Druinia, the village of efficiency. We are born. We are placed. We fulfill our duty. We die. Nothing more. Nothing less. What was my responsibility? Knowledge. That was my duty.
I knew from an early age I was destined to become a Sage. My love of learning never went unnoticed. My curiosity for even the smallest of details lead me to the top of my class.
On the day of my graduation, I was approached by my soon to be boss. Sage Kemoto was a Tiefling sixty years my senior. He was as tall as he was wise. I could use his ears alone as a bedroll.
He was one of the ten head sages of my village. Each sage starts at the edge of the city and walks outward, journaling every bit of information learned about the locations they discover along their year long pilgrimage. They were vital to our society. They are our main source of information. Whatever a sage reports back, we analyze and add to our current database. Why is he here?
"Congratulations on accomplishing the easiest portion of your life, young halfling." Kemoto's voice boomed.
"Thank you, sir."
"I'm quite impressed. Graduating by fifteen? Not bad, child. Not bad."
"I'm a halfling! Not a child!"
"When you've seen the golden walls of the Githyanki, smelled the sulfur of volcanic land, and tasted the moldy, stale air of a hidden dungeon....then you'll gain my respect as a peer. Until then, you're still a child."
"Then let's go."
"Smart and courageous. Even more impressed, child. Where do you keep it all?!" Kemoto began to circle me like a vulture circling its prey.
"HEY! What are you? Some sort of 'Pervy Sage!'"
Kemoto began to laugh uncontrollably. "What's so funny?!"
"You'll do." Next thing I knew, I was training to become a sage.
For four years, Kemoto and I spent every waking moment of our day training. It was intense. I had to learn every bit of information Kemoto collected over his fifty-seven years of plotting a path of information. It was going to be my job to follow the path that he laid over his career to update all of the information he gathered. Once I catch up to his location, I will become the head sage of Path-Line Six.
"It will take you decades upon decades to catch up to my location, child."
"I'll do it in two!"
It was time. My first pilgrimage. Kemoto accompanied me to teach me my final few lessons I needed to know to become a full-fledged sage.
"It's time to learn the ability that makes being a sage possible--Memory Teleportation. Memories are powerful tools. A strong memory can emotionally bring you back to a place and time. If it's a strong enough memory, a sage can physically be transported to the place of that memory. It will take the whole pilgrimage for you to learn what memories are strong enough to use but once you're able to perform this skill....you'll officially be a sage."
It took the whole year but I did it. I became a sage.
I retraced Kemoto's path as fast as I could. I had a deadline to reach. I told Kemoto I'd catch up to him in twenty years....and I did.
For twenty years, I planned for the moment I caught up to Kemoto. I knew exactly what I was going to say....
"Who's the child now?!"
It was perfect! It was mint!.....until I came across his lifeless body being ripped apart by a yellow dragon.
I couldn't move. My master was dead....not just that. He was this dragon's next meal. If it can kill Kemoto, the man whom I rode on his head like my very own Tiefling transportation, it's going to destroy me in one bite.
The dragon bit down for another bite. I couldn't take it any longer.
"NO! STOP!!" Running toward Kemoto's body, the dragon noticed my presence. He dropped Kemoto's leg and out of his mouth came a beam of lightning. I jumped with all the force my halfling legs could generate, drew my sword, and pierced the murdering dragon through the eye and blinded it. The dragon began to shake its head, showering the ground with his lightning beam. I tried to jump out of the way but failed. Its beam grazed my right arm and blasted Kemoto's body. I was horribly burned....but I was alive. The dragon flew away and I was left there, alone. Kemoto's body was now set a blaze. All I could do was watch the Head Sage of Path-Line Six burn into ash while I lay injured.
The fire died down enough for me to extinguish the flames with my cloak. As I patted down the body of my teacher, I felt something strange. I lifted my cloak and there was a glass orb where my master's burnt, dismembered body laid. I lifted the orb and there was a fish inside. It was a clockwork goldfish just swimming around.
"Kemoto?"
On the ground was an envelope addressed to:
Maevina Caramip
Head Sage of Path-Line Six
.......Did he know he was going to die?
My brain tried telling my one good hand to break the seal and read what my master wanted to tell me....but I couldn't. Instead, I grabbed the orb and the letter and ran, painfully. I didn't know where I was running to but I knew what I was running from. It felt like I ran for days. Memories started flashing through my mind of Kemoto. I started uncontrollably transporting to every memory I had with Kemoto. I transported so many times I was lost. Not just mentally...but physically. I had no recollection of where I was. It was somewhere new. Somewhere without any memories of my late teacher. I could have easily transported back to my village....but he wouldn't be there. He wouldn't be anywhere....So it's time to move on. I'm no longer a child.
Right then and there I chose to leave my duties. I chose to leave my responsibilities. I chose to start anew. Maybe one day I'll stop thinking about Kemoto and I'll be able to come back....but that will never happen.
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