#quxzel cortex

It was his deep seeded need to avoid cities and even large groups of trolls in general that lead Quxzel to take such a... scenic detour. Navigating the winding forest roads, cautiously looking over his shoulder. Even without signs of civilization he was gripped with a sort of paranoia. Probably for the best considering he was a Fleet dodger.

By no means did the gold blood move silently. Each footstep brought with it the crunch of leaves and the snapping of twigs. His white cloak making him stick out like a sore thumb in the dark woods. But at least he moved quickly. Most obstacles brushed aside by his psionics. Honestly, if he had someone tailing him he would have been a rather easy mark.

Unlucky for him he was being followed. Though he had hoped whomever it was would loose interest. But as the sound of stomping behind him grew louder he knew confrontation was immanent.

"They're getting closer, you should probably do something about it." A voice rang in his head, poking and prodding at him to stop and engage whatever threat was coming. The specter that hung over his shoulder whispered into his ear.

Foregoing the advice and just hastening his steps. The lowblood wasn't a fighter. Running had been the only tactic that got him this far. But soon enough the trees would grow thicker and the paths to freedom seemed more and more limited. At some point he was going to get turned around and be forced to face whatever creature stalked him from the shadows. Whether it was troll or beast, Quxzel wasn't looking to find out.

It’s nearly pitch black out. The moons obscured by a large collection of clouds. Not that it mattered much. A troll was built for things like things. The darkness was a cold, empty and quiet. It was a tranquil moment. Quxzel basked in the serenity. With just the wind whispering through the trees and the soft crackling of the fire at his side.

The soft glow of the camp fire barely illuminated the small open space. Quite a score really within the dense forest. A getaway from the hustle and bustle. Not that he spent much time around cities since his escape from the underground. And even still he seemed to stand out like a sore thumb in his white silk cloak. Though he’d never part with it.

The occasional sound of twigs snapping would get his attention. But more often then not it was just another lonely beast just getting by. What really peaked his interest and kept him company were the dozens of large white moths. They fluttered just out of reach of the fires flame, playing a dangerous game. But he smiled none the less, amused by their simple antics driven my generations of natural instinct. To be drawn toward the light.

“I wonder how they’re all doing.”

The moment between the sun dipping beyond the horizon and the first eves of dusk is always the most pleasant. The world is silent aside from what beasts could scurry about during morning hours. But as night came there was always so much activity. Too much of it honestly. This town he came upon was a bustling one. Too much noise and too many trolls in a hurry to get nowhere.

A pitiful existence to a meaningless life. At least when you were hatched near the bottom of the caste system. And for this goldblood, he could only look forward to a life of enslavement on board a fleet ship once he came of age. But that didn't strip him of some hope for normalcy. Well as normal as a troll could get after spending most of his life underground in a hive ran by insects.

Sitting quietly on a park bench, reading the typical far off fantasy novels, he'd never lift his head. Not even when he felt someone approaching. But it was an unrelenting gaze that made him look up, for just a moment.

"Can I... help you."

The only thing to put a smile on his face

The sun had barely set on the horizon when a flurry of activity stirred beneath sands of the desert-scape. Great dunes overflowing with pristine white sand. An occasional rocky crag in the distance. The very few solid footing around. In the heart of this desolate place was an old and withered structure of a long dead civilization. One that might have predated the Trolls that called Alternia home. But the goldmine of archeological finds were lost to the world. This place so out of reach that only the most fool hearty would traverse here. Little to no water, food a scarcity, and yet life still prevailed here.

Beneath the dunes and the limestone walls of the crumbling city’s architect there was the bustling, complex infrastructure of tunnels. Massive insects moved about on thin, bristled legs. A wide verity of them but all moving with purpose and existing without conflict. Some oddly segmented and others with wings. Their colors were muted in the dark caverns but under the effects of the glowing moss above they fluoresce. Buzzing, clicking, chattering to one another. It was beautiful.

Well, so some maybe. Quxzel was one of them. The massive hive was efficient, every single drone had a purpose to fulfill before their short lives ended. All for the best of the colony. That is what his lusus always told him. And the same worked above as it did below. But down here was real order, real team work and purpose. Again, that was what his lusus insisted with him. The reason why he rarely got to see the world above this finely tuned prison. He just wanted to see the world before it was too late.

