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The Exemplar - Shang Tsung - 10-30-2014
The sun was beginning to peak over the gable roofs.
On the ground in front of Shang, the pale and contorted corpse of a cutthroat lay still on the bloodied cobblestone. With a faint smile, the sorcerer used his foot to kick the body over into a shallow drainage gutter. The now soulless figure had worked for one of the district’s gang families, and on this lovely dawn, he was the fortunate idiot to try and harass the sorcerer.
And now he was just some forgettable corpse in a rundown neighborhood.
Leaving behind the less appealing parts of Darkshire, Shang dropped his nightly guise and walked his way through empty alleys and side streets until he reached a properly paved street that connected to the main thoroughfare. Although the skies were still a light shade of purple, people were starting to wander out of their homes and go about their morning routines. Shang nodded to a few of the businessmen he’d come to know over the last few weeks as he made a bee-line for the fort that stood in the northwestern quarter of town. When he got close enough, the guardsman flashed him a courteous smile.
“May I help you?” The young man inquired, his tone a clear attempt to show his deference toward someone who was older and at least had the appearance of someone with more clout in the world than him.
“Yes, you may.”
“What is the purpose of your visit?”
The sorcerer flashed a smile to the soldier. “I am a prime, and I want to play my role in defending Darkshire from the villainy that spreads and festers outside her walls.”
After a silent moment, the younger man furrowed his brow. “You’re here to enlist with the garrison?” When he received a nod from Shang, the guard paused once more before shrugging his shoulders. “I suppose it’s not too uncommon. If you’ll follow me inside, I will take you to the Tower Commander. He’ll take care of the paperwork and place you somewhere.”
“Lead the way,” Shang said with a faux smile. “I just want to do my part to make Darkshire a safer place.”
Re: The Exemplar - Shang Tsung - 11-06-2014
In many ways, there was little that could adversely affect Shang Tsung. He’d gone from the peak of power and opulence to the depths of despair and poverty and back again a few times. For almost four decades, he had languished in the prisons of Shao Kahn.
As a result, Shang had very little reaction to the scant quarters provided to the flesh-and-blood members of Darkshire’s garrison. When you were forced to sleep standing up for three years, you stopped worrying about the size of your mattress of how fluffy your pillows were. Unfortunately, the other four members of his recruitment class did not share his indifference, and he was thus forced to listen to them complain incessantly about every minute detail of the small, closet-like room they shared. Shang consoled himself by thinking up ways to murder them.
When the call came to report to their stations, the sorcerer had to suppress a smile as he picked up his sword and shield and took the eastern corridor. He would be stationed with a separate group of individuals, so with any luck, they’d have less irritating things to complain about over the course of the day.
After a little under a minute of jogging down the stone corridor, Shang reached the reinforced wooden door that led up to the tower. Yanking it open, he slipped inside and made his way up the stone stairs and slipped the hatch that connected to the next level. This level contained not only the battlements and access to the roof of the tower, but also a small common room where weary guardsmen could nap.
The ‘lounge’ was empty, so Shang threw open the nearest wooden door and stepped out onto the outside platform that hugged the tower. Only two feet and a short little stone wall separated him from plunging a few dozen feet to either the streets of Darkshire or the empty stretch of land outside the aging walls. To someone who had enjoyed wine at the top of the Eiffel Tower, the view left much to be desired.
Re: The Exemplar - Atelos - 11-11-2014
As Atelos reached the gate he noticed the moss on the giant portal. How weird. I thought Omni would upkeep his playthings a little more. He rolled his eyes and touched the portal. Darkness…the same darkness when he met Omni. It was there again. It was present for a single second but Atelos recognized it immediately. The darkness immediately faded and dropped into this gloomy world. He came to his senses and immediately noticed the gloom and heaviness of the area. He could physically feel his aura being pressed down by his environment. Although this sadness and graveness had a subliminal effect on Atelos, the people just ignored it and followed their daily routine. Atelos didn't understand it and continued to contemplate it while he walked.
He walked down the streets, people normal. They had normal lives and this place seemed mundane. He wondered what makes this place as gloomy. People had their normal professions just as a normal town. There were bakeries, shops, farms, and markets. This place almost seemed normal, not a place Atelos would live but it seemed normal.
As he walked down the streets a person caught his eye. A man was walking with a purpose straight to some sort of fort? I guess this place has wars too. He tried to follow the man but he was to fast. As he turned the corner he noticed a few businessmen greeting the man with either gratitude or appreciation. He struggled to catch up with the man and he noticed that he reached the fort and was speaking to a young man who appeared to be a guardsmen. Why was he enlisting at such an old age?
"…Defend….villainy…" was all that Atelos heard. Atelos grinned. At least some people cherish Justice
As he approached the guardsmen, the guardsmen took notice and attempted to ask a question, but before he could even speak…
"Greetings, what was that older man doing here"
"Uh, he was here to defend the town from the evils that lie beyond these walls" the soldier taken back but the brashness and the seemingly mannerless attitude of the Spartan in front of him.
"Great!… Where can I enlist."
The soldier seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, the battle-scarred warrior that carried a massive shield was a pleasure to see… in regards of battle. "Uh, just follow me and I'll take you to the Tower Commander"
Atelos quickly complied and followed the soldier. Atelos was just glad he could still do good in the world, even if it wasn't his own world. Maybe life wouldn't be so bad in this new place, for starters he now isn't alone anymore…As his garrison was being toured, he was taken to the sleeping quarters. He saw pillows, and he almost seemed to drop his jaw. How much money did these people have. People in his time had wooden blocks, they couldn't afford stuff like this. His bunkmates noticed Ateos' grin and just seemed to ignore him.
"Report to your Stations!"
Atelos went to pick up his armor, sword and shield. The Soldier handing out the necessities for war was taken aback when Atelos showed up. Already in the casual Spartan armor and with a giant shield, Atelos just took the sword, bowed, and thanked the soldier. The soldier was left speechless as he saw Atelos jogging away. East station, east station, east station. Atelos kept repeating the instructions in his head. Atelos felt the blood rush through his veins. This felt just like home. The army. The people. The war. He couldn't help but smile as his aura turned blue. He couldn't help remembering what happened after the war…He shook his head. This is a new world, a new life, new families to be made.
