Zenaku Was wandering the streets of Jin'ta, taking in the smell of meat, something you do not normally get to experience more inland. Zen Had his hood up and styled their hair to better cover up their left cheek. You can grow more hair, but can not easily get rid of the mark. Even if someone spots the mark, perhaps the foreigners running these meat stalls would not care. the problem is, the local Thanati do. As Zen began to approach one of the stand, they were stopped by one of the guards, who stared down at Zen with discussed.
"Halt, You should not be here, and why is your Head unshaven? Head back to your hovel disgrace and shave your head or WE will have to take this matters into our hands."
The Guards warning was stern and filled with hate, seeming ready to stab the being before him at a moments notice. But Zen did give him that moment, which would be promptly responded with the unsheathing of the Guard's weapon.
"Well I would shave it, but what would your mom hold onto when I come over?"
Gawfy was ordering dry goods from another stall when noticed what looked like a man attempt to look at a vendors wares when two guards stopped the man and started scolding him. As he walked over he heard the man make a snide remark. He could see the hate in the guard's eyes as he reached for his weapon. Gawfy Put weight into his steps as he walked over behind the man towering over the man and the guards He bellowed. It would be unwise to do what you are about to do. The guards then scoffed at him and the man before uttering curses and leaving. He then turned his attention to the man. You really shouldn't provoke them like that He said
Zen could not help but stick his tongue out at them as they were told off and back down, turning to look at their savior, tongue still sticking out as it slowly retreated back into their mouth.
"Eh, Double edge sword of a relationship I would say, they hate me and I do not respect them. How much ya know about Thanatos's Social Structure?"
Zen asked as they brushed their hair to the side, exposing the Brand that marked them as an Untouchable, before asking another question.
"Either way, Thanks. Let me split some food with ya, which I was about to do till the guard wanted to test my restraint."
Gawfy froze " how much do you know about social structure" The words paged through his head Uhh enough to get by[/i This was a lie but he didn't want his first impression of himself to be Of him self looking like a uneducated buffoon. Then Gawfy saw the brand on Their head, we wanted to bring it up but not want to make his new friend uncomfortable, after all Gawfy himself had enough scars on his body to know that he didn't like people pointing them out. All right i could go for some food right about nowGawfy followed the man to a table and sat down. Im really glad that guard didn't draw He thought to him self as he remembered the other times he had to fight an entire town guard You have a name? He asked warmly to his compatriot
"Well around here, Locals have ranks, and the rank I have is THE lowest you can be. like you have to work somewhat towards this rank too. Should be an honor, but eh."
Zen stated, ordering a plate of meat that was apparently from the mainlands and joined his savoir at the Table, placing the plate of food in front of them and began to ponder something.
"Well You can call me Zen. Planning on leaving the homeland for a bit and have some fun."
they stated, chuckling as they snaps their fingers and the plate of food for about of second is enveloped in a bubble of inverted color before it seems to restore to normal. Zen hopped that the spell would allow continuity and causality to not apply, allowing both of them to take from the plate and the food never deplete, but as with chaos magic, it may do more then just that.
I know how that feels little buddy Gawfy felt a bit of sorrow hearing that. I tried to be a knight and they kicked me out He said simply. Then observing what his friend did next to the food. After seeing the bubble gawfy rubbed his eyes and looked back at the plate. Uhh did you see that as well? He asked Him
"well it is better that we follow our own paths and not let others label us down. Though not as fun if titles like Archmage and Lord loss meaning if everyone called themselves that. and Yea, I saw. its so the food does this."
Zen explained and took a large chunk of meat off the plate and began to eat it; or it looks like he did as it looks like the chunk of meat he took had not left the plate, as if the plate did not update from the fact something was taken from it. the meat did had a side effect as Zen learned as he ate the meat. it was chewy. . . well more like it was not breaking down. if Causality did not exist for the meat or the plate, it also meant the causality of chewing the meat will never come to be. interesting side effect, totally destroys the reason for the spell, but interesting. perhaps using this as an enchantment to make things ageless.
