Railón, Levarin (Volundr) - Shroud & Dagger

[Gloomcrest]

35th of Frost, 4622

Taking a moment to catch his breath, the thief takes a moment to make his attempt at deception. Creeping slowly with the building he just invaded through the use of Trespasser; Jared takes a moment to peek outside through the window; the amber-eyed thief takes a moment to watch from his hiding spot as he witnesses his chaser conjure a similar sphere of darkness which then scatters around into the nearby shadows.

“What is this person doing?”

The thief thought to himself what sort of methods Volundr was using to figure out where he was; however, something caught the thief’s eye. This prominent, hulking figure pulls out a journal, skimming through its pages as if he was feverishly looking for an answer before closing it.

“Seems like an item of interest for him but no for me… Time to play your tricks, maybe act as an elusive figure to find. A goal possibly… Despite hating trackers, very bothersome for work but a little bit of fun wouldn’t hurt.”

From this point, The Alistian thief took a moment to conjure a condensed form of shadow into multiple Compasses, which merely hovered close to the thief’s body as if it was orbiting his mass.

His control over his magic was quite profound, but at the cost of his own time and vitality, nevertheless, Jared was very much an expert or possibly more, depending on how people would assess his abilities. One thing is for sure is that Jared’s approach with his magic was leaning more to elude and defend rather than raw destructive power.

Just like how he would plan for a distraction to transpire, Jared would cause one of his compasses to trickle down through the cracks of the window he was currently hiding & viewing behind, allowing it to spread & split to nearby shadows and infusing it with Confide, picturing some heavy footsteps as figures cloaked in shadows start to pull themselves out from the shadows and begin to run off in multiple directions.

If Volundr would manage to catch up with one of these figures, the shadow mass would merely chuckle for a moment, speaking before the umbralplasm would release its ether into the air, casting a thick plume of localized darkness through the use of Gloom, another mutation ability that Jared had under his belt to cause additional confusion.

“What you see isn’t what appears;
Rather a figment of shadow that is clear;
Run and chase,
but I will leave no trace;
For the Mistwalker was once near.”

Manipulating multiple Confides would be tricky for the thief, but by doing this, The thief would garner more knowledge of his capabilities. Nevertheless, Jared would watch and wait within the building. Managing until a possible moment would present itself for him to slip away into the dusky planes.

[Volundr]

While something like this would probably get the attention of any guard and have them on a running spree, seeing several people run away at once after materializing from nothing made Volundr rather confused. In his readings and self-teachings, nothing mentioned the ability to make duplicates or split one’s self into multiple shadow fragments. Which either meant that Jared was a much better user of Nightfall than he had anticipated or he was still around.

…Damn you… Volundr thought to himself as he went into the alley where Jared was last seen, letting his Obscura continue concealing him. However, despite the fact that he could ignore the pain of overexertion, he couldn’t ignore the nausea of overexerting his magic. He knew plenty in terms of Nightfall, but his mind and body were still not used to using it again, making overstepping much easier for him. But he remained in the stealth form that Nightfall had allowed him to do, waiting patiently to see if Jared was still there or truly gone. Time ticked by second by agonizing second, Volundr feeling his body ache with the first signs of overstepping, gritting his teeth before he doesn't have any more energy, popping out of the shadow like a buoyant force pushing him to the surface of the water that was the shadow he was in. How many minutes had passed? One? Two? Ten? He had no idea how long he had actually been hidden and looking for Jared, clenching and unclenching his fists, breathing shallowly but heavily in an attempt to remain in stealth.

His vision blurring slightly as he shook his head, slowly drawing his blades with a silence befitting of a scout of the Daravanic Empire, beginning his prowl to try and find Jared the old fashioned way. Something about the way he searched, it was less like a man purveying an area and more so like an animal hunting for the wounded animal it had already been hunting for food. He didn't want to simply let Jared go after stealing from some random passerby, but he also wasn't the same age or even same body as he was previously. So now, Volundr had to make a decision. Would he keep performing the definition of insanity and keep trying to find Jared? Or would he call off his own little witch hunt and head back to his barracks in order to continue serving the Empire that had essentially been his protecting guardian since he came back to life. Fucking... why did it have to be another Nightfall user? Speaking out loud now, had Jared been in the vicinity of being able to hear Volundr, that would reveal that he definitely was another magic user. But he definitely wasn't your normal magic slinger, as Volundr wasn't in the upper echelon of society. In fact, he was quite near the bottom. Which made his existence all the more interesting.

[Gloomcrest]

35th of Frost, 4622

Evidently, his pursuer was getting frustrated by the fact that the amber-eyed thief managed to slip by him despite being close to his tail. Nevertheless, Jared also had to rest since his body was not coping well enough due to the strain on his soul due to pushing himself from a previous encounter that could have left him dead or maimed.

The mere thought of those sinister memories sent shivers down his spine, but that did not mean he was willing to move forward despite all the risks associated with his careless usage of Nightfall. It was from that encounter alone that he could push beyond his means to become a master in his field of magic but at a price.