The hair on the back of his neck stood up moments before loud shrieking filled the massive cavern. The shrill screams signaling an intruder. It also meant breakfast was early. Quxzel clicked his tongue and followed the scuttling bugs. They parted wherever he stepped, taking careful measure to give him space. For good reason too. There was a soft spot for this particular troll that was shared by all the occupants down here. At the gold blood’s feet tiny insects trailed along with him eager to see what fell into their domain. It was always such a spectacle and he absolutely hated it.

As a single minded unit the scores of insects gathered into a massive hollowed out bowl shaped section of their underground home. This place was dug out thousands of sweeps ago and its walls smoothed by time and water that once ran through it. The bugs took their places, some parked in place and others clinging to walls. Ones with wings hovered close to the center of this massive block. And in the center of it was a colossal white insect. Its body white and pulsating like a maggot with a bulbous head. It raised itself up and the cave was filled with humming. In Quxzel’s head he could hear his lusus call out to him.

“Come.”

And so he did. Winding his way through the masses, the bugs parting like the sea. Walking up to the center of the cavern to join in what would be a gruesome display. His lusus greeted him fondly. Large black eyes staring at him, dozens of them. Long, thin forearm like appendages reached out to touch his shoulder. A tenderness one would never see in any other insect down here. The sheer intelligence in the Master Bug’s void like eyes would be mystifying to some. It was always welcoming to the troll. Something cold, familiar, and comforting. But his joy would melt away as he saw what was currently being held down and wiggling by one of the large scouting drones.

Another troll.

The poor bastard never had a chance. The badly wounded oliveblood was dragged unceremoniously to the center stage. Her agonizing cries followed as did a trail of green blood that was eagerly lapped up by tiny skittering bugs. The goldblood mentally shooed them away. They could at least wait till she stopped breathing. This was never the highlight of his day.

The green blood was tossed out onto her belly. The backs of her knees cut wide open and her ankles chewed through. There was no escape. Her clothing was torn and gashes covered her arms. It was obvious she put up a fight before getting here. It was a shame too, beneath the sand and blood caking her face she was rather cute. Making an attempt to crawl away still she made it to Quxzel’s feet. Her hand gripping his leg and he immediately felt her raw fear. It tasted like something cold on his tongue. Her head tilted back, olive eyes in a daze. Her mouth moved as if begging for help. The insects all tensed.

She had been an adventurer. Or a treasure hunter. She wore the getup of one. And he had seen many. He leaned down and carefully wrapped his hand around her wrist. He locked eyes with her and then he twisted it hard. An instant snap was heard and she began screaming again. There was no sympathy in his eyes. Dropping her arm to the ground, the wrist bent in an awkward angle. He took a step back and just stared her down. His mind was devoid of empathy. To him this troll was nothing more than an outsider. Her time was limited here.

Another large insect drone would circle around behind her and drag her back a bit before pinning her shoulders down to the cave floor by violently stabbing both its forelimbs through her shoulders. By now the olive blood couldn’t speak, barely conscious from the pain and blood-loss.

“Watch.”

A voice spoke clearly and sternly in Quxzel’s mind. Of course his lusus would always try to butt in. Yet it knew him well. He would always try to shy away from this part. Watching as the Master Bug lurched its massive body forward and hunched up over the unconscious troll. It’s mouth opening, a toothless dark void just beyond. Stemming from the inner bowls of its suction cup mouth was a long, thinly pointed proboscis. Only it was fashioned into something more like a tube. In a flash it came down on the back of the trolls head effectively splitting bone and getting to the juicy bits beneath. Quxzel was unlucky to be close enough to listen to the sucking and slurping sound his lusus made as it gorged itself. Every bit of brain matter was consumed by the Master Bug. Secrets and experience devoured.

