Sigma
Thief
Does anybody care about intelligence work anymore?
Posts: 151
Profession: Spy/Information Broker
Affinity: Anima
Profile: Sigma
OoC Alias: Sigma
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Post by Sigma on May 8, 2017 22:41:58 GMT -6
Today was the day of the meeting. His contractor and him were to meet back at the inn in the room Sigma had previously rented. This way they could talk with nobody listening in on their conversation. To show Althea the correct room, Sigma had etched a small X on the side of the doorknob just like he had told beforehand, something small enough you wouldn't notice if you didn't know exactly what to look for.
Looking through all that he had found, he was happy with his findings. Procuring these documents was not the most simple but at least the pay was good and the info interesting...Sigma couldn't help himself but to look and read all of the documents. He actually was pretty lucky to have been able to get them and bring them outside of the scholar's study. Thank god the man was in desperate need of some hard booze, drinking him under the table and swiping his keys was pretty difficult with eveyone around, but I was able to make it seem like I was bringing him home before dumping him in an alleyway and taking his keys to make wax molds... After that with a bit of molten metal I got from a blacksmith who didn't mind my line of work, I got the double I needed. Waiting for him to leave his house for a couple mitues was all that I needed afterwards. Chuckling to himself about the way his plan had gone without a hitch, Sigma sat down and continued to read what Althea needed him to acquire. Notes about a particular crypt... Though it doesn't even seem like the place exists if the ntoes were correct. Apparently the scholar hadn't been able to solve a riddle left by what must've been the creator of the crypt. Amateur, that's what happens when you never leave your study to experience the world around you. He did however pinpoint the general location which was somewhere up the Ryerde river where the body of water seperated in a respectable secondary river going to the east. Hm, just looking at all of this made Sigma extremely curious. Just who would hide this place so well? And to what goal? He felt as if he needed to renegociate with Althea. It'd be a crime for him not going there and seeing what the place was all about...
Sitting at the table of the respectably sized room in the evening, he continued to read quietly while sipping on a mug of ale the barmaid had previously brought up to him. He wondered how Althea would react to all this information and intel.
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Post by Althea on May 9, 2017 18:22:13 GMT -6
As with any researcher, Althea liked finding new information. As with any immature child in the body of an adult, which could also apply to most researchers, she liked finding it first. Unlike most, she had no issue with leaping headfirst into dangerous situations. Well, that wasn't exactly true. She did have a problem with that, it just didn't matter what she thought because EVERY SINGLE GOD DAMN PLACE she investigated lately was full of monsters, undead, ancient Nether magic, constructs, traps, bandits, or sand. Usually multiple of the above at once. So at this point she was just sort of getting used to the idea of danger to where it didn't really bother her that much anymore, which DID bother her, but much like her thoughts on jumping into danger - Elibe clearly did not give a fig f**k what she thought about the subject.
Despite her ongoing train of thought, Althea still found it in her to focus on the doors for the mark Sigma had noted. She didn't understand why they didn't just agree on something simpler, but he was the thie-"information broker" and she was the one who had reached a dead end in investigating these rumored ruins, so if he had indeed found what he was looking for, as the missive claimed, she supposed that acceding to his thoughts on the subject was probably wiser than assuming herself the wiser.
Just try not to think too hard about whether or not you're going to die as soon as you open the door- Shut UP, Eris. You're not my mom!
Having finally located the correct door, the shaman took a moment to compose her expression to wipe the annoyance from it at Eris's mental intrusion, as well as preparing to ignore the obnoxious teenager for a time. All that mattered now was the information. And so after a moment she placed her hand on the doorknob - it didn't explode, good sign - and opened it, not really sure what exactly to expect. The reality was pleasantly underwhelming; Sigma was leafing through some paperwork - hopefully what she had been looking for, but she supposed it could also be his manuscript for an erotic novel starring a young maiden and a horse. ...She hoped that idea was Eris's fault. Nonetheless she managed an ethereal smile, not in such a hurry that she couldn't at least be somewhat friendly. This young man was not a friend, but neither was he an enemy - an acquaintance she supposed - and it never did to burn bridges unnecessarily. "Sigma."
She didn't have a lot on her, just the small pack she usually carried with her; the grimoire, several tools, and some of her work. Very little of it would be valuable to anyone else but to her it was priceless. But Althea was here for something else priceless, even if business had forced a temporary price on it, and that was why her sack was just a bit heavier than usual. She had the payment if she had upheld his end of the deal. "I hope you have something for me."
