Rp - Gavel's Darkest Hour- Act Two Begins [7/7]

"Hey ya know what Bantira, you seem awfully down lately. There something on your mind?"

 

Let out a sigh and walk back a bit, to look at the window better. Then ask rather loudly.
"Is anyone here?"

 

"You're damn right there's something on my mind. I can't- I can't stay in the Nation. It's too much."
She seems evasive.

You faintly hear a reply from upstairs, but can't quite make it out.

The walls are made out of rough, weathered, stones, climbable, but the window's high enough that you really wouldn't want to fall.

"Why do I even bother? Ahms is to the South, but there's a gate we need to find, can't remember if it's on the surface or where, oh, the workers that built it. Five of them died, such terrible conditions, no safety oversight, all King Hurdom's fault, he wanted to trade with the villagers at all costs and look where that got us. Ahms didn't even lift a finger, they didn't need to, see. Ancient history, but that's villager-dwarf relations, all because they have the only operational emerald mines. Always somebody has the upper hand, and the other's sucking up to them. Right now the dwarves are refusing to help countless villagers in need because they want a formal alliance should a war break out, as if Sord cares, they're acting as though Forserd never died, he would have been appalled but given in anyway for the greater good, not that he was a saint or anything, allowed mining operations greater freedom to demand ridiculous hours, but how's a humble miner to complain?"

"What the fuck is yours? You could walk out of here at any moment and nobody would- I've said too fucking much. Please stay, I can't lose you."

 

"Chill out and talk to me"

 

If there's a small enough pebble, pick it up and throw at the wall besides the window.
If not, knock on the door.

 

I start walking south.
”Sord is dead. Right?”

 

"...do you wanna talk about it?"

 

Based on mana, is there someone inside? If yes, are they moving?

 

As far as you can tell, business is as usual above. There's just nobody downstairs.

"Do you? This whole mess affects you just as much as me, you know. And you're going out. I've done a lot of things I regret, but to have them celebrated, I mean, I'm no hero. I just ran off with you because, I don't know, and things just happened. Rodoroc, the Staircase, it's all... it's all"

"You know something I don't? If he is that's awful, no clear successor to the Duchy, that's the problem with those hereditary systems, they put a teenager in charge of the biggest crisis in the province and then they don't know who next, probably nobody. Ahms in anarchy, fancy that. Uh, are we sure it isn't down below?"

His voice is feeble, yet more sincere than ever. "You're right, I'm being paranoid. So, they don't know it was you. You could leave here, turn me in, go back to Cinfras as though nothing happened and do whatever the fuck you like, while we're stuck in this heap of shit cave as fugitives. You don't strike me as the charitable type, so I wasn't sure if you knew that you'd stay. Please, don't leave us. Do the right thing. Elimut can't be allowed to remain unopposed. He knows you were involved, don't get me wrong. He just doesn't want that public, for whatever reason. I believe he still expects you to join him."

A head pokes out of the window, an old villager in a mage's hat you vaguely recognise from the palace.
"Bloody elves, Alreiss's goons I'll bet. Hey, you're not going to change anything by breaking a few windows. Thought you elves had good aim, anyhow."

 

"Dont worry, I have nowhere to go. Do you think Elimut would just let me in even if I tried to go?"

 

"Very sure Sord is dead. But is child not trained to rule for life? Is child not trained to rule from birth? Thus is child not mature? And sky islands in sky. Not below."

 

"I mean, I don't think running away will help either. In any case, what's done is done. Shouldn't we figure out how to help instead of leaving?"

 

Ignore his comment on aim.
"Hey, can you tell me if Alreiss is already gone? We're supposed to have a trip with him."

 

*slight frown*

*silently waits*

 

Hope everyone had a good Christmas!

You misunderstand - Alreiss is a radical Elf politician that guy thinks you're working for, the guy you're meeting is Tarust. I'll assume that's what you meant.

"How would I know? Tarust, and elves? Who'd have thought."
He turns his back to you and a young hobbit rushes out of the door, out of breath, her arms full of scrolls.
"Terribly... sorry. Tarust will... be down soon... chaos... utter chaos."
She turns back, depositing the scrolls on a desk just inside.
"Your names and business, please, sir and madam?", she says, over-professional.

He shrugs. "He clearly sees himself in you, he doesn't ask just anyone to be his fucking apprentice. He got up to all sorts of shit when he was your age, your antics probably endear you to him, honestly. At least I think that's why he hasn't revealed your involvement."

"We can help elsewhere, where people aren't going to recognise us. Ahms for example. They need help more than the Heights ever will. And what are we supposed to do about an impending war? The situation's so delicate, anything could set them off. And if we try to help, there's a good chance that's going to happen. I can't have that on my conscience."

The Sky Islands are a modern name for Ahms - nobody would call it that in this time, and it's more like a land with large holes in it and mountains and gaps in between. And I somehow doubt a Gert has a good understanding of the merits of hereditary duchies, politics aren't their thing.

 

Let’s just keep walking.

 

Hope you had a good time as well.

Forgive me for the misunderstanding.

"Are you alright? That's a lot of scrolls." I say, peeking at the desk.
"Also, my name is Hels Gahn. I'm here for a trip to Olux we are supposed to take with Tarust." I say while looking over to Rin.

 

Hopefully you had a good one! :D

"My name's Rin!"
"And I'm with him."
*points at Hels*

 

"Not his brigthest idea, to be honest."

 

"hmm well I suppose you're right. Well I'll support whatever decision you come to."
ooc um I might happen to be away for a while like a week or two so until I next reply can you just have me on like kinda autopilot or smth? haha thx