Meager Power

I thought I was hot shit, with how I was getting better at spotting things as we made our way through the labyrinth. My eyes had always been on a swivel, my ears open for anything that might signal movement, anything like that. Turns out, I was still operating with training wheels. The real woods, the dense forest that surrounded the temple and painted the mountain range, they were filled to the brim with life. Movement was absolutely constant, between the small animals that launched themselves between branches, the birds flitting through the trees, and the snap and crackle of our party forcing our way through the wilderness.

Two of us going through was one thing. Now, with eight of us drilling through nature, it would be foolhardy to think we were anything close to stealthy. Not that we were trying, necessarily. We moved quickly, not quite a jog, but a fast walk that didn't brook any sort of attempt to slack. The adventurers roamed around a little bit, not taking a straight path, but spreading out. Even though the ground was very annoyingly refusing to stay flat, they walked with a certainty that I know I certainly lacked. I had to watch my step and keep my balance constantly. This was actual wilderness, not the cute facsimile that we'd fought through inside the labyrinth.

For the first part of our trip, after Arla gave us our marching formation, nobody spoke. Tension was in the air, so thick it was like wading through molasses just to meet anyone's eyes. Daniel still had the brightest mood of all of us, but even then, it was muted. He had been upset to leave so quickly, but also seemed to be just fine observing the woods around us. Hadn't they come through here before?

I spent a decent amount of time watching them travel properly. The way their heads swiveled, the way they chose their footing, the way they kept making sure of the direction in which we went. They seemed unbothered by the little things that would have captured my attention, like flocks of birds taking off, and even some larger animals that stalked the forest. Twice, we came across a thin-legged creature reminiscent of a deer, though they lacked antlers (either didn't have them or female, or fuck me for trying to even assume that, I guess). Both times, the party slowed a tiny bit while they marked the creature and decided to move on. Whatever it was, it wasn't dangerous enough to call for a violent intervention.

But we were going decently fast, and I was becoming antsy. I still lacked a lot of basic information, things that were relevant now. I also wanted to start picking people's brains about other, basic information. Common sense stuff. I didn't want to come across as pushy in the Sanctuary, but I figured with us traveling, that'd be the time to start getting into it.

"How do we know where we're going?" I asked the question, deciding that I'd be first to break the silence. The adventurers, roaming around, were a little too far to answer without yelling, so instead, the countess turned back to me momentarily with an intense look in her eyes. I was stationed behind her and her husband, with Rachel in front of them, providing some minimal defense to our VIPs. I got it, of course. We were on this trip with them, but the original ones who needed guarding still, in fact, needed guarding. They came first, the bosses.

Evelyn turned back forward, but responded nonetheless. "We came through this area before, on our way in. Things will be somewhat familiar to our escorts for a day or two, I believe, before we leave the mountain range behind us. We'll turn north afterward."

"Okay. What's our destination?"

She was quiet. I could almost hear the gears turning in her head, deciding whether or not it was safe to tell me.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you," she responded with a sigh. "We're headed for the republic."

"Republic?"

"Apologies, it's easy to forget that you would have no idea. "Molora, the Moloran Republic. They cover a large part of the north of the western continent. One of the two relevant powers to have colonized it. There are other places, but Molora is the biggest."

"What's the plan there? And western continent?"

"Save your basic questions for when we rest," she admonished, but continued, "but once we arrive we are going to spend a day there, and then return via the Web."

I could actually hear the capital letter in the Web. "Web?"

"Later." She said, seemingly pulling away from the conversation. I wasn't done yet, though.

"One more, I guess, before we're stopped. What's Noll's Rise?"

"It's when-" Daniel answered, before stopping himself from tripping. "It's the time of day that Nollnine rises into the sky. It is typically heralded as the final arbiter of finishing a day's work, especially for those that tend to overdo it."

Nollnine... rises into the sky? Clearly, there was something I was missing here. Also, I should keep in mind that I should indicate that I have no idea who that is. "I have no idea what that means."

He appeared to think a moment. "A various number of gods choose to attend the night, but Nollnine is always present."

It took me a moment to process that. "Wait, are you talking about the moons?"

"Ah, yes, they are sometimes called that, yes. They are generally just referred to by name. Nollnine, the Agèd Lady, is typically the smallest night presence, but she is always present, every night."

