Fate of Fantasy +The World of Norindul+

[Sinopa]

.:The Dragon Tooth Wastelands:.
Kanari> @Red Rabbit
@Wolfsin

Death Wish
​

His screeching hum made me tremble more, and I swear I almost died from his breath. Dragon obviously don't own giant tooth brushes. Well that sucks.

"I have seen many die on this bridge, most just by standing in my presence. The fact you still stand at all tells me much of who you are. Still none will cross my bridge, save... You... Dusk Elf."
My eyes widened as he turned eyes to me. I stood frozen in place. What did I do to be able to pass?
"M-me?" I squeaked. I would have been happy that I could cross, but the fact that I'd have to be alone without my companions scared me. I could not leave them.

"The pact is sealed, and so I am bound to allow you to pass, but the rest will not leave this place with body."
"Pact?" I questioned. The beast looked over at the Breed and spoke. Ovelisk? Who is that? Is it her? I'm so confused!

"You Draken may leave this place now...You Dusk elf may cross.. the rest will add to my collection of bones!"
My breath caught in my throat as I heard those last words. As the breed spoke I glared daggers at the giant beast and my body began to heat up a bit.
"Y-you are n-n..." I paused as I growled at myself. I am not scared! I can do this! I took a deep breath.
"You will not harm my companions! I'm not going anywhere unless either all of us are across this bridge alive or your head is severed from that massive body of yours! You choose!"

I put my hands on my hips and stood straight, trying my best to appear tough, but on the inside I was cursing at myself.
I just yelled at a dragon... I'm going to die today.
I could feel anxiety well up to my chest, but something kept me from turning tail and running away. The phoenix inside gave me courage, and protecting my friends gave me purpose. If this dragon wants a fight, then that's what he'll get and I refuse to lose.

 

[Wolfsin]

@Red Rabbit @Sinopa

"Sever my head?"

He mused to himself as he crooned in closer to face Kanari. "Go for it... Wench... There is not a single being here that can kill me. The curse that binds me to the abyss is stronger than anything you can ever fathom, after all this was the original Dragons Next, the Dwelling home of the God of Dragons... You think it so easy to be rid of me, and even more you choose to spit in my face with your absolution? You are very lucky Dusk Elf, the things that bind me will not allow me to kill you without you attacking first... But I have an idea..."

His voice was that of a serpent, a great Haunt just waiting for his prey to slip into his hypnotic gaze. The Dragon stepped back a bit before he started to glow. The Bridge shook by his aura alone, which dwarfed anything that Kanari had seen thus far. The Bridge held firm though. Then his booming voice reckoned the sky.

"Choose your champion. I will fight you in a form that you might have a chance of defeating. Choose who will face me, but choose wisely for upon the fools death I will slaughter all of you. One dies no matter what. Myself.." he chuckled at the thought of that. "Or all of you.. Now... Choose!"

It took a moment, for her to sort her mind, to push past her fears, but Kanari was sure that part of this alternative was her fault. She heaved a heavy sigh and then stepped forward. Neve moved to stop her, Kalen moved before her, but the most surprising of all, Breed practically leaped forward drawing her weapons. She didn't any anything, but Kanari shot her a cautious glance. "Thanks, for giving me a reason to skip all this formality bullshit. Now back to that severing of heads thing." She stated coldly. Kanari wanted to interject, but something allowed her to believe, to stand back. She had to pray that Their new friend could handle this task.

The Dragon smirked. "Ironic... Very well. I can only say that I am surprise that you of all would be so foolish Ovelisk."

With that the Dragon began to glow again, a heavy mist surrounded him and soon enough his form grew smaller and smaller. The fog cleared and before them stood a Tall warrior, half bone, half flesh. he wore a crown, and wrapped around him was the most wicked looking chain ever to be seen. Two scythe like blades were held in either of his hands. When he spoke the skeletal piece of his jaw moved as well. he had Black hair that flowed to the ground, and over his one Golden eye was a red crescent... Kanari's eyes widened as did Kalen's but neither dared say anything to perturb their friend. They did not know who it was, but they knew that The Breed now faced a very powerful half alive Dusk Elf.

Finally he spoke, a light tone, sadistic by nature. "Now then.. Lets see what color a Black Draken bleeds shall we?"

The Abomination shot forward.

 

[Yaoi Master Gavin]

@Wolfsin​

Giving the hunters the time they needed to collect what they wanted, Valur materialized a sharp dirk in his hand. Somewhere between shortsword and dagger, it was combination utility and weapon. The silver dragon had little use for it in combat, his armaments on hand more than sufficient, but in the wilderness, it was a handy tool, perfect for skinning, butchering, and slivering wood for the fire. He flicked it idly with ease, catching either the hilt or pinching the tip of the blade each time. Carefree though he was, Rilthas had beaten into him that idle time was never to be wasted - rather than merely wait, Valur already had tool in hand and was keeping his manual dexterity in check. More than that, as sometimes was the case, he was prepared in case the beast's mate decided to show up. Rare, but it could, did, and had happened.

Unmolested as they were, Valur slipped in as soon as they had collected their trophies, his force blade cutting easily through the hide but around the growths and armour plates. The patch of hide peeled away and a burst of steam rose up from the corpse to show the muscle below. Leaving the blade int he meat, Valur set his pack on the ground and dug in it for a bit before pulling out a small silver chest. Close to a foot square, it was lettered around the bands with arcane runes. As soon as he undid the latches, wisps of frigid air escaped.

It was common knowledge that two thing kept meat fresh - salt and cold. The cold kept it far longer but it was difficult to transport it around unless you happened to be an ice mage. While Valur had no talent for such magic, nor had his father, this same box had been a trophy from one of their adventures to eliminate a rogue mage that had been terrorizing a village. Where it had come from, Valur had no idea but had seen similar boxes over the years though rarely in a single individual's hands and never so small. His obvious conclusion was that it was custom, made by the mage himself or commissioned. Either way, he didn't need it anymore and Rilthas had taken it for themselves. It made travel much easier, not only keeping meat and other perishables cold but by being somewhat bigger on the inside than the size would suggest. Also, it always let loose drafts of cold which had kept them both cool in the tropics.

"It's not really odd at all," he explained, rooting in his bag for a pouch of salt. "My father was a mercenary before me and he wasn't one to let things go to waste. Here you have a excellent kill full of meat for the road, bones for tools, hide for armour. We traveled often and lived by what we could find. There were many nights that I went to bed hungry for poor luck that day and others where I thought I might burst from how much we had been rewarded. Even if I am going to Kalt, I won't pass up the opportunity to save my silver there or after."

With skill born of experience, Valur began slicing off steaks, each easily a pound, lightly salting each side before dropping it into the small chest. His fingers never seemed to touch the meat but he was unconsciously licking his lips, looking forward to a few good meals.

