Location: Ohioan Wastelands
The tribal camp was buzzing with activity, as preparations for another move were being made. The moth's of the tribe busied themselves with packing supplies that would be needed for a long journey. The land around them had been scavenged as much as possible, they even managed to strike up trade with a few of the surrounding kingdoms, however it was time to move on now. New lands awaited, and Luminance wanted to move on to the next area as soon as possible.
The elders had been trying to keep the young ones away from Centauri as he helped with packing. They apparently couldn't get enough of the Human Eder's natural warmth. As much as they tried however, one would get through, and try climbing up his leg. Centauri would have to wait for one of the moth elders to pry the youngling from his body, as he could never bring himself to say no to their pouting face.
"But Grandma, he's so waaaarrmmmmm!" One of the younglings complained as he was pried off Centouri's leg.
"Let our Light's chosen do his work dear" The Tribal Elder said as the young one was dragged away pouting.
Centauri wondered when his own son would be back, his wife had gone out to get him after he wandered off again. He wasn't worried, not at this point, he's wandered off before, and for much longer periods of time. Each and every time his wife brought him back, he had gotten himself dirited up in some cave or ancient ruin he couldn't stop himself from exploring. It would be nice to have more help in moving some of the heavier things that the moths couldn't carry. Luminance would sometimes help with that, but he was busy right now, apparently talking with someone, an old friend he had called them.
Centauri had just about finished bundling up a supply of barter stones they would use in trade. He felt the brightness of his wife's and son's souls coming into focus, and he smiled to himself. He wondered what kind of excuse Bright would come up with this time, and there would be an excuse, there always was. One time he claimed to have gotten lost in a cave, in an area that had no caves. He even at one point claimed to have been attacked by a shade lord but 'bravely fought it off', no one fights off shade lords… no one. He was calculating how many days Bright was going to have to act as the youngling's nighttime warmth giver as he saw him and his mother come to view over the small hill that lay just outside the tribal encampment.
Centauri put the bundle down and began jogging over to his wife and son. As he got closer he noticed that Solari looked a lot less annoyed than was usual when Bright got up to his shenanigans. Bright also looked a lot less disappointed about getting caught, almost seeming like he was excited about something. Perhaps Bright had found something so interesting that he thought the grounding was worth it, wouldn't be the first time.
"Daddy, daddy, you won't believe it" Bright said ecstatically as he got close enough to talk. Centauri scooped his son into a hug, giving him a tight squeeze before setting him down
"Oh you're so grounded" Centauri said chuckling.
"You should have seen him!" Bright said, seemingly not processing his father's words. "The mean lady had me, but then he came, and he beat her in one punch, ONE PUNCH! No magic or nothing, didn't even use his giant nail-"
"Mean lady?! Had you!? Him?! What are you talking about Bright" Centauri Questioned.
Solari placed a hand on her son's shoulder "A human belonging to another god tried to claim him, I saw the weaver webs he had been broken out of" Solari explained, Centauri's brow furrowed.
"The Weavers dared try and take our son?! We had a deal with them!" Centauri fumed.
"It was probably from a different weaver group. The ones we had been trading with are off to a different direction than where we encountered the would be kidnapper"
"She said that she was going to take me to a 'Den' or something," Bright said. Centauri nodded his head to that and gave a thoughtful hum.
"The ones we deal with call their home the Woven Nests, so… it's probably a different group" It was a good thing at least that Bright had been saved in time…
"Wait, who was it that… defeated that human in 'one punch'?" Centauri asked curiously. He half expected it to be one of Bright's outlandish stories, but Solari would have likely corrected him by now.
"That is what Bright here has been so excited to show you" Solari said smiling.
The younglings had gathered in a small group back at the campsite, watching the three humans converse. There was gossip going around the group, much of it involving how many nights they would get to huddle around Bright for his warmth. Others talked about what kind of stories they would make up. Few believed the stories, as Bright had a reputation for being 'creative with the truth' as their parents would say.
"I bet he our Light will have to hold him at nights again" One of the moth younglings said giggling. The moth youth had enjoyed when that happened, as it usually meant they could join in on it. Though when a few of the moth's tried to replicate Bright's actions, they all pulled back at the last minute. There must be some kind of courage that comes with being a human they all thought. None of them were brave enough to head out at night on their own.
