Lords of Creation (Story Thread 2)

[Philote]

The Dragonborn bites its tongue to keep from speaking but can not resist looking away towards Balasar under the Veteran's gaze.

[Marvelous Miscreant]

Aox follows behind Miko, curiously examining his surroundings as he walked.

"So....what's a manastrike?" Aox inquires as they approach the archery range.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Thank ya kindly. Tie him back up." The Vandals move forward as the Veteran grabs Balasar and throws him over his shoulder.

"I'm going to be a minuet," he says, striding off into the forest. he finds a small place that he deems acceptable, and leans the dragonborn against a tree. He then pulls a bucket full of water out of his cloak and splashes him with it. As the prisoner wakes up, he nods in satisfaction.

"Mornin', sunshine. Now, lets get the formalities out of the way. What's your name?"

[Philote]

Balasar sits against the tree in his armor and glares towards the veteran. "You're one of the Spirits, correct?"

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Yep. And I'm sorry to say that you was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

The Vet leans against his own tree, casually.

"You ain't gonna give me your name, fine. One way or the other, it ain't gonna matter once we're done talkin'. What made you get in to banditry, boy? No man chooses that life that ain't got a reason for it."

[Philote]

"You may as well enact whatever it is you have come here to do instead of just toying with us as the others before you have, but if you must know, I was banished because of a treaty my tribe made. I had little other choice after that incident."

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Already did what I came to do. I'm officially on my own time now. What sort of treaty? The whole story."

[Philote]

"You aren't inclined to give me a choice I see. If you're not aware, war is not uncommon in Gilgamesh's lands. The specific war that changed my life though was between multiple factions of the Poison Dragonborn tribes and the main faction of the Ice Dragonborn. The side that I took up arms with lost and Rhogar of the Ice Dragonborn forced a treaty to create a new leader for the Poison Dragonborn that was easier to manage. As part of the treaty Rhogar had the strongest members of the opposing tribes exiled so that the war would not reignite."

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"So, desperation then? A need to survive? Then I take it that you, as the leader of this bunch, are the very best your tribe had to offer?"

[Philote]

"One of them, yes, though I was not the Dragonborn aiming to rule back during that time."

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

The Veteran grinned. He was almost perfect.

"You believe in angels, son. I do. I've got songs in my head about them, songs that say every man get one. Now, you seen those soldiers I was with? They're fresh. I've been trainin' em, and they're real sharp, but no training ever really prepares you for being in the thick of it. Fighting an enemy who's quick and strong and knows how to fight smart."

"You think you and your boy's could give em' a taste of it?"

[Philote]

"You wish for me to assault those creatures you've brought with you?"

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

(30 motes previously +3 motes, Total: 33 motes)

As the two walk to the archery range, Aox can see students walking around chatting and professors giving lessons in classrooms. Miko explains the manastrike to Aox, "Ok, the manastrike is the basic attack spell that our people know of. All it does is hit a target from afar and it comes in three flavors: force, stun, and light. Force is just a simple strike, all itdoes is hit and harm, stun has a slight paralyzing effect for a second or so if it hits and light is just as it sounds. All that one does is illuminate the area and show us how well our aim is. You're going to practice first with the lightstrike, then stunstrike, and finally the forcestrike."

The two walk into the archery range in which a few students are vigourously practicing their archery on their own. Miko leads Aox over to a target and shows him how she does a lightstrike: palms facing each other at chest level where a sphere of light forms as she pushes it towards the target and it his dead-center, "Now you try it, Aox. Imagine energy flowing to the area between your palms and throw it at the target."

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Sort of. S' called war-games. Mock battles. See they all kind of think the same, and while that makes them good at soldiering it also means that if I try and put em' against one another they aren't going to learn anything cause they'd be able to guess what the other side is gonna do. I need a third party, someone that can trip em' up, someone they don't know.

[Philote]

"And you're not going to give us much choice in the matter are you?"

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Well, it's like this. I don't actually have much choice in what I do with you boys. Can't take you off the island, I been forbidden to. Can't kill ya, I been forbidden to. Can knock you out, which did in such a way that only I can wake you up. Now, them colorful folk are gonna be real angry and once they get done burying their friends they'll be back here looking for you and they might finds a bunch of knocked out dragonborn. Then, I figure they're gonna have a hangin', or a burnin', or a somethin', and in my opinion that's a waste and it lets you off too easy."

"So, you're going to willingly leave this island behind you, and make your way to this one:"



He pulls out a map and indicates the tiny island off the cost of the desert continent.

"That way, you're off this island, them good folk here don't have to get blood all over their hands, you get to live, be compensated for your trouble, and work off some of that nasty karma you built up here, and my girls get someone with a good mind that can teach em' to think on their feet."

[Philote]

"As I've said, not much choice at all. Go ahead then, take us to this island of yours. I'll warn you though, do not expect this to go as pleasantly as you have hoped."

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Now, see, that attitude ain't very constructive." He whistles, and the Vandals bring forth the other awoken dragonborm.

"And you ain't been listening. I can't take you. It's up to you to get there." He cracks his knuckles and points his fingers at the two of them.

"First, a little help."  White energy shots from his fingers into their chests. The two feel invigorated. (Bless -1,31) "Strength enough to carry all your men out of here at once, endurance enough so that you don't have to sleep, until you reach the island.

"Now, a little incentive." Black this time, and they can feel it sitting in their heads like an anvil about to drop. (Curse -1, 30) "You harm anyone on your way to the island, and you pass out and don't wake up. You don't make it in three days, you pass out and don't wake up."

The Vandals let them go, and scoot away into the treeline to watch.

"The others get woken up once you reach the island. Now, quit this land and never return."

[Philote]

Balasar curses and immediately sets out with the other awoken Dragonborn for no other reason than to get away from another meddling Spirit. As he goes, the hue of his armor changes, but this would only be noticeable by one able to see through his curse.

[Marvelous Miscreant]

Aox concentrates, focusing hard on forming light between his hands. His surroundings faded from his mind. Slowly a small spark of light flickered into existence. It was much weaker than Miko's. Aox managed to get it stable before launching it away from himself.

The orb of light spiraled crazily until in struck the target near the edge. Aox stared at it with a disappointed frown.