Eros was accustomed to the attention he drew from normal folk as he passed by. Seeing a living breathing Channeler was as rare as seeing a Bald Eagle. Unheard of? No, but definatly worth taking a good look at. Though the eyes that focused on him now seemed more startled than awestruck. Seeing intricatly patterend tattoos etched all along a body is an oddly fascinating sight, seeing those patterns on a person covered in blood and soot was much more worrysome. Hestin's bloody state didn't help the matter either. Heads turned as Eros cut through the busy street, he was struggling to find a more secluded back alley. Few noticed the sinuous black cat slinking behind Hestin taking up the rear guard of the misfit band.
Homes lined the side of the street they walked. A woman overhead called out her window dumping contents of a chamber pot into the gutter of the street below. Her shout startled a crow that had been resting on the rooftop, it took off into the sky. A few men down the road were working as team of muck rakers, homes were coming to life, people were about their morning chores. The streets were starting to fill as they got closer to the market square.
Dethnuts, he cursed to himself, where were they? He didn't remember this part of town, his lack of familiarity with Ethlas coupled with the urban sprawl of the winding streets made navigation difficult. He slowed his pace so that Hestin could catch up to him. Looking back at Hestin the man seemed quite pathetic, in an endeering sort of way he supposed. Wandering the city streets in a state of shock, holding the satchel to his chest under crossed arms. He watched the ground with a distant look. Repeatedly falling behind Eros as if distance from the man could somehow help him cope with what he'd seen. If the man hadn't conspired to sell Eros to some Alchari Mystics earlier he would have taken a bit more pity on the man.
"So Hestin," Eros said as the man approached, "where is the Inn you abducted me from exactly?" Hestin looked up in a daze. His eyes were red and Eros suspected hed been crying. Hestin didn't respond for a moment. Then realization dawing on his face he looked around at the buildings.
"It's that way." He said quietly, pointing a finger in the direction they'd come. Eros let out a frustrated sigh as he trudged back the way he'd come. Eros was tired, bloody, and worn out, not to mention he was quickly growing low on Nectar. His body held a reserve of the mystical substance that he had consumed the day before. It could be commanded into action shunted to one of the Nodes on his body, changing the Nectar based on the node. The healing node, the rune etched on his chest, was the Bekan Rune. In the ancient Norn language it was the rune that signified the Godess of trees, the rune represented protection, healing, and revivification. The Healing Node consumed a lot more Nectar than the others in order to repair damage to the body, he'd used nearly all of his reserve to bind his wounds and to burn away that monsterous man he'd met in the cellar.
Passing by the homes from earlier Eros noticed the woman who'd tossed the chamber pot now hanging out the window gawking at Eros and Hestin.
"We really need to work on our navigation skills." Eros said to Deamos with their mental connection.
"Yes, I agree, do you have any reccomendations?" Deamos asked in reply.
"No." He said sighing. "Maybe if we'd finished our training..." He trailed off pushing their connection to the back of his mind. He didn't want to think about the life he'd left back on the Frond right now, his mood was terrible as it was, delving into the past right now wouldn't improve things. So he focused their minds on more recent matters.
Strangly Eros had never experienced a disruption in their connection like the one he'd felt back in the cellar. He wondered what might have caused it. Usually Eros could feel Deamos with a simple thought, it was so easy in fact that sometimes he had to work to keep their connected minds from distracting him. He did this by pushing his shades sensations away making them feel more distanct but still there. This way they were much less distracting. But the feeling back at the cellar was different, like the connection had broken completely. He hadn't even felt Deamos at all, the Shade had just been gone. It had made him feel more lonely and afraid that he'd like to admit. He'd come to rely on the companionship that was always there a simple thought away. To have it missing felt like he'd been missing a part of himself.
"Do you know what happened to our connection back there Deamos?" he said reaching to the shades mind with a gentle thought.
"I believe the Ehwa Rune on your neck was damaged, it made our connection weaker it seems, it had nearly broken. I have repaired it as much as I can for now, we will need more channel dust if I am to restore it fully." Deamos said. "Once the Nectar to repaired your rune we were able to communicate again, though be warned it requires more Nectar than it should to maintain the connection."
