Prologue Part I – Improvising
“Are you sure?” Kevary, a woman with deep lilac eyes, asked in a hushed tone, her voice barely audible over the ambient hum of the street. “Cause if you’re not, we’re both dead, Corven.”
Nearby dictadurians should not listen; they could get them hanged for their conversation. The air was thick with warmth and pollution, the midday sun obscured by a blanket of smog. They walked side by side in a narrow, cemented street flanked by monolithic concrete houses that rose like copies, one after another.
“I’m good at research. Trust me. I saw it in the Gevurah records months before they turned me into an extarri,” Corven declared with determination, his voice a few tones above a whisper. Memories of his downgrade into a mortal version of his former self, a malkuthian stripped away from the synthesis, still lingered, casting a shadow of ache and disorientation over his life.
Kevary was serious, warry at the danger of their situation, they had met days before working at a leather factory at the outskirts of midtown.
“I won’t gamble my life on guesses. If you say you saw it, I believe you; it’s not like they would try to hide it. Malkuthians trust each other enough to have the blueprints accessible for everyone to see. People in general don’t care enough about what happens in Sectum. “
Corven paced on the sidewalk, frustrated.
“Because following every word of the Edictum Vitae is the ideal life. I didn’t even read the furkan thing, and here I am, blamed for something you only know it’s a crime if you’ve read the damn book.”
“Whatever. I won’t get philosophical about it and your ignorance of the law is not my concern, friend, why didn’t you ask your kabbalah? You have the possible location of the keys that allow one to cross the Culter without it’s brain being melted, and I need to escape Sectum. What are we waiting for?”
Her eagerness was palpable, teasing impatience.
“Don’t you think it’s safer if we do it at night when dictadurians are asleep or in Negativus?” Corven proposal arrived with his voice tinged, apprehensive.
“Where are the alters? Remind me,” Kevary asked, even though she knew the answer.
“At an Umbra outpost deep in the twenty-fourth underlevel, why?”
“If we do it at night, we won’t succeed. There are too many dictadurians between us and the surface. We need to do it while everyone works up here. We can’t wait any longer. You’ve had this information sitting on your lap for too long.”
They continued their journey through the concrete streets, surrounded by tens of dictadurians going about their paths, all clad in worn-out overalls marked with unique alphanumerical identifications. Corven struggled to process Kevary’s words, his fatigue aggravated by the oppressive heat and dehydration that plagued him since arriving in Dictaduria.
“”Let’s do it. If you provide the muscle, I can be you reliable accomplice.”
Corven had to agree with a firm resolve. He didn’t actually know it these so called alters were in the office he saw in the holomaps but the prospect of getting his hands on some valuable items from a wealthy nobody casted a glimmer of hope in their bleak existence.
She grunted, triumphant. “Follow me.”
They arrived at a secret passage leading to Negativus, the underground city beneath Dictaduria where they were exiled. Guided by Kevary, they navigated through colorful crystal tunnels and ladders that delved deep into the colony, their progress hindered by the need for stealth.
Corven’s senses were overwhelmed as they descended deeper into the labyrinthine underbelly of the city. The air grew thick with the scent of sulfur, and the oppressive nature of the tunnels weighed heavily on his psyche.
At one point, he paused, overcome by dizziness and fatigue, sweating from every pore.
“Why do you stop? We must keep moving, let’s go.”
Kevary kept going evidencing her impatience.
“I feel dizzy. It might be the change in temperature.”
Corven struggled to maintain his composure.
“That or the xtracter. Take this,” Kevary said, offering him a green pill.
Without hesitation, Corven swallowed the pill, feeling a surge of energy course through his veins moments later. “These enhancers are lifesavers”
It was the second time he had tried one. There was a great variety of them with unique properties. “They boost everything. It’s as if I had awoken from a great power nap.”
“Don’t overdo them,” Kevary warned. Her tone made him understand she knew the repercussions of abusing enhancer pills.
“No worries. I can’t afford the addiction. There has been no luck with the job hunting. Dictadurians are hard to convince and intimidating, including you.”
Corven’s confession came accompanied by a grim expression.
Before continuing their descent through the underlevels, Kevary turned to him with a seriousness that brooked no argument. “You’re an extarri. Get intimidating, or you won’t make it out of Sectum alive.”
He felt a shiver of apprehension at her words, the gravity of their situation weighing heavy as he considered the risks of their task, dancing in the precarious balance between success and failure.
