Soul Stealer: Mateus

Prince Toad · #41

The man doesn't put away his knife, but lets his arm drop to his side.

Man: I'm powerful, you don't wanna mess with me... but I'd like to enlist your help. See, my "friends" up the path... they threw me out of their group. I'm lucky I escaped with my life. I want to go back and ensure that they aren't so lucky. Call me Cobra, for all the good it does either of us. Do we have a deal? If she'll come, all the better.

Seraph · #42

Mateus slowly quirks an eyebrow, "as appealing as charity work is, what is in it for us, provided she wants to come."

Prince Toad · #43

Cobra: You'll get to share the trail with me, for one thing. For another, they're in your way, and they're not likely to make you the same deal I am right now. Unless you choose to turn around, or you learn to fly, you'll have to fight them. You can do that with me on your side, or I can scream and shout and fight you to the death, and they'll come and find you weakened from battle and finish you off. It's a matter of survival.

Seraph · #44

Mateus raises both eyebrows high, "so . . . first you offer me peace, but that was obviously a lie, you then say you have friends with you, but your so-called friends nearly kill you and now you want to kill them, and now you say you are so powerful and I should be afraid, but you admit if we fought I'd slay you, and the only reason I would die is you'd scream and cry and call attention to yourself?" Mateus can't help himself and smirks.

Mateus gives a sly shrug and starts to wander back to Callih, "fine, if you want to join us. You may be useful . . ." Mateus grins an evil smile, "we could always use fresh meat."

"I'm kidding, by the way," Mateus adds quickly, to gauge "Cobra"'s reaction.

Prince Toad · #45

Cobra: Yeah, lying used to get me in trouble a lot... I think. Hard to remember anything from before, now, but that stands out. Seems that it's an important part of me. But you, sir, have talked yourself out of an ally. I can tell when I'm not wanted. You'll let me go peacefully, I pray? I can assure you, I wasn't lying about the group of bandits up the path. And the wind's blowing their way. Words travels on the wind, you know. So if you'll excuse me...

He brushes you aside and starts down the path. Callih regards him warily, but makes no hostile moves. Do what?

Seraph · #46

Mateus grins and takes a sprint in front of Cobra, grinning a lopsided grin, tilting his head to the side.

"I really had no desire to ally myself with a liar anyway, however, that dagger of yours would be a wonderful trinket . . . since you caused me so much trouble," Mateus extends his hand, and flashes his teeth in the grin, "either you can hand it over 'peace'-fully . . ." Mateus let's the statement sit for a moment.

Whatever he was doing, Mateus liked it . . . maybe this was who he really was . . .

Prince Toad · #47

The man considers it for a bit. He seems about to turn away

when his hair bursts into flames. He claws at his face. He tears the skin off. His scalp is gone. There is nothing but the raw, bleeding skull beneath. He continues to tear at his face. Soon his head is nothing but a grinning skull with huge, staring eyes that can no longer blink. His jaw opens and rats pour out. He leans over and vomits. The rats cease. In their place, his organs come out in a continuous, wet torrent. After a short while, he hacks out the last bits. He stands and looks at you, his flaccid body as disconcerting as the skull with only unblinking eyes. He holds out his arm...

His body returns to normal. His eyebrows are high on his forehead, and his eyes are

(staring)

very wide. He backs off and drops the knife.

Cobra: Whoa... calm down... you can have it... just let me live!

Cobra, a survivor, sprints down the mountain, stumbling a bit but keeping his momentum. You could probably catch him if you wanted, but Callih speaks up.

Callih: I wouldn't go after him, if I were you. The madness is in you enough as it stands. Ultimately, though, it is up to you... but I will not follow. If you chase him, I will continue up the mountain and see if I can't parley with those bandits. Otherwise we continue together.

Do what?

[ June 23, 2005, 12:41 AM: Message edited by: Prince Toad ]

Seraph · #48

Mateus can't help himself, and quirks an eyebrow at Callih, "I wasn't going to chase after him, I got what I wanted. Chasing him would be a wasted effort," and with that, Mateus grabs the handle of the dagger, still warm from Cobra's body heat. "He was a coward anyway, he would have got us killed, its better we leave him to just die on his own."

Mateus stares at the dagger and grips it tight in his hand, but now he feels overburdened, he doesn't need three weapons. He smiles softly at Callih and offers out the stick he was given when he first came into this twisted world, "here, take it, it would be better if you had it."

Mateus thinks to himself, with a crooked smile, he might have offered the dagger to her, but she seemed too quick to abandon him, it wouldn't be safe if she was better armed . . .

Prince Toad · #49

She looks down at the stick.

Callih: One is enough for me. I'd rather an actual weapon. You think those bandits might have something? A knife or a spear or... whatever. I'm not picky.

She shrugs and says nothing more. Do what?

Seraph · #50

Mateus shrugs, and 'pockets' the extra stick, not good to waste anything so early on. "Well, we might as well do as we planned on, and move on."

Prince Toad · #51

You proceed up the mountain a short distance. Within the hour you come to another small plateau, fairly similar to the last one, though this is a bit narrower. After the plateau ends, the path narrows a lot. You'd have to proceed in single-file, most likely, although you can see no point at which footing would be too treacherous to continue.

There are four people on the plateau. One was standing watch and points you out to the others, who are sitting around a small fire drinking water. A tallish figure rises, walks to the point where the path widens and flattens into the plateau and shouts down at you.

Man: Hello there! Would you care to share our fire? We've got some cool water, refreshes your tired bones, and there's nothing like this companionship. What do you say?

Seraph · #52

Mateus raises an eyebrow and looks at his partner, but soon shrugs and smiles softly. "Sure, it would be nice to have a little companionship."

Prince Toad · #53

Callih regards you quizzically.

Callih: ...are you sure about this? If those aren't the bandits... um... those are the bandits. I'd bet my weapon on it. But if you insist...