did have much more faith in his ability with the short bladed weapon.

"We'll line up in two rows and head out that way. Follow my lead." As everyone started forming up, one of the Yludih walked over to the bundle of Yludih near the tree and knelt down next to it. "You better get up or they'll leave you behind all by yourself in this forest." The one who'd spoken tried to grab it by the arm to pull it up on its feet. Even if they were useless in a fight, there was a lower chance of dying in a group like this under guidance of an ancient than remaining here alone in the forest. Sin got in line and ended up the standing behind the only other person without a partner in the double row. Once the weird Yludih bundle and the one speaking to it joined them they'd be ready to set out.

[Yanahalqah]

Despite her position, Yana could feel the gazes of others wander towards her. She knew what they were thinking, what they felt upon seeing her. They thought her weak, no doubt. A coward or a crybaby. She could just about hear the whispers they exchanged while the Ancient One talked. The words were a blur, but she knew what they were saying about her. She wished she could not care about it. She wished it wouldn't get to her. But it did. The Yludih felt ashamed, almost as if she was a little girl again, having tried her hand at some 'simple' math equations her father had told her to solve. She'd failed then too, miserably even. Back then she had cried. Now she might have wanted to, but she'd rather not make things worse.

It was odd, when she'd been alone with the Wanderer, there had been no such shame. She'd chastised herself for her weakness, yes, but there hadn't been any shame. Because he knew. He'd been through the same as she had. These people... these people couldn't even try to understand. They couldn't fathom the terrifying nature of the Nulliem. One of them seemed glad to go lead the charge. He was a fool. He said he had seen a Nulliem before. It might have been true. There was a difference however, between seeing a Nulliem from a distance, and witnessing them ravage everything around them from up close.

Someone spoke directly to her, pulling Yana up by the arm. Momentarily her eye had displayed fear when “being left behind” was mentioned, but it wasn't there anymore when Yana got up. Being left alone was not a bad thing. She could find the way back to the city for sure. It would be better for her. She wouldn't have to see the others be decimated. Yet, that was also what prevented her from leaving. The initial hysteria had passed, though terror still gripped her asterism. She wasn't too sure what had gotten her out, to be honest. Maybe it had been the thought of the Wanderer. He'd done his best to get her out of the pit she'd just had been cast back into. Maybe it had been the fact that Yana believed the others to be right; that she was indeed weak.

Quiome had given her the first push back in Vhalar, and she'd thought it to be enough. Or maybe she'd known it wouldn't cut it, but had decided to ignore it anyway. She'd reset things herself, gone back to square one rather than to walk a path that wasn't lit. “Bravery is for the foolish”,she may have thought. “The cowardly survive.” But how was it surviving if she kept herself from growing? If she limited herself to be that pathetic person she had been displaying far too often lately? There was a difference between bravery and folly this time, and not walking the dark path was the latter. Her mother was right. Yana'd known she was right, too. She'd just not wanted to accept it. Because she was running. Because running had become too comfortable. That just won't do.

She stood, still trembling, but she stood nonetheless.

“Thanks,” she said to the Yludih who'd helped her up, then slowly walked to the leftover weapons while the others began marching off. Yana did not mind, she had already chosen. A crystal bow and a quiver filled with crystal arrows were picked and slung over her shoulders, and the scarred Yludih stook a step away, only to pause and take a second glance at the small pile of weaponry. A longsword winked at her. She hesitated, but only for a moment. She picked it up too, just in case. Blades of a shorter size were more her preference, but for the Nulliem Yana was willing to make an exception. The farther away she could keep from those monsters, the better.

A short run brought her back to the others and into the formation, and soon enough she fell into the same rhythm as the others were marching. Courtesy of her Iron Hand training, no doubt. As they had already been in the heart of the forest, there wasn't that long a hike before them anymore. The scenery barely changed, though gradually some might start to notice fallen trees, footprint-shaped holes in the ground as if the crystal was fresh snow, and several flora with humanoid shapes cut out of them. The sight increased Yana's anxiety, and if she'd needed to breathe, she'd have been hyperventilating for sure. She trembled, almost hitting a frequency that made the sound ring through the area. The further they marched, the more destruction there was, though it was evident that the forest was already recuperating. It seemed likely this patrol had as aim to protect the forest, to make sure the Nulliem did not undo its hard work.

