Seraph Alastor
Halberdier
Posts: 16
Profession: Etrurian High Commander
Affiliation: Etruria
Affinity: Light
Profile: Profile
OoC Alias: GK
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Post by Seraph Alastor on Jan 8, 2016 19:02:31 GMT -6
On the way back from a mission given to him Seraph Alastor had stopped in a port town to restock and give his men and their horses a break. Their mission was simple, take care of some bandits that were causing some trouble for many villages. The reason Seraph was sent had mostly due to the nature of these 'bandits' and the possible formation of a rebellion that it posed. They were taken care of swiftly, it wasn't much of a group of deadly bandits more like a group of angry men dangling sticks in the air. Seraph felt a bit of pity for them.
They had settled into an inn, Seraph's men taking no time in making themselves comfortable. While they enjoyed themselves down at the bar or gallivanting about the town, Seraph spent his time patrolling the town. It was a nice town though it had its share of problems that one would probably suspect from a port town. While Etruria was quite strict Seraph could spot the shady things going on throughout the port. You'd pass your suspect bar every once in a while and not every ship docked looked like Etruria navy or a simple traveler or merchant.
There was always some way to tell, the way people tried to avoid being spotted. Symbols on clothing or ships, the amount of cargo being take off of a ship and the way they were doing it. Nothing that would hold up, no he'd have to do a little more investigating before he could actually make a move against anyone and even then it was more a job for the local authorities. Seraph's mind was too distracted at the moment to even keep track of everything he had noticed. The fight with the bandits still took much of his mind.
He wasn't sure why but he didn't feel right about everything that happened, like it wasn't completely over just quite yet. Perhaps he was just being paranoid, which was the reason he was leaning toward. To clear his mind he walked along the docks, thinking the fresh sea air would calm his mind and put it to ease. He watched and listened to the people busy at work on the docks, unloading and loading boats. Children playing with wooden swords and chasing each other about. It seemed a few of them were playing a game dealing with pirates and sailors, it was cute.
It was quaint moments like this that Seraph remembered one of the reasons he had become a knight. With that came the feeling of helping people and keeping others safe and how good that used to make him feel. Now he wasn't sure that feeling was something that he could have anymore, at least not like he used to. He was taken from his thoughts when he heard the noise of some arguing going on not far from where he was standing. Some sailors having a dispute? Whatever it was Seraph wasn't that bothered about it but he'd keep his ears open.
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Post by Cefia on Jan 8, 2016 19:39:30 GMT -6
To be on land once again was a foreign sensation after spending so much time adrift in the water. The air still had the smell of fresh seawater, but soon, even that will disappear the farther one goes inland. It was a sad parting, but necessary for the moment, her parents were waiting. Now if they tried to once again drag her home and stick her at the table doing paperwork nonstop, forcing the family business onto her shoulders then surely it'll be the last time seeing them. The woman let out an exasperated sigh. No, it wouldn't be the last time, she cared about them far too much.
"Last one!" shouted the sailor above her, a pulley system with a crate attached began to lower. With a nod, she indicated her readiness, the crate hitting the ground with a heavy thud. It had taken her quite a long time finding the right people to hire her. Etruria had become far more strict on their borders, for good reasons, since the good many years she had left home. How long was it now? The last she checked it had already been more than eight years and that had been before the current job. Using her legs to lift, the crate that should've taken a good few men was more or less lifted by the berserker with ease, barely a second thought as she considered her circumstances. She had lifted many crates such as this all morning, completing her contract with many coins heavier than before.
"Thanks Cefia, finished a lot sooner, you've been a great help," stated the captain as he approached, handing her the pay. Even now she worked with pirates, smuggling and moving goods along with the raiding. It was impossible for her to work alongside the more legitimate sort. To think, years ago, she managed to get the worst kind of seasickness and could barely toss a hand axe.
"No problem, if ye ever need help once I be done, just ask," she nodded giving a casual salute of sorts before detaching herself from the ship. She stretched out her body a bit before lifting her rucksack full of her few personal artifacts and making sure her axes were fully ready. The axe clanged as they hit each other as she adjusted the straps on her back. For practical reasons, the Killer Axe was her go to weapon, even when the Dragon Axe was the far more intimidating one due to the size and serrated edges made to tear scales.
"Long time Etruria," she muttered under her breath, fully ready to start her walk. Was the pirate looking forward to the reunion? Hell no! Her idea was to get hammered first and put it off as long as possible. So when the sound of a heated argument was in her path, she casually stalked over around the crowd and took note of the fight. There was already a small group of people gathered around, but it appeared to already be bloody. She took out her monocle to get a clearer image, her eyes narrowing in suspicion as this dispute involved more than just two people.
