Dust drifted through the chasms, here and there a small pebble, disturbed from their rest by some other smaller object or a slight tremor in the ground. One such pebble bounced for some distance, spinning over empty space as it made it's downward journey deep within one of the deeper crevices, each time hit hit a surface a light "tick" noise echoed over the ever darkening gap until it finally hit a loose rock. That rock repeated the effort till it hit a stone, which hit another and thus the process continues until a small rockslide was started, noisy and echoing about the crevice like thunder, but heard by no-one.
Standing on the top floor of a ruined house that had been bolstered with extra struts at some distant point in the past Ochritok stood, eyes dark from his self-imposed silence, 4 thousand years he had stood there, covered in dust, cobwebs and numerous ancient bird droppings. This was until the rockslide crashed into what was left of the ruined house and knocked the supports out of place. The upper floor of the house groaned as it took Ochritok's full weight without the benefit of supports...and then gave way a few seconds later.
The massive Golem then joined the rockslide for a time until finally coming to rest at the bottom of the crevice, a place that many centuries ago has been above ground and a splendid city, but was now little more than dusty ruins at various levels in an intricate cave and chasm network.
However the fall elicited no reaction from the huge Golem who remained in his self-imposed slumber, who was now covered in rocks in addition to dust, bird poo and several startled spiders.
"Oi! You give that back! Or not, I mean you don't have to, if you don't want to. And you couldn't actually give it back, since I never actually had it. So, nevermind, I guess." The young woman had been talking to a squirrel who was sitting up in a tree, a nut between it's paws.
"Anyway, moving on." Meerior Shlakea continued walking through the forest, humming and swinging her arms at her sides, often talking to herself about all manner of things.
She was walking like this when she abruptly stopped. Her foot was over the edge of a crevice in the earth. Dirt fell from the edge. She could have died if she hadn't seen the crevice the second she did.
"Why, isn't this exiting!" the young woman said happily, still standing with her foot over the edge. She was balancing quite precariously on the edge, but she didn't seem to notice at all. "I think that I like this crevice," she said. "It has a feel about it, don't you think? Yes, I agree with you, it is very good."
Then she stepped off of the edge.
She fell, and she fell far. She hit the rocky ground below hard, and there was an echo through the ravine as her ribs cracked loudly. "Ouch." she said, before she passed into unconsciousness.
She woke a few minutes later, and she sat up. As she did, a jagged edge of a rib punctured her skin and she bit her lip. She sat there, propping herself up with her hands. Then she smiled and stood up. she made a soft muttering sound under her breath, and a second later, about ten yards away from her a dark shadow appeared, a void which slowly widened. It was dark, and endless, but with no beginning. Some people would go mad just looking at it, but not Meerior, then again, she was already mad.
She looked at it expectantly, and a second later a dark shape appeared. It was in the shape of a man, but much larger and it's skin was pitch black. It had red slits for eyes, and two curving horns from ti's skull. It had two huge batwings, now folded, and claws longer than Meerior's hand. it radiated a strange feeling, a wrongness that some people would be overwhelmed by. Meerior just stood there. The being was a demon, and it walked right up to the young woman.
It held out it's hand, and she put hers into them. Then it closed it's hands around the woman's with a gentleness that wouldn't have been believed possible from such a creature. Then Meerior closed her eyes and her wounds started to heal. The blood receded back into her body, and the wound closed up. Her ribs were fixed, and then the creature let go of her hands and stepped back into the void. The void closed and Meerior was alone. Or so she thought.
The whole exchange had happened in a matter of seconds, but now Meerior turned around to see something peeking out of a pile of stones. It was shny stone, not the crumbled rocks all around.
She walked over to it and cleared away some of the stones to reveal the shape of a man. "Oh yes!" she said. "A Golem! I wonder if it will wake for me?"
She reached out a hand and placed it onto the golem's shoulder. She closed her eyes and her hand grew warm, very warm, hot.
At first there was no response from the huge golem, his obsidian features remaining inert, the heat generated under Meerior's hand was no more effective than the fall had been in encouraging the goal-less golem to awaken from his slumber. In some ways his former master in her intended kindness had perhaps done him more harm than good, golems were servants, they were built for a purpose and magically charged to carry that purpose out. He no longer had any purpose, none at all, he existed for nothing, so why bother?
