CA (1-1) A new hope

[Tobin]

(OOC: Saber, Dr. Ultima and @serenityspace, Funnily enough, only the last paragraph or so is importent, I'm assuming Dwarf turns up last to this party, largely because I'm aiming to get all the introductions and waffle done within two posts. LETS ROCK.

Summery: The Dwarf was drugged and basically taken to the location of the meeting by force, pops into the meeting room and gives greetings. How awkward of him.)


WC:1630


The first thing that Tobin became aware of was the acute pounding of his head, not a terribly pleasant way to wake up but not unusual after a evening of heavy drinking. Yet as he opened his eyes, it became apparent that where he had set down in an unusual environment, a well appointed chamber with a king sized bed shown in a number of muted colours, faint whites, blues and golds that was lit quite nicely by the morning light that flowed into the chamber. Though as he examined this chamber he saw no one beside him or within the room. That wasn't unusual in itself, though the memory of last night was slow coming to him. In addition his beard had been shaved, leaving sweeping sideburns, though that he had done by his own design to provide an amusing image. All a sign of a goodnight, a distinctive rumble echoed in his throat as he prepared to rise

Complicated by a lack of muscle response. Bugger.

"Ahhh, good to see you awake, slayer of Henge. Your capacity not to piss yourself when drunk speaks of the legends of you're legendary fortitude, most impressive; though that might partly due to the fact you chose to relieve thy self on my front door. I must admit upon seeing you in the flesh..."

Tobin's hazy vision drifted over to the presence of the condensing dribble; despite the distraction of dehydration the Dwarf had no difficulty in perceiving this individual as he casually strolled around into his sight; dressed in the Shakespearian style with a great thick novel in his hands., the muted red's and royal blue of the puffed up state of dress was the kind of train wreak one simply couldn't ignore though the material was crafted from exotic fibres that might have been imported many moons ago. Yet, despite his rich dressing there was a air about the man that the Dwarf could less easily place; the intensity of the sea green gaze betrayed a certain intelligence behind the elder elf's immaculate mushtash that he so causally twirled, although he was in the autumn of his years, his once blond hair turning a snow white and his leathery skin bore scars of his youth , the gaze of the elf carried an intensity that could have belonged to one much younger and from what little he could see under the tudorish style, a drive concealed behind a relatively amused expression. Though the Dwarf quickly found that his gut feeling told him he hadn't drunk enough to find this man attractive, though he imagined that the fellow might have made a dashing explorer in his earlier days. There was a pause as the gaze drew distant, tasting words unspoken upon how best to describe the ambiance of his feel only to settle on the most simple descriptor he could think of.

"I am quite disappointed."

A frown flickered over Tobin's brow, already the unpleasant feeling in his stomach grew.

"Glad I live up ta my reputation, well, 'mma thankful tha' ya knuw me 'n' all, but if ya tha' landlord, I'mma goin' ta pay up 'n' mak'..."

"And an accent most ludicrous, just as the rumours specified. Is it due to his upbringing in the other world or a staged performance? In either case, it matters little, after all you are here in a manner most fitting for my script."

The Dwarf flinched, he hated when he felt exposed, transparent.

"Look, I'mma not gonna tak' tis, wha's ya fee, oar would an autog-"

"You misunderstand, half strider. I am no bar keep, indeed you could say I am a spiritual adventure much like yourself though I lack the vigour to rise like morning wood upon devoicing from your flesh, as you usually put it more crudely. No, I merely wish to require your services for a particular venture, a venture that might shed light on a history once lost. Of course, the last time I sent one of my representatives out, you told him to, quote on quote, 'shove it.'"

The gentleman paused, Tobin jaw tensed slightly as he recalled the small incident when he had been approached once in his dwelling near the Avon stretch a couple of weeks back. The fellow had been long winded for a messager and extremely insistent, that and he didn't like the fact he had been tailed to his secret brewery, so his response had been less then polite. The image of the royally dressed sod being soaked in river water gave him a slight rumble, though any thought the gentleman had he kept to himself.

"Your rejection was quite unexpected. After all, you're one of the band that slain henge and ended years of conflict, fought a shadowy abomination close to Avon and derailed a menace to the subways, yet you managed to turn all that success on it's head. When the Adventurers Caer and Kumori departed to regions unknown the guild fell to yourself and rather then make a glorious bid for power, you disbanded it, retreated off to the hills and made distinctively alright beverages." A twitch of the eyebrow registered disgust. "A fine calling, perhaps, but not for an adventure such as yourself, leaving you with no claim to fame since that time, four months until now.too long have you packed the game in, so long ago that people suspect that your name is becoming synonymous with legend. But legends are rarely of much value when it comes to individual persons, I dare say it is probably the reason why you are the weakest of the well known heroes, on the cusp of perfection, yet never quite there. I guess it makes sense since you fought that shadowy abomination that you suddenly got cold f-"

"Get to the fecking point Mandervile, rich bastards like you don't high jack adventurers for no reason."

The words were forced out with a low growl as the Dwarf fixed the lander with a gaze of cold fire, a gaze filled with a begrudging recognition as the haze in his mind cleared. Nelson Mandervile from what he could remember had been known as a mid-class merchant back before the calamity, some common folk suspected him to be a bastard child of the King's brother that had been adopted into the Mandervile household, though that had been dampened when every other noble disappeared. However, in their absence the merchant family benefited greatly in their absence, having formed a collation government in the absence of any Monarch. Tobin and adventurers in general seemed to have little desire to rule, thus he only had a passing familiarity with these fellows, nor did he see any need to improve that, after all adventurers were immortal.

"Which is precisely why I got that maid to slip midnight adder poison in your brew to knock you out and bring you here. Much as you're unpredictable in many things, your desire to get beyond second base with anything with a pulse is comparable to a wilder beast."

The Dwarf shrugged heavily. Hard to deny that one

"Oar a boar."

For the first time the mysterious gentleman gave a slight chuckle.

"Indeed, though you can understand that the poison didn't come cheap. I've always been most impressed with Adventuer resilience, since that dose should have been enough to kill five landers. In any case, onto the point; I don't usually do legwork, but I am a closet member of a society that requires a service of adventurers like you. I will take you to the sage, once you are ready. "

For the first time since the Dwarf woke a feeling of sickness rose within his stomach; sure, he hadn't defiled a maiden but arguably being saddled with a quest giver that had gone to such efforts just to to get his services, with effort he heaved himself off the bed onto his feet, dressed in little more then a robe, a light vest and trousers, as it felt right to gift the over privileged a firm uppercut, even with a begrudging respect he had to concede that the method had worked.

"Fine, since ya gone to such efforts, I'll entertain this, least till I feel good enough to 'shove it' as I put."

"Most delightful, now, if you could just follow me?"

Then they walked. At first the moment was difficult though, true to his word the muscles had eased up a little, though one query in particlar bothered him.

"What would ya hav' done if ya poison killed me."

The noble smiled as he gazed down the adventurer down his nose.

"Once a stiffie, an adventure rises up in a jiffy, isn't that something you would say, Dwarf?"

"Heh, heh, right."

For a change, Tobin didn't laugh.

[hr/]



With that he entered the darkened meeting room, attempting to look more lively then he felt as the goldrimmed rose tinted glasses donned,he examined each and everyone in this darkened room; the sagey person aside, though two things caught his eye immediately. The mysterious assassin whom he had worked (but never finished a thread) with, and that he wasn't the shortest person in this room; a rare thing considering the broad fellow was only 4.8 foot high.

"Aye, 'ello parteh people! I 'ear we hav' somethin' importent ta be doin', nic' ta see ya all! So..."

At that point, he noticed the other Dwarf in the room and froze, as though his windows vista brain had blue screened as for the second time in his new life he did something thinkable.

He looked down on ultima.

"A-another.... ANOTHER DWARF! A year, three months, ANOTHER! I'm not the only adventuring DWARF"

And before anyone could say harassment, the lass was scooped up into a crushing hug, then his gazed flickered between the other adventurers, and with a soft sigh he continued, as though it hadn't happened. 

