|| 42nd Winter, 512AV || The Storm Shrine, Zeltiva
”Tell me, Myrian. What do you think you will learn from me?”
The question made Ayatah throw an almost disapproving look to the man next to her. What does he expect?
”I hope to further my skills in daggerwork - like we agreed.” Her dark eyes flitted back to ahead of them. She had met the older man, who had volunteered to become her trainer for the Martial Assocation, in the World’s End Grotto. The greeting had been brief and he had introduced himself as Nuvro.
Their names had been all the information that the two had shared, but Nuvro had quickly made it clear that he wished to learn more about his latest student.
”And the dagger is a strange weapon for a Myrian, am I right in thinking? At least, not without a handaxe or sword to accompany it.”
He was not entirely wrong. Ayatah had always lacked the core strength of a pureblooded Myrian. But she was damn fast, and the small blades of a double-bladed dagger made the most of her speed without requiring too much strength. ”I am half Eypharian,” her eyes remained trained on what was ahead of her, even when Nuvro’s eyes shot her a strange sideways glance, ”so I make the most of my speed and agility.”
The man nodded, ”and you also want to learn about unarmed fighting?” His arms swung to and fro in comically large arcs as he walked. It was made funnier by his short hight and broad shoulders.
”Yes.” She nodded, ”In the jungle, I’d never leave my home without a weapon. But here… I get stared at enough without being fully armed. But I don’t want to be defenceless." She had prided herself for not falling victim to any crime (as of yet) in East Street, nor being intimidated by the muggers and cutpurses that inhabited that area. But Ayatah was not stupid, even if a little too proud. She knew that without the proper training, she would be practically helpless should anyone attack her and she had no weapons.
And it was not particularly Myrian-like to be helpless.
"Tell me about yourself," she said quickly. Nuvro had opened his mouth to speak - probably to ask yet another question, but Ayatah wanted to learn about him as much as he seemed to want to know about her.
”Well.. let’s see…” Nuvro blew air out from behind his teeth, clicking his tongue as he considered what to tell the woman next to him. ”I have lived in Zeltiva for the past ten years. But I’ve also lived in Syliras, Sunberth and Nyka in my forty-five years of living. It was Sunberth where I learnt most of what I know about dagger work.” He shot Ayatah another sideways glance, ”it… is easy for a person to learn such things in such a place.”
Ayatah had heard of the lawless city, where mobs and gangs ruled the roost and it was easy for a man or woman to fall into crime. In all honesty, it didn’t seem so bad to Ayatah. She had considered whether a Myrian-Eypharian would be more accepted in a city that rejected rules.
”Were you… a… criminal in Sunberth?”
The short man seemed surprised about her bluntness, but a little wry smile crossed his face. ”You could say that, yes. I was a young man, and I needed money. I was skilled in fighting and was willing to swap my knowledge for others’ skills. Some of the things I learnt would not be… tolerated in many other places.”
”I could say the same.”
That made Nuvro laugh heartily, and even Ayatah chuckled to herself. She had learnt, albeit with difficulty, to laugh in the face of the animosity she received in Zeltiva. Some things are not worth pouting over…
”So tell me, Ayatah of the Scattered Bones, why did you come to Zeltiva? I have not met many Myrians on my travels.”
It was a simple question, but it made Ayatah frown. She had been asked it plenty of times; her mother, her friends, the ship crew that had bought her here, fellow students… All had asked - and not unpleasantly - what exactly a Myrian (or half-) was doing in the port city of Zeltiva. If she was completely honest with herself, even Ayatah did not know what exactly had made her choose Zeltiva - but she did know the two main reasons that had made her leave the jungle.
”I wanted to learn more about my Father’s people.” she started. Shrugging her shoulders at the simplicity of her own answer, ”it… is hard to learn about the Eypharian race in Taloba. We learn of our enemies’ weaknesses, not what type of people they are or their language. I knew Zeltiva had a university, so I think that’s why I chose here in particular, but I don’t plan on living here forever. The second reason…” now it was her turn to shoot her company a sneaky sideward glance, ”is that I think I can serve my Goddess-Queen better having lived outside of the Jungle. I can learn of our enemies from the inside, and with different sources of information than can be reached in Taloba.”
Her words hung in the air for a few moments, whilst Nuvro chewed over what she had said, and Ayatah wondered whether she had shared too much. Eventually, the man tilted is head sideways, as if he had come to a conclusion. ”You left the jungle because you could only learn about how to kill your Father’s race, and you wanted to know more about them. But -- you also left so you could… learn how to kill other races more efficiently?” he caught sight of the fury that flashed across Ayatah’s face, and he held both hands up quickly, ”I meant no offence. I just like to know what drives my students have.”
”I understand. I guess my reasons for leaving home are so… personal than nobody else but myself and my Goddess-Queen can understand them.”
The two of them had reached the Storm Shrine a while ago, but conversation had flooded into their training times. Ayatah paused to circle around the oddly shaped structure, and noticed how a few candles - all of which had long been extinguished by the wind up here - had been laid at the foot of it. There were no visitors, now, although an elderly frail priest smiled and waved to them as he read a book a few feet away. He must have rocks in his pockets, Ayatah mused, else the wind would carry him away and out to sea.
When she had completed a full circle of the shrine, Nuvro had stripped himself of his fancy (and ridiculous-looking) cape. Ayatah mirrored him by removing the outer layers of her own clothes, so she stood in just her Myrian leatherwear. The trainer had bought with him two wooden daggers, and when he passed one to Ayatah, she was impressed with how well they were made. The twin blades upon the central hilt were almost as narrow as her own double-bladed dagger. When she pressed her finger on the tip of the blade, it almost hurt.
”Now, Myrian,” Nuvro said as he undid the top two buttons of his white shirt, ”let’s see what you learnt in the jungle.”
