Snippet #2572684

(This post was written by Zalgo and Nightblazer.)

Brainde, Merrowvale
October 21, 2014--5:06 PM

Returning to the ground floor of the Minstrel's Mug, Altara looked at the card on which she wrote down what Lyra needed. At first, she considered handling those things first, but decided it'd probably be best to see if either the wizard or the orc was down here. She looked around the tables and chairs for them.

"Right. Time to talk with those people I was just with." He spoke to no one in particular, his meeting room set up to be fairly nice for the temporary arrangement he needed. Locking the door behind himself out of habit more than anything else he left his room and proceeded down the stairs where he was pleased to see Altara out and about. He remembered what she said earlier but she was still willing to discuss it with him so he spoke up. "Ah, hello again. Do you still wish to discuss the possible job offer available?"

When Altara heard that voice, she turned around and found the wizard was standing not too far away. "Oh! Uh, hello. Sorry for leaving suddenly back there..." She scratched the back of her head, laughing a little, before putting on her...business smile, so to speak? "Anyway...yes, your offer. Is it still open?"

"Indeed it is." He spoke in a quite formal yet pleasant matter, quite pleased she's interested in the offer. From her appearance he had good faith in her abilities to fight. "I believe introductions are in order. I am Richard of Dinius, and you are?" He extended a hand to shake in greeting.

Reaching out with her own hand (before realizing it was the wrong one and quickly switching hands), Altara shook Richard's. "My name is Altara. It's a pleasure to be working with you. So...if I may ask, why the, er, insecurity?"

Things were going smoothly so far so good. They had yet to discuss payment however, a thought which still nagged at the back of his mind. "While I have nothing to keep from you as far as information goes I do feel it would be better discussed in a less open setting. I have a room set up for such talk upstairs. Shall we head there now? I haven't seen the other possible applicants in here so you'll be the only one for now." He gestured to the stair well as he mentioned going up into the room he so thoughtfully prepared for this exact purpose.

Altara raised an eyebrow, wondering if this guy really was paranoid, but decided not to overthink it. "That'll be fine. Lead the way, then," she replied.

He proceeded up the stairs with Altara presumably in tow before heading down the hall. Producing the key from his satchel he unlocked the sealed room and stepped inside, ushering Altara in with a gesture before waiting for her to clear the door so he may lock it up again so no others could eavesdrop. As she entered he closed and locked the door behind them. Given the enemies he's made this was a futile gesture but it put his mind at ease if only just a little.

"Whoa...not bad," Altara commented, noticing how Richard had arranged the room. Just as she started moving to take a seat, however, she noticed something through the window--it was the head of that huge rock golem which had put up Richard's poster. It almost seemed like this golem was staring into the room. "...so, is he going to be silently judging me from out there the whole time?" she asked, unable to help cracking a wry smile as she sat down.

"Ah, that would be my golem Validus. Yes, he'll be overseeing our conversation. Please do not mind it though, it's primary motivation is my safety so it can often times be quite thorough when it comes to security. It is a reasoning construct however so do feel free to talk with it. It may not respond to you currently but it does understand you." He politely informed her before taking his own seat. "So I take it the matter you wish to discuss first was... The reason behind the task at hand, correct?" He asked, trying his best to guess just what she might want.

Wonder what it's thinking right now... Taking her gaze off of Validus and shifting it onto Richard, Altara nodded. "Being honest, you don't look like you have much to fear with that thing by your side, though..." she commented. "So why do you need help from others?"

He tapped his fingers along the table top for a moment, constructing what he was about to say ahead of time. "While impressive as it may be Validus is not without it's limitations. As you may notice it certainly doesn't fit necessarily everywhere and I can't be glued to it's side at all times despite the benefit to my safety that would provide." He spoke calmly, eloquently but somewhat slowly as he collected his thoughts for what else he was to say. "It should go without surprise that I have enemies who would have in their interests to see harm come to me. Even with my golem to defend me I am but a lowly magician, not at all greater than many you probably know. I know a few spells that can be helpful to others but alone I'm much too weak, hence why I am offering pay for additional security." He explained himself to the best of his ability. It was not his intent to necessarily leave out just who his enemies were but he was subconsciously reluctant to discuss it. In the back of his head he knew she'd turn him down rather than stand against those he's personally angered.

