38th of Ash, 120
"You did it, all six of them right there, look-" Kahl spoke while he loomed over the beaten, bloody rathari. Arkash could barely move through the blurred haze of numbness and pain, but the chorus of cheers that rang around him kept him conscious. "Welcome to the Sawteeth, Arkash."
But that was two days ago. Since then? Arkash had stayed at their headquarters with a temporary dorm to himself, his own bed, and the help of a doctor that had come to visit sometime in the week. Arkash stared at the ceiling and breathed deeply. Every raise of his lungs saw his nerves light up with pain, but he was breathing normally again. It still hurt to swallow, and his back was in pieces, but he could make full breaths, just not through his nose. The length of his muzzle had been beaten in a way that ensured he bled from his nostrils for hours after the fight, and it remained clogged.
Even so, Arkash had been beaten and broken worse than that in the past. And the last time, he'd had to put himself back together without the aid of a doctor; he'd make a full recovery, he was sure. So, Arkash pressed into his bedding with his one arm and sat up to look over his room. The bed was nothing fancy, just some bundled hay and blankets, neither was the frame. But, he had a hefty-looking lockbox to store his things, a small table, a chair, and some sort of stand which Arkash could only imagine he could rest his weapons on. The walls were raw-cut stone, and the floors were wooden planks with a small rug in the center. To the left wall was the door that led to the main hall, as well as other rooms.
With a sigh, Arkash lowered his gaze to the blankets that covered him, then pulled them off with the use of his one arm to reveal his freshly-stitched legs. His wounds had reopened in the initiation and required stitches, which the good doctor was kind enough to provide. His head still ached and throbbed as he turned to face the left, but the majority of his concussion had quelled.
With his teeth bared, Arkash turned his body to ease his raw legs off the edge of the bed, then pressed his caws to the ground with building firmness. Once he'd fully tested the strain they could take, he pressed into his hand to help himself off the mattress. his legs shook, and his back shot with rampant pain, but he successfully stood and gripped the bed frame as he stumbled to the door. A turn of the handle saw him push through into the main hall, where he stayed for a moment and straightened his back.
A deep breath saw him bare his teeth, then jitter raggedly as he encountered tension before he exhaled. It was nothing new to him, he'd had worse beatings. Though, the thought did stay him for a moment; it was sad that he was so used to being broken.
"Up already, eh?" Asked a voice to his blind side, which led deeper into the facilities and further away from the exit. Arkash strained his head to turn and put his eye on one of the jastai that belonged to the Sawteeth.
"I.." he started, and caught himself on a partially-clogged throat. he pursed his lips as best he could, then rumbled to clear the mucus that lined his esophagus. "I'm goin' mad jus' sittin' 'er." Arkash explained with a bow of his head. He knew he shouldn't have been up, but he doubted the likes of a gang would care to warn him against it.
"Yeah, can't say I'm much for bed rest either." With Arkash's doubts confirmed, the giant stepped forward and offered his hand to the lizard. "Taun, I'm the smith 'round 'ere."
The sawteeth had a smith? That would explain the gang's signature blades. "Arkash," the rath offered as he placed his comparably small claws in the giant's hand, only to be shaken around.
"Aye, we know who you are, rath. 'Twas quite a show you put on for the boys." Right. They all seemed impressed with Arkash's display of acrobatics, the way he flipped, dove, and tumbled to evade the strikes that came his way, his high kicks had them all in a riot. "They say you're a hitman, too. I didn't think it when I first saw you, but with moves like that..." The giant whistled lowly, then finally released the lizard's claw.
Arkash smiled politely, then reached for his stump to hold down his shoulder while he twitched. He didn't realize just how gifted he was, it seemed.
The giant's eyes ran down the rathari's form and settled on his stump arm. "I reckon you coulda killed them three if you had both your claws and your eye. Whatchya think?" His eyes once again lifted to rest on Arkash's yellow iris.
Arkash grinned a little, then hesitated. Was that what people normally talked about? Hypothetically killing one's peers? "I dunno. Me claws are kin'a dull cus they ge' in th' weh of me knife. An' I dun' got enough venom fo' three fellas..." He thought aloud. The giant rose a brow. "That bein' said... They wouldn't 'a touch'd me if I 'ad bofe me eyes." He spoke with a knowing grin.
