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Post by Valerie Aschdenne on Mar 15, 2013 21:35:03 GMT -6
"What ya mean ya can't 'ire me? I'm as able as any soldier or sellsword!" Valerie practically spat. The portly man scoffed at the ex-pirate's volume before glaring it.
"Yes, and that may be so, but this is an important delivery. The sum of gold I'll be making off of this shipment is far too much for me to place my trust in one woman," He explained. Valerie scowled but reluctantly backed off, taking a final swig of ale before slamming the tankard on the table.
"Fair enough, ye cretin. Give me 'till sundown and I'll have a few more hands fer ya. Will ye 'ire me then?"
The man ran a hand through his thin brown hair in frustration. Ultimately he heaved a sigh and nodded, "Yes. You have until sundown. You and your band of riffraff better be here and armed by then,"
Valerie just smirked.
That altercation had taken place around midday. Four hours had passed, and Valerie still walked the streets of Badon in search of potential aid. The nervous merchant didn't trust her to be enough help for the two guards he already had.
"If 'e were such a big shot, 'e wouldn't be hiring mercs," Valerie thought to herself with a smug grin, an attempt to lift her spirits. It was the closest thing to a job she's had since selling the Santa-Aquila, and she really needed the gold. When the man turned her down her first thought was to ambush the caravan and take all she could carry from it. But Valerie wasn't stupid. If she wanted to balance banditry and mercenary work she would have to do so in a way that left her credible for hire, trusted by clients.
Much as she wanted to raiding would have to be out of desperation, and potential clients were off limits.
She heaved a sigh. Life at sea was so much simpler. Spot a ship, check the flag, raid. If you were successful, and alive, then you celebrated at a tavern with drink and bedded the hottest piece in the tavern. Or pieces.
Valerie glanced about, looking for any more armed men or women that wandered the streets. Soldiers and guards were off-limits, she didn't want to get too familiar with them until she had a crew and a ship. No, she looked for those that gave off the same aura she did: blood and greed. Strength helped, too.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2013 22:27:15 GMT -6
Port towns always smelled repulsive. It was unfortunate irony, really; a town by the sea always seemed to yield more spoils than most settlements of similar social structure. Market stalls and traveling merchants alike always seemed to find a common niche in these sorts of places, essentially making coin appear almost as if it grew on trees. Ergo, it was no small wonder as to why haughty businessmen in fine-woven clothing and beggars decked out in rags alike spent their sweet time meandering up and down the stone streets, their eyes speaking for their minds.
Cruentus was the type of miscreant who would never think of the worst-case scenario. He was a bright, knowledgeable guy overall – but his larceny needed a bit of, shall we say, fine-tuning. This would have to come with time; he only began his career (if you could call it one) three years prior. Somehow, he’d overlook certain details. Details that made him unknowingly conspicuous. Details that could potentially foil a job and leave the blue-haired treasure hunter with his head on a pike, overlooking the town square as a travelers’ warning to those who would be foolish enough to follow in his footsteps.
Getting the vacant market stall’s safe open was the easy part, although a lockpick had essentially completed that for him; he was merely commandeering the miniscule device. No sooner did Cruentus’ fingers close around the client’s requested burglary target (a Red Gem, worth 2500 big ones; the client had claimed he would pay double) did he feel a sharp pain on the back of his head.
Dazed, Cruentus spat out a mouthful of blood before wheeling around and hauling himself back into a standing position. The spot where the warden had struck him was just below his occipital bone; damn, would that would be sore in the morning.
“You!” the tall, dark-haired warden barked at Cruentus, a brandished iron sword pointed a few inches away from his scalp. His thick brown eyebrows seemed to furrow more and more with each passing second. “Thief!”
Cruentus returned his gaze, still slightly shaken from the encounter.
“Thief? Such a blunt term…” he began slowly, his eyes gradually beginning to widen as his vision began to refocus onto the warden. “Wait a minute… You’re my client! You think you can stiff me? That’s what you’re attempting to do, isn’t it?”
The warden grinned, exposing an ugly eyesore of stained yellow teeth.
“I must be getting pretty good at my persuasive merchant-peddler act. That is a fake gem. The whole job was a mere ploy. I do have my ways with criminals and hauling them off to prison… Bit stupid how you fell for it, really… Agh!”
