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Post by Valcrist on Jan 12, 2011 12:57:49 GMT -6
Val weighed the wooden instrument in his hand. It was as long as his blade, and about the same weight. He looked at Al, whom was holding the same thing. "Are you sure?" He asked, not really sure why he even bothered.
"Of course!" She yelled at him, standing a good deals away. Below them was fresh grass, and a sphere. The edges were marked off with stones and small wooden structures. She said this was the dueling ring, in which matters of honor were settled and spars were held. More stuff about 'their way' and whatnot, but what she wanted was clear. She wanted a battle in which Val didn't have to worry about killing her, which was what held him back before.
"Alrigh-" He began to talk, but she bolted from the spot and crossed blade with Val before he could say a word. The clunking of wood on wood was an odd sound to his ears, trained to recognize the clanging of steel upon steel. It was alien to his ears, but he didn't let that distract him as he pushed back with his weapon.
"Let your blade do the talking." She made a hard push, pushing Val a bit away and closer to the edge. She moved again, but this time Valcrist was prepared. She moved differently then the last time she fought, but with a slight hesitation between every move. Val's words about her style becoming easy to see through were took to heart, and he couldn't help but feel guilty.
Her hesitations made it easier to dodge her attacks, he almost felt like eating a strike to feed her ego though... But that would be transparent, she'd only get mad and not happy. No, the only way to honor her, would be to fight with all he had. She went to strike, but Val parried the blow and turned her attack to the side as he whacked her on the back with the wooden blade.
She let out a little grunt of pain, and whipped around to glare at Valcrist. Diving again, she went to attack, forgetting to hesitate but her actions were plain for him to see. He knew just where she was going to strike, before even she did. Moving out of the way, he whacked her again on the side while she was reeling from the missed blow. It wasn't a hard blow, but it was enough to let her know if it had been a real blade she wouldn't of been so lucky.
She began to grow angry, and she lashed out again attacking wildly. On one hand, there was a certain random element to how she moved in anger... on the other she relied less on thought and more on instinct and her muscle remembered movements as opposed to new ways to catch him off guard. Val brought up his wooden weapon, blocking blow after blow after blow. She attacked quickly, each attack coming with more speed and force then the last. He couldn't find a place to cut in, she was going to wear herself out completely once the adrenaline ran out.
Keep a calm head... even in battle. A warrior must be able to think fast and move efficiently in times of stress. With a nod, he pushed her back, and she was unable to respond in kind. With a hard swing he was able to knock her weapon from her frenzied hands. He held the wooden weapon at her head and smiled. "If this had been a fight, you'd be dead." He echoed words that bounced in his head at all times.
He brought the weapon down and laughed. "In the middle of a battle, you can't afford to make a single slip up. You can't afford for your ankle to twist too far or for your leg to try and reach farther than it can. Swordsmanship is more than about your arms, it's also about your legs. That's what my master told me once."
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Post by Valcrist on Jan 12, 2011 13:50:18 GMT -6
"Ok, just like that..." He said to the woman standing on a rock beams hastily constructed by Valcrist. He searched the plains for something as she walked back and forth across the beam.
"This is boring!"
"It's teaching you balance!" Val shouted out with a laugh. "It's supposed to be boring! You're training your muscles, not your mind." He thought the same exact thing when he did it, he still thinks it's boring when he does it. Which he does when he has nothing else to do, he can do it without a single mistake now, even while dodging rocks. He wasn't quite so loud about it though.
Ah! There we go..."You need to keep your senses sharp at all times, a single moment of doubt, or hesitation can spell your end." He said with a catty grin. "In other words... DODGE!" He slung the small stone he had in hand at her as fast as he could.
She didn't have time to react, she never expected such a thing. Ah, memories. It collided head first and.... shattered. Was... was her head really that thick. She fell off the beam and began sputtering with coughs. Her hair with a nice chunk of dirt hanging out of it. "WHY THE HELL DID YOU THROUGH DIRT AT ME!?"
"It... it was supposed to be... a... rock..."
"A rock? The hell is wrong with you!? That could of seriously injured me!" She fumed at him, in a way that didn't remind him at all of Chelsea he swears.
"That... that was what Yaen did... to me..." He almost pouted in how pathetic he looked right now.
