Open Chronicles Flowers In The Ash

[Edric]

Tyr - The Isle of Sheketh
A wild caucophany of noises surrounded Edric as he made his way through the main thoroughfaire of the city.

Tyr was a city he had never thought he would see again. It's tall black towers and flowing canals of magma a sight which brought forth a flicker of memory and emotion. Thoughts of when times were simpler, and all he'd had to do was follow orders. Even with the crowds surrounding him, he could remember the street that he walked. He could still recall the faces of the other Initiate's who had come with him.

Hear the echoes of their words in his mind.

He wondered where they all were now, what had happened in the last few months with Ral and the others. A part of him had wanted to send word, a note or a simple sending rune, but the risk had been too great. Edric knew he was a wanted criminal, and even here half a world away...he couldn't help but look over his shoulders for any Dreadlord's who might have come wandering.

The crowds surrounding him eased the paranoia striking in the back of his mind, though why they were here he could not have said.

From the minute he'd arrived, it was clear that all of Tyr was in celebration. Banners and streamers hung between the buildings, throngs of men, women, Ogres, and Goblins threaded through the streets. Wine and ale flowed, though there was no reason evident as to why. It seemed the entire city was in an uproar of mirth. Women danced in the streets, men did their best to imitate their gracious flow, and Ogre's plodded like great drums upon the pavers.

The joy of it was almost infectious, and more than once Edric nearly found himself swept up within the merriment. Only barely plucking himself away from a red-headed Tyrian who attempted to grab his hands and swing him into a sway. His steps falling with surprising elegance as he pulled away and shook his head. "Next time!"

Edric claimed with a wave, his common tongue falling on deaf ears as the girl called to him in Tyrian. The wide grin on her face speaking of future ill-intent as she allowed her prety to stalk away.

"Kress, I think I preferred the Guard." The Rogue Dreadlord said, contiuing to press through the crowd and towards the metallurgist that was his destination.

 

[Perrine Urahil]

Tyr was much too far of a distance to travel for a small group of Anirians, but their missive stated something savoury along the lines of this visit was to be quick to ensure relations between cities were still acknowledged.

Perrine stepped out from the watch tower that received new installations and repairs, following the ogre guide giving the Anirians a tour of the Death Watch's work.

"Now Urth, you mentioned some tea earlier?" Perrine piped up. She wondered if she had been asked to go on this mission because of her pleasantries to other races, or simply because the Initiates could go without a few weeks of etiquette lessons. "I have some I had brought with me, perhaps we could brew some, see how our teas differ?"

And give them a rest from all these stairs that seemed to accomodate the Ogres of the Death Watch better, but Perrine witnessed Tyrians and others taking those steep stairs as if it were not a problem.

 

[Chasmine]

There was so much emotional energy here! Like a feast after so much famine on the ship, Chasmine felt herself renewed ... well, so far as a spirit could, anyway. Now snugly ensconced within the pages and bindings of her gifted book thanks to the Shamaness Ma'Ziri, Chasmine rode along within Edric's pack and could not help but tap into those energies surrounding him.

Without a body or fully manifesting she could not experience the festivities as he could, but she could feel the energy of it surrounding him like a tumultuous sea. When the girl fluttered by, her aura radiating like a bright campfire of peaches and reds, Chasmine could not help but pick up on her attraction and desire toward her companion.

"She seemed nice," his spiritual companion remarked quietly to him, "was she not pretty?"

 

[Edric]

"Yeah she was plenty pretty." Edric answered as he slipped through the last throng before the open-market archway.

The crowds here were still packed, but several of the Death Watch Ogres seemed to ensure there were paths through. Most of them simply keeping the inner-reaches of the square free for carts and the like. Edric stepped onto the more clear road, the celebration still surrounding them. "But if I stopped to dance with every pretty girl we'd never get out of here."

He pointed out as they began to climb the tall steps near the Watchtower which stood at the barrier of the inner city.

Striding directly passed Perrine and her Initiates.

"Besides. I think this shop closes at Sundown and he's the only one with the metal we need." If he was even open during this celebration. It seemed the entirety of Tyr was caught up in whatever they were doing.

 

[Perrine Urahil]

Urth had become insistent on seeing the Initiates train, had perked them up with the idea of challenging them to test their skills on the Death Watch. Perrine began to think of a way to excuse herself from the session, having spent so many hours in a day with the Initiates and their training, she had to steel herself as another Proctor offered to accompany the group. Periwinkle eyes glimmered with gratitude, and just like that, Perrine was free to roam the city for a short while.

