The city of Valm, a smaller city to be sure. Not quite as bustling as the main cities. But it had its charm. It was located a ways from the Capital, and was close to the shoreline. While it had a small port, the city itself did not have much trade aside from Fishing, though there were talks of trying to open up a mine near by to further expand on this.
The buildings and streets were made of quite beautiful looking white rock, due to the abundance of it along the cliffs near the shore, and many of the rocks protruding from the water were also this color. A few fabric tarps were also put around some of the buildings, mainly for decorations. But the sun did get quite brutal in the middle of summer, so it also acted as protection.
Today was a very very busy day, the streets were cramped pack today. An unexpected accident occurred on a boat and it had to divert itself to this port less it sink, and the passengers were not allowed to stay aboard the boat while it underwent its repairs. As such, it was quite noisy and crowded. Lots of shouting from people trying to talk or find one another, or merchants on the streets trying to get all these people's attention.
One man in particular however, seemed to be trying his hardest to yell the loudest out of everyone. It was actually quite amazing he had not lost his voice, or someone had not yelled at him to shut up. He was leaning against the wall of a building, next to a bakery of sorts that had a green tarp overtop the entrance of the doorway.
"COME ON PEOPLE! ARE YOU ALL REALLY THAT SCARED OF SOME OLD TOMB!?" the man yelled loudly. The man himself was tanned, and had very sharp cheekbones and a slightly longer nose than normal, he was balding on the top of his head, the rest of his hair grey at this point. He seemed to be in his late forties. He was in a brown leather over jacket with a white undershirt and some black pants and boots, the boots each had a silver buckle. The man also seemed to have had half of his right index finger cut off some time ago given how short it was. He would shake his head and laugh "FINE? HOW ABOUT FIVE HUNDRED GOLD PIECES TO HELP ME RECLAIM MY GRANDFATHER'S SWORD FROM AN ANCIENT CRYPT?!" he yelled out loud, shaking a coin purse around. Still, no one seemed interested in taking the job. The man frowned, and shook his head and put his hand to his chin. He began to think of other ways he could approach this... for some reason these people did not want five hundred? Five hundred gold pieces? Sure the Crypt was probably creepy, and perhaps might have a feral monster or two living in it. But he did not think everyone would be too much of a coward to help! Perhaps he had the wrong audience, he began to stretch his arms out, and was about ready to walk to another part of town and try there instead.
The buildings and streets were made of quite beautiful looking white rock, due to the abundance of it along the cliffs near the shore, and many of the rocks protruding from the water were also this color. A few fabric tarps were also put around some of the buildings, mainly for decorations. But the sun did get quite brutal in the middle of summer, so it also acted as protection.
Today was a very very busy day, the streets were cramped pack today. An unexpected accident occurred on a boat and it had to divert itself to this port less it sink, and the passengers were not allowed to stay aboard the boat while it underwent its repairs. As such, it was quite noisy and crowded. Lots of shouting from people trying to talk or find one another, or merchants on the streets trying to get all these people's attention.
One man in particular however, seemed to be trying his hardest to yell the loudest out of everyone. It was actually quite amazing he had not lost his voice, or someone had not yelled at him to shut up. He was leaning against the wall of a building, next to a bakery of sorts that had a green tarp overtop the entrance of the doorway.
"COME ON PEOPLE! ARE YOU ALL REALLY THAT SCARED OF SOME OLD TOMB!?" the man yelled loudly. The man himself was tanned, and had very sharp cheekbones and a slightly longer nose than normal, he was balding on the top of his head, the rest of his hair grey at this point. He seemed to be in his late forties. He was in a brown leather over jacket with a white undershirt and some black pants and boots, the boots each had a silver buckle. The man also seemed to have had half of his right index finger cut off some time ago given how short it was. He would shake his head and laugh "FINE? HOW ABOUT FIVE HUNDRED GOLD PIECES TO HELP ME RECLAIM MY GRANDFATHER'S SWORD FROM AN ANCIENT CRYPT?!" he yelled out loud, shaking a coin purse around. Still, no one seemed interested in taking the job. The man frowned, and shook his head and put his hand to his chin. He began to think of other ways he could approach this... for some reason these people did not want five hundred? Five hundred gold pieces? Sure the Crypt was probably creepy, and perhaps might have a feral monster or two living in it. But he did not think everyone would be too much of a coward to help! Perhaps he had the wrong audience, he began to stretch his arms out, and was about ready to walk to another part of town and try there instead.
