The time for him to leave had finally come. He had returned to Andaris to tie up a few loose ends – he never left a job unfinished – but it was slowly becoming too dangerous for him to stay. Nobody had recognized him yet, nobody had drawn the correct conclusions yet – that it had been him who had attacked the Immortal of Hope in Oscillus – but the possibility that somebody would come and confront him increased with each passing trial. Besides, he couldn’t continue what he had started here, in a part of the world where people were more or less tolerant of Immortal worship. He needed better tools as well as allies, and he would most likely find the latter in Etzos, the City of Stones.
He had already told his students as well as his colleagues and his superiors that he would be leaving, supposedly on a scientific expedition to Western Idalos where he would study a few strange phenomena as well as the beasts that lived there. There was only one thing left for him to do. Since he was unlikely to return in the near future, if at all, he had decided to sell the small home where he had lived for arcs. He wondered if he should feel at least somewhat melancholic, but he didn’t really care. Etzos offered a lot more possibilities than the kingdom ever had, and that was what matttered.
He had briefly considered advertising in the Gazette in order to sell his home faster, but he didn’t want all of Rynmere to know his name even though more of his enemies would likely move in the wrong direction because of it since his real destination was nowhere near Western Idalos. For that reason he had pinned a message to the noticeboard at Rynmere University, a small piece of crisp white paper filled with his handwriting in black ink:
Home for Sale
I am selling a 400 square foot home in the center of Andaris and only a short walk from Rynmere University for 250 gn as I will be partaking in a lengthy expedition to Western Idalos and beyond. It is located in a quiet side street and comes fully furnished. Please contact Professor Doran Thetys at the Institute of Sciences if you are interested.
Last edited by Doran on Thu Jun 01, 2017 7:55 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 390
Though they had worked for the same university for countless years, Malcolm knew little about the man posting his house for sale on the noticeboard, only that he seemed a competent fellow, and tended to keep to himself. Malcolm wasn't the kind of man that hung out in the staffroom during the lunch break or got together for staff functions, too busy with his duties as a knight to set aside time for such things. Still, this particular day, he had wandered through the hall and noticed the handwritten message, and organised to meet Doran that afternoon once work was finished.
From the outside the house appeared to be everything the notice had promised, central to Midtown, and close to their place of work. Malcolm certainly didn't need another cottage, but with family and friends often making the trip from Krome or Burhan to pop in from time to time, he thought it would be a good idea to have someone more central for them to stay in. And failing that, he mused to himself, he could always rent it out to one of the students in need of accommodation.
He knocked on the door and stepped back from the entranceway to wait for Doran to answer, wondering what kind of furniture the man was choosing to leave behind. Though he was curious to know why Doran was choosing to go without a few of his things, he didn't feel he knew the man well enough to ask such questions.
When the man finally answered, Malcolm shook his hand and waited for a tour. “Thank you for seeing me on such short notice,” he said, “I've got a busy few trials ahead, so this was the best time to stop in.” Malcolm had brought the coin along, but didn't make mention of this, sure there would be nothing wrong with the cottage.
Last edited by Malcolm on Tue Oct 08, 2019 4:08 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 317
As he heard a knock on the door, the Mortalborn briefly wondered if maybe they had arrived and he should prepare himself for a fight, but then he came to the conclusion that Xiur’s warriors probably wouldn’t announce their visit. No, it was likely the man that had voiced an interest in buying his home, Malcolm Krome who taught history at Rynmere University, if memory served him right. He didn’t know him very well, but he remembered a conversation with Elyna Burhan, an acquaintance of his and that he had wondered if maybe Professor Krome was Elsie’s father (Lady Burhan herself had been unwilling to tell him).
Since he had come to the conclusion that the visitor most likely wasn’t an assassin, Doran moved to open the door and studied his colleague for a moment before he inclined his head and gestured for him to enter. “I should thank you”, he spoke in a calm and slightly cool tone that betrayed no hint of the paranoia that he had briefly felt before. In fact he seemed to be perfectly at ease. “I didn’t think that I would find a potential buyer so quickly. Please take a look around and let me know if you have any questions.”
