Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Feb 13, 2012 23:57:03 GMT -6
Ilia's weather was as in-hospitable as always. Snow as far as the eye could see, freezing days and downright deadly nights. Thankfully, Ilian's were a resourceful bunch, and set up routine inns along the main road. Each one about three-quarters of a days travel from the next. To be caught between them at night could be similar to a death sentence for an unwary group of travelers.
It was the first of many such inns that the pair was arriving at. The weather had been cold for days, but today had been the first snow storm. Buffeting and pressing against them for the last two hours. Travel was miserable, and as they approached the inn Valorian could only wait in anticipation of the fire and something warm to eat and drink. Knowing his luck the inn would be on fire, or infested with demons, or something like that.
But fate was on his side tonight, and as the sun neared the horizon it was join by a two story establishment, standing out alone against the skyline.
"After such a long trip through the plains, it will be nice to have a bed again, don't you agree Jya?" He asked to her. She'd been unusually energetic lately, it looked like the staff really had cured her. Amazing.
He still had no idea what this staff was even capable of, but he knew it was important. Miracles seemed to surround it...but how had such a thing fallen into his hands, he tried to think on it when a particularly cold wind whipped against him, taking him away from his thoughts.
"Brrrr. We can't get inside soon enough for me." He commented.
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Post by Jya on Feb 14, 2012 12:16:08 GMT -6
Jya had followed close behind Valorian. Although she was a seasoned traveler, there are places where she preferred to stay away. Ilia had simply been far too dangerous for her former condition. Many healers had warned her against traveling to such locations, they guaranteed her death.
Thanks to her new condition and strength, she was more or less strong enough to go through the white land. It was her first time experiencing cold to such a degree. Her body shivered for most of the time traveled but she pushed forward. As of yet, she did not understand the reasons behind their visit.
Her eyes twinkled a bit at the prospect of warmth. She ha kept relatively silent, it was bad enough that her current set of clothing wasn't the best for warmth but it's camouflaging capabilities had weakened due to the blinding white terrain. She really should change her clothing.
"I can't say this has been a bad experience." Jya replied towards Valorian. With that, she slid into the welcoming building and slink into the closest shadows. It was far warmer inside then out. Her clothes were getting a bit damp already.
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Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Feb 14, 2012 13:52:06 GMT -6
Predictably, Jya moved into the shadows. Valorian followed her, not letting her out of his sight. The incident still weighed on his mind. She'd nearly died earlier...and she'd been given a second chance. He had to help her, it was what he owed to her after all the help she'd offered him. But as she existed, she was just going to get used by other people for her skills. She didn't have the skill in information gathering that he did, she'd likely just be used by some noble and then killed when she was no longer of any use.
Valorian sat down at an empty table, thought the tavern was too crowded for any part of it to really be isolated. He placed an order for some food for himself, and a pair of drinks. He knew Jya carried her own food, and he'd happily provide for her if she wanted, but he wouldn't force it. It wasn't long before some of the food and drink found it's way to the table, as the tempting smell wafted up from the plate of spiced meat and roasted potatoes. Valorian had to figure, with such cold weather, growing something underground was probably the only way they could have anything reliably.
He took a bite of the food and a drink of the ale before he stopped to look at Jya. "Say Jya, let me ask you a question. Do you trust me? Like, if I told you that there was an enemy here, would you believe me?" Seemed like a odd question, but he had to be careful how he discussed things here.
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Post by Jya on Feb 14, 2012 15:20:10 GMT -6
Jya took sips from her drink, although it seems that nowadays she had lost her original tolerance to alcohol. It wasn't really a drawback, she just had to be careful of how much she take into her body. As for food itself, she realized that taste does matter at times and since they were already at the nice little tavern she might order some local specialties for herself.
When Valorian's food came out, it smelled absolutely delightful. She asked for the same and soon enough her portion came as well.
"Yes I trust you and if you say theres an enemy here I would kill them before they get us," she said taking a bite out of her own meat. Wow! It was pretty darn good, she never noticed flavors such as these before. She swore it warmed her soul a bit.
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Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Feb 14, 2012 16:24:47 GMT -6
Valorian watched oddly as Jya ordered and ate her own food, he arched an eyebrow at her pleased expression. "Are you enjoying the food?" He asked her with a smile. Just how serious was that illness she lived under?
"Yeah, it really is good to get some warm food and a nice place to relax. This is part of what I love about traveling. When you spend so long away from all these simple comforts, coming back to them just lifts your spirits so much." He remarked, taking another bite of his own meat.
