Getting to see the Prime Minister is never very straightforward. The 'courier' Dar Siefert returns to the Coalition Tower and meets with Joellie, the fnerf secretary for Minister Thath. She actually remembers him, and checks something in her scheduling book. "You have a priority rating.. very impressive, Mr. Siefert," the petite foxtaur notes. "Please have a seat, and I will announce you." She then gestures to the many seats in the waiting area, some of them with people eager to meet with the Minister. A few look jealous at the mention of a 'priority rating' for the foreigner.
Dar dips his head slightly. "Thank you," he says, allowing for his old Sylvanian accent to at least add some color to his intonation. The burly Eeee turns and heads to one of the open seats. His wings unfurl a bit to make sitting simpler, and he sits. The wings then draw back in close to him so at to not take up too much space.
Surprisingly, there is only one other Eeee waiting (along with a Karnor, a Gallisian and a Naga). The Eeee is of the Saskanar sub-species, lacking separate wings and arms. The canines are both dressed in the sort of garb associated with airship officers, while the Naga is just wearing a bright green vest. He seems the most cheerful, and even approaches Dar. "GreetingSss, visitor!" he says, smiling oddly for a Naga. "Are you enJOYing our fair city?"
Dar arches his brow slightly as his attention turns towards the naga. "Contrary to popular tales, I have not yet been mugged, so I suppose I am enjoying the city fine," he answers. "An interesting cross-section of people and most are generally pleasant."
"Babel iSSs a very urbane and diverse city," the Naga says, holding the lapels of his vest and somehow smiling harder with pride. There's a reason Naga generally do not smile.. it always looks like they are about to bite someone. "And soon to be even more diverse, I asssssure you, once the Prime Minister giveSs final aPROVal of my busSiness venture."
Dar's ears flick a bit. "And what business venture is that?" he inquires, curious. The smile thankfully doesn't unnerve him that much; he's reasonably used to scary things smiling at him.
This seems to be an invitation for the Naga to sidle up to Alptraum and put an arm around his shoulder, using the other to gesture towards the window - or to the painting of Old Babel next to it, showing the buildings lost to the Boomer. "Imagine a place where wonDERs from across the world.. nay worlds.. are made acceSSible to all!" he says. "The Seven Wonders Circus!"
"Ah, never heard of it?" Dar admits and also questions. "You plan to start a circus here?"
"Not just any CircuSSs," the Naga claims. "But the premiere venue for the continent! People will come from ALL OVER to see it! Exotic performances! Reenactments from History and Mythology! Funny animals! Gypsies! Magic! And.. Clowns!"
"Gypsies? Are you serious? Do you know any gypsies?" Dar has to ask. No gypsy he knows of would want to travel here, after all. "Where to you plan to build this circus? And .. why tell me so much? Let me hazard a guess ... you want me to put in a good word with the Prime Minister since I am on the 'priority' list?"
"You are a vistor from another land," the Naga says, instead of directly replying. "And.. well, probably not real gypsies, but certainly flamboyantly dressed acrobats and dancers and story-tellers. As for where.. well, the Plaza is the best choice of course.. but the rent is a bit high. I'm hoping to get a development grant for one of the reclaimable zones." When he's not giving his excited spiel, his Naga speech quirks fade away.
"And what about the tales of monsters exacting justice in the shadows? The naked human on a dragon? Are you not worried such would affect the desire of others to visit?" Dar inquires as he watches the naga curiously, ears flicking as he lets sound trace out the serpent.
"Lad.. who wouldn't want to see a naked person riding a dragon?" the hopeful entrepreneur says, still grinning. "It's exciting! Thrilling! But of course it will all be safe. Why, some of the best areas are former plazas that already have people living in them you see. People that know how to survive and keep their wits - perfect for working at a circus! I just need a writ from the PM, then I can go and get a petition going among the indigenous folk and if enough agree I can submit the renovation proposals..."
"I am still not sure why you are telling me all of this? I have no input on the civil matters of government and projects in this city," Dar admits, ears splayed to make him look a bit confused.
"Well.. you're a visitor though," the Naga claims. "So your impression is of value. You don't have all of the.. baggage.. that a local would about the Streets Below."
