A Desert Conundrum

A Desert Conundrum
Date of Scene:	01 January 2013
Location:	Rabanastre
Synopsis:	Angantyr is offered a job, but gets more than he bargained for.
Cast of Characters:	Mysterious Person, Angantyr Vespar

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Angantyr Vespar has posed:
Normal food.

Angantyr forgotten how good it tastes. Even the crappy little booths, the premade desert food...even with the little sand on it. GOD...just...it was so delicious. Finishing another gutfull, he walks into the market place. The armor covering most of his body and the once lost mace was on his back. He reaches for his Ma Belle, looking over it's calender...god, he was pretty much screwed catching up in the Hunter ranks for a while, he'll have to go after some S ranks for a bit to catch up.

But...the feeling, everything around him. Everything he took for granted...he paused, coming up to the walkway that bridged over the merchant quarters and looked down, watching people move about their buisness for a bit. It was...he scoffed at himself for a moment. Turning away, he shook his head, walking back down to the normal market place. If he was being so setimental about this...god help him if he were to find a beach right now.

Mysterious Person has posed:
This one. This one was one that had turned Avira back into a human - or was tentatively related to those circumstances. The Gaudium Lords had a tendency to 'watch', or have little puppets to do their watching for them. Not too long ago, they'd tried to 'acquire' Avira, as to keep Skoll further in check. Maybe this man could be used to control Avira /otherwise/. Two degrees of seperation, it was all still good...

"Excuse me, young man." There's a voice soon near him, a brown robed woman reaching out to his shoulders in order to get his attention. "Could you tell me where I could find a man named 'Angantyr'? I hear he's around here, and I'm looking for him."

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
Angantyr sniffs, he doesn't turn when the hand touches his shoulder. He turns, slowly, to face her, and keeps his arms at his sides as he looks down at her. Even though not a horrible mutant monster, he is still a bear of a man. His head cocks to the side, considering her for a moment...there is darkness, but it seems to be...

Nevermind. "Yes, I am Angantyr, the Mercinary. Are you looking for a Mercinary? My rates are not cheap, but you'll get the best service I can muster if you can pay the price." he says, keeping himself in a netural stance.

Those that know Angantyr know better than to think he is at all relaxed. He's like a coiled spring, ready to strike of he needs to.

Mysterious Person has posed:
But this woman /doesn't/ know Angantyr. All she knows is about his remote involvement with this 'mess' that needs cleaning up. "Ah yes... money..." The woman quickly looks down, looking a tad nervous. She doesn't really come off as anything but a regular woman - a bit frazzled maybe. "I've got some... right here." She reaches under her robes and then pulls out a decently sized bag of money.

"You see, I need your help. There's a cave a few miles outside of this town... and there's this horrible monster that is supposed to live inside. A Mark. But you see - my daughter went there to find an important family heirloom... and... I don't think she will make it with that monster there. Please, mister Angantyr. They say you're good for it... will you go and protect my daughter?"

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
Angantyr arches a brow as he takes the bag of money.

It was his fee alright, as he listens to her story. He doesn't seem to break his facade of uncaring mercinary...of course, it could also be a Trap, lord knows he has enough enemies, another test by Garland, or just simply untruth. Of course, it could also be true, but for now he's listening.

"Alright, gimme the general location, and I'll go save your daughter." Maybe even kill the mark too, this means getting paid twice. Score.

"I'll make sure to get her back here as soon as possible."

Mysterious Person has posed:
"Well..." The place. The woman stumbles a little and tries to touch over her robes to figure out where she has something, and within moments - she has given him a /very/ rough looking map. It looks old though. "The cave got unearthed after... 'the change' happened. We only found out recently." It's a map from the old Alexandrian days, with the cave circled and a 'sword' shown over it. It's a minimap with the sword as a cursor to show you can go there. Just press X.

"That's all I have." She adds. It doesn't seem to be that amazingly far from here, but it's not a place Angantyr has ever been.

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
The cave has been added to the Mini-Map.

"Alright. I'll have this wrapped up by sunset." he says, "What's her name?" he asks, turning away from her as he starts to walk off, giving the woman the chance to tell him. Walking to the relivant gate of Rabanastre, he goes to rent a chocobo and proceeds to get a ride to the particular cave because screw random battles. Screw them. He doesn't need the XP or the money from them.

And also this was something needed his direct attention ASAP.