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Seraph Alastor
Halberdier
Posts: 16
Profession: Etrurian High Commander
Affiliation: Etruria
Affinity: Light
Profile: Profile
OoC Alias: GK
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Post by Seraph Alastor on Jan 8, 2016 21:02:31 GMT -6
A sigh escaped Seraph's lips as his relaxing time would be coming to an end. He could see a crowd beginning to form and things were clearly beginning to escalate. There was no sign of any local authorities trying to break it up from what Seraph could tell. He didn't want to get involved but if no one was going to do anything he was going to have to get involved. Last thing he wanted to do was draw attention to himself. It was bad enough people would probably be able to tell who he was just by judging based off the armor seeing his face would make it worse.
While he made his way toward the group he was getting a better idea of what was going on. From the sound of it a group of men were fighting each other over god knows what and it sounded like it was getting way out of hand. A few heads turned as the man donned in white armor approached the crowd. Moving past a few people he saw what was going on. It seemed like four people got into a fight and they certainly weren't pulling any punches. There was no point in wasting his breath with words the only thing that would work at this point is action.
The man walked forward, grabbing the collar of a man who was on top of another and flung him off of the bottom man. The other two had paused at the sight of this, giving Seraph a moment to completely take in the scene. Seraph wasn't sure if they knew who he was but they definitely weren't prepared to fight a man decked in armor. The High Commander drew his blade, making sure to grab their attention. "The next man to throw a punch has to deal with me," He growled.
It was enough to get them to stop and it seemed they were going to stop their fighting. Seraph could hear people murmuring in the crowd, the ones that stayed at least. He could hear them saying his name and asking what someone of his rank and standing was doing in such a small port town. The noise wasn't enough to distract Seraph from noticing that one of them had a knife and was readying it. The knight quickly moved his blade, stopping inches away from giving the man a new whole where his head used to be.
"Don't be a fool, surely you'd rather keep your head attached to your shoulders would you not? Drop it" Seraph could see what he figured was the local authorities finally making their way over here. And it was pleasing to see that the man was smarter than he thought and was dropping the knife. So as long as they all played nice then everything would be over and they'd get hauled away. Seraph had put his sword away and waited for someone to hurry and take these fools away, some of which needed medical attention.
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Post by Cefia on Jan 8, 2016 21:34:02 GMT -6
Ah the sight of a scuffle in the middle of the streets lightens one's heart. Everyone needs to blow off steam and a good scuffle was just what the doctor ordered! Not exactly, but that's how Cefia viewed it at least. She never did trust a completely peaceful town and felt right at home with ruffians of any ilk, even ones that she had to kill the next day over. The important thing was the reason behind the fight, especially so close to the waters. From a quick glance, it was the obvious the port was the least ordered area of the town. Surely if a fight broke out in the marketplace, the guards would already cleaned up the mess by now.
The chanting of the crowd made it obvious that fights broke out often enough. Tilting her head, she listened. People have often called her a meathead as of late, but that was simply untrue. She had an extremely high education and was very literate due to her upbringing. She never gave up her inquisitive and knowledge seeking nature, but her profession simply require some head knocking was all. She closed her eyes for a moment, getting rid of some distractions to understand the situation better.
No this wasn't a simply drunken brawl, it appeared to be something of a dispute between groups. The unlawful type of course, backed up by a few statements from the onlookers. Implied statements, but by context they seemed accurate. Two groups disputing over something relating to their unlawful works? Shame. She was hoping for a better natured scuffle. These sort of things were difficult to simply step into and embroil oneself in. Opening her eyes, she considered leaving, but that would involve having to push out of the crowd. It wouldn't hurt to sit through what remained.
The unexpected occurred. A man in armor denoting him as part of the Etrurian army stepped in. With a rather heavy and one sided hand, the fight was broken up with the least amount of injuries. Knowing herself, more than a few skulls and bones would have cracked before she could've stopped herself. The crowd quickly thinned, but her curiosity got the better of her as she listened to the people speak. By the implications, he was a high ranking officer, but that was the basic gathering as far as she knew. Before long men in uniform approached and she took an instinctual step back. At this point most of the crowd had dispersed, probably not wanting to involve themselves with any kind of enforcement.
