RPG The Crafters: Destruction Of Dimensions -=Jahnsen=-

[Corey]

This post was written by Arcada. I give her mucho props to the beginning of an RPG she didn't have a single hand in creating. Bravo! And now, "The real fun begins".

[size=1][color=maroon][b]"You know," Nimue began, checking her reflection in the blade of her dagger, "Theives aren't really supposed to be caught."

The man tied down before her just sputtered in fear, his eyes clearly locked on the rather large knife as he tried to squirm his way out of the leather straps. He was now regretting his previous ideas of sneaking in and stealing some of the Velha family antiques. Wasn't this place supposed to be [i]abandoned?[/i] If he got out of here alive, somebody was going to pay for this.

Tsking quietly, Nimue just crossed her arms for a moment, watching his feeble attempts at escape with half-lidded eyes. "Because I'm a fairly cultured woman, and you seem so interested, I think I'm going to tell you a little story about this house. It's very old, you know."

Having given up with the bonds, as they weren't budging, the man resigned himself to trying to blow his hair out of his eyes, periodically glancing towards the woman anxiously. He should listen attentively, which was the smart thing to do at the moment. "...So I hear...."

She nodded soberly, leaning against the table as she continued. "When my dearest mother was alive, it was actually quite well kept and not one thing was ever found out of place. However, mother unfortunately did not wake up one morning," she sighed, sounding a tad disappointed, as if she had really only lost a favorite sock, and not a mother. "I don't really like to clean, so the place has sort of fallen into a rut. It's still beautiful, though, isn't it?"

"Of.. of course.." He stammered, blinking strangely at her.

"Yes, especially the inside of it. We Velhas are very wealthy, you know," she told him, patting his leg reassuringly. Her finger began to stroke the small vile she wore around her neck affectionately. "And I do love my family for that; all that money.. There's oodles of it."

The man was positive now that she was completely off her rocker. It would take a miracle for him to get out of here in one piece, he realized. Of all the places to break into, he had to choose the one with the nutcase in it.

Nimue paused, observing his expressions for a minute. When he realized she was staring, he froze up and tried to make his face as blank as possible. She only smiled, walking her fingers up his arm playfully. "You're sort of cute," she said lightly, her hand now on the clasp for the first leather strap. She leaned over him so that he had a favorable view down her shirt, her eyes on his mouth. "So I think I'll just let you go. How does that sound?"

"G-great," he croaked hoarsely, suddenly feeling very awkward.

She smirked, undoing the metal clasps one at a time, before standing back and gesturing for him to get up. "You're free to go, love," she said pleasantly, the smirk softening gently, but still present.

Sitting up, the man rubbed his arm, watching her catiously as he climbed down from the stone table and started towards the door. "Uh... thanks?"

"Just make sure you don't do this again." She winked at him, giving him a little wave, as she pushed herself up on the table. "Stop by sometime," she invited, and the guy paled and walked a little quicker towards the exit. [i]Yeah, right,[/i] he thought darkly, as his hand grabbed the handle. He gave it a small jerk before he realized that it was locked. A wave of fear rushed over him again and he turned back to the woman, who was twirling her dagger with a disturbing ease.

"You didn't honestly think I'd let you walk away, did you?" She asked sardonically, her voice full of scorn. At the look on his face, she just tsked again, before approaching him slowly. "The chase is the best part. My dear, now the [i]real[/i] fun begins."[/b][/color][/size]

[Baron Samedi]

Gareth was sent sprawling face-first into the mud of Somadina's "Grog Strip" as he called it. On second thoughts, butchering the pick pocket who tried to steal his purse wasn't the best idea. Maybe just break his fingers.

[i]Mental Note: Break pickpocket's fingers[/i]

Deciding he had had enough to drink for this morning, he sauntered back towards his lodgings near the city outskirts. A slum, but it was cheap, and would have to do until he found a Bounty Huinter to shack up with. He needed a job, damnit. Any decent Bounty Hunter would do, but Traillen would be the big fish to hook. Jahnshen was a veritable treasure trove, full of hidden treasure, hideous monsters, but far better, and much easier to find: rich people who other people wanted.... Eliminated. These were mainly upperclass pansies, but they had money to spend, so it was all good. Failing to join a Bounty Hunter group, Gareth would hire himself out as a [i]Radet[/i] (Note: Radet are basically assasins), and be a lone wolf. The only problem with this is security. Other such "Lone wolfs" Have been known to... not wake up in the morning. If you have a group, then you can do sentry duties, and keep safe. The kind of clan loyalty they exhibit is amazing.

Walking down a dim alley, Gareth was set upon by three men. One tall and thin, one short and fat, and the other... he was obviously related to one of the mountains in the Graale Range. He was.... big. With two in front, and one behind, he was in danger. Mimi would not leave him enough brain-power to cover himself, so he needed to get them all on one side. He pretended to sink to his knees, quivering, but he opushed himself off the ground, jamming his shoulder into the tall one's stomach, hearing ribs crack. He spun, facing the trio. With an ululating cry, Mimi tore itself free from his scabbard, spinning through the air, casting purple shadows over the walls and the faces of the three men. As Gareth sunk to his knees, screaming at the raging pain Mimi caused him, Mimi landed point first in the ground before him. Overcoming his initial fear, the tall one sauntered up, and grabbed hold of the swords handle. A look of surprise appeared over his face, as Mimi swung up, underneath his crude leather armour, and cut off his testicles. It then reversed, flipping up over backwards, and slicing the mans ear off, before drawing out evel with is shoulder and removing his head. As the bloodrage grew, it swung straight through the short one, sending his torso sliding off the bottom half, as he toppled. It came out of the spin, and went deep into the man mountain's head. He fall, causing a terrific crash, breaking nearby glass in windows. Nobody even looked down the alley. As Gareth fought control back into his mind, he realised there was someone standing above him.

