Beneath the Shadows Chapter Two: Chasing Shades

[Xinnidy]

"Thank you! Thank you honestly, friend." Erbert said as he took no time standing up and going for the marvelous table of happening and employments.

"Excuse me, it came to my ear that one of you, the fair woman named Adari, was hiring. And I couldn't help but overhear and come this way! I have experience in battles of my own, but currently I had no luck finding pay in these parts, too turbulent with the current happenings, or such." Erbert said, reminiscing on the news he'd gotten on the way here, one season ago, it'd be hard to think things would turn this way so quickly.

[Shin]

Aeson briefly saw Caslan dash past him, assuming he had something rather important to do. The flowers had departed all their mysteries to the priest, he felt it was best to leave them be and head back into the inn. Who knew flowers could be so fascinating?

[Snike]

"The actual glove needs to be repaired by a craftsman, but I can renew the enchantment, if you wish," Hale said, still looking at the glove. "I won't tell anyone, either, since it really shouldn't matter to them as long as you can fight. Either way you still have to keep practicing, if you want to improve. Enchantments are reliable, but they don't last forever, for the most part."

[Vestige]

"I-I see. Yes, I'd very much like it if you could repair the enchantment. I know I need to train and become stronger on my own, but if it weren't for this glove, I probably wouldn't have made it this far," he said rather sheepishly. Unhooking his glove from his belt, he looked at it for a moment before handing it off to Hale. It had been a little while since he'd actually drawn out power from his glove, but he guessed that with the magic restored he'd be able to, at the very least, wield Aina's sword with some sort of reliability and stability. He hadn't actually used his glove in a battle with the Harrier's yet, so he was rather interested in gauging his augmented abilities.

[Snike]

"Very well. It should take a few minutes," Hale said, as he retrieved his light tome and examined the glove. "In the meantime, if you don't mind me asking, why are you with the mercenaries? From what little you've told me, this doesn't seem to be your profession of choice."

Without waiting for a response, though, the half-elf immediately went to work on renewing the enchantment.

[Vestige]

Hale's question was something that Zeff had asked himself a couple times since joining, but he was never really able to produce a response. He thought to himself for a while, before finally formulating a response.

"It's fine, I figure I owe it to you to let you know a little about me since you're helping me out quite a lot. You'd be correct in thinking that I'm not really someone whose cut out for this kind of work and that I'm not someone who would chose this line of work. And to be honest, had things gone differently, I probably wouldn't be here. Before this job, I used to work as a merchant, selling goods at the local market, and sometimes I'd travel to different parts of Senia to expand my trade network." This is where Zeff would have concocted a false story as to why he was now working as a mercenary, but his words betrayed his desires.

"But," Zeff's voice began to sound weak "there was someone...to whom I was very close to. She was...She was my fiancée. And she died. She was killed. Killed by fucking demons of all things." He looked away, as tears formed in his eyes.

"I...I couldn't do anything about it. It should have been me who died that day, but it wasn't. Honestly, I didn't even know what to do after that. So I just left. I left my business, I left my parents, and I left Senia. Ever since then I've been wandering about 'training' as it were, to get stronger. I guess it's revenge or maybe stupidity..." He shrugged. "But that's how I ended up here..." He took a moment to wipe his tears and compose himself before speaking again. "Sorry, I don't mean to burden you, but this is something else I'd appreciate you not talking about to anyone else."

He hoped he wouldn't regret this discussion, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he felt that he wouldn't. There was something about Hale, something that made it seem like he of all people might understand what Zeff was talking about. And he had to admit, it felt a little good to finally talk to someone. Not just trite pleasantries, but conversation about something that was actually meaningful. Even if he was the one who did all the 'conversing' he still appreciated the moment.

[scorri]

Adari glanced around to try and see if Andre was anywhere around before sighing and shaking her head. "Right. If yer wantin ta sign up, I'm just gonna explain right now how this works. Yer part of the group, yer board gets paid fer outta company money, loot's split evenly after Harrop and I take our share. Yer stuck with us til we decide ta release ya from yer contract. If ya agree, we have contracts here fer ya ta sign. We're stayin in town for at least tonight, we'll be movin out either tomorrow or tha day after."

[Snike]

Hale rapidly renewed the enchantment as Zeff spoke about how he used to be a merchant, which seemed normal enough. It was only when the younger man mentioned the loss of his fiancée, that the half elf looked up from his work. He listened to the rest of what the mercenary had to say, before he glanced down to his own pendant.

"... So you lose someone, who was like the second half of you. There one minute, gone the next. One of the lights guiding your life has gone out, and there's no way to restore it.What do you do?," Hale asked, rhetorically. "You chose to better yourself, to wreak revenge on those who took your fiancée away from you, in this case the demons.That's fine, but you have to be sure you don't lose your life, or yourself in the process. She would want you to live on, after all.. But whatever you do, don't cut yourself off from the world. That's what I did, and nothing good came of it."