"Ooooh" The younglings all said in unison as Solari formed a glowing yellow ball in her hands, and tossed it into the air. That was a signaling ball, signaling what though? "I bet they're calling our Light" One of the younglings said. "But he's in the Dream Realm" Another stated. "How far away is that?" Another asked. "Mother said it isn't on the same level of existence or something"
"Do not be alarmed when he shows up dear, he is faster than you'd think a being on legs has any right going" Solari said.
Suddenly Centauri felt the signature of another human's soul pop into his focus, Solari has probably told them to wait just outside detection range. This human's soul had all the markings of an unclaimed human, where all four elements of their soul were roughly equal. It wouldn't be the first time he had seen an unclaimed human, though he was never able to bring one back.
The signature of the unclaimed human came closer and closer at a rate that defied all logic.
"Mom told you he was fast" Bright said, he was jumping up and down a bit, excitement leaking ever more into his bodily expressions. It was not long before they could all hear a thumping sound that got ever louder. A large black clad figure appeared over the hilltop, and began running towards the three at the same impossible speed that Centauri had felt his soul approach at.
Centauri instinctively prepared for a fight, before Solari placed a hand on his shoulder. "Do not be alarmed, he is a friend." The massive figure cleared the distance between them in short order, stopping just short as it skidded to a halt. The figure towered over them all, their black armored plating gave off an imposing aura despite its worn look. The stranger's face and head were concealed by a helmet, the glass that covered the eye holes was not able to be seen through, and had cracks on it.
The large armored human turned towards Solari and Bright "Was that really necessary" the figure said in a masculine, albeit somewhat distorted voice. He unsurprisingly spoke in the human language.
"We wanted it to be a surprise!" Bright said happily.
"Excuse me, who in our Light's name are you!?" Centauri questioned.
"Right, introductions" Solari said "Dear, this is Gabriel Roswell, Gabriel, this is my husband Centauri"
"Pleased to make your acquaintance" Gabriel said, extending an armored hand. Centauri noticed that as his arm and hand moved, the various plates on it appeared to slide in and out of various positions. Gabriel's armor appeared to always adjust itself as he moved, if Centauri had to guess, it was to make sure every bit of him was covered by some plating. However he had never seen any armor able to do that before, this only furthered Centauri's curiosity.
Centauri extended his own hand, which was fully enveloped by Gabriel's gauntlet. Centauri noted how the giant's hand felt overly lax, perhaps a measure to prevent him from crushing another's hand? Gabriel appeared to regard him for a moment. Centauri's attire was much like that of his wife and child's, with a mask covering the upper part of his face, with holes that revealed his glowing yellow eyes. His clothing was also fluffy like his family's, and shared similar color schemes.
The two let go of each other, Centauri once more taking note of how Gabriel's armor continued to adjust itself on all areas of movement. It was almost like the armor was a part of him, and not merely a protective shell to don for combat. Perhaps one of the more eccentric gods of knowledge had a successful experiment, though he couldn't fathom why they'd let a human go unclaimed.
Gabriel looked out onto the encampment just a small way aways from them, "The idea of talking moths will take some getting used to" He said as he laid eye on several areas of activity, as well as the group of younglings that were staring at them.
"You mean to tell me you have not seen a bug before?" Centauri asked.
"I have, but not ones that could talk… and not ones that were so big" Gabriel said.
"Gabriel is rather… eccentric I must admit" Solari stated.
"I bet Luminance is going to love him" Bright side excitedly, "No nightmare troupe would be able to mess with us with him around!" The boy declared.
"Well if you trust him Solari, I trust your judgment, I suppose it's time we introduce you to The Tribe Gabriel"
"YAY!" Bright said, flinging his arms in the air.
"You're still grounded," Centauri added.
"Aww" Bright said, lowering his arms.
The three began to make their way towards the campsite, the heavy steps of Gabriel sounding all the way. When they got to the outskirts, the younglings began to gather around the three. Gabriel noticeably slowed his stride as the younglings coalesced around them, each step taken with great care, until he just stopped. The group halted and turned to Gabriel when they no longer heard the heavy thumping of his steps. The giant of a man was standing still as a statue.
"What are they doing?" Gabriel asked, somewhat frustrated, somewhat worried.
"They think you're awesome!" Bright said.
"You are the new point of interest," Solari stated with a chuckle.
"You need to get them away from me, now" Gabriel stated in a tone of fact more than that of a demand.
Centauri didn't need to be told twice, and yelled something that Gabriel couldn't understand at the younglings, causing many to shriek in surprise, and run away deeper into the campsite. Others however just followed at a further distance and from behind the giant of a man.
