05-15-2018, 03:16 PM
Broken and beaten the former commander reached the city of Darkshire, entering the settlement felt like a burden of shame dropping on her shoulders. On her arm she carried the resting body of Lau Jimin, the poor creature was exhausted. Gently stroking the fur on top of his head calmed her mind. During her trip back to town Klaud was putting the thoughts of recent events in order. A lot happened, none of it positive. If it wasn’t for Lau she would’ve been one of many corpses in the now abandoned order. For a single, unique moment, Klaud stood there, with a gentle glinster in her eye she watched the capuchin sleep on her arm and forgot the world around her. Her moment of peace got interrupted by the growling of her stomach, she hasn't eaten in a while, didn't seem like a priority with everything going on. Her abdomen protested a second time. It was time both her and Lau got something to eat, after all she was only human. The defeated warrior continued her walk of shame, none of the people here knew what happened, however, the fact that they were ignorant didn’t suppress the burden she felt on her soul. Her eyes were focussed on the ground, avoid eye contact at all cost. Up ahead she noticed a tavern, a place where she could eat, drink and perhaps even find a place to rest. With hastened step she proceeded towards the establishment, hoping to finally be able to rest for the first time in god knows how long.
The floorboards creaked as she shifted her weight on top of it. The tavern was one of the older buildings in town, the aged lumber clearly had marks of deterioration. The door’s welcomed the duo with a squike from the hinges that clearly have lacked maintenance throughout the years. It alerted everyone in the already silent tavern of the new visitors. A few heads turned to see what troubled individual sought the comfort of the hostelry. Most random strangers inside promptly returned to their own business, the bartender however provided Klaud with one of his most hospitable smiles, “Welcome stranger, how may i help you?” The overly cheerful man did not fit the depressing setting of Darkshire. Against better judgement Klaud went with it and walked up to him, “I’d like to order something to eat, whatever is fast, please.” The friendly Barman gave her a firm nod before yelling to the back,”Can i get a chicken soup special!?” Klaud had no idea what made the soup special, she was just interested in getting some food in her stomach. One of the tables nearby wasn’t a complete germ infested nest like most others, the exorcist decided to sit down and place the still sleeping capuchin on her lap. The silence was enjoyable, it gave her a bit more peace at mind. The metal clanging in the kitchen, the smell of fresh food arriving at her nostrils all made it a perfect. Before the meal arrived Klaud started putting recent events in order, the fall of the order, the powerful being that destroyed the tower and what it stood for, the curse that fell upon her. So many questions but no way to answer them. She lifted her sleeve to check on the black mark, even though it wasn’t near as clear it was still visible.
“Now that’s a nasty mark.” A high pitched voice spoke up. Klaud snapped out of her focussed thoughts and turned her head. Next to her stood a small, blonde, woman, or perhaps even a girl. Her age was hard to determine with her size and tone of voice. She was wearing some sort of robe made if light fabric, combined with a large hat. The entire ensemble looked ridiculous and out of place, though in some weird way it suited the youngster. At first glance she didn’t seem dangerous, but Klaud learned her lesson and kept her guard up, “It’s nothing, just something from the past.” Hoping to make the nosey kid go away the commander quickly turned her head. However, a stroking touch across the mark made it snap right back, “What are you doing?” The ice queen snarked with a sharp disapproving tone. It did not seem to affect the youngster, her eyes were fixated on the black markings deep embodied into the skin. It started to become creepy, even for Klaud. “For a nothing this thing is quite powerful, and magical on top of that, where did you find it?” She asked as if it was a nice summer dress. The floors squeak once again as Klaud pushed the chair back in order to stand up, she towered over the few feet shorter girl, “You know of this thing?”
Her imposing posture involuntarily forced the young trainee a few steps back, her curious and cheerful voice started to break up, “No...I...sometimes i just notice things. I’m just an apprentice, i don’t know what i’m talking about.” Klaud dismissed her attempt to escape the question and kept pushing.
“You clearly know more of this thing then you are letting on, what is it and how do i get rid of it?” Her voice slightly raised this time, it even woke up Lau who was still resting. The stretch of the little creature was caught by the girl’s eye, who immediately seemed to forget the situation she was in, “OH HE IS ADORABLE!” She screeched as she rushed to hug the still sleepdrunk creature. Lau got crushed in a hug while giving Klaud a look, the commander clearly didn’t know what was going on either. Instead she decided to take a different approach, intimidation clearly wasn’t working, as an alternative she rested her hand on her shoulder, “What’s your name little one?” The girl looked up with eyes closed and a big smile on her face, “My name is Tilcy, wizard apprentice of Camelot, pleased to meet you.” Klaud returned the smile, hoping to fix whatever damage her shouting did earlier, “Pleased to meet you Tilcy, i am Klaud Nine, and this little fella is Lau Jimin, he is my partner. He is however still recovering, so could you please set him down?”
