A Night Like Any Other? [Potentially M. Keisen]

[Zombie]

A true study in contrasts they seemed to be; almost like physical representations of oil and water- and yet, the mercenary relaxed a bit in the green-eyed woman's presence, some of the tension carried in her back finally relenting, allowing her casual leaning against the wall to be more comfortable; ankles crossed and head resting against the wall, it probably didn't seem as though she intended on moving any time soon- unless she was attacked.

The other woman's condescending tone was overlooked, simply because of how spiteful and contemptuous the words she spoke seemed to be. Rather than a sneer or smart-ass smirk, Perendi actually laughed at the auburn-haired beauty's words; the sound rusty and strange, perhaps vaguely similar to the sound a carrion-crow might have made, but it was true laughter nevertheless. "Yes, really- and that failed experiment is dead." She rasped, that amusement still present, "It's not what your arrogant, self-righteous, pig-headed, borish prick of a master wants with me, it's what I want with the pathetic bastard," The ending statement was punctuated by a liquidous gurgle that served as her clearing her throat and swallowing thickly.

Her black eye glittered with humor and that ever-present defiance even as she flashed a grin at the lady; they might as well have simply been a pair of extremely young noblewomen, gossiping and conspiring against a suitor that one of them found truly distasteful. The green-eyed woman seemed to be just as at ease as the warrior was; perhaps even moreso- perhaps they should have both been sitting in a pretty little parlor somewhere, sipping sickeningly-sweet cordials and embroidering, rather than standing in a magnificent chamber adorned with venerable artwork depicting death and war. That situation was almost as entertaining as the other lady herself; perhaps there was some common ground they shared?

She nodded, making a "hmm"ing sound in the back of her throat, mulling over the other's words before winking conspiringly; "Ah, I think I understand what you're getting at. Yes, that would be me- I followed him this far; I don't like leaving things unfinished," There was no harm in revealing that much to her at any rate- Perendi didn't think she'd do much with that information; unless she decided to launch an attack of her own. That last statement trailed off into a choking, hissing whisper as she peered around the chamber again; as though looking for hidden doors that would have allowed another being to enter and ambush. While she wanted to believe that she might have found at least a momentary ally by sheer happenstance, there were still too many possibilities- the robed one could have been stationed there to waylay intruders, after all.

How easy it would have been to just try to offer to protect her, as long as she revealed the way to wherever her master might have been waiting; for now at least, Perendi had nothing against her. However, in that instant, everything was up to the other woman; the ashen mercenary's eye meeting hers levelly. Though "good" and "evil" were relative terms that the pale woman didn't believe in under any circumstances, she was unsure as to whether the lady was an enemy or ally. She glanced meaningfully albeit briefly at her own blades, then back up at her company once again; a silent signifier that she'd spill the other's blood only if it became necessary to do so and not a moment before.

[Keisen]

The other woman smiled broadly, displaying all thirty-two of her chalk-white and razor-sharp teeth. "Wonderful!" she replied. "As you might have noticed by now, I am not the greatest fan of my good-for-nothing shitpile of a master. He may have created me, but I still want his blood," she said, vicious beast raring its head behind the pupils of her eyes.

"Oh and do relax, at least a little," the woman said. "You can never truly let your guard down around here. The smartass really did put a lot of work into it. My name is Fifteen by the way, but I prefer Féria. If I wanted to kill you, I could have done it easily, my owner far exceeds the meager abilities of that failed experiment you fought earlier."

She looked at Perendi's injured limb again. "I think there may be an artifact around here to fix that, but it's really not worth the risk. Then again," the woman smiled, "if you had the courage to come to his personal study..." She looked at the dragons contemplatively.

[Zombie]

If she tried to say she wasn't quickly becoming charmed by the lady, she would have been lying through her teeth; a lopsided, shit-eating grin gracing her own countenance at the experiment's enthusiasm, "I would never have guessed," That simple statement was colored by readily-apparent dry humor as the elegant being's more vengeance-seeking side began to make itself known. It seemed as though she actually had managed to find an ally in the subterannean temple, which was more than she had hoped to accomplish by far- and she decided that if they ended up surviving the encounter with the apparent noblewoman's master, the least she could do would be try to get her to relative safety.

"Sorry. I just wasn't expecting to find someone like you here," Perendi explained, stretching as she shifted to a more comfortable position; "Things waiting everywhere, huh? It's definitely beautiful here, though- and your master clearly has exceptional taste," That last comment was intentionally loaded; that grin not yet fading- she'd let the green-eyed woman decide what it was directed at, exactly. "Féria," That name was voiced as though she was testing it; there was no need to use the number that had been given- Perendi found the name to be more pleasing-sounded; as elegant and unusual as the woman herself. Striding forward to broach the distance between them, she extended her hand, "I'm... Eski. Come with me- we'll deal with your master and I'll take you somewhere safe."

It wasn't her name, nor one that she used too frequently; the Thieves' Cant word probably sounding a bit strange with the additional harshness of the way she spoke; but very few people knew her real name, she preferred to keep it that way and would rather no one in the subterranean lair knew either of her more preferred monikers- especially since her contacts in Zantaric knew her as "Pearl." It was something of a sneaking job, after all. The promise she offered though, was one that she did intend to keep to the best of her ability.

