Post by Mrdamage on Apr 18, 2021 11:59:30 GMT 10
Blane took two bottles of ale out of the bar in his basement and handed one to the wizard who was sitting on one of his lounges.
"So Lex, long time no see...how have you been?"
Lex eyed Blane wryly as he was handed an ale, his face still a little flushed from their previous altercation.
"Blane? That what your calling yourself now? What the hell name is that Brendon?" He asked crankily as Blane stared at him a moment, seemingly unmoved by his agitated disposition then proceeded to open his own ale.
"Brendon died years ago," He responded flatly, "with his family. I'm just Blane now." Lex upturned his lip and snorted, but seemed to accept that.
" Why...'Blane'?"
Blane smirked slightly as he took a swig of his ale.
"Long story short, a quartermaster misread my name once. It was B. Lane. He decided to call out Blane. Must of missed the fullstop. It wasn't the kind of place you questioned anything unless you wanted some serious trouble, so I ran with it." Blane shrugged. "It Kinda stuck after that."
The wizard rubbed his gut and squinted vindictively at Blane.
"Thanks for the gut punch, hopefully my ribs arn't broke."
"Your own fault for shadowing me like you did. If you ask me, it was a mild response." Blane toasted his own retort.
The wizard glared at him."Well, YOU shouldn't go round changing your damn name, then people wouldn't 'have' to shadow you to make sure its you. It's not like I can easily recognise you, you know. Last I saw you, you were a boy of seven lad." Blane nodded slowly and took a drink, as did Lex. He nodded approvingly at the ale bottle then eyed Lex.
"Yeah. So, why are you looking for me now anyhows?, after all this time?"
Lex took another sip of his ale and eyed Blane. "Do you remember much about your childhood Brendon?"
"Stop calling me that. Its Blane, why you asking?"
"Cause its pretty damn important is all, now answer the question." Blane shrugged.
"A little, growing up on a farm in rural Mirros, cows and stuff.."
"No, before that." Blane furrowed his brow at the man then looked up in thought.
"Not much, we used to live in the Desert, I remember that. We made a long journey by caravan. You were there. Settled on the farm, thats about it. Oh, I remember my father was always terrified of the water, told us to stay away from it."
"I see." Nodded Lex.
"He was a crackpot. I carried that fear around with me for years! It's only just recently I've finally overcome it."
Lex put down his ale and his face grew deadly serious.
"What I'm about to tell you Bre..Blane, is going to be hard to beleive, but I need you to listen. The women you knew as your mother, the one that raised you. wasn't your real mother."
"Fuck off."
"She may of cared for you, loved you, but she wasn't your real mother."
"I suppose your going to tell me now that my father wasn't my real father either?"
"No, he was your true father, and most definately the reason why your still alive today." Blane listened with a sceptical expression as Lex continued.
"Tell me, do you have any early memories, I mean really early memories, of a fair haired woman, a priestess. Quite comely infact." Blanes eyes narrowed at Lex as he recalled the woman he used to dream about, always sobbing. He had tried to find her once, to no avail. Lex could see he had triggered something. He continued.
"You do remember her dont you?" he inquired. Blane took another sip of his ale, shrugging it off.
"Maybe...what's it matter? Seems to me it was a very long time ago."
"That woman was your true birth mother." Blane absorbed that for a moment and snorted.
"What of it? Seems clear she didn't care much for me." Blane furrowed his brow at Lex. "And what the hell part do you play in all of this? What's in this for you? Why are you telling me all this now?"
Lex sighed.
"Without going into too much tedious detail, your father was a very dear friend of mine. He saved my life once, long ago."
Blane eyed him vindictively. "Pity you couldn't return the favour when our farmstead was hit by Orog raiders."
Lex drew in a deep breath.
"I am so sorry about that Blane. I only found out about that recently when I returned to this part of the world looking for him, and you. You see, I did not even know where he had settled down once here all those years ago, that was the safest way. We did not communicate with each other and severed all ties, in the event I was found out and could be used to find him, and through him...you."
"Me?. What the fuck you talking about? What's so important about me? I'm nobody."
Lex eyed Blane, licked his lips and chose his words carefully.
"Here is the crux of it Blane. You were snatched away from your mother by your father when you were very young because, sad and farfetched as this sounds, she intended to sacrifice you to the gods of the sea to bring waters to the Desert." Lex watched Blanes expression as Blane stared at him a moment. His expression lost all mirth and his tone became deadly serious.
