Bright. In fact...a little too bright for Ctankep's eyes to gaze at the magnificent sun hovering among the blue sky above the city. From the window of his house, he could see people walking about, minding their own business. Some talk among themselves, some cuddle or kiss, and others simply walk about or stop at some establishment like shops and taverns.
While all of these people seem happy and sociable, Ctankep feels indifferent to such positive feelings. It has been a while since he last talked to anybody and going outside. He only ate whatever food that is available in the house, and earlier today, he doesn't have any plans to take a stroll or buy something.
But when he looks at his coins, a total of 100 gold, objects come to his mind, ranging from weaponry and armors to food and trinkets. Hell, he could even buy some meds to heal himself after a fight.
Meds...thinking about meds is enough for Ctankep to make the decision to step outside and browse the shops. So prior to his stroll, he dons his boots first, and double checks his gold to remind himself that he should save some of them, just in case. It wouldn't be long, he thinks, to start looking for a job. Or if he can even dare, go to the castle and request to the king to serve him as a squire and climb the rank ladder from there.
The afternoon walk is quite breezy thanks to the wind, maybe nature itself decides to ease today's heat. As he looks around the marketplace he is now in, he notices a stall that sells whatever equipment suitable for adventurers or dungeon crawlers. He approaches the stall and greets the owner with a single 'Hi', observing the items. Armor ranges from padded to scale, weapons are not exactly military grade like halberds or estocs, but they are still effective against foes. Meanwhile, first aid kits are also common, as well as other gears like lamps, oils, rations, poisons, the list goes on.
Setting his eyes on the first aid kit, Ctankep sees this as the first priority item to own besides his sword, which is stored in his room, safely sheathed in its scabbard. He pays a sum of 22 gold for one kit, as it alone has enough medical items to treat one person in full effect. He scans the other items available in the stall, trying to find something else that is worth buying.
A heater shield, sitting just beside an Eastern mace, catches his attention immediately. Made entirely of metal, the only image that is embedded on its surface is a double headed eagle, most likely used as an emblem of some small country he doesn't know. A shield is a must for him too, since he is good at it thanks to his father's teachings. This he pays 10 gold for it.
Now properly equipped, Ctankep give thanks to the seller and moves on to his house, since he still has enough food in his home and buying armor would be a waste for him at this time. Sad, but at long as he still have some gold left, Ctankep remains okay about it.
Fast forward to midnight, as the rest of the day remains ever so uneventful, Ctankep is standing in front of his house, staring at the full moon hovering among the night sky as he daydreams of himself floating up there on the white rock. He can imagine himself controlling the moon like a vehicle, allowing itself to take him high to the heavens where only the divine are worthy to pass by there.
He feels the breeze blowing through him as he enjoys this blissful thought, smiling as he feels free of the burden of living a lonely life. However, a dream is only a great illusion projected by the internal desires of a man. And unlike reality, it can break at any time even if it is planned to be so. Ctankep lets out a small sigh as he snaps back to reality,
finding himself staring at the night sky like a stoned man. Shaking his head, but smiling at his daydreaming, he moves along as he adjusts his overcoat, walking around town in a casual manner.
Walking at night is an exercise to him, as it is devoid of crowd noises and usually breezy, depending on the weather currently experienced by Rynmere itself. Even in winter, Ctankep loves to carry his legs around the place and look at big buildings, the closed markets, some all nighters still hanging about outside and the castle itself, looming at a distance.
His midnight strolls are always uneventful, but tonight fate decides to test Ctankep a little, probably out of amusement or as part of a plan by some Immortal. As Ctankep steps through an alleyway as a shortcut to his home, he stumbles upon somebody at the exit, surprising both parties.
"Watch yer back, fuckface!" Yells the other as Ctankep recovers himself and looks at him in disbelief. A bald man,
masked by his own cloth, donned in leather cuirass as his shoulders are armored in plate spaulders. One of his eyes are obscured by an eyepatch, but it doesn't help reduce the menacing expression worn on his face. The bandit carries a mace with a metal head, partially covered in protuding spikes.
