Book 5: Job on my Heart. (Closed)

[Mutant_Lorenor]

(Closed to Omegastar)

Continued from here (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=16563).

Present Day. Wednesday, March 15th, C.P. 1810
Time: 2:00 A.M.


~I~

After his battle with Omega, Lorenor found himself leaving the familiar bastion of freedom, The Citadel's halls. Having healed him fully, the mutant went to temple of N'Jal located within the gigantic structure and offered his daily prayer. It was daytime, and he sat there with the Dark Friar Irvine Maxon, at the helm of the sermon. "It is with dark tidings that we are all gathered here today. In honor of the great goddess. We are her beloved children. Blessed are we that follow the path of darkness. In her shadow we are many. In her footfalls we are a legion. In her breath we are a legion. Look upon thy brothers and give thanks to one another." Lorenor hugged a nearby individual wearing a completely black robe. These were ceremonial robes granted to all of the cultists that followed the dark goddess. Within the room, Lorenor knew that he was the only true Spider Magi that joined their ranks. Lorenor bore the markings of the legendary creature upon his head and throughout his body. Scarred and marred to imperfection making him a truly grotesque image to behold.

But within the fold of the cultists, he was revered. Not feared and treated like an outcast. The room had many candles lit that were black and carried with it the scent of some fruit or another. Lorenor hadn't found out exactly what that fruit was. He kept his eyes on the friar who served that particular Wednesday. The statue of N'Jal glowed eternally with its magnificent power, a true embodiment of darkness. Lorenor hugged the individual who sat next to him. A giant group hug occurred with various people hugging the individuals that sat next to one another. Mixed within the group were men and women of all ages, twenty all together. Including the dark friar himself. He continued to speak and the sermon had become a blur to Lorenor's twisted mind. He'd heard the words a million times before. He was here to pay his respect to the dark mother, not pray before some bloated, pompous ass. He sighed as he read from the pages of the Necronomicon. Its unholy text serving as a guide to the cultists. The cultists followed the text fully and lived by its guidelines with the fear of death.

Once a cultist, always a cultist.

Lorenor sat in silent meditation as the sermon intensified and the dark, corrupted souls were delivered to the dark Mother.

At the end of the sermon, Lorenor rose from his position, gathered his belongings and prepared to leave. The mutant looked at the statue of N'Jal longingly for about five minutes more and then started to walk towards the chamber's doors. They were deep within The Citadel's halls, several floors down to be certain. Lorenor's position was underground as the chamber was hidden from the Inquisition's hateful eyes. Lorenor placed the follower's robes within his travel packs and finally began to walk to the door. Friar Irvine walked over to the mutant and placed a hand upon his shoulder. "Do you have a moment Brother Lorenor?" The man asked with a modest tone of respect. Irvine was a tall individual that also wore his hood up. He kept an intricate amulet about his neck, and walked with a scepter in his right hand that functioned as a cane. The dark friar had a limp to his walk and stood at approximately six feet in height. He looked down at Lorenor, but kept his eyes locked on the mutant's own strangely glowing eyes. The friar knew what was waiting beneath the shadow of that dark hood.

"What is it friar Maxon?"

"There is no need for such formalities here. You are amongst friends in this place."

"Forgive me. I keep my mannerisms out of habit. I mean no disrespect."

"Of course not, brother Lorenor."

"What can I do for you Irvine?"

"That's more like it." He clapped his hands together letting his scepter dangle at his belt. He'd attached it to his belt just a moment earlier. "I have a favor to ask of you."

"I thought we were past such formalities." Lorenor grinned. "Feel free to ask away my friend."

******

Lorenor stood on the steps of The Citadel and began to slowly walk down towards the street level. There was series of citadel shops along the walkway that connected to streets and alleyways moving towards the bazaar area. Lorenor knew that because he'd walked along these streets hundreds of times. The Citadel served a dual purpose of being a place that was dedicated to warfare, and a place that was dedicated to the worship of the All-Thayne. Lorenor walked slowly down the many steps of The Citadel and paused to take a look back towards the building. It was night by now, it was late. It was roughly 2:00 A.M. The mutant's power had waned and he was prepared to take care of friar Maxon's errand. He held the package in his person and knew the contact in Radasanth that he needed to see. The man would have further work for a Spider Magi in training. Lorenor knew that this was the first step in a larger design. Preparing to deliver the package in his possession, the mutant walked down the steps casually. He wasn't in any particular rush whatsoever.

