When Therion arrived outside the inn, he found that the group had already started to split up to take care of the responsibilities on their to-do list before they departed from Noblecourt. Tressa and Alfyn were off to make sure their supplies were in order, and Tressa was determined to haggle anyone who gave them prices that could at all be considered too high. Olberic wound up leaving with H'aanit to get some extra food for Linde and Hägen since the two were starting to get agitated by the constant shuffle of the town. That left Ophilia to go with Cyrus and Therion back to Barham's home to see if the scholar knew anything about the shrines of the gods. Therion was fine with it, much to his own surprise; Cyrus knew what he was doing, and Ophilia seemed like a nice person. There were worse people he could have been stuck with.
The more Therion thought about it, the more he had to wonder if he really disliked any of the people he had found himself traveling with. It wasn't as if he had asked to be part of their journey across the continent, but at the same time, he didn't mind it as much as he thought he would. Even if he was there because Cordelia and Heathcote hadn't given him a choice, at least he was trying to enjoy it. As far as Therion could tell, he was almost succeeding. There were still a few whispers in the back of his mind that reminded him to not get too close to anyone or to let his guard down too much, but he did his best to move past that and concentrate on just getting through the situation at hand. He owed himself that much, and the others deserved a bit of dignity along the way too.
Walking back to Barham's home this time was much less painful than it had been in the past. Ever since realizing just how similar they were in the worst ways possible, Therion hadn't minded Barham as much. He supposed that being able to take out his anger on Orlick hadn't hurt in the slightest when it came to calming himself down. Either way, Therion's concerns with their histories being similar didn't matter. He was there on another mission, and he wasn't going to falter. After all, he wanted to get out of Noblecourt as soon as possible, and this was the best way for him to get that chance.
Therion knocked on the door to Barham's house, and shuffling could be heard from the other side. Barham opened the door a few moments later, and his eyes went wide when he saw Therion, Cyrus, and Ophilia. "Surprise," Therion started, his voice deadpan and low.
Barham stared at them for another moment before he stepped aside to let them inside. "I take it you were successful in your mission?"
Therion nodded. "You won't need to worry about the dragonstone ever again as far as we're concerned," he replied.
"We believe that the stones may have a somewhat toxic effect on one's mind. If they are around the gemstone too long, then there is a chance that they will be influenced by it on a personal level," Cyrus began to explain. "I believe that your friend was caught in the grasp of the stones and didn't realize it."
Barham let out a sigh as he looked off to the side. "As much as I hate to admit it, that would make sense... I hope you're right in that he doesn't get involved with anything like that again," he murmured. "I hated having to see it the first time, and I don't want that to happen again."
"For now, we're going to take the dragonstone back where it belongs tomorrow. Until then, we have an important question for you," Ophilia told Barham.
The scholar raised an eyebrow in her direction. "What is it?"
"While we were on our way here, we came across two shrines that represent two of the twelve gods of Orsterra. We were hoping that there would be information that could lead us to the other shrines somewhere in Noblecourt. After all, there are quite a few scholars here that gather significant amounts of knowledge, and given what you did for us, we figured that you would be a perfect place to start," Ophilia explained.
Barham took a moment to think at that, and he closed his eyes in quiet contemplation. "At one point in the distant past, there were people who worshipped the gods in settings other than the churches seen throughout the land," he began to say. "Of course, the exact locations are difficult to pin down because of how long it has been since people went there on a regular basis."
Therion and Ophilia shared a glance as Cyrus spoke up once again. "Any information that you would be willing to provide us would be much appreciated," he said firmly.
Barham walked over to one of the tables within his working area, and he started to shuffle through the pages that were scattered throughout the region. Therion resisted the urge to wince at the sight of just how messy Barham's workspace was, but he knew that commenting on it wasn't going to at all be productive to their attempt at finding information. As long as Barham was able to track down what he was looking for and help the group to reach the shrines, the path that took him there was unimportant.
Barham was able to find something a few moments later, and he held up a scroll that had been folded up on the corner of the desk. It had gathered a thin layer of dust to show how long it had been since it was last used, and Therion cringed as Barham flapped it through the air to get rid of the particles and clear up the scroll's surface. Upon closer examination, it appeared to be a map. "Orlick and I have been investigating magical artifacts for quite some time. Before the dragonstones, we set our sights on many other locations that might be able to help us," he began to explain. "Magic can be found all across the continent, and if you know where to look, you can find areas that are particularly strong with this power."
