Fortune favours the rich and beautiful, Lord Stormlight having joined them was making Ayel feel more at ease. Like three wise men seeking to educate the thickheaded. Prince Flynn, Lord Stormlight and the humble but still the greatest, himself. Nathaniel did bring up some valid points which Ayel nodded his head quickly, making the good Aurelians living in Dawnhaven feel worry would not be good. Ayel had giddily rubbed his hands on hearing Lord Stormlight so aptly mention morons screaming about those disgusting blightborn attacking.
If there would be any gossip, it would have to come from a reliable and noble source. From three Aurelian men of refined class. Not some moronic tribal creatures. Who knows what manner of damage those Lunarians would allow to befall Dawnhaven if they would look away for a single moment.
"Lord Stormlight is correct, we cannot allow some fools to wave about false rumors. It might affect our plans for this settlement." The always considerate, kind and otherwise lovable Marquess then was then greeted by a noise which screeched in his ears. It was that infuriating woman again! What did she say about his mother? He could have sworn she had said something vile and barbaric. The finely clad noble wrinkled his spectacular nose with a sign of clear dislike. Well at least she was keeping a distance from him. That was good. He would hate catching some kind of ape-sickness.
They were all guilty. The oaf woman, the witch before them and the lumbering giant man. Did she just say Lord Coswain? Where had he heard that name before? He was certain someone had uttered it. But for some reason… it made him feel a bitter taste in his mouth. Then the giant of a man had the sheer audacity to disturb him in his very important thoughts. The words uttered made the nobleman blink hastily as if he was having trouble believing what was being said. Not only was he asking what the nobleman deemed to be foolish questions, but he was also having the gall to imply that he would not tolerate being interupted.
"Of course I believe in us being of far nobler blood. I am a Marquess for Aelios sake, and that's the Crown Prince, my dearest of childhood friends and over there Lord Stormlight, who is very important too. I'm sure? Of course we are superior. But do not worry, you big slob of hair and sweat, I am certain you have things you excel at nontheless. Like digging in the dirt, feeding the pigs or I don't know… rolling with them? Are you listening to- What the-"Ayel paused and gasped as he saw the huge man turn into a little cat. A fur clad cat no less.
'Witchcraft! Dark sorceries! Evil shamanistic bonepeddlers! Not a blightborn? That's just what a disgusting lying blightborn peasant would say! Surely my noble friends will not fall for this obvious ruse.' He thought as he watched the man now seemingly turned into a cat with a mix of horror and suprise. Then he felt how his right leg was twitching. He felt an immense urge to kick the thing. It wasn't animal abuse if he was blightborn or a peasant after all. But the damnable brute had swiftly turned back into his peasant shape again. Vile witchery!
Then it dawned on him. This man was the culprit. He had turned into a beast and killed the other barbarian.. and then snuck back to his clothes without leaving a trace of blood on himself! How deviously underhanded! He felt odd for a moment. He almost admired the intelligence shown. Perhaps they had some dormant part of their brain that would sometimes wake up with a single good idea in a thousand. It left the man who had thought them all to be completely brainless in a state of doubt. It had to be luck. No other explanation would do.
The always alert, always able and always reliable nobleman then let his perceptive perception to traverse the area, spotting footprints and the cat prints next to what looked like some clear barbarian footwear albeit smaller than the oaf and not seemingly of the same design as the witchwoman's. These had to belong to the damnable ice-witch princess and whomever had been with her. He knew it! He was unto them! The cat was a liar like all of those lying mountain-mongrels!
He had to inform the prince, but then-
Ayel's mouth stopped in it's track on seeing his bestest of friends hold up his hand, his royal hand. He knew this signal, it was done by royals when they wanted to command attention. The nobleman then understood what the matter was. His massive charisma and flair had overpowered his friend's presence in the company of those disgusting barbarians. He had not taken into consideration of his best friend's needs of having to display himself to his lessers. Ayel felt a sudden feeling of pity. It had to be difficult to be near someone like himself, even for a prince of such a promising bloodline. But being the good friend that he almost certainly were, he would sacrifice some of his charisma to allow his friend to also shine.
But he had to tell his friend about the devious plan which he had uncovered. It was hard to be quiet. He softly bit his lips together. He wanted to yell out his findings and point at the culprit, but what if they would then attack them? Of course he could defend himself, he after all practiced fencing and was a true master of magic, even if he saw it as a hobby. But his friend the Prince... and Lord Stormlight would be in harms way. While there was no doubt of the purity of their family trees, he was worried they could get wounded in a potential skirmish with these reckless barbarians after their disguises would be taken off. Ayel bided his time. He had to be silent.
While he had solved the puzzle, the others had begun talking about what they were going to do with the body.
'By Aelios who cares. It's a dead ogre. Just toss him into a ditch near the witch-goddess temple!' He gasped and softly dragged his hand over his face.
'What in the world would one learn by studying these lesser things anyway? Is Lord Stormlight looking for some kind of connection to the Lunarian blood and the blight?' It did sound like a plausible thing. They were guilty the entire bunch of them.
Ayel clasped his hands together on hearing Flynn's rejection, that the dead brute would be given a proper send off near the disgusting temple. Down into that ditch with him. The nobleman felt suddenly warmer. His best friend really had gotten to the same conclusion. Great minds did think alike and all. Then came the signal. He was taking the brutish cat-turning turncoat oaf with him and then said something which filled Ayel with great joy. He needed him to join them. His bestest friend couldn't do it without him. Wait a moment? Do it? His friend had seen through the lie of the brute! He knew what was going on, of course… they were both brilliant Aurelians which had drank from the same pure springs near the capitol. It had likely kept their brains from not rotting like the tribe that lumbering fool came from.
Ayel raised his nose into the air, straightened his back and walked up close to Flynn. Together like the old times. The ruler and his trusted right hand man. But what if his friend had missed some minor detail… he had to tell his friend of his findings.
"Psst. Your highness." Ayel said in a hushed manner, looking about, trying to make a little distance between himself and Valthyr.
"I noticed cat pawprints along some other footprints, which I suspect belong to your missing- half, this troglodyte may be the culprit. Saw how he changed his appearance? Very suspect. The injury on the dead… heathen? I think he did it, it explains the lack of blood on his clothes. It was a savage killing, so it is most surely this caveman." He said in a hushed but hasty voice, making his best to convey his suspicions and share his insight with his royal best bud.
"We can take him by suprise your highness, think of the news of how your highness caught the culprit almost singlehandedly. It would raise morale." He added in an even faster hushed tone, eager to spring into motion and shoot the lumbering huge man in the back with his magical powers.
@The Muse@Echotech71@Fetzen@PrinceAlexus