User:Akuyim/An (Ab)normal day at the Guild Hall (5)

An (ab)normal day at the guild hall 5
It was raining outside, as he made his way to the guild hall proper. It had been two days since the nightmare. Yesterday, Khandivya had discovered Keishe had gone to the dark side of engineering, she confided in him and after several hours had gone back to her sister. Something after the conversation had plagued his mind. He had to have his talk with Keishe now. His right arm, twitched, when he awoken from his nightmare, he discovered that most of his scars, had reopened somehow and bled heavily. Now it was just bandaged, and uncomfortable.

Rain cascaded down in front of his face, from the brim of his hat. He was not in the most pleasant of moods and the rain wasn’t helping. The chicken he had won at the last guild hall followed him and Reggie was at his side.

Walking into the Guild hall proper, it was mostly empty. Bronwyn and Spartan were at a table, holding hands listening to the rain pelt off of the rooftop. Spartan was handing Bronwyn a small lavishly wrapped box. Keishe was also here, sitting at a table, fiddling with something in front of her. Taking a deep breath, he walked over to where she was working, and sat down next to her. She was in deep concentration with her work, she barely recognized someone sat next to her, the tip of her tongue was sandwiched between her lips, sticking out the right corner of her mouth.

“Keishe” he sighed as he spoke. He kept his voice calm and steady.

She barely glanced at him “Eya” she whispered and went back to concentrating.

“Gnomish Engineering Keishe, How could you? Do you realize everything they have done to your sister and I?” he said to her.

“It’s not bout dem, but der gizMOS. Even she knows dat. We had dis talk yesterday.” she said back trying hard not to lose her concentration. Her fingers working deftly, on twisting a set of wires.

“Not quite, it is about them. They hunt your sister and I. With you dealing with gnomes it won’t take them long to put two and two together. They will come after her. Before you get involved too deeply with them you should stop.” he countered.

“Joo worry too much Grandpa” she chided back.

“I’ll be your uncle.” he sighed back. He already knew the discussion was as good as over, she was just going to play games with him now. He clenched his teeth, he felt the anger sweeping over him, his arm began to bleed again. He was thinking on how to approach the subject differently to avert her game.

“Asides, once she gets her BELT OF VALOR, she be InvinCible and UNSToppable. So joo got nuthin to worry bout old man” she continued, bringing the object close to her face. Examining it with a great sense of pride.

“I will not lose her again, and so help me Keishe, if you stick with your decision you best make sure your “community” stays the hell away from me.” he slammed his right fist onto the table with a resounding thud. Startled she dropped her gizmo, and it broke in half. He rose and marched defiantly out into the rainstorm.

He made his way back to the Hunter’s lodge. He entered the lower area, where the pens were. He began to walk to Mahkwa’s pen to feed him. He was not alone, Etoya was here feeding his gorilla, Ishmael bananas. They nodded to one another.

“Hey Aku, you going to be at the feast tonight?” Etoya said,

“Should be, so far don’t see any reason why I wouldn’t” Akuyim replied.

They then went back to feeding their respective pets. Tonight was the feast of spring, a time of celebration.

Tatimitzi had walked into the guild hall, just in time to hear and see the last exchange between her friends Akuyim and Keishe. Keishe was looking down at the broken bits of what she was making. As Tatimitzi got closer she could her Keishe grumbling under her breath about Akuyim.

Tatimitzi sat down next to her friend Keishe. Keishe looked up at her from beneath her goggles, and picked up the two main pieces and started again. It hadn’t taken Tatimitzi long to figure out from Keishe that Akuyim had talked to her about her engineering choice as Khandivya had. However, it was surprising to see him react in the way he did. After a few moments of talking, Keishe became lost to Tatimitzi as her calling took up all her concentration again. So Tatimitzi decided she would talk to Akuyim and see why he reacted the way he had.

She walked back out into the rain, towards the Hunter’s lodge. She walked up into it and was greeted by the smell of all the animals there. Akuyim was sitting on a stool, leaning against the wall, watching Mahkwa make quick work of his dinner. Etoya had gone upstairs to his room.

“Hi Aku” she said cheerfully.

Glancing in her direction, “Oh hello Miss Tati.” he smiled back.

“Can I have a moment of your time?” she asked.

“Sure thing, what can I do for you?” he nodded as he spoke. He stood up, and closed the door to Mahkwa’s pen. Offering her the stool he just got up from. Reggie still sat next to the stool.

