The Ruins of Iddin-Mar, Old Omestris
After a brief exchange between older and younger, the girl let her weapon vanish. But Oren could not help but wonder if it was wholly due to her grandmother's command. The nod in Mother Ziotea's direction was at least one indicator of that. But when the woman turned to him once more, the thought was put aside.
When she brought out the catalyst, he was, for a moment, afraid. His body tensed, preparing for a battle true for the first time. Old this woman may be, but one experienced with ether was far more dangerous than a brash young girl. But that one singular moment was misplaced. Essa instead proffered it to him, its surface glimmering. And then her smile. Her smile. It caused a twinge of pain in his heart, and he knew why. The last time he had seen such a smile was when he knelt before the Aspect, during Culmination. It seemed so long ago, and like it had only just happened. This was not Iddin-Mar, but...
Slowly, he reached out his hand, and between a finger and thumb, lifted it from her grasp. Holding it near to his light, he twisted it, observing it. The indigo surface shone, slightly, and he caught a glimpse of his own eye in the reflection. Even through the layers of his gauntlet, it was chill to the touch. This... was a Varyan catalyst. Only the inquisitors have them. Which meant... no, it couldn't be. Closing his fingers around it, he looked back to the elder as she spoke.
"If this is to be an interrogation, perhaps we might do this in a more comfortable setting. My solar is just up ahead. I will answer your questions there, and in return, you might answer some of mine. Does that sound agreeable to you?"
Oren mulled the offer over in his head. The idea was not adverse, but nor was it benign. To allow comfort, he would have to relax more and thus lower his guard. But in turn, the woman and the girl may open up more, and give answers readily. And either way, they were already deep enough into 'enemy territory'. Going deeper may reveal others - the potential third member of their party was still unaccounted for - and perhaps even traps.
"You speak as though you have had encounters with inquisitors before." he said, tasting the words as he spoke them. "More than one, at least. But that would be a question for which I would have to trade an answer, correct?" He glanced to Mother Ziotea. "Which I am... unsure if I can give. The offer you make is generous, however... Might my companion and I discuss it?"
***
She was glad that the child stood down when asked, but Ziotea did not relax, and rightly so. She knew what the old lady held the moment it came into her sight -- at this range she could feel the ether bound up in the totem. It mattered less why she had one -- only warpriests had them -- and more that the woman /did/ have one. Oren stepped back in fear. Ziotea shifted her weight to her rear foot in preparation for the burst of force that would send her forward. Had the old woman been any slower in her reassurance, she might not have survived, for Ziotea had already gathered her power, and had to twist it aside at the last moment. Her control was vastly improved from her days of unrestrained havoc, but even so she could not reabsorb a burst with such short notice. A crack like muffled thunder echoed through the tunnels, a brief gust of brisk wind pulsing outward from where she stood, tugging at her hair and the hem of her long jacket. Her lip curled in a snarl, and she adjusted her grip on her weapon, watching old woman and child as the former handed over the mirror-bright stone.
She watched them still as Father Oren spoke, and she did not look away as he drew her aside to discuss the offer. "I don't like it," she told him at once, before he could even ask. She kept her voice hushed so it would not carry, but her inflection was all leashed violence. "I do not care to go anywhere with either of them, and I've no intention of answering her queries. Our duty here is clear. We locate the third one, determine if there are any more and if so how many, and we bring them in. And if that addlepated guard knew about them and said nothing, we bring him in as well."
***
Oren's face was calm as he countered Ziotea's arguments. "It's not a question of bringing them in, I would say. We just need information from them. And in either case, you can't deny that if they are in a more comfortable environment, one they believe they have control over, they might be more willing to talk. The woman, at least, we need to know more about. She has a catalyst." He holds out the crystal. "So there may be more to this than meets the eye. As for her potential questions, you needn't worry about that. I know perfectly well what we can and cannot give. I do not fully trust her either."
He glances to where Essa stands away from them.
"You needn't worry about letting your guard down - nay, feel free to raise it higher. I am glad that you're not of the same mindset as me, at least - it allows for a wider range of options."
