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Post by GoldenKitten on Oct 2, 2009 22:09:57 GMT -4
“Theres a hall, theres a hall....oh look, theres another hall!”
Uriel whispered to himself in an annoyed voice as he turned one corner to another with his arms crossed and an ever growing aura of annoyance around him. Every single hall looked the same as the rest with more halls breaking off into...more halls. There was no real sense to it either, Uriel had aligned himself so that he knew he was headed in the correct direction toward the central tower and further off the tower Rei had run into. However with every corridor looking identical with the same gray walls and occasional blue torches lining the way it was easy to lose track of time and further lose faith in ones own internal directions. Of course Uriel wasn't really one to “lose faith” in himself but even he was tiring of the seeming lack of progression.
Along the way he ran into several bats and one Nightmare, he put them down as quickly as he had the rest. More worrisome though was the fact that he had seen at least one undead though he had quickly changed corridors and seemingly avoided it, however this seemed to confirm that they were indeed hunting him which was not something normal undead would have done. Doppleganger was a dangerous opponent indeed though during the wandering time Uriel had started to wonder if that was all that was going on, after all if Dopple wasn't the original evil here then he had to have gone through Geffen to get here. Grantz had never said anything about that or detecting another evil in or below the town at any point, given the number of magicians in this land it was nigh unthinkable that this hadn't been picked up on. Uriels natural suspicions ran a muck with this information fresh in mind.
He was considering these facts when he stepped into another corridor, it took him several moments to snap out of his reverie and realize he was back in the central chamber they had headed down earlier. He was about to congratulate himself when he heard several hard footsteps come down a hall just a few meters from him and cursed under his breath when two of the zombies, both sword wielders came dashing out. They took a moment to register him but immediately attacked, worse yet he heard resounding howls through the complex as if all the undead were connected and were communicating his position. One swordsmen came in with a low swing, Uriel pushed back the strike swinging a foot short of his position and then used the rebound to firmly hack off the zombies head whereupon its body collapsed to the ground.
Spinning as the other came he gouged a massive hole in its chest and then in the same spinning motion turned and ran off into the halls of Rei's side. Footsteps behind told him that he had escaped just as several more zombies had come. However the fact that they did not follow immediately hinted to their limited intelligence as there were likely to many halls for them to make a guess as to which he had gone down, Dopples pets or not. Just to be sure he shifted halls several times until it was all but certain that he had lost them. It was down one of these halls that he heard fast footsteps running, far to fast for a zombie and he quickly pressed himself against the corner it was about to pass. Just as it was about to pass he readied his sword, spun about the corner with it raised high and struck downward.
“AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!” Elander squealed before falling to the ground on her butt, skidding with the momentum of her running. Of course in reality her continued existence was only thanks to Uriel pulling his blow at the last second.
Uriel looked down at the little girl who was cowering on the ground with her hands over her eyes, it would almost have been amusing if it wasn't so aggravating. He himself would have knocked her out like he had said before but whether it was Doppleganger or not she was still his only chance of finding Rei in time. It wasn't that he had any great care for the swordsmen but he still saw no reason to let the boy die, especially if this was the Doppleganger from his past, he had no real desire for more deaths on his hands because of this creature.
“Would you shut up already?” he said to the still crying girl.
After a few moments of sputtering and quibbling she looked up at him before launching upward to a standing position and shaking her hands at him, “YOU....YOU JERK!!!”
“Yes, yes. Now where is the boy? More importantly where is doppleganger?”
“Dop-? Oh you mean that...that THING? How would I know? It just tossed me to the side and told me to run a while back!” She was swinging her arms enthusiastically.
Uriel gave her a long, silent, incredulous look “...right. How did we first meet by the way?”
“What...you...you touched me you pervert! But who cares?! We have to get out of here! We've got to go now!”
“Your just going to leave Rei behind little girl? He chased after that thing trying to save you.”
She fell quickly silent and blushed about twenty times the shade of a tomato. At that point though Uriel knew Doppleganger was good at replicating human emotions he doubted the creature could replicate emotions that quickly or accurately, hell it probably didn't even understand why a young girl would have reacted that way. He also knew Dopple could have teased their meeting out of Elander but it was doubtful in the short time that had passed. Of course he would never let his guard down but her overall actions seemed to suggest this was not Dopple. After a few moments of contemplation Elander shook her head silently, Uriel didn't need any help guessing what was going on in her head as her eyes sparkled with the light only a girl having princess fantasies could muster.
“Think you can find your way back to where he let you go?”
Elander was still in la-la land but she managed to nod, “He just let me go a few moments ago, its just a little way away. COME ON!!!”
Elander with renewed romantic vigor took off with the speed of a charging Paladin. Uriel hated to tell her that she probably had no chance, well ok no he would love to tell her that, but he'd save it for some time after she helped him. She hadn't been lying though, within a few moments Uriel easily detected Dopple even through the overall miasma. He didn't need her as a leader at that point and quickly sped off before her, soon he could hear the clanking of swords, clearly Dopple had intended to trap Rei just as Uriel predicted. A moment later he broke off into the room where two Rei's were fighting and skidded to a stop a few meters away.
“Would one of you be kind enough to tell me which of you I need to kill?” He snarled.
Of course he didn't really need to be told. One of the Rei's was giving a near manic and very unfitting grin for the swordsmen as well as the other sporting numerous wounds, Uriel had seen enough of Rei's skill to know he wasn't up to Dopples standards yet even if he did have allot of power. More over upon Uriels arrival the one who was no doubt Doppleganger gave him a harsh glare, clearly he hadn't intended for the Priest to find them so quickly, if at all. Regardless he tried to drop this and returned his attentions to Rei but Uriel already had his target. Of course he could be wrong but he had a plan, he would buff the Rei he thought to be the real one, if he was right the boy could even out against Dopple and then they could both attack, if he was wrong the holy magic would burn Dopple badly. Uriel might not have been the best caster of defensive magic but he was a Priest and a good one at that, buffing was not beyond him.
“Agilius, Impositio Manus di el Angelus!” Uriel raised one hand and white energy formed in it, it was extremely draining but it was the only effective way out of this.
He thrust his hand out and a moment later the injured Rei nearly exploded with inner-gray miasma encircling his body like a mixture of mist and smoke.
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Post by Zhiel on Oct 4, 2009 23:03:14 GMT -4
As time passed, the brief pause between the clashing of swords grew dimmer and dimmer, until it sometimes were a rapid succession of echoing clashes. If one had observed the battle between Rei and Doppleganger, one would notice that even if Rei was seemingly capable of keeping up with his copy, he was slowly growing tired, while Dopple remained at top efficiency. Though guessing that Dopple had not even been fighting with all he got from the beginning was a very likely scenario. Though for an amateur like Rei, it seemed almost like if they were equal, as Dopple made a good act of almost being hit several times. And though he had not gotten any serious hits on Rei, only causing shallow cuts on his chest and near his shoulders, with one swipe having graced his cheeks, the fact that Dopple was completely unharmed with the only exception being the wound he had copied when he transformed into Rei, would make it obvious this was not so.
An overhead swing came down on Rei, who quickly pulled his sword up and blocked the strike, quickly pushing away with his blade so as not to give his copy the chance to press down on him. But this had been a mistake as Doppleganger struck out with his left fist, which had let go of the sword just as it impacted Rei's block. But Rei had understood how Doppleganger used feints to it's advantage by this point, and so was quick to react by pulling his arms back down to his body, taking the straight punch at the side of his elbow, using his chest as support even as he was pushed back from the force, almost toppling him as he grimaced in pain. If he had not supported his arm with the rest of his body, it would surely have been broken, however rather than resuming his defenses Rei had been too focused on both keeping his balance and the pain coursing through his left arm that he had forgotten about Dopple, being reminded of the dangerous situation he was in once again when a sword came dangerously close to his face. When he had been completely unfocused, he had instinctively dodged the blade aimed for his face, however Dopple had not done just that as the creature rushed at Rei and gave him a full-body tackle on his right side, sending the young swordsman spinning to the ground.
Though Rei had forgotten his training, his reflexes and reactions remained and thus without really thinking about it Rei twisted his body around just before he hit the stone floor, holding his right arm with sword in hand out beside him, both keeping the sword away from his own body, making sure it did not get stuck in the ground, and giving him support to not go spinning in the wrong direction. And just a moment later as he nearly bounced on the ground from the fall he swung his legs up, and then back over his head forcing his whole body to follow suit as he leaned his head to the side, rolling over his own left shoulder before ending in a crouched position with one knee to the ground as support.
It was on this scene that Uriel came running in on, just as Dopple charged once more, though only going so far as to lunge at him as he swung his own sword in a wide horizontal arc, to which Rei dodged by rolling off to the side away from the swing as he quickly got up on his feet and put his sword back into as much of a defensive stance as he could muster with his limited knowledge. Though hardly visible due to having his back turned to the priest, Rei gave a sigh of relief when he heard the older mans voice, because that meant he wasn't alone anymore and relaxed a bit. Consecutively, this had been a mistake as Dopple quickly returned his attention to Rei and jumped at him once again, a barrage of powerful blows raining down on Rei as he desperately attempted to block the attacks which were suddenly that much stronger. However after the sixth strike, it became clear that Rei's defenses were failing as he stumbled backwards, his sword almost right by his body now from being pushed back so much, and then with one final strike Dopple forced the sword out of the way, leaving Rei completely exposed to the next strike. It was clear Doppleganger intended to finish this quickly now that Uriel had caught up with him.
However just as the blade was about to reach Rei light exploded out from the young Swordsman in what looked almost like light grey mist. Dopple hissed, as he tried to pull away from the light, but as his swing was already in motion it was hard to combat physics. However despite the fact the sword should have pierced flesh, it instead hit a nearly invisible barrier that now surrounded Rei, and though the barrier shimmered the moment it was struck it still held for the blow. It appeared that Dopple's attempts to stop his own attack had caused the attack itself to lose the power it might have needed to pierce the holy barrier. Though he was surprised by what happened, Rei suddenly felt rejuvenated and somehow, better than he did before, and so decided to go on the offensive once more.
Doppleganger who was apparently greatly annoyed by having to face two opponents now, turned his attention away from Rei and immediately rushed toward the seemingly exposed Uriel who had just finished casting his supportive spells, however before the demon could get four steps away he suddenly became aware of Rei who had caught up with him and was swinging his now slightly glowing sword at the copies chest. In response Doppleganger immediately raised it's own sword and blocked the strike, coming to a dead stop by the force of the attack. It appeared as if Rei had suddenly become nearly twice as fast, with no signs of exhaustion anymore, as he laid a barrage of strikes on Dopple who only managed to avoid a few due to the unexpected change, and having to keep his focus on Uriel at the same time. However while it seemed the wounds Rei caused to the demon was meaningless, as they closed just soon after, the way the battle had turned was a clear indicator things did not go according to Doppleganger's plans and only after Uriel had actually went into the battle on his own, dealing at least one severe hit to the demon with his holy blade, did Doppleganger decide it was high time to pull out.
Stumbling back, away from the two, it looked almost like if he was about to say something when he suddenly jerked up straight as he turned his head to look down the corridor behind him. Just a moment later it was like if the hallway was hit by a flood of evil, as another presence made itself known. Uriel himself, would easily be able to tell this new presence was older, and even more powerful than Doppleganger himself. Using this as a distraction, Doppleganger instantly shifted back into his true form as he raised his arm, causing a large cloud of complete darkness to form around him, moments later the sound of hooves traveling away down the corridor could be heard.
