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 Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 5:29 pm
[❂ S ❂] A Prentice's Lament [❂ S ❂]
[- 1,127 words -]
[- Sulburi Outskirts -]
[- Late Evening -]
In the far outskirts of the towering settlement of Sulburi, the sound of crashing broke through the late evening lull. It came in waves, a harsh pounding sound that matched that of a racing heart before cutting off in sudden silence. At the entrance of a long alleyway, a family of wards stopped to perk their ears at the nose, nervously sniffing the air before darting off when the noise picked up once more. At the source of it all was a lanky teen, his dark skin gleaming as his bound fists continued to beat away at a grass-filled dummy. With each hit the dummy waved precariously on its quickly constructed wood stand, the straw filling flying out as the teen pulled back his fists.
After the most recent bout of punching, Nuri fell heavily against the dummy, his breath pushing out visible puffs of air. The chill of the evening had yet to reach his skin thanks to his work-out - instead it seemed as if steam were coming off his shoulders and brow. As the sweat dripped down his cheek, Nuri quickly brushed his messy bangs away from his eyes before pushing back away from the punished dummy.
It only took a moment for his dark eyes to glaze over, the memory of why he was driven to one of his favorite training grounds fresh on his mind.
"You lack discipline, Prentice, and without it you will not make it far as a warrior."
His instructor had been condescending, judgmental, and unwilling to relent in his evaluation of the newest warrior hopefuls. In the back of his mind, Nuri knew that this was all part of the process - it was a tool that many used to weed out those not fit for the fighting class. Yet, all he could hear was the constant beratement, the words piling on his shoulders and grating on his nerves. It would have been so easy to walk away, or to turn and strike the man square in his jaw.
Instead, he kept silent and schooled his features, just as he knew would be expected. A good warrior does not question his superiors. A good warrior follows orders and agrees with what is placed in front of him.
A good warrior waits until after training is over to let his weakness show.
"Prentice, adjust your stance! How many times must I tell you that a sloppy stance will get you killed? If it were up to me, you would be sent with your tail between your legs today."
The rage had built throughout the training. What should have been a simple lesson on the types of weapons that each warrior class had turned into a practical placing the green boys in weapons they were ill suited to carry, let alone wield. It had been an absolute disaster. His fingers were blistered from the rough grips of the swords and spears, and his shoulders felt strained from the effort of carrying the heavy shield and swinging blindly with the lunky gauntlets. It felt as if every single weapon he picked up was one that he was ill suited to carry - and if he couldn't even pretend to swing a sword correctly, how would he ever survive the training that the masters were rumored to enforce?
His hands clenched as tightly as possible, the gauntlets he had on restricting his intent. Glancing down, Nuri quickly felt his frustration grow at the fact he couldn't even clench his fist in a satisfactory manner. All at once, he ripped off his right gauntlet, and then the left, before stomping to where a pile of weapons lie. Dropping the two gloves with a bit too much force, his dark eyes skimmed the pile as his lip pulled down in frustration.
Breath evening out, Nuri grabbed the training spear from the pile, spinning on his heel to stalk back toward the dummy before him. It took only a second for him to let out what could only be described as mix between a grunt and a yell as he crouched lower and lunged. The tip of the spear was off, and instead of going through the chest it slashed at the side of the dummy and threw his pose off kelter. He stumbled forward as the dummy split open, straw exploding from the 'wound' and into his face. Catching his balance on the dummy for but a second, Nuri pulled it off of the stand and both went to the ground.
"A warrior cannot make mistakes. A single mistake means death, and if this were a battle, you would be dead. Clean up Prentice, I'm done watching you try to play warrior today."
Nuri rolled over to his back, blindly tossing the spear to the side. It clacked against the hard stone of the area, before rolling to a slow stop. Nuri raised his eyes to the sky, silently noting how dark it had become above him. The chill of the night finally seemed to make its presence known, and it was a vicious reminder that the teen had taken off his top as he begun his 'training'. But the dark Oban made no effort to get up, get dressed, and clean the area. He simply lay on the ground, keep an eye on the stars and listening to the soft silence of the outskirts of the city.
"You are in a bit over your head, Nuri..." He mumbled after a long moment of silence, his breath coming out in puffs for an entirely different reason, "..but no one said the way of the warrior would be easy..."
Maybe he wished that fighting would be his identity in his family. His brother was the heir, well suited to lead the family and walk in his father's footsteps. His sister, still young, showed promise as a beautiful and adaptable Oban. She would make a perfect bride once she reached age. Nuri had always floated alone, a third party and afterthought for his family. Joining the warrior training was the logical step to be noticed, and one he was proud to be a part of.