As he was climbing up the stone staircase he opened the door to the lounge, awaiting orders. The room was completely empty…all except a door opened with the older man outside 'enjoying' the view. Atelos seemed to relax a little bit. He was hoping that he would see him here. He casually walked to the wall next to the door and leaned his back against it. No point of being alert with no orders.
Atelos chuckled. "What made you want to join?" Atelos said. The sudden voice seemed less to startle the man but just more alert him. Atelos walked in front of the man to greet him. He noticed the edge of cliff and how the man seemed to be on the edge. He took a step back in order for the man to get his ground. The older man really was old, wearing a robe of sorts. He doesn't look like the master of a sword. What is his poison. He shook of this thought. He slung his shield on his back and outstretched his hand, his aura emanating a bright neutral white.
"Greetings, I'm Atelos. It is a pleasure to make your aquantaince."
Re: The Exemplar - Shang Tsung - 11-13-2014
He had tried his best, but Shang couldn’t hold back the scowl that gradually took root across his youthful features. From this height, the city of Darkshire left much to be desired, with its sagging rooftops, crumbling structures, and general appearance of a city in the midst of an urban conflict. Outside the city walls, the Moors were busy living up to their moniker, and the skyline was equally drab. From his vantage point, Shang could spot what looked to be the rotting remains of old farmsteads, and he could even see vague impressions where fields may have been. Aside from those drab reminders of what the city had once been, it wasn’t until one got a few dozen miles from the city that there’d be anything like a forest or hills.
Since someone had decided to build a city on a flat stretch of land rather than in the mountains, Shang could only imagine that the Pale Moors had once been a gentle place. Whoever had wrecked the place deserved his admiration, because all that remained of the past were corpses.
“What made you join?” The booming voice of the man started the sorcerer, almost causing him to topple headlong over the side of the wall. After steadying himself, Shang turned around to face the man, who promptly backed up to give his newfound associate some breathing room. “Greetings, I am Atelos. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
From the getup, Shang guessed he was starting at a career military man or a veteran soldier of fortune. His olive-colored skin and deeply corded muscles revealed a lifetime of dedication, and his eyes revealed nothing remotely close to weakness. On top of that, he wore little…just a short cloak around his broad shoulders, cloth wrapped around his waist and groin, and durable soldier’s boots. A heavy bronze shield was strapped to his back, and a xiphos dangled next to his waist. In the cradle of his left hand, Shang spotted a bronze helmet.
Strangest and least commonplace of all, however, was the faint white aura that glowed around the man's impressive figure.
“My name is Shang Tsung,” the sorcerer said, extending a hand to the other man. The two exchanged a firm handshake before relaxing their postures and both turning their gaze to the landscape beyond the city. “Are you also a foreigner in these parts? You seem a little too Grecian to be from Darkshire. Were you pulled into this realm as well?”
Re: The Exemplar - Atelos - 11-13-2014
His new companion turned around with a little jumpiness to him. As he saw him turn around he saw the person eye Atelos down. As he linked eye contact with his new associate he saw the workings of a cunning man. I better be careful with this one. He could tell that the man knew who was dealing with. Atelos admired this. Even though he had the looks of a treacherous man he knew what respect was. Atelos liked this. He liked it a lot. He liked it so much he began to grin with some sort of pride and his aura grew a little brighter. Atelos gave into his pride and let his opinion of the man grow greater than originally.
"My name is Shang Tsung." The man's red robes and face indicated he had some ulterior motive…but Atelos didn't care. As Shang Tsung shook his hand with a firm grip, they outlooked to the grim dark city. This man knows how to make an impression The city's gloom could not deter Atelos' smile. The pride Shang made him feel, even it was fake, was enough to brighten his day.
“Are you also a foreigner in these parts? You seem a little too Grecian to be from Darkshire. Were you pulled into this realm as well?” said Shang.
Atelos chuckled. "To be literal I had not been invited to this world just recently." He grinned as he pulled his shield. He displayed his shield as if it were a trophy. He banged the shield several times with utter pride. "This… is a Spartan Shield. A great country…But that's far away now…" His aura turned a slight blue and seemed to rescind into Atelos.
Atelos shook off the emotion. "And what about you?" But before Shang Tsung could answer there was a thunderous roar of steps coming up the stairs. The pace seemed frantic and hurried. Looks like we have company He chuckled a thunderous roar and walked up his new friend patting Shang with much force staggering the sorcerer. He let out a great sigh and put his helmet on. His face immediately turned into a face that would kill. The staggering difference in personalities seemed to almost startle Shang. Atelos no longer looked like a man but a machine…a war machine with no purpose other than to fight or kill. His aura turned red and his glove ignited. As the steps grew louder so did his flames and his desire to fight.
Re: The Exemplar - Atelos - 11-16-2014
His flames soon died out once the door opened. The commander opened the door, "Wake up you lazy maggots, It's time for basic training." His voice trailed off once he saw the two domineering warriors stood there. "Come down to the first floor now." He shut the door behind him leaving Shang Tsung and the warrior there awkwardly standing. Atelos felt especially embarrassed. He had been fighting for so long in his life that he was embarrassed when it wasn't for an actual battle. His face blushed a little bit while his partner remained calm and seemed to dread going down to the training grounds. Atelos let out a slight chuckle, "I guess we won't be thrown into battle that early I guess."
The two were thrown into together into the same training schedule but before the basic training even began they had an introduction. Atelos knew what this was. It was to weed out the weaklings who would be of no contribution to the defenders. "Hello everyone. I am your Commander and these next two weeks will be your introduction to hell. These next two weeks will not be easy and neither will I."
The Commander had all the recruits line up and had them stand at attention. As the Commander was walking around Atelos knew he wasn't going to be pleased with most of the line-up. Most of the new recruits were pathetic people wanting a little extra pay or just some place to sleep. They weren't fighters…certainly couldn't be called a warrior. The commander was sizing up everyone and yelled at those who didn't meet expectations. The man next to Atelos was scrawny and had a lackadaisical attitude and definitely didn't want to be there. While everyone else was standing straight at attention this young lad was slouching and was moving his head around. The Commander came by and looked at the unenthusiastic boy. Oh Shit why did I have to be placed next to THIS guy. The Commander seemed furious once he looked upon the boy.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE BOY! WHY IS A WORM LIKE YOU DOING IN MY BASIC TRAINING!"