With the effect of the defensive spells vanishing, Rei nearly collapsed on the ground from both exhaustion and the loss of blood he had suffered during the battle, only supporting himself with his sword.
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Post by GoldenKitten on Oct 8, 2009 18:49:57 GMT -4
Uriel waited for an opening instead of openly joining the fight. In theory two on one allowed for an advantage, however that was without considering the difficulties of several people fighting up close in a confined space. Multiple weapons moving in multiple directions at different speeds, even an experienced fighter could be struck by mistake if one of the many flailing limbs involved in such a conflict entered a blind spot. So overall it was better to rely on the rejuvenated Rei to back Dopple into a corner and then make a decisive strike when such a time came. And one did as Rei swung his blade back and forth, Dopple was forced to jump backward to dodge and though the strike hadn't hit it had taken him severely off balance, Dopple seemed to realize this mistake instantly as his head spun around to look behind him but it was to late.
Readying his blade like a spear Uriel drove down and up into Dopple and moments later his blade rammed straight through the creatures back. The holy properties of the blade cut through Dopple like butter, any human would have no doubt received damage to their spine and lungs but it was doubtful this creature had any such structures. The blade continued through and exploded out the front of his chest and just barely missed Rei's face as it came out the other side, though of course in reality Uriel had calculated this carefully. Dopple looked downward at the metal structure protruding from him with disbelief for a moment before letting out a high-pitched squeal Uriel took as the creatures scream and began jerking. Put in imminent danger Dopple once more performed an extraordinary acrobatic feat and leaped straight off the blade, good for him because a slight action by Uriel a moment to late showed he had fully intended to rip the blade upward into Dopples skull had he still be there.
“That had to hurt...” Uriel said to nobody in particular as he readied his blade once more.
Dopple did not respond instead stumbling back away from the two, it looked almost like if he was about to say something when he suddenly jerked up straight as he turned his head to look down the corridor behind him. Just a moment later it was as if the hallway was hit by a flood of evil as another presence made itself known. Uriel turned to watch as Dopple made his escape down the hall flooded with darkness but he wasn't really paying attention to him, he was trying to figure out what this new force was. It was more powerful than anything else he had ever faced, and he had faced a whole bunch. He could not distinguish its presence though, it was putting off so much energy there was simply no way to differentiate between what was solid and what was not. Uriel of course realized now that Dopple had been distracting them, probably while some sort of magic unlocked whatever this was, but he also knew he could never have known and regretting the past wasn't going to get him anywhere now.
“This just keeps getting better and better...”
Uriel shuffled around in his pack and pulled out a set of bandages and tossed them backhanded to Elander who had just arrived in the room. She fumbled for them at the last moment and just managed to catch them.
“Patch him up as best you can and then get him out of here. I'll have to heal you properly later. You can do no more good here.”
Elander looked ready to argue, probably to say she didn't know how but then Uriel was gone down the hallways and any presence he had too was absorbed into the darkness. He rushed after Dopple, or at least he figured the source was where Dopple was going and it was not hard to find at all. Unlike before this energy was coming from a very definite source and pushing through the halls with an almost corporeal presence, the trained eye could actually pick up waves forcing down the halls. As such despite the areas labyrinthine design he was able to quickly find his way back to the final chamber with the island in the middle. However much had changed since a few minutes back when he had last stood here.
He supposed he should have suspected the giant doors in the chamber to be more than they seemed but given they hadn't been remotely active the last time he looked he was surprised to find them completely open. The runes and swirls engraved in its surface burned deep purples and reds and at each corner a massive magical cog continued to spin, pulling several magically glowing chains from inside. Inside was nothing, it was purple glowing mist from the moment you breached the door and within three feet it was impossible to see further. The chains stretched out across the room all the way to the island where they wrapped themselves around a sword which was firmly planted in the ground, straight through the flayed body from before. Despite the magical nature of the chains and the strength with which the gears were pulling the sword refused to move.
The sword was about seven feet long and in the shape of an excessively thick broadsword, starting at a fine tip but proceeding to over a foot across before the hilt. It was lined with multiple glowing purple engravings and a visible purple miasma was being forced outward in a cloud like effect. Even someone who couldn't feel its energy would be able to see the giant “EVIL SWORD” signs by that point but for someone who could feel them it was unnerving. No non-sentient creation should have had such an aura, it had more unholy energy casting off every second than most cultist sorcerers could have managed in a lifetime. Uriel had the distinct feeling it might indeed have been self-aware to have that sort of energy and much to his digress Doppleganger was standing next to the sword with one hand extended and touching the hilt, his red glowing eyes staring straight at the weapon and nothing else.
“Unlocking an unholy sword of doom to destroy the kingdom? Isn't that a little too cliché and children's bedtime story-ish?” Uriel yelled out as he approached the island.
Dopple ignored him completely, Uriel had the distinct impression he hadn't even been heard as even lacking solid facial features it still seemed his adversary was lost in his own little world. Uriel was not keen on charging toward something he was unfamiliar with that seemed this powerful but he had no real choice, he knew if Dopple got his hands on the sword there would be little he could do about it. Unfortunately Dopple was working to fast and the moment Uriel attempted to break into a run another blow of energy, this time very solid like a wave of air rushed over him and pushed him several feet back. The chains holding the sword snapped and went flying back into the purple mist, the runes on the door went all red and then the gears squealed aloud and the massive doors slammed in a second with a massive bang. What was left was Doppleganger as he gripped the hilt of the sword and slowly pulled it out of the ground, his eyes fell down on Uriel who grimaced and raised his book up toward his opponent.
“I have no more time for you.” Doppleganger said as he raised the sword to sit on his shoulder, peering down at Uriel with hateful eyes, but eyes renewed with vigor as well.
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Post by Zhiel on Oct 9, 2009 21:15:15 GMT -4
Even Rei could feel the dark energy rushing down the halls, showering the trio in evil, and it unnerved him greatly. But even so, he needed to stop the bleeding in his wounds before he could pursue, and so when he saw Uriel throw some bandages to Elander who just entered the room (how did he save her when the real dopple had attacked him? he decided it was best not to think too deeply about that one.), he decided to sit down on the floor as he unstrapped the broken guard on his left forearm, as he tossed it aside revealing the big red blotch under it.
Though he was not familiar with blood himself (well, he probably was, but he had no memory of it), he did not react much to the rather serious wound which had nearly pierced his arm. Instead he went right to ripping off a piece of the swordsman uniform which obscured the wound, before he wiped as much of the blood off as possible with the already pretty drenched fabric. "Could you help me with the bandages please?" He asked Elander's, while he held his arm up slightly above his head while he put some pressure on his arm just below the wound, to stop the flow somewhat. Though she had gone white, probably from the sight of the blood, she did as he had asked without complaining. "Try to put some more pressure on it." He suggested, as the bandages nearly dropped straight off. "I know I know!" she said aloud, sounding annoyed. Rei would have chuckled, but the unnerving sensation the evil that lay ahead gave off made him nervous.
After maybe a minute or so since Uriel had left had passed, Rei's left arm was firmly bandaged, and though he was still feeling a bit light-headed from the blood loss, he had had enough time to rest up a bit and wasn't feeling nearly as exhausted as he had earlier. And since most of his other wounds were small and did not bleed much, most had actually already coagulated, though would probably open again if he made any drastic movements. Either way, he decided it was time to go.
"I'm ok now, I've got to catch up with Uriel, he's going to need my help with that... Thing..." Rei said to Elander's, who looked a bit worried, but it might just as well be due to having to get out alone, who knew? She began to say something, sounding like a protest, but when Rei stood up and put a hand on one of her shoulders she got quiet all of a sudden. "It's alright, we'll make sure you get out of here." He said reassuringly as he put his sword back in it's sheath as he walked past her. "That's not what I meant..." She said silently to herself, though he could clearly hear her since she wasn't that far behind, but he ignored her as he went into a run as he followed the bad sensation down the halls.
Just a short time later, Doppleganger pulled the sword out from it's sealing circle (and consequently also the tortured body) and hoisted it up on one of it's incorporeal shoulders. With it's gaze now fixed on Uriel the demon began to speak. "I have no more time for you." it looked like he was about to say something more, but even if he did so, his voice was drowned out by another voice, which seemed to emanate from the sword Doppleganger now carried, while at the same time being in Uriel's head. "My thirst has awakened, you lowly demon who claim possession of me, if you hope to use my power you must feed my thirst of blood!!" A dark, evil and completely inhuman voice said, and though it was in Uriel's head, it was clearly directed at Doppleganger who in turn just shrugged. "You will receive your blood, but he-" clearly indicating Uriel, but also Rei who just managed to catch up with the priest. "is not worthy. Patience, and a perfect wielder will be found." Doppleganger said in a low tone, not intending to be heard by Uriel, but probably not risking not being heard by the sword, showing he did at the very least hold caution for the cursed weapon.
Though Rei stood in a ready stance with his sword now drawn, he was clearly shocked by the sword in Doppleganger's hands, and the terrible sensation it gave off. Not to mention the voice he had heard as he approached the large chamber. Despite this however, it seemed Doppleganger was not yet finished as he brought the large sword up, held in a single arm, as he observed it's surface. "It appears I am out of time. Have fun dying, it's the least I can do to pay you back for that stab back there..." Doppleganger said maliciously, as it raised the sword a bit more and swung it around so the tip was facing the ground. "If you happen to survive... Yuno will be where the final act commences." Dopple finished, as it gripped the sword with both hands, and drove it into the ground. Just a moment later the ground erupted in an explosion of dark evil energy, shacking the very foundation of the structure they were now in as parts of it began to fall appart. And as the energy from the explosion disappeared, Doppleganger had vanished.
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Post by GoldenKitten on Oct 15, 2009 14:55:56 GMT -4
Uriel was extremely close to the epicenter of the event and though the blast Dopple cast went upward he still had to shield himself. By the time the dust and swirls of magic energies had dissipated their opponent was gone leaving only the lingering aura of evil in its place. Well, the lingering of evil and the distinct cracking sound of the roof above as large portions began to dislodge from their holdings. Uriel looked up and spotted this instantly, cursing under his breath he immediately spun around and began running, this time there was no grace to it, he was getting the hell out of there. He spotted Rei at one of the lower entrances and saw that Elander was standing a bit behind him, peeking around a corner. He pointed at them and then up the stairs to the central tower.
“MOVE!!!”
He wasted no time explaining himself; he wasn’t dying for anyone especially now that he had a mission to complete in his mind. Just as he reached the top of the stairwell a sickening crack sounded from above and a massive chunk of bedrock came slamming down on the area with the small island and ring lake. Uriel didn’t stop there though; he rushed down the entirety of the central corridor that ran through the tower at near light-speed. As he did so he eyed the ceiling above him, though it itself had yet to budge he could hear the shrill screaming of the cavern roof above it breaking apart. Several Nightmares went flying past him as he ran but like animals they seemed to instinctively realize the danger and had nothing to do with him, instead flying off down one of the many corridors looking for escape. Similarly he spotted several corpses that had not been there before; apparently when Dopple had left all the bodies he had been in control of had ceased functioning.
