10 months, 1 week, and 6 days after exile

Rainbow poured down again, sweeping tides pounding away on her back. The rain tried to force her to earth, and only her constant beating of wings could keep her from obeying its command. She silently cursed herself for her brashness. She had been warned that monsoon season was coming soon, but she had figured she could make it before then.

Now, she could barely see ten feet in front of her from the barrage of water. This wasn't much of an issue due to her flying, but the person who requested the package did live in the mountains. She flew slower to avoid flying into one of these pillars of stone. This meant she got even more soaked, but it was a small comfort that she at least wouldn't snap her neck hitting a mountain.

She knew she couldn't fly out here forever, though. Her clothes were soaked through, and the water was now seeping into the fur beneath them. Elsewhere on her body, she was already soaked to the bone. She began to fly lower, scanning what she could see of the ground for a suitable shelter. Namely, one with access to food and wood, as she had been told monsoon season lasted upwards of two months (she had apparently arrived on the tail end of last years) and was non-stop rain for nearly all of it.

Finally, her eye, protected from the downpour by her goggles, sighed a building. It was a stone building, shaped like a large teepee made of slabs of rocks. As she got closer, she saw that it wasn't just that part; it had a long, more rectangular structure connected to it. A door emerged from the rain-coated sky, and she dove for it, sliding it open, stepping inside, and shutting it in one fluid motion.

Inside was a long hall, lined with wooden benches. Candles burned along small alcoves, bathing the room in an eerie, flickering glow. On the far end, near the end, the room split upward, apparently, that was the conical part. At the far end, along the far wall of the conical structure, sat a pair of bladed gauntlets. They were held up on the wall by long hooks that came out of the walls. A brazier sat in front of it, filling most of the far end with light.

No one appeared to be inside, yet the place had clearly been inhabited recently. The benches were clear of dust, as was the floor, and the candles all looked recent. Rainbow got a weird chill from this place like someone else was here. But, it was dry, it was pretty safe, and she saw no one else around. So, she walked over toward the far end.

She slid out of her soaked clothes, leaving them to dry in front of the brazier. She then pulled a small wooden box out of her pack before she left that to dry by the brazier too. Inside the box were the familiar blood-red shapes of crackers, freshly bought from Huffer in Burkesh. Since the 'incident' with the caravan, Rainbow had been taking them more and more, in desperate hopes to forget. It had worked, but she had to keep buying them more often than before. She felt it was worth it though. The sensation was intoxicating, not to mention the only thing that helped get her to sleep.

Speaking of which, she was tired. So, she popped one, then quickly slid the lid shut and put it back in the pack. As soon as she did, she felt the familiar feeling of the high washing over her. She smiled, then lay down on one of the benches. Still smiling, she curled up in a ball, and passed into the calming, dreamless void.

She awoke to the patter of the rain on the roof, along with another noise she couldn't quite place. She opened her eyes, grogginess latching onto her like a leech. A minor side effect of the crackers, but one she ultimate judged to be worth it. Looking around, she saw that she was still in the weird building, yet the flickering glow was a bit brighter. As the after-effects of the stim wore off, she was finally able to make out the second noise: chanting.

Over in front of the brazier, she saw a demigryph in a hooded red cloak. He was chanting in something that even the rune Rainbow wore couldn't interpret. She watched as he finished his chanting, then dumped something into the fire. It was a log, carved to remove all the bark and to give it a smooth, almost polished look. He then said, "I see you are awake, traveler. Might I ask what you are doing here? We don't get many visitors, not from Dresis."

She knew the name. It was the name of the nearby town, where she had to deliver her current package. "Sorry. I didn't expect the monsoon to catch up to me so soon. I just wanted to hunker in for the night. I'll get out of your feathers."

He turned around, giving her a good look at his face. He had a pair of scars, running from the base of his eyes down his cheeks and ending on his jaw. He removed his hood, revealing the rest of his head. His dull brown feathers were tied together in small clumps with bone rings, forming a straight line down the back of his neck. He smiled and said, "There is no need. Like you said, it is now monsoon season. You can stay here until it passes."

"Why, exactly," she asked, a little suspicious. "I haven't met many who are willing to let me stay very long anywhere. Why are you-"

"Letting you?", he asked. Upon her nodding in reply, he added, "Well, maybe it would be the amicable thing to do. Maybe you simply haven't met a person who would let you. Either way, all are welcome under the roof of Damocles."

Rainbow had heard that name before many times, but never figured out the meaning. "Ok, I've heard that before, but well. Who the buck is Damocles?"

He looked at her for a moment, before looking back over at the whipping flames of the brazier. "I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised. Many know of him, but few know of what he is." He then walked over to behind the brazier, walking up to the gauntlets on the wall. He then began doing a Twilight-like lecture.

"Long ago, before the Scorching of the Sun Daemon, shortly after the end of the great winter, the land of Demos and the Pryhian Archipelago were engulfed in near-constant war. The four races that now make up the creatures of society, bound by their nations, fought one another. Then, Damocles the Uniter rose from one of the olden clans of the Demigryphs. He united his race, then did the same to the other races. By diplomacy when possible, by the blade when necessary. He led all of them into the golden age: the age of the Old Empire. He would eventually sail into the eternal sea, sailing into the heavens themselves, and-are you falling asleep?"

Sure enough, Rainbow had been staring to nod off. She snapped up, then gave him an awkward smile. "Heh heh. Sorry, I don't do well with lectures. Anyway, so this guy is a god?"

"Well, that's a bit complicated," he said. "A few, like myself, do believe he is a god; how else could he have done it? However, others believe he is merely an ideal we should all aspire to." He signed, then started to walk over to the door by the brazier. "You are free to stay here for the monsoon season. Just, don't break anything, bother me too much, or bother anyone who comes from the town to pray. Ok?"

"Sounds good. I'm just gonna get some more sleep, ok?" He nodded, then walked off. Rainbow popped another cracker, smiled like an idiot, and passed out back on the bench.

Next Chapter: 27~Notable runs (PT. 4) Estimated time remaining: 7 Hours, 49 Minutes