Letting out a puff of air, she relaxed herself to see where this was going to proceed. Putting her hands into her pocket, she let her right fist curl and grip her knuckleduster, not liking a few things about the whole situation. For one matter the armored man was way out of his head. These scuffles resolved themselves and most locals in these type of area preferred it that way. There were a few disgruntled glares from afar in the alleys. They also don't appreciate law enforcement being dragged in, even when such enforcement had already fallen into darker hands. One doesn't work here without either winding up dead or with a dark patch on their records. She stayed out of a feeling of obligation and curiosity on whether the man understood what he got himself involved in or not.
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Seraph Alastor
Halberdier
Posts: 16
Profession: Etrurian High Commander
Affiliation: Etruria
Affinity: Light
Profile: Profile
OoC Alias: GK
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Post by Seraph Alastor on Jan 8, 2016 23:45:00 GMT -6
There was something odd going on here, something that Seraph wasn't completely noticing. He felt like he was beginning watch, no he knew he was being watched. As who Seraph assumed to be guards started making their way over here Seraph's eyes scanned the area. There were of course people watching them as anyone would when there was a ruckus going on but there was someone in the area that was watching for a different reason. His eyes scanned the area, looking for someone who seemed out of place and suspicious. He spotted someone, someone that was watching him very closely.
Before Seraph could do much about it someone had begun speaking to him. "High Commander Seraph Alastor," The blonde knight would say, not having paid any sort of attention to what was going on or what was said to him. "These fools were fighting and as you can probably tell it was getting a bit out of hand so I stepped in and broke up the fight," Still Seraph wasn't paying attention, he had moved his head for a second to tell the guards what had happened but then immediately turned back to the alley he was watching.
The person that was watching him was walking off, a smirk on their face. Something wasn't right and Seraph wanted to get to the bottom of it. When his focus went back to what was going on around him, eager to settle things and go on his way, he was surprised and irritated to see that they hadn't just hauled away the punks and locked them up somewhere. "You came here with that group of soldiers that are all bunkered up in the inn at the edge of town that just came in a day or so ago, right?" One of the guards asked in a rather flippant tone. Why was he wasting his time asking him questions.
These with the guards of this town? They held themselves more like thugs than people in charge of protecting and enforcing laws. It was beginning to become quite clear to Seraph that this port town wasn't the sort of place for knights and order but one for rats and thugs. Seraph didn't answer, he knew that they already knew the answer to that question. It was rather odd that they would bring that up, why did that matter? "It's probably best you keep with your men and stay out of this part of town. The docks aren't exactly the safest place for your type and it would be a shame for you to get hurt," The crap eating grin that was plastered on the guards face was irritating to say the least.
Did this guard just have the gall to threaten him? This was definitely enough for Seraph to take action but the last thing he wanted to be was in a war with this town, if he wasn't already in one for getting involved in all of this. Luckily for the guards and probably everyone else in the vicinity Seraph had something else pressing on his mind. He was being watched and he had a good feeling these guards had something to do with it. They knew more than they were leading on and it seems like they didn't give a rat's ass about the fight that he had broken up and why it even happened. Sure if he was going to have to deal with this that's fine. Seraph had begun to walk off, heading in the direction of where he had seen the person from earlier that had been watching him. He wasn't sure if he and his men were safe here any longer. They probably weren't the more he thought about it. If he could cut off the head of the snake now rather than later that was the desired outcome but for now just finding some sort of trail that he could go off later would be fine. Unbeknownst to him was the fact that he was know being followed. While his followers weren't prepared for whom they were following the mere fact that they were was troubling. Even more so that Seraph hadn't notice yet.
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Post by Cefia on Jan 9, 2016 10:21:48 GMT -6
Wow what bad luck on the man's part. The actual guards showed very little respect for the so called high commander, practically threatening him in front of his face. It was blatant disregard for their superior and not in the way that Cefia cared for. At least he kept his cool and didn't try to start anything there. Everyone else had seemed to either hushed up or kept their heads down at this point, not wanting to get dragged into whatever this quarrel was. If she was smart, it was about time for her to turn heel and walk away, put the matter out of her mind and make her way towards the capital. Unfortunately that thought didn't cross her mind and she spent her time taking glances to get a hint of the atmosphere of the current situation.
Seraph seemed to completely disregard the guard's advice and began to stalk away deeper into the place. Letting out a sigh, she wondered if she was getting too old for this. Trouble always seemed far less worth it in the long run, but seeing the man out of his element brought out her sympathetic side. Besides, she tried to justify that having a pal in the military would get her in the capital more easily. So she followed, keeping her distance as to not alarm both the commander and the people he was tailing.
