The Viking Festivites | Page 2

It was mildly surprising when Eleanor chose to join the people in the lake. "I'm quite fine over here," Claire said. It was difficult to get a better glimpse of what was going on from her perch at the edge, but Claire was quite satisfied to remain dry. That was probably the difference between her and Eleanor then, in terms of information gathering.

Though people didn't seem too affected by the cold. Perhaps this was a heated spring? Though Claire didn't see any steam off the lake. Or... hm. Going on a hunch, Claire pressed her fingers to her temple to activate Investigation mode to examine the spring.

Nothing displayed there, but as her gaze swept around the people, she saw a status effect pop up over them. Purified... Hm. Well, it looked like bathing in the spring was beneficial. Maybe it would even heal injuries?

Human sacrifice completely slipped her mind. She simply found the warmest spot she could to huddle up and watch people enjoying themselves.

 

Eleanor, standing in the shallow water, felt a bit of relief wash over it. It was a rather calm setting to be in, even as more people seemed to gather about. Usually, the more populated an area became, the more Eleanor despised it. Often, it drew unneeded noise and heat to a previously perfectly acceptable setting. It felt different here.

Of course, no peace lasts forever. Splashing his way through the water, a young boy of the village made his way towards the isolated woman in blue. Hearing his boisterous movements from far away, Eleanor expected the approach. Turning to face him, she hoped for a greeting of sorts. Perhaps a hello, or an introduction. Defenseless to what was coming, she silently waited for a verbal initiation.

With a mischievous chuckle. The young boy bent his knees, bring his hands together in front of him to cup some water. Then, as his legs extended, as did his elbows. The water he had tossed became airborne, breaking up into multiple droplet projectiles as it soared through the air.

"Ehh?!" On instinct, Eleanor raised a hand to shield herself from the splash, some of still hitting her face, and much of it splattering her clothes. "Hey! Get back here, young man!" She crossed her arms, as if an upset parent, before reaching down into the water with her hands to prepare her own attack. This splash, though somewhat impressive, was nowhere near the boy, as he had already scurried off to continue play fighting with the other children in the water.

"Yeah..." Eleanor slowly walked herself back to Clair, making sure her socks were placed neatly within her shoes, before picking them up. "Probably a good idea not to... Interfere."

 

Claire had a brief chuckle at Eleanor's brief altercation with the young boy. Splash fights, hm? Well, now she was doubly pleased with her decision not to head into the lake. As it was, she got a few residual drops on her as people shook themselves off after exiting but she was far away enough that she was mostly dry.

As Eleanor returned, Claire gave her a smile. "Here, I might be able to help. Hold still for a bit."

She concentrated on the water in Eleanor's clothes, hands clenched into a fist and drawing back as if pulling on a rope. Some water seeped out of Eleanor's clothes and followed the motion, crashing to the ground some distance away and creating a decently-sized puddle. Her control still wasn't the best, however, and it looked like the other woman's clothes remained somewhat damp.

Claire frowned at her shoddy work. She would have to practice this more, then. Seriously considering leaping in the lake now, she said, "Sorry, I thought I would get more of it out."

She'd have no chance, however, as it looked like the activity at the lake was wrapping up. People wrung out their clothes and hair, others still shook themselves off like dogs, but everyone had moved out of the lake and looked to be heading back towards the village.

 

Eleanor paused, arms slightly out to the side, wondering what exactly Clair was going to conduct. Overall, the magic of this game seemed dynamically interesting, so as the water was seemingly pulled from her clothing to fall in front of her, Eleanor was pleasantly surprised and impressed.

"Oh lovely!" As much of the water seemed to be extracted from her garments, the woman in blue was delighted. Previously damp patches across her clothes were made lighter again. "Incredibly convenient, much thanks!" She smirked up to the girl, "Don't sell yourself short. You did very well."

Letting her arms drop back down by her sides, there was still some water to be left dampening against her sides, but not nearly as much as before. Carefully, she placed back on her shoes, considering she definitely was not going back into the water. After all, those who were in their previously seemed to be finishing.

"Now, we just wait for the killing, hm?" She had a cold way of wording it. Rather blunt as well. Though that is blatantly how Eleanor imagined this festival was going to turn. In the back of her mind, perhaps she hoped for it, to give her an opportunity to test her mettle. Regardless, it seemed they'd be waiting for the later bits of the festival.

 

"Ah. Right. The killing." That was a bit of an unwelcome reminder. Despite herself, Claire couldn't help but wonder what kind of sacrifice would be carried out. As she and Eleanor followed along with the villagers, her thoughts turned to the possible scenarios that could be carried out. The Aztecs were apparently fond of carving out hearts while the victim was still alive. Live burial was also quite popular in many cultures. She wasn't familiar with any viking human sacrifice rituals.