"What's the map for then?" Therion questioned, raising an eyebrow as the dust settled.
"This map has markings for the regions that are particularly rich in magic. I can't say which of them are going to be helpful to you, but you might as well take it and do what you can to find more information. I hardly have use for something like this anymore. I don't think I'll ever have to travel to these areas, so you can take it. After what you did for me to help free Orlick from the spell of the dragonstone, it's the least I can do," Barham went on.
Cyrus reached out and took the map from Barham, and his gaze immediately dropped to the page in front of him. There were a few points marked with X symbols to show where Orlick and Barham had once been planning on investigating, though the areas were few and far between. In fact, there were less than two dozen of them across the map.
Ophilia let out a gasp before she pointed to an area of the map that appeared to be close to Stillsnow. "That's the area where we found Aelfric's shrine!" she exclaimed.
"And this is where we found Alephan's shrine," Cyrus murmured as he pointed to another part of the map that had a cross mark not far from Noblecourt. "I believe this will prove to be incredibly helpful in narrowing down our search for the remaining shrines."
Therion's eyes passed over the map quickly, and he was easily able to see that there was one sign of immense magical strength tied with each of the towns that they would be passing through on the next few steps of their adventure. It started off with Stillsnow and then went to Noblecourt, and there was going to be something in Goldshore. Therion had been under the impression that their next step of their journey across the continent was going to be Stonegard since that was where Hägen had been leading H'aanit ever since they left behind S'warkii. They could double back to Goldshore when the time came for that leg of the Kindling to be carried out.
At the very least, that was what Therion had been thinking initially. He was starting to change his mind on that though. It would be easy for them to go to Goldshore on their way to Stonegard. They would be able to snag another shrine along the way, and from there, they could use the Warp Staff to go back there when the time was right for the Kindling. It seemed like a much better choice than just waiting on going there for quite a while. They could use all the power they could get, and if there was a shrine in the area, they might as well take advantage of it.
"I guess we had better make for Goldshore after we're finished here," Ophilia commented as she glanced up to Cyrus and Therion, seemingly having come to the same conclusion the thief had. "That way, we'll be able to go back there whenever we so please later on."
"Are you sure it's alright for us to take this?" Cyrus questioned, raising an eyebrow in the direction of Barham.
The scholar nodded. "Of course. I wouldn't have given it to you if I didn't mean it," he pointed out. "It's the least I can do given that you were able to snap Orlick out of his trance with the dragonstone."
Ophilia smiled once again in his direction. "Thank you for all that you've done for us, Barham. We don't think we can thank you enough," she said kindly.
"It's no issue at all. Do what you have to with it. I get the feeling there's a lot more you have left to take care of," Barham replied. Therion held back a comment about how Barham didn't know the half of it, though truth be told, not even he really understood what was going on behind the scenes. Aelfric had said that there was something else going on that none of them had come to recognize quite yet, but there was so much that could mean. They were simply going to have to see where that path led them in time.
"Thank you again," Cyrus smiled to Barham. He rolled the piece of parchment before he walked out of the building, shutting the door behind himself before looking down to Ophilia and Therion. "I believe that was a most beneficial visit."
"We should try to figure out what locations on that map could have something to do with the other shrines," Ophilia pointed out. "There are a few on there that likely don't have anything to do with what's happening. We should do what we can to narrow down the search in case any of them wind up leading us on wild goose chases."
Cyrus nodded. "I'll get started on that as soon as we arrive back at the inn. It seems as if we'll have more than enough time to begin this search for information before we set out for Goldshore tomorrow. We'll need to tell the others about our change of plans," he pointed out.
"Of course. We'll take care of that as soon as possible," Ophilia agreed before looking over to Therion. "What do you think, Therion? Will you be ready to leave for Bolderfall tomorrow?"
"I think that I want to get out of Noblecourt as soon as humanly possible," Therion told her. It was true; even if their exploits in Noblecourt had gone better than he expected, he was sure there was still something odd about the town. Noblecourt had always struck him in a strange way, and he could tell that wasn't going to change regardless of how much time they spent there.
