Azimuth: The Elden Throne (New Version)

418  A second meeting with the Karkavan End

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/Thud…/

Kuddan placed the box in his hands on a table before turning to Dale.

/Cough.../

He coughed lightly, ready to begin.

His aura seemed different from usual. He was focused and sturdy, intent on performing whatever he had in mind to the utmost efficiency and precision.

Usually, Kuddan was laid back; he had his pride and authority, but as an old man, he didn't bother with as many things as he once did, opting to enjoy the present more than to worry too much with whimsical things.

"I'll explain what I'll be doing before we begin. Please, let me know if you wish to proceed with it after hearing it."

"I'm not here to impose anything onto you, nor should you feel obliged to follow my ideas."

"And above all, this isn't the first time I'm doing this on one of your kind nor was I the first to do so. It has been a long time since then, but there are records of it in our history for me to take as a reference. I felt it was best I said this before I gave you any impressions."

"I… Alright." Dale said after putting some thought into it, choosing to hear things first rather than speak anything

With a weak nod, Kuddan did something Dale did not expect at all… He removed his mask, revealing his face for the both of them!

Kuddan's face was like that of any elderly man, and it was to be expected given the Karkavan humanoid appearance.

However, he had several features that differed from those of a Human.

First, his nose was somewhat long, curved downward, likely from the mask pressing against his face.

His lips were thin and unusually wide, and his cheekbones were extraordinarily high, sticking to his skin as if threatening to pierce it.

It could be because he was old and thin, but those cheekbones would've been noticeable even if he were healthy.

Like the rest of his body, Kuddan's skin color was fading. In some spots, it was green; in others, it was almost white.

The pigment underneath his skin was fading as his cells broke apart...

He had an unusual mustache that covered his lips. It was long and thin as it went beyond his chin, that one he knew given it went beyond the mask.

Aside from that, he had a pair of strange skin flaps dangling on his jawline, like a lizard's dewlap.

However, when he saw some of the children playing around, Dale didn't notice those details on them, so he imagined this may not be a natural trait of the species but a result of Kuddan's unusually long age.

The Karkavan average lifespan was around that of forty years, and even that was considerable given they have a metabolism about three times higher then the average person.

Kuddan had lived for over 150 years… That would be the same as a Human living for over four centuries, almost five…

Deformities in his body weren't unexpected, signs of his decaying body as it failed to keep itself afloat.

Nonetheless, those weren't the things Kuddan wanted him to see.

All around his face, intricate carvings and enigmatic tattoos adorned every crevice of his skin.

They were smooth and symmetrical, almost too perfect for the mortal hand to produce… But how else would they have been made?

Dale recognized some of the designs, and he had seen similar images painted on murals and other items before.

Ancient history adorned his body... The mark of a Karkavan that passed long, long before he had been born.

"Can you see it? These tattoos?" Kuddan asked as he lightly touched his face

"... Are you okay with revealing your face like this?"

/Chuckle…/

"Child, I'm already past my youth. All know my face already, my mask is mostly symbolic, besides... I've learned to enjoy the world without it over the years."

"To pass on what I know to others, I must show what they should strive towards, and how can I do that with a mask on my face?"

"Your mages may be able to see beyond the veil of a mask, but we cannot… So my mask should be taken out, it is but the natural course of things."

"Don't stress yourself over it."

Dale's worry came mostly from Hina, as in the Karkavan culture, showing their face was a sign of great respect and intimacy.

He could understand Kuddan showing his face to him, he was a "Great Warrior" by their own terms... Although it felt embarrassing admitting that to himself...

But Hina was nothing, an outsider, a flimsy female Human with nothing in her name to prove her abilities.

It was harsh, but the Karkavan were like that.

/Clears throat…/

Kuddan touched his face, crossing his fingers and tracing the tattoos slowly.

"… These tattoos aren't mere ink splattered across my skin..." As he said that, Kuddan took off his robes, revealing his bare chest.

