Wuick and Cormin - goals, past and philosophy

[Anume]

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Is it your blade or the ember that makes it sear flesh?

Cormin says 'The ember.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Another unique item?

Cormin says 'There are others which will freeze your opponent, and others which will lock their muscles into paralysis.'

Cormin shakes his head, 'No, but rare...and difficult to obtain.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Great items, of which I have much to learn.

Cormin nods.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'This world is... interesting.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Moreso than I had thought when I first glimpsed it.

Cormin says 'At times...at times it is weary beyond belief.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Indeed.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'I have grown accustomed, as much as it sickens me to admit it

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'But I would still wish to go home.

Cormin says 'Where is your home?'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Another plane. One of fire, and ash, and heat.

Cormin eyes widen a bit, staring at you, 'Indeed...how did you get here?'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Our trees burn as torches, and rivers run with molten rock.

You grumble distractedly to yourself.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Here? Not of my will...

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'See these?

Cormin looks at you.

Wuick lifts his wrists, revealing arcane sigils slowly circling the flesh.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'These bind me here.

Cormin says 'Then what brought you?'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'A device. Ancient, to my eyes.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Something wrought after the boodletting.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'To bring forth a defender bound to the will of Irumeru and his knights.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Apparently, it thinks I'm it.

Cormin's eyes harden as he glares at you, 'I see...'

Cormin says 'And do you consent?'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'To bring down the darkness?

Cormin nods.

You are hungry.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'I am darkness. To work for the good of all is... an affront to me.

You are hungry.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'But I have no choice.

Cormin says 'Bound by a will not your own, to forge against your own memories...'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'To return home, I must accomplish the will of the device.

Cormin says 'It sounds quite tragic.'

Wuick narrows his eyes, as they flicker with flame.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Perhaps.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'But in those moments where I draw the kill, I get a piece of that memory back.

You chuckle politely.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'I used to feast on flesh and sinew...

You are hungry.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Now this...

You get a bottle of milk from a travel bag.

You drink milk from a bottle of milk.

You drink milk from a bottle of milk.

You are full.

Your thirst is quenched.

You drop a bottle of milk.

A bottle of milk shatters into a million pieces!

Cormin considers you for a moment, his eyes taking on a dark look, 'What would you do to return, without following the will of the machine?'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'I know little of the arcane. I have no idea how to break the bonds.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'For to pit my own will against it...

Cormin says 'If the cause for which you are bound to fight no longer exists. Then how could you stay bound here?'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'These bindings not only keep me here, they bring great punishment when I... stray.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'When darkness is obliterated?

Cormin says 'No.'

Cormin says 'That is not the answer.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'I do not understand your question.

Cormin says 'Suppose the dark and the light existed peacefully, with no struggle for night to take day, or day, night.'

Cormin says 'Each existing as they should.'

You smirk.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'You glimpse the paradox.

Cormin says 'There is no paradox.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'For the evil I fight is not evil as I see it.

Cormin says 'But what if the fighting were to end?'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'I suppose...

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'It is the will of the Knights that my enchantment is bound to. Were they to dismiss me.. perhaps I would be released.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'But I do not know.

Cormin says 'Then my cause would help you as well.'

Cormin says 'Provided I can convince the Knights of my will.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'And what is your cause?

Cormin says 'Peace.'

Cormin says 'A unity among the world.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'A difficult thing, that. Noble, perhaps... but difficult.

Cormin says 'Very difficult.'

Cormin says 'But it can exist.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Evil does not merely exist in the hearts of those serving the dark gods.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'My bondage here - would you think that evil?

Cormin says 'Well I know that, I see it even in my best of friends.'

Cormin says 'It is.'

Cormin says 'To hold anything against its will, forcing it to serve...'

Cormin says 'Such is wrong.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'And yet it was wrought by a conclave determined to enforce their notion of 'good'

Cormin says 'How well I know.'

