CHAPTER EIGHT
Certain truths began to make themselves known to Thera. Truths about what it meant to be sacred. Truths the Navigators spoke to stay coherent as they traversed the web. Truths about the Navigators.
Being Sacred meant having connection. It meant having understanding and marrying that understanding to action. It meant seeing more than you hoped for and less than your fears wanted from you. Being sacred was, Thera thought, quite a lot like being drunk. Relaxed, talkative, generous. The Souls were all these things. But until now she had dealt almost exclusively with the Souls who belonged to the houses of Daring and Prosperity. Thera wasn’t sure how why she had had the most look spotting the Skull and Marble patterns from those houses. But she had. Maybe she gravitated towards them? Perhaps. But she expected the finger of serendipity was playing its part on the patterns of recognition.
And that made her current predicament all the most curious.
For it was known by all that the Sacred Souls were brave.
It was universally understood that the Sacred Souls were honourable.
It was an unassailable truth that they were all kind.
But no one, no one said the Souls were solemn or serious.
No one said the sacred souls were grave.
As it turned out, there was a good reason for that.
~
Belsh reached her fingers out to the liquid rock.
“Can we eat this?”
“Don’t touch that Belsh. No, you can’t eat it. It’s not for humans.”
The soul paused, but didn’t withdraw her hand.
“But what if…it was for humans?”
“Belsh. It’s molten lava. It would melt your skull.”
“So I can’t eat it?”
“Anyone can put lava in their mouth, Belsh. They just…can’t do it twice.”
Belsh stood and stomped further up the volcano.
“Fine! But if I can’t have the forbidden candy we’re talking poetry!”
Thera didn’t sigh. She, very deliberately, didn’t sigh.
They had been working at finding the Final Payment for near their allotted hours now. Belsh really was a great Navigator. It was just that those navigational skills came wrapped up in…well…Belsh.
Belsh cleared her throat and Thera didn’t sigh again.
She had come to recognise the sound. It meant that a strafing of poetry was imminent.
“Walking the dog.
You meet.”
The soul spun around to face Thera, her bobbed blonde hair dancing.
“Lotsofdogs.”
Bent double with laughter, Belsh kept repeating ‘lots of dogs’ as one rapid word.
“What, exactly, about this constitutes poetry?”
Belsh stopped laughing. Straightened. She leaned, in conspiratorially.
“It’s a haiku.”
“Haiku? That was a haiku?”
“Thera! We clearly need to talk about your…”
The search continued.
Thera felt very motivated to find the Final Payment coin soon.
Not all of the tentacles were flapping in the air, but enough of the tentacles were flapping in the air.
Belsh had noticed the Molt Worm.
“You’re sure I can’t hug it?”
“It would literally spit fire”
After making sure Belsh wasn’t going to do something irredeemably stupid, like poke a creature whose idea of a good time was frolicking in liquid rocks, Thera marched on. Time was short.
She heard Belsh stand and pick up the trail.
But not after she had whispered the soul whisper.
“Danger cuddle.” And give a heavy sigh.
Sitting with their back to the lava streams, Belsh and Thera watched the waves break beneath a blue sky.
“You know. Friends are strange things. You go out and you try and find them and they, just, like, don’t get no showing near you. You know? But you go out an be friendly? Sure, then you’re a dead pig for wild dogs.”
“Belsh. What are you talking about?”
“No? Friends. You can’t find them by looking, only by being friendly. You know? Ain’t no reason I can see that meaning is much different.”
“You find meaning in being friendly?”
“No, silly. Well. Yes. But you took what I said not what I meant. You want a meaningful life? Start believing the things you do have meaning. Believe it hard. Then even if it aint true when you start believing, it comes true soon. ‘cos the things that don’t match your map? You’ll drop em.”
“That’s…actually quite beautiful Belsh. I think. Why are you telling me this?”
“So you can appreciate the moment with me Thera.”
“Belsh we’ve failed at a divine quest and we’re about to be pulled back to Sanctuary empty handed after all that effort and if we don’t find the Final Payment we’re going to have some serious difficulty in actually bringing Sanctuary back to life in all its glory.”
“Nah.”
“No?”
“Yea. Found the Coin hours back. It’s near that lava stream.”
“What? Then what are we doing sat here? Why didn’t you say something?”
“I was mad.”
“Mad?”
“You wouldn’t let me touch the shiny.”
“The-the lava? The lava. Belsh, we’re leaving.”
“Ok ok ok. Couldn’t appreciate the moment if it came to you dressed in silk with bowls of ice cream.”
“Belsh!”
“I’m coming! I’m coming!”
They started the walk down the volcano to the lava stream with the focused silence of professionals in a dangerous place.
Belsh tossed her head back and, in a loud and fast voice shouted, “Lotsofdogs!”
The next move to take was to…
1) Spend time optimising the synergy between the items in Thera’s collection to find out exactly how to utilise their power.
2) Recruit a navigator and return to the realm of seas and power to try and acquire the golden bone mask - best to strike when the magic is hot.
3) Spend a few days preparing and matching the right Skulls to statues and awaken as many Souls as possible - strength in numbers.
Head to the discord to vote before Midnight EST 19th August.
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