They stopped in the middle of what seemed to be a clearing, though instead of a natural one, all trees had been cut in half, and lied toppled on the floor. Like the parts of forest that had come before, the ground showed similar marks like the other parts of the damaged area. Miniature canyons rend into the beautiful crystal. The darkness-- the emptiness below the crystal could even be seen. While people were staring around with incredulous disbelief, Yana let her head hang. She knew this place. This too was her fault. She had let this happen. Briefly Yludih wondered if the Ancient Ones were testing her.

“Alright everyone, heads up.” One of the Ancient Ones spoke, clapping his hands briefly to get the attention he requested. “We are now near the edge of the forest. Behind us lies the Emptiness where the Nulliem roam. You are not to go there. You will stay on the border. You will patrol the area I mapped out for you guys. It is a large area, so you will be divided in groups of five. Each group will patrol their part, you will defend it from the Nulliem.” He paused for a moment, looking to his fellow Ancient as if to ask if there was anything to add.

The buff one nodded, stepping forward. “Right, ehm. As Kinteslanih explained before, we will not be assisting you unless it is necessary. As such, we will be watching from the sidelines. Each group will get one of us to look over them.”
Some mumbling started, but the buff Ancient One raised his hands to hush the crowd.
“Our final member is on their way. While we wait, I want to remind you of one thing still. Do not underestimate the Nulliem. They die easily once hit, and they are not as clever as us Yludih or the people on Idalos, but they do possess some rudimentary intelligence. They are capable of utilizing basic improvised strategy. Think of them as... as wolves.”

Yana could only agree with this warning. She had observed a number of things about the Nulliem last time, and one was indeed that they could use some basic strategy. Like a pack of wolves, they tried to surround their prey if they had the numbers. They also seemed to care not about their kind, often hiding behind one another to launch a surprise attack when they had gotten close enough to their prey, or if their meat shield was defeated. Despite this, on their own they were fairly easy to deal with, though they moved with a surprising nimbleness and grace, often changing direction out of the blue. From what she had seen, Yana believed the Nulliem preferred to move in pairs or larger groups to make up for their fragility. When not in close proximity to their prey though, the Nulliem had displayed a tendency to move in straight lines, moving from one objective --or in this case, object to destroy, the larger the better-- to the next. Even if giving chase they seemed to be unable to resist this urge.

Kinteslanih spoke up again, taking over from his buff companion. “Alright, I think that about covers it. I believe it is best we assign the lot of you to your respective groups. Please line up in a single row next to each other.” It took but a moment for the Yludih group to move in the new position, and Kinte strolled past them slowly, patting each Yludih on the shoulder and assigning them a number from one to three. The next instructions were for those of each respective number to regroup on a different spot, with the Ancients specifically telling which numbers were to go where.

[Sintih]

Once they started marching by the Yludih's orders. Sin focus turned a little bit more towards his current situation. No matter how bad things were in Idalos, if he lost his focus here he or many others would be dead no matter where he went. While some of the Yludih in their marching order were out of step, most of them had been trained in some way or other and marched in unison. Before he knew it, Sin was marching with them, stepping when they did. It made things easier once you got into the rhythm. Less of your brain was needed to mirror others once you were in it.

They ended up at their destination quicker than expected. A clearing in the forest, with various marks all around. Obviously the work of Nulliem from what Sin could tell. There wasn't anything else in existence in Uleuda that could do something like this. Unless some ancient was turning Nulliem and messing around. The thought send a light chime down Sin's crystal back, one he hoped nobody else noticed. The ancients stopped their march and started explaining their purpose here. All in all, it was a simple patrol mission, although closer to the edge than Sin had ever been before. They would definitely see some action here.

As he listened to the explanation by the ancient, Sin let his eyeless face glance over the group of Yludih around him. Some looked like they were confident and others he noticed were shivering a bit. A few were looking around, much like Sin, and he nodded at one when their eyes met. Or at least when he thought their eyes had met. Even after all this time, Sin still had trouble keeping up with the chiming of crystals that formed the language here. When the second ancient spoke, Sin focused on what he was saying. His voice seemed deeper and it required more attention from Sintih to follow properly.

