Spirits of Alaruk

Chapter 2: Ludaru

Treke trailed behind Elder Vrenik as they made their way through the bamboo thicket. She could tell Vrenik was already weary from the news, but she needed to know more. “Could you tell me about Ludaru, Elder Vrenik? Who are they?”

Avoiding eye contact, there was a solemn grunt from Elder Vrenik. “It’s a sore subject, child,” he grumbled. “I’ll tell you more when we reach the shrine.” He clicked his beak, clearly frustrated. “Ludaru was supposed to be sealed away in that shrine, meant to be forgotten by the rest of the clan. I, too, have questions that I need answered.”

"Don't worry, Elder Vrenik. We’ll get to the bottom of this. "

"I have a theory of what might have happened, but I’d like to investigate the shrine first. It’s been half a lifetime since I last visited it, and the path would be long overgrown by now, but we can still locate it through rranha detection. You’ll know it when you sense it; try it now.”

Stopping for a moment, Treke closed her eyes and concentrated on the energies around her. She could feel something up ahead, making her unusually uneasy. “Up ahead… to the right of the path. It’s that same feeling I had from before, during my dream.”

“Good, good. You’re becoming adept at this. We must be close then.” He gestured to Treke to go ahead of him. “Lead us there, young ruksala.”

It felt strange to be called a ruksala by her mentor, but Treke stepped up and let her new senses guide her. Nearing the source, her heart pounded faster, making her feel queasy. She was unsure if this was rranha or just nervous anticipation, but the eerie silence in the air told her everything.

“It’s here,” she said, pointing to an area on the side of the path. There were remnants of cut bamboo from many years ago, evidence of a formerly maintained path, but enough bamboo had grown over to conceal anything recognizable at a first glance. The bamboo was thick and too close together to just walk through it.

“Hmm… Let’s get these out of the way first,” said Elder Vrenik, grabbing a stalk of green bamboo and snapping it with a single powerful arm.

Treke did the same and made quick work of the bamboo, snapping off pieces and pushing ahead to create a path large enough for both of them.

“Ahh, I wish I was still as lively as you are now,” Elder Vrenik chuckled, sidestepping his way past the fallen bamboo. “I suppose that’s why you’ll be taking my place soon enough, eh?”

“Elder Vrenik, don’t say such things,” Treke said, giving Vrenik an awkward glance and holding the last of the bamboo out of the way for him to slip through. “You still have many years left to live.”

“I’m old, child, it’s a fact of life. I won’t be around forever.” He gave her a reassuring smile before reaching the clearing. “Ah, here we are!”

Just like Treke saw in her dream, a large ancient stone slab stood alone in the bamboo thicket covered in moss and lichen. The rranha emanating off of the shrine was so powerful that it made her stomach churn. She kept her distance from the tainted stone, fearful of the remaining negative energy.

“So this is Ludaru’s shrine…”

“Yes, but no Ludaru around.” Elder Vrenik circled around the shrine, looking for anything out of place. Aside from some disturbed moss on the stone’s surface, it appeared there was more pathway cleared behind the shrine. “Someone came through here, somewhat recently. The new growth of the bamboo around here looks only a few months ago.”

“And someone had to know where it was in the first place. I thought you said only the Nuek clan knows where this shrine is?”

There was a grumble from Elder Vrenik. "I don't like this at all... I have a feeling it's him."

"Who?" Treke's ears perked up.

"Do you remember Karrak?"

"Your previous apprentice? I thought he left the island years ago.”

"Now I’m not so sure… Do you know why he left?"

Treke shook her head.

"He kept challenging me on how to use spiritual energy, but I repeatedly warned him he was misusing it. I refused to teach him any further, and then he got violent… He was banished from the village after that."

"I'm sorry, Elder Vrenik… It must be devastating to have your own apprentice turn against you.”

"An unfortunate outcome for certain, but it was his own arrogance that led to it. I had hoped he would change, but alas.” Elder Vrenik sighed and shook his head. “I never told him about Ludaru’s shrine, but I believe he may have found it on his own." Running a hand over the mossy surface, he took a closer inspection of the shrine to see if he could find more answers. "It appears the lingering rranha here is from a spell. I want you to cleanse the shrine, Treke."

"Cleanse it?"

"You should be able to purge the rranha here with the help of Klaiune. Remove the negative energy here until you no longer sense it."

“I’ve never done something like this before.” Bewildered, she turned inward to Klaiune for assistance. “What do I do?”

“Concentrate and push back against the negative energy with your mind,” the spirit replied. “I will provide my own energy as you channel it.”

