The Zombie Knight Saga 155 Clv. | 'O, Attentive Hunter...!'

"Could you perhaps show us a dance from your homeland?" asked a very slender Hun'Sho woman by the name of Hirkosa. Her Mohssian was quite good--but then, such seemed to be the case with every Hun'Sho to whom Diego had spoken. "We would be more than happy to do the same in return."

It wasn't the first time that Diego had heard the Hun'Sho talk to him about dancing. It seemed to be a big thing with them. "Sure," he said. "Not to toot my own horn 'r anything, but back in Aguarey, I was known as the Red Typhoon in all the night clubs."

Hirkosa's molten face looked more confused than impressed. "A typhoon is a type of surface world storm, no?"

"Yeah."

"What does a storm have to do with dancing?"

"I could tell you," said Diego, "but wouldn't it be better if I showed you?"

Another Hun'Sho woman by the name of Lerinki leaned over the table. "Please do!" She touched his hand with her magmcovered one.

In his head, Diego screamed in agony. Even through his pa.s.sive soul-defense, it felt like he'd just spilled boiling coffee on himself. But he didn't let it show on his face at all. He was a transfiguration user. Pain was second nature to him.

He still found it difficult to respond immediately, however.

To her credit, Lerinki realized her mistake after a second and recoiled. "Oh! I am so sorry! I forgot myself for a moment! Did that hurt?!"

He laughed it off. "Don't worry! I'm fine! Though I appreciate the concern!"

Both of the Hun'Sho women were staring at his charred and half-melted lump of a hand.

Yangéra invoked the regeneration for him. 'Diego is fine, but you should be more careful around regular surface-dwellers,' she said. 'You could very easily kill one of them. They're quite fragile.'

When Diego and the others had first discovered that the Hun'Sho could both see and hear reapers, it had come as quite the surprise. None of them were servants, as far as he knew, but apparently that didn't matter. The explanation that the reapers had provided was that the Hun'Sho were a race of people who had ardor fused into their very beings. And as such, a Hun'Sho's "soul" was considered quite different to that of other races. Somehow.

Diego hadn't gotten much clarification on that point. Not that he'd cared all that much in the first place. Their culture interested him more than their biology or whatever it was.

"I am so, so sorry!" said Lerinki. "I will be sure to be careful in the future!"

"Lerinki, you fool!" said Hirkosa. "Why did you not remove your coat first?!"

Diego c.o.c.ked an eyebrow at that.

"Oh, you are right!" said Lerinki, and she continued to apologize, even as her molten hands began to peel back. The magma, that had thus far maintained the impossibly smooth contours around her hands without dripping at all, suddenly flowed back up her arm to reveal the much more familiar gray skin beneath.

She touched Diego's hand again, and this time it felt quite cool--cooler, even, than the Hun'Kui women he had met back in Babbadelo. "Wow," he marveled, "I didn't know you could do that."

"I am so sorry," Lerinki was still saying. "I hope you will still show us the dances of your people."

"Oh, why, I'd be--"

'I am afraid that Diego and I have other matters we must to attend to now,' said Yangéra. 'Perhaps he can show you his dance moves another time.'

"Aww!"

"Please come see us later!"

"I will, of course," said Diego. He had no idea what "matters" Yangéra was talking about, but he figured he should go along with it and NOT try to make her look like a jacka.s.s, for the time being.

They exited the small... hangout? He wasn't sure what the structure was, because even though it looked like a place where people would normally gather to enjoy a meal, he had yet to see any of the Hun'Sho actually eat anything.

Regardless, on the open street again, Diego was feeling quite pleased with himself. 'I think they liked me,' he thought with a smile.

'Um,' said Yangéra privately, 'just so you know, those women were not flirting with you. I'm pretty sure they don't understand the concept of flirting to begin with.'

'Wasn't the vibe I was getting.'

'Diego. The Hun'Sho reproduce as.e.xually. And very rarely.'

He thought about that for second. 'So in other words... those two back there were probably virgins?'

'Ugh! That is the worst thing you've ever said!'

'What?! It was a joke!'

'I thought you were hunting for treasure, not p.u.s.s.y!'

'Whoa, hey! Don't make me out to be some kind of sleazy piece of s.h.i.+t! I never said anything about having s.e.x with them!'

'Oh, yeah, I'm sure your intentions back there were entirely pure.'

Diego took a breath. 'I'm just trying to get to know the local color so that, yes, I might discover some treasure. But there is more than one kind of treasure in this world, Yangéra.'

'Oh, here we go...'

'An encounter with a lovely lady of refinement and virtue, for example. That is one the most precious treasures I can imagine.'

