"I'm limited in my spell arsenal. A little kick might be asking for a little much," Len said, then he sighed slightly and raised his staff. "I'll try something I've been working on for a while, elemental manipulation." He focused on the water again. He imagined the demons from their previous fight, they were attacking again. Barobarg was helpless in their midst, dying. Even if it was a figment of his imagination Len had to do something. He cast his spell. This time the wave crashing into the shoreline paused slightly and then turned back, slashing back into the water and bursting into a small shower of rain.
"hmm, something is blocking your magick ability," he looked at Len, "I'm a bit concerned in this matter, something happened to you, what happened to you exactly?
"I'm not sure I quite know what you by 'happened to me,'" Len stated slowly. "A lot of things have happened in my life. I was an orphan, never knew my parents. I was taken in my an old wizard who was just looking for a kid that would carry on his name. Then he died one day by his own foolishness. Since then I've traveled, seen things. Now I'm on this adventure."
So Incendia didn't know? She didn't even realize what she had done in her 'unconscious' state? "You mean you don't remember?" Annaleigh asked, a vague statement. "Were you dreaming? Did you have any nightmares that may have provoked . . . night-terrors?" She didn't know if that was necessarily the term to use. Anna had never seen anything like what had transpired the previous night. Incendia had almost died, and then she had reacted to the skeletons like one wouldn't normally. Had it been night-terrors?
"That would explain your problem, you've had a lot of trauma in your life, you need to be able to forget the past, move onward with the future, then..." He stretched out his arm and fired powerful bolts of dark energy, all exploding in a blinding brilliance. "you will be able to do great things."
"My past is all I have really. All I have is what Barobarg gave me, this staff, my book and some clothes. Then I also have the rights to his fortune locked up in Dyan but that's all." Len looked down at the sand which was dull as pale in the darkness of the night. "If I let go of my past then how can I have a real future?"
"I'm sure he was a great man, but know this, you will never have a future unless you oppose the past. The past draws on too many weaknesses, to have true power, to have a real strength is to look towards the future." He remembered those words, hmm he really even shouldn't remember words anyways, the past was his enemy, only the future held hope. Also I'm going to need your book."
Were you dreaming? Did you have any nightmares that may have provoked . . . night-terrors? "Night terrors? What are you talking about?" Incendia said, but immediately afterwords she remembered something. "Then again, I do remember having some very vivid dreams. At first they were just happy times from when i was a child, but then...", she hesitated ,"I dreamed of skeletons, death, and fire... the day my family died." She said as a dark shadow furrowed her brow. "But, that's past. Here, lets get you a new bag" She said with a strained expression.
"The book belongs to Barobarg," Len stated quickly, almost yelling at Deathblade. Then he sighed, seeing the logic in what Deathblade has told him. "Atleast let me return it to the rest of his belongings. I know I've tried to let my past guide me and change my future but that's impossible. This book belonged to Barobarg, it taught him magic. I need to follow my own path now."
"no my friend, you're going to need to destroy it. The only real way to get rid of the past, is to destroy it." Deathblade hoped that wouldn't offend the man.
Things were finally starting to make sense. Incendia'd had dreams of skeletons . . . That made sense. But when Incendia changed the subject, Annaleigh respected her privacy by simply nodding and pushing her way into the stoor. She took a quick look at her choices and selected a rather plain-looking bag from the rack. Anna was against extremely extravagant items; they would only draw unecessary attention to herself. She quickly purchased the item and went about looking through the store's other wares. "Do you like any of these?" she asked Incendia, pointing to a stand of jewelry and other assortments. It seemed like the type of things an heiress would enjoy. "This one is quite lovely," added Anna, pointing to a somewhat expensive necklace. She would never buy it, but it was worth looking at.