Kinteslanih... Big Lion? Or something. The buff ancient explained that they should see the Nulliem as humanoid wolves, capable of rudimentary tactics in packs. There was never one but if you could somehow get one alone you wouldn't have a hard time taking it down if you knew what you were doing. Sin tightened his grip on his short sword. Did he know what he was doing? As they were ordered to line up and the first ancient started dividing them in three groups, Sin quickly glanced three spaces ahead of him at the Yludih that would be joining him and three behind him. While the one ahead of him looked like any other humanoid crystal man he'd seen in town, the person three spaces behind him was far more famous. It was the one who had been lying by the tree when he had arrived.

Sin couldn't bring up much faith in the abilities of such a scared person but her grip on the bow she'd picked seemed more seasoned than any impression he'd gotten from her. When his shoulder was touched, Sin received his number and the ancient passed down the line. Once he was done, the numbers were given spots to regroup at and Sin started to walk over to it. Between him, the scared Yludih and the three other members of his team, Sin doubted they held much in the way of Nulliem slaying abilities. "Ok, who knows...what do...weapon in hand? And anyone know... euhm... fighting? War?" In his best broken Ulehi, Sin tried to determine the worth of his team. He made a mental note to learn the words for strategy and tactics as soon as possible.

The fact that it had already become -his- team in his mind was something Sin didn't even wonder about anymore. He was obviously the best option when it came to leading these crystals. Before any of them could respond, the attention of all those present was drawn towards the arrival of the third ancient. As she walked up to the other two, Sin could clearly tell that she was a woman. And one a Yludih would find appealing at that. She had crystals in all the right places. Sin tried to get a better look of her without moving closer, hoping maybe it was someone he knew. She'd be the first one here if he did.

[Yanahalqah]

With all groups assembled, the last Ancient arrived as well. It was a woman with such shapely crystals other female Yludih would die for. Or kill for. Maybe even both. She walked straight to the other two Ancient, who then discussed something briefly, before splitting up. Each Ancient headed for one of the groups, with the female ending up in front of Yana and Sintih's group. The men in the group seemed to be very pleased with this outcome. Yana just was glad they hadn't gotten Zihkaboh. The Ancient gave them a smile, lighting up her face.
“Hello sweet-shards, I am Denetuih, I'll be watching over you during your patrol. But, as you know, I will not be interfering unless it is absolutely necessary. So, you know, don't go putting yourself in danger in hopes to draw me out. Chances are I deem it possible for you to get out of your mess, and you all end up dead.”
Some people went a little pale, and the Ancient One gave a wink.
“So don't, 'kay?” She then started tapping her chin, pondering on something. “What else was there to say? Was this it? I think this was it...”

“Miss?” one of the people in the group said, a male whose voice Yana recognized as that of the one who'd wanted to take charge earlier. She groaned internally.
“Yes, sweet-shard?”
“Which one of us is to lead this patrol?”

The Ancient made an “aha” kind of noise, nodding at the question. “Yes, that's it. That's what I needed to talk about. Well, you can all just figure that out on your own. You have about ten bits to decide your team composition, and then I will bring you to the starting point of your patrol.” she paused for a brief moment. “Just remember, taking command of a group also means carrying the burden of responsibility. The leader is responsible for guiding their team through tough situations, and they are responsible for the lives of their subordinates.” Yana thought the woman stared at her for just a moment, though the next trill the Ancient was already looking somewhere else. Perhaps she had imagined it.

When she was done with her talk, Denetuih stepped back in order to provide the group with some privacy. She hadn't even stopped moving before the male from before declared himself the leader, once again with the invalid arguments of being the oldest and having seen a Nulliem. Naturally, there was some protest, mainly from the only other female Yludih in the group.
“Like you can just decide you're going to be the leader!” she sassed. “You can't even lead an ant to a picnic basket!”
“Shut up pipsqueak! I don't want to hear that from someone who thinks the moons are made out of cheese!”
The female appeared to flush, a soft pink oozing from her crystals for a moment. “That was arcs ago!”
“Yeah sure. And not being able to tell the difference between a schooner and a frigate was arcs ago too, right? What kind of Biqaj are you trying to be, a retarded one?”
She blushed again, though this time she retaliated. “What I can't tell the difference between is your mouth and your arse! But it doesn't matter, cause both of them only produce shit anyway!”

