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Ambitious Beginnings [Closed] - Kylin - 08-27-2010
Part I: The Excavation
Jillian squinted, her hyur eyes growing weary after a hard day's work. The middle-aged woman couldn't wait to get home and bathe. Her long brown hair and bronze skin seemed even darker than usual due to the surrounding filth in the sandy underground cavern.
This particular excavation assignment was a big one though and she knew that the hard work would pay off. The gil she would make from this assignment alone was nearly double that of the normal rate. Whatever the boss wanted was definitely important to him this time around. So important, in fact, that he was coming in person to check on the progress. In her thirteen years of excavating projects, she had only seen him show up three other times. His name was Cartius Mavanix, and he was perhaps the most intimidating man she had ever come across. Thus, Jillian wasn't exactly enthused at his soon-to-be arrival.
The excavation crew, seven hyur in total with Jillian as the only woman, rushed into finishing the cleanup effort. Jillian and two others started to put the tools away. Three others continued using large brushes to finish dusting off the massive stone door in which the team had carefully dug around. The door was about as tall as two average-sized roegadyn and as wide as about ten if they were standing side-by-side. No amount of strength seemed capable of opening the gate and plowing straight through the stone wall would likely cause a deadly cave-in. Digging further around or under the massive gate would have similar results, possibly damaging or destroying whatever was housed within.
No, there was only one way through the gate. Two slots, one on each side of the stone door and not much larger in diameter than a coin, clearly were meant for the keys needed to open the secretive chamber. But where or exactly what those keys were was anyone's guess. Hence why the big man himself was coming.
The seventh hyur was a gruff looking highlander and any outsider would know right away that he was the overseer. He shouted out an order to one of the crew members to put away the two buckets of chemicals sitting up against the eastern wall. The chemicals were often used with the brushes to do as little damage as possible to the sometimes ancient objects that were discovered in the ground. Only a few minor trinkets were found during this excavation though, aside from the massive gate in which was the real objective from the start.
An eighth crew member, this one a male lalafell, could be seen scurrying down the dark tunnel. Various torches and lanterns had been hung along the walls to help with the lighting, making it relatively easy to see long distances in the otherwise black abyss. The lalafell finally reached the rest of the crew near the gate, taking a moment to catch his breath before speaking. "He's coming!"
Though Cartius's arrival was expected, the crew still felt like they were caught off-guard. Quickly, they finished up whatever it was they were doing and stepped off to the side. Only the overseer was left standing near the gate, taking a deep breath and looking down the opposite tunnel in anticipation for the boss's arrival.
Jillian brushed some dirt off her face and watched quietly with a mix of dread and anticipation as the two figures approached from the other end of the well lit sandy tunnel.
The first figure was an average sized male hyur wearing a beautiful white satin robe, the attached hood obscuring his face. The second figure was a miqo'te wearing tight black leather from head to toe. Her face was hidden by a golden mask, her white ponytail the only visible part of her head. Jillian instantly recognized her as Vertigo, the personal bodyguard and informant of Cartius. Whispers often depicted her as the family's personal assassin as well, though there was of course no evidence to support that outlandish theory. Regardless, everyone knew that Vertigo's loyalty to the Mavanix family was second to nobody.
As the two approached the overseer, the male hyur removed his hood much to the shock of the entire excavation crew. It certainly wasn't Cartius, but rather someone much younger. His pale blond hair looked almost angelic from Jillian's view. His olive complexion and boyish face almost made her blush. But even more impressive was the amount of confidence beaming in the youth's eyes. His very gaze seemed to demand respect. At the same time, his boyish face seemed capable of charming even the most bearish individuals. Even though Jillian was probably old enough to be his mother, she couldn't help but be somewhat attracted to the young man. She quickly shook the emotion away, knowing that anyone related to or involved with the Mavanix family was generally not someone to get involved with for one's own sake.