"Destroying the book is like killing Barobarg. He poured his heart and soul into his magic. Destroying the book by any human's hand would be wrong, it would dishonor him." Len took the book from his back and looked at it. He couldn't read it anyways, what use was having a book like that? He wanted a sign, something to tell him what the right thing to do was. But there was no sign, Len paused for a few more moments, waiting. Then it hit him. He kept on waiting for something to happen, if he was going to keep to his word to make his own path he had to do something on his own. Barobarg wouldn't have wanted him to be waiting like this. If he was really his master's apprentice then he would live life by actually taking action that he loves. Len gave the book one final glance and then threw it towards the ocean and raised his staff. He gave the book a push, watching it soar through the sky and into the horizon. Len never saw the splash. "The book deserves to be returned to nature. It's gone now, and you know what? I feel lighter somehow," Len stated happily. Though, it was probably just because the book wasn't strapped to his back anymore.
After the sixth or nineteenth cup of ale Atrius drank, he reflected on the last time both Lucas and him were in the tavern. Why had he denied his drink? He needed to take some more, this was barely making him lightheaded. Who knew you could build an alcohol resistance? "Hey, mate, remember in the tavern of the other town? Why did you deny me my cheers there, and now that we are, you keep up with me? Just a random thought." The barmaid that the bartender had sent was a much better looking one, obviously going for better tips and more orders. How blatant of him. Unfortunately, it was working. "Another round, please, dear." He said, while giving the barmaid an interested look. The barmaid gave him a side smile as she turned. Maybe tonight would be a good night, too.
Do you like any of these? This one is quite lovely "Yes it is, but that's a fake stone." The Ignis family specialized in two things, Fire and Gems. She knew her way around jewelry. "Here, this has a real stone, and I think it suits you a bit better." She said as she picked up a no less expensive, but simpler, still quite elegant necklace. "Plus this stone should be pretty compatible with your abilities. Pour a little energy into it when you cast a spell and you'll definitely feel a difference."
He saw the book fall into the water, Deathblade smiled he walked over to Len and clapped him on the shoulder, "my friend what you have done is an important thing to your training, you've commited to this path and now you must follow it to the fullest. Let us go back to the tavern, I believe I've taught you enough this evening." He walked ahead of Len and proceeded to the tavern. The past has to many dark stories to it, it made a man weak.
Lucas was keeping up with Atrius just fine, and he wasn't even woozy. Well, not yet at least. Just a little more cheerful than usual. "Hey, mate, remember in the tavern of the other town? Why did you deny me my cheers there, and now that we are, you keep up with me? Just a random thought." Maybe it was the alchohol, or maybe it was the fact that he just wanted someone to talk to. Either way, Luke didn't feel like hiding anything from the necromancer. He just wanted to spill all of his secrets right then and there. "Anna's not here. I don't need to worry about anything." The bar-maid once again walked off to get them another round of drinks, and Lucas found himself staring after here, something he would have never even thought to do an hour before. He really needed another drink. * * * "I didn't really want to purchase anything more, but now that you mention it, this could come in handy." She took a look at the necklace Incendia had pointed it. It was just just as pretty as the one with the fake stone. "I don't know . . . I may not have enough money to buy anything else. Besides, we need to worry about supplies for the trip first."
Deathblade entered the tavern with Len following him, he looked around, Luke... was... drinking? That was certainly a first that surprised even Deathblade, what more he was even drinking with Atrius. This is the most random thing he had seen. He proceeded into a dark corner and layed down on the couch one foot up the other on the floor. He could only wait for Luke's sister to get here.
Len smiled to himself and followed Deathblade back part of the way, then he saw the bank. "I'll see you later," he said simply and walked into the bank. "How can I help you?" The person inside asked. "I need to withdraw from my account. The name is Len." "No last name?" "No, just Len." Soon enough the teller recognized the account from their books and so Len made a fairly large withdraw. He carried a bag full of gold coins through the small town until he found the store he was looking for. It was a shop filled with everything a wizard might need. Len walked in and saw a tall man in his forties standing at the counter. "We close soon so make it snappy kid!" The man yelled. "I just need a new shirt. What do you have in the area of light armor or enchanted shirts?" Len asked as he circled the store once. "That depends on how much gold you got," the man told him. Len simply dropped the bag on the counter and looked at the man with a solid face. They simply nodded and rushed to the back of the store. He returned a moment later with a black long sleeve shirt. It shimmered slightly and appeared to be made out of scales in some places. The front, shoulders and part of the back were layered with thicker scales of fabric. "This is a one of a kind shirt crafted by some very powerful elves. The person who left me this shirt told me that it protected him against fire and lightning magic alike. He said it grows with it's wearer so you can wear it for a lifetime. Also, it's stronger than some chain mail shirts. It's yours for all this gold." "Fine but I'll need a pair of shorts that match as well." The man agreed and quickly fetched a pair of simple shorts just like Len's brown ones. Len quickly changed in a separate room and admired his new appearance for a few moments before leaving the store, satisfied. He hadn't changed his appearance since before Barobarg's death. It was a start at his new way of living, that was for sure.
