The Good Samaritan

[Cyrus the virus]

((Closed))

Luc's appearance was notorious in Radasanth, but he walked the streets with the calm air of a man above the law. Sauntering casually through rows of riff-raff who looked at him in surprise, the mage's trek through the Bazaar was accomplishing all he wanted it to: it was boosting his ego.

Who, after all, would try to take him down a peg? The military could ambush him in an alley, every single member of it, and he would teleport away. One as light and as brisk as the wind didn't have to obey the petty laws of a city or country.

All the same, Luc sauntered a little too surely, his hips swaying too high, as one of his wands slipped free from his belt and tumbled to the ground behind him. So lost in his enjoyable stroll, the mage didn't notice.

It was a hot day in Corone, the sun beaming high in the sky with not a cloud in sight. Luc squinted through it, wondered where the normal folk would go to stay cool on a day like today. For a lark, on this day when he had little business to attend to, the mage made his way to the Sudsy Sea Tavern, where the girls were cute and the men were fun to embarrass.

[Kially Gaith]

Kially was bathing in the suns gift, enjoying a leisurely day of exploration, tiny feet pitter pattering against the floor, an ants pace to that of the hustle and bustle of city life.

It was when walking down a small alley that he noticed a strange object falling to the floor at a rapid pace, bouncing once, twice, thrice, before ricocheting a little off several stones embedded into the path.. Looking up, it’s owner had continued on ahead, several eyes now battled one another as the lesser mannered folk of the city argued in silence over who was going to grab it first, that was, until Kially ran in and picked it up without a care in the world, a single pale tiny inexperienced hand claiming it before all else. Immediately all eyes were upon him, and at sight of an easy picking at the boys’ silver necklace, one or two stepped out towards him, watching the childs’ movements, readying to pounce.

Kially, oblivious to this, burst into a sudden running pace as best he could towards the larger bulkier male, which, unlike the rest of the town, Kially was unafraid of. It’s not that he wasn’t afraid of him, he just didn’t know better than to KNOW WHY to be afraid, meaning that not even a free wand (which he knew nothing of) would stop him from collaring the fellow for naught but a few seconds to return it.

A sudden shrill call that would barely even pierce daily life. “Hey mister!” No response at all, the hulk and bulk that was Luc continued on in his own world. Kially gave hindered chase, amongst dirty sneers from those that had planned to take advantage of him.

Kially continued to call out. Nothing, hopping from side to side to avoid what seemed like giants stepping into his path unknowing of the tiny child just awaiting to be crushed beneath them.

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaait!” No use. A childs’ voice, no matter how beautiful or shrill, held no bearings in that of inner-city life. Giving up on his call, he continued to follow as best he could, using the fellows well kept locks of head fur as a decent bobbing indication of location, until soon that head flung itself behind a door and disappeared.

Just as the door was about to slide closed, Kially kicked out his right leg, catching the door on the blade of his right foot, nudging it back open with his hip as he made quick his tailing of the mage ahead.

“Mister?” Came the sweet call again from behind Luc, his voice now a little more audible in that of the tavern, granted, it still didn’t hold the providence of a great hero, but many small hands and voices were a part of molding Radasanth to what it was today.

He simply awaited a reaction, wand firmly grasped between his lacy little pale digits.

[Cyrus the virus]

The Sudsy Sea was not Radasanth's classiest establishment, but it made its effort. Small and dank, the walls were decorated with hung lamps and colored mirrors. But beyond the vain attempt at ambiance, the tavern was a shallow hole. The clientelle was pathetic, both in number and in respectability of those who did attend.

The one positive was the choices of employee. Young, attractive waitresses, only two at this current hour, walked the floor. Luc nearly salivated as he entered the bar, remembering more than one night where he'd had some fun here.

Before he could find himself a place to sit and relax, a young voice caught his attention. He turned and saw the wee one, at least a foot shorter than the mage. Luc gave him a curious look, then he noticed the tightly-gripped wand. Checking his belt, he noticed that a clasp was loose, and as a result his Wand of Webbing was gone.

"Ah, child!" he beamed, "what a good spirit you have. Go ahead and keep that, consider it a reward for being such a good boy. And I'll treat you to whatever you'd like on the menu as well, just come with me."

Intriguing. The boy had a strange aura about him, the traces of magic in his being. It was almost tangible to the magic-sensitive mage, who led the boy to an empty table with two seats.