"Excuse me sir, you do understand that this is a straight path to a trap?" she asked as soon as she was out of earshot from the guards or anyone for that matter. She dropped her thick pirate accent in favor of the one she brought up in, noting that people generally understood it better than the lingo flying around out at sea. Appearance wise it might not suit her, but she was trying to be a little more civil.
"Perhaps it's not the best line of action to approach a situation so straightforward, unless of course you plan on making this side of the town your enemy," she tried to explain.
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Seraph Alastor
Halberdier
Posts: 16
Profession: Etrurian High Commander
Affiliation: Etruria
Affinity: Light
Profile: Profile
OoC Alias: GK
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Post by Seraph Alastor on Jan 9, 2016 21:55:19 GMT -6
Seraph was starting to lose his composure and it didn't help that he wasn't in the greatest mood in the first place. On the surface he was cool calm and collected but his mind was on the verge of snapping. He took a moment to calm himself, washing away the feelings of lashing out. It wasn't often that Seraph got to this point but alas, no one is perfect. Still, the state of this port town wasn't acceptable and needed to be changed. He couldn't stand corruption and greed completely controlling a town, especially when it comes to those who are supposed to run and protect it.
It was ironic that he felt that way, it almost made him laugh. He had stopped in his tracks when someone had spoken to him. He figured it was going to be one of those men again but instead it was a woman whom he was not familiar with. What was surprising was what she had said. Seraph took a moment to look around, noticing some suspicious figures in the area watching the two of them. Was he now being followed? It was interesting to Seraph, these men acted so swiftly when it came to someone poking their nose in their territory.
"I figure this side of town is already my enemy," Seraph began as he turned from looking around to eye the woman in front of him. "And I suppose the longer you talk to me the more they might start thinking that you're with me and then you'll be a target as well," Seraph wasn't in the mood for a civilian to get involved in all of this and have them get hurt. "They're probably trying to corner me in that alleyway. Probably try to intimidate me into staying out of this side of town," There was also another possibility but Seraph didn't want to think they were that dumb.
"Could try to kill me, make it look like an accident but they wouldn't do that. Probably know my men are here and wouldn't take kindly to their commander getting killed," It was probably odd that he was actually pondering what they were planning on doing. "I appreciate the warning Ma'am but I will be fine. A group of thugs won't cause much trouble for me. They'll be plenty surprised if they try something. I suggest that you make your way from me, don't want them to believe we are associated and they start coming after you," He would smile, not really taking this all that seriously. If they were truly foolish enough to try anything they would meet swift ends. Though judging by the way they were watching them they were probably coming to the conclusion that she was with him.
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Post by Cefia on Jan 10, 2016 14:53:31 GMT -6
Celia shook her head, rubbing the back of her head in exasperation. How unpleasant, especially when she was just trying to offer assistance to the man. It was to be expected, though her choice on the matter had already been decided. She put all her money in helping the guy, plus her following had already made her a target. Her hand still held onto her knuckleduster, ready for anyone foolish enough to try jump her.
One way to keep the rabble of you was to appear bigger than life. So of course that's exactly what she did. It'll be a bloody mess, quite literally, if a fight actually broke out. Opening and closing her hands in agitation, she looked the man in the eyes.
"Listen sir, whatever you're thinking of doing, I wouldn't do it alone. Maybe consider regrouping with your companions?" she proposed, not bothering to acknowledge the men coming from behind her. It seemed a bit too late for that suggestion, working fast to block any method of escape.
"Besides, I believe it is a tad too late for me back out of the matter," she noted, her eyes looking beyond the man as they were even further blocked off. They weren't armed that impressively, just basic makeshift weapons. That didn't matter though, the look on their faces denoted their bloodlust. Before she can say another word, a large brute of a man, grabbed her shoulder, putting a decent bit of force to show his domination. Sadly for him, it was a big mistake. Twisting her body, she used the force of her turn and her actual strength to slam her knuckleduster in the middle of his face. There was a satisfying crunching sound and feel for her, a good punch.
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Seraph Alastor
Halberdier
Posts: 16
Profession: Etrurian High Commander
Affiliation: Etruria
Affinity: Light
Profile: Profile
OoC Alias: GK
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Post by Seraph Alastor on Jan 11, 2016 12:23:40 GMT -6
Seraph could see the point in what she was saying. He wasn't completely sure of what he was walking into and having others with him only increased his chances of survival. The only downside to that was the feeling that things would eventually lead into a mess causing Seraph and his men into a war with the town. Not only did they deserve their rest but it would be easier if Seraph handling things on his own. Whatever was thrown at him he would be able to handle it. Especially seeing how it didn't look like these people knew what they were doing.
