Completed [Job Thread] Welcome to the Circle

[Grim Ravenwood]

¤

67th of Spring 517AV

"Yes, yes i know, you've told me ten times already." Grim complained as a light laugh came from behind his hunched back. His hands moved swiftly over the unorganized shelves, quickly sorting the various boxes and pouches as they did. Not far behind, Whisper stood, taking great enjoyment from seeing frustration appear in his voice each time she reminded him how and where to put what. It struck him as odd at how every morning he arrives the place is a mess, as if someone intentionally misplaced everything so that they could later amuse themselves.

The Eiyon's eye twitched slightly as he completed yet another, in his opinion, meaningless task. Back when he started working, Grim believed he would be taking out two flies with one stone. Getting paid for preforming a job that pleased his goddess. He couldn't have asked for more. Except that he could. And he did. Yet, apparently, all to no avail. So much time has already passed, and each and every day he was moving that there, replacing this with that. The job was far from what he had originally expected, it lacked the excitement he desired.

"You are getting pretty good at this." The blonde remarked, drawing yet another laugh. Even though he couldn't hear him, the black robed man was sure that Duncan was laughing as he crawled under her skin. Still, there was truth in her words. Although, what bothered him was that everyone could be good at what he was currently doing: nothing. Even for one who never placed himself on a pedestal in any way, the Eiyon believed that having him behind the counter all day was a waste of his time and abilities. He could do better.

Falling on his work chair, one that now felt more uncomfortable than ever, Grim let out a groan that lasted for several seconds. None of the tasks he had been preforming until now were physically demanding. Yet they exhausted him mentally, due to how mundane and utterly boring his job was. On the other hand, both Whisper and Duncan were constantly off somewhere, doing god knows what. If he was to guess, they just needed a patient guard dog for the shop so they can go and do all the exciting stuff.

Whisper leaned over the counter, remains of the smile she adorned still present on her face. She arched a thin eyebrow as she asked him. "Are you unhappy here?"

Restraining another groan that formed in his throat, Grim lifted his head only slightly, letting an gray eye rest on hers. "No, i am not unhappy." He mouthed slowly. "Although, i expected..."

"What?" Whisper cut in, the smile on her face growing ever larger.

"Well, i expected to be going out in the field." He shrugged, sinking lower into his chair.

"And what would you be doing, out in the field?" The spiritist asked, mimicking the last part of her question in Grim's voice.

"It doesn't matter what, i am sure that my powers would be of use out there. I am sick of piling boxes, every night i dream of incense!" Grim exclaimed. "I keep washing my hands, but I can't get the damn smell out of my skin!"

Whisper scratched her chin, as if deep in thought, though the smile she adorned never left her face. Clasping her hands behind her back she asked. "So, you think that you are ready for a more serious job?"

[Grim Ravenwood]

¤

"Yes." The Eiyon replied sternly, his eyes filled with determination. Whisper stopped laughing, and crossed her arms in front of her chest. She appeared to considering her options, and whether Grim really was ready for what she had in store or him. Truth be told, he wasn't the least startled by what he was facing working in the shop up until now.

"Alright..." She consented. "Let me go get something first." Whisper added as her slender form vanished behind the door of her bedroom.

Grim was quite excited, and couldn't hold a smile from appearing on his face. Finally, a chance for him to prove his worth appeared. But then again, what if he couldn't finish the job? What if Whisper was right about him not being ready? If he were to fail, without a doubt, he would spend the rest of his life stuck behind the counter with only ghastly girls appearing from time to time to make his life even more miserable. He was forced to mentally slap himself, pushing all the negative thoughts away.

Light footsteps became more and more audible as his employer again came into sight. She had a light smile on her lips, an a strange jar in her hands. It was made out of clear glass, and held a translucent ethereal gel inside. Even from up close, the Eiyon could not judge what it's misty contents were, as they were unlike anything he had ever seen.

"What is this?" Grim asked, pointing a finger at the jar that was now placed at the counter in front of him.

