Journey Onward

WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD?

Douglas Adams: Forty-two.
Albert Einstein: Whether the chicken crossed the road or the road crossed the chicken depends upon your frame of reference.
Buddha: If you ask this question, you deny your own chicken-nature.

The seasons had long broke from the summer to the fall, and the air about Windurst was cool to almost chilly, especially with the wind across the bays. The waters surrounding Heaven's Tower were clear and calm, and shown the rising moon in perfect clerity.

I was sitting on the bridge looking over the banishing gate that guareded the Toraimarai Canal. I sat with my friend Raka eating a short meal before venturing in again to the dark ressess. I was enjoying my tuna curry; made people laugh, but it is my favorite choice of all.

"Do you think its right?" Asked Raka suddenly. She pointed at the gate with her last stick of bread. "What we do in there?"

I sputtered a bit, spitting a little of my meal. "What?" I asked, giving her a look.

She paused a second as if reconsidering but pressed on. "Is it right that we go down there?" she insisted. "And do what we do to the undead? And the animals?"

I gave her an incredulous look, then gulped the last of my dinner. "Speak no more; you'll be whipped for taxation one of these days" I said with a sour look. "What could be possibly wrong with killing those things?"

She looked at the gate, looking pensive. "We go down there." She said. "Kill hundreds of those skeletons. They never seem to stop rising. I mean.. they're the undead spirits of the old ansestors, aren't they?"

I pulled my pack over my shoulder, and leaped down to the shallow water below. The resulting splash smacked the sleeping goblin under the bridge. The odd creature never caused trouble, but it only sold the odd chips harvested from gods know where. He woke and swore at me in it's goblin language as it moved around the corner, and fell asleep again.

"You really believe those monsters would just stay down there?" I said as I rinsed out my bowl in the clear waters. "As you say, they keep rising and are very powerful. What would happen if any of them were to enter the city? You've seen how strong their magic can get."

Raka obsorbed my response. "But what about the animals." she insisted. "They aren't half as strong, and are just animals."

I looked up at her. "Are you serious?" I asked. "Those bats and leeches all breed like rarabs. And are more agressive than a hungry coeurl. They all need to be controlled."

I walked over to the dry earth to put away my gear and began to fasen on my armor and weapons. "Raka..whats really bothering you? I can't believe you're suddenly struck with simpathy for the undead."

Raka looked up at the bright moon, quiet. "I'm just thinking about what we do all the time." She began. "We fight beastment. We fight undead. We fight animals. But really, does it ever end? Why do we do it?"

I motioned her to come down and toward the banishing gate. As she approached, I chuckled. "For all the people like Star Sybil and the itinerate emissaries and missionaries from the beastmen tribes, they are as a whole.. quite ready to skin one of us alive." I said, as I walked up to the cardian guarding the gate. "The undead even more so; they were animated by dark forces and unsettled minds. There are good reasons for everything we do."

The cardian announced a challenge in the mechanical voice. Never could understand these buggers. "It's us." I said. "Let us in." The thing bowed and the gates slowly opened long enough to let us in.

"Ever wonder why I run so many places?" I asked. The cool fresh air of the outside was slowly transforming to the cool rancid air of the canal.

Raka raised an eyebrow. "Not really." She admited.

"If you fly or teleport or even ride a fast bird the landscape is only so much blur." I explained. "But ever since I began running to different places, I've met so many new people, seen so many new things. All of my most favorite stories I've told people were the result of running."
The stairs down to the start of the canal were lined by shadows of magical lights. The sounds of skittering creatures, flapping of bats and rattling of bones became louder.
Raka looked confused. "So you're saying its good that we kill things because you like running places?"

I laughed. "No no.." I said. "What I'm saying is, there are all sorts of good reasons to do anything. But doing anything is the best way to experience new things; and isn't that the important part?"

Raka scoweled. "If you say 'its the journey' I will have to hit you."

I smirked. "Not the journey. The people. The experiences. The learning. Its all good. What would you be doing if we never met?" I winked. "Probably never could be telling tails about beetles eating the Heaven's Tower, now could you? Even the people I meed once for a few moments have left an impression on me that has lasted for years. How much value can be said in that?"

We walked to the very edge of where the monsters. Off in the distance, the flappings of hordes of bats could be seen.

I touched her on the shoulder, turning her to me. "Never forget... 'Fools may speak wisely what wise men do foolishly'" I whispered, trying not to attract any bats. "We question because we are learning and doing; which is living. Right or wrong, we are here because there is a need for something to be done."

A louder chittering appeared about the corner and a small bundle of bats came out of no where towards us. Both of us drew our weapons.

"Lets get doing." I said, smiling.