"I suppose we know what has to be done then," Ophilia chuckled. She started to walk back to the heart of the town a moment later, Cyrus hot on her heels. "Let's do what we can to prepare ourselves to set out tomorrow. As soon as we get back here from Bolderfall, it'll be time for us to see what we can do in Goldshore. I don't know what we're going to find there, but I suppose only time will be able to tell."
Therion nodded at that and watched as the other two started to walk away. He shoved his face into his scarf, off to pickpocket anything he could get his hands on. If the people of Noblecourt were going to be so obnoxious, then they deserved what he was going to do next. They had more than enough gold; they could afford to lose a little bit.
With the distractions of their missions gone though, Therion couldn't help but think about what had been bothering him when he first arrived in town. He frowned at the thought of Rufus, and he forced himself to stop thinking about the man as soon as he could manage it. The last thing he wanted to do in that moment was remember what Rufus' connection to him could have been, and if he could at all avoid it, then he was going to shove that thought process out of his head. There was a chance he was jumping to conclusions along the way regardless, and he didn't want to think about it too much when there was a strong chance that it wasn't even true.
Therion had been so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice he was on a collision course with someone else in the town square until after he had run into them with his shoulder. He immediately pulled away, his expression returning to its regular neutrality to ensure the other party wouldn't be able to read too much into his actions.
He was met with a man with light purple hair tied into a braid at the base of his neck. Everything about him was strange to Therion, and he felt a shiver sprint up his spine. It was difficult to describe just why he felt so sick to his stomach at the sight of this man, but it was like every part of him was actively repulsed by the person standing in front of him. Pain pounded through his eye, and he did his best to shove it aside. There was probably nothing wrong with him. Therion was just paranoid and jumping to conclusions, right? He had to be.
Then again, there was something wrong with Noblecourt. Therion had been able to guess that much the moment he arrived there for the first time all those years ago. He kept this in mind as he looked at the man once again, not daring to be the one to make the first move. He would see how the other man responded and go from there.
"My apologies, good sir," the man told Therion, a smile spreading across his face. Every part of his grin felt fake, and Therion's eyes narrowed once again. He didn't know how to describe it, but he knew there was something wrong with the man. It was a bone-deep chill that seemed to spread through his body faster than he was able to track it.
"You should be more careful," Therion cautioned, though he wasn't entirely sure what he was trying to get across by saying such a thing. He just knew that there was something wrong with the man in front of him, and he wanted nothing more than to get as far away from the conversation as soon as possible.
"It seems like not many people are careful around here," the man admitted with a small laugh. He shook his head before gathering his composure once again and turning to walk away from Therion. "Until we meet again, sir."
The man was gone before Therion could fully register everything that had been wrong with the encounter. He let out a hefty sigh, and he shook his head in frustration. Noblecourt was still just as obnoxious as it always had been, and he was more than ready to get out as soon as possible.
"Ouch. Tough crowd."
Therion jumped at the sound of the new voice, and he turned to see Alfyn walking toward him with an easy smile on his face and a strange sense of understanding painted across his posture. Therion watched him carefully for another handful of beats before he spoke. "Some people," he muttered before looking up to make eye contact with Alfyn. "What are you doing here? I thought you were with Tressa."
"She wanted to look around the merchant district a bit more. I saw you in the crowd, and since you weren't with Cyrus or Phili, I figured I'd come to check on you," Alfyn explained. He fell into pace with Therion easily as the thief started to walk into the shuffle of the area, silently glad for the distraction but unwilling to say such a thing to the apothecary at his side.
"I'm fine," Therion assured Alfyn, resisting the urge to sink into the protection offered by his scarf. He didn't say anything for a long moment, not sure what he could even say. He eventually glanced up to Alfyn after a few seconds had gone by, seeing that the apothecary was watching him still. Alfyn was just as much the embodiment of the sun as ever before, and Therion couldn't tell if he hated it or if he liked it. Either way, he was sure that he didn't want to think about everything that was bouncing around in his own head. If he was left alone for too long, he was going to start thinking about Rufus again, and that was the last thing he wanted.
Alfyn watched Therion in the silence before he allowed a small frown to slip across his features. "You know, you've been actin' kinda strange ever since we got here. I get the feeling you don't want to be around here all that much," he said. It was an obvious attempt at starting a conversation, but Therion could barely even bring himself to think of a snide comment to bite back with. He was too tired of being stuck in his own head to bother.