She rubbed the dirt out her hair with a sigh. "I don't want to know how he did it. I was to know how you would do it." She looked at him, innocent in the eyes. It seemed she believed in his skills more then even he his self did.
Val had a little smile on his face as he looked over to her. "Thanks." He said, causing her to give him a confused look. Shaking his head, he chuckled. "Never mind. Come on, lemme draw a picture..."
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Post by Valcrist on Jan 12, 2011 15:53:58 GMT -6
Wearing a heavy leather apron, Val toiled and worked at the smithery under the watchful eye Master Ishke. Al sat outside the little forge, Iril sat next to her. Together they watched as Valcrist manipulate and toy with the steel in his hands. The big browed man watched with a raised brow, every once in a while he'd step in and show the blond blacksmith the proper form and technique, which wasn't surprising. He worked by ear, winging it most of the time. The fact his weapons worked were an amazing thing in and of itself.
The resonant cry of the hammer upon heated steel filled the air as the night slowly crept up upon Valcrist and his new friends. He had arrived in the morning and spent the whole day there, but it's been a great day. His body screamed in exhaustion with every movement he made, but he pushed against it even as he was sweating the way he was. The heat of the forge bathed him with warmth as the night brought with it a blanket of chill.
"What are you making boyo?" Ishke had asked him before Val had began.
"A weapon." That was all he said. He had a picture in hand, pinning it to the wall near him as he worked. It was a rough outline of the weapon, what he wanted to do and where. If there was something Val was an expert at, it was designs. He was an artist first, a smith second.
The blacksmith with thick eyebrows looked at the design and gave a slight grunt. "Never thought of that..." He said with a mild kind of wonderment.
Now the air was filled with heavy steam as he placed the blade in the basin of water to cool. The engravings would have to wait for later, Val was exhausted. The shape of the weapon, however, was complete.
"There..." Val smiled as he sunk down to a sit, plopping the heavy hammer in the grass next to him.
"Not really a strong lad, are yeh?" The blacksmith Ishke laughed.
"Nope..." Val looked at him with a laugh.
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Post by Valcrist on Jan 12, 2011 16:16:53 GMT -6
After sparring, fighting, training, and smithing all day, Val was just about to let sleep take over his mind, but he had something else occupying that space that wouldn't allow the night to take over quite yet. He slowly brought his self back to his legs, meanwhile Alexia was staring at the weapon Val had crafted. He turned to her with a smile, looking over to see Iril standing right next to her.
"Hey Iril." He called, the mute archer waving back with a smile. "How long have you and Al been friends? You look inseparable." Val made a bit of small talk, he didn't know much about the silent man. Iril though for a moment, then held out nine fingers. "Nine years?" The man nodded. "You two are best friends, aren't you?" He nodded again. "She gets you in a lot of trouble doesn't she?" He nodded again, Val could make out her yelling hey somewhere behind them. Val turned to her with a grin. "You done checking out the blade?"
"Yeah..." She said with a smile. "It's awesome." She added with a laugh. "Not as pretentious as yours, but still stylish. It reminds me of the Chieftain's blade."
"Yeah, I'm gonna ignore that." Val shot her a little look, but returned to his normal good natured self. "It's called a killing edge, it's designed to rip and tear flesh. It's a very intimating weapon to say the least."
"I like the little red color you gave it."
"I thought you would." Val pulled his blade from his sheath. "By doing certain things during the process of forging, you can change the color of the steel. It depends what you add to the alloy, the trick is to add the right things in the right amount so you don't weaken the sword with impurities." Val blathered because that was all he ever did about weapons. Girls? He stuttered like a little kid. Weapons? OH BOY LET ME GET MY JOURNAL! He brought the weapon back to his sheath and in one swift movement, resheathed the blade.
"I've asked my father, he said you could stay the night in our tribe if you wish." She smiled.
"Good, it's getting late..." He yawned as if on cue. "So, what happened to Howard and Vincent?" He asked in an off handed manner.
"They were executed, come on I'll take you to your tent."
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Post by Valcrist on Jan 12, 2011 17:00:55 GMT -6
"What." Val snapped his arm away from hers, looking at her as if he didn't understand the words from her mouth. It was far more like she didn't understand the own words out of her mouth.
