The Big Pointy One

Here's my two cents, although keep in mind, I'm not as informed as I'd like to be. Basically, I'd be leaning to green, except for the fact that although I think they'd probably have good ideas for certain environmental issues, they wouldn't have much of a clue about what to do for the rest of the country. I could be wrong, but I think I'm right. Anyways, the biggest problem I have with people voting these days, is that they're so scared of 'wasting their vote'. Anyone who says this *is* wasting their vote, because they're not actually voting. They're just jumping in the ship that's taking off, and happens to be more inviting to them. How many people in our country are saying "I'd like to vote for party a, but they don't look like they have a chance at getting in, so I'll vote for party b, just to make sure party c doesn't get in." That's wrong, so so so wrong. If everyone thinks like that, it isn't even really democracy anymore. Vote for who you want to because you agree with their ideals, because you think they have the most realistic goals (big point: you have to expect that no matter who you vote for, they're gonna make promises, some of which they can't keep, however much they want to... you have to keep an eye out for the ones that look like they have the most attainable goals!) whatever you do, just don't vote for whoever you think will win. Unfortunately, I still need a crash course before I cast my vote, and the clock is ticking. And an uncast vote is the most wasted of all votes. (well, that or a vote for the communist party)

I think I'd try very hard to pull some sorta martial-arts take the gun out of the madman's hand trick. Granted, I don't know martial arts, and I'm not so sure I'd be fast enough to disarm the guy with the gun, but I'd try. If I couldn't do that, I'd probably curse a lot, and throw a tantrum; you know, be respectable and dignified about it. Of course, I could also try threatening the guy with the gun and saying the whole situation is a ruse and that I was actually in control. Yes, indeed, I would tell him, that I am a powerful magician capable of great power, and that this crazy guy with a gun would have to bow before me or suffer consequences more harsh than any man-made weapon could inflict. Hopefully since I had been around my wife and child long enough for them to understand that I am partially insane, they'd go along with it and work together as a family to convince this dude to bugger off. If all of that still didn't work, it really wouldn't make much of a difference which person I chose to save. A child has so much to offer to the world, and of course have a longer life to live than the parent. However, it would be difficult for me to give up someone who I had actually succeeded in marrying and producing a child with. Being the lonely guy I am these days, it'd be the most difficult thing to sacrifice the love of my life. Since, after all, I believe that's the ultimate goal in life... it'd be kinda counterproductive, to say in the harshest, simplest terms. Whoever I choose to spare will (as well as myself) go through life dealing with the loneliness, sadness and despair that would inevitably follow. Eventually, they would overcome these barriers, as is the human spirit (in most cases, anyways) but the pain would still remain, somewhere inside. To take away the person who gave life to my child, or to take away the gift that is a child (a gift not only to ourselves, but to the world!) To take my other half, my life's being, my heart and soul, or to take my child, whom I love equally as my wife, my child who is a very part of my being, my flesh and blood... whoever I choose, I would inevitably be wridden (sp?) with guilt, because I could not stand not having either, and I could not stand being responsible (the circumstances may be out of my control, but I made the choice, so I am indeed responsible) for taking away a part of my life like that. Eventually, I think the choice would destroy me, and I would have to leave behind whomever I chose for the rest of their life. Whatever happens, everyone's life would be destroyed, and it'd be pointless to choose. Which one? Which one? Yeah, I think I'll be fighting back until either I'm dead or my whole family's alive, thanks. Screw the consequences.

Well, Falcon *does* love succubi... I hope...

