December 7, 2111
James Stone
Expressionism and art seemed to be a large part of the culture of the corelinn species. Here I was, moseying my way through the guest house, when I came across a collection of formatted music and a player. I sat on the couch, avoiding the watered parts of the floor like a plague, since that seemed to be a thing in practically every structure, albeit an annoying thing at that. Once settled, I popped some music into the player; a small device looking more like a harp with waterfalls instead of strings. Then the music played; no words, just classical-like string instruments in tempo with something that had a kick to it. Most fascinating of all, the waterfall on the player danced to the music. And just like that, I found myself a time-killer for the following hour.
One of the two suns began rising through a nearby window. It was a new day on the planet. However, ARW time just peaked past midnight. Since there were two suns, there was little time for night, and I heard from a local that a fair portion of this planet was desert as a result of the suns.
Shadow-Walker entered the room I was in and stopped by the front door. "James, I'm headed out."
"Where to?"
"Same shop as Brad. I'm going to see if I can modify Silent Dagger to use their crystalized water munitions."
"All our weapons are low on ammo, but if you can manage to modify more than just your rifle, we could really benefit. We'd have the best of both worlds; our superior tech matched with their means of harming the shjarrs."
"I'll see what I can do." Shadow opened the front door. He jumped back. "Shivf, Jeremiah! You startled me!"
Jeremiah entered. "My apologies, that wasn't my intention. I just came to speak with James."
Shadow shook his head and sighed. "You make me want to go to where you live, toast all your bread, and put it back in the bag." I chuckled as he slid past Jeremiah and out the door. Jeremiah watched him go, not sure about Shadow's joke.
"There really isn't any bread on this planet," Jeremiah said, with a deadpan expression.
"Shadow was messing with you," I assured.
"Where're your teammates?" Jeremiah cupped his hands together over his waist and stood straight, formal both in dress and stance.
"Shadow headed to the same smithhouse where Brad had been spending his time. Frost is exploring the city and Valiic… I'm afraid he's locked himself in his room for personal time. Poor teddy bear has been struggling with being out of contact with his cohinla."
Jeremiah gazed down, his expression filled with pity. "--and Luvamoureus took his mate in his arms, and she took him in hers - for their soul melded together as one and forever they shall be together in this life and the next, forever journeying down one path - and he whispered to her: My cohinla. Solvia 2:14. It's said that was the origin of the word cohinla. And I personally find that verse purer than any other. It always rejuvenates my faith in our galaxy to know we have such a compassionate species as the maelkii." Jeremiah had a tear in his eye. "I will pray for Valiic."
Waterworks? I thought, I feel for Valiic, too, but tears are a bit emasculating. "I know he will appreciate it," I said.
"Sorry, I've always been a tad emotional." He wiped the tear. "I came here for another purpose. Before tomorrow, I'm supposed to show you to Anighta."
"Just saying her name out loud doesn't really tell me much." I made the comment in good fun and showed with a smile I didn't intend on teasing him.
"She has information… and something we will need to earn this weapon."
"So she's important. That's all you needed to say." I stood up and followed him out the door.
⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕
To say I feel comfortable in thick crowds makes as much sense as a raindrop pleading to join the ocean. Jeremiah and I were working through such a crowd in the rich part of the city, and we were on the way to see someone. However, in moments like this, I wanted to find a quite tree in a quite spot to bask in serenity. I'm the raindrop that falls on the beach, sits on a pebble and adores the ocean from close by, savoring the salty aroma and motion of the waves. Not the one that lands in the ocean.
The crowd had a life of its own; the vibrant clothes glimmered in the morning light, and the people moved like enchanting shoals of fish. There was chatter between sellers and buyers, old friends catching up, new friends made. It was busy for sure, but the hustle and bustle brought a life to this city.
We cleared the herd of corelinns, and Jeremiah was cheerful. "Don't you just love this part of the city? Flowers everywhere, the markets bursting with food, the spring-grown grapes used for wines are so cheap and so good that you can almost get drunk just breathing the air. Everyone in this part of the city is happy and friendly and rich."
"I'm the kind of tree that grows best in its own sunlight, not light shared by a forest," I answered.
He tried to cheer me up with his smile. "Well, we are almost there."
