Trudging up the mountain steps, bandages covering both arms and a right eye. Village brats pelt pebbles at him. “Freak!” They bark, their laughter echoing off the barren slopes. Winds rustling around the scarred shrubs and play branches on withered trees. With a bilious green sky mumbling at his coming.
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But among the common weary faces of the adults, and plastic faces of children, some smile in genuine celebrations. Birthdays, tea gathering, chasing around broken-down houses, a couple hand in hand—then passionately kissing, or wrinkled elders simple talking and giggling. None that Grizeo experienced. Nor saw from the previous villages he had visited.
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A ball runs down and against his feet. How it got there even, a young boy asks for him to throw it at them. Grizeo does so—bullseye straight on the child’s forehead. Yelping an “OW!” before running away to tattle to mama. But does Grizeo look he cares? His ember eyes glaring not as the steps lead him for a well in the middle of the village. Over yonder, after a bridge, is where he continues then stops.
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Ringing the silver bells by a bamboo tori gate for a chime to call a village elder. Walking out of their wooden thatched cottage with a weathered face. Gazing pass the young man’s shoulders, towards a breathtaking view of the valleys swinging below. Though the tree leaves are dark, and ominously with blue grass. Nothing from what she remembers of the past verdant forest. “You have finally come, Mr. Darter”
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“Darter?” Grizeo questions, taking up the bamboo steps before looking down at this hunched elderly,
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“That is what the villages call you. A resonator not from the Bastions, so a feral one. But you help us with the problems around our lands, so it is best to name you with not something as vulgar as ‘Wild’ or ‘Feral’.”
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“I haven’t heard of it before.”
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“Well now you know,” Village elder pivots before gesturing the young man to sit at the wooly chair while she on the wooden rocking chair.
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“You can sit here” gesturing for the elder to sit on the comfortable sitting but she waves her hand, not wishing the comfort.
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“You young’uns should live as comfortably as possible in these trying times. Not a bit of sunlight come for us in the mountains.”
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“Thank you…”
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Birds shrill from their cages, flapping their trapped wings. The servants and passing children know well not to let go of animals. “For they will come back as tacet discords and we as their prey” shooing the curious children away, even throwing her rolled panties at them. “So what brings you here? One of my villagers prayed?”
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Grizeo shakes his head, taking sip of the tea set down on the coffee table “Monster hunting.” He says, “I am hoping you’d know about discord with a long tongue. The body is like an alligator but it stands on human legs. Its face is a mix of a bird and a snake. With buttons for eyes.”
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“And…you wish what to do with that monstrosity?”
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“I only need its eyes, tonsils and its uvula. The larynx and tranchea too.”
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“mmmn” nodding in understanding, “but I have not heard of this discord before. Especially with what you described. Is it large?”
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“Height of a child.”
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“I see, and I’m sorry. Your best hope is to ask around the villagers. Either they did not bother to report or they are too scared to do so. You know, with the belief of echoes going around, saying that whoever tells harm of a tacet discord will be harmed by its echo.”
And Grizeo knows it is nonsense, but still, it is a good belief to keep the villagers out of trouble. He stands, drinking the last liquids of tea like a shot. “I’ll be off then”
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“Take care, Darter”
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Where the children play around soccer and dodge ball with the village elder’s rolled up panties, Grizeo joins in for a bit. Striking headshots to the children and keeping them yelping in pain until their adults come out and try to stop the young man. “Finally” Grizeo sighs, rolling his shoulder in his stretch,
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“W-what’s up with you freak! And those bandages…are you a discord!?”
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“Have you all seen something like this?” Showing a picture to the gathered villagers,
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“What is that? Why are its eyes look like button!?” a child points out with the adults more terrified of its snake like face and bird beak. “Its body is alligator! // it does not have a tail tho // Clearly a discord, but what’s up with those legs? Somone in it? // A costume perhaps? // Sorry, no. I don’t think we have”
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“Maybe little Bibi can he—”
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A young man immediately covers the talkative mouth “Brother let me mmmp----"
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“Who?” glaring at the siblings,
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“N-no one, good sir. My sister just said something strange…” The young man scratches his head before turning away and forcing his little sister to walk. But Grizeo places his hand on the shoulders, flinching the young man stiff. “G—good sir?”
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“Let your sister walk on her own.”
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“Ah…but she easily stumbles. Stumbles a lot, yes…”
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“Like how you stutter?”