Cormin says 'I work to convince them, though the work is slow.'

Cormin says 'Of course, I must also convince the other factions...'

Cormin says 'It is a difficult task...monumentous.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'And those whose sole purpose is to dominate... what would you say to them?

Cormin says 'Why do they seek to dominate? The power they seek can just as easily be provided if everyone works together.'

You shrug.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Why do many do what they do? But they have done it for so long...

Cormin nods.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'I believe the nexus lives in delusion of ancient times, when their demon kin ruled this land, albeit briefly.

Cormin says 'I work against grudges that span millenia, ages of the world, the lifespan of gods.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Many of these battles are fought for reasons unknown to either side.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'It has simply always been so...

Cormin says 'Though not all the nexus think that way.'

Cormin says 'The demon Wymsicant, from what I have gathered he would rather not fight.'

Cormin says 'A simple clown is his aspiration.'

Cormin says 'The Gargoyle...the Ancient Living Stone, he too seeks peace, though I have had rare occasion to speak with him about it.'

Wuick twitches his ears as he tilts his bestial head in interest.

Cormin says 'He fights the Knights because they will not leave him alone elsewise.'

You smirk.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'So again, the knights bring discord.

Cormin says 'It is not just the Knights.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Who else?

Cormin says 'The Tribunal, with their enforcement...the Watchers, and their attempt to bring nature.'

Cormin says 'The Savants, discarding anything to gain knowledge.'

Cormin says 'The Warmasters, taking phyiscal strength to be their goal.'

Cormin says 'Each causes a little bit of the problem.'

Cormin says 'They all fight for the same cause, but their terminology...is

different.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'And with all this... you hope to bring peace and, with that, my freedom?

Cormin says 'I would try.'

Cormin says 'But...'

Cormin says 'I am mortal.'

Wuick emits a hoarse barking sound, you think its a laugh...

Cormin says 'My goals, my aspirations...they may just be the starting point.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Against enemies whose hatred spans millenia.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'They do not need a reason to fight... but they will need a substantial reason to sheath their weapons.

Cormin sighs deeply, 'Indeed...at times it seems a hopeless cause.'

Cormin looks at you, the beginnings of what look like tears in his eyes, 'But I

cannot stand by and watch those I love destroy themselves.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'I see.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'So then, why do you bear a weapon?

Cormin says 'Peace I may wish, but foolish I am not.'

Cormin says 'I do know that many will not listen...and I fear that as my word

begins to spread, I will draw enemies like moths to a flame.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Does it not harm your message to be another catalyst for violence?

Cormin says 'Perhaps it does.'

Cormin says 'But I fight in defense of myself, and those who need it only.'

Cormin says 'I do not seek out violence.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Hrm.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'But violence seeks you out, or will.

Cormin nods.

Cormin says 'I cannot help that.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'And should your message take hold, will you find yourself facing the creation of simply another faction?

Cormin says 'Likely I will.'

Cormin says 'But that is not what I seek.'

Cormin says 'I wish to see the factions disbanded.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'And what of the purposes they fill?

Cormin says 'Death? Violence? Corruption? Are those useful?'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'What of Tribunal, who protects your weaker citizens from the hands of their aggressors?

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Is that not what you said you do?

Cormin nods.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Draw your blade in defense of those who need it?

Cormin says 'For the time they are useful.'

Cormin says 'But the Tribunal persecutes as well...'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Aye, they do.

Cormin says 'If all lay down their weapons and embrace each other, what need is there for protection?'

You raise an eyebrow at the notion.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'You fail to recognize inherent greed in the nature of the sentient races.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Should all be made defenseless, one will rise up to exploit that.

Cormin considers this for a moment, biting his lip as he does so.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'And who will stand to defend against him?

Cormin says 'Perhaps it is that same greed that blinds me.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Oh?

Wuick twitches his ears.

Cormin says 'I want, at the cost of anything, even my life, to see peace in this world.'

