Emladrin Ozguard's Story

Aelfric was coming up to the deck after cleaning himself off from yesterday's battle, at the end of which he was liberally covered with gore. He had a few bite wounds, but they weren't hurting him to much, and thus he was going up to the deck to take care of his sword first. The sword needed a good cleaning and sharpening for it had seen much use recently. As he tromped up the steps he saw both the captain and the elf woman on the top deck, the former gazing out, and the latter sprawled across the deck. He went to sit up against the railing, pulled out his cleaning rag, whetstone, and some oil for his blade. While he sharpened the blade Aelfric's mind wandered back to the fight, as it usually did when fighting was recent.

"Here they come again!" Aelfric shouted to the crew as he hurled one of his javelins into the pack of silvery beasts. It impaled one and it fell from the sky with a forlorn shriek, but there was no time for him to laugh for there was killing to be done. He drew his blade, Flesh-Reaver, planted his feet, and gave a great bellowing war cry as was the custom of his people. "Hasaris Maray sih Unthor!! Baerlok mreh Aelfric! Seloris!", the common tongue translation for that would be: Who dares do battle with a son of Hashar!? This son's name is Aelfric! Prepare to be crushed!. The sea-serpents did their weird hissing shriek thing, and began their dive. The wind-speaker was already shooting them down easily, and at the same time slightly re-directing the wind so that their charge wasn't so terrible, when Aelfric just charged in blade swinging and hacking. Blood flowed like a river, and there was nothing better for him. He was actually enjoying the slaughter when one of them sunk its fangs into his side. Aelfric roared in anger and pain, and his muscles slightly swelled as his extra adrenaline glands poured their contents into his bloodstream. He gripped the offender by its long neck, slammed it on the ground, and then shattered its skull with his foot.

His thoughts were interrupted however, when he heard the elf woman speak her flowing language, and then the common tongue that all shared. However, he could not make out the words completely. When Aelfric saw her looking at the captain though, he realized that it was directed at him, and decided to stay out of it for now, though the captain looked like he was rather pensive...

Imladrin stood on top of the look-out of the main mast, he stared down at the people bustling with after-the-fight shuffling. He was relatively knew to the crew, only recently joined, but as far he could tell he would like four of them. Imladrin leaned back on the thick wood and lit his pipe as he assessed the crew members; first he thought of the captain, but considering Imladrin knew his grandfather from when he first started adventuring, he was cool with the child. Even though he was a one-year-old in Denaucmen years. He looked down to see the brute he called numb-skull come up from lower deck; he fought well enough to be useful. After watching him bound around, he noticed he engaged in conversation with the harpy, and Imladrin scoffed up smoke at the sight. Im ladrin hated harpies with a burning compassion for an incident that happened when he was barely two in Denaucmen years, and in spite of the logic that pinged in his head he would hold it against her. Then his eyes drifted towards the elf; the Elven cities are the only place you will find civilian Denaucmen. Also, she was very beautiful. Suddenly, his train of thought was broken as the poor boy hit the deck, the half angel ironically turned red as a demon. He felt bad, but angels have no business being in the world of men. Don't even get me started on the half-demon, thought Imladrin. Finally, Imladrin blew a smoke that swirled in a shifting circle as he remembered the little girl Chiru, and a chuckle came to him as he remembered the battle. Imladrin was killing beats everywhere, no one appreciating that as soon as one of the serpents was going to tear into the back of one of the crew members he would send an arrow buried into the flesh of the monsters, or when a charge was coming from a formation he would change the winds to soften the blow. However, he would never break the illusion that the crew members like the fairy contributed, like the time she froze only the eye of a serpent, he sent an arrow sailing towards it, and the little thing thought she had killed it. And against all other belief, she was young for she was only seven to him, so he was compelled to protect her along with the elf.
Imladrin looked out onto the city, and his heart sank with a realization of who lurked on this city, Paradieso. He jumped and mid-air grabbed a rope, sliding down to the deck without uttering a single sound. He strode up to the captain, being an entire head taller, and spoke into his ear, "Sir, I need to speek to you in private." Imladrin noticed that he must have been silent while walking up for the captain was startled, and his face grew white.

