Author Comment: I want to thank my Beta-reader FollowerOfAnhamirak for his time on this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.
Tom was preparing himself to visit Phelphor. With everything going on, he wondered how the ex-M'arrillian was going. Honestly, Tom couldn't believe he would be worried for a creature like him. Still, he had to thank Peyton for the time he visited Tiaane in the desert. He couldn't forget that not all creatures were either evil or good. All the tribes had show that at one point or another.
Kaz, how had decided to join him, asked, "So where are you planning to go?" He asked him, his curiosity evident on his face.
"I'll go check on 'him'. I'm wondering if he's still okay." Tom answered, hoping Kaz wouldn't freak out.
"On your own?" Kaz said, the red-haired boy crossing his arms.
"I'm not sure what he might do or think if I came with someone." Tom said defensively.
Kaz adjusted his glasses, "Nice try. You were planning to pull another one, again didn't you?"
"Am I getting predictable?" Tom joked, hoping to steer away from an argument.
"No. I just expected you to try something like that again." Kaz deadpanned.
"Peyton and Sarah are on a scan quest in the desert and your mom and Alexandre are exploring Kaizeph another time to see a few more things." Tom replied, shrugging.
"I hope they won't run into any trouble. You know that the M'arrillians are after us, right? Mostly you so far, but we can't be careful about it." Kaz sighed
"I don't think he would try anything, " Tom said, but conceded, "but there might be others around there. I'll get a scan and bring it to you."
"You better be." Kaz said, frowning.
"I won't be long." Tom replied, porting to the forest.
Kaz sighed and put his hand on his forehead, "So many problems at once." He sighed.
"Too bad your mother isn't here Kaz." Said a voice on his left.
Kaz frowned and looked to see Rothar with an unimpressed gaze, "Knowing you're here, I'm glad you missed her."
"It's not my fault she is interesting." Said the creature, grinning.
Tom ported back with his scan, "I got it."
"Good." Leaving Rothar they went to one of the strategy tables and exchanged the cards.
The two humans ignored the creature who stood near them.
Kaz added, "Let's go. It's getting really bad here." He walked quickly to the port rings. His friend joined him and before he ported to the location, Kaz shouted, "And screw you!" He flipped Rothar off as he ported out.
Rothar was confused as he turned towards the Overworlder Player who quickly followed suit and ported out, "Screw you?" He didn't know what the human meant by that, and wondered why he raised his middle finger.
Chapter 57: Fishing day
"Is this a huge forest?" Kaz asked as they kept walking.
"Yeah. That's pretty much why no one might have found him yet. If it was a small wood, he would already be caught. I heard patrols have increased recently." Tom commented.
"The M'arrillians are planning something big and they're getting ready for anything," Kaz said as he looked around.
"Like attacking Chaotic? They seemed to be ready to deal with anything." Tom remarked.
"We all saw that. Even Klay is getting nervous." Kaz sighed.
"Did you have to flip Rothar off like that?" Tom asked curiously.
Kaz's face turned slightly red, "Of course! He's trying to hit on my mom!"
"Just make sure it won't turn into a big problem. He might try to fight you in the Colosseum." Tom warned him.
"I'll make sure it won't come to that." His friend replied as they continued.
They soon reached the small camp where the ex-M'arrillian lived. Next to the riverbank they saw the creature was currently fishing.
"He does have a different vibe." Kaz admitted as they stood near the camp.
Phelphor noticed Tom and nodded, "Hello Tom-." Phelphor stopped as he saw the other boy by his side.
"This is Kaz, my best friend." Tom supplied, hoping Phelphor wouldn't be upset.
"With everything going on, we don't go anywhere alone anymore." Kaz explained.
The creature let out a small smile, "Of course." Phelpor said, nodding at them, "Why did you come here? Because I have almost nothing, I can tell you. I don't have any answers about what they might be planning right now."
"It's not about that. I was wondering if everything was alright with you. I mean, last time, you were terrible at fishing." Tom replied as he at on a rock by his side.
"I am doing better." Phelphor replied as he waited. After a few seconds, he added, "Thanks to you."
"No problem." Tom said, waving him off.
For a few minutes, the three were quiet and simply watched the river. The fishes didn't seem to be attracted by the bait and would just go around it, to the frustration of the creature.
Kaz adjusted his glasses as he sat by the side of his best friend, "I'm still wondering why you just left your own tribe like that. I know why, but to change your mind like that."
The creature snickered and looked at Tom as he replied, "You didn't tell him after you saw my memories?"
"He did. It's just that not everything is clear." Kaz said quickly.
Phelphor snorted "Long story short, when I went to Kaizeph, I found the resting place of my father...and I just couldn't pretend to be what I wasn't. I… I will never forget that I-" Phelphor sighed and gazed at his hands, "That I had to kill my own father who rebelled against Aa'une. Aa'une couldn't tolerate his rebellion and ordered me to kill him. I did it for the sake of survival. I tried to forget, but seeing where his body was put… I couldn't push it aside anymore. So, I saved Tom and he convinced me to live. I'm still waiting for a chance to return to Kaizeph. To find out what my father was doing with the Messenger of the Cothica." Finished Phelphor
Hearing Phelphor speak about what had happened so long ago Tom wondered if he had omitted some details. He turned and saw his friend simply gazing at the river, his eyes hidden by his tinted glasses.
"Did the M'arrillians try to capture you once again?" Phelphor asked suddenly, startling them.