"Hello mate, what'v we got ourselves here then?"

"....."

"You did pretty good there. What's your name?"

"Gareth. Gareth Dragonus"

"Ah, the lad from Selmar. You made e this bloody excellent sword."

"I remember"

"Yeah, I'm sure you do... You lookin for work?"

"Yeah"

"Consider yerself hired then. Where you staying?"

"Some dump over town"

"Well, let's go grab yer stuff then."

Gareth stood, fetched Mimi, and followed Traillen out of the alley.

[Kwai]

[i] Akato yawned slightly, suddenly coming to amidst a field of what appeared to be a strange specimen of fungi. The pollens danced about, glowing slightly green, occasionally turning burning red, much like a stop light. Akato took a few moments to take in the scene, lettings his eyes caress the mystic dance unfolding before him. There were some dead carcasses of the unfortunate animals which wandered in, but they didn't bother Akato. After all, he was immune to this kind of toxin.

He eagerly watched two pairs of faintly glowing green light wander about in the air, now green, now red, colliding with others, embracing each other then separating, in and out, over and around, here and there. After a while, he lost the original two pollens amongst the multitude of the others.

"People..." muttered Akato.

He thought he could somehow forget about their very existance by coming into the deepest confines of the woods, but the very dance which was held before him reminded of people. Not to mention their irritating relationships. But wait...

Akato suddenly clutched his blades tightly and stood up slowly and cautiously, scanning the area as he rose. Far off towards the edge of the field, he saw it. A strange hound-like creature seemed to be feeding upon the fungus, and an occasional munching was heard as the fungi were chewed and swallowed. Its antenna like appendage attached to its head was circling around, keeping wary watch on its surroundings.

Akato crept slowly on his knees and hands, and got within 10 feet of the hound. The hound was still munching leisurely, and it seemed to be oblivious to Akato's approach. Akato slowly stretched his left leg back, getting ready to pounce. But alas, as his legs stretched back, his foot hit a small leaf, causing a faint rustle. The antenna suddenly snapped towards Akato's hiding place, and a faint hiss-like growl was heard from the hound.

No use anymore. Akato stood up to his full height, gripping his sword tightly. The felhound obliged by turning around to face him, and Akato saw the hunger for human flesh in its eyes. This was exactly why he hated hunting these things. Always hungry and cannibalistic as hell. Akato slowly brought his blade pointing towards the felhound's neck, and the felhound twitched, rustling its furs as it bared its fangs.

With an unearthly cry, followed shortly by a piercing roar, the man and the beast charged each other... [/i]

[Revelation]

[size=1][color=ff66cc][i]Kilani stepped out of the hotel she was staying at and looked to the roads. People were running, walking, riding on horses, everything. Bounty Hunters were lurking everywhere, prostitutes stood outside the alleys, conmen walked the streets as well. She sighed and walked to the saloon in front of the hotel. She saw that it was packed.

When Kilani stepped in, heads turned to the entrance. She gave the people a small nod and smirking smile. She walked to the bartender and sat on the chair. The Bartender walked to her and asked her for her drink.[/i]

"What's it going to be, Ki?"
"Hmm. The usual." [i]came Kilani's reply.[/i]
"Wine mixed with fruit extracts with an olive inside?" [i]questioned the Bartender.[/i]

[i]Kilani smiled and nodded. She looked around to see who was here. She was looking to the door and who should show up, but the best Bounty Hunter of them all, Traillen and behind him a new recruit. She smiled and turned to her drink.

Traillen walked to the bar and sat next to Kilani. He asked for a drink and it was given to him.[/i]

"Kilani Tarot Shi'iandra. What a bloody surprise to see you again. How've you been love?" [i]Traillen asked Kilani with his accented voice.[/i]
"I've been doing great. Yes, I am staying out of trouble, I am not doing anything wrong, and no...I am not a thief...yet. I'm kidding. I'm doing good. I'm a rebel without a cause. That answer your questions?" [i]Kilani replied with ease.[/i]
"Yes. It does. Any questions yourself?" [i]Traillen asked.[/i]
"Yeah. Who's the extra baggage you got with you?" [i]Kilani asked.[/i]
"Kilani, I'd like you to meet one of the bloody best blacksmiths ever, Gareth Dragonus. I hired him to be a Bounty Hunter with me. Pretty decent I should say, eh?" [i]Traillen implied to Kilani.[/i][i]A chuckle came from her.[/i] "We shall see, Traillen. We shall soon see. Well, I'm off. Lisotro, give me the whole bottle and put it on my tab."

[i]The Bartender nodded and went back for Kilani's special bottle. He grabbed it and brought it to her. She thanked him and left for the hotel to clean her weapons.[/size][/color][/i]

[Kwai]

[i] The felhound lay dead, its purple blood glistening strangely under the light of the moon. The pollens danced about as before, its mystic scene now defiled by the carcass. Akato sat nearby, examining his weapon for any damage. Sighing in a melancholy fashion, Akato took a small vial out of his coat pocket and poured it onto the remains of the hound. A sharp hiss was heard, shortly followed by a deafening explosion.