"But I won't be eating here; I only meant that these beasts are excellent meals after a long journey. Of course, that's life isn't it? One big journey. But I'm a mercenary and I rarely stay in one place for very long. Even my homeland. I stay for one or two jobs and then move on, if I stay at all. I'm here because my journey has brought me here, nothing more and nothing less. That I've arrived in time for a festival is nothing but coincidence, no more than me meeting you or my father rescuing me. But seeing that there is an event happening, I might deign to stay a bit longer than usual.

"But if you want to call on me for job with your Quarry, I would be most accepting."

 

[Freedom]

The door slammed open and before the dagger could pierce the spoiled man's flesh large blade intercepted, causing the metal to screech for a moment. A small sigh of relief escaped Inash's lips as he kept his broad bastard sword in place.

[BCOLOR=#000000]"Of course. You thieves always let your greed get the best of you."[/BCOLOR]

Alaeli tsked at the doorway. She drew her reaper and dashed forward aiming at Eldrin's left kidney. Inash pushed his sword forward slightly attempting to put the nymph back onto her sword.

Phillipe moved around the fight and walked out of the door, the last thing he wanted was to be caught in the middle of that.

Eldrin groaned quietly to himself and was a bout to retort before he felt himself being pushed back towards the reaper. With a sharp gasp, Eldrin used his foot placement on the steps rising to the throne to jump and force himself over the blade just before it embedded itself into his flesh. With a soft landing, he hopped back a little bit across the room.

"Aawwhh... come ooooon... two against one? That hardly seems fair...."

Eldrin sighed, slightly calming his nerves. He could tell how strong these two were just from a look and Eldrin was slightly worried, but refused to let it get the best of him.

You can do this... You can do this...

He continued to chant this in his head as he eyed both of them, not moving a single step aside from his breathing.

The two walked towards Eldrin, side by side.

"Ha! Fair means possible failing. We're here for a job and we refuse to fail."

"It's your own fault for coming alone."

They flew forward and before they reached him Alaeli ducked, dodging Inash's blade that swung over her head once to build momentum then it continued towards Eldrin's head. The reaper rushed low to his feet.

Eldrin sighed. He knew his words would have no effect. They were merely meant as a minour distraction for himself. This was going to be the fight of his life and he had no intention of dying here.

As the two dashed at him, blades at his feet and head, he knew rolling was out of the picture. Crouching for a moment, he then flung himself backwards, moving between the two blades and did a back hand spring to his feet.

He would hve to choose his timing very very carefully for this... he would only strike when he had the absolute chance he would be able to land it. With a silent exhale, he watched the next attacks, looking for any openings.

The broad bastard sword rose up in the air, the woman stepped infront of Inash and darted forward jabbing her sword forward towards his center before jumping out of the way in time for the man's sword to come soaring down as hard as it could.

Eldrin hopped a little way away from the quick jabs and, as the girl hopped away, Eldrin darted forward and moved a little to the side, bringing his daggers to slash at Inash's side and stab quickly at his back before he hopped away again, landing a few good hits on him, but not enough to do too much damage.

Not your greatest... but the best you could have done...

Eldrin's eyes continued to graze over the both of his opponents. At this point, he wasn't sure whether or not to focus on damaging one or splitting his damage, so he would just do what he could when he could do it.

Inash grunted at the blows but didn't let that stop him. He spun around, sword out like a whirlwind. Alaeli put herself on the other side of Eldrin and swung and his legs, actually hitting them a few times as she stepped forward pushing him towards the approaching Inash tornado.

As the girl dashed in front of him, Eldrin grunted and began formulating a plan. The blade knicking his legs were starting to get on his nerves, and if this kept up, he would be turned into ribbons from the tornado blade. Eldrin jumped forward at the girl, daggers aimed at her chest and stomach, not aiming for anything in particular, but the force of him slamming into her knocked her off her feet, allowing Eldrin to get away from the tornado blade.

Alaeli growled as she rolled to her feet the moment she hit the ground. Inash stopped spinning and moved forward swinging back and forth pushing the nymph back. The woman stayed back, waiting for the perfect time to strike.

Eldrin grunted and gasped slightly as a few of the swings got a good hit and cuts began to form on his chest. His eyes strayed to the girl who was just standing back.

She's quick... he's the one that keeps them occupied while she comes in for the kill... If I want this to be easy... I'd go for her first... but why would I make this easy?

Almost backed up against the walls with quite a few slashes on his chest, some deeper than others, Eldrin dashed forward and slid under the man's legs, hopping to his feet and spinning to force the man forward with his foot, hoping to knock him prone for at least a moment.

Inash fell forward into the wall, just as Eldrin had wanted but Alaeli Swept in when his back was turned and kicked his center ramming him into her partner, who hit the surface once more. He pushed against the wall throwing Eldrin off of him. He was getting a bit irritated. He let out an annoyed grunt as he started attacking again.

Alaeli yawned as she leaned against the wall, letting Inash do all of the work.

Eldrin gasped and jumped back as soon as he could after he connected into Inash's body. He was thankful that the girl was hanging back and this guy was getting angry... there may be more power behind his swings, but it was obvious they were wild and not well controlled.

Dodging the blade easily, Eldrin dashed behind Inash and kicked him in the back of the knee, causing him to fall. As he was falling, Eldrin spun around and gave a hard kick to the side of the head, knocking him over again, hopefully out of commission while he deals with Alaeli.

Inash rolled to his feet though he was a bit dizzy. He spun around and charged at Eldrin, the sword in front of him ready to jab forward.

As the sword was jabbed at him, Eldrin ducked and, as Inash continued moving, brought his foot up between his assailant's arms and forced a powerful kick into his bottom jaw, causing him to stop and begin to fall backwards. Eldrin hopped up and planted his hand on the man's chest, forcing him down onto the ground hard enough that his head bounced off of the hard floor.

Bringing his daggers up, Eldrin prepared to finish him off.

Alaeli pushed against the wall and tackled Eldrin off of her partner, then rolled off to her feet and walked to the door.

"It's about time! Took your own sweet time knocking him out, didn't you. Such a nuisance."

She let out a loud whistle then started walking around, symbols of light followed her feet.

"Sadly I can't let you kill him, that would mean I'd have to learn everything about an entirely new partner, who may actually be hard to put unconscious, which may put both of us in danger unless I expose my little secret. Eh, it's all a complicated process for one who brakes the rules."

A woman was pushed into the room. Alaeli swiftly grabbed her arm and threw her in the middle of an unfinished circle of symbols, all pulsing with white light. She stepping onto the first symbol, closing the circle with the female servant enclosed in it. The terrified female tried to get out but with a quick slash of the reaper she fell to the ground as the hamstring behind her left knee was cut.

Alaeli stood straight and held the reaper in front of her at the center of her own body, prepared to block any attack.

"Ar, Alaeli, then mar, Ta'thul!
Emma isala na enansal."

