Not afraid of you [Marat]

[Skylla]

Before Ciodar can respond Marat’s words prompt the fourth person in the room to chuckle. The blue man sits up, taking a puff from his pipe before placing it down on a nearby table, the smoke billowing from the bowl. He chuckled softly, tilting his head. ”I know much, Marat. And I am a Drow.” His gaze shifts to Ciodar with a raised eyebrow. ”Do you mind if I share with them, the origins of their queen’s title?”

Ciodar nodded, “Of course not.” And the Drow smiled satisfactorily, standing and reaching towards a book which he removed from the top shelf. Opening the book he thumbed through the first few pages before turning it around to reveal an illustration of a gigantic beast with six arms, four legs that stood head and shoulders over any creature.

”A Red Cap goblin, but not just any Red Cap. The fiercest Red Cap.” He said fondly before closing the book after Marat and Haley got a good look of the image. ”Your queen defeated him…at least they say.” The last bit prompted Ciodar to open his mouth and raise a finger but Ergosal raised his own hand in response, ”Hush, hush. The stage is mine.” And Ciodar shrank back.

”His name was Ghaur and he was the greatest warrior of the Goblin Kingdom. He stood nearly ten feet tall and wielded battle axes and broadswords with ease. He, himself, possessed a Goblin Blade and an even fiercer weapon that was legend to strike mortal blows upon even the most powerful of sidhe.” He paused, smirking as he remembered his own tale. ”Before I continue, have you seen your queen? Her size? Her blades? Her magic?”

[Haley]

Haley allowed her gaze to settle on Marat as he inquired about Mr. Blueberry. His question bothered her slightly. Haley hadn’t even considered the fact that the blue-shaded man wasn’t faerie, and now, as he clarified that he was indeed a Drow, Haley inwardly cursed herself for her own ignorance. Still, her lack of knowledge was understandable. Until just a few years ago, Haley had thought she was human and her previous stay in Alanor had been too short to do her much good. There was only so much the servants could tell her….and never had they mentioned the Drow.

The little Nimbus listened intently on Mr. Blueberry as he related the tale, her eyes wandering over the picture he displayed. The creature was impressive, to say the least. Haley knew that even she couldn’t compete with such a beast. Still, the Queen was of Sidhe flesh and she wielded two of the strongest hands of magic known. Haley wrinkled her nose at the thought. Though the woman craved a hand of power for herself, she considered them cheating tools when it came to a true battle. She doubted the Queen would have been able to best such a creature without her magic.

”In passing.” Haley answered sharply. Her eyes had cleared by now, the earlier alcohol binge nearly flushed from her body. Her voice was flat, serious, ”I have only heard of her magic and her title.” She shifted her weight and looked pointedly at the blue man, ”Have you?”

[Marat]

Marat notes the librarian’s eagerness to interject as well as the Drow’s quick motion to stifle him. He wonders briefly if he can take what the man says with any type of value. Deciding that he would not be disrespectful, he declines to speak in objection to the quieting of Ciodar but instead decides to look into the matter on his own. With the vast amounts of scriptures and books here Marat could easily find something regarding the Queen’s past. However, he does continue to listen, what the Drow says could afford to be interesting at the least.

Upon hearing the question and Haley’s response he too answers, ”I have seen her from afar. She’s beautiful but she doesn’t look like a battle hardened soldier as her reputation leads one to believe.” He glances at Haley then to Ciodar before returning his gaze to Ergosal with an arched eyebrow. His gut told him not to trust the creature.

[Skylla]

The Drow nodded, allowing his gesture to confirm Haley’s question, “She bested Ghaur in the Goblin Blade Tournament, the first faerie to win a blade made of Goblin steel.” He said with a smirk, a condescending look on his face that alluded to a “but” or some alternate part of the story. “Yet in her win she did not kill the Goblin Blade and because of this many of the goblin people chose not to acknowledge her title. Some even believed that their own King made a deal with the Seelie to see her elevated to such a position.”

