Start of a New Chapter

[Nimo Sever]

Out of the portal steps Nimo, bewildered and... slightly disappointed. The Prime had expected to feel ill, as if his stomach was left behind in the Nexus. What did he get? Nothing. He felt fine, taking the jump between verses like a champ.

The disappointment was forgotten in an instant. The smells... oh, the smells! It was so amazing to have all those smells bombard his senses at once. The light, muddled with shadow, shined upon the greenery of the world, the brown of dirt and gray of stone. So little true white, it made him realize just how empty and disheartening the Nexus had been. Left alone with his thoughts in a place like that, he surely would have gone stir crazy. Even beyond that, he could actually breath. If this had been his past life as David Schwitz, he would be sneezing or coughing. Either allergies or pollution. Nimo had no such flaw and this world seemed to be along his previous assumptions; medieval. Lots of wildlife, simple living and magic. He could almost smell the magic in the air - metaphorically. Great place for a new start.

Nimo wasted no time in adapting. He dashed off of the road and stripped out of his brown duster and white button up. It was too modern, he would never fit in wearing something so "space age" compared to these simple folk. Omni's words echoed once again in his mind. With Omnilium, he could have anything he wanted, right? How about a Ye Olde tunic? And maybe a hand sown leather vest? Maybe some loose fit clothe breeches and some comfy, yet era-appropriate footwear to boot.

So he began the mental legwork. His hands stretched out, clasping the air as if holding a shirt by its sleeves. He imagined it simple, a grungy white with a low neck. Something dashing, but not too much so. Long in the waist, but not too long... As Nimo imagines it, he can already see the cloth appear, almost weaving itself out of thin air. He knew better, it was the omnilium Omni had given him. As the tunic slowly took form, weaving from each hand before connecting and descending, the Prime realized this was no easy task. He did not feel drained of Omnilium, but it was so slow... it felt like Dialup without Satan's music destroying his hearing aid. Unlike Dialup though, he actually manages to complete his goal without wanting to chuck something out the window.

It took about an hour to whip up a full attire. Of course, he had decided to keep his boxer-briefs, for that mixture of support and comfort he doubted he could replicate. If this whole Hero business doesn't work out, I might just go into fashion, he mused with a smirk. The leather vest he wore was complete with a cloth lining, complete with a few pockets. One of which held a cache of cigars, another held his matches. Couldn't forget those bad boys.

[Nimo Sever]

Nimo had only walked thirty minutes upon the well beaten path before he stopped again. While his first stop had been in preparation of the adventure ahead, what with the attire change, this time he had to stop and ponder upon which path his adventure lies. The metaphoric concept now presented itself literally, with the path leading from the portal to who-knows-where continuing on while a fainter, less traveled road veers off to one side. Surely this magnificent spectacle amidst the woods would lead somewhere important that, if his journey lasts beyond the night, he would eventually come to see. If he missed the opertunity of this other road though... well, he would be a living embodiment of Robert Frost's poem, The Road Not Taken.

"No regrets," he mumbled to himself as he stepped off the main road. Along this new path he walked. Ten minutes, thirty minutes, forty and more. It felt like an hour of twists and turns, leading to somewhere well hidden. I bet, Nimo mused to pass time, it's a secret base... Somewhere with treasure and weapons! His fantasies took off. Secret base became tower and treasure became captive maiden. Tower became fortress and maiden was joined by the aforementioned treasure - and a dragon! Oh the things he wished into the world. If he had his way, not a day into his new life he would slay, tame or maybe even befriend a mighty beast, save and marry a maiden and live happily ever after.

Alas, Nimo did not have the same whimsical control over this world as he did his own writings as the simple David Schwitz. No, in this world he was bound to ups and the inevitable downs of adventuring. As a small village came into view, it would appear this is a down. Night was approaching, so it was harder to see than he would have liked. There were no torches, lanterns or other forms of lighting.

There were only a few huts that he could see, most of which barely even standing. They looked to be made of twig walls with thin trunks making up the frame. They were barely even homes. Even as night blindness encroached, he could make out something useful. There was a lantern sitting on the rim of a stone well. Nimo plucks his matches from his inner pocket, strikes one and proceeds to light the torch.

Just as the oil dampened wick ignites, he hears whispers behind him. The moment he looks back, someone ducks out of sight. Weird. Taking up the lantern and holding it to the side, he approaches with a slow step. "It's okay, I'm friendly..." Just hope you are. At the last moment he stops and just leans forward to peer around the corner of the hut. Sure enough, no one was there. At this point he could consider the shadows playing tricks, or that someone is afraid of him. Diagnosis: Option B.

