A World Much Unlike Our Own (Fantasy, Adventure, Accepting)

[Poco Loco Crow]

Those who live by the sword . . .

Two youths muttering curses marched by Pharn on his way to the shop. The only reason he took note of them was that slighted youths were the most likely to do rash actions. Of course, he really needn’t have bothered; here it wasn’t customary for most people to carry a sword, and people rarely challenged others to knife fights. They just didn’t have the dramatic flair or honor that people wanted.

Entering the store, he took a quick note of the storekeeper. The slight limp he saw didn’t concern him, but, paired with the pained look of someone who’d seen more than most did, it could mean something more than the typical wagon accident. It wouldn’t be good if he was speaking to the veteran of some war. No matter how many insults to their own country they made, they always seemed to be fiercely loyal to it. No, it’d be best to try to get any information he wanted cautiously.
Taking care to wipe his boots at the door so as not to ruin the man’s dusting effort, Pharn walked over to the glass statues. They were of an exceedingly high quality, especially to find in this city. “Were these made locally?” He asked, after a few minutes examination.

. . . get shot by those who don't.

Nymoral Pharn Requiem

[Whirlwind_Crusher]

Ripp Grace

"We disappear, we disappoint, we die but we don't..."

Ripp had seen the man coming from a good distance since he watched the juveniles run out of his shop. But he continued sweeping like a good shop owner there was no need to break that demeanor. There was something odd about the man that he just couldn't quite put his finger on. He looked like the kind of person who had an ulterior motive to everything he did. People like that always put him on edge. Either way, he welcomed the man with a nice geeting.

"Welcome, sir."

He smiled when the man wiped his dirty boots on the rug. Damn decent of you. He thought rising an eyebrow. He hadn't expected the next question out of the man's mouth. What an odd question. "Yes, I make them myself. I use discarded drinking glasses, beer bottles, any sort of glass waste really. I normally find things lying in the street." He replied. "Why do you ask?"

[Poco Loco Crow]

Those who live by the sword . . .

“Oh, curiosity really,” Pharn replied, his attention still on the statues. “My family was always involved with buying and selling goods, and some of it rubbed off on me. With these, for example, I was just reflecting on how you could get at least double the price were you in a larger city.”

He turned away from the statues, taking care that he didn’t knock anything down when he did so. “Of course, you’d have to worry about transportation then. Not to mention the cargo inspectors who seem to insist on getting a cut on everything though.” Pharn gave a slight shrug and turned back to the sculptures. Hopefully the shopkeeper would be interested in the prospect of better profits, and follow the conversation in that direction. If not, then the man probably wouldn’t tell him anything useful anyways.

“Do you have anything with horses? My niece is obsessed with them and I believe her birthday is coming soon.” Pharn didn’t worry about the change of subject. Shopkeepers had a nose for profits, and if this one took his bait then a little side conversation wouldn’t distract him. And one of these sculptures would make a wonderful gift for his niece.

. . . get shot by those who don't.

Nymoral Pharn Requiem

[Whirlwind_Crusher]

Ripp Grace

"We disappear, we disappoint, we die but we don't..."

Ripp wasn't sure he liked the sound of that. Truthfully, he was just happy here. He was tired of travelling against his will and he didn't like travelling down to the docks where the proliferation of slaves still took place. If he had enough money, he'd buy one of his kindred spirits and let them roam free. God, he hated seeing them walk by. He covered his brand of slavery well. It resided on his shoulder. His arms were normally covered anyway. It was rude to show off one's scars. He decided to play the fool so he wouldn't be overly rude.

"I'm not sure what you are getting at, sir." He said smiling blithely. "If you'll come with me though," He turned leaning on the other end of the broom for support. "I have the perfect gift for your daughter...excuse me I mean niece over here." He directed the man to a Crystal clear horse drawn carriage with brown horses shaped, shaved and carved by spells. It seemed as if the horses were trotting along down the road but the sculpture remained in it's place moving but going nowhere.

[Poco Loco Crow]

Those who live by the sword . . .

“Not much I guess,” Pharn said, hiding his disappointment. “But should you wish to try expanding, or just selling a few in other places, I’m sure I could set it up for you.” Pharn continued as he followed the man. He didn’t have much hope of getting any information, but he could at least try to get his family a few of the pieces to sell.

