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Post by Myst on Nov 4, 2019 17:08:09 GMT -5
(honestly I hope i do cause b i g o o f)
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Post by Amber on Nov 4, 2019 17:28:45 GMT -5
(Yeah. I really hate it when that happens though. The amount of times that's happened to me are too many, which is annoying to say the least.)
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Post by Myst on Nov 4, 2019 17:29:55 GMT -5
(honestly same I can never keep my head together long enough to keep an idea coherent)
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Post by Amber on Nov 4, 2019 17:41:43 GMT -5
(Same here for some ideas. I often write them down in fear of forgetting them. Of course that just means I have hundreds of papers and documents dedicated to random ideas.)
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Post by Myst on Nov 4, 2019 17:50:28 GMT -5
(honestly I could do that in one of my many empty journals lmao might as well put them to use.
But yeah I've already given up on that post, it is what it is now)
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Post by Amber on Nov 4, 2019 18:14:59 GMT -5
(That always works.
Anyway it works, so that's good at least. )
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Post by Myst on Nov 4, 2019 18:16:38 GMT -5
(Ahhh if you say so - I’ll try to make sure the next one is better)
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Post by Amber on Nov 4, 2019 18:51:31 GMT -5
(Alright)
Oswald took another drink from his cup, enjoying the conversation with the princess. "Ah that makes sense. You get a chance to have a break from your duties and the watchful eyes of your guard." He chuckled along with her as she talked about the demon doing his job. "I can definently see that with him. He does seem to take his job unusually seriously. Of course I suppose he had to because he's not..." The prince trailed off. She knew what he meant.
The topic changed to her dancing. He smiled as she spoke. "I'm sure you're good," the half-orc encouraged. Of course the words probably fell on deaf ears. He had never actually seen her dance, so maybe she wasn't that good. Of course Oswald also wasn't one to be rude, especially to someone he was starting to consider a friend.
As Kiran asked about his cooking, the half-orc couldn't help but beam, a sense of pride growing in his chest. "Yes I cook and I love it. As for my favorite dish, I have many I enjoy making. If I had to narrow it down to one, however, it would have to be the shellfish risotto. It's a rice dish with a creamy brother and a simple seasoning of salt and pepper. You add various shellfish with it. I usually do shrimp, crab, and scallops but those components differ from person to person. Perhaps I can make it some time. Though I would prefer to do it from my home. The fresher the ingredients the better it'll turn out." The thought of the food made the prince's mouth water. He was really missing his home and the sea. Even though there would be seafood sold in some of the markets, it wouldn't be as good. With the town being so far inland the fish and other seafood was almost unbeatable in comparison.
"Do you have any favorite tales from Zaestro?" The prince always loved hearing about stories from other nations. He knew most tales, legends, and historic events from Mithra to the point he could recount many of them by memory. He could not say the same for stories from other kingdoms. There were only a fee from each that he could tell. Myths, histories, and tales were important to every nation. It's one of the many things that set them apart and no two were truly alike. Truthfully it was one of the things he looked forward to with the peace. Stories could be told to other nations and scholars could come together and talk about their studies. It was another positive to recent relarions. At least with Zaestro.
-0-
For the next while, the thief and the mercenary caught up with each other. It was mostly general news and simple conversation that wouldn't draw attention. It would be rather uninteresting to anyone who would be passing by. Kell was glad to see Cassandra again. The two had led different paths in life despite being criminals, so they didn't see each other often. In fact, most of the kids the thief had grown up with led darker lives than hers. As the pair spoke, the conversation eventually moved onto something a bit more interesting.
"Hey I heard you were going to steal something from the Zaestrin royal vault. Is it true?" The orc woman inquired.
Kell smiled confidently. "Yeah, it is. I was actually there the night of the party. I almost escaped with one of the artifacts, but in the chaos I lost it." She was careful not to reveal too much to Cassandra. It wasn't that she didn't trust the mercenary, she didn't want to risk spilling out information that could endanger the party. If something happened to the group and they found out she was the causez she doubted she could flee unscathed or even alive. She turned her attention back towards her sister. Cassandra raised an eyebrow.
"You lost it? The great Tempest of the East lost her mark. How?" The fact seemed unbelievable to the orc. A sense of pride rose in Kell as she smiled. She thought it was sweet how the other woman held her in high regard.
"Well as I was sneaking through the halls, guards were rushing to the room where it all happened. I was oblivious to the situation and didn't know why there were so many guards suddenly. In an effort to save my tail I had to distract them with the dagger and escape," the thief explained. Cassandra nodded after a moment, seeming satisfied with the answer. Kell was glad the mercenary seemed to buy her story. Of course it wasn't like her words were a complete lie. It was a different telling of the events that had conspired that night.
