Completed Two Sides of the Same Coin (Valerius)

[Jeram]

Timestamp: 4th of Summer, 512 AV Location: The Nitrozian Plaza (Afternoon) It was a pretty sunny day on the fourth of Summer. The Nitrozian plaza as always was filled with people wanting to buy and sell their goods, with the occasional mercenary group standing around wanting to get hired by some rich or desperate man that may happen to walk by. Though for the most part it was a pretty peaceful place. There were Ebonstryfe soldiers at several locations to make sure that the law was kept in place along with just as much city guards as the Stryfe doesn't handle every single thing by themselves. Speaking of the Stryfe, Jeram himself was having a pretty boring day. He was still an apprentice so he didn't have the responsibilities that the full soldiers of the Stryfe had. All he could do right now was just sit around the plaza seeing if something interesting would eventually might happen. He may not have as much power as a full soldier does but he can still do what he can to keep the peace in the city. Jeram also kept a lookout for anyone that would be disrespecting Rhysol or the Black Sun, which he could easily give a thrashing to before handing over to the Stryfe. Though nothing interesting had happened so far and he was just stuck standing there like he had been.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

It was a beautiful summer day. The sky was a clear blue, and the sun burnt down. Valerius had spent the morning inside, going through his notes, but he simply couldn't stand being surrounded by walls anymore. His quarters, no matter how luxurious they were, suddenly seemed suffocating. He needed fresh air! He abruptly rose from his chair, left his notes where they were and ordered a slave to prepare a ravosala. He wanted to spend some time on the canal. While the man prepared the boat, the Nitrozian stepped out of the house and onto the Plaza. It was busy, as usual. There were a variety of different merchants, advertising their products. Most of them didn't interest the young, elegantly dressed man, but he bought a fresh, juicy fruit that he would eat on the boat. The mercenaries were studied a little longer. Valerius hadn't had any need of such people so far - his slaves offered enough protection so far - and he wasn't involved in any of the more sinister activities that might require mercenaries, but they still fascinated him. Some of them looked as if they might do quite well in the Pit. The fighters there were usually slaves, but he occasioanlly couldn't help but wonder if a free man that did it for his own fame and glory rather than because his master said so might be more successful. He glanced at the canal. The boat still wasn't ready. Mildly annoyed, the Nitrozian continued to stroll through the Plaza. Maybe he'd buy a drink as well - and a whip that he would use on the slave who was much too slow for his taste, if any of those merchants sold whips.

[Jeram]

So far Jeram hadn't seen much activity going on. Most people were either browsing the goods in the plaza or making their purchases, with the occasional man or woman eyeing goods with a mischievous look on their face. He made sure to keep an eye on them just in case they tried to do anything drastic. Soon though he noticed a very rich looking man walking through the plaza. Judging by fancy appearence Jeram instantly knew that this man was probably of great importance within the city of Ravok. He made sure to keep an eye on him as the wealthy were an important asset to the city as the wealthy families controlled the economy and many of them were members of the Black Sun. Not too long after Jeram saw the man enter the plaza he also noticed something else. There was a group of men who were eyeing him, most likely wanting to wait for the right time before jumping him and robbing him as well. It wasn't very long before one of the men began following the possible noble. It was time for Jeram to take action and he quickly moved from his post to make sure the noble wasn't harmed. It was his duty as a future soldier of the Ebonstryfe. Hey you." the poor looking thug said to the noble. You look like you have a mighty fun amount of mizas on you, I might have to liberate them from you." the thug said menacingly to the noble. The thug was only equipped with a short sword and a buckler but he could still easily be a threat to someone who wasn't trained in any ways of fighting. But before the thug could threaten the noble any further Jeram came in to help him. "I don't like you lower class scum coming in like that and threatening a fine wealthy man like this" Jeram said giving an imposing figure to the thug. He wasn't super menacing but his body building had given him a bulkier appearence than the average joe so he did stand out more. The thug flinched a little at Jeram coming in but he did not back down yet. "Oh..oh yeah?" he said while backing up a little and drawing his sword. "Well why don't we settle this man to man?" the thug said trying to be menacing but not succeeding very well. The thug could hardly react as Jeram had drawn his shield and sent a punch toward the thug's face, hitting him square in the jaw. Their fight had begun.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

Valerius frowned as he noticed the man. He was dirty and looked poor and not particularly trusworthy, and his words confirmed that he was out for trouble. The Nitrozian crossed his arms over his chest and glared at him, indifferent towards the fact that he was armed. He wasn't intimidated, he didn't feel particularly threatened - he was in the part of Ravok where his family had the most influence - he was just angry that the man had ruined what was going to be a perfect day. "How dare you rob me in front of my house, in the middle of the day!" he hissed. " Do you have no common sense? Go and liberate somebody else's mizas before I call the Ebonstryfe if you value your life!" He looked at the wannabe thug as if he fully expected him to follow his order, as if he weren't any different from the slave he had been talking to a moment ago. Valerius was used to people doing what he said. It was just then that Jeram showed up. The look that the Nitrozian gave him wasn't much friendlier than the look that the thug had received. Valerius wanted to get this matter out of the way as soon as possible so that he could take his trip on the canal, and with an additional person on the scene it might take even longer. Still, the man was willing to risk being wounded in defense of him, and thus Valerius considered it appropriate to thank him rather than quietly sneaking away while they were fighting or handing them both over to the Ebonstryfe. He just hoped that the thug would give up soon and that Jeram wouldn't demand a share of the mizas he had successfully kept from being 'liberated'.

