"Kes, here, there's room for you to sleep. Doesn't it look soft? I can sit up too, if you'd prefer for me to do that, I don't sleep, so I don't mind." Des said, smiling warmly. Kes had been intending to take a seat by a wall and sleep but she supposed there wasn't any harm in taking the spot on the couch even if it would be weird to sleep on something so... soft.
She sat on one end of the couch and tried to doze off. It worked for a while, but eventually the sounds of conversation awoke her. Apparently all the other "guests" were introducing themselves. Kes had never been one to be called "talkative"; most conversations she'd ever had were started by others and usually had familiar topics like "how to survive the coming battle" and "getting back in the cells" and, every so often, "how to escape". These last kind were NEVER with the same people again; the guards saw to that. So, as a result, she remained quiet and listened to what others were talking about mostly.
Des and the one called Lucia were the closest so she paid attention to that one but said nothing.
"Thank you, I rather like it to" Lucia replied as she finished up her equipment checks and sat down.
"Say, I don't mean to be rude, but what kind of mortal are you?" Des then asked, sounding a little confused. "'Dragon-Born', which is a person who is ether born with or gains via some form of magic, Dragons blood. In my case, I was born human but became what you see now later in life. And just like our larger cousins, we can fly, and have a breath weapon. Most have fire, but as I mentioned before, I do not 'breath fire', my breath weapon is lightning. Unlike our larger cousins though, us Dragon-Born are not 'color coded'. What I mean by that is you can study up on, say, Red Dragons, learn its ability's and behaviors and so on. A Red Dragon-Born is highly unlikely to have any more then passing similarity to a larger red." Lucia said with an air of pride. Clearly she'd come to love her 'new' form. "And yes, I do like this form more then my old, human one. Even if it where possible, I would not willing return to what I was before" Lucia added before turning to the young lady in the furs, who seemed to have a thing for rhyming.
"Cats are a small 'domesticated' animal, and I use domesticated loosely, as cats tend to still retain a lot of mannerisms and behaviors that they're larger wild cousins have. In fact I've even heard that a house cat turn loose and let run wild, will be feral with in a generation or two. So you can imagine getting such a creature to do what you want is difficult. Only thing I've seen work is food or catnip, but even that's not guaranteed"
"'Dragon-Born', which is a person who is ether born with or gains via some form of magic, Dragons blood. In my case, I was born human but became what you see now later in life. And just like our larger cousins, we can fly, and have a breath weapon. Most have fire, but as I mentioned before, I do not 'breath fire', my breath weapon is lightning. Unlike our larger cousins though, us Dragon-Born are not 'color coded'. What I mean by that is you can study up on, say, Red Dragons, learn its ability's and behaviors and so on. A Red Dragon-Born is highly unlikely to have any more then passing similarity to a larger red. And yes, I do like this form more then my old, human one. Even if it where possible, I would not willing return to what I was before"
Des kept listening, though he was unable to understand all she said. There was the thing about dragons, and colors, and all that, and while Des had heard about dragons from human legends, he'd never seen one. What he did gather, however, was that Lucia was one of these "dragon-born", but had used to be a human, something that Des found odd.
How does a human become a dragon? And why would they be happier as a dragon?
He wondered, but he just smiled and nodded, understanding that Lucia had "lightning" as a breath weapon, which meant that she could breathe lightning, right? Sure, that had to be just about accurate.
"Oh, okay, then. So you're a dragon-like mortal. I've never seen one. Not even a dragon, I don't think they're very common where I'm from, though they are mentioned. I've seen paintings, though they look rather weird on those." He remembered that the dragons attacked people in the legends, those who slew them were heroes. However, Lucia looked more like the latter, a hero rather than some vicious creature.
"It's good that you like this form, though, I'm happy for you." Des could sense that the vitae in her probably was too exotic for him, but he still felt fondness towards the dragon-born. He tilted his head, smiling. Then, in the corner of his eye, he noticed that Kes seemed to be listening to them, and turned to her. He was happy that she had chosen to sit on the couch.
