The Sunberth Experience (Solo)

[Bob Barton]

2nd Day of Summer 511 AV

Sunberth...Bob has heard stories of it and now here it is. Its definitely different from the other places he'd been in. Its dangerous yet exciting. The people look more liberated and confident to do what they want. But the price of that is that the weak will be destroyed by the predatory nature of the city. Bob is alone here. He better make some friends soon or he might find himself becoming the next one.

Like in any new city Bob goes to, he would go to and visit the place which defines it the most. Out on the streets he asked around from the locals "So, what the place which captures the essence of Sunberth the most here?" Most of the people only answered him with glares and stares. The worse ones started putting their hands on their weapons or threatened him. The latter Bob would just gulp and start walking away very fast, his legs distancing themselves from one another as far as possible so he can reach the most distance. But his efforts was not wasted because most of the people which did talk to him all said the same thing. "The Slag Heap Fire! You've not known Sunberth until you visited there at least once."

So Bob made his way to the place as pointed out by the people. If he got lost, he would ask someone and hopefully they would tell him the way. His goal may have been the Slag Heap but his purpose already was getting closer to being met as he walked through the streets of Sunberth. The people he saw had a very distinct character not seen in the other cities. He looked at their faces, there was a look of apathy, gloom and despair. And at their faces, their eyes seem to be looking all over the place moving back and forth or side to side. Their eyes would jump everytime they passed an alley or shadowy area as if they were looking for something. And everywhere there was people walking, most if not all of them had a weapon of some kind. Bob muttered as he watched all of them "This people may seem free on the outside, but they are slaves to their own fear of others..." shaking his head as he walked.

He knew the Slag Heap Fire when he reached. It was a magnificent sight. A giant glowing beacon of power to represent the true quality of Sunberth. But eventhough it was beautiful, it stank badly and Bob had to put over his jacket sleeve over his nose to protect himself from passing out from the stench. Coughing, he could only say "It really *cough* represents Sunberth" Moving to distance himself a bit from the monument Bob started walking towards the ruined buildings nearby.

[Bob Barton]

He was slowly walking to make sure he can take all of this in when he heard a scream. It was coming from the buildings he was headed to so he increased his pace to get there faster. "Someone must be in trouble!" Bob thought to himself as he rushed there, forgetting everything everyone he met had told him about Sunberth during his travels. When he reached there he slowed down and started walking as he shouted "HELLO? WHERE ARE YOU?" going through the dark paths in between the buildings.

At the split of the path, he heard the scream and footsteps coming closer to him from the left. The person is being chased he thought so he got to the right path and leaned on the wall so that when they reached him. He even sucked in his gut so that they won't be able to see him unless they looked closely, his body became a lot thinner and smaller than the wall. Then he waited and waited, the screaming drawing closer in a sound of pure fear and frenzy.

The screaming man came in his ragged and tattered clothes and went down the path Bob just came from. After a few steps in that direction he turned and got face to face with Bob. He could not be seen from the left path as the wall would hide his body but now that he was straight, Bob body was clearly contrasting the wall making him visible. The man's eyes widened looking at Bob and he drew his dagger. Moving in closer and closer like a predator stalking his prey. Bob swore realizing he made the rookie mistake of falling into a trap. Never again he would jump into something unless he knew all the variables, unless he forgot this incident.

He started flailing his hands in front of him trying to settle the man down. "There there friend...no need to get too hasty here right? No one has to get hurt." The man only stared at him and a tear dropped from his eye before he screamed again as he ran towards Bob with his dagger pointing straight at him. There was not many places to run, the wall was behind him and the dagger was in front coming closer.

[Bob Barton]

Bob sidestepped the dagger as it brushed against his coat. The man was untrained, a novice at best. But why is he attacking? A scraping sound was heard as the dagger got stuck in between the bricks of the wall and Bob took the opportunity to put some distance between them. As the man struggled to pull out the dagger he was mumbling about mizas and death but Bob could not get the whole thing. The man was clearly fueled by something but Bob could not understand it. He did not want to fight but maybe he can scare the man away.

The sound of steel rubbing on steel echoed in that narrow corridor as Bob slowly and dramatically drew his sword from his cane clearly for the man to see. As he did so he tried to make himself sound as confident and strong as possible. In a fight, only the strong will walk away. In Sunberth, the strong will trample on the bones of the weak. Bob knew it, the man knew it but will the man realize that this is one of those times? "You know only one of us will walk away at this point. And you look like you won't be able to hold yourself out against this either." To make the reality of statement seem more real, Bob put into it his djed. Enough djed to make the man's emotions turn into fear. He looked at the man hoping that it would work, he did not want to hurt him.