Yana sighed, not really wanting to interrupt, but she recognized she had to, if they wanted to get somewhere with this team meeting. The last member of their team stepped in before she could though, separating both bickering –siblings?-- parties.
“Now, now,” he said, somehow managing to calm them down instantly. “Why don't we just put it to a vote?”
It seemed like a good idea, fundamentally, though there were a few problems.
“He'll just vote for himself!” the petite female said, crossing her arms.
“Then we make it so that no one can vote for themselves. Or abstain.”

“How do you propose we vote?” Yana entered the conversation, aiming her question for the rational looking fellow.
“How? Just... y'know... a 'raise your hand if you want to vote for him or her' kind of system?”
Yana shook her head. That wouldn't do. “No. Such systems are flawed. If you see no-one is raising their hands, chances are you won't either. Or the other way around. I'd rather have it be done anonymously.”
“And you would do that how, exactly?” His tone was akin to a frown.

Yana merely pointed at the Ancient. “You just tell her. One at a time. She tallies the votes.”
The rational Yludih nodded, but the petite female had some objections.
“But then he can just vote for himself again!” she protested.
“Not if we all introduce ourselves to her. That way she will know our names, and if someone tries to sabotage by naming a random name that doesn't belong to any of us when they have to vote, she'll also know.”
That seemed to satisfy her, at least.
“I do think we should briefly introduce ourselves to each other as well, and list why we would want to be the leader. That way we have an idea who it is we are voting for. Sounds good?”

[Sintih]

When the newly arrived ancient walked up to them, Sin followed her with the empty features of his face that should have been eyes. She was impressive to look at and it had nothing to do with any muscles or style of clothing. Having been a later arrival to Uleuda when he first came here, Sin's youthful attractions had all been towards Idalos women. While the woman was good looking, Sin couldn't help but see the crystals underneath her very humanoid features. While the other men in his group stared a little too long, Sin turned his head back to the group when she started talking.

She sounded wholly out of place here, calling them sweet-shards and not remembering the first step of her own assignment. It was only when the annoying one spoke up to ask about leadership that she remembered that that was her job to explain. Sin made a mental note not to rely on anything the ancient could do to help. Any strategy based on such a ditzy person would fail before even beginning. Once she had finished her explanation, she stepped back and two of Yludih started arguing over who would be the best to lead them. The fact that their quibbling led to them revealing their Idalos race told Sin enough. Neither of them would keep this little group alive.

When the third guy broke them up and brought forth the voting system, Sin had even more trouble. Leadership didn't come through voting when there was such an obvious difference in ability between him and at least two of the four other Yludih in his group. When the female Yludih whom had been sitting against the tree before spoke up, Sin was surprised at the clarity and thought behind her words. It was true that the raising hand system was more of a group pressure test than an actual voting system.

At the end, the group seemed to agree with the scared Yludih, who seemed much less scared now than before, and started introducing themselves and their skills. "I am Sintih." He pointed at himself. "I am twenty arc euhm... war maker in Idalos." The first fourteen of those twenty arcs had been on paper and in his mind only but experience was experience. "I am not good with weapons, only good with telling you how and when to use them to survive... everyone." His introduction was short and it was obvious from his sentences and speed that he wasn't very good at the language yet. He used a lot of pointing to get his point across.

Sin only listened with half an ear to the two arguing ones, having already decided that they were neither good leaders nor good people to keep others alive. He did pay attention to the other two, the one who had broken up the fight and the one who had quickly created a good system for them to elect a leader for the patrol with. Once everyone was done with their introductions and the ancient had been informed of her part in their election, Sin stepped up to her to introduce himself. Despite having heard the rules, Sin had never agreed to them so he had no problem voting for himself. "I am Sintih and I don't think anyone among them can keep me alive. I vote Sintih." He tapped his chest with his finger when he voted for himself.

[Yanahalqah]

It came as a small surprise that she was being listened to, to be honest. Yana had expected the Yludih who seemed so desperate to lead to argue and dismiss her proposal. Perhaps he realized he did not really matter anymore, and that no-one would elect him anyway. He did seem to be a little down. Well, with those childish arguments he was not doing himself a favor. He introduced himself as Vluome, first mate on one or other ship, but he left it at that. The female he’d be arguing with was his sister, and the cook on the same ship. She claimed not to want the burden of leadership, as she had never fought the Yludih before, and had no combat experience whatsoever. As an afterthought she mentioned her name, which was Quqah.

