The Silent Decline
Sirexx sighed heavily at the sight that greeted his eyes. First of the countless mesas that characterized the valley of Thousand Needles were appearing from the horizon, spelling the end of their trek through the elven woods. Something about the way of things seemed surreal: on one hand, he had never even dreamt of seeing these mesas again, considering him being alive was enough to be seen as a miracle. Even if it was, however, Sirexx found it hard to actually bask in the moment. Something didn't seem right though: the enormous loss of life had left him quite somber and even worse, something seemed to bother Ke'nir. The qiraji could feel a dry, almost burning desert wind touching his face as he turned to face the other three qiraji walking closely behind him.
"We must stop here. The tauren will see us if we move here in daylight." Sirexx's voice carried a somewhat dismissive tone, as if the announcement carried nothing new. Yr'haxx was the first one to answer as he took a glance at the distant mountain.
"That's probably for the best. There's no sense in risking ourselves now. We're in no hurry anymore, after all." It was true that the journey had been much more peaceful since the day of Svr'ash's death. The constant threat of sudden death was washed away by the chasers' defeat, enabling a slower and safer way for the last four of the Sar'nexar.
Kritass answered dryly as Ke'nir started to tremble on his feet, apparently because of uncomfortable footing. Sirexx looked at him in concern but said nothing. For now, it would be best to follow if the leg would heal itself.
"In that case we have to reach the Barrens by morning. We cannot risk the chance of being seen in the morning." Reaching the tiny passes up from the steep valley during one night would be a but there was no other chance. Trying to bypass the valley would probably contain even more dangerous ordeal's, from the elves and the centaurs alike. Ke'nir's head jumped upward from his comrade's proposition. This gesture was very apparent but Ke'nir quickly turned his gaze away. This time even Kritass looked at Ke'nir in an asking manner but the black Unseen answered briefly and apparently in a hurry.
"We should find a place to hide until the evening. We don't want to be seen until the evening." Ke'nir's voice seemed normal but unusually blunt for the short Unseen. None of the others could question Ke'nir's logic as the taurens patrolled the Needles heavily. Getting ambushed before the night was hardly a way to reach their long-searched sanctuary.
The desert valley contained many caves which were ideal short stops but they were usually small and hard to find. In any case, it was only a few hours before the sun would set beneath the Western waves of the Great Sea. The qiraji searched for a while for a short-term shelter and soon, Kritass found a small groove in the imposing stone wall bordering the narrow valley. The groove was little more than a small hole in the stone wall but it provided enough shelter from unwanted attention. Moreover, it was enough to block the burning afternoon rays of the desert sun. All in all, it had to suffice for the four Sar'nexar, at least until the evening.
"It's much hotter here than anywhere I've been to before! The tauren must be crazy to live here!" Yr'haxx bemoaned as he entered the small groove. The walls of the Thousand Needles indeed provided a barrier against any kind of wind or movement of air. In other words, valley was a real hell in terms of temperature. Sirexx had to agree with the statement but he didn't answer. Instead, he took a look out to see the position of the sun. He was slightly relieved by his observation.
"It's only two or three hours until the sun sets. We won't have to tarry here for too long." Sirexx's calm voice brought relief to his companions, providing them hope of reaching the Barrens shortly. There was only one qiraji who couldn't cheer at the position they found themselves in.
Ke'nir cringed deeply inside. It wasn't like he wasn't happy for the miraculous escape and the prospect of a new home but there was one detail that filled him with fear. His leg hadn't healed, in fact Ke'nir could swear the pain got only worse and worse. Even more unsettling, even though the bleeding had stopped, was the severe suppuration in his leg. The "bandages" that had been used to stop the bleeding were growing more and more sticky and Ke'nir knew they were no longer holding blood; rather they mostly contained orange, ill moist caused by the unhealed wound.
"So, are we going to just sit here and do nothing?" Yr'haxx asked in a happy voice. His voice was nearly normal and free of stress after the Sar'nexar had shaken off the remaining chasers. Despite the uncertainties, for the first time in weeks he felt like there was hope off living to see his older days. Sirexx looked at him curiously, asking him the obvious question.
"What do you mean? It's not like there's too much to do here." Yr'haxx answered quickly to his comrade's question, surprising the gladiator sitting on his left side.
