Kranis Lafkis' Tower Day 4
[
Nezeb]
Dawn broke with the chirping of birds, the world coming to life. Kranis looks to the sky, judging the clouds and the way the day flowers bloomed. "Looks like it's going to be a nice day." He mutters, picking off a few petals.
"It should be beautiful today."
He turns around and sees Acotas standing behind him, a basket in her arm. "I'm sorry about last night. I shouldn't have upset you on our first meeting in centuries. I made us some breakfast, was hoping we could eat it together."
Kranis smiles softly and sits down, inviting her to join him. "Thank-you. It's been a while since anyone has done anything for me." He says meekly.
"We're possibly the only two from our time left. I couldn't possibly put a rift between us." she responding, taking the food out of the basket. She must have been up all night preparing this. There was eggs, fried pork sides, aged cheddar, freshly baked buns, and a bottle of wine.
Kranis arches an eyebrow, "Wine? For breakfast?"
"Well, finding each other has been quite the feat. I felt perhaps we should celebrate that. It's Elven wine, I know you love it."
Kranis chuckles as she hands him a plate piled with the food and his glass of wine. The thought of his human companion and her soulless brother, buried deep in the back of his mind. All he cared about for the moment was catching up with this old friend, and being able to be himself without certain criticizing violet eyes upon him.
[
SLYsilver42]
There was no residual pounding in Nessa’s head as most people would experience. No queasy unease when she stood to clean up in the tavern room’s wash basin. She washed thoroughly, even bothering to use an actual comb for her dark strands while last night’s events filtered through her mind. The handsome barkeep had turned out to be a masculine barkeep woman, Northerners, Nessa shook her head despondently, damned Northerners. She went to bed alone, in reality she usually went to bed alone. Trust was the main issue, standards was the other. The majority of last night became one big blur after the third sip of firebrandy. At one point she did believe she and the barmaids had found themselves on top of the counter singing war songs while the men cried. Not her smartest decision but in her defense Nessa was indeed from Ortan Doğu where drinking was as common as breathing. Still she should have known better. Nessa hadn’t expected Kranis to leave as he did, a small part of her was worried about him. Despite herself when he wasn’t acting…odd, Nessa liked him. A partnership was developing and she wasn’t sure what to think about that, first thing was first though they had to go to the capital. She knew someone there, hopefully the old orc was still kicking, Nessa would bet her secret stash he was.
Breakfast for her consisted of water and blessedly magic-free bread, so maybe she got confused by Northerners’ genders but they could cook anything and cook it well. The clouds to the east threatened colder weather in a day so before she met with Kranis again Nessa went out into the village to buy something warmer to wear. She came across a blacksmith who tailored silver and leather at an outside forge. With no time to get something custom-made she picked out a leather cuirass inlaid with silver knotting designs indicative of the North and matching silver gauntlets that were light enough for her to move with ease. On the way back Nessa encountered a man selling heavy cloaks out of a caravan. They were used but in better condition than her own. A black one lined in grey fur caught her eye and she immediately bought it. Next she checked on Asher, feeding him and giving the animal a once-over before returning to the tavern to wait for Kranis. Nessa longed for a big city, it was much too open out here to her with no solid walls at her back. She sat at the table she shared with Kranis last evening and ordered more water just to have something to do, idle hands and all.
[
Nezeb]
Kranis clutches the bottle of elven wine as he stumbles in through the tavern door, laughing, Acotas holding him up. "I told you not to give me wine for breakfast!" He chuckles and looks over at Nessa, "Ah, right where I left you. That's my girl."
Acotas tosses Nessa an apologetic glance, "I'm so sorry. I know him from school, and I figured it would be right to celebrate since it has been centuries upon seeing each other and the simple fact that this foolish half-elf is still alive is reason enough to celebrate, and I think he may have had too much..." she trails off, watching Kranis as he stumbles over angrily to the man behind the counter.
"If you lay one hand on her, I will burn this place to the ground." He stands up and straightens out his hair, turning to Nessa and bowing clumsily, "Where to, mi'lady?" he says, nearly tumbling over.
"I'll leave you both to your journey, please be safe, the both of you." Acotas says as she heads out, snatching the bottle of wine back from Kranis' grasp. "I think you had enough. She's going to kill you."
"Hey! That's---" He trails off, watching Acotas leave the tavern in a hurry. Turning back to Nessa, he repeats himself, "Where to?"
[
SLYsilver42]
Nessa smiled wide at the mage’s antics and at the retreating elf woman, anyone that could make Kranis unwind was a wonder. But what was that feeling in the back of her throat? She brushed it off and tightened her new cloak around her. “Are you sure you can “travel”? You seem a bit…tipsy. If you need we can wait a little longer before we head to the capital. Since that is where the fine patrons of this establishment said he was going.” She neglected the part about her brother stabbing someone for no reason.
[
Nezeb]
Kranis holds up a hand, struggling to keep his stance. "No, I'm fine, I can travel. Can you travel or are you too sore from last night?" he grins, casting her a playful glance. "The capitol is where?" he asks, turning away from her and tripping on his feet, catching himself on a table. "Who put that there?" he asks, meaning the table. "It tripped me, this place has juju all over it!"
Laughing at his own joke, Kranis turns back to Nessa and takes her hand boldly. "We may have to ride, though." he says quietly, leading her out of the tavern with difficulty. "Bye everyone! Don't party too hard and try not to do things you'll later regret! Ask'ha han!" Yelling his farewells in Elven tongue.
"Oh, wait.." He turns around and leans against the door frame, holding the tavern door open. "And when I said I would burn this place down, I meant all that would be left would be a smoldering crater. But that shouldn't worry you too much, I'll let the children live!"
He stops, concern covering his face, "Uhm, Nessa, be a darling and help me stand back up? I forget how..." by this time, he had sunken to his knees.
[
SLYsilver42]
Swiftly throwing the arm that had taken her hand over her shoulder Nessa wrapped her own around his waist to support the sudden dead weight. Sadly, she had experience toting drunk men around like they were the fall’s newest fashion accessory. “The North country’s capital is four days ride North, a taking a hard Eastern turn when we hit the river.” Nessa gently guided him to their rides, they would apparently be taking them the old fashioned way until the mage sobered up. “We’ll be seeing an old friend of mine when we get there. Nothing happens in that city without his knowledge.” She looked up at Kranis wondering if any of this was getting in his head and sighed. Nessa helped him to the stables and unto his animal who looked at her master curiously while Nessa secured his belongings. Keeping a steadying hand on his leg she asked, “Do you got this for now?”
[
Nezeb]
Kranis nods, hating feeling so weak, "This is why I don't drink... Jenny won't let me fall, not the first time she seen me like this." He reaches into his reagent pouch and pulls out a root, holding it in front of Jenny, he asks her, "Is this the right one?" nodding as her ear flickers. He takes a bite of it. "In about half an hour, I'll be very sick, and my breakfast will come up, but I'll be sober, and then I can teleport us."