"Excuse me, sir," mentioned one of the nearby waitresses, her voice uneasy as she faced a somewhat awkward situation. "He's much too young to be in here, I'll have to ask you to le-"

"Oh, it's fine." responded Luc, without even raising an eye.

The waitress choked on her words a moment, a very, very faint cloud of vapor muddling her vision. "Of course," she said. "What can I get you?"

Luc sat, cleared his throat, beckoned Kially to place an order while he perused the menu.

[Kially Gaith]

In those moments that Luc turned and spoke to the boy, he had already become dizzy, hyper sensitive to that of that alcohol and weak ether in the air, taking his weak body by a massive advantage, disorientating the lad with no effort at all.
Still, he held up the wand, the words not having quite reached him, the confusion of it all gripping him with an iron hand. Then suddenly, without warning, the fellow moved away towards a table! How rude, Kially thought, until the strange male with a seemingly hidden demeanour made his purpose clear, Kially was to follow!

Doing the bidding of the male, Kially couldn’t help but feel like he was being dragged into something much deeper than he could handle, a power of wind was in the fellow, much akin to that of his own and whether it reminded him of home or purest destruction, he was unable to decide.

Placing his little butt onto the chair offered out by Luc, he sat, silently, watching the fellow and listening intently, having to really focus to beat out the effects of the strange smell that was making him feel nauseous, having never been exposed to alcohol before. Finally, a whimpering effort of sound came from his lips as he was beckoned to the menu. “…Apple, please?” Small shiny eyes ran over the menu, no pictures caught his attention and he was unable to read, an unfamiliarity with good food also hindering in his choice resulting in that of his only knowledge.

With the order hopefully successfully placed, he reached across the table to place the wand in the gaze of Luc, innocent eyes holding nought but confusion and innocence. All this was new to Kially. A strange environment coupled with an overwhelming stench of alcohol and body odour was by far easily enough too close to flooring the lad.

[Cyrus the virus]

Luc hesitated, looked up from the menu as the boy spoke. He caught the waitress's attention again. "Bring the boy a slice of apple pie and some juice. I'll take a bowl of potato and meat."

When the waitress had gone, Luc watched with interest as the timid child pushed the wand toward him. He seemed uneasy, something typical of those who knew who Luc was - but this was different. It was obvious that the boy felt out of his element.

"Like I said, you can keep that. It's a magic wand, a..." he searched for words the boy might understand. "Sort of like a toy. If you point it at someone and say Adveri, it'll shoot a web out. Like a spider. But you can only use it a few times, so only use it when you really want to. And don't you dare say the word while holding the thing, or the web will shoot out when you don't want it to."

Some kind of faint rapping came out of the boy, a pulsating magic that seemed so familiar to the mage. He tried to lock eyes with the child, to peer into his soul, but the youth was timid. "What's your name, little one? And where do your parents come from?"

[Kially Gaith]

A small pale hand slid to take back the wand he’d been so generously given, that was until the words of Luc stabbed him right where it hurt. All the other children he’d seen had been escorted by larger folk that he’d heard referred to as parents and Kially couldn’t help but wonder where his were…Even if he knew exactly where she was. He hesitated for a moment before deciding that Luc could have trust as his gift in return for the wand, a hand pointing down at the floor, the question of his name falling upon deaf ears as that of a parent caught Kially more.

Tilting his head on edge as the thought of parents finally left him, he considered this of ‘pie’, apple…pie? Now this one would be new. Kially began to caress the wand a little, adding a tiny blade of wind to his finger tip, cleaning off the dirt that had occurred at falling to the scummy floor, with seemless ease, an oddity this wand was indeed. Kially went to repeat the very word that Luc had stated as to commit to memory. “Adv…” He stopped when he realised his mistake, he wasn’t stupid, just that of the strong alcohol had him out of senses, at ease and a little more open about things than he probably should be.

“Where are your parents?” Kially retorted in return, attempting to confirm if it was just little people that had these ‘parent’ thinguh mahjigs, his eyes now locked upon Luc, allowing the burly mage access to do just as he pleased.

Luc would find that of a truly pure soul, his eyes telling of innocence, celestial gentleness and an unbreakable resolve of sweetness. That didn’t mean he was a hero or even a guardian of humans. He had little care for them, instead he’d find little knowledge about human life, instead, a deep knowledge of every plant and animal in existence. Now the forests of the planet? Those were his calling, a guardian of the spherical form that all enjoyed and lived upon. Should Luc delve too deep, he’d hear but a strong woman’s voice, that would possibly eat at even his strong mind with a voice that held no mercy, though he’d unlikely understand just what was said. “Jraa Fvr xrvara Tehaq unora, uvre mh frva trura Fvr uvanhf!”

