Mr. Bar, and Mr Teaque.
Wind rattled the against heavy pane windows snapping William from his sleep. He reached up to brush some sleep away from his face. Where am I? He thought to himself, adjusting his rumpled clothes.
He found himself sitting in a cushy chair surrounded by bookshelves illuminated by the dancing flame of a fire across from him. The heavy musty air is once again broken by the concerning shaking of nearby windows behind him. “Fear not, Mr. Bar. The weather will not reach us here.” A decidedly Kessex accented voice spoke from next to him. Sitting beside William was a man adorned in a old smoking jacket that at one time would have been quite fashionable. The man himself was middle aged with wavy brown hair. Lines around his eyes indicated time and experience. The man was squarely looking at William with intense deep green eyes.
Adjusting himself, William straightened in his chair. The man gave the air of a highborn as he lightly puffed on a pipe. A shiver worms it’s way down William’s spine as he starts to feel a gravity to his situation. He didn’t fall asleep here, in fact he didn’t even know where he woke in.
“Don’t worry, William, you are safe here. I have no intention of anything untoward you. I have simply summoned you here to talk with you.” The man spoke as if reading his mind. He pushed a ball down his throat before reaching up to adjust his collar. “Then what is it...that you want?”
With that the man placed his pipe aside before standing from the cushioned seat. He moved towards the fire with hands clasped behind his back. A moments pause gave way when the man shifted to look over at William. “My name is Teaque. I have a proposition for you, Mr. Bar. One that will give both of us what we want. I know that sounds rather ominous given that you awoken in a strange place and now talking with someone who you do not know. But I implore you to hear me out.” the mans voice even but carrying no ill will towards William, and something about the man gave a soothing quality.
“Well...if this is a kidnapping I will tell you I know a Seraph or three to come looking for me.” William bluffed as he tried to establish some form of defense for himself. This only illicit a dry chuckle from Teaque. Who fully turns to him and places his hands into his large jacket pockets. “Mr. Bar, I think you and I know you are bluffing.” Pulling from his coat was a small glass bottle and vial. He stepped forward to place them on a small table in front of William. The sight of it made William visibly uncomfortable as he reached up to his own clothes as if looking for something. “Where di..did you get that?” he croaks out as he studied the label. The bottle and vial would be medicine that if consumed in too large of quantities could lead to death. William’s hands clasped down on the chair’s armrests as he looked towards Teaque. “Oh six...does this mean...you...and I am...in the mists?”
Teaque moves to kneel down before the fire to stoke it and place another log onto it. “No, Mr. Bar. I am not Grenth, I am not here to shuffle you off the mortal coil. Nor am I here to stop you. I am not going to take that choice from you. However I do wish to offer an alternative. For you see, you aren’t far off, Mr. Bar. This isn’t the mists but you are not in the mortal world. You are in fact a place beyond that of the six. A realm governed by the strong minded. I being what you might call a baron of the land. I posses a unique ability, magic, to control stories and books.” he shifted to stand up and resume his spot aside of William. “I can tell by your worried glances that I am some crazy person. So...here.” he snapped his finger and they in a split second were transported to a large hall of books.
Lit from hidden light sources. The hall went on for what seemed ages until at the very end a light shone down on a particularly large book. Above it hung a large sword blade pointed down at the book. The rest of the shelves holding organized books of varying degrees of age. Some with painted fronts to flat leather bound journals. William slowly stood up looking at it all. “How did...you do that?”
“Just so as a general commands his men.” Teaque joins the man at his side, once again his hands in his jacket pocket. Despite the utter absurdness of the events, William was pulled to the books. Since he was a child he wished to write his own stories. He was an avid devourer of the written word. He moved towards one of the bookshelves seeing some first editions of books he recognized, others he did not know. “Where did...you get these? This must cost a fortune! And in such condition.” looked them over carefully to inspect if they were fake. “I enjoy the written word quite particularly. I have many more books if you wish to read them.” Teaque gestures to the many other shelves lining the hall. “You are my guest and as such I do not mind you reading.”
A small smile formed as he looked at all the books, but as if realization dropped he looked to Teaque. “You say this isn’t the mists but a...what realm somewhere else...but not in Tyria. Is this all an illusion meant to torment me from what…I did?” Teaque regarded the man a moment before motioning him to follow. “Come with me, Mr. Bar. I want to show you something. As seeing is believing as one might say.” With that Teaque walks towards the far end of the hall where a grand window was letting in light. William hesitated but after a moment was compelled to follow. He curiously studied Teaque as he joined him at his side. “Out there, Mr. Bar.” Teaque gestured to the window.
William turns his gaze to the window to look at what Teaque meant. It took him a while to fully understand what he saw. From their vantage point they were on a hillside looking down at what he at first thought to be land but more he looked the more the land shifted and contorted. Impossible angles formed. Reality twisted and churned on a whim to a maddening degree. Only the grounds around the grand library did not morph. William reached up to rub his eyes as he spoke. “This can’t be real I must be dreaming or...or am I dead…and you are some fiend meant to torment me beyond the grave?!”
