Sagiro’s Story Hour, Part 223
Land of the Vree
The large arachnid makes some clicking sounds, that Kibi’s tongues translates as “Hmmmmmm.”
Then: “YoooouuuuuUUUUuuuuu shouldn’t beeeeEEEEE HEEEeeeeEEeeeerrrre.”
That’s what it sounds like to Kibi. The translation comes to his ears in a musical sing-songy voice that tends to elongate various words and syllables. To the others, it’s a disturbing combination of clicks, chitters, burbles and hisses.
“We’re trying to find a monastery, and avoid Slaad,” says Kibi.
“WhoooOOOoooo arrrrrrrrrrre youuuuUUuuuu?”
“My name is Kibilhathur Bimson.”
Though it gets lost in the din of chaos, those close by can hear the sound of Dranko slapping is forehead. How can anyone be so smart and yet so... so trusting at the same time? It’s not like Kibi has assassins after him or anything...
The arachnid starts chittering excitedly. “YooouuuuUUUuuu are Kibilathur BimmmmMMMMMsonnnnNNNN? In that case, you arrrrre most welllLLLLcommmme. Youuuu and your frrriendszzzzzzzz, commmmmme with MeeEEEEeeeeee.”
The creature stands on six of its eight long spider-legs. On closer examination, the party sees it has two additional limbs, like smaller arms jutting out of the front of its body. These end in multi-jointed clawed hands.
“What is your name?” asks Kibi.
“I am GuullllLLLLLlll Trezzzzzzzzzzz. I am of the VreeeEEEEEEeeeeee.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Gazzzzz MurrrRRRRrrrrr will be most pleazzzzzzzed that you have commmmmme. Our waiting is ovvvVVVvvvvverrrrrrr.”
“What do you know of me?” asks Kibi.
“You are one the Chaos said would come to free the VreeeeEEEeeeee.”
“Did it say anything about how I might do that?”
“Gazzzzz MurrrRRRrrr knowzzzzzzzz. He can telllllll youuuuuuu.”
Gul Trez turns to the other Vree guarding the Way. “Kibilhathur Bimmmmmsonnnnnnn!” he exclaims, and the other Vree start chittering happily. Step confirms that this one, at least, is not evil.
Kibi clears his throat. “The last time somebody recognized me, he tried to kidnap me and kill me,” says the dwarf.
“I am glad they did not succeeeeEEEEEEEeeeed.”
“What I’m trying to say is, we don’t know that we can trust you. Would you mind if one of our spellcasters used a spell to find out your intentions?”
“Our intention is that youuuuuuu will help us,” says Gul Trez affably. “Freeeeee us, return us. So says Gazzzzz Murrrrrr.”
Gul Trez assents to detect thoughts, but its surface thoughts are too alien for Morningstar to comprehend. She says as much in common.
“Why are you protecting that blue portal?” Kibi asks.
One of the other Vree makes some quick gestures with its arms. Gul Trez looks Kibi over before speaking again.
“I am tooooOOOOOoooo trussssssting. You may not beeeEEEEE Kibilhathur BimmmmmmmsonnnNNNnnnn. Maybe you killed him and are now preteeeeending to be himmmmmm?” What proof can you offer of whoooOOO you arrRRRRRre?”
Kibi explains this to the others. Dranko takes out the little statuette of Kibi and shows it to the Vree.
“You havvvvve a friend who izzzzz a sculptor,” says Gul Trez. Dranko scowls.
“It will be dannnnnnngerous for meeeeEEEEEeeee to allow you innnnn without knoOOOOOOooowing.”
“What proof do you want?” asks Kibi.
That’s a stumper.
“Hmmm. Mmmmmmmm. Hmmmmm. Youuuuu must wait here. I will confirmmmmmm with the Abbot, Gazzzzz Murrrrrrr.”
Abbot? The light goes on. They’ve found the monastery!
“Kibi!” says Ernie. “Doesn’t your letter have the name of the Abbot on it? Is it Gaz Mur?”
“The letter, of course!” says Grey Wolf. “Show him the letter.”
Kibi fishes out the letter that had been delivered to him back at the Eye of the Storm, and shows it to Gul Trez.