Tilcy opened her eyes with a hint of shock in them, “Oh i’m sorry i didn’t know! I’m sorry Lau.” She said towards the capuchin who still seemed clueless.
“Here you go miss, fast food.”interrupted the bartender.””Will there be anything else?” The meal was placed on the table, hot steam coming off from the plate. The aroma was so strong you could taste the meal without actually eating it. Tilcy eyes seemed to pop a few inches from her skull. The roar produced from the girl’s stomach that followed said pop clearly indicated she was as hungry as she looked. Klaud looked at the Bartender, “One more please.”
Having joined Klaud at the table young Tilcy was devouring the meal, it was as if she hasn’t eaten in weeks. The former commander was just sitting in awe, never before did she see this much food disappear in such a small body. In the end the feast disappeared like winter’s first snowflake in the sun. “Thank you so much for the meal miss Klaud! I was starving….literally!” Klaud nodded, “Don't mention it. Now, Tilcy, i could use some help with this. You clearly know more of this thing than me, what is it?” Rubbing her hand over the mark made clear what she was talking about. The girl wiped her face,”Well, i don't know that symbol in particular but i do recognise a curse when i see one. And this one gives me all kinds of bad magical energy vibes. How did you get it?”
Klaud rolled her sleeve back down, seemingly disappointed, “Some strange creature lured us into a trap, a single touch was enough to brand me with this, and it seems i am stuck with it.”
“ No curse is forever, for everything evil there is something good. This curse can be removed, just….not by someone like me. You need a experienced sorcerer, someone who has dealt with this sort of thing before.”
Klaud’s interest was peaked,”Do you know any of these sorcerers?” The girl excitedly nodded,” Yes i know several, there are many where i study magic in Camelot, they could totally help you, i’m sure of it.” The words gave Klaud hope once more, she knew where to go now. “If you come to Camelot you should come see me, i know someone who would be very interested in this curse. But, i have an assignment right now and i need to hurry, thanks again miss Klaud, hope to see you soon!” A grey cloud surrounded the young sorcerer and vanished, as quickly as Tilcy appeared in Klaud’s life, she also disappeared. Camelot, that's where she needed to go. She reached for her dataverse device and glanced at the screen, ’A message? I wonder who it’s from. Klaud checked her unread messages, it was Reever! She hadn't heard from him in ages. There was no words, just a map, a location. Was it a cry for help? Was this where he and the others from the order were hiding? Unfortunately for the commander it was nowhere near camelot. Her curse would have to wait. Tomorrow morning she would set out to Reever, after that, deal with the curse and avenge the black order. Even though the organisation is no more, and the tower became nothing but another haunted sight of the moors, there was still hope. Demons would never win.
The floorboards creaked as she shifted her weight on top of it. The tavern was one of the older buildings in town, the aged lumber clearly had marks of deterioration. The door’s welcomed the duo with a squike from the hinges that clearly have lacked maintenance throughout the years. It alerted everyone in the already silent tavern of the new visitors. A few heads turned to see what troubled individual sought the comfort of the hostelry. Most random strangers inside promptly returned to their own business, the bartender however provided Klaud with one of his most hospitable smiles, “Welcome stranger, how may i help you?” The overly cheerful man did not fit the depressing setting of Darkshire. Against better judgement Klaud went with it and walked up to him, “I’d like to order something to eat, whatever is fast, please.” The friendly Barman gave her a firm nod before yelling to the back,”Can i get a chicken soup special!?” Klaud had no idea what made the soup special, she was just interested in getting some food in her stomach. One of the tables nearby wasn’t a complete germ infested nest like most others, the exorcist decided to sit down and place the still sleeping capuchin on her lap. The silence was enjoyable, it gave her a bit more peace at mind. The metal clanging in the kitchen, the smell of fresh food arriving at her nostrils all made it a perfect. Before the meal arrived Klaud started putting recent events in order, the fall of the order, the powerful being that destroyed the tower and what it stood for, the curse that fell upon her. So many questions but no way to answer them. She lifted her sleeve to check on the black mark, even though it wasn’t near as clear it was still visible.
