Xtreme Saga - Book One: The War for Rig

Chapter 14 - War Stories

Tekase was quite the gracious host. The first thing he did after Mera had been welcomed into the village was have her provided with some proper clothing for the region. She was given a fur coat, pants, and boots similar to those worn by Summoner, Mage, and all the members of Levante. Mera learned that the markings on the fur carried meaning among these people. As resources were quite scarce and hard to replace in Elurra, things were reused whenever possible. This included clothing. The marks on the fur coats denoted the number of owners who had dawned the garb. Usually clothing of this sort was passed down from parents to children. You could trace the entire lineage of some families through a single fur, assuming it was maintained properly.

Summoner's coat had two previous owners; her mother and grandmother. Mage's coat was new. His father's had been lost in battle. The one that was provided to Mera had been worn by three previous owners. It had belonged to an older bloodline whose last surviving member had been killed in a recent Verg attack. She didn't feel right wearing it at first, but Summoner explained to her that their people live on through those who wear their furs after them. Mera liked this idea of a person's journey never truly ending. As is tradition in Levante, they had Mera add her own mark to the fur she was given. One day, it might even be passed on to someone else, allowing her own legacy to live on past her time on this plane.

The elder of Levante lived in a simple wooden hut no different from the rest of the members of the village. But that is not where he ruled from. Matters of governance were conducted from a much larger hut located in the center of the village. The walls of the hut were covered in various objects. Tapestries, weapons, animal hides, and so on. Each item had a story relevant to the history of the village. Tekase knew every tale by heart. If someone were to point out an object in the hut and ask about it, the village elder could quickly recite the item's origin, who it was in reference to, and how long it had been since the object's story took place. At the back of the hut sat a large wooden chair covered in furs. It would be fair to call it a throne, but it was quite modest in appearance compared to the seats of most rulers.

Mera, Mage, and Summoner sat before the prestigious chair and a seated Tekase. While her new friends were well versed in the history and culture of their own village, Mera had several questions. The villagers of Levante did not use the Verge Network. This was the first time Mera had ever heard of an entire community choosing not to use Verge collectively. The entire concept was so foreign to her that she almost thought they were lying. But she had several other questions as well. She had used the Verge Network pretty much her entire life. She always assumed it was created by the people of Rig and hijacked by the Cult of Ios as a means of control. But Tekase had implied that the Cult of Ios were the ones that had created it. Mera didn't want to believe this, but she couldn't imagine why this old man would lie about something like this.

"Tell me why you think the Cult of Ios created the Verge Network?" Mera said.

"I don't think anything, child. I know. The Verge Network only exists on Rig because the Cult of Ios brought it here," Tekase replied.

"But how do you know?"

"I was there when it happened."

Mera was quite surprised at Tekase's declaration. As she had grown up with the Verge Network, she couldn't remember a time before it. But the idea that someone had lived on Rig before Verge's existence was quite intriguing. She still didn't want to believe the things the elder was saying, but she needed to hear more. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her. However, in this case that was a good thing.

"Tell me how the Verge Network came to be," Mera said.

First Tekase smiled. Not a big, happy smile like a child getting a present. More reminiscent of a good memory long forgotten and then suddenly recalled. Soon after, that smile turned into a frown. Like the planet with the influence of the Cult of Ios, the memory had soured. Remembering the past did not bring the old man much joy. For so much of it was riddled with pain.