Cooperation
The sky was a rich shade of purple today, just like those big, juicy fruits hanging from the trees near the road. In fact, the fruits were so ripe that they kept and kept on dropping bright-yellow juice on the ground. The fruits looked incredibly tasty and grew low enough to grab them easily. So why did no one in the caravan, heading down the road, pay them any notice? Maybe the reason was the nasty odor, radiating from the fruits? Maybe it was the way those drops of juice were melting their way into the sea of dark-red grass below, just like pure acid?
A caravan was a common sight in these parts of the Lands. Just a simple wooden cart, creaking through the bumps of the pressed dirt, loaded with goods, and moved by a mount. Any mount. This caravan was the igni’s, and their mounts of choice were the equi.
Those beautiful black beasts were slim, just a layer of skin on their skeletons. Constantly emitting a faint turquoise glow, the equi were the living lights at night. They walked on all fours, and their legs ended with hooves. Their long tail was constantly on the move, indicating the beast’s current mood. Big, oily-black eyes sat on both sides of their skull, looking both sad and mindful. Their long and sharp teeth were ideal for grinding meat. Each time they opened their mouths to hiss or bark, one could see a bright turquoise glow inside. What exactly was glowing and why — nobody ever knew.
A pair of igni were leading the beast forward, while the third one was walking behind the cart. Their glowing eyes kept searching nearby bushes and woods. Clutching a long spear in one hand, and a big shield in the other, they were always ready to repel attacking animals from every angle. Each also had a sword, a quiver full of arrows, and a bow.
“Hey, Iskrila, what are we transporting, exactly?” asked Haileen, one of the leaders of the procession.
Iskrila widened her dark-blue eyes in surprise. “Sabiri didn’t tell you?”
Haileen shrugged. “Star sent me, not Sabiri. I expected it to be something
usual, not a single big crate, so I did not ask.”
Iskrila opened her mouth to say something, showing off her long, sharp teeth, but the words got lost somewhere along the way, making her look stupid and funny.
“Whatever.” Iskrila shook her head frantically. “It kinda makes sense you went straight to us, without seeing Sabiri. Here, take a peek.” She handed Haileen a complex-looking big key.
Haileen threw a quick glance around, and only after making sure they were
safe, she left Iskrila to lead the procession alone.
While Haileen is busy opening the crate, I think I should mention what kind of
species those igni were. They had two legs ending with hooves, two arms, but also a tail. Unlike animals who walk on all fours, the igni, as any sapient species of the Lands, preferred to walk upright, meaning on two legs. Each igni was two meters tall, wide and muscular, making them the second strongest and biggest sapient species. You could always spot an igni by their unique hoofprints, pressed quite deep into the dirt by all that mass. But no matter how heavy they and their armor were, the igni were also one of the fastest and most agile species, as their bodies seemed to find the perfect balance between the strength, the weight, and the agility.
Since they didn’t grow any fur on their skin, the igni had to wear clothes or armor. The trio of guards was wearing metal plates to protect their chests and backs. They also wore metal greaves and bracers.
Thick, leather straps and underlayers were both holding the metaltogether, protecting the seams and the joints between them, and keeping the warmth. And, of course, each wore a metal helmet, for the head was the most important part to protect.
As with any species, each igni was quite unique. Every one of them had different placement, shape, and size of their horns. Each had a distinct skin color, varying from the clearest white, all the way to the night-black, but most were some shade of red, purple, or orange. Their glowing eyes could also be of every hue, but usually a bright and vibrant one. And each had a slightly different tip on their tail: some a bit wider, some a bit longer, but all were harder than steel, making the tail into a weapon as much as it was a third arm, a rope, or a mood indicator.
“Amazing!” a metallic voice exclaimed.
Haileen returned, wearing a new, immaculate metal helmet that had a removable face protection attached to it — their newest achievement!
“This face-shielding plate should be so useful!” More cramped words managed to escape the metal trap, leaving visible only her glowing blue eyes, and a bit of dark-yellow face. “When did you have the time to make them?”
Iskrila smiled back. “I’ve apprentices, Haileen. We got to work as soon as Sabiri and Star approved the design.”
