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Post by Elias Saaresto on Aug 29, 2012 12:39:36 GMT -6
Pirates! Elias laughed at the way they threw themselves at each other. Classless barbarians. When he wanted something for himself, he simply pulled out his gun and let the bullets negotiate for him. None of this ridiculous drunken shoving and taunting. Grandious boasts fell upon his ears, and Elias took question with every single one of them. He himself was a man of action, and saw no room for bragging when something was to be gained.
He ran a hand through his auburn locks, eyeing the sweat that stained his gloves. "It's been some time since I traveled so close to the sea." Elias caught the tip of his glove between his teeth and gave it a sharp yank. His bare hands relished in the chill of the port town. While the 'noble thieves' stank of liquor, the air itself was fresh if not salty.
Elias took a seat in the corner of the tavern, minding himself while he observed the transactions happening between the dullards. So that was how they conducted business around these parts. It was, by all accounts, too slow for his taste. "How do they avoid constantly stealing back what is theirs?" He propped his elbow upon the table, sneering at the flimsy wooden grain. Under enough pressure, the damn thing would split in two.
To be quite honest, Elias ached for a fight. Not a senseless brawl in the midst of a bar, but a gentleman's duel. One-on-one combat may not have been his forte, but his aging body still knew a few tricks; he'd lose those if he allowed himself to slacken.
Elias drummed his bare fingertips against the table, contemplating between his choices: Find a man to sate his boredom, or find a means to make this little town his own.
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Post by Vaken Radmos on Aug 30, 2012 20:08:35 GMT -6
Vaken only had a marginally better idea of where he was than when he had woken up in the middle of a vast thunderstorm. He still wasn't quite sure where he was, but he knew this wasn't Eloran, and that, as far as he knew, he was the only Hali Kra for miles. Possibly on the whole world, whatever this world was called. He wasn't quite sure.
He had wandered into the middle of a pirate's den, it seemed. Vaken had dealt with his fair share of pirates in the Second Empire—although few of them were face-to-face. He had mostly dealt with them from the other side of the law. Advising whoever was prosecuting for the best way to stop them from piracy.
He'd stopped that stupid, barbaric “cut off their hands” law, single-handedly, and that was something, right?
Vaken had realized, in his short span of time in this place, that even though it was awful to be the only Hali Kra on this place, or at least the only one that he knew of, it was a bit of an advantage. People looked him in the eye and shrunk away. People came up to him, tried to attack him, and if they weren't put off by his eyes, all he had to do was let his lips curl back a little and let out a growl or a roar, and show off those sharp teeth of his. It was a stupid thing that would have never intimidated another Hali Kra, but none of these people—he loathed to even call them that— were Hali Kra.
He wasn't sure how he had found the tavern, but the little nagging bit of a headache forming in his head made him think that it was about time for a drink again. The alcohol on this world was awful, too. Not nearly as strong as it was in Coryzon. Still, alcohol was alcohol, no matter what, and Vaken needed his alcohol.
He wasn't sure where to go from here. He could catch a ride on a pirate ship with enough flashing of his fangs, but did he really want to do that? He could meet up with that strange blonde man he met on the plain—Yirral no, he never wanted to see him again. He could...
Ah, damn it all, he thought, shrugging and taking a long swig of the disgusting liquid that passed for beer here.
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Post by Elias Saaresto on Aug 30, 2012 22:57:19 GMT -6
Elias noted that many of these self-proclaimed pirates had the same look about them: Rugged and brutish. He saw not a single merchant about, no man with a brain. Yet somehow a thin veneer of peace remained in plain sight for everyone to obey. He knew not what invisible laws governed these men, only that they were not meant for him. But he would not cause a commotion so abruptly. He did not need the entire block on his heels for snubbing an unspoken code of conduct. Elias bid his time, observing all that was around him, relying on more than just what he saw. What he heard always proved more interesting.
From the few tidbits that he snared, Elias deduced that some sort of treasure must have laid under the waters, hidden beneath planks of driftwood and forests of seaweed. He also heard something about 'a dragon', but assumed that it was a codeword for someone important. It made no sense for the pirates to be squabbling over a mythological creature.