Eventually though he decided to try and figure out why someone would want to heat his shoulder, he could not understand the benefit of doing so.
Two green orbs glowed in the holes that passed for his eyes as he awoke himself.
"Why for you heat my shoulder?" Ochritok asked in a voice that echoed through the chasm.
He otherwise remained in his prone position, not seeing any specific need to move at this point.
"Why, to wake you up, of course!" Meerior said, smiling brightly as the golem awoke. "And it's worked! You are awake, aren't you not?"
She took her hand from his shoulder, her skin cooling as she did so. "Anyways, anyways," Meerior said, walking around to the front of the golem to look into his eyes, a crooked smile on her face. "What are ye doing here? Why are you just sittin' in the dust? You're so big and strong, and though some people would say your face isn't very pretty, I think you're handsome! People are crazy crazy crazy! They think I'm crazy! Haha!"
She tipped back her head and laughed. It was high and unearthly. When she was finished she clasped her hands in front of her. "So, why were you jus' sittin' there? And how long have you been there?"
Ochritok's eyes changed to purple as he regarded the female from his prone position, he didn't know what to make of her, she was no golem builder that was for sure.
"I am not sitting." He said simply, knowing full well that he was currently lying on his side.
It seemed this female was not due to leave him alone so he stood, a few rocks and pebbles were dislodged as he assumed a standing position, he took in his surroundings. He looked around and barely recognised the now very much crumbled ruins as the place he left himself asleep and his former master passed away, many years must have passed and the golem builders long gone.
"This is a strange place for a person to be, why are you here?" Ochritok asks of Meerior
"I know you're not sitting, your were laying down, but it don't matter."
Meerior sat down cross legged on a large rock and watched the golem. "Why am I here?" she said when he asked the question. "I jumped. I jumped jumped jumped. From way way up there!" She pointed up. "And I fell, and landed had, and I broke my ribs and bled. I was saved then. So I'm all good now. Why are you down here? Did you jump as well? Though you wouldn't have broken anything, you're too big and hard."
Ochritok looked upwards, judging the distance to be unsafe for for a fleshy being like this female.
"You were lucky to survive." He said simply.
The golem then pondered the question, why was he here?
"I do not break, my master made me so, but I did not jump. I am here because I chose to be nowhere and such a choice left me nowhere to move to."
The purple glowing orbs that passed for eyes focused on Meerior, he could see where her clothes had ripped from the fall, and some blood, but no wound was present, it was impressive healing.
"I am Ochritok....I am...I am a free Golem....I don't know what to do." He said with a note of confusion.
"That's okay," Meerior said with a sudden kindness that did not fit how she had just been talking. "If you do not know what to do, I will help you."
She stood and walked over to him. She patted him. "Why don't we start by getting out of this ravine? I'm sure we'll find something to do once we're out there!"
"You wish to leave?" The golem said looking again at the walls.
He looked at his hands and feet then at Meerior, then at the walls of the ravine again.
"I think I can throw you out of the ravine, I will then follow by climbing, it would not be safe for you to ride on my shoulders, you might fall off. If I throw you, I can do it just right so you land without injury?"
He then just looked at her, his crudely formed face having no emotion to show, then his eyes suddenly brightened.
"I do not know your name? By what shall I call you?"
"Ohhh!! You'll throw me?" Meerior said, clapping her hands together like an exited child. "I'd love that! And you can call me Meerior. It's my name, you see. What's your name?"
"I am Ochritok" he said, the fact that he'd already told Meerior not crossing his mind.
The giant golem approached Meerior and placed one hand under her posterior, lifting her as easily as anyone might an apple in one hand, his arm wound back in a way that would be impossible for someone with a skeltal structure, but was remarkably similar to a catapult. With no noise what-so-ever Ochritok threw Meerior toward the top of the crevice, the force and angle behind the throw was spot on accurate, at high speed she was launched through the air the crevice walls rushing pasts and ever closer and just as her upward momentum was getting closed to slowing she popped over the lip of the crevice and landed relatively softly, the return of gravity's control being exerted at just the right point in her arc.
Ochritok himself, sure in his calculations didn't even watch to see if she landed safely, but instead started on his climb up the wall, most of the time his simply slammed his fingers into the walls and climbing by force rather than skill, rock-climbing wasn't in his skillset, making holes in things was.
