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The Big Oof! Volume 2 Chapter 48: Auri's Morning
🕑 Added 2023-06-21 19:35:02 +0000 UTCAuri was absolutely astounded by the unreal pace at which her new pupils were grasping the art of reading. It was already wild that Elijah had advanced further in mere days than she had in weeks, but when Bennett had decided to join their little lessons, she was left utterly astounded. The tall and lanky man had arrived halfway through her session with Elijah, and with a brief rundown of the topics they had already covered, he was fast approaching the same level of comprehension.
Enduring another sleepless night, her thoughts running wild, Auri found herself lying on her back, her gaze fixated on the wooden beams of the ceiling. As the silence of the night filled the room, Azeline, seated on her own cot, roused from her sleep and let out a drowsy yawn. That’s when Auri noticed the morning light filtering through the cracks in the shutters, casting a soft, ethereal glow across the room.
"Good morning, Azeline," Auri uttered in a detached tone, rising from her cot after realizing there was no sense in lingering in bed after.
"G’morning, Auri," Azeline replied groggily, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she stretched her arms. She glanced over at Auri, noticing her tired expression and the dark circles under her eyes. "You look… not good. Didn’t sleep again?"
Auri gave a weak, humorless chuckle, pushing herself up to sit on the edge of the cot. "No. No, not really. My mind just won't let me rest." She admitted, running her fingers through her disheveled hair. “The lessons are taking a toll on me.”
Azeline frowned with concern, swinging her legs over the side of her cot. "Are they being idiots again? Do you need me to give them a stern talking to?” She asked, coming to a stand.
A small smile formed on Auri’s face as she shook her head. “No, no. It’s nothing they did. It’s just…” She paused after standing, herself. "It’s just nothing they do makes sense. It’s like they defy all logic." Auri continued as she moved towards the small basin of water in the corner of the
room. “I’m more than certain if I sat a literal GOD down and taught him how to read, they would take longer than these two!”
Holding up a hand, Azeline let out a chuckle and looked at her in understanding. “Let me stop you right there.” She said, shaking her head with an amused grin on her face. "STOP THINKING." Azeline said, walking over to the basin as well. “No matter how hard you try, you will never make sense of those two or what they do. They’re different, and that’s just something you’re going to have to live with.”
She splashed some cold water on her face, then turned to Auri, her eyes reflecting concern. "You’re wasting your time and energy trying to figure out something that’s impossible to understand." Azeline continued, half laughing. “The heavens knows I tried.”
Auri paused in the middle of dressing and stared at Azeline. "I should… I should just stop thinking about it??" she asked with an incredulous look.
“Yep! You’ll stay sane longer that way!” Azeline replied in a happy tone as she opened the door and waltzed out of the room
Standing there, momentarily frozen, Auri’s mind struggled to accept the simplicity of Azeline's advice. “Hogwash!” She snarled and flicked her wrist. Suddenly a red hazy light covered Auri’s hand before the woman ran it through her hair, causing it to neatly arrange itself into a tidy braid. As the glow dimmed, she turned her gaze back to where Azeline left with an expression that still carried traces of annoyance.
“I am to just… IGNORE this anomaly? Ignore two beings that defy all logic and reason!?” The bridge of Auri’s nose curled in disgust as she spat out the words.
With a harumph, Auri finally finished dressing, the red light around her hand flickered out as she stared hard at the wooden door Azeline had vanished through. "Calm yourself…" she said to herself as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
“Okay…” Auri muttered before pulling open the door and striding forth to the stairs.
Leaning back on his chair and balancing on two legs, Elijah finished his mug of milk as he stared at his Engineer questioningly. “So what’s the point of learning how to read in this language, if it’s not what’s used in your magic bullshit?” He asked, while Bennett was squinting at the board he used to practice his magic Marks.
“Because, you Troglodyte…” Bennett looked up at his Captain. “There’s a possibility we can find a connection between the two languages or that we might come across ancient texts or inscriptions that could provide us with valuable information.” He retorted, setting down his board and narrowing his eyes.
Elijah rolled his eyes at Bennett's words, "Oh yeah, ancient texts. How could I forget? Can't go a day without stumbling upon one of those."
Bennett gave him a flat stare. “Has there ever been a day where you aren’t an obnoxious piece of shit?.” He retorted, grabbing his own mug and gulping down his milk. "And besides," he added, "it's always useful not to rely on someone else to read or understand the culture. Like you said, knowledge is power, remember?"
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Elijah waved his hand dismissively before setting his chair back down with a thud. "Anyways, Azeline." He turned his attention to the blonde Northern woman that was digging into her fresh bowl of porridge. “How well do you know the city and its outskirts?”