Before he could finish his sentence, Cruentus had launched himself at the warden, causing several bystanders to shift their gaze into the onlooker side of the spectrum. For one fleeting moment, he had debated on drawing Sicarii; although a murder or bloody assault in a public marketplace would like merit more years in the clink than a single attempted robbery. Instead, he had taken to pinning the warden against the stone wall behind, his right hand clenched firmly across the deceiver’s throat. Brawls were commonplace here. They served to solve disputes all the time. Surely this occasion would be no different?
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Post by Cefia on Mar 15, 2013 22:59:10 GMT -6
Cefia had been staying in Badon for some time now with no clear direction of where to go. She wanted to leave the city and go adventuring as her captain had recommended. However she knew better than to adventure on her own. She was a target even when armed with her axes. She wasn't great at sneaking either so she needed to find a group. The only problem was, the ones she found either anger her enough to a brawl or wasn't interested in her specialties.
To get her mind off how trapped she was, she took the time to read a new book or rather an old rare one. She had found it in the recesses of a shop, barely paying anything. She knew what it was worth though, a rare book like this only came once in a lifetime. The pages were fragile of course but she had enough skills to flip from page to page.
Quite a bit has changed since she parted with her crew. Her set of weaponry increased in size for one thing, her hand axe seemed like a hatchet in comparison to her steel axe and even smaller when shown alongside her dragon axe. The problems arose when they attracted too much attention and how heavy it was to carry alongside her armor. Of course that forced her to throw away her heavy armor replaced by cloth. Now her body depended on its natural resistance for blows.
She continued to walk through the streets of the city, her weapons left in her room. This of course stopped the stares and being bothered by the authorities. She wasn't targeted like before. For all the people knew she was just a woman walking and reading. That was of course when she took note of a brawl that shattered her peace. Her eyes shot up from her book as a blue haired man and a rather nasty looking other one were in some sort of dispute. A sigh escaped her lips, clear irritation flashing over her eyes. She gravitated towards the scene, slamming her book shut in the progress.
"Hey, take it someone else," she barked out, not afraid to make herself heard. She didn't know the reason for the dispute but she didn't like seeing it in the middle of the streets. It was much better executed in the pubs. That was of course when some idiots decided to butt in as a few soldiers bumped over her. It was a surprise but didn't knock her down. Her book was the unfortunate, falling into the ground and stamped upon by the boots. These men were obviously here to end the mess but they had just angered a resting beast...
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Post by Valerie Aschdenne on Mar 15, 2013 23:18:51 GMT -6
Noise. It filled Badon constantly yet, somehow, managed to be different. Valerie was sensitive to noise, she had to be. Often times her enemies were clad in armour and she wasn't. If they tried to sneak up on her she had to be sure she could pick out the clatter of metal approaching her even when blades collided all over the deck.
That's how she was able to hear the commotion apart from the regular conversation and chatter of Badon.
Instantly Valerie was drawn to her, shoving a few civilians out of her way whilst striding towards what seemed to be a scuffle. There was a blue haired man holding some sort of armed man, a guard likely, up against a wall. She smirked at the familiar sight of men scuffling. It brought back some fond memories of tavern brawls...blurred memories, but memories regardless. However this was no tavern brawl, for the man with a hand on his throat still clutched a blade.
Then she heard the clatter of steel. Valerie looked on from within the small but growing crowd to see a few soldiers rushing over some fallen bystander to help their fellow guardsman. Ah, so the blue haired man had the balls to tackle a guard commander. Her smirk grew into a grin.
"He'll do nicely," Valerie thought to herself. However the man would be absolutely useless if he wound up dead, or locked away in prison.
Now she was at a cross-roads. If the other soldiers reached him in time then he was likely to die or be carried away to prison. Valerie could easily help out in the fight, but she would rather not have to shy away from Badon for months after the mission. However if she was successful then the man would owe her a debt. Debts were nice to collect when one was saving up gold. Indeed, there was so much to decide on yet so little time to decide.
So, naturally, when one of the soldiers passed by her on the way, Valerie buried her ax into his exposed neck. Blood gushed from the wound and the stunned guard cried and gurgled in agony. A gloved hand was brought up to the wound while his knees buckled. He was basically dead as soon as he hit the ground.
"Wouldn't ya boys rather fool 'round wit' me 'nstead?" Valerie asked with a grin, readying her ax while the three remaining guards glared at her. Three on one...
Yeah, he owed her.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2013 11:34:23 GMT -6
Well, this was escalating quickly. While Cruentus still had his deceiver pinned to the wall, his grip not relinquishing in the slightest, a cacophony of shouts began to issue from behind him. Some bore the marks of terror, but others seemed oddly… amused. More to the point, Cruentus was about to be tackled to the ground. Reinforcements had arrived.