Graciously she sat down and immediately began to pet Reggie’s massive head as he put it into her lap. “Well” she began. “I happened to see you and Keishe exchange some words, and you left angry.”

“Oh. Uh that. It’s nothing. We are fine. You don’t worry your little head over that Miss Tati.” he said back.

She looked at him, a pleading look. She knew there was more but she wasn’t going to come out and say it.

“Look, some things have happened in the past with myself and Khandivya with gnomes. Such as they want her brain, and me dead. I believe that with Keishe dealing with gnomes, the ones that are actively hunting us will be able to find us. I mean I know how much Keishe is fond of her sister. I will not take any chances that will jeopardize Khan’s life. She means, everything to me.” he spoke with a commanding tone.

“Well, she only took up gnomish engineering, to show Khan how good she could be. She didn’t want to be under her shadow nor surpass her in goblin engineering. She wanted to be on equal grounds of brilliance with her sister. I am sure, if she knew she would endanger your lives she would do everything she could to prevent it.” Tatimitzi said queitly.

She noticed it, the small river of red, sneaking it’s way from his wrist to the back of his hand.

“You’re bleeding” she said in near shock.

“Oh yeah this, it’s nothing.” he said calmly.

It was then, it hit him like a ton of bricks. That missing piece to the puzzle he was working on. His eyes grew wide, the realization. He had his answer. How could he have been so blind. “I ‘ve got to go Miss Tati.” he said with a near excitement in his voice.

“But your arm.” she stammered.

“It can wait” he called back as he ran outside towards the Guild Hall.

He had to speak to Keishe again, and she hadn’t moved.

Sitting down next to her again, he said. “You and me, important talk, no games.”

She glanced at him from under her goggles, muttering something under her breath in trollish.

“Listen, I don’t care for gnomes nor gizmos in general, but I need help. I think you can help me. Can Gnomish engineering make an Image Inducer?” He asked, as more blood trickled down his hand.

“ A wha?” she asked back.

“An Image Inducer, Something that would make a gnome look like a goblin.” he explained.

“Not dat I’m aware of. Don’t mean it ain’t possible. Dey got gnomes workin on STUPH all da time. Why joo ask?” she answered back.

“Oh I have a hunch about something. I think that there is one already made.” he answered back. His mind drifted back to that night in Booty Bay.

The wind had picked up considerably and darkness had made its full bloom, what little lights the moons gave had been choked out by storm clouds. The goblin was standing next to a couple other goblins Akuyim didn’t recognize. “We are so glad to see you sir. We have an urgent matter that could use your type of expertise.” The main goblin said. He was dressed in the gear befitting more of a mad scientist then one of the many pirates and rogues that frequented the bay. His tattered coat had definetly seen better days and his monocle had been covered in soot and wiped clean so many times it no longer seemed to be made of glass but a piece of charcoal. Akuyim made no acknowledgment that he was even addressed, so the goblin continued. “The members of our esteemed order have been coming up slain. It is our belief that the gnomes have hired killers to be rid of us once and for all.”

“Gnomes?..you want me to protect you from gnomes?...I don’t do protection..find someone else.” Akuyim stated and turned to leave. “You misunderstand me sir. Not me those who follow the Order.” the goblin added. “ The order? Uh-huh well the order will have to find someone else” Akuyim tried dismissing himself again. “Please hear me out...the order is the esteemed order of goblin engineers. High ranking members have wound up dead. We believe the gnomes are trying to be rid of us once and for all. We have reason to believe a friend of yours will be next.” the goblin added hoping to generate the response he wanted. Akuyim stopped and turned his full attention on the little goblin. “Who what where when...and it will be dead.” Akuyim growled through clenched teeth. Even Reggie mimicked his friend and began to growl. “We have reason to believe it’s a gnome assassin named Tibeew and we have reason to believe he will strike in Everlook.”

The goblin enlisting his aid, in defending goblin engineers from gnomish assassins. The goblin had used the gnomish assassin’s name, most people don’t know their assassin’s name. He also mentioned he was trying to hire him for the glorious order of goblin engineers. While he looked like a goblin engineer, he didn’t say he was part of it, or indicated he was. What if he had been a gnome in disguise? What would his true purpose have been in getting him to go to Everlook? What if the demon was involved somehow, if he lost everything, he would go back to being a monster, and thus he would be ripe for recruitment to the Burning Legion.

He stood up quickly. His eyes wide with a sense of dread. He would miss out on the feast tonight, he had a date with some goblins in Booty Bay.