A Gathering of Wayward Atmas. (Open to All)

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

After a hard day's work at the Sleepy Willow, Dyne Corona, a member of the House of Sora, made his way into the Peaceful Promenade. The recent events of the past few months were on his mind. As he walked, he adjusted his smith hammer, attached to his belt. He wanted to clean himself up after work, but the desire to socialize nearly overwhelmed the youth. He made his way over to the Peaceful Promenade of Underwood. Many individuals gathered here to discuss life and current events, and sometimes one could find work if they looked in the right places.

Dyne looked to see if his friend Stacy was working in the Peaceful Promenade, she wasn't. He sighed--must've been her day off. The youth sat in a seat by one of the many windows. Some of the frequent patrons to the Promenade recognized the youth and waved a greeting at him. The young man responded by nodding back. This place was decidedly different than the Barrel of Monkeys, a place where Dyne often went to get seedy work. He worked for the Syndicate in his spare time.

Trying to keep a life of duality served as an ample challenge for the young nobleman. A waitress came up to the young Agent's table and set a pitcher of some sort of fruit juice in front of him. The young man nodded, but then she handed him something extra. It was a note written in the Common Tongue pertaining to a job. The girl told him that it came from one of the patrons, a man named Whesker. She casually glanced at the man who waved towards Dyne Corona.

Dyne nodded back. He read the note and saw mention of Bandits. The young man smiled at this and motioned for Whesker to accompany him at his table. The man stood up and made his way towards Dyne. He took a chair exactly opposite Dyne's person. The two men stared at one another for a long moment before Whesker broke the silence.

"I've seen you around before. You seem like a competent person. I need one with your kind of talents for a job."

[Augustus]

Augustus hated cities. The hurrying people who pushed past him, the thieves who tried to steal his money or mug him, the smell and, finally, the noise. Everywhere, at anytime, there was noise. People talking as the moved, the clip-clopping of horse hooves, the ringing of smith's hammers. All of this blocked out Augustus' ability to keep track of where potential opponents were. This meant that he was more susceptible to attack, particularly because he was shorter in stature than most humans, but not short enough to be a dwarf. This was a problem more for muggers than for Augustus, but he still hated the fact that people tended to attack him for the simple reason that he was short.

As he shouldered his way through the crowds, Augustus headed towards a bar. As he saw the name of the tavern he snorted. Peaceful? In a city like this? Admittedly it was more peaceful than most parts of the city, but it was still noisy enough that Augustus wouldn't be able to sense an enemy sneaking up him. Ah well, I suppose that's life. Anyway, I won't be here for long.

Pushing open the door, Augustus made sure that his spear was pointed at the floor as he walked over to the bar. The bartender looked at Augustus with a raised eyebrow, before asking him what he wanted.

"Just a mug of ale."

The bartender grunted and filled a tankard for Augustus. The only problem was where to sit.

A man stood up and moved across to another table and Augustus gave a small grin as he sat down at the vacated table. At least he was having a decent run of luck in this city.

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

Out the corner of his eye, Dyne spied Augustus entering the Peaceful Promenade. It was rare to see a warrior of such size and the youth felt a sort of comfort in knowing he wasn't the only less than tall warrior around these parts. Some people made a big deal out of height, but Dyne wasn't one of those people. The warrior seemed a bit uncomfortable as he entered the Promenade, it was etched all over his face. He took that information in, mentally stored it and put it to the back of his head. He also noticed that the warrior walked in with spear in hand, ready to battle. This was clearly a no-nonsense type of guy.

After stealing the glance towards the new-comer Dyne returned his gaze back towards his new employer. He took a sip of the juice before him and placed his mug back down, very slowly. His eyes never leaving those of his employers, Dyne admitted to himself he was curious about the job. Ever since his last Syndicate run, work was a little bit stagnant.

"Tell me about the job." Dyne said and took another sip of his juice.

"Very well and right to the point." The two kept their voices down so as not to be heard. Even at this time of day a certain noise level maintained itself at the Peaceful Promenade so they wouldn't be heard easily anyway. "Here is what I need from you. My contacts are tied to the Corone Rangers and it seems that on the highway outside of Underwood a group of bandits has gathered. These guys have been causing trouble for locales, especially the Merchants trying to export goods outside of the Promenade. Ever since that thing with Corone attempting to become an Empire, the Corone Rangers been short staffed, and their resources squandered. They know about your past history with They Syndicate and know that you're a competent fellow. What I need from you is to gather a small group of warriors and get rid of these bandits for me. There will be ample reward should you succeed in your mission. If you fail, I will not contact you again. The Corone Rangers will disavow any knowledge of this event ever taking place. Sorry but business is business and we have to protect our secrets, wouldn't you agree Mr. Corona?"

Dyne listened carefully. So now the Corone Rangers wanted to partake of his skill. Something about the situation made the youth want to laugh but he knew the seriousness in the man's eyes. He didn't want to insult the man's intelligence. He clearly knew what he was talking about. Dyne looked away for a moment deep in thought. Working for the Corone Rangers might reap a profit, but Dyne couldn't attach his real name to the mission. The Corone Empire was looking for enemies like a witch hunt. This might be a dangerous prospect for Dyne. He eyed the spear-carrying warrior once more and then returned his gaze towards the man with the job offer for a moment.

"Listen very carefully. I'm no fool. You know I have ties to the Syndicate and you're asking me to work for an organization that is directly contrary to my employers." Dyne closed his eyes thinking about what he was going to say next, knowing that he'd chosen his path in life. "I can't have you putting my real name, or even my House of Sora alias on these contracts. So here is what we will do. Put Albertus Garius. That will be my handle from now on whenever you choose to deal with me, and if the pay is good for this job, there will be OTHER times we work together. I am a businessman and I believe in a good profit." Dyne extended his hand for the man to shake.

The man shook it in a hardy grip sealing the deal.

"Understood. Your handle for the Corone Rangers will be Albertus Garius. I will make no mention of any other of your identities as you've stated. Gather yourself some help and meet me back here by the second hour after noon, you understand, Sir Garius?" The man said and smiled.

"Yes I do." Garius said fashioning for himself a new identity on the spot. He admitted that he started to like playing these games that the nobles played, fashioning himself a new identity at will. Dyne was becoming quite the actor these days. With that the man, clad in all black, got up and moved out of the Peaceful Promenade. He had other business to attend to. Garius stood up and looked at the man with the spear. Moving towards his person the youth stopped approximately five paces behind his back-side. He took a freshly full mug of juice with him.

"Excuse me Sir, mind if I sit with you?" Dyne wore all black himself.

[Augustus]

"Excuse me Sir, mind if I sit with you?"

Augustus, whose hearing was still trying readjust to the sounds, or comparative lack of, would have jumped if it weren't for the fact that he never revealed his emotions. It had taken many years, but he had finally been able to do so. Without turning, Augustus motioned to the empty seat and waited for whoever it was to sit. As he waited, Augustus played a little guessing game.

The voice had not come from powerful lungs, and so it was unlikely that the person was tall. It sounded young but, as Augustus had found out in the past, it was relatively easy to disguise voices. Sneaking a peak using his peripheral vision, Augustus found his ideas confirmed. His eye caught sight of the larger smiths hammer that hung from the lad's belt and smiled inside his head. It was unusual for a smith to be so short.

Sitting in silence, Augustus waited for the other man to speak. If he had deliberately left his table and come over to Augustus', then he must hae something he wanted to say.

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

When the man motioned, Dyne sat down. The youth took a sip of his juice for a long moment noting that he had a very large mug in his hand. Taking a moment to word his proposal carefully, the young smith paused. Observing Augustus at a closer distance revealed many important details. The man seemed dressed for a colder environment--maybe Salvar in origin. Forming his proposal, the young apprentice voiced the request.

"I just got offered a job. I can get a small group of warriors ready. My client is going to pay us good money for the task at hand. I'm to investigate a matter of local bandits. Its always nice to have some help for these matters. What do you say about that? Pay will be good and we can keep whatever we find in the bandits possession. But we have to turn them in ALIVE." Dyne offered, waiting for a response.

[Tranquil]

Shu sat perched nimbly on a tree that had been cut down near to its roots. He took in the sights all around him on this cold afternoon. All was quiet, except for the very distant murmurs of the inhabitants of the Peaceful Promenade. Shu heaved a sigh of relief, the vapory cloud a distinct sign that he was glad to be back in his own element.

Shu had already started a campfire using his Incendious charm, and his logs were burning feverously, seemingly competing with the ever changing weather conditions. Shu put his gloves hands over the fire and blew a puff of warm vapory air onto them. “It’s almost too quiet.” Shu said, looking around once more.

Tonight was a night like many he had seen before. The moon was full and the animals were beginning to call out to each other. The only thing that Shu found odd was that there was seemingly no activity on the highway that he was camped just slightly South of. “How odd, this is one of the most popular roads in the country; surely there must be a good reason for this.” Shu stabbed his staff into the ground and stood on the stump for a better look.

As Shu stood to gather a look around, he saw distant shadows and saw what he believed to be no mere animals of the night, but humans deep in the undergrowth of the forest. Shu was trying to go through the options of what these people could be, for surely they were not denizens of the Peaceful Promende if they had been living so far away from the town.

“Incendious!” Shu said clearly and a bright spark snaked its way up his long staff and he extended it in front of him so he could better see what he was looking at. Although it seems at the first sign of light in front of them, the bodies stopped moving, and vanished into thin air. “Odd.” Shu waved his staff and the spark evaporated with a trail of smoke from the tip of his staff. “I’ll look for more in the light of the morning.” Shu convinced himself, and curled up in a ball by the warmth of the fire.

[Augustus]

As Augustus mulled over the offer he had just received, he carefully scrutinized the young man who had just offered him work. He would have strong arms, that was almost guaranteed by the smiths hammer hanging at his waist. His clothing suggested that he was slightly better off than the average apprentice. this could mean one of two things. Either this man was a fully fledged smith or he had other ways of making money. The fact that he had just asked Augustus if he wanted a bit of mercenary work suggested that the latter was the case rather than the former. Still, you never knew what you might find out.

Taking a large sip from his mug, Augustus examined the job more closely. Bandits were a nuisance and Augustus didn't mind hiring himself out in order to get rid of the problems they caused. As for not killing them, that was something that made Augustus want to take the job. He didn't want to kill more than he had to and if he was in a group of capable warriors there was a chance that he could avoid bloodshed. Making his mind up, he spoke to the lad as he held out his hand.

"Augustus Gregory. I'm in."

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

Dyne, also known as Garius, shook the man's hand heartily. The two made a deal over a drink which made the youth smile I can get used to Father's trade very easily. This is starting to get kind of fun. Despite a sort of darkness that lurked in his eyes, the youth had a kind disposition and out-look towards the world. He generally wanted to be a positive person despite the recent tragedies of his life. Dyne felt the weight of his recent tragedies attempt to creep up like a monster one might find under the bed, or in your closet.

Closing his eyes for a long moment, he fought his demons back. It was time to be serious. Opening his eyes once more, the young man found himself looking Augustus over one more time. He pondered giving the lad his read name but decided against it. Matters weren't professional if one gave everybody they came across their real names ALL the time. And so, Dyne made the second most important career choice that day; he gave Augusts his handle with the Corone Rangers.

