A True Person

Headaches. It was now an essential part of Alexei's life.

Zebra needed to give him over forty years of her memories in an eight-year contract, meaning the man had to receive five days of her memories every day. He couldn't afford to wait eight years, so he offered to triple Saada's daily portion. The price for this was a constant throbbing pain in his head, but he didn't complain. With some supportive elixirs, his brain would be fine. At least that's what Saada claimed.

Alexei spent most of his time digesting information and conducting mental experiments. The phrase took on a new meaning as the zebra was capable of transmitting visual images to him.

Massaging his temples, Alexei took a deep breath and reached for the bowl of scarlet liquid. He was in his hut, ready to get a tattoo that would increase his speed when activated.

Just like Saada had said - the ingredients for this tattoo were easy to obtain. Some of them he had purchased from Jiona, and the rest he had gathered himself.

Taking off his pants, he made himself comfortable and laid the sketch in front of him. The drawing was like an abstract depiction of sharp gusts of wind, detailed and full of curlicues. There was a lot of work to do.

Alexei decided to get the tattoo on the inside of his thigh, since it was more or less a protected spot and he could reach it easily. Though he would have preferred to get it on his back so that it wouldn't be lightly visible when activated, but that presented some difficulties. Saada was quite capable of interacting with the material world, but she was already exhausted from relaying tons of information to him every day. It would take too much time.

Dipping a pointed sliver of a bamboo-like plant into the bowl, he began to pierce the skin. He had no artistic talent, but with the zebra's prompting, his hands moved with surgical precision.

He started just after noon and finished by nightfall. Wiping the blood off the drawing, he reached for the restorative potion and signaled to the zebra.

The tattoo flashed with scarlet light, activating. Alexei felt as if hot oil had been poured on his skin. The first activation was always painful - the tattoo was embedded in his flesh - but it was normal. He splashed the potion on the drawing and grimaced at the new flare of pain.

Finally, it was over. The wind pattern shone on his skin and the inflammation was fading.

He didn't have time to feel the effects of the tattoo, distracted by the pain, but that could be put aside for later. There were more important things to do.

Alexei wiped the blood and potion residue from his leg, dressed, and quietly walked out of his hut into the cool of the night.

Following Saada's clues, he confidently avoided random passersby and a few spirits, making his way deep into the camp toward a specific hut.
Waiting for Saada's confirmation, he carefully pulled back the canopy and stepped inside.

The interior of the hut of a young stallion, adventurous by nature, opened up before him. The walls were decorated with paintings depicting the lush landscapes of this magical world. On the floor was a carpet chaotically strewn with all sorts of patterns. In the center of the room stood a wooden table covered in dust, on which were scattered a few scrolls, pieces of charcoal, and some utensils. Several saddlebags lay nearby. Above the table hung a map of the plains and part of the forest, with various places and paths marked on it, indicating his experience and knowledge of the area. The man looked at the map, memorizing all the useful information.

That's right, the man now had night vision. Well, not exactly he had. Saada could see in the dark and silently shared what she saw with Alexei. While this was somewhat unusual, he was used to it and recognized that without the zebra's help, his path would have been much more difficult.

In the corner of the room, on a soft mattress, the owner of the hut himself was sleeping peacefully, his face expressing satisfaction. He must have been dreaming something good.

The man's eyes flashed with sinister intent.

"On the left, behind that canvas," Saada's voice sounded in his head.

Step by step, Alexei approached the cloth and carefully pulled it away, revealing a neatly folded cloth that resembled a wide handmade scarf. He looked at it questioningly, turning mentally to Saada.

"Is this it?" he asked.

Receiving confirmation from Saada, Alexei turned without further ado and quietly left the stallion's hut, heading back to his hideout.

The sun's rays filtered through the thick foliage and lit the way for the two travelers, stallion and human.

"Have I told you how much I hate you?" the stallion said in a tired voice.

"Yes, many times," Alexei replied, smiling at him. "Don't get so upset, my friend. Life goes on."

"I hate you," the stallion said with some sort of conclusion, casting a frown at the man.

Tamu, Alexei's new friend, was the same stallion whose hut he had broken into the night before. Earlier, he had encountered a couple of zebras engaged in carnal pleasures on the edge of the forest while collecting ingredients to pay Jiona's tuition. He immediately recognized one of them as the chief's daughter, and through Imani, found out the stallion's identity and the rest of the information. It appeared that the stallion, secretly from the chief and the entire tribe, was dating the mare. It wouldn't have been anything special if it wasn't for the identity of this mare.

Alexei had previously been busy with alchemy and had only memorized the story behind these zebras, but now he saw their relationship to his own benefit.

