A Hand-Woven Universe 147 146. 3-Question Oath

"So, this is the being Eliza finally made a move over?" A large fogged over figure asked. From the voice, Noone a.s.sumed it was a 'he.' Possibly human? He wasn't sure and there was no way to tell, but his voice sounded so very tired, and impossibly old.

"Eliza?" Noone thought to himself. His eyebrows furrowed.

"Aliviv, can they see me clearly?" Noone transmitted discretely. The gnome responded without missing a beat.

"Yes. And they can hear our transmitted thoughts as well." Alaviv chuckled back. The rest of the room chose to ignore the exchange to try and save the young being some face, however Noone immediately went a little bit stiff. "Is nothing sacred?" He thought to himself, hoping they couldn't read his thoughts too.

"Alaviv, how much have you told him?" A gentle feminine voice came from a small figure only a couple seats from Noone. From the shape of her silhouette Noone felt it should be either a halfling or just a small human woman. She was too short for an elf but too thin for a dwarf, and too tall for her to be a gnome like Al.

Alaviv leaned back in his chair and scratched his stubbled chin. "Oh, a little bit…" He began.

"Nothing." Noone interjected, before the gnome could cause him anymore trouble. Alaviv glared at Noone only to be met with Noone's own unwaveringly sharp gaze. Finally, he devolved into a quiet laugh and shrugged his shoulders as if to say 'yeah, but it's fine.'

An almost unanimous sigh came from everyone in the room, seeming to be used to Alaviv's antics. Noone felt sorry for them if that was the case

He looked at Alaviv who was shrouded in fog, but he had a feeling he knew what face the small wizard was making. Possibly feeling slightly embarra.s.sed, the gnome stood – in his chair – and began an introduction.

"Well then, since we are all here, I suppose it's the best time to get this out of the way." Alaviv's small figure usually didn't do much for his presence, but as he spoke, Noone couldn't help but feel the little wizard develop a presence of magic and power all his own. A 2000-year-old level 17 wizard was nothing to scoff at, no matter how silly he might act.

"As you know, I am a level 17 wizard. I am unaffiliated with any groups or organizations though. This has its goods and bads. On one hand, it allows me to move and travel with much less restrictions and under much more secrecy. The problem is… I do not have the support or network to accommodate me." He extrapolated for Noone. "Or so I've worked to make people believe." He waved his hand, motioning to the other figures in the room. "What you see here Noone, are some of the most powerful wizards in the common realm, beings at the head of their respective organizations. Every single one no less powerful than myself."

Noone's heart thumped as his eyes quickly scanned the room, devoting each figure's silhouette to memory. He worked to maintain a neutral expression, but he was easily seen through by the other beings. No matter how much he had thought it was a possibility, he had hoped Alaviv wouldn't just drop him into that sort of situation.

As far as Noone was concerned, this would spell nothing but trouble for him.

"Noone." Alaviv said after giving Noone a moment to process. His voice was calmer than Noone was used to, but it also helped him relax. "Would you like to introduce yourself?"

Noone hesitated for a moment before standing up, nodding his head to the other beings and towering over the table. Wizards for the most part were beings of unhealthy dispositions. Excessively skinny or frail in temperament were often the image pictured by those in the common realm.

When these wizards looked at Noone, they saw someone who should be fit as a fighter cla.s.s or maybe a cleric. He was a stark contrast to what they were expecting as well. Or maybe… none of them knew what to expect in the first place.

"My name is Noone Tapestry Azelle." Noone used his name that he registered with the guild, believing these beings would have any number of ways to find out if he was hiding anything. "I am from Tapestry – an isolated conclave at the south-western edge of the world." He thought for a moment, but he was unsure of what to say beyond that. He didn't know why they needed him after all and could only guess as to what they were looking for.

There was a stir in the room as the wizards began to talk among each other. There were numerous isolated communities throughout the continent, even to this day despite several hundred thousand years, and the rise and fall of civilizations, new isolated communities were in constant discovery.

"Are you from an epoch-tribe?" One of the silhouettes asked with a lot of concern.

Very few societies chose to live and subsist along the borders of the continent, especially the east and west borders. Not all isolated communities were epoch-tribes. Many of them were simply remnants of past civilizations of the current epoch. These tribes were overall harmless - and could usually be integrated into society with a fair amount of ease.
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Epoch-tribes on the other hand were remnants of the last epoch. A time before any real history that they know of. The only evidence of this past epoch were the few epoch tribes that continued to subsist, thanks to being under the protection of the failed-G.o.ds.

