"I suppose that depends on your definition of fun." Keke said, grinning mischievously. "I like to find my enemies before they find me and deal with them with knives in the dark. Stealth usually requires you to remain a step behind."
She casually stood and stretched, arching her back to allow the rising sun to silhouette her profile. "What is your definition of... fun?" Keke asked, grinning wryly and watching Jergalzad from the corner of her eye.
"Life isn't a game," says Ervan. "You can't cheat at it."
Keke tossed back her head and laughed. "Of course you can. You only have to know the rules the other person plays by, and you can cheat to your heart's content. Cheat them of everything. You should know that. That's half of it though, knowing that and having the Honor not to."
"What is your definition of... fun?"
Jergalzad raised a brow. "If we're still talking about the same thing," began Jerg, winking, "then I have to disagree. I prefer my foes to know exactly what they are dealing with." Jergalzad flexed the fingers of his left hand, lips twisting into a malicious grin. "Ah, to savor the look on their faces when they realize that they just.. lost.. the.. game."
Still grinning mischeviously, Jergalzad mused, "Why don't we bring that bard girl along with us? She seems handy with a spell, but more importantly: I, for one, would not mind having an attractive young woman singing tales of our deeds."
It was a dark and stormy night...
Keke thought for a moment, then glanced at the girl. So she was a bard... "I suppose you are right. It would be handy to have someone around to compose the tale of my eternal glory." She nodded to herself, still smiling.
As soon as the orc spoke, Kitsa wandered off again. Cho'kar narrowed his eyes. His lip curled up into a sneer. The world was on the brink of disaster. These people had been chosen to stop it and they just took it as a game? And the Captain was never around... rarely issued orders and gave no leadership. He could feel the others' tension flaking away even as it seemed to pile up on him. Was he the only one who had a clear vision of what must be done?
With a heavy sigh, the orc moved away from the rest of the band. With a shrill whistle he called Rajah to him. Carai still clung to his arm. He knelt in front of the Gauvedan and pressed his foredhead against the armored cat's own. The orc closed his eyes and silently shared his rage, his apprehension, and his hopes with his large companion. After a moment of the strange communion, Cho'kar dropped into a sitting position and gently stroked the fur that poked up from beneath the armor.
"Carai, Rajah, my friends. We have a very long and perilous journey ahead of us. And we must protect our friends. We will travel to a land none of us have ever seen and face challenges unlike any other. I pray to the Great Beasts that we have the fortitude to see this through."
JOIN AN RP YOU SLACKERS!
"So you believe you can cheat at life?" says Ervan. "... Your honour misleads you. It is also a game, a game that you can cheat at. But why play at all? My honour is not nearly as complicated or restrictive as yours, and it satisfies me. I am proud of what I am because I have my honour. Are you? Does your honour satisfy you? Or does it hold you back, stop you saying what you feel, limit your options? I know my options are limited, but they are limited in the same way they always were. You can't run forever. But your options, yours could be so much more open."
Keke's smile slipped as she said, "You are alive because I have Honor and Obligation." She shook her head. "At every turn you spit bile and hate at me, and yet I have Honor enough to..." She broke off when she felt the tears constricting her throat.
"You know what? It's not worth it. You don't have to take every moment and destroy it with your racism. We only have right now, we aren't guaranteed tomorrow. Tomorrow could bring that." She hissed, indicating the embers and ashes of Daerid's pyre.
"Or perhaps something not so grand." Her mouth twisted with the irony of the statement, Daerid's funeral had been a pitiful affair. She turned on her heel and stomped away.
Ervan was the most closed-minded, bigoted, stubborn, hard-hearted individual of any race or nationality that Keke had ever seen. And why did she want to add 'poor lamb' to every opinion she had of him?
Even as Keke strode away from the trio, Cho'kar stepped back into the clearing. His eyes were thin slits and with Rajah at his side and the wyvern coiled menacingly about his shoulders he truly did look an intimidating sight.
"ENOUGH! Pack up and let us move out. The world is in jeopardy and you toy around here arguing about life being a game. The Ending is not just a challenge to overcome for me. It is real and it is coming. We were chosen to stop it and we will stop it, if you people can get your act together. The bard travels with us, fine. If she betrays us she will meet the fate of all betrayers. We need to either go back to the Black Swan or find new and closer transportation. I no longer care which. China and the fortress in the desert await us. MOVE!"
