Surprisingly, Therion was not the only one who wound up gathering some information about Barham during the group's time in the tavern. They had all split up to try and learn what they could, and while Therion had found the most success, the location of Barham's home still eluded him. Luckily, Tressa was able to swoop in when Therion was getting ready to ask around, and she said that she heard someone mention him offhand, saying that he lived on the south side of town in the residential district. She was beyond relieved to know that they were getting on with business properly without needing to do any more research into what they were trying to find, and with that, the group set off for the home Tressa had heard about.
It took a short while for them to find Barham's residence specifically given just how many elaborate homes were in Noblecourt's residential district. Therion eventually resorted to reading the names on the mailboxes, and in the end, he was able to come back positive. As it turned out, Tressa wasn't kidding when she said that Barham lived on the south side of town; his house was the farthest one out from the town square. At least it was easy enough to identify if they had to come back for any reason in the future.
Therion looked up at the house before he braced himself to enter with a grounding breath. "Let's see if he's home..." he murmured, reaching out to knock with one hand. He stepped back in preparation for the door to swing open, and the other travelers all shuffled back along with him.
It didn't take long for the door to open, and a man appeared in the entryway to the building along with the sudden motion. He had dark hair that was mostly combed back cleanly, though a few strands were left to fly free. His robes were white with orange highlights, a sign that he was no doubt just as rich as the rumors had claimed. In other words, this had to be the man Therion was looking for, and the thief resisted the urge to smirk into his scarf at the knowledge that they had found their target.
"Who's there?" Barham questioned, glancing around at the group gathered in front of his home. The paranoia in his voice quickly gave way to confusion, no doubt because he hadn't been expecting so many visitors. Given the location of his home and how out of the way it was, Therion wouldn't have been surprised if Barham hadn't been expecting anyone to come and see him at all. It was certainly the sort of place Therion would have never visited if he hadn't been given no other choice.
"Someone looking for a man named Barham," Therion said simply, not bothering to elaborate beyond that. He could already tell that this had to be the man in question just based off appearances. Nobody who wasn't a scholar dressed that way, and nobody but the owner of the house would have had a reason to answer the door.
Therion's theory was confirmed a moment later. "I'm Barham," the man replied, and Therion could hear just how strong the accent in his voice was. It was impossible to place, seemingly having influences from countless towns and cities across Orsterra. Therion ultimately gave up on trying to figure out where the man came from when Barham continued to speak. "What business do you have with me?"
"I heard you used to be Orlick's research partner. Is that true?" Therion questioned. He crossed his arms as he spoke, hoping that Barham didn't press him for information as to why he was searching for Orlick in the first place. He knew that conversation was bound to end poorly, and as far as Therion was concerned, he had more than enough troubles than explaining to Barham why he was trying to break open all the locks in Orlick's house. Or, to be more accurate, Therion didn't want to come up with some fabricated tale so that he wouldn't have to tell the truth. He didn't have time for it when the dragonstones were still out there waiting for him.
Barham hesitated before he shook his head. "That was long, long ago. I have nothing to do with the man now, and all the better for it," he replied. "If that's all you came here for, you can leave now. Goodbye!"
Barham was quick to try and step back into the house, attempting to swing the door shut as he made his hasty retreat. Therion caught the door with his foot, and Barham froze with his back to the thief. "Wait. Hear me out," Therion instructed calmly, doing his best to not accidentally startle the man deeper into his home. Barham turned around much to his surprise, and Therion took that as his cue to keep talking. "Orlick has something I need."
"And what's that?" Barham questioned, uneasiness starting to sink into his voice in full. Therion could have sworn he saw the man starting to tremble, leaving the thief to wonder just what had gone so sour in Barham's past business exchanges with Orlick to cause such primal responses of fear.
"I'll give you a hint. It's the subject of his research," Therion said bluntly, not wanting to yield too much information too quickly. Thievery was like a chess game in more ways than one, and the last thing Therion was going to do was give up the advantage so early on. He had to navigate the battlefield carefully if he was going to succeed without too much hassle, and this seemed like as good a place to start as any.
Barham understood what Therion was trying to say without needing any other explanation, and he let out a heavy sigh. "The ruby dragonstone," he muttered under his breath.
Therion nodded. "That's the one."
Barham was surprisingly calm when he next spoke, his gaze directed solely at the ground. "I surmise you plan to take it from him," he remarked carefully, somehow remaining composed even in the face of someone who might as well have admitted to being a thief by this point. Therion didn't respond, but luckily, Barham wasn't waiting for him to say anything. "And you need my help."
