Prompt 049: Intents
Character: Shadow Blade
Enre looked over the area, searching for any sign of someone that might see them. The coast seemed clear, so he motioned to his cohorts and they crossed the open field. Enre had seen the structure from a distance for years, and up close it looked completely different. From a distance you couldn't see the symbols carved into the metal, or that the walls had no clear markings of how the parts of the structure had been connected. He stared at the unusual metal, wondering how they'd manipulated it in such a way. He was pulled out of those thoughts as Ahwu touched his arm. She motioned toward the entrance of the building and Enre simply nodded, moving toward the opening.
To Enre's surprise and relief there was no one inside; leaving them free and clear. "This is the dumbest thing you have ever talked me into," Roth complained as he followed Enre in. "The both of you are insane." He looked to Ahwu and then back to Enre. "If anyone sees us, we'll be killed."
"We'll just say that the Gods spoke to us and we were feeling particularly devout," Enre answered, starting to explore. "Shouldn't there be a Bishop?" He asked as he moved to a wall, looking at the symbols and lines."
"I would think so, but maybe the Bishop is away for some other service of his post." Ahwu moved to the wall beside Enre, reaching out and gently touching the metal. "I don't see what's so special about this place. Why do we see these as holy?"
"Because they are temples of the Forerunners," Roth answered, looking around nervously. "We looked inside, now can we go?"
"Come on, aren't you a little interested in his place? Look around you; does this look like a temple? It doesn't look like one to me. I wonder what the original intent for this structure was..."
"It's a temple, meant for worship," Roth asserted again. "That's what we were told by the Prophets and they have never lied to us."
"Have they? We do not explore or study these structures ourselves," Ahwu said, still staring at the wall. "We follow the words of the Prophets like blind sheep." The female Sangheili moved down the wall. "What if these structures are meant to lift Sangheili kind to a new age of power and growth, but the Prophets are holding us back?"
"What are you saying? They'll kill you for saying things like that," Roth warned, looking around to be sure no one had heard. "The Prophets can read and understand these structures better than us."
"Exactly, and they make no effort to teach us. What better way to keep us under their control than to feed us lies we wish to hear, and have us worship empty structures?" Enre felt uncomfortable at Ahwu's words. While he didn't exactly believe in the Forerunners being Gods, he'd been taught all his life that they were partners with the Prophets. Though the Prophets did sit as religious leaders, which annoyed him, he hadn't really questioned them. "You agree, don't you Enre?"
Enre mulled over the possibility, finding it hard to come up with any defensive evidence that the Prophets weren't lying. "The basis of our Covenant and their power is built on the false religion of the Forerunners, on lies. And when your leadership is all built on a lie, how can you not tell more lies?" Roth shifted uncomfortably, always feeling uneasy when they talked openly of their disbelief in the Forerunners. Enre ignored him and continued. "And what faith can we have in leaders that take orders from leaders powered by lies?"
"None," Ahwu answered as she moved across the room. "That is why you will make such a good Kaidon." She turned and smiled at him and Enre couldn't help but return it.
"I think we've been here long enough," Roth spoke up. "The longer we stay the more likely it is that we'll be caught."
Enre sighed, but had to admit that his friend was right. "We have already seen that this building is empty. There is no other reason for it to exist other than as a shelter." He turned to the exit and checked that the coast was still clear.
"It figures that the building would be as empty as the religion built around it," Ahwu grumbled as she moved toward the exit, leading the way back toward the Keep.