It wasn't until dusk had stolen over the bluff that Whisper made her appearance. The crunch of gravel and the clack-clack-clack of a staff against the stones announced her arrival as she picked her way carefully along the path towards the gathering congregation. At her side was Reis, her hand resting upon his forearm to keep her step. Not far from the pair was a third figure, that of Lazarus.
The nearly moonless sky offered little light by which to see and It wasn't until the trio was almost upon them that Whisper's features began to take form within the dark. Gaunt and pale, the woman had a sickly air about her, but it was her face that drew the most attention. Her eyes were tightly bound in strips of pristine white bandages with bits of scar tissue visible along the edges.
“Reis?” she asked softly. Her nerves were on edge from being out in the open like this, and amidst the sword bearers no less. Lazarus' presence helped to ground her, but it was Reis who best served as her eyes.
The bard kept step easily as they approached the swords-bearers. Arm held stead to lead the way for Whisper. Small smile on his face and feather sitting nicely behind his ear.
'They're an interesting bunch.' He replied, casually. Lute swung softly over his shoulder. 'A bit female tendant, though.'
Giggle-snort. Lazarus didn't mean to, it just sort of happened. It set off a chain reaction in the vampire, slapping his hands to his face to try and suppress the sound, a futile effort as his lungs and long since not worked. He wandered on, keeping next to Whisper. However he was armed. Dangling from his side, somehow attached to his belt, was a large shovel-ended runic blade. The square looking tip by no means made it seem less intimidating. The wielder however...
Lazarus wasn't exactly a scary guy, and the sword he still hadn't told Whisper about. Well, why did she even need to know? She'd seen it before, it made sense that he would carry it. "Knock knock." Giggle-snort. In his pocket was a bunch of ink stamps which he presently fumbled through, almost like a nervous tick to keep him calm. If it was, it wasn't working. He seemed pretty damn hyper-active.
When Tycho spotted the woman, he offered a crooked smile, followed immediately by a frown as he noticed the people with her. Reis, he remembered, but this other face...
"Keep yer weapons sheathed, people." He said, simply. "We don' want ta hurt potential allies."
He raised his hand in a wave. "Whisper! We're all here. Waitin' fer ya."
Taylor was sitting off to one side, knees drawn to her chest, with her arms folded overtop of them. She'd lifted her forehead from her arms when she heard Whisper's approach, her eyes sweeping over the figure of the other woman.
Huh, so the woman who had all of the answers was a blind, skinny thing hanging on the arm of yet another stranger.
Brilliant.
“Huh. She doesn't look like much,” Adriaan remarked in low whisper to Tycho.
"She'll sneak up on ya," came the murmured response. "Keep an eye out, though. All five of us here makes me nervous."
As Whisper and company reached the gathered group, Whisper let her hand fall to her side. Stepping forward Whisper placed herself at the forefront of Reis and Lazarus. Perception was everything, and she couldn't afford for her audience to perceive her as weak or incapable. With an icy grip around the polished wood of her staff, Whisper stood tall against the unease that writhed within her like an angry serpent.
“Is this everyone? And what news of Taylor?” Whisper asked.
For all her small stature and malnourished state, there was a strength to her posture that had been lacking as of late. She had made her decision and now all that remained was for the others to do the same.
Tycho stepped forward. "Taylor's here. Long story, bu' we're all here fer ya. How 'bout ya let us know what we're here for."
Taylor smiled a bit, but otherwise remained silent. Her attention fixed on Whisper, absorbing all she had to say.
“Very well. I know most of you do not know me, and for that I apologize. It wasn't until recently that I could be certain that the sword bearers and their spirits were not servants of the Corruption. Had I come sooner...”
Whisper gave a sigh and shake of her head. “I'm here to tell you about the Corruption, and a dark being known as Lzothozsh,” she continued, leaving her earlier train of thought unfinished. “I understand that some of you have already encountered the Corruption, or at least spawns of it. It is a parasitic entity that spreads from host to host, infecting them right down to their genetic makeup. The infection lays dormant until the person dies. Once dead, the corruption returns to its source, taking with it a portion of the carriers magic. With each death the Corruption grows more and more powerful.