Therion simply hummed his confirmation as Barham continued, speaking each deduction like he feared it was at risk of exploding at a moment's notice if he wasn't careful enough. "So you came to ask me how to get into his place," Barham went on, the caution in his voice never slipping.
Therion smiled slyly in Barham's direction. "You scholars are quick on the uptake," he commented. He bit back a matching remark about how Barham's morality seemed to be quick to vanish as well; most people would have never even dreamed of agreeing to help a thief, but Barham actually seemed to be considering it judging by the fact that he hadn't slammed the door in Therion's face quite yet.
Barham was quiet for a long moment, looking at Therion and then to the other travelers of his group. Barham's gaze immediately swiveled back to Therion before he let out a heavy sigh. "Hmph. Very well. I'll give you the answer you seek. You'll need a password to enter."
Now we're finally making progress. "And the password is...?" Therion prompted.
Barham let out a small chuckle, and Therion could already tell that he shouldn't have trusted the scholar to reveal the answer so easily. "Presumptuous, aren't we? I'll tell you on one condition," Barham said.
Therion felt his stomach sink into his feet at that, but he shoved the thought out of his mind. "Let's hear it," he replied simply. This was his only option, and even if Barham's vague wording was already starting to bother him, he knew hearing the scholar out was his only choice to get the dragonstone for better or worse.
He didn't move at all to prompt the noise, but Therion could have sworn he heard the fool's bangle jingle at that, and Therion was left to wonder not for the first time if the universe was just trying to mock him.
"Get what I need for my experiment, and we'll call it a deal," Barham responded.
Therion nodded, but he already had an awful feeling about how this was bound to turn out. "Sounds fair. What do you need?" he asked.
"Pure water, filtered through the desert sands... The kind found only in the most pristine oases," Barham answered.
If Therion had allowed himself to roll his eyes, it would have been the most dramatic gesture he had ever seen grace his features. "Silly me. I actually thought your demand was going to be reasonable," he said, his eyes narrowing in Barham's direction. He could have gone the intimidation route just to get this exchange over with as soon as possible, but he somehow doubted it was going to be quite so easy.
Barham sighed in exasperation and shook his head. "It is, you fool. A merchant from the Sunlands oft comes to town selling this exact water," he explained. "However, this rarity doesn't come cheap."
Therion nodded. Having to steal something in exchange for the information about how to get the dragonstone was nothing; if anything, it was perfect. That fell right into his skillset, and it wouldn't take any time at all. He could only hope the merchant was as poor at sealing his pockets as the sellers had been back in Bolderfall. "Price is never my problem. Consider it done."
Barham nodded firmly before retreating back into his home, and Therion started to walk back to the center of town to look for the merchant in question. H'aanit just so happened to fall into pace with him, her two animal companions ever at her side. "So, how dost thou proposen to getten water from that merchant?" she questioned.
Therion scoffed at that. "Do you have to ask? You know what I do for a living," he answered bluntly, not seeing a reason to draw out this exchange when the answer would be clear in the end anyway.
"Thievery," H'aanit answered simply, the distaste in her voice falling off the word like poison dripping from the fangs of a viper.
Therion's gaze shifted to something questioning at that. "Don't approve, do you?" he asked. The response was already obvious, but he found himself waiting for it regardless.
"To speake truly, I doe not," H'aanit told him.
Therion shrugged. That wasn't at all far from what he was expecting, and if anything, it just seemed to fall in line with everything he had come to understand about H'aanit and the other members of the party over the course of their time together. "Fair enough. It's no secret. What I do isn't exactly noble."
H'aanit held up one hand to silence him before he could go any further. "Though needest not defenden thyself. We aren comrades. I can putte my personal prejudices aside," she interjected.
That was enough to give Therion pause, and his eyes widened for a brief moment before he pushed his gaze back down to the ground. H'aanit thought of him so highly despite her personal objections with his work. Therion felt something almost warm start to work its way up through his chest, but he did his best to shove it down before it could manifest in full. Instead, he allowed himself to crack a small smile, though he hid it behind his scarf. It had been a long time since anyone thought of him in such a way, and he honestly didn't know how he was supposed to respond to it. "Comrades, eh?" he murmured.
H'aanit raised an eyebrow in his direction, critical curiosity finding its way into her features. "Did I saye something odd?" she inquired.
"No," Therion said before he could allow his words to get away from him. If there was one thing he couldn't afford to do under these circumstances, it was think about the past. All it would do was hold him back, and he had a mission to take care of. H'aanit didn't need to know how close she had come to striking a nerve, and Therion didn't need to bring it up to begin with. "Never mind..."
