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Flaming Hearts {OPEN, PM to join}

Started by Celegwen, July 24, 2017, 02:53:13 PM

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Celegwen

Exon was too aware of the scissor method of killing. He had watched it happen to a man in his youth, an accident in practicing for a show, but still horrifying to see.

The Maoin hated this. He hated having to relive the traumatic time; he hated having to help decide which person was responsible for the release of the monster; he hated having to use his performance skills, meant only for happiness and entertainment, to decide who was a liar. He knew it was necessary, but that didn't make it any less painful.

He took a step back, again leaning against the wall. In this, he was an observer only to intervene if something was misinterpreted or he caught something that Rena didn't. This was her time to take center stage.

Wrathwyrm

After having heard Arrok's report, Rena turned to Maeger.

Maeger: "No."

"No, what?"

Maeger: "No, I have not been preaching or integrating into my classes anything in regards to the Devourer.  I want to, but I cannot until such time as Arlius passes away.  And then...what a cautionary tale I shall have!"

"Some would say that the success of such a tale would be a good motivation to take rash action."

Maeger: "Bordering on the ironic, though.  Taking such an action for the teaching of quite the opposite has to be the worst idea I've ever heard in my life!  Besides, I don't do this for acknowledgement.  I've done my duty, already."

That...confused her for a second.

"As a soldier?"

He nodded in a solemn fashion.

Maeger: "I'm a veteran of the sword and shield, or the mighty bludgeon, or the axe.  Some of us choose to protect the Temple in our old age, like Arrok.  Others take up more spiritual pursuits."

Rena frowned.  This wasn't working.  She was finding more indications that they were guilt-edged into NOT revealing anything, especially since it would only be harmful TO them to do so.

"Erisson-"

Erisson: "I think Maxton did it."

He blurted that out suddenly, and then the room exploded with surprise and shock from the other four who worked for the Temple.  Rena found herself unable to get a word in, edge-wise, until she put a couple fingers in her mouth and let out a loud whistle, possibly enough to excite Feldler.  She did so, and then asked...

"Let me guess: Son of the man?"

Arlius: "That is correct."

"And nobody else suspected him?"

Cavra: "We've never breathed a word of any of this beyond the establishment that his father was the Devourer's last victim, which is technically true."

Maeger: "There's been no way for him to learn anything about his father's failing.  Erisson, why - in all our goddess' lovely bits - would you suspect him?"

Erisson: "Because he's never really been satisfied of the account of the Devourer.  It's a morbid curiosity - and one that I did not indulge - but he is one of those people who wishes more were known.  I agreed, so that he would remain candid with me, but I claimed ignorance, as a simple groundskeeper, too young at the time of the Devourer to possibly know, though I do."

This gave Rena a disturbing thought.  She turned to Exon now.

"Exon, doesn't this sound a bit familiar?"

Yeah, it...sounded like exactly his feelings on the matter of the Devourer...

Celegwen

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Exon said in a forced whisper to Rena.

The description that Erisson gave of Maxton was one that perfectly fit Exon's feelings on the whole matter. He felt it was wrong to keep everyone on the dark, as well as having a slight feud with the Temple.

Still, that she would actually consider Exon suspect was insulting, not just to his Thanati ego. "Rena, I have no idea who any of these people are. I haven't even spoken to anyone from the Temple in years because-" He caught himself before he blurted out his past crimes. "Look, I don't know my parents. I was part of the Maoin since I was five years old. Why would I even care if the Devourer's last victim was my father? I never knew the man, nor would I care to."

Feldler felt the tension rising and laid down near Rena's feet with his paw over his nose.

Exon frowned, pursing his lips. "Of course I have a morbid curiosity about the Devourer and this whole situation because I actually saw the Devourer in action. It was traumatizing. Of course I want people to know the truth."

He decided to say screw it. "I want people to know the whole truth. Everything about the Temple's involvement. Am I the biggest fan of these people? No. Arlius, I'm sorry. I have a shaky history with the Temple, but it isn't even possible for me to know of the Eye of Hunger."

