Urthdigger
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Post by Urthdigger on Sept 22, 2006 13:37:57 GMT -5
Max was woken abruptly by a loud knocking at his door. He got up, rubbed his eyes, and opened the door a crack. One of the village's rangers was waiting outside. "Konichiwa general!" Max's hand shot out of the door and wrapped itself around the unfortunate arakun's throat "How many times have I told you guys not to use that language around me? I shouldn't have to be bilingual just to understand my troops!" The arakun gasped for air and choked out a reply "More than enough times general." "I trust you'll remember that in the future?" "Hai!" Max's grip tightened. "*gak* I mean yes, YES!" Max released the ranger. "Nice to see you understand. Now, why did you feel you had to wake me up?" "Our reinforcements have arrived." "Good, good. Now, wake me up at noon." He slammed the door in the ranger's face. Max had a reputation for working in his office all night, a reputation that was far from truthful, but which suited him fine. It was a handy way to have some time to be himself behind a locked door, and it made him seem more industrious, even if he did get up in the middle of the day. Urthdigger had a wonderful night. He arrived at the den he had been supplied with just as his new neighbors were starting dinner, and they insisted on sharing. They were a nice middle-aged couple, and they were watching over a younger arakun who's parents had gone off to become accomplished abjurers. Dinner was a stew made from a random assortment of edible insects. Despite sounding disgusting, it tasted rather sweet. Karren refused to have any, but helped herself to some jerky. After dinner, he said goodbye and retired to his den for the night. Sleep came difficultly, as the place was even noisier at night. He especially tried to ignore his neighbors, since it seemed so wrong after they had been smiling sweetly and serving him dinner. He eventually nodded off to sleep, replacing the sounds of the village with the familiar dreams of his home. Urthdigger woke up late in the day. Karren was still sleeping, which was a first. Usually she was up and ready long before he was. He took the time to examine the den. Before it had been too dark to see any detail but now the risen sun had brightened the place up, the walls reflecting the light in an impossible manner to light up every nook and cranny. It looked much better than the one he remembered, which was odd considering he'd never been in a den like this in his life. Nevertheless, the memory was still there, although incredibly fragmented. He couldn't remember anything specific about when he had supposedly been there, just that he had been. He put those thoughts aside for now, stepped out into the sunlight, and greeted the morning. It was still a few hours before noon and he had some time to kill. After last night, he had decided to change his attitude a little and get to know the villagers. After all, it was uncertain how long he'd be staying there, and having some friends to pass the time with couldn't hurt. The village was significantly more crowded than last night from the reinforcements. Most of the new faces were arakuns, but a fair number of catfolk, vulpins, kankus, and unicorns had arrived as well. Despite the increase in population the village was quiet compared to the night. Most of the people were still asleep, but there was a small crowd of people gathered around a makeshift stage in the middle of the village where a trio of bards were providing the morning entertainment. Two vulpins, a guy and a girl, were playing the lute and flute respectively, while a female kanku sang. They were playing an enchanting seelie melody, the calm tunes providing a refreshing relief from the heroic ballads and swinging dance tunes of the previous night. Urth practically melted into his seat, feeling more relaxed than ever before. He wanted to sit and listen forever. "You don't seem busy right now..." whispered an arakun next to him. It was Ayaname. "Ah squid, it's you." hissed Urth "Look, I didn't want to tell you last night, but I'm already seeing someone." "What, the catfolk who was hitting on my brothers before deciding to meet you? I don't think she'll mind." "It's complicated." "What makes her better than me that you'd rather be with her? What makes her better than you so she can sleep around and you can't?" "I don't want kids." "Why not?" "Because I'm going to be leaving soon, I don't to make one grow up without me." "A noble decision, but an odd one. Most arakuns I know didn't have a father, you're probably the same. Don't worry about the consequences, just do it." Urth didn't have an memories of his father until he was fourteen, but that was due to getting kidnapped at an early age. His form had another memory however. It had a mother, but it's father was unknown, just like Ayaname said. There were several 'uncles' that took special care of it though, giving it private lessons and watching over it. He began thinking about his form. What was it exactly? He'd always assumed it was just a body created for him when he entered the world, and that it's thoughts and urges were just personifications of instinct and hormones. Did it actually have a life? Feelings? A soul? In that case, was he right to deny what it wanted? He could deal with the consequences of his own prudishness, and any woman he ignored was free to find someone else, but if he was just borrowing this body, what right did he have to impose his high standards on the arakun that owned it? It was especially hypocritical coming from someone who believed in personal freedoms, of living only by the law of being nice to others. "Hey! You there in la la land, get up! You coming with me or not?" Ayaname was tugging Urth's tail, trying to pull him off of his seat. He yanked his tail out of her paws. "I'll think about what you said, just give me some time." he said as he departed. The band had already finished and left. "Ok..." said Ayaname "Hey, this better not be another lie!" "It's not. One more day." assured Urthdigger.
