[Flashback] Heretic (Tanjun)

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

50th Day of Autumn, 511 AV Tock was getting downright sick of this city. She had a job, but it wasn't going all that well. She didn't feel like she fit in here, and she had run into some trouble here and there. It didn't seem very fair to her; what difference should it make if she didn't give a damn about this Rhysol guy? No Gods had ever done anything for her, and she didn't feel like she needed them for anything. Yet so many of the people here were downright obsessed with him. She was feeling like she had to dance around on eggshells all the time, and she hated that. Tock wasn't the sort of person to give a damn what anyone else thought about her. She spoke her mind, expressed herself in any way she wanted, and didn't let anyone dictate her life to her. Especially if that someone was some evil God that had fanatics enforcing his will. She seriously needed to get out of this city. Trudging along one of the walkways that led by the strange canals that twisted through the city, Tock was mumbling and muttering to herself. She didn't even realize she was doing it. "Stupid city dangnub piece o' worthless grumble mumble wasted 'ore o' a stupid razza frazza who done needs 'eir stinky ol' Temple anywho..." "What did you just say!?" Tock stopped, looking around. The walkway was mostly empty, but there was a man standing nearby, with a teenage girl standing behind him. From the Black Sun marked on the back of the girl's hand, Tock knew she was a slave. Slavery didn't bother her so much... not at all, really. As far as she was concerned, if the slave didn't WANT to be a slave, she could just run away. And if she wasn't brave enough to do that, then she deserved what she got. Except that this slave had a swollen black eye, a split lip, and several visible bruises on her face, neck, and shoulders. No doubt she'd have even more hidden under the clothing. Having a slave was one thing. Abusing a slave was something else. Worse yet, the man was wearing an amulet of some kind depicting the Black Sun. Tock had seen those often enough around the city to know it meant this man was one of the serious believers. Great, she thought. Just what she needed... "I asked you a question!" the man said, stepping forward. He seemed to be in his late twenties, and he had dark hair and a cruel looking face. Though he didn't seem very tough; the slave was a skinny, frail little thing, so it didn't take a big man to beat on her. Tock stared the man down, hands on her hips, not in the mood to take crap from anyone. "Petch off, Guv!" she told him. "I ain't done gots time fer ya!" He stepped forward, scowling in anger. "You spoke ill of our Temple," he said. "I heard you! Don't try to deny it!" Now, Tock normally wasn't one to deny anything. She believed what she believed, and that was that. But after the trouble she'd been having here lately, she didn't feel like dealing with this shit. So she lied, "Oy, I jus' were sayin' 'ow much I done loves Rice-all an' 'is bloody Black Sun an' all 'at, aye? So piss off!" The man looked her over, taking in her foreign dress, and the complete lack of any religious symbols on her. "Don't dare blaspheme the God's name, nonbeliever!" he said, clearly not accepting her lie. "I should strike you down in His Glorious Name!" He shoved Tock hard, knocking her back a step. Her eyes narrowed. That was it. Tock stepped forward and swung a fist right for the man's face. He cried out in pain, and his slave squealed and backed away. The man grunted and rushed at Tock, grabbing her shirt and shoving her against the wall. She let out a huff of breath as the wind was knocked out of her, and kneed the man in the stomach. He doubled over and she slammed her elbow down on the back of his neck. "Bloody wanker!" she shouted, striking him again and knocking him down. She was bloody sick of all these fanatics giving her a hard time... The man fell to the ground, spitting up some blood. Just to let out the rest of her frustration, Tock gave him another good swift kick in the stomach. Then, she said, "An' 'is one's fer beatin' on 'er!" and kicked him yet again. She then looked up at the slave and said, "Oy, if'n ya knows what's good fer ya, ye'll git the 'ell outta 'ere! Go on, shoo!" The girl turned and ran off, and Tock looked down at the man on the ground, seeing he was still struggling to retain consciousness. She kicked him hard in the face, and that was all he could take, slumping to the ground. He'd be out for awhile. And just because she figured it would piss him off, she stole the amulet from around his neck. "Bloody shoulda done kept yer 'ands ta yerself," she muttered, putting the amulet on, then spitting in the man's face. Then she stalked off, heading between a couple of the floating buildings, hoping that was the end of her troubles for the day.

