Furs in Steam Chapter 5
Might start looking around for other places to post.
Of all the times for his jump point to be off it had to be while he was carrying several pounds of heavily explosive material on his back, luckily, judging by the intricate pattern that made up the colorful mosaic on the canvas ceiling he knew at least he was somewhere safe. "Welcome back Lord Torqariyan, how were your travels since we last spoke," came the old crackling voice within the hut. Through the dense clouds of incense that filled the room and gave it the oh so overpowering odor of cinnamon Torqariyan could barely make out the old girl but certainly Madam Urcen was in her usual spot. Relieving himself of the crate the Lynx stumbled over, a bit uneasy after almost botching his leap, and sat himself across the fabric draped table from her. He wouldn't meet her eyes, it seemed impolite to him but he couldn't bring himself to face those milky sightless eyes when he spoke, "Has my fate changed? Have I prevented it yet or made certain it won't happen?" "Now you must be playing a joke on me friend, why would a Lord worry of his own doom? Are not all of us inevitably to meet a true end?" she rocked forward in her chair and even if he had forced his sight away he could not ignore her always striking appearance. All across the Elk's face and muzzle was a spiderweb of scar tissue and likely the bulk of her form was wrapped in similar scarring. She hadn't been one to share her history with Torqariyan even after discovering what he was but the Lynx had his suspicions as to how she came to such harm, Spiritcatcher liked to take those who had that touch of the beyond in them. Setting his paws palm down in the circles Torqariyan forced himself to meet her gaze and resolve to hold it despite his wavering feelings. They may have been more of blue rather than Haven's green but the filmy washed out color of those blind eyes all the same reminded him of that Rabbit and his heart could not help but long. Lost in these thoughts he nearly missed what Madam Urcen said, "..but first you shall see lands beyond, to commune with your peers and know what they have seen come to pass and what looms on your shared horizon. Return then to those much closer and see too what revelations they hold for you and from this insight you shall gain perspective on all you must do." "I think I know what you mean, at least in a manner of speaking. There are two people coming here, a Wolf and a Leopard, they should arrive before I return but should I not be here could you have them wait," he asked slowly gliding his paws away from hers not sure he wanted to continue such contact. With a bob of the head she agreed, "Go now then and do what you must, but remember no one can escape their fate and your fate is of certain doom."
With a flash he was out of that smokey hut of the fortune reader and back where the rift stood fluctuating with raw power on picturesque view of a ruined land. Sitting his burden down against the rubble he could only hazard to assume was the way in and out as sunlight poked through on high his ears picked up something. Turning as quick as he could was not nearly fast enough this unknown person lit only by the light the portal cast onto the area. Clashing against Torqariyan's shoulder with a clunk hollow as a log but all the might of a iron hammer there was no immediate chance as solving this with words, before he hit the ground his paws searched inside his cloak for the nails. Impacting again, this time against his tail and hip, the Lynx was sent fully to the ground and given the certainty this person had no ambition for allowing him to leave. Coming down again, he could hear the air slid against the coarse surface of the weapon, Torqariyan did the only sensible thing he could and jumped. Coming and going in a series of gashes that fluttered with clean white specs like stars in a night sky the Lynx shredded the man with the edges of his weapons until, after dosing the ruined space with blood, the attacker collapsed. Stumbling back, woozy from using such an abundance of energy so quick, Torqariyan fell to his tail to sit a spell and catch his breath. All the while as he felt his body regain what it had lost in the struggle his sight was fixed on the image of a world beyond, one desolate and destroyed by what he could never guess but so thoroughly in ruin that there was no chance at repair. He had to wonder who could have lived in such a place and how long ago had it been since it faded into such a state? If he had found it earlier could he and the others have protect it from its fate or was the old woman right in saying doom was the fate of many? Taking his mind off it Tor could only return to the reality of what the mortals would see; a vast uncolonized world that could possibly be made livable or be used to farm resources for those on Metrux. It would spark a war just as there had been when the gateway between Verillia and Metrux was opened, one side intent on invasion and the other meaning to keep to their heretical ways. Only this would be much worse; there were likely those still alive there in the unknown like the man he had just murdered and Verillia would likely fail to defend this new land against all the weight edict should be able to hold. 'I have to go to Metrux, see what the others have to say about the state of things there, maybe we won't have to close the portal. It didn't seem to change just how doomed Madam Urcen believes I am, so perhaps it will do no good.