Taun grinned in turn; that was what he wanted to hear. It was true too, the only reason they managed to overcome him toward the end was that they'd hit him in the head from his blindside too many times and concussed him. They wouldn't have been able to do that if he'd seen the strikes coming. "Aye, I can see that," spoke the jastai with a stroke of his beard. "Well, 'aving your arm back wouldn't 'urt, would it?"
Arkash had missed the initial point of his inquiry. Taun approached a subject from an angle that the rath had missed. Did he mean to replace Arkash's arm somehow? "Wouldn' 'urt at all, no," Arkash replied with an eye of skepticism.
Taun smiled broadly. "Well, what if I said I can make you a new one? Won't be as good as the things the world mages 'ere make, but it'll be something." Taun moved his hands as if to outline the design he had in his mind, and Arkash tilted his head. Though Arkash didn't know why he had the impression that Taun was heavily invested in the idea. He didn't understand the passion of a crafter, but if it worked in his favor, who was he to complain?
"Sure," he replied. "I'd be open t' tryin' i'."
Taun grinned at that, then dipped to wrap his hands around Arkash's torso. The rathari became tense and bared his teeth as his meager weight was lifted off the floor with ease. His claws gripped the giant's arm and his breath stalled while the jastai carried him. Asmodei had manhandled him like that before, and he'd hated it then, too. It felt strange, like some sort of fluttering in his chest. Even so, he didn't protest as he was carried to Taun's forge.
Arkash strained his eye at the scene, as the sight of an open fire in an underground facility bothered him. Wouldn't the smoke suffocate them all? No, there was a vent of some sort above them. Perhaps it funneled through one of the chimneys of the buildings on the surface? He didn't know. Finally, Taun put him down, and Arkash let out a shaky sigh. "Take a seat," offered the jastai. Arkash looked about, only to spot the furniture piece on his blind side, then promptly lowered his tail end into it. His legs were tired, they needed rest, still.
Meanwhile, the giant looked about a table in the middle of the room, then picked up a large piece of papyrus, as well as a sheathed shortsword, then returned to the rath. "So," spoke Taun with his eyes glued to the parchment he held. "First things first, 'ere's your callin' card; official stamp of the sawteeth, made by yours truly," he spoke as he offered the sheathed blade to the rathari.
Arkash had expected something grander than that, but he didn't particularly care. He was simply glad to have one of those swords again. With a grateful smile, he accepted it and placed the blade on his lap. "Thanks, Taun-" was all he managed to speak before the giant interrupted his 'ceremony'.
"-So this is the design I have," he spoke as he lowered to his knee and unfurled his parchment atop Arkash's lap. Laid out before him were a bunch of lines and writing in a language that Arkash didn't understand. The rath drew a deep breath through his nostrils, then squinted as he exhaled. It was some sort of design, but he couldn't make it out.
"Uhh... Cool," Arkash spoke through bared teeth. He didn't know what he was looking at, but he didn't want to upset the giant, either.
However noble Arkash's intentions, he wasn't successful. Taun looked at him with a furrowed, unimpressed brow. "These are schematics for your arm, lizard."
Arkash widened his eye at the explanation, then let out an "Ooooh!" Of recognition, though he still didn't see it.
Taun grinned, then began to point about several places on the parchment. "Right! Now, I'm thinking we'll use steel for the forearm section, and steel supports atop of soft leather binds for the brace. It's gotta be comfy, right?" Before Arkash could reply, the giant was off again in a description of all the parts he would use, including something called a 'modular hand'. Arkash merely grinned through the descriptions and the measurements of his elbow, the stump, the length of and his upper arm, as well as measurements of his real arm for 'balancing' reasons. Through it all, Arkash couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. Taun was awfully invested in the project, so much so that he'd drawn up schematics without waiting for Arkash's reply. When Taun had all the green lights and measurements he needed, Arkash excused himself and returned to his designated room with his new signature in tow.