Huh. I guess my patron was at least consistent, though it made sense, given her domains. "What's the fuckass huge red one?"

Basrith, who happened to be ranging a bit closer, coughed out a laugh. "Gods, woman, you don't just insult them like that. Especially Agven. He is not the kindest of the gods."

"Alright, I guess I'll chill. No offense meant, if you can hear me, big guy."

Basrith shook his head, but moved away. "Stow the chatter, please. It makes it hard to do our jobs. You can ask your questions once we stop for the night." I nodded in response, and the kanekk man stepped away. I put my head down, focusing on my steps.

We traveled for hours, not even stopping for a break at any point. It didn't take long for my legs to start burning, my feet to start hurting, and to start huffing and puffing. I tried to ration my water, but I definitely went through it faster than anyone else. I'd always been a thirsty bitch, and the exertion absolutely wasn't helping. The uneven ground was hell on my treading. The labyrinth had not prepared me for real travel at all.

I could tell we were heading for a split in the mountains, likely to break through without having to get completely over, but we were still climbing, at least for now. Hours passed, tense, nervous, and at any moment, I expected to be set upon by vicious birds or gross worms, or some other vicious forest creature. Eventually, my attention began to fray as well. There were still so many questions bouncing around in my head.

The worry was for naught, at least the first day. Night began to fall, and I expressed concern about traveling at night, especially in the mountains, but Basrith cast some sort of spell that spread light out among us. It was soft, not enough that it was some crazy beacon in the wilderness, but enough for us to see the ground beneath us. I honestly had no idea how far we'd traveled before Evelyn pointed out Nollnine's moon to me, declaring that this was 'Noll's Rise.' The adventurers grouped up a little more, and after an uncertain amount of time later, Arla appeared from the trees (when had she left?) and announced she'd found a sufficient clearing for us to set up a basic camp. Sure enough, a little more walk, and a flat-ish patch of dirt between trees that closed in around it revealed itself to us. The travelers that were used to such things moved quickly, deploying their gear in a well-practiced fashion. Rachel and I took a little bit longer, but took advantage of the delay to copy their techniques and spacing. We two earthlings ended up taking up spaces next to each other, if for nothing other than the sake of familiarity.

"We gonna have a fire or something?" I asked, stuffing my bedding next to a tree.

"Absolutely not," Arla responded. "This close to danger, this high up in the mountains? It'd be asking for trouble. We'd have wyverns on us in moments. I'd imagine they're already all over the temple looking for us, if not already skirmishing with tainted." She shuddered. "Gods forbid we bring the dragon down on us."

"Fair enough," I responded. "What do we do about watches? I can't admit I'm very experienced at keeping an eye out in the forest."

"Same thing as before, then. You can be taught. I'll give you first watch with Thenishale, Rachel, you're on last watch with Kelessta. Basrith, you're on second, and I'll eat third. Tonight, at least. We tend to cycle. Second watch sucks, third watch is miserable." She chuckled. "You're lucky I'm nice."

I scoffed. "Sounds like you're really just eager to get two more people into the rotation."

"I said I was nice, not stupid," she said, and moved to bed down. "We need to get some rest. Thenny, answer her questions but make sure to teach her how to do her job."

"I know how to do mine, too," he retorted. "And I'll be happy for the company." He motioned to me to follow him, and we moved a small distance away from the camp to find a large tree trunk that had fallen over. He checked it over briefly before sitting on the thing, and patted it to indicate I should sit next to him. I shrugged and wandered over, plunking my ass down on the wood.

"So," he started noncommittally.

"So," I answered noncommittally. He looked at me with an annoyed face, which I realized I was surprised that I could see. Were the moons brighter than expected or something? "Ah. Yeah, questions. I've got, probably, a couple thousand of them?"

"I can only answer what I know."

Where to start? Somewhere, I guessed. I looked up, spying two other orbs in the night sky aside from Nollnine. I recognized neither. "So, the gods."

"What about them?"

"Well, there's twenty, right?"

"Yes, they are known as the Score."

"Score, like twenty, yeah, got it. Who're we - who'm I dealing with? Of course I know one of them, but the rest, I've got no point of reference."

