RI BRIGHTE Ri grimaced as he touched his jaw. The medic had told him that for the next few days he'd have to shut his mouth, or face awful pain, but for what it was worth, just touching it didn't hurt -that- badly. As such he tried to open it, only to then quickly inhale from the pain, and stop in his tracks, panting through his nose and trying to calm himself. The dull ache left behind by the motion reinforced the doctor's words, and he didn't dare step over them again. With a nasal sigh, he looked at the small notebook one of the nurses had given him. To think that he'll have to be using this from now on...Well. For about a week. But, it couldn't be that easy to actually try to hold a conversation while he's writing away, but that's what he gets for getting into fights. Or rather, fights getting into him. He thinks over that sentence for a couple of seconds before realizing just how stupid it sounds, and deciding to never use it again. That said, his goal at the moment was the retrieval of a very important item. An item, so rare, and so powerful, that it would aid him in his darkest moments. He was looking... For straws. His search was soon, unfortunately, interrupted by the hushes and whispers that seemed to have started around him. For a few seconds, he paid them no mind, his attention focused on his mad search for the aforementioned straws, but one word did catch his attention: "cursed". A word spoken so softly, but still heard by the mage, which made him stop in his tracks, and nonchalantly plant himself next to the nearest wall. He opened his notebook and started absent-mindedly doodling in it, but his attention was set on the two men beside him, whispering something about a cursed child, and how they wrecked havoc around some orphanage. He didn't understand much of the details- After all, they were speaking in rather low tones. Ri looked over all of his options. He could follow this rumor, and find out what exactly is going on, and in the process get himself another trip to the medic, or- He could mind his own business and continue in his search for straws. A smart man, such as Ri found himself as, would have quickly closed his notebook and been on his way. And that's what Ri intended to do. He closed his notebook, pocketed the pen and- He entered the first tavern that he could find, looking around at the denizens populating it. Not many around, and he wouldn't expect there to be many, given that in the middle of the day, most were busy with jobs or not in the mood to get drunk. That was good, he'd think, seeing as what he was about to do wouldn't count as something safe, and the less people that knew about it, the better. Those two sentences together also don't make any sense, but Ri has his own way of doing things. Thus, the first thing he does is step to the counter and sit down, deciding to bug one of the first locals he saw that were drowning themselves in ale. From the looks of it, he didn't look drunk, but he'll soon be, if Ri didn't just get down to writing his question faster. He tapped the man on the shoulder, and quickly scribbled said question, before passing the notebook to him. He saw him sniff, and narrow his eyes at the mage's writing- He knew it wasn't the best, but he never thought it was that bad- before shaking his head, and passing the book back to him. The mage gave a soft sigh, before his eyes set on the bartender. The man looked back at him, curiously, before approaching, and asking him if he'd like to order something. Now he was a tad angry that he couldn't even drink anything without a straw. Having said that, he shook his head, and instead tapped the notebook, showing the man his exact reason for being there. "I have heard something about a cursed child. Do you know anything about that?" The bartender seemed to think for a few seconds. He then sadly shakes his head, and instead motions for the lonely merchant at a table further from him, with a smile. "He looks like the man you need." With a nod of thanks, and a small smile, Ri stood and approached him, handing him the book without any other words. Or- Well. The point is there. The merchant looked at Ri, and then at the book, and just like the bartender before him, he mused over the written words for a few seconds, before nodding and motioning for the mage to sit beside him. "Listen. I've heard of this kid here, terrorising the general population, but I'm saying this now. This ain't something safe. This one is...Different. She's got the body of a child and the mind of a killer. She's even had a few victims, from what I recall." He paused, humming to himself. "Listen." He started again, before looking around and leaning closer to the mage, whispering, "If, maybe...Perhaps...You're able to get rid of the kid...There may be something in it for you." Ri looked intrigued for the few first seconds, before his instinct kicked in and told him to gather himself and think it over. While the money seemed good, he had to remember that he was already hurt, and doing more damage would only make it worse. He thought his next actions over very carefully. Again, a smart mage would just deny and be on his way back home, and Ri- Ri was a smart mage, damned it be. The mage looked down at the piece of paper, address written on it. He then looked up, at the crooked orphanage that sat in front of him. It even looked like the clouds gathered around the thing, so eerie it was. Now, Ri wasn't one to be tempted by money and riches- Instead, his weakness lied in the call for adventure- And mostly his curiosity. What could this child be like, to be so ruthless and so hateful? Those, and more questions rang in his head as he opened the door and looked around the darkened corridor. The creak it made didn't help the mage at all, but even so, he continued on, door closing behind him. The inside of the building looked trapped in time. The only thing that showed its age was the dust gathered on the various pieces of furniture. It seemed no one had the courage to enter the building and mess around with its objects- Probably out of fear of both the unknown and the child apparently roaming around these halls. As he continued to walk, he saw various rooms with different layouts, but all with one thing in common: they remained untouched by anything but dust. "H-Hello?" The scream Ri let out could only be described as ear-piercing. Electricity instantly flashed around him, and the dust quickly rose and clung to him, as his widened eyes scanned around his surroundings, searching for the sudden voice. He gave a nasal sigh of relief when he saw the moving body of the man. And just as the adrenaline left him- along with the electricity- so did the pain start to settle in, making him give a throaty groan and take a deep breath. He couldn't open his mouth to yell out profanities, after all. When he was done with his moping about, he looked down towards the man, and slowly approached, extending a hand for him to take. Thankfully for Ri, he didn't seem to ask any questions about his hurting mouth. Good. Better for him. Instead, Ri was the one to ask his question. Technically. What he did instead, was nod towards the wound on his face, expressing his confusion only through facial expressions. He received the same look from the merchant. He reached into his pocket, handing him the crumpled piece of paper and waiting for him to read it. He had all the time in the world, now that he knew that the kid wasn't here. The merchant returned his sigh, now filled with relief, and he started telling his tale. How he arrived at the orphanage, with the intention of doing good, but his luck ran out when the cursed child decided to abuse both him, and the other children in the orphanage, causing all of them to flee and leave the building in the state he found it in. No wonder that dust was the only thing that had time to gather. The place hadn't been abandoned for long. Ri nodded at his explanation, and as he gently took his arm to sling it around his neck- so as to help the man walk- he heard the plea: to deal with the cursed child before the other ones get hurt. That didn't sound too hard. After all, how hard can it be to fight a small-ish kid, with the power to down an adult double its size? He'd rather not answer that question. Instead, he continued towards the exit, and then towards the town, ignoring the looks he was given on his way there. Dealing with a guy his size, he would have said was easy- After all, you can't feel that bad when you beat up someone your size. But beating a kid, even if he was possessed by who-knows-what? That was something Ri wasn't quite sure he was able to do. Still, he had to help these people. But that came after he got the poor guy some help. Word Count: 1627/1500 |
Unexpected Discovery [Quest: Ri Brighte
Tue Nov 19, 2019 12:48 pm
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