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Urthdigger
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Posts: 214
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Post by Urthdigger on Sept 24, 2006 12:05:56 GMT -5
Elsewhere... Vlad hung around the scene of the crime shortly after daybreak. The city guard would start up their patrols soon, it would only be a matter of time before someone found the - "EEEEK!" Vlad grimaced at the sound. Men just weren't meant to scream like that. Still, it meant his masterpiece was a success, and that was all he needed to know. He walked casually towards his residence, listening to the percussion of guardsmen's boot's raining upon the pavement. A rising crescendo of gasps soon followed, and finally lyrics voiced by the ever clueless captain. "Damnit Fred! I thought I told you not to scream like that, I thought someone was in trouble! ... oh sweet merciful crud." Vlad chuckled to himself. The opening act of a wonderful orchestration. It was a real shame he wouldn't be around to watch most of it. His part in the play required a certain distance from the other actors. He stepped into his house to wait for the next act. The guards would probably go through the usual routine, call in the sentinels, launch an investigation, then fumble around for a few weeks until they finally gave up. Vlad was a fan of the arts. Paintings, music, theatre, he loved them all. He considered himself an artist of sorts, arranging the bodies of his victims until it felt right. His latest victim had covered most of the alleyway before he felt satisfied. Around his home were hung paintings inspired by the mad artist Montalvo. Scenes of temptation, sins, the true essence of sentient nature, unclouded by the shackles of society. People were afraid of what he did, scared of the truth. He knew what they were truly afraid of. They were scared of what his works said about them, that deep inside they all were killers, only fear of the government kept them in check. That fear was unfounded however. Already he could hear the guardsmen searching the city. He knew he wouldn't be caught. They had no idea what to look for.
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Urthdigger
Storymaster
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Posts: 214
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Post by Urthdigger on Sept 25, 2006 9:48:07 GMT -5
Meanwhile... Rick got up early in the morning to get ready for class. Anne was right, he was feeling loads better as he set his mind on his work. He paced in front of a mirror, fluffing his fur up and petting it down. "They're kids," said Anne "they're not going to care either way." He finally deciding on going fuzzy. Anne had laid out a set of clothes for him, a white sash and a green cloak. She had said something about contrasting and complementing, but he hadn't paid attention to it. All he cared was that he looked stunning. "I've got some errands after class." said Rick as he kissed Anne goodbye "I'll be home in time for supper." "Ok, have a nice day." she replied. Class was held in a clearing near Edon's west gate. The kids were gathered together waiting for Rick. He was always late. A rustling in the leaves announced his arrival. He hung down from the branch by his tail and dropped off, doing a half flip to land on his feet. He recalled doing the same thing when he confronted the lumberjack, but forced it to the back of his mind. He didn't need to think of that now. "Yay, it's Rick the forest ranger!" cheered the children. Rick did a courteous bow and began class. "Ok kids, today's less is- ... has anyone seen Eve?" A few kids shook their heads. A catfolk asked if it'd be on the exam. Rick looked up at the ranger that had escorted the kids. Another no. "That's a shame." said Rick "We'll just have to keep notes so she can catch up. Today's lesson is on the duty rangers have in protecting the forest. Rangers may seem like a harmful thing to nature, but those that live off of the forest know more than anyone just how important it is. They do their part by- Yes?" Rick called on an elvish boy sitting up front "What's that red stuff on the tree." asked the child. Rick looked at the tree behind him. There was blood all over the tree, concealing a niche in it where an axe had started through it. A large amount of blood covered the ground as well, except for a small patch of recently dug soil he was standing on. Something had seemed familiar about when he killed the elf. He was standing on the grave and evidence of his crime surrounded him. "T-that's b-blood." chittered Rick "Rangers often h-hunt the local c-creatures for f-food and materials, and it can get a little m-messy at times. Also, the animals will s-sometimes attack sentient races when h-hungry." Rick's stomach rumbled. He hadn't had anything to eat since Tanis. He felt guilty looking at the elf in his class. "That's w-why you should never leave t-town without an adult. It's d-dangerous. Now back to the l-lesson, r-r-r-" "Are you all right?" asked one of the girls. "Y-yes... I mean no." confessed Rick "I'm f-feeling a little under the w-weather. I-I think we may n-need to postpone class until n-next week." "Aww!" the kids moaned. Rick hated hearing their dissapointment, but he was barely holding himself together as it was. A few of the kids came over to give him a hug "Get well soon ok? We love you." Rick tried not to cry, knowing they wouldn't be saying that if they knew what was wrong. "...I love you too kids." He let go of them and informed the ranger that class was over. "I'll be in Edon for a while" Rick informed the ranger "Don't disturb me unless it's absolutely neccessary."
