Miletus Roleplay

Darast rode his horse northward across the Great Plain. The area was barren; just dirt and rocks as far as the eye could see. There was a story that a battle among dragons was the reason why the plain looked as it did, but no one knew for sure anymore. However, it was still told that the plain was bad luck, and that people should stay away. He had Bahamut to protect him, though, so he wasn’t afraid of some bad luck.

Thus, Darast was, for all intents and purposes, completely alone. He almost wished Carlon was with him; at least he’d have someone to talk to instead of being stuck with his own thoughts. Heading to Malar brought back so many memories, and he wasn’t even sure if he was mentally ready to come back. But it was Bahamut’s will, so he had to go.

All he knew about the Malar-Arachen War was that it had ended in a draw. He didn’t know how any of his friends and comrades had made out. Were any of them still alive? Would he see them as he got closer to Malar? He kind of hoped he wouldn’t; they were a part of his old life, and that belonged in the past.

As he rode, he thought he saw movement up ahead. He slowed his horse and got closer, until he could tell that there were two figures. One seemed to be a young boy, and the other was a goblin. The boy had a stick that he was using to protect himself, but it was no match for the goblin’s morningstar. The stick was easily snapped, and the weapon made contact with the boy’s arm, knocking him down.

Darast dismounted and drew his sword and shield; the goblin heard him and turned around. Darast took the first move, running at the goblin and swinging at it, but the goblin hopped out of the way. Darast was now positioned in front of the boy and saw his arm was bleeding.

“I’ll take care of this pest and then I’ll fix you up, okay?” he said. The boy nodded and stayed where he was.

The goblin then lunged at Darast and swung its morningstar, but he easily blocked it with his shield. He quickly struck at it as it tried to get back in position and his sword ripped through what little armour it was wearing, giving it a good gash across its midsection. The creature howled in fury and struck back, hitting Darast on the thigh with a great swing of its weapon. Darast stumbled backward, clenching his teeth at the pain.

He recollected himself and went after the goblin, but it blocked his sword with its morningstar. The battle went back and forth with each able to block and dodge the other’s attack. Darast took another hit, but used that moment to impale the goblin while it was open.

He pulled his sword out of the goblin’s throat and the creature collapsed. He wiped its blood from his weapon with the hem of his shirt and sheathed it. He then turned to the boy, who had stayed put through the whole thing. Darast figured he couldn’t be more than ten years old.

“Th-that was awesome!” the boy exclaimed.

Darast bent down next to the boy and said, “Only doin’ my duty.” He checked out the arm; it didn’t look too bad. “So why’re you out here by yourself?”

“I was travellin’ with my mom, and she wouldn’t let me see the Great Plain, so I ran away,” the boy replied, sounding almost triumphant.

“Ya shouldn’t be doing stuff like that. Ya could’ve been hurt way worse.” Darast stood. “Tell you what. I’ll take ya back to your mom if ya promise not to do somethin’ like this again.”

The boy stood as well and rubbed his arm. “Okay…”

Darast led the boy back to his horse, which was still standing where he’d left it. Although this wasn’t his Paladin mount, he wasn’t strong enough to get one of those yet, this horse listened to him pretty well. He helped the boy up and climbed on behind him, then started the horse forward and tended to the boy’s arm.

Chazz finally arrived on the outskirts of the city of Orios. Based on the information he was given, he wouldn’t need to go far to find his target. He walked around nonchalantly, not making it obvious that he had been sent on a mission. After a few minutes, Chazz spotted a secluded, abandoned shack; its location and appearance seemed to fit the description.

Chazz approached the shack and carefully peered in a window. A man was sitting inside and Chazz recognized him immediately; he had found the right place. Chazz had worked with him a couple of times for some non-solo missions, but just recently, this guy had decided that he wanted out and fled. Chazz thought it was a pretty stupid idea, since the guy must have known that he knew too much to go free.

Flattening himself against the wall of the shack, Chazz inched toward the open door. In one quick motion, he drew his rapier and lunged inside at the man, completely unheard. Unfortunately, he missed his target. The man turned and saw him.

