Though the attack struck the beast, it took a moment for Jack to realize it had little or no effect on it, aside from attracting its attention; it swung theleg he had assaulted into him, delivering a swift kick. From his position, Jack only had time to raise his makeshift shield so that it would absorb most of the impact. Even then, the strike from the beast launched Jack back, tumbling through the air and skidding to a halt across the ground. "Damn...." Jack cursed as he got up, winded but otherwise mostly unharmed.
The attack had been futile. The flail- which he had lost his grip on, along with the tavern door, mid-flight- had been completely ineffective against the beast, and Jack doubted his fists would do any better. "Dammit..." Jack cursed again as he glanced back at the others nearby, who were insiting on retreat. As much as Jack hated running from a fight, he could tell when a situation was hopeless, and fleeing was better than death- especially since he had no reason to die for this forsaken town. He looked at the boar one more time before turning and regrouping with Gabriel, Ren, and Devlin, punching his way through any skeletons that got in his path.
It didn't take long before Jack had made his way to the horde of skeletons assaulting the town of Nadaska, meeting their front as they reached the library and had begun heading north. Fighting his way into it, volleys of arrows absorbed by the thick wood of the tavern door secured to his left arm while he carved a path of shattered bone and torn cartilidge with the flail in his right hand. More skeletons moved to fill in the gaps, but despite their numbers he steadily made his way through the chaos towards what had become his primary target: the armored boar-like monstrosity.
From the path the beast was taking, Jack surmised that it was most likely making its way towards the church. For what purpose it had targeted the holy building was neither something that was clear to Jack nor something he cared about. All that mattered to Jack was that it was a monster that had to be put down. The skeletons had left the path in front of it open, creating a clearing that Jack had managed to fight his way into. Standing between the beast and the church, he takes a second to position himself before sprinting towards the beast's front right leg, twisting as he reaches it to slam the spiked head of the flail into it with as much speed and force as he can muster.
"Well, one thing is clear," Jack says, stuffing the crudely drawn map into his pants pocket, "It certainly means something. As for chasing the man down..." His statement was interrupted by the sound of several roars emerging from the forest outside of town; roars that Jack couldn't place as being that of any kind of beast he had encountered. "Well," he continued, "There's also that. Anyways... I don't expect there's much to gain by chasing him down, though I am curious what the meaning of the map is."
It was then that he picked up the sound of the crashes from the boar-like beast, and the ensuing commotion its attack caused. "The hell...?" He stepped away from the tree, moving to see what was going on. His confusion was answered as a skeleton attacked the elf on the hill nearby, who quickly dispatched the undead creature. Jack turned to Fauve and Gabriel, stating, "Well, it would seem conflict has decided to come to us."
A skeleton wielding a flail covered with rusted spikes approached behind Jack, moving to attack; before the strike could connect, however, Jack spun around, slamming his spiked gauntlet into the skeleton's ribcage and shattering its torso. Whether it belonged to the living or undead, bone broke all the same. Holding down the monster's flail-wielding arm with his foot, he ripped the weapon out of its hand before stomping on its skull to finish it off.
"A bit shabby, but it'll do," he stated, inspecting the weapon he had obtained before looking back to the two nearby. "You two can do what you like, but I'll be joining this fight now." He removed the map, tossing it to Gabriel. "I'm beginning to think I might know what the town being crossed out was supposed to mean..." With that, he walked back to the tavern, grabbing the handle and ripping the door off of its hinges. With stolen weapon and makeshift shield in hands, he moved east to engage the main horde of monsters.
When the Elf and the Myti noticed Jack looking in their direction- evident by the former's nod and the latter's brief eye contact- he gave them a quick salute before returning his focus back to the tavern. Fauve had emerged from it; as she jerked her head back in acknowledgement to him, he returned it with the same sort of nod he had given Gabriel. Jack watched her as she approached, but as she pulled down her trousers and it became evident what she had come over to do, he returned his eyes to the rest of the town.
After her introduction, Jack looked down at her hand, giving it a shake. As he was about to answer, Gabriel approached, commenting on the looting that the two of them had engaged in before introducing himself and asking their names. Jack took the opportunity to answer both of them, replying, "Name's Jack. I'd shake your hand as well, Gabriel, but the gauntlets don't typically agree with magic users."
