The Ebonstryfe Calls (Clyde Sullins)

[Verilian]

Samara listened, a brow quirked in curiosity, as Clyde stated his reasoning as to why Juliana should live. Indeed, everything he said made perfect sense. There was no real reason to kill her, other than to force Clyde to do it. There would be no gain to Rhysol if she died, and indeed she might even become an asset to the city. But... That was not the point. Not at all. "Oh, Clyde, Clyde, Clyde... I had honestly never considered killing her. Funny that your mind would go there, but now that you mention it, it would certainly solve all of our problems, wouldn't it?" Juliana began to struggle again, more desperately, but Samara ignored her. "I mean, who wants to do all the paperwork of getting her registered as a citizen? And of course even then she would still be homeless, wouldn't she? Killing her would certainly spare her from all that hassle. Although I'm sure she could find work easy enough, considering how willing she was to bed a complete stranger. I'm sure the House of Immortal Pleasures could find a use for her." All of her struggling was for naught, Juliana could not break her captor's firm grasp, but when Samara turned to her and issued her next command her eyes widened in surprise. "Let her go, and give her back her clothes. We wouldn't want her to catch a cold." Samara turned back to Clyde, a smug grin on her lips. No, she wasn't going to make him kill her, not yet anyway. Clyde wasn't ready for that. "You just have a little bit further to go, Apprentice. Once you set foot back in Ravok, make your way to the Vitrax. They'll be expecting you." Samara and her lackeys left after that, leaving Clyde alone with Juliana, who quickly threw her arms around the mage. "I thought they were going to kill me!" Juliana quickly broke down into tears, and it would be some time before she recovered. She wasn't going to be granting any more favors that night, though she would sleep next to Clyde if he returned to bed. If not, she would accompany him to the city, and there they would part ways for a time. She promised to find him as soon as she completed her transactions, that way he could still get his reward for helping her, but until then, he had other things to worry about. The Vitrax awaited. OOCFeel free to make a final post, I'll be awarding XP and stuffs after that.

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde simply frowned upon hearing Samara's reply. Though to be honest, he was more aggravated at her arguing with and ignoring his clear logic, than in the fact of her speaking of killing the woman. Surely in a few ticks more, he would have also been worried about her, he would think later, and tell himself... Surely... Clyde was about to continue arguing with her, until she continued on, and said to give the woman back her clothes, and let her go. Along with that, she gave Clyde a smug grin. She had just been messing with him, arguing and pretending like she disagreed, just to mess with him! With him! Once more a bit of heat and rage came flaring into his mind, and he had the impulse to smash her with a chunk of flame, and see how she liked it, as she rolled around trying to put herself out. Not enough to kill her, but enough to teach her a lesson, and who she was messing with... But he fought that back down, his hand gripping his staff clutching it a bit tighter, reasoning that it would not be wise, not considering the retribution upon him for striking down or attacking one of the Stryfe... Taking a calming breath, and eying her... He would have to watch for her, watch for her doing such things in the future. She had done it once, and would likely do so again... She likely would try to bug him, or get him riled up, to mess with him again... And he would have to be ready if he did not want to overreact. As the woman ran over to clutch at him, crying, he brought his arms around her, and patted her shoulder a bit awkwardly... He was not so good in such situations... Not good at calming other people down... It just felt wrong when he tried. But he had seen someone else pat someones shoulder when they had been upset, so he did the same to try and calm her. Though he was not exactly sure why, as he was fairly certain that would not calm him down. He just was not good in such social circumstances. It was one reason he had clung to and excelled at magic so much. It was something he could do alone, and without others. Something he could work on and improve, without needing to much training beyond the initial bit. Perhaps that was why magic meant so much to him... Without it, he was just weird for his quirks, an oddity and unfit for society. With it, it was expected behavior, or excused due to his power. After all this, Clyde was ready to go. He packed up his stuff, and headed the rest of the way with the woman in tow. Now it was time to head to the Vitrax, and see what was needed of him there...

[Verilian]

Samara was not waiting for him at the Vitrax, thankfully, though others were. A pair of Ebonstryfe soldiers greeted him and led him inside, speaking little as they brought him into the domain of the Ebonstryfe. The courtyard was familiar to most Ravokians, as was the towering stature of the Ebonlord Gru'tral in its center, so detailed it almost seemed to be a living thing itself. Very few people were lucky enough to get further than that, and only those accompanied by a member of the order or with proper authorization were able to pass through the gates into the training grounds without finding themselves filled with arrows. Day and night there was training taking place in the inner courtyard, and this particular morning the soldiers were training with their bows. The Ebonstryfe was a militant organization, first and foremost, and most of its members were highly skilled with a great number of weapons and unarmed combat styles. Clyde's magic made him unique, but his lack of physical training would put him at a disadvantage in some ways. The soldiers led him across the training grounds and into the Vitrax itself, where they were greeted by another large statue of Gru'tral, as well as a man standing before it. This man was not Gru'tral, nor did he look anything like the towering behemoth of a man erected in stone behind him. But he did possess one of the pale eyes that only the doubly marked of Rhysol possessed, meaning he was someone of higher rank than the woman Clyde had encountered twice in the wilderness. The soldiers left Clyde's side as soon as he was in the building, leaving him alone with the pale-eyed man. "Welcome to the Ebonstryfe, Clyde Sullins," the man said. "Samara speaks highly of you.. but we shall see in time if her words are true. The Ebonstryfe has selected you, Rhysol has selected you, to be one of our apprentices. Accept, and your training will have already begun." OOCCLYDE!!! How could you let me go this long without posting? All this time I thought I was waiting on you, lol. Anyway, I know I said this would be the last post, but I feel you still need to get in a last word here, so feel free to post again.