Akato, his face blackened, cursed bitterly. A female. What he wanted was a male felhound. Female felhounds had incredibly flammable bodies, and he couldn't risk setting off his hut on fire, destroying all his specimens and experiments. He watched the flames lick the eyes of the hound slowly consuming the body. Twiddling his fingers around his blade in a bored fashion, Akato looked up at the sky. The moon was high, the stars somewhat distant, and judging from past experiences, the chances of a male felhound appearing was incredibly low in this weather condition. The hounds preferred the blackest possible night, without the moon light. Oh well. At least he got the fungi he wanted.

Akato stood up, cracking his back as he did, and yawning, sauntered off into the woods, towards the distant town of Keeven where he took residence. [/i]

[Gelgoog Pilot]

Zeddrick sat on the curb, quietly whittling a piece of wood. A loud crash sounded down the street, a window had been broken. He looked up presently and saw several men running out of the house with valuables and women. He stood up then, tired of his rest he threw down the wood and walked down the street. The fetid smell of waste was much more rank today than the last, but that was because of the heat. Homeless men and women looked up as his shadow passed them by.

He reached the house that was just ransacked, a rustling came from the inside. He stepped inside and instantly wished he hadn't. There were still several brigands inside, for the most part them were watching a comrade have his fun with a little girl laid on a table. Her tears had created small pools of water on the table top, presently she looked over pleadingly she whined.

Man: Shut up!.............Who are you?

Zeddrick: I'm no one of your concern, but i must insist that you let the girl go.

Man2: Pah! You just want her for yourself...............tell ya what you can have her when we finish.

Zeddrick: What i'll do with her isn't your business, and no I won't 'wait'.

Two of the men chose that moment to rush Zeddrick, however he was too quick. The first swung and missed planting his sword in the wall. The second obviously smarter than the first slashed forward and after missing backslashed hitting Zeddricks side.

Zeddrick flinched as a sharp pain rose from his torso, the attackers laughed. Then, one dropped, the attack was so sudden and unexpected that the actual action was unseen. The laughing stopped, and this time the lowlifes saw the sttack at the one previously pulling on his lodged sword. His blood splattered on the wall as Zeddrick used his momentum to spin around and strike upward, slicing the man's chest. He made a garguling sound as his companion ran out screaming, his pants hindering his swift escape. Zeddrick quickly turned toward the door and flung his sword into the escaping man's back, dropping him swiftly.

As he wiped the blade clean with his handkerchief, the girl climbed off the table rearanging her dress to how it was meant to be. She stared at him, no sure of what to do, should she run or should she thank him. Zeddrick had finished has his sword was now back in it's well oiled sheath. She backed away as he stooped to speak with her.

Zeddrick: I belive your family is gone sweety, you better go to a friends house ok?

Girl: They weren't my family, they were co-workers. Besides I have no friends or family.

Zeddrick: Oh a brothal huh? Hmmmmm............You might as well come with me, if you want to anyway.

Girl: Uh.......*looks around rather confused* I suppose I will.....My name is Alia. I'll do whatever you want, Im indebted to you.

Zeddrick: AHAHAHAHA! I don't want anything but someone to keep me company for a while.............besides you're about 12 years old hahahah!

Alia: NO I AM NOT! I may look oung but I am 16!

Zeddrick HAHAHAHAHA! You will make fine company........come.

They walked out of the empty brothal, Alia following slightly behind as Zeddrick headed towards a nearby tavern.

[Baron Samedi]

Gareth turned to watch the girl walk out of the bar.

[i]*****. I'll show her "baggage"[/i]

Feeling slightly put out, Gareth left Traillen talking to some acquaintances at the bar, and headed up to his room to get set up. Traillen had given him the key, and he let himself in. He put his stuff down in the hall, and stepped into the room. He felt something move just behind him, and then he was in a headlock, with a knife against his throat. Mimi screamed, and tore herself out of the scabbard, striking Gareth's assailant in the chin, breaking his jaw. Gareth spun, to see Traillen standing in the door, looking pissed off.

"Gareth, what did you do that for? He was my man"

"Oh. Sorry..... He. uuh. he held a knife to my throat....?"

[Arcadia]

[size=1][color=maroon]OOC: Whoo. Sorry about that little absence.. busy weekend, went home, away from computer, attacked by savage squirrels.. crazy stuff. But I'm back... [i]with a vengeance!![/i] Hoohah!

Sometime later, Nimue was lounging about, her eyes fixed on the flames that danced mirthfully in the fireplace. It looked beautiful, and the warmth it brought the cold house was needed, but the smell.. well, human flesh never did smell all that great, anyway. [i]Tainted,[/i] she thought, stroking her vial gently. [i]Just like everything else in this forsaken land. Nothing's clean here.[/i]

She watched the remnants of her friend the thief burn for a little longer before the flames began to die out. Smothering the last bit of them with a bucket of water, she tsked lightly at the ashes before picking up her Strega and heading for the door. [i]Nobody tries to steal from[/i] my [i]house.[/i] It was fairly cool weather, good for checking things out in the market. More specifically, people - time to find out who was doing what and where. Once she was sure the Strega Corrotta was attached firmly to the leather belt on her hips, she focused on where to go first. Probably a bar. That way, she could get a drink and wake herself up a bit, as well as chat up the bartender there. Tenders saw a hell of a lot of people come and go, and made it their business to know everybody's business. Which was absolutely perfect for Nimue because she was nosey as hell.