Mysterious Person has posed:
"Her name is Raavi." The woman calls back to Angantyr as he walks off. "And please... be careful." She adds, remaining to stand there on the bridge as Angantyr wanders off. It's only when she's entirely out of sight for him, that she grins and moves a hand into her hood, and pulls a little critter from near her neck. It looks like a piece of floating moss or something. "Go tell our sister that he's coming..." She whispers, and then throws it to the air - after which the thing changes into something like a bird and speeds off through the air.

A while later, Angantyr arrives at a cave mound that barely sticks out of the sand. He might have missed it the first time, had it not been for a glint of metal in the sand that caught his eye. Well, that, and the map of course. The cave's entrance seems to be empty, and it's dark inside. But there's atmospheric lighting in the form of some burning torches on the walls. Far inside, he can hear the sound of movement and... a loud roar!

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
Angantyr drops off of the chocobo, putting a hand on itself to calm it down from the roar. He decided to not leave it tied to a nearby rock, incase something nearby decided to dine on Chocobo soup.

Grabbing the mace, he drops down into the cave, taking a moment for his eyes to adjust. Quickly, he moves, the darkness holding very little fear for him as he traverses the cave, but luckily the cave had some torches...

...Odd? Very odd. He decides that perhaps he needs to mark this place for later investigation, as he moves to intercept the source of the large roar. Mace already out and ready to smash something's skull.

Mysterious Person has posed:
The torches - maybe they were lit by the woman's daughter?

As Angantyr draws deeper into the cave, he finds that the cave becomes more 'intricate'. There's tiles laying on the floor here and there. and there's some pale mosaic on the walls. Clearly, this used to be some kind of old underground... something. Or had it once been above ground? It's not rare for ruins to be found around Rabanastre after all.

He draws in deeper, and finally he comes out into a clearing of sorts. There's only a few candles lit. There, amidst the chamber, is a massive beast holding a girl with one hand. Yet... there's something immensely startling about this sight. The beast is a Chimera. A wolf's head, feathered black wings, a snake's tail. And the girl it is holding looks a /lot/ like Avira does! What was this girl's name again?

And the beast is slowly squeezing on her with one claw - ignoring Angantyr, while the girl screams in pain and calls for help, a sword having fallen down at her feet.

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
Chimera...Raavi.

If this wasn't a set up the universe was defintely setting him up for the greatest joke at all. The images assail him for but a brief moment, but he has spent a long time training, a long time with controling the darkness...while they are images...both past and present of the woman he cares about, he doesn't let it stop him. The Chimera was a beast at this state, and he runs in. No need to be subtle, no need to use the cooridor of darkness.

Angantyr rushes in, swinging the mace in a large arch for the side of the creature's face, and moves to throw it back away from the girl. "Alright big guy. Don't you think you should be eating monsters, instead of people?" he says, swinging the mace again to try and force it backwards. "Hey you. Get your sword and get the hell out. It's going to be harder fighting it with having to protect you too."

Mysterious Person has posed:
The Chimera roars as the Mercenary runs in with his mace at the ready, and slams it into the massive beast's face! Just before he hits though... there's a moment - a moment there it looks at him with startled human confusion and...

There's a loud CRACK that can be heard as the mace hits its head. It's slammed into the ground, and the girl falls to the ground that same moment, as she is let go. The girl quickly scrambles to her feet and grabs for the sword... but she doesn't leave.

"That'll teach you!" She calls out at the monster. There's a fresh scar across her face. "How dare you try to take what is mine!? How dare you dirty my body! How dare you take away my BEAUTY!" Followed by her suddenly running forwards with the full intent of thrusting her sword straight through the thing's throat!

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
...Something wasn't right about this situation.

He grabs the woman by the back of her shirt, easily lifting her with a single hand, and thrusting her away from the monster and towards the exit. The mace still rests in the free hand, as he grunts at her. "Yeah yeah, and it's obviously more powerful than you. Do not confuse your power for mine. You get to get out, alive, and I get to deal with this mark. If you already got what you came here for, leave, because your mother sent me here to get you." he says, with the amount of patience of a very powerful dark knight who has every intention of carrying her over one shoulder if he has to.

Once it was gone, he turned his attention on the Chimera. "...You can understand me, can't you?"

Mysterious Person has posed:
"Huh? HEY!" The girl calls out when Angantyr suddenly grabs for her collar and thrusts her away from the monster. It's a good thing too, because its large clawed paw just comes down where she'd been standing moments ago - growling at her. Its eyes then suddenly shift, gaze settling upon Angantyr as he speaks to it. Its ears move down, and it remains still for a moment, before letting out a growl.