Gawfy shrugged and took some food, and to his surprise the food came back after he took it! Amazing! he said aloud as he started eating. What kind of magic is this?[/i He asked Zen As he started taking more from the plate.
"Magic that makes me a disgrace apparently. I destroy reality, temporarily , to create unique effects. I call it Chaos magic as it can be. . . funnily unpredictable. What about you? I take it you are a fighter? or a weight-lifter from the size of that weapon. I think the sheer weight of that would be deadly, though it does look like it could use a good whetstone."
Zen commented, still chewing on the same piece of meat, seeming to pretend making progress. the meat tasted good and the flavor was not fading, but the meat was not breaking down and Zen's jaw was growing sore.
Gawfy ate his fill Yes, i am A fighter of sorts. Gawfy is my name, and mercenary work is my game he said as he kicked his feet up. Though most of the time i use my sword to kill beasts the weight of the weapon causes internal bleeding. When i fight men It gets... easy. When it was sharper it would cleave through armor like a hot knife through butter. However work around here is slow, thats or the work is self is bait. Had a vampire try to hire me, Said to come unarmed to a villa away from town[/i He scoffed Needless to say she isnt hiring anyone else, say you know any one looking to hire? he asked Ven
"If i knew anyone hiring, I would take the job I am a Sell Spell of sorts. I can be a powerful ally in A fight. How are you eating this? I think my spell made it inedible. Tasty, But i can not swallow this."
Zen asked, spitting out the meat, it not looking like it has even been chewed. Zen chuckled with a sigh and put down the meat, realizing the only fix to this is wait for reality to fill this 'hole' Zen made.
"But If you do not mind, Would like to follow you if your job hunting, though not in Thanatos. With me around, you be lucky to get the color of the sky from anyone."
Ive eaten bear before its just a matter of not gagging. Gawfy said as he got up. I don't mind i can always use a companion, and a mage nonetheless. I haven't checked the bounty board today, why don't we head there? Gawfy asked as he got up and started walking towards the slums. Behind both of them someone seemed to follow them. As they where in the middle of the slum. Gawfy stopped and started listening.
"Its not the gagging, its the struggle to swallow it, but lead the way to the Board."
With that, Zen chuckled and stood up, stretching a bit before following Gaw, not seeming to notice or care that they were being followed, humming happily in their apparent bliss.
"What jobs do you usually look for? I usually go for a job that allows me to play around with my magic. Practice makes perfect, though I doubt you need much practice."
Looking around Gawfy answered Somthing that isnt hard and that pays well, and preferably nothing to do with inhuman elements. he said as he heard something behind him. Acting reflexively he moved Zen behind him, just as he did a crossbow bolt hit him in the leg. Looking up the ally a man donned in black had had his arm raised, pulled a dagger and started running at them. Gawfy pulled his sword from his back and prepared to fight.
The man in question wore typical peasants clothing of the type often seen in the slum. The attire was unusual for the man himself however because Magus lavay more often wore robes. The homeless that lined the streets looked at him with both fear and admiration. He had set up shop in the basement of one of the many vacant buildings in the slum. At first his success with preaching was minimal. But then a sudden rash of robberies had plagued the already destitute area. That is until Magus viciously killed the two responsible for the thefts. Then the message of putting the people above all else was more easily received. What the slums residents didn't know however was that the two robbers were in fact part of the cult. Weren't they surprised when there savior beat their heads in with a mace.
"Excuse me," Magus's voice boomed and just as he spoke one of his followers struck. The man had been shot and yet still had the wherewithal to react. Some of the othe "Homeless" got up and pulled knives, preparing to strike.
