Atharen, A Fantasy Roleplay Forum

☠ The wind graced my skin as I paced around the poor soul so unfortunate to be my next victim. My crystal blue eyes peered into the open sky as I waited for my target to awaken, birds chirping amidst the forest I found myself secluded in. It was a simple consultation, catch a mercenary with a rather nasty reputation within the city before he returns home, and kill him. It was a normal procedure for me that was for sure, even if I was doing this out of a sense of malice.

I had treated a local barmaid who unfortunately lost her child at the hand of this man. I couldnt help but sympathize with her, being highly sympathetic and empathic to a mother losing her child. Being the man that I was, it was evident from the bruises that still remained on her body, I had no choice but to cure this man of his own mortal disease.

The sounds of metal scraping against metal seemed to rouse the unconscious male from his sleep, a loud groan coming from the man's lips as he awoke. I greeted this wretch with the tip of my new sword, Nevermore, to his throat. We were in the forest near my home, close enough to where I could easily get home, and far enough to hide the body out in the woods. He would find I had tied him to a tree.

"Do you know why you have ended up in this situation?" I asked, the cold steel of my sword tracing his bare chest as I circled the man. He was having a hard time coming to grips with his situation, the panic setting in rather nicely. That was the best thing to me, watching as fear of one's mortality is threatened.

He was stammering to speak, but I pressed the tip of my sword against his lips, shushing him. "No need to strain your brain on it, I'll tell you. You see rumor has it that you got a pretty little barmaid pregnant. This young lady was rather excited to be a mother, but you had other plans."

My eyes bore into the man with utter disdain, as I found him to be utter shit. "Granted I have plans for you as well." A wicked grin on my face, as I pointed to the open grave I had dug while he slept. I couldnt help but slice him across his chest, a cry of pain as the steel cut across his flesh. It was like removing an infected mass from a patient, or in recent days, amputation of a limb but smoother.

In any case, I had to move things along, as I was expected elsewhere. And so my fun began. A devilish smirk widened at the thought of how I was going to dishing out this disrespectful heathen's death. Giggling I circled the man as he struggled against his restraints, futile in the effort but amusing to watch nonetheless.

Once he was at the realization of his predicament, I licked the edge of my blade and got to work. The edge of my sword sank its fang into his flesh. I stabbed the poor wretch several times in several places. His screams sent chills up my spine, causing me to shudder a bit as I twisted Nevermore deeper into his flesh.

His blood poured like a river from each wound, a beautiful crimson, a shame it came from such a reviled man. "I'm going to have to show some restraint, otherwise you may bleed to death." granted I didnt want him to die too quickly. What I found to be interesting during this however is that he never spoke a word, only screamed.

Two more slashes came from my blade, one across his right forearm leaving a deep gash, and another across his left pectoral. Those wounds bled profusely as well. Some time had past and he could see the man was close to expiring, signs indicating blood loss.

Leaning down to look the man in his face, I lifted it with and tilted his head. "Do you feel any remorse for actions? If you have anything to say before I finish you off, now would be the time." I asked, squeezing his face a bit before slapping it a bit. The man said nothing, only spat on my face. One could say that I am amused, but I wasnt, and in a reactive motion, I prematurely decapitated him.

"Shit" I whispered, grabbing the scabbard to the blade and proceeded to dump his body in the shallow grave and cover it. I still had enough time to go home, clean up, and change. Once I was done, I headed to where the letter said to meet Fayeth. I was excited, still riding the high of my morning kill, as I made my way to the rendevous spot.

As I neared, I could hear the sounds of training, as it became clear to me where I was going. Voices in the distance, my eyes fell onto a familiar face. Her face was unforgettable to me, and a smile fixed onto my face as I approached. Waving I wrangled the rogue strands of hair billowing in my face as I was finally within arm's length of her.

"It's rather nice to see you again Lady Fayeth. I must say I was rather surprised to receive your letter, but I'm even more eager to see how my patient is fairing after his surgery." I informed, the sounds of training echoing just beyond where they stood. As a doctor, I was delighted to see how young Arkash was doing with losing a limb.

"I take it Arkash is here?" ☠

☠ A sense of pride began to well up inside me as she spoke of Arkash's recovery. It was good news to my ears, as I had been meaning to check in on him after patching him up. It seemed that they were still using the barn from the last time as a place of refuge for him. It meant that the poor lad had to hide as long as the man he offended was still alive.

I would make a note to inquire as to who this person was in order to rid the rathari of this burden. It was also nice to hear they were appreciative of my help, as most folks would simply come to me to be treated and be on their mary way. It was nice to have one's skills noticed.

As we neared the door of the barn, the crimson eyed elf made a comment that caught my attention, and for a moment, I tensed, realizing she was talking about the man I had killed earlier. She seemed to have the insight of a cunning huntress, she could smell the faint traces of blood.

She was amazing to me, a like mind and soul, and the aura of allure and danger made me far more fascinated with her, with the dynamic between her and the large Avialae. "Not so much a hunt, but merely treating a patient with a mortal disease. I only regret not having the time to give him my doctorial touch." I mused, following behind the pale elven woman.

There I saw the Argent knight, and on the floor, was Arkash, and I couldnt help the large smile on my face, seeing him up and active. I nodded to Asmodei, acknowledging his greeting, as it was nice to see the Stoic knight in high spirits. My eyes however settled on the Lizard Rathari, visually assessing his recovery. He didnt seem to be encumbered by the missing limb, training of all things. The doctor in me wished he didnt push himself too hard, but I guess it couldnt be helped.

"That's wonderful to hear, though I suppose Rathari heal faster than humans do. To be honest you were the first Rathari I've ever examined or operated on." I noted, approaching the young lizard to inspect him closely. His wounds seemed to be healing nicely, which was remarkable if I said so myself. I was fascinated really, losing myself in analyzing his form, seeing how my handy work was holding up to his healing.