He was just ready to stare destiny in the face.

[Omegastar]

Omega woke up in a rather harsh room to say the least, it was dark, and made out of stone from the feel of the room. And as he got up to leave he was hit in the head by a door swinging open.

Omega stumbled back and leaned against the cold stone holding his nose. It hurt like Hell! As he peaked around the door there was no one there but his sword and so he grabbed it and strapped it around his shoulder. He walked down the stair well and right past a few monks staring at him as if they had just watched his fight and realized how dangerous he could be.

He came to the front doors and used a lot of his strength to swing the huge wooden doors open fast as if he was on a mission little did he know he would be.

He saw the man he had just fought ahead of him.

“Hey you! What are you doing here?” Omega said as he grabbed Lorenor’s shoulder tightly.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Feeling the tight grip on his shoulder Lorenor immediately prepared himself for an imminent attack, but remembered where he was. He quickly calmed himself down and shrugged himself away from the powerful hand. Lorenor turned to face the owner of the hand and was surprised when he saw the owner of that familiar scent. The mutant took a few steps backwards down the staircase and looked at Omega calmly. His face was disinterested, passive. The mutant knew he'd scored an important win against the much stronger opponent and he was proving his worth to the monks and his goddess, N'Jal.

"Look, friend, I don't want any trouble here. I beat you fair and square, the monks will testify to that. But I will hand it to you kid. You did have a lot of balls to face me in singles combat. I held back considerably because I didn't want to kill you. I just wanted a straight fight." The mutant explained as he looked at Omega's face. He was hoping to get through to the warrior, he would call the guards if necessary though. That was a move he didn't want to fall back on. Lorenor quickly remembered the package in his possession. He thought about it for a moment and then came up with a quick plan.

"Hey kid. I got a better way you can use that pent up frustration of yours. How about you work for me instead? I can pay you. Hell. I can train you." The mutant said calmly. There was a serious tone in his voice as he addressed the younger warrior. "You got a lot of potential kid. I want to see you realize your potential in a constructive way. I got plenty I can teach you."

Feeling bold, Lorenor pressed the matter to bring home his point. "I also got gold. I can pay you like I said. I'm running a job right now. If you want to be a part of it, just say the word or be on your way. I don't have time to play with children." The mutant said coldly with a sly grin. He was feeling manipulative and hoped that his offer would sway the youth from his arrogant actions. "It's your choice, but do decide quickly. I must be on my way." Lorenor pointed to something. In the direction of his fingertip, approximately several paces away was a group of Radasanthian guards. They weren't Knights of Dawn, but it didn't take much to sound the general alarm these days.

And so, Lorenor waited for some kind of response from Omega.

[Omegastar]

Friend? Did this man just call Omega a friend? They were just pit in a battle to the death, and he calls Omegastar a friend? He couldn’t help but smile at the thought that this man had held back in their fight. To Omega it looked like he had given it his best shot and barely won. He only won due to interference and he wasn’t afraid to make this point known.

“You really are close minded aren’t you? You only one due to interference and you know that, if it wasn’t for them damn guards you would have been dead and you know that.” Omega said as a sly but cocky smile slid across his face. “And it’s a shame really, I would have killed you if the opportunity arose.”

Omega went to walk back into the citadel to find another fight maybe this one he could win, As Lorenor spoke again.

A look of pure humor fell on Omega’s face as he began to chuckle. With his back to Lorenor.

“sure why not I could use a hearty laugh if you think you can train me, and this potential you speak of ….. I’m at my peak of abilities.”

Omega spun on his heel’s facing Lorenor with an unpleasant look on his face.

“Children? You referring to me as a child? I may have been at one point in time, but as for right now, if anything you’re the kid. And let me make my point clear I am over six hundred years old so I would watch what you say. Cause your are the child here.”

