Finding Contentus

Chapter 132: Normal Corpse

Having one eye meant seeing one thing, and seeing one thing meant believing one thing. Seeing the sea of singularity, the normality of straightforwardness.

Norne of Norms fell into such a category. She had a bandana tied around her head to keep her black hair still from being bullied by the cold wind like a pirate flag. Her right green-grey eye saw darkness beneath her eyepatch with crossed knives as its symbol. Her left green-grey eye saw light.

The light of linearity. Every other direction she could not see. Half was all Norne needed. If she was a coin, she landed on the only right side. God's vengeful side. When she was lost, she heard the voice of God. She heard his wrath. She heard his commandments that compelled her, as his subject, to smite their barbaric invaders and reclaim their fatherland.

God's voice was unforgiving. Forgiveness would only come once they enslaved the Cercians, culled the Cercians, or drove the Cercians out of Kimba into Antarctica.

She surveyed her scouts who searched for any suspicious signs. Losing Marli to Palé, losing her eye to Palé, opened up her lone eye to its fullest potential. Nothing could be trusted. Only the straight path that went down and down and down into the South of Kimba, where they would corner all the Cercians and sweep through them like a knife spreading butter over bread.

"Commander!"

Norne responded to the call, to the caught fish in their nets. She plundered into the nearest forest at the end of the farming village they stopped at to restock and rest.

The leaves froze and fell down with the downpour of snow that powdered her dark grey fur-trimmed jacket. It felt like she was crushing frosted ants with each step of her boots that snapped twigs like broken bones.

She strained her eye like she was on a ship in low lighting. The glory days, where she and Imcke would complete their hit and run attacks, recruiting real Eifri to their cause.

Until that devilish angel recruited you. Norne couldn't explain her hatred over Gabrielle, nor did she find the need to. Her hate for him was as normal as her hate for every Cercian. Should she discriminate and show favoritism? No. She should be objective, impartial. Gabrielle caused Imcke's descent into temptation.

There was V as well. Norne never liked her to begin with. Never trust a snake, especially a viper that struck for its own self-interests, rather than the interests of the community. Norne represented the community of compensation. She was normal. They were abnormal.

The darkness scurried, borrowed in the missing hole behind her eyepatch. Her nose wrinkled when she saw the intruder.

Raffael, Palé's rooster. Seven of her scouts directed pointed spears at him from a distance. He just sat there on a tree stump as though it was a wooden chair, with his arms behind his back, smiling lazily at Norne. His grey hair and grey fur armour matched the grey clouds, and his pale brown skin resembled the patches of sand that weren't covered by snow.

Norne's eye twitched. She wanted to cut that relaxed smile right off his face. He looked completely unconcerned. He had even left himself vulnerable for attack. His maul was dug into the snow behind him. Someone could easily snatch it if they wanted to. Seemed like he didn't give a single shit, and that made him extremely dangerous.

She had never seen Raffael fight. The only thing she could single out from him was how he liked to stroll into battle and wander around as though he was lost, not bothering to engage. He was a spectator warrior, which meant he preferred to study theoretically first before putting his tactics into practice.

So far, Norne had seen no implementation. She tracked the smallest flares for a trick, a deceptive work.

Raffael yawned, rubbing his eyes like he had just woken up from a nap. "I have news for you, Norne. Your Boss is going to betray you. V is going to betray you. How? Venom from a sneeuslang. That's how. How do I know? I have my ways. I have my spy network. That's how. Why should you believe a word I say? Because I'm a traitor, obviously. Who am I betraying? Palé? My people?"