Whether or not he intended to shake Gabriel's hand soon became irrelevant, as the book-reading stranger collided with the enchanter. As soon as he had arrived, however, he had already left, collecting all of his things that had spilled to the floor before continuing on his way; or, rather, almost all of his things. Kneeling down, Jack picked up the paper that had been left behind, looking at the map on it.
It only took a few seconds for him to recognize the area as being Nadaska and its surroundings, the small town crossed off and a location nearby marked with a circle. "Well now... I wonder what this is all about?" As he spoke, he held the paper such that Fauve and Gabriel could see the map as well, glancing in the direction the stranger had ran off in.
Jack simply watched as Fauve shoved the body of the late barkeep into a cupboard and hastily covered up the blood, stating, "Yeah, that looks like it'll work." Out of sight, out of mind, after alltt. Granted, the scent of the carcass would probably still attract some attention, but the smell of filth inherent to the place would probably manage to cover it up for at least a short time. He glanced at Gabriel as the enchanter seemed to misunderstand the hero of the story idea, considering whether to correct him or not, but eventually deciding against it.
Instead, he chose to follow in suit with Fauve; the drinks wouldn't do anyone any good just sitting on a shelf, after all, and the barkeep certainly didn't need them anymore. He shoveled as much of the remaining alcohol as could fit into his pack, taking an extra bottle in hand for good measure, and exited the tavern, walking out as if nothing had happened. Jack acknowledged Gabriel's presence nearby with a nod and made his way over to a nearby tree, leaning against it and finishing off the last of his venison, washing it down with the contents of the extra bottle.
Taking a brief look around, he caught sight of the group from earlier situated on a small hill a short distance away. It seemed they were discussing something.
Jack's attention was brought back to the two in front of him when Gabriel began to answer Fauve's question. Though he had missed what that question actually was due to his shift in focus, he was more or less able to surmise what it had been from Gabriel's answer. From it, it seemed he was a specialist in enchantments and research; though Jack didn't visibly react to it, that did catch his attention. His former master had specialized in the same sort of thing, after all. Of course, this stranger didn't strike Jack as being anything like Jacques had been, but then again his master had always seemed to take on an alternate persona when he was dealing with customers, visitors, and other such individuals. Perhaps this man was the same.
Jack would have to kill him if he was.
Through his peripheral vision, Jack watched the other group depart the tavern one-by-one, leaving the two in front of him, the hooded woman- who got up and left shortly afterwards anyways- and the horsem- Jack paused eating as he realized that the stranger at the bar had already disappeared. The fact that such a large individual had managed to make his way out of the tavern without him noticing took Jack by surprise, though he decided to attribute it to his focus being drawn to those directly in front of him. Misdirection and sleight of hand worked on similar principles, after all.
In his surprise, he missed the proposal Fauve had made to Gabriel.
It was around then that the hooded woman exited from the kitchen, knife coated with blood in her hand, and headed upstairs. At this point, Jack realized that the bartender had also disappeared- an indication to the source of the blood on the knife, perhaps. As Fauve commented on the situation, Jack nodded, still eating as he got up from his seat and followed her and Gabriel into the kitchen. As he had suspected, the bartender was on the floor, clothes stained red by the pool of his own blood that had been forming around him. Swallowing the bite of meat he had been chewing, Jack crosses his right arm over his chest, half-eaten venison still in hand, and gives a short bow in mock-respect. "And so ends the tale of the fat little barkeep," standing back up and turning to look at Gabriel as the sounds from upstairs cease, he adds "And it would seem someone else's story has ended as well. Any guesses who its hero might've been, merchant?"
Jack merely watched Fauve as she laughed at the heavily simplified story of how he had obtained his gauntlets. Not surprising in the least; Jack was well aware of how it sounded. Drinking from the moonshine she had previously slid towards him as she continued, followed by Gabriel's own assessment of his story, Jack set down the drink as he responded, "Believe what you want, but that's what happened... more or less." Jack turned to Gabriel as he continued, "There is indeed more to the story, but I don't expect either of you intend to listen to some stranger's history."
