See Goodness (Imass)

by **Verilian** on February 5th, 2013, 10:05 pm

He was ever defiant, but Lori had come to expect that from the akalak. If there ever came a day when he was talkative and complacent, she would worry for his health. His defiance wasn't really a problem. That could be broken. The Black Sun had broken many akalaks over the centuries, Garonn was nothing new. But Lori did not want him broken, not yet anyway. Even his rage was not really a problem. Yes, it made him dangerous, but it also made him predictable. At least, it wouldn't have been a problem, except that it made him useless. She needed Imass, but she had Garonn. Garonn would have to do.

"You know," Lori mused as the guards began to blindfold and shackle him, "I've heard many stories of akalak's and their so called dark souls. I always wanted to meet one.. but you, Garonn. You are not at all what I expected.. you disappoint me. I know that does not bother you, but I promise you, in time it will. You akalaks, even the dark ones, have a sense of pride even if you do not always have honor. Honor is just a knight's term for pride, anyway."

Lori walked over to Garonn, now blind and bound, lifting her hand to the silk of his shirt and running it slowly down his chest. She moved behind him and leaned in close to whisper into his ear, her warm breath tickling his neck. He could feel her body pressing against him as she did so.

"You do not impress me, Garonn. Pride, rage, anger, your silence. I've seen it in so many before, you are nothing new."

She pulled away, and motioned for the guards to push him forward. They were rough, but loosened up when the Lori shot them a dark look. The walk out of the prison was a long one, but eventually Garonn could see the light of day against the back of the blindfold. It was removed, allowing him to see, though his hands remained bound in front of him. He found himself in a large courtyard, the Temple of the Black Sun behind him. There were people going about, some visiting the temple, others leaving, and others just appreciating the beautiful day. Every day in Ravok was beautiful.

"Before we take our walk, I am curious... is Imass in there with you? Is he speaking to you, or is he hiding? You are so full of rage, so distracted by your anger.. what if he decides he wants to take back control? He was able to suppress you for so long, what will you do if he decides to fight back? Would you even see it coming?"

She didn't really expect an answer, though she was curious what it would be. Truthfully, the questions were an attempt to gain the attention of Imass. If he was indeed in there, somewhere, Lori wanted him to see what she would show him that day. Garonn was too dense to appreciate it, but Imass was different. Imass was a knight, and the sights they would see that day were for him.

OOCOkay.. so I couldn't resist sneaking in a post anyway, lol

by **Imass** on February 5th, 2013, 11:01 pm

The guards approached and shackled Garonn as Lori began to talk. She spoke words intended to taunt him, but the Akalak did not believe a word of it. She did not understand what Akalak's where all about. She did not know what Honor was, but Garonn knew it all too well. Regardless of his contempt and hatred towards Imass, he could not doubt his honor and valar. Garonn would not forget this, 'Honor is not Pride you bitch,'

Despite wanting to outburst he remained quiet and unmoved. The Konti came over and ran a finger down his chest, then pressed her body against his. Immediately Garonn went stiff as he felt the smaller, softer body of the konti on him; there was no containing his lust. To top it off her comment provoked him to the core. He wanted to remain silent, but he could not contain himself, "Judging by your words you've never been properlly petched by an Akalak brother. Come here and bend over so I can hit you deep," Before he could say another word he was being pushed forward by the guards.

After a very long walk in a cold prison, Garonn's blindfold was removed to reveal a large courtyard with random peoples milling about. The Akalak did not take interest at all in the background people or noises, although he did notice it was very laid back and peaceful atmosphere. His mind was utterly focused on the layout of the courtyard and the Temple behind him. Scanning the scene, he half listened to the Konti ask him meaningless questions.

The structure that loomed over the courtyard was once a building of exquisite beauty. There where hundreds of carvings, statues, domes, and spires, but it was all in ruin. Repairs where being made, but it was structurally shattered. Regardless, Garonn disliked the building style anyways. It was the opposite of functional. It was an ornate show of wealth, which did not concern the Akalak. He was a warrior and he naturally viewed things by their practical value. Not only was it poorly built in his biased opinion, but all the damages made it useless. The Syliran Knights would undoubtedly be able to storm the structure in its rotting state.