Seated at one of the outer tables of one of the pubs nearby, a boy's ear would perk to pick out the man's voice over the sounds of the crowd. He was about 17 years of age or so, dressed in a leather cloak and a fair light green set of traveling clothes. At the moment his cloak's hood was drawn back to give him a bit of air from the heat, revealing a mid length crop of sandy blond hair and light blue eyes. An old rowan-oak staff leaned against the table besides him as he debated on calling the other man over here.
He'd been watching the crowd for awhile now, and sure he'd come here for work a few days ago. Originally it had been to see if he could help with the openings of the mine...but the people in charge of that project had foolishly turned him away for his young age. Preferring instead somebody with a broader body to that of one with a broader mind such as he. With a bit of magic he could have easily helped in clearing away some of the boulders and land they may need...but that was their loss...and now he needed to find a new source of employment if he wanted to keep up enough gold to keep him in his room at the Inn for another couple nights.
So normally this chance would seem fortuitous, almost as if planned by the fates themselves. However being out on his own so long, Lux had learned that often when things appeared too good to be true...they were, and he had a funny feeling about this one.
still, with his wallet depleting as it was and his plans a bust, he couldn't really afford to be picky at the moment. So wrapping the tip of his staff several times against the ground at his feet in a loud knocking manner, he called out to get the man's attention, "oi, over here! Come take a seat with me, I'll listen to your proposition mate"
He'd been watching the crowd for awhile now, and sure he'd come here for work a few days ago. Originally it had been to see if he could help with the openings of the mine...but the people in charge of that project had foolishly turned him away for his young age. Preferring instead somebody with a broader body to that of one with a broader mind such as he. With a bit of magic he could have easily helped in clearing away some of the boulders and land they may need...but that was their loss...and now he needed to find a new source of employment if he wanted to keep up enough gold to keep him in his room at the Inn for another couple nights.
So normally this chance would seem fortuitous, almost as if planned by the fates themselves. However being out on his own so long, Lux had learned that often when things appeared too good to be true...they were, and he had a funny feeling about this one.
still, with his wallet depleting as it was and his plans a bust, he couldn't really afford to be picky at the moment. So wrapping the tip of his staff several times against the ground at his feet in a loud knocking manner, he called out to get the man's attention, "oi, over here! Come take a seat with me, I'll listen to your proposition mate"
The man's brow would perk as he took a glance over at the pub, looking around for the source of the loud knocking sound, a few others glanced over as well but quickly went back to what they were doing. The man kept looking for who had just knocked,. He then saw Lux who had just said he'd listen to his proposition. He put his hand to his chin, and began to stroke it as he looked the boy up and and down. He seemed to be thinking, he then looked to the boy's staff and he slowly nodded. Perhaps the kid was weak looking physically, but the staff reminded him of magic. And someone as young as him had to have some means of self defense.
The man would then walk over to the pub, keeping his gaze on the boy. He then pulled out a chair and he sat down with an 'oof' sound and he put his hands together and rested his elbows on the table "'Ello there" he said calmly, quite the contrast to his loud tone from before. He would look over at one of the staff, a woman who seemed to be about twenty, and had long dark red hair that was currently put up into a ponytail. She had a brown skirt that went to her kneecaps, she also had a brown shirt on with a white apron ontop of that. The man scoffed "Hay, when your not busy, can you get me some Mead?" he said and he then folded his arms "And I have been here before, I don't want that cheap stuff! I know the good stuff is under the bar counter" he said in a slightly stern tone. The woman slowly nodded and then walked off.
The man would then turn to Lux and he would chuckle a little as he leaned back "Ya know, kid. Normally I wouldn't even think of takin' someone as scrawny lookin' and young as ya" he said and he then stretched his arms out, and sat upright more and he folded his arms "However, I ain't no fool... And I know looks can be deceiving, and you would not offer to help if ya were some helpless kid." he said with a slightly smug look and he leaned forward a little "So, before we get started...I wannna know..." he said and he chuckled a little "...What kinda talents do ya have?" he asked as he cocked an eyebrow, giving him a very curious look.
The man would then walk over to the pub, keeping his gaze on the boy. He then pulled out a chair and he sat down with an 'oof' sound and he put his hands together and rested his elbows on the table "'Ello there" he said calmly, quite the contrast to his loud tone from before. He would look over at one of the staff, a woman who seemed to be about twenty, and had long dark red hair that was currently put up into a ponytail. She had a brown skirt that went to her kneecaps, she also had a brown shirt on with a white apron ontop of that. The man scoffed "Hay, when your not busy, can you get me some Mead?" he said and he then folded his arms "And I have been here before, I don't want that cheap stuff! I know the good stuff is under the bar counter" he said in a slightly stern tone. The woman slowly nodded and then walked off.
