The Naer sneered, sarcasm coating her words and turning them in nothing short of venom. Yana listened stoically, not really caring whether or not this woman had a high or low opinion of her. All she wanted was to get her help. Nothing more, nothing less. Sure, perhaps it would have been a good idea to pretend to have come to her aid out of pure altruism, but Yana knew herself well enough to know she couldn’t keep such an act up for very long. Besides, altruists did not ask for anything in return did they? It would have been hard to ask for a favor directly after having saved this woman. Instead, she’d have to go through the process of conversation, being friendly and nice, getting the Naer to say something like “I am eternally grateful for you saving my life. On my pride as a Naerikk warrior, I will nnot forget this debt I owe you” or something along those lines. Then Yana would have to wait for a couple trials, dozens, if not more, and then seek out the Naer once again, pretending to have come across the gadgets only recently. Too much of a hassle.
“Hmpf,” Yana shrugged, “keep thinking in stereotypes if you wish. For all I care, the whole of Idalos can keep doing so, it will only be beneficial for me in the long run.” After all, it allowed her to do unexpected things, like not dying when she was stabbed with a poisoned dagger. If people did not take deviations from the stereotypical or the norm in account, it would only serve Yana to survive for that much longer.
Either way, the Naer did seem to agree on going along with the Yludih’s proposal. Naerikk pride and all that. She did offer some backstory, though it was compressed in one single breath. Still, in context it provided enough information for Yana to gain some insight in the Naer’s situation. Exile, failed attempt at vindication, Yvithia’s mark, and assassins? One did not need a rich imagination to fit there pieces together. Nevertheless the mark was a shocking discovery. Yana had seen it on a couple of Eídisi, but never on a Naer. Did this mean this woman had earned the blessing of Yvithia? What had she done to deserve it? Yvithia was said to despise the Naerikk.
“It is not,” she admitted, “but I will not stop you from enlightening me if you so desire.” Though Yana suspected she had a pretty firm grasp on the Naer’s background already, she would not mind to hear the actual circumstances from the Naer herself. As long as she did not ramble on and on about it, that is. It would be greatly appreciated if she kept it brief and to the point, if she told her at all. The woman referred to the Iron Hand then, apparently either slow on the uptake, or a little too distracted by the fact she’d been almost killed to respond when Yana had introduced herself. “It is, indeed. City guard, yes,” she confirmed.
Surprisingly, the Naer’s reaction to the sword was one of … well, it was hard to tell. Awe, shock and confusion probably were pretty accurate guesses. She revealed it to be a rather important item, one with a lot of prestige. To be in the possession of one was an honor reserved for the upper echelons of the Naerikk, it seemed. So that Naer from in Treidhart was an important figure? She never would have guessed. Especially since she’d died so quickly. “I’ll help you,” she’d said with a cocky tone of voice, as if she were the best of the best, their only hope, “but you need to swear fealty to Augery.” And then she’d been easily dispatched of by Xiur’s beast. Doran and Yana had been able to deal with the Brux themselves. Yana’s opinion on Audrae’s army hadn’t been too high ever since. Sure, she was well aware they were formidable foes, but they were so easy to deceive it was almost a sick joke. It was quite ironic, really.
“I did not kill her. Her overconfidence in her abilities resulted in her underestimating the power of Xiur’s Avenger, and ended up being her demise. I merely looted her corpse when we dealt with Xiur’s minion.”
She hoped that would be enough to convince Linika that Yana was not an enemy of Audrae at all. Sure, she had been planning on killing the Naer, but since the Brux had done it for her, she was not to blame. In case she was not yet convinced, Yana added, “I am not aligned with any of the Immortals, nor do I oppose one in particular.” She frowned slightly. “Well, except maybe Xiur, but that would be a one-sided enmity from his side only.” Opposing him had been something of a coincidence though, and she hoped that Doran’s actions were more than enough to have caused the Immortal to focus on him and not her. Maybe he’d even forgotten, that would be preferable. “That said, I hold no love for any of them either. I am completely neutral,” she concluded, “I serve only myself and myself only.” She sighed, giving Linika a “will that do” kind of look. “As for the other items, I would gladly tell you all about them if I knew what they were.” There was a certain measure of sarcasm in her voice. “All I know is that one looks like a medallion of sorts, and the others like bracelets.”
