Another Day in the Life (Closed for NDIaC)

[LucianDevine]

Zeke Durran let out a soft sigh of relief when he saw the small trader town come into view. He was coming down out of the mountains, and though it wasn't a particularly long trip, any trip through the mountains sure as hell felt long.

Zeke had of course had his reasons, though. He wanted a pair of weapons custom made out of mithril. Most people agreed that elves were better at making weapons with the light-weight metal, but hell, the dwarves in the mountains had owed him a favor anyway.

The steady brown mare that Zeke had owned for quite a few years seemed to share his feelings as she gladly steered herself towards stable adjoining the tavern. He dismounted, paid and tipped the stable boy, and headed towards the door of the tavern.

Zeke let out a low groan as he let himself sink into a chair. He ordered a light ale from the barmaid and propped one of his feet up on a nearby chair. He let his eyes drift towards the window and the sun that was just getting ready to set. The only thought on his mind was what he was going to do next.

 

[NDIaC]

The town had that small, cozy feeling to it, nestled near the mountains, the wisps of smoke curling from the chimneys, the scent of manure and poverty. Cein had been there a dozen times over, well not this particular town, but many just like it. They were all the same, little people trying to make the best of their little lives. Nothing wrong with that, Cein would never look down on any of them. But neither did she want to live a life covered in shit.

She was just passing through, not entirely sure just where she was going. The mountains were a tempting choice, but the dwarves were far from hospitable, perhaps there might be a few that would want to test their steel against her own. They were an awfully boring lot though, unless you were looking to buy some good armor and weapons. Elves on the other hand, they were pretty damn good themselves, at least with the type of weapons and gear that she preferred.

Cein made her way down the main thoroughfare, her boots kicking up dust with each confident step she took. Her shapely hips swayed ever so lightly with each step, moving with a fluid, nature grace that many attributed to elves more than humans. Perhaps there was some elven blood running through her veins, her ears weren't pointy nor was she particularly long lived, at least she didn't think so. She was still a stunning sight to behold, svelte and lithe, a stunning figure held greedily but supple black leather armor. It had just enough of a cut to it to offer a tempting view of her assets, yet keeping her vital areas covered securely. Her movement wasn't hampered, which was exactly what she was going for, since she relied heavily upon not being hit at all. That was bad for business and her reputation. Two swords shifted and swayed at her hips, light and slender, made for parrying, slicing and thrusting. They were elegant weapons, much like their owner. Dark brown bangs tickled at her brow, some brushing against the bridge of her nose as she moved, the cowl of her cloak drawn back to reveal the refined, lovely features. It was obvious she wasn't from this part of the world, her dusky olive skin tone, those piercing blue eyes and almost black hair. One could tell she was of some exotic decent even before she opened her mouth and that purring accent tinged her words. She was losing it bit by bit, speaking the common tongue almost constantly did that.

She pushed open the tavern door and made her entrance, the dark green cloak fluttering about her ankles as she came to a stop. Her cool, blue gaze drifted about the common room, taking in the occupants before she started to remove her cloak and reveal those sinful curves, oh and her lovely figure as well. She flashed a brilliant smile to barmaid and ordered a round of wine and whatever they were serving tonight. Of course she had to say it twice, the girl obviously didn't understand her accent. Funny, she thought she was doing rather well assimilating. Oh well.

 

[LucianDevine]

Zeke's dark green eyes had been staring absentmindedly out the window from under the raised cowl of his black cloak when a woman in a dark green cloak seemingly floated past. His heart leaped a little at the sight. He got as close a look as he could at the woman before she passed out of his sight. His interest wasn't what most people would suspect though. The green cloak was incredibly similar to that of a woman he'd battled just over a year ago.

It was more than just the sight of the cloak, the olive skin, and the woman's hair that got Zeke's heart pumping at the thought of a rematch though. He'd fought her twice and studied her movements on several other occasions. Even if all of those things let him down, the second Cein spoke to the barmaid, he knew for sure.

Zeke wouldn't have gotten so worked up at the sight and sound of Cein if their battle had come to a natural conclusion. Sadly, though, that was not the case. In fact, it had barely begun before one of the spectators had used a broken piece of glass to reflect the sunlight directly into his eyes. The sudden brightness only distracted him for a second, but in a battle of equals as skilled as the two of them were, a second was all that was necessary for her to knock one of his swords from his hand. He'd tried to push through it, but was still seeing spots when his other blade was knocked from his hand and felt her blade at his throat.