“So they sent you after me, huh?” he drew his dagger and smirked. “You’re getting sloppy.”

Chazz attacked again, but the man blocked and attacked. Chazz dodged him easily and stabbed him in the arm. The man grunted and attacked, but couldn’t land a hit. After some more dodged attacks on both sides, Chazz saw an opening and stabbed the man in the chest.

“I think you’re the one who got sloppy,” Chazz said coldly.

The man, not far from death, continued to attack and miss in an angry frenzy. Chazz kept dodging, and when he tried to attack the man managed to dodge. After some tense fighting, Chazz was able to get the man against a wall and stab him between the eyes, killing him instantly. After he pulled the rapier out, the man fell limply to the floor. Chazz looked around for a way to hide the body, and saw an empty chest. He put the body in it and locked it with the key that was sitting nearby, and slipped the key into his pocket. Before leaving, Chazz took a quick look around for anything worth looting, but it seemed the man had nothing.

It was Casimir’s least favourite day of the week; shopping day. Even though his mother’s passing had taken her oppressive rules with her, Casimir seldom left the house. She had instilled a strong fear of the outside world in him and it continued to linger. As much as he enjoyed his ability to use magic, he wished that he wasn’t a sorcerer. That way, he wouldn’t have to live like this. In Casimir’s mind, sorcerers were hunted like animals and more reviled than thieves. In actuality, sorcerers faced no real social stigma but Casimir was unaware of that fact. For that reason, shopping day was like trekking through enemy territory for the boy. By now he’d noticed that most people left him alone, but he could only assume that was because they didn’t know what he was. For that reason, he always carried his short spear on his person in public. He never knew when he’d have to defend himself.

He made it to the market without a hitch, purchasing bread, milk, potatoes, carrots and apples. He wasn’t much of a cook, so he tended to buy food that required little to no preparation. He handed over the money, thanked the shopkeeper and left the store with his food. He was more than ready to go home.

Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. While being a sorcerer didn’t actually make him a target, having money certainly did. It was apparent from his clothing that he was not impoverished and before he even knew what was happening, a shabbily dressed man ran at him. Casimir turned and ran as fast as he could. The man was directly behind him and Casimir could hear him catching up. He drew in a breath and charged ahead.

The thug chased him down an alley. At this point, it was becoming apparent that he wasn’t going to relent until he got his hands on Casimir. Instinct kicked in and he drew his spear, thrusting it at the man. His hands were trembling and he missed his target. The man grinned cruelly at him, drawing a dagger with a jagged blade. “It’ll be a privilege to wreck that pretty face o’ yours,” he jeered.

Casimir’s eyes widened and he felt like his heart stopped beating. “N-n-!”

The man stepped closer and Casimir automatically started chanting an incantation in a shaking voice. This was his only chance to escape; if he failed here, he’d be killed. His hands were trembling but he managed to make the appropriate gestures to cast the sleep spell, only vaguely aware of his bag softly hitting the ground next to him. The man stopped in his tracks, loosening his grip on the dagger. It fell from his hand, clattering on the cobblestone. The man soon followed, collapsing to the ground in a deep sleep.

Once he was certain his assailant was asleep, Casimir wasted little time in carefully stepping over his body and bolting from the alley. He didn’t stop running until he was several meters away. After taking a moment to catch his breath and compose himself, he glanced around at his surroundings. Nothing was familiar. He hid his face in his hands, feeling like he could cry. He just wanted to go home; it didn’t seem like too much to ask. Heaving a flustered sigh, he set off in what he thought was the direction he’d been chased from.

Chazz left the shack and turned to leave the city when he heard a voice whispering to him. He turned toward an alley and saw a familiar young man. He was a fairly new recruit that Chazz had been ordered to train occasionally. Chazz walked over to him.

"What are you doing here?" Chazz asked, folding his arms.

"Well... I was supposed to go join the Malar branch," the guy explained. "But I can't find it..."