A smile and shrug were given at the meaningful glance Féria gave her injured limb; Perendi's own gaze finding fascination amid one of the engraved scenes of mounted knights charging a peculiar beast. "It might be helpful, especially if we might find it and him in the same location." It sounded like the artifact was housed exactly where she was attempting to go anyway- and even if the artifact's properties reacted strangely or poorly with her curse, at least she'd be able to say that they tried- and there was always the possibility that they'd finally catch up with her quarry. Both possibilities were reason enough to want to venture deeper.

[Keisen]

Féria looked amused at Perendi's comment about her master's taste. She chuckled quietly. "Well, he doesn't appreciate me," she replied. "The cunt only made me the way I am to prove that he could. It all," she looked around the chamber, "doesn't matter to the fool, he only created all the decorations to pass time." There was another chuckle.

When the issue of protection was brought up, Féria actually gave a short laugh. "Oh, I hardly need protection, though I would join you, if only this once, to kill the bastard. I'll go and get enjoy my freedom then..."

"Anyway," she looked at the sun and the sand clock symbol. "This is a door to his personal study, we should get here before looking for the artifact for your hand. The bastard left for something important, I know it. He never did leave in such a hurry. We have to find our what he is searching for, going for the artifact might trigger a defense mechanism and I'd rather not get stuck in a time-loop. Not to mention the bastard's other homonculi - the bloody loyal dogs that they are."

Féria paced in front of the carving. "It's protected by a password, obviously," she huffed. "And the bastard never needs to speak it, he just... passes through," Féria almost growled, her figure shifting from toe to toe like a cat. "It has sometching to do its the carving, and I don't know him well enough to guess what goes on in that big head of his."

The dragons meanwhile continued to stare at the pair impassively, too engaged in their own battle, while the sun was glowing, the symbol basking in all the light and the eye simply observing all the rulers and beasts from the corridor and seemingly the entire universe, not even paying any special attention to Perendi or Féria.

[Zombie]

"The stupid bich damn sure should!" Perendi countered, not understanding how someone capable of not only creating such magnificently detailed works of art, but the other homonculi and the lady who stood before her, might have been willing to let such talent go to what she perceived to be complete waste. If he was capable of producing the works of art out of boredom, he could have easily become an exceptionally famous artist; if Féria was a creation born from his strange ideals, then he could have doubtlessly become extremely sought-after in noble and possibly even royal circles as a flesh-shaper. It was a damn shame that he'd chosen to become deluded with thoughts of divinity. "How can someone with gifts like his be such a wasteful, deranged fuck?" Though it was sneered quite contemptuously, it was more of a hypothetical question than anything else; she couldn't claim to understand how he thought- and didn't think anyone else currently alive would be able to understand it, either.

Swaying on her feet, she nodded thoughtfully while catching her breath again, waiting for the spasms and lack of oxygen to release their punishing, vice-like grips before turning her attention back to Féria, "Good to know- and I welcome the company. Once we've killed the son of a whore, you might want to consider going... anywhere else- hell, even Adela and Serendipity are beautiful this time of year." She wasn't doubting the lady's ability to handle her own in a fight by any stretch of the imagination- under other circumstances, she would have extended an invitation to join her cause; but lives were not currency and Féria did not need to trade hands from master to employer. Find something that you want to fight for- and to hell with what anyone else thinks or says, was the unspoken implication.

Clearing her throat, she turned back o face the sun, sand-clock and the eye that stared impartially down at them; "That would probably be a good idea- if the ass isn't around, we might have a little time to look around. It's nothing to worry about; stopping that fuckhead's more important than anything else- everything else is just incentive. I don't think I'd like to be stuck in a time-loop either; we'll get in, look around and get out... is everyone else here one of his shit-for-brains dogs?" The remaining homonculi, Féria had already explained- but that still left the possibility of slaves, servants, innocents that might have been the victims of his experiments- no one back in Zantaric had known about the lady's situation, so they simply might not have known anything else that was noteworthy.

Listening to Féria explain that the newest door was passphrase-protected as well and closing the distance between herself and that carving gave her enough time to regain her breath and balance once more; though the trickle in her throat served as a constant reminder that she was continuing to tread on dangerous ground; as did the frequency that she had to clear her throat and fight through the gradually-increasing constriction. "Seems like all his doors are that way- I've only come up with lucky guesses so far," Where Féria seemed like a cat in motion, preparing to hiss or slap something, Perendi had stopped moving, tilting her head upward at the symbols, contemplating. Reaching forward just to see if the door was an illusion, she would begin guessing once more: "Omnipotent. Omniscient. All-seeing."

[Keisen]

"Yes," Féria nodded. "Yes, this is something he might come up with, but it's usually a concept that serves as the key. Almost every relief here has a purpose of hiding something," she explained. "The bastard has taste, that much I can't deny, and some wits about him. It would be something simple... He doesn't hold anyone in high regard and doesn't go for complicated over-the-top nonsense."

