Nomont: The Beginning Of The End?

18:59] Waiting...

That was all Asura had taken to for the time being...
--and it'd be days... Weeks... Months...
Without shaving supplies, his hair began to grow out giving him a scraggly facial appearance.
He hadn't seen the outside world, but he had plans for it all the same.

It didn't mean that they wouldn't see immediate conflict with the looming reality that he could've been slotted for execution despite the claims of the knights prior, any time soon.

Taking a seat by the prison bars, his eye fall upon a nonmagus guard standing at their post.
"You there... Prison guard." He spoke out for their attention.

"... You... You're a nonmagi like myself, yes?" The Nomont pressed, "I ask of you, in genuine honesty... Does your duty truly feel fair and safe? Knowing that your rulers deny you the ability to better stand for one's self? That they'd rather claim responsibility of keeping you safe under an impossible promise and accept your demise if otherwise?"

He didn't get an immediate answer...
Did the guard not care to respond?
Did the guard not have an answer for him?
Were his words to one whom had no hope in his cause?
Or to one whom taken a liking to this way of life?

Whatever the case, it drew Asura's head down to hang at his shoulders, unshaven hair shadowing over his visage as he rested...
Waiting onward, with a tyrium arm hugging around his right knee -- with left leg outstretched across the floor.

"I suppose my words to you wouldn't matter. To you, I am naught but a meager prisoner, soon to meet the fate of the many before me. So as I idle here to await my sentencing, I suppose I can monologue a bit longer... To chatter on my visions for a future that may only see fruition long after my departure from this mortal coil."

"A world where my practice of neutralization becomes known across the many masses, to finally equalize the magi and nonmagi abroad. A world, where a malicious magi intent on harming those less fortunate than they, could have their casting removed, rendering them naught but a common man. A world, where those faced with a crime are given a fair trial in a court, where a jury is found to properly deduce the guilt of a individual, and a judge separate from that to work within the lines of official law for an impartial judgement." The nonmagi spoke of dreams and visions of a concept outside of the grasp of Osrona as he knew it.

Yet, it never deterred him, he dreamed on...
"Picture it... One such world where the development of the community and the betterment of the people within it, advances those seeking more advantageous positions in life. Where the economy could be controlled enough to give merchants a chance to shine, and customers a place to flourish without cheating either party. A world, where the petty thief finds themselves challenged with the unavailability of coin to swipe, given fiat and tracked currency."

The man's head was flooded with ideas...
Ideas that were often disregarded, hated or feared...
Ideas, that landed him here of all places.

"We wouldn't have to kill magi that threaten the peace, when we could strip them of their powers... Rehabilitate them... Make them beneficial to society, if not simply making them a better person for the greater good... Not in the name of some god, or some king, queen, dictator or shaman... But the people... Like you and me."

"A world where checks and balances could prevent the power and decision of an entire city or nation-state from being decided by one, potentially selfish person. A person voted into power via a democracy... But for the nation-state! But that person would have to work in tandem with a general of the local military for military action to carry across, as well as parliament for every sect of everyday life. These positions would also be democratically voted in, and would have to work in tandem to work out city-wide decisions."

"No more pointless wars at the expense of the common people... No more blatant ignorance of the common people... And no more overshadowing... Especially, with the development of battlesuits, which can ensure that a nonmagi is not doomed to death in an encounter with a magi. People like me and you, will not be forced to accept the inevitability of a magi's malice should they turn to us some day with intent to enact their wrath... We would have a chance... A fighting chance."

The man shook his head.

"A world, that we... The overwhelming majority, could make happen... If only, we weren't regarded as their inferiors, it could happen sooner."

--and so, he continued on in silence...

… Waiting.
(Asura Nomont)
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[18:59] Entering the dungeon Aristidis would overhear the tail end of Nomont's speech, it was clear to him that he still planned on continuing his goals. Even if he was kept inside of the cell.

"Nomont." Aristidis would state as he tapped on the bars. There was no doubt that he wouldn't be recognized.

A slit in the cell door would be opened and then a tray of food along with some water would offered. Their intention wasn't to starve him to death after all.

