Monkey's Paw Tavern

[Durithill the Black Blade]

SPACEWith a graceful move of his hand, Durithill accepted the card and looked at the insignia upon it. It was the symbol of Efferia: a token that would allow him access to the merchant city. "I have heard of it." Durithill responded as he slipped the card into some hidden pocket within his cloak. "Although I have yet to have an occasion to visit. Alas, as I am not a merchant, there is hardly a need for me to set foot on the hallowed city of your father's empire. Though to be truthful, it is possible that there would be all manners of tomes which I have not access to otherwise." Even though there was no doubt it was probably an interesting city, Durithill had never really had an interest in it since he was not a merchant. The only interest he had was the one he had stated aloud, however he could just as easily get those books from people that dealt in Efferia rather than going to Efferia itself. Still, he supposed it was worth a visit anyway.

SPACEEspecially if there was someone there that could give him some information about his ability. Tobias' statement made an involuntary chuckle come to Durithill's lip. "Consume me, though?" he said as he looked down at the bare skin of his hand. "Well, I would have to agree with you on that point. I shall be quite a good time before I am consumed, for it shall never happen, Mr. Gingerback." On that point, Durithill was certain. He just needed to learn how to get control of his ability, and everything would be fine. "So am I then to assume that the man of which you spoke is on Efferia?" he asked with a glance over at Tobias to gauge his reaction. It was odd for anyone to just go out of their way like this, and Durithill highly expected an ulterior motive. Whatever it was, Tobias wasn't letting on quite yet. Not that Durithill particularly minded, so long as whatever it was didn't bring any harm to himself.  

[Doctor Corn]

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Tobias Gingerback

۝۞۩ۻۺ

~Ⱳater Ḟlows Ḿuch Ḷike Æther

Tobias' eyes widened as Durithill correctly guessed his surname. I really have to work on keeping that fact secret he berated himself. "The man who knows what the scent comes from is naturally not on Efferia right now, but you can be certain he will return to the island within a few days. After all, what kind of man would let his own piece of land sink into catastrophy?" he said, indicating the door that his father had left not too long ago. "I wouldn't try to catch him at this point though, he is off doing his own annoying business. Plus his mode of transportation is far more swift than two feet" the young boy then returned to his milk, displeased that it had already warmed up to unacceptable levels. Tobias then dumped the liquid down the drain with a unsatisfied sigh, then grabbed a cupful of water and returned to Ty.

▁▂▃▅▆▇ ssǝppoƃ ɹǝʌʃıS ∀ ǝʞıʃ ƃuısıᴚ ʎʃʍoʃS ▇▆▅▃▂▁

۝۞۩ۻۺ

۝۞۩ۻۺ

 

[Awesome Sensei]

Do my words sound like music to your ears?

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

Tsst. He is serious. Ruo uttered as he wrapped his tongue sensually around his shot, bringing it to his lips and engulfing the liquor into his body. Smiling and winking at the man in front of him. "Come on, that didn't turn you on? Haha. I don't care about your debt right now Tysulir. We have a little problem with the Teran situation is all."

He was more causual after having a few shots in him, as he took his third shot without any show. Turning to see a walnut, one he had never seen before, Ruo looked at Ty. "You drugged me already? It's only my third shot!" He grabbed the fourth and fifth, which he quickly ingested. The walnut wasn't leaving. It was strange, but tonight he had a purpose, he would forget about the beast.

"I will win, and you will help with this Ty. . .

"parvulus of Satus est Mortuus" His lips uttered, hoping that only the man would understand. His eyes looked down to the ground as he took another drink from his shot. He had downed six.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪


Of course. A symphony in front of your very eyes.

 

[Durithill the Black Blade]

SPACEAs Tobias moved back to the drinking contest, Durithill sat silently for a moment and thought to himself. So, he was to seek out Alexander Gingerback, the very same man who had left not moments ago to search for Creed. Well being able to access the capital city in the man's empire made it a bit easier. At least now he had some sort of a goal instead of the semi-aimless wandering which had brought him to this tavern. A man like Alexander Gingerback was sure to have quite a few answers, that was for sure. Of course, even though his son was the one that had sent Durithill, that didn't necessarily mean that Alexander would give Durithill any information at all. Still, it was better than nothing and he supposed he should head over there sometime soon to see if he could get an audience with Alexander and perhaps get some information.