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Post by Myst on Nov 5, 2019 11:44:55 GMT -5
Kiran laughed, nodding along to his words. “Exactly, though it’s partially my own fault. Sometimes I think I was a bit too specific? I don’t know.” She grinned at thought. Still, it was better that she had been specific - after all, he was still a demon. “Sometimes I forget, ya know? They don’t experience emotions the same way. It’s been six years but I feel like I’m still learning things, ya know?” She recalled once asking him how he felt about something, requesting he be honest with her. Where as she had found sentimental value in it, the demon hadn’t found the use in the object, and couldn’t understand the purpose of it. It was the same with horses - he respected them, but didn’t see a reason to ride them. Demons were odd things... then again, she supposed to them humans were odd as well.
She grinned at his response, shrugging. “Maybe, but there are many people that are definitely better than me.” As the conversation turned to his cooking, she couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face as he beamed. Finishing off her drink, she listened to him talk about the dish he liked to make. It sounded good. So, when he brought up possibly making it sometime, she grinned. “That sounds so good - I don’t get to have it often, but I love crab so much. When we import them, we get live crabs, but we don’t do it often,” she murmured, thinking about it. “Though, I’m realizing that you probably already knew that ‘cause we get them from you.”
When another question was posed, she found herself thinking for a moment. While she knew the kingdom’s history, she couldn’t recite it too well. What she did know, however, were the myths. “I do! I have a couple but I think my favorite is about Julko. She blesses the hunt, but there’s this... myth, I guess? But it’s said that every year, on the longest day, Julko herself comes out to hunt. I’ve heard she most often takes the form of the largest serpent in the dessert and her eyes shimmer like gold.” She grinned at the thought, wondering what it would be like if this were really true. “Mom told me that her great great great grandmother hunted alongside Julko and granted her nemean lion as a companion.” To her, the whole thing seemed a little far fetched. Even still, she had no proof, and liked to believe she would one day be able to hunt alongside the goddess.
———
The demon quickly grew bored of causing fights on the streets. It wasn’t enough. He wanted to do something else, something more. Still, there was only so much he could do without compromising his position. Maybe he could possess something? Not entirely the best choice, even if they were staying the night. After all, that’s what the keys had been for.
For a few minutes he continued to wander, catching the sound of a familiar voice. If he were right, that was the thief. He hung around the area, listening to the conversation as he leaned against the side of the building. He couldn’t quite hear all of it, though he could only assume she was speaking to a longtime friend. Though, he did understand she had an interesting way of recounting events. He personally wouldn’t call it having ‘almost escaped’ however, he supposed she would see it different. That, or she was trying to save face.
He was going to stay, listen to the rest of the conversation, but was rather met with a tingling feeling in his chest. Frowning a little he stood upright as the feeling spread throughout the rest of his body. It was only moments later he was being forcefully teleported elsewhere. When he finally materialized once more, he found himself in his natural form, tails lashing a bit wildly as he attempted to orient himself.
It was an odd thing to be summoned by more than one person.
Before Cruva stood three people. The room was dark, but demons didn’t see the same. They saw well in the dark, much like cats did. Two women and a man stood before him, both wearing rather dark clothes. The only light the filled the small room came in from the window, though it wasn’t much. A low hiss left him as his eyes trailed over the figures. As far as he could tell, none of them were high up in society, though he supposed it was possible they had been hired. Even still, he supposed they weren’t of importance in terms of the party’s incident. The more people conducted a summons, the stringer it was, which would account for why he was actually able to be dragged here. The problem was, he physically could not take on another task, that just wasn’t how demons work. And truth be told, he wouldn’t even if he could. He didn’t want to.
“What do you want?”
It was the man who spoke up, looking up at him from where he stood. “Demon, you are bound by this spell and thusly our words. I demand -“
The guard cut him off, laughing. The sound was deep, and it echoed off the walls of the small room. He bent at the waist, looking the man in the eye. The women were smart enough to take a step back. The man, however, did not. “I’m bound by nothing.” The words were hissed despite the grin spreading across his dragon-like maw. It was a challenge. “You’re in no place to make demands.”
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Post by Amber on Nov 5, 2019 16:10:19 GMT -5
(Spent five hours trying to get my lience and I finally have it. Out for a drive right now, so I'll reply when I'm back home.)
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Post by Myst on Nov 5, 2019 16:18:48 GMT -5
(Five hours?? That’s ridiculous omg - at least you have it now)
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Post by Amber on Nov 5, 2019 16:57:02 GMT -5
(Yeah exactly. But I don't have to go back again for six years, hopefully. The only downside is I have a cold sore, so for the next six years it will be on my lience. Not a big deal at least.)
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Post by Myst on Nov 5, 2019 17:03:33 GMT -5
(Ahh that’s good! And honestly at least it’s just your license ya know? Like it’s not a picture that your family or you would hang on a wall or something)
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Post by Amber on Nov 5, 2019 17:24:43 GMT -5
(Exactly! It's, thankfully, not the end of the world. Also it sounds like Cruva's in trouble.)