Underneath them, Dale saw the battered body of a warrior, riddled with wounds and scars, so many it was hard to even see the patterns underneath them.

Kuddan's muscles were still present, but his advanced age made them appear feeble, even though they were as large as ever due to his size.

Hina gulped down nervously. She wasn't embarrassed by the old man showing his body; she was genuinely fearful of the amount of wounds on his body, to the point she worried how he was even alive.

"Tattoos?"

"Correct… To say it in terms you would be more familiar with… There is power in patterns."

"In ancient times, the first civilizations drew power from nature in the form of rudimentary Runes and vague Shapes… Calling them shapes is probably an overstatement as it was nothing else but letting Nature take its own course." He said as he walked to the side, touching old and faded symbols on his astrology machine

"However, we would go nowhere if we let Nature reign over us completely, so over time, in their eternal pursuit of improvement and answers to the world's mysteries. The runes transformed into words, paragraphs, systems of magic and mysticism that gave birth to entire civilizations' cultures and myths. And those vague shapes became the foundation of their own systems of power and belief."

"Passed down from one Civilization to the other, those systems were inherited, modified, improved, or merely transformed. Amidst many other iterations."

"To some, they became their very language, to others, a mere tool for their mundane tasks..."

"Some species were born with the ability to speak and modify nature, to visualize its intricacies and correlate to it... Others grew attuned to it, either naturally or through powerful rituals enforced through countless generations."

"Others meditate for eons so they could witness the cogs of creation and derive whatever meaning they sought from it..."

"Eras of chaos ended and sprouted, high tides and lows brought those systems up… And down."

"What you see is just another reflection of those transformations. Magic, but in another form."

"Tri-dimensional... Two-dimensional..."

"... Shapes, but not in the form of Spell Circuits and Lines, but through imagery."

"Yet, they're both the same, as when Ink and flesh connect, a circuit is built."

"This is our culture, the power of the Karkavan. The way through which we manifest our Hex power."

"Hm..."

"Hex power?" Hina asked as she heard the term again, confused and worn out from being flung all over the place by terms and ideas she couldn't make head or tails about

Kuddan looked at Dale for a moment, who then nodded, so Kuddan began to explain:

"Hex power is but a term. It can be simplified to the power of the flesh, what your kind visualizes as the Prime Origin, Prime Force, Vitality."

"But it also encompasses Mana, the force of life, Spirituality… The manifestation of what lies within, also known to you as… The Soul."

"Some of your kind mistakenly visualize Hex power as Aura, but it is not it, however, nor is it a form of unique power."

"To us, Hex is nature… No, it strives to feel it. Guide us towards it."

"Hex is the boat drifting in Nature's infinite and depthless river."

"To you, Hex is a compendium of ideologies bundled together in a chaotic order a Mage would be driven insane in an attempt to understand it."

"So they simplify it by calling us Barbarians. But they aren't completely wrong as their perspective is also correct."

"Denying ours, however... That is true barbarity."

"While you see confusion in mixing too many terms together, we see peace and order in not trying to stratify its natural complexity."

"You see an amalgamation of orders layered together in a system so complex… Only your Gods can understand it."

"We are no different in that regard… We aim to live with nature, but we cannot understand it. Not with the short lifespans we possess."

"It is our curse and blessing, to live, we must be strong, but to be strong, we must die."

"Such is how nature ordained it. We may struggle, but that is okay, as all beings were given the right to strive and struggle, regardless of their birth."

"As all encompass the law of nature."

Hina's expression was blank, and it was evident she got lost halfway through the first three or four paragraphs the moment Prime Origin was mentioned.

Inside her mind, she kept going in loops upon loops, trying to make sense of what she just heard.

"Hm…"

Meanwhile, Dale was in deep thought, not wholly getting the idea behind Kuddan's words but not denying it outright.

He already had an idea that Hex power was but a term for a bundle of ideas; it wasn't meant to be anything more, nor nothing less.

