Closed I see you needed Help (Dor'gen)

[Aliara Cantrell]

62nd of Fall 514 AV

It had started with a cuss and then a punch……

Aliara had had a bit too much to drink by the time another girl around her age had come in. In that short dress and hair all done up, thinking she was for the heavens. Aliara had known her for years but she couldn't remember her name, hunching over the bar Aliara ordered her dinner and tried not to think about it.

The woman’s father was often paired with her father on long voyages and naturally the children bonded, that was until as children do, Aliara told her childhood friend she wanted to be a dancer. That had been a mistake, she had made her life a living hell after that, making fun of her caring for her hair and appearances. Just because a girl lived in the sunset quarter doesn't mean you couldn't make someone of yourself. Aliara was going to well known one day, the only Aerial dancer in sunberth, and would be the best dancer in Sunberth.

“Hello Aliara”

Great…. Aliara was lucky enough to have the lady sit next to her, and the more she looked at her the less Aliara could remember her name. Raising her eyebrows she just looked up at the girl with her black hair and black eyes, she could certainly draw attention in the room. A group of four or five men circled behind her, a party? Aliara just shrugged and went back to her dinner.

“Hanging around taverns like your mother i see.”

Her eye twitched, her mother had been a server at this tavern for a few years back in the day, before the incident that was. As a kid Aliara had heard it all, about her mother and other men but she had ignored it, just like she was trying to now. Yet the girl would not stop in her charade.

“Guess you sleep around like her to for a living then?”

And something went Snap….Her hand left her fork and Aliara went straight for the nose. She missed of course, but her hand did collide with a cheekbone. The girl with her pretty black hair, was flat on the ground and Aliara wasn't far behind. She landed on the girl with a growl and wrapped her fist in the girl’s hair and pulled. Many of the patrons just sat there and watched like they had every other time but this time, the four or five man launched themselves at Alirara with their fists ready to bring Aliara down.
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[Dor'gen]

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After a long day on the job, there was nothing like settling down for a hot meal.

The day's "festivities" had all but tuckered the towering warrior out, yet what had kept him going throughout it all was the desire to sit down before a fresh meal. This day, he had been charged with escorting some poor sod to and fro one end of town...and since he had pockets full of coin, he needed protection from thieves. After brawling and swatting away those who were foolish enough to draw near, the Akalak was promptly rewarded with his daily price and went on his very merry way. By then, the hour had become late and supper was beginning to be served to the patrons who arrived at the popular "watering hole."

Upon entering the establishment, Dor'gen was greeted by a relatively simple scene. Noise was prevalent: from conversations, from cooking, from singing, from dancing...and there were patrons scattered all about. The hustle and bustle of the tavern was, slowly but surely, becoming a welcome sight to the Akalak. Even though he was a foreigner to the city of Sunberth, he was becoming acclamaited to life within the sordid domain. Striding forth, he took a seat at the bar and ordered his meal, and passed the time over a mug of ale.

Whilst he sipped upon his bittersweet beverage, he noted the arrival of a young woman. She minded her own business, which was a common trait in Sunberth, and took a seat down only two stools away. Only a few chimes passed before two arrivals made their presence known. For one, the Akalak's dinner had been served...and another young woman entered the establishment. She was flanked by a handful of hired blades; one of which Dor'gen recognized from a previous job. "And here I thought he was swearing off 'glorified babysitting.'" he thought to himself. Shrugging, he paid little attention to the brewing altercation but instead set the whole of his focus on his meal.

Yet when the mercenaries began their attempt to grab the aggressor...the flailing of hands coupled with confusion resulted in an accidental bump. One body colliding into the Akalak. This, in turn, inspired a chain reaction: Dor'gen's elbow colliding with his mug...thereby spilling his ale directly into his meal. "Oh. Hai. No." he growled, announcing his disgust in perfect Myrian. Surging to his feet, the Akalak rounded on the mercenaries who struggled to restrain the girl...before rearing back a fist and slamming it into the nearest face. This man went down, tumbling over a stool, and took one of the mercenaries with him to the floor.

