[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/uLP0dIy.png[/img] [i]Muttonhawk and WrongEndOfTheRainbow[/i][/center] The palace was a magnificent place, built in the vision of the old imperial palace of Dundee. Of course, it was not as rich. The grand mineral deposits of Dundee were no longer at Albe's disposal. Albe made his residence in the upper floors. A series of waiter trolleys provided food and drink to the emperor, but he otherwise had little contact with the outside world. From this lofty height, he kept track of the world around him and made his best attempt to drink himself into a trance. Neither ever worked. He shuffled through some parchment, spymaster reports written across them in Lazarusian runes, unreadable to those who did not intimately understand it. Though he made no public appearances, he still dressed the part. His clothes were the finest. They bore a sharp contrast to his demeanor; slouched, with baggy eyes, and a look of defeat. He had not slept well in a long time. He placed down the reports and walked to a cabinet nearby. He took out two finely-crafted mugs from the cabinet and a bottle of hard beer, and then walked back over to the table with the reports on it. Pouring the beer into each mug, he spoke. "It's been a while since I've had guests." [i]Clink...Clink...Clink...Clink...[/i] The ceramic footfalls were a new sound in the palace. Nothing was meant to get this far uninvited. Albe was past caring. The door to the chamber unlatched. Beyond the door, as it creaked open, was a porcelain statue of an enormously tall, thin, plate-armoured knight, kneeling to look through. The statue's helmeted head turned left and right, regarding the portal. It's head straightened, then it leisurely pushed its wide shoulders into each side of the door frame. The masonry around the door cracked and crumbled in its wake. As it pushed through and stood to full height, the terrified guards behind it slunk quietly away, dragging their injured comrades with them. The white clay of the knight's long hammer still beaded with spatters of dwarf blood. [i]Clink...Clink...Clink...[/i] The knight and stepped forward across the high-ceilinged room. Its helmet angled down to give Albe a faceless regard. [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b][i]"Dwarf Albe,"[/i][/b][/colour] the knight intoned in a broad, cavernous echo. Without looking up from his reading material, Albe slid the second mug across the table, motioning for the knight to take a seat. "I know you want information from me. I will give you what you desire, but you must play by my rules. Sit." The knight's porcelain helmet turned to the seat. Albe could not tell whether the being breathed. It did not appear capable of much body language at all. Only whatever calculation that caused it to pause so. It finally laid the heavy end of its hammer upon the floor and lowered, scraping, into a cross-legged position on the floor across the table. It picked up the dwarf-sized seat with one hand and placed it aside. Its palm settled still on its knee, while the other held the haft of its weapon perfectly vertical. [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b][i]"I am Majus,"[/i][/b][/colour] the knight stated. [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b][i]"Servant of Toun. You are a servant of Lazarus. Tell me where your mistress is."[/i][/b][/colour] "I was a servant of Lazarus. More than that, a son of Lazarus, the progeny to her secrecy, and thrall to her madness." Albe paused, looking over the knight, before taking up his mug and sipping from it. "Tell me, Majus, what do you know of Lazarus?" Majus' head did not move with its speech. [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b][i]"Demigoddess Lazarus has been observed thus; experimental with the Gap, paranoid of deific influence upon her, she has switched bodies once in a means to save her life from the Gap -- her new body created by Toun-"[/i][/b][/colour] "Stop," Albe said, lifting a single hand. He took another sip of his mug, savoring it before slowly opening his mouth once again to speak, "I did not ask for what she did. I asked what you knew. You, the manifestation of a deity. Are you acting purely out of obligation, or have she or her creations wronged you?" The knight's porcelain helmet had no eyes, nor slits to view through. Yet it had a way of staring without blinking. Majus waited for instant before Albe could regard his silence as an answer. [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b][i]"No. Vengeance is not my duty, dwarf Albe. I act, for my father wills it. My obligation is to locate Lazarus."[/i][/b][/colour] "You and I both know there is more to this than duty. Rather, something more personal. A failure, perhaps? Tricks and lies deceived you?" Albe responded, pointedly asking his question as if he already knew the answer. [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b][i]"Dwarves are created with the thought to seek vengeance upon their kind. I have no kind, and thus none upon which to seek vengeance."