As we continued to walk, the amount of corelinns around dropped exponentially, and I was happier for it. "You wouldn't hold it against me if I told you I was no longer a believer in God."
"I've never been one to force my beliefs on others. I believe if it is God's will for them to hear me, then they shall listen."
I nodded. "I'm glad to hear it. We don't need conflict among ourselves. In my experience, I find it doesn't mix well with battle."
He nodded. "I agree. Being that I'm the new one of the group, it doesn't surprise me you'd question where I stand."
I gave him a friendly pat. "You seem to have a good read on people."
"Are you the only one?"
"One of what?"
"Only one who doesn't believe in something higher?"
I rubbed my neck. "I've heard Frost and Valiic express faith, but I can't say the same for Shadow or Brad. If I'm laying the cards out on the table, it's not really something I talk with my unit about much."
"I appreciated your honesty. It will be important as we work together."
"On the subject of honesty, I still have more than a share of doubts that you should be tagging along. With the very destruction of this planet hanging on our success, the last thing my unit needs is to babysit you."
"I have no fears facing what we are to face."
"Oh, yeah? What fuels your confidence?"
"Because I stand on the promises God has made for me."
His unshaken poise forced a few good laughs out of my gut. "I'm going to need you to elaborate."
Jeremiah stopped and stood in front of me with a twinkle in his eye. "The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:21 that God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him - not because of what I've done, but because of what Jesus has done - I can become righteous for God. That I can be justified just as if I had never sinned in the first place. That I'm already good enough not because of the sacrifices that I make, but because of the sacrifice that Jesus made. And in this day and age, those such as you may question if I would be harmed or something will happen, but the Bible says in Psalm 91:10-12, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he has guardians all around me. They will guard you in all your ways, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone--"
I noticed a small crowd of corelinns stop to listen.
Jeremiah was still going. "--And look, if something goes bad I didn't expect or I feel it will be a problem, the Bible says no problem at all. Romans 8:28,and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. I don't have to worry about my financial life either, because my God will meet all your needs - not according to what happens in my economy, not according to happens in this galaxy - but according to the riches of his glory in Christ, I am financially protected; Philippians 4:19. And if I get sick, the Bible says by his wounds we are healed; Isaiah 53:5. I don't have to worry about the future, because the price has already been paid. The stripes that Jesus bore on his back purchased my healing. And I can live with peace, the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus; Philippians 4:7. And when the enemy comes in like a flood, they will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the Lord drives along; Isaiah 59:19. I don't have to be strong, because it is not what I do by might nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord Almighty;Zechariah 4:6. And I can stand on God's word because 2 Corinthians 1:20 tells me no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. That is why I have no fear, because God is there for me."
At this moment, I was damn near overtaken by his overflowing confidence in his belief. And I knew then what drives people into faith in something bigger than themselves. Even if I believed it was all bogus, true believers are empowered by their faith in something larger watching their backs. That was something I had no right to take away.
Some in the crowd clapped and cheered. After they dispersed, I cleared my throat. "When I said elaborate, I didn't quite mean whatever the hell just happened."
He laughed and adjusted his glassed with bright cheeks. "I apologize. His word is in my heart like a fire, fueled by my soul. I'm weary if I try to hold it in, indeed, I cannot."
We were almost there, and after a short walk I pushed through the opening of a merchant's tent with a sign that read "Seer," in the corelinn language. Anighta sat alone in her hut; fairly elderly and losing the shine in her skin tone. Rugs, lively with colors and patterns, covered the entire floor space. Besides her chair was a table, one of three more like it. On top were many exotic artifacts, relics, and décor. Each added a vibe of mystery to the inside this place.
I cleared my throat. "I came here--"
"I know why you are here," Anighta cut me off.
"Of course you do," I mumbled under my breath.
"I am gifted like you, James. I believe the word you use is… ace."
"You're an ace?" Surprise came over me. "What's your ability?"
"The words of the universe can be seen by me. Often, I find that they are too confusing to make sense. Rare as it may be, I can sometimes pull information and riddles from the miasma of nothingness." She turned to me, and her eyes immediately stopped my feet and stole my attention. They were glowing, full of dots of light inside a vast ocean of blackness, like stars shining in space. "I see you believe me now."
"So then, soothsayer, I'm told you can offer us advice on this weapon we are supposed to scoop up."
