Secrets of the Lost Core

[Exanderous]

OOC: Yeah ok, so talking to his arm is totally normal and inconspicuous. That would not draw attention to it. You are right. My mistake (sarcasm).

Everyone, if you please use the OOC forum so Out of Character posts do not clutter up the RP, that would be ideal. This is a request for Ciarda. I just had access to my computer at the time.

[Ciarda]

OOC: Ok, this is the last OOC that will appear in this rp. I see that Ex posted earlier about OOC posts, I figured I'd reiterate it^^ I appreciate everyone's understanding on the matter. Also, I am VERY sorry for being so absent today, I was out and about tending to some personal matters. I'll get the story moving as much as I can tonight while I am on, though, never you fear.

IC: Malachi laughed as he took Law's hand and shook it warmly. In truth, he had been unsure if the burly menace would be remotely interested, but something about the way his eyes sparked at teh prospect told Malachi that for the first time in a while, he had managed to misjudge a character. Whether it was the artifact itself, or the money involved, he couldn't tell, but for the moment, he didn't care. "We have an accord, my friend," the young man laughed before turning to answer the questions of the rest.

He allowed Binadorm and Azrivel to finish their conversation and settle things on the silverfeathers before continuing in his explanation. A few hundred years of adventures, and innumerable encounters with people of every race had left him with a keen sense of character. By this, I mean that he got the sense of a person usually within a few minutes of interaction with them, or indeed after a bout of simple observation. Also, through the use of other senses not inherent to humans, he was somehow able to feel a person, or take a walk in their shoes. And so, while Binadorm and Azrivel spatted back and forth and completed their agreement, he sat back, content to take both of them in.

In Binadorm he noticed nothing but a sincere, adventurous enthusiasm- perhaps enough to get him into trouble, but that was alright with Malachi, honestly. When he focused on Azrivel, though, to answer his question, as with so many of the men there, he could literally almost feel teh gold-lust hanging upon him, the pull that the prospect of treasure lay in the strange being's heart, and it almost made him reconsider. The Archai seemingly sized him up for a moment before opting to take a chance on him. But he chose to answer his question by addressing everybody who was currently paying attention.

"The deal is simple enough. We all know how impossible it is to find the LR, let alone reach it." To their suprise, Malachi pulled a chain from beneath his shirt. Attached to it was a stunning piece of metalwork which in its ethereal design was clearly not of human origins. In its center sat a very small stone, obscure save for the very dim glow that it gave off. Malachi spun the stone as he lay the piece flat on the table, and to their surprise, a transparent image opened up before them! It was a map of Tierisca, that much was plain by teh shape. But there was little else on it to mark any towns, or cities. Indeed, the only thing that it did seem to show was the terrain and a few landmark-like figures. The Killing Fields were clearly visible all around a tiny glowing dot on the map that most understood to be the pendent itself.

"Ok, so the LR is in the Pinnacle, which in the days before the cataclysm was pretty much THE high temple of the Archai," Malachi continued, trying to keep this short, sweet and to the point. "At that time, the land around it was a pretty big forest, but one that both the Archai and the Fahim controlled. In the absence of the Archai, it- along with the rest of this Godforsaken piece of rock- has become a bit... shall we say unruly. This big blob here is that wood. Unfortunately, we only reach that after we cross the Killing Fields, the Crystal Plains and, depending on our luck, either the Lake of Eldorn or the Namith wetlands- better known as swamps." He pointed to a single strange symbol in the southeast of the map. "Any man that can make it through all that with me has rights to 100,000 Dira- or about... $370,000. In addition," he quickly added, seeing the question boil up in expressions of many of the gathered, "You will receieve a cut of whatever we find. If it's gold, you get a share of that- we'll split it evenly. If it's power... well, I'll do what I can to figure that one out. If it's something we could all benefit from, well then we all benefit."