Dar laughs a bit at this. "I come from a land in worse shape than this done," he points out, playing up his accent a bit for emphasis. "What matters most to anyone wanting to go to a show is they need to feel safe about it. People aren't going to want to travel and gather somewhere if there is risk to their life and possessions. So, opinion on it is just for it to succeed, it needs to be safe for the visitors."
"Oh, safety will be paramount," the Naga insists. "Give people a dry house, enough food to eat and a job when they had nothing but bellies full of fear before and they will make sure things stay safe. And for those that can't shed their.. predatory natures.. well.. there are monsters of justice on the prowl."
Dar chuckles. "Fair enough," he concedes. "I wish you luck in this endeavor, Mister ...?" he prompts.
"Barnbale," the Naga says, and produces a pasteboard card from his vest for Dar. "Diz Barnbale."
Dar takes the card and tucks it away into a pocket. "I am not here for anything so interesting," he claims, "Mundane state affairs with another land. Trade, that sort of thing."
"Goods or culture?" the Naga asks, just as the door to the main office opens and Joellie steps out and gestures to Dar.
Dar rises. "Both," he claims, "And it looks like I am being called. I bid you a good day." The Eeee bows slightly and heads over to Joellie. "That was faster than expected," he admits.
"He did not have a visitor, and he likes making others wait," Joellie confides as she holds the door open for Dar.
Dar chuckles, unsurprised. He steps through the door.
The office of the Prime Minister of the Coalition is made to be impressive. It is large, but mostly empty. Thath sits behind the sole desk, with a several chairs arrayed before it (and more along the walls, in case they need to be swapped out depending on seating requirements). There is no artwork or statuary or anything to focus on other than the black mahogany desk, which is also mostly bare. If there is a window behind the desk, it is hidden by drawn curtains.
There are some new items on the desk.. including what looks like a scrying ball.
Thath rises, wearing his usual gray suit of office. "Mr. Siefert, it is always a pleasure to see you," he says, and gestures to a chair. "Please have a seat."
Dar's eyes flick to the ball. "I suppose it shouldn't surprise me that he uses some sort of magic to spy on others," the Eeee thinks. The comment from Thath causes his attention to shift back and he bows slightly, saying, "Thank you." He settles down into the chair carefully and coils his wings slightly forward for comfort.
Thath sits again, and removes a small, slender crystal from his pocket. He slots this into the head of the gargoyle ink-pot holder on his desk, which causes the crystal to glow brightly while the rest of the room grows dark. Dar knows the feel of Shadow Magic. "There, we can talk freely now," Thath says.
"Spying barrier," Dar comments, "I know its feel well." He glances about a bit, then gets down to business. "I'm here to ask a favor," he admits, "I need two items. Specific items really. Something personal and important two different people. The old Sabbaoth and the former High Princess. I need them as lures to extract and contain their spirits. I suspect their spirits are being used by Amenlichti as anchors to insert her influence."
Thath steeples his fingers before asking, "And how are you going to summon these spirits?"
"My ties to Sunala and the Sea of Souls allows me to call them from it, providing I have something that links me to them," Dar explains. "Such summoning will likely occur either at the Mage's guild, or Mount Sunala. I am not comfortable using other venues. I'm honestly not comfortable using the Mage's Guild, but they have the most capable containment abilities."
"Are you going to use a srinala?" Thath asks next. "You'd need me for that."
"I do not think I really need to," Dar points out. "I did not wish to put you at any risk in this."
"The Mages.. are mostly trustworthy," Thath claims. "The Royal ones have all been put to death of course. But they did have some useful tools lying around. The Sabaoth was very fond of spying devices."
"Unsurprising," Dar admits. "Do you want to help with bringing them forth? I am unsure if you want to revisit such people as they have connections to old and unpleasant memories."
"The past does not haunt me," Thath notes. "Will you be permanently imprisoning them? There are many things I'd be interested in showing the Sabaoth and Princess."
"Yes, the goal is to permanently imprison them. I am not one who likes to destroy anyone, even them. I can, but it is not something I do lightly. So, I intend to have two cages built specific for each; which also is why I need items close to them," Dar explains. "And if I may ask, what exactly is it you want to show them?"
The old Eeee smirks slightly, and says, "How badly they failed, of course."
"As the one the Sabbaoth wanted to insert his brain into, I cannot say I am particularly looking forward to extracting that one," Dar admits.
