Cary Forgets Something - RPLOG
Participants
Date
30/1/481
Log
It is dark and silent in the Halls of Silence. Which stands to reason. Silent, and eroded statues look down on the wide passage with featureless faces.
The reluctant saurian walks the Halls of Silence alone this time. His usual garments and tools, but a lot more on the edge this time, constantly looking over his shoulder, towards the black leather bag he carries. He needed a way to get rid of whatever that was.
Steadily, he walked further into the dark halls.
As Cary walks furtively along, the silence is broken by a quiet cough, that sounds as loud as a thunderclap in the ancient hush. A small figure steps out of a side chamber.
"If I had known you were coming," comes a soft voice from under a concealing hood, "I would have met you at the gate. Not many people know about this place."
"Trust me, I wish I knew I was coming beforehand." Replied the Saurian, stepping closer towards the hooded figure. His tone was different. He seemed spooked about something, quite rare for a Saurian of his... Size.
The small being nods in acknowledgement. "It seems that you carry a heavy burden," it says, its voice feminine and gentle, "Come, sit and talk with me a while." She, at least it sounds like a she, waves Cary into the room she stepped out of. The little nook is small, and dimly lit by a small lantern set at a low table. There are cups and plates set out for two.
Cary soon follows after. "Thank you." The saurian makes quite some effort not to have his tail hit anything, sitting down and closely observing the hooded figure. "I.. created something that I don't believe should've been created." He explains.
The hooded figure seats herself across from Cary and lowers her hood, revealing a snowy ermine, though she wears a veil that obscures her features. She says nothing for a moment, carefully pouring some sort of cool beverage into cups and placing one before Cary. She then opens a little tin and places a pair of small, honeyed cakes on each of the plates.
"And," she finally says, settling back onto the floor once more, "You have brought this. . .item with you?"
Cary is further calmed down by the figure's soothing voice, nodding as she asked him. Slowly, he pulled the black leather bag from his back, setting it next to the plates. "I have... It's.. difficult to explain it." He sighs, looking at the cups and wondering. "First, the whispers... Then..."
The Ermine does not move to take the bag or to see its contents, she only sips from her cup and waits. "Take your time," she says calmly, "It is the task of the Faceless to hear the burdens of others without judgement."
"The abyss." He adds. "I bought a chakra fragment from a travelling merchant. Later that day I inspected it, studied it. It was a little different from the others I'm used to, until I used it. It resonated in such a vile way that my instinct that time was to crush the shard. That was when it occurred to me that the fragment was corrupt." He stops for a moment, taking a short sip from his cup, tasting the beverage before lowering it down again. "For days, that thing's energy scratched at the back of my mind. The scratching became whispering, the whispering became the abyss. And from the abyss, came the dagger. I crafted it and everything ceased, I felt free."
The Saurian shakes his head. "It was like a curse, the problem now was finding a way to get rid of this thing before it caused anyone harm."
The drink is cool, and mild. Some sort of barley drink, a little bitter, but not unpleasant. The veiled Ermine nods her head.
"And you would have the Shadow take the work of your hands?" she asks, waving at the bag on the table, "Will you show it to me?"
"I would gladly. And if needed, with the proper design, I can craft almost anything the Shadow or its followers might require as payment." Says the saurian, slowly picking up the leather bag and opening it. He pulls a dark, serrated and irregular dagger. Its metal is dark and curiously inscribed with creator words. It clearly emanates some form of dark mathemagic.
The Ermine holds out her hand to accept the dagger. She takes it and turns it over and over, gently in her hands. "It is fine workmanship," she says, then nods. "The Shadow accepts your burden," she takes the beautiful and strange dagger in both hands. . . and then it is gone, as if it was never there.
The Ermine turns her veiled gaze once more to Cary. "Neither the Shadow, nor the Faceless require payment," she says, "It is our purpose to releive suffering and to lift burdens where we may. If you desire it, I can take all of this burden from you. You need not even remember that you have gazed into the abyss."
"It could be fine craftsmanship, but I would never want to have my work killing innocent people. I can only imagine what would happen if this.. Thing.. Fell in the wrong hands. I am not proud of it, but I am grateful that you can relieve me of this burden, miss." Cary nods, albeit slowly. "I would most definitely like to have that memory gone, if you can."
The Ermine, rises gracefully from her seat and walks around the table to stand before the seated dinosaur. She reaches up to lay her fingers on his temples. Her touch is light and cool. "If you give this burden to the Shadow, it will be gone," she says, "It will trouble you no more, but anything you have learned from this pain will also be gone. Do you give your burden willingly?"
Before the Ermine rose up, the saurian takes another sip of the beverage before lifting the honeyed cake and taking a small bite out of it. "I.. Do have to thank you for these, too. They are.. Quite pleasant."
"Although.. Come to think of it.. Anything I have learned from this will be gone, then does that mean that there is the possibility of doing the same thing? Or is there a way that I can remember not to buy any strange looking shards, like the one that caused this?" He gently asks the Ermine.
The Ermine's veil stirs a little and a hint of a smile can be seen beneath the black gauze. "Thank you," she says, "I made them myself. And you need not worry, I will help steer you away from future missteps. Are you ready?"
"They are.. Fine craftsmanship." He smiles. In a way, a saurian smile is quite a rare sight. Finally, he looks back to the Ermine and replies, nodding slowly. "I am ready. And thank you, once more."
The Ermine nods and there is a sudden cool breeze that seems to blow through the room. . .
Cary sits across from an Ermine wearing a thin, black veil. She sips from the cup in front of her. "It was kind of you to come so far, Craftsman," she says, "Crossing the wastes can be difficult." She waves around at the small, bare room. "You can see why I could use a few, small things to make this place more comfortable."
That was why he was here, after all. To make some lanterns, and maybe a few other odds and ends, right?
Cary stops for a moment, as if his mind drifted to the broken moon for a second. He tilted his head by nodded rather quickly after that. "W-Why yes, of course. I could come up with a few things!" He looked around, noticing the absence of a door. "A proper door would be a good idea too! D-Did I tell you how I made a door for this person and I later found out that he decided that due to its sturdiness it was better off as a shield? Hah!"
It clearly seemed that the saurian returned to his normal senses. Taking a bite out of the honeyed cake, he gently nodded and added, "My, did someone ever tell you that these are quite fine?"
"Thank you," the Ermine says, "I am glad you like them." She rises to her feet and bows her head to Cary. "This room is for your use during your stay," she says, "Please let me know if there is anything you need. And thank you again fro coming so far."
Cary bows towards the Ermine as well. "I'll certainly let you know, but do feel free to tell me if you need anything else too." He adds, looking around the room once more... "Now, where was I? Oh yes, the lamps..."