The man would then turn to Lux and he would chuckle a little as he leaned back "Ya know, kid. Normally I wouldn't even think of takin' someone as scrawny lookin' and young as ya" he said and he then stretched his arms out, and sat upright more and he folded his arms "However, I ain't no fool... And I know looks can be deceiving, and you would not offer to help if ya were some helpless kid." he said with a slightly smug look and he leaned forward a little "So, before we get started...I wannna know..." he said and he chuckled a little "...What kinda talents do ya have?" he asked as he cocked an eyebrow, giving him a very curious look.
Lux gave an equal smirk back, this old man had a bit of style and he liked how he didn't seem to be quite the fool as others he had come across lately. "For free, I'll tell you my talents are good enough" Lux replied confidently, "but since I like you, I'll go into more detail and tell you I specialize in elemental summoning magic, and I diable in incantations a bit as well"
In all honesty, while yes Lux had a bit of a gift for summoning magic, his incantations were something he was still working on. He knew when it came to jobs though, with his less than imposing physical form he needed to sell himself a bit, so sometimes fluff was required.
"In all importance though, lets talk the details of the job, and more importantly...the pay. I heard you mention five hundred gold pieces? Whatever it is, you either want it quite badly or it's dangerous....but likely both"
In all honesty, while yes Lux had a bit of a gift for summoning magic, his incantations were something he was still working on. He knew when it came to jobs though, with his less than imposing physical form he needed to sell himself a bit, so sometimes fluff was required.
"In all importance though, lets talk the details of the job, and more importantly...the pay. I heard you mention five hundred gold pieces? Whatever it is, you either want it quite badly or it's dangerous....but likely both"
The man would scoff a little when he started out, though it was not in rude way. More of an amused tone. He would fold his arms and begin to laugh a little when Lux had said all that, and he leaned back in his chair "I like your attitude, kid!" he mused as the girl brought him a bottle of ale over and he nodded to the lady as he looked back to the kid.
He would pull the cork out with with little effort, and he took a swig from the bottle and cocked an eyebrow as he did so when Lux mentioned the money rewarded for the sword. He would nod and put the bottle down, and fold his arms "Well, the danger would most likely be some feral monsters who decided to make the crypt their home." he said and he took another swig from it, and cleared his throat and set it back down. "The... sword is valuable to me. Passed down for generations ya'see" he said and he chuckled a little "Made from some kind'a ore, not easily found." he said and he thought for a moment "It... looks kinda like Obsidian, and the strength of steel. Lightweight too" he said and he laughed a little and he shook his head "If that sounds crazy, you would not be the only one to think so." he mused and he leaned forward and put his arms on the table and he began to talk quieter, hopefully so only they would be the ones to see it.
"According to my ol' late grandfather's journal, he took it to be analyzed by some, kind of Archmage ya see" he said and took another, bigger swig from his bottle and chuckled "And apparently, accordin to the journal, the Archmage claimed the sword's elements were not of this realm" he said and began to laugh a little "My grandfather never believed it, neither did I! Crazy talk it is." he mused and he then shook his head "But enough of that" he said in his normal tone, slightly rough sounding now. "The crypt is about three days away, so if five hundred works for ya, we can get movin as soon as your ready" he said as he leaned back some more in his chair with a raised eyebrow.
He would pull the cork out with with little effort, and he took a swig from the bottle and cocked an eyebrow as he did so when Lux mentioned the money rewarded for the sword. He would nod and put the bottle down, and fold his arms "Well, the danger would most likely be some feral monsters who decided to make the crypt their home." he said and he took another swig from it, and cleared his throat and set it back down. "The... sword is valuable to me. Passed down for generations ya'see" he said and he chuckled a little "Made from some kind'a ore, not easily found." he said and he thought for a moment "It... looks kinda like Obsidian, and the strength of steel. Lightweight too" he said and he laughed a little and he shook his head "If that sounds crazy, you would not be the only one to think so." he mused and he leaned forward and put his arms on the table and he began to talk quieter, hopefully so only they would be the ones to see it.