"How personal do the items need to be?" Thath asks. "Are there any emotional requirements that you know of?"
"The more personal the better. Emotional attachments can only help," Dar says.
Reaching across the desk, Thath slides the scrying sphere and its base over towards Dar. "This belonged to the Sabaoth. I don't know for how long.. possibly centuries. He always had it with him. I bring it out whenever I have to deal with.. any of the old guard. It doesn't work - it required an actual Mage of Light to operate."
"You use it to intimidate the old guard, then?" Dar inquires, "Do you need it back? It will likely need to become part of their final containment."
"I can find another if I need it," Thath notes, leaning back into his chair. "I am usually intimidating enough on my own."
"A fair point, that," Dar agrees. He shakes his own head a bit, letting himself revert just a bit back to Alptraum; at least in hair color and some features; small changes. "Something we both seem to share now. My reputation tends to make me intimidating these days."
"Well.. rumor moves quickly, especially when there is some truth to it," Thath says. He reaches into his shirt to pull up a gold-chain necklace next. There are two rings threaded on it: one onyx with a silver frame, and the other gold and jewel-studded. He carefully unhooks the chain, and removes the gaudier of the two rings, sliding it towards Dar. "The engagement ring given to Sariazadze by Prince Boghaz," he explains. "I believe she fully loved him at one time."
Alptraum looks down at that ring. "What was the other ring on that chain? And ... I have to ask this; but why did you have an involvement with her?" he inquires, not looking up.
Thath clutches the other ring in his hand, squeezing. "This belonged to your moth.. that is, to my first wife, Melisandre," he says softly. "As for the High Princess.. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. I needed to be indispensable to her, as I was to the Sabaoth and to his son the Prince."
"I'm sorry about your wife," Alptraum says quietly as he finally looks up. "Truth be told, I don't know if I will try to harm the spirit of the Sabbaoth or not when I call him forth. He's the source of far too many tragedies, some close to both of us."
"I've had my revenge on him and his," Thath says quietly, still clutching the ring. "His bloodline is gone, and soon so will be his legacy."
Alptraum reaches over and places his own hand over Thath's curled one. "Was it worth it?" he asks.
The old bat smiles, but not in a friendly way. "It will be," he says. "I will live to see it end."
"You have better things to live for, you know," Alptraum says.
"I hope so," Thath says. "Something to keep me from what I've earned a few years longer."
Alptraum releases his hand and draws it back. "Do you want to be involved with their extraction?" he asks.
"I was involved in their deaths, so I can certainly spare the time to stop them from being a threat again," Thath says. "If you need me, I will come to Mt. Sunala."
"Will it be safe for you to leave the tower?" Alptraum asks. "Safe on the mountain itself can be secured, but I do not know about the route."
"For thirty years I have been a target," Thath says. "I can be where I need to be, without anyone knowing I've left this office. The only person who came close enough to strike me down.. was you, after all."
"Yes, I suppose that is true," Alptraum admits and frowns from the unpleasant memory. "As for that, I couldn't. I didn't even know you, but I couldn't. It would have just ... continued the same cycles of Babel. It had to stop. Honestly, I figured you would have killed me not long after that."
"I have killed a lot of people," Thath admits. "Kings, Princes and Princesses, and any number of nameless faces. But to kill my son.. that I could not do. When Babel's future is secured, I will tell you all that I have done, and my reasons, if you wish to hear it. Then you will know me. Enough to pardon or pass judgment."
"Even if I was your greatest threat, you could not kill me?" Alptraum asks. "I'm not exactly a paragon of virtues, either. There was a time I would have burned Rephidim to the ground had I the opportunity." He shrugs a bit, "So ... I am not someone who could really judge anyone. Nothing is ever as black and white as to make it simple."
"All men are monsters in their hearts," Thath says with a nod. "More so for some of us than for others. It all comes down to how you use your monster."
"You find yourself tempered, though, when you also get to deal with their ghosts," Alptraum notes. "That said, if someone hurt Rosalind, I would hurt them tenfold in return. So ... I probably do understand. You don't have to tell me anything, even when it is all over."
"They say confession is good for the soul," Thath notes, and then grins. "But those people are also probably found of extortion as well. Is there anything else I can help you with? I know you've been quite busy lately."
"Nothing I can think of. I do not like to burden others with my problems," Alptraum says as he sits back and thinks. "Do you have anything you wish of me?"
