RPG Drifter's Nostalgia [PG-V]

[Dragon Warrior]

[center][img]http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/5313/copy2ofdriftersnostalgia6uo3uq.jpg[/img][/center]

[b]WARNING:[/b] This is a two-person RPG between Ozymandius Jones and myself. No one else may post unless given specific permission from one of us two. Feel free to read and enjoy :)

[center][b]Story:[/b] 2040 was the year the world went mad. Nuclear war broke out and annihilated most of the living souls of our fair planet. Destruction of Earth was inevitable from the day man made the first bomb. There were those who survived, but perhaps died later from diseases inherited from radiation poisoning or other side effects of the war. The largest problem with those who lived was they began to lose common knowledge of the world. Technology we?ve worked so many centuries over was soon lost.

Almost two centuries later, the world dropped to a new primitive state. Barely along the lines of the medieval ages, the people lived in ragged clothes and huts of wood, mud, and any other material found. The only ones who lived elegantly were those under the occupation of a Savoratist. The Savoratists were the new order of government in the world, starting fifty years after the war destroyed the world. It was almost considered a cult, one that never helped the peasants improve their lifestyles. In fact, it was as if the Savoratists wanted them to live in fear and not step out of line. They could mold people like clay.

Aside from those who lived as mangy serfs and the others who were high and mighty under the court of Savoratism, there were the Drifters. Drifters were people on a constant journey across the world in search of a place of beauty where trees grew green, water was pure, animals were beautiful, and life was good. You could say they were in search of an eden. In reality, they wanted what is the past, what is our present time now. But since most things of our present day and past is lost to them, they only have visions of what they may find.

The Savoratists were naturally threatened by the Drifter Movement. They didn?t want crazy ideas pushed into the heads of their servants, telling them to find happiness and overthrow the government. As such, Drifters were considered outlaws, criminals, and deadly and people were given strict order to kill them on sight. It was dangerous to be a drifter and therefore you don?t want to make yourself obvious to a Savoratist or even to some fellow peasants looking to get a pretty penny for your head.

Welcome to the dark future of Earth.[/center]

[SIZE=4][b][u]Destry Kelemen[/u][/b][/SIZE]
[b]Age:[/b] Twenty-One
[b]Gender:[/b] Male
[b]Appearance:[/b] With his rugged features and long brown hair that drops to his shoulders, Destry isn't a bad sight to look at. His clothes, which consist of rags of cloth and leather, are a different story. Like most peasants of Earth, he dons simple cloth shirts and pants, accompanied by a brown leather vest and brown cloth boots. He has a piece of cloth tied around his head in the form of a bandana. He's slightly taller than Elspeth.
[b]Weapon:[/b] Destry prefers the way of the sword. His simple blade is sheathed on his back can be unleashed with ease in time of battle.
[b]Personality:[/b] Because Elspeth dislikes doing the talking, Destry is often the one to do the action roles. This doesn't necessarily mean he does a lot of planning. In fact, he's more full of himself than anyone around. He'll jump into action before he thinks things through. He's not shy at all, loves adventure, and lives life to the fullest.
[b]Nickname:[/b] Elspeth calls him "Des."

[Ozymandius Jones]

[SIZE=3][U][B]Elspeth Gravenhall[/B][/U][/SIZE]
[B]Age: [/B] 20
[B]Gender:[/B] Female
[B]Appearance:[/B] Elspeth is short and skinny and not very graceful; she seems to be mostly knees and elbows. Her face is almost elfin - high cheekbones and large grey eyes. Her brown hair is chopped short, just below her ears, the ends ragged but she keeps it clean and shiney as best she can. Elspeth usually wears a grey woolen tunic that is a few sizes too big, and loose leggings.
[B]Weapon:[/B] Elspeth uses a quarterstaff cut from one of the first trees she ever saw, a massive oak that was able to survive the war that destroyed much of the planet.
[B]Personality:[/B] Elspeth is quiet and shy, usually prefering for others to handle the speaking. Her great skill is in listening. She rarely forgets what she hears. She tends to be a [B]lot[/B] less action-oriented than Destry, although she rarely backs down from a fight.
[B]Nickname:[/B] Destry calls her "Els."