The boy started to sarcastically reply to the officer but before he could get a word in the Commander interrupted. "DO YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN THE REST OF US! GET DOWN AND GIVE ME TWENTY!" The boy complied slowly and before he could even do one the Commander kicked him and knocked him to the ground. As the boy was groaning the Commander kneeled down and whispered to the boy. "Get out of here and don't come back until you are prepared to become a warrior." The boy scampered back up and ran across the room in tears. One of the officers wanted to intervene but the Commander waved him off. "We need warriors to watch the walls, and he…he was not a warrior."
That went better than I expected The officer went up to Atelos and looked him in the eye. Atelos saw the eyes of a man who has seen many of his comrades die…and the Commander saw the same. The Commander saw the machine inside Atelos…he didn't need training and both of them knew it. The Commander moved on without a word to the next person. The Commander kept this routine, yelling at those who needed to and ignoring those who have felt the brutal life of war. But the only people who knew that apparently were Shang and himself. Atelos was surprised. I guess Shang has more to him than meets the eye.
After the Commander had finished his tour of the recruits he dismissed them into pairs where they would practice sparring. Atelos took Shang for his partner and noticed that he had more agility and experience than he initially thought. While they were pretending to swing at each other Atelos grinned, "So how about you tell me about yourself since we were so rudely interrupted?"
Re: The Exemplar - Shang Tsung - 11-22-2014
The Spartan was a jumpy one. He had proven as much when he nearly impaled the tower commander for rushing up the stairs and through the access door. After the commander’s arrival, the pair had been pulled back into the interior of the structure to undergo the garrison’s hazing procedure. A smaller man had been ejected for managing to already fail to meet expectations. When the commander reached Atelos, the two exchanged a momentary look before the officer moved on to the next would-be soldier.
When he reached Shang, the commander likewise offered no harsh language or glares. For someone in such a backwater post, the officer clearly excelled at reading people. That also meant that the Spartan was probably the only person of merit in the small garrison. Shang didn’t risk glancing at the others, but he doubted there were any Primes in the bunch beside himself and the Grecian. Once the commander completed his inspections, he ordered that the would-be soldiers pair off for the sake of impromptu combat practice. While he would have much rather beaten down on a bald-faced farmhand, Shang found himself confronted by the Spartan, who wore a wide grin across his chiseled visage.
Without requiring the prompting, the sorcerer drew the jian from the scabbard on his back. The Spartan drew his own blade, and in silence, they began to parry one another’s strikes.
"So how about you tell me about yourself since we were so rudely interrupted?"Atelos inquired as he swung high and to the left.
The sorcerer had to stifle a laugh as he sent the blow wide of its intended target and followed up with a blow that was parried just as easily. “My name is Shang Tsung. I was born during the time of the Tang Dynasty to a family of local bureaucrats.”
Atelos furrowed his brow as he mulled over the information. After the two exchanged another set of blows, the Spartan came in with a low-aiming attack. Seeing the change in pattern, Shang likewise inverted his blade to mimic the swing. With a clang, their two weapons met, and on this occasion, neither man capitulated. “You’re quite proficient with that blade to be a bureaucrat,” Atelos remarked before stealing a glance at the other recruits. “And you’ve also got more muscle than you let on.”
“I couldn’t handle the clerical work, so I left home to join a monastery. They were the type of monks who dedicate themselves to not only their religion but also to mastery of kung fu,” Shang responded as the two broke away from one another. A beat later, they looked blades above their heads. “It was a slightly more exciting existence, but I craved more, you see.”
Re: The Exemplar - Shang Tsung - 11-28-2014
“Hubris?” Atelos inquired as the two exchanged another quick flurry of blows.
“Boredom.” Shang shot back with a smile as he swung low. “I abandoned the monastery to enter a tournament. A tournament comprised of the greatest warriors from Gaia and the other realms.” The sorcerer made certain to use terminology that his associate would understand, lest he waste me words on explanation.
“Gods?” The Spartan asked as their blades clashed over their heads a few times.
“Champions. Some had the strength of demigods. Whoever won the tournament would bring peace and prosperity to their home, and if a realm ever won ten consecutive tournaments, it would absorb the loser into its landholdings.”
“Did you win?”
“No,” Shang answered as he dodged a light swing and thrust his blade toward Atelos’ chest. The Spartan veered back and smacked the blade to the side before it could find its mark. “I was defeated in the semi-finals, although it was discovered later that my opponent has cheated. He had tampered with part of the arena the night before.”
“A heinous act,” Atelos muttered before the two exchanged another rapid set of blows. “I would have been unable to rest until I had revenge.”
Shang snickered at irony only he understood. “He was executed by the Elder Gods, but I remained in disgrace nevertheless for my defeat.”
“And then you wound up here?”
“No, but that story will have to wait for another time.” With that, Shang swung high. The Spartan countered easily but wasn’t prepared for when the sorcerer stepped forward and thrust his free hand into his partner’s armored chest. With a loud thud, Atelos landed on his backside. The look on his face was somewhere between shocked amusement and irritation.
As the Spartan rose to his feet, Shang stole a moment to glance at their surroundings. Rather than engage in their own folly attempts at sparring, the other members of their trainee garrison had their eyes locked on the two primes. You should be in awe of your betters. Removing the smile from his face, Shang extended a hand to Atelos, who shrugged him off and rose to his feet. The pale white aura that draped the warrior’s figure appeared to be ‘burning’ a little stronger as he reached behind his back and retrieved his large bronze shield.
“Yes, I think it’s time we set the banter aside and settle this,” Atelos muttered, a scowl on his face as he rapped his sword against his shield.
The sorcerer nodded his head as he backed up against the wall and retrieved a kite shield from the ground. It was time for him to stop pulling his punches and test both his new acquaintances resolve and equipment. With a smile, Shang moved forward and swung wide with the jian. Rather than intercept the blow with his sword, Atelos used his shield to bash the weapon to the side with a shocking degree of strength. The sorcerer had to tighten his grip or lose his blade, and in that moment, he left himself open to the flat side of the Spartan’s sword, which smashed Shang on the side of the skull.
“That blow would have been fatal had I used the blade.” Atelos said matter-of-factly as he crept toward a now fallen Shang. With a now blood-laced smile, the Chinese warrior rolled away from a downward sword stab and popped up to his feet. Before the Spartan could wrench his blade from the ground, his opponent lashed out at him. Atelos managed to liberate the sword in enough time, but when he moved to parry the oncoming attack, he watched his weapon shatter upon impact. His foes broadsword continued its path uninterrupted and smashed against his bronze breastplate. The material held strong against the weapon, but the force was more than enough to dent the material and deliver a crushing blow to the right side of the Spartan’s ribcage.
