Love Hina


#1

The dawn sucked because it was cold and wet and dark. The clouds broke as the sun climbed the rocky beach shores. Still, the light wasn’t enough to give any warmth. A earther man with a bag over his head and chains on his limbs ached with cold dampness. Around him stood a mob of weary looking olgogs and one deflated gog with two shovels.

Godart removed the bag from Nelios Daph-Tangnon Elorios head.

“Do you know why we are here Mr. Nelly?”, barked Godart.

Nelios spited in Godarts burned face.

“Ouch. That kinda hurts. Well, we going to dig – some graves.”

The man looked a bit paler now after the gog stated that calmly. Godart took some duct tape and placed it over the small man’s mouth.

“Let’s go.”

The mob pick up huge rocks and started filling them with huge rocks. Godart dragged Nelios and they then made their way further inland to a grass clearing. A huge circle was formed around the scribe and sole gog.

“Dig.”

Godart threw a shovel at Nelios and placed his in the ground.

“I’m not doing this alone. Dig or we’ll get the wood now.”

Nelios started digging with Godart until man size hole was formed.

“Take a break, we’re not done.” Nelios duct tape was pulled off and while a shorter female gog forced water from a canteen down his throat. The duct tape was slapped back on.

“Is this trip really necessary boss?”

“I don’t…” Know? Care? Why? “… think Mr. Nelly here can dig all these by… Hekeriki, just get the wood.”

So a bigger hole was dug.

“Sit and…”

A gog from the circle walk forward with a bag of rocks. The man called Nelios show no fear.

“… watch.”

Rocks filled the hole. A wooden tombstone was placed at the head the grave. It’s name in a dead earther language said: Giamatti.

Nelios looked confused while Godart started to fill grave back up.

“Get filling. Now! We’re doing this for our benefit as well as yours. This is something we thought you might understand.”

Time passed and 25 graves in total filled with rocks that had wooden tombstones were laid in a spiral pattern. They each had a name. How much time passed while this took didn’t matter. At the end, Nelios collapsed into sleep.


#2

When he woke, Nelios was chained to a chair in dark tent. His eyes were fixed open with duct tape and a stout female gog with eye droppers sat on his right. In front of him a large flat cloth screen with a huge light danced on it. Behind him, he heard a machine running. It’s was the source of the light.

Godart stepped in front of the screen into the man’s field of view.

“Are you sure you want to go first and long, Naeil? This is going to be pretty brutal and I’m sure we’re not going to have Mr. Nally here last too long.”

“I want to get it out the way. The first three episodes are really not so bad.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll man this projector then. But lets make sure we don’t go insane.”

“Yes, yes. Stop worrying. We’ll let the next two have a turn.”

Nelios Daph-Tangnon Elorios had no clue what was going on and it showed on his face.
Sort of on his face, with the duct tape and all.

Naeil refreshed his eyes with solution.

“Little man, we don’t expect you to talk at all. We do expect you to watch the screen though. So sit back and let me keep you from NOT watching.”, chuckled Naeil.

“Audio and video is running. Let’s get this over with.”, sighed Godart

Love Hina, Episode 1 of 25 played on the screen.


#3

Olgog the Olgog

Gogs scattered everywhere at the coming of OtO. The faster than normal stride, the grim expression, and the snappiness of his comments all communicated the fact that he was not a happy gog.

He storms into this tent and sees the chained up Nelios watching some stupid vid. With his foot he sends the screen flying to the other side of the tent.

OtO turns and looks directly into Nelios’ eyes, towering over him.

"I’m going to speak and you are going to listen.

I have had a bad day, things didn’t go as planned recently for me. You are one of the few beings with information that I want.

We’re not going to torture you, I’m far to pissed off for that. No. An acquaintance of mine is back in town, and that means one thing, that she is bored. And if she is down here, that she wants to do something that VLAD wouldn’t approve of.

I think she means to do more experimentation on sentient beings. I’m going to give you to her, if you don’t give me what I want.

Since I doubt you know of Catdancer, I will enlighten you to what she did to her last person she experimented on.