He chews the root slowly, letting the juices flow through his mouth. "It tastes awful, but it works." Placing the remainder back in his pouch. "So, who's your friend? And why do you need me if you have friends in high places?"
Turning his head, he spits out the root, the juices he swallowed enough to sober him up and take effect.
[
SLYsilver42]
Nessa couldn’t help but laugh, “High places? More like in very very low places. He’s an information broker mostly, haven’t seen him a few years but we parted on good terms…more or less.”
She arranged herself on Asher, getting use to the stiff cuirass and heavy cloak. Winking at the ill mage Nessa said, “You scholars have your uses. And, believe it or not, I don’t know everything about everything. Johara’s mercy I do need your help with this…whatever the hell it is.”
A sigh escaped her throat the simple gesture was all she could muster in the face of adversity along with the accumulation of a short but hard life. Though when she thought about Nessa didn’t think she would’ve traded it for any other. Magic added another element of difficulty to everything. It had never exactly been on her side before, Nessa looked to Kranis who was trying to school his features towards something more dignified, not until now. Smothering another smile the thief encouraged her horse out of the stable and the village, trusting Kranis to know his own capabilities just as she would a regular partner on a regular job.
[
Nezeb]
Groaning, Kranis lowers his face into Jenny's mane, trusting her to follow the horse, as she started to do.
"Then perhaps we should communicate more. If I am to trust you completely, well, perhaps I shouldn't be in this condition, for one. I'm a sitting duck." Babbling on about nothing in particular, Kranis was never one for coherent conversation when intoxicated, and he was even worse at containing his magic.
As they leave the stable, a flicker forms behinds them, the stable quickly being engulfed into flames due to the dry hay on the ground. He rises his head and looks at the fire, "...Oops. Yeah, we should go now..." thanking his god that no one was in the stable, holding on tight as Jenny breaks into a run.
[
SLYsilver42]
Jenny and Kranis flew by Nessa. A heartbeat passed before she went after them, a little stunned by the sudden inferno. “Ach, just perfect. So much for keeping a low profile.”
They stopped ten minutes later far from the boundaries of the village to a normal pace. Scowling she fumed, “What was that?” Nessa could still smell the smoke. “Just when I start to…never mind.”
[
Nezeb]
Kranis stops Jenny, holding up his hand to silence Nessa before climbing off her and stumbling to a nearby bush, collapsing as his breakfast comes up, the root taking effect much sooner than he anticipated. "I maybe... had a slight..." He coughs, feeling himself sober up as the alcohol leaves his stomach, the root cancelling out what was already in his veins, "flicker.. Mages should never drink, we can't control our magic when we do..."
He wipes his mouth with a rag he pulled from his boot and regains his footing, standing with his back to her for a moment to compose himself. He turns and climbs back on Jenny, walking alongside the horse and the human. "I'm sorry." he says softly, his eyes to the ground.
[
SLYsilver42]
Nessa narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, “You can’t control it when you drink…and things get set on fire…” The little choked laugh that bubbled out couldn’t quite be covered with her cough.
“Ahem, well no one was hurt and I can’t exactly judge, here.” Nessa offered him some water saying in not so many words that she was sorry for being harsh.
[
Nezeb]
Kranis smiles softly and thanks her for the water, taking a healthy drink of it. "You know, when I got married, I got drunk and almost set my wife on fire." He chuckles and drinks some more of the water, his face softening at her kindness. "I can teleport us now, if you wish, I have my bearings back." He blushes a little, "I really am sorry you had to see me like that, it's not me."
[
SLYsilver42]
Smile still in place she replied, “On the contrary Kranis, I find who people really are shine through when they are drunk. Never trust a sober man but always believe a drunk one. I think I would have liked to see that wedding by the way.” After a thought she added, “We aren’t always at our best. That’s what makes me human, and you half human. Don’t be ashamed it’s not weakness. Anyway we should be getting on to the city…go ahead with the thing you do, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
[
Nezeb]
Kranis couldn't help but smile brightly at her words, "What happened to the thief I know?" he grins, picking as usual as he guides Jenny next to her and pays a hand on her shoulder, muttering softly.
They appear outside the capital a second later. "Are you going to puke again?" He asks, chuckling.
[
SLYsilver42]
Shaking her head solidly Nessa keeps her face calm, a few seconds ticked slowly by before all her composure fell and she again had some face-time with the ground. A noticeably colder ground, harder, Nessa was grateful for her change in wardrobe. The unease left her much more quickly this time and she was grateful for that as well. Standing straight Nessa said, “For the record I am the same thief you *don’t* know, but that isn’t your fault either.”
She turned and saw the glory that was the gate of the Northern capital through gnarled tree branches. Built high and dominating the solid stone put her at ease. Two bored looking guards played cards at the gate booth both wrapped in heavy animal furs.
[
Nezeb]
Kranis laughs as he watches her collapse, "Looks like we both get to be sick today." He shivers as a cold wind blows through and reaches into Jenny's satchel and pulls out his cloak, wrapping it around his shoulders and pulling up the hood.
"Well, perhaps I would like to know her." He casts her a cocky grin and turns his gaze to the city. His eyes falling on the guards, his expression changing, darkening. "I guess they could be the first ones to ask if they've seen your brother. We should be getting close by now. Do they allow elves in their city? I know most major cities don't allow elves, or half-elves, just as elven cities don't allow humans, or half-humans in their walls."
[
SLYsilver42]
“Last time I was here they did, place is full of all kinds, humans, elves, orcs too. The man I plan on contacting is an orc, he’s lived here forever. Humans mostly still though, old ways take a while to go out I guess.” Nessa shrugged. “But may I suggest not asking the city guards about a thief? Especially considering your company. Let’s just get in without making a scene.”
[
Nezeb]
Kranis nods, "My fathers city housed all kinds too. I know a bit of orcish, actually. But let's just get in." He climbs off Jenny and takes her reins, approaching the guards, letting Nessa speak for him, a sudden hint of familiarity creeping inside him.
[
SLYsilver42]
Nessa nodded and followed, flashing the guards a bright and friendly smile. They gave them their attention, as much as they could bother with and simply waved them through. Eyes lingering on them both the metal gates were swung open with a loud creek unleashing a myriad of smells and sound Nessa identified with the city. “What a second,” a nasally voice sounded behind them, “girl, you an Ortan?”
Nessa pursed her lips and spoke with a think Western accent, “Where’s that laddie? Ohh my my is that a promise ring on ya finger laddie? What a lucky lucky girl she must be oh yes indeed. Not enough money to get hitched yet eh? Don’t ya worry laddie I’m sure her father will pay up soon enough.” The flustered guard eye’s widened at the onslaught of information. He gaped long enough for Nessa to saunter past into the hustle of city life.
[
Nezeb]
Kranis follows her in, leaning in and saying, "What's an Ortan?" His eyes glance around the city, the large structures and high walls making him suddenly feel like a child again, a glimpse of himself as a child with his father walking their city streets and meeting the newer citizens. Goblins, Kender, Humans, Elves, Halflings, Orcs, Trolls, Dwarves, even a few undead in the slums. His father always taught him to remember that inside, there was a life in every one of these creatures. Well, except for the undead, which were just reanimated humans. There was even a large perch on a mountain for dragons.