Atelos stumbled backwards, and as Shang watched, the white aura that enveloped the Spartan seemed to literally go up in flames. Pale white faded away as a blanket of crimson, ethereal fire engulfed the warrior’s figure. With a roar, Atelos charged—his shield leading the way.
Shang threw up his own defensive bulwark, and in a show of irony he wouldn’t soon forget, the iron kite shield exploded on impact with its Bronze Age predecessor. Unimpeded, Atelos landed another thunderous blow against his foe’s chest and face. When Shang failed to go down after the first blow, the Spartan reared back and thrust his shield forward once more. Rather than absorb another painful attack, the sorcerer dropped backwards, rolling head-over-heels before righting himself a few yards from his opponent.
He set his eyes upon the bronze shield, which glowed with the same fires that enveloped Atelos. Not going to get through that with brute force. Holding his sword in his right hand, Shang beckoned the Spartan to attack once again.
When they came together, Shang swung with his sword. Atelos bashed it far to the side with his shield, leaving both of the men open to attack. In that moment, the Spartan clenched his fist and threw it at his opponent’s face, but before his gauntleted fist could find its mark, Shang opened left hand. In a flash of orange and red, a ball of fire erupted from the sorcerer’s fist and smashed against the Spartan’s chest. The impact knocked Atelos back and left him open for the oncoming sword strike that stopped short of his neck.
Without words, the two stared at one another, knowing they had made their first encounter with someone in the Omniverse who could match them. As the fires around the Spartan died back to pale white, the two warriors relaxed their stances as the garrison trainer walked over to them.
“That’s enough for now,” he spoke, despite the fact that neither man was bothering to pay him much attention. “We’ll reconvene for post assignments at 2000 hours. Dismissed.”
Re: The Exemplar - Atelos - 11-28-2014
"Dismissed"
Atelos got up his aura dying down. His face was a blank slate however he had a flurry of feelings inside of him. Pyromancy…I knew Shang was more skilled than I thought…Sly, cunning, strong, and has magic. Not a good combination. Atelos got up realizing he overestimated his own skills and his equipment as he hazily glanced to the floor, seeing the broken hilt of his old sword. He kicked it to the side completely ignoring it with the shattered pieces disappearing into the ground. Atelos' face was blank but inside it was killing him. He couldn't believe that he was the one who was brought to submission. His mind was plagued by the sight of the sword tip at his neck. He was always on the other end of the sword. Shang walked to the Spartan and extended his hand.
"That was quite a fight," he peered over and smiled. "I believe we put up quite the show for our…less impressive comrades."
Atelos looked around and noticed that the other trainees had stopped their sparring to view their brawl. He looked at the extended hand and his pride said not to shake it, conflicted with his own warrior's code of respect. With a little hesitation he shook Shang's hand. "You were quite impressive. I would hate to be your enemy, for that would be a glorious fight. You are one to test my skill, as well as my sword." He chuckled for a second revealing slight amount of disappointment and shame in his eyes before covering it up with his warrior's pride. He then let go of the Sorcerer's hand and quickly put his shield over his back. He turned around and noticed the ongoing conversations between the sparring partners, which were most likely not focused on themselves.
Atelos was about to say something witty to Shang but was interrupted by the Trainer. "Alright everyone, nothing to see here. Go on your merry way." Atelos walked away with Shang, both with bruised bodies, and one with a bruised spirit. Atelos and Shang both walked, along with the rest of their squadron, to their quarters. Atelos without a word to Shang, went to his "bed" awaiting for his assignment later that night. He walked and took of his armor and his helm revealing the extent of his bruising. He cursorily glanced at the massive purple bruise on his ribcage and dismissed it. He then lay on his share and just stared at the ceiling contemplating his new life. He sat over what went wrong in the battle and promised to learn from it.
Shang however didn't wish to go to his bunk to early. He seemed to be in a better mood until he saw his companions from earlier. They permanent scowls and whiney complaints seemed to pierce through his skull. He quickly went away from his bunkmates to the furthest wall possible and began to continue his reminiscence of Paris and the luxuries he enjoyed back at Earth.
However, one thing they both heard was the "hushed" whispers of their training group telling everyone about the two primes sparring. Atelos' aura, still soft was now turning a slight pink at the remembrance of his defeat.
"Did you hear about the Spartan and the Chinese?…The Spartan totally kicked ass!…But the Chinese guy had him at the very end…" Atelos was now very irritable and now closed his eyes attempting to sleep while the rest of the squadron was talking about the fight the two just had.
"The Spartan's sword was shattered! You know what isn't hardly dented? His shield. You should go touch it!" The idiot group that had annoyed Shang had said. Their giggles and whispers resembled a teenage group of girls who were gossiping about boys. One of the foolish soldiers came up to Atelos to check if he was sleeping, sure enough his eyes were closed and his breathing steady. He let out a slight giggle and picked up the Spartan's shield and took a great look at it. He put it on his arm and he turned to his friends for a look of approval. Although the received it at first, his friends had a panicked look on their faces. The boy had a confused look on his face and turned to put the shield away when he faced the six-foot Spartan. The Spartan ripped the shield away from the boy and grabbed him by his hand forcing him to stay there.
"In my country we do what we need to do to win the war and become a good soldier. Whether it would be to steal food or to steal a weapon it was fine unless you got caught." His sour mood was finally being lifted and he let out a small smile. Well you didn't steal but you dishonored my weapon. He paused just long enough to let out a grin on his face. And you got caught. His gauntlet ignited searing the young boy's hands forcing him to emit a painful scream. After a brief period of time he let go revealing that the boy now had 2 fingers on his left hand. A thumb and the deformed melted mesh of flesh and bone. The boy ran and went over to his friends seeking comfort in numbers. Atelos let out a slight chuckled, met in unison with Shang's. He glanced over to see the Sorcerer laughing at the opposite end of the room witnessing everything that had happened.
Meeting up with the Trainer at 2000, the squadron all lined up waiting for instructions. The trainer then split the group into four. He told two squads to watch the walls, one squad to be prepared awaiting instructions at the gate, and one reconnaissance. Of course, Atleos and Shang were in the same squad. As they departed Shang glanced at Atelos who gave him no mind. Departing with a few other soldiers the Trainer called out to Atelos, "Try and not to burn anyone else's fingers Atelos." A wide grin appeared on his face and he kept on walking.
