A Lausy Adventure [Althea/Kolos]

[Althea]

Althea didn't particularly care for Laus in general - way too many mercenaries around, not enough discipline, and she hated having to actually interact with people she didn't know more than absolutely necessary. That wasn't to say she HATED it of course, it was as perfectly fine as far as Lycian territories went, probably. She just didn't like mercs, and there were too many of them here. There had been five separate incidents while she was in the city proper to gather information and meet up with her contact that in turn led to the next contact, and Althea's patience for burly pushy men was somewhere between zero and negative infinity at this point.

So all things considered she was in a relatively good mood now, finishing the two day trek to the village of Donetsk. Privately she was fairly certain that whoever had named it was drunk, but that wasn't exactly a big surprise given that Laus did tend to have a LOT of alcohol going around at the best of times, and that was before however many bloody thousands of mercenaries and ex(?)-bandits showed up. Regardless, Donetsk was a relatively small village in the ass end of nowhere, a farming commune of sorts relatively near to the river that divided Lycia.

And she was here, as she recalled, to investigate an artifact of some sort - a strange orb that apparently 'felt wrong' according to some eyewitness reports, and made the man who had actually held it feel sickly. That had been almost two weeks ago according to the date on the information. As she reached the village gate, the druid had to consider her course of action. She didn't know exactly where the artifact was, and she would be best served waiting for her tentative research partner for the expedition - given how dangerous field research was in Elibe these days, it was very common for researchers to pair up for individual expeditions, and despite her... lack of expertise with people, she was no exception. Given how close she had come to dying in most of her recent adventures, Althea actually had a healthy respect for the idea of meeting with others for safety. And that Bryn guy in Nabata had been pretty alright.

[Kolos]

Another day, another opportunity to learn... Or kill and gather. You never know what is going to happen in Laus due to all the bands of characters it brought in and the monsters that were strewn about its outskirts. Did Kolos really enjoy the company the people brought? No, not particularly. Did he enjoy having to go kill monsters just to gather a simple ingredient? No, especially not. However, he decided to settle in this place anyways. To Kolos, Laus was the city of opportunity for him, and the melding pot for all things he needed. After having been denied enrollment due to his payment offer from the Delfian magical academy, he realized with what had transpired as of late allowed him to get all the materials he needed to further his studies, along with enough people to want jobs done that can offer him a living.

That aside, Kolos had recently caught wind of a tale claiming a man had found this strange artifact, a orbs from the sound of it, and had made him grow rather ill. Others that were there said that that the presence of the orb alone just didn't feel right. Normally, Kolos wouldn't give a damn about things like these. Sure, examining artifacts always seem to offer up unique facts that you normally wouldn't find elsewhere. However, to get to these artifacts, it seems most of the time if they aren't being chased after by bandits looking for loot, then it is guarded by vile creatures who were drawn towards it. Kolos loved learning and all, but normal artifacts like that didn't seem to be worth the hassle when he could be doing better things.

This was an exception though. Due to the mysterious "those who touch it become sick" property, that makes Kolos feel like this isn't some regular magic. Neither Anima, nor Light magic had effects like that from what he could remember, so that only leaves one option: It is using Dark magic. That sounds right up Kolos' alley, because if he could find out what that orb was doing and harness that power, his research could expand tenfold.

For now, Kolos was leaning against the village gate, as he had been corresponding with a certain druid over letters about teaming up to search for the orb. The name Althea was one he was familiar with, as with other scholars seeing as her ties to the scholarly community and her own research would gaining a lot of traction as of late, yet he has never met the woman before. He was slightly against having her come along with him, but he knows better than to charge headfirst alone.

When he saw woman stop at the gateway, Kolos raised his head to get her in full view. "You wouldn't happen to be Althea would you?" He asked in a slight gruff voice. It wasn't rather inviting, but it didn't hold any dark undertones, or at east he thought it didn't.

