Lessons: Act I (Aulos)

Aulos enjoyed these annual pilgrimages. The sacred land's sapphire seas and gentle hills were a comfortable break from the Scar's black crags. It wasn't just the scenery, there was something about these isles that resonated with the namekian people. Aulos felt it the moment he crossed into the lands, his bones felt lighter, younger, free of the usual aches. For the duration of his visit, elder Aulos could forget just how old he really was. "Perhaps that's why I'm in such a pleasant mood" The elder mused as he soared over the isles, his empty sleeve flapping behind in him the wind. "It's this place" He picked out the familiar hill, and made his descent- he will approach the shrine on foot. Several items sit neatly along the hilltop, two iron buckets and a heavy rod of the same material. A length of chain connects a bucket to each end of the rod, which rattled in protest as Aulos collected the rod They were simple, and well used, yet Aulos treated them with reverence. "Hello old friend-" The elder smiles as he hefts the device over his shoulder, balancing it's weight between each shoulder.

Elder Aulos's first pilgrimage to the isles was one of desperation. He has just lost the majority of his village, as well as the use of his dominate arm, and needed guidance. The isles pushed away the hurt, and helped a younger Aulos realize his true purpose. When he arrived, he was a wounded warrior. When he left, he left as an Namekian Elder. He has returned here every year since, sometimes spending weeks hauling water from village to village. One would think that after two centuries, there would be little left for Aulos to discover. Yet the the island manages to surprise Auros, every time.   He set off towards the central mountains, walking a beaten path. As always, his first stop will be at Porunga's shrine.  Interestingly enough, Aulos could sense a a crowd of warrior clan namekians converging in the shrine's direction- perhaps this would be an interesting visit.

After an hour of walking, Aulos stepped into the shrine grounds. He was surprised to discover, however, that what he was sensing was not five namekian warriors- but one off-worlder. The chain rattled as Aulos stopped in tracks to stare curiously at Rensou's back. An alien, here, seated at the base of Porguna. He didn't quite know what to make of it, his dealings with non-namekains were limited to a few passing glances within Dend city. The traditionalist, the old man, in him raged. This was a sacred land after all, it's not a place for outsiders- especially ones who can match the strength of five warriors. Something kept Aulos from confronting Rensou however, a curious sensation pulled at his attention- and the elder stared up at Porunga looming above. Aulos calmed, and eventually smiled. This island is always surprising him.


So, still balancing the buckets, Aulos approached the stranger. 


"Have you decided on a wish, outlander?" 

Not seeking a wish, but enlightenment? The parallels of their situation was not lost on the elder. There was a time when Aulos was in a similar situation, searching for meaning at the foot of Porunga. "Well met Rensou." Aulos smiled and dipped his head, at least the boy is polite. The elder gestured upwards, towards the dragon's statue looming overhead. "You sit before Porunga. The dragon of dreams." Aulos paused to stare at the dragon for a long moment, his empty sleeve flapping at his side. Porunga, for his part, stared back- sunlight reflecting behind the statue's jeweled eyes. "Those of Namek venerate him as our creator. The faithful, and the desperate, come here to deliver their wishes to the statue." This was a half truth, some secrets are best held. Aulos glanced at the seven round impressions surrounding the statue. 

The elder then shifted his attention to Rensou himself, taking the time to study the alien. It was curious... Aulos mused internally.  Rensou was indeed an outlander, ignorant to the namekians ways. Yet his quest of self discovery led him here, to the one place on namek that could help him. Was it simply blind luckk or- Again Aulos glanced up at towering dragon- ..something more? Aulos locked his gaze with the outlander.. and smiled.

"Well met Rensou, I am Elder Aulos. I believe I can help you, if you're willing to put in the work."  

Rensou was eager and clearly bursting with energy. Ah, to be young again. Aulos mused as he raised a finger, pointing it at Rensou's feet. "If we met at another time, another place, I would have dismissed you- mind your eyes." That was the only warning Aulos gave before the ground beneath Rensou flashed white. "But you caught me in a good mood." The truth of the matter was a little more complex, but there will be time for a proper explanation later. When the light cleared, Rensou would find a shoulder yoke attached to a pair of buckets sitting at his feet- created as if through magic. The tools were of a similar style to what the elder carried, albeit much-much newer. When compared to the centuries-old buckets hanging from Aulos's neck, Rensou's equipment is positively glowing. "Shoulder that yoke and fill those buckets at the dragon's base." The elder gestured towards the pond, its water sparkling in the namekian sunlight. "Careful though, it's heavy."

Aulos wasn't joking, and Rensou would find that the yoke at his feet was incredibly heavy- even for a being as powerful as him. That weight would only double when the buckets are filled.

Aulos stared stone faced as Rensou collapsed into the pond. At first, the elder namekian worried that he overdid it with the weight. Rensou however, proved more then capable as he pulled himself from the waters. In response to Rensou's question, the elder would only smile and raise a finger- pointing at the highest point of the island. While not a mountain in a traditional sense, it is nonetheless an intimidating sight. From their perspective at the shine, the hill's jagged peak pierces the sky.  A visible path runs up the side of the hill, lined with thousands of stone steps. The steps zig-zag from point to point, before finally ending somewhere near the hill's top.   "That is the warrior's walk." Aulos says simply, making his way towards the pond. "A village sits at it's end, towering high above the island." The elder's buckets dip into the water, filling each to the rim. "That village is our goal." It's subtle, but Aulos's weight clearly shifts after he fills the bucket- His yolk also appears to be weighted. He turns towards the so called Saiyan, studying him from head to toe. "And before you ask- yes we will ascend on foot."