Walking beyond the walls the squad had found nothing for a large period of time. The large awkwardness of the two warriors was tangible and caused the squad great discomfort. As they ventured further into the forest the group had seen some shadows. As the group got closer the shadows had turned into a legion armored skeletons.
"The undead are organizing," the squad leader had said. "FALL BACK! WE MUST INFORM THE WALLS!" The rest of the squad flew running behind Atelos while he just stood there. Shang was falling back, with less hurry but paused to see Atelos standing there, his aura turning into three swords. The first skeleton came swinging at him, which he easily dodged and beat with his fist. He took out his shield and looked at the Sorcerer.
"Are you going to help me or are you going to stand there like a pansy? " Atelos' grinned and turned facing the horde or skeletons. This is what he was trained for.
Re: The Exemplar - Atelos - 12-05-2014
The horde of skeletons was incoming towards the fleeting squad, Atelos shining his bright fire, seemingly different from the rest of the background. Atelos stood there his aura swords ready, a squad of ten skeletons were standing before him. They were standing in ironclad armor and they had swords. They seemed to be of Viking Descent, the horns in their helmets indicated so. A squad of ten Vikings stumbled towards Atelos, his aura swords in a defensive style. The squad surrounded Atelos and his shield and glove ignited. Three in the front charged towards him but were met with Atelos' fiery shield. Their bones held together fell apart leaving the metal clad, however five more skeletons joined the squad. Atelos soon fell the other five while keeping the others at bay. But their ranks kept on growing, not stopping. His swords repeatedly sliced off skeleton's heads but their spots were soon replaced. He was being swarmed by the numerous skeletons and he could hardly keep the swarm at bay.
The squad had turned from ten to about fifty now. Atelos was constantly destroying the giant horde with his fists and shield. He was barely keeping up with the Skeletons, however he was now forced to the defense, effectively killing none of the squad. However, their numbers seemingly grew and Atelos realized why the squad had left. But he was a warrior and retreat was not an option. He would use his warrior's spirit to overcome the numbers and he needed to find a way out of this mess.
*Slice* A viking managed to scrape Atelos in the leg. "SHANG! HELP ME! I CANNOT HOLD THEM ALL BACK!" He was being overcome with Shang standing in the background. Atelos was now receiving large amounts of scrapes in is plea for requests.
Re: The Exemplar - Shang Tsung - 12-06-2014
He didn’t realize it, but Atelos had played his trump card. During their scuffle, the sorcerer had been amused to find that the Spartan’s shield was an extension of the warrior’s burning spirit. That much could have been guessed easily enough, as a shield was important in the military tactics of the period from which Atelos had lived. How many battles had been won by Grecian hoplites, with their heavy shields and sturdy spears? Now, however, the Spartan had shown that he wasn’t just a skilled warrior plucked from history. If the glowing aura hadn’t sealed the deal, the telekinetic swords and the burning gauntlet did so.
Part of him wanted to watch the Spartan die, if only so Shang could have some undeniable proof that primes were immortal. How many more cuts and bruises could the burly Mediterranean sustain before he was overwhelmed and rip to shreds by the platoon of reanimated corpses? And would a dead prime yield a soul like the normal chattel that Shang had murdered?
All it would take was a few more tense moments, but the sorcerer knew it would be too costly an experiment. After all, he would have to kill the two secondaries, lest they serve as witnesses. Even then, he wouldn’t want to have to return to the garrison. If the Spartan’s death was ephemeral, he doubted Atelos’ resulting desire for vengeance would be just as fleeting. The last thing Shang needed at this point was an immortal who wanted to see him dead.
With that, the sorcerer threw his hand forward and released a flaming skull at the group hacking at the Spartan. The concussive force blasted apart two of the skeletons and knocked away those who survived. In that small opening, Atelos was able to rise back to both feet and give himself a little more breathing room with a wide swipe of his shield.
“You ready for this, gentlemen?” Shang asked to the two secondaries as he drew his jian. Although neither man seemed mentally prepared, they both drew their own steel of choice and fell in line behind the sorcerer. He didn’t have time to at the moment, but later the sorcerer would reflect upon this as a nice little indicator of the impressionable nature of Darkshire’s youth. “Into battle!” Shang shouted as he rushed forward, both hands clutched around the hilt of his weapon.
Re: The Exemplar - Atelos - 12-07-2014
Atelos was being overwhelmed by the mass of skeletons when he foolishly decided he could defeat them all single-handedly. "Shang?" The spartan seemed to wait for hours with no help while he frantically parried and blocked the never-ending blows that was ongoing with the Skeleton warriors. The sorcerer didn't help the Spartan and he thought for a minute that he was alone. However, hope came through when a flaming skull knocked down the skeletons that were behind him. He took the opportunity and sprang up and backed away. He was prepared to reposition himself but he heard a battle cry and Shang sprang from nowhere, charging into battle with his weapon, followed comically by the two secondaries who had no idea what they were doing.
Atelos stood there, bewildered for a second before he charged in, next to Shang. He put his back against Shang's protecting him, while the two secondaries were hiding behind both of the primes.
"Thanks for the help…Brother."
Shang seemed a little surprised at the diction the Spartan and smiled a little bit. Atelos was not sure if he was joyful at the words he used or was it a laugh at the loose words he had used. Atelos just shook it off as over thinking and put his mind to the battle at hand.
"Hey whimps! Stand next to us. You can have our leftovers!" Atelos chuckled as the recovered skeletons began to stand back up and the two secondaries flimsily swing their weapons at the skeletons, clipping an arm. One of the soldiers swung loosely at the Skeleton and it hid soundly against his shield, causing the soldier to drop his weapon in surprise.
"My WEAPON!" Atelos sighed, did he have to do everything himself. Rather than continue to listen to the secondary who lost his weapon complain about how they were going to die, he just lent him one of his aura swords. The sword fell from Atelos' range of command and fell into the hand of the secondary, pulsating with its normal fire.