They emerged into a cavern adorned with dark violet crystal rocks that glowed with a fluorescent luminescence. Corven struggled to orient himself amidst the confusing surroundings, his senses overwhelmed by the eccentric passages.
Kevary led the way as they traversed the cavernous depths of the twenty-fourth underlevel until they reached their destination: a warehouse guarded by Umbras, followers of Gorbat, the enigmatic leader who held sway over the undercity.
Kevary turned towards Corven. “It’s your turn. How do we get in?”
“What?” He faltered, caught off guard by her abrupt question.
“What do you mean, what?” she snapped, her patience wearing thin.
“Nothing. I’m joking,” he stammered, his mind racing to formulate a plan. “We gotta get on the aqueducts under the structure. According to the blueprints and scans I studied, they should bring us to a sewer inside.”
“Good boy,” Kevary said, walking away.
With Coven following her lead, they made their way through a tunnel parallel to the fortress, their movements silent and deliberate. The tunnel descended deep into the earth, far from the prying eyes of the Umbras in the main roads of the underlevel
“Are you sure...?” Corven began, his words trailing off as Kevary silenced him with a glare.
“Hush!” she hissed, her gaze darting around for any sign of danger. “Here.”
She knelt down and placed a crystaphere on the rocks, its surface emitting a soft glow. Corven watched in awe as the rock melted as a dark lava, creating an opening in the cavern wall.
Without hesitation, Kevary continued, disappearing into the darkness beyond. Corven followed, his senses on high alert as they navigated the treacherous terrain.
The interior of the sewer was dank and oppressive, the air thick with the stench of sulfur. Kevary threw another crystaphere into the opening, sealing it behind them with a matter similar to rock.
“Watch my six, and I’ll watch yours,” she instructed, her voice barely above a whisper.
“You got it.” Corven scanned their surroundings for any sign of menace, feeling relief with such a competent ally by his side.
A crystal pipe snaked its way through the room, leading to a stairway and an elevated hallway on the other side. They caught a glimpse of a hatch in the distance, their hearts racing with anticipation.
“We’re under the warehouse, this sewer is close to the hallway where Gorbat’s office is at,” he whispered, his excitement palpable.
“Lead the way.” Kevary had a smirk playing at the corners of her lips.
Corven recalled everything he knew about the warehouse from the blueprints he had studied through holograms. He mapped out a quick path to Gorbat’s office built out of memories, his mind racing with the possibilities ahead of them.
They opened the hatch, a heavy piece of marble easy enough to move when both of them pulled from it with care, trying to be silent, alert for any noise. The man figured out where they were as soon as he got a good glimpse of the outside structure, impressed with its purple walls carved with nature inspired patterns.
With hundreds of offices and storage rooms, others could’ve been overwhelmed with the task but thanks to Corven’s excellent memory, they figured out a route in no time, navigating the labyrinthine corridors with skillful ease. After a series of turns and sprints, they arrived at a purple door adorned with silver designs.
“It’s here. The alters should be inside.”
Kevary approached with a triumphant gleam in her eyes, her hand reaching for the door. But before she could open it, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway, shattering the tense silence.
A sense of dread washed over them as they turned to see a group of Umbras rounding the corner, their expressions grim and determined, exhibiting the distinctive patch of their group, in the shape of a cloak dividing a circle with each side representing the opposites of Negativus and Dictaduria.
Without hesitation, Kevary sprang into action, leaping into the fray with a ferocity that caught their enemies off guard. She landed right in between them, impacting the nearest one with substantial force and pushing him away with kinetic vibrations emerging from the gloves in her hands.
The whole cave trembled, none of the Umbras a chance to unfold their weapons.
“We must get to the alters, immediately!” She pivoted towards Corven, her senses sharp. With a nod of agreement, they advanced towards the purple door adorned with silver flares. Kevary attempted to twist the handle, only to find it stubbornly locked. “Of course, it has to be the hard way. If only I had a cristakey. Keep watch,” she directed, a tinge of frustration in her voice.
Showcasing a silver glove in her right hand, she unleashed kinetic vibrations upon the door’s lock, disrupting its structure. As it swung open, they exchanged positions, with Corven entering, poised for the search.
****
That's it for Chapter VI!
If you enjoyed it, please consider supporting A Tree of Omens!
Follow, share, leave a comment or review, either works.
As a reminder, Patreon is up and running with 26+ Chapters ahead of SH release.
Thank you for your time and see you along the road!
Aequitas and much love,
Indigo Sapiens.