"If you're friendly, snuff out the light." The voice caught him off guard. He jolts around, nearly dropping the lantern, only to see a cat-eared young woman had managed to sneak right up behind him. "If you are a friend..." she reiterated, pointing towards his lightsource. His brain finally catching up with the situation, he blows out the light.

"Are we good now?" He inquired, hopefully. Even in the dark he could tell this woman was not exactly human.The cat ears twitched, unlike those the kids wear for cosplay costumes. Her tail seemed rather unusual as well.

"What are you doing here?" The neko woman immediately retaliates. She does not seem very friendly, even after Nimo has passed her test. "Nevermind, we have to get inside before--" Before what? Perhaps the scarlet star shooting through the sky. The moment his eye catches it, Nimo knows exactly what it is: a flaming arrow. "Raiders!"

SCORE! Day one, attack of the raiders. Despite the danger, Nimo was bouncing with joy, eager to get some action. He would get it as the first wave approaches, torches lighting in the shadows. "Go be productive," as if that were an appropriate order. He pats the neko's head before sending her off towards the nearest hut hoping she was smart enough to start evacuating. Either way, she ran off to wherever.

A grin spread across Nimo's lips, his eyes acquired a special sparkle. His hands clinch into fists and his shoulders roll, readying for the upcoming fight. Here they come... Waiting not, the hero moves to meet these so called "raiders" head on. Three torches lit up three attackers. Darn. One limb's gonna be left out. As collision becomes imminant, Nimo leaps from the ground, right arm rearing back and with all his momentum he brings down a strong, wild haymaker. In surprise, it lands solid. In under ten seconds, one had already fallen.

Another scarlet light passed overhead. Just one archer, Nimo deduced. To slow for multiples, same direction. Total four man group. He glanced down to one of the black-garbed men, reeling from the knuckle sandwich just served on a silver platter. [/i]Correction; three.[/i] He took up a more solid stance, one he saw often in boxing.

Just as he is baring down on another of the torch wielding raiders, a weight suddenly appears on his back. It came with arms and legs attached, each trying to strike and scratch and kick. His hands rose to block his head, and he could feel the way the man on his back jerked away as if readying for a counter. It never came. From a logical standpoint of a man who has watched way too much TV, trying to get the guy off his back required but one thing. Nimo jumps, and with his center of gravity off, he falls flat on his back - on top of his assaulter. A heavy grunt came from both him and his victim. The arms around him became slack, and with a quick roll he was back to his feet.

Crafty. It was not hard for the battle-loving mind to figure out what had happened. Some wielding torches came in and stole his attention, allowing others to sneak in from other directions. For a moment, he enjoyed the ploy. That is, until he realized that he - being new - was not their target. No, they were after the village. So not cool!

As the two torch-bearers attempted to slash with their flaming clubs, he weaves backwards, before honing in on one who had taken a particularly wide swing. He too would experience the brutality of Nimo's fists. Three quick strikes to the head laid him out, but that was not it. Before the raider could fall, Nimo had picked him up, only to run at the third and... bulldoze him right over. His comrad was dropped right on top of him.

A third lit arrow sailed through the sky. A third hut went down in flames. That archer was doing some serious damage here. He hoped the villagers could outrun whoever might be chasing them long enough. Nimo dashed into the woods to hunt out the archer. To his surprise, he was easy to spot. The archer had a lantern lit to help him wrap and douse the arrows, making him a prime target. Clearly they did not expect much resistance. The moment he saw Nimo, he tried to string his weapon. Nimo was just a touch faster. He did not afford this life-ruining coward a true fight. He brought up his foot for one swift kick between the legs. "Not like you were using 'em," Nimo spat the words before rushing back to the village.

Again, the story had another twist. This time it was not to his favor, instead it seems the whole village had been rounded up. Two raiders held crossbows, while two others were searching through the houses currently NOT on fire. The moment Nimo comes into view, said crossbows are staring him down. He stops, hands raising to show he was not armed. "Fuck..." Hostage Negotiation... not one of his strong suits... What now?

[Nimo Sever]

What do I do? What do I do? What CAN I do? Nimo's mind raced a mile a minute and with so much adrenaline pumping through his veins it felt like the world was in slow motion. Charge them? No... They'd shoot first. Jump out of the way? He glanced to either side. One of the burning huts was close enough he MIGHT make it if he jumped. Making it was not the problem. If these shooters were sharp, he'd end up with a bolt in the leg, furthering his chances of failure in the future. Not worth the effort.

Bluff? The idea was not a bad one. If it worked, they might back off, or at least be set off balanced. If he failed... There's always the dodging idea to fall back on."So let me tell you how this is gonna work," he began with an air of confidence. His arms drop to his side and he strikes an almost cocky pose. Yea, gotta sell it. Comfortable in the face of danger... because there IS no danger. No danger. "There are two outcomes. First option: you guys drop your weapons and back away... that includes all your buddies in the shadows. I don't think you'll like option two..."

