Knowledge Is Power... And Danger (Nira'lia)

[Ignotus Everto]

Oddly enough, Ignotus laughed at Nira's off-hand statement. "Don't worry about it! It's really not that bad, being dead. I'll tell you, being immune to poison can be a boon sometimes."

When she asked him to place his hands on hers, Ignotus did so without much hesitation. "I promise my hands aren't that clammy." he said with a genial smile. If he knew what was going to happen, he wouldn't have even dreamed of letting the Konti anywhere near him.

Sadly, the Nuit's hands were every bit as dead as they looked. They were ice cold to the touch, and had a preserved feel to them. Of course, Nira'lia wouldn't have to worry about concentrating on his hands for long...

She was walking casually down one of the University of Zeltiva's hallways with a round faced, redheaded girl not much older than fifteen. She seemed to be annoyed about something. Not for long, however. Nira'lia made sure of that. "Come now, my dear," she said in a low, slightly scratchy voice, "Isn't it a little early to be jealous?"

Words weren't the only thing that came out of her mouth, though. Djed as well was being carried by the sound. A sort of dismissive attitude was being transferred from her to the redhead by her voice, and they both laughed at what was once a tense moment. This was good. A struggle would have made for such a chore later on.

She was in a darkened room that looked a little like an office. Her breath, for she wasn't undead yet, was coming in short, excited gasps. Indeed, she was grinning ear to ear. A woman in her twenties was leaning against his chest, stroking his cheek lovingly. Though she had changed bodies a dozen times at least, the extremely observant might be able to deduce, from her eyes, that it was the witch Evalin. "You have done very well... I shall gift you what you desire, if you give me but a few moments more."

Nira'lia's eyes flitted away from the Nuit doting on her, to the terrified face of... That same redhead.

The girl was lying on a table, Evalin's teeth sinking into her. Scarlet blood stained her dress and the wood. She wasn't moving.

How wonderful! She had survived. The sound of igniting paper could be heard behind Nira'lia as a door slammed shut... Along with the screams of the redhead as she burned to death. A delightful little treat. Even in her final moments, she was amusing. Of course, a fair bit of fun wasn't important. What Evalin represented was important. She would live forever. She would have time to learn and master everything, and more. And then, who would ever threaten her again? Who would ever deride or turn their noses up at her, when she was the most powerful sorcerer in the world? When her name alone would strike fear into the hearts of men? Ignotus, the immortal. Ignotus, the all-powerful. Ignotus, the ascended!


OOCHope I didn't overdo it! ;

[Nira'lia]

Nira’lia should have known by now that it was foolish to purposely see into a Nuit’s past. She wished to refrain from being judgment about them, but her experiences gave her much to be frightened about. The Konti had been expecting an average vision, for even one who lived for centuries often found happiness in the simplest things. But not Ignotus. The vision had been gory and downright disturbing. Who had that innocent girl been? Where was she now? The girl hadn’t been moving… had they killed her? And there was also the other girl who had been with Ignotus… The body was not one she could recognize, but those cold, red eyes screamed out to her. She had seen them before, and it was clear that the scarlet-eyed woman had been a Nuit as well. The woman was the one who had helped Ignotus transform. ‘Evalin? Was that Evalin?’ With a horrified expression, Nira’lia had quickly let go of Ignotus and edged away from him. The Konti felt tears well up in her eyes, and she forced them away. There was a painful knot in her throat. She simply couldn’t understand… why would anyone even think of doing those deeds? And it wasn’t just him… this was about Evalin, as well! “Alright… alright…” the Konti choked as she straightened herself out. She approached him once more and put her hands on his. For all she knew, that had happened centuries before. What did she know? But the fact that this still remained his most precious memory… The Konti closed her eyes and forced her mind to focus. The mark on her shoulder tingled as she summoned the power she borrowed from Rak’keli to travel unto Ignotus. The Nuit would feel relaxed, and the next time he tried, that migraines would be near to gone. This was because her gnosis was able to heal headaches. When she was done, she put her hands down and stared at Ignotus. There was nothing but pure hatred in her eyes.

[Ignotus Everto]

While Ignotus wasn't aware of Nira'lia's gift, it didn't take a genius to deduce that she had seen something awful, and though he let her heal him, his mind had raced off into another dimension.

This was bad. This was very, very bad. She was a Konti... Did she know what he was? It wasn't impossible. He had to know. Information first, planning later. Ignotus squeezed the hem of his cloak, his brow creasing. His thoughts first went to the dagger resting on his belt, but he was weak, and though he might be able to match a Konti's strength, murder in the middle of a healer's tent, without Hypnotism to deflect an investigation, or Reimancy to defend himself, he'd be in an even worse position than he already was.

