Chapter 289 - A Badge of Brutality (1/2)

*Eldovian Era 1714, 24th day of the 1st month*

To Tigin and Rima's surprise, Aegin had shown up with lunch for the next four days. At first they'd been cautious and confused about his presence, but after the first couple of visits, it became pretty clear that Aegin was not seeking them out with ill intentions.

He encouraged them to talk a lot about the West. About it's cultures and its development. He even coaxed them to talk about their own lives, though it became clear fairly quickly that all three of them were particularly forth coming about their origins. A few sentences each seemed to sum up their experiences.

”I was born to an exiled tribesman and a slave woman,” Tigin had offered, ”Neither of them were great parents so when I was old enough I just started looking after myself”.

”My mother ran from an arranged marriage in her tribe. She had me under unwilling circ.u.mstances but she cared for me until she passed from illness when I was seven. I've been here ever since,” Rima explained.

”I was born into servitude, freed myself and traveled a bit only to get forced into slavery, die, and was then reborn as a Vampire,” Aegin said, ”And I've been traveling ever since”.

That term, Vampire. It had rung a bell in Rima's mind, ”Ah, then you are a pilgrim of the Chaos God”.

”Ah, what?”

”The Chaos God,” Rima said, ”Admittedly I know little about him other than the fact that there were seven paths that his pilgrims could take. Vampires were one of the more prevalent I think”.

Aegin raised an eyebrow, ”There is no Chaos God”.

Rima had scoffed at this, ”Of course there is! The Tribes aren't like that cowardly Holy Order. They didn't erase a god because it scared them”.

”There are seven gods?” asked Aegin.

Rima had just nodded. Admittedly it wasn't Tigin's area of expertise. He'd known there were seven gods, and that the Holy Order only worshiped six of them. It was why most people in the West didn't except their teachings. But the Triad cities weren't a place where one had the luxury to concern themselves with gods. Rima's knowledge wasn't all that much better. She knew the basics, but could not offer more than what she'd learned in passing from her mother.

”Then, will the Tribes know more?” asked Aegin.

Rima nodded, ”Certainly. They actively worship the Seven Great Gods”.

”Which Tribe was your mother from?” asked Aegin.

”The Blue Suns,” said Rima.

Aegin turned to Tigin, ”And yours”.

Tigin shrugged, ”Part of the exile was his punishment to never speak his Tribe's name. I have no idea where my bloodlines come from”.

Aegin didn't appear all that disappointed though as he began to discuss with them the idea of finding the Blue Suns. Tigin didn't really care one way or the other, but Rima...he could tell that she longed to know where her mother was from the more Aegin spoke of it.

And he did speak of it. Often. In fact, it sounded as if he'd already made the decision for them. If it was anyone else, Tigin probably would have been annoyed, but Aegin's whims were certainly not meant to be harmful. He genuinely seemed to like Tigin and Rima, and seemed to wish for them to travel with him.

”Do you think we should go if he asks?” asked Tigin one night as they lay on their sleeping mats.

Rima was silent for a moment before she replied, ”I want to know, Tigin. I'm sick of being stuck here with no where to go. Like I have no place. Maybe, if I find out what she left, I'll find a purpose other than just surviving”.

It was on the afternoon of the fifth day of Aegin's visits that the two decided to tell him that if he went, that they wanted to come as well. Aegin, despite all his bravado and menace, smiled a genuine smile, then insisted that they'd need supplies for the journey and herded them out the door and down to the market.