Easy Pickings (Job Thread)

Theo escapes kidnapping and finds treasure in the most unlikely of places.

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Built into the cliffs overlooking the Suvan Sea, Riverfall resides on the edge of grasslands of Cyphrus where the Bluevein River plunges off the plain and cascades down to the inland sea below. Home of the Akalak, Riverfall is a self-supporting city populated by devoted warriors. [Riverfall Codex]

Easy Pickings (Job Thread)

Postby Theo Popcampio on June 1st, 2016, 2:36 pm

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You're either worth my time...

Twenty-Fourth of Summer, 516 AV

There was no light, not even the moon. Any shadows being cast through the cave were so dark they could not be seen by fresh eyes. Theo’s nose was clogged with the smell of blood and taste was full of the taste of it. The side of his head was sore from the pommel to his head, and his shoulder felt like it was weeping from the gash he had been given. The cold wind was the only thing that made Theo think he wasn’t buried alive, and the cold water passing between his toes was the only reason to think he had a chance to live.

He could feel the twine digging into his wrists, it burned as he tried to get himself free. There was a weight unfamiliar to Theo as he moved his hands about, and over his shoulder he could see the dark outline of the akalak bound to him. Together they were there to sit in the dark. As his eyes adjusted he began to see things: The slight moonlight cascading down the tunnel. It was so slight, but it was enough to see with focus. Inside the cave Theo was alone with his new blue friend as far as he could tell.

”Hey.” He called out in the darkness. Silence. He must still be out.

Theo began to channel res through his body into his fingers. It was hard to control the res without sight of his hands, but possible. Stupid to leave me here tied in rope. But I guess they never really gave me reason to believe they were smart anyway. Theo’s hands moved trying to create some slack in the rope and he could feel the akalak’s calloused knuckles rub against his skin. And what do I do about him? I could kill him, but what does he know? And who the hell is Revan? He’ll be trouble, but I’m better off keeping him around.

Theo had finished channeling the res into a nice size ball and was about to light it aflame when he heard echos coming down the walls of the cave. Great, company. He let his res rest for now, and closed his eyes. If they think I’m sleeping it’ll be far less trouble. And then I’ll kill them while they sleep.

They were crying out at one another, and it didn’t take Theo long to realize the zith were arguing. That tone even carries through shrills. There was also a calmer, more diplomatic echolocation, which Theo deduced to be a female. He had never met zith, but it fit his schema of common occurrences. Theo slowly opened his eyes a crack. They hardly even know I’m here.

They were now only four It was easy to imagine what Theo’s assassin’s dagger had done to the fifth by now. Two of them were arguing fiercely while one watched and guarded their child. One was waving Theo’s sword in the air, and then he was tackled by the other. The screaming was ear shattering, tones so high they pierced the very air. Theo had to keep his eyes low to avoid detection, but even he could see the blood being splattered. In the end one of the zith emerged with the others throat in his mouth, claiming Theo’s sword. Enjoy it while it lasts, buddy.

It was then that the zith turned to the woman and child. Theo thought they were next, but then the zith tossed the child away. He could hear a scuffle ensue, but the screams of violence quickly turned to shrills of pleasure. It was enough to make even Theo feel a tad uncomfortable.


...Or you're not.
Last edited by Theo Popcampio on July 26th, 2017, 4:40 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Easy Pickings

Postby Theo Popcampio on July 7th, 2016, 8:44 pm

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You're either worth my time...

While the two engaged in coitus, Theo reinvigorated his res pool. He lit the softest flame that he could muster, and slowly began to work on the ropes that bound his hands. He held the flame there for the better half of a minute before the rope finally caught aflame.

”Careful,” a voice whispered in his ear. ”If they see your flame we are dead.”

Right. Theo continued to let the flame burn, but he created some more reserve res to be used to extinguish the flame once he was properly free. The piece of rope that bound Theo’s wrists together burned away, but the strain that tied him to the akalak remained. The flames burned slowly around Theo’s wrists as they traversed the slow path to his freedom. But as they got closer they slowly and slowly burned closer to Theo’s skin. He bit his lip as the flame got close to his skin, the fire traveling up from his wrist and to the soft of his arm.