“I thought the Corruption my enemy, but I was blinded by my loathing of the creature and mistaken. It, like so many in this game of lies and deceit is but a pawn of another. Lzothozsh, Devourer of Minds. Lzothozsh is a creature so unfathomable that to even look upon it is to court madness. All around us there are servants of Lzothozsh, all seeking one purpose. To awaken him. The Corruption, Alrion, Balthazar, Malachi, these are but some of many. There may even be some amongst those gathered here tonight. Lies and deceit are the tools of the Corruption.
“Up until now, you have all been led to believe that the vault you seek to gain entry to contains power and riches. But it is my belief that it contains neither. Who among you have tried so hard to see it opened? It was Alrion himself, a servant of the Corruption that brought you together to recover the legendary swords. It is Alrion who is responsible for the deaths of the spirits. This staff I hold in my hand was forged by the Corruption itself, and it in turn serves as a key to opening this supposed vault. Furthermore, the machine to open the vault resides within the realm of the Corruption and was forged by his servants. It is my belief that the vault is a lie. It is my belief that the sole purpose of this machine is to unleash Lzothozsh upon the world."
Whisper paused a moment to give her words time to sink in. She knew full well the weight of her next words, and she took the moment to be sure her previous ones had the necessary impact before she began to speak again. “The realm of gods is beyond our reach, but we can work to eliminate Lzothozsh's influence within this world. By destroying his followers, those most loyal to him, he will lose his foothold and any influence he has. He will return to his timeless slumber, incapable of entering our world. I would ask your help in this. I sought to destroy the Corruption and it cost me my vision, I cannot do this alone any longer."
So it was all a lie.
Since Taylor's conversation with Tycho, Spyri had assumed as much. But sitting here, and listening to the finality of Whisper's explanation, suddenly made everything very clear to her. The entire reason why she'd joined this expedition was to save someone's life. Rather, to bring them back from an untimely death. Now it seemed that all of that was for naught.
An ugly, bitter feeling clawed at Spyri's insides, but she swallowed down the tightness in her throat, and fixed Whisper with a glare she was almost sure the other woman could feel. It was nice that she had been hiding, wasn't it? How terribly convenient...
Taylor shook herself internally, reining in the anger and the disappointment that was, at this point, misdirected. She drew in a deep breath, closed her eyes, and stood to her feet. Time for a new purpose, Taylor. Might as well help save the world. You've got nothing better to do, and you've gotten pulled in pretty deep.
For Lerot, then. And for Duke.
"You won't have to." Taylor said. Her expression was firm, her eyes hard. "I'll help, Whisper, in whatever way I can."
She paused, then added, "I'm also..fairly certain that Mylor is working alongside the Corruption." She glanced around, looking mostly at Tycho now. If he knew her, he may have guessed as much, but she figured it wouldn't hurt to mention it again.
Tycho nodded briefly at Taylor, turning towards the other group of sword-bearers. His allegiance, at this point, was common knowledge. No need to beat a dead horse.
Spyri had kept her mouth shut through the most of this. Through most of this, the child had gone along with the plans, put her trust in everyone and anything that had to do with this stupid sword. She had experienced pain, heart ache, and frustration like she hadn't in years. Face red with rage, lips nonexistent due to the thin line her mouth was set in, Spyri realized that she was fed up.
She was fed up with running around, with hiding, with listening to all of this..this...this stuff that didn't mean anything. Spyri didn't want to have to guess who was lying, she wanted to trust Enda, and the Ice Queen. Cha'tlag. Her blade, the only thing a warrior could trust. The little girl had gone from having no family, no mothers, to having two, only to have them both ripped away over a stupid door.
A vault, whatever. Behind which lies what? According to this new lady, Spyri eyed her with disdain, exactly what her blade had told her...kind of.
"So why are we standing here?!" The screech escaped her before she had time to realize she was talking. Now that it was out, there was no turning back. Looking from one bearer to the other, her pupils dialated with pure hate.
"You mean to tell me that behind that door is all the concentrated evil ever, and all we are going to do is...Is what?!" Incredulous was the child, drawing her sword and aiming it directly at the edge of the bluff. At where the vault, door, whatever it is sat in wait.
