[There's a spark of joy in Shura's cold, terrible heart at that reply. Haha, she annoyed the fart. And at first, it looks like she might leave him like that, taking the arrow back and with a word sealing it back in the seal on her sternum with a quick spell. She doesn't seem to have an issue turning her back on him, even in a place like this!
And that might be that, but Shura raises a hand and beckons for him to follow her. There's a quiet alley not far from here. Better to ask weird questions out of sight.]
Y'know, you seem to know a lot about old stuff~ I've asked plenty of people in town about it, and no one's come up with that explanation yet!
[Alucard does follow, even if his reaction betrays what an utter stick in the mud of a man he happens to be. There's a look of real impression with the way the arrow is sealed away though, and once they're underway, Alucard has a ready explanation.]
Someone might've been able to identify the feathers, eventually. I know because I've worked as a private curator and buyer for some years now, and that means having interacted with both those elements in various circumstances.
[Maybe she should have made her way to Krimnos from the start. The Free City and Didymos were in chaos; getting much of anything done that wasn't just surviving was trouble.
The alley she leads him to is quiet, not super dark. Perfect for wayward teens who think they're sneaky to hide in and snog, but not so much that it would attract wiser cons to do their dirty business. It's back to being somewhat serious once they're there.]
What do you mean when you said early Elven culture?
[Casually just not going to answer his question like a champ]
Exactly what it sounds like. Either at the start of the original kingdoms or just before that. If the thing isn't original, it's a remarkably excellent facsimile and it would have cost quite a bit to create.
[Alucard settles himself against the wall of the alley, arms folded across his chest. His demeanor doesn't shift much, but his eyes are far keener in the low lighting.]
You still haven't explained how you've acquired it. On the ground does precious little, and that knowledge could confirm if this is original or recreation.
It'd still be a contemporary piece with traditional materials, but it'd belie a hefty purse all the same. The wood's impossible to access these days.
[That might be an exaggeration, but Alucard sobers up rather quickly.]
With all due respect, miss, if you're going to ask my professional opinion I request that same level of professionalism and respect in return. I've no desire to be made to guess at information when I offered an evaluation readily.
[But since he gave her an answer, she might want to give him a little something. But only a little, because that's basically all she has.]
It came from a someone wearing a mask. They were trying to finish off one of the were-scaleskins, but they missed. I picked it up off of the ground after that.
[Look, she's being mostly nice about it! She does have questions about the wood... but let him get a bit of satisfaction. He hasn't asked for money yet, so information was a fair enough trade.]
[Being up in the mountains, Alucard had missed much of the ins and outs of that particular few months, but he understands the gist of it. What he also understands is that this is a cult that raised a damn dragon and has access to extremely ancient artifacts that they're inclined to toss around and just use as actual weapons.
Thanks, he hates it.
It shows on his face, frown becoming incredibly deep set.]
It'll be to your benefit if you don't show the thing off anymore, and I wouldn't try and sell it either. I fully expect those types of people to be at places like this.
[Who does he think he is, her dad or something? Gosh, Alucard, Shura's a grown up!! Probably. Maybe. It's entirely questionable. But Shura well enough not to sell the clue they managed to pick up during the fight. Besides, it wasn't as if it was really hers alone to sell. She'd definitely have to split the profits, and that would be a pain!]
You keep makin' that face and it'll get stuck that way.
[So maybe it was good advice, but Shura is horrible so it's completely getting shrugged off.]
[Shura replies, entirely practical. The poor creature they managed to capture was out of her mind, but what little they could get from her before she was put out of her misery was probably important.]
Things that would need such a specialized and fireproof weapon in order to be put out of their own misery.
[Alucard had heard about the scaleskins. He had frowned at the notion, realizing that the horrible blue dragon from the pit was not the only problem that had risen from that cursed pit.]
It's so clear that there are connecting parts, but exactly how they fit together remains obscured.
[ Thinking lead to overthinking, and Shura was a woman of action. For all she was trying to figure things out, she also knows sheβs way in over her head. She frowns, leaning back against the brick wall of the alley. This guy knew plenty enough about things; maybe it would be worth asking him about that message Strange got. ]
You seem to know somethinβ about the old kingdom. You know anything about Vrontiβs firstborn?
[Alucard pauses. In all of his dragon hating, he still knows the history. It takes only a moment for him to recall it.]
There were twelve in the original egg clutch, they were set perched over AtrΓ³mitos, but she later set four over each of the three major kingdoms at the time - the three key cities now. In turn her own offpsring gave blood to those in the kingdom Vronti herself deemed worth of such an act, ensuring that madness would follow. The bloodline's continuation was a key thing that bound Vronti, her brood, and the kingdoms together, for all the good it eventually did.
Not at the very start of the arrangement, but she had her eyes set on the future so far as the histories make clear. Dragons were only starting to gain the position among the people that they'd eventually rise to, and she was instrumental in creating that system.
What isn't recorded is how her offspring felt about it.
[The history of the relationship between dragons and the civilized races hadn't ever been something Shura paid much mind to before. The advantage of being a knight was that she had easy access to nerds who liked studying that kind of thing. But all of her old connections were long gone now.]
What a pain. Anything about that's probably been destroyed.
There may be materials in private hands, but I'm not sure whose. [Alucard would know a century ago. It was his job, helping collectors get such things.]