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Urthdigger
Storymaster
Comments are appreciated
Posts: 214
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Post by Urthdigger on Sept 26, 2006 23:27:37 GMT -5
Back in the arakun village, Ayaname wasn't the only one being forward. Everywhere Urth went there were a large number of girls being led by their hormones. Ranging from suggestive glances, to forcefully dragging him, and even a few bards using their music to seduce him, he was tempted to make a decision right then and there, but in the end held out for a little longer. The rest of the village was great, he made a note to come back once mating season was over to relax, maybe even get a permanent place. Even under the oppression of war everyone was friendly and trying to have a good time. While checking out the marketplace, Urthdigger had the good fortune to run into his neighbor. "Oh, hey Ralph." said Urth "Hey neighbor!" replied Ralph "Just picking up some fish for Bert. Kid puts some in everything. How are you liking the village? I heard what Max did, I'm really sorry about it. Hopefully you'll see we're not all that bad." Urth nodded "The place is starting to grow on me. Very... lively, and I love the atmosphere. How's Melissa doing?" Ralph smacked his forehead "She's great, jeeze, I need to pick up some thread so she can patch her hat, thanks for reminding me. See ya later!" He placed some money on the counter, grabbed his fish, and dashed off. Just as well, it was approaching noon, and Urth had to get over to the command post. Max stood in front of a huge crowd at the post. A square had been sectioned off with rope nearby. "Everyone here?" asked Max. Nobody said they weren't "Good. As you all know, there are some new faces around here. We've called in some reinforcements, for tonight we discover what happened to the previous raid team, and tommorow we take the fort by force! In addition, the increase in biomancers, druids, and templars means I will relax the rules on fighting. I know a lot of you have issues that need to be worked out. Uncontrolled brawls are still illegal, so to have a place for the healers to stand by, and for your own sick and twisted amusement, we have set aside a space for dueling. In addition, this is how we'll determine who to take on the recon mission. First matchup is... James Quickclaw and Gendo Firetail, Taking all bets!"
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Urthdigger
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Post by Urthdigger on Sept 30, 2006 12:10:43 GMT -5
Urthdigger looked up at his name being called. He didn't recall entering himself into a fight, but he appreciated a chance to beat up Gendo again. He stepped into the ring and unsheathed his daggers. Gendo stepped in on the other side, a bow in hand. "GIMME BACK MY GIRLFRIEND!" Yelled someone who was, oddly enough, not Gendo. A few more jeers from the guys in the crowd followed. Urth promptly ignored them. Gendo was getting the occasional derisive remark from the girls. Probably ex-girlfriends stronger than Ayaname. "Ok, try not to kill each other," chittered Max "other than that anything goes. FIGHT!" Max turned his attention to gathering forms from the crowd. Gendo took an arrow from his quiver "You may have made a fool of me before, but let's see how you fare now." He fired a shot in Urth's direction, causing the crowd there to duck for cover. Urth dodged it easily and ran up close to melee range. The plan was to keep Gendo close so he couldn't reload, preferably by backing him into a corner. He didn't expect Gendo to take to the air. "Come back here!" shouted Urth. Gendo took the temporary lead to fire a hail of arrows down at his opponent. It was impossible to dodge and three of them hit, two on Urth's torso and one on his tail. Gendo continued to fire arrow after arrow as he fell towards the other side of the arena, spreading his limbs at the last moment to slow his decent. Urth was there in a flash, slashing both of Gendo's wingflaps. Gendo tried to gain some distance but Urth was too fast, his daggers slashing across Gendo's arm, torso, anywhere he could reach. With the ranger weakened by blood loss, Urth concentrated his aim and stabbed. He aimed away from any vital organs, but the pain and injurery were enough to cause Gendo to collapse unconcious. A team of biomancers rushed the stage to take him to safety. Urth was treated for his wounds and rested, then sent back in. "Gendo's out for the count. Next contendor, Tsu...." Max took a deep breath "Tsuyamahiyoshikorido Bravepaw. Ok, new rule, next person to name their kid anything like that will die a slow and painful death." Tsu's weapon of choice was an axe. As he raised it to strike, Urth slashed the bottom of Tsu's wrists, winning shortly after as Tsu couldn't raise his weapon. The next three fights were about as easy. After that Max implemented a change. Each fight increased the number of challengers. The fight against two was slightly harder than the single opponents. At three they started using strategy, with a ranger firing arrows at him while an abjurer protected the paladin blocking him. A similar strategy was used with the druid, abjurer, and two templars he fought next. Each group seemed to have watched the previous group and improved on their routine. Urth was starting to take a beating, a few more rounds and they'd be enough to take him down. He stepped back into the middle of the ring and five more arakuns assembled around him. "Round 9... FIGHT!" yelled Max. Urth rushed the arakun he believed the be an abjurer and began his attack. Crippling the support first had worked well in the past. Two other arakuns stepped in behind him and grabbed his arms. A third stepped in front of him and began punching him while a fourth stood back and started chanting. The arakun pummeling him had a sword at his side, and could have easily taken him out with it, but instead chose to play around with him instead. Urth lifted one of the arakuns holding him and tossed him at the chanting templar, into the path of the aspersion spell. With one of his hands free, he stabbed the paladin pummeling him, sliced up the other arakun that had been holding him, and cut a gash along the abjurer's throat.The templar finished casting another spell, and a pillar of flames erupted around him. He closed melee range as fast as he could and stabbed the final opponent. The biomancers came to carry the wounded off the stage and one poured a bucket of water over Urthdigger to put out the flames. "And Urthdigger wins his ninth round. That wraps up all the people who wanted to take a whack at the Gifted One, now for the people who were actually interested in going on the recon mission. First up, Sakura Arbor." After fighting all those guys, Urth was a bit shocked to see a girl enter the ring. Most arakuns have a chubby layer of fat, but Sakura was perfectly chiseled with not an ounce on her. Her tail was a fair bit slimmer, she looked taller, and her chest wasn't very concealed at all as a result. She didn't have any armor or weapons either. "Don't go easy on me just because I'm a girl." said Sakura "Don't worry, I'm as unchivalrous as they come." replied Urth "Round 10... FIGHT!" Sakura started her assault with a swift kick to the groin. Urth dropped to the ground in pain, but continuing on with determination he lashed out with his daggers, scoring a hit on her thigh. He got up in time to react to a flurry of punches, blocking them with his blades. She was fast, but his form was well trained. He didn't think about what he was doing, taking the time to do so would be too slow. He relied entirely on his form's reflexes to defend himself. Eventually the pain of cutting her hands on the daggers caused her to mess up. Urth took the opportunity to dodge to her side and stab. Sakura cried out in pain and kicked him away. Urth rolled into a standing position to ready himself for her next attack. His daggers were at his side, ready to be plunged into her once she was within range. He meant to stab her once she approached, he really did, but that's not what happened. Using her tail as a third leg to steady herself, she did a high kick above Urth's head. A moment's distraction was all it was, half a second of Urthdigger gaping like a moron. The thrill of the fight brought him back quickly, but it was much too late. He had missed his chance. Sakura brought her footpaw crashing down on the top of Urth's head, sending him to the ground. He rolled over to see where the next attack would come from just in time to see Sakura slam her palm into his chest. He felt the ground beneath him dent a little from the impact. It was gtting difficult to breath. His vision was starting to fade as the last bits of oxygen were exhausted from his body. The last thing he saw was Sakura standing near his feet and bringing her paw back for another kick. He prayed to pass out first. Everything went dark.