"Well, I suppose he does go a little over-the-top with his experiments, and yes, I am the only exception. Everyone else here is a slave to his will," she growled. "I was made as a bitter damsel in distress, to amuse him by my predicament alone. A rabid deadly dog which couldn't even lay a finger on him, he used to say, the cunt."

Féria shook her head and walked to one of the dragons. Her long elegant fingers traced its outline from the tail to the eyes. Her steps were quiet, measured, augmenting he silence, not breaking it. It seemed almost surreal. "Dragons mean power," she said. "A power from one side and a power from the other side..." she paused, until the brilliant emerald of her eyes lit up in realization. She walked to where the door was supposed to be and looked it over. "Yes, they collide... It's a conflict, but the bastard wouldn't build his entire riddle on just one allegory... There must be something else."

She looked helplessly at the eye, which looked back at her, impassively, without care, dissecting her with its unwavering gaze. Meanwhile, the battle between dragons continued, indifferent to the struggles of the two mortals, as the tiles on the floor inevitably spiraled toward one center.

[Zombie]

It was strange- everything that she'd guessed her way through up until that point had some underlying concept or personification that dealt with divinity in one way or another- and yet, this simple passphrase did not seem to be as simple as the others to decipher; of course, since the doors were supposed to be a vanguard that prevented entry to the master's personal sanctum, it was only natural that the phrase would be more difficult to discern... maybe. "You're right, up until now, there's been one unifying concept behind everything- and so far, that has always been the concept of the divine." She nodded at Féria's agreeing that he clearly had taste; unlike the handful of nobles she'd worked for in the past, his taste wasn't overdone- it was simple, yet refined, orderly and chaotic at once; paradoxical, as far as she'd seen. She snorted at the other lady's comment about the master's wit, though; "But he can't argue worth shit."

Thinking back to the "conversation" she'd had -or tried to have- about their opposing ideals with him earlier, she had to admit there had been something strangely comical about how he hadn't presented any substantial counterpoints about his perspective; it had been almost precious in a way, how it had quickly devolved into basically a child-like battle of "I'm right and you're wrong!" On both sides of that could-have-been debate. Had either stopped to think about it in the heat of the moment, he could have replaced "destruction of the world" and "wanting to become a god" with something along the lines of "I want your pastry" and her argument in favor of life, or how she thought seeking godhood was a delusion with "but you stole my toy!" and their argument would have been no different. "We sounded like gods-damned kids!" She couldn't keep from laughing at how ridiculous it had been.

"If he made you and First though, he's pretty good," Thankfully, she hadn't seen any of his other experiments- at least not yet. "It's a relief that you're the exception to that rule- makes things easier. He deserves to die for thinking he was justified in controlling you, though. The cock-for-brains pisses me off, the more I hear about him." Perendi growled, thinking about Féria's plight; no one should have ever been subjected to living as a captive dog, no matter if they were someone else's creation or not. For a moment, she regretted having to leave her hammer behind; the threat she'd spit at First in regard to his master was sounding even more appealing now than it did then- though with luck, there might have been a broom or piece of wood that would have served the same purpose, once they finally located the bastard.

Sighing, Perendi began roaming around the room; idly stroking a carved horse's flank, a knight's lance, one of the unidentifiable beasts' wings, nodding at Féria's explanation. It did make sense to her- knights were known for their chivalry and bravery, gryphons for wisdom; nobles' wealth and prestige allowed them to reign over anyone of lower social caste-- there were a few qualities that drew those images' differences together. As did the numerous battles that stretched along the walls; not the clashes themselves, but some of the underlying factors that would have enabled those figures and their regal steeds to charge into battle. Contrasting to the almost surreal brush of Féria's silence-accentuating footfalls, the mercenary's challenged the absence of sound.

"Not power," She mused aloud, making her way back to the carving of the eye; even it and the concept of stopping or controlling time itself... That has to be it! Whoever controls the battlefield controls history; whoever controls history controls the world. Son of a bitch, it's possible that we think too much alike. Swaying on her feet like a cobra preparing to spit at its intended target, her words were barely above a hissing whisper; her light-headedness made it seem as though  the floor had begun to buck and rock underfoot and it was becoming very difficult to continue forcing herself to speak for the time being; most of her visible flesh obscured by internal, punishing shadow- the hand that rested against the reliefs was holding her up, keeping her face from making a close, personal acquaintance with the decorations.

Dragons, knights, kings; strange creatures, gryphons, the sun; the flow of time, even the imagery of the fights themselves- they weren't separate reliefs, but pieces of a whole.  Similar to how the tiles underfoot were swirling together, she thought she might have at least found the right direction; prestige, power, courage and chivalry were similar, but not the same- and not always represented by the sun, dragons, or the rest of the imagery; at least not as far as she thought at that moment . "Strength." That word was little more than a sigh.

[Keisen]

“He probably didn’t consider you an opponent until you wounded him,” Féria replied. “And even then, he is infuriatingly stubborn and arrogant. He even calls his fights pest control. I doubt he had ever taken yuor argument seriously. Well...” she chuckled at Perendi’s new name for her master, it was oddly amusing.