That was all he managed to learn within the hour. Elias made to rise from his table, but then he noticed the newcomer: Awkwardly out of place, yet proud enough to stand his own grown. The man was no coward and seemed to lash out at anyone who threatened his immediate vicinity. Elias laughed. "I must be desperate if I'm seeking a kindred soul in this dump of a place."
He continued his leave from the corner table and passed by the bartender, tossing a coin he had filched from some street rat prior. "Another drink for the gentleman over there, if you would be so kind." While the drink was sent off on its way, Elias followed suit and took a seat across from the peculiar stranger.
"You seem lost. Am I mistaken in that query?" he asked in a gentle voice. Elias offered a disarming smile, bordering on submissive. When he wanted to, he knew how to put others at ease.
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Post by Vaken Radmos on Aug 31, 2012 6:53:11 GMT -6
For a split second, Vaken was almost tempted to try and frighten this man off the way he frightened off everyone he didn't want to associate with. But, then, he realized, that this man was buying him a drink and he should at least give him the kindness of a bit of conversation, even if he didn't know this man, or even knew if he could trust him. Still, he raised an eyebrow at the man's query as his second drink arrived.
“Perhaps,” Vaken said, taking a drink from the drink this man had bought him. It was just as disgusting as the last one, and Vaken fought back the urge to gag. Instead, he focused on the stranger sitting across from him. There was something not right here. He had a rather...pleasant smile on his face, though Vaken knew from years of working with scumbags and other assorted characters that to trust someone's face alone was a pretty stupid choice. Still, he didn't think he had much to lose. He hadn't been too friendly with that armored barbarian he had met back on the Plains, but everything had turned out just fine.
“Are you saying that you know where you are?” Vaken said, tilting his head ever-so-slightly to the side. His eyes caught the light in an unusual way, and shimmered in the dim light of the tavern. “Because I've been asking myself that for...Kale...a few days now,” he said.
He didn't know the other man's capabilities yet. And now that he was alone, without some hammer-wielding barbarian to defend him, he realized that if he was engaged in a real fight, his best options were to run away. Part of him didn't understand why this man was being so kind to him, and it was that part that was slowly telling him to back away from this conversation.
But a small part of him was intrigued. His odd appearance lead to him never being approached around here, and anyone who approached him so brazenly was obviously worth a little bit of his time, right?
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Post by Elias Saaresto on Sept 2, 2012 17:26:06 GMT -6
It'd been some time since Elias first arrived at this land, enough to have a basic grasp on where things were. So yes, he did have an answer for the stranger, and not a half-assed one either: "More or less. There is a grand city with a waterfall beyond this place. Here appears to be a harbor, but it's been overrun by sea bandits. Pirates, if you want to save your breath." In spite of the informality of their locale, Elias remained prim and proper. He prided himself in his poise regardless of the situation.
He stifled a laugh. "Days, you say? That's nothing more than a mere vacation." Elias eyed the tankard set before himself, jostled the contents, and nudged it aside. He couldn't stand for the vile concoctions himself.
He knew he had something to gain from this stranger. What that was, however, he would need more time to discern. "I wouldn't want to call this neighborhood home. There's a charm to it far too rich for me. I say we take for elsewhere."
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Post by Vaken Radmos on Sept 3, 2012 19:36:09 GMT -6
Vaken nodded in slow response to the man across from him. He actually knew a few of these things already, but he was more interested in seeing what this other man knew. What he could tell him. How useful he would end up being. And so far, he seemed...intelligent, at least. That was a relief, given the kind of company that Vaken had run into during his time on this strange world.
There was something about the way the man was acting, too. Sure, he was polite, but he was almost too polite. It sent a little bit of a chill up Vaken's spine. Though he wasn't sure if he was perhaps just reading too much into the situation, or if the alcohol was already starting to affect him. He seriously doubted the latter, as he would need probably more beer to even get him a little tipsy. Perhaps he was just being too paranoid.
