LukeRipstine

The boys hands shook softly, he had gripped the broken glass with both hands holding the shards clasp in his palms like another child would have held a stuffed animal. Blood was running down his thin arms, eventually soaking the shouldered parts of his tattered sand colored shirt. The only thing more noticeable about the child was just like his hands gripped tightly around each other his eyes where squeezed shut so desperately that it looked like he was on the verge hurting himself. Lukas looked down at the child half to examine the visible branching scars that slid under his shirt and half to take in how even though the child had to be around twelve or thirteen, was bigger no, taller, than the rest of the children yet still looked so small. There was a deep resonance somewhere in Lukas' soul. "Listen carefully, I'll ask once and you'll answer. Got it ?" The shadows shimmered over the childs chest, sending a lingering message. After a breath the boy shook lightly and with a nod Lukas continued. "You're going to tell me where you got that vail from..." Lukas let himself trail off hoping the child would pick up with the answer. After a few long seconds, he did. "I-I, i-it's my m-m-m-mo-thers." The child elaborately tripped over his words making Lukas focus harder on his words, almost talking over the child before he could finish. "Who did she get it from?" Either the question or the realization of the situation he was in caused slow droplets to pier out of the corner of his eyes. "T-t-he m-an -n-ne-xt-t d-oor" Lukas took in the thought, the idea of more users or tracking down a seller would let him get closer to the source of the drug distribution and that was exactly what he needed. "Well then, lets see if you're telling the truth" The shadows in the room shifted to greater life, swirling in a dark vortex before coming into him leaving the child on the ground but keeping up the portrayed illusion Lukas draped himself in. "All you have to do is open your eyes" A small price, for a deal with a devil.

Lukas relaxed slightly, the soft click of the inns room door behind him seeming to echo in the empty room. Still having about two or so hours left until his promise rang he wanted to use his time carefully Though it wont take more than five minutes. Lukas' tailing shadow grew forming an lump mass as if ejecting mass throwing out the first of the captured while slashing over Lukas too, his magic bending his appearance with much darker skin tone, brown marbled slits for eyes and even making himself appear shorter. Going further, the appearance of his shadows changed to be more transparent, imitating some sort of wind ability. At first Lukas didn't bother to make heads or tails of the creature that was unlucky enough to had caught his eye but now he could take a breath to try to figure out. From initial glances Lukas thought the creature was amphibian, having a grey blue skin with a slimy like glitter, but it didn't have any gills from Lukas could see and he could see lots. The creature had been still on the floor and on second thought Lukas pondered if the gleam could be sweat instead of a line of mucus. Either way Lukas wasn't amused at the possible mess to clean. "Disgusting get up. You'll stain the floors." He lashed his heel out onto the humanoids chest which sent its big yellow eyes to roll in their sockets its eye lips flashing open a few times before it came out of its sunned state. Even thought its skin was already blue Lukas could have sworn as soon as the humanoids eyes met his own the blood drew from its face. Its instincts urged it to move but the mix of a crushing gaze right after being forced into and released from captivity kept it locked in place. It wouldn't have had anytime to move anyway as Lukas' eyes flared a slight wavelength shadows raising from under the humanoid on its neck, around its arms, around its legs, shadows spilled over binding the humanoid to the ground. "Na, that's not enough." Just as suddenly the humanoids left arm erupted in black spikes, a wisp of black smoke wrapping around the creatures mouth seemed to absorb the almost inaudible gurgle it had let out. Its blood pooling out of it mirroring the same ugly color if its skin, seemed to get drained not onto the floor instead into the shadow. Lukas looked down at it, somewhat satisfied with the reactions. The more pain inflicted, the deeper the blow to any resolve this thin might have had. He walked around the creature, the shadows rotated keeping the creature facing Lukas eventually arriving at the bed. Lukas sat on the edge looking down at the creature in silence almost as if he was deep in thought before finally, "What kind of shit is this?" Shadows spooned at the creatures back pack only to fish out vails dropping them to Lukas' feet. Leaning over to grab one Lukas saw the vails were not filled with a black liquid as e initially thought he'd find, but small pieces of dehydrated red fruit. Hook, line, and fucking jackpot. Lukas held the vail up closer to his face, it had been a while but he recognized the look of the berries, Odin's Haze, a drug that was infamous for its effects at killing after is high. It was as infamous as expensive and where ever the money trails lead, there is always a much bigger fish to be hooked which, in this case, was a bad thing. " The money must be phenomenal right? I know, I sell it too I'm just higher up on the food chain than you." The creature looked up at Lukas with stained eyes and a look of horror stuck to its face. At least the screaming is gone. Lukas could feel the creatures speeding heartbeat as he asked his next questions. "I know you can speak, they wouldn't let just anyone carry this *Lukas paused, rolling his eyes* product on them gingerly. Who this far down is this for?" The creature proceeded to spout its broken and guttural English, Lukas was only able to catch half of the important information through its pleads. He's taking the drug to an trader near other side boarder of the residential districts, explains the dug flow through here but why here in New Totenborough? That's gonna cause problems. They sell it where they can but here is no longer an option. As long as I don't cause a bigger mess then I'm fine. "Tell them the graves are packing down on this route and I'll be damned if I start loosing payloads because you fuckers can't do anything right. Change your route to go through one of the lower floors in Old Toten and come up through the graveyard." Lukas put up a strong façade that the hydrid had no choice but to believe. The hybrid shook its head frantically almost on the verged of self harm before the shadows slowly began to cover it again. "Oh and if anyone asks for me, tell them its from way above their heads" With that last remark the shadows swallowed the creature and like a ray of light, rode the walls to the windows and out on to the streets. Focusing Lukas allowed the shadows to move further away from him, deeper into the slums only to drop the creature off in an randomly come across alleyway. It should be able to live with a fractured arm, the blood loss isn't that bad. If this works then there should ultimately be less crime in the area, granted only drug related ones but its a step. Just like that, I'm on to the next. The tattoo on Lukas' arm slid off onto the floor convulsing into a sizeable mass before spitting out a young boy, his hands still full of bloody glass.

