View Full Version : Great Minds Think Alike
((Closed))
Rob the thieves' guild.
It was such a brilliant idea, Dusk was scarcely able to believe he'd thought of it. The perfect experiment in human nature: do unto others as they have done unto others, and we'll see how they like it. To steal from professional thieves would not only provide some excellant study material, but also excellant wealth material, killing two birds with one stone, as the saying goes.
He quickly set about making plans for this most interesting of endeavors.
* * * * *
Two weeks later, and he was still excited by the concept. The plans had been completed rapidly, and the preparations were completely simple.
He had gotten wind of a "big job" the Scara Scourge were planning, scheduled to take place that night. Dusk wasn't sure exactly what was happening, since such details were naturally very difficult to stumble across, but he was sure that there would minimal security left behind.
The largest problem was that he didn't know where their main base was. After a solid two weeks of dedicated searching,he was still no closer to finding it. He knew where a very important safehouse was, though, and for lack something better, he planned to try his luck there. He couldn't be sure if he would find enough ill-gotten treasure there to have any real impact, but it was still worth a try. After all, he didn't have anything to lose.
His supplies were of spartan simplicity. His "shopping spree" found with about 50 feet of rope, several empty sacks, a mirror, wax, soap, candle wick, and two bags of glass marbles. He planned to make up for his financial losses, and at the very least, break even. Tucking away all his gear for use, he waited for the sun to fall. When at last darkness began growing, he silently motioned for his albino cat familiar to follow, and began the cross-city trek to the safe house.
* * * * *
The three-story building towered over it's smaller neighbors, it's decrepit walls threatening to fall apart. It was a deserted "urban mansion," a perfect hideout for a thief...or a guild of them. It was bordering on the outskirts of the city, the better to avoid unwanted attention. For the Scara Scourge, it was a dream come true, a quality hideout that's got everything they need in a safe house. For Dusk, it was a dream come true, a perfect combination of a slide under a microscope and an unlocked treasure chest.
Approaching cautiously from the side, he sent Still ahead of him to scout out the entrance. She returned in seconds, meowing softly to tell Dusk of the unlocked window on the bottom floor. It was a simple matter to slide it open and step inside, where Dusk found himself in a dark, empty room.
Probably just an unused storage area. If they had a room such as this almost completely empty, obviously they expected to need it in the future...it shouldn't be hard to find a storage room filled with coins and jewelry and artwork and... Ah. This feels...good. I should do this more often, just for fun. And profit, of course.
Dusk tip-toed his way to the partly-open door, and looked out into a brightly lit hallway.
It gets tough from here on out...
Hearing nothing outside the door, he took a deep breath and slowly, carefully, pulled the door open...
It was dark, pitch black and he could barely see anything more than 20 feet away. The sun had gone down maybe an hour ago and the moon barely lit up anything from its position behind the dark clouds. He was stationed on the roof of the three-story building; from here he could see the small outlines of trees and buildings that swallowed the area. He had just switched shifts with another guard a few minutes ago and he didn’t like it because he was the only one out there. The wind made it impossible to hear anything. He lit up a cigarette, making it possible to see him from a mile away.
An innocent guard, maybe not so innocent, he had been gradually making money disappear from the safe house and making it reappear in his pocket. He had a knack for deception and thievery but he was no master of the trade or anything. That explained all the guard duty, where he failed to be a great thief he was actually a decent fighter and had good sense of when danger was around. He could tell stories all day about times he had saved the damn safe house from thieves and even destruction. He deserved some of the treasure that was kept there.
Eryk pulled his knife out of the victim; he had to use the knives even though he preferred his sword. They were much more quiet and the prey didn’t even hear him coming. He took the cigarette out of the dead man’s mouth and stuck in his own. He was not a smoker but he took the time to congratulate himself on the first victory of the night. He had used the darkness to sneak to the back of the building and climb up with his boots and gloves, probably the easiest part of the night. It was strange that they only kept one guard on the roof but he didn’t care, all the easier for him.
