These hands' got blood on them.

"What do you think we should do now? And where's your friend?"

“Well you said something about Caladon as we where leaving, if you think it would help to go there then we should head over to the docks to hire a ship. And as for the man… um… he got shrunk, he’s about the size of a mouse now. And last time I saw him,â€￾ oops :/ I thought to my self. “he was in a rat hole and the inn was burning. Maybe we should go and see if he’s still there.â€￾

[OOC= I think it’s a good thing where leaving soon, if I light one more thing on fire I think the guards are going to find out who’s burning everything. ]

 

The steady clacking of the train's wheels was the only sound in last car of the Blackroot-Tarant express. The car, which could seat over thirty, had only four occupants, all of which were engaged in seperate activities. A portly gentleman and his wife were seated towards the front of the car reading a paper. Several rows back an intelligent-looking young man was engaged in scribbleing on a notepad. The last occupant was seated in the back and appeared to be asleep, his head resting against the window. A large pack lay in the seat beside him, and made odd clinking sound when the train hit a bump.

The man, however, was not asleep. The hood of his cloak was drawn up, putting his face in shadow, but two eyes gleamed within, watching the passing landscape out the window. A red tattoo encircled his right eye and lanced down his cheek, but the other side of his face was even darker than the hood should have been able to make it. He wore a glove on his left hand which was absently stroking the handle of a revolver at his hip.

The train car's door suddenly opened and the conductor stepped in.

"We'll be arriving in Tarant in approximately 10 minutes, lady, gentlemen. Please remember to take all personnel effects with you when leaving the train, and thank you for riding."

Dennin Rault spared abreif glance for his pack and returned his eyes to the window. Tarant: the industrial center of Arcanum. He hoped there was some cheap food.

 

“Well you said something about Caladon as we where leaving, if you think it would help to go there then we should head over to the docks to hire a ship.â€￾ My spirits lifted when I heard him say that. I always enjoyed a good voyage. And then I remembered.

“But there’s the issue of gold! I wanted to ask for information in the library as regards this book, and I really want to identify this... And hiring a ship! There are three of us now, and that would cost at least 300 coins... And we still have to fetch your friend and---“

I bit my lip. What had happened to the other, the one that had blushed at the sight of my naked body? Should we wait for him or should we go? Had all this really happened in two days? I looked into Merloc’s eyes and felt he had been with me for a long time, longer than a day, and the day was coming to its end. Long, long, long; a long day, a long story, to long for something, longing for someone...

After a short while I looked down and said, “I can get the information in Caladon, the membership of the library would cost too much.â€￾ I looked at Noggf, his simple face staring at us. An idea came to my mind. “Why don’t we let Noggf here do the talk to hire the boat? We could travel for free if the captain thinks we’re simple! They are always looking for crew to Caladon; I can also identify the weapon there, that is, if you lend me the money, and... â€￾

Merloc's eyes darted, “And as for the man… um… he got shrunk, he’s about the size of a mouse now. And last time I saw him, he was in a rat hole and the inn was burning. Maybe we should go and see if he’s still there.â€￾

I looked up again. “Shrunk?â€￾ I blinked. “How did he---? How could you leave him there?â€￾ I clenched my fists. â€￾You can’t go back to the inn, everybody will recognise you and your red hair!â€￾ I looked at Noggf. “I can’t take him with me, they will recognise him too!â€￾

“What to do?â€￾ I thought, looking at my hands. My clenching had somewhat affected the wounds in my wrist, for I could see a thin red line had appeared in the silk glove.

“Let us do this: why don’t you two go to the general store and get me some bandages? I can go to the inn and be back in a jiffy. I will meet you there.â€￾ Having said that, and without waiting for Merloc to object, I left them, heading for the Bridesdale Inn.