"This place is amazing..." he says under his breath, keeping his hood up to hide his face, tears glistening in his eyes. Hard to believe it's been over 200 years since his fathers passing, the pang of loss still deep within him. The only difference between this city and his father's city was the mage schools and the magic which always kept the place interesting. This place seemed oddly cold without the warmth of floating candles, the scent of herbs, orbs of lights and wisps floating around. "..But nothing can compare to home..." he whispers, his head bowed as he follows Nessa around, at a sudden loss of self.
[
SLYsilver42]
Nessa breathed in the essence of the city, to her it felt invigorating, waking her whole being. Happy about the change in atmosphere she smiled brightly at Kranis, “Ortan as in Ortan Doğu, Northerners don’t know what it means but they use it as a generic term for the people there.”
Looking around the busy crisscrossing streets and the myriad of races going to and fro like rivers Nessa slowly started to recall the layout of the city. They needed to get to the Blue Bridge district. If she remembered correctly there was no actual bridge, the low class district got the name due to the fact most of its main structures were built by the left over blue mineral rock from the bridge that once led to the city but was destroyed during the war. The place was probably the least desirable real estate in the whole of the city so of course the old orc set-up shop there. It was nice to know some people, well orcs, never changed.
Nessa caught the strange look on Kranis’ face, almost lost, “Hey, dragon tamer, are you alright?”
[
Nezeb]
Kranis turns to her and forces a smile, "Perfectly fine. So where can we find the warchief?" He stops and corrects himself, using a term from back in his childhood sent a volt of electricity through him, "orc, I meant."
He takes a deep shaky breath to steady himself and clears his throat, clutching Jenny's reins. Knowing most orcs wouldn't be caught dead in a place like this. "He must be a brave one to stay here."
He looks around the city again, blinking back his tears and pulls off his hood, no, this place is not home, it has been almost 250 years since his fathers passing and over 280 years since his city was destroyed. It's time to grow up, Kranis. Get a hold of yourself and just find her brother to get the job done. This has nothing to do with you.
He repeats those words in his head over and over, distancing himself from the emotional bond he started to form with the human, or, at least trying to. "Let's just go to the orc and find your brother." he says coldly.
[
SLYsilver42]
Nessa furrowed her eyebrows, instantly annoyed at his change in mood. “Right,” she replied in a business-like tone, “He’s down in the Blue Bridge district, keep your belongings close when we get there. Watch your back.” Silently implying she didn’t trust the mage to watch hers. Dismounting from Asher who wasn’t exactly the most sociable of equine, she tied him to the posts arranged near the now closed gate and watched Kranis do the same.
With every stride toward the destination, down narrow back alley steps and through throngs of impatient locals, Nessa let her daggers flash through her cloak while she plastered a “look at me too long and loose an eyeball’ expression on her face. Not that she felt like poking anyone’s eye out, except maybe the moody mage’s, it was just par for the course when getting into the grittier parts of any city. Without really thinking Nessa made sure she knew where Kranis was at all times, it was possibly more dangerous here for him than even herself.
Water rushed beneath her feet, the only barrier being the tarnished metal grates running through the middle of the narrow street. Stopping she finally saw what she’d been looking for. A small aisle carved out of the stone wall that surrounded the city led to a heavy wooden door, painted on it was a measuring scale. “That’s it. The orc’s name is Edgar, strange name for an orc I know, be polite.”
[
Nezeb]
Kranis nods and places his hand on his still invisible staff, chanting the spell to renew the invisibility. He walks alongside Nessa, slightly behind her, keeping his face stern and his eyes on his destination, knowing full-well that if anyone tries anything, they'd have a flaming asshole to explain to the medic, for some reason, his mood had dropped to an all time low in this place, he keeps his hands folded together under his cloak and looks at the door. "Edgar, got it." Turning to Nessa, he smiles coldly, "Aren't I always polite?" the bite of his words much like the tone he used when they first met.
[
SLYsilver42]
Nessa raised an eyebrow, “Sure you are, like a shark politely eats a tuna.” She shrugs nonchalant, “I’m only warning you, Edgar use to be a helluva warrior, took home a lot of heads.” Drumming her knuckles on the rough wooden door musically they waited for an answer. After a few awkward minutes the looking window on the door slid open to reveal heavy lidded dark eyes framed in shaggy grey eyebrows. The eyes widened at Nessa but said nothing instead closing the little door. Subtle clicks and clangs of locks being undone could be heard before the door was launched open.
Edgar stood there a moment, greyish-green features appeared grim and protruding fangs cast his mouth in a permanent frown. The orc was tall, even for an orc, and bound in leathery muscle of a warrior long removed from war but still accustomed to battle. He wore northern clothes edged in fur, a long slate grey braid trailed down his back and what could be seen of his skin was tattooed below his neck. Suddenly Edgar had Nessa locked in his arms, not to choke her it was just the orc’s version of a hug. Nessa was frail looking in comparison. Vicious jaws turned up in a grin and his eyed shimmered with genuine joy.
Releasing her for the sake of oxygen, Edgar slapped her on the shoulder. Nessa tried to contain her blush as the old orc ushered them both into the safe confines of his shop. “Look at you!” The orc exclaimed in a booming voice, “All grown up! I’ve heard certain circles tell some fantastic tales of you dear girl, they think you made a deal with Johara herself for those eyes of yours, to see in the dark they say. Hogwash, but reputation is everything aye? Hmmm, who’s your friend here?”
Nessa smiled at the outpouring of words and affection, “This is Kranis, a scholar helping me on a job. That’s why we’re here. “ After a thought she added out of curiosity, “Where’s you’re boy?”
Edgar huffed and arranged his considerable form behind the pawn shop’s counter. He gave Kranis a knowing look but answered Nessa, “Underground. Can you imagine my boy underground? He does supply runs for the, heh, ‘scholars’.”
“Doesn’t sound like the kid I knew.” Nessa responded.
“People change aye? Except for you it seems.” Edgar turned his full attention to Kranis, “You should have seen this girl when I met her. Had that fire in her eyes, the fastest hands in the kingdoms, barely fourteen too.” The orc laughed.
[
Nezeb]
Kranis grins at the old orc. "Believe me, warchief, she's still spit and fire." He stops himself, "Sorry, old habits die hard, orc. But I would be more than willing to listen to stories of her youth, may help me figure her out a little more." He rises his hand to his lip, looking around the room. "She tells me you were quite the warrior in your day, does your axe still hold true?" He speaks these last words in ancient Orcish, remembering his father telling him that speaking in ones native tongue is a sign of great respect, and Kranis always respected noble orcs. To him they were a misunderstood race, and when he was younger, he would spend hours watching his twin play with the orcish children. He himself, had never joined in. He was too frail, as his parents put it, to rough house with the other children, and he was forced to strengthen his one great asset, his mind.