After all, revealing ones' identity gave the individual power over you. He didn't want that to happen since he had a secret already. Dyne thought about his former household, the Cormyr legacy and everything that it signified and suddenly the scar hidden behind his bandanna became very heavy. The immediate sadness made him want to reveal his secrets to the man but he fought against the urge. He didn't want to disrespect the memory of his butler; Reeves. The man taught him much better than that.

"I'm Albertus Garius." Dyne said. He hated having to lie to the strange, but business was business. The youth had many secrets to protect hence the new identity he forged for himself. "We should take off immediately since the bandits will most likely be active by night. We have to find their hiding spot and take them out quickly. My informant told me that their leader is rumored to be especially stronger so this might be a fun outing for both of us!" Dyne proclaimed and took a final sip of his juice. He always did hate the way ale tasted.

Standing up now, the youth looked at Albertus for a moment again. "Let's be off then." He paid for his drinks, and Albertus' after inquiring about the price and made his way to the door hoping the warrior might follow. Again, the thought that he might be from Salvar entered his mind.

[Tranquil]

Shu awoke to the sounds of a sword piercing flesh and an ear piercing shriek. He jumped to his feet, hand grasped on his staff. “Incendious!” Shu called and his staff lit up as he ran from his ow flickering campfire to the Highway that was just off to the North. “What could have happened?” Shu wondered as he ran stealthily for the road.

Shu stopped a few yards from the dirt trail, expecting to be attacked by the same swords he had heard in the distance of his safe camp, but it seemed that the action had been long gone; there lie a body motionless on the ground.

Shu ran up to the body and inspected it carefully, hard to do as the darkness was quickly consuming his Incendious charm. Upon waving his staff over his back, Shu found that the man had been stripped of all his clothes and possessions; with a dagger positioned in the center of his back holding a bloody note in place.

Shu tore out the dagger in disgust and put it on the side of his boot, then read the note. “These men were only the first to be slaughtered by my Men. Give us what we want or no one shall survive.” Shu tried to make out the signature but the blood had soaked out the ink. Shu was confused as to what he meant by ‘Men’ for he only saw one man. How low to assault one man in the dark.

Though Shu finally realized the intentions of The Bandits actions. This man that lie naked was obviously of his stature, for he was traveling with five Mounted Knights, none of which survived as Shu inspected each of the bodied heaped a few feet away from their Lord. “I must get away from this scene quickly before I am to be blamed with this deed.” Shu said the note safely tucked in his pocket and the dagger still in his left boot.

[Augustus]

When his new acquaintance, Albertus Garius, said that the leader of the bandits was supposed to exceptionally strong Augustus grinned as he took a sip from his mug. Yes, it would be a challenge, but for whom? Augustus was fairly confident that he was stronger than any human he would come across. Perhaps he was an exceptionally strong dwarf or orc? Of course, if he had trained and built his muscles up enough there was a fair chance that he could be as strong as Augustus. Even if he was as strong as Augustus, the leader of the bandits would likely be at a disadvantage because of Augustus' reflexes.

"Let's be off then."

Augustus gulped the rest of his ale down in a large swallow and found that his new employer had paid for his drink. Well, that was unusual. It seemed that Albertus was generous to those who worked for him. It seemed like it was definitely a good idea to work for him now. Getting up and following his employer, Augustus kept a wary eye open for any potential trap and his spear ready for any enemy that might attack him. As far as he knew he still had a bounty on his head and he didn't want anyone claiming it.

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

Dyne immediately started to like the warrior quite a bit. There was a no nonsense attitude about the man that Dyne could relate to. He walked outside and waited for the warrior for a brief moment thinking about everything he'd just learned. Something seemed strangely familiar about Augustus, he'd seen those physical characteristics before in a book. His mental reference library nagged at him for a peak, but the youth kept himself entertained with the thoughts of trashing some bandits.

Somehow, being around Augustus made the youth feel particularly strong. He wanted to bash some skulls in. It was similar to being around the warrior Monks of Ai'bron Dyne observed. He found himself eager to see the neanderthal in action. Seeing other warriors in battle allowed Dyne to grow stronger.

******************************************

Magnus was irate. This was their second week out with only a handful of successful targets passing the high-way towards Underwood. Once seeming like an ideal spot for looting, Magnus now regretted his decision. Still, other areas were well known to be taken by the Thieves of other organizations. A protocol existed that one had to follow when encroaching upon another's hunting grounds.

Magnus was a tall, powerful individual. A half-breed by normal standards his dark skin suggested his decent was from Alerar someplace down the line. He had the appearances of a half-breed Drow/Human. Magnus was a tall individual. Tall and stocky, standing at approximately seven feet in height, crowned with a long mane of platinum hair. His eyes had a green tint to them playing well against his shiny hair. Magnus wore the outfit of a worker, someone who labored for a living. Therein lay the irony. A thief who fancied himself a mere commoner.

Maguns wore a cloth tunic and pants that matched his tunic. However, they were both particularly thick and finely crafted pieces of fabrics. They clung loosely to his person allowing for full movement. Underneath his tunic was a light chain shirt made of mithril. A single long sword, currently sheathed in his scabbard seemed like the man's main weapon. Though a half-breed, the thief appeared roughly in his mid thirties. Several other thieves, dressed similarly to the leader, worked in the encampment around them. No fire-light currently lit the area, they worked by their natural sight alone.

The thieves' numbers ranked roughly around 10 total. One of the scouts walked over to Magnus after a brief trip into the wilderness. The small encampment was located several yards off the road, to the East. Several long yards away from Shu's current position. However, unknown to Shu, a scout spotted him just as easily as Shu spotted THEM. The Scout reported his findings to Magnus. Magnus listened and played Shu's person off as just some wayward sheep-herder. He decided letting the man go was the better course of valor.

[Tranquil]

Shu retreated back to his supposed safe haven of his encampment only to find that his fire had consumed itself, leaving the sticks to send a thick plume of smoke into the air. “I should have thought of this sooner.” Shu sighed heavily, having no water to put out the smoldering ashes he kicked the singeing sticks with his boots until he thought his foot might catch fire. “I’m lucky I haven’t been spotted and killed like those poor souls already.” Shu said, oblivious to the fact that the Scouts could see much better than he could ever wish, and already sent messages out about him.

“I guess I should get moving…I should only be a while before I am discovered due to my little blunder.” Shu said, shaking his head. He looked around for possible areas to retreat to, but the only other place that he could go that offered safety was back to Peaceful Promenade. He dreaded the day he had to return to that place, though seeing his friend Dyne would be a welcomed pleasantry. He might also be able to provide a means to the bloody letter and the dagger.

Shu turned his back to the wind and paced back to the small town. He was hoping to go to the bar when he go back and have one f those bitter sweet juice drinks that Dyne had given him before. All of this bloodshed has made him slightly lightheaded, and he needed a rest. Though unbeknownst to Shu, Dyne and his warrior fiend were off in the distance heading his way…

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

Coincidentally, Dyne headed in the same direction that Shu currently walked in.
After walking away from the tavern for a few minutes the black-smith suddenly realized he was alone now. Augustus was no where in sight! Taking a few quick glances at the crowd thinking that maybe he lost the poor lad, Dyne sighed. Maybe he paced himself too quickly for the warrior to keep up. Still he had to admit he admired the warrior's bravado and was hoping to get a chance at seeing that spear of his in action.

When it seemed likely that he'd never get the opportunity, Dyne adjusted himself once again and got moving. He turned on his heels back in the direction he originally headed too. It dawned on him that earlier, his friend Shu headed off in that same direction towards the pastures of Underwood and eventually to Concordia Forest. From what Dyne was able to gather of his friend Shu, the Shepard seemed to prefer the wilderness to towns like the Peaceful Promenade and ultimately, Underwood.

Walking in the same direction for a long while, Dyne saw Shu's familiar person in the distance. This made the warrior light up upon a chance at meeting the lad once again. He moved forward at a quick jog, wanting to catch up to Shu a lot quicker. Finally, he was within several paces of Shu and waved towards his friend. "Hey man. Fancy seeing you again like this."

[Tranquil]

"My friend, please keep the greeting short, there is danger afoot." Shu said, looking sheepishly over his shoulder as he withdrew the blood-stained note from his robe and covertly passed it to Dyne. "Read this my brother, and you shall understand much. These eyes have seen almost too much, and I'm beginning to develop a horrid taste in my mouth for this country. I think I shall take my leave for my homeland." Shu patted Dyne on the shoulder and gave a quick cautious bow, and left promptly; Dagger still lodged in his boot.

"I shall have nothing to do with those Bandits. I know all too well that Dyne wouldn't go out for a stroll in the wilderness. He's come out for a reason, and that reason I'm not intent on hearing." Shu reasoned to himself as he stalked off through the high grass rather slowly.

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

And just as quickly as Dyne bumped into Shu, the Shepard started to head off again. Dyne frowned at this. Does he lack a spine? He couldn't imagine that there were many so passive that wouldn't want to help the greater good, maybe he could plead his case to Dyne. After all, a good honest day's work was involved WITH PAY. Thanks to his work with the Syndicate, the warrior was eager to turn his profit and get various tasks done. He stepped towards Shu attempting to intercept him.

"Shu wait. I have a proposition for you." He took the note in his hand and looked it over, they seemed to be his bandits all right. "I know how you feel about violence but these people have been terrorizing locals. They now have control of the road leading into Underwood and cause trouble for the Corone Rangers. You and I can take them by surprise. My employer doesn't want these Bandits killed, they will face trial. This is for the good of the greater community Shu. I don't think I can handle a large group by myself and I am confident in my own skills. I need help for this, my other companion had doubts in his talents."

Dyne sighed, he'd really looked forward to seeing Augustus in action, but now it seemed like that wasn't going to happen. He really could've used the man's spear in battle. With the reputation of the Bandits, he was almost a certain a battle might break out. The contractor was adamant about making sure to turn them all in alive. "My contractor is going to pay us gold, and we can keep whatever we find amongst the bandits. Please consider helping a friend, and helping out the citizens of Corone. You'd be considered a Hero by the locals. And Corone is a place for heroes!" The lad said emphasizing this by clenching his fist. "Please aide a friend in doing something for the people."

"What do you say? You know eventually they will start destroying your precious livestock, what do you think they will need to eat from?" Dyne said, knowing that last line would have a greater impact upon Shu than his previous speech. He hoped the man would listen to reason because on his own, he couldn't do this job. "Please join me."

And he extended his hand towards Shu so that the man might take it.

[Tranquil]

Shu's slow treads finally came to a stop, as if he knew that Dyne would come after him. He turned and heard the words the Smith spoke, and listened carefully. Shu denied the outstretched hand of Dyne and backed up, shaking his head violently.

"Dyne, listen to me and listen well." Shu's words shot angrily from beneath his red scarf. "What I do now is not for the dirty gold that you offer for this deed, nor for the chance to hone my skills against the scum of these bandits." Shu droved his staff into the ground and gripped the oak tightly. "It is for the love of my wilderness, for the safe travel of any passenger on the road, and for rights of all animals who graze here." Shu's chest heaved silently after his speech and he quickly upend his staff from the ground.

