The older man's eyes bored into his own. They were so intense that they drew attention away from the rest of his face, which was rugged, but admittedly handsome. The man's jaw was sharp, and he had it set as if his teeth were gritted. He was covered by light stubble, and the skin on his face was as smooth and unblemished as the rest of him-- save for a good amount of wrinkles. Siv didn't like good looking people. They had it easy. His own features were unremarkable, and had been downright unsightly due to the years of periodic starvation and layers upon layers of dirt that covered it. He wasn't particularly tall, either. Of course, his own attractiveness was hardly something he cared about. It was just that the particularly good looking urchins often ended up in a foster home.
Siv looked at the man again. Had he really just asked Siv to kill him?
"Lazy bastard. I already did." Siv kicked his legs up on the table in front of him. He didn't know if Taln would change his mind and use those eerie chains to grind him up, but he figured he might as well quit being afraid of him, cause there wasn't much he could do about Taln killing him anyway.
"If it was that easy, I'd have done myself in long ago. My Aspect does not make it easy to die. And my specific set of powers make it even harder." Taln's eyes grew distant. "I've lived a long life, kid. Died enough for a thousand lifetimes. I've never heard of anyone getting a Mark of Death. If that can't kill me, I don't know what will."
"What's in it for me? Don't get me wrong, I'm happy enough to kill you, but if its a request then I figure I should get some payment." Siv sipped at the drink again.
"Kid, an hour ago you were about to get eaten by a couple of self-mutilating fanatics. How about my payment is keep you alive, least until I'm dead?" Taln proposed.
Siv figured that was a pretty good deal, considering he had suddenly garnered more popularity than he knew what to do with. He nodded. "That, and a good meal every night."
"Right, well. You're a weak piece of shit right now. You trying to kill me won't do much. There are a few ways you can go about making yourself stronger. The only thing your aspect gives you now is an especially tenacious healing factor. We'll start there." Taln had a slightly evil looking grin on his face.
Siv was not quite sure now if Taln was holding a grudge.
...
Quentin sat next to the boy, sighing as he put down the rag. Despite his constant tidying, the shop was never quite clean. In the week that Siv had been here, he had seen no customers. It was odd, as Siv didn't know how Quentin was footing the huge food bill the young boy had racked up.
"You'll eat me out of my home, Siv." Quentin said, watching the boy scarf up yet another meal. Quentin was quite a cook, and since Siv's arrival had been cooking double portions. This particular one was stuffed poultry. He filled the succulent meat with breadcrumbs, vegetables, and a myriad of spices. He tied it up so it would cook evenly, then cooked it low and slow. This served to keep the meat tender, as well as incorporating the succulent flavor into the stuffed innards.
Siv was happily tearing into the meal. "Well, I'll pay you back someday." Siv flashed him a grin. The boy had really changed, even in a week. His constitution granted by the Aspect of Suffering was indeed incredible, perhaps even comparable to Taln's own. The boy had some meat on his bones now, and was quite a good looking lad. Quentin was glad to feed and house the boy. He reminded him of his own, a lifetime ago.
"Say, Quentin, what's Taln's deal? Why's he always look as if hes got an itch in his-"
"Well, lad. That's quite a story." Quentin cut him off before he could finish. He did not want to hear the boy speculating about Taln's private business. "It's not my place to say, but I will tell you that Taln has lived long, longer than you can imagine. That grinds a person down." He sighed. "His Aspect- your Aspect too- is quite a sinister one. Many consider it a curse."
"What about those asswipes that tried to eat me?" Siv asked.
"Ah. The Sect of Blood." Quentin wiped his glasses. "They're quite a nasty bunch. I'm sure you noticed the heavy scarring and mutilation. They're fanatics of the same Aspect that has marked you. However, they were not Marked. Rather, they made a Covenant."
The boy looked at him quizzically, before taking another bite of the poultry dish. "What's the difference?"
Aspects were sort of common knowledge-- most people knew not to mess with powers they did not understand, so the terminology would not be known very well. Especially to a boy in the same circumstances as Siv.
"A covenant goes two ways. You, a Marked, have been granted powers and the key to unlock more without drawbacks. Those who form a covenant, however, must pay a dire price. It is different depending on the Aspect, as well as the individual. The Sect, for example, sacrifice their own flesh and blood in exchange for the profane powers of Suffering. That is why they took your blood-- the blood of a Marked is a rare thing indeed, and offers considerable power without the destruction of one's own flesh."
"They called Taln something. Shrike, I think it was. Why?"
Quentin gave a dry laugh. "Taln is one of the Sect's most dire enemies. They once considered him a Lord, as he has been granted the powers of the Profane Suffering. Taln finds them quite, er, distasteful so he was not interested in it. Quite the opposite, in fact. Shrike- well, its quite a gruesome story. Perhaps another time."
"Taln asked me to kill him. I tried, once, but it didn't work. Why is he keeping me around?" Quentin was not surprised. He had long known of Taln's desire to die.
"I imagine he hopes to nurture you to have that ability. You are at the beginning of a very long path of strength, one that stretches all the way to the Aspects themselves." Quentin cleared his throat. "As for why Taln believes you can do it, I won't pry, but I imagine there is something unique about your... situation."
"Rest assured, old man. I'll kill that bastard." Siv grinned, having finished his poultry. He set into a loaf of bread now. "What's profane?"
"Profane- foul, unholy, vile. Not all Aspects are profane. Suffering is rather unique in that it contains both the profane and the consecrated. The dark side of God is the Profane. The powers come at a dire price, and are often rather distasteful, such as your cannibalistic captors."
"Why'd they wanna eat me?" Siv looked a bit disturbed at the prospect.
"Followers of the Profane often do not discriminate between beast and man. By consuming the flesh, you are often granted some semblance of the power within. Moreso if it matches your own Aspect."
"Beasts?"
"Yes. There are those native to the land, which are quite rare these days. The direwolves, the Great Stag and his herd, and many other such creatures are examples. They are consecrated beasts, and may grant great powers based on their physicality and proclivities towards an Aspect." Quentin's eyes darkened. "The other side of that are profane beasts. They are those that have invaded the South, which the people of this land have been battling for years. Consuming the flesh of such beasts often corrupts. Nothing is so frowned upon as consuming the flesh of another human, however. Such a foul act is even frowned upon among the more... righteous of the Profane followers."
Siv chewed, thinking on all that he had heard. He wasn't exactly sure what he wanted yet, but if he could keep living the good life with food and a roof over his head, he'd be happy to let Taln nurture him into an immortal killing machine. He grinned thinking of it. No matter what, he was never eating a rat again.