"How are your holding up in here?" He'd ask. "I've come here on business but I wish to make sure you are alright as well."
(Aristidis ven Astor)
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[18:59] Wandering in behind the Keeper, the young drakanite acolyte begins to hear the distant echoes of the non-magi's ramblings. Upon his back sits no more than a blunted training sword, and upon his face is a naught but an expression of serenity and patience.

To rid magi of their powers?
Did he think himself above the blessings of the Heavens?

He shakes his head in silence before he and Aristidis stand in front of the cell. It is clear the man before him has become ragged, and for this does he recall the teachings of his faith.

Nodding at the words of the Keeper, he keeps his mouth shut for the mean time.
(Elias Soleis)
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[18:59] The man, his visage untampered by a blade to his face nor head had grown a mane. The sole emerald eye, now complemented with rings from a lack of sleep, gazed upon Aristidis.

"I am simply awaiting my fate, as I always have..." He answered the Astor, before his eye drifted over towards the much, younger drakan.

"....I see... They recruit young." He mentioned in reference to Elias with a frown on his face. "I only hope that they have a semblance of childhood, compared to the misfortunate I've come to find in my travel of the wilds." Their sole eye drifted back over to Aristidis

The food was noted, but not immediately lunged for... It seemed as though he was restraining himself. He wasn't malnourished at least, which implied he was eating the meals provided.
(Asura Nomont)
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[18:59] "The faith allows anyone to join their ranks as long as they wish to preach the ways of the Codex." Aristidis would state as he examined Asura, he looked a lot less healthy than he expected, sleepless, yet at least he wasn't starving himself.

"I promise you that his childhood will be nothing but blessed even in these troubling times." This was the one thing Aristidis didn't like about Nomont, the fact that he was a lot better with words than him.

He could easily win their arguments because of that, he wasn't fond of using big fancy words to get his point across.

"But my main concern is you."

"Are you receiving the care you should be, food and water, no distractions while you sleep? He'd pause. "If so tell me so I can deal with them."
(Aristidis ven Astor)
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[18:59] The man gave a groan as they shifted and irked until they wormed their way up to their own two feet, mildly discomforted by the crackles and pops of their bones rustling into action. In time, he'd be upright, relatively fit for a man of his age caliber however a known nonmagi couldn't manage much with even the greatest of physique without adequate circuitry to bolster it.

Their right arm was flexed, digits clenching and stretching out to test the joints -- still fluid, despite the lack of care he'd usually tend to them with outside of this cell.

"My care has been without trouble, knight." The Nomont answered, eye trained on his own physique before he started his stroll across for the bed for a more comfortable seat.
A brief glance over towards Aristidis, and...

"...What I'm more interested in, is when the one responsible for my warrant will finally come to the mouth of my cell to make their announcement of my judgement." He claimed.
Their eye trailed off, tyrium digits stroking at his chin -- licking away at the very essence of his soul to satiate an unending hunger for mana. If not for the man's strong will, he... A non-magi would've been long-dead, given the direct contact of such a vile metal with his body.

A quizzical hum as he pondered the matter...
"Lightbearer… Metros? Lando… Lando Metras. Yes... Lightbearer Lando Metras." Their tyrium arm broke from their chin to give a dotting prod at the Astor, as though to pin the realization to the wall before it could get away from him.

"Why haven't they made their decision yet? What is taking them so long..."

(Asura Nomont)
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[18:59] "In fairness I do not know." Aristidis would promptly state, he only choose to speak the truth, what decision the Lightbearer had come to, if any had not been shared with him yet. "But you have my word I'll ask him the next time I see him."

Yet, something did catch his eye his arm, tyrium, anti-magic, he knew that some magi used it for their weapons but Nomont well, he was a non magi, surely he'd be dead by now, right?

"I have a question for you."

"Your arm, it's made out of Tyrium correct?" The Astor would walk up to as far as he could without entering the cell. "How are you not dead being a non-magi?"
(Aristidis ven Astor)
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[18:59] "Hm?"
Asura's head turned to his prosthetic, and back up to the Astor, before a fluid a smile grew across his visage.