"Hi, Kes, do you like my new clothes? Do you wanna feel how soft it is?" he asked, and sat closer to her.
She doesn't have new clothes, though. And those kinda clothes were rather rough.
He then added; "Are you fine with those? Or perhaps we should try to get some new ones tomorrow?"
"I heard you mention you wanted to hear stories, I'd be happy to tell of our travels so far, provided of course you share some tales of your own in exchange."
Trahaearn smirked as he folded his arms, "Well, would you like the one where I kill a monster or the one where I kill a monster or the...?" Then he burst out laughing, "You get the idea."
The elf didn't know what to make of the human who had come up to him, he seemed friendly enough. However, Trahaearn's gaze kept wandering over somewhere else. Unfortunately, she seemed to be preoccupied with some hunk who was asking a lot of questions. So, exchanging stories it was. If the man (Alex was the name, right?) cared for any.
Dalrel shut his eyes and relaxed for a moment.
Then, a moment later, he remembered how everyone else in the room were talking to one another.
He shrugged, got up, and closed the curtains to the room's large window, which portrayed the now pitch-black street.
Dalrel then shuffled past the dragon-lady and the wood elf, nestling into his own little area in the room and put a pillow over his ear, signalling his desire to sleep.
Alex laughed "Good to know you can handle yourself in a fight," he said, grinning broadly "how about the one where you kill a monster?"
It was good to know the man had a sense of humor, too often he ended up traveling with those who didn't care much for amusement. The man certainly looked as though he could handle himself in a fight as well, if his stories turned out to be empty boasts then at the very least he could stand around and look intimidating.
"Of course if you'd prefer I could start," he said, still grinning "I could tell you about the time I killed a demon or the time I killed a demon."
"Monster, demon, all the same in death." Trahaearn remarked, "Regardless, I'll start!"
From out of the cloak came out a hairy arm with wicked claws at the end. The elf made a show a flexing it, showing off the corded muscles underneath the shaggy fur. He smirked while doing so.
"'Course, I wasn't born with this arm. Earned after killing some wolf-beast." Trahaearn began, "There's this Horizon which is ruled by monsters and the night, and I decided to go after one of the Beast Lord. Before ya get mad, was pretty damn sure the thing didn't have a brain like you or me. Had enough of people tryin' to call me out on that. Anyway, beasts still have their own sort of intelligence, y'know, but this one was pretty smart. Avoided my traps, didn't take bait, even managed to untangle itself from a net. Went down to a bit of rough 'n' tumble, I tried to pin the beast down and snap its neck. He was tryin' to do the same. On and on this went, 'til sunrise. Struggling, cursing, yelling, until... Until... I wriggled out of his grip and dealt the killing blow!"
Not the best story or storyteller but it would have to do.
The woman with the icy eyes began to spout a torrent of questions. Trahaearn could barely get out a "Whoa there!" when she came up close, staring at the hunter with a hunger for answers deeper than any simple beast's need for food. All to ask about that golden gauntlet of hers! A simple trinket! And then, in flash, she was doing some tricks with it before Trahaearn could answer any of her questions. Which was a bit annoying. Regardless, Trahaearn still smiled.
"And what would ya do if your 'dick' was cut off?" He asked, moving towards her and stroking the gauntleted arm with his non-monstrous arm. Afterwards, Trahaearn leaned on a nearby table with the monstrous arm, like someone about to arm wrestle. He turned to her and spoke up, "C'mon, chop this arm off. Then let me do the same to you. Then you'll get those answers; since you were too impatient to wait for then, now ya'll hafta work for then."
Lucia just rolled her eyes at the exchange, 'story time' it seemed, was turning into meaningless chest beating, so she settled in against the wall by her things, intent on sleeping there for the night. "If your getting into a 'dick measuring contest' with a woman, your gods must truly hate you, besides, 'being the best, doesn't mean beating your chest'" she said with a snarky grin as she sat leaned against the wall.