The question made Ayatah throw an almost disapproving look to the man next to her. What does he expect?
”I hope to further my skills in daggerwork - like we agreed.” Her dark eyes flitted back to ahead of them. She had met the older man, who had volunteered to become her trainer for the Martial Assocation, in the World’s End Grotto. The greeting had been brief and he had introduced himself as Nuvro.
Their names had been all the information that the two had shared, but Nuvro had quickly made it clear that he wished to learn more about his latest student.
”And the dagger is a strange weapon for a Myrian, am I right in thinking? At least, not without a handaxe or sword to accompany it.”
He was not entirely wrong. Ayatah had always lacked the core strength of a pureblooded Myrian. But she was damn fast, and the small blades of a double-bladed dagger made the most of her speed without requiring too much strength. ”I am half Eypharian,” her eyes remained trained on what was ahead of her, even when Nuvro’s eyes shot her a strange sideways glance, ”so I make the most of my speed and agility.”
The man nodded, ”and you also want to learn about unarmed fighting?” His arms swung to and fro in comically large arcs as he walked. It was made funnier by his short hight and broad shoulders.
”Yes.” She nodded, ”In the jungle, I’d never leave my home without a weapon. But here… I get stared at enough without being fully armed. But I don’t want to be defenceless." She had prided herself for not falling victim to any crime (as of yet) in East Street, nor being intimidated by the muggers and cutpurses that inhabited that area. But Ayatah was not stupid, even if a little too proud. She knew that without the proper training, she would be practically helpless should anyone attack her and she had no weapons.
And it was not particularly Myrian-like to be helpless.
"Tell me about yourself," she said quickly. Nuvro had opened his mouth to speak - probably to ask yet another question, but Ayatah wanted to learn about him as much as he seemed to want to know about her.
”Well.. let’s see…” Nuvro blew air out from behind his teeth, clicking his tongue as he considered what to tell the woman next to him. ”I have lived in Zeltiva for the past ten years. But I’ve also lived in Syliras, Sunberth and Nyka in my forty-five years of living. It was Sunberth where I learnt most of what I know about dagger work.” He shot Ayatah another sideways glance, ”it… is easy for a person to learn such things in such a place.”
Ayatah had heard of the lawless city, where mobs and gangs ruled the roost and it was easy for a man or woman to fall into crime. In all honesty, it didn’t seem so bad to Ayatah. She had considered whether a Myrian-Eypharian would be more accepted in a city that rejected rules.
”Were you… a… criminal in Sunberth?”
The short man seemed surprised about her bluntness, but a little wry smile crossed his face. ”You could say that, yes. I was a young man, and I needed money. I was skilled in fighting and was willing to swap my knowledge for others’ skills. Some of the things I learnt would not be… tolerated in many other places.”
”I could say the same.”
That made Nuvro laugh heartily, and even Ayatah chuckled to herself. She had learnt, albeit with difficulty, to laugh in the face of the animosity she received in Zeltiva. Some things are not worth pouting over…
”So tell me, Ayatah of the Scattered Bones, why did you come to Zeltiva? I have not met many Myrians on my travels.”
It was a simple question, but it made Ayatah frown. She had been asked it plenty of times; her mother, her friends, the ship crew that had bought her here, fellow students… All had asked - and not unpleasantly - what exactly a Myrian (or half-) was doing in the port city of Zeltiva. If she was completely honest with herself, even Ayatah did not know what exactly had made her choose Zeltiva - but she did know the two main reasons that had made her leave the jungle.
”I wanted to learn more about my Father’s people.” she started. Shrugging her shoulders at the simplicity of her own answer, ”it… is hard to learn about the Eypharian race in Taloba. We learn of our enemies’ weaknesses, not what type of people they are or their language. I knew Zeltiva had a university, so I think that’s why I chose here in particular, but I don’t plan on living here forever. The second reason…” now it was her turn to shoot her company a sneaky sideward glance, ”is that I think I can serve my Goddess-Queen better having lived outside of the Jungle. I can learn of our enemies from the inside, and with different sources of information than can be reached in Taloba.”
Her words hung in the air for a few moments, whilst Nuvro chewed over what she had said, and Ayatah wondered whether she had shared too much. Eventually, the man tilted is head sideways, as if he had come to a conclusion. ”You left the jungle because you could only learn about how to kill your Father’s race, and you wanted to know more about them. But -- you also left so you could… learn how to kill other races more efficiently?” he caught sight of the fury that flashed across Ayatah’s face, and he held both hands up quickly, ”I meant no offence. I just like to know what drives my students have.”
”I understand. I guess my reasons for leaving home are so… personal than nobody else but myself and my Goddess-Queen can understand them.”
The two of them had reached the Storm Shrine a while ago, but conversation had flooded into their training times. Ayatah paused to circle around the oddly shaped structure, and noticed how a few candles - all of which had long been extinguished by the wind up here - had been laid at the foot of it. There were no visitors, now, although an elderly frail priest smiled and waved to them as he read a book a few feet away. He must have rocks in his pockets, Ayatah mused, else the wind would carry him away and out to sea.
When she had completed a full circle of the shrine, Nuvro had stripped himself of his fancy (and ridiculous-looking) cape. Ayatah mirrored him by removing the outer layers of her own clothes, so she stood in just her Myrian leatherwear. The trainer had bought with him two wooden daggers, and when he passed one to Ayatah, she was impressed with how well they were made. The twin blades upon the central hilt were almost as narrow as her own double-bladed dagger. When she pressed her finger on the tip of the blade, it almost hurt.
”Now, Myrian,” Nuvro said as he undid the top two buttons of his white shirt, ”let’s see what you learnt in the jungle.”
|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||
