Reunion: The Old Guard

[opius]

Alastair watched Alain for a few moments longer, studying the older man's face. 'We must never let the Gunslingers know where the Man in Black is.' The sponge-like scholar in him wanted more context, an explanation. Another part was... frankly somewhat hesitant. Alain was guarded, kept his secrets, beat around the bush, and the last few moments had been refreshingly honest. 

Alastair nodded and glanced at Konane before looking back toward Alain. He approached the fox woman and proceeded to walk her through tamping down the jewelers mold, extracting air pockets from the molten precious metal. The forge space allotted by the king was spacious enough, and the tools noisy enough, to speak with some degree of discretion. He lowered his voice, glancing back to Alain.

"...It would be helpful to understand why. Does this have to do with the Night's Watch- the... disaster that broke you all up? Don't get me wrong- I'd like to know more about your fa-" A pause. "...Your friends- the ones you used to run with.  But this seems- I don't know- pressing. What with the Gunslingers and Deschaine wanting you like that." 

[CautionCat]

Konane felt the heat in the forge, a lot stronger than before, as she helped Alastair and started learning the ways of artificing. She was a quick learner, and by the third pour she was getting the hang of it.
Alain chatted with them, and it was... interesting, and a little depressing. Everyone he knew was... gone. She tried not to project her own future onto that, and focused on the work.

Then he mentioned not telling the Gunslingers where the Man in Black was. She blinked some, not entirely understanding the reason. Alastair asked away, and Konane nodded. "Yes, knowing the reason would... be a good idea..."

[Ancelas]

Surrounded by the heat and the noise of the Forge, Alain looked... diminished, somewhat. Tired. And yet, there was still a smile that tugged at the corner of his lips at Alastair and Konane's concern.

"The Gunslinger's greatest secret," he said softly, "and their greatest shame, is the existence of the Ghostbloods. They go to great lengths to ensure their existence is hidden from the world, for if anyone knew, then the foundation of how they operate would crumble away. The Gunslingers are neutral entities that hunt monsters - for a price - and don't meddle in political affairs. This gives them a great degree of freedom to move about unimpeded in their hunt for their... fallen cousins. But it also gives the Ghostbloods the opportunity to move about with the same kind of freedom."

He lowered his eyes back to the photo in his hands - the photo of his friends. "Years ago, we stumbled upon the existence of the Ghostbloods, purely on accident. Morgan deduced the secret of their existence, and why we should be cautious around Gunslingers. Crevon and Devil - I mean, Thelonius, but we often called him by his sea name - could not abide the existence of something so corrupt acting freely across the world. Our work often had us working in the same spheres as the Gunslingers, so it was inevitable that they would eventually learn that we knew their secret, and that we intended to do our part to stop the Ghostbloods."

Alain's smile turned somewhat bitter. "Even the promise of aid was not enough to earn our credibility with them. The average Gunslinger does not normally turn away aid during a hunt, but the inner circle - those who know of the Ghostbloods - see even allies as potential threats, as they cannot be controlled or directed like their own people."

[opius]

Alastair's brows rose as he nodded slightly. They furrowed a bit as he thought further... When your own allies could secretly be your sworn enemies- it made sense for the Gunslingers inner circle to be cautious. It wasn't paranoia if there were those truly conspiring against you.

"So they found out you knew, and knew you planned to somehow... Expose? Defeat? The ghostbloods?" He quirked his lips some, trying to make sense of it. "How exactly does a- How did your team plan to take on a secret group inside of a secret group?"

[CautionCat]

"That is... interesting." A secret group within a secret group. But what purpose would that have, if they both seemed to do the same thing?

"Is there... a major difference between the two? The Ghostbloods seem to be... a more sinister version of the Gunslingers, but... what makes them stand apart?"

[Ancelas]

"Well... the Ghostbloods, as far as we've gathered, look to destabilize nations and antagonize bad situations. The Dragon Kingdoms exist in an almost perpetual state of war in no small part to their doings. We never really knew why, but what you've discovered about the Forsaken, and Matzos in particular, sheds some light on their activities."

Alain raised his left hand to rub at the back of his neck, paused, and lowered it again. He stared at it and made a fist. "The Gunslingers were... annoyed... with us, but we tended to annoy many organizations, so it was no matter to us. We were able to undermine the Ghostbloods several times over the years - uncovering plots, killing beasts they sought to keep free, and the like. Apparently, they developed a certain disdain for us." He chuckled ruefully and shook his head. "You know you've made enemies when the occasional assassin makes an attempt on your life.

"And that, in the end, was what eventually convinced us of the need to put an end to our adventures. Devil already had a daughter, and Lily was expecting. Fenderberrin missed the Lyceum, and Crevon had to return to Aegise. The Ghostbloods weren't gone, but we had taken the fight as far as we could. It was time to step back, reassess, and find other ways to oppose them."