[Althea]

Drawn from her reverie by the sound of people talking, it took Althea a moment to realize that it was person, not people, just one, some guy in black robes who was looking at her. And uh, addressing her by name. Which did suggest several things; namely, that he was either an assassin sent specifically to kill her (not likely) or that he was the scholar she had come to meet (much more likely). Given that he hadn't already shivved her or turned into a monster, that kinda made the latter even more likely. And he had been waiting for SOMEONE. So again. Assassin or temp partner. And she... didn't think anyone cared enough to murder her. 'Cept for those pirates. And the bandits in Nabata. And the crazy people chasing Aura who hated her now. And... actually better not to think about that.

Wow, great process of deduction there!

Ignoring the snide thought, Althea resigned herself to being a people person for the afternoon, smiling lightly and bowing slightly to Kolos, her pack looped over her shoulder as the only real traveling gear she carried. Right! Normal people talking things. "Yes, my name is Althea, and I take it you are Kolos? It is a pleasure to meet you." Ok, admittedly she was more excited about the orb than everyone in the vicinity, but that didn't mean she couldn't at least be nice to people. Of course it also didn't mean that she stopped giving a damn about her priorities, and given that he had clearly arrived here sometime before her, it was a reasonable possibility that he might have already started gathering information or at least be ready to do so. "Are there any updates on the artifact or should we make our way to the mayor in order to begin the investigation?"

[Kolos]

Althea seemed like much more of a people person than Kolos had let on. Or maybe not. Who knows? All he knew is that he got the right person and more than likley isn't going to get stabbed in the back. Maybe he will, in which case he was probably screwed, but you know what? Life is too big to worry about that. For now at least. There is a sickness orb to find after all.

Oh right, there was a person he needed to actually reply to in front of him. Off to a great start there Mister Precarious.

Kolos took his left hand in shoved it into his messenger styled bag to fish out a notebook of sorts and a writing utensil to go with it. From the looks of it, it was a rather nice looking pen. Maybe it would have helped his budget if he didn't spend so much on such luxuries. He flipped through the pages, scanning them quickly and then scribbled something down in a hurry. Promptly, he shut the notebook and let out a huff. "Well according to my calculations, no. No there haven't been." Kolos stated, sounding slightly sarcastic. Not the best way to interact with people you just. "Oh, and good to meet you too Althea. I've heard many a fine word about your work, so here's to hoping this goes swimmingly. That aside, yeah we should probably find the mayor. Though I've been here for about two hours, I didn't know when you would arrive, so I haven't made any progress."

[Althea]

According to his... calculations? Althea raised an eyebrow, not sure if she was supposed to be insulted or offended or confused. Had he made some manner of joke that she was intended to have gotten or simply been being sarcastic for no reason that she could tell? Admittedly she was not the most... open individual at times but the dark mage did at least have a strong belief in being relatively polite to people, practitioners of the Dark had enough trouble in Elibe without going around being dicks to people to cause even more issues. But Kolos did not push the sarcasm - if it was that - further, and still uncertain of what he had meant she did not call him on it. Best to focus on the subject at hand.

Maybe he actually DOES calculate fate-
Shut up Eris.
You're not my mom!

...Or she could mentally argue with the voices in her head. What a stellar showing. She was glad that she had long since learned to not verbally respond to the spirit's taunting, THAT would make for a very confused Kolos and a very insane looking Althea. Blah. ANYWAYS YES FOCUS. Kolos seemed to be making an effort to be polite at least, which she could appreciate especially after the last few hours of walking. After that whole... thing... with Sigma, she didn't want to be near horses again for at least a month. Maybe ever. Gods it was like Eris had a stranglehold on her focus today. Talk. People things! Right, responding. "I will endeavor to live up to your expectations, Kolos." Althea smiled more brightly, hoping to break through the strange awkwardness of their initial meeting and move on to stuff that was actually interesting. Like research!

"Given the state of Elibe these days I don't doubt there will be some manner of trouble, but the payoff is generally worth it." Granted she was probably getting a little cocky there, so far every time she had run into monsters she had very nearly ended up dead, but HEY what could go wrong. "I apologize for keeping you waiting, and am eager to get moving now if you are ready as well. Obtaining the exact location of our mystical artifact should shave a great deal of time off of searching for it and allow us to focus more on the item itself."

