Bad Decisions [Liar]

[Etrius]

For a few seconds, Etrius could do nothing but sit on the ground, clutching his bleeding leg and cursing in pain. The damn dog had ripped and tore at the muscle and had almost rent the flesh from the bone. At least, that's what it felt like to him. However, now was no time to sit around feeling sorry for himself. The monk who had got the wolf off of him was now wrestling with it, trying to keep a confidant air about himself. Even with all his confidence, the monk still seemed to be having trouble keeping to wolf from tearing his throat out.

Etrius reached for the monk's sword. He only barely grabbed it by the pommel and dragged it towards him. Clasping it in his hand, he forced himself to his feet and began limping towards the monk and the monster. They here only a few feet away, but to the wounded mercenary, it felt like to took an eternity to close the gap. Roll! he ordered the monk. When the man complied, it made it so that the wolf was on its side against the ground, still in the monk's firm grasp. Etrius lifted the sword and thrust it downward, plinking it into the dog's unprotected gut. It let out a high pitched wimper and thrashed. Etrius only pulled the sword from its stomach and stabbed again, ripping into the thing's torso. It thrashed and writhed for a moment more, then went still.

Etrius fell on his behind, breathing heavily. He returned to clutching his wounded leg, putting as much pressure as he could on the bloody limb to try and stop the bleeding. He was not very successful in doing so as the blood kept flowing, unhindered by his hands. He looked at the monk, the man he had fought alongside in this battle against the beast. The only thing he could think of to say was "Thanks." after a few more moments of silents he said "Name's Etrius and... uh... can we get me to a healer... please?"

[Liar]

Silence, true silence, filled the spaces between their heavy breaths. His new ally’s comrades were gone, but so was their mutual enemy; the noiselessness turned from a menacing mystery to a comforting shroud. The monk nodded at Etrius and sat up, but did not say anything for some moments. He winced as he retrieved his sword from the dead dog, hasty to hold his injured side. His eyes followed the mercenary’s to where the dead thing lay. “If only we could bring it back,” he mused bitterly. “I’m sure someone in the city would like to take a look at that thing’s insides—however butchered they are.” He laughed and stood, groaning at the pain in his side. He was hurt, but not as much as the other man. If only out of his respect for a fellow fighter, he sheathed his sword and helped Etrius to his feet. “Jaren. Nice to meet you, Etrius.” Without asking, Jaren ducked under the foreigner’s arm in order to support him on his limp side. He began to walk eastward, toward the city of Nyka, as quickly as Etrius’s injured foot could bear. “There are healers in town, but we’ll have to walk. I’ll tell them what you did here, that you saved my life. I’m sure they’ll accommodate you.” There was a sliver of sarcasm in his voice, but the grin on his pained face was honest enough. “The hell were you doing out here, anyway?”

[Etrius]

Etrius happily accepted the monk's support and began following his guidance toward the city. His breaths were heavy and labored. He gasped in pain with each slow, stumbling step, his leg felt almost as though it were lit on fire. He felt that he should not complain, though, seeing as Jaren seemed to be hurt as well. The monk's wounds may not have been as serious as the mercenary's, but they were wounds nonetheless. The trek to the city was going to take quite a bit longer than before.

"Thanks." he said. "I was just... trying to survive. The tent is the only thing I have that can be a roof over my head. I never seem to have enough money to stay anywhere otherwise." Another pause. "I'm in Nyka for a reason too. I picked up a tip down in Syliras that there was gonna be a tournament here and that it was open to foreigners, which was supposed to be a pretty big deal. I wanted in. Though... I don't know how well I'll do anymore." He glanced down at his still bleeding leg. Or even if they'll let me enter at all. With all the trouble he'd caused them, he was not sure if they'd let him even stay in the city for much longer. Then again, he did save Jaren's life. Maybe the monk would vouch for him. Although, the monks had a strange sense of strict discipline.

He decided to stop thinking about it for now. He was tired and was beginning to get groggy. Besides, deep thought was not exactly his best skill. He went silent and tried his best to walk faster, eager to make it to a warm bed where he could lie down and get some sleep. ...Weakling... 

[Liar]

Jaren shrugged as well as he could, under the circumstances. He even tried to laugh, but his injured ribs would have none of it. “Who knew word got so far?” He mumbled happily. “Well, I have no doubt you will be a formidable opponent. That is, if you are not injured too badly.” They both went quiet for some time, left to concentrate on the persistent pain of walking and the balance between them. The trees grew sparse soon enough, opening up into a short stretch of plains before the Warfields and the great wall of the city grew with their approach. They had walked for nearly half a bell before the monk spoke up again. “I...” He winced, then continued, “I am what they call an acolyte. There are many people who would thank you, for helping me today. My two wards, for one. I will make certain they return your horse to you. “You know... you do not have to live out there. The city is tough, but she is not as deadly as the wilds. The Hostel is cheap, at least; I am told that other places charge their citizens in coin for food, but we have none such savagery here. You are a foreigner, no doubt about that.” He stopped to catch his breath, and instead coughed a smattering of blood into his fist. He made sure to meet Etrius’s eyes then, even as they escaped into the haze of unconsciousness. “But you’ve shown something of your worth today. Maybe one day you will prove useful to Nyka herself.”

OOCYou can reply and even move them to the hospital, if you like. Or you can PM me that you would like to end here and I'll post a grade. Your choice.

[Liar]

EXPERIENCE AWARD Etrius Skill Points Edged Gauntlet 3 Observation 2 Running 2 Acrobatics 1 Wilderness Survival 1 Rhetoric 1 Flux 1 Riding 1 Climbing 1 Lore Flight over Fight Turning an Enemy into an Ally Marrow Dogs Contact: Jaren of the Sharp Blade The Other Half’s Torment Injuries Etrius suffered a torn Achilles tendon. He was held at the Great Infirmary for 54 days for treatment. His limp was gone entirely by Spring 21, but it will remain a weak spot for seasons. Notes Rhetoric for the bit at the beginning in which you tried to get the monks to leave you alone, acrobatics for dodging and moving through the trees. The rest should be self-explanatory. Etrius is granted official permission to live in the Nykan outlands, but you are required to choose the squalor living condition and write as much in your posts until he chooses to invest in a proper home.