Chapter 4: Gather

Conquer looked down at his child, disdain written on his face. There was blood spattered around the larger orc’s mouth, despite his tusks being sheathed. Learn looked up at his father, struggling to keep his back straight, make himself as large as possible. He would not show fear.

“Disappointing.” Conquer spat. “But not unfounded. My spawn are warriors, not surgeons. We are fighters, not the tacticians who spend their time planning and plotting.”

“What should I do then?” Learn growled back, taking a step forward, though fear drove him back. “Ignore what Free has given me? I must Learn.”

Conquer pushed Learn back with one hand, stepping forward to fill the space. He brought his forehead to Learn’s, staring into his eyes.

“You are mine, don’t you ever forget that, Whelp. I am going to allow you to train with the surgeons, but you remember that you belong to me. You exist by my grace.”

Learn didn’t answer, but the fire in his father’s eyes cowed him. He closed his eyes and broke contact,, and Conquer grinned, tusks extending slightly.

“Get out of my sight.”

There was no wall which delineated Shrike from the wilderness, no definite point where the caravan went from outside of the city to in. The trees and bushes which lined the path slowly morphed into tents and cabins, dotted around the landscape at random. Many of the ramshackle buildings were similar to the wagons that the group themselves rode, repurposed into small houses. As the road turned from dirt to cobbles, the temporary buildings turned to more permanent ones, stone and cut wood and brick.

Shrike didn’t have any borders per se, but the city would not hold any prizes for predators regardless. The standing mercenaries, the Herald Hawks, were a viciously effective replacement for an army. They replaced loyalty to a monarch with loyalty to each other — and the coin they earned, of course.. Learn knew that the orc clans would be the strongest fighting force in the Spread Lands, if they could only stop fighting each other long enough to fight anyone else. But there was no reason for them to band together and leave the Red Desert, much less start a war with Shrike, so the Herald Hawks held the title as the most capable fighting force for now.

Even when the caravan reached the place where there were no more tents, and they were beginning to get walled in by buildings and towers and castles, they were still a significant distance from The Crossing, the center of Shrike. While the nation covered an enormous amount of territory, nearly all of the power was contained within the small city at the center; the area where two rivers met, dividing the cityscape into neat, contained quarters.

The Crossing was where everything happened in Shrike, where all of the power was. Anybody who was anybody at least tried to make their way there. That was why Learn was here, and he assumed that the same held true for each of his companions. Learn wanted to join the Mage’s Forum; the largest group of scholars, researchers, and experimenters in the Spread Lands.

He had spent days, weeks, years of his life sneaking into his clan’s prison tents, gleaning what little knowledge he could from the prisoners who were willing to share. Many of them answered his every question, hoping that he would show them mercy. As if he had a say in their fates. He had learned of the Mage’s Forum, and of how it was a place of learning, the place of learning. The Mage’s Forum trained not only mages and Tasked, but anyone who wanted to learn anything. They had the single largest repository of knowledge in the Spread Lands. Learn could practically feel his Command’s thirst for the place. It pushed him relentlessly toward the Mage’s Forum, hoping that it was where he would finally be able to Learn to his heart’s content.

Learn was shaken out of his thoughts by Celeste, who punched him lightly in the arm to get his attention. She was a lot more visible in the light of day. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, and she was wearing tight, utilitarian breeches and a long-sleeved vest — good for traveling. Her skin was dark, likely darker than it normally would be due to how long they had been out in the wilderness for. Despite the weeks of travel, she managed to smell vaguely of perfume.

“Hey big guy,” she said, “We’re almost at the city. I was wondering what your plan was?” She set a steady pace by his side, taking longer strides to match his steps. The shoes Alvin provided were working extraordinarily — Learn’s feet were almost fully healed, and he walked upright, no longer needing to limp.

“Forum,” Learn answered. He didn’t know how much he could trust Celeste — the human had shown herself to be a fair hand at combat, and how she came to learn so many different styles was surely an interesting story, but he didn’t know anything else about her. She was secretive.

“Ah, could’ve guessed that. Well, I just wanted to let you know that you’re one hell of a fighter. The Herald Hawks could use somebody of your skill and…” her eyes flicked up and down at him appraisingly, “Stature.”

“You’re a Hawk?” Learn asked, curiosity piqued. Celeste nodded.

“I’m a lieutenant in the First Feather. We’re mostly scouts, infantry that can travel fast, spread information. But there are other troops that could use your brute strength.”

