On The Shores of Despair Pt. 2

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veraka
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On The Shores of Despair Pt. 2

Post by veraka »

Veraka opened his eyes and moved his arms around just to be sure that he was in control of his body again. He got up and tested his muscles, making sure everything was in working order. He noted the glances that were cast his way, particularly from Pwdn and Adian.

[i:2lhty9di]I suppose I'm gonna have some explaining to do in the near future,[/i:2lhty9di] he thought to himself as he heard Adian shout for everyone to pull back.
Drawing Marala Vharc from its sheath, he took up a position next to Adian, ready to assist in any way possible.

Looking up to the drow paladin, he said, "I'll tell you later, but I doubt you'll like it."
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Post by Adian Novar »

"Probably not," Adian agreed, determined to keep his attention on the battlefield. He wanted to be sure everyone was well clear of attack before he left.
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Post by Zarae Zyne Kilanatlar »

Zarae noticed Frad and Lyon gathering daggers and arrows. Still unseen, she walked down to them.
"thanks," she whispered and she (unhid?) herself and hoping she didnt scare them with her sudden appearence. She took her six and secured them into there sheathed spots.
"The others are regrouping a ways ahead. So you'll want get your horses and meet up when you can."
She turned and disappeared from sight again. running swiftly to Moonlight and hopping up on him. 'lets go find the others.'
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Post by Ra'Sona Races-The-Wind »

"Pleasure." "Aye." Lyon and Frad were too fixed on adrenalin from the battle to react with shock at Zarae's sudden appearance. They handed over the daggers they'd found then headed to Phenix, who stood ready to leave once they returned and looked back for Pwdn.

Pwdn shrugged off Veraka's worries about explaining. "If you like, but I don't need to know anything you'd rather keep to yourself." She wasn't upset by the unexpected change, while it was quite worrying that such a think could happen to one who was travelling with them, he was clearly dismayed by what had happened and with a group of Drow, everyone was bound to have some secrets buried in their past. A reassuring smile came to her face as she hurried him to the others. "Just as long as you're not still hurt, that's all I need to know."
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Post by Zarae Zyne Kilanatlar »

Moonlight, Zarae comfortably on his bare back, trotted carefully thru the snow and bushes till they saw the others, most of them, grouped ahead on the path. Moonlight slowed as he neared.
"the two surfacers," for lack of a better and quicker term, "should be coming soon. they were gathering up stuff from the dead guys. Including your good arrows, Cinder. I have yet to see Zazzt, Argo, and, oh, there she is." she said to the group. ((i'm assuming Argo in the trees eating a patch of uncovered grass, unless someone else who's riding him has him.))
Zarae noticed the tension between Veraka and the others. She had seen him get a second wind, but she had focused on her part in the short battle.
"when every gets here, will we be ready to go? or do we need a short break? it's still early and the sun is getting brighter off this snow. But I would expect Pyoro to be checking in sooner or later."
they heard Phenix approaching with her riders and neighing from the bush.
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Post by veraka »

Veraka nodded his thanks to Pwdn; "actually it'd be in our best interest if I told the group what that was that came out, it might prevent someone from getting injured in the future," he said, both to Adian and Pwdn, "as for us getting outta here, I believe the last of our group has withdrawn. I think we should make haste and join them."

Turning in the direction of Zarae, Cinder, Lyon and the others, he strode off. [i:docx6xes]It seems as if that part of me hasn't gone away as I thought it would.[/i:docx6xes]
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Post by Adian Novar »

Adian had to trot to keep up with Veraka. Once he got to his horse he climbed on and headed for the rendevous point.

Then they could deal with Veraka and the strange pouch he had snatched.
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Post by veraka »

Veraka looked around to see if there was anyone else in the general vicinity. Seeing that no one (I'm assuming that all of us have either retreated already or are doing so) physically around him, Veraka launched himself into a sprint, his powerful legs propelling him at great speed. He followed Adian, who was already speeding off to their fallback position.

"I just hope that the others won't see me as a threat," he whispered to himself.
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Post by Ra'Sona Races-The-Wind »

Pwdn, who kept up with Veraka until she reached the rest of the group, simply laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Maybe she had heard him whisper or maybe not, but she knew he was feeling doubt over his place in the group and was offering some comfort as best she could without knowing more.
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Post by veraka »

The storm warrior was pulled from his contemplation by a firm, but gentle grip on his shoulder; looking around to his backside, Veraka saw Pwdn right behind him. Something told him that she knew what he was feeling, or at least knew the feeling.

He smiled, "thanks, though, don't worry about me; if it comes down to it, I'll gladly take a killing blow in order to ensure that the rest of the party won't have to worry about that other side of me."

[i:3b767jez]How easy it is to take something of that magnitude, and sack your own life in the blink of an eye; Aurora I wish you were here, you'd definitely keep such self-destructive thoughts from my head. Better yet, you'd help me keep my wits about me.[/i:3b767jez]
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Post by Ra'Sona Races-The-Wind »

"You even think about it and I'll resurrect you afterwards just so I can beat you into a pulp for doing so. I really can do that, you know." She smiled, friendly but with a note of caution in her voice. "No more of such nonsense, if you have a problem with your temper you can fix it the way everyone else does, by resolving the issues which cause it. Don't be such a coward." This accusation was meant to sting, Pwdn found such flippant offers of sacrifice very hurtful and selfish, while she couldn't bring herself to dislike anyone for it she could usually muster a sharp comment in response. The threat she'd made was obviously for dramatic effect rather than having any intent, but she had seem someone do it before. One of the Justicars in Waterdeep had demanded repentance from a criminal, and in a rather overt display of overzealousness and righteous fury had beaten the man to death five or six times until the deep and heartfelt apology was given for all the misery the evil man had caused. It was never something she would do, but it was a very effective threat that few besides a very select number of clerics could make. "I'll have you pinned down weak and feeble under the weight of your own armour before I let that happen, do you understand?" This, however, was entirely serous. He'd seen her do it to the fighters moments before, a highly effective way of keeping someone immobile; sapping their strength to the point that their armour was as an impregnable steel cage all about them. Her demeanour through all this remained never so angry as a mother scolding a child for some minor mischief, her voice at the end seeming actually somewhat reassuring despite the very real penalty for such recklessness as Veraka had suggested.

