Aaronock's RP Writings

[Aaronock]

OOC: Because I got tired of spamming other topics elsewhere with write-ups. You get stuff here all together from here for now on (unless its particularly noteworthy). This first story transpires BEFORE The Battle of Geffen on 04/22/2017
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“Thank you for coming here to help this evening.”

“Hm, hm, hm, I’m in town anyway because any adventurer with any guts is preparing to defend good ol’ Geffen soon.”

“Lucky you that you finished those jobs you had lined up.”

“And fortunate for you or you would be out of luck with this plan of yours tonight. So, details please, how to deal with the great Ethereal Engineer?”

Ezekiel took in a deep breath. “I probably should not give him this chance, but will talk to the pompous dick and give him a offer to do this utilizing gentler methods. If not, well…” As his voice trailed off, his fingers reached into one of the many pockets within his jacket and out came a vial filled with strange, deep purple colored liquid. Little flecks of green floated within. “He will be forced out for a few days at least with this.”

Katarin looked at the vial, and identified immediately that it contained some form of poison. He wasn’t trying to kill the target, or so she assumed, but the side effects were still going to be quite unpleasant. “So, let me get this straight. This guy, your employer and ally, asked you to stop by and help him against Ostellos. The guy who, mind you, reeeeeeeeeally does have a legitimate bone to pick with the bastard spirit, have told said guy you would help him out with something tonight, and now concocted this plan to keep him from fighting for a few days? Aren’t you really going to some extremes here of your own Zeke?”

“Perhaps, but you have not seen what he looks like these past few months. He’s a mess of a man and in no position to deal with the gravity of the situation properly. He is a danger to himself, and no doubt everyone else. Since you are someone who specializes not only in intelligence gathering, but also in protecting others as a bodyguard, you are in the best person I know to implicitly understand the delicacy of this scenario.” Ezekiel then pushed the vials into one of Katarin’s hands. Once she took them, he dug around and pulled out two needles. “If you are planning to not help, best to say something now.”