The Naer seemingly agreed to help, though in exchange for knowing more about Yana. The Yludih worried. Was this a good idea? The comment of being more than she seemed to be had her mind questioning whether or not she should go to such lengths to know the purpose of the items. It was impossible that the Naer knew about her true race. Yana had made no mistakes. Then again, the woman did bear Yvithia’s mark. The Immortal could read minds, and if the mark bestowed some of her power onto mortals, then… but she’d have been found out immediately if that was the case. The Naer would have had no need to question her…. No, that was not right. There would have been no need for Yana to answer. Questions were meant to get her mind to focus on the subject of the question, which then could be read. An unfocused mind was impossible to collect the right information from, she imagined. This might pose a problem. Thinking was not something she could control. Then again, Yvithia already knew all about Yana. There would be no benefit for the Naer to leak the knowledge of her race to the city. And, if the Yludih played her cards right, she might be able to find out more about the mark.
“Sure, I will let you ask any question you have about me within the privacy of my own room. In exchange for you telling me the purpose, effects and usage of the items first.”
***
Yana’s room was nice and warm, a pleasant departure of Viden’s freezing temperatures. Yludih were not made for such extreme cold, but with some warm clothing, she could cope. Just as Linika had predicted, the guards had been easily persuaded by the Naer, not asking too many questions, let alone ones that were too difficult to answer. They’d been able to move on fairly quickly. Maybe it had helped that the guards had been human, and that Yana, looking like an Eídisi had been accompanying Linika. That and the mark of Yvithia, of course. All in all, things had gone rather smoothly.
The Yludih had swiftly taken the gadgets out of the closet she’d put them in, having placed them on a small table. There were six bracelets, one medallion, one scope, and of course the switching sword. She knew what the latter two did, but had placed them next to the other items just in case they had some other features she did not know about.
“So, what do you think?” she asked the Naer, her eagerness only subtly affecting her voice. She was so close. How long had it been since she’d come in the possession of these items? How many people had she approached with hopes of unraveling their mystery? The end of her quest of appraisal was in sight, and her asterism pulsed rapidly. “Do you know what these are?”
“Hmpf,” Yana shrugged, “keep thinking in stereotypes if you wish. For all I care, the whole of Idalos can keep doing so, it will only be beneficial for me in the long run.” After all, it allowed her to do unexpected things, like not dying when she was stabbed with a poisoned dagger. If people did not take deviations from the stereotypical or the norm in account, it would only serve Yana to survive for that much longer.
Either way, the Naer did seem to agree on going along with the Yludih’s proposal. Naerikk pride and all that. She did offer some backstory, though it was compressed in one single breath. Still, in context it provided enough information for Yana to gain some insight in the Naer’s situation. Exile, failed attempt at vindication, Yvithia’s mark, and assassins? One did not need a rich imagination to fit there pieces together. Nevertheless the mark was a shocking discovery. Yana had seen it on a couple of Eídisi, but never on a Naer. Did this mean this woman had earned the blessing of Yvithia? What had she done to deserve it? Yvithia was said to despise the Naerikk.
“It is not,” she admitted, “but I will not stop you from enlightening me if you so desire.” Though Yana suspected she had a pretty firm grasp on the Naer’s background already, she would not mind to hear the actual circumstances from the Naer herself. As long as she did not ramble on and on about it, that is. It would be greatly appreciated if she kept it brief and to the point, if she told her at all. The woman referred to the Iron Hand then, apparently either slow on the uptake, or a little too distracted by the fact she’d been almost killed to respond when Yana had introduced herself. “It is, indeed. City guard, yes,” she confirmed.