The Akalak didn't stop there, for a familiar heat had begun to manifest itself within him. Divine Djed, born of the mark upon his forearm, began to course through his very veins. It impowered him, pushing his strength higher and allowing him to somewhat shrug off the exhaustion that plagued his body. With his Prowess, the Akalak managed to raise his arms in time to protect his torso from an assault of fists. Two of the three men had decided to attack Dor'gen, while the third (his former comrade) momentarily attempted to pry the women apart. When this goal was realized through prying his client free, he then grabbed hold of one of his fellows and waved his arm in front of the other.

"Hey! HEY! That's enough. Enough!" he called.

Dor'gen, seething, lowered his arms and shook them; feeling the pain which came from defending himself. With letter else left to say, he glared at those standing and laying...before saying: "Whichever one of you started this shyke is buying me a new dinner. Pay the petch up, or I'm punching your face in."
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[Aliara Cantrell]

It had happened suddenly and it ended the way it started. Someone had knocked over another patron’s drink and Aliara had be kicked and punched. She could 3 possible broken ribs and two black eyes, but the girl being picked up in front of her was far worse. Blood gushing from her nose and lip, clumps of her hair laid on the floor where Aliara had pulled it out. Smiling to herself she spat a little blood in the girls face as strong arms fasten around her arms.

The girl deserved it, she was only rich because she had married wealth or something, either way she had found wealth through a man. No one could talk to Aliara about her mother, nor should they ever say that she is sleeping around for money, Aliara worked herself to bone for that coin. The coin that payed for her food and shelter, no one could take that away from her.

Tearing her eyes from the woman Aliara looked around at the men who had jumped in to save the girl, yet when she counted there was one to many. An enormous man, who towered over Aliara and everyone else in the building, with long silver hair that contrasted his purple skin. Aliara’s mouth fell open, she was standing in front of an Akalak, the greatest warriors of all time, his skin was a tapestry of scars and Aliara couldn't help but stop her sea blue eyes from tracing every single one of them on his face.

His voice boomed in the Tavern and Aliara instantly reacted by struggling out of the grip. His hands left red finger marks on her bare arms just Aliara was too proud to let it bother her. Standing as tall as she could she turn to point at the girl but found everyone one that was included in the tussle was pointing their finger at her.

That was unfair! Aliara was just defending her honour! someone doesn't just get to say something like that without something happening to them. Pursing her lips Aliara bit her tongue and didn't say a word, what ever she was to say would probably just make it worst. Silently turning back to the bar she swapped her barely eaten dinner for the ale soaked one then returned to her spot and looked back up at the warrior. Aliara could feel the small trickle begin to fall down her nose, great a blood nose, just what she wanted.

“Aliara started it all! just attacking me like that, she is an-”

She didn't even get to finish before Aliara had spun around again and kicked with all her might, Her foot landed on the girls stomach pushing her down once again, and like it had start with Aliara landed on her fists raised ready to slam them into her jaw..

[Dor'gen]

Dor'gen was ignorant to a lot of things, but at least his brief time in Sunberth was educating him.

In Taloba, there was not exactly a humongous difference in wealth between the people. Every man, woman, and child was expected to work their fair share, and as such society functioned. All were unified in servitude to their Goddess; and as such petty things such as rich over poor did not occur. However, in the sordid city of Sunberth, such petty matters meant quite a bit to the general population. Those who had coin to spare were often preyed upon by the less fortunate; and those who were less fortunate were often exploited by those with coin to spare. In the end, there was a vicious cycle, all characterized by money...and the Akalak was beginning to see it for what it was.

And this scene of violence unfolding before him was a clear indicator of this trend.

Before him were two women; one obviously wealthier than the other. Dor'gen gleaned this particular knowledge from two factors: the fact that one woman had bodyguards...and the other did not. Furthermore, it seemed as though the altercation was purely between the two women, but the one lacking coin was two hairs from being impaled by a solid number of swords. There was no way in Hai she'd get away with assaulting a mercenary's client like that; especially if the men expected to get any decent pay for their service. Now, being that Dor'gen was in a particularly foul mood due to his ruined meal, he had half a mind to leave the girl to her impending fate. After all, she was dumb enough to attack a woman who had bodyguards.

But then, just as the first wave of brawling and grabbing concluded, their gazes met...and he saw something that stirred the pit of his stomach. She had a rather scrappy expression upon her face, one that was once worn by a woman Dor'gen considered to be like his own child. Simply looking into the woman's eyes conjured a face of Tinnok...and that caused an audible groan in the back of the Akalak's mind. 'Twas Goa, Dor'gen's "darker" sibling...and he was obviously displeased by his brother's pending intervention. "I swear, you must intentionally look for this sort of shyke." he seethed. Dor'gen, of course, ignored it before stepping forward. Reaching down, his fingers seized the young woman by the collar before he tugged hard.

