We've lost.
It was impossible. There was no winning now. No chance.
Not even the man I was following through town could stop them. Not even he, with all his strength, could fight this many.
"You all right?" Vim glanced back at me, and I briskly nodded to let him know I was.
Or at least, I hoped I was.
His eyes studied me for a moment, and then he returned to facing forward. Ever forward, like always, Vim walked undaunted and with a straight back.
How could he walk amongst this… this place was…
Shivering as we rounded a street, and I saw even higher buildings than the last… I wondered what this could be called.
It was like a giant hive. Of humans. There were not hundreds, but thousands… maybe even more… and they were all out and about.
Some walked. Some rode carriages. A few were even riding little carriages that were decorated and were just big enough for two people to sit upon. Most of those weren't even being pulled by horses, but by other people.
Staying close to Vim, I hoped and prayed we'd reach our destination soon. It felt as if we had been walking amongst crowds for days, and the deeper we went into the city… the more I got lost.
I needed to make sure I didn't get lost. If I got lost here, I'd never find Vim again. Might not even be able to find the exit either. This place was so massive, so colossal, even if I climbed to the highest roof nearby I'd not find the gates. I'd most likely only see a sea of stone and wooden roofs, as far as the eye could see.
"Come one and all! The thirteenth annual play begins tonight!" A man loudly proclaimed on the other side of the road. He was standing up on a platform, and he had a nice sized crowd in front of him. He was talking about some kind of entertainment tonight… a play… but where? The building behind him? It looked like a house, not a place for shows.
Vim and I rounded the crowd, and I found it funny that anywhere else… his crowd would have been basically the whole town. Yet here it was just an annoyance. Just one more crowd to shove ourselves through.
"There are many plays. You'll not regret missing that one," Vim turned to both check on me, and talk to me, as we left that street and went into a large alleyway.
"Uh… sure…" I nodded, but didn't know what else to say. After all I had no intention of going to it, or wanting to see it. Had my expression looked as if I had wanted to? Surely not.
Right now I just wanted to hide.
To think I had thought Ruvindale had been massive.
This place could absorb Ruvindale's entire population and not even blink.
"How much farther?" I asked Vim. The alley we were now in wasn't a real one. It had places to sit and rest, benches and tables. Maybe the buildings that created this alley were businesses of some kind. Luckily though we were alone. No one else was here.
Yet the world was still loud. Just behind me, and coming from above, were loud enough noises that even beneath my hat I still wished I could cover my ears.
"Still a ways. Sure you're okay?" Vim asked. I noted the soft tone of his question… he most likely saw how bothered I felt.
"No. But I'm doing my best," I said.
"I can tell. Want to sit here for a moment?" Vim pointed at one of the benches. It was made of stone.
"I uh…" I quickly thought about it. A part of me did want to, but the rest of me wanted to escape this place as fast as possible.
Shaking my head, I decided to risk it. A small breather might just make it worse in the long run.
"Alright… just let me know if you need a moment. We can always sneak into an alley or sit at one of the cafes or something," Vim offered.
"I will," I said, and hoped I wouldn't need to abuse his kindness in such a way.
Here I was trying to earn my place next to him… what kind of scared weakling could earn her place next to the protector? Not one who hid from a crowd, that's for sure.
The worst part was he had warned me. Several times before entering the city.
I hadn't taken his warnings seriously. I would from now on.
"This way," Vim guided me to the end of the alleyway, and then to the right. We were now back on a main road, and once again the world got louder… and more crowded.
This time the crowds were working men. Several carts ran up and down the road, and were being loaded or unloaded. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to them, since each cart had different types of boxes or barrels being loaded into it, but it was obvious this road was being used for one singular purpose.
Keeping close to Vim, since men were crossing the street as to load their carts, I wondered if this was what every street behind the buildings that housed businesses looked like. Was this much product being sold? This much food being eaten? Goods being crafted?
Surely not…
"Make way!" A man shouted, and then he cracked the reins of the horse in front of his cart. It jolted away from the side of the road, and into the center. It was a ways ahead of Vim and I, and he was heading away from us, so we didn't have to move… but a dozen other men had to hurriedly run off the street as to not get ran over.
Men cursed at the cart, but it ended there. Everyone quickly went back to work after.
Humans were scary.
"This way," Vim walked in-between two carts, and into another alleyway. Hurrying after him, since a pair of men had stared at me as I passed… I found us walking through a more familiar alley.
It was small. Cramped. Full of boxes and barrels, most that looked like they'd been here for years… and was a little dirty. Refuse and trash were piled up near some of the crates we passed.