Thought the adventuring pirates of the Red Hand were apt to argue amongst themselves, something in the tone of Cho'kar's voice signalled that it would be a very unwise decision to argue with him. He had made his voice drip with a lethality that could almost be tasted. With no other word he swung up and into Rajah's saddle and both he and the Gauvedan opened their maws and let a deafening roar echo through the forest.
Ervan watches as Keke leaves. Should I go after her? he thinks. Before he can come to a decision Cho'kar shouts out across the camp. Ervan looks over to him. "I think you're overdoing it."
Jergalzad was confused. What had honor to do with anything? It seemed to Jergalzad that Ervan was alluding once more to their past, and allusion that Keke was none too pleased about judging by her response. Jergalzad stood as Keke did, his eyes landing on Ervan, filled with hatred. Did he feel it necessary to pick at the woman constantly...? Jergalzad remembered the visions they shared with the Phoenix. Had Ervan not tried to kill her before? Had he not tormented her enough?
Jergalzad, his hood still down, shrugged this off. It was none of his business. Instead, he moved to Cho'kar. Sensing his frustration, Jergalzad sought the orc's eye and caught it, giving him an understanding nod and encouraging smile. "So.. we need a ship," he said conversationally. "I take it you pirates have one at port somewhere-- Or do we have to go, ah, pirate one?" He surveyed the group as he spoke. "Is everyone awake and ready to head out? Will the bardess be joining us?"
Jergalzad whistled to his mount, the elderly horse trotting up slowly, its saddlebags jingling with stolen gold.
(( Damn you and your ninja posts, Justin... Leaving this post as is, anyway, just work around it. ))
It was a dark and stormy night...
IC: Stella
Stella awoke, and the first sight to greet her eyes was one of a woman with a tail burying a knife rather frantically. She knew she had seen an orc, a human and two elves. This was perhaps the most diverse rag-tag group of stragglers she had ever seen. It was precisely what she was looking for. If they didn't lead her on an adventure, no one would.
“I could incinerate that, if you prefer.” Stella said. Odd that no one had bothered to make any introductions. This was an odd encounter no matter how you looked at it though. She stood and unraveled the wards guarding herself and her horse. She was approaching the tailed-one when the orc's booming voice broke through.
“ENOUGH! Pack up and let us move out. The world is in jeopardy and you toy around here arguing about life being a game. The Ending is not just a challenge to overcome for me. It is real and it is coming. We were chosen to stop it and we will stop it, if you people can get your act together. The bard travels with us, fine. If she betrays us she will meet the fate of all betrayers. We need to either go back to the Black Swan or find new and closer transportation. I no longer care which. China and the fortress in the desert await us. MOVE!"
Her ears stood at attention. The Ending? She could clearly hear the capitol E... China? This was just what she was looking for.
"So.. we need a ship," The hooded one said to the orc. "I take it you pirates have one at port somewhere-- Or do we have to go, ah, pirate one? Is everyone awake and ready to head out? Will the bardess be joining us?" Pirating?! she thought. It was all she could do to keep from clapping her hands and bouncing on her toes with glee.
Stella stepped forward, “Yes, as a matter of fact, she will be joining you.” She said, grinning. “When do we leave?”
It seemed the hooded one was no longer hooded. She grinned at him, unabashedly. He'll do. She thought, still grinning.
IC: Keke
Keke heard Cho'kar bellowing about something or other but frankly she wasn't in the mood for his dramatics. She snatched Cairan's saddle and threw it on his back, and immediately regretted it. It wasn't her poor horse's fault that men in general sucked, and these particularly did.
“If you are coming with me you better be mounted and ready to ride in 30 minutes. We're going to the nearest port and stealing a new ship.” She tossed over her shoulder as she fastened the stallion's saddle.
Ervan gets up. "A new ship? No. Not happening. I left some very important items on the Swan, and I am getting them back."
Keke sighed. Was she the only one who had a head on their shoulders here?
"We will steal a ship and take it to the Black Swan in that case. It will shave days off our journey. It's the obvious path. That is... If the Black Swan wasn't confiscated by the local authorities considering it was stolen." She said, rolling her eyes.
"If it was then I'll break in and grab what I need."
