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[PART ONE]
Spri stood at the outskirts of a dense, sprawling forest with a canopy so thick sun light couldn't filter through and heavily built, square-shaped trunks covered in dark rough bark of trees stood like the walls of a fortress. A soft breeze lazily rolled through bringing with it earthly scents and she stood for a moment, taking it all in. Crisp blades of green grass and shifted, cool soil were underfoot, providing a comfortable padding for her bare feet. As she received her orders, her head tilted and eventually a frown twisted her lips. "Kill?" she repeated. The Gatherer of Words didn't kill! Wound, maybe, but never had she killed. She wasn't a hunter and she most definitely wasn't a murderer! Yet she was being told to find a door and kill anything that stood in her way. She wanted to seek Simultaneous, not loose her soul on the way! But that had her asking herself; what was Simultaneous? What was murder?
In the time she took to ponder over this she could have died, been reincarnated, been reborn, achieved greatness, conquered cities, and watched kingdoms fall all within the same timespan. Hundreds upon thousands of possibilities, universes, rewriting themselves and continuously writing themselves. All, either, and none. Where did murder, a concept made up of various views and beliefs, fit into all of that? Darwinism, revenge, retribution, redemption; all together and none at all. A murderer was deemed a murderer by a judge and if there was no one around to deem her a murderer, was she still a murderer? Would she still be in the wrong when the wrong was made up of grays that changed from person to culture? She chewed on her lip, her mind whirling with these thoughts and questions until, like a puzzle solving itself, pieces began falling into place and clicking together, and only when part of the mayhem that she called her subconscious organized herself did she come up with an answer.
Murder was an opinion, not a fact, not any more real or proven than a religious belief.
Spri's mind tossed that thought around some as she ventured cautiously toward the line of trees looming over her. After all, if she was told to kill whatever came after her, the likely hood of being attacked was rather high. The trees grew pretty close together, making it hard to get passed them but not impossible as she squirmed her way through the throng of tree trunks. Scraps formed on her hands over time and the occasional splinter embedded itself in her flesh but it wasn't anything major, she didn't even noticed. Her focus was mainly on trying to get through the trees. A couple of times the Gatherer of Words feared she had gotten stuck but nearly twenty minutes of struggling proved her wrong, fortunately. Though, an hour (or had it been two or even three? The sun wasn't in view making it hard to tell) into her journey, Spri found that she really had gotten her self in a jam. Two trees, trees she thought were further apart, were stubbornly holding her still while another, which couldn't have been there before, blocked her path. She thought about back tracking but as soon as that thought crossed her mind her foot got stuck under a root!
Oh bugger. How was she going to get of here now? A rustling sound pricked at her ears and she froze. Her skin prickled, baby hairs rising to stand on end. The Gatherer of Words froze and listened. She didn't want to look, nothing good ever came of looking, but her body was inching to know what held her in such a state if danger. The young woman swallowed the lump in her throat and snuck a peek only to take on a death pallor. An oversized spider crept down the wide, flat surface of the trunk, numerous black eyes piled on top of its head shined like ominous pearls catching the light and blood red fangs swollen to the size of a body builder's bicep grew out of it's face, twitching and yearning to sink into fresh meat. Spri wasn't exactly afraid of spiders, some species were even harmless, but this arachnid did not look friendly or misunderstood at all!
I implore you...
Did... Did that thing just talk? She stared in disbelief at the monster of a spider but the closer it got, the more it was made obvious it didn't want a conversation. A whimper escaped her and she looked away. Her breath caught when a telltale shadow was cast over her by what sun there was. The thing had reared up, ready for an attack, but stopped. As Spri spared a glance, she realized it wasn't the only thing had stopped. The forest around her had just... stopped. It was as if everything was holding it's breath, waiting to resume it's activity. Leaves were frozen in midair and insects, normal insects, were stuck mid-march.
I implore you, The voice prodded once more. She listened closely, analyzed it better. The voice wasn't one but of multiple tones. They were light, some giggly, some chimed, and other's were airy, whispery even. What no magic, no force can get through, I, with a gentle touch, can. Many in this forest would stand were I not a friend at hand.
