The Fruits of Cunning
((OOC: aidan_mutou, ishtar_marik and seto_kaiba_ meet to examine the items brought back from their trip to the Middle East. Entry backdated to August 18))
It was a warm evening when Aidan, Marik and Seto met at Columbia University. Seto had arranged for the use of one of the rooms in the Archeology Department and he had the items they had retrieved delivered here today, still in their protective shipping containers.
Not that it would likely matter, since the items had existed for an unknown number of years exposed to the elements in a rather more vulnerable fashion that simple crating would damage, but Seto believed in taking every precaution.
They unpacked the items themselves, setting them with eager but careful hands on the large rectangular table. Three tall stools were pushed back away from the table; within reach, but out of the way for now. There was an air of excitement in the room, anticipation running high as the three men stood for a moment, surveying their "treasure:" the box, in its hide wrapping; the four golden pyramids; and the statue.
Looking from Seto to Marik, Aidan smiled slightly. "So... who wants to do the honours?" he asked, indicating the box.
Seto grinned back at him and gestured to the table. "You went after them, Aidan. You've earned the right."
"Ah, thank you," Aidan murmured. Picking up the box, he turned it carefully, looking for a seam or edge in the hide wrapping. Finding a rough line of stiffer leather, he set the box down carefully so he could work it free. It took a few moments to remove the hide. He set it aside, then went to work on the layer of pitch sealing the box itself.
Up close, the box was a simple wooden affair, roughly the dimensions of a ream of paper. It had been sealed all the way around with pitch, but over the years (decades, or more), the pitch had run down the sides slightly, exposing the corners to water and condensation. The box had a slight warp to it; nothing that would (presumably) have damaged the contents, but enough to make it a little difficult to remove the lid.
As the pitch came away, Aidan could see that the lid was only a thin board, fitted into grooves on the either side of the box so that it should have slid out easily. The pitch needed to be removed first, though. Fortunately, the room was well equipped with an assortment of archaeological tools, so it was simply a little time-consuming to free the lid.
"Here's hoping our luck with the lack of traps holds," Aidan said, as the lid finally loosened.
With the box open, he held it out so the others could easily see the contents as well. A plain wooden cross filled the entire box, each edge touching one side. A crude pewter disk, bearing the same nine-pointed star symbol that had been found beneath the water, was set into the cedar cross. Folded beneath the cross were two sheets of vellum.
Seto reached out and lifted the cross from its resting place, curling his fingers and thumb around the two crossbars and lifting the piece straight up. The wood was smooth against his skin and slightly cool as he rested it in his left hand and ran the fingertips of his right along the surface. The cross was... heavier than he had expected. Perhaps that was the pewter, perhaps the weight of the wood itself but Seto appreciated the solid heft.
Looking at Marik, he nodded to the papers still resting in the box in Aidan's hand. "If you would, please?"
Taking the papers from the box slowly so to not cause damage, Marik looked over them all the while his excitement growing deeper. Not thinking to ask or not he decided reading it out loud would be best. "It's in Middle English." Looking at the page once more he cleared his voice and began reading slowly as to decipher the old language into modern day vocabulary: "It reads:
October 18, 1186
There is little time To pen this before I must go.
For you who have discovered this, I at once congratulate, and beseech you to take great care. Perhaps you do not yet understand the import of what it is that you have discovered, but you will in time, surely, if you truly seek to reconstruct what has been broken. It is my great hope, however, that my words will Pass next to one of our own Torches, if indeed the need should be great enough for any soul to seek them out.
We have been forced to leave. Perhaps, in hindsight, We should never have come with the intent to stay. Perhaps no man has the right to dwell within a place of such great power. The place itself was created for power's sake, and held by good people, and -- I believe -- is held yet by good people, but then many say I am far too forgiving.
There are Others who agree with me, who -- when our stay here is complete -- will go On with me. It is dangerous for all power to be concentrated in this remote land, more dangerous still, that these good people may be controlled by one who is not worthy. I am not so blind that I cannot see the darkness as well as the Light in the one God, though if certain eyes were to see this ink, I would surely be put to death for daring to pen such a thing.