The group had arrived at the town square by the time Therion and H'aanit were finished speaking, and people were bustling about as always. Therion resisted the urge to roll his eyes because of how many people were present, but he knew he had no choice if he wanted to get the water and report back to Barham. He let out a silent sigh and charged into the crowds once again, praying that this was less painful than he was already starting to think it would be.
Fortune was smiling upon Therion that day though, and he perked up when he saw a man with tanned skin dressing in typical Sunlands attire with his head covered in fabric to block out the overpowering sunlight and his clothing thin to cope with the heat. He was standing behind a booth with a bottle in one hand, and the fluid inside was no doubt exactly what Therion was looking for. He allowed himself to mix with the people around him as he looked up to the merchant when the man began to speak.
"Come one, come all! I present to you the most precious and refreshing beverage in the realm!" the merchant declared proudly. "Oasis water, all-natural and free of even the slightest impurities! One sip and you'll taste the difference! You there! How about a drink?"
The man had pointed out another figure in the crowd, and the two began to talk about the prices for the so-called sweetest beverage in Orsterra. Therion simply shook his head. If the merchant was going to make his presence that obvious, then stealing the water was bound to be a piece of cake.
Sure enough, Therion was able to snag a bottle without any issues at all, and as soon as it was in his hands, he tucked the water out of sight. Nobody had noticed him growing so close to the stand, and they certainly hadn't spotted him grabbing the water and making a quick yet subtle retreat from the area. He nodded to the others in his party before he started to make his way back to Barham's house. That had been so easy it was almost sad, and now, it was time for them to get some actual answers about how to sneak into Orlick's mansion.
The walk back to Barham's home was much shorter given that they knew where they were going, and Therion knocked on the door once they arrived. A muffled voice from inside told them to enter, and Therion walked in with the others hot on his heels. Inside, Barham could be seen standing at a counter. A scale was balanced nearby, and a beaker could be seen suspended over a crackling fire. There were many pages scattered about both on tables and the floor, and Therion couldn't help but think of it as a disaster in the making. Despite this, Barham moved around with a practiced ease as he worked on his current experiment, and Therion realized that this was a breed of organized chaos that allowed Barham to function decently well even if it would only serve to confuse all others who dared to enter the house, Therion included. The thief shook his head inwardly; he didn't think he would ever understand scholars.
"I hope you're thirsty," Therion said, sliding the small bottle of oasis water across the counter to where Barham was working.
The scholar jumped in fright for a moment before he got a handle on himself once again, and he examined the bottle carefully, almost as if he was trying to make sure Therion wasn't deceiving him somehow. Therion once again tried to not roll his eyes. All he wanted was to get this over with, and Barham's shuffling was only dragging it out unnecessarily. "That was faster than I expected," Barham admitted, but he seemed willing to admit that it was in fact legitimate after a few moments more of observation.
Barham turned back to his experiment, and he began to open the bottle before pouring some of its contents out into the beaker waiting before him. Therion's foot tapped with impatience. "I fulfilled my half of the bargain. Now tell me the password," he instructed, trying his best to keep the snarl out of his voice but only partially succeeding.
Barham looked up to Therion and shook his head. "Now, now. Your half is fulfilled when I say it's fulfilled," he told the thief firmly.
Therion crossed his arms, past the point of any sense of formality, and glared at Barham. "I see what's happening here," he muttered crossly. He wanted to punch the scholar then and there, but he knew that wasn't going to be an option. As long as he needed to get into that mansion, he was going to have to do as Barham instructed. Therion couldn't help but wish all scholars were as upstanding as Cyrus, though he supposed even that was relative given his companion's habits of interrogation.
"I should hope so. I'll need a few more things for my experiment, if you would be so kind," Barham said, his voice light and airy. He didn't seem to mind Therion's frustration in the slightest, and if he did care about the havoc he was wreaking on Therion internally, he chose to not show it.
"Thieves are notorious for being kind. How can I help you?" Therion questioned, his voice dry as could be. He clung to the mental image of punching Barham to try and rid himself of his frustrations with being played for a fool. It didn't work, and Therion's glare only grew more intense as the seconds crawled on.
Barham continued to make his way throughout the room working on this mystery experiment of his, but Therion didn't fully know what he was trying to do. The thief supposed it didn't matter much anyways; he just had to make sure Barham was able to finish this obnoxious task of his as soon as possible. "I require a wyvern scale. Can you procure one for me?" Barham asked, seemingly not at all minding just how much he was upsetting his brief partner in business exchanges. Therion wondered if Barham was doing it on purpose just to rile him up; he wouldn't have been surprised if that was the case.
