The Keepers of Chaos: A Vault of Hell

Markos Amanodel: VII

A Scrambled Mind: VII

Markos strolled down the road. What he had seen, Riu definitely didn't. Warm him to her in a friendly way. He flinched as he tried to ignore the whispering voices in his head. "Jalester is great!" He spouted randomly to Alekzandr and Asher, "If anything is going on, he knows about it." Markos tried to control his volume; it had been a while since he had to consistently communicate with people. Markos closed his eyes and began pushing out the random voices whispered to him in alien tongues.

'We should burn down the shops and take the whore!' Shut up, he pleaded silently.

"He sounds good," Alekzandr said offhandedly as he stared off into the distance. "How did you.."

"He got into trouble like fourteen times.." Asher said, rubbing the surface of his mask and shaking his head. "They quickly learned. They couldn't contain him." Asher added carefully. Markos paid close attention, watching the words. "So, they just had him promise he wouldn't do anything stupid.." Again shaking his head.

"That.. works?" Alekzandr puzzled breathlessly.

"Yeah.. believe it or not, if you let him know what is stupid, he won't do it," Asher responded. He nodded, knowing Asher was mainly correct.

"I've learned-" Markos began trying to explain himself as if the conversation made him appear like a child. "That my uh. Wisdom. It isn't as. On point as others." He concluded. The three turned the corner, reaching the yawning portal. He breathed heavily, "Let's go!" Markos opened the door, and instantly, his mind was flooded; his head constantly shook as he tried to discern what voices were in his skull and which were around him. "I'll be right with you!" He stumbled out before cursing himself; that wasn't a person. He bit his tongue and followed his usual strategy, talking to no one unless he wanted to.

'I say we slit our wrists and bleed on the fifty-third plank of wood.'

"Which one is he?" Markos shook his head as Asher grabbed his shoulder; that was a real voice. He tried to note for the fifteenth time.

"Uh.." Markos looked around as his mind went through various stages of blank and spotty. "There." He pointed to a table before him moving towards it. He singled out a tall, average-looking human man. Jalester had brown hair, brown eyes, and a scared face with a slight stubble of a beard. He was dressed in a large grey overcoat with the insignia of the city watch on its upper right breast. He had a thin face with sharp features and narrow eyes, eyes Markos had learned to understand; they were brighter than you first expected. "Jalester!" He approached Jalester casually as the man locked eyes with him and sighed.

"Oh... h..hi." Jalester sat up and set his drink down as Markos approached with Asher and Alekzandr behind him.

"Hello there." Alekzandr held out a hand. "Nice to meet you. You're a friend of these two?" Jalester clenched his eyes and nodded reluctantly.

"Technically. Sure.." Jalester looked at Asher. "I told you to keep her away from here; I don't need some insane-" Asher cut him off.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. We just need info." Asher replied. Markos looked at Jalester.

"Again! I'm a guy." Markos bleated annoyingly.

"Oh.. yeah," Jalester said, clearly not caring at all. He huffed in response.

"Anyway. Non-believer." He switched from Jalester's name so his annoyance could be known. "Look, we're trying to track down this Floon fellow, we asked around, and apparently, he got abducted at the Skewered Dragon. Do you know anything? Where was he taken?" Markos bounced in place as he tried to ignore various things he thought he heard.