"I'm... taking you to your tent?" She tilted her head, looking at him oddly.
"No. What about Vince and Howard." He looked at her with a kind of severity even he did not know he possessed.
"The thieves? They were executed, I told you they would be." She put her hand on her hip and just eyed Val suspiciously. "Now are you coming or not?"
"How... How can you say it like that?" He almost screamed it. "How can you write off a thing like the loss of human life so haphazardly?! You told me you were bringing them to the chieftain to decide, not that you were going to kill them!"
"I told you..." She suddenly went silent, Val's intense eyes burrowing through her skull. "It is our way. Thieves face execution, no exceptions. They faced us in a duel of honor, and they failed. The result is death. It is how it is." She spoke in such... such a calm tone. It made Valcrist infuriated, angry that anyone could do such a thing with so little emotion...
"How... Could you think such a thing is right? They were going to make amends for their crimes! They shouldn't of just, just died!" It was pointless to fight, the way of thinking they had was just so alien to Valcrist. A boy who believed every life was precious, the boy who couldn't dare to bring his self to end a life, the boy who almost died in his hesitation.
"I don't need to think it is right. It just is." She looked at him, confused at where all this anger was blooming from.
"I... " He was speechless. "I... would like to go to bed now... I have a lot to think about..."
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Post by Valcrist on Jan 12, 2011 17:26:25 GMT -6
He couldn't sleep, he knew that as soon as those words entered his ears. He only pretended to be tired, but his heart was burning with a fire that brought new vigor to his tired body. As soon as he left, giving him a smile and wishing him a good night, and after he parroted the same to her, making false promises to see her in the morning. He stirred from his homely, but comfortable bed. It was no better then a sleeping bag, yet it felt a million times more comfortable. It would of robbed him of all will to move any other time.
But not tonight. He left his hovel, and entered into the crisp night. The tribe looked like a graveyard at night, nothing but the odd warm flame under the starlight. A warm light from a family talking to one another he walked through the icy air of the night, sending shivers down his spine. A tent to his right had a man and a woman sleeping together, in typical husband-wife fashion. The doors remained open, mostly because they were all family. They needed not to worry about. Tent after tent was filled with a scene that wouldn't of brought comfort to his heart any other time, nearly no one was awake and those who were paid him no mind.
One tent in particular caught his attention. Looking in, he saw... Alexia... Sleeping next to Iril, like all the couples before. A small stab to his heart, but it was a pain that had grown dull by now. He barely felt a thing, but the odd and disturbing pain of nostalgia. He turned his head, not wanting to look in any more tents. Instead he headed towards a specific place, the warm flame at the end of the tribe. He would know why this happened, and he would ask the source.
The chieftain.
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Post by Valcrist on Jan 12, 2011 18:06:46 GMT -6
"The fire is nice tonight." Val said, not without a touch of bitterness as he entered the chieftain's tent. Him, and two other men were sitting inside. The chieftain looked like a swordsman, but past his prime. He had long white hair, not at all unlike Val's or even Yaen's. Probably about sixty or seventy years old, but he looked like he kept his body in shape. Next to him sat an adult, and across from that man was another man whom Val swore he had seen before. The two looked like swordsmen as well, but all Val could really make out is that all three were surprised to see him. They were gathered around a small fire in the middle of the tent in which a kettle of tea was brewing.
"Who dares enter the tent of the chief..." One man began, but the other held his hand up to silence the man.
"Wait... I recognize this boy. Valcrist, correct? You came into the village with my niece earlier." It was Relan, Al's uncle.
"Correct." Valcrist nodded quietly.
"What is it you want boy." The chief spoke with a certain weight, brief but powerful.
"I want to know. I want to know your way. Why? Why did you kill those two men earlier?" Val almost spat as he spoke, but he kept the venom in his question as low as he could muster.
"I feel you're upset about this child." The chieftain rose to his feet, his long robe stretching to the ground. The blade at his hip was indeed a killing edge, it made Valcrist almost scared to look at. But he persevered, there were more important things then his fear.
"That isn't what I asked." Val repeated his self, anger in his words.