The cloth he had stolen in the night was a traditional gift for lovers in the tribe. The mare herself wove this cloth and chose the pattern for embroidery. This scarf, or hood if necessary, was a practical and meaningful gift.

But how could zebras weave? Alexei didn't fully understand their amazing agility and the property of hoofkinesis that allowed them to attract and hold anything in their hooves.

And what did it mean to use magic? Residual energy. The cloth was saturated with the mare's energy, which was undeniable proof. The stallion obviously wore this scarf often, as Saada detected his energy on the fabric as well. Even if the energy dissipated over time - the man still had a witness in the form of Saada.

After visiting the stallion in the morning, he began to blackmail him shamelessly and extort crystals.

He needed to collect a lot of crystals before the caravan from Equestria arrived soon. The man had nothing more to do in the tribe, now it was more like a cage. He planned to bribe the chief and get a recommendation to join the caravan. It was too dangerous to travel alone, but the caravan could provide him with some safety.

The most important element of blackmail was Tamu himself, or rather the fate mark on his side. It was another strange quirk of this world, but all ponies and zebras had marks expressing their special talent. Tamu had a scrap of map with a cross in the center, signifying his talent for finding valuable items.

Such a talent could indeed attract other people's envy and greed. Perhaps that was why the stallion led an extremely humble life, hiding the true capabilities of his mark.

If the stallion had been less cowardly and more determined - he would have already made a fortune. Previously, he had only occasionally visited the forest with the tribe's warriors, but that had all changed now.

"Stop," the man's order suddenly sounded.

"What is it? I wanted to get back to the tribe before tonight," the stallion began to complain.

"Shut up," came the man's short reply.

Tamu was about to start to get indignant, but stopped when he saw the man's frown as he looked around the surrounding forest. The man pulled out his customary spearhead, and his left hand reached for the pouch on his belt.

"What have you got?" he mentally asked Saada.

"Nothing," came the reply. "I can fly down and take a look around."

"No. Stay close," Alexei declined the offer. "Be ready to activate the tattoo."

All of this was somewhat unsettling. The unknown threat was always the scariest.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, at the edge of the man's vision, something dark and extremely fast flashed.

Saada did not fail and activated the tattoo in the same instant. With a sudden increase in speed, the man jumped aside, avoiding the attack. He barely had time to see his attacker, a huge black cat with dark purple spots, when it disappeared back into the bushes.

"Dark leopard," Saada confirmed his thoughts.

"Disable the tattoo," the man said.

"Are you sure? I might not make it in time, these leopards are quite fast," the zebra said doubtfully.

"I'll run out of blood quickly if it's active all the time," the human grinned.

This tattoo passively increased his speed and reaction while it was activated, sucking his blood in return. Unlike active ability tattoos, it didn't overheat - it could be turned on and off at will. Having run tests earlier, Alexei had found out that his limit was two minutes. Then he would begin to lose consciousness.

"What was that?!" the shocked stallion finally shouted.

"Shut up," followed the man's cold reply. "Hide in the roots of the tree behind you."

The man's words brought the stallion to his senses, and he quickly ducked under the protection of the roots.

Tamu, his hen laying golden eggs, was quite an asset to the human. This cat had picked the wrong zebra for a snack.

These predators were not only fast, but also possessed a distinctly magical stealth, easily hiding in the shadows, making them even more dangerous. But the man was not about to relent.

The man continued to stand still, his heart beating harder and his hand clutching a clay vial with a wooden stopper.

Suddenly, he saw a flickering shadow and reflexively dodged, throwing a vial at his attacker. The clay vial shattered on the ground, causing a bright explosion that enveloped the leopard in flames. The predator quickly disappeared into the bushes, but a trail of sparse drops of blood testified to its wounds.

Nodding, the man turned around and walked towards the hidden stallion, running his hand into another pouch.

"Where are you going? They're very territorial and vengeful, he's not gone yet," Saada spoke hurriedly.

"Activate tattoo and watch my rear," came the reply from the man who continued walking.

Ten meters later, the man felt a signal from the zebra noticing the drops of blood as the leopard appeared behind him, preparing to jump. Turning sharply, Alexei threw the vial right into the muzzle of the beast, which had no time to react and was engulfed in flames.

Squinting, the man tensed, expecting the most fierce counterattack of the beast, but it did not follow. The smoke dispersed, revealing the body of a dark leopard lying lifeless on the ground.

Alexei examined it carefully, then exhaled and signaled Saada to disable the tattoo.

The man froze for a moment, contemplating his circumstances. He had fought a pitiful hyena earlier and had even sustained some injuries. Now he had easily killed a much more dangerous dark leopard and from the injuries he had only light blood loss, and that only because of the tattoo.