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The young man gulps, not knowing what to do with the sweat down his chin. “Good sir, my little sister really said nothing. Promise. Little Bibi is just our cat.”
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“Then let me meet this cat and get your hands off her lips.”
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“B-but good sir! She is my sister and I can do anything to her. Don’t force us when we’ve already said no! hiiee—”
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Pointing his dart gun at the young man’s throat. “But she does not like it”
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“T-threats…I-‘ll make sure that the Bastion knows of this…” The young man lets go of his younger sister who immediately runs straight to a house and carry out a black cat. She asks for Grizeo for the picture again and let the cat stare at it. It nods, meows with its tail eager for something. The little girl gently places the cat down before it starts running down to a black leaf forest. “You better bring her back, and don’t blame us when you get yourself killed!” The young man shouts as Grizeo chases after the feline.
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Deep into the forest valley where blue grass illuminates the forest floor. Patches of green spots joining in lighting the drowned chambers. Where ruins of buildings, broken railroads, and carnival horses---an amusement part used to be here. Now it lay waste with mud, the blue grass and ruin. The cat skips around a rubble, leading him to the sound of trickling streams.
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And Grizeo knows that they are right on its tail. The tacet discord—an Ali-op, lives around rivers. His footsteps consciously growing silent and light as a feather. Hopping down the slope with baited breaths. The stream growing wider, then down a tiny waterfall—Rapids going around a rock formation—more like a sleeping golem. Before going further down and a high waterfall that connects to the river channel below. The black cat stops to look then turns to Grizeo with a happy :3 look. It gets a pat as a reward, and it is good enough for it to start prancing back for the village.
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Freefalling takes two seconds while gliding takes seven. Which the latter proves safer and quieter than a blood splash on a shallow pool. Now for the Ali-op. It does not live around deep rivers as it likes to stay on the shallow riverbed. Sure enough, one is sleeping while another is walking around carrying a 20-meter-long freshwater cloth eel. Placing it on a tree stump before dining raw at it. Pecking the white flesh with its beak before using its long tongue to slurp the blood dry. How human for it to sit down and use the tree stump as a table. Grizeo takes silent clicks on his phone, pictures sent directly for a contact named Dr. Bolg.
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(That Good?) Grizeo types, sending a cute emoji of Ms. Vera tilting her head with a question mark
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(A juvenile is good enough. But that one on the riverbed is an adult. Better if you take the adult than the young ones.)
(Okay) shutting of his phone, and now, he stalks and waits in the shadows. Watching the juvenile Ali-op finishes their feast before going to the waterfall pool for a dive and roll around like a pig. Now is the chance.
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Taking out one gun from his belt, burning his ember eyes ablaze for a crosshair to appear in the middle of his sight. Ah…almost made a fatal noise. He takes out a silencer with a signed label of the doctor. He hates it but it is what he has. Sliding it down on the tip of his Uzi dart gun before carefully steadying his breath and aim. The target is still on the riverbed, that is until it starts to move—FIRE. A silent plop on the water surface with the Ali-op bleeding—a perfect headshot.
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But terrible timing as the juvenile walks out of the pool. He has to take the adult one out before it notices. And he does so, leaping out of the forest like a shadow before lifting---grunting against the building heavy corpse—The juvenile hisses madly. Great! Grizeo drops the body first. Leaping back and away from its sharp claws. While firing two shots at its legs. Crumpling the juvenile to kneel.
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Take two, breathe in huff huff huff like a gorilla, then out. Bulging his muscles against his tight biosuit that outline his already pumped biceps. Heavying down on his core, grunting and gritting his teeth so much that his abs might rip themselves out of the wears. with his legs taking the least struggle. One step taken, two steps after, then adapt on the third. His lower half managing better than his upper as he carries the damn heavy loot. The juvenile once again snarling at his tail but Grizeo can now sprint down, following the river channel. Though there are more Ali-ops down the valley.
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With fortune favoring him today with an inactivated resonance beacon. He drops the carcass down beside it as he does his fingering magic, tapping the pulsating screen while also firing at anything that comes near. “Come on, come on…right!” The resonance beacon whirrs to life. Its light piercing through the dull air. “Now for the lab code…xxx-335-yyy-953-xy-5,6” And the resonance beacon activates. Spinning its hovering plates so fast that the black leaves and riverside rocks start to hover. Grizeo holds on tight to his Ali-op before a flash of light takes them to the bile skies.
ns 15.158.61.51da2
