Return of a Native

 Was it worth going back? He kept asking himself the same thing every day since they arrived in Borvados. Jaxa felt out of place in his Khaki green Marine uniform while wielding his issued E-7 Repeating Rifle. Was it just him, or did coming back to Tuzzarru, Borvados seem like a bad idea? Tuzzaru was known for its tower style houses. Standing on the docks of the port he only had one of the piercings the military allowed him to keep on his ear. Shawls of clans or associated families were draped over long tunics, colorful wrap dresses, colorful shirts they called Sherwani and pants they often wore, they called pajen. Most went barefoot, while the rest either wore sandals, shoes, or boots of different materials. Every Borvadosi had at least one or two piercings depending on their standing or status within society. Loyalty to family, country, trade, and professions are important to Borvadosi society. Each family member is required to keep family together while helping around. At least one or more family member must serve in the defense of Borvados. No matter what type of trading it was every member got involved in mercantilism. Each member of the family had to show an interest or prowess in a profession depending on their status. Jaxa Sonnen held the profession of locksmith then chose Soldier, which really pissed off his family. It somehow got mixed with the rifle smith profession since they only did so much. Calls for a locksmith were rare so the master who took him in made him a rifle smith as well as a locksmith. That was how he got involved in the newly formed V.U.V.R. or at least the Borvadosian military. As for the Family Mercantile Trade it involved transporting and selling of certain herbs, they either grew on the roof of their house complex or plucked in the outskirts. 

Taking a step forward Jaxa recalled joining the militia that was formed between Borvados, Dorntallans, Zema Ilam hold outs, and Gaskouth Ladai tribes. How he recalled how many forces he did not know except for the drilling they pulled on them while preparing them to fight the invaders in Dorntalla. The Zema Ilam put up a fierce fight while the invaders fought each other that it took years before the Gantronese pushed the advance again. Returning to the present on the docks of Tuzzarru, Jaxa felt pushed along by members of his unit. With his duffel bag on his back and rifle hanging on his left shoulder Jaxa gazed at the towering houses, and structures forming the city that is called Tuzzarru. Several Keeps standing above seven stories dotted the city scenery that was Tuzzarru. Tower like homes in the shapes of watchtowers, guard towers, bastion towers, pagodas, and wide obelisks. Between a range of two stories to fourteen stories all the towers towered above the ground like group of small mountains with trees all over them. Upon a closer glance they appeared like giant mushrooms, pines, and phallic shapes. Other structures encircled these towers and Tuzzarru's outer city circle. Bungalows, stilted huts, dome/round houses, and floatable houses attached to raised piers, and docks built for flooding made up most of the city. Entire roads made from planks and floatable material connected the port to the city. Pressing further with his unit of three hundred thirty he saw eight familiar faces waiting at the end of the docks. 

Donning the Sonnen Shawl of light purple with tribal diamond shapes flanking a black symbol letter for laboring these figures had the dark tan skin tone. Several ring piercings on the left cheeks. Some of the wealthier families would have bar rings on the cheeks with emeralds or sapphires. His family along with other laborers had the rings one would see on a nose. His own ring piercings were missing. That did not look good to their eyes. Neither did him leaving his profession for the militia then becoming a soldier without warning. He did not expect them to know of his return. Jaxa did not send word he was coming home. Someone must have ratted him out. None of his family members looked directly at him. Some of them forced their gaze on him. His mother Ollesse approached him with a hug. She then smacked him for leaving the family business, and profession. Her own profession was a Healer. His own father embraced him with a bear hug saying he should have chosen a Brewer profession like he did. His father was pushed aside by his brother and sister. In their profession clothing they hugged him. His sister wore the rugmaker apron over her linen hide dress with several tools in the pockets. His brother Aiggan, wore the modernized toll keeper uniform shirt with them baggy purple trousers. Both looked like him except the nose, and chin. Jaxa's finely curved adopted cousin, Pelliz wore a light blue robe with white polka dots. She wore the bar piercings on her eyebrows. Two topaz piercings on her cheeks. Giving him a hug, she pressed herself against him. She was the adopted relative who winked at him and pinched his cheek every time they crossed paths. Jaxa's uncle Botho the Harness Maker had to give him a quick hug in his artisan clothing. Noemi his mother's sister, the Caravan Leader gave him a brief hug in her traveler's clothing, and linked mail shirt. She left the reunion since she was on call for leading Caravan's out of Tuzzarru. Jafar his male cousin, Noemi's son became a Guard. He was the only one who smiled showing joy in seeing him again. Two bar piercings, a nose ring, and coin shaped rings hung from one his ears. His heart shaped face and big ears made him look like a boy still. 

