Tears in the Night (Imass)

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

80th Day of Summer, 512 AV Late in the evening, shortly after the events of Getting Better. Tock needed to be alone. It had been a long day. A horrible day. First, this morning, she had gotten into a big argument with some big Purple Knight. Or maybe he was blue. Or indigo. Whatever. Regardless, he had called her names, denounced her beliefs, treated her like she was inferior, and then threatened her. Then, at the infirmary, she had gotten some bad news. Horrible news. Mikey was getting worse. So much worse... It was so bad, that the staff was telling her she needed to 'say her goodbyes.' She wasn't ready for that. She wasn't ready to let him go. She had barely even admitted to herself how important the little boy had become in her life, and now he was about to be gone... She hadn't quite made it home. She had tried, but halfway there, she had broken down. She slumped against a wall, and began to sob. The streets were quiet, so late into the night. The sounds of her crying drifted across the dark, lonely streets, as she buried her face in her hands, her chest aching, her body shaking with unrestrained emotion. Feelings she wasn't equipped to handle. Pain she didn't know how to cope with. Alone, and lost in the night, without knowing where to go or what to do, Tock cried.

[Imass]

Imass walked through the city streets devoid of his armor. He wore a simple short-sleeved gray tunic and gray pants. He tucked his tunic in and his pants into the paltry boots. His hair was combed back. Over all his appearance was clean, orderly, and simple. He had his Lakan tucked in his belt though. He would never put down his racial weapon. It was on his body at all times.

Despite finally reverting back to his light side personality, Imass could not sleep that night. He came to Zeltiva with righteous fervor and goodness in his soul, but the City changed him. The port town induced his dark side and sent him spiraling down into a violent and depressed state. His goal was just to find good peoples to join him as warrior monks, but his message got basterdized in the heat of argument. Now he was a tyrannical demon in the eyes of the Zeltivans.

The Knight's mind was racing. He was thinking of the quest and war in Sahova. He was thinking of the events that transpired earlier in the day. He was thinking of his actions. Basically, Imass was having anxiety about life. Although technically his light side was dominant at the moment, his inner conflict was still being played out. Imass struggled deeply to reel back the emotions of his dark side. Doubt and faithlessness where his most evil bane. His work as deeply faithful worshiper of Yahal and his devotion to speaking truth for justice was his life, but the doubt brought on by his dark side made it difficult for him to perform his duties.

Imass already knew the answer to his questions though. He needed to meditate. He needed to repress his dark side, in order center his body and mind once again. The need to amble through the city and think was too overwhelming though. His mind was restless and the events that transpired earlier where too fresh in his memory.

And thus the frustrated Imass found himself walking around in the darkness trying to dig deep and find his soul.

The streets of Zeltiva were foreign to Imass, so he just walked around aimlessly. He passed through rows of buildings, some houses and others businesses. It was dark and there wasn't much light compared to his most beloved Syliras, however he could still see the silhouette of the University looming in the distance.

That is when he heard a woman crying in the distance. It was too dark to see so Imass did not know what was going on, but the crying sounded genuinely terrible. Something or someone was hurting a woman and the chivalrous knight would not stand by to let it happen. Nay! He would rush to arms to help any man or woman in distress. It was part of his most special oath as a knight.

Drawing his Lakan, Imass sprinted towards the direction of the crying until he finally came up on the maiden. It was dark and he could not see her face. Undoubtedly the woman probably couldn't see his face either, but as a six foot six, three hundred pound knight it might be easy to guess who he was.

"Cry no more fair maiden! I shall avenge whoever harmed you, I shall bring justice to whoever shattered your honor! Where did the perpetrator go?" Imass' voice rang clearly in a most honorable and masculine tone. He drew his Lakan and sprinted past Tock further down the street. He looked into the alley to see more darkness.

He flipped his hips back at Tock, "What happened to thou? Are you still hurt? Are you need of a healer?"

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Tock glanced up and saw a figure approaching with a weapon drawn, the moonlight glinting off a steel blade. She didn't even have the heart to care. If she was being assaulted, so be it. Right then, she didn't even want to fight back. Let him kill her. Then the figure spoke, and she recognized the voice. It was him. And he started right off with spouting his honorable bull shyke and feasting himself to use violence to solve his problems. Tock used to think violence could solve her problems. If someone made her angry, she punched them. If someone disagreed with her, she smacked them upside the head. If someone needed a scare put in them, she pulled a shiv. But no amount of anger or threats was going to save Mikey. There was no enemy to fight. The fool knight couldn't slay the disease that was taking her precious boy away. "Oh, go AWAY, Purple Man!" she called out between sobs. "Ya can't bring justice ta nothin', an' 'less ya wanna slit my throat ta end my misery, ain't nothin' fer ya ta slay an' nothin' what fighting' done fixes! I done told ya 'is mornin', yer damn blade can't fix nothin'!" She lowered her head and continued to sob, just wanting him to go away and leave het with her tears.