The saloon was full of people, as always, and that only made Nimue smile. She liked people; liked what they could do for her. The thief earlier didn't amount to much, only babbling on about how he had a family to feed, people to look after.. she had rolled her eyes at that, and told him to give her some better stories or she'd make it so that he couldn't tell any at all. After that she only got a few disinteresting bits and pieces of gossip on the streets - new bounties, new hunters, who allied with who and who had betrayed who... the usual.

Taking a seat at the bar, she brushed her long dark locks over her shoulder with a flick of the wrist before calling the bartender over. He just smiled knowingly when he saw her, and bowed his head slightly.

"Nimue, back so soon?" He asked, setting a glass in front of her and filling it with her usual spiced wine.

She just smiled prettily and set her chin in her hand. "Damon, it's been at least a week. Don't you miss me?"

Chuckling, he just gave her a wink. "Give me a minute, darling, and then we'll chat."

Nimue smirked and sipped from her wine, slowly turning her eyes over the room as Damon went about his other duties. The two had a sort of deal going on - he gave her limited bits of information, and she gave him in return money and valuables, among other things. He was pretty big in the underground market, especially with poisons, and she could give him plenty of that, thanks to daddy dearest. Nimue could be a very reasonable woman when it was worth her time.[/color][/size]

[Kwai]

[i] Finally reaching Keeven, Akato sauntered through the streets, tossing his pouch up in the air as he went. He pondered for a moment, wavering between the bar and his experiments, Akato dug into his pockets and took out a shiny coin. Heads he goes home, tails he goes to the bar. With a flick of the thumb the coin went spinning neatly into the air, gleaming, twinkling like a little star. The coin landed on Akato's open palm, and revealed 'tails'. Akato grinned and made his way to the distant, glimmering bar.

Reaching the bar, Akato smirked softly, then slowly went in, trying to make little noise as possible. He really disliked large congregations of people, and he preferred to avoid them and be avoided in turn. A light push on the door revealed a gay scene, with mercenaries, bounty heads, dabbling potion masters, and many other shadey figures with ale, wine, beer, anything that keeps a man and a woman awake, gay, and happy.

Akato took a look around, to see if he recognized any. There was that odd girl from that run-down house, there was that potion master he apprenticed under a while before, random mercenaries that came and went with a ruckus, and the bartender... wait... now where was the bartender... Akato was chilled from his night out and he could use a good something to warm his body before he began his experiments. [/i]

[Arcadia]

[size=1][color=maroon]Nimue hummed lightly to herself as she waited for Damon to finish up, occasionally taking a sip from her glass. She was content to just watch the crowds for now, learn what she could and save it for later. There was no telling what sort of information could be valuable - people would pay anything [i]for[/i] anything, these days. And Nimue liked that.

She glanced towards a rather familiar man as he walked in, arching her eyebrow gently though her lips never left the rim of her glass. He was something of a chemist, if she remembered correctly, but she'd never actually talked to the man himself. Just rumors, used up and tossed around like a common whore.

He seemed to be looking for the bartender, so Nimue figured it was a good time as any to start making introductions. "He's a tad busy at the moment, love, but he'll be back," She called out lightly, peering at the man - was his name Akado? Akato? - from under thick, dark lashes.

Said man looked to her with raised eyebrows, before shrugging and taking a seat near her, though not too close. He obviously wasn't stupid; Nimue could respect that. He gave her a slight nod of thanks, before asking, "The old Velha house, right?"

She smiled coquettishly at him, setting her drink down gently on the polished bar top. Perhaps she was a little more well known than she gave herself credit for. The thought made her eyes darken and she couldn't help but add a soft, amused little laugh to the flirty smile. "Indeed, I'm flattered you recognize me. The name's Nimue, by the way. Nimue Velha. And you are...?"[/color]

[color=gray]OOC: Eh, short and sweet for now. My head hurts and there is homework to be done! Mush, boys, mush![/color][/size]

[Revelation]

[size=1][color=ff66cc][i]Kilani held the bottle in her hand as she left for her hotel room. As she walked back to the hotel, a mist was coming by her way, which settled where she was. Kilani stopped and looked at it. It was turning into a small pocket of fog. It was unusual because Jahnsen was in one of its hotter seasons. Kilani thought this to be strange.

Suddenly, within the fog, voices were heard. Kilani tried to listen to them. A certain voice was heard.[/i]

"Go back. Go back and change it all."
"Change what? What is this? Who are you?" [i]Kilani questioned the voices.[/i]
"We are who we are. You have no business knowing that." [i]Another voice said.[/i]
"What? Grr. Show yourself!" [i]Kilani said as she tried to hear for the voices.[/i]
"Walk this way, child." [i]A womanly voice said.[/i]

[i]Kilani walked through the fog not knowing where she would be going. As she did, she felt a cold chill around her body. It felt as if she was walking into a lake of ice cold water. Everything around her was frozen. She couldn't feel the warmth anymore.[/i]

[B]-=-Entering Gensine-=-[/B][/size][/color]

[Gelgoog Pilot]

Zeddrick and Alia walked into the bar, it was a very noisy bar and the stench of sweat and ale filled the room. Zeddrick took a seat at the bar while Alia wandered around aimlessly.

Zeddrick: Hey, tender!............I wish to have a drink.

