Lost in Thought
By Alucardalina Claire
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Today's writer is Alucardalina. Alucardalina is a writer on the Chronicles of Tyria team and you can read her story here.
She also hosts her own Guild Wars 2 blog where she compares how locations in Tyria have changed through time.
You can find out more about Alucardalina on her website : Project Tyria
This story was published for our Summer of Short Stories (2019) event.
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It was all the same.
Dayafter day, the same.
Coldmorning clouds parted to reveal the pale sky hidden away above them. Waterlapped against the reinforced concrete supporting the weight of Rata Sum'sdocks. The smell of the ocean and the piercing bells called forth anotherworkday at a job I knew shouldn't have belonged to me.
Brushingauburn locks from the front of my eyes, I pushed past asura of all walks oflife either hauling cargo or receiving it. My pen scratched down the schedulemy boss barked out as he forged ahead through it all confidently.
"Thatmeans you'll have to go out into the province." He stopped as if toenunciate it. I paused and let my eyes catch up to Taald after writing down thesentence verbatim.
Thedocks and Rata Sum had been nearly all I had known during my life, but I wasn’tsure I wanted him to know that. Not yet, anyway. I didn't want him to know Icraved for a life that wasn't about water. A simple drop-out like me was nevermeant to do anything more than take up any job she could.
Taaldwas family—an uncle. He cared about family in a way that asura usually didn't.As such, this uncle offered me a job after I realized college wasn't somethingI could do. Maybe I was just stupid.
Schoolwas never easy for me. In lectures it was difficult to listen; so many wordsthat came into my ears quickly became puzzles to unscramble. The pieces werethere, but it took too much time to work them together. I found myself oftenwriting them down, but even that became too much eventually.
Iheard it all: the witty insults, the obvious remarks on my performance inclasses, and the disappointment in those rooting for me. It didn't end when Ileft either.
Taald was understanding to some degree. He was still quick to get upset when it took some extra time, but he worked with me to make sure I knew what I was doing by the end. Being here on the docks wasn't where I wanted to be, though. I enjoyed that this job was about helping others, but it wasn't what I wanted to do.
Itwas when I started to learn about sylvari as a progeny that I became interestedin the sentience of plants. However, it wasn't until I realized they wereresistant to Elder Dragon corruption that I knew what I really wanted to do inlife.
Thejob Taald assigned me required a walk through the jungle. This would be thefirst day I got to leave the docks and really take a look at where I trulywanted to be. It was a chance I was more than happy to take so I made sure towrite everything down exactly before leaving.
***
Blindingwhite light fell through the cracks in the canopy, drawing symbols of the sunon the already decorated floor below. A subtle wind pushed past, whisperinginto my ears the secrets of a faraway storm.
Iclenched the bag's strap which contained Taald’s tablet; important informationundoubtedly going to an even more important place. In any case, it was probablyworth more than my life.
Somehowthat thought didn't hit me as hard as it usually would have. Maybe it wassomething about the leaves basking in the afternoon light. Thoughts flutteredthrough my head. Passion ventured through my veins and lit up every bit of thebrain between too-long ears.
Thousandsof different species of plants made their home on the continent of Tyria, manyof which we hadn’t discovered yet. If the sylvari could be resistant, maybethere were other non-sentient plants out in the world that could provideprotection from corruption.
Iwanted to find them and change how we approached the ever-growing corruption ofthe Elder Dragons.
Iwas drowning in my thoughts and in my hopes. Each new expectation I had from myfuture crashed over me and submerged me just a little deeper than the last. Thetruth was that I was enjoying this dip. There was fun to be had in my ownthoughts—only fueled more by the greenery around me.
Without a firm grasp on my instructions, I allowed myself to be led astray. How long ago had the path disappeared?
"Oh no." I turned. I turned again. Again and again.
Nothing.No familiar sights, no path, nothing. Only the canopy above remained the same.I gripped the satchel a little harder as I surveyed the area, trying to hang onto the hope of catching glimpses of things I could remember passing.
Theafternoon light was dipping beneath the hills and trees. Leaves in the uppercanopy could still enjoy the last of the day, but the ground began to feel thecoolness of a darkening night. Fear settled in as darkness grew; wildliferarely bothered those who kept to the beaten path, but in growth like this theythrived. My eyes searched frantically through the canopy, the last light in thisdying world, for something to jog my memory. I checked the trees and rocks formoss but found that in this thick of a forest it grew on nearly all sides.
Itwasn't until I heard another set of footsteps that I realized how loud thecrunch of the leaves was. Fear flowed through my veins like rocks; the weightof it made it difficult to move. I grasped at a bow that was mine butunfamiliar. A gift to protect me on the roads that was given as if I wouldnever need it. Now that I needed it, I realized there was never once anylessons to show me how to use it.
Shadowsembraced me as I hid myself inside of a hollow trunk, but the wild is notdeterred by shadows. What I saw before me was a bear as white as snow andclearly as lost as I was.
As Iwondered if it would be more helpful or just stupid to try and help it, theanimal turned to face the trunk sheltering me. If I had learned enough aboutanimals as a progeny then I was certain it was sniffing me out as a potentialfood source.
Myhands shook as I tried to steady an arrow on the bow’s cord. Even though I wasfinally able to hook it, I found my strength wasn’t enough to pull the stringback very far. The stones in my veins grew heavier. I was immobilized by fear.It was a different kind of fear than thinking you weren't going to pass a testor the fear of not living up to expectations. It felt raw, wild, and paralyzinginstead of the melancholic—unforgiving—feeling that usually coated my entirebeing.
