Vescrutia: Legacy

Okoye descended from the sky, her feet landing softly on the grass covered stones of Neovia, as her demonic mount dissolved into the air behind her. The creature, with its massive wings and shadowy form, had been a constant companion during her journey, a symbol of the power she had gained in the Tarkan Plains. But here, in the heart of this city, she needed no such displays. Her power was now etched into her very being, a part of her as natural as the air she breathed.

The streets of Neovia, once familiar enough, now felt incredibly distant. The vibrant colors of the market square seemed muted, the laughter and chatter of the townsfolk a mere background noise to the thoughts swirling in her mind. She had been gone for a year, but it felt like a lifetime. The Tarkan Plains had tested her, pushed her to the edge, and in the end, she had emerged stronger, armed with the knowledge and power she needed to challenge the B'halian Empire.

Her journey had taken her to Helidor, where she had been forced to seek refuge after a grueling battle. The Gilded Fangs, a guild of hunters with a reputation as fierce as their name, had found her and nursed her back to health. They were rough around the edges, but their loyalty and skills had earned her respect. Ovan, Clara, Zol, Erigor, A'isha in particular, had become a trusted allies in her journey. Their bond had been forged in the fires of battle, and she knew she could count on him when the time came to face the Empire.

But now, as she walked through the streets of her city, she could sense the unease in the air. Whispers followed her, sharp and cutting, as the townsfolk watched her pass. Their glares were not of recognition but suspicion. She had returned to Neovia with victories under her belt, yet the weight of those victories pressed heavily on her shoulders. She was unaware of the dark clouds that had gathered in her absence.

The B'halian Empire had already cast its shadow over Neovia. They had come looking for her, leaving a trail of fear and uncertainty in their wake. Worse still, they had declared war on Madiera, a move that had thrown the region into chaos. Okoye had been fighting her battles in distant lands, oblivious to the fact that war had already found its way to her doorstep.

As she made her way to Zero's atelier, her mind was focused on the task ahead. She needed to regroup, to plan her next move. The power she had gained in the Tarkan Plains would be useless if she did not have the right allies, the right strategy. She had come back to Neovia for a reason, but now that she was here, she realized how much had changed. The city she had once known was now a place of shadows and secrets, and she would need to uncover them all if she was to stand a chance against the Empire.

Reaching the atelier, Okoye paused for a moment, taking in the familiar sight of the building. Zero's workshop was a place of safety, of knowledge, where she could finally breathe and take stock of all that had happened.

—Okoye opened the door, remembering that Zero's open door policy and quickly started to look around to see if he was around. He was known to be rather.. well, everywhere.. all the time. She just hoped this wasn't a bad time.

The door to the atelier opened up to the trademark checkered floors and oaken accents. The ledger lined walls looked just as full as before, but with a few more books shuffled out of array. While the room was full of the effects and trophies that still oozed the spirit of adventure, Zero was nowhere to be found. Instead, Okoye stepped into the room as two unfamiliar faces fumbling through the Vescrutian Sign Language that Zero left out for them to study in his absence. He told them it'd be useful and stressed the importance of being able to just fumble through a conversation with their hands. It didn't have to be perfect, just enough to convey basic info. They chartered a study group made of other locals and Conservatory members to get their skills up, but weren't sure exactly why he suggested VSL specifically. Until now...

Subori's eyes shot up from the book to the door, unsure of the trouble that might be walking through it. He clenched the arm of the chair Okoye could recognize from her last visit to the Atelier. His eyes were wide, even for the frog-like Caecilian physiology, you could tell they were not expecting any company.

"Oh. Um, hi, you're new around here. " Subori spat out nervously.

The person across the table from him looked over while wiggling their fingers, seeming to be running through the alphabet in VSL. They looked over and gave Okoye a once over with their gaze.

Subori had been dubbed "Mage of the Atelier" while Zero was gone, a coy title that just meant he was watching the place till Zero returned. While he held down the atelier, other Conservatory members were working with the community to ease the light shade of malaise that had grown over the Jaida Coast. It was only shortly after the Second Annual Neo Festurus, so the locals were still making sense of their impending invasion. Until Zero returned, Subori, Simon, and some select others were in charge of coordinating defense preparations.

"How can we help you?" he continued, loosening his grip on the chair arm. Something about the casual nature with which this person walked through the door alluded to a familiarity with the space, so they might be an old friend of Zero's. Subori was never treated rudely as a guest in the atelier so he wouldn't treat any of Zero's other guests that way.

