The Cracks Deepen

Jp with Omni, Bandorchu, Lorem, and LucianNepreen

Tarmen recalled the prospector and silently cursed himself for not acting on his intuition. He had felt the tension, knew something was wrong and yet… the realization that he hadn’t seen the stoic assassin in so long left only one option in his mind, a vitriol entering his voice fueled by the thrumming.

“Have to assume he succeeded with Hunter. As for the girl, whatever happened to her clearly turned out for the better.”

He wrestled himself onto his feet, getting worked up and unable to sit anymore.

“So we’ve been played for fools and pawns this whole time. God’s, we are pieces of work aren’t we? Might as well hand ourselves in now, save the trouble of the Brotherhood thinkin’ we’re a real threat.”

He couldn’t hold his deepest frustrations down any more, both towards himself and the others. A piece of him couldn’t just keep moving forward without some release.

Gonyaul woke once more and this time it stuck. The tension in the room was no longer as soothing a lullaby as theirs calmer tones. He turned his head just enough so he could see them, but not enough to cause the wound on his face pain. Fortunately his headache was gone, replaced by a more manageable feeling of tightness wrapped around his skull.

He was wondering what the commotion was about.

Alexis took some steadying breaths.

“No. I… found Hunter. With help. Help I’m still paying for.”

Alexis could feel the weight of the hammer head, cursing it more each moment.

“He was a prisoner in an Odonine village. In a damn bad shape, but we got him out. He told me what happened.”

Alexis slid down the wall into a sitting position, feeling exhausted to the bone.

“Alcuin attacked them. Poisoned hunter, hurt Islana. Chased them on and on. And then they ran into another Helian, who turned out to be a Creed member of all things and sold them to the village. Then a woman came along, one that wasn’t Odonine, but seemed to command their respect. She took Islana away. That could very well have been the witch.”

She looked back to Voah.

“We took Hunter up to Aquilo, but he couldn’t exactly return to Ostiarium, with a prize on his head. He wanted to vanish for a while. Can only hope he is alright, but he’s crafty if nothing else.”

Tarmen wasn’t holding the same hope Alexis had, suffering a laugh.

“The same Hunter that thought he was a dead man for a few holes in his leg?”

He steadied his thoughts with a deep breath, not wanting to get bogged down on that argument.

“So then we have no element of secrecy then? Everyone tryin’ to kill us here knows who we are or at the very least has met one of us.”

He shook is head in his growing mania. There was so much against them and now their members were dwindling, regardless if they were dead or alive.

“I doubt ‘Lord’ Wim would risk his political standin’ to help us, so then I guess we go beg the new ‘Prophetess’ for help?”

He tossed his bag of coin onto the ground.

“We can even make an offerin’. Hope her new gods are more forgivin’ than ours, eh?”

Utterly foolish was how Voah felt now. She laughed bitterly at herself. How could she have missed so much? Alcuin was out for bounties and now the only thing she was sure of was that she wasn’t on that list. Not yet…

The news that Hunter was free and in hiding closed a chapter that had been left open. Perhaps he was better off on his own.

She laughed again, this time with mirth, at Tarmen’s suggestion to go directly to Islana. It reminded her of what Gonyaul said about going to the source and asking the Gods to stop fighting. She considered the option of going to the Temple. Going there would likely be a death march for her, but if it could protect Gonyaul…

“We are their sworn enemies… do you really think we could get as far as an audience with Islana? I mean… Maybe… Gonyaul would be safe there, but… what about that witch? She is working with Islana AND the brotherhood.”