Tyr was in full swing celebration. The timing of the Anirian visit could have either been chaotic or perfect, and for the Urahil Dreadlord, it leaned towards the latter.

It was the moment she watched the Initiates now move on, following the ogre Urth towards whatever training ground they were going to spend time in, that Perrine turned her head and caught a familiar face. She frowned, unsure of what she had seen, but something was nagging her at the back of her mind. She only followed because she was sure it was just one of those faces, but Perrine had been swept into the crowd and celebrations, smiling at the joy that spread throughout the street.

 

[Chasmine]

It had never been Edric's way to stop and smell the roses. His was a mind of tasks. Get from point A to point B. Do the thing. Exterminate the target. It wouldn't kill him to have a little dance with a pretty girl.

Honestly, Chasmine had no idea what would kill him.

But perhaps timing was truly everything and it must have been closer to sundown than she knew. Time, after all, was not part of her unlife anymore.

The ghost relented to the wisdom of his tasked mind. They had come here for a purpose, after all, and she lamented yet another missed opportunity to view a city she'd known only in books or through the telling of others. Tyr, the city of fire. Edric had regaled her with the story of his previous mission here with Ralene and Alistair during the long journey over seas to their destination. He was not particularly good on details and certainly lacked a story-teller's poetic charm, but it had been enough for her to wish to experience the place for herself.

Alas.

"Perhaps you will get a chance after you find the metal," she said after a long silence, having picked up the presence of another woman now following in Edric's steps, "you have an admirer."

 

[Edric]

Edric continued along the path, the onyx black marble reflecting warm firelight from rivers of magma far below the city streets. "Sure."

He acquiesced, knowing that his description of the city paled in comparison to actually being here. But still wanting to complete the 'mission' first. Knowing his luck if he didn't get it done now, there would be some stupid thing that stopped them. Either by coincidence, or because of something he'd done somewhere in the throws of his stupidity.

"We have the rest of the night, and the morning." Not like he needed much sleep anyway.

As he turned left, Chasmine's voice rung in his ear once more.

"Another pretty girl?" He asked, this time a small tone of amusement flickering through his tones. "Gotta hand it to these Tyrian women, they're pretty persistent."

He chuckled, not bothering to glance over his shoulder. Knowing Chasmine would warn him if the person got too close. His eyes instead scanning over the crowd at the various signs on the shop stalls. Stopping only when he found the one he was looking for. "There it is."

Ed declared happily, finding the same shop he and Alistair had ventured to on their trip. Hoping the goblin Smith would have what they needed, and not bothering to wait for his new secret admirerer.

 

[Perrine Urahil]

There certainly was no reason for her to follow, especially when she had a whole city waiting to sweep her into their festivities. Perrine was curious. Did she know them? They were certainly not Tyrian, but that did not necessarily narrow things down.

She was certain he was unaware she was following, even as he turned into a shop and did not bother to check his peripherals.

Perrine perused the wares in the front window display, blinking at the fine craftmanship she saw. The smiths here in Tyr were one of the best known in Arethil, and she could not help but wonder if her fiancé Val Pirian would like a gift.

 

[Chasmine]

"I miss dancing..." Chasmine's voice said listlessly to him, their tail presently forgotten for the fleeting memories of a childhood in Alliria where dance lessons had been part of a weekly routine for a young minor noble girl.

 

[Edric]

A frown pulled at Edric’s lips, and just as he reached the door of the shop. ”I’m sorry, Chas.”

The Rogue shook his head, distinctly aware that he was likely the last dance Chas had had before passing to the other side.

”We’ll…” He started to say they would get her dancing again soon, and then he stopped. Pausing at the doorway for a moment more as he reconsidered. ”We'll have a dance when we're done here, okay?”

Edric declared, not sure how he'd manage it, but sure that he would.

As he stood there, lingering, the orange light cast over him. Drawing over his features and granting his pursuer another long look. Perhaps sparking a memory of the dozens of posters now hanging around Vel Anir.

 

[Perrine Urahil]

Her eyes drifted up to the man she had unintentionally followed, and a cold sensation ran down her spine as she recognised the face now. Perrine moved towards the door, not even sure what she would say, but the words would find their way to her lips soon enough.

Perrine was not the type to care about bringing in a criminal, but the Proctor that also accompanied Perrine and the Initiates were a stickler for rules.