[Kolos]

As Kolos waited for a reply, he had this strange feeling that Althea was staring through his soul, or something. It seemed almost like an intense gaze as she formulated words in her mind to rely with. At least that is what he thought it was. Perhaps it was due to his jokingly sarcastic remark he made. He never was good at getting his jokes across from what he understood. Oh well, no need to dwell on it. He has had much weirder experiences, but that was strange nonetheless.

Either way, what dumbfounded him more was her extreme politeness. Being nice to fellow human beings isn't a rare thing in Laus perhaps, but it most of the time occurred in useless banter when mercenaries were drunk out the wazoo. At least from the part of Laus where Kolos resided that is. Seeing someone not under influence speak as though they were part of a high court was astounding. Okay Kolos, you can marvel at other's etiquette some other time, you have an orb to locate.

"I.. Appreciate the thought. I didn't really have any expectations, but hey, what can one expect out of the people of Laus? We aren't the best bunch as you probably know very well." The man replied, lingering hints of amazement still in his words. "The wait wasn't a bother... Trust me, a true bother would be sending me halfway across the continent to try to enroll in an academy and then be told I wasn't allowed due to funds. Now THAT is a true bother." He really did love reminiscing on that fact didn't he? "Apologies for my rambling. Yes, I am well prepared. Let's go track down that mayor."

With that, Kolos stood upright once more and then began walking inwards to the village.

[Althea]

Ah, a self-hating Lauser. Hehe. Well, she had no issue with that. She was, after all, a self-loathing Etrurian. Nonetheless she did not hold anything against the people of Laus nor was she especially good at the seemingly careless back-and-forth joking of those of the mercenary persuasion. "I have had few issues with the people of Laus myself. It is more the, ah, mercenaries that lead me to ration my visits," she finished with an almost apologetic tone. Althea was no stranger to mercenaries, she had dealt with them for years, but she didn't like to actually be around them if she could help it.

Though what he said next did surprise her, eliciting a raised eyebrow from Althea as Kolos spoke. Halfway across the continent... she could think of no other reason to go that far for a magical education, the Bernese Imperial Academy was apparently solid certainly but not famed to the level of Etruria's nigh legendary academies. "...Etruria, wasn't it?" Looking about as happy as a stuck pig and half as comfortable, she continued. "Those without power or money are almost less than human there nowadays." It was almost cruel in its honesty but from her perspective at least, simple fact. Those who had enough influence in the Inquisition could do nigh on whatever they wanted so long as they had favor and coin, but to those who were not devout believers in the madness that had swept over her once fair country, only drudgery and death awaited.

She was privately thankful that he had been eager to get moving as well though, not because she was unwilling to speak with him but because after several days of traveling and dealing with the associated stress thereof she was quite ready to get the payoff in the form of knowledge. Or die horribly to an ancient bioweapon. Who knew what the future held? Regardless she followed him into the village, willing to trust the black-clad man's sense of direction here better than her own given his superior experience with the village's layout.

[Kolos]

A self-hating Lauser... That is certainly something Kolos can not deny. Not so much he hates himself, trust me isn't playing into that stereotype too much, as it is he just kind of hates his living situation. Though, he also is rather appreciative of it all the same. That is besides the point though. "I have to agree with you one that one." uttered the man as he marched forth, trying to navigate his way towards the home of the mayor. Donetsk was seemed to have an interesting layout in terms of housing. It isn't really a complaint as much as it was just Kolos wishing there were some universal way to know which house was the leader's. Usually that would just have equated to who has the largest home, but not in all cases.

As the duo was scouring the village, he turn back to look at Althea. He thought about the words she said about Etruria and couldn't really agree more. He never really stayed there for long, but from what what he gather, be it from personal experience, or what he had heard, but he knew that country was just torn from its former glory. "Yeah... It was Etruria alright. To be more specific, Delfia." He wasn't keen on going further at the moment, as he could guess that Althea already knew what he was going to say. She obviously was well versed in the culture, so no need to go in depth. "Couldn't agree with you more though. That place seems like a cesspool full of corruption. I'm just glad its spread of greed and insanity hasn't gotten this far. Just thinking of that place reminds me of the tales from when I was a kid. That Kraft was a well... Crafty bastard." What a strange place to recall the tyrant. Why Kolos decided to mention him, he didn't know. All he knew was the tales of history and what had been passed down.

