RP:Kattanos and Ranok in the library
Library of Rynvale
This library has the feel of something royal, as if commissioned by the governor himself to help bring Rynvale to the forefront of all the cities of Hollow. Education, it appears, is a chief concern of the governor. The walls are lined with books of everything imaginable, only comparable to the selection at the Great Library of Cenril. To the north of the entrance is a magnificent staircase, made of the finest materials and the handrails inlaid with gold leafing as the steps pierce through the cathedral ceiling that bear the mural of a famous painter in Rynvale, Garretto the Blind.
Ranok walks among the books, the stacks and heaps of knowledge. Dressed in his typical affair, the same duster he'd turned Kattanos' handiwork into, and his fabulous hat. The interior was strewn with the crystals, but each one gleamed faintly, like a mote of light on the pitch black interior of the duster. One more strange thing about it: it flowed and billowed gently in a breeze that only it could feel. A byproduct of sitting next to voodoo infused magic for hours upon hours. Slowly through the library the man would go, looking at each and every title. The man looked rather lost, but was trying not to show it.
Kattanos arrives in the library in the typical manner. At least, for the armor clad feline anyways. The tiger fades into view, much like a phantom, casually leaning against a bookshelf. Instead of toppling the framework for knowledge, it would appear as if either the rack of tomes is sturdy enough to support him, or Katt isn't applying any force upon the shelf behind him. Unlike previous meetings, the tiger is wearing a helmet and face plating. In a jest he asks, "Lost? Or is the book you want in the next row?" He shifts his position to stand fully upon his own two feet before he continues, "I have prepared the items you wanted.. I took the liberty to add a safety measure I previously didn't think of when accepting this task.."
Ranok scowls downwards, "Hyu are late. Tvo mondds late. But also late by fiff minutes. Regardless. Gimmee dat list. Hy kouldn' get a dem tink done since Hy didn' even know vat de hell needed to be done. If hyu're gunna insist on schtretchink out dese meetinks, at de very least, gimmee material to vork. Hy'm here because Hy vas hopink dat dere vould be zum information dat Hy kould use, in kase hyu didn' deliver." The man usually wasn't so outrageously demanding, but given the circumstances, he felt justified.
Kattanos slowly shakes his head, "If you'd prefer being dead two months ago, all you needed to do is ask.. And before you jump to conclusions, that was not a threat.. It is what would have happened if I rushed the job and gave you the gems sooner.. At least, from what I hear, missing a large chunk of your head and body from an explosion resulting from overloading bloodshards tends to be lethal.." The armored cat simply shrugs, "But what do I know?" With a flick of his wrist, a parchment with the listed items appears upon his opened hand. Obviously, his next action is to extend his arm and allow the angered client to snatch it if he chose to. The tiger nods toward the offered paper, "Also, that special necklace.. I have worked out most of the issues..... in theory.. On occassion it will transport the target, but not all of said target.. Just need more thorough testing and adjusting to make it safer.."
Ranok reaches out to take the parchment offered to him, "Hy tought ve agreed dat ve vould vork on dis togedder. Hyu're qvite korreck. Hy'm not a fan uf dyink. So if Hy'm gunna trans-locate, Hy vant to know de schpecifics. Und dat reqvires vorkink on de product myself, vith my own tvo hends." Eyes scan the list, taking the whole thing in, "Und, please. Do not be so sulkink. Letters eksist, hyu know. Even tellink me vat de heck vas gun on vould hef made me heppier. Bogs are fine, kinks to be schmoodded are fine. Hy'm not ekspectink results out uf de gate, here. Dis iz a long term projeck. Vat Hy deed *not* ekspeck vas dat term to be ekstended by simple absence. Now, kut de sulkink, ve're both adults here."