**
Eryk had waited upside down for at least 10 minutes before the guard had begun to walk his patrol route again. He fell onto him and stabbed him in through the eye killing him instantly. He dragged the man into a reletively close closet, leaving a small blood trail, to avoid attention and shape shift. He began breathing very heavily and his arms began to shake uncontrollably. His skin began changing colors as his entire body began growing slightly to accommodate the guard’s structure. He ended up slightly tanner, much more tired and about 10 pounds heavier. He was sweating now, the shift had taken a lot out of him but the rest of the night would be much easier. He walked out of the closet leaving another helpless victim behind.
Eryk knew the treasure was located on the second floor from various reconnaissances from others and of his own. Hundreds of credits worth of items and credits themselves were being kept in the building to fund yet another great adventure of the Scara Scourge, the notorious gang that commanded over the area. They had hit Eryk where it hurt, his people. He had heard from someone that had heard it from someone else, the Scourge were stealing large amounts of credits from people that they planned to exploit. Many of these people didn’t matter to Eryk at all but some were shape shifters like him, poor people that couldn’t afford to lose the money. Eryk was their common Robin Hood, steal from these rich bastards and give some of it to them. Of course he would keep over fifty percent of the earnings but he wasn’t too worried about that.
Only one floor to go, time to get down there. Now where were those stairs?
As he thought of it his uncanny luck kicked in, a sign symbolizing stairs pointed him in the right direction. He walked calmly down the halls, no one would say anything as he passed them due to his look. In no time he would be in the safe house’s most protected room and he would be much richer when he left.
**
His hands reached for the doorknob, he was so close to his objective it was like he could smell and taste the money in his hands. He looked around, no one could be seen in the area, another burst of his uncommon luck proved that he was meant to take this money. He was meant to have this because some greater being was watching over him. He pushed open the door.
Two guards stood up and both reached for their weapons but relaxed as they realized whom the person that walked in was. Just another guard, nothing to worry about. Eryk couldn’t help it, he smiled as he reached for one of his daggers and threw it in the direction of the first guard. The dagger flew wide right and a state of confusion blanketed over the two guards.
Damn.
They had their weapons drawn and Eryk was on them, his sword also unsheathed. A fierce battle took place, each guard swinging mercilessly at Eryk as he struggled to parry, they worked their way to each side of him and with another burst of luck Eryk ducked to dodge one attack that accidentally struck the other guard. Eryk spun and struck upward, finishing the guard in an attack that sent blood everywhere.
One down, one to go.
The other guard was not nearly as skilled as the first and swung clumsily for Eryk’s upper torso. Eryk parried the attack and swung diagonally down cutting the poor man in two and sending more blood throughout the room. He was finally here and nothing would take away his prize, regardless of how much blood had to be spilled. He looked around and saw one of the most valuable pieces of treasure in the safe house, a beautiful orb made completely of some sort of crystal that Eryk couldn’t name. He sheathed his sword and reached out for it at last. After a long preparation and a handful of lives the money was his.
Heh… what goes around comes around, like I always say.
The hall was deserted...as were the next four rooms Dusk tentatively tried.
Strange...I expected it to be quiet, but I didn't know it would be this quiet. I had counted on a skeleton guard, but a complete lack of resistance?
Dusk was growing slightly uneasy, as of a visitor to a ghost town. The sense that something was wrong just couldn't be shaken. He fingered his length of rope, wrapped tightly around his waist, which was the closest thing to a weapon he had. He found little security from this useless gesture, and decided to just keep going. Not one to jump at shadows, he quickly settled down again as he tried to decide which door to check next.
He noticed one which was slightly ajar, and decided to try his luck. A stairway! Maybe he had just been searching on the wrong floor...he climbed the stairs as cautiously as he possibly could, and emerged on the second floor.
Much like the first, it was completely deserted. No matter how hard he listened, how much he strained his ears, the most he could hear was his own breathing. Slightly unnerved, Dusk continued to shrug it off. He could not afford to be scared away because things went just his way.
Several more empty rooms led Dusk to one final door. He paused as he reached for the doorknob...was that his imagination or was there some sort of fight going on?
Whatever he heard, or thought he heard, it was over in just a second, and the silence hung as heavy as it did before. Waiting another few seconds to rebuild his shattered nerves, Dusk gripped the doorknob and flung the door open quickly, the better to prevent cold feet.
