Burning the midnight oil.

Posts : 14 Join date : 2013-01-12 Age : 37

From the window of his home, Dritz was watching a 'disagreement' between two rough looking men outside the tavern not far down the street. He shook his head as the two came to blows and pulled the curtain across, and tried to ignore the shouting of the drunkards as he made his way across the wooden floor to his workbench.

There were many odd and unusual things on the workbench - round bottom flasks containing different colored liquids, specimen jars home to a variety of plants, molds and other such things, lumps of different metals on small glass plates, phials both filled and empty stood within a wooden holder and to one side was an open book next to a lit candle.

He sat down upon the stool in front of the bench and lowered the metal goggles back down over his eyes. One lens of the goggle was larger than the other, protruding further than the other. Looking down to the two samples he was working on, the mage fiddled with a dial on the side of the goggles, the lens moving forward and back until he was happy with the magnified adjustment.

In one hand, he picked up a small metal pick and in the other, a green stone with a hole dug into the middle of it and began to scrape and scratch the center of the stone over a glass dish, collecting the thin flakes from the inside. Once he had enough, he placed the tool and the stone down on the bench and looked toward the complicated apparatus before him.
A large glass beaker was suspended by a metal stand over a pointed, burning candle used to heat the bubbling crimson liquid within. Out of one side of the beaker was a glass pipe with a tap sloped downward toward a second, smaller beaker bubbling with a blue liquid.

Dritz stood up and leant toward the large flask, carefully scraping the flakes of the unknown stone into the crimson fluid, which almost immediately began to bubble and react stronger than before. He put the glass dish down and turned the tap slowly, releasing the crimson fluid into the glass pipe. His eyes were fixated on the pipe intensely as he monitored the amount which was flowing down the pipe and into into the other flask...when suddenly, a loud bang at the door caused him to nearly jump out of his skin. The tap loosened in his fingers and the crimson fluid continued to pour into the smaller flask as he automatically looked over his shoulder toward the door. He heard shouting: the scuffle from the tavern had wound up outside of his house!

He quickly snapped back to his senses when a foul odor wafted up his nostrils. Slowly, Dritz turned his head back to the apparatus, his eyes widening with horror as he realized the whole of contents of the red flask had been emptied into the other, which had now turned a deep purple and was bubbling over, making a sharp hissing sound and filling the room with the vile smell. He began to walk backwards away from the workbench until his back met the opposite wall. He took a large gulp. "...Oh...no..." he murmured, and then...

**BOOM!**

The windows shattered and the door flew off its' hinges, knocking the two brawlers outside off their feet. Smoke flooded out into the streets, bringing with it a burnt, odd, stench. And inside, among the ruins of his equipment and home, Dritz lay slumped against the wall, unconscious, blackened from the smoke with multiple cuts on his face and arms and a large bleeding gash across his forehead. His bizarre goggles still over his eyes, most of the lenses now shattered.

Posts : 79 Join date : 2010-05-02

~~Gil steps out of the tavern after the roving fight, grumbling under his breath as he makes his way with measured stride to the scene of the two men arguing. They were working men, solidly built and aggressively drunk, but with Gil's broad 6-and-a-half foot frame, he dwarfed both men. Stepping in the middle of the fight, he pushes both men apart, knocking one against the building and one to the ground. The man on the ground stumbles to his feet as the other takes a wild swing at Gil.

Knocking the clumsy blow aside his grabs the man by the collar and lifts him like a child off the ground with one hand, slamming him back against the wall. "That's a bad idea, friend." He slams the man against the wall again for emphasis, knocking the breath and sense out of him as he turns to the other man, still holding the dazed one off the ground, against the wall. "I'll have none of this from either of you, do you understand me?" his voice rings deep with command and threat, refined from eyars of battle an giving orders. The man took an aggressive step forward and Gil dropped his nemesis, turning full to face him. "Friend, that is a very bad idea you're having."

