Flashback The First Step of a Great Journey

[Khal'iah]

Timestamp: Fall 41, 412 AV There was a nip in the air. A cool, refreshing chill that could only accompany the time of Autumn. Though the violet-skinned warrior, born to the name Khal'iah Vojak, had a deep loathing for cold weather, this was the only kind of natural chill that he actually enjoyed. As he made his way through the city of Riverfall, his feet thumping along the pavement as swiftly as he could muster, a grin was plastered upon his face. He thoroughly enjoyed the feel of the cool air upon his skin, and his elated countenance reflected that. However, the presence of his smile was attributed to much much more, and this sprint about the city was more than a simple morning workout. The young warrior was saying farewell in his own unique way. Riverfall had been Khal'iah's home since the day of his birth and, aside from a voyage across th sea many years prior, he had known nowhere else as home. This was his place of comfort, this was his place of growth, and...this was his prison. Though he proudly walked the path of an Akalak warrior, he just could not bear the expectations his father placed upon his future. He was expected to go forth from Riverfall and find a mate, then return and settle down. He was expected to sire strong sons, and those sons were then expected to do the same. Finally, he was expected to then vie for a position upon the city's Council: a position that Khal'josa, the young warrior's sire, was eager to attain. This simply was not the life Khal'iah desired. He wanted to travel the world, freely, and to learn and grow from his experiences. So, he had made a decision. Khal'iah was going to leave Riverfall once and for all and attempt to carve out his own path upon Mizahar...and he didn't intend to let anyone stop him. This run was his way of saying goodbye: sprinting about the city, visiting all the places he had frequented in his time within the fair city. Then, once his sprint was complete, he deviated from his path and headed out towards the gate of the city, his intent being the completion of his "workout" within the surrounding fringe forests. There he would put himself through numerous paces one last time, saying a final farewell to the forest that he had trained within for several years, before returning within the city to bathe and secure his belongings. This was it. Khal'iah's future was in sight.

[Dasreide]

Cold. It was the first thought to come to mind upon the changing of the weather and the last to be acknowledged by the midnight-blue skinned Akalak that stood outside the gates of Riverfall. He wore his normal tabi, sock-like made from cloth and used for silence, along with a pair of loose white pants held to his hips by a twine bind. His chest was bare against the cold of the morning, droplets of perspiration cloaking his chest in a glistening layer. He had been working out in the early morning, far before anyone was even awake. Dasreide was the man's name. He was by far the most quiet and contemplating man out of all of Riverfall. His hair was up in the normal braided fashion that most Akalaks held, the dreads worked into a pony tail behind his head and tied together by a thin black string. His dull golden irises searched the forests outside of Riverfall as he waited, letting the cool air calm him and lower his body temperature. He was finely toned, but not too muscular. Some would call the man lean, his stomach flat and his abs finely defined. His biceps weren't as prominent as other Akalaks, but they were harder than stone when flexed. He had stove to build his body in such bizarre ways so that he would weigh half as much as others while containing twice as much muscle power in his frame. Then came the thunderous footfalls of another Akalak, galloping through the streets as if death itself was on his trail. Dasreide's brow furrowed slightly as he looked over his shoulder and through the gates at the rapidly approaching Akalak. He had forgotten that there were still some unruly people in Riverfall, even with the dual natures of the Akalaks. What is he doing? He thought to himself, frowning lightly. It appears he's running from something... or running to greet someone. Instinctively, Dasreide looked in front of him, towards the forests where many of the Akalak chose to train. Or maybe... He reached down to the blade that leaned against the wall within its deer hide sheath. The hilt was a fiery red with a small ruby in the center while the blade itself was a charred-black color. It signified the other side of himself, constantly reminding him to keep a hold on his other side. The strap slid easily onto his shoulders, the blade perfectly settled between his shoulder blades as he adjusted the length of the strap to fit his chest. The blade itself was only four feet in length, with a width of nearly six inches. It reached down behind his buttocks and nearly reached the bend in his knees. His tranquil quiet had been disrupted by the pounding of the Akalak's feet upon the stone pathways of Riverfall as he neared the gates. Dasreide waited for the Akalak to near enough for him to see who it was before yelling. He was ready to yell, but when he noticed it was the ever-so-spry Khal'iah, he simply sighed, bringing a hand up to rub his temples. He had heard about the rambunctious youth many times before and had even watched him fight as well. The winds stirred slightly as the youth approached the gates, causing Dasreide to look up towards the sky and off to the east slightly in thought. The time has come... He looked back to Kal'iah, awaiting the man's approach quietly. The winds settled when he finally neared. ...time for us to go.

