Summit (3)

Losing his home and his life. Lack of sleep. Nightmares. Magic. Time flowing backwards. A mesmerizing nereid. Children of Gods. Gods. Gods… It all kept coming faster than he could assimilate, and he felt sick. Would he even have any hair left from the stress if things hadn't become so bizarre?

Jacques breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, something normal happened: there was no glassware for sale in the smithy. He'd have to order it with money he didn't have yet, but that little anchor of normalcy was welcome. He had been feeling like a madman for a good while now, as many things he knew were turned overhead and many more came crashing through his brain without an invitation.

Separating from Ashirijen for the rest of the day felt like a mountain off his shoulders, even with the lingering fear she'd cause a riot somewhere in the back of his mind. Walking through the industrial sector to the central administration, he was able to use Talia's token to put his boot in the door and claim a decent job for himself. He was to report to the north gate's guard outpost to work as medicine man and surgeon.

As menial as it sounded, it was actually very important because the north gate was the one facing the forest, so guards and hired swords often came back injured after pushing back beasts or having some lumbering accident. People would have to give him face and agree to some of his demands for tools or other things because of the token at first, but Jacques was confident than after a couple days he'd have proven his capabilities ten times over. From what he'd gathered and understood, people in Ebb were too reliant on magical healing because of the abundance of Blessed people; at an estimated average of 30% of active believers among the population on the Primal, Ebb's population was closer to the 50% mark.

Once that was done, the position of the sun in the sky told him it was the middle of the afternoon. With nothing else left to do, Jacques made his way back to the temple of the Three, still lamenting the fact that he'd have to build his reputation of a medical expert from the ground up again.

The old man very much liked the ambience in the temple. It had a sense of calm, stillness and immortality that invoked awe in him; an emotion he hadn't felt in years. The stained-glass roof and mosaics floor were gorgeous, the stone hourglass in its sand pit imposing, the plants soothing. Being a non-believer at his core couldn't stop him from appreciating the effort and art before his eyes.

"You're back!" Talia's voice pulled Jacques out of his reverie. "I've arranged things while you were gone, the group of people I wanted you to meet will be there in three days, and the priests of Kali in four. I would have preferred them to come sooner, but it seems they're stalling for time."

"Oh, alright." He was a bit curious about that mysterious group of people the dryad mentioned but refused to name, but the temple's affairs really weren't his own. "It's no problem. We're not in a hurry, and I've found a way to live here without leeching resources from you. I was able to find a stable job no questions asked, so thanks again for the token."

Walking to the side past the sitting dryad, Jacques could see that Ashirijen was back as well, immersed in her pond. He wanted to discuss their respective rest of the day, including future housing arrangements, but ended up unable to. For some reason he couldn't fathom, the nereid seemed furious with him and splashed him with water before diving deep and ignoring him.

"Did she get harassed by people on her way? I don't think I've done anything to annoy her to this point today, have I?" He asked Talia.

"If she got harassed, I'm not aware of it. Which is very unlikely, because it would have caused quite the scene." He frowned. If he couldn't talk to the nereid, then the only thing left for him to do before trying out his new work was… "It's still early, why don't you go and talk with Eliott for a bit? I've told him about your presence and I've rarely seen him so chatty."

Of course, the one thing he had to deal with was somehow involved with the one other thing he didn't want to deal with at the moment. Namely, Gods and magic. But, from what the others hinted at, it was either that or more nightmares. "You're right. The sooner the better, I suppose."

--

"Welcome to your forever home, Child of Time. Come, sit with me. It is my honour to meet you." Eliott greeted Jacques before he could announce himself, on his bench facing the hourglass as always. The 'young' man continued softly: "The end of my life is decidedly filled with exciting events."

"Don't call me that, please." With how much time he passed sitting there, it was a wonder cushions hadn't been set up yet. "I have done nothing worthy of such a name, and I am certainly no child."

"It is not about age! How about 'my Lord', or 'your Excellency', perhaps?"

"Denied. Please call me by name."

The conversation died as soon as it began, leaving both men silent for a while. Since neither of them spoke up, they simply sat there sizing each other up. Eliott was blind and faced the hourglass but had his ways, and Jacques took his shrivelled appearance in. The time master was the first to break the silence.

"You have changed. Why do you think I purposefully called you names you didn't like, when Talia already told me about your circumstances?"

"Aren't you simply trying to embarrass me?"

"Well if that's what you think already, then I do have some terrible news for you, because even if you haven't accepted your situation fully, I'm here to teach you how to keep up appearances. And teach you, would you welcome my counsel. Perhaps you'd be more inclined to do it for the people, or maybe preventing your and the God of Time's image from falling in public is a good idea."

"A matter of perspective…" Jacques grumbled. The carrot was now gone, replaced with a blatant threat of the stick. Since he'd continued refusing to learn about magic until now, the nightmares were becoming worse every night now. He was aware that he'd die sooner than later if he kept up his attitude, but… he really didn't want anything to do with magic!

Still, he was the one who came to Eliott first, even though the meeting had been prepared by Talia, and so he resigned himself to endure the lecture and awkward questions. It wasn't as bad as he'd expected, but by the time night fell, his mind was exhausted.

"A final question, then: how does it feel to meet someone a third of your age who looks triple yours?"

Jacques scratched his head with a slight smile: "Like I am losing my mind. But I've become quite numb to the sensation as of late." Who knew what he'd find in his own skull if he could open it now.