Closed Two and a half souls (Part One)

[Lazryn Lazak]

Timestamp; 5th Spring 515

Having completed his morning ritual Lazryn armed himself with cloak, Lakan and most importantly for his purpose today; coin purse.

Today was a very special day for Lazryn, one that came very uncommonly indeed for today was a day that he planned on carrying out no formal physical training. The last few days had been particularly strenuous, and if truth be told he was more in the need of coin than he was of furthering his training at this point in time. It had been a week or so since his last job, though that had brought in a fair payment package it certainly wasn’t enough to support himself from for much longer.

As it was however in order to make money Lazryn was going to have to go out and spend some, for he was in dire need of some new equipment as his old stuff was well worn and was becoming less and less useful. In his line of work it was foolish to try and save some coin by keeping your equipment in disrepair, in some regards maintaining his equipment was in fact more important than maintaining his own training at this stage. He had years of training to fall back on, but that would be fairly useless in a real fight if his opponent was far better armed than he was just because he had been negligent in the upkeep of his own arsenal.

The weather was fair today, spring had certainly sprung, not that it mattered much since his walk was short. Leaving his home in Kuahala Estate it was a leisurely stroll along the main road of the city that held many intriguing sights, be it the hustle of the street around him as many Akalak and fewer people of other races rushed about their business, or the more attention drawing structures and landmarks that his home was so closely situated to. The most imposing of all of these, for Lazryn at least, was Wysar’s tower high looming above the rest of the city as if it were itself the spirit of Wysar watching over his children. Lazryn could not help but feel an itch at the back of his neck every time he saw the tower, as if the mere sight of it was causing his Gnosis mark to tingle.

After he passed the tower Lazryn’s focus was on the road ahead of him, there was many things happening around him but they were not his worry and so he had no reason to pay them any notice. He was moving through the crowd quickly, and with a sense of purpose that might have been intimidating to any member of a smaller race that might have gotten too near him in his march.

Soon enough he was at his intended destination, the Arma’Drex smithy; a seemingly small and unimpressive building that could easily be passed over if you didn’t know it was there or weren’t specifically looking for it.

Although he was no great weapon master, yet, and so had no need of constantly maintaining his weapons and arms or acquiring new ones Lazryn was familiar with the two owners of the establishment. Most Akalak were, since this was where most of them forged their Lakan once they had come of age and also the best place to purchase any other weaponry. In a city centred around martial training it was not hard to assume that the shop saw a lot of foot traffic.

With more effort than most would initially think necessary Akalak pushed the disproportioned door open and entered the gloomy shop floor, making sure to close the door after him. Walking to the centre of the initial area he found himself in Lazryn first looked to the right, where he knew he would find the weapon he sought, and then to the left to where the armour section of the store was found.

Standing here in the centre of the smithy it took Lazryn a moment to acclimate to the heavy smoky smell, and taste, to the air. For all the effort that was put into it, it simply wasn’t possible to fully vent the place of the smoke that billowed from the furnaces at the back of the smithy. The fumes filling his nostrils acrid, and it made him wonder how someone could spend a lifetime working in this sort of environment. He supposed you would become accustomed to it eventually, though that would probably only actually happen when the tissue in your nostril died off from inhaling so much of this stuff. At any rate this was no his concern today.

Upon looking into the armouring section of the store Lazryn saw that he was not the only customer, which in itself was not a strange thing in a store such as this, but the single other customer in the store was a strange sight to behold.

He was a human, and one that looked out of his depth surrounded by the pieces of leather and iron that was adorning the room he was standing in. He was scrawny Lazryn noticed, and not in the lithe way that some sword fighters and roughish-types are but rather in an untrained and fleshy sort of way. He was looking at the collection of armours around the store with a look confusion, and perhaps even anxiety Lazryn thought, when he suddenly seemed to notice that Lazryn had been looking at him for quite some time.

Quickly and somewhat stiffly smiling, as if to cover up his accidentally obnoxiously long stare, Lazryn turned towards the weaponry section of the store and began making his way into that section hoping that the human would not take offence.

[Shane Wallsly]

Shane had spent perhaps too much time aimlessly in recent days. His first season or two in Riverfall had passed in a bit of a blur. His memories were full of a kind of blissful contentment that didn't harmonise well with the rest of his memories. He had acted as if an entirely different person but at no point had he felt out of control or strange. It had all felt perfectly natural at the time. It was only recently, and in retrospect, did he feel that it was strange at all. It seemed almost as if one morning he had simply woken up to the truth. All his Shanely fears and goals had come rushing back to him.