There are those who do great acts of blasphemy in His name. They do these things in the name of power, in the name of their own lust for It. It is they from whom we conceal and safeguard this secret. We are no longer welcome here, for those who remain behind, Having lost sight of the true reason to remain in this land, who give themselves over to excess. Pride goeth before the fall, and I fear that, though We ride within a handful of hours through a fiery waste, to an uncertain fate...
I fear...
I fear that the journey of those who remain behind will be a far longer, far colder one than we will face in the far western north.
I charge you, if it is enlightenment that you seek, to leave this letter and whatever mysteries it may conceal to rest. If it is power that behooves you, and all of our attempts to conceal this much have been in vain, I caution you and do not expect you to heed my words. If, however, you search not for yourself--you, one of our own, abased and repentant before God and the stony mien of your wiser brothers, who have not turned your back upon the faith, illuminated with the Lion's glory, no door shall be shut to you, and truth will lie within your hands.
A.W.
Looking up from the page he looked at his comrades with an inquisitive look of what do you make of this? behind his eyes.
Blowing out a breath, Aidan set the empty box on the table and moved back a couple of steps to perch on one of the stools. "If I hadn't seen the wall move, and if I hadn't gotten wet retrieving these things, I would seriously suspect that someone had read too much of the DaVinci Code and was putting us on."
Marik grinned. "I agree." Grin fading he went over the words in his mind. "The only thing that stands out to me at this juncture is the mention of 'Lion's' in both the letter and the previous riddle."
"Well," Aidan began, with a brief glance at Seto. "I would suspect -- or perhaps expect -- a link to the Crusaders, given where we found these items, and the date of the letter. It's certainly the right period. However..." he frowned, sliding down off the stool restlessly to pace back to the table. "What are we in this for? We seem to have stumbled onto something none of us expected. Where it leads us may be to a hoax, or to danger. If there is, in the end, some reward -- a tangible one -- what shall we do with it? If it is some Power, be that material or otherwise, how shall we divide it? The downfall of the questers is all too often the argument over the spoils."
Seto looked at the both of them neutrally for a long moment. It was a good question. It was a fair question. The original piece was KaibaCorps property. Blue eyes slid to Marik. He was paying the man for his expertise and cooperation. Same blue eyes turned to Aidan. Who didn't have to be here, was just helping out, at Seto's request. KC resources and funding were being used to pursue this.
Still.
There was something intangible between the three of them now, a bond of shared experience, and what had started out as two had now become three as Aidan claimed a full measure in the quest. "Fair" didn't often enter Seto's world, but he had the feeling he'd best tread careful moral ground.
Not his best subject.
"I think," Seto replied at last, in a slow, thoughtful voice, "that as it is Kaiba Corps original find, and providing the main funding, that twenty percent for each of you would be in order."
Twenty percent rang in the hollow of Marik’s ears as he set sights on Seto, and then passed him as he made his on calculations. KaibaCorp was the original finder of the artifacts, however it was he that discovered they were more then mere ruins of the past. Tracing back his encounter with the artifacts to his first dealings with them, he noted also that he was the one who went through the grind of paperwork and helped KaibaCorp keep the artifacts in the first place.
Twenty percent in a business sense wasn’t enough, but then again, to Marik this journey wasn’t completely business. It sparked an interest, and he respected his companions. Glancing over to Aidan he looked for his reaction on the quoted earnings.
"I can accept that, in terms of tangible profit," Aidan said evenly. "I am, after all, here at your invitation. But I'm not in it for the money." He gestured to the artefacts on the table. "What about those, and anything else we find? Will they be given to a museum or disappear into a private collection? What will you allow the press to say about this?" He paused, holding Seto's gaze intently. "Will you let me tell the story, should it be something that can be revealed? Will you grant me controlling interest in that?"
Seto studied Aidan for a moment, considering. The counteroffer... wasn't exactly that. A defining and expanding, and something in Seto grinned and settled in for the negotiations. Stories were Aidan's milieu, what he defined himself by, and although his business instincts screamed for him to use it as a bargaining chip, Seto... ignored them deliberately.
"I cede all control of media contact and reporting rights to you, Aidan." It was as close as Seto could offer to saying I trust you. "But as far as the eventual disposition of the artifacts..." Seto had a sudden vision of his statues being gawked at by empty-eyed children and oblivious tourists. He recoiled from the thought. "That's still up for debate."