The orc bit his lip until crimson trickled from it. As he clenched his fist, his nails dug into his palms likewise producing blood. These people were so concerned with themselves, so selfish, that he wasn't sure what to do anymore. He had thought they would make good companions but they constantly bickered. Ervan respected little, Dart was a good fellow but quite spacey and his two little girlfriends also seemed to take their whole task as one huge jolly adventure. The Captain was barely ever around and Siren had retreated within herself after the Oracle. Nothing he ever said seemed to make a difference to any of them.
Mounted on the large gauvedan, Cho'kar moved a bit away from the crowd, who was finally starting to pack. He wait, in silence until they were ready. Just give them time and they could blossom into something truly great, he kept telling himself. His heart was torn between actually giving them that chance, and leaving to fulfill his quest on his own.
Keke mounted Ciaran and urged the big, black stallion toward where Cho'kar sat his gauvedan. She halted beside him and stared forward stoically. It was shaping up to be another shitty day.
This wasn't the roses and perfume the bards sang of when they recited the poems composed about great heroic battles. It seemed adventuring was all about tolerating men who all acted like bears with sore teeth while getting rained on when you weren't getting stabbed or poked with arrows.
"Hey Fina," says Ervan, rubbing her neck. "How're you? Looks like we'll have some hard riding today... But I'm sure you're up to it." He gets up on her, then slowly walks over to where the group is assembling, hanging back from the rest.
Stella struggled not to laugh at the commotion as she mounted Aldeib.
The little elf girl reiterated the command the orc had just given as though stating something profound and they both sulked over it while ignoring each other so hard they may as well have been staring. The human spouted some drivel about honor which sent the same little elf into a tizzy then talked to his horse more politely than she had seen him speak to anyone.
It was comedy at its finest, but she somehow didn't think they'd see the humor. It was a funny old world they lived in, and she was amazed to see that more didn't see the joke.
Life isn't a game, it's more of a tragic comedy. Stella thought, stifling a giggle behind one delicately gloved hand.
OOC: Dart has two girlfriends?Time to put mah homemade NPCs into action.
NPC: Swor sat at the table, his boots were upon it, covered in mud. Even sitting he looked like a menacing, tall brute. His swords where on his back and their hilts glimmered along with his teeth and eyes, creating a creepy effect. Being in the shadow, those where the only things one could see of him. His eyes, his mouth, and his swords. The only things he had ever needed, and the only things he will ever need. He was a born bounty hunter, and could track an eagle on a cloudy day. He could defeat an entire army. Some said he was a demon spawn directly from the devil. Others said he was a herald of the gods, and bringing of The End. Swor liked these rumors and kept them swirling. Even though he was incredibly powerful, the fear and rumors of him added to his strength tenfold.
"So, Mr. Tastic," spoke up Prince Crispin from the other side of the table, "Are you willing to take the job? I will not be humiliated again!"
Swor didn't speak for a while. Finally, a challenge. This band of people sounded tough. Of course, usually when wimps like Crispin spoke of people like this, they were usually over-exaggerating. Still, as Crispin described the warriors that had killed 80 of his men, Swor couldn't help but arch his eyebrows, then develop a maniacal expression. He was especially looking forward to the Orc. Swor had never fought an orc before, and this one sounded incredibly tough. Swor smiled and the dragon on his face smiled too to the movement of his muscles.
"I would do it for free," replied Swor in a deep, smooth, voice, "But since you offered," In the blink of an eye, Swor swiped the bag of fifty gold crowns off the table, "I'll need a ship and a crew."
OOC: Finally, a cool lookin' enemy. Next up, Dart's personal subplot.
NPC: Mift was furious. Not one person had even seen an elf of his kind, and those who did had not seen one it at least ten years. Mift put down the bartender and started to walk away when a man called out, "Hey did you say you were looking for a strange elf?"
Mift turned around, "Yes."
Barry got up and walked towards Mift. Barry was the only one as big and tall as Mift in the bar, and so showed a mutual respect to him that the others could not, "I played poker with one a few days ago. His name was Dart. Very good at poker, y'know."
Mift smiled, "And where is that elf headed?"
"I believe they said something about Avalon," replied Barry, "Evver heard of it? I haven't."
Mift thanked the stranger and walked out of the tavern. Avalon, eh? Finally, my revenge is closer than ever before.