After listening carefully to Richard, Altara finally nodded. "So, your magic isn't really oriented towards direct fighting...and yes, I can see it's a tight squeeze for Validus. Well, the more the merrier, I suppose..." At that moment, she suddenly thought of something else to ask him. "This probably isn't something I should know now, but do you really have any objective in mind, or are you just trying to stay hidden from your...enemies?"

He sighed a bit, somewhat pessimistic about just how likely she was to accept his offer. "Unfortunately I cannot say that I have a direct goal of any such importance. I'm simply keeping between cities, making money how I can and surviving." He really couldn't of sold it any worse if he tried, at least in his mind. Just who'd want to follow someone as aimless and meek as I? I can only hope she pities me now. He thought to himself on a closed mind channel, his mind the only audience to his thoughts.

"I see..." Internally, Altara breathed a sigh of relief, but she knew it wouldn't last long. "Then, while it's strange for me to make a request of an employer, perhaps there's something we could do for myself?" God, that sounded more selfish than she intended...oh well, too late to stop. Best to just see how he would react...

"I'm listening..." He places the tips of his fingers together, his hands forming a narrow arch over the table while he focused on her and what she had to say. He was intrigued...

Somehow, it seemed as though all semblance of cheerfulness had drained from Altara's face; she now looked more like a lost child. "Well...it's just..." She actually had to stop and swallow before continuing. "The truth is, I only just woke up around an hour ago, with absolutely no memories of what happened before then. I managed to remember my name...and, mind you, some of my combat techniques...but other than that, it's all a mystery." Looking straight into Richard's eyes, she finally managed to blurt out the last part. "Would you mind if I tried to figure out more about my past along the way?"

While most people would find that a very odd request and perhaps doubt the capabilities of someone who was a self confessed amnesiac he was entranced by her revelation. The fact that he wasn't the only one who had suffered a sudden onset case of amnesia was proof that there was something else at work, not just some strange malfunction with his brain. "Fascinating. Truly fascinating..." He spoke quietly and mostly to himself, thinking on this sudden departure from their previous topic in great depth. "I must admit, and not just because you just confessed to it yourself, but I just as recently experienced an effect similar to what you described." He almost seemed to lose focus for a moment as he looked up, considering the possibilities. "I can only wonder what the cause behind it all must be..."

"You as well?" Altara's eyes widened a little. "That is really bizarre..." She let out a small exhale, before tapping Richard on the arm. "Well then...I don't know how long we'll be travelling together, but why don't we both try and find out what sort of lives we lived back then?" It was much smaller now, but a smile had returned to her face.

He nodded in agreement. "That sounds quite agreeable. A partnership it shall be then." He extended a hand to shake on the agreement. "Well then?"

Reaching over the table and gripping Richard's hand firmly, the red-haired knight shook it. "It's a deal," she told him. "So, what do you plan to do next?"

He leaned back after their shake to ponder the question since he actually hadn't given it much thought. "I haven't much of a destination in mind. I suppose my next move was to head south along the eastern coast." He placed his thumb and index finger along his chin while he considered the options. "My next immediate action was to see who else was interested in accepting my offer. Unless you find issue with other uptakers I figure as long as they're competent and pose little risk of exposing my position at least one more companion would be welcome."

South along the east coast...? Altara tried to remember if there were any notable cities in that direction...yeah, that worked out great, thanks to her amnesia. "Alright then," she replied. "So, you'll try and scout at least one more person out, and we'll leave tomorrow morning, I suppose?"

