Beautiful Dreams, Stormy Nightmares

[Hyacinthus]

"I don't trust it."

"You are wise not to."

"...Wait, what?"

Jadenshire's various marketplaces were a notably consistent prowling grounds for both the thrifty and wealthy; It was a commonplace for merchants and money-movers from all across the lands to see at least once. Very little couldn't be found here, at the heart of Serendipity, the melting pot of Le'Raana; From the finest enchanted weapons and armor to the most deft of magical missives, from alchemical miracles to potent rat poisons. Merchants abound; Truly, it could not be stated enough, that very little could not be found here. Little of material form, at least.

"You are wise to doubt. Doubt is the iron wall of the heart; The defense we build, brick by brick, against the wicked and unrighteous. It is the sword we hold closest to our bodies when faced against insurmountable opposition, or alongside unrealistic allies. Doubt protects you from all that would harm you... But I have offered you no harm. No trickery, no deception. What I offer, I do so only at the price of your patronage."

Deep within the marketplace, resting at an inconspicuous table near the riverside, a large, robust man, likely well into his 50s, sat opposite a boy. The boy's age was questionable; the majority of his appearance obscured by an alluring, purple-hooded longcoat. What little could be seen of him, in the shadow of his robes, were sterling locks of silver; an uncommon color in the lands of Serendipity, though not all too shocking. Perhaps more striking, however, for one who took a much closer look at him, was the color of his eyes... crimson red, alight with a carnivorous, enticing magic which could swallow one's soul whole were they not careful enough to keep their distance. He was small, and by no means physically imposing... and yet the large man shifted uncomfortably in his seat, positive that, even though it made no sense, the boy's presence alone somehow towered over him.

"I ask only this. Let us make a deal. Wealth, prosperity, power. The future of your beautiful daughter, Filianna's children, secured. The status of nobility. The strength to protect all that is yours, or to take back your own fate... For a small price." Slowly, the boy outstretched a single hand; A peace offering, a handshake... a confirmation of contract. Sweat dripped from the heavy-set man's brow as the gravity of the situation weighed harder still upon him. "He who has not, shall gain... and he who has, shall not take. Suffering produces success... Won't you make a deal with me?" The boy asked... wait. Did... did the boy ask? The man's eyes widened further in fear as, in that moment, his instincts rang clear; Just now, that voice-- no, the entire time, that voice... was inside his head.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! N-NOOOOO!!!" The sudden ruckus startled the nearby merchants and shoppers alike; Even the boy, jolted by the outburst, was taken aback as the large man suddenly leapt from his seat at the table-- tripping over himself and scrambling back to his feet as fast as he could to put as much distance between himself and the admittedly lost and confused-looking boy as he could. Kuo reached out after him, wanting to call out, but held himself back-- the gaze of several patrons on him and the bigger man. He didn't want to make anymore of a ruckus... He never even wanted to make that much of a commotion. Somewhat embarrassed, the boy stood from his seat, politely tucking it away at the table he'd been sitting at, before quietly bowing in apology to all the onlookers who'd been startled by the man's actions. It took a few moments, but before long, everyone returned to their own doings-- Kuo, meanwhile, simply sighed in both relief and defeat as he moved from the table, and closer towards the riverside, needing some time to think on what had just happened.

"...Did I come on too strong?" He murmured to himself, not as frustrated as he was concerned about the consequences of his actions. "The adventurer-types are normally so much easier to deal with... and equally as elusive when you look for them."

A truer statement was rarely ever spoken; Truer still was it that often times, adventurers turned up most consistently when they were least expected...

[visualspice]

OOC: Mature tag because BLOOD AND DEATH

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The luckless bandits of Riverbend had been wiped from existence. Blood and ash stained all manner of their strong hold- a series of small shacks and tree houses in the marshy river valleys, far enough away from the bustle of the city, but close enough to benefit from raiding those traveling for trade. They had been a thorn in the province of Jadenshine's side for quite some time-
But only recently, hers.

Valeska Horst had been making a name for herself, a dangerous myth that by no means did her injustice. Though she reveled in hearing the famed bards sing of her sins and the blood of her fallen, she was still itching-
Itching, itching, always itching...
For revenge.

She left the Riverbend Bandits to simply rot, blood stained sword in it's scabbard and tall boots leading the way down the drought thirsted river. The rains had not been plentiful as they usually were this time of year, and the river was low enough it barely came to her knees when she walked, and walked this way she did for a time- hair still a wild mess from the brief storm of agony and death she had caused, hands still deeply stained with blood, and her eye, still simmering from the insatiable rage that still hungered in the aftermath.