[Tanjun Vorot]

Tanjun was just on her way to the docks to procure some ingredients for cooking when she saw a girl come running her way. She looked frightened, her face bruised, eye swollen. Usually it didn't really bother her, but a glimpse of the black sun tattooed on her hand made the small girl think otherwise. "Ey you slave. Where is your master?", she asked coldly. A runaway slave was always a good catch as upon return there was usually a small reward for her. The girl looked forward to see who talked to her and stopped upon seeing Tanjun. Her face turned even more frightened as she saw the glaive that the other carried. In an attempt to avoid any more abusing, she immediately spewed out the truth: "M... My master... is being attacked by some woman." Tanjun just gave the woman a short, uninterested glare, but then just let out a sigh and replied: "Sure sure, lead me to him.". Apparently he wasn't too far off. Tanjun arrived just as Tock had left. The guy still lay there passed out, which only aggravated the girl more. "Petching idiot couldn't even handle a woman? What a weakling." In any case, she had to take care of this. As an apprentice of the Ebonstryfe, she couldn't allow someone to just randomly hurt one of the Black Sun and just walk away without consequences. "Ey slavegirl, what did the woman look like?", Tanjun just curtly asked the slave. She replied with a detailed description of Tock's face. Her fear of a beating grew even bigger as she saw Tanjun's face. "Ok, you stay here and wait for him to regain consciousness. If I catch you later without your master, you can count on a good punishment. I'm not as lenient as him." The apprentice then walked away, leaving the slave girl trembling next to her master. "Now where did that woman head off to? She can't have gotten far, because it didn't take me long to reach that slave's master.", she thought to herself as she looked around. "Now which way did she leave?", she thought to herself.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Tock didn't want any mote trouble, so she kept the amulet clearly displayed in front of her shirt. She figured that alone would deter anyone from bothering her or realizing that she was both an outsider and a nonbeliever. She didn't see what the big deal was; it shouldn't matter if she believed in this stupid God. It wasn't like she stopped everyone ELSE from worshipping him! She just wanted to be left alone... She walked out onto a more high traffic walkway, passing people by without realizing it might have been a good idea to cover her face. Her red hair also tended to make her stand out a bit around here, where most people seemed to be darker in not just their hair color but their complexion as well. It was a minor difference, but she definitely stood out as a foreigner. She eventually found herself a little too close to that nasty temple, and decided to head the other way. All the foot traffic seemed to be headed right for the temple. Maybe they were having some kind of service or something. The more people she passed, the more nervous Tock became. She seemed to be the only person walking away from the temple right that moment. A few people gave her looks as she passed, and finally one old woman stopped her and asked, "Where are you going? The temple is this way," she pointed towards the big ugly thing. "Ahh," Tock scratched the back of her head, trying to think of an excuse. "I done left my... brother at home," she said. "Gotta go fetch 'im, an' I's be right back... 'Ail Rice-all, an' all 'at..." She lowered her head and kept moving off, wanting to get back to the room she was renting. She didn't like being out here among so many fanatics. Though it wasn't like any of them were looking for her...

[Tanjun Vorot]

Tanjun finally decided on a direction to take. She figured it was best to find a place with more people so she could go and ask around if someone had found her target. Thanks to having been raised in Ravok, she knew it like the back of her hand. This is why she managed to reach the mainroad before Tock did, but in the masses she didn't spot the foreigner. The girl started asking around, but it took her a quarter of a bell before she finally found someone that had seen her target. By this time she had already forgotten the reason why she was looking for that woman in the first place, but that didn't matter. All she remembered was that she had to find her for something. "Yeah, I saw the woman you're talking about quarter of a bell ago, maybe less, going away from the temple.", the old woman said, that Tock had spoken to earlier. "Thanks, any clue as to where she went?", Tanjun then asked. She had to know where she went, not just where she was seen right? The old woman pointed in the direction Minerva had left and said: "She spoke in some weird accent and said that she had to get her brother or something. Oh, before I forget, she was wearing an amulet of the Black Sun. I think she was a priest or so." The girl then waved at the kind old lady and sprinted off. "Crap, if the Black Sun is involved, this could get a bit tricky. Should I just kill her off right away, or should I try to figure out the reason why I was searching for her again by asking her?", she thought. "Darnit, why was I searching for her again? Running through the city, Tanjun didn't seem to be able to find the foreign woman. Maybe it was someone else, maybe not, but Tanjun finally caught a glimpse of a woman with red hair going around the corner at the end of the long street she just turned into. It seemed as if she was in a hurry so the boyish girl set pursuit, hoping to catch up before she lost that woman again. After having run towards the point where she saw her target, Tanjun now saw the back of that person in full view. "That has to be the woman I'm looking for. Now to extract the information as to why I'm going through such a hassle to find her.", she thought. "EY YOU, REDHEAD. STOP RIGHT THERE."

