ONE POINT FIVE (1.5 in the Amnesia Archives)

Chapter 22

Aknon's POV

I followed Mesh as he led me through the camp. I couldn't help but agree with the young orc children, who were worried that Buruh might not even talk to me or acknowledge my existence. I didn't know where this was coming from, and so I decided to ask.

"Are we positive that this is a good idea?" I asked Mesh quietly. It had only been a few steps since I was first informed that we'd be going to contact Buruh, but everyone was out of earshot. It almost felt like everyone had evaporated as soon as the deity's name was spoken. "I don't think that they'd be able to help me, personally." I didn't want to say anything disrespectful about them, since the orcs were very protective.

"She will help," Mesh insisted. "She will get in contact with her peers to guide you to your sibling. If not, she will be able to guide you in the right direction. It will be difficult returning to Kourjit."

I cursed under my breath at the reminder, knowing that he was completely correct that it would be difficult to get into Kourjit now. "She?" I couldn't help but ask. I wondered if I'd used 'she' instead of 'they' at some point and he had adapted it by accident. "I thought that most, if not all, deities were gender-neutral?"

"Most," Mesh agreed and nodded his head. "Buruh is primarily female. They all have the ability to appear however they wish, but Buruh is said to have created the orc race by giving birth. She is our mother, and we speak of her as such. Jora also is mostly feminine. I do not know of a deity who is primarily male, but I'm sure that they exist somewhere, maybe within the minor deity ranks." He was rambling a little, which wasn't like him, but maybe that was a good thing.

I hummed and nodded my head. "I like learning about things such as this. I do not wish to be disrespectful by being neutral if a deity prefers otherwise." I do believe that I remembered the fact that Jora preferred to be referred to with feminine pronouns, Acer and I had discussed it one day when we were travelling. "You never know what a deity's temper would be like if you used something incorrect."

Mesh chuckled in agreement. "Yes, it's better to be safe. I understand that Vesper has no mercy for those who use alternative pronouns besides gender-neutral ones."

I nodded and paled. I was extremely aware of all the tales told of people who angered Vesper, who was not at all kind or subtle in their methods of punishment.

"Where are we going?" I asked, coming back to reality as I glanced around. Grolen was just ahead of us, leaning against a large pole of wood. She was tapping her foot and had her arms crossed.

"We are going to where they communicate with Buruh." Mesh stopped right in front of Grolen. "It shouldn't be difficult for us to speak to her tonight."

"The moon is new," Grolen informed with an approving nod. "It should be easier for us to get a clear communication, yes." She put a hand on my shoulder, a little gentler than she had before. "I hope that you know we don't do this regularly. It's extremely rare that we let outsiders into our stronghold, Nevermind letting them use our means of contacting the deities."

I nodded my head, clearing my throat. "Ah, yes. I'm very aware that this isn't a usual occurrence, and I'm incredibly grateful for any and all help which you and your clan provide." I nodded my head with a small smile, putting my hands together in thanks.

Grolen hummed and we began walking under quite a large tree. The shadows and the darkness made my skin crawl a little, even though it also provided me with a soothing coolness, like my skin was too hot and I'd applied cold water or ice onto it. "I trust that you will know what to do," she told me reassuringly before pushing me forward. "This place is sacred to our clan, and we are inviting you here to share in our traditions and rituals. I have faith that the deities will guide you and give you what you seek."

I wasn't the biggest fan of how she was talking, like she was sending me on another great and dangerous quest. Mesh smiled at me and nodded. It wasn't until then that I realised my father was probably helping me, letting me see the shapes within the darkness. It was either that or I had suddenly acquired incredible night vision, unlike any vision I had experienced before.

I cleared my throat and nodded my head, feeling just as awkward as I had done the past day, the entire time I'd been in the presence of the orcs. I hadn't known what I was doing when I first met them, just trying to stay alive, and now I was even more clueless. I couldn't even consider myself safe here, given the fact that the chief didn't know I was here.

I hoped that my expression and gestures were enough to thank them as I turned and walked forward. I wondered how many people orcs had walked down this path, and how often it was used. It was still within the stronghold, the long planks and poles of wood keeping the stronghold safe still a few feet away from me on either side, creating a slight road. There were plants overgrowing along the path, giving the impression that someone would have to chop their way through the green if it was any more obstructing.

At first, the idea of walking along the path by myself was anxiety provoking, since I didn't really know what I was doing. But after a while, I began to feel almost at peace. The darkness grew around me, and I could tell I was getting quite far from the tents. I could hear crickets and other insects communicating with each other, along with the rustling of bushes and swaying of trees. I felt like I was alone.

The path abruptly stopped. I'd been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed until I was staring at a barricade of wood. I glanced around, trying to take in the area. There wasn't much to see really, which caused me to furrow my eyebrows. For a brief moment, I thought that I had been tricked and this was some prank that the orcs had decided to play on me. I theorised that would explain the looks Mesh had been giving me all day, and why the children actually let me go.

But as I turned, my foot kicked something. It rolled across the floor and came into view; the glint of a knife reflected the moonlight which split through the trees above my head. I knew there was some kind of magic in the event, given that there was no moonlight anywhere else but on the edge of the blade.

I sighed and stepped forward, crouching down. I picked up the handle of the knife and examined it closely, noting that it looked very simple and mundane. There wasn't anything besides dirt on the blade, which made me crinkle my nose. I knew what this was intended for, and I wasn't happy about it. There was nothing else to cut, so there was only the stereotypical answer.

Yet, I did try to look for something less obvious. I carefully searched the ground and the wooden barrier in front of me, hoping that I would have to carve something into nature. I then realised that wasn't Buruh's style. It might've been Coy's style, but they weren't who I was trying to reach.

I cleaned the blade off as best I could on my sleeve before rolling it up. During my examination of the ground, which really wasn't all too interesting, I found a circular platform hidden by dirt. I didn't know if I should stand on the platform or in front of it, but I knew for sure that I had to let my blood drip there.

The cut wasn't painful in the slightest. That was due to the fact that I was the one doing it, and it was a simple blade. Sure, there was the usual sting of the skin being sliced, but it wasn't anything torturous. I didn't know how much blood was needed, so I figured a long cut in a non-lethal place would do the trick.

For the longest time, I didn't think anything had happened. I thought that I'd done the wrong thing and felt rather stupid. I was almost a little insulted by the fact nothing had happened, but maybe Buruh had been waiting to create some sort of dramatic effect.

The ground under me began to split, causing me to stumble back. Even though I was a few feet away from the platform, the trembling which originated from it caused me to fall and land on my back. The knife had flown from my hand as I fell, assuring that I wouldn't hurt myself terribly via accidental stabbing.

I scrambled back onto my feet and clenched my fists. Even though I could guess what was happening, I didn't have my weapons with me, and I felt a little threatened.

The darkness grew darker, if that was possible. I felt compelled to watch the circle on the ground, where a new light began to emerge. It was akin to red smoke which began to surround the platform, playing with my eyes and causing me to imagine lights and sparkles which weren't really there, at least to my knowledge.

"Hm, I didn't expect to see you," a voice which resembled Grolen's spoke from all sides. "An outsider even to the world of outsiders. What is it you seek?"