The bartender looked up rather angrilly, obviously he had been rather busy wiht the heavy crowd.

Bartender: What 'da ya want?

Zeddrick: I'll take some nice ale........as well as some possible information? I'm looking for some work, some 'interesting' work.

Bartender: Right the ale will be 3 copper pieces and the info.......make it 1 silver...no 2...

Zeddrick handed over the coins and leaned forward to listen better.

Bartender: There's been a few abductions going on lately.......people just gone missing, it's wierd. There is no trace of struggles or anything, some think its a proffesional group of slavers but I think its something else. They're paying big money to anyone who figures it out.

Zeddrick Right. Thank you.......and by the way........Why don't you buy into the slavers?

Bartender: 'Cus....I knew one of the guys to go missing and he was't the kind to go without a fight.

[Kwai]

[i] Akato remained silent for a moment, scrutinizing the girl closely. For some reason, he thought he smelled a whiff of burnt flesh... it was too faint to tell, of course, but nonetheless, it was rather unnerving. Women laced with blood are not something to meddle with... Dropping his gaze, Akato muttered quietly.

"Endoku Akato..."

Nimue raised her eyebrows a bit, still wearing her charming smile. She took a sip from her drink, looking on at Akato. So he was a bit shy. Well, rumors suggested of him being a kind of an outcast... She eyes the blade attached to his waist with girlish curiosity, feigned, of course.

Damon came over, done handing out drinks, but stopped for a moment when he saw Akato. Coughing slightly to express his disapproval, the bartender looked at Akato, who glanced up.

"What do you want?" Damon asked a bit harshly.

"Something to warm me up... the night is chilly..." replied Akato with contemptuous indifference.

Damon reddened slightly. His talk with Nimue had been interrupted by the freak, and now the freak was talking like he owned the place. Huffing slightly, Damon slammed down a bottle of hot ale in front of Akato, who poured himself a drink, and took a light sip. The man was unnerving in his indifference, reinforced by the cycle of rumors which circulated around the town. Sitting down opposite of Nimue, Damon glanced over at the stranger and back at Nimue, eyeing her to move to a different location. Nimue was twirling her hairs gracefully, and pretended not to notice. [/i]

[Arcadia]

[size=1][color=maroon]Even as she put on her little act of ignorance, inside Nimue was laughing hysterically. There was nothing better than a jealous man trying to exert ownership over something that was entirely out of his reach. Still, his attitude did urk her just a bit; it would be something to mention later, at the very least. If anything was for sure in that dark little town, it was that Nimue would never be restrained by any man. [i]Isn't that right, Daddy?[/i]

This man Akato was quite interesting, at the moment, however, and despite Damon's anxious looks she stuck to that seat and continued to talk to the man. She wanted to see just what kind of a man he really was under all that cool aloofness. "I've heard a lot of rumors about you," she stated, to the point.

His eyes never left his drink, but he replied easily enough, "And I you."

Smirking slowly, enjoying her little game, she continued, "What do you do then, to warrant these rumors?"

Damon, meanwhile, was not particularly enjoying himself. He sat in his chair sulking, watching the almost one-sided converstation with resentment and disgust. Both directed towards Akato, of course; just like many others in the small town, Nimue had him wrapped tightly around her fingers. And so as he looked on Akato's apparent disinterest, he slowly became infuriated. He knew if it was [i]he[/i] on the other side of the bar, he would be enraptured with anything the beautiful woman would have to say.

If Akato noticed this at all, he didn't seem to care, and that only angered the bartender more. It came to a point where Damon just couldn't take it anymore and he stood quickly, slamming his hands on the bar top, making various glasses jump, some of which spilled over. In a very heated, accusing tone, he asked the man sharply, "What the hell is [i]wrong[/i] with you?!"[/color][/size]

[Kwai]

[i] Akato continued to sip his drink, blantantly ignoring Damon. Suddenly, he found his glass and more importantly, his drink go flying away, crashing on the floor. Growling slightly, Akato looked up at the bartender, dangerous light playing around his eyes.

"What did you do that for....?" hissed Akato lightly.

"I asked you a question, you freak. Answer me!" roared Damon.

All the while, Nimue was twirling her hair, mildly surprised at the outburst, but clearing enjoying herself. It was oh so entertaining when this happened...

Akato, on the other hand, looked at Damon blankly for a moment, then asked simply.

"I don't have to pay for the drink then?" he said in a mocking tone.

Damon's fists suddenly clenched, and Akato suddenly felt a sharp pain in his left cheek, and the next second, hit the floor with a dull thud. Nimue grinned, laughing slightly. Now she can see if the rumors were true....

Akato stood up slowly, and felt his cheek with his hand. Drawing his hands away, he saw that he had some blood on his hands. Sucking on it lightly, Akato looked ahead and saw another punch coming his way. Smirking lightly, Akato did not move, and received the punch full in the face. Another crash, a table toppled, more cries, and a few jeers. Damon grinned slightly. The freak deserved it.

"Throw him out!... Throw him out!..." jeered some of the mercenaries.

Damon went over, and grabbed Akato roughly by the neck. Nimue sighed slightly. Perhaps those rumors were untrue after all. Her glance slowly turned from the scruffle, but snapped back, hearing the sudden gasp.

