A Word Runner's Test...(Zandelia)

[Archelon]

As Zandelia was delayed by her little spat with the guard, far behind her a man named 'Tucka was muttering to himself as he scratched at his neck. A mumbling torrent of words seemed to tumble from his lips. Over and over he muttered the term 'Girlie' as he walked towards the Gated community, his bug eyes searching left, and then right as he cursed all pointy sword wielding buffoons. He was pretty sure he'd stick one or two later with his knife. Yes- definitely with his knife. He'd stick 'em all, and make them bleed and carry their corpses away to feed to the voices . He could hear them now, growing louder, and louder in his mind as his right eye twitched. He turned to spit sideways, a bit of froth out of his mouth as he picked at a small scab on the back of his skin. Sometimes crooning like an injured cat to himself he shumbled along at his own pace. Sure enough the unwashed cretin was getting ever closer to the Gated Community... always muttering about the girlie, and telling his dagger it would be used soon. At the Gates.... The guard took one look at the letter and one look at Zendalia and snorted a bit before letting out a guffaw of laughter. "Alright lass, my aren't you one big fer' yar' britches. Tua's punk runners follow the rules in here like anyone else. No troubles , no fuss. No stealing. Otherwise you'll end up like the last one who tried to pinch from us." The dragoon sheathed his sword and chucked a thumb upwards towards the top of the walls where an iron cage with a halfway decomposed corpse lay rotting within before turning to motion another guard forwards. The new guard leaned over and the first dragoon whispered something in his ears before the man turned to motion towards three others to approach him. "Come along now, We'll be taking ya' ta Mac. Best not try anything funny or you'll soon be in a world a hurt." Slowly but surely, Zandelia was flanked on all sides and brought through the gates by the armored guards as they escorted her into the barracks and then through a series of tight hallways and into the training grounds. She was brought before an old grizzled warrior who grunted by means of asking what was going on there and the lead dragoon leaned down to whisper something in Old Mac's ear. The man nodded a bit before motioning towards the two dragoons on either side to take Zandelia by the elbow to bring her forwards. Their grip was rough, and it was clear the old man viewed this disturbance with a bit of consternation. But for a moment, just a moment Old Mac took a harsh look at Zandelia, to hold out a hand to the empty air. It was pretty apparent he wasn't one for small talk and Zandelia shakily took out the letter and gave it to him. Breaking the seal he leaned back in his chair , and cursed as he read the contents of the envelope before calmy turning to light the letter, envelope and all on fire at the nearest candle. His eyes merely watched it burn examining the hues of the flame as if it was something precious for him to see. Once the letter was naught but ash. Taking another sealed letter, this time with the wax seal of the Dragoons upon he gave it to the lead dragoon who had brought Zandelia here before he gestured dismissively. It was clear it was time for her to go, and Zandelia was lead back through the maze of building corridors and back to the edge of the gates where she was unceremoniusly pushed out and ready to begin the next part of her leg back to Tua's place of residence. Unbeknownst to her eyes, in an alleyway she was spotted, bust and all, by the skeevish eye of the cretin 'Tucka and he pressed his lips together as a satisfying sigh escaped his mouth. "Ah... Girlie... no no... Soon Sooon. Don't worry my voices and by stabber. Soon..." When Zandelia set off, the mush mouthed man would follow...

[Zandelia]

The next few minutes of Zandelia’s life were both an interesting series of informative sights, hearings and thoughts and the best bit of rest her slowly tiring limbs had managed to grasp a hold of for the entire day, so far. Flanked and pulled as she was by the guards, treated to no words by the man she had come so far to see and viewing the message she had tried so hard to deliver burnt before her very eyes she was nevertheless intrigued. She had a natural curiosity within her, a world which craved all manner of secrets, informative snippets and astute observations. It was just a shame that, at present, she was naught but a small time middle man for greater puppeteers. That will change one day though, if I have anything to petching say about it she thought to herself as she was safely, but unceremoniously, deposited back at the gates and firmly indicated that her presence was no longer required. “Well, bugger you all to then” she muttered to herself as she set off back towards The Establishment to give the news to Tua, and to see if he even considered her to be made of – what he had deemed – the ‘right stuff’. Still, despite her number of trials experienced in an inexcusably short span of time, she felt quite positive about what she had achieved. She had not only accomplished the first part of her journey with – albeit partially purchased – success, but she had also done it slightly under a Bell in terms of time. This meant that she could look forwards to a quick, but not unbearable, half-jog back to Tua and hopefully a position of employment at the end of it. She set off at a comfortable pace, dodging around the people that were strewn about the streets, and the alleys she cut through. She could afford to take a slightly more circuitous route this time, not that she had much choice in the matter. Have to avoid the damned thugs, guards and that insane bastard on the way back after all. I won’t get away with the same tricks in the same day – not and live to see the finish she thought to herself firmly, dragging her attention back to the task at hand. The damage had been done, however, as her attention had strayed for just that little too long – an occurrence in Sunberth that was tantamount to suicide in most cases. She had not noticed something all important within her environment, and was not even aware of whether it would cost her dearly in the long run.