The man charging them had stopped to adhere to the voice. The man Fell to his knees as Gawfy turned around to see a man deessed in plain clothes commanding the residents of the slums. All armed with knifes His helm flipped down covering any weak points on his head. He Bent his knees holding his blade standing still preparing for any attack. while at the same time listening to what the man had to say.
Zen looked around, seeming to notice that the situation escalated quickly, being out numbered by shabby men armed with knives. This looks like it will be a fights, but preventing one might be better. So with a snap of their fingers, Zen applied a change to realities rule, the heavier an object is, the less effort is needed to move it and vice versa, meaning items normally light and easier to lift began extremely heavy and items like Gawfy's sword was as easy to lift as a feather in normal reality. did mean Zen fell on their ass as their robe became as heavy as Full Plate. the only indication of the spell going off was a pulse of inverted color originating from Zen and ending just slightly beyond the ally they occupied.
Gawfy Felt a worlds worth of weight lift off of him as zen cast His spell. Gawfy has assumed it was zen's doing. He nodded as zen, then pulling the bolt out of his leg he swung is sword around in a flourish.The Air flying off of it as it swung effortlessly through the closed space. He took a few steps back to stand over Zen. As much as Gawfy wanted to cleave through all of these people zen was lying on the ground, and he couldn't leave him behind so he took a defensive stance over him.He did however throw a throwing knife at the fellow who shot him. It hit him in the shoulder but it felt like he was throwing a brick instead of a knife.
What luck it was finding some bounty hunters in the neighborhood. It was easy to turn the poor against any figures of authority or law. Perhaps after they were captured they could be the first to-. His thoughts were cut off however by the sudden dramatic weight increase put upon his clothes. Falling too his knees he looked at his other followers who were having similar problems. He then noticed the color coming from the robed one. Oh... It's a reality warper, life suddenly got a bit more interesting.
As he struggled on one knee he was able to raise his hand, sending red lightning flying towards the robed figure.
Gawfy Saw the red Lighting coming toward Zen. He moved to shield him. But not before digging into his pokets and Launching out a handful of Steel pellets with his hand.OneHe said aloud. As he did so the lighting climbed through his sword and crawled all over Gawfy. He had only felt pain this intense once before in his life. Unwavering in his resolve he kept his stance. He gritted his teeth, It felt like every blood vessel was burning inside him. Two He counted as he looked the Mage in the eyes. Gawfy could feel the weight of the balls that left his hand, not all had hit their mark. Two lagged behind. they where only at the mage's casting hand when they should have been at to his body. The Mage and Gawfys eye contact was cut short when they reached his eyes. Three he counted At that range the mage could see them well. Their fuses where spent, and ready to explode.
Zen Was Struggling to his feet, Thankful that Gawfy was blocking the attack. Zen was in a similiar position to the now obvious caster, Hearing the counting as he threw what look like ball bearings. Zen could not help but laugh a bit as he knew a good rule to apply to the bombs, Incompatibility with magic. This should keep the Magus from trying to cast any counter-spells on the bombs (Or at least screwing up the intended effect). With a snap of Their fingers, the bombs inverted in color just as Gawfy finished counting to two. Zen Struggled to be Ready, having another spell ready to go, a personal teleport spell to get him out of their now heavy Robes, should allow Zen much easier movement if it calls for it.
Oh good, the armored one can take pain, lovely. Perhaps he needs a good whiff of fear or better yet a... Wait was he counting? The explosion knocked magus back, and he looked down at his chest. He registered that having blood leaking through his shirt probably wasn't a good sign. One of his followers had similar luck thankfully and Magus did what came naturally. Crawling over to the man he bit down on the unconscious mans face, taking a piece of cheek and swallowing. The effect was immediate as his eyes dilated and he got to his feet as if the weight was nothing.
"You two just made the worst mistakes of your lives." He said with a crimson smile before grabbing a knife from the man and hurling the now heavy object towards the armored merc.
