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Post by Sylvari Dawnsage on Nov 12, 2023 22:15:14 GMT -5
Really, this is getting to be ridiculous. I hope the gods are having a good time with this chase, because it's getting to be a headache. Just as Sylvari was about to reach her triton quarry, he turned and threw a spear of ice into the ground in front of her. Does he think such a meager obstacle will put me off his course? No, he has to answer for his crimes, and his slights.
Sylvari merely vaulted the implement, watching it shatter under the weight of her swinging warhammer. As she turned the corner to the room Vonoros had entered, the man called out again, this time to a large gathering of the illicit sellers in this place as he blazed past.
Why all these guards aren't the slightest bit suspicious of this triton, I'll never know. At least their ineptitude includes their combat ability as well as their reasoning skills. Looking around the room, Sylvari noted the several men encroaching on her from all angles. While she was confident in her ability to take all of them in a straight martial duel, she noted the lack of time she had, as the last wisps of deep green hair disappeared behind a door that clicked with the indication of a lock. Unfortunate circumstances for you all.
Sylvari called on the dark power of her cursed heritage as the men around her dove in for the attack. "Make way." Her imperious command rippled throughout the room and surged outward as a wave of necrotic energy burst out from Sylvari, hurtling all the men back against the walls of the small space [Death Wave]. She winced slightly as she heard bones crack, knowing the physical damage of her attack was the least of the men's concerns as dark wisps of flame singed their very souls.
Thus unmolested, Sylvari walked with great gravitas over to the locked room, dispatching the locking mechanism with a mighty heave of her hammer. A swift kick later and the door hung open, barely on its hinges, as the justiciar strode into the room.
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Post by Vonoros Jedath on Nov 13, 2023 4:26:19 GMT -5
Vonoros smirked as he thought, “That should keep her busy for all of about three seconds. That should be enough to just grab the potions and jump out the window".
He glanced around the room looking and rummaging through the items up for sale, “Large Spear from some boring war, nope. Weird Mask that hisses at me and is screaming for me to put it on, nope. Color changing bracelet, nope. Ah here these babies are coming to big papa”, he says as he grasps the two large potions into his hands one green and one red with a gold cork and designs on the glass bottle.
“Man, talk about a score here, this should serve me like at least ten thousand solars each I’d be able to live off that for years maybe”.
He then turned to look around the room, noticing he had made a fatal flaw in his plan, there were no windows, and currently an incredibly angry but beautiful woman was in the doorframe.
“Oh, Sylvi my dearest, I didn't see ya there, um there appears to be a total mix-up here. It's really funny story I promise you. I just so happen to have run into the seller and given him my money and bought these potions with my hard-earned solars during your little mad infatuated chase earlier. So you can leave now and we can be done with this, maybe you can take me out to dinner later once I’ve cashed in these pretty pennies here”.
Suddenly as it looks like Sylvari is about to take the triton away a large domineering man shouts “HEY, BOSS I FOUND EM”, snapping his fingers and firing a firebolt right at Vonoros the triton instinctively drops the giant potion and holds the shrinking potion in front of him to take the damage. Unfortunately, although he managed to avoid being burnt the potion explodes and splashes over him and Sylvari.
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Post by Sylvari Dawnsage on Nov 13, 2023 11:10:25 GMT -5
It all happened too fast to react to consciously. Sylvari entered the room to find Vonoros sifting through various artifacts until he held up a pair of potions with a smug look on his face. As he whirled around to confront her, he made a typical goading spiel which prompted an eyeroll from the justiciar. Let him blabber on. It'll be his last words as a free man.
It all came crashing down when another criminal entered the open doorway behind her and fired off a bolt of flame. Sylvari instinctively dodged the attack, and Vonoros hid behind the potion bottle. On the positive side, for him at least, the bottle did manage to completely dissipate the energy of the weak attack. Unfortunately, it also caused the potion to shatter and splash over both her and Vonoros. Sylvari felt the tell-tale headache of the potion taking effect as she shrunk down, down, down. Luckily this wasn't the first time the woman had been under the effects of a shrinking potion, so she was resilient to the fatiguing effects of it. It did nothing to allay the justiciar's mood, however.