With a sudden burst of adrenaline, Cruentus shoved the warden against the wall with all his might, causing the latter to stumble, his knees buckling into a kneel. Without further ado, Cruentus drew Sicarii. The slightly curved and shortened slim sword would provide meager protection, but its shape would allow for faster, more efficient strokes than a standard slim sword. The gray stone beneath him was already beginning to pool with crimson. How could this be? Surely he hadn’t caused that much of a rabble…
Two female voices had shouted in near-unison, beckoning the reinforcement guards to attack. Taking a chance, he spoke once more, leaping a few paces backward to avoid the warden, who was now beginning to find able footing once again.
“You two!” shouted Cruentus, jutting a slender finger into the dark-haired woman’s direction. “They’ve got reinforcements. But I’m sure you know that already…”
Sure enough, the dark-haired woman was now outnumbered. Three to one. At least she had diverted their attention. That was a good start. Three to one could now be three to two.
Whirling around, Cruentus targeted the nearest soldier, a short, stocky man with visible dark hair under his helmet. The soldier’s lance would trump Cruentus’ sword/dagger for sure, but his back was turned; instead, he was honing in on the aforementioned woman.
As swiftly as he could, Cruentus flicked Sicarii in a way that would cleave the soldier in the small of his exposed neck. The attack connected, but the blade wasn’t efficient enough; the injury it had inflicted was superficial. Dammit. This was getting bad. He had now attracted the soldier’s attention to boot. At least the odds were fair this time, since the other soldier was focused on the woman.
Cruentus barely dodged the soldier’s lance lunge, causing him to stagger slightly. It was then that he realized that he had faster reflexes than this soldier; surely it could be utilized to his advantage?
As the soldier re-chambered his lunge amongst a rapidly growing crowd, Cruentus, now on his knees, slid under him, and promptly aimed a side kick at his booted heel.
Success. The soldier lost his balance, toppling to the ground anteriorly and involuntarily relaxing the grip on his lance altogether. This would allow Cruentus to flee the scene; his lack of armor would give him a well-needed speed boost. However, the crowd was too thick, and they were likely too petrified to even allow him to move, much less leave the town. Gods, what had he gotten himself into?
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Post by Cefia on Mar 16, 2013 12:06:18 GMT -6
Cefia was in a bad mood now. A slow anger rising from the pit of her stomach. She didn't care for the reason of the brawl but they had just dragged her into it. Oh sure there were weapons now but she didn't need an axe to crack skulls and break bones. She wasn't afraid of the blades, not anymore. The years of training had made her fearless and humans like these were hardly threatening. She slowly rose from her spot, her eyes flashed at the closest soldier. They were on guard now, facing another woman with an axe. It didn't matter in her eyes though, these soldiers were going to pay.
"Hey, do you know how much this book is worth?" She asked, tapping the nearest soldier on the shoulder. Her hand held the wrinkled book, now falling to pieces, in one hand before his face. He glanced over at her confused and clearly caught off guard. Before he can utter a word, a solid fist made contact with his face. He might have been wearing a helmet but it wasn't fully covering his face. The pages began to fall out of the binding from the impact.
It was kind of funny how the man seemed to crumble from the blow. However she wasn't going to let this chance pass up. She grabbed the back collar of his armor and flung him at one of his colleagues. She had literally lifted him off the ground armor and all before tossing him almost like a rag doll. In comparison her equipment was heavier.
Of course now aware of the rampaging woman, the other soldier managed to catch his companion. It did manage to knock him down forcing him to scramble out from the now unconscious body. Now angry in his own right, he brandished his lance. Yet there was an innate fear in him, forcing him to use the weapon to fend her off. Cefia responded by stretching her neck, she heard a distinct crack. Cracking her knuckles and with a wide grin on her face.
"Kid you shouldn't bring a weapon to a fist fight," she stated, getting into a brawling position, indicating at him to come at her.
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Post by Valerie Aschdenne on Mar 16, 2013 17:40:40 GMT -6
Valerie blinked. In a matter of moments her three on one fight had left her...alone. The man she had tried to rescue did have honour. He had tried to inform her that there was reinforcements when she first stepped in and instantly came to her aid. However failed to kill one of the soldiers and instead drew his attention. It was almost funny, but, it seemed that the swordsman would come out on top so long as he played his cards right. Valerie was sure to keep an eye open and make sure he was not murdered.
