20th of Summer, 516 AV
6th Bell
6th Bell
Dex was sitting just outside the walls of Alvadas while he adjusted the straps on his pack for about the 5th time since exiting the city. The swordsman hadn't slept much last night partly because he was curious about what this expedition had in store. The other part..was how the old man, Desmond, had managed to kill the monster right in front of his eyes without a weapon in sight. The poise that Desmond had after dispatching of the thing sent a small shiver through Dex's spine. Clearly the old man had killed before, that was for certain. Dex knew the look in the old man's eyes, he had the same not so long ago, he was sure.
In his absentmindedness Dex had also begun to pick up and toss a few small rocks while he was waiting, his pack was clearly firmly attached to him. Syna's light was already beginning to take over the landscape. Dex looked on in wonderment at the mountains and hillsides bathed in a glowing radiance. A clawed hand was brought to cover his eyes as the light poured from over the top of one of the tallest peaks. The sun rising in the sky was something Dex could really appreciate and he often wondered why other Symenestra had given up on the sight.
Dots filled his eyes from the blinding light so Dex turned his head away, back towards the city walls and began to play with a few more small stones. He threw one of the last pebbles he could find in his immediate surroundings but the thing never clacked to the ground. Dex rubbed his eyes quickly to push the remaining sunlit glare from his vision. There in front of him, the pebble in hand was the old man, Desmond.
"You should be careful boy, stone is not to be trifled with. It is to be respected because at any moment it would not hesitate to end your life should you be in its way." Desmond placed the rock back on the ground with the expected clack from earlier. The man had his pack at the ready but was curiously unarmed at least from what Dex could see.
The Symenestra pushed himself up front his spot on the ground to join his companion of the day. "So where to, old man?" His voice emphasized 'old man' and it seemed the two were off to an interesting partnership. The banter usually came a little ways into a job not directly at the start.
"Nowhere you'll find on any map you might have. Let's go, we have a long trek ahead." With the few words said and his question left mostly unanswered Dex followed Desmond at the old man's slower pace. "Have you spent a lot of time out here, in The Unforgiven? I just noticed a lot of samples around your house..among other things." Desmond nodded for a few moments without pause and it almost seemed like he would not humor the swordsman's question. But again, it was hardly an answer. "You could say that..back in my youth at least."
(517)
