Warrior of the Void Book 1, Chapter 14: Explosive temper

Following the mysterious thaumaturge’s instructions, Muur didn't take long to arrive at the door to the Guildmasters’ office. As she walked closer, she began to hear voices from inside, their words muffled into intelligibility by the thick walls and heavy door.door.

So she did the reasonable thing and just knocked softly, mindful of the acoustic engineering the Ossuary had been built with.

The conversation paused, and moments later, the door opened, “Ah, good,” One of the Guildmasters, Cocoboha(?) Greeted her, “We’d begun to think our runner had failed in their task of informing you of your summons. Come in please.”

Following him, the lizard saw that the room was much the same as before. With the exception that instead of five cowled, menacing midgets dressed in dark robes. There were five cowled, menacing midgets dressed in dark robes, and one decidedly less menacing midget dressed in a bright blue coat that reached down to his ankles, and with hair styled in a manner that vaguely looked like an onion.

Muur frowned faintly, eyes darting between the Guildmasters and the new guy. Eye color matched, cheeks matched, hair color matched. How big even was that family? “I got turned around a bit, the warden I stumbled on said something about one of the ‘guests’ getting up to mischief.”

The air quotes were mandatory.

Just like that, whatever was being said died as the head of every Guildmaster snapped her way, “Warden?”

“I didn’t get their name, but that seemed to be their job?” Muur said as she scratched the edge of her jaw with a single finger. She’d forgotten to introduce herself, too, drat. Ah, well, she was plenty recognizable so it’d be fine. More reason why to bottom bother the big lug later. “Deep black robes, natural loom, bird mask, impeccable vanishing act. That ring any bells?” 

“How did you even–?” Cocobuki mumbled, before shaking his head, “Listen, apprentice you are n–”

“Apprentice!?” The instant that the word left the man’s lips, his blue-clad brother did a double take, his vaguely confused and disinterested demeanour taking a nosedive into fire and brimstone.

“Shite–,” All five brothers winced, both at the sudden shout and at the sixth’s reaction, “Cocobusi list–.”

“You said you would teach me next!” The now named Cocobusi screamed, before quieting down, “I should have known. I bet you all conveniently forgot about that promise the moment someone caught your eyes, but this is–!”

With an angry growl, he shoved a hand into his coat and took out a box that he began to wave in his brothers’ faces, “This goes beyond the pale! I knew you’d try to pull something like this,” Cocobezi tried to say something, but the onion-headed brother forged on. Doing a surprisingly accurate rendition of his oldest brother’s voice– if not his word, “‘Think of your condition Cocobusi. Magic’s far too dangerous for you!’, and you know what, fine! I’d have just kept trying to find a solution for my sickness– just like I’ve been doing my whole damn life while you never did anything to aid me! But this!? Not only are you not even telling me you’re picking up some stray adventurer to mentor. You’re having me use my craft, the thing I’ve refined for longer than you’ve all been priests, to make her a talisman to augment her magical abilities!?”

Raising the box into the air, he slams it down onto a desk, With enough force to make the the office supplies arranged on its surface dance, tumble and spill their contents, “I shouldn’t even let you have it,” He said, his voice cold and trembling with anger, “But fine. Have your apprentice if family means this little to you,” Each and every one of the Guildmasters looked as if he’d just slapped them in the face after putting a knife through their lungs. If he noticed, Cocobusi gave no indication of it and stomped out of the room he’d stunned into silence. Only taking a second to turn back their way once he reached the door and placed a hand on the handle, “And don’t bother coming to tonight’s family diner. I’ll be sure to share your portions with the people that actually give a damn about their kin.”

With a heave, he threw the door closed. The sound of it slamming shut felt like a nuclear bomb had just been set off in the room, “He– he can’t be serious, right?” One of the brothers whispered, sounding to be on the verge of tears, “He can’t really think that–?”

“I think,” Cocobuki said with a sharp breath and a heavy swallow, “I think he is ‘Bygo. M-more serious than he’s been for a long time.” From the corner of her eyes, Muur saw him dab at his eyes, “We– we may have made a mistake.”

“May?!” Cocobezi screeched as he pulled fistfuls of his hair out, “MAY!?” “It was a figure of spee–” “Fuck the figures of speech!” The calm, cool and perfectly in control of everything mentor from yesterday was nowhere to be seen as he threw himself at the door, “COCOBUSI! WAIT COME BACK! WE CAN EXPLAIN!”

“‘Bezi don’t!” ‘Boha’s words came too late, his brother already gone from the room and running like Namaah herself, axe in hand and murder in her eyes, was on his heels, “He’ll be at the Alchemists’ Guild!”

Turning to look at him, Muur saw him vanish in a pulse of aether, “No you fool,” Cocobygo swore, “He’ll be in the market buying food for dinner!”

Another pulse and he vanished as well. Leaving only Cocobuki and Cocobani in the room– Physically at least. If the way his eyes had dulled, and how rigid his posture was, was anything to go by, ‘Bani had fully checked out of reality and was one stiff breeze from assuming a fetal position.

New body and mystical powers or not, Muur remained just as clueless and awkward about anything remotely comforting as usual. So she didn’t bother with pleasantries and cut right to the chase, “Would you like space or distraction? And should I call in Priestess Mamane or someone else?”