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Sigma
Thief
Does anybody care about intelligence work anymore?
Posts: 151
Profession: Spy/Information Broker
Affinity: Anima
Profile: Sigma
OoC Alias: Sigma
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Post by Sigma on May 9, 2017 21:16:10 GMT -6
As he saw the doorknob being twisted, he stopped for a few seconds. However when he noticed the white hair paired with the piercing crimson eyes, Sigma recognised the woman instantly. Althea did have a pretty unique appearance after all. As she called out his name, he turned his chair a bit towards her and stopped reading the documents. When she asked him what he had found, he gestured for her to take a seat. "Don't worry, I always complete my contracts. That researcher was not the most cautious of people on top of that... But anyways, come. I'll show you everything I was able to dig up on those ruins.
Starting to put back all the papers back in order, he started to seriously wonder if he should ask her to go with her. That place was extremely intriguing and the prospect of finding a hidden dungeon kept secret for nearly a century was definitely tempting. He also wondered why she needed to find this place... The researcher hadn't really studied what was inside of the place and instead merely focused on its location. The only thing he knew is that the place was related to magic, like most hidden crypts in fact. Considering his employer was most probably a mage of some kind, Sigma had to guess that her goal must be related to this. He probably couldn't really find any use in those things but maybe there would be something else... He didn't really know what it could be, but his gut was telling him that something good was waiting inside of that place.
"Though I have to ask you this before everything else, just a quick and easy question... Would you like to hear the good or bad news first? he asked this with a pretty neutral tone. On top of there being actually bad news, Sigma was wondering what kind of person she was. He always loved to ask questions like that. The actual answer normally didn't tell him much but the way the person would react to it was much more interesting to see.
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Post by Althea on May 9, 2017 21:58:23 GMT -6
Excellent! Typically she collaborated more with other researchers, certainly there was a great deal of interest in magical research despite the dire state of the continent, but of late Althea's tastes had leaned ever more to the exotic - her madcap chase of the secrets of Nan Madol, in Nabata; the cairn stones of Tir na Nog; that accursed nameless dig site in Caelin; wherever she met, magic and death seemed to come hand in hand. The thought that it was likely to happen again here made her half wish that Drei or Circe or Jalid or Bryn or even Aura were here to keep her company. Certainly they were the only reason she was still alive right now in each of their little, ah... episodes. So while it was not to slight Sigma, she hadn't been quite sure what to expect leaning on somewhat more dubious sources. But there had been so little easily available information, and she appeared to be becoming rapidly more stubborn these days and ill suited to taking no for an answer.
"It has been remarkably difficult to find much data on my target. Your success may allow me to finally end this wild chase." Was that a... joke? She must be dying of cancer or have been replaced by an evil twin, Althea wasn't even supposed to know what a joke was much less find it at all amusing. Taking a seat across the table from him and placing her sack on the table, the shaman listened to her counterpart's last comment with a small degree of confusion. Good news and bad news? He said he succeeded, that meant by default that it could only be good news, even if there were some minor issues to content with like a massive monster infestation or a killing curse or a spell that turned everyone who went into the area into a newt.
But for whatever reason, he did want an answer, so it wouldn't hurt to offer him one. She just didn't know what to say. Nothing new about that though, heh, and she was used to powering through that problem. "It wouldn't be one of my explorations without a healthy helping of bad news," Althea stated with a small smile, privately wondering if she was about to start turning cartwheels down the hallway as she transformed into a clown. She really did seem to be the source of some levity lately and she wasn't sure how she felt about that. "But all obstacles can be solved given time and the appropriate tools. So I suppose it doesn't matter much to me either way."
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Sigma
Thief
Does anybody care about intelligence work anymore?