This action would have been enough to wrench her to her feet, yet Dor'gen's progression would not stop there. Casting a glance to his former comrade, he said: "She's mine. Problem?" To this, the mercenary simply shook his head. In the sellsword's mind, there was no worse fate than being torn to shreds by the savage Akalak...and that was what he expected to happen. However, Dor'gen had a different outcome in mind. He had saving this girl's life on the forefront of his mind. Practically dragging her, Dor'gen would move from the thicket of bodies and out of the door of the establishment. Once into the light of day, with a closed door behind them, the Akalak would then toss the woman onto the ground; assuming that she allowed his dragging to occur.

"You're an idiot. They would have killed you." he began, folding his arms. "Is that how you want to die? On the ground of some petching tavern?! Put that angst to good use, sell those fists and make some coin of your own; then you'll be the one with bodyguards." Dor'gen's words were a glorified lecture...but in the end they were true. At least in his opinion..
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[Aliara Cantrell]

They had drawn swords. Aliara had punched the girl in the throat once and once in the jaw but then her body guards had intervened. They started with kicking and pulling, but as Aliara kept attacking their attacks followed suit.

Yet that was when strong hands had pulled her up, with no consideration to how much it hurt to have someone gripping like that, looking around she noticed that the room had gone dead quiet. Each and every one of the sailors were watching in silent awe wondering what would happen next.

Struggling slightly Aliara tried to force her way out of her captors grip however the strong hands kept their iron grip. It was the Akalak, this shocked Aliara to no end to the extent that she didnt even resist as he manhandled her to her feet and a considerable distance from the woman she had attacked. Frowning she shook herself free and crossed her arms, looking up at his tall figure Aliara tried to look as menacing as possible.

Behind her she heard people take a step before her and she spun around, facing down them with fire in her eyes. The men still had their weapons drawn, but this time the looked serious, her eyes widened slightly and she stepped backwards into the strong body of the Akalak, it wasn’t until he claimed her as his that she lost all frown, someone was defending her? Aliara turned to face him as he began to give her some speech about her life but Aliara couldn't help but make a smart comment.

“ I don’t need bodyguards! People pay me to be their bodyguard!” Aliara scoffed and rolled her eyes, “And i wouldn’t have died i do have some skill.”

Looking up into his eyes was harder then Aliara would have guessed, not just for the seer fact of how high they are but because of the piecing nature. It made her nervous but Aliara couldnt help but wish that she was taller her so that she could remotely scare him no matter how unlikely.

“Anyway she deserved it! Called me……”

Aliara fumed, to be accused off such thing was an outrage! she would never lower herself so low, never not even if it meant life or death. To accuse her mother of such thing aswell it hit a sore spot.

“An entertainer of men…”
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[Dor'gen]

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Defiance.

For reasons beyond the Akalak, the young woman refused to see the logic in what he had stated. In fact, she was adamant on placing a mountain of faith in her own abilities; claiming that her skills would have allowed her to evade an untimely demise. However, this was certainly not the case. She was outnumbered. She was smaller. She had her back exposed to the bodyguards for most of the altercation. All it took was one solid thrust of a sword for her to be robbed of the waking world and delivered before the throne of Dira. Yet, the young woman did not see any of this. She was woefully ignorant of the fact that he had saved her life...Regardless of this, Dor'gen was adamant on making the young woman see some semblence of reason.

Folding his arms rather impatiently, Dor'gen hearkened to the meager excuses as to why the young woman decided to endanger her life. As the words formed and fell from the young woman's lips, the Akalak felt his patience waver ever so slightly. This girl had allowed the most basic of insults drive her to the point of throwing her life away?! How absolutely silly that was..."When I was a young child, my mother once told me that words were meaningless. A man could hurl insults like spears, but they were powerless to do harm unless I allowed them to. By reacting the way you did, you gave that girl you assaulted power over you. You handed her a sharpened stick and said 'here, prod me with it." he said with a snarl.

