12th of Spring, 515 AV
“Will he live?”
The woman sighed through a fresh cloud of smoke, a sickly-sweet haze of honeydew tobacco billowing forth to obscure her scowling features. Having lived in Ravok most his life, it wasn’t the first time the mage had endured the familiar stench, and with his recent auristic hunt through the medical wing relying solely on the pungent odor he had been told to follow by the other nurses in order to find this one in particular, he felt he had become more than little acquainted with the cheap brand of ditch weed favored by the laborers who worked the lakeside harbors. With it now assaulting his nostrils directly however, the mage wasn’t sure he would survive the encounter, much less walk away with his senses still intact enough to carry out his task.
He stifled a cough as he considered more closely the one who tormented his nostrils so.
She was a tired woman, one with more than a few greying hairs marring the ebony of her disheveled bun. The pipe between her lips had been chewed upon for what must have been years considering the sorry state it was in, and with each nervous crunch between her teeth, the countless wrinkles sprawling out from the corners of her sullen, sunken eyes seemed to expand and contract like a casinor’s deck rigging pulled taught. The pallor of exhaustion was on her as thick as the smoke was, and it didn’t take an aurist to tell that she worked herself too hard in this place.
Soon, Elias mused somberly, she too would likely fill a bed here at the Healing Hand.
“Now what would a… gentleman like yourself want with young Quincy?” She asked, finally turning to meet his dull gaze.
“I merely wish to see the boy.” Elias answered with a stiff, unpracticed shrug. “I had no luck finding his uncle Kain at docks, nor the ferry they work on, but I heard from other the men there that the two of them had recently taken a turn for the worst.” The nurse eyed him tellingly, as if seeing through his lies the moment they left his serpent’s tongue, but after considering it for a moment, Elias knew all too well what she was really thinking. The way he must have sounded, voice rasping and waning like it was -Hell, the way he must have looked, shoulders sagging and arms trembling with every chill wind that brushed by. Even to himself, Elias seemed a perfect candidate for a guest residence here at the hospital, but he ignored the obvious irony of his situation and pushed on with his inquiry. “I’ve only known Kain and Quincy for a few seasons true, but I’d like to consider the three of us good friends. Would it be possible for me to see the child, to see if he’s alright?”
It had been two days now since Elias had begun his investigation into Redd’s disappearance from Ravok. Her vanishment had been unsurprising to say the least, yet had still served as one more cruel layer heaped upon his mountain of suffering none the less. With so many seasons lost in the dark, dank depths of his desolate dungeon, why Elias had ever expected to find the naïve kelvic waiting for him upon his release was anyone’s guess. Without a master, he knew the feral girl would not have survived for long, and his all too abrupt departure from her world would have no doubt left the wolf in a pitiful tailspin. Worst yet, it would have meant she was at the none existent mercy of a city she had never truly had the chance to call home.
Even with all that said, there were so many things to do now that he had been freed, so much penitence to complete for his masters, so many wrongs that he needed to make right… and yet this is what he had chosen to focus on. To Elias, finding his lost slave was all that had preoccupied his thoughts these past few days he’d been able to actually walk again and escape the sweat drenched bed of his lodgings. As soon as he’d been strong enough to do so, he’d set himself to the task of interrogating everyone and everything in the pursuit of the sole answer he sought...
Where is she?
Why does it matter? A sullen, empty voice asked from somewhere at the back of his mind, but there was no answer, no response, only the palpable contentment of a broken man desperate for the welcome distraction this prolonged hunt provided.
Maybe Elias was looking for Redd because he truly missed her, or maybe Elias was looking for Redd because he simply missed himself.
“I’m afraid he’s too weak to see visitors.” The nurse insisted with another choking sigh, “In truth, his condition worsens by the day. I don’t know what to make of it. He came here with a flu toward the beginning of the season and despite our best efforts, he only seems to get worse.” Elias frowned, thoughts drifting distantly to what he had uncovered from witnesses and peers back at the docks. It was the same story all over again, this time with only a smidgen of more insight. It was hardly worth his time.