Oddly, the sight of such trash and normalcy relaxed me. Even though usually I didn't like walking through it myself, here I found it soothing.
"This road is one of the main ones. It circles the entire district, basically circling all of Telmik," Vim paused at the alley's exit, and pointed at the road it opened to.
"Which district is this?" I asked as I stared at the waves of people.
Luckily there didn't seem to be any carts, but there were those little carriages that only one or two people rode at a time.
Across the road, instead of more buildings looked instead a fountain. A large one… with some kind of statue in the center. I couldn't tell what it was at this angle though.
"This is the merchant's road. Shopping. Food. Stuff like that is found on this road. Beyond this road, heading that way… which is where we're headed, is the holy district," Vim pointed to the right, to where large buildings loomed over the roofs of the ones across the street.
"The church," I nodded.
"That and more. This town has a whole district the size of Ruvindale just to house their relics and clergy. It's a pain, but useful," Vim said with a sigh.
"A tree amongst the forest," I nodded, understanding.
I really hadn't before. Yet now I did.
Anyone could hide here. You could go years without seeing a familiar face, it felt.
Following Vim out into the busy wave of humans, I felt sick. There was too much commotion. Too much noise. Too many voices, too many shoes stepping on the stone road. Too many bells being rung, from the opening and of doors to the shops. Too many products being sold. Too much, too often.
Focusing on Vim, I did my best to stay right behind him. Not just to keep up with him, but because it helped me ignore the world around me.
Usually I'd be more than happy to look around, to see all the new sights… but right now I didn't feel like seeing anything.
Honestly this was the first time I'd ever really felt like this. I wasn't just feeling out of place, I felt tiny. Alone.
"Three for two!" a woman shouted. A glance showed a younger woman lifting a basket… of some kind of bread.
"Not in a million years!" A man shouted to another and drew my eyes to the fountain nearby. They were arguing about something, and oddly enough seemed to be ignored by the crowds around them.
Walking towards the fountain, we passed a group of tables. They were… kind of out in the middle of the street. They weren't near any buildings, and in fact weren't very close to the fountain either. Why were they out here?
They were full. People stood around the tables, since there weren't enough chairs. Most of the people sitting there were men, wearing odd clothing.
One of the men hit the table, drawing eyes from everyone. He then shouted something in an odd language, something that sounded like a drunken slur. Yet he wasn't drunk at all it seemed, based off the hard glare in his eyes.
While we passed the tables, more men started to shout. They all spoke the same language, even the ones who looked and dressed like the people of this nation.
"Vim…" I grabbed his sleeve. He slowed his pace and looked at me, and then around. He thought something was wrong, or I had seen something.
Blushing a little, since I realized he had misinterpreted my call for him… I coughed and pointed to the nearby group. "What language is that?" I asked him.
He visibly calmed down a little, and then smiled. "One of the smarter ones," he said. He looked relived, but didn't sound it.
"Smarter?" I asked. What did that mean?
"That language makes sense. Most others don't."
It made sense…?
Vim returned his attention elsewhere for a short while, and then looked back at me. We were farther away now, and I couldn't hear the voices of those men anymore. "That was the language of the isles. A peoples to the south-east, where there're hundreds of little islands all making up a singular nation," he explained.
"The isles…" I wondered if their language was because of growing up on islands. It sounded so different it was ridiculous.
"As I said, one of the smart ones. Makes it easy to learn, as long as you're not stupid," Vim said with a nod, as if proud of his little joke.
"I take it you speak it well then," I said.
He paused a moment, then turned and said a quick few words to me. They sounded like a mumbled mess, as if he had a mouth full of something thick… but it was obviously the language of those men. He smirked at me, and then returned to walking forward.
"What'd you say?" I asked him.
He said a single word, in that same language… but it was obvious what that one had meant.
"Nothing," I said with a huff.
He chuckled. "See? The smart ones learn it quick," he said.
Blinking at him, I couldn't help but giggle at him. "I see!"
Happy to focus on something other than the hundreds of humans around me, I kept my mind on our silly little conversation all the way until we reached the end of the road.
Passing under a strange gateway, I noticed that it was a building. Some kind of shop was inside the weird archway, which…
"A wall…?" I asked Vim, but he didn't glance back at me or answer. We just kept walking.
It did seem like a wall. But we were so deep into the city that it made no sense. Why have a wall and gate here? Or did they do it to separate the church from the rest of the place?
As we passed through the gateway, for a small moment I saw the sky… and then it was gone.
