Seeking Employment (OPEN)

[ananse]

The city that had been Akand's birthplace was now something that could barely be called a town anymore. Many of the buildings were scarred by war, and abandoned by their rightful owners. Now their charred woodwork and rotting thatch called out for someone to love them again and to undo the damage Galbatorix's armies had wrought. So battered and beaten was the once so lively trading town that it was almost impossible to recognize the place where Virlomi and Ajit had raised the mixed breed child that was Akand.

What wasn't destroyed or beyond repair the Vardan and Surdan armies had taken over and were using for either storage or boarding for their own troops. These buildings all looked overcrowded, overused and generally worn down like an old farmer who had plowed too many fields, their foundations trembling and their roofs thin and whispy. It looked like the resistance's armies were not exactly overflowing with supplies and had spread some too thin, and had borrowed what the town's folk had not taken.

The male's cool green eyes flowed over the broken homes, his eyes filled with sadness. Although the man had not really had many good memories of Cithri it was still his birthplace and thus he wanted the best for it. Quickly the man hurried to his family home, averting his eyes from the sorrowful landscape. Seeing the city that held nearly half of his life as this pathetic mess was irritating. The vagabond was hoping that he could impose on his parents until he found a more comfortable, permanent place to stay. Or at least until he had a winged reptile of his own to ride.

When the feminine young man looked upon his childhood home he found his heart hurting a little. The house in which his father had worked so many tireless hours, and he had learned his first bit of Elvish was now nothing more than a few powdered stones and ruined woodwork. All that remained of his life before leaving Surda with Kalm was the enormous cherry tree that was in the once grassy yard. Slowly the traveler stepped into the property of his childhood. Looking around as if afraid to be scolded Akand walked to the tree that had nearly killed him.

Running his finger tips across it's bark the mage could almost feel the energy that a ten year old him had poured into this fruit tree. "It's nice to see you're doing well old friend. Let us hope that you do not end up like the rest of this city." The tanned man's shard voice broke the small silence around him. Quickly he jogged out of the yard, feeling that he had already trespassed on the past's territory far too long. With one last look back Akand gave the tree one last bit of magical encouragement, "Waíse ramr fricai"

Now that there was no longer his parents to live off it seemed that Akand would have to provide for himself. For the young man that had never been a problem because he was always able to steal and sell things, but in Surda's war economy that was probably not going to be as lucrative as it had been up in the still strong cities of the Empire. If Akand had been willing to find his way to Surda alone money still wouldn't be a problem, but the fool had hired dwarven guides to ensure he made it safely from the mountains to Cithri. Oh well, hindsight's twenty twenty.

Since his only trained skills were magic, fighting and thievery Akand thought that it was safe to assume that his best chance at survival was to be a hired sword for the Varden or Surden armies. His loss of fortune could possibly be a good thing. Being around the rebel armies long enough he could probably procure the location of the unhatched dragon eggs and maybe find a way to steal himself one. Yet, in his excitement it seemed that the male had not paid attention to his surroundings as he walked and had managed to lose himself in the shattered city. Quickly the man looked for a land mark, or someone who could give him directions.

[shadow]

Shadow Sword looked around at his surroundings. The shattered city the destruction that had been caused. "Why?" he asked out loud, "Why must Galbotorix be so evil?" He had felt Galbortorix's evil before. His family and master were killed by his soldiers. He knew that Galbortorix was pure evil. He understood it completely that the guy didn't care for human life in the least. Or any other life for that matter.

Shadow Sword just wanted to do his part. He had killed many Urgals, but it never seemed to help in the cause of one day stopping Galbortorix. He pulled out his blade. It was purple with a black handle and a purple jewel in the handle. He remembered how many people he had killed with that sword. How it got him his name. He put the sword back into its sheath.

He looked back up shaking the very painful memories away. He then saw a feminine man that looked lost. He supposed the guy was an elf. He walked over to him. With his black robe, and menacing look he hoped the guy wouldn't take him for a thief.
"Hello." he said in a voice without feeling, "Are you lost?"
Shadow Sword really hoped the guy wasn't lost. He didn't feel like helping the helpless.