In the meantime, behind Angantyr, the girl shouts at him; "What are you talking to IT for!? That thing cut my face! Just kill it already!" Followed by a pause and then... "Or are you one of those filthy /monster lovers/ that came from Fluorgis!? Can't you see? It's a monster! Just kill it and be done with it! Obviously /you/ are strong enough!" Still, she's not moving from her spot, and she's still holding onto that sword... shaking.

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
"Yes yes, I am a monster lover. Whatever gets your little noble heart aflutter. Just be thankful your worth more to me alive then mauled a little bit more for my satisfaction." he mutters to her. "Now, if you would kindly shut the hell up, and stop swinging your sword, and you know, move We'll find out what is going on here. Monsters are not intelligent in the way I think I saw, and knowing you and your attitude right now you probably swung first, without doing anything like watching it's behavior patterns, or trying to discern how it functions. You charged head first into it's lair, unthinking, and are now suffering from a case of bruised pride because you got shown who the stronger hunter is."

"Well, deal with it. I'm in no mode to help you cure your bruised pride. Take it as a lession in humility." he comments and focuses on the monster infront of him. "Well, now that I am done yelling at her, you're going to need to do something to prove to me you are not just a random man eating monster...or only smart enough to play on my sensabilities."

Mysterious Person has posed:
The girls spits at the ground near Angantyr as he speaks, but she does turn. "Suit yourself! I got what I came for." She calls out. "It's obvious to me what you value." Before she runs out of the cave, leaving the mercenary to stand before the beast - which remains in a seated position for a little while longer - staring back at Angantyr.

Then slowly, it begins to stand up, and moves his claws to its own chest and makes a sound. It's like it's trying to talk, but all that comes out are roars and growls. Still, there are intonations that animals don't make. And the way it holds itself as it rears up - it looks like a human in that way.

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
Angantyr rolls his eyes at the girl, but doesn't heed her any longer, instead he looks at the Chimera.

"Sorry, I am not a beast master, so I do not know what you are saying..." he responds, but he knows what he sees...even if his expression is on the lacking side. There are just ways that creatures don't act like, that humans do. Frowning, he kneels down and instead thinks for a moment...the claws were too clumbsy for...

...But they were sharp.

He grabs a dagger from a hidden slot, and moves it slowly against the ground. He'll have to sharpen it later, but it might help. He writes out, 'Hi. Can you understand me?'

Mysterious Person has posed:
The beast watches Angantyr with incredible interest, tilting its head sideways a he grabs his dagger. The beast takes a step back, afraid he might try to stab him. It even growls in anger. But then the young man leans in and starts to write in the sand. The beast watches... tilting its head the other way.. and then falls back to all fours and begins to write;

"HELP ME"

So it writes.

"NOT ALONE."

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
Okay...we're getting somewhere..

He writes down, 'I will, and where?' before putting the dagger back and drawling the mace back into his hands. His eyes look, trying to pierce the darkness around them. There had to be something here he wasn't seeing...or maybe it was hidden from him. He wasn't exactly, how you say, super magical.

Mysterious Person has posed:
It's like it comes from nowhere. Darkness. A woman suddenly steps from behind the beast, and vines sprout from the ground and grab at the thing's neck and arms and /drag/ it down to the ground onto its knees - head back. "Now now. You are not at all what I expected." The woman comments, herself wearing a red cloak.

"But all the better. You will try to save this beast, won't you - young man?" The woman steps forwards until she's right besides the beast. "Such a shame you had to be smart about this."

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
"My master does not train stupid apprentances." he says, calmly. The darkness, he can feel, and reverses his grip on the mace. He stands his ground, but the stance is no less threatening if you know what to look for...though to the untrained eye, it might seem half hearted.

"Alright lady, so you apparently have the upper hand here, are you going to get on with your speach, or make your demands? Or are you going to be dumb and kill it? I mean, you could do that..." He says a dangerous tone in his eye, "But you know very well what will happen...and you won't be able to outrun me." he says, perhaps a bit arrogant.

"And it's been SO long sense I got to streach. So we can be civilized about this..."

"So, lets go. What do you want?"

Mysterious Person has posed:
"I don't know who you talk of." The woman answers him. She hasn't a clue 'who' Angantyr is, or his connections with Garland. And neither does she really care. The fact that he goes on to boast is something she doesn't really care about either. "Oh, you misunderstand. You can kill me all you want, it'll have you no gain." She points out. "But no, I'm just here to make a statement. I won't bore you with a long speech..."