[Dragon Warrior]

Shouts erupted in the streets as the Savoratist Soldiers barged through the several shops and homes. Villagers and various passing peasants were knocked on their backs by the storming group in their hot pursuit. "Stop those drifters!" shouted the leader of the soldiers, though none of the villagers moved a muscle. Either from shock or just not caring, they stood still as Destry and Elspeth darted through the narrow streets on their way out of harm.

Normally the two would fight the soldiers, but they were outnumbered greatly. Not even Destry's strongheaded actions or Elspeth's planning could save them. The idea was to run.

"Els, this way," Destry shouted as he made his way into an alley. The small passage led to a large scrap pile where the villagers would dump anything they found and later used for building houses and whatnot. It was a perfect place to lose the soldiers who were still hot on their tails. The two scampered through the scraps and dashed into a pile of wood. Sitting calmly, but breathing heavily, Destry and Elspeth watched the troops searched the area. A foul odor lingered in the yard and the soldiers noticed it too.

"Holy Hell, what is that stench?" cursed one soldier.

"I can't stand it," complained another.

A few more soldiers joined in on the discussion, forgetting about their chase for the moment. "Let's get out of here," one suggested.

"No one leaves," said the leader as he stepped in the middle of the crowd of Savoratist Soldiers. "It's just the smell of rotting wood and old scrap metal. Don't get your robes in a tangle over it. Now pick up your feet or I'll put mine in your asses!" No one moved. "Get!" There was a sudden stampede of men rushing through the yard leaving their leader behind. He stood only thirty feet away from Elspeth and Destry's hiding spot. He lit a cigarette up and puffed.

The two knew him well. He had been chasing them and other drifters for days now. He goes by the name of Gensperf. They weren't sure about his last name, if he even had one. He wasn't high in command under Lord Shendrake Lordoth, but he didn't seem to take mess from anyone. A constant scowl played across his face. It's there so often you'd think his features were frozen that way. He supposedly took orders from a man named Rix, but Destry and Elspeth had never seen him before.

Gensperf was trouble enough. He was good at what he did. He never let his guard down and was very determined to complete what he gets started. As of right now, he won't rest until Destry and Elspeth are dead.

"Sir," a soldier panted, "there are only two drifters. They'll be caught and slain eventually. Let us rest."

Gensperf looked over at the soldier and gave a sympathetic look, one you wouldn't expect from him. "Are you thirsty?"

The soldier hesitated, studying Gensperf as if he was a new man to him. "Yes," he said almost silently.

"Here, take my canteen," Gensperf said with a smirk. He reached down to his belt to take the water bottle off, but instead unsheathed his dagger and stabbed the soldier in the gut. The man fell to the floor and in a matter of seconds was dead at Gensperf's feet. "Scum," the leader muttered. Elspeth held her hands to her mouth as Destry's grip tightened on his sword's hilt. The cloth wrapped around the blade's handle almost burned him because he held so tightly.

Another soldier reported to his master's side. "Sir, we've scoured the area and we can't find them."

Gensperf scowled again. "They must've escaped into the that rocky region yonder. Find them. I want them dead and brought back to me."

"Yes, sir." The soldier ran off and shouted commands to the others and soon enough they all disappeared into the distance. Gensperf watched them run further away. With a final puff, he threw his cigarette in Destry's direction. It hit him in the face, causing him to yelp from a quick burn. Gensperf peered straight at Els and Des, though he wasn't looking directly at them. He began to step forward when he was called by one of the soldiers. With one last glance, he made his way away from the two and towards the rocks. Elspeth and Destry sighed with relief.