The Vree reaches out with one of the smaller arms and takes it, waving in front of its many eyes.
“Wait here, pleazzzzzzze.”
He goes back to the sphere of fire, a patch of which irises open to allow the Vree to enter. The party catches another glimpse of blue inside, confirming their suspicion that the Vree are using the fire to guard the Way.
An hour passes. The Company observes the remaining Vree with curiosity and from a respectful distance. They note with interest that the Vree standing on personal stone discs are moving them about via telekinesis, rather than a constant recreation. Also, while they don’t carry any weapons, their bodies and legs are covered with chitinous black plates, and the legs end in sharp claws. There’s no doubt they’d be fearsome opponents, if it came to that.
Gul Trez returns, appearing as another hole opens on the fiery sphere. His two front arms are waving around excitedly as he approaches the hangar.
“It izzzzz youuUUUUuuuuUU!” he exclaims. "Kibilhathur Bimmmmmsonnnnnnn, and your friends, come with us, come with ussssssss.”
The Vree floats back toward the sphere, and again it opens. Gul Trez motions for the Company to follow him in.
“Whennnn you go throouuuuuuggh, do not touch anythinnnnnnnnng. Just followwwwww usssssssss.”
Kibi, translating for the party, says to Dranko: “Don’t lick anything when you go through the portal.”
“Therrrrrre will be time for that for youuuUUUUuuuuu, later onnnnnnn,” continues Gul Trez, speaking to Kibi. “By the wayyyyyy, what are yourrrrrrr fooooooood needs? Dooooo youuuuuu have anyyyyyyyyy?”
“That depends on what you have,” says Kibi. “Water and bread and nice beef stew would go well. But we have our own food too, so don’t worry too much about it.”
“We have fruit and veggggetables. That’s what we growwwwwWWWwwww.”.
“Vegetables aren’t food,” Dranko scoffs. “That’s what food eats."
As the party falls slowly toward the Way, they see that the spiked Slaad head they saw was one of many; there are dozens, forming a loose spherical perimeter around the portal. It would be hard to approach without getting the hint.
“I’m very impressed with all the slaad that you’ve killed,” Kibi comments. Gul Trez chitters happily.
The Company goes through the Way, accompanied by Gul Trez and an escort of six other Vree.
After the usual transition between Slices, the party emerges into a place that both is and is not chaotic. That is, they think they’re still in Limbo, but there’s no raging Chaos to be seen, no frenzy of elemental forces. There’s a soft, constant ambient light with no visible source. And they are inside a pair of large, concentric spheres.
The inner sphere, about fifty feet in diameter, is not an enclosed solid. Rather it is made of wooden and metal stakes tied together with ropes, such that the whole forms a loose skeleton of a sphere. A strange red energy plays along the ropes, and the whole makes a faint buzzing sound. The gaps between the ropes are large enough that they could easily leave the sphere without touching the red energy.
The outer sphere is over two hundred feet in diameter, and is solidly enclosed. It’s a patchwork of metal, wood and multicolored stone. Way up near the top is a round hatch like a large hobbit-hole door.
The Way through which they’ve come is off-center in both spheres. Something else occupies the very center – a cage, made of metal and wood, sized for a large humanoid.
Six Vree accompany the party out of the inner sphere, and up to the distant hatch on the outer sphere. Gravity works the same as in the previous Slice, and it’s liberating to be able to move about without worrying about fireballs, boulders, oceans and lightning storms. Gul Trez taps on the hatch, and it swings outward.
Outside is a city unlike anything they’ve ever seen. Its buildings are large spheres floating in the air, all around an area more than a mile on a side. The spheres are made of solid wood, metal and stone, like smaller versions of the the one from which they’re emerging. They have windows in them, and round hatches for doors. In some places multiple spheres are pressed together in multi-dwelling units, while other spheres stand alone.
Sweeping in majestic curves all around the city, connecting the many buildings, are beautiful stone walkways (despite the fact that the Vree can effectively fly). Streams of water, like rivers without banks or beds, flow through the city like a second network of roads; almost every building has at least one window past which this river flows.