"GODSDAMNED POTIONS!" cried Sylvari, in an increasingly higher pitch. Her anger was forced to be short lived however, as the attacker, now flanked by several other goons, swarmed into the room. Noting Vonoros' fatigue, Sylvari gritted her teeth in frustration, and, against her better judgment, grabbed the larger man, throwing him over her shoulder as she focused her icy arcana into the soles of her feet to dash forward at blinding speed [Frozen Feet].
She was forced to dodge this way and that to avoid giant strikes raining down from above, but thankfully, despite their relative lethality, given the size differential, the guards proved to be just as inept at hitting small targets. She dashed through their legs, with the triton in tow, and rocketed down the hall out of their vision.
Spotting a door with a lock on it, she crouched into a halting slide, just squeezing under the door, seconds before thundering footsteps passed. Looking around, it appeared they found themselves in a broom closet of sorts. She set the triton down, frustration fully flushing her cheeks.
"Excellent move there, Vonoros! What WILL your brilliant mind think of next? I mean, guarding with a potion bottle, honestly." Sylvari pressed an armored hand to her forehead as her headache intensified.
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Post by Vonoros Jedath on Nov 13, 2023 15:46:29 GMT -5
Vonoros felt his body shrink limb by limb as he turned to the size of a rodent; his pitched-up voice rang a large grunt of anger. He struggled to stand still as the potion’s effect still was messing up with his senses almost knocking over at the sight of the huge room filled with ugly faces.
He was surprised to feel himself get thrown onto the little lady's shoulder and the area around him sploosh into a blur as the little lady ran.
He then held out his hand charging another ice spear (1. Ice Spike) and chucked it at one of the feet that tried to trample them causing the goon to shriek in pain. Thankfully the pretty lady managed to save them by finding a broom closet to hide out in, he stood up and regained his footing as the little lady berated him.
He stood there for a moment taking it in before responding, “Yeah yeah let me have it pretty lady keep going letting me know how bad I messed up. I already know how badly I made things, more than you ever will okay? I messed up. I just lost out on 20,000 solars. I feel horrible. You know what's worse, beautiful is I wasn’t planning on using that money for myself. I was just lying so you’d leave me alone, that money was supposed to go to the slums of Frostgale. After I came back from my pirate years I hid out there in the Pale City for two years hidden by the people from some really bad rough dudes who were out for me. I’m so grateful for them because even though they were cold and starving and suffering they took me in. I’m a horrible horrible person okay Sylvi I am, I'm a monster more than you will ever be able to imagine my crimes but I still selfishly wanted to help them for what they did for me. They’re suffering right now as we speak and I was gonna help with that damned money, now look at me now. I got too cocky and messed around too much, I couldn't even manage to do this right, fuck I’m so stupid”, the triton for once has stopped his joking and covers his face with his hands as he contemplates his failure.
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Post by Sylvari Dawnsage on Nov 13, 2023 16:19:04 GMT -5
There were no words devised in the common language and strung together in the myriad possible combinations that could have stunned Sylvari so wholly as Vonoros' did. She stood there, still as a statue, while her scattered brain attempted to process yet another reforming of her image of the silly triton.
"I-Wha-you..." Nope, still not ready to speak after that. Sylvari took a deep breath, a force of habit that still calmed her down though it was now only a placebo. Was he truly speaking the truth? Either that, or he is a considerably better actor than I gave him credit for. Better to act as if he was truthful. How horrid it would be for me to callously disregard his plight compared with the minor annoyance of him being deceitful and me buying it.
Sylvari found herself unable to look at the despairing man, still fighting down frustration at his earlier actions, so she looked away to ensure a serious tone.
"You haven't been down to the lower quarter in a while, have you? If you had, I sincerely hope you would have heard of my work there. Not enough, never enough. The need is great, and I am only one woman. Still, I would like to think I'm making a bit of a difference. What kind of experiences have you had with authority must you have had to lie about your motives? Now, granted, I still wouldn't have approved of stealing, but I wouldn't have given you such a taste of the hells if I thought you had noble intentions. Gods, considering the elements in here, I might even have helped you storm the place."
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Post by Vonoros Jedath on Nov 13, 2023 17:41:24 GMT -5
“Nah haven't been there in weeks I've been too busy trying to make money and sending it over to come and visit. Hearing that you helped them makes you all the more lovely you know that?”, Vonoros says with a smirk.
