Tera peered down at the display of turquoise jewelry in the stand closest to her. There were a number of necklaces and rings, but she was drawn to the bracelets. She picked up one, a silver chain with turquoise and garnet studs in the middle of each link. The sun caught some of the polished metal, shining it back at her with a pleasant, dull glow. She put the bracelet on her wrist. Her lips parted a little in wonder as she admired the way the jewelry looked on her gray and white arm. It slid halfway up her mechanical forearm while the owner of the stand smiled at her.
Ethan was looking over an array of hot sauces when the man behind the booth asked him if he wanted to try a bit. He nodded wordlessly, and the booth attendant opened a small vial of bright orange liquid. He offered it to Ethan, who dabbed it on his finger and put it in his mouth. Instantly, his tongue started to sting with the intense spice of the sauce. The booth attendant laughed at the look of pain on his face.
“Ah, the other tourists,” a voice broke through Ethan and Tera’s attention.
They looked away from their respective stands and saw the hooded form of Reverend Nidus standing between the next two booths. He had an amethyst orb in his mechanical hand, which he returned to the table in front of him. The stand was full of similar pieces.
“What do you want?” Ethan asked, giving the hot sauce back and thanking the man behind the booth.
“Me? I don’t want anything. Not in particular,” the onyx bodyshell replied. He looked back down at the art pieces beside him. “Cute, isn’t it?”
“What’s cute?” Tera asked. Some of the gears in her body tightened a little, ready for any funny business.
“These people,” Nidus replied, to which the booth owner in front of him sneered. “This whole place. It’s like watching children play. No, it’s like stepping through a portal in time. To when our ancestors were all holed up in their caves and their huts.”
“I’m sure King Hum is fond of your opinion on his people,” Tera said.
Nidus smirked. “I’m sure he’s willing to listen to reason,” he said, “if presented correctly.”
He stepped away from the art stand, to the relief of its owner.
“You’re here for pleasure, I’m sure,” he said, his sarcasm biting. “Just to take in the sights, right? Or are you here to bend the good king’s ear as well?”
“What’s it matter to you?” Ethan asked. He was acutely aware of the nearest blunt object he could grab if things turned ugly.
“Not at all, I suppose,” Nidus replied. His hood fluttered as a gust blew through the market. “I can’t help but be interested, though. I’m just curious what would bring a couple of people from the first-class Shell City to this burrow?”
“You don’t seem to like the Opesians for someone who seems to need help from their king,” Tera commented.
“I cannot hide my contempt for savages,” Nidus replied. “They worship mystical nonsense and tribal voodoo, like our filthy ancestors.”
“How is your cult any different?” Tera asked.
Nidus took a step back, an expression of mock offense on his artificial face. “I take issue with that term,” he said. “We’re a church, like any other.”
“Any other?” Tera interjected. “I’ve seen one of your ‘Sheddings’. I’ve watched your cult fanatics stick a knife into their own throats and kill themselves. I would call that ‘savage’, wouldn’t you?”
Nidus looked away, feigning interest in one of the shawls hanging nearby. “Some of my followers have a bit of a…flair for the dramatic,” he said casually.
“They kill themselves?” Ethan asked. He seemed a little lost in the conversation.
Tera nodded. “I’ve seen it with my own eyes, back in Slumside,” she replied, not taking her eyes off the hooded bodyshell. “They think that becoming an installed intelligence is what God wants for us, and getting installed brings one closer to their maker. In reality, it’s just a way to brainwash the humans we oppress while pushing pro-I.I. propaganda.”
A look of disgust crossed Ethan’s face as she spoke. Nidus didn’t seem disturbed by her explanation.
“I’m sure it makes you feel better to think of us as crazy, or that we take advantage of the humans,” Nidus started, “but it doesn’t change the facts. There will come a day of reckoning where you and the other heathens wonder how you ever could have doubted us.”
“I’m an I.I., too, Nidus,” Tera said, her face scrunched up into a scowl.
“Yet you fight against God’s will,” Nidus replied. “That puts you in a precarious position. If you were to join the Shedders, you would see the truth. Those humans didn’t kill themselves — they ascended to holiness. That’s why we call it a Shedding — they peel away their mortal baggage and become what mankind was always supposed to be. This is what we were intended for. Shedding, ascending, installing — whatever you call it — is a necessary transition for the human spirit.”
“You don’t seem to be any closer to holiness,” Ethan said, “despite your lack of ‘mortal baggage’.”
“I was chosen to preach and spread our Lord’s message,” Nidus replied. “Once my mission is done, I will be able to enjoy the paradise we create. Me, and those in my flock. No one else.”
“You’ll be in short company,” Tera said. “No one will fall for your phony religion. You’re cult will disband and fade away from memory before you even know it. Then you won’t prey on those humans anymore.”
Reverend Nidus smiled, a cruel delight in his countenance. “You’d be amazed what people are willing to fight for when they aren’t afraid of death. Just remember that.”
He pulled his robe a little tighter to his chest, took one last gaze over Tera and Ethan, then turned and walked away. The other two