Malcolm would find that the small home was clean and proper, just like its owner who was garbed in a fine, dark suit. There was not a grain of dust anywhere, and the furniture still looked almost like it had on the trial that Doran had moved to Rynmere. He had not replaced or added anything since then, apart from a small desk that stood by the window. He’d spent countless breaks there, writing by the light of a flickering candle, often until late at night. He’d already packed most of his things into a couple of bags that stood by the door so that he would be able to leave at a moment’s notice, apart from a blade that he always kept nearby, just in case.
“I’ve been living here for about three arcs”, he explained and quickly moved to open the window in front of the desk to let in some fresh air. He’d occasionally taken some of his experiments home with him, and a hint of that chemical scent still lingered. On the street outside a couple could be heard talking now. “Since I moved to Rynmere to teach chemistry at the university.” With that he fell silent again. While Malcolm inspected the place, he remained where he was, arms crossed over his chest, waiting patiently.
“Furnished?” Malcolm wanted to make sure he had read the ad correctly, a furnished property would be easier to rent out, but it seemed a shame to leave such nice things behind. “What are you leaving?” Malcolm didn't venture very far, most of the cottage visible at a glance.
The odd nod of his head sufficed as an answer most of the time amongst friends, but with Doran he knew he would have to try a little harder than that. The man looked as if he were ready to run out the door as soon as a deal was struck. Something about that triggered the man's more inquisitive nature, or perhaps it was just the knight in him. He would try to keep Doran talking and see what he could uncover.
“I've lived here most of my life, in Rynmere,” Malcolm corrected himself. “My boys grew up in Burhan, but I've been working at the university since they were quiet young, history and language,” he admitted, and looked over his shoulder at Doran and offered a warm smile. He wasn't too sure what subject it was Doran taught, a science perhaps, or mathematics, he looked like an intelligent man, so why did a smart man sell his house for market value fully furnished?
“Moving closer to the university?” Malcolm inquired, “or out to the country?” he thought then, that someone like Doran would probably be a little bored in the country, not enough books or libraries.
Last edited by Malcolm on Tue Oct 08, 2019 4:08 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 251
“I’m leaving all the furniture you can see here“, Doran replied. “The desk’s as good as new”, he explained, perhaps in an attempt to make the deal more interesting for Malcolm. “I’ve already packed my things so that a potential buyer will be able to move in immediately.” He gestured towards the bags by the door that contained mostly books, some alchemical and chemical equipment as well a couple of potions, some of which he had acquired after Yanahalqah and he had fled the battlefield in Oscillus.
Doran was not normally one to engage in small talk, but as Malcolm spoke of his family he did come a bit closer so that they would be able to talk more easily. He had realized that he might just have found the missing piece of the puzzle. If Professor Krome was married with children, then Lady Burhan would of course be hesitant to talk about their relationship as it would be a major scandal.
“Nothing like that”, he replied readily as Malcolm asked if he would be moving closer to the university or out to the country, as if he didn’t mind the question at all. “I’ll be leaving Rynmere, at least for the near future. I realized that standing in a classroom all trial long and teaching chemistry is not what I want to do for the rest of my life. I’ll go back to working in the field and conducting more practical research. I’ll be travelling to Western Idalos where I spent my youth and realizing a scientific project there and then perhaps on to Scalvoris.”
“Some of the gems and minerals that can be found there could have potential”, he explained. He was not lying, at least not in that regard. Scalvoris as well as certain aspects of Western Idalos – especially the monsters in the Fields of Gauthrel – had recently caught his attention, although he didn’t know how soon he would actually be going there.
“There are more personal reasons for my leaving as well. Somebody close to me passed away which is why I’d rather leave sooner than later”, he added with a hint of wistfulness which was, again, not a complete lie. He had been in love with a colleague of his, had loved her with an intensity that had bordered on madness. Beira had been one of the most skilled scientists that he had ever met and the only thing in his life that had been good and pure, but she had chosen another man and gone to Uleuda – she had been an Yludih.
