[RP]Obake Blade

[Rexraptor2000]

While Tao had been frozen to the ground, the Hydromacer had not been prepared for that and was knocked away, Toa being held to the ground by the ice. Unfortunately for her, that would be her last mistake. A meteor immediately came crashing down on her once she was far enough away from Toa. Toa was a bit stunned himself that she hadn't dogged that.

 

Suppose she wasn't expect to be knocked off her feet he thought. He unfroze himself with his Pyromacery and also unfroze the ice around Hoshiko's feet. He threw her a huge grin and said "Thank you. I bought a false map and got lost. Guess that'll teach me."

[Dark_Lady]

"Whew," Hoshiko said, reabsorbing the energy into her hand. The winds gradually died down around her. "Glad to see you're alright. And thanks for unfreezing my feet. Would have been quite uncomfortable being stuck like that all night." She smiled back at Toa. "So, was it the library you were going to?"

[Jason Skywalker]

As Akira settled in on his room with Jonas, he looked around. It seemed very nice. There was basically everything for two people, but a bunk.

 

"I get top bunk!" He quickl told Jonas. Akira took out his cape and opened the drawer as he carefully folded it and put it inside, closing the drawer. He opened the cupboard, it was empty. He took out his bow and quiver and carefully put them inside, followed by unlocking the scabbard from his belt and on the cupboard as well.

 

I should keep these, in case of an...emergency, He thought. Without his cape that covered his entire body, he looked very normal. His boots where black and his leather trousers where dark grey. He had a grey shirt which was covered by a dark blue vest. He climbed the ladder and layed on the bed. Atleast his mind was elsewhere.

[Darth_Velrogh]

((OOC: **** I missed the fight! Damn... Is there going to be another any time soon?))

 

"Damn!" Istergard whispered under his breath, realising he had forgot his "book" in the wagon.

 

He ran back to the boat, down to the hold and into the wagon he had previously been in. Luckily it was still there, a thick black book with a blood written title that was impossible to read in the darkness that surrounded him.

 

Istergard walked to the stairs, but as soon as he tried to climb them a shining white figure came to the hold. It was too dark for any colors to be distinguished, but this man had some sort of light glowing from him.

 

"****, a paladin!" Istergard shouted as he reached out for his sword and the paladin reached for his massive sliver hammer.

 

"Die, oponent of the light! I spent 3 weeks trying to find you!" the paladin shouted.

 

Istergard quickly delivered a blow to the oponents neck, holding the sword with two hands, but the man blocked the attack with a quick movement of his huge hammer. For such a big weapon he sure was quick.

 

The white man replied by rejecting Istergard's sword, making his flanks completely unprotected, he proceeded to attack the necro-warrior's left flank, smashing his hammer againts his ribs. Istergard shouted a cry of pain, as he felt his ribs break.

 

Then his eyes turned red...

 

The paladin didn't have time to react, Istergard slashed his sword downward cuting the paladin right arm off, he was horrified but in despair he blocked the next blow directed to his face, but it was no use, for the necro-warrior as fast as the thunder attacked again and again, with an incredible speed. The first blow plunged deep from the paladin's right flank into the spine, the paladin died with that blow. But Istergard kept going cuting the man's face in half, tearing of his other arm and plunging his sword through the left flank this time, breaking the spine and separating the legs from the upper-body.

 

A few moments later he came back to himself and the pain in his ribs came back. Istergard came to his knees twisting his face in pain. He started to whisper somthing and the blood soaked sword started to... absorve the blood, suddenly the left side of his armor that was destroyed regenerated, his ribs wnt back in place and now Istergard could feel no pain there.

 

Lucky for me it was only one paladin he thought observing the meatball he left behind as he climbed the stairs.

 

The group was no longer there and a few meters from where they stood werelaying many cloacked corpses, blood everywhere.

 

Looks like they had fun... Let's see, they talked about going to a Smoking Dragon Inn. Istergard thought only now remebering to put his sword back in the belt.

 

He walked around the city, looking for this Inn till he finally spoted it, Istergard entered the glowing structure and saw inside that a fireplace was lit and that the tables had been cleaned and had the chairs on top of them.