Azeline paused in her meal, raising an eyebrow at Elijah as she took a moment to swallow her food. "I've been around a bit," she said with a fair bit of uncertainty. "Spent most of my time in the city, though. Why?"
Finally letting all four legs of his chair hit the ground, Elijah leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Well… We have that gig we’re supposed to do and I’m trying to figure where to start." He replied, an edge of curiosity in his tone. “Is there a process we have to follow or do we just… go out there and report back when we’ve finished our task?”
Taking a few moments to shovel a few spoonfuls of porridge into her mouth, Azeline turned back to Elijah. "In essence, yes, you just go out there and do whatever and whenever." She said, grabbing her mug and taking a sip. "There’s no oversight and no one to hold your hand. You can just do everything last minute if you want to as long as the job gets done within the allotted time frame. But it's always nice to have a plan."
Elijah hummed as he nodded in understanding. "Okay, we’re free to operate as we see fit." he simplified, his brows furrowing as he contemplated this newfound freedom. "Well, that makes sense, there's no way for an employer to micromanage you when you’re off doing stuff." He muttered, leaning back on his chair again. "Alright cool, let's finish breakfast and go wrap this up."
“Well… there are some Taskers or employers that have some strict guidelines and conditions, but those are usually mentioned up front," Azeline clarified, spooning another mouthful of her breakfast. "But for the most part, you're right. They don't have the resources or the interest to hover over your shoulder all the time. They just want the job done."
Taking a bite of his bread, Elijah nodded slowly, his mind already turning over the possibilities this freedom afforded him. "Good to know," he mumbled through his mouthful, but then noticed Auri pulling up a chair at their table. "Oh, G’morning Auri."
Fighting her exhaustion, Auri shifted her eyes over to the man and weakly lifted a hand. “Good morning Mr. Philanderer.” She said softly, managing a half-hearted wave, Auri moved her focus to the rest of the table. "And to the rest of you as well," she added.
“HEH!” Yana huffed in amusement while sitting in the middle of the table, munching away at her own bread.
“Yo, what the fuck?” Elijah responded, as their table filled with snickering. “Hey! I’ve only slept with ONE person since I got here! What the fuck do you mean by 'Mr. Philanderer'?" He protested, raising an eyebrow.
Auri let out another harumph and turned her head as an Aethari Barmaid set down a platter of food in front of her. "And how many britches have you tried getting into since I’ve met you?," she shot back. “Mine? Azelines? The several barmaids? Even the good Knight Captain from the Holy Dominion!” The barmaid that just served Auri's eyes went wide as she shot a judging look at Elijah.
An offended look spread across Elijah’s face as he pointed at the red head. “I’ll have you know, I haven’t tried to get into Azeline’s pants since she told me to fuck off and that she’s isn’t interested!” He proclaimed, a note of indignation in his voice.
Azeline laughed heartily, thumping Elijah on the back, "I’ll give him that! Most men would have just been more persistent!" She said, defending the man.
“Ya! And as for the barmaids," he said, gesturing around the tavern, "it's just harmless flirting. You can ask them, "I've never done anything that made them uncomfortable!"
"And the Knight Captain?" Yana interjected, her eyebrows arched in anticipation.
Elijah shot an annoyed glance at the little Fairy. “Shut up, Yana.”
Yana burst into a high-pitched laugh, her wings fluttering in delight. "Philanderer! Philanderer! Philanderer!" she managed to shout between giggles. “You’re nothing but a -”
THUNK
“HEY!” A muffled sound echoed out as Elijah slammed his empty mug over Yana’s head, trapping her inside.
Turning towards Auri, Elijah then gave her a serious look. “Plus, you never told me you didn’t like it and to stop.” He said, leaning in slightly, his tone softening. "If I made you uncomfortable, you should have told me, Auri."
A series of soft knocks echoed from the mug as Auri’s face went completely red. "I-! I uh!” She stammered, blinking in surprise. “I-It’s not like… I mean, I didn’t… say that…”
Auri’s gaze flitted from Elijah to Yana's wooden prison, her embarrassment clearly etched on her face. Meanwhile, the muffled squeaks and knocks from Yana became more frantic, only adding to the hilarity of the situation.
Bennett facepalmed and ragged his hand down his face in annoyance. “Can we fucking not do this right now?” He grumbled, clearly not finding the situation as amusing as the others. “We have a job to plan and not a lot of time to do it."
Elijah sighed and finally released Yana from her hated ‘time out’. The fairy fluttered out, crossly dusting herself off before shooting a glare at Elijah and zipping to the top of his head where she started pulling fist full of hair out of his hair tie, making a mess of it all. “Fine." He said, standing up and looking at Auri. “You good being here by yourself?”
