VAIN

This air feels claustrophobic and tingles to the touch, burning; every step feels burdened by lead; the ringing won’t stop, and I’ve never felt more alive. Such a bizarre planet. These putrid green tendrils beneath my feet, they tickle. And all these poignant aromas. To really be here is nothing short of astonishing. Perhaps this is just what I needed; just something to break the monotony of life on Taigi. Anything to get away from my people. Ugh, whatever. Came here to forget. Let’s see… if I recall correctly, this is a forest. Every bit as dense as I’ve read; can barely see the sky, what a lovely, horrid color.
Wait, what was that? Behind those bushes? …There! Did I get it? I knew there were dangerous creatures in the wild but I didn’t expect to encounter one so soon. What do we have here; a four-legged furred beast? Small frame; didn’t fare well against a simple nekrotic spell. Hm, rather cute. Now, rise and–another one? Sounds much larger. Maybe I should hide this time, somewhere behind a tree. Perfect.
“Vee! Veeeee! Where are you?” a voice calls out. It’s coming, just observe. Surely it didn’t see me. “Hello? H-huh. Patron above…” The bi-pedal creature cradles the corpse. “Oh Vee… Why…” Tears, must’ve been loved. Interesting, where are they taking it? I'll follow behind at a distance.
This must be a ‘harpy’, with its speckled wintery winged arms. Its legs and tail appear avian in nature, but not its face. Odd.
Hmnn, a building out here, tattered. That wasn’t too far off. Ah, a burial. Of course, a body must be buried. This must be where it lives. Very crude in construction based off of a preliminary glance; nothing like the structures back home. And the location is rather scenic, far less thick than the other parts of the forest. Thought Zidi preferred to live in communities, but it seems some choose to live alone as I suspected. Now its praying. What gods do they worship?
It’s getting up to leave. Fairly quick process. Now to see for myself. This should be fast; the body wasn’t dug too deep. Vee, it called you. How funny that bodies on Zidiri persist even after death. Horrific really, to remain. Truly alien. Anywho, I never get the opportunity to cast this spell on Taigi so here goes—Vee, time to rise. Its body jolts and bones crack. Ough, I don’t think it’s supposed to bend like that. Its eye… Lemme just, toss that aside. Hah, it’s kind of charming.
“Hello Vee,” I say to the twisted creature. “What’s the matter? Hmmmn… Can’t speak?” I must’ve messed the spell up. “Well, that’s alright. As long as you understand me. You can understand me, right?” Its head rotates even further. Suppose that’s a yes. Okay- “Hey!” It scurries into the house.
“AAHHHH!” a scream echoes and the harpy bursts off. Huh. There it goes, so it can fly. Vee runs out the door.
“What a shame.” I walk over to pet the thing. “There, there, Vee. You must stick close to me.” Expected a better response; thought the residence of Zidiri hated death. I’ve mastered most schools, but death magick seems trickier in application than I would expect based on theory. I must practice this, and I know just the place.
•
So many graves. So many dead. The marks on the tombstones appear to indicate what beings were buried below. Hmm, quite a lot of ‘humans’, a book mentioned they have a short lifespan. How envious. They burn out after just a few spells, but no matter how much magick I cast I simply will not die soon enough.
“Sorry I took that from you, Vee,” giving it a scratch, “death. But I guess you aren’t really you huh.”
A gargle and a sputter, creatures sure are weird here… Perhaps Vee doesn’t normally sound like that.
“Think you need a new name, hmn… Hey, how’s Sumu sounding to you?”
Spats of dried blood fly from their throat as they make another sound.
“Isn’t it? Come along now, we have spells to practice”
•
Pwah, good progress. “Getting the hang of it aren’t I, Sumu?” This makes the fourth corpse. Five actually; Sumu and their scratchy orange fur has really grown on me. “I’d tell you to get some rest, but… hah, that tickles.” Such a silly thing. Familiar, how lon–
“GRRRGHRRU,” one of the reanimated bodies groans.
Oh yes, the others, what a cacophony; and a horrid orchestra of odor. Nothing on Taigi smells this strong, let alone this foul.