As Perendi spoke her answer, Féria looked at the door and when noting happened, sighed. “If only the bastard was this straightforward,” she lamented, “I’d have killed him in his sleep by now...”

She walked to the door and looked at the sun and the symbol inside. “I don’t know the language, but this definitely symbolizes time,” she spoke. “Knowing his obsession with divinity, this would be something that can never be subjective for a god. It would have something to do with this symbol, the sun itself, fire and maybe even the eye. You can never tell...”

In one sudden and graceful glide Féria stood near the corridor, observing all the reliefs on its walls. “They are fighting, but we have already established that... What are they fighting for? Castles? Riches? Power? No, the bastard cares little about all but the last and even then he wouldn’t make such an obvious password.”

She paced in front of the door, glaring at the sun and the flame which made its crown. Her movements, while graceful, were a little jerky, more desperate. “We have to get it right, I won’t give the bastard the satisfaction,” she practically hissed through her teeth. A sickening crunch resonated through the chamber as her fist impacted the wall with enough force to break stone. Only the stone was as immaculately smooth as it was before, not a dent in it. Feria’s right hand, however, did not fare so well. It’s bones were sticking out from both her wrists and her elbow, chunks of meat and torn tendons hanging loosely. Black light enveloped the broken appendage. Féria growled as the bones realligned with another painful snap and the tissue knitted itself back until her hand was as healthy and immaculate as it was before the hit.

“Bastard won’t let me finish myself off,” she explained. “Too amusing a possession,” she quoted with bitterness in her voice.

The eye was looking at the pair just as it had before, it’s dissecting gaze looking right through the very essences of their beings, while the symbol simply stated something. Was it the eye’s words’s or was it something to do with the raging battle of the two powers? It was frustratingly unclear.

[Zombie]

"You're probably right," She stated with a snort, "Pig-headed, arrogant, unwilling to listen, he's just an asinine, cocky shit I'd want to punch in the face a few dozen times even if I didn't give a damn about what he's doing." Shaking her head not only to try and clear her swimming vision, but at the notion itself, she was again struck by how humorous it was that she and Féria still managed to sound like they were bitching about someone's ill-fated suitor, no matter how frustrated they both were. It was a conversation that she'd definitely end up remembering for at least weeks to come- of course, the fact that she was enjoying Féria's company did play into that as well. "Does he ever take anything but himself seriously?"

Perendi sighed in annoyance when the door still didn't budge; gritting her teeth and resting her forehead momentarily against it long enough to wait for the room to quit spinning. Once those damnable punishments had subsided again, she dragged her hand through her hair, lifting her head once more. "If you'd been able to kill him in his sleep, that's a favor no one would have been able to pay you back for," Though she didn't think her companion was interested in rewards or anything of that nature beyond obtaining her own freedom at last, his death would definitely have been a boon for probably everyone who had ever met him.

"I can't read it either," She admitted with an increasingly-irritated near-growl; Féria was probably correct about this password having nothing with a god- or wanting to become one. Fire is a representative of wisdom; which all things have to one degree or another. The eye watches over everything, which is what a god does- but could it also signify a ruler- an emperor or king? The time-piece though; could that represent eternity, stopping time itself, it running out, or in reverse? Stepping back a few paces, she swung a foot forward and kicked the door; though it seemed impossible to even make it rattle on its hinges. What would they be fighting for? She silently echoed Féria's question, There are countless reasons people fight- I could be here for the next few weeks, just yelling reasons... I don't know if any of them would be right, or if we're searching for a miracle at this point. But anything's worth a try.

"Some would fight for those things, yes; or even prestige, glory... some fight for the sake of simply fighting. I don't think that would be like him, though," It was true that she didn't know Féria's master well at all, but he just didn't strike her as the sort who would have fought for the simple joy of fighting. Riches and land were not correct, or else the door would have opened under Féria's questioning- and Perendi was fairly certain the story told within the reliefs wasn't one of honor or freedom, either. There are also conquerors. "Control," It made sense to her; pushing back one's enemies was to control the flow of battle- and one could try to control the masses, or perhaps even time itself. "Conquest. Subjugation. Domination? Dominion?" She queried, beginning to pace in a manner similar to a caged beast; pausing every now and again to throw a kick or punch at the doors, the walls, "Destruction?" Probably not; the conversation they'd had once again echoed in the back of her mind- simple destruction for the sake of it just seemed too simple, "Annihilation?"  He wanted to destroy the world, after all.

Féria's pacing and punching the wall, breaking her arm quite nastily, drew her from that particular line of thought. "We'll get it- and before the cunt comes back, at that rate!" That snarled statement held a promise that she intended to keep, not only for herself, but her company as well. There had to be something simple that both of them were just not catching; but it was difficult to say what that might have been. "I can see how that could be useful-- but not at his discretion; you shouldn't be forced to live if you don't want to." The eye's scrutiny revealed nothing at all; if anything, in that moment, Perendi thought it was a symbol of concealment. Then there were the flames, the unreadable inscription on the symbol itself; even the fight that raged on, captured in motion. What if it's got nothing to do with what they're fighting for at all- but the consequences? There has to be risk in order for a battle to take place; one's nobility is never secure, neither is wealth or land- even someone who wants to attain godhood surely has to risk something as well? "Sacrifice?"

