In the dead of night a figure appears in the forest, looking with a careful eye all around itself discern from the shadows qnd silhouettes of the forest which were simple plants and animals,and which were the forests more (in)famous residents...
For this forest had the reputation of holding some of most peculiar of creatures wandering it for whatever reason they had and the figure had the intention of observing someone to see if something of interest happened.
But while he waited he gathered alchemy ingredients...a newt's eye, a few herbs here and there...the usual.
Malki had been sitting in silence for quite some time as he waited. Patience finally breaking he opened his eyes slowly and got up. Taking a look around at the quitey beauty around him he bowed in the four directions of the winds and mumble a quick thank you for the peace.
It had been a hard year for him and it was of some relief that he be in peace to reflect what had happened. Turning towards the small clearing form where he came from he froze and quickly moved back out of sight, behind a tree. Before him stood a man he had never seen. Fro. Mali's perspective he could not tell if the person in his clearing was friend or fore. Either way the person was blocking his pathway to his next journey.
Damn this is gonna be awkward gawfy thought, but if i don't ask for help im gonna be stuck here forever. "Hi there" gawfy stammered. "I've gotten a little lost think you could help me find my way around?" He asked the man
Malki jumped a bit not hearing the man coming behind him backing up a bit he calmed down quickly depends" he replied to the man with narrowed eyes
I was headed to connolith. He told the man with the civil war going on i thought i could make some coin, and after my second day of walking i ended up here, and i cant seem to find this place on any map. Do you know where we are? Gawfy asked
Malki nodded he knew the war well but elected not to tell the stranger "I know where we are, in a way" he said a bit cold. This man he did not know, he reminded Malki of his old friend , too trusting with people
"Why do you want to know?" He asked taking a few steps around
He handed the man his map I would like to know if you could pount out to me where we are
he asked then i can get moving again, i am really beind the warband i was travling with he admitted
Malki shook his head with a small smile, relaxing a bit "this is not on the map. It's a meeting place. A place where all can access . To me I only can enter here if the world wants me to be somewhere. There is always a new adventure that brings me here" Malki said sitting down on a log
I see He said looking at the ground Care for a wager then? he asked as he walked a few steps away You look like a mercenary and I think you know more about the civil war then you let on He stated How about a friendly spar to pass the time He said has he unhinged his sword Don't worry ill go easy with this Upon closer inspection the sword had a sharp and a dull side I win you show me out of here and tell me where the good contracts are he planted the sword in the ground And if you win ill work for you for a extended period. Sound fair? he bellowed with a laugh as we awaited a reply
Malki smile and stood up "if you wish. But I must say I am not exactly a mercenary but no matter. I will take your wager, do you wish to have any rules?"" He asked as he unsheathed the jet black blade and sighed as he looked it over. He had never lost with this blade, and well it was Hard for him in any case. It hurt him to use the blade and loose but he shrugged the thoughts off.
only one rule, no poisons And with that gawfy pulled his sword out of the ground and Turned it to its dull side and came at the man from the left side with an arcing blow I HOPE YOU ARE TOUGH BECAUSE ID HATE TO KILL YA He bellowed as the duel begain
He grinned a bit and swiftly blocked the oncoming blade. His goal in this due was to win the kill point but not to award or get any scratches or worse. He really did not want to show his healing side. People tended to not like his name. Or his blade. Pushing the man off of him he huffed as the weight rocked his body. "The fight ends with the kill point not the actual kill. Deal?" He said
Deal he said but Gawfy wondered, what kind of magic could that guard against his blade?