Posts: 151
Profession: Spy/Information Broker
Affinity: Anima
Profile: Sigma
OoC Alias: Sigma
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Post by Sigma on May 10, 2017 21:12:10 GMT -6
Sigma was glad to see she had the right attitude about this. She was methodical, he truly appreciated that. "Well I'll let myself start with the good news alright?" he handed her a map with a sector outlined north of the town, surrounding an open lake that was connected to the Ryerde river far into the mainland. Probably at least a day or two or travel by foot if Sigma had to take a guess. However it definitely seemed like the place was supposed to be near that lake. "As you can see, we now know where that crypt is. Also considering the state of the man's office and how it seemed he was solely obsessed with it, I think I can safely say that it must hold some pretty interesting things. And finally, I think you can see the bad news. We still don't know exactly where it is. All I found was this old note, according to the researcher's journal it was written by the person who built it or at least used it as a stash. Handing her another piece of intel, a notebook this time, he made sure to hand it to her very carefully to show how fragile the thing was. He could still remember off the top of his head the riddle written on the paper: Now that you have found the lake, there is one more challenge awaiting you
When nature has started to grow back its lustrous coat
Stand atop the lonesome giant protecting his loch
Wait for your eternal stalker pointing eastward to disappear into the abyss
Only then shall the leader of the troupe atop the mirror show you the way "At least he already had made pretty good progress, also I imagine that the riddle refers to the fact the it needs to be spring for us to find to crypt. Isn't that a lucky coincidence? Now we can sweep in and grab the treasure!" he exclaimed proudly. Hold on a second, did he actually say "we"? Ugh, he got carried away there for a bit. Might as well see if she picks up on it. He would've prefered to wait a tiny bit more before asking her to join her investigation but if she decided to ask about it, then he guessed it wouldn't make that much a difference all in all...
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Post by Althea on May 10, 2017 21:42:25 GMT -6
Good news first, hm? Sigma was the glass half full type of guy it seemed, or at least liked to get the good out of the way so he could focus on the really fun bad stuff. Althea had a feeling she'd find out which was which sometime down the road. In the meantime she accepted the map he offered her, scanning it - not the first time she had viewed a map of the area to say the least, during her searches, but not with the markings that had been added to this particular one. "Yes," she noted somewhat absentmindedly as her thoughts continued to turn, "local lore and some obscure references I located in an eight century archaeologist's writings suggested magic was heavily involved, supposedly including some manner of masking magic designed to hide its location. Supposedly. It may just be well hidden." She wasn't as interested in the things in it so much as what it represented, but hey, if there were cool books or magic torches in there she'd sure as hell stock up. Anima mages had it easy with free lightning. What were you supposed to do with Flux, make it darker?
The bad news on the other hand came in the form of a riddle. Althea... hated riddles. As far as she was concerned they were for sycophants and products of incest, designed by people who hadn't done an honest day of work in their lives and had nothing better to do than to frustrate others with meaningless gibberish. A clear set of directions would have been far preferable. She canned the missive nonetheless, not actually as anti-fun as she actively thought, and spoke as she looked through it. "Loch. I believe that is another word for lake. I am uncertain what the giant is intended to mean, perhaps a tree or hill. Eternal stalker. One's shadow. Eastward, likely intended to mean at sunset. Leader of the troupe... mirror... I will have to see for myself to better understand them I think. Riddles are typically child's play if one has the proper understanding of the setting, and meaninglessly difficult without it."
Though one of the things he had said did catch her attention - probably for the best, if Sigma HADN'T said that it was entirely possible that Althea would have entirely forgotten he was there at all and focused completely on the riddle. "We?" The slender shaman raised her gaze to Sigma with a bemused smile and a quirked eyebrow. "I have little interest in treasure," she stated with the simple honesty of a pure heart (mostly meaning she forgot to eat if not reminded regularly), "but it would be far easier for one of your talents to find closer to home. You are interested for another reason, aren't you?"
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Sigma
Thief
Does anybody care about intelligence work anymore?
Posts: 151
Profession: Spy/Information Broker
Affinity: Anima
Profile: Sigma
OoC Alias: Sigma
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Post by Sigma on May 10, 2017 22:20:45 GMT -6
She seemed to come to the same conclusion as Sigma regarding the riddle. At least now he felt more confidant in his own conclusions seeing somebody else, especially one who seemed experienced in mystic crypts and dungeons, have the same answers to the riddle.