“I’ll only be around for month at most, but . . .” he trailed off as he saw the horses. Maybe they weren’t any more special than the statues around them, but for a second he could just see his niece opening a box to find them. Maybe she would only care about them for a year, or even a day, but if she was only happy with them for that long he’d consider them well worth any cost.

He tentatively reached towards it, but then snatched his hand away. Straightening up he turned to the shopkeeper. “Yes, it would be a perfect gift. How much will set me back?”

. . . get shot by those who don't.

Nymoral Pharn Requiem

[BetaSwimmer]

Kole Metzer

"I try to change the formality and everything about it, people killing people for a reason.
You make mistakes you don't regret, so make [a] conclusion."

"We're here..." A deep crusted voice cracked and trembled through the air. Its carrier stood stood stoically in the center of the streets of the city. Clearly disheveled gazes rose to meet the unsightly image, but none approached. Upon the back of the beast a smaller figure rustled, somehow it appeared to be awakening from a deep sleep, something rather unimaginable considering the terrain he must have suffered upon. But that was the odd beauty of this human, his body seemed uninhibited by the cold crackled back of the golem.

Pushing up slowly, Kole stammered, his mouth still dry from the nightly sleep. "Y...you sure this time?" He yawned, blinking his eyes feverishly while still pushing up on his back. The image appearing much like a cat stretching after being awoken from its restful slumber at the master's feet. Twisting his head to and fro, he felt the easing snaps and release of tension as the joints cracked, followed by a short huff of relief from Kole's lips.

After a few minutes of in-casual stretching the human finally propped himself onto the head of the earthly creature, wrapping his arms around the horns as he stabilized himself. His unusual red eyes glimmered with excitement and energy as he scanned the sight of the small town, absorbing the amusement of the merchants' uneasy gazes. "You still haven't responded...you sure this is the right place?" Kole in cheerful tone verbally prodded his friend, looking down at the head like a child from his princely throne.

Kole was met with little more than an timber groan and sudden shifting of the ground below him. Within seconds the towering image of the golem had dissolved into the rocks below, leaving Kole standing on his own, his gear and weapon left scrapped on the ground, no longer attached to the supporting pillars of the construct. "Well...someone's grumpy...alright then, sleep while you can..." Kole waved his hand towards the ground as though talking to an insect, a rather behemoth of an insect that could smash him with little effort. With little more to say on the situation, he gathered his belongings, slinging his bag over his shoulder and his weapon cradled in arm before setting off to find a few shops that might aid him in his new endeavors.

[Jake_wuz_X]

It lunged at me as my master caught it in his hand perfectly,
less than an inch from my face.
"What is this Shayne?"
"It's an Inland Taipen."
one of the most deadly snakes on the planet.

Shayne held his blade steady as his master had taught him so many years ago, breathing only when necessary, his talent helping a small amount. The man was coming fast. He would be here in no less than five minutes. Shay felt his body stiffen as he tried to think of how to use his talent. From here it had just automatically kicked in, doing things on it's own and filling his mind with information he didn't know. Shay decided to worry about it later, as an old man with a brown satchel on his back came into view 200 meters away.

Shayne held his blade steady as the man went under him, running faster than an old man should be capable of. The second the man was under him, Shay dropped from the tree, it was only 10 meters high, and according to the books he had read with master, he should fall in almost exactly one second. Silently Shay brought his knife into the man's neck. Skin parting for the blade, inviting it into his throat. The man barely gasped before it turned into a choke. Shay stood above him, blade already cleaned before he hit the ground. No challenge. Maybe not an honorable kill, but it was a kill none the least. Shay reached down and pulled the package off the man's body, now begining to wreak of blood, lacing it around his hand, Shay looked at his target, doing his best to block out the thoughts of guilt rushing to his mind. Skyler had no care for life. It had no meaning. "Life Is Worthless. When you take it, in reality, you take nothing." Shayne said with a heavy heart, quoting the last words of his master.

"No." he replied calmly.
"It's the price of failure"

~Shayne Crosshart

[BetaSwimmer]

Thane Hatchburg

"No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path."

