[Sharp Tongue Pub] I've found the Ukalas! (Volans)

[Lucas Arias]

Winter 90, 511 AV

By now Lucas was very, very familiar with the Sharp Tongue Pub, and he had changed his mind about Nyka completely. It wasn’t „Shyke City“ or „the worst place on Mizahar“ anymore, it was like a dream come true. He had come to the decision that he could live with the fact that selling food was illegal and that the rations he received weren’t always the greatest, as long as he had access to free beer and a place where insults were actually encouraged.

So the young man who looked as if he were barely old enough to legally be allowed to drink sat at the bar, a large mug of beer in front of him and a huge smile on his face. He stood out among the Nykans. While they had dark hair and pale skin, he had bright red hair that made him look like some kind of Inarta bastard and a lot of freckles, and the look on his face betrayed that he wasn’t familiar with the way things worked around here yet.

„I’ve found the Ukalas“, he announced to nobody in particular. „Those Ethaefal are lying when they claim that they can’t go back to Leth or Syna or whoever else they worship. The Ukalas is right here, in Nyka, and it’s awesome!“

[Volans]

Now and forevermore, he is... ...the one who dwells in the recesses of night. "Something tells me that you aren't too familiar with the way things work around here." The voice that spoke in Lucas's ear was calm and slow, quite unaffected by the drinks that seemed to be in excess tonight. A creak of the chair next to him signified another presence, around the same time a rough tongue called upon the bartender for a drink. The man who sat next to him was low-set and rather burly. His pale skin and dark wavy hair might have him confused for a Nykan, but the distinctively violet tint of his hair, combined with the shifting auroral colors of his eyes quickly put such a thought out of mind. There was an eerie feeling, a preternatural one that some got when they first saw the Vantha, some feeling that the man looking at them just didn't belong. And it was this feeling Lucas might have felt as the man looked at him out of the corner of his eye, and smiled. "Greetings, traveler." The earthbound said. "I am Volans." Volans didn't make a practice of attending to the Sharp Tongue Pub. Drinking wasn't exactly a forte of his, finding the drink to be a cause of many evils. The only reason he might have attended were the word battles, which had been a passion he had maintained from his previous life. As it were, Volans liked to say he was too busy to attend the pub, but really it was apprehension putting him off. Public places in Nyka weren't enjoyable for him at best...but why should he let other's disdain stop him? "You see," Volans replied after taking a swig of wheat beer, "Besides the ethaefal you might insult - not that insults are exactly out of the norm here," -deep in Volans' black eyes, something like irony glittered- "I'd have to advise against mentioning other gods while within Nyka's walls. Some here, like those three big monks seated over there, might take offense to that."

[Lucas Arias]

As Volans adressed him, Lucas furrowed his brow and looked mildly irritated. „So?“ he asked, holding his mug firmly because he remembered too many incidents where people had tried to steal his beer. „Why does it matter to you?“ He turned his head to take a look at the man who had taken a seat next to him. To Lucas who had never met a Vantha Volans looked just like a Nykan, albeit one with really weird eyes.

„Greetings, traveler?“ Lucas repeated. He looked confused – and rather surprised. „That’s one of the first times somebody’s actually been polite to me. Normally people just say things like ‚petch off, Inarta bastard and go back to your eagles', even though I’m not really an Inarta bastard. At least I don’t think I’m one.“ The young man looked decidedly unhappy for a moment.

He briefly considered telling Volans that he was the son of a famous knight or a rich and important lord, but then he settled for the comparatively boring truth instead. „I’m Lucas“, he introduced himself. „And this place is rather like the Ukalas, don’t you think? Where I come from, you have to pay for your beer! Besides, I don’t see any Ethaefal around here.“

He let his gaze sweep across the room just in case he had missed one, but there were no people that looked as if they were half goat to be seen. As he noticed the monks Volans had mentioned, he looked rather uneasy.

„I guess I’ll refrain from mentioning other gods for the time being“, he murmurred. „Even though it doesn’t make any sense. I’ve heard that people who have gnosis marks feel drawn to Nyka. Why do they feel drawn to this city when the monks don’t like either gods? That’s just weird.“

He drank some of his beer because he didn’t like weird things and needed a distraction.

[Volans]

A smile returned Lucas’s abrupt greeting. “Just looking out for your well-being,” Volans challenged, arcing an eyebrow in lighthearted humor. “You gonna be mad because someone was nice to you?” “Maybe it’s because I’m a traveler myself.” Volans conceded, feeling considerably more talkative than usual. The beer that lay unattended at Volans’s elbow was gripped all of a sudden. “I know what it’s like to be told to petch off. Though, Inarta bastard is a new one.” A chuckle. As Lucas asked about the gods, Volans looked thoughtful for a moment. His eyes shifted from a daisy yellow to a perturbing green. “Nyka is different from the monks here, I’d say,” Volans said at last. “The Four and the monks were drawn to this place just like everyone else, I’d say. And, since they were here first, they think they have a claim on it.” The volume had been dropped on this last sentence, traded in subterfuge with the red-haired boy next to him. As if he didn’t want to be overheard. “Don’t say that either, though.” The earthbound leaned back, took a swig of his beer. “As I take it, the monks now tolerate all the pilgrims and devout followers that come here.” he concluded. “They deal with it, so to speak.” “And what about you, Lucas? You say you have to pay for beer where you come from...but where would that obviously dreary place be?”

[Lucas Arias]

„Oh, how nice“, Lucas said as Volans claimed that he was just looking out for his well being. There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice. „Anyway, I don’t think I’m going to be mad at you, at least not as long as the conversation’s halfway interesting.“

As Volans revealed that he was a traveller himself, the redhead arched an eyebrow. „So?“ he asked him. „You could have fooled me. You look just like those Nykans. So … where do you come from? Any place I might be interested in?“

Lucas didn’t know anything about the history of Nyka, so he actually looked very, very interested as Volans mentioned that the Four – which he assumed were the four Alvina that seemed to be in charge of the city – had been drawn there as well.

