| Welcome, wayward soul. You have stumbled upon a new world; a world of fantasy, wonder, and excitement. A journey lies before you, one that is only limited by your passion and imagination. Take up a sword (or axe, or bow, or lute, or any of our other grand assortment of weapons) and delve into an uncharted land in search treasure, adventure, allies, or enemies. Your skills, your wit, and your luck will decide whether you emerge victorious at the end of your journey or end up as another cautionary tale to travelers like yourself... The road ahead will be fraught with perils ranging from petty thieves to malicious Gods and nightmarish monsters, but go with courage. Only by overcoming these obstacles can a mere mortal ascend into legend and live forever in the Legacy of Ame! You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
| A feeling of retribution | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 23 2013, 04:27 PM (537 Views) | |
| Vinterblod | Jan 23 2013, 04:27 PM Post #1 |
|
Administrator
|
>>> Continued from "Abandoned Mines" Atazos had made his way through the mines and back again. He had been attacked and hurt by abominations from the underworld. He had met a strange young girl with mystical powers that helped him escape the nightmares that roamed the dark and fog filled tunnels of the mine. He had survived more than a lot of people would have even dared to hope for. Luck or not, he had certainly seen more than enough for one day. Even the horrible snow storms of the Revlik Isle would be welcome now, and that said quite a lot about the experience. He made his way through the narrow secret tunnel that was leading back to the old man's workshop. He would be pleasantly surprised when he saw all the ore Atazos had gathered in his pack. He better would be, because the things he had gone through to get it... Suddenly he could hear someone speaking at the end of the tunnel. It was not Regal though. Atazos creeped closer to the secret doorway that was now closed and tried to listen to the conversation. "... still not good enough. Vanderhorn, the empress is willing to let you live in exchange for your schematics. She might change her mind if you let her wait. I am certain you are aware that she is not fond of waiting." the voice sounded like a man, and what he said made it more or less certain that it was someone from the someone from the imperial guard. The old man did not answer. A loud smack from a walking stick could be heard directly afterwards. "Well?!" the voice said again more irritated this time. Still only silence from the old man, Regal. A loud sigh could be heard "We will give you three more days, mister Vanderhorn, and if you do not have the schematics for us by then... Let's just say that you'll need someone to wind your clocks for you once you are gone." With determined steps on the wooden floor the man, whoever it was, had turned around and walked away. The bell on the door chimed as opened the door and stepped outside onto the streets. Edited by Vinterblod, Jan 23 2013, 04:28 PM.
|
| Offline Profile | Quote ^^^ |
| Solomonaros | Feb 5 2013, 10:34 AM Post #2 |
![]()
|
Asa Atazos came closer to the threshold leading up to Regal's workshop, he took off the mask. He was now far away from the venomous gas below to be in any significant danger of inhaling it. However, his clothes likely were wretched with the odorous toxin and he would have to cleanse them almost certainly as soon as he got home. Lamenting this, Atazos almost did not hear the voices up ahead... Atazos listened in. It did not take a Court Mage to discern that the speaker was likely an officer or inquisitor of the Empire. Despite his great disdain for the Imperial officers, he took particular exception to ones who bullied old men in their clockwork stores. As the pompous voice faded and the jingle of the store's door heralded their exit, Atazos rapped on the door with his knuckles to tell Regal that he had returned and to open the door. However, in the back of his mind he wondered who Regal was to insight the curiosity of the Queen... how Moira got mixed up with him... and what, if anything, did those connections mean? |
| Offline Profile | Quote ^^^ |
| Vinterblod | Feb 5 2013, 10:52 AM Post #3 |
|
Administrator
|