"I only wished I could have saved your arm Arkash, but given the condition you were in it had to go, so forgive me for that. Overall, however, you are indeed healing well, exceeding the expectations I had, and providing me with some key research data. Tell me do you ache anywhere?" I inquired, forgetting I wasnt at the clinic, even more so when Asmodei asked his next question.

My hand rested on the hilt of Pathogen, as It was the first true sword I owned. "To be honest, the necromancer's carving hook is the only blade I'm used to handling, though I guess one could say a sword is like a large scalpal and I think I'm rather skilled with that at least." i mused, tapping my chin a bit as i pondered.

"In any case, I could say I dabble, my father used to make me practice as a child. He believed a doctor should be able to defend himself and patients in times of conflict should the need arise. I'm no knight of course." I added.

When asked to assist in Arkash's training I had to say I was shocked, but not surprised. Seeing the way Arkash protested forced a chuckle from me, and I nodded in agreement. Looking around I spotted a stick that was long enough to simulate a sword, and placing Pathogen down, I stood ready in front of Arkash.

"Do not be alarmed Arkash, I wont inflict you harm. Show me what all you've learned so far." ☠

☠ It was just as I expected, his moves were telegraphed, he left himself wide open for counters, and he overextended his reach with such a little blade. I easily found his dagger stick with his own, tapping it away as I stepped to the side. Watching his body go by I tapped his head with my sword stick.

"You have heart, but you unfortunately give away your moves before you employ them." I advised, scratching my scalp as I turned to face him. "You have to use that amazing speed of yours to your advantage Arkash. Make your enemy overextend themselves, and strike at their exposed flanks. Your weapon is more suited for close strikes."

There was one more thing that I had noticed as he moved. "One more thing, dont hold back against me. If what I was told about you is true, you need to fight as if it's your last battle." I didnt notice it, but my facial expression changed as I continued.

"You are a predator and you must fight as one." I said, realizing I was giving off my murderous intent, and relaxed with a breath. "Now come, try once again." I said, tapping the floor as I awaiting his charge.

I will say that Asmodie training was effective, Arkash was moving far better than I had expected. But I think that Arkash's combative training should be more tailored to his build. He was small and fast, unbelievably fast, and he had the instinct of a predator......deep down I thought. It would be interesting to see how this would go.

☠

☠ I hardly wanted to add more bruises to the poor boy, but maybe the pale elf had a point. I'm sure I couldnt be any more brutal than Asmodei was in his training. It seemed maybe the pain was the best instructor. I couldnt really explain what happened next, all I could say was that my instinct took over. My conditioning in order to kill seemed to activate when he came behind me.

One moment, I saw him coming to my back, the next thing I know I had disarmed him and had his neck in my grip with my sword-stick jabbing into his chest, my eyes glaring into Arkash's one good eye. "If you value your life, never come behind me again." I hissed, the tone of my voice filled to the brim with malcontent.

In the split second, I couldnt believe I allowed my murderous instincts to get the better of me. Immediately I let him go, recoiling from the rathari, quickly regaining my composure. "Forgive me Arkash, I have a thing about people being behind me."

I picked up his stick and handed it back to him. Seeing one just like it, albeit a little longer, I picked it up and got into a fighting position. "You have initiative, but let's see how you react when your prey becomes the predator."

With a plan now in mind, as a novice swordsman, I did what I could to make this training session effective. Gripping the large dagger stick and my sword, I used the shorter one to allow myself room to move in, my sword jutting up at an angle to catch Arkash in the throat. I knew that if Arkash recovery was going as good as Fayeth & Asmodei say, and as he has shown, he would no doubt be able to avoid damage and attack back.

I unloaded a torrent of attacks, unrefined, though still impressive for a novice such as myself, upon Arkash. I was going to give him the impression that I was going to kill Arkash. I was also curious about how Arkash would handle such a confrontation. ☠

☠ It seemed I had struck a nerve with the young Rathari, the way he looked at me just before our engagement was the look of someone who held quite the grudge. The question I had was who was this grudge with, me or humans in general. Part of me was still feeling bad for doing what I did to the poor guy.

I was supposed to be the good doctor that helped heal him in his dire situation, I couldnt break that facade no matter what, but what was done was done and there was no going back to fix it. I knew that much at least.

As we clashed sticks I was hoping to end it in one fell swoop, a flurry of strikes that would ultimately force Arkash to submit and concede the match, but the little lizardman surprised me, even more so than he could have imagined. I never took into account his tail, as it came to swipe at the back of my leg, the immediate reaction being for me to buckle.

I suppose I deserved what came next, as Arkash sank his fangs into my arm, and I couldnt help my yell. The pain of it was unbearable and unexpected. But it was what came next that made this experience worthwhile. When the Rathari was removed from my arm, I immediately ripped some of my shirt in order to stop the bleeding but it wasnt happening. For some reason it wouldn't stop bleeding, my platelets were not clotting, and my initial thought was maybe it was bacteria.

No bacteria doesn't react like that, so it had to be.........venom! Ripping another piece of my shirt I quickly cut the blood flow in my forearm. I had to catch my breath, I was becoming lightheaded, must be an effect from the endless loss of blood. I had to keep from going into shock.

"I see, this is rather interesting.......and could be rather useful to me." I noted, looking to Arkash, my eyes filled with curiosity. "Tell me Arkash, what kind of lizard are you? Are you aware of the species of lizard? You have poisonous saliva, and I wish to learn more and apply it to my trades."

I was delighted, regaining my composure as I moved to where he was. If he looked in my eyes he would see the fascination in them, the genuine curiosity I held for his venom, and what amazing things I could apply it to. ☠