Roughly an hour later he popped over the edge of the crevice, joining Meerior, assuming she had waited for him.
Meerior let out a shriek of glee as she was tossed out of the pit. She waited the whole hour that Ochritok took to climb up the side of the ravine.
She looked over the edge and watched him climb once he was in sight, and before that she sat and plucked grass from the ground, weaving it together.
When he crested the edge she smiled at him.
"Now what?" she asked.
"Much has changed" Ochritok said as he looked about the now dry looking region his city once occupied, long ago it had been lush and green, now it was not. The grass that Meerior pulled out of the ground and wove was some of very little that stubbornly grew.
Up here there was no sign at all of the city, you'd not be able to tell that anyone would ever have lived here. He found this unusual for a city to have vanished so completely.
"I do not know what, I have my freedom, but I don't know what to do with it, before I followed my orders without question, now I order myself....but what do I tell myself to do, how do you know what you should do?"
"I know what to do because I have a soul. Do you have a soul? Well, that's a silly question, I think you do. Anywho, you tell yourself to do what you think is right."
Meerior stood up. "I think I should go to that forest way over there." She pointed at the trees in the distance. "Because I am out of food, and I need to gather more there. You don't need food. You a a golem. Do you ever eats? That is, consume anythin'?"
"A....soul?" Ochritok's eyes changed to a pale blue, he had no idea his eyes were doing this, since his ability to see was not linked to their colour, but he pondered what Meerior had said.
"I do not think I do have a soul Meerior, I was built from this dark stone and then magically empowered so that the stone would flow or be solid according to the requirements that my master made of me, this did not change when I was given my freedom."
Did he have a soul? he wasn't sure.
"How would I know if I have a soul?"
But there was more.
"No, I do not eat, I have no stomach of that I am sure, see my mouth, there is no throat." Ochritok opened his mouth as wide as his could....which due to the malleability of the magic that charged him was very wide indeed, his "mouth" having been merely a wide split that moved according to the words he spoke was possible to open enough so that his eyes were actually looking behind him with his open mouth being the "top" of his head.
Meerior clapped when he opened his mouth, it was impressive.
"How do I know you have a soul?" Meerior asked. "Because you can think for yourself, and because I can feel it, I think. And because you have a personality, that is to say, you have a self, you are your own person. Even if your maker did not give you a soul, you can still have one, if you choose to have one."
"Then maybe my goal is to find my soul, I do not think I do have one, but perhaps it is a good thing to have."
Ochritok closed his mouth and look towards the forest.
"But you need to eat, so shall we go get you food, I can see much fruit and berries, there might also be animals in there?"
"Animals animals," Meerior said. "Yes yes yes, I think so, there would be lots and lots of animals in there. I can just eat the berries, I don't need to eat any meat."
She smiled brightly at the golem. "And I think that getting a soul for you would be a good good idea! Now. The forest!"
She started walking towards the trees in the distance.
Fivan woke up in the warmth of her bedroll. She stretched her long frame reaching for the base of the tree. Opening her eyes she looked around the forest. It was a typical morning, beautiful! She tossed the top coverlet of the bedroll aside but quickly pulled it back on. Burr she thought. I do so dislike getting out of a warm cocoon of sleep! She chuckled.
Gathering up her energy she once again tossed the coverlet aside and quickly pulled on her pants and boots. She washed her face with the some water from her skin, collected her belongs on the floor next to her makeshift bed and checked her satchel to ensure nothing was missing. Packing it all up she threw the satchel and roll over her shoulder with her bow and quiver proceed to look for breakfast.
It was quiet at this moment. Just the chirping of the birds. She walked into the soft morning breeze and inhaled the fresh scent. Fivan heads northeast, that was the way to her instinct told her to go.
The trip thus far had been uneventful. Mostly wild animals more than bandits as she has stayed away from caves and rundown towers and main roads. She had no time for that stuff. When she needed to make coin there was always rabbit, elks, and all sorts of wildlife to trade skins, bones, and meat to the towns. An occasional odd job tracking someone. Mixing a potion when needed. Yes she had gotten by for now.
She stops for a moment to check her map, La'marri was still far off. The next town she stopped at she would need to do some trading. She had spent a lot of coin at the last one so she may be pitching a campsite for a bit until she could restock her means. She looked ahead and proceed into the forest. Her stomach reminded her that she needed to eat!