There was now a roof. Lanterns hung from the stone above, and it looked…
Glancing around, I couldn't help but frown at the sudden display of religious motifs. Paintings hung on the walls. Statues were carved into the pillars. Even the doors and windows all around us, had designs upon them similar to things found in churches or bibles.
And as if to match the sudden change in environment… the people around us quickly began to change as well.
Fancy clothes and cloaks became mundane robes and garb. Bountiful colors started to blend into dark blacks or grays.
Every so often someone wearing colorful armor passed us by too.
Churchmen and women, and their knights.
We were in a church!
Hurriedly I reached up to check my hat, and as I made sure it was still in place… I felt my tail as I coiled it tighter around my right thigh. All was in place. Good.
When had we even entered this place? We were suddenly walking along statues and pretty glass of…
Slowing my pace, I became transfixed with one of the windows we were passing. It was a myriad of different colors, and was painted with a scene of some kind of army. People were marching, and some had wings and flew in the sky. Whoever had painted it, or made the glass that was painted on, had done so in a way that gave the illusion the army was actually marching. They moved as one looked at it from different angles.
It was beautiful.
Startling, I realized I had stopped walking. Hurriedly looking to see how far Vim had gotten from me, I blinked at the smiling man standing next to me.
"It is a little neat," Vim nodded in agreement.
Smiling softly at him, I nodded. "It is," I agreed.
But he was neater. He had actually waited for me, and said nothing.
I knew that time meant nothing to those like him… to even those like me… but…
Vim nodded and turned to keep walking. I followed him, and hoped that one day I could be given a chance to be as kind and gentle with him as he was with me sometimes.
I wasn't sure how it would be possible… since he never seemed to need any real help or kindness in general… but…
Rounding a stone pillar, I shivered as the air began to vibrate.
A familiar sound begun to fill the air, and as Vim and I walked deeper into an ever growing hallway, I recognized a familiar song.
Hymns.
Of course I didn't recognize whatever chant was being done, but it had a similar tone and cadence to those I had heard before. Although the noise was loud and somewhat buzzed in my ears… I found myself liking the way it made me shiver.
We rounded a corner, and for a tiny moment we were back outside. I saw a brief glimpse of trees and grass, but they faded away quickly as we entered another stone hallway.
The ringing of song slowly died down, and I realized we were alone now.
Passing doors and other hallways, I wondered if Vim actually knew where we were. How deep were we? How big was this church? It felt as if it was one giant building, but it was probably hundreds of smaller ones all connected by these stone hallways…
"Are we supposed to be back here Vim? That door had a red circle on it," I whispered. That circle was obvious in its meaning.
"I've never been good at being told where I can and can't go," Vim said, a bit above a whisper.
"Isn't that the truth," I mumbled. Odds were Vim did anything he wanted, whenever he wanted.
Vim didn't seem bothered, but it bothered me. Somehow the lack of other people here made it feel as if… I didn't belong here. As if we'd get yelled at the moment someone else saw us.
I stopped counting the hallways we entered and left, and instead chose to focus on the neat windows and paintings. They were all… a little different than the last. Some fancy, others not.
This place was a lot better than outside. Here I felt okay. Here I felt somewhat safe.
Was… was it maybe because it was a church? Surely not… after all, I had no idea if this place believed in the same thing Nory had. Nor was I foolish enough to think that just because I was hiding my ears and tail, that I was actually safe here…
Then maybe it was simply the lack of people. Maybe I liked being alone or…
Following Vim around a circular hallway, I realized we'd been walking around it for some time and… Rounding a massive stone pillar, I wondered what it was for. Was there a door somewhere? Stairs? Maybe it was a tower? Yet as we rounded it, I saw no door or stairs… only more hallways heading outward.
It was huge. Nearly a building all on its own. Maybe it was a giant tower, and there was something above us.
Before I could find or see a door that led into the circular section, Vim took us down a new hallway. This one was a little dark, thanks to a lack of windows. Only a few small lanterns lit it up, and several of them were about to go out thanks to being nearly empty.
"Here we are," Vim pointed to a very large wooden door. It looked… thick and it had metal plates covering half of it. Had it broken before and they had just fixed it by fastening metal onto it? Or was it made this way on purpose?
"Why don't you go in first?" Vim offered, and opened the door.
The large wooden door didn't make a single sound. Not a creak or whine, as he opened it enough for me to see somewhat inside. It looked like there were shelves. Books. And… I could see the flickering of shadows, most likely casted by open flame. Maybe a fireplace. It wasn't that cold, which told me that it was probably a large room. So much stone was probably hard to heat up sometimes.
Glancing at him, Vim nodded and gestured for me to go in.
"Hm…" I nodded and entered. He obviously wanted me to do so, even if it was silly.