"Now let us capture these hounds. Make quick work of them and I may be on my way." Shu said and began to pass Dyne. "You make no mistake friend, I was in your debt from before. This is repaying you in triplicate." Shu's voice seethed with anger as he brushed Dynes shoulder on the way by.

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

Dyne felt truly injured by the man's response. He'd somehow expected a harsh answer from the Shepard, but not something that COLD. Dyne never recalled doing anything to solicit a debt from Shu but that's how Shu thought of him? The lad shook his head. Still, he was grateful for the very least that the strange Alchemist agreed to join him. It would have been nice to have a full party for this adventure. Dyne turned towards Shu as he walked off and followed his person.

Shu likely knew where the bandits were. They'd have to make an adequate plan of taking them out before they were seen by any large force. The young man's powerful mind already planned and created strategy. He prepared himself to face a potentially size able force. He looked over to Shu with a strange gut feeling that he'd made his friend angry. "Listen, I'm sorry if I made you angry back there but I need your help. This isn't going to be an easy task and will be a challenge for the two of us. See it as a new life experience. I don't care how you feel about it, but business is business. I'll give you a fair cut from the gold we come across. And for the record, the Corone Rangers are an organization for the people." Dyne said, his friends' words bit him to his heart.

He'd faced a lot of hardships lately and he didn't want allies turning on him. He thought back to his battle with the girl from Akashima, Anila. He'd learned a lot from that battle and was eager to put his training to good use. Both his Aikido training and his training from the Monks of Ai'bron. He started to realize that his friend was a pacifist. There was nothing wrong with that, but a pacifist viewpoint was dangerous to have when survival came first. Dyne thought about that just then analyzing his friend as they walked. "Getting to the bandits quickly is probably not a wise idea. We should work our way around them and take their numbers out bit by bit." The young strategist said.

[Tranquil]

Shu uttered his incendious charm and his elegant staff erupted in flames. Shoving it into the ground, i served as a lamp post and a great source of warmth. "Then if you don't suggest we rush them we go no further. Their scouts are eagle eyed and they we see us coming from a mile away. You shall tell me your plan now in great detail." Shu was warming his hands by his staff ablaze, avoiding Dyne's eyesight at all times.

"You need to tell me specifically who we are going for, what we are going to do with them, and just how exactly you intend to take out a hostile group of bandits and defilers without the intent of killing." Shu's voice was becoming less hostile with the passing time, but the strange bite accompanying his words was ever present.

"For as you have come to see I am somewhat of a pacifist, and how we are to take over a group of Hostile killing thieves without getting blood on our hands is unknown to me. Please...Enlighten me you Strategic Mastermind." Shu's last words spat out of his covered mouth with the hostility that one thousand bandits could never match, though he just sat there warming his hands; looking so peaceful.

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

Dyne looked at Shu, deciding that he didn't like this side of his friend one bit. Still though, working with the Syndicate made Dyne into a realist when it came to such business dealing. The smith apprentice made a hand sign of slamming his fist into an open palm. He had a plan already, they needed to take down the leader. Bandits usually collapsed without a leader present. That was the focus of his strategy, all he had was a name to go by. The man in the bar gave him documentation needed for the mission. "I plan on taking out their leader, a man named Magnus." Dyne said with confidence.

"We both use blunt weapons. If we work to knock these bandits out quickly, we should be able to take them with very little effort on our parts." Dyne said and drew his brass melee batons out. Again, he felt that they could've used the spear of Augustus, but it seemed that the man had second thoughts about facing such overwhelming numbers with just his spear. "We'll catch a drink after we're done with this job. But first we need to do the job well. My Employer wants us to secure these bandits alive." He knew that their leader was of great interest to the Corone Rangers. "There will be more work for us at a later date if we do this well." He knew he could convince his friend to complete more tasks. He hated having to use an ally in such a way, but the completion of the job was what mattered most. They needed to work quickly to clear the highway of these bandits. "Let's go Shu. I'd turn that thing off if I were you my friend, they can spot us a mile away with all that smoke if their scouts are as good as you say. That's a nice charm you know, how did you learn that? Through Alchemy?"

Dyne was curious to see just exactly what Shu was capable of.

[Tranquil]

Shu extinguished his staff and replied coldly, "Magic is more than meets the eye. Sometimes it's real, sometimes I change the chemicals in the air to make it combust into flames...Sometimes what you see isn't even there." Shu said, technically not answering Dyne's question. Partly because in his book of the Magi, it didn't exactly explain how a Staff made entirely of Oak wouldn't burn after being lit on fire.

"Now my dearest friend, this staff is purely defensive, I shall never use it in an offensive way. If I am to use my staff in any way it shall serve me defensively." Shu re affirmed his statement with a hard nod as he was walking.

"Let us not waste time. It is getting considerably darker and the scout will have the advantage with their strong eyes as we come for them. I shall have you know that my magic does have it's limits and you don't want me reaching them." Shu warned sternly, emembering the days that he praticed too much and what happened.

Shu walked off twoards the road where he had found the dead bodies, creeping ever so close o the ground to minimize the chance of being seen. As Shu got nearer to the ground and his hand reached his boot to make sure that his concealed dagger was still there. If worst came to worst he would try to defend himself with a close ranged mele weapon.

"Dyne, don't let my forceful arrogance fool you. I may be upset, but i shall be with you until the end, even if it means throwing down my life." Shu looked back at Dyne and gave a curt bow, and waited for Dyne to lead the way.

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

The open field lay before them now. Somewhere upon that pasture lurked the bandits that Dyne Corona needed to defeat. He felt eager for the battle to begin, this despite himself. He looked over to his friend Shu for a long moment as his companion found something that he examined. Dyne smelled rigor mortis, cringing as the scent of death bothered him. He didn't like needless violence. This was simply another reason to get rid of these lawless bandits.

Dyne knelt down and examined the bodies of the fallen warriors. "We should bury them when we're done with our tasks. They deserve a proper burial, its only the right thing to do." Dyne said more to himself than to Shu in particular or anybody else in particular. Dyne was a man of honor and discipline attempting to find his place in this harsh world. Deciding that Shu needed something else to assist him, the youth figured that giving him one of his weapons might be the better course of valor.

"Take this. My Master has shown me how to mold copper and iron." Dyne removed one of his brass knuckles and handed it over to Shu's general direction. It was a small matter, but the smith knew that Shu would require sufficient weaponry if he was to fight alongside him against these bandits. "You mentioned the scouts. Did you see something earlier?" Dyne asked hoping beyond hope that Shu in fact noticed where one of the Scouts were, that was a good place to start.

[Tranquil]

Shu's fists trembled as he put the cold brass onto his knuckles, and he shuddered at the thought of using such a weapon against a foe; but if it meant survival it must be done.

"The scouts rarely work by firelight, but the one time they did I manage to get an accurate position of most of them. They where holed in what seemed to be a series of wooden walkways stretched for who knows how long. From that height they can see for miles I'd imagine."

"About he burial though...This just can not be arranged. If you wish to get to the bandits any time soon, then a proper burial is not possible. We must incinerate the bodies, it's just as proper a way to go; as it will save time also." Shu added quickly.

Newly brandished brass on his knuckles gleaming in the setting sun on his right hand, and his left hand firmly grasping his staff, Shu was ready to burn the bodies and get on with this ridiculous mission. But seeing that the bodies were rapidly phasing through the decomposition phases, it would be smart to rid them from the earth before they give away their position to the bandits.

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

Dyne crouched low into the grass as it moved in the wind. He looked at his companion, Shu for a long moment as he thought about what he was asking. He didn't like the idea of desecrating these poor bastards any further, but it was the least they could do. "Tch. I don't like this anymore than you do Shu, but at the very least we owe them SOMETHING. Incineration will have to be the path we choose. The sun's setting we'll have the cover of darkness providing us with SOME protection." Dyne said as he looked over to the sun, noticing it was just starting to set. Brilliant.

The night-time hours might be their best shot at getting rid of these bandits. He looked down towards the bodies. He felt a loss of weight on his hand from the missing brass knuckle, but he wanted to make sure his friend could defend himself well against these ruffians. He nodded to Shu.

"Do it. We're already wasting enough time as it is but thank you for indulging me this small matter. I don't want these people desecrated any further." The young man said, obviously the dead meant a lot to him.

[Tranquil]

Shu nodded and got on with the process. For once Shu was almost glad for the events that happened long ago and what it did to his sense of smell...almost. To begin Shu had to have all of the bodies piled on top of or around each other. Dragging the bloody remains of what used to be a human was almost enough to make Shu loose his mid-day meal. Though, strong willed and determined, Shu finished aligning the bodies and surrounded them with dried out grass from the Fields near.

"The preparations are complete, if you were ever to pray for their souls, you best do it now." Shu warned, and held his oaken staff with both hands and began to mutter his inactions quickly. "Circle of Death, decide the fate of these men fairly. Incendious!" Shu cried loudly as his Staff caught aflame once again and Shu drove it through the lower rib cages of the men, driving out the last of the impurities. The bodies and the grass surrounding them quickly caught fire.

"Dyne, our job is done here, it is up to the Supreme being to decide their fate now." Shu said, feeling his Staff slowly cool down.

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

Dyne nodded to the Shepard calmly. He saw that Incendious Charm once again and he couldn't help but to admire such a gift. With a grim expression on his face, the youth uttered a few words of prayer for the salvation of these people as they passed from the Firmanent to the Anti-Firmanent. There are the Gates, they would await judgment for either salvation or damnation. Whatever the case might be. The legends of Thayne lore suggested that, though many other myths and religions existed on Althanas. The Thayne were merely one out look of the universe. Dyne Corona knew that many truths existed.

Shu's archaic fires wrapped themselves around the corpses of the lost individuals. He made sure he would avenge these fallen country men. They had the suggestive skeletal structure of someone who came from nearby Underwood, or perhaps other countries of Corone. Dyne felt a sadness is in his heart as he watched the fires do their deed. Soon, the bodies were gone. He nodded with respect to the fallen souls and looked at his companion once again, pointing towards where Shu said his enemy awaited. "We go in that direction now in the cover of darkness. Let's go." Dyne Corona headed off towards where he knew the Bandit's Scout might be.

*************

There it was again! Jack noticed something with his Trained eyes as he hit out atop the structure. Someone out on the field was lighting some type of magical fire. He sent a message back to the nearby camp with one of the other Scouts in the area. For a group of Bandits, Magnus organized them well since he was a well trained veteran warrior. The bandit wore commoner's clothing and had the markings of a refugee fleeing from Corone's Civil War. He'd probably joined up with the Bandits looking for a quick gold piece. The runner went back to the camp-site with the message for the boss, it seemed that someone was on the hunt for THEM this time. Furious, Magnus crumpled up the message.

He looked at his runner for a moment and had a stern look on his face. "All right, they are coming then, prepare our defenses best as you can. If they are those bastard Corone Rangers, we can expect a hefty fight ahead of us tonight. Arm yourselves well and prepare for battle!" Magnus said to his companions as the men nodded. They all gathered simple swords made of Steel and prepared themselves for the fight ahead. It was going to be a long night for all of them involved in the coming melee.