"It's not too often you see an orc in a city, do they give you trouble? Or do they accept you while keeping a distance?" He asks each question earnestly, fully interested in the orc's answers. Unsure why Nessa even brought him here, he took solace in the fact that if it were an intimidation attempt, she needed to try harder. Mages co-existed with nearly every race there was at some point in their lives.
[
SLYsilver42]
Edgar and Nessa’s expressions mirrored each other almost comically, the orc gave a sideways glance to Nessa, “It’s about time you found somebody decent.” She scowled but let the orc talk. Edgar responded to Kranis in his native tongue, “Of all the axes in this world mine is the most true and has brought me great honor. You show great respect for an elf halfling, you honor your lineage. I have been in this city for many years, most here treat me as equal. Humans carry their grudges longer than any other race though. Mages are only beginning to taste that. As for Nessa…her stories are her own, for now. “ Edgar bumbled through his back room for a moment to bring out two roughly formed chairs for his guests. “As always, I assume you aren’t here to shoot the breeze Ness, and unfortunately I believe I know why you’re here. Laric isn’t it?”
Nessa plopped down in the chair the orc offered, “Yes, and I know what you’re going to say, so don’t.”
“I’ll say what I damn well please, girl. That boy will be the death of you, he’s never held himself accountable, mark my words there will be a reckoning.” Edgar’s voice was softer but somehow it was more intimidating than a roar.
“He’s my brother.” Nessa said, defeated.
Edgar’s placed his huge hand over hers, “Sometimes blood is just blood…but I can tell I can’t change your mind. You want to know where he is, and I’m the one in this town who knows where everything is.”
“You’re the best Eddie.” She smiled, though there was no light in her eyes.
“Flattery will get you everywhere…giv
e me a couple of hours, you two can stick around here if you like. I’ll locate your brother.” Edgar said.
Nessa nodded, “What do I owe you?”
The orc waved her off, “I’ll put it on your tab.”
[Nezeb]
Kranis nods and smiles at the orc, responding in his tongue, "You honor me, warrior." his expression changes to one of sadness, "Yes, I can see mages aren't accepted anymore. It's sad, really. They have great potential if their powers are harnessed properly and they are well trained."
He accepts the chair and sits on it comfortably, listening to the two speak back and forth, fully aware of the blood issue.
He turns to Nessa as the orc leaves the room, "He knows where your brother is? Why didn't we just come here first?"
[SLYsilver42]
“Eddie knows everything that happens in this city, he’s an information broker, it’s his job. We didn’t know Laric was headed here until recently so there would have been no point in coming to him first.” Nessa explained, “And he doesn’t know where Laric is this second but he’s got the resources to find out.”
[Nezeb]
"..Oh, well, that makes sense. I guess it's a lucky break that your brother came here. If I may ask, why doesn't he want you to find your brother?" Kranis eyes her wearily. "And, what's the plan when we do find him? What if he doesn't want to come with you?"
[SLYsilver42]
Nessa sighed, kicking her legs up and lacing her fingers together on her stomach, “He’s never liked Laric, a while back he was working with Laric and I and a few others. Laric made a mistake, pulled down the gate behind us too early and trapped the others. Eddie, Laric, and I barely got out of there alive. Laric isn’t perfect he makes mistakes, maybe more than those with more experience but it happens to all of us. He probably won’t be docile considering the behavior people have described to me thus far, so we’ll have to restrain him before we take him back to your place.” She knew she sounded like she was making excuses for her little brother, Nessa ran a hand through her hair and tried not to think about all the “mistakes” Laric had made in their lifetime.
[Nezeb]
Kranis nods and turns away, "So, why isn't he sharing a cell with my sister? They sound like a great match." he adds, sarcastically. Rising off his chair and pacing around the room, hating to be seated for long. "I should have brought some scrolls or something..." He sighs and sits back down, watching Nessa out of the corner of his eyes before turning his attention over to the amulet around his neck, turning it over in his hand again and again.
[SLYsilver42]
“He didn’t intend to hurt anyone,” She defended lowly, “It was a high-stress situation.” The glint of the amulet caught her eye, as all things shiny did, and she lost track of her defense. Nessa wanted to ask where he got it but opted to prove Edgar right when he said humans could hold a grudge. She stretched back into her chair and relaxed her spine, glad to be out of the harsh cold air while idly wondering if Edgar still used the secret latch leading down into the tunnels. He probably did. Kranis’ motions perturbed her though, “Do you have to do that? If you need something to do Eddie used to keep some old books behind the counter.” Nessa didn’t have a problem with sitting still for long periods of time doing nothing. Much of the time her occupation required it.
[Nezeb]
Kranis sighs and lets go of the amulet, letting to drop to his chest again. "I don't rummage through other people's things. I'm not a thief." He sits steadily and closes his eyes. "May as well take in a nap while I can, then. If that's okay with her royal crankiness?" He opens one eye and casts her a look. "Also, what did he mean by finding someone decent? Tried getting your brother before with others?"
[SLYsilver42]
“I don’t think that’s what he meant.” She mumbled and tried to appear more comfortable than she really was. Information was Edgar’s life’s blood but the orc did have a way of talking too much, and assuming too much. It was just an assumption, right? There was no way…ugh, a headache bloomed in her temples and she silently tried to rub them away. “Whatever,” Nessa grumbled, “catch some sleep if ya want, I’ll wake you if we need you.”
[Nezeb]
Kranis nods and yawns, the lack of sleep from the night before weighing on him. "Promise you won't just ditch me here?" He chuckles as he closes his eye and leans back in the chair, folding his arms together under his cloak, his invisible staff being used as a crutch so he don't fall.
Before long, he was in a deep slumber, his face relaxed.
[SLYsilver42]
Nessa watched Kranis plunge into sleep with a little smile on her face one she would deny having, “Promise.”
[Nezeb]
A few hours passed when Kranis woke with a start, jumping from his chair. "What the lo'gosh was that?! Did you hear that?!" He runs to the door and swings it open, looking out at the normal street. He closes it slowly and looks around the room, taking a moment to remember where he was. "...Must have been dreaming." he mutters before looking to Nessa, "He's not back yet?"
[SLYsilver42]
Nessa regarded him dispassionately, her unmistakable “shit’s about to go down” face, while leaning against the doorframe to the back rooms. She obviously didn’t share the mage’s respect for other’s personal property if the books littering the floor were any evidence. “No he hasn’t. I’m thinking we might have to go after him Kranis. He went underground, literally. It’s not like Eddie to not be punctual, we used to time jobs by that orc. It’s been four hours.”
Lines of worry etched around her eyes, anyone who suffered injury or ill fortune from helping her she saw as a personal responsibility. The thief even held the mage in a certain amount of protectiveness.
[Nezeb]
Kranis nods, stifling a yawn and rubbing his tired eyes. When this is done he'll sleep for days. "So, shall we, then?" His eyes fall to the mess she made. "You really aren't one for cleaning, are you?" His gaze rises back to her, meeting her face and moving his eyes away swiftly before she could change before him. "Are you okay?"