“As you say…” Treke took a deep breath, pressed her hands together and focused. As she mentally struggled against the rranha, she could sense just how powerful and palpable it really was. It made her uneasy, sapping at her strength, but as she continued to focus, she could feel it begin to dissipate.

"Good," said Elder Vrenik. "I can already sense it weakening. Keep going!"

Her vision darkened as she pressed harder, straining to remove the last of the negative energy. Turning further inward for more resolve, she envisioned the power of sparkling stars, their fierce light piercing the inner darkness. The powers from Klaiune’s energy reserves, known as kenha, was a form of starlight itself, and it quickly burned away at the remaining at the rranha as Treke channeled her magic. With a lash of her tail, she snapped her eyes back open, her mind feeling sharp and awakened once more.

"Did I... did I do it?" she asked, glancing around the shrine’s clearing.

Elder Vrenik hummed with approval. “I believe you did, my young ruksala. I can feel quite a difference now. Well done.”

"Iatak… That was… rather exhausting," she sighed with relief. She could finally relax again, knowing the rranha would no longer be a problem.

"It will be at first, but you'll get the hang of it. It will be worse with tukran around, so I recommend you build up some endurance. Rranha will weaken you if you're around it for too long."

"I see... I’ll keep that in mind.”

"Now, as for the shrine..." Vrenik hummed thoughtfully to himself, brushing moss from the shrine's surface. Various engravings adorned the stone, a warning to the clan to avoid the spirit residing inside. "Hmph. I have no doubt it was Karrak that broke the seal placed here by previous clan elders. It is forbidden for anyone to approach this shrine, and our village is already well hidden from other fuglan clans. I cannot think of anyone else who has access to such knowledge and yet also so defiant against our sacred principles.”

"How do we go about finding him? Ancestor Klaiune told me Ludaru isn't on the island."

"Hmm... the rranha trail is faint, but you may be able to follow it to find Ludaru. If my theory is correct, Karrak has spirit-bonded with Ludaru, as ancestral spirits cannot leave a shrine without a living fuglan to spirit-bond with. If you wish to find them, you will have to leave the island.”

Treke clasped her hands together in concern. Leaving the island would be a first for her, as she had barely ventured outside of the village and surrounding forest. "Will you come with me, at least?"

"I can't, child, my duties lie here in the village. But this would be a good opportunity for you to expand your horizons. Get to know more of the world, eh?"

"I suppose... I've never left the island before. Other than visiting the shrines, I barely even leave the village."

"You'll be fine,” Elder Vrenik chuckled. “I know we fuglans of the Neuk clan are quite secretive and don’t leave our village often, but think of yourself as an ambassador as you meet other fuglans. You should visit Sivaterin on the north side of the island, on the lagoon. The sea fuglan clan can help you get across the water."

Treke nodded. "All right. I admit I haven't met any of them yet..."

"They're actually quite a friendly bunch. Bring a gift along and make a friend or two! I don't expect you to do this all by yourself, after all. Now, off you go.”

* * *

She was still unsure of what she would encounter, but if Elder Vrenik wasn't afraid, then she had no reason to be either. Before visiting the sea fuglan village, she headed home to say goodbye to her family and pack supplies for the trip. Her mother and father were concerned about seeing her go, but her uncle and two sisters were excited for her.

"Are you really going to travel beyond the sea?" her younger sister Tirine asked as Treke rolled up one of her robes to pack away.

"Yes. Hopefully not too far. I'm not sure where I’ll be going yet, but I’ll only go as far as I need to."

"But that still could be very far away."

"It's all right. I don't plan to go alone."

"Can I come with you?"

Treke sighed and shook her head. "No. It may be dangerous. I don't think I could live with myself if something happened to you.”

"You'd better come back safely then! I want to hear stories about the outside world."

"Don't worry, sister. I'll come back as soon as I can. Work on your weaving while I’m away, okay?”

Tirine nodded and sank for a moment before perking up again. “Oh! Do you want to bring along the blanket I made? Here!” She ran to her cot and returned with a folded up blanket, which was decorated with a tropical flower motif throughout the weave. “There’s a few mistakes, but it’s still warm!”

“Of course, sister. Thank you.” Treke gave her little sister a hug before packing it away. “I’ll be sure to keep it safe.”

Her other sister and her uncle were very encouraging, giving a small bag of tea leaves to take along. It took a little convincing for her parents, but they too soon turned around. They knew she needed to take care of responsibilities and was old enough to leave on her own. Grateful for their understanding, packed and ready to go, she headed back into the forest.

Before heading to Sivaterin, the first thing she needed to do was find a gift for the sea fuglans. Nangangu fruit was currently in season, the trees aplenty on the island, and was considered a favorite treat for most fuglans. A bit of traveling past the bamboo forest, she spotted a large tree with plenty of fruit, ripe for the picking.

