Part LXXI: Augger
Date: Yippah 21st, 114 A.U.
A tall humanoid reptile stood at the brink of the cliff overlooking the hardened volcanic rock below. Dull red scales went all around his body. A long tail twitched and he looked at them from his narrow black eyes.
Reynyagn reached for his sword as he stared at the reptilian being. “Who are you?”
“I am an augger,” the reptilian being said. He walked over toward them, putting his hands out to show that he had no weapons—apart from the claws on his hands.
“What is an augger?” Flek asked.
“I am an augger,” the augger said. “The auggers are the seventh race of Arquenia.”
Flek took a step back. “There are only six races.”
“Yes, that’s what you would believe,” the augger said, licking his hand. “We don’t get around much.” Silence reigned for a few moments.
“What is your name?” Jroldin asked.
The augger looked up. “Would that I had one. Alas, but because of my ancestor’s crimes, my name was stripped from me long ago. Call me Augger, after my species.”
“Your name was stripped from you?” Flek asked.
“Eight generations back,” Augger said. “My ancestor was a wicked augger and betrayed many of our kind into the hands of hunters. For his crime, he and his descendents were stripped of their names and banished from Araelia.”
“An outcast yet by birth…” Astrid whispered.
“What?” Reynyagn asked, not quite hearing her.
“An outcast yet by birth,” Astrid said louder. “The prophesy! One who was an outcast because of their birth!”
“And augger late will come to join,” Augger said.
“Excuse me?” Reynyagn asked.
“The second line of the third stanza of the prophesy!” Augger said. “A Sla’ad will lead the group and Augger late will come to join. I am the augger late to the party.”
“What did you say that line was?” Jroldin asked.
“A Sla’ad will lead the group and Augger late will come to join,” Augger said. “Do you not know it?”
“It finishes the rhythm!” Reynyagn said, a look of shock on his face. “It fixes the proposed errors in the prophesy! But it couldn’t be… I mean—how could a line so crucial go missing from the prophesy…”
“Slayers,” Augger said. “Six hundred years ago, a group of slayers determined to slay the auggers and wipe their name out from all sources because of the hatred that they hated our kind with. My ancestor betrayed many of my kind into their hands, causing his banishment. The slayers did what they could to wipe the auggers name from the books, an effort which succeeded. The races forgot the last race, and of those who heard of us, we were dismissed as legend.”
“I can’t believe it,” Brother Tomas said, a look of awe on his face. “I mean—how could we have missed it?”
“Men have missed larger things,” Augger said. Silence loomed over the group for a while.
“So,” Reynyagn said. “There’s a seventh race of Arquenia.”
“There is,” Augger said, smiling.
“Do you have relatives around here?” Reynyagn asked.
“Oh,” Augger said. He cocked his head. “I suppose you would have forgotten.”
“Forgotten what?”
“We auggers are not like you humans, or elves, or dwarves, or any of the other races,” Augger said. “You have genders, male and female. We have only one gender.” Jroldin tried to understand what Augger was saying.
“And so we reproduce differently,” Augger said. “Only by death does life spring forth. Throughout our life, we carry a sort of egg in us. The egg only hatches once death comes upon us. Generally, the egg only contains one augger, although twins have not heard of. And when we were first created, twins were much more common.”
“So your ancestors-” Reynyagn began.
“Are all dead, yes,” Augger said. “My genealogy have not had twins since my ancestor’s betrayal. In addition, auggers are by habit a nomadic people. Except for those who live in Araelia, many live out on their own, such as myself. Of all the races, we seem to care the least for relying upon each other.”
“Then how do you know so much?” Jroldin asked. “I mean, you know the Xavier prophesy, you know the different races… If you are a loner, then how-”
“Memories,” Augger said. “We are not like the rest of you. Because of how slowly we reproduce and because we were almost made to live on our owns, we have been blessed with the gift of perfect memories. We auggers never forget. And memories are passed down. I remember all of the memories of my ancestors before me, all the way back to the first augger to be created.” There was again silence.
“I think my brain is beginning to hurt,” Flek said.
Augger smiled. “I suppose that it would be expected. It is not every day that you discover a new race in Arquenia, especially one as different as we are. But it matters not. You were called here by the star, though you may not have known it, and the star has called the members of the Xavier Team together. And now, together, we will have much time to learn and grow as we understand each other.”
“I suppose so,” Zarien said.