"Try not to break it." Atelos chuckled as more skeletons fell underneath the pressure of his shield. The battle seemed endless. Shang would destroy his entire front with his sword, Atelos would do the same, and the secondaries swiped at one or two that came their way, only to be cleaned up by the two primes. But the ranks never collapsed and Atelos tried to find something that was causing their numbers. They had to have an end. Atelos made another swipe and he got a clear view. The endless skeletons where continuing to charge the primes. Another shield bash, and he noticed a couple of enemies that were different from the rest. Then they were covered by the mass of skeletons. He cleared his wave and he saw them again, they were in dark cloaks and had a silver staff covered by blue magic? He saw more skeletons rise before them and he knew these were this was the source of the unstoppable onslaught.
"Shang i'm going to kill them." Shang looked initially confused because he had no idea what he was talking about. Atelos took back his sword and the secondary was reaching after it like a child taken a toy away. Atelos got his swords covering him and his shield protecting those in front of him. He charged in, fighting for his life.
Re: The Exemplar - Shang Tsung - 12-11-2014
The sorcerer spotted the necromancers just moments after Atelos’ declared his intentions. Before Shang could offer a remark, the Spartan shoved into the horde of reanimating skeletons and started bashing and slashing at everything in his path. A grimace spread across the other man’s visage as the undead filled the gap created by his associate and turned their sites on him. Rather than frivolously fight a battle he couldn’t win, Shang switched to a defensive stance and started to fall back toward the two secondaries.
Shockingly inept, the two would-be garrison soldiers were struggling to maintain their composure, despite the fact that they only had at most three skeletons swinging at them. As he watched them flail, Shang was happy he wouldn’t have to rely on them to watch his flanks in combat situation involving intelligent adversaries. “Fall back!” He shouted at them as they managed to knock back their opponents. “We need to draw them away from the Spartan.”
The younger of the two men—a blonde with an unshaven face and a tiny little mouse nose—cringed as if he’d just been stabbed. “We’ll be overwhelmed!” He added as he stumbled away from the swing of an axe and scurried the rest of the way over to Shang.
“We’ll be dead regardless,” the sorcerer shouted as the wave of skeletons continued to hobble after them. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw a small hill a few meters behind them. While it wasn’t a cliff, it would at least serve as slightly higher ground than they had now. “Back to that hill,” he barked as he threw a fireball into the massing crowd of undead. With that, he followed his own order under the assumption that his two squad mates would listen.
A beat later, Shang scrambled up the small slope and turned around to survey the pitiful scene. One of the secondaries was nearly to him, but the slightly older one had fallen a few paces behind. The sorcerer suppressed a smile as a partially rusted mace landed a glancing blow to the back of the would-be soldier’s head. The impact sheered away everything that had once been between the air and the man’s now dented and splintered skull. Unfortunately for the man, he was still alive when six skeletons descended upon him, and his screams filled the skies as he was hacked and stabbed to pieces.
That should buy the Spartan some time.
Re: The Exemplar - Atelos - 12-11-2014
Atelos was bashing through the skulls, crushing them underneath his feet as he ran across. He didn't turn back, he knew they could handle themselves. Well, Shang could take care of himself, he wasn't too sure about the secondaries. Either way, he knew if he didn't take out the Necromancers they ALL would have been dead. As he charged in the skeletons peered way, with the ones on the side swinging their rusty weapons at him. However he was brought to a full stop as he ran into something much bigger. He went into a defensive stance, avoiding all of the swings that the skeletons had thrown at him. However, the skeletons' swings were not as frequent, they had started moving towards his old companions. He heard a gruesome scream coming from his old position, a secondary. Atelos knew it wasn't looking too good for the three since he had went away but at least the secondaries sacrifice was enough to let Atelos make his way through easier.
He hadn't looked at what had stopped him, but as he gazed before him he saw a wall of bones. A bone golem was standing before him, twice the size Atelos was. The flesh was still decaying on the main skull, the rest of the bones, blood stained. The ribcage was open and it's hands were broken bones in the shape of claws. The stench was unbearable, the minor skeletons seemed archaic but this mass of corpses smelled recently killed, the flesh just teared away from the bone, leaving behind a gruesome stench. The monster opened it's grisly jaw and started to unleash a piercing scream. The monster's claw crushed into the Atelos' shield, which the flames ignited just in time, reinforcing his defense, his sword's on the defense, protecting him from the minor skeletons. Atelos ignited his glove and managed to punch the monster's arm, disconnecting the claw from the rest of the body. His spirits lifted, this monster won't be so bad. But the minor skeletons, which seemed so useless, crumbled before him lending their bones to reconstruct the monster's arm. Atelos easily dodged the next swing and countered again with a blow with his shield severing the entire arm, causing more skeletons to be consumed. Atelos went on the offensive, getting close to the monstrosity, breaking his ribs and hindering the creation to make and progressive swings, especially with Atelos' large shield.
After Atelos blocked another swipe, he bashed his shield into the monster's leg, crushing it and causing the thing to fall. Atelos quickly got on top of the monster and ripped it's head off letting the bones beneath him crumble into a pile. Atelos smiled, and tossed the skeleton head into the mass of skeletons. However, the head paused midair and floated off the ground. The skeleton's all across the field began to fly towards the head as he heard a dark,maniacal laugh. The bone golem reformed, much larger. The titan towered the sky looking down at Atelos. It swung it's mighty fist down upon Atelos, as he reinforced his shield with the blue flame.
A big emptiness on the battlefield, except the necromancers, the fighting brutes, and the sorcerer.
Re: The Exemplar - Shang Tsung - 12-18-2014
One moment, Shang found himself swinging almost mindlessly at a horde of skeletons intent to take his position and rip him to pieces.
The next moment, something akin to a shockwave tore through the collection of undead warriors, and the wave crumpled on the hill in front of the sweating sorcerer. Across the field, Shang watched as a mountain of swirling bones lifted up off the ground and formed itself into a towering behemoth. The skeleton golem flexed its joints before swinging one of its giant fists down at the Spartan, who looked like a child compared to the giant, unholy abomination.
Shang looked down and saw that the other secondary was dead. When had the man given up the ghost? The sorcerer almost felt bad that he hadn’t been paying attention to the last moments of the would-be warrior’s little life. Instead of remorse, he crept down next to the corpse, rolled the man so he could watch the fight, and proceeded to extract the soul of the freshly dead soldier. By the time the deed was finished, Atelos and the golem were gone, having taken their fight further into the forest. When Shang rose, he brushed the dirt from his clothes and picked up his sword.
