Misty Mountains (Justin/PM for Entry)

[Justin Delex]

Justin watched as his blade met the Wight's skull and sent it flying. It was quite the sight to see such, who knew Wights would fly. He would breath heavily as he watched the skull bounce off the rocks like a child's ball run away. It bounced down to the other swordsman who smacked the skull rending the jaw off, and to Bruce who froze the last of it. Watching it fall and shatter was quiet satisfying, in both sight and sound. Justin let out a heavy drawn out sigh, now hopefully that was the last of these damnable things. He had about enough of skeletons walking around again for the day. He would give a thumbs up to everyone, "That...was to ...close.." he said with a grin, before putting his sword in its sheath.

He would turn to Yorick who has just asked for a vulnerary. Justin dug around in his bag a bit before handing her one. "There should be enough left in that one for you." He gave a smile to her as he handed it. She was beaten pretty bad but he could tell she wasn't gonna drop so easily. She carried herself well and was clearly a strong person, it made it no surprise why she was leading this group. People like her is what the world needed more of, ones not afraid to fight for the sake of others. Perhaps this group might not be a bad one to hang around with. He decided he should ask later after everyone has had to recover from this whole ordeal. Maybe after a few drinks back at the tavern.

[Yorick]

“That…was too…close…”

After the young swordsman tossed her a vulnerary, Yorick opened the medicinal solution, spreading it over her wound and smiling grimly as it burned and worked its ‘magic’ on her slash. Bruce whistled, and she turned, catching the other vulnerary her mage friend had thrown, and drank it down, wincing at the burn as the minty, earthy, disgusting stuff washed down her throat.

“I’m the only person I know who drinks a vulnerary, but it makes me feel a hell of a lot better after a fight. And boy, you ain’t seen nothing if you think this was close. Hell, Justin, I’ve been in scrapes you wouldn’t believe. Fighting Revenants and Entombed in a catacomb before emerging to take on Gargoyles in the mountains of Bern. Almost becoming a Bael’s lunch after being poisoned and caught in its web. Taking down a Gwyllgi on the plains and having my leg bitten by that three-headed monstrosity. And that giant Revenant! Whoo boy, that was one hell of a fight.”

The General laughed.

“Bruce and I tend to get into rough spots, but we generally come out okay. We watch each other’s backs. And I must say, you handled yourself pretty well, kid. What’s a man with a sword doing just hanging around taverns? Why aren’t you getting a job with some mercenary band or something? Hell, if you’ve got nothing better to do, join a guild. There’s money there, and plenty of it. Fighting too, or smuggling, or even shoemaking, if that’s your style.”

Yorick yanked her silver axe out of the ground, looking over the weapon and the remains of the battle with a wry smile. This wasn’t too bad, except for that last Wight. Boy, that had been one tough son of a bitch.

The General walked forward, away from the group, and surveyed the pass. It was clear, free of monsters, and no worse for the wear, save the dry bones, which would be little more than a grim reminder of the Verdant Cross’s service to the people here.

“Right. Well done, crew. We’ve cleared the area and successfully eradicated the Bonewalker threat. The pass is clear and we’ll all get paid! The Verdant Cross once again has been successful. Let’s head for home!”

Yorick hung her axe upon her belt and turned back, extending her hand to Justin to shake.

“Well fought, young’un.”

[Justin Delex]

Justin would give another smile has he shook Yoricks hand. "Well, I guess you can sort of call me a freelancer." He would speak to her as he began to walk back to town with the group. "I really haven't considered a group to be honest, though I can see that it doesn't hurt to have people at your back. I might consider it a bit more now." Justin smiled a bit. "Really I have been wandering for a while now, really looking for good work that doesn't keep me in one place for to long. Its not simple, and can end up costing quite a bit." He pull his second vulnerary and rub it over his cuts, it burned like usual, but he had to deal to ensure the wounds healed over.

Justin would move with the group, the job done and a good pay coming his way he smiled a bit. Really it might not be to bad hanging around with this group. Them seemed to know what they where doing and knew of good jobs, good pay had to come from this. He was rather fond of finding new things to do, though perhaps he could do with less dead things. While the work seemed dangerous, he didn't mind it much, life can get pretty dull without much excitement, and killing monsters was no doubt an exciting line of work. He began to mull some thoughts of, looking at him it was clear he was in deep thought of some kind. Frontlines might not be best for him but he might be able to adapt to it with a bit of work.

