Pondering Things

[Hector Olith]

Hector staggered to the water's edge, dropping his ax and falling to his knees right when he got there. The ax made a huge dent in the ground, akin to a small crater. He wiped the blood from his brow so it didn't leak into his eyes, then quickly unstrapped his breastplate which was already returning to normal form. The leather armor he had on underneath came off quickly as well as the inside was slick with blood. It was also reverting to its normal form. The cuts and lacerations on his chest had started to seal, but they might also have gotten bacteria in them and he needed to clean them before it took effect. Gritting his teeth, Hector cupped his hands into the water and splashed the salt water into his wounds. It stung immediately, causing him to instinctively grind his teeth together. He repeated this process across all of his wounds until he thought they were reasonably clean, and then he fell backwards to rest. 

"Still didn't find anything, dammit!" He whispered to himself in an agitated tone. He banged his fist on the ground, causing another small dent. He had heard rumors from a town called Hollow that a powerful warrior stood guard somewhere around a city called Avaleur. The rumor stated that it was a warrior from the times of old, where men fought their entire lives and were lucky to live to forty years of age. They say this warrior in particular was preserved by a warlock to guard something and was a formidable foe to any who crossed his path. Hector never really had been one for rumors, but he wanted a fight that would be interesting without having to fight more than one person at a time. And so, he had taken off towards Avaleur and started searching in spots that the Hollow citizens had pointed out. He had journeyed to a place in the woods that seemed promising, but it was a fluke. A small group of bandits was camped there examining a sword that they claimed to be a holy weapon. When Hector had decided not to join them, they attacked. After only a few minutes, all of them lay maimed, unable to fight at his feet. He let them all live, but shattered their hopes when he shattered the blade of their holy sword right in front of them.

He knew he was hurt and made his way towards this Avaleur. When he saw the city and the lake directly next to it, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had been thinking that he would have to go into the city to treat the major wounds from infection, but salt water and his healing abilities worked just as well as any herb could. It was the run that killed him, as he hadn't had to run in full armor in quite some time. He pondered whether this rumor had any stitch of truth to it for a bit before deciding it was too early to give up. Many citizens had pointed to the Forever Caves or the Weeping Mountains as the most likely resting place of this warrior but the forest was closer to him at the time. He looked up at the cloudy sky, sighing as he felt his wounds stitch themselves together into scars. In a day or so they would be normal, as if no wound had ever been inflicted there before. It was the tongue that knocked him out of his train of thought. It was Frederic, his direwolf. The bastard had hidden away when the fighting started and just now caught up to him. "You dam dog, where have you been?" He asked, scratching behind the massive wolf's ear. It panted in pleasure, eventually lying down next to Hector. 

[Jordan Hielo]

A man dressed in a loose tunic and trousers wandered the beach, with a small mag resting over his shoulder, along with a quiver with arrows, and a longbow. His dark brown hair had just been cut, but still seemed too long for him. He preferred the shag to his hair, however, and kept it like that. And as much as his girlfriend protested, he kept the slight scruff on his face as well.

Jordan Hielo looked different today, as he left his home that day in lighter clothes. The ice elemental almost constantly wore a coat, even in the blaze of summer. But he had decided that, for a change, he would go on with the day with just a shirt. And so far, he was liking it. His main reason for wearing it was to prevent people from feeling his cold to the touch skin. But that did not matter, he realized. What would they care.

He yawned slightly, knowing that he would have to get back to his shop sooner than later, but hoped that the day would go by fast. After all, things were slow for him and his hunting store. Even slower for the hunters circle, to his disappointment.

Jordan slipped his hands into his pockets as he wandered down the water, thinking to himself. When suddenly, he spotted someone laying in the sand. A direwolf next to them.

At first Jordan thought nothing of it. After all, there was nothing odd about the situation. Until, that is, Jordan saw some blood on the ground nearby the person, as if they were bleeding.

The hunter would have walked away, if his curiosity hadn't gotten the better of him. Wanting to see if everything was alright, he began jogging over. Once in earshot distance, he asked, "Hey, you alright?"

[Hector Olith]

Before Hector could even react, Frederic was up on his feet, looking at the newcomer. He didn't growl, but just stood and stared like a statue. The direwolf was seven feet long and weighed over two hundred pounds, so even a stare might seem like a death glare. Hector was used to it, but this new person might not be. "Down boy." He said lackadaisically ((I think that's right)). Hector pushed himself up, running his hand down his chest as he did so. The water was almost dry and the wounds were completely scabbed over, starting to turn to scars. He glanced over at the newcomer. He was a small man dressed in loose fitting clothing. He had shaggy hair and some stubble. Hector rubbed his chin, noting that he needed to shave soon.