"A riddle?" Spri wondered out loud. Wrong move. Just like that the forest sprung to life and the spider lurched forward. Spri's mind stopped dead in it's tracks but her mouth quickly sprung forth the answer out of pure desperation, "A key!" She could feel the fangs press against the nape of her neck, compressing the skin but not yet braking the organ. Her muscles were painfully coiled and she had unknowingly flattened herself against the rough surface of the square tree. Once it was made clear the spider wouldn't continue, she quickly drew a dagger, the trees suspiciously further a part, and dug the metallic blade into the flesh of the spider. The feeling was weird and unwelcome, the exoskeleton crunching under the force before the dagger slipped into the organs underneath. Her hand shook and the spider convulsed, crumbling around the weapon and falling upon the Gatherer of Words as ash.
The young woman stood there for a moment, trembling and trying to catch her breath. Murder was a concept, nothing but a judgement being passed. Killing, on the other hand, was at the real thing being judged. When her arm finally got tired of being held above her head, she finally lowered it and shook herself off. Ashes still clung to her even after the fact but at least the trees seemed backed off enough to let her pass. Spri allowed herself time to breath, sheathing her dagger and was about to continue her journey before something shiny caught her eye. A key now laid on the ground near her and she had to bend awkwardly to retrieve the small object. She gave it a once over before pocketing it. She half expected the door to be unlocked but a key works just as well.
It didn't take long for the Gather of Words to squeeze pass the outer layer of trees and stumble out into a more open area. She took a moment to breathe and recollect herself, which involved plucking out splinters and dusting off what she could of the remaining ash that used to a spider. She shuddered at the thought. She found herself in a forest less dense and more friendly-looking; more normal even. The square trees just seemed to act like a thick barrier, protecting the inner wildlife from all who came to bring it harm like a cell wall of a plant cell. The trees were notably shorter and rounder, leaves and bark color varying from breed to breed. Some bore acorns and pine cones while others bore nothing at all. It was actually quite beautiful and peaceful looking, but where would a door be in a place like this? In a trunk of a tree? Spri examined the palm-sized object in her and hand, the key. It was plain and appeared to be made of copper, giving it some weight. It ended in a hollow loop and began with jagged teeth made specifically for one door and one door only. She pocketed it and continued on her way.
Spri stood at the outskirts of a dense, sprawling forest with a canopy so thick sun light couldn't filter through and heavily built, square-shaped trunks covered in dark rough bark of trees stood like the walls of a fortress. A soft breeze lazily rolled through bringing with it earthly scents and she stood for a moment, taking it all in. Crisp blades of green grass and shifted, cool soil were underfoot, providing a comfortable padding for her bare feet. As she received her orders, her head tilted and eventually a frown twisted her lips. "Kill?" she repeated. The Gatherer of Words didn't kill! Wound, maybe, but never had she killed. She wasn't a hunter and she most definitely wasn't a murderer! Yet she was being told to find a door and kill anything that stood in her way. She wanted to seek Simultaneous, not loose her soul on the way! But that had her asking herself; what was Simultaneous? What was murder?
In the time she took to ponder over this she could have died, been reincarnated, been reborn, achieved greatness, conquered cities, and watched kingdoms fall all within the same timespan. Hundreds upon thousands of possibilities, universes, rewriting themselves and continuously writing themselves. All, either, and none. Where did murder, a concept made up of various views and beliefs, fit into all of that? Darwinism, revenge, retribution, redemption; all together and none at all. A murderer was deemed a murderer by a judge and if there was no one around to deem her a murderer, was she still a murderer? Would she still be in the wrong when the wrong was made up of grays that changed from person to culture? She chewed on her lip, her mind whirling with these thoughts and questions until, like a puzzle solving itself, pieces began falling into place and clicking together, and only when part of the mayhem that she called her subconscious organized herself did she come up with an answer.
Murder was an opinion, not a fact, not any more real or proven than a religious belief.
Spri's mind tossed that thought around some as she ventured cautiously toward the line of trees looming over her. After all, if she was told to kill whatever came after her, the likely hood of being attacked was rather high. The trees grew pretty close together, making it hard to get passed them but not impossible as she squirmed her way through the throng of tree trunks. Scraps formed on her hands over time and the occasional splinter embedded itself in her flesh but it wasn't anything major, she didn't even noticed. Her focus was mainly on trying to get through the trees. A couple of times the Gatherer of Words feared she had gotten stuck but nearly twenty minutes of struggling proved her wrong, fortunately. Though, an hour (or had it been two or even three? The sun wasn't in view making it hard to tell) into her journey, Spri found that she really had gotten her self in a jam. Two trees, trees she thought were further apart, were stubbornly holding her still while another, which couldn't have been there before, blocked her path. She thought about back tracking but as soon as that thought crossed her mind her foot got stuck under a root!
