The Exile

[Sage]

The noises coming from the belly of the ship would no doubt be completely terrifying. All manner of lesser monsters were imprisoned in it's bowels, and so Abel would be required to wait in the large engine room, which was littered with magitech crystals and circuitry. At the rear of the ship was a steam pump that was fed by the crew, and the current generated there, traveled here. Energy created by the pump powered the machines that drew energy from the magically enchanted crystals and fired them constantly in wide pulses around the ship to maintain flight.

It was a method developed in New Eden by the King's older brother, a mad genius. Uncooperative as he was, the technology had been stolen and mass-produced under the King's direction in what was once Phoenicia. Alas, Phoenicia sank during The End, and until new factories could be created elsewhere, the ability to create new ships this advanced was lost. It would have been possible, by now, if Syrus had not been so busy solving the food shortages created in his own country after the Sleiden attacks leveled much of his farmland.

During the first half of the trip, Abel would be left alone, save a few mages who operated the magitech, though they did so in silence, without ever acknowledging the child. It was not until after hours inside the ship's hull that the first word could be heard, as the mages stared at a dimly backlit map of the world, as a hand-drawn representation of the ship passed over the last bit of ocean before reaching the Cizokian border.

" Descend, one hundred and twenty-seven. "

The ship groaned as it began to dip in the air, and accelerate. Simultaneously, the door to the engine room squeaked open, and Veras greeted Abel with a preening smile.

" Safe to come up now, unless you want to keep the magisters company. Cizok isn't much to look at, now, but we'll be over into Algeroth shortly. "

[Paroxysm]

For the duration of their departure from Vontier, Abel had found an unobtrusive, out of the way place where he could sit and take up as little room as possible. He was not especially frightened, fortunately, though he was reluctant to go and investigate some of the more ... inhuman ... sounds; indeed, as terrifying an experience as this could have been, Abel was far more interested in watching the engineer’s work and taking special note of his surroundings, as though his young mind could have discerned what it was his eyes were looking at.

Abel felt his back stiffen when the ship groaned an answer to whatever it was the voice had said. It took him a moment, but he did eventually manage to convince himself that the ship was not going to shear itself in half. Relieved, he stood up just in time for a man--Veras, he recognized immediately--to come through the nearby door.

"Mm..." He hesitated, eying Veras suspiciously. The lady huntress had told him to stay below deck until they were in Algeroth, but, well, Veras seemed trustworthy enough. He wouldn't purposely try and get him in trouble with Helena, would he?

“Very well,” he answered, politely, “but won't I get in trouble? I do not want to be a bother.”

[Sage]

" Helena was looking out for our interests as well as yours, when she ordered you down here. It would not look good if someone from your country saw us taking you away. And it wouldn't be good if she let you wander around topside so you could fall off into the ocean! "

Veras gave an over-enthusiastic grin, as he held up one finger, punctuating his statement.

" But she's authorized me to escort you, so try not to make me look bad for wanting to get you out of that stuffy engine room, yes? "

The ornate swords, two on his left side and one on his right, clattered as he jogged up the small stairwell to the deck. As he swung the door open wide, a gust of fresh air would blast them in the face. It was not as strong as it should have been, given their speed, and Anthony addressed the curiosity almost immediately.

" Enchantment mitigates the weather onboard, comes in handy when it rains. "

Anthony's bright eyes and enthusiastic stare were infectious, and he seemed altogether excited to be on the ship, as though it were his first time again. He gave the boy an encouraging grip on the shoulder as he lead him around, giving him the tour. There were various mechanical and magical devices affixed to the hull and railings, and Veras described several of them in detail to pass the time. It was not long before Cizok was behind them, and they were buzzing low over the treetops of Darkwood Forest.

" Veras! Prepare the creatures, the rendezvous has been moved. "

Veras turned and saluted Helena, as she approached them. He raised an eyebrow, but did as he was told, disappearing off the deck and leaving Abel to in his superior's care. In a few strides she was shoulder-to-shoulder with him, staring out over the pink horizon, their journey nearly bringing them to daybreak.