He shrugged. "Fair enough. As for money division, all earnings will be split three ways until we part for seperate paths. There is also one last thing to mention before we go ahead." As he said this he pushed his chair back and stood up. From his backpack he slid out what appeared to be a rectangular dark stone tablet. Ornate arcane sigils occupied 64 squares along the surface, all encompassed by an ornate arcane border. Holding the board out just before the table all of a sudden two glowing white spirals of solid magic emitted out from the bottom of the tablet forming a circle on the ground which supported it like a base for a center pillar table. "While optional you may find my supportive spells far more potent should you agree to attune to me." He paused for a moment before realizing he should elaborate more before she was too off-put by this sudden impromptu light show. "It is a process in which I cast the Rite of Attunement, proposing the offer to attune to me which you can speak allowed 'I accept the Pact of Attunement' and attune yourself to me. It gives latent benefits to yourself and allows certain spells of mine to aid you more effectively as well as to manipulate the flow of battle. If you wish to cancel it at any time you simple need say 'I hereby relinquish the Pact of Attunement to Richard.'" After the long explanation he took a breath.

While wondering if she should agree to the division of money, Altara was startled by the tablet...doing its...magic. "...this pact isn't going to require me to do a blood sacrifice or something, right?" she asked, not even sure if she was joking or not there.

"Of course not. This is purely white magic, nothing nearly as dark as that." He did try not to sound offended at the proposition that he might be performing blood magic, a school which fellow white mages like himself typically scorned. "It's fairly simple on your part. If you wish, I shall cast the Rite and get on with it. You okay with that?" He asked her before putting the effort into conjuring up the whole rite.

"Hm...well, I suppose this can only help in the end," Altara concded. "Alright then...I accept the Pact of Attunement." She felt a little awkward saying it, hoping there wasn't some sort of condition she completely didn't know about...like putting her hand on the tablet or something simple like that.

"Good. That's just how it should sound once I conjure the rite." He put a little sarcastically as she accepted the rite before he had the chance to even conjure it.

He placed his hands on the table, causing each of the tiles on it to glow as he started to speak arcane words of ancient power. This continued for roughly five minutes, the lights growing brighter and more elaborate as an azure blue arcane circle started to form about an inch above the table. His eyes glowed white as power flowed through his voice, speaking aloud the Rite of Attunement. "DO YOU ACCEPT THE PACT OF ATTUNEMENT, Y/N?"

Trying not to let her embarrassment over saying the words too early show, Altara exhaled again, then recited them once more. "I accept the Pact of Attunement."

Upon accepting the Pact of Attunement an Arcane Circle Etched itself upon the back of her right hand, glowing through her glove with potent magical power. The moment the circle upon her hand formed in full all the lights dissipated save for the legs of the table itself. Blinking twice Richard looked around, his eyes now back to normal along with the rest of his body. He could feel it now though, they were linked. "Now you are attuned to me. We can communicate telepathically. Do not worry, any thoughts you do not wish shared will remain yours and yours alone." He tested out her mental channel, both to introduce it's function to her and to see if it went through properly.

Once again, Altara was startled--this time, by the thoughts sent through the mental channel. "Whoa...this will take a bit of time getting used to", she responded. "So...it's done, then?" she asked in the real world, standing up. "I suppose, then, I'd best look for any supplies I...no, we might need on our way."

He nodded. "Indeed. If you need any money for supplies I can lend my funds for purchase as it's for the good of the group in general. Do note that I can repair any gear you or anyone else with little to no difficulty and I'll do so freely for anyone of our group." He let her know as he felt it would be useful for her to know before setting out. "Another convenient feature is that this method of communication is not hampered by distance or obstacles of mundane nature." He added. That being said, he deactivated his board and slipped it back into his backpack.

"Oh, is that so? That's good to hear; now I know I won't have to worry about maintenance on my equipment tonight. Thank you," Altara told him with a smile, as she walked towards the door. "Well...see you in a bit, then. I look forward to meeting our next--"

It was at that moment that she suddenly remembered Lyra's warning regarding that man with the red scarf. Her words faltered a little, but she quickly resumed. "--our next group member." "I know it's a bit weird to be saying this mentally right when I'm heading out, but...there was a man with a red scarf who was trying to talk with us. Watch out for him; he seems to have some kind of deception ability."

A shudder went up his spine upon hearing her warning. "I thank you for the warning. I wouldn't put it past my enemies to look towards hiring assassins with such capabilities. I'll keep my wits about me if I do suspect his presence."

"Good. Alright then, see you later--for real this time," Altara responded, as she opened the door and walked out. Looking down at the card with Lyra's requests, she headed back downstairs to see about fulfilling them.