'Sure it is, you horndog. Aren't you at all worried that one of these women would burn your d.i.c.k off?'

'Hold on. Where the h.e.l.l is this coming from? You should know better than anyone that I'm not some manwh.o.r.e.'

'Of course you aren't.'

Diego didn't much care for her tone. 'You really see me that way?'

'You're really trying to tell me that you don't jump into bed with any woman who will let you?'

He furrowed his brow at her. 'As a matter of fact, yes. I've never slept with a woman I wasn't in love with, thank you very much.'

'Is that right?'

'It is!'

'What about Erica Torres, then?'

'Okay, that did get intense pretty quickly, but it was just heavy petting.'

Yangéra gave him a look.

'VERY heavy petting, I'll grant you. But never actual s.e.x.'

'Uh-huh,' said Yangéra. 'How about Anna Casal, then?'

'I never had s.e.x with Anna,' said Diego. 'We were just very close, for a while.'

'I literally found you in the same bed together.'

'Yes! We slept in it! As in, actual sleep! No s.e.x! She was going through a rough time, needed a shoulder to cry on, and then fell asleep in my arms!'

'You were both naked.'

'The rain soaked through our clothes! And we didn't have any others to change into that night! AND we kept our underwear on, by the way!'

'Mmhmm. Hey, do you hear that? It's the sound of me not believing you.'

'Look, I don't need to explain my relations.h.i.+p with Anna to you. She is a special woman, but she and I were simply not meant to be. Someone with a filthy mind like you wouldn't understand the platonic bond we shared.'

'Right. What about that one chick I saw all over you a few months ago? Did you ever even learn her name?'

'That was Bernice, and yes, while she was very forward, she was a foreigner who was only in town for the weekend, so the relations.h.i.+p didn't last beyond that.'

'But you did have s.e.x with her, is my point.'

'No, I didn't.' Diego hesitated, not entirely certain he wanted to elaborate. 'In fact... things got a little awkward when I told her that I didn't want to take things that far. I instead suggested trying a long-distance relations.h.i.+p first and seeing how things went. Her response was to kick me in the b.a.l.l.s.'

That information seemed to give Yangéra pause, perhaps because of how tragically believable it was. '...What about that bimbo supermodel you were with just a few weeks back?'

'She was NOT a bimbo! Her name was Marissa, and she was very nice! I only went to a couple ritzy parties with her as a favor. She was worried her friends would give her a hard time for showing up alone, so I played the role of studly arm candy. And maybe... sortkinda pretended to be her boyfriend a little.'

'...You did all of that for her, yet never slept with her?'

'She was just coming off of a bad break up and was obviously feeling very vulnerable. I didn't want to take advantage of her.'

Yangéra allowed a few beats to pa.s.s. 'Nah, I still think you're full of c.r.a.p. What about Elena Salamanca?'

At that name, Diego stopped walking and looked at Yangéra.

The reaper stopped as well. And perhaps she realized what she'd done, because she floated closer. 'Ah--uh--I'm sorry, sweetie. I didn't mean to bring her up. I wasn't--'

Diego's expressionless face scanned his surroundings. There was a narrow alley to to his right.

He went for it.

As soon as he was out of public view, he found a wall, and he leaned against it while hanging his head forward.

He wasn't gonna cry. He wasn't. He definitely was not.

Dammit, he could already hear the tears hissing as they evaporated in the heat of the Undercrust. Now he needed to focus on not devolving into a blubbering mess like last time.

'Ooh, I really wasn't thinking,' tried Yangéra, still wrapped in the echo of privacy. 'That was very low of me. I'm sorr--'

'Why didn't she love me back?!' said Diego.

'Well, it probably had something to do with the fact that she was a gold digging wh.o.r.e and an all-around ungrateful b.i.t.c.h,' said Yangéra.

Even through his extremely manly weeping, Diego had to breathe a short laugh. 'No!' he said, though only halfheartedly. 'She wasn't like that!'

'She was, Diego. She absolutely was.'

He sniffled and rubbed his eyes.

'There, there. It wasn't your fault, sweetie. She betrayed your trust. I'm very sorry for bringing her up, okay? And you know what? I think it's great that you're still putting yourself out there like you have been. Sure, sometimes it rubs me the wrong way a little bit and makes me want to give you a hard time, but ultimately, I think it's healthy.'

'...Really? You don't think I'm a stupid a.s.shole who'll never find a woman who loves me?'

'Of course I don't think that. If anything, I'm just preemptively jealous of whoever that woman turns out to be. Because I just love you so much myself. Alright?'

'Alright...'