OOC: I'll get more into him later. Finally, Had!
NPC:Had was running, sweat pouring down from his face. He had been running for hours, and a dwarf's body just wasn't built to run in things like marathons. He stopped for a moment and panted, then continued running over the hilly country. He looked behind himself for a moment to see that the elves were catching up. I should never have accepted the free bed. Slaanesh just isn't my kind of god.
He came over the last hill to see the magnificent Tor and a band of travelers at the bottom, almost ready to depart. One of those travelers he recognized, and his mule too. "Dart!" he cried out, running down the hill.
IC: Dart looked up at the call of his name to see Had of all people running down the hill, red faced and covered in sweat. He ran forward to Had. "Had! What are ye doin' 'ere?"
"No time to explain fully," replied the dwarf in between pants, "I'm being chased by night elves. They tried to sacrifice me to Slaa'nesh. There weren't that many of them though. When they moved in their dance it looked like there should be more."
"No need ta explain anymore," replied Dart, remembering the horrible underground cave. He took out his bow and aimed it at the top of the hill.
Originally Posted by kyne
OOC: Wait! What's going on
"Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn."
~~~
"Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now, so we'll hunt him. Because he can take it. Because he's not a hero. He's a Silent Guardian. A Watchful Protector.
The Dark Knight."
OOC: Had is being chased down by a bunch of night elves.
OOC: EDITED, becuase the first post was really rushed.
Perhaps the Ervan scare was only a false alarm, for he engrossed himself in further conversation and seemingly ignored the matter completely. With the last of it almost buried, she was surprised to find Stella speak up, she offered to incenerate it and Siren was gladly ready to accept until Cho'Kar rather loudly interupted everything.
"ENOUGH! Pack up and let us move out. The world is in jeopardy and you toy around here arguing about life being a game. The Ending is not just a challenge to overcome for me. It is real and it is coming. We were chosen to stop it and we will stop it, if you people can get your act together. The bard travels with us, fine. If she betrays us she will meet the fate of all betrayers. We need to either go back to the Black Swan or find new and closer transportation. I no longer care which. China and the fortress in the desert await us. MOVE!"
It was a rude awakening, the same as the one she had made the previous night. She was distancing herself from everyone, and it was only getting worse. Here she was burying a dagger she knew would almost certainly end up back with her. For what? As frightening as it was to think that she could kill them all just for being with them, she had also made a promise. A promise to aid Cho'Kar to the end of his journey and further, and although she had no honour a promise like that deserved to be kept regardless of the circumstances. Perhaps she would tell him of her Oracle visit, and let him decide on the safety of her presence with them. And yet, she felt so guilty. Why burden him with more troubles? One thing was for certain, she could not keep herself alone forever.
Further argument continued and Siren rolled her eyes. All of this was pointless now, there was a time where she would have voted to retrieve the Black Swan, but now the issue was so trivial. They had new comrads now anyway, a bigger ship might be in order. Especially if they were taking the horses and what not with them.
"Cho'Kar and Keke are right, we need to leave now, regardless of possesions. We'll steal a new boat and get to China on that. The Black Swan is nothing more then glorifed wood, and everything on it can be replaced. Heck, I don't even need a boat to get to China if it comes to that. It adds days to our journey just trying to find it. It will most certainly not be where we left it" she said while saddiling up all ready to go, "If anything was so important on it that you seriously needed it you should have brought it with you. I don't mean to sound harsh, but most of us made a promise to follow Cho'Kar and we all made a promise to put a stop to the ending. That's what this group is about, even if none of has verbally said "I will help" we are here, and that's why we're still together. That's what keeps us together."
She doubted words would help anymore, most of them were to stubborn to pay heed to any one's side of an argument; herself included. She was not prepared to bicker anymore either way, so even if anyone challenged her words she would not respond. Waverunner seemingly agreed as he jumped down below, waiting for his ride on. Perhaps her earlier fears were nothing more then that, for he showed no signs now of distrust towards her.
Bringing up the Pup and placing him in one of the saddle bags, she felt the handle of the dagger in there once more, even though she had just buried it. She supposed it was stuck with them now, pulling it out she took another look, a new name was already etched in close to wear Stella's had appeared. This one read Had.
