Completed Practice of the Game

[Byron Allestor]

Practice of the Game
Spring 54th 514 AV, 9th Bell
Location: The Bronze Woods

Silent had the two boys become on their quiet trek into the wilderness, they had taken this part of the morning to attempt a couple of new things. First they both wanted to see what existed just outside the walls, and second Byron really wanted to get more practice in with the bow. He hadn't practiced his archery in quite a long time, therefore he could only expect his performance to be shabby, once he had begin the hunting part of this trip anyway. Twas a good thing there were plenty of rabbits abound here lately, it seemed everybody started to make a decent living off those this season. Their abundance had to be taken advantage of, specifically now of all times if the boys themselves didn't wish to starve. Surprisingly though the wood was quieter than Byron actually anticipated, though its proximity had been filled with the sound, only the calls of the animals seemed to be that dwelt here in the forest. The older brother wondered just how far these woods carried on, and how dangerous they were the deeper one went inside.

That kind of curiosity wasn't something he could afford right now, but at a later date he might consider it depending on circumstances. "I really would like to camp out here sometime." He muttered to his little brother with a grin on his face, the bow in his hand started to itch then.

"We definitely should sometime, I think it'd be great!" Tailen whispered with a bit excitement, nevertheless it brought a short chuckle out of Byron before he slowed his pace. Trees and bushes were everywhere so there had to be something hiding amongst them, surely a rodent or two could be found if they were quiet and cautious enough. The oldest signaled for the younger to follow behind with a hand gesture, while his own steps lightly picked up for a less noise induction while he moved closer towards a pair of trees. Each crunch of the dead leaves from previous seasons gave him pause before he moved onward, until he finally reached a tree to sidle up to as cover. With patience he peered around it to see any signs of activity before him, hopeful that they might already be close to hunting his first game. At first there had been silence and nothing more, but with a bit more patience in remaining still sounds could be heard! Something had decided to trek their way, by the sound of something large too. Byron's eyes narrowed for a moment as he focused more on the hearing, an arrow slipped out of the quiver on his back while he located the origin of the sound.

[Terag]

This wasn't his first time in the woods this season, and Terag was beginning to enjoy it out of the city. As he had before he used his spear as a walking stick of sorts, letting the butt spike of the weapon hit the soft earth as he walked. Adorned was his usual attire, just a plain set of clothes: a white shirt, dark brown pants, leather boots, and a back on his back. He had grown a bit more confident about not getting lost in the woods, at least not while he was in the woods closer to the city. While he was not the tallest of the creatures or people in the region, Terag still had a good amount of weight to throw around. Because of this, each step through the dried leaves was met by a myriad of crunches and more than one twig snapping underfoot. "Here's to hoping I find some decent wood this time," he said to himself in Isurian as he walked. Here and there he would push over a fallen branch with the end of his spear, though most of the wood he simply left for a multitude of reasons. At least here he had the chance to be picky with what he found since his life didn't rely on it and it was just for a simple hobby that he had been wanting to pick up for a while now. Out of all the pieces of wood he found, he did choose one. It was twice as thick around as the handle of a sword, but measured at most seven inches long. The piece of wood was quickly tossed into his backpack before he continued on. Unknowingly Terag was walking closer to a pair that had been in the forest before him, and he kept getting closer still. As he heard nothing that might alert him to the presence of anyone else he was completely oblivious to the possibility of others in the woods. As he walked within eyesight of the duo he raised his left hand and scratch a bit at his goatee, if he was seen by now and they had any doubt what he might be the onyx-black left hand would be a clear indication that he was Isurian. "It's so nice to be out and about from the city again, it's much less cramped out here," he said again out loud and to himself in Isurian. "and at least I found something to take back this time."

[Byron Allestor]

From where he stood the sounds grew louder as leaves gave way to weight and twigs crunched under pressure, by the sound if it something large had to be coming their way and it started to scare the hunter. Byron hadn't really done any actual hunting since they lived in Lhavit and even then, he still never ventured too far out into the wilderness for fear of what lived within it. Here? There were rabbits, squirrels, and plenty of other tiny animals to hunt... but at the same time there could be a variety of larger animals he didn't want to cross. Right now it sounded like a bear had approached them, although no gruff sounds were made to prove it. Only the large steps that created the loud noises that would scare away the little prey, alerting anything nearby that a larger predator lurked within the territory.