[SLYsilver42]
Nessa gave a thin smile, “I’m always okay.” She tightened her cloak around her and crooked a finger at him, “Back here.” The thief led him to the far back of the store, the orc had used the area as a living space, beyond his ordered chaos was a latched access panel in the floor barely noticeable which was the point. Nessa threw the panel open and the two were assaulted with slightly pungent air that was oddly warmer than that inside the room. Iron handles led down into the pit disappearing into blackness. Nessa looked at Kranis through her dark bangs a quirk to her lips, “Mages first.”
[Nezeb]
Kranis looks down the hole and whispers a spell that sends a beam of light to the tip of his finger, "I can barely see anything, even with this light.." He gags and covers his nose, "What is that smell? Is this...?" He trails off, afraid to finish his sentence as he lowers himself down the ladder.
[SLYsilver42]
“You don’t wanna know, you really don’t.” Nessa said. The light made the monolithic stone walls glow but Kranis was right, the black seemed to swallow all light a few feet out from the source. Nessa followed him, she climbed down a few steps behind the mage then let go off to the side allowing herself to fall the remaining way landing lightly on her feet with a thud. From her belt she retrieved a silk sash and tied it around her nose and mouth like a mask. Its original use was to keep sand out of one’s mouth and nose to be able to breathe but it worked for awful smells too. “I think we follow this tunnel then take a left. He would’ve gone to the Under City first, sorta like a black market and its where some of the more unsavory citizens live.” She explained.
[Nezeb]
"This is a sewer, isn't it? We're in a sewer..." He continues walking, complaining the whole way, "The smell is going to get in my clothes, I'm going to need to bathe for weeks, and why? Why are you doing this Kranis? I don't know! You tell me! I'll tell you why, because you're an idiot. That's why. Well, that makes sense, doesn't it?" Turning left and continuing to walk. "So, where do we get out of this... thing?"
[SLYsilver42]
Amused, Nessa kept her mouth shut during the mage’s ranting. She’s been in worst places then this before, though that was not up for discussion. Nope, definitely not. They reached the intersection of their tunnel while three more spread out before them. “Well, to get out of this area,” She gave the ‘water’ running between the paths a wary look, “We go left.” Sure enough far ahead was as brutally angled ramp, above the apex the tiniest of lights could be seen. “The smell won’t be going anywhere though, might as well man up dragon tamer.”
[Nezeb]
Kranis gives Nessa a playful shove before turning left. Looking ahead to the light, he begins to pick up his pace, muttering to dismiss the light at his fingertip. "Let's just get out of here before I get sick again, you can take the lead this time." He ignores her comment about manning up. "..I bet it's in my hair.." He mutters, his hair being his prized possession, groaning as he feels his cloak dragging on the ground.
[SLYsilver42]
“You act like you haven’t been dragged to the criminal underbelly before.” Nessa replied whimsically. Her silk scarf smelled like spices, much better than whatever was floating around in the here down here. They trekked up the incline toward the light. At its peak the tunnel expanded out and the sewer water ran below roughly smithed grates. The light was a single lantern hanging outside a pair of curved double doors. “Lights on, looks like the place is open.” She strode over to the doors and knocked nine times. A second passed and the doors swung open with a painful creak.
Her kind called them Under Cities, they were small cities literally underneath the true city above ground. Rough-looking men and many scantily clad women bartered back and forth across tables and booths loaded with tools of the trade and few shiny baubles. Some sort of official fight had people surrounding two men while passing monies from all over the kingdoms. Recessed into walls were doors marked with simple but well understood symbols. Brothel, Trader, Tavern, and three more Brothels. Eddie was the only contact Nessa had in this city, above ground or otherwise. Some finagling would be required. On a hunch she took Kranis by the wrist, no need in losing him, and made her way over to a couple of working girls standing outside a marked door. These girls always knew the who, what, whens, and where’s of things, few actually stopped to ask them.
[Nezeb]
Kranis mutters, picking whatever it was that landed in his hair out when Nessa grabs his wrist, stumbling forward in surprise. He regains his footing and follows her. Keeping his gaze on the ground as there was no safe place to put it without having to see someone bloat, rot, and decay before him. "Ugh, I reek." he whispers. "Do you think Edgar would be here?"
[SLYsilver42]
Before reaching the women Nessa stops and turns to Kranis, “Everybody goes through here, he’s an information broker, he gets his info because people talk to him, trust him. I don’t know his contacts, that’s the way it works: he’s the middleman. This should’ve just been a quick stop on his way. Sure there’s a certain amount of danger here but Eddie is…Eddie, he should be able to handle most things thrown at him.” Not that anyone would mess with him, his rep went beyond Nessa’s own by miles.
The women’s assets were barely contained by thin silk and worn leather straps, while they were tired they managed to smile brightly at Nessa and Kranis, both looked more than a mite cleaner than their usual customers. The nearest one, a tall blonde, strode to Nessa and ran a seeking hand up her arm, “Hello honey, you looking for company?”
Nessa shot Kranis a piercing look, daring him to say anything. She gently removed the hand that was now in her hair, “No, not tonight. But I was wondering if you could help me with something else?” Nessa dropped a few gold pieces in the woman’s hand and her face brightened.
“Whatever you need beautiful.” The woman said, officially in Nessa’s personal space.
Nessa described Edgar to her and asked if she’d seen him. The woman now a few gold coins richer was more than happy to help. She’d seen him for a second, “The little half orc came through here throwing a helluva fit. The bigger one went after him, to the catacombs. Don’t know why, nothin’ down there but rats and mages wasting away.” The woman smiled at Kranis, her duty to Nessa officially done, “What about you pretty boy? You look lonely,” The smile grew wider almost reptilian, “and a bit out of place down here.”
[Nezeb]
Kranis stops trying to get the.. whatever it is.. out of his hair and looks to the woman for a split second before turning his gaze away, "No thanks." he says quietly. His attention gone to the wasting away mages. He decided it would be best to let Nessa make all the decisions up here and do all the talking. Truthfully, he bit his tongue around her more than he ever had anyone, replying to the woman was another hold back on his part.
[SLYsilver42]
“Thanks ladies.” Nessa replied, fully dislodging herself from the touchy lady of the night. She led Kranis through the throngs of people so that when she finally spoke once more to him they were faced with undesirable stairs spiraling down. “Great,” she huffed, “I hate the catacombs. It must have been Eddie’s son.” She pointed a slim finger down the stairs and leaned back to Kranis, “Looks like you get to see firsthand the plight of the mages, try not to get too worked up.” Her tone was a little condescending but the last thing they needed was Kranis causing the city to cave-in from rage. At this point Nessa was sure the mage could do it too.
