Respecting Elders

They all stared down at the spot for a few seconds without saying anything. Finally, Morris broke the silence.

"Do you mind explaining what's going on?"

Mike glanced over at Sera, tacitly asking permission to let them know the situation, however, she was blankly gazing at the now discolored portion of the stone floor, and didn't seem to notice what was happening.

Guessing that he was not going to get a clear answer there, he decided to explain. "There was a magic item implanted in Sera that was sending its location to another similar item. Based on our history and the way things have been going over the last few months, I can only assume that the Cabal is responsible for it."

"Tracking? Are safe?" Tal asked, evidently inquiring about whether or not they were in any danger at the moment.

"The operational range of the item is, or was, limited. Unless they had a team following us by ship, which I haven't seen any sign of over the last week, we probably exited their scanning radius shortly after leaving Almir. So, besides whatever signal it sent out at the end, I think we can safely assume that they haven't been aware of us for quite some time."

"What's the plan, then?" Morris asked quietly. "Do we need to leave?"

He thought about it for a few seconds before shaking his head. "No. I don't think they've been following closely enough to know precisely where we are. I'm not sure, but I believe that the final signal was a kind of alert, making them aware of the item's discovery. Chances are, we should still be safe. That being said, the less time we all spend in this exact location, the better overall. Once we've completed our business here, it would probably be our best interests to move on."

"What about the Asani?" Sera asked suddenly with a hollow voice. "Won't they become a target now?"

[Ah, so that's what's bothering her.]

"The Cabal would have a hard time doing much of anything to these people. In the short period of time that I've spent here, I can already say with confidence that they are capable of defending themselves. Especially since they will be repairing their method of flying in the near future."

She nodded, but didn't appear to have any other response.

Mike coughed. "Ahem, well, as interesting as all this is, I should probably get back to what I was doing. Would you mind holding still for a second."

The Oracle nodded again, but said nothing else, her eyes still focused on the spot where the item had dissolved. He placed his hand on her shoulder again, and made use of his new enhancement method. There was another flash of light that lit the room, and he was done.

Sagging slightly under the fatigue of expended mana, he asked, "Well, do you feel any different?"

She finally glanced up for a second, then down at her hands, clenching and unclenching them repeatedly. In a quiet voice she answered. "Yes…"

[Hmm, I was hoping that would have cheered her up a bit. Not much I can do about it now except wait for a chance to speak with her one on one. We'll definitely need to clear the air.]

"It seems you have finished your preparations." Sahel announced from the door where he was still standing. The Asani warrior had been so quiet up till this point that Mike had almost forgotten he was in the room.

"Yes, that is correct."

"Very well, then I will inform the Elder you are ready for your meeting."

Mike blinked, "What? They're already here?"

"Indeed. I believe Elder Marcosias arrived approximately ten minutes ago. He has been waiting in the wings until you were ready." He replied. "Fear not, though. The Elders tend to be patient beings, he will not begrudge you the extra time."

"Well, I certainly appreciate the forbearance, but I thought you said they would be locked up in the Sanctuary for a few hours at least."

"I did indeed, but it appears that the Loremaster was able to rouse them faster than I anticipated. Truthfully, his order has many secrets that a lowly guard like myself is not privy to. It does not surprise me in the slightest that he was able to bring the Elder here this quickly."

He gave a small nod, and then marched out of the room.

"Alright, everyone ready?" Morris asked, sounding a little nervous.

"Be fine." Tal reassured him, although Mike caught the surreptitious glance she gave Sera. It was clear she wasn't as confident as she suggested.

Before anyone else had a chance to comment, the doors opened and Sahel entered again, followed by a second person. The newcomer looked very similar to the other Asani he'd seen since coming to the island, with only one notable exception. Whereas the rest of the species appeared to have plumage in various shades of grey, this particular individual was clad in midnight black feathers.

Mostly out of instinct, he used Appraise once the Elder came into view.

---------------------------

Marcosias

Age: 21,0156

Race: High Asani

Class: Elder

Title: Asani Elder

----------------------------

[I'm a little surprised that it even worked, but that's a hell of a long time to be alive. What would you even do with 20 thousand years of existence?]

The Elder surveyed the room and then casually walked up to one of the chairs that were apparently set aside for him. Then, in a calm, but authoritative voice, he said. "Please, have a seat. I've found that makes it a bit easier to bear."

Mike was confused for a second, but he glanced around at the rest of his party and noticed that they were suffering under the effects of the Elder's presence to varying degrees. Lily seemed to be handling it the best. There was only a slight frown on her face to indicate any inherent discomfort.

Tal, on the other hand, was paler than normal, slight tremors running through her arms as she stood stiffly in place. Although still emotionless, he thought he could detect a hint of grim determination in her face.

The last two were in the worst shape. Visibly shaking, Morris seemed to be doing everything in his power to remain standing, but he seemed to be on his last legs already. Sera, on the other hand, had already collapsed onto her hands and knees, apparently unable to even maintain her upright position.

He knew it was supposed to have been rough on them, but he'd underestimated just how much they would be suffering from the Elder's presence. Moving over to stand next to them, he helped guide them into seats, and then sat between them while slowly feeding them a stream of healing magic in order to combat the worst of their symptoms.