Byron gulped as he slowly started to draw the arrow and knocked it immediately, his attention locked from the direction of the sounds that made to their way. He felt his arms trembled as he pulled back the string, his back in an upright position as he held his posture with tensity. "B... brother?" Tailen sounded worried if not scared for them both, it didn't come as a surprise considering Byron himself already felt shaken by whatever this thing was. Once he'd finally caught sight of the creature that came into view his eyes bulged just a little, as what came into his line of aim was in fact something that held the appearance of a human. It looked like... a short Akalak only the skin color seemed much lighter, and for some reason the surface veins appeared to bulge in silver linings.

The petch is that?! That isn't no animal! He nearly forgot to breathe until his lungs begged for air, from which their release brought an unnecessary light headed state for a moment as he eased his arms. The bow and arrow were brought down as the stocky being approached the two of them, words muttered to them incoherently as though they were to understand. Yet... its incoherence could have been because it wasn't the Common tongue. If this creature spoke a different language then it would explain why Byron failed to understand it, and with the way his arm appeared as a sliver of midnight left much open to interpret. Not like any Akalak I've seen... No, he's different. What is he? Tailen had already ran up to hide behind his brother, curious eyes from both boys locked solely on the mystery before them.

"You don't appear to be from around here, do you know how to speak Common any? At all?" He asked with his bow still averted for the moment, considering their location he didn't wish to easily take chances. They were foreigners to this place and hardly knew their way around, hence meeting strangers like this man out in tucked away places like this. It unnerved the older brother well enough to be protective, if not rather edgy at best.

[Terag]

"You don't appear to be from around here, do you know how to speak Common any? At all?" At the sound of another voice Terag nearly jumped out of his skin and then he furrowed his brows deeply. Startled, he quickly dropped his hand along the spear, grabbing it towards the center and aiming the point at the origin of the voice as his left arm came up to shield his face and chest defensively. The origin was a tall, skinny human. At least, he was by Terag's standard. Blue eyes peered at him questioningly, still waiting for an answer to his question. At first Terag was unsure if he should respond or attack, as the other had a bow and the best time to attack would probably at least be while there wasn't an arrow pointing at him. However, he rethought his plans as he noticed the smaller human behind the first. While he couldn't get a good look at the other, it seemed to be a child and so perhaps the first human was protecting the other one? Before responding to the question he relaxed his stance a bit, standing up a little taller though he kept his spear pointed at the duo and his left hand at about chest height. "Yes, I do speak common. I thought I was the only person in the woods today, apparently I was wrong. You will have to excuse my jumpiness because of that..." his words came out slowly in his deep voice. "My name is Terag, I am a smith. Whoever you are, I mean you no harm and I do not wish to fight. I simply came out to collect wood." Provided the other kept his bow down, or would put it back down if it was raised again once Terag said he meant no harm, he would further relax his stance until he was standing easily again. The butt spike of the spear was planted into the ground before he continued to talk, "I did not think I would meet others today. What are you doing out in the woods?" It hadn't yet occured to Terag that the bow might be for hunting, as to him it was just another weapon to protect oneself with much like his spear was. Terag's brows became slightly less furrowed as he spoke, if he was going to really be friendly he would do it once the others proved that Terag had no reason to worry.

[Byron Allestor]

From the moment the unusual mannish creature seemed spooked to the defensive stance with his spear, Byron had reacted just as well with the arrow he loosened prepped and aimed straight for the guy. While he hadn't intended to surprise the poor fellow he wasn't about to let him get away with attempted assault either, but thankfully the pause left time for a clear thought process as the older brother only pulled the string tightly. The bulky 'battering ram' ,as Byron decided to refer to him as, seemed to ease out of his stance though still remained on the alert of them, hardly a surprise since Byron kept the arrow shakily aimed at him.

