Call it what you will (Closed to BaBE)

[Cards of Fate]

Whatever I had been expecting, it certainly wasn’t that.

As the woman explained her circumstances to me, a rather odd notion formed in my head that I couldn’t grasp. In front of me sat a self-professed assassin, arguably one of the most dangerous women in the world. Yet as she spoke of how she had forged her knowledge herself, without the help of a university, I couldn’t help but be impressed. I’d been in a similar situation, forced to study knowledge that was long lost to the tides of time. Forced on a never ending scavenger hunt across the world to explore old ruins, but I’d had help. This woman didn’t.

“That’s incredibly impressive.” I chewed my lip as I pondered what to say next. My eyes shot down to the text sitting between us. Suddenly I remembered why I was here. “But I guess back to the topic at hand. You seem adamant on the fact that the plague cannot be cured. Have you done any research directly on the actual plague itself? Or were all of your letters merely conjecture”

Bullshit didn’t seem like it was going to do anything for me here. I took a breath and tried to calm myself down. I had to stop thinking of her less as Madison Freebird, and more as my colleague.

As my peer.

The thought sent a shiver down my spine. If the surge of power when we touched was any indication, we were bound together by some cruel twist of fate. For better, or for worse, we had an invisible bond tying us together.

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

Hyperion shifted in her chair suddenly, leaning forward and cocking her head slightly to the side. "Is everything okay, Mr. Cain? You seem a bit off."

It was something I noticed as well. The blunt questions about my work and theories, the sudden changes of subject back and forth between the Forgotten One's plague and my education, his fidgety and nervous body language, the deep breath he just took... Something was off with this boy. Not since I began my correspondence with him did I imagine that our first meeting would be this awkward and stilted.

Could he have just been feeling the effects of the sudden shock of dark energy between us when we shook hands? Something in the back of my mind told me that it was more than that.

It's... I'm not sure how it's possible, but... Maybe he started to put the pieces together?

There were several hundred of us who entered the Red Forest. Bit by bit, the forces amassed by Pode picked off the weaker ones as the rest pressed on. I personally eliminated a few before I was fried to death by a religious fanatic's lightning rune... And from what I was able to gather, five people managed to sever the Red Witch's connection to this world. I met two of them, including the one who the Raiaerans picked as their hero and savior. Cain was clearly the fourth of the five, given the small imprint that was left on his soul.

It would make sense that he'd double check the registry records with the elves after my former employer was purged from their lands to see what became of any friends who made the trip with him--

--only to see that one Madison Freebird had not been accounted for at the end of it all, declared missing rather than dead or recovering in the base camp.

He couldn't have possibly thought anything of it at the time, right?

But--there were the bounty notices placed on my head after the ordeal in Raiaera by the remnants of the Eiskalt government, after they somehow found out what I had done to their country... not to mention the very public executions (plural) they held in my honor once I was captured and delivered to them...

...Motherfucker.

By Hromagh's hairy balls--

Hype immediately stood up from her chair. "I'll go get you a glass of water, Mr. Cain." I scooted my chair ahead an inch or two to let the briarbane by while I tried to sort out what in the seven hells I was going to do next. Do I just punch him in the face, take his books, and run? Do I try futilely to act as if he didn't know who I was? Do I just teleport out of here and make sure he cannot find me ever again?

I decided not to do any of those. What followed was one of the hardest things I had ever done in my life.

I slid a gnarled, briar-knit hand across the table, between his tower of books, palm up.

"Give me your hand."

The scholar looked at my hand, then at my glowing amber eyes masked by sifan, then back at my hand. Confusion was written plainly across his face.

"Just give me your fucking hand," I muttered, fingers twitching and beckoning his closer.

Reluctantly, he relented. Slowly, he reached across the table. I lightly grabbed his hand, and placed another one over the back of his. I squeezed it gingerly as the scarlet mark be both bore ignited and coursed between us. It wasn't as shockingly intense as the first time we shook hands, but it was definitely there. A malicious, thrumming energy that threatened to consume us both. And yet, I did not let go of Cain.

"I want you to know something right now, before I go any further." I looked the scholar dead in his eyes as I spoke. "Whoever you think I am, whatever you may have heard of me--that person died in the Red Forest with her. I am no longer the monster that everyone would have you believe me to be. I wander the world aimlessly now, content to lay my head wherever I can find a good book or two and a problem to solve."

Usually at the behest of the highest bidder, but I left that part out.

"So let me answer your question," I continued as I squeezed his hand tighter. "Yes, I have done research on the plague myself. I was curious as to how exactly it worked and infected the host, given its obvious versatility and persistence. I've experimented on corpses infected by the plague, animated and otherwise."

As well as a few rounds of observation on how quickly living subjects turned, both animals and humanoid--but I left that part out as well.

I took a deep breath and pressed on. "So, I feel that I may have some notes that would be valuable to your little cause, no matter how futile I personally believe it to be." A smile started to crease my face. "But, it's not in our nature to simply assume that we're right and be done with it, now is it?"

I released Cain's hand, setting it on the table and resting mine on top of his. "No matter what I may have discovered on my own, together we may find something different. Which is why I'm more than willing to offer my services to you in your venture; for the right price, of course." My eyes flickered hungrily towards the book he had written by the bitch that ruined my life. As much as I hated her down to the last rotten cell of her corporeal being, I wanted to read that damned book and know what she knew. I had to have that book.