Lukas' steep back into the city making the layout of the guards post a note deep within his mind, no telling when he'd ever need the information. Moving threw the crowds he slowly traced his way back into the slums of the city near where he had rested the day before. If could collect detailed information from one for the dealer then I'd need some information from one of the users too. That's the only way I can get more information as to how far drugs have spread. At least what ever the hell this one is. He could still feel the creatures movement which had slowed significantly from the pure panic of random captivity to a bested still Maybe he passed out? Lukas thought to himself as he passed threw the somewhat familiar stalls. Stalking near the edge of a fruit stand a young boy with hair like fire and a cheeks stormed by freckles caught the slight of his attention. If not the familiar swift hand it was more the broken and empty glass vial the boy clutched in an empty hand as he reached for an deep scarlet apple which lay slightly out of the stall keepers view. Drops of blood glossed the vial Must be dedicated uh? To such a small vial... Or addicted Lukas' intuition gave way to a bird and so he picked up a stone. Straightening his posture with a quick brush Lukas brushed back his hair bringing more light to be swallowed by his deep black eyes and light grey pupils making his appearance more fierce but ever so lighter as he strode over to the stall. The boy didn't even notice he was in danger until Lukas' hand wrapped around his wrist. "Little thief what do you think you're doing uh?" Lukas said it loudly enough for the stall owner to hear his won voice intimidating and deep. The child's eyes filled with dread as they snapped his attention onto Lukas the child shaking lightly from the shock even still the hand the child gripped the broken glass vial didn't waver not even when the child tried to pull back his hand squirming captive. The stall owner, a white haired hybrid who seemed to be of amphibian decent. His skin had long dried up leaving him looking more like a husk than a man, stood to his feet. Lukas intervened before the man started to come closer, instead lifting the boy into the air to show the man the thief. "Here, I can take care of your little problem for you." With the free hand he had Lukas dug into his pocket fishing out a few silver pieces to toss at the man. Still the undeniable look of repulsion in the mans face was clear, he didn't care what happened to the child as long as his problem was solved. The few silvers the man picked up shyly was just a plus. With that Lukas was off, he had lowered the child just enough for the boys feet to skim the ground as he walked searching for the next ally way. Some where hidden to let the shadows consume the boy too. It was a few moments before Lukas accomplished just that and set off further down the street.

@ticklefarte Thanks, I still need to get better, your writing was good as hell.

Spell sword and hand blade

Makes sense. Luke is gonna start actively carrying his sword, not just for when he thinks the venture is gonna be easy. A lesson learned, I'd love it he had that one.

Hm, could spell sword work on magic constructs. Most likely not but that still seems like a good skill to have. Honestly even though Luke uses magic his abilities are more suited for anti-magic fighting so adding another to the kit wouldn't be bad.