Alex listened and watched with amusement and interest at the story and the commotion that followed, the man was truly unusual in having a beasts arm in place of his own but no doubt his graft had its advantages. I wonder what else of himself he's replaced... The woman with her own bizarre arm certainly seemed to have some interesting tricks of her own, but her eagerness to compare strength left him rolling his eyes.
"If your getting into a 'dick measuring contest' with a woman, your gods must truly hate you, besides, 'being the best, doesn't mean beating your chest'"
Alex laughed at this remark "In all fairness to him she started the contest," he said, then turned back to Trahaearn and Zuria "I'm afraid my arms don't quite measure up to yours, but I've still got my fair share of stories."
As he said this he rolled up his sleeves slightly, revealing a few scattered burn scars before pushing them back down.
"Never killed anything with so grand a name as Beast Lord before, but I suppose there was the time I fought a demon that made its home in a chunk of meadow," he said "hard to fight a giant mass of long thin grabbing roots and heavy dirt, not to mention the various modifications the demon made to its form. Had to run at first, ended up luring it into the cellar of a local tavern where the drinks favored by the locals proved quite useful for setting the thing ablaze."
Kes listed to what Lucia had to say. She'd actually seen dragon-born before. They were much sought after for arena fights for their brutality and skill-at-arms. Kes had the pleasure to both fight beside and against them before. Finally there seemed to be someone in the group of travelers who might understand the art, beauty, and joy of battle in a way similar way to her. Despite this, Kes decided to remain quiet for the moment on recognizing her kind. While Kes wasn't particularly skilled when it came to the social side she knew enough not to mention killing some of her brethren. Instead, she asked a question. "So how did you find your way here?"
"Hi, Kes, do you like my new clothes? Do you wanna feel how soft it is?" Des asked as he moved closer to her. A moment later he continued, adding "Are you fine with those? Or perhaps we should try to get some new ones tomorrow?"
Kes raised an eyebrow at the first statement. The brown and green outfit was definitely to her taste; the colors would blend in well in the surroundings of her home-horizon and many others. They could stand to be a little less regular in their pattern but that seemed to be a problem with all the clothing they encountered. Kes reached out and touched the fabric. Des hadn't been lying; it was indeed soft. In fact, it was softer than any cloth Kes had ever felt (not that that was hard to do).
"It's... good I suppose." Kes said, not sure what to say. Clothing and other matters of culture were definitively not her forte.
To the question about new clothes, Kes had no way to answer. She looked down at her own clothing; a simple skirt and shirt. She'd honestly been fine in the rags. She didn't need clothes for protection and the idea of fashion had never occurred to her. Not having an answer, Kes could only shrug her shoulders and reply "Should I?"
Des decided to ignore all the mortal talk about comparing arms and non-existing penises. For being so up-tight when it came to sex and relationships, mortals sure liked mentioning those kinds of things without any reason to. Even Alex was in on it.
Or is this some sort of ritual?
He hadn't been around mortal men enough to really know, he preferred to keep to the ladies. His eyes went back to Kes, who was feeling the fabric, replying to his questions.
"It's... good I suppose."
"Right? It's soft and comfortable and easy to move in. It's pleasant," he continued, but stopped there, he'd rather not make her feel sad about not having that nice clothes.
"Should I?"
Des tilted his head. "Should you?" It was an odd question to ask someone else.
"I don't know, do you want new clothes? Do you feel like you are wearing uncomfortable clothes? I think you'd look good in anything, so it's up to you. As long as you're happy wearing that, I'm happy," he replied, and winked, playfully. It wasn't flirtily, just friendly, though he supposed it was hard to see the difference.
Hopefully she won't take it badly, though.
Nah, Kes knew him by now, she wouldn't think something like that, not another time. He noticed that some of the others had started going to sleep, and added;
"Also, don't let me keep you up if you're tired, I'll move back to my end of the couch so that you get room to lie down if you want me to."