 

The inn keeper looked at him, he's armor had blood all over it, which made the man back away. Istergard turned to him, took a small sack from his belt and left it on the table. The inn keeper grabed it and opened it, it was filled with coins.

 

"That must be enough for you to let me sleep here ad answer a small question, did a large group come here to spend the night?" he asked. The man nooded, and Istergard went sit by the fireplace in the living room. He reached for his book and started reading

it. Although they were in the middle of the night he wasn't tired. Besides the book was "fascinating".

 

Now iluminated by the fireplace you could read: "The Darkest Night".

[Quanon]

Bora Cho had followed the group to the Inn .

Everone was nervouse and tensed , Carwyn was wounded and

the killers where well trainded fighters .

 

This had suprised Bora Cho , they attacked swiftly and with skill .

Luckly most of the their own group where skilled fighter themselfs .

 

When the group arrived at the Inn , Bora Cho decided to stay outside .

You never knew if their where more of those scumbags lurking around , just

waiting to avenge their fallen mates .

 

So Bora Cho walked around the small marked-square , checking every nook and cranny for hidden hostiles .

 

Satisfied ,that everything looked save he sad himself against a wall .

Minutes passed as all at the sudden Istengard appeared from out the dark .

 

Funny , what had happened to him ? He wasn't at the fight if Bora Cho rememberd correctly .

 

Curious about what had happened to his mate , Bora Cho walked to the Inn .

Inside he found Istengard reading a book .

 

Not wanting to interrupt his fellow companion , Bora Cho took a seat next to him at the fire-place . So Bora Cho started to focus , meditating .

[steven]

"I get top bunk!" Akira quickely told Jonas as the two entered the room.

"Suit's me." Jonas replied sliding his bad under the bed and then sat at the edge. After the fight he was more than happy to get a decent night sleep.

[JasraLantill]

Aya slowly opened her eyes and turned to face Carwyn. She gasped, finding herself looking pretty much at Carwyn in his entirety instead of just the bared patch of cut up thigh she had been expecting. She couldn’t help but stare at him for a moment, but then her eyes left his and slowly wandered over his well-toned shoulders, across his sculpted chest, over his washboard abs, and down to… the strategically placed tunic in his lap. She let out a small sigh of relief, though a stranger might have mistook it for disappointment.

 

She cleared her throat, and then gathered her nerves to appraise his wound. He needed her help and she wasn’t about to let him down over a little queasiness. But although most of the bleeding had stopped, it was still a nasty gash, and her brow furrowed with empathy as she imagined the amount of pain it must be causing him. “I’ll try and be gentle,” she said, as she picked up the cloth from the washing bowl.

 

With soft hands she began to carefully sponge away the dried blood, taking tender care not to disturb the wound too much lest it start bleeding again. Even so, she had to pause as she began to feel lightheaded from the mere sight of raw flesh, but she attempted to mask her discomfort by turning away to refresh the cloth with clean water every now and again.

 

After she had cleaned the wound as much as she could, she shook her head and said, “I think you’re going to need a couple of stitches.” She looked up at him then with a slight panic in her eyes. “Erm…not by me,” she said hurriedly. “By a physician. Or healer. Or at the very least, a barber surgeon.”

 

She rose from the stool. “I’ll go ask Renn to fetch one. You going to be okay here on your own? You want me to get you anything before I go?”

[Rogue Nine]

Carwyn looked down at his injury. Aya had cleaned it up well, but it still throbbed and ached. Nonetheless, he was still extremely grateful for her care. "I think I could use a spare change of clothes, if it's not too much trouble." He picked at the bloody rip in his pants. "At the very least, a spare pair of trousers. Sewing this up is going to be fun."

 

Aya nodded and smiled. "I'm sure Renn will be able to find some, though if they're his, they might be a bit baggy on you." She turned towards the door.

 

Before she could head out, Carwyn called to her. "Aya!" The young merchant turned to look at him again. Carwyn smiled his fullest and warmest. "Thanks."