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Urthdigger
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Posts: 214
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Post by Urthdigger on Nov 1, 2006 19:46:27 GMT -5
Elsewhere... Ivan Clause, captain of the Edon guard, knew exactly who was responsible. "It's those blasted arakuns! Lying, stealing, perverted scum... no offense Ed." The only arakun in the guard looked up at the sound of his name "No worries mate, your mum didn't mind any of that." Ivan took the jest in stride. Ed did that all the time. He knew there wasn't anything to the jokes, but there was a reason to it all the same. Back on his first day on the force, Ed Wood participate in the seizure of a deceased criminal's belongings. Among the usual jewelry and drug paraphenelia was a large chest stuffed with pornography, several of which were of Ivan's mom, Olga Clause, albeit a good 40 years younger. Ever since that day Ed has never failed to miss a chance to bug the captain about it. The chest never did make it back to the station. "They're not much better than animals as is, and every Phoenix they just get worse." said Ivan. "I want every arakun in the city questioned. I want to know where they were last night, who they were with, and what they were doing." Ed and a few of the others snickered. "Given the circumstances, you sure you want to know all that? I know a few girls with quite a few tales of flexibility and improvisation." Ivan paused for a second. He didn't consider himself a prude, but the idea of listening to strange, hormonally charged, and most of all fur covered people tell him their intimate moments was just downright nauseating. "I'll probally just get some of you to do it." There was a cheer from some of the guards. "However, as long as you're here Ed, where were you last night?" "I was over at your mum's gettin' some pie." "ED THIS IS SERIOUS!" "He is serious." piped up Fred Wisey, the muridan that had discovered the body. The captain nearly burst a vein. "You gave me a package for her since I was in the area remember? Ed was my partner for patrol so we both went over there to deliver it. She insisted we stay for some leftover shepard's pie, so we were there a while before heading back to work. We finished shortly before I started my sunrise rounds where I found the body, so there's no way Ed could be the culprit." Ivan hmphed "Ok, one down, hundreds to go. Pierce, Aya, spread the word. I want the whole town to know we have a lead on the suspect and that all arakuns are to show up here for questioning. Leon, Chris, gather all the parchment you can. I'll be expecting notes. Ed... where do you think you're going?" The arakun had paused by the door "I've got another package I know your mum will love." he said, making a show of flashing his empty paws as he stepped out of the station. It was a mystery to some how Ed managed to stay on the force. He was openly rude to his superiors, always laid-back, and never seemed to have his mind on his work. That was all true, except for when he was actually working. As he stepped out of the guard station his sly grin vanished, replaced with a determined grimace. What the captain had said WAS fairly rude. He had to admit, the odds that an arakun did it were high, but it could have been any other race. The crime scene was the key. The way the body had been portrayed, there was some meaning in it, it couldn't have been a random crime. He made his way back to the alleyway, pulling a picture out of his uniform as he did so. His uniform was specially made. It was a single piece of fabric with holes for his tail and footpaws and the top portion had buttons to fasten it around his paws and head. The end result was a one-piece jumpsuit with open sides for his wingflaps to go through. As for the picture, a few copies had been sent to the guards early that morning. It was a girl named Eve Summers who had gone missing the previous night. Everyone pretty much accepted it as fact that she was the dead body, but there wasn't much of the body left to make an identification. A bit of the lower torso had been left in the middle of the crime scene, identifying the victim as a human girl, and that the attacker had been male. The blood didn't look like the usual splatter, and was stretched all over the alleyway. The killer had wanted to make a scene, that much was certain. Brush marks could be seen in parts of the gore. As for the organs, the intestines were draped across clotheslines and on the ground forming geometric patterns, the heart, liver, lungs, and other organs dotted the alleyway. It didn't seem to make any sense. Ed was interrupted from his thoughts by the sound of dripping blood. He looked up. More of the scene stretched vertically than he had thought, though it was significantly more