" I have spoken with the Grand Inquisitor. He is meeting us in Darkwatch, to discuss an arrangement. " She looked down at him briefly, a confusing display of grief and anger written across her face. " He wants to meet with you, debrief you, and then he wants me to take you back to your country and leave you in the nearest city. "

The grizzled veteran, monster hunter, widow leaned down to Abel's level, squaring herself against him so that she could look into his eyes.

" I don't think you want that, but he would never agree to let you stay with just anyone in Algeroth. Every second we keep you is a liability, and it's our responsibility to keep our people safe. But if I adopted you, you could stay with me. Veras has abilities, it's complicated, but I know everything. You would have to denounce your citizenship, but with your...situation, he would not deny me the right. "

It was no longer in Helena's nature to be motherly. In time, Abel would understand, but she could only hope that she believed her now. The Lady Inquisitor knew that if she returned Abel unguarded, he would likely be slain by his former family, or the creature that would still stalk him in the night.

" I'm leaving it up to you, but you must decide soon. Be sure to be polite, and do not lie to His Excellency. It will not do you any good. Also, there are creatures in Darkwatch, but they are not to be feared, please do not stare. Finally, and most important of all; if you hear me introduce a man named Darius, do not make eye contact. Just bow, and remain silent. "

[Paroxysm]

Abel remained silent, but he followed after Veras obediently. Once they were on deck, however, a smile somehow snuck up on him; and he spread his arms wide and marveled at the sight all around him. It was childish glee, and, later, he would definitely look back on it self-consciously. For now, though, he was just going to enjoy everything. Who would have thought that he could go from being banished to sailing the skies with a crew of . . . monster hunters? It was amazing!

Unfortunately, like a switch had been flipped somewhere off-screen, all of the happiness Abel had been feeling evaporated and he returned to his normal, stoic self. It was not a fast process, however, and it probably even offered an entertaining sight for others to watch: Abel squared his shoulders and forced his smile to recede, and the happy glow in his eyes dimmed until only his natural intelligence remained. Everything about the boy went from carefree to carefully controlled, almost unnaturally so. The boy’s social conditioning must have been comprehensive, severe, and, above all else, cruel.

Abel looked out over the land below, but he was listening to Helena as she spoke. By the time the lady huntress had finished, he was looking at his hands and at what should have been burns and scar tissue. They were both covered in pale, pinkish, and unmarred skin.

“I do not see the problem,” he finally spoke,”I was banished. I may not look it, but I am dead and disgraced. I am exiled, and I have no citizenship to denounce. Even if it is not true, if good Vontier demanded my return, they would have to concede to my reasoning, and it would be embarrassingly poor form to make an issue of it after that.”

Abel didn’t shrug, but he felt it would have been appropriate.

“I will do what you think is best.”

Unless spoken to again, Abel would return back to his silence. Briefly, he even wondered if he could survive a fall from the airship. If he splattered across the land, would he eventually put himself back together some time later like nothing had happened? He almost wanted to test it.

[Sage]

It was not long before they would begin to descend into a sea of green, the treeline of Darkwood expanding in every direction as one great organism. From overhead, however, Abel would be able to spot a gap in the canopy, which revealed a large platform lit by torches. The airship began to hum less and less as it rotated to descend evenly on the platform which, as they neared, was revealed to be littered with awaiting elves and humans, dressed in primitive armor.

" Follow me closely, then. They'll be unloading the catch while we see to your case. "

Helena's men operated a massive wheel on the ship's deck, which extended a walkway toward a raised balcony on the platform. They would make their way off the ship and quickly through Darkwatch. The city was a maze of suspended walkways and buildings made into the canopy of the ancient trees. All manner of creatures buzzed around the many levels of the city as shops began to open for the day.

Although the range of creatures represented in Darkwatch varied, it was blatantly obvious that the natives were elves and drow alike, working alongside the humans of Algeroth to govern the wilds of Darkwood Forest. While the elvish military presence in the treetop city regarded most passerby with harsh eyes, they seemed to have a great respect for Helena and her crew. They each showed their own sign of respect as the group passed, as did the human soldiers, what few there were.

They had to travel down a great many levels to access the heart of the city, where they would begin moving upwards again, toward buildings which looked more contemporary and human than the simple wooden structures of the lower levels. This was the nerve center of Darkwatch, where the military officials from Toryn lived and worked. In addition, there were various buildings for religious activities, housing prisoners, and a small school which was directly beneath a grand palace suspended from the highest canopies.

