Kerrin

Kerrin shivered as he stood in the sand. After he had volunteered to be the one to go to the Gorge a plan had been formulated. A message had to be delivered, and delivered peacefully.

Kerrin was to deliver the message, and he would go alone. The decision to go alone was a controversial one, but the likelihood of meeting hostility when dealing with the Gorge was too high to ignore. So he went alone, hoping that it would stop them from thinking it was an invasion.

The wait for someone to come by was excruciating. Kerrin wondered if he should go closer, the portal had put him not too far into the Gorge’s border, but it might still be too far. The problem with going too far in was that it might be viewed as an invasion, especially if he got close to settlements.

A foreign Treeling near civilians was bound to be met with hostility. Sending a weaker individual had been considered, but there were several issues with that. The individual would have a reduced chance of escape, could not speak for the Arch duchy in negotiations, and may be seen as disrespectful.

Thankfully, the wait did not continue for long. About half an hour later, a veritable army of strange looking people approached. Kerrin had been warned that the Gorge people looked different.

The Archduchess had talked with various former slaves and immigrants from the Empire to learn what she could about it. Apparently it was hard to differentiate genders within them, and it was polite to refer to anyone as ‘they’ or ‘them’.

“Kerrin of Alvere. Why are you here?” one of them said.

“I come in peace from the Arch duchy in hopes of trade.” Kerrin replied.

“The Gorge has no need of trade.” the person said, their teeth glistening with metal. What a strange group.

“Is there nothing that you have need of?” Kerrin asked.

“What is it that the Arch duchy can offer?” the person countered, not even introducing themselves. A clever remark, however. The question forced the Arch duchy to show how much they valued whatever they wanted. The Gorge person was an able negotiator.

“The arch duchy can offer food, healing, and a variety of other items. What do you wish for?” Kerrin answered back.

“The elders shall decide that. Come, follow me. And do not stray, or you will regret it.” the person said, threateningly.

Kerrin followed the person, wondering if he was about to meet the decision makers here.

“I would suggest that you not stare at anyone while you are there, it will not be taken well. “ The person said, clicking on some spherical device. A portal appeared before him, presumably leading to one of the main settlements. A call mechanism for someone on the other side to open the portal? Or was the person a Tree? The encounter was strange.

Kerrin stepped through the portal, bracing for the next part of the encounter. On the other side of the portal was a room, a room full of arches. Turning around on a whim, Kerrin found an arch standing behind him also. At the center of the room sat an old man, the only Gorge person Kerrin had met whose gender he could guess at.

“The other elders await you this way. “ The old man said, opening a portal in another arch.

“Thank you, honored elder.” Kerrin said, bowing as he stepped through. A bit of respect could go a long way sometimes. On the other side was a circular room with a long table in the center. The table was occupied by several gorge people in white robes, their genders indistinguishable and bodies mishappen.

“I am Speaker Panni, representing the council today. To whom do we speak?” the person at the head of the table said through their beak. Yes, the person had a beak. A strange people indeed. Thankfully, he had been warned not to stare

“I am Kerrin of the Arch duchy of Alvere, here on a mission of peace, in hopes of establishing trade between our two nations.” Kerrin replied.

“The other five Jewels have approached us before to establish trade. Why should we agree to you and not them?” the Speaker countered.

“The Arch duchy can offer much, but little, that the other nations cannot. The question, honored speaker, is what does the Gorge want? The negotiations can hardly continue without it.” Kerrin answered. The Gorge people were really sticking to their lines.

“The answer, Kerrin of Alvere, is nothing. The Gorge has no need for the things you can offer. As I am sure you have noticed, we are not in fact human. Not in the way you consider humanity. The food you offer is unpalatable to us, the healing of no use. The items too fall short. I fear this trade deal cannot happen. “ The Speaker said, smiling.

“But come, have a seat. A new friend is always welcome, who knows, one day we will have something to trade.” The speaker continued, gesturing to the table.

Kerrin complied, he could take a hint. The food was served, a plate of strange curling white strips in red curry for him, and red broth with floating vegetables for them. Kerrin did not recognize any of the vegetables, though that wasn't shocking, he had little knowledge of vegetables.

The meal continued in silence, the Gorge people apparently did not talk during meals. Kerrin wondered if it had something to do with the fact that some of them had to use special instruments just to eat. The people puzzled him.

About halfway through the meal, the archway lit up again, allowing a rather panicked Gorge person into the room. The person, like the speaker, had a beak that was currently clicking at fast speeds.

“Calm down, Father. What has happened? I cannot understand you.” The Speaker said.

“Panni you must come at once, Aloha she-” the father burst into tears as he brandished a disc. Kerrin immediately felt his attention being drawn to the disc, it had blood inside, boiling blood. The kind he used to kill creatures.

The Speaker stood up from their chair, looking towards Kerrin. But Kerrin pre-empted their request. “I shall excuse myself.” he said.

“Ido will lead you to the guest chambers.” they said as they hurried towards their father.

A Gorge person emerged from a door in the walls, bowing towards Kerrin as they motioned him to follow. Kerrin did so. Ido led Kerrin through a hallway to a rather spacious room.

“The Speaker shall meet you later. Please refrain from leaving this room, my people are not used to outsiders. The bell on the side table will call me, please do so if you need anything.” Ido said as he bowed out of the room.

Kerrin nodded at him as he angled towards the window. The room was spacious, even more spacious than his room in the Kingdom. A large bed occupied the center of the circular room, flanked by two long side tables. A study table stood by a full length window that gave him a view of the Gorge.

But that was not what drew his attention. The crystals that flanked the window held that particular privilege. The same type of crystals that the Archduchess wanted to trade for. At least they didn’t seem too rare.

Kerrin observed the crystals, trying to see if they were special in any way, but he could not find anything curious about them. In the end, he got bored and retired to the bed. The wait continued for what must have been hours, especially if the sun was right. The light was nearly gone in this part of the world by the time the Speaker entered his room.

“Kerrin of Alvere, I must apologize for the hasty interruption. I fear that my sister has taken ill.” they said.

“I quite understand, honored speaker, I would do the same for my family.” Kerrin replied. At least he liked to think so. The lack of family made being sure a bit harder.

“I am happy to hear that. Now to business. In the grand hall, you reacted when my father pulled out my sister’s blood disc. The reason he brought it was because I have the ability to sense ailments from a single drop of blood, so imagine my surprise when you reacted also. Can you tell me what you know of the disease that troubles my sister?” the Speaker asked.

Kerrin sighed. Telling would destroy his newfound leverage, but he could not find it in himself to take advantage of the Speaker at this moment. And he suspected that the Archduchess would not approve of it either.

“The blood was boiling.” he began.

“Yes, in a most peculiar fashion.” the Speaker replied, their voice hopeful. Kerrin still had no idea what their gender was.

“The effect, in my experience, is caused when Fire Qi is poured into blood. To be exact, that is how I kill.” Kerrin answered, belatedly realizing that the fact might bring him danger.

The Speaker looked at Kerrin sharply, the beak making them look a bit too much like a hawk.

“I presume that you are not responsible for this. Aloha has had the condition since birth, so unless you somehow snuck in and harmed her while you were a one-year-old, you are not the cause of this. But can you cure it?” The Speaker asked.

“I do not know. I have never encountered something like this before.” Kerrin answered truthfully.

“As a sister, I implore you, Kerrin of Alvere, to try.” the Speaker said, holding the disc to him.