Yana was up next, appearing to sigh before she started to speak. “My name is Yanahalqah. I am a mercenary in the false world.” It was a bit embarrassing to lay claim on that occupation after they all had seen her in fetal position and almost going mental. But whether or not they would believe her was up to them. It did not really matter either way. “I can use a sword and shield relatively well, though I favor the bow. I have fought the Nulliem before... right here, in fact.” Her sight took in the destruction once more, and again she appeared to sigh. Naturally she wasn’t going to tell them any more than that. “I do not wish to lead, and I will not either.” Though she might be the best pick, she’d rather not have repetition of what happened last time. Heck, her punishment for that debacle hadn’t even yet been completed. She gestured to the last of them to start their introduction.

The rational Yludih nodded, executing a brief and shallow bow. “I’m Vaonih,” he spoke calmly, “I help construct the city here, whenever expansion is necessary. I am a clerk in Idalos. I have never fought in my life, but I do play chess a lot. I have studied History and have read a lot about the art of war -or at least how wars were fought long ago. I have seen Nulliem before, and I have spoken with a lot of people who engaged them in combat. Well, with the ones that returned, that is. I think someone with experience should lead our group, preferably.”

With all that out of the way, they would all go to vote, one by one. Quqah went to inform the Ancient of her role in all of this, while Yana thought for a moment on who to vote for, though there was little choice really. She could vote for Sintih, though she feared his lack of fluency with Ulehi would make for communication errors, which wouldn’t really help their cause. The other was Vaonih, but he had no experience. Sintih at least claimed to be a “war-maker” which probably was a soldier or something, and said he was decent at giving directions and commands. She rubbed the part above her eye slowly, then went to the Ancient to elect the leader.

A brief while later, the Ancient joined them again, and briefly briefed them of the results of the poll. Despite the language problems, Sintih won the elections, and was appointed leader of the small group. With that having been taken care of, the Ancient clapped her hands and gestured for them to follow her deeper into the woods still, or rather, closer towards the edge of the Emptiness. She moved fast, with the sort of grace and effortlessness you wouldn’t expect. On top of that, she barely made any sound. Though it was rather obvious that the Ancient could probably run even faster, Yana and her peers did have trouble keeping up already. It did nothing to occupy her mind though, as with every step the scarred Yludih felt her anxiety return. Her asterism pulsed, her legs felt as if they had no solidity at all. Her whole body trembled and heated up. A strange feeling in her gut got stronger and stronger, and by the time they reached their starting point, Yana was ready to just turn tail and run back. Fuck this patrol, fuck the Ancients, fuck overcoming her fears. It wasn’t worth it. Someone would mess up, and the Nulliem would come and erase them all, and-

“Yanahalqah, was it?” chimed the Ancient’s sweet voice, a hand on Yana’s shoulder. “Could I have a word with you, sweet-shard?”
There wasn’t really any room for a reply, as the woman merely pulled the younger Yludih aside forcibly.
“Okay, sweet-shard, listen up-”
A hard slap pushed the one-eyed Yludih’s head to the side. Yana turned it back to the woman, seriously confused. Another hit her in the exact same spot, along with another, and another, and another.
“Would you sto-”
Slap.
“Please s-”
Slap.
“Sto-”
Slap.
“ST-”
Slap. Slap.

“STOP HITTING ME! AELIG FUCKING DAMN IT!” she roared, intercepting the next slap, and pushing the Ancient back, preparing her own hand to strike the woman’s face. She dropped her fist as she noticed the smile on the Ancient’s face.
“Have you snapped out of it?” she questioned, though needing no answer. It was obvious that most of the fear in Yana had been replaced by anger. “Good. Hold on to that feeling will you? It is all going to be fine. There shouldn’t be a whole lot of Nulliem nearby. Back to the group now, chop chop.”

Yana’s cheeks burned as she rejoined the others, and it wasn’t just from the beating. The humiliation that came with it was probably worse than the pain, especially considering that it was the second blow to her pride today. The Ancient called for their attention again, then told them to move to the west. That was the only instruction they received, and after having spoken it, the Ancient disappeared into the tree-line, leaving the group to their own devices.