He scoffed. "Besides, I have never seen Erisson in my entire life before today."

Wrathwyrm

Well, if it can happen to Exon, it can happen to anybody.  However, few of them also had some sort of personal stake in the matter.  That said, when Exon started speaking as he did, Rena's eyes went to surprise, and then confusion, and then Oh Shit when she realized he himself had assumed that she was...

"Exon, wait a minute!  I wasn't accusing you!"

Rena was shocked - shocked, I say - that he would think that, after taking him into her confidence, he would think that she was considering him to be somehow directly involved.  Frankly, the outburst had surprised the others too.  It's that goddamn Thanati culture thing!  Rena sighed, trying to calm the situation.

"I'm sorry.  I did it again.  I meant that if Maxton has anything to do with this, it'd be because he suspected something was off and wanted to investigate the death of his father.  Erisson may be right.  Keeping him in the dark may have made him want to seek answers.  There is no leak, if he's the one.  He just wants to know."

Arlius: "That may be, but while he might follow in his father's place in the Temple - he has not been ready just yet - a lack of knowledge would make it impossible to just happen upon the Eye of Hunger, hidden in my office and locked away.  He has no such lockpicking skill."

"Are there people on Thanatos who can?"

Maeger: "None that can sneak so easily into the Temple with all its eyes and guard, penetrate the study, get out again.  We know our Untouchables, even if we shun them."

Celegwen

Exon felt slightly guilty for jumping to conclusions, especially after realizing that Rena was merely commenting on the shared opinions between himself and Maxton on the way the Devourer case was handled. Rena was a good, honest lady, and Exon felt like a tool for assuming she would accuse him.

His Thanati pride had gotten him into trouble more often than he cared to admit, but that was neither here nor there at the moment. Exon knew that he had to really try to swallow his pride if he was going to be of any help to Rena and Arlius.

Hearing them mention the Untouchables struck a chord with Exon. As he just admitted to everyone in the room, he had a shaky history with the Temple. Maybe... Maybe it was time for him to admit everything...

"That's not necessarily true," Exon said quietly. Feldler lifted his head, and everyone in the room looked at the Maoin for an explanation.

Exon immediately regretted his decision, but there was really no turning back after he contradicted Maegar. He stepped forward, sitting on the edge of the desk with his arms folded across his chest.

"I was almost branded an Untouchable when I was very young," he admitted, earning mixed reactions. "The events of the Devourer happened when I was six years old. At that time, I had been involved with the Maoin for about a year. Keep in mind that I'm not proud of this, but as a child, I was desperate."

Exon proceeded to tell them all the story of him stealing priceless religious artifacts. He told them about Yeolin's illness, how the healers couldn't tell what ailed her, how he and she were both highly devoted to Inima, and how he couldn't think of getting on without her. He told them how, in his belief, the artifacts gave her a miraculous and unexplained recovery, how he was arrested when the Temple found out, how he very well could have been branded an Untouchable at six years old. He spoke of how many people spoke for him, how he was released without punishment, and how fear alone made him avoid the Temple.

"Untouchables are not the only ones who have the potential for theft," he said. "Rena, I am truly sorry I did not speak of this until now, but you must understand the fear I held in my heart. If Maxton knew someone with the skills I had as a child, it could be quite possible that he is behind that. He simply would have needed assistance."

He slouched slightly, feeling slightly defeated and unsure of how Rena and the others would react to the information he had just given.

Wrathwyrm

This confession of his worried her.  While Rena herself was in no mood to judge him, no matter how badly Exon himself felt about this, he knew that the other people in the room were having some thoughts and concerns about his presence in the room, or even without some mark on his face.  In her eyes, she could understand why he might do that.  It made sense.  He'd been young, and desperate, and angry with the Temple itself.  She couldn't fault this.  In fact, before anyone could really respond, Rena held up her hand now, looking away from them.