Eros wondered to himself, had the kidnappers had known to damage his Ehwa Rune? Maybe they had just been too brutal and damaged it in their beatings. Keeping the powers behind a Channelers Runes secret was part of the pact that he'd made in becoming a channeler. Eros' thoughts returned to the days spent training with master Fell out on the Icy hills of the Frond. Long nights reading ancient texts of Val Jorden Lough. Learning to master the Channels, overcoming the addictive nature of the Nectar that enfused them. The mistakes and broken bridges he'd left behind. Focus! He thought to himself, I need to question the man Hestin.
How could he broach the topic with his new... what was he? A companion, bodygaurd, former kidnapper, hostage? Whatever he was Eros needed to question him without letting slip the functions of his Channels. He looked back to Hestin who was trailing behind again, clearly the man was in shock. Eros let out a sigh letting the stunned man catch up.
"So Hestin," Eros said, "do you remember any instructions you and your friend were given?" Hestin shook his head solmnly keeping his eyes down as they walked. Eros heard a sniffle from the man as they kept pace down the street. The poor man was of little use in his current state, he would try again later when they were both more comfortable.
Houses were slowly giving way to larger structures, he noticed a Blacksmith, and a Carpenters Guild Hall. He suspected they weren't too far off now, they must be close to the Market Square. Eros looked up at the sun overhead trying to gauge the time of day. Scant was going to be livid of course, and it was hard for Eros to blame the Caravan leader. This was the fourth time now that Eros had disappeared on him without warning.
"To be fair, none of those were exactly our fault." Deamos said, chiming in with a sensation of hunger, and a faint fish smell. Focusing on his Shade for a moment he saw him stealing a fish from a vendors cart before he pushed the Shades mind away. Deamos was right, Eros hadn't expected to get a concussion from that impromptu Tavern Brawl in Chiros, or the 3 days in prison for illicit Magics in Kazima, or to be drugged and beaten by thugs last night. Recently it seemed that wherever Eros went trouble followed like the Passing Dark underfoot. Caravan's had enough trouble on the road without Eros contributing.
They continued their bloody march through Ethlas in silence making their way to the market square the caravan rested in. He picked out the wagons first, they were being loaded on the other side of the busy square. Scouring the crowd for the silly hat Scant wore constantly helped him pick the man out of crowd. The face below the hat was tinged red and he shoved people aside heading toward Eros.
"Where in The Khalisstic Cross did you wind up this time boy..." Scant said. What was Eros supposed to tell him? Oh sorry, I was kidnapped, taken hostage by this brute here, I murdered his companion in a cellar back that way. You can find his ashes if you want confirmation. Don't worry though I was able to get the gold back and not get killed in the process... No, no that would not work. Scant already seemed at his wits end and he needed the mans protection if he was going to travel out of the city. Few caravans would be willing to take a Channeler who didn't have a Writ from their Channeler Order.
"Well you see, on my way to deliver the gold I was attacked! While I was being mugged this fine fellow here," he said, slapping Hestin on the back, "came to my aid in my time of dire need. He even helped me get the money back." Eros slapped his back again like they were old drinking buddies. Hestin looked down at Eros with a dumbfounded expression, his mouth slack with surprise. Eros pulled the sack of coin off his hip, red blood staining the bag. He held it out to Scant who ignored it in favor of staring at Eros with eyes like sharppened dagger points.
"Boy," Scant said uncrossing his arms in exasperation, "you are almost more trouble than your'e worth. I need a channeler I can rely on to get things done, not a boy who finds trouble like a cat finds mice."
"I am extremely good at getting things done, if you recall-" Eros began to say.
"Yes yes," Scant said waiving his hand dismissivly " as you are so fond of repeatin, you are quite good in a fight, you wont find me disagreeing with you. But damn boy, you couldn't even deliver a bag of gold without getting mugged. How am I supposed to keep you on with all the trouble you've caused lately?
"I understand that things have been difficult recently, but I pull more than my own weight, your caravan is much safer with me around, I promise you that." Eros said. Scant simply shook his head. Scant knew the usefulness of having him around, the channeler had saved so many members of the caravan he'd made himself an honorary hero of the wagon teams. There wasn't a night spent in town without some crewmember or another buying the man a drink and thanking him for his help with a round of cheers. Some had taken to calling him their own personal Guardian. But still, this new development worried Scant. It seemed that someone was after the boy, and if someone was after the boy maybe there was a good reason. As much as he hated to admit it, the boy could be running from something big enough to endanger the whole caravan. It wasn't unheard of for Viziers of the Empire, or Norn Warlords, or even Alchari Lordlings to go to great lengths to exact vengence.