Here you go, 18 succubi for each year you've survived on this crazy little world! (Yes, I had them spayed first... or something...) Happy B-day, buddy ^.^

After quite a few minutes of support fire, Sliver was finally able to give his bow arm a rest. Unfortunately, a brief second was about all he was allowed. Walking from the direction of the camp, a large demon was making its way to Alric and Shanna. It called out to Alric, as if it were his master. Fires raged inside of Sliver, and anger touched his cheeks. It was demons that had taken his family and his home, and it was demons that he would wage war against until the day he died. Now, there was a demon walking towards his travelling companions. He didn't care much for them, but a party was a party. And a demon was a demon. He slung his bow back over his shoulder, quickly secured it in place and jumped to the ground. The agile ranger started running as soon his feet hit the ground, sword in hand with the blade trailing behind him. Just as Mara decided to loose an arrow in the Demon's way, Sliver leapt into the air and swung out with his holy sword in a wide arc. Much to his surprise, he went straight through the demon. For a moment, he thought it was perhaps some form of shadow-beast, but even so, his blade would have caused the thing blinding agony. Instead, as Sliver passed through, there was nothing but silence. The demon was an illusion, most likely created by the assassins to distract the party. He quickly made his way over to Alric and Shanna, his sword held firmly in both hands and his eyes searching the surrounding woods for more assassins...

Ah, the good ol' break. Keep it cool, Deggy... it's a shame I don't really see you around anymore, but well, I have my own reasons for certain things that are *NOT* aimed specifically at anyone in specific. Or general. Perhaps the general masses. In any case, it's all about you, dude, enjoy it. (life)

"Good, good... Well, as you can see, there's a giant lake of chocolate over there, and well, I think it's getting away! We gotta go scoop it up before it's too late!" Well, that explained why he was covered in chocolate... "I... see..." "Hurry! Before it get's away!" Stick ran back towards the chocolate pool at full board, and Knight was about to follow when Mr.Bunny hopped in the way. "..." the little carrot summonner said wisely. Knight, being of few able to understand True Bunny without a translator device nodded. "Ah, so he *is* on another sugar high. Crazy ol' Stick..." "..." "Alright, I'll leave him be. Thanks, Mr.B!" Mr.Bunny nodded sagely, and looked for the birthday girls... A few minutes previous... The dragon had begun to wreak havoc on the line and Melba was about ready to step in, when Mr.Bunny had finally lost his patience. Not wanting his finest blue cape and matching black eyepatch to get stained, he motioned for Melba to step aside. "..." "Of course I can handle this, l'ilun! It's just a *dragon*!" "..." Melba blushed at Mr.Bunny's compliment on her looks, and how he wished that she didn't mar her appearance on such a petty beast such as this 'dragon'. She motioned for him to do whatever he wanted to do and stood there, smiling. He hopped into the Dragon's line of sight, turned his backside to it and taunted it to make sure he had it's full attention. This of course released a torrent of bright flame directly in Mr.B's direction. Of course, by this time Mr.B had already cast a fire-barrier around himself, as to ensure he didn't get scorched to death. Wagging his nose at the dragon as if saying 'tsk tsk tsk, naughty dragon!' Mr.Bunny responded with a spell of his own. An illusionary carrot appeared in front of the Dragon's eyes, and began to swing in a pendulous motion. Because of the odd nature of the spell (and being one completely unknown to dragonkind) the Dragon was quickly mesmerized. Mr.Bunny then said the command word, "..." and the dragon was... ...turned into a dragon-shaped carrot statue!

Completely unaware of his surroundings, (okay, more than usual) Stick notices his old friend Knight entering the room. With much effort, he makes his way over to seek some assistance. Of course, all Knight sees is this chocolate-covered wretch lurching his way. He isn't exactly sure whether it'd be a good idea to draw his sword or not, so he decides to just watch extra carefully. With his hand on his sword. "Kni---kinniggit... no, Knight! You gotta help me!" Knight raises an eyebrow curiously, "Stick? Stick, is that you?" "Yeah... uhm... I think I have a problem..." Elsewhere, a familiar cloaked rabbit stands patiently behind a rather rude dragon who seems content on crashing the party...