He shifted the moonshine to the side, thinking for a moment before adding, "As for the traveler, eccentric is one way to put it. He was, however, responsible for my freedom, and as such I choose not to question him or his reasons." Jack lifts the moonshine, drinking from it once more. Finishing it off, he slid the now-empty mug over to the side of the table again. "Now. If that's all, I'd like to return to my meal." Of course, given how these sorts of encounters usually went, he didn't expect that it would be, but he would take the chance that it might.
However, before either of them had the chance to answer- or he had the chance to continue his meal without letting them answer- Jack's focus was drawn from the two at his table by the entrance of another unusual individual. He was tall, tall enough to strike his head on the way in- the sound of which being what caught his attention in the first place. Taller even than Jack was, something that he hadn't seen in anyone even roughly human-like since his childhood. Looked fairly strong as well, and appeared to belong to a race of some sort that Jack didn't recognize. Something he'd have to ask about, should a conversation between them occur.
It was only then, with his focus drawn away from Fauve and Gabriel, that Jack noticed that the hooded woman had returned from the upstairs; in addition, another person had joined the Myti and the Elf at their table. A bored teenager that had wandered off to the tavern, perhaps? Unlikely, given the time. Like with Gabriel, something about this person struck Jack as being odd, but from where he was he couldn't tell what. Perhaps time would tell; with the way things seemed to be shaping up, it was only a matter of time before some event occurred that would bring all the unusual and interesting patrons of the tavern together.
Or perhaps it was just coincidence and such things don't happen outside of books and fables. Still, it was an entertaining train of thought.
Jack's observation of the others was interrupted by the sudden entrance of another individual; this one, a young woman. As she went about her business, he returned the majority of his focus to observing the others, but she once again interrupted this- this time by taking a seat at his table. It seemed, more or less, that she had taken an interest in his gloves- she wasn't the first individual who had, and she certainly wouldn't be the last.
Jack, ignoring the moonshine for the moment, responds, "About as much any other tavern. As for the gloves, they're not for sale." As he finishes his brief answer, another individual- the first man Jack had noticed enter the tavern- had taken a seat at the table as well, also inquiring about the gloves. It seemed indirect observation was out of the question now. "Hm. Fourteen years ago," Jack answers, "I met a traveler. He gave them to me. I can't say I have any idea why he did, but I'm sure had his reasons."
Early Monday afternoon. Jack stood before the entrance to a cave, hidden within the forests just east of Nadaska. All the evidence and rumors he had collected thus far led him to this location, and by the look of it- and the twinge of magic energy he could feel leaking from the c ave's entrance- he knew it was the correct place. Delving into the cave, Jack came face to face with a group of armed thugs- it seemed the mage who had made this place his home opted for a bit of security.
Two oversized brutes of men, armed with equally-brutish swords that looked like they hadn't been maintained since the day they were first smithed, rushed Jack while a scowling woman stood back, nocking an arrow onto a makeshift bow with enough wear that it seemed more likely to snap in two than release anything. The two men, lifted their swords above their heads, bringing the blades down upon Jack- or they would have, had he not simply sidestepped their attack. "You know, I can't help but wonder," Jack states, delivering a punch to the side of one of the men as he continues, "where do people like you even come from?"
As the brute Jack had struck fell to the ground, agonizing over his now-shattered ribs, the second growls with anger as he goes in for another attack. Swiping his sword horizontally while stepping towards Jack, who counters by blocking the blade with his gauntlet, the brute's forward motion neatly brings him into the path of the arrow that had just been released by the woman, piercing the back of his skull and killing him. Jack watches as the man collapses to the ground, looking up at the woman after a brief moment. "You've really got your team coordination down, haven't you?"
She scowls again, fumbling as she moves to nock another arrow onto the bow. Her focus set on her weapon, she loads it and looks back up just in time to see Jack standing in front of her as he delivers a punch to her stomach, eviscerating her. Jack looks down at her as she slumps over, collapsing at his feet. Shaking the wet blood off of his gauntlets, he moves deeper into the cavern.
After making his way through the small labyrinth of tunnels that made up the caves, and fighting his way past more small groups of pitifully underwhelming thugs, he makes his way to the final chamber of the cave, in which the rogue wizard he has been searching for stood. The wizard, in the middle of performing some sort of ritual, turns to the invader, his voice carrying his anger as he shouts at Jack.