Alexei felt pleasure - his strength was growing. The stronger he became, the more freedom and chances he had to reach his goal. It was only a young leopard from the edge of the forest and the man dared not become overconfident, but it was still a pleasant victory.

With a glimpse of the stallion climbing out of the roots, the man began to examine the corpse of the leopard. The eyes were completely destroyed, but the heart and fangs were intact, they could be used to create potions. Using a sharp blade, the man quickly extracted the parts of the leopard he needed and wrapped it in a cloth and stowed it in his bag.

Looking at the slightly dazed Tamu, who had been standing silently nearby the whole time, the man grinned. Today, thanks to this lucky stallion, he had collected a whole bag of crystals.

Time to head back to camp.

Back in his humble hut, Alexei felt a pleasant sense of coziness. He was exhausted after defeating the dark leopard and getting some crystals, but it was not time to rest. He had one more potion to prepare before going to bed. Tomorrow he, along with his new partner, planned to venture deeper into the forest, but some preparation was needed.

Unfortunately, he didn't have a cauldron, so he had to improvise.

Earlier, he had built a small support for the pot by gathering rocks from the forest stream. Underneath the pot was an oil lamp. But oil was not the most efficient option, so Saada suggested replacing it with a more flammable liquid, providing the necessary recipe. It turned out rather primitive, but it couldn't be helped. Food in the tribe was mostly cooked over campfires. Though some had clay ovens, but not in his hut.

The man poured water into the pot, then he carefully placed the pot on the stone support, checking that everything was stable and secure. Using a spark from two stones, he ignited the pipe and carefully lit the lamp. While the water heated, he began preparing the ingredients.

Saada hovered beside him, ready to assist and suggest the proper steps. Alexei took a mortar and carefully placed the leopard fangs in it. Dropping a liquid from a vial nearby, he began to grind them with slow and rhythmic movements. The previously hard fangs now turned into a fine mushy substance resembling a cloud of dark dust.

Alexei then took the flowers he had collected during his travels through the forest. He carefully crushed them in a mortar to isolate the aromatic oil that would become the second key component of the potion. With each movement, he inhaled the sweet and spicy odor that filled his nostrils and dispelled his fatigue.

Now it was his turn to add some roots and herbs that had magical properties. Alexei grinded them with passion in a mortar, creating a thick paste. Through Saada, he could feel the energy and power present in each plant combine and meld together.

Alexei checked the temperature of the liquid in the pot and began adding ingredients. Under the heat, the potion began to slowly heat up.

The man continued to carefully stir the liquid and add the last ingredients, paying close attention to each movement. He could feel the potion gaining new properties and strength, as if it were coming to life under his hands. There was an atmosphere of mystery and boundless possibilities around him, which penetrated every cell of his body.

Gradually the potion acquired the desired color and consistency.

Alexei looked at the result of his labor with satisfaction - it was a potion capable of hiding the radiation of magical energy. Of course, the potion was intended for his partner; the man had no need for it.

Saada, who had been watching the process all this time, made a soft and approving sound, as if congratulating the man on the successful completion of his work.

While the potion cooled, they continued his training - the man wasn't going to waste a second of his time.

After a couple hours, he carefully poured the liquid into several vials and corked the lid. With this potion, their trek tomorrow should be much safer.

And with that thought, he went to bed, preparing for the new challenges that awaited him the next day.

At the edge of the forest stood a man looking off into the distance, waiting for his partner, a stallion named Tamu, to approach.

Tamu's face was an expression of fatigue and discontent. Yesterday they had narrowly escaped death after an encounter with a leopard, and now Alexei was leading him into this cursed forest again.

The stallion felt that his life was in danger. And there was nothing he could do about it!

If his liaison with the mare became known to the chief, he would be finished. Or perhaps his end would come here in this gloomy forest. Tamu didn't know which end would be less painful.

"Here, drink this," Alexei said, handing the stallion an already opened vial of potion.

"What is it?" asked Tamu suspiciously, he wasn't expecting anything good from this strange ape.

"A potion that conceals magic," the man replied. "It will make it easier for us to avoid dangerous beasts."

The stallion looked thoughtfully at the vial, sighed, and drank the contents. He listened to his sensations for a few moments, and then calmed down - Alexei had not cheated, the potion really did hide his energy.

Alexei gave him another potion and explained that it should be poured on his fur and rubbed in to hide his scent from the beasts.

"So where are we going today?" asked Tamu in an already more satisfied tone.

"Remember that lake on your map?" asked Alexei cheerfully. "That's where we're headed."

"ARE YOU NUTS?!" the stallion yelled, stunned by the answer. "You want me dead! It's too dangerous out there!"

"Where there is danger, there is opportunity, my friend," Alexei smiled. "Calm down. I've already been there several times. As you can see, I'm fine."