"what's on the agenda taday?"

[Dr. Ultima]

Not that Dr. Ultima could have been aware of the possibility of it occurring, but even so, it did not take poison to draw our embodied curiosity after the seedy looking agent who had promised a job. She followed behind the figure prattling questions to the sound of his semi-audible groan. It is likely true that he should have preferred to use the poison, and perhaps, as Dr. Ultima could not see inside his cloak, his knuckles were already white with frustration around the edge of the neck of the bottle. Perhaps it was only a single thumb that kept the stopper from being thrown off and the silencing drug from being splashed with savage arm into the very small doctor's face.

For the last time through gritted teeth the tall but sleek figure said:

"Wait. until. the meeting."

"Who's gonna be there?"

"...."

The guide silenced himself by gritting his teeth. If one were to listen on a clear night, dear reader, you might just hear it from Earth. Facetiousness aside, the man deserved a constellation in his image dedicated to patience. Praising the gods, they arrived shortly after this millionth deflected exchange. Calling it a manor would not do the meeting place justice, as even in the dead of the night, with the lanterns falling low in their own sleepy slumber, Dr. Ultima could tell that the place was BIG. And not only was it big, it was FANCY, and as fancy as it was, it was ELEGANT, which screamed old money and old blood lines and ancient secret powers.

Dr. Ultima's eyes wandered about absorbing it.

"Wah ha ha...."

"For the last time, please be quiet this is a private meeting. Do not draw attention to yourself."

Nodding twice Dr. Ultima offered a edited version.

"Wah ha ha..."

And the guard said nothing. Striding through the garden, he closed the gate and ushered the small girl into the greater meeting hall of the mansion. If the outside with its curved and decorated rod iron gates and hedged symmetrical bushes were impressive, the inside could only be more so. The outside was a wall against the plebeian, the inside was the sanctuary that it sought to preserve through the ages. 

Even Dr. Ultima gasped with a muffled quietued awe as she tried her best to be a worthy guest. Tapestry, crests, armor. A spiral staircase to the left which seemed to climb up to what may have been a fourth floor. Two fantastically general, more guest oriented, staircases with wide steps helped to frame the room. Three, Dr. Ultima mentally counted, or four or five strides for her to walk across. They were of course finely carpeted with an exotic foreignness to them not unlike something Turkish or Iranian in fashion back on Earth. Of course, that was impossible, but perhaps one of the old game designers had something of an eye for fine design. 

To her surprise, she was lead to the very nice but less elegant high climbing spiral staircase. Her eye wandered across its design. There didn't seem to be a central rail running through the middle and that was certainly curious for the structure's overall sense of support. She ran her hand carefully on the railing as she climbed slowly...

"Do you find it curious?"

Looking up, Dr. Ultima saw a new figure. The master of the house she assumed.

"Very much." She very lightly rapped the wood with something of a puzzled expression.

"And how does it work?"

"Ironwood." The Master replied. "Imported from further whereabouts, it requires a great deal of care to sculpt, but it has an elegance that the baser metals such as the outer gates fail to catch. It does not sacrifice sturdiness in the least and the architect, well, he was a rather famous adventurer, one of your kind, yes. But I ramble, please do come up, we have much to discuss..." 


***

"Right. So to confirm the mission, I have been recruited as part of a team in order to investigate some ancient....things... as they were once part of a fallen civilization and report back without awakening any ancient evils..."

"Quite, though your frivolity concerns me. Please remember to refer to Master Tobin's orders throughout the excursion as I feel his adventuring experience will be invaluable to you."

Dr. Ultima nodded twice, if there was somebody to mine well advised knowledge from, that was certainly a significant bonus. She and her soon to be met compatriots would not be fumbling in the dark.

"Would you now like to meet the sage?"

"Oh very much so, not that I am in a hurry to leave. This mysterious sage of yours sounds fascinating! Twice so, from being produced by your character and good standing."

Dr. Ultima could flatter too, she had spent time in the trenches of the service industry. She had read Jane Eyre.

The patient agent once more ushered the good doctor away, and though the gentlemen did rise and bow from his cushioned seat to answer her courtesy, he did not follow but rather returned to his seat and continued reading his business documents as if he was waiting for yet another. So ended her time in the manor office and Dr. Ultima let him fade out of mind, she wanted to meet this great mind, she couldn't wait. And so like a pet waiting for its food to fall into the bowl, Dr. Ultima peered around the agent as he cracked open a door to what appeared to be a study or meeting room which was lined with books. The table was of especially fine make but appeared unoccupied in the lowly lit candlelight room. Taking a seat toward the middle of the table, she thanked her guide as he nodded closing the door. Like a bobble-head she allowed her eyes to wander before nearly jumping out of her seat at the sound of a voice.

"Welcome."

The sage could have been an assassin with the way he blended in.

***

As they spoke, time flew, and though she was the first arrival, the second and third quickly arrived afterward. If the second was a stealthy ranger,her failure to notice during her enthusiastic prattle with the sage could slightly excuse her, less so the third, an impressively handsome and exotic youthfully mannish shaman. The most obvious among all eventually followed in some time after; a third lumbering figure of which she definitely should have been conscious. 

Being lifted out of her chair into a great big santa sideburn bushy lemmy hug, she kicked her feet in a panic.

"It's a trap! We're betrayed! Run sage run! Jump out the window! I'll hold them off, goooooooo~!"

Dr. Ultima continued to struggle to no avail. Finally listening, she calmed as the greater dwarf set her down in an introduction.

Blushing she bowed and rubbed the back of her head...

"Ah....so-sorry...."

She coughed to close the page on that embarrassment, but the sage was quietly chuckling at her childish demeanor and the red began to touch her ears.

"Erherm!"

Dr. Ultima placed her hands behind her back in a formal stance.

"As first comer, gentlemen, please allow me to introduce Taliesin, The Great Sage. He has much to discuss with us and has already impressed me a great deal with his studied knowledge."

And all was quiet for awhile in eager anticipation....

So Speaks The Great Sage Taliesin....

"heh heh heh..." The wiry cloak with the voice of the man seemed to have a bad habit of speaking like a dark souls character...

"Surely friends.... you have heard of the Alvs...?"

Not waiting for a nod he continues his slightly off putting magical senial chuckle and continues...

"For the more disinterested among us allow me to be brief. The Alvs, are the forerunners. A great civilization lost to the wars and world fractions... and now at last found. What sleeps there is an ancient power....heh heh..."

Raising a hand among the congregation he looked something like a Sith Emperor, the hand was wrinkly and yet against expected cliche the skin appeared to be dark.

"And we are asking you brave adventurers to seek it. A grand quest your people call it...yes? Hah!"

He paused nearly feasting on his words. He was suddenly shaking as if with the weariness of an old anger. He was shaking his head as he nearly spat the words:

"FOOLS OF HUMANITY! Petty infighting has torn this knowledge from our grasp! The tablet which would guide us is broken! Shattered! But we are not without hope!"

Coughing, he steadied his breath and produced a very ancient looking scepter.

"But. we are not without hope so long as we have noble souls to champion us and this," He laid it upon the table for all to see, "to guide us..." 

He raised his hand in a shaky point.

"Seek! Seek the pieces of the holy tablet. Restore to us our lost history! What was cruelly stolen from us so long ago!"

Exhausted, the figure leaned back into his chair and fell silent...

Finally he spoke once more.

"Or all shall certainly be lost forever more...."



wc-1532

Tobin Saber, @serenityspace

[Deleted]

"The city has been awfully talkative lately," Dorian quipped as he stood atop the tall overgrown building he had spied sometime earlier. He had done a fair amount of questing and working in the past two weeks, and needed some time to himself; well, to himself and Skrowe, he could never seem to get rid of the Shikigami for more than 3 seconds. In any case, he needed relaxation, R'n'R, if you will.