"Anyways," the light mage said, as he hanged Zeff the glove back. "The enchantment has been renewed. Don't worry, I won't mention it or our conversation here to anyone else."

[Xinnidy]

"Hmmm." Analyzing with his past jobs, the prospects weren't too bad. A seeming plentiful amount of people would have him worry about his pay being spread too thin, but at the same time, it would make work easier. He just hoped the leading two weren't too greedy with their shares, then. "... That's fine, the share seems fair enough. Though, how exactly do you decide to release people from their contracts?" Erbert asked, he understood the part where they could kick a member for poor conduct. But would they try to forcefully bind a good mercenary in the group against their will, by virtue of contract? That wording did puzzle him. "Aside from that, I'd be ready to see the contract and sign, ma'am."

[Bluedoom]

Barging through the inn, Rimsky yelled to the innkeeper, "HEY, YA GOT SOME CHARCOAL IN HERE? THAT ELF OVER THERE FED HIS HORSE ACORNS, NOW ITS GOIN' NUTS! I'D REALLY LIKE IT IF WE COULD GET SOME CHARCOAL FAST, OR ELSE THIS WON'T END WELL!" As he said so he was panting, the tension was too much to bear.

Edited October 29, 2013 by Bluedoom

[scorri]

"Well, if ya come up ta me and ask us ta release ya from yer contract we'll most likely say yes. Tha only reason we wouldn't is iffen we need ya that day or tha next."

[Vestige]

Satisfied with Hale's promise of silence, Zeff took the renewed glove from him and inspected it for a moment. But he then realized something, "wait, you said that's what you did? You mean to say that...?" His expression darkened. Was Hale implying he had had something similar happen to him? Zeff wasn't expecting a response but all the same Zeff wanted to have a better understanding of Hale and where he was coming from.

[Xinnidy]

Alfonso had hurried outside taking a bucket just as Rimsky rushed to the inn. He just hoped the dwarf wouldn't make a giant fuss about it, and would focus on aiding the horse more. Outside, he searched for the closest watersource, in this case a water pump, and filled the bucket with it, carrying it outside with care to not spill it all over.

Carefully putting it on the floor close to the horse, Alfonso looked at Caslan for a moment. "He'll need plenty, I'll be getting some more. You're the owner, so feed him as you usually do... or try to." Taking a glance at the laid down horse, Alfonso wondered if he would beat standing on his knees or whatnot.

Taking another bucket, he went outside and repeated the process.

------------

"Ah, that's fine enough." Erbert responded, quite pleased with the terms. I don't think they'll try to hold me on the job against my will, then. Can't ever be too sure nowadays but... this seems reliable, and I need the pay. Bringing himself a smile, the elf continued. "Very well, where do I sign?"

[Snike]

"Yes, I lost my better half, years ago," Hale said, avoiding eye contact. "I left everything I had behind, and went to the desert, since I thought some time alone would do me some good. It was the biggest mistake of my life, and I'm still coping with it today."

He wiped some tears from his eyes, then looked back at Zeff. "... Anyways, if you would like, while I'm around with this group, I can help you practice your swordplay."

[Vestige]

Between the talk of his loss and Hale's loss, the mood had undoubtedly grown quite somber. Even so, he was glad to have spoken to Hale, because he finally had someone who could empathize with him. If there was anything he would be seeking advice from now, more than likely, it was going to be him.

"If you don't mind, and you don't have plans on doing anything else, I wouldn't mind getting started now." After all, now was as good a time as any to start practicing.

[Rothene]

The elf could not keep up with the amount of explanations going, but when it came to following simple instructions, especially since it involved utilising his talents, Caslan drew the water from the bucket and began slowly feeding it to Joey in small bite sized water orbs.

[Snike]

"I don't see why not," Hale responded, as he put his light tome away. "At least, as long as you're ready for it. This is a good test for the enchantment, as well."

Exploring the town could wait, seeing as they were scheduled to be there for about two days. And, to be honest, the half-elf wanted a bit of exercise, to get his mind off of things.

[Vestige]

"Yeah, I think I'll be fine. I'll wait for you outside." he said, before making his way out of the inn. Surprisingly, he was rather pumped up for this session, unlike the last time where he was rather hesitant when he had sparred with Aina.

Alright, nothing stupid. You might be a bit stronger now that the enchantment has been replaced but you're still a novice.

[Snike]

"Sure thing," Hale said, as he checked to see that his blade was serviceable; it was, and with that settled, he too left the inn. He steadily made his way over to Zeff, before stopping, a dozen feet away.

"Here, or further out?" Hale asked, hand on his hilt. "Your choice. I've no preference on whether or not this spar is public or not."

[Vestige]

"Ah, perhaps we could do it a little farther out since you don't mind. It's been a while since I've used this," he indicated to his glove, "so I'd like to be able to concentrate without worrying about being watched."