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And that might be that, but Shura raises a hand and beckons for him to follow her. There's a quiet alley not far from here. Better to ask weird questions out of sight.]
Y'know, you seem to know a lot about old stuff~ I've asked plenty of people in town about it, and no one's come up with that explanation yet!
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Someone might've been able to identify the feathers, eventually. I know because I've worked as a private curator and buyer for some years now, and that means having interacted with both those elements in various circumstances.
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[Maybe she should have made her way to Krimnos from the start. The Free City and Didymos were in chaos; getting much of anything done that wasn't just surviving was trouble.
The alley she leads him to is quiet, not super dark. Perfect for wayward teens who think they're sneaky to hide in and snog, but not so much that it would attract wiser cons to do their dirty business. It's back to being somewhat serious once they're there.]
What do you mean when you said early Elven culture?
[Casually just not going to answer his question like a champ]
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[Alucard settles himself against the wall of the alley, arms folded across his chest. His demeanor doesn't shift much, but his eyes are far keener in the low lighting.]
You still haven't explained how you've acquired it. On the ground does precious little, and that knowledge could confirm if this is original or recreation.
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[Just... hypothetically speaking...]
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Contemporary piece with traditional materials.
[...hang on..]
Wait.
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[No, it was a very real question. Shura holds her hands up in a shrug, pursing her lips out.]
People like riddles, right? Think of it like that!
[she's a terrible liar]
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[That might be an exaggeration, but Alucard sobers up rather quickly.]
With all due respect, miss, if you're going to ask my professional opinion I request that same level of professionalism and respect in return. I've no desire to be made to guess at information when I offered an evaluation readily.
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[But since he gave her an answer, she might want to give him a little something. But only a little, because that's basically all she has.]
It came from a someone wearing a mask. They were trying to finish off one of the were-scaleskins, but they missed. I picked it up off of the ground after that.
[Look, she's being mostly nice about it! She does have questions about the wood... but let him get a bit of satisfaction. He hasn't asked for money yet, so information was a fair enough trade.]
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[It's a question with perhaps too much gravity. He is absolutely dreading the answer either way, but that does clarify a few things.]
If so, I'd put good money on the arrow being an original artifact.
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[Look, she can't not be herself...]
But if you're askin' about their affliations--well, that's not a huge secret by now that Koroc had some unusual friends backin' him up.
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[Being up in the mountains, Alucard had missed much of the ins and outs of that particular few months, but he understands the gist of it. What he also understands is that this is a cult that raised a damn dragon and has access to extremely ancient artifacts that they're inclined to toss around and just use as actual weapons.
Thanks, he hates it.
It shows on his face, frown becoming incredibly deep set.]
It'll be to your benefit if you don't show the thing off anymore, and I wouldn't try and sell it either. I fully expect those types of people to be at places like this.
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You keep makin' that face and it'll get stuck that way.
[So maybe it was good advice, but Shura is horrible so it's completely getting shrugged off.]
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Yes, yes, as I've heard a great many times before.
[Alucard closes his eyes, and breathes out very slowly in order to center himself.]
The wood that thing is made of - it doesn't catch fire. It's one of the tree's unique properties.
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You mean fireproof or fire resistant?
[Exactly how much fire could this little thing take? If it was a weapon to be used on dragons--probably a lot.]
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[Alucard breathes out, his mind still on the cult.]
If those cultists were running around with it, then there's likely some terrible reason for it.
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[Shura replies, entirely practical. The poor creature they managed to capture was out of her mind, but what little they could get from her before she was put out of her misery was probably important.]
Well, whatever those things were.
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[Alucard had heard about the scaleskins. He had frowned at the notion, realizing that the horrible blue dragon from the pit was not the only problem that had risen from that cursed pit.]
It's so clear that there are connecting parts, but exactly how they fit together remains obscured.
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[ Thinking lead to overthinking, and Shura was a woman of action. For all she was trying to figure things out, she also knows sheβs way in over her head. She frowns, leaning back against the brick wall of the alley. This guy knew plenty enough about things; maybe it would be worth asking him about that message Strange got. ]
You seem to know somethinβ about the old kingdom. You know anything about Vrontiβs firstborn?
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[Alucard pauses. In all of his dragon hating, he still knows the history. It takes only a moment for him to recall it.]
There were twelve in the original egg clutch, they were set perched over AtrΓ³mitos, but she later set four over each of the three major kingdoms at the time - the three key cities now. In turn her own offpsring gave blood to those in the kingdom Vronti herself deemed worth of such an act, ensuring that madness would follow. The bloodline's continuation was a key thing that bound Vronti, her brood, and the kingdoms together, for all the good it eventually did.
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She was an old fart when she set that up, wasn't she?
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Not at the very start of the arrangement, but she had her eyes set on the future so far as the histories make clear. Dragons were only starting to gain the position among the people that they'd eventually rise to, and she was instrumental in creating that system.
What isn't recorded is how her offspring felt about it.
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[The history of the relationship between dragons and the civilized races hadn't ever been something Shura paid much mind to before. The advantage of being a knight was that she had easy access to nerds who liked studying that kind of thing. But all of her old connections were long gone now.]
What a pain. Anything about that's probably been destroyed.
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You're asking for a reason. What is it?