Prologue Part I – Improvising
“Are you sure?” Kevary, a woman with deep lilac eyes, asked in a hushed tone, her voice barely audible over the ambient hum of the street. “Cause if you’re not, we’re both dead, Corven.”
Nearby dictadurians should not listen; they could get them hanged for their conversation. The air was thick with warmth and pollution, the midday sun obscured by a blanket of smog. They walked side by side in a narrow, cemented street flanked by monolithic concrete houses that rose like copies, one after another.
“I’m good at research. Trust me. I saw it in the Gevurah records months before they turned me into an extarri,” Corven declared with determination, his voice a few tones above a whisper. Memories of his downgrade into a mortal version of his former self, a malkuthian stripped away from the synthesis, still lingered, casting a shadow of ache and disorientation over his life.
Kevary was serious, warry at the danger of their situation, they had met days before working at a leather factory at the outskirts of midtown.
“I won’t gamble my life on guesses. If you say you saw it, I believe you; it’s not like they would try to hide it. Malkuthians trust each other enough to have the blueprints accessible for everyone to see. People in general don’t care enough about what happens in Sectum. “
Corven paced on the sidewalk, frustrated.
“Because following every word of the Edictum Vitae is the ideal life. I didn’t even read the furkan thing, and here I am, blamed for something you only know it’s a crime if you’ve read the damn book.”
“Whatever. I won’t get philosophical about it and your ignorance of the law is not my concern, friend, why didn’t you ask your kabbalah? You have the possible location of the keys that allow one to cross the Culter without it’s brain being melted, and I need to escape Sectum. What are we waiting for?”
Her eagerness was palpable, teasing impatience.
“Don’t you think it’s safer if we do it at night when dictadurians are asleep or in Negativus?” Corven proposal arrived with his voice tinged, apprehensive.
“Where are the alters? Remind me,” Kevary asked, even though she knew the answer.
“At an Umbra outpost deep in the twenty-fourth underlevel, why?”
“If we do it at night, we won’t succeed. There are too many dictadurians between us and the surface. We need to do it while everyone works up here. We can’t wait any longer. You’ve had this information sitting on your lap for too long.”
They continued their journey through the concrete streets, surrounded by tens of dictadurians going about their paths, all clad in worn-out overalls marked with unique alphanumerical identifications. Corven struggled to process Kevary’s words, his fatigue aggravated by the oppressive heat and dehydration that plagued him since arriving in Dictaduria.
“”Let’s do it. If you provide the muscle, I can be you reliable accomplice.”
Corven had to agree with a firm resolve. He didn’t actually know it these so called alters were in the office he saw in the holomaps but the prospect of getting his hands on some valuable items from a wealthy nobody casted a glimmer of hope in their bleak existence.
She grunted, triumphant. “Follow me.”
They arrived at a secret passage leading to Negativus, the underground city beneath Dictaduria where they were exiled. Guided by Kevary, they navigated through colorful crystal tunnels and ladders that delved deep into the colony, their progress hindered by the need for stealth.
Corven’s senses were overwhelmed as they descended deeper into the labyrinthine underbelly of the city. The air grew thick with the scent of sulfur, and the oppressive nature of the tunnels weighed heavily on his psyche.
At one point, he paused, overcome by dizziness and fatigue, sweating from every pore.
“Why do you stop? We must keep moving, let’s go.”
Kevary kept going evidencing her impatience.
“I feel dizzy. It might be the change in temperature.”
Corven struggled to maintain his composure.
“That or the xtracter. Take this,” Kevary said, offering him a green pill.
Without hesitation, Corven swallowed the pill, feeling a surge of energy course through his veins moments later. “These enhancers are lifesavers”
It was the second time he had tried one. There was a great variety of them with unique properties. “They boost everything. It’s as if I had awoken from a great power nap.”
“Don’t overdo them,” Kevary warned. Her tone made him understand she knew the repercussions of abusing enhancer pills.
“No worries. I can’t afford the addiction. There has been no luck with the job hunting. Dictadurians are hard to convince and intimidating, including you.”
Corven’s confession came accompanied by a grim expression.
Before continuing their descent through the underlevels, Kevary turned to him with a seriousness that brooked no argument. “You’re an extarri. Get intimidating, or you won’t make it out of Sectum alive.”
He felt a shiver of apprehension at her words, the gravity of their situation weighing heavy as he considered the risks of their task, dancing in the precarious balance between success and failure.