However it seemed like she did pick up on his slip of the tongue... Ugh, might as well get it over with. Sighing a bit, he decided to come clean: "Alright, you see, I'd like to accompany you on this expedition I assume you'll be taking. You see, there was something else in the man's study. Here, let me show you..." Opening on of the pockets on the pouches attached to his belt, he pulled out a rather large decorative iron insignia which seems like it was supposed to be attached to a chain of some kind. As he raised it to eye so Althea could take a good look, he showed the front section of the small metal sculpture which depicted the face of a wolf facing forward, growling with fierce eyes. Of course time had taken it's toll and many of the sides of the wolf were dull and rusted, but the overall wolf could still easily be seen by just about anyone. He continued his explanation while holding the token in between his thumb and indez finger. "This thing was on top of its desk and it definitely seemed connected to all of this. Apparently according to the man's notes, this used to be the symbol that represented some kind of person, most likely the creator of that riddle you're holding onto and the builder of whatever this hidden place is supposed to be. If this person was famous or infamous enough to have such a thing, it means that he had made his mark on history someway or another. But strangely, I haven't heard anything about something related to a wolf like this one... Not a single time! So you could probably say this is me wanting to know who this person was..."
Taking the mug of ale with his empty hand, he gulped a pretty big swig before exhaling softly. Sigma loved anything related to war heroes or any kind of important historical figure. Never hearing about this wolf insignia was tearing him up from the inside.
"I would deeply appreciate it if you'd consider letting me travel with you. I can let you have whatever magical device their may be, I just want to know who this man or woman was."
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Post by Althea on May 10, 2017 23:17:57 GMT -6
Accompanying her, hmm? Her expression slipped back into quiet neutrality as Althea leaned back in her chair, regarding Sigma in respectful silence as he spoke of his reasoning in wanting to join her. She had been right about him in some ways and wrong in others, it seemed. Recovering an... emblem of sorts, something with a dog on it, or wolf she supposed since for some reason everyone who did insignia apparently thought wolves were far superior to dogs. Privately, Althea thought that animals that WOULDN'T bite your hands off or kill you in the forest for fun were much nicer, but then maybe she was still a little bit miffed about those bloody Mauthe Doogs in the forest when investigating Tir na Nog.
"An interest in the builder then. In the individual who would create such a curious puzzle, intending to be found without allowing the unworthy to do so. Searching for meaning rather than simply offering a gift." Raising one hand to her chin, Althea considered his words carefully. If he started asking for payment she was going to shove him in the nearest lake and hope the fish ate him, but he hadn't mentioned any such thing. Simply an honest interest in the creator... a search for knowledge not entirely unlike her own; the recognizance that it could be valuable in its right, not simply as a middleman in the making of money or for who it could be sold to. Certainly she had not expected such pure intellectual curiosity from a... thief, a dealer in information who sold it for coin as if it had no greater value.
You know he's probably just going to mug you and steal everything of value the instant you let your guard down, right?
Eris's unbidden thoughts came crashing through her mind, more verbose than usual but no less unwelcome than they ever were. Though even so, Althea could not deny that the spirit had a point. Sigma was, in the end, an information broker. Regardless of what he claimed to value information for in its own right, he was willing to sell it for information, use and abuse it to his own purposes. She was the one who had paid him for this after all. Thus, it was entirely possible that he had darker designs - knowledge about the treasure of the crypt that he was not sharing. Perhaps it required a human sacrifice and she was to be his victim, or perhaps he simply planned to rape and murder her before leaving her body in the lake. While she typically remained within the insular and usually above ground research community, Althea was no stranger to the darker side of Elibe and what could well happen to those who played with fire and were consumed by it.
"That is acceptable," she said after a few more moments. Althea simply did not sense that sort of malicious from his earnest honesty, and while it was possible that he was simply very good at lying - it was... unlikely that he realized how quickly she could snuff him out in turn. Were the first blow not immediately fatal, her return would be so, even if she had to drag him down to hell with her. But that was not something she hoped or intended to test. For her part, Althea would much prefer to be alive and unscathed, and while perhaps it was his youth, or her approximation of him, or merely a meaningless gut feeling, she didn't get a danger vibe from him. "My interest lies more in the construction and nature of the crypt. I research magic," she explained, "more precisely its historical and architectural usage, both pre- and post-Scouring. Aside from magical artefacts clearly worth studying, I have little interest in what else lies within."
"Though in the interest of, ah, full disclosure," the shaman continued with a somewhat complex look on her face, the kind of look that communicated a mix of feelings and none of them were good, "I do tend to run into... trouble... in my expeditions. Regularly. At, um, every single one." And there was the Cyclops in the room. It would be a f**k**g miracle if they didn't ACTUALLY get attacked by at least ten cyclops along the way, to say nothing of the imprisoned dark god and at least two cosmic entities trying to kill them that would no doubt be lurking within the ruins themselves.
