2001 The Children of Bottle/Chapter 1: Joy Anger Sorrow FUN

Synopsis
In December of 2001, Czeslaw Meyer speaks up to ask Maiza Avaro if he's sure they're headed in the right direction; Maiza is currently driving a car deep into a thick forest somewhere in Northern Europe, looking for a village, but Czes isn't convinced the village exists. Maiza affirms that this is the right direction but comments that the road looks like it might disappear soon, which Czes begrudgingly accepts despite having a bad feeling about the forest. Maiza teases Czes for worrying too much, but Czes counters that Maiza is just too easygoing. Though Maiza says it's because he's lived a long time, Czes points out that they're both going to be turning three hundred soon.

Forty years after Szilard Quates had been devoured in 1930, Maiza and Czes had set out to inform the surviving alchemists of his death; the location they're on their way to now is supposedly the place they'd be able to find Elmer C. Albatross.

When the conversation dies down, someone else speaks up from the back seat---Sylvie Lumiere wonders whether or not they'll have working showers in the village. Maiza gives a noncommital answer, and Sylvie asks if Elmer is really in that village. Maiza coutners that his information broker wouldn't lead him astray. Sylvie drops the issue, but Czes continues to feel uneasy, pointing out that it seems like it's getting darker as they go along even though it's the middle of the day. To Czes's indignation, Sylvie calls him cute and teases him, but he doesn't back down on his opinion that the woods are creepy, like there are monsters here. Sylvie laughs at the idea of monsters, but Czes coldly murmurs that Sylvie can only laugh because she has no idea what a real monster looks like.

Before that thought can continue, Maiza affirms Czes's thinking, pointing out the unnatural density of the trees. Sylvie comments that it could be the perfect place for Elmer, who she regards as the weirdest villain on the Advena Avis, citing Szilard as the worst villain and Huey Laforet as the scariest. Maiza asks if Huey was really all that scary, and Sylvie stands her ground, stating that Elmer was the only person who was close to him.

Just then, Maiza stops the car, having come up to what used to be a tunnel before a landslide occured sometime in the past. He comments that it's a great help that no trees have taken root, after which Sylvie asks what he means by that and comments on how unusual it is that nobody has repaired the tunnel. Maiza responds that it probably never got used, as it was the entrance to private property and the property owner may have just decided not to use it. Czes does a double take, asking Maiza to elaborate on the area ahead being private land, as he'd told them previously they were headed to a small village. Maiza confirms that the village is located on that private land, musing that he'd tried to get in touch with its owner to no avail.

Sylvie questions the accuracy of there being a village on private land, but Maiza seems certain of this and presses on, revving the car's engine. Before anyone can protest, he begins to drive up the slope of collapsed rock and debris, taking several minutes and violently jostling everyone in the car. Reaching the end of the hill created by the landslide, Maiza is faced with a 10 foot drop directly down onto a road below, which he drives onto without hesitation.

As the car impacts the ground, a fourth voice sounds out from inside the car's trunk, but the other three ignore it. Czes and Sylvie, catching their breath, berate Maiza for making reckless decisions, to which he smiles and apologizes. As he looks around and confirms that they should reach the village soon, the voice from the trunk speaks up again, accusing Maiza of trying to kill him.

Maiza addresses the voice, which belongs to Nile, offhandedly, then steps hard on the gas. As the car accelerates, Nile speaks up again, but is cut short by something unknown. Though Maiza is briefly concerned for his safety, he quickly turns his attention back to the road, continuing on towards the village.

The child from before watches as they approach the village, but is unable to identify their car properly, instead comparing it to the cart the "traders" use. They watch as the villagers, holding weapons, approach the newcomers, and are certain someone will be hurt.

Finally emerging from the woods, Maiza and company catch sight of the village in the distance across a flat, fielded area. Czes and Sylvie are stunned to see that there actually is a village there, and Maiza stops the car near the village's entrance. Looking at the village, he notes that it seems like a film set, as there's nothing modern about any of the houses, yet they don't look completely like the houses he'd been used to seeing in the past.

While Czes and Maiza discuss the atmosphere, Sylvie bemoans the lack of showers, though Maiza is quick to point out that they have bigger problems. Sylvie follows Maiza's gaze to see a little girl in the middle of the road, and soon realizes that a good number of people have emerged from various buildings to glare suspiciously at the car. Maiza points out that he suspected this might have been some sort of cult or illegal organization, as that's usually the case with settlements on private land. As such, he points out that they have no idea what the villagers will do with tresspassers.