[Keisen]

"Oh, I very much like living," Feria replied with a small vicious smile, which didn't take a lot of time to morph into a grimace, "just not like a caged bird. And no, I don't think he takes anyone seriously, at least not anyone human."

She went back to contemplating the dragons, tracing their outline here and there with her fingers. The smooth walls remained just as black, just as solid and just as indifferent as they were the last time. Though she appeared to see something beyond the silhouettes. Feria suddenly stopped and walked to the door. She stood there for a moment, contemplating the flame.

"You know," she said, folding her hands over her chest, "the bastard wouldn't just be so literal as to mean a battle of actual powers... Something is fighting here, but all I know is that dragons represent power, maybe wisdom too, or perhaps knowledge. I am positive it has something to do with the battle, but I'm not even sure what battle we are even discussing here!" Feria exclaimed with irritation. "With the bastard it could be anything."

"Maybe I should have a look at the walls in the corridor," she proposed. "He has too high an opinion of himself and too low an opinion of everyone else that he couldn't have resisted leaving some clues there. Could you examine the door again?"

It was apparent that Feria didn't actually expect a reply as she soundlessly walked into the corridor and stopped at the closest scene, looking at it thoughtfully.

Meanwhile, the eye on the door kept staring at both women, looking through them, as the symbol merely looked on, indifferent to their predicament, and seemingly even its own, as if its mere presence was enough.

[Zombie]

"That's a relief," Perendi stated with a wicked grin, "Once you're away from here, just think of how much it'll piss him off to know you're alive and he's not!" She very much believed in ghosts, ghouls and all manner of spectral beings; even if some of the creatures she believed in didn't exactly exist beyond drunken tales, the pages of books, or unsubstantiated rumors. The thought of Feria's master returning as a very pissed-off, powerless wraith of some sort, possibly even chained within a prison similar to the one he'd constructed, was amusing, in a sense.

No matter how many times the interprid pair traipsed through the chamber, scruitinizing the walls and -at least in her case- the floor, the more clear it became that there was something else; It'll probably be something simple enough that we both end up looking like gods-damned idiots. She made a thoughtful sound in the back of her throat as she stared at one of the reliefs; as though committing the gryphon's form to memory. "I wasn't sure and figured that if he doesn't take anyone else seriously, maybe his code would have been painfully easy to solve." It isn't likely, but what if it's something as gods-damned commonplace as an actual key, or shit, even a certain tile on the floor?

"Dragons do represent what you know- but so do gryphons as well. The sun, as far as I know, is a symbol for an all-knowing, all-seeing god; wisdom, power, perfection and life. I'm not a historian- if we can't figure out what battle it is, we'll be here for weeks, trying to learn just that much! Possibly forever, if we want to discuss why and how people fight- the fucking swine's great at designing shit that pisses people off."

She nodded at Feria's retreating back; slowly moving toward the door. Once she was in front of it, she would start by slowly pacing in front of it; making a point of stepping on each of the tiles in front of it. Come on, you stupid bastard- show me something before I find a way to tear you apart. Threatening an inanimate object in her mind would get her nowhere- but she couldn't help herself; she was beginning to miss  those doors that could just be kicked or shoved open without issue.

Rather than simply trying to guess what word or phrase might have caused the door to swing open, she would closely examine the symbols and engravings there; looking for anything that might have seemed amiss, or like it might have signified... anything that had been overlooked. While contemplating the imagery, she would reach up; fingers trailing along the edges of the doorframe and across the etchings themselves- trying to feel for any sort of indentation, sharp edge, raised area or anything that might have been manipulated in any way. Doesn't seem to be just a latch, at least.

Attempts to turn the sand-clock upside-down, to reach the ever-staring eye, would be made even as the snake glared at the peculiar lettering. Though her frustration was continuing to build immensely, a hissing breath exhaled between tightly-clenched teeth, she would continue examining that door; rising to her toes when necessary to reach as high as she could in that pursuit. All the while, muttering "Death, despair, majesty; terror, eternal," under her breath, as though giving voice to her increasingly-perplexed thoughts would force the door to bend to her will.

[Keisen]

The door she was looking for didn't have any indentations, in fact, there was no evidence to suggest that there was anything besides one smooth, immaculately polished circular wall. All the cravings, while being indeed carving, could not be touched really - they appeared to be a part of the stone for some bizarre reason. Whatever technique the mage used to create this relief, it clearly was messing with space. It was disorienting, but not really different from all the other carvings Perendi had seen in this place so far.

"I have found something!" Feria announced her return. She looked rather annoyed, but otherwise composed and focused. "I remembered that symbol on the door," she pointed at the sand clock symbol, "it's not a language I remember, but the bastard uses it when he refers to something timeless," she sighed. "Though beyond that I am well and truly lost. What do you think the fire could represent here?"