Now, what REALLY surprised Valerie was the woman that butt in out of nowhere and proceeded to take on the two remaining guards with her fist. One was already knocked out, so, Valerie had no doubt that the angry woman would be able to take down the next soldier. She whistled, impressed and amused by the woman's strength, but she was also a little displeased. This left Valerie in an odd position, where she went from brawling to being a bystander.
She frowned: being a bystander was boring.
So instead Valerie charged at the soldier that faced the swordsman. Rather than bring her ax down on his head, which was her typical move, she ducked low and swung the fierce weapon into the exposed back of the soldier's knee. The lance-wielding guard let out a pained cry and immediately dropped down on one knee. That sort of injury prevented his left leg from being able to support his weight. The armour definitely didn't help with that either.
Valerie smirked at the bladesman and raised her ax to let it rest on her shoulder. She glanced between her two allies, waiting for them to finish it.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2013 18:05:44 GMT -6
The tides turned. The dark-haired woman had drawn her axe and sent it crashing upon Cruentus’ opponent’s knee; crimson began to pool underneath him as the guard collapsed under the weight of his own armor. He held Sicarii aloft, near the man’s neck; the short sword would do his bidding regardless of the decision he made.
Acting rashly, Cruentus deduced that the guard still had control of his hands. Which in turn meant that he had some form of control over his lance. Therefore, Cruentus directed Sicarii at the man’s neck, this time being lucky enough to sever his jugular.
As the guard sunk lower to the ground, writhing in the pain being caused by the rose blooming in his neck, Cruentus turned to the woman, her axe now perched somewhat precariously on her shoulder. His words were swift, and his feet swifter; he had already begun his exodus towards a nearby alleyway when he called to her.
“Run!”
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Post by Cefia on Mar 16, 2013 18:22:58 GMT -6
Cefia wasn't the first to strike though, the soldier came out her, poised to get at her exposed chest. She didn't trust her hands to catch the end of the spear to stop it so she dodged out of the way. As though expecting this he swung back towards her, the sides of the lance slamming onto her sides. It knocked a little bit of air out of her body but not enough to cause her to fall. To the man's surprise she swung her arms around the side of the lance and held on tight. Grabbing hold of the weapon she gave her strongest tug. He yelped out in surprise still holding onto the weapon for dear life. Of course this cause him to fall into her range, straight into a knuckle sandwich.
She let out a sigh of satisfaction before hearing the call to run. She crossed her arms feeling quite satisfied by her bounty and ready to take more on until she heard the shouts from behind. After a quick glance she realized that if she fought on, a few broken bones were the least of her worries. Taking to the advice, she ran after the source of the shout. She wasn't fully sure who the man shouted was but that was a better choice than sticking around.
"Well this is quite a predicament, my temperament is bound to be the death of me," she said almost casually glancing behind to check the progress of their escape. In due time she still had the habit of switching her pattern of speech, still unsure of how to speak to others. Perhaps this journey will resolve her own identity issue.
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Post by Valerie Aschdenne on Mar 16, 2013 18:46:08 GMT -6
Sure enough the woman managed to subdue the last of the guards, and with that Valerie began to run after the man down an alleyway. Eventually they'd stop, and that would be when Valerie would try to recruit them. Yes, both of them. The woman may very well be a boon to her job as well.
"Aye, but the guards be lax when it counts 'round 'ere," Valerie stated between breaths, before gesturing for the two to turn around a bend. It was true. Badon had some diligent guards, plenty of corrupt ones, and just as many indifferent ones. The lack of consistency led to a lack of communication, which ade it easy for criminals to move through the city. It was why Badon was home to so many pirates, most of whom merely posed as mercs hired for a merchant ship. Valerie had been taught that by her father, and he was right.
As there were no active pursuers Valerie felt that they only needed to run so far. The ex-pirate slowed to a walk, hunched over to catch her breath, then let out a strong laugh, "Not a bad fight lads!"
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2013 12:12:49 GMT -6
It took perhaps three seconds for Cruentus to realize two things. One, that he was being followed. Two, that he was being complimented on his somewhat lackluster battle skill. Ah, well. That would be polished in due time.
The trio turned abruptly and sharply around a bend, near the back of the alleyway. For one fleeting moment, Cruentus wondered if they were being followed; he listened with careful vigilance to ensure the opposite, all while directing his feet forward as swiftly as he could. He could only pray that his footsteps were furtive enough so as not to be detected.
With each passing step, however, he became more and more convinced that he and his companions had somehow slipped away from the confusion; a quick scan behind him confirmed this notion. Exhaling a sigh of relief, Cruentus slumped against an adjacent wall, catching his breath and motioning for the two women to stop with him. The alleyway, its entrance concealed naturally by the sun's shadow, had provided sufficient refuge, at least for the time being.