[Ze Flying Wraithetti Monstress]

Reason 423 why I refused to have kids- if those brats had hidden yet another dead cat in my pack, there was going to be fire, brimstone, and a distinct lack of dessert in the foreseeable future. In all honesty, I was really starting to get irritated with the ‘tasks’ I was getting from Aberon. Travelling far and wide to deliver important messages wasn’t so bad, but it was the odd jobs like this that really had me considering walking out on the Varden.

Glaring around Cithrí, all I really wanted to do was scream “I’m no babysitter!”

Who gave a seasoned warrior a job babysitting little spoilt kids? Granted, they happened to be Lord Kye’s children, a very powerful Surdan lord, but it still was not my idea of important jobs for the Varden. I was supposed to ferry the three hooligans out of Melian, where they’d previously been living, to Aberon, due to some kind of threat of Imperial invasion on that particular town. We hadn’t been attacked even once, unless you counted a group of pushy children assaulting me for their midday snack a full-frontal attack. Which it technically was.

Seeing the ruins of Cithrí had managed to shut them up for a while, which I was grateful for. However, it seemed that not even having the cruelty of the Empire shoved right in their faces could stop them from pulling funny stunts. They were off, now, playing near one of the tent compounds, giving me a few moments of peace and quiet. Holding my nose, I reached gingerly into my pack and felt something dark and squishy. Well, at least they had a mind for variety. Or maybe they’d just run out of deceased kitties.

I grabbed the squishy thing with my hand, wincing, and pulled it out. It was dark brown, smelled awful, and I had a sneaking suspicion that it was some kind of animal turd. I flung it away with a muted squeak of disgust, and looked for something to wash my hand in. I spotted a forgotten animal trough half-full of rainwater, and quickly made for it, dumping my hand inside and scrubbing at it. When I got my hands on those three, nobles or not, I was going to make quiche out of their brains.

I glanced around myself as I scrubbed the remnants of the thing off my hand. This was my first time in Cithrí, and it was also my first time actually seeing the horrors of what full-scale war did. Sure, being a pirate, I had smashed up buildings before, but those were dockside barracks and warehouses, not actual homes. Seeing the wreckage made me feel odd. It was like pity, or sadness. Whatever it was, I didn’t like it. As soon as both my hand and the fingerless glove I wore on it were clean, I took off, hoping to find somewhere less depressing to spend the rest of the day in.

The streets were totally empty, except for the occasional still-standing building. These were normally full of either drunken soldiers or terrified fugitives. I hardly met anyone out on the road, though. It wasn’t until I had wound somewhere into the heart of the city that a voice made me stop.

“Hello,” it quipped, “Are you lost?”

I glanced around one of the decayed buildings and saw two figures- the one who had spoken was facing away from me, his form entirely hidden in a black hood and cloak. The other was a boy, who looked so feminine that I seriously doubted he was totally human. I adjusted my felt hat so that it hung lower over my eyes, and entirely hid my orange braid. I’d never held much of a love for elves, what with them being magical and all that, but I was mildly intrigued, and eager to get my mind off the gloominess of the area. Plus, I was quite bored. Even I needed to socialize once in a while. So, I adjusted my leather armour and the warhammer on my back, easily slipping into the guise of a friendly male soldier, and trotted towards them.

“Top o’ the mornin’, fellas!” I called cheerfully as I approached. I stopped glancing at the two of them. “Ehh… like he said, mate, yeh lost?” I raised an eyebrow.

Words;; 723
Muse;; Ick. Weird.
Thoughts;; I hope you don't mind me jumping innn! XD[/size]

[ananse]

Up the northern path of the street it seemed to lead to a large building that was probably once a warehouse. While in the city's prime the building probably was a constant hub of activity, but now was just an ashen skeleton that worked as just another reminder of what the war had done in just a year to Cithri. Akand's seaweed irises ran over the ruin a few times, trying to place it in his memory of Cithri from when he was ten, which was difficult to do since he had not bothered to explore too much of the city when he was young.

