[PP-F11] At the End of the World (Opal)

[Azide 0]

"You know, I figured at first that I was just being paranoid," said Azide, bringing his steps to a rolling halt. The steady sounds of his voice drifted slowly through the night time current, emerging ultimately unimpeded. In spite of the murk which lived within these midnight hours, he had no doubt that his statements had nonetheless carried as clear as a bell on a Sunday afternoon. Pressing forward no longer, the young man turned around, finding himself faced with a whole lot of nothing. Into the veil he peered, sifting through the vastness of it all with sweeping arcs of his eyes. But even then, there was nothing; though in hindsight, that wasn't necessarily the entirety of it. Something was here, no doubt. Rather, it was just unfortunate that this very same 'something' continued to linger beyond the limits of his sight.

Even still, it was certain that his words would succeed where his eyes had failed him; time of day had never been of much importance when it came to the ears. A single hand crept downward, towards the spot on his hip where the old blade resided. It had not seen serious use in ages- and in fact, he no longer even held proficiency with its weapon-type. But then again, one tended not to ponder the experience of an armed man when push came to shove. 

With his point made, he addressed his unseen company once more. His lips curled at their corners, giving them the shape of a subtle frown. "But out of sheer curiosity, I locked onto one of those mobs we passed back there. Sure, the system doesn't give you much useful information in most cases- just the name of the thing," he began, pausing momentarily as he continued to survey the shadowy scene. "In this case, I stunned them all- just long enough so that I could pass through unharmed. But not long enough for, say, a straggler to do the same."

His fingers curled around the handle of the elegant blade, and as he released a steady breath, he watched as it condensed before him in the chilly air. "If you're still wondering where I'm going with this- I know that someone was around to finish off at least one of those wolves. And you know how I know? Frankly, it's because I never released my lock on the last of those creatures. So when you killed it to move on, I noticed when its name disappeared from my display- even though I was unable to hear the act myself."

Azide took another step further, staring daggers into the darkness ahead. Finally, a figure began to emerge from the shadows, earning a click of his scabbard as the gleaming blade was revealed. The cold steel half-drawn, he directed the entirety of attention to this unknown individual. "So I have to ask: why in god's name are you following a man like me at this time of night?"

 

"Would God's name not be reason enough?" It was a man's voice that'd answered- poised, yet not unyielding, and it was followed soon thereafter by the sound of hearty laughter. 

As the man stepped into view, it became apparent that he was unarmed. In fact, even his armor held a certain barrenness to it- there was no pomp or flash in the simple garments he'd chosen to equip. On top of that, the locks which framed his smiling face were completely deprived of color: white, as if he'd just been dusted by a blizzard on the winter floor. Perhaps most tellingly of all, not a single muscle in his entire body seemed to be tensed.

"Forgive me, my friend. I meant only to lighten the mood," said the man, gesturing to the darkness around them with a wide arc of his hand. With a cheery grin, he paced forward a short distance further, before dipping his head in a low bow. Before the gesture's conclusion, the man blinked open a single eye, finding himself greeted by the sight of a slim, shining blade- drawn now in full and pointed squarely at him.

Without missing a beat, the man straightened himself up and returned to full mast. Neither his smile, nor his vague sense of calm, had faltered for even a moment. Lifting his hand, he brought it up to clasp the back of his neck, then rubbed at it faintly. "I guess I should probably hold off on the jokes for now. It's a real shame too, since I had some great ones lined up- but that sword you've got there would probably take my head clean off before I could get to the punchline." He lowered his hand from his nape as his body rolled into an easy shrug. "When it comes down to it, I guess I'd just rather live to see another day."

A twinkle in his eye; he glanced upward, paying respect not to the stars, but to another thing entirely. "Besides, I don't think either of us has any reason to worry. We're both green players, are we not?" he asked, giving a playful flick to the cursor hovering above his head. "You have my word that I'm nothing but another traveler," said the man, pressing a closed hand against his chest.

For a moment more, he maintained the gesture, then dropped it altogether. "Anyway," he tugged lightly on the leather strap which was slung across his shoulder, "I think you already know how dangerous it can be to travel these open roads at night." He closed his eyes, and breathed in through his nose before expelling the air in the same way. By the time he'd opened them, his expression had taken a decidedly more solemn turn. "No doubt you've heard about the poor souls who've gone missing recently around these parts. God forbid that we'd be two more to join them..." he said, giving a slow shake of his head.

As if the last few moments had existed somewhere outside of time, the man's cheery demeanor had by now returned in full. "So? How about we watch each other's backs for the time being, hmm? At least until one of us reaches his destination. Seems pretty win-win, if you ask me," chimed the man. Touching his thumb to his index finger, he raised his hand so that it sat approximately level with his eyes. The meaning of the gesture was obvious: 'A-okay'.

Edited February 20, 2016 by Azide

[Azide 0]

Topic Complete

+200 col to Azide and Opal

+1 SP to Azide and Opal