 

After a short while I looked down and said, “I can get the information in Caladon, the membership of the library would cost too much.â€￾ I looked at Noggf, his simple face staring at us. An idea came to my mind. “Why don’t we let Noggf here do the talk to hire the boat? We could travel for free if the captain thinks we’re simple! They are always looking for crew to Caladon; I can also identify the weapon there, that is, if you lend me the money, and... â€￾

Merloc's eyes darted, “And as for the man… um… he got shrunk, he’s about the size of a mouse now. And last time I saw him, he was in a rat hole and the inn was burning. Maybe we should go and see if he’s still there.â€￾

"Me cood wurk on da ship for sum munnee maybee, if you fink dat be a good idiuh!"

 

I watched as Eien took off running toward the inn. Thinking to my self “she’s probably right, I can’t go back there.â€￾ I started walking back across the bridge towards the general store.

As I walked towards the store the street was unusually quiet, it was as if there where no people or animals around me, not even a cricket, and the air was so still. I opened the door and headed inside. A man was there, he was sorting through the shelves trying to find something. “ Hello there!â€￾

The man sprang to his feet hitting his head on a shelf an the way up, “Ouch… damnit, you shouldn’t sneak up on people.â€￾

“Sorry about that, but do you have some bandages.â€￾

“Yes, there right over there next to the potionsâ€￾ the man said angrily as he went back to what he was doing.

I took a bag and walked over to the shelf. I grabbed a box of bandages and a couple healing potions. Taking another look at the shelf I spotted a Fatigue restore potion, I grabbed as well. Looking around for any thing else we might need, I decided to grab some bread and wine as well. I walked over to the counter to buy the supplies.

[OCC= I don’t know why I put that line about it being so quiet, my mind for some reason pictured the area being like that. Kinda like when the air is filled with smoke, the people and animals have fled the area, and all you can hear is silence. ]

 

The streets were unusually quiet, the air was uncannily still. As I got near the Bridesdale Inn, I bumped into a little man, who was frantically running around.

"Ohhhh, how could this happen? How?! I didn't see it coming! I'm a terrible doorman, I will be fired, I---"
"It was an elf!" shouted a woman.
"An elf?" cried the little man. "Oh, if only I could lay my hands on his neck!" and he wrung his hands around an invisible neck.
"Yeah, you do it!" cried another man, covered in ashes. "After they rebuild this, they won't have enough money to pay our wages!"
"Owwwww!" howled the little man.
"It will be easy to find him, he was a red-haired elf!" cried the woman.
"A red-haired elf?" I snorted. "Madam, that is not possible. Everybody knows that elves are either fair-, chestnut-, black-, silver-, golden- or white-haired, but there is no such thing as a red-haired elf; perhaps you were misled by the vision of the fire reflected in his--- Oh!" I gasped dramatically.
"What?" everybody said.
"Hm... I wonder..." I rubbed my chin pensively.
"What?!"
I raised an eyebrow, "I saw a fair-haired elf going in the direction of Vermillion Station, and he looked as if he was escaping from someone... And his hands were blazing! He must be a powerful elf!"
"You must be right, madam!" said the woman. "You already heard her, go and look for him!" she said to the doorman and a guard. But they looked uncomfortably at each other.
"I don't know..."
"He might be powerful..."
"Yes, but, after all, he's an elf..."
"Yes, elves are not that bad..."
"No, no, of course not, they're pretty decent..."

I smiled and took a look at what was left of the Inn. "Well," I thought to myself, "if the man was here, the probabilities that he has survived are scarce. I'd better return to Merloc." And I went to the General Store.

(OOC=I was expecting to meet master Quincy's character here, he'll have to keep the pace, it seems.)

 

Der me wus, goeeng to da ship to talk to da kaptin. Me got losted for a wiles but den me sawed da ship and da kappten. Me go to da captin and talks at him:
"Are yoo de kapptin"
"Yar, I be he. An' what would a scurvy landlubber be wantin' with old Aldrin Half-Leg." He den pointed to wun of hees legs. Da bottom part was gonn.
"Me wanna go on ship to Caldanod, oh an me too frends too"
"Ye wantin' ter be goind to Caladon, lad? And two friends as well, you say."
"Yep"
"Ar, matey, that'd be 450 gold"
"Wat, dat be lotta"
"Hmmm... Ye seem a strong fellow, if you could work on me ship, I'd let you go to Caladon for 250, it's a steal"
"Me need get sum munnee den"
"Okay, laddy, I be waitin here for ye."