With that, the sorcerer started toward the broken tree line that marked the start of the scuffle between Spartan and monstrosity. By the time he reached the trees, he could hear the sound of bone smashing against bronze. Instead of rush to his associate’s aid, Shang paused and glanced to his right. He had spotted them earlier, but now he had a clear line of sight on the trio of skeletal necromancers. With their attention focused on their creature, they paid no heed to the sword-wielding Chinaman strolling their way.
When he was within ten yards, the first necromancer turned and let his jaw fall away as an animal shriek ripped up from its nonexistent lungs. Before it had a chance to follow through with anything, Shang hurled a fireball at its chest, and the skeleton’s entire rib cage exploded outward. The fires that burned inside the creature’s eye sockets snuffed out in a blink, and its derelict form crumpled down into a heap like a folded accordion. The two other necromancers immediately shifted their focus to their attacker, who responded in kind by plunging his sword through the lower spine of another skeleton.
With two of his foes removed from the equation, Shang turned and looked at the remaining necromancer. Given its lack of a face, the creature betrayed no emotion other than burning rage as it hoisted its staff, causing the air around it sizzle and hum as arcane magics began to swirl around its weapon’s gemstone. Rather than wait and see what happened neck, Shang decapitated the necromancer and watched with a degree of amusement as the head smacked the ground and rolled a few feet before settling to a stop.
Re: The Exemplar - Atelos - 12-18-2014
The golem smashed hit fist into the Spartan and the Spartan flew across the field into the forest. Atelos quickly rolled to the side in order to avoid another fistful of bones, which would surely have been his death. He quickly got to his feet while the golem brought up his enormous fist. Atelos got up and turned around, just seeing Shang bent over the corpse of the secondary that had died fighting for him seconds ago. Shang's hand graced the man's face pausing at the mouth before withdrawing, followed by a small green aura that flowed into the sorcerer's body.
That's all he could see before the golem had swung a backhand towards Atelos, barely bringing up his shield in time. Atelos was suspended in the air for a second until his back hit the tree. The pain came to him, he could feel his left hand was now either broken or badly battered, and his back was increasing his agony. He could hear the toppling of trees and the crunch of branches, and he knew he didn't have much time. He got up ran deeper into the forest, with the crunches of dead trees seeming to dimmer. As they began to fade, Atelos ran slower, he wanted to distract the golem for now. He noticed a sizable tree before him and began to climb it, finding a way up branch after branch. However, he overestimated his climbing skills and the golem had caught up noticing the spartan futilely climb the pine. The golem had no problem ripping the tree out of it's roots and shook the tree furiously, causing the Spartan to land comically on his ass with his shield on his back. The golem brought up it's humongous foot preparing to squash Atelos as if he were no more than a spider.
As the foot was coming down, about to end Atelos, a blue air was expelled from all of the joints of the golem. As the air escaped it flew into the sky turning it a bright blue for just a second. The golem then fell apart and the numerous bodies of the dead began to fall off and land upon Atelos. He tried to get up and run but a torso fell on him causing him to trip and fall. The rest of the golem soon fell apart and landed on Atelos legs immobilizing him. Gauntlet ignited he was able to slowly tear apart the bodies that had imprisoned him. He slowly got up from his fight, pitying the cursed bodies of those that will never rest in peace.
He walked out of the forest, well…what was left of it, and began to walk out to reunite with his companion. Just as he exited he noticed all of the scrapes in his legs as well as the severe bruising in his hand. He shook it off as he noticed Shang was just walking away from a trio of dark cloaks and the leftovers of what must have been the necromancers. Shang was catching up to Atelos but the Spartan did not want to face Shang. He still is having trouble understanding what he saw and if he companion was still human.
Re: The Exemplar - Shang Tsung - 12-18-2014
“We should report back to Darkshire,” Shang spoke matter-of-factly as the Spartan strode over to him from the trees. Bruised and bloodied, Atelos wore a scowl on his face as his aura burned hot and red around his sweat-stained figure. The sorcerer had seen that look before, and it took all of his patience and self-control to not strike down the Spartan and call it a day. But yet again, long-term plans took precedence, and Shang simply stood with a neutral expression on his face as Atelos proceeded to get a little too close for comfort.
“What secrets are you hiding from me, sorcerer?” The Spartan spat as he glanced to the opposing side of the clearing, where the twisted, partially shriveled corpse of the second secondary lay on the grass.
At that moment, a laugh—cold and sinister—slipped through Shang’s thin lips. “What secrets are you hiding from me, Spartan? I’ve never met a Grecian who would ignite his body and summon floating swords to defend himself in combat. Maybe before you get in my face you should take a long look at yourself?”
“I saw you do something to that man. My eyes have never deceived me. It’s like you… pulled some kind of energy or ethers from his body.”
“I’m cursed.” Shang spoke, his smile melting into a scowl as he broke the Spartan’s gaze to look at the corpse. “Remember that tournament I was cheated out of? As punishment, I was cursed to die slowly, unless I extract the energies from the slain.” Technically, none of it was a lie, even if it smudged over a few important details and used a few less dramatic turns-of-phrase than reality.
“Wait… what?” Atelos inquired, his harsh features softening a little in lieu of the remarks.
“You want me to put it bluntly? If I don’t take the energy from the dead, I will weaken and die. My body will rapidly age, my strength will leave me, and I will eventually turn into ashes.”
“That’s terrible.”
“Now do you want to share how a Spartan came to possess such supernatural gifts? Are you hiding a sorcerous past as well, Atelos?”
Re: The Exemplar - Atelos - 12-20-2014
Atelos' harsh condemnation of the sorcerer dropped and Atelos was quick to blush due to his harsh words and judgements towards the sorcerer that were unfounded. Atelos had quickly realized that he had brazenly used all of his abilities during his fight with the skeletons, thus revealing his fire affiliated abilities. His aura died from a great hot flame into a dim kindled fire.
The question was expected but still yielded an inarticulate spartan. The Spartan cleared his throat.
"I was born to a heresy of Sparta, we originally were part of them but were condemned. My people learned how to control fire, however I was not as skilled as them. They felt bad at my exclusion from the clan and enchanted my weapons with their ability allowing me to do the same things as them."
The sorcerer seemed to nod as he was following along with the story.
"However, our 'witchcraft' that the others hated caused a nearby village to raid us. They took me captive in order to learn from us. It didn't please them much that I was unable to perform the pyromancy for them and they threw me into their dungeon to rot forever."
"How did you manage to escape the prison?"
Atelos shifted uncomfortably and began to rub the back of his neck.
