Board Thread:Talkplays/@comment-4211788-20161219065535/@comment-5842470-20161219213759

Just above the roaring waves and whipping winds of the ocean, the monk arrived at his next location. Appearing out of the air, he landed in the water, the waves washing over him as he calmly prepared himself to make the dive. As soon as he dove beneath the waves, he could make out yellow lights coming from a white marble temple on the ocean's floor.

Numen swam toward it, being pushed about by the waves at first, but moving freely after he got a dozen feet lower. It would have been a marvelous sight to behold, if he were on leisure, but as this was business - important business at that - he would have to just get what he came for, then move on.

A pair of identical fish holding long, golden spears, while wearing white veils over their faces watched the monk approach. Seeing a land-dweller come and visit was rare enough, but seeing one move so fluently, while coming in the middle of a storm wasmostly unheard of. The two nodded toward each other, before each putting their left hands to their temples. The first fish sending a quick telepathic message to the other temple guards about a visotor, while the second sent a message directly to Numen. "State your business here." The second one spoke.

"I am looking for an acolyte of your temple. An angelfish by the name of Ian." The monk responded nearly-instantaneous with his telepathic message. Nodding, the fish moved aside, mostly out of a welcoming gesture than needing to move out of the way of the large, open doors of the temple.

As Numen swam inside, he paid no mind to the people waiting on benches or praying to the small altars they had set up. The only oddity he saw was a black and yellow cat, sitting with a temple guard's veil over her face, with a pair of bladed fans at her side. He shook his head at the right and moved toward one of the priests waiting to greet visitors.

"Peace be upon you, and welcome to the temple of Boev, god of Mercy." The priest rang out his usual speil, placing a hand to his chest and bowing. For whatever reason, sound seemed to flow differently in the temple. Words became clear and carried across the halls, but not to the point of deafening echoes.

Numen couldn't help but detect some disdain in the priest's voice. Whether it was disdain for him being a land-dweller, coming at this stormy hour, that he wore shrouded clothing and concealed his appearance, or just that the priest was overall bitter did not matter. The priest didn't need to like him coming, he just needed to help him find the acolyte he came for. "Peace be upon you." He replied, repeating the gesture to the priest.

"How may I be of service?" The priest asked, looking at Numen at first, before getting unnerved by his concealed face and looking at someone behind him.

"I am looking for an accolyte. He goes by the name of Ian. He came here some three years ago, yes?" The monk did not break his gaze with the old fish.

"Yes, we have an acolyte by that name. Why do you need him?"

"Your god, Boev, sent me a prophesy. He sent me an image of a young angelfish and told me his story, and how he would use him as a tool of his mercy to save thousands."

The old man sighed. "Very well. I will have a guard escort you to him." Placing a hand to the side of his head, he sent a brief message to one of the guards on standby to escort the monk to his intended audience.

After a travel down some corridors to the living chambers of the temple folk, he was lead to the chambers of a young adult angelfish, saying one of his daily prayers. "Do I need to stay here and show you out when you are done?" The guard asked, as was his duty.

"No, I have it memorized. Down this hall, then take a left, and follow the signs."

The temple guard nodded, swimming back the way he came.

At the end of his prayer, the angelfish said aloud the word, "Amen." before swimming over to a chair and turning to face the monk, placing his hand on his chest and bowing. "You had need of me, sir?" The fish asked as he touched a green crystal, causing it to glow brighter.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Not just me, child. Boev, himself has need of you."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"What does our lord require of me, sir? I am his humble servant, but I have to question why I was chosen. There are surely many more faithful than I..."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Perhaps it was your former life as a mercenary that has prepared you for this moment. Perhaps he likes your humble nature. Perhaps you were chosen because the other temples could not spare anyone. That is his business." The monk continued his partial ruse.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"With all due respect, sir, I would like to leave my previous life behind me. I have dedicated myself wholeheartedly to the cause of spreading Boev's mercy and healing."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Then you will heed his call." The monk responded. "You will do this and bring many to know Boev's name and the deeds of his followers."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">The fish was silent. One could tell his mind was racing, but such a decree from a prophet was not something he could refuse. Numen knew this well. Recruiting the faithful was always the easiest. Simply tell them that their deity required service of them, act as a prophet and get them to fall for it. Hook line and sinker. ...Or perhaps that analogy could have been worded better for the fish he was acquiring.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"I accept, sir." He finally spoke after a moment of silence.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Good. Gather what you can carry. We leave immediately."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Ian looked a bit stunned at the timing, but who was he to argue. He quickly took some provisions - clothes, some food, and his tools of preaching. He turned to the monk. "Where exactly are we going, sir?"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"An island. Come here, I will show you." Numen placed his hands on the fish's head as he came closer, both knocking him out and implanting a dream of the island into his head. Lifting the fish onto his shoulder, he disappeared from the room, taking the fish and his belongings with.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Before returning him to the island, he made a quick stop as a seemingly normal spot in the ocean. Lifting a rock and opening a lock, he found a small chest which he stored in the fish's belongings. While Ian wo uldn't be happy to see what was in the chest, it was better than him going unarmed in that dangerous place.

<p style="font-weight:normal;"> Transporting the fish away, Numen looked down at his hand. He was getting tired, but he had one more stop to make. And that hero may prove more difficult than the rest.