When there was nothing left but wet, sloppy sucking. Wrenching its mouth piece out of the now very dead troll. A chorus of squealing cheers rose up from the insect masses. More knowledge to add to the collective. Just another step to the All Consuming. The drone that was keeping the female pinned down now slid it forelimbs free from her body. Wrapping its mandibles around her leg and whipping her lifeless corpse into the awaiting watchers. She was torn to pieces before she hit the ground. Workers and tiny scavengers picked her apart. Nothing wasted down here.

And Quxzel watched it all unfold as usual. His face expressionless and his body ridged. That’s when his lusus turned its attention on him. Lowering its blood soaked proboscis down to eye level. Reaching up and accepting the offering, he’d cup his hands as grayish green brain matter splattered into his palm. This was another usual ritual. Not hesitating as he plucked the sliver of meat from his hand and popped it into his mouth. Almost instantly he witnessed her memories. The bits locked away in this particular section. Old memories of a world outside beneath the two moons. A soft, warm breeze and the sound of foreign beasts calling out in the distance. It felt real, it felt like it was his own. Stolen bits of life from a troll he never knew. His mind filled with them.

His lusus, pleased with the reaction, reacted its appendage and nudged its ward along. The troll was just the appetizer, breakfast was in the next sector of his underground home.

The only bonus Quxzel ever got when Trolls from above would be brought down was the gear they happened to have with them at the time. And over the sweeps he managed to collect a vast amount of loot from doomed adventurers.  Gold and jewels, figurines from shrines he’d never seen in person. Tablets and notepads filled with daily logs. Pictures and gear. Things he never would need but he prized them all. Though what he held above all else were maps and books. Markings and diagrams he knew from stolen thoughts. Delicate drawings of faraway places. He wanted to be there, wanted to experience the real deal. At 7 sweeps he has lived several hundred lifetimes. All of them taken from their original owners by force. And all he had to show for it was space consuming trinkets shiny babbles. He desperately wanted to see the surface and what it had to offer him. With his own eyes.

The gold bloods only contact with the outside was through a husktop he managed to get off of a doomed troll. Though the connection down below was terrible he could still browse but in secret. If his lusus ever found out there would be a terrible price to pay for sure. But at this point in his life he needed more then what a screen and some web browsing could provide for him. He would find a way to see the world even if it meant breaking the one rule his lusus had set in place. At dawn he would make it to the surface without letting his lusus know. He’d see the sky for himself, alone.

The plan was simple. Wait till near dawn when the number of drones working thinned a bit. It would be a dangerous time to be on the surface but he had to do it. Gathering up gear in a small pack while loading up as much as he could into his Modus. He didn’t plan to be long he just liked the feel of the backpack straps and the adventures outfit. It was… exciting. It was excitement he was feeling and not someone else. So he would take the small passages and using his Psiionics to keep the insects from finding him. Getting to the surface would be easy. Trying to keep from being found out wouldn’t.

The only passage he knew was one with heavy foot traffic. But having lived with the bugs long enough he could easily manipulate them. It was his lusus that was the real problem. Slipping from the exit and dashing out into the world he immediately regretted it. So used to the cool, damp caverns that the sun light burned his skin and his eyes. Wrapping a scarf around his neck and head he dashed under a dilapidated building. The air was harsh and dry and the stone structures all radiated heat he wasn’t accustomed to.

This is horrible, he thought. Was this worth leaving the sanctity of his underground hive?

Stones tumbled behind him and then the sound of something scraping stone. He turned, expecting it to be an insect drone to come and fetch him. But instead he saw a shadow run in the opposite direction. Not quite understanding the possible dangers that lurked out here, aside from memories of monsters and beasts. He would follow after whatever it was. Reaching out with his mind to pick up on trace feelings: Trepidation, exhaustion, anger. Not something an insect drone would normally feel.

Following the shadow deeper into the ruins of the lost city Quxzel found himself lost already. The sun blazing high in the sky and winds whipping searing sands his way. Once more he would take shelter within crumbling walls of an old market. Sticking to the shadows where it was much cooler. Suddenly he was intensely curious. Like, just all out wanting to touch-

Quxzel jumped out of the shadows and scampered to the other side of the room. His eyes on the shadows, fixated on them as they moved and formed first the face of a troll and then the body. Like stepping out of an inky silhouette was a fully formed troll. A purple blood judging from the makeup slathered across his face. Well the bit of his face he could see past the wraparound sunglasses he had on. His clothing was dull browns and a white cloak was draped around him. How he could melt so smoothly out the darkness was actually… confusing.