Akato had suddenly grabbed Damon's face, the grip tightening with dangerous intensity. The jeering suddenly stopped, horrified at the sudden turn of events. With his other hand, Akato brushed off the hand on his throat, which was now frantically clawing the grasping hand. Smirking slightly, he took out his blade with a twirl of his hand, placing it an inch away from Damon's throat.

"Now sir." said Akato with the usual coolness. "I was drinking and talking, which I suppose is perfectly legal, and you suddenly assaulted me, why I'm not sure, probably out of jealousy. I really do not like killing people, but I have no qualms to do so. I shall slit your throat here and now, but I'm not in the mood. Don't bother me again."

With that, Akato threw Damon back towards the mess of broken tables, and sat back down in his original seat. He reached out, but suddenly remembered that his drinks were on the floor. He eyed around at the now empty tables, and at the quick glances towards him from the idiots who were jeering earlier. Getting up and walking over to a table with drinks still on it, Akato returned, and saw Nimue smiling slightly.

"Where were we...?" asked Akato calmly. [/i]

[Arcadia]

[size=1][color=maroon]OOC: Muahahahaha.

Just when she'd been afraid that maybe she [i]had[/i] overestimated the man, he quickly proved that he was made of harder stuff. From where she was seated she could plainly see the fear in Damon's eyes as Akato held the blade to his throat, and that excited her. Those extreme emotions had always been the best things to watch, to [i]feel[/i], and it gave her a rush of pure adrenaline. Sipping from her glass, which hadn't previously toppled over when Damon hit the bar in rage, she watched the fight before her appreciatively.

After he felt the knife at his throat, Damon realized he'd made a huge mistake and clawed desperately at the man's hand, trying to wrench his face free from Akato's vice-like grip. Only, seconds later he found himself being throne backwards, and his back hit the broken tables hard. To be blunt, it hurt like hell, and his knuckles were still raw from decking the guy a couple times, but he supposed he was lucky to come away with his life. Any other man in this city, and the only lights he'd be seeing were the ones at the end of the tunnel.

Picking himself up gingerly, he limped away, shooting Akato one last dark look before moving to the back of the bar, towards the service stairs, where he fully planned on visiting some "friends" of his currently lodging within the hotel. If he couldn't beat the man, then he'd pay somebody else to.

Nimue just raised her eyebrows as Akato returned and seated himself once again, a fresh drink in his hand. "You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" She asked in mock concern, taking another liberal drink from her wine. The smallest of smiles was playing across her lips.

He shook his head, calmly asking, "Where were we...?"

"Your occupation," She reminded him, setting her glass down, "What do you do exactly, Mr. Endoku? Besides engage in testosterone filled bar fights." Her voice was light and teasing at that, though much more reserved than it had been earlier. He could see clearly now that her flirty tone earlier was meant for both him [i]and[/i] Damon, but frankly he wasn't surprised.

"Which you seem to enjoy watching," He retorted quietly, taking a tentative sip from his new found drink.

"I won't deny it," She agreed, though she mused he would probably never realize how true the statement actually was. "Though even those get tiring after awhile, so one must always have hobbies elsewhere." [i]What are[/i]your [i]hobbies?[/i] She wanted to ask, but he seemed intent on not answering right away. Which was fine with her - one way or another, she'd eventually get the answers she wanted. She always did.


OOC: Ah.. by the way, Damon's phone call can be to ANY assassins, if you get my drift. Just trying to help get everyone into this. ^_^

[b]EDIT:[/b] Too true, Baron. So I fixed that. Yep.[/color][/size]

[Baron Samedi]

OOC: I don't think that we have phones everyone. This is a relatively technology-deficient time period for both Jahnshen and Gensine...

[i]After a short but heated argument, Traillen and Gareth came to a resolution: Gareth would recieve no share of pay for the first three jobs to cover the cost of medical supplies for Jacob, Traillen's lieutenant. And for that, Traillen would not kick Gareth out of the team. As they shook hands, sealing the agreement, someone knocked on the door[/i]....

Motioning Gareth to stand behind the door, Traillen opened the door a slit, to see the bartender and lodging proprietor, Damon, standing at the door, with a look on his face reminiscent of a blazing fire. In other words, hot and smoldering.

He barged into the room and said, with no introduction,

"I've got a job for you. There is a... a. A freak, downstairs, and he showed me up in front of Nimue, and everyone else in the bar."

Traillen-"Who is he?"

Damon-"His name is Endoku Akato and..."

Gareth-" Are you ******* joking? That Akoto guy. ****. He's trouble on two legs. I mean... He's like a bloody.."

Traillen-"We'll take the job. Whats the pay?"

Damon-"120 Gold pieces, if his dismembered carcass is found hanging from my sign tomorow morning"

Gareth-"But.."

Traillen-"We'll take it."

Traillen-"A [i]Radet[/i] versus Endoku. We'll see if you have earned your place on this team"

Gareth"..."

[i]Gareth began his preparations, immersing himself in the weave of the dance, the dance of the death, the Art of the Radet[/i].

[Corey]

OOC: Yeah, there are no phones. There is no technology. I though you all would have figured that out from the lack of any now-a-days technology mentioned in the signup.

[Kwai]

OOC: I could've sworn Gareth was in Somadina... but anyway, no complaints if I get to fight.