[color=darkorchid]"Furthermore, do not place too much faith in those abilities of yours. Anyone with a dagger and fists can be hired as a bodyguard. You, however, had your back exposed to the whole of that woman's guards. If not for me dragging you out of that tavern, they could have easily stabbed the life out of you." he continued. By now, his foot began to tap upon the ground with a touch of...impatience. He wanted this young woman to see the error of her ways so that, perhaps, she could live a little bit longer. He didn't want to see any young woman deceased in an alleyway; not if he had any say in the matter. "You say that she insulted your mother, yes? Well let me ask you this..." he began, taking a moment to unfold his arms.

In an effort to make himself just a touch more comfortable, the Akalak widened his stance. His legs were now spaced shoulder width apart and his dominant hand came to rest upon the hilt of his bastard sword. His offhand simply held his shield aloft; all the while his knees relaxed. Dor'gen was somewhat confident that there wouldn't be any disturbance from the woman or her bodyguards. After all, his "friend" would diffuse the situation...or at least encourage them not to pursue an armed confrontation with the Akalak. Having seen what the towering man could do on a previous job, it was safe to assume that an impression was made. This aside, the Akalak took a moment to calm himself down a touch before continuing. A calming breath was inhaled, then subsequently exhaled.

"Obviously your mother means a lot to you. Enough so that you'd risk your life defending her honor. Since she's so valuable, what do you think she'd say if she saw what you just did? Do you think she'd be happy with you throwing your life away over a childish insult?" he inquired, looking the woman directly in the eye. "Now, call me crazy but I'd assume that your mother cares about you. I'd think that, since you're so willing to fight for her honor, that she cares about you a lot. I don't think she'd want to see her child dead in an alley; and neither would I for that matter." With that said, the Akalak averted his gaze. A sigh characterized him for a moment, before he righted himself once more.

"Now then, the way I see it, you've got a choice. You can either listen to logic or you can throw your life away. I won't be around to save your arse everytime you decide to get into a fight...But I'm hoping that you'll learn something from today."

Word Count727
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[Aliara Cantrell]

It was a bit disheartening to hear the Akalak say such things about what it meant to be a mercenary… something in her mind wanted to tell him about her honour and why she began a mercenary in the first place but it would fall on the death ears. Perching her lips Aliara raised her eyebrows in a silent rebellion.

She had remained silent the entire time the man had been talking out of respect but now after hearing it all Aliara decided it wasnt worth it.

“My mother is rarely aware of her surroundings these days, last time i was at in her living room she was talking to my father beside her, grief does horrible things.”

The mercenary’s next rant struck a nerve in Aliara, she had only done such a thing because they wouldn't try anything after he had claimed her and told them to leave her alone. It wouldn't be an issue, however it did make her curse her own stupidity, her emotional side had caused Aliara to open herself up to a group of armed Assailants.

“You want to take that tone with me? All high and mighty? I thought everything i know to myself! i never had any help in this world growing up! it’s not like anyone is offering to teach me!”

Pissed off Aliara gestured around and raised her eyebrows at the passersby,

“Anyone? no?”

Turning back to the man she Aliara bite her lip and regretted her outburst almost immediately. It made her look and act like a child, she shouldn't let anyone reduce her to such a place. Frowning she looked back up at the towering man and glared.

The man had made Aliara reconsider how she had acted, silly words of a silly woman, after all she wasn't a towering Akalak.

“Who cares anyway, not even a proper mercenary, Aliara Cantrell, the blue eyed blonde with a girly figure and a pretty face people who hire me think i am in entertainer anyway...”

It was a small mutter under her breath but it held all of Aliara’s heart and fears.
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[Shakune]

 

Aliara Cantrell

SKILLS
Unarmed combat, 2
Observation, 1
Socialisation, 1

LORES
Old rivalries never fade
Dor'gen: Akalak warrior
The frustration of being under appreciated
Defending one's name and mother

REPERCUSSIONS
2 broken ribs & associated bruising and swelling, will heal after 21 days
2 black eyes, will fade after 10 days

 

Dorgen

SKILLS
Observation, 2
Unarmed combat, 1
Rhetoric, 1
Intimidation, 1

LORES
The horror of a wasted meal
Aliara: A scrappy fighter
Aliara: Defiantly illogical
Keeping up one's reputation

Sorry for the delay in this guys, but great thread! Shame it couldn't go further.

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