< Falling Darkness Duels | Ex Pulplogs | Carmine's Deal >
ST Leaving the small room, Corve makes his way back to the Circle to find Myrrh absent, talking with some god who may be able to help him unravel the code in his little black book. Xeth and Carmine stand together, talking quietly.
Carmine "... I don't really want to talk about it."
Corve approaches, fiddling witht he vial in his hand. He doesn't say anything when he gets to them, instead simply standing next to Carmine and looking at the vial worrisomely. Her words peek his attention, though, and he raises a brow, looking at her quizzically.
Carmine "Corve!" She smiles and kisses him. "How did your meeting go?"
Xar`Rex shakes his head, "I don't know what Anum-Ik could have possibly said that you cannot tell us, but it is up to you." he shrugs, and turns to Corve, "And how did your interview go?"
Corve shrugs slightly and shakes his head. "About as well as can be expected- no surprised from the Red Coated Lady. However, I got a message from an old friend of ours."
Carmine tilts her head curiously
Xar`Rex "A message?"
Corve nods slightly, holding up the vial. "Piece of me. The piece our friend sliced off a week or so back in the desert, if you'll recall."
Carmine "...Falling Blackness?"
Corve nods again. "That's the one."
Carmine "What did ... he want?"
Xar`Rex takes the vial and sniffs it, "It smells better than you usually smell, actually."
Corve grimaces, knowing Carmine won't be pleased about this. "A duel. Him and me, two weeks, Great Forks."
Xar`Rex "Well, Xar thinks that duels are fine and honorable. He is, in fact, quite pleased with the idea, although I can sense that he's rather angry it is not he who was chosen to face him. I, however, think it's rather idiotic. Why would you face him alone, when you have perfectly good friends here to assist in his demise?"
Carmine really doesn't look pleased. Why wasn't he challenging her?
Corve shrugs a little. "He didn't specify I had to go alone, but it was implied. I accepted." He looks at Xar/Xeth and sighs, turning over to Carmine. "Look- I don't know why he challenged me. Probably 'cause I've always been the one he's hit easiest... I have a feeling he thinks I'm an easy target."
ST A small servant god passes the group, offering glowing indigo drinks if anyone wants one.
Xar`Rex takes one and sips it. "You accepted?" he sighs. "Of course you did. You're Corve."
Corve raises a brow. "You know, Xeth- I know you're thousands of years older than me and probably have much to each a simple Solar- but I didn't accept blindly. We have a more important mission. We will no doubt face Falling Blackness again- whether we all, as a group, decide that we should show up at Great Forks (whether it's simply him against me or against all of us matters little) or whether we use the time he'll
Corve spend being at Great Forks to be somewhere else, doing something he wouldn't approve of... is a decision we will make as a group."
Xar`Rex "And how will promising to face him alone help us?"
Corve blinks. "For one, there's a high chance he'll be there- which gets him out of our way. Besides, like I said- he wasn't very specific."
Xar`Rex "What did he say?"
Corve shakes his head. "Simply that he challenged me. He also said I may get a chance to take a piece of him like he did me. I think he was being sarcastic." Corve grins wickedly.
Xar`Rex "Well, then. I suppose this means we head East, and avoid having to be underwater to get our information. I like this plan better as it goes along."
Corve raises an eyebrow at Xeth and shakes his head a little. "Yeah, anyway... point is, we were going East anyway. We can decide what to do while we're waiting. We've got time."
Xar`Rex taps his claws against his chin, "We're going to have to get you some better armor."
Corve gives Xeth a hurt look. "But... I kind of like my coat..."
Xar`Rex "It is pretty, yes, but the last two times we faced Falling Blackness, you ended up with it being more red than gold."
Myrrh arrives from his little discussion, that "thinking" look on his face. He approaches the others.
Xar`Rex "Perhaps some matching greaves and bracers, and MAYBE a helmet."
Corve looks dejected. "I got some bracers... and a helment? Why?"
Carmine "...helmet?" Carmine doens't look impressed with that idea.
Xar`Rex "Are you serious?"
Xar`Rex "I am offering to craft you superior armor, and you take it as an insult?"
Xar`Rex rolls his eyes.
Myrrh glances at the unsure looks as he approaches. "What's going on?"
Corve blinks! "I did no such thing! I take it as a favor, and thank you for it. I'm just... not really comfortable with helmets."
Xar`Rex "I'm sure that Carmine would appreciate you not coming back from the duel with no nose."
Myrrh "Helmets are very important. Keep your skull from being split open."
Myrrh "Not that it would help with the Mummy..."
Corve nods to Myrrh. " 'zactly."
Xar`Rex "Myrrh, are you saying you cannot devise a helmet that would keep at least a pint of Corve's blood where it belongs?"
Myrrh "What? Of course not! Give me a few minutes and some metal...but Corve needs to stay out of that guys reach. Unless I can get my hands on more Orihalcum it might not stand up against whatever those screaming black blades of his were."
Corve nods a little. "If I do fight him- I was thinking of simply... shooting him. For very far away. Before he even knows I'm there." Obviously, Corve's honor code is much more practical when it comes to duels to the death... or fighting in general.
Xar`Rex "Good. You make the helmet, I shall make the greaves and bracers, unless the ones you have are too precious."
Corve shrugs. "They're orichalcum... I... well, you'd have to analyze them yourself- I'm not all too sure what they do, really. But I know I feel different without them- heavier."
Xar`Rex "Well perhaps we can reforge them into something more interesting, possibly split the orichalcum out into alloys with steel and crystal
Corve shakes his head, laughing a little. "Alright, whatever you two cook up... make sure it doesn't slow me down, or stiffen my movements. I'm going to need to be able to move well."
Corve figures that as long as it's for him, he might as well give them something to shoot for aside from whatever they can think up on their own. Something specific to his tastes.
Myrrh "Well you really only need to...highlight with orihalcum. That's how you get your golden bows and the like...but i'm not even sure how i'd go about making more. Unless I can find out at the library."
Xar`Rex "I can alloy it with crystal, if you'd like to use that in your designs. It would be interesting to see if I can cause the light to go THROUGH him, hmmm yes."
Myrrh "Well I think i've figured out how to meld the materials with my hands if I exert myself but that's down to if we have enough for a proper alloy. Assuming one part "gold" for two parts silver..."
Corve looks at the two crafters, unsure if it's Xeth or Xar now. He turns to Carmine for a moment, sliding his arm around her shoulder, kissing her softly. "You alright?" It's barely above a whisper.
Carmine tenses just a little as he touches her shoulder, kissing him back, then shaking her head.
Corve nods slowly. "You want to talk about it?"
Xar`Rex "I think you can have all of the orichalcum, actually. My artifact will be crystal and steel, and silver to match."
Carmine "Not here."
Corve kisses her cheek softly. "Alright. Whenever you want, love."
Carmine smiles and leans on him
Myrrh "So do you think they'd know how to refine orichalcum at this sphere library? I've tried melting a few of the ingots I found and it didn't exactly melt."
Xar`Rex shrugs, "I can craft it with my claws, or in my volcano. Hadn't you just said you can mould it with your hands as well?"
Myrrh "Yes but we can't make more. Atleast not without looking for some open deposits and those are probably guarded."
Xar`Rex "Well, that is why we will use alloys. I have seen it done before, to great effect."
Myrrh glances at Carmine. "So how did your talk with Xeth's friend go?"
Xar`Rex "She does not wish to speak of it here, it seems." he shrugs.
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