Post by Orophin on May 8, 2008 10:18:26 GMT 1
Sorry for the lateness, and the shortness... keep in mind, a part two is on the way. But yeah, this one was always going to be pretty short.
Anyway, here you go...
The Past Returns: Part I
V'icternus strode wearily down the Earth Kingdom road, hoping to find a town, or at least a good camping area, before stopping for the night.
He had been traveling all day, and was hadn't rested since early morning. He was dead on his feet.
Eventually, seeing no town in site, he decided to settle down in a small clearing just off the road, and, without bothering to set up a camp, slumped on the ground and fell asleep.
He awoke, much later than he usually would, and remembered the date... He had been traveling the world for almost two years to the day. In two days, he would turn seventeen...
He felt his pocket, as he did every morning, for his precious amulet. Finding it still in place, he got up and looked around at his surroundings in the daylight.There wasn't much, the road on one side, lots of trees on the other.
Getting back onto the road, be continued along it in the same direction he had been going the day before. He was sure there would be a town somewhere close by, as he had been walking all yesterday and seen nothing yet.
He had found his mind wandering often while he walked, as nothing was happening, and did not like it. Not having much to think of, his thoughts always drifted to dark places.... Things he didn't want to remember. So, he knew if he did something, he would be able to ignore it, and focus on the moment again.
Finally, ahead, he saw a village. And, almost immediately after, he saw why he had seen no traffic to or from this town. It was just a rundown collection of houses and buildings, none of which seem to have been cleaned, or even rained on, for years. The buildings, though they looked like they were once grand, were damaged and filthy. Vic noticed this, and how well it suited him, in his once fine coat, which now couldn't even be mistaken for a wealthy persons oldest rag.
Entering this town, he saw exactly how run down it was. Holes in rooftops, children dressed in old rags running around the street, holding obviously stolen food. He noticed the dark stares of people he passed, most of them looking at his sword once, then becoming incredibly interested in blank walls or spaces of the ground.
Suddenly, he felt a man brush against him, and out of the corner of his eye, for a split second, saw the unmistakable shine of his amulet in the mans hand. The man instantly bolted, amulet in hand, leaving Vic momentarily stunned. But, it was only momentary... Vic drew his sword, aimed, and threw it a full 30 feet into the mans right leg. He fell to the ground and dropped Vic's amulet, and the people on the street seemed to vanish as soon as they saw the thrown blade.
Vic walked up, and pulled his sword out of the bleeding wound, and aimed the point at the mans neck.
"N... no... I didn't mean to... I..." The man was having trouble speaking, and had lost a lot of blood. He wasn't in too good a condition even without the open wound in his leg. He tried to crawl away, but he didn't have the strength. It seems he had not eaten for a while.
"You tried to steal from me." Vic's voice was cold, and no one who looked in his eyes would have doubted what his next move would be...
He stabbed his blade forward, directly through the neck of the thief, then pulled it back out and replaced it in it's sheath. The man spluttered for several seconds, then died.
Vic looked over at where his amulet had landed, and saw that it was gone. He noticed a child, eight, maybe nine years old, holding it. It looked like he had picked it up and begun to ran, but had frozen at the death of the man.
"Give me that, now." He said threateningly to the child. To his surprise, the child shook his head, and clutched the amulet to his chest.
"Don't make me tell you again. Give it to me. Now."
"No... It's mine..." The child replied.
V'icternus suddenly grabbed the child around the throat, and actually lifted him off the ground. Now, looking him right in the eye, he said "Drop it."
The amulet fell to the ground, as the child gasped for air. Vic dropped the child, and picked up his amulet, this time putting it around his neck for safety. "Now get out of here."
The child ran off, occasionally looking back, as if to make sure Vic wasn't drawing his sword...
With his amulet back in his possession, V'icternus continued walking through the relatively large, yet undoubtedly rundown town.
He found that most of the bars and hotels in the town were closed down, but eventually found an open bar, which, being pretty empty, was perfect.
Walking through the doorway, as the door seemed to be missing, he sat down on one of the filthy bar stools. The barman, he noticed, looked surprised that someone new had entered his bar, but what Vic noticed first of all was that he was missing his right eye. Knowing how close he himself had come to loosing it, he felt the scar on his face...
"Uh, what can I do you for, stranger?" Asked the man, who it seemed normally just gave customers 'the usual'.
"Just give me a cup of whatever your most expensive drink is..." Vic said, pulling out a bag of gold. He noticed the stares of the other (four) customers.
"Uh, right away, uh, sir!" The barman stammered, pulling down an old bottle of some exquisite beverage, with the Fire Nation insignia upon it.
"How much?" Vic asked.
"Uh, 620 gold coins, uh, please, sir."
Vic handed the man the whole bag, all in all a full thousand gold coins, and picked up his drink.
