Persist I
Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2020 11:06 pm
30th of Ash, 120
One of the benefits of living in Lower Nivenhain was the abundance of vacant buildings If one was prepared to brave the rats and the toxic black mold that crept up the walls of such buildings, one never had to worry about going homeless. It was on the rooftop of one of those buildings that the trio set up their camp for that day. Under the shelter of the stairwell, Asmodei had filled a corrugated metal barrel to burn with various pieces of broken furniture as a sort of charging station for the young ectothermic Rathari.
He and Arkash both revised his rathari traits, as Asmodei believed him to be something called a Neoalt. The prospect would have excited him had they explored the option some five days or so prior, but with news of Cojack's death still fresh on his mind, there was little room for excitement, or thought about the future. As far as Arkash was concerned, he was waiting to die. Everything between then and that moment was meaningless.
Fayeth was nearby. She stood at the edge of the rooftop and looked over the sprawling city, the construction of the wall some way away, and higher society far into the distance. She had little part in the talks that the lizard and the avialae shared, but she listened all the same.
"Your sight is pretty good, I'd say," spoke Asmodei while he sat opposite Arkash on the ground. "Which is quite irregular for a rathari of your kind."
He kept saying those words while they discussed his physiology, and he hated it. He was different, and he got it. It didn't need to be shoved down his throat every other sentence. "I've always seen fine, I think," Arkash returned in vithmi. "Obviously, not anymore, but..." he motioned to his left side with his one arm, which indicated the blind, dead orb that rested there.
Asmodei sighed to the explanation, "I know Ark, but please bear with me while we run these tests. I promise the end will be worth it." He then turned to face the edge of the broad, flat roofing, where Fayeth stood. "Look over there, and describe the furthest thing you can see? Then we can measure you against a regular human's sight and what level of sight you should have," he instructed.
Arkash sighed, but did as he was asked. With a press of his claws to the rooftop, he scooted his body to turn in the direction Asmodei indicated and the false knight did the same. Arkash didn't really want to be up there in the cold; he didn't really want to be out at all. His thoughts were entirely occupied by Cojack, their last moments together. They formulated their plan, and promised to meet beyond the walls, but Arkash never turned up. How long had his sickly father waited in the forest for him before he gave up? What did Cojack believe when Arkash didn't return? Had he abandoned Cojack? Or had he perished along the way? Whatever Cojack believed, he was alone in the world in turn, just as Arkash was. That was what lead the sickly horse to take his own life, the young rath believed.
"Arkash?" The avialae asked, and robbed him from his thoughts. Arkash looked at him. "Having some trouble?"
The lizard took a moment to think, then shook his head. "I'm fine," he spoke, then turned to face forward again, but as he did, a powerful seize in his left shoulder pulled at his whole body in a violent twitch. As he unwound the tense muscle, the frayed nerves there fired again, and he was made to shrug. His only eye shut while he worked through the tension there, then grunted when he finally found some degree of looseness after the cramp.
"Take your time..." Spoke Asmodei with the utmost patience.
He wanted to cry. It always hurt when his muscles cramped in such a way, and he didn't have the heart to cope with the pain as he was. But, it didn't matter what he wanted, as the world had demonstrated time and time again, so, he peered into the distance and quelled the creeping burn in his throat while his shoulder radiated a dull ache. It was hard to focus on what was furthest with his limited depth perception, but the most detail he could make out was the spire of a cathedral and everything that he believed followed after became too blurry to see.
"Th' church spia," he replied in common, then looked to Asmodei for affirmation. How good was his sight?
"Fayeth?"
"Quite a bit further than that," replied the siltori. "Maybe another fifty feet and some change..."
Asmodei nodded, then returned his gaze to the lizard. "Well, your eyesight is subpar on a human's standard, but that could just be you. It's common to be born with defective eyesight."
So I'm defective now, wondered the rath in his mind. "So... How'd we kno' fo' shuer?"