[Nezeb]
Kranis shrugs, refusing to meet her gaze. "Can I at least wash my hair first? Seriously, where's the nearest hot spring?" He stops, his expression changing and looks at her with a grin on his face, his eyes lighting up in excitement. "I can ask them what the hell they're doing.. if we all band together we could kill every last one of you." He stops himself and sighs, "But that's not the way of a white mage." He groans and slams his hand to his head, frowning at the smell, "Are the catacombs as bad as the sewer?" He asks uncertainly, his main concern was the filth.
[SLYsilver42]
Nessa’s eyes widen slightly at the sudden outburst and attempts to shrug it off as easily as the mages does but fails. In a monotone voice she replies, “The catacombs were once used for storage, of the dead body variety. So I vote better than the sewer but I wouldn’t want to have a picnic there.”
Seeing Kranis cringe at every falling piece of dust and debris lightened her mood a little, “Such a girl.” She mumbled. “Stop worrying about your hair and c’mon, I wouldn’t trust the water down here anyway.” She laughed a little to herself, hot springs, and shook her head. Nessa braced a hand on the wall and took a couple of steep steps down, glancing back at Kranis.
[Nezeb]
"Oh, just dead bodies? Wouldn't be the first one I saw, I used to be a black mage, a Necromancer, as you people call it, dead bodies, blood, demons, souls, all of that fancy stuff."
He follows her down into the catacombs, expecting the worst. "I'm not a girl, forgive me if I don't like smelling like an ass." He says, sarcasm in his voice.
[SLYsilver42]
The thief tensed when she heard Kranis speak of dark magic so lightly and thought it explained a few things. Honestly she didn’t know what to do with it so she made a noncommittal grunt and continued carefully down that steps that became steeper and steeper. The stairs opened to a tunnel, narrow and ancient. Here and there a skull could be made out from the surrounding wall, Nessa quickly withdrew her hand. The air was absolutely frigid despite the smoldering torches lit along the path, but not silent. Far away voices could be heard.
Nessa followed them. In less than fifteen minutes the catacomb tunnel opened up into a cistern. On the cistern walls were long forgotten dead, piled into shelves and rising high all around. The people were camped against a wall, dead-free, with a small fires, about forty of them. All were haggard, even the young. Hollow cheeks and sunken eyes spoke of ill-nutrition. Their clothes were worn and far too light and thin for the temperature. The atmosphere was utterly abysmal. These were the rogue mages. All eyes were on the sparkly new-comers.
[Nezeb]
Kranis winces when they come across the mages, swearing under his breath. Without thinking, he reaches for Nessa's hand and clasps it, lowering his gaze to the floor, feeling ill at the sight of his people in such a hard shape.
[SLYsilver42]
She’s startled by the sudden contact but allows it, no matter her opinions Nessa had no desire to see people suffer. Stepping toward them she sees the children hide behind less than lethal mothers. “Uh, hi. Have any of you seen Edgar? The big orc? Maybe his son?”
“Nessa Donnelaith?!” A thick voice shouted from the crowd.
A strange man pushed his way out from the not-so vocal residence. He could have been mistaken for human, if it weren’t for the jagged teeth that protruded from his mouth and black glittering eyes. He wasn’t as big as his father but he exuded the same sense of power.
“Dominic.” Nessa nodded, not friendly but not unfriendly either.
His surprised melted to a simmering anger, one that had been burning for quite some time. “What the hell d’ya want ya heartless bitch?”
[Nezeb]
Kranis looks up at the man and frowns, "Do you know him?" He asks Nessa, unclasping his hand from hers and reaching behind him for his invisible staff, eyeing the odd creature before him, ready to step in if the situation needed him.
[SLYsilver42]
Nessa’s mouth stretches into a cruel smile, “You could say that. Look at you Dominic, down and dirty. Thought you were too good to go into the Under City?”
“This is different.” He growls.
“Oh, I can see that. Helping the helpless, so noble. They cutting jade for you or somethin’?” She sneered. Dominic raised his arm a fraction, as if to strike her, but thinks better of it when eyes Kranis and her hands too close to her daggers.
“Ain’t like that.” He growls again, “Things change.”
Nessa shrugs, “Where’s Eddie?” Her voice is firm with a hard edge to it. The half-orc juts out his chin. “Just tell me and we’ll be out of your hair Dominic, and then nobody has to get stabbed…or barbequed.” She jabs a thumb at Kranis, indicating him as the supposed grill-master.
Dominic makes a rumbling noise, “Pops went topside an hour ago. Work’n a job, for you I guess.” He grinned at them, all teeth, “Neither of you is going anywhere for ‘till dawn though. The old man seals this place up at sundown, keeps the little ones safe, and look at the time sundown was five minutes ago.” The old man he spoke of was behind him, leaning heavily on a carved staff, his heavy robes scraped the floor, his white hair and beard were almost as long.
Dominic steps closer to Nessa, “Be sleeping with one eye open.” The old man behind him makes a clearing cough and the half-orc frowns then toddles off to crates full of supplies in the far corner.
“Forgive him, he is protective since he married my daughter, you understand. He is right I’m afraid, the seals protect the little ones while they are learning so the Seekers of the King cannot detect they are doing magic. To break the seal would be unwise.” The old man’s voice was aged but strong, “You are of course welcome to stay here for the night, you and the young mage.” He smiles so Nessa smiles back, “Thank you.” She says awkwardly. The crowd around them relaxes and disperses, going back to their tasks.
[Nezeb]
Kranis nods his thanks and follows Nessa out. "So... they are still learning, not in the best of conditions, mind you, but that is good to know." He makes a mental note to visit them again and perhaps teach them some useful spells so they could defend themselves. "So.. we went in a sewer, through catacombs to find he was back up here..." He says, irritated, but in a better mood. "So now can we wash up?"
[SLYsilver42]
Nessa cocked her head to the side, “You can’t juju it away?” she asked serious as a heart attack. Nessa had brushed offed Dominic’s idle threats a thousand times before, this time was no different. She was more worried about the kids growing up in waste and rot.
[Nezeb]
"Oh, ha, hahaha!" Kranis mocks, "You're a funny one! You sure you're not some sort of jester?" His expression changes to pure hatred, "No, I can't. And if this crap stays on me a moment longer, I'm going to kill someone, namely, you, for putting me in this situation." He turns on his heel and storms off, in search of some way to bathe.
[SLYsilver42]
“Someone once told me wherever we are, whatever we’re doing, is because we chose to.” Nessa said the statement to herself as she watched the mage part crowds like the sea via pure surliness. She was about to follow him, thinking Edgar should be around here somewhere and clean water didn’t sound like a bad idea. The thief would have followed Kranis. However the sudden and excruciating pain from the back of her head prevented her as hit the ground. Her vision faded to black and for a blissful moment she felt nothing.
[Nezeb]
All Kranis could find was a small lake, partly frozen. He drops to his knees and bangs his head against the ground in frustration. After his little tantrum was complete, he rises up and composes himself. Sighing, he wanders back to look for Nessa. "Why the hell didn't I bind her to me so I could find her easily?" He mutters, knowing why, because binding to a mage is practically like marrying one in a lot of people's eyes.