At last he seemed to speak and it was in fact in Common this time, a bit of the relief he felt brought ease from the tension in his back once more. The bow and arrow were slowly diverted down once more, only this time just slightly so as he too remained prudent. "Wood collecting huh? Then I guess you're no threat." He reasoned as he looked at the bag on Terag's back, a few sticks appeared to poke out well enough to validate that statement. "My name's Byron and this," He gave a long glance to his little brother, "is my younger brother Tailen." Finally his arrow no longer seemed a threat anymore than did Terag, now that he appeared to loosen up and show no aggression towards them.

Tailen gave a polite wave with a "Nice to meet you!" shared in the process, and from there Byron stood with his bow in one hand, while he returned his arrow back into the quiver where it belonged. "We're actually out here hunting, although nothing's come in our sights yet." He thought about blaming the burly guy for scaring the animals off, since he had practically been crushing leaves and twigs all the way towards them. Byron allowed himself a short sigh before he observed Terag a bit more closely, while Tailen took the initiative to engage in conversation first. "Um. If you don't mind me asking, what are you exactly?"

"And while we're at it, why are you're arms so freakishly big?!" Byron blurted out impulsively with curiosity in his eyes, Tailen muttered "Brother!" sheepishly due to how rude the question sounded.

[Terag]

Terag nodded in the duo's direction politely as they introduced themselves and proved they meant no harm towards him. It seemed they were related after all. There was a slight pang in his chest when he realized just how close the two seemed, but the feeling was quickly brushed aside. "We're actually out here hunting, although nothing's come in our sights yet." "Is that so? I can't say I've seen much game out here..." Terag switched his spear to his left hand before raising his right hand to stroke his goatee as he thought for a bit, "Though I suppose I also have not been looking. Nor have I tried to be quiet..." He shrugged a bit, though his face showed no sign of a smile or much of anything. In fact, for the time being he seemed quite passive. "Um. If you don't mind me asking, what are you exactly?" ... "And while we're at it, why are you're arms so freakishly big?!" His eyes opened a bit in surprise, more surprised that they didn't know what he was rather than the question about the size of his arms. Perhaps the younger one was a bit more aware of usual social norms, at least based on his response to the elder brother asking his own question almost on impulse. For humans they seemed alright, and so far he had no reason to distrust them. His lips ever so slightly pulled up in amusement to the questions before he responded. "Well firstly, my arms are quite large because I work in a forge nearly all day. It also helps that I do my best to stay in shape, my kind are the descendants of the god Izurdin after all and so I should give my body the respect it deserves." In response to his statement, Terag pulled the left sleeve of his shirt up to show more of his black arm, the silver veins along it seeming to gleam in the light breaking through the leaves of the trees. "I am one of the Isur." He left it at that, as if that was enough of an explanation as to what he was even though the others seemed to have never seen his kind before. Now that he had the chance he really looked the two over, there didn't seem to be much more he could gather from the elder of the two, except that he was smart enough not to take on an Isur at such a close range, but now he could see the younger one in full. This one definitely resembled his brother, the same sort of blue eyes seemed to question what Terag even was. "It would seem now that the two of you know quite a bit about me, but I still know nothing more of the two of you other than your names. Perhaps I should start with asking why your arms aren't so 'freakishly big' as mine are?" Terag couldn't help but become slightly amused at the light jab at the other, "It does me no good to ask what you are, you two seem to be humans as far as I can tell. Do you two also hail from the nearby city?" He figured it couldn't hurt to at least get to know a few others in the city. If nothing else from coming from the Pitrius clan, Terag learned that connected could become very important and useful depending on what was going on.

[Byron Allestor]

Byron fidgeted a bit as he withheld the need to provide what he felt was a well earned sarcastic remark, a testy grin forced with his lips as he mentally swallowed the words off his tongue. Noooo, I'm sure you wouldn't be able to even if you did try! He almost snickered when the thought trailed its course, a quiet giggle heard next to him as Tailen already knew what that looked spelled out. Finally when it seemed like they would be given answers, both Byron and Tailen held serious expressions as they paid close attention to what Terag told them. So he was something called an Isur which were descended from Izurden, and if Byron were to think back well enough on his research that happened to be... damn where did he hear that name from? It had to be something big or important, though he hadn't the memory to recall it off hand he knew the name from somewhere before.