"Smoking's bad for you," Destry uttered and the two left their hiding spot and returned to the town.

[Ozymandius Jones]

Elspeth was shaking as she followed Destry back into the town. That had been their first close call in...in...quite some time. Close calls did come often, yes, but that had been the closest in over a month. Which was rare in her time as a Drifter.

They'd been Drifters for quite some time now; since the very tail-end of childhood. She didn't think either of them had [I]planned[/I] on becoming Drifters...or at least, [i]she[/i] hadn't. Destry, however....

Destry had been a wild child, constantly in and out of trouble, an adventurer who's plans had failed to include the stone walls and safe bounderies of their village.

She...Elspeth had always been quiet. She'd always been the well behaved little girl, the waif who edged along, trying not to be noticed, as the other children roughhoused.

Nobody understood, then, why the two had become friends. Stars above, even [i]she[/i] wasn't sure. But friends they had become, and fast ones at that; as close as a brother and sister. It had been said, once, long ago, that if you combined the two - Elspeth with her almost cunning constant shyness, and Destry with his rash, rough-and-tumble bravado - you'd have the perfect person. Both Destry and Elspeth dismissed this as nonsense. They were only what they were - friends who had spent most of their lives together.

Which is why Destry never glanced back to tell where she was, and yet never, ever walked too fast. He knew where she was...she was where she always was, half a step behind and to his left. He half turned his head, grinning rakishly.

[B]"Another close call thwarted, then..."[/B] Elspeth returned the smile.

[B]"Aye. But I'd like to know why you picked the [i]one[/i] village that was swarming with soldiers...." [/B] Destry waved a hand dismissively.

[B]"Merely bad timing, Els. They were clearly here to restock. You'll notice they lit outta here pretty fast."[/B] Elspeth nodded, trying to keep the relieved mood and trying to hide a shudder at the thought of the dead soldier. Death was no stranger to a Drifter, but to see someone murder one of his own men...Destry blinked at her.

[B]"And don't cry over that soldier. He would've killed is if he'd found us."[/B] Elspeth nodded, not looking at Destry's face.

[B]"I...I know that. It's just...I wasn't expecting..."[/B] Destry threw his arm over her shoulder.

[B]"I know, I know. C'mon, we'll go get something to eat, it'll make you feel better." [/B] She smiled again, slightly, allowing him to hurry them into the small, disruputable looking Inn.

[CENTER]***[/CENTER]

A short time later, seated over a bowl of hot stew, she did feel better. She munched away happily, watching Destry talking to some of the men. He seemed to be entertaining them, from the way they were laughing...the bartender standing behind the counter looked less than impressed.

[B]"You're the Drifters they were chasing earlier, aren't you?"[/B] Elspeth watched warily as Destry turned.

[B]"What's it to you if we are?"[/B]

[Dragon Warrior]

"You best be gettin' out of here," the bartender rubbed a cloth against his scruffy face. "I be not wantin' any troubleses." His gut protruded beyond his shirt and sat itself comfortably on the countertop. His hand made a quick movement to scratch the overhanging tummy.

"You won't get any trouble if we stay hidden for the time being," Destry reassured.

"I don't want any troubleses," the bartender repeated glumly.

"Look, I just came to get some soup for my friend," Destry protested.

"If those soldiers come back, I'll-"

"If the soldiers come back," Destry interrupted, "we'll be outta here in two shakes of a lamb's tail. No fuss." There was a silence for a long time. No one spoke at all. Even the bartender's gut retreated behind the counter.

"Drifters are still bad omens," scowled the barkeep before tending to other patrons. Elspeth calmed down and went back to her stew knowing they were safe once more. Destry returned to telling his wild stories to the other men who admired him so. Some other men in a corner talked amongst themselves and then stood. They approached Destry and tapped him on the shoulder.