Red.
Blood on the floor. Blood on the walls. Two dead bodies, blood still flowing from various wounds.
What the hell?! Apparently he wasn't the only one who was trying to rob from robbers tonight. That's why it was so quiet!
The only movement was from a man...a guardsman?! A traitorous member of the Scara Scourge? I thought there was no such thing! Loyalty 'til death...right?
Whatever he was, or wasn't, he was pilfering some gold. THE gold. HIS gold.
Awakening inside him at last, the Cat surfaced in his thoughts, reaching out for control. Dusk gave himself over easily, not trying to resist. Perhaps his animalistic side could handle this better than he could.
An inhuman growl bordering on a hiss welled up in his throat, a challenge to this fiend who would dare try the same exact stunt as Dusk. This was not to be tolerated.
He shall be...dealt with. A meaningful glance at the two dead bodies was all the resolve Dusk needed to gather.
The room was filled with crates of money and items. There were also several weapon racks everywhere. The room resembled just about every other cliché storage room. Eryk didn’t even get to touch the treasure before he heard something from behind him. A door opening, there was someone else in the room. Eryk turned to face the new entity. It wasn’t a guard or some person who worked for Scara Scourge. Whoever it was it didn’t look like they were there to watch him pick up his riches and leave.
Another Thief?
The blood from his previous victims hadn’t even stopped flowing before more blood would be shed. The other person looked at him and let out a growl of some sort, more like a cat hissing. Eryk could tell that this new person had no intention of letting him walk out of this place alive and with the treasure so there was only one option. He was going to have to win another fight, nothing out of the ordinary for him.
“So… you want to tango? Well let’s see it.”
He unsheathed his sword for a second time that night, the blood on the blade dripped off. The sword had an unquenchable thirst for blood; no amount of bloodshed could stop it. He pointed the blade off to one side and held it with one hand in a very arrogant stance, he thought that if he could defeat the Scara Scourge’s own guards he could easily defeat this small menace. It was just another small dose of his over confidence in his luck. One day he was going to regret it but not today.
He looked at the other man and words were on the tip of his tongue but did not escape his mouth. He closed his mouth and gave the man another arrogant look with his nose stuck up in the air as if the man was lower than him. He brought his sword into both hands and held it much closer to his body and began to take several steps forward until he was within whispering distance of his opponent.
“You will regret this day forever.” He whispered.
Caught in the act, this thieving guard turned around to face him. It became clear that this "guard" was the murderer, and he wanted that gold just as much as Dusk.
The Cat was in control, and he didn't bother to register what this traitor had said. He watched him draw his still-bloody sword, and that was all the communication that was necessary. Baring his teeth, he extended his claws, ready to tear off the face of this thief.
He waited as the man slowly approached, and then with all his animalistic rage, pounced like a cat on the hunt. Leaping into the air, he slashed down with both hands, one after the other, curved claws outstretched and seeking blood. He wanted to rip, to tear, to shred this one man who would dare thwart him, knowingly or not.
Dusk, the spectator in his own body, watched in fascination. He could never hope to fight like that on his own, without his Aspect's help. But still something seemed wrong, and even as little of a warrior as Dusk was, he was worried.
Maybe leaping to the attack wasn't such a great idea? Dusk thought at the Cat.
The Cat didn't respond as he began to descend on his prey, feral delight dancing through his mind.
Uh-oh...this doesn't look good...
It was another thief just as Eryk suspected. The creature then jumped at him, he couldn’t quite tell if this thing was human or not but he was positive that it was trying to attack him with claws. He didn’t quite expect the attack but he couldn’t get one thing out of his mind. Where did the claws come from? They seemed to have suddenly sprung out of his fingers as if he could retract them, like a cat.
He hissed like a cat too, maybe it’s some sort of hybrid? Oh well, thinking will come later.
It was true; he didn’t have much time to think about what this thing was. The half-cat being was already in mid flight, arms outstretched and ready to pummel Eryk as soon as they had a chance. He was not ready to let this happen, he had a beautiful face to keep intact. He quickly rolled to the right and narrowly dodged the attack; he could actually hear the cats annoying breathing in his ear as the man went past Eryk.