Omega started thinking as he watched Lorenor point towards a group of guards.

“Ahh, why not I have nothing better to do. I’m we are going to be allies there’s too things you should know. One don’t call me kid or I will kill you, and Two I am Omegastar who are you?” Omega said as he clasped his hand on Lorenor’s shoulder as he walked down towards the city of Radasanth with one hand on his sword in case he tried anything funny.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Lorenor frowned that the child's actions. The mutant couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was almost like a slap to the face. He shook his head and started to laugh at the kid. Age is nothing but a number. For someone who has seen and done so much you've act like a complete child. Lorenor looked down at the ground for a moment as he laughed, knowing full well where he was and what he was doing. He was arrogant, he was obnoxious, but the kid had balls, and thusly, he had potential.

"Omega Star aye? Fair enough. My name is Lorenor. That's all you need to know. I'll tell you more if you earn the right to know more. I have to run this job and then afterwards I'll start you up on your journey to obtain real talent, real skill. For now kid, you're just all show. And never ever tell me what to do again or I'll rip your fucking throat out. Understand?"

Lorenor had worked too hard to obtain the title of lordship in Salvar for some snot nosed kid to talk down to him. Lorenor knew he needed to take his potential student a few notches down in order for there to be a rapport and some sort of readily available respect. Lorenor could see the potential within the child's vessel.

"You're at your prime huh? No wonder I defeated you." Lorenor said coldly and started to walk down the stairs calmly. His walk was with a purpose, dignified. His eyes were locked directly ahead of him as he noticed the guards passing by. They were on mass patrol ever since martial law was declared for Radasanth. The big city was no longer a safe haven for anyone who ventured there.

Lorenor easily caught up to Omega and walked alongside his would-be apprentice. "We're walking over to the area I was told to go. Afterwards we're going to go to Concordia Forest. You train with me, you train how I tell you to do. You gotta do what I say, when I say it. Understand me, Omega? You want to pass your so-called prime, then this is exactly the way we're going to do it." He said. There was no malice in his voice, he was simply speaking truthfully. Lorenor possessed the skill to kill a man with both blade and claw.

Omega would pose very little threat to him in a non-spar situation. The only clever trick that his student possessed was that fast shift maneuver. Lorenor had never managed to learn anything like that. Remembering the address to the particular individual he was supposed to see, the mutant walked in silence purposefully ignoring his would be student. He was testing the man's level of patience. Patience was a prerequisite to sword-training. And so, Lorenor walked alongside the first man who would claim the spot of an apprentice to the swordsman.

[Omegastar]

Omega was about to speak. but remembered one thing. if this man is as powerful as he claims to be he could help omega get powerful enough to kill anyone in his sight. and so a conversation began between Ferin'Sha and Omegastar inside his head, as he walked alongside Lorenor but trailing by one pace.

"Omega, why don't you just Flash step behind him and slit his throaght, it's easy enough we can do it." Ferin'sha said as the sword began to humm with anticipation for a fight.

"We Can't, just imagine if he can increase our skills. imagine how much more powerful we will be."

"That is true young one, but he could also be luring us into a false sense of security before he acts and slits our throaght."

"That is True, well we will both stay vigilant and watch for any red flags of treachery! but also Ferin we must watch for signs of truth and honesty as well"

As Omega Ferin and Lorenor were walking down the path Omega and ferin both heard movement from within bushes.

"one .... two .....maybe three .... no definantly two no more no less" Omega whispered to lorenor's left ear.

"I sure am glad i got magic on my side for hightened hearing thanks to you ferin" Omega said as he rested a hand on his hip near ferin-sha's hilt to draw him in a seconds notice.

"Lorenor shall you take on and i get the other? or i take both? or you take both?" Omega said as the movement got faster.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Some shrubbery lurked alongside the road as they walked through the Citadel district and towards the areas outside of Radasanth's safety zone. The mutant took a glance at the closest guards and saw that he was relatively far away distracted by a skirt. How typical. Lorenor turned his attention to Omega and nodded towards the young warrior. Where Omega possessed age, he clearly lacked in experience.