 

Aya's rosy cheeks got a little bit redder as she nodded and returned his smile. "It's nothing, Carwyn. I'd like to think you'd do the same for me." She swung the door open and headed out into the hallway again, closing the door behind her quietly.

 

The ranger sighed as he shifted, pulling his tunic back on while moving his lower body underneath the sheet. It was difficult with his injury, but he managed. I hope I don't bleed all over these nice sheets, that would put a damper on my fees. Fairly satisfied with his arrangement, he put his hands behind his head and lay back on the pillow, thinking about something Aya had said.

 

Just why does she manage to put her foot in her mouth around me?

[ForceFightWMe12]

Kyo stood outside the inn, trying to clear his head with a few deep breaths of cool, crisp night air. He had to think about what had happened earlier, and the miscellanious noises of the bar weren't helping much. He stood leaning against the wall, his arms folded over his chest and eyes closed. The clouds had not yet let up on the moonless night.

 

"They came right to us, just as Itsumo said they would."

 

"Itsumo..." he murmured under his breath. He would commit that name to memory.

 

The group of men - whoever they had been - were organized, that was obvious. They weren't some rag-tag bandit gang or a club of mercenaries. No, they had the feel of a syndicate around them. And Kyo didn't like the feeling.

 

The way the first man had looked at Aya...the swordsman's eyebrows knitted together. He somehow knew who she was. Aya! A hapless - sometimes harebrained - trader! Why would they have been after her? What was this key they kept mentioning?

 

And then there was the fact that they had recognized him, as well. The Wandering Swordsman they had called him...but only after he had unsheathed his blade.

 

He reached over his shoulder now and drew his sword, opening his eyes to examine the flawless, shining edge. He traced his gloved fingers lightly over the steel, only stopping when they had reached the small, black diamond inset in the base of the blade. It was little more than an extra sheet of stained metal, no bigger than the tip of his thumb, but it would have been enough. Not many people had such an ornament on their weapons.

[JasraLantill]

Aya came back into the main room and approached the innkeeper come bartender Renn. She was about to say something to him, when she paused and cocked her head to one side.

 

Bora Cho was in the lounge area, appearing to be meditating. Istengard was reading a book by the fire. It wasn't a strange sight, but an unusual one to her, as she didn't think Istengard was the literary type, nor Bora Cho the meditating-without-the-benefit-of-alcohol type. She shook her head briefly, then turned back to Renn.

 

"Quiet night," she said, nodding to the near empty lounge.

 

"Most people have decided on turning in early," Renn replied. "Market day tomorrow. You should know that."

 

Aya nodded. "Yeah, I should get to bed soon, too. But... my friend, the one that was wounded? He needs a physician or healer. His wound needs some stitches and he could probably do with some pain killers."

 

Renn held up a finger, then bent down behind the bar, only to return a moment later with a tiny black bottle. "Give him a few drops of this," he said. "It'll dull his pain."

 

Aya frowned. "Poppy juice?" she asked in a whisper. "That's pretty... strong, isn't it? I mean, how many drops is a few? I just want him to feel better, not put him out of commission for a week."

 

Renn sighed. "Two drops in a glass of water and he should be fine," he said. "You want it?"

 

Aya eyes narrowed suspiciously. "How much?"

 

Renn shrugged nonchalantly. "Say... two pots of that special cream and 5 dinars?"

 

"Five?" Aya said incredulously. She considered for a moment. "One pot and 3 dinars."

 

"Two and four."

 

"One pot, three dinars, and I'll throw in a silk scarf for your 'wife' if you fetch the physician. Tonight."

 

Renn's eyes shifted back and forth as he thought. "Deal." He handed her the bottle.

 

She put it in her pocket. "Fine. I'll go get your cream now. The scarf you'll get 'after' the physician has treated my friend."

 

Renn grinned. "All right, all right. You win."

 

Aya left through the back door of the inn, crossing through the covered patio area in the back. It was the only 'smoking' area of the Smoking Dragon, and one lone man, dressed in black and his face obscured by the wide brimmed hat he wore, sat by the brazier, puffing on a pipe.

