Post by Seraphina Noir on May 3, 2020 20:20:06 GMT -5
With a soft thud, the form of a middle age clad in a long, navy blue, hooded cloak landed on the ground in a pose reminiscent to a down-on-one-knee-bow, uplifting a small cloud of dust as he made contact with earth. The man straightened up slowly, the ghostly, purple insect wings on his back shimmering and disappearing as he did so. Akaza glanced around from behind his mask at his location, the cloak that covered his entire body ruffling softly from the movement. He stood in an alley of sorts, behind what appeared to be a large grocery store. A large dumpster overflowing with trash was placed against the tall wooden fence that boxed him in with the back of the store. The unpleasant aroma spreading from the dumpster caused Akaza to wrinkle his nose in disgust. Trying to ignore the foul stench of decaying meat and produce along with other consumables, he shifted his head from left to right, searching for a way out of this alley. Locating the narrow path leading to the front of the store, Akaza’s booted feet began moving and led his body out from behind the grocery store to one of the wide, wooden streets of the village he was currently in.
As it was the high noon and the Sun was at the height of its trajectory, the village close to the border between the Forsaken Region and Hage Village was bathed in the magnificent glow of the celestial body’s rays. Every now and then the continuous band of light would be broken by the shadow of a cloud passing in front of the Sun; though this did not occur often enough for Akaza’s taste. Despite not being one of the hottest days he had experienced, the man beast still felt a little uncomfortable under his thickly-layered cloak, even from his position under the shadow of the grocery store. He didn’t really understand why people craved sunny days so much. The clearer the day, the more likely it was that one would suffer the ill effects of exposure to sunlight. Not to mention it was even hotter in said situation, and he did not like being hot.
Akaza once more glanced around himself. The bright rays from the Sun illuminated the village and its inhabitants for him to view clearly. The villagers were out and about either enjoying themselves or completing the day’s tasks. Excited, agitated, worried, ecstatic, one could fill a bathtub with the multitude of assorted emotions these villagers were displaying as they trudged from one building to another. Clothing stores, food stores, blacksmith shops, restaurants, post offices, pet stores, it was all here, nothing missing. Fragmented portions of speech came floating to Akaza’s ears over the hustle and bustle of village. Various voices speaking all at once, saying things like “My next door neighbor’s sister’s best friend once said -”, “I’ll pay you fifty rabbits for a -”, “- and then he pulled off his -”, or “This cheese tastes like chicken!”; all ordinary, trivial banter that one involuntarily took in while listening to the background jangle of the town. In other words, this village was just like every other place in the world.
The man frowned as he took in the sight. He was beginning to wonder if there was even any originality left in this world. Every inhabited location he went to, he saw the same scene: people scurrying around like insects or trudging from one place to another like rusted androids. Even if it wasn’t a village or town or any other well-populated area, there always seemed to be someone there already. Whether it was a magic knight, a tradesman, a thug, there was always someone you ran into. And because of that, there was always a reason to be wary of your surroundings, to keep your guard up.
Excuse me, sir, might I perhaps interest you in a fine set of bracelets? a voice inquired from Akaza’s left.
The man turned his hooded head in the direction of the sound. A balding man stood before him, a metal cart full of sparkling bracelets, necklaces, rings, and various other forms of jewelry situated between them. The portly man’s mouth may have been stretched into a friendly grin but his eyes radiated with a conniving intellect. Akaza’s eyes narrowed behind his mask’s visor in annoyance. Just when he was musing about the need of being wary, who should he run into but a salesman? Life was just full of humorous coincidences.
Bracelet, sir? These are genuine solid gold, they are. Straight from the furnaces of some of the finest blacksmith’s in the Forsaken Region! Or perhaps you’d like to buy a necklace? Or maybe a ring would be more suitable? The man gestured to each item as he spoke, a sly twinkle in his eyes as he gave a toothy grin to Akaza. That would make an excellent gift for your girl. A wink and a laugh succeeded this comment.
Akaza remained silent, not bothering to inform the man that there was no such person in his life. The man simply appeared to be considering whether or not he ought to buy an item from this man. The man certainly thought he was, for the cart was pushed closer to Akaza to grant the man a better look. Akaza leaned forward over the glass covering as if he were examining the merchandise on sale.
Yes, jewelry would make a fine gift for my wife. Remarked Akaza, playing along to the man’s earlier comment. There’s nothing women seem to love more than jewelry. Wouldn’t you agree?
Indeed, sir, indeed! came the oily reply.