Feria walked closer to the carving and examined it. "I have access to some books in his library, but the bastard keeps all the meaningful information away from me. And the carving there is even more ridiculously convoluted than here. We have to figure out what this flame means," she said resolutely.

"Or god dammit I will punch that stupid eye," she practically snarled at the large eye in the upper part of the door. "The bastard manages to infuriate me while being somewhere far away..."

[Zombie]

It was strange that there was nothing out of place in regard to the door; the most remarkable thing about it was that it seemed to have been carved from a single slab of obsidian-dark stone. The carvings weren't quite possible to touch; which made them impossible to manipulate in any fashion- the way that space had been subtly manipulated wasn't much cause for alarm, though that wasn't much different than any of the others that she'd seen or reached for.  The language in which the  symbol bore inscription was still without meaning- and neither the floor, sun, or eye had revealed anything exceptionally meaningful.

"Nothing..." She snarled, more to herself and at the antechamber, than anything else.

She briefly turned when Feria arrived again; that irritated scowl growing deeper as she glowered at the unyielding door- though the redhead's announcement might have been something new, something of meaningful significance. "The only thing I've uncovered about the door is that the bastard used no tricks to get past it," which was nothing but a shame. As asinine as he was, he was far from stupid. "Timeless, huh?... That does make things more difficult," The mercenary mused, rising to her toes and drawing her baselard so she could quite childishly and maliciously try to jab the very tip of the blade against the bottom half of the carved eye; even though it was far from living, it was irrationally pissing her off because of how it seemed to just observe, taunt.

"Erm... fire. We already know what it should represent, but doesn't. There's an old woman who tried to teach me about shit like that a long time ago- she said fire was definitely representative of life and destruction which don't fit here..." She trailed off for a moment, her words degenerating into a groan, "I've heard a few other things associated with it as well. Passion? Creativity? Enlightenment? The soul? Immortality." Her fist hit the door to emphasis each of the concepts that she knew of- and immortality was one concept that could have been thought to be synonymous with timelessness..

Perendi grumbled a series of choked, colorful profanities as she studied the carvings alongside Feria; starting to become truly confounded- there weren't many other properties associated with fire that she knew about, that would have suited the symbolism of the carvings. The library would definitely have been a good place to search for information, if Feria hadn't already mentioned it being under even more stalwart guard by the carvings there. "Well, son of a chamberpot-licking, pox-ridden, oozing old whore, if you need a hand up so you can punch the gods-damned thing, climb on up; it'd be better if you were knocking the bitch's teeth down his throat, though!" Offering to act as a stool so Feria might be able to  assault a carving in a door seemed to be one of the least strange things that was happening.

[Keisen]

Féria stopped as it struck when Perendi mentioned enlightenment. “Yes!” she exclaimed into the silence of the chamber. “Enlightenment,” she explained. “The bastard could never stop talking about how he had seen the real order of the universe, how everything really is. It is a door to his personal chamber, it makes sense for the password to have some connection to him. Iam sure it has something to do with enlightenment”.

She looked at the door again and traced the flame, her skin like chalk against the blackness of the wall. When Féria eventually reached the sun and the mysterious symbol, she paused.

“The flames, see,” she pointed out, “they spiral. It’s as if...” she searched for the appropriate word. “As if something is created out of them. Of course,” she exclaimed, “something is created as a result of a conflict. But is it enlightenment or do two ideas clash and create something? Why do flames morph into a sun? And why on Le’raana is the eye even here in this case? How does it fit into all of this nonsense?” Féria huffed. “Why can’t the bastard be more straight-forward?”

In the midst of her tirade Féria appeared to not have noticed Perendi’s offer, in either case, it was clear now that the woman was far more absorbed by the swirling mob of ideas in her mind, which seemed intent to solve the puzzle of the solar crown.

[Zombie]

Perendi's pacing came to a halt at Feria's exclamation; it didn't make much sense to her- but puzzles were supposed to be difficult to piece together, especially when being largely unacquainted with the object of their collective anger. Certainly, she'd argued and fought with him, but that didn't account for much of anything in the grand scheme of things. "If it is enlightenment and the ass thinks he's seen the nature of reality, I think he's more insane than we thought!" Despite that snarl, a relieved grin punctuated those words: it meant the riddle might have had an actual answer that, when it had almost seemed to be unsolvable when they'd first started.

Her head cocked as she peered upward at the eye. While the spiraling flames and solar crown might have been tied together- even if just by the most obscure possible concepts- she didn't immediately see how the eye could have fit into the equation. Feria's mention of the flames' morphing into that solar disc, though, struck a chord; as did the thought of some manner of creation. At the same time, the fire seemed to be rising. Rising to power or glory; a king is either born into power, or he's chosen-- and an heir rises to claim that crown; in a fight, you rise to face your challenge- Gods, if it means what I'm thinking, we're just fucking idiots!  "It could be some kind of creation- andif it is, I'm not sure what, yet; but we'll figure it out. There's something else here to think about... look at how the fire and sun are connected, in how the crown is formed- and how the fire rises up. Could it be something as easy as maybe transcendence... hmm...transformation seems likely to me in a way, too- or possibly even ascention. Does any of that make sense?"

