Haze of the Future(Closed for Cherubian)

[Cherubian]

I quickly step up behind Saerah, partly to make it a bit more difficult for the drunk to get in reach, but mostly to not loose contact with her. While one hand fishes for the strange item inside my shirt the other tries to gently hold theother woman's elbow.

"Please ..." I ask her, almost pleading. As good as someone can who is merely whispering. "I really need to know all you know about Tarath. Sorren must have told you something about what that word means."

 

[DungeonsOfDread]

Dm

Your hand grasps the familiar shape of a necklace. From a quick inspection it feels metallic in construction and oddly shaped.

As you approach her again Saerah gives you the look of someone reluctant to give more. Afraid of giving more.

"Please, I don't know anymore, you have no idea what the last few months have been like chasing down vague assumptions, mythical stories that contradict each other. I don't understand why you are so obsessed about it anyway, the more I learned the more dangerous it became, I've had close calls with death far more than I wish to recount. I don't understand why you would risk so much for something that may not even exist." she pleads.

 

[Cherubian]

Darn, why is she so evasive? If she really wants to get out of it all, what is the harm in her spilling her guts completely? Maybe a little honesty will do the trick.

So I get even closer again, the tips of our noses almost touching, as I look her somberly in the eyes.

"Because it is haunting my dreams. I do not know why, and I have no idea what Tarath really is, but it does, and I know I need to get to the core of it. So please, tell me what you know."

 

[DungeonsOfDread]

Dm

Her eyes widen at your confession.

"You're one of them!? The crazies? Stay away from me. I've dealt with too many of your kind recently. Your cult of zealots is madder than anything else in this broken world. I should have known you were one of the Sakura."

She backs away slowly from you keeping her eyes trained on your movements.

"If you're here to kill me. I'll let you know that all the others that have tried have failed."

 

[Cherubian]

Not exactly the reaction I had expected. It is my turn to let my eyes go wide now.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I burst out. "I don't know what a Sakura is, just like I have no clue what Tarath is. And I have no intention to kill you!"

Staring, glaring even, at her I begin to calm down. "But I think we really need to talk. In a quiet undisturbed place. Now."

 

[DungeonsOfDread]

Dm

Saerah takes on a defensive stance, she seems just as confused as you are.

"Alright, let's go to my room it's back up that Hall. Follow me."

Saerah makes her way back down the hall, this time she shoves the drunk overly touchy drunk against the wall, you can feel the vibrations of the shock in your feet. Though she is looking straight ahead you know she is keeping tabs on your position. After passing four doors she stops and opens one of the rooms. Turning back to you she motions you to join her.

 

[Cherubian]

All right, Saerah is willing to talk after all. That is a definite improvement over the previous panic. And she seems to know how to defend herself.

Without hesitation i accept her invitation and step into the room. I try not to be too careless, though, there isstill the possibility that she has something other than peaceful conversation in mind.

 

[DungeonsOfDread]

Saerah checks the hallway before closing the door behind you. You can almost sense the paranoia oozing from her pores. She turns to you angrily and begins before you can get a word out.

"Every crazy nut in Sakura has dreams about Taranath, I've seen them chanting together, doing crazy rituals, Drinking blood. Ever since I started getting deeper into this thing I've had one of their crazed follows at my back. Some have even tried to kill me. If you're not one of them then who are you and don't lie cause I'm not against killing another one of them."

 

[Cherubian]

I just shrug, thinking that question over. What part of my past could be relevant for this? In any case I better stick to the truth.

"I know about as much about Sakura as I do about Tarath. Less in fact, until a minute ago I did not even know that name. Me, I am just a drifter trying to eke out a living. I have no idea where these dreams come from, what their meaning is. But since they are there I better get to the bottom of it, since there must be some reason for them to pop up in my mind, right?"

 

[DungeonsOfDread]

Dm

Saerah studies you for a short moment before replying.

"I'm sorry I don't have any answers for you there, however if you are game to find out more there is a Temple of theirs about three days from here. Three days by horse that is. I'm actually headed that way but not to the Temple itself, I could get you to the cross roads."

 

[Cherubian]

"Three days ..." I think out loudly. That means I have to pick between her and Sorren.

"You mean a temple of these Sakura people? Can you tell me a bit about them? besides their dreaming habits?"