As the words leave his mouth, an explosion rocks the street, the building behind him erupting with smoke and fire. The gathered crowd flees with shrieks and curses as Gil drops into a tight roll away from the building as splinters rain down around him. Coming up from it in a defensive crouch, he gives an instinctually wordless snarl, a pair of concealed knives dropping into his hands as he moved towards the building's door. Finding it locked, he steps back and takes a deep breath, splintering the door with a single kick as he comes into the building.

Spitting the acrid taste of the smoke from his mouth, he moves through the smokey area for any signs of life. Entering into the ruined lab, he catches sight of the slumped figure. With anothr grumbled curse he replaces his knives and lifts the form from the ground, tossing it easily over his shoulder as he makes his way back outside.

Stepping into the streets as the guard arrives, he gestures to them. "A fire, alchemical in nature. Only one inside, and he's here. You can call the water carriers for the fire." he lays the man on the ground as gently as he can, pulling the shattered goggles off of him, and checking for more severe wounds. He sighs at the blood from the head wound which had knocked the man unconscious and carefully lifts him again, turning to one guard. "Send ahead to the keep to have a healer and a room ready." he rolls his eyes, holding the limp form over one shoulder like a bag of grain as he walks towards the keep...~~

Posts : 14 Join date : 2013-01-12 Age : 37

His limp form slung over the man's shoulder, the tatters of his smoke-stained clothes fluttered in the night breeze. He wasn't a tall man, and probably weighed less than he should, but he was in good shape. His eyelids flickered, the last of consciousness digging up bad memories and twisting them with guilt.

[He was sat outside his childhood home, the sky was grey and everything looked distorted, dreamlike, the colour from everything washed out and dull. A young girl was sat beside him, he realized, probably around the same age as him at the time: ten, maybe eleven.

The girl said nothing to him, but instead, held out a colorless flower toward him. He looked down to the flower and took it from her, staring at it for a while, then looked back at her face. She didn't look happy, the smile she once wore now turned from sadness, to anger.

“You did that on purpose!” she shouted at him, her distorted voice making his head throb. She looked down at the flower. Dritz followed and also looked down. The flower he was holding was now dead and frozen solid in his hand. He looked back up as the girl stood, grey tears running down her pale cheeks. “You ruin everything you touch! And now you've left us all behind!” she yelled, making her way down the porch and toward the end of the garden path. She stopped and looked back over her shoulder. Her voice no longer distorted, Dritz felt every last tone of bitterness pierce his mind as she calmly said back to him, “I hate you.”.

And then she was gone, the town was gone. There was nothing but blackness after that.]

Posts : 79 Join date : 2010-05-02

~~A small postern gate was pushed open as Gil walked in with his charge slung over his shoulder. He allowed himself to be lead to a vacant room where an old gruff dwarf waited with a small wooden chest: the castle healer. Gil Set his charge down lightly on the clean bed, nodding to the dwarf and pulling a flask from his belt, taking a swig of the strong, dark liqour before handing it to the old dwarf, who did the same.

"An explosion. Some trauma to the head. When he wakes and is cognizant, keep him here and senf for me." He takes the flask back and takes another drink before placing it back in his belt and leaving to find Ralean.~~

Posts : 150 Join date : 2010-01-19 Location : Grorr

~Ral had already been informed of the incident, and he was on guard. Already public reports were to be kept to a minimum, all information to be brought to him personally until he could ascertain the nature of the incident, and whther this man be friend or foe.

So that put him walking down the halls the instant he got word of their arrival, dressed in black, over white, a wide white leather belt holding his shadow dagger and family blade. a small stylized purple rose was tooled into the breast of his tunic, and the clasps of his silver-white cloak were mismatched. One bore the emblem of the Dragon Watch, the other the purple rose that was his as befit his station.