"Why am I not dead?" His shoulders bounced - a tell, before his chortle could be picked up, evolving into a shortlived laughter.

"--perhaps, I should give you, magi... A lesson in how -mana- works, hm?"

The man shook his head, before rising up from the bed to approach the prison bars in casual manner.

"You see... The difference between a nonmagi and a magi, isn't the amount of mana in their anatomy. No." Breath rushed from his nostrils at the entertained concept.
"The difference between a magi and a non-magi is the efficiency of their mana circuit."

"You see? You... Magi? Have efficient circuitry. Allowing you to easily transport massive bouts of it to the core parts of your body to enable things such as cognitive casting..." He poked at his head, "The mind."

"Emotional casting..." He poked at his chest, "The heart."

"Vocal casting..." He stopped in his approach, tapping at his exposed adam's apple, before lowering his head to look upon the two.

"Alongside others means... But a nonmagi?" His head head lowered to refer to himself.
"Our ability to cast can be troubled by a variety of reasons... From simple laziness in the case of the fortunate, to simple... Natural design. The human circuit isn't naturally tailored to allow such massive surges across its anatomy... It's why, less than five percent of the human population, are in fact, magi..." The man's hands reached out to clutch at the prison bars.

"You, magi... Are a mutation." He claimed, "A stroke of miraculous luck. Hel, if there was ever evidence of deities and gods... Kraus himself? Then, that... My friend, is it." He assured, "--but alas, it is still... Just a mutation. Something that creates an extremely small populace of the many human people."

He paused, eye breaking from the two to recollect the base of the tangent he was on.
"So, as to why I am still alive?" He followed up, "It is because 'mana'... Is based on 'Willpower'... The Will to live... The Will to fight... The Will to persist... To Exist... To Be." He emphasized. "--and I, have the willpower to survive the onslaught of ogres, dulluhans and even malicious magi that would try to slaughter my men, time and time again... It is why I stand here... And it is why..." His head turned over to his tyrium-arm, "This... Prosthetic, will never tap out my vessel."

That was when, he turned away, leaving the bars.
"...But to others whom lack will to match to mine? They will eventually crumble if in prolonged contact with this arm of mine. It is by design... A mere ingredient to my recent phenomenon: Neutralization."
(Asura Nomont)
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[18:59] Continuing to stand in silence, a the slightest of smiles is sat upon his face. Not of mockery, but of slight admiration for the man before him despite his heretical beliefs.

While he preferred to view magi as a blessing upon the world from the Heavens... He supposed referring to it as a 'mutation' was not particularly inaccurate.

"Resilience. It is a trait most admirable.

As I have read, it is a trait one might reference to differentiate the weak from the strong..." And despite the man before him being a non-magi, he was worthy of such a label.

His arms fold sagely under the cloak. Being but an acolyte, he was hardly more than a scribe or steward at his age.

Despite his own curiosities, he restrains himself from asking any questions. He was simply here to observe the duties of the Keeper in any case, and he did not desire to overstep his boundaries.
(Elias Soleis)
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[18:59] "Mmhmhm." Nomont's lesson would be heard and heard well, he knew how mana and his circuitry work, it was no fault of a non-magi that they couldn't perform the feats that he could.

No, he was lucky, lucky to be blessed my Leonaus and Maltizel. For that was where the Astor's got their strength. By serving loyally they were granted power for generations to come, it had been like that since his family first arrived to Esshar.

And it'd be like that for years to come.

Yet, the Astor had to admit, willpower, if that was what truly drove Asura then he certainly had a lot more of it than Aristidis did, whatever made this man wake up in the morning and continue on was something he could never probably grasp.

But, something peaks his interest, his last sentences...

"Neutralization? What is that?"
(Aristidis ven Astor)
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[18:59] "A trump card, that will finally even the playing field." The man took his seat on the bed provided, staring off into the void that was the eastern wall to his cell.

"As I mentioned, the magus anatomy has a far more efficient circuit... But there is a critical point between the mind and the heart. One such point, that binds to the soul itself!" He proclaimed with a smile, though it came to fade quickly.