 

[DungeonsOfDread]

She looks at your incredulously .

"What apart from the random violence, crazed rituals and general psychopathy they like to engage in?" Her eyes falter when you don't seem fazed.

"Well, apparently according to their scriptures they are the chosen people of Taranath. A place of wonder and glory they say, no pain, death or suffering. It all sounds like a load of rubbish to me. Most of them seem to be in a drug induced haze of some sort but the coherent ones, there is something more to them. Last time I had the unfortunate experience of meeting one it took a 1 tonne boulder and some other help to finish him off. " She sighs then continues on.

"I suppose the good thing is those nasties are easy to spot they have a symbol on their head, the same one as the necklace I gave you."

 

[Cherubian]

I fish out the necklace and give it a closer look as it rest there in my palm.

"The mere fact that they can be so tough, however, is some indication that not all about their cult is rubbsh, right? Also the fact that Sorren is after them.

What exactly was your mission, then. What had he told you?"

 

[DungeonsOfDread]

Dm

The symbol on the necklace is not common or recognisable to you. It appears to be made of a metal but the way it shines in the light makes you think there is more to it.

"Sorren isn't after the cult, he couldn't care less about them or me. He only gave me two things for this mission, supplies and the name Taranath. I spent weeks asking around every place I came across. He told me that if I found it he would square my debt so naturally I accepted. I had no idea the craziness that it would put me in though. When I told him about Sakura, he told me to find it before them or anybody else. Anyway the stone and necklace was pretty much all I had to show for."

 

[Cherubian]

I follow Saerah's speech intently.

"A place of wonder and glory ..."

I am in thouht for a few more seconds, before I speak again. "From what you tell me about that Sakura cult there must be something to that myth. Where else would they get the powers you witnessed..."

A scary prospect, as well. Fighting an unknown foe always is, in a way.

"And the stone you gave Sorren, where did you find that one? In a cultist hideout?"

 

[DungeonsOfDread]

Dm

"I'm not sure what it was exactly. It was definitely a shrine of some sort, it was hidden underground and the stone and necklace were on a pedestal. When I removed them the whole place started coming down on me. I barely made it out of there."

Saerah eyes the necklace in your hand with both fear and disgust.

 

[Cherubian]

"Definitely something behind that myth ..."

Again I am musing loudly, trying to sort through my ideas and thoughts while I look at the amulet in my palm.

Then, quite suddenly, my head jerks up and I look back at Saerah. "Why don't you come with me?"

 

[DungeonsOfDread]

Dm

Saerah looks indecisive. Her eyes flit around the room as if the answer was on the walls.

"Go where and do what? I think I've already gotten deep enough in this madness. I will take you to the crossroads that lead to the Sakura Temple after that I'm done."

 

[Cherubian]

I shrug, just a little bit disappointed.

"It is your decision. But maybe you want to think about it. This has the potential to become something big.

And risky, of course. But isn't it better than to continue this miserly searching for scraps we are doing now?"

 

[DungeonsOfDread]

Dm

Saerah gives you a half-hearted laugh

"After what I've seen, I'll take the scraps any day. Anyway I'll be leaving tomorrow morning, meet me at the gates at sunrise."

 

[Cherubian]

"You know, you are still rather vague about what you have seen."

Not that I have much choice in the matter, if I ever want to get to the bottom of those dreams of mine.

So now, go with Sorren or Saerah. Which poison to pick?

 

[DungeonsOfDread]

Dm

"I don't like to talk about what I have seen, I think I've already said too much anyway. My advice to you would be to give this quest up, once the cult is after you they don't stop. Anyway tomorrow."

 

[Cherubian]

"You won't talk even if your silence could get me killed?" My shoulders slump slightly, in a bit of resignation "And if you had that thing haunt your dreams you might think different. I just have to get to the bottom of this."

 

[DungeonsOfDread]

Saerah sighs sadly, she steps around you and opens the door.

"One more thing. If you see Sorren again, be careful with him. Even though he helped me at a time when I really needed there's just something about him. Something dangerous."

 

[Cherubian]

Soemthing dangerous around people. Seems to be a trend lately. "I will keep it in mind."

As it seems I am not getting anything else out of Saerah at the moment, I get up and begin heading towards the open door.