[Sintih]

As expected, the election ended with Sintih being chosen as the one in charge. He looked around his newly appointed troops, taking note of their chosen weapons. He was about to check their faces to see if they were displeased with his appointment but he quickly remembered that there was nothing on them. Most of them had empty faces like his and the one that didn't didn't have enough features to read anything off of. Was this their nose? The ancient told them to follow her and they marched on. The trees around them thinned out as they got closer to the darkness of the edge. They managed to keep pace with the ancient, which told Sintih that she wasn't even trying, and despite his best efforts, Sin ended up running last, his asterism flickering like a flame as they moved on.

Once they reached wherever they had to get to, the ancient took one of them aside for a moment, the crying one from the beginning who had made quite a drastic change one they had gone on the road. They returned a few moments later, the smaller Yludih bright with light from her asterism. Denetuih pointed them towards the west and then headed back into the tree line to assume her guard over the small patrol. Sintih looked around their area for a moment and when no Nulliem jumped out at them right from the get go, he turned to his troops.

"You..." He pointed towards the one who had been pulled aside by the ancient for a moment. "...stick with me, middle. Shoot when you're sure." He turned to the three others. He wasn't sure if it was better to put the brother and sister together because of their unity or to keep them separate in order to keep them focused on their task. Since all three of them had long handled weapons, he decided to separate them. "You two..." He pointed at the sister and the cool headed one who had broken up the fight. "You're front. Not charging. Stay put, stab distance, slowly back up if... must." Sin turned to the last in the group. "You back, look around. Eyes open." To enhance his command, Sin held up his crystal fingers in front of his face where his eyes were supposed to be and opened them as much as he could, opening his imaginary eyes wide. "Let's go."

While his Ulehi wasn't very good, Sin felt like he had sounded in charge enough. The fact that he didn't allow them to ask questions would tell them who was in charge. If they wanted to survive, they'd best listen to him. He needed them to listen to him and survive so they could keep him alive because that was all that mattered here. Once everyone was more or less in formation, they headed out. "Vaonih, right? You say you talk with... fighters? You have information we can use?" Sin turned to the Yludih next to him. "You too, Yanahalqah, right? You say you fight before? Any advice?" Sin kept their patrol moving as he listened to the two tell him what they felt like telling him.

While they were patrolling, Sin made sure to keep them well away from the very edge of the nothing. There weren't any obstacles between them and the blackness but there was more than enough space to allow them to form up a crude formation in case they suddenly charged out of it. He hoped none of them had bragged about their skills and that they wouldn't flee in fear when it mattered most. As the thought passed through his mind, Sin glanced to the side at the bow wielding Yludih. They seemed to be doing well at the moment. He hoped their ranged weapon would give them a little of a boost of courage in the coming battle.

"When fight... start, just hold ground until Nulliem come closer. Let bow shoot, just keep Nulliem at distance with spears. If they come past spears, step back. Touch means end so no touching. Use weapon to stab, push and block always!" He'd already explained what they had to do but soldiers always felt reassured in their orders. Whether that worked the same for these drafted Yludih, Sin didn't know. "Always listen my voice. If I say hold it means I see no way for Nulliem to get you, if I see no way then there is no way. Everyone speak common?" All this chiming and clinking in Ulehi was making his head spin a little. Having spent years with the language, Sin still found it difficult to use properly as it was in no way similar to the ones spoken Idalos.

He was too busy focusing on his tactics to properly focus on his Ulehi and his accent had been clear for most of the patrol now. His last question was to make sure they could follow his orders in case he'd switch to common in the middle of the fight or in a sudden moment. Nulliem were known to ambush people. "See anything?" He turned to the crystal man behind him to check on him. He'd been noisy and 'brave' earlier so Sin expected the most out of him for this fight.

[Yanahalqah]

Once the little group had been completed again, and the Ancient left them to their own devices, Sintih started to give out his commands, making himself understandable enough for everyone to know what he was trying to say. It seemed the young Yludih male was indeed the right choice to lead, giving Yana some peace of mind. It allowed for her to calm down just a bit, which was also helped by the position she'd been assigned. The middle was relatively safe. The others seemed quite content with their positions as well, though the loud male Yludih seemed to be envious of his sister. Apparently he wanted to be in the front, though he did not complain once he realized the importance of his own role.