Malachi closed the map by turning the stone again and slipped the pendent and chain back around his neck and under his shirt. "Either way, whatever we find, you get a good sum of money and the chance to lay claim to THE Lost Righteous. Whatever it is, you will have your name attached to it forever as one of the ones who restored it to the universe. Not to sound chessy, but I think that near-immortality may be worth almost more than any gold or riches that may be in there. So... are we all in accord to start tomorrow morning?"

His bright, indigo gaze wondered from man to man as he awaited answers, suggestions, or questions before turning in for the night in one of the few rooms at the local inn.

[Forgotten Dragon's Ire]

Binadorm just looked at him and started to chuckle in that growling sort of way."You think I would need money or fame to decide whether or not I would go. Well all the reason for me to go is in the fact that you are kin and it seems like fun!" Binadorm just continued to chuckle and continued to say "You can't get rid of me with the prospect of danger and I don't really care whether or not my name is remembered but I just love the prospect to have some fun adventuring."

Binadorm then looked at the rest of the people present and said "I don't know about all of you though but I look forward to this adventure. Any of you that come better come prepared because I have been through most of those areas and they are rife with warped creatures."

[Falconer]

"Dangerous ones?" Dane asked nervously. "I'm relying on you all for protection, here."

[Ciarda]

Malachi chuckled and shook his head. "Hate to tell you mate, but if you come along on this little expedition, you better bring at least a knife." He glanced at the student over the rim of a fresh mug of ale. Somehow, he got the feeling that the student wasn't used to anything more dangerous than a trowel... But if he wanted to come along, who was Malachi to object? Everyone understood that they took their life into their own hands, heading across the dangerous wilds of Tierisca. "Though I'd still like you to come along- it would help to have someone around who knows a thing or two."

[Drakel]

Azrivel was excited about the gold he is hearing. The land that could be owned for his family, The adventure sounded almost like a dream, danger and Azrivel always seemed to be. This was a chance to look around this world and a chance to get what he needed. I am In and you will be protected for those who ask shall receive. And I agree this should be fun and interesting. Said Azrivel with a smile on his face, He was almost excited for the adventure if there was anything Azrivel liked more it was an adventure for a treasure, and this Binadorm character seemed to have a great personality. To Azrivel, Binadorm seemed the type that knows how to play the games but Azrivel wanted to see what his strategy was in those games. Then Azrivel remembered something, Wait you guys been on a war on this planet together? If I am right you guys might have actually seen or heard of me over there. The demon that randomly takes people away and kill them and or eats them alive? None of its true of coarse but still I kind of had a bit of fun grabbing people and hanging them upside-down on trees. Scared them to out of their wits and I guess I had a few laughs out of it as well. Said Azrivel remembering how it was with each war he was in dragging the dead into certain spots so that their bodies could be respected. Azrivel remembered how he made sure he was seen as nothing but a dark figure and showed his titan’s arm and made every one start saying there was a demon killing everyone on the field. The fear and fun Azrivel had into manipulating the battle field until everyone was forced to retreat in fear of demons. But that was past and there was still much more fun to be had.

[Falconer]

"Ha! I have a knife!" Dane brandished his switchblade, then took a closer look. "Now if only I could open it..." Forgetting the useless weapon, he tapped the display. "I found a tablet in the Patameuc dig site about an hour's drive away, an account of an explorer in the southern zone here. He spoke of a tribe of natives who wore strange jewelry, with archaic markings. When he asked about the artifacts, they told him that they came from the home of the gods." Dane grinned. "Sound familiar?"

[Exanderous]

Law's fists were clinched with anticipation as he waved them in the air.

"Fame! Women! Money! Shit, either way I like the sound of this adventure! Hell if this pans out, it will be worth every scratch we get," said the outlaw.

"Well Binadorm, I am not sure how I got talked into going on another journey With you again! Not after the last catastrophe. Oh wait, yes I do!"

Law took out a small gold coin and shifted it from finger to finger in his hands. His eyes manifested a lustful gleam as the reflection of the coin could be seen floating in his pupils.

"Money talks gentlemen. This reminds me, I have to turn in the Severino and Agusta contracts in before we start, but the bounty station is right on the edges of the killing fields, so we should run into at least one on the way."

