Age of the Forgotten

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The Gambling Gamer

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Morning, the fifth of the Second Sun, Year 263. Nothing very serious throughout the town, but inhabitants of every shape and size racing about to their next destination. Goskinue thrived as the capital city in the land of Hillstalen, surrounded by acres and acres of land and fields before connecting with its brethren towns of Seriphem and Feiriksted. Smoke steamed forth into the sky in slow rhythm as it breathed life into the town. The smell of metal and steel melded with the sound of tempered blades and the clopping of horses. Commoners wore simple garbs, laced and sewn together by hand, it seemed as it appeared as if their clothes were ready to fall off. Blacksmiths and vendors wore a higher grade of clothing, along with a badge of certification, to notify new travelers and guests of the grand city of their rank beside the villagers. Beyond their rank in society, the nobles and guards uphold high honors, only second to that of the grand mages, and then of the High Lord, King Derein.

Sir Thirsten, grand kight of the Royal Army headed home from a hard days' work. Maintaining the peace in Gosiknue was hardly a walk in the park, having to deal with vagrants and vagabonds, thieves and crooks alike. The sound of his steel plated armor shuffling together permeated his ears as his companion, Swiftend, carried the weight of his master upon the saddle. Every step slammed into the stone roads, as if the horse was attempting to crack it as the traveled towards their home. His hands shifted against the reins as fellow citizens greeted him. All of them asked the same set of questions and statements: "How was fighting crime?", "You are doing a fine job, you are!", "How does it feel being some lapdog of the crown?"

It never seemed to change for the knight. No different questions or statements for him. Day in and out, just the same thing. It grew stale to the man. Life was stale and boring. It paid decent money, as noticed when the two met their destination. The mansion was three stories tall, taking up nearly two average plots of land with the finest bricks laid upon the foundation... well, second to just the king. Beside it was a grand stable, able to hold up a dozen fine steeds, but made for just one; his prized possession and faithful companion. On the door read a single name, the owner of the house, Sir Kelligan Thirsten. With a tired, yet relieved sigh, the knight lead his horse into the stable, carefully dismounting and unstrapping the saddle from him before heading towards the house. "Home, sweet, home, aye?" the words slowly dripped from his mouth before entering into his humble abode.
 
Shade had awoken that morning to realize she had fallen behind them. She silently cursed herself and after catching their scent once again ran off in their direction. Shade had been tracking a group of thieves for a few days now. Her sliver and crimson hair was slightly tangled with leaves, yet it surprisingly looked nice rather than messy.

Shade finally caught up to the group just as they reached a town. "Great, just what I need. More people seeing me." She went into the town, but stuck to the shadows. Her golden tipped black wolf ears and tail twitching occasionally. The thieves lead her to a very elegant looking mansion. Shade looked up at it in awe. "Whom ever lives here must have a lot of riches." Her stomach growled quietly. "And maybe even some food."

Shade leapt up onto the roof and walked around a bit. Trying to get a sense of the house. She had smelled a horse a little while ago and made a note to go visit it. She swung into the house through an open window, landing with a soft thud. Shade starts to walk outbound the room she had landed in, apparently a bedroom.
 
As the door creaked open, the knight was greeted with a cacophony of scents, ranging from spoiled meats to rotted plants. Vomit nearly succeeded in attacking Kelligan's mouth, but with a sour face, he swallowed it back down, a displeased grunt substituting for the absence. It had been a while since he had a servant in the mansion. The last one that was employed had to leave for medical reasons unknown to the warrior, but with the increase of crime within the last month, it had left him with no time to search for another. The first floor hosted a dining room, living room and a grandiose kitchen. Up the stairs in the main hallway would lead him to the second floor, where his bedroom and storage room laid still, untouched by any normal being. Finally, the third floor contained the bathroom and attic, with cobwebs and rodents galore. Shaking off the last breach of stomach acids, the knight moved upwards towards the staircase. His actions suddenly ceased as a presence was made known through a shattered vase above him. He placed his hand firmly against the hilt of his steel short sword, fingers wrapped upon it in a tight clench.