Setting her pack down, Treke shimmied up the trunk of the tree. Her large arms were perfect for grasping around the trunk, and her smaller clawed feet dug into the bark, making climbing an easy task for the forest fuglan. Using her tail to wrap around a branch for stability, she picked a few fruit within reach and dropped them down to the forest floor below.

"These will do," she said to herself, climbing back down and examining her newly acquired prizes, each about the size of her paw. She decided she would keep one for herself to eat.

The fruit's color was a gradient of bright yellow to a pinkish red, from stem to the base. A reddish color was a good indication that the fruit was sweet and ripe for eating. The shape of the fruit was elongated and split into three sections, like fingers, and the rind was a little tough, but not difficult for a fuglan to tear apart. The pale-yellow flesh inside gave off a sweet flowery aroma, filled with rows of dozens of little black seeds in the center. Tearing into the juicy flesh with her beak, seeds and all, she ripped off small chunks and swallowed them whole. The flavor was sweet and a bit tangy, and lingered in her mouth. Having her fill, she gathered the two remaining fruits and stuffed them into her pack.

The village of Sivaterin was not far down the forest path, perhaps no further than a half hour walk. She followed it along, trying to keep in mind which way was north. Within a few minutes of walking, she reached the edge of the forest, where it opened up to an expanse of dune grass that stretched out a ways until it exposed a sandy beach, followed by a large lagoon that drained into a vast blue ocean. The island itself was crescent shaped and the lagoon was at its center, giving its name Crescent Island.

As the briny scent of the sea hit her nostrils, she realized how open the lagoon was compared to her village. She felt nervous entering a biome she was not familiar with, having lived in the safety of the forest for her entire life. She had no reason to visit the sea fuglans' village until now, as her clan was normally quite secluded. The village of Sivaterin was entirely built on pilings, connected to a system of docks that curved along the edge of the lagoon. Several additional rows of piers extended from the inner curve of the main branch of docks, each lined with more huts and boats. Walking along the long stretch of dock that extended from the beach, the first thing that she noticed was that all the fuglans that lived there were various shades of blue, green, and yellow. It was unlike the forest fuglans in her own village, who were purple, pink, and blue. Instead of spines, they had crested fins along the back of their heads and dorsal side of their tails. They also wore different clothes, woven from hemp, with no sleeves or flowing robes, but lots of jewelry made from seashells and pieces of coral. Although Treke found the differences between them and her clan to be staggering, she tried not to stare as it was considered rude by her clan’s standards.

Most of the villagers looked busy, hustling about and weaving nets, or patching up their homes and boats. Treke spotted one sea fuglan, green and teal in color, sitting on the edge of a pier, fishing pole in her hands. She looked bored and half focused on the water, but not particularly busy. Treke felt comfortable enough to approach her.

"Umm... excuse me? Can you help me?"

"Hmm?" The sea fuglan's long frilled ears flicked in response before she looked up at Treke. "Oh, hello! You’re… not from around here, are you? What do you need?"

Treke wrung her tail between her hefty hands, reluctant to ask at first. "Well... I was wondering if you could help me find someone who could ferry me off of the island? I need to go somewhere."

The sea fuglan grinned. "Well, fortunately for you, I happen to be a ferrier! When I'm not out fishing, that is."

"Oh!" Treke's ears perked up. "Would you mind? I would greatly appreciate it. I'm Treke, by the way. I’m from Nuekrin.”

"Nice to meet you! I'm Siku." She pulled up her fishing line and examined it with disappointment. "Kalagala, these fish aren't biting today for some reason... So, where do you need to go?"

"I'm not actually sure where exactly, but I just know that I need to go somewhere across the water."

"Hmm... I wouldn't mind ferrying you, but not knowing where you need to go might make my job a little difficult. Do you at least know which direction you need to go? I would assume your destination is not in the middle of the open sea.”

"Oh, right. Yes, of course..." She closed her eyes and concentrated, feeling where the nearest pool of rranha was located. Oddly enough, it appeared to be coming from below the lagoon. "Wait, I... Something doesn't seem right."

Siku cocked her head to the side. "Hmm? What's wrong?"

At first Treke believed she was mistaken, but concentrating further, it definitely seemed like the rranha was coming from the bottom of the lagoon. "Do you think you could take me out to the lagoon first? I need to check something." She pointed to the area where the rranha felt strongest.

"In the middle of the lagoon?"

"Yes, I know it sounds strange, considering I'm not a sea fuglan, but I feel something is down there..."

