Varum

Emyri's ear twitched suddenly, she raised her knees up from where she sat and hung her head against them, keeping her face hidden. Behind her and through the curtain, Leone was holding his breath, grunting and flexing his fists. Raz passed him another bottle, raising it to his face. He eyed it and made a face at the odd scent it gave.

"It's not for drinking, it's a muscle relaxant. Smell it, the aroma will travel through the body fast. It'll ease the pain and relieve it temporarily."

He squeezed his eyes shut before reluctantly grabbing the bottle, keeping it pressed to his upper lip and giving it a whiff. An odd feeling began to kick in after his third sniff, he felt a subtle fuzzy feeling course through him until the pain centered on his side began to falter. It succeeded in bringing him relief, but he was careful not to take a deep breath. That dagger was still in him after all.

Raz leaned back silently observing the wounded hunter, his eyes drifting down to the blade. The hilt had a black tone, similar to his clothing attire and his gear and weaponry.

"Is that your dagger that stings you?"

Leone shuffled in his seat uncomfortable, hair waving with frost sticking to the surface of his face. He closed his eyes and nodded.

"By your own dagger?"

"It's not of your concern."

Raz frowned. "Not a fond look to you hunters. Why did you chime in back there, you clearly have some history with Nekomata's."

"I'm a hunter. Knowledge about another monster is to be expected of me."

"A fair point, I admit. You never aimed to kill the girls, did you?"

"My task was to capture and return them to Perdilius."

"Yes but, they are under a false belief that we set out to harm them."

Leone leaned back and rolled his eyes. "Now that's irony there."

Raz raised an eye. "What was that?"

"Nothing you haven't heard before, no doubt. Just ignore me, I'm in a rather crude mood this morning." Leone grunted, taking another smell from the bottle. "How long until we get there, must we move at a snail's pace?"

"We are traversing quite slow." Raz raised up from his seat and bellowed out ahead to the driver. "Make haste! Father expects to be home in several days tops!"

Upon sitting back down, Leone grabbed his arm rather roughly. "Tell me I'm not foolish in asking if you expected me to be in this state for days at end?"

Perdilius cut in with a haughty laugh from within the carriage, where the girls covered their ears or looked away. Sliding the door window down, he chimed in. "What good would a dying hunter do me for? No, we will make a stop soon. Hunter, forgive me for the late attention, you are very much deserving of a reward for what you have done for me. We'll make a quick stop at the first village we see and you will receive the help you require in no time. Raz, do your best to keep our hunter comfortable on our trip."

"Yes, sir."

Perdilius leaned back into his chair, his eyes falling on Emyri. "Come now, do not tell me you are feeling sorrow or pain at this moment? Your kind aren't capable of the emotion, you lack the gift of empathy, creature."

"Don't talk to her like that." Dimyri said to him, before being pushed back by one of his men. Perdilius gave the signal for him to stand down, allowing her to speak. "You know nothing of the word empathy."

"Dear child, to what do I owe the pleasure of hearing you speak in such a manner?"

"Just leave us alone, you already have us so stop gloating!"

Perdilius turned his head, that smirk on his face changing into a scoff. "Best you settle down, child. We've quite the journey up ahead, you and I will be spending quite some time together."

"Just try not to preach and maybe we'll make it through." Reta retorted, making Na'Vi and KuliKuli choke a suppressed laugh.

Perdilius drummed his fingers before clapping his hands. "P'raps I shall entertain you with a story then, what a fantastic idea!"

"Oh, brother."

"Tell me, have you ever heard of the story of Varum?" He asked, his eyes focused on Reta who kicked her feet in boredom.

"No... am I supposed to?"

He clicked his tongue. "Varum was a man devoted to his faith, his teachings of the gods. He made it his life's work to study the Gods, to translate their teachings, their words and wisdom, to make contact with them and make a request. Some would describe his acts as that of an ecstatic child eager to please their parents to gain their approval before asking for a favor. One day, he captures their attention, but not how he sought. One day he met a woman whose beauty was unmatched by any and all, that woman claimed to be God. She asked him an honest question, expecting an honest answer in return, she asked for his loyalty. Oh, this was in simple terms quite moronic to ask him of all people, you see Varum felt enamored by the stories centered around the Gods, he would talk for days about his discoveries, his theories and teachings until his tongue would fall out. But this woman, this God was admittedly intrigued by him, by his actions. She approached and asked, prove to me you love me, that is all I ask."

Emyri raised her head, catching Dimyri and KuliKuli listening to him. Even Syri had kept quiet from her meowing.

"He replied 'I would give my life for you, all you need to do is give the word. That is how devoted I am.' But she refused this. 'Your life is not what I seek, give me the life of your kin.' Yes, Varum had fathered a child early in his life, his only son of which he of course passed down his findings to, for you see Varum by now was an old man and far passed his prime. This request stumped him, left him a rambling man trying to argue his way with the God he stood before. 'But he is my only child, how could I take his life, that I simply cannot do.' The God laughed in return, mocking a common man for his defeat, his humanity. 'Then I cannot grant you no such request. Build me a temple, and perhaps one day someone will show their true devotion to me. One day I can grant such a request.' Those were her final words."

"And what was it, his request?" Dimyri asked with sincere curiosity.

Perdilius smiled. "To bring back his love who had died in childbirth. That temple is one he did build, maybe all to himself or perhaps it was his son who did so, no one can say for sure. It is just a myth, a story passed down in this here book." He raised a large book with a velvet red color, Emyri recognized it as the one he busied himself reading at the time of her capture. His finger tapped the fine cover, accompanied with his smile.

"A temple that can grant one wish should you satisfy the gods. And now, creature, you will have the privilege of catching such temple with your tainted eyes. For the sacred temple has been found, with it the ritual will now begin. Whatever the cost to sate their needs, that is what I aim to do with you."