"According to Cha'tlag," Spyri glowered at anyone who dared to look at her, "Behind that door is a great and terrible power, something so powerful that it can be used for extreme good or extreme evil, and I'm not to let any one of you anywhere near that door!" With that she swung her sword, holding it aloft and ready to strike.
"And if it's what she says it is, then why are we even here?! Why don't we destroy it all, all of it?!" Tears welled up in her eyes, as she looked from Cha'tlag to Enda. "Enda, why can't we just kill it all?" She then looked to Whisper, "If we kill it all, will Lazazoth die too?" Setting her jaw, she gripped her blade tighter.
"Nobody opens the door," She dared them to with all ten years of herself.
Enda listned gravely, closing her eyes and letting her hands lean onto the hilt of her sword. Once Whisper was finished, she opened them again, looking around the circle of people around her, eyeing them each in turn as they spoke. When Spyri made her outburst, she knight knelt next to her.
"Spyri." she told her, sternly, but calmly, "I think every one of us bearers here know how you feel. I think I feel even more horrible than that. I'm the one who put you up to this. You and Taylor. I was recruited by Alrion himself." She paused to shake her head, "And I feel horrible for letting myself fall for it, but regardless, we can't be unsensible. I know you're angry-" The knight reached out to take Spyri's tiny little hands, "-and so are we. But now is the time when we have to be smart about it. We can't just let it go in a rage. We'll do what Whisper says and try to make sure none of his diciples live so he can't come back. Alright?"
She offered the warrior a smile. "You have friends here. Even if the spirits betrayed you, I promise that there is still at least a few people that can be trusted."
He hadn't been there a moment before. If anyone had been looking in his direction, which he was careful to avoid, they would have seen Balthazar simply appear. Dressed in his typical faded canary-yellow clothing and obscuring mask, the man's posture gave off a lopsided impression. He was leaning heavily on one leg, jacket open, small stain of blood on his white dress shirt underneath. This seemed like a detail he didn't care to address.
"A legacy constructed over a thousand years, a plot so deeply engrained in history it has involved the manipulation of at least six great magi to construct Seven Swords of incredible power, tied to the lives of Seven great leaders, and this is what I come across?" He paused, raising both hands so Sha'arish could be seen in his left, as well as a more twisted and bizarre blade in his right.
He pointed the latter for Whisper. "I drove you out of your hiding place in that damned cave, trying to maintain a convincing act of overwhelming you with a pithy force of myself, Malachi and five men against a powerful psychic, to get you to come down here, and take command. To be proactive. To make a plan to push the Sword Bearers into the right direction.
"And this is what you come up with? Genocide?"
He cast Sha'arish to the ground before the group, so they could all see it. "The Church, yes church, of Lzothozsh spans hundreds of members. If not past a thousand. Some of them don't even know of what the church is or does. It's an innocent place of worship to them. You're implying you should kill men, women and children who have done nothing wrong. Are you insane?
"Have you lost your mind?
"You have a solution at your palms! God knows I've been trying to get it to you without giving away my own position on the matter. What have I been trying to encourage you all to do this entire time?! Kill the spirits! The vault cannot open without the spirits! The spirits themselves know as much!"
He held up a hand with four fingers. "Only four spirits remain." Each finger folded as he read off a name. "Geoff. Amuk'Ra. Orochi. And the Frost Queen. These people... They're leaders. They know that sometimes you must put yourself before your people. They know you sometimes have to do what needs to be done. And if they are to be believed, some of them have lived hundreds of years in a silent limbo." He exhaled audibly.
"If you kill the remaining four spirits, its over. It's heartless, its cruel, but for god's sake, Whisper, you're talking about mass murder. How do you think the media will react? Authorities? 'Church Group Persecuted'. I can imagine that will be an appealing headline. And for what? We won't be rid of Lzothozsh. The machine that can wake them. The ever present Corruption who can expand their influence no matter how many we kill."
"Or is this just you trying to confront your fears?"
Tycho's eyebrows, which he swore were at an acceptable position for a human pair of features at the beginning of the rant, were now nearly buried in the dark locks of his hairline. "Jesus Christ." He said, emphatically.