Cormin says 'Would you not call that greed?'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Hmm...

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Not... entirely.

Cormin says 'Then what would you call it?'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Perhaps a bit naive, but greed is for the betterment of the individual, to the cost of everything else.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'You seem to wish for the betterment of everyone else, to the cost of yourself.

Cormin says 'Hmm...then perhaps, in answer to your original question...'

Cormin says 'I would say, that if my teachings were to truly take hold, they would conquer that greed.'

Cormin says 'Unless something such as yourself, an outside influence came, I would see no reason why they would fall.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Curiosity, perhaps.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'There are many 'outside influences'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'The fattened purse of a drunkard...

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Or the feeling of being spurned by a lover.

Cormin says 'It is something I will have to consider.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'These stir up powerful temptations, emotions that are also a part of our nature.

Cormin says 'Never having been tempted, or reviled in such a way, I have not had such an experience.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'You may have overcome these by discipline, or perhaps the passion of your vision.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'But passion is not so transmittable.

Cormin says 'Discipline is however.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'To all?

Cormin sighs.

Cormin says 'I could not ask that...'

You smirk.

Cormin says 'It would go against my purpose.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'To be so engaging in discipline would not be so far from my predicament.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Merely another form.

Cormin says 'But yours is unwanted...'

You smirk.

Cormin says 'If logic and reason could convince....'

Cormin says 'Such discipline would not be unwanted.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'And you think that being disciplined is wanted?

Cormin says 'At the moment? No.'

Cormin says 'Ever? Who can say.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Discipline comes first from the hand of a superior.

Cormin says 'It would not be me then.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Who disciplined you? A guildmaster?

Cormin says 'The priests perhaps...'

Cormin says 'Though they never once laid a hand upon me.'

Cormin says 'I followed their example.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Punishment is part of discipline.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'If not a hand, then work.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Or something to... dissuade... a recurrence of set behaviors

Cormin shrugs, 'No more so than any other orphan.'

Cormin says 'I copied books.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'And did you want to copy them?

Cormin says 'But I merely watched them, caring for all, no matter their

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Did you want to be disiplined?

Cormin says 'At the time? Of course not, what young boy would rather copy books than play outside?'

Cormin says 'But did I?'

Cormin says 'Yes.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Aye.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'But you touch upon my point.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'At the moment of it being given, the discipline will not be wanted.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Your mentors had to exact the punishment, against your will.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Such is growth.

Cormin says 'But if the example seen shows that the discipline is warranted, they will follow.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'But to apply that to the masses... where does discipline end, and tyranny begin?

Cormin says 'A fine line perhaps.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Very fine.

Cormin says 'But that is why I do not force.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Much is done believing it is best.

Cormin says 'I ask...plead for others to set down their blades.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'And many will follow. But many will not.

Cormin says 'But the more that follow, the more voices that speak in defense, the more will change.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'And what organization protects those who follow from those who do not?

Cormin says 'The unity, the whole will protect itself...no organization is needed.'

Cormin says 'Would you not protect a friend in order to spare their life?'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Aye.

Cormin says 'Such is the foundation for what I want.'

Cormin says 'There need be no connection other than friendship.'

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Intriguing.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'And I will be... interested... to see where it leads.

Cormin says 'As will I, every day, I see new things'

You nod.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Then I will watch for you. For the moment, however, I must take my leave.

Cormin says 'Each day I hope, each person I speak to, a new chance.'

Cormin nods.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'I am Wuick, by the way.

Cormin begins to extend a hand, then thinks better of it, 'Cormin.'

You smirk.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Pleased to meet you, Cormin.

You bow deeply.

The air shimmers with heat as Wuick growls, 'Until next time.

Cormin says 'It has been most interesting.'

Cormin nods.

You nod.

Wuick closes his eyes and fades from sight...

You have escaped from the Forsaken Lands.