It all comes around

[Orcleous]

"Who are you", spoke Orcleous as the armored clad mercenary stared down into a puddle of water. It had been a long time since he had done this. The first time was almost a year ago. It was just after he was kicked off the family farm and told to survive on his own. He remembered well the feelings he felt back then. The betrayal, the pain, and the fear of a uncertain future. He wondered if he could survive in the outside world. He wondered if he would end up dead in a ditch, just like the soldiers he decided to steal from. It is funny how little decisions like that change the course of your life.

Because he decided to steal from those dead men he was thrown into the world they lived in. Blood was poured out onto the path he walked and death started to come common place to him. From there on he fought against men. He fought bandits, guardsmen, soldiers, and even assassins. However the universe did not see fit to keep him just fighting mortals. No, it had to send more his way. Orcleous then ran into the undead. They were his introduction to world of monsters. They were his eye opener. In that black night he saw the greatest horrors he thought he would ever see in his life, but then he saw something even greater. A beast beyond his imagination.

"Dragon", spoke Orcleous as he stared into the puddle. His mind going back to that day. He and his entire group were nearly whipped out by that beast. Its fangs and claws ripping a fort apart like a leaf in the wind. However the universe did not stop there. Next came the spiders. They were monsters, but on a completely different scale than a zombie, but far weaker than a dragon. The spiders rampaged with sharp claws and poisonous fangs. Orcleous was lucky to come out alive from that encounter. However that was not the worst. In the plans he meet monsters that he did not even dream of. Zombies and spiders, everyone can imaging that. Easy just another normal thing twisted to a new form. However the Horsemen of the plains were far from normal. Their bodies combination of the beast of both man and Horse. They smart and strong. Orcleous did not even stand a chance in a fight against them. He was lucky he was able to escape when he did.

[Orcleous]

As epic and frightening as the monster that were thrown in Orcleous path there were also humans that were different. Oya could remember clearly the men and woman who shaped his life since he first left home. The faces and deeds that lead him down the right path or simply derailed him toward some obscure goal.

The first was the nobleman. He was a piece of work. Orcleous remembered his face well. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and a jaw so square Orcleous wondered if you could cut yourself on the edges. It was his idea to first give Orcleous a blade. Though Orcleous disliked the man he still had to thank him. If it was not for his judgment the soldiers would have killed him for stealing the armor from the dead. Now that he thought back onto it that was a foolish move made by Orcleous, but it was one that changed the path that he walked on. It was also because of that Nobleman that Orcleous meet the second man that changed his path.

"Yes the Orange man", spoke Orcleous as a drop of water fell into the puddle. Suddenly the sky turned dark and rain began to pour down as if the sky itself was crying. "Shoot", spoke the mercenary as he rushed into a nearby inn and took a seat near the back. His recollection was just starting to get good, but the sky seemed desperate to turn his attention. "Can I have a silver inn ale", spoke Orcleous to the waitress. The woman's eyes opened wide, but she said nothing.

"Right away", she spoke as she came back with a mug of the brew quickly. The maiden set the ale down and rushed off to aid someone else.

"Yep it was this drink", spoke Orcleous as he stared into the mug before taking a sip of the ale. It was good to his great surprise. Normally Inn ale tasted like dog or cat urine. For a while Orcleous wondered if they were putting the stuff into the ale.

Orcleous mind began to drift back again as he smelled the brew. He thought of the orange hair man who aided him when he was sent off to his first battle. He thought he was dead for sure. Pegasus knights were everywhere and death came swiftly. He witness the man who trained him, Talick he think his name was, literally riddled with javalins. Orcleous was scared, frightened. So many died, so many lost their lives, even he would have perished if it was not for the Oranged hair man grabbing him by his collar and dragging him through that cave.

"You know what I never got his name", spoke Orcleous to himself as he thought back onto the man. "You never know how precious life is till somebody tries to take it from you. Only in that moment when life and death are so thin does a person truly know they are alive" That was the words he told Orcleous while not taking a single sip of his ale. Orcleous kind of wondered why he even bought the thing if he was not going to drink it. But that seem to just be his style. For a while he followed that principle. Like a fool he would throw himself into danger and narrowly escape alive. It Orcleous had to rate it on a scale of good to bad advice it would reach a negative five. However those words shaped him into the man he was today.

