[Flashback] Stranger Meetings (Bob)

[Rhuryc]

3 Winter, 507 AV The Sukina Geysers First snow. Drifts of powder fell from the clouds above in light flurries, gentle in their descent as they covered the stone expanse, covering grey in white. The chill of winter hung in the air, surrounded by swirling winds and the crisp bite of morning, the forest of earth was calm and quiet, serene, perhaps even peaceful. The estranged fauna was silent, caught as it may have been in reverence of the atmosphere. All that dared to interrupt was the dull crunch of boots. Zephyr's nipped at nose and blew the thick, leather coat of his torso about, the ends flapping with a soft rhythm. Between each step the clink of assorted irons added themselves to the man-made cacophony, broadening the odd, out-of-place feel the lone human held by nothing more than his presence. He was large. The fellow. Tall, young, unshaven and unkempt for the most part, he wore various leathers that kept the cold at bay and a cloak that did well to conceal the lot of his skin, hood and all. The ruckus he made emanated from the heavy pack strapped to his back and, to a lesser extent, the bastard sword that knocked against his hip every so often. A wandering warrior, perhaps, or just a wanderer, whoever he was, the young man made for an odd sight so far away from the bounds of civilization. As pleasant a time for a walk as any, Rhuryc moved with a lazy canter. He was in no hurry. Until he heard the steel. Son of a bitch. With a grunt, the boy reached down and tugged the hilt of his blade from its sheath, baring an inch of the tang but no more as he lowered his torso and removed his pack. He snagged his shield as his eyes snapped around, head swiveling to and fro in a detailed scan of his surroundings. Nothing was trying to kill him yet. Good. He was out in the open, the field before they geysers, not the best of positions but whatever it was had come from behind the geographical anomaly. Carefully, he made his way forward, one foot gently setting in front of the other as he closed the distance to the stone structures. Voices. Rhuryc bent down, out of sight, his knuckles white about the hilt of his blade as he listened.

[Bob Barton]

Winter, if there was one good thing you can talk about it is that it is consistent. it was just sooooo cold and that coldness was also its bad thing. Especially when you have to live outdoors for obvious reasons. For Bob those reasons would obviously be trouble. Trouble will always come and follow him everywhere even in the mountains. Today his troubles was the cold and he needed a way to get warm. He was not like an animal unfortunately with their lovely fur and even lovelier fat nor can he find one. Another trip back into the city unless he can find something soon.

Bob decided to just do that. Hang whoever was there waiting for him. He will just get a room to live in comfortably for another few days and head out with the next caravan if he could. That was actually an excellent idea. Syliras was supposed to be the safest place around but there was no such thing as being perfectly safe. Bob would be better off taking his chances in a place like Ravok. It sounded pretty nice the way some of the people talked about it in the tavern boasting art, culture and prosperity. Why did Bob come to Syliras again? He should have headed to Ravok in the first place.

Quickly Bob packed up his campsite fitting in the tent first since while travelling that would be the most important thing. After a lot of troublesome folding and arranging he got to rolling up the bedroll and blanket putting the rest of the items scattered around the fire into the backpack. Then "CLANK!" All because of the "Stupid, terrible cold!" His hands which were numb from the cold made a grab for his cane but was unable to wrap around it and ended up pushing it forward into the ground and sliding the sword from its container.

There was a very good reason why Bob put camp at the geyser. It was big enough for him to hide behind from anyone who would happen to walk into the area like the boy who was now stalking around with his weapon and the noises it made would cause most animals to stay away from it. Like all animals knew if it was louder than you it is more scarier. Bob properly thought most animals here because the was another thing which was attracted by all the noises he was making over there.

Behind the geographical anomaly with Bob was a wolf. It was not too big but it was vicious and hungry. If Bob could make a guess with seeing the bones which were outlining from the side, it was starving too. It was the winter and most of the prey would be hibernating somewhere hidden. Most prey...but Bob...foolishly staying outside. Giving a nervous smile at the wolf he started to head towards his sword but could he make it there in time?