 

As the train came to a stop, the conductor steepped into to the coach to inform the passangers that they could disembark. Midway through his speech he paused, puzzled. The cloaked stranger and his backpack were gone.

* * *

"I can't believe this", I thought, as I crept down the ally behind some houses. "It's been fourteen years and I still can't walk these streets with my face up. I really need to get over this. Miigor is dead. Dead and gone... Buried. Hell..." My mumbling trailed off as the image rose in my mind; a flame exploding out of the darkness at me and a cruel sneer on the face illuminated by it, agony as my body burned and I fell into darkness...

Shaking my head to clear my mind I took a breath and stepped into a larger ally where I could get back on the streets. A begger slumbered by a trash can. As I passed, he suddenly jumped at me, brandishing a rusty knife. I had my pistol out and had pulled the trigger before I remembered I was out of bullets and by that time he had slammed me against the wall and had the knife to my throat.

"Your money," he said in a rasping voice.

"I haven't got any," I said as I thought; "amateur. he should have killed me and looted my body."

"Your gun then," he said.

"Fine, just don't hurt me." I injected a little fear into my voice and saw him smile with confidence as I slowly raised the gun and offered it, handle first towards him. His eyes involentarily left mine for a split-second, caught by the gleam of the silver. I grabbed his knife with one hand and thrust the dagger away, while giving him a sharp rap between the eyes with the gun handle. He mumbled something incoherent and collapsed.

I re-holstered my pistol and strode out into the street, strangly calm and confidant now I had been attacked. Being out of the game really dulls you, I thought. I didn't realize how much I missed it.

I absently traced the trigger of the pistol with my index finger as I strode through the streets.

I really need some bullets though, I thought as I paused to read the sign advetising the General Store. "Clothes, Food, Weapons, Ammunition, Basic Pharmecuticals" A sign read. Frowning, I tried to remember the price of bullets as I walked through the door. Hopefully I could talk the shopkeeper into something more reasonable than five coins per round.

 

[OOC]Not ignoring the above post.

"Yar, mayhaps ye be findin' some ol' pirate's treasure if lady luck be on yer side."
"Hmmm... Me ees goweeng too be lewking fer trezir now."

Me den goed away from da beeg shippy an lewk for trezzirs in da wahder. Me lewk for abowt ten minnits den me seed a sumfing shineeeng in da wader.

"Eet be gold" me skreemd an jumpt in da watter.
Me swimmed down and tryd catshing da gold. Me went farver down an got eet. Me den reelized me kuddent swim. Da wadder was kowld and me kuddent swim. Me wus skreeming for help an wun gi in lever armir came an sed.
"Stupid ogre, how'd you end up there. You probably deserve it nonetheless. I think I'll just leave you here, hehe."
He den walked away an me geeved up skreeming. It gotted kolder an evryfeeng bekame dark. It be kold an dark...

 

As I stood at the counter the the man came over and asked “will that be all for you today?â€￾

“Yes, this should do for nowâ€￾

“lets see what you have here… That will be 171 Coinsâ€￾

Swing it off one shoulder I reached in to my pack and pulled out the coin needed. After handing it to the man I, gathered me wares and turned towards the door.

As I walked towards the door a man entered the shop.



[OCC= (Inventory) I think I’ll haft to put this in so I can keep track of what I have.]
“Inventoryâ€￾

Spoiler

7829 - Gold
1 - Black leather armor
1 - Pare of Methril toed boots
1 - Pare of Black Leather gauntlets
4 - Throwing Knifes
1 - Pocket sized spell book.
1 - Backpack
1 - Flaming Dagger.
1 - Box of bandages. (10)
3 - Heal Lesser Wounds
1 - Light Fatigue Restore
1 - Bread
1 - Wine

[OCC= Hay DE you need to stop making your self smaller or by the time we get to Caladon even my keen Elvin eyes wont be able to see you.]

