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Field Trip pt. 1; Kidma meets Zera
Topic Started: Jun 16 2010, 10:00 PM (175 Views)
Draven
The caravan had finally made its way to the wetlands of Middle Aria. His father had labeled this one of the most important stops for the merchants. Of course being a hunter, Kidma and his father would probably end up carving and skinning their kills to sell on across within the kingdom of Aleia. It wasn't going to be the most lucrative of days, but it would at least be productive. Kidma tried to smile as he rose from his blanketed compartment in their hooded wagon. Not being familiar with the climate, Kidma found himself overly prepared and was paying for it. Sweat slowly trickled down his brow, and his whole body was perspiring. He quickly moved his arms over his head and pulled down his suit to his waist, exposing his chest. After tying off his shirt, Kidma started to crawl to the front of the wagon. Pushing the cloth cover away, Kidma stared out at the dirt road before him. The man directing the horses on the platform before him smirked as he caught sight of Kidma from the corner of his eye. Seeing that he was found out, Kidma remained there, watching the growing smoke cloud before them. Thats the city up there, has to be, there's no other reason for a fire this early in the morning, Kidma thought as he narrowed his eyes.

"What you looking at, Frosty?" The man said, using Kidma's nickname to soften the tone of his words.

Kidma moaned a reply, "Nothing dad, just thought we'd be there by now..."

"We'll be there in a bit. Go back to sleep."

"Don't feel like it, I just want to sit up here and watch the view."

"Then sit down and shut the fuck up, Frosty."

Kidma chuckled at his dad's bluntness. Anyone else would be at arms against someone that said something like that to them, but not them. Their breed of sarcasm was an oddity to the world but very familiar to them. Kidma lowered himself on the wooden plank of the wagon, sitting next to his father. He moved his hands to his lap, and watched the road ahead of them. The marsh around them was calm, something that Kidma found comforting. But where's the fun when you can't be productive? He leaned over the rail, watching the wheels tread through the wet ground beneath them. Dirt sprayed upwards showering him in small droplets of mud. He drew a hand across his face and wiped away the particles. Moving his body back around, he stared down the mud path that they were trekking. He felt his tanto dig into his back and readjusted the way he was sitting. Noticing Kidma's unrest, his father snorted.

"See something?" He jerked his head sideways, squatting a fly with the side of his dome.

"No, just antsy." Kidma responded. Scratching a mosquito bite.

"Why?"

"I want to be productive."

"Hm..." They sat there in silence for a moment. Kidma's father weighing the options before them. Kidma trying to figure out what he could do. Finally Hideko spoke to his son.

"Pray."

"Pray?" Kidma looked over inquisitively.

Hideko smiled as he looked over at his son, "Yes, pray to Sao. Ask for his guidance. He'll show you the path."

Kidma turned away and shook his head. Hideko, his father, had always been more spiritual than anyone he ever knew. But his believes in the Gods proved a point. Faith is what got him through the day, pathetic...faith doesn't do use anything. Hard work does. He bowed his head, "Maybe so dad..." And with a sideways smirk, Kidma jumped off the wagon and into the marshland. His father jerked the reigns, causing the horses to stop.

"KIDMA!!!"

The boy landed hard, he felt his arms take the brunt of the landing but with a awkward "tuck and roll", Kidma made it to his feet. Hideko nearly jumped himself as he lunged to see the whereabouts of his son. Kidma came to a stop and quickly made it to his feet.

"I'M FINE, I'LL MEET YOU IN ALEIA!" Hideko smirked as he shook his head and turned the horse back on there way. The caravan resumed their travel and soon were moving into the distance. As for Kidma, he stood with his tanto at his side. His eyes narrowed as he looked into the marsh.

Time to be productive.
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Hobo
The distant plume of smoke billowing over the city of Aleia caught Zera's eye almost immediately. Large fires were outlawed in the city Zera knew that very well. He had seen attempts to burn and destroy the bodies containing that horrible contagion stamped out by the city guard. Zera was sure that the nobility had already been exposed to some sort of Magical protection, it was the only logical explanation why they came out in person to deliver edicts to their slowly dying subjects. They treated the plague like crowd control, it was rather disturbing. Zera's sharp blue eyes trailed up the smoke stack as it curled up to the clouds above it like an angry black snake biting at the sky. He chuckled to himself, banishing the rather humorous mental image. His finger traced down the spine of a book in his pouch, a small leather sack tied to his calf. He considered pulling it out to read some more.

He was squatting in a small, dark alcove just off the side of the road. He heard the splashing of an approaching Caravan. Zera smiled inwardly, his eyes narrowing. He heard a pair of voices echoing from the caravan. One older, the other younger. The older one spoke briefly before silencing the younger. There was a splash, a loud shout, probably the name of the one who fell off, and then a laugh. It was followed by the sound of the horses starting to move on. Zera knelt down just a bit more, hiding himself in the brush. His hair, wet from the rain that had saturated the muddy road was slicked back, so that the blonde locks would not alert any onlookers. The Caravan trotted by, and Zera had the distinct impression that he had been seen. His heart raced but... the caravan simply passed by. Zera relaxed.