"You've already solved some of my 'problems' of a political sort," Thath notes. "The old nobles are starting to fall in line instead of trying to protect their own rather archaic or criminal interests. Something about their more vocal members vanishing or having rather disturbing things revealed. My concern with with the coming conflict, and being prepared for it."
"So you are prepared, I may not survive that conflict. The General is very dangerous and has in her possession dangerous weapons and powers," Alptraum warns. "I cannot predict what the outcome will be, other than I am willing to give everything I have to stop her. It all has to end."
"I would prefer you retreat if things become one-sided," Thath notes. "She may be the opponent that only you can face.. but the rest of her followers are mostly mortal.. or at least flammable. We can deal with those."
"My biggest concern is the armor she has. I still do not fully know its capabilities, but I do know it has components that are ... unhealthy for me," Alptraum admits.
"Unhealthy?" Thath asks, sounding concerned. "Do you need special armor of your own?"
"I honestly do not know," Alptraum admits. I wish I could examine that armor."
Thath raises an eyebrow. "It was created in the Tower," he says. "As was the General. So there must be research documents, if they were not destroyed when the Tower was abandoned."
"The Tower is not safe to enter any more, isn't it?" Alptraum asks. "At least the section that would contain them."
"It is sealed off," Thath notes. "The access was wrecked to prevent the secrets out of the hands of the Temple."
"Could I access it somehow?" Alptraum asks. "In, well, one form or another."
"There have been.. forays.. to map things out," Thath says. "I will see about gathering the available intelligence on the efforts for you."
"Good. I can use those to enter it and explore on my own," Alptraum agrees. "I cannot think of anything else right now that I could ask for."
"How should I contact you when I have the needed materials?" Thath asks.
"A message to Moutn Sunala, Mount Gorphat, or Mount Inala can reach me," Alptraum notes. "Or through a young girl named Cricket. Or ... through Tulani the sphynx. So, several ways."
"I'm reluctant to use the Yodhbarada," Thath notes, apparently recognizing the name 'Cricket'. "I will make sure to leave a message at one of the temples. Most likely Sunala's."
Alptraum nods. "Probably wise. The other two can be quite questionable at times," he admits and rises. The sphere he collects; the old ring he makes sure is put away into a pocket. As for himself, features shift slightly so that 'Dar' returns.
Thath removes the crystal from the ink holder, and the enchanted bit of mineral crumbles to dust, which Thath sweeps off the side of the desk with one hand. "As always, give my regards to the Countess," he says to Dar.
Dar bows. "Of course," he says, "Be well." He rises, then heads for the exit.
Some time later, Alptraum finds his way back into the bowels of the Mage's Guild, where Rostre awaits. The door to her lab is ajar, and there are plenty of bubbling and boiling sounds coming from it. The Khatta girl acolyte that nervously escorted the Barsunala this far now seems to balk. Walking with Death is one thing, but bubbling sounds are ominous.
Nevermind that Alptraum's right arm from the elbow down can sometimes 'bubble' .... or well, squirm around. "I won't hurt you, you know," he tells the Khatta. "I doubt you even believe all the stories about me."
"I believe everything about you," the girl notes. "That's why you don't scare me. Mage Rostre though.. she's.. eccentric," she says in rather political terms.
"Whereas I'm just a monster?" Alptraum counters.
"You're a natural part of the Babelite Traditions," the girl notes. "And you're cute. You don't go around raising up the dead or anything. I'm not so sure about Rostre in that regard. Nagas are always a bit more loose in their views on necromancy.."
"If she does, I will have to kill her," Alptraum points out simply.
"You.. wouldn't really do that would you?" the girl asks, looking suddenly very guilt-ridden. "She's not that bad, just.. you know.. weird. She has all sorts of things in that lab that other Spirit Mages don't use."
"If she is violating the sanctity of the dead, I am required to deal with it," Alptraum points out simply and seriously. "So, perhaps this was a mistake. I took a risk in contacting the Guild as it stands. So, I had best leave now. I can find alternate arrangements for the issue I am tackling." The Eeee turns around and walks away from the lab door.
"Wait.. no.. please?" the girl asks, rushing up to Alptraum. "I'll get in trouble! You've got to let us help!"