Turning the corner he spots Gil moving towards him and gestures a greeting with a wave. He meets him in the hall with a questioning look. "What happened?"~

Posts : 14 Join date : 2013-01-12 Age : 37

A few hours had passed and Dritz could feel himself slowly being pulled back to consciousness. His brow furrowed into a frown as the throbbing pain in his head began to bring him to his senses. His eyes parted open slowly, the room a blur to him for the first few moments as his eyes began to focus. The moonlight poured in through the bedside window, illuminating the bed in which he lay. His eyes opened further, his vision now becoming clearer.

Dritz slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, his body aching aching all over. Confused, he tried to recollect his thoughts through the pain in his head. The memories of fighting and an explosion came back to him after a while, and at first he thought it must have been a terrible dream. He would be distraught if his house really had gone up in flames.

He placed his hands to his head, and clenched his eyes closed, wondering why he had such a headache. It was then that he felt under his fingertips the bandage around his forehead. He opened his eyes again, further confused as he felt the length of the bandage. He looked around the room, dazed, and realized that it was not familiar to him. As his gaze slowly scanned his surroundings, he then saw in a chair at the foot of his bed a Dwarf fast asleep, snoring softly, his beard blowing outwards each time he exhaled.

He pulled the quilt off himself and crawled slowly across the bed toward the sleeping Dwarf. His initial thought was to wake him and ask where he was, but thought better of it. This pace was not familiar to him, perhaps he was not in friendly territory. He turned his attention then to the window and peered outside. 'Still in Grorr...good.', he thought. It then dawned on him where he was; he had seen the exterior of this place before. 'Grorr keep..? What's going on'?

Dritz finally decided to wake the sleeping Dwarf and get the answers he needed. Placing a hand on the Dwarf's arm, he shook him gently.
"Hello?", he shook the Dwarf again, a bit harder this time. "Hey...wake up!" he said sharply, yet quiet enough not to disturb anyone else who may be outside the room. The Dwarf finally woke up with a startle and ushered Dritz back into bed. At first, Dritz tried to resist getting back into bed, but feeling as drained and aching as much as he did, he gave in and lay back down. He was then told what had happened and where he was. It was not a dream. He had lost everything: his home, his belongings and any money he had left.

After the explanation, Dritz rolled onto his side facing away from the Dwarf and pulled the quilt tighter around himself, vainly trying to comfort himself. The Dwarf sighed and shook his head, and left the room to find Giligian to inform him that Dritz had woken up. Dritz lay there in silence, a million thoughts running through his painful head. Where would he go, and what would he do now, he wondered.

Posts : 79 Join date : 2010-05-02

~~Gil rises after he's informed of the guest's awakening. He stretches, checking the myriad weapons strapped to his body. He sends a servant to Ralean, and heads off to the room the guest was being kept in.

He enters without knocking, his large frame filling the doorway, casting a long shadow into the room. He steps in, and easy smile on his face as he places his hands on his hips, near to weapons, and looks at Dritz.

"Hello, friend, and well met. You perhaps have seen me, and know who I am, though I'll tell you anyway. My name is Giligian, and I am the steward to Duke Ralean of Grorr. Are you well? Do you require food or drink?" he gestures idly. "We'll make sure you're in good sorts before we ask the serious questions."~~

Posts : 14 Join date : 2013-01-12 Age : 37

Dritz heard someone enter the room and sat up, looking at the huge man. He blinked and listened to what Giligian was saying, feeling slightly nervous as he wondered what the 'serious' questions would be. He tried not to let it show, but inside he was worried that he was in some kind of trouble.

"Y-yes, I've seen you around before now, sir." He replied, cautiously extending a hand in greeting. He figured that if he was in trouble, it would be in his best interests to be polite, "Dritz Gelide. I, er, work at home. Well, used to. My head hurts and I feel as though I've been dragged through the town, but I'll live." He then noticed how dry his throat was, probably from the smoke when his house blew up. "May I have a glass of water please?" he asked in response.

Posts : 79 Join date : 2010-05-02

~~Gil grins, walking to a table and pouring a glass of cold water from a pitcher before handing it to the man and seating himself casually in a chair, leaning back a little in a very relaxed gesture.

