Beneath the Shadows Prologue: With a Single Step

[Ether]

"That dwarf is a couple swords short of an armoury." Aina muttered, as she grabbed the rings and ran off, all without replacing the drink she had ruined. Still, it wasn't worth chasing her... if she wanted to get work and pay, she would be back.

"Remind me again what ya saw in an airhead like her, Adari?" Aina shot towards their second in command, as she waved over another drink... no use sitting there being sour.

[Eail]

Erebus had been sitting off on his own at the Inn his group was currently staying at. While most of the others in the Mercenary band were yuking it up and enjoying each other's company he was reading a tome, trying to at least. Being in a place that hated his magic so much was really taking it's toll on the young man. Already he'd been having the dry heaves this morning, wishing that they could just leave already. Having so much build up was truly taking it's toll on the contaminated mage. Only being able to have any kind of release when he was in a private room away from any villagers. Even then there was only so much he could do without being discovered, the flashier the technique the more it drained and the more he was drained of excess the better Erebus could relax.

When Chandra came by with loafs of bread, the dark user didn't hesitate to grab a share. "Thank you Chandra... smells just as great as always." Giving his compliments to the older mage. She might not have revealed to everyone what exactly she could do, but with how bathed Erebus had been with dark energy he was practically capable of smelling another user of Elder Magic.

"Do you need help with anything? I'd be happy to assist with your cooking if you need it." He asked. Erebus felt a debt of gratitude towards the dark haired woman, she was nice and seemed to actually care about him. Though really she cared about everyone in their group, acting as sort of a mother hen for the mercenaries. Taking care of the shaman any time he'd been unable to remove his excess dark energy, which had become much more common than he cared to admit at this point.

.....He may have had a small crush on her.... maybe...

Edited July 25, 2013 by Eail

[scorri]

Adari shrugged helplessly in the direction of Aina before turning her attention back to the lancer in front of her. "Hmm, ya seem like ya know what yer talkin bout at least. And what yer gettin into. More than I can say for some. Well, iffen yer alright with a fair split of the loot after me and the boss have grabbed our share, yer in. Ya at least seem ta know yer way about a weapon. Oh, and name? Suppose that's important. Can't just be callin ya lance boy suppose. Jacob might get jealous."

[Parrhesia]

Mal peered over the desert girl's shoulder. "Oh, so y'can write?" he said, cheerily. "Thass nice. Not many as can, see, on account of it not bein' what you might say 'mission-critical', oh, and me name's Malachi by the by, but youse can call me Mal, like." He took a shallow breath. "We'll be mates, aye? 'Ere, whas your name, anyway? Is that an ess? I think that's an ess. I'm from Chatswood, see, not many lit'rate folks there."

[Lyunn]

Sprinting past Sayina and Jacob’s table, Mira briefly noted how Sayina had been trying to rope some poor human man into some game of trickery using cards, but she didn’t have time to warn him of the sneakiness of elves. She couldn’t sense anyone pursuing her, but a glance at Cyclops lady was enough for Mira to know not to underestimate her.

Dodging past the bizarrely dressed Si’andol, Mira’s head spun around in disbelief. Another elven woman? Wasn’t two bad enough? A lot of dwarves were fine with elves, but Mira wasn’t one of them. Ever since she’d been swindled at the counter of her fathers workshop by a sleek tall elvish man, her contempt of the other race had gradually escalated to the point the mere sight of them made her sick. She was willing to compromise and accept the presence of one or two. The woman with the cards, Salina? Satina? No matter, either way the woman had seemed smart enough to not approach her, and while the other elfish man had creeped her out with his pearly grin, he too hadn’t gone to the effort of introducing himself to her. But a third one? And what’s worse she looked freakier than the other two.

Keeping her eyes warily on Si’andol, Mira hadn’t noticed her feet were still carrying her away until she was about to collide with the line of hopeful mercenaries. She knew it was hopeless trying to avoid collision and hence held her hands up to shield her face just in time as she bumped into Caslan. Mira wasn’t all that heavy, a complete lightweight without her sledgehammer which was still leaning against the crate on the other side of the room. After a ‘oof’ she pulled her head away to peer up at the man. “S-sorry I wasn’t watch….-“ Mira froze, blood draining from her face as she glanced up at the pointed ears, down at her hands, then back up at the ears before letting out a sharp cry. “Eww! Elf germs!” she cried, running towards the white haired youth standing behind Caslan, only to wipe her still ale moistened hands on the man’s clothes.