" I sincerely hope Lex that this is not some elaborate sting, designed to get at my fortunes. If I find out any of this is a ruse..."
Lex nodded and continued.
"I understand. Look, I understand your sceptism, but I was there. I helped your father get away with you. You don't understand, your mother was a high priestess, and there were also many that wanted her to succeed."
"In bringing water to the Desert, by sacrificing me?"
Lex coughed and cleared his throat. "This umm, is what they beleived, regardless of truth or delusion." Blane sighed and drank.
"Nice fairytale, but what the hell has all this got to do with me now?"
"There is a high priest that has taken residence up in the Temple, once occupied by your mother. I don't know the exact details, but it seems that he has stumbled upon the story of your mothers efforts to sacrifice you."
"And?"
"He's looking for you. He has put quite a lofty contract out for your return. It appears that he and his followers beleive that if they can find you and sacrifice you to the sea gods to complete the ritual, it will bring water to the deserts, just as the texts your birth mother left behind say."
Blane shrugged. "Let them come. Wouldn't be the first lot to try and get at me." He took another swig of his ale.
Lex shook his head. "You don't understand Blane. This is no garden variety cult. They are a well connected, wealthy and powerfull church. This entire town is in danger. They would kill hundreds, just to get at you."
Blane slowly met Lex's gaze with narrowed eyes.
"Are you sure your not exaggerating? just a little?"
"Don't think your safe in your anonimity here. I found you, it's only a matter of time before they do too. If you care about this town and the people in it, which you obviously do, we need to move."
Blane absorbed that and thought in silence for a while, he looked around and finally sighed. "Alright. I remember you Lex, from all those years ago. I do remember my father and mother held you in high regard, so, crazy as all this sounds, I'm going to trust your telling me the truth here, for them." Lex exhaled with releif.
"Good."
"Looks like the only way I'm going to get to the bottom of all this is to pay this high priest a visit to see what all the fuss is about." Said Blane as he picked up his axe which was nearby and started checking the blade edge.
"Thats not what I had in mind Blane, in fact, it would probably be suicide against such people." Blane gave Lex a wide broken toothed grin.
"Trust me!"
"So Lex, long time no see...how have you been?"
Lex eyed Blane wryly as he was handed an ale, his face still a little flushed from their previous altercation.
"Blane? That what your calling yourself now? What the hell name is that Brendon?" He asked crankily as Blane stared at him a moment, seemingly unmoved by his agitated disposition then proceeded to open his own ale.
"Brendon died years ago," He responded flatly, "with his family. I'm just Blane now." Lex upturned his lip and snorted, but seemed to accept that.
" Why...'Blane'?"
Blane smirked slightly as he took a swig of his ale.
"Long story short, a quartermaster misread my name once. It was B. Lane. He decided to call out Blane. Must of missed the fullstop. It wasn't the kind of place you questioned anything unless you wanted some serious trouble, so I ran with it." Blane shrugged. "It Kinda stuck after that."
The wizard rubbed his gut and squinted vindictively at Blane.
"Thanks for the gut punch, hopefully my ribs arn't broke."
"Your own fault for shadowing me like you did. If you ask me, it was a mild response." Blane toasted his own retort.
The wizard glared at him."Well, YOU shouldn't go round changing your damn name, then people wouldn't 'have' to shadow you to make sure its you. It's not like I can easily recognise you, you know. Last I saw you, you were a boy of seven lad." Blane nodded slowly and took a drink, as did Lex. He nodded approvingly at the ale bottle then eyed Lex.
"Yeah. So, why are you looking for me now anyhows?, after all this time?"
Lex took another sip of his ale and eyed Blane. "Do you remember much about your childhood Brendon?"
"Stop calling me that. Its Blane, why you asking?"
"Cause its pretty damn important is all, now answer the question." Blane shrugged.
"A little, growing up on a farm in rural Mirros, cows and stuff.."
"No, before that." Blane furrowed his brow at the man then looked up in thought.
"Not much, we used to live in the Desert, I remember that. We made a long journey by caravan. You were there. Settled on the farm, thats about it. Oh, I remember my father was always terrified of the water, told us to stay away from it."
"I see." Nodded Lex.