Kially would have no idea of what was unfolding in such words, his mother, instead of in the center of the terra firma, she instead lay within him…Or at least a part of her.

Translation - If you have no reason to be here...Get out!

[Cyrus the virus]

A curious being, the boy. He used magic in a subtle way that betrayed how often he relied on it, wiping the wand with a blade of wind instead of his hand, a napkin or his shirt. It was things like that which made a magic-attuned being different from a regular human, the slight changes in lifestyle choices, the vain usage of magic for nothing really useful.

"My parents are dead, lad. I might not look it, but I'm quite a bit older than you." It was a lie, but not a malicious one. Luc hadn't seen his parents since he was twelve, had no idea where they were or if they were indeed still alive.

So he stared into the youth's eyes, sensing the purity there. Something about it begged to be warped, encouraged Luc to take control of it and twist it to his will. A young ally who had years to grow and learn, it was an intriguing idea that Luc knew he couldn't commit to. It was not a whim to be followed, the way an attractive woman might be his forced bedmate for a night.

"Magic is a difficult thing to learn, I used to find. If I hadn't been born with an affinity to it, a natural tie, I don't think I could have ever understood it. Have you ever been good at something without really knowing why? It happens sometimes. It's a gift."

He pointed a finger out suddenly, and mimicked Kially's wind blade on the tip of it. Being sure to catch the boy's attention first, Luc allowed the conjured thing to dissipate, leaving only his pointing finger. "Your name, child?"

[Kially Gaith]

Kially would be lying were he to say he was not impressed at the antics of older male.
“You can do that too?!”. Luc truly had the child’s attention and in owning such, came a finalised response for the primary question at hand, a noble pronunciation from a child with no noble heritage.
“Kially. My name is Kially.”

A battle he knew he could not win, as a tiny grin took over, maybe he could show off? All small children do it, Kially was not a single exception, and just as he was about to find something to slice in half with his abilities, came the apple pie, which completely stole every ounce of attention he had for anything else, his sweet little eyes lighting up as the smell blew away every other scent that had the child disorientated before. “This is pie?”

He completely ignored any existence of the utensils, using his finger to cut the tip from the hot pie, before attempting to pick it up. “Ah ah ah! Hot, hot, hot!” Immediately, the piece dropped back into the bowl as his eyes began to argue with the pie amongst a disgruntled scowl of dissatisfaction.

In response, to cool his fingers off, he grabbed up his everlasting provisions cup before calling “Water!” and dipped three of his fingers right in to an immediately cold cup of water. “Mmm…Better.”

Yeah…That was normal…A small child carrying enchanted items…

Eyes suddenly set upon him, apparently having called out ‘Water’ a little too loud.

[Cyrus the virus]

More and more the boy surprised him. It seemed that for every event, he had a trick, something that reflected Luc's way of life as well. He even had a pouch which spawned whatever food or drink he desired, similar to Luc's ability to summon food from other universes.

"Kially," he said, becoming aware of the few people in the tavern and where their attention had been drawn. Luc summoned a tiny gust of wind above the bowl, cooling the pie to a decent temperature, thickening the air so that it took on a visual green quality. It died down quickly. "Try it again," he suggested with a wink.

"You can call me Luc, dear lad," he announced, the gears in his head turning. He could only assume that Kially had no parents, given his refusal to answer the question. He wondered what the boy knew of life, of death, of profit and power.

"You're comfortable with the wind, aren't you?" he asked with a grin. "I was too, at your age. In fact, my magical focus relied entirely on wind when I was young. It was only natural that I took to the other elements easily, but something about the wind is so... Flexible. It is diverse."

"Do you go to school, Kially? Where do you live and, if I may ask, who watches over you?"

[Kially Gaith]

“No school, nowhere, no one.” A complete drama story, told with a bright and cheery voice. You can almost hear the violins stolen with an overture of heavy bass and trombones. Kially returned to the piece of apple pie from earlier, taking it to his mouth, the temperature much more satisfying now, the warm apple pie slowly being chewed upon by small teeth.

