Darkness, Take Me.

[Ravenok Kinnes]

This is part 2 of Monotonous Bloodlust (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=3257). SOLO.


I don't know who you are, and you don't know me. But I know that you must be extremely confused as to why you are receiving this letter. If the man from whom you acquired this was correct in his duties, then you have been chosen for a special honor.

Heard of Chi, yes? Yes, I believe you must've, if you were chosen to receive this. I don't know to what extent your abilities reach, but I do know that however much you know about Chi, you do not know about the Darkness Technique. What is this 'Darkness Technique,' you ask? Well, you can only find out if you accept my one and only invitation to my abode. Only then will I tell you in detail what the Darkness Technique is. What I will tell you, though, is that it is a form of Chi. The power that resides within those that use the Darkness Technique is immense, and all that we wish to do is show you this power.

Accept this or not, the choice is up to you. But I tell you this, refuse, and you will surely regret it. Don't believe me? Then don't come, you'll see what happens. Now you wish to find out where I am, don't you?

Ever heard of the Red Forest? I am sure you have... Come to it, for that is where you will find me. I tell you now, though, it is quite a large forest, and even larger are the creatures that lurk within. Trust me, there will be help along the way to guide you to me. How will they know you? Why, show this note to them of course! You know of the Raiaera region? I'll assume you do. You'll find a spire on the south eastern side of the region, about a mile north of the northeast corner of the Red Forest. Rather easy to come by, if I do say so myself. There you'll find an Inn called The Bearded Lady. Look for a man dressed in pitch black garbs, he'll probably be wearing a hood over his face. Show the note to him, and you're good to go. Come within the next tenday or so, will you? Wouldn't want your source to get tired and leave, now, do you?

I'll be waiting.

--Anonymous

The note that Ravenok had received back in the Zirnden about a week ago. He was still wondering about who the man might be who Ravenok was supposed to meet somewhere in the Red Forest. Something about a Darkness Technique. Ravenok hadn't a clue as to what it was. He had never read about it in ANY of the tomes about Chi that he looked at. But the note did state that it was some form of Chi, which over the past week had made Ravenok extremely interested in it. Why had he never learned about it?

The trip to Raiaera had been an uneventful one. Ravenok had come to know these merchants somewhat, the three that were on the boat with him. He enjoyed the fact that they packed a good amount of ale before embarking from Scara Brae, and Ravenok had his share of after the first couple of days. There were some laughs, but he didn't really get too close despite their short conversations. They mainly kept to their own business, steering the ship and reading, allowing Ravenok to his own devices. Ravenok being left alone had opened up a lot of new doors for him. For one, he had become much fascinated by the open sea. Yes, he had ridden on ships and boats before, but not like this. On this vessel, the sea was only an arm's reach pretty much from the edge, and the quietness that ensued their dark nights allowed Ravenok to peacefully gaze upon the open waters, glistening in the moonling. It was beautiful, and Ravenok was one to love great sights.

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The four men were up on the deck of the vessel, two of the merchants were quietly reading books, Ravenok was sitting cross-legged on the floor, his back leaning against the door that led down into the boat. He was examining the parchment that contained the note form anonymous, pondering. The fat merchant that had been punched by Ravenok before the voyage was steering. Though he seemed stupid, he was actually an exceptionable captain, keeping the boat ride smooth and cool. Dusk was just setting on the horizon of the seventh day of the voyage, Ravenok was glad he left when he did or else he may not have made it to Raiaera in time. The sea breeze that gently blew over the boat was warm and welcoming, it smelled strongly of salt. The only sounds that were being made were the gentle creaking of the boat as it rocked on the water's waves, and the occasional seabird gawking as it flew above.

"Shore is near. We've made it to Raiaera." The merchant captain said, examining a small map which detailed the region. Ravenok's eyes left the note, and he looked to the west. There was land. There was a small sandy shore in between tall rock faces, that would probably be where they docked for a moment. Ravenok stood up and walked to the captain, gestured for him to give him the map. He did, and also pointed out where on the map they were. They were just north east of the Red Forest. Ravenok recognized what the captain meant by that. "This is where you get off, Ravenok."

Ravenok nodded and looked to the west again, handing the map back to the man. They slowly pulled onto the sandy shore, just enough so that the boat stopped far enough out that they can push it back into the water.