Though with these people who weren't Hali Kra, he could never tell. They were different, and he couldn't understand a lot of their motivations behind things. He raised an eyebrow and took another drink of his own beer. It felt warm, and it felt good, but it certainly didn't taste good and it certainly wasn't enough to get him even a little bit tipsy.
“What exactly are you proposing?” Vaken said, raising an eyebrow and taking another sip of his beer. Vaken was a smart man, and a man who had been with lots of other men in his fifty year lifespan. He thought that was a come-on...at least it sounded like it, but he had to keep reminding himself that these people were different from him and that maybe there was some sort of cultural differences between them. Not that he cared to know about those cultural differences in depth, but they might have existed. “I suppose this isn't a place where I should linger for too long,” Vaken said, “I don't think I could stay here for very long anyway,” he said, with a shrug, as he drained the rest of this thing that they called beer.
“Are you asking for a traveling partner?” Vaken said, setting his mug down on the table, and his eyebrow still raised. “I don't know if you'd want me as your first choice.”
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Post by Elias Saaresto on Sept 6, 2012 23:28:20 GMT -6
Intelligence served as the commodity above all commodities, in that it could never be stolen or pawned off, yet one could flaunt it like a golden ingot. Of course, one had to be mindful about bragging. Most people didn't like braggarts. Some people would kill to have brains, only to realize that a brain without a host was useless. If Elias had been a mindreader, he'd have felt flattered at the impression he gave Vaken.
He kept his intentions close to his breast as another might with a love token: Such things were intimate knowledge. Elias allowed his smile to soften into something less familiar, more professional. A thin line nestled between his lips as he settled for business: "A traveling partner, yes. Something to that effect. I'm more inclined towards those who can hold a conversation. Fighting, I can do for myself." Brute force wasn't his style. Elias preferred a little more precision; he liked guarantees when he himself granted none.
"I feel lonely in this world," he began, gesturing about with a wave of his hand. "And I have no need for strange bedfellows - in case that crossed your mind," - he winked - "But companionship. Someone who won't bore me to tears while I turn this place upside down."
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Post by Vaken Radmos on Sept 8, 2012 9:07:49 GMT -6
For a moment, Vaken felt he should have been a little offended. Was he not attractive enough? Or could this man smell Morbel's undoubtedly strong scent on him? Was that scaring him off? For a moment, Vaken's thoughts wandered back to Morbel. As much as the boy annoyed him half the time, he certainly would have loved to have him here, for a number of reasons. Vaken understood Morbel, for one. He didn't understand what this person was getting at, and he didn't feel he could entirely trust his intentions.
“Oh?” he said, blinking once, trying to feign disinterest. He was interested, but he didn't know if he could trust this man. Even worse, he didn't know what would happen if he went along with him, and he ended up getting hurt. He was somewhere completely away from home, and he had no idea what this person was capable of...and he wasn't ready to die. Not yet.
But, a small part of him was still curious. He wanted to know what this man was capable of, so long as he didn't find out, firsthand. “Sounds like fun,” Vaken said. Non-committal. Perfect answer. “What exactly are you preparing to do?” he said, a smirk forming on the edges of his lips. “Forgive me if I'm asking too many questions,” he said, “it's just in my nature.”
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Post by The Pantheon on Oct 8, 2012 18:45:32 GMT -6
A shadow overtook the area as a great black dragon soared overhead. Though this one was not the feared Death as this peninsula was so named. No, this dragon was sleeker and more delicate looking. She landed delicately and the dragon melted away into an equally delicate looking woman. Those that witnessed the transformation knew Death's Mistress when they saw her. The Consorts were just as well known on Eden as the Pantheon were. They wisely went on their business before attracting the dragon-woman's attention.  She was dressed in a simple black dress. Earrings of a black stone dangled from her ears. If one saw her, one would think twice. However, a woman in a place like this was...odd to say the least. A delicate hand pushed open the door to the establishment. But if you looked closely at her eyes, you would know she was not human. |
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