With a light tug of his right hand, the sword sung its sole melody, sliding from its sheath and glinting past the light fixtures. His muscles tensed as he dropped to a more protective stance, raising the shield that he held with his left hand up in front of him. It was probably just another rodent, he thought as the floor creaked under his heavy steps. As he peeked over the railing to the second floor, the instinct of Kelligan insisted on the bedroom, despite his better judgment of surveying the storage room. What met his vision forced a widened, bewildered expression. "Bloody hell... is that a wolf?" he whispered under his breath as he noticed the wolf ears of the female first.

The whole body then came into view as he finally stood on the second floor, snapping his body into action as he guarded the doorway to his room. "You! Halt right there," his words struck with authority as his sword pointed towards the new creature's body.
 
Shade turned around quickly, her ears pressed flat against her head as she started to growl. She started to back up slowly as she looked the knight over. Whit him came an assortment of scents. Shade wrinkled up her nose in disgust. "You my friend, need to clean up around here. It smells rather foul." She said pausing from her growls. Slowly her ears perked back up, as she felt he wasn't much of a threat.

Shade continued to wander around the room, stopping every so often to inspect something. She turned back to face the knight, her tail curling around her leg in a relaxed manor. "You have a horse, am I correct?" She started back towards the window slowly, looking behind her to make sure he didn't run her through while her back was turned.
 
The remarks threw the knight off guard for a moment, lowering his shield as his brow furrowed in irritation. "Now listen here," his words bit down with force as anger seethed through each syllable, "You are in my house and I haven't been here in a while,"

His anger seemed to dissipate at the second question from the lupine girl, the emotion taken over by a sudden befuddlement. The sword slipped back into its sheath as he loosened his tense muscles, noticing no more hostility from the trespasser. "Yes, I have a horse, but why-" his head tilted as he began to feel mixed emotions of confusion and anger, "Why am I answering your question? Why are YOU in MY house?"

The sight of this female still confused him. Kelligan knew mages, humans, knights, kings, horses and monsters, but she held no resemblance of any monster he knew of. Maybe an escaped experiment from the Tower? Perhaps someone with enchanted items? No, no, no. His brain buzzed with questions that had no answers, and after a stressful day at work, the gruff male wanted no more riddles and stress.
 
Shade stands for a minute thinking that over. "Well, I guess that does make sense." She could sense the males anger and smiled to herself, thinking of how she could mess with him. She shook her head clearing it of these thoughts.

She laughed softly at his confusion to her second question. She saw him loosen up a bit and let her guard down just a tad. One could never be too careful of course. "Woah, woah, woah. I was just headed out no need to get all angry and such." She reaches the windows and mutters something about horses and food before leaping out and down to the ground.

She looks back up and calls out to the man. "Don't go anywhere, I'll be back in a couple of minutes." She bounds off on that note, pulling her hood up as she heads of to the market. A small bag of coins bouncing against her leg as she runs.
 
With a worried look on his face, the knight ran over to the window to check over at the female. As a captain of the guard, listening for anything was his duty. His ears twitched as the muttering of her voice could be heard, placing his index finger up to pause her movement. "Hold on one second! Get back here!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.

The wind buffeted his face as it swept into the window, the curtained flowing gracefully as his eyes never moved from her position. Before he knew it, the mysterious girl was gone, just as fast as she came. Confusion was the least that one could say in his current predicament. So many questions, so many unanswered. Kelligan shuffled across his bedroom and changed into more relaxing attire. With his plated armor secure in his wardrobe compartment, the knight slipped on a leather vest and a comfy pair of pants. The sword stayed close to his side, an extension to his arm on any occasion. Finding a chair within his room, he sat down to place all of the information that he gathered. She was coming back, most likely with a horse of some sort, and perhaps food, but the house was still in shambles. He did agree that it held a rather distasteful odor, and headed towards the bathroom with haste. A knight should always have a neat and tidy house, of course, and without a personal handler, the only one to complete such a task was himself.