The roc's cry would have woken Sliver up, if it were not for the fact that he was already awake, staring into the sky through the treetops above. He was irked that he didn't know more about who they were facing, and even more so that a mage was behind it. It always seemed the worst trouble was always linked to some mage of inappropriate power. But then again, such was the life of an adventurer such as himself. You learn things from experiences like these. That's what Sliver kept on telling himself. So, it was thanks to his training as a woodsman and a ranger that he was able to hear the assassins surround the camp. He recognized each and every birdcall, and the strange pattern to it, but he feared not move at the risk of putting the camp at danger. He had to time it just right... but then the roc cried out in warning. At least it worked. Out of the corner of his vision, he noticed everyone moving as quickly as possible. Of course, by the time an arrow zinged into where he had just been lying down, Sliver was kneeling, empty bow in hand as an arrow of his own flew back into the branches where he guessed the assassin had moved to. He had guessed right as he heard a strangled yell of pain and the thumping of a body hitting the ground next to a tree. He had no time to check for corpses though as he swung around to the back side of the closest tree. He didn't have any sort of elven night-vision to assist him, and he wasn't sure what sort of abilities these assassins had. Still, he figured, it was better than giving them the advantage of an open area. Deciding height would be another advantage, he quickly bound into the lower boughs of the tree he had ducked behind. He nocked another arrow and let it fly into an assassin who had jumped down from whichever tree he/she had been in. With a fleshy-sounding thunk, the arrow found its mark between the assassin's shoulder and collar. The momentum pulled the shoulder down and the assassin tumbled a bit, picked himself (herself?) up and kept on running towards the camp. Sliver would have tried to put another arrow into him/her if it wasn't for the fact that he noticed another one still hiding in a tree about 20 feet away. He was pulling back an arrow, assuredly aimed at one of his party members. Still holding his own bow in one hand, Sliver flicked his wrist and three thin darts (which were nearly invisible in the night) flew straight and true and stung the assassin in the wrist just as he had gotten the arrow fully nocked and pulled back. Not sparing another moment, Sliver nocked and released an arrow of his own in a smooth movement and smiled with grim satisfaction as it went straight into the assassin's neck and halfway out again. He readied another arrow and surveyed the scene as a white light poured over the camp...

Floundering in the chocolate lake like the fool he often was, Stick had a look of fright painted upon his face. Not because his sugar high was wearing off, and he was beginning to realise he was still stark naked, no it was much worse. "The chocolate! Somebody's taking the chocolate!" This was responded to of course, with the continuation of all previous actions that were taking place as Stick began to speak; that action which did not interrupt the going-ons at all. Hurredly he scooped up handful after handful of chocolate and tried to put it in his pockets which were probably being trampled on the dance floor by now. "We've got to save it! Hide it! It's getting away!" And on he went...