It didn't take Thane much time or coercion for him to sneak his way towards the city, snatching from the nearest clothes line a rough looking sheet which served him well enough as a make-shift cloak, concealing his head and body from unwarranted stares from the locals. His heart pounded with anticipation as he approached closer to the sight of where he sensed the source of the 'old man's' smell was coming from.

Thane rounded the corner of one of the streets, coming onto sight at last minute as a man came down upon and older gentleman. Thane felt his heart sink, his stomach lurch, as the assassin so easily disposed of the man. His gaping mouth wide open, Thane bolted on his feet once more, approaching the scene, his heart pounding against his chest in fear that the man was who he thought it to be. The smell was getting stronger as he neared and despite his best attempts to tell himself that it was an impossible thought, that the old man was far too cunning to be so easily disposed, his fears still overwhelmed his reason. "You!" He screeched out at the assassin, taring off the make-shift cover, reveling his inhuman form snarling at the man. "What have you done!?"

[Jake_wuz_X]

It lunged at me as my master caught it in his hand perfectly,
less than an inch from my face.
"What is this Shayne?"
"It's an Inland Taipen."
one of the most deadly snakes on the planet.

Shayne was so focused on the words of his master, he didn't even notice the sound of light footsteps coming near him before it was to late to run. Shay heard the voice of a young man, and slid his knife in it's holster, ready to slip it out to kill the witness. If anyone saw an assassin above a body, they had to be disposed of quickly and quietly, or else your name was as good as gone. Shay knew the man hadn't seen his face yet, he could leave now and forget he ever saw the kid.

No. He had to kill him.

Shay pulled his knife out again. "Sorry you had to see that. Truely I am. For you see if you hadn't, I wouldn't have to dispose of you right now." Shay said as he turned in one quick motion and threw a knife at the man's face, just in time to see a glimpse of what was behind him. It was no human. It was a beast, an animal. Shayne turned and ran just as it went toward him, hoping the knife would either kill the thing or stall it. There was no way Shay was about to extinct a race.

He ran with help from his talent into the woods as quickly as possible. Hoping the beast would tend to the man rather than Shay. Hoping Shay had seen the last of him.

"No." he replied calmly.
"It's the price of failure"

~Shayne Crosshart

[miserable_at_my_best]

Leilani

Broken and alone...

Large green eyes, sprinkled with golden flecks, carefully observed the forest scene. These alluring eyes were the only characteristics that could be seen by the figure that crouched in a bush. A thin cloak covered her body, and it's hood left the majority in her face in it's shadows. She could could make out two people walking towards each other on the trail. She automatically recognized the one heading towards town.

This was the first lead Leiloni had gotten on the old man in years. She had been searching for years and years for this man. This man was most likely the only human alive that knew anything about who she really is. She needed him. She had to have his knowledge.

She was so caught up in her lust for finding out more about herself, that by the time she could see the old mans face he was dead on the ground. Her whole heart fell with him. All of her hopes and wishes died right then and there. Her bright eyes dimmed and narrowed on the figure that had slit the old man's throat.

Just as she was about to attack another... creature entered the scene and began yelling at the killer. He clearly wasn't human. He clearly was attached to the old man as well. As soon as the killer began to ran Leilani's feet were pushing her after him. He had happened to turn slightly in her direction and she ran into his path. She slid to the ground and stopped right in front of the man, hoping to trip him.

... My true name I shall know.

[Jake_wuz_X]

It lunged at me as my master caught it in his hand perfectly,
less than an inch from my face.
"What is this Shayne?"
"It's an Inland Taipen."
one of the most deadly snakes on the planet.

Shayne was running so hard, he barely even noticed the girl in front of him. He felt something inside him surge, and looked forward running too fast to stop. He let his talent surge as he jumped and put a hand on the girls shoulder, flipping over her to cross safely. In the moment he was in the air, he felt time slow, this wasn't a human either. Shay grabbed his sword and landed behind her, swinging it back and aiming for her neck. Whatever crazy things were going on here were about to end.

"No." he replied calmly.
"It's the price of failure"

~Shayne Crosshart

[miserable_at_my_best]

Leilani

Broken and alone...

Leilani shouldn't have been as surprised as she was as the man flipped and landed behind her. He had to have been a professional to have killed the old man so quickly.