Then they were off, patrolling like a team, like a true unit of the Uleuda Defence Force, instead of a group of rookies haphazardly thrown together. The thought of the lack of experience of all of them kind of unnerved Yana; sometimes she wondered just what the Ancients had been thinking when they'd decided on this task. Sure, in theory there was no real danger, which was reassuring, but it couldn't hurt to have one veteran in their midst, except of waiting in the treeline. Unless there was.... Oh Aelig... Surely she was not supposed to be the veteran here, was she? Her hands shook, and gripped the bow a little tighter. The crystal weapon grown from the mother crystal radiated positivity, the energy flowing into her and soothing the scarred Yludih.

“Well, they said that it is imperative we stay in group,” Veonih said, “separating will get you outnumbered in no time.”
Yana nodded in agreement.
“Also, stay calm. An individual Nulliem is not all that hard to defeat. Though you should not get overly confident. They are swift and agile, and if you allow them to get too close, you're done for. However, like I said, stay calm, don't attack wildly. Time your attack and strike true.”
“Sometimes Nulliem hide behind each other though,” Yana added, “so always be prepared for another one to pop up and surprise you when you strike one down.”
Veonih gestured towards her with a finger in a motion of agreement. “I've heard that too, yes. It's one of the Nulliem's favorite tactics, it seems.”

“I'm not sure whether or not this is relevant, but they are surprisingly gentle when they attack. The way they prepare for consuming us looks gentle, I mean.”
“The embrace, right?”
“Yeah. They just raise their arms when they're close enough, as if they want to pull you into a loving hug.”
“Sometimes they reach out to touch your cheek tenderly. Like-”
“Like a lover leaning in for a kiss,” Veonih finished.
“Hmm. I suppose. It gave me the creeps.”
“It might be some sort of trick,” the male speculated, “to lure you in, you know?”

Yana could not really help than agree, though she did think that perhaps there was more to the Nulliem than that. Some Yludih became Nulliem after all, so perhaps it was nostalgia and regret that drove them, not viciousness? Though it hardly mattered now, there was more knowledge she needed to pass to the current leader, so he could make the right call in battle.

“I noticed they tend to move fluently when they are in the Void, but here on crystal underground they are a bit slower.” Yana thought it might have something to do with the fact that they were constantly consuming the underground when they intruded on Yludih territory. “Also, they can instantly change direction, but tend to move in straight lines on crystal. In the Void though, they kind of move like.... Ice skaters? Kind of.” The Yludih found it hard to explain. She had been there to see it all, but these people hadn't. It was hard to put her observations into words that made sense.

“Also,” Veonih added, seemingly remembering something, “they like to move in groups. And when they split up they never go alone. There's always at least two of them.”

That seemed to be all the two of them could think of at the time, and while they did not doubt that there probably was more they could say, they felt as if the most important things had been covered. The two siblings had been quiet so far, having listened to what was being said, but the brother spoke up now, sounding a bit nervous.
“So what do we do if there's like a whole bunch of them popping up from the Void and coming our way?” he asked.
Yana instantly glanced over to the Emptiness, though fortunately she did not see any Nulliem horde coming for them.
“We run,” she said with more confidence than she felt, “into the forest. The environment will slow them down and distract them.” It was only after she'd spoken that she realized that the question probably hadn't been addressed to her. It didn't matter, in her opinion her advice was solid.

The small group patrolled for a while longer, the leader making sure they stayed away from the edge. That was good. That way they couldn't be ambushed and instantly wiped out by Nulliem using the Void as cover. He gave some instructions for battle too, proposing a decent enough strategy. Yana felt herself growing a little more optimistic, though she dreaded that feeling, believing it would not take long before that optimism was crushed by bad things to come. Don't jinx this patrol, Yana. Don't jinx it!

“We don't,” the sibling pair chimed in unison as Sintih asked whether or not everyone present could speak Common.
“You can't speak Common here,” Yana added helpfully, “I doubt any other language works.” Quiome had tried, presumably, and had been unable to speak until he figured out he needed to use Ulehi. The reason he'd used another language was because he had somehow forgotten or had never learned to speak in Ulehi, and it had rendered him mute. It was a strange thing, something which Yana would need to do some research on sometime. Maybe she'd ask an Ancient later.