Had he not overgiven, he would have attempted to fix her view of him, but as it was... Well, he'd hurt himself. First, he'd need to know exactly how he was compromised. Next, he'd have to formulate a plan to remove the threat that knowledge posed. "I'm sorry... Did something happen?" Ignotus asked worriedly. Perhaps if he feigned concern, she'd open up slightly... Otherwise, he could always find some other way to loosen her tongue.

[Nira'lia]

Of course he wouldn’t know about what she had seen. Only she would have the knowledge. The manner in which he asked if something was wrong snapped her back to her senses. She had not even realized that she was looking at him with such disgust. It had been the expressions that the other healers had been giving him, and in barely a few moments, she had been wearing it as well. “No, of course not,” she shook her head vigorously. Nira’lia feigned a smile but she still felt horrified at him. The uneasiness was evident in her stiff movements. “It’s your hand. They are so cold. They remind me that you’re dead, and touching the dead is not something most would find easy.” It was a lie. Would he buy it? Nira’lia had already learned her lesson during the course of that trip. She had already learned what kind of consequences might appear if she told people that she knew their secrets. The Konti unconsciously found out about secrets without her own consent, and she had already gotten into enough trouble. She wasn’t about to tell him that she knew of the horribleness he had committed. In Zeltiva, no less. She had recognized the halls of the University. Such a crime wouldn’t go ignored by the Wave Guards. The Konti held a vital piece of information at the moment, and wasn’t about to expose that to the man in question.

[Ignotus Everto]

Nira'lia's explanation would have made sense if she merely seemed uncomfortable, but her entire demeanor had changed the moment she touched him. It wasn't difficult, then, to infer that she was lying. What had she seen then? And how did he make sure she did not share it? It was compromising, whatever it was.

Killing her was an option... But not one that he could take any time soon. Of course, that would only cause problems down the line. It would be much more efficient, and a great deal more beneficial to simply neutralize her. How he was going to do that was a question for later. For now, he had to make sure that letting her out of his sight wasn't going to get him killed. It seemed he was going to have to injure himself after all...

"You saw something, didn't you?" he asked cautiously. Affixing a part of his aura to his words, and allowing them to tear it from his soul as a whole, the Hypnotist sent the subliminal suggestion that there was no harm in saying yes or no. After all, if he suspected it, there was nothing to be lost in confirming it or denying it. At the very least, he couldn't start blowing things out of proportion... Right?

"There's nothing to be afraid of. I won't hold it against you if you did, or think any differently of you."

In a way, he would be telling the truth. Whatever she had seen, and however she had seen it, she would still be a threat. A threat that had given him a headache. Petching soul damage.

[Nira'lia]

The Konti stared at him. She wore a slightly annoyed expression, her eyes narrowing as she looked at him, her lips curved to a frown. Was he actually pushing the subject further? Had she been that much unconvincing?

This season had already brought too many mishaps with the things she had seen and divulged. Her path had been swayed too much already, and the Konti desperately refused to tell the Nuit about what she had seen. It was much too dangerous.

How could he even know that she could see things? Nobody knew of her gift. Nira’lia inwardly cursed herself. She had to be more careful with herself, though it was difficult not to react to some visions. Did the lily’s mark on her hand give her away? Those who knew of Avalis’s power knew that her seers could see into the past.

But then he told her not to worry, not to be afraid. His voice was cautious and his words were kind. The Konti couldn’t help but believe him. Aside from being a truly gullible person, she was also being manipulated in a way that she did not realize. Gradually, her expression softened and she looked at him with a trusting smile. There would be no harm in telling him, she thought. There were too many witnesses around, and she was sure that she would be safe. That’s what her mind told her, anyway.

“Well, you see, uhm…” she started. Her gaze shifted to the back of her hand, which she put in front of her for a while. When she put it back to her side, she continued to explain to him. “It’s… it’s an ability of mine, I can see into someone’s past. I see the most previous memories that they hold dear to them.”

She was talking slowly and in hushed tones. Nira’lia did not wish for the other medics and healers to hear her words. It would be much too dangerous for the both of them.

The Konti affixed a stare at him once again. She looked at him adamantly, though there was a hint of hesitation there as well. In the end though, she told him about it. “I saw something from… I think it was Zeltiva. I think it was Zeltiva University. I saw your time there with someone else who was similar to you.”