Kattanos mock laughs, "Sulking? Me? Hardly.. I am simply stating the facts.. As for working together, I find it all too easy to forget I even had that option.." He shrugs his shoulders, "Besides.. I have a higher survival chance in case of a critical miscalculation.. The materials we're working with here aren't exactly sheep's wool and goose down.. They are volatile and at times can easily kill an unwary assistant.. As for writing letters, I find minimizing a paper trail tends to be more favorable.. At least, when the client doesn't want this business to be public knowledge.. Speaking of which.. Enough bickering, and onto business, shall we? The bloodshards for your armor are ready to be put into whatever you intend to have them in.." The feline reaches into a pouch at his hip to withdraw a simple silver necklace with a red gem stone strung onto it. The same item is promptly offered to the client as well as a silver ring with a matching gemstone in it, "It looks simple and decorative, but the gems holds the enchantments.. As for the teleportation, it needs a bit more defining.. It will bring whatever you put the necklace on to appear near the ring.. But it doesn't always bring the entire object with the necklace.."
Ranok rolls up the list he was given and stuffs it into a pocket. God only knew what else he had in those things. They seemed to be depth-less. Yet another oddity thanks to the twisting of magic. When he withdraws his hand from the pocket, he shrugs, "Eksplosives hain't hennyddink Hy'm not a schtranger to. Hy'm familiar vith 'don' touch dat, hyu idiot' policies regardink hendlink uf hezardous materials. But vat iz done iz done. Doze...tinks, hyu've made. De teleportink trinkets. Hy tink Hy'll hold uff on usink dem. Hy'd radder break dem apart to find out how dey vork, but such are de trials uf kuriosity." The trinkets were taken, however. Hanging on his fingers as he peers at the things, perhaps to divine their workings, he says, "As for de armor...zumddink hes kome up. It chust got more komplicated. De armor iz...vell. Shell ve say...aliff. Qvite. Und intelligent. Not malevolent, tenkfully, but Hy tink injectink krystals into it vould qvite hurt it. Ve need a different tact."
Kattanos quirks a brow, not that anyone would see it under the helmet, but the gesture was still made, "Intelligent armor? That's oddly...." He cuts himself off mid-sentence, "Well.. It isn't like we are chipping away any metal or boring holes.. I just push them into place.." For a moment, he pauses in thought. With a method of explaination in mind, he continues, "It's sort of like pushing your finger into a gel.. As you push downward, the gel simply slides out of your way.. No real effort with my technique.. Aside from using magic to do so, anyways.." A thought quickly crosses his mind, "Oh! And don't try to destroy the gem.. You'd probably lose your arms that way.. Granted that you need to find a means to do significant damage to it.. It isn't brittle as glass.."
Ranok shakes his head, "Hy tink hyu fail to grasp vat Hy mean. Vould hyu like it if Hy pushed my finkers into hyu? Let's pretend Hy knev a vay to do it viddout pain. Doze gems vould muck vith body systems. Hyu chust vouldn' be de same. It's along doze same lines. Voodoo, und magic, by ekstension, iz tricky. Hy suspeck ve'd need to simply ask de armor." That wouldn't be hard, but nor would it be without its trickiness. Arms cross, a slight scowl on the man's face. But that was perfectly normal.
Kattanos oddly begins laughing, as if somewhere buried in his client's words were a humorous punchline. With a slow shake of his head, "And you say I don't understand.." He pauses a moment before explaining a bit further, "Since we are working together on this, I suppose I could give you a little insight on what kind of materials we are using.." The armored feline begins to remove his gauntlet while asking, "Ever wonder why I call them bloodshards? It isn't because they are blood red gems or to make them sound fancy...." At this point, his armor is removed from his hand to show a large red gem embedded in the backside of his hand, ".... It is because they are quite literally what they are called.... shards of blood.."
Ranok looks just a smidgen more irritated. "Hokay. Armor relies on its integrity. Dey go hend in hend. Armor dat iz full uf holes or rusted vill fail. Like a svord vith a chip in it beink horrible to use. Hyu see? It kould be made uf fairy veeshes und pumpkin farts for hall it matters. It's soleed, und Hy vas dubious enough about injectink dem in." A palm upturns, "Hyu see? De armor iz aliff, but not in de sense hyu onderstund. De intelligence viddin hes never been 'aliff' in terms humanity und odders qvantify, but it's aliff. It needs to be avake for de process. Besides." He unbuttons his duster. And draws his dagger. A prick on the tip of his finger, quick draws a bead of blood. This was smeared onto the armor. Redlines immediately bloom, looking like a web of blood vessels spreading outwards and departing as swift as they erupted. When it passed, the armor was pristine white, as it always was, "It feeds on blood, directly. Among odder tinks. It vould eat de sherds. A different tact must be taken."