“Hey bro, like, you look like you’ve seen a motherfucking ghost.” His voice was raspy but his smile was jovial. And all that Quxzel could pick up from him was some oddly optimistic vibes. Now he wondered if the feeling he picked up before came from something else. “Well, shit, gonna introduce yourself to this here motherfucker or you going to gape at me all day?”

Quxzel stared at him till it was obviously awkward. The purple blood just seemed to chuckle a bit a shrug. “I guess I mighta spooked you a bit. Name’s Iryzal, and you are?” He waited there silently, still wearing a smile that was honestly too nice. It was freaking Quxzel out big time. But he would try to respond while the high blood quirked his head at him. “Eh, sounds like a whole lotta motherfucking bugs buzzin’ ‘round here to you?”

That’s when it hit him; this whole time the gold blood was trying to communicate telepathically but so used to dealing with insects the translation was skewed. So utterly embarrassed but he would try to speak but using actual words this time. “My name is Quxzel.”

“Quxxel? Cool bro.” Iryzal putt a little too much emphasis in the middle.

“No, Quxzel.” The gold blood would try to correct him.

“That’s what I said, Quxxel.” He did it again.

“No, no it’s pronounced- never mind.” Quxzel gave up, finding it odd and difficult to speak properly. He never had to when in the hive. It was always so simple to just give orders to the workers via mental commands. Feeling rather frustrated, a first in a while. But Iryzal just looked at him with that dorky grin and cocked head.

“So tell me brother, what’s a troll like you doing all up in a damned place like this?” The juggalo pressed on without seeming to mind the name correcting. “Shit, we’re pretty out in the middle of fucking nowhere. Strange place to run into strangers, ya know?” There was a lazy sort of drawl to Iryzal’s voice. One that drew the other troll in. “’Specially one not really suited for travel.”

Quxzel felt eyes rove over his body and he immediately turned away from the high blood which only got a solid laugh out of him.

“Hey amigo, not tryin’ rile you up or anything. Just sayin’ you aint dressed to parade around out in the motherfuckin’ unforgiving sun out there. Too dark. Desert will chew ya up and spit you the fuck out. But like, how did you end up here dressed in that hot ass black and grey shit.” Iryzal said it all in such a matter of fact voice. There was no telling what his eyes said and his feelings didn’t seem to change. “But, hey bro, you wouldn’t happen ta have a bit a food on you huh?”

The gold blood gave him a deadpan look. After trying to judge his clothing, ask suspiciously about his origins than he goes and ask for food? “Are you serious?”

“As serious as this motherfuckers oath to the Mirthful ones. Help a brother out. My spirit quest is takin’ a bit longer than expected.” Iryzal shrugged and grinned. There was something not quite right about how he held himself and it put the other troll on the edge. It didn’t help that most of the memories Quxzel held represented purpleblood as tyrants and all around assholes. But, it seemed like this troll knew how to handle himself if he managed to keep from getting caught by the guard bugs thus far.

“Yes, I have some food. And I would be willing to part with it under one condition.” Quxzel opened his pack and fished out one of a few of the protein bars he brought along. Holding it out to him to take. “Take me along with you.” This was it. He was going to do it. He would push past the boundaries of this underground existence and see what lay beyond the white dunes.

Iryzal’s brows shot up at the proclamation. They went a bit further up when he noticed the name brand of the power bar he was being offered. It was hard to mask his excitement and the way he was drooling. “Mother FUCK bro, I’ll take you anything fuckin were if you had that bad boy over.” He stepped up and was about to snag the bar out of the other’s hands but it was tugged just out of reach.

Quxzel’s eyes burned behind his scarf. He didn’t like how easy this was. And he didn’t like how happy go lucky the troll was acting. Even the waves of emotion coming off of his was sickly sweet. Though he had prior good nor bad interactions with other trolls, aside from eating them, he couldn’t just outwardly trust him. “Shouldn’t you be, I don’t know, trying to kill me or something?”