Thinking a moment more while his partners consorted amongst themselves, Marik thought about what his job would be after everything was said, and done. With all reporting, and media rights given to Aidan and thankfully so, he was never much the one for the lime light he wondered what was left. Preservation and such would be handled on Seto’s end as well as their security. Shrugging the thoughts aside he figured the hunt wasn’t over, and he’d cross that bridge in due time.
Aidan blinked, but his surprise was only momentary. He could see the offer for what it was, for the beauty of the gift given without the necessity of lengthy negotiations, and he nodded slightly. "Then I accept your terms," he said, offering Seto his hand across the expanse of the table. The words and gesture were formal, but the warmth in his eyes said, thank you. "As for the artefacts," he added after a slight pause. "I can accept the 'under consideration' clause. Just don't close any doors before you need to."
Reaching across the table, Seto clasped his hand, and offered his own nod of respect before they broke the handshake. "So," he said briskly, visibly changing the subject, "Are we going to divide up the area of responsibility for these as well?"
"I would assume so, and if we are to separate them I would like to research the cross and letters." Marik looked at both Aidan and Seto and continued, "Acceptable?"
The thought of giving up the words -- the letter -- made Aidan a little twitchy, but after a moment's consideration, he shrugged slightly and inclined his head. He had no good reason to argue Marik's request, not knowing his particular expertise or full background. The fact that he'd been able to read the Middle English meant he had some skill with languages, at least. "As you will," he said, still somewhat reluctantly, "But should you need a second opinion, I would be more than willing to discuss it with you at any point. I would suggest making copies of the letter, to preserve the original, and in case there are any clues for the other items buried in there as well."
"Yes," Seto agreed promptly, "we all need a copy of the letter." He smiled faintly. "I presume we all know what artifact I intend to research." His fingers moved down the contours of the second statue.
Marik smirked remembering their joint effort in figuring out the puzzle of the first statue. He also remembered the look in Seto's eyes which in fact were no different then his own, and Marik could appreciate at. "Of course."
Aidan nodded, letting his gaze slide from the statue to the four pyramids. "And I shall endeavour to determine what our pyramid keys might unlock."
It was a warm evening when Aidan, Marik and Seto met at Columbia University. Seto had arranged for the use of one of the rooms in the Archeology Department and he had the items they had retrieved delivered here today, still in their protective shipping containers.
Not that it would likely matter, since the items had existed for an unknown number of years exposed to the elements in a rather more vulnerable fashion that simple crating would damage, but Seto believed in taking every precaution.
They unpacked the items themselves, setting them with eager but careful hands on the large rectangular table. Three tall stools were pushed back away from the table; within reach, but out of the way for now. There was an air of excitement in the room, anticipation running high as the three men stood for a moment, surveying their "treasure:" the box, in its hide wrapping; the four golden pyramids; and the statue.
Looking from Seto to Marik, Aidan smiled slightly. "So... who wants to do the honours?" he asked, indicating the box.
Seto grinned back at him and gestured to the table. "You went after them, Aidan. You've earned the right."
"Ah, thank you," Aidan murmured. Picking up the box, he turned it carefully, looking for a seam or edge in the hide wrapping. Finding a rough line of stiffer leather, he set the box down carefully so he could work it free. It took a few moments to remove the hide. He set it aside, then went to work on the layer of pitch sealing the box itself.
Up close, the box was a simple wooden affair, roughly the dimensions of a ream of paper. It had been sealed all the way around with pitch, but over the years (decades, or more), the pitch had run down the sides slightly, exposing the corners to water and condensation. The box had a slight warp to it; nothing that would (presumably) have damaged the contents, but enough to make it a little difficult to remove the lid.
As the pitch came away, Aidan could see that the lid was only a thin board, fitted into grooves on the either side of the box so that it should have slid out easily. The pitch needed to be removed first, though. Fortunately, the room was well equipped with an assortment of archaeological tools, so it was simply a little time-consuming to free the lid.
"Here's hoping our luck with the lack of traps holds," Aidan said, as the lid finally loosened.