Gawfy wondered and backed off. This was a massive 2 handed sword and that man just blocked it
at this point Gawfy knew this wouldn't be an easy fight. This time he would come from the left and quake the ground by striking it He moved in and Struck the ground with all of his might
Malki grunted and jumped back keeping an eye on the ground . Frowning if ground attacks became worse he would be forced to change. But that would bring a side effect of the d act he can't use swords, even though the sword changed with him he would loose a lot. Such a heavy long sword could easily kill him by accident if he had to change, but nodding a fight is a fight. Deciding not to attack yet he pushed off of a tree attempting to keep himself in the air
Now now we cant have you dancing in the trees Gawfy said as he switched sword sides and swung at the tree Cutting it down just as the man jumped out of it Damn if i had a gold coin for every time i swung too slow He mumbled His back was now wide open as the man flew past him
SkidING on the ground Malki charged at the man's back. He assumed that it would be blocked but he would enjoy the practice . Malki was not the fastest swordsman but he prefers his lighter black blade over a heavy slow sword. There were advantages for both and disadvantages for both. Swinging his sword through the air he waited for contact of either metal or flesh
Gawfy knew he did not have time to block or swing, so he decided to take a gamble. He hugged his sword to add weight to his torso and when he heard Footsteps close he threw himself backwards hoping to knock himself into the charging man
Surprised that the man would try and run into his blade he shifted enough so that the tip would slide down along his back, if he had arnor on, well strong enough armor. Grunting from the force he hit the man with his shoulder and the harness of the armor zenith it he 'bounced off' a bit staggering backwards
Gawfy's gamble payed off he was prepared for the recoil of the man.As he collided with Gawfy he used the motion to move into a full body Arc with the blunt side of his blade. Gawfy got careless as he put more Force into it that his last strikes This Dude better block this or its gonna hurt! he thought
His training took into effect as he use his Stumble to roll back with the newly added weight. He tumbled back letting the heavy sword slide gracefully off his own blades in a snapping sound as he somersaulted. Grunting with a small amount of pain as his sh got clipped he continued with gritted teeth. This dude had power in everything he did.
Not half bad Gawfy admired his quickness I did not think you where going to dodge that , I Are you ready to give up yet? He asked the man
He chuckled darkly "I am just getting warmed up" he grunted as he swung his blade a bit and watched him with bated breath
Gawfy then took a running stance and charged the man, as he did he dragged the sword against the ground and flung it up launching dirt at the mans face
With a cought and a few blinks he barely got his sword up. He was still hesitant on using anything but his sword skills so he sighed and attacked himself just as he barely pushed the heavy blade off of him.
Surely this cant be all that you have Gawfy said You better not be pulling any punches Gawfy backed up If you need to switch weapons or got anything under your sleeve you would be wise to use it now. Ill even give you time to prepare Gawfy said as jumped away from the man
Hanging his head he sighed. Looking up he grimaced "I guess you will not be satisfied untill I show you a bit. I do not want to kill you, so pardon my blade if it wants more" he said a bit sadly.
Standing up straight he let go and got chills down his spine. It always happened when he stopped restating himself. Nothing physical changed but it got chilled, in the dark death way instead of temperature coldness. Looking at the man he nodded and sprang forward faster than he was before.
All Gawfy could do was lift his blade in front of him to block the incoming attack. With both hands on the blades handle a loud clang was make as the sword made contact with Gawfys. as the blade recoiled back gawfy instinctively put Almost all of his might swinging it faster than before but he knew it might not be enough and prepared for a counterattack
Malki adjusted quickly bringing his sword upwards as the force of his blade nocked his own away slightly. Using the momentum he thrust his sword up towards the neck forcing himself to stop and quickly recoil and take a heavy breath. He shook his head. Hurting or worse could happen if he kept going and he hated doing that
Reacting instinctively Gawfy let go of his sword to throw his hand in front of the blade piercing his left hand and pointed towards his neck as he did That was pretty good Gawfy said as he holstered his own sword Ill take that loss He grimaced as he pulled the sword from his hand That isnt any ordinary sword after that clash anyother would have been split or at the least crackedhe stated
He nodded and suddenly grimaced and coughed up some blood. Some side effects, sometimes they were worse, he was just glad it was light. Sheathing his sword he saw the blood on the man and his eyes widened. Grabbing his small pack he ignored the pain in his chest and brought out his emergency medical supplies. He was never the one to heal with magical abilities but he could still treat the wounded. And knowing that it could have been worse made him wince slightly. "It was not a good win. You are right it is not a normal blade. Most fear it. I even do not like it." He said softly making sure to not accelerate the side effects
Gawfy then Sat down and grabbed a whet stone from his rucksack and started sharpening the dull side of his blade. If i knew you where not all human i would have played a little rougher Gawfy said as he sharpened his blade further I also never got your name he said warmly as he handed the man some water from his bag
"not all human correct but that side of me would have been you killing me at one hit " he said " this blade came to me. That is what is the game changer" he said sitting down cross legged taking steady deep breaths
Gawfy leaned over Are you okay? He asked I only nicked you once and you coughed blood back there he put the water at the mans feet and grabbed some bandages from his first aid box lying on the ground You don't mind do you he started bandaging his left hand The name is gawfy by the way don't know if i said it earlier he put out his now bandaged hand for a handshake
He chuckled and shook his head "I must warn you though if you wrap your hand badly I will re do it" he said taking the hand "And I am Malki. It is a pleasure to meet you. " He said. Nodding. Looking over to the spot of blood he shrugged a bit "yes I will be fine. I told you before my blade is thirsty, but unfortunately my body disagrees with what the blade drinks." He said with a grimace "it is a strange blade once I finish."