"Well, since you are 'ere, ye better gave me the following: money and your head!" The bandit demands in a thick but aggressive accent as he points the mace to Ctankep's neck, who is now shaking out of fear for his life. As the bandit clearly wants to rob his life to prevent himself from being reported, Ctankep grits his teeth as he shakily grips the handle of his father's longsword, strapped around his waist thanks to its sword belt. Without hesitation, he draws it out and makes an upper, vertical slice towards the bandit's face.
The criminal steps back quickly as he feels sharp pain across his nose. His hand naturally touches the injury and as expected, he feels a bit of blood flowing from a vertical cut. His gaze towards Ctankep shifts from some confidence and rudeness to anger as he lets out a yell, swinging his mace towards his supposed victim.
Luckily, Ctankep manages to parry the mace, but he finds it hard to fight the bandit as the latter is surprisingly good with it. Sounds of clashing, grunting and rapid footsteps fill the air as Ctankep and the bandit fight for their lives, each clash prompt themselves to swing more violently. The fight reaches its peak as Ctankep backs away to attempt a dodge, but unfortunately receives a cut on his left cheek from one of the spikes.
The bandit, now growing more desperate than ever, attempts to swing his mace overhead his victim, intending to pierce and smash the balding skull once and for all. As Ctankep gets a glimpse of this sight, his survival instincts kicks in, and he parries the above attack. Side stepping at his right, he swings the blade down across the bandit's neck.
The bandit's expression shifts to fear and dread as a jet of blood spurts out of his throat, croaking out painfully as he pathetically attempts to cover the wound with his bare, free hand. Ctankep wastes no time in finishing him off by simply stabbing the back of his head through the brain, killing him immediately. As the bandit drops dead onto the cobblestone ground, Ctankep pants out of exhaustion, staring at the corpse.
Sure, fight's not as long as he thought, but at least it was thrilling for and if he hadn't stepped back, his brain would be the one getting pierced instead. He stares at the bloodstains painted on the blade of his longsword, feeling deeply thankful of the combat skills he had learned so far.
He sheathes his sword and deciding that he has enough for tonight, heads back home and treats his wound with a bandage and antiseptic from his first aid. To conclude his night, he has a supper of homemade fried eggs and sausages, even though such a meal would be more suitable for breakfast...
While all of these people seem happy and sociable, Ctankep feels indifferent to such positive feelings. It has been a while since he last talked to anybody and going outside. He only ate whatever food that is available in the house, and earlier today, he doesn't have any plans to take a stroll or buy something.
But when he looks at his coins, a total of 100 gold, objects come to his mind, ranging from weaponry and armors to food and trinkets. Hell, he could even buy some meds to heal himself after a fight.
Meds...thinking about meds is enough for Ctankep to make the decision to step outside and browse the shops. So prior to his stroll, he dons his boots first, and double checks his gold to remind himself that he should save some of them, just in case. It wouldn't be long, he thinks, to start looking for a job. Or if he can even dare, go to the castle and request to the king to serve him as a squire and climb the rank ladder from there.
The afternoon walk is quite breezy thanks to the wind, maybe nature itself decides to ease today's heat. As he looks around the marketplace he is now in, he notices a stall that sells whatever equipment suitable for adventurers or dungeon crawlers. He approaches the stall and greets the owner with a single 'Hi', observing the items. Armor ranges from padded to scale, weapons are not exactly military grade like halberds or estocs, but they are still effective against foes. Meanwhile, first aid kits are also common, as well as other gears like lamps, oils, rations, poisons, the list goes on.
Setting his eyes on the first aid kit, Ctankep sees this as the first priority item to own besides his sword, which is stored in his room, safely sheathed in its scabbard. He pays a sum of 22 gold for one kit, as it alone has enough medical items to treat one person in full effect. He scans the other items available in the stall, trying to find something else that is worth buying.
A heater shield, sitting just beside an Eastern mace, catches his attention immediately. Made entirely of metal, the only image that is embedded on its surface is a double headed eagle, most likely used as an emblem of some small country he doesn't know. A shield is a must for him too, since he is good at it thanks to his father's teachings. This he pays 10 gold for it.
