Addikus limps through the open door and stands before the table where Araun works. The forsaken rogue removes a bag that had been strapped to his back and tosses it across the flat surface. The drawstring is loose, and an assortment of teeth spill out over the table.
There are the small flat nubs of gnome teeth. The long canines of night-elves. Dwarf teeth, Dranei, human, pandaren.
Attikus grabs the bag and empties the full load of its contents. He picks through the pile and begins to line specific teeth in a neat row before the dark priest.
The rogue speaks, “I be bringing this te ye as it was ye who decided te let me back inte the Grim. Ye said me first challenge was te prove meself useful in a fight. Since I been wearin this new tabard, I have slain a thousand alliance. I have taken te the battlefields with the likes of Khorvis. I have faced challenges alongside Syreena. Ishiki, Abric, Saeri. I have answered Anaie’s call te arms more times than I can remember.”
The rogue touches a massive stone fang. “And last night, ye saw fer yerself the glimmer of me blades at work. Here be a tooth from the stone guard. And here be one from Feng, the cursed. This tusk come straight outta Gara’jal’s mug. Here be Zian, Meng, Qiang, and Subetai. This ghostly bit be from Elegon, and these be from Jan-xi and Qin-xi.”
“Whether the fight be with Alliance, or with foes more ancient and powerful, there be plenty of Grim that can testify te me usefulness. If its killers that ye want,” Addikus points to the pile, “It’s a killer ye got.”
Addikus’s First Challenge: A Backpack Full of Teeth
Re: Addikus’s First Challenge: A Backpack Full of Teeth
Araun looks up as teeth roll across the letter he was writing, picking up little black inkstains as they go. He catches a small human tooth before it rolls off the table, and studies it while he listens to Addikus speak. The base of the tooth is bloody, and a small brittle curl grows out of the top - the dried root of the tooth, still attached. He slowly smiles, both at the bounty spread out over his desk, and at the Forsaken's story.
"So I see. Teeth, hm?" he says, dropping the tooth among the others before he continues, "In dreams, they say, teeth are a symbol of power. Losing your teeth means you feel weak - and biting someone means you have conquered them." He picks up the shimmering remnant of Elegon's tooth; it doesn't quite touch his skin, floating just above it.
"This is true among Tauren, humans, elves - even the Draenei. It points, perhaps, to certain common truths; that no matter what the Shapers may do to worlds and their people, some things are simply real in a way they cannot change." He turns the tooth over, continuing to speak, maybe just musing to himself at this point, "An immutable symbol, lying under flesh and beyond the soul - a truth touched only in dreams."
He puts the tooth back beside the others, and finally looks directly at Addikus, "In this case, a symbol of your victory and success."
Araun stands up, picking up his half-finished letter and sending teeth skittering over the desk. He starts folding the letter into smaller and smaller squares as he talks, apparently not quite noticing his hands at work, "I will confer with the High Inquisitor, but I believe we can consider your first challenge complete. I am far more interested in your next two challenges, to be honest, the first was never much in doubt." He keeps folding, the letter now down to a thick square maybe three inches across. "Please keep the teeth for yourself. You never know when you may need spares, after all." He makes another fold, but this time when his hands part, the letter is simply gone - a little bit of parlour-trick sleight of hand, maybe.
He clasps his hands behind his back now, watching the broken-faced rogue in front of him carefully, waiting to see what else he might have to say.
"So I see. Teeth, hm?" he says, dropping the tooth among the others before he continues, "In dreams, they say, teeth are a symbol of power. Losing your teeth means you feel weak - and biting someone means you have conquered them." He picks up the shimmering remnant of Elegon's tooth; it doesn't quite touch his skin, floating just above it.
"This is true among Tauren, humans, elves - even the Draenei. It points, perhaps, to certain common truths; that no matter what the Shapers may do to worlds and their people, some things are simply real in a way they cannot change." He turns the tooth over, continuing to speak, maybe just musing to himself at this point, "An immutable symbol, lying under flesh and beyond the soul - a truth touched only in dreams."
He puts the tooth back beside the others, and finally looks directly at Addikus, "In this case, a symbol of your victory and success."
Araun stands up, picking up his half-finished letter and sending teeth skittering over the desk. He starts folding the letter into smaller and smaller squares as he talks, apparently not quite noticing his hands at work, "I will confer with the High Inquisitor, but I believe we can consider your first challenge complete. I am far more interested in your next two challenges, to be honest, the first was never much in doubt." He keeps folding, the letter now down to a thick square maybe three inches across. "Please keep the teeth for yourself. You never know when you may need spares, after all." He makes another fold, but this time when his hands part, the letter is simply gone - a little bit of parlour-trick sleight of hand, maybe.