[Yorick]

“There ain’t no money in freelancing. Seriously – I speak from experience here. If you want a just wage for the work you do, you’d best sign on with a guild. The individual mercenaries only command a good rate if they’re very established or if they’re completely without morals. If you’re looking to keep on the move, just making coin and seeing the sights, throw your lot in with us for a while. There’s plenty of work killing monsters, so long as you’re not squeamish about it, since it’s really the same thing – kill ‘em all, over and over.

The Verdant Cross is moving, following the contracts and the monsters. If you would like, you can accompany us on a few more missions. The pay will be the same, the folks will be different, save Bruce and me, and the exact details will of course depend on the contract. But you can bet that we’ll keep on doing what we do. Come with us if you like.”

Yorick meanwhile had begun to sharpen her weapon, honing its edge once more as she walked. As she repeated the motion of drawing the whetstone over her axe, she examined her armor, looking with slight distaste at the scrapes and scratches, and shaking her head ruefully at the large dent in her shield.

“That damn shield takes so long to reforge, too. The Wight hit like a bus.”

Soon, the group arrived once more down at the tavern, and Yorick entered triumphantly, her axe on her belt and a boisterous swagger in her walk. Words were exchanged, coin was exchanged, and then tankards of beer were slammed on the counter, the barkeep jovial and the head frothing over the sides of each beer. The victorious monster-hunters sat down to the drinks and the food the bar provided, and Yorick drained her whole mug at one go, sliding it back and receiving a full one in exchange.

“Sit, eat, and drink well, Justin. This is the life of a monster slayer! Work by morning, relax by noon, and then travel to the next job.”

[Justin Delex]

Justin would listen to what Yorick had said. She had a very good point about freelance work. It didn't pay well most of the time, if at all. Not to mention the fact that it wasn't always easy to just find a job. Though it did keep him going around all over the place. He really didn't have any problems with constantly taking down monsters repeatedly, could really help with a bit of sword work as well. "I guess I can stick around with you for a bit longer. I really don't have anywhere else I need to go or be." Justin would look is own blade over. It was alright for the time being, a bit of polish later perhaps but for now it would do.

Justin watched Yorick downed the drink in a single go, he on the other hand took his time to drink it while he ate some of the food they had been brought. It had been a while since he had a good solid meal, lack of coin lead to this for the most part, on top of traveling as well. "Wow, don't think I have ever seen anyone down a drink that fast before, let alone all in one solid go like that."Justin said with a smile. Most of his travel time was alone though and he never really hanged around anywhere for to long, so really he didn't have anyone else to compare how Yorick downed her drink. Though he could tell if he was going to stay around it was going to be definitely interesting to travel with them. It would also give him a chance to get to know some people and maybe even have someone he could possibly ask a favor from in the future.

[Yorick]

"Wow, don't think I have ever seen anyone down a drink that fast before, let alone all in one solid go like that."

Yorick laughed boisterously. The kid was too good to be true! First he’d never seen a real hoedown with monsters, and now he thought she was a champion drinker! Well, she certainly was a pretty solid ale-drinker, but she was nowhere near the level of some of the pirates she knew around the Isles. Back in Caledonia, there was one man who could down a double flagon of grog in a go, and had been recorded at twenty horns of mead within ten minutes. The man was a sailor without equal, too, even when drunk. Now that was a champion drinker.

“Hah! I like your attitude, kid. I’m no champion drinker, but I try my hardest. After all, when you live like us you have to enjoy the parts of life you can. Otherwise, you’d never have the strength to keep fightin’ day in day out like we do.”

The General ripped into a chicken leg, polishing it off with a gulp of ale, and then continued, her tone full of swagger but her words valuable and untainted by pride or alcohol.

“See, we’re fighters, all of us, but fighting different battles. Each of us has a demon we fight, a rival to overcome. How we choose to fight and how we try to strengthen ourselves is for each man and woman to find for themselves… but when we stand together, we are stronger.”

The General finished off her second mug of ale and started in on the third.

“Let me tell you something, Justin. I am Cordelia Imogen Yorick, of the Western Isles. I can barely read and hardly can write, but I fight better than most of the warriors I meet. I fight to defeat monsters, because they’re strong and constantly changing. I fight because there is danger. I fight to become stronger. One day, I hope that I will be strong enough to return to the Western Isles and fight to give my home island’s inhabitants better lives. That is why I fight.