[Rhuryc]

Growling, little person, wolf? Weird. Neither saw Rhuryc beside the geyser with his feet nestled over the narrow stones above the run off. He was oddly well practiced with the exercise. In those few moments he watched the exchange. The small fellow lost his sword and was left at the mercy of the similarly sized beast. He almost laughed. Almost. Instead, he gingerly unsheathed the rest of his blade and brought it close to his chest, his neck craning about to keep an eye on the situation. Any time now. In a flurry of movement, the young man came with a blur around the stone structure. He blazed across the field, blade shifting as he moved and brought it about to his side in a single, pointed motion. Only a few moments passed in his arrival. The wolf had barely turned when the steel sliced into its neck and severed the head, its body slumping to the ground in a sickening thud. Rhuryc quirked a brow. That was easy. Huh. With a shrug he leaned down and wiped the blade on the fur of the animal, cleaning the blood before he returned the weapon to its sheath. In all of his haste he almost forgot about the individual he 'saved'. He glanced over at his would-be damsel in distress and lowered the hood of his cloak, strangely similar eyes glancing about a startlingly familiar face. Some what. Despite the extreme difference in height and general physical potential, there was an instant recognition with this man. It took longer than it should have for him to speak. "Wolves don't make for very good traveling partners. If that one was yours, though, I apologize, but at least he should make for a satisfying meal." He spoke with a thick baritone that sliced through the air, undisturbed by the winds and whatnot. Neat trick, that. "I'm hoping we don't need to fight here, but if you're so inclined I'm willing to give you the advantage of your blade."

[Bob Barton]

Well of course Bob would not see his coming savior. His eyes were stuck right on the wolf. As skinny as it was, to Bob it was pretty big. When it came nearer the illusion from his fear made it grow bigger and bigger when his eyes frantically in a panic looked all over it. How can it be not scary? Even a small and skinny wolf from starvation still had its fangs and claws. Hmmmm...do old wolves keep their fangs or do they lose it like old people lose their teeth? Bob would never get a chance to find out if the wolf got to him first. He needed to live through this, grow old and lose his teeth. Yes, that is a good plan to live for.

To live, Bob would need to fight back. Now he only had his bare hands sadly enough. His sword was out of reach because of his clumsiness and not because he lost it in a fight with the wolf like people might think. Trying to not make any sudden movements, Bob slowly took a step towards his sword and nearly fell to the ground. It would seem that his arms were not the only part of his body with a problem. Combined with the fear from the wolf in front of him, Bob could barely keep his legs straightened let alone his wits on him.

When he saw the wolf twitching, Bob thought that he would not live to an old, teethless age like he wanted to. He might end up hairless too but he always liked to look at the bright side of things like being able to kill a starving wolf. That was the reason why the wolf's movements prompted him to move as well, hopefully fast enough to reach his sword and use it for whatever came next. Bob was a pretty smart person actually thanks to his upbringing in Zeltiva. But just because you were smart and could think, your body just will not respond the way you want to next time.

In Bob's mind he saw himself jumping towards the sword and epically grabbing it in mid air before doing and roll and getting back on his feet fast enough to stab the wolf with its own momentum when it undoubtedly would pounce on him. In his eyes he saw the sky first, then it was the white trees while moving to the sword which was laying down on the ground and finally it was the endless white snow before everything was black nothing for a moment. Because of this Bob completely missed the spectacular manner of slaying the wolf but was no great loss because he may have a chance to see it again next time.

That will be all part of the plot twist which will be revealed in time. Hearing the sharp yelp and a thud from when the wolf's head fell on to the snow, Bob was in a bit of a loss as to what had happened and why he was not being gnawed on yet. After a few moments he picked himself up and brushed the snow from his eyes. He was saved! By an already is knight in shining armour. Would he get a kiss from his would be damsel? Hell no! But he will get some words of appreciation.

"You have very good timing" he said with a smile relieved to see someone who had saved him. Bob did not really have recollection of seeing this one before, neither did he have any recognition but that will not get in the way of him saying "thank you." Looking between the wolf and its killer the choice was obvious on who Bob would want as a traveling partner if he ever needed one. "No they don't. Unless you have an already trained one to give to me?" If he had something like that Bob would notice it around right away but then again he did not notice the earlier wolf until it was too late.

Wolf or not he did not want to have any troubles with his man. He was bigger and had a sword. A big bastard sword which killed the wolf with no problems. "If you can cook, that wolf is all yours" obviously. The winner of any contest here is definitely not the midget but he can still give a bribe for a meal because "you can cook it here with my supplies, but I'd want a share of it too." There was nothing stopping Bob from being killed right now and his supplies taken away anyway but so far, this man has carried himself honorably like all those knights in Syliras. What kind of fool offers a weapon to someone he was going to kill anyway?