"That you're a neoalt?" he asked in turn. Arkash nodded. He couldn't really see Asmodei while the man sat on his blind side, but he didn't have to. "Well, your eyesight is better than a monitor lizard's, most of the rathari I've met with those traits are usually nearly blind. But for now, more tests. I normally find that neoalts always have a sense that makes up for the others if they're weaker than otherwise preferred."
"...Wha' even is a... Neolt?" he asked at last, and Asmodei groaned in a way that seemed almost triumphant. Arkash flexed his brow.
The giant clapped his gauntlet-wrapped hands together, then rubbed them. "I'm glad you asked! I was starting to think you weren't at all interested in your people. So, there's two categories that all rathari fall under. Beastalt, and Neoalt. Beastalts appear much like yourself, lots of traits from the animal they take after, and a balance of beneficial and negative traits. it's easy to see why your parents might have thought you were a beastalt, you're the spitting image of one!"
Arkash bowed his head in acceptance, but that didn't answer his question. He supposed that made Cojack and Liu both beastalts. "So wha' abou' the neolt?"
"So that's where things get interesting. Neoalts can look varied with their true forms from rathari to rathari. Some look more human with human traits while others look more... well, like a beastalt."
The Rath held up a hand again. "True form...?" What did that mean?
Asmodei's grin only deepened. It was abundantly clear that he enjoyed the chance to teach Arkash. "So, Neoalts have the ability to change their shape and appearance at will. They can make themselves appear completely human or turn into an animal fully. Those two forms accompany their true form."
"Uhh-?" Interrupted Arkash with something of a confused smile. "Change she'p? Really? Az, tha's ridiculous."
"It's true!" Bellowed the giant desperately. "Believe me, Ark, I've seen it happen."
Arkash simply shook his head. "Ev'n if I did. I obviously can' change shape, can I? So 'm a beastalt."
"It's possible yes, but... You never had your coming of age ceremony. If you were a neoalt, you wouldn't be able to change shape until you had it, so... It's entirely possible you're a neoalt."
The revelation made his head hurt, he didn't want to think about it too much. He wouldn't be around too much longer anyway, so what did it matter? "Alright," was all he spoke on that. "Wha's 'is ceremony you keep mentionin'?"
"We'll get to that another time, but I think you'll like it. I've seen a few of them, and I've even been honored enough to attend a few. So don't worry about that at all."
He wasn't worried. He barely cared if he was honest, which he wasn't. "So my eyes suck," he returned to the prior topic.
"Compared to a human, sure, you're below average, but you're much better than an ordinary monitor lizard, which is a clue to your Neoalt biology, I think."
Arkash nodded. He didn't know if humans were the 'standard' for eyesight, or what the standard for any of the other four senses could be, but he was open to trying at that point. His sense of touch wasn't anything remarkable, though Asmodei did comment on the softness of his scales, which supposedly should have been naturally armored. The third test involved his sense of smell, and from up there, he couldn't smell much. The winds blew away the scents, but he could catch faint traces.
So, when Asmodei told him to take a whiff of his surroundings, he breathed deeply through his nose and shut his eye, only to be told to stop. Arkash looked to Asmodei in confusion, where the avialae asked "what are you doing?"
"Sniffin'?"
"Through your nose...?"
"Yeah...?
"You should be using your tongue to gather the scents in the air, Arkash." Ah, yes. That was something Liu and Cojack had tried to convince him to do when he was very young. But...
"Doesn' work," he replied simply with a shrug and a wince. "My mom n' dad said th' same, but my tongue don' work like 'at."
"Interesting..." Asmodei spoke as he leaned forward where he sat. "And what can you smell through your nose?"
The young rathari thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Black mold, burnin' wood, blood, piss, shit." Asmodei lifted a hand to stop him. "It's too win'y up 'ere, I can' smell mush-" he pleaded and excused himself, but Asmodei spoke over him.