Date: Yippah 21st, 114 A.U.
A tall humanoid reptile stood at the brink of the cliff overlooking the hardened volcanic rock below. Dull red scales went all around his body. A long tail twitched and he looked at them from his narrow black eyes.
Reynyagn reached for his sword as he stared at the reptilian being. “Who are you?”
“I am an augger,” the reptilian being said. He walked over toward them, putting his hands out to show that he had no weapons—apart from the claws on his hands.
“What is an augger?” Flek asked.
“I am an augger,” the augger said. “The auggers are the seventh race of Arquenia.”
Flek took a step back. “There are only six races.”
“Yes, that’s what you would believe,” the augger said, licking his hand. “We don’t get around much.” Silence reigned for a few moments.
“What is your name?” Jroldin asked.
The augger looked up. “Would that I had one. Alas, but because of my ancestor’s crimes, my name was stripped from me long ago. Call me Augger, after my species.”
“Your name was stripped from you?” Flek asked.
“Eight generations back,” Augger said. “My ancestor was a wicked augger and betrayed many of our kind into the hands of hunters. For his crime, he and his descendents were stripped of their names and banished from Araelia.”
“An outcast yet by birth…” Astrid whispered.
“What?” Reynyagn asked, not quite hearing her.
“An outcast yet by birth,” Astrid said louder. “The prophesy! One who was an outcast because of their birth!”
“And augger late will come to join,” Augger said.
“Excuse me?” Reynyagn asked.
“The second line of the third stanza of the prophesy!” Augger said. “A Sla’ad will lead the group and Augger late will come to join. I am the augger late to the party.”
“What did you say that line was?” Jroldin asked.
“A Sla’ad will lead the group and Augger late will come to join,” Augger said. “Do you not know it?”
“It finishes the rhythm!” Reynyagn said, a look of shock on his face. “It fixes the proposed errors in the prophesy! But it couldn’t be… I mean—how could a line so crucial go missing from the prophesy…”
“Slayers,” Augger said. “Six hundred years ago, a group of slayers determined to slay the auggers and wipe their name out from all sources because of the hatred that they hated our kind with. My ancestor betrayed many of my kind into their hands, causing his banishment. The slayers did what they could to wipe the auggers name from the books, an effort which succeeded. The races forgot the last race, and of those who heard of us, we were dismissed as legend.”
“I can’t believe it,” Brother Tomas said, a look of awe on his face. “I mean—how could we have missed it?”
“Men have missed larger things,” Augger said. Silence loomed over the group for a while.
“So,” Reynyagn said. “There’s a seventh race of Arquenia.”
“There is,” Augger said, smiling.
“Do you have relatives around here?” Reynyagn asked.
“Oh,” Augger said. He cocked his head. “I suppose you would have forgotten.”
“Forgotten what?”
“We auggers are not like you humans, or elves, or dwarves, or any of the other races,” Augger said. “You have genders, male and female. We have only one gender.” Jroldin tried to understand what Augger was saying.
“And so we reproduce differently,” Augger said. “Only by death does life spring forth. Throughout our life, we carry a sort of egg in us. The egg only hatches once death comes upon us. Generally, the egg only contains one augger, although twins have not heard of. And when we were first created, twins were much more common.”
“So your ancestors-” Reynyagn began.
“Are all dead, yes,” Augger said. “My genealogy have not had twins since my ancestor’s betrayal. In addition, auggers are by habit a nomadic people. Except for those who live in Araelia, many live out on their own, such as myself. Of all the races, we seem to care the least for relying upon each other.”
“Then how do you know so much?” Jroldin asked. “I mean, you know the Xavier prophesy, you know the different races… If you are a loner, then how-”
“Memories,” Augger said. “We are not like the rest of you. Because of how slowly we reproduce and because we were almost made to live on our owns, we have been blessed with the gift of perfect memories. We auggers never forget. And memories are passed down. I remember all of the memories of my ancestors before me, all the way back to the first augger to be created.” There was again silence.
“I think my brain is beginning to hurt,” Flek said.
Augger smiled. “I suppose that it would be expected. It is not every day that you discover a new race in Arquenia, especially one as different as we are. But it matters not. You were called here by the star, though you may not have known it, and the star has called the members of the Xavier Team together. And now, together, we will have much time to learn and grow as we understand each other.”
“I suppose so,” Zarien said.
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