Garonn was unimpressed and he showed it on his face. He responded in crude warrior Tukant, "Your castle is useless. It does not even have ramparts or proper defenses on it. Whoever built this was a cunt," Looking at the Konti in the eyes, he gave her a cold hard look, "Oh and Imass says go petch yourself."

oocPlease just assume that Garonn only talks in tukant! Awesome post btw! I am loving this thread hahaha

by **Verilian** on February 13th, 2013, 8:58 pm

Lori glanced at the temple behind them and gave it a good long look. He was right, it was useless as a castle. But of course it wasn't a castle, nor was it meant to defend. Imass, or rather Garonn, did not really understand Ravok yet. He looked at everything from a purely martial viewpoint, so Lori decided that was where she should start.

"You're right, it would make a terrible castle.. except that it isn't a castle. It is a temple. Our city does not need walls to defend it."

Lori led Imass, or rather his guards led him while Lori walked in front of them, through the city for a ways before eventually stopping at a canal. She waved down a ravosala and they boarded, only one guard joining them, as the boat could not hold any more people. The driver launched the boat, pushing off the wall, and sent them down the canal. Here and there Garonn would see people going about their daily lives, living peacefully. The city was very clean, and there were almost no homeless or poor to be seen. Almost everyone in Ravok had a job, and there were very few that could not survive on their own.

Lori made sure to take them through the plaza of dark delights. Delicious smells and scented perfumes assaulted their noses as they passed by the various shops and brothels. She did it partly just to annoy the akalak, since she knew he could not partake of any of the scantily clad women who stood outside their places of business trying to draw the attention of the large warrior.

Finally they reached the outer edge of the city, the docks, and that is when Lori finally called the driver to a stop. They climbed out of the boat and onto the dock, then lore motioned to the lake with a wave of her hand. Beyond the docks was.. nothing. The lake stretched for miles, and one could only just make out the shoreline far beyond.

"This is our wall. And beyond that, miles and miles of dense forest, with no roads leading to our city. The lake is so massive that no army could surround every inch of it, so a siege on this city would never work. The forest is so dense that no boats could be drawn through it. Anyone who wished to assault our city would have to build their boats on the shore, right there for us to see. Our ships are fast, and our mages would rain fire on any construction projects before they even had a chance to get started. We do not need walls and ramparts. And if by some chance an army managed to get onto our waters, Rhysol's power would destroy them before they ever reached the city."

The konti turned back to Garonn, knowing he likely still would not be impressed. Chances are he would have a rebuttle, or at the very least he would be thinking of ways to invade the city even if he didn't voice his thoughts. She was sure he could think of something, but it didn't matter. In five hundred years the knights had not come to Ravok to destroy it, and Lori knew they never would.

by **Imass** on February 14th, 2013, 10:22 pm

"A temple... however built this was still a cunt," Garonn was still unimpressed. Unlike his pius brother Imass, he did not care for the Gods. Imass' devotion to Sylir had not only led to him being imprisoned twice and nearly killed, but it also had inadvertently forced Garonn into a game he did not wish to play. Imass had thrown his life away in Sahova for mere ideals formed by an institution and now Garonn was paying the price. The sight of the temple only made him feel bitter.

The Akalak was led through the brick and stone city by the Konti and her henchmen. The Knight took his time to analyses the city around him; he scanned the scene in paranoia and tried to memorize the location of the temple. He looked at the happy humans walking around and the slaves amongst them. Everything seemed peaceful, everything clean and proper. He saw people working hard and people enjoying himself. The atmosphere was sombre, yet happy. No one was oppressed, no one was starving, not even the slaves. Few people even openly carried weapons.

Stepping into the boat and traveling through canal was a new experience to the Akalak as well. Brick houses opened straight into the canal as men and women exited their houses straight onto boats and skiffs. It was an interesting sight to behold. Looking inside the dark waters, Garonn could barely see the murky bottom. As they passed through the Plaza of Dark Delight, the aroma of food and whore's perfume filled the air. He took great note of the type of men walking through this area. Scantily clad women who hung around this area where all eyeing Garonn and trying to draw his attention. The Akalak smiled as a women showed him her tits. Raising his finger to his mouth he stuck his tongue through his fingers and waggled it. This drew a lot of giggles from them, but before they could respond the boat was out of line of sight.

Finally they reached the edge of the city and the docks. Climbing out of the boat, Lori brought them to the edge of the lake and waved her hand all across sparkling waters that stretched far into the horizon. She explained to him that the lake was their defense and that no walls were needed. She spoke with unnerving confidence that even if an assault was launched on the city that Ravok's magic would decimate them. If all else failed Rhysol would destroy them. Garonn could not help but smile, for the Konti was sounding just like his brother Imass. She had uttermost confidence in her city and her God, but Garonn was ever skeptical. He didn't know it yet, but he was certain there was a way through their defense. The Knight noted this and decided he would make no assumptions based on her words; he would not accept her words until he surveyed the lands around the city.

