When hope is lost (Ricky)

by **Mirage** on October 30th, 2014, 2:43 am

Scarface pretended as though he were considering Ricky's offer, tapping the hilt of his dagger before he smiled, "Sure, whatever you say mate. You tell us what we want ta know, and we will let the girl go. Ain't that right boys?" He laughed and looked around at his gathered men who all chuckled and laughed in turn. Bofure most of all as he pulled the girl closer to sniffer her hair. She cringed.

"We are all of the honest sort, humble men of business that we are. Nothing personal you understand." He came forward and knelt in front of Ricky. The headache was nearly beyond bearable, to the point that even with Scarface mere inches from his nose he could barely make out the man's ugly burns. A cold spot began to form on his brow, a sensation of wetness coursing down his cheek and into his hair as he heard far off whispering. "Tell us then. Go on."

When the information was given Scarface would smile broader and pat Ricky's cheek, "There you go, now that wasn't so hard." Ricky's vision was almost completely gone now, but he could very well feel the fist as it landed in his gut, driving the wind from his lungs and making his chest spasm.

"You heard him boys, head to the south and cut them off... And tie the girl up. We will finish with her when we get back."

"Wha' about 'em?"

There was a short pause before Scareface answered, "Kill him."

Ricky felt hands grabbing his shoulders, pulling him to his feet but now the world turned as his disoriented mind finally lost the battle to hold onto conscious thoughts. More mindless words echoed somewhere in the darkness,. the cold began to creep over his chest and shoulders, down his stomach even as the ichy grew worse. Then he could feel something on his neck, a familiar sensation. The touch of icy steel, the sharp edge of a blade being pressed to his skin as a warm trickle fell over his chest. Then he would feel the blade move, his skin slice open, and suddenly all of his breath left him and he was cold. He crumbled, body motionless, Dira now come to take him. In the end, he could not save anyone...

*****

Ricky... Ricky... RICKY!

The voice called him in the darkness, slowly rousting him from his slumber. His body felt heavy, hot and sweaty as a dull ache filled his head and mind. There was a cool strip of cloth pressed against his forehead, water slowly dripping back into his hair and over his face. Where he lay he was covered his an incredibly itchy woolen blanket. Also, there was someone leaning over him, dabbing another cool cloth against his cheek and over his chest and shoulders, wiping away the seat and humming in a soft tone.

As Ricky awakened the world would begin to come into focus, and the figure became clear. A woman with auburn hair and hazel colored eyes smiled down at him, "Oh, you're awake. You worried us for a while, but we held onto hope that you would pull through." She shifted from where she knelt, reaching back over Ricky's head and taking a pitcher of water and pouring a small amount into a mug to hand to Ricky, "Here, drink this. How do you feel?"

They were in a cabin of sorts, and behind the woman Ricky could see others resting on sleeping mats. Among them was Telion, safe and sound.

by **Ricky Maze** on October 30th, 2014, 8:08 am

Were he in a more better position to ensure the man's words would truly be kept, then sure enough Ricky would do everything in his power to see that would be the case. Yet there was a doubt in his mind that haunted him even to the point where he shared the information with Scarface, a tremble shook his very core as his heart literally felt ready to pound itself free from his own chest. All while this had been going on he still couldn't help the fact he felt itchy all over, so god damn itchy that it practically drove him mad as he fidgeted continuously in their grasp. Whether this gave them the belief that he was afraid of them he wasn't sure, but then again it came down to the point where he honestly found himself caring little anymore.

The world around him was in nothing but a blur as the whole of his head felt ready to burst, a sharp pain resonated at the center of his mind as though a broken tip of a dagger remained locked within, desperate to skewer every inch of Rick's inner skull to bits as the world grew less detailed by the chime. He felt cold and wet on his forehead mainly which could be partially explained due to the amount of sweat over his brow, yet this didn't distract him from misleading Scarface and his band of "honest businessmen" and giving them a direction to follow. Once his initial thought about Crowley having gone north as instructed passed, it was then Ricky felt a hard punt to his own lower torso as the air he breathed suddenly became forced out.