SPACEHe had some time to spare until that time though, so Durithill stood up and reached into his pocket. From his pocket he retrieved the gloves he usually wore, and slipped them back onto his hands, fastening the clasps around his wrists once more. Now that there didn't appear to be much of a threat of a fight, there wasn't much reason for him to keep his hands uncovered. Besides, it helped prevent accidental contact with others, which he disliked about as much as he was sure they would. The two men were still having their drinking contest, and the one was now talking about dead babies in another language. Not that Durithill payed much mind, for he wasn't sure exactly what he was referencing anyway. Instead he walked over to the group and stood next to Venustus as he had been planning to do originally before talking to Tobias.

SPACE"My, this is indeed a surprise! I had not expected to gaze upon your visage once more so soon after we parted! The threads of fate are not so much entwined in this place as they are twisted and bound!" He gave a small bow to the woman instead of a handshake again, although he was sure she would understand. "Although it would appear that since our last encounter, you have gone through one that was even more of a trial upon you than the one that brought us together!" The woman looked severely distressed, which Durithill guessed might have something with the dead baby the man that had challenged Tysulir had spoken about. To a woman dedicated to protecting the weak and innocent, witnessing such a thing would be quite horrific. He would let he talk about it if she wanted to though, and didn't press the issue further than his initial question.  

[Evol Bear]

♫Of course I'm beautiful.♫

Venustas sat quietly until the walnut appeared. The chaos that erupted upon its arrival caused her to rise out of the chair she had been sitting in and gaze oddly at the walnut. Its manly face was. . . attractive. Her mind was far too occupied to recognize any feeling other than sadness. Slowly, she turned her body away from the walnut to look back to Ruo and Ty, tears still streaming down her face slowly.

She sensed Durithill walking towards her and turned her head slightly to watch him bow slightly to her. She nodded her head in response to his statement. Venustas didn't want to speak, in fear her voice would be inaudible and weak, but she took a deep breath before looking up at Durithill completely and speaking.

"I am responsible for the death of a child. An infant. An innocent being who had no opportunity to experience life. My intentions were most definitely not for that to happen, but I am guilty regardless." She looked back down to the ground, her hair covering her face like a curtain, leaving her expression a mystery to Durithill. "I will pay whatever price I must pay for the pain to be released from the parents." Her hands were clenched into fists, so firmly that her nails cut into her hands through her black gloves, causing her hands to bleed a little. Her arms were quivering.

Venustas looked back up, and tears were still pouring from her eyes, but they were filled with rage. Rage towards herself. "I'm worthless."

♫Just as an angel should be.♫

 

[Durithill the Black Blade]

SPACEA silence fell over Durithill as he listened to what Venustas had to say and thought of an appropriate response. Comforting people was not exactly Durithill's forte, as he tended to approach things from a pragmatic angle rather than an emotional one. "You are far from worthless." he said finally after a moment as he moved a little closer to lean against the bar next to her. "That would imply that your existence in this world has not value at all. Even if it is purely to bring pain to others, every existence has some value. You can not know what pleasure is if you have never experienced pain, after all." he said as he watched the two men throwing back their liquor. Rather than displaying sadness or pain for Venustas, Durithill's race was a completely emotionless mask as he thought about his own existence in the word. Only Tysulir, with his magical eyes, would be able to see the hints of pain hidden deep within Durithill's steely cold eyes. As far as he could tell, that was the only reason he himself was born. Why would heavens create a being such as himself if they did not purely intend him to bring suffering to others.

SPACE"That is not to say your existence is intended to bring pain." Durithill clarified as he glanced over at Venustas' tear-streaked face. "I merely think that you may have over-extended your reach. As much pain as it might bring to you, you cannot save everyone. If you attempt to bear the weight of the world, you will be crushed by it." It was a fairly logical thing to say, and perhaps not what Venustas wanted to hear, but it was the only thing Durithill could think at the moment. After all he had not been there, so he knew nothing of the situation leading up the event. "If you intend to save the world, concentrate on your world first. Even if you can protect an apple from external factors, it may still rot from within. Protect your family, loved ones, and close friends first." he said with a gesture towards Ruo. He didn't know their relationship, but he assumed them to at least be on friendly terms. "If you cannot protect someone, force yourself to become stronger until you can. I apologize if I seem blunt or callous. I have little experience dealing in these matters myself." An apology was probably worth little, but he figured he might as well give one in case she was offended by his words.  