 

"Even'in," he said to her.

 

"Good evening," she replied in kind, but didn't stay long enough to chat further with him. She was headed for the stables across the alleyway.

 

The ostler of the inn would always stable the customer's horses there. Sort of like 'valet' parking for steeds. As she approached, Bob whinnied a greeting.

 

"Hi, boy," she greeted him, as she entered his stall. His pack had been neatly put aside near the wall. "Just came to get a few things," she said as she rummaged for the items she needed. "But I'll be back later to say goodnight. I've got to take Kyo to where that old crazy woman lives."

 

Bob's ear's flattened and he snorted and stamped his foot.

 

"Don't worry. I'm not crazy enough to go in with him. I'm just going to point out where she lives."

 

Bob shook his head and mane, then snorted.

 

"I promise, I'll be careful," Aya said, rolling her eyes. She rose, the cream and scarf in hand. "I'll be back soon. Be good. Don't kick the stall or bite the ostler."

 

She placed the scarf around her neck, and then left, carrying the pot of special ointment back to the innkeeper. "Ok," she said to him, setting the pot on the bar along with three dinars. "There's my end of the bargain. I've got to go out for a while, and I would hope that the physician is attending my friend when I get back."

 

Renn grinned. "I never go back on a deal, Aya. You know that."

 

Aya grinned, and nodded. "Just making sure."

 

She went back to the room where Carwyn was. "I've brought you something for the pain," she said to him. She poured a glass of water and dropped two droplets from the black bottle into it. "It's poppy juice," she said handing the glass to him. "And a physician should be coming to see you soon. I've got to go and show Kyo the place he wanted to go, but I'll be back. I promise." She grinned. "You just get some rest."

[Jason Skywalker]

Akira yawned, getting up. He had a good nap. He felt chilly, so he got onto the ground and opened the drawer he had put his cape in and put it over him. It felt very comfortable. He then made his way to the door and his head knocked with another persons as both of them fell to the floor.

 

"Ouch..." Akira said as he opened his eyes, realizing he and Aya had just knocked each other's heads, "Sorry Aya, you can never know what's coming," He said, grinning.

[Rogue Nine]

Carwyn took the glass and sniffed it. The smell was strong, but not unpleasant, especially since he had something far more pungent slathered over his hands. "Thanks again, Aya," he said, taking a sip.

 

Just then, a chilly night breeze came through the slightly ajar window. It wafted over Carwyn's half-exposed backside, causing him to shiver. "Whoa, that's cold..."

 

"Oh no, I'm sorry about that," Aya said, moving to the window to close it shut. Turning around, she looked at Carwyn and his shivering frame, then averted her eyes as she remembered. "And I've totally forgotten to find you a change of clothes," she said apologetically, her face coloring up again.

 

Carwyn chuckled, his teeth chattering slightly. "It's all right, I won't be able to change my trousers until after the doctor is finished with me anyway," he told her. "Though I definitely wouldn't mind a warmer tunic."

[JasraLantill]

((OOC: Well, it seems that Aya bumped heads with Akira AFTER she left Carwyn's room, so to backtrack a bit...))

 

"Warmer tunic," Aya said, backing out of Carwyn's room. "Won't forget it this time. Promise."

 

She closed the door and had just turned around when...

 

"Ow!" Aya's head collided with something hard in front of her.

 

"Sorry Aya," Akira's voice said in the darkened corridor. "You can never know what's coming."

 

"Or going," Aya commented, as she rubbed her forehead. She shook it off as she wandered with Akira down the hallway towards the front door of the inn.

 

"Speaking of going... I've got to show Kyo to this place in the city he wanted to go to, but I don't plan on hanging around. You care to be my escort for the way back? With all the strange things that have been happening, it'd be nice to have someone capable with me in case I ran into any troublesome bullys. Like those... whatever they were that attacked us at the docks." She rubbed her neck, still a bit sore from the cord that one of the ninjas had tried to strangle her with. "I don't care to experience that anytime soon."

