In the depths of the swamp, it was impossible to tell if it was day or night. Light did not penetrate the thick foliage from above, but surprisingly, there were bioluminescent plants scattered here and there, providing enough light for the team to navigate.
Water reaching their thighs, covered in mud with leaves sticking off their head, the expedition looked worse than ever. But it was hard to tell from their expressions, as even Taren had a serene smile on his face. Which looked creepy.
"Finally, we will be done with the swamp. I hope the desert is better than this at least," Dr. Korr, who had it easier than the others commented. He carried a tuft of blue colored grass, a strangely knotted yellow vine and a skull fashioned as a cup holder, with shimmering green liquid floating in it.
Each member similarly carried items that they had either made or collected over the last four days. Lume had the most, carrying five offerings.
"It is time now, we should prepare for the offering. Who will be the priest?" As soon as Mira asked, the opening behind their backs disappeared.
They had arrived at an opening in the swamp, with a strange looking arch before them. It was covered in vines and the surrounding was packed, making it impossible to find an exit. They had followed a path to this open chamber like opening and that had disappeared now, once they had entered.
But the task list in their hand had forewarned them, so the team did not panic. Taren did try to pry open the tightly packed vines that had covered the exit in vain, but that was it.
"I will be the priest if no one else wants to do it, but be prepared for if we fail." Eira came forward, but the sixth member stopped her, choosing to volunteer. "Let me do it. This offering, it won't work unless done with true devotion. We can't risk it and I don't think anyone else wants to go through another attempt at collecting all the offerings."
The team members faces turned awkward at the mention of having to repeat their last four days. They had never been through such humiliation before. Their only solace was that there was no human watching them.
Eira also accepted her suggestion, nodding in understanding. She was truly not sure if it mattered not who was the priest or not. But better safe than sorry.
"So you're the religion type? Have you accepted the oldkins as the new gods of this world? Honestly I did not-" Mira physically intervened to shut Lume up, in case his mouth ruined their preparations.
"No, I am not religious. But I do have faith. I have faith that it will work if I perform the offerings."
'She reminds me of the specialist' was probably what everyone else thought upon hearing her words.
They had noticed the strange tension between the two, as well how her behavior changed when around him. But none of the team members were the intrusive sorts, baring Lume perhaps...
"Let's not waste any more time, please gather all the offerings in my wine basket. Place them according to the order in which we collected them. I have performed similar offerings in the past, some oldkins are very specific about such things." As she strode to the center of the opening, a lily pad appeared out of nowhere. She held out her basket, making them offer their collection of bizarre woodland decorations.
Soon the basket was full and almost immediately, a green shimmer surrounded the six. They felt the touch of grass against their skin, as a presence appeared in their midst. It was not visible, but very much present.
"Oh spirit of the old times, Zehar of the swamp, please accept our offerings and provide us your protection in our journey ahead."
The sixth member slowly placed the basket full of offerings on the lily pad, watching it slowly sink into the waters.
She bowed towards the arch lightly, before turning around.
"Is that it? Was that all? All our efforts for the last four days, all those tasks for it to literally go down the drain?" Once again, Mira appeared behind Lume, grabbing him by his neck.
And although she was skeptical as well, they had followed the task list to the tee, so at this point, there was nothing else they could do. After the offerings were made, there was no further instructions for them to follow either.
"Yes, we are done. Look behind you, the exit has appeared once more, which means we are free to leave, unless you want to remain and wait for the oldkin to provide you with a stamped receipt for your services." Eira did not hold back, as she flicked the young researcher on his forehead.
Their work in this place was over, and she had no interests n remaining here any longer.
Everyone else immediately followed suit, eager to leave.
"Have fun in the sun kissed sands of green, little ones. I am sure you will dearly wish to return here once you experience the sunburns in that old camel's domain."
The green voice abruptly attacked the team, before dissipating as quickly, leaving them bewildered. But the words spoken echoed in their years, as they dreaded going to the desert next.
Three days later
"So, all of this was a part of some balance keeping ritual? Did he just handover his duties to us to relax back in the prison? Did we just become hired labor for the mercenary that we came to hire?"
The team slowly made their way back to the prison, their bodies completely dry. They looked like husks, with dust and sand covering them all over. And Lume's incessant did not help with the mood.
"The offerings and the rituals were definitely part of some sort of a pact that the specialist has with the two oldkins. But what exactly that entails, only he will be able to confirm." The sixth member tried to calm him down, but the suffering they had been through in the last seven days made her not too keen. Even she failed to understand what exactly was the reason's behind his thinking. Just maybe, this time he wasn't truly doing it for a reason and instead did it simply cos he wanted to?
"While I am tired and dusted and exhausted like all of you, from the perspective of the journey that we are going to make, I believe having an understanding of rituals to appease the spirits of old times is a benefit few people can offer." Strangely, it was Taren who was the sound of reason.
And they had to agree with him, while they had suffered, the team had successfully encountered and lived to tell the tale of meeting two oldkins.
In the current era, this was news worthy enough to be broadcasted across all regions.
Oldkins were indeed like the gods of the new age. Within their domains, they had the ultimate say. They were powerful, almost mythical and certainly terrifying.
"The Council must have some knowledge regarding this, but experiencing it firsthand is definitely the best."
Perhaps they had all taken the journey too lightly? They had certainly taken it too lightly. If just seven days could break their patience, it was going to be a lot tougher once they would be travelling across multiple regions.
But Lume didn't want to drop the topic so easily, "Don't turn this around, we still need to get an explanation from the specialist. He could have at least accompanied us, isn't he gonna be there when we journey across the continent?"
"Oh, you want an explanation?" The heavy voice suddenly made the team stop, as they turned to look ahead. Black gear, chains that made no voice, a radio and a compass hanging from his waist.
The specialist slowly walked out from the direction of the swamp, approaching their team, Lume in particular.
"What do you want me to explain? I'm in a good mood today, maybe I will give you an answer" He genuinely seemed to be feeling good, as his tone was warm, unlike when they had first met.
But Lume looked like he had sewn his lips shut, as he made no voice. Taren couldn't help but crack a laugh at his reaction, watching him turn pale like he had looked at a ghost.
"You had us perform rituals for the oldkins, but the purpose behind them eludes us. Can you share the reason behind our actions?" The team looked at Mira in surprise as she questioned him instead of Lume. Then they turned to look at him, waiting for his reaction.
"I thought you would be more confused about how I knew exactly what steps to perform to gather the offerings. But since you asked, I will answer.
This prison is my home and it is stuck between two domains, between two oldkins who refuse to compromise and settle down, waging a constant battle from dawn to dusk. Now I don't know about you all, but I plan to have an intact home when I return from our journey. The rituals were a transaction to orchestrate a simple ceasefire between the domains for the time I am gone. Since I won't be here to mediate and balance them out like every day, I had to do this. How is that for an answer?"