It was a kasantian named Frank. He was killed to feed vampyres, brought back and killed again. She used him as a live test for her diseases, crippling and watching him in agony for several weeks, each time curing him and starting the process over with him again.

Until one day, CatDancer got bored.

Then she decided to modify him, turn him into what she called a werewolf. Now everytime the full moon comes out, He transforms into a half tsoga half earther creature. Catdancer isn’t too good at these modifications yet thought, poor Frank howls in pain as the nerves stretch and tear as he change into his new form.

You would think that would be enough, but not to Catdancer. Each morning after he changes, he changes back to an earther. This process is probably more horrifying that the initial change. Have you ever felt the nerves in your body die? I hear its painful, but frank would know more than me. Every morning he changes back, the nerves that finally healed die as parts of his skin fall off as he changes back to an earther.

The worse part of it isn’t the changes, it is that he is now essentially forced to stay with Catdancer. Every other place disowned him as a monster to be put down, to be killed on sight. Hell, I hear of hunting parties for Frank every so often.

I will give you to her, and since she typically doesn’t repeat herself, it probably will be more horrific that what happened to Frank.

That is I will give you to her unless you tell us exactly what we want to know, without question, without lying, and without any hassle.


#4

Godart turned off the projector and lit a lamp. Carefully. Naeil rolled her eyes and left.

“Heavens sake Olie-t-o, the man got duct tape over his mouth. Oh, sorry about that…”

The gog ripped the tape off the earther’s mouth. And his eyelids too.

“Besides, he’s just some nobody who works for some other nobody on Refuge named Siedermann. Who’s at time point most likely busy moving on with his life while Mr Woaa Nelly here been left out to be high and dry on a line. The things you say coming out of your mouth are just horrible! Like that theme song I had to listen to five times in a roll. And you gone done just busted up my movie screen.”, deadpan Godart.

Godart looked at the cloth screen.

“Damn it to hell.” He to turned to Nelios.

“Looks like you’ll get off easy because this is going to take a bit to fix, considering our best tailor ain’t with the living nor will be ever again.”

“Honestly Olgog the Olgog… don’t go easy on him. My way will keep him alive but insane for a good long time. No need to give him hope that he’ll see his dead family in the afterlife.” The gog turned his back on Nelios and pulled an apple from his pocket.

“The last day I’ve been setting up a trade with this slave lord I know.”, lied Godart. “He has this, uhm, thing… he enjoys doing. It’s a family thing. He got slaves older then him and he’s quite an old fellow. Mean and twisted too. This thing is pretty bad. So bad I dare not think about.”

The apple lost a bit of flesh as it enter the gog’s mouth.

“Almost makes me lose my appetite.”

Munch Munch

“Some of those kasantians CAN be sick puppies. Slaves alive for centuries. This CatDancer seems on par with the guy I was going to send you.”

Godart turned to face Nelios.

“I think you might want to consider your options, Nelios Daph-Tangnon Elorios.”


#5

Olgog the Olgog

I don’t have patience today, I’m going to find CatDancer


#6

Nelios watched the interactions with interest. It seemed his captors were Immutables without even the slightest hint of Leyas ability. That made his life…life?.. a lot easier.

Nelios had actually enjoyed the strange animation, and the fact that it frustrated his captors gave him further encouragement.

He began to whistle the theme song on repeat.

Once OtO left the room, Nelios turned to Godart and Naeil and said, “That one has a lot of bluster. I think Ill call him Blowhard the Olgog. Did he not notice during all of his bluster he never actually asked me any questions?”

He went back to whistling the theme song and waited for them to either put on the next episode or ask a question.


#7

Godart looks at Naeil and shrugs.

“Let’s not tell Hekeriki about this… Ok, three questions and we let you leave alive, in one piece. No more weird or bad stuff done to you. You don’t even have to answer all or any of them because I want to move on with my life.”

“One. How did Lord Siedermann put this army of nightmares, giants and oh-my together?”

“Two. Where is he getting the resources for this? As in who is helping him?”

“Three. Is there a way I can talk to Siedermann? You know, to tell him to quit this war of his.”