“As for authority, screw ‘em I’ve always hated the concept, I've only followed the orders of a single man and he's dead now. As for the authorities in frost they've never been helpful even when I was a kid. You think they give a damn about us? About the people in the slums? Yeah right, those goons either ignore us or hurt them seeing as no one cares. I promised myself I would bring them back enough to take care of everyone down here the next time I saw them. Trust me or not I don't care all that matters to me is repaying my debt to them”.
He then gets a good idea to illustrate his point as he covers the right side of his face with his hand.
“You see this Sylvi?”, he then points at his three long scars running from his left side of his forehead to his chin, “This is what I got the last time I trusted someone in my life. Just pain and betrayal, so I'm sorry if I'm not the biggest fan of trust. You seem nice and pretty but so what? That doesn't mean anything to me, the last time I was dependent on someone I got these scars, I'm not going to depend on anyone again”.
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Post by Sylvari Dawnsage on Nov 13, 2023 18:02:22 GMT -5
Sylvari watched Vonoros as he spoke, her face an impassive mask, concealing all emotion as she listened patiently. An old saying of her father's came to her mind as she contemplated her response. 'You bring a man in out of the cold before you scold him about squandering his firewood.' She had serious concerns about Vonoros' lack of regard for the law, and how that set him at odds with the very people he wished to protect. But more dire than the lecture his lack of concern provoked was his need to be heard, and to be comforted.
"I'm sorry that such has been your experience for relying on others. Betrayers are foremost among the evil-doers that I fight, in fact." Sylvari pointed an accusing finger at Vonoros. "But you aren't exempted from your actions in the equation. You know how much the traitor who put those scars on your face cares about the pain you suffered and still endure by cutting yourself off from every good thing that may come to pass? Precisely nothing. So here you sit, in self-righteous disdain for others, lumping us all in the same wretched category as that fiend, and hurting only yourself in the process. A good justiciar, a better one than me, might be able to offer you kind words, but, frankly that pisses me off."
Sylvari huffed and crossed her arms, angry because she had been Vonoros for so long after her curse. She had intended her speech to be a comforting one, but she could just chock it up to another imperfection to add to the pile. Chasing an ideal always had the effect of highlighting just how far one was from attaining it.
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Post by Vonoros Jedath on Nov 13, 2023 18:21:09 GMT -5
The Triton listens to the short knight's strict passionate speech about justice and himself and can't help but chuckle, “Man you really love justice don't you Sylvi but I can't say you're wrong either. Yeah, you're right I hate justice, I hate do holders, the lot of them you know why? Simple, because they're just a bunch of phonies, where were they when I saw my friends die? Where were they when Wilford died, the only person in this entire world that mattered to me? Where were they when I was 7 years old when I needed them the most? I'm glad I pissed you off because that's what your reaction should be, I'm a monster. This world has never been kind to me since the moment I was born. Hell do you know what it's like to…”, and he stops speaking as he thinks, “Nevermind I'll stop that there, point being my hands have been stained with blood and destruction. It's too late for me to turn good, I've been bad all my life. I don't even know if my brain knows what being good is anymore”.
He then motions down to the rest of scars on his body, “All of this is proof enough to me that relying on anybody is no use even if they all are as beautiful and pretty as you”, he chuckles.
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Post by Sylvari Dawnsage on Nov 13, 2023 18:59:25 GMT -5
Sylvari silently fought the brewing storm within, choking back tears as Vonoros kept laying in with his little speech.
"That's wrong..." Sylvari eked out, barely above a whisper. Idiot. Does he think everyone else has it together? Is this grandiose view of others why expects heroes to be there without fail whenever life goes to hells?
Sylvari repeated herself, this time unable to contained her fury as she shouted out to the heavens in defiance. "That's a load of Woolful shit! You think anyone in this world is perfect? Hells, even that they're good? I've traveled to far and too wide to deny the shadows living in every heart regardless of noble pretenses!" Sylvari began cackling maniacally as she ripped off her veil in a fit of emotion. She needed to make him UNDERSTAND. If he was lost, broken, beyond repair, what did that make her? She brandished her long fangs and pure crimson eyes with frightening abandon.
