10-16-2025, 09:33 PM
He'd done his due diligence. He'd scoured those he'd collected. They all had their uses and he'd work with them to accomplish what he wanted, but Durante fit his needs. Not only was he Atharim. He was visible to the world. And all Eliot had to do was reveal to the world what he actually did. Not the building collapsing or the killing of godlings at their behest, but the saving of people. Of using his power. And that was where he would use him -- he was the face of the New Atharim, his Reliquiae, as it were.
But first he had to approach Durante, and that was truly the easiest part of it all, even courting Helena proved to be more difficult than it would be to finding the boy, and convincing him to help. And even if he said no, Eliot was going to give him no options.
That was why he had asked one favor of Jacob Dean. One favor to keep his little secret about harboring a godling. It was easy to manipulate folks when they had such juicy things to put out there. Durante, he hid nothing, he was an open book. Though it was hard to make things stick with his pet hacker, but Nox hide nothing except his extra-ciriculars for the Atharim. And the Atharim kept those hidden more so than he did himself.
Three days before Eliot approached Durante outside his home on his daily run, he released a multitude of videos into the dark web. And into the virtual sphere. There was some raw footage of Nox clearing the tunnels. Fireballs flying from the sides of the screen as creatures of the horde fell. Sometimes they came from other angels that weren't Nox, but Eliot cut away any glimpses of the others. It was easy when it was just him and Carpenter flinging fireballs. They stayed out of each others way and the horde melted under their attacks. It was epic.
There were no names, but there were subtle queues that this was the same 'angel', who had been fighting at the Almaz and dancing at Kallisiti. The change in name had been most beneficial. An Angel, though not the angel Nox perhaps wanted. But still the footage had been linked to him, and he to it perpetuity now. Fighting monsters was part of his persona.
Now all Eliot had to do was give him a proper face to the Reliquiae. He would lead even if he didn't want to. But he'd have the choice first.
It wasn't long before Nox crossed the street and in front of the bench he sat. Eliot called out. "Nox Durante. Might I have a word?" Eliot pulled his left sleeve up revealing the snake biting his own tail as the boy passed by. Eliot was frail and feeble, he was no threat to him, but he drew upon the power that they both shared. It was not a threat, but a welcome invitation to sit and talk.
But first he had to approach Durante, and that was truly the easiest part of it all, even courting Helena proved to be more difficult than it would be to finding the boy, and convincing him to help. And even if he said no, Eliot was going to give him no options.
That was why he had asked one favor of Jacob Dean. One favor to keep his little secret about harboring a godling. It was easy to manipulate folks when they had such juicy things to put out there. Durante, he hid nothing, he was an open book. Though it was hard to make things stick with his pet hacker, but Nox hide nothing except his extra-ciriculars for the Atharim. And the Atharim kept those hidden more so than he did himself.
Three days before Eliot approached Durante outside his home on his daily run, he released a multitude of videos into the dark web. And into the virtual sphere. There was some raw footage of Nox clearing the tunnels. Fireballs flying from the sides of the screen as creatures of the horde fell. Sometimes they came from other angels that weren't Nox, but Eliot cut away any glimpses of the others. It was easy when it was just him and Carpenter flinging fireballs. They stayed out of each others way and the horde melted under their attacks. It was epic.
There were no names, but there were subtle queues that this was the same 'angel', who had been fighting at the Almaz and dancing at Kallisiti. The change in name had been most beneficial. An Angel, though not the angel Nox perhaps wanted. But still the footage had been linked to him, and he to it perpetuity now. Fighting monsters was part of his persona.
Now all Eliot had to do was give him a proper face to the Reliquiae. He would lead even if he didn't want to. But he'd have the choice first.
It wasn't long before Nox crossed the street and in front of the bench he sat. Eliot called out. "Nox Durante. Might I have a word?" Eliot pulled his left sleeve up revealing the snake biting his own tail as the boy passed by. Eliot was frail and feeble, he was no threat to him, but he drew upon the power that they both shared. It was not a threat, but a welcome invitation to sit and talk.