"Thank you, that was… too close for safety's sake" Gabriel said.
"Are you afraid of moths Gabriel?" Bright asked, confused, he didn't think someone so strong could be afraid of anything.
"No, but I'm afraid I'll step on one"
"I'll… make sure to tell their parents to give you a good distance," Solari said.
"Your thoughtfulness is appreciated, shall you tell us your story by the fire?" Centauri asked. "I am curious of what memories one like you can share with us"
"I'd be willing to share, though, I doubt many of my stories would be what one could consider kid friendly" Gabriel said, chuckling slightly at the end as he cast a glance towards Bright. "Or believable by your standards" He added as they came closer to the fire pit in the center of the encampment.
"I'd like to be the judge of what I find believable or not," Solari stated. "As you had said on our way here, you hardly believed, in such a thing like talking moths" She said, an amused tone crept into her voice.
"You had evidence to prove it, I do not have anything beyond my word, and my armor"
Bright, Centauri, and Solari took cross legged sitting positions around the lit fire pit, while Gabriel remained standing.
"Story time!" Bright announced with joy. Some of the young moths had sat down next to the family trio, others had taken to sitting closer to Gabe, though not as close as many of them probably would have liked.
"Hmm… where to start…" Gabriel began.
"Oh, just one moment" Solari said, manifesting a bright yellow ball in her hands, the ball began to levitate just above the licking flames of the fire pit. It radiated a brighter yellow light compared to the flames it hovered over.
"What did that do?" Gabriel asked.
"Well, I imagine that the little ones here would like to hear your tales, wouldn't do much good for them to listen and not understand anything you say" Solari explained.
"Yea!" One of the moths yelled in a squeaky voice, Gabriel's helmeted head snapped towards where it came from. "I wanna hear a story!" Another said. Various other such calls were sounded throughout the group of younglings.
"This… will take getting used to… right, story…" Gabriel thought for a moment. "Why don't one of you ask a question to start us out with"
"Why does your voice sound like that?!" One of the moths shouted out almost instantly, much to the chagrin of the others who were hoping to be the first themselves. They all seemed to respect the right of being the first to ask though, interestingly enough.
Centauri and Solari were monitoring him closely, likely trying to see how he reacts to certain situations and questions.
"Uhh, which one of you asked that? Raise your hand" Gabriel said.
One of the moths in the crowd raised their upper right appendage, and yelled "Me! Me! Me!"
"Alright" Gabriel chuckled, "Do you mean the garble, or the accent?"
"What's an accent?" The moth asked innocently.
"Uh… it's ah, it's how I talk, and say things."
"Oh, I meant that weird way your voice comes out."
"Oh that, that's the garble, it's my helmet, it's a built-in thing that allows others to hear what i'm saying without it sounding muffled" Gabriel said.
"Ooh", several of the moths said out loud, some of the older moths had taken a break from packing
"What was the first fight you've been in!" This time the question was from Bright.
His parents cast glances at him.
"What" Bright asked, noticing his parents looking at him.
"Ah… that was in… highschool I think? I got into a fight with some kid over something stupid."
"Did you win?" Bright asked.
"Nope," Gabriel said, to the surprise of those listening. There was muttering and gossip already flaring up in moths, both young and what passed for an adult amongst them.
"How did you lose?" Centauri asked, curiously.
"Wellllll… this was before I joined the army, I wasn't always this big. My size and strength aren't exactly natural. The other kid was just stronger, and a better fighter than I was at the time." Gabriel chuckled a bit to himself. When was the last time he ever recounted that story? At least a few decades ago. It felt nice to just talk.
One of the older looking moths stood up, and suddenly the gossip appeared to die down. Centauri, Solari, and Bright appeared to pay special attention.
"This world is not your own, is it Traveler?" The old moth said.
Gabriel took a moment to respond "What… Do you mean?" Gabriel felt his smile fade from under his helmet.
"This world, perhaps used to be yours, but is no longer. Changed, and altered beyond recognition. The past… nothing but a fading memory." The Old Moth Said, in a tone that Gabriel assumed was sympathy, but he was unsure.
"How do you know that?" Gabriel demanded, his tone lowering.
"I was gifted with the ability to see what others could not, Traveler. Seeking survival, but wanting purpose. The purpose you had so long ago burned, the purpose you were molded for, all that is left is the memory, and your armor, but then a new chance was found. You did not seek survival, you sought a chance at a purpose."
Gabriel stood stiller than a statue. One could almost mistake him for one if they didn't know better.