[Doctor Corn]

۝۞۩ۻۺ

Tobias Gingerback

۝۞۩ۻۺ

~Ⱳater Ḟlows Ḿuch Ḷike Æther

Tobias was slightly startled as Durithill suddenly left his side, and he finally noticed the woman near to the bar as well. The young boy had no idea what had caused the woman to be upset, outside of some tragedy that had befallen someone close to her. Tobias started, then sat down again and grabbed his water as the woman spoke to Durithill. As she stopped he made a motion to rise again, but once more lost his nerve and remained at his seat. Why? Why do I find myself unable to keep myself away from crying people? Their pain......smells bad......have to make is stop Tobias thought as he pushed away the drink and dropped his feet to the floor.

His small frame carried him lightly to where Durithill was saying something about protecting that which is important to you. His small hand subtly found her larger one, grasping and channeling warm and noble emotions. The second that the boy's hand touched her hand Venustas would feel her entire body become lighter and lighter, as well as the feeling that some unknown power resided within the child.

▁▂▃▅▆▇ ssǝppoƃ ɹǝʌʃıS ∀ ǝʞıʃ ƃuısıᴚ ʎʃʍoʃS ▇▆▅▃▂▁

۝۞۩ۻۺ

۝۞۩ۻۺ

 

[Durithill the Black Blade]

SPACESomething bothered Durithill as he watched Tobias walk over and take Venustas' hand. Nothing about the boy or woman, but rather a feeling like he was forgetting something important. Of any sensation that Durithill could experience, even above pain, he hated that sensation the most. When you didn't have all the information, that was when you were most likely to make a mistake. A contemplative look came over Durithill's face as he tried to remember what it was he might have forgotten. As far as he knew, he didn't have any appointments made for today or anytime soon. The only thing he had on his agenda at the moment was to go to talk to Alexander Gingerback, which Tobias said probably wasn't going to happen for at least a couple days anyway. It wasn't anything about this dead child that was bothering him as well, for he hadn't known anything about it until just recently anyway.

SPACEAt that moment a movement in the corner of Durithill's eye caught his attention and he looked over to realize what it was that he had forgotten up until now. A flash of sharp teeth and reptilian claws was making its way towards them from the other end of the bar as quickly as it could. "Get down!" Duirthill order as he suddenly leapt up, grabbing Venustas' shoulder and pushing her down at the same time. She was a lot lighter than he was expecting, but she still have him enough lift to get onto the bar counter and between them and the reptilian man-eater. By now Durithill's dagger was already in his left hand and he gracefully dodged to the right to avoid the creature's lunge and plunged his dagger into its side. He could feel every nanosecond as the blade pierced through her flesh, slicing through muscle, sinew, and tendons as easily as if the dagger was only cutting paper. The blade's inward progress was only halted as the hilt of the blade connected with the creature's side.

SPACEDurithill noticed that he had manged to strike between two of her ribs, and so before she could react Durithill used his dagger to pull against the rib against the back of the blade and throw the creature across the bar from its rib. The force of the blow caused the rib to tear outward, opening a large hole in the creature's side and exposing the bone and organs underneath. Evidently an artery had been opened by the attack as the creature bled quite profusely before hitting the opposite wall of the tavern with a quite audible breaking of bones. It was still alive though, so Durithill turned and leapt from the bar, quite easily clearing the three or so tables between him and the creature and landing in front of it, right dagger now drawn. It made one last desperate swipe at Durithill, managing to nick his right cheek and draw blood. However it didn't have a second chance, as Durithill plunged his right dagger into the creature's throat, then spun and ripped the dagger out along with a good chunk of its throat causing blood to spray violently over everything nearby.