"And the reason I asked about trust is...well it's like this. Your work is dangerous, and I am worried somebody is going to try to take advantage of you. I mean, you don't do it for the money, so why do you do it?" He asked, looking at her rather casually. He'd seen enough death to not judge those who dealt in it. Sometimes things were a lot more complicated then they appeared to be. And if Jya did this but didn't have anything obvious to gain from it, then there had to be some other reason. Jya wasn't an evil girl. She wouldn't kill just for the sake of killing. Of this, he was sure.
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Post by Jya on Feb 14, 2012 16:39:29 GMT -6
Jya rubbed her neck a little trying to figure a way to describe her situation to Val. Sure she was hardly interested in just killing people and she never did it for fun or pleasure, although at times she swore she had some sort of blood lust in her. She just happens to be good at it.
"Truth is, all the contracts that i took, I never got paid, I never went to collect them," she said looking off to one side. The question was making her queasy as she began to shuffle a bit in her seat.
"Sometimes I get an urge, it was that weird..." she began. After a pause she began to go on into details about how she learned and her elevated knowledge on killing. Much of it came from time though, which she had plenty of.
"Nowadays I seem to get a lot of chances when my friends are in danger," she said, finally taking another bite from her meal. Hopefully the explanation would satisfy Val for now.
"Why are we here anyways? What are you up to?" she asked, shifting the topic away from her.
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Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Feb 14, 2012 16:53:22 GMT -6
Valorian listened to her explanation and nodded...he felt like he understood her a little bit better. Her question made him crack a smile, and he looked to the fireplace for a moment.
"The two topics are kind of related. We're here to try and convince the Ilian ruling bodies to focus on the Etrurian threat. The problem with this is that there are likely many people here who are going to oppose that idea. Spies for Etruria working deep in the Ilian military, traitors for coin, and all manner of despicable people."
He swirled his drink for a moment, turning back to her. "Which is why I asked about your reasons. As much as I don't want to admit it, many of these enemies are going to be in locked fortresses, surrounded by guards. Not a place that pure force of arms can easily get into. But, with a little combination of stealth." he gestured to her, before gesturing to himself. "And magic, we might have a chance to remove these obstacles to peace. This was part of the reason I didn't want to bring Izzy and Calvin. This is to dark for them, and too dangerous. I don't think they could bear doing what I am suggesting."
He placed his mug down, looking towards her with a curious glance. "You are Jya, my friend. But your skill makes you a deadly weapon. Would you object to letting me guide your blade?"
Forming an assassination team in a random bar, this sounded like something out of a story. But here they were.
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Post by Jya on Feb 14, 2012 17:10:59 GMT -6
Jya munched a bit on her food while listening to Valorian. She had a hard time believing that Isabel or Calvin will be troublesome in his plans. Isabel did say she was a prodigy after all. They must be plenty good in some way right?
As for her part in their soon to come assassinating duo, she really wasn't completely sure about the whole Etruria ordeal. The country speaks so highly of its prophet while those outside speak of other woes and discrediting him. She had stayed out of the whole war mess until she met up with Valorian it seems.
"I still have much to learn but I'm sure we can try our best...although the odds really aren't in out favor," she replied, thinking about it. They can definitely try and she was willing to do it. Killing one person and escaping is an easy matter if nothing goes wrong. Yeah, truly rare for an assassination to go like that for her. Than again, why would Val ask her, she never thought too highly of herself. Its not like she was a famous assassin that their skills are guaranteed. It would be nice to hire one though, make it safer. Than again assassins really shouldn't be famous, it made their jobs more of a hassle when people know who you are. All of them had their own styles though.
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Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Feb 14, 2012 17:33:32 GMT -6
"Jya." He spoke, touching her arms with a smile. "Sure, there are people stronger and more skilled then you. And there are mages wiser and more talented then I, most of them have a fully working body and less mental baggage too. But that isn't enough, I trust you with my life Jya. And I've recently mastered some new magic that might make this job a little easier. I'll have to show it to you later." He said with a smile. "I could never work on such a secret and difficult job with anyone I didn't trust completely."
He pulled his arm back, taking another bite of the food. "Do you have any problems with this? It does seem like a difficult task we are embarking on. But there is nobody else here to do it. Not to sound ominous, but we really are the only ones who can do this."
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Post by Jya on Feb 14, 2012 18:03:56 GMT -6
Jya was silent for another minute, contemplating on their plans. Yes, she believed they could pull it off. She was also quite sure that Val's new trick would be quite useful. When it came down to it, she believed in Val as much as he did to her. When she balanced it out, she nodded an approval and took one more bite of her meal.
"Then we better get this moving, who is the first target anyways?" she asked, no longer needing to know anymore. She was on work mode now, her mentality was prepared for it now. The first strike is the most likely one to succeed. They would best do each mission in one go and close to one another as possible. The enemy shouldn't get too much time to prepare.