Emladrin Ozguard

- Emladrin immediately noticed Aelfric, in which he had respect for his strength, moving into the city, and an idea struck him that seemed simpler than concerning the young captain. With a brash movement, Emladrin turned and walked to the group consisting of a brute and a monster, not really concerning himself with the fact that he had just addressed the captain, and spoke to numb-skull while avoiding eye contact with Merche. "Might I join you?" Emladrin asked with a tone that stated that it wasn't a question; he looked to the city knowing that no one knew the true danger that laid within.
- Emladrin was glad, however, that he may be able to convince Aelfric to help him put down the danger instead of concerning every one, but he did not appreciate the monster joining, especially with the fact that she'll probably die. Emladrin knew that he shouldn't hate her but he did, for personal experiences forbid his approval. Twenty years after the fall of Denauc, he was thirty or three in Denaucmen, his people moved in a giant caravan of air-ships, trying to find a new home, and his mother looked after toddler Emladrin with her life for his father died in the war before the fall. But when they had just been denied a home by the Hashari, a group of harpies known as the Song-Bird Harpies came like sirens of the skies and convinced Emladrins mother to abandon him and became a harpie, but they had no idea what that would bring.
- Denaucmen Harpies were found to be stronger and faster than the Song-Bird Hapies, so they attacked the boats to abduct more women. However, the Denaucmen tied the women and girls to the mast, and one by one they shot down the attacker until a pool of blood an inch deep lay on every ship. The ordeal left the type of harpie extinct, and Emladrin's mother, the only Denaucmen casualty, dead while fighting her own people.

Aelfric wheeled around in shock as the wind-speaker came up out of nowhere, asking if he could accompany them. However, the denaucman had a certain challenging tone to his words, which struck a spark in Aelfric's alpha male personality.. "Soften your words Wind-speaker. I don't like your tone. Just because you can shoot a bow does not mean you can fight a true warrior in blade to blade combat, so show some respect!" Aelfric growled out. As he said these words his body began prepping itself for battle. His muscles began to flex abnormally large, and his face scowled. What seemed like a petty thing was now beginning to get blown out of proportions, and it was only when Aelfric realized that a few of the other crew were giving his area strange looks that he began to back down a bit. And when he realized this, he mentally chastised himself for it, for how was he to survive the outside world if he treated it like Hashar, taking every little thing like a challenge of honor?

- Emladin held back a scoff as the numb-skull did an odd flex motion, but was even more so confused when he took it back akwardly. Hashari rarely do that. "So, it is decided then, I will acompany you," Imladrin was trying to make it clear that the company of Merche was not welcomed, and he knew that, despite his best insults, the monster was smart enough to pick it up. Also, what Emladrin planned to face wasn't something for something as bad as fighting, and despite his hate for her he tossed her one of his low-grade daggers, knowing that she'll need it. Emladrin looked onto the city that had people that already were fighting that he could see from the docks, and three shots rang out as the event became final about a hundred feet from where he stood. I hope at least one of them come back, their lives are so short, thought Emladrin, but what had to be done had to be don. "Shall we begin?"

Although she knew little of Aelfric Marickson, Merche had no qualms going into the city as a guide for him, as if also seemed that everyone was planning to wander the city in small bands anyway.
”I shall trust you with my safety as you may trust me as a shepherd.”
With that, Merche once more briefed a small smile, which was quickly washed up by the approach of Emladrin to the duo, after his talks with the captain. Despite approaching the two, he only allowed sights on her larger companion, altogether ignoring Merche’s presence. The harpy’s face was once more twisted into a scowl, followed by a sharp look at the scout, as he asked "Might I join you?" to Aelfric solely, as if Merche was not involved in the slightest. Before the navigator could give Emladrin an equally sharp tongue for his behaviour, Aelfric cut in, equally suspecting the tense atmosphere.

