In Due Course

[Sören]

Talk of dreams caught Sören's curiosity. He had not slept to dream, and perhaps there was something beyond mundane fear to what Declan said. He had not encountered the creature in the other place. It did not mean it did not lurk there too. In any case, the question about the gun had been to ascertain that Declan had the means to in some way protect himself; shielding the man yesterday had been awkward enough. Sören didn't want the concern of his safety. Some small paranoid part slithered also beneath that almost kind thought. He wanted to be aware of any knives that might find themselves pointed towards his back, should things go awry.

After the man left, Sören stood. His bones cracked in a stretch, and he limped until the blood returned to his legs. Outside the cold whipped flesh from his cheeks, fractured like glass in his lungs. In this blessed wilderness, there was little of the mild mannered art dealer to him. He felt stripped to something clean and visceral. Upon clenching his fist the world magnified. The blood pounded in his head, a rage of power, celebration of the violence. He counted the runes he had spent the night memorising, though did not form them from the snapping, electric threads. Fire and blood. Somewhere far away, he imagined the beast shudder.

He considered going to the lake and taking what was his before Declan returned. He knew he would not die here. But in the end he tended to his needs. He ate and washed, then slept until Declan laboured his way back into camp. By the time they entered the yurt, he was sat more or less where Declan had left him. A mild gaze took in the stooped elder. The leather folds of his skin. The ancient knowledge in his eyes. Given his unstructured and inconsistent upbringing, Sören was surprisingly respectful of age. He sat like a king before a supplicant, but graciously bowed his head. The old man had made a long journey; the effort was recognised, and appreciated.

"Sit, elder Gokul. Declan will bring refreshment, and we will talk."
His lips stretched into a small smile for his friend. A shadow of amusement. Or maybe it was punishment for bringing an old man instead of rifles. Either way, the elder would be made comfortable, as was his due, and that being so the negotiations would begin. He at least waited for Declan to be sitting also.

"You have a means to maim the beast. Why have you never used it?"
If the locals knew of the beast, they knew of the treasure. There was a missing piece of the puzzle here. They had not offered aid to Noah - or so he assumed. There was an exchange to be made here. He would know the terms.