Legacy: Beyond the Veil

The Prophecy

As Thane rounded the final corner to Harir's quarters he stared right into the toothed barrels of two ornate hand-magnas, the weapons looming in front of him like the maws of some alien predator. He strode forwards purposefully, giving the sentinels the chance to recognize him. The moment they did, the guards lowered their weapons again as soon as they had raised them, hiding the devastating tools of destruction under their thick cloaks of office. They were on edge, and that was a bad sign.

When their Captain-Emissary approached, Harir's personal guardians rapped their hands on their foreheads and then their chests in quick succession, as was the Runoran traditional salute. Thane waited for them to finish, then returned a salute of his own. All three relaxed their posture as one afterwards.

The warriors, both decked out in black Force Projection armor nearly three meters in height, towered over Thane. The weapons they wielded were as large as a grown man, and they carried flag-sized banners covered in Harir's sigils around their shoulders, hiding the bulk of their armor with a cloak-like cape. Their helmets were equally intimidating, presenting the likeness of a lion with a Runoran face caught between their jaws, sporting a bright red plume to signify the manes. They were as imposing as they were lethal, their skill and dedication of such quality that they could ensure the Oracle's safety in any environment, but this was Harir's own territory. The fact that they were stationed at all spoke of an irregularity. Thane did not like irregularities.

"I require an audience with the Lord-Oracle." He spoke plainly, clasping his hands behind his back. As leader of the Tidebreaker order, Thane rarely required permission to do anything. He outranked these guardians, and in normal circumstances he could have ordered them to stand aside. If they stood here under Harir's direct orders, however, they had the authority to deny everyone as they deemed necessary. Even him. Even other Oracles, if the situation arose.

"The Lord-Oracle has chosen to withdraw for an indefinite period of time." One of the armored giants in front of him rumbled, their voice distorted with the booming of helmet speakers. Had it not been for the likeness of the owner's face, etched into their helmet, Thane would not have been able to guess who stood in front of him.
"Until further notice, Lord Harir shall be disturbed under no circumstances."

"Did he leave any additional messages or instructions?" Thane asked with the slightest hints of anxiety, glad for once that his expression was hidden by the helmet he could not remove.

"One message was left to you in particular, Captain-Emissary." The other guardian spoke. "Lord Harir said that you would know what to do. As you have already taken the first step."

Thane nodded thoughtfully. He had half-expected something like this. Or maybe that was giving himself too much credit; He had known that this was a possibility.

"Very well." He said eventually, looking back up to the guardians blocking his path. "I shall leave you to your duties. Please, do let me know when our master reemerges."
"Naturally, Captain-Emissary." The first guardian spoke again, giving him a solemn nod. They understood the situation he was in all too well.
With that, Thane made a brisk turn and retraced his steps back to the central flight of stairs that led directly to Harir's dwellings. He made for his personal quarters only two minutes away, yet he was so lost in thought that he nearly walked right past the door. Once inside, he dispensed himself a bottle of caffeinated water from the wall panel next to the door and put it straight to his mouth, taking a large, invigorating swig.

It was one aspect of his armor he didn't fully understand: Every surface, including his helmet, was hermetically sealed from the outside world. The panels it was made up from were all separate parts, able to move freely. They were constantly in motion and slid across his body in seemingly random and haphazard patterns, yet they also came together seamlessly. Thane was able to manipulate the movement of these panels to a degree, using them to form weapons and tools as he needed them. But no matter what he did, the relic never allowed even the most miniscule of gaps to form in its outer plating. His skin would never feel unfiltered air or taste genuine rays of sunlight again. When he donned the relic, many millennia ago, he'd known he would never be able to take it off again.