Still it appeared that Terag was very proud of his heritage, as he seemed happy to display the entirety of his left arm. Almost an obsidian black they held a sort of shine to them with the help of his veins, the traces of silver that seemed to show made him look almost godly in a sense. That's it! Izurden is a God, one of the Divine deities of I remember correctly! It finally dawned on him when he made the connection, that Terag mentioned he was a descendent, meaning that he was actually a specimen of the Deity in his own way. Wow. To think I'd actually meet one of the Isur people here, this far out away from their own home no less. He tried to look unimpressed really but in truth he found it rather interesting, a Isurian smith out in the middle of the forest looking for wood. It seemed plausible but what reason would Terag have for being in Syliras? The same question could've easily been raised about them, yet it seemed Terag was more interested in who they were rather.

Tai giggled a little at the Isurian's jest with the reflection of Byron's earlier question, a soft grin on his face as he answered that question for them. "Well we don't really work a lot, but it's mostly because we're busy half the time."

The older brother chuckled as he watched Tailen for a bit, the next question shot at them something he didn't hesitate to answer. "We don't actually, we're from far away in Kalea. We're sort of on a personal quest, though I didn't expect it to take us this far." He seemed to mutter then with his eyes averted for a moment, unsure how far they would continue before they finally found something. It was hard trying to find answers, and so far Byron hadn't found anything significant towards their cause. "Of course that doesn't mean we can't visit and learn of places like this one, so far Syliras has been kind enough to stay at for a while." He added as he commended the fact it has actually been decent, compared to what he expected when he first arrived at this place.

[Terag]

Terag barely caught hint at the snicker the other had made while he was talking, but not enough for him to actually pay it any mind. He was also somewhat let down when the others didn't seem to be too interested in what he had to say, at least until he caught what seemed to be interest in their eyes. He was related to a god after all, albeit after many generations, and he and his people deserved at least some level of interest! "We don't actually, we're from far away in Kalea. We're sort of on a personal quest, though I didn't expect it to take us this far." ... "Of course that doesn't mean we can't visit and learn of places like this one, so far Syliras has been kind enough to stay at for a while." Terag's face finally broke out in a light smile, and a genuine one at that. "Kalea, huh? I almost forgot humans come from there as well. Sultros is out that way, you know? I'm surprised you have yet to come across an Isur when you lived closer to the cities of my people than I do now." He couldn't help but chuckle, before shrugging. Well I guess it is possible. Do you mind if I ask what your quest is? It would not happen to involve making something would it?" Terag was unable to hold the excitement back when he mentioned crafting, even his eyes seemed to light up at the prospect and he slightly leaned forward onto his spear as if to hear better. After he realized how excited he must seem, Terag stood straight once more and coughed into his right hand. "Also, yes. Syliras is a good city to at least stop for a while. There does not seem to be much that you need to worry about here, it is very safe after all." He was almost disappointed by this when he thought about it, at least back home if someone was accused of something you sometimes got to see a good fight. It was almost too peaceful. At least working in the forge was the same here as it would be most places, and it was a beautiful forge at that.

[Byron Allestor]

A loose grin formed on Byron's face when the word of Kalea rang familiar to Terag somehow, it seemed as though it served as both their home in its own sort of way. Yet that also hinted at just how far away they all were too, seeing as how they'd managed to cross the Suvan Sea to get here. "We might've ran into a couple of Isur here and there, might just not have known we did at the time." He hinted in a manner to keep the mystery alive, of course there did exist truth in the statement after all. They likely did see an Isurian before and they did probably fail to acknowledge it, but actually meeting one up close was more or less a first time accomplishment as of now. Yet at the mentioning of a personal quest it seemed Terag had his interest piqued, even more so demonstrated wonder in the possibility of crafting.