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Tock was almost back to her rented room when the stranger caught up to her. Redheads were rare enough around here. Even in Sunberth they weren't super common, though more so than here. When she was a child, she had sometimes been teased and told she must have Inarta blood in her. Not knowing what an Inarta really was (having never actually MET one), she just took it as a sign that she was 'different.' She was often called 'Red,' usually taking it as an insult. So when the woman called out to her by shouting, 'Ey you, Redhead,' it immediately set her on edge. She stopped and turned to study the stranger... who had a big huge bladed weapon of some sort. Great she thought. It MUST have had to do with the man she'd beat up. Tock had no weapons, and didn't know the streets of this city that well after the few short weeks she'd been here. She thought about just running... but, maybe she could talk her way out of this. "Oy, I's busy, Sheila," she said, lifting the stolen amulet to show her. She figured the girl would take it as a sign Tock was someone important and leave her alone. "'Portant business, aye? No time what fer ya ta gimme a gobful..." She turned and continued heading on her way, hoping the girl wouldn't follow her.

[Tanjun Vorot]

The angered tone of the woman didn't elude Tanjun. So that redhead should know what she was coming for. Tanjun still couldn't figure out a reason. "Why the petch... oh wait... maybe she's after my brother too. Well... for that she'll have to pay the ultimate price and it doesn't matter to me if she's of the Black Sun or not. As long as no one knows who did it, it doesn't matter right?", she thought a little evil to herself. "You think that amulet makes an impact on me? If someone is after my brother, then it doesn't matter to me who the petch they are. All I care about then is just simply killing them... so that's what I'll be doing to you. Got anything to say for yourself?", she told the stranger. She reached out to the back of her to grab her glaive, readying it in front of her right after. "Oh and ya know... I should perhaps congratulate you a little. You received Rhysol's blood and all. If I had that I could keep annoying women like you away from my brother as he's mine and mine alone." Tanjun's smile gained something dark, as if it delighted her to kill. "Well, please die now, ok?" After finishing that line, she lunged forward, glaive raised up to cut down just as she'd reach Tock.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Tock stared at the woman like she was crazy. Her brother? Petch, the guy Tock beat up must have been her brother! Though he seemed a bit OLD to be this girl's brother. She looked younger than Tock, while the man had been nearly forty! She watched with no fear as the girl pulled the weapon from her back. Death threats were nothing new to her. They had been part of her daily routine back home. Wake up, get a beating from Da, go downtown to buy his hooch, outrun a rape gang, avoid Hooker Alley, get a death threat on her way home... Of course, the girl was holding that weapon like she definitely knew how to use it, and Tock was unarmed. Plus this wasn't the most friendly city. Nowhere near as bad as Sunberth... but in Sunberth, you could be sure the passerby would ignore a fight, or at most make some bets on the outcome. Here, she was fairly certain there would be at least a few of the 'faithful' that would back this girl up, and gang up on Tock the 'outsider' and 'nonbeliever.' She frowned as the woman talked about 'receiving Rice-all's blood,' not at all sure what that meant but knowing anything connected to the evil betrayer God was BAD news. She needed to get out of this petching city... "Look," she said, raising a hand to ward the woman off. "I don't wantcher damn..." She cut off at the creepy way the girl said Well, please die now, ok? The initial death threat hadn't scared Tock; she was used to such things, after all. But the calm, polite way the girl said it now, that just freaked Tock out. "Petch this..." she muttered as she saw the girl raising the weapon overhead. She wasn't going to face that down with just her bare fists... She turned and ran, fleeing through the crowd, not even glancing back when she heard the thunk of the weapon hitting the walkway right behind her. She thought she had felt it clip her hair on the way down... Unwilling to face that unless she could at LEAST find a weapon of some sort, she fled as fast as she could. "MOVE!" she shouted, knocking people aside as she ran as fast as she could. She flashed the amulet in he hopes it would get people to move faster, "RICE-ALL BUSINESS! OUTTA MY WAY!"

