Moments after Raneaux was left trying to explain to Coe
about what abilities Umbra had and in turn tried to calm his fears about having
potentially been under constant watch as Danton had taken Xera aside. She had
made sure that she had renewed her mental link with both of them before they
left but was a little angry that they had abruptly left her. Danton had taken
Xera to the back of his lab and walked down the path towards the pond. It was a
crisp and clear day but the stench of booze hung in the air and refused to
leave, even with the light breeze that was ruffling the trees. Danton was about
to discuss his necklace when they both spotted three monks by the water. Two
were nestled nearer the tree line while the third was lying face down with his
hand floating in the water.
Danton rushed over the monk by the water while Xera went to
see how the other two were fairing. Danton lifted the man's arm up and let it
go. It splashed into the water but he did not move. He tried to gently turn him
over making sure his head was supported and felt a sticky residue on his
fingers through the man's hair. He knew what it was but he needed to see it for
himself and as he did so Xera had managed to wake the other two up. Without
paying any attention to Xera they saw Danton and his hand covered in blood and
shouted at the top of their lungs accusing him of assault and murder of their
fellow monk and friend, Beron. Danton immediately jumped back, resign his hands
away from the body and himself in a gesture of innocence. They were adamant he
was guilty but his silver tongue thankfully managed to convince them otherwise.
They both stumbled to their feet in hopes going to the aid
of their friend but found their belongings missing. Accusations were then
thrown at Xera to which again Danton had to step into to convince them of his innocence.
Both Oraea monks were feeling the effects of the night before and visibly found
each other's shouting voices painful.
They demanded that Danton and Xera stay away from the water and Beron while they went to get help and stumbled away
from the pond through the trees towards
the centre of the village and the Oraea. The request to stay away from the
water's edge guaranteed that both would investigate. He and Xera tired to find
out what had happened but the only things left were either the leftovers from
the festivities or small discarded synth and metal. Xera called over for a
piece of the metal over to him. It disappeared from the other bank of the pond
and materialised in his hand. His satisfied smile only lasted a few seconds
before he was nipped by what looked like a claw protruding from the metalwork.
He instinctively threw it into the water and as the ripples calmed, a looming
figure rose to just under the surface. It was a twelve foot long monstrosity of
red hexagonal scales, two spiked front flippers and a beak like jaw vertically
flattened and meshed together wish spiny teeth. It circled under the water like
a beast trapped in a cage. They both decided that whatever had nipped Xera
could be left until much later and called over for Coe and Raneaux to help.
Raneaux re-laid the request and he immediately turned it
down. Coe's reply seemed more laboured this time but was far more curt. He stated
that he was employed for a limited set of duties and then returned back to his
work, removing the fangs from the Moma clone's upper jaw. Raneaux shuddered as
he tore one of them out and quickly left, thankful that she wouldn't have to
witness his experimentations any more. She arrived just as Jethra did, along
with a few others of the monks. She kept to the back of Danton and Xera, not
wanting to be noticed. There was a half hearted apology from Jethra before he demanded
to know why both of them had defied the Oraea's orders and had gone near the pond.
Xera mentioned the beast and threw a shard of metal into pond to try and stir
it. Jethra peered over the bank's edge, flanked by his monks but he couldn't
see anything. Xera muttered under his breath that perhaps his monks should go
into the pond but was quickly hushed by Danton before they could hear
.
Jethra grunted. He did not want to be disturbed any longer
and after noticing Raneaux, realised this whole thing could be settled quickly.
He demanded that she act as arbiter, in her bound duty as a Guldspar. She outright refused. Jethra
grunted louder this time and told all three of them to stay away from the pond.
He stationed two of the monks close by to keep an eye out but shook his head
when he realised that none of them were in a fit state to do anything he asked.
With a sigh, he ordered that Beron's body to be taken back to the Oraea and
told the three of them that he would
need to speak to them later.
As soon as they had passed onto the road Raneaux looked up
at the two and asked what they had really seen. They tried to convince her of
the red scaled creature hidden in its depths to which she laughed. She asked
how much they had had to drink the night before but was met with stern faces.
She too peered over the pond but lobbed
a glowglobe into the water. As sceptical as her mind was at the thought of
something so large residing in such a small body of water, the globe sank to the
bottom and illuminated the rocks on the bed which seemed to scuttle away from
it. She bit her lip confused and not wanting to prove herself wrong, asked if
this was where they were going to dispose of the bodies they had left in shack.
Danton's serpentine eyes widened to the point she was confined they going to
fall out and his mouth gaped open. The thought of the bodies had not even
crossed his mind.
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