Czes suggests running away, but Maiza suggests that Elmer might have become a member of the village, and that it would be best to ask about him. Though Czes rebuffs this idea, Maiza doesn't carry on the conversation right away, pointing out someone approaching before saying that if the villagers turn out to be unfriendly, then they can run away.

The villagers all begin to approach the car with an older man in the lead; Maiza notes that they all seem to be carrying weapons of some sort, though the men seem to have real weapons while the women seem to be carrying improvised ones. Despite the clear hostility in their gazes, he gets out of the car and shuts the door behind him.

Stopping a significant distance away, the older man asks who the group are and how they managed to get here. Maiza identifies his group as travelers, which seems to confuse the man, who asks that Maiza bring the other passengers out of the car so the villagers can make sure there's nobody suspicious traveling with him. When Sylvie and Czes exit the car, the villagers seem to get a little less hostile, particularly towards Sylvie.

The old man introduces himself as Dez Nibiru, and tells Maiza to leave the village before Maiza can introduce himself in return. Maiza asks if they can camp for the night, but Dez insists that they can't bring outsiders in right now, briefly bringing up a demon before halting in his speech. Thinking of Ronny Schiatto, Maiza asks about the demon, but Dez shoots him down and tells him once again to leave the village. Undeterred, Maiza presses on, and Dez reveals that there's a monster in the village. When Maiza continues to pry, Dez ushers him out again, and Maiza quietly murmurs Elmer's name.

Upon hearing that, the villagers immediately become hostile again. Maiza tries to explain that they're looking for Elmer, but Dez orders the villagers to attack them. As they do, Maiza recognizes fear in their eyes. He tries to plead with them to stay calm, but the man standing next to Dez shoots him in the thigh. As the villagers take the opportunity to crowd closer, Dez watches Maiza regenerate. Seeing this, the villagers begin to whisper among themselves, confirming that the 'demon' mentioned is also an immortal.

As Maiza contemplates their unusual reactions, some of the villagers move closer to Sylvie, managing to pin her down against the car. As Maiza begins to try and help her, the window behind her rolls down, and Nile reaches out, yanking the offending man's arm in through the car window and beginning to roll the window shut. Sylvie quickly moves to the front of the car just as the rear door unlocks, and Nile kicks it open with the villager's arm trapped inside, stepping out of the car for the first time. Upon seeing Nile, the villagers react with even more pronounced fear due to his stature and strange clothing.

Nile reprimands Maiza for his poor driving, but lets him off the hook considering the difficult situation they're in. Maiza tries to reassure the villagers that he wasn't hiding Nile on purpose, but they don't respond, still terrified. Nile asks Maiza what he should do, and Maiza responds that he'd like to avoid violence if at all possible. Nile nods, then steps on top of the car, ordering the villagers to kneel.

Maiza tells Nile that the villagers don't speak English, and Nile accuses Maiza of tricking him, though is corrected quickly. He goes on to explain that he only knows four languages---Berber, English, Chinese, and Indonesian---and asks Maiza what he should do. Maiza tells him not to do anything, since he's scaring the villagers, and Nile once again surveys the villagers, who still look frightened. He informs Maiza that it won't be possible to settle this situation peacefully, and Maiza agrees; while they'd been talking, the villagers had returned to their senses and pointed their rifles at everyone but Czes.

Dez orders the men to aim for their heads. Nile tries to warn them that if any of them shoot, he'll massacre them, but he's still speaking English so the villagers don't understand him. As Maiza thinks about what to do, he resolves to turn himself over to the villagers so Czes, Sylvie, and Nile can walk away peacefully; since Maiza only has eight months before he has to return back to his job with the Martillo Family, he has a limited amount of time to get information about and potentially meet up with Elmer, who he's determined is probably the 'demon' the villagers have mentioned.

Just as Maiza is about to offer himself up, he spots three horses in the distance with riders dressed in red. The villagers react with fear, calling the figures 'messengers'. Most of them lower their weapons, and some of them immediately begin to flee back towards the houses as the horses approach. As they get closer and finally stop in front of the group, the immortals determine the riders must all be sisters, as they look incredibly similar to eachother. On top of that, the red outfits they have on appear to be based off Santa Claus.

The three riders inform Dez that Maiza and his friends are Elmer's guests, and they are to be escorted to the castle. They further order Dez to withdraw completely, which he does after a moment of annoyed hesitation. After everyone has left, the first rider to have spoken politely asks the group to follow them, as the village isn't safe.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Czeslaw Meyer
 * Maiza Avaro
 * Sylvie Lumiere
 * Nile
 * Fil
 * Dez Nibiru