[Tanjun Vorot]

The way the woman dodged the attack surprised Tanjun. Usually people blocked it or dodged it by sidestepping, but they never ran as if their life depended on it. "Annoying woman, get back here. I'll only put you out of your misery. You wouldn't be happy, because you wouldn't be able to grant happiness to my brother, only I can.", she thought to herself as she made pursuit. "Oooh Reeeeedhead. Please wait for a second, I'll make you feel good for just a split second, ok?", the girl said to the fleeing Tock. "I'll only make sure you won't go after my brother once he returns. You don't need to worry at all. I'm only going to take your life, don't you think that's a fair trade for leaving my brother alone?" Suddenly a kid jumbled into Tanjun's way, but luckily for him and for her was that the smaller redhead used her glaive as a pole to jump over him. As she landed and fixated her eyes on Tock again, her smile grew even viler. "Please, big sister. Wait up. Let me fix your mistake for you. I promise it'll feel good, really!" Tanjun's smaller posture made it easier for her to navigate through the crowd and thus let her slowly catch up to Tock. "For making me exert myself like this, I'll make SURE to make her death painful., she thought as she swung her glaive 180 degrees. This way she had the blade near her hands and could use the long handle to knock Tock off her balance.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

This bitch was crazy. And since it was Tock thinking that, you just KNEW it was something serious. People had called Tock crazy most of her life, especially since the coma filled with fever-dreams that left her longing for a magic city all of her own. She considered sanity only to be a matter of perspective... after all, ANYTHING was possible, and the people that doubted her just had no vision. But this girl? This girl that was chasing her through the streets swinging some kind of huge bladed weapon, while screaming about completing some creepy incestuous right of passage by taking Tock's head off? She was just plain, simply, crazy. "Oy, I ain't wants yer dang brother!" she shouted over her shoulder as she ran. "Piss off, ya blimey bitch!" Then, before she knew what was happening, she felt the shaft of the girl's weapon strike her, and she went over the edge of the walkway. Right into the canal. Tock couldn't swim. The last time she'd been in the water, she'd nearly drowned. She coughed and sputtered, swallowing some water, flailing her arms about without a clue as to the best way to use them to stay afloat. What EVER prompted people to think immersing themselves in water was a good idea? After a few moments of kicking and flailing, a passing boatman, clearly with no clue as to the nature of the conflict going on, reached in and pulled her out. She scrambled onto his little canal boat, coughing up water, and shaking from the exertion. Then she looked up at crazy girl. Now she was pissed. "Gimme 'at!" she shouted, snatching the long pole the man used to steer his boat. She swung it at the girl above her, trying to knock her into the water as well. "Ah? 'Ow's YOUS likes it, aye?" she screamed. She tried to slam the pole around the back of the girl's knees to throw her completely off balance, sincerely hoping that crazy bitch couldn't swim...

[Tanjun Vorot]

Wait what? Did Tanjun hear that correctly? That redhead didn't want her brother? But how was that possible? He was kind, thoughtful, not to mention the light in her life. Why wouldn't someone want him? Yet those thoughts hadn't stopped her yet. It did make her question the reason why she was chasing this woman though. Seeing the woman try to stay afloat did humor Tanjun, but not as much as she'd liked. Killing someone with a reason was easy and never left a bad aftertaste, but like this it would probably leave a bad one. "Question for ya, bitch...", she said as she put the back of her glaive at the edge of the walkway and wanted to jump over, using her glaive as leverage, but just then Tock swung the pole, knocking the basis of the glaive away and sending Tanjun right at the ledge of the boat. If it weren't for that action of the redhead, Tanjun would've landed in the boat, yet now she smacked hard against the side, only remaining above water because she managed to grab the ledge of the boat with her right hand. Her left still gripped her glaive strongly. She wasn't about to give her prized weapon up that easily. "Bitch, you're not the only one that can swim.", she said a little frantic, "Pull me out and I promise not to cut your head off. Just answer some questions okay?" The foresight of taking a dip in the water herself didn't exactly seem... like a good prospect to her. "For some reason I was looking for you, but I can't remember why. I just assumed that you were some slut that tried to take my brother away from me and now please PULL ME UP."