Garonn stared the Konti in the face with cold hard eyes, "I am your enemy and look! I am here in your city! No rain of fire or wrathful smite stopped me!" The Knight laughed mockingly, "Perhaps you should think twice about your brilliant defense!"

The Akalak paused then spat, "I am tired of playing games. What do you mean to do with me? You have healed my wounds and now you are giving me a tour of your magnificent city," Garonn said 'magnificent' mockingly, "Stop bullshitting me and take action! Have you revived me to petch your brains out or do you want me to kill for you? Give me a sword or cut my throat and be done with it!"

by **Verilian** on February 14th, 2013, 10:55 pm

"Our enemy," the Konti asked, suppressing a chuckle. "You are hardly our enemy, Garonn. If you were, you would already be dead."

The konti guided the akalak back onto the boat, choosing not to answer his other question, idly running a finger through the water as they drifted along. The water was pure, as always, and perfectly safe to drink. Rhysol's magic guaranteed that. She watched as a school of seemingly harmless fish swam beneath the crystalline surface and smiled. The lake held many wonders, and many secrets, within it's depths. Hundreds of feet beneath the surface was the prison in which Garonn had been kept, but he would not be seeing that place again any time soon. There were many other secrets deep beneath the city, but most of them Lori didn't even know existed.

They took a different route back to the city center, this time passing through the slave market and next to the pit. Within, Garonn could hear the clash of steel on steel and the cries of the masses as they cheered out whenever someone they bet money on seemed to be doing well. Not all combatants in the pit were slaves either, though most were, but it was surely a place the akalak would be interested in. That wasn't where they were stopping, however. Eventually the came up next to a large building, rather plain in design, and dotted with windows evenly spaced on each floor. Garonn was led inside, where there was a small parlor, a desk, and stairs leading up in each direction, as well as halls leading to the left, right and back. He was taken up to the second floor on the right, down a few doors, before they finally went through one.

Once inside Garonn could see that the room was a simple, square shaped dwelling. There was a bed, a window that opened to the canal, a few chairs and a table, and a wardrobe. On the bed was a sword, not the finest he had ever seen, but of the same style that he usually trained with along with another set of clothing, a set of papers, and a small yet bulging pouch of something. As soon as they entered the room the guards removed the bindings on his wrists and placed a key in his hand, then closed the door behind him, leaving the akalak alone in the apartment with the konti.

"The room is paid up until the end of spring. You'll find enough mizas in the pouch to get you out of the city, if you want, or if you'd like to stay a while you are more than welcome to. The papers list you as a citizen of Ravok. As to what I mean to do with you," she continued, her voice suddenly taking on a seductive tone as she took a step toward him. "Well, that depends on if you think you are healthy enough."

She still hadn't answered his real question, she had no real intention to do so either, but she was fairly certain the akalak would be easy enough to distract and soon forget all about his questions. Lori did not fear Garonn, she was confident in her own abilities, and besides that there were guards right outside the room. She did have plans for him, as did Rhysol, but there was no need to rush into such things when there was still so much fun to be had.

OOCI'll post a detailed list of any items you get when I grade the thread.

by **Imass** on February 15th, 2013, 8:06 pm

Lori's silence enraged Garonn to the extreme. Nothing could compare to his hatred towards Murdock, so this was different, but none-the-less the Akalak's blood began to boil. The silent trip through the canals did not help either. He could no longer focus on the city around him, his mind was totally bent on rage. He stared at the Konti as she casually dipped her fingers in the canal. All he wanted to do was strangle her to death. He imagined in his mind's eye her face turning blue then black as his fingers gripped her throat. The thought made Garonn smile, but it was a murmurs lie; his mind was bent on seeing her die.

Garonn barely noticed the fighting Pits as they traveled for his mind was racing with hatred and malice for Lori. His subconsciecous mind took note of the fighting pits although his thoughts did not turn to it. Before he knew it, he found himself stepping off the canal and into a large building. They walked past a parlor and up stairs into the second level, where he was lead into a single room. There was a bed, a window that openned to a canal, a table with papers and a bulging pouch. On the bed laid a sword in a scabard and another set of clothes smiliar to the ones he was clad in now. Finally, they unlocked his shackles and handed him a key presumably for the room. Suddenly, he found himself alone in the room with he Konti.