After a short moment of silence the secret door opened up and Regal let Atazos into the shop again. "So you made it back, that is certainly a pleasant surprise my boy." he said and walked back over to his working desk. He clutched a piece of cloth in his hand and pushed it to his forehead. He was bleeding lightly, but obviously nothing he couldn't handle. A few of the clocks had been knocked of the walls and now layed on the floor in several pieces. This imperial guard fellow that Atazos had heard from the passageway... Regal did not even mention the attack that had just occured in the little shop, and instead went on to the other buisness. "Did you find the ore that we needed from the mine? It would be a shame if you came back empty handed..." he sounded a bit frustrated. He took a look at the blood on the cloth, sighed a bit, and then once again pushed it to his forehead. Whatever it was the imperials wanted of this old man it did not seem like he was going to give it to them. And if that was the case then three days remained for the horologist. |
| Offline Profile | Quote ^^^ |
| Solomonaros | Feb 5 2013, 11:13 AM Post #4 |
![]()
|
Atazos emerged from the tunnel, carrying the bag in one hand, the gas mask in the other, smelling of whatever foulness that made up the vile fumes. He was still hurt, his shirt ragged and bloody from the bites he had sustained. But even despite all this, the worried look he wore from the sound of the guardsman, Atazos was able to conjure a smile at Regal's question. "'Did you get the ore?', he says. Hah." Atazos set the bag full of ore on the table, the contents spilling out a little bit at the quantity. "You sent me on the job, remember? Although, next time you should probably let me know that there's the walking dead down there... so I can maybe better equip myself with an army..." Atazos shuttered, set the gas mask on the table, and then walked over to the shattered clock. He knelt down, picking up a few pieces, and frowning. "What did that Imperial knucklehead come all the way out to the slums to harass you for, anyway? You must have really pissed him off... or he was really bored. It's hard to tell with these idiots..." |
| Offline Profile | Quote ^^^ |
| Vinterblod | Feb 5 2013, 11:29 AM Post #5 |
|
Administrator
|
The old man looked a bit surprised as Atazos mentioned the walkers that had infested the caves. "I was certain that..." he said under his breath and looked pondering for a bit. He eyed the bruises, cuts and holes in his clothes that the undead had caused. He actually looked a bit regretful for what had happened, but did not say anything, shook his head, and instead took a look at the ore that he had collected from the mine. He placed down the cloth and sighed a bit as Atazos asked him the question he had hoped he did not have to answer. But he guessed that there was no reason he couldn't tell him after what danger he had put the young Novali in "I am old, Atazos. I drew myself back many years ago to lead a more simple life. You might say to run away from the guilt." he paused for a second as he picked up the stones of ore one after one and examined them. "You see I am not just a horologist, I am an inventor at heart. Some would say I am the best even. My technology, my schematics, have been used to power the imperial guards airship engines and high velocity fire arms for the last twenty years. They want more though... they always want more, don't they?" he said and chuckled a bit, not heartfully as before though... "I will never give them more of my work though. They'll have to pry it out of my dead hands." |
| Offline Profile | Quote ^^^ |
| Solomonaros | Feb 5 2013, 11:42 AM Post #6 |
![]()
|
Atazos shook his head as he picked up a gear from the clock on the ground and looked at it. "So you made some of those, huh? A lot of my good friends have been taken by Imperial turret guns..." After a few moments of spinning the little metal circle around in his fingers, he flicked it into one of the piles of assorted parts laying around. "Be careful what you wish for, old man. Because if you're inviting brutality from those freaks... well... let's just say you'll get it in spades." With another shake of his head, he walked over to Regal. "So you got something for me to give to Moira? Or do I have to go back empty handed? Either way, I've got to go wash the smell of poison gas, blood, and abomination drool out of my clothes." Atazos' brand of smug and rude almost seemed to be playful, as if he was not actually intending to insult the man and more take his mind off of things. The matter at hand was concerning, as was everything the Imperial Guard took an interest in... but to get into a fury about it now was not Atazos' style of business. There would be a time when he would deal a blow back at them for all the pain they'd put him and his allies through... but not just yet. Edited by Solomonaros, Feb 5 2013, 11:44 AM.
