Ssarak Dyreackthanose and Darius

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Ssarak nodded, taking another drink. "Very well, let us begin simply. Where are you from, and where did you learn to fight? I recall seeing your swordsmanship during the attack a few months ago. Granted, it was not quite possible to observe the particulars of your style, given the circumstance, but you certainly held your own."
"I am from Yarosmere. To be more specific, Portti. I owe my skills to the army. I had joined when I was old enough to do so, and worked my way up in the ranks. I was assigned to guard the representatives of Yarosmere, but in was overcome with, what was it called..." He trailed of as he tried to remeber the term, snapping his fingers when he did. "Blood Sickness! I passed out, and when I woke up. The representatives were gone, along with everything they brought with them." Darius clenched his hand into a fist. There were a few small snaps in the air around him before he shook his head and looked at Ssarak. "I will ask you the same question."

It made sense that Darius had been in a military. It was a common source of combat knowledge, though there were other ways of attaining it. In all honesty, Ssarak still did not know what blood Darius actually had. It would be good for his next question, but first, he needed to answer Darius'. "Well, I was hatched in the Scorched Lands, so I am not uncommon in that respect. I was of clan Dyre, the son of one of its warriors. As such, I was raised to be one of its warriors as well, from before my first memories. In that, I was successful, and served them in war against our rival clan for many years before I left. I was a part of many battles with clan Xhoth, and the Scorched Lands themselves can be a foe of their own, so I do not lack experience. My role within our forces placed me on the front lines, hence my preference for heavy armor. I prefer large weapons, though as I am sure you know, warfare requires diverse training. I can also use polearms, blades, shields, and so on. What is it that you are skilled in? As you know, I am a psychomancer, but I do not know your blood."

Darius could not remember the name for his blood, so he decided to just explain it. "I can use the air to my advantage, but I can only control one part of it. I can make myself stronger than I usually am. The other parts I can control by using my anger to do it. I never found out about it until after I over-exerted myself during the attack." He leaned back in his chair as he tried to think of one more question. A question from earlier in the day popped into his head. He nodded towards the subject of the question. "Who is the child?" 

"Her name is Lyn." Ssarak said, with a quick pause for another drink. "I do not know if you have met her, but do you know of Mar? She is a Naga, and Lyn is her child. Her's and Althalus', a Human man. As for why she is here..." He began, glancing at Lyn as he debated on how much he needed to reveal in order to avoid upsetting Lyn. "I cannot say I entirely know why. She is quite good at hiding, however, so I hope that is an advantage that will play in her favor on the road ahead. I do not like that we have to bring her into danger, but I fear we have little choice in the matter. I do not believe we can safely return her at this point."

With his answer out of the way, Ssarak moved on to his next question. "So, during your time with the army, or afterwards, how many battles have you been in?"
Darius was surprised to hear that Lyn was the child of a Naga and a human. He would not have thought that possible, but the child was proof. He thought about Ssarak's question. There had been a lot, and he had the scars to prove it. But he did not know the count. "Twelve years worth. I do not have a count of them, but they were many. Quite a few were against small groups of Naga that caused trouble." He shuddered at the memories, then looked up at Ssarak. "If you ever get into a fight with a Naga..." He tapped the side of his head. "It won't come back after that."

"I will be sure to keep it in mind, though Naga are not terribly common here. Still, I will be cautious of wounding strikes if the need arises. I suppose that is a good policy for any being with which you are unfamiliar." Ssarak commented. He had only asked a few questions, but he had worked out all of the useful information he had been seeking. Darius was a novice Aeromancer with significant military training. Ssarak still had the impression from previous meetings that he was an unsavory individual, so perhaps, he reasoned, his next course of action should be to determine how accurate that impression was. "I just have one more question..." He began as he finished off his mug. "Would you like another drink?"