"Well it's important to cover all your tracks to avoid the risk of being taken advantage of. However I also see your point. There is such a thing as being too specific unfortunately." Oswald paused for a moment as she explained how demons had different ways of feeling things. The prince supposed it made sense. Of course he didn't know much about them, but they were said to feed off negative emotions and were strictly loyal to whoever summoned them. As Kiran spoke, his mind wandered to how exactly the emotions of demons worked. "So do you think they expierence sadness or even more positive emotions like joy? What about more complex emotions like love or remorse?" Now that he was thinking abou it, he had to wonder just how demons worked, beyond the things they felt. Could they learn or pick up things from people? Or perhaps they worked more like golems, just doing their jobs without a second thought.
The half-orc took another sip of his ale as the princess continued. She quickly went from speaking about her dancing to talking about his cooking once more. The prince couldn't help but smile proudly. He didn't talk about that love often and was glad to have someone who was interested in it. "Don't worry. I know they're imported into Zaestro, but I suppose I haven't really considered how far." He didn't think the seafood would keep well in the desert. Of course there were magical means of keeping the food good, owever it took a lot of resources to do. Besides that, it still wasn't as decilious as it was freshly caught in Mithra.
The prince had basically asked for a story. It took a moment for Kiran to think of one to tell. Oswald didn't mind, excited to hear the tale. After a moment, she finally began to speak. It was about the Zaestro goddess Julko, the same goddess the dunes were named after. The prince listened carefully, having never heard the myth before. It sounded amazing. Unlike Mithran gods who seemed to come and go at random times based on the myths, it was odd to hear of a deity who could be seen on a certain day. Kiran continued on, talking about a family story. The prince smiled as she finished.
"Very interesting! Thanks for telling me about it." He paused a scratched his chin for a moment. "I think there's actually a similar family story on my mother's side too." Supposedly, one of his ancestors had been gifted a serpant by the god Ladon. It was said to protect their shores until their heir had died. Once that happened the serpant disappeared and was said to patrol the islands, protecting the land and occasionally battling the storm goddess. It was a truly fascinating tale.
-0-
Cassandra was silent for a moment, though was nodding along to Kell's stroy. "Sounds dangerous. I'm just glad your safe though. Perhaps you'll get another chance to grab an artifact at a different time." The thief lightly chuckled and nodded in response. Quiet settled between the pair for a moment.
"So is there anything to do in this town? I've been here before a while ago, but not long enough to properly explore it," Kell asked after a moment.
"Yes there is. Come on, I'll show you," the orc replied with a smile. Cassandra led the thief out of the ally, Kell unaware of the demon and his current situation. The streets were still busy with people. In fact it might've gotten busier as the pair talked to each other. They both kept an eye out for thieves and other criminals, though they weren't too worried. Few people would be foolish enough to mess with the imposing mercenary or anyone she associated herself with. The pair silently travled through the town, carefully weaving through the crowd. The thief had no idea what her sister had planned, though was interested in whatever adventures they would get themselves into.
"So, do you still visit Zephyr?" Cassandra asked after a while. Kell smiled as she thought about her brother. He was one of the few kids who managed to get a stable life after he hit his adult years. The half-elf was the oldest of the group and always made sure they were kept out of trouble. It wasn't surprising he ended up with a stable life unlike most of them.
"Yeah I do. I last visited him three or four months ago. I plan on taking a trip to see him again soon. Why do you ask? Have you visited him?"
The orc woman smiled. "I've seen him a few times, but not as often as I like. Of course, part of that is keeping him safe." The work of a mercenary was more dangerous that that of a thief. If Cassandra messed with the wrong crowd, she could easily endanger Zephyr and his family. Neither of them wanted that for the man.
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Post by Myst on Nov 5, 2019 21:00:05 GMT -5
(I didn’t think his situation all the way through lmao)
Nodding to his words, she hummed in agreement. It was the reason she had been so specific in the first place. She couldn’t risk the demon turning on her because she hadn’t been clear in what she wanted from him. As Oswald posed a couple more questions, the princess found herself thinking on it. Honestly, she didn’t have a way of knowing. “I’m not sure. I think they do, but not as easily, ya know? The problem is that Cruva is very neutral - he doesn’t express himself very often.” Pausing, she finally pulled her hood down, running a hand through her curls. “I think they have the capacity to experience all the emotions we do, but it just takes different things. I’m not sure about love though. I mean, I like to think he’s at least fond of my presence. It’s been six years, after all.”
As the conversation turned back to food, she flagged down the barmaid once more, wanting a refill of her drink. Soon, the conversation went to takes of their kingdom. Julko was very interesting to her - in fact, she was her favorite deity. Kiran wished she would see the huntress one day I’d the stories were true, but that required a lot of planning. She’d have to hunt all day, if she had it correct.
Grinning as he thanked her, she nodded. “No problem! I honestly love telling stories about the sands. My kingdom doesn’t look like much outside of the oasis but it has its little quirks.” She paused when he said he had a similar story, the grin on her face growing. “Really? Can you tell it to me?” Deity encounters intrigued her. Nobody seemed to know if they were true, but she loved hearing the stories anyway.