After having woven their path, it seems Kolos had finally reached the destination they were looking for. "We're here." Kolos stated rather bluntly. Gazing upon the house showed it wasn't all that bigger than the homes that came before it, but its status was still clearly shown. Sitting upon the top of the hill probably should have been an indicator that was it from the start, but hey, what can you do? "Want me to knock, or would you rather do the honors?"

[Althea]

Hehe. She could not tell a lie she totally could, Althea did draw some amusement from the Laus native's agreement in regards to mercenaries. They were by and large not EVIL men, simply uncouth and interested in little more than gold and girls - but she unfortunately met one of the qualifications. The sort of people she liked to keep at tome's length.

It was of absolutely no surprise that Kolos confirmed her suspicions. Not because she was a genius, or particularly good at reading people, but because a simple process of elimination had given her that answer. Etruria was indeed a festering hellhole of late, a den of iniquity and horror that few outside of the sacred country would want to visit save for its former merits. It seemed Kolos had been one of those who had been enticed by the golden facade before being faced with the hatred and horror that lay beneath. Not something she could blame him for. She, too, had once believed in those gilded edifices, those honeyed lies. And she too had paid a price, one far too great, though perhaps of appropriate value for the lesson learned.

"...If Etruria continues to sweep over Elibe, perhaps its madness will indeed swamp us all. Ilia, Sacae, already they suffer under Kraft's greedy grasp." Althea shook her head. Even speaking of the ongoing war wounded her spirits. Hearing stories of what Etrurian soldiers did to those of Ilia... but this was neither the time nor the place for that conversation. They would have time to discuss the imminent fall of Elibe in great detail later. For now, science! "Good eye. Allow me, I bear an emblem to prove our identities as envoys of the Laus academy if needed." Which... frankly shouldn't be necessary, it wasn't like these villagers were liable to suspect their identities, and Kolos was more of a Lausian than she was, but it never hurt to be prepared!

Nonetheless she knocked and was greeted surprisingly quickly by the mayor of the town, a man who looked to be in his fifties, a bit on he thin side and aging quickly but not quite a doddering old fool just yet, who ushered them both in quickly, almost hurriedly. "You are the - the magic people, yes?" Althea shot a bemused glance at Kolos - magic people! - and agreed. "Good, good. Excellent. When Rolf took sick as well, we weren't sure what to do, we'd get no hope from those highborn sons of bi-" He paused, catching himself, and waved them to several chairs loosely littered around a table before sitting down in a larger, fancier looking chair - a symbol of status, but the way he slumped down into it, it struck her as more of a desperate attempt to cling to the familiar. Though one thing he had said definitely caught her attention. "Sick?"

The mayor looked up, his eyes alight with emotion. "Yes, and Rolf died last night. Same with all of them. Kolt, Aleksandr, Almanz, Steven, and now Rolf. It's-" Uhh... that was not quite what she had signed on for. "-It's that bloody ball, I knew it was cursed. Everyone who touched it died, even one of the womenfolk who were close when Kolt pulled it out of the bloody hole took sick a few days later. Some of the cows stopped coming home too, we aint found em yet. It's something - evil, miss. We never should've dragged it out of that damn hole."

Oh. Well. That was promising.

"...Well, at least we know now that it is most definitely an artifact... and likely wild magic at that." Althea sighed, and the mayor looked at her in confusion, prompting a short explanation. "Wild magic is an academic term for old... usually pre-Scouring magical artifacts or currently destabilizing enchantments." He still looked blank. "It's dangerous," she clarified further, and he nodded, not looking particularly happy to know that.

[Kolos]

"Well I'd sure hope that it doesn't. Kraft can keep his place where it is, or maybe better, someone just get rid of him entirely. But hey, who I am to say what rulers can and can't do?" Kolos said with a shrug of his shoulders and a wave of his hand. It was quite clear that he held animosity towards Etruia's state of affairs, but he still was light-hearted enough to use a joking manner of sorts. More so just to be rhetorical though. What Kolos wasn't expecting was Althea to bring an emblem. Sure, he expected her to be on the safe side, but even then that still impressed him bit. "Glad to see at least one of us knows what she is doing." He sounded as though he was belittling himself, which wasn't his goal. For not being the most social type, he still liked to poke fun at times. Making himself the butt end of the joke just made it easier.