[I guess I'm going to have to cut this meeting short.] He thought to himself before turning to face the Elder.

-------------------------------

Sera couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. It felt like the air itself was squeezing her lungs, keeping her from moving or responding. They'd said this was difficult, that it could even be fatal, but she would be damned if she'd let the rest of the party put her back on the ship, where it was 'safe.'

She'd assumed it would have been similar to the time Mike had summoned that hurricane, but this was much worse.

[Damnit! Get up! Don't let this beat you! Don't be the weak link again!]

Try as she might, though, her body simply wasn't responding. Just as her vision was starting to narrow down to pinpricks, she felt a hand on her shoulder and a wave of calming energy passed through her.

Suddenly, she could breathe again. The cool, dry air of the strange Asani building was a welcome balm to her suffocating lungs. For a second, she could feel the tension ease out of her body. So much so that she nearly passed out, and only a titanic effort of will kept her conscious.

"Let me help you up. Alright, we're going to be sitting right here." Mike murmured comfortingly in her ear, unsurprisingly proving himself the source of her reprieve. He lent her his hand, and helped her stand and then fall back against one of the benches. The quick movement turned her stomach, but another wave of the calming energy drove the nausea away.

Once she finally felt settled enough to take stock of her surroundings, she realized that she was the only member of the party that had been completely incapacitated by the effect. Morris was looking a little worse for wear, and she could tell that he was on the verge of passing out as well. That being said, he was clearly tolerating the unseen pressure a lot better, as indicated by his ability to remain upright without Mike's constant attention.

Much to her disappointment, she saw that Lily was basically fine, and even Tal was able to keep her calm in the face of the Elder.

[...I see...I'm the weak one...the liability...again.]

"Thank you for meeting with us...uh, Elder." Mike started speaking suddenly while keeping a hand on her shoulder. "Truthfully, I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to call you. IIs there a preferred term of address?"

Marcosias chuckled in that unsettling bird-like way that seemed to be common amongst the Asani. "Please, feel free to call me Marcosias, or just Marco for short."

At this, Sahel made a chuffing noise that could have been mistaken for a cough from a humanoid creature.

"Ah, my apologies. I believe that my attendendent here is attempting to remind me that it would be beneath my position to allow strangers to use my nickname. Please forget I mentioned it."

Mike made a dismissive motion with his hand. "Not at all."

"Thank you for that. On another note, how is my Pyrathien? I don't get many opportunities to practice it."

"Very good, actually."

"Marvelous. Now, we really should begin soon. I do not want to unduly stress your companions. The young lady over there in particular seems to be quite miserable, and I would hate to see her suffer longer than necessary."

Sera gritted her teeth and clenched her hands, the resulting wave of frustration threatening to force her into screaming. However, she still didn't quite feel up to doing anything of the sort, and any such attempt would have probably caused her to collapse.

"As to your visitor rights," The Elder continued. "I see no reason why you cannot move about freely in the place you saved. I only ask that you respect the boundaries and privacy of our people. There are places that non-Asani are not meant to visit. So long as that is agreeable, I shall also extend these rights for the foreseeable future, so that."

"That will be fine, and thank you." Mike replied.

"It is the very least we can do for someone who helped us at a critical juncture. Had you not intervened when you did, the Invader could have done serious and irreparable damage to the Asan."

"I actually have a question about that, if you don't mind humoring me."

"Of course, please speak freely."

"It's been bothering me for a while now. Why did the Elders not participate in the battle with the Invader? Surely a being of your power could have made short work of anything like that creature."

"There are a multitude of answers to that question, depending on what information you are actually looking for. Some of them would make you privy to secrets that no mortal is meant to have access to."

Marosias paused as if in deep contemplation before continuing. "Of course, considering your achievements and status as a Tier 4, I could tell you..." The Elder gave him a sly look. "If you were interested, of course."

Sera could feel Mike hesitating, and began to panic. She wanted to warn him that the offer was most likely an attempt to lure him into some sort of contract or deal. Based purely on the Elder's actions up to this point, she could only assume that he was an expert of subtle manipulations who intended on encouraging her hapless friend to agree to something that could be dangerous or even deadly.

With a titanic amount of effort, she raised one hand and started to reach for Mike's side, intending on poking him to get his attention. The act of speaking seemed beyond her at the moment, but she hoped to convey her meaning with an intense glare and the shake of her head.

However, before she could even touch him, she felt a sudden increase in the pressure as Marcosias's gaze slid to her, freezing her in place. For one long, horrible moment, all she could think of was the Asani man's eyes that seemed to grow and darken until they threatened to devour her entirely.

Then, just as suddenly as it had arrived, the terrible pressure was washed away by another wave of calming energy, much stronger than before.

"I appreciate the offer, but I am going to have to decline." Mike answered politely, but with a note of steel in his voice that was not there before.

There was no apparent disappointment in Marcosias's manner as he continued. "In that case, the answer to your question is relatively simple, the Elders did not participate in the battle because we couldn't."

"I see, very well. Then there is only one other thing I would like to inquire about."

The Asani Elder motioned for him to continue. "Yes?"

"Since you've acknowledged me as a visitor, does that mean I have the right to visit local shops and buy their wares?"