It took only a day for him to begin questioning how suited he was for this path, and less than an hour for him to work himself boneless. Taking a deep breath that heaved his chest high, Nuri pushed himself up with stiff and sore arms, sitting a moment before moving to stand.
He still needed to pack up the weapons and clean the area, as well as head home. There was no time to question his worth, or be concerned about the distinct ache between his shoulders. There would always be tomorrow. For now, it was time to head home.
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Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2015 9:08 am
[❂ RP ❂] An Encounter While Training [❂ RP ❂] [- Roleplay Located Here -]
[- 3,144 words -]
[- 11 Posts -]
[- Nuri x Khalel -]
[- Sulburi - Old Town -] After about a week of training, Nuri has finally established one of many many private training grounds well away from the inner city. He did not expect to be found between the empty homes, but it seems as if he couldn't hide forever. His training is interrupted by the half-Oban Khalel, who is beautiful and poised and steals his attention. They speak cordially for a bit before he offers to escort her to her home.
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Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2015 11:14 am
[❂ E ❂] Spring Showers [❂ E ❂]
[- Event Post -]
[- 926 words -]
[- Sulburi Outskirts -]
[- Afternoon -]
It was still a tedious journey, and more than once as he stopped to wipe his feet of the mud and dust, he wondered if it was worth the effort. By the time he made it half way there, his mindset was to keep pushing forward. He had stored his weapons in a dry location, but considering how heavy the rain had become, he was worried that they would need to be moved. Maintenance of the equipment was the most important lesson he was taught, and therefore he needed to move quickly and ensure that everything was safe and sound.
As Nuri rounded the corner to one of the older alleyways, he was happy to see that the flooding wasn't as bad. This side of town was relatively dry, which meant his equipment was most likely safe from the moisture and lacking in any sort of permanent damage. He still wasn't out of the danger zone, however, as he needed to get it back to the main barracks so the moisture wouldn't cause any of the bindings to warp and require him to re-set the stone and wood. Shaking his head in frustrating at the thought, Nuri moved to the old staircase where he hid the pile of weapons, grabbing his stashed cart along the way.
It took only a second for him to realize that something was horribly off about his storage space, and that someone had tampered with his weapon stash. Slowing his movements to a halt, the Oban dragged his feet as he stood a few feet away from the stairwell. A scratching sound filled the silence, making a noise above the rains that hit the rooftops of the area. Someone was still in there, clearly trying to find something of value.
Ha! The joke was clearly on them - Nuri knew there was nothing of value in that old stairwell. The only thing in there was the practice weapons he had borrowed from the training facility. Nothing would sell, if anything it was junk. However...if word got back that he had weapons from the army, and they were able to trace the weapons to him, Nuri would end up being flogged alive for his insubordination. They would assume he was trying to steal, not get a few extra hours of practice out of each day.
Gritting his teeth, the prentice knew he needed to do something. At least he could make some noise and run the man off, and hopefully the guy would not have any of the weapons to show off. All he needed to do was make sure he wasn't in the way. Taking a deep breath and puffing his chest, Nuri crept closer toward the stairwell, the scratching getting louder and louder as he went.
Slowly, his hand reached out to grab the side of the wood, and he took a deep breath. It filled his lungs, the humidity stifling. His eyes closed soon after, his teeth tightening as the scratching stopped. There was no time to determine if he was heard. It was no or never.
"I know you are in there...GET OUT NOW BEFORE I FORCE YOU OUT!"
As soon as he finished screaming, he threw back the door and attempted to move out of the way.
Instead of seeing a man, he instead was stunned to see what appeared to be hundreds of glowing balls of light. They all snapped to attention, floating in the air of the darkness under the stairs. Nuri scrambled back in surprise, uncertain what to do as the light seeped into the stairs and caught bits of wrinkled flesh and crystal.
A silence held the air.
And then suddenly, his brain realized there was no man, but dozens of Perzi. They spilled out of the door like sand out of a funnel, and overwhelmed him in surprise. He sputtered back in shock, his heel catching the sloppy sand and his arms pin-wheeling as he fell back. The pain radiated from his tailbone and he landed, the claws and tails thumping his skin as they raced by. He knew to throw his hand over his face, remembering his lessons that wild Perzi were often aggressive when cornered.
Agonizing, the wait seemed to go on for ages until the last Perzi raced by, smaller and snorting as it went. Stunned, Nuri set his hands on the ground, letting his chest heave.