Elves! Elves everywhere! It was like Santa’s entire workshop had gathered early this year, in this very inn to torment her. Attack of the elves! They were coming out of their shrubbery forests and invading the human settlements like garden gnomes poised to attack a clueless postman! They all looked the same! She didn’t bother to check their faces, but they were all tall, dark haired and pointy eared. Perhaps there was some secret cloning device in the cellars? A production facility of sorts for the lanky creatures? Feeling vulnerable without her weapon in hand, she swiftly slipped behind Zeff. Glaring warily at Caslan as if he’d cast some horrible spell and elongate her perfectly rounded ears the moment she let her guard down.

[Rothene]

Caslan nearly fell on his feet, not expecting someone to barrel into him. Luckily, growing up on the unstable sands in the desert had taught the elf how to regain his balance and shift his weight swiftly.

By Father Sun, just what am I getting into? Caslan thought noting the ale spilt onto his coat. performing a few quick gestures, Caslan drew the ale from his cloak, making it clean again. He then turned to the white haired mercenary wannabe behind him and asked pointing to the place where Mira wiped her hands on Zeff's clothes, "Want me to get rid of the stain?"

Maybe I can make some friends early with good deeds. Yeah, in any community, making friends is a top priority.

[Vestige]

Zeff was far too tired to take note of anything that was going on in the inn, save for the shuffling of the people that were in the line in front of him. He heard footsteps and a bunch of shouting but he payed it no mind. Typical behavior for drunkards who've yet to regain their senses. However as the footsteps grew closer, he began to worry. He turned to the side to look over, and saw a girl running towards his general direction. He followed her with his eyes and saw the crash happen right in front of him.

He wanted to let out a laugh but it was quickly stifled by the same girl who'd run into the man in front of him. She just...She just wiped her hands on me! What the... He looked down, and felt relieved that his coat had been spared. Though he was now forced to hold it in a very uncomfortable position. He looked up and noticed the girl had disappeared, though, a moments worth of analyzing led him to believe she was still here. And behind him none the less. He turned his head to the side and sure enough, found her standing there, looking a little more than anxious. "W-what are you doing?" he asked.

His attention snapped back when the man in front of him started to speak. Remove the stain? Oh dear god, please. He looked up, but the words he wanted to say were not what came out of his mouth, "ew no! You have elf germs!" "Er, wait. Um. Ahem. Yes please, I would love that." It seemed he was still tired from the run, and wasn't thinking as clearly as he wanted to be.

[Rothene]

Caslan's mouth curled slightly at the mention of elf germs but then he realised it was not fully intentional. Repeating the same spell, Caslan drew the ale off Zeff's clothes. A tempting thought crossed his mind to fire the ale at the offensive dwarf, but that could potentially make him leave a worse impression than he already did with his loud declaration earlier.

Petty actions are a human thing...maybe dwarves too. I shouldn't sink to that level, thought Caslan as he let the alcohol dissipate into the air and the rest dry up as he caused the liquid to boil.

Offering Zeff his hand to shake, a custom he learned from the human tribe he stayed with for the past few years, Caslan greeted, "Caslan Song. A pleasure to meet you."

[Bluedoom]

Rimsky had just gotten out of his room at the inn the mercenary company that he recently joined was staying at. This lot was ok for Rimsky, he wasn't very enthusiastic about it but it wasn't like he was missing much of his breeding life. The business was running dry, so he left it to his older brother and decided to join this band. It seemed quite professional and organized too, which was good for Rimsky,

He always liked to keep things simple.

He had joined about a week ago, and had met a few people who joined around the same time; Jacob, Leon... Raelyn. Rimsky looked around to see what people were up to; Jacob was losing to Toqua in a game of cards- that wasn't surprising considering how young and inexperienced Jacob was (or looked like). There was a young dwarf girl running around. "Darn, how clumsy do ya get?" Rimsky thought to himself.