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde was not surprised to be escorted into the Vitrax by a pair of soldiers... That was expected, considering he was not yet one... Yet anyways... But he knew he would be, and so much more. He was far to skilled and ambitious to not. And such people as himself, were exactly fulfilling the rare qualities the Stryfe needed. Some would say he was being un-humble, but really he felt he was a realist. And if one was actually as good as one thought, it was not bragging but simply stating a fact of your own worth. So why be humble and play down his own skills? He was a bit interested as he was led in, and saw the courtyard inside, with its statues of what was clearly Gru'tral... Very good statues, so detailed, he had to look a second time to ascertain it was not a person posted there. As he was led along, he was brought before another statue, and a man who turned to face him... With one uncolored eye... Within Ravok that clearly meant only one thing, a marked of Rhysol more so even than a simple soldier... Another blink and the others had retreated, leaving him alone with him. For a half a tick his breath caught in his throat, but he calmed himself, returning his determination to his eyes, as he looked at the man unflinchingly. Though not quite staring him in the eyes or challenging, as that would be a sign of disrespect. He settled for looking him in the eyes, and then moving to take in the details of the statue, returning his gaze when he was spoken to. Clyde had a small smile split across his lips, at the mans words... Accept? He almost said it as if it was a choice. He doubted even if he had wanted to turn back now, they would let him. He did not of course want to, but he knew if he did he could not. This path he had set out on, that of joining the Stryfe, was a steep slope... Hard to navigate, and almost impossible to go back up once gone down. All he could do was push onward, hoping to reach his goal safely. He had known that when he started on it, and had made the decision to go on... No backing out in all that time, so he certainly could not now. "Of course I do accept. I don't think I would have made it this far, if I was the type to turn back. The fact I made it here shows I accept. Once I make a choice, I stick to it. And I assure you, her words are true, and not exaggerated. I have what it takes, don't let appearances fool you. Such misgivings and misconceptions if anything makes me all the more better off for it."

[Verilian]

With his acceptance, Clyde began his new life as an apprentice of the Ebonstryfe. Suddenly he had access to things other people, even natural-born citizens, did not. He had power, though it was meager in comparison to that of a full soldier, and he would still have to find his own ways to make money until his promotion. As an apprentice he was expected to train in all manner of things, including a form of combat other than his magic, though his staff would do fine. While he was not given armor or a uniform as an apprentice, he was given a badge with the emblem of the Ebonstryfe that still marked him as above the common rabble. There were other perks, but he would learn of those over time. What mattered most was that he was in, officially, and was an apprentice of the Ebonstryfe. Juiliana kept her promise as well. A few days after they returned to Ravok, Clyde recieved a letter. In the letter was a voucher which, after he brought it to a particular merchant in the market, earned him two hundred and fifty golden mizas. Clyde did not see the woman again, however, and the merchant simply shrugged when asked of her whereabouts and said she had disappeared after her first day in town, though not before mailing Clyde his letter, it would seem. As for Samara, he would see her every so often, and was eventually appointed to her unit after her promotion, sent along with her on the campaign against Syliras.

. . Thread Award . . Clyde Sullins +3 Reimancy +1 Philosophy +1 Lovemaking +1 Rhetoric You Question My Logic? : If you have any questions on the reward, feel free to PM me. Lores: Reimancy Technique: Sonic Boom*If you want to call it something else, feel free to PM me with a name of your own and I'll change it, Wanted by the Ebonstryfe, Paranoia, Saving the Damsel in Distress, Joining the Ebonstryfe, Contact: Samara Alenta Loot: 1 Ebonstryfe Apprentice Badge, 250gm Notes: Congratulations, you are now an apprentice in the Ebonstryfe. I've added it to your SS thread also. You may run threads in the Vitrax now, and now technically your education at the Institute is free, so you don't have to provide them with magecrafted items anymore to pay your way. Notice As per the request of the Founders, threads cannot be graded unless your CS is up to date. This means you need to add threads to your thread list when you make new threads, keep your skills up to date, ledger, living expenses, ect. If you aren't up to date, you'll get a PM from me before i grade your thread. If you are up to date, disregard this notice.