So he ventured off in search of a place to get away from the city, finally deciding on climbing up the overgrown vines that managed to reach all the way to the roof of one of the buildings strewn about the outskirts of Londinium. Here he stood, watching over the edge at the hustle and bustle down below, eyes wide open as he examined each and every passer by. Talk, talk, talk... Skrowe's cutesy scarecrow voice echoed in the back of the Shaman's mind, an irritating chant building up as he simply kept saying the word 'talk' at different frequencies and pitch.

Rolling his eyes, Dorian crossed his arms up and over each other along his chest, returning to watching the turmoil below. The sun was rather low in the sky, having just crested the horizon to bring about daybreak; he had watched the slow ascent of the sunrise from his rooftop, admiring the beauty as the swirl of colours erupted continuously along the skyline, different yellows and oranges and pinks illuminating the light blue. There was nothing more awe-inspiring than a good sunrise, except maybe some wonderful sundowners. Dorian made two mental notes to himself, or to Skrowe, whoever was listening; bring a group of friends back up here to watch the sunrise, and find a good spot to have sundowners with them. Alas, for now, the sky was just a dull blue, not yet taking on it's morning vividness, the slight development of a cloud cover beginning to block out the blazing sun.

Ooo, I think someone spotted you, Skrowe pointed out in a whimsical tone that continued to irritate the Shaman to no end; but he was correct, there was a stranger down below, picked out from the hustle and bustle because she was the only one standing directly under the shadows of the buildings on the opposite side of the street. Staring down at the figure's silhouette, he noticed that he was getting the same treatment, a staring contest ensuing between them from above and below.

"Hmmm, who are you?" Dorian was beginning to mix with emotions; confusion, curiosity, intrigue, excitement, fear. All valid sensations for when noticing a stranger staring at you from afar. For a moment, time seemed to still and move slowly, the Shaman and the stranger waiting for a while before one of them made the first move. Luckily, Dorian didn't have to wait much longer to discover the answer.

As quickly as she had been spotted, the stranger turned on her heel, walking down the footpath and down a darkened alleyway next to the building she had stood in the shadow of. "Where are you off to?" Everything this woman did just created more and more questions to solve, and Dorian didn't like how his curiosity and desire for answers was being played; but alas, the small chance that this stranger could need his help was enough to spur him on, ignoring the blatant warnings of his trepidation. Skrowe was of no use, too busy singing 'O-oh, here she comes; watch out boy, she'll chew you up!''. Drawing his hand up to rub at his temple out of frustration, Dorian gave a silent nod, finally agreeing with himself to go and look into the matter. Turning towards the side of the building he had climbed up, he approached the edge, manoeuvring himself to slowly descend down onto the overgrown vines. "This better be something good..."

Slowly but surely he made his way down the side of the building, lowering himself into the shadows as the vines stretched along and further down the building, until they would pool in an overgrown mass of plant life at the base. Dorian took his time, looking for every foothold and handhold to snag onto as he traversed the organic netting. With a bit of a flourished slide at the bottom, he finally made it back down, dusting himself off to relieve his attire of any bits of plant that had attached. "Now then," he began, turning to look at the alley on the opposite side of the street. Whatever this woman wanted, he hoped it wasn't something evil or diabolical. Dorian wasn't sure yet whether he was willing to help people like that. But alas, his feet moved for him, and he crossed the street with a strong and yet nervous stride.

The dark alley brought back fond memories - and slightly less fond memories - of back when he first arrived in the land of Londinium, the bag of sweets that had been left behind springing into his mind. Shaking off the reverie into the past, Dorian focused his attention forward, spying the silhouette of the woman from earlier, who had stopped to wait for him in the middle of the alley, as if she knew he couldn't resist the intrigue and mystery. She beckoned for him to come into the dark with a single finger, a motion that was equal parts seductive and menacing. Whoever this lady was, she knew how to get people to do her bidding, that much Dorian could tell by the air around her. After all, spirits were his forte, and this woman seemed to exude an aura of control and power.

"Welcome, Dorian. It's a pleasure to finally meet you," the woman finally spoke, as the Shaman stopped a few metres in front of her, arms rigid against his sides as he heard his name. She knows! Skrowe's voice came out in a loud shriek of surprise; it was all Dorian could do to resist flinching at the sudden noise in the back of his mind. "How do you know my name?" A good question to start with. He wouldn't let himself be controlled by this seductress; if she wanted help, she'd just have to ask for it like everyone else. The woman simply shook her head, releasing a soft sigh from her lips as she replied in a sultry tone. "I'm afraid I cannot answer your questions at this moment" The Shaman squinted his violet hues in deep focus as he studied the woman's features, unable to discern what she was trying to do here. If he was going to get any better at telling friend from foe, he'd have to start working harder; but, for now, he kept an air of trepidation about himself, avoiding trusting the femme that had so blatantly drawn his attention.

This could end badly... We may need to make a break for it. Skrowe's voice was filled with urgency, a tiny bit of anger laced underneath his tone, though such was to be expected; neither one of them enjoyed being played. An idea sprang to Dorian's mind, rolling his eyes as he stared straight into the woman's visage with a cold glare. "Break for it? Why not make her talk?" Perhaps an aura of madness would put the femme off for a few seconds, long enough for the Shaman to draw some attention to her own. It was easy to tell what people thought, when you could see the impact of their soul. Make her talk? What are you, a level 90 Assassin? Stick to helping people, nugget. Dorian's visage drooped into a scowl, shaking his head to attempt to shut the Shikigami up. He lifted his hand, tapping at his temple with another roll of his eyes. "He gets rude sometimes."

The play seemed to have it's desired effect, the woman seemingly taken aback by the Shaman's strange behaviour. "I... I don't understand..." There it was, the chance... Dorian focused his attention on the gap in her mental defences, her aura starting to become more prominent, a tinge of fear exuding off of her, though most the effect she had was bland and full of unassuming normality. She was a pawn. "I wouldn't expect you to; a lackey like yourself. Tell me, who sent you?" Dorian could sense the sweat beading off of her brow as she realised she had been played, but alas, his attempts did not come through well. Shrugging off the mental break she had just experienced, she returned to her air of mystery. "Don't worry, Dorian... We've been expecting you." And with that, the femme snapped her fingers, causing a shift of sound from behind the Shaman. We...? His last thought played in his mind - the tiny murmur of Skrowe - before there was a sudden impact to the back of his head, followed by darkness.

*****

Dorian eventually awoke, laying across the floor in front of a pair of tall, wrought-iron doors, which signalled the entrance of a mansion or manor, perhaps. Groaning under his breath, he lifted his hand to his temple first, rubbing it gently to quell the aching pain, before moving to the back of his skull to feel for the bruise that had developed where he had been struck. "Does nobody ask nicely these days?" Dorian grunted in frustration, slowly clambering to his feet as the groggy sensation of awaking from unconsciousness began to slowly fade away, the pain becoming a minor throb. You went down like a sack of potatoes; and I should know, I'm basically a sack of straw. Well, at least he hadn't lost Skrowe, the damn annoying little...

Dusting himself off, he brushed his palms down the fabric of his cloth armour - still wearing the casual attire that he rode in on - to remove the creases and crinkles, making himself look more presentable for whoever was inside of this elegant estate. The intrinsic carving in the doorway was enough to signify nobility, or at the very least a lot of gold on hand. His curiosity and burning questions still whirling through his pained mind, he pushed open one of the doors, his dancing feet drawing him inside lightly and quietly, the only sound made by the door itself opening and closing. "Ah, I see you have finally come to." Dorian wasn't given any chance to inspect the interior, when he spotted the stranger in front of him, his lavish gown and aura of pompous bigotry giving off the sense that he was both a noble, and most likely the owner of this manor. "If you will follow me, you will find the answers you seek. And perhaps you will be so kind as to help us with something."

