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Message: <blockquote data-quote="seasong" data-source="post: 884115" data-attributes="member: 5137">BelialIt took only a few minutes to suck dry the entirety of information available on Belial in the book. As resources go, it was what Greppa would normally have called a dead end. He wandered over to the shelf to examine the books in the same area it had come from. The ellini girl left the stack as he arrived, two more books in her hands, and zipped as swiftly as possible over to her pile. Probably to check the book for damage, Greppa thought to himself.What he discovered, after roughly five minutes of skimming, was that she had every book he might have been interested in, in her pile. And she had laid them out in front of her, open to various points, while going through another book in her hands. She was cross referencing like mad, and Greppa watched her for a moment before taking a deep breath and approaching her again."Excuse me, but I'm new to the library, and...""I need these books.""Yes... okay. I was just hoping for some information. It would be advantageous to me if...""Not to me.""What?"Exasperated, she shoved her hair from her face and looked up at him. He cut an impressive figure, for an ellini. Gleaming white cloak, steel bracers esconcing his forearms, an obviously magical belt holding his southern tunic tight to his body... "It would be advantageous to you. Not to me. I have to study."Arcanists have a nasty habit of spending long periods of time in solitude. The result can be somewhat rusty manners, but Theralis culture helps ensure that an arcanist spends time outside his tower... if he doesn't, he can expect an intervention from concerned neighbors. Obviously, such was not the case in the North.Greppa retreated and went over to where Merideth and Bellos were occupying themselves with thumb wrestling. Bellos was very fast, and winning, so Merideth was glad to see the tiny arcanist, "What's the matter? I thought you had books to read?""I would, except that the little minx sitting there has all of them. And she's not exactly well socialized.""Not well socialized?" Merideth grinned at Greppa, remembering some of his outbursts mere weeks ago."Yeah, very unfriendly. Doesn't seem to have the first inkling of how to deal with people in a reasonable manner."Bellos interjected, "So, what? Do we come back later?""No, I need to wait here. She can't leave with them, so I'll just wait until she's done. Damn it." Greppa glared around at her. She sat quietly, continuing to cross reference points in the multitude of books around her.Greppa finally went and grabbed a book on Tuoma history. Might as well learn something while I'm here. Bellos and Merideth continued their contest - Bellos was accustomed to losing to her, and was beginning to suspect that she used her esper abilities normally... he was starting to really like the peacebonds.A candlemark passed, and the girl got up. Greppa was on his feet, waiting. She didn't look at him, in fact avoided looking in his direction, and walked out. Her face seemed to be burning, and Greppa remembered, belatedly, that while most people were deaf compared to him, most ellini weren't. She'd heard everything. He sighed, but he needed the books more than he needed some half-grown girl in another country to like him.The main book turned out to be a work of fiction. A rather torrid one, at that, about Belial and some trumped up demigoddess in the infernal realms. From the research she'd done, it looked unlikely, at best, to be true. Other than the fiction, there did not seem to be much information on Belial... although there was a ton about Luccas.Goddess of the Red Night. Blood. Crawling beasts and verminous insects. Fertility, secrets... she seemed to have a hand in all sorts of pies, until Allas and Phastas bound her up and tossed her in the Pit.But of Belial, precious little was there.Irritated, Greppa started looking through the other books she'd accumulated. They were, quite naturally, in some barbaric tongue. Without thinking, he swished his fingers and summoned a lantern archon to translate. In its sweet, sing-song voice, it began translating yet another dead end. He shook his head, "What am I doing here, anyway?"The sweet, sing-song voice answered, "I don't know. What are you doing here?"Greppa startled. Archons are servants of Allas, dipstick... "Ah, checking some history. I thought it might be useful, but obviously not." And with that he let the spell holding the archon here expire.Then, almost out of spite, Greppa pulled out the black feather Belial had given him, and ignited a finger beneath it. He'd have a talk with Belial, and see if there was a better source of information. Somewhere, Belial stirred and rose.</blockquote>

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