[Archelon]

Zandelia, Zandelia , where for art though Zandelia? Running through the streets like a beleagured rat? Fleeing on wings like a great big bat? About to be skinned like a yowling cat? Or perhaps thine circumstances allow thy to be fleet of foot? A small inkling of what is afoot? That at least is what intrigues me to see; Oh where oh were could she be? Being a runner on the streets of Sunberth was both good and bad. Bad because you had to know the city like the back of your hand. Good because most of whatever which noticed you might not care to expend the effort to follow. But this was not the case today... Zandelia, be she a long legged vixen scars and all, had caught the attention of old 'tucka, a man that most would call strange by any means. A man unwashed, unkempt, and unclean merely talking to the voices in his head as he gripped the knife in his hands tightly. Muttering a name to it like as if it had been a person, calling it "Chopper". Who in the world named their dagger "chopper" anyways? But perhaps it did have a name, as on the alabaster hilt small squiggles of faded runes could be seen. A clear sign of the man's descent to madness, perhaps? But had such always been the case? Had 'Tucka always been mad? It was said the road into madness always required a first step. Or perhaps it was the first fall? Back in the days of his prime, 'Tucka had been far more then the pathetic individual he was today. A man well versed in the blood and bloodshed of the streets. A man able to strike with his blade to anyone anywhere. But sadly, those days were gone. Tucka was just a form of his old self, and the mushmouthed man muttered his displeasure of stumping after Zandelia, moving through the nearby alleyways. Using the lay of the land as his tool to cut down the space betweenst them while remaining silent within her hearing range as a ghost of his old skills reminded him that silence was golden. Zandelia's toned legs brought her safely to the point where she was almost within view of the Establishment. Just one more bend in the road, and thend she'd be there... But 'tucka had other ideas, he had slipped ahead of her and waited round a corner. A two by four in his grasp, so that when she approached to round the bend he was ready. With Zandelia's loud breathing from the run and her blood pumping in her ears it might be difficult for her to hear of anything in her immediate path. A swing of the rotted wood was all it took. The only sign would be a blur of motion, and a sense of pain. The rotted two by four struck her in the gut, knocking the wind from her and making her become staggered upon the ground and following back as 'Tucka let out a high pitched keen of a whine that sounded like some distorted laugh. "Heh, he. I found my girlie!" he would wheeze out, and for a moment 'Tucka forgot why he was there as he watched her painfully rolling upon the ground.

[Zandelia]

Zandelia was close now, so close she could almost smell the stale sweat of the huddled masses inside The Establisment’s rooms, feel the fiery heat of the dozens of bodies packed closely together upon her cheeks. Her long, strong legs were eating away rapidly at the distance between herself and her final destination, and hopefully her new place of employment. She ignored the beads of sweat that turned to rivulets and trickled down her face, stuck her clothing to her skin and generally gave her a soaked and dishevelled appearance. She tried to manage the burning sensation that was beginning to build within her lungs as organs not used to so much exertion in such a short period of time strove to adapt themselves to their new roles. Come on woman, keep going. Keep pumping. Keep breathing, evenly now. In and out, , in and out she told herself, trying to encourage the most out of body, driving it forwards with her mental fortitude. She thought that she could just about glimpse the building as she came around another corner and she increased her speed, only to regret it absolutely when moments later she felt a flattened impact upon her torso that sent a slightly delayed sensation of searing pain through her body just before all of the air expelled from her lungs in one grunt, her body flung backwards and to the floor where her back got a beating – salt upon the initial wound. At first her mind was a blank white, all thoughts taken away with the pain, but confusion soon reigned as she tried to piece together what had happened. Then, when she could open her eyes and her rocking had slowed as the pain began reducing to an intense ache, she saw a familiar figure. ’Tucka?? was all she could reason as her hearing returned and his giggling could be heard, or what sounded like giggling – if you added a whole heap of insanity and a little bit of a drooling drawl to it she supposed. She knew she was in trouble, quick action being required to survive now. When a madman had temporarily incapacitated you and held a large length of wood and was still nearby it was safe to say your luck had turned to mud, and not that fine quality mud they used to make mugs with either. She moved her body around, pain still crackling through her but survival instincts overriding its preservation impulses. She swung her right leg around, using her prone position to fling as much force behind it as possible, aiming for ‘Tucka’s legs. At least if he was on the floor too it might be a bit more even for her. As she did so she managed to get one of her hands off of her midriff enough to grab the handle of one of her Tonfa’s. I’ll get him to the floor and club the bastard. And failing that at least I’ll be able to try and stumble the rest of the way back to Tua’s guards she thought, the effort of all of her current mental and physical processes testing her very limits of endurance.