"This is soulmist, made it myself." The blonde woman explained, handing the jar to Grim, who accepted it, though the slightly confused look on his face never left. The jar felt unnaturally cold against the skin of his palm, though not uncomfortably so.

"Ah, soulmist, should have said so earlier..." Grim said in a sarcastic tone, implying that there was no way of him knowing anything about it from just the name.

"Smear it over an object, and it will be able to touch ghosts. Thought that it might prove useful since you will be getting rid of one." Whisper said, pulling our a tiny, yellowed-out scrap of paper, before handing it to the Eiyon. Grim took the piece of paper, where two small rows of writing lay.

Stormhold citadel apartments
Hall seven last door to the right


"That's the location of the haunting. The current tenant has temporarily moved out until the ghost is dealt with. The ghost that you will be dealing with." The blonde said pointing at the man that stood opposite her. Grm thought about his task for a moment. He had dealt with ghosts before, though, he never had to get rid of one. He already knew that ghosts were spirits of people who had passed away, still chained to Mizahar by something.

"How am i supposed to do that?" Grim asked, still examining the paper.

"If i'm going to hold your hand during the whole process, maybe you should stick to piling up boxes, eh?"

"I just wanted some input form a professional..."

"The easiest way would be to dust them..." The blonde said, though her last word dragged out as she took note of the hard look Grim sent her way. Ghosts were a natural occurrence, and were a part of the circle of life. Troubled souls, they just needed a little nudge or help to get them back into the circle. Dusting prevents that, strapping them outside the circle of life and death. Though Whisper avoided the topic around Grim, he couldn't help but just list it as a possible solution to the problem. However, as expected, the Eiyon would dismiss it without even considering it. "... though if you can, you could convince it to leave." She added.

"I'll take care of it." Grim said simply, sporting a smile as he tucked the jar containing the soumist under his arm, only to continue towards the door. "Also, bring your scythe along." Whisper advised. "Might need it..."

[Grim Ravenwood]

¤

Located in the belly of stormhold citadel, was the living quarters. Grim, alike many others, got to call home one of the murky rooms that were divided into halls. His room was quite an upgrade from what he had back in Sunberth, however lacked a window that would allow for Dusk to enter and exit as he wished. Though, it was never in danger of any floods or other issues his previous home was. Up until now, he had not been faced with a single issue regarding housing. Something, that the residents of hall seven could not boast with.

Though most people came back to their apartment only at sunset, seeing as they were mostly working class citizens, even now the hall was unnaturally silent. If he had to guess, rumor about a hostile ghost caught wind, and they moved elsewhere. Even though one could argue that ghosts were something common, men always feared what they could not understand.

Torches were aligned every few meters on the bare wall, providing vision to the robed figure that moved down the hall, seemingly a part of the gloom itself. The dancing flames cast a pink sheen on the weapon he carried on his shoulder. His posture radiated with confidence, yet he moved with caution. Underneath the dark linen of his robe, the shape of the jar could be seen, one containing the soulmist made by Syliras' best, and only spiritist. Knowing that he could injure and hold at bay the potentially hostile ghost was reassuring, and provided a silver of comfort among the numerous uncertainties that heading into unknown territory otherwise was sure to bring.

Grim, having received a kiss by the goddess of death herself, was in return, better attuned to it. He could sense the ghost up ahead, exactly where the now crumpled piece of paper said it was going to. It seemed that it was bound to that place by something. What? He would have to find out soon, if he was to complete his task, and in that way, prove his competence.

Ghosts, like every other being that roamed Mizahar, had a personal smell, one that they never loose even now that they had lost their body. It was Grim's theory that like what we eat and do affects the smell of our bodies, our flesh, what we say, and our personality affect the "smell" of our soul. Still, all ghosts shared that something, something he couldn't quite put a finger on, seeing as that distinct fragrance never existed before his initiation into an Eiyon.