The Shaman held his hand up in a stop motion, shaking his head at the noble man. "No. Not like this." The lavish, robed man turned back to him, having just begun walking away, a confused look sparking across his features. "Do you not wish to help?" Dorian glared, striding forward to stand in front of the man angrily. He was a little shorter than the noble, but he still managed to puff himself up enough to put the fear of death in him, if only for a short moment. "If you wanted my help, you would have asked. There are more troubling things going on here, I can sense it. So, if I'm going to go anywhere, it's to that door..." He turned to gesture towards the door he had come through, keeping his eyes afixed on the noble's own pair. "Unless of course, you have a way of convincing me otherwise." And there he left it, silencing himself to listen intently, waiting patiently for the man to reply. He gave a single sigh, dropping his head for a moment before nodding slowly. "I apologise. I should have realised..." Dorian cut him off, shaking his head. The time for apologies was over.

"Of course," the man began again, bowing his head in respect. "No doubt you have heard of the Messier Order?" The Shaman's face immediately changed from anger to intrigue, the name sparking the bounds of his curiosity. "The circle of Lander Sages? How could I have not; the news of the Sages spread like wildfire through Londinium." The man nodded solemnly, turning to gesture towards the area upstairs. "One such member resides in the meeting room above; he has gathered a selection of Adventurers to help him in finding..." The noble's voice trailed off slightly, his eyes drifting up towards the ceiling before drawing back down. "We have found an ancient stone tablet, hypothesised to be before the time of the Alvs. It is, however, not in one piece. The rest of the fragments are scattered. The Sage will tell you more, of course." He hurriedly gestured for Dorian to follow, bobbing his head. "Best not to keep him waiting; the Square Garden is a good meeting place, but one should never linger there."

Concentration and focus, that is what the Shaman needed right now. Ignoring the distractions that the fanciful interior created, Dorian followed the noble where he would lead him through the stairways and passages of the household, eventually gesturing him to enter into what seemed like a drawing room, or a meeting room; rushing away, the nobleman yammered something about needing to go collect a drunk dwarf before disappearing down the staircase.

Giving a frustrated, yet compliant nod, Dorian entered the room. There he spotted a rather small girl, a dwarf most likely, in conversation with a wiry old man; he managed to spy out another shady character, but shrugged him off as the strong, shadowy silent type; that was until he caught a sense of the aura coming off of him. He had felt mild anger out of aura before; the train dungeon kobolds, for one, had given him the irks... But this one, this shadowy man was more than just anger. He was rage incarnate, a demon in human form. There was evil in him, somewhere deep, and perhaps, if he ever came across him again, he would help him with that. For now, however, there were more pressing matters to attend to; if the Messier Order was involved, nothing here would be as it seemed. Not wanting to interrupt the conversation that was already going, Dorian moved to take a seat beside the girl, giving her a nod of acknowledgement and a timid smile before waiting patiently in his seat, hands clasped together in his lap. The dwarf girl was rather cutesy, now that he took some time to look over her in his silence; perhaps a little child-like, but there was a certain appeal to her that managed to turn the young Shaman's head away out of embarrassment.

Looking around the interior of the meeting room, he understood why they had called it the 'Square Garden'; besides the fact that the room was shaped to form an exact square, the decorative bookcases and ornaments adorning the ceiling, floor and walls, created a visual sense of a living, breathing garden interior. And yet, the mystery of it was that there were no plants in the room... Sure, you may catch a glimpse of a branched tree in a pot out of the corner of your eye, but looking over you would see nothing but decorative pieces that merely played with your perception. And yet, the smell, the air... the aura of the place, it gave of the sense that it was more than it seemed. And then, there was the sage himself, a scraggly man, though his gender was a mild assumption given the fact he was almost covered in several layers of robes. His cloth was of a dark, dark black, with insets scattered over it to present a starry night sky, a wearable one at that. A Sage of the Messier Order, indeed.

Eventually the last person arrived, another dwarf, this one much more distinguishable as a member of his race. His appearance was a little off given the fact his beard seemed to have been completely removed, a slight tinge if disappointment eating at the Shaman at the loss of a chance to see a dwarven beard in all it's majesty. Alas, he continued to stay silent, watching as the perhaps drunken dwarf lifted the girl beside him into a burly constricting hug. He sympathised with the female; he had had his fair share of excruciatingly tight man hugs before. Eventually, the group settled down and the 'sage' as he was so called began to speak. Dorian said nothing, merely listening intently and gathering what information he could. Whatever this grand quest was, it needed the utmost of attention.

---

Notes: N/A
Words: 2791
Tags: Tobin Dr. Ultima Saber

[Saber]

[attr="class","topBox"]

[attr="class","bgBox"]

[attr="class","actualBG"]

[attr="class","nameBox"]Saber
Level 90 -- Assassin

[attr="class","statBox"]Words: [2761]

Tags: [Tobin, @serenityspace, Dr. Ultima]

Skills Used: [Rage?]

Notes: [Angry Saber]

[attr="class","titleBox"]This broken glass is all I've got left!

[attr="class","textBox"]Saber twirled his swords in an offensive manner as he took his battle stance. Four, four random Persons of the Land appeared out of the air and assaulted him without any remorse as he walked through the forests around Londinium. Why? He didn’t know, but his guard was instantly raised when they jumped him from the trees. Unfortunately for them Saber was a lot quicker on his feet than most others. Just the sound of a twig snapping caused the man to shift from peaceful to enraged, even if it was a rabbit behind the noise. After being attacked more than once from behind, there was no such thing as a ‘relaxed Saber’, and whoever these men were had made that fatal mistake. They appeared with poison laced blades and one had a heavy sack strapped to his back. Only an idiot wouldn’t be able to catch on to what this was and Saber wasn’t a fool to the tactic; he had used it once before.

The four Landers were quick and strong, but they weren’t experienced enough. Saber had been able to stave off their attacks for the most part and he had no problems keeping himself from being struck. His body was well-trained for war and he hadn’t even broken a sweat yet. The Landers, on the otherhand, were gasping for air and two of them were bleeding. They may have been powerful with their blade swings, but they lacked precision and control. One of them Saber had disarmed for a few moments before he was forced to back off. If he hadn’t, Saber would’ve beheaded the fool. But now, that put him in the standoff situation. The five men stood in the center of a small forest clearing, Saber’s enemies creating a half-circle in front of him as the one he had disarmed recovered his blade.

“Tell me why you’re here and I might let you live.” The Assassin rumbled, clutching his two swords tightly. The four in front of him shot glances at one another, but ultimately remained silent. That was a mistake they would regret, but first Saber would need to teach them a lesson. He would teach them slowly and painfully until they learned with both their minds, and their bodies.

“Your choice.” Saber stepped forward and vanished from sight. The four men blinked and hesitated, they were slow. Saber appeared behind the two men in the center and smashed the backs of his blades into their spines, snapping their backs with a tremendous force. With his right hand, he then bashed both of them upside the head with the flat side of his sword. The men staggered and then fell harshly onto the ground, the other two engaging Saber. The Assassin slashed right, parrying, and then kicked the man in the gut to shove him back. Twirling left, Saber built up momentum and then smashed his two blades into the fourth man’s one. It bounced backwards and the man staggered. Saber turned a harsh step forward into a vicious lunge, closing the gap in an instant. With the back of his left blade, Saber smashed in the Lander’s skull. The fierce impact sent the Lander wheeling back, headfirst into a tree. The man slumped down unconscious.

“You.. bastard…” One of the initial two men Saber had smacked was steadily getting back to his feet. Seeing such, Saber shifted and stepped hard to the man’s front. He swirled his right blade into a reverse grip, twisted his wrist, and then slammed a tight clenched hand into the Lander’s soft belly. Muscle flexed beneath the impact and air rushed out of the Lander’s lungs in the form of a heavy outward cough. Saber stepped to his right, twisted his arm, and then smashed his elbow into the other man’s face. Just before he landed the hit the Assassin slipped his right foot out and then swept it left. The harsh elbow paired with the kick caused the Lander’s center of gravity to twist; he slammed down flat on his face, blood gushing out from his nose shortly after the landing.

“HEY!” The voice came from Saber’s left and his instincts told him to look. However before he did, Saber jumped backwards. Just as he did so, a throwing knife zipped through the air in front of him. The knife was also laced with a toxin. This was getting really old.