"I ask, a question only you can truly answer, have you found your purpose"
"I…" The garbled voice of the old soldier stuttered. "I don't know… I-I'm sorry, I honestly don't know."
The Old Moth appeared to be… satisfied?
"Good" The Old Moth said "Assuredness in the face of uncertainty is often viewed as a virtue of the strong, but is in reality the vice of the foolish."
"It is an act of pride," Gabriel said in agreement. "I'm not sure pride survives becoming like what I am. How much do you know about what I am?"
"Oh very little I'm afraid. Us seers can see possible ways the future may unfold, but the hints are ever vague. The echoes of time grow ever faded if you try to draw into the past."
"Are you a fortune teller?" Gabriel asked.
Centauri, Solari, and just about every adult looking moth looked at him seemingly offended.
"Oh no, no no no. I am not one of those charlatans, I can assure you." The Old Moth gestured with appendages. The crowd's general expression seemed to soften.
"I meant no offense," Gabriel said quickly.
"I know you did not, you're still aware of this from what I can see. I am a seer, a moth tasked by our Light to help guide the tribe in the right direction. I am also the current tutor to Bright, trying to help pass on my teachings, no matter how stubborn the child gets" The Old Moth said laughing.
Bright's faced seemed to flush "Silver Siiiiillllk" the boy said in embarrassment.
"That reminds me, I didn't do formal introductions did I? The Old Moth asked rhetorically.
"I am Silver Silk, Seer of the Luminance Moth Tribe, and teacher of Bright"
"Well… I am Gabriel Roswell of the former 2nd Heavy Augmented Infantry Battalion, it no longer exists."
"Nonsense Gabriel, it lives on through you, a memory is very important to hold onto" Silver Silk stated.
"I suppose…"
"We should resume packing for the trip, we can hear more stories later." Centauri said getting up.
"Yes yes, our Light is still speaking with that life goddess about finding a more permanent place to settle. We should be done before he is finished." Said Silver Silk.
"Very well, I can assist in carrying some of your heavier loads." Gabriel offered.
"That would be most helpful," Said Solari.
"Aww, back to packing?" Bright said disappointed.
Centauri sighed "Yes Bright, back to packing, now why don't you go help our new friend find where he is needed. He can tell you some of his stories while you pack."
"Ah yea!" Bright said excitedly at the prospect of being able to chat with Gabriel.
The camp was once more buzzing with activity, this time however, with a black clad metal giant to help. Gabriel was able to lift large sums of bartering rock and other important trinkets, well beyond what Centauri or Solari were able to carry. In fact seemingly only limited by what he could balance in his hold, instead of his payload's weight. He would tell stories as he worked, decades of experiences coming out in full to any young moth who asked, even some of the older ones.
With Gabriels help, it wasn't long before the supplies were packed, and ready for transportation. Though to the old gene troop's confusion, he didn't see any beasts of burden around. They had just stacked the supplies into one large pile, with seemingly no way to transport them. The moths certainly didn't have the ability to carry all of it themselves. There were no carts to transport them either.
Gabriel walked over to Centauri and Solari who were playing some kind of game with some young moths. Bright was participating in it as well, though Gabriel couldn't quite discern what the objective of the game was. The group noticed his approach, his heavy footsteps removed any real possibility of subtlety. Centauri gave him a friendly smile, his glowing eyes radiating a warm yellow light.
"Hello Gabriel, I see you've been a big help" He said gesturing towards the supplies that had been stacked up.
"Thanks, I actually wanted to ask about when your… Light? Is coming back."
"I don't really know myself, there is a high likelihood he is having a lengthy chat with hit old friend."
"So… just chatting?" Gabriel asked.
"Oh yes, he has done that many times, he is quite the social god," Centauri explained.
"He once spent a whole night talking to a nightmare queen," Solari said, chuckling. "We had to wake up extra early the next day."
"I'm sorry… god? And what's a nightmare queen?" Gabriel asked, confused.
Centauri turned to his wife with a cocked eyebrow "Did you not tell him?"
"I couldn't get through everything before we returned. Perhaps we should save this for later, it is quite a lengthy explanation, and would be better served to have our Light present for it." Solari explained.
"Very well, however I do wonder, are you sure your 'Light' will be ok with me?" Gabriel asked, having a random giant armor clad soldier just show up is rather suspicious he must admit.
"Oh he'd certainly like you," Solari stated. "A big strong unclaimed human willing to do good for the tribe? How could any god say no to that?"