As Alaeli began chanting the light symbols slowly began to turn red.

"Souveri! Ma vhenan nuvenin hamin.
Ar tu ash'lin emma mi!"

The red deepened and deepened, a breeze appearing from nowhere blew around the circle and the servant cried out in fear and pain.

"Ma'elgar, solas! Shiral halam shem.
Ena Ta'thul! Sahlin!"

The breeze suddenly stopped and all was silent for a moment, then the sound of the servant's gasp filled the air as she rose up. Braking bones, grunts, and groans emanated from her until she suddenly exploded. However, in midair everything was sucked in before it could leave the circle and something began to form.

"You dare wake me from my slumber?!"

A thunderous voice yelled from the mass that finally put itself together.

"Oh pipe down imbecile. Over there," She pointed towards the nymph. "that's your target."

The demon turned towards Eldrin.

"As you wish."

A boney bladed tail whipped out and started towards Eldrin.
​

Ta'thul

​

​

 

[DoomyCakez]

~The Dwarves~

@Wolfsin

Zeiry stared in awe at the men to just join their party. In all of her life, she never thought she would be able to gaze at creatures as fantastic as the Dwarves, but here she was only feet away from the armor claded men. They both stood at her height, but their girth was massive. Stocky like bulldogs, they stood with their shoulder's squared and their weapons drawn, armoured heads adorned with metal claded elk horns an intricut designs. They were a force to be reconded with and when They stepped forward, Zeiry was able to get a much better view of their faces.

One had long, honey red colored hair, a bit of stubble was visible on his chin, so he was obviously a youth. He was slightly smaller than the male neck to him, but his presence still sent a chill down Zeiry's spine. His hazel eyes casted a frightful gaze upon the captured draken as his hand tighted on the massive axe he weilded. The man beside him was even more massive... His beard was pure silver, matching his massive mane of silver hair hidden by his shining helm. He was slightly taller than the youth, but his girth was far larger. Zeiry could only stare, her jaw slightly dropped as she whispered. "Holy..."

The man between them was HUGE, he stood, towering over everyone in the party, EVEN THE CENTAURS. Zeiry stared up at him, suddenly feeling small, but before she was able to get a good look, all eyes turned on her.

"You shall answer HER questions."

Zeiry turned to see everyone watching her as Tirian moved to her side, Marius in tow who took up her left flank. She glanced at them for only a moment, feeling only slightly jaded for being put on the spot in such a way, but she did have questions she wanted answers to. She gazed over the bloody Draken, whose eye were filled with hatred and sudden fear of her. Had she broken that massive pride of the creature?

She took a step forward, her eyes locking on the massive figure as she crossed her arms over her chest. "What is your name, Draken?"

It was a simple start, but she had manners. Even if the beast had threatened to turn her into a communial cum bucket, she was still going to remain civil. Besides, with the centaurs, her men, and the new party all staring her down, she would doubt that the beast would try anything. ​

 

[Sinopa]

@Aka~Kitsune

"How is having me killed training? Nadia...is she doing this torture as well?"

Seridis watched with crimson eyes as the boy struggled. He welcomed the rage in Aiden's voice, knowing that this was just the beginning. The boy had much to learn, and death would be the price only the weak would pay. He had faith that his son would succeed though, he could feel it.

"If you die from training such as this then you would have never survived outside these walls anyway. The pain gives you strength, and the stronger you are the longer you will last in this world, son." He stood up and slowly walked past Aiden towards the door. "You shouldn't worry about your sister, you have your own training to focus on. Now, seek out Raven, she should be somewhere in this castle, possibly in the courtyard." His footsteps echoes as he exited the room leaving Aiden to himself.



In the courtyard a white haired woman sat with crossed legs. He red eyes closed as she meditated. She listened to the air, silence all around her, all except for a single bird that chirped braking her concentration. For the past 5 minutes she tried to ignore it and continue with her meditation, but the damn thing wouldn't shut up.
"Quiet!" She yelled, irritation in her thunderous voice. The bird listened to her command and she closed her eyes once again to continue concentrating. Just when she was almost completely relaxed the bird chirped once before a throwing knife found its way to the birds throat.

A content sigh followed the sound of the birds body hitting the ground and she went back to her meditation.

 

[Wolfsin]

@DoomyCakez

The Draken knew that he was beaten, even if he went into his wate rlike form, it would not save him twice. Not with all the extras around. He was compliant with the questions and answered as efficiently as possible. "Fergahl is me." His voice was deep, whcih didn't exactly make his name and the way it was pronounced all too believable. "You were today's hunt, Nothing personal, a living of sorts." it made sense, but it didn't get the Draken off the hook.

Tirian stepped up next. "The organization of your group, was flawed.. You didn't have any tactical idea to it. This means either youa re an idiot leader, or you picked these guys up out of some tavern, which means a job just came up. Which is it." The Draken groaned and glared at the White haired boy, but he seemed entirely unaffected by the taunt. "You will answer." Tirian threatened and the Draken spit at his foot. This time Zeiry hopped in and calmed the situation. "Answer him, theres not getting out of this situation." The Draken was forced to cast aside his pride. "A recent hit was put out. The Breed has been sighted heading from this way,a nd our tracks ran cold for finding her. Word says that she has taken after a hunt in the far South... Where the Dusk Elves reside.. A fool, but the money to bring her to our employer is .... Nothing short of a Kings ransom." Tirian eyed the Blue Draken carefully but quickly surmised his story was true.

Zeiry spoke up again. "Then why choose to attack our group, with such untrained fighters are you dumb?" The Draken growled under his breath, but the merit in her words couldn't be denied. "We were hungry, and Ripe for a good fuck.. If we conquered your group we could eat and then have taken turns with you!" He pointed to Zeiry and Marius nearly took his head off there. "A woman is good for Breeding, our kind do not live long and you are young, you would have done well for us... The others agreed, and so we attacked." Zeiry did not seem to like the answer at all. Tirian cut in. "Alright, i suppose thats enough then.. This is not our lands to pass your judgement. So it is up to them." he gestured to the Giant and the Dwarves, whom bowed appropriately. The hand off was simple at that point.

 

[Sinopa]

GM Post
@Yaoi Master Gavin

"But if you want to call on me for job with your Quarry, I would be most accepting."

"A job? You're most welcome to come look for yer self. I'm sure we can find something for you to do."
The three walked towards the gates and the woman motioned for Valur to followed them.

Kalt, where assassins hide in the shadows and thieves roam the streets. Barely anyone walked around without a weapon and at any moment someone could be mugged or murdered somewhere in the city. The atmosphere was dark but it had a certain charm to it.

"The quarry is nearby." Julia pointed past a few buildings. "Over there." She cheerfully lead the group towards the Quarry.​

 

[Freedom]

Eldrin rolled quickly to his feet as he was knocked away from the now unconscious Inash. As he looked up at the scene playing before him. Completely unsure of what was happening, Eldrin watched in awe as from the circle, a demon emerged.