'There we go. Now straighten yourself up. We can't have other people seeing the big, bad Lord Redwater like this.'

He started slowly shuffling his way back out into the street. 'But what's a lord without a lady...?'

'Oh, G.o.d...'

'We were gonna get married...'

'I know, sweetie. But she didn't deserve you.'

He stopped walking again. 'Wait a minute. Did she...? Did she think the same thing that you were thinking just now? That I'm some sort of disgusting playboy?'

'Ah. Well... um...'

His eyes widened. 'Oh my G.o.d...!'

'Mm,' was all Yangéra had for him.

He just stared at the reaper with his mouth slightly open.

'...So you genuinely didn't sleep with any of those women?' said Yangéra.

'NO!'

'Okay! I'm sorry! I--it--you...' She seemed to be lost for words.

And so was he.

'But if that's the case, then you've seriously gotta stop being so friendly with strange women. I'm pretty sure that most of the family thinks that you're a huge s.l.u.t, too.'

'What?! Since when?!'

'Since, oh, maybe... you were about twenty-two, twenty-three?'

'That was fifteen f.u.c.king years ago!'

'Yeeeaaahhh...'

'Why didn't you tell me this sooner?!'
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'I... I mean, I made jokes about it pretty regularly. And so did other people.'

'I thought those were just jokes!'

'Well, they were. Mostly. I-I didn't want to criticize you for your lifestyle, sweetie.'

'That wasn't my lifestyle!'

'I am now realizing that, yes.'

'AGH!'

Yangéra tilted her avian head at him. 'You're surprisingly oblivious when it comes to this sort of thing, aren't you?'

'Oh, shut up!'

'If it makes you feel any better, Elena Salamanca really was not good enough. Especially after what I've just learned.'

Diego just palmed his forehead.

'Think about it. If she thought you wouldn't be loyal and yet still went as far as becoming your fiancée, then she was obviously just after your money in the first place.'

Another horrible thought occurred to him, and he looked up at Yangéra. 'Did you have something to do with her leaving me?'

'Of course not.'

He didn't stop staring, however. To his eyes, the reaper was a deceptively sweet-looking dove, glowing with a gentle white light, save her eyes, which smoldered with tiny black flames.

'Diego, I would never do that to you.'

Still, he kept looking at her.

'She couldn't even see me. How would I have possibly been able to sabotage your relations.h.i.+p?'

His gaze narrowed. 'By convincing someone else to do it for you.'

'Diego, sweetie. You're talking crazy. Your happiness is too important to me.'

That statement could be taken two different ways, he felt. 'Yangéra,' he told her. 'I am going to look into this later. And you know me. I will find the truth, one way or another. So if you did do something, I'll be much less upset with you if you tell me right now.'

Her beak twisted as if it were human lips being pursed together.

He tried one more push. 'Yangéra?'

'...Okay, it was me.'

'I f.u.c.kING KNEW IT!'

'You were too smitten to see what a mistake marrying that woman would've been! I had to do something!'

'You insane a.s.shole!'

'She didn't even know how to cook!'

'Lots of women don't know how to cook, Yangéra!'

'Yeah, well, not in MY day! It's shameful and unbecoming of a proper wife! And she wasn't even willing to learn, either!'

His anger was only matched by his utter disbelief. 'That's it?! Is that the only reason?! Because she couldn't cook?!'

'Of course not! That was just the example that epitomized the greater problem!'

'Which was?!'

'She treated you like s.h.i.+t! She had no respect for you as a boyfriend or potential husband!'

'What?! YOU have way less respect for me than she ever did!'

'Yeah, but the difference is, deep down, I still love you! She was just an ungrateful harlot!'

"Um, excuse me," came a new voice, and Diego turned to see a Hun'Sho gentleman standing there.

"Yes?" he said almost too calmly, though he shot one last glare at Yangéra. 'This conversation is NOT over.'

'Oh, believe me, I can't wait to continue it!'

"You are the one they call Diego Redwater, no?"

"That's me. And to whom do I have the honor of speaking?"

"My name is Jasirok."

"What can I help you with, Jasirok?"

"Forgive me if you have no idea what I am talking about, but I was wondering if you would like to discuss something called the Sosho'Diyu with me."

Diego's brow rose.

The Hun'Sho man looked at the ground. "Or... what would it be called in your language? The... 'Grave of the Underworld?' Yes, I think that is it."

Diego was glad that the man seemed not to notice his surprise, because he was very much reluctant to just come right out and admit that he definitely wanted to discuss that subject. Thus far, he had not mentioned that name a single time to any of the Hun'Sho, nor had he heard it mentioned by anyone else. In the likely event that the Hun'Sho wanted to keep the treasure to themselves, Diego had felt it would be beyond imprudent to simply ask about it directly like some simpleton.

