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Post by Suukri on Jul 10, 2007 20:27:54 GMT -5
After storming from his home when his father found he had been practicing magic, Rajin had ran off to the docks, where he retreated many times to practice summoning. There he sat, comprehending the many ways to which he could rid himself of this position. Option number one, which was to run from home and find his way to Urû’baen, Surda, or wherever he wouldn't be persecuted for his interests, was quickly turned down, for he couldn't bear to break his mother's heart in such a way. Option two, which consisted of a radical plan that included a hammer, two rabbits, and a log, was also refused, for reasons that cannot be discussed. Option three, Rajin decided, was his only option. He would summon a spirit to impress his father, and show him that magic was not a bad thing, and so he began to think of an incantation without his books, which had been confiscated. After an hour or two, he was sure that he had the correct incantation. He began to chant, and then...nothing...So he tried it again, with a slight variation which led to...well, nothing...Flustered, he tried one, last time...
And that was the last thing that could be remembered about that day, for after that, Suukri had a forty-year long gap in his mind from when it had belonged to his "other half". As he sat at the edge of the very dock from this memory, he let his feet dangle in the water while he pondered a few of the many thoughts racing through his skull. It had been so long ago that he had lost his father, his brother, and most importantly, his mother. He loved her. He had loved her, no, he still loved her, that is, if Shades could love.
"I'm not a Shade, nor a man... I am a monster, and monsters cannot love..." He told himself over and over again. "I lost my place in this twisted world when I lost my family...When I lost myself. How ironic that the thing I cared for most, the thing I strived for for so many years, destroyed everything I held dear. How ironic indeed." He was beginning to get upset as he sat there, so he quickly shut his mind to his thoughts. If he were to lose control of himself in this city, many more people would lose their lives and everything they held dear. "But what do we care for them?" His "other half" shouted out in retaliation to himself. "What have they ever done to help us? Why are their lives anymore important? They live their lives for absolutely no reason, so why don't we just "help" Master Galbotorix by exterminating them all? It will be fun...Just you and I, my friend..." And as randomly as it came, the spirit inside of him was gone.
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Post by Damien on Jul 14, 2007 5:03:41 GMT -5
A black-robed youth strode towards the dock, stopping when he was about three feet from the other man. Solen knew the other could sense his presence, and accepted it.
“Suukri. It will soon be nightfall, we need to get going. Intelligence reports have confirmed that the Varden agents will be meeting at around midnight, in an underground wine cellar somewhere in the eastern side of town.” His voice was full of contempt at the word ‘Varden’.
Varden. Varden. The reason why he was constantly swamped by paperwork, and why he was even on this mission in the first place. Most of the time, other people had to do the fieldwork, while he read and filed up their reports. As was usually the case with reports submitted by soldiers and hit men, their reports were often badly spelled, nigh illegible and treated punctuation like a game of pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey.
This time, however, they would be infiltrating a meeting between some Varden higher ups and Teirm merchants. The Varden members and the merchants would have to be taken alive (some of them, anyway), and all their documents would be collected. Solen wondered briefly about the quality of their punctuation, and decided that the chances of it being any better than the usual rubbish were slim. In fact, it would probably be much easier to simply torture it out of them.
“We will have to find the exact location of the meeting manually. Please have your dinner before you go.”
He bowed slightly at the other man, and waited to see if the shade would reply. His posture suggested that if there was none forthcoming, he would simply leave.
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Post by Suukri on Jul 15, 2007 11:06:40 GMT -5
Alarmed by the presence of another, Suukri leaped into a defensive stance, only to realize that it was pointless to have even done so. The boy, or at least a boy in his standards, seemed to be under the impression that he still worked for the King. After listening impatiently to the man, he lowered his head.
"I am not sure who you are, but I am certain that you are an enemy as long as you are siding with the King." He spoke very bitterly, as if the other were the King himself. "I do not associate myself with anyone that...that..." He gasped and clutched his skull, falling to his knees.
After about a minute, he let out a booming yell, that sounded like a battle cry of some sort, as he pulled himself back to his feet, his once gray eyes now glowing a dark, blood red. He slowly advanced upon the other, speaking in a completely different tone, which seemed more controlled, more powerful.
"My dear friend, please forgive me, I was...not myself..." He stopped about a meter in front of the boy, lowering himself into a deep bow before rising, a smirk on his face. "I would take great pleasure in assisting you tonight. Hopefully we will be able to torture some Varden scum, and punish certain traitors of the Empire. Do you wish to start now? The very excitement has ruined my appetite."
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Post by Damien on Jul 19, 2007 6:17:58 GMT -5
After about a minute, he let out a booming yell, that sounded like a battle cry of some sort, as he pulled himself back to his feet, his once gray eyes now glowing a dark, blood red.
Solen took a step back, stunned. Working with madmen was practically part of the job, but most of the ones he'd been cursed with had been slightly . . . quieter. And the man was attracting unwanted attention from bystanders.
"I would take great pleasure in assisting you tonight. Hopefully we will be able to torture some Varden scum, and punish certain traitors of the Empire. Do you wish to start now? The very excitement has ruined my appetite."