“Slow.” Saber glared over towards the culprit behind the thrown blade and then sheathed his right blade. He snatched up a throwing knife as his feet touched the dirt and then skipped backwards. Mid-hop, Saber launched the throwing knife at the Lander. The Man’s eyes opened up and he moved to dodge, but the knife was moving too quick. It slammed into his knee-cap and spliced bone from muscle, blowing out the joint beneath the pressure. The man collapsed in a fit of agony.

As the second man Saber had hit began to recover, the Assassin emerged from the shadows and snatched up his dropped weapon. The remaining lander tried to push himself back to his feet, but Saber denied his attempt with a hard kick to his side. The Lander coughed and was slammed down onto his side, rolling onto his back as he simply went with inertia. Saber twirled his left sword and then slammed it down into the ground, shaving off a bit of hair from the Lander’s skull. The beaten NPC trembled and stared up towards the cold, dark blue eyes of the Assassin and gulped, trying to swallow a knot in his throat.

“Who sent you? Tell me now or I’ll pin your hand to the earth.” Saber sheathed his remaining sword and exchanged it for a throwing knife. It was a long, slender, black blade that could be thrown with extreme ease because of its perfect balance but was sharp enough to pierce through even the strongest of armors. At the question and the threat, the Lander smirked and coughed.

“Right… like an Adventurer… would kill a Lander!” The smirk turned into a grin and the cough turned into a chuckle. Saber’s eyes narrowed.

“Kill? I never said I’d kill you.” With that, Saber shifted his body. He placed his knee across the Lander’s throat to pin him down and then grabbed onto the man’s wrist. The Lander’s eyes opened wide and he started to breathe heavily as Saber pinned the arm down and placed the tip of his blade against the palm of the Lander’s hand. Pressure was steadily applied.

“Talk.” Saber sneered, glaring down at the Lander. Not a word, so more pressure was applied. Steadily, slowly, painfully… Saber pushed the blade through the tender flesh of the Lander’s palm, splitting the skin with the black blade. He didn’t use any skills or any effects. No he simply pushed the weapon down into the man’s hand. Blood seeped from the wound as the skin split open and the muscles were slowly split apart. The Lander clenched his teeth and screamed through his closed lips as he started to grab at Saber’s back with his free hand. Saber didn’t stop, even when the tip of the blade pushed against bone. Crack… Snap… The sounds of the hand’s bones being broken rang out loudly and clearly until finally, the blade ripped through the other side of the hand and dug into the dirt. Once the tip started to press into the ground, Saber gave the dagger a vicious smack and tacked it down, pinning the hand in place. The Lander was crying.

“Got an answer yet?” Saber pulled out another throwing knife and glanced down at the Lander. The man shook his head and kept his teeth clenched. A light huff fell from Saber’s lips and he stood up, switching his kneeling angle so that he could pin down the lander’s other hand. The Lander started to shout, begging for Saber to stop but it was too late. The Assassin pinned down the hand, applied pressure to the palm with his knife, and began to dig through the flesh. Even as the Lander pleaded, saying that he had given up, his fate had already been sealed. Saber buried the blade into his second hand. This time, however, Saber lightly twisted the knife as he burrowed it through the hand, slicing and cutting up more of it than he had the other hand. When the tip popped out the other side, Saber yanked the knife back and then shoved it through a second hole. The Lander shouted out in agony and cried for mercy.

“TALK!” A sharp order silenced the pleading and the Lander gasped for air, breathing heavily and irregularly as his heart pumped blood through the three wounds in his hands.

“The Sage! The Sage sent us! He told us to hunt you down and bring you back, no matter what! He’s got my wife, please! Please let me go!” Saber’s eyes narrowed at the name. With the information stolen, Saber no longer had a need to keep the Lander pinned. He clutched both of his daggers and pulled them both free at once. He released the Lander, letting the man sit up and stare at his own, bloodied hands. Saber rumbled as he cleaned off his blades. This was an unnecessary surprise. The Assassin had met with the Sages already, why was he being summoned again and why was he being called back so violently? Was it another faction of Sages? Possibly, or maybe someone didn’t like his presence. He sheathed his daggers and then pulled his sword out of the ground.

“Where were you going to take me?” Saber looked over his shoulder and glared down towards the Lander, his eyes no longer caring for the man’s pitiful life. Seeing this, the Lander didn’t waste any time and spilled everything.

Saber returned to Londinium and headed through the gates without even bothering with stealth like he usually did. He elevated himself to the rooftops and headed northwest, zipping over the rooftops until he finally found himself closing in on the lands of a noble; one who Saber knew had an affinity for knowledge. Hearing that this was the location of where Saber would be dragged to was a bit of a surprise. He never expected the man to choose violence when making allies. Then again, Saber had stopped the noble quite a few times after hearing about the Lander’s grotesque experimenting with different drugs. It was disgusting what the man came up with sometimes. Saber ignored those memories this time and instead reminded himself of why he was moving; the Sages. The first time he had approached them, and now they were after him. Oh how the tides had turned.

As he approached the mansion of sorts, Saber dropped down on the main road leading to the building and slotted two throwing knives into his sleeves. The guards at the gates twitched at the appearance of the Assassin, but they had seen him before. They knew how little he cared for the life of Landers that got in his way and so, they kept their distance. Saber lifted his head and ordered them to open the gates. The guards looked to one another but before they could respond, another Guard whistled from a little ways beyond the entrance. He waved at the guards and then performed a swift hand signal. Upon seeing that, the guards opened the gates. Saber didn’t look at them again as he walked through and he headed straight for the manor itself.

“I’m glad you could make it, Sir Saber.” At the door, Saber was greeted by a maid, but he ignored her. Saber walked by the woman and shoved the massive doors open with a powerful force. The doors swung open and snapped on their hinges, banging against their limits with a heavy thud. Several servants on the otherside turned to face the new guest but none of them said a word.

“You’re here to guide me. So do your job.” Saber snapped at the woman as he walked into the lower portion of the hall. It was quite grand inside. Saber wondered if it would look just as nice as it was burning to the ground.

“Y-yes Sir.” The Maid quickly walked into the building and waved Saber to follow. The Assassin kept the knives ready in his sleeves just in case he was attacked again but thankfully, he didn’t have to worry about such things. He was led quickly through the building and was turned down a long hall. At the other end, was a Sage. Saber accelerated and darted through the space with ease. Two Guards stepped forward to defend the Sage but Saber blew by them. He grabbed the Sage by the throat and slammed him back against the door, lifting him up into the air once the Sage was pinned.

“You dare send men to kidnap me? You call yourself a Sage?!” Saber snarled and clutched at the Sage’s neck, applying pressure just underneath the man’s jawline and in the painful pressure point. The Sage grabbed at Saber’s arm and grit his teeth.

“W-we needed you and we knew you would say no!” The Sage spat, his legs kicking slightly as he tried to get some kind of base beneath him. The Guards turned their blades at Saber’s back and the Maid shouted for the man to stop, but Saber’s eyes narrowed. He was furious. Saber had gone through the trials already and he had performed the tasks needed. Saber had done it all and even faced the Crab at the end, so why? Why were the Sages calling for him again? Were they meddling in another temple? Had they disturbed another being and were going to use him again?!

“If you think I’m going to go along with your shit any more, you’re sadly mistaken. I have the right mind to tear your throat out right now for what I went through, all for a pebble?! You Sages are pathetic!” Saber snarled and threw the Sage down to the right, smashing the man onto his back. As the Sage landed, Saber jumped him again and pinned him down with one hand on the Sage’s throat and another holding one of the hidden throwing knives.

“Sir Saber!” The Maid shouted.

“WHY DID YOU CALL ME?!” Saber demanded, clutching the Sage’s neck tight.