"I am sorry that we can't make your leave any more jovial." The captain said, "But we are in a hurry, and taking you here has delayed us of our own duties. May fortune shine on your path." He finished, as Ravenok shook everyone's hand and hopped off the side of the boat and into the shallow water of the shore. He didn't bother to look back at the boat as it left. After he hopped off the boat, all of his cares concerning the three merchants were lost. He was now headed to some spire. He could see a small tower in the distance, and he guessed that must be it. Looking at the captains map it also showed a spire not very far from the shore. He could also see the Red Forest. It was farther than the spire, Ravenok could only see the black line that made up it's outer edge. It was probably about a mile south of the spire to his guessing. Even from there the Red Forest looked uninviting. Well, he would have to go there anyway.

Ravenok wondered why they couldn't bring the boat onto the shore anymore. He was forced to leap into about a foot of water, almost engulfing the whole of his greaves. Water seeped through the small holes in the metal, it was freezing cold despite the warm breeze it brought with it. Even more came in after his feet sunk into the soft sand at his feet. He trudged his way onto the dry land. No one was around, and he didn't really expect people to be. The main cities of Raiaera were much farther west than this. He could see the spire though, and he also saw a couple building's at the tower's base. Perhaps just a guardhouse or something, and supposably the Bearded Lady was supposed to be there too.

Ravenok was glad to get his feet on dry land, shaking out his greaves that were filled with water. He hoped they didn't ruin the metal in any way. The grass plain that he was on was vast, almost like a sea of land. It went north as far as he could see, with small mountains in the far distance. The new breeze on land was cooler in the night, which was slowly making it's way into the region. He wasn't worried about the north though, now his destination was the spire shortly to the west. So, after having looked back only to see the boat now far to the north already, Ravenok made his way to the spire, and to the Bearded Lady.

[Ravenok Kinnes]

By the time Ravenok arrived at the spire and the small set of buldings that accompanied it's base, night had settled fully into the sky. A cold chill blew in the wind, and a strange smell of blood was in the air as Ravenok got close. It wasn't much, there were only a couple of small buildings besides the tall spire. One was a rectangular shaped building with large iron doors on one side, a shield crest was etched into the bricks above the door, it wove an insignia that Ravenok didn't recognize. Probably some Raiaeran company. The other building was right across from the rectangular building, seperated only by a small dirt road that led on as far as Ravenok could see west. It was a two-story building, square in shape. A large wooden sign hung above the small wooden door that bore a poorly painted picture of an ugly lady with ugly an abundant facial hair. That must've been the Bearded Lady as described in the note.

Strangely, though, the entire of the area seemed vacant, an eerie silence hung in the air. As Ravenok quietly walked towards the tavern's door, he couldn't hear laughing or singing, or anything of the like coming from within. Even the small windows on the upper levels of the spire were dark and uninviting, it seemed like no one had been there in days. He was reluctant to reach for the knob to the Bearded Lady, he could feel the coldness of the knob's metal even through his gauntlets. Something just didn't feel right...

To his amazement, he wasn't wrong. The inside of the tavern was black, filled with shadow. The only thing Ravenok could see was that right in front of the tavern due to the small moonlight. What he did see in the darkness was a fallen table, broken from the impact. The lamp that would have been lit upon it was smashed into pieces on the floor as well. "What... The... Fuck?" Ravenok thought to himself. He thought it just as he began to hear growling within the confines of the tavern. The hairs on the back of Ravenok's neck stood on end and nearly jumped out of their little places, even to Ravenok - who didn't get scared easily - fear still found it's way into Ravenok's mind. It was dark, cold, everything was vacant, and now something was growling at him.

Two blood-red eyes showed themselves to Ravenok's right. They were low to the ground, and Ravenok guessed that it wasn't that big. They were clearly visible in the lightless room. Thank god it wasn't big...

Oh, how Ravenok was mistaken.