Re: Ambitious Beginnings - Kylin - 08-29-2010
Part II: Like Father, Like Son
The overseer bowed his head out of courtesy."Castiel, it's a pleasure to see you again. I must admit that I wasn't expecting you. I hope your father is well?"
'Castiel?' Jillian contemplated silently to herself. She recognized the name as the only known offspring of Cartius, though this was the first time she had seen him in person. The hyur woman took note of Vertigo once more, noticing that the bodyguard remained several paces behind Castiel but still within close range. The miqo'te's head tilted casually in each direction, scanning the surrounding tunnel. The golden mask made it impossible to discern what emotions her face displayed underneath. Jillian couldn't help but wonder why the woman was with Castiel to begin with. She was usually only seen at the side of Cartius himself. Perhaps it was meant to be symbolic, one of Cartius's many subtle mind games that he was so infamous for.
"My father is doing quite well," Castiel stated in response to the overseer's inquiry. His voice was clear and defined, confident even, with a small hint of an Ul'dahn accent. Another point was tallied into Jillian's secret mental scorebook on the youth's attractiveness. "He is currently shifting his focus to other projects and is leaving me in charge of this operation from here on out. That won't be a problem, will it?"
"O-of course not!" The overseer forced a smile. "We're honored you'll be overseeing this project and I look forward to seeing how well your father no doubt prepared you for this." Jillian couldn't help but grin to herself. She knew that the overseer was annoyed over the fact that someone more than half his age was now his boss. She was impressed that Castiel was able to intimidate the gruff highlander. Another point was tallied into her mental scorebook.
"What's the status report?" Castiel went straight to the meat of the matter, wasting no time in diving into his new project.
Nodding, the gruff hyur overseer gestured toward the large stone gate. "We can't force our way through without risking damage to whatever is inside. As you can see, there are two slots in the door. One on each side. The slot on the left has much greater depth, no doubt for some kind of rod. The slot on the right has practically no depth. Looks like some kind of coin indentation. Both slots seem magically sealed, meaning only the exactly correct keys will work."
Castiel walked up to the gate, examining each slot carefully in silence. He then positioned himself directly in the center of the gate and placed his bare hand flat against the concrete. The hyur closed his eyes as a faint blue aura began to surround his entire body. Jillian watched in awe along with the rest of the crew. She knew that the Mavanix family was gifted in magic but had never actually seen a true demonstration. Despite her lack of experience in the magical realm, Jillian could still feel the intensity in the air. Wealthy, confident, handsome, and powerful. She would give him a perfect score in her imaginary book were it not for his last name.
Almost as soon as the aura appeared, it vanished again. A sly smile crossed Castiel's lips. "The artifact my father seeks is definitely inside. So I suppose all we need now are the two keys to access it."
Jillian looked shocked. How did he verify what was inside? The hyur woman suddenly recalled a pleasant memory of her grandfather. The old man once flaunted a powerful magical ability to her called 'astral projection' when she was but a child. The aura that had briefly surrounded Castiel reminded her greatly of that. But her grandfather had told her that it was a very difficult skill to utilize, let alone master. Jillian was even further impressed, assuming that ability was what she just saw.
"But that'll be like finding a needle in a haystack," the overseer stated matter-of-factly. "If the keys are not in your father's museum, anyone could own them. Finding either one could take years, never mind actually obtaining them."
"But of course," Castiel responded with another confident smile. "Don't you know? The search is half the fun. Lock down this area. Nobody should be allowed in. Nor should anyone know of its existence until further notice."
"That's it?" The overseer looked somewhat puzzled. "What about the keys?"
"Leave that to me," Castiel said confidently as he started to walk away from the gate and past the nearby crew. He didn't say another word as he and Vertigo slowly disappeared out of sight down the gloomy tunnel.
'Not too different from his father,' Jillian thought to herself quietly. 'If that's the case, gods have mercy on whoever he thinks has the keys..."
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((OOC: Parts 3-5 can only be viewed by those who are in my primary linkshell at this time)).