Yet here this man now was, this Jasirok, ready to offer him information out of nowhere.

Diego didn't trust the coincidence.

But it wasn't like he could just flatly refuse the guy, either. This was the first lead he'd found. Of course he had to learn more.

He needed to measure his next words carefully.

"I would be happy to talk about any subject you please," said Diego. "But why is it that this Sosho'Diyu seems to interest you so?"

'Good,' said Yangéra privately.

"Ah, it is just--you see, the last group of outsiders to visit us were very keen on the subject, so I thought you might be as well."

A rational explanation for the coincidence, Diego supposed. He allowed himself to relax, somewhat. But it did bring up another string of questions. "When did this last group of outsiders visit you, exactly?"

"Oh, it must have been a couple years ago now."

"Hmm. You're sure about that? You don't have trouble keeping track of the days down here? On the surface, we've got the sun to go by."

"The sun?" said Jasirok, almost laughing. "Ah, yes, I seem to recall reading about that method of timekeeping. Very quaint, but not at all necessary when one can feel the rotation of Eleg in one's chest."

Diego blinked. "Your brethren kept telling me about how 'close' they were to the planet, but I didn't think it extended that far."

"Indeed. It is about midday now, if you were wondering."

"Heh, I guess I'll have to take your word for it."

Yangéra decided to interject. 'This previous group of outsiders--are these the same people whom Carver arrived here with?'

"Yes, they are. Why do you ask?"

'It's just, didn't Carver come here five years ago? Not two?'

"He did, yes. But his companions returned for him two years ago. I was surprised when he did not leave with them. I suppose he simply found the Vault of Paradise to be exactly that, hmm?"

"Why is it called the Paradise Vault, by the way?" said Diego. "Not that this place isn't wonderful, of course. I just find the name curious."

Jasirok opened his mouth to answer but stopped himself before glancing around and trying again. "Ah... I sense that this conversation may become quite long. Would you like to come with me to my home? I feel we would be able to speak more comfortably there."

Diego gave the man a smile. "How could I possibly turn down such a generous invitation?"

Jasirok nodded and took the lead.

They followed him down the next side street and came to a towering, pitch black staircase that spiraled both up AND down, Diego noticed. This rocky ground that he'd been walking on was the same level on which they'd first arrived in Himmekel, so he'd been thinking that the town didn't go any lower. Apparently, that was not the case.

He and Yangéra followed Jasirok downward, through the narrow hole that soon branched out into a mult.i.tude of hallways, several of which they simply pa.s.sed by as they continued their descent. Jasirok exited at what Diego counted to be the eighth floor below Himmekel's ground level.

The corridor was much larger than he expected as well, gradually widening out enough so that four or five people could have walked abreast in relative comfort. But he couldn't tell how far it extended, because only darkness lay ahead.

In fact, there was no light anywhere down here, save that which Jasirok and the other Hun'Sho emitted. Diego supposed that made sense. These people probably didn't have much need for light sources of any kind, and if they were really as 'close to the planet' as they'd been saying, then Diego further suspected that they might also have something akin to a reaper's extra senses.

He decided to ask about it. "Hey, Jasirok, can you sense where this hallway ends?"

"Of course," the molten man said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He looked like he wanted to ask a question of his own, perhaps wondering why Diego had asked such a thing, but Jasirok held his tongue.

'If you don't mind my asking, how old are you?' said Yangéra.

"I am only seven hundred and twenty-one," said Jasirok.

'Ha. You say "only," but you are even older than I am.'

"Truly?"

'Yes.'

"Oh my. But then, I am almost certainly not older than you in terms of genuine life experience, I should think."

"Does that mean you were born here in Himmekel?" said Diego.

"Yes, and I have never yet left it."

Diego exhaled silently through his mouth as he tried to imagine that. Growing up here of all places? In such confinement? He decided to ask a question that he'd asked of almost every other Hun'Sho he'd met. "Do you wish to leave this place?"

"Eventually, yes. I must admit, your presence here has sparked my curiosity a bit."

"But you don't intend to leave anytime soon," Diego surmised.

"Certainly not."

It was an easy conclusion to reach, considering every other Hun'Sho had told him much the same thing. "Why not?"

"The time is not yet right."

That, too, was the answer he'd been expecting. Despite how many times he'd brought the subject up previously, he had yet to receive any real elaboration on that point. He decided to give it another try, though. Perhaps Jasirok would be more forthcoming than the others. "How will you know when the time is right?"

"I will know," said Jasirok.

"Y-yeah, but how?" said Diego.