[/i][/b][/colour] The foam at the top of Majus' untouched mug fizzled down. "I tire of these games," Albe finally said. "Let me remind you that you speak to a creation of the very personification of secrets. You will be hard-pressed to hide them from me. Not one mention of Cinead? Is it denial, or are you just dense enough to not know your audience?" Majus' helmet tilted to Albe's left by exactly ten degrees. It straightened just as slowly. [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b][i]"My elements per volume mean little to one who asks for knowledge he already possesses. I demand knowledge I do not possess, as a creation of the very personification of perfection should do."[/i][/b][/colour] Albe slammed down his mug, suddenly, and loudly. His tired eyes narrowed and he said. "I have the information you seek, [i]but I told you from the start you will have to play by my rules.[/i] For the supposed emotionless-" [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b][i]"It is my understanding that you tired of games but a moment ago."[/i][/b][/colour] Albe responded in a low growl. "The only game in the room is the one you believe you are playing. The rules of which I wish for you to abide are by no means a game." He paused. "And I tire of secrets. Lazarus certainly has given me my fill of them. You will leave this place empty-handed if you continue to skirt my questions." Albe then took his mug again, taking a large gulp. "I believe you insofar that you were given an order to find Lazarus. But you continue to try and avoid the original question. [i]Why is it personal to you?[/i]" The knight remained a looming statue. It calculated further. [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b][i]"I will elaborate my unclear answer,"[/i][/b][/colour] it said. [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b][i]"I act, for my father wills it. If my father wills it, and I cannot act, I am nothing. Is this a satisfactory answer?"[/i][/b][/colour] "The continued presumption that you may hide your reasoning from me speaks more of you than you could ever explain to me," Albe responded, continuing as his voice seemed to growl once again. "It is a test. You have failed it miserably so far. I already know of Cinead -- you speak to Cinead's own brother. I have seen him in my dreams, as is the fate of all Legates, inexorably bound together as we are. I know what he did, and yet you continue to deny it. You continue to hide it, as if you can will away your failures and your grudges by denying they ever existed." He took another chug of his drink, narrowing his eyes into naught but small slits. "Wake up, Majus. You are the emotional equivalent of a petulant child, and things do not go away because you pretend you never saw them." [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b][i]"...I will elaborate my unclear answer, again, dwarf Albe,"[/i][/b][/colour] Majus calmly told. [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b][i]"I act, for my father wills it. If my father wills it, and I cannot act, I am nothing. I know this only for experiencing my father's will and my failure to act in turn. Such knowledge requires the failure you claim I deny."[/i][/b][/colour] "If you do not deny it, speak it openly!" Albe said heatedly. "Prove to me you understand what happened. Otherwise, I will not hold you here longer, nor will I entertain your questions. I will not tolerate vagaries if I am to lead you to Lazarus." [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b][i]"My father's will was to see Minus returned to him. Minus is a servant of Toun. Minus' mind was corrupted by memories hidden within it. The corruption manifested in attached behavior to dwarf Cinead. I pursued them to the ruined rovaick settlement of Takordi. There, I defeated Cinead and his sibling Inga. Inga surrendered Minus. I took Minus back to Cornerstone. Father inspected the body and found its carapace empty. Father perceived Minus in the Valley of Peace, with the hidden knowledge now fully decrypted. With the knowledge revealed before Minus could be recovered, I failed."[/i][/b][/colour] Majus reached his free hand forward and pressed a pointed finger upon Albe's mug before he could lift it again. [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b][i]"Is this a satisfactory answer?"[/i][/b][/colour] it asked. The mug did not budge no matter how Albe pulled on its handle. Huffing frustration, Albe took hold of the bottle he poured beer from and took a long swig. "Yes, that is satisfactory. Now, tell me, what reasons, exactly, do you search for Lazarus? If you wish for my help, you will need to accept the personal reasons as well as the orders." [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b][i]"If I answer, you will answer me."[/i][/b][/colour] It was not a question. "One question. I will give you that much if I find your answer satisfactory." Albe said as he took another long swig. Majus alighted his finger from the mug and returned his palm to his knee. [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b][i]"My first reason is my father willing Lazarus observed alive and safe. My second reason is to await Cinead's return, with Minus."[/i][/b][/colour] "Ask your question." Albe said simply, pouring more beer into his mug and placing the bottle back down. He was already two thirds of the way through the vessel. [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b][i]"...Is this a satisfactory answer?"