"You can lead the way," he said, indicating for Hale to move on ahead of him.

[Snike]

"Very well," Hale said, as he immediately began to head towards the village exit. The next few minutes were spent in silence, as the two headed towards the half-elf's destination. Once they were outside the village walls, and just off of the main road, the light mage and sword wielder turned around, and brandished his sword.

"Allright, let's see how well you do with that gauntlet on," He said,as his weapon began to glow. "I won't be using my illusions, so it'll be enchantment against enchantment."

Hale
Level 2 Half-elf Mage Fighter
Raw: HP: 6 STR: 6 MAG: 6 SKL: 8 SPD: 8 LCK: 4 DEF:1 RES: 5
Weapon 1: Plain sword
Weapon 2:
Armor: Defensive armor C
Consumables: N/A
Skills:
Demon Slayer
Runic (This unit is able to transfer half of its' STR or MAG stat to the other one. Resets at the beginning of their next phase.)

Simple stats: 18 HP, 6 might, 10 hit, 8 as, 1 avoid, 7 def, 5 res

Hale activates Runic! His might is now 9!

[scorri]

"Here's the contract. When yer done, place it on tha table. I'll be back inna bit." Shoving away from the table, Adari stretched and then walked over to Raelyn. "Sorry, that took a bit longer than expected. What did ya want?"

[Vestige]

"Nice weapon you've got there," Zeff said with a smirk. This fight was about to get a lot more interesting. Taking a few steps back, Zeff pulled on his gauntlet and took in a few deep breaths to ready himself.

He pulled out the sword Aina had given him and gave it a few practice swings, taking care not to be pulled along with the sword. Indeed, the sword was rather hefty compared to his other one, and it would definitely take some time to get used to--that is, under normal circumstances. With his glove he hoped it wouldn't be as much of a problem.

[spoiler=Stats]

Zeff
Level 2 Human Mercenary
Raw Stats: HP: 8 STR: 9 MAG: 0 SKL: 8 SPD: 8 LCK: 2 DEF:5 RES: 1

Weapon 1: Plain sword
Armor: N/A
Consumables: N/A
Skills:
Wrath
Zealous (T1): Increases STR, SKL, and DEF by tier+1 until the start of your next round, but costs you tier+1 HP every round this is active.

Simplified Stats: HP: 24 MT: 9 (11) MAG: 0 HIT: 9 (11) AVO: 9 AS: 8 DEF: 5 (7) RES: 1

()= Stats when Zealous is active.

Gripping onto the sword, Zeff held out his hand and began to focus. Just as Reva had taught him, he had to channel the magic and then give it purpose. With no innate aptitude he wasn't going to be able to shoot out balls of water like Caslan, or gusts of wind like Linn, but what he could do, was good enough for him. He could feel the magic seeping into his body, and immediately set to work, shaping the magic to act upon his body. The act was slightly fatiguing, but at the same time quite refreshing. His sword arm no longer felt weighed down, and he himself felt stronger.

Zeff activates Zealous. He takes 2 damage. MT is 11, HIT is 11, and DEF is 7.

Satisfied with the results, Zeff called out to Hale, "Right then. Let's begin." Springing forward, he circles around Hale but stumbles a bit, landing a rather awkward strike.

[spoiler=Battle]

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4281219/

1 damage roll. Yep. Same ol' Zeff.

Inb4 crit'd.

12 Damage - 7 DEF = 5 Damage

Hale: 13/18

Zeff: 22/24

[Snike]

"Eh, just a bit of light magic," Hale responded, shaking off the blow from Zeff. The enchantment seemed to be working well, so far. Time to respond. With two swings, the half-elf battered the human, quite a bit. It was far from over, however, and he fully expected to be surprised.

[spoiler='Roll]http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4281253/

2,2,4 = hit! 11-7 = 4 points of damage! Zeff 18/24

3,1,2 = hit! 10-7 = 3 points of damage! Zeff 15/24

Hale 13/18

Runic still active.

[Vestige]

Taking advantage of his flimsy footwork Hale retaliated in full force, proving quite clearly that he was not an opponent to be trifled with. Once more he tried his roundabout strike tactic, and failed to deal the kind of damage he wanted to. Suspecting that Hale would again take advantage of his misstep, he jumped back and readied his next attack, not allowing Hale to recuperate.

"Tch, alright then, how about THIS!?" Conjuring up more magical energy than he was used to, he channeled the magic from his glove straight into raw physical strength and lunged forward for a second strike. He was sure that this was his win.

[spoiler=Battle]

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4281514/

13 Damage - 7 Defense = 6 Damage

Hale: 7/18

Zealous activates.

Zeff: 13/24

17 Damage - 7 Defense = 10 Damage

Hale: -3/18

Zeff Wins Round 1

Edited November 1, 2013 by Vestige