It took more effort than I'm willing to admit to tear my attention from the fat leather-bound volume sat on the table. "As a sign of good faith and a promise that your resources will not go to waste, I will let you in on a little secret."

I leaned forward across the table, my ribs pressing against the sharp wooden edge of the surface. My voice was barely above a whisper, as to not be heard by anyone else in the cafe.

"I have one of Xem'Zund's Archivists."

[Cards of Fate]

Oh fuck.

She asked for my hand and suddenly shit seemed to have hit the fan. I hesitated, but against my better judgment I relented and slid my hand forward, flinching as she took it in hers and the violent surge of crimson hatred roared to life. As if their connection was allowing the tiny fragments of the monster they’d slain reform itself just enough to release its unfathomable malice upon the two of us.

"Whoever you think I am, whatever you may have heard of me…”

My mind shut off. My poker face had betrayed me. She knew that I knew who she was. A cold sweat broke out down my neck as I began my plan. Her words were lost on me as I debated how the fuck I would be getting out of this situation alive, hopefully with all these rare and ancient texts still intact. I’d never seen Ms. Freebird fight, but I’d heard rumors. She could melt my fucking hand with acid, or summon a horde of angry direbees from her fucking mouth to sting me to death. I was immortal to a point, I could still die but the resurrection process hurt like a bitch. I trembled a bit, debating if I should act first, strike with my freehand and scoop the books safely into my magical holding dimension. Maybe try to blink away? Bring the fight outside the café to minimize collateral damage. My mind raced over and over again, debating every plan of action until my attention snapped back to the woman in front of me. How had she not attacked me yet?

"I have one of Xem'Zund's Archivists."

Wait, what?

The line threw me for a loop, and for a moment I paused, sucking in my breath. What the fuck had I just missed? Luckily for me, I have absolute recall. In my mind I turned back time, and replayed everything I had not been paying attention to. I watched her almost heartfelt confession, a renouncement of her past ways. It was as if she was reaching out to me…

Wait, she already was? My hand was in hers?

I looked down at the table for a moment and took in a deep breath, emboldened by the drop of our charades. She was being honest with me. When my hand was freed it shot back to my side of the table, to safety. I could hear the words of an old mentor calling me a wimp, but Tobias Stalt could go fuck himself. There was a difference between being smart and brave in this instance. After what felt like ages I finally spoke.

“You know what they always say, two heads are better than one, and many hands make light work.” I cracked my neck and forced myself to relax. “I would be delighted if we could work together to reach a more favorable conclusion in our results.” I took a breath, forcing my pulse to slow from its quickened state. “Would you care for any food? I would love to really discuss your research in greater detail, see if we can lay a groundwork for further studies…”

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

That was it.

I was in.

Whether it was the reassurances that I had turned over a new leaf (figuratively speaking, because I'm a plant monster and all) or the admission that I had one of Xem'Zund's books, it was enough for Cain to invite me to continue working with him in his foolish venture to cure the plaguelands.

The gears in my mind were already turning, working out how I could use this to my advantage. Perhaps I could use this research as a means to access the rest of his archives? From there, I could easily get my hands on Pode's book--and what if he had more just like it?

What a wonderful development.

As long as I kept a low profile and my work a secret, I would keep the scholar's trust. I could use his resources to help me discover the locations of the rest of Xem'Zund's archivists--and perhaps other works he may have penned.

Sure, I would keep true to my word and help him work on a cure or whatever else he needed.

And perhaps along the way, I could create something far greater than anything the necromancer had ever dreamed of.

I forced a pleasant smile across my face, desperately trying to hide my giddiness. "Yes, that would be nice," I said to the scholar.

Very nice indeed.

[Cards of Fate]

I waved over a waitress and the two of us ordered some food in celebration of our new agreement. During the wait we talked idly about how we might go about crafting a cure and the steps we would need to take in order to do so safely. Her friend returned with a glass of water and was incredibly surprised by the sudden change in tone, which I couldn’t blame her for. This whole ordeal had been something out of a fairytale.

Looking back, I wasn’t sure if this was my greatest achievement or my most catastrophic decision yet. Only time would tell at this point.

For now, I had secured the help of one of the world’s greatest minds in the field of virology. That was a small victory for the people of Raiaera as it stood. We idly chatted and ate, talking about timelines for the labs completion, how I might reach her in order to invite her back, the usual stuff. I gave her an address to contact me if she needed anything, or if she needed a second pair of hands to go on another expedition to the plaguelands. But time wasn’t on our side, and soon the sun was quickly beginning to set and our waitress was beginning to give us the stink eye for staying so long, and that was that. I paid for our tab and bid Ms. Freebird and her companion farewell, stepping out into the warm evening light of Etheria port.

As I walked away I felt a shiver down my spine as visions danced across my subconscious, tiny flashes of the various possible futures. The uncertainty of my new companion had thrown all of the possible timelines into chaos, nothing was certain at this point. But as I walked, I could sense something I hadn’t been able to sense before. In all of the endings fate seemed to be showing me, several were successes. It seemed that triumph was at long last possible. A smile crossed my lips as I turned into an alley and snapped my finger, opening a portal before me.

There was a long road ahead of us.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Congratulations!

Cards of Fate receives 1320 EXP and 105 GP!

BlackandBlueEyes receives 1335 EXP and 95 GP!

This thread will now be submitted to the workshop for peer review!

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

All rewards added (Cards of Fate receives an additional 20% GP in addition to rewards due to his GP bonus ability)