Cathedral of the Old Blood (2)

The library was silent. No one else but them were in here. The smell of old tomes, leatherbound books and ancient parchments lingered in the air. Despite there not being a fireplace, it was comfortably warm here.

"How do I put this…" Aoric mumbled calmly, while his mind was rushing to try and find a suitable lie. How had he gotten himself wrapped up in this?

"Just put it simply." The man said with a gentle, kind voice. "It is not my place to judge, have no fear."

"I was rather unlucky," Aoric finally said. "I'm not from Vesporum, and I didn't know about the city gates closing for the winter." That was not a lie. Not yet. "I came here for work, so when my work for the fine gentleman who hired me was finished, I remained stuck in the city." The best lies were slightly altered truths.

No one would believe him if he said he was born in Vesporum, he simply didn't have enough cultural exposition to act like a local. But who he was hired by… why would anyone question that?

"I see," The man muttered. He joined his hands and pressed his thumbs together. "Quite a conundrum indeed. Do you have shelter?"

Aoric nodded. "For now." He added, unsure of what would happen one he somehow managed to steal the blood. Irene would probably kick him out. Or kill him, that option was always on the table.

The man nodded. "Good, that is good." A gentle smile touched his lips. "Please do not blade the gentleman, the city gates were closed not an unsignificant time earlier than usual this year, and none of the citizens were alerted."

Aoric had heard about that from the two men chatting a carriage on the morning the gates were sealed. As much as he was curious about the reason for such an important and sudden change, he wasn't sure if it was a good idea to ask about it.

"If you do happen to need shelter, I will provide it for you, given you work to pay for it, of course." The man smiled. "I do feel somewhat responsible, after all, young man."

Aoric flinched. "Um, why?" He asked as alarm bells rang in his mind. "I was simply unlucky, though I appreciate the offer…" he added, seeing the man chuckle.

"I ordered the closing of the gates," The man smiled. "It was to make sure the person causing such horrible tragedies around the city couldn't get away. So, please, if you do find yourself in need of shelter, come and find me. I will provide it to you."

Seeing how Aoric was at a loss for words, the man laughed. "Cat got your tongue?" He asked.

Aoric sighed and shook his head. "No… sir." He added after a moment's hesitation. What had Irene called the guy at the top of the hierarchy in Vesporum? The sorcerer? The guy did fit the title, to be honest.

With that unnaturally white hair and eyes, Aoric could definitely imagine him casting spells.

"No need for any of that," The man said with a chuckle. "I may be the one deciding, but there are many forces much more powerful than I am, for I am simply a humble servant to the Old Gods." His soothing voice was almost enough to calm Aoric's racing heart.

"I do have other things to attend to, but please know that you may come and ask for shelter at any time, young man." He got up and walked towards the door. "Oh, I almost forgot." He looked at Aoric over his shoulder. "What's your name?"

"Aoric." He replied, cursing inwardly. "It's an honour nonetheless, sir."

"Aoric. An old name." The Sorcerer muttered before leaving.

The young man's shoulders dropped as soon as the other man left. He had genuinely hoped that he would have asked for his name. Names were important, they cemented a person in others' mind. He wanted to be someone easily forgotten, and he had failed at that spectacularly.

He also got up and left the library. He did not want to overstay his welcome, after all. He returned to the main hall of the cathedral, sat on one of the pews, joined his palms, and let his mind be thrust into chaos as he tried to order his thoughts.

A while later, once he was able to think properly again, he began planning. His gaze lingered on the grail for a while, then it began drifting, in search of dark corners and unseen nooks and crannies.

Hours passed as he planned. When he left the cathedral, it was dusk already. He breathed in the fresh, cold evening air. It was refreshing after staying indoors for such a long time, though he couldn't help but want to check out that library some more.

He shook his head. Now wasn't the time to think about that. Next up, he was going to check the outside of the cathedral to see if there were any other visible entrances.

While it still seemed impossible to pull off, he was not about to attempt a theft without any form of preparation.