Upon being ushered in, Kolos gave the mayor a small nod and a word of thanks. Though when he heard the term of magic people, he couldn't contain himself as he let out a small snort. He tried his best to cover it up, but it was audible nonetheless. Back on track though, the mayor had described the deaths that were from the interaction with the artifact. Great. Kolos knew he possibly could die doing this job, but he didn't think it was gonna be from the orb's wild magic itself. Oh well, he only lived once, so he thought he might as well go with it anyways. "Sorry about their passing. I give my condolences." Kolos responded to the man in a rather monotone voice. "As for the explanation, yeah dangerous is the simplest way to describe it. For now, I suggest you inform all of the villagers to stay away from the general vicinity the orb was located util we return with confirmation of it's deconstruction. If we don't return... Well know that you shouldn't let anyone back there anyways. I'd suggest finding another group if that were necessary." What a debby downer thought. "In any case, can you give us direction as to where it was?"

[Althea]

OOC note: Etruria has actually invaded both Ilia and Sacae in-character recently. Lycia is unscathed since the Ostian events though.

For better or for worse, the mayor took no offense to Kolos's lack of obvious emotional attachment, seemingly too wrapped up in his own problems to bother with getting offended. He instead listened to the shaman's commentary with close attention, nodding at the suggestion. "Yes, yes you're right, I'd be much obliged if you and the lady could take care of it. We're just... farmers. All this malarkey with monsters and magic is too much." He shook his head, fingers gripping the sides of his chair tightly, enough that his knuckles whitened.

It took a few moments for him to compose himself before answering the rest of the question, but it came soon enough nonetheless. "Yes... of course. I suppose you would - the damned thing isn't that far, maybe three miles due northeast. There's a grove a' trees near the foot of the old mine shaft entrance. Ran outta ore a long time ago but we still check it out every so often in hopes of finding something worthwhile. The boys dragged... it, the... the orb, out into the open. Shouldn't be able to miss it. But I pray the two of yas know what yer doing. That blasted thing has taken too many lives already and you two young folks seem like decent types. Be careful out there, you hear?"

Althea nodded, noting how overwhelmed the mayor seemed to be, but confident that between her and Kolos they could figure something out at least. Dark magic was terrifying, yes - to the uninitiated. To those with knowledge of its inner mechanics... it was but a tool worthy of respect. Though she had seen what ancient dark magic contraptions could do. She did not see it as a harmless bauble, but something to be treated with due respect in their quest to recover or dismantle it. "I believe I understand the situation well enough. Kolos, do you have any further questions, or shall we be off?"

[Kolos]

Kolos offered the mayor a nod of his head. "Don't worry sir. We'll have the situation cleared quickly, or at least hope to. Just put some faith in us, and all should be going smoothly." Kolos tried comforting the man ever so slightly in hopes that the mayor could gather his thoughts. Having done so, Kolos had hoped that would ease some of the man's stress so he could be as detailed as possible.

"Northeast, foot of the mine shaft..." Kolos processed the words and tried laying out an imaginary map inside his mind. To him, being able to have a visual representation, be it imaginary, or in front of his eyes, allowed him to better establish his thoughts. Not that he had any problem without said image, it just seemed as though at least with directions, he could gain his bearings and understanding quicker. "Understood. Don't worry sir, we are professionals after all. We'll be sure to neutralize the threat so you villagers can return to your daily lives without worry." The man grinned slightly at the words of safe travels. "Hehe... We'll be sure to. Or well... As safe as it can get." Laughing in the face of danger was always a viable way to make light of the mood.

With that out of the way, Kolos was trying to scope out what trouble this bioweapon has caused these people. Lives being lost was a horrible thing yes, especially to a village of farmers. Kolos knew everyone had a role to play, and loosing so many caused a huge shift in work loads, let alone the emotions people feel to having had those they cared for been stripped away from them. It made Kolos ponder what they all were feeling, but if the mayor was any example, it certainly wasn't happy. Turning to Althea, he replied, "Yes, I understand it too. Let us be on our way."