[Orcleous]

"Oh right her", spoke Orcleous as he thought onto the next person that shaped his life. He remembered her very well. The way she moved, the way she stared, and the way she dazzled him. "Jya", he whispered as he thought about the time he ran into the Emerald Wraith. It was a meeting of a life time. He was simply minding his own business when he noticed a robbery. "I was such a fool", spoke Orcleous aloud as he though how easily impressible he was in such short time ago. He saw one man pick pocket somebody and he wanted to do it. It was good thing that never came a habit. Orcleous is not the most stealthy individual though he did try to be in the past. Meeting Jya, now that was a life changer. The blood filled stare she gave him that day shook him to the core, but also intrigued him. He wanted to learn. He wanted to know. He wanted to become a assassin and jump from roof top to roof top. He looked at the glamor and knew none of the background. However that would change in the coming days, but before that he ran into Alice.

"Alice", he spoke. His voice caught the attention of a female mercenary walking by.

"Do I know you", she asked with a sour expression.

"No", spoke Orcleous as he looked the woman in the eys. "No, you don't know me, and I don't know you. I was thinking to myself and you and somebody else have a similar name".

"Really", she spoke as she looked at him with eyes of disbelief, wary, anger, and suspicion. However Orcleous did not care. The conversation was over and he wanted to get back to his thoughts. Alice was not your normal woman. She was the one who had the most impact on him. Well most impact as far as his training went. She was one of the three people that teamed up with him to combat the zombies. It was her, Crowley, who he was sure was her uncle, and ..., how could he forget. "Yashi", he spoke. His voice filled with both annoyance and admiration. That woman saved his life on that mission more times than he could remember and to make things worse she also disciple him, almost as if she was his own mother.

"Man she was annoying", spoke Orcleous as he began to rub the back of his head.

[Orcleous]

Yashi, now there was a woman. She was kind, pretty, and bossy. Orcleous can still remember the places on his head were she whacked him with her staff. How could somebody so pretty be so strong? Still she reminded him of somebody else. He really could not put his finger on it, but he feels like she could have been related to somebody he meet in his travels.

"I guess I need to go back and see here again", spoke Orcleous aloud as he took a gulp of his mead. She was the reason he and Alice made it through the zombie attacks alive. If it was not for her brilliant light magic and tactics they both would have died in that black room they found themselves trapped in.

Then there was Alice. She was pretty, strong, and proud. Between the two of them she was far the better fighter at the time, but Orcleous wondered who was stronger now. She did fight with a spear, which had a significant advantage against Orcleous sword, but it would not be the first time Orcleous had to stand up to a spear. During his time with the Crimson Blades Orcleous had fought many opponent wielding spears. Though that was mostly during training.

The Crimson Blades, now that was the biggest mistake Orcleous had ever done in his life. Joining up with that group of assassins was by far a bad idea. Once again his youthful nature drove him to this decision. He was so infatuated with the idea of being a assassin that he joined up with them in order to gain training on the art. What better way to learn than learn from the people who do it themselves. It was during his time with the Crimson Blades however that he meet Seedle. Seedle was the one light in that entire ordeal of bad decisions. Seedle was like his brother. The two of them ate together, trained together, and even fought together. If it was not for Seedle, Orcleous would have not escaped the Crimson Blades alive. Seedle held his own in the alleyway as long as he could. However that was not enough to stay the hand of the Crimson Blades.

[Orcleous]

"Oh I almost forgot", spoke Orcleous as he soon noticed the hour. It was actually getting pretty late. The mercenary was so into his thoughts that he let far to much time pass. He had work to do in the morning and staying up all nice talking to oneself in the corner of the tavern was a bad idea. Orc rose from his table and walked outside. He left the mug there, still nearly full. He saved the rest for another time.

[thread End]