With thoughts of a rematch in his head, Zeke quickly finished his ale and was just about to stand when a sudden scream from outside pulled his attention away from Cein. A second scream followed the first, and was immediately followed by a woman shrieking at the top of her lungs. "We're under attack!"

Zeke cussed audibly and pushed himself roughly to his feet, upturning the table in the process. He shouldered his way past other people that were heading towards the door and rushed outside. Another scream told him which direction the attack was coming from. He bolted towards the west side of town where he saw a swarm of small humanoid figures charging forward, attacking everything in their path.

"Goblins..." Zeke said softly as he unclasped his cloak and shrugged it off his shoulders. The fading light from the setting sun gleamed off the silvery blue mithril chain mail that he wore. His hands moved to the two sheathes at his sides and withdrew his mithril short swords. Without a moments hesitation he charged towards the mob of goblins.

 

[NDIaC]

Cein was pleasantly oblivious to anyone else in the inn,after all she was dusty and tired and ready for some rest. Unfortunately, it seemed she wasn't going to get any of that, before she could even wiggle in her seat something was screaming bloody murder outside. She detested shrieking women, along with wailing babies and sobbing men, just...yuck. She couldn't help the frown of annoyance as the scene literally exploded around her, people rushed to the door, one man in particular who seemed fleetingly familiar. If it was up to her, she would have at least gotten a drink before she went to investigate, but it appeared in the wake of that scream and the commotion outside service had been halted.

“Well, shit.” Cein said plainly, her brow twitching above her bright blue eyes. There was only going to be one way she was going to get anything out of these people. With a huff she pushed up from her chair, spun easily on the balls of her feet and sauntered back towards the entrance. Her cloak fluttered about herself, covering most of her figure as she moved. Those piercing blue eyes followed the sound of screams and battle. There also came a particular stench, one that was as appalling as it was familiar.

Goblins. It had to be goblins. Why couldn't be something more hygienic? Cein clucked her tongue off the roof of her mouth and after a brief moment to silently lament the state of the world, she made her way towards the fight. She was in no hurry, her stride confident yet lazy. She shrugged her proud shoulders, pushing back her cloak and revealing herself a bit more. Normally she'd at least take it off, but she wasn't about to let it get stolen in the heat of the moment. Goblins and peasants had sticky fingers.

The fighting had been going on for a bit by the time she approached, stepping over a fallen goblin and causally taking in her surroundings. The local guard was hard pressed to keep back the horde, well, more of a mob. The goblins were plentiful but disorganized and ill-equipped, easily outnumbering the town's would-be protectors. At least for the time being.

Cein clucked her tongue once more and tossed her head back in a little show of disdain, enough to catch the attention of a few goblins. The closest one dispatched the guard it had been toying with, only to shriek and charge at Cein with its crude sword raised over its head. She observed its approach with a half smirk, not even bothering to draw a blade till the very last second. It was all too pathetic, the goblin skewed itself nicely upon the thin blade of her primary sword. Cein gave it a twist for good measure, her smirk widening as the goblin choked on its own surprised gasp.

That smirk quickly turned to a frown as the smell once more hit her in the face. She pinched her nose with her free hand, flicked her wrist and withdrew the blade from the goblin's belly. It started to scream in agony as its innards poured forth from the gash, so Cein lashed out again, cleanly slicing its throat from ear to big floppy ear. She'd rather not have to hear the goblin at all, but she'd settle for a gargling choke over that high pitched squealing any day.

The goblins came in droves, all screams and fury. At least in the beginning, goblins were always ready to press their luck when they had great numbers or surprise on their side. But when pressed against a true adversary they ultimately would show their innate cowardice. It wasn't long before they started retreating, one by one before they were stampeding back the way they came. By then Cein had drawn her other sword, about half as long as her main with an intricate basket hilt. Both were bloodied, though she had managed to keep herself clean with no small amount of skill and a little luck.

“Tsk. This will not do!” Cein huffed, her tone crackling with her outrage. “Do you know how long it will take to get rid of this stench? Goblins, pah.” She spat, flicked the excess blood and gore from her weapons and set about wiping them clean on the corpses of her fallen foes. She also rifled through their pockets and bags, if only to see what they carried, be it coin, jewels, old rat bones, or maybe something actually interesting. It was about then that she finally noticed the other one, the man that had barreled past her like the dramatic hero he was. She offered a smile of recognition, along with a head bob as she leaned back up and gave her blades a careful inspection.

“Ah, it is you, hm? So eager to go stabbing goblins. Hopefully they were not too much for you?” She arched a brow and gave him a once over. She was cocky, sure, but it was more of a playful joshing than serious sarcasm.