Entering the room, my eyes quickly adjusted to the dimly lit place. Then I noticed an odd… tinge in the air. Something similar to the smell of dried leaves.
"See you soon," Vim then said. Before I could look around, for the source of the smell or to study the room… the door suddenly closed behind me.
I jumped a little, since Vim had not entered with me.
Glancing at the door, I groaned as I realized now why Vim had told me to enter first. He hadn't meant for me to enter before him, but rather for me to simply enter alone.
He could have just told me…
Hurriedly sizing up the room, I felt my heartbeat quicken a little. It was a large room… but it was full of shelves and books. It was clean, no book was out of place or not on a shelf, but there were shelves stacked near more shelving. A few were so close to each other, it made me wonder if this room was actually a few times larger than it seemed, and the shelves were just that many and that full.
There were thick wool rugs on the floor, and the somewhat cool room was doing its best to not get cold thanks to the fireplace opposing the door. I didn't spend much time examining the fireplace, or any of the shelves, since an old woman sat at a large desk in front of the fireplace.
She was a little… larger than most women her age. She wore a white church gown, that had blue lines at the seams… and her somewhat droopy face reminded me of…
"Sit."
The old woman who wasn't human gave me an order. With that order, I realized there was indeed a chair before her desk. A tall one with a back that almost reached the ceiling.
It looked ridiculous, but made me very aware of it.
Although weary… I knew better than to believe I was in danger. Even if this very old woman could hurt me, I sincerely doubted Vim would have let me in here alone if that was a possible outcome to this meeting.
Why bring me all the way here to hurt or kill me, after all? That man could have done it from the moment he met me, and not only could he have done it without anyone knowing… even if he had done it in front of someone from the Society, they'd not question him or doubt him.
They'd just assume I was too dangerous for my own good.
Walking deeper into the room, I realized the rugs beneath me were… very soft. I sunk into them, enough that it made walking feel a little uncomfortable. Should I take my shoes off? These rugs seemed rather expensive.
Reaching the tall chair, I hesitated.
There was a small animal sleeping upon it.
"Just shoo her off, a light tap will do," the old woman nonchalantly told me how to handle it.
What even was it? It looked… like a ferret, or mink, but it had two tails… Had it somehow gotten its tail injured and it had simply healed up that way?
Reaching down to gently wake the small thing, I flinched when it simply kept snoring away.
After a few pats, I realized the thing wouldn't wake at all… so I decided to just pick it up.
Being gentle with the small thing, I realized it probably was some kind of weasel or mink. Its long slender body felt like it had no spine, since it became floppy in my hands. Even as I picked it up, it remained asleep… so I just quickly sat down, and put the small thing onto my lap.
Once in the chair, I spent a few moments studying the small animal. It was warm, and it curled up a little as I petted it on the head.
Cute.
"Hm…"
Looking up, I flinched. I had somewhat forgotten about her.
The old woman sat forward, resting her arms on her desk. It was hard to tell, thanks to her church gown, but it looked like her arms were thin… which was a surprise considering the rest of her wasn't.
"Let us see…" She mumbled as she stared at me… and I realized she had white eyes.
Not white because of an old injury, or because she was blind… her eyeballs were completely white. She didn't even seem to have pupils. It unnerved me a little to be stared at by them.
"You my dear are a jaguar," the woman then said.
"Huh?" I tilted my head, and remembered my hat was still on my head. I was about to reach up and take it off, but decided against it.
I had a very good feeling about her being one of our kind… but I wasn't going to risk it yet, until it was confirmed.
After all, the weird smell in the air might not be her but incense or something else… maybe even the rugs, or this weird animal on my lap.
Although…
Glancing around at the books, I felt my eyes drift to the desk. Upon it was a massive book. So big, that I doubted the old woman had the strength to move it more than a few pages at a time. Chances were she couldn't close it even if she wanted to, based off the number of pages and its size.
"The Chronicler," I said.
The old woman smiled, confirming my assumption. "You're definitely a jaguar. Proud and true. Or… maybe not? Did you stain your hands with the blood of your own, child?" the chronicler asked me.
The cool room suddenly got very hot.
A tiny yelp drew my eyes away from the woman, and I flinched as the little creature bounded off my lap. It jumped to the nearby desk, and with tiny little pitter-patters of its feet it ran to the woman. Hopping over the large book the animal then rushed up one of her sleeves and disappeared.
"Hm… I see… poor girl. But worry not child, you shall not suffer the same fate. Come here, let me see your eyes," she gestured for me to get up and draw closer to her.
I remained seated.