"Oh yea, and what's option two?" One of the more bold crossbowmen replies with a quick jabbing tone.

"See that moon?" He points skyward at the rising moon. Both look up, then down. Neither dares a nod to the rhetoric question. "All it takes is one word, and everyone that doesn't live here will be expelled. To the moon." His lips curl into a devil's smirk.

"Bullshit!" The same raider retorts, but he had lost the conviction in his voice.

Time to sell it. "Then shoot me." All or nothing here. He'd reincarnate, despite how painful a bolt to the chest might be. These others though, he was not so sure. They did not seem to be powerful beings, like Omni had made him out to be. No, they seemed like powerless denizens. If they died, it could very well be the end for them.

Seeing as no one had dared pull the trigger, Nimo decided he'd test the waters. His bluff rattled them, that was for sure. He steps forward, quite casually. When they inched back, he began a nonchalant stride towards the two visible assailants Neither gave much protest as he disarmed them of their weapons. This time, it was their hands that raise. "Quivers too. On the ground. Hmmm, and your shoes..." Like.A.BOSS.

Nimo heard the bolt before it hit. The sound of the crossbow in the distance, the slight whistle, then the abrupt stop in his right shoulder. FUCK! "AAAHHAAHHOOWWW!" He drops one of the crossbows, reaches back and yanks out the bolt. Surprise, it did not go in nearly as deep as he thought. He looked at the tip, maybe an inch of the head covered in blood. Play it off. "Well that hurt..." I am such a total badass!

"Cease fire!" The second raider called out, hands rising high. "Cease fire, he's a PRIME!" Prime? Must be what they call the ones Omni summoned.

"Glad ya noticed. Now... to ALL YOU RAIDERS!" Nimo shouts loud, so any hidden in the shadows could hear. "Leave your weapons, your ammunition, and your shoes... then get the HELL out of my sight, before ALL of you get a one-way ticket to the moon with a pitstop of my BOOT to Uranus!" Roll 20, successfully channeled the verbal powers of That Seventy's Show "You have to the count of ten. One...

After taking and shrugging a high powered projectile off, his pitch was sold hook line and sinker. The mind of the immortal, so calm and collected, gave him all that he needed. No fancy shmancy powers tainted his first victory. The amusement as five more black-garbed raiders appeared from what few shadows remained in the presence of burning huts was almost palpable. The way they dumped their weapons in front of him, then hopped about to remove their shoes. Glorious. "Two.

The count lit a fire under some asses. Before he could say three, half of the men had scattered. The other half were struggling with complex laces, many tied in annoying knots. Nimo watched as the last few ran off into the night. I really do feel like a kid again...

Reality check. Two delicate hands found his chest - only to give him a firm shove. "What were you thinking? You could have gotten everyone killed! Did you even THINK there might be a reason there were no lights? HUH?"

The thought had not even crossed his mind. "Fair enough. But hey, now ya have a stashe of weapons. And shoes. Don't know why I made them give up their shoes. Just seemed funny." And badass.

The neko woman that had originally confronted him, and then found the guts to shove him after his threat to the raiders, stares up at him. She really did seem pretty in the moonlight. Then again, maybe it was the ears. They gave her something of an exotic appeal. "You can't really do what you said, can you?"

"Hell no, but that would be epic. I pretty much JUST got here, so all I can do is punch stuff. Pretty hard, too, it seems." Nimo just grins. The dark tint had faded, now only that giddy boyish charm remained. The man of a thousand shades, he had described the original Nimo. He could be so dark, so charming, so brutal and so compassionate by the end of his run. "But hey, I fixed my mess... well... part of it... I'll help you guys rebuild in the morning.

The neko just sighed. Seems she did not know how to deal with Nimo. He got that in both of his past lives. The memory brought up a funny pun. Lives... Cat... He looked like an idiot, snickering for no reason.

"Alright... Thank you... Do you have some sort building power?"

Building power? "I can probably conjure an ax..." The neko facepalms. "What? I said I JUST arrived... what do ya expect of me?"

"I don't know... but primes are usually a LOT stronger... like, all sorts of strange powers... Teleporting, flying, stretching, shooting fireballs and ice balls and throwing massive boulders..." Damn... Note to self; upgrade. Soon. "Nevermind... We'll talk more in the morning, for now we need to at least find a way to keep warm."

"Bonfire? Not just the Neko, but several of the others who had thus far been avoiding eye contact, now actively glare at him. "What, too soon?