He looked at a distance to see Adari taking new recruits. Some random elf-boy thundered in, announcing his wish to join. Rimsky winced at that. Oh, the naivety of youth was running through the boy's veins! " Joinin' a mercenary ain't something you wake up one day and decide ter do, hah! Actually...mah decision to join this company was darn similar. Hmmm..., if only we hadn't moved from Antar, gah!" Rimsky mumbled to himself.

He then saw Raelyn...staring at the new recruits. Staring? Really? Most of these were kids, what fun was there in looking at them?

"So of all da stuff ya could do, yer starin' at new recruits? Interesting!" Rimsky mocked her, smirking.

Edited July 25, 2013 by Bluedoom

[Vestige]

It seemed the elf hadn't been too offended by the the stupidity that had come of his mouth earlier. Or if he had been, he did a damn fine job at hiding it. Elf germs? Come on Zeff, pull it together. He saw the man put a hand out and announce his name. "Caslan, huh? I'm Zeff. Zeff Falassion. It's nice to meet you as well," he said as he shook Caslan's hand. "Oh and uh, thanks for y'know..." he pointed to his shirt with a small smile on his face.

Edited July 25, 2013 by Vestige

[Lyunn]

Clicking her tongue rudely as she saw the stain remove itself and then disappear into thin air. The stain hadn’t been intentional and she didn’t really mind that it’d been removed, but the manner in which it had been had been far from her liking. Mira wasn’t all too fond of magic despite its capabilities, in fact its usefulness was probably what made her dislike it more than anything else. Whether it wave of a finger or a flip of a tome, the idea of cutting corners had never really sat well with her, and the fact that she, and so many others in the world went through the trouble of soapy water and a good scrub , the concept of magic was a bit more than a cheat in her eyes. Probably one of the biggest reasons behind her disliking of magic.

Hearing Zeff echo her mentioning of Elf germs, she was briefly elated with the joy of finally finding someone who understood, but just as quickly as she’d gotten hopeful, her hopes her crushed, the stupid human falling completely and utterly for the elf’s fake kindness. It’d only be a matter of time before the nasty elf dipped his long gangly fingers in Zeff’s pouch of gold now.

Not really wanting to stick around an elf or his bum chum buddy any longer than necessary, Mira pulled away from Zeff, taking a few step in the opposite direction before, spinning on her heel, giving both Zeff and Caslan a mixed look of hostility and guilt. Almost like a child that knew she had done wrong, but refused to admit it. “Good luck” she mumbled, surprising herself more than anyone else. “W-with failing of course, don’t w-want anymore elves around here two….. or was it three? Anyway we have enough” she huffed, her face a bit red from her slipup. Changing to a rather rueful look that accused Caslan of causing the error in her words she swiftly began walking away, back into the amassed crowd in the inn. “Stupid elves” she mumbled under her breath, stamping her feet against the wooden flooring much louder than she needed to, pointedly taking a detour so she could both avoid Aina and Sayina’s table, which also avoiding the other two elves.

[Oersted]

How could I forget to mention my name? Stupid... Ernce mentally berated himself; this had never happened before. But at least the woman didn't chew him out so that was a plus. "Yeah I suppose you'd need my name," he chuckled slightly, "it's Ernce. And I'm perfectly fine with the split method," he added on. It was more than surprising to Ernce that he was still able to look the second-in-command in the eyes throughout the entire conversation with all the craziness happening all around him. Maybe that's why he came off as serious, a lack of social skills; or, was it a lack of interest in other people? Either way he figured he'd have improve that so someone would actually care enough about him to save his neck if he ended up in a tight spot.

Edited July 25, 2013 by Oersted

[Rothene]

"What is wrong with that dwarf I wonder," Caslan muttered softly as he watched Mira disappear into the crowd, but still loud enough for Zeff to hear then addressed the white haired man directly, "Well, your welcome too Zeff. Always cheers me up when my magic proves useful."

And that act also boosted his confidence. Nothing sends a person's hope soaring up faster that they were useful. Of course the higher they soar, harder they hit the pit of despair when they get chewed out by their superiors.