"It is my solution, to the wanton killing and destruction that magi commit amongst their own kind, and in droves against nonmagi own." He continued on...

"By forcibly applying pressure, and shock to precise mana circuitry points and focusing at the crux of these casting points with my planned technologies and training methods, one can sever a magi's connection to their own casting methods." His eye fell upon the two at the entrance, "Relinquishing them of their magic by shredding their casting points into a state of inefficiency..."

He let the moment settle, "I am no murderer, nor will I ever be. I am no judge. I am no jury... Nor am I an executioner... But I will not sit back and allow magi to harm those with powers they bear as a privilege, mistaken as a right." The man was adamant about his beliefs, even behind the bars of a cell.

"...Thus, it is through these methods, that I will... Take their casting away...."

"...Permanently."

To claim, to have the power to turn a magi, into a nonmagi through the touch of his arm? Could be considered concerning... What was moreso, was the fact, that he insinuated an ability to demonstrate given his explanation -- yet, the bars separated him and the magi there.

"Malicious magi, monsters and anamolies of magic-born likeness, will be erased, without an echo in history... and nonmagi, can finally look around, no longer required to pray that a hero happen to cross their path. I, gift independence... Survival for those, you knights can't save... If only, you could see that."
(Asura Nomont)
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[18:59] Silence.

That is the only response to Asura's monologue, his plans, his goals, and the true meaning behind Neutralization. It was worrying, truly, something absolutely terrifying to the Astor.

Asura Nomont was a dangerous man.

It was more than clear that the Keeper was shook, even as he tried to hide it behind his stoic face, something had to be done about his plans. Even if he was locked up, if he was released then...

He didn't want to think about it.

"I need your arm, Nomont." He'd state, pausing. "Your non-tyirum one."

"We need to place an anti-magic collar on you, not because you can cast spells but so we can track you if you somehow escape." The slot where he inserted the food from would be opened. "Just stick it through here and once I collar it you are all set."
(Aristidis ven Astor)
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[18:59] His posture straight, the sagely demeanor of the young boy does not cease as his eyes close. A slight shake of his head is given as a breath is exhaled in a sigh.

This man was dangerous. Magi or not.

The man sitting in the cell was to Elias, clear to be many things. A genius, a madman, and a striking orator.

A forceful excision of a magi's ability to cast... Such seemed like the machinations of one trying to play 'God' to an extent.

His words, from his studies, rang direly similar to those from what he might expect from a Barsburgian; someone from the tumorous Empire.

"And you do not believe such capabilities would not be abused much the same as how you claim magi run rampant?"

If the ability to remove a magi's ability to cast fell into the hands of their enemies... The Acolyte could only imagine how horrid the consequences would be.

Perhaps it was simply the fact that he was a magi that he was unable to truly empathize with the Nomont's plight. He himself had not borne witness to any of the atrocities the man claimed to occur, again perhaps a byproduct of his youth.

Regardless, he would never be able to align himself with the beliefs of the man before him.

A whisper is given over to the Astor as the young boy's expression turns rather grim.
(Elias Soleis)
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[18:59] The nonmagi smiled at the request for his arm, but before he'd rise from the bed, he heard the youth speak out against his idea.

"It doesn't matter if the concept were to be abused in the long run... If there are no magi, then there are no sole individuals that can kill people en mass... The overwhelming majority would topple any and all that oppressed them." He claimed, "Imagine... Achyon, toppled entirely once their population was capable of simply denying the magi that restrain them so... The many revolts that occurred them decades ago, would not have had such results in such circumstances... Any tyrant, would immediately be required to hear out the needs of the masses... Or falter."

"If the world is equalized, the root of the atrocities that you fear? The occult? The undead? The monsters of the darkness? Would cease to exist... And finally, a new... Safer age, for all would come into being... One, where we can all know for certain, that no sole individual's temper tantrum could lead to the deaths of hundreds... Thousands... Or worse."

"...But you wouldn't know of that... Would you?"
There was a sense of brashness... Almost as though he was still mulling over the concept of rising from the bed.