HOLY SHIT SHE CAN SUMMON A DEMON!? THAT IS SO FAR DAMN UNFAIR!!!

Eldrin barely had time to react as the tail shot forward at him, barely giving him time to duck under it and roll over to the side. As soon as he got back to his feet, he dashed at Alaeli. If she could summon a demon, she needed to be taken out.

He launched a quick flurry of stabs and slashes at the woman before springing away as the she and the demon began counterattacking.

The woman blocked most of the major attacks the nymph started on her with ease. She flew towards him as he jumped away and the demon's tail shot at him from behind. The two moved simultaneously as if they were one, coming at him from both sides like it was the beginning of an unspoken strategy they had just come up with.

Shitshitshitshitshit...

Eldrin was in quite the predicament here. This was going to be even harder than the fight not even five minutes ago. Dropping into a split, Eldrin laid his torso in front of him on the floor, avoiding the attacks. He pulled himself away and hopped back again, taking a moment to calm himself.

It was obvious he was going to have to take out the demon first, lest he get skewered on the tail as he tried to attack the girl.

With another soft exhale to calm himself, Eldrin's daggers began glowing with a faint white light as he dashed at the demon, rolling in the air over the tail that was shot at him.

Eldrin slashed his blades as he dashed quickly around the demon's legs, attacking behind the knee and close to the heel.

Alaeli flipped back when he dodged then watched his next moves. Ta'thul stumbled a bit at the blows, but his skin was though so they didn't get too deep. He spun around quickly, his tail circling around him in an attempt to get the nymph away. Then he jabbed at Eldrin with his bladed knuckles several times.

Eldrin jumped back and ducked and dodged the knuckles, getting a slight cut on his chest again from the tail as it whipped around.

There has to be a weak spot on this thing...

Eldrin's eyes raked over the demon in front of him, hoping to find any spot that could potentially be a weak spot. If this thing had none, then there was no way Eldrin would survive this fight. Eyes raking over the demon, Eldrin halted his gaze on the creature's head. There was a little blue something there that seemed completely out of place from the rest of it's body.

Well... it's all i have... maybe it can do something...

With his target set, Eldrin got into his fighting stance again, hoping to get the demon to come at him.

Alaeli charged in from behind, coming at him with a flurry of stabs. Her moves were sloppy unlike before, almost like she wasn't putting an effort into trying to beat him. Ta'thul also started to attack, swinging almost as fast as Alaeli. This was their technique; one in front and one behind, attacking at similar speeds. Though it was tricky dodging was possible, though the demon's tail was ready to strike low if needed. The woman made it a point to stay in front of him.

So much for that idea...

Eldrin was caught off guard quickly at the simultaneous attacks from the two, but recovered quickly, albeit with some scratches.

The only thing running though Eldrin's head was dodging. He didn't care about attacking back, he just wanted to get out of this fine as was possible. He could feel himself growing tired already, but he forced himself to push on.

A swing at his head, Eldrin ducked down in an attempt to dodge. As the tail shot out from between the demon's legs in an attempt to skewer the Nymph, Eldrin was able to move just enough for the tail to only scrape down his chest and stomach. With a hiss of pain, Eldrin rolled to the side and hopped away from them.

Eldrin gasped and clutched near his wound where a light trickle of blood began to seep out. This was going to have to end soon or Eldrin wouldn't make it... There was no way that he would be able to kill the demon and Alaeli, hell, he couldn't even kill Alaeli at this moment. He was going to have to deal with her like he did Inash....

Shit...

With an exhale, Eldrin readied himself just in time for the two to assume their previous positions on either side of him again. Eldrin ducked and jumped and dodged as much as he could while slashing out with his blades, getting cuts and slashes on the bodies of the other two as they cut and stabbed at him. He was able to avoid the jabs, but not all of the slashes, Alaeli giving him many cuts and gashes along his back and chest.

Dodging a stab at his head and a slash at his chest, Eldrin saw an opening in Alaeli's defense. With a sharp jerk of his body, Eldrin brought his elbow hard into the woman's gut, causing her to groan and clutch her stomach. Before he could continue his attack, he felt a large hand grab him and toss him across the room, landing on the floor with a hard thud. Groaning in pain as he felt something pop, Eldrin stood up and readied his daggers.

Alaeli was on the ground, clutching her gut from where the sharp bone of Eldrin's elbow attacked her. The demon looked to be ready to charge, and that it did. It took off towards Eldrin, gaining speed and momentum with each step.

This gave Eldrin a wondrous idea.

Eldrin got into a fighting stance as his daggers began glowing with a faint white light again. Eldrin then dashed forward, charging back at the demon who seemed to only gain speed and power in it's charge as it's feet gave off thunderous sounds.

When the demon was close, Eldrin dropped to the floor in a slide, bringing both of his daggers around to stab into the ankle of the demon at the same time. The force at which they were both moving allowed for the daggers to slip in through the tough skin and graze the bone, and since they were both moving opposite directions, the blades scraped along and slid out on the other side. This caused the demon to give out a roar of pain and collapse to the floor, the whole house seeming to shake as the gargantuan body hit the hard floor.

As soon as he was out from under the demon, Eldrin hopped to his feet and continued charging at Alaeli who hadn't paid much attention to what was going on until she heard the demon's roar.

Trying to stand as the Nymph charged, she was quickly met with a hard knee in her jaw as her head came up, sending her back and off the ground with the force. Using his momentum from the run and the slight jump to knee her, he brought his feet up to her chest and forced her back down onto the ground with a loud thud. As her body recoiled slightly from the hit to the ground, Eldrin jumped off of her and landed not so gently on the ground himself.

Panting and sweating, Eldrin looked at the scene before him. Inash and Alaeli were either dead or out cold and the demon was disappearing, retreating back to whatever hole of Hell it was called from.

With a sigh of relief that he came out of the fight alive, Eldrin made his way towards the door, ready to get the gem and go home. As he reached the door, he stopped and turned to the unconscious duo.

"Guess this newbie didn't run away with his tail between his legs, huh?"

His words dripped with little else other than exhaustion and there was a slight matter-of-fact tone in his voice as he opened the door and left, going to retrieve the gem before he headed back to the Guild.​

 

[Yaoi Master Gavin]

@Wolfsin
@Sinopa​

Over three centuries of experience with carving meat and handling his own magical tools had given Valur the skill to finish his work quickly, filling the ice chest with succulent steaks. There still remained much of the beast and as the dragon packed away salt and chest, he looked over the cooling corpse. Still so much of it remained but there was nothing to do for it - he had no use for it's hide or bones; not anymore at least. Gently shaking his head, he hefted his pack back onto his shoulders and turned his back on it for nature to do what she would to it.