Law turned his attention to the scholarly fellow to size him up. His hands were soft and his body seemed frail, but his eyes contained the spirits of determination and intent. Law liked that. Anyone without purpose was not fit to trail the desert sands, in his opinion.

"Don't worry guy. Binadorm here is a great partner. I just heckle him from time to time. He will watch your back, as long as you watch his front. Be careful though; his breath is something fierce and is definitely a force to be reckoned with," said Law.

"Besides, if we should encounter anything terribly frightening, I got enough bullets to drop anything that moves."

[Drakel]

Azrivel was completely out of thought when he seen the one gold peace law took out. It was shiny and was calling Azrivel. Azrivel's eyes turned black as could be and for this Azrivel lifted his left hand and shot the coin's tip to fly into the air. The shot seemed to disappear right when it hit the gold coin. While the coin was in mid Air Azrivel quickly grabbed it and then his eyes started to turn normal. you should be more careful with your gold. Oh and thanks for the coin. Now what were we talking about again? Azrivel tossed the gold peace back to law and smiled. Now Everyone knew that Azrivel's type is completely gold hungry by the way he kind of acted with laws gold coin. It was Azrivel returning the coin that proved it though for on the look of Azrivel's face it was one of the hardest things he could have done.

The next thing Azrivel seen that law had was something strange. It was weird looking and it had a trigger like a crossbow. Never had Azrivel seen a gun before for his home (realms) were not so good with technology (other than the dwarfs) yet were more magical than technological.

[Exanderous]

Perhaps the reason Azrivel noticed Law's "strange possessions" was because as soon as the coin was knocked from Law's hand, Law immediately had both of his revolvers drawn and pointed at Azrivel's head. Burning Law's crimson finish softly casted red beams of silhouetted light while Cleansing Thunder emanated a soft blue aura as the light from the bar hit it's barrel. Both hammers of the weapons were pulled back and bullets were chambered. Law's fingers were on the triggers and his eyes were set aflame in anger.


"Bad F------ move bucko," Law said with a deep, boding tone.

A horrifying grimace seeped into Law's expression as he quickly holstered Burning Law and caught the coin in his right hand. If Azrivel had not given the coin back, there would be two bullets flying into his person. Azrivel would have gotten a fast tutorial on what guns were and how they work the hard way. After holstering Cleansing Thunder, Law quickly reached back and landed a right hook into Azrivel's cheek causing him to hit the ground. As Azrivel readjusted his sight, He could see Law standing over him menacingly.

"Listen to me F--ko. If you ever take anything from me again, I will f------ bury you and that shiny piece of s--- arm you have. That's a promise."

Law brushed his thumb against the side of his upper lip and scoffed. The last person that took coin from Law got their throat cut and was suspended in the air tied to a building. It was obvious that this was a matter that set the outlaw off. Law stepped away from Azrivel and faced the rest of the group. After taking a deep breath Law said,

"Right then. Now, Malachi. When are we setting off."

[Forgotten Dragon's Ire]

Binadorm just smiled with his gleaming row of sharp teeth and said "Last i recall Law your armpits smell worse than my breath how is it that humans sweat so much you'd think there was a limit to how much water could pour off you and it was your fault we got into that bit of trouble last time you couldn't help taking that bag of gold, which alerted them that we were there"

Then taking a nice long look at Azrivel he said "By the way those guys who tried taking that bag of gold back died and are probably still hanging from the ceiling beams in their hideout with bullet holes letting the light through" Then giving a mischievous grin to Law "If you hadn't shot them so much that you ran out of ammo we probably wouldn't have been in as much trouble as we did, I guess they really pissed you off for trying to take all that gold from you... Good thing I had my claws and teeth and you had your puny knife else we might not have made it out."

[Exanderous]

Law let out a deep and boisterous laugh in response to Binadorm's story. True, they had saved each others' collective asses, but insulting one another and their odor was just for fun. It was apparent to any outside party that the two got along.