„I’ll keep quiet“, he assured him. „So they were pilgrims in a way as well?“ He had enough common sense to lower his voice a little as he asked this. It was strange that those divine beings had come here for the same reason as him, although Lucas wouldn’t necessarily call himself „devout“. He just wanted to understand, that was all.

„Syliras“, he replied curtly. „The home of all the noble and honorable knights. It’s a very dreary place! It’s impossible to have fun there, and you have to pay for everything!“

[Volans]

"Oh, I think you'll find that I'm much different than a Nykan, Lucas." the man said quite seriously enough, his accent shifting into something unplaceable at the end. Flickering torchlight painted a faraway look on the man's face, something not grounded in the reality of the Sharp Tongue Pub. But at the former squire's question, he stirred. "...Where I am, from you ask? Well, I've been around a little ways," he said ambiguously, "And, while Avanthal is my original home, I've been in Nyka for a while now, and I'd have to say this is my new home." That was true, or as close to truth as Volans could get. "Though the natives have never forgotten I was not born here; they have long memories, their kind." he said it as if speaking not just about Nykans but humans in general. "As for the Four...I guess so. The ways of gods, even half-gods, are hard to fathom and even harder to understand. All I know is that the city was built on their backs, so, in a way, they are responsible for the free ale." He arched an eyebrow over a frothing cup. "One thing to be thankful for, right?" At the mention of Lucas's home city, Volans turned to face Lucas more fully, obviously intrigued. "Syliras, you say?" he asked. "And knights. Huh. Named after the god Sylir, I guess. Damned shame he went in that cataclysm." Now again there was a certain oddity; he spoke about the Valterrian as if talking about recent events. Afterwards, Volans fell silent. "You know..." he said suddenly a bell later, "There are rumors that Nyka herself is based on the ruins of a pre-Valterrian city. An old, old city of which there exists very little mention...and in a city like this, intrigue is always in ready supply. But this is one rumor that never seems to die out." Dark eyes slanted to the side to appraise a reaction. "And the Celestials can't have been the first to be attracted by the Aperture, could they?"

[Lucas Arias]

„How different?“ Lucas wanted to know and furrowed his brow. As Volans stated that Avanthal was his original home, he asked, „Are you a Vantha? That’s what the people in Avanthal are called, I think. Can you change your eyes like them? And yes, the Nykans have long memories. And they act really strange towards me sometimes because I have red hair. Apparently that’s weird in their opinion.“ He touched his head and the red hair in question and made a face. Sometimes he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d pass for a Nykan if he just dyed his hair. But then again he kind of liked standing out.

„I should go to a temple and pray and thank them for the free ale then“, he remarked, and then he noticed the way in which Volans talked about ‚that cataclysm‘, as if he had actually been there. He remembered that Volans had claimed he was ‚much different‘ and looked a little worried all of a sudden. „You are not one of those Nuit, aren’t you?“ he whispered. They were the most different and frightening creatures he could think of – and they lived a very long time (kind of). „You are not going to nuitify me, right?“

„Sorry, I think I’m getting a little drunk“, he apologized immediately, realizing how ridiculous it sounded. He cleared his throat. „So … do you know more about that pre-Valterrian city?“

[Volans]

Taking a swig of ale, Volans turned again to look at Lucas as he theorized about Volans's race. Almost if on cue, his eyes changed from a amused shade of green to a preoccupied brown. “You could call me Vantha, yes,” he agreed, “And my eyes do indeed change. Beyond that, however, I am no less human that you are.” Mentally, he cringed at the lie, but as he had told Lucas, oddity was not something easily accepted in this town. The less people knew of what happened to Volans at night, the better. “No, I'm not a Nuit,” Volans snapped, almost moved to irritation by the claim. “And even if I was, I don't think I'd 'nuitify' – if such a thing even exists – in front of all these people.” Again, there was another cringe, but this one was visible. “Sorry...I think I'm getting drunk too. I'm not this quick tempered normally.” the ethaefal said apologetically. “Ale, while good in small doses, isn't exactly the best thing to have long term.” Nonetheless, the ale cup remained firmly contained within his free hand. “I don't know much about the old city, no,” Volans said, glad for the change in topic. “There's only one other thing. Some people have said the name of it...well. I'm not exactly sure if they are telling the truth, but apparently the old city was called Nykalia.” he raised a brow sceptically. “I'm not sure about it, but it sure would fit, huh?”

[Lucas Arias]

Lucas looked at Volans incredulously as the man’s eyes suddenly went from green to brown. „Awesome!“ he proclaimed. „Can you teach me how to change my eye color? I’d love to see the look on Yeller’s face when I suddenly show up here with red eyes!“ The failed squire grinned. „Yeller’s the owner of this place“, he explained in case Volans didn’t know. „And sometimes my boss. I help out here, but today I’m just here for fun! There is no better place in all of Nyka!

As Volans informed him that he was not a Nuit, Lucas breathed a sigh of relief, but his relief didn’t last long. As he realized that the Vantha had practically snapped at him, the redhead made a face. „Hey, I don’t know anything about Nuit!“ he defended himself. „I don’t know how Nuit make other Nuit either. And you claimed that you were different! How was I supposed to know what exactly you meant?“

„No, ale isn’t the best thing to have long term“, Lucas agreed. „Want another one?“

He nodded as Volans revealed the old city’s name. „Nyka and Nykalia. It does indeed make sense. So is that why you moved from Avanthal to Nyka, Volans? To study the history of Nyka? Or are you interested in the Alvina and the monks that run this place?“