——
This human was bold. Not backing down despite the fear pouring off the women. At least they were smart enough to recognize his power. Standing up straight, the demon assessed the three of them again. “Skip the small talk - what business do you have bringing me here?” Regardless of the fact that he still hadn’t fulfilled his last summons, he couldn’t exactly leave. There was a loophole in summons - If the creature being summoned did not find the payment to be sufficient, or if they could work around the task, then the summons was null. Still, he couldn’t truly take on the other task, but he also couldn’t leave until the task was spoken. It was an odd thing, really. An annoying thing.
“I want information - the Zaestrin royal is assumed to be coming to the kingdom. I need information on her.” The man, while trying to feign confidence, the demon could hear the quiver in his voice. This cause his grin to grow, and it only showed off his canine like teeth.
“Information?” Cruva repeated. He could hear the whispers - the task was already set. There was no longer room to adjust it. “She’s only five foot four.” He couldn’t help the dark chuckled that left him as he relayed the most insignificant information.
(My brain died I’ll write more in the next one)
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Post by Amber on Nov 5, 2019 23:08:52 GMT -5
(Haha time to improvise~)
The half-orc nodded. "Yeah I understand and you're right about Cruva. He almost comes across as emotionless. It's a diffcult concept to wrap my head around because I can never truly know what it's like to be a demon, but I understand. I do wonder if they can feel or grasp such a concept though, especially with the various types of love." There was,of course, the feeling of romantic live, love for friends, and love for family. Oswald began to ponder if a demon could even understand such a concept. His mind then began to wander towards their winged counterparts. "I am curious if a similar thing can be said of angels, if they have the capacity to feel things." From what he heard, they were sort of opposites to demons in the sense that they tended to represent the good. Could they feel anger or hatred? Could they even feel or understand things like love? The idea was interesting and full of research potential. He would have to look into the concept in more depth in the future.
Kiran had finished her first drink and Oswald was barely half way done with his. He took a sizable gulp of his ale as their conversation moved onto that of gods. He wasn't too big on mythology and the histories of their deities, but he still had an interest about them. Excitment sparked in his chest as the princess asked him about the serpant story, her smile widening. The prince grinned back.
"Well it happened to one of my mother's ancestors as I've already said. Long ago a pirate was terrorizing our shores. This pirate, Captian Azara, was a feared and powerful woman. No matter how much my ancestor tried to stop her, they always failed. Some of it was because the captian was extremely skilled in her own right. The other part had to do with her mother. You see, her mother was Indra the storm goddess.
"Entire crews were lost, people were being hurt, and there seemed to be no stopping her. Desprate and at a loss for answers, my ancestor eventually turned to Ladon for help. At first, he refused. 'Why should a god get involved with the lives of people?' He said. The Mithran leader explained the situation and mentioned aindra. Ladon and Indra have a complicated relationship according to many of our myths. They're siblings who often get into squabbles and seemed to get any opportunity they can to one up another. After he found out who Captain Azara's mother was, he agreed to help us." Oswald paused for a moment to take another swig from his cup.
"First he would try and protect our crews as they went off to face the dreaded pirate. Indra would return with a nearly unsurvivable storm. Next he attempted to talk with his sister directly. It ended in a year-long battle between the two, which caused great suffering for my people. Finally he went for more extreme measures. With the help of Maren to stop the bloodshed and chaos, he helped create the Mithran serpant. It was a huge, scaly beast with emerald eyes and sapphire-colored scales. It was a fearsome monster and just what my ancestor needed to bring down the dreaded pirate captain. With my ancestor leading the ships, the crew went to face off with Azara's own fleet. Cannonballs, spells, and arrows went flying between the crews. The serpant was finally released into battle and turned the tide of the fight. In a final stand, Captain Azara faced off with the best, but she was no match. Her ship sank and with it, her and her crew. The kingdom won and the serpant protected my ancestor and his heir until her death. They say you can still see the beast patrolling the waters and occasionally doing battle with Indra beyond the islands of the kingdom."
As he finished the story, he noticed a few patrons had turned their attention towards the pair. They were captivated by his story and he couldn't help but smile. He glanced towards Kiran, curious about her thoughts.
-0-
Eventually the pair arrived to a large building opposite of the tavern Kell had left her party. It was actually very well-kept and nice. It wasn't a place people would expect criminals to hang out. Cassandra approched a door and knocked a few times. Someone looked through a peephole and let the mercenary in. It seemed she was well-known enough that she didn't need any type of code. That interested the thief. As they entered, a few people glanced over at the pair but paid little mind to them. Criminals tended to leave each other alone unless they had a bone to pick or were looking for a favor. Kell kept an eye on the people she passed, noting anyone who caught her interest.
The orc led the way to a back room. It appeared to be vacant and safe enough to talk freely in, though the thief had her doubts. There were plenty of ways people could spy on them. She would just have to be careful of her words. Her attention turned to Cassandra as she sat at one if the tables and proped her feet up. Leaning in her chair, she watched the thief for a moment.