Cruentus then turned to both females.
"I suppose I should thank you both for helping me back there? Common courtesy always confused me. So, uh... Thanks?"
He addressed them carefully; they were strangers, after all, and frankly, it appeared that either of them could beat him up if they were rubbed the wrong way. But maybe pleasantries wouldn't be such a dangerous task after all?
"Looks like we've lost them, at any rate. Name's Cruentus, by the way. I'm a treasure hunter by trade."
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Post by Cefia on Mar 17, 2013 12:34:59 GMT -6
Cefia slowed down as the blue haired man stopped and motioned for her to do the same. She didn't who any of these people were and frankly she didn't care. If it was the two of them, she didn't feel as threatened than being ganged up by a squad. Than again skills spoke louder than words.
One thing she noticed after the scuffle was how tense her body had become. It had been ages since she had a tussle, the last one literally throwing her off a ship. So in response she had to stretch out her body after coming to a rest. Her eyes flashed as if analyzing the other two, making sure she hadn't joined with too troublesome of people.
"Please do not misunderstand Mr. Cruentus but I did aid you for your general well being but rather as to inform those men the value of a book," she answered as a matter a factly. She didn't want to give the man the wrong idea, by no means was she a kind and considerate book.
"Your welfare was just a fortunate after effect," she added, giving off a disinterest shrug. That didn't leave her from the truth though. All three of them were accomplices in a crime against the guards... Though she didn't kill any of them, at least that was what she supposed.
"My name Cefia, a pirate by trade though as of recent times I have found myself unemployed," she shrugged once again.
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Post by Valerie Aschdenne on Mar 20, 2013 5:33:53 GMT -6
Upon observing the two it became clear that the female was a bit more at ease than the male. It's not that he was sweating with nerves or anything of the sort, but he seemed more like he wanted to keep on going on his own. The woman, on the other hand, merely stretched and loosened up. Soon enough they made introductions...
Valerie smirked at the two. A pirate and a thief? She was among good company, it seemed. It was these types that she knew she could trust. Certainly more than a knight or some noble, anyway.
"My name's Valerie, ex-pirate. I'm stuck to banditry and merc work fer now," She replied, placing her hands on her hips. "Weren't exactly common courtesy on my part, either. I saved ye so I could recruit ye," Valerie glanced at Cefia before she could continue, "Well, both of ye, now. Little merc job I picked up and I need a few mates to make it work,"
She definitely wanted a pirate with her, especially one with raw might like this Cefia had. It reminded her a bit of how her father fought, though even he had never tossed one armored man at another. He was more the type to stab with the sword and crush with the axe. Hopefully the woman was as good with a weapon as she was with her fists.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2013 13:49:43 GMT -6
How indecent. A recruitment? For what? Numerous prospects reeled through Cruentus' mind, but none of them seemed all too lucrative... at least, not yet.
"Recruitment? We're hardly on a first name basis," Cruentus noted dryly, crossing his arms. "But I suppose I'm stuck with you both now, aren't I?"
He exhaled sharply, attempting to wind his mentality around the potential job. He was no mercenary, but mercenaries generally worked for gold, especially in these parts. Perhaps in this regard, pirates, thieves, and mercenaries were not all that different from one another. They seemed to thrive off of wealth; a sad reality for anyone not born into any of the aforementioned practices. Besides, what sort of procurer would he be if a little risk wasn't involved? The gender ratio was in his favor, too, even though both women could probably bash Cruentus' skull clear into his cranial cavity if he rubbed them the wrong way.
After a brief episode of deliberation, the verdict was given.
"Well, you two ladies are complete strangers to me. But given that I probably would've been hauled off to prison without your help, I suppose you've earned my trust for now. I'll need details, though. Plenty of details."
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Post by Cefia on Mar 22, 2013 18:37:55 GMT -6
Cefia glanced from the other woman and than to the man. Has her luck finally turned around? Her empty coin purse definitely said so. If there was a job to be had she will be the first to hop on it. Of course that also meant she better not blow it by saying stupid or doing something stupid. She also kept her face quite cool, learning from her parent's bargaining skills.
"Aye, I believe I am willing to aide you but details will be best, especially the gold," she stated plainly. Of course her desperation would make her accept it regardless but she didn't want to seem incompetent. It would be best to deal with the employer, they controlled the flow of money.
"But we can talk about it more on the way to my inn, I need to pick up my axes anyways."
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