Behind You

Ostiarium
JP with Omni, Bandorchu, and Lucian

Alexis sighs, admitting to the necessity of Tarmen’s style of conversation.

“I suppose we can without a doubt confirm they are Brotherhood.”

As far as she could tell, no one else would so much as speak Ziarae’s name much less call on her.

“I bet Ziarae is happy to see them do the good work for her beloved siblings and their Sister Locust.” She comments dryly and starts to look through their captive’s belongings.

She can’t really bring herself to help Tarmen’s efforts other than not interfering with them, so she might as well make herself useful otherwise.

Tarmen smirked, not sure if it was out of humor or acceptance that it was just another side of the same damn coin.

"I'm sure he is takin' comfort in that thought. You find anythin' useful?"

The young dark robe, groaning in pain, looked to Alexis in surprise as she repeated the name of his holy chained Goddess in casual terms, as if the word was common to them.

“T’an… YOU… you are HER! Woman with hammer’s head!”

He struggled against his bonds, though it was unclear if he was trying to get away, or get to her.

Alexis stares him down. Calmly.

“Would you look at that. So he did brush up on his Helian skills. Delightful to know.”

Completely ignoring the struggling man otherwise, she rolls out a piece of paper, raising her eyebrows as she surveys its content.

“Map of Ostiarium. Shitty one, mind you.”

She offers it to Tarmen and his cartographic expertise.

It was clear that the Brotherhood had specific targets in mind. There were crudely marked areas, that may have represented the docks, warehouses, the shrine of Kupen, the misty ward, and somewhere near the entrance of Lowood.

Looking over the parchment made Tarmen question whether it was really a map or not. Shitty felt too generous a term.

The point of it was more important and far more clear. Chaos.

Tarmen looked to the boy and his limited ability for Helian. The docks were already hit…

“Where next?”

Clearly the Brotherhood wasn't just aiming for physical destruction; they sought to systematically weaken the city, to instill fear, cut-off their means of escape, and shake the faith of Ostiarium's people by striking specific targets before the war came.

The young Ozainae captive, his eyes flickering between defiance and fear, hesitated at Tarmen's question. The pounding in his head, the loss of his finger, and the imposing figure of Tarmen looming over him made it clear he had little room to maneuver. Yet, his fervent belief in the Brotherhood’s, cause, held a tight grip on his willingness to betray his comrades.

"Ziarae will... cleanse… you Helian dogs," he stuttered an insult in broken Helian, the pain and the fear evident in his voice, yet clinging to the conviction of his cause. His gaze darted to the makeshift map, then to Alexis. “Ano sadiqi… gw’an er… lai’ar… va kullim’ar,” ~My friends, they are nowhere and everywhere~ he said through the pain. “Ano sadiqi er… gah’ar t’an.” ~My friends are BEHIND YOU~ he smiled as a curved blade swung through the darkness behind Alexis.