“Nah bro, aint my time to be spilling blood in the good name of the Mirthful Messiahs. I gotta get through with this quest first. I’ve been put on a glorious fuckin’ mission given to me by the Mirthful ones themselves. Came down and gave me a damn vision. Told me to travel the full length of these dunes, one end to the other. And when I get to the end of my journey they will up and have something glorious waitin for me.” He was so passionate in his words, he seemed to let his mind wander. He snapped back when he heard the other troll speak.

“How long ago was this ‘vision’ given to you?” Quxzel asked, legitimately curious of the event. He had never heard of it in any memories, writing or schoolfeedings.

“Eh, give or take three sweeps. Fuck been putting it off like, a bit.” Iryzal admitted with a careless shrug.

“How old are you?” The gold blood pressed. It seemed odd to have him talk all passionately like that but wait so long after getting such an important vision. Curious if the other troll was nearing his off world date. And if so, was there such thing as a highblood that never killed another troll?

“Now aint that a damn rude ass thing to ask. Here I’m being all friendly like with you and you gotta put me on the spot like that. Doesn’t matter, dunno why you askin all these needless questions. But bro, you gonna cut this motherfucker some slack and hand over that bitchin’ beautiful bar there?” He was just on the verge of begging, not finding it beneath himself at this point. Iryzal has been wondering for days without a bite. Just something to fill the void in his stomach would be a blessing.

“Fine. I don’t trust you but I don’t want to be here either. Just know you’re not the lesser of two evils here.” Quxzel offered up the candy bar again and the highblood eagerly took it. The other troll barely getting it out of the wrapping before he just about inhaled it.

“Oh come on, you and me are best bros now.” Iryzal flashed a wide, toothy smile and Quxzel felt like he made a terrible mistake. And to the gold bloods surprise he plopped himself on the stone floor and looked like he was taking a rest.

“Hey, hey, we can’t rest here.” Quxzel didn’t want to mention the drones that regularly patrolled the ruins. And if the highblood didn’t know of the insects before he would learn of them eventually. And he knew what fate would befall the foreign troll in bug territory.

“Chill bro, it’s too damn hot outside. We gotta wait till the sun sets. Could use a few winks of sleep.” Iryzal even made it more of a point by using his hands to simulate the sun setting. “Besides you aint even dressed to deal with the harsh rays. You’d dry up and die out there. Then rise up an undead piece of shit and try to eat my ass.” He laughed as if it was a terribly good joke.

Not quite able to say he’d eat him even if he wasn’t undead, Quxzel would press on. “Well there are creatures out there that will kill us if we stay here. We need to go.”

They stood there staring at each other for a long moment. Quxzel looked exasperated and Iryzal just smiled dimly. “Look, I will give you another candy bar if we leave right now. No questions asked.” Fishing out another power bar and holding out tantalizingly. Iryzal got up so far he nearly fell over himself.

“Well if you insist bro,” He would eagerly take the bribe. This time he savored it as he looked the other troll over. He was a full head shorter then himself but he could work with that. “Before we go you’re gonna need to wear something less obvious. Like shit bro, did you even think about this before you got here.”

“Well this is all I have. And I don’t have anything more ‘appropriate.’”

“One sec, I got you Amigo.” Iryzal would reach into his pocket and pull out a single of white chalk. Walking over to the corner with the darkest shadows he drew an image with the chalk that illuminated itself. He couldn’t tell what it was exactly until he pulled out from seemingly nothing, a long white cloak that matched his own. Well it was a little worn out but still no worse then what he had on. He’d offer it to Quxzel. “Here, so your bitch ass won’t bake out there.” He chuckled. “You can pay me back with more of those fuck-tastic bars.”

“Wait… how did you-?”

“It’s motherfucking miracles, brother.”

When Quxzel accepted the cloak it seemed to seal the deal between them. Slipping it on and finding it a bit oversized. The highblood just snickering at him. They would leave before the bug would catch wind of them. It was safe to say the weather was not on their side. While the wind may have blown to keep them cool it was filled with sand that cut the exposed skin.