linear here, almost a path of sorts. He followed the path up a drain pipe, but it stopped halfway up the building. Ed looked down at the ground. A small trail of dotted blood led across the alleyway, where another line started on the opposite building slightly lower in altitude than his current vantage point. He jumped off the wall and glided to the other side, catching hold of the uneven bricks jutting from the wall. It would have been much harder to find a path were it not for the blood leading him on. He easily found the hand holds up the building, coming to stop at an alcove in the wall. There he found her head, a perfect match for the girl in the picture. They had a confirmation on the victim, now all they needed was a definitive subject. He pulled himself onto the ledge and sat down next to the skull, looking down at the carnage beneath him. It all seemed to make an odd sense from up there, the blood and organs forming shapes that complemented each other. It was art, not of a scene, but of just... art. Something worlds beyond it's time, a shame it was in such a despicable medium. From his vantage point Ed noticed something else interesting about the crime scene. Some crude letters were in the lower-right portion of the painting. He hopped down, spreading his arms to slow his fall, and investigated it. It was a signature, but whoever had written it had made an attempt to erase it after the fact. All that could be made out was the second letter, an L. The killer had left a more anonymous signature beneath the defaced letters. A pair of pawprints. Ed stood on them and compared them to his own. A bit bigger, but arakun pawprints nonetheless. Ivan was right, but now they had proof of the race, a victim, and a little evidence as to the killer. Vlad was ticked upon hearing the report the guards delivered, not because they were right, but because of the rascism. Just because of the season they assumed any crime was commited by an arakun. It didn't occur to him that he wasn't helping matters by killing people. The interrogation went smoothly enough. He wasn't the only arakun in need of an alibi; he met up with a female thief named Dusk who had noticed a pattern in the people doing the interrogating. These people expected the stories to be dirty and really didn't bother checking any of the good stories. At her request, they crafted a tale saucy enough to satisfy the pervs and turn away the prudes. After a quick playing through of their roles to fine-tune the details they presented their ruse. It was a smashing success. A few were taking notes, and one dragonian even threw up. As the actors finished the play within the play the audience was none the wiser. Vlad had to admit he loved the idea, although he disliked his partner. What he would have given to work alongside a human, or elf, or even a vampire, as bitey as they were. As it was, the only passion he had for their encounter was the thrill of deception. Vlad was glad to be rid of her and made a note to kill Dusk later. As gratefull as he was for her help he despised having aided someone. He couldn't have people running around saying he did good things now could he? Despite an entire day of interrogations, the guards didn't come up with much. It was far cleaner than expected as well, a great number saying they were just sleeping and many others just socializing in one way or another. They were just finishing up the last of the reports when Ed came in and tossed Eve's severed head onto the table. "Holy Crypt!" exclaimed Leon "What hell is that!?" "The victim." replied Ed "Found it up up in an alcove at the crime scene. That's not all I found either. Arakun footprints, and the killer was stupid enough to write his own name in the blood before crossing it out. 4 letters, second one's an L." Leon flipped through the loose papers "Great work, although it doesn't do much good. Everyone's got a neighbour or friend who could vouch for their whereabouts that night. We went from an entire city of suspects to none at all." "Maybe it's not a resident." said Pierce "Could be a drifter, someone who was just in town." "You sure it's an L? Maybe it's an I." said Leon. The color leeched from Ed's face as he realized who it could mean "You aren't suggesting Rick did this are you? That guy's always trying to be helpful, I don't think he could..." "The victim was his student, so there's a connection there." said Leon "Maybe there's something going on we don't know about." Ed opened his mouth to reply, but in a way it made sense. Nobody really talked to Rick about his personal life except for his wife. He could be completely unhinged and the public at large wouldn't know. "Fine..." said Ed "Let's see if we can bring him in for questioning... but try to keep it low key. Just in case he's innocent it wouldn't help to smear his name."