Everywhere are the Vree, dozens of them, maybe hundreds. Some walk upon the stone pathways, while other fall freely or flit around on personal stone discs. In the distance, the Company can see large clods of earth gently floating and tilting in the air. As these islands tilt toward them, they see Vree farmers tilling earth with their claws, and plants and trees growing in abundance. Everything is lit with a rich, uniform glow that seems to come from everywhere and everything. The Vree have truly mastered the Chaos, and their monastery is a thing of wonder.
“Yoooooouuu may walk or flyyyyy... whatevvvvvver makes you commmmmfortablllllllllle,” says Gul Trez to Kibi. “And your serrrrrvantzzzzzzz may join youuuUUUuuuuu.”
“You guys can stay with me,” translates Kibi, trying not to smile.
“The Chaos sayzzzzz that youuuuuu will not be hostile to ussssssss, but in case the Chaos is wronnnnnnng, I should warrrrrrn youuuuuu not to be hostile if you wishhhhhhhh to livvvvvvve.”
“We won’t be hostile if you won’t be,” says Kibi.
“We would not! Youuuuuu are our saAAAAAaaaaviorrrrrrr! Thissssssss wayyyy.”
Gul Trez gestures toward a single distant sphere, with many sphere-clusters around it. As they approach it, they see that it’s larger that most of the others, and its pattern is very chaotic, with haphazard windows and swirling water spiraling around it. As they watch, an arachnid arm reaches out a window with a container, fills it from the stream running past, and withdraws.
Gul Trez knocks on the ornate front door.
“Commmeee Innnnnnnnn!” says a deep voice from within.
The door has a keyhole, meant to accommodate a Vree claw. Gul Trez inserts the end of one of his legs into it; there’s a click, and the door swings open to reveal a large circular room. It’s filled with a confusing jumble of strange objects that might be furniture, or art, or have some unknown utility to the Vree. High up near the (relative) ceiling is a large Vree floating near something that might be a desk. Papers float about it in loose array, and the Vree snatches these out of the air, presses them to the desk, and writes upon them using one of his front arms. (The eight main legs are useful for grabbing things, while the front legs are as good as human hands for fine tasks.) All the many eyes of the Vree swivel to regard the Company, and Kibi in particular.
“Kibilhathur Bimmmmmsonnnnnnn!” booms the Vree. “The Chaosssss told us you would commmmmmmmme.”
“Well, I got a letter...” says Kibi.
“A letter written by meeeEEEeeeee, many yearzzzzzzz ago. Aaaaahhh. Our salvaaaaation is at hand. We are veryyyyyy happyyyyyyyy that you have decided to commmmmmmme. Did you have difffffficultiezzzzzzzz?”
So this is Gaz Mur, the abbot of the monastery.
“We killed ten Slaad on the way,” says Kibi. “They ambushed us with some lion-y creatures out in front.”
“Hmmmmmm. A stannnnnnndard cowardly slaad tac-tic. Send in those beazzzzzzzts for the dirty work, cleannnnnnnnn up afterwarrrrrrrd.”
The Vree seems to remember something.
“Excuzzzzzzze me, but are you thirrrrrrrsty?”
“Well, yes,” says the dwarf.
“Nezzzzzzzz! Water for the guessssssts!”
There’s a clattering from an adjacent room, and a Vree comes floating in. It stands on four of its legs, with the other legs holding buckets. When Nez reaches the party he concentrates for a moment, and then releases the buckets so adroitly that they don’t tilt on their own.
“However you creaturezzzzzz drink, you may do so,” says Gaz Mur. While Kibi drinks straight from the nearest bucket, Dranko pulls out a jeweled goblet and dips it into the water.
“Your servantssssss cup is fine,” says Gaz Mur. “Why do youuuuuu drink from the bucket?”
Kibi can’t suppress a smile as he turns to Dranko and says, “Gaz Mur says you should give me the cup.”
Dranko hands it over with no small amount of suspicion. Aravis, suspecting something’s up, casts tongues himself.
Gaz Mur waits while the party drinks. Then, almost off-handedly, he says, “Weee will need to cast spellzzzzzz upon you to finish the machiiiiiiine. Izzzzzzz that okay?”