Nira’lia was talking about Evalin. At least she thought that the one who Ignotus had been with was the Evalin they were travelling with at the moment.

“I am not really sure about what happened, many things were hazy,” she said. Nira’lia could at least lie about some things. While her inner being told her it would be safe, she still had half the mind to keep back the most vital parts. “But there was another student, a girl. She was with you both, and she appeared to be in pain. I do not really know about what happened to her. If you wish, you can explain yourself… but there is no need. It might have happened so long ago that it doesn’t really matter.”

[Ignotus Everto]

Ignotus breathed an inward sigh of relief when he saw Nira'lia's smile. Things were going to be all right... Hopefully. Once the Konti had divulged the details of her vision, Ignotus' mind raced through the events of his past that matched her description. After a few ticks, he nailed the moment his deal with Evalin solidified as the precise moment she saw. That was both problematic... And incredibly beneficial to him. Should he fail in what he was about to do, all he would need to do is find Evalin and mention Nira'lia to her, and the witch would remove the girl for him.

"Aye, I will..." he said at length, his expression morose. "What you saw was the end result of a deal I wish had not come at such a price. A deal that took place three hundred years ago." Of course, Ignotus was lying through his teeth- In reality, the murder had taken place only three decades past. "The Nuit you saw was... Odd, to say the least. You have to understand, I was young then, and arrogant. I wanted to learn everything. Heck," a bitter chuckle, "I still want to learn everything. So when a strange woman approached me and told me I could live forever if I just led one girl to her death... Well, what would you have done? What's one life if you can learn so much medicine that you can save thousands, for instance?"

This was going to hurt... The Hypnotist sectioned off a phrase in his mind, and severed it from his soul- With the accompanying violent throb in his head- before waiting for Nira'lia to make eye contact with him again. When she did, he shot the fragment of his soul into her using the temporary connection between them. She'd find herself thinking "He has a point..."

"Perhaps I should not have." Ignotus said remorsefully, burying his face in his hand and shaking his head. Of course, in addition to looking like shame, it also helped to hide the pain in his features. "At any rate, I was indeed happy when it happened. Gleeful, even. Now... Not so much. You can forgive me for a centuries old offense, can't you?" he asked, pain and (apparent) sorrow in his face.

[Nira'lia]

The Konti’s eyes narrowed. She shot the Nuit a look of complete content.

“You are insane,” she stated.

He led an innocent girl to her death… for the chance to live forever. It was another person’s life in exchange for eternity. It was selfish and evil and Nira’lia detested him. However, she looked at him and how miserable he looked at the moment. Even if her expression did not soften, her thoughts did.

“However, it was three centuries past. I suppose you would have learned from it by now.”

She was assuming that he had changed. Nira’lia saw the point in his words. At first it was just a tiny speck of sense, but as she delved into the matter further, she saw that there was no point in being spiteful of a crime from three centuries ago. The girl would have been long dead by now even if she had not been murdered on that day.

“Is there anything else you would need?” she inquired. Her tone was slightly concerned and mostly harsh.

[Ignotus Everto]

"Well that's an awfully cold way to put it..."
Ignotus had never seen himself as insane. Really, he was just looking out for number one. What was so terrible about that? Everybody did it. He was just the only one who was honest about it. In that sense, he was better than everyone else. At least he had integrity! This Nira'lia should feel ashamed of herself! Of course, Ignotus was capable of making such a thing happen... But he would only injure himself further, and he was not interested in going insane. So instead, he would leave it be and return to the matter later, when he was stronger.


"No, I think I'll be fine." Ignotus said with the most grandfatherly smile he could muster. "Thank you for all your help."
And with that, he turned around and scurried out the tent before things could get worse.

[Astator]

Experience Earned Ignotus Everto   Skills Skill Name Points Earned Socialization +2 Hypnotism +2   Lore Lore Earned Overgiving Still Hurts After Twelves Days Remembering the Past Touched by a Seer Nira'lia   Skills Skill Name Points Earned Herbalism +1 Observation +1 Interrogation +1 Medicine +1 Subterfuge +1   Lore Lore Earned Lemon Leaves Can Alleviate Migranes Ignotus Everto Is a Nuit Ignotus Everto's Past Tied to Evalin Ignotus Everto :: Cold and Dead Ignotus Everto :: Old Time Murderer Questions or Concerns : Beautiful read! I liked how Iggy felt the pains and how Nira's ability works, it was great. I feel bad I wasn't able to see more posts for you Iggy, Heh, this seems a bit lopsided in grading. >.< Please, any questions or concerns about my grading. Please PM me!