"So what brings you to Ereva? You hardly ever come into the kingdom. Planning another job?"
Kell shrugged. "I'm between jobs right now but I've considered taking a look into getting an artifact from the royal vault here. It's my goal to get something of value from each of the royal families to say I did it. I mean, how many thieves do you know who can say that?" It was a partial truth. The thief had an interest in getting tresaures from all three royal families. She knew no one could claim that yet and she wanted to be the first. Besides that, she still wasn't going to tell Cassandra the truth. After a moment, she narrowed her eye curiously. "Why do you ask?"
"Turthfully, I could use someone with your skills for a job. In a few days I'm going to meet with some employers and you're the best thief I know. I'm also not just saying that." Kellan nodded, her interest captured.
"What's the nature of the job?" Cassandra smiled. It was a good one.
(Shh it's perfect. In other news I got carried away with Oswald's part.)
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Post by Myst on Nov 6, 2019 0:34:29 GMT -5
(Sure is! Also I love Oswald’s part tho omg And I’m super curious about the job)
Kiran shrugged slight at the next question, unsure. She didn’t know as much about the other creatures, and wasn’t a fan on speaking about things that she didn’t know about. Even still, she was a bit curious about them. “I think they do - I feel like it might be easier for angels because they’re focus is on positive emotions. I have read that they’re physically incapable of lying, though.” It was very interesting. They, however, were not bound by their word such as demons were. Demons were naturally spectacular at lying but had to keep their promises, angels couldn’t lie but would talk you in circles to manipulate you. A very interesting set of species, if you asked her. “I want to ask him but he never seems open to talk about it...”
It wasn’t long until the barmaid had brought her a second drink. Her cheeks were flushed with color, however she wasn’t showing any other signs of being tipsy just yet. Still, as she diverted her attention to the Oswald, her eyes sparkled with interest as he told the his story. Indra? As far as she knew, Indra was very powerful.
By the time he finished up the story, the princess’s eyes were lit up in wonder. “That’s amazing! Your ancestor was granted an entire serpent! But that also means that the gods are reachable... do you think all the gods have a human type form? I’ve always wondered that...” she trailed off, thinking very briefly of her trial to become Vistri’s champion. There had been a very obvious voice as the end of it. Very... distinguishable. It only made her wonder if she could actually encountered the sun god already. She’d been told that he was quite the sight to behold, and she knew he existed somehow. After all, she called on his blessings a couple times and was answered. “Have you ever seen the serpent?”
———
The demon looked to the women, simply enjoying the irritated pouring off the man now. He knew how to push somebody’s buttons. It was his job. He pointed to the one on the left, knowing he was bound until the three of them spoke a task. “You, speak up. I don’t have all night.” It wasn’t a lie perse - he had all night, he preferred preferred to not be here.
The women in question, the shortest of the very small group cast a glance up at him. However, as the sight of the summoned creature glaring down at her, she looked back down. “I.... our contact. They want to know-“
He tipped his head to the side, dreads swaying a bit with the movement. Contact? Frowning a little, he approached the woman slowly, who backed up until she felt her back hit a wall. Oh, she was scared and he would be loving it right now if she hadn’t caught his attention. “Your contact? Dear human - I don’t care what they want. What do you want?” He wanted information, but he had a feeling this ‘contact’ of theirs was his current problem.
“I... I-I want what they want. So I w-want to know if the princess plans to start a war. If she plans to strike back.”
“You imply I know this off hand,” Cruva hissed, tails lashing behind him the more she spoke. One of his tails whipped across the walls and it stung, burned even. Hissing, he stepped back, glancing at the wall. Inspecting the area briefly, he realized he had never assessed his circumstances. There was a reason the man was bold.
Turning his eyes on them again, he focused on the man once more, who met his gaze. “What have you done?”
“Answer her question, demon.”
“I’m not bound to do so.”
The man clicked his tongue, shaking his head. “Then unfortunately, you won’t be leaving. You haven’t completed your summons, and the room is enchanted. You’ll be stuck here until I release the spell.”
The guard growled, eyes sliding to the woman. Still, he grinned. “Fine. The princess has nothing planned.” A fluid lie. They did not request honesty, and they didn’t know that he was already bound. If the room was enchanted, it was likely his magic was null. So he bent down to her eye level once more, grabbing her face by the chin and turning her face towards his own. “Pray you mean gods have mercy on you.” He pulled her off the wall, placing his other hand on the back of her head and snapping her neck with ease.
The remaining woman shrieked, falling backwards and scrambling into a corner. The man, however, stepped back a bit in surprise. Whipping around, he looked at the woman who was sobbing by the looks of it. “Speak up! Lest you end up like your friend here...”
“Please, I don’t want to do this...”
The man turned to her quickly, raising his voice. “Just do it! Ga-Julei isn’t paying for a half finished job!”
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Post by Amber on Nov 6, 2019 1:55:52 GMT -5
(Thanks! I had a ton of fun writing it.)