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Urthdigger
Storymaster
Comments are appreciated
Posts: 214
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Post by Urthdigger on Nov 12, 2006 14:09:15 GMT -5
Rick came into town late in the day. The townsfolk were still talking about the recent murder and the subsequent interrogation. This only made him feel worse, he had blood on his hands and now his student was dead too. He headed over to the bar while he tried to think of how to live with himself. "Gimme your biggest, strongest, cheapest drink." The bartender shot him an odd look as he filled the glass. Rick could hear the whispers behind his back, his sensitive ears picking up snatches of conversation. One of the perils of working with kids was that people tended to hold you to higher standards. He took a swig of the liquor. It was rather cold, and he could feel it freeze his throat and sit like a block of ice in his chest. Thankfully most of the people were being sympathetic about his problem. The man who took a seat next to him was not one of those people. "Shouln't a guy like you not drink? Not a very good example for the kids." Rick glared at the human. He recognized him as a parent of one of the kids, and an occasional student in the adult class "What about you? You're a father." "Not anymore..." Rick was shocked as he recognized who it was. He took another drink. "...Sorry about your daughter Reed. I know how you must feel." "No, you don't. You just lost a student, you go home and everything's fine. I lost a daughter, my life will never be the same." Rick rubbed his thumb along the edge of the glass as he thought of what to say. "You're right. She was just a student. Is that what you want me to say?" The alchohol had already gone to his head, and he could feel this particular drink begin to numb his extremities. "I encouraged all of my students to share their problems, to be friends with each other and treat me as a friend as well. I was close enough to know what kind of person she was, that's enough. Besides, I've got other things on my mind..." Reed Summers snorted "Things like what?" "Like being responsible for an innocent man's death." Now it was Reed's turn to be shocked "Wha... what do you mean?" Rick was plenty drunk by now, his small system unable to handle much, but he was still rational enough to avoid telling the whole story. "I... found a woodcutter out in the forest, cutting down some trees. I was soon presented with a choice, one that would mean his life or his death." He finished off his glass "I chose death." Reed chuckled politely "We're just a pair of sad individuals eh? Listen, I'm sure you had your reasons for why you did what you did. I'm not gonna say some cheesy line like 'It's not that bad', or 'Cheer up', but what I will say is this: It's not the end of the world." The pair shared a few drinks over the next hour, Rick's drink of choice having it's way with his nervous system, all but paralyzing him. His tail, which had been slowly wagging when he entered soon hung limp and he was leaning on the counter for support. Reed carried the arakun outside when they were done and was soon accosted by a pair of guards. "Move aside human, the arakun's coming with us... oh, and keep it quiet, we're supposed to keep this low key." Reed hesitantly did as he was told, laying Rick down and slowly backing up. Rick just laid there, even if he could resist he didn't care to. One guard slung the arakun over his shoulder while the other kept an eye out for any other witnesses. Satisfied, they departed for the guard station. "Where were you last night?" Rick was sitting in a back room of the station. He was glad to have feeling in his limbs again, although the liquor was now working his digestive system over something fierce and giving him a massive headache so the extent of his mobility was restricted to digging his claws into his belly and draping his tail over his head. "Doing something VERY naughty..." He was still fairly drunk. The human interrogating him looked fairly giddy. "Just HOW naughty?" insisted the guard. "I don't know how I'm gonna live with myself after all this." sighed Rick. The guard groaned and set his notes down. "Look, you can end this at any time. I don't think you did anything, just tell me what you were doing last night and get someone to vouch for you." Rick stayed silent. What could he say? The truth? He didn't want to take an action that would condemn himself to death, but neither did he feel like lying to save his hide. His guilt and sense of self preservation were at odds. The guard shook his head "Well, at least I tried. Was nice knowing you Rick." He opened the door and shouted to the others "The guy's got guilty written all over him, let's get this over with." Rick was bound in shackles and escorted out behind the station. He declined a blindfold and watched as the guards lined up in front of him with thundersticks, Ivan directing them. "Ok men, make it clean and neat... That's a slingstone Pierce, use a slug. Ok, ready? Aim!" BANG!
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Urthdigger
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Post by Urthdigger on Nov 16, 2006 17:13:52 GMT -5
Urthdigger slowly came to. He was aware of his own body, but couldn't move it. Something was all around him, except for an area on his right wrist where something was pressing on it. Chirp. Chirp. Chirp. A rhythmic chirping sound came from nearby, and soon he could hear someone talk, a vulpin by the sound of it. "He's got a purse, that's a very good sign... everything appears fine." Chirp. Chirp. Chirp. Urth slowly opened his eyes. The vulpin in question was leaning over him to look at something, giving Urth a clear view down her shirt. Chirp,chirp,chirp. Urthdigger realized what the chirping was: a kanku checking his pulse. The realization only made him nervous. Chirpchirpchirpchirpchirpchirp. "Patient's heart rate is accererating, get an erectromancer over here!" shouted the vulpin. Urthdigger tried to shout but his muzzle was clamped shut so he settled for mumbling. The biomancers didn't hear him as they scrambled around for a mage. Soon enough he heard the first few words of a chant designating an attack spell. He tried to scream. "Chirp I chirp think chirp the chirp patient's chirp awake chirp." "I see... stop the sperr." said the vulpin. The kanku was still chirping away "Oh for the rove of Ishtar, BREATH!" The kanku stopped chirping, took a deep breath, and promptly fainted.