It was late... but for Stick, that just ment being fashionable. And fashionable he was. Decked out to the nines in his finest green dancing pants that were topped off with a loose white shirt covered with a shimmering darker green vest, Stick was ready to go. Down the halls he skidded on bare feet until he could hear the chatter of party-goers. He assumed a slow walk as if he actually planned on arriving late, and passed the line of increasingly bored non-invitees. He grinned one of his most roguish grins as he passed some of the finer ladies in the line, but his attention focused on Melba. Rarely meeting up with the large demon... or was she a woman? Stick wasn't sure. Regardless, he hadn't met her that often, which was good news for the both of them. Sometimes, Stick could be as much trouble as Wyvern. Maybe. Regardless, he bowed an elopquent bow and presented his invitation. "Ah, Mr.One, I assume? Or is it Mr.Big Pointy? Mr.Stick? The?" "Stick is fine, m'lady." Melba grunted, "So, your gift...?" "Ah yes, but of course." With another over-eloquent bow, Stick produces a fine (unrumpled, no less!) pair of deep, dark green silk boxers. Oddly though, these boxers are connected to a pair of blue silk boxers, which are connected to a pair of red boxers, which are connected to a pair of white boxers... and they just keep coming! Stick keeps pulling on his pocket, pausing momentarily when a pair of woman's underwear is revealed after a pair of loose blue and black polka-dot boxers. Blushing slightly, Stick shrugs and continues tugging until a pile of boxers, all tied together dwarfs the pile of boxers already received. Melba mutters something under her breath about wisecracking... and bone-cracking, which Stick takes as an open invitation for him to enter. Within a few moments, he drifts around the room, offering grins and nods, polite bows and hugs; all without a word, however. There would be time for chatting later. His stomache suddenly distracted him. Making his way over to one of the buffet tables that seemed currently abandoned, Stick waved for everyone to watch. "Ladies and gentlemen, for my first trick of the evening, I shall make the contents of this table disappear!" With a few non-magical waves of his hand, Stick grunted, kneeled down and tried to lift the table up by the legs that were closest together, but to no avail. Grinning nervously, he stood up, waved his arms non-magically again, and scooped up the ends of the table cloth in one, ran quickly to the other side of the table and scooped up the other ends of the table cloth in his other hand. Wasting no time for flourishes, he yanked the table cloth off the table, swung it around and up. Flicking his wrists sharply, he bounced the entire bunched contents of the table into the air above his head. Normally, this kind of act would splatter everyone watching, but in a defiance of physics and reality, Stick seemed to devour every single morsel of food on the table before they hit the ground. He wiped the side of his mouth with a napkin, burped a little, then bowed. As he got up, everything seemed... different... somehow... The room spun, and his vision blurred and swirled. Colours he had thought he had ensured had not existed were suddenly there, wielding cudgels. Dead relatives of the past were hanging around wearing lampshades. Joat's frogs were now graduated from high school, and getting ready for college. It was nuts. What Stick didn't know, was that he had inadvertantly consumed a whole bowl of Sucker Punch. At this moment his blood:sugar ratio was about 1:99. Sure, legally he could be considered dead, but somehow, he functioned. Not normally, but he functioned. (Although, this wouldn't be too far from normal for stick.) Suddenly, his attention seemed to focus on a rather attractive fish swimming in what appeared to be a sea of chocolate. In fact, it seemed to be drowning! He had to save her! Shedding all his clothes (much to the aghast of everyone still watching!) Stick quickly made his way over to the chocolate-mud wrestling-arena and dove in. It was a *lot* shallower then expected, and Stick landed on his belly, *HARD*, splattering chocolate everywhere with a deafening "SPLEEEARCHTT!" Eventually, he recovered from the belly flop, and began attempting a doggy style. Doggy paddle. One of the two. Unfortunately though, it took him about five minutes to realise his eyes were completely covered in chocolate. Or at least, it took him about five minutes to realise he couldn't see. "I've been blinded! Those buggers! They've blinded me! They want that fish all to themselves! Blast them! Oh wait! I know! I can use my SONAR powers! Sweet!" Stick began emitting beeping noises and listening for echoes, but it was to no avail, he didn't actually have SONAR powers. It didn't stop him however, from flopping around in circles on the choco-mud arena floor. As usual, it was going to be a classy night for Stick...

I too, would like to do an in-depth study of the life of hackers and virus programmers. But then again, I went to high school, so I can imagine... but seriously though, by 'life' I mean internal organs, and instead of that period at the end there, I actually meant to have the line 'with a stick of the big pointed variety... ^.^

Hrm, redundancy, eh? Well, I shall return fire! 1.) I was under the assumption that my updates were... updated, and 2.) I was sure that the damn vile worm was removed from my recovery partition... in fact, my isp recommended that I did a system restore, so... yeah! Anyways, thanks for the warm welcome back, everyone ^.^ ...now where'd that lovely young reporter get off to...