“Your gonna have to try harder than that to get me.”
His agility really paid off here as he got up quickly and swung his sword with all the energy he had in a very calculated strike towards the man’s mid back. If his blow landed it would decimate his opponent and hopefully render him unable to move and easier to finish the kill. If he missed though, it could turn out fatal for him if his opponent had any sort of skills with a weapon. He was already beginning to regret such a reckless attack. He hoped it would work out to his advantage.
This foe should be easy to dispatch and then these riches will be mine.
Damnit!
Dusk knew the Cat's pounce was a stupid idea. But no, why would the Cat listen to logic over instinct? He watched helplessly as the man rolled away from the attack, deadly claws coming within a hairsbreadth of this guard/thief.
Utterly irritated, Dusk struggled for control, but the Cat fought back, stubbornly maintaining his control over the body. Dusk decided to give up for the moment and take a back seat; after all, if he continued the power struggle, the Cat might get distracted. Being distracted in battle was not a prospect Dusk relished.
With his usual grace, the Cat commanded Dusk's clumsy body to land neatly, using his hands as front legs for balance. Almost before Dusk knew what was going on, the Cat sprung out again, but this time he moved towards his enemy to attack, but away from his enemy...to retreat?
Whoosh!
The counterattack was dodged. Almost. Just a fraction of a second too slow, the tip of the blade sliced what amounted to a papercut across Dusk's back. Even though he wasn't in control, he could still feel the stinging pain of the almost-insulting blow.
You bastard! You're not doing it right! Dusk thought savagely at the Cat, trying to get his attention. Hopefully the survival instinct would tell the feline alter-ego that Dusk was better equipped to handle this, as a human.
No such luck. Rising back to two legs, claws flexing at his side, the Cat hunched forward slightly. A challenge. He circled like a boxer or wrestler, seeking an opening his swift reflexes could turn into a mortal blow.
No longer content to just watch the proceedings, Dusk continued trying to jockey for position, but the Cat's animalistic rage drowned him out entirely, as if he were a fly that was more easily ignored than swatted.
Not daring to give up, Dusk continued trying to force his way into control as he watched, helplessly, the Cat circling around the outside of the room, ready for the next round of attacks.
The man landed on all fours perfectly like a cat normally would. Where the man had failed, Eryk had succeeded. His blow was not anything to be proud of but it was successful which was exactly what he wanted. A small cut was more dangerous than no cut at all; it was common sense. Eryk congratulated himself on the small victory.
However, when the man had moved again it seemed like he didn’t even notice the minor wound. This small fact made Eryk a little uneasy but he brought his sword back into a more cautious position, close to him and capable of parrying any attacks. He decided that the man would not attack as foolish as he had before so now Eryk was forced on to the offensive.
You think you can just sucker me into a hasty attack. Why wont you say anything?
Another rush of the uneasy feeling made him turn pale. His confidence was slowly starting to fade as the thoughts of what this man was preparing came rushing into this head, he wouldn’t even speak to Eryk.
“Why is this treasure important to someone like you?”
The man wobbled onto his hind legs and flexed his claws. He looked perfectly human to Eryk. There was no explanation for the way he was acting. Maybe he was some sort of freak that just loved cats.
Ya that’s it, he’s just some freak.
Eryk’s confidence returned to him as he watched the man clumsily wobbled around on his hind legs, like a fighter in the arena. It was almost comical. Eryk found it hard not to smile again, he seemed to be doing that a lot that night. He ran toward his enemy and his cape billowed behind him like a crimson tide. It would be the last thing this man saw. Eryk brought his sword wide to his right to make a horizontal cut at his enemy.
"Why is this treasure important to someone like you?"
The question echoed in Dusk's head, bouncing around inside his skull like a hollow drumbeat. The Cat paused and tilted his head to the right slightly, trying to assimilate the meaning. The repetition of this simple question, questioning his purpose here, allowed Dusk to take control again quickly, beating back the unsuspecting Aspect.
Finally in a position where he could make a difference, he examined the situation with lightning speed, ignoring the angry hissing and spitting of the Cat within. A single table and two chairs on the other side of the room were the only furnishings...Well, THAT's useful. Dusk thought sarcastically. Still angered over the takeover, the Cat didn't respond.