Such gruesome thoughts preoccupied her mind until they re-entered the village. Most of the crowd moved around the main square, where torches were already lit and music with a steady, deep beat was already playing. Where once there was an empty flat area for dance, now there was a crude wooden altar. Village elders wearing what appeared to be ceremonial robes chanted as people continued to trickle in.

"Perhaps we should stay back a little?" Claire voiced hesitantly. Attracting attention didn't seem like quite the best idea, and if anything went wrong, she wanted an easy way out.

 

Eleanor agreed with the idea of keeping their distance from whatever rituals were about to occur. Carefully adjusting her hat, she felt a bit of discomfort at the idea of just how much blood their may be. And her mind was still lingering on the idea of voluntary self-sacrifice.

"Kind of bothers me, even if they're voluntary, you know?" Her eyes scanned the area, observing the traditional garb worn by many of the festival officials, or so it seemed. "This may all just be a game, but with how realistic these non-player characters are..." She seemed rather visibly disturbed by the ideas she was trying to convey. "They must feel pain. Virtual pain for a virtual world to us, but real pain for a real world to them. You and I, we know it is a lie."

Kind of a buzzkill thing to say, but Eleanor was not sharing the festive mood many of the residents still harbored. As time narrowed between the present and the time of sacrifice, her demeanor reached farther from fun, and closer to business. Part of her really wanted to crash this party.

 

Claire nodded. "This is real death to them. As players we have the option to be revived, but not them."

People in the crowd didn't share their concerns, however. As Claire looked around, she couldn't see anyone who looked afraid of what was to come, not even the children. She even spotted a pair of young girls, neither of them older than perhaps ten or eleven, giggling as they mimed stabbing each other in the chest. Perhaps that was the most distressing thing about the notion of human sacrifice, that this was all so normal that even young children grew used to it.

At last it seemed that most of the village had gathered around. A few people in more elaborate costumes than the rest stepped out in front, still chanting. An old man wearing gilded headdress stepped forward, raising a curved black dagger above his head.

By her side, Eleanor grew tense. "Something in particular on your mind? You know, aside from the impending sacrifice," Claire asked.

 

"Nothing in particular." Eleanor lied. Of course, she was not the best liar, so she promptly decided to just explain it. "Part of me really wants to stop this whole shebang, but it is not my place." With hands in her pockets, she observed the movements. A man with a knife. Soon, the blade would be plummeting down into a victim.

Victim? Eleanor cursed herself for thinking such things. Assuming she was so entitled to place her own presumptions and morals above theirs. It was unethical. Disrespectful even. Was she a woman without class?! Civility?!

She set her self discipline aside, noticing the children making a mockery of the sacrifice. "Though, perhaps it is good for something." Eleanor commented, before shifting her gaze towards Clair. "Those girls will grow up with less of a thanatophobia." Scratching her head, she elaborated on the large word, just in case. "Less of a fear of death." With a sigh, the ritual would commence, the blade tasting blood. "Life would be less stressful that way, I suppose."

"Perhaps that is the lesson the game means to teach us here." With a mocking chuckle, Eleanor scoffed. "To hold less tightly to our fragile lives." Shaking her head, she lowered her eyes towards the ground, rubbing the back of her neck. "Eh, I'm not much of a fortune cookie girl. I much prefer blatant answers over riddles."

 

Claire could relate. Stepping in wasn't appropriate, given that they were outsiders here and this was local custom. Despite the fact that she was just as uncomfortable with the practice as Eleanor was, it didn't feel right to stop it. Ah, cultural relativism.

Her gaze went back to the children, and she nodded along to Eleanor's words. "Perhaps. Though I wonder if not having a fear of death is such a good thing in a world where monsters abound," she commented with a wry smile.

Some people in the crowd had stepped up to the man with the blade and they were moving towards the altar. It was... pretty obvious where this was going. Claire averted her gaze from the scene in the center of the square, not quite interested in watching all the gory details.

 

"A very true point. Perhaps the fear of death is an essential part of survival." Turning her eyes towards the ritual, she chose a very different option than Clair. Preferring to observe every detail closely, she watched meticulously. Maybe she was torturing herself with it all, for she found no pleasure in observing the sacrificial ritual, but she continued anyways, favoring the truth of the matter over her weak stomach.

With two fingers up to her temple, she entered investigation mode, certainly not for her own good. She watched, as a man got down on his knees, the one wielding the blade seemingly doing some sort of ritualistic cutting. It was rather gruesome, that he didn't just get the killing over with already.

Regardless, it was a sight to observe. It seemed the crowds around quieted as the first... Volunteer was beginning to be butchered. They all listened, watched, and some prayed. The hum of whispers, subtle cheers, and vocal noises reached lowly into the setting.