[Rhuryc]

"I don't cook well." Rhuryc sighed and kicked the wolf's head away from himself. What were the chances. His solitary treks about the outskirts of civilization always brought strange shenanigans and the advent of a lone dwarf certainly put a new shine on things. Whatever, it was better than freezing to death alone. Now they could do it together. Charming. With an internal shrug the young men went about examining the dwarf's campsite. Not much, but then again he wasn't the best at these sort of habitats either. He spent some time eyeing random tid-bits, looking for weapons, traps, anything denoting an ambush. Talk about paranoid. Once he was satisfied, Rhuryc made himself comfortable next to whatever it was the man used for a fire. For a brief moment he considered cooking the wolf. Fortunately, the brevity kept itself that way. Instead he glanced back to where he had discarded his pack with a forlorn, weary expression. Balls. "Unless you don't mind charred butchery. It's my best recipe." Rhuryc bit off a laugh between sentences. He was jovial, overall pleasant company without making any sort of assumptions or requests. As it was the young man appeared glad to just be off his feet. He rubbed at the bottom of one boot, satisfied for now despite the ever-increasing amount of snow. The haggard, long winded throws of travel had obviously taken their toll upon him. Nevertheless he met glances with the dwarf and offered the fellow a relieved grin. "Rhuryc, by the by. Rhuryc Naravane, Sylirian Despot. What brings you all the way out here friend? The wilderness isn't so friendly, especially with winter coming in and all. You haven't lost your way, have you?" Curious bastard. Rhuryc, despite his apparent kindness, did on occasion show a deep seated paranoia, his eyes occasionally shifting in every which direction as if he was sniffing out an ambush. Whether that boded well for their safety or if it meant he was planning to slay his new acquainted remained obscure, but at least no more wolves would be sneaking up on them. Although, the unearthly howl in the distance did little to ease nerves. Behind the veil of falling white there was little means to determine if they remained prey.

[Bob Barton]

So what people say are true. Men can't cook. Bob and Rhuryc were men too so Bob could easily admit that there was one thing that he can't do well and that was "I don't cook well too." but that was no reason for Rhuryc to take out his frustrations on that poor dead wolf. Sure it tried to eat up the midget but it was undoubtedly starving when he saw the bones. If Rhuryc came earlier, the wolf might have very well attacked the larger man to get a better meal first. Men and animals were alike. There was no telling what they would do when they are desperate even if there was a threat of a longsword to the neck.

Watching Rhuryc's eyes scanning through his camp, Bob would admit with a shrug that "I know its not the best of campsites. What were you expecting? I was preparing to head back to the city until that wolf came along." There was no reason for Bob to actually be paranoid. If his visitor was some sort of bandit who wanted his belongings and life, his corpse will be right there on the snow along with the wolf that was just slain probably getting a kick to the head too.

Fortunately, Bob was interrupted by the wolf before he could actually clear out the place and the fire was still there burning, pitifully. No wonder the wolf came along. That small little spark can barely be referred to as a fire. How can it be expected to keep the animals away? It could warm people or cook food but by no means anything would be scared of it. It was the best thing that Bob could do. Just like his cooking where suggested with a chuckle that "we can always stab a stick through the meat and burn it." That sadly was also the best that Bob could do.

Glad that this man was not as scary as intimidating as when he killed the wolf, Bob took a seat at the fire opposite him. This Rhuryc fellow actually came out as pleasant and jovial company, if you were in a frozen patch with no one else. It does not seem that there will be any other dangerous surprises from him so it would be fine if he knows that "I am Bob Barton. Just enjoying the great outdoors before I get sick enough of it to run back to Syliras and admit when I am beat in a cozy, warm room. What about you? What are you doing out here in the cold?" Rhuryc was probably looking for something since he kept looking around the campsite.

[Rhuryc]

"I wasn't expecting to find anyone this far out, honestly."' There was little else to be said. Rhuryc had not been back to this spot in some time now and with the advent of another individual, well, his reasoning for coming now seemed silly. His attention flickered to the remnants of the fire. Sorrowful little thing. There was barely enough there to warm by let alone cook something. Nevertheless, Rhuryc set his hands over the flame and reveled in what he could get. Better than nothing he supposed. "What am I doing? I don't think I can rightly answer that." What a question. How long had he been out here now? He lived with the transients for some time and now he was left to wander in his own machinations, too much of a vagabond to call himself much else. "Searching? Looking for something, I think. The only problem is I'm not exactly sure what that something is. If you happen to know where something thoughtful and meaningful is, by all means I'd appreciate the sentiment if you let me know." Maybe he wasn't quite right in the head. Rhuryc flashed a grin at Bob when he finished and went about tending to the fire, silent after his brief admission of possible crazy. He said little else. That was until the howls returned. Uneasily, the young man glanced about over his shoulder. In a slow, precise motion he stood and wrapped his hand about the hilt of his blade once more, his eyes narrowed as he scanned the horizon. How close were they? There was a flurry of motion beyond the falling snow, some predator stalking in the distance. Even the chill of winter was not enough to stifle the scent of blood in the air. That boded well for the both of them. "Bob," His baritone was low and harsh. It had an edge to it that was absent just chimes previous. "I do hope you are a fast runner. I suggest you follow me and keep that weapons of yours close. Go!" He was off in a flash. His cloak billowed behind him as his feet pounded against the lightly powdered ground, his legs pumping in tandem with each arm, followed in turn by haggard and sharp intakes of breath. The cold did little to help. His path was simple. Away. He steered himself toward the geyser of which he had emerged earlier, allowing only a single glance back to get a glimpse of their assumed pursuers. They were grey blurs, low to the ground, but fast. More than he could count at once and persistent, maybe even vengeful at the death of their pack mate. Damn it all. His feet found their holds over the edges of the stone structures. He hopped from one to the next and very much hoped Bob could do the same. All he had to do was reach his pack. Maybe then they would have a chance.