Where do you come from? Why do you fight?”

[Justin Delex]

Justin closed his eyes and seemed to become lost in his own thoughts. He reason to fight, he had a few, but the question wasn't always so easy to answer. He began to think deeply, it wasn't for the money, while it helped it wasn't his end goal, to become stronger. Yes, but not for the reason others may think, not revenge, not to be some kind of hero. He opened his eyes and looked at Yorick before speaking. "My reason... I have a past I want to be able to become strong enough to face. A past that haunts me, one I wish I didn't have to recall." Justin sighed and shook his head.

"Its ... somewhat complex to me. Its not just a simple answer like yourself who can fight they fight for the safety of others." Justin would say after taking a drink. Really he envied Yorick a bit, her reason was simple. Straight forward, she didn't need to mince words on it, nor did she clearly need to think it over. If only it where that simple for Justin, but it wasn't, things never where anymore. "But lets not dwell on my past right now, Perhaps later I can tell you more, but for now, lets enjoy the food and drink we earned." He would speak a bit more bright and give a confident grin before taking a bite of his food, and a large swallow of his drink. Good food and good drink, what a great combination, if only he could hold a better conversation at the time, but he couldn't.

[Yorick]

Yorick nodded. Aye, that was a good reason to fight. To take up the sword to fight, to become strong, to overcome the demons in one’s heart.

"That is a good reason to fight.”

The General raised her axe, holding the shining silver weapon in the air and raising her voice to attract the attention of all in the tavern.

“This round is for all of us. For the fighters! For the blood, the sweat, and the tears we put into fighting, into training, into getting stronger. And it’s also for the reason we fight. This is a toast to our hearts, our wills, our minds. This is a toast to the things that keep us going. To the friends we have and the friends we have lost. To the dreams we hold and the dreams that have shattered. This is a toast to the life we live and the life we dream of living. Here’s to us!”

There was a roar, and everyone lifted their glass, toasting and drinking in solidarity.

Each man had a past; each man had a war raging within them. Each man had a dream, a future they longed to make a reality. Yorick was just like them, and they just like her. There was no man versus woman here, or swordsman versus mage. There was no conflict of dark or light skin, of Etruria and Ilia, or any strife of any kind. This was a brotherhood, one of the few that survived in such a true and clear form. This was the brotherhood of mercenaries, of the men at arms, the fighters of the Verdant Cross, the monster hunters.

“You’re one of us, Justin, for as long as you like.”

[Justin Delex]

Justin laughed slightly, a good reason huh? Never though he would hear those words. Justin would listen on to Yoricks speech. Once she had a finished he raised his Mug in cheers. Her speech was good one and spoke many truths about the people. Justin had taken another drink from his mug, now emptying it. He began to think once again, for awhile he was unsure of what he truly needed to do. Where his place was, what he should do, who he should trust. He was sure he found an answer of sorts.

"I am Glad to be accepted into your group Yorick. Ill do all I can, though I some more practice." Justin gave a grin and nod to Yorick. "I am sure it will be nice to travel with some people, traveling alone gets quit boring after sometime. Also can make things a bit easier when you are with a group." He gave another firm nod. He had traveled alone for almost all of his travels at this point, and would be happy to help around and have some company of others. Perhaps he would learn quit a bit from this, he would be helpful if he did.

"So do you have a plan for what is next?" Justin would ask as he finished off his meal. "I am not really familiar with the areas around me so I wouldn't know much going on myself." He leaned back in the chair a bit looking to Yorick for his answers.

[Yorick]

The General gave another laugh. Accepted? He acted as if it were an elite social club, not a band of mercenaries fighting together for their livelihoods. Still, it was nice to have an interested new member who was willing to put in the effort to improve, to practice, to train.

“We try to train daily, so I’m sure you’ll get plenty of practice. Bruce and I spar, and I take on local ‘top fighters’ to test my skills as well. I’ll fight with you too, and you’ll get better at taking on monsters. You learn the tricks, you see, and then it’s easier to take them down. Plus, silver weapons help.”

The General looked at her silver axe, smiling at the fine weapon.

“This is one hell of an axe, really. It cuts through monsters like they’re nothing more than meat to be sliced, and it helps block their fel power. Bonewalkers can’t reassemble parts smashed by my silver, and Revenants are staggered by its tough. The metal is indispensable if you’re fighting monsters for a living.”