He was about to give up the search and just go find Jenny when he saw her, laying on the ground. "Nessa!" He yells, running to her and dropping down beside her, checking for a pulse. "Nessa, wake up, come on."
[SLYsilver42]
Nessa heard the mage’s voice, her eyes blurry but she could not get the strength to move her head. Mostly because it hurt like a bitch. She knew one thing though: The amulet was gone. A thousand actions fueled from anger and pain ran through her head but she could do none of them, instead was limited to mumbling something about sneaky bastards and laying on something other than the ground for a while. Sneaky bastard indeed, it would have taken someone with considerable skill to sneak up on Nessa even with her attention elsewhere.
[Nezeb]
Kranis frowned, trying to make sense of her words. "I don't understand a thing you're saying. Believe it or not, it's more frustrating than understanding you." He chuckles and scoops her up in his arms, rising to his feet and heading back to the Orc's place. "I hope he's home." He says, tapping on the door with his foot. "Don't worry, I'll get you all fixed up and you can go back to giving me a head injury."
[SLYsilver42]
Attempting to be irritated and nonchalant whilst being carried was a lot harder than it seemed. Nessa drifted in and out of consciousness accompanied by a single thought. Before she’d been hit she’d smelled cinnamon. Laric always smelled of cinnamon. The urge to hit something and throw-up at the same time had never had a rockier marriage. Though she was grateful for Kranis, she also knew she would be hearing about this FOREVER. Even so Nessa felt safer with him in such a short time than anyone else she’d ever met. And she didn’t like it. No, more like she didn’t trust feelings. Feelings were nothing more than air, how much stock could be put in air?
Nessa smelled the old wood and iron twang of Edgar’s pawn shop and assumed that’s where Kranis took her, smart man.
“Damn it all.” Edgar grumbled, “This is my fault, I should have been faster.” Nessa felt the lumpy mattress beneath her and let out a breath of relief. Before drifting off for the last time that night she heard Edgar tell Kranis something she couldn’t quite believe. “Laric, he’s definitely here. He’s here to kill the head of house Valdenia, the High King’s right hand. It’s an assassination. I knew that bastard was a step away from something like this…and I knew Ness would be caught in the middle.”
[Nezeb]
Kranis looked at Edgar in disbelief. "Are you sure it was him? Of course you're sure, what am I saying?" He sighs and places his hand over his face. "So.. I guess I'll tend to Nessa's head and..." He stops, then what? "Then I guess we... exactly how strong is this brother of hers?"
He looks over at her on the bed and sighs, walking over to her and gently inspecting her head. "Well, she's not bleeding at least, but I'll put something together to help dull the pain, it will help her sleep better." He reaches in his reagent pouch and pulls out a few different herbs and some vials, working diligently until he got a good paste going between his fingers, feeling his fingers begin to deaden already, he sets to gently rubbing it on the knot on her head.
[SLYsilver42]
Edgar leans heavily on a shelf behind him, “The two are rather equal, Laric is perhaps stronger. But Ness is smarter, quick. Laric though…that boy only see’s what’s before him with no regard to others. That makes him a thousand times more dangerous. In our business lines are clearly drawn, Laric has crossed too many.” The orc takes a moment to secure his door, a chain reaction of heavy successive locks. “You are good with her. Don’t change that. There’s a cot beneath the bed there after you’ve finished, that is if you feel like sleeping.” Edgar pulled out a large chair and an even larger axe from the wall, sits down in the middle of the room, and keeps his half lidded eyes on the door. “We should wait for the girl to be vertical again before we discuss the matter further, he is her brother. Damn it all.” He sighed, “My home is yours for the night, the wash station is in that door there, food is in the ice chest.”
[Nezeb]
Kranis nods, "Thank-you, Warchief." he says, heading to the wash station first. After the longest wash he ever took in his long life, he makes a few clicking noises, bringing Jenny to the door. "Edgar, if you don't mind, if you open your door, there will be a donkey standing outside, her satchel facing you, reach in there and bring me my robes? These clothes are too filthy to put back on." While waiting for the orc to respond, he begins to think. What if they couldn't take down Laric? Who else does he know that could help? He sighs heavily, knowing full-well who could give them a strong upperhand.
[SLYsilver42]
Edgar doesn’t say anything but does as he’s asked, propping the door open he leaned and saw the too intelligent eyes of Jenny. He frowns and takes the bag. Locking the door mechanism again he plops the satchel on the counter and settles back in his chair, arms crossed. He could have been thinking anything from disemboweling Laric to the mold growing in the corners of his shop. Hint: it was the disemboweling bit.
[Nezeb]
Kranis reaches and grabs his robes out of his satchel, throwing them on and smiling, running his hands over the material and stepping back out to the room. "Perhaps we could take shifts." He suggests to Edgar. "I know an elf is no match for an orc in terms of war, but 4 eyes are better than 2 tired ones."
[SLYsilver42]
Edgar regards the door menacingly for a moment then nods. “Alright elf. You see those?” He points to the lock mechanism, “That’s top of the line. Ness can get through it in four seconds flat. Assume Laric can do the same.” The orc hefts the axe onto his shoulder and stands, “You wanting to take first watch? Or shall I?”
[Nezeb]
Kranis looks over at the locks, "4 seconds, you say?" He looks over at Nessa and mutters a spell, making his staff visible and takes it off his back. Muttering and standing it up on it's own, he slowly backs away from it, eyes focused. "Selwar" He says, a small shield forming around Nessa's bed. "How fast do you think he could get through that?" He says, thumbing at the shield. "You get some rest, I'll take the first watch."
[SLYsilver42]
The orc made a humming noise, if Nessa had been conscious she would translated that into “Impressive.” He gave another curt nod and disappeared into the back of the shop. The axe dragged behind him.
[Nezeb]
Kranis sits on the chair and leans forward, watching the door intently, his eyes on guard but his mind to the upcoming battle he knew would eventually happen. Why does she want to save him? Hasn't he already proved he wasn't worth it?
[SLYsilver42]
When Nessa woke she noticed two things: her head didn’t hurt nearly as much as it should have been considering, and Orcs have no business making mattresses because the thing she was laying on was like a cross between an iron maiden and a dead cow, bloody hell. She’d been out for a few hours and it took her quite some time after opening her eyes to get her bearings again. Someone had got the drop on her. No, Laric, got the drop on her. That couldn’t be right, not because she didn’t believe he’d try rather she didn’t think he could. Laric was good, Nessa had always been two steps ahead of him though, in just about everything. Baby brother got some new skills then, huh. If that was the case then he could have killed Nessa but he didn’t. It gave her some hope that even without a soul to rule his conscience Laric was still her brother.
Now Laric had the amulet and she didn’t know if it was too late to intercept him for the assassination attempt. She sure as hell wasn’t going to wait around a second more, places to be killing to thwart. When she swung her legs over the bed and stood Nessa noticed two more things: She had limitations, and Eddie’s floor did not usually spin like that. She sat back down with her hand over eyes praying to her Goddess to make the nausea go away.