20 prezi had just flooded him from his storage stairwell, clearly having sought refuge from the rain. Said rain began to pick up as the Oban laid prone on the ground, his amazement causing his limbs to stay stiff and his heart to race.
Nuri couldn't believe what had just happened, and his brain still was racing and empty at the same time.
After a long few minutes, the silent Oban closed his eyes, took another deep breath, and just began to laugh.
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Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 11:41 am
[❂ E ❂] Rain Isn't The Only Problem [❂ E ❂]
[❂ Event Successful - 50exp ❂] [- Roleplay Located Here -]
[- 2,420 words -]
[- 8 Posts -]
[- Nuri x Aseara -]
[- Sulburi -] The rainy seasons has drenched Oba and turned it into a muddy, humid land. Thanks to the sheets of rain, bandits and ruffians have begun to attack those unfortunate enough to be out in the weather. Nuri did not anticipate witnessing such a crime, but he didn't think twice in stepping up and running off a group of men attacking a Wind Earthling girl who was on her way home. Doing the right thing, Nuri walks her back to her establishment to make sure she isn't attacked again.
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Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2015 10:27 am
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Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2015 10:28 am
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2015 10:00 am
[❂ RP ❂] A Dance Between Friends [❂ RP ❂] [- Roleplay Located Here -]
[- 3,762 words -]
[- 14 Posts -]
[- Nuri x Aseara -]
[- Sulburi -] Nuri visits Aseara, the Wind Earthling, at the Red Amaryllis, where he requests for her company and a dance. As they take the time to speak and she provides him with a dance, they get to know one another and eventually get on the topic of the types of dances. Nuri eventually promises to teach Aseara a few fighting moves with practice weapons, and they determine to meet again and pass secret messages for future meetings outside of the establishment.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2015 10:01 am
[❂ S ❂] Familiar Affinity [❂ S ❂]
[ Class Affinity Solo ]
[- 1,255 words -]
[- Sulburi - Outskirts -]
It had been another long day for the warrior in training, something that was becoming quite familiar. The days seemed to drag on, blending into one long cycle of blood, sweat, and sand. Each day began at the light of dawn, moving through a routine with the army before Nuri raced off to train on his own near the outskirts of the city. The training would last until the sun grew low into the sky, sometimes even later where he was straining to see while his muscles ached. Then, he would drag himself home, fall into bed, and pass out before he started the day over again.
As Nuri moved away from the training camp one early afternoon, the heat of the sun beating down upon his dark skin, he felt the urge to alter his ritual in order to wander off outside of the town. It had been ages since he walked outside of the settlement, and it was about the time of the year when the Janarim began to train their young to hunt with the pack. If he was lucky, he might catch sight of a few of the wandering pups before the mothers snapped at him to move away.
With the thought in mind, Nuri darted away from the packed crowds of Sulburi, pushing around the vendors and the beggars as he unwound his sash and pulled it about his head. The sun was relentless, and it wouldn't do for him to pass out in the sands and never be seen again. Summer was hot upon them, and the rains were but a faded memory. The winds would sneak up and pull the sands, bury him alive, and if he were lucky he would be found years from now in a pile of bones.
The thought alone made him shiver with an unknown chill. He pulled his makeshift cowl closer, and darted outside of the gates with a quick glance at the guards. There was no second glance - merchants used the gates every day and the path was well worn. However, he made way off the path and toward the rocky sands where most of the wild Janarim were known to dwell, a place where many younglings would dare to venture in a feat of courage and come back with stories to tell. He could already hear the cries of the pups and the growls of the mothers, it was a perfect day.
As he neared the dens of the Janarim, Nuri determined he would settle where he was at. Any nearer, and he risked getting attacked by the territorial mothers. He would simply wait and see if he could catch sight from his location. Hefting himself up on a rock, he could see a few young pups running around in the sands, nipping at each other in play fighting that would one day save their lives. Even he knew that play taught them valuable skills, such as his own fighting did.
All at once, his mind shifted back to the city, and to his responsibilities. Soon he would need to commit to a path in the army, one that would lead him to his own class and training. He could not be a prentice forever. The thought left him frustrated more than the heat that beat down upon his back - still he found himself lost on the direction he wanted to go. The weapons he fought with were easy to learn, but they did not click for him as they did for the others in his cohort. There was just something important missing, something that he needed to find in order to be complete.
As the day wore on, Nuri found himself mindlessly watching the wildlife around him, thriving in the desert despite the difficulties they faced. It wasn't until the sun began to set that he realized his body had become stiff from sitting still for so long.