And in a moment, Eleanor was finished experiencing all of those... Gorey details. It appeared as though there would only be two more sacrifices, and Eleanor hoped they would go as smoothly as the first. Though the second seemed to have a much lower... Pain tolerance. She began groaning, and eventually screaming in pain, which only seemed to encourage the bloodletting.

 

The heavy iron smell of blood filled the air. Even without seeing what was happening, she could get a clear enough picture through the smell. And the screaming. The scene in her imagination was probably worse than what was actually happening, but on the off chance that it wasn't, Claire wasn't eager to be proven wrong.

She couldn't help but glance back towards Eleanor, though. It looked like the other woman was made of sterner stuff than she was. Eleanor was even using Investigation mode to gather as much information as possible.

Claire turned her gaze towards the crowd, making sure to avoid the center as much as possible. She still caught thrashing movements in her peripheral vision, though, and that was already far more than she wanted to see. Most people were watching closely, eyes widened as they craned their necks for a better view. She saw many people mouthing silent prayers, a couple of others watching with wide smiles, and others still singing like this was a celebration.

And to them, it likely was. But Claire suddenly couldn't stand this atmosphere any longer, feeling intensely uncomfortable standing where she was.

"I'll be back in a bit," she muttered to Eleanor. And then without waiting for any response, she slipped out of the crowd, trying not to attract attention. It was easy enough to do when they had chosen to hang around the fringes of the square. Ducking into a small alley, Claire leaned against a wall and took a deep breath.

 

In a brief glance to the side, Eleanor observed as Claire seemed to step away. Probably discomforted by the whole ritual. Eleanor had to agree, it was rather unnerving. There was no way in hell a ritual like that would be conducted under any sort of modern law. The game though. It seemed here, very different rules applied.

She observed for a bit longer. The second volunteer eventually finished her screaming and flailing, becoming just as the first. A mere body, void of life. Set, also part of the ritual, to the side of the first, her body was laid with her arms above her head. The third was soon presented, and the ritual seemed to be conducted just as the others were.

Eleanor wondered to herself. Possibly, this is why she didn't have too many friends. She favored the task at hand over any sort of real friendship. When confronted with observing a ritual, and helping a friend, she would gather information instead of truly being there. Shaking her head, she cursed herself for being so selfish.

Heading away, she wandered off to find Claire. The place she had stationed herself, a ways away, was much less crowded. "Hey. Are you alright, Claire?"

 

The smell of blood was less overpowering back here. Not being around so many people also did a lot for her nerves. This little moment of isolation was just what she needed after the harrowing ceremony.

She wasn't sure how long she stayed in the alleyway, but Eleanor found her eventually. The ritual was probably over, if the other woman was here. "Oh, hi," Claire said. She smiled at Eleanor's question. "Fine, fine. A lot better now. I just needed a bit of time to myself."

She gave a nod towards the direction of the town square. "I suppose I just don't have the stomach for such things. So I take it that the festival is over now?"

Claire peeled herself off the wall she was leaning against and made her way over to stand next to Eleanor. She had made no further plans beyond staying until the end of the three-day festival, so she was at a bit of a loss for what to do. "Is there anything else you'd like to do while we're still here?" she asked Eleanor.

 

Eleanor nodded as she listened to what Claire described. Those discomforts involving the festival. She understood, it was rather ghastly of a festival. Quite a contrast, in comparison to how the rest of the festival had seemed. To put something like that in a game so realistic... Eleanor let out a disbelieving chuckle.

"It is probably over now, yes, just about." With her hands her pockets, she bowed her head in apology. "I am sorry that the festival brought you unease." Truthfully, Eleanor had no idea why she was apologizing, but she felt as though it was the right thing to do... So she did.

"I don't have any further reservations here." Reaching her hands up, she idly cracked her knuckles. "One more night at the hut, and then there's a boat ride home in the morning. Anything you'd like to see before then? If not, we can just head back." With an awkward smile, Eleanor stepped back and motioned to the moon. It seemed, within the confines of a virtual world, the moon had become something somewhat magnificent. Appearing near the first hints of sunset, and reaching till the later hours of morning. It seemed... Larger. More vibrant. A spotlight in the night.

 

Claire shook her head at Eleanor's apology with a slight smile. "No, please, it's hardly your fault. I'm fine with horror movies, even those immersive VR ones, but there was just something different about this."

She followed Eleanor's movement and stepped out, glancing at the moon. It lit up the night like a beacon, making it easy to see despite the late hour. Was this a blessing from Ahra, then? Though it seemed as if there were many dark clouds moving quickly through the sky, obscuring the light as they passed by the moon- Ah, yes. Ahra was the goddess of adultery, if memory served. Were the clouds then to provide cover for people sneaking around to have illicit trysts?

Claire huffed a small laugh. Or maybe she was just reading too much into all of this.

"No, I don't think I have much else to do," she said in response to Eleanor's question. "Let's head back for the evening."