Bursting through the entrance corridor a vast shaking began to rock the area and several of the magical blue torches fell to the ground where they were extinguished. Uriel didn’t stop there though instead breaking out of the tower and rushing up the slant that they had descended down not to long ago. About halfway up he turned as a roaring sounded out from above, in the darkness it was difficult to tell exactly what was happening. However several moments’ later light exploded from the top of the tower as it became apparent an absolutely gigantic portion of the “roof” had fallen on top of it and was now crushing the entire thing allowing the light from the thousands of blue torches within to momentarily escape. Uriel watched with an expression as close as he got to awe as all three towers were flattened like they were made of putty.
The event took about ten seconds and another ten for the large slab to settle completely. Once it had all come to a stop several smaller rocks began dropping from above but there were no further loud cracking sounds as if the larger collapse had finally ceased. Uriel still wasn’t going to take a chance and waiting for near a full minute but when it became obvious the collapse had indeed subsided he began walking back toward where the giant pile of rocks were where the tower had once stood. His eyes were more accustomed to the darkness now but he still couldn’t see anything amongst him that pointed to signs of life.
“Hey boy, did you live?” he called out.
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Post by Zhiel on Dec 14, 2009 22:29:55 GMT -4
It was as if Rei was paralyzed by the very presence of the cursed blade in Doppleganger's hands, as he was unable to think straight and his entire focus came upon it. This made him unable to react properly as Doppleganger used the swords power to unleash a massive wave of dark power, splitting the ceiling above them and potentially even cracking the very top of the cave. This of course had consequences, what with the roof above them beginning to fall down along with the very cave itself. However Rei was too dazed by the energies the demon had released, having been completely unprotected unlike Uriel and would likely have fallen under a worse effect had he been closer.
However when Uriel yelled at him and Elanders who had followed he quickly snapped out of it, just in time to see large pieces of the ceiling begin to crash down around the pool and soon followed by more and larger pieces, and one very notable thing was that it all drew closer and closer to them. Heeding Uriel's "advice" Rei instantly spun around on the spot as he went into a run back down the corridor he had come from, seeing Elanders just a few meters ahead of him as he rounded the closest corner. She had also heard Uriel, but more-so had noticed the eruption and the cave-in before Rei had, but had stuck around until Rei had made a run for it.
After dashing down several corridors and rounding dozens of corners it appeared that Elanders had lost her way, as she slowed down a bit and turned her head half-way before she yelled "How do we get out!?". Rei had a fair grasp of the way he had taken while going into the chamber, but it still took him a few seconds to be sure, as he looked farther ahead toward the next crossroads. It was now he also noticed how the cave-in had started to affect the ceiling in this corridor as well, by how dust and small pieces began to fall down cracking noises could be heard from above. Knowing they did not have the time to waste Rei went with his instincts on this. "Left! Run to the left!" He yelled back shortly before they reached the crossroad.
The girl who was much faster than him had trouble with the sudden turn however, causing her to go sliding toward the wall in-front of them just as part of the ceiling began to cave in, and before Rei could warn her it crashed into the floor right beside Elanders and making an even larger portion of it break apart revealing what was another passage underneath. However as it began to fall the floor Elanders stood on was also affected and she began to fall, unable to get ahold of anything. Rei ran with all his might, and literary threw himself toward her with one of his arms reaching out toward her, but even with this he was unable to get ahold of her in time as she disappeared into the unlit passage underneath him with a scream.
Before he could truly act to help her in some way however, the remainder of the roof began to cave in and realizing he could do nothing he quickly pushed himself back just in time to avoid several head-sized ceiling pieces that was about to crash down on top of him, before he jumped up to his feet and began to rush down the corridor with gritted teeth. Dodging rock and rock and diving out of a collapsing passage more than once, Rei finally saw the exit as a massive crash sounded out above , instantly pressing the ceiling down behind him, and the excess rocks out almost like a avalanche toward him. Before he knew it he was hit in the back and sent flying out of the passage and began to tumble on the ground for several meters, as rocks started raining down around him. Luckily enough for him, none of them hit him (in the head).
Though not completely unconscious, Rei was more than a little dazed by all the hits he had just taken, and being half-buried in rocks didn't exactly help him either. However he was shook awake when he heard a familiar voice in the vicinity. With a heave Rei managed to shove the largest piece of rock from his chest, which had luckily enough for him only titled over him rather than falling directly on him. Then as he stood up with a painful huff the remainder of the much smaller rocks fell off. Stumbling slightly, Rei shook his head as he grabbed the back of his neck with his left hand. "Aaaaaah... Thanks for the concern..." By the tone of his voice it was easy to presume it was sarcasm. He was then reminded by Elanders, by which he directly turned back toward the ruin and saw the gigantic rock which had crashed down on the towers. Whatever hope he had had about her surviving was more or less extinguished upon the sight of it, which made him loose his footing as he fell down on his knees and pounded the ground with his fists. "Damn it!" He cursed aloud, a burning sensation filling his throat and chest. While he had not exactly known the girl or been friends with her, he felt it was his fault she had come into this very situation, and then he had failed to protect her when she needed it... It was all his fault, and the guild was eating on him...
However the more practical Uriel did not do anything to comfort the boy, seeing no use in doing so as he would get over it eventually, they all did. And so told him to get moving already, and when he didn't move at all, took him by the back of his collar and began to drag him back up toward the top. It was only after they got to a particularly spiky 'staircase' in the cliff that Rei began to follow of his own accord, though he still seemed down from the entire experience. Whether due to fatigue or them being lost in thought, they found themselves at the entrance back into the Geffen Tower sooner than they might have anticipated.
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Post by Zhiel on Dec 8, 2011 22:55:37 GMT -4
A few hours earlier the former Priest Uriel and his companion Rei, allegedly a Swordsman, had descended beneath the Geffen Tower, home to the Wizards Guild and the seat of power for the Wizards Council, one of the three primary political and military powers of Rune Midgart. While Uriel had agreed to the task given to them by the Patriarch of the Wizards Council, the High Wizard Grantz Vermillion he had done so equally out of greed as he had out of a sense of duty as assumed by Rei who had followed the snarky priest more out of gut feeling than any real logical sense. It was not long after they had descended beneath the tower into the ancient ruins of Alfheim that they were attacked by the reanimated corpses of previous would-be heroes attempting to destroy the evil beneath the tower, eventually they made their way into the depths of the ruins and were attacked by the trickster demon Doppleganger and it's familiars the Nightmare.
After a short time the demon had singled out Rei but Uriel arrived in time to aid the young Swordsman, after which Doppleganger ran off as an evil presence made itself known. They found the source of said presence in the shape of a demonic sword and soon they found themselves with a complete collapse of the ruins and a large portion of the cave ceiling itself while Doppleganger and the sword disappeared. Having just barely survived the 'cave-in' the two took some time to patch any wounds they had received and catching their breath before they continued on, Rei being depressed about the apparent death of their until now unmentioned third 'companion', the amateur thief Elanders but he soon found the need to focus on the present as after traversing the stairs back into the main hall of the Geffen Tower they were confronted by a number of Mage-Warriors who demanded their surrender. Uriel questioned this, saying they had been tasked by the Patriarch himself to destroy the evil beneath the tower but the Guards were adamantly believing they were responsible for the near-collapse of Geffen itself. Though further debate was done it soon became obvious to Uriel that someone within the Wizards Council had ordered the guards to 'capture' them on sight.
With some quick thinking Uriel managed to distract the guards before he raised a barrier, ordering Rei to protect him as he pulled out a blue gemstone and began a prayer. Though the Mage-Warriors broke through the barriers fairly easily they seemed intent on taking them alive as they only fired weak bursts of fire at them which Rei proved capable of defending against, for a short time at least. The moment before Uriel finished his prayer one bolt found its way past Rei's defense and hit him on the left shoulder, and though it brought him off-balance the prayer was complete and en-capsuled in blue light the two vanished from sight as the remainder of firebolts passed straight through where they had once been. A moment later the two materialized in an alley near the tower, Rei falling on his back from the sudden shift in footing while Uriel took a moment to catch his breath from the powered-up Warp prayer, even though he had used a gemstone as a focus using it on more than one person simultaneously, least of all one-self was a draining ordeal. After a minutes confusion Uriel had explained what he had gathered of the situation to Rei, and soon they began to make their way through the back-alleys of the city until they found themselves close to the airship dock at the east end of the city.
It was just a few hundred meters from the airship docks that they were ambushed by the Mage-Warriors who had begun a city-wide search for the two, somehow having managed to figure out that they were still inside the city. Being in the middle of the city with civilians around the Mage-Warriors were limited in their choice of magic and so tried to engage the two mostly in close-combat which let the two take down a couple of them without killing them before fleeing once again. Almost an hour after this they had managed to avoid further search-parties while somehow getting into the storage area of an Airship heading for Yuno, the place Doppleganger had mentioned before disappearing. Finally safe (in Rei's perception) all the adrenaline that had kept him going up until now disappeared and he fell asleep against a crate like a little child, though with the adrenaline also went whatever had been in Uriels initial potions and his wounds had begun to bleed again.
OOC: Anyone who wishes to join can do so now by being a person on-board the Airship (They look pretty much like an actual ship, just with a big zeppelin like balloon on top with propellers and small wings, also mostly made out of wood.), there is a thread for characters in the other Random RP section, no need for highly detailed characters, just some basic stuff is enough.
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Post by GoldenKitten on Dec 11, 2011 20:59:59 GMT -4
The dull thumping of machines, complimented by a magical hum of unknown origin permeated the lower hull of the Yuno based airship; “Glory of the Skies” premiere passenger aircraft of the fleet. Though the upper levels were no doubt luxurious, even the third-seat areas relegated to those who paid for the cheapest tickets, the lower halls were as utilitarian as any factory. A mad architects twisting, turning mash of tubes, pistons, and cogs that created a chaotic concerto of sheer noise. Amongst the mechanized portions were several large holds, filled with cargo boxes intent on making it to various destinations, all clearly not passenger luggage meaning the ship did double duty working for governments...or Uriel theorized less scrupulous ends, either way it was sensible that passengers alone could not fund the behemoths constant service.
All this was hardly of any matter though, the part of real import was that the great size of the holds and the constant hellacious clattering of machines acted as good cover. As soon as they had arrived on the ship Rei had collapsed, luckily for him Uriel was more than strong enough to throw him over his shoulder, and a little climbing later he had thrown both of them into a cargo carrier on top of a pile that nobody would be checking mid-flight. Clearing some space of the smaller boxes that had laid within the crate Uriel had laid the boy flat, and then after several times circling him he knelt down next to his head and extended his arms out over the boy.
The yellow light that began emanating from his palms was soft, and had the boy been awake would have been warm and comforting. His wounds were bad, but not as bad as Uriel had initially thought and not outside his realm of healing, though it would take some time; magical healing wasn't like using his poultices and potions. It was quick and much more thorough but required being able to sit still, and it was draining for the caster even then, as well as being quite obvious which is why Uriel thanked the cacophony of mechanical thumping around them. Honestly Uriel had no real care for the boy, but for the time being they were in the same boat, and he had tried to fight Doppleganger...some older part of Uriel long since thought lost wouldn't let someone else die because of the demon if he could help it...he'd witnessed far to much of that already.