The streets of Radasanth had undergone a particularly interesting change. All around them were various protesters. In one case, a small group of them were chanting anti-war propaganda. Several of the local Radasanthian police were armed in full anti-riot gear. Overall the demonstrators were protesting peacefully but a few were yelling angry shouts at the guards. There were several hundred people out in the streets.

Lorenor noticed the property that they walked right by. There was a large house that had propaganda etched upon it in red. It was one of the many anarchist groups that had sprung up all over Corone. Lorenor thought it might be members of the Cult of N'Jal, but the markings weren't familiar to him. The mutant saw that the property was very run down. Shrubbery did appear in some sort of garden area that was overrun with dandelions and other weeds.

Vines also covered parts of the front of the house. The mutant's eight foot sensory grid had grown exceedingly powerful with time and practice. He took a look at his apprentice. Omega had spotted the hidden fellows before he had! That showed plenty of promise. Looking at Omega for a long moment, his hand went to his sword and he drew the prevalida sword (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=16745) out. He was prepared for anything. The weapon glowed with a cold blue aura that made the air immediately around it drop a few temperature points. Energy flowed into the air that flowed from the blade's potent enchantment. Lorenor had called the weapon Glacier.

Hearing the conversation that the fellows were having was an easy matter for the mutant. They were well within range. They were talking gibberish about attempting to rob bystanders that passed by their property. Lorenor kept his eyes upon Omega for the entire time to make it seem like he wasn't aware of the immediate dangers. Once he had heard enough, the mutant opted to concentrate on more immediate dangers, such as Omega. He turned towards the general direction that they were heading and was about to draw his sword, when the would-be bandits jumped from out behind the bushes.

Four men of varying heights and builds were now visible. The block that they were on was very wide and had plenty of standing room for them all. Carts passed through the middle of the streets being pulled by horses. Eyes from within the cart watched the situation unfolding with visible fear. Mostly, the unfolding battle was largely ignored by the general populace. People on the other side of the street walked in the opposite direction quickly, or went into their houses and locked the doors and closed the windows. Cowards.

The mutant thought to himself. With his sword pointing to the ground he looked at the nearest of the four bandits. They all wore steel chest plates, and heavy cloth that was dirty. Lorenor saw gauntlets made of leather that were padded with metal and greaves. The leader had a sword made of plynt and the rest of them had various weaponry ranging from copper, to steel. The mutant sighed visibly. "Look man we don't have time for this. I am clearly better armed than you are." Lorenor addressed the leader of the group. He kept his eyes on Omega the whole time. We don't have time for this!

"I know you." The leader suddenly said. "You're that Lorenor fellow. There's a price on your head. The Corone Empire labeled you as a fugitive. Maybe you can help us out." The man said. "But boss, he's got valuable equipment! We should rob him!" The leader looked to his overeager men and shook his head calmly. "No point. Look at his sword. That's prevalida. And it looks like he knows how to use it effectively. Look at your own equipment fellas. We're hurting for help here. Anyway my name is Barrath. Barrath Mathews. This here is my property. Not much of a place to look at on the outside, but she's got it where she counts. I am not gonna lie, my fellows and I were about to rob you and your friend until I recognized you from the wanted posters. Any enemy of Corone is a friend of ours. This is my group, there are more of us inside. We are a small outfit calling ourselves Avalanche. We are a resistance group. You and your friend seem like capable warriors. Why don't you join us and help us out? We are trying to help bring down the Empire. There are a bunch of us operating in Corone now."

Lorenor thought about it.

"I was going to train my partner over here. Can you pay us?"

"A modest fee."

"All right. I will see what I can do then." He turned to look at Omega once more after addressing Mathews. "What do you think Omega. You want to stay and help these people fight the Empire?"

[Omegastar]

Omega hated being ignored almost completely, no request for input and no talking to him.

He Wanted to see what Lorenor was going to do before he made anymove himself, so when he drew his Sword, so did Omega. Revealing the Blue Hue of his sword, that changed the density of air around it, which made the air look blue.

[/I]" Ferin Relax you can taste blood eventually, just not right now relax."[/I] Omega said as he watched the sword color and air color return to normal.

and just as Omega was About to attack and get this over with, The propostion was offered.