"Soften your words Wind-speaker. I don't like your tone. Just because you can shoot a bow does not mean you can fight a true warrior in blade to blade combat, so show some respect!"
Merche remained quiet so far, far too proud to let a sour character such as Emladrin Ozguard irk her, however her youthful anger was early getting the best of her, not quite used to the situation of someone looking down upon her as nothing more than a squawkling. No, this was her first post on an air-ship of any kind; she could not jeopardise it with petty tongue-swishings.
However this proved quite hard, as Emladrin continued to ignore her, only interacting through Aelfric, even indicating that he did not consider Merche into the group.

”Yes, you may accompany us.” Merche interjected bitterly, her words sharp in tone as she gave a grave glare in the direction of Emladrin. Her deathly stare would have continued, if not by the small donation of a dagger in her direction from the scout. Unbeknownst to him, Merche already carried a concealed dagger, however accepted it, her talons lifting it up from ground from whence it was thrown, placing it into the folds of her clothing.

”I suppose a dagger shall protect me from any foul play that may lie ahead of us” Merche noted, her words as sour as ever, almost suggesting that said foul play could, potentially, spout from a particular ship member, however she left the comment vague. She doubted he would try anything with her; after all, without her, there was little chance that they could navigate out of the pirate-riddled hole they were dug into. Nonetheless, the harpy was wary, and eager to get on the road.

”Yes, if anyone wants to get of their business done, it better be soon; the more time we spend in the city, there is more chance we will fall into troubles…”
Merche mused her given information by inspecting the city that was sprawled in front of them once more, squinting in it’s direction as if to decipher its presence.
”If we stick around the middle of the city we should be safe. More pickpockets, however it is safer than just wandering the alleyways.”

Despite her young age and the fact that this was one of her first journeys beyond her own home island, Merche seemed to have a good grasp on the city or, perhaps more accurately, had a good grasp on how cities usually function. It was one of the lessons she learned in her studies to the point that, in most cities, Merche was able to figure out the best way to wander the location, however this was Merche’s first experience in it. She also did not account for any potential threats to the ship if and when left alone, which was a problem that was, indeed, in need to be looked at…

As Aelfric watched the verbal play between the two, wandering if he should intervene, the harpy mentioned pickpockets. "Is it socially acceptable to kill one who tries to steal? Or is that frowned upon? I'm confused as to what is legal and isn't." As he says this he lets out a low rumbling chuckle, that seems to reverberate through the air. "Also, what is the quarrel between you two? We are ship-mates, comrades! It is not seemly to fight amongst ourselves, especially seeing as this city will try to kill us. Wind-Speaker, keep a some-what civil attitude. You're the fight-starter here, and I want it ended. Do you hear me?". While Aelfric was saying this, he bashed his fist against his muscled chest and then into Emladrin's, to show a point. He also began to wonder if he would need to take some of his war-paint with him into the city, for it would be against his vow to kill people without his paint.. And then he turned towards Merche, and said "If he continues this way then I shall use my authority as the First Mate to restrain him to the ship, and if he refuses then I shall cut him down. Lack of Dicipline will NOT be tolerated."

- Emladrin's jaw set as he heard the threat rumble off the numb-skull's lips. Emladrin began to speak in a tone that should not offend any body, he would not want to go back to the caravan, "I meant no disobedience sir, it was just quarrels almost as old as I, but remember this when you feel obligated to threaten me openly again; neither your strength nor your rank will protect you in your sleep. And as to you, Merche, I do not like you, however I would never harm someone that has not harmed me directly and since you are my comrade I would die for you." Emladrin thought that would settle the dispute so he could finally get in the city and deal with the obvious problem that seemed to only loom over his head.

As the wind-speaker spoke his words Aelfric began to calm. "Then we have an agreement. No fighting amongst the crew while I am First Mate." these words were carefully chosen as the least rude he could consider. After saying the words he looked out over the city again, which had really begun to call forth to his adventurer's spirit, which had sadly slumbered since he left Hashar. The years of blood-shed fighting the insectoid skraelings had been the thing that had honed his spirit. Now he finally had the chance to see things that a hashar had not seen for a long time, and the thought excited him, and nothing would stand in his way. Aelfric took a few steps forward to the gangplank and called out, "It is time to head into the cities my comrades! Forward to whatever may come!"