BISHOP KLIAMBALA’S OFFICE, THE DURKAHL

KLIAMBALA

Ah, Cyunn… come in, come in. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.

CYUNN

Likewise I’m sure, your Excellency.

KLIAMBALA

I understand you worked alongside an Aeon Priest by the name of Januae in Ancuan.

CYUNN

Ancuan… let me think… Oh yes, the nano. On the beach. He didn’t tell me that he actually belonged to the Order but I suspected as much.

KLIAMBALA

Well, I called for you because I need you to track him for me. We had him in our custody but he once again escaped our grasp.

CYUNN

How did he escape, if I may ask? Any information you give me will be helpful.

KLIAMBALA

It was strange… a large creature appeared while I was speaking with him. It somehow levitated him a few meters off the ground, then… Januae just disappeared, along with the creature. There was a chanting sound…

CYUNN

Did he summon the creature somehow?

KLIAMBALA

I don’t believe so. He seemed as surprised as I was at the creature’s appearance. He was familiar with it, though. He called it by some sort of name, which I can’t recall.

CYUNN

Can you describe the creature?

KLIAMBALA

Not very well, I’m afraid. It seemed… out of phase? Blurry, fuzzy. It was larger than both Januae and I, limbless, a shape I can’t put into words.

CYUNN

Hmm. Is there anything else you can share about the target… excuse me- about Januae? What are his intentions? Why is he eluding capture? What resources might he have at his disposal that allows him to stay hidden? Contacts, maybe? Connections?

KLIAMBALA

Well, his mentor was Narla Deshu in Dynafel, he was assigned to work with a clave in Beoth before coming to the Durkahl. He was born and raised in the City of Bridges. And we found him in Charmonde in Navarene from where we secured him.

CYUNN

Anything else I should know?

KLIAMBALA

Yes. I believe he has the ability to teleport to various places, possibly distances of hundreds of kilometers, if not more. He claims it is not an esotery he can control, and that he jaunts unexpectedly and ends up in random places. I’m not sure about any of that, but I did witness him disappear before my eyes.

CYUNN

That might explain why his trail went cold. I thought he had vanished along with the rest of the party he was with, but he must have teleported at the first sign of danger. Now, let’s talk about compensation. If you want me to focus exclusively on this target, I would expect there to be a bonus attached to the bounty, you know, since I won’t be pursuing other targets. I also don’t think it would be unreasonable to increase the value of the bounty considering this… ability of his will make him more challenging to catch.

KLIAMBALA

I suppose none of that is unreasonable. He is a highly valued asset to our mission and needs to be retrieved. I have the utmost confidence that you can accomplish this.

CYUNN

There is no greater bounty hunter that me in all of the Steadfast, I assure you. I will find your man.

(a beat)

I suppose it goes without saying… you want him returned alive.

KLIAMBALA

Without question.

CYUNN

You understand in my line of work that needs to be made clear.

KLIAMBALA

Understood.

CYUNN

Will that be all?

KLIAMBALA

Yes. Off you go.

THE CITY OF JARGOLAMIS

Narration

JANUAE

As I wend my way through the twinned city of Jargolamis, I inquire as to where I can find the Reverent Shoum. Though a few people are helpful in directing me, most take a wide berth on my approach, perhaps put off by my unkempt and ragged appearance, believing me to be a vagrant asking for handouts.

Standing before Jargo Tower, where I’ve been told the Reverent resides, I can see reflected on the surface the city of Luigolamis across the valley, showing the activity, movement, happenings, and interactions of its residents. I pull myself from being captivated by this marvel and I approach the base of the tower, finding the entrance in short order. A corridor opens into a high central chamber that extends upward to a dizzying height, and I am surrounded in all directions by dozens of columns extending upward as well, with platforms spanning the width of the inside of the tower at intervals of roughly a dozen meters above one another. I had been told to take southwest jump node eleven to the twenty-sixth platform, where the Reverent keeps her place.

It took some asking about and some guesswork, but I finally find the jump node and stepped onto the large, shallow rimmed disc. Suddenly I feel as if I’m being stretched upward meters upon meters like a band of na-ulu gum. Once I’ve “reached” a certain height I can feel the rest of myself snap up onto a platform far above the base level. I am surrounded by a series of domes, each about seven meters in diameter, all of varying colors. I spot one in teal, which I was told is the Reverent’s abode. I approach and knock on the “door”, a convex surface that appears as if it would serve as a point of egress for the structure. After a brief moment, the door parts on either side, and I am greeted by a young girl, no more than nine years of age.