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Sigma
Thief
Does anybody care about intelligence work anymore?
Posts: 151
Profession: Spy/Information Broker
Affinity: Anima
Profile: Sigma
OoC Alias: Sigma
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Post by Sigma on May 11, 2017 23:15:43 GMT -6
Sigma was glad to see that the shaman didn,t seem to mind if he tagged along. Anyways, it seemed as if she wasn't interested at all in the creator of the ancient crypt, at least there wouldn't be any arguing over who gets the loot in that case since they were both seeking very different things. "Magic research? I assumed that it must've had something to do with that... Interesting, I was always interested by magic but the cards that life gave me made me go a different path sadly. Today, I take interest in learning about historical figures and what they've done. Guess you could call it a hobby of mine. This wolf symbol makes me think that this person must've been important, I really want to know why that is..."
Putting back the wolf token neatly in his belt pouch, he looked over the few documents he had stolen. Opening a notebook haphazardly and reading whatever his eyes saw, he definitely was interested in seeing what this place was all about... What kinds of traps and tricks did that person use to keep his lair secret? What could be waiting at the end of it? Simply gold or something better? Could there be more secret information? The mystery of it all was making Sigma excited to explore those ruins. Suddenly however, Althea started to warn him about the possible dangers she seemed to carry around with her. Sigma didn't seemed too bothered by it however, laughing it off before putting the book down. "Well I guess if you carry bad luck with you wherever you go, I should bring my own good luck to try and balance it out, no? Some of my old partners even liked to say I had the devil's own luck from time to time... Eh, don't know how much of that I'd actually belive but I guess I should believe a bit in what they said."
Smilinga bit, he outreached his hand to offer it to her. Waiting for her to shake it, he said another thing.
"Oh, and don't worry about the payment. I'll just serve myself in whatever I can find in that place to make up for it instead. Feels wrong to make you pay for something I would've done for free. So... have we got ourselves a deal?"
He continued to look at straight in the eyes, eagerly awaiting for her to agree.
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Post by Althea on May 12, 2017 12:33:34 GMT -6
"Life certainly has an interesting way of redirecting us," Althea agreed with a wry smile. She... tried not to think about it often, but it would be a bold faced lie to say that she had never wondered what might have become of her had she not been driven from her home so young. Separated eternally from her family, her passions of the time, her dreams. Would she have become a scholar? A mage? Would life have taken her into the Church perhaps? Would she still have followed the path of dark magic, or perhaps moved to another school, out of practical necessity or changing beliefs? Would she even be interested in magic at all this day, or found a more 'normal' lifestyle? She could see herself having been a merchant certainly.
And Sigma - what of him? He was a procurer of information now, to go by the way he said it. More typically one might call him a thief - of thoughts, at any rate, she didn't know how physical his activities got - or a shadow broker of a type. But he had once been interested in magic, perhaps possessed with enough drive that he could have become a mage. Perhaps even enough talent to be a great one. Instead life had taken him down this path, for better or for worse - and then pulled them together nonetheless. Althea wasn't much sure what she thought of fate, but there were interesting threads at play nonetheless, whether one wanted to call them chance, circumstance, fate, or meaningless.
For now though. The existential crisis would have to wait. Now that she actually had a solid lead in terms of pursuing the crypt, Althea was eager to investigate the subject at hand. Even if she was to have an unexpected counterpart along the way, though given her ah... misfortune, that might well be for the best. Certainly many of her past adventures would have gone far worse alone. "...I believe fortune is what we make of it," she said with a softer smile this time. "I have met a great many interesting individuals over each of these trials and tribulations. I look forwards to working with you, Sigma."
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Sigma
Thief
Does anybody care about intelligence work anymore?
Posts: 151
Profession: Spy/Information Broker
Affinity: Anima
Profile: Sigma
OoC Alias: Sigma
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Post by Sigma on May 14, 2017 7:43:00 GMT -6
As he heard her tell him that she would be pleased to have him tag along, Sigma started showing an absurdly big smile. He was going to be able to learn more about this wolf after all! Taking Althea's hand before gving it a hearty shake, he followed by telling her: "The feeling is mutual. I'll make sure to watch your back out there and try to stop any trouble brewing right in its tracks! letting out a small laugh, he reached for his mug to give a toast before drinking the last of the ale.
