The Crucible of Life (Roleplay)

[zim]

Capeneus eyeing Kaspax warily, following the dagger as it was set on the table. Apparently this man was not the drunken, ueducated commoner he had seemed to be at first. Well, at least not the second one. First he had attacked his contact, and now he was offering his services as a soldier. Could he be a spy for Evangelos or another rival after all?

He looked up at Kaspax with what he hoped was a disarming smile, although an intelligent observer would notice his body was tense, as if he were slightly fearful. "Aside from causing a somewhat faster than planned exit, it was no trouble at all. Come and sit with us, there is plenty of food. I am Capeneus of Dellos My associate here," He nods his head towards the woman, "is Galla." Galla nods curtly to Kaspax before returning to her food.

Capeneus waits a few moments for Kaspax to sit down, then continues whether or not Kaspax does. "Now tell me, exactly what kind of services are you offering, and what price?"

[Banzai Kamikaze]

The Man and the Water. The Water on the Man. The Salty water on Haziz. The flowery smell of his soap. Indeed, Haziz was plunged in a barrel of water, desperatly shaking off the smell and the dirt from the skin and the forest of hair.

"Ahhh.... May the gods help me ! This Capeneus... Praise the gods... He must be rich. I wonder... I wonder... I wonder how much his relatives would be willing to pay, should he disappear on my ship... Kidnapping a noble... How exciting... The ransom.., Oh gods.. The ransom..."

It seemed the waves inside the barrel were higher than outside the ship. Surely, a sign from the gods. Plotting against a guest... A crime worse than any Haziz had done.

"What in the Heavens are you babbling about ?"

Garsul, Haziz's favorite guard, had heard the hairy man talk. One wonders why Garsul was peaking in from the door.

"What... WHAT ! What on EARTH are you doing in my room ??? HOW did you get here ? WHAT did you hear ? I shall have you whipped ! I shall have you shaved by rats' teeth ! I shall have you raped by the heaviest of whores ! I shall..."

"Enough..."

Garsul plunged the head of Haziz inside the dirty water. He then smashed his head against the wood. Hurting his father like that... unheard of. And Yet, here was Garsul, cracking the skull of his father open.

"G...Guaaardsss ! Bllwaalla... Guaaarrrrdss..."

"No one will come for you father. We've all had enough. Risking all our lives by trying to kidnap a noble from Dellos. We've seen enough of you. May the Gods tear your soul apart and feed it to crocodiles."

The carnage ended. A flow of bloody water fell on the ground, dripping inside the guest room. One wonders how the guests would enjoy this annoyance. The guards nodded to Garsul, as the young muscular man lifted his father's body and brought it on the main deck.

Garsul wasn't of the noble-hearted sorts, but he had the admiration of Haziz's men. His father built a large fortune out of slave-trading, a fortune Garsul was determined to use for something better than slave harvesting. He and the forty other guards on the ship would become mercenaries. That was the plan...

[Flax]

Kaspax pondered Capeneus' words. Either the man was an idiot or he was weary. Hoping for the latter, he gave his terms.

« A man such a you must have no shortage of rivals and enemies. For a small retainer, say 8 pelos a month? I can assure your security, and that's not only physically. If you are so inclined I can also train you a house guard. You see, I offer more than my blade. I offer my experience. Having lived both the path of an officer and an outcast, I can be proper when needed or vulgar if it suits the situation. Also I would require a war panoply bearing the markings of your House, you wouldn't want a thug escorting on official missions, now would you?. »

Kaspax took another mouthfull of wine as he let the diplomat consider his words. Tracing the gash on his cheek with a finger, he turned his attention to Galla and smiled broadly.

« You have some serious skill girl. A bit more ale and that would have been my neck! »

[zim]

Capeneus eyed the man in front of him carefully. He wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed that the man hadn't offered to kill said rivals.

"It is possible I may have need of your services. In my father's time politics in Dellos usually didn't get out of hand, as we were all united in our city's conflicts against other city-states. Ever since the last Dellian-Kythonian ceasefire and subsequent treaty things have changed. Different factions promote riots to burn down the houses of political enemies and some prominent noblemen have even begun to 'disappear'."

Capeneus leans in towards Kaspax and lowers his voice.

"I suffer from no delusions, I know very well that if you were working for an enemy you could have just let the Kythonian soldiers arrest me, or killed me and my contact as soon as you had a chance. So I will accept your terms, which are more than reasonable, and also bring you into my confidence. This woman, Galla, has acquired some information on an enemy of mine that may be behind one of the disappearances. I do not know whether he is connected to the others, but either way I see it as my duty to my city, and a pleasant coup for myself, should I be able to bring this act of his to light. I would include her under your protection as well as me. What do you say?"

[Flax]

Kaspax couldn't help but smile at the man's words and especially his last request. He wasn't sure Galla would appreciate his protection and scanned the woman for any sign of displeasure.

« It shouldn't be a problem, like I said earlier your ladyfirend can handle a blade. What about you? Can you that dagger of yours if needed? You must understand that there will be times I won't be able to protect you due to circumstances, for those moments, it would be better if you were ready for a fight. If you are so inclined I can improve your skill with the blade while we are wasting time on this raft. »

Kaspax never took his eyes off Galla, still waiting for a reaction. He clearly expected the diplomat to decline his offer, men such as him usually avoided hard work when possible. While pondering about his new charges he took another mouthfull of wine, it usually helped him think clearer. Of the two, the woman most intrigued him. Was she nobility like the diplomat? That was improbable since she had a measure of skill in her. Since she was staying with them for a while, he would surely learn more of her. As for Capeneus, he seemed at least worthy of his position, which was more than could be said of most of his peers.