[Toogee]

Erebus had been sitting off on his own at the Inn his group was currently staying at. While most of the others in the Mercenary band were yuking it up and enjoying each other's company he was reading a tome, trying to at least. Being in a place that hated his magic so much was really taking it's toll on the young man. Already he'd been having the dry heaves this morning, wishing that they could just leave already. Having so much build up was truly taking it's toll on the contaminated mage. Only being able to have any kind of release when he was in a private room away from any villagers. Even then there was only so much he could do without being discovered, the flashier the technique the more it drained and the more he was drained of excess the better Erebus could relax.

When Chandra came by with loafs of bread, the dark user didn't hesitate to grab a share. "Thank you Chandra... smells just as great as always." Giving his compliments to the older mage. She might not have revealed to everyone what exactly she could do, but with how bathed Erebus had been with dark energy he was practically capable of smelling another user of Elder Magic.

"Do you need help with anything? I'd be happy to assist with your cooking if you need it." He asked. Erebus felt a debt of gratitude towards the dark haired woman, she was nice and seemed to actually care about him. Though really she cared about everyone in their group, acting as sort of a mother hen for the mercenaries. Taking care of the shaman any time he'd been unable to remove his excess dark energy, which had become much more common than he cared to admit at this point.

.....He may have had a small crush on her.... maybe...

As Chandra moved around with the tray of bread, she quickly dodged the rampaging dwarf girl Mila, who quite enamored with the rings in her hand. Chandra simply smiled as the girl darted away. Hard to believe she could have been older than the mage. She made a pass around the card game, offering up bread and a quick "play nice, boys" as she continued around the room. Eventually her tray came to Erebus' table, who kindly offered to help her in the kitchen.

"The only thing you should be doing right now is eating," Chandra replied with a concerned look. "We can't have you bedridden when it's time to head out. Now, I have a stew simmering in the back. Managed to get good cuts of meat for it too. You can have first dibs."

As he replied to her offer, Chandra's eyes gazed upon the tome he was reading. It may not have been a spellbook, but it certainly seemed like it dealt in her area of expertise. She had tried hard to conceal her identity as a dark magic practitioner, but Erebus didn't seem to have such worries in this fairly public setting.

"Be careful what you read around here," Chandra said in a whisper. "The others may not take too kindly to the subject."

[Eail]

"I know..." Erebus replied quietly "I'm just trying to keep myself busy, with how this place is about... my hobby, I can't get any relief." Referring to his excess reserves of Elder Magic. "If we don't leave here soon it's only going to get worse... when the boss comes back I'll ask for some leave assuming we don't have a job lined up. Maybe I can just head into the woods and try to work this out there."

"Thanks for the food Chandra, your cooking is the only stuff that doesn't taste like well, darkness at this point." Erebus thought about what he just said, then had to chuckle "That sounded like something straight out of some cheesy fantasy novel didn't it? I will take some of that stew though, couldn't keep breakfast down and being hungry on top of all of this isn't helping too much."

[scorri]

"Oi, Mira, settle down and leave the elves alone. I've told ya that before and I don't aim ta tell ya again. They're part of the group and so their yer family now. Iffen ya got a problem with that, I'll be happy ta settle it with ya myself. Either that, or ya can leave anytime." turning back to Ernce, she rolled her eyes. "Sorry bout that. Alright then, just sign yer name or make yer mark or however ya wanna do it on the line on this here contract and then sit down and wait fer the boss to return." Stretching slightly before calling the next recruit, she sighed. They needed a few more before they hit the mark that Andre had been hoping for. Hopefully these last two were good ones. Not that she was especially hopefully... Waving towards the next one in line, she called out, "Eager one. Yer up now."

Meanwhile Rayil straightened up and sighed. So much for peace and quiet. Seeing a dwarf yelling at and elf and then avoiding some other elves, he raised an eyebrow. When she walked near his table, he reached out and tapped her lightly. "Scuse me, but you're part of the band, right? What's your issue with elves? They've always seemed to treat me just fine."