Suukri's odd behaviour baffled him, though he didn't show it. "Alright. I need to collect my equipment, so please meet me outside the Cat-and-Mouse bar in fifteen minutes." He bowed stiffly and started the walk back to the inn.
So the man managed to break away from the shade . . . he lightly touched the mark on his forehead. For the Empire, it would just be a minor setback. Solen hoped it wouldn't be his last one.
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Post by Suukri on Jul 24, 2007 15:02:04 GMT -5
As the young man walked from him, Suukri smirked. He knew that he was going to enjoy himself tonight now that he was in control. Perhaps he would head to the bar early for a drink or two while he enjoyed being free from the usual restrictions placed upon him for one night.
"I can feel you struggling within me, old friend," he spoke to himself as he let out a maniacal howl that sounded like a laugh. "But now that I am in control, your just going to have to sit back, and enjoy the show!" He continued to shriek with glee as he walked towards the city.
Ten minutes later, Suukri appeared in the bar specified by the boy with only a wisp of smoke. He sat upon the bar and used his mind to have the barkeep bring him a bottle of wine. He downed the bottle in a few gulps before throwing it to the ground. "Clean that up." He commanded two customers, who, against their own will, proceeded to do as he told them.
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Post by Arkantos on Jul 27, 2007 10:30:01 GMT -5
Arkantos watched from the shadow of a corner, hooded and cloaked, his ring cold against his chest at the proximity of the demon-man hybrid commonly called a "Shade". The meeting tonight was his idea, but if the Empire knew about it already... he could only barely hold off a Shade at his full strength, but, most people didn't know of his former duplicity from the Varden. With the proper warding, he could easily distract the Shade with a nasty little spell he had seen the Shade Astarael use in this very city, so long ago, it seemed.
"Time flows on, and all that is, and shall be, may yet fall under the sway of the Shadow." he muttered to himself quietly.
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Post by Damien on Jul 28, 2007 10:39:18 GMT -5
Solen made his way to the bar, idly twirling a fountain pen between his fingers. It helped to calm his nerves a little.
He had put on a dark grey-green cloak that concealed pretty much everything below the neck, and even wore a bandana to cover the mark on his forehead. His hair had been deliberately messed up, shading his eyes while also giving him the unwashed look that was so popular among mercenaries. Brown powder had been artfully applied all over his clothing and face as a finishing touch. In fact, the only thing missing now was the smell of blood, sweat, metal and whatever it was mercs used as cologne.
He strode purposefully into the bar, and took a seat beside the shade. The other customers hardly spared him a second glance; cutthroats dropped by all the time, and this dump was rather popular among the younger ones.
“Where shall we start our search?” Solen asked, his eyes fixed on the pen still spinning lazily in his hand.
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Post by Arkantos on Jul 28, 2007 12:04:32 GMT -5
The hairs on the nape of Arkantos' neck stood upright in a most un-human way at the appearance of the other magic user.
"Dear gods who dwell in the Void... Two of them!", he couldn't help but exclaim. The Shade alone was enough, but with the addition of this poorly-disguised sorcerer, from Uru^Baen, no less, from the accent, Arkantos had no choice. He had to engage them before they got to the meeting house. He stood up as if to leave quietly, but withdrew his spear from a magically enhanced pocket in his cloak and launched off a bolt of chain lightning powerfull enough to paralyze for life at the two Imperials as he warded himself for attack.
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Post by Suukri on Jul 28, 2007 14:14:25 GMT -5
Suukri smirked as his partner entered the bar, for he knew it wouldn't be too long until he was able to kill the unworthy scum that called themselves members of the Varden. The shade barely heard what Solen had said before he sensed an unusual amount of magic coming from a man who he had believed to be non-magical. Smirking with delight as he was fired upon, Suukri jumped into the air, his weapon appearing into his hands as he corkscrewed back towards the ground. As soon as he landed, he brought his weapon upon the lightning, which scattered across the room, striking down many of innocent as they attempted to exit.
"That was a horrible attempt. Your magic is not even close to mine," he hissed, dropping his weapon, which disappeared as it hit the ground, and brought his hands together, sending all of the chain lightning back at the assailant.
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Post by Damien on Jul 28, 2007 22:56:52 GMT -5
“Good grief.” He mumbled under his breath as the shade blocked the lightning. He quickly got off his seat and moved towards the back door; everything would have been in vain if the man had managed to warn the Varden. Still, he wasn’t entirely sure if it was safe to leave his companion here. He withdrew another pen from the recesses of his robe and drew a complex symbol on the bar top. Violently stabbing the pen deep into the wood and right at the symbol’s centre, Solen trapped the recently materialized wind spirit. It wasn’t very strong, true, but at least it could provide assistance.
He gave it clear instructions to follow the shade’s orders and continued towards the exit, apparently oblivious to the lighting that struck near his feet.
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Post by Arkantos on Jul 30, 2007 11:44:54 GMT -5
"Losna Helgrind, Shade." Arkantos said, as the ring absorbed his spell back into his essence. Drawing his sword, he entered into the stance of a blade master, then shouted, "Riesa!". As he was rocketed into the air towards the ceiling, he muttered, "skolir", watching the wooden ceiling and stone roof disintegrate five feet from his person.
