>>5962551“Yeah well, I doubt any of it is going to see the light of day. Put yourself into our position, it’ll be yours soon enough anyway,” he mumbles, ”Imagine having very advanced and, I cannot stress this enough, dangerous technology locked in your closet. Now imagine it’s your job to give it to the public to improve their lives, while also making sure the public doesn’t also kill each other with it or the planet.”
“Dangerous enough to destroy the planet? You must understand how unbelievable that sounds.”
“That a pistol you got over there right?” You nod as he points to Cinder’s case, “That was strangetech that wasn’t supposed to come out. Now it’s spreading across the world at a rapid pace. Hell, if it wasn’t for the enchantments some of our guys did to the mechanics of this thing,” he raps his knuckles on the side of the train, “I’d still be making the air around it just a bit harder to breathe.”
“And all of this is stuff I will be learning?” You ask, causing him to shrug.
“Probably not if you stick around hunting Strangers with me, probably if you want to spend all your days in an archive barely leaving the cathedral you’re livin' at.”
“And am I to infer that the inquisition uses ‘unknown’ demontech to further its own goals?”
“Now that would be telling.”
“Hmph, there is another thing I wanted to bring up as well,” the inquisitor looks at you expectantly, “I have an, as you may say, ally in Ivern. The Marquess’ daughter, I was wondering if it would be,” you pause to think of the right thing to say to make this seem prudent to the mission, “acce[tible to meet to discuss any aid she can give us,” nailed it!
Inquisitor Asher raises an eyebrow, “This a social call?” At your stuttering response he continues, “Honestly, I couldn’t care less what you do in your free time. We’ll probably have a decent amount once we get to the city. So unless it’s like an active hindrance you can meet up with as many of your noble friends as you want.”
Friend, singular. You only have one. “Really?”
“Uh, yeah? Why would I care?”
“It’s just that usually there’s expectations to be upheld and the like and schedules to maintain and-”
“Woah- woah, slow down, princess,” The inquisitor says with his hands in the air, “You can stick to your little routines all you like, but it won’t be me that getting mad for not upholding decorum. Just listen to me when I tell you something and we’ll get along just fine.”
“I see, you have my thanks then,” You say with a little nod of your head, before taking another mouthful of food.
“Right, is there anything else?”
There is actually, a question that’s been gnawing at you from the back of your mind. But you’re unsure if it’s wise to actually say it. It even sounds borderline heretical, but what if a Stranger isn’t malicious? Is that something you’re going to have to deal with? Using strange powers to succeed at being an adventurer, a hero, isn’t a crime.