"I don't know. Where can I find one?" Therion inquired, already praying that this wasn't going to take him out of Noblecourt. He preferred to only come through Noblecourt once if it was at all possible, and it would be best if there was a scale waiting in town for his sticky fingers to snatch up. Therion couldn't tell what exactly he was going to be able to expect though. Barham had already proven himself to be somewhat obnoxious to work with, and Therion couldn't imagine the scholar getting better with annoying people until well after this mission was over.
"They're sold in town from time to time. Wyvern scales are highly prized by scholars as a reagent, and they carry a price to match," Barham explained. Therion was starting to get a greater picture of the scholar he was working with; Barham had great ambitions but lacked the funds necessary to actually follow through with his dreams. Therion was simply the proxy through which he could carry out his wishes while maintaining his reputation. Therion was just glad he didn't care at all about keeping people from hating him. All he wanted was for people to know just how great a thief he was, and grabbing some water and a wyvern scale would hardly tarnish everything he had spent so many years working toward.
"I'm noticing a trend here," Therion said under his breath instead of offering his full commentary on what he thought of Barham. After all, he didn't want to completely cut off this business venture because he allowed his temper to get away from him, not when they were so close to being able to get into Orlick's manor. "But yes, I can get it for you."
"Good. I'm counting on you," was all Barham said before he turned back to his work. He began to navigate his way through the next few steps of the experiment, and once again, Therion was left at a loss when trying to determine what exactly Barham was trying to accomplish. It didn't matter though; as long as he was able to get the damn scale and force Barham to tell him the password, everything would fall into place. That was the hope, anyway, but Therion was starting to have less faith in it as time went by. But what other choice did he have? It wasn't as if another lead was going to fall into his lap this way, so he just had to grin and bear it no matter how much he hated the circumstances.
Therion gestured for everyone else to follow him, and he began to trudge through town once again. He hadn't heard anything about wyvern scales during his previous passes through the main merchant quarter of Noblecourt, so he was going to have to search elsewhere. He could only hope it wouldn't take too long, but he didn't want to think too optimistically for the time being. He shoved his hands into his pocket and decided to walk to the other side of town where the tavern could be found.
Tressa sighed in relief as the group went by the tavern without walking inside, and Therion found his mind drifting to the difference between Orlick and Barham. Orlick's mansion was massive and had far too much room for one person, and on top of that, Orlick was able to afford an armed guard to look after the research he was doing within those secluded walls. Barham, on the other hand, was associating with a thief to try and get his hands on the items needed for his experiments. To Therion, it was a strange twist of irony. He wondered if Barham would have been equally insufferable if he was the one with the massive mansion. Therion was glad he didn't have to find out the answer to that question though. The Barham he was already dealing with was obnoxious enough as it was, and he could only imagine Orlick was going to be worse. After all, nothing he ever did was easy, and Noblecourt was quickly proving itself to be just as much of a pain in the ass as ever.
There was a man standing away from the rest of the crowd near what appeared to be the gate of an ornate mansion. Nobody had come to occupy the building in a while though, and Therion could see just how desolate it was based on how much the plants in the garden were starting to overgrow and compete with one another for the sun's attention. The merchant was dressed in much more elaborate clothing than anyone around, and that was all Therion needed to know to be able to catch onto the fact that this was his target. He certainly looked like the sort of man who would carry wyvern scales and sell them when given the chance.
The man had taken to counting his leaves, hence why he was standing away from the rest of the crowd. Judging by how many coins there were, Therion could only assume that he had gotten all that money by charging more than what was worth it for his precious wares, and the thief resisted the urge to roll his eyes for what felt like the thousandth time that day. It was good to know that Noblecourt was still just as frustrating as ever, and he meant that in the worst way possible. As soon as his mission was finished here, he never wanted to come back, and he meant that with every bone in his body.
Stealing from this merchant was considerably less easy than taking from the stall had been, but Therion wasn't going to let that stop him. He was still able to see the wyvern scale peeking out of one of the merchant's pockets in his massive bag, and Therion made a quick shot for it when the man grew overly distracted with counting his money. Therion looked down at it just to make sure it was the real deal before he returned to where the rest of the group was waiting for him nearby. He was glad they had enough common sense to stay in the crowd to refrain from drawing too much attention to what Therion had to do.