Ciodar snorted and walked from the room, Erogsal’s eyes drifting upwards and following the garlanger from the room. He chuckled and looked back to the nimbus, his gaze alternating between the two. “As you can tell, time muddles even the most heroic of tales. Now Annette is the lone Goblin Blade in Alanor and because of this she is viewed as the greatest warrior, but do not believe this has always been so.”

He picked up his pipe and with one finger began to scrape out the ashes. “Anything else?”

[Haley]

Haley listened intently to Mr. Blueberry, completely ignoring Ciodar as he left the room. Though she knew very little of Alanor’s history, Haley had garnered enough information to come to the conclusion that it was a history wrought with war and deceit. She wouldn’t doubt a deal made between the goblin king and the Seelie court- such deals were frequent on Earth amongst government officials, why not here?

Her eyes followed Erogsal as he moved to clean his pipe, her brow furrowed ever so slightly. Finally, she spoke, her voice calm and inquisitive, ”Does Ghuar’s weapon still exist?” She was, of course, referring to the weapon able to administer a mortal blow. Though the prospect of such weapon still existing and readily available was quite literally zero, Haley felt it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

There was a gleam in her eyes. Mr. Blueberry had ignited her thirst for information with his tale, and as she watched him she fought back questions she had about him and the fact that he was a Drow. She would get to them in a moment. For now she intended to leech from him as much information as she possibly could.

[Marat]

Marat’s eyebrow rises and he glances sideways at Haley upon hearing her question. Such a power would be a dangerous thing in Alanor; it would make the bearer of such a blade a target. Many would wish to possess such a weapon and even more would wish to see it destroyed. Marat’s initial feelings regarding the weapon are of a sentiment that no lone man should possess the power to kill an immortal being. Inwardly he hopes Ghaur’s blade no longer exists.

He notices Ciodar exit and though is tempted to follow him decides it is best to remain for this conversation. He could seek out Ciodar at a later date.

His attention turns back to the conversation at hand, and he shifts his weight, tense as he waits for an answer from Ergosal.

[Skylla]

Ergosal had hoped Haley would ask that question. The Drow smiled wickedly and reached into his pocket, drawing a curved dagger that appeared to be made of ivory. He held it up in the dim light of the library and held it out for Haley and Marat to see, pulling it back before either could touch it. However his actions seemed contrary to his words as at first he simply said, “No,” the surface answer to Haley’s question. But then he began to elaborate.

“But the material that can create such a blade does. It is very rare, however.”

[Haley]

Haley was of two mindsets when it came to such a weapon. On one hand, Haley had seen the effects of nuclear weapons (of which she was equating this faerie-killing weapon to) on both the physical and political worlds back on Earth and knew full well the capacity for destruction weapons such as that could harbor. On the other, Haley’s desire for power and recognition could not be easily quenched, and the mention of such a weapon had only further fueled an already burning fire.

Her hazel eyes were quick to dart across the weapon as Erogsal offered it for them to view. She aptly put into play her amazing skills of memorizing, noting how the light reflected on the blade, its craftsmanship, and every detail she could possibly store in the short amount of time he had wafted it before them. She made no move to touch it – though Ergosal had only alluded to what the item was, she was quite sure the Drow before her was not the type to take kindly to others touching his toys. In a way that made them quite similar, and Haley inwardly smirked.

Haley shifted her weight in an absent-minded manner as she continued to observe Ergosal quietly, almost as if in contemplation. It felt very much like she was dealing with the devil here – his sly words and wicked smiles seemed laced with a poison Haley would quite possibly be better off not dealing with. However, Haley was known for her devilish disposition and Ergosal’s attitude did nothing to deter her curiosity. She perked and eyebrow, her hands on her hips, ”And what would I have to do to procure some of this material?” She briefly contemplated ripping him a hole from his dick to his mouth and merely taking the weapon, but then what use would he be to her?

[Marat]

Feel free to skip Marat. He is just observing and listening now.