“W-we lost it! B-Brachyura returned!” Rage filled Saber’s mind and he pushed his knife down instinctively, pressing it against the Sage’s cheek. The tip pierced the man’s flesh and Saber watched the thick red liquid beneath come forth. These worthless excuses for scholars had lost one of the most precious artifacts ever found?! Saber was going to kill them. He would kill them all!

That was when the glass broke in Saber’s head. He stared down at the Sage, his eyes narrowed and his vision nearly black. He could see the fear in the man’s eyes. The Sage saw the devil within Saber and he trembled like a child within the Assassin’s grip. The sight triggered Saber’s defensive mechanism and the Assassin reflexively took in a breath. The sound of the maid shouting at him went silent and the noise of the Guards begging for him to stand down vanished. Saber could hear his heart pulsing, thudding against his ear drums. He stared down at the Sage, his blade still poking beneath the other man’s flesh. Killing the Sage would do nothing but add blood to the waters, and they were already black. Saber retracted his weapon and stood up, releasing the Sage as his sanity returned. The guards kept their swords ready and the Sage scrambled back against the wall. The maid swiftly ran to his side and tended to the small cut.

“You fools never learn…” Saber muttered and dropped his two throwing knives into his hands before sheathing them. Without another word, Saber pushed open the doors and walked inside the room he had been led to. Inside, there was a woman talking to another Sage. Saber ignored them for the moment and walked over to one of the sides of the room. He didn’t introduce himself and he didn’t question the Sage or why there was another person. No, there was no need for any of that. Saber knew why he was here and he knew why the short woman was here. This meeting, to him, was just a formality. He was here for the Pebble again, that was it.

“neep.”

[newclass=.topBox]position:relative;width:640px;height:475px;background-image:url(http://i.imgur.com/3AHese0.jpg?1);border-top-left-radius:50px;border-top-right-radius:50px;border-bottom-left-radius:100px;border-bottom-right-radius:100px;color:#666999;padding:10px;overflow:hidden;[/newclass]
[newclass=.bgBox]position:relative;margin:5px 25px 15px 0px;background-color:#000000;width:180px;height:450px;border:5px #ff9595 solid;border-top-left-radius:50px;border-top-right-radius:40px;border-bottom-left-radius:100px;border-bottom-right-radius:100px;overflow:hidden;[/newclass]
[newclass=.actualBG]position:relative;background-image:url(http://i.imgur.com/WdpDFVj.jpg?1);width:180px;height:150px;border-bottom-left-radius:100px;border-bottom-right-radius:100px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.nameBox]position:relative;width:180px;color:#ff4949;text-shadow:2px 2px 2px;font-size:17px;text-align:center;[/newclass]
[newclass=.statBox]position:relative;margin:0px 0px 0px 0px;width:180px;height:150px;color:#ff4949;font-size:13px;text-align:left;padding-left:10px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.titleBox]position:relative;margin:-500px 0px 0px 190px;background-color:#000000;width:400px;height:40px;text-shadow:2px 2px 2px;text-align:center;font-size:18px;color:#ff4040;border:3px #ff9595 solid;border-top-left-radius:50px;border-top-right-radius:50px;padding-top:5px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.textBox]position:relative;margin:-15px 0px 0px 190px;background-color:#000000;width:380px;height:350px;text-align:left;font-size:11px;color:#dadada;border:3px #ff9595 solid;padding:10px;overflow:auto;[/newclass]

[Tobin]

WC: 1197


The Dwarf slumped back into the couch to settle into the meeting, taking care to deliberately dab off the cold perspiration from his forehead to conceal how ill he still felt. Despite attempts at optimism couldn't help but feel that tingling migraine that accompanied a potentially complicated situation. Retrieval of an artefact from an ancient civilisation? There was a reason why these items typically remained hidden for prolonged periods of time, heavily protected with booby traps, well concealed or a sham, it was always hard to imagine which one of those complications it was; if not a combination of the aforementioned. Even as the sage spoke the Dwarf's eyes wandered to the present company beneath his rose tinted rims, experience had taught him that only precise questioning afterwards was going to divulge any information of value out of a scholarly type; book worms often forgot the layman's principle of KISS.



Then there was the other adventurers.The little Dwarf lass, ultima, was an amusing little firecracker, though the size difference was weird, was she a child trapped in this world? Appearances were deceptive, and other games had micro sized characters before. That thought was dismissed with a cold shiver; she appeared harmless enough in any case; though the lab coat stirred a distant memory.



The young brooding man was a bit of a Dark horse whom had refrained from speaking for the time being, Tobin recalled nothing about him and as he flicked through his menu and examined the public profile on him, he found the name Dorian unfamiliar, an indication that the fellow had only begun adventuring in recent months, though that lack of recongistion could have easily been due to his own absence from the social scene for some time, The Dwarf closed the menu with a flick of the wrist, content to cease his inquires for the time being. It looking like he was planning something though; a note was made to keep a eye for shady books.



One adventurer whom the Dwarf did have a familiarity with was Saber; well, acquaintance was perhaps a more accurate choice of terminology. The assassin and he had rarely spoke. indeed Tobin knew none who had more then fleeting knowledge this most mysterious of individuals. Most level 90 adventurers had at least fairly long string of tales of their exploits, or some facts that a determined lander could sell on for some coin, but the absence of which beyond the fleeting encounters would have ben considered most unusual, unless one had met him in the flesh. Memory recalled him to akin to a shadow, an emotional blank with as much physical presence that seemed to simply exist. Not as a living being, with a heart, lungs, feelings. Just there. Yet there had been an underpinning intensity that Tobin hadn't been able to grasp, many battles had sharpened his awareness to the degree that the mere presence of the assassin made him feel uneasy, yet he couldn't justify why. A least until he witnessed him on the Doom train.



Tobin suppressed a shiver. He was extremely confident in his own strength but Saber was one of those rare naturals. Before him, leading the head of the party besides Oxford he had turned from shadow to wraith; his blades a river of sliver parting the tide of spirits with a plough of killing intent, allowing the Dwarf and Cleric pass in their wake. Among the many things his memory recalled, that mask of scarcely contained fury remained in his mind as clear as any photograph as it had been the only time he had seen emotion in the assassin until today. Why so angry? Had they tried the same trick on the Assassin as they had to the Dwarf? Somehow his gut feeling told him that the attempt had been then less successful, unlike he, Saber had come dressed to kill.



"Are there any questions?"



Tobin blinked as his eyes flicked back to the sage; finished already? At least he had been fairly concise. Good.



"Aye, ya say ya tablets broken, righe? 'ow the hell do ya expect us ta find it? The forgotten kingdom's is too big a place ta be turnin' rocks ovar."



If the sage had been surprised at not mentioning the method, it had suppressed that shock fairly well. Every word spoken calmly, yet it carried purpose.



"The life blood of this great, glorious nation, londinium has always been at the heart even in the golden age. The tablet was found buried in riverbed, but the fragments have carried off downstream, clouding our perception of the great picture."



There was a sparkle of the eye as he met the Dwarf's gaze as he flicked his wrist out and produced a ornate rod. It was no more then four foot in length and seemed crafted of white wood that spilt into four small prongs close to it's point, between those pronged, lodged firmly in the groove left in the base was the smallest fragment of stone fitted within a tiny glass capsule, ringed with runes of sliver that stretched in the shape of a cross to join each of those protrusions. Each prong was topped with a tiny garnets, a slight frown reflected a confusion on the dwarf's part.



"The fragment was once apart of a whole and will desire to be so once more. When you follow the flow of the thames. There, the light will guide you."



"Dowsing basically den."



For perhaps the first time the sage's lips tightened, the Dwarf let the rumble sit into his throat as his reached out with his hand, suddenly the air grew tense as the little device was yanked out of the sages hand by an invisible force to slam into the Dwarf's palm like a baseball, it eased immediately as the -magnet grip- was toggled off., there the Dwarf examined it under his eye, lifting the glasses to get a decent look before he thrust it out before the shake, grasping the object clumsily between his hands has he flicked the device around, stimulating a yank, here, there as if tugged by an invisible force. All the while giving a rather poor rambling impression of a southern red-neck accent.