Alptraum pauses and looks down. "I don't have to do anything," the Eeee points out. "I am trying to avoid an unpleasant and ugly confrontation that will do none of us any good."
The girl is near tears now. "I'm sorry for saying that stuff," she says. "I don't mean to gossip. None of that was actually true just.. Rostre doesn't ever come out of her rooms.."
"If you had said any of that to a Yodhsunala, she would have gone in and killed the mage without saying anything. They take their duty and beliefs very seriously. I take Sunala's concerns very seriously as well, but I also know when discretion is also more appropriate. If I don't see it, I don't have to deal with it. It would do no one any good, nor the shaky relationship, were I to kill a mage in their guild," Alptraum points out. His tone isn't harsh, just direct. "I don't trust the Guild, they tried to kill me once. But, I am trying to work with them for the best of all. I don't want that to fall apart because I uncover something I cannot turn a blind eye to. Understand?"
The girl bites her lip and nods, wide eyed. "I've never met a Yodhsunala," she admits.
"I have. Many. Most tolerate me. Some outright hate me. All of them now fear me, I am fairly certain," Alptraum explains. "When you deal with the dead and the dying all the time, your world view tends to be very grim and direct. Most of them simply have no humor; their world is black and white."
"Like Spirit Mages?" the girl asks.
"I have no idea. My point is this; me walking through that door can have serious ramifications," Alptraum says, "And I do not want those to be bad. I would rather deal with a more complicated situation, than make enemies here. You can swear I will not find something beyond those doors that would be considered an affront to Sunala?"
"How.. how can I answer that?" the girl asks, starting to fret. "I don't know what she does in there. She asks for.. leaves and beans.. and sometimes odder things. I mean, odd for a Naga. I don't know what she does.." After a few deep breaths, she asks, "Is it allowed for me to look in first and then tell you?"
"I have no idea. I do not know what rules are in place for mages and those in training here," Alptraum says.
"But.. it's just.. no zombies, basically?" the girl asks. "Or.. like.. parts that are zombified?"
"No undead is a good rule. At least none she is actively creating," Alptraum says.
"Please wait here," the girl says, and then goes to stick her head through the lab door.. and go inside afterwards. It's a minute before she returns, looking.. bewildered. "There aren't any undead things," she says. "But Rostre wants to know if you ever drink Mateh or tea?"
"I have, yes. Also blood," Alptraum says as if it were all the same thing.
"She said you can come in then," the girl says. "And.. don't mind the smell."
"All right. Will you be waiting for me out here?" Alptraum asks.
"I think I'm supposed to," the girl says. "So.. yes?"
Alptraum ruffles the girl's head. "All right then," he says ... then turns back around and goes through the door.
"Quick, name the best thing about Mateh, don't even think about it!" Rostre says from where she's ministering to a jumble of glass and tubes and strange shapes and flame, full of boiling or cooling liquids.
"It isn't swamp slime," Alptraum answers.
This causes the Naga to pause, then look over her shoulder at Alptraum. "No, that is quite wrong," she states. "The best thing is that it keeps you awake. Have you tasted swamp slime?"
"Yes," Alptraum answers. "I have the two items of association for the boxes you were to build."
"That was fast!" the Mage notes, and goes to another table with some odd triangular shapes on them.. pyramids, or at least the wire-forms of them. "Does blood have a flavor?" she asks.
"It generally tastes like copper and whatever the blood provider has been eating," Alptraum answers as he watches her move about to odd things. "The items are an old scrying sphere from the Sabbaoth and the former engagement ring from the High Princess."
"A scrying sphere? Does it still have a charge?" Rostre asks, and rubs her chin. "I hadn't anticipated magical artifacts. But.. shouldn't matter! And you don't taste any.. oh.. fizz or buzz from blood? May I see the objects?"
"It depends on the person," Alptraum answers with regard to the question about blood. He sets the old sphere on the table. The ring soon joins it once he manages to dig it out of a pocket. He's wearing ordinary clothes today; no shadow robes.
Rostre refrains from licking the objects, and actually gets a pair of tongs to move them into the pyramid frames. "Hmmm... very shiny," she notes. "Of course.. I still have to create a third one for testing. But I have plenty of objects for that experiment.."
"For testing what, exactly?" Alptraum has to ask. He keeps his distance for now, arms folded across his chest as he watches.