"How about Kritass tells how the gladiators spend their spare time?" Yr'haxx knew it was rather unfair to pass the ball to his maimed comrade but he wanted Kritass to finally partake in their group. He had good enough reasons for being fearful but it seemed to the unseen as if he's been less desperate during the last days. Perhaps this was the time to try to make him leave his shell? Kritass was startled by the proposition and his answer wasn't too sophisticated.
"Wh… where did that come from?" The gladiator stuttered. Despite letting Sirexx know about his face, he still wasn't ready to join his comrades in their lighthearted chatter between the treks.
"Sorry I'm being blunt but It's due time, Kritass. If we're going to try to survive in the Marsh together, we must be able to work together. In addition, I have no idea how gladiators spend their time. The way I've seen it, Me'lesh isn't too popular among you." Yr'haxx answered in a slightly hesitating but neutral voice. Kritass' initial surprise seemed to have dissipated somewhat and he answered in a highly unsure voice.
"Some of us do, or at least used to, play Me'lesh but I was never too interested in it. There's too much luck in it. Another, more popular way among us to spend time is another game called Sh'xesh." Kritass took a brief pause to which Sirexx decided to comment Kritass' explanation.
"I've heard of it even though it never made headway in Promise. From what I've heard, it's quite difficult?" Not all of the games spread to every part of the Qiraji Empire as Sirexx had learned to his chagrin. They were played everywhere because of gambling but the games variated heavily. However, most of the qiraji had heard of many different games, especially if they held any interest in gambling. In Sirexx's case this wasn't the problem. Kritass continued shortly.
"You could say so… It's played on a rather large board where there are twelve rows of squares in both directions, with twenty pieces moving diagonally which are used to kill the opponent's pieces. There is one piece that must be killed in order to win the game." Yr'haxx's expression was slightly interested as he answered.
"It sounds rather simple… What are the chances of it ending in a draw?" The Unseen spoke in a curious voice. This could a way to spend the rest of the day.
"Rather good, especially if you don't what you're doing. In any case, I've lost two years' worth of ishns for this cursed game!" Kritass tried to smile at the memories but it proved difficult. He couldn't help it but the image of his face dominated his mind all the time. He didn't even know when or how he would ever accept it but for now, he had something to slightly drive his thoughts away from his despicable reality.
"Sounds good… That's only half of what I've managed to lose! Let's get started!" Yr'haxx said as he rose from the rock he was sitting on. Kritass looked at him in confusion.
"I'm sorry to let you down but do you honestly think I have a board with me?" Yr'haxx answered quickly as he bowed down to a crouching position.
"Who needs that? The game sounds simple enough to play on the ground!" Ke'nir was the next one to speak, in an effort to cheer himself up from his own fears.
"Indeed! It requires only some lines in the sand and stones. Show us how to play, Kritass!"
It took a few minutes as the gladiator tried to come up with an acceptable-looking "board". There were enough stones in the groove but trying to make a working board in the sand was a challenge. The surrounding walls limited the size of the rows of squares and only on third try did they succeed in the task. Kritass sat down with Yr'haxx to demonstrate the game to the Unseen. The demonstration didn't last too long as Yr'haxx was completely crushed by Kritass' knowledge of the game. As the early evening progressed, however, the three Unseen slowly started to grasp the basics of the game. They hardly noticed the passage of time as the sun was slowly starting to touch the horizon in Feralas' direction. Ke'nir was the first one to notice the approaching nightfall.
"We should move on soon. The visibility from the mesas is starting to fade." Ke'nir's voice was loud enough to grasp the attention of his comrades. All of them quickly realized that Ke'nir was right. The black Unseen was happy to realize that it was time to move on: he had won enough games already to feel content with the day.
"You're right, Ke'nir… The sun sets soon." Yr'haxx muttered in slight chagrin as he rose up from the ground. His games had gone badly and he couldn't say he was sad to move on. Sirexx observed the darkening night as his comrades were slowly starting to prepare for the nightly trek. With luck, they would be in Dustwallow Marsh in two days.
"We should start to look for the pathways leading to the Barrens after about seven or eight hours. Are you up to the journey?" Sirexx didn't expect any objections and he received none. In a few minutes, all three of his comrades stood ready to embark on their last truly risky leg before their destination. Everyone knew the dangers of the narrow desert valley so there was no reason to tell his comrades about those. Luckily, Sirexx knew he could trust their abilities to stay hidden. The wind was rising slowly as the quartet left their resting place. After only a few minutes of running towards the first mesas, Sirexx hear a thud behind him. The sight that met him stunned the Unseen shortly.