"Well, i guess it would be fun, to kill all those guards, and sure why not i get practise in as i do so." Omega said as he looked at the leader. "But i only have one request, i get to spar against all your men atleast once."

Omega then Sheathed Ferin'sha but kept vigilant very vigilant, he didnt trust nobody at all.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

A man of darker complexion, Barrath was built like a giant box. His chest and shoulders were broad, built like someone who spent a lot of time doing heavy lifting. Lorenor admired the warrior's build deeply. Investigating the surrounds, the mutant saw that the edifice was just as shabby on the inside as it was on the outside. Boards covered windows, cobwebs hung loosely in corners that clearly housed unwanted guests. The mutant smelled liquor and ale powerfully in the air. Several individuals were inside of the edifice of varying age groups. Having no particular goal at the moment, the mutant decided to do some mercenary work for a change. His work in the Church of Ethereal Sway turned a huge profit for the mutant.

Freelance work in some of Corone's underground gangs might prove to be an equal profit. Lorenor's head moved around on instinct as he spotted the various sights within the old house. An old candle-fueled chandelier hung from the ceiling in the main hall of the first floor. The building consisted of several floors above ground and several floors below ground. It was built up entire of mud-brick. The mutant saw a simple staircase that lead upwards to another floor, and what looked like a staircase on that floor as well. Lorenor saw several doors. All around the main hall were several tables, and several large couches. There were love seats as well. The mutant observed various individuals belonging to this splinter group hanging out. In various forms of being sprawled out, Lorenor saw at least twenty people. Well, he saw the heat signatures of at least twenty people.

They were in the many rooms of the building. Some were above and below working on various projects. For some reason, he couldn't effectively see all of the people around him. Some figures moved in the shadows, and he could have sworn he saw forms that looked like eyes staring right back at him. He merely shrugged that off. As far as Lorenor was concerned, he was just imagining things. Hearing Omega's single request made the mutant chuckle to himself. He shot a glance at the other warrior but decided not to comment. Instead, he turned his attention back towards Barrath. " What kind of operation are you running here? "

"Took a peak at our numbers huh? Well the flock over here numbers at around fifty. Though I would suggest against using your powers within the property, measures are in place to protect against such forms of the supernatural arts." He said proudly, Lorenor noticed the wide grin. "You want to spar my men huh? Good. They could use the training. What about you Lorenor? What would you like to do?"

"I want to send a knife right into the heart of the new Corone Empire. I am a man of actions, not words. The sooner operations may begin, the better off all of us might be. "

"You don't have any conditions of working with our faction?"

"Look, sir. I am a member of The Red Hand! My assistance doth not come with pre-conditions. Take it or leave it. Thou hast already offered modest pay for the job. My pupil needs training, as long as he gets that training, then mine concern is lax. "

"Understood. Then I will show you two to your rooms. You there. Jack and Regis. Come with me, there is work that needs doing."

And with that, Lorenor followed Barrath through the confines of the edifice. It was only now, wandering through the halls of he building that he could see various symbols of arcane power burned into the very walls themselves. He hissed at seeing some of the symbol, and quickly moved to evade them with some degree of skill. He could feel his skin burning. Barrath stopped suddenly, and kept his back to the duo. "They are impressive are they not? I had the wards personally installed myself." Lorenor could only nod, he couldn't see the grin on the old warrior's face.

[Omegastar]

Omega Didn't have any personal feelings towards the ancient sygils on the wall tell he touched a green glowing one, and it sapped all his strength away, he couldnt flash step, or communicate with Ferin'Sha, but he knew he was still there cause his sword started glowing blue and kept getting more intense, so after awhile, he brought the sword up to his head, leaned against it, and the light was disperesed, weakening or destroying some ruins on the wall, as Ferin'sha seemed to fall into a nice deep sleep.

after a few moments Omega was at his room, and looked around, it was a simple room, small, with a matress on one wall, and nothing else anywhere, so he walked inside and scanned for arcane sygils, none were found.