The sand, with its polished and iridescent colors, were blinding if caught staring at them too long. Quxzel would constantly fall behind with Iryzal stopping to let him catch up. Behind them the long forgotten structures and crumbling ruins faded in the distance. The sand shifting under their feet. Hot and unforgiving as it could push through the soles of the gold bloods shoes. Sweat was beading off his forehead and did little to cool him off. He was just filled with emptiness only hours after leaving hive. He thought perhaps he might be able to feel something else while on this trip. But his mind remained empty and blank. Though he felt his body sluggish with growing weariness he felt no real feeling. All the while the highblood took the lead and remained oddly silent.

Normally Quxzel could read emotions of other creatures, well other creatures being the swarm he lived with all his life, but he couldn’t quite get a full grasp of this troll. Strange, since he was able to fully comprehend those he helped dispose of with his lusus. Fear, pain, anger, regret. He knew those clearly but he couldn’t quite get a clear bead of this one. Aside from what he conveyed as happiness there was something else he couldn’t comprehend. And shuffling through memories didn’t help him get clarification either.

For a split second Quxzel was wrapped up too far in his thinkpan that he misjudged a step. The sand swallowing up his left foot and he tangled up with his right, throwing him off balance. He overcompensates to try and keep himself upright. He stumbles and starts to fall off the side of the dune. The glare off the sand mixed with the heat jumbled his senses. His psiinoics unstable. He knew he was going to fall and the tumble down the sandbank would an extremely unpleasant one.

Quxzel closed his eyes and expected the impact and what would come after. But instead he felt like he was gazing into a sea of impossible colors. Each hue having an indescribable taste to them. These feelings were foreign to him. It was a god damn kaleidoscope of emotions that he felt like he would drown in. Images of past lives he buried rose to the surface like hundreds of thousands of hands clawing to escape. Wanting to scream as early ended lives bloomed violently in his head. Voices rose in a horrific chorus of laughter and pain.

“Hey bro, I got you.” Iryzal held onto Quxzel’s arm and pull him up to his chest. Trying to help him onto his feet but the gold blood just struggled with him. Trying as he might to get him to settle he just held him firmer. He looked down into the shorter trolls face and saw two golden eyes stare back at him from behind the scarf: blank and emotionless. That was the last thing he remembered before he was shot back clear across the dune. Iryzal landed in the constant sea of churning white sands in the distance.

The sun was setting when Iryzal would come to. The bright pink moon rising into the evening sky and the green one just a speck in the distant. He was sprawled out on his back, something soft under his head. He’d try to move but felt like was dragged halfway across the desert. Noticing that he was placed under an outcropping of weathered sandstone. The wind kept at bay for now. The temperature starting to drop already. What he didn’t see was his new friend. And all he could recall was trying to catch the motherfucker before he went face first into the scorching sand. When he could get up he peaked around the rock then trudged up the first dune he came across. And there on the other side was Quxzel. The wind battered him while he turned his head up to the sky.

“Yo, you’re not going to believe this but I musta passed out or some shit tryna…” Iryzal’s voice cracked when Quxzel turned around. Their eyes meeting, purple and a deep, searing gold. The scarf he had been wearing was gone and the high blood got a good look at him. Well, not what he expected but not bad looking. Though Quxzel’s eyes burning into him like that answered his question. The bastard had some kick in him and he could respect that. ‘He was going to need it,’ Iryzal thought.

“I’ve never seen the sky before. It’s much more vast then I expected.” Quxzel admitted to him as he started walking toward him. The highblood tensed as he slipped by to head back to their meager shelter. He could feel his untrusting gaze on him. But he could feel something new roll off of Iryzal, an aura that beckoned him to study it closer. Instead he would crawl under the outcropping and settle into the little niche and pull his legs up to his knees. Covering himself up in the white cloak. “It’ll be too cold to travel through here at night. The sand will eat up our heat before we make it over the next dune. That and I know some unsavory creatures stalk the dunes at this time. We’re safer if we stay in one place and keep a look out.”