[Ravenok Kinnes]

Ravenok had never seen such a creature before in his life. He had no damn clue what it was. The creature slowly crawled out into the moonlight that came from the open door, it looked like some sort of werewolf that was caught between it's human form and wolf form. It was surely bipedal, only it was now crawling on all fours. It's red eyes shone brilliantly, it must've been from all the blood it absorbed from those it had killed in the past. It was bearing it's teeth and growling like a feral canine, saliva taking it's place on the wooden floorboards. It was nearly hairless, the only hair it had was on it's semi-bald head, and thos eonly came in small coarse black hairs. The bare skin of the beast was deathly pale, and looked leathery from where Ravenok was standing. It's back was extremely arched, looking like if the creature stood on it's two feet, it would easily be taller than Ravenok.

It's growling didn't cease in the seconds that it stood staring at the muscled freelancer, who could only do the same from the other side of the half-shut wooden door that he still held in his hand via the door knob. It winced slightly, and then Ravenok noticed that it had a small and crudely shaped dagger in it's left side, a stream of blood trickling out of the wound. Though considering the size of the creature, it only felt a thorn in it's side. It's eyes flashed maliciously, and Ravenok took his cue, slamming the door shut as the beast lunged viciously, opening it's mouth to let it's large fangs dig into whatever flesh it could find on Ravenok.

It was to no avail, though. The weak and poorly-designed door burst into pieces as the half-wolf's lunge broke right through it and slammed into the surprised Ravenok. One of it's huge, saliva-dripping fangs caught onto the skin of Ravenok's right shoulder, ripping a crescent shaped gash through the enchanted cloth of his tunic. Ravenok loudly grunted and a flash of anger flashed on his dirty face. The tackle threw him and the creature to the hard ground, Ravenok first. His breath was knocked out of him, and the unharmed beast on him tried lashing at his exposed face, only to be stopped by a metal-covered hand that latched it's grip on it's throat. Ravenok's choking grasp was barely keeping the creature's lashing fangs from his eyes, disgusting saliva dripped onto his cheeks. It's breath smelled like death and rot.

Gasping for air, Ravenok looked at his options: One, he could try and muscle the massive beast off of him. Two, he could scream for help, though no one was around. Or three, he could--

The beast yelped loudly, the sound ringing in Ravenok's ears. It yelped from pain, and jumped off of Ravenok and to the dirt on the side. It was trying to paw at it's neck, which had a deep hole cut through it. Ravenok looked at his right hand, which was tightly grasping a sharp piece of broken wood that came from the door, dripping with the creature's blood. He had subconciously picked it up and thrust it into the thing's neck. He couldn't even recall it. At least it had saved him. Ravenok stood up slowly, trying to breathe air back into his previously supressed lungs. They slowly filled up, and the meager energy granted from it allowed Ravenok to stand. He winced in pain at his shoulder when he tossed the wooden shard aside. The half-wolf beast was slowly recovering, and rather than waiting to fully recover, or escaping, it lunged at Ravenok again. Ravenok was now ready, and held out his left hand, palm facing the beast. The air turned a bluish-hue and an orb of ice formed in his hand, which he grasped when it was complete. It was fairly sized, about the size of his fist. The stupid beast that made it's slow advance towards Ravenok was oblivious to the fact that his head was about to run into the ice sphere.

It did, to Ravenok's speculations. The sheer force of the creature's head combined with the dense skull which was within created an impact that completely broke the ice ball, the shards created from it lodging themselves into it's brain. A piece of the shard made itself a little notch in Ravenok's steel gauntlet, not breaking through into the skin. The creature fell immediately, warm red blood gushing from the newly created wounds. Ravenok's left hand went up to his right shoulder and held it with pressure, just waiting and hoping that the blood would stop running through it. The entire front of Ravenok's upper arm was covered in blood, one could only guess that some had seeped into the gauntlet as well. He didn't like his new dirtied look, but supposed he would live anyway. This would require a shower and a nice massage... Perhaps when this journey was over.

[Ravenok Kinnes]

"Fucking random creatures... Attacking random pubs and shit." Ravenok yelled to no one in pain as the wound in his shoulder sent searing pain throughout his arm. His voice was full of anger, just waiting for another creature to confront him so he can pummel it into a pile of dirt and blood. Why the hell was he even in Raiaera anyways? Obviously no one was here in this tavern, and no one seemed to be in the nearby spire. Who the hell would lure him to this trap? His dark and evil eyes flashed as he turned from the tavern, still holding his shoulder, and began to walk away, broken wood cracking beneath his feet.