Aidan seemed lost staring into the campfires as the stars filled the night sky. Images of gold, silk and far-stretching castles drifted on the edge of mind, tugging at him in a manner he didn't really appreciate. Still, they were appealing, in their own way... "The reason I said that it did not matter whether we went into the forest or the desert was that my quarry could have gone either way. In any case, if we're on the right trail, we'll know soon enough. When he tries to kill us again. What I suggest in the meantime is that we keep going in the same direction, at least until we find a settlement. For right now... if anyone has any questions, now's the time." ...Aidan snapped back to reality, and he did his best to empty his mind and focus on the mission at hand. "Well, a man's history is his own business, I say. Although I am interested to learn about you and your people, it is not a pressing issue, and I will not pursue it. What I want to know is our enemy. What exactly do you predict we will be facing, and how do I kill it." He cringed mentally as he said that, but Aidan still wasn't sure about anyone else in their party aside from Finnius himself. He had caught a glimpse of the curious man engaging... whatever it was that had attacked them at the tavern. Still, he had been the leader of a few different mercenary groups, and he had learned to gauge people's abilities with but a few careful glances. So far, he was worried, but time would be the true test. He did his best not to let it show, as worry wasn't a good quality in a leader, or one who had assigned himself to watch carefully over his employer. That's what he had decided to do. He was sure the man could protect himself, but it wouldn't do good for the mission to end suddenly because the one who had assigned him his task suddenly found a knife (or worse) in his spine. "Anyways, that's all I need to know. I may not have mentioned this earlier, but aside from a few non-magical conventional weapons, the only real ace in my sleeve right now is this holy sword..." Aidan indicates the two-handed sword on his back, "...I still don't know much about it except that demons don't really seem to like it. Especially when I stab them with it."

It was a grueling battle, lasting hours into days and weeks. Neither side relented in their pursuits, except when the defender had things to do. Like enjoy the real world. Regardless, it was still a grueling battle. The evil worm had taken near-complete control of BUNNY-COMP-MK1 (Version 1.0) and left it stranded, separated permanently from the outside world, otherwise known as the "Internet". The Defender tried everything to restore the connection, but alas, it was to no avail. Much to his dismay, the BUNNY-COMP was infected beyond repair, and there was only one option. A complete and total reset. The BUNNY-COMP would have no other option but to die and be reborn like the Phoenix of lore (Ironically, there were Phoenix components in the machine...) Before it was to sacrifice itself in the fashion of a martyr, it purged itself of the evil worm. Yes, it seemed as if the Defender was successful in eliminating the most vile threat that had taken control over his prized BUNNY-COMP. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Upon resurrection, The Defender found that his BUNNY-COMP-MK1 (Version 1.1) was indeed again, infected. It had seemed the worm had burrowed deeper than was originally known. So deep, in fact that it had completely avoided detection. He tried in vain yet again to release BUNNY-COMP-MK1 from the horrible grip of the vile Sasser, but it was to no avail. He was simply not fast enough. The BUNNY-COMP seemed to be ill this time, not even being able enough to display more than a blank, dark, sorrowfully empty screen. Not being one to give up, however, The Defender quickly discovered what he had to do. Again, like a martyr, the BUNNY-COMP was sacrificed and reborn as Version 1.2. This time, the Defender was quick to action, and set a trap for the vile worm. With lightning-quick precision the Defender eliminated the worm, even as it replicated itself over and over again. With more tools and weapons at his side, the Defender emerged victorious over his slain foe, proud and defiant. The BUNNY-COMP was now warded against such a threat, and the Defender was ready for anything that would try. A long journey awaits, but tomorrow is another day... (So, that explains my 'absence'. I hope they publicly stone the guy who made that damn thing.)

After retrieving his throwing knives from the wall, Aidan picks up a chair and returns to sitting in a relaxed position. Silently, he examines everyone in the room, measuring them up in his mind, seeking out their physical traits. It was something his mentor had taught him to do, years ago, when he was finally of a skill level to use it. Above the conversation, he speaks up, "The forest, or the desert... either is of little consequence to me. Keep in mind, however, that I am a ranger, and my skills lie within the woods. I'm certain the elf here would be surprised by my deftness. Regardless, I too itch to be leaving this place. I'm a traveler, not a city man. Oh, and my name is Aidan. Some address me by Sliver, but it's an old thing, of older times."