It seemed as though he had been thrust into a hopeless situation, but he didn't even have time to think about that too much. A sword was coming in quickly, poised to strike him in half right at the waist. Hesistating just a second too long, Dusk tried to duck under the attack, but instead took a heavy blow to the shoulder.
The gash began bleeding almost instantly, adding another huge rip and colorful bloodstain to his already-splotched cloak. He staggered backwards under the weight of the blow, the pain ripping all along his arm. Instinctively he reached to cover the wound with his hand, but chekced himself almost instantly. Try not to show weakness...ugh...make him think it doesn't hurt...
Realizing that his life was very much in danger, urgency set in. He had to do something. Fast. Now. Immediately!
Mind reeling with the possibilities, most of his options seemed too desperate or simply unfeasable.But he had only a second or two to come up with a plan, because when his red-clad opponent recovered well enough to strike again, the whole episode would come down to a bloody, messy ending.
Still! Where was his familiar? He hadn't seen her since they enterd the building...she simply slipped his attention as he searched single-mindedly for treasure. No good, she can't be counted on to help when she could be anywhere.
What would she have done, though? In a desperate situation...animals will stand and fight, or try to flee. Well, if fighting wasn't working, than clearly that left only one option.
Run!
Wait!
Dusk inadvertantly turned in a circle as he changed his mind. The brief bout the Cat had fought for him lured the would-be red thief away from the treasure. Now was as good a time as any to grab some and make a getaway while he still could. Hustling to the treasure cache, he reached out with his unwounded right arm in a pose similar to the one he found the red thief in earlier. Unlike the first thief, he managed to wrap his greedy fingers around a handful of treasure.
Whirling quickly, his left arm dangling uselessly at his side, he dashed for the door and fled out into the hallway, stuffing his gains into a pouch as he ran.
What if he tries to chase me, and finish the job? That seems a likely possibility, considering how viciously the man had been fighting. Oh! Of course. Such a simple trick, but I'm glad I came prepared...
With the use of only his right arm, he pulled a small bag from inside his cloak. Fumbling to get the drawstring open, he dumped out it's contents on the floor behind him, and he threw the empty bag away as he reached the stairs. The sound reminded him of his childhood, and now it would buy him his life...or so he hoped.
Marbles...what would I do without them?
And then the man started to stand like a normal person, as if he had just transitioned from some feline state into a normal human being. Eryk was slightly caught off-guard by the sudden change in personality.
Was this man capable of switching personalities? Or was he a slave to them?
The man was certainly a freak of sorts like Eryk had suspected. Of course, it was not right for him to judge where he had hated to be judged himself. Then his blow landed on the unfortunate man.
Another successful attack and one that could not be easily shrugged off. Eryk’s sword collided with the man’s left shoulder, more than likely rendering it useless. Blood gushed over the blade and Eryk could feel his power growing, it wouldn’t be long before this awfully poor fighter would be leaving this place in a wooden box. Eryk couldn’t believe how it seemed as if this man was unprepared to run into anyone while robbing a guarded safe house.
Eryk looked at him, it was obvious that he was in deep thought for the few seconds he had until Eryk would strike again. His own momentum was growing and growing and leading to a quick victory. The man had to do something quick if he wanted to escape from the icy clutches of death tonight and then he did.
Eryk couldn’t believe it, the man grabbed the valuable treasure that he had seen when he first came into the room. The swirling blue orb made of some rare crystal, it probably had magical properties too. It was like an ocean filled with danger and adventure. Eryk could stare into it for days on end. That thing would be worth quite a bundle if he could get his hands on it.
And that little bastard took it!
Eryk quickly chased after the rival thief out the doorframe that had begun the awkward battle. CRASH! Eryk had found the floor to be full of marbles and after giving chase to the thief he managed to slip and fall in mid sprint. He could feel a searing pain in his left arm, similar to the pain that you get when you bump your funny bone but one hundred times worse.
Ahh, that slippery bastard is gonna get it!
He looked up and could see his new rival sprinting down the hall. He had to get up if he planned on catching him at all.