Throughout the time that the wolf-like female had left, Kelligan effortless scrubbed the majority of the house, making sure that the trash and waste was properly disposed of and the cobwebs held to the walls no more. There were so many questions for this female, and he wanted to know her purpose. Once finished with the chores, the knight tended to his loyal steed, preparing its stable for the next day and then picking what still fresh meats and veggies that he could. Dishes and pots rang in a harmony of sound as he searched for a pot, placing it under the well to draw water and then over the fire to bring it to a boil. As that went on, his knifework showed off as his hands moved in a flurry of diced veggies and meat, throwing the readied ingredients into the boiling pot to brew his very own stew. It had been a while since he cooked, but the able warrior still had a knack for cooking, finishing the stew with a medley of spices to bring the flavor out.
 
She smirked as she heard him call out for her to stop. As if she would ever listen to a human, although this one did interest her quite a bit. She slowed her pace, but not by much. In only a few minutes she had reached the market.

Shade went from stall to stall, buying an assortment of food. She hadn't much money so she couldn't buy much, but that wouldn't matter for a while. The knight still had some fresh food in his house. She spotted the group of thieves she had followed there trying to stele from a stall. She sighed as she walked away, not having the energy to stop them herself. She did however point them out to the vendor, earning a grateful nod her way.

She returned to the house and could smell something much more pleasant than before. She went in through the window once again, her ears perked up curious of what the smell was. She walked out of the room to the stairwell. She slid down the banister ,and shifted as she flew off of it, into a small black panther cub. She padded over to the knight and sat down next to him. Staring up at the counter where the smell was originating from.
 
The smell was heavenly as the scent wafted around the room, filling it with a delectable aroma. Kelligan perked his ears as he noticed someone leap into his bedroom once more, chuckling slightly as his mind trailed upon that. Soon, the stew was finished as the knight cooled the embers underneath the pot. His attention then was brought towards something beside his leg. Out of the corner of his eye, a little beast stood beside him. There was no pets in the household, and it was too large to be a rodent. The knight slowly turned around to face the creature, his hand steady against the hilt of his blade if it turned to be hostile. What he saw was a small panther, black all over except for the tip of its ears. Thoughts connected as he saw the golden tips, growing more and more confused as he backed away slowly, nerves shooting chills up and down his back.

This was no ordinary panther cub.

His eyes narrowed towards the cub as he put two and two together, sitting down slowly at the table, but not leaving her from his line of sight. "Are you who I think it is?" his words were calm, methodical, yet a sense of confusion hidden beneath.
 
Shade started to purr, enjoying Kelligan's confusion. She rolled over into her back, her golden tipped tail coming into view. She was hungry and didn't have much energy for playing around long so she decided to speed things up a bit more than she would have liked. I don't know. Who do you think this is? A voice in his head asked as she padded over to him and jumped up into his lap, still continuing to purr.

She looked around and lifted her head up slightly, sniffing the air. I like how you've cleaned up the place. It smells much more delectable now. She hops down just as her stomach growls softly. Shade shifts back into her human form and walks over to the pot. Thinking a bit before walking over to the stairs and bringing back the assortment of food she had bought. She pulls out an apple and walks out the door and to the stables.
 
The knight stayed in his chair for a bit, taking this in as his mind stalled for reason. Nothing about this made sense. Not even the Tower had any experience with transmutation, and no books tell of such things as shapeshifters. The padding of the female as she transforms back snapped Kelligan out of his trance, chasing after the girl after grabbing a bowl of stew and bringing it outside to the stable. "Here, have some. it's fresh and hot still," his thoughts paused once again.

What brought him to help this being? Curiosity? Kindness? It is a duty for a knight to help the poor, but there was something about her that intrigued him. Swiftend watched idly by at the two as he rested in his home, just as curious as his master about this interesting creature. The knight politely escorted the girl to sit down on the bench positioned opposite in the stables, sitting across from her as his fingers tapped against the oak wood. "What brought you here? What... what are you?" his vulnerability began to show. He wanted to know these questions. He wanted answers.
 