"So," the wizard begins, "You've come to take down the mighty Fodrin, have you?"
"That about sums it up, yeah," Jack replies.
"Fool! You may have made it past my guards, but I am stronger than you could possibly imagine!"
"I guess we'll see."
With that, Jack approaches the wizard, who- somewhat perturbed by Jack's nonchalance- quickly prepares a spell, launching a volley of fireballs at Jack. His confusion turns to fear as Jack simply catches the fireballs, absorbing the arcane energy. "W-What the hell kind of power is that?!" he shouts, turning to flee. He realizes too late, however, that the chamber he is in only has one way out, and Jack stands between him and it. As he turns back, Jack is already standing over him, answering. "It's my power."
"No!" The wizard shouts, his fear turning to anger, "No, no, no! I cannot die by your hand!"
"Very well then," Jack states as he kicks him to the ground, stomping his chest in and ending the rogue wizard's life.
Jack knelt down, searching the wizard's corpse. Locating the amulet that had been looking for- along with a handful of golden coins, some stained with red by the wizard's blood- he pocketed his findings before making his way back out of the cave and into the forest.
Some time after he leaving cave, Jack approached the eastern gates of Nadaska. As much as he didn't like spending time in places he didn't need to be in, the journey back to turn in his bounty was too long to make on foot before nightfall. Monster attacks in the region had grown, and while he could fend for himself, being killed in his sleep wasn't something Jack was particularly interested in. Besides, the owner of the amulet had waited for it to be returned this long already; surely they wouldn't mind waiting an extra day or two...
"Halt." The command of the guard at the gate brought Jack out of his thoughts and back to reality. "State your name and your business."
"Jack. Hunter."
"Right," the guard answered with a tone of suspicion, "And I suppose that's your explanation for that, then?" As he questioned Jack, the guard indicated towards the blood that currently stained his gauntlets and the right side of his torso.
Jack answered with a simple nod, adding, "Occasionally a hunter of men," and retrieving a bounty, showing it to the guard.
"Ah, one of your types... well, I don't expect you'll find-"
"The hunt is over. Just need a place to stay until tomorrow."
"...right. Well, I suppose we can let you in." The guard steps to the side, allowing Jack to pass through and into Nadaska. And, before a minute even had time to pass, he had already managed to make his way onto the roof of the town hall unnoticed, observing the activity in the town. Below, he could hear the announcement of the hanging, and- more importantly, at least to Jack- the mention of a large chest and a reward for finding it. "Could make for a good supplement to my income," Jack muttered to himself, "if I happen to come across it."
Next, he turned his attention to the church, and the growing numbers of people around it. Jack's opinion of religious folk had never been too favorable- too dogmatic for his tastes; little more than glorified servitude, from what he understood of it. Not his idea of an ideal life in the slightest. As he was about to move on to other things, however, an individual exiting the church caught his eye- while he didn't look like much more than any typical traveler, something about him stuck out among the crowds of Nadeska like a sore thumb.
Jack narrowed his eyes, trying to focus better on the man. What was it about him? Not his general appearance... something he was wearing, perhaps? Nothing really stood out about that either, though he knew there must've been some reason the man caught his eye. He didn't have much time to think about it before another indivudal caught his eye- one he recognized as one of the Myti. It wasn't hard for Jack to determine what caught his attention for this one, though- it was a male Myti, seemingly traveling by himself. "Did he reject the place his kind would put him in...?" Jack's blank expression turned to a slight smile. "Good for him." Given his own past, Jack didn't particularly care much for the Myti culture's view of their males.
Following the humanoid feline's movements, he realized that the Myti had ended up passing through town into the same direction the man from earlier had- right into a tavern. And, after a brief period of time in which Jack observed the activity in the market, he found his attention drawn to yet another individual who, inevitably, ended up in the same tavern. This time, a hooded figure. He couldn't be certain, especially since night had already fallen and their dark clothing tended to mix into the darkness when it wasn't making a harsh silhouette against what scattered lights there were in the town, but from what he could tell by their figure, Jack surmised that this one, unlike the other two, was a female. "Three unusual individuals, all heading to the same tavern... I don't suppose..."