He nodded, hiding his annoyance behind the wince of pain even such a mundane action had caused. His body was still so weak, so unprepared for the demands his newly reforged mind was all too eager to place upon it. He reminded himself he had to be careful, at least for a little while longer.
“I understand,” he said at last, “What of Kain, then? His companions could not tell me where he lived, only that he may be a patient here.” She seemed frustratingly reluctant once more, even turning back to the bed of the quietly groaning dock worker she had been tending to before, but Elias caught her shoulder and spun the old woman to face him.
There was a moment then of resistance, of wary and weary eyes going wide in shock, but Elias simply smiled.
Without warning, a lash of hypnotic djed struck out from his eyes and latched onto her’s. In an instant her aura was overwhelmed and invaded by an invoked sense of calming relief. Something comforting and steadfast told her to take faith in the man now gripping her arm so feebly. Yet, at the same time the forlorn and pitiable look in his icy blue orbs spoke volumes of his genuine worry. Was it so wrong then for him to inquire about a friend? Did he not deserve to at least know he was alive? The magic worked its magic, intertwining and infesting thoughts until they mirrored those of the man who sought to twist them.
“Oh… fine.” She relented at last. “Kain lives down on Harrow street, near the waterfront if I recall correctly. He’s been the only family the boy’s had since his parents passed away. Find him and bring him here if you can. They should be together.”
“Gratitude.” Elias said to her, smoothing out the wrinkles his calloused fingers had made on her dress. “What you’re doing here is truly a sacred service to Ravok, I’m sure with you at their bedside your patients will be back on their feet in no time.”
“Thank you,” she replied, smiling thinly as the hypnotic residue loosened its grip on her contorted thoughts, “You’re kind to say as much.”
Without a word, Elias bowed and departed the infirmary, leaving the dead and dying as far behind as his failing feet could carry him. He could spend not a tick longer in that hellish place, with its infirm and decrepit prisoners surrounding him from every side. It reminded him too much of himself; of what he had been, what he still was, and what he had almost become. He knew, despite the bold faced lies he had uttered so convincingly to the nurse, many of her patients would indeed die, and Elias Caldera couldn't help but wonder if they were the lucky ones.
The woman sighed through a fresh cloud of smoke, a sickly-sweet haze of honeydew tobacco billowing forth to obscure her scowling features. Having lived in Ravok most his life, it wasn’t the first time the mage had endured the familiar stench, and with his recent auristic hunt through the medical wing relying solely on the pungent odor he had been told to follow by the other nurses in order to find this one in particular, he felt he had become more than little acquainted with the cheap brand of ditch weed favored by the laborers who worked the lakeside harbors. With it now assaulting his nostrils directly however, the mage wasn’t sure he would survive the encounter, much less walk away with his senses still intact enough to carry out his task.
He stifled a cough as he considered more closely the one who tormented his nostrils so.
She was a tired woman, one with more than a few greying hairs marring the ebony of her disheveled bun. The pipe between her lips had been chewed upon for what must have been years considering the sorry state it was in, and with each nervous crunch between her teeth, the countless wrinkles sprawling out from the corners of her sullen, sunken eyes seemed to expand and contract like a casinor’s deck rigging pulled taught. The pallor of exhaustion was on her as thick as the smoke was, and it didn’t take an aurist to tell that she worked herself too hard in this place.
Soon, Elias mused somberly, she too would likely fill a bed here at the Healing Hand.
“Now what would a… gentleman like yourself want with young Quincy?” She asked, finally turning to meet his dull gaze.
“I merely wish to see the boy.” Elias answered with a stiff, unpracticed shrug. “I had no luck finding his uncle Kain at docks, nor the ferry they work on, but I heard from other the men there that the two of them had recently taken a turn for the worst.” The nurse eyed him tellingly, as if seeing through his lies the moment they left his serpent’s tongue, but after considering it for a moment, Elias knew all too well what she was really thinking. The way he must have sounded, voice rasping and waning like it was -Hell, the way he must have looked, shoulders sagging and arms trembling with every chill wind that brushed by. Even to himself, Elias seemed a perfect candidate for a guest residence here at the hospital, but he ignored the obvious irony of his situation and pushed on with his inquiry. “I’ve only known Kain and Quincy for a few seasons true, but I’d like to consider the three of us good friends. Would it be possible for me to see the child, to see if he’s alright?”