Not waiting for her answer, Oren strides back to the two. "We accept your offer." he said. Don't let it be a mistake, he added in his head.
***
Ziotea and Oren found themselves being led through the tunnel. They walked in silence, the tunnels growing darker as they walked. All the while, the Omestrian quartet's eyes, like miniature amber lanterns, glowed eerily in the shadows. Essa was leading them, humming a tune to herself, completely at ease, while Rose walked apart from Oren and Ziotea, her eyes glued to the two inquisitors as they walked onward.
There in the darkness, lit by the feint glow of an etherlight sphere floating gently above Essa's outstretched hand, the molten gold of Rose's eyes appeared different to the two inquisitors. The fiery gold flecks within the girl's pupils were reminiscent of their own. It was pure, burning, and elemental-- the unmarred gold that existed within the eyes of Omestrians who had never been drained by the bleeding machines. Whatever life Rose had escaped from, it certainly wasn't that of a common slave's, that much was certain.
After traversing through the dark underground, they spotted lights up ahead, and further in, they saw that the tunnel opened up into a large open space.
"I repaired this power grid myself. It all runs on my own ether," Essa called out behind her. "You'll see for yourself once we head further in, but this place was once an underground shopping complex connected to several transport stations that ran all throughout the city. People would come down here and--"
"Why are you telling them this, grandmother? They're the
enemy," Rose interrupted, glowering at Ziotea.
"That may be the case, but they are also Omestrian. They deserve to know about these ruins, especially the boring parts," Essa answered with a laugh.
When they reached the end of the tunnel, Oren and Ziotea found themselves looking up at a vast circular mall. They were standing at the ground level where crimson roots and moss covered the destroyed tiling. Across from them, there stood a comparatively intact entrance to what appeared to be an old aquarium. The mall rose around them, stretching several stories upward, each of the levels damaged and half-crumbling, while directly above them, there was a shattered ceiling which allowed them an open view of the fading orange sky. The least-damaged levels of the mall, including the ground level, were lit up by what appeared to be old ether lamps.
"It isn't pretty but, the lamps keep the darkness at bay. Now come."
***
"Welcome! Please, relax yourselves. I know the train journey can be exhausting," Essa told them as she led them into the main lobby of the aquarium. Whatever this place had looked like a century ago, it certainly didn't look that way now. The lobby, or "solar", as Essa had refereed to it, was a comfortable-looking chamber beautifully decorated with all sorts of plants and fanciful-looking lounging furniture. It appeared more like the relaxed courtyard of some Varyan countess rather than the lobby area of an aquarium. The only thing that betrayed the room's former purpose were the massive water-filled crystalline tanks that acted as the walls of the room. Strange plants danced in place while schools of tiny ghost-like fish, almost as transparent as the water itself, flitted around within them.
At the far end of the chamber was a doorway that led further into the aquarium, and half-hidden in the darkness of that hall, Ziotea and Oren spotted two pairs of eyes peering out at them.
Noticing this, Essa smiled and called out.
"Fie, Vahn, we have guests."
Upon hearing this, Rose immediately went pale and started to panic, but before she could say anything, Essa placed a gentle hand on the girl's armored shoulder.
"It is okay, my dear. Trust me, everything will be fine," she said as two young children nervously came out from their peeking place. The two children didn't resemble each other, as the boy, who appeared no older than eight years old, was almond-skinned, with silky black hair. His eyes were a sapphire-like blue. The girl, who appeared to be about the same age, had skin as pale as snow and her hair, a silvery blonde, was cut short. Her eyes were a vibrant jade, and as she made her way into the lobby, they seemed to be glued to Oren. The boy was visibly terrified, while the girl seemed to be doing her best to hide her fear.
Rose walked over and stood in front of them, in between the two inquisitors and the children.
The elderly Omestrian woman gestured at one of the plush couches, inviting the two inquisitors to sit, before taking a seat herself in an ornate looking chair.
"Rose, Vahn and Fie." Essa spoke the names, clearly and succinct, allowing them to hang in the air, to exist. She looked over the three children, a glint of sadness in her eyes, before turning to face Oren.