After a few wheezes though he felt more or less numb then, his grasp of the world around him already nearly gone at this point. He felt so disoriented that not even shapes existed in his vision anymore, and the sheer amount of exhaustion that clung to his mortality made him feel ready to give up on any means of surviving as well. Voices were still present though and he could hear what the last few words were, ones that led him to realize that he had very well reached the end of his time in this world. He wanted to fight back then, he wanted to resist and avoid what was to come, but he hadn't enough stamina left to do so. He was only delaying the inevitable at this point, and to struggle was by all means useless. This was really it for him, this was how Ricky Maze finally went out in the world. Murdered by slavers out in the wilderness, all because he went on a personal quest for hope. A miracle to save him, to cure him of his illness.

Had he been a fool? Was this quest really in vain? A fools errand based on a gamble with time? He felt hands grasped around his arms and shoulders to pull him up to his feet, his vision nearly blackened at this point as his breathing hastened. This was really it, this was really how he was going to die. Telion... Martin... He thought about the wife and son he loved so much, out of all the people he'd leave behind in this world those were the two, the ones he'd never get the chance to say goodbye to before the end. He didn't want that, to just pass on without some means of seeing their faces again, to hear their laughs and feel them as they were close, all while he recollected every memory he had of them, he could feel the blade they were to use on his skin. The kiss of cold steel was something he started to prepare for now, yet when he felt the razor edge press into his skin and severe it in two, he knew right then it was finally over.

Mortality... it really did change the way one did think in the end, to finally see how futile it is to fight it, to struggle for survival when you no longer had the means to. He was truly helpless now, and with the feeling of his air lost it was only a matter of ticks before what little of his remaining life finally whittled away. He hit the ground and that was all he knew, his mind still locked on the thought of the ones he loved. Would they remember him? Was he going to be missed? Did he do his father proud? Was everyone he met affected in a positive way? Would everyone he ever met truly keep his memory to their heart? He questioned the significance of his existence then, but even so he felt ready to accept the coming end as there was at least one answer, one belief he held onto that brought him peace. So long as Telion, Martin, anybody that knew Ricky enough to keep him in their hearts remembered him, then sure enough with those memories he would live on in their hearts.

Oi... Oi love yew so much.... He felt the last bit of himself finally let go, the inner peace he felt a resolute guide to accept what he was finally ready to face. Death. It'd embraced him so suddenly then, it was far more unusual compared to the day he encountered it last summer. Even so he no longer had anything left to feel, nothing but the one regret he carried with him to the end; never being able to see his wife and child again. Still nothing could be done about it now, as he'd already slipped deep into the reaches of oblivion.

But.

Somehow he started to feel again. It started with his body as it once was moments ago, granted it felt like an eternity within this darkness. Heat made his entire form feel prickly sensations all while the surface of his skin itched, as something heavy felt like it'd been weighing him down. He could hear a voice speak his name, a repetition to follow as it guided him back into the reality he'd escaped from. Where was this? Had he passed on to the next life already? Just why did he feel so hot and cold?! Finally he managed to crack open his eyes slowly as the world appeared in a dim color before him, the haze before him barely lifted due to the grogginess he felt in his eyes. His head still hurt but so much of the pain seemed at ease now, compared to the earlier amounts he'd felt before. How long was he out? Did he really manage to survive once again? No... it wasn't possible. He felt sure he'd finally met his end, this time he knew for sure it had arrived. And yet, here he was. In the bed of some stranger that cooled his fever, and welcomed him when he finally came to.

Hope? Did she really say that? She and everyone else hoped he would make it? He tried to swallow but his throat felt far to dry, which made it difficult even after the ability to salivate returned. He started to lean slowly so that he would be enough to prop himself up, the cover slid off his chest as he did so to relieve the places where he continued to itch. Dis damn t'ing... He cursed at the discomfort it brought him, curious as to whether or not this was somehow related to the same itchy feeling he had before his death. Well, "would be death" more suited the title. Yet if that was the case then how was it he felt the itches even without the blanket at the time? Was it but a dream? A hallucination produced by his mind, due to the illness he'd been enduring. She returned to his side with a mug of water, which he graciously accepted and took a drink from without hesitation.