As the rope got close to being burned away, Theo tugged as subtly as he could and eventually the rope snapped. With his hands free he pulled the flame into the palm of his hand with his res and extinguished the flame with his already well numbed initiation scars.

Across the cave floor, the cold iron blade glowed in the faint moonlight. A few meters stood between him and his blade, and only a couple feet from that were the two lovers. I should be quick, who knows how long this will go on for.

Theo tried to be as stealthy as possible as he stood up. Slowly he placed one foot out a foot in front of him, and arched his back two so he could stand. The cave floor was not smooth and hurt Theo’s feet even though they were well calloused. Still, pain was a small price to pay for his life now.

Theo crouched and tiptoed his way over to the blade. Every second hung in the air, and he had to stop at even the slightest disturbance in the air, any failure would mean the death of Theo in the face of the physically combative zith. The blade seemed to glow more as he quitely approached, it had an aura of salvation in Theo’s mind. When Theo stood over it, however, there was something else to be seen in the blade glimmer: Eyes, zith eyes.

The child screamed out from the corner of the room. In a second the male zith flicked its head over to see Theo. Popcampio quickly grabbed the sword as the zith tried to claw at Theo, but his manhood was still submerged and held him anchored. In an instant Theo ran the sword down through the males chest, and he leaned on the blade to push it further, piercing the woman’s stomach.

In the corner of his eye there was another shine: Theo’s dagger. Theo walked over and grabbed the dagger and was about to place it inside the scabbard on his leg when he saw the female still squirming. Theo leaned over and looked deep into her eyes. Even as she died the female hissed and screamed at Theo, trying to gnaw his face off. In the middle of her chomps he grabbed her chin and gripped her face tightly. The screams had stopped by now, and there was a genuine worry in the beast’s eyes as Theo brought the knife to her neck. ”This is for Sparky.” He dragged the knife all the way across her neck, her open throat gargling on blood and hollow words.


...Or you're not.
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Easy Pickings

Postby Theo Popcampio on July 7th, 2016, 8:45 pm

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You're either worth my time...

”Now what am I going to do with you?” Theo flipped the dagger in the air and caught it again by the handle. Looking at the child he knew his options were few. Still, what he did do would have consequences. It was best to weigh the options whole before taking a life.

”Let me go, human.” Theo heard echo through the cave.

”Oh that’s right, you’re here!” Theo said a little too happily. His foot got caught on one of his boots as he walked over, and he would have almost tripped, but he fell forward close enough to a wall to catch himself. He squatted over and started putting one of the boots on, ”And why would I do that? I hate seeing you all bound up there, but what am I going to do, let you out so you can beat me with a rock?”

”Release me and we will never speak of this again.” The akalak spoke without looking at Theo, his eyes were trained to the ground. There was shame in his voice, the essence of despair still hung onto him.

”Maybe, but first you got to answer some answer some questions for me first.”

”Ask them.”

Theo began flicking his dagger again. ”Why did you try to kill me?”

”You know why.”

Theo threw his dagger down to the ground and grabbed the akalak by the throat, using his other hand to clutch his face. He was squeezing the blue man’s mug, shifting the loose skin so it bunched around his nose and mouth. The whites of the akalak’s eyes shined in the small moonlight. ”No, I don’t. So you’re going to tell me everything. Starting from the top.” Theo lingered for a moment and then released him. He reclaimed his seat and his dagger, and began tossing it in the air again.

”You tried to steal my daughter.” The akalak relented.

”Akalaks do not have daughters.” Theo stated instantly.

”My wife is a konti.” The akalak followed up.

”And?”

”Konti will either give birth to an akalak son or a konti daughter when we mate. I was unlucky enough to have a daughter.”

Theo stopped flicking the dagger and began twisting it between his fingers. ”That’s a nice biology lesson, but you’re going to have to give me more than that, blue man.”

The akalak looked at Theo, there was a hint of madness in his eyes. ”Blue man? We are nothing like you, human.”