"Puny? Last I recall, this "puny knife" saved the day when it flew straight into that bandit's face while you were attending to another punk ass!" Law playfully punched Binadorm softly in the arm.

"And besides, you can't blame the bullet situation all on me. You know as well as I do as there is no such thing as a limit on how many times one should shoot someone. I was just being careful! And as far as the gold goes: If you can think of two good reasons why anyone should ever leave a bag of cold, I will drink an entire mug of ale while standing on my head!"

[Forgotten Dragon's Ire]

"Really you would drink it like that well i must think of a reason then. Well until i figure out a reason i might very well say that i could have taken that guy down without your knife and while you were retrieving your knife i had to protect your scrawny neck, and you could have brought more ammo, you know me, i can't wield guns because they are too small for my paws but you could still have asked me to carry ammo!" Binadorm was just chuckling in his own way at the memories of that night and remembering the thrill of the "party" they had thrown for those guys "Now that i think of it that was some 'party' we had then but sadly no one 'danced' with me for long they all just kept screaming." Binadorm finished his sentence with an opening of his formidable claws and miming a dance with an invisible partner all the while chuckling

[Drakel]

Law might have gotten up because Azrivel’s palm blade was literately touching his chest.

His left shoulder and Everyone could see them popping out of his armor that already had holes in it that would fit the arms spikes. Azrivel was starting to calm himself before the spikes grew to their full. The pain was unbearable from his arm going back to normal. Now seeing we are done with your bull s--- of an attack let’s try not to show off our belongings. never know who wants to have them. said Azrivel calmly

Calmly Azrivel said, You two might have heard of me as a demon and you might have heard of me as a beast. But Law never just onto someone like that again or it will be your down fall. I know this personally. When you are going to attack someone you keep your distance. Never quite know what weapons your enemy’s have.


Azrivel put his hand out in a human sign of friend ship or respect but Law was too biusy talking with Binadorm to notice

Azrivel walked over to Malachi and said, Why do you look so familiar? Hmmm.. OH YAH I remember you were being attacked by bandits when I first got here. I helped you but you couldn't tell because my face was covered with a blue steal helmet.

[Exanderous]

Law did not even pay attention to Azrivel when he spoke, nor did he feel threatened by any blade on his possession. he could have just shot him in the face, and that would be the end of it, but being in a well lit and open area put that idea out of his mind. Law did not care whether or not Azrivel was a demon or not. Due to the nature of his contracts, Law had seen some horrors on his own.

Law did not even dignify Azrivel with a response. As far as he was concerned, Azrivel was worth no more than a pile of excrement who was running his mouth about something about keeping distance from his target. Law just scoffed and thought to himself, "Little pu--y is too afraid to kill, let alone give me advice on how to fight."

Without giving Azrivel a second thought, he turned to Malachi in anticipation.

"When are we heading out, boss man."

[Forgotten Dragon's Ire]

Binadorm was thinking to himself "good thing that never went farther than threats else i would be in a fight here and i would rather not fight in a tavern, bad form really" then returning back to the conversation as Law asked when they would go.

"The sooner we can get going the sooner we can get back to enjoy it isn't that so my kin." Binadorm then thumped his chest with a smile and continued "I'm ready whenever you are ready to go.

[Falconer]

"Oooookaaay...." Dane waited until everyone's weaponry was put away. "Now, I think our best bet is to go through this pass here, then cut through the forest here, where we can save some walking. From there we'll have to play it by ear." He followed the path with his finger. "If that's all right with you, Malachi? I mean, you're the one heading this expedition."