But even as he healed the boy he was less concerned with Doppleganger himself and more with what his mission had been. The blade he had unsealed, he had no knowledge of it, certainly ancient legend was filled with such weapons but which were real and which were fiction was lost to time. More importantly even had they been able to narrow it down he knew for certain that while there were many myths about the wizards and their tower in Geffen none had meshed with what they had witnessed in those catacombs.
The mages were good at keeping secrets, and this had just been one more. He also suspected the world beyond the door from which the sword had been chained was not in fact under Geffen at all, he'd had little time to judge it but any mortal knew of the other realms of existence even if few ever got to comprehend them. Having spent time in Niflheim himself he knew quite well the “feel” of the ethereal; whether it was Alfheim, Muspell, or Jotunher he did not know. He was certain it had not come from his homeland, and the energies rolling off it did not fit with that of Asgard; or the halls of Valhalla...not to say there wasn't evil lurking in the realms of the gods, just that their artifacts tended to have a different feel, especially when their realms were directly opened here to Midgard.
Perhaps more concerning were the events that followed. An evil being wanting to unlock an evil power was concerning but hardly far reaching. But Doppleganger had treated them in an offhand manner, as if there were places to be, that suggested greater schemes than simply gaining the strongest power it could find the key to unlock. More over when they'd left they'd been accosted by the wizards. At the time he'd escaped simply because he couldn't afford to be held down by anyone, the church would use the opportunity to see him brought in, especially in a Rune Midgart controlled area like Geffen. But now that he'd had time to think it through there had not been any obvious damage to the city as they escaped, and the Head Wizard would surely have wanted to question them. Instead the authorities had immediately attempted an arrest with no proof of deed for either party, and their intentness on the matter wreaked of a higher persuasion. For the moment Uriel had no proof so he did not dwell, but he was not fond of how the cards were stacking up, if it was just a misunderstanding then that-was-that, but if the Wizards were hiding something or even worse, working with Doppleganger in some manner then this had gotten out of hand in a hurry.
He'd been so encapsulated in his own thoughts, not paying attention to the physical world that he suddenly fell over and slammed into the floor of the crate hard. His vision darkening and the world wavered in and out several times before he reorganized his thoughts and pushed up off the floor, realizing that in his errant thoughts he had expended the last of his magic energies for the time being. It was a different kind of tired than physical exhaustion, you could continue even having run dry, but those who had been with its power for many years felt a distinct lack of “something” in their gut during that time and there was of course always the concern that you had no magic to defend yourself for that time. You could also overdraw yourself, which typically resulted in momentary loss of consciousness, if an individual fought through this and continued using their powers it used their life energies and death or coma was not unheard of. Like all things magical energies would return to the caster in time, the faithful with greater expedience than most.
Leaning back against the wall and sitting he rooted through the bag over his shoulder and retrieved the last vial he had, he would need to make more when time allowed. Inside the glass orb was a pink fluid, when he popped the cork he was met with the smell of sweet berries, and sipping it slowly it tasted slightly of cream with no painful side-effects. Throwing the glass to the side he prodded at his shoulder a few times and could already feel the pain had deadened, admittedly the fireball had not even penetrated his outer-cloak but it still managed to sear the skin and he didn't need distractions right now. His mind slightly clouded from using the last of his magic he looked up toward the ceiling and closed his eyes for a bit, all the thinking in the world wasn't going to get them anywhere, before they'd boarded he'd noted they were headed for Yuno and if Doppleganger was to be believed then that was perfect...now that he had found his old foe or at least one of its kin he would follow any lead.
Uriel then passed into the realm of sleep for some time though he twitched awake anytime he heard something remotely unusual. The last time was when Rei finally began to stir an hour-or-two later. As the boy still rolled from side-to-side groggily and attempted to awake Uriel stood up and began pulling clothes out of his pack. In a few seconds he'd draped his outfit in a black-duster that fell to his feet, wrapping a black bandanna around his head to hide his white hair, and lastly pulling a pair of darkened glasses out to cover his eyes. Even if word hadn't made it to Yuno yet he was still the one people remembered thanks to his appearance, if nobody remembered him coming and going then perhaps they could throw any pursuers off for a time, Rei was far less likely to draw any sort of attention appearing as any novice swordsmen you wouldn't give a second glance.
As Uriel wrapped a sash around the duster to keep it closed he turned around to find Rei now awake and aware, “Good morning. You should find your wounds healed now, though if you think that means you won't be sore then I highly recommend jumping around quickly as to teach yourself a lesson. That aside should you wish to thank me you can keep in mind that I do like money, lots and lots of it.”
He sighed and shook his head, his mood felt forced compared to usual, his mind was on Doppleganger whether he wished to admit it or not. Walking past where Rei was laying he approached the hinge that kept the cargo container closed and undid the lock, slowly opening it a few hairs to see what now lay beyond. By this point in the voyage the hold was now devoid of workers, when the Wizards had chased them onboard and he'd entered the lower levels with Rei in tow the airship crew had made a clear search of the area. But Uriel had been on the run for a long time, so engineers didn't know how to catch him, and in time they'd either given up or believed him to have not boarded the ship at all.
Over his shoulder he spoke and stated probably the most detailed thing he'd ever said to Rei that wasn't sarcasm, “I believe the active search for us is over aboard the ship, so I want to get up to the deck where the cheapest tickets get you. It'll be much easier to get off at Yuno from there, especially if we can briefly infiltrate a party and look like we're adventurers or pilgrims.”
Pulling the door back to he turned to Rei to see confirmation. He waited until the boy was ready and standing and then pushed the door open. As stated they found themselves on top of a high stack of crates, owing to Uriels unusual level of strength for a priest to have hoisted Rei up with him. He began jumping down the stack till after four layers he reached the hold floor, pulled close to the nearest wall and kept a look-out for guards or crew. Rei had to follow and though Uriel was right about him being sore his recovery was still remarkable due both in part to the priests ministrations and the boys natural healing that neither of them yet fully grasped. It took a little longer than the older man but he was able to make his way down with relatively little effort.
Uriel had been aboard many airships, more importantly he had snuck around several of them. Most were of a rather uniform model inside with few deviations, especially a flagship of Yuno's Civilian fleet, so he had a pretty good understanding of where they stood schematic wise. It wouldn't be very difficult to find the deck, the real issue would be getting stopped along the way as hiding in the straight gunmetal gray halls would be all but impossible, but at least they could make as quick a beeline as possible. Knowing this he crept his way to the door, made sure nobody was in the hall beyond and then stated simply “Follow me”.
What followed surprised even Uriel, that was to say nothing happened. They found relatively little in the way of resistance throughout the lower decks, there was one nail-biting moment when a group of crewmen were having a conversation at the end of a hall and they had to wait for them to move past, expecting someone to arrive from behind at any moment. Eventually they'd moved on however and a few twist-and-turns later the duo found themselves in the hotel like suite area of the ship that richer patrons would rent out, rather ridiculous given the extreme brevity of such trips, but such were the whims of the rich. However, while this meant they could now move freely without drawing to much attention it was still best to get to the deck as quickly as possible where nobody would give a second thought to a duo of adventurers, if they were directly approached about a ticket things could be tougher, bribes only worked so far.
Uriel made his way through a currently empty restaurant parlor, now following the clearly labeled signs to his destination. This led them to a large set of double doors, despite being made of heavy metal they shifted and buckled under the pressure that lay beyond. Uriel went to open the doors with both hands when he stopped half-way there, and paused for several moments.
He'd been thinking about something for a while now, much as he hated to admit it. It had been many years since Uriel had become a solo-adventurer, and along the way he'd made use of much hired help, and when the going got tough they could almost always be guaranteed to hoof it out whether they got their payment or not. Uriel, he had no desire to be close to anyone ever again and he wouldn't be, but whether it was youthful brashness, sheer stupidity, or something else; Rei had probably saved them both in the cave by sticking around. He'd known sanctioned priests that had run when faced with a true demon, Uriel knew no fear for he had grown up in a place where it wasn't allowed, but it was almost more impressive to conquer ones fear than not have it in the first place. He didn't know what prompted it other than this but with a sigh he excelled and spoke without facing Rei.
“...back in the cave, against Doppleganger...you did good. I've seen seasoned Priests and Crusaders...the men and women whose job it is to fight such things, go running when faced with demons. I don't know why you did it, but I am............”, it wasn't as if he didn't know the word but rather it had been so long since it left his lips it was painful, “thankful, I think...that you provided aid.... By the gods listen to me, next thing you know I'll be opening a house for abandoned kittens and helping orphans,” though he ended it sarcastically his heart didn't seem to be behind it just as it hadn't been ever since the incident under the cave.
He removed his glasses and blew into the lenses while wiping with his duster as he continued, “That said this is my problem from here. Doppleganger is a foe from my past, and entering into any kind of group is against my long standing principles anyway, I can move faster alone. So we'll help each other into Yuno and then split up, you can do whatever you want. Any description they have of you will be very vague, whereas mine will be quite exact, so as long as you stay out of Geffen for the next year or so you'll have no issues moving freely elsewhere in either continent as there are a hundred-thousand swordsmen out there.”
Replacing the glasses on his face before he turned around he summarized, “We'll split-up out here on the deck. This is where we'll find our adventurers and small-time merchants. Look for some people that have weapons but aren't in to large a group, whether they actually have skill is of no importance, they just have to look the part. If you find someone who fits the bill tell them you have a proposition, if they're interested find me and I'll handle the particulars. I'll be doing the same. It will be much easier to move past the Yuno security as well as avoid being noted by anyone who might tip off any trackers that come through here if we just blend into yet another adventuring party. Ready?”
When confirmed he turned about and pushed the door open. A great gust slammed into them as though the airships were built to cut-down on draft they were still exposed to the air beyond. The airship itself rocketed forward at many paces that of a Peco-Peco on land, the ice-blue sky still laying above, reminding them that it was not even the evening of the first day of their ordeal.
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Wanzer
Junior Member
What does it mean to be strong?
Posts: 214
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Post by Wanzer on Dec 14, 2011 0:15:16 GMT -4
While the interior of the airship was the comfortable, well-suited for the occasional conversation and conducive of relaxation that would ultimately lead to a better experience when traveling, the decks were not so much designed for such. As one looked around the place, it was already clear to see that it wasn’t set up for anyone with any importance what so ever; while clean, the deck only had a few cheaply made tables laying around. What made it even worse, was that the few chairs that were laid around the area weren’t even chairs, they were really just low laying stools giving no back support. Few people had gathered here, rather it was a sparse collection of a few adventurers that were down on their luck or poor travelers that had just gathered here to catch the view. Yet, regardless of what one thought, the feeling of sinking depression and crushing defeatism was apparent in more than a few of the patrons who were frequenting the area; while it was probably much more spacious than the more luxurious regions offered on the ship, it was also much less maintained. A few birds were nesting in the openings on the over-hang which insured that the patrons wouldn’t be ‘too’ bothered by the wind whipped across the deck of the ship.
Situated between the bow of the ship and the pulled up gang-way, were a small row of tables, most of the utterly stuffed to the brink with various kinds of adventurers or poor families. Most of them were too busy nursing down alcohol in mass quantities to even realize what was going on around them, a few were giggling in their drunken haze as the clink of drinks moved around. One, dressed as a sailor, appeared to have become completely sloshed and was now hanging over the railing of the ship’s side, vomiting long sickly yellow strings of bile and his lunch overboard. Most people were ignoring him, even his so called ‘friends, whom were laughing at his inability to hold his liquor, though few of them were any better off. Amongst all of these happenings, a single aristocratic family had moved to the very front of the ship looking around, a small snot-nosed child with a dim look in his eyes along with two obese parents were dressed in their finest. The other patrons could feel them shoving their noses up at them, the disparity between the classes having never been clearer.