Reminded of the Bard she figured now was a good a time as any to meet the new comer. She had never actually heard her name, but she knew it was Stella simply from the name being etched on the dagger. She knew she would be joining them before it was even proposed in that sense, just as this "Had" was probably on their way now. The dagger was a bad omen, but at least it had one useful feature. Troting over to the stranger on top of her rather large Kirin she had to reach down very low to extend a hand.
"I'm Siren, just a deck-hand in our little group. I've gathered your name is Stella, and I'm glad to hear you'll be joing us," She said with true sincerity.
Before she could continue she was disrupted by a rather loud cry coming from a rather short looking man running down the hill. He cried for Dart, and she was puzzeled on what he actually was. She was short amongst their group, but he brough a whole new definition to the term. Dart was already shooting at an unseen enemy up ahead. Grabbing at her Coral bow, she began to load it and join him in his firing. This would be the best target practice she had had in awhile, she certainly needed it.
Cho'kar started to speak to Keke, then stopped. What was there to say to the girl? Her emotions were like the tides and the waning and waxing of the moon, only far less predictable. He couldn't decipher her and could barely get her to listen to a word he said.
His contemplation was broken by another cry for help as another pitiful lifeform ran into their ragged band. At least the dwarf had a good reason for fleeing. Night elves. The orc had grown to despise them after their clash at the brothel. Without need for encouragement, the orc spurred Rajah in the direction Had came from.
Keke smiled as her gaze fell to the approaching Dark Elves. She swung her leg over Ciaran's head and slid off. Her hands fell to her hilts as her feet thudded to the ground. Right hand to the Nimcha on her left hip, left hand to the dagger on her right. She knew the bow was by far her strongest weapon, but she had a desire to stand face to face with her enemies this morning. She strode forward determinedly, blades flashing in the bright morning sun.
As she approached her first victim she pulled Ervan's rage to the front of her mind and allowed it to consume her. She didn't have to concentrate on it anymore, it was simply there, as much a part of her as Ervan himself was. It disgusted her, but she desired it more and more. It was good and proper to be stoic in battle, to always remain aware of one's actions. She loathed the anger that pounded against her ribcage with her heart, but she couldn't get enough of it.
When the first Night Elf fell upon her, she still had the troubling man on her mind. "Why does he have to be such a prick?" she asked her enemy. He looked puzzled and his only response was a thrust of his sword. "Really, couldn't he be nice some of the time?"
As they danced back and forth, Keke began a deadly weaving of her blades. There was an undeniable grace in her movements, a fluidity that belied her technique. For each parry against her foe, there were ten attacks. The fury was etched on her features, her mouth down-turned at the corners. She danced with the fury of a berserker and the grace of an Elven trained blade-master. "Oh, he's nice enough to Siren. He gives presents to her."
Going down in a crouch, both blades led the attack forward into the stomach of the man before her. Her blades biting deeply into flesh, tearing the death cries from the one she knew in her soul deserved his anguish. With equal grace her blades snapped outward, nearly separating the man at the waist.
She bounded to her feet as instinct warned her of the second opponent. Brutal efficiency guided her blades in an arc, one following the other into and through the neck of the soldier approaching him from behind.
"Worthless cowards!" she screamed into the sky, as the head fell to the ground. Her eyes locked onto the newly risen sun, the painful beauty of the glowing globe etched dark spots into her field of vision. "Are there none among you who will present a real challenge, or are you all such easy meat?" She sneered at the on coming tide of Night Elves. For supposed holy warriors they didn't pose much of a threat.
A massive human strode forward, ahead of the mass of elves, saying, “Little elf, a battlefield is no place for a duel, but I accept your challenge.”
He stood at least 7 foot tall, wavy blond hair brushing his shoulders. A long scar ran the length of his face, from above his left eye to the bottom of his cheek. A black eyepatch covered his left eye, a vivid red eye painted over it. He wore a fur covered vest, fur trimmed boots, a fur loin-cloth and nothing else. He swung a huge crescent axe in a circle over his head, then flung it forward with all his weight behind it. Keke glided back to avoid it and the axe crashed into the earth. He ripped it out with a spray of turf and bounded toward Keke once more.
It was all Keke could do to dance backward and avoid contact with the axe as she waited for her vision to clear. She smiled, at last an opponent worthy of her speed and skill. It would take all of her guile and agility to best this man.
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