The trio's invitation had not gone unheeded and Valur followed after them, his long strides making it easy. Entering the city proper, he felt the normal foreboding of any city but it was laced with the truth of the people around him. The trio had been good enough; perhaps they killed for sport than for need but that was far from evil. Following them, he caught the traces of thieves, swindlers, and murderers. Without him realizing it, his hand was now resting on his blade and now his eyes passed in wide sweeps.

From shadows there glimmered yellowed teeth and darkened eyes, appraising the dragon. Aside from the relatively pristine condition of his clothes and the unusual but still patchy pack he carried, there was little to differentiate him from any normal person. His hair might draw an eye or two and his colours might as well, but for the most part he was unobtrusive. Of course, this didn't stop people from sizing his potential up.

Despite this, he felt comfortable here; insofar as much as one could in a city where assassins and thieves roamed freely. Following behind the hunters, his senses became overwhelmed with that of the wild, of leather and bone, blood and ivory. The longer they walked the more it assailed Valur and just past a few buildings was their destination, pointed out by the bowmistress.

In construction, it wasn't all that different from the other buildings. Wider and squatter than the ones around it, it was obvious that this was their destination. To the average being, it was adorned with a number of trophies: large horns that would take at least three men to simply life, let along carry, an entire forearm of some massive four toed beast, complete with claws. The entryway itself was a trophy - a large set of jawbones that one had to pass to get under the awning of the building.

To Valur though, he could sense the people inside. Some had the feel of the ones who lurked in the shadows; they had been down those roads and turned from them but could go back. Most though were like the trio, good-natured and sporting. Already Valur felt more at home.

Passing the threshold, he cast a gaze about the room. It was lit by a number of dim lamps though these were many and all around. A fireplace crackled warmly with a large hunk of meat roasting over it. This level was packed with tables and hairs, barely enough room to get between them but some patrons still managed to. Along one side was a bar, a grizzled man with a black eyepatch and a vateran's gaze behind it, a pair of matched scimitars always seeming to loom overhead.

For a few seconds after they entered, the activity continued, the trio's arrival noticed but common. There were the few double takes from those who noticed Valur, having unconsciously dismissed him. These too vanished quickly - new people on the threshold were also common though they did deserve a second look simply from unfamiliarity. There were people of all types in here and none seemed to be much better than another though bragging did make up a fair portion of the talk.

"You think that beast was big? I had to take on one twice the size with a broken sword..."

"So I raised my axe and bellowed out a challenge before I charged in..."

"And then it's mate came crashing through the trees, paws swinging and tryin' to kill us..."

Amongst the bragging were also a few tables of card games. Many seemed simply for fun though a few were obviously for hard coin. At the one closest to him, Valur witnessed one man get up in a bit of a huff, clearly having lost all he was willing. The seat hadn't had a chance to cool before Valur had taken it. Tossing in a coin and slamming a small stack beside him gae them reason enough to deal him in. The grin had them talking.

After a few rounds, Valur had made a few friends, tripled the coin he had set down, and had made beer shoot from one man's nostrils. Altogether a good day.

 

[RaccoonKing]

@Sinopa @Wolfsin

Red orbs, laced with exhaustion and annoyance shifted from the feared Lord, hands shoving themselves into his pockets as he peered at the wall in front with nothing but a rebellious huff. He was far from the submissive, obedient and foolish creature that would simply follow orders like a puppy. Specially to someone he simply wanted to surpass. With an tired sigh he leaned his head back with a series of clicks following, fingers digging into the flesh of his chest as he momentarily was absorbed in the flash of pain that followed, letting it drag him from the depths of his anger till he seemed sane. Releasing his wounded pride he simply mumbled, a mimic, of an order as he turned upon his feet, deciding that it would be best, for now, to follow his order. Turning, his red eyes mapped his path as slowly his lips quirked, already heading towards the court yard.

Trailing quietly through the barely lit halls, his eyes closing till lashes fluttered upon pale skin, illuminated with ominous colours and flickering shadows. Aiden knew this halls, yet occasionally his nails would scrape against the stone walls, the sound causing a shudder to run down his spine, lips tearing into a new smirk. 'Training~' Dropping back to his side, limp by his waist as he couldn't help but chuckle slightly. 'I may of just been beaten senseless...' Red became visible as they glowed with mirth, showing full well that he was well entertained. 'But it's results should be beneficial...' It was a matter of time till he became one with his largest desire, to gain the strength of which the visions tempted him with. Those devilishly tempting thoughts, visions that reflected him having power, destructive yet alluring power.

Aiden paused, reaching the doors to the court yard, pressed a palm against the wood surface as red eyes looked upon the one obstacle to Raven. Why was Seridis wanting him to interact with her? Was it more training? He felt far to exhausted to do such a thing but he had no choice in reality. Even he couldn't fool himself into thinking so. Reaching down he brushed his fingers against the handle, using the last of his physical strength to pull the large creaking doors open, leaving them slightly ajar as he slipped through the crack. Flinching, he reached up to shield his eyes, his body arching forwards slightly before he groaned. "Troublesome." He hissed, finally allowing the bloody orbs to adjust as he pulled the hair from his face, pulling it back. "Time to find Raven..."

With a quick yawn and a stretch he peered around the annoyingly green area, distaste appearing upon his scowling features. Clenching the material of his pants he grumbled, rolling his eyes as he continued forwards upon his little task, constantly seeking out his 'target'. Birds sang, trees shifted and grass swayed, it was a beautiful sight that many would behold with awe. Yet, he hated it. The area only made him grow darker, his gaze cast to ground to avoid the disgust that appeared with such a 'weak' scene. Nadia would probably have made him take it all in if she was present and for once he was honestly glad she wasn't. Eventually his red gaze slid upon the meditating female, the sight making him blink in shock before he crossed his arms, watching her for a moment. Strangely Aiden remained silent, allowing her to continue before he coughed awkwardly, his brow raising before he closed his eyes. "Lord Seridis told me to find you." He stated, strangely unable to say little more. Aiden was to enthralled by trying to work out why someone would meditate.​

 

[Key Tuzi]

The Drymm Woods, green

@Sepdemonium

"An hour?! I'll be DEAD by then, I'm wasting away with every second!" The pest of a boy dismayed as her congregation sprinted through the Thick Wood. Roth earned himself a few chaste glares and bemused chuckles from the group, none so deadly, however, as the dull promise befalling Ahriana's lips.

"If an hour is too long a wait, I could hasten your death easily. One less sack of meat for Midnight to carry."

Silence answered the woman, and she reveled in the bliss of their wordless tension all the way back to camp.

. . .

"I'm from a city, the year is 2016... the city itself has got a really weird name.. and I live in a dingy apartment I like to call loserville..." The boy, Roth, babbled on rather aimlessly while Ahriana made quick work of the meat slabs. Her blade sliced each rack into small hunks, and she was careful to salvage the blood for use in a soup. These tasks were simple for her, mindless - far off from trying to understand the boy's terminology, or his answers in general. "D-don't laugh... this place is strange and yet... it's like I've been here before... yet not... can I ask... where am I, and what year is it?"