"Balthanakilpertropolous, m'friend, yer so full o' shit tha' yer eyes are brown. Kill th' spirits, an' it's over? What, pray tell, are you an' yer hounds doin' fer the past God knows how long? Remember when ya tried ta throw me over a ledge? Remember when yeh sent yer dog after Taylor an' Enda both, to weaken our position? An' here ya are, still spoutin' yer bullshit up an' down the forest floor."
He turned to the other bearers, raising an arm to indicate the newcomer. "I take it y'all are familiar with Mylor? Well, she's a mere dog on a leash, an' this is one o' th' hands tha' hold it. Mylor, to recap, is th' same woman who kidnapped Taylor, stole a sword - which, I may add, Balthazar has kindly returned to us - killed a spirit tha' I know of, an' helped in th' slayin' of another. Oh, also, she tried ta stab me. An', let's not forget, succeeded in stabbin' Lerot, yet another wielder. Mylor, th' fuckin' snake tha's been causin' havok amongst our number, an' here's th' very guy tha' pulls th' trigger on tha' particular gun."
He turned back to Balthazar, a dark smile on his face. "Forgive me for not believin' a word outta yer mouth, jackass - but I don'. Yer credibility was lost when yeh sent a woman after another sword bearer."
The smile widened, by degrees. "Bu' thanks fer th' sword. It'd look nice stickin' from Alrion's back."
Practically shaking with frustration, the little girl erupted, "What about the DOOR?!" aiming her sword everywhere at once before letting it rest like a baseball bat between her little hands.
“Tycho is right. That man,” Whisper began as she pointed her staff in the direction of Balthazar's voice. “Asks us to do the very same thing the Corruption has been doing all along. We have two roads before us, only one of which the outcome is certain. The other road is layered beneath lies and deceit. If we choose the wrong road, it is not just us who will feel the consequences, but the entirety of the world. Are any here willing to gamble that? To slay innocent lives and risk the damnation of the world on the chance that man is telling the truth? Those whom I seek to destroy have made their choice – liars and murderers. Actions speak louder than words, and this man's actions paint a picture of bloody violence and deception. The time for words is past, it is time for action, starting with that man standing before us now.”
Having been quiet up until this point it was Adriaan who made the first move. Placing himself before Balthazar he faced off against the other sword bearers. “This is insanity. Are we all really just standing around discussing not whether we are going to murder people, but who we're going to murder?” Adriaan folded his arms over his chest. “I have kept quiet until now, but I won't stand by while you all kill each other.”
"Yes, I ordered Mylor to kill two spirits. I did not order her to kill any people or take any swords. Tycho, you are the same man who told me everyone was dead. Taylor, Lerot, Adriaan. All dead. That was right before I 'threw you off the cliff' wasn't it? When you were harbouring one of Lzothozsh's own spawn in your bag? You're a drunk. A self-satisfying drunk. The only reason you let Mylor get close to you is so you could sleep with her. You're just the type the Corruption would appeal to."
His hand curled into a neat fist as he took a step back from Adriaan, head bowing slightly, as if out of respect for the man. "In the vault is what has always lied in the vault. The Corruption. A giant sentient ball of magic just waiting to be used, only accessable when all Seven Swords and Whisper's staff have been brought together.
"And the Corruption doesn't even know you can open the vault with as many spirits alive as you want. They think there needs to be only one. All I've been doing the entire time is manipulating the circumstances to ensure every spirit is slain. The only alternative is using the vault to burn the Corruption up into one giant magical attack to kill Lzothozsh."
He raised his sword. "However, if you continue in your campaign, I can assure you I will do everything within my power to ensure the survival of the innocent." The blade was lowered and he took a second limping step backwards. It appeared he wasn't ready to fight right now, of course.
"Balthamuel, I wish I had more ways ta tell ya to go fuck yourself, bu' this one works jus' as well." He said, snarling. "I'm the type Corruption would appeal to, bu' yer th' type he already has. An' again, I wonder how you can stan' there an' call yerself the greater good when you admit ta' partnerin' with th' woman who has killed one of us and intended ta harm three o' us. Either yeh can' control yer dog, or yer controllin' her well."
"The instant we start slinging insults back and forth like schoolyard playmates is the very same moment you lose credibility." Taylor spoke up, a flare of anger making her cheeks flush. She looked from Balthazar to Whisper, and her grey eyes were as hard as stone. "I've met your agents of the Corruption, Balthazar. I remember rather well the group of sell-swords who were more than eager to cut me to ribbons."