Oswald scratched his chin before nodding in agreement. "Yeah that seems about right. At least it makes sense to me. Anyway I've read the same thing about angels. I've never actually met one nor am I an expert on them, but in the sources I've read all consistently say they can't lie. Of course that could just be a misconception but I suppose we'll never really know for sure." The half-orc thought it over for a moment. As far as he knew, he had never spoken to an angel. However the studies on the creatures were consistent in that aspect, so it made him curious about how they worked. As Kiran spoke about Cruva's unwillingness to talk about his counterparts, Oswald frowned.
"Perhaps there's something that connects demons and Angel's that he doesn't want us knowing about? Or maybe it has to do with his past? I mean I'm taking a shot in the dark here but those are possiblities, I think." He was distracted for a moment as a barmaid returned with a new drink. Before she left, the prince finished his ale in a quick gulp before ordering a second one. The woman smiled before scurrying off to refill Oswald. He turned his attention back towards Kiran and began his story.
After he finished his tale, he was glad to see she had enjoyed it. A sense of pride flowed through him as he smiled. "It's one of my favorite tales and I think you can see why. I know it by heart and have actually written a paper about it. Anyway yeah I suppose you're right about that. I've never contacted the gods of course, but if my ancestor did it, then maybe I could too. Maybe you could actually." As the thought about it, the possiblity seemed interesting. The royals could even seek the gods for help on their mission, assuming they knew how in the first place. In every myth he heard about the Mithran deities, there was never a clear answer on how they could be found or contacted. That was another thing he could look into. "I'm not sure if they have a humanoid form. It would make sense, but why would a god have one in the first place? Especially if they don't care to mingle with us mortals."
When the Zaestrin princess asked about the serpant, Oswald smiled. "I think I have. Maybe. Once when I was a little boy, around seven or eight, I was visiting the islands with my family. I don't remeber what for it's been so long. Anyway, as were were sailing to one of the middle islands, out in the distance I saw a dark blue discoloration that seemed to slither through the water. It was huge. You see, sea serpents tend to come in shades of green or light blues. Never dark blues. The scales of this beast were also very shimmery almost like gemstones. I was so excited, I tried to get my siblings and parents to see. I was only gone for a brief moment, but when I turned back it had vanished." Oswald could picture the scene vividly. A clear sky with a warm, yellow sun. The sea breeze was warm, salty, and comforting while the waters were gentle and calm. He smiled as he pictured the memory.
-0-
The orc hesitated. "I don't want to say too much in case you don't take it. It's not that I don't trust you, but if something slips..." Cassandra trailed off. Kellan knew exactly what she meant. She had already done the same and didn't want the mercenary to end up dead because she said the wrong thing.
"No I get it. Instead I think a better question would be about what I can bring to the table. What skills would you need in particular?" The theif asked curiously. She had many skills from spectacular acrobatic feats to stealth. There were plenty of jobs that could require any of her abilities, making it hard to figure out. The mercenary thought it over for a moment.
"We'd need your lockpiciking abilities, acrobatic skills, and expert stealth mostly. You may also have to do some grifting." Kellan leaned in as Cassandra spoke, nodding along to the woman's words. She wasn't much if a grifter. She knew how to lie, flirt, intimidate, or deceive her way into things, though it wasn't her strongest ability. In fact it was likely her weakest ability depending on the situation.
"Alright. By the sound of it, you likely need information, want someone to spy around, or something to be stolen. Does that sound about right?" The orc woman thought about it for a moment before nodding. She grinned, impressed with the thief's predictions.
"Yeah, more or less. Now the important part is can you do it?"
"As enticing as it sound, I'm afraid I'll need more information until I agree to anything." The thief leaned in closer and offered a smile. She began to whisper. "Look you don't have to tell me every detail, however I don't want to sign up for something and know nothing about it. You get it."
Cassandra hesitated again. She seemed conflicted about whether or not to tell the thief what she knew. After considering the possiblities for a few minutes, she finally spoke back up. "Well my employer actually wants information on the Mithran royals. One in particular actually, uh Prince Oswald Warrick. Ever heard of him?"
Although she was careful not to show it, the young woman was surprised. Why would anyone want to have information on her traveling companion? The blonde finally shook her head, pretending she didn't know the name. "I might've heard of him before, but I've never actually seen this guy. Who is your employer anyway?" Kell pressed.
The orc shrugged. "I don't know. I was approched a few days ago by some woman who said she had a job for me. However she wasn't there to hire me for herself. I think she was some kind of middle man or messenger. It's not uncommon to deal with those types, especially for something like this." Kell nodded in agreement. Things were getting interesting.
(And so the plot thickens!)
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Post by Myst on Nov 6, 2019 13:09:42 GMT -5
The princess thought on it for a second. Well, there were ways to find out, but needed an angel’s full name. Honestly, when she summoned Cruva, she had just been lucky the text she used had his full name included. One wrong syllable and she nothing would’ve come of the spell. Still, she found herself nodding along to his words, thinking on it. She didn’t know much about the demon’s past, though she had also never asked. Honestly, she had just assumed that he wouldn’t tell her anyway. “A shot in the dark is better than nothing,” she commented. “He hasn’t told me much about either species, to be honest.”