Chazz raised his eyebrows. It was surprising that such a new recruit would be sent to the newest and most top-secret branch, which was based near Malar castle. When the young recruit said he couldn't find it, Chazz could only facepalm.

"That's because you're in Orios right now," he explained matter-of-factly. "Ugh, what were they thinking when they chose such an idiot-"

"Hey!" the guy said indignantly. "I don't care what you think, that's where I'm supposed to be going! See? I have clearance!"

He held out a paper, which Chazz recognized immediately as written clearance from the boss himself.

"Fine!" Chazz sighed. "I'll give you directions. It's not easy to find, but I'm not repeating myself so listen up."

The guy nodded and Chazz gave clear instructions on how to find the secret base, and how to get inside.

Casimir wandered through the streets, looking around for anything familiar. His bag felt like it was getting heavier by the minute. He didn't really know much about deities, but at the moment he was begging every single one of them to help him get home. He was still shaken from the attack and didn't feel like being out here anymore. All he wanted was to lock himself in his home, eat dinner and go to bed.

The more upset he got, the less attention he was able to pay to his surroundings. As he walked past an alley, he heard a man giving directions to someone. This guy seemed like he knew his way around; Casimir figured it wouldn't hurt to ask him. He waited by the entrance of the alley for the man currently receiving directions to leave.

Chazz finished giving the directions, and the guy nodded.

"All right, let me make sure I got this straight," the recruit began to repeat them, but Chazz became aware of someone standing at the end of the alley.

"Stop," Chazz hissed quietly and the guy did so, but was confused. He tried to speak, but Chazz didn't let him. "Just get going, quickly."

The recruit nodded and left the alley, brushing past Casimir as he went. Chazz turned to face the boy, who appeared to have been able to hear more than enough. Damn, that was careless. I can't let him go, but killing him here is too risky.

He walked over to Casimir. "Can I help you?"

Casimir managed to offer the man a shaky smile when he approached. This man was his best shot at getting home. He straightened his back and made a conscious effort to speak calmly, trying to make it seem like he wasn't distressed.

"I just need some directions. You seem to be familiar with the kingdom, so I was wondering if you could please direct me toward the residential area in the west end of the city?"

There was no way he was going to admit that he couldn't even find his own home; that would be humiliating.

Chazz put on a friendly smile, though he was relieved more than anything. That kid had obviously heard the conversation, but didn't seem concerned at all about it. He even seemed to trust Chazz to some extent. He got the feeling that the kid was a bit naive.

"Hm, it would probably be easier for me to show you," Chazz said, beginning to walk. "Follow me."

He hoped he could fool the kid until they got out of the city or at least on the outskirts, where there were fewer witnesses.

It took a little while before Darast and the boy made it off the Great Plain. The boy pointed him in the direction he and his mother had been travelling, which turned out to be in the direction of Malar. Pretty convenient, anyway.

It didn't take long for them to find her, she hadn't gone far and she was pretty distraught. Darast stopped the horse near her and helped her son down. He then got down as well, being careful with his injured leg.

"Oh! My son! You found him!" the mother exclaimed. She hugged the boy tightly, as if trying to stop him from running away again. "How can I ever repay you?"

Darast shook his head. "I don't need any payment. Seein' you both happy is all I need. Good day to both of ya."

He remounted his horse and stayed near the pair for a while before heading off. It always made him feel good helping out people like them. A few injuries didn't bother him for that. But he now had to press onward; the Kingdom of Malar was close and he wanted to find an inn to stay at.

Casimir's face brightened at the prospect of finally getting home. His feet were starting to hurt on top of everything else. "Thank you so much, I greatly appreciate it," he said, remembering his manners. Something about the man looked a bit unusual, but Casimir didn't really think that much of it.

He tightened his grip on his bag and followed the man closely, looking over his shoulder every so often for attackers. He pondered small talk in his head, not wanting to give this person too much information about himself, just in case he was one of those people his mother warned him about.

"Are you from the city?"