For a couple of weeks his unit rested at Tazzarru City at the edge of Borvados. Other battalions, and brigades arrived. Something was going on. He was sure of it. One night while drinking with his cousin, and brother Jaxa learned they were not going to the Unknown Lands. There were enough troops fighting in those savage lands. Instead, they were poised to invade the islands of the Iperantosi State. Taking a better look at other Borvadosi and their piercings he recalled why they got them. Each Piercing represented a specific event in their life. Either their age reaching adulthood, first successful hunt, learning a trade, mastering a skill, surviving a first encounter with a monster from the Unknown Lands, or showing some form of bravery. With a combined force of 10,000 Marines, 1,000 Rangers, 53,000 Soldiers, and a sizeable fleet the VUVR set off for the Iperantosi Islands. On Board a cargo ship used as a troop transport, Jaxa and his unit represented a more miscellaneous side of the 530th Infantry Division. Their commanding officer, or Division Commander, General Presven pronounced it as they Invantry Division. Fifty-three thousand Soldiers were divided between two military Divisions. Them being the 530th with thirty-one thousand, and the other being the old 2nd Infantry Division under the command of General Ornellson. Both of them were Elves who had be a thousand years old or a few centuries old at least. 

A Colonel Devdan Thexina commanded the 7th Marine Division of the Marine 3rd Corps. Although the 530th, and Old 2nd Divisions formed a Corps, it would not be commanded by a single Commander. The one thousand Rangers made up a battalion from the 31st Ranger Division. Under the command of Colonel Jorryn Sarnelis this battalion was sent to act as trackers and pathfinders. According to rumors the Iperantosi Islands rested north of a vast sea of islands no one really heard of until now. Iperantosi were known as the "Prostitutes" of the Sea. Skin tones such as tan, brown, red-brown, bronze, honey, golden, and chestnut made the Iperantosi women exotic, and desirable. Some tales said their women were round and curvy like melons or pears. Others say they are mermaids who appear on the beach and turn their fins into legs whenever foreigners arrive. Jaxa sort of knew the truth. During his younger years he saw the Iperantosi women had rectangular bodies, triangular bodies, thin physiques, as well as plump bodies. As for the tales of them being curvy and round as melons. Those tales were true about plenty of women from Iperantosi. Someone showed him and his siblings photographs of the houses the Iperantosi lived in. Although the photos were in either bronze color, black and white or gray, they could see they lived in nice pile dwellings, raised huts, adobe structures. Yet those were houses belonging to the middle class, laborers, artisans, or farmers. As for the wealthy, merchants, and higher class, the houses were in the shapes of shells, or fish made from wood, mud brick, stone, and large bones. 

For almost three days their gathered armada sailed towards the Iperantosi Islands. It wasn't until the end of the third day the islands were in sight. According to multiple sailors the path was mostly clear ever since the several victories won against Gantronese Naval Forces. Many of them joked about how aliens from the stars resorted to technology similar to the Calornese modern technology. Jaxa heard one Zedirian with ram horns, and bluish skin reveal the Gantronese Invaders used to have powerful ships with the fire power to destroy islands and cites. Jaxa rested in his hammock in the same passenger hold as thousands of others. In the middle of the night, they were woken up by fighting along their southern and northern flanks. Thankfully their own transport was spared whereas close to eight vessels came under attack. One of their Frigates were boarded by a Vorcadam Death Bringer, a now outdated Atakebune loaded with warriors. It appeared more like a floating palace fortress made from wood and iron. Ten of those Atakebunes sank leading to the deaths of tens of thousands. Other ships that were involved in the attack included older ironclads, old Xebecs, makeshift destroyers, patrol boats, and a handful of sloops. Iperantosi also sent in the obsolete galleys that crashed into each other or proved no match. 

With the way clear for them, Vestrisians loaded onto transport boats. Multiple landing craft ran into floating debris. Shattered wood, corpses, torn sails, and burnt pieces of ships cluttered the path to the first Iperantosi Island, Nokocour Cay. One smaller island stretching from the larger island Buchsoll. Buchsoll was one of eight main islands. The other main islands were called Disna Holm, Yoskada, Lulu, Sarin, Distant Haven, Ponegu, and Sunmis Islands. Surprised the Iperantosi, and their Gantronese did not open fire, they pushed ahead towards the beaches. Getting on the amphibious boats took some time. As many as thirty to thirty-six soldiers packed in like sardines aboard the amphibious LCVP "Roughmore Boats". At speeds of 9 knots no more than 1,700 Roughmore Landing Craft went after Nokocour Cay, and Buchsoll Island. It seemed eerie no one fired on them yet as they drew closer to the beach. Covered in the usual sand, rocks, pebbles, seaweed, storm debris, Nokocour Cay Beach hosted some skeletons of monsters. Teaming with scuttling crabs, other shell creatures these monster skeletons resembled beasts or behemoths belonging to a long dead era. 

Well past the beaches lay the settlements of Nokocour Cay. Someone muttered there were at least twenty-one settlements on this island. Jaxa could tell this person was a bit of a traveler from Lheobethe. When the ramp dropped down everyone poured on to the beach expecting to be fired upon. Instead, they found a seemingly empty beach except the crabs, sand dollars, and those sea tigers some heard about. Jaxa remembered seeing these sea tigers with their black stripes over a thick hide of brown or gray. His boots stepped onto the beach crushing shells, and sand dollars cluttering the beach. The waves hit the sand behind them making progress a little slow. With their eyes fixed ahead of them they spotted what looked like foxholes in the stones, and sand. Jaxa knew if his life was a novel or tale, it would be called Return of a Native. Only the Native's return was short lived.