[i] Akato felt his stay had been too long. One fight was enough for a night. Besides, he had a wily suspicion that the bartender, Damon, will do anything to get revenge on him after that utter humiliation. Glancing around for a moment, Akato noticed the absence of Damon and guessed his hunch correct. To Nimue's disappointment, Akato stood up suddenly, placing a wrinkled bill for his drink. Nimue clicked her tongue disapprovingly. She was sure Damon's disappearance meant further violence, and she wasn't one to let such an opportunity pass. However, Akato strode out of the bar quickly, ignoring Nimue outright. Nimue looked on as Akato left the bar, and smiled slightly. Perhaps she should follow...

Akato exit the bar, and looked left, right, and up. He was not used to fighting and violence, but knew well enough how characters like Damon retaliated. He better return, and quickly... If he was to fight, he'd rather be armed and ready. Gripping his blade loosely and lightly, Akato slipped into the shadows, and promptly disappeared, slithering away silently and effortlessly under the cover of the night. Shortly later, Nimue appeared from the bar, looked around for a moment, and also disappeared down the dark alleyways.... [/i]

[Arcadia]

[size=1][color=firebrick]She watched him leave the bar, leaning back against the polished wood as she smirked. "You can run, but you can't hide," she murmured softly, before turning her eyes towards those seated at other tables. Eventually, she knew, she would run into him again. Especially if Damon was out for blood; the fight had basically been about [i]her[/i], more than anything else. So how could she not be there for the finale? [i]No, that would just be inappropriate,[/i] she thought mirthfully, drinking the rest of her wine.

Standing, she decided to visit with some of the men briefly before leaving. Every smile, every wink, every hand gesture or touch of the shoulder only furthered their like (or in some cases, dislike) of her, and every bit of contact made gave Nimue more and more leeway with her own designs. Like every other woman in Jahnsen, she quickly learned what it took to catch a man's interest. Those who didn't learn, didn't live. Simplicity at its best.

Eventually, she did take her leave of the little bar and stepped out into the shadows of the night, breathing in the smells of the city. She stood there for a moment, enjoying the feel of the night on her skin, and glanced about herself. Down one street she could see a few men and a woman just outside the local brothel, obviously about to have themselves a grand old time. There was a street vender just to the other side, whom Nimue knew to have ties in the blackmarket, trying to sell off whatever it was he had hidden away in his coat. The other way, she could hear the sounds of a fight breaking out, and the shattering of glass and who knows what else.

She just smiled, and began walking, feeling utterly at home.

Akato had disappeared down one of these streets, she knew, but her ignorance of which actual street it was didn't worry her. Instead, she just enjoyed her surroundings, humming some silly tune, and began planning out her next little meeting with Damon and Akato. She figured the bartender was too emotional to gain any sort of advantage over the other; his jealousy would cloud his mind, and so any information she wanted out of him she would need to get ahead of time. Perhaps later she'd pay him a little visit and help him to.. calm his nerves.

Nimue couldn't help but laugh, the surprisingly soft sound reverberating gently into the night. She would be having a lot of fun in the near future.[/color][/size]

[Gelgoog Pilot]

((OOC: I thought Gareth was in The capital as well........anyway sorry about my delay i've been off for a while.))

Zeddrick: Having recieved some work finished his drink and got up to leave. Alia's head shifted as she gave an irratated look.

Alia: Why are we leaving, I was just about to have some fun.....

He rolled his eyes, and began to walk out the door. He turned his head while going through the open door...

Zeddrick: You can stay if you want, I have a job to do.

Alia: Well............*looks behind her as several men wave her in* I'll come I guess...

Zeddrick stepped off the bar's stoop and into the crowded streets of the city. now he had to find some leads. He glanced at the piece of paper given to him with addresses on it. Then, he walked away as Alia tromped reluctantly behind him.

[Baron Samedi]

[Note] Eeeep. My bad.. oh well, we'll continue from there just say.. Traillen took me to Keeven? Yeah.. I. yeah. Heh, sorry about that...

IC: Gareth headed downstairs, and went into the bar area. He glanced around, but didn't see Akato anywhere. A shadow flitted over one of the inns dirty windows. Slightly put out that he wasn't granted the time to observe Akato in the bar, Gareth headed out through the door, and turned down the alley next to the inn. He kicked some stupid beggar in the head as he ran past, as the disgusting creature tried to grab his legs. Pausing at an intersection, Gareth listened for any sounds of retreat or pursuit.

Distant creaking wagons, the moans of beggars and... something. Like a hound at the hunt Gareth ran down an alley towards the noise. It was the sound of a blade knocking into.. stone, by it's pitch. Pausing at yet another intersection, Gareth looked around. The he stared at the ground in front of him. Silhouetted against the feeble sunlight, was a shadow, stretched between the two buildings. Simultaneously spinning, and drawing a sickle, Gareth faced the shadow lunging at him from the building...

[Kwai]

[i]Gareth leapt to the side quickly, and rightly at that. Akato stood there, framed grimly in the dim alleyway, his blade sinking into the ground where Gareth was moments before. Though Gareth had no way of recognizing, Nimue would have realized that Akato was dressed differently. He had a long-brown trench coat on, apparently soaked in something from the way it sagged. Gareth took no note of this, however. His mission was to kill him, gut him, and leave him hanging on the sign of Damon's bar.

Akato smiled in a mocking fashion, looking at Gareth pointedly.

"Honestly lad... a bit too late for you to be walking out in the streets isn't it...?" he laughed.

Gareth cringed. Yep. This was Akato all right. Fully psycho and ready to go. Twirling his sickle lightly, Gareth looked at the shadowy figure of Akato, whose eyes glared back venomously.