SPACEThe creature began clutching at its throat desperately, its eyes wide as it tried to breath and got only blood instead of air. Then a change came over it, and it suddenly began convulsing as the poison in the blood the creature had drawn from Durithill began to take affect. Vomit suddenly sprayed forth from the hole in the creature's neck in addition to its blood, bubbling out of the hole like some disgusting stew. It began writing on the ground in ground in obvious agony as it drowned in its own blood and vomit and its organs began to spill out of the hole in its side. With a quick gesture, Durithill bent down and shoved both of his daggers into its head to put it out of its misery, almost giving the appearance of a large wolf biting into the creatures head. Its corpse continued to convulse for a time or two as Durithill stood up and began cleaning off his daggers, making sure not to cut himself. The blood splattered across his face, combined with his emotionless eyes, served to enhance the frightening impression Durithill usually gave off at first. Once the creature stopped convulsing, Durithill kicked it just to make sure it was dead then put his daggers back into their sheaths.  

[Soidie Denroth]

Fleischer was just about to talk to Ruo, the man from before, when the 'thing' bust into the bar. The lizard creature, what power it had. Suddenly, it became a point of interest to Fleischer after it was swiftly cut down by an unknown swordsman. And with the final acts of death, Fleischer REALLY wanted to cut its body to see what could be of use to him. From a range, it looked as if it had multiple organs, and other various features that set it differently from other 'normal' creatures. Fleischer ran quickly over, taking several glances at different parts, and grabbed its legs, "Von heavy beast this iz!" said Fleischer only to get very, if not lots, of odd looks and a few comments as well. "Ill be taking this from you if you don't mind." he said from half way to the door. Fleischer wanted to study what was left of the thing, something that might help him for the future. He began to drag the body to the door to the street, but knocked several chairs over from the body's size. It left a very bloody trail to the door
((If you have something to comment, do it now before I leave to the city streets.))

 

[Durithill the Black Blade]

SPACE"No.. I do not particularly mind.." Durithill replied to the man as he began dragging the corpse off to do whatever it was he wanted to do with it. It was quite a strange reaction to Durithill. For what possible reason could he want a corpse? Maybe he was a physician or liked to study anatomy. Perhaps he was simply a necrophiliac. Whatever the case, it saved Durithill the trouble of dragging the corpse out himself. "Quite an odd fellow..." Durithill muttered to himself as he watched the man struggle with the body of the reptilian lady, leaving a trail of blood as well as a few organs and a little vomit. The floor would likely recover though. Durithill doubted this was the first time a fight had broken out in the tavern and covered the floors in blood. Although maybe not as much as the German man was doing now. Now that the fight was over, Durithill wiped his bloody daggers off on his cloak and slid them back into the sheaths on his hips where they vanished underneath the cloak once more.

SPACEHe then turned and began walking to the corner of the bar counter where he had first sat down, and the corpse of the woman's first victim still remained. "I shall take the liberty of removing these corpses, if that is alright with you." he said to the bartender as he easily picked up both halves of the man's body with one hand and slung it over his shoulder. He then walked over to where Alexander had killed the other three men and picked them up with his free hand before throwing them over his shoulder as well. With all four corpses slung over his shoulder, Durithill turned and walked out of the tavern to dump them into an alley. That done, he walked back up to the bartender and inquired as to the whereabouts of a sink. The bartender pointer nervously to the back and Durithill walked off, returning a few minutes later with his face cleaned up. "I apologize for being a little rough with you." he said as he walked back up to Venustas. "She claimed her first victim not long after you left, but I forgot about her. A quite dreadful mistake on my part." Without the woman's blood on his cheek, the cut on his cheek she had given him was a lot clearer. "My clothes are going to need a wash and I shall require a bath before the day is through.." he muttered to himself. Luckily it was mainly his traveling cloak that was drenched in blood.  

[Evol Bear]

♫Of course I'm beautiful.♫

Venustas never looked back at Durithill, but she listened to his words intently. It wasn't until he reached the point where he said something about protecting what was important to her that she looked to him, angrily. "You don't understand. I failed that already." When he gestured to Ruo, she paused and looked at him. She had seen him at his worst. Even an emotional side that she didn't believe existed. But she didn't know him, and she couldn't truly trust him. . . could she? Venustas was incredibly saddened by all that she had gone through, though, and couldn't get herself to forget it.