"When you joined us you said you wanted to see the world, I am starting to wonder if you really just needed a place to hide." Scant said, true worry showing on his face.
Eros had to admit that he was right, he did want a place to hide. Not because of these recent attacks, but because of something else, a duty that he didn't want, a life that he didn't want.
"I will be honest" Eros said leaning in closely, lowering his tone conspiratorialy, "I don't know why things have been so strange in the last months. Even I have to admit, the amount of trouble that has been finding its way to me is... unsettling. I would like to speak to you about it further, in private, especially given my current state." Eros gestured to his bloddied and ripped cloths. Scant seemed to take in Eros' state for the first time. He noticed the many eyes of the market goers as they stared at the bloody man.
"Alright, go get yourself cleaned up, and take your friend with you." He said exasperated. Reaching out to grab the sack of coin from Eros he handed it to one of his flanking Guardsmen dispatching him to deliver the money.
∈Mirage Inn, Ethlas, Emuniah Empire∋
An hour later Eros sat in the heated baths of the Mirage Inn. Steam rising from the bubbling tubs, he emersed himself in the water soaking in the joy filled respite which helped wash away the rough events of the night before. It had taken a fair bout of convincing to get Hestin into one of the baths. Eros thought it best if he got the man cleaned and relaxed before he plyed the man for more information and discussed their future together. Unfortunatly Hestin seemed to disike the bath, or maybe it was just baths in general. So Hestin sat on the edge of the tub, quietly kicking his feet in the bubbling water, refusing to go any further into the tub.
"How do you like the water Hestin?" Eros asked. Hestin quickly turned to look at him, he seemed to still startle the man. Hestin nodded his head slowly waching Eros out of the corner of his eye. Eros just smiled leaning back into the relaxing water, laying his head on the edge of the tub, closing his eyes. They sat in silence for a long time, Hestin seemed to be mulling over something. He opened his mouth to speak a few times before he spoke.
"Why?" Hestin asked in his thick burly tone.
"Why, what?" Eros asked opening an eye, glancing at the man.
"Why spare me? Y-You turned Morris to ash... wh-why not me?" He asked, a fearfilled stutter to his words. It was a good question, part of Eros had pittied the man. The disgusting man Hestin had been with was quite unkind to his larger cohort and this made Eros loath him.
Even now Eros could see bruises on Hestins arms and legs. The way he cowered, his fearful quietness, and the brief words he overheard between the two men led Eros to suspect their relationship had not been built on teamwork but on violence. That coupled with the sick mans gloating of what he'd done to a defenceless woman had made it easy for Eros to set the man aflame. A part of Eros enjoyed the feeling of power, the righetous fury he felt as the man screamed turning to ash at a simple command. Another was sickened by that enjoyment.
The other reason, the more important reason, was that Eros was blind. He didn't know why he was attracting so much attention in the past two months. He didn't know who was so interested in him that they would hire men to drag him halfway arcoss the Kingdoms. He needed answers and so far Hestin was the only lead he had.
"Well... I need you Hestin." Eros said feigning nonchalance as he peered around the vacant tubs for anyone who might overhear their conversation.
"You... Need me?" Hestin asked. "Wh-Why?"
"Well Hestin, you are not the first man to make an attempt on my life, I doubt you will be the last." Eros said vigerously scrubbing his back with a soapy brush. "You look frightening enough to make a guard. And I have personally found that looking frightning often stops fights long before they begin."
"You want me, to guard you?" Hestin asked with a bewildered expression. "I wouldn't make a good guard, I... well... you saw." Hestin said his cheeks reddening with embarassment.