"I simply will."

Diego frowned but was not surprised. Was this just another one of their "close to the planet" things? Perhaps the Heart of the World or the G.o.d of Fire would tell them when the time was right. He'd heard those two mentioned frequently enough when asking the Hun'Sho about their beliefs.

But if that's all it was, then why didn't they just say so?

As they walked, Diego saw several other Hun'Sho coming and going, some of whom he even thought he recognized. It was hard to tell, though. He hadn't gotten to the point where he could suss out the subtle distinguis.h.i.+ng features between different Hun'Sho faces yet, and he was starting to worry that he never would. At most, he was beginning to see slight differences in the overall brightness with which some of the Hun'Sho glowed, but that was about it. Not to mention, looking directly into their faces for too long could be a bit hard on the eyes, like staring into a dim flashlight.

At length, they finally reached their destination when Jasirok stopped in front of a door and opened it for them. It had not been locked, Diego noticed, nor did it appear to have any sort of locking mechanism. It simply slid open with nothing more than a push.

Curious, Diego felt. "This is your home?" he asked.

"Indeed," said Jasirok. "Please make yourselves comfortable."

Diego wondered if he should add 'privacy' to the growing list of things that the Hun'Sho seemingly did not care about.

And perhaps 's.p.a.ciousness' also deserved to be on there.

The whole apartment, if it could even be called that, was little more than two rooms. Diego spotted a small shelf full of knickknacks, a tall stone cabinet, a few chairs, a large mirror, and a bed--which, after everything else he'd learned, he found somewhat surprising. So they really did need sleep.

Noticeably missing was a bathroom. He wondered if there was a communal one elsewhere in this apparent dormitory. Certainly, running water wasn't really an option down here, so he was curious about what sort of facilities they did use. Carver's biosphere had proved surprisingly well-equipped and even surface-like, sporting a functional sink and bathtub, though the water had been quite limited until Zeff intervened.

Diego had yet to broach that particular subject with anyone else, and by now, his curiosity was just about boiling over. He decided to just go ahead and ask the question that he most wanted an answer to. "Hey, do you p.o.o.p?"

"p.o.o.p?"

'Diego!' said Yangéra privately.

"I am unfamiliar with that word," said Jasirok. "What is p.o.o.p?"

"Uh... like... excrete waste?"

Jasirok merely returned a quizzical look.

'Why did you ask him that?'

'I wanted to know!'

Diego scratched his head. "Heh, ah... well, it doesn't matter. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then I guess that answers my question."

Jasirok seemed to not know what to say.

"Ah, um, anyway." Diego decided to take the seat nearest the door. "You wanted to discuss the Sosho'Diyu with me, didn't you?"

Yangéra perched herself on his shoulder. 'And you were going to tell us why this place is called the Paradise Vault.'

"Yes, of course." Jasirok took a seat by the mirror on the other side of the room, which was still well within leisurely speaking distance. "I know only of the story, as I had not been born yet, but my elders have told it to me many times. It begins with Guong Seyos of Himmestat."

'Oh,' said Yangéra, 'is Himmestat the name of that city we found on the way here, then?'

"Yes," said Jasirok. "The City of Paradise."

Diego was still a bit lost. "Ah--sorry. Guong Seyos? What does that mean?"

'Guong is the Ancient Hunese t.i.tle for a king,' said Yangéra. 'Or at least, a certain type of king. One of divine appointment, as I recall. A normal king would've just been called a Guo. And "Seyos" was the name of that king, yes?'

"You are very knowledgeable," said Jasirok.

'I try my best.'

"Don't compliment her too much," said Diego. "That's pretty much the only thing she's good for."

'I'm also good for preventing my loved ones from making life-ruining mistakes.'

Diego shot her a look. Oh, how he wanted to dive back into that argument. But for now, there was something else he wanted to know. "So... this guy called Seyos was some sort of ancient king of the Hun'Sho?"

"Correct."

The reason Diego found that interesting was because of something he'd previously learned about the Hun'Sho here in Himmekel. One of the very first things he had asked about was who their leader was. But all of the Hun'Sho had said that no one was. They had said that Himmekel was a "community of equals." A few of the Hun'Sho hardly even seemed to understand what he was talking about, as if the entire concept of leaders.h.i.+p was foreign to them, somehow.

Yet now Jasirok was saying that they previously had a king.

Of course, a thousand or so years left a lot of opportunity for a regime change, but he still found the discrepancy interesting. He wondered now if some of the Hun'Sho who'd acted the most ignorant had just been playing dumb with him. If Jasirok had heard this story many times, then surely, the other Hun'Sho would have as well, right?