Iryzal followed silently behind the lowblood till he settled under the modest rock shelter, He would hover over him, casting a deep dark shadow that was unnatural. A prickling chill would travel down the other trolls spine. But he couldn’t quite break into that thick head of his.

“Don’t try that chuckle voodoo stuff on me. What happened was an accident.” Quxzel looked up at him, face blank. “You shouldn’t have touched me.”

“Well damn, shoulda asked before I got all touchy feeling and saved your ass from a mouth full of sand. My bad.” Iryzal’s sarcasm wasn’t lost on the low blood but it didn’t sound right coming from him either. Something about the purple blood seemed too genuine.

“Fine, sorry for hurling you across the desert. There, said it. Is that what you needed to hear?” He remained emotionless, looking up at the high tier. In this position he was at his mercy, he had no clear idea how he used his psiionic’s so aggressively before and it was doubtful he could do the same now. Hopefully that prior experience would keep him safe from any highblood wrath.

“See, now that wasn’t so hard.” Getting the response he wanted Iryzal sat down beside his bud. Barely an inch of space between them. “That was some pretty mean moves back there. Gotta remind this motherfucker to keep his distance.”

Quxzel looked down at the sliver of space between them, up at him, the narrow gap of space and back at him. Really. He cleared his throat and the purple blood just scooted over in the opposite direction a bit. He did it again but this time Iryzal didn’t budge. The two of them sitting in silence. After awhile he’d notice the high blood start to draw again. This time on the ground between his legs. This time what he pulled out of the shadows was a flask. And instantly Quxzel realized how parched he was.

“I’ll make a trade for a sip.” Iryzal shook the bottle tantalizingly.

Quxzel reached into his bag eager to give up another of those nasty power bars. But before he could fish one out Iryzal shook his head. It seemed it wasn’t going to be that easy this time. Perhaps he should have been worried but instead he stared at Iryzal till he spoke.

“Nah, not this time. How about some information instead.” The highblood held the flask tentatively between his fingers and just out of reach of the gold blood. “Tell me about yourself.”

Now Quxzel was caught off guard by that request. It wasn’t like he was on the run or anything of that sort but he didn’t feel like bringing up his life story to a stranger. Instead he turned his face away and rummaged through his own bag again. Of all things to pack he never thought of bringing water. Then again he didn’t think he could have gotten this far without being dragged back hive. “What’s it to you anyway? We’ll part ways after we reach the end of the desert. No reason to push past that.”

Iryzal huffed, shrugged and took long gulp of water for himself. “Fine. That’s damn true words you speak there bro. I aint going to press anymore. I mean, I’m just guiding your sorry ass out of this place for free and all. But a little small talk might be too big of a price to pay, fuck me right?”

As the moons rose higher in the sky the sands grew colder and the winds began to pick up. The rock would protect the two of them from the biting winds but couldn’t help keep them warm. Well at least Iryzal seemed to look comfortable. His cloak tucked around him and his head resting against the rock wall. He never removed his sunglasses so it was impossible to see if he was still awake. Quxzel couldn’t sleep, worry began to consume him. A new feeling that was foreign to the sheltered troll. The outburst of emotion from earlier still roiled in his mind. Having felt so many different emotions at once was almost maddening. He could only imagine how his lusus could handle them on a much larger scale.

The Master Bug. Quxzel wondered how long it would take for it to realize he was gone. And how much longer it would be till it sent out the workers to find him. And what would they do when they found them, which he knew would be the outcome of this. Trying to escape the inevitable. A life of forced servitude without knowing what more he could have. He sighed and pulled out a book, leaning away from Iryzal and assumed he was sleeping. He began to read a bit by the filtering moonlight. It was much nicer then the glow moss and glow worms underground. He’d feel prickling on the back of his neck and oh so slowly he’d turn to see the highblood staring at him. That face paint made his pulse jump.

Iryzal’s sunglasses were tucked into the collar of his cloak and he was watching Quxzel with a sly grin on his face. He looked absolutely enthralled and that same aura from before was rolling off of him. A curious sort of interest he showed in the low blood. “Whatcha readin’ there, Amigo. Looks mighty thick.”