[Oersted]

Ernce studied the contract for about two seconds before deciding he wasn't in a reading mood and signed it before sliding back to the second-in command, whose name he now knew was Adari. Looking around the inn he spotted several groups of mercs that were now his "family" but decided against joining any of them. Instead he looked around until he spotted the desert elf that had cut in front of him in line. He wasn't mad, he just wanted to get to know someone and she was about as new as him... Well that, and the other new guy was trying ask that crazy dwarf girl about her apparent dislike of elves. Besides, she didn't appear to be the one who'd approach someone else first.

As Ernce approached her from behind he saw her pull her staff a little closer as if she was using it to comfort herself or something. However that didn't deter him in the least.

Of course, he failed to realize she was already speaking with one of the mercs. "Hey," he said as he tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention. "What do ya say we sit down and get to know eachother? I mean, we're both new afterall. We should use the waiting time we have at the moment to better acquaint ourselves with our new 'family'. So what do ya say?

Edited July 26, 2013 by Oersted

[Lyunn]

Mira shuddered as she was told that the elves were part of her family. She’d never accept that, the mere thought was enough to make her stomach churn, but she managed to hold her tongue and simply keep walking, not wanting to cause a scene with the second in command, if another mercenary group strolled into the tavern she probably would have taken up Adari on her suggestion of cancelling her contract, but alas the only real group here seemed to be Andre’s mercenaries. It wasn’t her fault that she disliked elves, and as long as they stayed away from her, she would try and be civil with them. But that just wasn’t possible when they were popping up all over the place like mushrooms left by a furry little midget. Every few steps she took she was constantly forced to acknowledge that there would be an elf in every scenery she saw for the upcoming days, weeks, months, god forbid even years.

“Eeep” she cried, tensing as she was suddenly tapped on the shoulder, it was probably a good thing she wasn’t armed since she’d probably have swung her sledgehammer around and knocked the person away. She was usually happy to receive any form of attention she could get (excluding elven attention) but the timing Rayil had tapped her on the shoulder had her afraid that another elf had come to torture her.

Staring at the dark grey hair of the young man. She narrowed her eyes warily, glancing at the mans ears, the scar on his face, and then his ears again to make sure she wasn’t dealing with another one of them things before sighing with relief.

“Mira, I joined yesterday” she stated, her expression immediately brightening upon seeing that the man was neither a Cyclops or a pointy eared freak. Quickly shaking her head though, she moved unnecessarily close to Rayil, shooting her hand up in the air and waving a finger in Rayil’s face. “Tch tch tch, that’s what they want you to think” she tutted in a hushed tone. “Elves are evil, they have pretty faces but that’s because they hide all the dirty inside. Their heart is probably all black and gooey” she exclaimed quietly, trying not to raise her voice, but unable to hide her excitement at having someone to enlighten.

[Toogee]

"I know..." Erebus replied quietly "I'm just trying to keep myself busy, with how this place is about... my hobby, I can't get any relief." Referring to his excess reserves of Elder Magic. "If we don't leave here soon it's only going to get worse... when the boss comes back I'll ask for some leave assuming we don't have a job lined up. Maybe I can just head into the woods and try to work this out there."

"Thanks for the food Chandra, your cooking is the only stuff that doesn't taste like well, darkness at this point." Erebus thought about what he just said, then had to chuckle "That sounded like something straight out of some cheesy fantasy novel didn't it? I will take some of that stew though, couldn't keep breakfast down and being hungry on top of all of this isn't helping too much."

Chandra nodded as she headed into the kitchen. Moments later she returned with a steaming bowl of beef stew. Chunks of beef floated along side carrots, red potatoes, and chunks of celery within the brown broth. She set the bowl down in front of him along with a spoon. Chandra then sat at the same table to inquire further about his condition.

"So this really is more than illness," Chandra asked Erebus. "Then this tome your reading is more than a curiosity of yours? Heh, I never expected to meet another dark mage in this country."

Though she didn't directly say she herself was a mage, that was simply a guise for anyone else listening in. Chandra was quite happy that a kindred spirit had joined them.

[Rothene]

With extremely ungraceful steps, Caslan plodded forward to meet his destiny. Hopefully his maker can wait quite a few centuries longer. Get a grip Caslan you have rehearsed this countless times. You do this!