"Still think I'm pretty and good? I'm a parasite that steals from others to continue my own existence! I've killed, I've devoured people whole: good people whose families will never see them again!" Sylvari marched up to Vonoros, dangerously close, only her outstretched finger poking his chest between them. "But if I give up here, then their lives didn't even matter. I'm not allowed to give up, and you can't either. You've messed up, I've messed up, THE WORLD IS MESSED UP. It's one big pile of shit that we just have to get through in the feeble hope that we find something that gives it meaning. I'm not perfect, but I'll be godsdamned if I leave as big a pile as I inherited. Even if I only shovel one load out, it means I found something, that my life mattered!"
Sylvari stepped back and huffed in exasperation, drained from her emotional outburst. Her next words were monotone and cold. "If you think the world isn't worth saving, that's your prerogative. But don't point to everyone else as justification. Make that choice on your own."
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Post by Vonoros Jedath on Nov 13, 2023 19:24:59 GMT -5
For once, the first time in several years Vonoros felt a feeling he forgot he was capable of, empathy and care. For once his cold dead broken heart was beating again filled with passion and warmth at Sylvari’s words of frustration, he stayed silent listening to her looking right in her eyes as she spoke.
When she finished he started laughing before looking her in the eyes, “Oh wow so you’ve killed people, oh no you’re a vampire big whoop who cares? Are we dropping our big super sad and sympathetic backstories now alright here I go, wanna know why I’m a monster Sylvai? So you say you’ve killed people, well I’ll do you better. I’ve killed several people, I have a kill count in the triple digits you could say I’m a mass murderer, an assassin, a killer for hire. I was born deadly from the moment I left the womb. You wanna know what's funny Sylvi? I was born for a single reason, to be a weapon, to be a monster by people who didn't want me for any other reason but to use me. I learned how to hold a dagger and rip people's throats out before I could even say my first word. I learned how to jump over buildings before I could even count. I had a body count of 60 by the age of 5. For the past 22 years of my life, I’ve been haunted by it all, it's the only thing I am, a monster, the only thing I know how to do, kill. I didn’t eat a proper meal until I was 13, I just had to chew on nutrient packets and kelp if I was so lucky my scientists parents felt nice. You wanna know what's worse, wanna know why I’m so lazy and boring? I wasn’t allowed a single second of sleep in my entire life because my parents didn’t allow me. It took too much time away from my assigned contracts so they just kept me in a meditative awakened state to recover when my body needed rest. So sorry if I’m a sick twisted piece of human garbage, little Miss Beautiful, you can say I’ve never had a good example of being good in my life. The only person who saved me from that life after I tried to kill him is dead, he died because he was a selfish stupid man. And you know what I’m even stupider for not dying with him and never knowing what happened to him. So excuse me for being a bad person for giving up on everything, because guess what everything in my entire life has given up on me so what's the point of it all beautiful?".
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Post by Sylvari Dawnsage on Nov 13, 2023 20:00:19 GMT -5
The boiling waves of Sylvari's anger gave way to a dull simmer and then finally to a tranquil stillness as her heart swelled with compassion for the triton, despite all the trouble he had caused her. She also felt the potion effects wearing off, growing them back to full size, much too cramped in this broom closet now. Still, Sylvari was glad for the excuse to be close: it gave her cover to maintain her façade of frustration while providing the comfort she was desperate to provide.
"Vonoros, listen: what you went through, what you were made to do, was awful. I can't understand fully the hurt that penetrates deep into your heart, and I doubt anyone ever fully will. We may have entered this room as enemies, but we don't have to leave that way. Your pain is valid, your hurt is real, but your actions are your own. They don't control you any longer. I am not blameless to cast guilt on you for past transgressions: I can only judge what you do here and now today."
Sylvari adopted a small smile, as she placed a comforting hand on the triton's shoulder. "You have a good heart, buried underneath all of the trauma of your past: you still wanted to help the less fortunate, even now. So I will forgive our minor disagreement. You are free to go. I have an auction house to clear, apparently." Sylvari sighed and turned to face her new foes outside the tiny space.
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Post by Vonoros Jedath on Nov 13, 2023 20:54:49 GMT -5
Javal couldn't help but burst out into laughter, it was an old habit of his. Whenever he'd felt true emotion or warmth from someone his first reaction was to chuckle at the feeling almost as if someone had told a joke. It was so strange and alien to him that's what was so funny about it.
“Huh, I guess my heart is not as frozen as I thought after all, isn't it pretty lady”, he said aloud, surprised.
He suddenly felt his body contort and enlarge bit by bit as he was back to full height and extremely stuffed close next to Sylvari as they both were now back to normal inside the small closet.