"Best be heading home..." He mumbled softly to no one, disappointed he had yet to see any pups up close but not too surprised with the outcome. From what he could tell, they only just had weaned off of their mother's teat, and so the mother would still be ferociously protective. It wasn't worth the risk to face them at this time. A few weeks and he might be lucky to catch a curious pup wandering near his perch.
As Nuri shifted and pulled his cowl back around his face, he suddenly heard a whine much closer than the pups in the distance. His body froze as he looked around the rocks, confusion lining his features since he had been there all day. The winds pushed the sand around them, but he heard the whine again, soft and raspy and distinctly that of a small pup. Falling to his knees, Nuri caught sight of a hole he hadn't seen before and peered the best he could inside.
It was dark, but as his eyes adjusted, he could see the shadow of a form. It took a second for him to make the choice to reach in, his mind racing as he realized he was near a pup and hadn't been attacked. Had it been abandoned? Or was it lost? Either way, it was doomed if it was this far out away from the rest of the pack. Hand gripping the hide, Nuri pulled and heard the squeal as he took out the rocky colored pup, amazed at the sight of it.
"There, there..." He said in a rumble, pulling the thing close after noticing it was young and small, his eyes studying the Janarim's body, "I'm not going to hurt you...shh"
It looked starving, and sounded wild as it flailed around, and eventually Nuri held it away from his body with one arm in order to snap off his cowl with the other. He wrapped the creature with the cloth in desperation, before seeing the tail and the deformity. The small pup did not have a fully-formed tail, a clear defect that any breeder or mother would notice. It was survival of the fittest, and this poor pup was not fit to survive.
Swallowing, Nuri finished wrapping the creature and held it close, sighing as it finally called enough when he allowed it to gnaw on his finger. It seemed the little thing was teething.
"I can't just leave you out here alone..." He said after a long moment, coming to the conclusion that whomever or whatever had the Janarim before this point had dumped the poor thing, leaving it to fend for itself in the heat and the rocks. Silence greeted him along with a hard n** from a sharp tooth, but he didn't pull his hand from the wild pup's mouth. Instead, Nuri looked down into the bright red eyes, feeling a connection he hadn't felt before.
Something suddenly felt right as he looked down at the creature before him, something so perfect and true and calming about the small little thing in his arms. Maybe it was the dependency, the fact that for once there was something in this world that depended on him. Or maybe it was the choice he finally could make for himself. Either way, Nuri had made up his mind as he moved to stand.
"Well...we might as well take you home then...and give you a proper name. Despite the lack of tail, you will be a true warrior. Naraka. Yes...from now on, it will be you and me, Naraka."
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Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2015 6:56 am
[❂ RP ❂] Shifting Down The Warrior Path [❂ RP ❂] [- Roleplay Located Here -]
[- 3,217 words -]
[- 13 Posts -]
[- Nuri x Saraf -]
[- Sulburi -] Nuri and the training prentices observe an army practice, and he runs into Saraf. The elder man invites him back to his house to do some actual sparring for a change and Nuri accepts. Nuri gets a chance to spar with a warrior, and also get some advice and insight on what it is like to be part of the army and part of a war.
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Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2015 5:20 am
[❂ RP ❂] Caught in the Act [❂ RP ❂] [- Roleplay Located Here -]
[- xxx words -]
[- xxx posts -]
[- Nuri x Yejide -]
[- Sol Marketplace -] ...
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Posted: Fri May 08, 2015 7:03 am
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2015 4:43 am
[❂ CQ ❂] The Trial [❂ CQ ❂]
This Quest is for Nuri who is striving to become a Beast Charmer.
[- Quest Located Here -] [- 4,909 words -]
Trials for the Oban army had been announced and would soon start, something Nuri had been working toward for years. On the day of the tests, everyone was to report to the palace and would be given a special task to complete.
Nuri arrived with plenty of time to spare and found himself targeted by three Beast Tamers in the army. They were to give him the task that he was to complete and it would be difficult. Nuri had to successfully ride one of the giant war beasts alone - something that usually required 3-4 members to do properly.
Quest Tasks
||. The quest should begin with Nuri hearing of the summons to court, and being confronted by the three beast tamers.
||. They will present him with his challenge, though something seems wrong with the situation.
||. Nuri will somehow have to manage to ride the beast by himself.
||. After successfully completing the task, he will find that the other three beast tamers were just hazing him and he didn't actually have to do any of it.
||. Nuri can be happy that he passed and to be accepted by them, or find out that he really didn't have to do said task and be resentful of them, but he will be a part of the Oban army in the end.
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Posted: Thu May 28, 2015 6:27 am
Congratulations!Congrats to Nuri for becoming a Beast Charmer!  Congrats Nuri!
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