Continued here.
One of the benefits of living in Lower Nivenhain was the abundance of vacant buildings If one was prepared to brave the rats and the toxic black mold that crept up the walls of such buildings, one never had to worry about going homeless. It was on the rooftop of one of those buildings that the trio set up their camp for that day. Under the shelter of the stairwell, Asmodei had filled a corrugated metal barrel to burn with various pieces of broken furniture as a sort of charging station for the young ectothermic Rathari.
He and Arkash both revised his rathari traits, as Asmodei believed him to be something called a Neoalt. The prospect would have excited him had they explored the option some five days or so prior, but with news of Cojack's death still fresh on his mind, there was little room for excitement, or thought about the future. As far as Arkash was concerned, he was waiting to die. Everything between then and that moment was meaningless.
Fayeth was nearby. She stood at the edge of the rooftop and looked over the sprawling city, the construction of the wall some way away, and higher society far into the distance. She had little part in the talks that the lizard and the avialae shared, but she listened all the same.
"Your sight is pretty good, I'd say," spoke Asmodei while he sat opposite Arkash on the ground. "Which is quite irregular for a rathari of your kind."
He kept saying those words while they discussed his physiology, and he hated it. He was different, and he got it. It didn't need to be shoved down his throat every other sentence. "I've always seen fine, I think," Arkash returned in vithmi. "Obviously, not anymore, but..." he motioned to his left side with his one arm, which indicated the blind, dead orb that rested there.
Asmodei sighed to the explanation, "I know Ark, but please bear with me while we run these tests. I promise the end will be worth it." He then turned to face the edge of the broad, flat roofing, where Fayeth stood. "Look over there, and describe the furthest thing you can see? Then we can measure you against a regular human's sight and what level of sight you should have," he instructed.
Arkash sighed, but did as he was asked. With a press of his claws to the rooftop, he scooted his body to turn in the direction Asmodei indicated and the false knight did the same. Arkash didn't really want to be up there in the cold; he didn't really want to be out at all. His thoughts were entirely occupied by Cojack, their last moments together. They formulated their plan, and promised to meet beyond the walls, but Arkash never turned up. How long had his sickly father waited in the forest for him before he gave up? What did Cojack believe when Arkash didn't return? Had he abandoned Cojack? Or had he perished along the way? Whatever Cojack believed, he was alone in the world in turn, just as Arkash was. That was what lead the sickly horse to take his own life, the young rath believed.
"Arkash?" The avialae asked, and robbed him from his thoughts. Arkash looked at him. "Having some trouble?"
The lizard took a moment to think, then shook his head. "I'm fine," he spoke, then turned to face forward again, but as he did, a powerful seize in his left shoulder pulled at his whole body in a violent twitch. As he unwound the tense muscle, the frayed nerves there fired again, and he was made to shrug. His only eye shut while he worked through the tension there, then grunted when he finally found some degree of looseness after the cramp.
"Take your time..." Spoke Asmodei with the utmost patience.
He wanted to cry. It always hurt when his muscles cramped in such a way, and he didn't have the heart to cope with the pain as he was. But, it didn't matter what he wanted, as the world had demonstrated time and time again, so, he peered into the distance and quelled the creeping burn in his throat while his shoulder radiated a dull ache. It was hard to focus on what was furthest with his limited depth perception, but the most detail he could make out was the spire of a cathedral and everything that he believed followed after became too blurry to see.
"Th' church spia," he replied in common, then looked to Asmodei for affirmation. How good was his sight?
"Fayeth?"
"Quite a bit further than that," replied the siltori. "Maybe another fifty feet and some change..."
Asmodei nodded, then returned his gaze to the lizard. "Well, your eyesight is subpar on a human's standard, but that could just be you. It's common to be born with defective eyesight."
So I'm defective now, wondered the rath in his mind. "So... How'd we kno' fo' shuer?"