"Well…that I cannot remember. I just remember feeling an intense rage…and bloodshed. And then I was out of the prison…at the foot of my burnt down village with everyone dead. Unable to think, only feeling rage. My only purpose was to eradicate all of Sparta until…i was brought here."
The sorcerer looked intrigued or moreover curious of the Spartan's predicament.
"That explains the fire but how can you explain the rather large aura of yours."
Atelos coughed awkwardly
"I don't know. It was with me ever since I escaped…It's been with me…driving my revenge and bloodlust."
Shang appeared to begin to ask another question but the giant walls of Darkshire appeared and the gates opened for the two battle-hardened warriors. The gate opened just to reveal the Tower Commander, with a scowl on his face, as well as the panicked leader of their squadron.
"Now why don't you both explain to me. What the hell happened out there and why are there two men missing
Re: The Exemplar - Atelos - 12-27-2014
The tower commander's scowl on his face had a great desire for answers and his body language expressed how livid he was. Shang, confidently but cooly, started to explain what was going on and Atelos' vision started to fade in and out. The sorcerer began to speak to the commander and Atelos' vision fades into oblivion and into the darkness that was all too familiar.
Quote:OOC: Flashback- Taken back to when Atelos was kidnapped and thrown into a prison left to rot.
A single light began to flicker and that was all Atelos could see. He looked up at the single torch lighting his prison and the sole guard left to make sure no one escaped. Atelos was seated on the floor and he looked down, his legs being nibbled on by the local rodents, and his arms chained to the walls. He attempted to get up but he was no longer chained and he felt no pain. As he stood up he saw his form hopelessly sit there, awaiting for his impending death.
What is this? Where am I? Is this real? A million questions flew into his mind but they were all answered. The version of Atelos there had no aura. It finally dawned on him that he was no longer in the presence but in the recesses in his mind.
But why? Why had he been brought here? He had no idea. He looked at the hopeless man before him, feeling nothing just sitting there, all hope and life drained from him. He remembered this, the defeated feeling he had gotten and how helpless he felt at this moment. The pain and smell of his rotting flesh had grown accustomed and he had no desire to live anymore.
Then he saw it, a white wisp flew next to Atelos' ear and began to speak. Atelos could hear it but he had no idea what it was saying…he had no recollection of this whatsoever. Then he began to speak, uncontrollably.
"I…Accept.
The white wisp flew into Atelos and Atelos eyes seemed to fill to the brim with a white cloudy liquid. His hands ignited a bright white color, for once his powers came from his own hands rather than the equipment he was given all of his life. The cuffs seemed to melt around him, landing onto his skin, but leaving no residue or marks. The liquid metal seemed to roll off his arms in beads and landed into the ground forming a puddle. Atelos got up, slowly, taking his time. His hopeless form had taken a sadistic smile and he couldn't help but release a maniacally laughter that seemed more animalistic than human.
The guard turned around, alarmed of what he heard and he saw the free Atelos, with bright white flames pulsating from his hands.
The voice that resembled a hyena came out of the monster's grinning lips."You better run." The guard stood there in shock, to the previously detained Spartan. He looked in surprise, and then his eyes seemed to die as he spew blood out of his mouth. Atelos was standing there, fist inside the guard. Blood spattered all over his face, but Atelos did not bother to wipe it away. The guard fell, his spear clanging on the ground followed by the thud of his body. The thing Atelos was watching, or what he thought was himself appeared to bend the bars and simply walked over the dead body that lay before him.
Atelos was dragged along with that beast, watching it storm down the hallway of the dungeon. Two guards where taking a stroll down the hallway at the wrong time and ran into the beast. The thing grabbed them by the necks and smashed them into the wall, leaving a splatter of blood and a dent in the wall. The thing walked along as it never happened. Atelos was forced to witness every second of this. The thing finally reached the end of its journey and a bright light was shining in and it walked out into the sun, escaping the corridor.
The beast just stood there, breathing heavily, seeming to blend into the desert, at place with the desolation of the environment. It turned around looking at the consciousness of Atelos and seemed to place it's hand on his imaginary shoulder. The hyena voice again came out of his lips.
"You and me Spartan. We are going to have fun…"
Atelos eyes seemed to leak out the white fluid and it was forcefully expelled out of his body, following him. Creating his aura…Atelos now conscious, was now coinciding with Atelos' memory. Atelos eyes dilated and he screamed as his aura turned a bright red, burning more furious than ever before. He punched the ground screaming and Atelos remembered. The agony of the burning rage inside him, the loss of numbness and filling it with anger and the hate that fills him.
The memory of his homeland seemed to fade away into the picture of the gloomy land he was in. The tower commander looked at the Sorcerer and back to Atelos. He walked up to Atelos and looked him in his eyes, snapping him back to reality.
"Is this what happened soldier!?"
Re: The Exemplar - Shang Tsung - 01-02-2015
"Now why don't you both explain to me what the hell happened out there and why are there two men missing?”
Shang glanced over to the Spartan and promptly noticed that the wounded, winded warrior was starting to zone out. With a smirk, the sorcerer turned to their garrison commander and gestured back toward the forests on the horizon. “The woods were infested with monsters. The rest of our patrol broke ranks and fled back here, while our squad remained to deal with the threat. We traced the monsters back to three skeletal necromancers, and we were able to destroy them.”
The commander furrowed his brow as he looked to the Spartan. "Is this what happened soldier!?" Atelos only offered an almost robotic nod. Clearly the warrior’s thoughts were elsewhere, but for now, the sorcerer had other things to worry about. After a silent moment, the officer ran a hand through his hair and glanced back into the gatehouse. Shang glanced around the ‘older’ man’s shoulder to see a young man waiting for instructions. “Relay a message to the mayor that I need to have an audience with him. Now!” At the commander’s order, the young page scampered off into Darkshire. The commander turned back to his two soldiers. “Return to your barracks and be ready to accompany me to the mayor’s residence in a half hour. Dismissed.”
Without waiting for the customary exchange of military gestures, the commander turned and passed through the gatehouse. Shang and Atelos followed a few paces behind him, and once the pair of primes was through, the gate slammed shut behind them. The sorcerer turned to face the Spartan, who seemed back to his senses. “Feel sharp, Spartan, we get to go meet with the important people.”
Atelos smirked faintly as the pair rounded the street and continued toward the tower that housed their garrison. “Wonderful.”