“Have you ever been outside of Rynmere?” he wanted to know, figuring that a normal, mortal man, a man that had nothing to hide would ask such questions and show some interest in the person he was talking to.
It seemed a shame to start the new school year only to leave a few days in, Malcolm thought, but he too had questioned his continued loyalty to the university and its students, to education in general. He didn't need a second income, but teaching had always been his passion, second only to his love of history and preserving the memory of actual events that had taken place.
“I'm sorry for your loss,” Malcolm said, if he knew anything well, it was pain.
Turning to face Doran as the man ventured nearer, Malcolm lifted his hands to his hips and indulged the man’s sudden confidence to speak, more relaxed now that Doran had abandoned the safety of the door. Perhaps he wasn't about to do a runner?
“I’ve been all about,” he admitted, “I like the land out west, Ne’hear especially,” he told the man, “I lived there for many arcs and visited again only recently.” Malcolm had been tasked with going west in order to find others like him for his aunt, Vri’s sister, however, he didn't breathe a word of this to the friendly stranger.
“I think if I was ever to move again it would be there.”
Malcolm unraveled the leather coin cloth from his belt and held it out to Doran. “Two and a half,” he said, guilty, he hadn't exited so much furniture, with a bed, table and desk, someone could move in right away. “Do you have the papers?” he would need the house deed.
His hands returned it his belt once the coin was accepted. “I'd go by one of the bigger ships if I were you, the galleon that travels between Ne’hear and Rynmere every season. Last time I was at sea we were attacked by a creature that had taken another ship down prior to finding ours, but it was no match for the galleon.”
Last edited by Malcolm on Tue Oct 08, 2019 4:09 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 325
As Malcolm said that he was sorry for his loss, Doran inclined his head, thus acknowledging his words. He wondered what the man thought of his statement. Did he think that his wife had died or perhaps a child? And did it matter what he believed as long as he believed something, something that would hopefully keep him from investigating further?
“Ne’haer is beautiful”, he agreed. “I have fond memories of that city.” He had first visited it almost four centuries before when his mother had still been alive and accepted a job in Ne’haer, and he had also spent several arcs there working as a doctor and alchemist.
He wondered if he should be somewhat wistful – life had been simpler back then, and Syroa had not yet played a part – but then decided that he wouldn’t, that he couldn’t. Things had been easier back then, but Syroa had made him better and stronger, and she had finally enabled him to become more.
“Of course”, he said. He accepted the money from Malcolm and then retrieved the papers from where they had been lying on his desk.
“Thank you for your advice”, he replied as Malcolm suggested that he take one of the bigger ships. The other man couldn’t know that he didn’t plan on going anywhere near Ne’haer and that the sea creatures would be the least of his worries and easily dealt with.
He was more concerned with Xiur finally finding him – although he had almost killed the Immortal the last time they had met and was confident that he would be able to hurt him again.
“I’ll keep it in mind. As I told you, you can move in right away if you want to. The neighbours usually won’t bother you, and it’s relatively cool inside during the Hot Season.” He paused for a moment before he asked, “Is there anything else that you need?”
Had he known what Malcolm was, that he was more than just a mortal history professor, he might have wanted to talk to him more – he might even have shared some of his views with him – but there was no way for him to recognize another Mortalborn short of, perhaps, trying to read his memories.
“You're on the boat tonight then?” Malcolm asked, still curious as to why the man was in such a hurry, and what he would have done if he hadn't sold his house today.
Their hands met only briefly as Malcolm accepted the papers in exchange for the coin, and if Doran were to use his ability to read the man’s most recent memories, he would see a mix of thoughts, some funny, some sad, while others were just plain bizarre.
More recently he had gotten into a verbal argument with Elyna, she had told him she was pregnant and he had taken the news well, but the legitimacy of Elsie had come up in conversation, and the man was tucked up in bed and unaware, Elyna had decided to throw cold water over Malcolm in protest.