Their posh, egotistical mannerisms were more than enough to bring down the loathing eye from many of the patrons, most of whom were only being kept at bay by the sheer fact that a number of guards were watching from the inside. Still, it didn’t take long for the family to realize they weren’t needed, wanted or even slightly welcomed on the desk; one man, a very drunk one, made his dislike well known by literally dropping his trousers and shining his rather hairy ass directly into the face of the child. Rancorous laughter broke out as the child ran away in disgust at the sight of the intoxicated man’s ‘brown eye’; however, that laughter faded in a few moments when the guards came and pulled the drunken man away. Everyone already knew what was going to happen, the man was going to be beaten savagely, dropped at the next port and then forced onto the streets at the behest of the rich, another fine crop of shit that just happened to infest the world like a disease at the moment.
Regardless of how any felt about it, it wouldn’t have made the slightest of difference had they stood up; other than, they would have been cast out alongside with the drunk and be robbed of all their possessions aside from the clothes on their back. Such a pity, the rich had all the privileges and no one could do anything about it, other than just roll with the punches that were thrown them. It was times like this that Calder Bayard, one of the many patrons who happened to sitting nearby the drunken man who had literally shown his ass to a small child, understood his brother’s ever growing obsession with wealth.
It was almost a pity though, the twenty-seven year old archer could only hope that his brother would never get to the level of self-righteous bullshit and entitlement that the privileged classes seemed so keen to push around with all the authority of the church upon Rachel. It brought a sickening tightness to Calder’s stomach that he would have rather not dealt with while in the middle of the flight. It was just one more uncomfortable action, much like the talons of the hawk that had flown aboard during the flight, which found his shoulder to be a particularly comfortable perch. While he normally wouldn’t have minded the company of an animal, in the middle of a drink and trying eat a meal, wasn’t exactly his ideal situation for the matter.
Exhaling rather sharply, the male only tore off a piece of the spring rabbit he happened to be eating, the dripping juices of the stringy fibers of muscle interlaced with fat drew the hawk’s attention. Tossing the piece of meat overboard, he watched the adult bird fly off, darting downwards like one of those new-fangled bullets, that were so popular over in Einbroch. Shaking his head as the animal plummeted downward in order to get its meal, Calder only had time to breathe a sigh of relief and take a deep draft of his beer before looking back down into the amber colored liquid that was now frothing below him. The healthy head of white foam was just barely edging over the rim, making the drink look healthy enough; however, he could already taste the hops, which wasn’t a good thing at all.
He had barely swallowed a bit of the drink before the dryness of the herbs used in its creation, were already burning at the back of his throat. Calder’s mind immediately turned sour, missing his father’s legendary beers and wines which would have quenched his thirst without having to burn his throat with bilge that might as well have been drinking Peco Peco piss, hell that probably would have tasted better. Frowning at the cup and pushing it aside, he focused more on using the steaming juices from the rabbit to slate his thirst though it did little good and he found himself having to swallow his pride on the matter and drink his beer. It sickened him really, they had more than enough money to secure a position inside and better drinks, but his brother, Anselm was far too stingy to allow them something better.
Bringing his flagon down, causing the table to shake as he looked up at his brother; the male’s eyes were glazed over in a pleading visage. It was obvious to everyone around that, Calder was the elder of the two and was sick of whatever they were doing at the moment. Those looking at the pair now, could see that he was slightly better groomed than his brother, if only due to the fact that he had little to work with. His short brown hair was nearly nonexistent on his skull, giving him a short of soldier look about him; while his five o’clock shadow was something that made him seem like a grizzled veteran at what he was doing; however, he was never one to judge anything by its appearance, simply because some of the smallest creatures in the wildness happened to be the most deadly.
As he finally got his brother’s attention, Calder began to speak, his voice was a mix of command and plea; however, exasperation was mixed into his eyes, along with defeat. He could already tell that the argument that he was about to bring up was going to be shot down without even listening to it; Anselm would never agree with what he was about ask, but he figured it had been two weeks, he might as well ask again. Hoping, hoping that just maybe, Anselm might see the error of his ways and agree with him finally, so they could end this charade and finally go back home. “Alright, Anselm, we’ve been gone from home for several years now, we’ve seen a good bit of the world and you’ve…made some money. Can we not return home, even if just for a little while? Mother and Father are missing you more than you can possibly imagine Anselm; we’ve already missed so many holidays with them, don’t you want to see how our siblings have grown over their years. I’m sure little Ambresia would love to see her elder brother again; she always was so infatuated with you. “
Calder continued to speak, defeat was already clear in his voice, as he wasn’t going to force his brother to do anything that he didn’t want to do; however, he was at the end of his rope and getting closer and closer to just leaving Anselm to his own devices. Yet, he knew he wouldn’t do out, simply out of the reasoning that he had promised his mother that he would always keep Anselm safe; yet, at the same time that only caused his border-line hatred for his brother to fester into an insatiable itch at the back of skull. He almost swore at the fact that he was such a nice guy, otherwise, he was pretty sure he would have committed fratricide long ago; however, he couldn’t bring himself to do that to his family, nor could he bring himself to murder his younger brother. While he might have had a Cain and Abel complex going on with Anselm do to his jealousy of the aforementioned male being the favorite of the family, he had to admit that his greed and constant refuse of his requests was rather endearing to a degree.
Calder only sighed as he waited for a response and figured he would get something along the lines of their home being some no-horse, backwater, pile of dog excrement that had no viable source of income and was therefore meaningless to him. Still, he was already imagining his younger brother to be some small yappy dog, causing him to merely shake his head and finish of his beer before signaling for another and this time ordering something without his ‘little treasurer’s’ permission, deciding to get a pint of ale that would actually do his palate some good instead of causing his tongue to nearly rot out upon impact with the liquid.
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Post by kensei on Dec 22, 2011 4:08:49 GMT -4
“Honor? Ha! Don’t be naïve! You think that any of those fools would have given us a hand out if we where out on the streets in order to preserve our families ‘Honor’? No! They only where around because we had money! Your Grandfather’s money was only going to last us so long, and when it was gone I had to do something to support your mother’s habits, not to mention your own needs! You can sit there and spew your holy then thou garbage but until you have a family of your own to provide for you have no place to look down on me!”
Xavier’s eyes slowly opened, focusing in on the unfamiliar ceiling. His mind played back the last dozen days as he tried to retrace his steps and figure out which city and which cheep tavern he was staying in this night. Rubbing his eyes he remembered that he was in the city of Geffen, and his efforts to find some sort of work had gone unrewarded the past week. Thousands of hired swords had flooded the city, or perhaps they where simply always in this place, either way with the competition as it was he hadn’t much but the crumbs of larger parties to work with.
With a yawn and a stretch he moved himself out of bed, cradling his head in his hands before shaking it slightly. Why did he keep dreaming about that conversation? He had no doubts about what the fact that what his father did was wrong, nor did he think that the death he met was undeserved… So why? Why did his father’s last words haunt him so? The man had stolen task money from the people who had put him in charge; he had betrayed the trust of hundreds of people, so why did he always dream of that day? A long exasperated sigh left his mouth as he played the events through his mind again. How he and his mother where forced out of town, to the small cottage his mother was being forced to work and live at while he tried desperately to make a modicum of money.
Slow he rose, his body aching from the poor bed he had slept on the night before. Three months on the road and he still hadn’t adjusted fully to the lower lifestyle he was forced to live. His mind flashed to his own bed in his families large manor, a manor that was little more then a pile of ashes which an entire community had created in there anger of betrayal. He had sworn to his mother that he would salvage his families name, that he would restore honor to it. Brash words from an uneducated youth.. Perhaps three months wasn’t much time, but for the first time in his life Agathon was exposed to the way the world truly worked, instead of how he had fantasized it to be. The life of an adventurer was not that of legend and grandeur, instead it was a hard life, and often a poor one..
Deciding that Geffen had to many vultures and not enough dead animals in it, Agathon dawned slipped in to his slacks before putting on his brown tee-shirt, and fastening a leather vest over it before slipping on his brown leather duster. Then he grabbed his Grandfather’s spear, a weapon he had been told was blessed by an Arch-Bishop as a reward for him slaying some form of a monster, the beast changed depending on who told the story, but now it was the last pieces of his legacy which Agathon still had. Once fully dressed he paid for a roll and some water for his breakfast before leaving the Tavern, and making his way to the docks.
Even with his money as tight as it was, he had little desire to spend the next several weeks walking across the land, much less have to pay for all the supplies needed to live through even such a mundane task, and thus he opted to simply buy a ticket for the deck of the Airship. As he boarded the structure, he couldn’t help but gaze in awe a bit at the marvelous piece of technology. Having grown up in a small town, and leading a rather sheltered life, Agathon had a bit of an appreciation for the things most people considered every day items. The airship was but one of many things that made him simply stop and admire the craftsmanship, and complexity of.
The ship creaked slightly with every step as he made his way towards the guardrail, trying his hardest to separate himself from the rest of the crowd. He had to admit it was a bit ironic, these where the people that he had looked down on his entire life, now he was probably worse off then most of them.. He scarcely had the funds for the ticket, much less the food or drinks many of the patrons where happily downing as they made a show of how much of an imbecile alcohol could make you. But as always, he had learned even the drunkest fool could take your customers from you once they sobered up, and so his eyes traveled from one person to another, trying to see who armed themselves, and who looked the part of a sellsword..
That was when one man caught his eye, he was clothed in such a way that nearly all of his distinct features where hidden behind his black bandana, his darkened glasses, and black duster. Even so, his build and the sword he carried seemed to suggest that he wasn’t your average passenger. And then, just as he was about to move to examine the next person, he saw the man start to walk over to him…
(Sorry its so short. I had to pause to get things ready and I am finishing this up at 2 am, sooo.. Yeah.. Anyway, because it isn’t mentioned in the post, Agathon’s basic build is this. He is close to six feet tall, he has bright green eyes, and has longish dark brown hair. Again, sorry its short and probably lacking in quality, but I had to rush it in order to get it up before I went to bed. Also, Zhiel/Gk if you have any problems with my spear being blessed, okay. I will remove that part when I get back home. Mostly there to make the spear different from every other spear on the block besides sentimental bullshit, so yeah. Let me know. )
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Jukuma
Junior Member
Let's begin the operation...
Posts: 131
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Post by Jukuma on Dec 23, 2011 22:43:31 GMT -4
Anselm admired the view of the clear sky from his seat; even though his surroundings were completely different, being able to gaze at that view was enough for him. Maybe it was precisely because all of his neighbors looked like scum, except for his older brother Calder, who was sitting in front of him, that looking at something else was this encouraging to him. Contrary to what most people would think, he rather enjoyed travelling on the deck; not only the service but pretty much everything was considerably worse than what could be found in the interior, but he didn’t really care about that at the moment. He liked the wind hitting against his face, and the space they had there was actually very much appreciated; the inside would probably seem almost suffocating to him in comparison despite the more appealing atmosphere. It was actually the company that he disliked and was feeling like throwing off the ship every now and then. The drunk passengers were too loud and most of what they said fell along the lines of stupid blabber (only accentuated by their drinking), which he just found downright annoying. Not all of the times he had gone on trips of this sort had he had to stand the company of people like this, which was why he was bothered by it to some degree, even if he did have a taste for the brute humor some of his unsophisticated neighbors demonstrated. But no, the reason why he had decided to take the cheapest ticket he could get wasn’t exclusively to save as much money as possible, it was to see how his brother would react.
