Gadez Paladice
Paladice had mused to himself as he left Kira's herbal store, the girl had proven to be quite the curious one. Her ability to listen, to perceive and to remain calm and not bewildered nor upset was telling him plenty. She was no ordinary herbalist concerned with making a living, then again could she really? All blightborn were dead after all.
Dead yet lingering, specters or shadows of themselves. Yet their curse was not a choice but thrown upon them, and the source which had defiled life had to pay dearly for its part in that. Deep down he knew who was most surely to be blamed, and he would rip out that ones corrupted and greedy heart with his own hands.
The stage had been set for the opening act, where people would begin to receive their initial roles. The performance of the play would ultimately be decided by the final act, and which one would wear their mask the best. No matter what hand which they had been dealt, what mattered the most was how they played their cards.
The presence of the guardsmen from Aurelia and Lunaris made him draw the parallel of having let in wolves amidst the sheep, yet with everyone knowing what they were. Those whose hearts had been swayed by coin or blind faith in either royal family, were just pawns on the great board, with no minds of their own, enslaved by their own doctrine. Caught in their own webbed coocoons spun for themselves, those people could not be reasoned with, nor saved.
Those whom would look upon either kingdom and state. 'This is fine' were equally guilty to the downfall.
Before the stage however stood many others. Some seeking a sanctuary, others seeking a cure. But there is no cure to death. If that is a fair label to put upon the blight.
It traversed the world like a swarm of locusts, consuming everything in its path. While Paladice did believe the goddesses to exist, he would never kneel bwfore them, never offer them a prayer. They were found guilty aswell from their inaction, but perhaps in their divine arrogance they thought that this was a plague unleashed by humankind upon itself, and therefor something for humankind to solve themselves. That was fine to him. He didn't need to believe in any goddess, he only needed to believe in his own abilities and the rest of mankind. Even in the darkest of night, a torch can be seen far, but only illuminate for those staying close to it. As far as he was concerned, he was to play the role of that beacon, guide the others through the dark, and then rip out the source of it all.
Even if it meant bringing ruin to the goddesses and those who drowned themselved in their written word, like a calf sucking milk from the poppy, they swallowed whatever would come out of it, praising it with all of their being. 'The gullible fools. Blind faith, there's no more dangerous nor foolish thing, to allow ones brainmatter to be guided by some promise of salvation by a higher power. Save yourself from such a submission. Those who bend the knee, will never be free.' He momentarily closed his eyes, smiling as he opened them again. His gaze wandering over the crowd of people.
Was Kira there? She should be. A girl such as her would be found in the back row, leaning against something, yet within earshot to see and hear everything. To Paladice, she was a dangerous one. In the upper achelons of combatants, the kind which was receptive and aware of the world around them. An adept of the mind. What was the girl behind her mask, she was no mere herbalist. Much like he was no common gardener. A spy? No. They would dig far more when provided with bait, their greed and urgency would cause them to slip early on. She had been trained however, no common girl would behave as she did. There were benefits in approaching people as he did, they would likely see him as a danger, but also likely a fool. Either was fine, as their reactions would yield to him facets of their own.
'The man who understand and conquer the hearts and minds of the world.... claims it.' He thought to himself, his gaze momentarily falling at a table at the back, two chairs set up and a chessboard.
The warrior-monk smirked and approached it, his hand reaching out to pick up the black king, putting it at the middle of the board. Then his hand reached to pick up the white queen, placing her on the square opposite of it.
His eyes playfully wandered over the rest of the pieces, before he gently toppled the black king over with a finger.
'It shall be curious to see if the tune of the song is the same this time.'
Paladice's eyes shimmered as a guard passed by with a torch. He soon took hold of the black king and the white queen and put them back in their place. Then after some consideration he reached out and swapped place of the black king with one of the white pawns. Before turning his attention towards the crowd, his ghostly blue gaze landing on a blightborn woman who bore a single big eye.
"If you blink you might miss the announcement. Miss o' the great orb." He said in an amused tone as he stepped abit closer to Sya, his left hand taking hold of one of the chairs by the chessboard, bringing it next to her. "Standing upon this you may see abit better amidst all these people whose imitating trees with their height, and no doubt also being as thick. Perhaps one ought to branch out to receive a better vantage point? A chair is made to sit upon, yet nothing stops one from standing upon it. I doubt your weight is enough to break it, with your lacking physical...weights. I woudn't worry." Paladice smirked.