With that Teaque waved his hand and a large curtain dropped over the window. “Do not call me a demon.” his voice rose giving it an edge. “Out there, you will find one. A mind torn apart from all rhyme or reason. No, No Mr. Bar, I am here to offer an alternative from your untimely end. I have power here and more books than that vaunted Durmond Priory. I offer you a chance to achieve greatness that your mortal kind have never seen before. I sympathize with you, a man that has slaved his life on a job in hopes to one day achieve a goal only for it to come crashing down. The harsh reality of a life spent slaving but only to be dumped despite loyalty given.” his voice calmed as he took a moment to look at William. “I want to offer you that ability to do what you dreamed of most. Giving your world books, stories, words to last a lifetime. Believe it or not Mr. Bar, I don’t want you to die. What I see in you is a great potential. A great writer with a unique perspective on life and now a greater one with my help.”
William paused a moment before looking at Teaque directly. “What do you mean? You speak of giving me all this but how? And what do you get?” William was quite unsure about everything he was seeing. However the mans earnestly about him living gave him pause. “Mr. Bar. I will be straight with you. In your mortal world I cannot exist outside my books for long. I cannot fully come into your world as your Six have forbid it. They locked me away long ago but, I am a resourceful person and found ways into it, even more so now that they have left you to your own devices.”
William frowns as he listened to Teaque. “By locking you away...does that mean you are dangerous or…” Teaque canted his head. “Lets say they had their own script they wanted to follow and didn’t want outside help. Which is fair play to them. I can understand not co-authoring your own book.”
“So why do you need me specifically?” William moved to find a seat again as he tried to understand the logic behind Teaque. “There are many in this realm that would take your body. Rip you out and drive you to madness while keeping your body for their own and going into the mortal world. I am not one to do that, instead I purpose a joint partnership. I lend my aid and give you the power and access of my library. You allow me to subside in the mortal world inside you. A vessel.”
William looks at Teaque giving him a perplexed turned worried look. “A vessel...a possession? You want to take my body from me? I don’t see how I would gain from this...what if you use my body for ill? What is your goals Mr. Teaque?”
Teaque looked onward towards the far end of the library. “This merge will mean I am in your body like a possession. However only as long as you are willing. I do not wish to take, destroy, harm, your body. As stated before I wish you to live a long happy life and fulfill your dream of making books. I find that a noble goal. I will allow you access to this library where you may read and learn. I will protect you in this realm as you would be my guest. In turn I ask that you help me. Lift a curse upon me and to exact revenge on a enemy that wronged me.” standing up Teaque bade William to stand and follow.
Reluctantly, William did so with half a step behind the man. He feared that Teaque would now take his body or kill him. This whole situation was strange like some fever dream. Eventually they arrived at the large book at far wall opposite the window. As they neared the soft sound of a heartbeat pulsed from the old leather bound tome. Teaque stopped several feet before reaching it but gestured for William to look. Above the book was a large jagged sword poised blade down at the tome. “Why is that blade here?” William asked as he reached out to touch the book. “Don’t touch it!” William drew back hearing the harsh warning. “Please,” added Teaque, “Despite my bluster and power and control I have a curse upon my heart a evil man has taken my most prized possession and held it ransom. I cannot access this one book. It is...who I am yet I am bound to never look into it again. I wish to lift this curse and once again be free from the shackles. Second, I wish to exact revenge on a select group of mortals who wronged me. Imprisoned me without any books. Tortured me by letting ages past without me having read a thing. This is all I wish for, all I will ever ask for. I offer this to you humbly. Please allow me the revenge to keep those who I hold dear safe and to free them.”
The earnesty of Teaque gave William pause. He looked at the man then the giant sword above his heart. “If we do, I want your promise not to use my hands to murder anyone in cold blood. I...I believe you Mr. Teaque. I don’t think I had felt a malicious intent this whole time. You afforded me as a guest and not a prisoner. You didn’t make me do this...so yes. I will let you merge or whatever else you call it. As long as you do not take innocent lives in my hand and that you allow me to retain control.”
Teaque looks at the man before nodding. “I agree.”
With that Teaque reached out to offer his hand to William in one last moment of binding agreement. William hesitated as once again a shiver runs down his spine. He was worried he was about to make a mistake but he reached out to shake Teaque’s hand.
He awoke, in his room of his Divnity apartment. He was sprawled out on his bed. In his hands a vial and bottle. He looked down at them before slowly standing up. He felt new, different. His mind clearer and colors sharper. Put those away a voice called. “Who said that?!” he stumbled around knocking work aside. We are one now, as such we need to be weary on how we treat this vessel. Be careful, please. I will be watching. William looked around before moving to a mirror to look in. The face that looked back was same as ever, haggard from lack of sleep and unhealthy drinking. Clothes disheveled and the smell of booze on them. He took a breath finding resolve to clean his act up.