"I am Caslan Song from Inthus. I am a water mage, so my craft is extremely helpful in desert campaigns with how good I am at seeking water sources and drawing the water from sweat to conserve it. And also anywhere near large bodies of water I can maximise my ability to sweep enemies down a river. I can also cause small localised portion of water to boil," pausing to catch is breath before adding a bit that might not be necessary at all, "also, I am able to keep the rain off everyone within twenty feet of me as I've tested on my trip here. So, I would like to provide my services to the troop."

[Eail]

Erebus could feel his mouth practically watering as Chandra brought out a bowl of stew for him, he couldn't remember the last time he'd seen something that looked so tasty. "Thanks again, it looks delicious!" Giving his thanks to the cook before eating a spoonful of the food "Tastes as good as it looks too!"

When she asked about his condition though, the dark mage gave a small sigh. Pulling off his hood to talk to the woman "Much more than an illness, about a year ago I tried to invent a new technique, to put it simply it went very badly and now I'm basically a container for more magic than should be possible for human limits. Sounds useful right? Not really, my body isn't able to handle something like this, unless I regularly expel the extra magic contained in me I'll become violently ill until I do something about it."

Making his already rather quiet voice even softer he leaned in close to the other mage "It's affected me in other ways too... I used to have green eyes for one.... and I can practically "smell" you, Elder magic, you're pretty strong Chandra."

Edited July 26, 2013 by Eail

[Parrhesia]

Mal was on the verge of responding before realising Si had wandered off. He shrugged, figuring that anyone who said 'owies' was probably not of an age appropriate to hit on. Maybe elves grew quicker in body than thought... it'd explain why they lacked the inventive spirit of the men or the dwarves.

[Oersted]

"Thanks for the chair," Ernce sincerely thanked Si'andol as he sat down. When he'd said they should sit down and get to know eachother he hadn't expected her to go out of her way to get him a chair. Another thing he didn't expect was her open personality. Considering his first impression of her he expected her to be somewhat shy and to be honest he was caught off-guard by how she just openly told him about her life.

Not to mention telling her about himself meant telling her about his past more or less and he didn't want to bring that up. Then again she had be so honest with him, not to mention she did give him her chair, it would be unfair and discourteous to be anything less than completely honest although he hated to admit it.

"Well my full name's Ernce Breit," Ernce began. "I've lived in Celisa my whole life. My father and mother were insistent that I join the military like my father had, so he taught me how to wield a lance. Eventually I did join for a while but it was too... restricting and not to mention boring. I've never been so bored in my life, even if it was fun to train with the other soldiers. Although I hated it when I lost to one them. As for joining this merry little band my reason is similar to yours. I need work and the most convenient way of work is joining a mercenary band like this one."

Edited July 26, 2013 by Oersted

[Snike]

"Noted. Dodge Adari's kicks," Jacob said, before Sayina cut in, poked fun at Toqua, and then asked to play cards. Given that the only alternative was to continue to watch what seemed to be a chaotic finish to recruitment, the merchant's son opted for the wiser choice.

"I can't really gamble much, or else I'll be eating scraps for a while," the recruit said, "If that's alright with you, then I'll play."

[scorri]

Adari straightened up and grinned at the newcomer's comments. "Water mage, eh? Ah, that's right useful. Glad ta have ya. Just sign this here contract and yer in. We need more mages, that's for sure. Oh, an loot is even split assumin ya do yer share and the split happens after me 'n the boss take our part. Iffen ya object, ya can take it up with him." Pulling out her final contract, she waved to the final person standing in line. "Yer up. Though ya might wanna put that coat down fer now. Kinna hard ta sign a paper iffen ya got both hands full."

Sayina grinned. "I'm not much of one for gambling. That's this one here's job. I just enjoy the challenge of going against someone in a match of wits. There are much better ways to do that than a card game of course, but without the proper equipment, it is hard to play such games. Perhaps some day I will be able to teach you some of them. For now, cards." He handed a different deck than the one that Jacob and Toqua had been using to Jacob. "Here, you can shuffle."

Rayil frowned. "That doesn't seem to fit. For one thing a gooey heart wouldn't work very well. For another thing, if it doesn't affect how they act, how they treat us, how can you be so sure that they're like that? If they are truly like that, they seem to be so good at hiding it that they don't know it themselves."