"Ke'nir? What is it?" Kritass asked him as he crouched to his comrade's side. The Unseen rose slowly with a pained expression on his face. He spoke in a slow voice as the three others gathered around him to check his condition.
"It's nothing. Let's continue…" Sirexx stopped his friend's efforts to continue with a firm look.
"I can see that you didn't stumble on anything. It's your leg isn't it?" Sirexx took a short pause as Ke'nir's expression darkened at the mention of his leg. He said nothing but his face told everything Sirexx needed to know. The brown Unseen looked at the others and answered shortly.
"We cannot risk you slowing us down on this trek, Ke'nir. We must be certain of your capability of completing today's journey in time. We cannot continue before your leg has healed." The black Unseen's face fell noticeably, clearly disgusted by the current state of affairs.
"Sirexx, we cannot turn back! We must reach the Barrens!" Ke'nir's voice dipped with anger and frustration. He knew Sirexx was right about his leg but there was one thing the brown Unseen didn't know. Ke'nir had a terrible feeling his leg wouldn't get any better until the next evening.
"You cannot even reach the first mesas with that leg, Ke'nir! You cannot continue! We won't leave you behind, either. Now, get back to the groove!" Sirexx felt sickened by the need to command his friend like this but there was no choice at this time. If the foolish Unseen didn't understand his best, he would have to be forced to accept it.
Ke'nir wished to continue the argument but the expression from all three of his comrades proved that he had lost. Why did they have to make his already bleak situation even worse? With a heavy sigh, Ke'nir waived his chela and turned on his heels. It seemed like there was no chance to make the others see sense. Sirexx took a worried look at the others who returned the expression. There was something seriously wrong with their comrade.
Why did this have to happen? Why cannot they leave me in peace?
Questions like these circulated in Ke'nir's mind as he contemplated his situation. He couldn't blame Sirexx for his command but he didn't know what he was talking about. Even Ke'nir himself didn't want to acknowledge his situation. In addition to the pain in his leg, he was feeling… cold. Not the usual feeling of chill but the one that was familiar to him in an unsettling way. It was the feeling of deep, sick injury but it would usually pass in a day. This one had followed him since his confrontation with Ra'jol and he was beginning to fear for the first.
"Ke'nir? What is going on?" Sirexx asked after Kritass and Yr'haxx had fallen asleep. He could still see Ke'nir staying awake due to his open eyes and heavy breathing. Ke'nir took another sigh as he heard his friend's voice talk to him. In a way, he was grateful for his concern but on the other hand, what could he say to Sirexx? Sirexx wouldn't probably accept his explanations about the depth of his injury. Not after all their other friends were gone and most of their comrades fallen before the prophets' onslaught. Sirexx would do his all in his might to try to save his old friend's life.
"As I said, it was a momentary stroke of pain. I could have continued on." Ke'nir knew his words weren't true but it was a better option than to just announce that he wouldn't be able to complete the trip even in the future. It was better to let Sirexx's hopes stay alive, even if only to help the brown Unseen to cope with the situation. Ke'nir could immediately see Sirexx wasn't buying his explanation.
"You are trying to fool yourself more than me, Ke'nir, and you know that. Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" Sirexx's words brought a surge of anger flowing through Ke'nir. How could his friend be arrogant enough to ask him such an absurd question? It was time to let Sirexx know the truth.
"Look Sirexx, I'm sure you already know the truth! My injury isn't going to heal and I'm slowing all of you down! Whether you and the others go on now or tomorrow doesn't matter. Ra'jol's hit sealed my fate or rather, its aftermath. The wound is gravely infected and it will only doom me to slow death!" Ke'nir's voice was bitter and regretful and his face communicated deep, hopeless fear. Sirexx was speechless at his friend's words. Only in his worst fears had he contemplated such a dreadful scenario and now his friend put that possibility straight to his face. Only after a short while did he manage to stutter an answer. Perhaps there was still a chance Ke'nir's guess was wrong. Maybe the Unseen was still in shock…
"We won't be leaving you behind, Ke'nir. Wounds of such ferocity are very rare and even then, some of them may heal. You'll be…" Sirexx's words were cut off by Ke'nir's agitated response which seethed with finality and thinly-veiled disgust at the situation.