He never felt so relieved to kill a thirst for water, the fact he'd felt so dehydrated really weighed in on this factor as well. He'd already drank over half the mug continuously before he had to pause for breath, even then he still kept the mug close as he finally found himself able to answer her question. "Like shyke." He croaked with a hoarse voice that made him cough a couple of times, naturally he took to drink the rest of his water to try and remedy this. He looked around then to see just where exactly he was, which in turn really left him confused then. It appeared to be a cabin, how that was the case he didn't know. Was it nearby where he was supposedly killed? Did Crowley come back for him after they found this place? Or did he dream that entire event? He couldn't believe it a dream, but even then that hardly seemed to matter. He noticed the group of people that slept on the floor, Telion's face being among them as she'd looked to fallen asleep after going without for so long. Had she been deprived because she worried for Ricky?

He didn't know. There wasn't much he did know at this point, all that he was capable of doing at this point, was to ask the woman before him and see what she had to say. "What happened? Did Crowley git everyone t' safety? How did Oi end up 'ere?" He didn't intend to flood her with Tanroa knew how many questions, but at this point his curiosity had already got the better of him. The more answers he had then the better he would feel, for that is what he surely felt would be the case.

by **Mirage** on October 31st, 2014, 4:11 am

"Crowley?" the woman asked, looking confused a second before smiling, "You mean the merchant? He and his wife left some time ago. He was such a nice man, following after you while you wandered aimlessly. But what else would you expect from a retired Syliran knight?"

Gentle hands pressed on Ricky's shoulders, easing him back onto his mat as she went back to mopping his brow, "You have had a high fever for several days now, but it grew worse in the past day. You began to run about, causing quite a stir to the other travelers and finally collapsed. The woman over there, she has been by your side with little sleep since you passed out." She looked back over her shoulder at Telion before returning her attention back to Ricky, "You should thank her in the morning when she awakens."

Producing a bowl from behind her the woman dipped the rag and rung it out to once more mop at Ricky's brow, "All of your companions were getting really worried, but you never gave up. Even in your darkest moments you never lost hope. That is an admirable quality in someone in your condition."

by **Ricky Maze** on October 31st, 2014, 5:13 am

A sudden look of curiosity developed as he'd been told that Crowley managed to leave a little while ago, as though both he and Ricky hadn't actually just gone through a whole ordeal. He left? Wit' 'is wife? That didn't make any sense, was one of the slaves they helped his wife? No. There was no connection that appeared to be made at that moment, instead he remembered Crowley helped the group as a whole rather than notice and interact with a particular one. Yet. This woman was the woman who had the crutch on her leg when they rescued the slaves, however upon noticing the fact she was actually rather healthy without a splint...

Was that whole t'ing a dream? A hallucination? He wondered as she nudged back to lie down, he felt at his neck for a moment to find that the wound he had, the killing wound that would've ended his life was also nonexistent as well. It made little to no sense to him, but granted that he'd somehow found a profound perspective that made him realize something. Yet that revelation still didn't matter as the reality of the fact settled in, he still had a sickness he needed to heal before it got the better of him. If he were to take her words into consideration and think on it well enough, then his condition by far was on its way to getting worse. "So Oi lost me head fer a while den." He guessed even after thinking about how real the dream felt.

The woman went on about how Telion remained by his side all while Ricky was out, a gentle smile formed on his face as he knew good and well that's all she genuinely did, since day one on their journey to Syliras she'd always watched him diligently. "She's me wife, an' de reason why Oi keep on pushin'." He admitted as he looked at the ceiling of the cabin they were in, if it weren't for her after all then Ricky would've no doubt never went on this quest to begin with. If anything she was the thing that gave him hope, which is why it made him happy to know that even at his worst she was there to see him better again. "Believe me once we're home Oi'll remember t' t'ank 'er everyday."