"I have a confession to make."

Arlius: "Rena, this is hardly the time for-"

"Except that Exon has already, and I can't let that stand alone, waiting for disapproval.  If you're going to judge him, you're going to judge me, as well.  I've lost family, myself.  My mother, my father, and my uncle...  When I was young and in training, I spent my extra time looking into ways to bring them back from the dead.  And I mean really bring them back.  True resurrection of all life faculties."

Aaand that would immediately divert all the stares to her.  That was...even if she didn't men necromancy, that was completely and utterly forbidden!  It was a complete taboo, without question!

"I didn't actually do anything, because I was a kid and I was in a bad way, and also because it's completely impossible."

Maeger: "I'll say!  The goddess wouldn't allow such an affront."

"The point is that I wanted to, badly, and you can all understand why.  No matter what we think of death, we still don't want our loved one ripped from us without warning.  Don't judge too harshly."

That seemed to have an effect.  They didn't want to really give Rena, who was there to help them, trouble right now about something that happened in her youth.  Perhaps it was also not wise to worry about Exon's own youthful indescretions.  They had bigger problems, right now.

Kavra: "...maybe we all have a bit much on our minds, at the moment.  Can we stick to the matter at hand and focus on that?"

"I'd like to.  So, the point of all this was that a thief could get in, maybe a good thief.  Hell, maybe even a great thief."

Kavra: "That part actually bothers me, a little.  If it were Maxton, he still knows nothing about it, but I'm sure he's smart enough to know that you can't just tell a thief to 'look for something'.  You need something to go on, first.  A clue."

"Maybe.  I kinda' had a thought.  He's waited a long time, hasn't he?  If he's smart, he's been waiting for the right sort of person to come along, either someone he could find on Thanatos, or..."

Arlius: "A foreign agent, in my office?  Even a desperate youth wouldn't hire a...oh dear."

Here he was, saying Maxton wouldn't hire out to a foreigner if he couldn't find someone whom he could guarantee success...and they were hoping that Rena could help them.  They'd jumped that particular shark years ago, with Zan.

"It's possible that he just asked someone of Thanatos, but if he wanted results AND to be able to turn on a foreign thief because he's foreign and untrustworthy, that would work even better."

Celegwen

Exon was truly grateful to Rena for not completely casting him away. In fact, she did the exact opposite. Whether his complete honesty was necessary or not, he felt much better having given Rena the truth of his past with the Temple.

The thought of the foreign agent in the Temple was a good idea. A paid thief with loyalties to the coin was a great thief. Plus, it eliminated the Untouchables from identification.

"If it was a foreign thief," Exon started, "they are most likely long gone. Why don't we speak to Maxton before this grows even more out of hand?"

Wrathwyrm

There seemed to be a consensus on that from the others, however, Rena had to hold up a hand in the middle of this and say "Wait a minute.", because they weren't ready for this.

"First of all, if every Temple person associated with his father's death suddenly showed up to pluck the instrument of power from his hands, he might be tempted to kill you all."

Arrok: "Perhaps just me, then."

"That might be for the best.  Second, though, I'm unarmed.  I need my weapons back."

Arlius: "Well, of course, you'll get back what you came in with."

Rena shook her head.

"Those are back-ups.  I need to get my sword out of lock-up at the inn.  And the third thing is that he might not be at home, but a thief DID come through here...and we have a dog."

Oh yeah!  There can be little doubt that Feldler would be up to the task.  In Rena's experience, dog noses (and wolves', for that matter) were practically undefeatable.  If they really want you, they're going to find you!  Rena picked up the strongbox now, looking at Exon.

"What do you think?  If we split up with some watchmen, we can track the trail, stake out the house, and get my sword all at once."

Celegwen

With a charming smile, Exon looked at Feldler. The dog jumped up and walked over to his master with a wagging tail. He jumped onto Exon, standing on his hind legs and placing his paws on Exon's shoulders. Feldler was big. He didn't seem so big when he was sitting with his tongue hanging from the side of his mouth, but he was a pretty big dog.