“Mmmmmm!!! This is good!” This was the first desert like food Kially had had, his eyes flashing with that of the pie, suddenly shovelling a little more in with utmost glee. What rock had he just crawled out from under? He wasn’t sure, but it was apparently a rock that had an outside environment consisting of heaven and flaky pastry.

“Wind?” He gave a little quirk of his lip, lifting it a tiny bit as irony sat comfortably in his lap. “I guess so.” The quirk grew to a grin as the door opened, allowing a large gust of wind to blow right into the building. As fast as it had entered had Kially took it for his own, a faint mirage like blur dancing in his fingers. “You mean this?” the air compressed into a singular ball which he bounced between hands with utmost profession. To most this would look like child’s play from a distance, to Luc however, he’d see the energy contained in the ball, not to mention the minimal effort that Kially used to control it. With a quick flick of his wrist, the ball rolled across the table to a small space on the table in front of Luc, where it would crumble before him like shattered glass with no sound that a normal human would hear.

[Cyrus the virus]

The boy, past his initial shyness, was bursting with life. He weaved magic as easily as Luc had in his youth, but hadn't been jaded and broken the way he had. The mage wondered if that innocence would be a boon or a detriment - he was interested to find out.

He watched as the ball of air rolled toward him, crumbled like shattered glass. Catching the boy's eye, Luc looked down to the shards and rebuilt them with his mind. The sphere was whole again, but he stopped there. There was something fearful about a display of magic that was beyond what one understood, and while Luc had the urge to expand the wind into a duplicate of himself and give it life, he knew Kially might not appreciate the idea of it.

A moment later, Luc's food arrived. He looked at it curiously, then back to the waitress, who was watching the wind ball. "Thanks," he said, looking past her to the rest of the bar, and their eyes which transfixed themselves on the two magic users.

"Kially," he said. "Is there a toy, or item that you've wanted from some time, from the bazaar? Perhaps a new coat or pair of boots?"

Luc wanted to show the child something, to gauge his reaction. The young often had an innate sense of good, something the mage hoped his counterpart lacked.

[Kially Gaith]

Kially really had to put a great deal of thought into what he ‘wanted’. What he wanted was a home, somewhere warm and cosy at night, a blanket, all things that made no sense and a want was something a child could not afford. Instead, his preference as of late occurred to him.

“I like shiny things, I guess.” The child stated, locked still in deep thought, his eyes looking to the ceiling as he a rolled a tiny ball of air about in his palm, directing it with his fingers idly.
“But everyone says I need shinies to get other shinies.” It would then be obvious that Kially had NO grasp on commercialism, industrialism or funding of any variety, cash was without real value to Kially. He didn’t know the difference between gold and copper, only that one was shinier than the other.

The boy had not seen the ball reform, quietly watching out of a mucky grimy window, taking shallow breathes as he relaxed, finishing off his slice of apple pie, enjoying the warmth, crushing the ball of air into his pocket as the cup of cold water suddenly disappeared into thin air.

[Cyrus the virus]

Luc listened well, realizing Kially's ignorance to the way money worked. It was an interesting thing, an opportunity for Luc to teach the child that he needn't always participate in trade the way normal people did. When you developed the ability to change your own reality, things like money weren't as important.

Ignoring the food he'd ordered, Luc considered the boy's response. "Shiny things? There are a lot of shiny things in the Bazaar. Let's take a look there."

The next few moments would be a series of experiments, the mage thought. If Kially was anything like the typical boy his age, what happened next might be too much for him. Swiftly but gently, Luc reached out and grabbed the boy's wrist - but not too hard. As he did so, the two faded out of being solid, becoming green and translucent before disappearing entirely and becoming wind.

Their leaving was powerful enough that it knocked their two chairs over. Those that had been watching were shocked into silence, and those that hadn't looked over in curiosity. As if waking up from a long sleep, their waitress blinked multiple times, the strange feeling in her head finally having left.

((Kially gets the Wand of Webbing from my profile.))

[Bloodrose]

* STORY ~ 16

Continuity (5)

Setting (6)

Pacing (5)

* CHARACTER ~ 16

Dialogue (6)

Action (5)

Persona (5)

* WRITING STYLE ~ 25

Mechanics (8)

Technique (5)

Clarity (7)

Wild Card (5)

TOTAL = 57

Cyrus the Virus recieves 2000 EXP and 200 GP
Kially Gaith recieves 450 EXP and 200 GP + The Wand of Webbing

[Witchblade]

EXP and GP added!