He'd spent a few days simply combing his memory working meticulously through everything he could remember; every gold coin spent was a wince, every secret uttered a shudder. After that he considered talking to some others around him. Perhaps something like that, whatever it was that had happened to him, was experienced by all newcomers to Riverfall. He had even approached one of those men with the face tattoos that he had remembered acting so friendly. He had outright growled at Shane and chased him away.

Shane decided to keep his investigations to himself after that. He also decided that he had to move on this 'citizenship test'. If he was going to live here he was going to have to obey their laws. He would also need the formal sort of protection that only a citizen would receive in any settlement. So he had decided to go to the Arma'Drex smithy hoping that simply by holding every weapon he'd find one that felt right in his hands.

This didn't go well. The first weapon he picked up was also the first weapon he dropped. The handaxe left a small stinging cut in his hand as it fell to the floor. He winced and sucked on the cut. It could have been worse. It could have cut deeper or took a finger or two. The little cut was a real stinger however which made Shane felt a little less lucky than he should have.

It also gave him the idea to perhaps purchase some armour first. He wouldn't be on any front lines or anything but he needed to protect himself. Mostly against himself. He was a pretty dangerous guy. It was as he looked at the various armours that he spied a large, blue figure out of the corner of his eye. He appeared to be staring at him in a very direct manner. At first Shane tried to ignore him remembering his last run in with a grumpy Akalak. The man did not however stop staring at him so Shane turned and gave him a glare of his own. He was perhaps in a bit of a sour mood.

When the Akalak suddenly looked away Shane felt a bit foolish and looked away too. It had dawned on him that this Akalak hadn't meant to stare. He probably wasn't used to seeing humans in the smithy or something like that. Shane felt more than a touch silly now. “Uh, sorry.” He half-mumbled. “I mean, apologies to you Ser.” He said a bit louder and clearer. “I didn't mean to glare. I thought you were staring and... Well, I'm Shane. Uh, nice to meet you.”

[Lazryn Lazak]

As Lazryn was spinning around he caught a small glimpse of the scowl that Shane had thrown him, though it did not cause him to stop turning or indeed any offence at all. He had, after all, been staring rather rudely at the man.

Pompous little fool!

At that Lazryn stopped dead in his tracks. For a moment the entire world seemed to come to a standstill around him, the shock of Liyak appearing so suddenly and for so seemingly innocuous a reason was startling to say the least. Lazryn had received far greater insults from people in the past and Liyak had remained dormant, seemingly uncaring as always. What was it about this boy that bothered him so much?

Mewling human dares to look upon us with such disdain, he would not be so mighty if he lacked those miserable little eyeballs of his.

Us? What the blazes had gotten into Liyak so greatly, and suddenly!? Lazryn had rarely seen him so animated, he was going to have to hurry along with his purchases and retreat back home in case he got any more persistent.

That was when the human spoke, causing Lazryn to automatically turn to face him as he proceeded to introduce himself. Lazryn stared at him in bewilderment for a moment, what reason did the human have for speaking to him? It took him a moment to realize that the boy, for that is what he appeared to Lazryn to be, had probably not meant to glare just as he himself had not meant to stare in the first place. It was rare in Lazryn’s experience for someone to express their guilt for such a minor discrepancy such as this. What an odd Human.

Shaking the look of confusion from his face Lazryn smiled, a far more confident one than he had mustered before, and dipped his head slightly;

“Hello Shane, I apologize for my rudeness you simply looked so out of place it drew my attention. I did not mean offence.

I am no Ser, I must correct you there. You may call me simply Lazryn if you wish.”

Lazryn looked the boy up and down once more, once again bringing into his mind the question of what such a boy would be doing in Arma’dex. Surely he was no fighter? Perhaps it was close minded of him to think so though, the Akalak may specialize in perfecting their physical aspect as well as their martial prowess but if truth be told he did not know much of outsiders and the differences in their training regimes or ways of life. Perhaps where he was from this boy was of an average size and shape for a warrior, Lazryn could not be sure of anything about the stranger except one thing; he was certainly no resident of Riverfall, for no resident he knew of would look so hopelessly lost in a weapons shop.

He is no resident of Riverfall, the boy looks like he couldn’t lift a sword never mind swing one.

Trying to ignore his brother Lazryn took several steps towards Shane to close the distance between them, looking at the collections of different armour sets around the boy he voiced his wonderment in a very uncharacteristic manner, Liyak’s aversion to this human was making him very intriguing;

“I hope you do not take offense in this, but may I ask what it is exactly you’re looking for in here? As I said before you just seem out of your depth.”