|
| Offline Profile | Quote ^^^ |
| Vinterblod | Feb 6 2013, 05:45 PM Post #7 |
|
Administrator
|
The old man looked disgusted and pained by just the mention of Atazos' friends and how they had fallen victims to what was partly his creations. He did not answer though. Even if he had something to say there was little that would justify or excuse what he had gotten his hand into. Even if he said that he didn't know his inventions would become what they did, or that he had no choice it would never bring anyone back. He felt like he had a lot of blood on his hands, mostly what was his own kind... the people he had wanted to protect. Regal shook his head a bit and sighed "I will have to tinker on it for a while before it is ready. I'll begin working on it as quickly as I can... I will need to not be disturbed though." he said and examined the last of the pieces of ore and put it back into the bag again. "Also before you go, Atazos..." the old man continued. "I do regret that I put you in such danger for this. I assumed that the guard had already taken care of the outbreak in the mines... I am glad that you managed to get through anyway. I'll repay it someday, it's a promise." |
| Offline Profile | Quote ^^^ |
| Solomonaros | Feb 6 2013, 11:21 PM Post #8 |
![]()
|
As Regel mentioned the guard culling the zombie outbreak in the mines, Atazos recalled the strange girl whom had essentially saved his life. The memory of the girl in the hood was significant and bizarre, but he felt that Regal was the wrong person to tell this tale to. "Yeah... guard." He shook his head. "Are you sure you want that burden? Being indebted to a Sky Pirate?" Atazos gave him a sly smirk and then turned before he could see the reaction of Regal's face to the concept and the revelation that he was a Sky Pirtate. "I'll be back in a couple days for the device. Stay alive, alright? I'm gonna need you with a pulse to call in that favor down the line." The jingle of the shop door was the last thing he left in the place. Figuring that his work was done in the slums, he directed his path home in hopes to get a change of clothes and possibly see Moira. |
| Offline Profile | Quote ^^^ |
| Vinterblod | Feb 7 2013, 12:20 AM Post #9 |
|
Administrator
|
Regal was not too surprised about the fact that the young Novali was a sky pirate, however he was wondering how in the world a sweet young girl like Moira could have gotten involved with someone like that. It seemed rather odd to him. "I've been doing buisness with shadier characters than that, boy. Owing something to a pirate will be the least of my problems anyway." he said with a smug smile as he watched Atazos walk out the door. The bell chimed and once again the old man was left by himself, with only his work and his thoughts to keep him company. Atazos sneaked out from the shadier streets he had just been on without anyone seemingly noticing. However as he walked down the streets toward the welthier areas of the city the guards started to pay more attention to him. They gave him strange looks, that was for sure. Without a doubt it was because of his clothes being ripped at places and covered in blood. They had all the right to act suspicious. Lucky for Atazos they seemed to be in better moods today since the ones he passed did not stop him. He managed to get to Moira's house quickly and without trouble. He turned the key in the lock and opened up the door. Moira was already home and looked out from the kitchen. "Is that you, Ata-" as she saw the bloody ripped clothes on the young sky pirate she stopped mid sentance and quickly walked up to him. "What in the world has happened to you?!" she said loudly, obviously worried. "Please, sit down! Let me take a look at your wounds!" she continued as she rushed out into the kitchen again. |
| Offline Profile | Quote ^^^ |
| Solomonaros | Feb 7 2013, 12:27 AM Post #10 |
![]()
|
Just seeing Moira raised Atazos' spirits again. After the adventure into the mines, he thanked all the Gods and Goddesses for the chance to see her lovely face again. Even if she was worried. Atazos took a seat as requested and began to take off his vest and his now ruined shirt. He placed them on the table, sitting bare chested at the table. He looked down at his arm. Even though he had the tough skin of the Novali, the teeth had gone through his carapace, leaving an ugly bite mark. He hoped and prayed that whatever made the miners into the undead was down there and no longer with him... While Moira was in the kitchen, he took the opportunity to dig into his pocket and pull out the necklace given to him. Still unsure of what it was, he didn't think getting rid of it was a good idea. He figured it would be worth a lot the next time he went to fence goods for profit, but the girl who gave it to him was very interesting. Chances are, it would also be interesting. Atazos put it away before Moira returned to avoid any awkward questions about it. |
| Offline Profile | Quote ^^^ |
| Vinterblod | Feb 7 2013, 12:51 AM Post #11 |
|
Administrator
|