"What do you say, buddy?" Exon asked. "Up to the task?"

Feldler barked twice, sneezing right after. He went back on all fours, and Exon wiped his face of dog snot. "He's up for it," he said, grimacing. "Born tracker." They looked at the playful pup sitting obediently next to Exon.

The Maoin wasn't too sure about sending one man after Maxton. Strategically, it was the best plan. There was no doubt.

Still, there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that reminded Exon it was the Eye of Hunger they were dealing with, and that went hand in hand with the Devourer.

Rena was smart, though. And Arrok was tough. He could handle himself.

"Let's do it," Exon said.

Wrathwyrm

Well, it wasn't exactly like that.  Arrok headed off right now, saying that Rena's knives would be waiting for her at the entrance.  Then, as he stepped out into the hallway, he did a quick whistle and the nearest temple guards now flanked him.  He was tough, but realistic.  He knew there was every chance that Maxton was using the Eye and that anyone approaching him in a hostile manner could die.  So, he had backup.

Rena had, meanwhile, placed down the chest for Feldler to sniff the hell out of, in the way that dogs generally do.  This box was old, and hardly anybody had ever touched it, apart from Arlius The Scribe, Zan Goldswith, and...well now...  That was a potent smell.  Feldler probably couldn't remember ever finding a scent quite like that.  If he had words beyond 'Bark' and 'Woof' to describe it, he'd say it was the most-foreign thing he'd ever smelled in his life!

"Once we're off, we can swing by the inn and I can get my sword.  Wouldn't wanna walk into this unprepared. I'd've come with the armor too, but I stick out too much on Thanatos, as is."

Yeah, full mythril plate armor, minus helmet.  That's a doozy.  Now...how fast is Feldler gonna bolt out of there with that smell on the tip of his nose?

Celegwen

Exon was much more at ease when he saw Arrok with a group of guardsmen. All they had to do was get Rena's weapons and they'd be ready.

The dog barked loudly, his ears pricking up. He spun around twice, then darted out of the room, nearly knocking officials and guests over. It wasn't exactly customary to bring a dog into the Temple, but Exon never went anywhere without his best friend.

Still, for Feldler to run amok in the Temple wasn't quite a good introduction for animals to be allowed there. That dog just had no off switch. Once he caught a scent, he was determined to figure out just what it was.

"Hey!" Exon shouted. Feldler continued, and Exon bolted after him. He stopped on the outer steps to the Temple and let out a loud whistle. Feldler stopped and jogged back to Exon. "I never said you could go anywhere!" He said to the smiling pup.

When Rena got her knives, Exon smirked and swept his arm in front of him with a slight bow. "Lead the way," he said.

Wrathwyrm

Rena was surprised, and then chuckled, at Feldler's eagerness.  As was mentioned before, she never really had pet, but she did like them.  Garlock was more of...a friend.  It made her worry alot.  Pets just have instincts.  That cat could put his mind to alot of things.  Still, her mind wasn't on him right now.  It was on the matter at hand, which soon found her back at the entrance and retrieving her daggers.  Once done, Exon prompted her to lead.

He could have probably guessed the inn, though.  It was the one that was the closest to the docks, yet also friendlest to foreign visitors, and by that we don't mean in that fake Thanati manner where they're just being outwardly polite and inwardly hateful.  It wasn't raining...terribly...on the way back.  Might increase, might decrease.  Weather on Thanatos was a bit of a potluck, in that manner.  They stepped into the inn and she requested her sword.

"It will take just a moment, miss."

"Alright, thanks."

Now, she turned to Exon, having just thought about business on the island...

"So, on the mainland, there is this guy that shows up all over the place, running a little shop.  Do you have an Akbar on this island?  I swear, he's everywhere."

Celegwen

The mention of the name brought something to his mind, but he really could not put his finger on it precisely. Akbar, he thought to himself, biting the inside of his lip.

