A dour Heka could be found at the bar inside the Blustone Guild sipping on pale-water. She hated coming to these places; everyone here was so... happy. It was a bit unsettling, especially since the next time they dove could very well be their last. She would never understand adventurers, albeit they probably thought the same of her. Nearly everyone on this infernal island praised the mouth, even those who were not up for venturing inside revered it.
The inside of the guild matched the grandiose nature of its members. White pillars laid in an array supported a high marble ceiling that depicted a mural of the blue moon. Divers, medics, merchants, even blacksmiths, drank and ate with zest as they mingled amongst each other.
They came from all over the world to test their mettle in the mouth, Bluestone was a decently famous guild after all. Dark-skinned sailors from the Nudimian Isle with brightly dyed green hair shared fisticuffs and then a glass of Venetian ale with rigid grey knights from Laustrenia. Both men and women alike took part in the debauchery; there was no gender when it came to the mouth, only strength.
A bard was playing a merry tune on his lute off to the side, and some danced while others cheered them on with guffaws and jeers. Halflings scurried about serving ale and meat, a swarm of bees amidst the throng. Poor creatures, they would get a kick to the backside if their serving was not up to task. The prevalent smell of sweat and alcohol was enough to make Heka choke a bit.
Much like Lucian earlier, there were a few upstarts that could be seen showing off their freshly scavenged Baldrics; even middle grade artifacts were enough to please anybody these days. They were probably newly promoted divers, finally breaking past the novice's slope as veteran divers called it; many trained for years and were never able to ascend to the next level.
The Zurwyne siblings were late so Heka had been persuaded by Gayle to wait inside the guild. Admirable gazes had followed him as he ushered her inside. As soon as she had settled down he had been whisked away by an array of different people, leaving her bored. A vice-captain sure lived a busy life.
No one joined her at the bar to ease her listlessness; her reputation wasn't exactly stellar, even if she was friends with Gayle. Most of the people who knew her in this ward avoided her, and those who know of her did more than just avoid. They would whisper behind her back whenever she passed by, as if a thousand crickets haunted her every step.
She spotted a few novice divers eyeing the quest board in the far corner of the guild's main hall. It was filled with subjugation requests, rare artifact expeditions, and a host of other jobs. A boy and a girl with light green hair were amongst the pack and caught Heka's attention.
The boy looked younger than her but was almost a head taller, while his wide shoulders and already developing build suggested he'd grow into a sturdy man. He had the handsome face to go with it.
The girl had a lean but sinewy look about her, her long hair tied back in a ponytail. There were two morning-stars strapped to either side of the boy, while the girl had a bow and quiver. Both wore deep blue satin cloaks that looked like they could probably feed Heka for years if she sold them. Gayle had said that the siblings she was waiting for had green hair, could that be them? They certainly looked the part.
If it really was them, she would be miffed that they had blown her off to look at quests of all things! Heka marched up to the girl and tapped her shoulder, "Excuse me, are you Airo Zurwyne by chance?"
An angelic face turned to greet her, "Me? Sorry, you must be thinking of my brother," the girl said and gestured to the boy next to her, "I am Akira Zurwyne, you are Heka I take it? Airo, say hello."
Heka was still a bit stunned by Akira's beauty to say anything. She had a graceful demeanor but the air around her was filled with a noble aura, almost enough to make Heka cower a bit.
Ignorant of her discomfort, Airo enthusiastically shook her hand with both of his, "Sir Gayle has told us all about you my lady, pleased to make your acquaintance, my name is Airo. We were told you would be showing us around Patala? I must say I thought you would look stronger, cursed or not. Sir Gayle told us you were an exceptional individual, and I definitely judge him to be a man of his word. By the way, this guild looks almost as magnificent as our guest house back home, do you know who painted that mural up there? Anyhow, let us get on with it, I cannot wait a moment longer!"
His words came out like a rapid-fire cannon, Heka could barely process one question while he blurted out the next. And, 'Sir' Gayle? She would have to ask Gayle about that little title the next time she saw him, that oaf.
Heka tried to regain her bearings a bit before continuing, "Umm, yes well, anyway as you have said, I am Heka, pleased to meet you my lord," she said, exchanging her usually brusque tone for a more subservient one, "It has been around 18 blue moons since I was born, I take it you and your sister are a moon or two younger than me. If you please, tell me what you would like to know first, or where you would fancy heading to?"
Akira laughed, "There is no need to call him 'lord' Heka, we want to dismiss the formalities while we are here. Treat us as your friends, we have come here as benefactors after all."
"I would not mind it though," Airo interjected, "And we first want a tour of the city and its various wards, I am sure there are many sections that contribute to the expeditions in the void. I wish to see them all and introduce myself as their savior. With I and my sister here, it should only be a matter of time until its depths are breached, and its treasures secured."
He rapped the twin morning-stars at his waist, "I have been training my whole life for this, ever since I was a babe I have heard stories about the wonders of the void, the treasure it holds. They say a boy becomes a man down there, and I intend to see it for myself. None of the knights in my father's duchy can hold a candle to my skill in combat. I call this one Vengeance," he said as patted the mace on his right, "and the other one Salvation. They will be a guiding beacon of light for me as I plunder the void for all its worth, and claim its riches for Graemoore."
'Wow... had this boy been dropped on the head as a child?!' Heka thought.
He wished to come here as a 'savior'? It looked like he was about as arrogant as you could expect from a noble.
Heka was trying her best not to crack a smile but Airo was making it extremely difficult on her. Nevertheless, she was able to maintain her stony countenance with difficulty. The mouth must have seemed like a children's playground to him, the way he talked about it; how foolish.
Judging by how Akira's calm smile didn't waver while her brother boasted, she probably harbored similar thoughts, but was simply not as gregarious as him, "I would be glad to take you around the wards today, we can go over the ins and outs of diving tomorrow. And, one more thing, while you are here I would beseech you to not mention the 'void', it is considered a bad omen to call it that. Most residents here refer to it as the mouth of Patala, or simply the mouth. The rock formations surrounding its entrance resemble teeth, hence the name."
"How quaint," Akira laughed, "But we will be sure to do so, we wouldn't want to upset anyone here, do we now Airo?"
Akira touched her brother's arm with a sardonic smile and he nodded, "Yes! We will observe your customs, silly as they may be. Now let us be off, adventure awaits!"
'Well, wasn't he a blunt one,' Heka thought.
Airo strode importantly out of the guild, leaving Heka and Akira behind. The girl gave her a once over, like she was appraising Heka's worth, "The curse that Gayle mentioned, it really piqued my curiosity. I admit I have never heard of anything of the sort before, which is strange because my mother does much more than just dabble in runes. You do not look like much but there is something different about you, something alien. However, I can't exactly tell what it is yet."
Akira slowly walked right up to Heka, forcing her to back up until she bumped into a table. She was hypnotized by the younger girl's sharp gaze, allowing Akira to come so close that their noses almost touched, her breasts pressed up against Heka's own, "At first glance I thought you looked quite squalid," Akira whispered, "You wear rags and look to be just another urchin from the slums, but now I see there's a pretty wench underneath the filth after all."
Broken from her stupor, Heka instinctively backed away from the table, caught off guard by the other girl's lack of personal space.
Akira gave a satisfied laugh before elegantly gliding to her brother outside; she moved like a dancer. Heka could not read that girl at all, she gave nothing away; staring into her eyes was almost like staring into the mouth itself, a vast ocean lay behind them. This was going to be a long day, wasn't it.