He pushed his hair back as it was still damp from the lake water, then stood up. He still had the lower half of his armor on as well as his bracers, so he looked a little funny. "I'm alright, got in a bit of a scuffle over nothing." He said casually. Hector noted that the boy was armed with a bow and took into account that he was within a few steps worth if he decided to be hostile. He didn't like doubting people instantly, but his last encounter was throwing him off. "Huntin' or something?" He asked.

[Jordan Hielo]

Jordan tensed up as the direwolf stood up, but relaxed when its owner told it to calm down. Seeing as how his very first encounter with a wolf was a good one, the man wasn't too worried.

He lifted an eyebrow in confusion at the question the man asked, before remembering the bow on his back. He smiled sheepishly.

"Nah, not hunting," he replied with a slight shrug. "Partially advertising my shop, but it's more for protection. I mean, what with them creatures showing up in the wilderness and all, I'd rather be safe than sorry."
As he spoke he fixed his bag to fit more comfortably on his shoulder, looking back at the direwolf with a smile before turning his attention to the man once more.

Though, he was glad that he wouldn't have to help the man back to the infirmary. After all, Jordan did have muscle, but this guy was quite bigger than him. His legs would probably be sore under his weight.

[Hector Olith]

"Creatures huh? Most I've run into around here was a bear. Nothing too serious." Hector replied. Was this city having creature troubles of some sort? Maybe he could get some coin to help fund his search if he took out a few. Frederic looked up at him, panting with his tongue sticking out again. It was like he knew what Hector was thinking. "Stay here Fred."

Hector stretched carefully, then walked over to the small guy with his hand outstretched. "Name's Hector Olith, the One Man Army as a few people call me." he said with a slight grin. Maybe this guy was in charge of a hunting shop of sorts, that would seem the most logical thing for him to be a shop owner of. "So what's this about creatures again?"

[Jordan Hielo]

Jordan looked Hector up and down, a small smirk on his lips. The one man army? He sure looked like it.
Can't wait to see him fight someone in Avaleur, the elemental thought, thinking of all of the people in Avaleur whom might be a good challenge for the man.

"Jordan Hielo. Don't think anyone calls me anything else," he had to laugh as he shook the man's hand. He didn't even think twice, not taking into account how the man might react to his icy touch.

"As for the creatures, there's a few creatures roaming the wilderness of Avaleur right now. The castle has a contest going on to capture them and study them. No one knows where they've come from, so I guess they want to find out. From what I hear, they're pretty dangerous."

[Hector Olith]

When the man shook his hand, an immediate cold rocketed through his arm. Hector showed no signs of pain or shock, though he felt both at first. Then his healing factor kicked in again and the cold receded. "Capture and study, huh? Wouldn't it just be easier to drive them out, or if worse comes to worse, kill them?" he asked seriously. "If they're dangerous, why risk the lives of people when either of those two options would be more sensible? You have me curious now, Jordan Hielo."

[Jordan Hielo]

Jordan placed both hands on his hips, shrugging his shoulders once more.

"Beats me. I mean, I see where they're coming from, but like I said- safety first. Though, they were saying how it's a preference to keep them alive. I don't know why they want to study them."

Jordan thought for a moment, before chuckling slightly.

"From what I know though, the creatures don't really leave the area they're living in. So right now the citizens are safe, I'm hoping."
Jordan couldn't help but be worried, though, as him and his girlfriend were in fact living in one of those such areas. He hoped the problem would be dealt with sooner than later.

[Hector Olith]

"If they don't leave, and they don't bother anybody, then I wonder why the hell these people wanna mess with them..." Hector placed his hand on his chin and creased his brow in thought. This was a strange land to bug potentially lethal monsters just for the sake of research. It didn't really seem worth it to Hector, but he was a foreigner with foreign ideas so what did his opinion matter?