As Feria had mentioned and they kept floundering over, there was also that damnable eye. That seemed to be a stumbling point more than anything else, as far as she could figure out, though she didn't think it would have been included as some measure of misdirection. "The eye's here to be a bitch," There was a hint of confounded laughter in that statement. The eye... it could be all-seeing, but that doesn't make much sense to me. It could be saying that something has been hidden right in front of us, or it could have something to do with perception. It's open, so could that mean an awakening? Or... the door leads to his personal chambers, which are sealed to us until we figure out what everything means. We might be able to find something useful there, but no one is permitted to enter... I wonder if that writing might bring it all together? Shit, I don't know if it's possible at all!

Drumming her fingers against her thigh as she made a querying sound in the back of her throat, she just wasn't certain how to tie everything together, whether she was correct or not. The conclusion she reached while trying to mull everything over sounded extremely pretentious to her, but the worst that the mercenary thought could happen was that all of her most recent attempts at rationilizing the symbology could be wrong and they'd have to approach everything from a different angle. "Eyes mean a lot of things, though... what if it represents forbidden knowledge?"

It probably didn't matter one way or another if Feria had acknowledged Perendi's offer. The warrior was trying to work out exactly what they were facing; trying to figure out how it could have all fit together- while, not for the first time, wishing Feria's master was easier to figure out-- or that there was an empty weapons' crate nearby to climb onto, so she could have stabbed that infuriating eye.

[Keisen]

"I dnt' think we should focus on the eye all that much, it's likely something the bastard created to prove some sort of point about himself. We'll get to it when we actually figure out what the flame is creating..." Féria paced in front of the door.

The sun watched on as the women tried to figure out its riddle, unmoving, unchanging, absolute. The gaze of its non-existent eyes was dissecting them like a pair of lab experiments. The dragons went on and on, clashing relentlessly, their flames burning and twisting, morphing into the unmoving solar crow. The tiles on the floor spiraled toward the center and the eye observed it all. Everything here bar the dragons, it seemed, was set on becoming one. But what was it?

The answer seemed to be there, but eluded Féria. It made her growl from time to time in irritation. She had read a couple of books from the bastard's library, but nothing to suggest the answer. It seemed like the bastard really did invest some effort in defending his sanctum.

"I'm reserving an especially hard punch to his..." Féria said suddenly, "just for making us go through this shit."

[Zombie]

"That's probably exactly what it is," Perendi growled in annoyance, displaying a considerable amount of restraint in how she kept reaching as though to draw one of her weapons, then jerked her hand back just before drawing the skewer. She was neither a magic-user, scholar, nor alchemist; while some puzzles and riddles could be a fun diversion, especially if the answer wasn't layered under things she couldn't understand no matter how hard she tried to uncover what was disguised. But now, she was quickly running out of patience- and there was always the possibility that they were running out of time.

The mercenary knew there was an answer to be uncovered somewhere- but just what that answer might have been would have been as easily discovered as the true formula to make gold from sand or lead. Poised and coiled, it was likely that she would end up lashing out at something quite soon; the thought of trying to demolish the artwork and simply bash the door open was becoming more appealing the longer she and Féria remained there. Glaring at the door; sneering at the dragons, flames and swirling tiles underfoot, she sneered: "I'm starting to think everything we're looking at is a gods-damned lie." It made sense, in a way. Both women had discussed ideas about what the answer had been, yelled and even begged what they'd each thought the passphrase might have been- and for their efforts, as far as Perendi could tell, it seemed like they were only met with mockery.

A foot connected solidly with one of the carved horse's asses, the echo of the impact once again interrupting the silence that was starting to seem deafening. "You punch him all you want- I'll ram my skewer so far up his ass that it'll come out through his mouth- we won't need a spit." Even if she didn't have a reason to want to stop Féria's master, she definitely would have wanted to do by now. Groaning and circling the chamber again, slowly returning to stand in front of the door again, she was no longer paying attention to the carvings, the indecipherable imagery that stretched in front of her- taunting.

Her hand lifted to thump ineffectively against the door again, the rattling sound of flesh smacking against stone punctuating each word; words that she spat as though they tasted foul: "Son of a bitch, open! Fuck the games and nonsense. To hell with the lies all the carvings show. All we want is to know the truth." That- and she was growing extremely infuriated by the thought of a simple door keeping her and Féria trapped; it wasn't something that should have been possible, even if it was magic that kept the door sealed. That's it, I'm going to find a way to break this gods-damned thing down!

[Keisen]

As soon as Perendi finished speaking the sun flashed golden for just a moment and the door became transparent, inventing both women into the shadow of the enemy’s inner sanctum. It appeared, though, as if the dragons were dissatisfied, they seemed to know the answer was earned unfairly and their unmoving eyes promised retribution with a gaze that was neither pleasant nor speaking of compassion.

Féria looked around nervously, a frown marring her face. “We should hurry,” she said. “I don’t like how those dragons are looking at us... Knowing the bastard, it could be an alarm. I have never been inside and I’d rather not find out the full extent of his paranoia.”