[Archelon]

Zandelia's kick towards 'Tucka was successful but not in the manner that she hoped. He turned at the last second, letting the heel of her her boot collide with the base of his shin and ankle. A painful blow to be sure, and Tucka staggered backwards at a half hop. Widening the distance between them allowing Zandelia to use the moment to rise to her feet and draw her tonfa. She managed to get one out of its holster at her hip, but her time to reach for the other was sadly delayed as Old man Tucker spat upon the ground and drew his dagger from his belt sheathe."Oh, Oh. I see. So the girlie wants to play. Alright, Ol' Tucka will play. He began to encroach upon the position where she stood. Weapon in hand. It was twelve inches long in total, eight inches in the blade. A mankiller even if it was rusted, and looking as if a single scratch from the double edged dagger might give her tetanus from the serrated blade. If she was observant and watchful of the edge, she'd have noticed only half the backside of the blade was serrated before four inches of a false edge met the hilt.The front edge of the blade was fine, a wicked tool for slashing, stabbing, and killing even if it had seen better days and the wear of time was even present on the bone- white alabaster hilt. A testing swing of her tonfa brought a swift parry from the blade and a weak footed kick in her direction as Zandelia dodged backwards. Old 'Tucka eyes seemed agleam with an inner light of madness as he blinked at her. "Oh Mary, we're going to have so much fun. Just like old times. Did you forget them? Those times we had?" It was obviously apparent that the man was mistaken in whom he thought Zandelia was. But that didn't mean the crazy was any less dangerous as he began to advance with several slices of the blade. Testing Zandelia's defenses. She'd be pushed back if she couldn't find some means to distract the man within the dusty streets, at least long enough to draw her other tonfa...

[Zandelia]

Zandelia was on her feet now, though to be fair she would have to be honest and say that her knees felt like they might crumble at any minute, adrenaline being all that kept her upright and in action, she was fairly sure of that. She knew that her only real chance was to end this fight quickly, in one way or another. It had nothing to do with the fact that she had a time limit to get back to Tua within now, it was merely about survival. Tua could stuff his job for all she cared right then, as long as she was alive by the end of the day. She was all too keenly aware of the fact that adrenaline was a short-term fix for her body. It always came back to require payment for its services, like a lender who leant credit to a regular customers and had hired muscle, perhaps. This fight needs to end she thought to herself as she jumped backwards and another wave of pain engulfed her, bringing with it a sense of nausea now. There was little time left. She had not had a good look at his weapon until then, and it was an evil looking things to her eye – capable of inflicting diseased wounds more than killing in some ways. Still, it was large enough to take her life with merely one wrong step in their dance. He surged forwards once again, forcing her back another step and she knew that unless she could buy enough time to bring her other weapon to bare she would most probably die within seconds. She was all this time listening to his crazed ravings, learning that he clearly had no idea who she really was and that this may be why he had attacked her in the first place. “Mary?” she asked him, about to tell him she had no idea who she was before changing her mind, “yes ‘Tucka. I remember all too well. I remember how you were always too stupid to realize when to choose the right ground to fight” she responded to him. The comment was designed to arouse something negative from him, anger or confusion – it did not matter as long as it made him make mistakes. The fact that she followed this up by sweeping her foot across the dusty ground and flicking it up towards his face was merely another catalyst to disorient him further. She reasoned that if it worked he would be momentarily blinded, and as she reached quickly for her second Tonfa she was ready to block and side-step if necessary – hoping to whip her second Tonfa across to lash out at him viciously if all went well. A quick disablement before running away, please Akajia bless this moment for me. Give me the power to slip away like so many shadows she fervently preyed to herself.