Oh bugger. How was she going to get of here now? A rustling sound pricked at her ears and she froze. Her skin prickled, baby hairs rising to stand on end. The Gatherer of Words froze and listened. She didn't want to look, nothing good ever came of looking, but her body was inching to know what held her in such a state if danger. The young woman swallowed the lump in her throat and snuck a peek only to take on a death pallor. An oversized spider crept down the wide, flat surface of the trunk, numerous black eyes piled on top of its head shined like ominous pearls catching the light and blood red fangs swollen to the size of a body builder's bicep grew out of it's face, twitching and yearning to sink into fresh meat. Spri wasn't exactly afraid of spiders, some species were even harmless, but this arachnid did not look friendly or misunderstood at all!
I implore you...
Did... Did that thing just talk? She stared in disbelief at the monster of a spider but the closer it got, the more it was made obvious it didn't want a conversation. A whimper escaped her and she looked away. Her breath caught when a telltale shadow was cast over her by what sun there was. The thing had reared up, ready for an attack, but stopped. As Spri spared a glance, she realized it wasn't the only thing had stopped. The forest around her had just... stopped. It was as if everything was holding it's breath, waiting to resume it's activity. Leaves were frozen in midair and insects, normal insects, were stuck mid-march.
I implore you, The voice prodded once more. She listened closely, analyzed it better. The voice wasn't one but of multiple tones. They were light, some giggly, some chimed, and other's were airy, whispery even. What no magic, no force can get through, I, with a gentle touch, can. Many in this forest would stand were I not a friend at hand.
"A riddle?" Spri wondered out loud. Wrong move. Just like that the forest sprung to life and the spider lurched forward. Spri's mind stopped dead in it's tracks but her mouth quickly sprung forth the answer out of pure desperation, "A key!" She could feel the fangs press against the nape of her neck, compressing the skin but not yet braking the organ. Her muscles were painfully coiled and she had unknowingly flattened herself against the rough surface of the square tree. Once it was made clear the spider wouldn't continue, she quickly drew a dagger, the trees suspiciously further a part, and dug the metallic blade into the flesh of the spider. The feeling was weird and unwelcome, the exoskeleton crunching under the force before the dagger slipped into the organs underneath. Her hand shook and the spider convulsed, crumbling around the weapon and falling upon the Gatherer of Words as ash.
The young woman stood there for a moment, trembling and trying to catch her breath. Murder was a concept, nothing but a judgement being passed. Killing, on the other hand, was at the real thing being judged. When her arm finally got tired of being held above her head, she finally lowered it and shook herself off. Ashes still clung to her even after the fact but at least the trees seemed backed off enough to let her pass. Spri allowed herself time to breath, sheathing her dagger and was about to continue her journey before something shiny caught her eye. A key now laid on the ground near her and she had to bend awkwardly to retrieve the small object. She gave it a once over before pocketing it. She half expected the door to be unlocked but a key works just as well.
It didn't take long for the Gather of Words to squeeze pass the outer layer of trees and stumble out into a more open area. She took a moment to breathe and recollect herself, which involved plucking out splinters and dusting off what she could of the remaining ash that used to a spider. She shuddered at the thought. She found herself in a forest less dense and more friendly-looking; more normal even. The square trees just seemed to act like a thick barrier, protecting the inner wildlife from all who came to bring it harm like a cell wall of a plant cell. The trees were notably shorter and rounder, leaves and bark color varying from breed to breed. Some bore acorns and pine cones while others bore nothing at all. It was actually quite beautiful and peaceful looking, but where would a door be in a place like this? In a trunk of a tree? Spri examined the palm-sized object in her and hand, the key. It was plain and appeared to be made of copper, giving it some weight. It ended in a hollow loop and began with jagged teeth made specifically for one door and one door only. She pocketed it and continued on her way.