Lazryn knew he wasn’t the most practised of informal speakers, he didn’t get to practise the skill very often after all, but he hoped he was at least conveying that he meant the stranger no offense.

He could still feel Liyak just beneath the surface of his conscious mind, like a sentient darkness waiting for its chance to engulf the light of day. It was an unnerving feeling, but Lazryn was doing his best to fight his instinct to leave the shop immediately in lock himself in doors for the remainder of the day. Running from Liyak had solved nothing over these years, Wysar had brought him to that realization and this felt like the next safest option in this situation.

[Shane Wallsly]

The Akalak never seemed to do anything in half measures. When addressed the blue hulk spun almost one hundred and eighty degrees with a degree of elegance Shane would never in a million years learn to imitate. He seemed to struggle with some inner thought before pardoning Shane his transgressions and introducing himself. Lazryn: not the strangest Akalak name he'd ever heard. In fact there really wasn't much strangeness to the naming of these people.

“Nice to meet you then, Lazryn.” Shane replied in kind looking the hulk up and down. The Akalak were bigger, brawnier and more intimidating than most men. He'd met less frightening ghosts. If he ever got into trouble in this town he was surely doomed. Then again he couldn't exactly have taken on the Knighthood of Syliras either. Every settlement had it's militia's and Shane was no one-man army. He would need allies and powerful magic...

His mind was wandering. He returned it to the present. Lazryn had that struggling look on his face again. A moment after he was speaking again. He asked a fair question and though it was not normally Shane's purview to reveal his business he saw no harm in it on this occasion. The consequences he could foresee were either totally inconsequential or fortunate for him. “No offense taken. I'm not accustomed to places like this, it's true. I'm new to Riverfall and I seek to become a citizen here. Err, a Kuvan I think.” The foreign word stuck in his throat a bit as he tried to pronounce it correctly. “Which means I must take up a weapon. Uh, with my dexterity I'll need protection... from myself.” He shrugged and gestured to the various pieces of armour before him. “Hence, armour.”

“I take it you're proficient with a weapon or two?” Shane asked continuing the conversation. “Are there any weapons here you think would suit a clumsy, young man such as myself?” As the question tumbled out of his mouth he marvelled at his own brilliancy. Who better to ask about weaponry than an Akalak? He would know which were lighter and easier to master and perhaps could even point him in the direction of someone who could train him. All provided the Akalak was in a helpful mood...

[Lazryn Lazak]

The boy seemed to smile easy, and had not taken offense from anything Lazryn had said which pleased him. This Shane seemed quite relaxed, care-free even and Lazryn was beginning to wonder if that was what drew so much of Liyak's rage to him.

As that thought crossed his mind Lazryn felt Liyak recede away from the forefront of his mind, as if Lazryn's attempts to pry into the matter were a toxin. At any rate this was not the time for such thought, for the first time in perhaps years Lazryn was having a casual conversation with another person, and it wasn't even an Akalak which was perhaps more shocking.

As Shane voiced his desires, finishing by asking for Lazryn's advice on the matter he felt somewhat relieved that his initial assumptions about the human had been correct; he was no warrior at all. What drove him to become a citizen of Riverfall was a wonder then, if not because of his drive to improve his already existing marital skills.

"I prefer not to speak of weapons, fighting and my proficiency in either I hope you do not mind; after all one may consider themselves a master and yet be a mere novice in the eyes of another.

As an Akalak I have however been training in the use of weapons and and my body since my early childhood, if that will suffice as an answer?"

The answer to Shane's request for a starting weapon for which to train with was an obvious one to him, though he was beginning to think that human societies must not place any emphasis on the importance of martial training at all so perhaps the answer was not so clear to the boy. At any rate he answered in as sagely a voice as he could muster, trying to impart the significance of his answer in the hopes his new acquaintance would actually take note;

"As for where your training should begin, that is a simple matter; for it is the belief of the Akalak that all forms of combat are derivative of the art of unarmed combat.

Before attempting to learn with any sort of forged weapon one must ensure that they are competent in the use of their natural weaponry; your body and in particular your limbs are amongst the greatest weapons you could ever possess if trained properly.

In your case in particular I would highly recommend training without a weapon, improving your dexterity will be far easier without any unnatural obstructions after all. It will also be safer, if you are indeed worried about injury though I can assure you such a thing is as certain as the rising sun when training in the art of combat.

Riverfall is home to many masters of both the armed and unarmed arts of fighting, I am sure if you possess the drive and willpower you can, in time, pass the Kuvan test once you find what style, and master, suits you best.