"I hate Noblecourt. The people here are obnoxious and frustrating," Therion explained, though he knew just as well as Alfyn that this wasn't going to be enough to end the conversation in its tracks. Alfyn knew there was more to it, and he was going to keep pushing as long as he had the means to do so.
"That's not what I meant," Alfyn countered just as Therion had known he would. The thief allowed himself to sink a bit deeper into his scarf, and Alfyn took that as his cue to keep talking. "I just get the feeling there's something else on your mind. I'm not going to push it if you don't want to talk about it, but... You're not alone in any of this, you know. I bet you probably think of us as kind of inconvenient for stickin' around with you as you go on this big mission to get the dragonstones back, but... We really do care about you. I think we all care about each other a lot already, and you're not an exception to that rule just because you like spending time on your own."
Therion didn't know where he was walking as they continued to drift aimlessly through Noblecourt, but he didn't think he particularly cared about finding a destination either. Instead, he simply allowed his shoes to scuff across the ground slightly, a frown spreading on his face. "It's not important," he muttered crossly, though Therion didn't believe that for a second. How could he? There was no way for him to convince himself or Alfyn that he wasn't bothered by everything that was taking place around him. The dragonstones were part of it, yes, but they were the last thing on his mind as it currently stood.
Alfyn continued to study Therion for a long moment, figuring out the correct words to share, and Therion found himself silently impressed that the apothecary was able to put so much care into helping those around him. It made sense given his occupation and the goal of his travels, but it still caught Therion by surprise. "If you don't want to talk about it right now, I'm not going to make you," Alfyn eventually said. "I'm not going to push you if you're not comfortable with talkin' for now, but... You know that you're not in this alone. We're all here with you because we want to be. If you need us, all you have to do is say so."
"I can handle this on my own, you know," Therion muttered. It was a flimsy excuse that wasn't going to fool Alfyn, but he was trying to keep the apothecary from getting too deep in his business at the very least. That had to count for something even though he knew everything was quickly falling apart faster than he would be able to gather the pieces and try to put them together.
"If you really want to be alone, then we can leave you be, but we're stuck together whether you like it or not. We can help each other if there's something going on. That's one thing that I think is great about our little group. We can do things for each other if we can't face our problems alone," Alfyn continued. "I don't want to do anything that crosses lines, but... If you decide that you want to talk, all you need to do is come and find me. I'm sure everyone else feels the same way. They wouldn't have helped you come this far if they didn't care about you, Therion."
The thief continued to stare at his feet as he walked through the city. He didn't think he would ever be able to get used to being cared for by others no matter how much time went by. There would always be something that held him back whether he liked it or not, and he hated it. The past continued to influence him in a way that isolated from everything he could have wanted from the other members of the group. There was no freedom from his history; Therion had learned that much ages ago. He had long since stopped trying to push back against it because he knew so well how hopeless the fight was.
Alfyn seemed to be able to sense that Therion didn't have much else to say on the matter, and he allowed himself to smile as he looked at the sky overhead. "I don't know what happened to you before you met up with the rest of us for you to feel this way, but... You're not in that situation anymore. It can be kinda hard to convince your body and mind that you're not in danger anymore, but... It's true. The rest of us are here to defend you, and as long as you're willing to let us in, we'll do what we can to pitch in. We wouldn't be here if we didn't want to help you."
Therion didn't say anything in response. Truth be told, he didn't think he was ever going to know how to respond to something like that. He wanted to believe Alfyn more than anything else, and that was the worst part. He had learned so long ago that trusting others was the worst thing he could do to himself. He didn't want to risk putting faith in those around him in case it turned around to bite him the same way it had so many times in the past, but at the same time, he actually liked being able to count on the others. It wasn't a perfect system since they weren't a perfect group, but it wasn't like Therion was a shining role model either. He just wanted to do what he could to help them all through everything that was going on, whether it be their individual issues or what they were doing in terms of retrieving the dragonstones.
In a way, that was the first problem. He wanted to be around them even though every part of his body was screaming at him that he shouldn't get attached. After all, reaching out to others was the first step of a slippery slope that led to everything falling apart. It had happened before, and he didn't want to risk it happening.