 

I walked back to Kensington Broadway, to Merloc and Noggf. I hoped they had finished shopping; my wrist hurt a little, and the bandages the girl had used on me were somewhat useless by now. If things were to be this way, I would have to learn how to heal myself. Maybe I could borrow some money from Merloc and buy a book, after all, the voyage to Caladon was going to be long. I felt more confident now that we had Noggf travelling with us. There was something about him that made him likeable, maybe it was the look in his eyes, a look that made him vulnerable. He’d surely become a good friend.

I had just turned the corner of Devonshire Way when I noticed a commotion going on in the dock area. A bunch of dock workers were laughing and shouting at each other, nudging each other and moving their feet restlessly as if they were horses trying to keep warm. One of them pointed out towards the water. I had a bad feeling about that, probably because it brought back memories from my own childhood, when many people had been cruel to me and my family. I turned away from the shops and walked towards the crowd.

As I approached them, one of them said scornfully, “Bah, the goof went out quickly.â€￾
“Wouldn’t’ve bet so much had I known it’d take’im this long.â€￾
“Com’on, spit out the coins, ladies,â€￾ said one of them.
“And talking about ladies, hullo, madam, can I help you?â€￾ said another to me.
“No, thank you, I was just wondering---â€￾ I paralysed when my eyes spotted something floating nearby. A huge body. My heart skipped a beat.

“Wait! What are you doing, miss!â€￾ cried out one of the men when I jumped into the water. I swam towards him. “Please, please,â€￾ I thought, “do not let him die, he can’t die...â€￾ My tears mingled with the salty water beating on my face. I grabbed him by his clothes and I knew -the way you know those things- that there was nothing I could do for him. My heart knew but my mind didn’t. I swam back to the shore and hauled him out of the water. The dock workers came to aid me with a mortified look on their faces.

“Don’t you dare,â€￾ I hissed, dragging the body with all my effort, my wrist bleeding profusely. They stepped back and I let go of Noggf. I hovered over him, checked on his breathing, pressing his massive chest with my useless palms. “Please, Noggf, please...â€￾ I cried. Was my sorrow as real as my tears? I was crying for someone I had just met, why should I care? Was it because I didn’t want to be left alone? Was this feeling inside my chest true?

A voice murmured, “He is gone, miss.â€￾
“He is not,â€￾ I choked. A man was looking at me pitifully.
“He is,â€￾ he just said.

I looked down and I saw Noggf’s black eyes staring at me... But it wasn’t really me, his gaze fixed into the nothingness. I stood up, and my body stiffened as a queasy sensation invaded me. I pressed my hands to my mouth, repressing the scream that longed to come out, holding back the nausea. My whole body jolted, and I felt uncannily, desperately sad. It was something beyond sadness. Grief, isolation, hopelessness, desolation, abandonment: all these feelings blended into one which pierced through my soul.

Not being able to bear the feeling anymore, I screamed a long, high-pitched scream that I didn’t recognise as mine. The men around covered their ears and grimaced bitterly. I didn’t care, I had to let it out.

When it stopped, my throat was strained, I felt so exhausted I couldn’t move myself. I fell on my knees and clung to Noggf’s wet, hard chest, sobbing into his damp clothes.

 

I looked at the man as he walked in, then I glanced over at the wall. “A fishing poleâ€￾ I would be needing something to do on the long trip. I picked it up and started looking for some bait.

I heard a scream in the distance, “that sounded like Eienâ€￾ I said as I through the pole aside. Pushing the man out of my way I ran out the door. The scream came from somewhere down by the docks, I ran there as fast as I could. As I approached the docks I saw a group of the dock workers staring at and talking about something. I pushed my way through them only to see Eien kneeling over Noggf’s limp wet body.

“How long has he been downâ€￾, “Ahhh… just forget it I don’t have timeâ€￾ I said as I grabbed one of the healing potions from my belt. “I hope this will do somethingâ€￾. Popping the cork from the bottle I opened his large mouth and poured the potion down his throat.