[Jason Skywalker]

"Neither do i," He told her, interested on where she was bringing Kyo. Did it have anything to do with the Obake Blade? Perhaps it did. He wanted to know, but it was Kyo's business and Aya needed an escort for her way back as she said.

 

"But i'll be happy to escort you," Akira replied.

[ForceFightWMe12]

Kyo looked up from his examination of his blade as the door of the inn was pushed open, spilling additional light onto the dark street. He lowered the weapon as Aya and Akira stepped out. With one fluid motion, he sheathed it across his back again.

 

"How's Carwyn?" he asked them.

[JasraLantill]

"He's fine," Aya said, then frowned. "Well, 'fine' isn't really the right word, but he'll be okay, I think. I asked Renn to fetch a physician for him and I gave him something for the pain. But right now, I think it's time I took you to see...," She looked at Akira, unsure if Kyo wanted him to know about the old woman. "... you-know-who."

[ForceFightWMe12]

Kyo nodde, following her glance to Akira. He didn't ask why the other man was acompanying them - perhaps she wasn't comfortable with this quarter of the city or where the woman lived, or even traveling alone with him. Perhaps Akira had his own agenda. Regardless, it wasn't his deal.

 

Standing straight again, he motioned ahead of them. "Lead the way."

[JasraLantill]

Aya began to walk. "We're going to the Old City," she said to them both. "It's not a bad place, but it's a strange place, with lots of strange people to boot. I wouldn't mind going there in the daytime, but at night...," She looked up at the moonless sky. "... especially moonless nights, makes it seem a bit... well, in a word... creepy."

 

They travelled through the main cobbled streets, travelling up the hill to the main market district, then made a sharp turn to the left, travelling downhill until the cobbles became gravel and then the gravel became packed earth.

 

"Good thing it's not raining," Aya commented as she picked her way down the path. "This bit is really treacherous when it's a river of slippery mud."

 

They twisted through darkened alleys now, the path getting narrower and narrower, until they reached the side of a ramshackled two-story building. It was here that Aya paused, then pointed up to a tiny dimly lit window on the second storey.

 

"That's the place," she said to Kyo. She nodded her head over to some rickety looking wooden stairs. "You get up that way. Through the door, then down the corridor. Second door on the left." She grinned nervously. "Have fun," she said, and then began to back away.

[ForceFightWMe12]

"Hold on, wait a minute." Kyo said, looking back at her and raising an amused eyebrow. "You're not...afraid of this place, are you?"

 

Aya gave him an incredulous stare. "Well, duh! Yeah! I'm not going with you."

 

"What makes this place so creepy?" he asked, fairly interested now. "It's just a house.

 

"It's a creepy house, with creepy things, and a creepy old woman," Aya replied. "That's three times more creepy than out here in the street."

 

"What scares you more? The house, the things, or the old woman?" the swordsman asked, now chuckling under his breath.

 

"The woman and the things she keeps inside her house are all equally creepy." She glared at him. "And you won't be laughing when you go in there, I can assure you." Aya looked over her shoulder, and lowered her voice. "She's some kind of a witch, and I don't mean figuratively."

 

He laughed out loud at this. "Please, Aya. Don't tell me you actually believe in such a thing?"

 

Aya wasn't laughing. "You go in there and see for yourself," she said. "Then we'll see who's laughing."

 

Rolling his eyes, Kyo sighed. "You won't come with me?"

 

Aya shook her head.

 

"Not even with Akira and me to protect you?"

 

Aya considered this for a moment. "Blades won't protect you in there." She paused, then looked down at the ground. "The last time I was here, I was with my father." She looked up and met Kyo's eyes. "She predicted the manner of his death. And she was right. In every detail."

 

This silenced the swordsman. The laughing light faded instantly from his eyes. "I see."

 

"No, you don't," Aya said. "But you will." She nodded to the stairs. "Go on. She'll tell you what you need to know about your... relic. Or who to seek out to translate it."

 

He nodded, turning back towards the stairs.. "I suppose I'll see you at the inn, then."

 

"Good luck," Aya said to him. "But a word of advice? Don't ask her what you don't really want to know."

 

He seemed to ponder that a moment before nodding again. "Thanks." he finally said, and headed up the stairs.