That smell was growing in strength with every step he made into it's direction. Now was the time to use the soulmist Whisper gave him. When dealing with an uncertain situation, safe was always better than sorry. This was even more true given that undead were involved. It seemed that the jar did not raise in temperature even though it spend quite some time underneath his robes. As the container was opened, the gel gently swoshed left and right. Another thing Whisper told him, was that ghosts were drawn to soulmist, and that it could be used to bait them into a trap, or if they are reluctant to come out, especially if it was of high quality. Given that Whisper was one of the best spiritist in Mizahar, her soulmist was bound to attract some attention.

Cautiously, Grim lowered his hand into the jar, his skin greeted by an unnatural coolness, as if he were putting his hand inside a pile of soft snow, yet it didn't sting his hand the least. Raising his scythe, the Eiyon scooped a fair amount and smeared it over the curved steel of his weapon. His gray eyes stood for some time on it, waiting for something meaningful to happen. Then, the gel slowly vanished, the steel of his scythe absorbing the substance. Grim swung his weapon once, taking note of the fact that it, like his fingers began to glow, not unlike a ghost. If what he had been told was true, he was now armed and ready to face whatever waited behind the door.

Taking a deep breath, the Eiyon pushed open the entrance, being greeted by a dimply lit room. He stepped in, noting that it was not quite unlike his own room. If it weren't for the handful of personal items left here and there, he probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference. The fire in the hearth was reduced to only a few embers in the ash, what light was in the room was provided by a burnt out candle. A platter alongside some cutlery and now cold chicken stood on the table. Grim approached the table, only to crouch besides it. A broken glass was laying next to the chair, and marks left by it's legs on the wooden floor. It would seem that whoever was scared off by the ghost, was in the middle of a meal, when the ghost probably blinked in, forcing him or her out.

"Time for your meal." Grim whispered as he poured what was left in the jar on the plate, having removed the food from it. He took a seat on the chair and crossed his legs, waiting for his target.

[Grim Ravenwood]

¤

"Who comes into my home?" Came a ghastly voice, as the one responsible for the haunting appeared. He appeared as a bald human, with a long moustache and even longer sideburns. His chin was shaven clean, aside from a long scar that began under his lower lip, and stretched under the fabric of his short sleeved shirt. He was shorter for about a head than Grim, however, made it up in muscle mass. By what appeared to him, the Eiyon would guess that he was around sixty years old, give or take a year or two.

"You are mistaken..." Grim replied as he pushed himself up, a stormy grey eye observing his possible opponent. "This home does not belong to you. Though, thanks for not making me wait." His hand coiled around the wooden shaft of his weapon

At those words, the ghost's thick eyebrow knit together, his eyes narrowing dangerously. It was true then, the ghost was a previous tenant of the same room the current owner wants cleaned. Something not unlike a vision dawned on him just then. It was the same man, sitting on the same chair he was not a moment ago. Grim knew that when things like these happened, they did so that he could see the final moments of whoever he was visioning. The ghost's death was not exciting, as it seems that he just fell over the table, probably due to heart failure.

"I have came to help you move on." Grim said, sporting a friendly smile. "I saw your death..." He said, extending his arm and opening his palm, where the mark of a scythe stood. "Nobody killed you, and you did not seem to be in such a dire situation as you passed, so i would like to know why you are still here."

"Why am i here!?" The ghost asked, infuriated, as if itwas expected from the robed man to know. "It is exactly because nobody killed me!" He answered.

"I don't understand..." Grim said, the answer confusing him quite a bit.

"You are still young, of course you don't understand. "All i ever wanted from life - was a good death! My father died fighting, and so did his." The ghost explained. "And how did i die? Sitting on my ass!"

"I appeared before that fat fuck and demanded that hefight me, and what does he do? He runs away!" The infuriated ghost said, answering his own questions as he did. "I can't... No, i refuse to go to whatever awaits unless sent there fighting!"

Grim stood silent as he talked. He could understand form where the old man was coming from. It would seem that talking his way out of the situation was out of the question, and though the ghost was not hostile, and still retained quite a bit of his sanity, he would have to fight.

"Say boy, you said you wanted to help me move on?" He asked, only to have the Eiyon not in reply. "You don't carry that stick around just for show, right?"