There had also been a visit to the house out near the shore by a beautiful woman, Violet Warrick, who had visited during Cylus to attend a private lesson on the history of Rynmere and the Draketh language.
More pressing than these memories, however, was the recent war with Qe’dreki that had spread out into the Eastern Settlement, where Malcolm had led an army one hundred odd men strong, and threatened to torture Edmund Burhan for information on the rebel faction and its dealings with members of his family.
If Doran used his powers, Malcolm might feel a twinge, a spark in his unconsciousness that made him look twice at the man across from him, but if not, the warden would go on none the wiser.
“No, I don't think I need anything else,” he told the man. “Papers all seem to be in order,” he scanned the deed for anything that looked out of place. “I'll probably just rent it out, so if you're ever back in the city and want somewhere familiar to stay,” he offered, “just get in contact, I don't plan to leave work at the university anytime soon.”
Last edited by Malcolm on Tue Oct 08, 2019 4:09 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 337
“I might be, yes“, Doran replied as Malcolm asked him if he would be on the boat that night. As their hands briefly touched, not for longer than a trill or two, he made a decision. He wanted to know, wanted to know what kind of man he had given his house to and whether there was more to him than met the eye after all. Had he had more time, he might have been able to look for specific memories or delve deeper, but as it was he would have to be content with whatever memories surfaced first and try to make sense of them.
He had been correct in his assumption that Malcolm Krome was Elyna Burhan’s secret lover and that Elsie was his child, he realized. The mention of the child’s legitimacy confused him though. Any child born of two unmarried parents was a bastard and excluded from the line of inheritance, he knew that much, which meant that they might have had some sort of wedding, probably secret and of questionable legality. That, he thought was interesting.
There was another beautiful woman as well, but he didn’t know what her relationship to Lord Krome was. Maybe she was just a student of his – Doran had occasionally given private lessons to his most promising students as well – and maybe she was more. It was inconsequential in the long run. He didn’t much care how many people the noble slept with.
The most interesting memory of all was the one about the war with the Qe’dreki. Malcolm Krome, the son of Ziell realized, was not just a peaceful history professor, he was more. He was a man that was willing to do whatever was necessary, just like him. He needed to be careful around him.
“Thank you for the offer, Lord Krome”, he replied upon hearing what the noble had said. He could already feel the beginnings of a headache, one of the side effects of using his abilities. Unless Malcolm decided to stop him because of that brief spark of something he had felt when their hands had touched, he would bid him farewell and eventually make his way to the harbor to begin the journey that would take him to the City of Stones and Vuda.
Malcolm Krome: History and Language Teacher at Rynmere University
Malcolm Krome: Possible Scandal with Elyna Burhan
Malcolm Krome: Previously Been to Ne'haer
Maloclm Krome: Elsie's Father
Seafaring: Take the Galleon
Loot:
250 GN for cottage
Minus papers for a 400x400 sq ft cottage in Andaris City near the university.
Injuries: None Fame: None
Story: 5/5 Collaboration: 5/5 Structure: 5/5
- - - - - - -
MALCOLM
Knowledge:
Location: Doran's Cottage (Now Malcolm's Cottage)
Doran: Former Chemistry Teacher at Rynmere University
Doran: Leaving for Western Idalos
Business Management: Investing to Rent
Loot:
Minus papers for a 400x400 sq ft cottage in Andaris City near the university. Formerly Doran's.
- 250 GN for cottage
Injuries: None Fame: None
Story: 5/5 Collaboration: 5/5 Structure: 5/5
- - - - - - -
Comments: This was a neat way to tidy up loose ends in Rynmere. I appreciated that there was some transference of items from one PC to the next. Well done both of you. Part of me is curious what would have happened if this had continued, but that is the best part of a good story.
If you feel I've missed anything or if you have questions about your review, please don't hesitate to send me a quick PM. Thank you!
word count: 229
I'm bad, and that's good. I will never be good, and that's not bad. There's no one I'd rather be then me.