[Rexraptor2000]

"So, was it the library you were going to?" Hoshiko asked Toa.

 

"Yes, but I got lost using a lost map. I believe it has Elemental in its name, although I'm not certain." Toa replied. Then he noticed how the wind had messed up he hair and started laughing. It looked like she had just woken up with a bad hair day.

 

"The wind really brings you out, huh?" Toa asked as he calmed down.

[ForceFightWMe12]

Kyo couldn't help but sense the feeling of forboding that seemed to have a permanant setting over the house. The stairs beneath his feet gave up weak squeals of protest as he climbed up, the hinges of the door grating as he pushed it open. He shot a fast look over his shoulder. There was nothing there.

 

Well, duh. Of course there was nothing behind him. If he was going to accomplish this task, he couldn't let Aya's stories spook him. Witches. Hah.

 

The hallway inside was painted a fading green, what appeared to be mold growing along the joint between the ceiling and wall. As he moved across the squeaky hardwood floor, he almost stepped on some sort of dark shape more than once. Crinkling his nose in disgust, Kyo followed Aya's instructions. Second door on the left she had said, hadn't she?

 

The door - which seemed to have been made to fit a different frame - matched the walls in its sickly green color. He sighed, and gave a light knock on the door. There was a muffled thump, what sounded like a cat's screech, and then something scratching against the door. A moment later, a lock clicked, and the door pulled open to reveal a very old, very small woman. She was bent over with age, her head coming up to about Kyo's hip, but even standing, he didn't think she'd pass his waist by much. Her glasses - if that's what you could call them - were far too big for her small, wrinkled face. They magnified her eyes about thirty times past the norm, and had massive, rounded beads hanging from her neck, with a jade green shawl spread over her pointy shoulders, clashing terribly in the dim light with the bright pink frock she had on beneath it. She blinked at him several times, and the swordsman had an amused moment of comparing her to some sort of bug.

 

"What do ye want, huh huh??" she asked, getting up in Kyo's face. Or, at least trying to. "Ye better not be here to try and terrorize me and my poor husband! He almost had a heart attack the last time he had to drive you ruffians off!"

 

"Actually, Obaasan-sama..." he said, managing to keep a straight face as he pulled out the tattered peice of parchment, "I was wondering if you could help me with this."

 

Her over-sized eyes widened three sizes more as she gaze on the parchment. Then, faster than should be physically possible for her body to accomplish - she grabbed Kyo's hand and dragged him inside, pushed him into a chair, and slammed the door. The swordsman was left, sitting and blinking, completely bewildered at what had just happened.

 

The room was the same tattered green as everything else - even the ceilings and the few, frayed rugs were green, though whether it was by choice or something growing on the surfaces, he wasn't sure. There was a small, low table in the center of a dark rug, two ratty, cushioned chairs on either side of the table and a sofa on its other side. The old woman flashed passed Kyo, snagging the parchment from his hand and bouncing up onto the sofa, standing on the cushions and holding the parchment to the sky as if to examine it better.

 

"Hohohohoh....hohohoho!" the woman cackled, "Finally! Finally! By the will of the gods, finally!!"

 

"Er...Obaasan-sama..." Kyo said, sitting forward and shifting his feet. "If I could--"

 

"GAH!!!" the woman shreiked, barreling at the swordsman. In shock, he sat back, eyes wide as she stopped only an inch from him, a mangy orange cat in her arms.

 

"You almost stepped on Hildoy!!" she said indignantly.

 

"I'm sorry..." he said, still a bit dazed, "I didn't know you had a pet..."

 

"Pet!! Pet!" she scoffed angrily. "Hildoy is my husband!!"

[Grace]

"Now will you sing?" Katsuro asked his mother as they entered the room that had been reserved for them. Takara laughed lightly.

 

"I'll sing for you when you're ready to go to bed," she said. "And in the meantime, I believe your grandfather is coming to meet us... though what he wants, I'm still unsure of."

 

At that, there was a heavy knock on the door. Takara rose lightly and went to answer. Her father stood on the other side, a tall, lean and muscular sort of man with unruly, graying black hair.