"I don't care what the others think," said a long-haired man, "we kill drifters here and give them to the soldiers for *lorttoles!" His teeth were rotten and his breath wasn't much better. By this time he had Destry by the scruff of the neck, ready to rough him up.

"You don't want to be doing that," Destry scowled.

"Oh, I think I do." With that, the man smiled greedily, knife in hand, and ready to strike. He suddenly fell to the floor unconscious, smashed in the head by a swing of Elspeth's quarterstaff.

"Right on cue," Destry mused, doing a backflip onto the table behind him and unsheathing his blade from his back.

"Hey!" the bartender yelled.

"Shut up," Destry commanded without turning his vision away from the threateners.

"Get them!" shouted another man. Out of nowhere seven large and heavy men lunged forward onto Elspeth and Destry. Yelps of pain echoed in the small hut as Elspeth's quarterstaff met their faces. Other men took out small bread knives or daggers and jumped Destry. But Destry was no ordinary drifter. He was skilled with his sword and practiced with it several hours each day. His swordsmanship was beyond the common folks in this crackjob town.

He quickly unlanced all the men before kicking and punching them into unconsciousness.

"Hey, I said I wanted no troubleses!" shouted the bartender before a loaf of hard bread hit him square in the forehead, kncoking him out.

"And I said shut up," Destry scolded, taking another loaf of bread to another man's head. It wasn't long before the men were all on the ground passed out or moaning in pain. Elspeth and Destry took the chance to escape while they could. They dashed out into the streets, pursued by some of the men from the bar and even more of their buddies that happened to be out on the streets at that time.

"Never a dull day," Destry humored dryly as the two were chased out of town. The men gave up a little ways away from the town boundaries.

"Christ," one swore. "And I wanted to eat chicken tonight."

------

*Lorttoles are the new currency of Earth in this time. It's simply peasant change. The real money lies in actual dollars from the past. They call those the Papershins.

[Ozymandius Jones]

Elspeth stopped running at the same time Destry did, both of them collapsing to the rocky ground, panting. Some much for sleeping inside tonight...

[B]"Think they'll call the soldiers?"[/B] Destry shook his head.

[B]"Nah...that lot's a bunch of cowards. They're as scared of the soldiers as we are, and even greed won't change that. We should be safe as long as we keep going this way."[/B] A short break gave them both their breath back, and then they were back on their way, heading for the next village.

As far as villages went, the next one was strangely close. Normally, villages were farther apart than this, but, considering that they'd left the last town without food neither of them would complain.

They were a quarter mile from the new village when they saw the stranger stumbling towards them. He was a tall man, at least a head taller than Destry, with thinning blonde hair. His clothes were ripped and dusty, and he had a gash across his brow that was still dripping blood. Destry and Elspeth exchanged a glance, Destry's hand going to the hilt of his sword just in case. Elspeth shifted her grip on her quarterstaff, but smiled warily.

[B]"Greetings, stranger..."[/B] The stranger grunted.

[B]"Greetings t'yeh both..."[/B] The rough fabric of his clothing and the battle-worn blade at his side marked him as a fellow Drifter, although his voice was that of a villager...someone new to Drifting, perhaps...Drifters moved too much to aquire a static accent. [B]"If yeh be goin' to yon town methink yeh may wish to reconsider...run me out, they did, and naught but 20 minutes ago."[/B] Elspeth glanced at Destry, who flung his hands up in exasperation.

[B]"Of course they ran you out! You look nothing like a villager, they'd know you in an instant...and I'll bet you tried talking, too..."[/B] The strange Drifter blinked, looking quite unhappy to be lectured by someone who looked to be ten years younger than he, but nodded. Elspeth snickered softly, catching the man's glare as she tried to hide it.

[B]"That was your first mistake, friend. Your accent would give you away in moments, it's the wrong region. It's always best to play mute until you get a feel of a village,"[/B] she explained.

[B]"I don't need lectures from a woman."[/B] Elspeth shrugged. Destry mirrored the action.