"Uh, sir, uh, this is more than, uh..."
"Think of the rest as a... tip, of sorts."
"Uh, gee... Thanks!" The man was clearly excited. He probably rarely got orders of over 20 silver pieces, and now...
As Vic began to drink, he noticed the strong, exotic taste, as well as the obviousness of the Fire Nation make. You could always tell with Fire Nation brews, as they always mixed in some sort of additive, that gave it a spicy flare.
It also gave it extra strength, and Vic was asleep after three and a half glasses...
Waking up in the same bar, V'icternus checked to make sure he hadn't been robbed while sleeping. As he hadn't, he figured the barman had made sure he was untouched while he slept.
Vic, leaving the bar, saw again the state of the streets, and decided that this town wasn't one that he wanted to stay in. He turned, walking in the direction he was when he passed the bar, hoping to go through the village and get back on to the road on the other side.
After some time of walking, Vic began to get the feeling he was being watched... considering the emptiness of the streets, this felt odd. But the feeling persisted as he kept walking...
Eventually, he halted and turned around. Scanning the streets, he saw no one and nothing in sight... so he continued walking. After a few minutes, he suddenly ducked into a back alley and crouched down, watching the road for his follower...
Then, he heard a voice from the other side of the alley. "Well, this one seems to like to hang out in alleys, doesn't he, boys?"
Quickly turning around he saw the same gang he had barely escaped in Omashu. They appeared to have followed him all the way here...
"I think we still have something to settle between us, kid. And now there's no one to protect you..." With that last word, the leader slammed the ground, sending a fault line at Vic. V'icternus managed to divert it, then, while moving, drew his sword. The gang leader lifted up a rock wall, but, as it was rising, Vic stood on it and used the lift to launch himself upward, and came down with a slash...
The leader fell to the ground, his head cut in two, but still attached to his body.
"This time, I win." V'icternus said to the body... then, he looked up at the rest of the gang members. They were backing away, apparently unaware of who was in charge now. All at once, they turned and ran.
V'icternus wiped his bloody sword on his pants, and put it back in it's sheath.
He walked back onto the road and continued, eventually reaching the end of the large, yet strangely empty town. He was back where he always seemed to wind up, back on the road... still walking, and in his mind, running...
The next day, he arrived at a new town. This town was much smaller, and the people much happier. He walked down the main road, looking at everything around... then, saw a familiar looking house on the top of the hill upon which this town was based... that was when he realized where he was.
He was home.
Anyway, here you go...
The Past Returns: Part I
V'icternus strode wearily down the Earth Kingdom road, hoping to find a town, or at least a good camping area, before stopping for the night.
He had been traveling all day, and was hadn't rested since early morning. He was dead on his feet.
Eventually, seeing no town in site, he decided to settle down in a small clearing just off the road, and, without bothering to set up a camp, slumped on the ground and fell asleep.
He awoke, much later than he usually would, and remembered the date... He had been traveling the world for almost two years to the day. In two days, he would turn seventeen...
He felt his pocket, as he did every morning, for his precious amulet. Finding it still in place, he got up and looked around at his surroundings in the daylight.There wasn't much, the road on one side, lots of trees on the other.
Getting back onto the road, be continued along it in the same direction he had been going the day before. He was sure there would be a town somewhere close by, as he had been walking all yesterday and seen nothing yet.
He had found his mind wandering often while he walked, as nothing was happening, and did not like it. Not having much to think of, his thoughts always drifted to dark places.... Things he didn't want to remember. So, he knew if he did something, he would be able to ignore it, and focus on the moment again.
Finally, ahead, he saw a village. And, almost immediately after, he saw why he had seen no traffic to or from this town. It was just a rundown collection of houses and buildings, none of which seem to have been cleaned, or even rained on, for years. The buildings, though they looked like they were once grand, were damaged and filthy. Vic noticed this, and how well it suited him, in his once fine coat, which now couldn't even be mistaken for a wealthy persons oldest rag.
Entering this town, he saw exactly how run down it was. Holes in rooftops, children dressed in old rags running around the street, holding obviously stolen food. He noticed the dark stares of people he passed, most of them looking at his sword once, then becoming incredibly interested in blank walls or spaces of the ground.
Suddenly, he felt a man brush against him, and out of the corner of his eye, for a split second, saw the unmistakable shine of his amulet in the mans hand. The man instantly bolted, amulet in hand, leaving Vic momentarily stunned. But, it was only momentary... Vic drew his sword, aimed, and threw it a full 30 feet into the mans right leg. He fell to the ground and dropped Vic's amulet, and the people on the street seemed to vanish as soon as they saw the thrown blade.
Vic walked up, and pulled his sword out of the bleeding wound, and aimed the point at the mans neck.