[Duce Hazimari]

Duce stood over the rushing waterfall and considered his choices. Thinking about the futura nd who he can become. That was the thing he never figured out though who was he?. "Aaargh!" Duce yelled over the roaring falls. Why?...Why could he not remember? It frustrated him. Looking back toward the city he weighed his options again as he pushed rocks over the raging ledge. "Fine its done." Duce said walking down the road. He didn't care about Riverfall anymore or who he was. He didn't care about the fighting or defending honor for a family he didn't have anymore. Taking a horse from a local stableman and rode off toward the front gates as the sun set. Hoping that he wasn't too late he hopped off the horses and ran for it moving through crowds of traders and newcomers trying to pull his horse behind him. Finally at the gate exit, he stopped and looked at the two Akalak awaiting his arrival. Did he really want this? He looked behind him. Did he really want this? To leave everything that might give him an answer about himself. "I'm ready." Duce said stepping forward assuring himself this is what he wanted. Giving one last look at the life that he may never find, Duce stood with horse and stood with the other two Akalak

[Khal'iah]

Though his intentions were a carefully guarded secret from one individual in particular, his father, the fact that Khal'iah was literally about to fly the coop was nearly common knowledge. However, the denizens of Riverfall generally misinterpreted his decision to leave home as the typical "wife hunt" that every warrior of his age underwent. This would serve to play to the Akalak's advantage, as he would not have to worry about being confronted by elders of the city, his peers, or anyone else who wanted to jam their nose in his business. In only a few moments' time, the violet-skinned warrior slowed to a near halt once he finally exited the gates of the city and entered the surrounding fringe forests. As usual, he placed his hands atop his head and proceeded to take steady, deep breaths in order to calm his racing heart: a standard technique for those who ran on a regular basis. Then, a realization struck the young man like a ton of bricks: he was not alone. From out of the corner of his eye, appearing as a stark contrast of color against the brown of the trees, was a dark, blue-skinned Akalak that Khal'iah recognized as Dasreide. This particular individual was several times older than the young Akalak, yet shared in his desire to leave Riverfall behind. As such, Khal'iah greeted him with a warm, nearly eager smile. "Good afternoon Das," he stated happily, addressing the male by his "nickname", "how's about we have a decent workout before we hit the road?" As the words escaped his lips, his ears were greeted by the sound of hooves and whinnies: a horse and rider were making their approach. Khal'iah turned his head and witnessed Duce, a young Akontak of the same age as he, atop a steed and making an approach. "Duce! Glad you could make it." he said with a grin, motioning for him to come over. "Come, let's workout...then I've got to run back home and grab my things and Jak...then we can be on our way!"

[Dasreide]

Dasreide was rarely one to freely speak as the other Akalak youth did, his lips curling into a frown when he was asked to spar. Sparring was tradition, but that was not the sole reason behind why he sparred against another of the youths. He sparred for knowledge, the physical conquest of one's winning was just not enough for the matured Akalak. He grunted slightly, his shoulders raising and lowering in a soft shrug. It was his way of accepting the request as he turned on his heel and took a few steps back towards the forests, pausing to look back over his shoulder at Duce as he arrived. A slight sigh escaped his lips when he realized it was the rambunctious and thoughtless youth that most of the elders looked down upon. I guess I've no choice but to teach them patience. He thought to himself, frowning. Nevertheless, he reached a hand up to touch the hilt of his rather lengthy blade in thought before he continued on his way into the forests.

[Duce Hazimari]

Duce got looked at the other two Akalak. He recognized the younger one Khal'iah. He was a well renowned warrior in Riverfall unlike Duce who scratched up money by fighting for it in the arena. The other Akalak was older. Much older than them both. Duce wondered if the older Akalak was there for the same reason or if he was just passing by. It was then when he realized that Khal'iah had been asking him a question and he had not answered yet. "Oh. Yes I would like to spar." Duce said reaching for his deceased father's Lakan in his pack. The other Akalak Das if he had heard Khal'iah correctly was already prepared to draw his weapon and looked as if he was waiting on Duce to get himself together. Sliding the pack off his shoulders and tying the horse to a nearby tree, Duce was now ready to spar as he stepped forward into the open feild. He reconized this place from when he would steal from the merchants and newcomers when he was a child and knew every inch of this area. Getting into his fighting stance, Duce waited to see who his challanger would be. In his head he analyzed both of his competitors as if this was a real fight. I'm heavy and small framed so I can manuver more if not better than the other two. Khal'iah has streanth over me so I would have to watch out for his attacks and then strike, but Das has more experience than us both, so he may have his own tricks up his sleeve.". Duce sat and weighed his option. Comparing and playing out each attack senerio with the other two fighters but kept coming to a dead end realizing that what ever move he would make, he would get taking down. "Well I will wait for one of them to attack and then hope that I get lucky." Duce said as he stood still in his stance trying not to show that he was clueless.