"Aye, I'm a bit conspicuous, I know." he gave an easy, disarming grin. "So what kind of work do you do?"~~

Posts : 14 Join date : 2013-01-12 Age : 37

Dritz takes the glass of water from Giligian and takes a sip from it. After lowering the glass from his lips, he casually moved his hand over the top and dropped a cube of ice seemingly from his hand which landed in the glass with a quiet 'plop'. He then took another sip and looked back to Giligian and finally allowed himself to smile despite his circumstances. He was beginning to relax.

"Well...it's not exactly work, I guess. I like to create things: tools, gadgets, potions, salves...more often that not I produce something which I can profit from." Dritz sighed and looked down into his glass of water. "I guess it's all gone now."

Feeling the nervousness build once more, he looked to Giligian and calmly asked, "Am I...in trouble? Was anybody injured because of me?". Just as he had finished asking his question, he had a flashback of the strange dream he had whilst unconscious and was reminded of what the girl said to him. Right now, he couldn't agree with her more.

Posts : 79 Join date : 2010-05-02

~~Gil didn't miss the addition of the ice cube, but said nothing. He nods as the stranger speaks. "I figured you to be an alchemist of sorts, from the state of affairs when I found you." he gestures idly. "Your lab, as you may have been told, is in a rather sorry state of affairs. The building was damaged, though no one was hurt past yourself, so be at some ease."

Gil gives Dritz an easy grin. "Troube? No, not so much. We just tend towards caution when there are explosions in the city. Pray tell, what were you working on that caused such a...disturbance?"~~

Posts : 14 Join date : 2013-01-12 Age : 37

[center]Dritz frowned and chewed his bottom lip whilst in thought. He was sure his home would be beyond salvage, but now he was certain. The feeling of dread washed over him; he just wanted to bury his head in the sand and run away from his problems, as always. But he knew that this time he was alone. He had nobody but himself to rely on, and it was his own carelessness that had wrought this misfortune. He knew he was solely to blame. Though, at least he was not in trouble. As long as he played it safe and kept a level head, he'd be on his way in no time.

"I thought as much. This has never happened to me before, I can assure you." He seemed thoughtful as he tried to recall the events, "I remember working on a...tonic. Grinding herbs, mixing them with previously made mixtures. All would've gone well had it not been for the rabble from the tavern breaking my concentration." Dritz paused and took another sip from his glass of water, looking at Giligian with calm eyes as he weaved his tale. "All it takes is that split second for your work to be destroyed."

After a short pause, Dritz glanced out of the window, his icy blue eyes reflecting in the light of the moon. The pain in his head was still present, coming and going in waves, and his body felt battered, but he wanted to get out of this keep and away from the probing nobles.
"When can I leave, sir?" he finally asked.

Posts : 79 Join date : 2010-05-02

~~Gil continues to smile easily. "A tonic? Of the exploding type?" he laughs, a deep rumble in his chest, and takes another drink. "To what end, friend?"He leans forward, curiosity in his eyes.

As Dritz asks about leaving, Gil shrugs. "Now, if you wish, though 'tis hardly weather for a man to be out in with little shelter." he turns to the door. "Though maybe you shouldwait courteously for the Duke. He may have questions too."~~

Posts : 14 Join date : 2013-01-12 Age : 37

Dritz was clearly taken aback, but quickly recomposed himself. It seemed that Giligian knew more than he initially thought. He had automatically assumed that the brutish types of this city lumped together would no further match the intelligence of a toad, let alone an educated mage.

He took a sip of his drink again, more to prolong his response time than anything. "Quite. I wouldn't want to bore you with the details." he replied.

Dritz then remembered that even if he were able to leave whenever he liked, he'd have nowhere to go. And Giligian was right, the rainclouds were beginning to gather and the low rumble in the skies promised nothing but rain. He sighed, and gave Giligian a nod of acknowledgement.

"Yes, you're right. I deeply thank you for the shelter, sir." he said. "I look forward to meeting the Duke. I know so little of him."