"You are close to Avira, we can control Avira with you. Join us or she dies. Simple. You'll refuse - no?" She points out, before the vines 'tighten' around the monster's body. "But you see, this is what will happen to her if you don't do what we want. You can't be everywhere at the same time, Angantyr. And neither can the furball. He's the reason we're doing this after all."

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
There is a laugh from Angantyr.

It turns into full fledged laughter after a moment, as he pauses...looks at her...

"OH! You're being serious! Now I feel bad." he says, but the explodes into laughter again at her. Those who can feel darkness can suddenly feel SOMETHING shift. This wasn't THE darkness, but the space between the stairs, the absense of light, not it's opposite. The cork on his power is lifted, but only for a moment as he focuses that power, unleashing it as it spins around Angantyr's body for but a brief moment. The armor fading away, and giving rise to the abyssal plate that he has been known to use by those who have done research into him.

Staring into it is different than reports. Whispy bits of darkness rise off of it like a heat haze, the armor itself seems to be litterally made of pure void, and the lines between where the joints should be is crimson like red energy...including from the eyes of the armor. It stares at her, and takes a step forward...

And is just suddenly, THERE. His right arm moving to grab the vines on the beast, it's own body burning with darkness...not quite in an offense attack, but an attempt to loosen their grip on the beast, trying to let it free....

It was really forcing a choice, release it, to better defend against him...or continue it's assault under the possibility that Ang would tear her to shreds.

"You must be new here.." he says, with a suddenly serious tone. "Nobody. NOBODY threatens me or my friends. I am not just some random Dark Knight, lady, I am going to warn you...just once. I am Angantyr Vespar, Apprentance of Garland. This is your only warning...leave this place, tell whoever it is you serve that I do not bow to them, nor do I allow myself to be manipulated. And tell them that Avira is my student."

Mysterious Person has posed:
The woman watches his change with limited interest, shifting her arms around her waist and tilting her body a bit so her hips are towards the right. Of course, Angantyr's power is... impressive. But to this woman, who clearly has little desire in 'preserving' her own life, it's all so... futile. Still, no, no research like that had been done. As he grabs for the vines on the beast, the vines simply snap - and are replaced by a few others which grab for its throat to start choking it instead.

"I /could/ just kill it, you know? It's served its purpose after all." The woman points out. "But that would be such a bore. I'll let you just struggle for a while in an attempt to save the poor bound animal." She takes a few steps back, the 'shadows' of the room coming to cover her. Further vines begin to grapple at the beast, rolling from beneath Angantyr's feet and wrapping only around the beast.

"But I don't know this Garland person. And I don't really care. If you are Avira's teacher, then there's all the more reason to demand your acceptance to our will. You WILL get her to do what we want. All for the sake of /that werewolf/. If you do not, we'll just kill her. It's that simple."

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
"I was gonna tell you to die a slow, painful death, but I don't got the patience to wait around, so you're dying NOW!," is all Angantyr says, grabbing the mace in both hands.

The massive thing can be weilded by Angantyr in a single hand, but when he uses both..?

The massive thing becomes a array of death, moving in wide archs to litterally shred vines as they come...but it is only enough to break her hold on it for a brief period. Angantyr moves viciously, in a very powerful arch, to drive the weapon repeatedly into the lady. Before he rears the thing back...

He doesn't even say anything, as he punches the weapon forward, aiming to impale her on it as darkness flows through the weapon, and aims to litterally tear the woman appart with an single and powerful expression of his power.

"I do not fear for Avira's safety, she is stronger than you give her credit for."

Mysterious Person has posed:
The woman looks at Angantyr in utter defiance when he suddenly approaches her and carves off the vines from the monsterous Chimera. The woman doesn't even throw up her arms. Instead, she lets him drive the weapon into her, and all this time she continues to just smile. She is indeed impaled and torn apart - her robes shredded.

And just before she is taken out entirely, she grins. "But she can't defend herself... from within." She answers. "You should have listened to us." She says, snapping her fingers just before Angantyr finishes her off...

And in that same moments, the monster roars in pain as plants grow out of it and cover in... embedding it within a pillar of plants. Blocked from view for good reason.

At least he got the witch who did this to that monster...

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
Angantyr sighs...

A damn shame, he thinks...he didn't have the means to deal with that magic, nor was he expecting it to...do that. He moves, viciously, to try and free the body from it's fate. Angantyr would at least make sure that it got a proper burrial, looking back at the spot that the plant witch once occupied.

He doesn't say anything more, all that was needed to be said was said, but he felt he knew something they did not, and that, at least brought a small smile to his face. For now, he moves to lay the beast to rest, "...For what it's worth, I am sorry." he says to it.