Auri nodded, her face still bright red. “Ah… Yes. I’ll just catch up on some needed sleep and prepare a lesson for your return.” She responded.
With a final nod and a playful swat at Yana who was still busy disheveling his hair, Elijah turned to Bennett and Azeline and gestured towards the door. "Alright let’s get this shit over with, common, let's get the guns.”
Bennett was already standing when he handed Auri the plank of wood, grabbed both of the rifles that were neatly wrapped in linen and followed Elijah and a feisty Yana to the door. However, Azeline's eyes shifted from the two Human’s back to her bowl of food. "Oh gods damnit!," she cursed as she stood up from her seat and shoveled the rest of the porridge into her mouth and washed it down with the milk.
Left alone in the bustling tavern, Auri clenched her fist tightly in irritation with still a deep red blush spread across her face. Her gaze lingering on the door long after they had disappeared, wondering why she was being affected by this strange primate as much as she was. “Ridiculous!” She muttered to herself, releasing her clenched fist and glaring at the wooden plank Bennett had given her.
It was covered in the simple marks that only a novice would use, a far cry from the complex symbols and incantations she was used to. Auri let out a sigh, her fingers tracing over the rough-hewn markings she could feel the magic within them; rudimentary, but remarkably powerful. “What are they?” She whispered to herself, her fingers continuing their dance over the rough surface of the wooden plank. “Godlings? Are they spawns of the Primordial Primate herself?
“No… They’re far too ignorant of their surroundings for that.” She continued, her fingers pausing momentarily over the newest symbol that was etched into the board. “They're so… raw, unrefined, almost like children playing with forces they can barely comprehend, but packed so full of power...”
Letting out a sigh, Auri turned her attention to her food and followed Azelines earlier advice and decided to just not think about their absurdities. Instead, she turned her thoughts to how she was going to have to figure out how to deal with Elijah’s advances in the future. “I should have set clear boundaries from the start,” Auri mused, taking a bite of her breakfast. “I can’t afford to let that man’s flattery get to my head…" She said, mindlessly stirring her porridge.
-
Letting out a deep sigh, Elijah felt Yana once again pulled his hair out of his tie just after he fixed it. “Can you not?” He complained just when he slid between two very large minotaur-like humanoids while following Azeline.
“No! You’re rude! You deserve it!” She shouted, grabbing a fist full of hair and giving it a hard yank.
Elijah cringed as a strand of hair was pulled out of his skull. “If you’re so mad at me, why don’t you go sit on Ben’s head?” He grumbled, turning to his engineer who was shaking his head.
Stopping her hair-pulling antics for a moment, Yana couldn’t help but look back at Bennett in disgust. "Because he’s ugly and he stinks!" she declared before turning her attention to Elijah's hair. “And because you deserve this! You know I hate that!”
“Thank fucking god.” Bennett said in relief.
Another sigh left Elijah’s mouth just as he caught up with Azeline. "Fine, fine! I get it, Yana, I messed up." He admitted, his tone carrying a hint of surrender. "I shouldn’t have trapped you in there and I’m sorry. I won’t do it again."
Yana paused her hair-pulling, eyeing Elijah skeptically. After a moment, she let out a huff and begrudgingly accepted his apology. "Good!" she shouted, letting go of his hair and crossing her arms. "You’re still the worst servant EVER."
Azeline, who had been quiet during the entire exchange, finally spoke up. "You two done bickering? We’re about to hit the slums so you guys need to stick close and keep your eyes open." She said, adjusting the northern sword and round shield she borrowed from Ulina.
Elijah and Bennett looked at each other as they both unwrapped the linens on the rifles and threw the cloth over their shoulder revealing that they were cloaks. These cloaks were a mix of different fabrics, pieced together to create an earthly toned patchwork appearance. The cloaks, though worn, served to somewhat diminish the stark contrast between the humans and the locals.
Yana, who had previously been causing a ruckus with Elijah, now took the hint and fluttered into the folds of his cloak, her tiny form concealed amidst the patchwork fabric.
Azeline led the way, her keen eyes darting from shadow to shadow as they meandered through the maze-like slums while her companions followed closely behind. The patchwork cloaks they wore flapping against the backdrop of squalor and destitution.
Wrinkling his nose in disgust, Bennett couldn’t help but be perturbed by the stench and grime, fluttering around the group. But his distaste grew as their path soon took them past a group of rail thin Aethari children that looked up at them pitifully in their loose hanging clothes. Their sharp, elegant features were smeared with grime and their vibrant eyes dull with resignation.
One of them realized they were noticed and held out a small, dirty hand towards the group, hoping for any kind of pittance. Bennett, meeting the child's gaze, grimaced and placed a hand on the pocket that held his coin, but Elijah jabbed him in the rib and subtly pointed out a malicious looking man watching the kids on the periphery.