Okoye’s gaze swept across the dim, eclectic interior of Zero’s atelier, still enamored by the curious mix of foreign artifacts and pungent herbs suspended in glass vials. The space seemed almost alive, humming with a subtle energy that hinted at countless secrets and the exotic tastes of its absent owner. Her eyes finally settled on a figure near the center of the room — a man with a distinct, unusual physiology. His skin had a faintly amphibious sheen, and his large, unblinking, frog-like eyes fixed on her with a mix of curiosity and caution.

The sight took her aback for just a heartbeat, but she kept her expression calm, offering only the slightest nod of acknowledgment. She wondered if he was a local fixture in the atelier, perhaps even someone close to Zero. Whatever the case, he seemed friendly enough — though experience had taught her not to judge on appearances alone.

As he approached, Okoye’s attention was drawn to a second figure, seated at a low table cluttered with scrolls, inks, and a worn book on Vescrutian Sign Language. The person — hunched and deeply engrossed in the text — noticed her arrival but their fingers remained fixed across the scribes with intense concentration. She noted the subtle flicker of their brow, the sharpness of their gaze. Whoever this was, they were here for more than idle curiosity.

In response to Subori’s question, Okoye raised her hands in practiced silence, signing plainly, "Is Zero around?" The gestures were crisp and clear, though she wasn’t sure if either figure could read a language long dead.

Subori and his slick, webbed fingers were showing a decent mastery of VSL, definitely enough to answer simple questions of who, what, and where. Greeting this young lady confirmed his suspicions about the whereabouts of the VSL lessons offered at the Conservatory. His wide mouth curled into an open mouth smile.

"Whoa! You've gotta be the one he was talking about!" he screamed almost directly in her face. In that moment, his VSL escaped him, but he quickly caught back up to himself and tried to keep his hands up with his mile a minute mouth. ""Are you Okoye? Zero said you were going to come to fulfill your destiny as the chosen one to avenge the massacre of Fosfe and usher in an era of vast prosperity for all of the lands of Jaida!" Subori's memory awakened like a flash of light, recounting the conversation between him and Zero before setting out from the Jaida Coast.

Subori, you're gonna be the man of the hous-- Mage of the Atelier while I'm gone. There's a shortlist of expected guests, one of which is going to be a mega-ally if B'halia decides to make good on their promise. You better brush up on your VSL, she's a silent killer and destined to succeed the Empire. We help her, she helps us. It's a win-win.

"Er," Subori stuttered, giving Okoye a bit more space. "I might have paraphrased, but we've been expecting you, for sure. Please, come in!"

He assumed she could read lips, even his broad ones speaking the common tongue, and invited her deeper into the Atelier. The Conservator sitting, going over the alphabet stayed quiet. Their practice slowed as Okoye was invited in, ready to put some of their studies to the test. They still stayed quiet, as Subori's excitement was known to be overwhelming for some, so they leaned back from the coffee table rose, gently stepping away to the kitchen to clink around and prepare for their guest. Subori shuffled some books around, making space for all of them to chill. Though she asked for Zero, the shortlist of his came with surprisingly copious notes on what to expect, so he was sure to make a connection with Okoye and provide her with the answers she sought.

Okoye hesitated, visibly taken aback by Subori’s sudden outburst. The raised volume shattered the tranquil atmosphere of the library, catching her off guard. Still, she could sense his enthusiasm; clearly, Zero had mentioned her to him, providing details that made her easy to recognize. He had even gone the extra mile, training his allies in VSL just to communicate with her—a considerate gesture she would make sure to thank him for.

A modest smile touched Okoye's lips as she nodded, confirming her identity. She followed Subori further into the Altier, her thoughts lingering on Zero's absence but intrigued by Subori’s reference to the Fosfe incident. Although she was well-versed in B'halian history, much of it predated her birth. Regardless, she was determined to mend what her father had once destroyed.

"How long has he been away?" She would sign to Subori the moment he turned around again to face her. The last time she'd been here had been nearly a years time, and she knew much could change within such a vast window.

It’s been a while. Maybe about a half a year common?

Subori moved the books to one side of the table and brought his snacks front and center.

He was very insistent that Jaida come together to rebuff the encroaching empire’s march, and simultaneously kinda dismissive of their threat. If they were losers once, they can be losers again, he said.