“I don't see a thing,” the rear guard let the rest know, “they must be hiding in the Void somewhere. I can't see them though. I think I saw something move a couple bits ago, but it was far away, I think.” He seemed to frown. “I don't know. I can't seem to judge distance in the Emptiness.”
“Not to worry,” Veonih spoke up, “you will know when they are close. They will start to draw our light towards them, it's hard to miss.”

The younger Yludih gasped. “What do you know, he's right!”
Yana turned her head, slightly confused, noticing a trail of light leading from their rear guard and his weapon into the Void.
“Nulliem at...eh... five o'clock, I think?”

Great job, stupid! You just had to go and jinx it, didn't you?

[Sintih]

[img]/gallery/image ... ge_id=6081[/img]

t seemed that at least two of his companions were up for the task. Both Veonih and the archer next to him had a lot of information on the Nulliem that Sintih hadn't heard before. Like any good Yludih, he knew that running away was by far the best way to win a fight with a Nulliem. They had only to scratch you, or even touch you, and you were done for. Not instantly done, no, a long, slow and agonizing descent into becoming the empty husk that was the Nulliem. He had trouble following the quick exchange between the two Yludih as they discussed Nulliem tactics but he got the important bits. Sin thought it curious how creatures so empty could work such advanced tactics. He'd try to mimic some of their formations and tactics if he ever got command of a unit of some description back in Idalos but he was pretty sure that he wouldn't be able to do much with it. A good exercise none the less.

He didn't get much time to think about the rest of the explanations and the words he'd missed in the conversation as the Yludih in the back piped up in response to Veonih's lessons. Sin looked at him together with the archer next to him and he saw that there was light being drawn from his weapon towards the void. It was actually sucking up the light of the mother crystal. Sin's grip tightened around his short blade as his eyes followed the thin trial into the void. At first he saw nothing, the distance and the darkness helping to hide the Nulliem from his eyes. But it didn't take much for the first of them to become visible as he sucked in the light and stepped out onto the crystal edge of the forest. He could feel the chill set in on his back and Sin turned quickly, looking around to see if there were any more. The forest behind them was empty.

He faced back forward as the Nulliem started walking out of the darkness and into the light. It's form was humanoid, much like the Yludih, but he couldn't see a single crystal remaining on the creature. It stepped onto the crystal and what little light remained in the crystal ground at the edge of the nothing flickered and disappeared into its foot. Then it took another step. Sin could hear a light cracking next to him and as he turned his head, he watched the sister of the pair step back, her spear shaking. When she took a second step back, Sin quickly grabbed her arm. "Hold your place. You run alone, you die. Either by them or by me." He focused his featureless face onto that of the sister before pulling her back to her position, two steps ahead from where she was. He turned to address the rest of them. "Fall back, keep same speed as Nulliem. We are patrol, not cleaners."

He looked back towards the Nulliem, peering into the darkness behind it trying to see the rest of its group, or pack. "Fire at will." He said, letting the archer know that she was allowed to shoot, and hopefully kill, the Nulliem at her own discretion. He didn't need to micromanage every single one of them. Between Yanahalqah and Veonih, Sin was sure he had knowledgeable or experienced members in his team. The other two, he wasn't quite sure about. "Lead the way." He spoke to the rearguard before putting his free hand on Veonih's shoulder. "Don't take your eyes off of them. I will lead you back. Shout when they speed up."

Sin really hoped they could avoid the confrontation, that the Nulliem would grow bored or weak the deeper they moved into the forest. He had never heard of any Nulliem story ending with the Nulliem giving up and going home but hopefully there was a first for everything. Father, one day I hope you'll explain why you and mother decided that creatures like these were necessary in the only safe place for our race. Aren't we being hunted enough already in Idalos? Sin's thoughts moved much quicker than his words as he could still think in common. The sound of cracking and falling drew his attention towards their path of retreat as a crystal tree crumbled across it and the shadowy form of a second Nulliem came into view as it walked over it, sucking the dying light out of the miserably thin crystal tree underneath it.