Noone frowned, unsure of how to respond. Compared to what little these wizards knew about epoch tribes, Noone knew even less.

Seeing his confusion, some of the shadows shot clearly-understood accusatory looks at Alaviv as if to say, 'what have you even been doing this past year?'

"Noone." The soft voice from the small female a few seats over spoke up. When she did the rest of the room fell into a hush. "Would you mind telling us of your home? Everything that you know about it, as well as what drew you out into our world?" Her voice was gentle and sweet, but her questions were direct and got right to the heart of the matter. The entire room looked on silently, waiting for his answer.

Noone thought for a moment, looking down at Alaviv who only shrugged.

"It's not like I have a problem telling you, you wouldn't be the first. And with your strengths I doubt you don't have other ways to find out." Noone eventually said, laying an even gaze at the obscured figures around the table. A few of the people in the room nodded, what Noone said wasn't wrong. If he had indeed told someone else, there were countless strings they could pull to get that information… even if he hadn't told anyone… they had ways to make him talk. "However," Noone continued. "I don't like to do things for free." Noone's eyes narrowed dangerously. His thoughts felt like they were racing at an impossible speed. He knew if he was going to have any advantage in this scenario, he must make the first move.

"What do you want from us? With our strengths, there shouldn't be much we can't do." The room caught on very quickly and chose to humor the weak and young Noone. Someone spoke from the opposite side of the table. It was the confident voice of an older man, almost palpable with wisdom.

Noone thought about this for a moment, putting a finger to his chin. He had a rare opportunity right now. If he asked for it, then these people could probably extricate him from the grip of the order and even provide him with protection and resources to strengthen him…. But after thinking, Noone decided against this. Right now, they obviously needed him for something, but there was no guarantee that these were good people who would treat him fairly. Especially if he just handed himself over to them.

Noone glanced at Alaviv. Alaviv was different to these people, seeming to just be genuinely interested in living his own life and seeking out curiosities, however Noone didn't forget the possibility that all of this was also just a façade. When he thought this, Noone couldn't help but remember how alone he was right now. He had no one he could rely on anymore, no one except himself.

Thus, Noone was unsure what to ask for… what could these beings give him right now, without putting himself in a bad situation.

"I want information. I have many questions, and I want answers. Honest answers." Noone eventually spoke. His mind was set. Power he could seek out for himself, it was only information that he lacked.

The group looked at each other, nodding and mumbling to themselves.

"Alright." The wizened man said. "However, we will only give you three questions. You have the collective minds of the leaders in magic at your disposal, it's not like we can give you free reign. Sometimes too much knowledge is more dangerous than too little." There was an energy of truth to the man's words. Noone nodded, and was about to ask his first question when Alaviv interrupted him.

"Before we start officially then, shall we make an oath contract for the duration of this meeting. I would be happy to set the terms." Alaviv chuckled. Noone looked down at the small figure and for a moment he thought he could see the gnomes mischievous grin even through the cloudy mist. A silence fell across the room, and Noone was unsure what Alaviv meant, however from the reaction of the others, Noone didn't believe Alaviv was trying to put him at a disadvantage.

"Well." The wizened voice spoke. "If you would then."

Noone thought he heard a chuckle from the female a few seats over. Alaviv nodded and stood, drawing runes in the air in front of him. Soft blue light formed at the tip of his finger, filling out the runes with magic. Noone watched on with interest, doing his best to discern what these lines meant.

After a few moments, the rune was complete and it began to harshly glow, subsisting in s.p.a.ce without Alaviv needing to touch it.

"Here be the terms: for the remainder of this meeting Noone Tapestry Azelle will be open and forthcoming with his past and information of his home city. In return, we will be completely open and truthful in answering three questions, without deceit or misdirection. We hereby agree to follow this oath, to the spirit of the promise – and not just the letter." Alaviv spoke evenly.

Noone thought about the words Alaviv spoke. He was beginning to understand what the little wizard had done, and in his heart appreciated Alaviv more now than ever. However, wasn't the oath a little too vague?

Eventually Noone decided to just trust that the gnome knew what he was doing.

It only took a minute for the rest of the room to agree to the conditions.

"Well then Noone. You can go ahead with your questions." Alaviv said, sitting back down in his seat. Noone thought for a moment, before shaking his head.

"I will ask after I tell my story." He said evenly. Noone hoped that he would be able to discern some important things before then, thus he wouldn't have to waste any of his questions. After receiving everyone's agreement, Noone began to speak of his home.