He was a bit thrown off by her mentioning of an admirable quality, a small soft shake of his head as he believed otherwise. "No, Oi just try t' do what's roi. De reason why Oi 'ave hope is because o' her, Telion an' me son 're what give me enough hope an' courage t' face whatever comes me way." He spoke humbly as he closed his eyes for a moment, one of his hands brought up to the rag on his head as he wiped some of the excess water from his forehead with it. "S'why Oi'll never stop until Oi know Oi'm dead, because everyt'in Oi'll do Oi'll do it fer me family." He justified this with the reasoning to his actions that would've occurred that night, were it an actual night that happened rather than just some figment of his imagination instead.

by **Mirage** on October 31st, 2014, 6:02 am

She laughed, touching her fingers to her lips to hide her smile as she nodded, "You are a very good man then. A good husband, a good father." She brushed the damp rag across his forehead and reached to take Ricky's right hand in her own. She brushed her thumb over his knuckles, glancing up to meet his eyes, "Hope is a powerful thing. It can create the greatest miracles in the worst of situations. It brings light into the darkness, gives strength to the weak." She lifted his hand and gently brushed her lips against his knuckles, smiling as she lowered his hand back down, "You have a lot of hope in your heart, born from the love of your family."

A sound behind her made the woman pause and look back. Telion was sitting up on one elbow, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, "Ricky?"

The woman looked back to Ricky, releasing his hand and standing, "Hold onto that hope in your heart, and everything will be alright. Share that light with those you meet in your journey. Illuminate the shadows of Mizahar with your own Luminescence." She stepped aside as Telion came closer, moving to the door and pausing just before leaving to look back once last time, "Go with my blessing Ricky Maze. Oh, and I forgot to introduce myself." She gave a half curtsy as Telion sat beside Ricky and took his hand, "My name is Priskil. I hope that we will become good friends."

"Ricky, how are you feeling?" Telion asked, look back to the door where the woman had been just moments before, "Were you talking with someone?"

The woman was gone, and on the hand that she had kissed, the one Telion now held, there was a softly glowing vortex, the mark of a Goddess who had granted him favor.

by **Ricky Maze** on October 31st, 2014, 6:27 am

There was no denying in the woman's philosophy that hope was indeed a powerful thing, the fact that it had even kept him going this far was in itself a point alone worth mentioning. It proved that even in the darkest of nights there was always a dawn that waited to follow, and it was generally the breaking light that dawn brought where new hope could easily be found. The sound of Telion's voice was enough to arouse Ricky just a little more as he glanced over, the wife quite in her awakening as she'd come to find her husband active as well. He automatically held a smile as he noticed her, but when he glanced back over to the woman that had looked after him, he held a confused expression at first when he noticed that she'd brushed his knuckles with her lips.

Shortly just a moment afterwards something happened, while Telion approached and Ricky's hand was soon released, an unusual sort of mark took form on the back of his right hand. A vortex that faintly glimmered as it swirled with a life of its own, as Telion came to his side right when the other woman stepped aside to leave. She did so with the instruction to share this light of hope with others, and with an introduction as to what her name was the sudden shock in knowing just who he met finally sunk it. Priskil. The Goddess of Light and Hope! He had just literally met the Goddess herself in person, and even more so earned himself her favor. But how? All he did was endure a severe migraine that produced hallucinations, he was pretty sure that hardly seemed a fitting example to earn such a gift from someone so... divine. Holy... Holy shyke!

Telion had asked him if he was feeling better, and if he happened to speak with someone just now. "Just yew love." He covered with a smile on his face. "Oi wanted t' see yer face again, before we resumed this journey again." He told her with sincerity, a new sense of hope found now all of a sudden. Of course the whole explanation of his new found mark would have to come later, as he still had to think over what had just happened in order to better understand its outcome.

by **Mirage** on October 31st, 2014, 6:43 am

Ricky

Planning	+3
Reimancy	2

Lores :

Truth Hidden by a Mirage :

Quest When hope is lost (Ricky)