He listens to the pretty woman's words as he stares into her eyes only inches away, “Thanks Sylvi heh I guess for once I don't have any jokes or silly words to hide behind this time. I can't say anything else but thank you”.
He stands up straight and almost hits his head on the roof, “Good to know I'm not hated by the prettiest but deadly Knight I know but nah I ain't leaving yet. Not until these ugliest are taken care of”. He walks over and swings the door open facing down the entirety of the guards armed to the teeth , turns to Sylvari holding his hand out and says, “What do you say Sylvi? May I have this dance?”, with a grin.
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Post by Sylvari Dawnsage on Nov 13, 2023 21:16:17 GMT -5
Sylvari rolled her eyes at Vonoros' lighthearted suggestion after so much deep conversation, but she smiled despite herself and decided to answer in kind. "Only if you'll measure your expectations, dear. I've been on my own for so long that I can't promise I'll make a good dance partner. Still, I'll try to avoid hitting you with anything obvious."
The grin on Sylvari's face was a predatory one as she dropped her shield in favor of growing blackened claws of swirling energy over her fingers [Eldritch Claws]. She wouldn't need the extra defense against these louts. She dove right into the fray, slashing with her magical claws and twirling great arcs with her warhammer, dancing with light and frost. Time may as well have stood still for her, as none of the house guards got close to hitting the pirouetting vampire.
Through it all, afforded the extra attention due to the lacking skill of her opponents, she kept an eye on Vonoros to see how he fought, interested in the skills of a self-proclaimed assassin. She idly worried that he would be unnecessarily lethal, but such concerns were secondary to the fight. Honestly, for unrepentant criminals such as these, a swift end may indeed be what justice required.
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Post by Vonoros Jedath on Nov 13, 2023 22:58:17 GMT -5
Vonoros grinned as he heard Sylvari’s response, “Of course dearest, that’s more than fine by me”, he chuckled as he tied his bandana tightly over his hair keeping it out of his way.
He takes out a long blue coral lance and quarterstaff from his back slings and whirls them around with great precision in the air before smirking and rushing forth. He skillfully weaves through his opponents as if he were swimming through water avoiding all the blows intended for him. He then turns around impaling his coral lance into one of the goon’s legs leading him to scream out in agony before he pulls it out losing part of its shape as he does so and leaving some barbs in the man’s leg.
He then spins around at great speed and smacks another goon in the back of his head with his metal quarterstaff dropping him to the floor immediately knocked out. He then drops into a crouching position and launches himself off the ground and into the biggest guard there who towers even over him he strikes his chest with his feet and climbs up to his shoulders gripping his neck with his legs and choking him into unconsciousness
Vonoros continues his rampage fluidly moving around and whirling his polearms around catching his opponents with his large size and long reach. Overall the triton’s fighting style could be called flowing and brutale prioritizing quick and strong blows that knocked his opponents down. However, the instinct of viciousness was so ingrained in the man’s mind that he cared not about any opponent in front of him as he ripped through them with great ferocity. It was on purpose that it was extremely different from his fighting style as a kid. As a child, he was a bladesman who prioritized efficiency and effectiveness. Every blow and stab had to be perfect, not wasting energy, he used to be so rigid and stiff, a far cry from what he was now.
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Post by Sylvari Dawnsage on Nov 14, 2023 10:41:40 GMT -5
In reality, it was only a matter of seconds before the unlikely duo had torn through the swaths of enemies before them, but for the participants, the deadly dance may have lasted hours as twin demigods of combat flowed seamlessly from one motion to the next. They were untouchable, their forms unattainable, disregarding mortal efforts to stop them as if their enemies were no more than children with wooden weapons playing at war. And then, it was over.
Sylvari looked over the carnage with dispassion, her sorrow and frustration at the loss of so many potential workers of good tempered by her satisfaction in justice being done. It was an old, familiar feeling and the justiciar's only true companion in the many months since her exile. Whatever else came, her mission would be completed until death took her.
She looked over to see Vonoros dispatching the last of his opponents as well, not a scratch on him, as she went to retrieve her shield. As she strapped it onto her arm a low chuckle escaped her lips as she surveyed the dispatched peons before her. "Workers of iniquity tend to be a bit more powerful than this. It's almost a shame, really, to have victory without cost."
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