She drew her sword, and pointed it at Balthazar. "And lets not forget the simpering man who brandished Legasha and tried to kill Amuk'Ra. He claimed he had no choice but to kill, and if that's the kind of master that lies behind the vault, then I have no interest in letting him free."
She looked to Whisper then, pointing her sword at the floor as she walked past Tycho, so that there was nothing between her and the blind woman.
"And you, Whisper. It's irreputable that you use word games to sugar-coat your ambitions, to make them easier to swallow. Murdering people for believing in a god? It makes us no better than the agents of the Corruption. Liars and killers at the heart." She sheathed the sword, but the rigidity of her movements showed just how furious she was.
"I do not appreciate being coerced and used, so you are going to say what you mean, Whisper. Otherwise I'm going to take my sword and leave."
“Coerced and used? As far as I can tell I am among the few here who have been nothing but straight with you. I spoke my intentions plainly, it is Balthazar who twists my words,” Whisper pointed out as she stood her ground before Taylor. Her knuckles grew white from her icy grip upon her staff as the tensions threatened to erupt into violence. Blind and with the spike in hostilities dulling her senses, the young woman's nerves were on edge. With Taylor so close, it took all of Whisper's restraint to keep the bite from her words, to not allow Taylor's anger to become her own. “I will seek out and destroy the servants of the Corruption. These children and blind supplicants he speaks of are of no concern of mine.”
"You mean you'll direct us to seek out and destroy those servants for you." Taylor replied icily.
"What does it matter?" Tycho cut in. "So long as they're destroyed. Don' matter much ta me who swings th' axe. They're a threat ta us so long as they breathe, Taylor. An' right now, as it's always been, it's kill or be killed."
He turned away from Balthazar to stand to her side, watching her. "I tol' you tha' you wouldn' have ta kill alone. This way, you won' have ta. You'll have friends."
Whisper raised a hand as if to stop Tycho. “No, she is right. One should not ask another to do what they themselves are not willing to do.” Whisper interjected. “But know this. I ask nothing of you that I myself have not already given. For years I have dedicated myself to thwarting the Corruption. I have forsaken everything to keep this staff from the hands of those who would misuse it. And yes, I hid as Balthazar says, but what other option was there? To stagger about the streets blind and wounded until an agent of the Corruption found me? I did what was necessary, I could not help anyone when I could not even help myself. I have no intentions to sit idly by, but with my vision lost to me, I have no choice but to ask your aid in this.”
Enda's hands tightened into fists as she stood. She had her brow slightly pinched and her mouth drawn into a straight line. "Taylor," she began, letting her hand grasp the hilt of her sword, "I know it must be hard to believe, but what Whisper and Tycho are saying...I think we must believe them. Do not let this man turn you off course. This is just another way you might be able to save Lerot." If it was even possible.
She looked to Balthazar, a wisdom beyond her years reflected in her eyes. "You have no further place here to spread your lies. I do not think any of us wish to hear what you have to say any longer. It's been of no use to us." Her voice was commanding. Steady. Filled with a confidence she was truly only a bit confident about.
Taylor was burning. She didn't remember being so incredibly furious. It was fine and good that Whisper had given something great for her cause, but that was precisely what it was. HER cause. The fact that Taylor and the others had been roped into this...
Her hands gripped, painfully tight at her sides. She could feel her pulse in her palms.
Her eyes flickered to Enda, a bit of the fury melting as her friend spoke. "I think that's one thing we all agree on." She looked to Balthazar.
"I think it's time for you to leave."
"No!" Spyri's voice was shrill, hands shaking, sword still clutched and ready to be swung. It was a lot to take in, and the child didn't understand most of it, but she did know one thing. She was not going to kill anyone, especially not a lot of people.
"You're all crazy!" It was hard to keep her voice cracking from behind her screams.
"You-" She aimed her sword at the new lady, Whipser was her name, "Want us to march around and slaughter a million and a half people, just because what they believe!" This hit a note deep in Spyri's heart, it was obvious. "Absolutely not! And you-" Her sword swung to point at Tycho, "Cater to this..this...this...Dicks?! I don't care what you people are thinking, especially you there-" Now the sword was pointed directly at Balthzasar, " 'Cause that door is not opening, nope, not on my watch!" With this, she shot Enda an incredulous look, simmering with hurt and disbelief.