Surprisingly, the Naer’s reaction to the sword was one of … well, it was hard to tell. Awe, shock and confusion probably were pretty accurate guesses. She revealed it to be a rather important item, one with a lot of prestige. To be in the possession of one was an honor reserved for the upper echelons of the Naerikk, it seemed. So that Naer from in Treidhart was an important figure? She never would have guessed. Especially since she’d died so quickly. “I’ll help you,” she’d said with a cocky tone of voice, as if she were the best of the best, their only hope, “but you need to swear fealty to Augery.” And then she’d been easily dispatched of by Xiur’s beast. Doran and Yana had been able to deal with the Brux themselves. Yana’s opinion on Audrae’s army hadn’t been too high ever since. Sure, she was well aware they were formidable foes, but they were so easy to deceive it was almost a sick joke. It was quite ironic, really.
“I did not kill her. Her overconfidence in her abilities resulted in her underestimating the power of Xiur’s Avenger, and ended up being her demise. I merely looted her corpse when we dealt with Xiur’s minion.”
She hoped that would be enough to convince Linika that Yana was not an enemy of Audrae at all. Sure, she had been planning on killing the Naer, but since the Brux had done it for her, she was not to blame. In case she was not yet convinced, Yana added, “I am not aligned with any of the Immortals, nor do I oppose one in particular.” She frowned slightly. “Well, except maybe Xiur, but that would be a one-sided enmity from his side only.” Opposing him had been something of a coincidence though, and she hoped that Doran’s actions were more than enough to have caused the Immortal to focus on him and not her. Maybe he’d even forgotten, that would be preferable. “That said, I hold no love for any of them either. I am completely neutral,” she concluded, “I serve only myself and myself only.” She sighed, giving Linika a “will that do” kind of look. “As for the other items, I would gladly tell you all about them if I knew what they were.” There was a certain measure of sarcasm in her voice. “All I know is that one looks like a medallion of sorts, and the others like bracelets.”
The Naer seemingly agreed to help, though in exchange for knowing more about Yana. The Yludih worried. Was this a good idea? The comment of being more than she seemed to be had her mind questioning whether or not she should go to such lengths to know the purpose of the items. It was impossible that the Naer knew about her true race. Yana had made no mistakes. Then again, the woman did bear Yvithia’s mark. The Immortal could read minds, and if the mark bestowed some of her power onto mortals, then… but she’d have been found out immediately if that was the case. The Naer would have had no need to question her…. No, that was not right. There would have been no need for Yana to answer. Questions were meant to get her mind to focus on the subject of the question, which then could be read. An unfocused mind was impossible to collect the right information from, she imagined. This might pose a problem. Thinking was not something she could control. Then again, Yvithia already knew all about Yana. There would be no benefit for the Naer to leak the knowledge of her race to the city. And, if the Yludih played her cards right, she might be able to find out more about the mark.
“Sure, I will let you ask any question you have about me within the privacy of my own room. In exchange for you telling me the purpose, effects and usage of the items first.”
***
Yana’s room was nice and warm, a pleasant departure of Viden’s freezing temperatures. Yludih were not made for such extreme cold, but with some warm clothing, she could cope. Just as Linika had predicted, the guards had been easily persuaded by the Naer, not asking too many questions, let alone ones that were too difficult to answer. They’d been able to move on fairly quickly. Maybe it had helped that the guards had been human, and that Yana, looking like an Eídisi had been accompanying Linika. That and the mark of Yvithia, of course. All in all, things had gone rather smoothly.
The Yludih had swiftly taken the gadgets out of the closet she’d put them in, having placed them on a small table. There were six bracelets, one medallion, one scope, and of course the switching sword. She knew what the latter two did, but had placed them next to the other items just in case they had some other features she did not know about.
“So, what do you think?” she asked the Naer, her eagerness only subtly affecting her voice. She was so close. How long had it been since she’d come in the possession of these items? How many people had she approached with hopes of unraveling their mystery? The end of her quest of appraisal was in sight, and her asterism pulsed rapidly. “Do you know what these are?”