Welcome to Gaia! ::

Underneath a canopy of banners and built upon the Ruin of a long forgotten people, sits the open markets of Ruin Writer people. Among the aged white stone sidewalk, broken stairs and streets are stand and vendors shouting to the crowd to buy their wears and eat their food.

However this is more than just a selling place for some of the nomadic people. It is a safe place. Run by the Ja'shid Rune Writers, the nomadic people know they will be protected even when the rune pillars lights fade. News, rumors, and gossip float around and mix with the sound of the markets daily clatters and cries. In this small market goods, both stolen and made are sold, deals are made and broken, and contracts are signed with good trust and ill effects mind.

Of course like any place, there are areas you might not want to linger in. Trap doors, booby traps and hidden passageways aren't the only dangers. These areas are scattered off to the rim of the Square and even while they are under the Ja'shid's eye. Everyone knows that there are other forces who keep an eye over it.

The Square isn't hard to find, two very visible roads, one from the West the other the East, track their way through the tress of the forest to the Clearing, small strem and Square.

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Jovaani almost missed it: a short but desperate scream, that of a woman. At this time of night, it implied nothing good for the girl. He grimaced; he really should be getting out of Ja’shid. He had just left the body of his latest target, a paladin, back in the woods of Sulyll. He didn’t have time to go play the part of shining knight for some damsel in distress. He wrestled briefly before deciding to at least find out what was happening, who knows maybe it would be over by the time he got there.

Quietly he made his way by rooftops to the source of the sound, making sure to keep a steady pace so as to not tire himself out. As he arrived at the area, he quickly looked around. His eyes: those of a thief and an assassin, easily pierced the night and showed him what he was looking for: a girl being dragged into the alley below by a group of seven thugs. The moonlight showed him one of the thug’s arms, revealing a tattoo of a black scorpion in its full splendor. Jovaani cursed under his breath, the Black Scorpions were a slaver gang based within the Wasteland and the desert land of Merseyr. A gang of slavers that tended to “sample” their merchandise, rapists and slavers what a wonderful combination. Jovaani was not about to let a woman fall into their hands if he could help it.

He quickly surveyed the terrain, a grin soon leapt to his face: the thugs had chosen to drag their victim into a dead end alley, probably so that they could cut off her only avenue of escape. As he pulled the cowl of his cloak over his head he chuckled, he would now use that dead end to his own advantage. His decision made, he quickly drew two daggers throwing each into one of the thugs closest to the exit of the alley as he jumped down. His daggers landed solidly and the two thugs crumbled on to the ground emitting shorts grunts of pain just as Jovaani landed. The thugs startled by their companion’s outburst whirled around to find Jovaani standing there. The leader, at least that’s what Jovaani assumed, growled out, “What the hell do you want? Huh? Why’d you attack my boys?” Jovaani looked pointedly at the group his grin easily visible “The girl isn’t yours to take. Leave now, and I may let you live.”

The thug leader merely laughed, “You’re only one man, what can you do? Get him boys!” Two of the remaining five charged Jovaani their swinging their clubs thinking this man no real threat. Jovaani only laughed as he as he spun between them, only a flash of moonlight daggers hinted that he had even attacked. He stopped, his daggers firmly in his hands as the moonlight revealed the now feral grin on his face. The two men who had attacked him crumpled to the ground, their throats slit and they bled freely staining the ground with blood. The remaining three thugs stared in shock as Jovaani mocked them, “What’s the matter? I thought I was only one man? Want me to blindfold my eyes? Maybe that will help you avoid my fangs.” At the mention of fangs one of the thugs paled and stumbled back stammering, “Fa..fa..fangs? It can’t be! You’re the Fang?!” The leader merely turned to the thug and asked ”Who?” The thug replied, ”The Fang! The thief that killed all those gangs in the wasteland! Eventually they stopped trying to kill him and started hiring him as an assassin.” The leader now looked shocked even scared as he whirled around to face Jovaani.