The salesman’s expression was one of delight and anticipation as he eagerly watched the customer with his beady black eyes. That expression soon turned to one of shock and terror when Akaza’s hands suddenly shot out from underneath his cloak and stopped directly above the man’s wrists. The salesman glanced down and gulped at the sight of the two daggers Akaza was holding to each of the salesman’s wrists, both of the weapons a hair’s width away from piercing his skin.
Akaza smirked visibly under his hood, tilting his head to one side as he looked at the salesman. However, she would appreciate the gift more if it came with the hands of the very person who sold them to me. His tone, which had previously been warm and friendly, was now cold and malicious.
The man pulled his hands away from Akaza’s and backed away instinctively, staring at the cloaked man with wide eyes as beads of sweat began forming on his forehead. Akaza sniggered in amusement at the sight, replacing the dagger back in his magic knight pouch and spreading his arms questioningly at the salesman. What’s wrong? Do I frighten you? A malevolent grin spread across the man’s prominently obscured face. Would you like to see something really scary? he inquired slowly, raising his hand to his face and slowly lowering his mask, enough to provide the salesman a clear look at his eyes. As the man’s own eyes met Akaza’s, his face quickly contorted into a look of supreme horror and disgust. Grabbing hold of his cart, the salesman spun around and hurried off in the opposite direction, away from the man with the insect’s eyes.
Smirking with satisfaction, Akaza returned his mask to its rightful position of his face. Tsk, tsk. Merchants don’t seem to have any good bargaining skills these days. Observing other people’s reaction whenever they caught a glimpse of his eyes was an occurrence which Akaza greatly enjoyed. Who didn’t enjoy people gaping in surprise or fear, thus looking like complete idiots as they did so? The appearance of his eyes no longer bothered Akaza, but he remembered distinctly the first time he had noticed the change in their appearance. Even he had been grossed out by it, so he was not offended when he received the same reaction from others. It was something you got used to after sometime.
Pulling the hood of his cloak lower over his masked face and stepped out from the shade onto the street, the man immediately mingled into the mass of moving bodies. Like a phantom, Akaza weaved through the moving forms while glancing around his person, taking in the sight of the village he was passing through. He wondered if some of the larger and well-protected villages (such as the Kingdom Villages) were just like this. He had been to a great many inhabited regions during his life, but a Kingdom's Village was turf he had yet to cross. I wonder what it must be like, living in a place where everyone is a magic knight? His mind wondered. I would expect there to be an abundance of violence, or at least enough to make the locals wary and uneasy… Then again, the contrary might be valid as well. With powerful magic knights around, one would feel safe and comforted by the thought that there is someone to safeguard them should trouble ever arise. Yes, both seem highly plausible.
Lost in his thoughts about Kingdom's Villages, Akaza continued to stride through the seething mass of bodies in silence, still instinctively weaving around the incoming obstacles with the grace of a tiger.
As it was the high noon and the Sun was at the height of its trajectory, the village close to the border between the Forsaken Region and Hage Village was bathed in the magnificent glow of the celestial body’s rays. Every now and then the continuous band of light would be broken by the shadow of a cloud passing in front of the Sun; though this did not occur often enough for Akaza’s taste. Despite not being one of the hottest days he had experienced, the man beast still felt a little uncomfortable under his thickly-layered cloak, even from his position under the shadow of the grocery store. He didn’t really understand why people craved sunny days so much. The clearer the day, the more likely it was that one would suffer the ill effects of exposure to sunlight. Not to mention it was even hotter in said situation, and he did not like being hot.
Akaza once more glanced around himself. The bright rays from the Sun illuminated the village and its inhabitants for him to view clearly. The villagers were out and about either enjoying themselves or completing the day’s tasks. Excited, agitated, worried, ecstatic, one could fill a bathtub with the multitude of assorted emotions these villagers were displaying as they trudged from one building to another. Clothing stores, food stores, blacksmith shops, restaurants, post offices, pet stores, it was all here, nothing missing. Fragmented portions of speech came floating to Akaza’s ears over the hustle and bustle of village. Various voices speaking all at once, saying things like “My next door neighbor’s sister’s best friend once said -”, “I’ll pay you fifty rabbits for a -”, “- and then he pulled off his -”, or “This cheese tastes like chicken!”; all ordinary, trivial banter that one involuntarily took in while listening to the background jangle of the town. In other words, this village was just like every other place in the world.
The man frowned as he took in the sight. He was beginning to wonder if there was even any originality left in this world. Every inhabited location he went to, he saw the same scene: people scurrying around like insects or trudging from one place to another like rusted androids. Even if it wasn’t a village or town or any other well-populated area, there always seemed to be someone there already. Whether it was a magic knight, a tradesman, a thug, there was always someone you ran into. And because of that, there was always a reason to be wary of your surroundings, to keep your guard up.