With the box open, he held it out so the others could easily see the contents as well. A plain wooden cross filled the entire box, each edge touching one side. A crude pewter disk, bearing the same nine-pointed star symbol that had been found beneath the water, was set into the cedar cross. Folded beneath the cross were two sheets of vellum.
Seto reached out and lifted the cross from its resting place, curling his fingers and thumb around the two crossbars and lifting the piece straight up. The wood was smooth against his skin and slightly cool as he rested it in his left hand and ran the fingertips of his right along the surface. The cross was... heavier than he had expected. Perhaps that was the pewter, perhaps the weight of the wood itself but Seto appreciated the solid heft.
Looking at Marik, he nodded to the papers still resting in the box in Aidan's hand. "If you would, please?"
Taking the papers from the box slowly so to not cause damage, Marik looked over them all the while his excitement growing deeper. Not thinking to ask or not he decided reading it out loud would be best. "It's in Middle English." Looking at the page once more he cleared his voice and began reading slowly as to decipher the old language into modern day vocabulary: "It reads:
October 18, 1186
There is little time To pen this before I must go.
For you who have discovered this, I at once congratulate, and beseech you to take great care. Perhaps you do not yet understand the import of what it is that you have discovered, but you will in time, surely, if you truly seek to reconstruct what has been broken. It is my great hope, however, that my words will Pass next to one of our own Torches, if indeed the need should be great enough for any soul to seek them out.
We have been forced to leave. Perhaps, in hindsight, We should never have come with the intent to stay. Perhaps no man has the right to dwell within a place of such great power. The place itself was created for power's sake, and held by good people, and -- I believe -- is held yet by good people, but then many say I am far too forgiving.
There are Others who agree with me, who -- when our stay here is complete -- will go On with me. It is dangerous for all power to be concentrated in this remote land, more dangerous still, that these good people may be controlled by one who is not worthy. I am not so blind that I cannot see the darkness as well as the Light in the one God, though if certain eyes were to see this ink, I would surely be put to death for daring to pen such a thing.
There are those who do great acts of blasphemy in His name. They do these things in the name of power, in the name of their own lust for It. It is they from whom we conceal and safeguard this secret. We are no longer welcome here, for those who remain behind, Having lost sight of the true reason to remain in this land, who give themselves over to excess. Pride goeth before the fall, and I fear that, though We ride within a handful of hours through a fiery waste, to an uncertain fate...
I fear...
I fear that the journey of those who remain behind will be a far longer, far colder one than we will face in the far western north.
I charge you, if it is enlightenment that you seek, to leave this letter and whatever mysteries it may conceal to rest. If it is power that behooves you, and all of our attempts to conceal this much have been in vain, I caution you and do not expect you to heed my words. If, however, you search not for yourself--you, one of our own, abased and repentant before God and the stony mien of your wiser brothers, who have not turned your back upon the faith, illuminated with the Lion's glory, no door shall be shut to you, and truth will lie within your hands.
A.W.
Looking up from the page he looked at his comrades with an inquisitive look of what do you make of this? behind his eyes.
Blowing out a breath, Aidan set the empty box on the table and moved back a couple of steps to perch on one of the stools. "If I hadn't seen the wall move, and if I hadn't gotten wet retrieving these things, I would seriously suspect that someone had read too much of the DaVinci Code and was putting us on."
Marik grinned. "I agree." Grin fading he went over the words in his mind. "The only thing that stands out to me at this juncture is the mention of 'Lion's' in both the letter and the previous riddle."
"Well," Aidan began, with a brief glance at Seto. "I would suspect -- or perhaps expect -- a link to the Crusaders, given where we found these items, and the date of the letter. It's certainly the right period. However..." he frowned, sliding down off the stool restlessly to pace back to the table. "What are we in this for? We seem to have stumbled onto something none of us expected. Where it leads us may be to a hoax, or to danger. If there is, in the end, some reward -- a tangible one -- what shall we do with it? If it is some Power, be that material or otherwise, how shall we divide it? The downfall of the questers is all too often the argument over the spoils."
Seto looked at the both of them neutrally for a long moment. It was a good question. It was a fair question. The original piece was KaibaCorps property. Blue eyes slid to Marik. He was paying the man for his expertise and cooperation. Same blue eyes turned to Aidan. Who didn't have to be here, was just helping out, at Seto's request. KC resources and funding were being used to pursue this.