It brought a small short laugh out of Tailen but the older brother didn't seem to react, rather he seemed disheartened by the question altogether. "Not really. To be honest I don't know what it'll involve, but it's sure isn't gonna be easy out here." He admitted in a manner to avoid the subject and hopefully move on, hints of little comfort became noticeable in his features while he occasionally glanced to Tailen. Terag seemed to divert back to the subject of Syliras then, an agreement on the fact it was in fact a pretty safe city so far. That was just at the surface though, Byron could not so easily swallow that belief just yet. No place is ever truly safe in this world, not until much of the chaos that resided in it would vanish. "Yeah. We'll probably stick around a while, see what else the city has to provide." Tailen looked up at his brother right then, a bit of concern in his eyes before he murmured in a low voice.

"Byron..." He looked to the younger sibling with curious eyes. "Maybe we should tell him, I don't see how it can hurt us later on. Besides, how will we find out anything if we don't ask around? Even a little?" There came a moment of serious consideration in regards to the reasoning found there, Byron's own eyes seemed to sharply examine Terag from head to toe.

We don't really know anything about him other than where he's from and who he is, but for us to share that much info about our quest to a stranger? It felt odd to allow such a thing, but Tailen had apparently warmed up to him well enough. Considering his circumstances that was something to Byron, which easily explained why he seemed leery about the idea all the same. "All right then Tai, since you think it a good idea." The loose grin returned to the older brothers face when he glanced one last time to Tailen, and when he looked at Terag he did so with a serious look on his face. "Originally our reasoning for this personal quest was to venture out and collect as much knowledge as we can, but there is a truth behind it that I've been dedicated to keeping secret. In sharing this I'm trusting you to respect that wish, because Tailen feels you can manage that."

The older brother sighed for a moment as he started to feel nervous, the apparent truth heavier now that he felt ready to share it. "We seek out a way to recovery lost memories, because Tailen here no longer has any memory of who he was as a child." He fell silent and watched Terag to see how that would sink in, to see what kind of reaction the Isurian would display, now that he would know the truth behind their visit.

[Terag]

At the time Terag did not seemed phased at Byron looking him over, almost as if he was sizing him up. He hadn't caught what the younger brother had said however, and so had no idea why he might have been sized up. It wasn't a new experience for him though as the Isur often would participate in fights and so judging what a person might be able to do at a glance was not uncommon, though it was a skill that Terag hadn't picked up in his younger years. "We seek out a way to recovery lost memories, because Tailen here no longer has any memory of who he was as a child." For a long moment he was quiet as he pondered what Byron had said about his brother, his smile fading away as he thought. A loss of memories was a serious matter after all. "Well at the very least, you can trust me." He let out a long breath as he brought his left hand up to softly scratch his goatee as he thought. "I have to admit that doesn't sound very pleasant. It doesn't seem like a sort of issue I can fix by making something, at least not yet..." Terag was almost disappointed at that, as he had hopped that maybe he would be able to try to make something new and exciting. His thoughts quickly came back to the current situation though. With a raise of an eyebrow he asked another question, "Have you considered magic? Perhaps there might be something that could be useful, though I have to admit I can't think of any sort of magic that will be of immediate use for memories in the long past." His brows furrowed, trying to give the situation as much thought as he could. "There might also be some use praying to the gods, though I don't know enough about them to know which one would help. I am sorry that I cannot be of more help on the topic and I wish you help in the future. Also, I offer any help that I can - within reason of course." He sighed and shrugged as his face returned passive at first, and then to a small and almost apologetic smile. As he figured there was nothing else he could say or help with the topic, Terag did his best to change it to something a bit easier to talk about for the three of them. "Well since you two are new to the area, why don't you ask me any questions you might have? I have not been around for very long but perhaps I can be of some help. If you want any information on The Ironworks I should be able to help, or somewhere to get a drink of ale. I can also tell you some basic crafting techniques if that's your interest? Do you happen to know how to make anything special or unique?" Slowly as he spoke the interest returned to his eyes as he unconsciously pushed he conversation towards crafting again, with a gleam in his eyes as he asked the other two if they knew how to make anything of note.