Excuse me, sir, might I perhaps interest you in a fine set of bracelets? a voice inquired from Akaza’s left.
The man turned his hooded head in the direction of the sound. A balding man stood before him, a metal cart full of sparkling bracelets, necklaces, rings, and various other forms of jewelry situated between them. The portly man’s mouth may have been stretched into a friendly grin but his eyes radiated with a conniving intellect. Akaza’s eyes narrowed behind his mask’s visor in annoyance. Just when he was musing about the need of being wary, who should he run into but a salesman? Life was just full of humorous coincidences.
Bracelet, sir? These are genuine solid gold, they are. Straight from the furnaces of some of the finest blacksmith’s in the Forsaken Region! Or perhaps you’d like to buy a necklace? Or maybe a ring would be more suitable? The man gestured to each item as he spoke, a sly twinkle in his eyes as he gave a toothy grin to Akaza. That would make an excellent gift for your girl. A wink and a laugh succeeded this comment.
Akaza remained silent, not bothering to inform the man that there was no such person in his life. The man simply appeared to be considering whether or not he ought to buy an item from this man. The man certainly thought he was, for the cart was pushed closer to Akaza to grant the man a better look. Akaza leaned forward over the glass covering as if he were examining the merchandise on sale.
Yes, jewelry would make a fine gift for my wife. Remarked Akaza, playing along to the man’s earlier comment. There’s nothing women seem to love more than jewelry. Wouldn’t you agree?
Indeed, sir, indeed! came the oily reply.
The salesman’s expression was one of delight and anticipation as he eagerly watched the customer with his beady black eyes. That expression soon turned to one of shock and terror when Akaza’s hands suddenly shot out from underneath his cloak and stopped directly above the man’s wrists. The salesman glanced down and gulped at the sight of the two daggers Akaza was holding to each of the salesman’s wrists, both of the weapons a hair’s width away from piercing his skin.
Akaza smirked visibly under his hood, tilting his head to one side as he looked at the salesman. However, she would appreciate the gift more if it came with the hands of the very person who sold them to me. His tone, which had previously been warm and friendly, was now cold and malicious.
The man pulled his hands away from Akaza’s and backed away instinctively, staring at the cloaked man with wide eyes as beads of sweat began forming on his forehead. Akaza sniggered in amusement at the sight, replacing the dagger back in his magic knight pouch and spreading his arms questioningly at the salesman. What’s wrong? Do I frighten you? A malevolent grin spread across the man’s prominently obscured face. Would you like to see something really scary? he inquired slowly, raising his hand to his face and slowly lowering his mask, enough to provide the salesman a clear look at his eyes. As the man’s own eyes met Akaza’s, his face quickly contorted into a look of supreme horror and disgust. Grabbing hold of his cart, the salesman spun around and hurried off in the opposite direction, away from the man with the insect’s eyes.
Smirking with satisfaction, Akaza returned his mask to its rightful position of his face. Tsk, tsk. Merchants don’t seem to have any good bargaining skills these days. Observing other people’s reaction whenever they caught a glimpse of his eyes was an occurrence which Akaza greatly enjoyed. Who didn’t enjoy people gaping in surprise or fear, thus looking like complete idiots as they did so? The appearance of his eyes no longer bothered Akaza, but he remembered distinctly the first time he had noticed the change in their appearance. Even he had been grossed out by it, so he was not offended when he received the same reaction from others. It was something you got used to after sometime.
Pulling the hood of his cloak lower over his masked face and stepped out from the shade onto the street, the man immediately mingled into the mass of moving bodies. Like a phantom, Akaza weaved through the moving forms while glancing around his person, taking in the sight of the village he was passing through. He wondered if some of the larger and well-protected villages (such as the Kingdom Villages) were just like this. He had been to a great many inhabited regions during his life, but a Kingdom's Village was turf he had yet to cross. I wonder what it must be like, living in a place where everyone is a magic knight? His mind wondered. I would expect there to be an abundance of violence, or at least enough to make the locals wary and uneasy… Then again, the contrary might be valid as well. With powerful magic knights around, one would feel safe and comforted by the thought that there is someone to safeguard them should trouble ever arise. Yes, both seem highly plausible.
Lost in his thoughts about Kingdom's Villages, Akaza continued to stride through the seething mass of bodies in silence, still instinctively weaving around the incoming obstacles with the grace of a tiger.
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