Kattanos observes the demonstration and hums in thought, "Too similar.." is muttered under his breath. The tiger mirrors the bloodletting, with his own dagger from his boot as well as his fingertip, "As you see.. My blood runs the same as anyone else's under normal circumstance.. The creation of the shards are not, in any way, a normal occurrance.. I have to.... in a sense.... forge them... I won't bore you with the details, but once forged, they can be as solid as a diamond... or fragile as glass.. Depending on intended use.." The tiger replaces his gauntlet to its rightful place, his hand. With a shrug he adds, "I don't think you armor will.... consume... the bloodshards, but I think it can be used to our advantage if it does.. For example.. If it were to consume my enchanted bloodshards, perhaps in the process it will retain some of the bloodshard's properties.... namely the enchant?"
Ranok furrows his brow, slightly, "If hyu eat a bear, do hyu suddenly grow fur und grow klavs? No, eatink zumddink doesn', does it? De armor vill need to be voken up, und taught. Or told, or informed, or vatever. Like Hy saeed. Ve'll do it differently. Lest ve vaste precious time." The risk wasn't really worth the gains, so a different tact wouldn't harm anyone.
Kattanos ponders his query, "You know.. I think I knew a guy who did exactly that.. Gaining ability from consuming the defeated.. Or it could have been a nightmare.. Either way.. I've heard stranger.. In fact, I have done stranger.." A moment later an idea graces his mind, only to cause more curious questions, "Now that I think about it... How can you tell if it is awake, asleep, paying attention, or whatever? Also, don't you ever wonder if it is subtly leeching your life essence without you being even the slightest bit aware? After all, it does drink blood, so far you are aware of.."
Ranok waves his hand airily, "No doubt, zumone or odder hes done chust dat. Frankly, yah, ve've hall done zum veird krap now und again, und hall sorts pop up into dese lunds." He buttons up the duster, his demonstration complete. The bone white armor plate is covered up by the leather of his duster in short order, "Draeta iz an old, old friend uf mine. To tell de schtory uf vat ve hef been trough vould take a lifetime. He vould not knowinkly herm me, nor Hy him. Perheps it iz leechink from my life force. It's qvite likely, really. But, it hain't like a life does not make more, yah? Body heat kan provide qvite a bit uf energy. It iz like...usink a regeneratink ice kube to keep zumddink kold. A byproduct iz eaten, noddink else. If dat. Hy do not know. As for how if Hy know it's kompletely avake...trust me. It's very obvious."
Kattanos shrugs, "I have my fair share of stories and such that would take multiple lifetimes from beginning to end.. As for your armor..... it is.... interesting.... to say the least.." A curious thought crosses his mind, "Oh and to.. uh... teach... it the illusion.. I won't have to physically touch it, will I?"
Ranok shrugs his shoulders, "Likely, vat ve'll probably end up doink iz hevink it 'eat' de krystals hennyvays. But, in a kontrolled vay. To eksamine de enchantment und try to onravel it. It might be able to onderstund de language. Vo knows?" He casts a glance at Katt, "Vy? Veirded out by it?"
Kattanos completely avoids the question, "You are really intent on knowing the secrets to my enchantments and bloodshards, aren't you?"
Ranok leans back against the stacks, "On a purely academic basis, yah. But Hy vouldn' be de vun pryink it apart. Draeta vould be. Hy doubt he kould eksplain it to me. It vould likely be a volly different tink to it. Like...describink kolor to a blind man vo's been viddout sight his vole life. Lack de basis uf onderstundink. Draeta...tinks on an entirely different level."
Kattanos curiously asks, "So you named it Draeta? Or did it tell you its name?"
Ranok simply says, "Yah." Two could play at dodging a question.
Kattanos doesn't seem to notice what Ranok is doing, "Yeah? Yeah what? Yeah to the first question or the second?"
Ranok nods, "Yah. De armor needs blood. So to a butcher ve hef to go. Onless hyu vant to volunteer?"
Kattanos ponders, "If we are about to feed it the bloodshards... Wouldn't it ruin the appetite by going to the butcher just minutes beforehand?"
Kattanos lightly shrugs and immediately follows.