Warrior in the Shadows

The Sands of Blood (Dead)

Hugh pressed his face into her hand, leaving a gentle kiss one it. He felt all the stress and the hurt leaving his burdened mind. It felt good to love. It felt good to heal. Her kisses felt good and her body pressed against his felt better. With it, he was feeling his past melt away. He felt like all the bad that had happened meant nothing anymore. He felt like after it all he could live again. This was what healing was. Not vengeance.

Hugh felt his hands along her warm smooth skin, soaking it all in. It seemed like there was never a moment when her touch and feeling her there with him could make him feel uneasy.

She left the embrace of his arms and headed up the exit to find the outside, looking back briefly to say some words to him. "It's not like you're married," She seemed to say in jest. His smile persisted as he thought about that, the issue pressing on his mind that he had been married once. He thought of what she would think of him to know he had a family before all this.

Maybe she would like him better, knowing he had not given into carousing with many women to heal the hurt. Hugh was someone who settled for only one woman and Sana was now that woman he would devote his affections to. He followed her, looking as happily as ever, up through their exit, to find the moonlit night covering the sands and the ruins.

It was magnificent, and it was made happier by the sight of his long awaiting horse. Rodger seemed to blow his nostrils at the ground, looking for a form of vegetation to chew on. No doubt the sand irritated his nose whenever he snorted. Hugh smiled at the sight of the peaceful animal, his old friend who had been with him for so long. "Damn good to see you, boy." He muttered, breathing in the cool desert night air.

It was peaceful again, letting him feel relieved that he might not have to fight again. He was tired and ready to relax. This was a time for rejuvenation from the fighting, and Hugh would feel horribly sore in the morning.

The Sands of Blood (Dead)

Hugh pulled away for a second, "I'm very sorry about this Artos, I, uh." His eyes wandered to Sana as he gave a sheepish smile. "I have somethings to deal with quickly. I am so sorry, I do not mean to stand you up like this." He shook his hand hurriedly, not sure what courtesy to render when quickly leaving a conversation like this. "It's important." He seemed to have a nervous smile as he awkwardly turned away from Artos and started walking towards Sana.

There had been a lot said, and not enough positive things. Hugh just wanted to get out of this lower level city and find his horse. Rodger no doubt was getting impatient waiting for his rider. He skip stepped over the wet and slimy rocks that was the floor under his feet. He might have looked a little comical with the skipping. He didn't seem intent to care how he looked, he seemed too gloomy eyed determined to go to a certain woman he favored.

For Hugh, love felt like healing. Like he could feel again. Sometimes, all you needed was to feel something good. That was love. At this point Hugh wasn't too determined to pursue any evils. He was almost ready to give up this quest. After all, they had completed it, found a lich and a chalice and lost them both to a burglar. There was not going to be any pay and that was obvious. They had just fought their way through a bunch of skeletons and now they could pick up and heal from the fighting.

Hugh finally arrived to Sana's location, soaking up the splashes of water that came from the cascading falls. "I'm sure both of us are not in a particularly good mood for any of this drama that's been going down." Hugh said, giving an exhausted sigh. "And yeah, if I didn't make that clear, I'm an ex-paladin because I didn't want to be the world police anymore. I wanted to live a normal life after losing everything." He said, feeling a little happy to have let it out. He just wanted to make it clear that the only crime he committed was trying to live a normal life.

After all that fighting, he realized he didn't need to save the world. It might be his turn to take a break from keeping the world safe from evil, after all.

The Sands of Blood (Dead)

Hugh simply stood letting the dwarf rant on over his anger, taking a rather unexpected side. Hugh shrugged and waved it all off. There was nothing more to be said. Everything had been vented. When Ellis spoke to him, hinting at Sana being akin to a succubus. Hugh growled, "Don't ever say shit like that around me." He waved him off and walked away tucking his thumbs into his belt. He didn't really have pockets, so there was only that for him to hold onto.

He gave a sigh, as Vivian took off with the Sana and Ellyn under the premise of 'girl talk'. He felt a like kicking rocks and getting out of their to find his horse Rodger. But he preferred to wait for Sana. With that, he headed over to Artos, and spoke up. "You've mentioned it several times, and I'm sorry I had never asked, but, who were the paladins from my old order that you met? Who were the survivors?" He found that they had the time for this little banter and it had been itching at his skull for a long time.