Eros certainly had seen the man in a fight. Well he saw the man rolling over, blubbering out prayers to his Gods at the first sign of danger. That wasn't exactly the attribute you sought for in a guard. Then again, most men ended up praying for mercy on the ground when the fought a Channeler. The various orders of channelers across the breadth of Amunarr cultivated a certain secrecy that served them well, even men without a writ like Eros. Most men heard whispered stories in taverns, they watched fanciful reenactments of Channelers in trouper plays like the Trials of Lough. Even tall tales from the soldiers in the outer rim contributed, boasts of their squad channelers laying waste to entire armies out on the dark edges. The unknown often instilled a great deal more fear than raw power could.
But Eros did need this man, he had connections and potential insights on the people who were hunting him down. Aside from that he'd also witnessed a channeler commit murder. That was the kind of story you didn't want getting around. Eros knew all too well how the Emuniah Empire dealt with the use of Channels against humans. It was safer if he kept Hestin very close, if he could buy the mans loyalty, all the better.
"Look Hestin," Eros said deciding to take a gamble, "I need a guard and you seem to have the natural guards build. You can either take the job and come with me, or you and I can go down to the constabulary and see what the local Vizier thinks of you kidnapping channelers off the street."
Hestin to his credit took the threat in stride, he seemed much more accustomed to threats than the everyday conversation or negotiation that Eros had employed so far. The moment Eros had laid it out he'd perked up and his mood seemed to brighten.
"I can be a guard" Hestin said kicking his feet excitedly in the bubbling water. "Me and Morris once worked as Brawl Breakers back in Chiros. He said that it was a lot like being a guard."
"Well then," Eros said clapping his hands together, standing from the tub he stuck a hand out to Hestin, "its settled then, shall we shake on it? Make it official?" Hestin looked him up and down as his cheeks reddened, averting his eyes he reached out clasping the naked mans arm.
"We have an accord!" Eros said.
∈Mirage Inn, Ethlas, Emuniah Empire∋
Deamos sat on the edge of the roof overlooking the busy market square. He enjoyed watching humans, they were such fascinating creatures. Most of his time around humans had been spent among the Channelers of the frozen hils in the Frond to the north. Channelers, like the Shades they forged, had the ability to alter the shape of their bodies much like a Shade naturally could. This required a shade to command the Nectar in their veins to do so, but Deamos had always assumed it natural to humans as well. It wasn't until he had lived nearly two passings that he discovered most humans were stuck in one shape all their lives, only the passing of time would change them as it wore away the features of their species youth. Most humans could never soar on the winds as a fowl, swim the rivers as a fish, or prowl the rooftops of cities as a feline. It seemed to him a sad state of existance.
Deamos brought his paw to his mouth cleaning himself as the feline instinct desired. Learning the instinctual habits of the living forms he'd taken came quite naturally to him as a Shade. Once he consumed a creature their instinctive nature came to a Shade quite readily, sometimes forcefully depending on how ingrained the habit was in a species. At first he had considered this to be quite useless. What was the point of wanting to lick yourself clean, stay hidden in shadowed corners, or reproduce with other felines? It wasn't until he was deep into his training with Master Gord that the utility became clear. Not all humans were fond of Shades, some humans went so far as to teach that his kind were part of the encircling great dark, just another one of the many fiends that would enter their world from the void beyond.
This was absolute nonesense of course. Shades were not things of the dark wall or servants of Deth, all Shades were formed by our makers. We are essentially living tools, so much so that one of the Channelers rites of passage was to bring a Shade into the world anchoring their mind to the Shade. Eros was his maker and the man was something akin to a human father to Deamos, they had saved eachother more times than he could count. They had grown together and forged a friendship that was deeper than any could be. Just try to imagine the trust that is required to lend another access to your thoughts, your mind, and the control of your channels by wich you sustain your life. Eros placed a deep trust in him, Deamos considered it a duty. One that he strove to live up to every passing day.
This was one of the many secrets of the channels, kept hidden from the world by the various Channeler Orders that existed controling and enforcing their codes on the people of Amunarr. Harnessing the raw power of the Nectar was a dangerous feat for a human mind. They had not been given the instinctive knowing of the deep language of the Nectar, those deep and intricate patterns of command that transformed the Nectar pushing it into action. Though there were some who could in small ways. Deep Speech, as it was called by his kind, was a rare gift among humans. Only one in every hundred years was there ever born a human that found their way to communing with the Nectar.
