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Post by Ryuzaki on Jul 10, 2014 11:26:07 GMT -6
Ryuzaki entered the Santaruz blacksmith's shop with a lofty idea and plenty of money to fund it. In preparation for the meeting with the guild, and the probable grand heist that would follow, Ryu wanted to be fully equipped and ready for anything. Right now, he had a superb idea. Two of his beautiful Killing Edges. Except their design would have an interesting twist...
"Hello. Are you the blacksmith?"
The burly man with a hammer and soot-covered face at the anvil looked up with a disgruntled expression. "No, I'm the baker. What the hell do you want?"
Ignoring the insolence that would normally have greatly offended the thief, Ryu spread out a large sheet of paper with designs and scaled drawings on it.
"I have... An idea."
The blacksmith stared at the sheet, his eyes widening as he viewed the concept.
"Two swords, huh... That can be interlocked and used as one large blade. A sharp, keen side, and a vicious serrated edge... I like this idea. I could definitely make it for you."
Smiling, the thief nodded gleefully. "How much?"
The blacksmith examined the drawing, replying quickly and confidently. "Two thousand."
"And if I have one sword that just needs modification?"
"One thousand."
Ryu smiled. This would turn out well.
"Good. I commission you, then. Please set to work immediately." With that, he strode out and went on his way, leaving the blueprint and his Killing Edge.
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Post by Ryuzaki on Jul 10, 2014 11:52:10 GMT -6
The thief exited the shop and looked around. He needed to fill time now... So... Why not go and wander? Maybe cut some purses? With that happy thought, Ryu headed for the square, his blue cloak pulled tight and his silver hair flowing in the slight breeze. There weren't very many passerby... Oh. A commotion in the square. Perfect.
Ryu got closer before seeing a man dressed in elaborate and obnoxiously extravagant clothing dueling a villager with wooden swords. Practice mock ups. As he watched, the villager was soundly beaten, the stranger disarming him. With a grumble, the villager coughed up a few coins and another one strode up.
So the man was fighting to earn his keep. Interesting... This might pose a challenge for Ryu. And he was bored, after all...
Pushing his way through the crowd, Ryu arrived at the edge as the villager's sword went flying out of his hand. Catching it, Ryu walked up and detached all his visible weapons - scythes and iron sword - depositing them in a small pile before walking up and raising the wooden blade. It was awfully balanced, but that would add to the fun.
"My turn."
The traveler laughed and smiled, raising his own blade. "Think ye got what it takes? Have at ye, then, m'lad!"
Ryu smiled, his eyes narrowing as he approached the man. This would be a fun battle...
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Post by Ryuzaki on Jul 10, 2014 15:37:41 GMT -6
The thief and the entertainer circled, their wooden blades up. Suddenly, the jester made a feint and quickly struck at Ryu's sword, intending to knock it out of his hand and collect his money. The thief grinned and parried the stroke, watching the man quickly recalculate.
"See, I'm a little more skilled than those other bozos. Try again."
While he spoke, Ryu quickly ducked under a slash and brought a two-handed chop down on the entertainer's sword, nearly disarming him. The man was quick to react, and he unleashed a flurry of blows, which the thief parried seemingly effortlessly, dancing to the side and swaying like a reed.
The crowd began chanting. "Blue guy! Blue guy! Blue guy!"
Ryu smiled and switched to the offensive, tossing another taunt.
"C'mon. Is that the best you can do?"
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Post by Ryuzaki on Jul 10, 2014 17:02:12 GMT -6
The wooden swords clicked and clacked as their owners dodged and thrusted and parried and slashed and danced, their feet moving over the cobblestone as their eyes darted back and forth, looking for openings. Ryu noticed something suddenly, and he broke into a laugh as he brought a two-handed stroke down hard, catching the entertainer's sword solidly before spinning to the side and slicing upwards, his wooden sword slamming into the jester's wrist and sending his weapon end over end into the air.
Catching the weapon, Ryu gracefully flipped both over and handed them to the man, handle side out, before bowing and reattaching all of his weapons.
"Gotcha."
The grumbling entertainer handed over a large bag of gold. Taking it, Ryu smiled graciously and, seeing the faces of the townspeople who had gotten screwed over, sighed. He didn't want to be killed by an angry mob. Taking a handful of coins, Ryu gave the bag to one of the victims of the entertainer. "Okay, share this among those who lost to him. It's been nice, folks. Bye!"