Theo remained twisting his dagger, but a smile creeped over his face. ”There’s that akalak pride we all know and love. Now, you were about to tell me something.”

”I was not.” The akalak said just as soon as Theo hit him across the face with the backside of his dagger.

”You were.”

The akalak spat his blood out on the wet cave floor. ”Just kill me now, you’re going to do it anyway.”

Theo was flipping his dagger in the air again, this time with a long pause between each toss. ”You don’t understand. You’re answering for your life, if you answer truthfully you might just get out here alive. If you lie I’ll cut off your legs and then cauterize them just enough so there’s still an open wound. I’ll let the infection kill you, but not before I take your scalp. Start talking.”

He let out a deep sigh. ”You always were sick, Revan.”

The dagger found its way back to Theo’s palm, where it was held. ”Why do you call me that name?”

The akalak let out a laugh, but the blood got caught in his throat and turned his humor to a deep, harsh cough. ”You really have no idea, do you?”

Theo was enraged by the akalak’s laughter. But this meant too much to Theo to spoil it on anger. His face remained calm. The dagger was twisting in his hand again. ”Asking questions will get you a bloody smile. Do you know what I mean by a bloody smile?”

The akalak laughed a dry laugh. ”I only know what I heard, which is hardly anything. You are Revan of the Avaric Flame. A bad man, that’s all I knew. You stole my daughter. We found her tied up on the road outside of the city.”

Theo laughed back at him. ”That’s hardly stealing then.”

”You stole her affection. She told me you were forced to leave her behind when your leader told her that you couldn’t bring her along. Women were not allowed in your group.”

”And that’s all you know?”

”On her life.”


...Or you're not.
Last edited by Theo Popcampio on July 8th, 2016, 11:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Easy Pickings

Postby Theo Popcampio on July 7th, 2016, 8:46 pm

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You're either worth my time...

Theo moved to cut the ties off the man, but he caught the sight of something grim as he did. The bodies of akalaks and humans alike, or what remained of them, were thrown up against the wall. They had hollowed stomachs and their arms and legs had bite marks up and down. ”That could have been us.”

”My wager is they caught em all at once. They each had a man each to themselves, that’s why there’s so much spare meat. And they’re fresh: there’s hardly any odor about them. I imagine we were going to be slaves.”

Theo turned his eyes from them and began working on the akalak’s rope. ”I tie up your daughter, I free you, I say that’s even.”

The akalak stood up a free man. ”It is not. But I will threaten your life no longer.”

Theo disregarded him. That old fool is too full of pride, he’ll see things my way soon enough. Now, I need something good. I can’t go back to the Antiquities Society empty handed. He began looking at the corpses, they were too revolting to get near, but Theo had found himself breaking rules before. The akalak knelt beside him, and began muttering Tukant under his breath. Figures he’s the religious type. Guy’s a total stiff.

Theo channeled some res above his finger and snapped at it with his other hand to start a flame. He steadied the stream slow and used hardly any djed in the flow, too much light would be blinding in their conditions.

He was overturning the hands of a purple skinned akalak when he heard his compatriot bellow out in pain. Theo turned and he could see the zith child afloat, holding a lakan with both arms. The boy had already embedded the blade in the akalak’s shoulder as they struggled. Theo did not know the length of the blade, but from the look of things it was pretty well lodged. The akalak tried to move his arm to throw the boy away, but he screamed as he tried to move his arm. His opposite arm managed to grab the child’s legs, but he only dragged the blade deeper into his own arm as he pulled down and screamed out again.

Without a second thought Theo grabbed the child by his leg and whipped him to the ground. The zith boy screamed out in agony as his bones hit the rock, his body instantly mangled. Theo took a look at the akalak. He was still writhing but he seemed stable. The really interesting thing was the lakan: It had a gold hooked pommel, something he’d never seen.

”What do you know about lakans with gold pommels?” Theo asked.

”Quiet human, can you not see I’m dying here?” The akalak shouted.

”Yeah, I understand.” Theo assured him. ”But you have to tell me, what is the significance of lakans with gold pommels?”