At that moment, the two thugs Jovaani had first struck, from the roof, started screaming in pure agony. That combined with the grinning Jovaani, his blades dripping with blood created a fearsome image. “Ah, such pretty screams. That’s one of my poisons: ‘Burning Veins’ it makes the poor victim feel like his veins are on fire.” The leader now positively terrified begged without abandon, “Please, the girl is yours if you want her. Just let us go please.” Jovaani just laughed as he leapt forward whispering, “Too late.” The ensuing slaughter between the three thugs and the assassin was short. With short, precise, and quick strikes Jovaani left them dead on the ground; the last expressions of the thugs’ faces were pure terror.

Jovaani grinned at the morbid scene, ”There’s nothing quite as relaxing as killing idiot thugs.” He added with a chuckle. He turned to the thugs’ intended victim. ”Well, are you alright?”

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Jovaani’s eyes almost widened in shock. This girl who had been incapable of handling a few thugs was looking for the elusive Shadow Informant? Jovaani’s mind raced, he had an outstanding contract on the Informant. One that he had been keeping an eye on, but never bothered to go out of his way look for, why? Because the Shadow Informant was infamously hard to find; after all, you didn’t find him he finds you. However, if she had a way to find the Informant, he could take the opportunity to fulfill that contract.

He looked around, remembering seeing some parchment a little back at the start of the alley. As he made his way there he searched the thugs for money, finding only a few silvers for his troubles. Reaching the start of the alley he took the opportunity to recover and clean his daggers. Blade care was very important, otherwise the blood would rust and dull the blades and Jovaani wouldn’t let that happen. As he cleaned them, Jovaani trying to remember where he had seen the parchment; it hadn’t been at the end of the alley with the thug leader or with the others thugs he killed there. Maybe…. Jovaani turned over one of the thugs that he had poisoned: under the body he found the parchment he had seen, and it was completely blood free.

He walked back to towards the girl, parchment in hand. ”Is this the parchment you are referring to?” he asked. Giving the parchment to her, he sat down nearby at just observed the girl. She wore a torn and ragged shirt with a cap sleeve jacket over it, along with battered pants and a partially torn skirt. She had a scarf wrapped around her head and a leather belt that a small collection of daggers. His eyebrow went up quizzically, if she had daggers why didn’t she use them? Her gloves and steel-toed boots are what intrigued them, the patterns on them told him that they were rune covered, and thoroughly at that. Perhaps she was a Rune Writer?

He chose to speak then, “You’re looking for the Shadow Informant? What makes you think you can find him? Succeed where so many others have failed?” He chuckled hollowly, “In fact, you couldn’t handle these pieces of trash.” he kicked one of the thugs, the leader, before continuing, “You know how to use the daggers on your belt? Foolish woman, you’re gonna need some serious help if you have to travel through the Wasteland. There are worse there than slavers and rapists like these in the Wasteland.”

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Jovaani blinked in a confused manner at the girl’s angry response, she sounded offended. He had no idea why, he had saved her life from rapists and slavers for one, and then he given her the truth of her situation. She had displayed inadequate abilities in the face of danger and was in pursuit of a dangerous goal, he had merely said the truth. He really didn’t understand why she was angry at him, it wasn’t as if he was responsible for her inadequacy.

He sighed, got up and walked after her. He talked to her retreating back So why is a Rune Writer traveling alone and in search of a dangerous man? He was hoping he had judged her bloodline right, the runes were a little too numerous for having been bought from a Rune Writer, they tended to exact a high price for their craft. ”Aren’t you the slightest bit concerned about the danger you might be heading into? Or you too stubborn to accept that you need help?”

Jovaani could read from her body language that she had restrained herself from committing some act against him. He now intended to rile her, so that he could demonstrate exactly how ill prepared she was. Clearly, the parchment she had held information, information that he couldn’t access because he couldn’t read it. Therefore, he needed her to lead him to the Shadow Informant; Jovaani wasn’t the most eloquent of speakers so he didn’t believe that he could convince her to let him join her without proving himself. Actions after all, always spoke louder than words.

With that in mind he tried to bait her, ”You’re not even gonna give me your name? That’s rude, especially sinced I saved your life from slavers.” He paused to sheath the dagger he was cleaning before starting again. ”What, ain’t gonna tell me? I know you Runers tend to stick in clans so don’t be telling me some sob story of being an orphan. ‘Sides, even orphans thank people for helping them out, if the favor’s big they even give folks a name.”