She was walking with a purpose, letting her intuition guide her towards her lost and wayward weapon-
The deadly Stormchaser. She didn't always use her favorite little weapon, infact she rather have reveled in feeling the hot blood dribble down from her blade as she would slice her enemies clean open and basked in the fading form of their pathetic life. It was thrilling, to feel one's heart beat so fast and then- fading.. fading.. and then eternally...
nothing.

Stormchaser was a pet really, a rounded, wicked chakram type weapon that found it's prey with deadly precision. She had set it after the man who dared run from her- the egotistical leader who would rather run with his tail between his legs than fight alongside his men as they suffered beneath the wrath of a electrically lethal warrior-
The mistress of maelstroms.. the deadly Lady of the Storms.

The man ran fast, she had to give him credit, and somehow, ironically, was still choking on the last bits of his life when she approached him. Her eyes, still wild from the fight, glittered as they caught the late day sun. She stopped only when she was upon the man's gurgling form, his rat-like hair plastered now to his head as he was clutching onto where the weapon cemented itself against his throat. It seemed.. somehow, the blade didn't directly sink into it's prey as it always had done- no, the man's bracers seemed to have stopped it- but in his attempts to shield his throat from the hit, got himself frozen in that mere position, arm trembling as it was a useless battle, for his life was surely forfeit.

Valeska watched with interest as the man stirred at her form, trying to move but gurgle as he did so, causing more blood to errupt from his lips and from his neck, fresh streams joining it down from his wrists. She titled her head, curious.. wild.. and moved forward to yank stormchaser from his dying form. The bandit leader fell to the ground in a heap, the gasp suffocating him on his own blood as he scrambled to paw and press wildly at the massive wound now erupting with blood anew on his throat.

Her eyes still glittered, watching him struggle, move and then twist to her, hand out, extending, eyes pleading and then- with a few chokes and sobs of breath, his body went still- eyes wide and glossy as glass.

She didn't bother to clean stormchaser as she latched it to her waist, and simply turned from him and waded through the bloody, marshy waters and decided to follow it down stream to wherever it may lead.

[Hyacinthus]

As Kuo calmed himself and cooled down by the riverside, the skies began to darken. The lofty white clouds above, few and far between as they were on this fine mid-day, were suddenly tinted red-- the color of blood. A singular drop at first, then another, and another still-- before long, a right proper rain had begun to pour over Jadenshire. It was... hot. Warm, as if pulsing with life, this rain. Kuo, eyebrow raised, extended a single hand to catch a few drops within it, only to find that it was not water falling from above, but blood. Hot, sticky blood, freshly spilled from the corpses of those foolish enough to stand in the path of a hurricane of death and torment.

The river soon turned red as well; The banks soaked with blood, the influx of life to the waters that split Serendipity causing the calm stream to become a harsh and chaotic flow of blood-rain water; One which grew higher and higher with each passing moment, before eventually raging so harshly that it overtook the riverbank-- then the riverside-- and before long, all of Jadenshire's marketplace was consumed by the ocean of blood which had washed away all semblance of normality and drowned the lands inhabitants in storm of chaos beneath the storm-shadowed blackened-red sun above.

And then Kuo blinked, and it was all gone. A smile graced his face as he began to slowly, yet carefully look about; eyes seeking something only he could understand. "Fascinating," He noted to himself, seemingly unfazed by the vision he'd just seen. "Such potent dreams. Nightmares? No... far too calm... Desires? Or perhaps... simply perception." Eventually the distinct murmurings of other folk near the river regarding an incoming presence led Kuo's eyes towards the figure wading through the waters leading through Jadenshire... and as his gaze landed on her proper, he nodded in confirmation. Yes, that was definitely the one; The source of the overbearingly strong desires he'd felt just now.

A storm of blood rained over her; He didn't need to read her heart, or tap into her dreams to see that. She stank of death; Kuo could smell it from his higher perch along the riverside, though his nose still struggled to grow accustomed to all the different smells outside of the ziggurat he not too long ago called home. His crimson eye focused on her all the more, the closer she came to passing him; And as she ultimately reached him, aware or not of his constant stare, he finally decided to speak up.

"In theory, if you stayed in one place, it would make it easier for him to find you. He 'is' looking for you, after all; And certainly, the two of you would definitely meet again if one of you stopped chasing the other. Then you likely would be able to settle the score with him... Or dying trying. Perhaps that's your end goal, though... Which, if so, is very saddening." He could've been talking to anyone; He could've been randomly ranting to himself, even. But the words he spoke were from the heart; Not his of course, but that of his newest prospect. He was fairly good at getting the attention of his prospects, due to his unique powers; Unfortunately, he was not to good at subtlety, as he was still somewhat used to his people coming to him with honesty and open-heartedness of their desires. The people outside of Escher, by comparison, could be so very... unnecessarily confrontational.