[Tranquil]

Shu suddenly got an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. A feeling that gripped at the innards of his loins and didn't let go. It was trying to tell him that his Ritual had gave away their position, and the bandits were already making preparations for them. The sounds of feet running quickly over the rotting wooden footholds could be heard far away from Shu and Dyne. The Bandits were preparing for battle, they would not go down without a fight; if only Shu would listen to his senses.

"If we keep going at this rate we should reach their hold unnoticed and take them by surprise." Shu said, his right fist loosely clenching his brass knuckles, his left hand still firm on his Staff. "Dyne, if we should split up in this battle, don't worry about me." Shu said, nodding his head with solemnity. "if it i my time to go so be it, the world where my Father is shall be a much greater place then I can ever migrate to. Though I shall have died knowing I fought with a great man near my side." Shu apparently spoke his goodbye speech even before he got near the battle.

"For the Grasslands!" Shu called and insignificant battle cry as the drew ever closer to the battlefield; if not to scare the enemies, more to boost his own morale. "My friend, live well and prosper." Shu said and bowed slightly, laying in the nights dewy grass, waiting for the signal to charge in.

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

Sneaking around made Dyne feel very uneasy especially once he caught wind that they'd already been had. The smith apprentice looked over at Shu, and the Shepard complicated matters worse. He didn't like Shu's suggestions one bit, to tell you the truth. Looking from his solitary companion to the general direction that the bandits were in, there was no way of knowing how many of them there actually were. Splitting up now could prove disastrous if Shu were captured, or worse, killed! Dyne considered attempting to talk his friend out of it, and showed a lapse in judgment.

It was during this moment of hesitation that the enemy first struck them! Charging them from the grass, the skilled bandits made their way forward leaping out of the undergrowth. The pasture suddenly came alive with the sounds of several charging men drawing the lines of skirmish. Caught off guard, Dyne barely evaded the first incoming blade. Somehow, the tip of the sword managed to nick Dyne's cheekbone drawing first blood. This made the young smith curse as his blood trickled down his face. The man ran forward for a bit after his assault on Dyne.

Dyne counted around twenty fully armed warriors all heading his way. This quickly set the youth into the proper mind-set; survival. An individual came at him with full speed lunging a bladed weapon towards Dyne Corona's heart attempting to stop his story short. Dyne, in the zone now, reacted quickly feeling his heart pounding in his chest. Since the enemy ran at him, he could react better than having to individually find these units hiding out on the open field. That would've taken many hours of painstaking work.

Many thoughts passed through Dyne's mind as he engaged the warrior immediately in front of him. He knew that a man lurked at his back side as well preparing himself for a secondary attack. The rest were coming. They were quickly coming as well as the yells of the bandits foretold their arrival upon them. Dyne lost of Shu, but for now that was only a secondary concern to the apprentice. Fighting was the primary concern. Moving his sword arm technique forward, he intercepted the next incoming attack.

There was a sound of metal clanging upon metal. Dyne yelled loudly as he fought these warriors, attempting to maintain a certain air of calm about his person. As he struck the bandit's blade, he fell back upon his Monk's training and moved forward. When he was well within position, he shifted the weight of his arm so as to move the melee baton forward. Using the man's forward momentum against him, the youth shifted his body weight forward and prepared to use the deadly Aikido arts. Moving in range now, Dyne ducked down and used his forward body weight, to easily flip the man in front him behind him.

Dyne heard the bandit grunting in agony as he rushed his shoulder forward into the man's gut, knocking the wind out of him. He easily flipped the man over his shoulder sending him tumbling around his back side and ultimately, disarming him. To make matters more interesting, the previous attacker prepared his attack and lunged at Dyne's seemingly exposed back-side. The youth didn't want to get his hands dirty in any of this, but it seemed that with the numbers against them, death might be inevitable.

Dyne heard a shriek of pain as former companions hit one another. The first bandit's blade was intercepted by the body of the second bandit. Dyne kept moving forward, not skipping a bit. He felt the second body sliding off his person and hitting the ground. Spinning quickly around, the young warrior felt his melee baton impact against the blade now stuck in the second bandit, ripping it out of the man's shoulder' blade. That's where it actually connected, on the right shoulder blade. Dyne moved forward and used the man's face as a stepping stool to leap the rest of the way towards the second bandit while he was exposed.

A look of fear and terror struck the bandits face as he was caught off guard and attempted to react by through his arms up. Already too late, Dyne acted in mid-air. He lunged his melee baton directly at the man's throat intercepting it a few moments later. With a loud coughing noise, the man hunched over in agony and shock. Dyne shifted his body weight as he landed on his heels directly in front of the second man grabbing him. He used the melee baton for leverage, keeping it tight against the man's throat, crushing his larynx. A spray of blood left the man's mouth.

Once Dyne completely shifted his body weight, he grabbed the mans shoulder and pulled him closer to him. Using tremendous upper body strength, the youth shifted his spine to add more weight to the deadly grab. In his death-grip the youth head the spine of his opponent snapping in several different places falling to the ground, dead. Dyne now had two two of the warriors dead. He sheathed one of his melee batons quickly, and helped himself to one of the iron longswords on the floor. The other bandits were coming forward rapidly and he'd already lost sight of Shu.

"Damn it, why'd he have to go." Dyne said as he stabbed the neck of the first bandit who now attempted to get up. In that one moment, he sealed the bandit's fate. The man gurgled on his own blood and choked to death in a matter of moments. Dyne only needed to ensure the safety of the leader of these cutthroats. He drew his newly acquired sword out of the man's neck and prepared for more battle.

And thusly, the story was written.

[Tranquil]

Shu would have loved to stay and support his friend in battle, but he also had other things on his mind right now. When the bandits had made a rush for Dyne and Shu, two of them made of with Shu's precious Staff, and multiple thoughts rushed through his mind.

Shu thought of his pacifistic mindset, his hatred of violence, his unwillingness to kill, but Shu was ready to do anything to get his beloved staff back.

"Get back here you bloody scoundrels!" Shu screamed as the bandits made their getaway through the trees, his staff held tightly between both of them. Shu's mind was racing, having never been properly trained in the art of battle, he mentally flipped through the pages of his Book of the Magi, and he remembered a spell, "Freeze!" He cried out, the forest floor gained new life as layers of ice trampled over the dead leaves and sticks until the frost reached the fleeing bandits and froze the one bandit in his tracks. The other bandit, still clutching to the staff felt a hard resistance on the staff and a scream. He stopped and look back to see his breather n's face in agony as his legs were frozen to the waist and his arm had been pulled from it's socket trying to hold onto th staff.

"Incendious!" Shu chanted, still running to catch up to them, surprisingly agile on the ice. His staff burned with a the fiercest hellfire he could call forth. As the heat mixed with the frost, the bandits hand were glued to the staff and they screamed curses in tongues Shu had never heard before. When Shu drew close, their skin was nearly incinerated and they were begging for death. He took back his staff and smiled menacingly.

"Death is too easy of a sentence for you, and I'm not that nice of a person." Shu took the dagger out from his boot and watched their eyes gleam. He drew a small line across their necks and watched the blood seep out and then drove the dagger into the ground in between both of them. "May your souls rot in hell." Shu said, his hand resting just barely on the outside of his staff, the spear side out, ready for the battle which laid ahead.

"Dyne, I'm coming." Shu said gently.

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

"Damn this is more than I bargained for!"

"What's the matter kid, scared now?"

"IN YOUR DREAMS YOU APE!"

Dyne took down five more grown men in the moments that passed from his last assault. He didn't want to kill any of these individuals, but the bandits left him no choice. In a second, everything went straight to hell and back. Dyne found himself surrounded by five of the bandits. They all had Coronian decent by the features of their cheek-bones. They all dressed the same, in simple cloths and wools. These were the garb of poor, desperate folk. Dyne hated having to injure these men since they were just down on their luck. The warrior knew that he couldn't hesitate against these men. He'd stolen another one of the fallen warrior's swords and now fought with two swords versus two melee batons.

His original tactics were sound, but now he was facing superior numbers. Falling back to his Aikido and Fencing training, the youth needed to strike quickly and decisively if he was to survive. So far, the leader of the bandits hadn't shown himself yet. Dyne already took down five of their numbers, and Shu took down another two that meant that seven were down. Dyne rotated both of the weapons in his hands getting used to the feel of the swords' weight. He adjusted quickly being a fast study and all. The group rushed Dyne and the youth reacted.

After his first set of kills, the warrior no longer held himself back. All of his fears and anxieties came forward to the surface and guided his actions. He swung as a bandit struck at his side, intercepting the attack. Five grown men attacked the warrior all at once. Dyne showed some Acrobatic skills and flipped over the head of one of the nearby warriors landing perfectly on his feet.

The swordsman struck at the back of the bandit. A few moments later, his sword impaled the man's lower back. Dyne ripped through the man's body tearing him in half. There was a scream, and the others continued to attempt to rush him. Dyne kept himself moving on his feet intercepting incoming attacks. Already injured from the previous battles, Dyne bled freely from open wounds and injuries. The warrior continued to fight though his pupils were dilated from the pain. He thought about the reason of why he fought and continued to work from there.

The extra dead bandit meant one less bandit to fight. The others retreated back to give their boss a field report. Dyne continued to move, parrying and countering various attacks. Another two fell down at the youth's trained fencing skills. He was a much more skilled warrior than these lackeys were and it showed in his movements. Now only two remained. Dyne gasped as he moved trying to keep his arms from falling out of their sockets. Another attack stabbed his leg. Another attack was aimed for his shoulder and Dyne barely parried it. He was getting tired. Where was Shu? His enemies sensed his exhaustion and pressed their attacks onward.

[Tranquil]

Shu ran as quickly as his legs would carry him back to the Field where he originally had to leave Dyne behind. To his surprise Dyne had overcome overwhelming odds and survived the tremendous assault from the bandits. Shu ran forward, right hand clutching tightly to the brass knuckles as he hopped over the brutally massacred bodies complement of Dyne.

"Dyne!" Shu screamed at the top of his lungs as he saw the blade of the bandits sword narrowly miss the warriors shoulder. Shu moved onward with his rush and focused his anger towards his fist. "Freeze!" Shu growled with anger, and his brass knuckles glazed over with ice and Shu made the final steps over to where Dyne and his opponents fought.

Shu stepped quickly around the fight scene, avoiding the bandit's badly thrusted sword to get to his unprotected back. Shu cocked back his right arm and and threw a straight punch to the spine. Brass knuckles imbued with a Freeze spell did significant damage. Moving out of the way, Shu quickly sidestepped as the bandit's muscles locked in place as Ice slowly crawled up his spine and he made a hard fall on top of another dead bandit.

Reacting quickly to the the death, the bandit took his attention off the wounded Dyne and focused on Shu. He forced a blunt swing of the sword which was easily blocked and countered with Shu's staff.

The Bandit stumbled back wards and before he could even wipe the blood from his mouth, Shu called out another incantation. "Incendious!" The bandit shrieked a somewhat feminine scream, but when he felt his body he was not burning, and he began to laugh at Shu. "Did you miss 'yer target there?" he asked cockily.