[Khal'iah]

Though the eldest amongst the three of them spoke no words, he made his acceptance of the violet-skinned Akalak's challenge known by a simple shrug of his shoulders. This set the young warrior's mind ablaze with thoughts of strategy. First and foremost, Khal'iah began with a sizing up of his opponent. He was bigger, both in height and build, and wielded a weapon that was significantly larger than any that the violet-skinned Akalak had on his person. However, he wore no armor, or shirt for that matter, which meant that he'd be able to move a tad faster but at the sacrifice of protection. It comparison, Khal'iah had on his person his trademark longsword, his Lakan, and a buckler that was neatly tied to the forearm of his offhand. He had a chain shirt underneath his tunic that, while slowing him down just a tad, offered a decent amount of protection against blades. His buckler would also allow him do deflect the blows of the elder's blade, thereby exposing his unprotected chest. 'Alright,' said Khal'iah to himself after putting together an initial strategy based upon these facts, 'let's get this show on the road...' It was painfully obvious that Duce was far from being the target of the violet-skinned warrior, as Khal'iah wanted nothing more than to revel in the triumphing over one whom was much older than he. As such, his fingertips wrapped about the hilts of his longsword and Lakan, pulling them both free from his belt and holding them aloft as he followed after the blue-skinned Akalak. Khal'iah relied upon the trees between them to give him a small amount of cover from the blade that his opponent carried upon his back; as a large swing would result in the blade colliding with a tree and possibly sticking into the wood. Silence ruled the young warrior as he followed after his opponent in a manner reminiscent of a predator stalking its prey...

[Dasreide]

He will attack from behind. Dasreide was normally one to avoid training with more than one person, but he knew that he could spare them none of his strength. His attacks would be brutal, powerful and yet swift thanks to his abundance of pink muscle tissue that he had built over the years. Dasreide turned his head to look back at Khal'iah as he came to a stop within the forested area, a clearing just off of the road. The sound of metal on leather could be heard as the bastard sword was slowly drawn from the sheath, Dasreide's body turning to face the other two Akalaks as he narrowed his eyes. The blade lowered and was kept an inch off the ground to the side, held with one hand while the other hand was brought up to his chest. The hand was centered in the blueness of his chest, the middle and pointer finger extended while the rest were bent at the first knuckle. Duce and Khal'iah might recognize it as the sign of tranquility and peace, or they might not. Dasreide's eyes closed, the pale-gold irises hidden behin his eyelids. They will come. He thought to himself, breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth, waiting for one of them to strike.

[Duce Hazimari]

Duce stood there still as a mouse caught in the eyes of a hungry snake. He knew he was no match for either of them. One was too strong, the other too experienced. He tried not to make it obvious that he was intimidated by the length and power of both of their weapons. He was used to fighting two opponents at once, but that was in the arena, and with people that he had targeted knowing that if he was caught he could take them on with no problem. He stood there and watched as the other two waited for someone to make the first move. He was tired of waiting, but he also didn't want to lose his position. He figured that he was in the perfect spot. Out and in the open that way he could see both of them coming. Then again, he knew that he had very little patience, and his instincts would tell him to go out and attack. Then what. Allow himself to be idiotically lured into the forest and open to surprise attacks from both directions. He thought not. Knowing that he did not want to do it, he shifted his stance to where we was squatting down in running position. Looking at both of the Akalak, he thought of his options again. "Strength or experience? he asked himself agian. Taking a wild guess he moved. Low and fast he ran toward Khal'iah Lakan in hand behind him. He ran in zig zag formation to try and throw off the bigger Akalak as he moved in closer.

[Khal'iah]

At first, the violet-skinned Akalak had poised himself to launch an offensive against the eldest of those assembled there...yet while he had dedicated the vast majority of his attention to the task, he had failed to account for the boldness of Duce. However, the snap of twigs underneath the feet of the Akontak snapped Khal'iah awareness away from the azure-skinned warrior and planted it fully upon the zig-zagging warrior who swiftly approach. 'Ah shyke.' thought the warrior to himself, turning upon his heel so that his buckler may meet the charge head-on. He thrust forward his arm heavily, attempting to catch the Aktontak with a blow from his bucker whilst his longsword moved in a swift arch in an attempt to land a blow. Whilst he dealt with the threat of his younger compatriot, the violet-skinned warrior could only hope that the elder of the trio would remain standing in the midst of the forest...for if he joined the fray against Khal'iah, things would turn exceptionally difficult, exceptionally fast.