As he led Cas toward the most convenient exit of the city, Chazz wondered when he'd clue in that they weren't going near the residential area at all. It was a good way to test just how naive this kid was.

"Yes, originally," Chazz lied. "But I've been away for a long time."

If the kid did start cluing in soon, Chazz could just tell him that it had been so long that he got confused, and then lead him toward a different exit.

Casimir nodded. "I see. Well, you seem to know your way around better than I do." After all, he hadn't even remotely understood the directions the man had been giving that other guy; none of the landmarks sounded familiar to him. It was embarrassing.

The exit was just ahead and, as Chazz had predicted, nobody seemed to be around this particular area. Chazz listened to the kid's footsteps behind him; he had to be ready to grab him if he started running away. Chazz reached the exit and continued walking, anticipating a response from the kid at any moment.

"Um... you just left the city. We need to turn around."

The man had said that he hadn't been here in a while; it was probably a mistake.

"Come on," he said, starting to turn back.

Chazz heard the shift in Casimir's footsteps, and turned around.

"Oh, I'm going the right way," Chazz said, and then quickly reached out and grabbed the kid. One arm was around his torso and the other covered his mouth. He pulled him well off the path and into the cover of some trees. Chazz took a look around, making sure there was nobody nearby. He shifted his grip so that he was holding onto Casimir's arm with one hand, and he began to draw his rapier with the free hand.

Casimir was shocked when the man grabbed him. He tried to yell for help, but Chazz was too quick; his hand was clamped over Casimir's mouth, muffling the boy's protests. Casimir attempted to wrench his arm free, planning on running away. However, he caught the glint of the rapier out of the corner of his eye. If it hadn't been for the earlier situation, he would have crumbled, but he figured he could repeat what he had done with the thug. He began to chant the sleep spell again, gesturing with his free hand.

Chazz was about to attack when he heard the kid start chanting and saw his hand gestures. From his experience, he recognized it as a sleep spell. He didn't need to worry about it, but the fact that this kid was a sorcerer possibly made him more valuable alive than dead. The last sorcerer they had sold as a slave made them a very respectable profit.

"So you can use magic?" Chazz asked, putting his rapier away. "All right, listen to me. If you come with me quietly and peacefully, I'll let you live."

He still gripped Casimir's arm tightly, his other hand not far from his rapier.

The spell didn't succeed, but Casimir chalked that up to him only having one hand free. He couldn't properly complete the gestures. Still, it looked as though he had cast it, so he was confused. However, he was too terrified to consider it too deeply.

Casimir flinched when he heard Chazz ask him if he could use magic. In his worldview, that was a sure sign of danger. He was completely surprised that the man ended up putting his weapon away rather than killing him. "Y-yes..." he nodded, biting his lips. His entire body was shaking with fear. "Wh-where... are we going...?"

Casimir just wanted to go home.

"You don't need to know," Chazz replied. His original plan had been to just kill the kid and continue with his business, but now it seemed he would need to take a detour. The best idea would probably be to take him to the nearest base, which was the secret Malar base. Chazz had clearance, but he would need to be very careful not to draw any attention to himself.

"We are going to stay off the path, but if we should meet anyone, you are to stay silent and calm. Understood?" Still holding Casimir by the arm, Chazz began to walk.

Darast rode on past the villages which surrounded Orios. He recognized each one as he went by; he'd been to all of them as a kid many times. At first he had wanted to stop and seek out an inn in one of them, but he figured it would be better not to. He was supposed to be going to Orios and was not to be led astray.

He couldn't see Orios yet, but he knew it should be only a few more hours until he made it there. He rubbed the injury on his thigh, it didn't hurt as bad as before, but it was still uncomfortable. Riding on a horse for hours didn't help.

He then ran his hand through the horse's mane and assured it they would be reaching their destination soon.

Swallowing, Casimir could only nod. "A-alright-" he whispered. Obviously, Chazz had an ulterior motive and Casimir had a feeling his life would end at this man's hands. Then again, Chazz hadn't killed him yet and he'd had ample opportunity. Maybe he just wants to torture me first...