But the Karkavan have unique senses and connection with the natural forces; as such, for them, there is no purpose in stratifying nature, and so, Hex takes a new meaning, one beyond his senses to comprehend.

It is similar to the differences in language.

A language may have evident roots in defining past, present, and future in terms…

But another may define itself by displaying time in one singular string. Past, present, and future irrelevant.

Both would find difficulty understanding one another, but neither is wrong as both are means to transmit information.

There is a discussion to be had as to which is more efficient and "correct", yet, when did such discussions ever go anywhere?

The bias one may have for one's own language is a hard thing to break. A solution to such mysteries is perhaps something not meant to be found.

There was no need to put too much thought into it. This was the essence behind this whole subject.

"So?... The plan is to tattoo me?" Dale asked as he looked at the box of items

"... I can tell from your tone that you don't seem so inclined to do it." Kuddan said in a low tone as he stared back at Dale

He didn't show it, but Dale found Kuddan's expression to be of great disappointment… Maybe because he had no reason to hide anything with a mask, the Karkavan never grew proficient in hiding their facial expressions.

"The problem is not the process, it's the tattoos… I don't think I'm ready to be tattooed all over. It's more of a… Aesthetics issue…"

'If I did that, I would trully become a Barbarian... Not anything against their practices, but I'm not ready to just throw away all of my decency.'

'Maybe a tattoo here and there...'

Hina nodded, which made Dale frown a bit further…

"Hm… Then… We shouldn't have an issue. Inking your body is not necessary."

"Really? But how can you tattoo me without Ink?"

"Hum… Maybe you did not realize the meaning of my prior words."

"Ink is but a medium to connect the flesh and form a greater cycle… If Ink cannot be used… Then we shall make use of another method."

"Is that even possible?"

"I don't know." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

""...""

/Chuckle…/

"A mere jest… It is possible."

With what Dale could only describe as a proud smile, Kuddan added:

"Regardless of the method, I am the best the Karkavan can offer you. I may be old and worn out, but even in another 100 years, I shall remain the pinnacle of our craft."

"Few in our history may compare to me. There is no dignity in humility when it is out of place. And I know where I stand." He shouted as he stood upright

As he straightened his back, Kuddan stood at a mighty three meters tall, and for a moment, Dale seemed to see a shadow of his former self, a giant like any of his species... Although it was clear he had shrunk dramatically over the years.

"Huff..."

It did not last long as he soon hunched back, clutching his walking stick as he regained his balance, gasping slightly as he patted his shoulders.

"If you do not wish to harm your aesthetics, then I shall provide you with an alternative." Kuddan said as he moved to his box

From within, he took a glistering object, sending shivers down Dale's shoulders and body…

A type of primal fear shook over him... Almost causing his legs to shake...

"Just like the old witch transformed your vessel, I shall do the same, this time, the outside." He said as he pulled a large, crooked knife from within the box

"Your vessel possesses great, untapped powers. It's like a fountain with a never-ending supply of water."

"..."

"Of course, we must prevent the fountain from exhausting, but we also must prevent it from breaking due to its own pressure."

"I'll shape it anew, like clay. Connect the outside with the inside and finalize your Cycle in one singular... Greater Shape."

"..."

Dale was silent, his expression hollow…

"Do not worry, child." Kuddan said with an understanding smile as he looked at his knife

"Behind me are millennia of practices and studies. There is simplicity in our craft, but it is not in any way less than what she provided you."

"Today, I shall surpass all of my previous works. You shall be the pinnacle of my ability, the apex of my craft."

"I swear upon my name, my ancestors, and my land."

"..."

'That's not the problem here old man!' Dale screamed inside his mind as blood drained from his face

It seemed he wasn't going to be spared from pain once again…

Another dreadful experience was about to commence.

The transformation of the Vessel in the hands of the old Barbarian!

The creation of the ultimate body.

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