Walking over to the bed as Lori spoke, Garonn picked up the sword. The leather grip was new, but it felt amazing to have a weapon in his hand. The Knight knew nothing else but the art of war; cold steel was his only comfort. Swords didn't lie, swords didn't have motives or agendas, a sword was the only thing he could rely on now. The sound of leather scraping against steel could be heard as he ignored the Konti for a minute. He stared at the blade for a long time and his rage began to quench. He turned the blade over and inspected the quality of the weapon. It was of superior craftsmanship, however it wasn't anything special. The blade was constructed strongly and the edge was sharp. Garonn was pleased.

Garonn turned towards Lori and held the blade infront of his face. He kissed the flat of his strong with closed eyes, "A sword," Garonn spoke in a suddenly solemn and serious tone unlike anything he had said thus far to Lori. He openned his cold, hard eyes and stared directly into Lori's soul, "is the only truth in life. A cold hard blade does not lie like you. A cold hard blade does not cheat and play games like you. I am tired of playing games... I know you don't want to petch me -- show me the truth! Dig deep and try not to lie!"

Garonn slowly shifted into his stance. His left foot was pointed directly at the Konti. His right foot pointed at a forty-five degree angle directly behind him, ready to pivot and shift. His hips were pointed directly at her, but his shoulders were pointed 90 degrees sideways. His weight was on his in-steps and the balls of his feet. Slowly he placed both hands on the hilt of the weapon; his left hand on top with an index finger over the hilt for stability and his right hand on the bottom. He gripped the sword tightly while continuing to stare at the Konti unrelentingly. He took great note of every movement and facial expression the Konti made.

Slowly, ever, slowly the Skeptic raised his sword up. He held the hilt of his weapon level with his temple and held the sword horizontally to the floor. His left elbow was positioned up above his hair line, forearm also horizontal to the floor. His right arm crossed his chin and chest to hold the bottom half of the hilt.

If the Konti was at least competent in fighting, she would know that this stance was the most straight forward stance in the game. There was no deception in this stance. He threatened her whole body in this stance at the cost of dropping his defenses slightly. To the Akalak, this guard represented pure truth in intent. Garonn did not care that the stance was not the most defensive, he wanted to show the Konti that he meant to kill her regardless of the consequences. He projected his hatred through the sword and he didn't even have to swing.

In dead silence, Garonn wait to see what Lori would do. He wanted to see where her heart was really at. He would know her lies or truths depending on what she did next, "Words are wind. Speak through your Suvai."

oocObviously Lori might think differently, but at this moment Garonn isn't trying to attack her. He is trying to see how she carries herself and what type of stance she gets in and just other facial/body cues. As a swordsman he believes he can judge a persons character with one or two blows and even just observing his opponents stance... hope this makes sense

by **Verilian** on February 15th, 2013, 10:16 pm

Lori let out a bit of a sigh when Garonn fell into his fighting stance. Granted, she had pretty much expected him to attack her, but a small part of her had hoped they could get through the day without any violence. His words did surprise her, however. They were much deeper, much more serious, than anything she had heard him utter thus far. Perhaps he did have a brain beneath all that bulk?

"This isn't going to end well," she muttered as she reached for her weapons, concealed beneath the folds of her dress.

The stance she adopted was nothing like the one the akalak chose. She was almost casual about it, though an experienced warrior like himself would notice the subtle differences. Her weapons, while not raised before her, were held firm in her hands. Her balance was shifted slightly to her back leg. Her left leg was in front of her. And her eyes roamed the akalak's body, not out of appreciation, but looking for any sign of movement. She too was an experienced fighter, though her style was far different than that of a knight's. Overall, her stance was defensive, though the casual part may have just been to taunt the knight. She was confident that she could beat him, though whether or not that was true she really had no way of knowing for sure. But her confidence was clear, even if she appeared uninterested in the fight.

"If you're going to attack me, get it over with already."

OOCSorry if this description is not up to par. I'm not very good at describing such things. But yeah, basically she's pretty casual right now, though she is poised to move if necessary.

by **Imass** on February 15th, 2013, 11:07 pm

Garonn's mind raced as he watched Lori reach for her two Suvai. The paralyzing weapons where concealed beneath the folds of her dress. This fact alone revealed a lot to the Knight about her character; she did not want people knowing she was packing weapons, so perhaps she was scared of open conflict. Her face didn't show it though. She was calm, confident, casual, and uninteresting in fighting. Her eyes moved up and down the Akalak's body. Garonn didn't know what to think. There was no reason for her to look around like that, she should have been able to fully see all his moves without looking around like that. Perhaps she simply didn't have the courage to stare the warrior directly in the eyes. Words where fleeting to the brother so he ignored her final comment.

