Abolish is rather light on the training regimen and rather heavy on the propaganda. Only now does he realize just how important old man Dozer is. The name is never uttered without reverence, and yet, when he mentions having met Dozer personally, almost no one believes him.-+-+-+-+-
Apparently, the country of the same name was founded by Dozer.
Three hundred years ago, that was.
The old man was its original dictator, and though the public believes he died more than two centuries ago, he has continued to rule in secret all this time. His great grandson serves as the country’s public face.
From there, the legends surrounding the old man grow even more ridiculous. Tales of his invincibility, of his masterful strategies, of his cataclysmic clashes with someone named Sermung. It is all rather difficult to buy into, he feels, but this is not a common sentiment. Some of these people even seem to think the old man is not of this world, that he is a god of the Void made flesh.
And this “Void” is also puzzling. It is supposedly a realm of nothingness, yet everyone speaks of its “will” or of its “consciousness.” He does not understand how nothingness could “be” anything, let alone sentient. But they take it very seriously. There are numerous ceremonies he has to endure in order to be accepted. He would sooner not bother, but Nize seems adamant about the whole endeavor, and he is not about to argue with her.
After nine months with Abolish, he meets Karkash. They work many missions together, but they do not speak much, which is fine by him. He does learn, however, that Karkash is four years his elder and a native of Vaeland’s northern isles. And after seeing the scars on the other man’s chest, he understands that Karkash has lived no easy life, either. In this way, at least, he comes to know a small sense of camaraderie...
Hector sat up and waved at the cloud of dust. His ears were still ringing and his eyes still burning from that last flash of lightning, but he could feel his senses repairing themselves.
‘Karkash is gone,’ said Garovel, appearing out of the ground next to him.
‘What?’