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Urthdigger
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Post by Urthdigger on Nov 20, 2006 10:31:58 GMT -5
Back at Urth's lodgings Karren was getting to know the neighbors, the Lotors. Ralph had just returned from market and was sitting in the living room with Karren and Melissa, who was busy patching a rip in her hat. "So Rrralph," asked Karren "Is Berrrt your kid?" Ralph chuckled politely "No, we don't have any kids yet." He glanced over at Melissa, who smiled in return "Bert's my nephew. His parents went off to study abjuration and he was left in my care. That was three years ago." "Back when he was a lovable kid and not an annoying brat." Interjected Melissa. "Melissa!" exclaimed Ralph "Sure, he can be a little bothersome at times..." "I'm sorry." sighed Melissa "I know he means well, it's just..." Bert walked in right then carrying a gross contraption in the form of mashed tuna sandwiched between two slabs of halibut "Hey, I made some fish sandwiches, anyone want one?" "No." replied everyone in unison. Burt shrugged and walked back into the kitchen "I thought so." continued Karren "You guys all look the same to me, but he doesn't look too much youngerrr than you." Melissa finished her hat and put it on, her ears poking through holes in the top "Well, a whole bunch of arakuns that were studying abroad were brought back today. Hopefully his parents are among them so he'll be off our hands soon." "Speaking of which," mentioned Ralph "I saw your hus... boy... how are you with Urth?" "He's my toy." replied Karren Ralph looked slightly disturbed "Companion it is. Anyway, I saw Urth while I was at the market. He seems to be getting along well here, but I hope he's ok." Karren chuckled politely "Why wouldn't he be ok?" "Well, a number of the younger girls have been showing an interest in 'The Gifted One', but Urth's ignored them all." "Hell hath no furrry like a woman scorrrned eh?" "Oh no, quite the opposite: they're trying harder to get noticed. The problem is they're paying no attention to the other guys, who now see Urth as a problem. I'm worried they'll try to hurt or even kill him." "Well don't worrrrrry." assured Karren "I've yet to meet the man that can take him out, he'll be fine." "I hope so..." replied Ralph.
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Urthdigger
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Post by Urthdigger on Nov 28, 2006 23:24:50 GMT -5
The vulpin biomancer got to work disassembling Urth's cast, taking the time to check up on the damage "Werr, you had five broken ribs, a corrapsed rung, a partiarry barfed up heart, and a few miscerranious body parts so purverized we had to grow you some compretery new ones. Everything appears fine now." Urthdigger did a few stretching exercises to break in his new bones and muscles, deciding to try out everything else later. Whenever he died, his body felt the same, only more used. Now after an intensive healing on the other hand, he felt brand new. It felt exhilarating, he wanted to push his form to the limit, see what he could accomplish, what foes he could face. Maybe that was the secret behind the suicidal 'jomsviking considerers'. Urth was soon greeted by the winners. Sakura Arbor and her sister Natsuki, Ara Evergreen, and Terrence 'Turbo' Gonzalez. Max came along as well. "Well done! All five of you have demonstrated skills that will come in handy during the mission." exclaimed Max. "Four." corrected Urth "I lost in the first round, and I don't see anyone else here." Max grinned "The tournament was to test your abilities, not neccesarily your combat abilities. Your fighting style suggests you're one of the Hands I've heard about in legends. As this is a recon mission, we could use a master of stealth." Max nodded in Sakura's direction "Sakura lost in the next round against her sister Natsuki. Even against her own sister she showed utter ruthlessness and power. Natsuki is a psionicist, and fairly good at infiltrating the minds of others. Together they'll be very effective at any interrogation. Terrence, as you already know, is the fastest scout in the village. As for Ara..." said Max, stuffing cotton in his ears "I believe songs speak louder than words." Ara cleared his throat and sang.
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Urthdigger
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Post by Urthdigger on Nov 29, 2006 20:01:42 GMT -5
Max rudely slapped Urthdigger awake. "As you can see, Ara can sing anyone to sleep." he explained "If we're sufficiently prepared we should be immune to the effects. However, we should still be cautious, they're likely to get suspicious if they keep falling asleep." "Wow!" said Urth "I wanna try, how's it go Ara?" Max soon kicked Urth in the side of the head to wake him up. "Great going you dick, I barely had time to stick my earplugs in." He then addressed the group. "Now, we'll attack under the cover of darkness. Terrence, Natsuki, Sakura, and Ara will investigate Makoto's base camp and get in touch with the previous group if possible. James and I will keep an eye out for anything at the entrance. Natsuki, keep a link with us the whole time, I want to hear about anything you find. Everyone take care out there. Chances are this will turn into a rescue mission, so be prepared for that. It'll be about an hour until sundown, so get ready." Max had taken a different tone as he gave the briefing, becoming more somber and getting a distant look in his eyes. Nobody dared to say anything as they broke off to gather supplies and say goodbye to their loved ones. What silenced them wasn't what was said, but what was left unsaid. Chances were good that Makoto and his team had been killed, and they were marching in his footsteps into the meat grinder.
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Urthdigger
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Post by Urthdigger on Dec 5, 2006 19:48:59 GMT -5
Urthdigger returned to his room to find Karren sitting on the bed waiting for him. "Therrre you arrre. I didn't see you this morning." she said Urth rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully "Yeah, I thought you'd be pretty tired, so I didn't wake you." "So wherrre werrre you anyway?" questioned Karren "Having a nice chat with Max and the others." said Urthdigger with a smirk "At first they didn't want me coming on their little raid tonight, but I showed them a few things and they were begging for me to aid them." Karren giggled. She knew he was exaggerating, but she found it cute "So, when do we leave?" "Erm, I didn't say WE. I'M going on this, I'm afraid you're going to have to stay behind." " WHY!?" pleaded Karren "I decided to come along with you because I wanted an adventurrre, but I haven't had the opporrrtunity to do much. I'm not made of glass, I can hold my own and you know that!" "I know Karren, it's just..." "It's just what?" "Well, it's a stealth mission and we need everyone to be able to work as a team there. I'm afraid your skills just won't be needed." "I see. I guess I'll just hang arrround home and wait for my man to come home then." replied Karren sarcastically. "Karren, it's not like that. There'll be something for you to do tommorrow, just not today. We need subtlety more than power, and besides: You'd distract the guys." Urth climbed onto the bed and began scratching Karren behind the ears "We'll be back before you know it, and then we'll storm the fort, side by side. Just you wait and see."