Attempting to steady his breathing, the thief couldn’t help but clench his chest tightly as a sharp, unbearable pain spread out from his core.

“Fuck… This sucks, but I need to wait… Just a little bit longer, I can slip out of here and rest… I need not push myself anymore if I feel something terrible would occur…”

Slowly sitting his butt on the ground, the thief drifted off slightly as his weary body reached its limits. No mortal was invincible, and all that live must rest at some point; with that, his body was calling for his sickened body to rest at the most inconvenient time, but he could no longer resist.

As his vision began to blur from reality, a soft voice that would echo in his mind. Whether the voice was someone or a figment of his imagination was something the thief couldn’t determine yet, it felt somewhat comforting.

“It is time to lay your weary head;
As your eyes become somewhat bleary;
We struggle to live;
Yet it is all we give;
Allow yourself to rest, my deary…”

It was hard to resist the call to slumber, especially when someone was in hot pursuit, but maybe this was fate’s design. To give in and all the dice to roll, whatever remains after was the decisions made by the gods and goddesses themselves, and there was no way to object to their choice in the matter at hand.

Letting his body sink deeper onto the follow, the cloaked thief’s head would slump and tilt slightly off to the side. His tense arms fall softly to his sides as his curled legs relax and give way to their weight, with no input from his muscles commanding them to remain still.

At last, the thief came to slumber, his vision of the world growing dark and deep. With the absence of colours left in its wake, and yet at the same time, a new canvas was being drawn in his mind palace. Hopefully, Jared did not leave enough evidence behind for his hunter to find him, as he could no longer move for some time. His sickened body lay slumped against the wall inside a building with nothing more than a dark room filled with various boxes and crates, possibly an antic. The thief couldn’t care less; just the act of rest was more important.

[Volundr]

While Volundr was a scout and a damn good one at that, he couldn't see through walls. The fact that Jared had managed to make his escape frustrated the Kohrun, running his hands through his salt-and-pepper hair. Looking about to make sure there wasn't any kind of onlookers, he allowed his shoulders to sag softly as he shifted his hands across his jawline, feeling the sandpaper-like texture of his growing stubble. And as he did this, he felt the growing ache of his muscles and bones. Where a normal person would be completely out of breath and have cramping all over their bodies, Volundr was only slightly sore and tired, his pain receptors not really firing. But the nausea that accompanied the soreness had given proof to him that he might have overstepped a bit with constant changes and uses of Nightfall.

"You've escaped for now thief... may we never meet again." Turning out of the alleyway into the dead of the night, he began his trek back towards the combat line where he could get some food and rest, his constant marching never ending. For a man who had just ran across town to try and capture a petty thief, and failing at that, he seemed set in his ways, finding the groove as he adjusted his weaponry to sling over his shoulder, making it easier to move around. And so ended the exciting aspect of the chase, the Kohrun exited the city of Levarin with a bit of a tiredness in his step. Trekking his way out, he thought about what he could do to really change his fortune. He had learned more about his magic capabilities and limits. And thinking about magic, the idea suddenly hit him.

The Entente.

[Sola]

Review

Gloomcrest

Lores

Stealth: Hiding behind Cover
Stealth: Losing Skilled Pursuers
Stealth: Weaving in and Out of Crowds
Running: Moving quickly on Narrow Ledges
Running: Maintaining Distance from Pursuer
Bodybuilding: Resisting Fatigue from Chase
Acrobatics: Moving on a rope
Acrobatics: Moving through a tight crowd
Nightfall (Confide): Creating multiple shadows for distraction
Larceny: Pickpocketing under surveillance
Investigation: Identifying potential threats
Investigation: Seeking out opportunities for evasion

Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A

Points: 8 (3 for nightfall)

Volundur

Lores

Nightfall (Compass): Expanding compressed umbraplasm to move small objects
Nightfall (Compass): Splitting one compass orb into multiple
Nightfall: Prolonging an ability in order to maximize efficiency
Investigation: Focusing senses to track a target
Investigation: Finding the path of least resistance
Running: Keeping up with a target without expending energy reserves
Acrobatics: Jumping across building roofs
Stealth: Slowing and stopping breathing for optimal silence
Investigation: Generic Lore x4

Loot: N/A
Injuries: +1 mageblight

Points: 8 (2 for nightfall)

Comments:

Jared's swift movements paint the picture of a classic rogue character. Cunning, swift, and slippery. Yet, his consideration of not taking more than needed and his constant self-reminders add layers to his character, suggesting a thief with a moral compass. This mix of skills and morality made for an interesting story. It was fun reading how two nightfall users interacted with each other! I found that pitting my own character up against a mirror matchup was a fun way to spice things up.

Volundr is a compelling contrast to Jared. His military background and stern demeanor provide an interesting foil to Jared's spirit. The dichotomy of his large stature and his gentle actions makes him quite an interesting character. The internal struggle Volundr faces, trying to balance his military discipline and societal expectations, is well communicated. It was nice learning a little bit more about him