"Death! Death! Death! That's your big solution?!" Glaring, wildly aiming her weapon, Spyri marched away from them all and towards the bluff. "Sickening!" She shouted back, then pointed her sword in the general direction of the door, "Have none of you ...DICKS thought of breaking the key?!" She quite liked her new word.
Pointing the sword at the ground, she opened her stance and planted herself put. "I'm not killing!"
"If it means the preservation of more life I will stand against you. It's sickening. You're presented with three options and you choose the most violent one. But I guess we stand as a fine example of what people truly are. Violent, cowardly individuals who would rather commit genocide against anonymous parties than put a knife in their own friends chest."
And with that, he was gone again. Simply vanished. Invisible, to make his way out of there.
There was barely a pause as Balthazar disappeared before Enda walked up to Sha'arish, kneeling down to pick up the sword. She closed her eyes and sighed, turning around to look at the group. Each in turn, once more. One by one.
"Everything is rather...hectic...isn't it?" she said, giving them a tight smile. "No one's really sure what to believe. At least two of you don't want to do any killing. Most of us are tired."
"Or half drunk," Tycho added, helpfully.
"I think that's just you, Tycho." Taylor replied with a rueful turn to the corner of her mouth. "Though, at the rate things are going, I wouldn't mind joining you."
"Lady's got a point." He glanced at the kid. "Yer old enough, right?"
Spyri stuck out her tongue in response, then looked to Enda.
The knight held Sha'arish delicately in her hands, thumb running along the blade. "We've lost a friend in this war. We're out to lose a lot more if we don't stop bickering and start getting ourselves together. I understand that is what Tycho and Whisper are trying to do, and I understand that to a few of you that option does not seem like the best, but..." She bit her lip, "How else should we deal with the problem? Will breaking the key really do anything? How can we be sure?"
Her eyes came to Taylor, "Especially when the life of one of our friends is on the line?"
"How can we be sure of anything?" Taylor replied, her tone gentler as she addressed her friend. "When dealing with men, even those with noble intentions," she glanced to Whisper. "I find that we are all, in the end, just as easily corruptible as the next." She looked to the rest of the bearers.
"The Corruption lies in all of us." she said, softly. "In different forms. It's why none of these choices seem...right, or good. We're all agents in one form or another." she swallowed a thickness in her throat, and took a deep breath.
"I spent my life killing needlessly." she admitted to the lot of them. "I'm the last person who has a right to stand here and try to impress my views of morality. I know who has threatened my life and the life of my friends, and they will pay. But...know that I will not lay a hand against any man, woman, or child who has not threatened me or that which I care about most. I'm too tired for that. What heart that's left in me...I don't want to consume it with vengeance. Not anymore."
"I agree with her!" Spyri piped from her post.
Tycho nodded, solemnly. "Ya gotta understan', Taylor. This ain' about revenge. This ain' some roarin' rampage tha' we're on. This is about who we can trust, an' who we cannot."
He pointed at Whisper. "There have been a few times where Whisper's been able, through simple misinformation, ta snuff me out. When given th' same opportunities, Balthazar an' others have tried it. Tha's where m' allegiances lie. With those who haven' tried ta murder me."
"Guess I don't make that list." Taylor murmured under her breath.
Tycho opened his mouth to respond, and thought better of it. He watched the rest of them, hooking his thumbs into his belt. "One thin' we know fer sure. Can' do any options alone. We need each other. An' I truly believe th' only way ta keep each other alive is a pre-emptive strike. You don' like it, I don' like it. Bu' it must be done. Adriaan, Kiddo, nobody will tell ya wha' ta do. Bu' ya need ta trust us - at least enough ta not kill ya."
“It's not a matter of trust,” Adriaan remarked with an exasperated shake of his head before he simply turned and left via the portal to the spirits.
"Hey!" With a foot stomp the little girl again spoke up, "I never tried to kill you! And nothing hasta be done, none of this killing stuff! The only thing that hasta be done, is that the door can't ever be opened. Ever!" She accentuated her last word with another stomp.