Though, why do you seek citizenship here if you do not find my prying rude?"

Lazryn knew was probably asking if his answers and questions were rude or offensive too often, but if truth be told he was speaking faster than his mind was actually able to fully censor. It felt strange to be so casual with a stranger for him; in reality this meeting was not very casual or overly friendly at all, for most it would be a passing conversation very quickly forgotten but it was having a much larger impact on Lazryn due to his usual social seclusion.

There was a part of him that knew that this conversation would soon be over, and it caused a strange tang of sadness. That would pass, he knew that from experience for it always did, and he knew that it was perhaps the for the best until a time came when he and Liyak were no longer at ends with one another...

[Shane Wallsly]

The akalak was being as illusive as he usually preferred to be. However he claimed it was of modesty rather than protection or deception. “I suppose it will.” Shane replied politely dipping his head. He was quite well-mannered for an Akalak. “Though I am sure you are merely being modest.”

Shane was equal parts surprised and expecting of the following answer. He had not really considered it before but as he now did the strength and grace of the Akalak became evident to him. He had heard of the strange abilities given to those who honed their bodies into killing machines; the grace of a butterfly, the sting of a bee. He looked Lazryn up and down once again this time really looking at the contours of his body evident through his clothing. He was sure a normal punch from a man like this would be earth-shattering to him never mind one coming from one learned of the fist.

Shane's musings were broken when he was asked exactly why he wished citizenship in Riverfall. He had told another everything. He was yet to see whether that would be a mistake or boon in the coming seasons. Should he tell the giant what he wanted to hear? Would it sound hollow from his mouth? He could... Yes, an idea was forming.

He stood taller, opened up his stance, expanded his sphere of influence. 'I am truthful. I am trustworthy.' he transmitted the hypnotic suggestion through his stance. “Riverfall is a beautiful city. I admire you Akalaks and what you have built here. I had to escape from my home. I cannot defend myself. I've come here not only seeking safe haven but to find someone to teach me to stand up and fight. I need a teacher. Do you know anyone who could teach me?” His voice was a tad more rhythmic than it had been moments before. He placed hypnotic emphasis on certain terms. It was subtle as all Hypnotism ought to be and it's effects related entirely on whether or not the victim actually wanted to do what you asked of them. He looked up into Lazryn's eyes. 'I am helpless. Help me.' His eyes conveyed hypnotically.

[Lazryn Lazak]

On the matter of modesty Lazryn did not retort, for he truly did not employ the practise of speaking of what he thought he was capable of in this form of physical exercise or that.

In an instant Shane's demeanour changed entirely from that of an unsure boy lost amongst a world he was entirely clueless, into that of a man in his element whom was fully confident and even somewhat commanding in nature. It was a startling transformation to behold, and once again it cause Lazryn to wonder about Shane's past and what this boy was truly capable of.

As he recounted his story and reasoning for coming to Riverfall in the hopes of becoming a citizen, and also spoke of how he wished to gain the ability to defend himself Lazryn came to feel for the boy. He was putting up a strong facade, but his tale was one of strife and hardship; he knew that if he had been unable to stand in the face of these invaders the boy spoke of he would be distraught, though perhaps it did not shake Shane as strongly as it would him.

Lazryn momentarily felt feelings he had not felt in over a decade, the sadness and resentment towards his father's death during a hunting trip. His father had not been prepared, not as much as he should have been and he had suffered a fate similar to Shane's home because of it. Lazryn thought he understood what must be going through Shane's head, he felt as if they were kindred spirits in a way.

Taking a breath as he considered the possible options as to where Shane would be able to get the training he sought Lazryn was silent for a time, his eyes partly losing their focus as he ran through all of the teachers whom had helped mould him into the man he was today and which would be best for Shane to study under. After a moment Lazryn looked at Shane with renewed concentration, unknowingly influenced by Shane's hypnotism he spoke in as welcoming a manner as he could;

"I know a dozen Akalak of great talent, whom are practised in the ways of teaching also but if truth be told I would rather see your progress personally Shane. We Akalak are a strong people, and our training regime cannot be carried out without a great passion and desire to better one's self...I see these things in you I think, and I would be honoured if you would allow me to teach you the basics of what you seek.

Of course you would be free to seek the help of another more experienced teacher, for I will say that there are definitely many amongst the Akalak with more skill and teaching ability, but I offer my services nonetheless."

