Revolutions

43 - Inuxeq

As the wind whistles between the adobe walls of the now-abandoned outpost, the gravity of the situation heavily weighs upon Mexqutli and me. Combined with the sheer might of the gray creatures summoned by the Eye in the Flame cultists, the realization that this "Sunfire" possesses the knowledge of magic is deeply concerning, and I fear what challenges are to come. Seeing the destruction brought upon Iantana from what I surmise is a fraction of the cult's power, we are going to need more than just the two of us and the small portion of the Tuatiu army that remains if we hope to stop this evil from achieving their goals.

"We must track them and learn to where they are running," Mexqutli says through gritted teeth, his speech more stilted than usual in his agitated state.

He paces about the vacant grounds with the restless energy of a caged predator. I know he's eager to pursue this "Sunfire", but it would be foolish to chase him and his disciples down when it's apparent to me they wouldn't run off into the wilds far from Ulxa without somewhere to go; there must be another outpost or larger facility for their operations somewhere in this region. And for just the two of us to hunt down what's likely a tremendous army of beasts and magic wielders, we would have to be mad.

"You know as well as I that if we were to go after them, we are possibly running head-first into a wall of those gray beasts," I remind him. "I want to rip apart every last one of those lunatics as much as you, but we need to be clear-headed about this and formulate a plan that's more likely to succeed."

Mexqutli sighs — surely he understands how much sense I'm making — and punches the closest building to him out of frustration. Though the Ulxa man and I differ in many ways, his unwavering pursuit of justice, regardless of the cost, resonates with me. He has hidden much from me in the short time we've known one another, and I still question how much I can trust him, yet we are united in our desire to defeat these enemies. It's because of this I can, for the moment, set aside my suspicions while we seek to defeat the Eye in the Flame.

"Then what do you propose we do?" Mexqutli asks. I sense his irritation in having to halt our pursuit of these men, but I know it will subside once we start moving again and focus on a mission.

"It's probably in our best interest to return to Iantana and discuss options with Haluiqa," I say. I purposely leave out Sianchu's name, knowing the bad blood between the two childish men. I'm hesitant to admit it since he, too, is untrustworthy, but Sianchu's ties to Tapeu might just be the help we need.

"You are aware," he says, growing more annoyed, "that Iantana is located in the opposite direction of where the Eye in the Flame members ran, correct? They went toward Aimue territory. We should seek their assistance with this threat."

"Yes, I know my way around Tuatiu," I say. However, the thought just occurred to me: Where exactly are we? I recall tracking down the footsteps and the Huet... Hu... the Ulxa drum, and found those men in a clearing within the Tuatiu jungles. Then my memory becomes blank after the strike to the head, finding myself here in this outpost. I'll hope Mexqutli will know the way, since he discovered this place on his own.

"Aimue is filled with farmers," I point out to him. "Unless the Eye in the Flame are hoping for a warm welcome with root vegetables and cacao, I doubt they will find much in that territory. Perhaps they hope to convert maize stalks to their cause."

Mexqutli rolls his eyes and says, "Fine. We shall return to your village and construct a plan from there. I will hope nothing regretful shall come of our delayed pursuit of the Sunfire."

Though he's unable to hide his disappointment and frustration, we begin our return to Iantana. During our travel, I take the time to inspect the sword I took off one of the zealots, having not left it back at the outpost. Initially, I determined it would benefit me to possess the weapon in case Sachia's bow and arrows are not sufficient. I look for any markings or mechanisms that could create the effect of the flaming sword, yet with my extensive search, I find nothing. These are ordinary swords, mundane and mediocrely crafted, with the only distinctions from any other sword being the symbol of the Eye in the Flame on its hilt and inlaid with bits of obsidian — an Ulxa hallmark. I'm exhausted from the amount of times I've had to see the crude markings etched every place imaginable.