[visualspice]

There was no others to speak, and Valeska would be no fool to ignore even the plainest of men- that of which he was not. Her eye shot wildly to his direction, haunting her progress as she studied the peculiar man at the bank of the river.


She titled her head curiously, saying nothing, but felt an itch at the end of her fingers as her blonde hair danced suddenly as are pointed one electrically charged finger in his direction and releases a small bolt at his feet.

[Hyacinthus]

"Ah--" Kuo's eyes widened, but otherwise he did not have time enough to move as a bolt of lightning shot straight towards him, zapping the ground just short of where he stood. Thankfully, it landed right between his feet; Leaving a smolder behind, but otherwise not bringing harm to the young man as he looked down at his shoes, and then to his 'attacker' with a smile. "Apologies... that may have been rather presumptuous on my part, prying into your personal affairs like that. But when a dream so vivid as yours reveals itself to me, I can't help but be curious." He explained, his tone calm and inviting, his posture quite open as he gestured to the warrior wading through the waters ahead.

"Ah, but I should at least introduce myself. I am called Kuo; A humble merchant, at your service. I deal in many things-- Some tangible, some... not-so-much. Weapons and armor of peerless quality, spells and incantations capable of bringing dragons to bow. All manner of miscellany. Information tends to be rather popular these days, as well. Fame, too, is also quite common." With a smile on his face and an outstretched hand, Kuo welcomed the woman as if she were entering his (non-existent) shop, somehow. "I'm... admittedly eager to do business with someone like you-- So very passionate and driven by ambition as I can tell that you are. Surely, it wouldn't hurt to see what I have to offer...?"

He was probably coming on strong again-- a bad habit of his, surely, but he couldn't quite help it. He was excited; Excited to encounter such potent dreams. Perhaps it wasn't even he himself that so desperately wanted this-- perhaps it was the power that inhabited him that so greatly desired it. Either way, Kuo wanted very much to make this woman's acquaintance-- And patronage, besides.

[visualspice]

As the ground singed into dying whisps of smoke, her lips curled, intrigued. She lowered her hand once he was finished speaking and stalked towards him, movement like the predator that she was. She began to circle around him,  her one eye taking in his unusual appearance and attire.

Then she drew out a knife, its metal dulled with recent blood stains as she rested it near his throat. Her smile and voice were clipped, saying , "Okay, talk."

[Hyacinthus]

Kuo's smile seemed tempered onto his face now, as he watched the warrior-woman encircle him, as if she were inspecting a piece of meat. He wasn't entirely sure how to feel; Typically, in his negotiations, he wasn't normally threatened until after he'd begun to talk pricing; something that, in itself, took some getting used to. The people of Escher were far more accepting of his offers and typically didn't question his motives or offers— they understood, after all, that said desires were there own, made manifest. The rest of Le'Raana, however... was not quite so easy to convinced... A trait that intrigued him.

The rest of the riverside passersby, however, were much less receptive of the spellblade's antics, and between the lightning bolt and the bloodstained blade she now brandished against the innocent young man, most had all but cleared out of the area in fear. A shame. "So much potential business, gone. How unfortunate..." Kuo couldn't help but lament, despite his situation. Alas, he had a potential customer in front of him, and needed to conduct himself as such. Unable to move his neck much without being cut, he continued. "As I mentioned before, I specialize in providing exactly what people desire— for a price, of course. However, I limit my sales to exactly what any one person wants most-- I find that folks who mindlessly buy things in the pursuit of fulfillment never actually end up fulfilled. It's only when one's heart's truest desire is obtained that they can find fulfillment-- and true fulfilment tends to be worth any price." He explained, absentmindedly playing with a gold coin in his right hand. It was a strange coin— not trader's good, for sure. Or perhaps... minted by an unknown press...?

"So— Why don't we start with yourself, on that note? Tell me... whence lies true happiness for you? Would it truly be found in the death of that man you so often dream about? Or perhaps... something else?" He asked, his eyes glowing once more.

[visualspice]

Valeska kept the blade at his throat during his while speech, pressing the blade in only slightly at the mention of him.

But then she drew the blade away, her eyes dancing, the milky eye seeming to brew with a storm within its socket as a tickle of lightning curled and bounced around her other hand.

Then she flashed him her teeth.
"Happiness doesn't exist. The world is simply here for pain and torment." She eyed the man predetorily before stepping forward and placing the blade against the front of his crotch.

"And the man you speak of.." the blade threatened to cut into his pants, light hisses of electricity hissed and danced over the blades surface and lightly bit down the clothe of his pants. "He's as good as dead to me already."