"That you're a neoalt?" he asked in turn. Arkash nodded. He couldn't really see Asmodei while the man sat on his blind side, but he didn't have to. "Well, your eyesight is better than a monitor lizard's, most of the rathari I've met with those traits are usually nearly blind. But for now, more tests. I normally find that neoalts always have a sense that makes up for the others if they're weaker than otherwise preferred."
"...Wha' even is a... Neolt?" he asked at last, and Asmodei groaned in a way that seemed almost triumphant. Arkash flexed his brow.
The giant clapped his gauntlet-wrapped hands together, then rubbed them. "I'm glad you asked! I was starting to think you weren't at all interested in your people. So, there's two categories that all rathari fall under. Beastalt, and Neoalt. Beastalts appear much like yourself, lots of traits from the animal they take after, and a balance of beneficial and negative traits. it's easy to see why your parents might have thought you were a beastalt, you're the spitting image of one!"
Arkash bowed his head in acceptance, but that didn't answer his question. He supposed that made Cojack and Liu both beastalts. "So wha' abou' the neolt?"
"So that's where things get interesting. Neoalts can look varied with their true forms from rathari to rathari. Some look more human with human traits while others look more... well, like a beastalt."
The Rath held up a hand again. "True form...?" What did that mean?
Asmodei's grin only deepened. It was abundantly clear that he enjoyed the chance to teach Arkash. "So, Neoalts have the ability to change their shape and appearance at will. They can make themselves appear completely human or turn into an animal fully. Those two forms accompany their true form."
"Uhh-?" Interrupted Arkash with something of a confused smile. "Change she'p? Really? Az, tha's ridiculous."
"It's true!" Bellowed the giant desperately. "Believe me, Ark, I've seen it happen."
Arkash simply shook his head. "Ev'n if I did. I obviously can' change shape, can I? So 'm a beastalt."
"It's possible yes, but... You never had your coming of age ceremony. If you were a neoalt, you wouldn't be able to change shape until you had it, so... It's entirely possible you're a neoalt."
The revelation made his head hurt, he didn't want to think about it too much. He wouldn't be around too much longer anyway, so what did it matter? "Alright," was all he spoke on that. "Wha's 'is ceremony you keep mentionin'?"
"We'll get to that another time, but I think you'll like it. I've seen a few of them, and I've even been honored enough to attend a few. So don't worry about that at all."
He wasn't worried. He barely cared if he was honest, which he wasn't. "So my eyes suck," he returned to the prior topic.
"Compared to a human, sure, you're below average, but you're much better than an ordinary monitor lizard, which is a clue to your Neoalt biology, I think."
Arkash nodded. He didn't know if humans were the 'standard' for eyesight, or what the standard for any of the other four senses could be, but he was open to trying at that point. His sense of touch wasn't anything remarkable, though Asmodei did comment on the softness of his scales, which supposedly should have been naturally armored. The third test involved his sense of smell, and from up there, he couldn't smell much. The winds blew away the scents, but he could catch faint traces.
So, when Asmodei told him to take a whiff of his surroundings, he breathed deeply through his nose and shut his eye, only to be told to stop. Arkash looked to Asmodei in confusion, where the avialae asked "what are you doing?"
"Sniffin'?"
"Through your nose...?"
"Yeah...?
"You should be using your tongue to gather the scents in the air, Arkash." Ah, yes. That was something Liu and Cojack had tried to convince him to do when he was very young. But...
"Doesn' work," he replied simply with a shrug and a wince. "My mom n' dad said th' same, but my tongue don' work like 'at."
"Interesting..." Asmodei spoke as he leaned forward where he sat. "And what can you smell through your nose?"
The young rathari thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Black mold, burnin' wood, blood, piss, shit." Asmodei lifted a hand to stop him. "It's too win'y up 'ere, I can' smell mush-" he pleaded and excused himself, but Asmodei spoke over him.
Continued here.