He stopped talking at that point, warily observing the girl. He was prepared for her to strike him, an acceptable response to his needling. He needed her to strike, he only hoped she would try.

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The woman let a charge strike out from her gloves towards him, and Jovaani’s body reacted to the expected attack. He leapt towards one of the alleyway walls, away from the attack. Managing to avoid it, barely, he pushed off the wall and landed in front of her. He gave her an easy, friendly grin as he considered her words, the woman, Nazneen, had definitely swallowed her pride. He could respect her for that, and as he watched the charge she had tried to hit him with peter out against the alleyway wall respect her restraint. She hadn’t been trying to hurt him it seems, that meant that she probably possessed more talent than he had been estimating. Not to mention a relatively cool head, that was good, he could work with that.

”I am Jovaani Therai, a resident of the Wastelands, and a traveler by trade. Nice to meet ya Nazneen, I’m glad you’re willing to accept help because I’m willing to offer it. I have been, lazily, trying to find a way to pass the time and I do believe you’re it.” He might want to join Naz in her search for the Shadow Informant, but he wasn’t about to be honest with her. Besides she might be more agreeable to a traveler who didn’t have anything else to do, rather than a thief or assassin who was looking for who she was searching for. It might make his earlier actions seem far more suspicious than they really were.

”So you’re a Rune Writer, and capable of using your talents, that’s good. Let me now make my offer Nazneen: I’ll travel with you, help you, fight alongside you and promise to commit no harm towards you, all you have to do is let me come with you and see it through to the end. ” He paused, thinking for a bit then added ”I’ll even sweeten the deal, I’ll teach you how to use those daggers on your belt in a fight; our little adventure might go and be done before you learn all I know, but I’ll teach you until then.”

He walked towards her and offered her a hand, ”Well what do you say Nazneen? Will you accept my oath of service?” It all came down to this, Jovaani was confident that Nazneen would accept but one could never be too sure. With luck, Jovaani would soon be on his way to tracking down an elusive target with a hefty price and no less in the company of a lovely lady. What? He wasn’t blind; he noticed Nazneen was particularly easy on the eyes. Not that he would try anything, the contract was more important, after all, the contract was a promise to complete a job for pay, and Jovaani kept his promises.

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Once Naz was out of sight, Jovaani allowed himself a grin of satisfaction; luckily it had worked. It had been touch and go for a few seconds there, and he had thought that he might not have been convincing enough for a second there. The girl had accepted his offer, and now she would lead him directly to the shadow informant. All he had to do was keep playing the part of the experienced traveler and he should be fine.

However, there were risks to maintaining a false persona for great lengths of time, especially for someone who wasn’t used to it. Jovaani’s personal best was six hours at a noble’s private party where he pretended to be one of the serving staff. However, he would have to maintain this traveler persona for an unknown period of time; furthermore, he didn’t believe for a second that she trusted him, Naz had accepted him cause she needed him. He would have to be very careful, taking extra precautions not to give her any reason to further distrust him.

Jovaani decided that to best maintain his cover to take awhile to get to the Squares limits. Perhaps concoct some story about why he had taken time, now to only pass that time. Jovaani found a more isolated area and dedicated the next few hours to practicing his knife fighting style. The process would look almost like a dance to anyone who witnessed it, but Jovaani had made sure that no one was nearby. A death dance, as that was its name, is personal thing that completely broke down a fighting style to its basics and build it back up. To witness someone else’s dance would give the viewer an inherent advantage in a fight. Finishing up, he mused about the knife lessons he would be giving to Naz.

A knife style was often like a signature, there could be similarities between them, but no two were exactly alike. He would have to be careful during his lessons as well, he needed to maker her stronger, but too much. Otherwise, she would have an insight to his style and top of her runes in the very probable confrontation that would occur between them.

He made his way to the Square and looked around for Naz. After a few moments he saw her sitting in some sort of wagons hunched over and looking at something, he wasn’t sure what. As he walked towards her he called to her, “Sorry to take so long, I had to wake the owner of the inn I was staying at. To say the least, he wasn’t amused, and wanted payment for two nights instead of one. I finally managed to calm him down and pay for the one night. Well then, where are we going?”

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