User:Arrow Quivershaft/The Next Move
 | 3P story universe |
{{#ifeq: User |User| The Next Move | Arrow Quivershaft/The Next Move}}[[Title::{{#ifeq: User |User| The Next Move | Arrow Quivershaft/The Next Move}}| ]]
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Author: [[User:{{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | {{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | }}}}|{{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | {{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | }}}}]] [[Author::{{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | {{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | }}}}| ]]
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Author: [[User:{{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | {{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | }}}}|{{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | }}]] [[Author::{{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | }}| ]]
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Authors: [[User:{{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | {{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | }}}}|{{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | {{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | }}}}]]
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Author: [[User:{{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | {{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | }}}}|{{#ifeq: User |User| Arrow Quivershaft | }}]]
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I turned away from the mirror and was blinded instantly by the brightness. Even though I was underground, the light here in the temple was absolutely glaring after a week in the Underworld. I rubbed my eyes, blinking away the pain as I dropped to one knee. Someone came over and helped me up, and spoke briefly in Hellenic, trying to lead me away a bit. I couldn’t see him, but I felt the Athene mark, so I followed. He led me a ways and got me sat down on a bench carved into the wall, then walked away. I couldn’t see, but there was nothing wrong with my hearing.
After a short while, I heard more footsteps approaching. I was still blinking furiously, but I was starting to be able to make things out again. It was the same mirror room I’d left from, nothing had really changed. Silver mirror, two marble Athene statues. I was still squinting as the priests approached.
“Devout Renfrew, are you alright?” one of them said.
I nodded, looking at him with bleary eyes. “I’m fine. I’m here.” I rubbed my eyes again as one of the priests looked me over for injuries. I was hurt in a few places, of course, but nothing that was going to kill me. I looked up at the priest who was speaking English.
“Where is your group?” he asked me. “We had the sphinx come through recently, but we didn’t expect you to follow so soon...is everyone alright?”
I nodded. The healer offered me a mug with a drink in it, and I drank it. Cold water...I drank greedily for a moment, then set it down. “Everyone’s fine. They’re waiting on the other end of the mirror with the soul.” The priest looked incredulous at me. “Yes, we managed to retrieve it. I’m not quite sure how, but we did.” I said, then took another long draw off the water. I hadn’t realized how parched I was...we’d all been cutting back on supplies a bit the last few days to stretch...but maybe it was an effect of the mirror? I wasn’t sure. I was just glad it was there.
The priest nodded as the healer stepped back, giving the priest a thumbs up. Obviously, I checked out.
“And why are they waiting?” he asked. “Will they be through soon?”
I shook my head. “They’re waiting for me to come back. We got some information and needed someone to check.”
“Oh...” He paused. “...you met the other group, then. They didn’t cause you any trouble, I hope?”
I shook my head. “We were after the same goal. Are you ok? Did they do anything here? How’d they convince you to help them?” We were talking past each other.
He looked at me and put his hands on my shoulder. “Calm down, devout. You’re safe here, and there’s less of a hurry. We can sort this out.” He nodded. “We are alright, here.” he reassured me. “They made proper tribute...two days service on the grounds.”
I winced a bit. They wouldn’t have been forced into anything, but I had an idea from my training in Athens how much work that was. Lots and lots of elbow grease polishing things, trimming plants. It’s not terribly hard work, just...mind-numbingly boring, and there’s a lot of it. It at least explained how they got there. “Alright.” I nodded, finishing off the water and offering the cup back to the healer, with a “Thank you.” He nodded and went off to perform his other duties. I turned back to the priest.
“You...Renfrew, congratulations. We’re glad you’ve returned,” he reiterated. So was I.
“Unfortunately...I’m gonna have to go back down there again...hopefully not for long. I came up to get some information and ask for help...they sent me because I’m the Athene mark.”
The priest nodded. “What would you need? Athene smiles on you; all you must do is ask.”
“Wisdom, first and foremost. Do souls from the Underworld dissipate here?”
He nodded to me. “They do. Did you not know this?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t...so that was the truth...” I pulled the bottle out of my pack, and offered it to him. “I...need this to be looked at. The sphinx...Vikkinet, offered it to us as a way to transport Nick’s soul through the mirror here so it wouldn’t dissipate, but given that this vessel originally came from Bast...none of us trusted that it was what she said it was.”
The priest took it, carefully, looking it over. He examined it, and suddenly I felt the flare of a Bast mark. He nodded to me. “A wise decision...we’ll take this to the high priest and see what he says. This is beyond my ability to analyze.” He offered me a hand and I took it, as he helped me up. I could finally see again without blinking all the time.
Helping to lead me, the priest led me up to a higher level of the temple, to a plain room. It seemed to be a waiting area of some kind. “He should be in shortly, and then he can analyze this artifact."