Jasirok continued. "Seyos was a powerful Guong, supposedly the most powerful of his time. He had acc.u.mulated such vast wealth that even other Guong came to him, asking to share his fortune with them. Which he did. And he used that fortune as leverage over them, growing his influence even more. But the other Guong did not like this, as they were full of pride; and so, over many years, resentment slowly built between Seyos and the other Guong.

"Eventually, this resentment led to Seyos demanding all of his treasure back. But of course, the other Guong refused and even claimed that they would take everything else he had, too. So Guong Seyos built a grand vault to keep his remaining treasure safe. He made it much larger than necessary, because he planned to attack the other Guong and retrieve his borrowed wealth, but alas, this never came to pa.s.s."

Diego waited for Jasirok to elaborate, but when it seemed like he wasn't going to, he asked, "Why not? What stopped him from getting his treasure back?"

Jasirok opened his mouth, then shut it again.

'Is that when the Hun'Kui rose up?' said Yangéra.

Jasirok looked at her. After a moment, he gave a solemn nod.

'So the Paradise Vault, which was meant to save mere treasure, ended up saving hundreds of lives, instead.'

"Yes. In here, I am told, the Surajj'Byok could not reach us."

That caught Diego's attention. "The what could not reach you?"

"Ah..." Jasirok looked up at the ceiling, then at Yangéra. "I do not know how to translate that word."

She seemed at something of a loss as well. 'Uh... some sort of sickness? Byok means sickness, doesn't it?'

"Yes," said Jasirok. "That is right. The great blight could not reach us in here."

Diego tilted his head. "This is the first I'm hearing of any illness."

"It was the wicked tool of our ashen thralls," said Jasirok lowly. "In their madness, they unleashed it upon us and brought ruin to the world."

Diego wanted to ask more about it, but a specific question was eluding him. And moreover, Jasirok did not look especially receptive at the moment. This was the first time Diego had seen what looked like anger on a Hun'Sho's face. The molten man's glow had noticeably intensified, illuminating almost every corner of the apartment now.

Yangéra came up with a question, instead. 'What became of Guong Seyos and his treasure?'

Diego blinked. He definitely should've thought of that.

Jasirok's glow settled, though it took a minute. "...Guong Seyos survived, though he was Guong no longer. His treasure, however--I do not know what became of it, though I believe it may be the Sosho'Diyu that Carver and his companions were searching for."

Diego's heart sank. "Do you mean to say that the treasure never even made it to the Vault in the first place?"

Jasirok bobbed his head to the side. "Perhaps, but..."

Diego perked back up a little.

"Others may disagree with me," said Jasirok, "but I am of the opinion that the treasure is here. Somewhere."

'You sound confident,' said Yangéra.

"Would it not make the most sense?" the molten man said. "If Guong Seyos built the Vault of Paradise to protect his remaining wealth, then the very first thing he would have done upon completing it is move that wealth into it, no?"

Diego liked his logic. "Makes sense to me."

'You don't think he might have removed the treasure afterward in order to make more room for your people?'

"That would... also be a possibility, yes."

Yangéra allowed that stinging bit of rationality to sink in.

"But if it were here," said Diego, "where do you think it might be?"

"I can hardly hazard a guess," said Jasirok, "but I do think that there may still exist areas of the Vault that remained unexplored, even to this day."

Yangéra gave a huff of obvious disbelief. 'Really? Your people have been down here for a thousand years. How could you have not found every little nook and cranny by now?'

At that question, Jasirok hesitated.

Uh-oh. Diego knew he had to help him out, lest this venture find itself dead in the water already. "...Maybe they just haven't been looking hard enough," Diego tried.

Yangéra's beady, smoldering eyes squinted at him. 'Even you can't really believe that, can you?'

He really couldn't. But that was beside the point. "I'm just saying, it wouldn't hurt to take another look around. Or two or three more looks, maybe."

'Whatever. As long as it doesn't delay us in reuniting with everyone.'

"No argument here." By now, Diego could only imagine how worried Dimas and the others must have been. Two whole days without any contact? If he were in their shoes, he would be thinking the worst.

And certainly, Zeff Elroy was not going to let up, either. Diego doubted he would be able to convince that man to stay even a second longer than they absolutely needed to. As soon as that device of Carver's was ready again, Zeff would probably show up like a tornado and try to sweep everyone out of here.

Diego didn't entirely disagree with that sentiment, either. At this point, with how unlikely finding the treasure was beginning to seem, Diego mostly just wished that they had some way of getting around that feldeath more easily. He remembered it all too clearly, that giant beam of dark energy that it had shot out. Another one of those, at just the wrong moment, could probably obliterate their whole party in the blink of an eye, Diego felt.