Still.
There was something intangible between the three of them now, a bond of shared experience, and what had started out as two had now become three as Aidan claimed a full measure in the quest. "Fair" didn't often enter Seto's world, but he had the feeling he'd best tread careful moral ground.
Not his best subject.
"I think," Seto replied at last, in a slow, thoughtful voice, "that as it is Kaiba Corps original find, and providing the main funding, that twenty percent for each of you would be in order."
Twenty percent rang in the hollow of Marik’s ears as he set sights on Seto, and then passed him as he made his on calculations. KaibaCorp was the original finder of the artifacts, however it was he that discovered they were more then mere ruins of the past. Tracing back his encounter with the artifacts to his first dealings with them, he noted also that he was the one who went through the grind of paperwork and helped KaibaCorp keep the artifacts in the first place.
Twenty percent in a business sense wasn’t enough, but then again, to Marik this journey wasn’t completely business. It sparked an interest, and he respected his companions. Glancing over to Aidan he looked for his reaction on the quoted earnings.
"I can accept that, in terms of tangible profit," Aidan said evenly. "I am, after all, here at your invitation. But I'm not in it for the money." He gestured to the artefacts on the table. "What about those, and anything else we find? Will they be given to a museum or disappear into a private collection? What will you allow the press to say about this?" He paused, holding Seto's gaze intently. "Will you let me tell the story, should it be something that can be revealed? Will you grant me controlling interest in that?"
Seto studied Aidan for a moment, considering. The counteroffer... wasn't exactly that. A defining and expanding, and something in Seto grinned and settled in for the negotiations. Stories were Aidan's milieu, what he defined himself by, and although his business instincts screamed for him to use it as a bargaining chip, Seto... ignored them deliberately.
"I cede all control of media contact and reporting rights to you, Aidan." It was as close as Seto could offer to saying I trust you. "But as far as the eventual disposition of the artifacts..." Seto had a sudden vision of his statues being gawked at by empty-eyed children and oblivious tourists. He recoiled from the thought. "That's still up for debate."
Thinking a moment more while his partners consorted amongst themselves, Marik thought about what his job would be after everything was said, and done. With all reporting, and media rights given to Aidan and thankfully so, he was never much the one for the lime light he wondered what was left. Preservation and such would be handled on Seto’s end as well as their security. Shrugging the thoughts aside he figured the hunt wasn’t over, and he’d cross that bridge in due time.
Aidan blinked, but his surprise was only momentary. He could see the offer for what it was, for the beauty of the gift given without the necessity of lengthy negotiations, and he nodded slightly. "Then I accept your terms," he said, offering Seto his hand across the expanse of the table. The words and gesture were formal, but the warmth in his eyes said, thank you. "As for the artefacts," he added after a slight pause. "I can accept the 'under consideration' clause. Just don't close any doors before you need to."
Reaching across the table, Seto clasped his hand, and offered his own nod of respect before they broke the handshake. "So," he said briskly, visibly changing the subject, "Are we going to divide up the area of responsibility for these as well?"
"I would assume so, and if we are to separate them I would like to research the cross and letters." Marik looked at both Aidan and Seto and continued, "Acceptable?"
The thought of giving up the words -- the letter -- made Aidan a little twitchy, but after a moment's consideration, he shrugged slightly and inclined his head. He had no good reason to argue Marik's request, not knowing his particular expertise or full background. The fact that he'd been able to read the Middle English meant he had some skill with languages, at least. "As you will," he said, still somewhat reluctantly, "But should you need a second opinion, I would be more than willing to discuss it with you at any point. I would suggest making copies of the letter, to preserve the original, and in case there are any clues for the other items buried in there as well."
"Yes," Seto agreed promptly, "we all need a copy of the letter." He smiled faintly. "I presume we all know what artifact I intend to research." His fingers moved down the contours of the second statue.
Marik smirked remembering their joint effort in figuring out the puzzle of the first statue. He also remembered the look in Seto's eyes which in fact were no different then his own, and Marik could appreciate at. "Of course."
Aidan nodded, letting his gaze slide from the statue to the four pyramids. "And I shall endeavour to determine what our pyramid keys might unlock."