All that changed when she felt a small hand grasp her own. She looked down at the boy and wiped her own tears away from her face. Her body was slowly growing lighter, and she could sense something within him. He was a child, young, and yet very wise. Venustas stared into his eyes and couldn't help but smile at his youth. "Hell-"

Before she could complete her greeting, Durithill had thrown her to the ground, dragging the boy with her. Venustas' eyes widened at the sight of the creature. It was repulsive and disgusting. However, by the looks of it, Durithill had no problem disposing of the creature on his own. His moves were elegant and graceful, and he was strong. He was incredibly brutal towards it, and she watched it as it was torn to pieces by him. Oddly enough, when all was said and done, the same odd guy she and Ruo had run into before took the creature out of the tavern.

Venustas rose to her feet and helped the boy up as well. "Are you alright?" Then she looked to Durithill. "What in the hell was that?" Swiftly she walked towards him, releasing the boy's hand as the man took the corpse out of her path. Venustas watched him take the corpses out of the bar and then return to her. She looked at his clothing and sighed. "Go get cleaned up, your look disgusting." She wrinkled her nose at his cloak.

♫Just as an angel should be.♫

 

[Durithill the Black Blade]

SPACE"That..." Durithill began, trying to think himself what it was. He was sure he had probably seen one before, however the stench of the creature's blood all over him was making it rather difficult to breath, let alone think. "Well I am sure you remember the woman of rather ill reputation from before you left?" he said after a moment. "The one who was creating such a racket as to wake the dead?" Perhaps a poor choice of words at this particular venture, but it was an accurate observation none-the-less. "Her first victim was the rather unfortunate man found in two pieces at the end of the bar." he said as he pointed up at the hole in the ceiling where the creature had come from originally. They probably should have slain it then, but it didn't appear as if it was going to make a move. Guess it had just been biding its time until they forgot it was there and it could catch them by surprise.

SPACEVenustas' comment made him pause for a moment and glance over himself. Since his clothes were black, it was hard to tell that there was blood on them except for the fact that you could see his cloak was soaking wet. "Yes, a cleaning certainly is in order.." he muttered. As he was now, he looked like a butcher. "Bartender, might you have a shower and a fresh pair of clothes I can purchase?" The bartender nodded hurriedly and moved to lead Durithill off into the back. "I small return momentarily." he mentioned to Venustas. "And remember, you have only failed when he cease trying." With that said, he walked off after the bartender who led him off into into a fairly nice bathroom, complete with shower. The bartender vanished and came back a moment later with some clean clothes, which he placed on a stool, and a towel for Durithill to wrap his dirty ones in so they didn't get blood everywhere. "Thank you." he said with a small bow.

SPACEOnce the man was gone, Durithill locked the door and proceeded to take her personal belongings out of his pockets and place them on the pile of clean clothing. Then he laid out the towel and stripped, folding his bloodied clothes and placing them neatly on the towel which he folded over them. Luckily most of the blood was on his clothing and not him, but he still started up the water and stepped in. Most of the blood that had gotten on him was in his hair, so he concentrated on washing that until the water ran clear. One of the things he liked to do most in this world was shower. There was just something about being under the stream of water that made him feel as if time was standing still and he could just think about the mysteries of the world forever. For a few moments he just stood there with his eyes closed and let the water pour over his body, thinking about nothing and yet everything at the same time.

SPACEUnfortunately he could not stay in the shower forever though, and so once he was done showering he dried off with another towel and began putting on the clothes the bartender had given him. The shirt was white and short-sleeved, and resembled something one might expect a pirate might wear, with a low neckline that you could tie up if you so desired. The pants were long and black, and fit Durithill well, which annoyed him since he usually preferred more loose-fitting clothing. Still he couldn't complain, for it was better than being naked. He began packing all of his personal things into the pockets on his new pants and slung his daggers around his waist once more, then picked up the towel containing his bloody clothes and walked back into the bar. Even though he was wearing clothes, he felt naked as he walked around without his gloves, cloak, or long-sleeved shirt. It made him extremely uncomfortable, although he tried not to show it. "That is much better." he said with a sigh as he returned to Venustas. The white shirt he now wore looked slightly strange on him, but more jarring than that were the scars. Durithill's hands and arms were completely covered in scars of all various shapes and sizes, which was quite a contrast to the delicate features of his face. Through the strings on his neckline, Venustas would also be able to see hints of similar scars on his chest.  