 

"And how is my Takara?" he asked immediately as she opened the door.

 

"Aware as always, stronger than ever," Takara answered promptly. Her father laughed and nodded, looking ready to speak again when she cut him off with, "which is why I can see you're hiding something under your cloak."

 

"Two somethings," he chuckled. Throwing open his cloak, he withdrew two bows, one a smaller copy of the larger, and two quivers of arrows to match them. Takara stared at them in shocked silence. Katsuro merely took his bow and arrows with joy.

 

"I don't understand," Takara said softly. With a small smile, her father gently pressed the bow into her hands.

 

"Don't tell me you've forgotten your own birthday," he replied. A look of surprise crossed Takara's face and her father laughed.

 

"Oh, my!" he exclaimed. "You had!"

 

"No!" she protested quickly. "Well... yes, but..." Her son burst into laughter, preventing her from saying anything further.

 

"Happy birthday, mother!" he said cheerfully. Turning to his grandfather, he went on, "So that's why you had one made for her... why for me?"

 

"Because you turn twelve in just a few short weeks," the older man answered. "And this is the nearest to one another we are going to get for a while."

 

"Oh?" Takara raised an eyebrow. "Where are you headed?"

 

"Away from any sort of civilization," he answered evasively. "I've had enough cities and towns for a while."

 

"If anyone can survive off the land, alone, it's you," Takara praised. "Though I will miss the chance run-in with you from time to time."

 

"I'll find you first when I want anyone's company," he promised. "But for tonight, I shall spend it with my daughter and her son!"

 

Together, all three of them went down to the great room. Takara had discarded all of her weapons except for her knife and her cloak was now missing from her bare shoulders. For a while, she laughed and talked with her father and her son, but then, she withdrew and watched grandfather and grandson interact.

[Dark_Lady]

"The wind really brings you out, huh?" asked Toa, recovering from a burst of laughter.

 

"Yeah, I guess so," Hoshiko replied, running her fingers through her hair and setting it partially straight. "That better?" she asked teasingly.

[Rogue Nine]

The door to the inn swung open and admitted three more people into the busy area. The tallest was a stately looking older man, wearing a long beige coat and walking with the aid of a cane. He wore thin wire-rimmed glasses perched low on his long nose. He pushed them up slightly as he made his way to the bar. His two companions moved with him, each carrying a small, brown case. Renn the bartender moved to greet them.

 

"Ah Doc Waverly," Renn said, extending his hand. "Thanks for coming on such short notice. I hope I didn't interrupt anythin' important."

 

The doctor shook his had as he clasped Renn's hand. "No no, nothing too important," he replied, his gravelly, world-weary voice carrying a tone of bemusement. "I was just patching young Christopher up," he continued, indicating the blonde man to his left with a tilt of his head.

 

"Morgan's beard, what happened to you, Chris?" Renn asked, looking at the scruffy young lad. The left side of Chris's head was wrapped in bandages and there was a nasty bruse just above his right eye. Despite his haggard appearance, Chris managed an effervescent smile as he hoisted the case he was carrying onto the bar top.

 

"Ran into a spot of trouble, nothing too major," he replied, his voice pleasantly high and full of youthful exhuberance. "Just some folks I owed money to."

 

Renn shook his head. "You young people and your gambling." He wagged a porky finger at Chris. "You best watch out, lest they decide to take their payments in things you can't replace."

 

Chris chuckled. "What makes you think they haven't already?" he asked sarcastically, flapping the sleeves of his loose fitting poncho which rendered his torso a shapeless mass of cloth. Renn had never seen Chris wear anything other than ponchos or half-cloaks. He figured the young apprentice healer liked having freedom of movement.

 

"I'd have noticed," Dr. Waverly said. "And I would have had Tellis here reattach them without anesthesia." He gestured to the willowy brunette that stood to his right.

 

She was dressed austerely, wearing a dark blue cloak over a simple sleeveless brown working dress. Her kind, pretty face was unreadable, save for the upturned left corner of her lip. "And I would have gladly done it, Chris," she told her fellow assistant in a quiet, sensual voice. "You'd have felt it."