"N... no... I didn't mean to... I..." The man was having trouble speaking, and had lost a lot of blood. He wasn't in too good a condition even without the open wound in his leg. He tried to crawl away, but he didn't have the strength. It seems he had not eaten for a while.
"You tried to steal from me." Vic's voice was cold, and no one who looked in his eyes would have doubted what his next move would be...
He stabbed his blade forward, directly through the neck of the thief, then pulled it back out and replaced it in it's sheath. The man spluttered for several seconds, then died.
Vic looked over at where his amulet had landed, and saw that it was gone. He noticed a child, eight, maybe nine years old, holding it. It looked like he had picked it up and begun to ran, but had frozen at the death of the man.
"Give me that, now." He said threateningly to the child. To his surprise, the child shook his head, and clutched the amulet to his chest.
"Don't make me tell you again. Give it to me. Now."
"No... It's mine..." The child replied.
V'icternus suddenly grabbed the child around the throat, and actually lifted him off the ground. Now, looking him right in the eye, he said "Drop it."
The amulet fell to the ground, as the child gasped for air. Vic dropped the child, and picked up his amulet, this time putting it around his neck for safety. "Now get out of here."
The child ran off, occasionally looking back, as if to make sure Vic wasn't drawing his sword...
With his amulet back in his possession, V'icternus continued walking through the relatively large, yet undoubtedly rundown town.
He found that most of the bars and hotels in the town were closed down, but eventually found an open bar, which, being pretty empty, was perfect.
Walking through the doorway, as the door seemed to be missing, he sat down on one of the filthy bar stools. The barman, he noticed, looked surprised that someone new had entered his bar, but what Vic noticed first of all was that he was missing his right eye. Knowing how close he himself had come to loosing it, he felt the scar on his face...
"Uh, what can I do you for, stranger?" Asked the man, who it seemed normally just gave customers 'the usual'.
"Just give me a cup of whatever your most expensive drink is..." Vic said, pulling out a bag of gold. He noticed the stares of the other (four) customers.
"Uh, right away, uh, sir!" The barman stammered, pulling down an old bottle of some exquisite beverage, with the Fire Nation insignia upon it.
"How much?" Vic asked.
"Uh, 620 gold coins, uh, please, sir."
Vic handed the man the whole bag, all in all a full thousand gold coins, and picked up his drink.
"Uh, sir, uh, this is more than, uh..."
"Think of the rest as a... tip, of sorts."
"Uh, gee... Thanks!" The man was clearly excited. He probably rarely got orders of over 20 silver pieces, and now...
As Vic began to drink, he noticed the strong, exotic taste, as well as the obviousness of the Fire Nation make. You could always tell with Fire Nation brews, as they always mixed in some sort of additive, that gave it a spicy flare.
It also gave it extra strength, and Vic was asleep after three and a half glasses...
Waking up in the same bar, V'icternus checked to make sure he hadn't been robbed while sleeping. As he hadn't, he figured the barman had made sure he was untouched while he slept.
Vic, leaving the bar, saw again the state of the streets, and decided that this town wasn't one that he wanted to stay in. He turned, walking in the direction he was when he passed the bar, hoping to go through the village and get back on to the road on the other side.
After some time of walking, Vic began to get the feeling he was being watched... considering the emptiness of the streets, this felt odd. But the feeling persisted as he kept walking...
Eventually, he halted and turned around. Scanning the streets, he saw no one and nothing in sight... so he continued walking. After a few minutes, he suddenly ducked into a back alley and crouched down, watching the road for his follower...
Then, he heard a voice from the other side of the alley. "Well, this one seems to like to hang out in alleys, doesn't he, boys?"
Quickly turning around he saw the same gang he had barely escaped in Omashu. They appeared to have followed him all the way here...
"I think we still have something to settle between us, kid. And now there's no one to protect you..." With that last word, the leader slammed the ground, sending a fault line at Vic. V'icternus managed to divert it, then, while moving, drew his sword. The gang leader lifted up a rock wall, but, as it was rising, Vic stood on it and used the lift to launch himself upward, and came down with a slash...
The leader fell to the ground, his head cut in two, but still attached to his body.
"This time, I win." V'icternus said to the body... then, he looked up at the rest of the gang members. They were backing away, apparently unaware of who was in charge now. All at once, they turned and ran.
V'icternus wiped his bloody sword on his pants, and put it back in it's sheath.
He walked back onto the road and continued, eventually reaching the end of the large, yet strangely empty town. He was back where he always seemed to wind up, back on the road... still walking, and in his mind, running...
The next day, he arrived at a new town. This town was much smaller, and the people much happier. He walked down the main road, looking at everything around... then, saw a familiar looking house on the top of the hill upon which this town was based... that was when he realized where he was.
He was home.