Sure enough, a brief look around town revealed yet another individual that stood out to Jack making their way to the tavern. This time, an elf. Gender... Jack had enough trouble telling what elves were up close, it'd be impossible to discern it from his vantage point. Regardless, at this point four strange individuals had made their way into the same tavern. As soon as he started heading there it'd be five; a decent size for a party of adventurers for any story. Of course, Jack knew this wasn't some run-of-the mill fantasy story; this was reality. In any case, though, something had drawn these individuals to the same place, and Jack was curious was fate would have in store for them.
Besides, he needed to get down from the roof of the town hall before someone noticed he was up there. And, more importantly, to get something to drink. Making his way down from the roof unnoticed- a feat made easier than his climb up to it by the cover of night and gravity working in his favor rather than against it- he walks to the tavern, arriving as the hooded woman was making her way up the stairs. "Suppose that's one less person to observe..." he muttered to himself as he walked over to the counter, staring down at the barkeeper, who seemed to be in a panic about something.
"Barkeep."
The barkeeper continued to frantically search himself, apparently not having noticed Jack's presence.
"Barkeep." Jack strikes the counter with his palm for emphasis, shocking the barkeeper out of his panic.
"H-hu- oh... Welcome," the barkeep states with a sigh, his earlier frenzy apparently having left him sweating. Whether it was from nervousness or brief physical exertion for such a man, or even both, Jack didn't care. "What'll it be? Afraid we're out of rooms for the night."
"That's fine. I just want ale," Jack states, moving his hand to reveal three golden coins, two of which are stained with a faint red. "Don't worry about change yet. Just keep the ale coming. I have more gold if it comes to that."
"Yes, sir." The barkeep takes the coins, seemingly still disappointed about something enough not to notice the red stains that covered the coins- or Jack himself, for that matter. He solemnly moves to serve Jack, who takes the mug of alcohol and moves to one of the empty tables, positioned such that he can periodically observe the three unusual individuals who remained on the ground floor of the tavern.
Jack takes a swig of the ale before reaching back into his pack, removing something large and wrapped in cloth and setting it in front of him. Unwrapping the object, it reveals a large chunk of venison, the ends of a long bone jutting out of opposite sides of the slab of meat. Lifting the raw meat with both hands, sparks travel between the red-tinted crystals attached to the bracers of his gauntlets as flames emerge from his hands, engulfing the venison long enough to roast it. As the flames cease, the sparks disappear with them, the reddish tint of the crystals having reverted to a dull light grey color, and Jack begins to consume the now-cooked meat.
A product of experiments involving infusing humans with arcane energy conducted in the lost kingdom of Elrus, Elrians have enhanced physical capabilities compared to mundane humans. Taller, stronger, faster, and hardier, they were intended to serve as more efficient laborers in physical tasks, though a combination of escapes and an eventual revolt that led to the kingdom's demise resulted in the Elrians spreading across Akripola.
While pure-blooded Elrians are rare, all who carry their blood inherit some degree of their ancestor's physical characteristics, as well as side effects that hadn't become evident during their ancestors' time; most Elrians are 'aligned' with some element, which renders them resistant to its effects while leaving them weak against the opposite. In addition, while they are a product of magic, they are completely incapable of using it themselves.
The irises of Elrians tend to appear metallic, most often like silver or copper, and all Elrians have black hair. While Elrians grow and mature at the same rate as normal humans, the effects of aging after reaching adulthood are less evident in Elrians; an Elrian in his eighties, for example, might be comparable to a normal human that is at most in his late thirties or early forties.
Appearance: Jack stands at six and a half feet, a relatively normal height for an Elrian.
Abilities: Due to his Elrian heritage Jack has a few inherent abilities. These include:
-Enhanced physical abilities: As described in the species section, Jack's physical characteristics are beyond that of a normal human.
-Fire Resistance: Jack is aligned with the element of fire, rendering fire and heat that would otherwise be dangerous less effective on him. In addition, he can handle hotter climates and weather conditions without ill effect.
He also has some abilities that he has achieved through other means, such as training.