[Skylla]

“To procure basilisk ivory is a most difficult task. First, you’d be hard pressed to find a basilisk, a great snake that once lived amongst the Sluagh and the Goblins. Second, you’d need to slay the basilisk and remove its fangs, a very difficult task considering a basilisk’s strength and speed.” He shrugged, “It is a matter of perseverance, I suppose. If you really want ultimate power in the realm of the faerie that badly.”

[Haley]

Haley raised an eyebrow at his words, her chin lowering slightly as she took in several key terms. Basilisk. Sluagh. Goblins. Ergosal’s directions were stored away for future use, but as of now he had satisfied her curiosity regarding that matter. Now she had more pressing concerns.

Taking a few small steps to close the distance between them, Haley’s voice was unshakably level as she addressed the Drow, ”Understood.” She tilted her head and gazed up at him, ”Now tell me, Drow. How is it that you came to live in the land of the faerie?” Her question seemed innocent enough, but the veiled message behind it was obvious. Alanor was a land of the faerie, not of the Drow. Technically speaking, at least, to Haley’s best knowledge, Erogsal was not supposed to be standing before her unless he too was of faerie blood. ”And are there more of your kind?” The second question seemed to be added as a mere after thought, almost as if she didn’t care for how he would answer.

[Skylla]

Erogsal had been fiddling with his pipe up until this point but upon hearing Haley’s next question stopped. His crooked gaze cast his eyes upwards and he grinned dangerously. ”That is for another day, faerie.” He shoved his finger in the bowl of his pipe and began grinding his index finger into the ashes. The tobacco embers sparked to light but instead of fizzling out immediately they only seemed to get brighter. The more he grinded his finger into the pipe the larger the bright light emanating from his pipe got.

Eventually the entire room was bathed in a blinding light and Erogsal hidden within the light.

[Haley]

"Son of a bi--" Haley hissed as she flung a hand up to shield her eyes. She had been relatively close to Erogsal and thus hit quickly by the bright light. Her first instinct was to attack the smug bastard, but instead she took several steps back. Haley had seen his weapon, and now, unable to see him and unknowing of whether or not he could see her, Haley was hesitant to start stabbing blindly. If she had a few throwing knives on her...well, then it would be a different story.

Hissing like a wounded feline, Haley grabbed Akuji by the scruff of his neck to ensure that he was still with her. She proceeded to allow the canine, whom had a much keener sense of smell, to lead her to the door. Whether Marat followed or stayed was of little consequence to her. Haley, though not content on simply leaving, knew that it would do no good to stay. The information she had gathered this night would be adequate enough to hold her over. However, Haley now had another name for her shit-list. The next time she saw Erogsal she would slice him open so fast he'd....he'd....

The thought was meaningless. Haley, sore from the fact that she had missed her chance to kick the man in the balls and steal his knife, immediately began to stomp away from the library before she realized she had forgotten something. Hesitating, mid-step, she turned backwards to look to see if Marat had followed her. If he hadn't...well, then Haley would get to play a game of rescue-the-idiot.

[Marat]

Marat stiffens at the bright light, standing at attention and craning his neck backwards just slightly. He lifts his hand in front of his eye to shield him from the brightness. Instinctively he reaches for the nearest object that could be used as a weapon, a candlestick made from brass. The object is weighty in his hands and while it certainly isn’t his ideal bludgeoning tool it will have to do.

The light continues to shine and Haley makes her escape from the library without Marat taking notice. The nimbus is too focused on what he wishes to get out of the journey. With two quick strides he moves toward the light and snatches at the book Ergosal had been holding, grabbing in and then proceeding out the door.

[Skylla]

Marat and Haley both escape from the library before anything with the Drow further manifests. Haley made is away with some valuable information but Marat had made it away with a tangible prize.

The book contained a chapter of history untold to most faerie. If Marat chose to read it the information would be his and his alone. And if he ever returned it, only then it would be made public.