Moira entered the room again with some bandages, cotton and alcohol to wash the wounds with. She sat down on her knees in front of Atazos, still with the same worried look on her face as before. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you now." she said as she tilted the bottle of alcohol and soaked a piece of cotton in it. "This might hurt a bit..." she put the cotton ball against the wounds gently and carefully. She would never have thought that she would have a beaten up man in her house any day soon and neither was it the first thing she had hoped for when she woke up that morning. Then she noticed that the wound was shaped like a bite mark. Like teeth had been dug deep into the flesh of the young Novali. It was definietly not normal at least. She kept cleaning the wound a little bit more, to be on the safe side, before she put a bandage around his arm. "What was that... bite mark? Did you get in a fight or something?" she said as she tied up the bandage. It was a stupid question, but she did not know what else to ask. What fight would end with the other person biting someone else. Then again stranger things had happened. |
| Offline Profile | Quote ^^^ |
| Solomonaros | Feb 7 2013, 12:57 AM Post #12 |
![]()
|
The touch of the wet, alcohol covered cloth stung, but it stung far less than being bitten did. On the already pounding sore wound, Atazos hardly felt painful substance on it. "Thank you, Moira." Atazos watched her as she cleaned the wound on his arm. In fairness, he probably could have dressed the wound himself, but he let her clean it up and bandage it as much as she liked. As she questioned him again, however, he sighed and nodded. "Regal sent me on a little errand. What he neglected to tell me was that there would be a horde of walking corpses there that all wanted to take a bite out of me." Atazos pulled his blade from the sheath, showing the horrible, black ooze on it. "I also went into some rancid, poisonous gas, if you're wondering about the smell. I need a bath. And new clothes." |
| Offline Profile | Quote ^^^ |
| Vinterblod | Feb 7 2013, 01:18 AM Post #13 |
|
Administrator
|
"Oh..." she said as she tried to find words to answer with. It was hard though. What did you say if someone told you they had been attacked by undead miners that wanted to eat your flesh from your bones. It was certainly a disgusting thought, something Moira had only heard from horror stories and nothing more. The thought of walking corpses alone made her feel nauseous to the very core. In the end she did not find more words to add to that simple 'oh...', she was speechless, but luckily Atazos quickly continued to speak instead. She had not noticed the smell before he actually mentioned it. Had she been too worried to even notice that? It was a harsh and stinging smell that had stuck deep in his clothes. "I-I can see that. You can go fill a tub with water in the washhouse... I'll get you some new clothes. And I guess we'll just have to burn these ones. I doubt that horrible smell will ever go out of them anyway." she said and picked up the vest and the blood soaked shirt. "Yeah... I'll take care of it." a faint smile appeared on her face before she held her nose to get rid of the smell. |
| Offline Profile | Quote ^^^ |
| Solomonaros | Feb 7 2013, 07:35 AM Post #14 |
![]()
|
Atazos smiled as she took the ripped and rotten smelling shirt off of the table. "You're the best, Moira." He stood up, using the shirt to wipe his sword off a little before letting her take it. The sword was still dirty but it would be a little easier to clean now. He made his way up the stairs to the bath, carrying the sword with him. Once in the bathroom, he piled the filthy clothes in the corner, stacking his belongings on a table and filling the bath. Once full, Atazos slipped into the hot, steaming water. Looking at his horrible wound, he did his best to wash it out. It certainly hurt, but after a while under the hot water he nearly forgot about it. His mind began to wander. He thought about many things. He thought about his ship and his old crew. How the first mate had been gunned down by an Imperial turret from one of its many ships. How the Captain, unable to cope, began drinking himself to death. The Leviathan, soon after, disbanded. But these thoughts spiraled into depressing quickly. Atazos rose from the hot water, his lower body still submerged as he cleaned the sword while still bathing. |
| Offline Profile | Quote ^^^ |
| Vinterblod | Feb 7 2013, 09:52 AM Post #15 |
|
Administrator
|
While Atazos got to cleaning himself, slowly getting rid of the horrible stench that had attached to him like the plague, Moira took care of his old clothes. She took the back door and threw them outside for now, there was no way she could keep them inside any longer, if she did the house was sure to smell just as rotten soon. She'd have to burry the rags or burn them later. Even as they were thrown out there in the snow and fresh air the smell was strong and harsh. To even imagine that something could smell that bad was unbelievable. A while later she knocked on the door to the washroom, but did not open the door. Insted she remained outside and spoke. "I have left some clothes for you in the bedroom. When you have cleaned yourself up and put some new clothes on you can come down to eat some food. I was pre-" she suddenly remembered something. "Oh no! The dinner!" Atazos could hear her run down the stairs again just as quickly as she had appeared. Before Atazos came she had started to prepare dinner and had in the sudden change of events forgot about it completely, leaving whatever it was she was making in the oven for too long. New Equipment!
Edited by Vinterblod, Feb 7 2013, 09:54 AM.