Deamos suddenly felt a potent relaxation fall over him laying there on the roof. He could feel steam on his face and a sense of cleansing and... water? The sensation of being in water made his instincts thrash inside him. Eros had just climbed into the baths, he looked through the mans eyes for a moment glimpsing the hunched thick form of Hestin, the murdrering theif sitting on the edge of a tub. He looked away pushing their connection to the back of his mind as he returned to watching at the crowded market.
The intimate nature of their connection required a certain level of respect and understanding between the two of them. He had trained for years with Eros learning to control the framework of their thoughts. Sharing a mind meant that their personal emotions and sensations would bleed into the other, if Eros felt anger, letting it rule him, it would influence Deamos and his thoughts and actions in severe cases this would often drive him to irrational bouts of rage or bursts of anger that could be quite distracting. If Deamos let his fear rule him it would strike terror in Eros as well leading to outbursts of paranoia and panic. It was a delicate balance that took constant work and training to maintain. Work made all the more difficult by her.
Deamos noticed a suspicious boy pushing his way through the crowded market below. His dirty face and ragged cloths marked him as one of the abandoned street urchin that made up the underbelly of Ethlas. He slunk up to the side of a baker crying his loaves of fresh bread for sale. A woman began bartering with the man and the boy took the oppurtunity to swipe one of the loaves off the cart and under his arm. He was lost in the crowd before the baker could even see him.
Deamos smiled as the boy found respite in the ally behind the Inn's bathhouse below him. He broke off pieces devouring them with gusto. Deamos was fairly hungry himself after the long night spent wandering the streets half sensing Eros.
Apparently the Connection node that was located on Eros' neck was damaged in the struggle to subdue him. Shades could function on their own without being linked to their channelers but it was a lonely and frightening sensation. Almost as if you had lost a part of yourself. Deamos was still able to function and if he consentrated while the node was damaged he was able to get a faint feeling for the direction that Eros was in. But walking along rooftops, stopping every few minuets to make sure you're on the right path, meanwhile being distracted by the hunger and worry. It was not something his wished to repeat.
Deamos scaled down the side of the Inn making his way to the boy in the alley. He let out a faint meow, in catspeak it meant something akin to 'food, me'. He let out the meow again as the boy looked around for the source of the noise. Landing on a barrel he stretched laying on all of the feline charm he could muster. The boy reached up and scratched behind his ears as he let out a low purr.
Oh yes, right there oh yea, oooooh yeaaaa. His foot began to kick at the air instinctivly as he embraced the petting. One of the many pleasures of his forms was emersing himself in the pleasent sensations. Prowling on the hunt as a bird as well as being pet by human, especially when they scratched--oh yeah--right there. He pulled back arching his back and slamming his head into the boys hand again. The boys face lit up as he ran a hand along the side of Deamos' body.
The boy picked off a piece of bread and Deamos locked his eyes onto treating the morsel like prey ready to be devoured. The boy held it out for him to eat and he carefully pulled it from his fingers with his teeth before dropping it. Catching the large chunk between his paws he bit off pieces devouring them eagerly. The boy pet him some more and Deamos let himself enjoy the rare pleasure.
He felt a jolt of cold as the wind kicked up dust across the square. It seemed Eros had extricated himself from the bath and Deamos had the pleasure of enjoying the chill of the wind with the man. Peering through Eros' mind for a moment he could see the brutish man Hestin who was staring at the naked form of Eros his cheeks tinged red. Deamos wondered about human emotions, he could feel embarassment through Eros at rare times but he still wondered what it would be like to feel it the same way he felt the insticts of the cat he was now in the shape of. Human emotions always seemed more complicated to Deamos, not the base emotions itself but more the afterthoughts that followed like a feral pack of dogs after a cat.
Humans always overthought their emotions, I feel fear, should I attempt to hide it, should I run, why am I afraid, and the questions seemed to go on and on endlessly. For his current feline instincts things were much simpler, I feel fear, run-hide-darkplace-watch. The natural reaction seemed much simpler and more effective to Deamos. A part of him still longed to know for himself, even though Eros had made it clear that he would never be allowed to devour a human form.
The boy finished off the piece of bread, he picked at a few of the crumbs eating them before he stood and blended back into the busy market. So alone again Deamos returned to his lookout perch atop the Inn and tried to get a little more rest before they setout on the next leg of the caravans journey.