“Fortunate that you have no sense of smell, Sumu. Ugh, it’s as if the scent of burnt rubber and fresh feces has tarred every inch of my lungs.” I’m gonna need a deep cleaning.
Alright, what to do with them? Based on that harpy’s quick escape, locals wouldn’t really appreciate a bunch of roaming remains. Hmn. Suppose as long as they stick around the graves it’ll be alright… maybe the graves around the edges though. Far from here. It’s already dark anyhow and the nekrotic binds keeping them held together should fade soon enough. Not as inky as Taigi’s nights but the darkness should be plenty of cover. I knew the cycles were short, but that was but a blink. Best make the most of the short evening, I work better in the shadows.
•
“Ahh, great isn’t it, Sumu? I can feel it. As the bodies rise, my soul falls. That much closer to death. Heh, as close as Zidiri is to Taigi anyway. Nekromancy may be the most costly magick, but what’s that matter to someone who lives 100,000 years huh?”
“Mreeuuuuahh.”
“Sumu! You can speak… What… What does that mean? I thought I studied the correct language to communicate with you Zidi, err Earthlings as you call yourselves.” Hmn, then again, there are multiple languages, or so I’ve read. “Hey, don’t give me that eye. I studied a lot, you know.”
“Mrrgh.”
“Okay, let’s try this.” Crouch down here. “Me, Vanita. You, Sumu. Vanita. Sumu. Vanita. Sumu.”
“Mur?”
Ah, it’s rubbing its face on my pointed finger. “I’ll take that as a sign of understanding.”
“HEEELP!”
Oh, great. Who was that?
“SOMEONE, N-NO! DON’T–”
Who's screaming, aren’t Zidi supposed to be asleep during the night? I had better investigate.
“Grmmm,” a nearby torso whines. Didn't even get to attach it to the legs.
“You, stay put. Pft,” as if. “Hey, you too, Sumu.”
They simply wink.
•
Let's see, the noise is coming from he- ah! Oh dear they're biting into some poor creature, I guess the undead still have appetites. Now, undo its binds and get it off–there we go. “Hey, you okay?” Is this a dwarf? Fascinating thing, covered in black fur with sharp ears atop her head. Shorter than expected. “That gaping hole in your stomach looks rather grotesque.”
“Urk, ya dohn say, yah. Danks for takin’ care of tha’ zomb- A-AAH! Stay back! BEAST!”
Who, me? Hm, no more ‘zombies’ around. I don’t look that different from other Zidi races do I? “Don’t mind the two bull tails; it’s a, uh, condition.”
“Fuck yer tails, D-da-”
Oh. “This? The viscera caked all over my… everything? I’ve been dealing with zombies all night.” Not a lie–oop. “I got you. Now, now, careful. Best stay still in your condition. That’s it, ease down. I won’t harm you.” On the side of this mausoleum should be fine.
“Hrmph. Since ya, er mention i’, wha’ even are ya?”
“I’m…” To reveal my identity… That would break my Zah oath. The dwarf straightens up.
“Ow, ow. Ack, well?”
Eh, whatever. Not even supposed to be here in the first place. “I’m from Taigi.” The dwarf tilts her head. Is that confusion between the contorted wrinkles of anguish? “You know, over there,” I point.
“Silica? Da moon?” she softly shouts. That’s the reaction I expected.
“Silica, yes. The moon.” That’s what they call that pale crimson sphere?
“I’m–may noh be in da bes’ condition. Mind. Buh, ya cahn bullshi’ me.”
“Have you ever seen anything like me? These floppy ears; these dark pastel green eyes?”
“Guess noh… Tall moon rabbit; zombies. If I dihn know bett–”
“Do you need help or not? Come here, let me heal you.”
“Ya know life magicks? Well- Ahh! Fuck, is tha’ a cat zombie?”
“Mrrrrw.”
Fuck indeed.
“Da poor bastard, kill i’!”
“Don't.” I put my hand on her. It'd be so easy to… pop.
“Wha? The hell ya mean!” Sumu! Their body lands a few meters away from her kick. “Lil’ creep, res’ in peace.”