His entire body was shaking as they were walking. How the hell was he supposed to look calm? Silent wouldn't be a problem, as he felt like his heart was caught in his throat. He probably wouldn't be able to speak clearly if he tried. Casimir avoided looking at Chazz as they walked, keeping his wide eyed gaze straight ahead of him.

Chazz continued to walk off the path, weaving through what trees there were. He was glad that the kid wasn't resisting, but he really needed to start acting a bit more natural. It would be fine as long as they didn't run into anybody, he supposed. Unfortunately, it seemed that nothing about this trip was going to be easy - somebody happened to be up ahead, right in their path. Chazz sighed and stopped walking, letting go of Casimir's arm.

"Listen," he began. "There's somebody up ahead, and we're going to slip by while appearing as natural as possible. That means you have to get that look off your face. Just walk next to me and don't look at the person."

Chazz began to walk again, looking straight ahead calmly as he neared the person.

Casimir nodded obediently; what else could he do? He tried to keep his attention focused on the ground, but the old man's voice made him jump.

"Casimir? Casimir, is that you? Oh my gods, it IS you! I haven't seen you in a good five years!"

"Ah... Mr. Bobdion. It... it has been a while-" Casimir lifted his gaze to meet the old man's. The man was squinting and grinning joyously, as though he'd uncovered gold. Casimir wasn't sure why; he was a recently retired vegetable merchant who needed a cane to get around. What did he have to smile about? Regardless, Casimir would have been ecstatic to see a familiar face if he didn't have the devil himself behind him. He knew Chazz would kill him or at least severely harm him if he risked asking Mr. Bobdion for help. The frustration was building inside of him and he felt tears filling his eyes. Embarrassed, he furiously blinked them back. There was no way in hell Chazz was going to see him in such a state.

"Shy as ever, I see! What brings you here! This is quite a ways off the beaten path. It's not unusual for a plant enthusiast such as myself to be here, but you never did strike me as the outdoors type."

"I'm... I'm on a... walk. With my friend. Ralph." Casimir didn't know his kidnapper's name and to him, the guy looked like a Ralph.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Ralph!" said Mr. Bobdion before turning his attention to Casimir, his expression suddenly grave. "I heard about your mother; my sincerest condolences..."

Casimir swallowed, nodding. "Thank you..." He was fidgeting, but he couldn't help it. This whole situation was awkward and uncomfortable and he just wanted to be home.

"Oh, Ralph! Look at that mushroom by your foot!" Mr. Bobdion pointed at a red and yellow mushroom. "That's a beauty..."

He knelt down to examine the mushroom further and Casimir cast a decidedly miserable and impatient glance at Chazz, wanting to get moving again. Being around the old man was just upsetting when he knew no one could help him.

When the old man recognized the kid, Chazz didn't know how it would end up. He looked at each of them, thinking of the quickest way to kill both of them. This kid was proving to be troublesome, and Chazz wasn't about to take too many unnecessary risks just for him. However, it turned out that the kid was able to think on his feet somewhat and the old man was incredibly gullible. Chazz decided that it would be safe to let him go.

"Ah, it certainly is. Good thing I didn't step on it," Chazz responded pleasantly, feigning interest. "It was a pleasure meeting you sir, but we really must be going. Good day to you."

Chazz continued on, hoping to lose the old man while he was distracted by the mushroom. It seemed to work, and once there was enough distance between them, he grabbed Casimir's arm again.

"I suppose you did well enough. Hopefully everyone is as gullible and simple as him."

Casimir heaved an obviously irritated sigh when Chazz grabbed his arm. He was tired, hungry, scared and wanted to go home. He'd reached the point where every little thing made him want to punch someone. Unfortunately, Chazz was his only target and he didn't want to hit anyone who could kill him. "Why do you keep doing that?" he griped. "I won't run away, it's not like I have a death wish."

He knew he should have kept his mouth shut around this guy, but he couldn't help himself. He was in a terrible mood and had to take it out somewhere.