-Unarmed Combatant: Jack has expertise in styles of hand-to-hand combat, both unarmed and making use of improvised weaponry, when available.
-Survivalist: Having spent most of his life traversing more uncivilized lands, Jack has the knowledge and skill required to survive in the wilds between the cities and towns of the various kingdoms of Akripola.
Special Weaknesses: While his alignment with fire gives him a resistance to fire and heat, it also renders him susceptible to cold; cryomancy and other magic with chilling attacks are far more effective on him than normal, and colder climates and weather affect him more quickly than usual.
Weapons: Jack carries with him two pieces of equipment to enhance his unarmed combat style.
-Arcane Redirection Gauntlets: A pair of steel gauntlets equipped with inert magic crystals which allow Jack to absorb incoming magic attacks, store the energy, and use it to boost the power of his punches. Whether powered or not, spikes on the knuckles of the gauntlets also serve to make his attacks more effective.
-Sabatons: Though designed more as armor than a weapon, steel plates attached to Jack's boots help make kicks more effective.
Items: Jack carries little more than the clothes on his back- both armored and unarmored- and a pack slung on his back and hidden by his cloak, in which he stores survival equipment, maps, a journal, a pan flute made from bones, and however many coins he happens to have on him at the time. Occasionally he also stores potentially valuable objects he finds in it, though he has none at the moment.
Backstory: 25 years ago, a mage by the name of Jacques Rezello decided that he was fed up with the variety of mundane tasks that came with being a mage of his caliber- setting up experiments, collecting materials and foci, sorting out equipment, and other such things that wasted time and effort he could devote to more important things. And, like any mage of his caliber, he studied historical magic events and discoveries, and thus knew of the Elrians. He concluded, therefore, that the most appropriate course of action would be to obtain an Elrian to work for him. A normal human would not suffice, after all; they would tire, demand breaks and respect, try to live their own life outside of working for him, and other such nonsense. Besides, Elrians were designed to perform mundane tasks. That's what they were meant for.
At first, he tried to obtain one as one would any other employee- tracking down qualified individuals, making an offer, and disposing of those who refused. Of course, Elrians weren't exactly the most common individuals, and tracking down good candidates was difficult. It certainly didn't help that those he did find never took the offer, and were not willing to be disposed of, leaving Jacques beaten, lost, and, more importantly, without an Elrian to work for him. Deciding that being reasonable clearly wasn't working, he set out to capture an Elrian to force them to work for him.
This turned out about as well as one might expect, leaving him with yet more injuries and time spent lost. Luckily, like any mage of his caliber, Jacques knew how to restore himself from the brink. But, unfortunately for him, a year had nearly passed and he had yet to obtain an Elrian of his own. And so, he concluded that perhaps attempting to capture an Elrian who was not yet an adult would be a better course of action. But where would he find one? Young Elrians were nearly indistinguishable from absurdly strong human children, after all. As luck would favor him, however, while mending his wounds in a local tavern he happened upon a rumor that a pure-blooded Elrian had been born in the village that he was currently in. And so, he set to seek out this child.
Long story short, the rumors turned out to be true- or at least true enough that the child was in fact an Elrian, and he could tell it was one- and Jaques managed to obtain it through methods he would insist were completely legitimate. Initially he was displeased with the prospect of having to devote time to raising such a young creature, since the Elrian wouldn't be useful to him for another few years, but he figured the end result would be worth it. And so, he raised the child to be a perfectly obedient and subservient individual who would do all manual work for him. Which more or less just meant making sure the child grew up without dying, since Elrians were designed to work for mages and therefore this one would be perfectly obedient and subservient by default, because they're meant to be like that. Surely, he figured, the great mages of old couldn't have possibly been wrong or made a mistake.
Jacques began assigning tasks for the child as soon as it had grown up, and soon determined that it would be easier to do so if he gave the child a quick, short name he could address- going to find the child and trying to get its attention otherwise would be inefficient, after all. He gave the child a brief look-over, deciding to name him Red after the spare crimson cloak that he had hastily wrapped him in to serve as makeshift clothing. Short, simple, easy to remember... it was perfect. And so began Red's life of work under the mage.