…Tell me, “Do you dwarves fear death?”
“Huh, I…”
“I've read that your species has the second longest lifespan. Doesn't it ever get tiring?”
“H-hey le’ go of me. Dis isn'–”
“How old are you? 300? 400?” I tighten. “Answer me.”
“134, please I jus–”
“134, cute. I'm 10,564. 10,564 of your years old. You see we moon rabbits “die” over and over and over throughout our lives. Me? I can't.”
“Well tha’s unfortunate isn' i’? Bu–”
“Unfortunate, yes. You understand, so why don't you tell me how it feels?” Dig into this hole.
“AAAAAHH, FUCK!”
“Wonderful isn't it? To die. It used to hurt for me too, but thankfully for you it'll be over soon enough. Please, don't stop singing now.” Give the flesh a twist.
“AHH! I beg you!”
“Yes, more. More of that. Savor the moment, your last.” Finally, hmm. How about a kinetic spell. Oo! Little more violent than I expected, got everywhere, but a fresh coat of red is much appreciated. I bring her face closer to mine, seeing the glimmer in her eyes fade.
“Agh… Lin…”
There it is. The last breath. Lin… Are Earthlings always this sentimental about death, about their loved ones? I know the Taigins aren’t; Modi wasn’t.
Modi, Modii, Modiiii–
“Mrgurgrru.”
Huh, what was I–“Sumu! You're okay, er. Goodness, quite banged up. Your poor face. Here, I can fix you. A ‘cat’, is that what you are?” My books said nothing of these creatures. What are they supposed to look like? Oh well, let's see. Four legs, a tail–oh my. Where'd your eye go? Losing a lot of fur too. Eyes… Fur… Dwarf. Let you be at least of some use in death. Ah, round and firm but squishy. They’re stuck, how about a pull–fresh fluids sure makes gripping difficult–aaand snap. Oh my, these are too big. Cat skulls sure are tiny. I have an idea, “Hold still Sumu, just gonna,” CRACK that frontal bone. Sorry dear. Then pry this maxilla from- Oh, dwarf bones are quite thick. Why don't I just reconstruct you. “Sumu, you lucky cat. You'll be a bit bigger overall, but this new skull should be strong.” Then again, why stop at the skull. This should be fun. Hm hmm hmmm hm hmmmmm. Cerebrum mostly intact. Wrap that tissue around the orbit. “Not enough flesh… That’s alright, we have a fresh lump right here. Learning death magick rather fast, huh, Sumu.”
•
“Good as new! How’s that feel?”
“Mreow!”
“Hmn~! Vocals sound much better too don’t they.” I’ve been at it for a minute. The fresh blood is all dried up and–is that the sun peeking over the horizon? Disorienting. Time feels like it’s moving quickly but I know I still have way too much left. I’m not doing enough.
“Mrowow.”
“Haha.. Maybe burning my whole soul away won’t be so bad with you by my side, Sumu.” Just maybe. Oop, there they go running off. The mix and black and orange work. They’ll be fine, gave them an eternal bind, nice set of sharp teeth, and razor claws made of dwarf femur. Speaking of, haven’t seen many stones marked for dwarves here… or any for that matter. Humans, harpies, elves, and… well none around right now but I know I saw at least one merfolk grave. I should go find it, hope the body still has scales. Considering the daylight, I’ll have to use shorter binds. Weaker and short, but better than locals taking notice. How wish I could just raise this whole graveyard in an instant.
Ugh, sunrays. Swear it was just at the horizon a second ago. Hmn? All the grime on my hands. I'll conjure some water so I at least don’t appear as alarming to any happen-by-ers… Ach! Hot, hot. Wonder if I’ll ever get used to how hot Zidiri is. No, surely I will. With time, everything will. Lastly, a bit of mind magick to change how my body is perceived–no tail and elf ears should be fine.
Good enough. Now-
“Uuuuu… What a smell,” yet another voice calls out, “Oh! Didn’t expect to see someone here so early.” Another harpy. His feathers are a pretty shade of emerald.
“Me neither,” I say with caution. Can’t ever work in silence.