As the conversation turned back to stories, Kiran grinned. She could see why it was one of his favorites – the creation of a giant sea serpent for battle was honestly amazing to her. Especially since it was due to contacting the gods… it was something amazing to her. “You really think I could?” she asked, smiling at the thought. “Honestly, I don’t they’d answer me. At least, not just for sheer contact – it’s one thing to grant blessings, but its another to truly talk to them,” she murmured, glancing down at her drink. Still, it was a nice thought to have that she would be able to talk with at least one of them in her lifetime.
When he said that he may have seen the serpent, hazel eyes turned back to him. “That’s so cool – maybe you could sail out to the islands again sometime and try to get another glimpse of it.” It would be amazing to get a true look at the serpent again, although, he seemed to remember this event rather well. “It’s kind of upsetting that it was gone when you got everyone to try and look at it, though.”
------
Ga-Julei. Well, wasn’t that a familiar name?
Turning towards the man again, the demon made a vague attempt to cast a small spell in his hand. He was met with nothing, confirming his suspicions about the room. Right, he was effectively trapped in here, but now he was trapped in here with somebody who knew something. He caught sight of the slow grin creeping across the summoner’s face. “As I said, you’re bound by our words. We summoned you here and you’re stuck until you do as we want.”
“You seem to forget you’ve already wasted your task, and your friend is dead. Your last hope of keeping me here is begging for her life in a corner,” Cruva responded, gesturing to the woman who now seemed to be whispering prayers to her gods. The man only shrugged, grinning still.
“The room is enchanted. You couldn’t leave even if you wanted to.”
The sad thing was, he had a point. Unless he wanted to sustain burn damage, he didn’t have a way out. Without knowing if possession would work, it wasn’t as if he could just walk out of the room. While it seemed the smug magic-user before him wouldn’t be of help just yet, the woman seemed pliant in a way. “You, woman. Why did your contact hire you?” He was met with only whimpers, and he rolled his eyes, taking slow steps towards her. “Why were you hired? I won’t ask again,” he snapped, a growl slipping into his voice.
“Ga-Julei needs information on the princess, but won’t say why” the woman whimpered, using her arms to shield her face. To say she was fearing for her life was an understatement. At this rate, she was also scared for her family’s life as well. Would this demon come back and hunt her down? Hunt her husband and her children? “
Snorting, the demon stood straight. Information… Ga-Julei had organized the attack at the party and now wanted information. Whoever they answered to must be high up, then. “What would you ask of me?” Hers was the last task he needed to hear to be release from the whispers of the summons. Surely, it would be some trivial question about Kiran that he would, again, lie about.
“I want you to stay away from my family.”
Not an odd request, but he hadn’t expected it. Still, this was much easier for him to agree to, and quite frankly, he wasn’t the type to go after people’s family. Not if they had children, anyways. He was an odd wrath demon in this way. That, or his six years spent here had changed him. “You have my word. Now, get out.” The woman was quick to follow orders, getting up and practically scrambling out of the door behind the magic-user, who cursed her name as she left.
As soon as the door closed, he found himself confronted by a creature that had at least a foot and a half on him, clawed limbs, a dragon-like head with teeth to match, and spiked tails. While this could be better, he knew this wasn’t over. The demon was trapped in this room until the spell was lifted. That, and the summons wasn’t quite over. “Don’t forget you're trapped in here,” he said, though, that little quiver in his voice was back. Perhaps he hadn’t thought this all the way through.
Cruva grinned, beginning to circle him slowly. “You’re trapped here with me, human,” he hissed lowly, assessing him as he went. No weapons, though it seemed he was well versed in his spells. The room wasn’t exactly large, so he’d have to be careful with how he moved. Even still, the man was also bound here. “There’s still the matter of my payment, and you have something I want.”
(heck yeah!)
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Post by Amber on Nov 6, 2019 15:30:29 GMT -5
"That's true. I still wonder why he's so silent about the matter though," the half-orc replied as he took a sip from his drink. "Hey if I ask Cruva any of these things, do you think he'd get mad?" Although he knew the demon wouldn't kill or attack him, the half-orc also didn't want to get on the man's bad side. He didn't like confrontation, espeically if it involved a demon. They were known to be dangerous creatures, even beyond anything they could do to harm a person physically. He would rather avoid any negative interaction with the guard if it was possible. Oswald was glad Cruva was working for Kiran, otherwise he probably would've gotten hurt by then.
"I wouldn't be surprised if you could," he began. "I mean, my ancestor managed it so why can't you or even me?" The thought of contacting a god just to talk was interesting to the half-orc. However he had to figure out the how. Did they just have to say the name of the deity and state their request? Was there some type of special prayer involved? Perhaps they had to perform a ceremony instead? He also could'nt help but wonder if only certain people could speak with a god or if they spoke to anyone who knew how to contact them. Oswald didn't know the answer, but he was now eager to find out.
