The moustached man almost as swiftly as Shroud had been put
into his confinement, ordered the removal of him with urgent barking orders. The
Guldspar priests deftly opened the heavy metal plate from the floor and lifted
Shroud up and into the storeroom. There was a distinct and somewhat
overpowering smell of incense and honey and citrus with the metallic tang of
iron or copper. Shroud uncomfortably swallowed, almost taking no notice of the
syringe darting for his forearm how held in a tight grip. He had forgotten to
even take control of his own arms back, there was something amiss. The golden
swarming liquid was injected into his arm with clinical precision, there was
even a downy cloth applied to the point of entry. There were two quick and
sudden reactions, his blood ran cold while his joints ran hot, he contorted;
not knowing whether to shiver or tear his clothes off. It subsidised, not as
quickly as Shroud would have liked. He was escorted out, rather than brought in.
Lord Shroud had almost a narcissistic grin on his face. He was ready to accept
their apology.
In a veiled way the moustache man conferred his regrets and apologies.
Although not a satisfactory to Shroud, he did not understand his new condition,
and as such at a disadvantage accepted it. In a disgruntled tone he also introduced himself,
Stroms Dehart, a once important leader, or so he claimed to be. Mentioning scar
and injury as a tangible map from his rise and fall from importance. He
insisted he was still a great leader. Hence why Matriarch Cairn kept him, even down here. He
boasted about not being cast aside like so many others but his tone was bitter.
A tone Shroud did not appreciate. So with Shrouds introduction it followed a
bladed remark about his contacts and history, his immediate and personal association
with the Matriarch herself, even though many years have passed. The man nodded
and bowed his head. He apologised again. By now whatever concoction the priests
had made was wearing off and the pain from the injection vibrantly shot back
into Shrouds consciousness. It was worse than the highest proof liquor he had the
unfortunate and unavoidable pleasure of tasting before. Dehart apologised
again, it was now becoming more of a way to punctuate his speech rather than
any way meaningful. Dehart was quick was an explanation. What was now coursing
through Shrouds veins was known as judgement. It allowed anyone who had
mastered the use of the liquid could ascertain senses and emotions from anyone
effected, if within range. Most in Auspar believe this to be the same liquid as
the Gate to Forking Paths but in fact the two liquids look nothing alike. The
latter being pearlescent vermillion, that shimmered and swirled without giving
it motion. Some have tried to even spy
on the Guldspar, trying to ascertain how they make this concoction, although
no-one has ever seen anything, well anyone still living, that it's tapped from
some sort of reservoir below ground under one of their towers.
This was an outrage, and Shroud was ready to vent his
displeasure at the gentleman, that was until a brash voice was heard from down
one of the alleyways. A brash voice with a hint of crystal belonging to Chloe.
She was surrounded by six or so guards although none were making any advances.
One was coughing and violently vomiting out a purple liquid that crystallised
one the ground. Dehart mentioned to
Shroud of House Thanosa, to which he nodded. He then proceeded to explain the
vial he and his group used to combat the apparently permanent, non-biological entity
or entities within the human body as is actively rejected by the body
regardless of how the liquid is applied. From Chloe's ever maddening screaming
she certainly wasn't expecting her uniqueness to be quelled by a stranger,
especially a criminal and a poor one at that. This made Shroud smile. Over by
one of the shadowed alleyway entrances to the quadrangle outside the shop, two
guards stood with another man. In the reflection of lamplight on the third
man's fingertips, Shroud could make out the his hand gestures. That alone was enough to identify him as Eryn.
Shroud pardoned himself and approached him.
The guards turned around swiftly in their boots, their
fingertips flexing over the pommel of their swords. Some half muffled cry came
out from Stroms and the guards stood down and resumed their conversation with
Eryn. They had been discussing how that, from at least here, it would seem Eryn
was in the least amount of trouble with the guild. It was an offhand comment
made by Eryn to which the guards vocally agreed. This at once changed the tone
of their encounter, in stark contrast to Chloe's introduction. She had bounded
in and of course met with resistance. "You have no business here unless
you can grace my palm with silver." A line the guards repeated at her,
regardless of her questioning. Eryn for a brief moment had considered if she
was frustrated by either their lack of response and regard to her, how ineffectual
her own attempts were, or the repetition of the same phrase. Perhaps it was all
three. She had attempted to plate the throat and lungs of a man she had brought
to his knees by a swift kick but after being foiled she had retreated off to a
platform disused and weather-beaten a floor above and was now playing her lute.
It was pure wood, rare of course, but rarer still due to its telescopic nature.
If the pattern on the back of the lute was twisted in the right fashion the
entire instrument would unlock its bindings and would turn into perfectly
formed wooden segments, that could fold up into the neck so that it was no
bigger than a flute. Her performance fell on jeering ears. She could only cover
herself with the lute or with the crate behind her but regardless of her defence
she was being pelted by the guards with pebbles and rubbish. The temptation was
too great for either Eryn or Shroud to pass up so both attempted to stop the screeching
she was making. Eryn proved to be a poor
shot, much the enjoyment of the guards. Shroud however was a straight aim and
managed to break one of the ears clean off so that the wood was sheared off
from the head and twanged against the neck, the ear still attached to the wire.
Chloe burst into anger and attempted to pack the instrument
away. It was now broken, and its abilities only repairable by a skilled and knowledgeable
artisan, something she was not. She burst into a crystal leap to the ground and
charged at Shroud; but before she could reach him her head seared with white pain,
her eyes were blinded, her whole body felt weightless and she fell to the floor.
Shroud and Eryn ran to her, followed by Dehart and the Guldspar priests. They wrapped
her up in cloth and Dehart questioned about her condition. He pressed upon them
that she was, if they wanted to her to live, to go to the nearest Narrkonis Atrium.
The Guldspar, Purple Order Monks, Aeon Priests and members and servants of
House Narrkonis have expertise in this type of illness, a sickness caused the unfettering
of the body to the earth. Dehart raised the question of age, and although both
confessed they did not know, their comparative guesses made her to be around
the age of fifteen to sixteen and from what Eryn had remembered, she had in
passing mentioned her arrest of five years to the month, or something similar.
Stroms nodded, she had had sufficient time in the cells down in the lower levels
to be untied from the earth and easily exposed at such a young age. He
mentioned to Shroud about the offer of being welcomed at the Ascension ceremony
for house Ethis later this afternoon if he find his way up the upper merchant
district. There was one thing on Shrouds mind however that plagued him that
minute. The thought of the Televaraen and his obsession with the plated fork. He
presented his own to Stroms, who passed a quick appraisal and offered his own
shins for the oddity. This convinced Shroud enough that the girl should go
under his watch. Eryn picked up a few loose stones, smooth and flat on at least
one side. He touched his fingers together and held the rocks for a few seconds
as Chloe was put onto the back on top of one of the half empty floating synth
plates and was nestled in between them. The rocks had warmed up to a hopefully
comforting temperature and were placed around the cloak that now also bundled
Chloe. Nobody but the Guldspar accompanied them, and it was they to Shroud's surprise,
who pulled the girl along.
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