They emerged into a cavern adorned with dark violet crystal rocks that glowed with a fluorescent luminescence. Corven struggled to orient himself amidst the confusing surroundings, his senses overwhelmed by the eccentric passages.
Kevary led the way as they traversed the cavernous depths of the twenty-fourth underlevel until they reached their destination: a warehouse guarded by Umbras, followers of Gorbat, the enigmatic leader who held sway over the undercity.
Kevary turned towards Corven. “It’s your turn. How do we get in?”
“What?” He faltered, caught off guard by her abrupt question.
“What do you mean, what?” she snapped, her patience wearing thin.
“Nothing. I’m joking,” he stammered, his mind racing to formulate a plan. “We gotta get on the aqueducts under the structure. According to the blueprints and scans I studied, they should bring us to a sewer inside.”
“Good boy,” Kevary said, walking away.
With Coven following her lead, they made their way through a tunnel parallel to the fortress, their movements silent and deliberate. The tunnel descended deep into the earth, far from the prying eyes of the Umbras in the main roads of the underlevel
“Are you sure...?” Corven began, his words trailing off as Kevary silenced him with a glare.
“Hush!” she hissed, her gaze darting around for any sign of danger. “Here.”
She knelt down and placed a crystaphere on the rocks, its surface emitting a soft glow. Corven watched in awe as the rock melted as a dark lava, creating an opening in the cavern wall.
Without hesitation, Kevary continued, disappearing into the darkness beyond. Corven followed, his senses on high alert as they navigated the treacherous terrain.
The interior of the sewer was dank and oppressive, the air thick with the stench of sulfur. Kevary threw another crystaphere into the opening, sealing it behind them with a matter similar to rock.
“Watch my six, and I’ll watch yours,” she instructed, her voice barely above a whisper.
“You got it.” Corven scanned their surroundings for any sign of menace, feeling relief with such a competent ally by his side.
A crystal pipe snaked its way through the room, leading to a stairway and an elevated hallway on the other side. They caught a glimpse of a hatch in the distance, their hearts racing with anticipation.
“We’re under the warehouse, this sewer is close to the hallway where Gorbat’s office is at,” he whispered, his excitement palpable.
“Lead the way.” Kevary had a smirk playing at the corners of her lips.
Corven recalled everything he knew about the warehouse from the blueprints he had studied through holograms. He mapped out a quick path to Gorbat’s office built out of memories, his mind racing with the possibilities ahead of them.
They opened the hatch, a heavy piece of marble easy enough to move when both of them pulled from it with care, trying to be silent, alert for any noise. The man figured out where they were as soon as he got a good glimpse of the outside structure, impressed with its purple walls carved with nature inspired patterns.
With hundreds of offices and storage rooms, others could’ve been overwhelmed with the task but thanks to Corven’s excellent memory, they figured out a route in no time, navigating the labyrinthine corridors with skillful ease. After a series of turns and sprints, they arrived at a purple door adorned with silver designs.
“It’s here. The alters should be inside.”
Kevary approached with a triumphant gleam in her eyes, her hand reaching for the door. But before she could open it, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway, shattering the tense silence.
A sense of dread washed over them as they turned to see a group of Umbras rounding the corner, their expressions grim and determined, exhibiting the distinctive patch of their group, in the shape of a cloak dividing a circle with each side representing the opposites of Negativus and Dictaduria.
Without hesitation, Kevary sprang into action, leaping into the fray with a ferocity that caught their enemies off guard. She landed right in between them, impacting the nearest one with substantial force and pushing him away with kinetic vibrations emerging from the gloves in her hands.
The whole cave trembled, none of the Umbras a chance to unfold their weapons.
“We must get to the alters, immediately!” She pivoted towards Corven, her senses sharp. With a nod of agreement, they advanced towards the purple door adorned with silver flares. Kevary attempted to twist the handle, only to find it stubbornly locked. “Of course, it has to be the hard way. If only I had a cristakey. Keep watch,” she directed, a tinge of frustration in her voice.
Showcasing a silver glove in her right hand, she unleashed kinetic vibrations upon the door’s lock, disrupting its structure. As it swung open, they exchanged positions, with Corven entering, poised for the search.
****
That's it for Chapter VI!
If you enjoyed it, please consider supporting A Tree of Omens!
Follow, share, leave a comment or review, either works.
As a reminder, Patreon is up and running with 26+ Chapters ahead of SH release.
Thank you for your time and see you along the road!
Aequitas and much love,
Indigo Sapiens.