He plopped to the ground with a sigh, then punched his left hand into his right. A little air current fazed through the air from the impact, and Hector looked up with a serious gaze towards Jordan. "You're worried about something, I can tell. I assume you're from around one of those dangerous areas and this hunting is rustling up some things you'd not want rustled?" Hector asked. Without waiting for an answer, he started into his next phrase. "Well, show me the direction to sign up for this hunt. No point in people dying over this crap if I can help it. None of these beasts are gonna kill me, either. I still have too much to do!" He exclaimed. He felt a small burst of adrenaline as he thought about the challenge to come. It was the first one he had had since fighting those three guys in Tetra. Boy was that a doozy.

[Jordan Hielo]

Both of Jordan's eyebrows raised, before he gave Hector a grin, and a laugh to follow.

"I suppose you ought to make your way to the knight's tower. There's a booth outside of it, where a guard is taking names for people who are signing up," he slipped both of his hands into his pockets to rest, looking over Hector once more.

"Though I would suggest reading about each beast first...some might not be suited to someone of your particular skills," the elemental thought back on each creature- some that needed to be fought with magic, some that needed a silent hunter. One that needed multiple guys to even consider going after them.

That's where Jordan got an idea.

"If you want, I could join you in the hunt?" Jordan asked, one eyebrow raised.
"I mean, you look like a fighter, and I'm quite the hunter. Both of us might make quite the team."

[Hector Olith]

Hector took note of the location Jordan told him about, burning it into his memory. He would burn an image there later on when he actually saw it, but for now words would do. When the man said something about particular skills, he figured he meant magic or something. That's what Hector didn't understand about himself. He couldn't do a lick of magic, not even simple spells he's watched peasants do to light a fire or take sediment out of water. The prospect of a team interested Hector.

"Well Jordan, I don't really know you that well and I try not to take people for their word. They tend to exaggerate for effect." With this, Hector reached over and dragged his ax over to his side. He hefted it with one arm and held it to the light. "This is Rath, a war ax made completely of adamantium. It never dulls, never breaks, and can cut through any metal except adamantium. Diamond even gets messed up by this baby, though it would take too much forced to actually break through it." Hector tossed it in the air with noticeable effort and caught it with both hands. "Anything gets hit with the edge of this while I'm behind it, it dies unless I don't want it to."

He tossed it over to Jordan's feet, where one blade sunk all the way into the ground from its weight. "You can try to lift it, but unless you have some supernatural strength I'm doubting you can." Hector said. The real thing he wanted to see was if this guy was what he thought he was. If so, then lifting that ax in his true form wouldn't be quite the burden than it normally would be.

[Jordan Hielo]

Jordan raised an eyebrow, a grin spreading across his lips. He didn't really know where this man was getting at- but Jordan was up for the challenge.

Deciding to perhaps humor the man for a moment, Jordan grasped the axe with two hands and attempted to lift it up. It shifted slightly, then lifted up for a quick second, before the man grew too tired and it hit the ground once more.

Taking his hands off of the axe, he closed his eyes and focused. Soon, ice was spreading across his body, his hair turning into a tinge of blue along with his eyes. Jordan was now in his elemental form, completely covered in ice.

Taking the axe once more with his hands, the hilt began to have a layer of ice along it, which was connected to his hands to have a more firm grip. Then, a small amount of ice circled his feet, planting them more firmly to the ground.

With much effort, the axe slowly began to rise up, until Jordan swung it over his shoulder to rest. It weighted quite a bit, to Jordan's displeasure, weighing him down a bit.

He finally dropped the axe to the ground in front of him.

"That wasn't too bad," he laughed, slightly jokingly. After all, he never really used heavy weapons. He disliked them. So he thoroughly disliked having to lift the axe.

[Hector Olith]

Hector smiled, amused that he was correct and that he didn't seem to appreciate the test. With that same grin, he stood and walked the short distance to Jordan where he picked the ax back up with his dominant hand ((right)). He turned and tossed it back to his armor and next to Frederic. "You're pretty strong. I like that, and I'm glad my assumption was correct. So... you a noble or just a common elemental?" He asked just out of curiosity. Then he realized that may be considered rude to these people, so he jumped back into his next test.

"You have to forgive me, but I would ask one more thing before we 'team up'." He said. Hector jogged backwards about forty yards, a reasonable distance he thought. "Shoot my hand!" He called to Jordan. Then, he held his left hand outstretched with his palm wide open. Would he do it?

[Jordan Hielo]

Jordan was about to answer the question, but was soon whisked off into another demand.
Perhaps some other time I shall tell him of my noble blood, he thought to himself as the man ran backwards away from him.