Alain lapsed into silence for a moment as he fiddled with the photo. "The... Ghostbloods... they acted the moment we let our guard down. That was when they struck at Devil, by far the most visible of us, what with his privateering company and fleet. They... they took his daughter. From off his very ship, at anchor in Delos, the heart of Devil's power. It was a very, very clear message - they were toying with us before, but no longer. They could reach us, no matter who we were, no matter where we were."

[opius]

Alastair's brows rose as something clicked. When Alain had written that note- suggesting that 'he looked too similar' to Alain.

There was a whirl of anger intermingling with that flash of understanding. Like... solving a puzzle, only to reveal that the hidden image was a dickbutt staring you in the face. Rein it in, Alastair. You promised.

He pinched his brow and remained silent for a few moments. "You uh. Made some powerful enemies..."
While mid sentence he took a set of tongs and removed another crucible from a hot furnace and brought the tiny cup to a red hot mold, pouring it soon after. The magic of his craft, those minor forge tricks, allowed him to move more quickly, more deftly, and seemingly with more disregard for his own self preservation. It was as though the flames worked with him. His actions were confident and smooth, even if his words weren't.

"...What happened next?"

[CautionCat]

Konane frowned, it seemed they stirred up something very bad with trying to disband the Ghostbloods. But... why were they not allowed to say where the Man in Black was... She furrowed her brows, listening, and Alastair coaxed his father to continue.

She watched Alastair work, and would help, steadying the mold with another set of tongs.

[Ancelas]

"History," Alain said softly, looking back down at the photo. "This was the last adventure. Devil had found where the Ghostbloods were hiding, and organized his fleet to get his daughter back. And those of us who could help, did, of course. Some of us appreciated the danger we were in more than others. Some were simply not as vulnerable. Some just... wanted to finish the battle."

Alain winced and leaned back, unhitching the brooch of his cloak. The armor he had been seen in before had largely been an illusion, and now he was back in his normal clothes. Shrugging off the cloak, he slipped out of his coat as well.

"No one in this part of the world knows of the Pirate King's attack on Narsil, the capital of Corinthia. To say it was a siege isn't accurate - Devil did not want to hold the city, he wanted to occupy the navy while we slipped in and rescued his daughter. But they were... well-defended. Narsil is not just another city - the Ghostbloods control everything, and everyone, there. And they have access to weapons the Gunslingers don't. They're isolationist, so no one beyond the borders of Corinthia truly knows what goes on there.

"We weren't prepared for what we found. We were able to get in, but not quietly. We were able to retrieve Devil's daughter, but not without cost. And our escape..."

Alain trailed off again. He raised his hands and slowly unbuttoned the neck of his tunic, revealing more of the burn scars just visible along his neck - they swept down the left side of his chest, and when he rolled up the cuff of his sleeve, they could be seen extending down to his left hand. Long healed, but painfully visible.

He paused, as though trying to find the right words. He clenched and unclenched his left hand, not looking up at Konane or Alastair, as he continued. "There was no... hiding... among the people. Wherever we were, we were... reported. And any who helped were killed. If the Ghostbloods needed to set fire to a house to flush us out, then they burned down the block. If someone lied about our whereabouts, then their family was executed. Our escape was not... we did not simply make it out and leave. It took days. Days of... of people dying, and buildings destroyed, just because we were there. Just because we dared to do what the Ghostbloods had done - strike them in their home. But... that was the difference. Narsil wasn't their home, it was simply... another resource to exploit. And if it became... inconvenient... then it no longer held value to them."

[opius]

Alastair had at some point taken his eyes off Alain. When he looked back to see the man removing his articles, revealing his scars, he gave pause. Watched, listened. listened. And as he processed, his jaw jut and crooked, as though chewing on the information.

A dryness in his mouth urged him to close it, lick his lips, clear his palate. Realizing he was staring, he looked away and back to his work. "... So the Man in Black's contingency plan is the country he's holding hostage." He took a slow, deep breath before puffing out from his nostrils.

"Matzos knows better people would see the risk to the common folk and back off. And you don't believe the exodites are better people." He looked toward Alain. "...So that's why you avoid them, despite them wanting you. Is that it?"

[CautionCat]

"To find the Man in Black, more lives will be lost..." Konane frowned, looking over Alain's scars. That was... unsettling. But it made her gut twist, and her blood boil. Hectapol was on her way, and he was helping that. What would they do, after fighting off Kilamo? After securing their world, and stopping the invasion of ruin? Who would be the one that would try it again...


The Man in Black. Change was never always a bad thing, but when it involved innocent lives... it made things complicated, and worse. She kind of got it, the change thing, but at the same time... she was more for things to happen naturally. Gradual, like the seasons.