"According to my ol' late grandfather's journal, he took it to be analyzed by some, kind of Archmage ya see" he said and took another, bigger swig from his bottle and chuckled "And apparently, accordin to the journal, the Archmage claimed the sword's elements were not of this realm" he said and began to laugh a little "My grandfather never believed it, neither did I! Crazy talk it is." he mused and he then shook his head "But enough of that" he said in his normal tone, slightly rough sounding now. "The crypt is about three days away, so if five hundred works for ya, we can get movin as soon as your ready" he said as he leaned back some more in his chair with a raised eyebrow.
"we?" Suddenly the price tag made a bit more sense, Lux had been expecting to go this one alone, but if he had to protect the man too....the price made a little more sense "How well can you handle yourself in a fight? So I know how much of my focus should be on defensive techniques"
"oh and since your information is from a journal, if we get there and the sword was already looted by somebody else, I'll still want compensation for my time"
The boy took a sip of his own drink, washing it down his throat a bit as he considered the journey ahead "If that sounds good, then yeah we can set out tomorow about an hour after dawn. That'll give me enough time to get some supplies I'll need together"
"oh and since your information is from a journal, if we get there and the sword was already looted by somebody else, I'll still want compensation for my time"
The boy took a sip of his own drink, washing it down his throat a bit as he considered the journey ahead "If that sounds good, then yeah we can set out tomorow about an hour after dawn. That'll give me enough time to get some supplies I'll need together"
The man would chuckle a little at his reaction "Oh yes, I suppose I'd forgotten to mention we'd be going together, I apologize for that" He would say in a neutral tone and he would fold his arms and cock an eyebrow when he asked that, and he chuckled "Well, I am actually quite the renown Swords man" he mused, and he then sighed and rubbed the back of his head and closed one eye "Er, I suppose 'was' a renown swordsman, I am older now than I was back then... I tire easily now. So, assuming there are not that many enemies. I should be able to handle myself decently" he mused and he took a gulp of his drink now and he cleared his throat again.
He would cock an eyebrow and laugh a little from that comment. He would then shake his head "Sheesh kid, you are worse than some of the traders around here!" he would say in a joking tone as he stretched in the chair "But yes, you will still be paid." he would say as he finished off his drink and he set the bottle down on the table and he wiped his lips with his arm sleeve.
The man would stand after he said that, and he nodded "Alright, I'll meet you by the Eastern gate an hour after dawn." he would say as he began to walk away, but he would then turn and look to Lux and chuckle "By the way, name's Henry. And yours is?" he asked curiously as he cocked his left eyebrow. He wanted to know the name of his traveling companion, it make conversations less awkward he felt. And might help strengthen trust.
He would cock an eyebrow and laugh a little from that comment. He would then shake his head "Sheesh kid, you are worse than some of the traders around here!" he would say in a joking tone as he stretched in the chair "But yes, you will still be paid." he would say as he finished off his drink and he set the bottle down on the table and he wiped his lips with his arm sleeve.
The man would stand after he said that, and he nodded "Alright, I'll meet you by the Eastern gate an hour after dawn." he would say as he began to walk away, but he would then turn and look to Lux and chuckle "By the way, name's Henry. And yours is?" he asked curiously as he cocked his left eyebrow. He wanted to know the name of his traveling companion, it make conversations less awkward he felt. And might help strengthen trust.
the boy pushed in his chair, and left a few coins on the table for his own drink. Before adjusting a small satchel and turning back towards the man
"Call me Lux. See you tomorrow Henry, bright and early"
If the old man was really as good as he said he was long ago, this should be a very interesting and educational journey. Waving him off and disappearing off into the crowd, lux went to gather supplies for the trip ahead. Both of the magical variety, and the mundane sort they would need for traveling
"Call me Lux. See you tomorrow Henry, bright and early"
If the old man was really as good as he said he was long ago, this should be a very interesting and educational journey. Waving him off and disappearing off into the crowd, lux went to gather supplies for the trip ahead. Both of the magical variety, and the mundane sort they would need for traveling
Henry would chuckle and nod "Alright Lex, I'll see you tomorrow then" He mused as he turned and left to get himself ready for tomorrow as well. Mainly basic things like his own food and water, but also got a few basic supplies to set up a small tent in case it rained.
The next day, Henry was there bright and early. In the same attire as yesterday, only difference was now he had a steel sword on his belt and a backpack and satchel of his own. He was waiting by the gate, which was made of the same white stone as the rest of the town. This whole wall took almost a hundred years to make! Mining all the stone, cutting it out took time, but mainly the major setbacks and a large protest of the stone mining work conditions set the project back a long way. But it was done now, had been for quite some time.