Practically throwing himself down the stairs, he took them two and three at a time, and he hadn't even reached the bottom of the stairs when a loud crash told him his plan had worked.
But that doesn't guarantee victory or even an escape...it buys me time, that's all. If I want to get out of here, I'll need something else.
Dusk came to a grinding halt at the bottom of the stairs, once more digging inside his cloak for the materials to set up another trap. The wedge of soap he had planned to use to squeeze into any tight openings could be used to lubricate the floor, making it nice and slippery for his pursuer.
But with the use of only one arm, his awkward grip wasn't at all secure, and the soap plopped to the ground, right in the middle of the bottom stair.
Good enough. I don't have time to fix it, anyway. Dusk started running again, opening the nearest door and barging in. The room was of small-to-middling size, and like all the rooms he had entered before, completely bare. Wood walls, wood floor, wood ceiling...
Dead end...?! There were no other doors leading out of the room, and already it sounded as if the man upstairs was recovering from his fall. Or that could have just been the blood pounding in his ears...No good.
Quickly setting himself up behind the door, he reached once more into his bag of tricks, and his fingers felt a cold, unfamiliar object. Some of the treasure. Pulling it out, he could see a dagger made of gold, a weak weapon but a pretty decoration. It would have to do, if he was forced to make a final stand.
Almost a mockery within him, the Cat bared it's mental teeth and strutted back and forth, as though to show he was ready to fight, pay back the red rogue for the insulting cut on his back.
Dusk gripped the dagger tightly as he waited behind the door, hoping to go unnoticed, but prepared to die fighting if he was discovered.
Eryk got up, the pain in his arm was excruciating. He quickly regarded his arm as useless and did his best to ignore the pain. He stood up on two legs and began chasing after his prey, his arm loosely at his side, dangling. He looked at his arm and it was beginning to change to a deep purple and blue, not a very good sign.
Still he kept up with the chase, many thoughts of failure racing through his head. That orb was probably the most valuable piece of equipment in the area and with his luck it had some sort of magical property that would give him a large edge over his competition. He needed to get that orb, he fiends for the orb. He has to make it his own.
He saw blood droplets leading a very easy to track path to his rival, most likely something he hadn’t expected. Eryk was keeping his eyes much more open now, expecting more traps to try to slow him down. He kept a good watch and ran into the stairs. He leaped down as many at a time as he could and was at the bottom of them in no time flat.
He noticed something at the bottom of the stairs, a large puddle of blood and several trails leading back and forth. His victim had been standing in this area for a long period of time. There was something lying in the middle of the floor, a bar of soap.
Is he trying to make me slip and fall again? I wont fall for that twice.
Eryk jumped over the area that appeared to be wiped with soap and almost made it completely over, he slid about 2 feet but he quickly managed to regain his balance and continue running. He heard a door open and caught a small glimpse of a man’s foot ducking into a room. Eryk kept after him.
He jumped into the room and saw his enemy standing there, shocked by the fact that there was no escape from this room. He was trapped and Eryk was enjoying every minute of it. It was like a dream come true for him, he could easily overpower this person and then the treasure was his.
“You can’t escape now fiend. I have a good feeling only one of us will be walking out of this room alive and I can assure you it will be me.”
The man was holding a small golden dagger, some sort of decoration. Eryk laughed at it. It was not a real weapon but it probably was worth something. He could pawn it off after he finished this guy off.
“You think your gonna kill me with that pathetic weapon? I could even the playing field… but don’t count on it.”
He raised his sword again into his favored fighting position. Eryk would finish this man is a swift crimson blow.
It was simply too predictable. The red thief came barging in the room seconds after Dusk, and began making the usual threats. It was the kind of two-copper, self-praising monologue he assumed everyone had heard dozens of times before, made all the more bitter by being on the receiving end of it.
Not that this truly is the end...if you were going to kill me, I'd have been dead long ago. Only partly true, the thought inspired confidence where there had been none before. Another idea began froming in his mind. A better idea. A bolder idea.
Calmly stepping forward to face the other man head-on, he held his dagger out slowly, as if to show it off. Then, he purposely dropped it on the floor, along with the sack of loot he had taken before.