Siku gave Treke a concerned but compliant look. "All right, I'll get my boat ready. I need to take a break from fishing anyway. I haven't caught anything all day," she sighed, standing up. “Follow me.”

Leading Treke further down the docks, to a small outrigger canoe with a crab claw sail, the boat was big enough to fit either three fuglans, or two with a load of fish. The sail itself, woven from canvas, was decorated with a crest of the three moons which represented the Sivate clan. The smallest moon, in full phase, sat in the center, encircled by a slightly larger crescent moon, followed by the third largest crescent moon encircling those two, creating a triple lunar eclipse.

"Hop on in, my forest-dwelling friend! I'm not sure what you're looking for in the lagoon, but I can at least take you out there. You can leave your bag here on the docks so that you don't get anything wet."

Treke left her bag and climbed into the boat, her legs wobbling underneath her. She had no experience with boats and found it strange how easily it glided in the water. Sitting down and grabbing onto both sides of the canoe, it took her a moment to find her balance. Siku untied the rope connecting to the pier and effortlessly stepped into the boat, using her weight to push it away from the docks. A large paddle, carved with more images of moons, was all Siku needed to guide the sea vessel further into the water, gently alternating a stroke on each side to paddle forward.

"Do you ferry forest fuglans off the island often?" asked Treke, nervously peering into the water.

"Not really. The last time we had to ferry someone was several big moon cycles ago. I usually transport fish and other stuff to and from port Hulerin.”

"Hulerin?"

"Yes, it's a desert town about a day's travel from here by boat. I like to travel back and forth every chance I get! I just happen to ferry fuglans across too if I'm going." Siku smiled proudly about her profession.

"I see... Could you head towards the center of the lagoon? That's where I think I'll find something."

"Whatever you say. Did you know that's where a volcano used to be? It just sank into the sea one day, long ago, and that's why we have a crescent shaped island."

"Yes, I've heard about that story from the clan elders. I'm not looking for a volcano though." Treke checked the water again, noticing no fish were present. "At least I don't think so."

Whatever it was, Treke could now pinpoint the location to the center of the crater below the lagoon. She had no intention of going down there herself, only getting as close as she could from the surface. Just like at the shrine, she could feel a nervous, sickly energy emanating from the area.

Siku paddled away, alternating her strokes on either side of the canoe to propel it swiftly through the water until they finally reached the center. The water beneath them was such a vibrant deep blue that Treke could see no bottom in sight, and it gave her the chills.

"Well, here we are. I'm guessing what you're looking for is down there?" Siku gestured towards the crater.

"Yes, I can feel an unusual amount of rranha coming from below. I'm not sure why, but I'm going to try to cleanse the lagoon."

"I'm not sure what rranha is, but do what you need to do, then."

"I can explain it afterwards. Wait... I think it's moving. I feel something terrible down there."

"A bad fish perhaps?" chuckled Siku.

"Actually... Klaiune, is it possible for you to go down there and observe?"

"Who's Klaiune?"

"Oh, my apologies. They're my ancestral spirit. They help me with things I can't do on my own."

Siku shrugged and decided to wait quietly. Like most laymen fuglans, Siku was unable to see or hear any spirits on her own.

"I will check the water, but my reach is limited," Klaiune responded, emerging from Treke's third eye like a billow of smoke. "As I am tethered to your physical form, I will only be able to travel about eight meters or so before you lose your spirit bond with me.”

"I understand. Only go as far as you can then, and tell me if you see anything unusual."

"I will do my best."

Klaiune floated away and descended into the water, its ghostly form passing through the liquid as if it was nothing. Like the spirit said, it only reached about eight meters before it returned and resurfaced. "The sea fuglan was correct in her assumption. There appears to be a large fish near the bottom of the crater, much deeper than I can reach."

"A fish… with rranha?”

"There is also a tukra possessing it."

Treke went silent for a moment as she took in the information. She dreaded the day she had to encounter a tukra on her own. "Can we... get rid of it?"

"We should be able to banish it. However..."

"...However?"

"We need to be closer to the fish. We cannot deal with the tukra when it's at the bottom of the lagoon."

Treke sighed in frustration. There was no way she was going into the water to get closer. "Siku? You're good at fishing, right?"

"Yeah? My whole clan is skilled at fishing. We’re sea fuglans, after all."

"That includes larger fish too?"

Siku gave Treke a questioning look. "It's not every day we hunt large fish, but yes. What are you getting at?"

She wasn't quite sure how to tell Siku that there was a giant possessed fish at the bottom of the lagoon, and that it needed to be taken care of. "I suppose I should explain what a ruksala does first..."

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