Shu merely smirked and snapped his fingers and a ring of fire appeared around the bandit and he stood frozen in shock. He dropped his weapon and begged forgiveness from his God. "You're feeble prayers shall help. I'm not you're God. Repentance is to be sought for the right reasons, not because you know your death is imminent." Shu's eyes glimmered with a light a corruption, one which had never been seen before.

"Prayer time is over." Shu said in a low toned voice, and pointed his oaken staff at the man, watching as he back himself into the middle of the circle as it began to shrink. "The fires of Hell are far worse than I can ever conjure. Let the Devil know that more of your kind shall come soon." But Shu's words were cut out by the sounds of a man screaming in pain as his flesh was being singed from his bone in pillar of fire.

"Dyne..How do you fare? I'm sorry I left, are you okay to go on?" Shu asked, his eyes still heavy with ferocity.

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

The evening breeze fell across the open pastures. Underwood was a well forested place ideal for lumberjacks and black smiths. The cicadas caught the breeze and created an eerie song that was melancholy and reminded Dyne of brighter days. Beasts of burden ate of the tall grass making quick meals out of them. It was like swimming within a green sea. Dyne looked up at the setting sun feeling weak and tired. He could not remember the last time he'd been injured in such a way. Blood trickled down his person touching the grass below him.

Insects and carrions already gathered where the fresh bodies started the process of rigor mortis. Dyne had tears flowing down of his face. One who was so closely connected to death, he'd been forced to end many lives in the course of one afternoon. Dyne fell down to his knee. Blood trickled down his mouth indicating some sort of serious internal injuries. He could see the spirits of the dead staring at him with accusatory glances. What have I done? Didn't I have no choice in this matter? Did the Corone Rangers set me up? He suddenly felt his friend Shu nearby him, a small ray of comfort.

Dyne felt much older. He felt his eye were much more heavy set and a tuft of white developed at his right side burn. His face somehow grew much more heavy than before loosing its innocence and gathering an hard edge about it. Dyne breathed heavily as he leaned on his newly acquired swords for comfort. He tried to get his bearings now. The blood lust had taken him and he wanted to end more lives! Feeling very far away now, Shu's voice brought him back to himself. He blinked several times. Where am I? What happened? Why am I bleeding? The pain was driving Dyne to a point of insanity.

Phantoms gathered all around him now. Dyne saw the ghosts of the people they'd burned hours before the melee started. Dyne gasped for air. They approached him, at least, the one who represented them did. Dyne blinked several more times as the representative of those innocent slain by the bandits made contact with Dyne. The psionic felt a shiver when the ghost touched him and wrapped his arms about Dyne's person. An image only Dyne could see. A feeling only Dyne could feel.

Dyne suddenly felt a lot better after coming in contact with the ghostly specter. It wore an expression of sadness when it looked upon Dyne. The one called Magnus already caused the natural order great upheaval. "He must be stopped. The one they call Magnus is the leader of these miscreants. We cannot pass from the Anti-Firmanent until you've avenged us. It is your birth-right to communicate with The Dead." The Phantom told me, and to others, it might look like I was talking to myself. It might look like I had a very far away expression on my face.

"I shall do what I can to defeat the one they call Magnus." Dyne said out loud to no-one in particular. Regathering himself, Dyne already convinced himself that he was going to die. He stood up and coughed up a little more blood feeling the energies of the Phantom coursing within his person. He felt the possibilities of his ability stretching to new heights. On the verge of death, his thought became clearer and he slowly started to understand something about himself and the extent of his newly found powers. His thoughts gathered to a razor point edge. He looked over to Shu now.

"We have to continue onwards regardless of how I feel. There are people suffering worse than me right now, understand?" And edge was in his voice now and he sounded a lot harsher than he meant to. Perhaps it was the stress? He hoped his only ally in this matter would not take offense. He hoped they might yet come out of this madness with their lives intact. He suddenly had the desire to accomplish a lot of things in his life...would he be able to?

[Tranquil]

Shu once again struggled with his mind to not follow the orders of a man who just had a conversation with the wind, but Shu used better judgment and wrapped and arm around Dynes shoulder. “My friend, we shall get Mangus if it is the last thing we do.” Shu said in a false sense of reassurance. To tell the truth, Shu was walking blindly thru thick, painfully sharp shrubbery with no sense of direction left in complete darkness.

Shu maintained a steady walking speed all the while making sure Dyne was right behind them. There was a moment of silence where Shu could hear the wind blowing through the leaves on the trees, small rodents running through the underbrush…and the sounds of feet padding against wooden planks. Shu was taken aback that he had been walking upwards on the rotting plank boards that stretched between treetops for quite some time and had not even noticed. Shu paused a moment as placed his on the floor and it broke a hole right by his foot. Shu jumped back quickly and continued on, watching the rotting wood spiral down to the leaf infested forest floor.

“Dyne,” Shu began in a hushed whisper. “I believe we are close to the one you call Mangus, though we are in the scouting posts of the bandits, we can see far and wide if you wish me to provide some light for you. I think it would be wise to scout out your area and take a breather before you go into battle again.” Shu said, picking up a small log that Shu made sure was of no significance to the structure and lit it aflame with his Incendious and passed the torch to Dyne. “Be safe my friend. You have been talking to the wind.” Shu stated to himself as he sat with his back against the wall, peering into the dim lighted town of what he now knew to be the Peaceful Promenade.

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

They made their ways to the bridge of the tree-top get away. It was a series of connected bridges that allowed the bandits to take advantage of settlers from travelers and merchants from above. Dyne still felt far away as he walked. He knew that the Phantoms somehow healed a good portion of his injures and did something to his internal injuries. That wasn't enough to prevent the serious damage from being anymore or any less serious. Blood still trickled down the corner of his lips.

Dyne knew he was pushing himself more than was necessary but they couldn't afford a failure during this mission. The rickety old bridge was difficult to navigate but the Smith Apprentice got used to it after a few moments of some effort. The expression of pain on his face was quite noticeable. Dyne stole a few scabbards from the fallen bandits and sheathed his newly acquired swords at his back. They were shaped like an x. Dyne cautiously navigated across the bridge noticing that there were a series of these yew bridges all across several strategically picked trees.

The whole thing strangely reminded Dyne of a spider web. There were rooms built into the core of the trees that made Dyne think of an abandoned Elven settlement. He knew that there were Elves all around the areas around Underwood but they hardly ever left their tree-town villages. He suddenly felt excitement at the potential possibility of getting his hands on some elven crafted items. With bandits living here now though he knew the possibility of that was slim. So far all of the swords he'd seen were common quality steel swords.

Dyne fell quiet as they walked across the bridge. Strangely, there was no opposition for a few moments and they traveled freely through the network of bridges. Somehow, Dyne expected this part of the equation to be much more difficult than it was so far. He suddenly felt a pain inside his rib cage some place and stopped when they arrived at one of the trees. There was a wooden platform built naturally into the bark of the tree. A room lurked there which was carved into the bark. Dyne grabbed at his side, wincing in agony. He coughed up more blood. He knew he was pushing himself far more than he needed to but there was no choice. Magnus had to fall.

"We have to keep going Shu." The Apprentice said trying to talk through the pain. He paused his walking for a moment to catch his breath. "I only need a moment to catch my breath. Urgh--!" More blood. Things were getting serious and Dyne knew it. Up ahead, he saw movement and several of the remaining Bandits approached the two warriors. "NO!" Dyne yelled and unsheathed his weapons preparing himself for battle. There were five incoming bandits. They lunged at the injured warrior smelling blood in the air.

Dyne reacted quickly blocking two incoming sword attacks. Dyne had a sword in each hand and fought with some degree of skill using both of his swords to simultaneously block and react. Three of the remaining warriors circumvented Dyne and went towards Shu. Dyne blocked an incoming sword slash and sent his own sword right to the man's neck. A moment later, his weapon connected and he severed the man's neck. The man fell from the bridge, gurgling on his own blood. Dyne blocked the other incoming warrior feeling the adrenalin pumping. It gave him the last vestiges of strength he needed to crush his foes. The second man fell to Dyne's blade after he got a lucky decapitation maneuver. The head rolled off and fell to the ground shortly followed by the body. Dyne turned around and went back towards Shu's position.

[Tranquil]

"Dyne, find Mangus!" Shu shouted over the sounds of metal swords chopping into a surprisingly sturdy oaken staff. Shu knew that Dyne wouldn't last much longer in combat, even with such opponents as these bandits. They have nothing to loose so the strike with ruthless attacks.

Shu's eyes glazed over as his finger was gashed by one of the three blades he simultaneously blocked. "Dyne, move it!" Shu bellowed, and spun his Staff out vertically to face his enemies so that the spear like side faced their fleshy fronts. Shu had come to realize that a long weapon such as his staff didn't provide as much levity in close ranged Mêlée battles, so he quickly thought of a plan.

Shu quickly lodged his staff into the wood so it stood at about his eye level, with the bandits in a tight line he had an easy choice of who to target. "Incendious!" Shu chanted and his hands glowed with small balls of flame and in an instant, he threw them at the Bandits on the outer corner and sent them flying into two of the closer trees with a bonecrunching thud, a satisfying sizzle, and the smell of freshly burnt flesh.

The Bandit left in the middle immediately charged forward with a horizontally slash of his sword just as Shu had predicted, though with a quick side step, Shu narrowly avoided a blade to the chest, and watched as his precious staff was split into two equal halves. The top consisting of a heavy blunt mêlée weapon and the bottom a Spear like dagger.

Shu instantaneously turned around and clobbered the Bandit in the face with his "Mace" and felt a rush of energy flow through him as he saw the bandit collapse to his knees and blood flow from his mouth.

Shu had been so elated that he almost forgot about the other two Bandits that he had fought previously. The one had already came to his senses and was charging for him. Shu had readied his Incendious charm but not a single spark came into his palm.

"Shit!" Shu cried, and tried to dodge the sword but couldn't avoid the blow as the metal ran straight across his open right palm. Shu tried griping his Mace and his face turned white. Shu recovered his senses and found the bandit running toward him again. Shu was in danger with no magic, so he did the only thing he could think of doing which was. Shu launched the "Spear" as hard as he could muster and watched as the tip of the blade caught the Bandit in the Adams apple. He dropped to the railing with the spear hanging ever so delicately over and Shu carefully grabbed it.

Shu could have cried when he remembered there was another, but the body he saw against the tree wasn't moving. He walked up to the Yew tree to see that the body had been impaled by one of the lower tree branches upon impact, and Shu shook his head softly, and ran to catch up with Dyne, murmuring angry curses along the way.

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

Meanwhile--

Magnus watched the battle unfolding someplace nearby to Shu and Dyne's current position. He kept his arms crossed before his chest as two more of his bandits lurked about his person. They had an eager expression on their face as they waited for whatever commands their leader might give them. These bandits weren't cowards. They were battle-hardened miscreants that shared many adventures with their leader. Magnus ran a hand through his long hair.