Although there were mostly humans in this segregated area of the city, once they reached the palace, they would find that the ratio changed again. There was not a single human soldier anywhere inside the palace, nor were the servants human. This was as Darius preferred. He was a human general of Algeroth's military, and yet he lived and worked out of Darkwatch, having gained the utmost trust of the native elves. He was a behemoth of a man, standing at nearly seven feet tall, and as muscular as he was bald.

" Welcome back, her royal High and Mightyness! "

Darius' gruff voice and demeanor made the sarcasm almost frightening, even to Helena, but she recovered quickly.

" Yes, well. Not all of us can be given our own city by knife-ears, right? "

The Lady Inquisitor actually laughed genuinely as she greeted her old friend with a firm grip of his wrist, and a heavy slap to the back. She whispered something in his ear, which seemed to dampen Darius' mood greatly, but he strained a smile as he looked to Abel. Their brief discussion was obviously about him, but the words would be too softly-spoken to make sense of. Darius cleared his throat after a nod, and returned to his normal speaking voice, a booming bass.

" If that's how it is, I wish the two of you luck. The Grand Inquisitor is a reasonable man, and he would not deny Helena. You could not have stumbled into more caring hands, young man. "

Abel's newest ally shed a single tear, as she wrapped her arms around the giant of a man before her, her own brilliant armor scraping lightly against the emerald green plates across Darius' chest. She pushed herself out to arms' length, giving him a nod, and exited the room through two massive double doors, through which Abel would glimpse the decider of his fate.



Shortly afterward, Darius clanked toward Abel with great care, and guided him about the shoulders through the doors into a grand hall. Standing at the opposite end was the grizzled Inquisitor, and Helena was nowhere to be found. Darius gave him a reassuring squeeze around the back of his neck, and left through the same doors they had come in, leaving the two alone.

Step forward, child. Tell me your name.

The man's lips did not move, rather, his voice echoed gently in Abel's mind. It was somewhat like his experience with the Gheist, albeit less harsh.

Helena tells me you are of no threat to us. Is that true? Are you...unwanted?

[Paroxysm]

Offtopic: Let's, uh, not use gigantic images in the middle of posts, please. Hyperlink it or something, if you want it to set the mood, but it‘s otherwise distracting as hell, bro.

Abel followed Helena obediently. The city of Darkwatch was . . . interesting, for a nest of barbarians. It was, of course, kind of a shock to know that a country with its technology still intact also had a city in its sphere of influence where the people lived in trees, of all things--like monkeys.

As in most things, Abel traveled through the city in silence, watching its people curiously and thinking, always thinking; he occasionally shied away the city’s less-than-human inhabitants when they had gotten just a tad bit too close for comfort. When the giant appeared, he stopped entirely and listened to what little of the conversation he understood. Their whispering was a tad offensive, however; it was not as though their native tongue was particularly fit for his ears. Why bother with the show?

He rolled his eyes, annoyed, but continued to watch. When Darius appeared to address him, he said nothing in response, but he did note Helena’s reaction to the words. Whatever their meaning they had apparently struck the right emotional chord with the woman. That would be worth filing away for later.

Helena’s departure left Abel more anxious than he’d have liked to admit, but he refused to fidget or say anything, and when it finally came time for his . . . appointment, he refused to be guided in like a lost lamb. He would shake the giant’s reassurance off of him and speed up, though he knew he was merely a long step out of reach of the man, but he’d do it again, if necessary. He was not frightened.

Warning bells ring through Abel’s head and his granite eyes, grey and hard, narrowed cautiously. At the very least, this man’s telepathy was less . . . wrong than the creature in the wood’s, but it was no less unnatural, no less off-putting and warranting of distrust. Regardless, he did as he was told and stepped forward, his heart rate quickening just slightly:

“Abel,” he said, “Previously Abel de Espoir, of House Espoir.”

He spoke in his own language, but he suspected that it mattered little to this man. He bowed, and this time it was without blunder.

“By family and by country, yes,” he answered, and as he had explained to Helena, even if that proved to be untrue, Vontier was bound by protocols, by political maneuvering and intrigue. Exile worked both ways and when he was cast out, his family and country lost their claim over him.