She tried to make the helmets look nice, but since they were generic, the openings for horns had to be quite large, otherwise not every igni would be able to wear them. And even though Iskrila loved dark green, after the color of her own skin, the helmets were black so they wouldn’t cause any infighting over style.
“The saxum use helmets like these,” Haileen said. “Did you get the idea from them?”
Iskrila raised her eyebrows. “Yeah. Last time we were at the Market, their gear got me intrigued. How did you know they had these? You hardly ever take part in the caravans, so where could you see them?”
Haileen took another glance at the forest, but all looked safe.
“It is true, I only read some books about them. But some time ago I started to wonder: how do other species live? The saxum’s culture seems to be quite interesting, just like their gear! And I am also curious what is it like to have both females and males? The authors of our books are mostly igni, so they could not really explain.”
“Huh!” Iskrila took a second to think. “Can’t say I’m that curious, but since you are — just go ask them! Take a vacation and find out!”
“Well, no…” Haileen snickered. “I cannot leave Sabiri to do everything on her own. So, where are we moving these helmets? And why? And do we have any left
for our own use?”
“To Drowners. They also need to learn how to make these. They’ll take the samples farther to the other villages.”
“That is a great idea!” Haileen went to put the helmet back into the crate. “Do you think we could also start selling them soon? Each time we visit Imbrergoso, Jaesa complains we do not make enough money to expand.”
“Well, she’s their chief — of course she wants as much money for Drowners as possible. If they can secure the materials and find the buyers, then sure…”
Before Iskrila could finish the sentence, an irresistible force jerked her body down. An arrow flew by, barely missing her head.
“Group up!” Haileen’s command pierced the air.
Trying to ignore the invisible hammer smashing something deep inside her chest, Iskrila raised her shield, tried to look around… But there was no one to carry out the order. With the corner of her eye, Iskrila saw how Aip, the third guard, fell down on the ground with a few arrows sticking from her shoulder and neck. Where are they hiding? So many bushes all around her — the enemy could be anywhere!
Run! There was no other thought in Iskrila’s mind. She had to! Was it her own thought? Or was it the artifact’s that was hanging under her clothes, inflaming her every nerve with its heartbeat and horror? What would Sabiri do? The road looked clear, if
she only could…
A sharp, piercing pain suddenly ripped into her leg. Trying not to fall, Iskrila glanced at Haileen, hoping she could see the attackers. That calm face looked so out of place right then. An arrow landed in the wooden cart right near Haileen’s head, but still it failed to make her flinch.
What was the plan? How could they get away? Why was Haileen dropping her spear on the ground? Why was she doing the same with her shield? Suddenly, Iskrila’s wounded leg gave up, forcing her to kneel.
Shit!
She knew it was hopeless the moment it happened, but she just had to try! Iskrila dropped her own weapon and shield, then turned around to finally see the attackers.
The igni, a whole bunch of them. Good armor and weapons. Some of them were still hiding in the bushes, but the rest were already creeping towards them. Keeping the defeated foe under a constant aim of bows, they surrounded the caravan. Now Iskrila could see the sigil on their armor.
That can’t be right! Iskrila blinked, then looked again, squinting her eyes to better see the pattern. What?
“Who the fuck are you?” escaped from her mouth.
It was so hard to speak under the artifact’s toll, that she had to spit out each word in rhythm with its magical heartbeat.
“Why the damn do you wear Drowners’ sigil?”
Those words made the attackers pause. After exchanging confused looks, they decided to not say anything. Instead, two of them aimed their bows directly at her face.
Looking death in the eye was sadly familiar. The sudden weight of horror, pinning her down to the ground. The way she remembered Sabiri and every other person dear to her, completely unable to focus on any of them, unable to say goodbye. The way her heart was pumping blood through her veins, in sync with that fucking artifact that had failed to warn her in time. The pain in her leg, echoing with every beat. The helplessness, watching another enemy coming close to her, kneeling down, putting her hand on the arrow in her wounded leg. Her face was so close to Iskrila, and on that face… Was it pain she saw on it? Guilt? Shame? Disgust? The igni pulled…