Surely a building that large would be fairly hard to forget, and if the male could place it in his memory then it was possible he could use it as a landmark and at least find his way back to a part of town he had been familiar with. The only major problem with that plan, if the building had been built within the last thirteen years then there was absolutely no way that it could be of use to the Surdan native.

With a voice from his side the male was able to decide that searching memories of a childhood he did not enjoy would no longer be necessary. A odd man decked from head to toe in black asked if Akand was lost. Even though he was no longer a child, nor was he helpless under any circumstance the young man found himself extremely put off by the stranger. The man was slightly younger than Akand himself, even though Akand probably appeared to be the younger of the two, yet he seemed to be wrapped tightly in negativity and sorrow that even the nearly emotionless Akand could see it.

"Actually I-" Just as he spoke another voice cut in. Not bothering to finish his sentence the bronze skinned male turned to face yet another newcomer. This one was slightly more to his taste, they seemed completely normal and rather pleasant. It looked like it was a soldier. Perfect, with the help of this man it was likely that Akand would be able to find whoever was in charge of Cithri. It sure was a stroke of luck to find someone in the armed forces so early on.

"Yes, I actually am rather lost." Akand let his appreciation for the two's offered aid flow into his words, and formed warm smile across his fine features, "You see I'm here to try and become employed under either the Varden or Surdan military forces. I'm a mercenary and figured that if an outpost like this could use all the help offered to them. Sadly even though I was born here I'm not entirely sure how to navigate Cithri anymore."

[shadow]

Julius raised one of his eyebrows as a soldier dressed in bronze approached. Sure why not? The more the marrier, Julius thought. He wasn't exactly a people person. He had barely wanted to talk to the feminine man, and now a soldier walks over. I'm done with this. Julius thought as he began to walk away. He then heard the elvish looking man say something that caught his attention.

"So you're looking to join the Varden?" Shadow asked. He didn't know his way around this shattered city either, but he was a wanderer he didn't know his way around a lot of places he went to. He had heard only a little about the Varden. He traveled to a lot of places, so it was common for him to pick up a few things. What he had heard about the Varden was they were a group of people that felt very stongly against Galbortorix. He had heard a lot of other things, but that's the first thing he thought about when he heard the elvish looking man say Varden.

He may have been a wanderer who didn't really care to work with others, but if these guys needed the extra help bringing down Galbortorix he was willing to help. "You know I might actually join too. If these guys really need help, then the more to join them the better." He then looked at the soldier in bronze. "Do you happen to know the way?" he asked.

He really wasn't used to having a conversation with other people. Ever since the people closest to him were harshly murdered he was detached from everyone. During many of his travels, many people didn't like him, because they felt he had something to hide. He was usually watched carefully. A man wearing all black, not talking to anyone, was not something most people were used to. Julius barely cared. He wasn't a criminal or thief so of course he didn't really give a care what they thought of him.

[Ze Flying Wraithetti Monstress]

The both of them gawked at me when I was done speaking. My words made the feminine man break off whatever he was about to say, while the one in black just raised an eyebrow. Oddly, though, the feminine one looked relieved to see me, like some weight had just been taken off his shoulders. A smile even wormed its way across his face when he talked.

“Yes, I actually am rather lost. You see I'm here to try and become employed under either the Varden or Surdan military forces. I'm a mercenary and figured that if an outpost like this could use all the help offered to them. Sadly even though I was born here I'm not entirely sure how to navigate Cithrí anymore.”
Before I could say anything, the other one spoke. “So you're looking to join the Varden? You know, I might actually join too. If these guys really need help, then the more to join them the better. Do you happen to know the way?”

I turned my head slightly, taking in the second one. They were both at least ten years younger than I was, at least, that’s how they appeared to be. Despite wanting to join, the one in black seemed overly hesitant. He’d even started to walk away when I’d approached. He gave off these weird vibes, like he really didn’t want to be there. I’d never met anyone so closed, except maybe my mother, and I only had scattered images of her that were so painful I didn’t often visit them. He made me feel strange all over. Realizing that they were both staring at me now, I cleared my throat.

“Sure I do, mate.” I glanced at the feminine one. “Bein’ born here won’t help yeh shìt with findin' yer way, whacker. Cithrí’s a right mess nowadays, an’ plenty stuff’s gone.”