He clasps his hands behind his back now, watching the broken-faced rogue in front of him carefully, waiting to see what else he might have to say.
Re: Addikus’s First Challenge: A Backpack Full of Teeth
Addikus narrows his eyes at Araun's empty hands, ponders how the priest may have made the page vanish. His gaze moves fast, from palms to sleeves to pockets, but he's too late to catch the secret of the trick. His lips curl into a smile beneath the white mask that covers the bottom half of his face. "Ye'll have te teach me that, sometime."
The rogue straightens, rolls his shoulders, expels a lungful of dead air, and then settles back into a slouch. He takes the bag and holds the opening at the edge of the desk, one hand scraping the mound of teeth back into it. The golden wedding band on his finger scratches against the wood. "Funny, what ye say about dreams," Addikus says, "Drinn used to always dream about losin her teeth."
He nods at the priest, "Can ye guess how she'd make sure she still had 'em when she woke up?"
Addikus holds out his wrists, the flesh is ragged with old bite marks.
"Anyway," he says, "me next challenge be te get cozy with four Grim and te learn the story of one what's not around anymore. I been thinkin about that. Who I should talk to, who I shouldn't. There be a lot of new Grim around here. New te me, at least. Then there be the folks I've known since the beginnin. Little Syreena, always been sweet te me - even though I wouldn't trust her te keep watch over a bent copper. Anaie, who be mad as a hatter, talkin te her collection of eyes."
The rogue finishes collecting the teeth and closes the bag, slings it over his shoulder. "After some thinkin, I decided te spread it out like this: I want te talk to Mohan, as he's the one what leads Grim inte places of mystery and power; I want te talk te Khorvis, as he's responsible fer Grim at the front lines in the war against the Alliance; Next, I mean te talk te Abric, because that peacock and me go back a ways and I still couldn't tell ye if he ever was alive or if he was just hatched out of some cruel experiment; and finally, it be about time fer me and old Greebo te get caught up."
Addikus reaches beneath his knee, adjust a loose segment of bone in his bad leg. "Mohan, Khorvis, Abric, and Greebo, so long as them be willin te talk te the likes of me. As fer one of the old Grimmies te learn about, I'll see what I can see about Maledictus."
The rogue straightens, rolls his shoulders, expels a lungful of dead air, and then settles back into a slouch. He takes the bag and holds the opening at the edge of the desk, one hand scraping the mound of teeth back into it. The golden wedding band on his finger scratches against the wood. "Funny, what ye say about dreams," Addikus says, "Drinn used to always dream about losin her teeth."
He nods at the priest, "Can ye guess how she'd make sure she still had 'em when she woke up?"
Addikus holds out his wrists, the flesh is ragged with old bite marks.
"Anyway," he says, "me next challenge be te get cozy with four Grim and te learn the story of one what's not around anymore. I been thinkin about that. Who I should talk to, who I shouldn't. There be a lot of new Grim around here. New te me, at least. Then there be the folks I've known since the beginnin. Little Syreena, always been sweet te me - even though I wouldn't trust her te keep watch over a bent copper. Anaie, who be mad as a hatter, talkin te her collection of eyes."
The rogue finishes collecting the teeth and closes the bag, slings it over his shoulder. "After some thinkin, I decided te spread it out like this: I want te talk to Mohan, as he's the one what leads Grim inte places of mystery and power; I want te talk te Khorvis, as he's responsible fer Grim at the front lines in the war against the Alliance; Next, I mean te talk te Abric, because that peacock and me go back a ways and I still couldn't tell ye if he ever was alive or if he was just hatched out of some cruel experiment; and finally, it be about time fer me and old Greebo te get caught up."
Addikus reaches beneath his knee, adjust a loose segment of bone in his bad leg. "Mohan, Khorvis, Abric, and Greebo, so long as them be willin te talk te the likes of me. As fer one of the old Grimmies te learn about, I'll see what I can see about Maledictus."
Re: Addikus’s First Challenge: A Backpack Full of Teeth
As Addikus finishes his remark he looks to Araun. Before the Dreadweaver could respond the conversation was interrupted by heavy plodding footsteps. The pair looked at each other questioningly. Araun perked his ears while Addikus drew his blade in a flash and melded to the shadows. They waited...
The footsteps were approaching and as they got louder a low Orcish grumbling could be heard. The footsteps and the grumbling passed the doorway and receded into the distance. The Dreadweaver and his Supplicant looked at each other again before brushing off the incident as another oddity of Azeroth.
The footsteps were approaching and as they got louder a low Orcish grumbling could be heard. The footsteps and the grumbling passed the doorway and receded into the distance. The Dreadweaver and his Supplicant looked at each other again before brushing off the incident as another oddity of Azeroth.