 

"Speaking of feeling things," Dr. Waverly interrupted, "I do believe I was summoned to tend to a patient who is in some amount of pain?"

 

Renn nodded. "He's down that corridor, across the main main room, second door on your left." The burly bartender pointed in the direction of the room, then turned back to Dr. Waverly. "Do you think you'll be needing some of my wife's special tea for this occasion?"

 

Dr. Waverly held his hand up parallel to the bar top. Observing the slight shake running through it, he nodded curtly at the bartender. "It would probably be a wise thing to brew up a pot."

 

"I'll get right on it, Doctor," Renn said, turning and making for the kitchen. Dr. Waverly led his two assistants across the loud common room.

 

******

 

Carwyn wasn't sure what exactly was in the drink Aya had given him, but he knew that it made him feel quite strange. A good strange, since the pain in his leg had dulled; but also a problematic strange, as his vision had also dulled. He was busy trying to count the blurry ceiling spots when the door to his room opened and in swept three people. The ranger turned to look at them as their gazes immediately locked on him as well.

 

The tallest and oldest-looking of them all moved to Carwyn's side and extended his hand for Carwyn to shake. "Hello, I am Dr. Waverly."

 

The ranger reached up and shook the doctor's hand. "Carwyn Stormchild, Walking Mishap Extraordinaire." He gestured down to his wound. "Think you can fix me up, Doc?"

 

Dr. Waverly pulled the stool up closer and sat down, pushing his glasses up to inspect the gash. "Oh my, that looks quite lovely," he said, a touch of mild sarcasm in his voice. "It does not look too bad, however, so I hardly think two assistants are necessary." He turned to look at his apprentices.

 

Tellis was looking at Carwyn with a curious expression on her comely face, almost as if she was appraising a piece of meat at the marketplace. Chris, however, looked almost shocked. "What did you say your name was again?" he asked, his voice quaking slightly.

 

Carwyn turned his head slightly to look at Chris through bleary eyes. "Carwyn Stormchild," he repeated.

 

Dr. Waverly looked at Chris, then Carwyn, then back to Chris. "Do you know Mr. Stormchild, Chris?"

 

The young blond's blue eyes flashed, but he shook his head. "No, I'm afraid I don't. I've just never heard such an exotic name before..."

 

Dr. Waverly huffed dismissively, then gestured to his two subordinates. "Yes well, like I said, I have no need for both of you. Chris, go out and see if Renn has my tea ready. Tellis, come here and give me your kit." The lithe woman obeyed the command wordlessly, her eyes still locked on the ranger as she moved next to the doctor. Chris hesistated for a moment, his eyes on Carwyn as well, then turned and headed out the door.

 

Probing Carwyn's wound with practiced fingers, Dr. Waverly tut-tutted. "This wound is fairly deep, Mr. Stormchild. How did it happen?"

 

Carwyn squirmed as the doctor's probing tickled him. "Please, call me Carwyn. And I was in a bit of scrap coming off the ferry. Got hit with a throwing knife."

 

"A 'scrap', eh?" Dr. Waverly muttered as he rooted around for implements in the case Tellis had opened for him. "I suppose you have other injuries that might need tending to as well." He turned to his assistant. "Tellis, please examine Mr. Stormchild for any other damages as I get ready to patch him up."

 

Tellis nodded and moved swiftly to the other side of the bed. "Right away, Doctor," she said, reaching for Carwyn's tunic.

[Darth_Velrogh]

Istergard put down the book, only now realising that Bora Cho was siting next to him. He seemed to be meditating. So thats what happens when he is sober.. he thought smirking.

 

Istergard looked at himself, his face had blood stains and his armor had blood all over it, he looked disgusting. The necro-warrior took a piece of cloth from his bag and cleaned up his face, but the armor would need to be washed with water and soap.

 

Istergard just stared at the fire, forgetting his armor and the things that surrounded him, only the dancing flames matered. He kept staring until finally he fell asleep, feeling safe for the first time in months.