Author's Note: Heads up: I kind of worldbuild my way through the whole 'Proof of the Inventor' thing. Like...it's technically a key item, but it doesn't give a description as to what it looks like.
Chapter 4: New Delsta City
When Temenos had suggested that they have some kind of alternative for traveling in Sanctum Knight armor...Crick had to admit he had a point. At least, when it came to the culprit. For Crick, traveling with the armor was not as much of an issue as the possibility of alerting the culprit and letting them get away.
It might be one thing if they traveled on horseback, but the circumstance did not exactly allow for such a luxury. They could have gotten a cart as well...now that he thought about it, there really wasn't an excuse for their lack of a cart, was there? That certainly would have helped make things simpler, especially in terms of carrying equipment.
New Delsta City was known for being a place of fashion and extravagance, so the odds that they would find suitable traveling clothes were rather decent. The house that the black market shopkeeper had spoken of was closer. She did say that he called himself an inventor, and that he designed his own clothes. With the latter point in mind, Crick honestly didn't think anything would come of asking the inventor for advice.
Nothing could have prepared him for meeting Arkar. The minute he saw the travelers walking through the door, he eagerly showed off two of his devices - a catapult that he claimed could launch anything of a certain size, and a strange pair of boots. Ochette's eyes seemed to sparkle as she took in everything, while Temenos and Osvald watched on with varying degrees of interest. As for Crick? He found it somewhat interesting as well. He had seen catapults before, but none quite so...
"Ahem," Temenos interjected. "This is interesting, but someone told us you designed your own outfit. We were hoping to get tips - our friend here does need it."
At this, he placed a hand on Crick's shoulder. Arkar hummed in response, before snapping his fingers.
"Ah, I have just the thing!" he exclaimed. He picked up what looked like a small box and handed it to Crick. "Hold this for a moment or two, won't you?"
As puzzled as he was, Crick obeyed. He examined it closely - how was this supposed to help him? "Um...with respect, sir? This is not-"
"Give it a moment or two, I said! You're rather impatient, aren't you?"
A moment was all it needed; the box flashed, and suddenly Crick was wearing an outfit that mirrored Arkar's. It was comfortable...perhaps a bit too comfortable. The fabric seemed sturdy enough, however - linen, perhaps? The gloves were made of leather, he knew that at the very least. And he supposed the boots were as well...
The hat? Whatever that was made of, it might be a little too much.
"I was right!" Arkar hooted, circling Crick and giving him a once-over. "What am I saying, of course I was right! The 'Proof of the Inventor' fits you like a glove!"
He even went as far as to give the outfit a name?
Ochette whistled loudly. "Lookin' good, Bro!"
As if the situation wasn't strange enough for Crick, the hunter's nickname for him threw him off even more. "Bro?"
Temenos didn't say anything; he just had a smile on his face as he appraised the new outfit. Crick found himself wondering what he was thinking.
"So, what do you think?" the inventor questioned. "They're snazzy, comfortable and durable! Why, I bet you could wear them every day, they're so comfy!"
"I...don't know about every day," Crick admitted. "This is quite comfortable, but-"
"The outfit does fit him handsomely, but how practical are they really?" Temenos interjected. "You say they're durable, but we plan on traveling quite a distance. How do we know they won't fall apart at the seams after the first battle?"
What Temenos said caught Crick's attention. Not just the question of how durable these clothes truly were, but he said the outfit fit him handsomely? Did that mean that this actually looked good? That Temenos thought-?!
Crick mentally kicked himself and willed his face not to go red; he was not going to go down that particular line of thought! Absolutely not, not when it came to the person he was supposed to be protecting, and an Inquisitor on top of that!
In an effort to distract himself, Crick decided to focus on Arkar's response to Temenos' question. Not a very hard task, given the inventor's indignation.
"How dare you! Do you have any idea how hard it is to find fabric like this?!" Arkar ranted. "What I had to go through to get the necessary materials to ensure it would never burn?! I'm not as young as I used to be, and this stuff doesn't come cheap!"
"So there is a catch." It was more statement than question - almost to be expected from Osvald at this point. "You seem very eager to part with this 'Proof' to total strangers like us."
"Oho, you're a sharp one!" Arkar chortled, his outrage immediately dissipating. He marched towards one of the empty displays scattered across the room and placed a hand on it. The only thing that marked it as anything significant was a plaque reading; 'Elemental Bomb Bottle.'
"The Proof, that catapult and those boots? Merely the beginning!" Arkar explained. Again, he eagerly launched into his explanation; "I have far too many ideas to count! But I lack the materials to bring them to life, which is where you four come in! You help me gather materials for my inventions - and spread word of them, of course - and I'll let you keep the Proof! Of course, you'll be able to use my inventions as well~"
Crick couldn't speak for the others, but he really couldn't bring himself to say no. Not for the 'marvelous inventions' that this 'Proof' would give them access to - even with the eccentric outfit, he was still a Sanctum Knight. Far be it from him to turn down a civilian in need.
Ochette had been the first to run into the backstreets of New Delsta City - shouting something about smelling trouble. Everyone else followed to find two thugs terrorizing a puppy. The ensuing brawl didn't take too long; the four travelers easily bested the two of them.
"What's with you?!" one thug shouted. "It's only a stinkin' mutt!"