"Not yet." Tom said quietly, knowing it was only a matter of time before they tried again. Thinking about it, Tom replied, "We've been traveling in groups and I haven't wander too far away from civilization since then. Just a few times, but we were careful."
"Good. They might be biding their time." The creature warned as he pulled his fishing rod and caught a fish. He finished it and left it on the side for now. Letting out a satisfied huff, Phelphor put another piece of bait on the line. He gazed at the boy, "And thanks for the tip."
"No problem. My father taught me that when he wasn't working." Tom replied.
"I remember I had to come with you once. It was a really hot day and his dad kept saying it was nothing." Kaz groused, and pointed his finger in an accusatory way, "And you agreed with him."
"Who is your father?" Phelphor asked the human curiously.
"He's…" Tom searched for a way to answer that without being too specific. Names would be pointless anyway, "He works in the military back home. He often visits when he has the chance and we keep in touch however we can. He showed me many things." Tom thought back to when his father had taught him how to use a carbine when they were hunting last year and the year before that. It was still weird that he had held a real weapon before coming to Perim and turning into a creature. Even so, he knew how different the weapons between Earth and Perim were.
"Like my own. I followed his steps and… you know the rest." Phelphor replied sadly as he tapped his knees. He sighed as he thought back of his father.
"It's horrible what Aa'une made you do." Kaz said cautiously. He could believe that because it came from Phelphor's own memories. Tom had seen them and he trusted his friend.
"Yes." Phelphor said noncommittally.
An idea suddenly hitting him Tom asked. "I don't think anyone knows what your tribe was before all of this wars. Do you have an idea?"
"You mean our past?" Phelphor asked, surprised.
Tom shook his head and corrected himself, "M'arrillian culture. What were you before you wanted war?"
Phelphor scratched his jaw. He hesitated to reply for a while before he sighed in defeat, "I don't know well. I think it was already gone and replaced by what Aa'une and his mother wanted for Perim. They believed that Perim was made to be ruled by us and with the power of the Cothica in our hands. My father believed that too… until he met the Messenger. I don't know how he was convinced. I want to know what changed his mind." Phelphor looked at the humans, "I believe that he knew what the power of the Cothica should really be used for. The Messenger united the tribes against the wrongdoing of Aa'une and his mother. The wrongdoing of our tribe." He gazed at his hands and quietly, "And my wrongdoing."
"Your past has been lost." Kaz whispered as he adjusted his glasses. He couldn't believe what he heard.
"I don't know what we were before. I'm sure that we were often fighting against the other tribes… before we could control their minds. I can't pretend we were above that." Phelphor said, his voice heavy.
"We humans are fighting against each other." Tom commented remembering what he'd seen on the news.
"Against the other tribes that never came here?" Phelphor asked, curious about the idea.
Kaz knew he couldn't say anything about the fact that there were no other people other than humans. They were their own enemies. Looking for a way to explain without getting too specific Kaz tried to be as indirect as possible, "We fight against other tribes, but they look like us. Some looked a little different, but others did not. I… cannot really explain it well."
The ex-M'arrillian nodded. He raised his finger as he remembered something of the old culture, "There is something my father taught me. It might be from the time before we controlled minds. I'm not sure." Phelphor admitted. He tapped his chin and went on, "My father talked of the long tradition we had for respecting the Deep Ocean. It was our main resource that could be found on our territory and we made so many things with it. There are a lot of corals and other things we use for many things. Many of those were used for art and the like. I don't think since Aa'une was in power that any new art has been produced. There is nothing like that. Nothing painted, nothing sculpted for art. There is just a statue in 'honor' of the late Aa'une," He sighed, "Everything was about preparing for the second war. I heard it when I returned there. Battlegear was the main focus, as was training everyone to become soldiers. There was nothing else for them. I feel lucky to have been in the ice for so long." Phelphor played with his finger as he pulled another fish he had managed to catch. Putting on another bait he continued, "That's pretty much what I know about it."
The two humans nodded. They never thought that M'arrillian culture could decline so badly under Aa'une. The fact that they had no chance to develop art or pursue one's passion was depressing. They were all just focused on taking back control of Perim.
"No wonder so many M'arrillians want to keep fighting to get Perim. They just don't know what to do now." Kaz commented, seeing a more complete picture of the M'arrillians.
"Yes. I heard there is resistance without Aa'une. I saw none of them, but I heard of some creatures who were prepared to fight back against everything Millia'iin is planning. Beyond that I don't know anything else." Phelphor replied as he sighed.
Worried at the thought of civil war among the M'arrillians, Tom asked, "Do you think the resistance might stop him?"
"I have no idea how many there are or what they are planning. I just know they exist." Phelphor replied honestly.
"Could you find out if you wanted?" Kaz asked, intrigued by the idea of a M'arrillian resistance.
"Yes, but they will know I am still alive if I try to reconnect my mind to the tribe. I won't do that. They will ask questions and I won't be able to lie my way out of it." The ex-M'arrillian admitted. He scratched the back of his head and added, "That's pretty much everything I know."
"It's okay. I mostly came to check if you were fine." Tom replied.
"That's kind of you two." Phelphor told them.
For a while, the two kept talking with Phelphor, keeping him company and talking a little about everything. Eventually, the two had to leave because they had matches coming up.
Once alone, the ex-M'arrillian let out a small smile, "I hope I can find my answers in Kaizeph one day. I just need a chance to return there."
AC: This is the end of this chapter.
Next: To Find Out More.
Agitos searched for Kaz in Underworld City to ask more questions about the Cothica and Chaotic. He preferred that it was himself who got the intel and not Chaor himself.