Everyone looks up, alarmed, and none more than Kibi.
“What machine? What does it do?” asks the dwarf.
“The Chaosssssss said we would neeeEEEEEEeeeeed you, Kibilhathurrrrrr Bimmmmsonnnnn.”
“To do what?”
“Youuuuuuu will fix the uuuuuuuniverse. You will restore these sliced-off bits of world, including ourzzzzzz. Then we will be returnnnnnnnned to the grannnnnnnnd Chaos, not this pale imitation.”
“So everyone would go back to the slices they came from?”
“Yessssss. It is proper.”
“How will this be achieved?”
“Weeeeee will put you innnn the machinnnnnnnnnne...”
Yeah. About that...
“I’d like to take a good look at it first, to make sure it’s up to, uh, good engineering standards,” says Kibi.
“And that it doesn’t’ involve rotating knives,” adds Ernie under his breath.
“It should not hurrrrrrt you,” assures Gaz Mur.
“Still,” says Kibi, trying not to betray his nervousness, “I’d like to take a look at it, to understand how it works.”
Quietly, Aravis says to the others, “What if this Chaos, that speaks to the Abbot, is the Black Circle?”
It’s a disturbing thought, and not far-fetched.
“We can’t cast commune or even augury in the Slices, but something is speaking to the Vree,” says Ernie.
“Did the Chaos speak to you before you were in this place?” asks Kibi.
“An astute queszzzzzzztion. You are not of the Chaos. Yessssss, the Chaos spoke to us in our lonnnnnnng years of meditation and work. Then it stopped. You must know, Kibilhathurrrrrr Bimmmmsonnnnn, how all this workzzzzzz. Bits of worlds, strung together. It is most unnnnnnnnatural. We were separated from our God, that which spawns the Chaos. Mmmmm. Several yearzzzzzzz with no God, no guidance. But the Chaosssssss spawned a new God, for it cannnnnnot abide without a sourcccccce for long. It has done its best. It strings the sliced-away bits of chaos together, trying to reformmmmmm the pure Chaos of our birth. MMmmmmmm. But it cannot. We fear that perhaps the Chaos cannnnnnnot survive. It fears that, too. Thus, we must be returned. Our God, the new Chaos, is young, but it speaks to us, and its wizzzzzzzdom is still abunnnnnndant.”
“Do you know that this new God is a real Chaos god?” asks Kibi.
“Ovvvvvvv course! We know our own God! It can reach through and see beyond to other bitsssssss of worlds. It knew of youuuuuuuu, didn’t it? We meditate to the new God. It ssssssspeaks to us. It is young, its thoughts ill-formed, but...the imporrrrrrtant bits of its messsssssssage were clear. Is your name not Kibilhathurrrrrr Bimmmmsonnnnn?”
Kibi nods, and thinks for a moment before continuing.
“Do you know anything about some crazy guy traveling around with statues of me?” he asks the Abbot.
Gaz Mur wonders for a moment if he’s understood correctly.
“Nooooo... the Chaossssss has not spokennnnn of a demented person carrying your likenessssssss.”
Kibi shows Gaz Mur the statue.
“It looks just like youuuuuu,” says the Abbot. “Someonnnnnnnnnnnne is making thezzzzzze for youuuuu?”
“Not for me. One was found on the body of a demon.”
Dranko takes the statuette, spits on it, and starts to polish it on his shirt.
“Kibilhathurrrrrr Bimmmmsonnnnn, your servant should treat your likenessssss with more rezzzzzzpect!”
“He says to treat the statue with more respect,” Kibi tells Dranko.
“He thinks you're Kibi’s servant,” adds Aravis, grinning at the two of them.
Dranko turns a bright red. It was bad enough being the “dim one” back in Green Valley.
“He WHAT?” Dranko roars.
Kibi has the grace to look sheepish.
“Give me that cup back,” Dranko grumbles.
“It was nice while it lasted,” says Scree to his master.
...to be continued...
Quick question, by the way, for readers. Would you like me keep writing out the strange speech of the Vree? Or, having gotten the point by now and finding it annoying or hard to read, would you prefer if I just wrote the Vree dialogue in normal English from here on out? Let me know!