[Doctor Corn]

۝۞۩ۻۺ

Tobias Gingerback

۝۞۩ۻۺ

~Ⱳater Ḟlows Ḿuch Ḷike Æther

The child grinned, happy to feel that Venustas' inner sadness seemed to wilt away a little. He drew in a deep breath, fully ready to unleash a tirade of questions he didn't think she would mind answering. After all, his childish charm had clearly broken depressions hold over her for a while. Instead a loud OOF was squeezed from his ribcage as he was pulled to the floor while something leaped across the bar. Tobias' head started to throb as the creature's attack-panic mixed with a vast increase in Durithill's scent. As the two clashed a pinpoint of bright red light grew behind his right eye, dimming and brightening with pulses of pain. The boy sensed the exact moment when the creature realized it could not win, felt Durithill's blade gauge through it's flesh as if it were his own. The pinpoint widened and began to darken, and Tobias only just managed to keep from adding to the various liquids that stained the bar floor.

He clutched at his right eye in agony before the final few beats of the beast's heart pushed out the rest of it's life essence before being stilled forever. Tobias could feel his body being gently lifted up and deposited upon a stool. Breathing heavily he just concentrated on holding back his own waves of emotion. When the man said something about taking the creature off to do unknown things to it, he sprung up with rage and followed Fleischer out the door. Once outside, the air outside rapidly dropped in temperature as he balled up his fist and drove it through the creature's body. In seconds the body was frozen solid, and shattered upon contact with a ferocious kick aimed by Tobias. "I will not allow an unknown person like you do what you will with such a strange creature. Would be against my rules as a merchant if I were to do that" he said and smiled weakly at the man before returning to the bar. However, he only managed to make three steps into the main room when he collapsed into a heap as a thick layer of frost began to creep along the ground in all directions.

((The frost will continue until someone can either wake Tobias or a person with water element can suppress it.))

▁▂▃▅▆▇ ssǝppoƃ ɹǝʌʃıS ∀ ǝʞıʃ ƃuısıᴚ ʎʃʍoʃS ▇▆▅▃▂▁

۝۞۩ۻۺ

۝۞۩ۻۺ

 

[Soidie Denroth]

Fleischer walked into the bar carrying a half-coherent elderly man in his arms. The old guy had a 'Santa' beard and was wearing a long royal blue robe. The bleeding had stopped for the most part; the bandages had done their work on the wound. Fleischer walked to an empty table and set the man down in an empty chair. Fleischer then began to search the man for money to rent a room, but the was none, he was penniless. Fleischer didn't need a room really that much, but for the better being of his potential patient, he did. He walked up to the barkeeper at the bar discreetly talking to him, "...is there any room available for zhis man to shtay in for a vhile?" motioning to the now sleeping elderly, Fleischer pulled away, and sat down on a stool to talk more about the issue.... and to order a cold beer.

After a chug or two, Fleischer left his beer and picked up the man now named 'Sleepy Santa' in Fleischer's thoughts. Fleischer was able to in fact get a room for the man, but only for a night, but still free. Fleischer opened the door to the room with his foot and lay the man on the single bed there. He didn't want to leave the man confused, so he decided a note of reference was in order.

"Dear Sleepy Santa Man,
You probably are wondering why you are in a bed that isn't yours. No it isn't a dream, and no, it isn't because of what happened last night. Go down the stairs and ask the barkeep about me. Ill tell him to recommend me. Oh, also, if I am out on too much drink, feel free to beat me until I wake. smile

Yours Truly,
Herr Doktor.

P.S.- You owe me. AKA: PAY MY TAB!"

Fleischer finished the note and put it on the table next to the bed. "Now four zome relaxation!" and headed down to the bar.


((Also, the person who followed me outside, I have already posted on the Ethral City page. TIME LAPZ! WHAT WE DO?!))