Henry would look at the sunrise, and tap his foot as if to keep the time. He was early, he knew that it still be about fifteen minutes until it was an hour past dawn. He would yawn a little, still a bit tired from waking up so early, and he would put his hands in his pockets as he waited.
The next day, Henry was there bright and early. In the same attire as yesterday, only difference was now he had a steel sword on his belt and a backpack and satchel of his own. He was waiting by the gate, which was made of the same white stone as the rest of the town. This whole wall took almost a hundred years to make! Mining all the stone, cutting it out took time, but mainly the major setbacks and a large protest of the stone mining work conditions set the project back a long way. But it was done now, had been for quite some time.
Henry would look at the sunrise, and tap his foot as if to keep the time. He was early, he knew that it still be about fifteen minutes until it was an hour past dawn. He would yawn a little, still a bit tired from waking up so early, and he would put his hands in his pockets as he waited.
Just shy of the determined meeting time, the boy would stroll up. A chipper step to his walk as he anticipated getting back on the road. As entertaining as this town had been, and as much as he loved this area...he was beginning to feel as if his opportunities were starting to run dry here, so he welcomed the change of pace.
Lux too was in the same outfit as before, traveling cloak, satchel, and staff all visible on his person, but with his own pack on his back as well now. The size of it appeared slightly too big and overstuffed for the boy, but he didn't seemed too hindered by that fact as he strode up to the other man with a smile on his face.
"so it would seem I found a traveling partner even more punctual for myself. You really must be quite eager for this expedition....well then no sense in keeping you waiting, Let's get a move on. You can start telling me about the crypt as we walk"
Lux too was in the same outfit as before, traveling cloak, satchel, and staff all visible on his person, but with his own pack on his back as well now. The size of it appeared slightly too big and overstuffed for the boy, but he didn't seemed too hindered by that fact as he strode up to the other man with a smile on his face.
"so it would seem I found a traveling partner even more punctual for myself. You really must be quite eager for this expedition....well then no sense in keeping you waiting, Let's get a move on. You can start telling me about the crypt as we walk"
The man would look over at Lux as he walked over, eyeing him up and down before slowly nodding to himself.
When Lux came over and commented on him being up so early, he began to laugh a little "I hate being late! So I normally try to be as early as possible!" he mused as he readjusted his backpack. And he turned around "Right, then let us be off!" he said as he turned around and began to walk.
After about two minutes of walking, Henry finally began to speak about the crypt "From what I have gathered, the crypt is where a lot of the local town's heroes are buried. My grand father was buried because he had saved four of the town's caravans from bandits, and he also helped on a relief mission when the town flooded way back then, he saved a lot of people and even helped to rebuild once the waters had subsided." They would then make a sharp right down a path, leading towards a calm forest filled with lots of green trees. "He died when he was jumped on the road by some vengeful bandits, he killed them all... but his wounds were too severe. He died about two months before my father was born" he said, and then laughed a little.
"Turns out my grandmother had been woo'd by him, and they uhh... 'got to know each other for the night' as it were. Apparently she got pregnant with my father." he said and he stretched his arms out a little with a yawn, sounding a little tired due to how early it still was. "That is why the sword has been gone for so long. My father and Grandmother had no clue it existed, not until we were sent his journal by someone" he said as he looked about the woods, taking the sights in as they travel. "We don't know who... they left no name. We simply... got it in the mail one day"
When Lux came over and commented on him being up so early, he began to laugh a little "I hate being late! So I normally try to be as early as possible!" he mused as he readjusted his backpack. And he turned around "Right, then let us be off!" he said as he turned around and began to walk.
After about two minutes of walking, Henry finally began to speak about the crypt "From what I have gathered, the crypt is where a lot of the local town's heroes are buried. My grand father was buried because he had saved four of the town's caravans from bandits, and he also helped on a relief mission when the town flooded way back then, he saved a lot of people and even helped to rebuild once the waters had subsided." They would then make a sharp right down a path, leading towards a calm forest filled with lots of green trees. "He died when he was jumped on the road by some vengeful bandits, he killed them all... but his wounds were too severe. He died about two months before my father was born" he said, and then laughed a little.
"Turns out my grandmother had been woo'd by him, and they uhh... 'got to know each other for the night' as it were. Apparently she got pregnant with my father." he said and he stretched his arms out a little with a yawn, sounding a little tired due to how early it still was. "That is why the sword has been gone for so long. My father and Grandmother had no clue it existed, not until we were sent his journal by someone" he said as he looked about the woods, taking the sights in as they travel. "We don't know who... they left no name. We simply... got it in the mail one day"
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