Subori chuckled a bit nervously, knowing firsthand how the locals take to threats to their sovereign community. He, along with Simon Gafren and Jaq Erxia were the first Jaidans to meet Zero and his foreign friends. Though they were initially skeptical of his and his comrades nature, he quickly charmed them with his openness about his history and candid retelling of the events that brought them to Toscano Bay. The trio was a saving grace in the aftermath of Skyblight and that gave their counsel extra weight in the hearts of their Jaidan communities, and now that the B’halian Empire has set its sights on Madeira once again, they were looked to for sound counsel, Zero’s absence notwithstanding.

I’ll admit, it’s brash but he also said there was a greater evil still yet to be revealed and that’s where he headed off to. So we’ve been helping everyone prep for what we know is coming.

Zero left lots of details out of his conversation with Subori, after being told of the former acquaintance of theirs who he saw detained with the emissary forces, he grew more selective with certain information he shared. He did, however make sure that each of them knew to take the Empire seriously.

Did he contact you before he left at all?

Okoye’s ears sharpened at Subori’s mention of the Bhalian Empire, the words hitting her like a thunderclap. For an instant, it felt as though the ground had dropped out from under her, her soul suspended in that terrifying space between shock and resolve. Her eyes widened, her pulse quickening despite her best efforts to remain calm.

“...fuck.”

The word echoed through her mind, stirring up a storm of dread and unwanted memories. Could they have really tracked her down again? She’d thought she had more time, that she’d be the one to choose the moment for this confrontation. Months of quiet preparation seemed to unravel in an instant.

Okoye forced herself to take a slow, grounding breath, feeling the knot of tension tightening in her stomach. She’d prepared for this — she had to remember that. She straightened, locking her features into a practiced calm, though her mind churned with calculations and contingencies. If Zero was gone, then every plan would have to be adjusted, and she would have to act now.

"Did he contact you at all before he left?"

"No.. he did not." She signed as her eyes began to search through the racks of scrolls and books with intention. "But I can tell you this.. He's probably not coming back."

Okoye signed, and without a smile, it didn't seem like she was joking. Despite what she knew about Zero, if he made a decision to abandon Neovia despite knowing who the Empire was and that they planned to seige the territory, then it was clear he wasnt taking them seriously.. which was truley asinine, or the he simply tucked and ran. She couldn't fault him of course.. any sane man would take their family and run for their lives when facing shadow of the B'halian Armada. Okoye couldn't such a luxury.. not anymore. Zero's absence meant she'd be taking the lead, lest she allowed the people of Neovia to be buried in ruin.

Her fingers began to move again, signing with a calm authority. "I'll need to know exactly what he left behind. That means resources, defense tactics, perimeter advantages, notable alliances about the Jaida Coast– everything. And I need to know these things now."

Subori described a short form history of the Jaida Coast and its people, a legend that each region has is own legendary version of. The story starts with Garland Gafren and what some call the Jaida Force, or the Knights of Garland. Whatever the name of the team, it was made up of some exceptionally unique members of the Jaidan tribes, progressive for their time in their forward thinking and cooperation when dealing with the unprecedented force of the Mazoku. That cooperation was the foundation for The Conservatory, and what the people chose to lean into in the light of the newest B'halian threat.

Subori went on to describe the preparations each region of Jaida had undertaken since Zero left. The envoys of the B’halian Empire came left as peacefully as they arrived, but their promise of violence was taken seriously by everyone in attendance. It was the first event in recent history the whole region agreed on how to tackle. The month since the Second Annual Neo Festurus created an ironclad coalition in The Conservatory the likes of which the Jaida Coast hadn’t seen times long before the Fosfe Incident. Subori regaled Okoye in the legend surrounding the B'halian threat and its parallels to the Second Neo Festurus they last attended. An uncanny bond grew between the members of The Conservatory, one many thought would be impossible after the Atlantean tragedy, Skyblight. Most Atlanteans hold a special place in their heart to hate Zero Venkage for the lives he snuffed out in a flash, still some have come to understand where there might have been missteps in their decision making that could have prevented the tragedy that rocked that night fateful night. Zero has been working with The Conservatory to actually build a relationship with them, but the aquatic community had yet to embrace him like their land faring neighbors.

Zero's relationship with the Acolytes of Lucis to the south in Sol Gamera helped smooth over most of the negotiations with the Jaidan people. Reclusive and ascetic in their studies, the Acolytes spend their days training in the Lucien Arts, strange magics that are said to connect one to their surroundings. Their relationship to the land and careful consideration for the harmony of things is the single greatest factor that enabled Zero Venkage and his ragtag band of foreigners to put down roots on the coast. Without he and some select others undertaking the Acolytes' training regimen, there could have been a second strike planned by the Atlanteans and who knows what carnage would follow that.

