Saga of the Man Called True: Fifth Moon
Saga of the Man Called True
Fifth Moon: Outsider The Servant
As the moon's light shines again, so we tell our stories. Where we left off, we shall begin anew.
Back in his own building, Outsider found a bottle of ointment and a roll of bandages on a table next to his bed. He applied them to the wounds he'd suffered in the battle on the job, wincing as the ointment seared into the wound on his back. Then he cleaned Never-Stained, laid down, and fell asleep once again.
In his dreams, Outsider found himself in the wastelands again, walking ever towards a great city. It looked much like the one he lived in now, but it shone like the sun itself. No matter how he walked, however, the boy could never reach it; he ran as fast as he could, but the city receded ever further into the distance. Finally, he fell, and as he laid on the ground he watched the city disappear.
When Outsider awoke, the silent woman stood there, and there was food on the table. He ate slowly, though he did not really feel hunger - the dream had disturbed him more than he thought it would.
Then the woman handed him the rusted metal from before, but this time it was no longer rusted. In fact, it shone, and all of its parts were visible, showing it was much more than just the inverted L that Outsider had thought it was.
The voice spoke: "We've repaired your gun, Outsider. It now works just as well as it ever had."
"Gun?" Outsider asked.
Now the voice chuckled. "Step into the elevator, and we'll discuss it further."
Despite his trepidation, Outsider stepped into the elevator, and when it opened again, he found himself in an empty white room, with several red circles on the wall.
The silent woman had come with him, and as she took his arms in her hands, the voice began to describe exactly how to use a gun.
Thus went the next several days - each morning, Outsider would eat, and then the voice would direct him into the lower levels, where he would train in the use of the gun. After a few days had passed, the silent woman began binding Outsider's right hand before the lessons, forcing him to train in just using his left hand to wield the gun.
Time passed this way for longer than Outsider could really kept track of: by day, he trained with the gun and Never-Stained; by night, he performed various jobs for the voice.
Sometimes he delivered strange packages for the voice, taking back alleys and doing what he could not to be seen.
Sometimes he told the stories he'd heard from his parents and other travelers, of both the city and of other places.
Sometimes he was given books to read, containing knowledge of history, chemistry, philosophy, or other subjects. The voice would ask him questions, and if Outsider did not know the answers, he would not eat again until he did.
And sometimes he took Never-Stained and the gun and entered other buildings, hunting down specific people on the voice's orders.
By night, when he slept, Outsider dreamed of the city receding into the distance. The dream came more and more often, and he wondered why it did; he'd never seen a city like that.
And then, one morning, Outsider awoke, and the voice spoke to him: "Tonight will be an important night."
"How so?" Outsider asked, as he took up the bowl of food waiting for him.
"Tonight we will have guests."
There are many more tales to tell, but the moon's light is waning. I shall meet you again when the moon shines anew.