"Ooooo weee mah rod gonna lead me ta some watar in tis desert, I'mma gonna so rich!"



He chuckled, though soon after his gaze flicked around as he gently waved the rod; passing it on if anyone wanted a serious look at this largely inanimate object.



"Basicalleh tis were thought ta be a way of findin' water back in ta othar world. a crock of somethin' if ya ask me. But anyaneh, on ta the real important question."



The Dwarf flick folded his arms as he leant back into the rigid surface of the chair; despite still being pale, already his eyebrow creased an irritated frown as he raised and eyebrow, his tone level as he probed the sage for greater details.



"History is interestin' and all tha', but I dun't work fa free.what's actualleh in it for me? I'm Tobin Stryder, I've slain a lot of things, so where or what will tis get me?"



(OOC: I will perhaps setup another thread, essentially I am passing the narrative chain around. XD)

[Dr. Ultima]

The second the rare shiney hit the table, Dr. Ultima's gaze locked as her eyes clicked back and forth over the artifact like a ticking cat clock.

"Do want..."

Reaching for it, she was quickly beaten to the punch by Tobin.

"Ah...."

Frowning dejectedly, Dr. Ultima squirmed in her seat to get a better view of the staff-detector to little avail. Her attitude assumed a near pout as the door to her left slowly opened, it was the very same one they had entered from. "Pfft-" Choking back a laugh at Tobin's antics, the little girl huddled over to keep herself from bursting into a louder laughter in the midst of the relatively quiet company. Wiping a tear from her eye, she quickly resumed puffing out her cheeks. She wouldn't be won over so easily... Hearing the word dowsing, however, Dr. Ultima opened her mouth to speak excitedly before she was quickly spoken over:

"You wound me Tobin!"

With apparently perfect timing, The foppish master of the house admitted himself. He was still decked in his very nearly over the top regalia. Turning her head, Dr. Ultima stopped her silly glare at Tobin and absorbed this new and latest distraction. 

"Surely you know that," and he nearly spat the words at the distaste of such a mercenary attitude, "money is no object...." 

As he reached to twirl his ridiculous mustache with gusto, the man grinned at his own coming wit: 

"Knowledge, however is priceless!"

Crossing her arms, Dr. Ultima nodded twice enthusiastically. She hadn't expected to be paid for this. Maybe they would let her keep 'Mr. Find it' her so already named in her heart magical dousing stick. Probably not. But it couldn't hurt to try...

Stretching her arms straight upward like a referee, the good doctor's eyes wandered over the admittedly splendid room; she wondered if any of the paintings housed on the walls were the Scooby Doo kind that you could peek through.

wc-326

Tobin Saber @serenityspace

notes- Sorry for any typos or awkward sentences, I am mentally exhausted. I will probably be editing this for readability but don't really plan on changing content unless requested. So at the very least it should be safe to read. My first sweep has it looking okay to my eyes but we'll see. Finally, I hope i'm not making things too silly...

[Deleted]

This is going to be tough. Are you sure we're ready for this? Skrowe's trepidation was founded, but not welcome at a time like this; without a solid base, the two of them would crumble easily, especially with such powerhouses working alongside them, like the drunk dwarf who somehow managed to give off a strong aura about him, or the shadowy, demonic aura that emanated from nearby. The dwarven girl was more within his own range, those who had little experience with such quests as this. This was big, that was already very clear. Even if this tablet wasn't a link to the long lost Alvs, it was still something to be admired, surviving the tests of time with only fragmentation damaging it's appearance.

The thing that intrigued him most for now was the prospect of finding out more about the ancient race of magic users, the ancestors of the Half-Alvs - a few of which he had befriended during his first few journeys through Londinium. Alas, there was little left behind of the Alvs, excluding their descendant race, as well as scattered ruins and other unique commodities. This artifact was the first he had heard of an ongoing search for information and lost knowledge, and he doubted it would be the last. As a mage himself - of a sort - he felt it best to stick around and lend his support as best as he could, and not scatter like his frightful Shikigami desired. Besides, these people had kidnapped him for something, so if they went to such great lengths to acquire his services, he would be remiss to take them out of the picture.

Interestingly enough, the very thought of the Alv race seemed to have sparked an interest in the chibi scarecrow within his mind. The Alvs were said to be genius level intellects... Perhaps they have ways or devices that could work upon your aura sensing abilities? The Shikigami was right... The Alvs were magic users, capable of grand feats using their power over mana; perhaps some of them studied the affect of the spirits and the aura that surrounded individuals of a particular mental wavelength. Well, now Dorian had a personal stake in this endeavour, his mind focused on the task at hand even more.

Finally, the time came when the conversation already going was done, and the Sage asked for questions of the rest of them. As before, Dorian refrained from speaking; as a supporter and a strategist, the Shaman needed to hear all of the angles, and that meant hearing where his companions stood on the matter of the tablet, and the quest itself. Luckily, his silence paid off, as the heavy-set dwarf was the first to speak up, asking how they would be expected to find the pieces of the tablet. Even when answering legitimate questions, the Sage seemed to speak with flamboyant riddles and poems, creating a rich tale with every sentence he divulged. Though he looked wiry and old, his appearance served to enhance his wisdom, as it would seem. In answer, he provided a device, not unlike a divining rod; which the dwarf was easy to observe. But the way it worked seemed to fascinate Dorian more.

From the appearance of the ornate rod, and the glass capsule within, the device seemed to utilise the ancient connection of the pieces of the tablet, one such piece lodged within the capsule, acting as a catalyst. Like giving a sniffer dog a selection of someone's belongings to sniff - utilising the smell to find the person - the divining rod would use the frequency of mana between the pieces to glow, or at least he assumed it would, whenever it got close to another piece. It wouldn't be difficult to find the last few pieces of the puzzle; so it was just a matter of supplying the manpower. Every Adventurer had an obligation to help with something like this, whether they thought so or not.

As the dwarf moved to inspect and divulge humour upon the rod, Dorian tilted his head to observe the other two parties in the room. For now, the shadowed character seemed to be remaining silent; some weird sense he gave off told the Shaman he had heard this before. A confusing notion to believe, but who was he to put faith in the workings of the world. As for the female, she seemed to be fixated on the device in hand, a strange twinkle in her eye as she watched it being toyed with by the burly dwarf. "It's quite a beautiful device, is it not?" He questioned the female dwarf politely, giving her a smile; he hoped she wasn't so enamoured by the rod that she would completely ignore his words. Releasing a reluctant sigh under his breath, Dorian turned back to the sage, peering at the wizened man with a scrutinising stare.

"So, a quest then?" He began, planting his hands on his knees before rising from his seat, standing up completely and stepping forward to place his attention on the Sage. "You want us to find the tablet for you, yes? Or, the rest of it anyway." The Sage seemed to tilt his head, craning his neck to incorporate the Shaman's height compared to him, still seated behind his desk. He gave a solemn nod, the fabric of his robes billowing out over his body with his movement. "Where was it you said you found the tablet originally?" His features were mixed with curiosity, having never heard of the location that he had spoken of when talking about the discovery of the ancient artifact. The Sage gestured towards the rod, causing Dorian to turn and look at it in whoever's hands it was now, before turning back and giving a shrug. Releasing a sigh, the Sage nodded his understanding, before speaking his answer.

"The Thames Coastline," he began, planting his hands delicately into the wood of his desk to support himself as he stood out of his chair, his robes shaking and shimmering, the faux stars glittering against the light of the room. "It is understandable that you would not know of the place, master Dorian; after all, you have not ventured very far from Londinium proper." The Shaman looked to one side, a slight tinge of embarrassment evident in his features, though he continued to listen intently. "Your... compatriots... can obviously tell you more..." He gestured to the dwarf and the shady character nearby. "Venture there together, and the light shall guide you; of course, you'll need to direct the light carefully... This tablet is not the only artifact that lays dormant there." The Sage finished his words with an ominous smirk upon his calloused lips, causing the Shaman to step back slightly, squinting his eyes as the side of his brow cocked slightly in confusion.