And then he looked at Alfyn and his smile like sunshine, and that was all it took to break apart everything Therion had been building toward. The others were certainly something special as well, but Alfyn was able to break through it all so effortlessly. All it took was a single motion for everything to start falling apart, and it was like Therion's defenses might as well have never existed in the first place. He had been able to keep himself out of trouble for years up to that point, but it didn't seem to matter at all when he was presented with everything Alfyn could do with just a single moment and a flash of a grin in the wrong direction.
Alfyn seemed to snap out of the conversation a moment later, and he looked up with a smile. "Look at that. Tress looks like she found a sale or two. We should go over and see if there's anything we can do to help her out," he declared. He glanced over to Therion a moment later, his grin growing wider. "What do you say?"
Therion found himself nodding before he could even register what was happening. He followed in Alfyn's shadow, wondering just how he was supposed to deal with any of this. He didn't think anybody had ever managed to break through his barriers so effortlessly. Alfyn didn't even have to try to do so much damage to Therion's shields. Hell, Therion didn't even know if the apothecary noticed what he was doing, and he wasn't going to be the one to bring it up in case that somehow wound up blowing up in his face. He instead just bit down on his lip and braced himself before taking a few steps forward in the direction of Tressa.
It was strange to Therion just how easy it was for everything he had been putting together for so many years to just splinter and break in the blink of an eye. He had thought at one point that he was going to be on his own forever, but even in spite of that, he had managed to find a group of people that cared about him. Therion could deny it all he wanted, but he knew the truth deep down, and it wasn't just Alfyn's words that had made it all clear to him. He knew that the others wanted the best for him whether they said it openly or not, and in a way, that was one of the hardest parts. How was Therion supposed to just face something like that when he had spent so many years on his own? How could he change his tune when he was so used to something so completely different?
Therion knew that he wanted this more than he was willing to admit, and the reason he was letting everything happen without protest was because he really did want to be around other people. He had been on his own for far too long, and there was only so much of it he could take before he decided that he wanted to reach out and establish a new dynamic with those around him. How could he not want to bridge the gap? He had been alone for long enough as it was, and he deserved to be able to find other people who cared about him... Right?
Then again, he was a thief, wasn't he? There were many members of the group who had questioned his actions in the past because of his occupation. They would be more than right to not want to be around him or trust him given everything he had done. He hadn't shared the full extent of his past with them for a reason, and he didn't even want to imagine what might happen if he was forced to tell them about everything he had done in the past. He hoped he was never put in that position since he was afraid of them leaving. Even when faced with all the fear that came with placing his trust in the wrong place, Therion was scared of being left alone beyond that. It was pathetic.
All of that melted away the second Tressa came into view once more. She was tucking a few leaves into her bag, seemingly having easily haggled her way into a discount. Therion didn't know how she was able to do something like that so effortlessly, as even though he was a thief, he had never had a natural touch for the same things she did. He supposed that was part of what made their group so perfect though; they helped one another out so easily. They had been able to do that for ages, and he doubted it would ever change.
Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Therion didn't want it to change. He wanted to keep on the same way he had been ever since they picked him up, and it had nothing to do with Heathcote, the dragonstones, or the fool's bangle.
In a way, that was the worst part.
Late night chapter. I'm exhausted, but I'm happy with how this one turned out.
This is one of our last chapters for Therion's chapter two arc. After this, we're going to be shifting gears and going back to Bolderfall for a while, and from there, it'll be time to hop right back to Noblecourt and finish off this leg of the story before getting ready for the next part! In case the discussion of going to Goldshore didn't make it clear, we'll be getting Alfyn's chapter two after this. The merchant shrine will be along the way, and then we'll get to meet one of the biggest pieces of human trash this game has to offer us! Fun times.
For now though, this chapter was tons of fun to write. I truly did enjoy being able to work with Therion in this way, and his character is interesting to write, especially given that we're coming off the heels of Stillsnow where Primrose was having similar struggles. Starting with the two characters that have attachment issues will make their development later on much more pronounced, and Alfyn's chapter two is only going to start showing that more because of how open and friendly he is. We're on our way to the found family trope, and all it took was fifty chapters. Whoops.
Next time around, we'll hit up Bolderfall and reach an important beat for the overall plot. For now, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is appreciated as always. Have a nice day, everyone!
-Digital