Even though they traveled together ever since Calder had made it his mission in life to protect Anselm from any danger in his trips around Midgard, they each had their own funds and didn’t share them. This was to be expected from a merchant, though it wasn’t simply because he despised the notion of having his money stored along with someone else’s (which he definitely did), but also for situations like this. He was well aware that his brother wasn’t as willing or accustomed to treatment like the one they were receiving on the deck (the face he made when he tried the drink in front of him was enough evidence) so he had been hoping he would have traveled in the interior and agreed to meet him once they landed. Although he hadn’t said so explicitly, this wasn’t a secret; he had many times said without any sugarcoating that he disliked traveling with Calder, he felt as if he had a giant rock attached to his legs. The freedom he had when traveling by himself, which he had only been able to witness through the stories of his uncle Leofrick, was still unknown to him for this reason and all he could see was how his brother dragged him down at every turn. He constantly whined about how he wanted to go home, refused to take part on quests that he felt were too dangerous for the two of them and even if he sometimes didn’t speak about it, it was obvious to Anselm that he didn’t enjoy the economic restrictions he put on them (which he had to follow if he too wanted to keep up with him). It wasn’t like he didn’t appreciate his brother’s concern for him, but this was something he had been planning a great deal of his life to do by himself and yet Calder couldn’t stop himself from getting in his way and trying to change his direction.
Anselm stood out a little bit in the crowd; he didn’t really look all that different from the rest, but he was very calm and composed in comparison to the most people in the crowd. On his side of the table there was nothing more than a glass of water and, even though his brother was eating lunch, he didn’t have a plate and was instead chewing on a toothpick he had taken a while ago; he just didn’t feel so hungry that he felt it was necessary to spend any money in the food they served there. However, in that aspect, what called people’s attention was the glass of water; practically everyone there was a drinker, so they probably saw Anselm as a pansy for not sickening himself with beer until he was throwing up his intestines. He had heard a few comments between them before, but he really had no reason to have a fight with them about it since he would never see them again; besides, he had no time to waste on people who couldn’t do business with him, and these scoundrels most likely didn’t have enough money to buy the cheapest of his goods. He had to admit however, that listening to what they said could be enjoyable at times. For example, a man had just stood up and had approached a small kid from a wealthy family who hadn’t had enough sense to realize they had nothing to do on the deck. If it had just been approaching or even talking it would have been all good, but the man instead turned around and showed him his hairy ass while laughing hysterically. He was soon taken away by guards for his conduct and everyone there was very well aware of what his fate would be. The man was still laughing nonetheless.
“That’s stupid…” he commented without vocalizing his words very well, as he still held the toothpick firmly with his teeth. Despite expressing his amusement, his expression was pretty much the same as before: expressionless. Nonetheless, Calder had known him for long enough and most likely was already aware that his poker face was almost always present and that the fact that he didn’t show it didn’t mean he wasn’t being sincere about what he thought.
Calder didn’t seem to hear them over the sound of their surroundings and he decided to let it go at that, only it was actually his brother who started up a conversation this time, and the subject was incredibly predictable. Anselm scratched the back of his head for a while once his brother had finished his little speech; it looked like he was thinking his answer, but the truth was at this point he didn’t really need to. This subject had been brought up so many times he wondered how Calder didn’t give up already; even if his brother’s longing to go back to their town was this persistent, it was like he had forgotten he was following Anselm and had no word in their destination. Besides, how did he expect to win an argument against him when his tone revealed he had admitted defeat before Anselm even opened his mouth?
“I’m tired of this already, Calder.” Anselm said, and his tone and expression were the same as always, but there was a certain undertone only siblings could detect of anger. “I don’t think we can bring up any new arguments to the table but whatever. Listen, I don’t plan on going back there until I have solid proof that I am making progress. I’m not expecting you to understand this, but the way this works is through momentum.” Anselm rested both of his elbows on the table, arms crossed and continued. The reason why he didn’t expect Calder to understand was because, to his perception, he lacked the spirit of an adventurer; he only followed Anselm and avoided extreme danger at all costs, which was one of the many reasons why the siblings couldn’t understand each other. “In order to be successful at anything you need to be motivated and learn to take advantage of moments like that, and we are currently in one of those moments. Evading your duties only makes you disconnect with your working side and going back home would have exactly that effect, because if we ever do go we shouldn’t make a trip to stay only a few days. And don’t try to manipulate me by bringing up Ambresia, I… ”
“Aye, missy” another hand was laid on the table strongly and a man only a few years older than Calder but with a conspicuous beard that made him look older interrupted their conversation. He seemed to be talking to Anselm and was obviously plenty intoxicated. “Ya like water? Ale too strong for ya? How ‘bout a real drink? We can have a match”, the man landed a large pint in front of Anselm, spilling part of its contents on the table.
As soon as he realized that the man was only there to bother, Anselm decided to ignore his presence, “Anyways, I never asked for your help or mother’s and like I said a million times…”
“Oi, if ya dun…!” the drunkard tried to interject once again, but he wasn’t allowed to.
Anselm’s hand moved from a resting position on top of the table to landing its knuckles on the drunkard’s face with a quick motion. The punch seemed rather weak, but contrary to its appearance the man actually lost contact with the floor and a huge line of blood could be seen emerging from his nose before he covered it with both hands while in mid-air. The man landed on his back and began rolling around in pain, screaming incomprehensible words about the ache that had taken over his face; his nose was probably broken. Anselm remained as static and apathetic as before without even bothering to look at the guy; to him, that half-hearted punch was pretty much like brushing someone off with a slight push, but the drunkard most likely didn’t feel the same way about it. Even though he was a merchant, that didn’t mean he hadn’t learned to defend himself, and it wasn’t like he depended on Calder to always act as his bodyguard. His physical strength had little to envy to many frontline warriors and the drunkard wasn’t the first to realize that the hard way, as many took him for a completely harmless merchant.
“And like I said a million times…” he continued with what he was saying as if nothing had happened. “I am old and strong enough to fend for myself, so you can always go back if you don’t like it.”
A couple of other men had approached the drunkard and were helping the poor man stand up. Once the scum of human being was able to stand on his own two feet, albeit still holding his broken nose with one hand, all of his friends directed glares full enmity towards Anselm, who hadn’t even noticed their presence yet.
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Post by Zhiel on Dec 31, 2011 10:45:29 GMT -4
As Rei fell unconscious aboard the airship it seemed more like the sleep of an exhausted child than a dying person, which either attributed to his astonishing healing capabilities or just that his body didn't recognize the damage it had taken over the course of the day. It was doubtful at best whether he would have lived without direct intervention via Uriel's healing magic however, even if his body was able to sustain the damage it had taken the bleeding he now suffered would surely have been the death of him. Rei had fallen into a dreamless sleep due to his exhaustion, which was probably for the best given the things he had witnessed that day least of all within his own mind.
Eventually he began to wake, slowly slipping out of his unconscious state before he opened his eyes to find Uriel standing over him, much like when they had first met, though he didn't seem to recognize or even acknowledge the presence of the Ex-Priest, and as he slowly sat up and began to look around at their limited surroundings Rei looked lost and his eyes seemed to have trouble focusing on anything. Rei was suddenly hit by what appeared to be fear, but when his right hand felt the familiar surface of his Blade's hilt which had been left lying beside him in it's scabbard he appeared to calm down and as he looked at Uriel his eyes focused. When he had awoken the steel interiors and small confines of the container had triggered... Something... In Rei and his vision had faded, while something else seemed to impose itself on his vision. For a short time it had seemed as if he was in a different place altogether, and though he didn't know why it had terrified him. The feel of his sword had calmed him down significantly however, perhaps he simply felt safer with it, or it reminded him that he wasn't in that particular place for some reason... He could only speculate, because the moment he had been brought back out of the... Vision... He had lost any grasp on what he had "seen" to begin with, it was all a gray mist in the back of his mind now.
Realizing Uriel had spoken to him earlier and was currently on his way out of the container Rei looked his way and spoke with a hint of regret in his voice, likely sorry for seemingly ignoring the older man even if it was something that was beyond his capabilities to control. "..Sorry, thank you for caring for me again." And as Uriel dropped down below Rei brought the sword into his lap as he gazed at it, thinking about their escape and general situation. For some reason the authorities of Geffen believed they were responsible for the earthquake that "could" have destroyed Geffen, though as they were plainly aware of the evil beneath the tower and Uriel had even been hired to deal with it so it seemed odd they would be apprehended just like that... Unless someone of high rank was working with Doppleganger, or perhaps had been tricked by the shape-changing demon... But with the limited knowledge he had of such things it was impossible for Rei to figure it out by himself, so he decided to let it rest for now. Come to think of it there was one other thing that seemed odd, shortly before they had entered the Airship they had been ambushed by a contingent of guards one of which had grabbed Rei from behind and then... A blank in his memory yet again. It just lasted for a moment but it was odd that he wouldn't know how he had gotten free, all he could remember was a surprised shout followed by a crash. After that he remembered seeing one of the guards having crashed into a vendors stall across the street and Uriel looking surprised. Had they gotten help from someone? He had no time to look around however as Uriel had taken the initiative to run at that point.
Back in the present Rei decided that it was pointless to think about the past anymore than he already had for now, Uriel seemed to be waiting for him and he didn't wish to slow the man down more than he already had. With a grunt Rei slowly got up on his feet, wobbling slightly before he managed to balance himself against the slight movements of the ship as he then fastened his sword around his waist belt and began to follow Uriel down into the hold. Jumping down one crate at a time Rei almost lost his footing at one point but managed to fall backwards flat on his ass instead before he groaned slightly, his whole body was sore and the wounds while mostly healed at this rate were still aching. However it didn't take long for him to continue down and he soon had caught up with Uriel who moved to one of the doors that probably led toward the crew areas of the ship. Rei did as told when Uriel said to follow, keeping a few paces after the other man so as to avoid bumping into him if they had to stop expectantly and since this was the first time inside an Airship for Rei (Well, far as he could remember) he couldn't help but look around at their surroundings, dull as they might be though his thoughts were more around the subject of the ship itself and how they could make something as large as it fly. As they moved silently through the corridors of the ship they encountered no real form of resistance until near the end where voices could be heard at the end of a corridor they had been about to enter, the sound of the machinery from the lower decks weren't as protrusive here which was probably the only reason they had heard them in the first place and Rei was very grateful for that, though all the same they could easily be discovered any second now and so Rei grew nervous and unconsciously had gripped the hilt of his sword. Luckily the two crew members moved on at which point Uriel continued on and Rei followed, letting go of the hilt of his sword in the process.