Elijah immediately recognized what was happening. The man was the children's handler and he was using them to identify unsuspecting targets. "You’re going to mark us if you give them anything. As tragic as it is, ignore it and move on."
A sour look formed on Bennett’s face as he reluctantly withdrew his hand from his pocket. He didn’t like it and didn’t agree with ignoring it, but Bennett understood that Elijah knew what he was doing and talking about. "This isn't right," he still protested, his gaze lingering on the kids as their expression turned to disappointment before following Elijah.
“A thousand tragedies happen everyday and we can't fix them all," Elijah continued, his eyes scanning their surroundings as they moved. He knew it was harsh, but it was the reality of the universe. “ We have to be careful with who we can help, especially if we can't even take care of ourselves first…”
Bennett was far from an idealist, but he still found the blatant exploitation of those who couldn’t defend themselves to be utterly sickening. The poverty-stricken faces around him were a stark reminder of the unending cycle of hopelessness that pervaded the district they were in. His trained eyes scanned the despair around them - the resigned expressions, the skeletal bodies, the thugs exploiting their own people and wondered if this is how bad it was on the surface… Then what was it like behind closed doors?
The engineer's eyes fell upon another group of thugs forcibly ushering in young women and children into a building and gripped his rifle tightly.
As they navigated the narrow streets, they finally reached the first stage of their mission; the city gates. Two wide stone towers flanked the massive gates that separated the city from the outside world. However, the slums were bisected, extending well beyond the city's fortifications and somehow, the shanty town outside the gates were even more destitute. The sight was a stark reminder of the vast wealth disparity within the city and the disregard of the privileged towards those who lacked the means to support themselves.
The city's entrance was manned by a group of guards donning old, worn chainmail armor. Their expressions were a mix of boredom and disinterest as they performed their duties, mechanically inspecting carts lumbering into the city or patting down individuals attempting to enter. The lackluster performance was more of a ritual than a security measure seeing as they barely raised their eyes to meet those they were examining.
Casting a glance over her shoulder to ensure the humans were trailing her, Azeline strode forth towards the city's entrance. Her steps were confident, her demeanor composed as she approached the guards, her northern sword and round shield, clearly visible, elicited a flicker of interest from the otherwise indifferent men and women.
"We’re doing a job for Banri," Azeline said, her voice steady and assertive.
The guards exchanged glances before turning back to Azeline. Their eyes traveled over her form, taking in the sight of her weapons. One of them, a burly elf with a scar across his cheek, sneered at her. “Why the feck are ye tellin’ us, ya dumb whore?” He spat out, his tone filled with contempt.
Azeline's eyes twitched in agitation, but she remained composed. "Are you daft?” she sneered, her tone condescending. “Because your dumb ass needs to go out to make sure your boss knows we’ll need to talk to him when we’re done.” Azeline closed in on the guard in question with a snarl on her face. “What’s in that empty head of yours? Cabbage? Do you only have two wilted leaves of cabbage in your head? Have you never worked with Freelancers before?”
The silence that followed was thick, as a few snickers rang out from the other guards. The elf with a scar, on the other hand, looked visibly taken aback and angered by her words. But just as he clenched his hand around his spear, a hand landed on his shoulder.
“Alright enough, b’fore she gut ye and everyone else ‘ere.” a Beastkin guard intervened, his voice holding a note of authority. He was a tall figure, his feline features stern as he fixed his gaze on the elf. His eyes twitched in mild annoyance, and his long tail swished around.
"We'll tell the Cap'n to expect ye," The Beastkin guard stated, stepping aside to clear their path. His voice carried a tone of gruff professionalism, his stern features softening a touch. "Ye may pass. Just try not to mess with any of the Serfs, eh?" He said before a sardonic smile tugged at his lips, revealing sharp fangs. "Don't care 'bout the squatters, though. Have fun with 'em."
His words hung in the air like a bad stench as disgust twisted on both Elijah’s and Bennett’s face. However Azeline simply nodded in response, maintaining her stoic demeanor as if that was an every day comment. “There’s no rules out here, so be on your guard.” she said, waving her hand to usher the rest of the group forward.
Following her lead, Elijah and Bennett each took a deep breath, bracing themselves as they stepped through the gates and out into the wild unknown.
Comments
scribbles
They definitely have cognition implants, especially Bennett
Tupperwarez
Maybe this was mentioned previously, but do Eli and Ben have augmentations that improve their memory or cognition? Being superhumanly fast at learning languages is easier with an eidetic memory, after all. Or is it because the elves just suck because most of them live in squalor, are malnourished, and poorly educated?