Thenishale sighed and pointed, before bringing his hand down. "Nollnine, represented by the smallest of the moons. The Agèd Lady. Her domains are ages and learning, mostly. Part of the Gray Hand, a typically neutral group of gods that tend not to do much interference with the world." His hand moved again, pointing to an almost completely purple moon, with stringy green lines flowing through it. "Pernillia, The Trick. His domain is pretty much any and all mischief and secrecy." Next moon, this one a deep brown. "Karottus, The Mountain. He deals with the ground, dirt, rock, stone, and natural things. Also part of the Gray Hand. The big red one is Agven, The Blood. He's all about war, fighting, and obviously, blood."

"Damn," was all I could say. "Let's leave it for there, yeah? Maybe I'll just ask as they come up. Gonna be hard to remember, otherwise."

My watch partner shrugged. "Up to you."

Digesting that information, I spent the next little bit learning about keeping proper watch. What to look for, how to look for them, advice for the worse shifts, all sorts of things. All the while, in the back of my mind, I started to build something like a dossier of my foes. Nollnine was me, obviously. I was dealing with The Trick, The Mountain, and The Blood otherwise. Someone tricky, someone... tough? Unyielding? And someone warlike. I could see The Blood backing someone like Nathan (I still hated the fact that he'd disappeared without notice), but there might still be better fits. I needed to learn all of them, and I needed to learn more about these moons, too. Surely there was something more than "this or that god is watching."

"How do you have so many moons, anyway? Surely Avare isn't big enough to handle twenty satellites," I asked.

Thenishale looked at me blankly. "I understood most of those words. But there are twenty moons for twenty divinities. I'm not sure I really get what you're asking."

"Do you have tides?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Of course we have tides."

"The tides are caused by moons pulling at the planet as they pull around. This place should be torn apart, honestly. There's gotta be more mass up there circling us than there is down below. I think. Could be. I'm not an expert here, but I do know this place should be, like, shaking constantly."

"The tides are caused by Evern, The Sea. Goddess of the sea. Not the other gods. That would be ridiculous."

I blinked. "But... those moons are up there. How do they just disappear sometimes, too? Is there any regularity other than Nollnine?" He shook his head. "Then what the hell? It doesn't make sense. Given the sun, the way the planet moves should affect the phases of the moon."

"Phases - planet? Are you one of those fools who thinks we are some round orb floating in nothingness?"

"Shit, yeah I am. Because we are! We're on a planet! Sure you've got more of those in your solar system."

The elf boggled his eyes at me before shushing me, reminding me that we were to be quiet while on watch. I fell back, chagrined, but he shook his head. "No. Why in the world would you think that? And what is a solar system?"

I struggled mightily against myself to go off on basic astronomy. "That's just how it works, okay? People from my world worked tirelessly for centuries to figure it out. I came from a big ball floating in space. That's how planets work!"

He stared at me for a while, and I wasn't sure what was going through his head. He looked up at the sky, and pointed at Nollnine's moon. "Use Nollnine as a good track for how long our watches are. She, very consistently, goes down right as the sun comes up. So our quarter of the night is up." He stood up with those words. I was upset, but before I could say more to him, he looked at me, with a surprisingly upset look on his face. "You are clearly well educated, wherever you came from. Please do not speak down to me. But, before I awaken Basrith, and as you settle into sleep, I implore you to consider the following: perhaps this world does not work on the same frame work as your old one." He walked off, allowing me to follow him at my own pace.

I digested those words as I sullenly made my way over to my bedding, ignoring the small commotion of Thenishale waking his companion. What if that was the case? I mean, obviously, there was magic here. But what if it went beyond that? Was this world flat or something? It would be stupid to ignore the clear evidence of twenty moons circling the planet (world?) regularly without tearing it to pieces. It's also not like I knew good enough math to do the measurements over the terrain, and I certainly didn't know of any other celestial bodies that might be used to prove the movement amongst the stars. How did our astronomers do it? I think it was Galileo who used Jupiter's moons or something?

Fuck. And I had been treating these guys as stupid, no matter my intent. I was the one out of my depth, not them. I had more to learn. Gods looked down on us, monsters looked to kill us, and I was just simple little me at level 15. I settled into my bedding, determined to be better. I had a lot more to learn before I could consider myself any kind of expert, and I shouldn't just assume my high school physics would serve me perfectly.

Sleep eventually found me, but only after a decent struggle.