The smoke was thick. Gawfy could hear the moans of those caught in the blast. Out of the smoke he heard some one speak. Then a knife came shooting out of the smoke. Catching Gawfy off guard he Swatted it out of the air with ease. Seems his sword still had its power. Gawfy switched arms. His sword was now his right hand and. His left and free, Save for the massive block gauntlet he had on.
That was a neat trick with the lightning. Gawfy said But you should know one thing if you are still breathing,There is only 1 thing stronger than pain, And that would be Rage. Gawfy didn't look it but Every fiber of his being wanted to rush that mage and Chop him to bits when he cast that stream. He kept near zen, sword in hand waiting for someone to come out of that smoke, And when they did they where in for Surprise.
Zen Took this moment, hearing that the assailant was still alive and making threats, to break Space and phase through his robe, which due to how light they normally would be seemed to be stiff and slowly begin to deflate. Zen was now in just the underclothes, Shirt and Pants. Still heavy, but not as much. Zen began to focus, waiting for the figure of the enemy to emerge from the smoke, waiting to change his most reliable rule, Flipping the chance of Spontaneous Combustion in a set area. to most it would be no difference then a fireball spell, but this version tends to be a bit more uncontrolled.
Rather then rushing into the smoke, Magus ran around the edge of the smoke. His brain now working at a million miles a minute, he went back in at a different angle. Seeing the reality warper with his back to him, he elbowed the back of the young man's head with intent to incapacitate him before he could wreak more havoc. No random mercs were going to turn his ambush back on him. His other hand waved in the general direction of the armored merc, shooting lightning indiscriminately more to stall then anything.
Gawfy watched as zen got Hit. He knew he couldn't take many more like that or he would be down for good. He saw the Red stream cast again. He knew what he had to do. Before this man Could Hit zen again he grabbed the hand that was casting the magic and gripped it with all of his might. This mage was much stronger now as Gawfy did not feel any bone crush when he gripped the hand. Gawfy and the mage where at close quarters and he wasn't escaping Gawfy's grip.The pain had hit him again. Gawfy's mind went white. He was fixated on one thing and that was Smashing this man who had attacked them. He proceeded too slam the man on the wall. He then followed up with a horizontal slash with his right hand.His hand was quicker than ever. With the added lightness of his Blocky gauntlet on his right hand.
Zen Waited for the figure to charge from the smoke and when he did not, Zen went on the defensive. Good thing as Zen braced for impact when he sensed something off, getting knocked down, but not out, from the elbow attack. That hit harder then planned. obviously this man is powered up by magic. New plan, change the magic of the area to be Incompatible. with a snap of his fingers, the pulse erupted and the magic of the reversed weight ended and hopefully caused the Man's own magical prowess to go at least haywire as the magic of the area essentially changed polarities. This did mean Zen did not have access to his magic and any magic Gawfy had would also be effected, but Gawfy seemed to be more of a man of muscle.
(OOC: it would be like trying to run a Wii game on the Xbox. would cause a lot of issues. does not mean magic is cut off, just not meant to be casted/wielded by those in the area)
Magus was rather surprised at the fight the armored man was putting up. He was even more surprised when he felt the wall against his back. No matter he could simply give him another dose of pain and he should go down. However red light merely sputtered from his hands. He had no time to contemplate what that meant as his forehead was cut open with a quick chop. Blood streamed down his face obscuring his vision.
The fight looked like it was swinging in the favor of the newcomers when suddenly a sharpening stone dropped from the window of the building Magus was pinned against and onto the armored one. Magus's followers were now moving into action as those who had been pinned down by Zens gravity trick were now moving on the reality warper, one swinging a mace at his head. As the stone impacted the helmet of the merc, Magus ducked under the man's arms and rushed into the front door of the grimy building.
The quite a few of the tenants looked out the doors of their abodes, clearly alarmed at the fight happening outside. Suddenly a wonderful idea crossed his mind.
"Anyone who kills the mercs will never pay tithe again!"
That got them moving very quickly.