A long moment passed, and then the woman tilted her head.
She hadn't blinked once since I entered the room.
"I'll tell you how I know, but first I need to finish my evaluation of you, dear. Please," the woman gave me a kind smile… but honestly it didn't make me feel any better about this.
With a dry mouth I slowly stood. How had she known? Was it just a guess? Did I misunderstand it?
Maybe she meant the blood of our kind, and not my own family.
She spoke of me killing that snake who had tried to eat me.
Yes.
Surely.
Hopefully.
With an unsteady foot, I stepped forward. Then another, a little more steady this time, and I stood before her desk. Leaning forward a little, I did my best to not look directly into her white eyes. Not only did they bother me a little… I was honestly not liking her very much at the moment.
"A little closer please," she leaned forward herself, and as she did… I realized I had nothing to fear from her.
She'd not let herself get this close to me, within reach of my claws and teeth, if she actually meant me ill will.
Plus…
Glancing behind me, I barely made out the large wooden door. The tall chair blocked most of it from my sight.
"Vim can't hear us, child. I promise you that. I had that door specially made just for that purpose," the woman then said.
Quickly looking back at her, I went still as we came eye-to-eye all of a sudden. She was closer somehow…
"My name is Renn," I said to her.
"Rennalee, yes."
The hot room became cold again.
"How…" I whispered.
Keeping my eyes on hers, I wondered how this was possible. Did I know her? There was no way. I'd remember this smell. Those eyes. And if someone I had known in the past had known her, they would have known of the Society… and would have thus told me of it and…
"I'm cursed, child. At the cost of my sight, I'm allowed to know things I should not… Please dear, keep your eyes clear of tears and fear for but a moment. I'll not harm you, I swear it. To be honest, I'd not survive even if I tried," she said with a chuckle. Her chunky face jiggled as she laughed.
The sight calmed me, since it made her seem more… human, somehow.
"I'd not hurt you," I told her.
"I know that. Your angered claws aren't that which I spoke of, dear," she said with a smirk.
I frowned, and wondered what she meant. Was she scared of my teeth then? They were a little pointed… but I never liked biting people. Blood tasted horrible and…
The chronicler giggled and then reached out, she cupped my cheek with one of her cold hands and a shiver went down my spine. She was as cold as stone. "Nor your teeth. I suppose I should have said it isn't—your claws, that I fear," she said.
Blinking at her, I slowly absorbed her words and…
"Vim has claws…?" I asked her, wondering if that was what she meant.
She chuckled and withdrew her hand. "Quite a statement. He must be gentle with you. Look upward will you? To the ceiling, please," the woman then asked.
I blinked a few times, but decided to oblige. I wasn't really sure what she was searching for… or was finding, but maybe she'd tell me afterwards.
"You're not as young as you look. Good. Although maybe a little young of the heart, but who can hate such a thing? Hm… Good, good," she chuckled as she studied me.
Why is she saying the same things Vim does? Why do I seem young, yet not while also young of the heart? Funny, considering Nory had always said my heart was cold and old…
"Can I ask what you see?" I asked her.
"I see a woman who desperately desires, yet fears it all the same," she said.
"Desires what…?" I asked.
"The one outside, of course," she said with a huff.
I leaned back, away from her… and felt the cold room get warm again… although mostly around my face.
After a few moments of staring into those white eyes, and the happy smile beneath them… I leaned back closer to her. "Is it that obvious…?" I asked with a whisper.
The chronicler giggled and nodded. As she did, the neck of her gown opened just a tad… and a little head popped out of it. The small animal from earlier peeked out, its small ears turning every which way as it stared at me form the safety of her gown.
"Sorry," I apologized to it.
"To me it is obvious. To me. But, maybe, to others as well? It is him who we must wonder if can see," the chronicler said as she reached up to pet the little creature.
Shifting, I rested my arms on the desk. "He… sometimes does act like he knows…. Sometimes…" I said.
"Hm. He's burdened. His burdens deny him certain sights and pleasures. Makes him as blind as me for things like this. You have a rough journey ahead of you, but your blood is used to such strife. I dare say you will fare well," the woman nodded as she spoke, as if seeing it all play out before her eyes right here and now.
Glad to have leaned against the desk, I now did so because my legs suddenly felt weak. "I see…" I said as I soaked up her words.
"Hm! I shall allow your name to be joined into the archive. Welcome, Rennalee, to the Non-Human Society," the old woman said happily.
The little creature she was petting also squeaked out, as if to welcome me as well.
I beamed at them, and tears welled in my eyes.
The door opened as I lowered my head in thanks, and Vim walked in to join us.