As The knight got the stew she brought the apple to Swiftened, giving him a quick pat as she smiled. She walked back out the find the knight coming out to her, bowl of stew in hand. "Thank you, it smells really good." She sits down with him, her tail curling around her waist loosely. She starts to eat savoring each bite, thankful for food to eat.

Shade smiled as she looked up at Kelligan, having expected the questions. "I was following a group of thieves and they came here, planing on breaking in. Which if I'm right, they have planned for midnight tonight." She paused, making sure she wasn't mistaken. Satisfied she wasn't, she took another bite. "I'm a shapeshifter, one of the very few left. We usually stick to the dark parts of the forest that no one ventures into. Anything else you want to know?" She tilts her head slightly, her eyes filled with excitement of meeting this man. She looks back over to Swiftened and takes in his features. All the while a small smile still on her face.
 
Kelligan eased back into his chair, his hand covering his face as he stewed over this incoming information. He noticed people making runs around his mansion when he was here, but to try and steal from the Captain Knight of the guard sounded ludicrous. Then again, rarely has the male been home, and without a housecarl, his home was vulnerable to thefts. The other questions ran through his mind like an eagle, soaring past his thoughts with extreme speed and agility. Finally retreating from his idle thoughts, more questions came from his mouth. "Why would a shapeshifter be here of all places? Why have no explorers ever even written books upon your kind? How did these thieves get past my guards too? I need to discipline those buffoons," he rambled on.

Something brought on this sense of excitement. Was it this girl? There was so much to know about her, and it made the knight smile. For once in his life, the man knew excitement once more. He continued to prattle along with question after question, from birthplace to how one performs such an ability. Finally, he finished his myriad of questions with one of a child's fancy. "May I touch your ears and tail, uh...?" he paused, and redness surrounded his cheeks.

He never asked her of her name yet.
 
Shade tilts her head slightly and makes a slight purring sound out of curiosity for the knight. Se laughed slightly as he bombarded her with questions. "Slow down, on at a time. I'm here because I get bored and felt like going on an adventure. That was a year ago. No explorers have ever documented us because, well they were killed. If you didn't know they were thieves you would not be able to stop them, don't punish your guards for a honest mistake."

She saw the seemingly gruff knight smile and have a smile herself. She stood up and went to sit down next to the man. "You may, there was no real need to ask me though. My name is Shade, what is yours?"
 
His hand reached out to stroke over the female's tail and then the ears, nerve endings shooting up a sense of exhilaration into his brain. It was soft to the touch, the feeling so real as he brushed away any final doubt of her being who she is. As she spoke her name and returned the question, Kelligan stiffened up, a switch flipping in his head as his body shot up, a usual greeting presented towards every citizen. "Sir Kelligan Thirsten, royal knight of the High Lord, King Derein," he spoke with impeccable precision and pronunciation.

The wind kicked up slightly as the knight bowed towards Shade. As if it was commanded, the wind then died out, leaving the two with only the sound of various bugs and the stray citizen. The shapeshifter's words suddenly caught up with him as one sentence popped out within his mind. Within seconds, a darkness enveloped the warrior, his eyes dull and lifeless as he glared at the girl. "Killed," he began, his voice low and steady, "What do you mean by killed? By your people?"

Anger seeped from his eyes and words, knowing now that people have died recording new events and species, without anyone to protect them. Information was what he needed, and Shade seemed to have the answers.
 
Shade leaned into his hand as he stroked her ears, her eyes closed in pleasure. She looked up at Kelligan in surprise. "Your rather high up there aren't you." She could sense the sudden change in him.

She backed away slightly as he bowed, not used to that particular action. As she saw his eyes she started slowly backing away, worried that she made the wrong choice of coming back. "My people are very secretive, we don't appreciate people that barge in on our territory without invitation." She replays shakily, her eyes starting to fill with fear.