Therion started to walk back in the direction of Barham's home, and he found himself getting more frustrated with each step toward the scholar's base of operations. He felt as if he had been dragged around by his ear ever since arriving in Noblecourt, and to say that he was sick of it would have been an understatement. He somehow doubted Barham was going to let his precious thieving pet go so easily when he had such a long shopping list, and Therion ultimately braced himself to be turned around and pushed out the door to go and grab something else the scholar was looking for. Even if that seemed inevitable though, Therion hated it, and he painted a glare on his face as he opened the door to the house without bothering to knock. If Barham wanted him to be polite, he would stop sending Therion on petty fetch quests.
"I got what you asked for," Therion said bluntly. He set the wyvern scale down before sliding it over to Barham nonchalantly. The back of his mind bitterly reminded him that he had been in this same position not even half an hour beforehand, but Therion did his best to silence that voice before he said something he was bound to regret.
Barham picked up the wyvern scale before it could fall off the countertop. He was still messing around with the same beaker and fire he had been when Therion first arrived, and the thief wondered angrily what the hell could be so interesting about something that seemed so normal. "Perfect. You're quite good at your craft," Barham commented as he held the wyvern scale up to the light, examining it carefully. He already seemed to have decided it was the real deal, and Barham's eyes told Therion that he thought the thief had a sense of honor for not having attempted to deceive him. Therion inwardly noted how he was a thief, not a con man; if somebody else wanted to scam Barham, they would be more than free to do so, but that person was not going to be Therion, not as long as he needed the password to get into Orlick's damn mansion.
"I need a password, not praise," Therion told him, offering a loose gesture to seem casual despite the spite starting to bubble up in his stomach. He could already tell Barham was going to ask for something else, and even though he had been ready for it, that did little to temper his frustration.
"And I need just one more thing," Barham said. On one hand, Therion was relieved this would be the last thing he had to get for Barham. On the other, he wondered if the man was really to be trusted. Therion bit back a complaint about not being here to be dragged around by Barham's flimsy desires, but he knew that would get him nowhere. He was still here for the password, and he couldn't get distracted so close to the end of his mission.
"Remind me: who's the crook here?" Therion questioned dryly despite his silent warnings. He glanced over to the other members of the group out of the corner of his eye. It seemed none of them were willing to negotiate with Barham after all he had done up to this point, not that Therion could blame them. He just wished he wasn't the one left to deal with it when push came to shove.
"That's a fine attitude to have if you don't want the password," Barham replied coolly, not bothering to rise to the bait as he continued going about his business. He poured something into the beaker above the fire, refusing to look Therion in the eye.
Therion sighed in resignation. He had seen it coming, but that didn't mean he liked the retort. "Okay. But this is the last one."
Barham nodded. "Yes, I promise. It's a special type of ore-metallic in nature but crystal clear," he began to explain. "Once I have it, I can begin my experiment."
Therion shook his head. "Music to my ears," he muttered. He was starting to get tired of Barham's accent and all he demands it brought to him. He felt like he needed a drink break before going to Orlick's mansion with how frustrating this situation had become even though he knew that wasn't feasible.
Therion started for the door soon afterward, recognizing that Orlick had nothing more to say. "Come on," he told everyone else, allowing them to fall in line behind him. He was itching to use his dagger in combat, and he calmed himself only at the idea that his encounter with Orlick had a full possibility of coming to that. Either he was able to get out his hatred for Barham on the even more frustrating scholar in Noblecourt or he would get the ruby dragonstone without any issues. Either way, it was a win for him as long as he never had to speak to Barham again.
I hate Noblecourt.
Rest in peace to Therion's poor sanity.
Before we go any further, there's one thing I want to mention while we're here about travel banter. I cut Therion and Primrose's travel banter from this chapter because Primrose doesn't really want to be seen while she's here in Noblecourt. I felt like her wanting to dance in the tavern wouldn't make much sense given the circumstances, so she's going to get another chance to talk with Therion later down the line. I just wanted to offer a disclaimer that, no, I did not forget about that, I did it on purpose.
With that out of the way, poor Therion getting dragged along everywhere. I kept the rest of the party silent for most of this since they're being dragged along just as much, so they're all in the same boat. Not everyone has as much animosity toward Barham, but Therion most certainly does. They wouldn't know how to deal with him even if they were given the chance to do so because that's just kind of the man Barham is. At least he's going to be free of this soon enough... And then he gets another problem to deal with. Oh, the joys of being Therion.
Next time, we'll pick up with the last fetch quest and get ready to go deeper into Therion's chapter two. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed. Feedback is appreciated as always. Have a nice day, everyone!
-Digital