Slipping back into the brush he noted the sound of the young man who had leaped off the caravan. He was older than Zera, by at least four years. He had the lithe look of a hunter about him. He could tell by his pose, Zera had seen enough hunters in his life (being the adopted son of a butcher) to know how they composed themselves. Zera scratched his chin and decided to keep an eye on him. After all... he had nothing better to do, Zamia was elsewhere gathering information, and Kyo was preparing lessons for tomorrow. The boy was glad to finally shed the garbs of a noble and return to his roots. That of Zera, the man who would crush Aria. Not Sabaku Hawk, the Noble in training.

Zera had just moved into a good spot to keep a close eye on the other when he heard a low rumbling growl. Zera blinked, he had eaten plenty, that was strange... He turned around, looking for the source of the noise. The growl came again, this time louder and more fierce. His heart pounded and he spun, looking for the source. A single creature the size of a large dog stood there, four long, muscular legs and a long muscular neck. It was reptilian, its snout long and riddled with teeth, from its shoulders sprouted two small leathery wings. It was a Whelp, a Dragon Whelp. Zera nearly cried out in surprise and lept to his feet. Not a good idea. The Whelp lunged, snarling and snapping its jaws at his face. Zera leaned back and grabbed the beast by its powerful forlegs, tossing it over him and falling onto his own back. The green scaled creature quickly regained its footing and lunged again. Zera spun, drawing his sword.

"Alright you bloody lizard..."
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Draven
Kidma stood still for a moment, the air around him seemed to intensify as he realized he was not alone. It a marshland that was usually quiet minus the sound of small animals, the noise he heard was of something bigger. Adrenaline started to surge in his veins as he slowly moved through the mental checklist that his father had taught him.I have my blade, my intuition, and senses...now keep your wit, and you'll be fine. It was a stupid quote, but in retrospect that was all a hunter really needed to protect himself and secure the kill. Kidma pulled his tanto from its sheath, the grinding noise the blade created rubbing along the sheath met that it was hitting the sharpener. That was the best invention that his father could have created. A sheath with an internal whetstone that would easily sharpen the blade whenever it was drawn. That way the kills would come easy because the blade would cut like burning steel. Leaning down to the ground, Kidma starting to crouch towards the sounds.

A part of him wanted to turn tail and run, but he subdued that a calming breath. There was no need to be overly excited, it was probably a wild dog or something that he could probably dispatch in a few cuts of his tanto. He moved quietly, making sure that he disturbed nothing. A good hunter could move through the grass and mud and not allow his target to know he was coming. Though he was only a novice, stealth happened to be on of the parts of Kidma's job that he enjoyed. I don't know what is behind these bushes, but whatever it is, it's only getting louder. He moved his unarmed hand in front of his face to protect himself from the thicker brush. It scratched against his hands, causing subtle redness to appear along his skin, but it didn't hurt in at all. The only thing that he cared about was what he saw before him. His eyes widened as he witnessed what appeared to be a man and a monster of sorts.

What in the....Kidma thought to himself.

Before him stood a figure holding a rather large blade. Upon closer inspection, the figure was indeed just a boy his age. From the features he could make out, he noted that he had some skill in how he was holding his weapon. But that was just an inference seeing as he never truly knew how to hold a large blade, but his father's style was similar to what he was seeing before him. But the boy wasn't what made Kidma's eyes sparkle with the excitement of a good hunt. There, a few yards in front of the boy, stood a four-legged beast. The lone creature had to be the size of a adolescent arctic bear. The body of the beast appeared to be covered with gray and reddish scales. Kidma had never seen reptiles before but from what he was told they were common in warm climates and most were nonviolent creatures. But something seemed incredibly different. This creature was bearing its teeth at the boy.

It's leathery wings seemed to randomly flap back and forth, Can that thing really fly...? Kidma thought. If it could, that boy would need a backup. Of course that wasn't the only attribute that made him think that, Kidma noticed its razor sharp talons. Its long neck appeared to be rather muscular meaning it had to be adept at lunging at its foes and snapping its teeth for a quick kill. Kidma doubted that a long blade would be able to handle that type of close range attack. But then again, it would put the boy at an advantage to defend himself if he could keep the beast away. Realizing this, Kidma knew that he would be at a disadvantage in this fight. Though if I'm agile enough, I can keep behind it and take out those wings.... Stepping out into the clearing, Kidma decided he would make himself known, "Hey kid, I got your back!" He moved up to his side and pulled his tanto before him. Holding it at a downward angle, Kidma arced his unarmed arm over it, almost like he was protecting the blade. But in fact that was just how his style was. Kidma slightly bent his knees, hoping if the reptile struck, he would be ready for a dodge and counterattack. "Stick and move." He muttered to himself.

That was the mantra that made him a competent counter fighter.
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