Jump to content

Zorlon - Bashkher


Malchik

Recommended Posts

Dion wasn't liking this at all now, temple ... air journeys, almost brought to question any element alignment they might have here. Yet it was the fact that internal security and in fact the minister himself. There was something wrong here ... Auriel ... could this be a ploy of Riff's? He had sworn to take Auriel and himself from the group, Dion looked around carefully taking in the temple and more importantly the people inside. They were in a foreign temple, with a man being too familiar in contact with Auriel - though Auriel had something to do with that. Talking about there locations and times. They were obviously being spied on and now confronted. Dion just wondered what would happen next and who was this person that the minister was meeting today. They had arrived prematurely, however there was holes in his story. He expected them tomorrow, they had journeyed here in less than half the time it normally took. There were inconsistancies. He rubbed his fingers together thinking.

 

"Riff?" he asked quietly back to Tikita, so only she could hear. His eyes wandering the room. There were a lot of priests if they became combatants, and the place was pretty barren, seven pits. Top must feel at home with all the stone and what not, Dion thought. He shivered slightly, he missed the sun.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 102
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Bharat releases Auriel's hand. "You do not reveal your secrets? Well, perhaps I do not blame you. However I warn you that any attempt to translocate from here will be considered gross effrontery. You would never be able to return. I am responsible for you while you are in Papred and you will make this impossible if you start vanishing and reappearing. Let me offer a bargain. I can keep track of you within the city and have no interest when you leave it. All I ask is that you tell me when you are leaving. You need not say where you are going, I just want to be sure that I don't have to watch your backs for you."

 

He senses that all four of those near him are perturbed by him. The fact that the temple crowds steer away from him fearfully, does not help.

 

"These cultists are aware that we are unhappy with certain aspects of their rituals. These are not your concern but they are afraid I may talk to them and learn more than they would like. Of course, I am not on your side. I haven't the faintest notion of what you are doing in Bashkher or why you stir up so much trouble but I am a good friend of Governor Metvet in Antinapura and he swears you are a force for good, battling evil. Now if you are willing to tell me when you leave Papred, I will answer any questions you may have on the city. There is little about it that I do not know."

 

Bharat remains a forbidding person but you all know that no one can lie to Top. However he appears, he is telling the truth.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Who's the 'we' you are referring to? Let's see, you're not helping us, you don't like the cultists, could you tell me who you are helping and who you do like?" Auriel stops walking and looks at the man. He knows he cannot lie, but then, why do all of these people try to lie anyway? It always just leads to trouble. At least with Top around, Auriel doesn't have to worry about all of those lies like the ones the townspeople used to tell. "Anyway," Auriel continues. "We don't need to translocate. We all speak the same language."

 

He lapses into a quick thought. All of this stuff with lying. I don't get it. And Top, what exactly is his power that he has that keeps people from lying? I wonder - if someone believed something that was not the truth, would he be able to say it in front of Top? If there was really only one god, and Top walked into a temple for one of the gods that didn't really exist, would the worshippers really be able to talk about their god, even though to do so would be a lie? He quickly snaps out of it and files it away as something to look into in the future.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bharat laughs. "We are the government of Papred, child. Although nominally the capital city of Bashkher we have neither the resources or the will to involve ourselves in the affairs of others. Papred is capital only because it is where we all meet. I am interested in keeping the city free of - shall we call say - less respectable cults. You have come across them before, no doubt. The cultists in this temple have a hidden interest in certain narcotics that are banned from public sale. But that should not worry you."

 

He looks at Top. "You are the leader. I am sure that it is you who must decide if you can adhere to my request. It is hardly onerous. And then, if you wish, I will tell you of the sword you seek."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dion was immediately put on guard. They hadn't said anything about searching for a sword. His hand strayed closer to a throwing knife as he began to focus his concentration onto his alignment of fire. He didn't like this one bit. Normally he'd of taken the fellow up on his offer but if their quest was such common knowledge that it preceded their arrival then it was quite interesting that this individual had trouble tracking them and desired to know when they left the city.

 

Dion looked over at Tikita and mouth the word sword, then arched a questioning eyebrow on the side away from the minister. Dion doubted there was any way possible for him to see his action or facial movement but was ready anyway. Dion was a little mistrustful since the matter with Riff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Top turns and says quietly to the rest of the party. "He's telling the truth... at least as far as he knows." He notices the signs of them anticipating a fight. He puts his hand on Dion's sword arm and guides it down and away from his weapon. He leans in close and whispers in Dion's ear, careful not to let anyone else hear. "Not yet. He's with security... it's his job to know what goes on in his city. We can't afford trouble this early and for something as uncertain as this man's knowledge."

 

Top returns his attention to Bharat. "You have our agreement. We will not use any unusual methods of travel to leave this city. Your back is perfectly safe from us." He laughs a bit at the last part. "Now what's the story of this sword?"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bharat accepts Top's reply. To Dion he says: "There are three of my people marking each one of you. I wouldn't try to display your prowess in the middle of a crowded temple. As I told you, there are others who would see you dead. While you are in Papred I will do my best to ensure you remain alive. The sword you seek is in the hands of a private collector. I will arrange for you to see it on the day you come to tell me you are leaving Papred."

 

He is looking over your shoulder and sees something. "My contact has arrived. I must go. It is getting late. Your tour starts at dawn tomorrow it would be sensible to retire for the night. Should you elect to go to the sea temple the following day I will be unable to guard you. I look forward to talking to you again when I am less busy."

 

You see him walking away with another man dressed as a temple acolyte. Try as you might you cannot see anyone watching you on Bharat's behalf.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Well, I'm glad that's over." remarked Tikita. She crosses her arms in front of her and scowls. "I don't like the fact that we are being followed around by people we can't even see. And I also don't like that we are being told to go home like good little children by some man... even if he is the Minister of Internal Security."

 

She pauses to think. "He is right about one thing though. It's probably wise that we do not display our abilities to publicly... you never know who's watching. "

 

"So what do we do now?"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Um, excuse me Top." Auriel chimes in sheepishly. "Did we just agree to not do something that we know there is something that will do something to us but we don't know what the something is?" He looks at the blank stares. "How can we agree to not go through a gate, when we're looking for the gate, but don't know what it is? What happens if we accidentally find this gate and wind up going through it?"
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...