Ahriana worked silently for some time, chewing over the information she'd received and breaking down each piece carefully before swallowing. The concept of such a strange creature traveling from a different time, a different world even, seemed at the same time unbelievable and completely obvious. The question remained, could she trust his word or not? The boy's nerves and jittery nature suggested dishonestly. Yet he appeared far too dumb and thoughtless to lie so thoroughly and expect that he might get away with it. Beneath the shade of her cloak hood, Ahriana eyed the boy with a considerate gaze. Both slabs of meat had been chopped and collected in a pot of blood over the alchemist fire before she found an answer to his questions.

"I've no idea what world you come from, but this world, this "time", can be known simply as Norindul." It was a difficult concept to explain to an outsider, their consideration of time and the record of existence. To make matters worse she didn't entirely understand his concept of time either. With no relationship to gauge the two separate spaces, she saw very little point in conjuring an answer for him. "I can only assume we are long before your days, child. The people of Norindul do not record time as a number to be categorized. Our space, our time, is identified by periods of happening in the world. Before now, we lived in the Age of Heroes..." Ahriana paused for a moment, not truly understanding what force drove her to explain this so thoroughly. Yet a thought clouded her mind now, and she knew it was better to breath the words and release them from her attention rather than bottling the concept up to obsess about later. "I'm afraid you've chosen a poor time to invade our world. The Age of Madness has already begun... And most of us don't yet know it."

Out of thoughts to be sung, Ahriana turned her attention to the large pot of slowly-developing stew. Most of the blood had congealed to a thick sauce-like consistency and boiled along with the hunks of meat nicely. Soon enough, the band of wood elves they'd traveled here with would be gathering around, eager for their first adequate meal in the past few days. Everyone would likely retire to sleep after filling their stomachs, all but the cloaked woman, who would stand watch over her people until daybreak.

​

 

[Wolfsin]

@DoomyCakez

The conversation grew stale quickly after the Draken had answered. The Giants looked all riled and ready to smash the creatures skull in, but the easily picked out leader of their small group proceeded before they could act. "You willb e judged by Nino. On your feet Draken, If you choose to run then you will be shown no quarter." The Draken growled lowly under his reptilian breath, but did as he was told. The part lead them through the pass and soon upon the edge of the mountains, a decadent field of nothing before the wall of stone and metal pierced the sky with its mighty citadel.

Tirian and Zeiry both found themselves marveling at the sight. The walls were a monument of the Giants strength and ofrtitude, in and of itself. The Clouds covered the wall at the top so that none could even hope to see over the great steel wall. It was architecture of finest calibur, inlayed with Brilliant rustic brong colors against a brimstone gray color. The Sigil of Giants, a symbol of a man standing next to a mountain and a Giant creeping from behind the mountain, it said all that it needed to for the strange creatures.

"Welcome to Durgl Rad Inndur, The Fortress of Nino of the West." The Giant leader announced it proudly and then began his long strides over the land. What steps he made shook the ground, and left them falling easily behind. The giant raised a Tusk, what looked as though it could have been mammoth like and at the hollowed out tip he blew hard as a chorus of Rough sounds rang over the Desolate fields. From a mile or two out they could head the unlatching of the lock like mechanisms holding the door sstrong. It sounds as thunder claps from this distance which only made this place that much more impeding.

Before long the Doors were wide open, six fully armored Giants filed out, along their foot were a group of Six fully armored Gold crested dwarves as well, and then at the center two more emerged. Horns rang loud against the sky, the source unknown tot he clouds, but it was much more intimidating this time. The First was a Giant with a beard that touched the ground, braided in every way imaginable. His head was bald and he had marking and scars strewn all across his body. He wore a mighty crown over his bald head and had piercing eyes that seemed to swirl with the power of lightning. A storm followed his step.

At his feet was a fully armored Dwarf, a Man with a mighty bronze beard, braided to perfection, and he also wore a Crown. He was hefty and had a gruesome appearance to his face. The Giant general bowed as did the rest of them, including the centaur, Only Tirian and Zeiry were left to stand, not entirely understanding everything that was happening. "Announcing King Nino Of the Giants to the West, and High King of the Dwarves, Rodgrim the II. As if they had been punched int he gut, at the realization both of them sunk to their knees and waited for the two Kings to get to them.

"Oi what the hell Is all of this now, I summon you as a guest and you think that I expect all of this bowing business?" The Voice was thick with accent, but it was calm, almost playful as well. Thunder clapped in every word the Giant King spoke. "Rise all of ye, I have no use for such formalities!" The Dwarf King eyed each of them. "Our Heroes be kids aye? Well Ill be doused in gold and handed off to meh ancestors for rites. You really mucked this one up didn't ye Nino." The Giant only bared a smile down at the King of Dwarves. "Aye, but you're a true fool to think that age matters in the affairs of the day, you were there with Princess Alyssa, you knew what to expect..." They could have rambled on forever, and for the most part they did, Until Zeiry stepped up listening to what The King of Giants had said. "Umm, Are we going inside?" She wasn't exactly doing well to withhold her enthusiasm to see what lay behind those gates. Not well at all.

The meeting ended quickly after that with Nino's boisterous laughter, and they were lead into the City. They passed the gates and Instantly were rewarded. Powerful Architecture, Large houses bigger than they had ever seen sat everywhere. A barracks could be seen, and the streets throughout the city could have supported 4 Carriages at once. It was a spectacle to see. Unlike anything they had ever seen before. Nino lead them through the strees, past the Fountains, and the main square. Dwarves and Giants debated,a nd discussed, but they continued up the many hills, the Stairs until they came tot he farthest back citadel rested into the Mountains. Nino turned to them. "The iron Horses Arse is where we will Celebrate, but we mostly call ti grand hall. Do as you will until the Moon sits high upon the Sky. Enjoy all my city has to offer, and then later this night we will drink and celebrate your arrival Heroes!" There was no debating the point. The Doors thundered shut and the Kings vanished from Sight. Zeiry and Tirian stood at the door to the Castle, They had 3 hours to pass approximately.

 

[Wolfsin]

@Incubus Prince @Yaoi Master Gavin

The Chase:

Eldrin passeed through the set of double doors and found himself once again in the office of that man, but he had no intention of being subtle this time. The man had tried to kill him outright, and so there was no room for manners. What he found however, he didn't expect. A man in midnight blue cloak and robe set stood and Eldrin entered just in time to see him slip his jagged looking kukri through the man about 15 times. Deep amber eyes met Eldrin's and then with a movement swift as a bolt as lightning the targets head dropped off his shoulders.