"Well, that the traps will work," Rostre explains. "It would be rather bad to go through the process of gathering the spirits, only for the traps to fail! I will create a third one and use it to capture my own spirit."
"Yourself? Is that wise?" Alptraum asks. "Well, I will leave you to your work, then. I will check back later to see if it is done."
"Wait!" Rostre says. "Blood carries spirit energy, but you can't taste that. Would you like to try my spirit tea?"
"What else is in it?" Alptraum asks warily. "I do not take kindly to being drugged."
"Well.. I got the idea from that jar you brought," Rostre notes. "I was thinking: what if spirit essence could be extracted from plants? Specifically, Mateh beans and tea leaves. I can't taste anything myself of course, and I don't know if the spirit essence of caffeine has been extracted or not.. but you could probably tell, couldn't you?"
"Possibly? I do not pay that much attention to things I drink," Alptraum admits and shrugs a bit. "But I suppose I can try it."
Rostre leads Alptraum back to the table covered in glassware. There is indeed a round glass chamber filled with beans, and another filled with tea leaves. "See, I thought there must be something special about blood," she explains. "But I was hoping that salt water would be just as good. It circulates around the.. round thingy.. then through the spiral bits, around the beans, where this charm here should be concentrating the spirit energy.. I made this this morning, it used to be my still. Can you.. sense any spirit energy moving about?"
Alptraum leans in, both hands resting on the table to balance. There he focuses all his senses on the table, the liquid, and everything in-between to see if he feels anything from it at all. Even Scourge's 'suss' is attempted to be added into the mix.
There are a few silver threads in the flow.. but it's impossible to say if they're from the vegetable matter or something else.. much less if they have to do with the essence of caffeine. Rostre is watching Alptraum intently however, with an unblinking stare.
"There is ... some movement in the liquid," Alptraum says and gestures at the tubing where he spotted some of the silvery threads. "But what it came from I cannot say."
"That would be my blood," Rostre says. "Very diluted of course. It's mostly salt-water anyway. Silvery threads.. interesting. Everything else is just nonsense.. only Earth Mages think plants have spirits. Spirit Magic doesn't work on them though. But clearly blood is a conduit for spirit energy, even when it is diluted. This supports the Carnoran Circuit Hypothesis.."
"So you deliberately tainted this to see if I would see it," Alptraum says as he draws back and folds his hands across his chest again.
"I wanted to know how it would appear to your senses," Rostre explains. "You represent a very different melding of flesh and spirit than mere ectoplasmic effects. You wore a cloak of shadow last time, but I watched how it moved and reacted to the environment, as if it were physical matter. I think it must conduct your spirit like blood would.."
"I see a lot of things if I focus properly," Alptraum says and shrugs. "The shadow is because I took and claimed the abilities of a shadow dragon. I took one of Amenlichli's weapons, in face, in the process." He also gives the serpent a sidelong glance, "And I am just a melding of flesh and goo, am I?"
"Hardly!" Rostre says, and claps her hands together. "You could be the key to safe spirit manifestation! Imagine, an ectoplasmic substitute that doesn't draw on blood for fuel! Except.. you say this shadow is actually a creature?"
"Was. And it does require energy to work. I cannot use it indefinitely without harming myself or consuming something," Alptraum notes and waves his hand a bit. "It also didn't give up quietly; it tried to destroy me with a black heart. Pity that my nature makes me mostly immune to such things and I was able to fight it off."
The Mage's long tongue flicks out slowly before she asks, "Why is that a pity?"
"That was sarcasm," Alptraum explains. "It's method of attacking me was a bad choice."
"I hate to think a black heart has options for how it invades a person," Rostre notes. "However, I now wish to perform a Spirit Mirror on you to get a good look at how your spirit is put together.."
"I don't have a spirit," Alptraum notes. "Not a complete one due to how I was born and how I was kept alive."
"All the more reason to look," Rostre says. "The ritual was developed for diagnosing such things, after all. And checking for possession."
"I'm not exactly keen on being examined," Alptraum says, "The guild tried to kill me once. I do not want to give them more knowledge on how to do that."
"The Guild? You make it sound like we're all a hive mind or something," Rostre says. "I imagine you ran into the Caroban Watch or similar? Some of those guys are a bit.. zealous. Gotta prove their worth and all that. But you can trust me! I don't even use blood in my rituals if I can avoid it. And you'll be the only other person to see the Mirror, I promise. I just need a few days to prepare it.. and work on the traps."