Gawfy finished sharping the other side of the sword, sighed and laid back. So where do we go now Boss He said There are places to go, dragons to slay, and coin to be earned
He chuckled " you do not have to follow me but I was going to be on my way to wherever I end up at. I will help you find your company and there I will leave you. " He said "there is not many warriors enjoy my presence." He said getting up "but do give me a few moments to flush out these side effects " he said
No Gawfy said firmly then stood over Malki you earned by blade and you are gonna use it And to tell you the truth i have nothing but disdain For the folks i was traveling with, they only used my big stature and my large blade to intimidate honest folks He said And some one to watch over you when you go ....berserk could prove invaluable he added
He shrugged "if you wish then you do this on your own accord, I will not have any power over you. I respect you blade, you wild it well" he said with a small smile. Looking around to make sure no one else was around he turned to Grawfy "I will show you my 'not totally human' side for both of our sakes. Then we will find a path out of this place" he said with a small strech of the arms
He took a step back with his arms crossed Its Gawfy like coffee with a G he said making a swirling notion with his finger He then got his crossbow and holstered it on his hip Lets see it then He said expectantly
Nodding he jumped up smoothly shifting into a Raven with sleek black feathers and glittering claws. Taking a long path around the edge of the clearing he landed on Grafys shoulder looking at him silently
Huh He said I Definetly did not expect that Gawfy eyed the raven up and down Can you still talk in this form he asked the bird
"yeah I can talk. Just don't talk much in general" he said sitting on his shoulder looking at him with his black eyes. Chuckling softly to himself he jumped off, reverting back, cracking his neck with a series of satisfying pops
I'm glad i did not go crazy on you when i saw you "change" when we where sparring He said with a sigh Last time Someone I fought said something about changing he turned into a wolf He held up his sword That's why this side is so dull, those wolves don't give up easily He said staring at all of the indentations and dents still in the left side of his blade
He nodded "why do think I did not change? You would kill me with one swing probably " he said with a shrug "come on I think I know of a place where we can eat " he said picking up his pack, back to normal
Gawfy sheathed his sword and grabbed his bag I haven't had a decent meal in days Gawfy bellowed as he laughed following Malki
Walking forward he looked around carefully and moved gracefully through the undergrowth. Looking back every once in a while to make sure Grawfy was there.
So where is this place? Gawfy asked And how expensive will it be?
"no expense at all. Just a little further from here" he stated softly as they exited the clearing. He did not know why or how but every time he came this way he found meals. Breaking out of the tree line there sat the old wooden bench and table with two steaming meals set down freshly.
Excellent! Gawfy ran over to the table This looks nice, did you make these yourself? gawfy sat his things down near the bench were did you learn to cook like this?[/b as asked Malki
"I don't make this. It is here every time I come. I believe I know who it is but I do not question it." He said and began to eat. A small smile touched his lips. A new recipe.
Gawfy sad down and prodded at the food how do you know its safe to eat, i mean anyone could have put something in it with it lying around like it is Gawfy had to be weary, He did kill humans things for a living after all
He shrugged " this is a peaceful place. Not much blood is spilled here. " He said vaguely as he finished his food and stretched a bit feeling much better
Gawfy sighed and started eating So where are you from anyway? You look awfully young, but you must have had years of practice with that sword He asked malki
" no where and everywhere. " He said leaning back " as far as I could remember I did not have a home. I know that I was taken care of but by whom I don't know. "He said. He did not like to talk about the long past. " I am fairly young i suppose. But I grew up with the sword. I remember starting to walk and run with this thing by my side."