Lazryn wanted to help Shane, even without the added power of the hypnotism, and he hoped that the boy was willing to accept his offer. He had never offered to train someone before, in fact he had rarely ever asked to train with one individual specifically before preferring others to seek him out. He was not accustomed to asking others for anything, the prospect was somewhat daunting as he waited for Shane's reply if he was being honest with himself...

[Shane Wallsly]

Lazryn folded with little resistance. It was instances like this that Shane could be truly sure if a person wanted to do something or not. Hypnotism spoke to your inner desire. It allowed you to do things you secretly wished you could. Did Lazryn yearn for a student? Was there something about Shane that interested him? For exactly what reason Lazryn wanted to help him Shane may never know. However he sensed no malicious intent so he was content to accept his offer.

“If you are willing to have me, Lazryn, then I accept.” He added one last emphasised suggestion for good measure. He ought not to need this particular tool again. “I can pay you for your trouble but this seems an odd place for that discussion. We should go somewhere more quiet to discuss terms.”

He looked around the shop with a sweeping gaze. “Oh, you were here for something before I interrupted you.” Shane suddenly remembered. “Allow me to pay for whatever it is since you are being so kind as to train me. I might not be much of a warrior but I've got gold to spare.” Unfortunately for Shane the one trait that hadn't quite left him from the strangeness of past seasons was generosity. He appeared to have caught it and was now plagued by it. “And is there anything I might need in preparation of this training?”

[Lazryn Lazak]

Lazryn was pleased when Shane accepted his offer, he was no great teacher but in his experience every student was in of themselves a teacher of sorts. In a way the learner was more suited to teacher others, for they knew themselves what areas were difficult to understand and also what it is like to be learning something you are not fully sure of. Even if that wasn't correct though, Lazryn reasoned that it would not hurt for him to have a training partner for a while and it should be mutually beneficial for Shane.

"Yes, you are right this is not the place for such talk.

I cannot in good conscience take your offer up I am afraid, I believe it to be my own duty to ensure I am well equipped and prepared for my training. As for you, I would recommend that if you do not own any that you purchase some clothes suited to strenuous wear and tear. There are items I can recommend after we begin, but where our first session is concerned I would recommend you bring only a mind open to learning, and a body prepared to push itself.

I do need to pick up a few things, it should not take that long but I recommend you return home and prepare yourself for later. If we are to speak of what is to come, then I would also like to see what you are capable of and which direction is best to take our practise in future.

My business here should only take an hour or so, but if you can make your way to the entrance to Kuahala Estates I can meet you outside, my apartment will suffice for our first meeting I think. Perhaps, if you aim to be there by the 14th bell that would be sufficient time for me to prepare things if that suits you also?"

Lazryn just came to the realization that this was in fact just a mercenary job of a kind; Shane was going to pay him a fee to carry out an objective, in a way it was no different to the usual line of work he carried out. Also, if he simply trained in the same way he usually did whilst ensuring that Shane kept pace as best as he could, the boy should pick up the basics of fighting fairly quickly he thought.

On the face of things it looked like it would be a relatively easy mission, and one that might benefit his training as well as his purse which was always a bonus...

[Shane Wallsly]

“I understand.” Shane replied to the coloured giant and made a short bow. “I shall see you at the arranged time and place. I look forward to your tutelage.” He wasn't taking the chance of offending him now that he had him in his grasp. He swept out of the room without further ado glad that he had found something to train in that didn't require him spending any money on weaponry or armour. Lazryn had said something about finding suitable clothing...

Shane's clothes, as more or less his only pair, were, by now, very suited to wear and tear. It was not that he lived a very exuberant or dangerous lifestyle but more that prolonged use had stretched them into a more loose form. His continuous attempts to bring thestiffness back into his clothing had always been in vain and perhaps he hadn't tried as hard as he should secretly enjoying wearing looser, baggier clothing.

So with nothing else to do or prepare for he spent the afternoon in quiet meditation in one of the many green areas around Riverfall. He sat upon the grass cross legged and closed his eyes. He listened only to the sounds of nature allowing them to drown out all other sounds. He heard only the rustling of leaves in the wind and the occasional song of bird. Then he began to empty hjis mind further. He allowed the emptiness to fill him until he was no longer bound to his mortal coil. He was free. A speck in the endless ocean of all things.

He was so enraptured in his meditation that he was almost late. Had it not been for the cry of an Akalak child tripping over a log close to his position he might have sat there for hours. He hopped up from his position and left with speed. He had walked by the assigned location earlier simply to make sure that he knew where it was. So it was that Shane would arrive perhaps a bit flustered at about two chimes to fourteenth bell.