"They are good. I didn't expect the Corone Rangers to be able to send such good agents in so short a period of time." Magnus said in a calm tone. A nearby Bandit looked up at his leader. "The kid with the red hair is clearly the leader, he's taken out most of our people without qualms. He seems like he has the blood thirst." Magnus rubbed his chin in deep thought. "He shall fall by my Prevalida blades." Magnus stole a glance at his nearby weapons as they rested against the side of the huge tree they now stood upon. In the most literal of ways. The structures of the Elven architecture were built into the trees and had a completely organic feel to them.

They were a perfect combination of nature and science. The once populated village was clearly abandoned and replaced by this small band of trouble-starting ruffians. Magnus' eyes were narrowed as he studied the way that Dyne fought. Then, much to his chagrin, he saw that Dyne cut through several more bandits and was heading in his general direction!

****************************************

Dyne spotted the big man along with two more bandits. These bandits seemed much more dangerous than the riff-raff that they'd faced so far. The young warrior already submitted to the fact that he'd become a killer. He'd tried to avoid such a way of life for the longest time. Working for the Corone Rangers on the side, that had become unavoidable. I prefer working for the Syndicate. Mostly I just have to rob from people, never out-right kill anyone. Working for the Corone Rangers is bad for my health. The Civil War now bore its ugly head around Dyne and Shu.

Dyne felt the weight of destiny wrapped around him. Pockets of refugees fleeing the violence of the Civil War made their way to various parts of Corone, and some, ran from it out right seeking sanctuary in other countries that might take them. The steady wave of refugees hurt the general global economy but was an unavoidable side effect of Corone's power grab. Dyne looked at Magnus with fury in his eyes. He ran forward now finding a strength from deep within his person. Dyne knew that he was close to the edge and stared oblivion right in the face.

After a moment passed, Magnus caught Dyne's eyes and returned a steel-like gaze to the young warrior. Dyne came of age on the battlefield accepting his destiny as a warrior for justice. He killed that day, but he was hoping he killed for all the right reasons. He remembered that he would have to thank the Corone Rangers in kind for forcing this situation upon him. Dyne stole a glance back to his friend Shu, and saw that the Magus was all right. Once upon a time, Dyne thought that Shu was a Prophet from some ancient book of scriptures. Perhaps, in his own ways, Shu was Dyne's Prophet. Shu had become a light to prevent the darkness from gripping his heart.

How could Dyne atone for his sins now? The first task was clear. Dyne had to make sure that Magnus paid for all of the deaths his little group caused on the open highway. Dyne rushed Magnus and his pair of bandits. The two bandits prepared themselves for battle, but Magnus did something that was completely unexpected. Dyne saw that Magnus waved his companions off to the side and away from the battle. Begrudgingly, the two bandits moved off to the side and retreated from the former Elven abode. Dyne saw Magnus staring right at him.

"You got potential kid, I'll give you that. I can't believe that the Corone Rangers would find someone as skilled as you are. You have a shadow across your face, why don't you join me instead of them? You know what's happening to Corone. Radasanth is about to burst like a zit. It's all coming apart at the seems. Even Thoracis recently returned citing the corruption all over the world. Some say the end of the world is coming kid. Why don't you go out with a bang and join a group that's had some real success? This Republic of the Corone Rangers is nothing but a farce man. It's all going straight to Hell kid. Join me." Magnus extended his hand.

Dyne found the will to suddenly laugh right at Magnus. "YOU FOOL!" The philosopher began. "Look all around you. The wind of change is upon us, we could've become the champions of that change. But no. You chose to hurt the people of Radasanth and take advantage of the people running away from the war. You're scum in my eyes. I'm sorry about your fallen comrades but they made it impossible for me to knock them out. They were prepared to fight to the death and so death came form them. Only it wore my face as a Mask! You saw its all coming apart at the seems is it? Yet why are there people still trying to fight for the freedoms that Radasanth represents?! You're blind Magnus and I'm here to make you pay for the Sins you've enacted on this battlefield! PREPARE TO DIE!"

Dyne readied the stolen weapons in his hands as he faced Magnus. He saw Magnus shaking his head. "Very well dog. I shall make you fall right where you stand!" Maguns drew his two Prevalida swords from their nearby scabbards and lunged at Dyne. "LIKE HELL YOU WILL!" Dyne responded and intercepted the two swords with his steel blade. A flash of light cascaded from the impact of the four weapons. Dyne felt Magnus' bearing his weight down upon him and the youth simply stared with darkness in his green eyes, there was a fury there. "I'll make you pay!" Dyne repeated over and over and his mind suddenly cleared.

"You can't win that way." A far away voice called to Dyne from the darkness.

"Who are you?" Dyne felt detached from his body and looked down in a room of shadows. There was a presence in that room. A presence that felt somehow familiar to him. A presence that had been with him all his life. As he became detached the psion felt a pain on his forehead. Dyne stared into the glowing eyes in the dark. "You have the power. The Phantom touched you with his memories. You can use that to create a Negative Feedback Loop and assault Magnus with it. You have the power now. You always had the power." Dyne was felt elation. He could use the memories that the Phantom implanted into his head? As a new weapon? "Show me how!" Dyne called out to the darkness.

"Open your heart and mind to us."

************************************************** ******


Magnus and Dyne grappled with their swords for a time. Suddenly, Dyne's eyes opened wide as he made contact with the power inside himself. When he'd come in contact with that Phantom earlier, the spirit unleashed a fury within the psions' heart. This fury was a powerful emotion that the boy could tap into. And suddenly, the destiny and long line of his people came rushing forth as he understood the nature of who he was. The name of his people was whispered in his head. Now knowing who he was, tears flowed down his eyes. Facing his foe without fear, even as the blood trickled down the sides of his lips, the youth let out a loud scream. The scream might sound like a completely inhuman howl.

Dyne saw that Magnus' face suddenly became distorted with pain and agony. His skull stretched out as it was assaulted by an unseen force. For a brief moment the air around Dyne's head rippled with energy and negative emotions. The anger of the dead swelled up in Dyne's skull and traveled across the air as an arrow-headed shape. The arrow rotated about itself. When it impacted with Magnus' skull all of the negative emotions that Dyne held at that precise moment distorted Magnus. The warrior let out a shriek louder than any banshee. Blood trickled down his nose and his eyes went to the back of his skull. Magnus fell down to the ground, in a vegetable like state. His eyes were just gone. Dyne felt the energy rippling around his skull as he stared at Magnus with a fury. He dropped his two swords and made a grab for the Warriors' Prevalida weapons. That was the last thing he did before he too, fell to his own darkness. The youth passed out and slipped into a coma. The last thing he remembered was grabbing the handles of the two Prevalida swords.

[Tranquil]

Shu had been walking slowly, carefully down the wooden planks, wrapping his severed palm with sheared cloths from the bandits clothes when he heard an inhumane howl. "Dyne!" Shu called out and ran over to the spot where his friend had collapsed, two newly acquired swords in his hands.

"You took on an enemy of this power by yourself? No wonder you are so worn out..You fool!" Shu said, cutting off shreds of who he know knew to be Magnus' clothes to stop the bleeding of Dyne. But halfway through bandaging Dyne, Shu began to have strange visions of his past. "Stop it..Get out of my head." Shu growled angrily, stabbing his bloodied spear into the canvas floor and putting his Mace down next to it, forming somewhat of a cross.

Seconds later the vision began again, but Shu was in the basement of his childhood house, weeping over his fathers remains...Thrashing his labaoratory..Choking on the gasses. "Whoever is doing this; I'll kill you with my bear hands!" Shu said, eyes glazed over with tears, his hands beginning to tremble with anger.

Inevitably Shu was forced yet again to watched his house explode from the basement up and there was nothing he could do. Shu was now screaming with rage, his gloved hands tearing at his Red silk cloth until it his mouth was fully exposed and his deformed disposition was fully exposed.

The bandits that had been hiding in the shadows had been drawn out of their hiding spots by the hellish screams and went in for the kill. Although they were the top bandits in their field, Shu was in a heightened state of Paranoia, and when he heard a branch crack behind him, he launched to his feet with his spear and his mace. "Incedious!" Shu roared and a small explosion of fire sent the bandits and an assortion of leaves, sticks and stones into the air. They both landed with dull thuds in what was left of their tattered clothes. Shu, while still in his enraged state ran to their pleading bodies took their own weapons, two long swords each, and impaled their hands into the forest floor. "Incendious." Shu whispered menacingly, and watched as the fire slowly curled it's way down he blades and began to wrap it's way around the screaming bodies of the bandits.

Shu walked his way back to Dyne, and collapsed in a heap next to his warrior friend, praying silently for their souls redemption.

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

Sometime later--

"Are you sure about that? He left with only one person? Seems pretty incredible to me that some punk kid can do this much damage."

"Yeah it was some guy with a spear. He later met up with some Shepard kid that he became friends a few days earlier."

"He works for the Syndicate sometimes isn't that true?"

"Yeah it is. He seems to have a noble soul but look at all the mess he caused us today. Most of these guys were just Refugees fleeing the war."

"Can't be helped, we sent him off on that mission in the first place."

The voices belonged to several members of the Corone Rangers. One of them was the same guy that recruited Alberdyne Cormyr in the first place. He wore the same uniform he wore earlier. Several members of the Corone Rangers helped get rid of the bodies of the bandits. They tried to make sense of what went on. The battle seemed erratic and moved rapidly from place to place. Two bandits were found frozen, some burned away from where the main skirmish took place.

It seemed clear to the Rangers that there was a separation that took place and the two warriors did incredible damage by themselves than they would have together. At one point they rejoined their forces. The Rangers found a place where the battle was turning in the bandits' favor. They examined blood trails that clearly belonged to the kid with red hair. "Let's find where they might be."

"So what do you think?"

"As long as they got Magnus I say it was a successful operation. AS LONG as they got Magnus. However many of these ruffians they managed to take out matters very little. Only the leader of this insurgency matters. We gotta keep the common man together and with us at all times. If they defect to the Corone Empire, we're ruined."

"Sir, don't say that title around us. That institution doesn't exist." One of the Rangers corrected their leader. The squad seemed to be one of many factions of the Corone Rangers that were cropping up all over the places. Former leaders of the old Corone Rangers trained the newcomers as the Civil War dragged on. Strife within Radasanath was reaching a fever pitch. The Refugees desperately looked for work and a some semblance of protection from the never ending war. "I'm sorry about that I couldn't help it. I guess I'm just tired of all the crap we're having to go through lately. Especially with that thing with Letho that happened. I mean really. One of Corone's greatest Heroes labeled a common Criminal JUST LIKE THAT. Someone has to take a stand already." The man said.

There was a squad of ten Corone Rangers gathered. As they explored the area where the battle took place, one of the Rangers finally found Shu and Dyne laying near the fallen person of Magnus. All three men still breathed but Dyne was in terrible condition. Many more corpses were found near the three warriors. The important thing was that Magnus was incapacitated during the battle somehow. Magnus' skull looked mis-shaped and deformed as if something ate away at him from the inside out.

Soon, the Corone Rangers descended upon the main three bodies they were looking for. "Secure this area. I don't want anything getting in or out. That kid with red hair needs immediate medical attention. See to his companion as well. His facial injuries look like they weren't recent." Someone nearby to him nodded. "Probably an Alchemy accident. Can you tell what happened to his skull?"