“Now that’s a nasty mark.” A high pitched voice spoke up. Klaud snapped out of her focussed thoughts and turned her head. Next to her stood a small, blonde, woman, or perhaps even a girl. Her age was hard to determine with her size and tone of voice. She was wearing some sort of robe made if light fabric, combined with a large hat. The entire ensemble looked ridiculous and out of place, though in some weird way it suited the youngster. At first glance she didn’t seem dangerous, but Klaud learned her lesson and kept her guard up, “It’s nothing, just something from the past.” Hoping to make the nosey kid go away the commander quickly turned her head. However, a stroking touch across the mark made it snap right back, “What are you doing?” The ice queen snarked with a sharp disapproving tone. It did not seem to affect the youngster, her eyes were fixated on the black markings deep embodied into the skin. It started to become creepy, even for Klaud. “For a nothing this thing is quite powerful, and magical on top of that, where did you find it?” She asked as if it was a nice summer dress. The floors squeak once again as Klaud pushed the chair back in order to stand up, she towered over the few feet shorter girl, “You know of this thing?”
Her imposing posture involuntarily forced the young trainee a few steps back, her curious and cheerful voice started to break up, “No...I...sometimes i just notice things. I’m just an apprentice, i don’t know what i’m talking about.” Klaud dismissed her attempt to escape the question and kept pushing.
“You clearly know more of this thing then you are letting on, what is it and how do i get rid of it?” Her voice slightly raised this time, it even woke up Lau who was still resting. The stretch of the little creature was caught by the girl’s eye, who immediately seemed to forget the situation she was in, “OH HE IS ADORABLE!” She screeched as she rushed to hug the still sleepdrunk creature. Lau got crushed in a hug while giving Klaud a look, the commander clearly didn’t know what was going on either. Instead she decided to take a different approach, intimidation clearly wasn’t working, as an alternative she rested her hand on her shoulder, “What’s your name little one?” The girl looked up with eyes closed and a big smile on her face, “My name is Tilcy, wizard apprentice of Camelot, pleased to meet you.” Klaud returned the smile, hoping to fix whatever damage her shouting did earlier, “Pleased to meet you Tilcy, i am Klaud Nine, and this little fella is Lau Jimin, he is my partner. He is however still recovering, so could you please set him down?”
Tilcy opened her eyes with a hint of shock in them, “Oh i’m sorry i didn’t know! I’m sorry Lau.” She said towards the capuchin who still seemed clueless.
“Here you go miss, fast food.”interrupted the bartender.””Will there be anything else?” The meal was placed on the table, hot steam coming off from the plate. The aroma was so strong you could taste the meal without actually eating it. Tilcy eyes seemed to pop a few inches from her skull. The roar produced from the girl’s stomach that followed said pop clearly indicated she was as hungry as she looked. Klaud looked at the Bartender, “One more please.”
Having joined Klaud at the table young Tilcy was devouring the meal, it was as if she hasn’t eaten in weeks. The former commander was just sitting in awe, never before did she see this much food disappear in such a small body. In the end the feast disappeared like winter’s first snowflake in the sun. “Thank you so much for the meal miss Klaud! I was starving….literally!” Klaud nodded, “Don't mention it. Now, Tilcy, i could use some help with this. You clearly know more of this thing than me, what is it?” Rubbing her hand over the mark made clear what she was talking about. The girl wiped her face,”Well, i don't know that symbol in particular but i do recognise a curse when i see one. And this one gives me all kinds of bad magical energy vibes. How did you get it?”
Klaud rolled her sleeve back down, seemingly disappointed, “Some strange creature lured us into a trap, a single touch was enough to brand me with this, and it seems i am stuck with it.”
“ No curse is forever, for everything evil there is something good. This curse can be removed, just….not by someone like me. You need a experienced sorcerer, someone who has dealt with this sort of thing before.”
Klaud’s interest was peaked,”Do you know any of these sorcerers?” The girl excitedly nodded,” Yes i know several, there are many where i study magic in Camelot, they could totally help you, i’m sure of it.” The words gave Klaud hope once more, she knew where to go now. “If you come to Camelot you should come see me, i know someone who would be very interested in this curse. But, i have an assignment right now and i need to hurry, thanks again miss Klaud, hope to see you soon!” A grey cloud surrounded the young sorcerer and vanished, as quickly as Tilcy appeared in Klaud’s life, she also disappeared. Camelot, that's where she needed to go. She reached for her dataverse device and glanced at the screen, ’A message? I wonder who it’s from. Klaud checked her unread messages, it was Reever! She hadn't heard from him in ages. There was no words, just a map, a location. Was it a cry for help? Was this where he and the others from the order were hiding? Unfortunately for the commander it was nowhere near camelot. Her curse would have to wait. Tomorrow morning she would set out to Reever, after that, deal with the curse and avenge the black order. Even though the organisation is no more, and the tower became nothing but another haunted sight of the moors, there was still hope. Demons would never win.
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You're naive. We're destroyers, not saviors. - Yu Kanda