"Everybody's been doing their part and shoring up their reserves. From the north to the south and even underwater, they're all building the best defenses they can. If you ask me, we just need another Jaida Force and we'll be good."

Subori's tone lightened as he tossed some of the table's snacks into his gaping mouth. He surprised himself at how well he could go into the Jaidan history through VSL but it seemed his eagerness pushed his mastery to its next plateau.

"But before he left, he came back a little more tense than I've ever seen him, even after B'halia crashed the party. The Acolytes might have let him in on some choice info because he holed up in here for a few days before heading out. Did he tell you what he was looking for, Jaq?" He asked out loud to the quiet person who'd since quit signing and just leaned forward listening to Subori. They looked as if they were listening to a lecture, watching his hands carefully, but their eyes kept darting between him and Okoye. Once Subori stopped, their eyes just rested on Okoye, lost in their analysis of the one Zero said would come to help. She only watched, processing her own inner monologue, locked in thought.

Okoye absorbed Subori’s words with a calm exterior, though beneath her steady gaze, her mind was working tirelessly. The history of the Jaida Coast, the legendary Garland Gafren, and the stories of the Knights of Garland had always seemed distant — stories for others to tell, tales born of triumph and camaraderie. But now, as the B'halian Empire’s threat loomed on the horizon, those tales of unity and resilience felt intensely relevant, each one reminding her of what was at stake.

She had only barely missed the Festival, where she would have been face to face with the Empire that sought her head. She wasn't sure if she felt lucky or not.

She gave Subori a small nod, acknowledging his recount. "Another Jaida Force?" she signed thoughtfully, pausing to let her hands fall still. "I don't know.. what that is, but if it'll help you all survive then I'm all for it." Her mind wandered briefly to the strength of The Conservatory's coalition. Atlanteans still held Zero in contempt, and their lingering distrust complicated what needed to be an unbreakable defense.

"The alliances sound promising, but grudges could be our undoing.” She couldn't help but imagine that the Atlanteans could see this as an opportunity to further dissent. "Though.. I can't imagine why Zero would leave at a time like this.. it's.. it just seems stupid."

”..Did he tell you what he was looking for, Jaq?”

Okoye glanced at the figure Subori had addressed, Jaq, noting their quiet assessment of her. The eyes that kept darting between her and Subori hadn’t missed a thing, almost as if they were waiting for her to prove herself. She straightened, catching Jaq’s gaze before signing again.

"Whatever his reasons, let's hope he returns.. I doubt we survive the initial wave without him. But it would make sense for him to turn tail. Even someone as strong as he, knows when death's at his door."

Jaq’s chest heaved we Okoye disparaged Zero’s character, compelling her to spit back without a single signed word, “He’s going to come back!”Jaq shot to their feet and stood right next to Subori glaring at Okoye. Subori gave Jaq a judgmental once over with his eyes as he moved half a step away from her Caecilian comrade. “You don’t get to just walk in the front door of his home and doubt him!” she shot back in the best VSL she could, missing a few important beats in her translation, her less experienced hands couldn’t keep up with her thoughts.

“Hey, calm down. He convinced us to trust her, so it’s our turn to convince her to trust us.”

Subori moved started walking over to one of the shelves nearby the hallway corridor leading to the kitchen. He lined the walls with his webbed fingers, clearly looking for a very particular ledger. While he perused Zero’s collection, Jaq’s breathing stabilized, but her heart rate remained elevated. Her cheeks flushed with blood but she took a big gulp of air before getting her fingers in order again.

“Sorry, I know he’s coming back.” she whispered to herself signing away from Okoye. She remembered Zero asked explicitly for his guests to be treated beautifully and her outburst left her feeling like she disappointed him. Her downcast eyes caught Subori pulling a crimson covered, obsidian spines book with a swirling aura flittering about it.

“Bingo,” Subori said bounding over with the book he found and placing it front and center on the coffee table between them. “On my honor, he’s guaranteed to come back for this.”

Without his hand resting on the metallic, polished red cover, the book slowly began to open by itself, the auric swirls and glowing glyphs springing in and out of the shimmering white pages unfurling from cover to cover in all four directions. The pages made dulcet tones like tiny crystals swaying in the wind, giving Subori a rhythm to twirl his fingers happily to as he leaned back into the mage’s chair. “The Jaida Force weren’t called that for nothing.” Subori let the pages go and flow in front of Okoye, crossing his fingers in a prideful pyramid.”So, what do you think?”