SHOUM

Yes?

JANUAE

Hello there. I’m looking to speak with the Reverent.

SHOUM

Of course. Come in.

JANUAE steps inside and the doors slide closed.

SHOUM

Please sit. Can I get you something to drink? You look like you can use a drink.

JANUAE

Thank you, I could do with some water.

SHOUM

Of course.

Sound of water being poured into a glass or cup.

JANUAE

Thank you.

SHOUM

So what brings you here to see the Reverent?

JANUAE

I… have a condition. It makes me jaunt to random places and I can’t control it.

SHOUM

Ooh, that sounds rather interesting.

JANUAE

Yes, while I’m sure you would find it a delightful tale, I would just as soon speak with Reverent Shoum. It is a rather serious matter.

SHOUM

Then go ahead, I’m not stopping you.

JANUAE

I really would prefer to speak with… your mother, I assume? Your aunt, caretaker maybe?

SHOUM

My mother’s been dead for twenty-six years.

JANUAE

Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Then-

(a beat)

Wait… No. I find it hard to believe that-

SHOUM

Yes. I am the Reverent Shoum.

(chuckles)

Forgive me, I do love seeing the reactions of strangers when they finally realize it.

JANUAE

I don’t-

SHOUM

Okay, well let me clear it up for you so we can move past it. Yes, I look to be an eight year-old girl, but I have been alive fifty-seven years. I just so happen to be trapped in an eight year-old body. Let me tell you, it really doesn’t do my sex life any favors. Spoiler alert: I have no sex life.

JANUAE

I… suppose that would be-

SHOUM

Okay, so now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, are you ready to talk with this fifty-seven year-old eight year-old woman? Now you say you’ve been jaunting randomly?

JANUAE

Uncontrollably.

SHOUM

Randomly, uncontrollably; Key, kai. You randomly jaunt uncontrollably. Well, this sort of thing is not exactly in my wheelhouse. Who sent you to see me?

JANUAE

A man name Moloum. When we told him our story he thought you might have some insight as to-

SHOUM

We? You have an teplick in your pocket? Who’s we?

JANUAE

Well, this may not make sense, but the last time I jaunted, there ended up being two of me when I arrived here. I was split- or rather, duplicated. We are identical in every way, share the same history, the same memories-

SHOUM

Hold on a minute- are you serious?

JANUAE

Yes, I’m serious. I wouldn’t see any reason to-

SHOUM

That’s the same thing that happened to me! It’s the reason my body doesn’t age. When I was a little girl- you know, a real little girl, not a middle aged little girl- I was playing in a field of these polyp-like outcroppings in the valley. I was pulled into one of them, and when I was ejected there was another one of me. Just as you described. Interestingly we took quite different paths with different interests in life, though she doesn’t appear to age either. That explains why this Moloum person referred you to me. Did you encounter something similar?

JANUAE

No, nothing like that. I was forced to jaunt by a creature called the Ustiliator. It facilitates rituals in Lostrei-

SHOUM

In where?

JANUAE

Lostrei. The Spiritlands.

SHOUM

The what?

JANUAE

The- it doesn’t matter. My splitting doesn’t matter, forget the whole splitting thing. I want to know if you can help me to curb this uncontrollable jaunting, perhaps even reverse it, if need be. Stop it altogether.

SHOUM

Personally I’m more interested in the splitting thing. I’d like to study you, see if there’s anything significant to your duplication. It is considered an auspicious sign, you know… to encounter twins of any sort. You may be destined for great things. After all, I am an outseer and my twin is an important leader.

JANUAE

I don’t subscribe to fate or destiny. At least I’m not sure I do. I simply want to correct this condition.

SHOUM

Okay, well if you let me study you, maybe I can get some insight into your condition, or maybe some outsite.

(chuckles)

I see into the outside, you know, into other dimensions, even into temporal patterns sometimes. A gift that came with the split. I may be able to use my abilities to help you, though I can’t promise anything. Nor will I.

JANUAE

Understood.

SHOUM

Well then, let’s get started. But first some soup. You look like a guy who likes soup, certainly a guy who looks like he could use some soup…