It had been two days now since Elias had begun his investigation into Redd’s disappearance from Ravok. Her vanishment had been unsurprising to say the least, yet had still served as one more cruel layer heaped upon his mountain of suffering none the less. With so many seasons lost in the dark, dank depths of his desolate dungeon, why Elias had ever expected to find the naïve kelvic waiting for him upon his release was anyone’s guess. Without a master, he knew the feral girl would not have survived for long, and his all too abrupt departure from her world would have no doubt left the wolf in a pitiful tailspin. Worst yet, it would have meant she was at the none existent mercy of a city she had never truly had the chance to call home.
Even with all that said, there were so many things to do now that he had been freed, so much penitence to complete for his masters, so many wrongs that he needed to make right… and yet this is what he had chosen to focus on. To Elias, finding his lost slave was all that had preoccupied his thoughts these past few days he’d been able to actually walk again and escape the sweat drenched bed of his lodgings. As soon as he’d been strong enough to do so, he’d set himself to the task of interrogating everyone and everything in the pursuit of the sole answer he sought...
Where is she?
Why does it matter? A sullen, empty voice asked from somewhere at the back of his mind, but there was no answer, no response, only the palpable contentment of a broken man desperate for the welcome distraction this prolonged hunt provided.
Maybe Elias was looking for Redd because he truly missed her, or maybe Elias was looking for Redd because he simply missed himself.
“I’m afraid he’s too weak to see visitors.” The nurse insisted with another choking sigh, “In truth, his condition worsens by the day. I don’t know what to make of it. He came here with a flu toward the beginning of the season and despite our best efforts, he only seems to get worse.” Elias frowned, thoughts drifting distantly to what he had uncovered from witnesses and peers back at the docks. It was the same story all over again, this time with only a smidgen of more insight. It was hardly worth his time.
He nodded, hiding his annoyance behind the wince of pain even such a mundane action had caused. His body was still so weak, so unprepared for the demands his newly reforged mind was all too eager to place upon it. He reminded himself he had to be careful, at least for a little while longer.
“I understand,” he said at last, “What of Kain, then? His companions could not tell me where he lived, only that he may be a patient here.” She seemed frustratingly reluctant once more, even turning back to the bed of the quietly groaning dock worker she had been tending to before, but Elias caught her shoulder and spun the old woman to face him.
There was a moment then of resistance, of wary and weary eyes going wide in shock, but Elias simply smiled.
Without warning, a lash of hypnotic djed struck out from his eyes and latched onto her’s. In an instant her aura was overwhelmed and invaded by an invoked sense of calming relief. Something comforting and steadfast told her to take faith in the man now gripping her arm so feebly. Yet, at the same time the forlorn and pitiable look in his icy blue orbs spoke volumes of his genuine worry. Was it so wrong then for him to inquire about a friend? Did he not deserve to at least know he was alive? The magic worked its magic, intertwining and infesting thoughts until they mirrored those of the man who sought to twist them.
“Oh… fine.” She relented at last. “Kain lives down on Harrow street, near the waterfront if I recall correctly. He’s been the only family the boy’s had since his parents passed away. Find him and bring him here if you can. They should be together.”
“Gratitude.” Elias said to her, smoothing out the wrinkles his calloused fingers had made on her dress. “What you’re doing here is truly a sacred service to Ravok, I’m sure with you at their bedside your patients will be back on their feet in no time.”
“Thank you,” she replied, smiling thinly as the hypnotic residue loosened its grip on her contorted thoughts, “You’re kind to say as much.”
Without a word, Elias bowed and departed the infirmary, leaving the dead and dying as far behind as his failing feet could carry him. He could spend not a tick longer in that hellish place, with its infirm and decrepit prisoners surrounding him from every side. It reminded him too much of himself; of what he had been, what he still was, and what he had almost become. He knew, despite the bold faced lies he had uttered so convincingly to the nurse, many of her patients would indeed die, and Elias Caldera couldn't help but wonder if they were the lucky ones.