[Jeram]

Jeram couldn't help but hear that the noble mentioned that this was right in front of his house. Since this was the Nitrozian plaza that meant that this guy had to be part of that family. It would definitely help out Jeram's reputation if he had helped save a Nitrozian family member in need and he was not going to let this opportunity go. As the fight had started the thug of course took the first blow. A punch in the jaw was enough to send him backwards but this man was probably used to this kind of stuff and did not just go down that easily. Though Jeram was a little bigger than the average man so that punch had to do some good damage anywayl There was no time for words from this moment on. All that would happen now is a rush of adrenaline between two fighters and they would express their words for their fists and their weapons. The thief had been quicker than Jeram had expected and soon sent a leg sweep which when you're not expecting can easily knock you you. He couldn't help but fall right on his side, luckily not landing directly on his flail which could have done some major damage to himself. The thug tried to take advantage of this moment by attacking Jeram while he was on the ground. This was a mistake however as he was prepared for this and set a kick himself to the man's shin before getting up. The shin was a very sensitive area and this momentarily crippled the man as he grabbed for his leg and tried to make the pain go away. This gave Jeram enough time to get back on his feet and back into the action. The thug noticed then and tried to ignore the pain while sending a punch toward Jeram's face. This was countered by his shield which easily blocked the punch and the shield, being made of steel, broke the man's hand in the process. The man had to grab his hand in hand to which Jeram took an opportunity to try and send another fierce blow to the man's jaw. Though the thug had a little surprise up his sleeve as he grabbed a dagger from his pocket and gave a quick slash with it, going across Jeram's hand. "You petching filth!" Jeram couldn't help but shout at the man as he responded by back handing him with his shield as hard as he could, sending the thief back to the ground. Before their fight could continue any further two Ebonstryfe soldiers came over. They were soldiers that Jeram had seen around the Vitrax before so they also recognized him back. "Alright apprentice we'll take it from here."" one of the soldiers said as he grabbed the man. The soldier couldn't help but look at the noble whom he recognized already as one of the Nitrozian. "Good work apprentice, helping a member of the Nitrozian family might get you some credit within this city." the soldier said again as he looked toward the noble then nodded before the other soldier also grabbed the thug from the other side. One moment..." Jeram said as he walked up toward the bound thug and sent an elbow to his gut, which made him cough and spit up a little before he was carried away. Jeram then proceeded to turn towards the noble. "My name is Jeram Hirem sir, I am an apprentice of the Ebonstryfe and it was an honor to help out someone of such high ranking." he said as he was standing at attention, ignoring the blood coming from his hand.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

Annoyance gradually made way to surprise as Valerius watched his self proclaimed rescuer and the thief fight. The man was good! Once the thief was on the ground for the second time, with at least some of his bones broken, Valerius came to the decision that it would be useful to have such a man working for him. Maybe he could be persuaded to leave his current job. The Nitrozian reached for his purse. Maybe giving him a few mizas wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all … it would be an investment in the future … As the two members of the Ebonstryfe approached and adressed his rescuer, Valerius‘ eyes widened slightly. That was something he had not expected. Jeram didn’t look as if he were a future member of the Ebonstryfe. That changed things, at least slightly. He looked from the soldiers to Jeram, but didn’t cast a single glance at the thief. That creature wasn’t worth his attention. „I hope he’ll be appropriately punished“, he remarked before he focused his attention on Jeram completely. Most of Valerius‘ previous arrogance was gone now, and the tone of his voice was extremely polite. Arrogance tended to be a bad idea when you were dealing with the Ebonstryfe, even if you were a Nitrozian and aimed to become part of the Black Sun one day. He likely wouldn’t be able to convince the man to work for him now, considering which organisation he belonged to, but it would still be of use to have a personal ally among the Ebonstryfe. „I thank you for your quick intervention, Mister Hirrem. If it weren’t for you, I might be the one with the broken bones now. Is there anything I can do for you?“ It was then that he noticed the blood on the man’s hand. „You are wounded. If your fellow soldiers allow it, I will ask one of my slaves to bandage it. Nobody shall be able to claim that Valerius Nitrozian leaves those that help him bleeding on the street.“

[Jeram]