Whisper shook her head at Spyri's words. “I thought as you once did. I thought all that was necessary was to keep this staff from the hands of those who would misuse it, those who would see that vault opened. My belief in that has cost far too many lives already. We cannot simply ignore the problem and hope it goes away.”
Tycho nodded at her words. "An' ya haven' tried, Kiddo. Tha' means yer on th' winnin' side. Bu' we won' be th' winnin' side fer long, so long as the other pieces are in play."
"The only winning side I see," Spyri said darkly, "Is a side without the door. Without death, without..." She then looked to her sword, and frowned, "Dicks."
Taylor hesitated.
"I'm not so sure you understand what that word means..."
"Bad people," The child sounded so sure of herself as she said it.
"Oh." Taylor's eyes were wide, her brows lifted. "No...no you pretty much hit the nail on the head there."
Reis, having chosen to stay out of the mess, had calmed down from the initial bristle as Taylor approached Whisper, and now shook his head slightly.
'I don't know the exacts behind everything here.' He began, softly. Perhaps even a little bardic magic at work to try and draw the attention to himself. 'I have only just stepped into the underworld that is the war with the Corruption.
And it is a war. I think my last encounter with them proved that to me. And for some of you, there's a lot more at stake here than a normal conflict. And arguing will just prove a detriment for us.
It's often oversaid. But unity is one of the strongest facets of an army. Or any group. I honestly agree with finding a way to finish this, without bloodshed. So...'
Turning to face Spyri in particular, Reis smiled a bit of a quirky grin. Not dissimilar to most of his other grins, actually.
'So, if we all agree to try and end this without resorting to killing, but if no option is available, to take the harder option, would we all stick to that? There's not always the way for what Spyri here wants, but I believe we should look for it first.'
Reis' words left Whisper in a momentary state of silent disappointment. Of everyone here, it was Reis she counted on most to understand. He had seen first hand what the Corruption was capable of. He of all of them should understand why they couldn't afford to not go on the offensive to ensure the Corruption not do to others what had been done to her.
Tycho rubbed the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger, his eyes squeezed shut. "Look," he said, flatly. "In a perfect world, we wouldn' have ta resort ta killin'. Tha's understood fer all of us. Bu' they've struck th' first blow, Reis. They killed one o' us. If we think that they're gon' jus' lie down and wait us out withou' takin' more lives, we're foolish. Th' problem with th' moral high ground is it's a road easily ambushed."
Tycho blinked. "I gotta write tha' down."
Whisper shook her head finally finding her words. “Reis, unless you have another idea to propose that doesn't involve gambling with the potential damnation of the world based off the words of a liar and a murderer, then your idealism is only going to get more people killed. We can't afford to sit around hoping another option falls into our laps, this is the best one we have. The only one.” There was a bite to Whisper's words that was uncharacteristic of the level headed woman that Reis had grown accustomed to.
'My suggestion was never to wait.' If anything, Reis' voice was a mocking immitation of Tycho's flat reply. 'And it was never to sit around.' Turning to Whisper, he raised an eyebrow. 'I thought you would guess I wouldn't let myself be passive.'
'Idealistic, yes. Ever hopeful? Quite so.' Grinning, the joke obviously on himself, Reis then gestured to Spyri and the others. 'We have to seal the doors. Or otherwise prevent them from being opened, no? Either that or destroy the Corruption or ... Lthozsh or whatever his name was. All here agree on that?'
Whisper shook her head once more. “Even if we could find a way to seal the vault and whatever it contains, do you really think the Corruption will stop there? That he will just let these people go home to their lives? I thought myself free of it once before, and now it's back worse than ever. Do you think we can stop at killing just the Corruption? It was killed once before. A new one will just take its place. No, this time complete eradication is the only solution, lest we be facing it again in two years time, regretting the lives lost along the way because we didn't complete the task.”
'We may have to. But right now, I suggest we first give Spyri a chance to see. If there is no other way to prevent it, then there isn't.' Reis shrugged. 'As I said, I really don't know much beyond my very short experience. But we should at least take a moment to look, if nothing more.'
Taylor looked irritated. She took a breath, let it out, and closed her eyes. "You're all going to do precisely as you mean to do regardless of what the rest of us say." she said, sounding tired.