“Shit, you’re serious huh?” She eyed him, testing out his resolve. When he didn’t even flinch, or move a muscle, she winced while replying, “Fine…fine. I’ll help, I’ll help. Get the needles ready for me then.”
~~~
They discussed the full operation while they waited for the full evening to set. They grabbed their supplies and tightly clasped one of their hands into the other’s before starting their walk. This brought the rogue duo each their own moment of nostalgia. They were partners in crime for this one night at least as they walked towards the ‘target’s’ home. Katarin went close to the wall, but not too close as to lean upon it, as she was warned about the magical alarms that scattered all along and inside the home. Ezekiel’s job was to coax the one they called “Ethereal Engineer” out the door. A hand almost began to knock, hesitating before reaching the door. A single utterance was made, “Gods help me for my foolishness,” and then finally his hand rapped upon the door.

Ezekiel could hear a figure making his way down the hall bumbling about. Most likely a sign that the inventor inside had not been keeping the place tidy at all, but only the man and pet inside would know for how long. However, the rogue waited, and eventually out came the owner of the home. It was just as Ezekiel thought, Aaronock looked terrible. The tall man’s naturally wild flowing hair had turned frazzled and unkempt. Dark black circles surrounded his eyes, and his normally cheerful demeanor had been replaced with a devil’s smile.

“Glad you’re here, y’know I finished crafting this new design for a compact machine that will melt Ostellos in two…want to come inside and see it? I got the best test dummy to show it off with, we can drink tea over it even and laugh at how amazing it is.”

Ezekiel almost replied with, ‘You have got to be kidding me,’ yet somehow the following was said instead with a straight grin, “Sounds like you have been busy, how can you be sure it is ready…?”

A scoff came from the taller figure, “Testing of course, come on, let’s go inside so you can see.”

“That is not exactly what I mean. Are you sure you want to melt the body Ostellos currently resides within? The spirit stole another’s body, do you not have any sympathy or respect towards them? No one suggested the same happen to you a few years ago.”

“You, you came out here to tell me that?” Aaron raised his voice higher now. “I wouldn’t blame anyone wanting to do the same to me back then. My moment of weakness has created a cost that can never be repaid! People still have suffered because of Muspelheim’s existence!” The ethereal engineer approached Ezekiel, his six feet three inches hunching over the rogue’s five and seven inches. Ezekiel was forced to take a step back or be eye to eye with a mage. That position wouldn’t favor the rogue, so he took a defensive stance, one ready to react in a moment’s notice.

Katarin was trying her best to keep still, she had to await the signal from her old partner. At this point she was beginning to view for herself Ezekiel’s perspective mentioned a couple hours earlier. She was not particularly well acquainted with Aaronock, but she had spoken with him briefly a few times before, this man who now spoke was still eloquent in his speech, but a vicious tone now followed with it.

A squeal came from the hallway inside. It came from Cream, the impervious little Drops. “A-ah-ah-ron, what are you doing!!!!” However, this cry came too late and Aaron with surprising speed despite the temperament his body displayed had grabbed Ezekiel’s arm. It began to smolder from a quickly rising heat, the glove adorned on his arm smoking and falling apart.

Ezekiel gritted his teeth, wincing and trying to shake free. Between the agonizing pain he managed to tell the following: “Bastard! No better than Ostellos! For this!” Upon hearing the insult, the ethereal engineer snarled and applied more pressure to his grip.

“Take back what you said you…you…snide noble ass, fae-loving piece of shit.” The fire surrounding Aaron’s arm lit brighter, the flame beginning to cover more of Ezekiel’s arm.

That was enough for Katarin then to react, signal or not. She surged from the wall towards Aaronock, needle in her sword arm, and jumped the inventor’s backside. Aaronock then freed Ezekiel, the rogue reeled back from the force of the energy and was knocked to the ground. As Aaronock continued to struggle to knock Katarin off, she grasped him tightly around his neck. “Screw you!” She cursed through gritted teeth. They continued the fight, Aaron trying to shake her off and Katarin cursing at him, trying to get a good choke hold on him to apply for poison she received earlier. Ezekiel tried to get up but found each time he tried the burns he suffered shot up his side. They had to resolve this soon, lights were beginning to turn on, and nosy neighbors would crowd the neighborhood. Aaron would blab and there’d be consequences then for failure.

Cream had been at a loss and dazed by the events, constantly opening his mouth to scream but a hoarse pant only coming out instead. However, his bearings had begun to return, and he realized what was going on. The blob jumped forward and attempted to wrap his slime like body around Aaronock’s leg. The distraction did its job and Aaron, while trying to dislodge Cream, found himself at last hit in the arm by the drug. Katarin jumped off, landed on her feet and panting, stretched her body out. It didn’t take long for the poisons to kick in, and it was now Aaron’s turn to curse them all.

“Even you side with them Cream? Why?”

Cream’s eyes puffed up and he frowned, “Because, ever since Ostellos has been back you haven’t been normal. You push everyone away thinking you got all the answers. But you’re being a big dumb brick, you don’t know anything at all!”

Aaron managed a laugh while he began to cough. “Yah, do you think you’d be in a proper state of mind considering what that bastard’s done at this point. So many are dead now cause of my weakness, my
-arrogance-“

“That is hard to argue with,” Katarin stated. She had rushed over to Ezekiel and begun applying medical attention with a white potion and bandages. She whispered to him that he’d be fine, flicked his forehead, and turned right back to the Ethereal Engineer, “But even so, it isn’t your fault this time. Even if I hadn’t stuck you with that needle I’d say you’re in no condition to be anywhere on a battlefield. You should thank this other idiot master rogue right now because he just saved your life.”

“HAH! And probably damned too many others for the effort.”

“Stop being so damned melodramatic Aaron. Shouldn’t have even given you a chance to be nice in the first place, I refuse to the next time.”

But Aaronock hadn’t heard all what Ezekiel had to say, the tall man’s eyes had shut and he breathed with heavy, laborious breaths through his mouth. Others from around the neighborhood had approached. It was Cream who approached the crowd, “Uhm, sorry about this, he’s been sick, and his friends came by to get him to the hospital. They uh, had to go to some extreme measures as you can see here.”

Ezekiel whistled, Katarin flicked his forehead and placed a finger over his lips to get him to hush. Cream continued, “So, um, you guys should go home now, we’ll get his bags and take him right on the double over to Prontera’s hospital so he can get fixed right on up.”

“GODS, thank YOU two for even COMING.” Spoke out an older lady. “He’s been barely sleeping these past weeks, having strange coughing fits and just a terrible hunching mess when on his daily walks. He’s a pretty young man, shouldn’t be allowed to suffer so. May Odin smile upon your generosity and patience.” Some others gave similar words as they returned to their homes. One of the mages stopped by and helped to get the inventor onto a stretcher then conjured it into the air to float and follow upon a simple word command.

Once everyone left, Cream bounced back over to the rogue duo. “BAM, learned a page from your book there, huh Zeke?”

“Got to admit, you did alright there.” A grin formed from ear to ear on Zeke. “I owe you quite a lot of candy for assessing that situation and coming to a proper judgement, and on top of that, making such a great save for the two of us.”

Katarin cleared her throat, “Ahem, I should tell you not to bother with fighting in a few days too, but that I know is useless. Get a healer to fix up what they can, tip ‘em right and try to avoid using your shield arm too much for awhile, you dolt.”

He nodded, it was pointless to argue when she began to act so bossy. The potion had begun to numb the marks made by Aaronock’s grip, which finally allowed him to stand. At least his gloves took most of the damage instead of his arm. “Before we leave, Cream, help me gather any research necessities this jerk on the stretcher might hide in case of the worst. Oh, and of course some travel necessities. I shall pay for his little hospital visit, least I can do considering circumstances.”

“Aye aye cap’n! You got it!~” He cooed and hopped with surprising momentum to do exactly as requested inside the home. It took a while due to the piles of items that had gathered around the home, but manage it they did. The three reached Prontera’s hospital before early morning’s sunrise. There wasn’t much time for the two of them to prepare for the coming battle in Geffen, but they would have to make the most of it.