Now that he thought about it, Sigma hadn't worked with a partner for jobs like this since years ago... He usually prefered to work alone since things always seemed to go smoother whenever he did. Though this time it wasn't a politician or a merchant they were stealing from, it was probably a dead man's tomb they were pillaging. Well, "pillage" may be innacurate for Althea's motives since she seems only interested in studying the architectural usage of magic, so really, Sigma would be the only one to actually try to find something physical. He was interested in who the creator of this place was, yes, but he was also hoping to maybe find whatever books and notebooks that person may have left behind. Who knows? He maybe was an outlaw who made this place to hide his treasure, or maybe some kind of noble who decided to hide away some kind of rare artefact that only people who could solve his riddle would be worthy of having it... The possibilities wre all making Sigma more and more curious as he thought about it.
Taking the map again, he laid it out across the table to show Althea: "Alright so, from Ryerde, it would probably take a day or two on horseback if we follow the river. We could also take a detour by going through the woods a bit to the east, it would be longer and I don't even think we could ride horses all the way through. The problem is that I did take these documents from the researcher's home, and judging by his almost fanatical focus on this crypt, I wouldn't be surprised that he would try and send some mercenaries to stop us. He may suspect me after all, considering I met him around the time his documents were stolen. So really it depends on if we take the risk or not... I mean both options have their downsides. What do you think we should do?
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Post by Althea on May 14, 2017 17:08:08 GMT -6
Althea wasn't exactly sure what she HAD expected from a thief per se, but it certainly wasn't the inquisitive, knowledge-seeking, personable young man that sat before her speaking of working together and safety in numbers. That said, she couldn't exactly say that she had a problem with it either. It was certainly nicer than him being an uncouth pickpocket or killing machine. She was allergic to being stabbed after all.
"I do appreciate it. I will aid you as best I can as well." Okay... admittedly, Althea wasn't exactly Support Queen Elibe of the year all years, but she WAS pretty good at making people go boom, so that was a thing. And she had picked up a healing staff in the bargain bin recently and she was itching to try it on someone. Or beat someone over the head with it. It only cost about tree fiddy so she was surprisingly OK with either outcome. Probably best not to tell Sigma that she wasn't exactly an ordained cleric though, and that he might end up being her unwitting guinea pig. "I travel light so I am ready to head out at nay time."
The real question though, as Sigma noted it, was their route. Faster but more dangerous, or alternatively slower but safer. Given her usual tendency for thoroughness Althea would generally have answered the slower one without further thought - she happened to like safe, and it didn't actually matter to her if they got their a day later. The problem was the man that Sigma had gotten the information from. He had access to the same information as the duo, much more wealth to bring to bear, and an obsession. "My concern is that, given he now has a clear rival, your mark may beat us to the crypt. If he brings superior brute force to bear he may even ransack its spoils before we can ever see them."
Soooo just kill his hired help along the way?
...Normally she would have admonished the occasionally bloodthirsty spirit, but in this particular scenario it was a... not unreasonable answer exactly. Immoral certainly. But pragmatic. Slaughter the mercenaries and they would have the crypt to themselves. Althea was not adverse to the concept of killing - she had done so a number of times by now - but she did not enjoy bloodshed in any way nor did she morally approve of it unless they were deserving targets. A rapist or a murderer, certainly, society would be better off without them. But a merc company just doing their jobs? Even ignoring the numbers issue, she didn't relish the idea of taking innocent or otherwise generally undeserving lives unnecessarily. "Are you averse to the idea of combating those mercenaries? If speed is indeed of the essence we ought take the faster route, but that path may lead to bloodshed."
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Sigma
Thief
Does anybody care about intelligence work anymore?
Posts: 151
Profession: Spy/Information Broker
Affinity: Anima
Profile: Sigma
OoC Alias: Sigma
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Post by Sigma on May 15, 2017 23:21:02 GMT -6
And so came the important question... Was this crypt worth killing people over it? Yes, Sigma was interested but would killing people who only did their job be fair? Sighing asthis conundrum was weighing heavily on the thief, he decided to speak up: "You're right, they'll probably brute force their way in and take everything if we go the long route... Ugh, this isn't good. I say we get on my horse tonight so we can get as much distance from them as possible, then we keep an eye out if we're being followed or anything else. I don't want to kill anybody but I'm not going to let that treasure be taken by incompetent fools. I say we go as fast as possible and leave before they can even reach the crypt. Keep fighting as a last resort. I've sullied my hands already in the past but it doesn't mean I want to do it again."