"Now you make me want to find him more. But telling the Gunslingers, do you think they would be reckless? How are you not running from them all the time?" Konane was all too familiar with running from someone hunting her down, and the ring Alastair made her was a godsend. What did Alain do to keep them away?

[Ancelas]

Alain smiled at Alastair, and despite the obvious grief he carried, the smile was genuine. "It really is true... once you set your mind to something, your insights are as keen as your intellect."

The smile faded, but he looked... a little lighter, for having spoken so much. "Both of you see the nature of the problem. An attack on the Ghostbloods is an attack on the people of Narsil, who have the misfortune of living in a nation controlled by monsters. As for recklessness... I don't expect them to be reckless, I expect them to be driven. The Ghostbloods must be stopped, Matzos must be stopped... I'm afraid the calculus of what is a worthy risk to attain those goals is clearer to them than to you or I.

"In the end, I made it out, with Nikatos, Devil's daughter, and the remnants of his fleet. The cost we paid, to save one soul..." Alain closed his eyes and bowed his head. "I... Even knowing the cost, gods help me, I would do it again. But I don't want anyone to carry that burden." He looked up at Alastair and Konane with tears in his eyes.

"I don't know how to beat them," he said evenly, "but I know the cost that a war with them will take. And I know Roland Deschaine is willing to pay that cost, a dozen times over. And that terrifies me, because it means the Gunslingers and the Ghostbloods really aren't that different at all."

[opius]

He paused what he was doing, but only for a moment. Calculus... What an awful way to put it. Looking back to Alain, he didn't need a particularly high insight to see the man was suffering by holding onto that guilt. Alastair looked down, and rather quietly responded after a time. "...It's not your fault." He just kind of shrugged.

"You didn't give the orders to burn houses and kill innocents. Another man did. I feel like... I don't know, maybe you're beating yourself up like Sae does. It's not- It's a false equivalence. And it's... You don't deserve that." He resisted an urge to do more- move in, hug, something. The feelings were raw, and his tongs were hot. Now as not the time nor the place.

Another breath- change gears, focus. "I don't imagine a guy like Roland can be persuaded to change direction- he's been after you for almost twenty years now, yeah...? That's not just drive, that's obsession. So... We don't tell him." He pursed his lips. "...But I am going to ask, politely as I can, for him to lay off. I don't think he really understands how much trouble chasing you is going to become if he keeps up the malarkey. Admittedly I'm not the most imposing fellow, so if I can sweeten the pot somehow, I'll try and angle that way." He pursed his lips and looked to the fire before withdrawing another heated mold.

"... A god of war has taken up an impregnable position. He may as well be behind a walled fortress. Maybe if Roland has the risks spelled out for him, it might buy some time for us to figure out a way to help." Alastair barely missed a beat before shifting into the next thought, giving no time to actually consider what he'd committed himself to in passing. "Hnno, he's clever, he might just figure it out through the context clues." With that he paused. "...How do you tell someone something without telling them the important bits?"

[CautionCat]

Konane took a deep breath, feeling her eyes grow wet, and hearing the tears sizzle on the hot work station. No... Alain didn't know, but Konane felt that they could figure it out. It seemed like Alain and his party weren't prepared to face the Ghostbloods, the risks they'd take to find them and take their lives.

Flaring her nostrils, and puffing her freckled cheeks, she felt the sadness boil over into anger again. "You can tell someone what happened, but not give a location of where it happened... No telling them what city, what land, but the emotional pain and horrible practices they take to find someone. You show them the evidence, the scars on your body... the truth is there, but the location can never be said. If they know the story, they could be more weary of starting anything... if you tell them the place, they will be tempted to find and handle it."

She sighed, and wiped her brow. "All that, and then losing her... what... what did you do to keep them away from finding you, and Alastair?"

[Ancelas]

"...And there's the optimism," Alain said with a chuckle, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand. "You've travelled with Sae - how do you think a gunslinger would respond to being told not to do something? In my experience, the most they will do is promise to consider the facts before acting, but in the end, they will act. The only way to keep them from acting is to keep them from knowing - and I've spent years doing just that.

"The feud between Gunslingers and Ghostbloods run deep... and now, knowing what we do about the true nature of the Gunslingers, I suspect they will be more driven than ever to destroy the Ghostbloods. You heard Roland - they've already begun mobilizing on their own."

Konane's question made him pause, and he switched tracks to speak to her. He had said so much already, it was hard to hold anything back now. "I took advantage of the chaos of our escape - they thought I died. When I got back to Liore, Lily..." Here his voice cracked and he had to clear his throat. "Lily had... passed. I decided that it would be best for Rose and Alastair that I stay away - keep moving, stay disguised, learn what I could should the worse happen and the Ghostbloods come after either of them.

"To be honest, though... I think I... I grew lost, these past few years. I don't... I didn't know what I was doing anymore. Not until we met in King Elyas' court."