"Have you ever heard of the Scarlet House?" she asked him suddenly, despite knowing that a recently ordained inquisitor wouldn't know of such a place.
"It is a pleasure house located in the highest reaches of the Godsfall, hidden within the shadow of the Great Basilika itself. It is an old, tenured establishment with a rich and exalted clientele. It is different from similar high-class establishments however. The Scarlet House only caters to the most wealthy and powerful noblemen and clergy within the empire."
"Can you take a guess as to why it only accepts patronage from people of such stature? Well, allow me to explain," the old woman said, tilting her head towards Rose, Fie and Vahn.
"This is Rose of Great House Id-Maryan, heiress of Iddin-Mar. The handsome one is Vahn the XI of the Sareffi-Astra family, Prince of Cero, and the pale beauty next to him is Lady Fionna of Legion Saphar, princess of Lanostre."
The three children, upon being formerly introduced, immediately lowered their eyes to the floor, as if their names burned them with shame.
"These children all carry the most mighty and powerful names ever gifted to humanity, and if you've read your history, you would know that the ruling families which they belonged to were put to death by the empire after the Gods of their respective nations were felled. But, no, that isn't quite the truth of it."
"Not all members of the sovereign houses of T'sarae, Muraad, Omestris and Lanostre were slain. The queens... the daughters... They were taken from their palaces and castles, brought back to Varya... and used as breeding slaves."
Essa spat the last word out, but the expression on her face was one of calm. "As you know, Varya has no human kings or queens of its own. Thus, for decades, the progeny of those women have existed only to be used by the nobility and the church to give birth to Varyan children with "royal" blood and to... well, I need not go further."
The elder turned to look at Rose, who was now visibly shaking in anger, her gauntlet-ed fists balled into iron. Essa stared at the girl until Rose finally met her eyes, and wordlessly, the Omestrian princess straightened her back and turned to look at the two inquisitors, her eyes filled with an accusatory rage.
"The three of them were born to that vile place, but they resolved to escape it. And so, Rose fled with Vahn and Fie. It took years of planning, but she managed to lead them out of Magnagrad. Together, the three of them made their way across the frozen wastes, all the way to these ruins, the home of her family and her birthright. By chance, or, perhaps it was fate, I found them and offered them sanctuary."
Essa then turned to face Ziotea, and her expression changed from one of gentleness to one of pure ice.
"That peace offering I gave your companion. It was what I treasured most in this world. It is the last link in the chain that connects me to those forgotten days. Whenever I grasp it, I think back to my warband and the times we spent together in the Seminary and beyond it." She then turned to Oren, "That isn't a catalyst you are holding there, young man. It is my own heart."
She then focused her attention on Ziotea again.
"Heed these words, Reverence, I care more for these children than I ever have for that silly old thing. I will not allow any harm to come to them. If you cannot agree to these terms then I will kill you both. Slowly."
At that moment, Essa stared deeply into the fiery-haired inquisitor's eyes, and allowed the paling that enshrouded the extent of her ether to dissipate. Within her, a storm of ethereal magic swirled chaotically, and for a moment, Essa strengthened her ethereal aura, causing it to pulse violently. For one terrifying instance, the entire underground began to shake.
"Agree to them, and I promise that no harm will come to you. Now, I hope we can now properly introduce ourselves. I am High Inquisitor Lyessa al-Nors, former protector and leader of Warband Ifrit, and, I suppose, current babysitter and renegade," the elder said, nodding towards Ziotea in respect.
"What is your name, Reverence?" Essa asked Ziotea once again, "Your friend Kanus was more polite, even to an apostate such as myself. I wonder if the two of you are from the same warband. Back in my day, war-siblings were of one mind. Different times, I suppose," she said with a grin as the storm within her subsided.
"Er... Grandma. I brought tea. For your guests."
Vahn seemed to appear out of nowhere and placed a tray of ornate-looking teacups as well as a pitcher on the plain-looking wooden table in front of where Oren sat.
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