Lyon and Frad had ridden on, seeing Pwdn making great speed without them and following the wounded Veraka, though Lyon was a little jealous at this he was aware that her concern would be beyond the physical damage the armoured powerhouse had sustained. He had seen little of the actual event but the state of the deceased opponent lying beside Veraka as Pwdn had run to heal him spoke for itself, he couldn't sense such a penchant for brutality and violence in Veraka, as new as he was to his calling he simply knew that he wasn't that kind of man. Reaching the others he and Frad sought out Cinder to return her arrows to her, lyon complementing her on her aim.
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Post by veraka »

Veraka had to laugh at the idea of him being resuscitated, just to have some sense pounded into him. The thought had a weird sense to it, but he took it for what it was.
"If that was the case, I'd actually ask to do that to me if it meant keeping the berserker at bay, or even, completely quelled. As for sapping my energy, I'd actually appreciate it I knew it would keep that side of me down. Sadly, that's not the case. It doesn't draw it's strength from me or anyone else. The berserker is an entirely separate entity on it's own. It comes out on its on, goes back on its own, kills whomever it needs or wants to, and destroys anything in its path."
Veraka let out his breath, remembering the one time that he had complete control of his other side, "only once have I had complete control of it, and when that happened, my intentions were the exact same as it's."

"Understand this; the berserker draws its strength from emotions, energy, even spells if it has to; anything that has energy in it, the berserker uses to fuel itself. My rage usually is enough; but in times when I've been completely drained, it uses my darker emotions, my primal rage, and anything else it can. If I'm completely devoid of power, it will draw energy from the very air around it, from others emotions: hate, anger, rage, jealousy, envy, all of them, it can use to fuel itself, and then it uses that energy to do one thing, to keep me alive. You see if I'm alive, then it's alive; this berserker isn't a byproduct of my temper, well not directly; it's a manifestation of my rage, anger, and hate over the years of my lifetime." The storm warrior knew what was beneath his skin, what dwelled within his soul.

In my earlier years, I started noticing that when in times of great stress, the berserker would reveal itself, though it was controllable, very controllable. As I grew, so did it; the more knowledge I acquired, the more I realized how corrupt the world around me was and so the more powerful the berserker became," he said, turning to stare Pwdn directly in the eyes.

"So, ever since then, I've been wandering around, never allowing myself to become to closely attached to someone, except for Aurora. You see, whenever I become close with anyone, my resolve becomes stronger, so I am able to rain in the berserker under my command; the problem is is that once that close person that I know is hurt, taken, or killed, I don't try and stop the berserker in me, I embrace it, welcoming it. I feed it all my rage, my anger, my hate that I have for the enemy that harmed that person that I was close to. Then I unleash it, not caring for what happens to others in my path. This has only happened once, but it was the same occasion that I was in complete control of it."
"If this frightens anyone, I would not be surprised. Only one other that I know has ever been able to best the berserker in me, and frankly I don't know where he is right now. So if you believe that you can drain the animal that is within me, your happy to try, just keep in mind that it will start to use every potential energy source to fuel it; so all you'd be doing is draining it, which in turn, would drain everything around me," he said with finality in his voice, "I know what I am, and I know what I'm capable of; I also know that the only to keep this group safe is let me take point whenever we run across enemies, and hope that that dark side in me doesn't come roaring out."
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Post by Adian Novar »

Adian finally slowed down at the point where they had agreed to meet...a slight widening of the path they ha been on. As he waited for the rest to catch up he opened the pouch that he had taken from the human bandit...or whatever he had been...and examined the contents. He frowned, not understanding.

After a moment he poured the contents into his hand. Rings...almost a dozen of them. One of them was actual gold, but most of them were copper, and there was even one made of iron and one made of woven twigs. None of them seemed magical, so he had no idea why the man would have them.

Those who were from or knew the surface well, [i:dii5a0xi]would[/i:dii5a0xi] recognize them, however. Wedding rings. Engagement rings. Trophies taken from earlier victims. Pieces of lives that had been destroyed in one form or another.

And from his confused expression, it was plain Adian didn't know what he held in his hands.
Last edited by Adian Novar on Wed Mar 24, 2010 9:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Zarae Zyne Kilanatlar
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Post by Zarae Zyne Kilanatlar »

Zarae rode up beside Adian as he examined the comtents of the bag
"what are they? they dont appear magical?"
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Post by Adian Novar »

Adian listened to Veraka's story. He remembered the mad look on his face and the sheer brutality of his kill. Dangerous and excessive, as his teachers would have told him.

"I am not sure what to say, my friend," he said. "If you say you have some control over it, then well and good. I am concerned over that might happen if one of us might get in your way...or what will happen if a somewhat 'cooler' method is necessary.

"All I can assure you of is that I agree with Pdwn: If you make a sacrifice of yourself then I will assist in your beating."

It was hard to tell if Adian knew Pdwn had been speaking hyperbole.
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