The thief took to the streets, disappearing into an alley where he stopped and counted his riches.
Ten coins.
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Post by Ryuzaki on Jul 10, 2014 17:19:21 GMT -6
A disgruntled Ryuzaki walked along the Santaruz street, his eyes watching for any rich people, as he reflected on the satisfying battle with the entertainer. Suddenly, his eye spotted something interesting.
A church.
Rogus's words echoed in his mind as Ryu entered the church. It was a different town, a different place... But he could still see the face of that damn Ingrid as he viewed the pews.
"Not because we're evil my friend. That place has enough wealth to buy Nabata, sell it for its sand, and buy it again. And yet they dont spread that wealth. I don't know if you were looking to get rich, but I had the notion to knock their operation down a peg. He'd pause. He had a greedy reason for it, but his idea to send the place a message was still true.
A byproduct is exactly what we are. Cogs that fell from the machine, and started motions of our own. The other cogs don't like that. Take the girl for example. She has no relation to the church, but because it is commonplace, a place commonly accepted as "just", we are the villains because we took a bit of coin from it.
By such a rule, are they not the villains for taking the common peoples' gold every day of worship as donation? We are thieves to be sure, but we will never compare in skill to our good bishops and priests that make more coin than us in a day than we can make in a month."
Ryu sighed and sat down. He suddenly felt exhausted.
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Post by Ryuzaki on Jul 10, 2014 21:32:06 GMT -6
An acolyte walked up to the sitting man, offering candles. Struck by a sudden whim, Ryu took seven, moving over to the bank of flickering flames and lit them.
"One for me. And one for Rogus. And one for Charlotte. And one for Juniper. And one for Mom. And one for dad.
...And one for Ingrid. I hope you're not dead, even though I really hate you."
Ryu looked at the candles, feeling peaceful and sentimental for a moment. Then he stood up and left abruptly, leaving the dazed acolyte with ten coins and a confused expression. The candles were free...? Oh well, more for the coffers.
The thief quickly turned into an alley. The afternoon was turning to early evening... It was prime time for him to begin some business. There were purses to cut, guards to bribe, and merchants to extort. There was no time for sentimentality.
While the rich still enjoyed their life, he couldn't enjoy his.
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Post by Ryuzaki on Jul 11, 2014 19:35:56 GMT -6
Turning and weaving his way through the alley, Ryu soon found his quarry -- the home of a wealthy merchant who often cheated on his wife with local harlots. Inside was a chest full of gold that he never bothered to count -- he simply added more to it daily. Ryu had timed his heist perfectly. The man was out, most likely with a prostitute, and the wife was closing up at the shop.
Slipping in between the house and its neighbor, Ryu leapt onto the wall and then pushed off, using the momentum to catapult him upward. Arriving at the top, he grabbed onto the edge of the roof, pulled himself up, and leapt down into the house through the open skylight as he had time and time before.
Running down the stairs, Ryu found the chest, as he knew it would be, sitting locked in the middle of the dusty foyer. Smiling, the thief picked the lock, filled his bag, and stood up, closing the chest and waltzing out through the front door, closing it gently behind him and nonchalantly disappearing into an alley.
Score.
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Post by Ryuzaki on Jul 13, 2014 21:34:06 GMT -6
Returning to the smithy, the thief walked in, throwing a bag of 1000 gold onto the anvil, where it perched delicately.
"Where is it?"
Without a word, the blacksmith presented Ryu with his sword. It was a beautifully crafted work, its edges gleaming sharp, and its weight considerably hefty. Now, how to separate it?
"The trick part of the blade works when you twist the blade halves against each other and pull the right one backwards."
Nodding, Ryu copied the maneuver, and the sword split effortlessly into two swords, each with the familiar Killing Edge weight. One side sharp as the finest, keenest dagger, and the other viciously serrated, the jagged edges harsh and deadly looking in the light.
"Beautiful. Just beautiful. I thank you."
Chuckling, the thief clicked the blades back together and bowed, disappearing out the door. He was now deadlier than ever before... He was a God in his domain. A God of Death.
[Thread End]
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