The two ran off, but didn't get very far. It was almost like lightning had come down to strike them both; before Crick could comprehend what was going on, the two collapsed to the ground. A woman in purple walked past the two, a knife in hand. There was a cold glint in her eyes as she stared down the group of four, daring them to come closer.
The staredown would have likely led to a tough battle, had it not been for the puppy. She immediately approached the woman and barked, happily pawing at her boot-clad feet.
The newcomer looked down at the puppy, and her cold demeanor gave way to a surprisingly gentle smile. Her focus shifted entirely from the group of travelers to the puppy in front of her. She was likely checking for any injuries, and even gave her friend something to eat before finally acknowledging the group.
"This little one is my friend," she explained, as the puppy sat by her feet. "Thank you for protecting her."
"No problem!" Ochette chirped. "I'm just glad we could help!"
"Agreed. Only the lowest of the low would pick on one that cannot fight back," Crick added. The woman fell silent, seeming to size the four travelers up.
"My name is Throné. I'm on the hunt for two particular people," she said. "You four are travelers, right? Would you happen to have room for one more?"
Temenos hummed in response to this.
"Let me ask you this in response," he said. "No ordinary thief could sneak up on others the way that you did. Who taught you how to do that?"
Any trace of a smile practically evaporated from Throné's face. "Would my answer affect yours?"
"No, it wouldn't," Temenos responded, a small smile on his face. "My apologies. You see, we all have our own goals in mind whilst we travel together."
As if to prove his point, Temenos placed a hand on Crick's arm and tugged him into the conversation. "For example, the two of us are investigating something."
Crick mentally slapped himself, both for letting that fact slip his mind and being so affected by Temenos' hand on his arm. Where had his mind been lately, they weren't taking this journey for kicks and giggles! Granted, he knew that was Temenos' goal in setting off on his journey...and while Crick would be lying if he said he did not want to get to the bottom of the pontiff's death, he was here as Temenos' bodyguard.
...That didn't mean he couldn't also be a part of investigating. Especially since Temenos didn't seem to have any qualms about associating himself with Crick as investigative partners.
"I see. You think your suspect could be in this city?" After a short pause, Throné asked, "...Do you think it could be me?"
"We knew the chance that our culprit could have hidden here was slim, but it was worth a shot," Temenos admitted. "So, I do not have reason to suspect you."
Crick was certain he could trust Temenos' logic in that sense, so he added, "We already have a suspect in mind, anyway. Tell me, do you know of any theologian named Lucien?"
"Lucien, huh…" Throné hummed before shaking her head. "Sorry, but I've never heard the name. Everyone knows everyone in this city, and this is the first I've heard of your target."
"I see." Temenos' expression was unreadable as he took in this information. After a moment, he smiled at Throné. "Thank you for your help. With that said, we'd be happy to have you come with us...if your offer still stands. Wouldn't we?"
It was only then that Temenos' earlier words registered in Crick's mind. Did he say that Throné was a thief?! Osvald was one thing, but to add a professional thief into their growing group? WHAT?!
His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a nudge on his side. He saw Ochette looking up at his face curiously.
"Hey, Bro?" Ochette questioned. "You look a little sick. Somethin' wrong?"
"Well..." Crick couldn't think of a way to answer that without sounding bad, so he contented himself to glancing between Throné and Temenos (who had taken to talking of other things). "I find myself wondering just what Temenos is thinking. My priority is his safety, after all. And since Throné dispatched those two thugs so easily..."
"You saying you don't trust her?" the beastling questioned.
Wordlessly, Crick nodded. Thankfully, Ochette didn't question as to why. Crick frankly didn't know how he was to explain his life's story, especially with someone he had only met a day before.
"Well...you like animals, right?" Ochette responded. "If it helps, Franny obviously trusts her. And Mahina likes her already!"
Now, Crick was a staunch believer that you can tell a lot about a person by the way animals act around them. So Ochette did bring up a good point; why would that puppy immediately go to Throné in its distress if it didn't trust her? The fact that Mahina didn't even make a sound may say something as well - Crick was less certain about that, since he didn't know the malamowl like Ochette did. That said...
"I'm sorry, but who is Franny?" Crick questioned.
"The puppy!" As if to prove her point, Ochette walked over to the puppy. She crouched, and Crick could only assume she was talking to 'Franny' for a moment or two; her voice was hushed enough that he couldn't pick up on what was said. The puppy seemed to have no objections, so Ochette picked her up and brought her over. Carefully, she held up Franny so that Crick could look right at the happy look on her face.
Crick could just feel his resolve wavering. Even if he didn't have a mile-wide soft spot for dogs, he found himself unable to argue with Ochette's logic. How could he be expected to stay firm when faced with such a happy and smiling face?
As if Ochette could see that, she questioned, "Does this look like the kinda face that would steer you wrong?"
"Fine. Fine! You bring up a good point." Crick placed a hand on his face, pinching the bridge of his nose. He supposed he would have to reserve his judgement for the time being, not that he could bring himself to actually say that. By the Flame, he was going to go mad by the end of this journey. He just knew it.
With any luck, he and Temenos would be able to solve the mystery of the pontiff's murder once they got to Canalbrine. Even if Crick found himself wondering what he was to do after they accomplished that task.