I waited a few seconds and nothing happened, I sighed and tilted my head known. A moment later Noggf coughed up a huge amount of water, it was like a fountain Spraying almost everyone in the area “Ohhh!...â€￾ I yelled as I tried in vane to cover my face. I could here the dock workers screaming as the spray hit them. Once I wiped my face I look down and he was starting to move. Shaking off my hands “welcome backâ€￾.

[OCC= He just drowned a few moments ago, he wasn’t dead yet. So a potion should bring him back.]


“Inventoryâ€￾

Spoiler

7829 - Gold
1 - Black leather armor
1 - Pare of Methril toed boots
1 - Pare of Black Leather gauntlets
4 - Throwing Knifes
1 - Pocket sized spell book.
1 - Backpack
1 - Flaming Dagger.
1 - Box of bandages. (10)
2 - Heal Lesser Wounds
1 - Light Fatigue Restore
1 - Bread
1 - Wine

 

I leaned back. Watching the crystal ball for so long made my eyes hurt. So much had happened to the others since I was… kidnapped. Drayne looked at me.

â€￾How do you feel?â€￾

â€￾I feel… strangeâ€￾ I replied. â€￾I feel like I have missed out on so much.â€￾

â€￾Do you long back to your little…â€￾ Drayne snorted. â€￾…group?â€￾

I didn’t know what I wanted, or longed for. I stood up and walked around in the pitch black room. The only light was provided by the crystal ball, where the image had frozen and was showing a fountain of water coming out of the ogre’s mouth. Drayne’s eyes followed me.

â€￾To become accepted as a vampyre, the Childe must do one final mission.â€￾

I looked up at him. We stared at each other for a while, and just as I was about to ask â€￾what?!â€￾, he continued:

â€￾The mission is to go out alone, and basically learn to live as a vampyre. Learn human hatred, learn sunlight, learn the hunger. I think you’re ready.â€￾

I was shocked. Alone? Without my master, my love? Who would guide me? I knew nothing of being a vampyre. I wouldn’t survive! I couldn’t! Not without Drayne.

â€￾I know of the insecurity in your heart. Remember the first rule when showing yourself in public: never show any emotions.â€￾

And with those words, he disappeared, as did the castle. I was alone. On the endless plains.

[OOC]ok, not the superlong monsterpost, but you know... whatev.[/OOC]

 

“welcome backâ€￾, me herd sumwun say. Me kuddint rekiggnize it but eet was firmileer.

Me opened me ise an seed lotta peepil in levver armir standing arownd. Me den also seed Eein an ..uh... da elf gi. Me suddinlee jumpt up in siting posishin, still feeling kold an dizzy.

"Wa... wat happind? me asked lewking at Eenin.

 

Through my tears, I saw Merloc elbowing him way towards us. "Help us," I wanted to tell him, but the words wouldn't come out.

“How long has he been down?â€￾ he asked; he must have seen he wasn't going to get an answer from me, for he added immediately, “Ahhh… just forget it, I don’t have time.â€￾ He opened a bottle of some potion and poured it down Noggf's throat.

Never in my life had I seen such amount of water come out of a person's body, with the exception of myself. And suddenly, Noggf stirred. I couldn't believe my eyes: I had cried for this guy, I had thought him dead, and then that annoying elf had come and got him back. I didn't know I could feel so much love and hatred for someone. Being near the elf was like living a contradiction.

I was being torn by these feelings when I felt Noggf's eyes on me, and he asked, "Wa... wat happind?"

"For Heaven's sake, Noggf..." I said, throwing my arms around him, "Do not do that ever again, whatever that was." He looked comically puzzled, and his eyes moved from my face to Merloc's. I looked at Merloc, smiling through my tears. "And you..." I told him as I got to him, "I can't thank you enough now," I said, as I clung to his neck.

"Hatred, my hat," I thought as my mouth looked hungrily for his.

[OOC=Sooooorry, I had to do that... All right, I wanted to.]