"It is our way, an outsider like you couldn't possibly understand. Those who wrong us, disgrace the earth. The winds, the very spirits. He who steals is a disgrace to the world. Death is the only punishment fitting of them." The man looked at Valcrist, wizened old eyes full of knowledge. But to Val, all they were full of was foolishness.
"That's not good enough!" Val threw his arm out in front of him, cutting through the air. The two men stood up suddenly, hands at their weapons. Relan was more hesitant then the other man, but he rose just the same. "They wished to make amends, they wanted to try and fix their mistakes! You had no right, NO RIGHT to end their lives like that!" He nearly shouted at the elderly man.
"I can't explain such a thing to you, you're an outsider, you'd never understand." He repeated, shaking his head with a sigh.
"That's all you say. That's all you all say! It's your way this and your way that! That isn't good enough! Why couldn't I understand? Do you hold yourself higher then me?!" Val was surprised at his own voice, loud, strong, powerful and incredibly angry.
"It is-"
"What it is! I know... And I also know something else..." He drew his blade slowly, the dark blade blending into the night flawlessly. "I challenge you, Chieftain, to a duel of honor." He held his blade straight out, pointing at the man.
The chieftain brought up a hand and lowered it, making the two men ready to strike lower their blades. "Very well child." He looked the boy and shook his head. "Such a senseless waste of life." The sheer hypocrisy.
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Post by Valcrist on Jan 12, 2011 18:51:03 GMT -6
"Child, you are not one of us. You get one last chance to back down." The chieftain drew his weapon slowly but surely, the weapon gleaming in the limited light of the flame and stars.
"But chieftain, I don't think you understand." He pulled something out of his pocket and threw it on the ground. It hit the earth with a heavy clanking. "I stole this iron. I'm a thief. You have to kill me now. It's... 'your way'" Valcrist taunted with spite and venom in his words.
"I have never met a child so eager for death..." The man shook his head solemnly, raising it and gazing at Valcrist with two aged blue eyes. "Very well, I'll deliver to upon to you what you so direly wish."
"Killing even a child..." Val shook his head in disgust. Quickly the elderly man moved with a kind of speed he should very well not possess. Since the challenge, they made their ways out to the ring in which the duels were all held. The two men watched, being the judges of this match. Val knew very well... he may die here. But... It was for what he believed in... that made it alright... right? He brought his killing blade into clashing with Val's own blade, pushing the young boy a good few inches in impact. The man was far more strong then his body implied. He pushed forward, knocking Valcrist back and slashed again.
Barely getting out of the way in time, the blade grazed at his chest, the cloth and flesh underneath offering no more resistance then a single man daring to stand in Alan's wake. It bled, but there was no time to worry about blood. There'd be enough bleeding before the night was over.
Redoubling, Val took his blade and stood at ready, watching the aged man closely. He moved like an illusion, as if there was more then one of him striking at once. A blade landed itself across his right arm, tearing away the flesh painfully as it pulled itself back. A scream in pain that Val could not recognize was his own cried out into the night, but he didn't give up. He picked up his bleeding body crying out for him to just stop, and readied his self again.
It felt like the world went in slow motion, the man charged again and Valcrist moved. Slowly, his body didn't respond fast enough. The elderly man's feet move like he was dancing on the battlefield. He came from above with his weapon, and it was all the myrmidon could muster to bring it up in blocking. He grunted, groaned in pain as the chief pushed down with his weapon.
He could see a certain... bloodlust in the man's calm blue eyes. It was insane, chaotic, and paralyzed Val to his very soul. He struggled as much as he could, fighting each push as much as he could. Somehow, Val managed to slip away. His blade low to the ground, blood oozing from his wounds and staining his clothes permanently.
He... He was... Going to die.
Deep breaths. A swordsman always keeps his wits about him. Nervousness breeds recklessness, and a reckless swordsman is a dead one. In the middle of a battle, you can't afford to make a single slip up. You can't afford for your ankle to twist too far or for your leg to try and reach farther than it can, and believe me, it will happen. Swordsmanship is more than about your arms, it's also about your legs.A warrior must be able to think fast and move efficiently in times of stress.In other words, DODGE!