Just as he started walking, a heavy hand grabbed his left shoulder and the freelancer's head snapped to look at it. It was a black gloved hand, well, it looked like a black gloved hand. It seemed to be smoking, like it had recently been on fire. Ravenok heard himself say "Wait." What!? He said wait? Ravenok didn't say a thing, but the voice that came from behind him sounded almost like him, only a little deeper and more demonic. Without a second thought, Ravenok spun around, taking his hand off his shoulder, and aimed a fisted hand at whatever's face behind him.

As the fist passed through the air, Ravenok found out that he had hit air, the black man that was strangely as tall as he and had the same muscle tone had swiftly ducked under the punch. He looked like Ravenok, but he couldn't see his face, which was covered by the shadows of a hooded cloak, the black void that replaced the creature's face had a pair of blood red eyes, luminescent in the dark moonlight. The freelancer heard the thing chuckle, a chuckle that would shrill the spine of any child, but to Ravenok it only provoked him. He sent a knee flying straight for that black void under the shadow man's hood, which also hit air when the cloaked man rolled to the side. He quickly stood up after rolling and held up a black hand to signal stop, a quiet voice whispered "I am not your enemy."

Ravenok stopped his assault for a moment and thought... A man dressed in black garbs with a hood? Was this the man that the freelancer was supposed to meet here? He quickly dove a hand into his tunic and fumbled out the note given to him a week ago, it was ripped nearly in half. A sudden interest flared up within the shadow man that stood before him, looking down at the note and holding out a black hand to grab it. Ravenok reluctantly handed it to him and the cloaked man inspected it fully and quickly handed it back. He nodded slightly and one of his red eyes winked at the freelancer. Without a word, the cloaked man turned to face the south and walked off towards the distant Red Forest, obviously expecting Ravenok to follow.

"Obviously this damn fool isn't much of a talker." The freelancer thought to himself, standing where he was for a moment while the cloaked man walked off. His shoulder wound had stopped hurting, and the bleeding ceased along with it. He looked around, at the broken wood mess that the half-werewolf beast had left when it crashed through the door. Speaking of that, he could also smell the corpse lying on the dirt only a couple of feet away from him, the smell of rot being the most pungent. He screamed out a "Wait!" before taking off after the hooded man, nearly tripping over the dirt itself as his feet found their way.

=================================================

"So, he finally comes." Echoed a loud and powerful voice within the central chamber in the monastery. The source came from a heavily muscled man dressed in a long black robe, reaching the floor and encasing whatever he was wearing underneath. His black, pupil-less eyes shone with interest as he peered into a smoking dark purple orb that he held in both hands. The orb was about the size of his head, and a small scene played out within the center of it. He watched intently as a well-built man killed some type of werewolf creature with, what he knew as, Chi. He chuckled deeply when he saw the well-built man meet with a cloaked figure only after trying to punch, then knee, him.

"He has come," the man shouted into the darkness of the chamber, obviously speaking to someone, or something that was in the shadows beyond the black robed man's sight. "Begin the preparations."

[Ravenok Kinnes]

The cloaked man didn't speak the entire time that the two similar men walked together into the Red Forest, making the trip a very uneventful one. Except for the time that he saved Ravenok from touching one of the very deadly plants that inhabit the forest. The night only grew darker when they entered under the red boughs of the forest, even giving the air a reddish-hue color. It was amazing, trees reaching as high as you could see, with leaves that blocked out any light from penetrating onto the forest floor. Ravenok wondered how it would look in the day... A forest of blood, hate and desire. The two men hadn't encountered any strange beasts yet, for they weren't very deep into the forest, only about a mile. The freelancer had read previously that they should be safe for about two miles into the forest, because small villages still made their livings in the edge of the Red Forest.

Ravenok strode a couple of steps behind the shadow man, eyes flashing with anger every time he asked for a name but didn't receive an answer. Just a shrug, and maybe a glance backwards with those shiny red eyes. The freelancer had trouble not putting his hands around the thing's neck and wrenching it untill it popped off.