While Red served Jaques unquestioningly- it was the only thing he had ever known, after all- as he grew older he began to resent the mage for enslaving him. Servitude was the only thing he had ever known, after all. When Jaques figured Red was old enough, he decided it was time to teach Red how to read and write. Jaques needed scrolls and tomes transcribed, after all, and despite requiring some degree of knowledge it was still mundane work. After teaching Red enough that the child could reliably understand and transcribe written script, he assigned him to perfect it- poorly written scrolls and tomes wouldn't suit a mage of his caliber, after all- by practicing on the library of old books that the previous owner of Jaques's home had abandoned when he left. By being killed by Jaques.
This would prove to be not Jaques's greatest mistake, but simply one in a line of many, many equally great mistakes that only someone like him could manage to accomplish. As it turned out, in transcribing these books, Red not only copied them, but also read them, something that Jaques never would've anticipated despite the fact that one must read what a book says to transcribe it. He also had never bothered reading the books himself, so he also never could've anticipated their contents; contents that, as Red transcribed book after book, kindled and fueled a flame in him, a burning desire for freedom. Yet he knew that as he currently was, he would have no hope of defeating Jaques; he was only a child, after all. Freedom would have to wait until he was stronger.
But, as it turned out, freedom was rather impatient. One of Jacques's specialties, and thus services he provided, was in the analysis of magic artifacts, and a traveler had recently arrived with a large amount of them. Simultaneously overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of items one man could have on hand and anticipating the chance to display his expertise, he assigned Red to sort out the excess equipment for him while he analyzed the first batch of items. While Red was doing so, one of the artifacts, a pair of gauntlets, drew his attention. As he looked over them, he felt a force compelling him to put them on. Glancing back at Jacques, who was still busy with the items he was working on and the traveler, he couldn't help himself as he took the opportunity that had come to him.
He slipped the gauntlets on, which despite being a bit large for his hands, felt as if they were meant to be there. A sensation he had never felt before surged through him, invoking power, the opportunity to take control of his life- of freedom. He was snapped out of this sudden state as he heard Jacques's voice sharply address him, and as he turned to look back at his master he was greeted with two looks- one of anger from his master, and one of amusement from the traveler. Jacques demanded he remove the gauntlets and return to work, but as Red looked down at them, the feeling of power slowly built up again, his hands turning to fists as he looked back at his master, uttering a simple no.
Jacques's anger turned to fury- the traveler's smirk, unseen by Red's master, turning into a smile- as he lifted a hand, thin bolts of electricity arcing up his forearm before he jabbed the raised hand towards Red, lightning launching from his fingers. Red raised his open hands almost instinctively in what should have been a futile attempt to block such an attack, and yet block it did- or so it seemed. Crystals that had lined the bracers, thought by Red to be decorative, lit up as they absorbed the energy. Red looked down at his hands, balling them into fists once more, now glowing with power. He looked up at Jacques, whose fury had subsided into confusion and fear, something Red had never seen from his master. This- combined with a slight nod from the traveler- broke open the floodgates that had been holding back all of Red's resentment and hatred for his master.
In a moment that seemed a blur to Red, he leapt forwards towards his master, striking him down with a series of brutal punches. Standing over his now deceased captor, he stared down at the mage's tenderized carcass for a brief moment before turning and looking up to address the traveler. The man, however, had disappeared, along with all of the other artifacts, no traces that he or the other items had ever been there left behind. Looking once more at the pitiful remains of Jacques, Red took a moment to calm himself, walking out the door of his master's arcane shop and into his new life.
He took with him the gauntlets, the cloak that had been his namesake, and his master's name- altered to Jack- and money. His master wouldn't need either of them anymore, after all, but he could make use of them. Now, on what would happen to be Red's- Jack's- tenth birthday, he was finally free. He would spend the next fourteen years roaming the countryside, sustaining himself with hunting- both of animals and of individuals with bounties on their heads, preferring taking down mages in the latter case. Initially he resented entering civilized lands, only doing so when necessary or to take on or turn in a bounty, though in the past few years he has mostly gotten over this. He still prefers the wilds, however, and generally distrusts mages.
Member
Augran
Izurich
Soldat Elf
Lunamaria Hawke
Fetzen
Pandolin
Nallore