“I– No– Just…,” Cocobuki seemed to age by a good few centuries in the span of a single sigh, “Take this,” Picking up the box, he offered it to Muur. But not before wincing at the sight of a bunch of papers getting drenched by a growing puddle of spilled ink, “Please don’t– don’t think too badly of our brother. He too has an aetherical condition. The opposite of yours, actually. A single spell is liable to put him on death’s door, he’s been doing all he could to try and cure himself of it, but…” Running a hand over his face, he shook his head, “You shouldn’t have gotten caught in our family’s issues. Forgive me… I– I believe that I and ‘Bani need some time to ourselves. Figure a way to salvage this mess… Mamane– Yes, feel free to call on her, or Olfane. I believe that she’d be teaching her daughter at this hour…”

Muur kept firmly to herself that if she was thinking badly of anyone, it was the Guildmasters for not properly talking things out with their brother, especially when they commissioned the talisman. Instead, she just took the box and offered an understanding sigh, “Don’t worry, I know how tangled and thorny family matters can get. Take what time you need.”

With her piece said, she spun on her heel and speed walked out of the room. Olfane would probably be better than Mamane for this, much more even-keeled and a family woman besides. 

____________________________________________________________________________

Finding the elf matron hadn’t taken too long, and had been rather convenient to boot! As it turned out, she’d been in the library, teaching her daughter some ‘stately letters’. When Muur succinctly explained what happened, keeping the Guildmasters’ dirty laundry in the realm of implications. The older elf wasn’t quite sure if she’d be able to help, but went nonetheless, ending the lesson short to the delight of Orliane. A quick glance at the papers that the smaller elf happily put away told Muur that ‘stately letters’ was just a fancy way to say that she was being taught to write as neatly as a typewriter. 

Bidding her goodbye, the duo made their way out of the library, leaving Muur by herself in a room nearly the side of a two story tall house. One filled with books on a myriad of subjects, from arcane knowledge, to religious texts…

“Right, there has to be something or someone who can tell me the sorting system here.” Muur muttered as she got to work looking around. She’d rather not waste several hours fumbling around blindly hoping for the best.

Walking around to the shelves, the wizard lizard quickly saw that it was for the best that she hadn’t tried to figure things out by herself. From the looks of things, everything was grouped together in a rather broad manner. A quick glance at one self told her that the section touched on a specific subject, law in this case– but it contained books that related to legislative laws, as well as what seemed to be essays talking about divine laws as well. At least if the name “An Observation of the Laws of the Twelve and their Applications” was anything to go with.

Without anyone around to ask for help, she idly started to browse the various categories in the hope to find what she was looking for. With limited success… At least she knew it wasn’t in this specific area of the library?

“–an’t be that. The balance of the region would have shifted–” Heading deeper, she came across a small opening in the shelves. One of the dozens of little islands containing a study table and some writing implements, but unlike the ones she’d seen so far, this one had people. Four of them, seated around large piles of books and haphazardly stacked scrolls as they discussed.

“True,” A massive red haired woman said with a nod, “Illegal crystal mining operation then? Plenty of desperates would try their hands at that, no?”

“Not… impossible,” A male miqo’te agreed with a small nod, taping a smoking pipe against the palm of his hand, “T’would explain much of the current situation. Yet, I’m uncertain that such a thing could serve as the only explanation.”

“Excuse me.” Muur said softly as she walked fully in view, “Do you know where the books on keeping aetheric balance and resisting mental effects are?”

The two silent thaumaturges straightened at once, not so discreetly closing the books in front of them. The tall woman– a roegadyn now that Muur could see her better, turned to look at her, curious gaze morphing into one of excited delight as soon as she clapped eyes on the lizard.

The catboy on the other hand, gave a mighty sigh the moment that he saw his friend’s reaction, and Muur had to reevaluate her classification. This was no catboy, this was a catman. His face was drawn into a flat, emotionless look, reinforced by long tired lines that gave him the appearance of a man exhausted and worn down in equal measure by the world around him. 

“Oh! OH! Yes! Come here, come here!” His expression instantly turned brittle the moment that the woman’s delight turned from a spark of interest into a lighthouse of it, “We can help you with that~!”

“Silent…,” He pleaded, slowly lowering his face in his hand, and– Oh! She’d heard that voice before, he’d talked to the guildmasters when they were showing her around in the temple, didn’t she? “Please…”

“How concerned should I be?” Muur immediately asked the catman, knowing a wrangler when she saw one.

“Not at all!” “Yes.” The two of them answered at the same time, prompting them to enter a short staring contest, “Silent. No. We’re working on something here.”

“Silent, yes!” The woman replied with a huff and a roll of her eyes, “We’ve been at this for hours Fise. And we’ve not made any progress– Actually, what time is it?”

“About ten antemeridian.” Muur replied without missing a beat, morbidly curious to see where this was going.

Which turned out to be the cat getting a flat, unamused look from the roegadyn, which he returned to perfection. Neither participant seemed prepared to give ground and were resolute to not give an inch. Her muted exuberance against the practiced disinterest of a middle-aged working man…

“We’ve been in here for fourteen hours?” In the end, it wasn’t either of them that broke, but one of the other men instead, “My wife’s going to kill me!” Taking the book he’d closed, he bolted away from the table. 

Fise opened his mouth to call to him, but the last thaumaturge cut him off, “We missed breakfast…,” He mumbled sadly, “Today was bacon day…”

“...Fine,” The miqo’te angrily stuck his pipe in his mouth, “Maybe a break is in order.”

“Yes!” Jumping to her feet, the roegadyn gave Muur the wide toothy grin of a predator that had found its prey for the day, “Now then, let’s see if we can find you what you’re looking for mmmh~?”

“I am in danger.” Muur deadpanned.