"I'm not so sure I know him, but I definitely know of him," Exon said truthfully. He had no reason to lie to Rena and wanted to help her as much as he could, but nothing in particular sprung to mind. "Runs a little shop?" He repeated. "I don't know-"

He clapped once and stomped his right foot on the ground with wide eyes.

"I might not know him, but I think I know his shop. I bought some stuff for my show from a little pop-up shop. Did you need Akbar for something specific?"

Wrathwyrm

It took a moment to jog Exon's memory, but he seemed to recall having met this guy before.  Rena smiled when she heard he'd been even here, of all places.  However, when he asked if there was something she wanted, that caught her off-guard.  She'd just been making conversation.

"Well, no.  I just wondered, but...hmmm."

There'd been something overlooked in her observance of Thanatos' laws, something she'd realized when she thought of how much this seemed like Connlaoth, though without the strict control and use of Mordecai.  That might actually come in handy, and it probably wasn't even slightly available in Zan's own time here.  This thought had merit.

"Now that you mention it, though, I could get something that'll really help, and I'm pretty sure he'll have a supply for...whatever reason."

"Here's your sword, ma'am.  Whatever you do, be careful with that thing."

The big thing she was handed would be unlike any blade that Exon had ever seen.  Thanatos had some excellent custom work to improve every tool and weapon on the island to be the most proficient at what it was designed for, and still...they had nothing like this big-ass, double-pointed, smooth-serrated weapon that she was now putting on her back.

"Think we could find Akbar before we find Maxton?"

Celegwen

Rena's sudden thought made Exon smirk. He craved adventures, which definitely was not a customary aspect of his Maoin lifestyle. So, anything to let him just explore was definitely a bonus. But then...

That sword!

Exon loved weapons. He was never trained well with any blades, but he absolutely loved to admire the craftsmanship, which made Thanatos a candy store for him. But this...there were no words. He had never been in the presence of a blade such as that one. The customization and the detail on every part of it was simply incredible.

When Rena asked to go to Akbar first, it snapped Exon out of his trace-like admiration of the sword. "Oh, uh, y-yeah. No problem. If I'm remembering correctly, his shop isn't far. Smart placement, putting a shop near the docks. We can see if he's in today."

Wrathwyrm

If he's in today?  The Akbar that Rena knew never seemed to leave, except to go and see if anything was in the back.  She was, of course, not aware of why or how things worked the way they did.  Still, Exon said that he could find his shop, which was good, because what she wanted to get was...special.  Having gotten her sword, Rena would follow him now and, sure enough, there was a place set up with a sign reading 'Akbar's Emporium' written in common.

Of course, just below that, it was written in every other known language.

Akbar himself was present, polishing a brass...something.  She might've seen one at a hotel in Connlaoth once, but she wasn't sure...as visiting that country wasn't high on her list of priorities, most of the time.  There was, understandably, a divide between that country and Serendipity.  The division of magic, one could say.  Nevermind.  As soon as they were nearby, the funny little man in the furry hat and water-proof clothing put down the whatever-it-was and paid them ALL the attention with a friendly smile.

"Welcome to Akbar's Emporium, where customer is king!  Akbar is presiding.  What do you wish of him?"

We should point out that Akbar has a funny way of speaking, even around other Essyrni like him.  We should also point out that neither Rena nor anybody can be certain as to whether or not this was the same Akbar that was in other shops or if there was a whole slew of people like him everywhere.  In this case, however, we will tell you that it's all the same guy.

Celegwen

The Maoin was able to immediately locate the little shop. Nothing really ever changed in Thanatos. It was nice, but also annoying for someone who wanted something new around every turn. When they entered Akbar's Emporium, Exon smiled. His electric eyes scanned over everything in the shop until resting on the man who could only have been Akbar.

Exon bowed briefly to the shopkeeper, as was customary on Thanatos, but he didn't press Rena to. Akbar seemed to be relatively laid back, so it wasn't too important to observe Thanati normalcies.