Aglint from the dying light streaked through the darkness, crippling the animalapproaching me in one swift motion. A human clad in polished steel became alight in the surrounding darkness, catching the fleeting rays that could stilldrip down from the canopy.
Iclosed my eyes as the sword went through the snowy skull. It was in that momentI knew it was a mercy killing; an obviously displaced animal wouldn't know howto survive in an area like this. For the same reason I had naively wanted tolead it back to its home, this man had determined it was better to just end it.
"Youokay?" The voice was soft and meek. I opened my eyes, and I wondered if itreally belonged to the plated person in front of me.
"Thankthe Eternal Alchemy you came along." I managed a nervous laugh. Shiftingaround, I maneuvered out of my hiding spot to greet the human properly. Hewasn't particularly tall for a human, but our racial heights made a lot ofdifference in the angle I had to adjust my head to. My hand swept burgundytangles from my face to get a better look.
Hisemerald eyes followed mine as mine did his. "I've heard of thatbefore..." It was as if he was having trouble recalling a deep memory.
"TheEternal Alchemy?" He nodded as an answer to my question, so I elaborated,"It's everything. Existence, the meaning of life, thoughts, and actions."I continued to watch his expressions change. "At least that's how I'vecome to understand it." The man didn't appear to be helped in theslightest by my explanation and instead began focusing on cleaning the bloodfrom his blade. I stowed my own weapon back to my shoulder.
"Oh!I never thanked you." I laughed nervously again. "Thanks for savingmy hide." It was unfortunate that something had to die for me to live; Itried not to dwell too much on it but couldn't deny that it was swirling aroundin my thoughts. "I'm Kiffi, from Rata Sum." As soon as I mentionedthe city my skin began to crawl. Calling the lecture I was going to receive"brutal" would have been an understatement.
Emeraldeyes lit up, and he sheathed his weapon. "Tobih. You can call me Tobih."His hand shot out towards me and I received it just as quickly. A smile creptup through my lips from just this small display of kindness. "Where do youneed to be?"
"Overat the Luminates Plant. This bag contains information on water samples to assistwith water conditions. It makes it safe to drink and incontaminable."Remembering the mission I needed to fulfill, I pulled the bag close to mychest. "They're trying to build a city and are in need of information likethis."
"Soundsimportant. Trust me enough to accompany you there?" His cheerful smile cutthrough the ever-growing darkness of the jungle floor.
"Yeah,definitely. I was lost anyway," I hesitantly mentioned the fact."What else do I have to lose at this point because if it wasn't for you, I'dbe dead anyway." I tried brushing the dust off my coat and cuffing mysleeves back to my elbows to make myself more presentable. "I'd feel a lotbetter if you could tell me a bit about yourself, though."
Hischuckle reminded me of my own nervous laughter. "Don't think there'senough to me," Tobih stuttered along his words a bit, "I grew up inDivinity's Reach and have been working odd jobs to pay for some new equipmentlately." Despite how typical it sounded, there was something interestingabout hearing it from someone who had just saved me. Both of us began moving,my boots following his through the brush and trees. "I've seen only asmall part of Tyria, but I want to see it all. If these jobs can take me aroundthe world then I should probably keep taking them, I think."
"Ilike you already." Laughter, true and honest, sprouted forth like flowersfrom my lungs. "Traveling the world is something I'd like to do aswell." His eyes fell to meet mine for a moment before returning totraversing the brush. "Research has shown that sylvari are resistant todragon corruption and because of this I believe that there must be other plantsout there with similar properties. If I can study all of Tyria then there mightbe a safer way to fight off the Elder Dragons or at least survive them."There was difficulty in keeping a topic I was passionate about to myself, but Ifelt embarrassed to have just let it all out at once on a stranger."Sorry, I didn't mean to talk so much."
"No,no. Keep talking." He used his foot to crush a few thorny brambles intothe floor of the jungle before allowing me to cross. "Our goals seem toalign. I also like the way you talk; I can understand what you're saying. Don'thave any problems with all the other asura, but I'm not quite as educated as Ishould be and... Well it doesn't matter."
"Forwhat it's worth, I like the way you talk as well. My brain gets caught on wordssometimes, and it becomes so much worse with all the technical jargon. Maybeit's the way you enunciate your words?"
"Enunciate,huh?" he pondered out loud, but I quickly judged it based on his previousstatement.
"Ijust mean how you physically speak rather than the words you use."
Helaughed any shame away with a "Thanks." Silence settled in for only afew seconds before he chimed in again, "Can I trust you with anidea?"
"Yeah,shoot." There was something strange about him asking if he could trust me,but I felt as if I needed to do something to return the favor.
Astarry sky appeared before us as we escaped the confines of the jungle. Whileit wasn't nearly as interesting to me as the myriad of plants we had justtrudged through, it was breathtaking nonetheless.
Undera star-ridden sky, Tobih turned to me and nearly whispered the idea, "Idream to start a guild and fill it full of people of every race who share ideaslike you and I. People who want to find a safer world from the Elder Dragons orfrom any other threat Tyrians may face. Ideas from every race to create a worldof peace. I want to fill this guild with people who have hope for a betterfuture."
As he made his speech—his ideas fell like life giving rain to my soul—I thought about what kind of life I wanted to live from this moment on. Every word resonated with me in a way I couldn't describe as accurately as I would ever want to. At that moment, I had already made up my mind.
"I want to be a part of that dream."