Round 2: Bloodrose Vs Zerith

[Silence Sei]

You have 2 weeks to complete your battle, may the best man win!

[Bloodrose]

Zerith Dracosius...

The rain fell in sheets, drenching the lone figure in the muddy roadway just outside the Flowering Fields Inn. The yellow, inviting glow of tallow candles ringed the outer edges of window shutters and lined the bottom of the closed doorway, but the figure did not hurry to get out of the rain. It stood there, nonplussed by the cool, summer downpour, toying with the grey-blue hilt of a saber.

"They say he don't take kindly to our lot." Teric could hear the highwayman's warning echoing between his ears. "Mercenaries, thieves, ruffians, and their ilk, I suppose. A real 'knight in shining armor type'..."

The solemn, rain-soaked veteran had run across the hapless bandit a mile further south. He had been a ragged, scrawny thing, dressed in boiled leathers and carrying a rusty knife on his belt. The scars on his hands and the hungry look in his eye were those of a common thug - the type that would slip a blade between your ribs just as soon as look at you. Like most common thugs, however, this particular bandit had taken one look at the sword on Teric's hip and thought better of any malfeasance. Just as he had thought better of trying to find shelter at the inn.

"Best carry on past that place, ser. A little rain ain't nuthin compared to the sort of trouble them hero types can bring."

A muffled round of cheering could be heard from outside, despite the soft, constant patter of rain on the roadway. It was a common sound heard coming from inns and taverns; the sort that rises and falls like a tide as a fresh rounds of drinks arrive at the tables of weary, thirsty travelers. Even more so than the warm light, that sound and the promise of cool ale and sharp distilled spirits was very inviting.

A man like that has no problem with me. Teric found himself thinking, weighing the pros and cons of stepping inside. Odds are he won't even recognize me as a mercenary, let alone a wanted criminal. Corone is a big place, with lots of people. What are the real chances that a random knight in a countryside inn is going to take any more interest in you than any other travelers on a rainy night?

The mud squelched beneath his boots as Teric strode out of the road and reached for the door. He knew from his time in Corone - having travelled this same road a hundred times before - that there was another inn four miles down the road. Another inn that might not be hosting a fighter with a penchant for dealing with bad guys for the evening. Four miles was a long way to travel in the rain, however, and that inconvenience had to be weighed carefully against the highwayman's warning.

"They say he don't take kindly to our lot."

The ruffian had decided it better to find a different haven for the evening. Teric was not so inclined; all he wanted a chilly mug and warm seat by the fire...

[Zerith]

It was official. Being caught out in the rain sucked.

It wasn’t just some little drizzle that Zerith found himself stranded in; it was much more like a downpour. The halberdier was soaked, his boots were covered in mud from old roadway he was travelling down and general concern for catching a cold was slowly creeping into his thoughts. His usually curly hair was matted to his forehead, and he would have to constantly wipe the water off his face just so he remain able to see the path ahead of him.

Perhaps it could have been worse. For all he knew, he could have been forced to deal with a miserable, drenched, and vocal Jensen Ambrose on the road if it weren’t for the fact that the immortal chose to hop back on the Ferry and head back home while the prince continued toward the Serenti. Another blessing came in the form of Zerith’s halberd, which the noble honestly thought would have become some sort of lightning rod in the rain due to the enchantment on it. Luckily for Zerith, the one who work their magic on the weapon thought of that as well and somehow made it so the electricity that surged across the blade didn’t fry it’s owner. On that thought, the traveller made a mental note to thank the man if he ever encountered him again.

Since the fight with Solomon onboard the ferry was technically regarded as a defeat for the warder. His personal agenda consisted of getting to Serenti as quickly as possible, scoring a win to boost his self-confidence a little and riding out the tournament for a long as he could. Yet the relative drastic change in the weather convinced the Ixian Knight to change the plan slightly, despite how frustrating it was to be slowed down a bit. He needed to find some shelter so he get out of the rain, dry his clothes, warm up a little and get away from the distracting smell of the worms as they crawl out from underneath the earth. That smell was the one thing that Zerith didn’t like about the rain.

Salvation appeared a little bit further down the road. At first the halberdier could barely see the faint silhouette of a building through the sheet of water that remained in the gap. However, as he drew closer he could see a yellow glow through the windows and the sign that labelled the building as the White Griffon Inn. “Strange name for a inn,” Zerith thought, “but at least it looks like its open.”

Trudging up to one of the window, the halberdier wiped the water off the glass, placed his left hand above his eyes and peered inside. He couldn’t really see anything through the dirty, old window, but he could recognize the outline of a person when he saw one. He didn’t see just one either, but several of them along with the sound of constant chatter from inside. Apparently the weather wasn’t a misfortune to everyone, whoever owned the inn was probably thankful for it and the business it brought.

Zerith splashed through a large puddle on his way to the door as he had given up on wiping the rain off his face any longer and just resort to let his obscure his vision altogether. All he wanted to do now was get inside as quickly as possible. As he fumbled for the doorknob he could hear the rain pummelling on the roof of the inn. He hoped that the rain wouldn’t continue throughout the night, but even as he entered he tried to look on the positive side of things should he have to stay overnight.

“At least I won’t have to share a bed with Jensen. I hear he likes to cuddle in his sleep.”

[Bloodrose]

Even if I were to somehow advance through this round, I'm not going to have time to devote to this tourney in the coming weeks. Therefore I formally withdraw myself from competition.

Good luck Zerith.

.

[Silence Sei]

Zerith advances to Round 3!