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"How much fucking longer are we going to walk?" Ravenok asked, annoyed because the two had been walking southwards in the forest for hours. He could swear that they had about passed the two mile mark. An eerie silence crept into the air and the cloaked man stopped. They were in a small clearing, the forest around them seemed to be calling them into it's shadows, just so that the creature's that inhabited it could try ripping them to pieces. They made it to the center when they stopped, the cloaked man lifted up his gloved hand. Shadows began to dance a mad waltz through the center of the clearing, at the man's command. They were shaping themselves... A railing... flight of stairs... The sound of metal on metal clashing. A set of stairs had formed from the very shadows that made up the forest itself and Ravenok had a hard time keeping his awe-dropped jaw shut.

If there was anything at the bottom of the stairs, then it would have to wait until the men climbed down. All that one could see down the stairwell was black... The sound of metal clashing against metal wasn't inviting and Ravenok wondered just what was happening down there. The cloaked man brought his hand down and turned towards Ravenok, motioning for him to go down the stairs first.

"We have arrived." The shadow man began as Ravenok, without a thought, went to walk down the steps grunting all the way.

"It's about fucking time." Ravenok replied just as the cloaked man's hand grabbed his shoulder again, forcing the freelancer to hold back his urges of bloodshed.

"About my name... My name... Is Ravenok Kinnes."

The hand left Ravenok's shoulder as he whirled around to face the cloaked man face to face... But "Ravenok"... Was gone.

[Ravenok Kinnes]

"What the fuck?" Ravenok said aloud, his dark eyes darting around the clearing that stood before him, looking for the cloaked man, "Ravenok," who suddenly vanished... Nothing. He was alone now, the only thing accompanying him was the distand sound of ringing metal in the depths of the stairwell that stood behind him. He turned his neck so that he could see the stairs from the corner of his eyes. "Shit... Now I have to go down these stairs alone?" the freelancer thought to himself, not so much out of fear but at the fact that it could be a trap down here. He had already run into one thing that very well looked like a trap back at the Bearded Lady. Who knows what peril these stairs might also bring to him.

Well... He couldn't really turn back now. He didn't even have a damn clue how to get out of the forest. Ravenok turned his body so he was facing the stairs and placed a hand on the rail. It creaked of old age beneath the man's grip, obviously the place was ancient. What was down there? Who was down there? Someone was fighting...

He gently placed a foot on the first granite step, trying to be as silent as can be. Whoever was down there, Ravenok wanted to get a good look at them before they knew of his presence. He couldn't tell how far down the stairs went, but the fighting sounded distant. How far down could a flight of stairs possibly be?

He would soon find out...

=======================================

"What is his name again?" Asked the black robed man, still standing in the seemingly empty room. It seemed empty in that he couldn't see anyone in his line of vision, but the sound of training was surely loud. Metal on metal clashed, ringing through the halls of the monastery. Behind the black robed man stood a small altar with a pillow on it, cushion for the orb that was placed on it. Purplish smoke came from whatever holes the orb had. No scenes were dancing within the glass at the time, and a cloaked man with luminescent red eyes stood before the heavily muscled man in black robes. They were whispering to another, enough so the shadows themselves could barely hear.

"Ravenok... Ravenok Kinnes. He had no middle name to speak of." the Ravenok-voiced man replied.

"And he is just outside now?"

"I left him to his own will at the entrance. But I doubt he will decide to leave."

"... Good," The black robed man began, reaching a hand into his robe, and after a moment he pulled out a large tome. The black leather that made the cover looked like human flesh.. It couldn't be, though, right? The cover had inscriptions on it in a strange language, it reeked of evil. "Now leave me. I will prepare the Rite." And with that, Ravenok left, into the shadows of the monastery.

[Ravenok Kinnes]

The sound of fighting was getting closer and closer as Ravenok made his descent into the darkness. Once he got a good distance down the stairs, all light was gone. It was pitch black, and it forced the freelancer to feel around for each step. He could see a faint glow from what he could only guess as the bottom, but his eyes couldn't extract enough light from it to paint a picture of what was around him.

It was cold, damp, and the wind that gently blew through the stairwell made the walls sound like they were whispering. The place seemed dead... Ravenok walked down the stairs for a good ten minutes in the darkness before he could begin to see what was around him. He looked back, and the entrance was nowhere to be seen. The sound of fighting died down as Ravenok made his way to the bottom. The wall to his side stopped, cutting off to go straight, making what was the ceiling. It was a good fifteen feet above the floor that he was also able to see now. The only light that made him able to see partially in the place was the set of torches littered around the large center room, hanging on the walls with hooks. He couldn't see anyone quite yet, except for shadows that resembled small humanoids dashing rapidly and constantly across the floor. Were they shadows?