Something was strange about all of this. Eldrin hadn't even really seen the man move at all, yet all of the marks that shown on the fat mans body told him that he'd been stabbed at least thirty different times. None of it made sense. "Perfect timing." the man hissed, and Eldrin realized what was going on, but it was easily too late. The doors down stairs burst open and he could hear the charge of armored feet clapping against the hardwood stairs. Eldrin moved to try and apprehend the man that intended to frame him, but with every step he took he felt as if he were getting further and further away, it was as if the world didn't want to work with him in that momen, as if any force that existed was entirely against him. before he knew it the Hooded Dark haired assassin was gone.

In that time gap the soldiers had all but surrounded Eldrin. Time returned and Eldrin shot forward as if all of his actions at once had flung him forward. Like a hard weight ball he shattered through the painted glass window of the Manor. Plummeting to the street he did his best to adjust, but landed with a hard thud. After all Eldrinw as beyond exhausted by this point, but he had to go, or else hw ould spend the rest of his life in some nasty ol prison, and that was just unacceptable.

The Guards hurried out of buildings, and some took a point to settle on the top of the roofs above with crossbows. They aimed simultaneously and Eldrin rolled out of the way just in time. The chase was on.

Meanwhile at the Quarry it was just getting that much more lively, song and dance had begun, and Valur was the star that day. he4ll he'd managed to rip earn a steady winning at the gambling tables, he'd managed to fetch the eye of the barmaid to the guild, and now he was looped in a hearty circle of friends that sang of the great hunt, and old wise tale that Huntsman enjoyed recounting on often. it wasn't until the Horns blew that the song ended.

A hefty looking man with a giant bow peered out the window and with a thick accent he told the rest of them. "We got a runner! Free drinks to whomever catches the runner!" Like a stampede everyone grabbed up their weapons and with acrobatic prestige, and clever maneuvering alike they all were out upon the streets in seconds. Valur was ahead of them already however, not one to let a challenge like that pass him by. he had no clue what the hell was going on, but one thing he did have over the rest, is that while the runner thought he was safe hiding in his little ally way, Valur sat above him waiting for his moment.​

 

[Wolfsin]

@Aka~Kitsune

"Oh?"

It was all she needed to say right then to set him off. Aiden was very aggressive, but she knew this just by watching him from the shadows. "Seridis wan'ts a great many things, but for you to obey him means you didn't entirely hate the idea of meeting me, yet your voice, your face says different, am I not pretty to you?" her voice was arsenic, a thick venomous sound, but sweet all the same, a dark temptress, but it made sense with her profession. Aiden did not seem all that enthused, though he was thrown back by her comment,a creep of red passing over his cheeks. Finally he thought to speak, but she placed a single thin pale finger against his lips and smiled at him with a soft "shh" sound. "Its time." Raven took her finger from his lips and instead she moved to pull out a pure crystal vial. She crooned over a flower and from the tip of its petal a crimson, almost deathly looking liquid slipped into the vial. A small violet fire erupted where it met the crystal and then a low hiss and some smoke. She waited for the last drop to drain into the vial, before she dipped a small knife into the substance. She had a cynical smirk present as she waited for a small animal to pass near by. Light a dart of lightning she grabbed up the small animal and slid the tip of her blade just slightly past its coat and into its flesh. What happened next... Aiden never might of expected.

The animal within seconds began its dying howl. it writhed on the ground, and the earth around it burnt up as if the animal itself were hot enough to do it. The animal continued to die, but it seemed like forever,s he watched it write before it finally ceased its call... She picked it up and it was like rubber, as if only the coat remained, nothing inside. "Ahhh.." She let out another contented sigh and tossed the animal away, finally directing her brilliant crimson gaze upon the man before her. "What is it that Seridis wants me to do with you?" She cooed eyeing him as though he were a toy.

 

[Yaoi Master Gavin]

Oh yes, Valur was having an excellent time. Were it not for his charge, he would be willing to stay here a while. Somewhat shady pasts and all, the Quarry wasn't that bad of a group. The tables he had been gambling at had been free of any underhandedness and the general sense of the men and women was comraderie. It reminded him of some of the adventuring groups he and Rilthas had been with for years. You got to know them and they were as close to a family as you got in the wilderness. Here, there was that same feeling. Maybe larger with small groups to themselves but it was a family nonetheless.

He felt more welcome here than he ever did in his homeland. Sitting around a fire with a tankard of something strong in hand, regaling and being regaled with countless stories and one-upping, catching winks from the barmaid. These were men and women after his own heart, even if he really only cared about the men. Though he wasn't surprised at the ferocity they approached this hunt, he was surprised that the entirety of the Quarry was out on this. It wasn't the first time something like this had happened. Runners were frequent and in metropolises, help from the more civilian elements was welcome. Clearly someone had committed a crime and was running. Standard.

Valur was out there with them, the thought of free drinks a lively one. He wasn't one for beer or mead, preferring something stronger so that he could actually feel it. Of course that usually cost money and free booze was always good for his coin pouch. And if that wasn't in the bargain, then who wouldn't enjoy a round of free drinks?

The more agile of the Quarry were at the front of the pack with him. They all saw the Runner - some naked guy wearing a wrap on his head. Young, attractive, and well endowed as his immodesty revealed. Eccentricities aside, he was quick but Valur couldn't quite fathom why he was running. From the looks of him, there was only the thing on his head and no weapons or stolen goods at all. Given his apparent age, surely they weren't after him because he decided to get into someone's bed. Watching the runner dart off around a corner, Valur and the others gave chase through the short bend, the others passign on ahead of him as his senses twinged.

Diverting off from the main group, he took up to the rooftops, using a series of porches to pull himself up. He pinpointed the runner, his aura a mix of innocence and guilt. He had done something, that was certain, but it didn't feel that he had done whatever it was they were after him for. It might have been in his past for all Valur knew. The point was strong though and the dragon ran across the rooftops, finding the runner in an alleyway. Peering over, he took a good look at the boy.

Young, cute, lean, very attractive. And now, even in this moment of relative safety, there was still no sign of his wrong doing. No knife, no purse, nothing. So what had he done? Dropping down, he landed easily and spread his arms out with his hands open, the general sign for being unarmed; a lie no matter how it looked seeing as he could spawn a weapon in his hand with a thought.

"Now then my flighty friend, you've got this place in an uproar and something tells me that you're innocent, at least partially so. I'm not gonna rat you out and as you can see I'm not armed so why don't you take a breath and tell me what happened?"

Even as he said this, his eyes flashed, a trick of the light more than likely, but the exits to this alleyway were blocked by invisible walls of force, both to keep the runner in, and keep the others out. There was the start of a lynch mob out there and if this boy was innocent, Valur wasn't going to have blood on his hands.

 

[Freedom]

Eldrin thought this was finally going to be easy... but apparently, the fates must have either been on their PMS, or they were jealous of Eldrin's regal beauty since they were wrinkly and old and horrendously dressed.