Makeshift weapons? What were they thinking? Perhaps it was just impulse and they grabbed the first thing they could find. They couldn't think that it would do much to his armor nor scare a man of Seraph's experience. He was upset with himself that this woman was getting dragged into all of this. She was just trying to help and while Seraph didn't exactly think he needed it the thought was still appreciated. Then they had made their move against them. Seraph made a surprised face as he watched the woman pull something out of her pocket and slammed it against of the thug's face.
For a brief second he almost felt bad for the man, it sounded like it hurt quite a bit. One decided to come at Seraph, charging at him with a knife. This was troublesome. Not the getting attacked part, no, Seraph could handle that. Fighting in the middle of the docks was just going to grab more attention to themselves, something that they were best to avoid at this point. It was probably best that they get out of here and come up with a plan of action later, when it was safer.
"I think we should find our way out of here and relocate somewhere safer," Seraph would say as he avoided a stab from the thug, grabbing his wrist and smashing his elbow into the man's nose. As the man dropped to the floor and rolled around in pain Seraph looked for a way for them to go. There was a pathway that would lead them to the town square which was a more populated area this time of day. If they headed there they would be able to either disappear in the crowd or the thugs would stop following them to avoid causing a scene. "To the square, we could lose them there," Worse come to worse they could just keep fighting them, they didn't seem all that tough.
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Post by Cefia on Jan 11, 2016 18:02:33 GMT -6
The knockout of hers seemed to intimidate most of the men there. One of them looked awfully confused about what had happen and spent his time looking from the large fainted man and up at her. When it finally dawned on him what had transpired, she dropped his piece of wood and made a mad dash out of there. Whatever reason that brought him to try and fight the two wasn't worth broken bones. Good, he was more of a lad more than a man.
"Aye, lily livered bunch," she replied reflexively, giving the people before her a wide toothy grin. It came off rather menacing especially with the violent glint in her eyes. These men were hesitating too much, if this was serious fight and she had drawn her axe, then they would be lying strewn on the ground in pieces. No, it simply won't be satisfying, so she agreed easily enough to follow the commander.
"Well pleasure to make your acquaintance Commander Alastar," she spoke as they ran, a light tone on her voice as if this was just another casual conversation and they weren't being chased by some rather angry locals. Just because your life was being hunted didn't mean it was an excuse to have bad manners.
"My name is Cefia Silou, coming home on my family's behest, so what brings you to this lovely little port town?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder. The amount of men trying to follow them was quite a bit less. Perhaps they were meant to just scare them, if so, they surely failed on their account. However these men were just common rabble, surely the one behind all this had proper fighters in their ranks. A challenge? At that thought, she couldn't help, but get excited. She wasn't born love combat, but her experience had molded her to this point. She relished a good fight, the greatest clarity was in the center of all the rage and steel.
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Seraph Alastor
Halberdier
Posts: 16
Profession: Etrurian High Commander
Affiliation: Etruria
Affinity: Light
Profile: Profile
OoC Alias: GK
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Post by Seraph Alastor on Jan 19, 2016 17:30:52 GMT -6
"The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Silou. Oh and please just call me Seraph," He would reply as they made their way toward the center of the town. "My men and I were just passing through on our way home from a mission. It had been a long trip and my men deserved a rest so we stopped here and our currently staying in an inn not far from here," That was where he was going to head after they managed to escape their unwanted attention. From there he could think of a plan or discuss the situation with his men.
It was probably best that he left them out of it as they could get a bit riled up and dealing with his men when they became rowdy and passionate didn't was just going to give him a headache. Especially seeing how they were probably itching for some action before they made their way home and they'd probably be assigned to some menial task. He didn't like keeping them in the dark and they'd definitely stick their noses in what was going on if they started to feel something wasn't right. Seraph put it to the back of his mind for now, it was something that he'd deal with when it came to it.
When the two had made their way a good distance away from the docks and where starting to head into the square Seraph had slowed down. He was aware that there wasn't as much men following them now but they'd stick out if they kept running seeing how they were about to hit a crowd. It was nice and lively today, a perfect atmosphere for them to disappear nicely. "Alright, let's try and blend in with the crowd and disappear," Seraph said as he started making his way toward the crowd.
Once they were out of sight Seraph would make his way toward the inn. He wasn't sure what Cefia's plans were but he'd like to keep an eye on her until he was sure that everything was safe. Unfortunately she had been dragged in all of this and Seraph felt it was his falt so he was going to take responsibility for it and make sure that no harm came to her. Whether or not she felt like sticking around near him was an issue that Seraph was going to have to deal with eventually.
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