He then went quiet, listening to the rest of Alex' story with one ear and waiting for a reply with the other. Or, well, he was listening with both ears, but his attention was somewhat divided. It was mostly the mention of demon that caused it, though Des knew that it wasn't the same kind of demon as him.
"So how did you find your way here?" the lady who'd sat next to Des had asked.
"To this Horizon or in general? Cause it was the same random chance that brought me here that likely brought you all here." Lucia started "For a more amusing answer, I shall instead interpret the question s 'why am I bounce from world to world' like a flying bug zapping, shiny hobo?" Lucia simply shrugged "There was nothing left for me in my country, and with that came the freedom of no longer being burdened by the constraints of it's social norms." She said as she rubber her arm where the tattoo used to be, although it was a subconscious action. Lucia then went on about some of the worlds she'd been to since leaving, the most note worthy being a world where all the city's seemed to be in the sky and every one had wings like a birds, while the ground below was untamed save a few places where resources where gathered. Lucia, now in the mood to tell a more interesting story, settle on that world.
Lucia told, interesting enough, not of high adventures in monster slaying, but 'toys'. Specifically, how this world use magic for everything, and one such past time the had was a tournament where contestants build small golems out of fine metals and gems. Some where for show, and where essentially a 'dual between artists' to see who could build the best looking one that year, others built the for battle, where it was at that point the same as any tournament they'd seen or been in only the contestants weren't in any danger of injury cept for wounded pride. She spoke a little of the enchantments used to control them but readily admitted to not understanding how it worked. The battles she spoke of though, sounded nothing like a 'child's game' though. Lucia recounted a few very fierce sounding battles, one of which ended in a draw after both combatants, both she mentioned where very intricately detailed, and clearly a labor of love at the start, fought till nether golem was capable of continuing, the battle starting as an aerial shoot out before breaking down to a fist fight on the tournament stage. "That one got a huge round of applause from the crowds watching. I found out from some one standing near by that the two combatants where actually best friends, when I asked why they where fighting like they where trying to kill each-other, he said it was because they're friends. The short of his explanation was that 'friends' usually knew each other tactics and ability's better the other competitors, so they can't ford to fight any other way then all out." Lucia said as she began to wind down her story. "Anyway, sorry it wasn't some 'epic tale' of me killing some great beast, but it was a really neat thing and it was a really great fight."
Dalrel woke up as an orange light filtered through the windows of the living room.
He shifted his head back and forth instinctively, before remembering that the place the group was in was actually safe.
A window was already open, as some cold air seeped into the warm room to disrupt the group's sleep schedule.
He got up and grabbed his newly bought clothing and headed over to the kitchen. Nettil and Sal were already up and ready to go. Sal, clothed in his thin long-flowing attire, and Nettil with a cream-coloured jacket and her hair tied back into a bun.
''Where can I wash myself?'' He asked, gesturing to his entire body. They pointed him towards a small room with a basin of water and a toilet, and asked him to tell the others as well.
He heated the water himself and after a few minutes of soaking and drying, was ready to leave, with his new clothes- a burgundy cloak and trousers, black doublet, and boots that weren't caked in mud and dust.
He waited anxiously for the others, munching on some strange bread that tasted like garlic and sniffed at the soup put in front of him.
''The Towers will be busy. It'll be hard enough to get you all upstairs, but it'll be nigh impossible if you look like street urchins.'' Sal explained, as he went downstairs to tend to the plants. Occasionally looking outside to notice the hooded man still sitting outside.
''We should really do something about him.....''
After the conversation died down Lucia went to sleep.
The morning came to soon for her likely, as it usually did, and she begun to stir, her tail uncoiled it self from around her feet and her wings, which had been wrapped around her, really just leaving her head visible, moved back behind her as she, lazily pushed her self up. Once up she started to stretch out the kinks from sleeping in a sitting position, culminating in a full body stretch/yawn combo, the yawn coming out as less a yawn and more a traditional 'dragons squawk'. Lucia then followed her nose to what smelled like food, sat down and started eating.