Oswald smiled and gave a small nod. "I do hope to find the serpant again. Of course I don't want to waste money and resources on some thing that might not exist anymore, but having a seaside adventure would be fun." The prince laughed at Kiran's comment. "You have no idea. My younger siblings called me a liar and wouldn't let me live it down for a few months afterwards. Actually they still tease me about it to this day! But I suppose that's what happens when you have siblings." He glanced towards Kiran, realizing she might not understand. As far as he knew, she was an only child and never had the expierence he did with his family. It was a rather interesting thought and he couldn't help but wonder how she felt about it. "You're an only child, right? What's that like?"
-0-
"Alright," Kell quietly replied with a nod. After a moment of thought, she titled her head in curiosity. "Is there any way I can get a meeting with this contact? I'm not going to be in town for long, I'm leaving tomorrow. So if we can get something set up tonight, that would be preferable." Cassandra thought for a moment and scratched her chin.
"I don't know, it might be diffcult to talk with her again, but I'll see what I can do. Anyway I think we can get some type of meeting set up though."
The thief smiled. "That works. How much time do you need?"
"A few hours. Anywhere I can find you once I have an answer?" The mercenary asked. Kellan thought about it for a moment. Going back to the tavern was a terrible idea. There would be a risk of someone following her.
"Back at the ally where we first caught up. I think that's a good place. Or back here. Whatever you prefer."
Cassandra grinned. "It's a deal then. I'll meet you back at the ally in a few hours." The orc woman got up and began to head out of the building, Kell close behind her. After they were out the door, the pair shared a hug before going their seprate ways.
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Post by Myst on Nov 6, 2019 17:22:39 GMT -5
(okay, I'm still not exactly sure where I'm going with Cruva, so I'll figure him out in a bit lmao)
Kiran only shrugged at the first statement. She didn't have a way of knowing why he wouldn't speak on the matter. Maybe it was a weakness thing? The more she knew about his species, the easier it would be to take him down should something go wrong. Or, maybe he just didn't want to talk about it at all. Even after all this time, her guard was still like an enigma to her. She felt like he knew just about everything about her, but she didn't know much about him. Huh... she'd have to fix that. At the question posed, she could only offer another shrug. "I don't know. I don't think he would. Between you and I, I think he just sounds mad all the time, but he actually isn't."
As he answered her question, she drank some of the mead that had only been placed in front of her moments ago. He had a point - his ancestor had done it, so why not they? Well, in her mind, there were a few reasons. "You're ancestor needed help, though. I don't need anything from the gods, so why should they answer me, ya know?" It was her main concern. More over, she had no idea how to even go about contacting them. Sure, there were rituals that she knew of but they weren't for contact. Was there supposed to be a special ceremony, or did she just yell towards the sky and hope for the best?
With the conversation turning towards the serpent, the freckled woman couldn't help but giggle. While a seaside adventure would be quite the experience, the idea of his siblings teasing him even now was amusing to her. She could only imagine the voices they'd use or what they would say. When a question was posed, however, she paused. "It's like... I don't know. I mean, I guess I was able to get really close with my parents cause it was just me. But, it got really lonely when they got busy with work..." Trailing off, she glanced down at her drink before looking to him once more. "I mean, I never minded but it really sucked sometimes. Then again, I was also very spoiled, so it wasn't all that bad."
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Post by Amber on Nov 6, 2019 17:47:51 GMT -5
(No worries, just take your time with it. I meant I'm still not 100% sure what I'm doing with Kell's thing and improvising/going in blindly can be fun.)
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Post by Myst on Nov 6, 2019 17:48:45 GMT -5
(V true v true - I think imma just leave him till the next post cause I have two assignments to work on tonight [end me] and I just. Demon.)
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Post by Amber on Nov 6, 2019 17:53:30 GMT -5
(Sounds good. Also good luck on your assignments! It seems rough, but you can do it!)
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Post by Myst on Nov 6, 2019 17:54:04 GMT -5
(Ahh thanks! They shouldn’t take super long but like I just don’t wanna do them lmao)
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Post by Amber on Nov 6, 2019 18:03:58 GMT -5
(You're welcome! Also that's way too relatable. It doesn't matter how easy it can be, lack of motivation is a killer.)
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Post by Myst on Nov 6, 2019 18:08:02 GMT -5
(It really is!! Like I literally don’t even want to look at the assignments but I know I have to)
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Post by Amber on Nov 6, 2019 18:14:10 GMT -5
(Haha yeah that's exactly how it is! Which sucks because then work never gets done.)
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Post by Myst on Nov 6, 2019 18:17:41 GMT -5
(Exactly!!! I think what I’m gonna do is set an alarm for 8 and then that’s when I’ll start working)
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Post by Amber on Nov 6, 2019 18:29:36 GMT -5
(That sounds like a good plan actually! It's a good way to start getting work done I think.)
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