She got up and walked into an adjacent room, out of view. Only a few seconds passed before she came back out with a hardcover book as thick as the Bible. She handed it to me; black with golden symbols and patterns filling the cover. "All the advice you seek is within this. The Book of Sin. And my words are truth."
Sin? I wondered. "A crusty, old book. What else you got?" I asked, with unbelieving eyebrows.
"Experience." She waited in silence for a moment before starting. "What you seek, James, is not an easy thing to obtain, let alone control. For generations, my species has been trying to obtain the weapons with absolute nil success. My team and I, we didn't even make it past the second test."
"Test?"
"Are you not aware of what these caves were created to do? They are trials to be completed in order to obtain its reward. Through the harshest labyrinth you must traverse." Her eyes went to the hut's ceiling, as if she were watching something past the fabric. She continued. "The creatures within the labyrinth are the blood of the cave, and they feed on certain emotions. I was alone, at the second challenge. Oyemar, the last of my team remaining alive, had gone missing. I thought Oyemar dead until I heard his tortured screams. I followed the echoes down, to the darkest ends of the caverns below. What I saw… what I witnessed is what we all fear - the wickedness of the damned on full display. Among a sea of crystalized cocoons, and surrounded by thousands more freshly spawned pools of slime, the damned held Oyemar's broken body in a vice of metal and pain. It was peeling the life from his body - his soul. How? I can't imagine, and I have tried. Tendrils of luminance tore away like flesh. With every strand, Oyemar's scream cut the dark and was met with a chittering chorus from the unborn. I can't say if they were feeding off his soul, or the pain, but my guess is both - somehow they ate both. And my words are truth."
Chills ran down my spine. What are the damned that she speaks of? Shjarrs? Second thoughts about this mission began to shove their way up to the top of my mind.
Anighta shook her head in a swift, rapid motion, closing her eyes for a moment. She turned back to me. "Please don't let what I said spook you. A monster of the forest will bring destruction to this planet… a monster your team can stop. A great risk I have taken by bringing you here."
I felt a bit of ire fill my blood. "Come again? You saying you caused our ship to malfunction?"
"Directly, no. I was the one who asked for it to be done."
I was lost for words due to the revelation, but that ire in my blood soon faded away when I remembered what Witna had said during our conversation in the restaurant. She was desperate and believed we are the only thing left to save her planet. So when the opportunity presented itself, she wouldn't've hesitated to bring us here. Despite having some spite over being forced here, I understood why. "Can't say I blame you. And a deal with me might as well be written in stone. I'll hold up my end. I'll save your planet," I promised.
Anighta nodded in graciousness, and I headed back out.
⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕
Most of my team and I stood around the island countertop back at the guest house. Each of us, including my giddy self, were eager to take a peek inside this strange book Anighta gave me.
"What do you think's in the book?" Valiic asked.
To satisfy everyone's curiosity, including my own, I opened to the first page for everyone to see. What was shown was not at all what I expected. Clear as day, the words were in English. How could this alien novel from an alien planet, of whom the inhabitants speak and write in an alien dialect, be in English?
"The words are in my native Quallic Dialect," Valiic stated, with surprise.
"Really? I see Jav'colo," Shadow-Walker added. Jav'colo is a dor'o language Shadow-Walker grew up speaking.
Jeremiah gazed at the words in silence
"Plain as day, I see English," I said.
"Make that two," Frost backed me up. "Uzzos… I think this book somehow projects whatever native language we speak onto the pages."
"How?" Valiic questioned. "If this were so, how do each see different languages?"
Frost answered, "Sight is only a sense, one that can be exploited. I think the book is reading us, rather than the other way around."
"The corelinns don't have the brain power to produce such a complex antique," I added.
"Well, the prime keeper said the caves weren't created by them either. Maybe whoever created the caves created this book, too."
"Devisors?" Shadow-Walker asked. Jeremiah raised an eyebrow to that word, probably unsure of what we referred to.
"I guess we will see when we enter the caves. Devisors seem to have a particular architectural style that we can keep an eye out for," Frost finished.
I closed the book and handed it off to Jeremiah. As our guide, he was going to be responsible for it. It was not our place to trudge through all that material. We had to rest. So I headed off to my quarters to turn in for the big adventure that started tomorrow.