Now properly equipped, Ctankep give thanks to the seller and moves on to his house, since he still has enough food in his home and buying armor would be a waste for him at this time. Sad, but at long as he still have some gold left, Ctankep remains okay about it.
Fast forward to midnight, as the rest of the day remains ever so uneventful, Ctankep is standing in front of his house, staring at the full moon hovering among the night sky as he daydreams of himself floating up there on the white rock. He can imagine himself controlling the moon like a vehicle, allowing itself to take him high to the heavens where only the divine are worthy to pass by there.
He feels the breeze blowing through him as he enjoys this blissful thought, smiling as he feels free of the burden of living a lonely life. However, a dream is only a great illusion projected by the internal desires of a man. And unlike reality, it can break at any time even if it is planned to be so. Ctankep lets out a small sigh as he snaps back to reality,
finding himself staring at the night sky like a stoned man. Shaking his head, but smiling at his daydreaming, he moves along as he adjusts his overcoat, walking around town in a casual manner.
Walking at night is an exercise to him, as it is devoid of crowd noises and usually breezy, depending on the weather currently experienced by Rynmere itself. Even in winter, Ctankep loves to carry his legs around the place and look at big buildings, the closed markets, some all nighters still hanging about outside and the castle itself, looming at a distance.
His midnight strolls are always uneventful, but tonight fate decides to test Ctankep a little, probably out of amusement or as part of a plan by some Immortal. As Ctankep steps through an alleyway as a shortcut to his home, he stumbles upon somebody at the exit, surprising both parties.
"Watch yer back, fuckface!" Yells the other as Ctankep recovers himself and looks at him in disbelief. A bald man,
masked by his own cloth, donned in leather cuirass as his shoulders are armored in plate spaulders. One of his eyes are obscured by an eyepatch, but it doesn't help reduce the menacing expression worn on his face. The bandit carries a mace with a metal head, partially covered in protuding spikes.
"Well, since you are 'ere, ye better gave me the following: money and your head!" The bandit demands in a thick but aggressive accent as he points the mace to Ctankep's neck, who is now shaking out of fear for his life. As the bandit clearly wants to rob his life to prevent himself from being reported, Ctankep grits his teeth as he shakily grips the handle of his father's longsword, strapped around his waist thanks to its sword belt. Without hesitation, he draws it out and makes an upper, vertical slice towards the bandit's face.
The criminal steps back quickly as he feels sharp pain across his nose. His hand naturally touches the injury and as expected, he feels a bit of blood flowing from a vertical cut. His gaze towards Ctankep shifts from some confidence and rudeness to anger as he lets out a yell, swinging his mace towards his supposed victim.
Luckily, Ctankep manages to parry the mace, but he finds it hard to fight the bandit as the latter is surprisingly good with it. Sounds of clashing, grunting and rapid footsteps fill the air as Ctankep and the bandit fight for their lives, each clash prompt themselves to swing more violently. The fight reaches its peak as Ctankep backs away to attempt a dodge, but unfortunately receives a cut on his left cheek from one of the spikes.
The bandit, now growing more desperate than ever, attempts to swing his mace overhead his victim, intending to pierce and smash the balding skull once and for all. As Ctankep gets a glimpse of this sight, his survival instincts kicks in, and he parries the above attack. Side stepping at his right, he swings the blade down across the bandit's neck.
The bandit's expression shifts to fear and dread as a jet of blood spurts out of his throat, croaking out painfully as he pathetically attempts to cover the wound with his bare, free hand. Ctankep wastes no time in finishing him off by simply stabbing the back of his head through the brain, killing him immediately. As the bandit drops dead onto the cobblestone ground, Ctankep pants out of exhaustion, staring at the corpse.
Sure, fight's not as long as he thought, but at least it was thrilling for and if he hadn't stepped back, his brain would be the one getting pierced instead. He stares at the bloodstains painted on the blade of his longsword, feeling deeply thankful of the combat skills he had learned so far.
He sheathes his sword and deciding that he has enough for tonight, heads back home and treats his wound with a bandage and antiseptic from his first aid. To conclude his night, he has a supper of homemade fried eggs and sausages, even though such a meal would be more suitable for breakfast...