[Imass]

Imass lowered his weapon when he heard the voice of none other than Tock the Beguiler. His face settled down into a frown and his eyebrows were serious. He remembered the events of the morning once again. It was in some odd way ironic that Tock was crying; the woman who had been so bold and tough earlier in the day.

Honestly, Imass could care less why she was crying for she was obviously not in any physical distress. The Knight was not a person for emotional distress. In fact he was the exact opposite, he suppressed his emotions. Had he succumbed to his emotions earlier, Tock wouldn't be alive at this moment. He had no words for the crying girl. He had no way of showing her any comfort. Why would he anyways? She straight up crippled him in the argument earlier.

The Knight had to complete his duty though. As a worshiper of Tyveth, it was his responsibility to show chivalry at all times. His own personal feelings and his own well-being meant nothing about Tyveth's sacred law. Imass would stand vigilant over Tock as an escort to her house. Or at least until she showed signs of soberness and had a grip on reality. Imass had heard the weeping sob of a female before. It was hardwired in his Akalak mind to care for the females. It was not only his duty, but his nature.

Imass felt his dark personality creeping behind his neck with rage. His dark side cared not for the woman, but his light side forced him to stay grounded. Standing vigilant he meditated in prayer to Tyveth. He prayed for strength, courage, and self-control in the name of chivalry and justice.

"I believe in Yahal, the Holy One and all his works. I believe in him. I believe in him and all his splendor and purity. I believe in faith of the good heart. I will follow anywhere Yahal leads me. I praise thee and give you thanks for giving meaning for my life. I give thee praise thee and give you thanks for giving me tools to do my part for civilization. I cherish your guidance, you are my shepherd, and I am your flock. You are the lion of bravery and courage and the lamb of peace and love. Guide me this day to enact Tyveth's will. My praise for you is ever great and I shall be Tyveth's mouth and foot. I shall spread his word and his way of life to all peoples. I seek through good faith to spread the word of true love and peace, however not at the cost of justice."

Imass continued to watch Tock. He did not respond to her screaming and yelling (if she was going berserk), but simply prayed for guidance.

"Tyveth please guide my actions and pray to Yahal to give me strength. Yahal I thank ye every day for giving me the strength to live life according to your most pure and noble ways."

Soon Tock would get the picture and the sobs in the black silence would continue. Before Tock decided to leave though, voices were heard coming down the street. At first it was inaudible, but slowly a conversation could be heard coming closer. It was three drunken men talking while they walked through the area. They were having a deep discussion about the current events in Zeltiva.

The first man spoke, " I can't stand them peoples. You know? The ones who come by you bunk and ask ya if they can sit right there and shit. Those guys are wack..."

Another voice came in behind the first man's voice, "I think that bitch has the plague. I fucked her yesterday. I had to..."

"...I don't know who you are. I don't know the shit you done. I don't know your hygiene habits. Shit, I think we might be enemies and you want to sit down right here next to me and TALK? Man. That shit pisses me off..." the first voice continued talking over the second voice.

"..That's how you get the plague, that is how you get sick, I am telling you. It is like getting prison sickness--" the second guy continues as he was drowned by the first voice.

The first voice continued talking, "...I never let them do that shit to me. People learned quick not to sit in MY bunk--" the man stopped mid-sentence then raised the tone of his voice, "What you kidding me? In ALL my thirteen years in the joint I never got the sickness. It is all about personal hygiene and taking care of your body. I never got sick."

The second voice retorted, "Well that is not the point. It’s the same type of sickness man, this plague the whores have gotten. Same as the prison sickness. No doubt man."

"Your brain is scrambled. You are a scatter brain, because what you’re saying makes absolutely no sense. Your trying to say that the leprosy in the prison is the same as this plague, no way. Didn't you see her vagina you village idiot? See my brain is steady and grounded right now, at least way more than you."

"You don't know what you’re talking about. I am at a higher consciousness, you are just ignorant."

There was silence, but without skipping a beat in the conversation a third voice chimed in, "I tell you man, this guy soliciting them kid doctors came up to me today and tried to get me to donate some cash for these kids..."

The second guy picked up again right away, "Who cares about those little bastards. Let them die so they don't have to live in shit next to the pigs..."

The third guy keeps talking over the second voice, "...I mean I could have given him a copper, but fuck that, I rather eat or buy a bottle. It is their lot in life to die. Death is just letting the soul go free..."

"If you intention is to prevent death, well even the best get laid to rest. It is inevitable. Let it come as no surprise. In end we will catch up to those kids--" the second said.

"--because in the end. In the end we ALL die," the first voice said.

"... it is the ultimate peace from this life."