Jeram was a little surprised at the way the noble acted towards him. Usually the rich in Ravok weren't so courteous to others. Though the man the the soldiers identified as a Nitrozian now knew that Jeram was in line to become a full member of the Ebonstryfe which even for a noble of such high rank is something that you don't want to mess with. It was probably a good thing that he came in and helped when he did. Judging by the looks of the noble he wasn't really a man who was suited very well for combat and probably would have gotten mugged, and possibly injured. As he looked back toward the soldiers and the thief which were almost out of sight by now he could see how unhappy the thief looked. Jeram wasn't very surprised. He knew what the Ebonstryfe did to people that they captured and it wasn't the prettiest thing in the world. Even he himself would never want to do anything to anger the order and get a similar punishment. It felt good to also be complimented by the man. It felt amazing at how much power you had just from being part of the Stryfe, though serving Rhysol was its own reward. "It was now problem Mister Nitrozian, it is my duty to protect the nobles of this great city. I doubt a cowardly thief like that would have had the courage to do anything too drastic in a place this crowded." Jeram then noted the noble, whom Jeram now learned was name Valerius, had requested to have a slave bandage the wound on his hand. In truth he had actually kind of forgotten about it. The training he had gone through for three years and pretty much had him gotten use to such pain so it wasn't as big of a deal anymore. Though it was still a good idea to accept the gesture. "I don't think it would be much of a problem for one of your slaves to help with my wound Mister Nitrozian, that's what slaves are for after all."he said while also putting his flail back at his side and his shield onto his back so they wouldn't be in the way anymore.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

„Come then“, Valerius said as Jeram agreed to having his wound bandaged and gestured for him to follow. Within a few moments they were standing in front of the door to the Nitrozian Estate. Valerius had not even bothered to inform the slave he had been talking to before that his trip on the canal would have to be postponed a little. In his opinion it was unnecessary to explain himself to his posessions. They needed to do whatever he said, and if he made them wait, well, then they had to wait. The Nitrozian Estate was probably far more luxurious than anything Jeram had ever seen, with floors of marble and fine wood, precious carpets and tapestries. No normal man could ever hope to accumulate such wealth during his lifetime. The slaves that appeared as soon as Valerius stepped through the door were of fine quality as well. The Nitrozian had no interest in old, ugly or stupid ones. Their manners were exquisite. They didn’t even bat a lash at the appearance of the stranger behind their master, but stood completely still as they waited for his orders. It was not up to them to question him. „Tuuli“, Valerius said the name of a dark haired girl who was one of his favourites. „Mister Hirrem here saved me from a thief and was wounded in the process. I want you to treat his wound. Do your best. He is a future member of the Ebonstryfe, and it wouldn’t do if Rhysol’s warriors got a bad impression of House Nitrozian. We’ll be waiting for you in the living room on the ground floor.“ Valerius guided Jeram to said room and asked him to sit down. A moment later the slave girl appeared again, carrying a bowl with fresh, clean water and a small bag that contained bandages and various other things that were needed to treat wounds and prevent an infection.

[Jeram]

Jeram followed the man whom he know knew as Valerius to the pretty well known Nitrozian estate. He had never been inside of the place himself but most people knew about it as it was pretty hard to miss such a large place made up of three different buildings. It was definitively a very impressive building on the inside. The way everything was decorated reminded Jeram of the Temple, maybe even being higher quality itself. He noticed that even the slaves in the estate were well taken care of which is pretty well heard of from most of the rich families in Ravok. Jeram couldn't help but see as the slaves barely even acknowledged that he was there. Maybe it was because he was a little more intimidating than they were used to, or because they didn't want to make their master angry by questioning what was going on. Jeram guessed it was the latter one. Jeram quietly followed Valerius to the living room and followed the gesture to sit down. He immediately noticed how exquisite the furniture felt as he wasn't very used to being in such a rich home. "This definitely is a very fine estate your family has Mr. Nitrozian. I'm sure we could help each other out a lot in the future." he said as the slave came into the room with supplies to treat his injury. He didn't move much as the slave girl washed his wound and went on to bandage his hand. Jeram then made a fist with his bandaged hand to test how well it was holding to which the bandages held fine. "Your slaves do nice work." he said while looking Valerius directly in the eyes, now acting as if the slave wasn't there.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

The slave that Valerius had called ‚Tuuli‘ had soft, gentle hands. She wasn’t a doctor, but she had been treating the other slaves‘ wounds since she had come to Ravok. Her mother had been a healer in a distant place where there was nothing but sand, and she had sometimes watched her before the slavers had taken her away. She knew exactly what to do. First of all she carefully cleaned Jeram’s hand with a piece of fine cloth. Then she opened a small box that contained a white, pleasantly smelling salve. She massaged that salve into his wound. „You are lucky“, she remarked. Her voice was musical, with just the hint of an accent. „The wound isn’t particularly deep. I won’t need to stitch it. Your hand should be healed within a couple of days.“ With that she bandaged his hand, and then she turned around and looked at Valerius, hoping that she approved of what she had done. The Nitrozian nodded curtly. „Well done, Tuuli“, he complimented her. „You can go now.“ The girl smiled and began packing her things. „They do“, Valerius agreed as he turned to face Jeram again. „All of our slaves have been chosen carefully. And I agree. We could help each other a lot in the future. It would be good to have an ally among the Ebonstryfe. And House Nitrozian would of course be willing to help you as well should you ever need something from us.“