[Forgotten Dragon's Ire]

"I know that route but that it is covered in monsters and the terrain is hard to traverse, instead of that route we could go this way" Binadorm said while pointing out a small area with his an extended claw that had barely a trail to it "If we went this way we should save some time and avoid some of the fel beasts that walk the region I don't mind the beasts to much when i am on my own but since we will be traveling to the Lost Righteous we had best think of conserving our energy until we absolutely need it"

[Ersska]

Cora had been walking for what seemed like days. After losing her map (if it could have been called that), she had to rely what little she remembered and her superb sense of direction. She finally stumbled upon a little town.
"'Bout f*cking time!" Cora exclaimed as she started down the street in between the rows of buildings. The town looked rather deserted, but she didn't care. An abandoned building would provide just as much shelter from this god-awful dust storm as an occupied one.
A glint of metal caught Cora's attention. Although the dust made it hard to see, she coud make out the shape of a motorcycle.
Maybe there's someone here after all, she thought to herself, heading towards the hunk of metal. Cora entered the building which the motorcycle was parked in front of. Once through the door, she was surprised to find a bar. She was even more surprised to find it occupied by more than a couple of people. She headed to the first empty stool she found. Thanks to the dust storm outside, her red shirt was now almost completely brown, and her tanned skin was a couple of shades darker. But she didn't even bother to stop to shake any of the dust off. Cora plopped down on the barstool, sending dust falling to the floor. She reached behind her and pulled her backpack over head and dropped it on the floor with a THUNK, leaving the rifle case still strapped to her back. As she re-adjusted her cap, Cora turned her attention to the bartender.
"Two shots of whiskey and a water chaser," she ordered, already placing the payment on the bar. She downed the shots as soon as she got them, and consumed the water in an almost equal amount of time. Holding up her glass, Cora called for a refill on the water. As the bartender poured her water, Cora overheard one of the men in the bar say something about an expedition and another mention the Lost Righteous. This peaked her interest. Without even glancing toward the source of the voices, she listened in as she enjoyed her second glass of water.

[Falconer]

Dane nodded. "I don't know the area well, so I'll go with your assessment." He stared at the map for a moment. "Imagine," he murmured, "an ancient city forgotten by time. Who knows what manner of history has been preserved in there? What wonders, what records we'll find?" A smile tugged at his lips. "To discover the unknown..."

[Drakel]

Something was wrong and for this Azrivel started to walk towards the door. The wooden floors started to have a sound that was sad and barely heard. The bar had a shine and the wind blew Azrivel to the ground as though it did not want him to leave. Azrivel tried with all his might to reach the door and Azrivel said,

I am sorry but I cannot come with you. I have business elsewhere that is important. Maybe I will see you guys again, maybe not.

Azrivel continued to walk out of the door and for the first time since he been here the wind was still and sun was shining thru the door. Everyone who was still inside the room felt how much peace there was in the bar. A piece of paper flew inside the bar and landed in the middle of the table everyone was at. The paper said; never forget the ones who care. Azrivel was gone and with respect and the paper was ripped and one piece of gold came out for each person in the bar.


OOC: I made Azrivel at least leave with respect and honor, he left something for you guys. srry for what I done and I guess my pride with my char was my final undoing.

[Forgotten Dragon's Ire]

"Well I guess I will need to take him to get some silverfeather some later date or he'll find someone who has some stocked but i guess that is no longer my concern at the moment so back to the expedition planning" Binadorm said into the silence that seemed to be left after Azrivel had left.

"So Malachi how do you think we should travel and we will need to make sure we are stocked on supplies. Then with a grin and quick slash of the air with claws extended he said "No need to worry about fresh meat because I can hunt better than all of you because i have a stronger sense of smell." Then Binadorm's grin took on a sly cast to it and he said to Law "No wonder you can stand your sweatsmell because if you could smell it half as well as i can you would bath day and night to get rid of it" Binadorm said this half to relieve the tension with a joke and half because he enjoyed teasing his comrade just as Law enjoyed teasing him.

[Ciarda]

Malachi noted Azrivel's exit with a certain sadness, but laughed as he turned to take in the rest of the group. He had seen enough- they had their party... For the most part. With a questioning eye he quickly glanced in the direction of the newest patron to the bar. Silently, he decided to speak with her at the first possible moment after everyone else dispersed. If nothing else, she looked like she could use another drink.