|
| Offline Profile | Quote ^^^ |
| Solomonaros | Feb 8 2013, 07:59 AM Post #16 |
![]()
|
Atazos smiled as he finished cleaning the black ooze off his sword. Moira was so sweet. If not for the fact he could feel she longed for something different, he would have felt bad for stepping into her life and making a mess out of it. Regardless, their paths were intertwined now... and the girl in the red hood told him that his fate was going to rely on her. He'd stay with her on whatever path they would follow together. He laughed a little. It was funny how much he had changed in the last few years. Getting out of the hot tub was difficult as he had to greet the chilly air with his bare skin, but the hide of the Novali allowed him to part with the water and embrace the cold. Wrapping a towel around him, he took his sword the the bedroom, set it against the wall, and looked at the clothes she had brought him. Replacement clothes were one things, but the vest before him was incredible! There was no way that this was just another hand-me-down from her father... and if it was, it seemed something a bit too extravagant to give a lowly Sky Pirate. Atazos got dressed, putting on the vest. It was an excellent fit and he smiled. Now clean and dressed, Atazos walked down the stairs to see Moira and have dinner. "Moira, this vest is spectacular. Where did you get it?" |
| Offline Profile | Quote ^^^ |
| Vinterblod | Feb 8 2013, 12:28 PM Post #17 |
|
Administrator
|
The table had already been put with glasses and cutlery. Out from the kitchen came Moira with a plate of food in each of her hands. She examined Atazos in his new vest, and he was right it did look amazing, even more so than she had imagined. As Atazos asked the question where she had gotten it she just smiled and blushed a bit. "Oh, that thing? It's nothing special, I just bought it for you..." she said and quickly continued walking over to the table and put down the plates. The cooked vegetables on the plate looked delicious to say the least, however the steak beside it looked like it had suffered a bit harsher fate. Aside from that it was a little burnt on the side it did look good though, and was probably more than good enough to eat - if you carved around the black stuff of course. "I am sorry for the mess it turned out to be, I hope you'll like it anyway..." she said a little ashamed for how the food had turned out, even though it was obviously not her fault that she had been distracted by the guy with the wounds stepping into her house. |
| Offline Profile | Quote ^^^ |
| Solomonaros | Feb 11 2013, 09:51 PM Post #18 |
![]()
|
Atazos laughed at the notion that the meal set before him was non-appetizing. He had literally lived on the scraps that he cold find on the streets of Asharei after the Leviathan had disbanded; selling what he cold steal for a small meal, finding leftover food tossed out of the back of taverns... Atazos shook his head. "It looks fantastic, Moira." He picked up a knife and fork and began to dig in. "You're a fantastic hostess, Moira. I'm glad that I got to repay you today. Regal says that it will take some time to get whatever you're having him work on get fixed up..." Atazos ate a little and then took a drink to wash it down. "Seems like a good enough old man. His connections with the Empire bother me... some officer came in while I was hiding to harass him about something. Not sure what it was about, exactly, but I think there's some dirty dealings going on with some of the Imperial Officers and him. I hope he knows what he's doing..." |
| Offline Profile | Quote ^^^ |
| Vinterblod | Feb 12 2013, 11:34 AM Post #19 |
|
Administrator
|
Moira was happy that Atazos did not mind that she had messed up the dinner a little bit. He could of course just be saying that because he did not want to make her feel bad about it, then again he was gulping it down like there was no tomorrow, so it was probably just her own imagination. "I am glad." she said with a smile and sat down in front of Atazos and began to eat as well. She seemed to have more trouble with it than he had. She nodded and swallowed the food she already had in her mouth before she answered. "He is a clever man. He made many of the original ideas for the engines that we use today. Of course the empire wants him to continue working for them, but he refuses to do so... can't imagine they would go there if it wasn't for that reason." she said and did not seem too worried about it. She had not heard that the harassing of the old man actually involved beating him, so that was probably the reason for her reaction. "His technology was used in the making of weapons as well though, and he did not exactly like that. So he basically walked away from them when he 'retired'. They did not seem to be willing to let him go though. And who can blame them? He is a genius after all." |
| Offline Profile | Quote ^^^ |
| Solomonaros | Nov 6 2013, 04:46 PM Post #20 |
![]()
|
Atazos looked at the food in front of him, seemingly disturbed about something that she had mentioned. Thinking about Regal's connection to the Guard and the fact that he built some of the weapons that lead to the death of his old crew seemed to make the memories surface with a vengeance. But he tried to hide his discomfort and took another bite of food, swallowing down his unease for Moira. "Yeah..." He said with a mouthful of food, "A real genius." Atazos finished his food rather quickly and put his fork and knife down. He looked up to Moira and smiled again. Every time he looked at her, it made him feel a little better. She was a representation of the present than the days gone by. "So what are the plans for tomorrow? Regal told me specifically not to bother him while he's working on whatever that blueprint was for. I guess I should go back to work... Gold is always nice, right? Maybe if I make enough in the next couple of days, we can do something nice... together." He tilts his head slightly while looking at Moira. He figured that she'd like to hear that. |
| Offline Profile | Quote ^^^ |
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · Asharei City · Next Topic » |
- Pages:
- 1
- 2




1:05 AM Jul 11