Chereads / The Blasphemy of the Word Called Eternity / Chapter 11 - The trials of the bath

Chapter 11 - The trials of the bath

A really atypical circumstance to brandish your name to a stranger, who has chosen to show such a blatant impious manner to see you out the door. After such blunt disregard, most people would leave unless they either were specifically targeting him for some reason or they were that pertinent on getting to know that person. Typically in his experience, it was the prior.

This Drazel of Erimidem was also not someone recorded from his version of the royal archives, so the verification of identity remained inconclusive for now. However... from the rather semi casual way of speaking and the current location, he mused that this person had no reason to lie about their status. This person distinguished themselves as a sage publicly; what areas of study were they a class paradigm in? He guessed if they were as old they said they were, it was not too far fetched for them to meet the conditions of being a wise guru of multiple disciplines.

Out of the corner of his right eye he saw a roughly six foot figure walking up the stairs. As he turned towards the person, he noticed the person was female, without clothes, and had a sleek light blue feline humanoid body. Although he thought humanoid, it was more appropriate to say this person had features more tailored towards feline minutiae such as the face, tail, appendages, and hind paws with a slight undertone of humanoid characteristics. Those characteristics being that this person was bipedal and hair was not covering their breast, abdominal muscles, private parts, or paws for the manner. The skin was the same color as the hair, so it blended well and made for sleek proportions. It was alluring, and quite pleasing as if it was a work of art.

His eyebrows raised slightly, before relaxing again. The voice had a slight feminine tone, but he was never one to confirm so easy. She walked in and sat down to his left, not close but not too far away. She looked apathetic and unreadable, except for the glint of interest in her eyes. "I think it is time to introduce myself to you a stranger, visiting this kingdom, and becoming my potential friend. My name has three parts, a beginning, middle, and a last. Of royal blood I may not be, but inquire you must. My first I will give for free, an ancient name from a civilization's long past, I will say it once so listen close or else it may be lost, solve for the anagram girrgod to reveal my first name. My second...I can't give, but to only my loved ones, which one you are currently not. My last is in the language of Alexander the Great, and even with great knowledge and intellect it doesn't necessarily mean I am"

"How amusing, still questioning my identity even when I have listened to your request to join your presence. Granted the initiation, was of my accord, but it beckons me to find out more about who you are...." she spoke before she paused and started mumbling incoherently for 10 secs before saying,"Ordrigg...yes Ordrigg is your first name, as for your last name it eludes me. I don't know of your historical figures but I know that great figure you mentioned has not existed on this planet at least under that alias. Sure I can spend my time finding out your last name, however I think I have some other matters I would like to converse with my dear friend here" She pointed to Ordrigg with her left right hand. Ordrigg looked at her and asked "Disregarding courtesy now, what is it that you wish to know and exchange?"

"Yes pleasantries aside, I am looking for a keen and trustworthy companion to travel with, compensation would be knowledge and friendship... would you fulfill that role?" Ordrigg looked incredulously at her, "Well I cannot necessarily speak for everyone here but why am I the best candidate? Is it not customary to know the partner for more than 5 minutes before asking them to be a companion?" She countered by saying "And is It customary for a scholar to be built like mercenary, for a person to walk into the bath house with an incognito suit or even more so his features to be that which would make any scion jealous of your limelight but without the true arrogance? My offer still stands, so take some time to think about. Here is a sigil to contact me" she took out a yellow cube and gestured for him to bring his hands closer.

He humored her by coming closer and sitting right next to her. Grabbing the cube, it disappeared into a hand tattoo that spanned from his left to right palm. A silver chromatic tattoo of an asymmetric and indecipherable image formed into two halves that together would form a complete image. "For now enjoy the rest of your time in the bath, contact if you are interested, if not ... we will meet again another time." She got up and walked down the stairs, swaying her hips purposely for him to see. Two weird coincidences involving woman and a body of water... this world is truly peculiar. Ahhhhh. He felt the water was truly great.

After 5 minutes he got up, the excess water on his skin was absorbed quickly back into the pool of water leaving him dry. He got up and put on his clothes leaving down the stairs in the incognito mode. Down the stairs, more than 20 people were looking at with a clear fervor to meet him. "..." he was lost for words, why were there so many people looking to meet him. Was Drazel of Erimidem who was not mentioned in the royal archives, known by this group of people, or had they snooped on him and he was just that oblivious.

He walked down and the two servants appeared in front of him to guide him down. After seeing two people guiding Ordrigg down, 15 people of the group decided to disperse as they did not want to force someone to be social when they did not feel like it. There were 6 people left. He glanced at them, and felt they were oozing confidence, greed, and arrogance. He felt this group was going to leave him with a headache. He mentioned a command to ignore the group and walk past them. He mentioned to the group " I do not have the time entertain whatever intentions you have for me. At the end of day, your group and I will still be unacquainted. Maybe we can meet again at another venue under different conditions".

The group felt that it was reasonable and suggested meeting at one of the group members' owned cafe on the royal 1st Avenue tomorrow at night's kiss, which meant dusk time. The group would never believe the mysterious figure they didn't know the identity of, would not give them face. Ordrigg was indeed not one to judge fast, but he knew from the archive that those 6 people were greedy and maniacal scions that had extorted and ruined many people, committing so many atrocities in the past. He was not going to let them have a chance to be "friends' with him. The group gave him a business card with the location instructions. If he guessed correctly, this was the way the group thought to ensure he went to the cafe.

On the corner of the black card was a gold cap which he assumed was a part of a tracker mechanism somewhere within the card. After he left into the great halls, he ordered towards one of servants to enter disguise mode, take the card and depose of it in a remote area before returning in a another disguise to the royal chamber area, and the other one ensure little rats were not tailing the group. Both servants took these request seriously and went about business. He waited for the confirmation of the second servant before entering disguise mode and heading back to the royal chambers. Hopefully his makeshift plan would not hit a rut in the road.