"There is a reason," came Jasirok's voice.

Diego had lost track of the conversation. "Reason for what?"

Jasirok still looked reluctant to say more, but after a moment, he said, "There is a reason why I think there may be areas of Himmekel that even we do not know about."

Diego's expression brightened. He'd already given up on that argument.

The molten man seemed to need another push to get his explanation out, however, and Yangéra was the one to provide it. 'Go on.'

"Before I do," said Jasirok, "I feel I must confess something. This reason... is also why I wished to speak with you in the first place."

"What?"

"The Sosho'Diyu does interest me, of course, but it is of secondary importance to what I am about to tell you."

"Why all the build up, then?" said Diego. "If it's the most important thing, why not tell it to us first?"

"Because..." Jasirok's voice lowered to a whisper. "I was ordered not to speak of it."

Diego's gaze flickered. "Ordered? By who?" And he stopped himself from saying anything further, but he wondered how the h.e.l.l that coincided with Himmekel being a "community of equals," like he'd been told.

"By... my father," said Jasirok.

Ah. If it was a familial hierarchy rather than a broader societal one, then Diego could see how the discrepancy might be explained. But still, "ordered" had been an odd choice of word on Jasirok's part. Perhaps it could be chalked up to Mohssian not being the man's native language.

Diego supposed they should just get to the heart of the matter already. "So what is it that he told you not to talk about, then?"

"Our missing brethren."

"Missing?" said Diego. "Your people have been going missing?"

"Yes. Ever since Carver's arrival five years ago, certain members of our community have begun to vanish without explanation."

Diego didn't understand. "Why would you guys want to keep something like that a secret from us?"

"...I do not know," said Jasirok. "On this matter, I find the others' behavior extremely irrational and worrisome."

"Hence why you're coming to me, I guess."

"Indeed."

Diego took a deep breath and scratched his neck, realizing where the conversation was headed. This was turning into a lot more than he had bargained for. "So you want us to help you find them, then?"

"Very much so, yes."

's.h.i.+t,' said Yangéra privately.

'You want me to refuse?' he asked her.

'Oh, please. We both know you're not going to refuse, no matter what I say.'

'That's because we both also know you don't really WANT me to refuse.'

She just grumbled at him.

"In the beginning," Jasirok went on, "I believed that they were merely leaving Himmekel entirely, perhaps having decided to venture out on their own for some reason I did not comprehend. However, I then decided to wait at the entrance and watch for anyone else leaving. I wanted to ask them why they were doing so, but I never found the opportunity, because I saw no one leave. And yet, during this same period, another person vanished."

"Hmm," Diego hummed.

'You said it only started happening after Carver's group appeared five years ago?'

Jasirok nodded. "I thought Carver might know something of the cause, but I have asked him many times, and he says he does not understand it, either."

'Could he be lying?'

"I suppose, but I do not think so. If he were truly behind the disappearances, then I imagine he would have left Himmekel with his companions when they visited two years ago."

"What else can you tell us about these companions of his?" asked Diego.

"Oh, they were very charming," said Jasirok. "Especially Ettol and his reaper. Those two befriended almost everyone in Himmekel."

So there were servants among them. Diego supposed he should've expected as much. "What did this Ettol person look like?"

"Ah... I recall him having a distinct face, though I do not remember in what way." Jasirok's expression struggled. "I am sorry. Truthfully, you all look rather alike to me."

How annoying. But then, Diego couldn't fault the guy much, either--not when he could barely tell the Hun'Sho apart, himself.

'What about his other companions?' said Yangéra. 'It was not just Ettol and his reaper, was it?'

"No, there were others," said Jasirok. He paused to think about it. "However... I am sorry. I cannot seem to remember much about them..."

Diego's brow twitched. This was beginning to sound familiar.

'You don't seem particularly concerned about these strange people,' said Yangéra.

Jasirok merely tilted his head at her.

She exchanged glances with Diego. 'Are you not worried that they are behind the disappearances, somehow? I thought that was why you mentioned that the disappearances only started happening after they first arrived here.'

"No, no," said Jasirok. "That was only to give you a sense of chronology. I do not think Ettol and his comrades are to blame."

'Why not?'

"Because the disappearances began while they were away. Only Carver has been here all along, and... I mean no offense to him, but he is rather weak--in both body and spirit. I have no reason to believe that he could harm any of us by himself."

'Harsh,' said Yangéra privately.

'But not inaccurate,' thought Diego.

Yangéra returned to her public voice. 'Well, if you don't think Carver and his friends are responsible, then do you have some other theory?'

