[b][i]William Ascot[/i][/b]

William nodded to acknowledge Nika’s words as he kept on forging his new weapon for future fights - It seemed that things were going well. Another glance at the Ishtar team as he waited for them to begin their own countermoves, but more focus was given to the sword he was crafting, a sword of great power which ought to give him enough strength to forge his own group, his own destiny. For he knew this: That the person, the [i]Descendant[/i], who was profiting from the extermination of their own kind must be found. The main problem is that he didn’t know the first steps to finding said Descendant and was a novice to espionage unlike Jacob, so he was just going to have to wait for a lead or get the help of someone who [i]knew[/i] the fine art of info-gathering…

[b][i]Rialto ‘Alto’ Ganze[/i][/b]

Rialto ‘Alto’ Ganze did not trust Jacob Ascot. Not because of his lineage - He was a friend of the boy’s father a long time ago, same for the boy’s now-deceased eldest brother, after all. No, the reason Alto didn’t trust Jacob was because the boy was the type to develop his own ‘third option’, or considering what he heard about the other surviving Ascot sibling, probably a ‘fourth’. The blond clearly knew that Jacob shared no interest in the prospect of ‘Other Worlds with Other Gods’, or even the prospect of a ‘Multiversal Overgod’ who was [i]not[/i] the same individual as The One Deity.

Why? Because personal motive and tragedy trumped all intellectual curiosity for the boy - Not that he wasn’t one to talk, as he was no sociopath. No, he merely refrained from developing close bonds with anyone, anyone except Professor Nergal and one or two other folk, in order to prevent them from being hurt.

That, and his obsession with finding alternatives to this universe and the ‘Monotheist Model’ - Monolatrism, the belief that other gods existed but one’s own was better - Was his personal desire. He also knew that should the intellectual floodgates open, various ‘True’ Polytheists and Pagans would come out of the woodwork, allowing for some variety in thought. The fact that the only way to find out said alternatives was also the most sane way to save Iliad City and its population was a happy coincidence.

He observed William Ascot as the latter forged a sword in the middle of the musical event, copying the enchantments everyone in the area used into said blade. The boy was clearly powerful, but he sensed that such power was not handled subtly enough - Someone [i]will[/i] kill or cripple the young man if he didn’t learn a lesson in humility soon.

Noticing William’s current sword, Reconciliation, Alto was… Seized by the thought of taking that blade for himself. Getting up, he said a technical truth, “I’m going to the bathroom.”

He then walked out of Jacob’s sight and towards the bathroom, entered it, and shut the door. A flash of light later, and every spider and spiderweb inside was disintegrated.

It was clear that Mr. Ganze had his own plans...

[@Nimbus][@The Jest][@LilSwifty][@Landaus Five-One][@Smike][@Nyxira][@RabidChoco]