"Damn it, Sirexx! I've seen dozens of my comrades die and I know the symptoms! You don't have to tell me if I'm going to die or not! I'm sorry but there's nothing any of us can do. I know you will never accept it but it would really be best if you left me here." Ke'nir slightly calmed down at the last sentence. There was no need to make the matters worse by starting a possibly escalating argument with his closest friend. It would be better to spare him from any additional pain at his comrade's condition. Sirexx looked at the black Unseen gravely and there was only one thing Sirexx could say after the shocking conversation.
"Let's wait until tomorrow, Ke'nir. Maybe something will change before then." Sirexx waited for an answer but Ke'nir's sick, saddened face told him everything he needed to know. Ke'nir thoroughly believed his own words and he clearly dreaded the coming day. Sirexx felt empty as he returned to his sleeping spot. This night would be one of the hardest ones he had ever spent, with the possibility of losing the last of his old haunting his thoughts for hours to come.
The morning dawned with an unusually cold weather for Thousand Needles, with thick clouds gathering in the cold sky. Kritass was the first one to awaken, quickly disappointed to remember that they were still in the desert valley, quickly remembering the unfortunate events that had happened last evening. His gaze quickly moved towards Ke'nir, who was sleeping a dozen meters from him, leaning at the wall of stone behind him.
Kritass couldn't help but wonder what was really going on with the black Unseen. It was clear that his condition was serious but the gladiator didn't have the least of ideas whether it was going to be fatal. Maybe Ke'nir would wake up feeling better and all four of them would be in the Barrens in the next morning. Maybe not. In any case, Kritass couldn't help but feel a bit guilty about his actions. After Svr'ash's passing, at the very latest, he understood that he was lucky to be alive, no matter seriously maimed. He most likely wouldn't live to see his old days but at least he was still here, unlike poor Alt'hesh and the others. Hopefully Ke'nir wouldn't join them soon. Whatever happened, the nightly trek would be taken today. There wouldn't be any reason to delay it for longer as Ke'nir's fate would be clear at that time.
Kritass smiled as he watched the rays of sun flow through the fields in front of him, turning the dark brown sand into something bordering golden and yellow. No matter what was to come, at least for today, they would still be together.
The agony of his growing infections hit Ke'nir immensely hard as he woke up from his uneasy sleep. He would have wished to escape the reality back to his sleep but he knew he had to make the day as easy to the others as he could.
The others deserve better than my hearing my woes for the day. It is going to happen in the night but for today I must act like everything was okay…
Ke'nir chuckled mockingly as he realized the absurdity of thinking of how to let his life end with the least agony for himself and the others. But it couldn't be helped: taking his own life would bring far too much guilt and pain to his comrades. Soon, the torture would end but until then, he had to act like everything were well again.
"Hey, Ke'nir! You seem to be awake." Kritass approached the Unseen, his expression communicating concern and cordiality. He wished to see whether Ke'nir had spoken the truth or whether his condition was more serious than he knew.
"I am… Why?" Ke'nir was still sleepy and he wasn't too happy by Kritass' approach. What would he probably want after the last evening's unfortunate ending? Kritass answered shortly, willing to observe Ke'nir's reaction to his words.
"We have to eat something before we try the trip to the Barrens. I'm sure Sirexx and Yr'haxx would appreciate it if we found something for them." Kritass felt slight concern at Ke'nir's initial hesitation but was surprised when Ke'nir answered. He was much more confident than Kritass had expected.
"There's a lot of wildlife here as well as some fruits closer to Feralas. We should be back within an hour." Ke'nir spoke matter-of-factly and even though he dreaded the coming ordeal, he hoped it would be easy enough to complete even in his condition.
Kritass looked at his comrade in a suspicious way. He didn't believe Ke'nir's words but it seemed like the Unseen was too proud to admit his handicaps. Moreover, Ke'nir had no way to lie about his condition when he would have to join the march to the Barrens.
The next hour was a painful one for Ke'nir. Every step he took brought shivers of pain upon his whole body, the rising fever only adding to his misery. As he had contemplated earlier, killing an unsuspecting hyena or gathering fruits was far from challenging and the greatest challenge was to try to keep his face as nor mal as possible in order to keep Kritass ignorant of his internal agony. After what felt like days on end, he finally said quietly to Kritass.
"This is enough. We won't be able to get more with us." The black Unseen said at Kritass who returned the gaze shortly.
