[I]"I see no reason for you to have any concerns...[/I]" Rohaan was not subtle in his mocking tone. "Obviously, since you're not the one walking into a magical cult session blind. What's another dead shifter to you, after all?" It was a good thing Rohaan really wanted this elf dead for his own reasons, or he would have outright refused by now. He was not a thing to be played with, and he was not a soldier to be ordered about. He served no master and would suffer no rule. 

Rohaan smiled, but it had a cold edge. "Did you expect any less of me? All the same, I'd give you a similar warning. Not all the tales they tell about me are true, but I'll leave it to you to guess which ones are. However you slice it, it takes a special kind of arrogance to cross Rio Ja'aisen. As for what lies under the glove?" He outright laughed. "I don't have to ask your permission, nor do I have to wait to find out. Not that it's any personal interest of mine. I already know how [I]corrupted[/I] you are, and I need nothing else to show me that." His voice softened a little, though it was still cold. "But your loyal followers have yet to know...nor would they like to know that their Emperor has been dabbling in the "uncouth and detestable" art of magic, either directly or indirectly." Magic was often frowned upon, and free magic humans were sometimes and in some regions considered no better than elves and the like. The shifter did not mention that, if pushed hard enough, he would have no guilt about laying fiery siege to Last Vigil, nor would he lose any sleep over making it his personal mission to see to it that traded goods belonging to the empire never made it to harbor.

Rohaan did not, however, rise to the jibe about the Vokurians serving and worshiping Malachor. It wasn't the worst thing he'd had thrown at him, nor did it have any basis in truth. Rohaan spoke truly when he said he'd never heard of him, and unlike most shifters humans came in contact with, Rohaan had not been bred in captivity, nor was he born in human lands at all. He came from far away, where a small tribe of his people still lived in freedom as they'd done of old. Rohaan knew the old traditions, customs, languages, and beliefs. They did not worship Malachor, either by that name or any other. 

"Look," Rohaan said at length. "I've got a personal interest in seeing this Thoburas dead, so I'll do it. You don't get to dictate my methods, and I'm sure as shit not retrieving any god-body-bits, artifacts, or whatever else for you. That wasn't part of the deal and you won't go making it so. I'm going to gut that murderer bow to stern, and then we're going to make for Last Vigil, fulfill the bargain, and be rid of you. I'll add, too, that if Ash here decides she wants to play hero and go in there too, I'm not going to stop her and I'm not responsible for her. If she gets herself killed, that's her problem and yours, not mine, and in no way does that negate the terms of our deal. My task was to find her and bring her to you, not to play babysitter.  Understood?" He was speaking to Karl, but his eyes were on Ash, as if warning her that any bravery on her part was not his place to fix if it went awry. Not that he wouldn't give it an attempt to keep her from harm--it's not like he wanted her dead. Truthfully, he'd much rather see her on the throne than her father. But he wouldn't kill himself over it. 

"Now, if you know about what this asshole is capable of, and what he might try and do to me if he finds me, or what kind of wards or whatever else I'll have to contend with, I suggest you fork over the information. You might find that your messenger is far more capable of finishing his task if you do."