Shaking off the ill feeling, Dorian gave a curt nod to the sage, before bowing with respect and turning back to his fellows within the room. "Well, I suppose we should get going then..." He looked over the other three, curling his lips into a weak smile as he gestured towards the door. "The Thames Coastline awaits us, it would seem. I don't suppose we'll be travelling together?" The four of them had been enlisted as a group, but the Shaman wasn't about to force them into going together; after all, the dwarf and shadow guy seemed to be of a higher tier than himself, and perhaps preferred their own company to that of others. Stepping towards the door they had all come in through, Dorian gently pushed to open it, holding it there as he waited for the other's responses.

---

Notes: N/A
Words: 1281
Tags: Tobin Dr. Ultima Saber

[Saber]

[attr="class","topBox"]

[attr="class","bgBox"]

[attr="class","actualBG"]

[attr="class","nameBox"]Saber
Level 90 -- Assassin

[attr="class","statBox"]Words: [1213]

Tags: [@serenityspace, Tobin, Dr. Ultima]

Skills Used: [N/A]

Notes: [Saber being Saber]

[attr="class","titleBox"]This broken glass is all I've got left!

[attr="class","textBox"]As he kept off to the side, Saber was pleasantly not-surprised of what he saw and heard. Just as he had been, three others were lured into the trap of the Sages. Well, it wasn’t so much of a trap as it was the Adventurers being brought in to be workhorses. The Sages were non-combatants as far as Saber knew so it was obvious why they would hire others to do their dirty work. Yet after what he knew, Saber questioned if this could even be considered just doing dirty work. It was more like the Sages didn’t want to do anything themselves. They provided all of the tools and all of the knowledge for the job but never even attempted to do it themselves it seemed. In Saber’s case, the Sages that went into the forest temple were forced out by the guardian knights so Saber sympathized with them there. However in other cases he overheard, it was more like the Sages were lazy rather than weak; that irritated him more than anything.

“If you can do something, then do it.” Saber thought as he glanced up to see the other three getting comfortable. Two of the people Saber saw were nobodies. They were low level Adventurers he had never seen or heard of before so he didn’t know why they had chosen to come here, nor did he know what they were after. Though, one of them seemed far more infatuated with talking than she did doing what they were here for. The woman was some kind of short scientist based on her clothes, which made Saber wonder if she was putting on some kind of full façade or if she was just like that in general. The other was another low level character but this one seemed a bit more decent. One who looked useless, and one who looked fresh off the rails. How nice.

“And then there’s the Dwarf…” Saber adjusted a little beneath his cloak, getting comfortable as the conversation across the room continued. Tobin was quite a mobile man for being so short, as Saber was bumping into him a lot more frequently than before. Though, their time together was always short and that was how Saber liked it. The Dwarf was a solid fighter and could hold his own in war, but he was more of the verbal type. He talked a lot and his sense of humor never faded, which could be a good thing depending on the situation but it was something Saber didn’t bother with. For Saber, humor was unnecessary as was chatting during battle. As long as the fight was won and the enemy was dead, he didn’t care. Saber connected with his allies just enough so that they could fight in the battle without hitting each other but that was it. In most cases, Saber didn’t even bother giving out his name. He probably would do the same here. Tobin knew him and that was what mattered. During the fight if there were any issues, at least the Dwarf would know how Saber worked, even if it was just a little.

Finally, the conversation reached the point of the rod; the rod that the group would use to find the piece of the broken tablet at the coastline. The Sage informed the others of its use and how to operate it. Saber closed his eyes and tucked his chin down against his chest, hiding his face beneath his hood and behind his scarf. This conversation was all too familiar and Saber rumbled in his throat as he listened. These Sages were all the same. Saber huffed and opened his eyes a little, staring down at the floor as he remembered his own trip to fix the tablet he had been given. It was a long night and the nightmares which attacked him in the forest still bothered him. He found himself a bit more afraid of the forest now and it was annoying. During his night hunts, Saber found himself looking around through the trees more often than he had previously done and he was more on his guard now than ever. He hated it. Saber had once been a pinnacle of war but instead he was just a man who could wield a sword better than most. The thing that lived inside of him was even more frightening. Saber grit his teeth and squeezed his hands into fists.

“Dammit…” He cursed as the Sage finally finished talking and the others seemed to have finished their questions. The Assassin let go of the lingering pain in his gut and looked over towards the others, his eyes glossing over as he pushed the memories back into the recesses of his mind. In a blink, the Assassin quelled the storm in his head. The sight of the Sage still annoyed him though and that was something that would not change. They had recruited three more players to do their bidding and now, they had once again passed the torch. The Sage glanced over to Saber as he addressed the male with the shikigami but didn’t look for long. Saber’s eyes bore into the man’s soul as the Assassin thought of six ways to kill the man where he stood in an instant.

After what seemed like an eternity, the meeting seemed to finally draw to an end. Saber pushed off the wall and made his way across the room to the Sage as the others prepared to do their thing. The Sage stiffened at the sound of Saber’s approaching footsteps and stared at the Assassin as the Elf strode up to his desk. Saber pulled out a throwing knife, twirled it in his fingers, and then stabbed it into the desk. The Sage flinched at the violent sound. The same hand Saber used to move his blade reached out and snagged the Sage by the shirt. He yanked the man across the desk and the Sage trembled slightly as the Assassin pulled his ear close.

“Watch your back, Sage… If you keep bringing the newbies into this, I’m going to bury this knife into your spine. Do you understand?” Saber snarled as he whispered quietly. The Sage nodded twice, showing that he got the message, and then Saber shoved him back over the desk. Once his hand was free, he snagged his knife out of the desk and dropped it back into his slot on his thigh. Without another word, Saber turned away from the table and headed for the door. The ghost man was already there and the doors were already open, allowing Saber to walk by and out. The man asked the question of whether they would travel together, so Saber gave his answer rather than just walk away.

“I’ll meet you all there.” The Assassin glared at a guard that stood by in the hall and made his way down the hall and eventually out of the building. From there, he vaulted up to the rooftops and headed for the gates of Londinium that would lead him out to Thames. The others would take their time and most likely enjoy a small chat. While they did their thing, Saber would do his; he was going to clear out the zone.

[newclass=.topBox]position:relative;width:640px;height:475px;background-image:url(http://i.imgur.com/3AHese0.jpg?1);border-top-left-radius:50px;border-top-right-radius:50px;border-bottom-left-radius:100px;border-bottom-right-radius:100px;color:#666999;padding:10px;overflow:hidden;[/newclass]
[newclass=.bgBox]position:relative;margin:5px 25px 15px 0px;background-color:#000000;width:180px;height:450px;border:5px #ff9595 solid;border-top-left-radius:50px;border-top-right-radius:40px;border-bottom-left-radius:100px;border-bottom-right-radius:100px;overflow:hidden;[/newclass]
[newclass=.actualBG]position:relative;background-image:url(http://i.imgur.com/WdpDFVj.jpg?1);width:180px;height:150px;border-bottom-left-radius:100px;border-bottom-right-radius:100px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.nameBox]position:relative;width:180px;color:#ff4949;text-shadow:2px 2px 2px;font-size:17px;text-align:center;[/newclass]
[newclass=.statBox]position:relative;margin:0px 0px 0px 0px;width:180px;height:150px;color:#ff4949;font-size:13px;text-align:left;padding-left:10px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.titleBox]position:relative;margin:-500px 0px 0px 190px;background-color:#000000;width:400px;height:40px;text-shadow:2px 2px 2px;text-align:center;font-size:18px;color:#ff4040;border:3px #ff9595 solid;border-top-left-radius:50px;border-top-right-radius:50px;padding-top:5px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.textBox]position:relative;margin:-15px 0px 0px 190px;background-color:#000000;width:380px;height:350px;text-align:left;font-size:11px;color:#dadada;border:3px #ff9595 solid;padding:10px;overflow:auto;[/newclass]