 

I stared at the water dripping off of my hands when Noggf suddenly sat up . "Wa... wat happind?" I looked up at him suppressed that the potion worked, I don’t know why but I felt kind of happy that he was still alive. "For Heaven's sake, Noggf..." Eien said as she gave him a big hug "Do not do that ever again, whatever that was." Noggf’s confused eyes turned towards me I couldn’t help but smile.

At this point Eien looked at me and she smiled. "And you..." she said as she rapped her arms around me, "I can't thank you enough now" She said clinging to my neck. Then Eien kissed me on the lips, I got a confused look on my face thinking “this is newâ€￾ then I relaxed and went with it as Eien sent me falling over backward with her on top of me.


[OCC= (Just to clarify I was kneeling down at the time) I bet Noggf looks even more confused now ]

 

I spent ten minutes trying to talk the shopkeeper into a discount to no avail. leaving with thirty bullets an only 23 gold peices. I walked out of the shop rather irritated and let my feet tak me where they would. By the time I had worked off my anger, I found myself staring walking on the docks. I realized the way a crowd in front of me and paused.

Several figures were on the ground, one very large, the other two in an embrace. "An accident or somthing," I thought.

I was about to investigate further when a large green hand grabbed mine and inexorably pulled me into an allyway. Other hands relieved me of my pack and guns and then spund me around and pinned against the wall. I found myself facing the Orcs in black studded leather, all with identical snake tattoos on their left cheek. The image sparked a memory, but I couldn't hold onto it.

"What can I do for you?" I asked, trying to buy some time.

"You can die Rault," said the one who had grabbed me. "You know why, too. Remember Tagga," he said, with a leer.

My astonishment at his clear speech, was wiped away by the rushing memory which filled my head. A bound prisoner raising his eyes to a young bounty hunter and promising to kill him no matter how long it took. Tagga an Orc murderer captured by me over twenty years ago. The scar just left of my heart which almost ended my life.

My mind seemed to be frozen. I heard myself say, "He was supposed to be executed for his crimes. Over fourty dead with evidence-"

"A lawyer appealed for a life sentence," said the orc. "Another secured his release. Enough formality though. Time to die."

He and his companions hand's went for their knives. I fleetingly though of my gun then remembered it was gone. Deciding totake them with me to hell, I used my free hand to activated the last grenade on my belt and drop it at their feet. I saw the leader's eyes widen in shock as he watched it fall towards the ground. He released my arm as his mouth opened in fear.

"Last mistake," I thought as I desperately threw myself towards the street. Time seemed to slow. I heard the grenade bounce off the cobbles behind me and then a wave of force and metal shards picked me up and hurled me into the street.

 

Eieen an Mirlok were stil bizzy hugeeng an leeking eachuvverz mowvz wen me herd a BEEEG bang!! Me jumpt up as a natshiril reakshin, an me rund to wer me herd daa blast not karing mutsh abowt eenyfing els. Me herd Merlock an Een an da dok wirkir gize beeing startild by da blast but at dat momint me diddent kare. Me went rownd a korner an rite den me saw a man hoo wus broozed lyeeng der on da streed.

"Be yoo okay mister?" me asked da injered man.

 

So, there I was. In the middle of… somewhere. I sensed a slight tingling in my left eye. Instinctively, I turned left and started walking. I went on for a good while. All I could see were plains. Just… endless plains, in all directions. I saw something that could be a tree really far off or a shrub a bit taller than the others, a bit closer.

As I started walking again after studying the monotone landscape, I was suddenly thrown backwards by a hot wind. When I got up, a creature very similar to that in Tarant stood in front of me. My mind told me â€￾Paralyzed with fear! Paralyzed!â€￾, but as the creature tried to hit me, I blocked the punch and landed a crushing blow right in it’s face. It stumbled backwards, and I continued with a kick in its chest. I moved so fast, I didn’t have time to think about what I was doing. I felt like I was just a spectator, and my muscles had lives all on their own. I sent the creature flying to the ground, and my brain tried frantically to regain control. I managed to focus enough to send a harm spell at it, and as it hit, the creature disappeared.

Still, I had a strange feeling it would visit me again soon enough…

[OOC]about time they showed themselves again...[/OOC]