Betrayal became the last thing on Eryn's mind as Xera's
panicked shout brought him back from his concentric thoughts. One of the
lifeless bodies had now grabbed onto Xera's ankle and refused to let go. Eryn
remembered how Shroud referred to Neave's strength as disconcerting and
indomitable. He knew that her grip would not be loosened by conventional means.
Without thinking his actions through, he told Xera to brace himself while he
flung a fiery orb at the Neave on the floor. His attack was successful, her
hand withdrew but only due to the fact that her body and the wooden floor
beneath her were now on fire. In a moment of panic Eryn reached for his
fireproofing spray he had been given as a terrified gift in the wake of another
accidental incineration years before his incarceration . However his grasp fell
through the open air, he had never recovered it from the Narrkonis Atrium. He realised now that the spread of the fire
could not be stopped by his command. The damage that had already been done by
the flaming of the Jesanthum spores had
created more kindling for the flames to take hold of. It's intensity was superseded by its speed,
consuming everything in its path towards the open door of Xera's laboratory.
The loss of knowledge, the time spent, the money invested spurred Xera into
questionable action.
Eryn tried to stop
him from running into the fire but the
flames that burned in front of him, were not under his control. They were a result of his actions and burnt
him before he could grab hold of Xera.
Xera could see the fire starting to lick at the storage for the Black
Sunshine and could see the glass vials that contained it were slowly cracking
and warping under the heat. He grabbed what little he could, a few vials of the
drug, some research notes and few seedlings to replant his lab at a later date.
The unmarked vials used to create the drug started to explode; showering glass into the flames that burnt in
brilliant hues. Liquids hissed and floorboards groaned as Xera only now realised
that the floor above him was occupied, and most likely now also on fire. There
were shouts and screams from above as the dripping of doused flames reached his
forehead. Hopefully whoever lived above him would survive the fire while the
vast majority of Black Sunshine would not. He ran out and fell to his knees,
coughing and spluttering. He turned his head back to see his work consumed. The
remaining vials of Black Sunshine
finally broke and exploded violently into
a pale blue cloud that drifted with the black that now curled around the spire and drifted
off across the city.
Xera lay defeated in a heap, clutching the only remaining
vials of Black Sunshine . He watched as a few inquisitive merchants and
shoppers from the Undercroft splintered from their daily routines to either
gawp or try to help put out the fire. One of those that tried to help collared
Eryn and pushed him to one side. Dehart stood with intent, his shoulders broad
and his brows furrowed. A tirade of abuse and anger streamed from his bristled features. His
eyes widening and narrowing, as though he was having an ocular heart attack.
Eryn tried to calm Dehart down but he refused, blaming him for the loss of both
the area outside Neave's in the poorest part of the city, and now the brazen
destruction so close to the Market. Eryn
gingerly offered his help but Dehart wanted nothing more than to watch Eryn
burn with his disaster, although he had been demoted to this part of the city
he refused to let it fall under his watch. That was, until Eryn produced a
small bag he had supposedly acquired in amicable circumstances. Eryn jostled
the bag and the clink of coin dropped Dehart's shoulders and stung him behind
his right temple. He forced a mild pleasantry from gritted teeth and waited for
Eryn's request.
He looked down at Xera and back towards the now smouldering
ruins and asked Dehart what it would take to replace what had been lost. Xera's
ears perked up and shot Eryn down. The loss of his lab and his research was of
little importance. He knew most of it and, after producing the seeds, told Eryn
the lab could be grown again. Xera showed Dehart the list of ingredients that
had been used to create the poison that had now become dangerous to even know
about. His reaction was what Xera
expected. Cautious, paranoid but easily bought. With a smirk now curling
Dehart's lips, he opened his palm towards Eryn and gestured for him to place a
coin onto it. He complied but Dehart was not satisfied and continued the
gesture in smiling silence. In total five coins were handed over emptying the
bag. Eryn couldn't tell if the information they were about to receive was worth
these five coins, but he knew Dehart had pleasure in taking them from him.
Dehart turned to face Xera, the smell of smoke and of
freshly baked bread twitched his nose and upper lip. He told him in a whisper,
purposefully leaving Eryn out of the conversation, that although most of the
ingredients on here were common, there were a couple that they were procuring.
The most valuable, and the most dangerous to transport was given to two
clients. One was to the Aeon Priests and the other, were Xera's employers, House Lyathra. With the amount of coins he
had been given there was certainly more he could do but he had other concerns,
nodding to what Eryn had done. He mentioned that there were people under his
command that had nothing to live for, mainly those suffering from the initial
stages of Untethering. They would be willing to assist on the suicide mission,
if Xera wished to get the ingredient. He nodded, the weight of what was to
happen lay heavy on his chest. If he was to die it would be by his hand, not by
the Rings of Melch. Dehart's attention
then turned to Eryn. With a wicked grin and an almost delighted tone he
suggested that if Eryn wanted any of the coins back, he would have to start
collecting the bodies that were now littering his domain.
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