Deciding she would need to do some hunting and consulting the map again it showed her that if she headed more easterly she would hit a town. This would give her pliantly of time to hunt. Eat something and collect enough pelts to hopeful make some coin.
The sun was shining brightly today and it made for a pleasant journey. The birds could be heard chirping still, this made her think of home. Shaking her head at the thoughts, now is neither the time nor place for those memories, she had ground to cover and without a mount she needed to make use of the daylight.
The forest wasn't very far off, and when Meerior got there she stopped under the cover of the branches. The sunlight fell dappled through the tree leaves, and the sounds of animal and insect life made the forest come alive. Meerior stood there for a moment, taking in the beauty of the forest. And then she saw the elf.
"Ooh!! Hello there!" she cried, waving. "Hello hi good day! I just met me a golem named Ochritok!!!"
Ochritok followed Meerior, for now she was his best bet of finding a soul. That she seemed somewhat peculiar was neither here not there to him, in fact it didn't cross his mind at all.
As he walked each footfall could be heard as a ponderous thud, thud, thud. It was just as well Meerior's preference was for food that couldn't run, as any animal nearby would likely feel the light tremors of the golem's movement and scarper as quickly as it was able. Ochritok was not a stealthy individual.
As he caught up with Meerior and caught sight of the elf he echoed Meerior's words "I am Ochritok"
Fivan felt the ground quake! How could she not! Every living thing scattered. What was going on? Why is the very dirt rumbling? Looking around she stopped the duo! Well first she spotted him! How could one not! They had come from the direction of the desert. At first she flared her nostrils in fear. Where they going to attack her? She had managed for so long and now this. Fear kept her firmly planted in one spot.
To her surprise they both approached in a very non-hostile manner. No weapons drawn. And with a friendly greeting! At first she looked at him. Did her eyes device her? A Golem? Shaking her head she smiled back and holstering her bow. "I am Fivan. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintances" She nodded. Her curiosity overwhelming. "I mean not to be bold but where did you come from? I had heard stories of your kind but never did I ever think in all the moons I would come to be greeted by a Golem." She looked at the woman her eyes shining and full of questions.
Ochritok pointed behind him, his arm making a stony grating noise as it did so, although it was unclear where this noise came from as the movement appeared fluid rather than mechanical.
"I come from over there."
He said in his deep voice, he assumed by the elf's words that golems were not common around these parts, maybe he was the only of his kind, he couldn't know, nor was he particularly concerned either.
"There are no animals here Meerior, it is a good thing you like fruits, berries and tubers."
The golem found it odd that he made this observation, but it was true.
"You scared all the animals away with your thumping!" Meerior said, beaming. "And hello, elfy. I am Meerior. Meerior Meerior Meerior."
The young woman put her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side, he curly red hair falling into her face. "Who are yous? Who who who? Nope, I'm not an owl, though they are my friends. I know your name, but why are you here?"
Fivan continued to smile at the girl. Her bubbly demeanor against the glomes was adorable. "i am just a mere wondered trying to find my way to La'marri." She nodded respectfully.
"May I inquire as to where you are both headed?" She noted the glome had mentioned fruit. She pulled her satchel off and placed it on the floor. Fivan rummaged through it and pulled some dried fruit and a water skin. "I can offer you these?" She held them out for the girl. "I know it is not fresh and while there is plenty here maybe this will keep the edge off your hunger."
"Oh, thanks very very much!" Meerior said. "But that's okay, I can just eat grass, I can eat grass and not get sick, see?"
She reached down and pulled some grass from the ground, she started to eat it, after she swallowed she smiled at Fivan. "Once, I was traveling with a guy, and he got sick, that is, ill, when he ate some. But not me!"
Meerior continued to beam at the elf, bobbing on the balls of her feet.
"I seek to find my soul" Ochritok said in response to the elf's query.
He watched Meerior eat the grass, he knew grass was edible by some, but did not think it commonly eaten by the bipeds.
"Meerior, are you sure that eating grass is healthy for you, would not those berries be both tastier and more nutritious?"
He looked at the offered fruit from Fivan.
"Or maybe those fruit, they would be tasty, would they not?"
Fivan had to agree with Ochritok. Grass while it is good for the elk, deer, and bovine. But it was not for her.