The clerics of Metrux, those who upheld theologies of all kinds and did all they could to keep the faith among the children of the Lords, hadn't be Torqariyan's first thought for consul with the impending crisis he had been told of but Metrux had to be the furthest of lands for him to travel. Rippling the waves of space and disturbing the local atmosphere the Lynx appeared behind the pews on the seconds story of the Church of the Red Sun. Gazing down onto the half full rows of seats below he saw the multitude of furs with paws clasped together observing the moment of unity, a silent moment intended to reinforce unity and call forth the presence of the Lady Sirius herself, the closing moment in this church no matter the occasion. At the head of the room, atop a raised dias, sat two grand high back chairs ornately carved where they sat against the wall and adorned with a carving of a great sun, golden on one and silver on the other. Equally opposite were the occupants of these clerical thrones, one Bear of soot black fur and another pure as the first snow of Winter. Glaring at him in fury, the only mood to rise out of his otherwise stolid temperament, Hexen moved to tug at Argos' sleeve. Drearily the black furred man pulled open his eyes to glance where his fellow indicated to give Torqariyan, rather than a look of contempt, a brief though genuine wave. Pressing a finger to his lips the Lynx sunk away into the shadows of the upper floor, he had hoped there would be no cause to wait but even in its death throws the church still saw worshipers come and go as well as continued to hold regular service.
Rolling up on one of the pews Torqariyan rested his mind and body, jumping took much out of him and he would need a meal soon to keep up his strength less he deplete it entirely. In the dark of his mind the battle in that closed off cave played again, he started to pick at it more and more. He hadn't checked the man, he was likely dead but he knew it not impossible for one to survive such wounds. More troubling he had chance to see who this person was, it would have been hard given the lack of light but perhaps the portal would have given off a sufficient amount. Had he not needed to jump again so soon Torqariyan could have pulled the man out through a portal not only to identify the man, if it was in fact a man, as well as give them a properly burial. Perhaps it was more of a worry than he needed to have, there was so much at hand, too much in truth, and the body of one lone assassin couldn't be a priority in his book at least not for the moment. Two black claws pinched his nose closed and for a second the Lynx wasn't sure what was happening until he forced himself to rise and ripped open his eyes hastily drawing in breath as the fingers left. Facing the man with his evil red eyes Torqariyan could have sworn just the most brief instant he had seen a grin, a smug oily twitch of the lips, in that pale cottony fur.