 

[LucianDevine]

Though his style of fighting was usually more defensive and opportunistic, Zeke was nothing if not adaptive. With such a large horde attacking a significantly smaller defense force he knew that it was better for him to go on the offensive. They were just goblins after all.

Zeke's obvious movements quickly caught the attention of the attacking horde. The first of the ugly creatures met his charge head on, it's weapon coming down in a savage chop. Zeke was ready though, he knocked the offending blow aside with the sword in his right hand while simultaneously bringing his left blade up to cut the creatures throat.

The next attack came from his left, but was dispatched in similar fashion, this time parrying with his left blade and attacking with his right.

Zeke had had his blades crafted of equal length, two and a half feet long, for just that purpose. With blades of equal length he could use either one for both defense and offense, depending on the situation. He'd gone one step further in his design though, ensuring that the hilts of the blade were only long enough to accommodate one hand. Cutting down on the hilt size also served to cut down on the weight, making them easier to manage while dual-wielding.

With goblins swarming the full of the street, Zeke held his ground. His dark green eyes were constantly scanning back and forth, trying to see which goblin posed the largest threat at the time. He couldn't help but smile when he saw Cein enter the fray. He took note of her position and watched her back, despite knowing and seeing that the goblins posed as little a threat to her as they did to him.

When all was finally said and done and hundreds of goblin corpses littered the street Zeke flicked the blood from his weapons and sheathed them once more. He was just bending to pick up his discarded cloak, which thankfully hadn't managed to walk away in one person's hands or another when he heard Cein speak. He turned his head to see that she was indeed looking at him, and he couldn't resist the urge to return her playful smile. Her accent also had that effect on him as well.

"Heh, slashing actually..." Zeke started with a wry smile. "Nah, not too much for either of us it seems, but dreadfully ill-timed. I was about to challenge you to another rematch before they showed up and spoiled everything. I mean who could possibly have a respectable duel surrounded by the stench of goblins, am I right?"

It was hard for Zeke to not talk casually to and with Cein, for despite her accent, she was as close to an equal as he had ever found, and this was the first time the two had ever found alongside each other. It was actually a relief of sorts. It wasn't often that he had somebody around that he trusted to have his back, even if it was just against goblins.

"Speaking of the goblins, something about all of this strikes me as odd..." Zeke started before pausing for a moment to dust off his previously discarded cloak and let it hang in the crook of one arm as he approached Cein. "It's well-known that goblins like to attack in force and overwhelm with their sheer number advantage, but have you ever known them to do so without a clear and apparent leader? There isn't a hobgoblin, bugbear, or even an orc among the dead, and I didn't see anything larger than a goblin among the fleeing survivors. Have you ever seen anything like it before?"

 

[NDIaC]

“A rematch? With me? Oh you are the glutton, no?” Cein was quick to retort, her wit as sharp as her blade. Still, her smile was easy to come by, despite the tremendous skill at killing things with pointy things she was surprisingly light on the ego (mostly). Despite her comments, she was well aware of their score when it came to duels. It seemed each time they crossed blades there was something that kept them from claiming an honesty victory. If it wasn’t the light from a broken piece of glass to the eyes it was an untimely arrival of another brawl, which Cein was unfortunate enough to tumble over, losing her balance long enough to feel the shame of a sword at her throat. There were always something going wrong, so much so it appeared more like fate calling the shots than anything. She crinkled her nose and turned it up at his comment of the reeking corpses, one hand rising up as she stuffed her nose against her forearm.

“Yes. This smell is atrocious, especially on an empty stomach.” She agreed, kicking at one of the small corpses if only for some comic relief. Her attention quickly returned to Zeke though, blue eyes flashing briefly as he made the comment. It slowly dawned on her, the look upon her face all too clear she had missed that until just now. She gave the corpse another kick before turning it over with the tip of her boot, as if to examine the corpse clearer.

“You are right. I did not know them to be overly courageous without something big and nasty cracking the whip at their backsides,” Cein removed her forearm from her face, her words a little clearer though her accent still rolled a few syllables. She sauntered through the field of corpses closer to the man with two short swords, her gaze drifting from the corpses to him for a brief moment before returning.

“Curious indeed. Most troubling as well. Especially now that I am tired and hungry. Shall we investigate further, or return to the tavern to conspire?” She asked, flashing that all too charming smile. As curious as their situation was, it was obvious that Cein thought little of it. She was just as apt to walk away from the situation as to press the issue further.