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Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Feb 15, 2012 17:45:52 GMT -6
Valorian pulled out a small [red]map[/red] and spread it on the table in front of them. "Near as I can tell." He said, placing his finger on the map south east of Edessa. "We're about here. A few days out from Edessa. Edessa isn't the capital of Ilia, but a lot of high ranking nobles live there. I think that would be a good place to start gathering some information. Once we find out what we need there, we'll head west." He said, dragging his finger along the map. "Until we get to Arphen. Those will be our two major destinations." He left the map on the table, taking another bite of his food. "It'll be quite a journey, no need to get so worked up about it though. We might as well enjoy the time we have here." He said, washing down the last of the food with the end of his mug. He looked about the tavern as a sound struck his ears...music? Curiously he glanced up over the crowds of people, spying a bard off in a corner starting a vibrant rondo. Valorian smiled, it had been some time since he'd heard such lively music. Calvin was good, but his music was peaceful, this music was full of energy. He felt his fingers drumming along the table as he listened to the notes surround them.
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Post by Jya on Feb 15, 2012 18:02:15 GMT -6
Jya glanced over at the music. She never really danced out of fear of her condition or getting noticed. As Val began to tap along with the music, her hand fell down along her sides. She wasn't too familiar with music but she understood its effects.
"Yeah have fun," she said thoughtfully. What exactly did she want to do right now. The warmth and the food made her a bit sleepy while the lively music and sound of the bar seem to drone out in time.
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Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Feb 16, 2012 19:27:27 GMT -6
Valorian watched Jya with a humorous smile. She seemed to be falling asleep in her chair! He chuckled and stood up for a moment.
"I'll be right back." He said plainly, walking towards the counter and conversing with the innkeeper. After a moment, he placed down a decent amount of gold, which the keeper took with a smile. A small boy ran from behind the counter with a bucket, heading towards the rooms, being careful not to spill the water inside of this bucket. Valorian returned to the table with a smile.
"Rooms are all taken care of for tonight. Yours is at the very end of the hall, on the second floor. When you're ready, I've had it set up so you can relax a little bit." Valorian left it a bit cryptic.
To be honest, he was quite surprised that a place like this would have a room that had a bath basin. It was even rarer that it had been set for heating as well. But Ilia was a cold country, and warmth was a great commodity if you had Ilian or Bern nobles in transit between the two nations. In fact, that is probably the exact reason why they had any inn rooms here with such luxuries. He knew she was a simple girl, but as cold as it was outside he didn't think anyone could resist the desire of a warm soak.
He sat there thinking to himself, looking at the young assassin. "Ready to turn in then?" He asked.
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Post by Jya on Feb 16, 2012 20:04:09 GMT -6
Jya was dozing off and barely noticed Valorian's errand. When he returned she snapped out of it a bit but still extremely tired and exhausted. The warmth was doing its best to make her sleep it seemed.
"Huh? Oh yes, alright, thanks!" she remarked, wiping away a tear from exhaustion. With that she got up off her spot and made her way towards where Val indicated. When she opened the room, it was well prepared enough, quite nicely to be exact. She rarely slept in nice rooms, finding the extra costs detrimental at times.
The water was prepared and steam was rising from bath basin. A bath? She sniffed herself quickly. Well, she probably needed it. Personal hygiene was never a strong point for her. She shrugged and decided not to waste the service when its provided. Ahhh~ Warmth.
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Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Feb 16, 2012 20:35:38 GMT -6
Valorian watched her go, and then realized he had not other business to attend to tonight. Paying the tab on their food and drink, he headed towards the room himself. As he entered into the second floor hallway, he spied a figure at the door. He stayed back and observed quietly. The hall was fairly dark, so it was difficult to tell if the figure was crouching, or just short. He walked slowly and quietly, until he'd gotten close enough to see who it was...the water boy, trying to peer in through the door, which had been left slightly ajar. He cleared his throat, and the boy nearly jumped out of his skin, whipping around.
"A bit of a peeping Tom, aren't you a little young for such behavior?" He questioned the boy. He couldn't be older then ten.
[blue]"I'm not a kid!"[/blue] He retorted, before scurrying off. Valorian watched him leave from sight, and sighed. He placed his hand on the door and creaked it open, checking to make sure the coast was clear. Excellent, the room was designed for more then one person. To that effect, the bathing area was not in straight sight from the entrance. He walked into the room and closed the door behind him, setting the makeshift deadbolt in place as well to prevent any...unwelcome guests.
He could see the steam slipping from a corner of the room, and walked over to the other side, surveying the area as he dropped his pack and staff into a corner of the room. Sometimes it was nice to spend a little extra for comfort. He allowed himself a greedy thought for a moment, if they were going to be assassinating corrupt nobles, being able to treat themselves like this might become a lot more common...
Something seemed wrong about that.
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