After what to Rei felt like ages they came out into the passenger areas, even if it were the place of the rich and pompous at least they weren't trespassing anymore which meant they were a lot safer, though he suspected that there were still a high chance of being caught as a freeloader here which was why Uriel continued moving though more casually now, probably in an attempt to not look too suspicious. Not being as experienced in this form of thing and being very nervous Rei wasn't quite as capable of keeping a calm exterior so he did his best to keep his head down and it seemed to have worked as no one stopped them on the way and eventually they passed through the regular passenger area and came upon two heavy doors that Rei had to assume led to the deck. He was a bit surprised when Uriel stopped in front of the door and was almost chocked when the older man praised him for the help, he almost had to wonder if he had hit his head or something... True he had more than a few reasons to suspect that there was more to Uriel then what his attitude seemed to suggest (namely that of an egocentric douche), the man could likely have found someone who wasn't injured, he had had several opportunities to use Rei as bait and run during their escape from Geffen and not to mention the obvious healing he'd received while unconscious. Sure if one thought enough on the issue they could find ways this also benefited Uriel more but Rei wasn't the kind of person who would suspect the worst of people without reason. Thinking back to his encounter with Doppleganger he knew he had felt fear, but he had felt no compulsion to run... No, that kind of fear had only come to him when he'd had those... Visions... Why he didn't know since even now he couldn't remember any clear details from them.
After making his sarcastic remark he began to fiddle with his glasses, before he spoke again this time saying that Doppleganger wasn't Rei's concern and that they should split up once in Yuno. While Rei understood Uriel's reasoning and even thought it was very logical he wondered if the man was just trying to protect him or if he truly thought Rei would slow him down. However the prospect of them splitting up leaving Rei alone scared him, with no memories to go on he had no idea where he could go, what he should do as everything felt foreign to him... For now he decided to just follow instructions and perhaps later ask Uriel if he could continue to follow him for a while at least, sure it would be dangerous but he had nothing else to go on and he felt he couldn't just ignore what seemed like such a massive threat. After Uriel had finished explaining their plan to him he nodded in acknowledgement and followed suit outside once Uriel opened the doors, having to shield his face from the sudden wind that hit him in the face, he soon grew used to it but by the time he had Uriel had moved on. Looking around Rei saw mostly poor drunks and a few shoddy-looking merchants here and there until he had walked up to the middle of the ship along the railing, looking out over the clouds that lay beneath and around them as well as the surface far below. Turning around he saw a table with two individuals that seemed better dressed and geared than most other people on the deck and so he headed their way just in time for what might seem the start of a brawl if no one interjected.
Sure the guy probably didn't need to hit the drunk so hard, if he had to hit him at all but Rei hadn't heard or seen it all so he couldn't judge. However the fact he disregarded both the drunk he had hit and his friends who were now glaring at him Rei had to wonder as if they were a passing nuisance he had to wonder what he was thinking, it seemed like he was TRYING to start a brawl the way he acted toward them... Hurrying along Rei came up beside the two on the short end of the table and announced his presence while eying the drunks that luckily still seemed to be making up their mind about whether they should fight or not (he assumed). "Hello there! You two seem quite capable of handling yourselves, and that's just the kind of people I'm looking for, you see my.. Employer is looking for capable individuals and he's got a proposition for you if you're interested! Now, how about we move on before we incite the anger of those other men?" While he managed to keep a calm and positive exterior while doing the "sales pitch" he continued to shift his attention to the drunks and he couldn't help but let his nervousness through in the last sentence, nodding in their direction as if to emphasize. While Rei had no doubt they could handle the drunks without issue (Heck he could probably do it by himself) he wanted to avoid drawing unnecessary attention to himself and participating in a brawl was probably the worst way to do this so if a brawl did start despite everything he'd just move away and try to avoid falling into it if possible.
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Wanzer
Junior Member
What does it mean to be strong?
Posts: 214
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Post by Wanzer on Jan 4, 2012 21:07:39 GMT -4
“An argument is an argument none the less; I suppose my entire basis of the matter was more keeping up with a promise that I made. Although, I’m shocked that you realized I was trying to manipulate your emotions through Ambresia this time around, granted, you might have just not reacted or heard me last time; considering we were on the top of a mountain hunting for some lost gold that rumors lead you to.” Calder retorted to his brother as he continued sitting still at the table; he had already noted the very large, and impossibly stupid looking male who had wandered over and insulted his brother’s choice of drink, it was all Calder could do to stop from thinking, here we go again. It was like clockwork with him, whenever someone got into his face, he had a bad habit of making the situation all that much worse. It was ironic really, he was mentally scolding his younger brother for his repeated tendency to pick fights with others; yet, he would repeatedly badger the male about returning home, a sort of never ending cycle really. Calder would ask if they could visit home, in vain and then Anselm would turn the idea down and then pull something like this, it was almost as if he did it one purpose as a way to annoy him.
“And...really the only reason I follow you around is to make sure you don’t do anything egregiously stupid, in most cases, you do fine, but when money is involved…you tend to make very poor decisions.” Calder sighed once more, pushing his drink away from him, noting the surrounding and how the air had changed in that instant; Anselm’s blow had been well observed by several other passengers, all of whom appeared to have been the victim’s friend. Despite the scent of intoxication on the man’s breath, he knew not all of them would be drunk and some might even put up a decent fight, still his mind was on other things in the moment; entering the calm before the storm, so to speak.
Calder remembered home, he remembered the feeling of stale grass crunching beneath his boots as he wandered over the rolling hills, the scent of the pine trees and oaks growing about and the sounds of nature passing through his ears. He longed for those days once more, to be able to walk freely through the wilderness without having to deal with the constant trouble of his younger brother, nor the hassle of the big cities. Society had never been his home and it never would be, he wanted peace and solitude in the sanctity of the woods, surrounded by nature’s bounty. All of it passed through his mind, the grace of the apple orchid that he was so sure only he knew about, nestled away in about seven miles away from the village. It was a place where he had often gone for some escape from the noise of his siblings and their constant cries for attention; he was glad to have not been the parent in that situation.
It was days like those that he recalled with the most clarity, days when he would lay out in the cool grass, feeling the wind sway the tall batch of green across his form while deer frolicked around him. Yet, it was nothing but a memory at this point, a subtle nuance in his day to day life that kept him sane; just as his brother had done, he turned his head stoically back towards the next intruder, thinking it to be another one of the drunk’s friends come to teach him and his brother a lesson. Much to his surprise, it turned out to be some random kid offering them a job. Calder didn’t even bother to say anything at that point; instead, he turned his finger toward Anselm, figuring the young of the pair already had coins in his eyes and the sound of gold jingling in his ears. He would let him deal with this, while he dealt with the drunks that were getting more bold by the second; Calder turned his attention back towards the drunks, picking up his flagon of ale and sipping lightly on it as he looked back at the young swordsman once more. “Talk to the guy that just decked the drunk, he’s the one that handles our employment, by the way Anselm; try to at least make sure the job is somewhat safe and reputable before you dive into it. I don’t want to end up running naked through a village again chasing a thief that stole our clothes.”
Almost as if waiting for that cue one of the drunk’s friends swatted at Calder’s ale, causing the glass to tip over in his hands and the content of the pale liquid to go spilling onto the floor. Swallowing slowly, the archer looked up at them, anger flashing in his eyes; the drink had cost him a bit more than he had wanted it to, but the taste of it was something divine in his throat after the pure shit that he had been drinking before. It was smooth, almost like caramel in his throat, the taste of hops having mellowed beneath the other fermented liquids; glaring up at them for a moment, the small mob of about six men were laughing at him. The one who had done the swatting putting his hand onto the table and glaring at him, one lazy and likely blind eye, pointed at his meal, while the other met his gaze head on. “W’at, ‘ou gonna ‘o ‘bout it, boyo? Go’n cry to yer momma?”
Cocking one eyebrow slowly, Calder reached back to his meal from before, the skeletal remains of the rabbit laying on the plate, waiting for the waitress to return and likely hadn’t due to the many drunkards trying to pull down her blouse and get a peek at her glorious mounds of flesh that were just barely restrained into the corset she was forced to wear, but at this point he was happy about that. Suddenly, the sound of a cracking bone filled the air, Calder twisting the broken piece of bone in his hand as he came back around and stabbed clear through the aggressive drunks hand, penetrating through the palm and into the table a good bit; though it had been telegraphed a bit too much to his liking, still it got the job done.
Stunned, the drunk screamed in pain as he looked down at his pierced hand just before Calder twisted around, breaking the glass flagon that had held his ale across the face of the next nearest one. All at once, the sound of shattering glass and flesh being rent echoed throughout the room, as the archer stood up, holding his hands at the ready; his fists up into a boxer’s stance while his feet were fluttering about. Men came after him, but he would simply side step out of the way, pressing a quick jab to their faces before circling back around; making them look like fools as he proceeded around. “Anselm, you’re lucky these guys are drunk, otherwise we might be having a bit of an issue right now.”
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Jukuma
Junior Member
Let's begin the operation...
Posts: 131
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Post by Jukuma on Jan 8, 2012 6:59:41 GMT -4
While his overall expression didn’t change, Anselm’s right eyebrow twitched a little when his brother admitted to his attempt of emotionally manipulating him. The fact that he had tried such a low move on him wasn’t really what bothered him the most, in fact, he didn’t really care about it any more than he cared about the weather. What actually frustrated him was how his brother underestimated him; being a merchant, he had spent countless occasions arguing with people when selling and buying items from them, people who had tried the same thing on him and instead had the trick worked the other way around. He wasn’t exactly the brightest man alive, but he had enough skill and experience in conversing to know when someone was trying to make a fool out of him. But what actually bothered him about Calder trying to influence him in that way was that, if he was going to try to convince him to go home for the millionth time, he could have at least tried something fresher and more convincing. His brother probably thought that by repeating himself more times than numbers could describe, he would eventually have to give ground and listen to him, even if only to have him shut up again; however, the effect it was having on him was actually the complete opposite and the more Calder insisted in going home, the more Anselm felt he would much rather keep wandering the world. It wasn’t the case, but if he ever really got tired of being an entrepreneur, he would probably still keep traveling just for the sake of doing the opposite of what his brother asked, at least if he continued to push the idea further.
When the young man appeared offering them a job from his employer, Anselm didn’t show any kind of reaction for a while, he simply scanned the newcomer with an apathetic glance. He wondered where the man had come from; he had been on the deck of the ship along with the rest of the scum passengers since the start of the trip and was convinced that the person, along with his company, were not there at first. If they hadn’t boarded with a third class pass, then they had to be passengers from inside of the ship. He found it odd that people like them would appear out of nowhere and approach the two brothers with a request; surely there had to be more adventurers inside the ship who could grab their attention to a much greater extent than the two of them. He could even say that the situation seemed distrustful, since as far as they knew, the two brothers could be as bad as the rest of the individuals around. Getting his attention pushed aside from the suspicious ideas for a second, he finally noticed, thanks to the man’s not so subtle warnings, that his surroundings had become extremely cold due to the enmity of the men who had approached him (and consequently Calder) in aid of their fallen comrade. Despite the many people who had gathered and looked at the two of them with looks that suggested a fight was coming (Anselm would never understand how that was his fault though, even though it obviously was), he looked back at the man and lifted his shoulders in a gesture that conveyed he didn’t really care of what those drunkards could try to do. With the equal kind of concern, Calder got up with the intention of dealing with the matter while Anselm conversed with the newcomer, which he didn’t object to. He disliked fighting and if they really were drunk, then his brother could most likely at the very least hold them in line for a while as Anselm said what he had to say to the young man. Allowing himself a second or two to gather his thoughts, he wondered if the whole proposition deal was just an excuse to get him and his brother out of trouble, in which case he had no interest in the concern the man was showing for them. Since he didn’t really care either way, he decided to treat the matter as if he really was proposing a job for them.