"I have no quarrel with you as of now. Leave me be." continued Akato.

To Akato's surprise, Gareth shook his head.

"No can do mate... This is a job I've got to pull, and my jobs hanging by a very thin thread..." replied Gareth.

Before finishing, Gareth charged Akato, his sickle still twirling in his hand. A quick blow was struck, but blocked deftly by the hilt of Akato's blade. Gareth got a good glimpse of Akato's blade. A rusty looking piece of crap which probably cannot cut anything... Smirking lightly, Gareth struck again, which Akato blocked this time with his blade. Smirking at the contact, Akato leapt back, landing neatly a few feet back. Gareth glared at Akato hungrily, his face lit up with adrenaline.

"Look at your weapon..." murmured Akato.

Gareth looked down, and found his blade corroding away, fizzing slightly at the edges. Gareth growled. This was his favorite and probably one of the most well-made weapon. And the ****** just ruined it.... [/i]

[Arcadia]

[size=1][color=firebrick]As Akato and Gareth began their duel in the alley some few blocks over, Nimue crossed the street down some other used up road, not really paying much attention to where she was headed. She was too absorbed in her thoughts, enjoying the idea of her ploy tremendously. That's not to say that she wasn't aware of her surroundings; quite the contrary, Nimue knew where she was quite well. One of the older neighborhoods, and one that used to be quite lovely. But that was many, many years ago, back when her mother was still alive.

She remembered one occasion in which the dear woman had taken her out for a walk, possibly even down this very road, and she had chased some other little kids around. When she stopped to look back at her mother and make sure she was keeping up, she saw her talking to some other man who'd previously been working up quite a sweat in his yard. Her mother had been smiling, leaning against the small fence that seperated them, and had "the devil in her eye", as her father used to say. The man turned and winked at Nimue, before taking her mother's hand and leading her inside his home. Needless to say, Nimue ended up playing in the streets a little longer than she had planned.

Slightly urked that thoughts of her mother were beginning to arise, Nimue decided that she should probably hurry along and get off that damn street. It [i]did[/i] look oddly familiar, now that she thought about it. Just as she began to turn in the opposite direction, however, something caught her eye. A run-down fence, barely standing, most of the wooden planks hanging precariously by a nail. Narrowing her eyes in thought, she decided - against her better judgement - to check it out.

She ran her hand along the top piece, walking it's short length until her feet came to rest at stone pathway, which was now in shambles. Just like everything else. Her eyes drifted up the walkway, and met with an open door. [i]This[/i] is [i]that damn house,[/i] she realized, quickly taking in the front of the old structure. Memories of her mother came to her strongly now, and this time she didn't really care. Instead, she felt an instinctive need to walk through that doorway. Slowly, she took one step forward. Then, another, and another, and before she realized it, the opening loomed before her invitingly. A strange sound drifted towards her and she stilled instantly, trying to discern what the noise was. It almost sounded as though someone - or something - was.. [i]groaning[/i]. Without hesitating, she stepped through the door, and into another world.

At least, that's what it felt like, at first. The air was strangely different in that house; crisp, clean, with a rather peculiar scent that she couldn't place. And that was saying something. She wandered a little further into the room, musing at the strange, soft breeze she felt and the almost tangible darkness that seemed to cover everything in a blanket. And the groaning. However, there was no one present in the room; she could feel that for sure. Just as she started towards another room, hoping to find the source of the low noise, the front door behind her closed with a barely audible thud. But she heard it, and swiveled around, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

It became increasingly hard to see anything, but she could just make out the outline of the door, and stalked towards it. Despite it being a crumbling, wooden mess, Nimue found it to be solidly locked and unwilling to budge. Cursing loudly, she turned and called out loudly into the house, "You had [i]best[/i] show your face while you still have one, you bloody bastard!"

There was no reply, but the groaning hadn't stopped. In fact, it seemed a little more determined now, and with a snarl, Nimue reached for her beloved [i]Fiducia[/i]. It was then that a sudden shiver ran up her spine, and she stopped as she felt the cold come over her. "What the-" she gasped, clutching her dagger tightly as the frigid temperature overtook her completely. A strange sensation made her glance up, and she almost thought she saw her mother standing across the room, her ghostly shade smiling.

That was the last thing she remembered.

[b]-=Entering Gensine=-[/b][/color][/size]

[Baron Samedi]

Gareth was pissed off to say the least. 5 hours of contant re-forging had produced his sickle, and a fine piece it was too. Then, somehow that Akato guy had... had fucked it up bad.

Gareth threw the handle of the sickle at Akato, causing him to jump out of the way. reaching down, gareth grabbed a handful of dirt, flinging it into Akato's eyes, the he leapt, striking Akato full in the face with his foot. Pushing backwards off his face, gareth backflipped, and landed lightly on the ground. Akato was sent sprawling onto his back, but promptly flipped over, and was back on his feet. As Gareth fought to resist the impulse of Mimi to draw free, he noticed something. Akato's "rusty" blade, wasn't as bad as it appeared. Something about the rust... it wasn't flaking. it was more of.. a coating, rather than natural rust. Concluding that it must be some sort of acid, Gareth grabbed a piece of timber from a wall, planning on uasing it as quarterstaff. He propelled himself over Akato using the wood, but Akato sliced the timber in half using his sword. Gareth threw a piece at Akato's midsection,. then lept, timber over his head, to swing down on Akato...