"I have a better idea."
Dusk spoke for the first time that night. He hoped this other thief would listen to talk, listen to logic and reason, so that they both could prosper. A scheme began forming in his mind, a world-spanning revolution, an idea that could shake the very shake the world to it's very core. And it could all start right here.
"Take what you want, I've got something better. Let's end this fight, shall we? I want to talk with you..."
Breathing hard he didn’t quite understand what the man was getting to. The strange character dropped his only weapon and began talking about his better idea leaving him completely defenseless. Something didn’t feel quite right to Eryk, normal people just don’t drop their weapons and try to talk their way out of things. This guy wasn’t exactly normal though; maybe it was another one of his personalities.
Eryk was also relieved to hear the man talk finally, his intimidating presence began to disappear and Eryk was feeling much more confidant. He could easily finish this once and for all but instead he thought about what this guy was getting to. He was letting him take whatever he wanted… the orb mainly. This could be a trap though, perfectly set to lure him with what he wanted most.
Is this guy for real? Maybe I’ll take the orb and see what happens. It could be a trap though. Then again, maybe he just wanted to survive.
“Alright. Ill take the orb, that’s all I care about right now but if you try to pull anything funny Ill cut your guts out and skin you alive.”
Eryk slowly bent over to retrieve the precious orb from the sack. He was immediately entranced on it, it was beautiful. The swirling milky blue color reflected from the depths of his eyes. He sheathed his sword and grabbed onto it with both hands, his opponent could strike easily now if he wanted. Eryk could see a faint glow of red in the orb; there was some sort of magic in it. He could feel it in his fingers, pulsing like a heartbeat.
“What’s your great idea?”
Eryk felt a little more trusting which was a little out of character for him. The man had not attacked him even when he had a prime chance and that meant a lot to Eryk, it was a kind of honor you only learned on the streets. An honor he had forgotten about a long time ago.
Dusk watched carefully as the thief picked up a single object, an orb that was perhaps a small magic trinket. Satisfied by this one item, the thief had even sheathed his sword.
That's good. It means I'm getting somewhere.
"What's your great idea?"
Words rushed up to his tongue in a torrent as the excitement welled up inside again. Just this red thief's curiosity promised Dusk a new ally, rival, companion, friend and enemy all at the same time. A world-shattering plot was soon to be unleashed, and it would start with this simple act of trust, a quick fight, and an accidental run-in during a routine thievery.
If only I had a patron god to thank right now.
Extending his right arm forward as a sign of peace, Dusk actually smiled. A warm, inviting, genuinely happy smile, the first such in a very long time for him.
"Name's Dusk, and my idea is quite simple, really. We're obviously both good thieves, and we can gain a lot more from working together. But the most profitable businesses thrive on competition. Keeps the market healthy, or so I'm told.
"How would you like to test the theory, and get the chance to prove you're a better thief than I?"
The possibilities such a simple contest presented them both were endless. "Friendly" competition to achieve the richest prizes Althanas had to offer! Heroes are only as revered as their greatest foe, and this contest could easily extend into legendary status.
I could add a whole new dimension to my research, as well...heighten my powers...become wealthy, respected...in fact, there's nothing I CAN'T do right now...Just shake my hand and seal the deal, you're in for half...
Dusk weighed his chances of escaping alive if the man said no. They were about as good as meeting a midget demon.
Then Dusk thought about what would happen if he did shake his hand...his eyes began to glaze over as the possibilities danced in his head like so many stars in the sky.
((This will probably be the last post for my character and would be a good end for the battle unless you have something else planned.))
Dusk… what a strange name to go with a strange character.
Apparently, Dusk wanted to extend an invitation in Eryk’s direction. He wanted a contest that would settle who the better thief was, something that made Eryk’s mouth water. A competition to prove to Althanas and to history how great a thief he actually was. It was a great plan and Eryk was hanging onto every one of Dusk’s words.
The riches Eryk could acquire from such a competition were vast and invaluable. The priceless artifacts he could steal from anyone, the amount of riches that would make him into the richest man of Althanas. They all started here, in this small safe house that would prove to be only a small portion in his vast collection of riches. His greed was beginning to take over with nothing to oppose it. Reason and truth had gone out the window when deception and hunger for power came through the door like an unstoppable rush of water that had been compacted into a small area until it exploded.