"No I'm afraid not. But the air around her is saturated with psionic energies. The source seems to be the red head kid."

"Can it be he's a Psionic? We haven't seen one of those around these parts in a very long time. If that's the case the Monks will want a look at him. Treat his injuries and that of his companions. Preserve Magnus the best way you can. It is imperative that we take him into custody before the Empire can get to him." The men nodded and got to work.

************************************************** ****

((I hope you don't mind the small bunny Shu. But basically we both end up back at Underwood, weeks later in a hospital. The Corone Rangers took us there))

Dyne dreamed that he was in a dark room. He ran while a spot light was upon him from the skies above. In the spot light, Dyne was a child no more than five or six years old. He ran chasing something. The thing he chased sat just out of reach, a specter beyond the light. Glowing with a golden glow, Dyne could see many flickers of light in a trail as he chased a Golden Butterfly. The dream felt strange and somehow very sad to the young man.

Many weeks passed after that night. Dyne screamed as he woke up from a long series of strange dreams and visitations in the dark. In the room, there was a cup of hot cocoa. Its smell wafting up Dyne's nostrils. He looked over at the pitcher at the side of his bed for a long moment. He saw a cup of the substance prepared for him. Food too. Breakfast. The youth saw sausage and eggs, bacon, and toast. Other goodies as well. He suddenly felt that his stomach growled with hunger, causing him to ache. He saw Shu laying in his own bed some distance across from him. Several Nurses of various races worked other patients. The man that employed Dyne in the first placed rose from a nearby chair and walked over to Dyne. The youth started eating as he greeted the man.

"Hello again."

"You did good kid. Real good. My people had their doubts about you, but we can see now why the Syndicate uses you from time to time. You're a boy of exceptional talents. You're also very competent. You managed to put down the insurgency and take Magnus down all by yourself. Magnus was a man wanted by both the Republic of the Corone Rangers and the Corone Empire, it was a race to see who could get to him first."

Dyne spread butter on a piece of toast and ate it quickly listening to everything the man said. When he was done chewing Dyne took a deep pull of the hot cocoa feeling as though he hadn't eaten in many lifetimes. "You nearly got me killed." Dyne said after a few moments passed. "You nearly got my friend killed. For that, I can't forgive you. However, I know that you had your reasons for putting us on the job. You were short staffed, you needed outside help, whatever the reason might be. For the chance to avenge some people wrongly killed by those ruffians...I am grateful. I learned a lot about myself. On the verge of madness I discovered the light inside my heard." Dyne said. He looked over to Shu. Another one of the Corone Rangers sat near Shu. They were curious about the man's facial deformities. The Nurses attempted to heal Shu but some force prevented them from doing so. Perhaps it was a penance that Shu paid? "So why are you here?" Dyne asked of the Corone Ranger.

"To tell you what you're going to do next, and to pay you for a job well done. Those swords Magnus used, you can keep them. Take this as a reward as well." The man put down a box of gold for Dyne. "There is 1,000 Gold Pieces there. Split them with your friend. Take it all for yourself, I don't care which you do. But once your friend fully recovers I have a further job for you. Consider this an invitation from the Corone Rangers. We feel we can better use your talents than the Syndicate can."

Dyne was surprised when he heard that part. He eyed the man for a moment as he stood up.

"How did you know about that?"

"We keep an eye on our enemies kid. You'd be wise to start choosing the right side from here on in. The Syndicate makes powerful enemies and uses youngsters like you. You better start working on the right side of the aisle kid. I'll be in the lobby waiting for your response once you've recovered."

"Remember my words this day kid. This offer won't be repeated."

The man left leaving the weight of the world on the Pisons' shoulders. He sighed and tried to eat the remainder of his meal with a troubled heart.

[Tranquil]

Shu’s eyes didn’t have to be open to know that Dyne had been talking to the authorities that had hired him and bribed him with dirty money to capture Mangus. Nor to comprehend that his facial structure was being studied by a Corone Ranger, and he Nurse was trying to heal it to the best of her abilities.

After Shu had rested all he could, he let loose but a smile, and extended his healing palm toward the nurse, with his eyes still closed. “Dearest Nurse, my face unlike my palm cannot be tended to. No amount of skilled treatments or ointments can bring these scarred features back to the original person behind them. These burns are the punishment for my sins I’ve committed. Healing them, as I’ve found out all too painfully will ultimately only make them worse.” Shu opened his bright Onyx eyes which had lost their intensity and had gained a soft hue. “So if you would please, I’d like to hide this demon-like face of mine again, I’m beginning to smell up the room.” Shu said, and tied his silken scarf around his face once again, then turned his head to Dyne, who looked surprisingly morbid.

“Dyne my friend…You have all of your limbs, you settled the score for the lost souls, we are both alive, and it seems as if you came out quite nicely in this ordeal.” Shu said, nodding toward his extravagant swords and his chest overflowing with golden coins. “So please, might you inform me as to what you have to be so sorrowful for? I mean, it’s not like we did anything wrong eh?” Shu now knew everything, and knew exactly what was going on between the Syndicate and the Corone Rangers. Shu was just curious to see if his friend would entrust him with this information that was so heavily weighing him down.

“So cheer up my friend. I’m sure all will be fine.” Shu said, finally sitting up, his gloved hand grabbing a green apple from the tray of assorted breakfast items. He sniffed it and smiled. “Just picked, must be a fancy hospital.” Shu said jokingly, and shoved it in the pockets of his robes; Shu had shown his malformed face enough for one day.

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

Dyne saw Shu as his closest companion in the world. Only two other people were held in that regard. I can't lie to him. Dyne looked away from Shu for a moment to stare at the Nurses working on other patients for a time. He was surprised that at his bed side there were flowers from individuals. Flowers were on the stand. Dyne noticed them for the first time. A card lurked in the branches of the flowers. Investigating the card carefully, the youth put it back after reading who the card was actually from. Dyne's heart felt heavy.

"It's not that Shu. These Corone Rangers have things on me. I've done some bad things in my life to gain experience in how the world works. I thought nobody knew about them. But somehow, the Corone Rangers had me pinned and figured me out. They'll want to use me for more of their chores." Dyne thought about the battle they just fought and his encounter with Magnus. He suddenly regretted turning Magnus in. What if Magnus was a member of The Syndicate? Will they send agents after me now?

Dyne's eyes kept shifting around the room. He looked at the various male and female nurses. Some of them were very pretty and reminded him of his long time companion Jessa. He also thought about the girl Stacy from the Peaceful Promenade. His head still hurt from the release of such powerful energies but this was merely a diluted throbbing sensation at his temple. He returned his gaze back to Shu. Again, the feelings of dishonesty plagued the youth's heart. "I haven't been completely honest with you Shu. Then again we've never really talked about the past much."

"Like I said, I've done some terrible things. I've helped a bunch of really bad people further their goals. Am I a terrible person? I don't know. But I do have a darkness in my heart." Dyne rubbed his chest as if to emphasize the pain he currently felt. Heart break couldn't be measured. Dyne looked at the chest and eyed Shu. "Either way I'm a man of my word. Part of that gold is your's. You can help yourself to half of it." Dyne said changing the subject for a moment. "I stole from an organization calling itself the White Guild. Now these Corone Rangers have leverage against me." Dyne felt tired, like he just wanted to sleep in that warm bed. He knew that his trials were far from over.

"I hate having to ask you this Shu but you're the only one I can trust right now. I can't put these problems on my adopted family. And I'll need more help in the coming months and days. They are going to ask me to do more work for them. I don't know which is better. Working for the Corone Rangers or working for The Syndicate. But I have a feeling that a war is coming very soon." The words were ominous.

"In case you haven't noticed it Shu, but this place is tearing itself apart at the seems. It's all going to shit." Dyne said cursing for the first time in Shu's presence.

[Tranquil]

Shu's white teeth gleamed beneath his facial covering. He only nodded as Dyne spilled his heart. By listening to Dyne's heart felt speech, Shu's mind was drawn back to an old phrase in which he said out loud, "You can always trust a Dishonest man to be Dishonest, but Truthfully men often tell the truth in order to deceive you." Shu's eyes gleamed with a sort of wisdom as he sat up for the first time in what seemed like ages.

With the blood rushing to his head Shu stumbled light-headily out of bed. He gently put on for in front of the other until he regained his natural sense of balance, his naked feet sensing the cold floor beneath him. Shu walked slowly over to the table where the chest of gold sat, open, sparkling in the sunlight that cascaded from the windows where the velvet curtains had been pulled back. Shu ran his hand over the gold pieces, listening intently as the coins clanged together.

Shu took a knee by the side of Dyne's bed and whispered to Dyne, "My friend, I may have not wanted to be involved in this mess, but I am now. I hereby swear that as long as there are innocent people being massacred and lands being destroyed, I shall fight by your side." Shu extended his hand. His final word on the subject were meant to bring peace into Dyne's troubled heart. "Good and Evil are just words my friend. And Evil person can do amazing things for the word just as much as a Good person can do terrible things for the world. It matters not which path we travel, for names get reputations which more often than not do not fairly represent the organization. Do not judge a book by the cover Dyne." Shu said with the wisdom of many civilizations packed into his young body.

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

Dyne closed his eyes as he listened to Shu's comments. He looked at the chest for a moment, five hundred gold was for Shu. Shu once worried about acquiring dirty money. The youth was glad that his companion changed his mind. He nodded towards Shu for a moment. Afterwards, he took a sip of his drink. The warmth filled his chest. He put his mug down.

"Then so it shall be." Dyne said calmly after Shu's words. "Its good knowing that I have a friend to depend on in all of this. Whatever happens next we shall be ready to face the challenges together." He held out his hand for Shu to take where once, the man refused to take it before. Dyne remembered how this all began. It seemed like many lifetimes ago he was pleading with Shu outside of the Peaceful Promenade to gain his assistance. Now he knew that the Magus would follow him always. They'd made a bond in blood.

"That makes me glad to know that you will always be there." Dyne said.

[Tranquil]

Shu shook Dynes hand with some force and nodded happily. "Until the end my friend." His voice was seemed almost too enthusiastic as his eyes stared far off out of the window.

"Dyne, you must get out of bed and ready yourself quickly, you've an important choice to make soon. You better gain the strength to stand on your feet." Shu said with a slight cough and stood silently, walking over to what was once his staff and silently mourned his weapon. "I would offer you the services of my Staff as a walking stick..But it's currently out of service." Shu said, wiping a small tear away from his eye, a sign of weakness to him. "Now get up and make the choice, our fate lies in your hands." Shu said, running his hands over the chopped up, bloodied oak.

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

Dyne remembered the Magus' explanation for the staff before and felt guilty that it got broken during the battle. He knew that the staff meant a lot to his friend. He saw that it was oak. Making that observation, the youth realized that he could fix it and possibly upgrade the wood a bit further. He would have to ask Karxen about such a task because Dyne primarily worked metals and ores. The youth smiled trying to hide the pain of his personal injuries.