It did not work. The man could only shake his head after Bob said that and in reply as he went for another lunge "I know...I know...but I have no choice. I need the money can't you see? Or I will have to pay them with my life!" Bob understood why his hypnotism did not work. As much as it could make the man fear him, its nothing compared to the fear which was motivating the man from the beginning. The time for talk was over as the man lifted off his feet and dashed at Bob again with his dagger.

[Bob Barton]

Bob lifted his sword parallel to his body to salute the man. The man was going to die either way and Bob respected his tenacity but pitied his predicament. As the dagger came close he kept his sword in its position and spun, the vertical blade parried the dagger to his side and Bob continued the motion. When he felt the dagger pressing and leaving his sword he extended his arm. The motion would cut into the man and if it was enough it would slice him in half. The man was weak and skinny enough so maybe, a clean death without the pain.

Bob felt his sword hit something but it was not the squishy feeling of flesh. The sword bounced back taking Bob off balance when it hit the wall. The pathway between the houses was far too narrow for Bob to swing a sword the way he did. Bob fell on his behind on the ground with a "THUD!" while the man ran past him. Bob quickly got back on his feet to run back along the path to reach the open area on the other side. This battleground is too much at his disadvantage. For good measure while he looked at the man while standing up, he stared straight into his eyes. When their eyes met energy transferred from Bob and entered into his attacker eyes as it tried to overwhelm him for a few seconds with a strong mental suggestion of "DANGER!" to make him second guess his intention to chase after Bob.

At the end of the path Bob leaped towards the open area, unable to keep himself at the disadvantage. He prepared himself again, holding his sword towards the ground waiting for the man to come after him. The man took a while to convince himself against the hypnotism giving Bob time to prepare for him. The man ran closer and closer to Bob holding down his dagger the same way Bob is doing. Its time for the final showdown and Bob rooted his feet firmly into the soil on the ground. A solid stance would help a lot for him to deliver the killing blow.

When the man reached him he slashed his dagger diagonally upwards in an attempt to hit Bob. Bob was prepared for that having a little more experience and training than him so he just crouched down and compressed the energy in his legs. From that energy he lifted himself when the dagger passed and swiped with his own sword as well. The move took only a second and the man slumped on the floor with blood gushing from his wounds. Before he was gone, all he told Bob "Tha...nk...you..."

[Bob Barton]

Bob was confused with that last statement and stood there just staring at the corpse at his feet. The man may have been weak but his will was strong. Bob could not just leave the body to be looted or eaten by animals. He sheathed his sword back into the cane and grabbed the leg, dragging the body to the Slag Heap Fire right in front of him. With a grunt he lifted up the body and tossed his body on the fire. In a silent prayer he told the man "You will burn on forever here, and I will spread your story to the world." The man had taught Bob a lot today, and Bob wished he could only have done more. Well, at least the dagger would make a good memento.

As the corpse burnt brightly in the fires of the Slag Heap, Bob recited the story three times to him so that he will remember it.

The story started off as "It was my first day in Sunberth and I didn't know what I am in for..."And then Bob would go on about how he found out about the slag heap fire. How he ran into the screaming man who had death looming over him no matter what he can do. And when he fought with the man, the spirit he displayed and how he kept his honour in the end. Bob would finish off the story by reminding everyone about how great the man acted in death. "Now he burns in the Slag Heap Fire, where everyone who goes to see its blaze would see it fueled by the same spirit."

Bob kept the story in his memories. If ever he met another who needed confidence or was stuck in the same situation as the man was, death or death. He would tell them and hope they will gain something from it. There were a lot of people around the Slag Heap so he went along to tell some of them. Most brushed him off saying it was a normal occurrence in Sunberth but those who listened it with an open mind ended up shedding a tear or two at the end.

[Archelon]

Thread Award “Ahhh Don’t squish me!” And the Results!!!!: Bob Barton : SkillName 1-5 How/why Weapon:(canesword): 3 Multiple flourishes are fine, but an extra point on realizing terrain plays a factor as well in how you can swing it. Hypnosis: 1 Even a failed attempt is considered Stealth: 1 Storytelling: 1 Lores: Funeral Pyres are a memorial method Danger of Sunberth’s Streets. Would you like some extra turtle sauce ? : Don’t try to duck under a dagger- you only bring your face into the weapon, always dodge back As for the rest, I gave you what I considered fair though now that you are progressing past novice in your canesword I’d like to see a little more detail in your efforts on slashes, jabs, and strikes : ) And perhaps learning new ways of using your blade for swordplay.