Akbar gave his little speech that was probably practiced too often. Exon chuckled and folded his arms over his chest. "This wishing thing," he said with a smirk. "Is this a three wishes kind of thing?"

He liked Akbar. There was just something about the funny, little man that made Exon desperately want to banter with him. Either way, they were there for a reason. He swept his arm, a little too dramatically, for Rena to speak.

Wrathwyrm

Akbar didn't practice.  He was born into this, and greeted people in an open and friendly way all the time.  The only practice he did was to make sure his voice - Kind of a necessary instrument in the biz - was working fine.  Still, he gave the two a pair of quick and polite bows, whether it was to observe courtesies of the realm or just because he was polite in general.  The three wishes thing confused him.

"Perhaps you are confusing this one for another Akbar?  The only wishes to be granted in this shop is items for fair prices, after all."

The swordswoman let out a small chuckle.

"I think we have the right Akbar, provided you have a supply of Connlaothian black powder for sale."

This made Akbar's eyes do a double backflip in his head or something with confusion.

"You are knowing what black powder is used for, yes?"

"Yes."

"You are knowing that Thanatos has no cannons, yes?"

"Mmm-hmmm."

This was strange to him, and he was blinking to resolve this in his head because there were only so many reasons that someone would want black powder, and chiefly he sold it to Connlaothians because they had the weapons that used it.  So, after a moment of this...

"Is in back.  Must be kept from getting wet."

He was about to go back there when Rena said she'd also need fuses.  That stopped him in his tracks, and he looked back at her with a bit of concern.

"Umm...could Akbar be told...who is to receive bomb?"

"Just a local monstrosity."

"Ah.  Is okay, then."

He went back to go get the stuff.  Uhhh...bomb?  Oh shit.

Celegwen

A bomb? Exon thought to himself, slightly unnerved by the mention of something so powerful.

He was used to fire, as he performed with it on a regular basis. Hells, even Feldler was fine with fire. Still, it wasn't like they were blowing things up. He took a step back towards his black and tan dog, crouching to scratch behind the animal's large ears.

When Akbar was just as surprised as Exon, it made him feel a bit better about being uncomfortable himself. That then faded when the shopkeeper was completely fine with the reasoning behind the bomb's crafting.

Akbar really was a funny little man. He just seemed very expressive, and that was something coming from a Maoin performer! Seeing him interact with Rena was rather entertaining because they were quite different. But...another Akbar? How many were there?

As soon as Akbar disappeared, Exon looked up at Rena from his crouched position. "Are you sure a bomb is the best way to go? I know what we're after is powerful, but doesn't a bomb seem a bit excessive?"

Wrathwyrm

Listen, Akbar is after the sale.  If his shop isn't being used for the general doomifying of potential customers, then it's fine with him.  He has his own priorities.  Such is the life of a dedicated Essyrni man.  Still, there was the question from Exon...about the bomb.  Rena knew this was going to be a harder sell than anything Akbar has had to go through.  This was a moral difficulty, and Rena definitely had had to wrestle with it herself, because she was a moral person.  That said...

"Look, Exon...  I already don't like that we may have to kill a young man who's angry about his father over this.  I don't want to have to walk over everybody's corpse to make the killing blow, as well.  He has some kind of demonic artifact or something on his side,   If he uses it, it'll be because he wants us to die, and horribly.  I'm a very good fighter, but 'superhuman' means he punches me through a wall, so I need something to throw him through one, something that isn't illegal."

She hadn't been facing him as she spoke, but now she did.

"For once, black powder will save lives, not destroy them.  It's a 'power' that anybody can use, not just those gifted in special arts, and it's usually for war.  If we're lucky, no one will have to die at all, but at a choice...I'd rather it be just the one, and not the whole damn island."

Because, at its worst, this was the return of the Devourer, and that would mean many deaths.

"Besides, I wanna see if it'll destroy the Eye of Hunger."

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