[/i][/b][/colour] "Yes, which is why I asked for your question." Majus spaced out his words. [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b][i]"Where is your mistress?"[/i][/b][/colour] Albe paused before speaking. "Not here. You must remember Lazarus is the personification of secrets. They are excellent at not being found. Lucky for you, I know someone who has done their research." [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b][i]"You will tell me of this someone."[/i][/b][/colour] "Unless you can provide something of value to me, this is all I will give; Search the dwarves in Alefpria. Your answer lies with them." Albe said, sipping at his mug. Majus' helmet rotated to the right, where a mural of a map had been carved into relief on the wall. The broad end of the Ironheart ranges tapered towards the equator, where Alefpria lay. [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b][i]"And what do you value that will trade for the name of the dwarf I need to find?"[/i][/b][/colour] Majus asked. "I'm sure you'll think of something," Albe mused as he took the mug once again, slurping from it loudly. Majus' gaze snapped alarmingly fast back to Albe. The porcelain knight flicked his wrist and its pole hammer was suddenly hooked around Albe's chair. Albe and his seat were lurched forward over the table as the hammer haft shrank. He came to a violent halt barely arms-length from Majus' visor. His middle was in the cold grasp of Majus' gauntlet. Spilt beer ran down Albe's tunic. [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b][i]"You value your life, dwarf Albe."[/i][/b][/colour] "A bold assumption," was all Albe said, as he tossed the empty mug aside. The gauntlet squeezed all the same. Albe's lungs were empty within two seconds. His body was sturdy, but Majus' grip was unnatural. [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b][i]"If I am incorrect, you shall not need your life to begin with."[/i][/b][/colour] Blood rushed to Albe's face. His ears pinned back as his unconscious mind screamed out to resist. His conscious mind did not. There was little point. A rib cracked. The points of Majus' fingers broke his skin. He closed his eyes and embraced his coming death. [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b]"Enough!"[/b][/colour] A different voice altogether dominated the room. Masculine, if quavering and impatient. Was it Farxus, come to lead Albe's soul? [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b]"Majus, release the dwarf,"[/b][/colour] it complained. Albe fell from the cold gauntlet and onto the table. He reflexively coughed and grasped at the lancing pain inflicted on his torso. [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b]"I have a proposal for you, Albe. Do not waste my time,"[/b][/colour] the voice said. When Albe's watering eyes cleared, he saw no sign of the voice's source. The only new addition to the room was a tiny white bird, perched on Majus' shoulder and with eyes burning blue. [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b]"It would take me but a moment to come before you and scour your mind of every secret you seek to so cleverly tease in your empty melancholy. A moment that I see hardly worth spending, especially with what occupies my moments without spare. Instead, consider that you might gain from this exchange. Before you is the mightiest warrior you are likely ever to have at your disposal. The power to make a change that you so cynically cannot reach yourself. Give it an objective you wish fulfilled as well as the answer to its question. This is your last chance. Take it or I will take you."[/b][/colour] Albe coughed, looking up at the bird with fiery eyes. "The name is Baern..." He coughed again, spittle flying from his mouth. "All I ask is that when you find Lazarus, you kill that bitch." The bird's head twitched to view the side of Majus' unmoving head. [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b]"Is that all?"[/b][/colour] The voice did not give Albe time to answer. [colour=PaleGoldenrod][b]"Well then...What a waste, indeed. Majus, you have your new objective."[/b][/colour] The bird launched away, droning back into the palace halls. Majus rose to its feet and turned to walk away, leaving the pitiful lynx-legate behind. [i]Clink...Clink...Clink...Clink...[/i] Albe slowly stood up, unsteadily stumbling from the table and walking around to lean on his seat. He grabbed the bottle and downed the rest in a long, continuous draught, sliding back down against a leg of the table as he did. [hider=MAJUS HAS NO FACE. WHY DID YOU POUR HIM A DRINK!?] Albe is sittin in his palace, when he realizes he has a visitor. He pours this mouthless visitor a drink and tells them to sit down. Majus walks in and sits down. They argue back and forth a bit between the purpose of Majus' mission. Then, Majus gets told there's a dwarf in Alefpria who's been dun lotta research. [color=green]> tell me the name > no > i kill u > okay > wait no stop im toun ill give you whatever to tell me the name > names baern, just kill lazarus for me[/color] Majus and Toun leave and Albe drinks a lot. Poor guy can't get drunk. [/hider]