Learn mulled for a moment. “Mm.”

“Listen, Learn,” Celeste started. “I can see that you’re pretty focused on the Forum. But they’re pretty picky — admissions are soon, and they’re going to have a ton of prospective students lining up. I just want to make sure that you have a backup plan, in case it doesn’t work out. The Herald Hawks, we’re good at what we do. We can train you, teach you how to fight in a group. You’ll be learning, when you join us.”

“It’s not enough.” Learn grumbled. “Fought with my clan. Constantly. Didn’t work.”

“I know how it can be…” Celeste said quietly. “To feel like you’re not doing enough. I know, Learn.”

“Have to try.” Celeste looked the orc in the eyes.

“You do. Just… just remember that you can ask for help.”

Learn didn’t know how to respond to that. “My clan isn’t helpful. Win, or starve. Get food, get stronger. Fail, starve. Everyone else went hungry…”

“And…” Celeste prodded.

“And died.” Learn answered, voice hoarse. “Or tried to leave.” Celeste reached up and patted Learn on the back.

“Come with me. I’ve got an idea that might be helpful.”

—

Celeste brought Learn to one of the largest wagons of the caravan. It was being pulled along by three large, lumbering beasts, their plodding steps sending the loose dirt shaking. In the back of the wagon sat Alvin, Best, and the little goblin girl. Celeste stepped up onto the back, next to Alvin,, and swung herself down into a sitting position. She gestured for Learn to join them.

“Bad idea.” He answered. “Too big.” While he was sure that he could ride one of the horned beasts, they were carrying quite the hefty amount of cargo already. “I’ll walk alongside.”

“Darling, you sure do like to stand out, don’t you?” the thin elf commented, laconic voice drifting through the wind. She — and the clothing certainly suggested to Learn that the elf was female, contrary to his earlier estimation — was plucking a thin stringed instrument, listening to the sound and twisting knobs at the top afterward.

Learn grumbled in response.

“Celeste, uh. You called us all here?” Alvin asked apprehensively. “Is there something you wanted from us?”

“You’re not going to pitch joining the Hawks to all of us again, will you dear? That idea is simply ridiculous.” Best answered. The goblin — Lgthpt — giggled, a high pitched, fractured sound.

“Dwarf not much good fighter.” She cackled.

“Yes, I think our dear, sweet Alvin would feel more at home in the merchant’s district,” Best responded. “It’s where the dwarven enclave is anyway. A home away from home, as it were.”

Alvin fiddled with his staff. The entire conversation seemed to be making him distinctly uncomfortable.

“Well, it wouldn’t feel like home without my fathers there.” He muttered under his breath. Learn felt a pang of empathy — though the circumstances were different, he knew what it was like to be alone.

“Anyway,” Celeste interrupted. “I know you’re all new to the city, some more than others. That’s why I wanted to try and help you all. I already offered each of you a place in the Hawks. Lgthpt is the only one who took me up on that, but I can ensure that we can stay in contact — I just need something from you.”

“What’s the catch, lovely?” Best asked. The elf’s ears were pricked up, and she was keenly focused on the conversation at hand.

“Don’t call me Lovely.” Celeste quickly shot back. “Look. I’ll be blunt — Learn, Lgthpt, Best. You’re all Tasked, aren’t you?”

Learn grunted, surprised. He had noticed that Best and himself were both Tasked, but nothing struck him as odd about the little goblin.

“Hey! I could be Tasked, for all you know.” Alvin cried out. “I’m not, but still. Would have been nice to be included.”

Celeste looked at him, and he glanced away, muttering.

“…Anyway. I’m Tasked as well, and mine is a bit strange, compared to all of the others that I’ve encountered. If you trust me, speak your command. I’ll explain after.”

The four people looked at each other, none wanting to speak first. Finally, Learn broke the silence. He didn’t know if he was able to trust the strong-willed human just yet, but it would be helpful to have someone he could rely on. Besides, what did he have to lose? Here was a puzzle, ripe for the solving. A mystery placed at his feet. He wouldn’t have been himself if he could have refused.

“Mine’s no secret.” He said. “Use me for an example.” Celeste looked at him with a thankful expression.