Entering the room with his mark, all thoughts of an easy end to this job were whisked away as soon as he saw the hooded figure stab the pompous bastard at least thirty times in a manner of one second...

Shit...

As the man turned and saw Eldrin, Eldrin thought he was going to be stabbed next, but the man started to flee then. Wanting some answers for all of this shit going down, the Nymph tried to chase him. Trying to chase him, it seemed that Eldrin was moving in slow motion, not seeming to come any closer to the back of the retreating male, even as he heard the clatter of the armor from the guards coming even closer.

The guards surrounded him as the hooded man was long gone, leaving Eldrin to take the blame for the act of murdering the pompous bastard.

Time came back quickly to the Nymph as he charged and plowed through two of the guards and jumped out of one of the windows and not so gracefully hit the ground... That fucking hurt... Eldrin was almost positive he had at least something broken now, but he couldn't stop to worry about that. Guards began coming out of the mansion, and Eldrin took off, ignoring all of the pain assaulting him.

His chest felt like it was on fire with every breath as he breathed in the midday air, one leg felt like it was almost snapped in half, his torso was covered in cuts from the fights he narrowly escaped and his face and arms were littered with small cuts from the glass. He was sure that there were still some shards in his body somewhere. The pain was astonishing and the fact that Eldrin was still moving said something major about him and his dedication. As he heard the sounds and shouts from the fat bastards from the Quarry chasing him now, he only sped up.

A small group was behind him as he took charge through the small and winding alleys of Kalt on his way back to his guild. It had taken a while, but Eldrin lost, at least he thought he did, the group that was following him and stumbled and fell tot he ground as he clutched his chest and gasped for air. He was nearing his limit and he couldn't afford to get caught.

A feeling of dread fell through him as he heard someone land behind him. Quickly, well, as quickly as he could in his condition, Eldrin stood and began backing away from the man. All he had to do was run now... he could easily lose this character, who was obviously not from here, in the alleys... Eldrin kept backing up, never taking his eyes from this man, until his back hit something.... he was in the middle of the walkway... He looked behind him and saw nothing, so he hit it softly... this bastard made some kind of fucking magical barrier... Fan-fucking-tastic...

At this moment... Eldrin felt something he hadn't felt in a long time... Rage... He was angry, confused, hurt and tired as hell and he was just done. His face changed from confusion to anger as he glared at the white-haired male in front of him as he spoke with a growl.

"Like hell I'll believe that some Quarry dog was sent after a runner without being armed... and it's not like it matters if you think I'm partially innocent. What the hell kind of say in anything does someone who's not even from here about someone who's committed a crime?"

Eldrin was beyond pissed and he was taking it out on the only one he could... this random person...

"And for the record, no, I didn't kill the pompous bastard. Some other fucker beat me to it and framed me, but it's not like a lowly thief can ever tell the truth. You damned drunkard bastards are all the same... Not one of you can believe in Honor Among Thieves... If someone steals then they're less than rats, right?"

His vision was blurring, both from anger and the pain causing his consciousness to slip away. It was obvious he was almost done... but the moment he gave in would be the moment his life would end... His angered tone changed from outright rage-filled to quiet and resentful, resent against himself and his captor.

"You know what... Just kill me now... I'm obviously trapped here because of whatever the fuck you did and I really doubt a Quarry dog will let a criminal go, so just get it over with..."

Eldrin began sliding down the force wall a little, losing some strength in his legs, but refusing to go all the way down.

Roars from the Quarry members and the guards could be heard all throughout the city. It would have been hard to make it back, but Eldrin could have done it, but now... now he was sure his life was about to come to an end.​

 

[Yaoi Master Gavin]

"Well I do have a sword but I'm sure you can see that it's in its scabbard. And no, I'm not a member of the Quarry. I just happened to have helped them on my way here into town and was enjoying myself with them. And you would be surprised at what I believe; I'm a bit unique among my kind. I can tell you're telling the truth though and that's good enough for me."

As he spoke, he moved in closer with slow steps.

"I'm not going to kill you, and those walls are just as much for your benefit as theirs. If you're innocent and they wind up killing you, then I would have to judge them. But because I know you're innocent in this, then I'm obligated to keep you safe. It's not an obligation I take often seeing as I have a higher calling but hey, you're cute."

Close enough now to be just out of weapons reach, Valur knelt down enough to look at Eldrin eye to eye.

"I don't say this often but... I know you're telling the truth as much as you've seen. You may be a thief, but you're not a murderer. In this crime you are innocent and my kind protect the innocent and their honour. If you'll trust me enough to help you, then you have a silver dragon's promise that you will be absolved of this. On my oath."

At this he offered Eldrin a hand for him to take.

"Trust me, you don't argue with a silver dragon when it comes to innocence."

 

[Freedom]

Eldrin's back only tensed up more as this man neared him, pressing himself as close to this invisible wall as he could. He held a glare on his face as he looked up at the male extending his hand. Knocking the arm away and standing up himself, Eldrin spoke bitterly.

"Like hell I'm going to trust you to help me. You must know little of the world here if you think trust is so easily gained, 'Mr. Dragon.'"

The words left Eldrin's mouth like venom.

"The only help I need from you is to remove these damned walls. You say you know I'm innocent, so why do you keep me locked in here like a prisoner, anyway? Take down the damned walls and I'll owe you one. I'll have a better chance of escaping alone anyway. Someone like you who knows nothing of these streets or their shadows will only slow me down."

Eldrin's hostility was almost tangible as he glared at this man who proclaimed to be a Silver Dragon.

"And trust me, 'Mr. Dragon'... you don't gain trust in this city by words alone..."​

 

[Yaoi Master Gavin]

Valur made no reaction to Eldrin knocking his hand away other than standing up. He had fully expected this - the boy was a thief and had a reason to fear him, his captor, even if he wasn't.

"Four hundred years is experience enough but I do see things differently than others. For me trust is based on your innocence which I see as clearly as night and day. Maybe in that I am more blind than you, who has reason to distrust everyone. You're right, words alone are simply that, words. Easily slain to lie at our feet but actions..."

The dragon slung off his pack, gathered as he left with the group from the Quarry. It was habit from his travels; any time he left someplace, he grabbed his pack, always ready to go. It was a quick dig to pull out a small pouch of first aid supplies, one of three in Valur's pack. Taking the pack, he laid it at Eldrin's feet before backing up and slinging the pack back over his shoulder.

"Actions speak louder than words and with far more force. That pack has a number of first aid supplies in it, including some minour magic. They should get you better fairly quickly. And... in case you do get caught... have them find me. I can at least attest to your innocence, whether you believe me or not. Have them look for Valur Armise."

With those last words, he looked beyond Eldrin and saw no one back there. A snap of his fingers later and the walls had vanished.

"Take the pack with you," he reminded with a jerk of his chin towards the aforementioned supplies. "I don't know what you're going home to, but those will definitely help."