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Urthdigger
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Post by Urthdigger on Dec 16, 2006 18:51:45 GMT -5
Sakura and Natsuki Arbor retired to their room for some last minute training. Sakura began with some stretching excercises any of the guys would have killed to see, while Natsuki tried to clear her mind... tried being the operative word. Try as she might, one issue kept popping up into her head. "Sakura..." said Natsuki after a while "I'm a little concerned about your behaviour. I'm worried you might go a little overboard." "Whatever do you mean?" replied Sakura, almost sarcastically. "You almost killed James, and if I hadn't stopped you, you might have actually killed someone. I need to know I can trust you." "Sorry, I just can't help myself. Do you know what it's like to hold someone's life in your hands, and slowly snuff it out? God, it' simply wonderful, such a rush..." "It's not so wonderful when you can hear what they're thinking. I want you to try and show a little restraint ok? For me?" "Ok. I'll try my best for you, little sis." The conversation complete, they went back to their training. The night would tell just how much Natsuki could trust her sister, but for now there was peace.
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Urthdigger
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Post by Urthdigger on Dec 26, 2006 1:46:07 GMT -5
Ara chose not to go to his room, but rather to a large den underneath one of the massive trees. The smell of soup and beer engulfed him as he entered, and the innkeeper gave a knowing nod to the stage. Ara nodded in return, picked up his favorite lute, pulled a stool up to the stage and strummed a few chords to get everyone's attention. "I'd like to thank everyone who's here tonight. This might be the last time I get to play here, so I hope you all enjoy it. Truth is, I'm heading out to the fort tonight, and the outlook doesn't look too good that I'll return. I leave you this song to remember me by, cherish it well." Ara turned his attention back to the lute, his paws practically caressing the strings as he masterfully strummed forth a somber melody. It was sad, but not depressingly so, with the occasional quick beat to lighten things up. It was as much a wonder to watch him play as it was to listen to it, and he had the entire inn's attention as he played the final chords and laid the lute down. The men turned back to their drinks, but several of the women decided to come and talk to the brave, handsome young arakun. Before he knew it, Ara had an arakun on each knee, a catfolk rubbing against his side, and a vulpin scratching him behind the ears, as well as a bunch of other groupies sitting around the stage. "So you're rearry risking your rife for arr of us? That's so nobre of you." sighed the vulpin Ara smirked "Yeah, I suppose it is, but it'll be all worth it if my skills can somehow contribute to saving our beloved little village. I just wish I could know a woman's touch one more time before I die..." He gazed longily into the vulpin's eyes, then looked over the rest of the crowd. The catfolk pawed at his side lovingly "I suppose it's the least I could do for someone as brave as you." "Hey, back off cat." hissed one of the arakuns on his lap "I was here first!" "Ladies, please," pleaded Ara "Don't fight. Now, I'm sure we can find a solution that makes everyone happy. Now if you'll just follow me into this room over here, I think we'll have our answer." Ara scooted the arakuns off his lap, stood up, and headed off for one of the empty rooms, his entourage behind him. He gave the innkeeper a wink before opening the door and ushering the women in. After a quick glance around the room to ensure there were no stragglers, he followed them in and closed the door behind him. A bard's work was never done.
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Urthdigger
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Post by Urthdigger on Dec 31, 2006 15:40:48 GMT -5
Terrence sighed as he went around the back of the command room to the target range. He had thought momentarily about going to see Karren, but that was a bad idea for a number of reasons. First off, Urth would likely want to at least talk to her before he left, and he also needed to stay in peak condition for the upcoming mission. The very idea that someone would go and not only not prepare themselves, but exhaust themselves at the same time, was just unthinkable, nobody could be that irresponsible. He put on a brace of throwing knives, adjusting it to be at just the right height, then quickly threw a knife into the wooden target 30 feet away. It thudded into the outer ring, a fair ways off the mark. Not even a second passed before a second knife was stuck in the wood, in the 2nd ring this time. Getting into the rythym, 'Turbo' toss knife after knife, clearing his mind of all other thoughts as he focused on his aim. The area around the bullseye was becoming a veritable pincushion, but the yellow dot itself was untouched. Good enough aim to hit something, but not good enough. As it was, his speed was all he had, so he was useful for running messages and getting away, but he couldn't protect anyone, couldn't kill anyone. The only thing he was good at was no longer being where he was. A few of the knives were beginning to bounce off the target as they hit earlier throws, he was going to have to remove them sooner or later. He was running low anyway. Clang, thud, clang clang, thud, thud, thud, the knives sang as they formed a frame around the bullseye. One knife left. The arakun drew it up, held it like he was taught, and threw it home. One lone knife amongst a sea of iron, finally into the bullseye. He sighed and went to retrieve them. At least they all hit the target this time, and one of them was where he wanted it to go. He still had a few hours left to practice, he needed to make the most of it.
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