He wondered, who in heaven's name could have survived? How did they survive? Did they live it out the same way he had, throwing down arms as paladins and heading off to live a simple life as farmers or something? Perhaps settled down to find healing? Or did they seek out revenge against those who brought it all down around them? Hopefully, whoever they were, they were sane and mentally there. Maybe they were older than Hugh.

The Sands of Blood (Dead)

Bathroom breaks? That's something people assume happens because it's a natural bodily function.

The Sands of Blood (Dead)

Yes, RAGE BJORIC. RAGE. Okay, but seriously. Bjoric is definitely a good character. I like the smacking everyone over the heads.

EDIT: But yeah, Hugh was the one who broke them out... not Ellis.

The Sands of Blood (Dead)

<Snipped quote by Warrior in the Shadows>

Two days.

@Ryu

The Sands of Blood (Dead)

LMAO, actually thinking back at the time line for the group it went as follows -

Night came...Met in tavern, left that night, gnolls attack that same night, orc found that same night, sun rose when they reached the place, maybe were half way through the daylight of that day. After all the fighting and such... we might and this is stretching it, be at evening. So we are less than 24 hours.

@Afina

Looking at all the shit that happened, I actually feel like the time period should be longer. I mean, how the fuck far away would this city be if they just took a leisurely stroll with a wagon and ended up there in the same day they started? That's like, why did they even go?

Extend the damn time period. Fuck it.

The Sands of Blood (Dead)

Lol i edited it... There is a time and place for it. I poorly executed it.

@EWillden

SONOFABITCH

Time to go back and edit.

The Sands of Blood (Dead)

Hugh felt a little tingle where Sana touched as he panted from the anger. He was starting to feel a soothing, healing feeling from her touch, like all the pain he had felt from the times long gone that had been brought back by the halfling's words. Sometimes you just needed to feel something to heal from the hurt. He looked into her eyes, as she stepped in front of him blocking his sight of the halfling. His anger faded as he felt her soft hands cupping his jaw. Hugh closed his eyes and felt her hand with his face, "Yes." He whispered.

Hugh had adored Ellis, but what was happening to the little halfling now? He could see he was not the innocent character he had given a ride to on his back. Who was he now? was he corrupted by the lich? The moment of healing he felt with Sana was not disturbed by Ellis's words, until he heard a trigger word and he felt the snap.

"I don't care about more death. I don't care about the devour. In this moment, I see only one evil, and it's inside of you, Ellis." Hugh controlled his rage, breathing in and out. "I know of the grand master's demise and the occasion for it. He died as a great paladin, but if you think I'll drop all of the progress I've made in healing to help you with revenge, you're grossly wrong. I won't seek revenge. I will only seek to extinguish evil. When we finish the task of killing the Devour that my leader failed to kill, if that is your task, you will be next, Lich." Hugh paused and glared, "And if you stray from that task, you will be first."

Hugh knew too much the road of revenge. Destroying evil was a paladin's business and business was booming. "And Ellis, although I might go with you to destroy the devour..." He paused and breathed calmly, "...you never bring up my order in such a disgraceful manner." His features calmed. "I will help destroy the devour. I will aid in finishing the grand master's work."

With how much Hugh had tried to heal, he couldn't bear the thought of an existence of revenge. All he wanted was to see life continue in all its beauty, undisturbed by tyrannical evil. He wanted to live happily and build a peaceful life, away from the pain and the hurt.

Hugh wasn't surprised at Sana's anger towards the little one. He did not disturb her as she lashed out at him. He recognized the feeling all too well and he wouldn't stop it, but he was pleased to see she had controlled her anger in a similar manner as he had. "Hm, mine." He whispered lowly.

Suddenly the little halfling screamed and it filled the room. Hugh was taken aback by the scream and highly disturbed by it. "In heaven's name?" He stepped forward behind Sana as the screaming stopped and she knelt down, putting his hands on her, one on each shoulder. "You know my thoughts, Ellis." He said.

The young elf protege suddenly lashed out, speaking some angry language that Hugh could not really help but agree with as he recognized he had exploded at the whole mention from the bard that the group would not be the same with out the halfling. He laughed a little and brought a hand to his face, concealing his amusement, and making it look like a cough.

The Sands of Blood (Dead)

Not really...

@EWillden

Hugh's gonna pop a vein because of how he said "You know nothing." It was the destruction of his life. He knows everything.