As the door crashes open, Aidan immediately readies a pair of throwing knives he had placed in his shirtlsleeves, ready to throw them in the blink of an eye. Xavier staggers in, finds his place, and the ranger relaxes slightly. Just slightly. He notices the other form behind Xavier, and before he knew what happened the thing had launched itself at Shanna, and Finnius was in the middle. He watched carefully as he looked for an opening when all of the sudden he heard the voice in the back of his head. They whisper to him of these promises of power and glory. His eyes glaze over momentarily as he considers the options, but it is only a momentary lapse in will power. A grin slides across his face and he throws the pair of throwing knives with alarming speed. The blades flash momentarily in mid-flight as a lightning bolt strikes the ground outside then land exactly where Aidan had aimed them. At the shadow-filled corner by the entrance. The ranger isn't completely sure whether someone is actually there or not, but he goes with his instincts and hopes for the best...

It would be great! Except I think I'm calling it off for the time being... in fact, I'm not sure why it's still stickied up here... I think I have to go back to the drawing board for another year, so that everyone may forget that I attempted this in the first place... or something like that...

(OOC: Sorry, this is kinda long... and it's just another fight!) His heavy boots covered in mud, the rain-soaked Tayne trudged his way down a rocky path. After leaving the damned village, he had made his way to the coast of the nearby sea. It was in a half-submerged cave where he had left his supplies. It was still raining heavily, thunder rumbling across the sky in the distance. Taking care not to recklessly slice himself up, the large warrior climbed down a slick precipice to a small strip of land fifteen feet below where had just been walking. This was the entrance to his cave. It was only noticeable when the tide was out, and then only from the water. The sand beneath his feet angled downwards as he went inside the small cave until he was up to his waist in water. The cave itself was dark; Tayne wasn't so stupid as to leave torches here, especially when he was gone. He knew it well enough to find whatever he'd need in the dark, anyways. Unfortunately though, a brief flash of lightning revealed something he hadn't expected: an intruder. Sniffing around the raised portion of stone that went about another twenty feet into the earth and was about fifteen feet wide at it's largest was some sort of creature. It held one of Tayne's artifacts in his hand and was examining it with one set of eyes, while another shifted to Tayne. That pair of eyes seemed to glow a low red colour, indicating it could see regardless of the lighting situation. The thing was hunched over; it was obviously too large to stand in the cave. Its legs were massive, each one was about the size of both of Tayne's! (which were large enough!). Out of the sides of its equally large torso came two pairs of rather muscular-looking arms. None held any weapons, but the creature's human-like hands ended in long, jagged claws. It's head differed slightly from the body, in that it was more of a leathery texture, as compared to the hair-covered mass below. Tusks jutted out of a wolf-like snout which seemed to also be pluming out thin tendrils of smoke. behind and below its four eyes drooped oddly fin-shaped ears which seemed to tense at Tayne's arrival. The mercenary could barely notice a pincussion of various sized horns sticking out of the back of the demon's skull. Tayne deduced it indeed was a demon, for he had not encountered such a creature in his life. It snarled, dropped whatever it was holding and then snorted, it's focus completely on Tayne now. Of course, the sadistic man had wasted no time and was already rushing the thing, his hand axes drawn. The demon, however, was not unfamiliar to combat. As Tayne rushed into it, one axe swinging low and horizontally, the other high and vertical, the demon reached out with all his arms. His lower left grabbed the wrist holding the low axe, and his upper right the high one. Tayne grunted as the thing squeezed, causing him to loosen his grip on his axes, then spat out blood as the other two simultaneously punched him in the gut and his sternum. He gasped for air as the demon continued to tighten its grip on his wrists and began working his whole body with a flurry of punches. The darkened cave spun around him as a fist slammed his to his cheek, rattling his teeth and sending more blood out his mouth. Not one to give into a stronger opponent so easily, Tayne concentrated on remaining conscious, and summoned all his strength into his legs. Leaning his weight into the beast he swiftly raised his left leg and swung a kick into what Tayne hoped was the creature's groin. He was right, it seemed, because the demon howled a bit, momentarily paused the pummeling and even released his grip on Tayne's wrists slightly. Focusing slowly on escape now, Tayne used the momentary lapse of aggression to his advantage and squeezed out of the beast's grip. He rolled backwards and launched one his knives at the thing's belly. He didn't care to see