[Bob Barton]

He wasn't the only one. Bob was hiding out here because he was trying to avoid people but Rhuryc coming was not as bad as he would normally see it. Maybe earlier Bob would have ignored him or later he would find an abandoned campsite with a partly eaten corpse. His timing it would seem was perfect. A time where Bob would be a lot more receptive to his savior who had slain the wolf. If this was not Syliras, Bob would be suspicious whether or not this was engineered. Even if not by Rhuryc himself, certainly someone who was able to introduce elements like this to get them together. Just who would be so wicked and cruel to do something like bringing a sad, pitiful wolf who is starving just to be slain for their own personal amusement? Right...

The truth is that "you did find someone Rhuryc. Me! And honestly" yes, Bob can be honest too "it was good that you did." Now the only question was what brought Rhuryc to come and save him. It would seem like Rhuryc did not know himself and worst still he asked Bob where to find something "thoughtful and meaningful?" that he was looking for. A better person for Rhuryc to ask would be someone like a knight who would tell him to join the service because that would be thoughtful and meaningful to the people he would protect. Bob however suggested that "you should go to the Spinning Coin" for some gambling. For Bob that was what Rhuryc was looking for. A lot of thought went into trying to trick your opponents and the meaning came from the wonderful feeling when you know you leave with a pocketful of mizas.

The starving wolf was not enough because the next cruel and wicked act was of introducing more wolves. Bob would not be able to tell just how many wolves were coming but he could hear the howls which alerted Rhuryc too. He looked at the same direction Rhuryc was looking at trying to catch a glimpse but there were just too many trees and bushes around where the wolves could hide in. How could he assume that it was only one wolf? They were pack animals and if there was one around then there should be more. Just because he was glad that one was dead instead of him does not mean that he should have let his guard down.

Rhuryc did not really have to tell him to grab his weapon because that was one of the first things he went for as soon as he knew that he might be in for another fight. But when he heard about running and following Rhuryc, he knew he was going to have to abandon the site. Lucky he had already packed up all of the essentials but it looks like the others are going to be stuck here. Bob could try and risk coming back to salvage his stuff later but his life was far more important and if Rhuryc who already displayed his decent sword skills could suggest escaping, that is a very good reason to follow and only come back when he had someone else to protect him.

Bob followed Rhuryc to the land of away. Strangely enough it was simple when your mind only needed to think of one thing. Sure Bob had to run but he wanted the protection of Rhuryc too. He only had to focus on the cloaked man and follow him through. In all the white it was easy to see its colour. Rhuryc might have been fast but Bob tried his best to keep up. Unfortunately he was so focused on Rhuryc that he neglected to confirm what he was walking on sometimes stepping on the rocks and sometimes stepping on the the snow. He nearly tripped too but was somehow able to catch on another rock to hold himself up. "Ouch!" he yelled after kicking on the rock but that was not even close to what would happen if those wolfs caught up to him.

[Rhuryc]

