The wind blowing through the front door and causing snow to pile up and melt of the wooden floor, the entire house was in disarray. Portraits taken down and cut open, suit of armor knocked over and pieces scattered, cupboards torn off the wall and contents spilled, not to mention the grandfather clock knocked over and broken, HACKED apart, the contents of the Elixer he had inside spreading it’s yellow liquid all over the floor. Stupid Returner trick of, ‘it’s time for a pick me up’.
The Narshe Guards had torn his place apart in futile search for anything to connect him to the Empire. Oddly enough they didn’t even consider the Slave Crown, probably only thinking it to be some sort of decoration. Still, that was good for Arvis. With nothing to hold him on other than the fact he’d wasted their time with having to search his house, he’d been left alone for the time being.
Sitting on the now disheveled bed, his left leg bandaged up and laid out on the torn mattress, Arvis sighed as he held a reddened cloth to the side of his head with his right hand. He’d obviously taken a bit of a beating from the town guards, but he was made from sterner stuff. He’d be off his feet for a few days, that was for certain.
However, his thoughts were not on his ransacked home, nor his aching body. In his left hand, he held a gold watch. His eyes were watching the arms of the time-piece with such an attentive gaze, that he might have very well melted it.
A half hour. It had already been one half hour since the Narshe Guards stormed off from his house in search of Lina and Terra. They’d yet to return with either of the two girls that ran off as captives, and that gave the older man some hope. But he would have preferred if he could get some sort of word soon. Preferably that the guards cursed out having lost track of the two women.
However, before Arvis could consider his and the women’s fates further, he heard the ‘click’ of the door in the back. He’d been hopeful that it was the girls, but... okay, it wasn’t them, but he recognized the individual well enough, and it did bring some ease.
Stepping into the place and closing the door behind him, it was a young man with short brown hair which was raised up a little thanks to his blue bandana. Taking off his goggles and the brown poncho he’d been wearing revealed the man to be wearing lighter clothing underneath. A white tank top with blue-tined black leather vest, brown leather gloves with large cuffs, black leather pants with that same blue-tint black as his vest, and pure black leather boots made up his ensemble.
Looking around, the man could only say one thing about his surroundings. “Damn, and here I thought the war-zone was only outside. What the hell happened here?”
Closing his watch, Arvis pocketed the gold time-keeping device and looked up at the new arrival. “Took you long enough! How goes the robbing and plundering trade?”
The man’s eyes bugged out and his whole body jerked for a moment. Straightening himself out, he then turned to Arvis. “I PREFER the term ‘Treasure Hunter’!”
“Ha!” Arvis laughed out to his old friend. “That’s a bunch of semantic nonsense, Locke, and you know it!”
Rolling his eyes, Locke snorted. He then slowly smiled and waved a finger at the older man. “There’s a HUGE difference! Anyway,” He slowly placed both hands on his hips as he looked over the banged-up individual. “Why was it you sent for me?
“There’s a girl I'd like you to meet, well, two actually,” Arvis said slowly. “But the point is, one of them is someone who’s recently become the talk of the Returners. One rumors has specified as traveling across this continent of ours with greater magical power other than the behemoth of metal she was riding...”
Locke’s eyes widened greatly, as he himself had been told to keep an eye out for her in his travels. “You mean that MagiTek-riding, Imperial witch is here!?”
Arvis nodded his head to that. “Yes. A sweet girl I’ve been caring for, for the past week or so, Lina Inverse, is trying to help her safely get out of the region. Not only are Narshe’s guards pursuing them even as we speak, but I’m sure with the failure of Terra’s mission, the Imperial troops will be coming. This town is no match for the Empire. Our independence can only be assured if we join forces with the Returners, an underground resistance movement.”
Locke nodded his head. “I can understand that you want me to save these two women, and I’ll do it...” he still looked rather uneasy though, and continued. “But do you really think this magic-using woman will join us, even if we help her? I saw the damage out there. And if she did that...”
“That girl wasn’t responsible for her actions,” Arvis insisted. “We must get her to understand our dilemma! I’m sure she’ll make the right choice now that she’s no longer under the influence of that slave crown!”
“Slave crown!?” Locke asked in shock. NOW his resolve hardened. He knew what those things could do to a person, and now felt he couldn’t blame the woman for what had gone on. “All right... I think we’d better help her... and your little girlfriend.”
“Agreed. And she’s NOT my girlfriend,” Arvis said in annoyance at his old friend’s teasing. “Once you find them, make your way first to Figaro, and talk to the king.”
Smirking a little, Locke nodded his head. He was already well-versed with the ruler of Figaro. “All right, old man. You better let me be off, or else the guards will beat me to the ladies.”
“Good luck then,” Arvis told him. “God’s speed be with you.”
“Right,” Locke said, before heading back out the door from which he entered.
(------)
“We got you now!” Shouted one of the guards as the group of Narshe soldiers closed in on the two women, forcing them to back up into a corner of the cave.
Lina grit her teeth as she forced Terra behind her. Great. They traveled around this shit-hold of a cavern, going in circles in a desperate try to get out, and they end up getting caught by the Narshe Guard. Well, Lina wasn’t going to stand for it!
“Lina, what are you doing?” Terra asked as she saw the shorter girl hold her hands up.
“I’m going to-” Was all Lina managed to say before there was a sudden rumbling sound, followed by both women losing their footing as the floor of the caving they were on gave-way, causing them to free-fall.
“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”
“Damn it!” The Marshal shouted as he leaned over and looked into the hole they fell down. Looking up towards his fellow guards, he shouted, “Quick! We better get a move on! They might still be alive!”
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(Posted Fri, 07 Jul 2006 21:36)
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