"You need to leave." Her Anirian was unmistakable, but Perrine kept a respectful distance from Edric. Was it because she did not want to engage in a fight, or perhaps knew she could not do anything to disable him unless she was close enough to touch them. The Urahil Dreadlord lifted her chin, staring at him and his familiar portrait reminiscent of the wanted posters all over Vel Anir.

 

[Edric]

Edric stopped dead in his tracks. Hand stalling just short of the small handle of the shop door. A frown pulled at his lips as he played through the voices in his head which might be familiar to the one that had just spoken. None seemed to match.

Slowly his head turned, the black armor he'd earned in the fighting bits clinking ever so slightly as he looked at the stranger. "Do I?"

The Rogue Dreadlord challenged, still not turning fully to face Perrine.

She was not Tyrian, at least not of the blood. Her hair and the paleness of her skin made that more than obvious. Plus her accent was that of an Anirian, if he had to guess, though he would not yet settle any facts within his mind.

"Because I don't see a good reason to." His hand grasped the handle of the door.

 

[Perrine Urahil]

A derisive laugh left her lips, and Perrine crossed her arms. She was not dressed like a Dreadlord or Proctor, not that she ever did with the latter, but showed her family's wealth in her attire. It would not take him long to figure out what house she had been born into.

"Clearly." She huffed. "I have no business in collecting the reward I would get if I were to bring you in alive, but I would rather warn you that there are Proctors and Dreadlords here in Tyr." And she left no question as to the type of people they were. Perrine always favoured to be benevolent, always gave a chance. Hells, she knew at least a couple of Initiates present would make hunting Edric into sport if they were to recognise him.

"Your face is all over wanted posters even here in Tyr, Edric. In every city that has peaceful agreements with Vel Anir know your face."

 

[Chasmine]

The woman was close enough, for better or for worse, that Chasmine could hear the conversation from her comfortable position within the book. She soon felt a little less comfortable with the knowledge that Edric's face was known even this far away.

Tyr was quite far away, if she remembered from his recounting of the journey.

This was that little port town all over again, only Tyr was much better qualified to handle errant Dreadlords from Vel Anir.

"If that is true..." Chasmine quietly piped up to Edric, "then you will need more eyes."

A beat, Edric would feel the cold energy within his bag shift as Chas vacated her spectral roost, "I will return shortly. Please do not punch the nice woman."

 

[Edric]

A range of emotions flickered through Edric.

Panic, anger, indignation, but most prominently...confusion. He had absolutely no idea why this woman would want to warn him, nor why she wouldn't want the reward. Most Proctors and Dreadlord's would scramble for it, they'd be set for life.

He'd already killed half-a-dozen that tried. Was that it? Was she scared?

A frown pulled at his features, eyes looking Perrine up and down just as he felt the Chill of Chasmine's ghost slowly leaving his bag. "I wasn't going to!"

Edric objected out loud, not even realizing he'd spoken out loud until he remembered Perrine was right there. A sheepish look crossing his face for a brief moment.

"Look, I don't know why you're warning me." He said seriously. "But I'm not going to hurt anyone here."

The Rogue insisted. "I'm just here to grab something from this shop, and then I'm out. I promise."

Plus a dance, but she didn't need to know that part.

His hand still remained on the doorhandle. "If they stay away from me, I'll stay away from them, alright?"

As Edric spoke, he gently pushed open the door. His nose almost immediately scrunching as the familiar scent of blood touched his nose.

 

[Perrine Urahil]

She gave him an unfiltered expression at his odd outburst, but as the Healer crossed her arms and gave Edric a hard look, it was as if the Proctor was telling off an Initiate despite her not being around to teach his class.
"I am warning you because I would rather avoid the headache that would come if the others were to recognise you. I do not always get a chance to leave Vel Anir, let alone the continent, but I beseech you that you do not hurt—"

They were bickering, possibly drawing attention to them both, but Perrine rolled her eyes as Edric opened the door and a foul smell accosted both their sense of smell.

"Kress!" She complained, lifting her arm to cover her face and shield what she could from her nose. Perrine dropped it after a moment once she acclimated to the odour, and frowned as she pushed past Edric and entered the shop. Blood, trails of it leading to a backroom. Her thoughts jumped to the knowledge of the city, that blood was a sacred thing here.

And they had someone that could scent it. Someone that surely would walk past Edric's prized portrait since Perrine had been sure she had passed it earlier when she was being shown a tour of the Death Watch's headquarters.

"Get inside!" She hissed, pulling him in and scowling. She shut the door, and sealed it with some college magic.