-----

Swirling the ice slowly around in his glass, he finally asked, "So, what of you? What is it you do around here? And tales to share?"

Posts : 79 Join date : 2010-05-02

~~Gil continues to smile, but his voice gets a slight edge. "Friend, you're in no position to dissemble over the truth or avoid answers." He shrugs his shoulders with a deep chuckle. "But I suppose if you won't tell me what you were making, or what you really do, you'll tell the Duke."

"As for the shelter, the keep is the domain of our citizens, not of our nobility. As you can tell, despite my position as steward, I'm not quite your typical noble at all." He grins broadly. "Aye, noble is the least common descriptor I hear. In relation to me, I wear many cloaks in this city. I am peacekeeper, steward, citizen, and hunter...of men, monsters, women, and other things worth hunting." The humor rolls from his tongue easily, and he takes another sip of his flask.

"Stories? Of what, pray? The city, the world, or just any general misadventure?"~~

Posts : 150 Join date : 2010-01-19 Location : Grorr

~"Don't believe a word he says. Half his stories are lies, the others less honest than that."

Ral stands in the doorway, arrayed in black with purple trim, matching the rose tucked into his belt. His family blade and shadow dagger are at his hip, and the silver-white cloak falls down his back. His handsome face is impassive, his bright green eyes appraising Dritz severely. His black hair was cut short, and his face was clean shaven. Stepping into the room, he closes the door behind him with a humorless smile.

"Forgive the interruption, my lords. I fear I was in the midst of some business. It seems someone has decided a building in my precious city would look better as burnt rubble." he looks at Dritz. "And I can only assume you're the one was lucky enough to have this one..." he gestures to Gil. "Around to pull him from the ruin."

He rests his hands in a gesture of habit on the hilts of weapons, not threateningly, but more for a place to keep his hands, and looks to Dritz. "You can guess, of course, that I am Duke Ralean SwyftBlade. Your face, however, is not familiar to me. Tell me your story, friend. All of it."~

Posts : 14 Join date : 2013-01-12 Age : 37

Dritz listened to Giligian between sips of his now cold water, his icy eyes never leaving him as he listened, absorbing every last word. He knew there was intimidative meaning behind his words even if he meant to hide behind a condescending smile or not. He knew that while he was the supposed victim in all of this, he would probably be branded a criminal either way. His eyes lowered to his drink again when Giligian stopped speaking and opened his mouth to say something when the door opened and Ralean made his entrance. Giligian was the nuisance, Ralean was the real threat.

Once Ralean had stopped speaking, Dritz took a sip from his glass and smiled inwardly. There were many ways he could play this situation and many ways he could screw up. But then, he thought, what had he to lose now?

"If you're looking for the answer as to what I was 'working on', all I remember is my workbench." he looked back to Giligian, "A tonic, I said, I think?", then looked back to Ralean briefly, placing a hand to his chin, "I can assure you it wasn't the tonic that caused the explosion. It would be absurd to assume so."

Dritz then winced in pain, spilling half of his drink on the floor and clutched the bandage around his head.

Posts : 150 Join date : 2010-01-19 Location : Grorr

~Ral's smile never left his face as he listenend. "To be fair, mage, I don't think you're being completely honest with me, and I don't appreciate that." He gives a soft chuckle. "Especially not since my brother was gracious enough to save your life. Perhaps for that we deserve a bit more truth from your tongue."

As the man clutched at his bandaged head, Ral watches impassively, waiting for the moment to pass.~

Posts : 79 Join date : 2010-05-02

~~Gil looks at Dritz and gives an apologetic "I tried to warn you" style shrug as Ralean speaks. He closes his flask and slips it into his wide belt again, standing and stretching his frame languidly as Dritz convulses in pain. "He doesn't seem as especially forthright fellow." he shrugs again and walks to the bedside, keeping an eye on their gues as he pours himself a glass of water, stepping back and waiting for Dritz to recover~~

» Midnight Leave.