Aramora

Chapter 22: Side Quest

"Which one?" Nesosa asks warily. It was the question on everyone's mind, but fear of the answer made nobody want to say it. Leave it to Nesosa to take the leap no one else is willing to.

Athemar opens his eyes and they dart north on the map before he slowly turns around to look at the group gathered in his Boardroom.

"...Whiteridge," he breathes out heavily.

Nisha gasps and sits up stiffly, her fists clench to stifle how they start to shake. She looks as though she wants to say something, but it seems she needs a moment to process her thoughts.

Sarabeth nods and mimics Athemar's posture by crossing her hands behind her back. "We are currently uncertain if King Arrick Minex'mar had arrived back in Whiteridge before the incident. He left Arkala shortly after the coronation of King Castien Dev'Alrich, and no one has heard from him since. We sent a courier out to locate him, but nothing has turned up as of yet," she explains and slightly lowers her head.

Once again, Naomi can't help but feel uneasy about this woman. She seems so stone faced about this whole thing, but then again, she seemed the same way in Arkala. It's as if nothing bothers her, even if she tries. And from what Naomi can tell, she's trying now.

"...Were there any survivors...?" Nisha asks, sounding uncharacteristically timid. That's another question it seemed no one wanted to ask, despite them all wanting to know the answer. However, Nisha doesn't appear to have heeded her words, instead they just came out as her mind ran blank.

Athemar sighs and slowly leans forward on the table with his head hanging low. "It's too early to tell. However, from what our scouts have reported, it doesn't look good out there. Based on their descriptions of the damage... it seems unlikely anyone could have survived this... terrible disaster," his words come out heavily, shuddering at the thought.

Nisha's ears flatten against her head and she stares at the surface of the wooden table as her claws dig into it, blinking quickly as her eyes begin to blur. "Sirash..." she whispers to herself.

"What was that, Lady Moraan?" Sarabeth asks and tilts her head curiously.

Too distracted to care about her condescending tone, Nisha swallows back the lump in her throat. "...Nothing. I just... I'm sorry, I... Need a moment," she gets up quickly and turns to leave, but before she reaches the door, Sara speaks again.

"Hold on, Lady Moraan. The meeting has not yet concluded. I understand this must be... difficult for you, but it is imperative that you stay," she says pointedly, making Nisha's fur stand on end as she fights her anger.

She stifles a growl as she glares at Blackwell. "But—"

"Lady Blackwell is right, Hu'Nisha. You need to stay for the rest of the meeting," Athemar cuts her off and slowly lowers into his red-cushioned chair at the head of the table.

Nisha takes a deep breath and returns to her seat beside Naomi, who grabs her hand and holds it gently in her own, gaining a small smile from the Tus'Felnis.

Returning the focus to Athemar, Malachi decides to contribute questions of his own. "I assume you're telling us this because of the Whiteridge fragment, right?" he asks gruffly, glaring at the Grand Master.

Athemar leans back in his seat but keeps his posture. It's then that they notice the dark circles starting to form under his eyes and it almost looks like the wrinkles on his face have deepened since the last time they saw him. Seems Sara wasn't kidding when she said Athemar's been hella busy while they were away.

"Yes and no. The situation with the Whiteridge fragment is... complicated, to put it lightly," the Grand Master says.

"How sae?" Nesosa asks.