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Light Flitter
7a1a17
Your healing would prolong death. At least long enough to get her back to your father. His brews and mixtures are infused with Man-Magic creation stuff. It would fix what you can't with your magics. But first-
"Ash and cinder, you don't know? I thought all Gormoamhi would know by now."
"What you talkin' about?"
"The metal man! It destroyed the Gulseeque clan!"
"Gulseeque. You're Gulseeque" she coughs. "Your clan took our men twenty years back" she mock-growls. "Then we took double yours. Heh."
You have no idea what she's talking about. Your clan had many enemies. And regularly it would launch raids to steal men of other clans not because your clan needed them, but to remind everyone you were still powerful. Of course some succeeded in raiding you, but it was very rare. You suppose if she's from a smaller clan, they would feel very proud of catching a small patrol by surprise or something.
"So what? Gulseeque is gone?" she spits "Good riddance. Why? Are you Gulseeque? The shame it heaps on me that a Gulseeque helps me."
"I just said there is no more Gulseeque" you growl back. "A Metal Man. Standing taller than the hoo-man castles, destroyed our home, wiped our clan out."
The woman starts laughing! Laughing! Then she sputters and coughs, blood flying into your face. "Ha! Good! So proud Gulseeque woman reduced to a clanless wanderer? Oh that is so sweet. It almost makes dying worth it. Heh. Almost."
"You! You're missing the important part! A giant Metal Man destroyed the clan. It will destroy other Gormoamhi clans. Nothing we did would hurt it! It was like...like...a god striding the land. Like Gormoloha stepped down from the Celestial to destroy her sister's children! And it didn't stop with us. Other clans will die. Many more clans. Just as I was made clanless, so will you! That's why I'm building a new clan. One from the ashes of the cowardly men who stumble in
my presence. I'm offering you to come with me."
The warrior woman looks at you for a long moment, then spits again. "Ha! A clanless woman trying to build a new one? How many men did you save clanless? Are they all spineless? Weak? What do they all crowd around you to make new pups" she sneers. Then her eyes widen as a wicked smile forms on her lips. "Wait-you're trying to build a clan with nonpeople? Good. Gulseeque will be as wretched as they deserve to be!"
You don't know what boils your blood more, the arrogance or stupidity of this woman! Gulseeque is gone! She's likely as clanless as you by now if she isn't already! You are sorely tempted to twist the spear and be done with this impudence, but-no. Not yet. Not until you get answers.
"If you won't agree to join, then can you at least tell me what happened here? Why are there Gormoamhi and nonpeople hanging outside that walled place?"
The smile melts away. There's pain in her eyes, and not because of the metal sticking out of her chest. It's the anguish of failure and defeat. "That walled place was our home. For a while. Then the Oo-Tan-Shi came and took it back. There were so many. And they had hoo-man, and el-fu. And do-war, and kay-da. Our warriors fought back. But we lost" she coughs. More blood spills from her mouth, and some bubbles out of the wound. "I was fighting at the gate as my sisters dies around me. Then an Oo-Tan-Shi separated me, dueled me, chased me into the pathway. I separated it from its friends so I could kill it. At least...I think I did. Or at least hurt it enough that it could not survive the wound I gave it" she chuckles darkly. "And you see what it gave me in return" she points to the spear. "I don't know how long it's been, I stopped counting the days. But I do know I heard the army march away. I don't know if they're leaving or planning to come back later" she looks up, as if she forgot you were there and suddenly remembered. "If you want me to help your crazy clan idea Gulseeque bitch, then first you need to keep me from dying."
"I have magic." you raise a burning chunk of meat, ready to cast.
"Keep that away from me!" she snarls. Apparently this clan does not like magic-users. "I mean. I need something first. Some. Things. First. I want to know if anything of my clan survived. I smelled the smoke. Heard the screaming" her voice starts to tremble. "I want to know if anyone survived. Even if all that survived was a damned breeder!"
Well there was that female you saw run back in...
"Anything else?"
"Some damn Tuglavu. Your magic might work if I don't feel it. Right now I'll probably fight your magic even though I don't want to because it hurts too damn much. Tuglavu will dull the pain. I know we had a man around making the stuff. Only useful thing the bastard did. Maybe some of his stash survived."
"And where would I find the Tuglavu? Or survivors for that matter?"
The woman tries to shrug, but winces as the spear shifts, and fresh blood spills from the wound. "Ash! Oh ash that hurts! Just. Look around or something! The army went through the place. Even if I knew a place where we kept things, they could have been shifted by all those nonpeople!"
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