The Prodigies: The Return of Equinox

Chapter Thirty-Three - Fated: Common Knowledge

Without knowing it, Riah had unearthed a world of uncertainty in the Prodigies. She spoke of what her life entailed, and of things that all people knew. It was all common knowledge, supposedly. Core had come to learn more of humans, and that maybe his elders had the wrong idea of people. Noromac felt as though he had made a real connection to someone, as genuine as one could have. Garvhoz was troubled with his new found knowledge of the world. Alegna didn't care, they didn't care for what humans did and believed.

"Riah. Do you know how Gorund claimed his mountain?" Garvhoz was curious. Was his idol truly as ruthless as the dwarf had said he was?

"I think he invaded them, but I've never paid much attention to the adventures of demigods. I'd always thought-."

"How did he invade?" Interrupted Garvhoz.

"I think he climbed the mountain and went from village to village until he reached the inside of the mountain where their great city was. That was when he declared his hold over the mountain. I think the dwarves tried to fight back, but they couldn't manage t-."

"Is this tale known throughout Aviagard?" His voice carried a hint of hurt.

"I'd think so. I hear it every so often. Everyone knows that the true history of Aviagard lies in the people's stories," she said proudly. She couldn't tell that Garvhoz had trouble taking in all this information.

"Know about any of the other demigods?" Nano asked. He too wasn't paying attention to Garvhoz.

"No, Gorund is the one that most people talk about," she said matter-of-factly. "Not too many people like the other ones I guess."

"I never knew so much about human culture before! Perhaps my elders would appreciate a tale or two!" Croaked Core.

"Yeah, and you know, I've been meaning to ask. Why are you coming along? I've never knew the Zorfec to take part in human endeavors." Riah looked inquisitively towards the mass of lava and stone.

"My people are slowly fading away from existence. They have sent me as an ambassador for peace and for our longevity." Core decided to let his story be told for once.

"Really? And how would that go? To make your people thrive?" She spoke soft. Not knowing if she wanted to know how.

"Well, the process would take quite a long time as far as people are concerned. What would happen is that we would raise the hot soup of the earth up into the surface. During that time the area we worked at would feel earthquakes, the sky would fill with smoke, and lava would spew onto the land to create another home for my people and begin making more of our people."

"Oh my." Shuddered Riah.

"Yes, I'm trying to learn of where people stay and live and such to find a spot where we could do this."

"That's a big job."

"Not so big in the grand scheme of things. The whole thing may take a hundred years. How long is that for humans?"

"Just about forever! The oldest human I've heard of was just 87 years old."

"How short."

"Yeah, but I'm sure some have grown older than that."

"What do you know about the Grays?" Asked Noromac slightly jealous of having lost Riah's attention.

"You mean your people?" Alegna chipped in.

"Yeah, have you heard of anything about them, Riah?"

"Just that they arrive to the country without tongues. We don't have any Grays in my small town. I hear that migrants have very strange customs, and that they communicate with their hands."

"Their hands?" Noromac hadn't heard that one before. Then again, he had only 6 years with family. And of those years, it was spent with others that could speak. As far as he was concerned, he had always been around speaking people. Just that the ones speaking weren't his people.

"Yeah, supposedly they kind of just wave them around and do certain gestures, but only they know it. They've never taught others how to understand it, at least that I'm aware of. Nobody who wasn't them anyways."

"Interesting." Noromac had then remembered that he left his family in bad terms. That was putting his abandonment in light terms.

"I've never met one of your kind before either." Riah directed her gaze to Alegna.

"Really? Well I assume it'll catch you surprised to find I am partly human."

"Really?" She cooed. She always liked little twists in people. Or non-people. Or things that were somewhat human.

"Yes, I've eaten a number of your species. And when I consume I learn. I might as well be human with the knowledge I've acquired."

"Excuse me?" Riah asked. Garvhoz snapped out of his introspective stupor and subtly prepared himself to strike at Alegna if he felt it might get violent.

"Oh, was that not the response you sought?" Alegna hissed.

"Are you serious? About the eating people thing?"

"Quite so. Human blood has a certain flavor to it that I truly find pleasing. Maybe it's the pitiful presumptuous personality that stains the pallet. Perhaps the existential uncertainty in their actions you can taste in the muscles. Or maybe the fact that deep down they are all no different compared to the livestock that they raise."

"Alegna." Garvhoz reminded Alegna of what was said between them with his stern voice.

"It doesn't matter I guess. All of you fleshy fauna are nothing except a long uninterrupted tube designed to take in other fleshy things and turn them into shit. I would much rather not live in the same world you all do."

"Then why don't you just kill yourself?" Riah was now disgusted at Alegna.

"For quite the simple reason that I've consumed too many people at this point. All of their instincts of self preservation stop me from harming myself. Sometimes, when courageous enough, I try to goad others into killing me. Though time and time again they try to spare me, and give me the choice to give up or die. With my aforementioned instincts, I always give up. Never as committed to dying as I would like."

"You really are a troubled creature, aren't you?" Core croaked. Core sounded more sad than anything else.

"Yes, and that is why I want to fight Equinox. He sounds like won't give me the choice to give up or die."