That should buy them some time before the Death Watch were alerted.

"Someone might be hurt." Was all she said as she went to follow the blood.

 

[Edric]

As the woman spoke, Edric found his need to smash her face into the wall increase. The tone of voice she used reminding him of some of the Pro-wait...was that why she seemed familiar? Was she a Proctor of some sort?

In his moment of thought the pushy woman, whoever she was, thrust into the room passed him. A curse falling through Edric's lips as he realized that this entire trip just got a fuck-of-a-lot more complicated. "Someone is probably dead."

He commented dryly as he nevertheless slipped into the doorway and followed Perrine inside. Shutting the door behind himself.

It did not take long for his theory to be confirmed. Still wet streaks of blood decorating both the floor and walls as the two Anirian's made their way through the shop and into the forge. There they found a Goblin, impaled upon what appeared to be a multiple swords.

"Fuck." He swore, and then almost immediately looked at Perrine. "I didn't do it."

Edric adamantly told the woman, not looking to be accused of another crime, but quickly realizing that this one might effect him more than most. He'd really been hoping Ugrith would know the Ashmetal that they needed, and without the goblin...he wasn't entirely sure where to turn to next.

 

[Perrine Urahil]

"Oh, I actually believe you." She rolled her eyes and sighed at the gruesome scene before them. Neither of them should touch the goblin, even if Perrine's magic only worked with the touch of a hand, she knew by using her eyes they were dead, and only recently. The pallor of the goblin's skin looked fresh, perhaps within the hour of his death. "I clocked you a short while outside and followed you. Would be utterly stupid of you to return to the scene of the crime, but perhaps the jury is still out on that one."

But Perrine did not shy. She went ahead and was careful not to touch anything or step in the rivers of blood. "Are these all of the goblin's own make?" She inquired aloud. Perrine was not familiar with them, nor their wares, other than that nice blade she had seen in the display window.

 

[Edric]

He didn't know if she was being sarcastic again.

Most people didn't believe him. But he tried not to hold that against her as she spoke of how stupid it would be to return to the scene of the crime. A grunt was the only answer he gave to that, but only because Edric didn't want to point out that he'd done that half-a-dozen times before.

"I think so." The Rogue admitted gruffly as he followed Perrine's careful steps into the forge, eyes flickering over the barrels.

"Ugrith was pretty famous." Least that was what the Goblin had claimed when he and Alistair had come here. "Somebody probably held a grudge."

He said with a frown, stepping slowly to avoid any of the blood on the floor. "The-"

Before he could finish, a rattle echoed out at the back of the shop. A tiny shape moving behind one of the storage containers. A flash of green skin, but smaller than even Ugrith quickly moving back into hiding.

 

[Perrine Urahil]

Perrine froze, her eyes widening.

She looked to Edric, pursing her lips until she made to move towards the sound.

Her magic was no use to her without being able to have physical contact, and so a dagger was produced from a hidden scabbard in her skirts. She crept with a gentleness that made no sound, despite her tall stature, Perrine was careful in her movements. By the time she rounded by the containers, scuffling and movement darted out, and with surprise, she was too slow to stop whatever it was.

"Watch out!" She cried out, hoping that Edric did not knock into the impaled goblin.

 

[Edric]

The green thing scurried across the floor just as Perrine called out.

Edric's head whipped to the side, careful not to step against the balanced corpse nor into the blood cast on the floor. His eyes however, still followed the blur quickly darting from it's hiding place and across the room. A curse escaping the Rogue Dreadlord as he let a pulse of magic run through his muscles.

Quick as a viper, he reached out and snatched the green figure from the ground. Picking it up, and revealing the squat form of a small goblin. "Hey!"

It shouted, voice squeaking in panic.

"Let me go!" The little goblin squealed. "Let me goooo! You won't do to me what you did to him!"

The Goblin continued to cry, Edric holding out his arm at full length as he stared at the creature. His head slowly turning to Perrine as if asking; What the fuck is this?

 

[Perrine Urahil]

Perri stared at the small goblin, taking in the crying with a grimace before crossing the room to grab a cloth and folding it in half and reaching for the young goblin from Edric's grasp. "Can you not see the similarities?"

But she did not wait for an answer, as the woman began to wrap and coddle the small thing. She cooed, soothing the tears. "Traumatised." She noted, braving a finger to brush across their forehead and getting a read on their health. Non-human creatures were hard to understand, but Perrine was experienced enough to determine other factors.

"They must have seen what had happened..."