Then Justin asked about a plan. Yorick did have another contract lined up, but she wasn’t in a hurry to run off to it – after all, it wasn’t going anywhere, and trying to do too much too fast would just lead to injuries.

“First, we recuperate. Then we travel to Badon, to the town of Mengar. There, we shall clear out any unwanted inhabitants so the port can be reopened and the town reinhabited. Essentially, we’re cleaning out the undead and making the area viable for occupation once more.

Sound good to you? We're getting paid a pretty penny for this job, so I certainly hope so.”

[Justin Delex]

"Cant say my weapons are the best, though they get the job done for the most part."Justin said showing his blade, it was a bit old but it has been clearly properly cared for. Justin looked it over a bit more."I should probably try to get myself a silver weapon sometime then if I am gonna be traveling and doing work with you."He said, before looking to Yorick again as she spoke about their plan. Resting up, then heading to Mengar to clear it out of unwanted visitors. Justin gave a small nod after she detailed the plans to him. He stopped to think the plans laid out before him, over a bit.


"Sure, sounds like a plan to me. You are the one with the better knowledge on monster hunting here."Justin would nod to her as he finished speaking. "So a port town huh. Cant say I have anything to feel about those."He would state with a shrug, he hadn't really been to port towns much. "I am sure you can give me more details once we start moving on to the next job then."He said before leaning back in the chair again and began to think. What would be in a port town, mostly importantly what did they want with it. These questions floated around in Justin's head. Well for now none of those could be answered yet. He just hoped whatever was crawling around wasn't that strong, or that there was an entire army of them.

[Yorick]

Yorick nodded. Yep. She still fought with iron and steel; her weapons were tried and true. It was just that silver was so much more effective at destroying monsters. If she were trying to kill Wyverns, she wouldn’t use silver, instead opting for a Dragonspear, or a Dragon Axe. And for fighting horses, there was nothing that could compare to the Horse Cleaver. Weapons were tools, Yorick believed. One would use a hammer for nails and a screwdriver for screws; why, then, did so many believe on trying to force a weapon to work on something it was not designed for?

Speaking of tools, she needed a silver lance. That would be a fine addition to her arsenal. With a longer reach than an axe and its naturally more precise strike, a silver lance would be perfect for her. Yorick drummed her fingertips briefly upon the bar, downing another drink, and then half-planned, half-dreamed her new style out.

She would use her silver axe for clearing; the broad strokes and strong force behind every swing would make it the tool for cleaving through Revenants and Entombed. The axe would also be useful to deal powerful, devastating blows to slower opponents or weakened foes. Her lance, on the other hand, would work well for poking at quick enemies, like Mauthe Doogs and Gargoyles, and would let her keep a safe range while she wore them down. Indeed, a silver lance would be very beneficial. Yorick nodded to herself. She’d buy one as soon as she could. She did, after all, have a lot of coin saved up.

Oh, yes. Justin had been talking to her.

“Yeah, you might want to invest in a silver sword. Expensive, but definitely one of the best choices you can make if killing monsters is what you do for a living. It pays for itself, really.

As for the job, I don’t know much more than you – just that we’re to clear any monsters from the town. Sounds simple enough to me. We’ll muster some men, march in, and clean the place up, just like we did with this pass.”

[Justin Delex]

Justin shook his head and gave a half hearted grin, going in with little information wasn't the best, but if they didn't have any, they didn't have any. Really any information about what they had to fight would help, but considering what was happening he didn't blame anyone for not wanting to go near it. Then again the lack of details could easily be that scouts where sent and no one ever made it back to tell anything at all. The last thought made Justin shiver slightly, he really hoped it wasn't the latter now more then ever. Really if no scouts where able to get details out it meant nothing but bad news for them all.

Justin gave a heavy sigh"Well if all we go is there are monsters there, then that's all we can go on, Really I would prefer more information but... Well it seems if there isn't any there isn't any."Justin scratched the back of his head. "I just really hope we don't have to deal with a literal army of undead." He said shrugging with another shake of his head. The dead walking again was not something pretty, clearly they also caused chaos all around. He sighed again sometimes he thought he should of just stayed home. Then again staying home was boring, also he had no home to go to so there was that. Justin rolled his shoulder a bit before looking around him a bit. "So when do we plan to head out?" He asked Yorick before leaning back in his chair.