"I might agree with Ochritok. But Meerior the choice is yours." She still offered the dried fruit. Although any hope of fresh meat was gone for herself.
She looked at the glome. "A soul you say?" Her eyes raised up to him. "Maybe we travel to the island of La'Marri? I will help you find yourself one." She smiled up at him and offered her service.
"La'Marri?" Ochritok had not heard of that island, although when he was last awake the island had not been named such.
"Do people normally go there to find souls?" the golem queried as Meerior continue to eat the grass.
Ochritok wondered what a soul looked like, was it like a pebble, or some amulet?
"Oh, grass is fine for me," Meerior said. "I'm not like other people someways."
She did not elaborate, and then she looked at Fivan, cocking her head to the side. "Yes, where would one fine a soul? I do not know, but I would like to help Ochritok find one for hisself."
Fivan grinned happily. "I should think we may find one in La'Marri. It is home of the most wisest of Mages. I am sure they can help us." She pulled a piece of the dried fruit apart and nibbled. She looked deep in thought. As she chewed she grunted a bit.
"AH HA!!!" She explained! "We have a long way to travel but yes there is a Mage, Lucius. He will be able to assist us in this quest! I know it!" She smiled and looked up at the glome.
"Would you like to both try and seek it with me."
"A mage?" Ochritok rumbled.
Mages were not fun, unlike the golem builders who specialised in bringing golems to life and seeding them with abilities Mages usually did the opposite, in his experience they didn't like golems, preferred to do stuff without the aid of golems. But times had changed, or so he imagined after 3 thousand years.
"Distance does not concern me, we shall see this Lucius if you think he can provide me with a soul Fivan?"
"Lucius will I am sure of this Ochritok!" She answered the Gloem excitedly. "You may be a bit anxious but he isn't like most. You will find he seeks only to rejoice in life and living. Never to dismantle or punitize a life. He will not rest until a soul if obtained rightly for you." Her smile was wide and inviting.
She pulled her dried fruit. Hunting was not going to happen with a Gloem in tow. But she was growing to like the big guy. She wanted to help these two. She would send word by courier the next town they came too. She munched on her tasty treat.
"Shall we get started?" She looked at her two new companions.
"But if I am without a soul, does that make me alive?" Ochritok pondered.
What was a golem without a purpose, he was built to perform a function, and whilst he was still immensely skilled, he had no reason to use that skill. There was no call for him to eat or sleep, none of that which people did to survive.
"There is nothing more for me to do Fivan, so yes, we shall get started, please lead the way."
"I think you are alive, that is to say living," Meerior said. "I do not know why, but I thunk I can somewhat feel that you are alive. You have a mind and a will of your own."
Then the girl looked to the elf when Ochritok said 'lead the way'. "Yes! Lead the way, and we'll find a soul!"
Fivan smiled and nodded thoughtfully at Meerior. "I do agree with Meerior. She feels something as do I! Ochritok, there is something inside you more then just what you were built for. Yes! Now let me just check my map."
She did just that. Pulling it from her hip pocket and unrolled it. "We head this way." She pointed to the left. "You will see Ochritok, a soul is waiting for you." She rolled the map back and stuck it in her pocket. Hitching her satchel she began to move.
Meerior smiled brightly at Ochritok and skipped after Fivan. "Well, won't this be fun!" she said. "Who knows what monsters we might meet! I do love monsters, they're just so fun!"
"I was built for many things Fivan, but owning a soul...i don't know. We shall meet this mage then."
The giant golem followed behind Fivan, his ponderous feet causing minor quakes as he moved.
"Fear not the monster Meerior, there is nothing I fear."
"Oh, no," Meerior shook her head, frowning. "I don't fear any monsters, they all like me! We are friends."
She looked ahead, through the forest. The forest was very interesting, at least to Meerior, filled with all sorts of things, plants, animals, mushrooms, insects. And Meerior noticed it all.
Fi just smiled. She gave no opinion on the matter of monsters or fear.
"So we head this way." She began to walk on a well worn path it seemed taking them deeper beyond the desert toward the sea.
"I think we are entering the Kishahn Jungle region. We are in Southern Le'raana, we need to head west."
The jungle was no different then the desert. All manner of creatures were scurrying about.
Meerior took notice of all of the animals that scurried by. "I do love the forests!" she said happily. "Ochritok, do you have likes and dislikes, despite not having a soul?"