Of course, nothing is ever as simple as it appears. The 'Warrior's Walk' is ancient and crumbling, and the path clearly grows more precarious the higher it rises. "Are you up for this young Rensou?" Aulos asked, eying the boy. 

"That is the correct attitude.",,

Aulos led the way, ascending the first handful of steps. Rensou was half right, the journey to the village was indeed possible. The old man actually performed it annually. What the young saiyan wasn't considering though was experience. The elder has been carrying water up these steps for centuries, and has developed a few tricks to lessen the burden. For a first timer however? The Warrior's Way is a grueling experience, as much psychologically draining as physical. Rensou's inquiry about the mountaintop village was a natural one, a settlement so close to Porunga's shrine had to have some importance. This was true, the village was important- but in a way that the young Rensou might not have expected. As such Aulos delayed his answer, waiting until they're a half hour into their march before speaking.

"The village was one of the original settlements of the dragon clan. It was they who laid down these steps, and erected Porunga's shine." Below them, Porguna's reflection stared up from the water. The pond's emerald hue tinted the shrine's reflection, and gave the stone a kind of life. The gentle laps of the waves shifted the reflection, giving the illusion that Porguna's chest rose and fell- as if breathing.  Aulos paused to take in the view, gesturing towards the scene. "In the days before flight, our earliest warriors walked this path. They patrolled the steps, kept the stones maintained, and carried water for the village." 

Aulos then turns, shifting his gaze to Rensou. The boy has done well to reach this point, but there's still more to come. "This is only the first leg of the journey. Can you continue?" The path forward angles sharply, the steps growing taller and wider. "It will only get harder from this point on, and there's no shame in giving up." The elder smiled, his empty sleeve flapping in the wind. "After all, you're not a namekian." 

The child seems to have the will to match his incredible fighting strength. Good, for what use is power alone if one doesn't have the drive to see it applied? This was also disconcerting. By nature, most namekians had distanced themselves from the galactic scene. To a traditionalist, the stars did not offer anything of real value- and traveling among them was a foolhardy endeavor. After all the namekian god did not exist out in the stars, and there was no purpose higher then serving Porguna. Aulos saw things differently, faith in a sleeping dragon was a poor replacement for practical strength. This child was proof of that, if all saiyans were as strong as Rensou then namek stood no chance of resisting an invasion. With the guru's passing, the shrine to Porguna remained forever that- a shrine of cold stone. 

Aulos pushed the thoughts out of his mind, he needed to focus on the present. With every step, the journey grew more precarious. Chunks of the Warrior's Path were outright missing, forcing the pair's progress to slow to a crawl as they carefully navigated along the winding path. Aulos moved like water from point to point, each step flowing into the next. His body gently bobbed and swayed with the motion of the buckets, and the water remained still despite the roughness of the path. "Indeed, there are three clans of namekians." Aulos answered as he hopped across a missing pair of steps, his buckets swaying- but never spilling. "The dragons, who serve. The warriors, who protect-" Aulos pauses, turning to watch the young saiyans progress. "- and the mazoku, who covet. For my people, clan identity is a cornerstone of life." Aulos smiled down at Rensou. The elder didn't know why, but there was something deeply familiar about Rensou. He felt an innate comfort around the young saiyan, and was actually starting to enjoy his company. Such feelings are usually reserved for clan brothers, and their presence pulled at the elder's interest. Just who is this boy?

"We are at the half way point. Do you wish to continue?"

"Ambition"

Aulos's tone was hazy and distant, as if the elder's attention was focused on a distant memory. His body moved automatically from step to step, but his nonetheless kept a casual grace. It is a curious thing to possess centuries worth of memories. There was a limit to the amount a mind can retain, and much of Aulos's life was simply forgotten. The memories that remained were the ones that left the deepest impression, and revisiting them seemed to take the elder's full attention. He was there when the Mazoku first emerged, and was present when his elders made the decision to banish the clan. At the time he was young, eager for battle, and fully committed to the wisdom of his elder's decisions. Now Aulos is old, old enough to realize that an elder's judgement isn't infallible. He could not shake the idea that the mazoku's banishment was a mistake, that exiling an entire clan to the wastes only weakened Namek. 

"The mazoku possessed ambition in abundance. Some desired power, others simply wished for change."  What Rensou saw wasn't a hallucination, nor was it a trick of the light. Eventually the pair crossed into the village's outskirts. They passed by small homesteads at first, collections of buildings styled in that strange namekian fashion. "My people are resistant to change. We had lived simple lives up to that point, and we were content with what he had." Something was off. There was no signs of life within the homesteads they passed and they, much like the Warrior's Walk, showed clear signs of degeneration and decay.  "It was their ambition that drove the mazoku into conflict with the other clans. They wanted too much, too fast- and eventually words were not enough to placate them."

The pair rounded the final bend of stairs, and finally were able to see the village proper. The rest of the trek is downhill, and from their vantage point they could see dozens of bulbous homes surround a central courtyard. Porguna's shrine shimmers from below, just out of sight but present nonetheless. The view would've been breathtaking if the village was intact. Even from a distance one can see that the settlement is in ruins. Several buildings  are crumbling while some has been outright blasted apart. Signs of battle ravage the countryside, ki blasts have bored deep furrows through the very rock of the hill. A quiet, ominous, sensation settled over the pair. It was as if the very air around the site had developed a queer weight to it. Whatever this village was in the past, it was clear that no namekian still lives here. 

"This is the site of the first conflict. It is here where namekians first made war on each other."