In the meantime, he took in what Dane had to say on the matter, and Binadorm as well. Both seemed to know what they were talking about, and he knew that their knowledge would become as invaluable to the journey as Law's bullets. The Archai emerged from his thoughts long enough to agree with both on the route. That perhaps they should try the pass on the map, and that should they get lost, Binadorm could surely get them out of it. "As shallow as it may sound, if we can take our vehicles at all, perhaps we should. A.) We can cover more ground, and b.) well... to be honest with you, I love my motorcycle. The ground out in the Fields is hard enough for me to ride, and I'll leave it once we hit either the Crystal plains or the woods by the Lake. As for supplies, Im going to take care of the basics. If anyone wants anything special, well, I'm afraid you'll have to get it yourself. I can carry it on the bike, but once I drop that, we'll have to split it between us, I think."

They could see in his face and hear in his tone that the more they talked about it, the more excited he became as this crazy idea became reality. Who knew if they would survive? Hell, they might not even find it, but certainly it would something that the survivors would talk about for years to come. Malachi ran a gloved hand through his hair, getting it out of hhis eyes, and dismissed everyone to the rooms at the hotel or the bar (there were a couple overhead for rent) with teh agreement to meet at sun-up first thing in the morning.

As they dispersed, he grabbed abandoned his drink and made his way over to the bar where Cora sat. He seemed friendly enough, not creepy or anything like some that would have approached her in this place. With a smile he sat down beside her and ordered her a drink. "I'm not going to give you the 'pretty girl, bar like this' line, but I have to say I AM curious. What in the name of the Almighty is one doing wondering the wilds of the Killing Fields on their own?" He ordered a drink for himself and patiently awaited her answer. It wasn't so much that he was only looking for one more person to join their meerry band, but he was also genuinely curious. He could tell she'd been through the dust storm, and in truth it was amazing that she still breathed.

[Ersska]

Cora didn't even turn as the man sat beside her. Keeping her eyes forward, she accepted the drink and listened while he talked. Cora took the time to finish her drink before answering him. She sat the glass down on the bar with a small clunk and stretched. Finally turning to the man, she propped one elbow up on the bar.
"Well. . .," Cora's voice was calm and confident with a slight roughness to it. "Not staying clean, that's for damn sure!" A slight grin played on her lips, and she tugged at her shirt, creating a small dust cloud.
Cora looked Malachi over in one slow movement. A look of false sincerity shown on her face.
"Damn, did I miss the Hell's Angel meeting?" Cora managed a look of disappointment only for a second before she chuckled softly.

[Ciarda]

Malachi chuckled lightly and looked down. It wasn't his usual get-up and to be honest, he hadn't put much thought into the outfit. Basically, all that had crossed his mind was "Desert, sand, sun." So naturally, leather had been the material of choice. It was sturdy, it kept sand out of his tail, and furthermore, it looked pretty cool. But then, he realized that the girl was right. A chagrined laugh escaped the young Archai as he turned his attention back to her. "Heh, we thought we'd keep it on the down-low," he chuckled. "You know how those posers like to crash 'em." A gloved hand ran through his hair briefly before he stood and stretched.

The young man turned to head back to the room he had rented for the night, and as he reached the stairs he paused for a moment, turning at the banister. "By the way, if you're interested in... accompanying us, you're welcome to. I'm sure you know the details." The meeting had been loud enough for her to hear, he had made sure of that. With a wink, he turned and headed up the stairs to rest until morning and gather his thoughts.

When morning came, he had only been asleep for a mere two hours- the extra planning and anxiety had driven him to stay awake until nearly 6 a.m. The sun peeked through his shutters, lighting the room and falling across his sprawled form, arm dangling off the side. A small snore escaped him, and it would have been a comic sight... If he weren't supposed to meet everyone in 15 minutes. Despite being the "leader" of this little expedition, he was soundly out. For the moment, he was with some model, somewhere in the mountains smack in teh middle of La-La Land. Little did he know, he was in for a rude awakening, for despite his own preparations, his colleagues were up and about, a few wondering where he had disappeared to.