"What does unclaimed mean anyway, you never really elaborated on that on our way over here."
"Hmm," Solari hummed to herself in thought, however Centauri took the moment to finish the thought for her.
"In its simplest term, it's a human who has yet to be molded in the likeness of the god that claims them. As you can see, me, my wife, and my son all have glowing yellow eyes. This grants us certain abilities that an unclaimed human would not have. You saw that with my wife translating Mothspeak to the human tongue and vice versa, as well with the yellow signal she gave you."
"Why are humans so valuable if your god can give abilities to a moth like your seer Silver Silk?" Gabriel asked.
"Because we are the source of our own power instead of just being conduits of our god's power. It's a bit of a long explanation, but basically our god emphasizes one part of our soul, which allows us to use it to change the world around us. It's one of the reasons Silver Silk wants to train Bright here in the craft of being a seer, it's believed a human would be much more potent if they learned the art of it."
"I see… but why don't you try and learn it then?"
"I have other duties I need to attend to, and it's good practice for Bright to better the usage of his powers. Though if he can perform the duties of a seer, Solari and I may take the time to learn it ourselves."
Gabriel nodded "I see…uhh" A young moth had just begun crawling Centauri's leg.
"What… uhhh, what is that one doing?"
"Hmm?" Centauri looked down at the moth who was now clinging to his shoulder.
"Oh yes," Centauri chuckled. "The moths enjoy the heat we emit quite a lot. If you haven't noticed, some of the moths were feeling you up when they passed you. If I had to guess that armor of yours doesn't allow much heat to get through does it?"
"You feel cold," The moth on Centauri's shoulder squeaked.
"Well, my armor wasn't exactly made for cuddling, wasn't considered vital for my role," Gabriel said jokingly.
"Cuddling is always vital," The young moth pouted. That got a laugh out of the adult humans present. Bright didn't appear to be paying too much attention.
"Since it may be awhile, do you want to go back to telling your stories? I am certain the young ones would enjoy it," Solari offered.
"Well, everything else is done, so sure," Gabriel said in agreement.
Solari led Gabriel back over to the fire pit, Centauri followed with him. Bright was coaxed into coming over at the chance of hearing more of Gabriel's stories. It wasn't long before the old soldier began reminiscing about the various events in his life. He made sure to leave out parts that he wouldn't want a kid hearing. As a gene troop, he certainly had a lot of those kinds of stories, maybe when they were all a little older, he'd tell them. It went on like that for about an hour as far as Gabe could tell, before a burst of light eurrupred a way aways from them.
Gabriel quickly turned to where the burst of light came from, and to his surprise, a large moth-like creature was floating there, staring directly at him. It shares many similarities with the moths of the Moth Tribe, however there were some differences. It was much larger for one, and its eyes glowed similarly to the way Solaris', Centauri's, and Bright's did. Its wings and fluff were white. The white wings were draped around it like a cloak.
"Is that…"
"Luminance? Yes" Solari said, finishing Gabriel's sentence.
The moths looked over to their Light in Gabriel assumed to be a respectful silence, while Solari, Centauri, and Bright waved, smiles on their faces. Silver Silk however bowed her head as low as she could.
In another flash of light Luminance went from being a way aways, to being just a foot away from Gabriel. However Gabriel did not flinch, though his conditioning may have worn off from decades of being alone, it was not gone completely.
"Who are you, and why are you here?" Luminance said demandingly.
"I am Gabriel Roswell, of the former 2nd Heavy Augmented Infantry Battalion, Solari invited me here"
"It is true my Light, he saved my boy from a hostile human weaver," Solari explained.
"Ah," Luminance's tone began to soften. "I apologize, it is not unheard of for some belligerent kingdom to send one of their humans to try and raid the camp, usually in an attempt to kidnap Bright."
"I broke the ribs of the… 'weaver' who attempted it this time in a ruin not too far from here, if that makes you feel any better."
Luminance let out a laugh "Yes, yes it does."
"If you do not wish my presence, I can leave-" Gabriel started.
"No no, I would much prefer it if you stayed in fact."
"If you allow me to, I'd be more than happy to," Gabriel stated.
"Good, good, come, why don't you tell me your story, a memory is a valuable thing, and lasts longer when woven into a story shared."
Gabriel nodded "I'd be willing to tell you my fill, for whatever it's worth."
Luminance and Gabriel walked away from the rest of the group, and began conversing. The old soldier molded for a war that was long over, by a nation that no longer exists, finally found a home to call his own.