"In any regard to you, knight. I can assure you, that I have no ill intent for you. You are simply... Following orders." The man beckoned them over with the curling of his tyrium finger.

"Why would I threaten your magical ability... Do you intend to abuse it?"
They waited, seemingly taunting them to approach him directly.
(Asura Nomont)
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[18:59] "Nomont, I won't ask again." Aristidis would firmly order. His eyes immediately gluing right to him. Watching, observing. The Keeper wasn't going to play around with this plan.

"Give me your arm so we can go about our business. We have other more important things to do."

He didn't want to entertain this man any longer, he couldn't. He once preached the ideas that toppled Osrona before, and now he wished to end all potential to be magi.

Asura Nomont was a crazed man.
(Aristidis ven Astor)
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[18:59]
{LOAD GAME}

[18:59] The words of the Nomont fail to shake him.

It doesn't matter?

The man before him is only capable of believing his equality will bring about a utopia in his narrowmindedness, with no thought as to the possible consequences.

Such a man could not be let loose.

Never had such a grim expression fallen upon the boy's face in his time. Ordinarily, his heart was filled with compassion, a desire to pray for the enlightenment of those who could not see the truth--

But for this aged man who desired to shatter the natural order?

He had no such thing.

His gaze sits upon the man, is it contempt that sits in his eyes?
(Elias Soleis)
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[18:59] "Very well."

The man rose up to walk up to the prison bars. With his organic arm flexed and provided for the application of an anti-mana collar, and lied in wait as he gazed upon the two.

There was a moment of clarity for the man it'd seem -- as though, things became notably understood to him.
"...Judging from your lack of further conversating, I take it you don't understand..." He sighed, "...That, or you don't care..."

"Regardless, know that what I envision is solely for the betterment of all... I've seen death time and time again, at the hands of monsters that would abuse their po--…" Did... Something catch his attention?

"...Hmm... Why do I bother..."
He awaited the collar's application before he'd withdraw himself. It was as though... Something had finally... Broke.
Was it finally, a realization? Or was it, the way he was looked upon.

The same look he was bestowed by so many before...
--it was the same look now.

He recognized it well.

"Just leave me to rot here, will you... I'm just another non-magi."

With that he... Just, stepped away from the bars, and took his gaze to the wall, visage turning for something more somber.
(Asura Nomont)
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[18:59]
{LOAD GAME}

[18:59] "MHmhmh." That is all Aristidis would state in kind to Asura, as his arm was given the collar would go around and then -

Click!

Even if Nomont escaped he could be tracked anywhere in the world. "Good day, Asura."

And with that, the Astor would turn to Elias, a single nod would be offered to him as he prepared to depart.
(Aristidis ven Astor)
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[18:59] Elias follows silently, turning his eyes away from the aged man.
(Elias Soleis)
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[18:59] Asura Nomont says, "I have a final question..."
[18:59] Aristidis ven Astor asks, "That is?"
[18:59] Asura Nomont asks, "... Do you hate me?"
[18:59] Elias Soleis says, "I do not hate you."
[18:59] Aristidis ven Astor says, "No."
[18:59] Elias Soleis says, "I despise your beliefs."
[18:59] Elias Soleis says, "Not for the merits you have."
[18:59] Elias Soleis says, "But for the consequences of what would happen."
[18:59] Aristidis ven Astor says, "I simply hate the fact that your actions have lead you into this cell."
[18:59] Aristidis ven Astor says, "And the circumstances that made you believe in such foolish things."
[18:59] Asura Nomont says, "I see..."
[18:59] Aristidis ven Astor asks, "Is that all, Nomont?"
[18:59] Asura Nomont says, "I suppose that is..."
[18:59] Asura Nomont says, "I wonder how different our encounter would be..."
[18:59] Asura Nomont says, "If I too..."
[18:59] Asura Nomont says, "shared a circuit like yours..."
[18:59] Elias Soleis says, "..."
[18:59] Elias Soleis says, "I will pray for you, Nomont."
[18:59] Aristidis ven Astor says, "Good day then."