[B]"Your loss." [/b]He led them through the rocks to sit down next to the small stream. [b]"If you wait 'til nightfall Els an' me, we'll show you how it's done." [/B] Elspeth allowed herself a small grin as Destry winked at her. [B]"Isn't that right, Els?"[/B]

[B]"But of course, Des." [/B] She turned to the stranger.[B] "Let me clean your wound before it gets worse, and then you can watch us. You learn from us, and you're learning from the best." [/B] The stranger agreed gruffly; so she began washing his wounds as they waited for dusk.

[Dragon Warrior]

Dusk fell awfully slowly to the three. It seemed like it took many days before the sun finally took its place on the mountains in the horizon. That's when the three had made their move. The stranger, Destry and Elspeth had learned, was named Luken Ballowway, and he was indeed a new drifter. Stubborn as Hell too! Destry gladly gave over his makeshift bandana to Luken to cover his face for the time being. If he was recognized, the whole demonstration would be a waste.

They arrived at the village just as lanterns were being placed in the streets for light source. Destry sniffed the air and smelt hot meat being cooked by the local taverns. More often people eat at taverns than their own homes, sadly not being able to afford their own food. "Where's a good shop for vittles?" Destry asked Luken.

The man rubbed at his dried wound and peered around the town. "Meh can't be sure. The place looks different at night, aye. And I wasa run out pretty quickly."

"Lovely," Destry sighed. The three continued through the streets when Elspeth spotted a cart. The man was snoring soundly behind it, obviously the shopkeep.

"Won'erful," Luken sneered. "We kin rob teh fatso!"

Destry put an arm in Luken's way. "We don't do that. Not to fellow peasants." Luken grimaced and stepped back. He didn't know why he feared Destry, being older and all. But he was also not about to disobey the two. Elspeth, being the food and money expert, gathered provisions into her bag and left a pouch of lorttoles on the cart next to the slumbering man.

"Done," Elspeth mused. "Now let's find one of those taverns. That food smells delightful."

Destry roughly nudged Luken and gestured him to follow. The two started off towards a tavern while Luken walked slowly behind. He snickered to himself. "When I get the chance, I'm grabbing their lorttoles and vittles and amscraying! No one upstages Luken the Cunning." His gave a toothy grin and his teeth would naturally ping if they weren't rotten enough to fall out.

The three entered the tavern, which was more active with people than the last village's. Elspeth counted twenty patrons. This town was obviously about night meals. The three crashed at a table in the corner and watched as shadows danced along the walls from crazy drunk patrons casting their souls through lightshows.

"Something doesn't sit right with me here," Destry mumbled to Elspeth.

"We'll eat and get out," she replied quietly back. Luken was drooling over the bag of food Elspeth had at her side. Destry noticed this and laughed.

"Look at this guy, hungry as a rabid wolf. Let's get something in his tummy, eh?" The normal, loud-mouthed Destry stood up at his chair and shouted for some service. Not but a moment later did a man arrive and give them meat dishes (the only meal ever served in this particular tavern). Luken dug in immediately as Elsepth paid the waiter. Destry joined in on the ruthless feasting while Elsepth nibbled daintly at hers.

Luken chuckled to himself in his head. [i]I'm gettin' away wit' dinner and now I'ma goin' tah git their supplies,[/i] he told himself in his head. [i]I'm makin' out like a bandit. Wait... I am a bandit! Haha! It be almost too cruel. Maybe I shouldn't take from them.[/i] Then he eyed the bag of food once more. [i]Nah... like I said, no one upstages Luken the Cunning!.[/i]

[Ozymandius Jones]

Elspeth leaned back in her seat, as, oddly enough, she was done eating first. It wasn't that she ate faster, as it would really be impossible to beat either Destry or Luken at eating. It was just that the two men kept getting seconds...and thirds...and she wasn't quite sure, but she [i]thought[/i] Luken might [i]perhaps[/i] be on fifths...