"I'm not going," Tamu flatly refused. "I like being alive, thank you."

"Oh, really?" asked Alexei, looking at the stallion intently. "Then you should definitely go."

"Damn you," the surrendered stallion growled.

Alexei didn't reply, but simply turned and headed deep into the forest. Tamu followed him with a doomed look.

The path to the lake was not a short one, and every step required vigilance.

Alexei and Tamu moved cautiously, trying not to attract attention. They hid in the dense vegetation, using every cover to avoid encounters with magical beasts. Sometimes they heard all sorts of disturbing sounds in the distance - the roar of beasts, the noise of falling trees, and the bizarre melodies of unknown creatures that created an atmosphere of tension and danger.

They saw strange magical beasts lurking among the trees. One of them was a huge bird with feathers of multicolored hues, its wings glistening with sparks as if its inner magic was ignited. Another was a creature with the head of a lion and the body of a huge snake that glittered with golden scales.

They skirted around these strange creatures, making a huge detour but not risking attracting their attention. Alexei and Tamu moved silently, as if they were ghosts. Saada was especially good at it. They hid in the shadows of the trees, listening for every sound, every rustle.

Finally, after many hours of advance, they reached the top of the hill. And there, in the distance, they had a view of the lake. Its water glistened in the morning sun like liquid silver. They stopped, mesmerized by the natural beauty.

In the distance, on the other shore, they noticed a majestic waterfall that created a rhythmic chant that filled the air with magical sounds.

The stallion and the man decided to make a brief stop on a hill to rest before continuing their journey. The stallion was clearly panicking. His previously admiring gaze at the beauty of the lake was replaced by anxiety. He was already thinking of fleeing, but knew he couldn't make it back alive on his own.

"Are you really going to the lake?" Tamu asked with obvious anxiety in his voice.

"No, of course not. It's too dangerous there. I'm not that crazy," the man snorted. "We're only exploring the vicinity of that hill."

The stallion let out a sigh of relief. This man was really driving him crazy.

"Why are you like this?" the stallion asked suddenly, looking at the man thoughtfully.

"Be more specific," the man replied indifferently, resting against a tree as Saada surveyed surroundings.

"Evil. Why are you so evil?" Tamu replied.

"What makes you think I'm evil?" the man replied with a snort. "I don't think I am."

"Then what are you? Siwazuri wanted to surrender, but you killed him," the stallion said sadly. "Now you're risking my life for your own gain."

"Hehe. Then what about you, Tamu? Aren't you the greatest sinner of the tribe?" the man replied snidely.

"What do you mean?" the stallion asked perplexed. "Don't bring my love for Aisha into this."

"Exactly," Alexei replied smiling. "She was destined to enter into a political marriage with a young chief of a neighboring tribe, but that's where you came in. Unification would strengthen your tribe, which would consequently increase its chances of survival. You suffered greatly from that beast raid. Will it be the last?

"Your selfish desires will ruin everything, and your and Aisha's story will end in tragedy.

"You will be the cause of the extermination of the entire tribe. So what are you if not a great sinner?"

The stallion was completely stunned by the man's monologue. He had never thought of it in that way before.

Yes, he knew the chief would not be pleased with their bond, but he believed it was all the fault of his low status. He still cherished the hope of changing that by working diligently for the good of the tribe.

But now Alexei said he was leading his tribe to extermination.

And deep down, he knew the man was right. But even so - he didn't want to give up his love for Aisha!

"If I still want to follow my selfish desires... am I evil?" the stallion muttered, shocked by the new realization.

He shuddered at the sudden burst of laughter. The man laughed heartily, eyeing the stallion.

"What is good? What is evil?" the man said with a chuckle. "These are all just made-up concepts that don't exist in reality. As long as you follow your heart's call - you will feel no regrets.

"You can be both the demise of a tribe and a new hope for it, Tamu. It all depends on you. Your talent could be the key to the tribe's prosperity.

"Would the chief then dare say anything against your union? He would become a sinner of the tribe himself by forbidding you to love Aisha!

"All you need is a little determination. You were only cowardly hiding before, but now look where you are? Wandering through a deadly forest.

"You still have hope."

Tears came to the stallion's eyes. Besides his parents and Aisha, no one had ever said such sweet words to him. He did feel hope, subtle and fragile, but it was still there.

"Thank you," Tamu said sincerely, looking at the man.

"You're welcome," the man smiled. "Now, get your shit together. We must finish the job and return alive to the tribe. She's waiting for you there, remember?"

The stallion nodded decisively.

Alexei mentally slapped Saada, who was laughing hysterically in his head, and started to get up from the ground. There was a lot of work ahead.