if it hit though, because he was running as fast he could (which was hard, considering the water) as soon as the knife left his hand. He heard the thing growling behind him, then the sound of splashing water as it began to trail him. Sweating heavily now, Tayne quickly turned himself around just as he exited the cave, reaching up just in time to pull himself upwards as the Demon trampled right where he had been standing a moment before. Quickly pulling himself upwards on his painstakingly memorized handholds, Tayne made his way back up to the road. Better to try and fight or flee on even ground, he figured. Unfortunately for him though, as he pulled himself up over the ledge, a foot was coming down to knock him off. He gaped, only for a moment, but it was unbelievable- the thing had leapt straight up and intercepted Tayne! He didn't have much time to contemplate it though, because the demon's hairy foot had landed on his right hand, causing him to lose grip and just about fall, if it weren't for his left hand. The demon wasn't done though, and was about to stomp on his other hand. Testing his luck, Tayne decided to drop back down to the cave entrance. He smacked his chin on one of his handholds on the way down, and split it open. When he landed it was on his back, and again the wind was knocked out of him. Luckily, his drive to continue living overrid everything else, and he picked himself up, shook his head and rushed back into the cave, not bothering to look behind him. He knew the demon would only be a few seconds behind him, and all the more furious. He dove onto the raised stone platform and reached for the first thing he could think of: a black trident that appeared to be made of some sort of steel-alloy. He gripped it tightly with both hands, tucked it beneath his left shoulder and spun around. Tayne was right about the demon being behind him, because the creature trampled right into the trident which easily stabbed into its chest. Unfortunately, this seemed only to infuriate the thing more. It roared and howled, flailing its arms in the air all the while spouting out small bursts of flame from its muzzle. As determined as Tayne, and twice as insane, the creature finally regained some of its senses and gripped the staff of the trident and pulled it towards itself, pushing it in deeper. Of course, it was the only thing between it and Tayne, and it was still interested in the large, ferocious man. Inky blood spilled out across the things chest, but it failed to notice. Tayne was quick though, not wanting to die, and not wanting to waste any time. Releasing his right hand from the trident, he reached behind his back and swung out, this time his other knife in hand. He sunk it into the demon's left wrist which was holding the trident. It howled and this time a thick stream of flame erupted from its snout and singed a fair bit of hair on the front of Tayne's face. Half an inch more, and he might have been without a face. However, the demon still proved to be the stronger, and swung with its remaining lower arm on the trident, pulling it free from Tayne's grasp. The trident stayed lodged in the thing's chest, since it was focused on maiming Tayne now. Wildly it swung with open hands, intending to shred the mercenary to pieces. He rolled to the left, and felt the intense stinging of claw rending flesh along his back. Luck favoured him again, because as he rolled he picked up both his hand axes again. Grinning with grim determination, Tayne again retreated out of the cave, but this time facing the demon. As it lunged at Tayne, he hurled the hand axe in his right hand which landed with a satisfying 'thunk'. He could see the blade go in straight to the beast's shoulder where it stopped, lodged into the bone. Two arms effectively useless. Now they were on equal ground... almost. The demon still remained aggressive, advancing on Tayne arms flailing wildly. The adrenaline helped Tayne dodge each increasingly clumsy swing, but barely. He swung back, but it was mostly a defensive maneuver to keep claws away from vital areas. As he exited the cave, Tayne made no attempt to escape upwards this time, but feigned teetering as if he didn't realise where the thin strip of sand ended. The demon lunged in at him as expected. Tayne shifted his weight mostly onto his right shoulder and twisted his hip. He felt another painful sting as the beast clawed straight across his stomach, but continued with his movement. He placed his hands on the ground to his left and in one smooth motion spun his whole body around and exploded with his feet, heel-kicking the beast in the back, just below the ribs; first with his left, then his right foot. He wasn't done yet though- just before the demon splashed into the water below, Tayne planted his remaining axe into the demon's spine. Deep into the demon's spine. Assured that he had paralyzed the thing, he took a moment to catch his breath. He was leaking blood in all sorts of places, and he was out of healing potions. Had he been a fraction too slow, he probably would have been dead right now. After a few moments, he dragged himself into the cave, and set to bandaging his wounds. He couldn't let himself die so soon, not when the bounty was so close in sight!