"You're right, Ke'nir. A hyena and twenty peaches are going to do for today." Kritass affirmed with a neutral voice. Ke'nir answered in a forcefully happy voice.
"They better appreciate this gesture. As if we don't have better things to do on mornings than to hunt skinny hyenas!" Kritass almost chuckled as he answered. Had the situation been less grim, it would have brought great joy to Ke'nir to finally see Kritass on this good mood but taking joy at his current situation was hard for the wounded Unseen.
"Well, we don't have, really. I could have slept longer, though."
Sirexx was worried at first to see Ke'nir and Kritass missing as he woke from his fearful sleep. Hours of nightmares did little to appease his fears of Ke'nir's absence. However, the fact that Kritass was missing too brought him slight relief as the gladiator was most likely with Ke'nir, wherever they were. Yr'haxx woke up last, not unusually as he was the heaviest sleeper of the four surviving rebels. Sirexx was happy to see him awake but the atmosphere remained tense until he saw two familiar figures approaching from the horizon. Sirexx was delighted to see what the duo had been up to; breakfast was welcome after days of running. However, Ke'nir apparent sudden recovery surprised Sirexx greatly as it had been only one night when Ke'nir had proclaimed himself practically dead. The change was profound but Sirexx couldn't say he was disappointed by the change. Maybe everything would go well in the end.
On one hand, Ke'nir was happy that he had managed to survive the morning and that he had bought his comrades at least some peace of mind. However, he was simultaneously terrified by the coming night. The earlier food gathering had almost broken him and there was no way he would ever be able to reach the Barrens. In addition, his condition would only continue to deteriorate as the day progressed, making it harder and harder for him to hide his weakness and growing sick shudders.
The sun set not a moment too soon for Ke'nir. The sight the sun vanishing behind the mountains filled him with sadness as he knew this would most likely be the last he would ever see. There was no plausible scenario he could think of where he would survive until the morning. The concern and anxiety among his comrades hadn't vanished but none of them seemed to question tonight's plan. Sirexx came to Ke'nir's side, asking him a simple but important question.
"Are you ready for the trek, Ke'nir? There's no turning back after we reach the first mesas." Sirexx's face was filled with fear and the question stunned Ke'nir completely. He couldn't honestly say if he was ready to face his fate, whatever it was but there was no turning back now. He tried to put as confident expression he could and answered with a silent yet firm voice.
"I've done this trip many times before. As for what I said yesterday… I exaggerated. I still feel rather weak but I'm ready to do this." Ke'nir didn't want to lie to his old friend but another day waiting for a miracle that would never come would serve no one's interests. For better or worse, it would be better to try now and see what would happen. Sirexx nodded anxiously as he answered shortly.
"Very well, Ke'nir. I trust your judgement. Do your best and we'll be in the Barrens in no time." Sirexx then turned around to speak to Yr'haxx and Kritass. He told them the situation shortly but firmly. A day of chatting about Sh'xesh had made all of them yearning for some action and all of them yearned to complete their journey.
"Ke'nir's ready. For the next eight hours, head towards the east by the stone wall. We will spread out slightly in order to make our detection more unlikely. All of us know where the passes to the Barrens are. We'll meet there. Any questions?" The silence that met the brown Unseen told him everything he need to know. The trek was long but quite safe aside from rare tauren patrols. Ke'nir was the only question mark here. The Sar'nexar had gone through much together and they had hoped Svr'ash to be their last casualty. Sirexx was still determined to keep things so but would he be able to complete the task? Ke'nir's condition seemed to be improving but somehow Sirexx still felt shivers up his spine as he contemplated the events of the next hours…
Phew, I managed to keep my promise with the schedule! Ke'nir's condition doesn't seem to be getting better but what is going to happen once they try to cross the Thousand Needles? For now there's little to worry but any worsening in Ke'nir's condition could make things ugly... In any case, I apologize for the large gap since the last chapter but I hope you enjoyed this installment. I hope I can keep the same pace for the next chapter. Until then, take care! :)
Ocu: Thank you very much for your review! I'm happy to see that you find the way I've portrayed the world successful. It was a challenge trying to reconcile the way the qiraji were portrayed in the game and the image of a thriving empire together and I really appreciate your feedback! Also, it's nice to know that you've found the characters feeling interesting. For now, I'll just say that the next chapter will get pretty intense.