Without a Penny [Danyella]

[Severn]

The mercenary hit the last one with the hilt of his scimitar, right in the clavicle. The drunkard looked at the benshira warrior with a hate filled gaze, then drew a small, rusty knife, intending to stab him.

But the mercenary was no fool. He noticed the knife and pointed his scimitar at the drunkard's throat. "Scimitar longer than knife. Put knife down." He said in a rather cold tone, the look in his eyes fierce. The drunkard hesitated before dropping the knife, only to kick Severn hard in the ribs. The mercenary was dazzled for a moment, but he regained his concentration just in time to dodge a flying bottle. He then knocked out his oponent by kicking him in the groin.

"Fight with no purpose. Who will pay for damage?" the mercenary asked, looking around the bar. Broken chairs, mugs, tables and bottles were everywhere, as well as beaten up drunkards with their noses bleeding.

[Tshaka re Hafra]

Tshaka started out of the bar. "Last one to wake up gets the bills, don't worry, this happens daily." She stepped out of the bar and saw the harbor in all of it's grandeur. Massive galleons with huge sheets of sails, carrying trade goods to and from distant lands. The smaller Mizaharans and Brigatines waiting to get a dock spot. The efficient dockworkers wouldn't keep them waiting for long, they could unload a ship faster than many would think possible. There were catapult laden sloops, and ballista infested cromsters, made for speed and attack. Zipping in and out of other boats were Saiques and fishing boats, competing for dock spots. A few barges clogged the area up and rowboats were tossed about in the waters. Tshaka took in the sights and smells. "This is the heart and lifeblood of Zeltiva, if you aren't part of that, you are nothing." She puffed her chest out proudly as the sun began to set, she looked back at him, the dusky light giving her an alluring glow, her golden eyes shining, "Have you ever seen anything more beautiful than this?"

[Severn]

Walking out after her, the mercenary returned the Eypharian girl's gaze, his own face unreadable. "Yes, I did. Desert home." He said to her. Well, its hard to get the desert out of a Benshira's heart. "The dunes, the sky, the people..." He added, but suddenly stopped.

He looked at the harbor himself and after staring at it for a few minutes, all he said was "Many ships. I know not the words for them." and he appeared lost in thought. "So much water. Never saw this much in one place." Severn continued as he observed the scene. "And this is heart of Zeltiva."

"One day, I will have tents. And wife. And children. This what I live for, Eypharian. This." The mercenary spoke in a solemn tone. "And you still not told me your name." He readjusted his face covering. "And what it is you want from me."

[Tshaka re Hafra]

Her golden eyes flared sadness, the tranisitioned over to a warm happiness. "I wanted you to see the beauty and strength of Zeltiva, before you were corrupted and working toward it's destruction. Before you were twisted and manipulated by the directors, to maintain their foothold in the control of our city."

She looked out toward the boats once more as she remembered the moments before this mercenary walked into the city. She had been stalking Serran Quickstaff for a while before he stopped at a door, knocked in a strange pattern, Knock... Knock knock......knock. A man she didn't know but recognized from her time snooping around members of the board. She stayed beneath the side window hearing only scraps of information, "...Mercenary of Benshira... Caravan lured another...Offer money.... Kill... Representative... Sailing Guild."

She heard movement and darted around a corner. She heard both men walk out and she followed slowly behind, far enough to see them but not be noticed. They split so she followed the new man. He was taking the well traveled roads so she would easily remained hidden in the crowd. He arrived at the building just within the gates. He entered the building. She crept around the back of the building and found another door. She squeaked open the door and heard the man walking up the stairs. She slowly made her way over to the stair well when a hand snuck out and punched her in the jaw, sending her sprawling. "You think I didn't hear the door?!?"

She stood up as the man drew a dagger and charged her. She didn't draw her scimitars, the room was too crowded and short. He stabbed low, and she twisted away, shoving him into the wall behind her. She looked around and grabbed a chair, and chucked it at the man. It hit him in the shoulder throwing him off balance. She went to charge him and tripped on something and began falling toward him. She saw his dagger stabbing up aiming at her torso. She thrust her hand down on the blade, wincing as it plunged into it. She fell atop of him and grabbed both of his arms with hers and pinned them, and used three of her hands and began to squeeze his throat. He began to struggle and kick but she held him tight. After the kicking stopped, she stood up and pulled the knife out of her hand, stuffed some cloth into the hole, covered with a small bandage on each side, then she walked outside and grabbed sand, rubbing it into the bandages and surrounding skin, blending it into the skin. She knew she could get it healed later. She walked upstairs, stepped out the window, and sat upon the pile of crates, waiting for the Benshiran to arrive.

She looked into the mercenary's eyes, "My name is Tshaka re Hafra, call me Tshaka. And I sincerely hope you work to benefit Zeltiva. I must go now, but I will see you around. I hope you get along well." She walked toward the docks where the sailor's clinic was located so she could heal her hand. She walked into the clinic, showed her hand to the doctor she knew well. "Again? You always get hurt when you bother with the new people. You know we will never overthrow the university."

OOCWe can end the thread here or you can do one more post, doesn't matter.

[Severn]

The mercenary turned and looked at her, his eyes thoughtful. There was more to this man than it first seemed. This young mercenary, who earlier today got tricked out of his payment by his employer and later almost got beaten by a bunch of tavern drunkards. Yes, indeed, despite his poor knowledge of common and his rather unpolished skills, there was intelligence in the man's eyes.

"You want me assassinate someone." He said to Tshaka, deducing her intentions. "I know not if I can do it. Depends on target." He added, displaying a surprising amount of sincerity for a mercenary. "And know, dear Tshaka. I not pawn in conspiracy. I will not be... how said in common... scapegoat. I will not be scapegoat. I have own path. And I walk it, free. But I will not stand in your path."

He turned to leave. "Take care, dear Tshaka. Yahal watch over you." He said to her in a solemn tone. "May we meet again, friend." His words sounded in the wind, joining the concert of voices in the crowded city, as the mercenary walked away, another lost soul in a city he did not understand, nor did he belong to.

In his heart, the ancestral home of his people, the desert, with its dunes and its sand and amongst the dunes, a group of tents, where an old man with a scarred face tended some goats, as his children observed him, learning from their father, while his wife cooked dinner for the hungry family. The image was bright in his mind, as vivid as if it were real, almost as if he were there. This, then, was a mercenary's dream.

[Tabarnac]

XP Award! Severn XP Award: Negotiation +2; Intimidation +3; Scimitar +2 Extras: Banned from the Kelp Bar Tshaka XP Award: Intimidation +1; Seduction +1; Brawling +2 Extras: Banned from the Kelp Bar Additional Notes: Welcome to Zeltiva! In the future, Tshaka, please do not NPC members of the Board. That requires my moderation. Both your characters are banned from the Kelp Bar for drawing large blades and intstigating a bar fight. There may be brawls, but this isn’t Sunberth. There are consequences to public violence. If you find yourselves in actual combat in future threads, please pause and request my moderation, because next time there will likely be guards and other fallout. Also, you two might want to re-read the lore on Eypharians and Benshira. It isn’t completely unheard of for them to get along, but there is plenty of bad blood that wasn’t touched upon at all. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or concerns. Keep writing!