[Archelon]

Zandelia's attempts to distract 'Tucka were moderately succesful. Her acting of being this mary had brought a dazed and disillusioned look to the man's face momentarily. "No... no... Mary that's not right. They trained us too well. They trained us too well. It was a knight thing...yes. Do you remember the horses? or that time we took on bandits?" It was obvious the man was reliving some form of twisted memory. Perhaps many of them. She wouldn't know as she scuffed the dirt up into his eyes. Screaming in pain he tossed the knife and held his eyes , hissing out as she turned to flee, " Why did you leave Mary!?! No, I won't let you leave again!" He bullrushed her bare handed, colliding into her back and bearing her down. They began to roll upon the ground in that alley. The bruises of the cobbles would well be a memorial to Zandelia when this day was over. But Tucka's strength was abnormal. Almost as if his psychotic ways made the adrenaline in his veins feed his muscles with far more strength then his decrepit old form might normally allow. When she tried to swing her tonfa at the crazy man, it battered him a blow across the brow and he went tumbling off her. But a trailing leg impacted her wrist, causing it to sting with pins and needles and she lay weaponless, stunned there in dust of the roads. Out of the corner of her single eye, Zandelia might espy a single weapon left to her as an enraged 'Tucka shouted and began to spit and curse, stumbling around before turning back in her direction. What was the item she saw? It was the rusted dagger, almost within her reach... and her neck swivelled towards her assailant to notice him howling as he came back towards her. "No, No! You won't get away! Not again! Not again! Give me back my boy! Bring him back!" A tinge of despair could be heard in Tucka's voice as the man took the first steps to gain enough momentum to leap back towards her. Intent on using gravity to drive an elbow into her stomach. She'd barely have a second or two to react... but would she take it? Or was she so stunned that she didn't have the strength left to fight? oocOkay, now you can kill the man ^-^. Make me proud and show me something .

[Zandelia]

oocI hope this lives up to expectations. I tried to make soemthing at least semi-original perhaps Zandleia’s dust attack had the desired effect, letting her begin to stumble away and leaving ‘Tucka weapon-less after he threw it away in a fit of rage-tinged pain. She took a few pained steps before she heard him shout something she couldn’t quite process at that moment as the full weight of his body hit her from behind, ending them both sprawling onto cobbles that she cursed with every ounce of her being. Bruises gained new bruises as they rolled, her ribs feeling as if at any point they might crack and fold in upon themselves. She hoped that she wouldn’t end up puncturing a lung as she forced him back with her Tonfa, just before they were catapulted from her number fingers. Bloody strong brute, raving about things I have no idea about she thought to herself as she saw the man get ready to charge back at her. She was not sure she could do much more than just lay there, helpless. As hope began to ebb from her she caught a glimpse of familiar rust-pitted metal and twisted her head just enough to see it. It was ‘Tucka’s blade, just out of reach, but she twisted onto her front and crawled enough to grab a hold of the hilt, gripping it as firmly as her dulled finger motions would allowed. She turned back onto her back as she heard the rough footfalls of ‘Tucka, accompanied by his psychotically motivated ravings. The scene slowed, time seeming to drag at half of its usual speed. She could see the man clearly, his feet pumping him forwards until they propelled him forwards and through the air, gliding almost, towards her prone position. He was trying to deliver a final body-blow to her already half-crippled torso, she saw, as she noticed her arm coming around as if of its own accord. Both of her hands fixed upon the hilt now, ready to drive it forwards into his chest in a last ditch attempt at survival. Then all sped up and returned back to normal at his body fell on top of her, just after her feet had come up to cushion his weight and stop it from completely crushing her. Her back felt as if it were literally denting the cobbles, as if her body’s outline would remain there as a geological memento of this moment forever, as the knife plunged…but not into his torso as she had hoped, but into his mouth. His momentum and her legwork propelled him over the top of her as, in horror she witnesses his jaw rip, the teeth catching on the serrated part of the blade, being left behind with skin and muscle attached and dangling limply, impotent. Blood all but splashed over her face and chest as she could hear his body impact head-long into a nearby wall. “Petching….hell….” was all she could splutter as she spat his blood out of her mouth and in a stunned, trance-like state she let the knife fall from her hands and rolled painfully onto her side and levered herself to her feet. Noticing her Tonfa's she procured them once more and pused them back into their rightful places before continuing. She limped over to the body – what was left of it – after tearing the jawbone from the blade and threading that into her boot. As she approached she could see that the poor man was still partially alive, twitching and gurgling being the only sounds it could make now. She thought about leaving him, but took pity for one of he only times in her life. She knelt next to him, taking his own blade out once more – a mark of honour perhaps to some, to die by your own weapon. She heaved the body onto its back and shoved the knife into his heart, under the ribs smoothly, and watched the light dim in his eyes and the twitching movement cease forever. She kept the knife for herself, cleaning it on his trousers before taking a pouch at his belt – he wouldn’t need it. “Goodbye ‘Tucka,” she breathed, “maybe you’ll have a better afterlife” she finished, heaving herself to her feet and stumbling the last few minutes to Tua’s Establishment, the guards nodding to her as she approached the man – her job completed. One day, I shall find out what happened to that man. A knight, reduced to such pitiful existence. Sunberth is truly as cruel as ever she thought leadenly as Tua noted her arrival.