How awake she really was for any of this was subject of debate ...
"I don't know, do you want new clothes? Do you feel like you are wearing uncomfortable clothes? I think you'd look good in anything, so it's up to you. As long as you're happy wearing that, I'm happy," Des said. Kes didn't quite follow; what did "looking good" have to do with anything? As for being uncomfortable, she was aware of the phenomenon but didn't know if the clothes were that way. After all, she adapted to most things so quickly that being uncomfortable was not a problem she'd ever dealt with. As for wanting new clothes, unless they were insufficient why would anyone want new clothes?
Kes didn't dwell on the questions long for quickly Lucia began her tale. Now THAT was something she understood. The thrill of the fight and the primal joy of victory. She'd never fought golems herself - Liem never found much pleasure in battles where one side wouldn't bleed - but she could understand the basic concept; giant constructed soldiers of incredible strength, durability, and mystical resistance. Some of the stronger ones might make fair practice for Kalidonians.
Kes, inspired into speech, told the story of the group's battle with the Nemian Lion and Manticores; sparing none of the wondrous gory details. She also spoke of their escape from the arena and a basic overview of the events that brought the small group to the strange city. KEs found herself wondering if the city had a similar arena. By the time she was done, most of the others seemed to be asleep. Noticing this, Kes felt the fatigue of the journey catch up to her and decided to catch some sleep in her little corner of the sofa.
The following morning, Kes made her way downstairs just in time to catch Dalrel's statement. ''The Towers will be busy. It'll be hard enough to get you all upstairs, but it'll be nigh impossible if you look like street urchins.'' Kes stared blankly at the man for a moment before asking what was no doubt an obvious question to most; "What are street urchins?" Throughout it all, Kes remained oblivious to the fact she probably looked more like a street urchin than most.
She didn't dwell on the question too long before the second statement caught her attention. ''We should really do something about him.....'' Dalrel said, indicating a hooded figure. While Kes had no idea what to do about street urchins, she knew how to deal with unwanted people. Pivoting on her feet, she made her way to the door, intent on either jumping the man or unleashing a terrible howl.
@Josh: I didn't have Kes actually do anything to give people a chance to (try and) stop her, but assume for your next GM post that unless someone HAS stopped her, she's doing just as written; jumping the man and beating him up or howling at him (per her minor power) if he's out of range. She's not being stealthy in the slightest.
@Lunar: assume Lucia knows whatever she wants to about the previous adventures.
Hopefully this hooded figure didn't come from The Dog Park >_>
Des didn't sleep, yet he knew when to close his eyes and become slightly less aware of the world as the others fell asleep. He moved as soon as he had noticed that Kes was asleep, giving her more space to move around if she was one of those kind of sleepers, and eventually, hours had passed and it was morning again.
"The Towers will be busy. It'll be hard enough to get you all upstairs, but it'll be nigh impossible if you look like street urchins."
"What are street urchins?"
What were those indeed? He knew what an urchin was, and he knew what a street was, but neither of those seemed correct, and the combination of the words seemed ridiculous. Someone said something else, though Des didn't catch that. He was too baffled about the term 'Street Urchin', though Kes had decided to go outside.
It makes no sense.
"Hedgehogs?" he asked, suddenly. "Do you mean hedgehogs? Street hedgehogs?" Why would anyone look like a hedgehog? Those had spikes and rolled up, and he didn't think anyone in the group had did that.
"I don't think anyone looks like one of those, so we should be fine."
He moved on to taste a bit of the food, very oblivious to how odd what he had just said had to sound, instead smiling cheerfully to himself, happy that he had figured it out.
The group prepared themselves as a loud howl was heard outside.
Kes stomped through the entrance triumphantly. ''The man is gone.''
Nettil scowled at Sal.''That's the last time I send you to the port for people. You bring us a mute while the real person arrives here by accident.'' She said, gesturing to Trahaearn.