“…” Quxzel turned back around and scooted away more. Space was limited and he was nearing the edge of their shelter. And the night was only getting colder and any attempt to keep reading was too difficult. Shutting the book and balancing it on his knees as he rubbed his hands together and blew in them. This was all new experiences, the heat and cold. As brutal and uncomfortable as it was it was nice to make real memories of his own.

“Listen bro, I aint gonna bite.” Iryzal patted the ground beside him. “I got a blanket if ya wanna scoot your ass this way.” He laughed softly when the gold blood shot him a glare. “Bro, it’s only gonna get more motherfucking cold. And I promise I won’t try anything funny. You can trust me.”

Those words would echo in Quxzel’s mind for sweeps to come.

Bitterly accepting the offer Quxzel scooted closer as Iryzal retrieved a thick wool blanket. It draped over them comfortably. And in a show of good faith the purple blood would pull his arms out of his sleeves and tucked them into his shirt so there was no way he could put his hands on the gold blood. And for the first time in his life Quxzel spent the night beside another of his kind. Even if he didn’t sleep a wink it was still an odd feeling.

At one point during the night Iryzal had dozed off again. This time his head dipped off to the side and rested unwittingly on Quxzel shoulder. Instantly the lowblood tensed. His heart racing in his chest, afraid that he would have another surge of unwanted emotions flood his mind. But it never came. Yet his heart kept beating fast and brought a flush to his cheeks that unsettled him. Thinking of just shrugging him off or telling him to move but he couldn’t bring himself to do either. If anything he craved this more than anything else in this world.

“I’m fucking pathetic.” Quxzel would whisper to himself, his breath coming out in white steam. A little bit of shock to see that. And just like that his mind wandered to other things and left Iryzal to rest.

The purpleblood struggled to keep up his facade. When Quxzel spoke, he wanted nothing more than to speak up and tell him that wasn’t true. It wasn’t fair. That this cute motherfucker was the one. There was no doubt in Iryzal’s mind. This lowblood was the one. This quest was on fucking point. Too bad it had to be this way.

The next few days were a rinse and repeat. They traveled through the day, avoiding detection from the shambling creatures that haunted the desert. Quxzel was able to misdirect any insects that started to stray into their direction. Keeping Iryzal oblivious to their pursuers as much as he could. But as the days stretched on and they grew closer to their destination the two of them found a mutual respect for one another. At least the purple blood would finally share his water.

When the final night came, after four grueling days that pushed Quxzel to his limits, they would reach the end of this seemingly endless desert. Both trolls looked pretty terrible at this point. Iryzal had run out of facepaint and the rest he wore was smeared and some parts of his skin exposed. And he seemed to be on edge about something but would refuse to speak up about it. Iryzal’s jovial behavior started to wane as they had peered over the horizon and saw the emerald green of a lush forest in the distance. This strange quest the highblood was on was going to end soon but he seem reluctant to keep finally reach his long sought after goal. Quxzel was just excited to see something other than sand, rock and more sand. And that night they would find refuge in broken down scuttlecab left out here to rot under the sun. It was much nicer then seeking shelter under rocks and stuck in the open. The goldblood couldn’t sit still while Iryzal sat like a lump. An uneasy tension built between them as the night roll along slowly. Huddled under the blanket they shared it was the highblood that broke the silence.

“This is where we’re gonna have to part ways, Amigo.” Iryzal spoke up, his face blank as he stared at the ruined floor of the once operational motor vehicle. He fumbled with his hands nervously. It was something out of place and it put Quxzel on edge. “It’s for the best really. There’s no way I can fuckin’ go. Not with you.”

That last bit there felt like a cold slap in the face. Quxzel even jerked his head back as if he was physically struck. “Why! Why now? We’re right there! We could even see the trees over the dune.” There was heat in his voice. For once, well ever really, he was showing actual emotion. His eyes locking onto Iryzal when the highblood turned to look at him. That strange aura surrounding him all this time seemed to reach a boiling point. Before the lowblood could react in time Iryzal pull him up to his chest and pressed his lips to Quxzel’s.