"And thank you for the drink. Might I inquire after your name? Mine is Finnius, and if we're going to be working together, it might as well be on friendly terms." The desert wanderer swings his chair over to Sliver's table and motions for food. "Haven't eaten in two days..." The ranger nods as Finnius swings over to his table and offers his hand, "My name is Aidan Serradin, but those who know me call me Sliver. I also prefer Sliver, but you may address me as you please..." he took a sip of his wine and continued, "I won't inquire into the value of this stone you mention, or its value to you, and I thank you for accepting my meagher terms, if I may call them so. Anyways, enough with the formalities. When do we set out?" Finnius was about to respond when the serving girl, Shanna, approached the table nervously. Sliver pondered if there was something wrong with the food, the way she was looking, something had to be wrong... "Um.. sir, and sir." Shanna made a small curtsy. "I overheard part of your conversation as I was serving." The one who had introduced himself as Finnius began to say something, but she went right on. "I would like to come too." Sliver opened his mouth as if to say something, then quickly shut it. On this journey, he was a follower, not the leader. He did very much want to inquire about the girls skills and abilities, but decided on silence. It wouldn't make for a very friendly journey if he tried to take charge, especially before they even left. (OOC: Just to clarify, the stuff I put in italics there are just paraphrases from previous posts... I figure it kind of helps me link them together and stuff... yeah...)

Sliver did his best to eye the mysterious traveller without letting on that he was doing so. Whether this was accomplished, he could not tell. Regardless, a smile came to his face. "Indeed, you are correct, sir. I am looking for some work, but first..." Sliver raised his wine goblet and pointed at it when he caught the serving maid's attention, indicating he wanted one for the new arrival. "...you sound like you could use a bit to drink. Anyways, I've been wandering around rather aimlessly of late, and I've decided I wouldn't mind a bit more direction." Taking a sip from his own wine just as the serving girl arrived with the new one, Sliver continued, "Before we discuss conditions, I should inform you that I don't need payment. The only exception that is if I find anything that is of no major importance to your mission, should you have one, that I may keep it. Not that I plan on hoarding treasure, mind you. I just like to... collect... certain items that catch my eye." Sliver eyed the still-veiled arrival cautiously, gauging him for any readable reactions as he waited for the response.

Dropping his pack to the floor, the ranger known as Sliver stretched and took a seat. He was in a tavern in some town called Eelix. He hadn't heard of it before, but it didn't really concern him. The room seemed to have a friendly atmosphere, not to mention a fair selection of cute serving maids. Waving one said maid over, he ordered himself a glass of wine and whatever the cook was offering for lunch. After she left, Sliver kicked back in his chair and rested his feet upon the small, round table he had picked out. The rhythmic beating of a dulcimer accompanied by the smooth trilling of a flute put him at ease and the ranger took a moment to recall his journey thus far. He had only been a few weeks out of The Mighty Pen's Keep, and it put him at ease. He liked residing there, but he also liked wandering on the open roads, not to mention the lush forests the surrounding area had to offer. He was itching for an opportunity, and he hoped he'd get a chance to do something interesting soon.

*Starts collecting materials* ~CHOP!~ (lumber)

Well, it's been over a week since I started, and unfortunately this hasn't gathered as much attention as I was hoping. Therefore, I have decided to shelve this project and try again later (most likely in the summer holidays when people may have more time to spare. Real life can be crushing, I know) I apologize to whoever was looking for this, but this wouldn't work with the current numbers anyways. The big thing I was looking for was newer members, and I didn't get nearly enough.

Deal with it, that's what.