The group left as orange light poured over the rooftops and onto the street. Nettil had carried a box of seeds and samplings out of the shop with her and allowed Sal to lead them all.
Passing a few wayward streets left them with a glimpse of an inn, a parlour and a brothel. One muscular looking man grinned at Sal from the entrance, the other sighed loudly and pushed passed him, motioning the group to do the same.
The roads widened and narrowed, then twisted and turned abruptly on them, before becoming very clear and straight as the Towers came into full view.
Suddenly there were more patrols than there were before. Men clad in sapphire blue armour and ornate shields travelled in groups, the buildings became taller, and carriages could pass each other easily now without slowing. As they continued down the street, they came through a large plaza made of bronze-coloured brick. In the centre was a large coal-black arch-way. ''It's a Connector.'' Nettil announced to them. ''Not quite a Horizon, but if a missing piece is slotted in, it can connect you to a nearby Horizon in this world.''
She then continued to blare on about numerous customs, and how each diplomat is only allowed two guards, ''Because armies couldn't fit.'', and a load of other bits of trivia that she had assumed everyone had prior knowledge of.
When they finally crossed the plaza, they came to the entrance of one of the Towers. There were about half a dozen, with bridges connecting the upper floors of each. This Tower was about as wide as a small fort, and must have been at least a dozen times taller. Nestled in between several of the Towers was a large domed structure. ''The Senate,'' Nettil then explained, the main building for the Conglomeration's diplomacy.
They entered passed large stone pillars marked with both symbols and graffiti, and were greeted to a bustling crowd of people. Candles lined the walls, as did officials and soldiers. People crowded around different stations for their own reasons. Some for grievences about water supply while others waved around their papers for trade shipments or passports.
''It's a real cesspool down here. If you're new to this then- uhh I'm so sorry.''
Sal said apologetically, pushing through the crowd in order to reach a platform with a few guards. Sal and Nettil explained to them their reasons for being here, and the group was admitted through. They cramped themselves into a cubicle with a stone slab for a floor, and two men clothed in green robes.
They huffed and pushed their arms upwards, bringing the stone slab with them. The group were ascending up and up until they reached a number #8. Nettil thanked them as the doors opened to a much brighter, ornate setting.
The stone floor was replaced by some crimson carpet and cream wallpaper, as diplomats shuffled around while being escorted by their duos of guards. Bourgeoisie floated around as large clear windows gave them a view of the rest of the island city. The group then made their way towards a corridor with double doors lining either side periodically. Nettil stopped at the 2nd on the left, knocked, then moved in.
Inside sitting behind a stone desk was a Snow Elf of similar size and shape to Sal. The room was noticeably colder than the rest of the building, and the room had several marble pillars that couldn't possibly be load-bearing. There were also small plants, a flask of wine and some uneaten food near one of the walls. Behind him was a large glass window overlooking the city.
''So, this is your latest group?'' the blue-eyed noble asked to Nettil. She nodded, walking over to him and plopping down her box.
''Good. You'll need them.'' He looked passed her and towards the Horizon Walkers, asking ''Leave us?'' Sal obeyed, shutting the doors and waiting outside. ''You people can just look around for now. Just try to stay on this floor, alright?''
Leaving the corridor, the group were now in a large lobby with various others. In one corner, a man was handing out leaflets for his business, but was frequently being received with hissing and angry looks. Light shone in from an entire side that was window panes, while the opposite side was dominated by the elevator they just came from, and sets of stairs. Emerging from one of the elevators was an elderly woman dressed in purple, ordained with garnets, and her entourage consisted of two guards and a small child. As they left the elevator they received immediate bows from passers by.
Rounding out the lobby adjacent to the group was a balding moneylender who was trying very hard to gather attention, and a woman who sold strange foodstuffs on sticks.
See that last paragraph? Yeah, you can interact with any and all of that.
Alternatively you can try to piss off Sal, or some of the staff, whatever floats your boat.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