I don't know . . . I may not have enough money to buy anything else. Besides, we need to worry about supplies for the trip first. "Then I'll get it for you. I have more money than i could ever spend in three life times. And I know what it's like to take care of a crazy brother like you have, it's a lot of work. We need to get ourselves something nice every once in a while." Incendia said as she walked over to the counter and bought the necklace and handed it to Anna. "I need to head over to a specialty shop that my family once owned, do you mind if we go there next?"
Before Annaleigh had time to politely decline Incendia's offer, the woman had already purchased it for her. "Thank you so much. I don't know how I could ever repay you," she said, placing the necklace around her neck. This would really come in handy. Incendia was a rather nice person. Perhaps Anna had misjudged her. "Thank you," she repeated. Incendia asked her if they could go to a different store, and she nodded in agreement. "Not at all. Lead the way."
Len returned to the bar and quickly sat down with Lucas and Atrius. Len felt slightly concerned at the sight of his drunk friends. "So, what have you two been up to?" Len asked in a sly manner, seeing quite clearly they had been drinking the night away.
"Anna's not here. I don't need to worry about anything." "Anna? But she's just your sister right?" Were they married or something. He was going to say something else, but the barmaid kept eyeing him from the other side of the bar. "You know, excuse me for a second." He drank a whole cup of ale on one gulp and made his way to the other side of the bar. "Hello, there." He looked at her, hoping for a response. She just looked at him for several seconds. "I'd love to... chat with you, but I'm married." She said, sticking out a poorly made ring. Probably made of iron. "What a coincidence, I'm an adventurer who you will never see again in your life." She just looked at him with a 'so-what' expression. "Obscenely rich, too." She gained a new appreciation for him. "Well, my shift is over in a half hour... Stick around." She said, handing him another couple of glasses of ale. He made his way back to the table. "She's married. Dibs." He said, giving one of the glasses to Lucas. His gaze fell on his blood-stained shirt, only visible from above his vest. Carpe diem, as they said.
Thank you so much. I don't know how I could ever repay you. "You don't need to repay me, think of it as a gift" Incendia said as she left the store and walked to the next one "Ah, here we are" she said as they came to a store named "Ignis Gems". They walked in and found the store to be lavishly decorated, with glass cases full of the finest of gems. As she walked in the man who was working at the counter immediately recognized the amulet she wore around her neck. "Welcome Madame Incendia Ignis. How may we be of service to you?" Said the man as he made an elegant bow bending as far as he possibly could.
Anna and Incendia weren't going to be coming anytime soon, so he figured he could get away with a few spoils. He left the tavern again walking to the nearest weapon shop, he approached the counter. "Hello good sir, I'd like to buy some augmentations." the blacksmith laughed at Deathblades request, "oh ho boyo augmentations are quite expensive these days and I don't you think you've got the gold to buy it." Deathblade raised an eyebrow and placed a sack on the table, "will this cut it?" The storeowner looked in astonishment at the pile of gold, "what will you have boyo?" "strength and dark augmentations will work just fine." After recieving the augments he walked out the store and noticed the girls doing some of their own shopping they went into what looked like a jewelry store, "hmm" he thought. Then he walked back to the tavern to begin his work.
Gloria looked upon Lucas as he chatted with another man. She also noticed the empty glass next to Lucas. She purchased a strong drink from the bar and brought it to him ''Here you go!'' she said, smiling casually. She handed the drink to him. ''Ill be back to join you in a minute...Im just going to use the bathroom. Drink up now!''
