Be as water in nature, benefiting all things without taking or competing with them.
- A Quassian aphorism.
At times, people can be sources of immense annoyance. I was relishing my drink, almost as much as the delicious moment of spite, when Sevas burst back into the inn. Kaila followed in moments later, her face a mix of exasperation and anger. Was there no respite in this world for me?
A wild-eyed Sevas fixed his gaze on me. “You will pay for harming my man Basilio! I demand satisfaction!” clamored the young man in a clear voice, drawing a knife from his waist and waving it at me.
Round two it was, then.
Laman grumbled from behind the bar, "If you lot continue this way, I'll have to call the Guard." He appeared on the verge of spitting on the floor but, recalling his surroundings, halted midway, swallowed, and adjusted the front of his clothing instead.
I took a moment to evaluate Sevas, weighing my options. There was a new violent fire in his eyes, and his voice was now devoid of its slurred dance. His face held a sneer, the kind belonging to someone who had found a lesser to unleash their frustrations upon. This air of superiority, however, was slightly marred as he daintily swiped at a faint green smear at the corner of his mouth with his sleeve. Remarkably, the man appeared to have shaken off the influence of his early drinking.
Even as my eyes took him in, my magic gave me a clearer gauge of the threat before me. Identify, as always, was a wonderful utility spell.
Sevas Soranzo - Spellsword (Human lvl.16)
Health: 223/232
Stamina: 27/42
Mana: 8/9
Sevas, for the most part, had comparable parameters to Basilio. However, it was his class, or calling, as this world called it, that set him slightly apart from the rest. It almost brought a smile to my face with its novelty.
I looked around the room, as the guests who had yet to make their escape made themselves smaller, hunching in on themselves, assiduously looking away from me. There would be no help from that quarter, not that I had been expecting any.
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“What is going on here, Laman? I pay you and your guild a small fortune to keep the peace…” came the voice of the owner of the inn.
“Aye, mistress Naira, but these lot be with the Adventurer’s. Silver ranked too, an’ the Mirage of the Sand’s party no less. They looked to me like they were set on leaving all peaceful like, too,” explained the veteran and former soldier. He sounded to me like a schoolchild caught doing something bad. With a resigned air, he drew the mean mace at his waist, more for show than anything else. Naira, it seemed, had very good reason to be annoyed.
“Apologies, but Sevas here was a bit drunk and started something with one of your guests, Gilmamess here,” offered Kaila with a thin-lipped smile, pointing at Sevas in explanation.
Then suddenly, Sevas began waving his knife about as he launched a series of sudden stabs at the… air. It was most odd. His face was a mask of bleak concentration as he fought invisible opponents, ducking and weaving through non-existent blows with a dancer’s grace. Suddenly a look of feral delight overcame him and actinic energies started to run across the blade of his weapon. With a bright grin, he impressively swung ineffectually at nothing, leaving the air tinged with the smell of ozone.
“Just letting Sev blow off some steam, saves him from bearing a grudge. I tell you, he does not enjoy losing one whit. It has been a problem in the past, but I guess that is just a part of him. Right now, Sev here is having an epic struggle with you, one in which he will eventually win,” explained Kaila in a long-suffering voice as she gave me a tight smile. I felt as if someone had thrown a gauze on my perception and my eyes drifted away from her to focus instead on Sevas.
The Spellsword's martial demonstration, though somewhat comical, served as a stark reminder of the threat he posed. I had to stop from getting ahead of myself. His energy-infused strike had been of particular note. The energies unleashed had certainly looked dangerous and destructive. Yet, even more insidious was the Enchantress' subtle display of power. From both her words and class, I imagined that she was somehow manipulating the Spellsword. It was undeniably impressive, if not downright horrifying and evil.
“I would appreciate it if you would do your witchery outside, it is disturbing our guests,” the proprietress interjected archly.
“You need’nt worry about a thing, I placed a Sleep spell on him too,” she continued, in a tired voice that came from explaining the same fact for the umpteenth time, “It should take effect once he has worn himself out a just a bit more.”
Kaila seemed to be in front of me, yet for some reason, the display of her Status was floating a half-step to my right. Another note of worry that for the moment I did not fully understand.
“Now, I’ll be taking these if you don’t mind. Your treatment of Basilio, though not entirely unwarranted, was well a bit much,” she declared saucily, waving… my potions in front of me! Damn the pilfering wench!
Possessed by anger, I instinctively moved forward but halted mid-step. Something in my subconscious, an instinct or some sort of mystical sense, warned me of the folly of this simple action. Heeding this subtle warning, I instead snapped out my arm towards where I sensed the Enchantress' presence.
My hand grasped at what my eyes told me was only air, yet the soft yielding warmth that my hand felt told me that this was a lie. I started to squeeze with feral delight, my fingers sinking deeper into pliant flesh.
Suddenly, as if a veil had been lifted, the illusion shattered and my eyes saw Kaila where she truly was, choking as my hand squeezed about her neck.