Something about their new traveling companion made her skin twitch. Just nagging little suspicions, but her nagging little suspicions had a nasty tendancy to be right. He kept casting furtive glances around the Inn and at the sack of food she had stashed at her side. The way he was smiling...she looked over at Destry, who was still eating. A quick wink, however, told her that he'd noticed as well. Destry shoved his empty plate to the side and sighed.

[B]"That was good."[/B] Luken grunted in response, still shoving food into his mouth. [B]"So...where are you from?" [/B] Luken glowered, but wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

[B]"East of here, 'bout seven days walking distance. There was nothin' there, so I left."

"Nothing there? No family, no work?"[/B] Luken shrugged, and answered with his mouth full.

[B]"There was a little work, mostly just farmin' and other crap like that. An' my wife ran off with some other fella, so..."[/B] He shrugged again. Elspeth tried not to make a face. [i]I'd run off, too, if this is how he normally acts...[/i] Luken went on. [B]"So I stole a sword an' a packbeast, and left. Wouldn't ya know the beast died on me two days out..."[/B] Elspeth exchanged another glance with Destry. Destry's normally smiling expression was suspicious. Packbeasts were expensive, rare and very hard to kill with just riding. Either he'd had it stolen off of him, ridden it [i]far[/i] too hard, or killed it outright. Any of the above made him a problem, the type of Drifter who could, in time, become worse than the soldiers.

After the food was gone, the three strode into the night. Destry fell back to join Elspeth as Luken walked on faster.

[B]"I don't like him, Des."[/B] Destry nodded.

[B]"I don't like him, either. Keep your eyes open, he's gonna try something. "[/B] And he did, not even ten minutes later, drawing his sword in a rasp of metal on metal.

[B]"Alright, then, hand over the food an' your lorttoles, an' mebbe I won't haveta hurt yous."[/B]

[Dragon Warrior]

Destry pushed the blade away with his hand. "Come now, Luken..."

But Luken was persistant. He brought the blade's tip to Destry's nose. Destry had no choice, but to leap back and put his sword to Luken's. "I'm not jokin' 'round. Fork over the bloody food and lorttoles!"

Destry grinned. "You honestly think you can just threaten us like this and get what you want?"

Luken stared Destry and Elspeth down like they were mad (where, in fact, Luken was the mad one). "Well, of course I kin. Yer but two simpletons. I'm older and wiser and a much betta swordsman."

"Wanna bet a lorttole on that?" Destry arched his eyebrow. Elspeth stood by with her staff in hand. Her hands were rather limp on the shaft since she had much faith in Destry coming out victorious. Luken shifted his eyes around as if he could see his chances hidden in the piles of rubble outside the town. In less than a few seconds later, he charged Destry with a waving metal fury. Destry moved out of the way, kicked Luken in the side and chopped his sword's blade in half.

Now Luken tumbled to the ground with a broken sword, spitting out mouthfuls of dirt and what some may think are animal droppings. "There, you're humiliated," Destry grinned. "You can go and we won't come after ye for trying to steal, eh? Good deal?"

Luken's eyes flared. "Yer disgusting," he mumbled.

"Hah," Destry chuckled dryly. "Wow... coming from you?" He turned to Elspeth and smirked. "Coming from him?" Elspeth shrugged.

"You'll burn in 'ell!" But Luken was too chicken to match swords with the likes of Destry again. Instead he took off down a dusty road at a good sprint. Destry walked over to Elspeth and removed an apple from her pack.

"What're you doing, Des?" she questioned.

"He may get hungry. It's a long ways away from another town, I bet, especially if he figures out that town we just came from doesn't welcome drifters." He aimed carefully and chucked the apple as hard as he could. It whizzed through the air and plucked Luken on the head. A short "Wahaaa!" came from the thief's mouth before he collapsed.

Satisfied, Destry and Elspeth continued on down the road in the opposite direction.