The Knight decided not to attack her just yet, he wanted to to see her reaction to a change in stance. Right now her Suvai were limp and she stood defensively, perhaps he could trigger some movement from her. His cold hard stare would remain constant the whole time though. Taking a step forward with his right foot, Garonn was in the exact same footwork as before except now his right foot was leading. He could have easily taken the safer route by taking a step back to switch his stance into an orthadox, but instead he decided to step forward. While the Konti tried to taunt him with murmers tricks, the Knight simply openly threatened her with this move. Now there were only two swords length between them.

Slowly, Garonn lowered his sword down from his temple and positioned it on his back leg's hip. The position of his hands on the hilt did not change so the transition was fluid. His right arm crossed his body and almost seemed to rest on his right leg. He kept his left elbow pointed directly behind him, coiled with as much power as possible. The blade was pointed directly at Lori's throat as a threatening sign of hatred. This stance was much more balanced than Garonn's original stance. Since the sword was positioned in front of his body, he had the ability to guard all cuts. His offensive power was dampened, but this stance also allowed for quickness. This balanced stance was a response to Lori's lies. It was basically saying that he didn't trust her one bit, that he still believed she was lying.

The Akalak waited in dead silence, still staring at her in the eyes.

by **Verilian** on February 19th, 2013, 4:45 pm

Lori was a servant of Rhysol, first and foremost. She was also an experienced Suvai fighter, as were most Konti who ever decided to leave Mura. She was also a healer, which meant she preferred to stay away from violence. She was a tease. She was a walking taunt. But none of that meant she did not take threats on her life seriously. When the akalak moved, so too did the konti. As his right foot came forward, hers slid back, lowering her center of gravity as she slipped into a defensive backstance.

Lori had no intention of being the first to strike. If she could avoid a fight, she would, but the akalak clearly wanted one, and she was tired of games. Her left leg was out front, though not so far as to throw her off balance. Her center of gravity was shifted slightly to the back, resting more over the right leg than the front. As she slid down into the stance her suvai came up, left hand extended out before her, the tip of the weapon pointing up, tilted slightly to the right. Her right hand remained low, the weapon pointing horizontally, and stayed near her body.

Lori's eyes stopped roaming Garonn's body, now meeting his own. In her new stance her legs could be seen through the slits in her dress, revealing they were well toned and muscled. Her arms were the same, now extending past the sleeves. She had the body of someone who knew exactly what they wanted their body to look like. The image of the frail konti woman was a useful facade, but were far from the truth. Konti were capable of the same things any other race was. They were warriors, as well as healers. They were workers, as well as artists. They were underestimated, but always rose to the challenge. The game was over. If Garonn wanted a fight, he would have one.

by **Imass** on February 22nd, 2013, 4:05 pm

Lori decided to get serious and finally shifted into a proper stance. She lead with her left foot, sitting in low and balanced. She held her Suvai in front of her body, one held vertical and the other horizontal. She had the courage to stare him in the eyes now. Her well toned muscles could be seen through her dress now. Garonn almost smiled, because Lori was starting to tell the truth now! She was not a meek healer as she made out to be. Now Garonn knew for sure her confidence was not an act, she truly believed she could handle him.

Although she was beginning to speak the truth, the dark brother was still skeptic; he still felt that deep down her stance was a lie. The Knight analyzed her for a moment and planned out his next move tactically. He decided to test Lori's truth and give her a kiss of steel. Garonn was under the impression that she was feigning her lead foot as the dominant; many warriors who duel wielded the same weapon lead with their weak leg as a murmur to throw off opponents. The Akalak decided to throw a strike whereas she would have no choice but to move so he could analyze her more. The goal was to gain more information, so he would throw his cut then back off immediately.

Pivoting on his right foot, Garonn stepped forward. He threw a stabbing thrust towards Lori's neck. Although he started with both hands at his hip, the Knight released his left hand from the hilt and stabbed single-handedly. Raising his left hand up in defense, the Knight made certain he could deal with her numbers advantage. Although Lori was duel wielding, the Knight's hand was a trained weapon ready to react. As soon as his strike had resolved, the Knight took two slide step backwards keeping his stance intact whilst getting away from Lori. If Lori attempted a rebuttal then Garonn would answer, but if not he would get back into his stance and wait silently as he had before.

Garonn's stab was one meant to kill and it threatened her whole neck and chest. The Knight was confident in his experience that no level of swordplay could block this attack, plus the reach on her Suvai was much less than his swords. Although she was still lying, Garonn believed he had her figured out. Now it was time to test it.

Secret :

Closed See Goodness (Imass)