They were getting closer. He could here them. Growling, snapping, the gentle thrum of paws against snow in contrast to the resounding beating of his own boots on the earth. Faster. Faster! His strides widened as he leapt from one leg to the other, his form blitzing across the field. There. His pack. His momentum shifted. Having pulled away from Bob there was a few, precious moments to act. Rhruyc threw himself forward and hit the ground at a roll. A hand slid beneath the discarded gear and he came up in a sudden rush. Steel scraped against leather and echoed across the terrain, both blade and shield brandished in raw resistance to the pack that harried him so. To his side. A flash of white. Now was as good a time as any. The shield came first. A loud thwack sent the offending creature sailing aside, it's airborne body hitting the ground with a snap and a wail. Rhuryc moved forward. Where in all the hells was the dwarf? His eyes narrowed as he scanned the horizon, watching, waiting for more of the beasts. When had the snow thickened? The clouds had grown dark overhead, the falling debris thick enough to obscure the best of visions. He heard them before he saw them. Two, three? They circled him. Growling, dark and low, hungry for blood. What sort of beasts were these that they preferred a fight before a meal? He knew how to play this game. As they moved so did he. Careful, calm, silent. Rhuryc kept pace with the wolves, his body turning in tandem with their movements. Patience. He was their prey. They would make the first move. Behind. Rhuryc spun. His blade sliced through the air and into the skull of a beast, sundering a part of its head and spilling a vibrant red over the powdered white. Something hit him from the side. He stumbled and caught himself, one leg shoved into the ground as a wolf latched itself to his arm, the gnashing, furious jaw breaking the minuscule leather and drawing blood of its own. The man leashed out. He threw his shield arm out and kicked at the animal, hiis boot slamming into its stomach. Sweet release. He followed with another stroke, a quick, sudden slash at the neck. That made two. Rhuryc turned and scanned, looking for the third and final monster. And there was nothing. Twice damn. "Bob?!" He called out, that thick, loud baritone sailing through the air as if it was a clear summer's day. Neat trick, that.

[Bob Barton]

Ignoring the pain at his foot Bob struggled to continue running. Unlike Rhuryc who was a lot more stronger and trained, Bob was slower making him the ideal target for the wolves and lets not forget he stupidly carried along a lot of his belongings as well. Each and every growl, snap and thrum of paws he could hear behind him only made him put a little hop in his steps a ending up with some snow skipping more than running but he could not bother about how stupid he would have looked just like he could not bother looking back to see how near the wolves were. Wolves were scary but so were rampaging akalaks and Bob knew from that experience that turning back to look only made you more panicked and prone to accidents but right now looking forward was just as bad. Bob could only see the safer Rhuryc who would be able to escape once the wolves were feasting on midget meat. "Wait not so fast...!" he tried to yell put despite running out of breath.

It all happened too fast for Bob to actually follow what has been happening. All that was in his mind was to escape and then suddenly Rhuryc went tumbling and rolling on the ground. Served him right for trying to use Bob as a bait and he just ran past him. He could hear loud sounds of painful thwacking and growling. Rhuryc was probably fighting back yet again and while Bob could not doubt just how well the man was with a sword, he only saw the display with one lone and weakened wolf and now he was up against a pack. Just how many Bob did not know but if he was lucky they won't be able to take down Rhuryc so easily.

Next thing he knew, Bob was falling on the ground face first yet again and it was also because of a wolf. In hindsight it was not a bad idea to bring his belongings with him. The backpack took most of the wolf's attack and protected Bob from an very painful injury. He would need to get a new one after this though unless he wanted his things to be scattered all over the Sylira Region. Bob scrambled to get his bag of as soon as possible and tossed it and the wolf off to the side before getting back up and taking out his own sword. He would not do too well with a strong wolf but this one looked strangely off. It was limping at the front leg as it prowled towards Bob for some reason. Bob would not know why but it was actually because when Rhuryc shield bashed it, it broke its leg on impact but he will not really care about the reason and more about that he can actually use this new weakness in the fight.

Its broken leg forced it to slow down its actions allowing Bob to see exactly what it was trying to do. A clumsy pounce at him which Bob weaved to the side from after seeing how much weight was being put on the broken leg and another dodge when it tried again. Few more attempts and Bob finally was able to see through it and got the timing down. On its next pounce, Bob swatted at it with the cane that he was holding and forced it to land hardly to the snow on the side. With his sword on the other hand he followed up with a charge, stabbing right through the downed wolf with the sword while it gave out a whimper of pain. The wolf did not seem too dead yet trying to struggle and pull itself together so Bob decided to end it its misery while he pulled out his sword again.

Some yanking and pulling, he got his sword out and heard some steps behind him. Thinking it was Rhuryc he said "as you can see I got it all under control here unless you want to do the honours" holding the sword up waiting for an answer. The answer never came and in place of it came a louder growl. "Rhuryc?" he asked turning around to see another wolf. This one a whole lot healthier and angrier than its fallen pack mate. Bob knew that it was going to be tough for him and he shouted "Rhuryc?!" Looks like Bob was all on his own for this one and no timely assistance from the one who saved him earlier, possibly because he had already been taken down by the rest of the pack.

Once Rhuryc made it to the source of the shout, he would see a Bob struggling to fight against the wolf. One midget and one wolf only with a sword keeping them apart and a nearly dead wolf behind struggling to get back up. While one of them would already be pretty much dead without any problems, Bob was without a doubt going to need some help putting the other one down.