The merchant spit out of his mouth the toothpick he had been holding between his teeth for a while now with a concise and soundly gesture; although the motion was vulgar, the way he made it almost gave it an air of dignity to him. It was clear from the get-go, however, that he wasn’t going to provide an answer that could be considered in any way a friendly one, and most likely, neither would it be one that the mysterious newcomer would find satisfactory.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Swordsman,” Anselm said while being his usual, apparently uninterested self. The man hadn’t even introduced himself, perhaps due to the uneasiness caused by the hazardous situation, but it still wasn’t hard to tell he was a swordsman. At least not to Anselm, who was as familiar as one could be with the items and equipment one could find throughout Midgar; no jewel, coin, armor or weapon could hide any secrets from his eyes. “You apparently seem to have mistaken us for some mercenaries, and I’m afraid to inform you we are not the lowlifes you are looking for.”
Anselm finally got up from his seat and approached the young man that had talked to him; standing tall and intimidating, it almost seemed like he was trying to get the kid to back away. It wasn’t the first time someone would walk up to them and try to employ them to make a mission in particular or simply to complete their party, and experience told him it wasn’t a very profitable activity. When he went on quests with others, the reward had to be divided between them, so he would much rather prefer taking some risks and going with the minimum possible amount of partners. Also, in the few occasions he and Calder had accepted jobs as bodyguards or joined a group without a clear objective other than traveling, it had always ended up with Anselm getting bored/angry at the fact that the pay did not justify what they had to do or the party not being active at all in terms of gathering riches. On top of that, he just didn’t enjoy fighting as much as his ridiculous physical strength suggested and would much rather deal with rare items than smack monsters’ faces in with his club, which he was convinced was what they had in mind. Hell, the reason they had boarded the ship was because Anselm already had a certain item in mind he wanted to search.
And that was why he acted with such coldness towards the young swordsman (granted, mainly due to his very unfriendly attitude); this mysterious person was most likely the same as the many people who had already disappointed him in this aspect. He already had his own objectives and the only help he needed, if any, was Calder; besides, these people had their own purpose and what they wanted most likely wasn't aiding him. Anselm remained static for a short while, it seemed like he had said all he wanted to say, but right before enough time had passed to prompt a response from anyone, he spoke what he had been contemplating all those seconds. “Tell you what: I want a number, if I like what I hear, I’ll listen to the rest of what you have to say”, his words seemed as unenthusiastic as always, but Anselm’s attention was completely focused on what the young man’s next words would be. Uninterested as he was in doing physical labor, his likes and dislikes could all be completely overruled when enough quantity of money was put in front of him. Then again, the presence of the person was bothering him, simply due to the fact that Anselm had already categorized him as one of those obnoxious happy-go-lucky adventurers who thought that, in a party, the number one rule was ‘the more, the merrier’ and completely disregarded money, so if he didn’t like his answer, he was ready to shove him out of the way. And he had already shown that his notion of getting someone out of the way could be much more painful than what others would interpret.
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Post by GoldenKitten on Jan 15, 2012 3:02:29 GMT -4
As Uriel pushed his way out onto the deck he wasn't looking for anything in particular. As he had told Rei the appearance of being a capable party was more important than actually having any sort of power. After all the intent was to keep them the minimum amount of time he could get away with, and then move out on his own, so what they could actually do was of little import. About the only thing they didn't want was someone so drunk they couldn't walk, hard to pull off the confident adventuring vibe when half of you are falling over in piles of whatever they ate earlier that day. That was why he didn't complain when Rei headed off toward the side of the open-air seating that was more focused on getting the occupants drunk as a Poring on apples. If the boy could find someone there then the more power to him, but he suspected his experience with such recruitment would be better served on the more sober side of the ship.
Not to say the entire lower class seating wasn't rife with individuals practically falling off their stools, just that there were some areas less sodding drunk than others. Namely the seating near where the common good merchants would set up shop, trying to scrape some coin out of you for non-perishable goods or water before those on the ship headed out to whatever field they were journeying. If a group of merchants had cased a section as being good for business it also meant the group was more likely to both be of the adventuring caste, and also be coherent enough to purchase their goods. Similarly few drunks wanted to have their reverie interrupted by the incessant calls of merchants, so there was a good chance the two “brotherhoods” would be as far apart as possible.
Even as Uriel cased possible individuals for the cause he felt an uncomfortable sense filter through his soul. Uriel didn't know worry or fear in the normal sense, he'd been left dead to that long ago. But he still possessed natural survival instinct, and years of sticking to the shadows and societies seedy underbelly were screaming out for him to make himself as inconspicuous as possible. But even with his features clearly covered he was still drawing attention, if for no other reason than everyone else on the deck had taken their seats long ago and he was one of the few standing and moving......and completely cloaked in black. Luckily it did not take him long to correct this issue and find a suitable young man to peddle his manipulations to.
As he moved toward the lad he'd chosen him as a mark for several reasons. Namely it took but a glance to see he fit the necessary sober definition since his faculties seemed to be keen even from a distance, he also fit the other requirement of being outfitted with the look of an adventurer. His last reason was perhaps a little less savory and more cynical, but Uriel wasn't exactly a ray of happy sunshine on everybodies life. That reason was that he was young and reeked of inexperience, similar to Rei but even more so, looking somewhat out of place. Uriel wagered he would fall to a lower price than an older genuine adventurer would, especially since as a likely beginner his funds were unlikely to be high as it was, and because quite simply younger people trended toward the naïve more often than not...god he sounded like a pedophile when he put it like that.
Walking up to the table the boy was at he didn't bother giving the scruffy looking lad to much of a look-over, if he didn't agree there was little point in observing to closely, though his unkempt brown hair was a boon adding weight to Uriels “starving boy” theory. He didn't look like a full adventurer but his somewhat sturdy build and the expensive lance on his back (Uriel suspected it was an heirloom, if it was afforded its doubtful he'd be in such rags, or on this deck at all for that matter) meant he would pass as a protector much as Rei would, and that was enough. Uriel wasted no ceremony on asking for a seat, the upper decks were public room anyhow, and instead caught a chair on his foot spinning it around before falling back on it.
Reaching into the bag that was hiding under his black duster, ever-so-briefly exposing the red cloth beneath his current disguise he brought out a thermos of tea and set it down on the table. In the meantime his eyes traveled to Rei, spotting the trouble the boy was getting into. As the situation heated up on that end the boy intelligently turned to look for Uriel and upon finding him gave him a beseeching look, clearly asking if he should become involved. While Uriel was hardly of the type to interfere or draw attention to himself usually he was even less so now, they needed to get off the ship with as little attention paid as possible. As such he gave the boy a subtle but telling shake of his head, though as the situation started to boil over he wondered if Rei would be able to avoid becoming engaged. Whatever the case though he'd only been sitting for a few seconds if he waited much longer it'd seem like an awkward or suspicious way to begin a conversation so he left the tyke to his own devices for the time being.
After taking a methodical and purposeful sip out of the thermos he withdrew a small pouch of coin, placed it on the table, and stated blunt; “Got a job; one-hundred zeny per hour for following me around and doing whatever I say, I can dismiss you at any time but will guarantee at least one day of pay, meaning even if I dismissed you two minutes from now you're still looking at a minimum gain of two-thousand four-hundred zeny. Yes, or no? You have thirty-seconds. Oh, and price is non-negotiable.”
The job placement was not as reckless as it first seemed. Uriel would never have used the pushy and expedient method against a practiced merchant. But against a younger boy who likely didn't have much business experience it was a perfect tactic. It left them little time to consider why he would need their services, or whether the funds were actually worth the proposed job. Instead you dangled a single seemingly large number as a carrot over their head but didn't give them time to break that down into smaller quantities. So by the time they'd said yes and cemented the deal it was to late for them to realize it actually worked out to a relatively average cost-of-living price.
As if to punctuate the point he elevated the thermos and took a leisurely sip, as if he were ready to move on to the next adventurer the moment he heard no or didn't get an answer. Like the boy meant nothing to him, which he didn't, but admitted Uriel had yet to make someone else he would have weighed as a decent choice. So in the meantime he returned his view to Rei and his adventures...or perhaps it was a drunken gambit if it paid off? Ah well, it at least had the effect of making him look detached from the current situation.
He can't say he'd have chosen the two men Rei had approached, though he had to give the lad credit for picking out some of the less drunk individuals present. But some of their simple mannerisms marked them as trouble-makers, ready to lash out, particularly the big one. Whether this was a natural tendency or a byproduct of moderate inebriation was impossible to tell, and of little matter given the short term plans of their arrangement. It would be little loss if they couldn't work them in, he was sure there were a few others he could rope into his little slave-ring, he was more concerned now with Rei getting out without drawing to much attention.
Much to his surprise though the smaller one appeared to be ready to take them on alone, and this in itself was taking any unwanted glances he or Rei had garnered away. Perhaps of greater surprise though was the conversation the larger man then struck with Rei, Uriel didn't need to be present to get exactly what was happening. The man was a merchant, and was using the exact same type of pressure he himself had just used on the boy across the table on his young follower in return, karma was like that.
When Rei turned to look at him in hopes of an answer Uriel wasted no time. He didn't mind if the large merchant saw him or not, he suspected Rei had introduced himself simply as the go-between anyhow, if he was as smart as he pretended to be he would have at least. So if the mans gaze was cast upon him then it made little difference, the message would be the same. Lowering his hand to his side, the other boy still in the process of making a decision and he not wanting to give away the higher sum he would be suggesting, he formed several figures. He'd given them a little observation and it would be insulting to give them the going rate, but at the same time he wasn't here for strength, so if they didn't like the price they would go with someone else as was his initial plan.
He held up two fingers to his side, then two '0's made by holding his hand in the shape twice in succession, then made a signal with his hand like the grand clock in Al De Baran going round to signal an hour, and he pointed twice once at the smaller man and once at the larger. Even someone unused to the method of communication like Rei would know what he had said...hopefully, and certainly the merchant if he'd been watching, meanwhile he'd kept it secret from the boy next to him even if he'd seen his arm moving from the side.
Two-hundred zeny an hour for each of the men, though unlike the boy he'd made no guarantee of how long they'd be employed so they were due nothing past their first payment. It was a reasonable rate, over the average by a few dozen zeny to entice them without being so excessive as to cripple his funds. Uriel was in hiding more often than not, but his unique skill-set meant he wasn't typically hurting for money, rich nobles in particular were more than willing to pay handsomely to keep embarrassing dark secrets from the church. Plus, he kept reserves in hidden places around the world including Yuno so he'd simply restock while they were there. Still it pained him slightly to lose decent funds to such an annoyingly trite endeavor, but the longer he kept Geffen or anyone else's trackers off him the better.
With the seconds ticking down, and his mind tired of counting coins already he began wrapping his fingers on the table as if counting down to when he stood up and moved on. Though in truth the majority of his attention was still focused out the corner of his glasses at Rei's situation as it, after all, had greater room for turning into something else whereas the worst the young man could do was say no.
And so Uriel waited, occasionally nursing his thermos as if he didn't much care.
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