"I was sleeping in my bed, minding my own business, they attacked the inn I was staying in," Alptraum clarifies. "I did nothing to any of them, broke no 'laws' of the city I was passing through, and otherwise kept to myself. Pardon if I don't exactly feel comfortable dealing with a group that decided I should be introduced to the business end of a crossbow just for existing. It was a major effort to come here in the first place in the theme of trying to cooperate. I will consider it, but I will promise nothing."
"Things are a bit less strict in Babel," Rostre assures. "We all have to get along with the Yodh after all. Even if it means a tower falls down because the owner decided the Yodhzakaro were good enough to reinforce the old structural spells instead of paying for a proper Earth Mage.. Sorry, I don't like the Yodhzakaro. But.. what could I do to show you I'm on your side?"
"I don't particularly like the Yodhzakaro; I've dealt with their mess too," Alptraum says. "As for what, I don't know. I'm just telling you my concerns and issues so that you understand my reservations. I almost left earlier because I was told you dealt in necromancy and raising the dead. Were that true I would have had to do things I'd rather have not and did not want to be put in the position to have to choose. I wish no further enmity with the Guild."
Rostre waves her hand, and says, "Technically anything dealing with the spirits of actual people is necromancy.. even, ironically, if the subject is still alive. This whole project is raising the dead and imprisoning them. Just because it's spirits and not bodies is the only thing that makes it alright, apparently. Babel is really big on preserving the remains of the dead. So is Nagai for that matter. So they tend to focus on the status of the remains and ignore the spirit. It's a double standard. I'd never reanimate a dead body though.. that's just.. pointless and.. yes.. blasphemous. I don't take summoning a spirit lightly though."
"The only reason I am extracting these specific two is because their presence is an actual threat as Amenlichli is apparently using one of them as a link into things she should not have access to," Alptraum says. "I do nothing lightly that involves anyone or anything. I should note I do not need the traps, I could obliterate the two spirits easily enough in a containment jail I already have. I choose not to out of respect for what they represent, people who once were."
"Have you ever summoned the dead before?" Rostre asks, tilting her head.
"Yes," Alptraum notes and does not clarify beyond it.
"I've summoned the living," Rostre says quietly, and pulls something from within her robe. It's a little glass vial full of red powder. "This is my best friend, Sassle. She was also a Spirit Mage. Here, in Babel. We studied here at the old Guild Hall. And we kept each other's blood, like this. So we could talk. I had to go back to Nagai for a wedding, of all things. But I would use this to summon Sassle's spirit in the morning.. it would be night here in Babel.. so we could talk and catch up on things.. Girl stuff. We were talking like that when the Boomer fell.."
"I haven't had any friends since then," the Mage notes. "I came back here though. It's my city too, as much as anyone's. I don't want to go through all that again, though."
Alptraum nods slightly. "I heard the screaming of all the lives that were taken. It is an event burned into my memory," he says, "I am sorry that your friend was one that was lost. If I could undo what was done, I would. But that is beyond my power. I could find what remains of her, perhaps, but it would offer no comfort."
"This IS all that remains of her," Rostre notes, and puts the vial away. "It was awful. She.. I wanted to hold her spirit, keep her from going away.. But, I've never tried to summon her ghost. Most of the Mages here lost someone in the Boomer, but they still came back. I don't care what you think of the Guild, or the College.. but we came back. If you can stop it all from happening again, then don't for a minute think the mages here won't help you."
"I think I should go," Alptraum says. The reminder and the guilt of knowing his existence is part of the reason for the war, and the Boomer, is hitting him hard. He can think of nothing more to say, save an apology that if he explained would do nothing to help the situation.
"Two days," Rostre says. "I'll have something to show by then."
"If I don't return, please send those items back to the Prime Minister's office," Alptraum says as he turns to go.
"You won't abandon us," the Naga says, and then turns back to her pyramids.
"There are things I need to reconsider, about everything, myself included," Alptraum says as he opens the door and heads out, "I cannot make any promises with anything at the moment. Good luck with your research." As the door closes behind him, he says, "I am truly sorry about your friend. I wish I could undo it all, but all I can do is scream in anger too. Some demi-god I am." Click, and he's gone.