“Okay. Speak your command to me when I gesture, alright?” Learn nodded. Celeste locked eyes with him, and the outside world swiftly faded out of existence until it was just the two of them, surrounded by a vast empty blackness, distant points of light illuminating them. Learn jumped back, but the landscape didn’t change. He took a step, feet landing on nothingness. He walked toward Celeste, and got no closer than he was. Space didn’t work normally.

She began to speak, and her words had taken on a hollow quality. They were a vessel, waiting to be filled with… something. Something from him. He was to pay a price.

“Share with me your Purpose, your Reason.”

Learn took a deep, shaky breath. “Learn.” Celeste nodded, her eyes filling with a slight amount of light. Learn felt a force around his arm. He pulled it up, and Celeste’s mirrored. He put it back down again. His heart was in his throat, beating violently. He could barely breathe.

“Share with me your Command, your Name.”

“Learn.” A pressure around his legs. He looked down, but there was nothing there except his body and the inky blackness. 

“Share with me  your Goal.”

“Learn.” A tightening, around his entire body. Pressure, with no cause, increasing, squeezing. The warmth fled from his limbs, blood failed to travel through the constrictions. 

“Thrice requested and thrice answered. By our meeting of purposes, I bind us together.” Light glowed from his limbs, and he felt a warmth flush through them. The force gripped, and Learn could no longer move.

“By our shared will, I bind you to me. By my purpose and command, I bind myself to you.” The warmth crept up until it covered Learn completely. That same tightening, growing, encroaching on his space. He couldn’t breathe, and he needed to hyperventilate. He felt like blacking out. Celeste should have warned him.

The distant points of light began to grow brighter against the flat blackness,, coalescing rapidly into a supernova of blinding color. The light was blinding to Learn, and he shut his eyes against the onslaught. As he did, it blinked out. He opened his eyes again, and he was outside of the nothingscape, back next to the wagon. The sky was normal. With a yelp, he fell backward, landing on his butt.

“Whoa! You alright there, big guy?” Celeste asked. Learn hopped up, brushing the back of his pants. Lgthpt cackled, high-pitched, and Best patted the goblin on her head, ruffling the loose, twisted locks of hair.

“Did something happen?” Alvin asked. He and the others in the wagon were looking at Learn apprehensively. “You two… just stood for a while. It was really weird.”

“We’re linked, now. It grants us both advantages. Small ones, but not inconsequential” Celeste answered.

“You can’t control me?” Learn asked. Celeste shook her head.

“Nothing of the sort. We’re just… part of the same whole, now. I’ve only done this a few times, but each time worked out the same way. I and the other person would be brought together, time and time again. We’d be able to find each other, should we need to. We’d know if the other was in danger.” She looked at the rest of them. “I want to do this for all of us. As much as it affects you, it will affect me, too. We’ll be connected. Destiny will endeavor to bring us together.”

Learn was distinctly uncomfortable. The rest of the group was appraising the two of them. Best had one eyebrow raised, seemingly unconvinced.

“I don’t think so, dear,” she said, “after all, I can’t just go and tie myself down, can I? I have to have the freedom to travel, and go where I can.” She paused. “For my fans, of course.”

Celeste folded her arms over and frowned — this didn’t seem to be how she thought it would go.

“Lgthpt? You’re coming with me, anyway. Interested?” She asked the goblin girl, who put one long, skinny finger to her lips and appeared to think, for a bit, tapping the finger to her lips.

“Nah,” she said. “Too scary.” And that was that. Celeste looked at Alvin, who appeared discomforted by the whole experience. He sat, still clenching his staff, knuckles white with tension. The dwarf liked to use his hands to express his stress, it seemed.

“I — I’m not sure,” Alvin said. “Could I have some time to think about it? A day, or two?”

That wasn’t the answer Celeste was looking for. She sighed, then closed her eyes. A deep breath in, a deep breath out, and she regained her composure. Calm. Composed. Emotionless.

“I can’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do. I think it would be helpful for all of us, for all of you, but I can’t force you.”

Learn put a hand on her shoulder. “Have me. Counts for something.” He suggested, trying to be helpful. He didn’t know quite how to feel about the working that the human had laid upon him. Nothing seemed wrong, but would he be able to tell if something had gone awry?

“Yeah, yeah. I got you, Learn. Okay.” She reached up and patted his hand.

With the matter at hand seemingly complete, Learn wandered off toward the outskirts of the caravan to walk in peaceful solitude. When they camped for that night, he made sure that he was near Celeste, so he would wake if she were up to something.

That night, Learn dreamed.