All Eryk had to do was reach out and shake Dusk’s hand, something that was a little troubling to him. He had gained a small amount of trust from the fact that he was still standing but that was nothing to become friends with the man over. There was certainly a large risk involved in taking this mission.
But the money, the riches…
This was probably one of the biggest decisions that Eryk would ever make in his life. Trust a stranger, risking his death for glory and riches. Then again, that was what his entire life was all about. Get rich… or die trying. He could kill him or he could make a lot more money through this competition.
He looked Dusk in the eyes, glazed over. He was probably thinking the exact thing that Eryk was. The money, the unbelievable riches that could be his, theirs, it was worth the risk. He would befriend this man, make him his rival, and most importantly: a new enemy. Eryk reached out to shake the mans hand, sealing the deal and beginning a new partnership that could make them both rich or end in either one of them dieing in a very gruesome manner.
“Your lucky I didn’t decide to just kill you.”
((Spoils: The orb. It has magical properties that wont be discovered until much further into Eryk's career.))
Zephyriah
06-05-06, 07:11 PM
Great Minds Think Alike
Hey fellahs, I'm gonna go ahead and judge this as a quest even though it could be judged as a battle.
Introduction – 7 One of the strongest points of the thread. You both made it known that you were clearly on a mission to rob a thieves' guild. Dusk in the beginning almost had a sense of justice about him like Robin Hood, whereas he was willing to take on such a grand task. Eryk was more rugged and blunt, but still managed to intertwine his reasons for taking part in this thread nicely.
Setting – 4 You both started out way in your early posts, but once you two finally interacted with each other, I felt that this was pushed to the wayside. Incorporating setting more gives your reader a better feel of the environment that you two are trying to create.
Strategy – 3 I scored this as low as I did because I found it surprising how easily you both infiltrated the thieves' guild. Considering they must be skilled thieves themselves, I would've imagined that there would've been more resistance than several guards that Eryk managed to take out. Having your characters go through more obstacles than they did here would've helped the suspense when Eryk and Dusk finally confronted each other.
Dialogue – 5 I think Dusk shined a bit more in this regard since he seemed to use it more to advance the part of the storyline that was his responsibility. Eryk you weren't bad, but I felt like most time dialogue was used with you was to convey what you were thinking. I checked the see if maybe this was part of his personality, but found that he's an arrogant type and all around ruthless. You of course showed this through the battles, but I would've liked to have seen that come out more in dialogue.
Character – 6 Thieves can be boring. And to be honest with you guys, when found that your characters were thieves I wasn't really looking forward to it. However, you both have different styles and different ways of approaching the life of a thief. Dusk was more calculative and deceptive by the way he presented his character, while Eryk attempted to be that way, but much rather preferred giving someone a beatin'. I really did end up enjoying both of your characters.
Rising Action – 5 The escalation of the battle was pretty non-existent, that is, until Dusk decided to flee from the original battle scene. It was something that I would've have expected and it drew me further into the thread after somewhat of a lull when the battle ensued.
Climax – 6 Although abrupt, Dusk's way of using his mind to save his own skin by proposing a "challenge" to see who's the greatest thief in Althanas was creative. Eryk responded well to this as he stayed true to the character that he'd been portraying throughout the entire thread.
Conclusion – 7 I really did enjoy the way that you guys capped off this quest/battle because it leaves upon the possibility for a great rivalry. I don't think I've seen a rivalry between thieves so I look forward to seeing what you two develop between each other.
Writing Style – 6 I don't know if you two are new or not, but you both have unique styles that made it easy for both of you to stand out in this thread. Keep up the good work.
Wild Card – 7 Like I said in the conclusion category, I look forward to seeing how you guys embellish upon this newfound rivalry.
Score - 56
Spoils - Eryk gets his orb.
Smoker receives 640 EXP and 200 GP
Eryk receives 640 EXP and 200 GP
Thoracis
06-05-06, 07:46 PM
Rewards Added!
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.