The words of Yaen echoed in his head. He took a deep breath and looked at the man. He moved, but Val... Val was starting to see. He quickly pulled his blade up, blocking the attack and turning it aside. The chief, shocked, recovered quickly and attacked again. Val saw that too. He brought his blade and turned the attack aside again. Dodge... Dodge...
He came around again, and he struck the empty grass. Valcrist maneuvering out of the way, his mind was sharp, focused. He watched as the man moved, his movements were like a dance. But they were a dance Val had seen before, he favored attacks coming in from the left. He moved in a way that looked like a feint but in fact was a real movement. He didn't hesitate in any of his movement, but it didn't matter. It was slowly forming a picture in Val's mind.
He moved, dodged, evaded blow after blow. Things began to grow clearer in his mind, while the other man only grew desperate. Sudden he tried to change his way of attacking, probably realizing what Val was doing, it didn't work though. It was transparent, the hesitations gave it away. A man his age fought a certain way for years upon years upon years, to fight differently was going against years of muscle memory. It required conscious thought that other movement didn't need.
It was his time to strike. Valcrist lunged, dodging the attacks and returning his in kind. A strike upon his arm after that attack, a hit to the back after that parry. He didn't fight like a myrmidon, he fought like an artist.
The man howled in pain, he slowed, he was done for. Valcrist struck again and again, crippling his legs and making him fall to the ground. (Critical Hit!) He struck again, removing the sword arm out of the question. It was over. The elderly man beaten by the young Nabatan, laying upon the ground completely at the mercy of the man.
"So.... this is your way?" He asked, looking at the man, a blade to his face as he lied helpless. It took all they hand not to jump in and save the chieftain as the two other men watched in pain.
"Yes." The chieftain stared at Val with pathetic eyes.
"So... Your way is to kill you, right here?" He asked again, making the blade come closer to the man's face.
"Yes..." He said, but his eyes said otherwise. They begged for life, they cried for another chance.
"I wonder... did those two men look at you this way when you killed them? I wonder if I had lost, would I look at you this way? Would you spare my life?" Val slowly brought his weapon to his sheath. "Well... this is my way." And in one swift movement, he brought the blade across his chest, ending the man's life forever.
He lost the duel, and his life in the process. Val bled as he walked, but not a man bothered to stop him... it was their way after all.
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Post by Valcrist on Jan 16, 2011 22:27:49 GMT -6
He was... he was angry. He was infuriated, he was scared, he was glad. He couldn't make out just what he felt right now, each wild stab being further from the truth then the last. Unable to cut at the heart of the matter, instead he found his self bleeding wildly from all his missteps. The morning was bright, and brought with it a new life that he was deprived of. His exhaustion surpassed simply being tired, it wasn't just his body but his emotions, his very soul that was exhausted.
What did he do last night? No, that wasn't the right question. He knew very well what he did, no, what should be asked is WHY he did it. That was a much more powerful question, and one he could not answer. Whatever the answer was... or even might be, it scared him. When he did it, when he moved his arm, slaying that man forever... It didn't... It didn't feel wrong. Why didn't it? Why was killing him NOT eating him from the inside? Guilt didn't wrack him in the way it was supposed to. The guilt that was clawing at him wasn't that over killing the man, it that of not having guilt for killing him.
Why? Why didn't it drive him crazy? It was driving him crazy!
Cuddled up into his self, under a tree, a makeshift bandage on his wounds, a cloth now stained blood red. A soothing breeze danced across the plains, but it didn't fell that soothing to him. His back pressed hard against the bark, he felt all the little groves digging into his flesh. Leaving it red, indented, and annoying tender. But right now he used it as a pillar of strength, supporting his body as his limbs were useless from overuse. He wanted to sleep, but he couldn't. Exhaustion was sure to win out in the end, eventually, but for now... His mind thought of new ways to feel horrible.
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Post by Valcrist on Jan 17, 2011 1:47:00 GMT -6
"Tell me. What is your way?" Val held his blade out, lengthwise. The man was on the ground, cowering. His axe fell out his land a short while ago. There were gashes in Val's flesh, destroying his already destroyed clothing even further. Blood was dripping down, running the tip of the boy's blade. He wasn't even looking at the man, he just held the blade out and to the man's scared face.
"What?" He asked, like an idiot.