Hearing the command, Jordan stared, blank eyed.

"...I'm sorry. What?" the elemental called out, as he reverted back to his normal form. The ice melted, leaving his hair and body a bit damp. The rest of the water was on the ground.

Although Jordan didn't really want to shoot the man's hand, he decided that perhaps he had a trick up his sleeve. Besides- he didn't want to go on the hunt alone.

He quickly removed his bow, and rummaged through his quiver for a particular arrow. With a smile he pulled it out- surely the man would not see that the arrow did not have a pointed end, but a rounded end. It might hurt a bit, but it wouldn't penetrate the skin. Usually Jordan would use it to scare off unwanted animals, by hitting a tree or a rock with the type of arrow.

He pulled back, aimed, and launched the arrow, seeing if it would hit the man's hand.

[Hector Olith]

He rummaged through there for quite a bit Hector thought to himself. Then, the elemental had the arrow drawn and fired within a few seconds. Hector made no effort to move, knowing he'd be fine no matter what hit him. He felt impact on his hand, but no blood. Instead, a large red mark spread across his palm like he had gotten hit with a rock. That's what I figured he told himself. Smiling, he squatted down and picked up the arrow with no head. He then trotted back over to Jordan, handing him his arrow back.

"That's all I needed. It shows you care at least a little bit. Most people would have missed, or used a real arrow at least." He waited for Jordan to take the arrow, then turned and went back towards his armor. His wounds were now scars and it would take a day or so for them to actually heal fully. Noting the time of day, he started to put his upper armor back on and then picked up his ax. He slung it over his shoulder, on the custom strap that he had tailored for him a few years back. A simple mechanism snapped the ax into place, while holding it still during moments of intense movement. He had paid that smith well for the service.

"Well, just show me where we're headed and tell me what we're gonna fight." He said calmly. He clicked his tongue at Frederic and the direwolf took up a position behind him. "That's Jordan, Fred. Don't do anything to hurt him, he seems like an okay guy." Hector said.

[Jordan Hielo]

Jordan was amused, to say the least. After all, he hadn't thought of Hector doing that to test him in that way. He had only assumed the man wanted to know if he could shoot. He placed the arrow back in his quiver carefully.

"I'd recommend we swing into town, and look over each of the beasts. I don't remember every detail about them. Besides, depending on what we'll be fighting, we might want more people," he chuckled.

"Who knows? Maybe we'll find another team suitable for us to tackle one of the beasts. And besides, I have a buddy that will be participating in the contest probably. He might tag along."

He thought for a moment before smiling sheepishly, "Sorry. You said yourself you tend not to take people for their word. I guess if you decide to let someone tag along, you'll test them in your own way, if you want them."

Jordan looked over at Fred with a small smile, before his attention turned to Hector once more.

[Hector Olith]

"Well, you seem decent enough. Depends on what this guy can do, because if he's trustworthy to you then I think I could forgive my policy a bit." Hector said, stopping and waiting for Jordan to take the lead. "I have no clue where I'm going, though, so I hope you do." He said with a sideways smile.

[Jordan Hielo]

Jordan let out another laugh, stepping in front of Hector with a smile.
"Yeah, I've been here long enough. I'll be happy to lead the way."

He began to walk, speaking as he did so.
"He's the hand of the Queen. Roland. Quite the fighter- he's part of the hunters circle like I am. I'm sure you'll like him. Everyone does."

[Hector Olith]

"Roland, huh? I heard stories about a Roland when I fought a few guys in Tetra. They say he's a master spearman, a worthy opponent."((you opened a door here lol)) Hector pondered what this could mean. If it is the same Roland, then he may have to contend with a lion as well. But he figured Fred could keep him occupied by running around him or something. But this Roland mentioned in Tetra was praised by a few of the guards as being one of the best. "I can't say I'm a very good hunter, just enough to not die from starvation. I'm one helluva warrior though. Got a guild for them where I could test my mettle?" he asked, following Jordan as he talked.

[Jordan Hielo]

Jordan thought for a moment with pursed lips.
"Well, not really no. Closest we have to that are the Knights. But there's Avaleur's arena as well. From what I hear, that's how the Queen made a name for herself when she first started up. And the Knights is how Roland became popular here. So I suppose that those would be your best bets to test your mettle."

He thought more, but to no avail. He could not think of anything else to help the man with his question.
Jordan brushed the thoughts from his mind- surely at least the arena would be enough for the man.