Apparently, my army officer ruse had worked even better than I’d hoped. I supposed my leather looked pretty similar to the brown and tan colours of the Varden. They both expected me to recruit them into the Varden’s ranks, which I didn’t know bull about. I’d joined in a bit of an unconventional way, being found dying in the Hadarac by dwarves rather than actually seeking out the Varden. I would have to do with seeing them to the main camp and letting some actual officer deal with them. The feminine one looked agile enough to be an asset, but the one in black was so closed and silent that I had no idea what he was planning on doing. If I hadn’t heard his voice, I wouldn’t even have known if he was a man or a woman, he was so hidden in that cloak of his. I just mentally shrugged. I hardly cared about Alagaësia’s struggles, so I wasn’t one to judge any new additions to the Varden. I flicked my wrist in the direction I’d just come from, beckoning to the two of them.

“Let’s hit th’ camp, then! Th’ name’s Nemo.” Without waiting for them to catch up to me, I began to strut back towards the camps. “And what’re yer names, lads?” I called over my shoulder, not glancing back at them.

Words;; 537
Muse;; REALLY bad. XP
Thoughts;; My shortest post yet! DX[/size]

[ananse]

The man that had yet to say his name Akand decided to name Grumpy had decided that he too wanted to throw his lot in with the Varden. This wasn't exactly a enjoyable thought, if the two men joined around the same time it was likely that they would see a fair deal of each other. Now everyday would be like constant rain, and every now and again. Hopefully Akand would prove to be useful early on and wouldn't have to deal with mister gloom and doom. If not it was likely that the Empire would have one less enemy because Akand would off himself if Grumpy was around him much longer.

The Varden officer seemed to be staring at the odd black garbed man a lot. At first Akand thought that maybe he was just sizing up the depressing looking stranger, but eventually it began to unnerve the young looking male. It made it feel like this strange teenager had something more to him than just being someone with a sword that had been drenched in angst. Or perhaps the Surdan male was just reading into it too much and the Varden man could just find him more interesting.

It looked like the mixed breed's luck was looking up. The Varden officer, Nemo, was going to show him and the youngster to the main camp where they could seek employment. Slightly annoyed Akand set off behind him. "I'm Akand. Nice to meet you Mr. Nemo. So I gotta ask, how much do they generally pay mercenaries around here? If it's something measly I'll probably find my way somewhere else. I'm not gonna risk my life defending a dead border town like this if all I can afford is a little bread each day."

The small male quickened his pace so he was now at the red head's side, leaving Grumpy and his cloud of depression at his back, "Maybe I'll get lucky and they'll pay me more because of my elven blood. Plus I know a fair bit of magic so I figure I'd be rather useful, healing the sick and whatnot." Akand stopped talking after realizing that he had ended up rambling a bit.

[shadow]

Julius was pleased when he heard the varden officer say he knew the way. Even though he wasn't all too please at the idea of losing his loner ways, he would do anything to bring down Galbortorix. He then heard the elvish man say something about how much do mercenaries get payed. Julius had to admit that he hadn't really thought about the pay. But on the other hand he didn't really care. The reason he wanted to join the Varden and help them didn't even have anything to do with money. To him his pay was just helping bring down Galbortorix.

He scowled as he thought of the evil dragon rider again. All of the good times he had, were ruined by him. He clenched his fist still scowling. He then snapped back into reality. He hated having to remember the awful things in his life, but he really had no choice. It was the only thing that kept his revenge burning, the only thing that kept him in his quest to destroy Galbortorix. He then realized that he was falling back from the group. He started walking again so he could catch up.

He then heard the elvish man talking again. This time about why he would be a good addition to the Varden. He also heard him tell the Varden officer his name. He now knew the names of both of the people he was traveling with. Nemo and Akand. He would probably need to remeber them both if they one was a Varden Officer and the other wanted to join the Varden. He decided to tell them his name, or what he went by. No one alive knew his real name.
"By the way, you can call me Shadow Sword. Everyone does." he said dully, he wasn't really good at conversations.