After a few hours in his room, Ferin'sha came to. and they started to communicate, and after awhile decided tehy were going to go into the main area, and spar with a few men,

as he approached the main room, he sensed he was being watched but couldn't tell from where, and he didnt have a very good feeling about it, but as he approached the center of the room he drew his sword, and made an open challenge to whoever wanted to spar to step forward, and not to worry cause he would not kill them.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Whilst Omega took care of his business, Lorenor conversed over a shared drink with Barrath. The two sat at a bar located on the top floor of the simple building fashioned after an inn. "You have unusual tastes." Barrath commented when Lorenor ordered Raiaeran Ale. The Inn portion of the hideout was well stocked with a tremendous variety of fine liquor. Lorenor could smell the many foods and liquids that were served to the costumers of the inn. He had to admire Barrath and his group, they were well prepared for being a small faction without a Guild House. The mutant shrugged at the thought remembering the Red Hand's roots as a faction without the original base that Ithermoss set aside for him. Lorenor wondered if they could ever physically recover Pandemonium's Fist. An original headquarters of the old Red Hand, the Pandemonium's Fist lurked deep underground in one of Corone's many mountainous systems. Lorenor waited a full minute to respond to Barrath's comments. "I am a Salvarn Lord. I must play the part well." He said casually.

Barrath laughed at that. "You are indeed a strange individual. What's a Salvarn Lord doing wandering around Radasanth's Slums?" Barrath had questions, and the questions were annoying Lorenor. But Lorenor had agreed to join the small outfit, so he would allow the questions to come his way and answer the best he could. "I simply have business to conduct here. Some loose ends." Lorenor hinted at the larger picture. A hand of fate, the mutant had a role to play in the things that were coming to Althanas. If he wasn't a primary engine, he was at least one of the pistons of the great design. "Does it have anything to do with this?" Came a third voice. Barrath turned to see one of his companions walking up to them with a parchment in his hand. It looked like a recent document. The man had wild hair that was partially wavy and stark blue eyes. His cheekbones hinted at a nationality other than Radasanth. Perhaps from the southern lands? Lorenor could only guess. "Omar. Glad to see you've returned from that little errand I sent you." Barrath took the parchment in Omar's hand.

Omar stood a few inches shorter than Barrath, but was built just as strongly as the darker man was. "Wanted huh?" Barrth smiled at that. "This could serve to our benefit, thank you Omar." Lorenor turned to look at the men for a moment. "If thou art attempting to turn me in for the profit on my head, think again!" The mutant's hand went immediately to one of his favored weapons. Each of his weapons were masterwork in quality and kept in utmost condition. Lorenor pulled one of his swords partially out of the scabbard before Barrath raised a hand. "W-whoa there! We were simply doing a background search on you. Its Guild procedures to do at least a minor inquiry of all new members." Barrath was talking fast and ran a hand through his hair nervously. He was making no attempts to draw a weapon. What kind of group was this? Lorenor thought to himself. Seeing Barrath's reaction, the mutant realized that these people were not a threat to him...at least not yet. Lorenor relaxed his stance for a moment sheathing his weapon but not removing his hand from the grip.

The mutant stared at the two men for a while. It was then he noticed that several guards were nearby, tensed and with hands on their weapons as well. These were a handful of men from the Guild House. "Stand down and I shalt stand down!" Lorenor called out to the gathered individuals as he stared at Barrath. "Tell them to withdraw!" Lorenor said, he was pondering cutting ties to the Guild already and getting Omega the hell out of there. This could have been some elaborate trap set up by the Empire after all. Lorenor waited to see the reaction from the so-called leadership body and his men. After a few minutes passed, the man finally took a deep breath. "Stand down." He gave the order. "I gave no order to place harm upon this man, he is one of us now. So is his partner." Barrath added ensuring the safety of the two warriors, at least for the time being. A moment later the warriors all relaxed their stances and went back to their business. Lorenor learned one thing from the exchange...they were not members of the Empire. Finally, Lorenor too let his weapon go. He shifted in his seat to return to the drink. He'd already checked for poisonous substances.

"Keep your men in line there boss, or Omega and myself art history." Lorenor said, it was not a threat, it was a promise.