Looks like I've missed the conclusion as fine as it is lol. Sorry for being inactive, if misadventures could be shaped into classes thats what I've been up to all this time but thank god I am back and with slightly more free time since I no longer have classes that run until 3pm-2am and now have classes that range roughly from 3pm-11/12:00am

Lukas stirred slowly as he came to his senses waking up to only remember the events of last night as he slipped from underneath a young maiden laid on top of him, she was a hybrid her slick skin coming from a deep primal lizard ancestor her bare skin underneath the sheets held more resemblance to her human side with the feint pattern of scales, one of the bartenders in the southernmost section of the city, residential. Her name was Trish and she and Lukas normally ended up on the second level of the city drinking to hell as some sort of a time passer the Totesbier they drank abnormally strong and the young lady being one of the best knew just where to find the best spots and just what to mix it with for every time Lukas had come to town which slowly became more frequently and their parties more fierce and intimate. He stood up carefully, slowly to give his senses and himself a second to fully wake. He'd just got back into town yesterday after a loose lead to an foreign artifact came up as nothing more than a goose chase, he recalled the memories as he searched the room for his clothes a simple black shirt and blue jeans eventually finding them hastily thrown onto the dresser. Having spent a lot of his time in cities his clothing usually matched the same tastes no matter where he was. Grabbing his shirt he threw it over his shoulder and started to put on the rest of his clothes as just behind him he heard the almost silent shift of covers behind him. She must have woken up he thought to himself as he pulled his pants to his waist and just as soft arms slid down his own from behind him caressing his forearms and a soft voice in his ear. Sweet nothings "Well isn't this nice? Morning, you're usually gone by now" she cooed laying her head on his back her soft and curly black hair tickling his back, he chuckled and responded "Well your usually not up this early, its a business day" she laughed a little before kissing the nape of his neck "Well the area around the bar has been a little dangerous lately so I figure I'd get some things done earlier than usual " she released him, picking up her own clothing that was scatter on the floor "And everyday is a business day for you. I can only imagine what you really do but you always seem too busy but if you just moved here we could find more time like this " Now released he slipped his shirt on, it still smelled like ale and her " What? blacking out?" he smirked turning around to face her as she finished picking up her clothes and for the first time in what seemed like forever, he gazed on her body a slim figure with soft curves, shoulder length black hair, and hazel marbles for eyes with a large scar in the shape of an asterisk above her right side pelvis and a head smaller, he'd come to the city just because she was the few people left in the world that tolerated him in one of the fewer places he wasn't wanted or in an abnormal amount of danger which in itself is a feat. She pouted slightly "You came here from all the way over in predators keep, you know exactly what I mean, even more so now" the room took a serious shade for a moment, a secret hidden behind their lips. Distilling the situation Lukas sighed "I guess you might be right, it could get dangerous" without missing a beat the girl piped up " Yeah so how about you handle the creepys around the bar today for me and then we can converse more about this....transaction" she scoffed and smiled "I'll be doing this for what again?" he grinned and protested lightly, taking a step forward lazily placing a hand on her hip "My love to keep you from leaving, I think that's a deal I can agree on" her cheeks grew peach as she tip toed and kissed his cheek before brushing past him and into the bathroom. Turning he left the small room, into the hallway, and out of the place He'd handle his business like always with as lease shit as possible, though before hand he did have somethings he wanted to get out of the way. One in particular would lead him to the bastion, he had heard some interesting things from the part of the city with the most historical value that he wouldn't mind checking out and while he had the tendency of running into bandits and the like who mistake him for their own, the information to come from these encounters were an amazing and mostly useful. Since coming to the city Lukas was almost in awe by the sheer diversity of the cave carved nook. As he walked he couldn't help but notice not only various types of humans like makeshift nephlin, hybrids of animals with dominate human genetics, half demons, half faye, and lots of other breeds that showed beings across the lands were in a forever heat but also humanoid beings and the rare intelligent beast with the blessing of a god. He could catch each of them in his sights as he walked threw the district with speed befitting a person with no important task at hand, not that he did anyway. The part of the area he had spent the night at was fairly safe, one of the better areas in the district, as he lead deeper into the outskirts though he could see more struggle and less joy of life. Every so often a beggar on the corner of a goods stall, people walking by with such little body mass they looked like they would fall over any moment, drunks and merry men that only seemed to react to nothing if anything at all they'd straighten slightly at the signs of the gatekeepers wandering threw on their daily routes. It couldn't be helped and inevitably as the size of the city grows more fools looking to earn a living or backed into a corner would try their hands and fail becoming the all too common corpse rotting away in the ally ways of a the slums. It reminded him of home, his days struggling to survive. There wasn't even enough food in the city for him to steal, no clean water for him to grow, nor any crumbs to inspire to taste. That was in the past, he'd never live like that again and that city, it was gone by his own hands replace with a collection of bitter memories. In some ways it would never die. To kill something that cant be, memories.