She saw the anger radiating off of the knight, she slowly flattened her ears. Almost out of the stables. She turned and went to bolt out to freedom.
 
As the girl slowly backed up towards the door to the stable, the knight flung his hand out, an odd gesture with a hidden meaning. Swiftend responded and bounded behind the two and against the door to block any escape as he noticed the girl attempting to run. The image burned brightly in his mind as his hand extended over the hilt of his blade, a swift motion to pull it out. The blade hummed its melody as it rested in Kelligan's hand, outstretched towards the shapeshifter with its tooth ready to rend. People died, and it was as if she didn't mind this fact. That was all the knight needed to declare her an enemy within his mind. "I offered you food and shelter, and you kill my people?" the words were as sharp as daggers as they escaped from his silver tongue, a scowl on his face as he continued, "What makes you think that they needed to DIE? You could have turned them back. They were only civilians. No protection! They could not have been invited if they did not know where you lived!"

His grip tightened on the blade, then loosened as he noticed her fear. Kelligan knew that he was taking this too far. There had to be a reason to all of this. With a slow sigh, his blade retreated into his sheath. The atmosphere began to die into normality while the warrior placed a hand against Shade's back, leading her back to the table. The legs creaked lightly as the two sat down, showing their age under the weight of them both. "I want you to tell me everything," he began, his voice soft and gentle, as to not scare her once more, "Your kind, the reason, and what shall be done. I want to know everything. I apologize for the intrusion, but this is a serious ordeal; one which can result in hanging. Please, I want to be your friend, but you must help me ease this situation out."
 
As Swiftened blocked her escape route, she tensed, debating what to do. She could shift and kill them both, but that was against her nature. She heard the sword being drawn and jerked around to face Kelligan. As she saw the blade being pointed at her her mind went blank. She backed up once again only to be blocked by Swiftened, even though she knew that these might be the last minutes of her life, the feeling of an animal calmed her a bit, clearing her mind. She listened to the knight speak. "I never said I killed them. My kind does, I've never been one for bloodshed." She snarled, though fear over came her control and her voice wavered. "We are very secretive about our existence, if people found out about us we would quickly die out!" She looks from the blade up to Kelligan, ready to accept death if it meant keeping their location a secret.

She blinked in surprise as the blade returned to its sheath. Shade watched Kelligan warily as he came towards her. Stiffening as he placed his hand on her back, a small growl forming in the back of her throat. Once they say back down she moved as far as possible away from him "Why should I tell you about my kind? You could be just like the rest."
 
His body relaxed as he gazed straight into her eyes with a piercing stare. It was as if the stars aligned on the two, a gentle light basking the two from the window. Hearing her replies, he retreated into his own mind to propose a plan. There was a lot more than he believed was going down, and he wanted to know what was happening. Without even thinking, Kelligan snatched the shapeshifter's hand, cupping it within his own as he maintained his gentle look. "I promise you, on the honor of my knighthood, that I will protect you and your kind from any type of danger, be it otherworldly or human," his promise was firm behind the strength of his vow.

The knight wanted to know more about them. He wished to learn more about this girl which appeared in his house. As a final vow of promise, his hands dropped down to his waist, removing the belt which held his sword in place, letting it crash to the floor as his hands returned to her, edging closer to Shade. "I will not leave your side, nor let any harm come to you. That is the code of the Knight, and I shall entrust my life to you."
 
She watched the knight carefully, not breaking eye contact the entire time. She didn't take her hand back as he took it in his own, though she did jump slightly at the sudden contact. "Y-you don't have to do that. We have done fine these past centuries." Shade stutters, unsure of what to do.

Shade watched him stand, her eyes widening as he let his sword fall. She was confused by this man, he was interesting. She knew that he would be a fun traveling companion, although she wasn't sure if she completely trusted him quite yet. As Kelligan spoke once again, she made up her mind. She pulled her hands away only to move closer to the knight and wrap her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. "You didn't have to do all of that Kelligan. What do you want to know? But promise me you won't tell anyone of us." She pulls back, looking him in the eye.
 
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