"You did it, all six of them right there, look-" Kahl spoke while he loomed over the beaten, bloody rathari. Arkash could barely move through the blurred haze of numbness and pain, but the chorus of cheers that rang around him kept him conscious. "Welcome to the Sawteeth, Arkash."
But that was two days ago. Since then? Arkash had stayed at their headquarters with a temporary dorm to himself, his own bed, and the help of a doctor that had come to visit sometime in the week. Arkash stared at the ceiling and breathed deeply. Every raise of his lungs saw his nerves light up with pain, but he was breathing normally again. It still hurt to swallow, and his back was in pieces, but he could make full breaths, just not through his nose. The length of his muzzle had been beaten in a way that ensured he bled from his nostrils for hours after the fight, and it remained clogged.
Even so, Arkash had been beaten and broken worse than that in the past. And the last time, he'd had to put himself back together without the aid of a doctor; he'd make a full recovery, he was sure. So, Arkash pressed into his bedding with his one arm and sat up to look over his room. The bed was nothing fancy, just some bundled hay and blankets, neither was the frame. But, he had a hefty-looking lockbox to store his things, a small table, a chair, and some sort of stand which Arkash could only imagine he could rest his weapons on. The walls were raw-cut stone, and the floors were wooden planks with a small rug in the center. To the left wall was the door that led to the main hall, as well as other rooms.
With a sigh, Arkash lowered his gaze to the blankets that covered him, then pulled them off with the use of his one arm to reveal his freshly-stitched legs. His wounds had reopened in the initiation and required stitches, which the good doctor was kind enough to provide. His head still ached and throbbed as he turned to face the left, but the majority of his concussion had quelled.
With his teeth bared, Arkash turned his body to ease his raw legs off the edge of the bed, then pressed his caws to the ground with building firmness. Once he'd fully tested the strain they could take, he pressed into his hand to help himself off the mattress. his legs shook, and his back shot with rampant pain, but he successfully stood and gripped the bed frame as he stumbled to the door. A turn of the handle saw him push through into the main hall, where he stayed for a moment and straightened his back.
A deep breath saw him bare his teeth, then jitter raggedly as he encountered tension before he exhaled. It was nothing new to him, he'd had worse beatings. Though, the thought did stay him for a moment; it was sad that he was so used to being broken.
"Up already, eh?" Asked a voice to his blind side, which led deeper into the facilities and further away from the exit. Arkash strained his head to turn and put his eye on one of the jastai that belonged to the Sawteeth.
"I.." he started, and caught himself on a partially-clogged throat. he pursed his lips as best he could, then rumbled to clear the mucus that lined his esophagus. "I'm goin' mad jus' sittin' 'er." Arkash explained with a bow of his head. He knew he shouldn't have been up, but he doubted the likes of a gang would care to warn him against it.
"Yeah, can't say I'm much for bed rest either." With Arkash's doubts confirmed, the giant stepped forward and offered his hand to the lizard. "Taun, I'm the smith 'round 'ere."
The sawteeth had a smith? That would explain the gang's signature blades. "Arkash," the rath offered as he placed his comparably small claws in the giant's hand, only to be shaken around.
"Aye, we know who you are, rath. 'Twas quite a show you put on for the boys." Right. They all seemed impressed with Arkash's display of acrobatics, the way he flipped, dove, and tumbled to evade the strikes that came his way, his high kicks had them all in a riot. "They say you're a hitman, too. I didn't think it when I first saw you, but with moves like that..." The giant whistled lowly, then finally released the lizard's claw.
Arkash smiled politely, then reached for his stump to hold down his shoulder while he twitched. He didn't realize just how gifted he was, it seemed.
The giant's eyes ran down the rathari's form and settled on his stump arm. "I reckon you coulda killed them three if you had both your claws and your eye. Whatchya think?" His eyes once again lifted to rest on Arkash's yellow iris.
Arkash grinned a little, then hesitated. Was that what people normally talked about? Hypothetically killing one's peers? "I dunno. Me claws are kin'a dull cus they ge' in th' weh of me knife. An' I dun' got enough venom fo' three fellas..." He thought aloud. The giant rose a brow. "That bein' said... They wouldn't 'a touch'd me if I 'ad bofe me eyes." He spoke with a knowing grin.