#8

Nelios said, "My Lord Siedermann has been an Inquisitor Lord for over a thousand years. He has contacts among many dark and concerning groups. Some he once hunted, others he has bribed.

His resources are significant, both monetary and technological. I know he has allies in the Church of One, the Yyan Empire, the Colonies and the Northern Kingdoms. Even the Warmonger Cult fears him.

The one and only way to get him to end his war would be to free Bartsport from its occupation and present it to Lord Siedermann respectfully.

Otherwise his hatred of Olgogs is so great he will not speak to your kind."

Nelios went back to whistling the theme song.


#9

“No one would miss him. Sad. I’ll keep this is mind.”

Godart picked up Nelios from the chair and carried him out of the tent.

“You weren’t very helpful.”, lied Godart.

“Well, if we meet next time like this or if our roles are reversed, I’ll be sad. Life too short for this Mali’e shit.”

“This is not justice - it’s vengeance. A poison. A waste.”

“Where do you want me leave you?”


#10

Nelios gave a respectful bow of the head saying, “It would be appreciated if you could leave me somewhere near Port Unen. From there I can secure boat passage back to the Peninsula of Man.
I am sorry I could not be more helpful.”

He then paused for a moment, “I know you are an Immutable and can access certain technologies. Would it be possible to make a copy of that strange show you showed me. The animation style is not something common in Dunesphere and I would like to try and emulate it…”


#11

“Dunesphere. Guess it’s isolated in more than one way.”

Godart stared hard the man.

“You know what? Sure. I can’t give you movie reels of these (those take some real time to make, paradoxically) but I can give you couple of these Thirty Terabyte disk drives. I have a friend who collects ancient Earther history and cartoons. The gog picked up this hobby during her college days. She’s a little nuts because she use to hands these things out like candy. We had to put a stop to that.”

Godart searches his pockets.

“Let’s see these labels… 5000 Years of War Across Refuge - nope. Uhm, Cooking for Mega Dummies - nahh, I shouldn’t even have this on me. Oh, here we go: Hekeriki Big Collection of Ancient Earther Anime Vol 3. out 12.”

He hands the drive to Nelios.

“15,000 hours. Non-Porn. Since I figuring you’re never coming back if you looking for the rest, this Kumfei named Kor’Fen D’yrn got copies of these on drives. He’s in Zelga I think. Yeah, that was a odd week. Hekeriki gave him a whole set of these for payment of his services. Pretty sure he’ll let you copy them if you can get the tech.”

The gog sighed. They arrived at the ferry to Port Unen. It was a small ship of the sea.

“This is where we part ways. Can’t say it’s been fun, Nelios.”

Taking a couple of step towards the inland, Godart turns his back to leave.

Turning his head, “Careful how you use that. No need to be crucified or get others done the same.”


#12

Days later Nelios arrived in Dunesphere’s port town of Oldport. It was a destitute place where the two story houses were full of malnourishment. As he strode across the dusty streets beggers most missing limbs and eyes to ritual purification swarmed him. He had no money to pay them and pushed ahead.
A red hatted Inquisitor barred his way, “No alms for the poor Sir?”


#13

Nelios bowed and said, “First I must reach my master to receive the pay for my errand, sir.”

The Inquisitor squinted at Nelios and then reached for his holy symbol. Nelios reached out and revealed a series of religious symbols and tattoos and pointed to them in a specific order. The Inquisitor knew their meaning and lowered his cross slowly.

“A servant of Siedermann. I knew the old man had tapped into some forbidden arts but never suspected… You may go servant and you will go straight to your master.”

Nelios bowed. He didn’t know what the pattern of symbols meaned but the Inquisitor apparently did. Must be some sort of code based on common church of one symbols. He supposed he could puzzel it out but decided better of it.

When he met with Lord Siedermann, in a small tavern in the heart of one of Dunesphere’s most dangerous slum, Nelios instead focused on his debriefing. He spoke of the attack on the Gunpowder Factory. He spoke of his capture by the Lucky Fate Gang.
And finally he retired to the rooms that Siedermann had purchased for their use.
He lifted a small old holonet news display and clicked the drive into the side and began playing the anime. He took out some charcoal and vellum and began to sketch.