"He was a crackpot. I carried that fear around with me for years! It's only just recently I've finally overcome it."
Lex put down his ale and his face grew deadly serious.
"What I'm about to tell you Bre..Blane, is going to be hard to beleive, but I need you to listen. The women you knew as your mother, the one that raised you. wasn't your real mother."
"Fuck off."
"She may of cared for you, loved you, but she wasn't your real mother."
"I suppose your going to tell me now that my father wasn't my real father either?"
"No, he was your true father, and most definately the reason why your still alive today." Blane listened with a sceptical expression as Lex continued.
"Tell me, do you have any early memories, I mean really early memories, of a fair haired woman, a priestess. Quite comely infact." Blanes eyes narrowed at Lex as he recalled the woman he used to dream about, always sobbing. He had tried to find her once, to no avail. Lex could see he had triggered something. He continued.
"You do remember her dont you?" he inquired. Blane took another sip of his ale, shrugging it off.
"Maybe...what's it matter? Seems to me it was a very long time ago."
"That woman was your true birth mother." Blane absorbed that for a moment and snorted.
"What of it? Seems clear she didn't care much for me." Blane furrowed his brow at Lex. "And what the hell part do you play in all of this? What's in this for you? Why are you telling me all this now?"
Lex sighed.
"Without going into too much tedious detail, your father was a very dear friend of mine. He saved my life once, long ago."
Blane eyed him vindictively. "Pity you couldn't return the favour when our farmstead was hit by Orog raiders."
Lex drew in a deep breath.
"I am so sorry about that Blane. I only found out about that recently when I returned to this part of the world looking for him, and you. You see, I did not even know where he had settled down once here all those years ago, that was the safest way. We did not communicate with each other and severed all ties, in the event I was found out and could be used to find him, and through him...you."
"Me?. What the fuck you talking about? What's so important about me? I'm nobody."
Lex eyed Blane, licked his lips and chose his words carefully.
"Here is the crux of it Blane. You were snatched away from your mother by your father when you were very young because, sad and farfetched as this sounds, she intended to sacrifice you to the gods of the sea to bring waters to the Desert." Lex watched Blanes expression as Blane stared at him a moment. His expression lost all mirth and his tone became deadly serious.
" I sincerely hope Lex that this is not some elaborate sting, designed to get at my fortunes. If I find out any of this is a ruse..."
Lex nodded and continued.
"I understand. Look, I understand your sceptism, but I was there. I helped your father get away with you. You don't understand, your mother was a high priestess, and there were also many that wanted her to succeed."
"In bringing water to the Desert, by sacrificing me?"
Lex coughed and cleared his throat. "This umm, is what they beleived, regardless of truth or delusion." Blane sighed and drank.
"Nice fairytale, but what the hell has all this got to do with me now?"
"There is a high priest that has taken residence up in the Temple, once occupied by your mother. I don't know the exact details, but it seems that he has stumbled upon the story of your mothers efforts to sacrifice you."
"And?"
"He's looking for you. He has put quite a lofty contract out for your return. It appears that he and his followers beleive that if they can find you and sacrifice you to the sea gods to complete the ritual, it will bring water to the deserts, just as the texts your birth mother left behind say."
Blane shrugged. "Let them come. Wouldn't be the first lot to try and get at me." He took another swig of his ale.
Lex shook his head. "You don't understand Blane. This is no garden variety cult. They are a well connected, wealthy and powerfull church. This entire town is in danger. They would kill hundreds, just to get at you."
Blane slowly met Lex's gaze with narrowed eyes.
"Are you sure your not exaggerating? just a little?"
"Don't think your safe in your anonimity here. I found you, it's only a matter of time before they do too. If you care about this town and the people in it, which you obviously do, we need to move."
Blane absorbed that and thought in silence for a while, he looked around and finally sighed. "Alright. I remember you Lex, from all those years ago. I do remember my father and mother held you in high regard, so, crazy as all this sounds, I'm going to trust your telling me the truth here, for them." Lex exhaled with releif.
"Good."
"Looks like the only way I'm going to get to the bottom of all this is to pay this high priest a visit to see what all the fuss is about." Said Blane as he picked up his axe which was nearby and started checking the blade edge.
"Thats not what I had in mind Blane, in fact, it would probably be suicide against such people." Blane gave Lex a wide broken toothed grin.
"Trust me!"