[Archelon]

Tua looked at the woman with a discerning eye... taking note of her disheveled hair, and facial features smeared with dirt and dust of the streets. A few bruises marked her visage discolored and purple, but they would heal in time. For now though the man just motioned her to have a seat at a table where he sat nearby. Holding out one hand towards Zandellia, it was obvious that he was expecting something and soon enough the woman remembered the sealed envelope she had been given to return to him. Once it was passed over he read it silently before folding it up to put it in one pocket to look at her and sigh. "You know... you can encounter anything on the streets, and running errands for me can be quite tough to handle sometimes. You can never know what you will face in a single day. In fact it can be quite dangerous , as I'm sure your current appearance can attest to. Though you did make it back within the time limit I gave you. That does count for something." Tuac reached into his pocket and counted out thirty gold mizas he lay them on the table and covered them with his hand. He did not push them towards Zandellia. But let their presence remain on the table top as if to taunt her. "If you don't wish to work for me as a word runner, I'm sure I might persuade you to become a guard around here. You seem a tough enough sort. Thirty gold might be enough of a downpayment to ensure your... circumspection in all things available in my business. So what say you? Are you still interested?" oocIf you take the job as a guard you'll be under the merc (basic) pay. If you take the job as a word runner, I will have to pm levi for specifics on the income Either way I'll still have to pm levi to set you up a storyteller secrets thread . This little jaunt will soon be coming to a close ^-^.

[Zandelia]

oocOf course she still wants to be a word runner! Far too much fun in this thread to turn it down And no worries, I don't mind waiting for Levi to get back with the information required As Zandelia listened to Tua, sat at the table and enjoying the fact that she could rest her body a little after the last hour or so of activities. When she had awoken in the morning she could not have predicted what would be in store for her even if she had tried. The moment she had picked up the job advertisement for a word runner she could remember the flash of intelligent insight she thought she had had – and now that seemed like days ago rather than less than 2 Bells ago. Her bruised body could attest to the fact that what Tua stated was true, it was a dangerous job indeed. She could not even bring herself to try and suppose how many of his ‘workers’ had been killed in the fulfilment of their tasks – though she was sure it was a great number. To be a guard or to be a word runner, that is the choice given to me? Either way I might end up dead in a day – and I have little choice in the matter. The entirety of Sunberth is dying ground she reasoned to herself as she flicked her gaze to Tua’s hand, covering the gold mizas upon the table. A taunting indication that working for him could very well be profitable in many ways. “I would still like to be a Word Runner for you Tua, I like a little excitement in my life” she responded after thinking it over for a few moments as Tua patiently awaited her response, as polite as ever he was. She was not sure she was being entirely truthful, but it was true she would rather be that than a guard. “As to being…circumspect, well I can keep many secrets indeed as long as the payment is sufficient, and I’m sure you know your business well enough to know how to go about things,” she continued thoughtfully, her gaze now locked to his eyes, “a bit of exercise never hurt anyone in any case” she finished with a small smile that turned up the corners of her mouth. As if he expected her to me to say anything else. I can never decline the opportunity to learn things of interest, even if it is to keep such knowledge to myself forever. Everyone who knows me knows that, and I’m sure Tua makes it a point to know people well enough she told herself in an amused manner. “Danger is relative, I’m sure that I’ll get used to it soon enough. I don’t intend on dying any time soon Tua” she finished, awaiting what his response would be. She wondered if he would even give her the 30 mizas that were upon the table, or if it had been a negotiation ploy. You never could tell with Tua, his honesty being somewhat tailored to each individual situation that presented itself.