With that, Kolos stood up from his seat and began his way towards the door. Upon opening it, he looked over his shoulder and said to the mayor, "Thanks for the info. See you soon." . Then he strutted his way on out, assuming Althea was not far behind.

[Althea]

Professionals, hm? It was an interesting way of putting it, not necessarily the way she would have worded it, but not necessarily wrong, either. It simply spoke to Kolos having a different view of the specifics was all. Unified in purpose, but not thought. But that was alright, wasn't it? Elibe would be a boring place if everyone decided to simply Think Alike. No war, perhaps, and no bandits. Perhaps even no Kraft. But it would never last. The differences in opinion were what drove competition, struggle, growth. Kraft strove to make everyone think alike, but without the mercy of choice. They would all think as he thought, or they would all burn, there was no way to it. It would stifle progress. It would break the world perhaps far worse than the Scouring had.

Althea allowed Kolos to direct the remainder of the conversation, not particularly interested in further debate ironically enough, and followed him out with a nod to the mayor and little further thought for the man. She waited until they were out of immediate earshot and out of doors to speak again, her voice kept low to avoid the wind carrying it too far towards those past Kolos's ears. "...What he described sounded akin to Worm magic at first, but the debilitating effects of that tome are temporary at best... and primarily mental. There is more to this orb than malfunctioning mental manipulation, Kolos."

As for what it actually was, well, that was another story entirely. And that was one fable that she did not know the ending to. Perhaps it was some lost variety of plague magic. Perhaps it was actually possible to magically amplify Worm's effects until they were fatal - that certainly wasn't her specialty. Perhaps there was another explanation entirely. But they sure as hell weren't going to figure it out just standing here.

[Kolos]

Kolos never truly considered himself a professional. It wasn't like he had a certificate, or anything. To him, saying those words just meant he would be able to try and calm the man's nerve slightly to gain some more clear information. Nothing gained, nothing lost really. To him, the power of letting one's mind wander to create their own interpretations and ideas was rather important. If everyone was alike, then where would be the fun in living? Why bother at that point? Differences is what made the world go round after all.

Once out of earshot, Kolos turned to listen in on what Althea said. "I had the same thoughts. This is one strange artifact we are dealing, but then again that just means it is all the more reason to exterminate the threat sooner. Having a magic like that run wild for any longer can cause massive destruction if gone unchecked any further." Though the man sounded slightly dull and quite bored, he did have an ironic air of professionalism to his words. Almost as though he spoke in a monotone sense that still at least had a general idea of what had to be done.

All Kolos knew is that what they were goign to be heading into could lead to either a great discovery for the world of scholarly research... Or their deaths. Only time will tell, yet what first must be done is a step forward in the right direction. "Is there any materials you'd like to gather first? I personally am fine to venture out, but only if you are too."

[Althea]

Ah yes. Allowing dangerous, lethal magic to run wild. That sounded like a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. Admittedly a very small part of her was actually curious if the magic could indeed spread or was merely limited to the orb, but not enough to override her basic humanity and urge to hopefully handle this unfortunate mystery in an expeditious manner before anyone else could be injured or slain by it. Granted that did come with the risk of her and Kolos being affected by it, but eh, scientific advances always required a bit of sacrifice. Just usually not THAT much sacrifice.

"It remains to be seen if this orb can spread or works based on touch, but I agree that we should treat it as capable of both until or if we can confirm one way or the other. It would certainly be wise to keep it from falling into the hands of those who mean ill, as well." The idea of someone using a trebuchet to launch it at people they didn't like was oddly amusing for some reason but Althea stowed those thoughts for later. Kolos probably wouldn't find it as funny as her anyways, he seemed like a pretty serious guy, intelligent and either laid back or highly strung, she couldn't quite tell.

On the subject of materials... hurm. It wasn't like she had a great degree of tools used in everyday exploration, aside from the small set of things in her bag. Not much she needed to go find personally anyways. Though that was not to say that there was nothing she could think of to do here. "There is the possibility of interviewing relatives of the dead to investigate the manner in which this killing curse acts, but if our goal is to deactivate the orb anyways it is likely acceptable to wait until afterward for research purposes. I do not feel strongly either way, if you have a preference I will abide by it, but if not I would recommend getting moving to avoid any further disasters."