"I appreciate the words of encouragement but there's a problem. My injuries were more serious than I lead on." Dyne lowered the covers and revealed that his entire mid-section was bandaged up. "It will take a few more weeks for me to properly heal up. I had some internal injuries as well that thankfully, the Nurses were able to treat in time. If the Corone Rangers hadn't showed up to rescue us, the blood loss would've got me. I was very close to meeting my maker."

"It seems you got off the better of us." Dyne tried to laugh but felt pain in his insides and so stopped himself. He clutched at his side for a few moments wincing in agony. He was worried about making the injuries much more serious than they already were. He could feel the pain in his insides and that made the situation worse. "You're right that I have to get up sooner or later but right now I can't." Lowering the bed sheets further, he pointed out his useless legs. They were bandaged up completely. A sadness touched the youth's face. "They got my legs good with a couple of straight shots, I was feeling the adrenalin rush at the time so I didn't feel much until later."

[Tranquil]

Shu's pale eyes widened as he saw the extent of Dyne's injuries. Shu had no idea that he had taken so many shots in that battle, and quite frankly Shu had gained some new found respect that Dyne found the strength to go on.

Shu reached deep down in his pocket and felt around to find the stem of his apple, and he slowly twisted it off and pulled it out of his pocket. "Dyne, take this and chew on it my friend. I wont do much for the injuries, but it should help you with the pain." Shu said, for once glad that his silk scarf could cover the emotions of most of his face. "This is an Alchemic herb that controls the pain sensors in the body. Used in small portions like this it is very safe." Shu said, still fiddling with the apple left in his pocket, wondering if Dyne would actually believe his words. Shu just wanted to bring his friend comfort in his time of need, and without the appropriate tools off an Alchemist, deception was the second best thing.

"So just chew until you can chew no more, the chemicals should help you through the pain." Shu said, his eyes a stony hue of gray.

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

Dyne's own green eyes met those stormy gray orbs. The youth nodded calmly and took the stem in his hand. He didn't know if the trick would work, but at the very least it gave him something to do while he waited to heal. He took the stem in his mouth and started to chew on it casually. The thing tasted awful, but in time, he got used to that bitter flavor. He crunched the bitter tasting stem for a long moment staying in silence. Nodding towards the Alchemist with a soft smile the youth thanked him. He pulled his bed sheets back up. He took the card out of the bouquet of flowers and read the note.




Hey Alberdyne,

I heard about your injury. I hope that everything heals up pretty soon. I been coming to visit you at the hospital everyday. I'll be around now. I'm hoping you haven't met any pretty girls while I was gone! Take care of yourself!

Love,
Jessa Reyes

Dyne's face lit up at the possibility of seeing Jessa once again. He looked upon the card for a moment longer recognizing the hand writing. Placing the card back in the bouquet of flowers, the youth smiled brightly. That was the first amount of good news that he'd received so far. He saw someone's familiar shadowy figure lurking at the entrance of the hospital room. The girl ran into the room when she saw Dyne awake and jumped into the bed, hugging him tightly. Dyne winced at the pain. "I WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU MEAT-HEAD!"

She rubbed the top of his head with her knuckle making the youth wince in pain. "Hey hey enough of that Jessa. I'm happy to see you too." Dyne looked into Jessa's eyes and then looked over at Shu. Another figure arrived at the entrance and he recognized Stacy's physique anywhere. The girl entered with a smile on her face as well. "I see you got yourself a girlfriend while I was away Dyne." Jessa said calmly. She removed herself from his bed with a sad expression on his face. "I got to talk to her while we waited for you to recover, she's really nice."

"Hey guys!" Stacy said while she looked from Jessa, to Dyne, to Shu. Dyne's bedside was gathering quite the orgy. "I wish Father were here." Dyne suddenly said, his expression looked somber. "What happened after that time? By the way this is my friend Shu." Dyne suddenly made introductions, still chewing on the stem. "Shu these are my friends, Jessa and Stacy. They were both raven haired vixens.

[Tranquil]

Shu was beginning to feel uncomfortable in the room full of Dyne's lovers so he began to make his stylish exit from the room. "Dyne, nothing personal my friend, but I have enough to deal with between what we just got into, I don't need to be in the middle of a Love Triangle." Shu said with a small smile.

With a wave of his hand and a wink of his pale eye, Shu walked quickly for the door with his broken stave in hand. As he opened the door and was safely outside, Shu heaved his aching body into the chair next to the room still currently occupied by Dyne. Shu's injuries however nowhere near comparable to Dynes, he put an amazing amount of stress on his body through using mêlée combat after his Magic ran out. Also, the healing process takes time, and Shu was a little cocky trying to walk so fast after he regained consciousness. For now, Shu sat in a small wooden chair with his gloved hands covering his eyes.

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

((Conclusion Post))

Waiting outside were several men wearing the attire of the Corone Rangers. One of them was the man that contracted Dyne into this suicide mission in the first place. The others were just a few individuals in the man's unit. He looked at Shu and nodded towards him walking into the hospital room. Several of the Corone Rangers, three in total, stood in the hallway. One of them looked at Shu with great respect. He walked over to Shu and grabbed a chair next the lad.

"So I hear you guys took out twenty 1 men by yourselves. That's something that's real impressive. My boss took an interest in you guys. I'm sure you already know that we intend to offer you two permanent jobs."

************************************************** ************

Kastor Troy was the leader of this particular group of Corone Rangers. With the times as they were various units and squadrons within the larger organization were formed to help maintain peace. With Radasanth on the brink of destruction, the Corone Rangers were under manned and under staffed when facing the new crisis of unprecedented proportions. Some people felt that the end times in all Althanas were approaching. Kastor wasn't one of those people.

He walked into the hospital room and saw that Dyne had two female companions. They were probably catching up on old times. Kastor hated having to ask such a traumatized youth to join the Corone Rangers but time was of the essence. The war machine was already moving. Civil War already broke out in various parts of Corone and soon it would engulf Althanas proper into an age of war. Kastor wanted to be prepared for such an eventuality and having skilled warriors like this youth would be essential to that preparation.

"Dyne, we need to talk."

************************************************** **********

"And then she killed Reeves, and went for my Father." Dyne had a look of sadness on his face when he told Stacy and Jessa what happened. The two women listened casually to the stories he told. Ever since they'd arrived he forgot how long its been since he'd actually seen Jessa Reyes. Seeing his longtime childhood friend again made the youth light up with happiness. He was also thrilled to see his friend Stacey again. It was during this time of family that he missed his Father the most. Several months passed since his Mother betrayed them all. "I haven't seen or heard anything about your Mother. I'm sure she had her reasons." Jessa said.

"WHAT SHE DID IS UNFORGIVEABLE!" Dyne suddenly said feeling the weight of the pain in his heart. The youth looked away from the two girls' look of shock. "I'm s-sorry about that I don't know why I yelled." Dyne said and noticed his employer looking at the trio. Jessa and Stacey sat in chairs directly opposite one another. Dyne was in the middle of the two. "Are you able to talk right now, there are things we need to discuss."

"They are of high importance to the safety of Corone."

And with those words, Dyne felt the weight of the world on his shoulders.

*************************************

****Spoils Request****

001((New Ability))--Negative Feedback Loop. ((Psionic's Arrow)) Once he was touched by the Phantom, Dyne learned that he could control his power emotions in more ways than one. One of the ways that he could control his emotions was by launching them as a feedback loop into the skull of a single enemy opponent. His negative emotions take shape and form as an arrow launched from his own head. This strikes an enemy all at once with enough force to cause seizures and traumas. ((Available at level 3))

002--1,000 Gold Split with Shu so really just 500 gold. Handed to Dyne's person by the Corone Rangers.

[Tranquil]

**Conclusion Post**

Shu laughed silently as the Member or the Corone Ranger talked with him. "I thank you for the compliment but it is funny that you belittle me so." Shu said, looking the man straight in the eye. "You act as if you knew not the odds we were up against, yet you only sent two men to fight such a large force." Shu scoffed silently.

Shu's mind raced as he heard the mentioning of a job. Somehow he knew that the missions would only get harder as he progressed onwards. Shu, the migrating vagabond, tied down to a job and forced to do a masters bidding? "With all do respect, I know you know me. You have all my information, and I know that I've never held a position like this in all of my life. What do you think would ever make me accept one now?" Shu's mind was tearing apart at the seams until he thought of Dyne, lying in the hospital bed, his limbs sore from the physical pain that he'd taken in the battle. Shu somehow felt that he could never go back to his old lifestyle after meeting this person; this friend.

-------------------------------------------------------

-- Spoils Request --
Freeze Enhancement - Freeze was last noted to be a defensive only trait, but with this enhancement Shu can manipulate Freeze to be a semi-powerful offensive spell. (Available at Level 1)

Empowered Incendious - Noticeably stronger than it's precedent, Shu will be able to conjure a much stronger Incendious spell that does more damage with the cost of more magical energy. (Available at Level 1)

[Call me J]

Total Score- 41

First of all, let me just apologize on behalf of the staff. This thread should have not taken so long to get judged. Since I have read both Lorenor’s and Tranquil’s work recently and offered comments, I am going to be somewhat more parsimonious here.

• STORY ~ 11/30

Continuity (4) ~ Alberdyne did a much better job in this area than Tranquil. Tranquil, look at the way that Alberdyne brought in aspects of his past that related to the story. They added a good deal of color.

Setting (5) ~ The descriptions were often sparse, and there really wasn’t much that the setting added to the thread here, except for a few choice situations by Alberdyne.

Pacing (3) ~ This thread really had quite a few moments where the action dipped.

• CHARACTER ~ 16/30

Dialogue (5) ~ Keep in mind that dialogue does not need to follow all the rules of syntax that normal sentences would. You can use punctuation and

Action (5) ~ I liked the way Tranquil and Alberdyne didn’t sand over each other’s differences for the sake of convenience and instead worked through them.

Persona (6) ~ There was definitely some detail here, which is why you get an above average score in this category. However, you could have had so much more and really made this a selling point for the thread.

• WRITING STYLE ~ 10/30

Mechanics (2) ~ Augustus, keep in mind that when you use a complex sentence, you are really putting two sentences together. That means that your sentence structure should reflect that in terms of the necessity for nouns, verbs, etc.

Tranquil, I want you to be more careful of the words you capitalize. Only proper nouns need to be capitalized if they aren’t the first word in a sentence.

Most of the other mistakes here were just simple issues of proof reading that could have been caught.

Technique (5) ~ I liked Alberdyne’s use of imagery.

Clarity (3) ~ This wasn’t a strong suit for this thread. Sometimes I got hit with too much information at once, and at other times, not nearly enough.

• Wild Card (4) ~ I liked the way you guys followed through on the thread even after you lost a player.

Spoils
Alberdyne_Cormyr receives 880 EXP and 275 GP + bonus 500 GP
Tranquil receives 553 EXP and 250 GP + bonus 500 GP
Augustus receives 225 EXP and 50 GP

Alberdyne_Cormyr's ability is granted pending RoG approval, but Tranquil must pick one of the two abilities listed above. I don't want the character to be overpowered at level 1.

[Tranquil]

Thank you, choosing between my two skills, pending approval I'd like to choose Empowered Incendious.

[Karuka]

EXP/GP added!