 

[LucianDevine]

Zeke couldn't help but chuckle at Cein's words. Despite her incredible skills, she had a certain way about her that made it absolutely impossible not to like her. "More like a desire to see one of our duels come to a natural conclusion." He offered up with a wry smile. He enjoyed victory as much as the next guy, and had in fact known more than his fair share of it, but his true love was the fight itself.

"Empty stomach is right." Zeke offered up before letting out a full-bellied laugh as he watched Cein kick one of the corpses. "This ill-advised attack of theirs has interrupted so very many things. Let's remedy at least one of those back at the tavern. Speaking of which, what brings you to a small town like this?" He asked with genuine curiosity as the two of them headed back towards the tavern.

 

[NDIaC]

Cein arched a brow at his words, her head canting to the right a fraction of a degree, a curious gesture as her bangs tickled at the bridge of her nose. She wrinkled it up before giving a little snort, that smile returning once more before she let out a purr of laughter. Her proud shoulders rolled in a nonchalant shrug before her hands settled upon the swell of her shapely hips.

“Ah, but conclusions, they are so...final, no? The worst part of a story, the ending. Once you get there, it's over. So boring. It is far more fun to keep going. If you never finish it, it will just go on and on.” Cein spoke as if it made sense, but of course to her it made complete sense.

She offered a nod and walked away from the pile of bodies at their feet, once more making her way down the stretch of road between cluttered buildings. This time she had a companion, one that seemed to have more than a little interest in her current situation. She let a knowing little smile tug at her lips, a hint of a smirk as she gave him a sidelong glance.

“Why so curious? Hm?” She asked in a teasing tone. “I could ask the same of you. What brings a swordsman of such renown to this...shithole.” She scrunched her nose up at her own words before letting fly a sultry giggle. Still, she avoided the question with some grace, if not charm. Her cloak fluttered about her as she moved, those easy, graceful steps making her appear to almost glide at times. They returned to the tavern they had previously occupied, where they found more than a few relieved souls that welcomed them in. Drinks were on the house, who could complain about that? As well as food and board, well, Cein certainly would turn down such hospitality even if she worried about fleas and lice.

She graciously accepted it all though, with a charming smile. Once more she sat at a table, a mug of wine set down before her. Not the most tasteful of cups, but it served its purpose adequately. The wine though, well, that was another story. Oh the faces she made behind their backs, the subtle rolling of those bright eyes, the twitch of her lips and tugging at the corners of her lips.

“Oh how the common folk live...” She said at length, with a hint of melancholy in that purring tone. “But I suppose if I never tasted the real thing, I would not know that I was missing it, yes?” She asked her current companion with a wry little smile. She sipped at her drink, biding her time as a meal was prepared in their honor. Cein had told the barkeep not to kill a pig over her account, but the subtle sarcasm of her words were unfortunately lost on them all. Cein finally began to relax, her posture going slack as her shoulders dropped a bit, her dust boots crossed before her at the ankle, cloak drapped over the back of an empty chair. She still wore her swords, the thick leather belt dangling about her teeny tiny waist, so loose in that position her swords jostled and clanked with the slightest of movements.

“So did the goblins ruin your plans for the evening?” She asked curiously, that subtle head tilt taking over once more. “Or perhaps I did.” She couldn't help but add in at the last moment.

 

[LucianDevine]

"Heh, ain't that the truth?" Zeke offered up softly with a chuckle. "The journey itself is where the true fun, and the battle itself for that matter. I would gladly lose a long and intense dual, but winning a short and pathetically easy one carries no satisfaction at all."

"My story isn't all that complicated, sadly enough. The mountain dwarves owed me a favor, and I chose to call it in in the form of a pair of custom-made swords. They're made to the exact size of my hand, helping take a bit more weight off in addition to the lighter weight of the mithral. Their first trial run seemed to turn out pretty good, even if it was just against goblins." Zeke finished his brief story with a hearty chuckle as he lowered himself into a chair across from his beautiful rival and companion. As he spoke, though, it didn't pass his notice that she had intentionally side-stepped his question about what brought her here.

"Heh, hard to ruin plans that never existed." Zeke offered up with a wry smile. When he saw her relax a bit more, he gladly did the same. His cloak was draped over the back of a chair, just as hers were, and his swords were still securely at his sides. He gladly let himself go a bit just then, letting his back sag against his chair as he nursed his modest-tasting cup of wine.

"Par for the course I suppose. We can't possibly expect world-class tastes and accommodations everywhere we go, can we?" Zeke finished with a bow of his head and a soft chuckle. It had been a long time since he'd shared a drink with somebody he could consider an equal, and in a place like this of all places.