"You can hear the gong all the through the temple and down into the square, I don't believe for a second you slept through it," Hexen remarked his nasally voice somehow still present in his new body. Rubbing at his eyes with one paw while keeping the other on the handrail Torqariyan responded fighting a yawn, "I didn't hear it, sorry, I didn't really have time to be napping anyhow. We need to talk, you, me, and Argos, any other Lords you might know as well if they can be tracked down with any ease." "If this is another excuse for you to try to get Haven's whereabouts from me you are sorely mistaken. Jackal, and a fool for trying at it again so soon," his ire pushed through his otherwise null tone. Heaving a sigh, not only for finally stepping off the stairs but for the thought itself Torq could only shake his head at the man, "Hex, this isn't about your sister and I don't need to track her down I could always wait for her in Karhan' Dharian. This is serious though there are things a foot now, signs that spell doom or trouble for us all. So anyone, any other Lords you know who might be able to help would greatly appreciated." "Don't go askin' him now, Tor, he might be able to travel the whole world inside of a day but he hasn't a thought what he would do if he did. Not to mention he'd never figure out where any of us are, lotta action out of him and no thought," Argos called out while he swept the last pew and began on the floor. Waving the back of his paw in the man's direction the Bear spat with dismay, "Oh quiet your old mind, your head his a harder stone than Kyurthes." "Oh and this comin' from a man who thinks he has to protect his grown sister from love? As I said Tor never mind him, what's this trouble you got us in?" the black Bear asked putting the other man out of his thoughts. Torqariyan looked from the livid Hexen to the almost friendly Argos and shook his head, "I came across a portal, not one of my own and not to a place I've ever visited before finding it. It's no place on Metrux or on Verillia, the sky was the wrong color for either and the overall feel of it was wrong. Razien and myself are going to try to close it but if we can't I'm not sure what will come of it; that world looked like a war zone and from all I've seen in Verillia the actually orders and prohibitions outlined in the edict seem to be falling away. I'm afraid if this news gets out or another portal likes this opens we will be at war once more."
"If you know about the edict, how it's falling apart by the day, why are you here?" Hexen asked, ignoring his cohorts need for help in cleaning to instead undo some of the heavy robes of the church still wrapped about him. Giving the man a look that addressed not only his question but his slowly disrobing of himself Torq had to give voice to his own confusion, "What do you mean that it's falling apart? I know in Verillia they're bringing in more items that bend the rules of edict but..." "And the Gadalli of this world are pushing it, trying to use further boundary pushing to force apart clauses and portions of the edict piece by piece until there is nothing left," Argos interjected as a simple matter of fact. Hexen just shook his head and looked to the floor, "More over our power here, even were we to revel ourselves, is almost spent. You saw how sparse attendance was, it is like that every day if not worse so and for any grand event is only somewhat better. Metruxians have lost their fate and in truth at the end of the war I wish I would have had your friend force a contract between me and you. More and more I'm realizing Sephera was far from out her head when she let the Fox come over in exchange for her place." "You, at least one of you, has some idea of how we're going to undo this, don't you?" the Lynx couldn't say if he would have any such idea with the situation as it was but one had to ask. With a sullen cast to his lips the white furred Bear shook his head as he pawed at a ring of black round his left clavicle, "You might do well to let the Gadalli of this planet find this other realm, it might spare your people time from a life like this, dying of something that cannot be seen but is simple within." "He's right at least on that, if you're trying to protect your people, the faithful, the Verillians, you'll need to distract the Gadalli likely of both worlds. However to sacrifice another world only to prolong and inevitable, is it worth it?" the black Bear asked heaving a sigh as he pushed the clumps of dust into one great pile. Trying to not stare at the whatever Hexen was afflicted with the Lynx instead focused on the floor, "You've both given me much to think on. I should be going, there are others who might be able to help. As a matter of fact there is at least one person I know with any authority to help fight this mess if it can be fought." "Won't you stay for a meal? It's not often we have company in the church and certainly not another Lord," Argos seemed about ready to throw down his broom and escort the man back if even the hint of a no came across his muzzle. Despite his better judgment and all that he had left to do Torqariyan smiled and nodded, "It's a deal Argos, it really is a pity that no other Lords live about here but I suppose against Verillia even two in a cluster is many." "No one said there aren't other Lords, just not ones we could conceivably have here for long without suspicions raised," the black Bear said sweeping the dirt into a bin and coming over to pat the Lynx across the back. Both of his colleagues could only give the Bear, with his almost careless mannerisms, a look of befuddlement until Hexen gave voice to their expressions, "And who might that be old man?" "Well Sirius, the little Rabbit with that almost honey fur, always here with her dad. Wait, Hex, I may have joked but you didn't know that all along," Argos let out a hardy laugh that made the other man roll his eyes and left Torqariyan no more enlightened.