"I asked what is your way?" He turned his head slightly, staring at the man with the corner of his eye. His normally kind eyes masking a dark... almost hate, sinister and narrowed. "Why did you attempt to rob me? Why did you want my gold? Why do you fear now? How many men have you killed because of selfish greed?"
"Please! Just.. Let me go. Keep your stupid gold!" He begged.
"I asked... WHAT IS YOUR WAY!" He snapped his head over, shouting at him.
"Nothing, I have no way! Are you happy!?" He blubbered.
With a quiet shake of the head, he simply laughed. "I suppose so." With a small shrug and a sigh, he turned to the man with a smile. A cruel, sinister smile. "Well, the way I see it... I'm not killing a man. I'm killing a faceless, nameless, bandit. Let's see how I feel after you die. Will I feel guilty? Or will I feel you deserve it?" He looked at the man on last time.
"My name is Kyle Merna-"
There was blood on Val's shirt again, only this time it wasn't his. "Hrm..." With a hard shake, he shook the shimmering blood off of his blade. Slowly he brought back into his sheath, laughing quietly to his self. "That man killed so many, in a single minded pursuit for greed. Or he would have if I hadn't stopped him. His death was deserved, and it was me who brought it upon him." He felt... no guilt. No heavy heart.
What was wrong with him? These man... they deserved punishment, that much was sure. Death even. But who was he to decide such a thing? To kill? Still... He saw others kill in self defense. Why is what he did any different? Because he had a choice not to?
Was... Was Val a murderer now? Did he deserve to die like those he just killed?
His heart said no, but his mind fought against it. What was right? What he felt, or what he thought he knew was wrong? Death should... it should be wrong. No matter the circumstance. Was that true though?
"Damn it..." He spat at the ground, grabbing at his wound. The bandit, he had attacked him a while ago. Demanding for all his gold, and Valcrist denied him of it. So... he attacked. This man, Valcrist didn't know his name or his life...
Maybe he will figure this out, one day... but today... He needed to get to a village. He needed to get these wounds tended to. If he was right... Ilia had the nearest village about a day's walk to the north. A small town on the border.
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Post by Valcrist on Jan 17, 2011 15:51:44 GMT -6
He could barely stop his self from flinching in pain as the man blotted his wounds with some substance. "Stop squirming boy, I need to disinfect it." The man said, stern in voice and forceful in tone. Valcrist stayed still as best as he could as the stinging sensation felt as though it was piercing all over his body like a million tiny needles.
"How on earth did you get such wounds?" A woman standing next to the man treating Valcrist spoke in hushed tones, quietly covering her mouth as she watched the shirtless boy being treated by the doctor. Bloodstained bandages removed and his injuries in full view.
"It... It was a bandit." Val half-lied. Some of them were from a bandit, most of them was from the now deceased chief of the Erlis tribe. He neglected to mention such a detail, it wasn't important. Not really.
"A bandit? I should of guessed. We've been plagued by a particularly violent one these days, he targets children like you and those who are too weak to fight back. Coward brigand, goes by the name of Kyle Mernatel." Val's eyes widened ever so slightly once that name was spoken, and the doctor noticed this. "It was him wasn't it? The one who attacked you. Dammit... I'll have to tell the head of the town's guard about this, he won't do anything though. He never does."
"That man..." Val slowly lowered his head and sighed. "I killed him."
"R-really? A kid like you?" The nurse asked, baffled and probably more then a bit skeptical.
"W-well he never said his full name. But he said Kyle Mern, and he had thick crazy brown hair that shot back and dark brown eyes and carried a crude axe that is a disgrace to even think someone forged it." Really, that axe was crap.
"That's him!" The doctor grinned. Slapping the boy on the back with a laugh. "Well, me and the ten other people he's robbed thank you boy. You've done more for this little village then the that ignorant Lloyd ever has." He grumbled bitterly.
Val was... confused. They didn't care that he killed that man, in fact they were happy. "You... you're welcome?"
"I'll have to tell Irving about this, his wife was robbed the other day. She gave up about five hundred gold, but he's a tailor. If you're heading into Ilia, you're gonna need something a bit heavier then the..." The nurse held up the ripped and bloodstained outfit Val had been wearing. "Erm... this."
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