Not waiting for a reply, she proceeded to enter through the gaping doorway, under the watchful gaze of the now transparent cosmic eye.

It appeared as though the first room of the sanctum was indeed a study. A large one at that. It was a circular room, dominated by a large table in its center, while the walls were as usual occupied by numerous carvings. Though there were smaller desks here and there. The entire chamber was illuminated by a series of floating blue candles, which painted the whole room the color of ice.

Looking up, Féria stiffened for a second. She saw a large carving of an eye, which dominated the entire ceiling, rays of its gaze spreading like the sinks halo. The sense of being watched, having someone look straight through your insides, through your skull and mind permeated the dusty and frankly quite foul air

The owner clearly left in a hurry, papers, scrolls and books were thrown around haphazardly, some even lying open on the floor. All in all, the two walked into an encyclopedia example of chaos.

“We’re lucky,” Féria said, “the bastard left without getting everything in order. I bet there are clues as to his destination somewhere in this mess. Just let’s be quick...”

[Zombie]

It seemed as though the soldier of misfortune's self-directed bitching had somehow served as the key; she didn't know exactly what part of her complaints had forced the enchantment on the door to operate- and probably never would. The transparency of the door was a promising invitation to venture deeper into the unknown; though the dragons seemed to be quite displeased. Their apparently glowering expressions were met with a thoroughly cocky little knife-edged smile; Perendi didn't always play fair and was damn sure not a hero- if the supernatural powers at work wanted to seek their revenge against her, then so be it. "It'd be great if there was a way to blind them, but if there is, I wouldn't know how to do it," She admitted, nodding at Feria's request that they hurry. As long as they were quick and treated it like an infiltration job, she thought everything would be alright.

Stalking through the doorway, she glanced around as though expecting something to be waiting for them; though no manner of beast nor spirit seemed to serve as a guard there- and yet, she couldn't shake the eerie feeling of being under constant surveilance. The carvings along the walls more than likely served as another riddle that would allow them to proceed into the next room; there was probably something interesting on the table or desks- but the study was a ramshackle mess- as though some manner of storm had torn through the entire room and they were left to wade through its aftermath. The blue candles cast the study in an eerie, icy illumination; there was just something vaguely disquieting about the gellid light.

Finally glancing upward, she sucked a breath through clenched teeth, seeing the object of Féria's alarm at last. The massive carving of the eye on the ceiling was enough to cause her hair to stand on end- it was as though something was peering directly at the fabric of her being- it wouldn't have been surprising if it didn't like what it saw, either.

Not good. Sidling up to Féria, she whispered: "If you want to see what's on those tables, I'll look at these- and if I find anything, I'll let you know; if you notice anything, do the same- you shouldn't be able to see me, so just... walk into me if you find something? Hurry." Lifting her stump, she would lightly thump the other woman on the shoulder to let her know how she'd recognize the wardog's approach, her hand lifting to touch the onyx at her cloak's clasp, activating its enchantment. She could only hope that her idea would somehow take Féria out of the eye's direct scrutiny.

Once she was concealed within the shadows of the room (it was probably too late to worry about it, but being within the shadows had always given her a sense of peace and safety, like it was where she was meant to be)she crept over to where the books, notes and scrolls were; she would start by glancing over the notes and open books, looking for a phrase or diagram, perhaps even a scribble of a map, that might have indicated anything of importance, no matter how strange or cryptic.

If it wasn't for the watchful gaze of that foreboding eye, or the manner in which the dragons had seemed to openly challenge the pair, she would have liked to have taken a few of those manuscripts';  but didn't think they had the time for something even that simple- not that it was anything of importance, or given more than a fleeting thought to.

Finally, she would make her way back over to Féria with a sheaf of notes that she thought seemed to reveal a vague hint about an obscure artifact; though she had no way of knowing if it was in regard to something the master had already located and was studying, or had departed to find. She would again thump the woman on the shoulder to let her know of her presence before deactivating her cloak's enchantment again, "What do you think of this?" She inquired, offering her those notes.

[Keisen]

Féria was initially startled when Perendi just disappeared, but fairly quickly adjusted and nodded with a brief "yes". With her bastard of a master always around, she had had sufficient time to get used to magical tricks and artifacts. In fact, the most surprising fact was that it was Perendi who used magic - the other woman didn't strike her as one reliant on arcane arts. She did, however, examine the description of the artifact Perendi brought. It brought a great deal of disappointment though.

The scrolls and notes were all written in some unknown language, and when Féria looked at the bunch Perendi brought to her, she sighed. "Trust the bastard to write in some obscure language I am not even sure is even spoken today," she grumbled, glaring at the web of symbols which were arranged like a circular net with circular diagrams, or at least those looked like diagrams, thrown into the mix. "It's the same here," she pointed at the main table. "Paranoid lunatic..."

"I think it's useless to try and analyze them," Féria concluded after looking through yet another scroll, which she threw at the floor in frustration. "What's the point of getting in here, if everything is so damn useless?" she hissed at the eye on the ceiling. "I think we need some more maps. With any luck we might find what we are looking for."