"I... do not," Jasirok admitted. Then he stood up from his chair. "However, I did find this." He moved toward his cabinet and opened it to retrieve a small object.

It was a pyramid, pitch black and perfectly shaped--apart from three stubby protrusions, one on each of the top sides.

Diego just waited for Jasirok to explain, but Yangéra got there first.

'This is a Kag, isn't it?'

"You recognize this object?" said Jasirok.

'It's a kind of ancient key. Do you know what it unlocks?'

Jasirok seemed confused. "Key? What does that word mean?"

The reaper struggled for an explanation. 'It's something that allows you to open something else.'

"I see..."

'If you didn't know what it was, then why were you showing it to us?'

"I found it in the residence of the first one who went missing. I had not seen the like before, so I decided to take it with me for study. I had yet to learn anything of it until just now."

'Hmm. Well, my question remains the same. Do you know what it unlocks?'

"I... I am still not quite certain I understand," said Jasirok. "Unlocks?"

The reaper sighed. 'Like a door? Or a box? This key should have an accompanying lock, somewhere.'

"I do not--"

"There are no locks in Himmekel," said Diego.

They both looked at him.

He eyed Jasirok. "It was something I noticed earlier. You guys don't have locks on any of your doors, windows, cabinets--anything. Pretty strange for a place that's supposed to be a vault."

"I... do not know what you mean."

"Exactly," said Diego. "You hardly even understand the concept of locking things up. In fact, privacy in general isn't a very big concern among your people, is it?"

"I suppose not..."

"The only lock I've seen since coming here was at the very front entrance that Carver led us through, the one up in the ruins of Himmestat."

'Hmm.'

Diego took the Kag from Jasirok in order to inspect it more closely. "So of course you can't tell us what this key unlocks. You wouldn't recognize the lock that it belongs to even if you saw it every single day for the last seven hundred years."

"I..." Jasirok's shoulders slumped a little, and he returned to his seat by the large mirror.

"Ah--I didn't mean that as an insult," said Diego. "It was just an observation. I wasn't blaming you or anything."

Still, the Hun'Sho man looked rather disheartened.

'Nice going,' said Yangéra privately.

'Agh.' Diego didn't know what to say to him. 'Could you help me out here?'

'Uh, so this Ettol guy,' said Yangéra publicly, 'he wanted to know about the Sosho'Diyu, too, right? But do you know if he actually learned anything? Do you remember any of the specific questions that he was asking about it?'

Jasirok was quiet for a bit longer. "I... recall him asking about Guong Seyos quite a few times. He expressed an interest in meeting him."

'Oh, that's right,' she said, apparently trying to sound more optimistic, 'you guys are all immortal, aren't you? So if Seyos survived like you said, then he could still be alive! And if anyone knows where the treasure is, it would be him!'

"Indeed," said Jasirok. "However, I do not know if Guong Seyos was a real person."

"What?" said Diego.

"The elders appear to believe he was, and they lived through those events, so I do not wish to doubt them, but I have lived in Himmekel for my entire life, and I have never met anyone named Seyos, Guong or not."

'Hmm. Perhaps he changed his name.'

"If that is true, then I do not know how we will find him," said Jasirok.

"We could ask one of your elders," said Diego. "It sounds like they would know everything we need."

Jasirok's expression soured. "You will not find them cooperative. As I said before, I was ordered not to speak to you of this matter."

"Maybe we can convince them. I can be pretty persuasive, when I want."

The molten man shook his head. "You will fail. I a.s.sure you. Even Ettol could not sway them, as I recall, and they all seemed rather fond of him."

Diego frowned.

"Additionally," Jasirok continued, "when you do not succeed, the elders will know that someone spoke to you against their wishes. And they will likely realize that it was I, as they have heard me voice my dissent before."

"Ah..."

The conversation all but died there. Jasirok was already looking defeated.

Diego couldn't see a reason why the Hun'Sho would want to keep such a secret. But then, he still didn't really understand the Hun'Sho themselves. Perhaps this was some sort of cultural thing. Pride or embarra.s.sment, maybe.

Whatever it was, it was obnoxious.

'C'mon, Diego,' said Yangéra privately.

'What?'

'You're weirdly good at figuring this sort of stuff out,' she said. 'Can't you think of something?'

He actually could.

"...Who was the first person to go missing?" said Diego.

"Oh, that--"

Without warning, an enormous red-and-orange hand lunged out of the mirror on the wall. It grabbed Jasirok by the torso, yanked him out of his seat, and pulled him back through the mirror before Diego could so much as blink.

The mirror shattered, and Diego and Yangéra were left staring.