Without even thinking she reached for the two twin daggers she had at her waist. She pulled them and held them tightly in her grip as she spun around to face him. As she did the hood of her cloak fell, revealing her long golden hair and the rest of her face. She met his eyes with hers and glared intensely at him.

Another thing that stunned her was how calm she was. Shouldn't she be waving her weapon around in pure anger? Yet here she was calm and skillful, acting without having to think twice. Perhaps she was trained killer like he was. Only the old man would know...

... My true name I shall know.

[Jake_wuz_X]

It lunged at me as my master caught it in his hand perfectly,
less than an inch from my face.
"What is this Shayne?"
"It's an Inland Taipen."
one of the most deadly snakes on the planet.

Shayne let a smile seep through his hood, before it turned dark. He didn't come all this way in life to let some abnormal woman kill him. "I don't want to hurt you. But I have a job to do and if you get in my way.." Shay turned the blade and put it to his side, "You will die for nothing." Shay felt calm and collected, fairly confident. The way she held the daggers showed she was no novice with blades, and he was nothing less of an expert in the art of killing. She wouldn't allow a quick kill, that much was sure with the daggers blocking almost any attack.

The simple way would be to make her bleed to death, dodge and use small swipes to get a few cuts. Shayne let out a breath. "What do you have to gain from fighting me? When you have oh-so-much to lose." He asked the girl like a pissed off teacher would ask a student. That's what Shay was doing in a sense. Teaching her how to live.

"No." he replied calmly.
"It's the price of failure"

~Shayne Crosshart

[BetaSwimmer]

Thane Hatchburg

"No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path."

Thane caught sight of the knife only moments before it struck his face. His instincts managed to tilt his head just enough to avoid anything too direct, though it did slit a nice clean laceration along his left cheek, clean enough Thane didn't even feel it with his blood pumping and heart racing. The man ran off, oddly enough after his former words of ill-willed grace, followed in short suit by another figure, a woman, who at Thane's distance looked like nothing more than another human, a particularly well figured one, but human none the less.

She too bolted off towards the assassin, but Thane did not, at least not initially. He slid along the dirt road as he reached the dead man's side, seeing clearly the image of the man he knew as his teacher. Something wasn't right however...The scent, it was different than before. Thane reached down, touching the man's blood, raising it to his nose. He hissed under his breath, furrowing his nose at the stench. Despite the less than pleasant visual expression he was rather pleased at least to find that the old man had been keen enough to avoid death with a decoy, though the idea of him needing a decoy in the first place puzzled Thane, at such point now the only matter still resting with unease in his mind was what the assassin's reasons for attacking the man were, and what it was that was in the package the assassin took.

Turning on heel, Thane rose to his feet once more, facing the direction the other two took off. With little thought he was on his toes again, sprinting down the road, into the brush and woods. His hand reached down for his dagger, slipping it out of its rested sheath. He wasn't about to let the man take him off guard again. It didn't take him much to track the two, the sounds of their fight, although well tempered, still resonated out of alignment with the natural rhythm he was so aligned to in the forest, plus the scent of the old man still lingered in the air. It seemed, as Thane contemplated, to be originating from the package now with the assassin. With the two in sight Thane gave no time whipping his dagger through the air. A seemingly simple attack at nothing but the air quickly turned into a forceful hurricane level gust of wind billowing out from the blade, throwing everything but the tree's in its path into the air.

[miserable_at_my_best]

Leilani

Broken and alone...

"You can't kill me!" she heard her own mouth say. Then gasped out of surprise. You don't know that! she silently scolded herself. Apparently shhe was getting a little too confident of her own fighting skills.

She then tightened her grip on her daggers and took a small step towards the man. She glared him down, her gaze now cold and threatening. "I want revenge." she told him her voice now low and serious.

She was about to attack him when her ears twitched as she listened to the cat looking boy run after them. She could hear the sound of his dagger whipping through the air, and she knew what he was aiming for. "That's my kill." she whispered as she moved to push the assassin out of the dagger's deadly path. But as she did the strong wind from the boys throw pushed her off to the side. She grabbed on to the man's cloak and began pulling him down with her.

... My true name I shall know.