”A council of the city used them years ago, they were mostly ceremonially items.” He quickly recited. ”Why?”

”Because now we can get you a doctor.” Theo responded joyfully.

”I can afford none.” Worry slipped across his face.

”Don’t you worry, I think I know some people who can and will want to. Let’s get going.” Theo put the akalak under his shoulder.

”What about him?” The akalak motioned his head towards the boy.

”Oh him?” Theo asked as he pulled out his dagger. In all the excitement Theo had managed to not hear the boy’s screeches, but when he did notice they drowned out the cave. The boy was badly broken, one of his bones was protruding from his legs. Guess I don’t know my own strength. Even his wings were shattered and bent crooked. He was in real sorry shape. All but a master healer could not fix him, and even then he might still of had complications. Theo knew there was mercy in what he was doing, and grasped the dagger with both hands, pushing it through the side of the boy’s skull. ”Now can we get going? This place is just bad news.”

”He was a zith, but you killed that boy so simply. Revan, you are the same old monster.”

Theo squinted at him. ”Do you want to be left to die here with him? I won’t do you the pleasantry of a mercy kill with the way you’re going.”

The akalak let out a deep sigh. ”Let us move on. Can we not remove this blade?”

”If you want to bleed out, sure. I’m not touching that thing, you need a doctor.” Theo said as he walked the akalak over to the caves wall. ”You’re gonna need to help out, I can’t carry you alone.” The akalak nodded, and with two and a half arms they began to scale the cave face. It wasn’t so steep that it was a straight up climb, but it was a challenge while carrying another, far larger man. But still, by taking it one step at a time and practicing good communication it was possible. ”Now move your foot up, slow… Hold on, I’m losing my grip, let me get situated… There’s no other rock, you’ll have to pull on my leg to get up, but do it light!... We’re almost there, just a little more, can you taste that moonlight?”

When they arrived back in Riverfall a new day was breaking. Theo hadn’t been gone a day and it felt like the city was brand new; such is the feeling when one enters the familiar under new pretenses.

They burst into the Antiquities Society. At this early hour there were many akalak and aliens besides who were all shocked to see Theo arrive. ”Human, we thought you were dead! It was supposed to be a simple ride. Who is he?” The akalak with the Waterfall tabard called out in his rough common.

”Him? I never caught his name.” Theo replied swiftly.

”Adevio” The akalak screamed out.

”By Wysar, why did you bring him hear? He needs attention now!” The akalak replied, his fellows agreed, some more casually than others.

”I agree, but you see that pommel?” The akalak observed, other members came forward to take a look. A look of excitement flashed in their eyes that quickly resettled to concern. ”Do I got in?”

”Why yes, but how will we remove it? This is wel--”

”Your problem not mine. I’ll come back for payment later in the week.” Theo said as he marched out of the building. But before he left, he leaned over into Adevios ear and said ”That’s even.” A grin slid over his face as he pushed opened the Antiquites Society’s big exterior doors: He was on his way up.


...Or you're not.
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Theo Popcampio
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Easy Pickings (Job Thread)

Postby Faradae on May 12th, 2017, 8:29 pm

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Name
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

E X P E R I E N C E

• Reimancy +1
• Logic +1
• Weapon (dagger) +1
• Anthropology +2
• Organization +1
• Rhetoric +1
• Unarmed Combat +1


L O R E S

• Reven of the Avaric Flame: Theo's old name
• Reimancy: It's hard to control res without seeing your fingers
• Zith: Language sounds like hisses
• Zith: Males and females can be told apart by their voices
• Zith: Instinct-driven
• Reimancy: Using fire to burn through rope
• Dagger: Slitting a throat
• Organization: Weighing the options before taking a life
• Anthropology: When akalak and konti mate, konti women will either give birth to an akalak son or a konti daughter
• Rhetoric: The mention of torture gets people talking
• Rhetoric: An answer for a life
• The lakan with the gold pommel: An old ceremonial item
• Do not remove a blade without a doctor present
• The feeling of entering the familiar under noew pretenses
• Adevio: Part of Theo's past


N O T E S

Ah, the continuation I was hoping for.


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