Necrophage

Scattered Shades: Arcadia Chronicles

I think I'm going to close Scattered shades from here, and allow you two to have a deeper role in the next Arc if you wish it.

@Necrophage I'm to assume that you would be too busy to post consistently in a remaster of S-S, but if you think otherwise, let me know.

@tex

I've been pretty busy so I haven't posted in the hero thing. Sorry for that. Starting school Monday and I've been doing stuff every single day. Starting to date a girl on top of that and part-time work. Pretty much if I stop playing video games with most of my free time I could join in on this no problem.

Of course WoW: Legion is coming out on Wednesday and I've been getting back into it lately... heheh. Big mess. Please, however, count me in. It would be an honor.

A Hero Tale: Oswald

Oz was up with the first rays of sunshine reaching over the horizon. The rest he received was enough to carry him through this day. Time was slipping by and Oz could not afford to let any more go to waste. He had taken the opportunity to take a few things with him, all of which were stuffed into a bag he carried over his shoulder. Spare clothes, some rations for travel, a bedroll; the essentials he needed for travel.

Joshua would be remembered but there would have to be a dedicated time for him later. If ill befell Angelica, Joshua's loss would be for nothing. Oz paused at the edge of town to utter a quiet promise for his benefactor. "Josh. I did all I could last night." He was honest with himself but that didn't stop him from feeling down over the matter, who wouldn't? "I failed and I can't promise I won't fail again." Oz gripped he fist tightly and looked up at the clear, red sky. "Yet I can promise that I will find Angelica and if I can't bring her to safety... If I can't save her.." He paused, looking down at his feet. After a moment of resolve he looked back to the burning sky and spoke with conviction. "Then I will spend my life making it right!" Oz turned away from town and started marching.

Through the forest to the south was his best bet. He could go until the road varied and hopefully not get lost after that. Growing up around farming, logging and hard labor taught Oz the ins and outs of what was needed to survive out here. He had not, however, been down here for quite some time. The forest had a tendency to change when you left it alone. That was good for hunting, bad for most everything else. The sun had ascended but the density of the trees provided much shade. It felt like a relaxing walk. Nevertheless, Oz thought about what Angelica must be going through.

A Hero Tale: Oswald

Oz closed his eyes. "Bobby. Everyone is going to have to get through this without me. However selfish this sounds I'm beyond the point of going back. Angelica needs SOMEONE to go after her. I don't care if I have no idea where she's at, I'll start looking in the next town over if I have to. As soon as I've recovered I'm leaving. I've made up my mind." It was still. The crickets were chirping loudly in the absence of talk.

Affirming his conviction he spoke up again. "I failed Josh. I couldn't stop Zelrian. I don't want to fail Angelica too. I don't. Her life is worth more than tradition and history."

Oz relaxed on the hay, slowly slipping back to sleep.

Scattered Shades: Arcadia Chronicles

To reopen signups. That will be interesting.

A Hero Tale: Oswald

Oz looked back at the man who touched his shoulder and frowned. He was right. Even if he could miraculously catch up to Angelica, wherever she went, there was no guarantee he could do anything more than what he did hours before. Oz let out a heavy sigh. "You're right. You're definitely right."

Oz went back down to where he was laying and instead sat against the wall. Bobby looked pretty bad. How Oz got out of that whole conflict without serious injury was incredible. The men here deserved an explanation. That explanation was something Oz himself could not grasp. So he tried. "Bobby. Everyone. You all deserve to know what that light was." Oz started, looking down at his open palms. "I was so caught up in the fight I didn't know what it was either. I still don't. The only thing I can say is that it was from me." He kept staring at his palms, almost hoping that light would manifest itself again or some miracle would reveal how to control it to him.

Nothing happened. Oz just kept staring at his hands for a long while, pondering. Zel didn't kill him because he showed that power, whatever it was. That madman called it ki. The only thing Oz had ever heard on the subject was by a stranger he happened to share a drink with at the tavern. "I guess we really have nothing to do but rest and go after it again in the morning." Oz muttered. He layed down on the hay, staring at the planks in the ceiling.

Scattered Shades: Arcadia Chronicles

Any plans to move this forward? Or are you working on that , @tex?

A Hero Tale: Oswald

"He?" Ozzie's heart sank. After an awkward silence he swore. "Damn that bastard!" He stood straight up, only to falter and lean against the wood planking on the wall. "I have to go after Angelica. Zel. Zel was his name." He explained. "He wanted that book desperately and his only reason was because his master told him to!" He shouted.

The barn was depressing. Co-workers were all sad and tired. Oz was exhausted, bruised and beaten. Now was not the time to rest. He limped over toward the entrance and leaned against a beam. "I'm going after her. Does anyone know where she went?"

A Hero Tale: Oswald

Oz awoke. That meant he wasn't dead. With certainty he felt like he should be after that ordeal. The last thing he remembered was the feeling, like he were standing in a smelting furnace at full blaze.

Dazed and half asleep, Oz glanced at the rest of the workers in the room. He looked at the piece of pie silently, stunned. Finally he snagged it from his companion and smiled weakly. "Thanks." As soon as he took a bite his stomach reminded him of how drained he was. He ached but it was deeper than that. Spiritually and emotionally he felt defeated. Sunken. Empty.

"What happened?" He asked. "Did Zel find you? Did he get the book? Did he kill anyone?" Oz asked the questions almost too fast to be answered. Last of all was the one he cared most to know. "How are Josh and Angelica?"

Feeling his appetite return, Oz consumed the pie and listened.

A Hero Tale: Oswald

There was a moment of joy when Oz finally hit Zel, slamming into him. It was satisfying to knock the prideful jerk off his feet. That moment was ephemeral. Zel pretty much just spun out of the charge and stood there as if nothing ever hit him.

"Reality bending pain? That glowy crap on your hand?" In spite of the lines he started that pain hit on cue. It was like someone had stuck a giant needle into him and just kept pumping magma through his arm. A kind of pain sufficient to down massive and savage beasts. Oz was just a man. Trembling, he fell to a knee and grunted in pain. A surprised breath escaped before he forced his mouth shut and held his arm tightly with the other. It was as if he was trying desperately to tourniquet it in vain. He slammed the cursed arm against the ground and shouted his frustration in a great cry. The pain washed over him like the tide over a beach, covering everything. Oz fell on knees and hands, clenching his teeth. Involuntary tears came from his eyes as he looked up at Zelrian. The drive and life in those eyes summed up a lot of what he couldn't say.

Oz forced himself up, one excruciating movement at a time. He mumbled something incoherent, barely able to form audible communication. One leg up, then the other. He fumbled over his feet, movements weak and unfocused. Exquisite pain wracked him that he had never experienced before. Oz shambled one step at a time closer to Zel. His teeth chattered until he was finally able to form the words. "I can..."

Pathetically he tried to flail at Zelrian with a strike that fell short. Oz couldn't even see straight, everything hurt. If this other man had such tolerance he must have had a miserable childhood. Frustration, rage and pain overwhelmed Oz so he vented with a furious scream. The bluish aura around him brightened for just a moment before exploding outward, slamming against everything around him. Debris, rock, dirt, wood, glass. It was all blasted away in small shock wave that centered on Oz. He stared bewildered at Zel for a moment as the light in his eyes finally turned off. Slumping to his knees, he rocked to his side on the ground.

A Hero Tale: Oswald

Oz clenched his teeth and grunted as he scooped up a shattered piece of door and hurled it at the green glow. He followed the piece out rushing forward. He shoulder-charged at Zel, seeking to tackle him if it were possible.