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Tock ignored the Purple Man standing there. She didn't care why he was there. She just wanted to be left alone. She also ignored the approaching voices, not giving a damn who they were or what they were doing. What business was it of hers, if some bloomin' wanker had his pecker fall off because he petched a diseased whores? Served him right. She wouldn't ever have given them a second glance, except for the fact that they started talking about the sick kids at the infirmary. That struck a chord with her. She got up and stalked out to the street where the voices were coming from. Eyes blurred with tears, she peered through the darkness, but was unable to make out many details. So she just shouted at the nearby blurry figures, "You bloody wankers needs ta stop right 'ere! I AIN'T gonna 'as ya talkin' 'bout my kids like 'at!" She stared them down, not even sure what she was doing. She wasn't thinking clearly, and hadn't really thought this through. She just had the sudden urge to speak, and followed the impulse. Maybe she'd follow another impulse, and shank all three of them right here...

[Imass]

The three voices finally entered into the moon light as Minerva stepped forward to shout at them. Imass scanned the drunkards silently.

The first voice belonged to a human male who stood at five foot eight and was least half the weight of Imass. He had an unshaven, pale face. His hair appeared to have been cut short with a sword or dagger. He walked without a shirt, revealing a slew of tattoos. His entire upper body was covered with many different symbols and pictures that were completely unknown to Imass; however the overall theme of the artwork was dark and dreary. Imass knew innately that these tattoos had some perverted political or religious meaning despite not knowing for sure. There were pictures of human's with monster heads, knives and blood, heathen geometric symbols, and other ghastly images. Ear to ear, across his next was a tattoo that read "SUNBERTH" in large common letters. Imass could read this because of his enhanced Akalak vision; a human might consider it too dark to see the details in the tattoos.

The second voice belonged to another human male who was built relatively similar to the first; however he was sun burnt and not pale. If one was to look closely at the individual features of the man, it could be noted that they were eerily similar to the first; however the expression on the second man's face was much different. It wasn't hardened at all; it was jolly and easy going. He was missing one of his front teeth too, which added to the comical effect. He had a neatly trimmed goatee and deep blue eyes, the type that pierced through people like a stiletto in the darkness. His drug induced happiness could not hide the darkness in his heart, which was portrayed through his eyes. He too was shirtless, but he had a single tattoo that covered his whole chest and stomach. It was an artist piece that included represenstations of fire, water, earth, and air. It also had some type of runes on it that Imass couldn't understand.

The third voice was that of a human as well. It was a tall man, almost as tall as Imass, except his arms and body were lanky and he did not look one bit a warrior. His face was totally gone. He was the most drugged out from the three. He looked like he had thrown up from alcohol poisoning several times that night. He was wearing a tattered, black tank top and had a single design on his right arm which could mean almost anything. His hair was unlike the others, it was fair and long. It covered his ears and some of his face. His face was full of stubble and he had a rather large square jaw. Above all his eyes were completely and utterly gone. They were void of substance and had an air of drug induced insanity. His pupils were the widest, but his soul was utterly void of any sort of character.

Swords swung at their hips. It was obvious that these men were handy in a fight, especially the first one. Despite the influence of substances, Imass could see through the way they walked and moved that they were not ones to take lightly. In a one v one situation Imass would certainly be victorious; however taking on three of them at once would be instant melancholy. If Minerva attempted to fight it would be downright folly.

The third man immediately responded by raising the middle finger towards Minerva, "Petch you biiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch!" and started laughing uncontrollably.

"Bitch! BITCH! BIIITCH! BITCH! BITCH!"

The other two men started to laugh uncontrollably as they stumbled by. They made no attempt to stop, nor did they take Minerva seriously. The first man chimed in with a heavy laugh, finding humor in the words of the third man rather than Tock's. The second man manically laughed too. The choir of laughter sounded as if the dogs of doom themselves were barking all over the area. It was evil manic laughter that made Imass cringe. The Knight wished to plunge his hot blade of justice into them right away for their blatant disrespect for the woman.

"Get out of our face bitch! You petching cunt! Let me through!" The first voice rose above the manic laughter as the drunkards slowly walked by.

Imass stared at Tock. His dark side would not let him step forward just yet. He hated her too. He too wanted to call her a bitch with these men. He too wanted to cut her down like a hot blade through butter. Violent thoughts began to fester in his brain, but he fought back and remained silent. He would not interfere in any discussion.

No... He would only step in if this led to combat. He would only enact his chivalry to protect the sanctity of Tock's life if she was attacked. Likewise, he would hammer down blind justice on Tock if she chooses to be the aggressor. Imass' fevered mind was finally made up. Reaching for the pommel of his blade, Imass waiting with a sweaty face for any of them to act.

The three men continued to call Tock a bitch as they walked away. Tock's next actions would decide the fate of the evening....however, Imass would not sit ideally by. Yahal's will was too strong in him.

He stepped up to Tock, "If you strike them, my sword will plunge deep into your heart and end your sorrow!"

[Arcane]

Rewards and Treasure! Experience Points +2 Observation Lores Tock in Sorrow The drunken (but strangely philosophical) voices down the street Comments I can't give you the religious lores you requested, because lores are something that you learn. What you can do with the prayer, however, is to use as proof of devotion if need be in the future.