Taun grinned in turn; that was what he wanted to hear. It was true too, the only reason they managed to overcome him toward the end was that they'd hit him in the head from his blindside too many times and concussed him. They wouldn't have been able to do that if he'd seen the strikes coming. "Aye, I can see that," spoke the jastai with a stroke of his beard. "Well, 'aving your arm back wouldn't 'urt, would it?"
Arkash had missed the initial point of his inquiry. Taun approached a subject from an angle that the rath had missed. Did he mean to replace Arkash's arm somehow? "Wouldn' 'urt at all, no," Arkash replied with an eye of skepticism.
Taun smiled broadly. "Well, what if I said I can make you a new one? Won't be as good as the things the world mages 'ere make, but it'll be something." Taun moved his hands as if to outline the design he had in his mind, and Arkash tilted his head. Though Arkash didn't know why he had the impression that Taun was heavily invested in the idea. He didn't understand the passion of a crafter, but if it worked in his favor, who was he to complain?
"Sure," he replied. "I'd be open t' tryin' i'."
Taun grinned at that, then dipped to wrap his hands around Arkash's torso. The rathari became tense and bared his teeth as his meager weight was lifted off the floor with ease. His claws gripped the giant's arm and his breath stalled while the jastai carried him. Asmodei had manhandled him like that before, and he'd hated it then, too. It felt strange, like some sort of fluttering in his chest. Even so, he didn't protest as he was carried to Taun's forge.
Arkash strained his eye at the scene, as the sight of an open fire in an underground facility bothered him. Wouldn't the smoke suffocate them all? No, there was a vent of some sort above them. Perhaps it funneled through one of the chimneys of the buildings on the surface? He didn't know. Finally, Taun put him down, and Arkash let out a shaky sigh. "Take a seat," offered the jastai. Arkash looked about, only to spot the furniture piece on his blind side, then promptly lowered his tail end into it. His legs were tired, they needed rest, still.
Meanwhile, the giant looked about a table in the middle of the room, then picked up a large piece of papyrus, as well as a sheathed shortsword, then returned to the rath. "So," spoke Taun with his eyes glued to the parchment he held. "First things first, 'ere's your callin' card; official stamp of the sawteeth, made by yours truly," he spoke as he offered the sheathed blade to the rathari.
Arkash had expected something grander than that, but he didn't particularly care. He was simply glad to have one of those swords again. With a grateful smile, he accepted it and placed the blade on his lap. "Thanks, Taun-" was all he managed to speak before the giant interrupted his 'ceremony'.
"-So this is the design I have," he spoke as he lowered to his knee and unfurled his parchment atop Arkash's lap. Laid out before him were a bunch of lines and writing in a language that Arkash didn't understand. The rath drew a deep breath through his nostrils, then squinted as he exhaled. It was some sort of design, but he couldn't make it out.
"Uhh... Cool," Arkash spoke through bared teeth. He didn't know what he was looking at, but he didn't want to upset the giant, either.
However noble Arkash's intentions, he wasn't successful. Taun looked at him with a furrowed, unimpressed brow. "These are schematics for your arm, lizard."
Arkash widened his eye at the explanation, then let out an "Ooooh!" Of recognition, though he still didn't see it.
Taun grinned, then began to point about several places on the parchment. "Right! Now, I'm thinking we'll use steel for the forearm section, and steel supports atop of soft leather binds for the brace. It's gotta be comfy, right?" Before Arkash could reply, the giant was off again in a description of all the parts he would use, including something called a 'modular hand'. Arkash merely grinned through the descriptions and the measurements of his elbow, the stump, the length of and his upper arm, as well as measurements of his real arm for 'balancing' reasons. Through it all, Arkash couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. Taun was awfully invested in the project, so much so that he'd drawn up schematics without waiting for Arkash's reply. When Taun had all the green lights and measurements he needed, Arkash excused himself and returned to his designated room with his new signature in tow.