"Why not open the door then."
Tycho raised an eyebrow. "'Cause we have enemies tha' turn invisible, an' we have a lot o' work ahead of us. If ya don' wan' kill, fine. Bu' I'll be damned if I'm gon' coddle to a kid fer th' sake o' group unity. We're all importan' in th' scheme o' things, bu' Spyri? Yeh have some growin' ta do."
He narrowed his eyes at Reis. "I appreciate what yer tryin' ta do. I do. Yeh wan' ta keep us t'gether, keep everyone happy. But lemme tell ya, this ain't the way. We need ta be goin' in a straight line, not in a circle. What th' vault holds an' how ta deal with it are bridges we need ta cross when we get to 'em. We can' promise anythin' abou' th' vault, whether it stays closed, whether it opens, what. All we know is tha' th' first step - an hopefully th' last - is ta remove th' threat. Th' last thing we want ta do is open a potentially world-endin' monstrosity on th' suggestion o' a guy with an unpronouncable name. Who is, also, kind o' a dick."
He glanced between the two, a stern expression on his features. "An' seein' the vault, or openin' th' door does not change that."
This was getting them nowhere fast, Whisper thought with a shake of her head. Pursing her lips, she slammed the butt of her staff down upon the rocky ground to draw attention back around. “Words are getting us nowhere,” Whisper began sharply. “While we argue this, the enemy only grows stronger. I propose we turn our attention to a matter we can all agree upon. Mylor. Regardless of the decisions not yet reached, she is a threat and has killed once already. She needs to be found and she needs to be relieved of her sword. Tycho, can your affiliation with her be used to our advantage in getting her somewhere vulnerable?” Whisper asked.
Tycho frowned. "Maybe not. She thinks 'm dead, an' she faked her own death. Wouldn' really say tha' it's a happy 'lationship. I could try, but I think we'd need a backup in case she can' be baited." He hiked a thumb at Taylor.
"Taylor could go back t' her, say tha' she captured me or somethin', get us both to her at once. Better odds, tha' way. She's 'spectin' Taylor ta come back havin' killed a spirit." He gave Taylor a quick wink.
Taylor smiled briefly, nodding her quiet agreement. She was starting to realize that she and Tycho were, for the most part, on the same page. That leant her some comfort.
"I certainly wouldn't mind playing the part." she said, to let Whisper know that she was willing to go along with the plan.
Whisper nodded briefly. “And Tycho? If possible, take her alive. She's still human, and she may be of use to us for information. I would like the opportunity to speak with her. I believe I might be of help in discerning the truth of her words. As for me, I believe you had something you wanted me to examine? Is it still at the hotel?”
"It is, aye. It seemed ta no' like ya, though. Ya sure yer gon' be okay alone with tha' thing?"
“I will have Reis with me. And Enda? It was Enda right? Would you accompany me as well? Though someone should remain behind to keep the spirits safe,” Whisper continued.
“I can do that,” Adriaan interjected. Reentering from the portal he caught only the tail end of the conversation. In his hand he held his sheathed sword once more. “Murder is never the answer, but from what I see, I don't have much chance of swaying you folk on that. The only person here with a wit of sense on that matter is the kid. But the least I can do is make sure the spirits are safe, after all its what I have been doing all along anyways.” He cast a glance to Spyri as he spoke. “What do you say? Want to play sentinel with me? I could show you a few new sparring moves to pass the night.”
After shooting a hurt look at Enda and a glower at Whisper, the little girl Spyri turned on her heel. Marching passed Adriaan without so much as a word, she plopped down in front of the door in question.
Nobody was getting past.
"Yes, my name is Enda. And..." The knight thinned her lips, wrinkles appearing at the sides of her eyes as she thought. This whole situation...
"...I will accompany you." She looked back to Spyri, worry in her eyes. The same look was given to Taylor. Worry and regret. The eyes turned to Whisper. "I'll come."
"That's that, then." Tycho said, firmly. He glanced at Taylor, offering a slight smile. "We'll meet up later ta plan. Got a bitch ta grab. An hopefully not kill. Maybe cut on, a little. Man can dream..."
He began walking, muttering to himself as he went about body parts and knife wounds and things that rhymed with "Shylor."
RPG