No one had seemed to notice the monk's presence yet, they looked to be going on with casual business. Scurrying around, running through small wooden doors around the room. The sound of fighting started abruptly again, and now that he was closer it seemed like the sounds were making some sort of pattern. Training, perhaps, rather than actual fighting.

When Ravenok got to the bottom of the stairs, still unnoticed, he took a more detailed observation of the large rectangular chamber he was in. He couldn't see much, but he knew that the room was bare. No furniture, no structures of any kind save the occassional stone column were in the room. The thing that jumped out most to the freelancer, though, was the very back of the room to his left. The series of doors lining the walls stopped at a noticeable spot about twenty feet from the back of the room, which was lit by some invisible source. The dull gray light outlining some sort of altar in the center. No one was near it, and apparantly there were no other beings in the room anymore. There was an orb laying on a small pillow atop the altar. He listened closely, and even though he was a good fourty feet from the orb, he could hear something faintly... Screaming? Was the orb screaming out to him? The thought put an incredulous grin on Ravenok's face. Maybe it was...

[Ravenok Kinnes]

Ravenok slowly made his way towards the ominous orb, looking around constantly so as to make sure no one else is near. The faint screaming in his mind had been muffled somehow, he could still hear it, but it seemed distant.

"What the fuck... Is this?" The freelancer thought to himself as he came within arms length to the orb. Dark purple mists were swirling and dancing within the transparent orb, and if one looked closely you could almost see some sort of scene, or play, swirl in the distance. The scene playing within the orb was dark, and it showed a lone man creeping through a black hall, towards a white light. He was well built, with black gauntlets and greaves on his hands and feet. Wait a second... Was that Ravenok?

The scene then seemed to fast forward itself, playing through at dizzying speeds. The mist swirled crazily, and the screaming in his head rapidly became louder, and louder, until it sounded like the screaming maiden was right behind the monk. He twisted himself around to confront the woman screaming in his ear... Nothing. It was quickly becoming too much, and the freelancer threw his hands up into his ears to block out the noise. He thought that if the sound rang in his head any longer, his ear drums would surely burst. The monks eyes rolled back into his head, and he lost his balance, falling down and banging his back against the altar. The orb stood still and just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore... The screaming stopped.

Ravenok's eyes slowly came back into proportion, pulling themselves back down to their normal spots. He shut his eye lids though, he didn't think he'd even be able to concentrate his vision at the moment. His hands left his ears after a moment, and he couldn't hear anything. No training, no screaming, no nothing. Was he deaf now?

He tried speaking, but he couldn't hear his own words. Maybe they just weren't coming out... Yeah, that had to be it. Ravenok put his hands on the stone ground and pushed himself up on his feet, almost falling back down again immediately after. "Fucking A..." he thought, "Now my ass hurts."

"... Ravenok Kinnes." Roared a loud and deep voice from behind the monk, forcing a reaction that made him spin around towards the orb again. Just after his instinctive reaction, he realized that he had heard those words. He was glad at that fact, but then he saw from whom those words came from. Ravenok looked the heavily muscled man up and down numerous times, and wondered how the hell he managed to sneak behind him. Perhaps when he wasn't able to hear. He couldn't see the mysterious man's face because it was covered under a long hood. All he could see were a pair of strangely glowing blue eyes. The pitch black cloak that he was wearing was closed in the middle, covering up whatever he was wearing underneath. His hands were calmly at his sides and he was wearing, also pitch black, gloves. One look at him, and you could tell he was stronger than Ravenok... Maybe even ten fold. Even the uncommonly tall Ravenok was shorter than the man. He couldn't be human... There was no way.

The two men stood two feet away from eachother, Ravenok's dark eyed glare mainly came from his inability to speak due to being disoriented. The black cloaked man was standing there calmly, waiting for some sort of response from the freelancer. He quickly realized that he wasn't getting one, though. "You are the one with the letter, no? Sure you are... I can tell by your eyes." Ravenok stood dumbfounded... He just couldn't find his voice, maybe he was mute now as well, "My name is Kel Onimar. And all of your questions will be answered in due time." the man finished.