Looking out of the window, he noticed how nightfall was covering the entire city... Leaving now would that they'd have a natural way to hide to possible mercenaries trying to find Sigma. Man, the horse that Sigma had borrowed from the Illian Resistance was definitly showing its usefulness right about now. Finding hidden knowledge about a forgotten man who knew how to build complex crypts was technically a good use of Resistance ressources, right? Eh, now was not the time to think about that, now was the time for adventure! Despite the possible danger, Sigma did enjoy this. It had been a while since a job turned out so interesting what with him becoming a quarry, this hidden crypt with possibly lots of nifty artefacts to find and the intriguing man behind this whole riddle...
Getting up from his seat, he went to go look outside of the window, trying to see how far away the town gate was... Surprisingly close actually. he turned around to ask Althea: "So, does that sound good to you? Do you need to get some things before we take off? If you don't have a horse we'll use mine, no time to waste on waiting for the stables to open up tommorow."
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Post by Althea on May 15, 2017 23:46:06 GMT -6
"Self defense, I believe, is always a valid reason." Althea smiled thinly. She wasn't big on killing, but neither was she a fan of rolling over and playing dead for a bunch of murderous louts. "Let us hope that the necessity does not arise then. I ill like taking lives unnecessarily, and would prefer diplomacy to combat - but given what you took from him they may be out for blood. And when push comes to shove, I intend to live, regardless of what that decision costs them."
Cold hearted? Perhaps. As the dark mage saw it, she was simply stating the facts. If it became necessary to save their lives she would fight; otherwise she would pursue peace. An ideal solution for all sides. At least in theory. She would grieve little if a pack of mercenary cutthroats found their lives extinguished in the name of greed, though. "A sound thought, Sigma. And on a personal level, I confess I find it somewhat exhilarating. Contrasting the staid time of the tomb with our own rapid timeline; racing our opponents to the treasure - knowledge, and... whatever else, that lays within." And for better or for worse, she wasn't just paying him lip service. It WAS kinda exciting. Normally her archaeological adventures were very... staid affairs. Days of carefully cleaning, digging, dusting off artifacts or unearthing tablets to be deciphered.. Scientific work yes, but not the exciting variety, one that instead took patience.
As for the thought of what else she would need. Hmm. "...If you have basic supplies, I need little else. I typically pay several days in advice in taverns nor do I own a horse so I am always ready to leave for a" hairbrained dash to death that would probably kill the both of them "-adventure." Rising from the table, Althea grabbed her pack, not certain what else from the table he might need. "Do you need me to - carry anything, or...?"
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Sigma
Thief
Does anybody care about intelligence work anymore?
Posts: 151
Profession: Spy/Information Broker
Affinity: Anima
Profile: Sigma
OoC Alias: Sigma
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Post by Sigma on May 16, 2017 19:31:28 GMT -6
Sigma was glad to see his new partner in crime was also enjoying this. It would've been less than ideal if she decided that this was too much and simply jumped the boat. Walking to the side of the bed, he picked up his small backpack which had one strap going diagonally across his torso and started putting the map inside of it on top of a few notebooks just to be sure. He didn't have time to check all of them out thouroughly as he like to do and he would hate himself if he had left behind more important clues. When Althea asked if she needed to carry anything, he looked around for a few moments before taking the slightly decayed notebook containing the riddle. "Take this and be very careful, that book contains crucial information as you probably know. It might even have some secret use since we don't know how much this person was actually capable of. Just make sure to never let the mercenaries have it alright? he said before walking to her to hand the important intel.
Grabbing the kodachi and parrying dagger he kept on the side of the bed, still in their sheaths, he quickly started strapping both of them neatly. With the dagger on the side of his hip and the longer blade on his back, he looked back to Althea and gave her a serious expression before talking. "Ok, let's not waste any more time in here. My horse is in the stables at the north gate so we won't have to waste time getting him luckily..." as he was about to open the door, he turned his head a bit a he realised something. "For all we know there could be hired mercenaries waiting at the gate looking for me... Hey, tell me something Althea. Do you know how to ride a horse? I might need you to get him for me to avoid being recognised. His name is Gambit and is entirely black. Think you can go get him and meet me on the road a bit to the north?
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