"I think that i can manage." Grim said, his dark robe piling around his feet as he took his scythe in his hands, the glowing blade pointed at the ghost that now stood smiling in front of him.

"I may be old, but i'm no pushover!" The ghost roared as he both drew a shortsword from seemingly out of nowhere and dashed at the same time, aligning it for a horizontal stab.

Grim knew his advantages, and one of them was reach, thus, keeping the ghost at a distance was a priority. Thus, from his stance, he placed his left hand at the butt of the shaft, and pushed with the other, sending the head of his weapon forwards. Much to his surprise, the old man ducked his attack uninterrupted. The Eiyon had only so much time to dodge before the hit connected, drawing a cut across his right side. Though it was shallow, it began bleeding profusely. It would seem that the man was not unskilled.

Grim let a grunt of pain slip though clenched teeth as his right hand slid up the shaft, and his left formed a solid grip as low as it could. Twisting his torso to the left, he got maximum range from his weapon, making a wide arc as he did. Though he swung blindly, his opponent did not have much time to move in the room. The glowing blade was partially blocked by the shortsword, the blade barely biting into his soulmist. Still, it seemed that it hurt the ghost as much as it would any other person made of blood and flesh.

"Get over here!" Grim shouted as his dominant hand pulled the shaft as hard as it could, while his left hand went to the table that was next to them. While puring the soulmist in the plate, not only did ti affect the plate, but the fork and knife that stood on it, and both of them were able to cut trough soulmist having absorbed it. Though the blade of the scythe was only pressed against the ghost's back, he was trapped in it and became unbalanced as he was pulled to the Eiyon.

Grim's adversary met the blade of the knife as he was pulled, his gut pierced by it's sharp tip. The scythe landed on the floor with a clatter as Grim's right hand let go of it, embracing the ghost. Due to it being the one that applied the soulmist to the weapon, it too absorbed a portion of it. His left hand's grip tightened on the knife, only to pull it upwards, slicing the ghost from gut to throat. His other hand maintained a hard grip on him, and as harder as he pulled, the more did the shortsword cut into his bicep.

Only when he could no longer bare the pain, did the Eiyon let go of the ghost, who's soumist was quite damaged now. He let go of his shortsword, now balancing on his knees. He coughed hard as he pulled out the cutlery that was still lodged inside him. Soon, his coughs turned into laughs. "S-smart little shit..." He uttered, only to add . "You fulfilled a foolish old man's wish, thanks kid."

Grim lowered himself to recover his scythe, the numbness that gripped his side until then vanishing, now replaced by a sharp pain. He had lost some blood with all that twisting and turning, and was getting somewhat dizzy.

"Now finish me, i recon that neither of us has time to waste." He added, his head noding in the direction of his weapon. Grim raised his scythe above his head, though the muscles of his right hand protested against it. "Welcome to the circle old man." Grim said, the ghost letting out two words before his head flew off his torso. "Yeah, whatever..."

[Karyk]

 

Grim Ravenwood

Skills
Organization: 1
Socialization: 1
Spiritism: 2
Observation: 1
Intimidation: 1
Weapon (Scythe): 1
Tactics: 1
Lores
Some jobs in your field still suck
Spiritism: Soul Mist on an object allows the object to physically interact with a ghost
Spiritism: Dusting is often the easiest way to deal with a ghost
Ghosts: Each has a unique "smell" to an Eiyon
Some people just want to die in the glory of battle
Spiritism: Soul Mist can be used to bait ghosts
Combat: Scythes can be used to pull enemies closer
Miscellaneous
Injury: Shallow Gash on right side, will scar without treatment from L1 Healer
Injury: Slash wound in bicep, will scar and slightly impede use of arm without treatment from L2 Healer

 

Notes and Comments

CS Checkmarked: ✓
CS Reviewed by Me: ✓
Season Request was Submitted for Grade: Summer 517
Season Thread was Started (IC & OOC): Spring 517 & Spring 517
Is that Season's expenses paid?: ✓
Eligible for grade? Yes

This was an enjoyable read. I love the premise of a ghost wishing to die in battle. Please mark your post in Queue as graded.