“How long have you been here, are you not bothered by the stench? Jeez, did someone rob a grave last night.”
“You get used to it. Here to visit a loved one?”
“Well… No, not specifically. I just like it here.” Oh? “Sorry, weird thing to admit to someone you just met isn’t it. What are you here for?”
“Guess the same reason as you. Just something about this place.”
“The graves?”
“The death.”
“Mm, somehow I knew you’d be chill.”
“You are an odd one, not afraid of death?”
“You kidding? Of course I am! But that’s what makes it beautiful right?”
Hmph, guess he wouldn’t understand.
He picks up a stray bone; an ulna. Should really try to clean this place up. His mouth opens, “To die right now…”
“Would be lovely.”
He tosses the bone my way and I catch. “Name's Chiimi: She, they.”
“Vanita. She, her.” I like her. I plunge the dusty stick into the ground. “Let me show you something.” The ground rumbles softly, violently, and then an elf skeleton emerges and bursts through the surface. “No rotten flesh this time, these must be older graves.” A pause. Speechless I supp–
“Wha- Bwuh- Skel- W-Was that nekromancy? Without a catalyst? You really do want to die! Wow these binds are amazing too. How long do they last? Can it move? Are you controlling it? Will- Will it- hah haah. Uh. Sorry.” She tries to catch her breath. Silly. I command the skeleton to grab her by the shoulders. Her feathers stand on end. “EEeee- ahem. I’ve never seen death magick casted this well by a single person before!”
“I’ve had a lot of years to practice all kinds of magick, and I learn quick.”
“Elves sure are amazing…” Huh? Oh yes, I touch my ears.
“Mrewew?” Well, look who’s back.
“What is that… Is that a cat zombie?”
“Their name is Sumu.”
“Sumu!” She bends over to rub their back. Sumu looks delighted. “How is it so big?” she says, eyes glued to Sumu.
“Reconstructed it.”
“For real?” she yells. “No way, their eyes look so fierce! Why the two tails?”
Shrug, “thought it’d be cute.” I sit next to Chiimi. Sumu, “where have you been?”
Sumu opens their mouth and hacks up a small thing onto my lap. A metacarpal?
“CHIIMI,” a new person shouts, “get away from her!” Long red hair and rounded ears. Seems to be a human dressed in metallic armor; carrying a sword. Wonderful.
“Friend of yours?” I ask Chiimi, standing.
Chiimi shrugs, “Melissa! This is–Wah, hey!”
The human, Melissa, rushes up and grabs Chiimi then pushes her behind herself.
“Chiimi, that thing is dangerous. We got reports of strange happenings around the forest, around the graveyard–”
Chiimi shoves her off. “Chill, Miss City Guard. Just a bit of death magick.”
“You already know? ‘Kay, aside from being illegal,” she shakes her head, “it's a complete disregard for the sanctity of life!”
“Yeah, wel–”
“AND, listen, and a dwarf never came back home last night.” Melissa stares into Sumu's eyes. She turns towards me, “Ring any bells?”
“And if they did?”
She turns to Chiimi, “I'm warning you, back off.”
Chiimi gives me a look, indiscernible, and runs off… What am I doing. This. All of this is a waste of time. Deep breath. Foul–reminds me of my goal. I focus on the ground. Rumble, violently, emerge–Burst? Hot. The skeleton breaking the surface turns to ash…
Still here? I get up and turn to the source of the flames: the human. “I’ve read about your ilk. Special little race whose souls are disproportionately weak compared to their affinity for fire magicks.”
She begins to circle me. Silent. Bright blue glare.
Well? “Show me the legendary burning of the human soul.” There–“AAAAAHH!” WONDERFUL, it hurts! It’ll be over soon–“AHH!" Move forward! Surface chARred, muscles contRActing. CAN’t see. AHh, there goes feeling. Inhale one more scorching breath, bronchi aflame… Reach for something… SNAP.
•
The inferno finally dies down, graveyard full of ash. I begin to move again. The blackened skin is still smoldering; an acrid smell. I let go of the neck; the body collapses. It was legendary. I hope I never get used to how Zidiri is.
“Back to work, Sumu.”