Gawfy saw he was uncomfortable talking about the past Well is there anything you would like to ask me? He said as he pored himself a glass of water Ill have you know im Very interesting Gawfy bellowed as he started laughing
He chuckled " I was wondering how you manage to lift such a weapon. Is it that you are not fully human either?" He asked watching him
Im pretty sure i'm all human, But i've never taken a test or anything like that he chuckled In my youth i picked it up and started swinging and haven't stopped since Gawfy thought how much his father would berate him for letting the sword get all beat upI found its generally the only weapon effective against bigger beasts, you can strike most beasts with a short sword all day long and they would heal through it, I guess i'm lucky in that regard because my weapon excels at breaking bone and internal injuries, But at the same time its hard to fight quick opponents like yourself seeing as how its easily avoidable He said to Malki
He nodded "pick your battles carefully" he said "do you have any family? Wife? Kids" he asked curiously
No wife, no kids and One parent He said bluntly My father was the one who made my armor and my sword, though he is old now and don't think he could make another like this one he said holding his sword in the air for a moment before putting it back. Hate to have kids just to die on some god forsaken battlefield. He added And its more like my battles choose me, most of the times ive had to fight beastmen ive wandered into settlement disputes with werewolves or stumbling upon a dragons nest He said before finishing his meal
He nodded he could relate some. No wife, did not want kids. Shrugged "I don't know if I would want a wife. My life is to travel, and protect. To serve others." He said with a sigh " you have a good parent if they made you such great tools." He said scanning over Grafy
Just my father, My mother died before i got to know herHe said plainly I was told that she was a hunter of sorts and made good money doing it Gawfy kicked his feet on the table and started looking at the sky
He nodded again. It would make sense, in this world there were very few who did not fight something, or for someone. Tipping his own head to the sky he remained silent. He watched the few clouds pass overhead
Gawfy remained silent, Sitting here looking at the sky, He had not known this kind of peace for many years. He was too used to wailes of dying allies or gurgled cries of enemy troops. Gawfy felt like he could sit and watch the clouds forever.
Malki smiled and got up silently to pick some flowers that were growing near by. He did not get the chance to get them very often so restocking his supply was wonderful
Gawfy then sprang back to life as he lost balance in the bench and fell backwards and hit his head on the handle of his blade. Getting up gawfy felt his left hand sting as he used it to catch himself. Looking at the hole in his gauntlets he thought to himself " swinging that sword around is gonna be hard with one hand and and painful with 2"
Malki looked up at the noise" you ok?" He asked worried a bit. Standing up he put the flowers in his pack and walked over to Grawfy. Taking his hand he inspected it and sighed a bit sadly "this is a harsh wound. " He muttered to himself
Maybe Gawfy as he examined it closer The bone was pierced. I dont think this is gonna heal anytime soon He said as he tried to move his fingers I guess i get to add another scar to my collection He snickered
"do you mind?" Malki asked gesturing to Grawfys hand as he pulled out dried plants and a bowl . He looked day the would frowning.
Gawfy nodded and found a thick branch of wood to bite down on. This is gonna hurt He thought
gently wiggling off the hunk of metal on Grawf's hand he took the bandages and slowly and carefully prodded them down into his hand. Making to plug the hole and wrapping it up in the thicker gauze.
"We will have to change it every few hours for the next few days. Or hopefully less than that. Maybe I can find whitebone to freeze part of it." Malki grumbled.
You think so Gawfy said as he spit out the wood. This wouldn't be the first time i've stopped something with my hand, id be able to buy some ale if i got a gold every time i stopped a crossbow bolt with my hand. Gawfy said as Malki finished, Who is whitebone? He asked
He nodded "yes." He said simply and then move over to clean his hands "ah, Whitebone is an old friend. He helps time to time but it's a hit or miss if I can actually find him"
So im guessing he is a white mage? Gawfy said as he put his gauntlet back on. Thanks for that. So where should we go now? You got any business to take care of Gawfy asked. He was antsy to show Malki What he could do when he wasn't pulling any punches
He chuckled at his comment " I would not call him a white mage...long story" he said standing up " I have nowhere particular to be but it is always fun to scour the shorelines of serendipity" he said shrugging looking around " we could do that and we can probably find a good place to rest and bath and eat. " Malki continued as he looked northwards
Well what are we waiting for Gawfy said as he sprung up. But how exactly do we get to the coast of serendipity? Gawfy asked as he still did not understand the mechanics of the realm he was in. And you Do wanna hit up a bounty board or 2? Gawfy asked again, He was brimming with energy.
Malki looked over his shoulder as he started to walk away "no need, as of yet Don't worry" HE said and nodded "And we will go this way, youll find yourself on the coast soon"