[Nezeb]
Kranis glances over, hearing the sound of her moving. He chuckles loudly, more from relief than amusement, but it was still pretty amusing. "Welcome back." He says with a cocky smirk. He walked over to his staff and removed the shield from around her. "You took quite the wallop. But it was nothing my juju couldn't fix." He places his staff back on his back, "I suggest you go clean yourself, you reek." He says, biting into an apple and sitting back down on the chair facing the door.
[SLYsilver42]
The thief raises an eyebrow at him and takes his advice without a word, being that words were little hard to form at the moment. No need for Kranis to know that though. She tries to saunter back to the wash room but it doesn’t quite work with her whole need to hang onto a wall thing Nessa had going on.
In the tiny metal mirror Eddie hung on the wall Nessa saw herself, she looked wrecked in none of the good ways. She touched the light sheen of a lingering residue on her head wound tentatively, the underlying bruise blossomed out like a delicate flower. Kranis’ juju was more like a weird muck. Decidedly Nessa didn’t need to know what it was made of, it was always best she didn’t. But it did apparently work, if the specks of dried blood were any indication. And she had head injuries before, it took a lot of force to kill someone with a hit to the head but if you did survive the next day felt like you wished you had died anyway. Nessa felt like she was just on the light side of dying so that was a plus. With water down her throat and mind a little clearer she figured it would be okay to use her vocal cords.
“Hey,” she called from the backroom, “How’d we get back here anyway?”
[Nezeb]
Kranis chuckles, "Oh, you know. A certain half-elven mage found you, all slumped in the roads like some kind of street urchin, and he brought you back here, mixed a few herbs together with a certain liquid and stuck that on your lumpy head." He responds with a smirk. "You have very soft hair, by the way. Almost as nice as mine." He was overly tired so there was no controlling his words, "I like how you're talking to me while you're naked, by the way."
[SLYsilver42]
“Oh, don’t be such a prude Kranis.” Nessa said lacing together leather. Without thinking she touched her wet hair, to her it just felt like hair, nothing special but nearly groaning as she realized Kranis had yet again saved her. Damsel was so not her thing, neither was gratitude, but she gave it her best shot.
“Well, yes, thanks for all…that, then…you know.” She said barely loud enough for him to hear while throwing out her completely ruined tunic and putting on her newly cleaned cuirass over scrubbed skin.
[Nezeb]
Kranis grins, "What was that? I didn't catch it." He asks. He heard what she said very well, but he was having too much fun being the cocky hero. He knew his pride wouldn't last long once he discussed getting Kaira to help, so he figured to milk it while he could. He shuddered, just the thought of even having to hear her voice again made him nervous and sick. He sighs, deciding it was now or never, "I know someone who can help us." He says, "But it won't be easy to get her. Actually, yeah, it will be easy, I just have to give the world. But emotionally, for me, it won't be easy." He says, his eyes to the floor, both hands on his staff.
[SLYsilver42]
Nessa let out a huff, more directed at Kranis then anything. The cuirass was light and left her upper arms bare to the cold, silver gauntlets covered her forearms at least but she wanted her fur-lined cloak as soon as possible. She strapped her matching daggers to her thighs and she finally felt ready to face the world again, or a mage at any rate.
She heard the rumbling snore of Eddie as she left the room, much more saunter and much less wall-gripping, and smiled a little. Kranis was right where she left him, he was little rough around the edges and Nessa managed to keep the worry off her face long enough to get into this help he mentioned.
“Someone who can make the great dragon tamer crack, I’m almost afraid to ask…yet here I am, asking. Who is this person?”
[Nezeb]
Kranis smiles at her, his eyes telling a different story altogether as he gazed at the wall behind her. "My twin sister, Kaira." He smile becomes wider and he shakes his head, "I don't want to do it. I don't want to do it. You can't make me do it. I won't do it. Forget it. You're on your own!" He sighs and taps his head against the orb of his staff, "I promised I would help you so I'm going to help. She's in a prison, firstly under father's orders but after he passed, it has been passed down to me. I can just waltz in there and give the word to release her in my custody. She's a skilled fighter, stupid as a sack of bricks, but strong. We'd have to make a pit stop on the way back, though. To stop into my mother's and get her some clothes." He shakes his head again, "I don't want to do it. I hate you for making me resort to this."
[SLYsilver42]
“Your…” Laric was apparently more skilled then she was now, Nessa knew she’d need the help. But…she never realized how easy lying to people all her life was until she had to tell the truth, her mouth almost cooperate. Nessa placed her hand on Kranis’ arm and hoped it came off as comforting.
“Listen, I, uh, appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I really do, nobody’s stuck their neck out like that me before, ya know? But, if you need—I mean I don’t want to put you through something like that. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time, you shouldn’t have to do this if you don’t want to…I’d rather not hurt you…”
[Nezeb]
Kranis sighs, placing his hand over hers and giving it a friendly pat. "I know. I'm great." He grins and shakes his head, "Nah, this is something that deep down inside, I want to do. Everyone needs help at some point in their lives; well, except me, of course." He rises up and rubs his tired eyes, "I'm dead, I'm going to wake up the Orc and let him take my shift. Night." He says, wearily going to the cot and wondering how to wake Edgar without getting ripped in half. He decided on standing as far away as he could reach and prod him with his staff; knowing full-well how comical he must look right about now.
[SLYsilver42]
A smile tugged at Nessa’s lips, shaking her head, weirdo mages. She gave the cot behind the counter a disapproving look but laid back down anyway, figuring she better rest up, there was a helluva lot more traveling in her future.
Eddie opened one eye and saw the vision that was Kranis Lafki poking him with a stick. The eye flicked to the wooden clock on the wall and back to the stick.
“Kid,” the orc grumbled, “I like you. But if you don’t get that thing away from me, on my oath I will shove through your ears.”
[Nezeb]
Kranis chuckles nervously and runs his fingers through his hair, "Sorry about that. Last Orc I tried to wake up and I was in reaching range nearly tore me in half, I wasn't ready to risk that again." He says with a smile. "But it's half way through the night and chickie already woke up, she--" He turns around and notices she was gone back to bed, "Oh yeah! Turn me into a liar!" He exclaims.
[SLYsilver42]
The orc grinned, “That girl could make a temple nun tell a lie. Don’t be hard on yourself. ‘Sides girl’s had a rough couple of days, whether or not she shows it. Could say the same about you.” Eddie got his feet and dusted himself off. “Get some rest, I’ll wake you on daybreak.”
[Nezeb]
Kranis laughed at his words before nodding, "Yeah, we've both been down a rough path so far. Alright, night, Edgar." He says, climbing into the bed and pulling the covers over his head. It wasn't the most comfortable bed he'd ever been in, but it sufficed. He closed his eyes and within a few precious seconds had drifted off into oblivion.
Kranis Lafkis' Tower
Kranis Lafkis' Tower Day 2
Kranis Lafkis' Tower Day 3
Kranis Lafkis' Tower Day 5
Kranis' Journal
Stumble!