"Losna", he muttered at ten feet above the street, gently slowing his descent onto his horse below, nearly running over the poorly disguised sorcerer while galloping away. It was too late, now. The Teirm merchants would just have to wait for someone else to come later, it was just too dangerous for him. He twisted around in his saddle and set off the signal for ambush or discovery, a large explosion of purple glowing light over the citadel tower as he escaped to his emergency camp three miles outside the city.
((P.S. My escape was not unnoticed, and this hopefully isn't the end of this thread...I'm still in the thread, just- EVERYWHERE I POST DIES!!! *sobs uncontrollably*))
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Post by Suukri on Jul 31, 2007 17:38:35 GMT -5
As the attacker made his escape, Suukri howled in rage. This fool would not come between Varden blood and his ruthless fist. The Shade leaped into the air through the hole in the ceiling and onto the ground outside, leaving the bar behind him to explode in a giant ball of fire. Jumping past Solen and onto a higher building, watching the man speed out of the city.
"What now?" he sneered, looking down at his partner as he raised his hand to his temple, only to lock onto the attacker's horse's mind. "Hunt down the assailant or capture the retreating merchants?" He asked, smirking as he felt the horse's mind slowly break down as he snipped its nerve cords effortlessly.
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Post by Damien on Aug 1, 2007 3:24:14 GMT -5
Solen was irked by the Varden agent’s appearance, annoyed by the unexpected course the mission was taking, and rather pissed at almost being run over. Making a complicated gesture with his hand, he freed the trapped wind spirit and gave it clear orders to chase the man. It couldn’t stop him, but it could at least slow him down . . .
Bystanders scattered in all directions as the shade leapt out of the bar, which exploded into flames.
There will be questions, and I won’t be the one answering them, he thought. There was no point in going after the merchants now. Even if the agent hadn’t notified them, there was no way they’d miss an exploding bar.
"Hunt down the assailant or capture the retreating merchants?"
“Hunt.”
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Post by Arkantos on Aug 1, 2007 18:18:40 GMT -5
Arkantos felt the dark magic being directed at his horse and quickly erected a healing ward around himself and Wingfoot's mind. He leapt off of his horse and shouted "Stenr Risa", causing a dozen boulders to be lifted up into the air. Turning towards the city, he raised his hand and said,"Brisinger", launching the boulders, conviently setting them aflame as well as smiting a small wind spirit headed his way. Just as they were about to reach the enemy sorcerer's range, Arkantos streched out his hand once more and uttered "Jierda", causing them to shatter into dozens more smaller flaming boulders, raining down an apocolyptic death upon the city. He smiled grimly at the site.
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Post by Suukri on Aug 1, 2007 20:49:19 GMT -5
Using his enhanced eyesight, Suukri was able to see Arkantos as he sent the boulders flying towards Solen and himself. Even though he knew the young magician could care for himself, the Shade diverted the several projectiles heading Solen's way. Then, Suukri jumped straight into the air, just clearing the raining fire boulder shards(lol...). As he floated back towards the wall, he turned to smirk at the marvelous destruction before disappearing.
After a second or two, he appeared next to Solen, shaking his head in disapproval of the assailant's choice of spells. "I thought this was going to be fun...I might just have to-" He was cut off as a stray shard of rock pierced the top of his skull. "Well...that's disappointing...I'll be back." He muttered as he slowly disappeared.
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Post by Arkantos on Aug 2, 2007 8:43:21 GMT -5
((laughs ebilly at CHAOS reigning-waits for Damien-chan))
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Post by Damien on Aug 2, 2007 11:07:49 GMT -5
((Just a question before I actually post, do you want the fight to continue or not?))
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Post by Suukri on Aug 2, 2007 15:19:13 GMT -5
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Post by Arkantos on Aug 2, 2007 19:21:16 GMT -5
((Yea verily. Besides, I think it would be interesting if I managed to "capture" Solen while he was distracted by my reign of CHAOS on Teirm... and if I managed to escape before Suukri respawned, I could deliver Solen to the Varden in Surda and turn a tidy profit, not to mention the prestige. ^^))
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Post by Damien on Aug 3, 2007 10:38:37 GMT -5
Solen cursed under his breath as the shade faded from view, and mentally debated the pros and cons of chasing down the agent. On one hand, he might get some information and avoid the king’s temper. On the other hand, it would be uncomfortable, tedious, and possibly fatal. But it won’t involve any paperwork at all, at least until later.
Having made his choice, Solen quickly called his horse and leapt on. He followed the agent’s route, tracking the man with his mind. A magic-immune bubble of in the middle of nowhere wasn’t exactly very hard to track. Lashing out with his signature wind spells, Solen blew up a small, localized sandstorm around the Varden member, causing sand (and an unlucky scorpion) to get into the man’s hair and clothing.
((Sorry, not letting Solen get handed over to the Varden. Not even if it means having to actually use Galbatorix to get him out of there.))
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