Fantasy Action Adventure Scifi A Growing Menace - *Any Character, Any Genre*

[Hekazu]

How should, no, could he even respond to the questions that she posed? He didn't think for a second he could do justice to the strange nature of what ailed him, and as such he soon waved away the idea of trying to explain this verbally. "If you are to work on a tattoo on me, you'll see yet", he explained. "But my curse is a law, like the fact that gravity exists, not like burglary is wrong. It's not approximated by a judge what it means, but the world around me acts as determined by it and the Devils are the ones doing the approximation. And I."

He picked up his utensils and slowly got to eating his food, feeling the hunger settling in now that he was about to sate it. A fortunate timing, all in all. "I only wish I knew how they did this. Then maybe there could be a way to undo the law. Though now that I would be the only one to benefit, that might simply be selfish. I've little doubt that sacrifices of some kind would need to be made."

 

[Fatal Nymph]

As he took a moment to figure out how he wanted to say things, she picked up a set of chopsticks to begin and take a few bites, blowing on the hot food. 'You'll see.' It was a response that issued a challenge or made her just a bit upset. Though if she took a deep.mental breath, it was true that some things truly couldn't be explained unless you saw it for yourself. So far Rochdale was not one to foolishly make her upset or angry on purpose.

"Some times sacrifices are worth the cost, or so I've been told." She looked a but sullen on that point before eating another mouthful of food. "But I only know so much. It sounds like you have somethings that you would like to get taken care of if at all possible. I can keep a look out when I'm on my adventures, but no promises." With that she took another bite of her food.

Was it weird that she found the captain so easy to be around? Normally she didnt act quite herself but with him she found herself feeling completely comfortable. That might end up getting her in trouble like it did not all that long ago. The troubles of a dog like mind in a more than grown up world full of life, love, and danger.

 

[Hekazu]

Some sacrifices are worth the cost. Obviously. "Few and far between are the martyrs that sacrifice themselves for no cause", he commented in a rather deadpan manner. "What I worry is that the sacrifice will be dooming more than it will help. Ever since my revenge towards the forces of Hell, I've grown more callous, less… feeling. I suppose one doesn't need a soul to live, and after what I did to it this all may be… never mind. I… I don't think I will talk about all that yet. I have a feeling you would not understand my reasons and think me mad for what I went through." He ended up getting sidetracked, and the track he ended up on wasn't one he particularly wanted to explore right now. Not in a public setting in a state that no doubt listened in on what was being discussed for people capable of radical actions, and not with someone who had yet to grasp his situation, and that of his less fortunate brothers in arms.

As such, with him turning back to his food, he decided to pivot away into another topic: "Enough about me. You mention you have adventures of your own. Surely they are of more interesting topics than a bitter soldier recalling his bitter defeat. Perhaps, if the fa-" he interrupted himself, "no, the proper stars align, you might even find use for a monster hunter down the road. Less need to hunt me down if something is found with all that, don't you think?" She did remind him of more than a handful of the people that had served under him on Poltroon's Regret. This was a good thing. It meant he could tolerate, or even grow to enjoy her company. As difficult as the latter was to him, no matter whom it was he was conversing with.

Whether or not she picked up on the topic presented, once they had both eaten there was little reason to remain here, considering it was not the accommodation they needed to rest their heads. And over a brief conversation, he understood now what sort of a place she had meant when she had invited him to follow. "Little different from the bunks of the ship. It has been a long while since I rested my head in those, but I, too, was once a sailor with no cabin to call his own. Let's go. If it remains empty, I'll even be able to stop keeping you in suspense." With that he was back on the move, the bad leg seemingly less bad than on their arrival.

 

[Fatal Nymph]

His voice was soothing but his words were certainly harsh. Once more she found her limited view on things was once more being berated. He lived on a world that had capabilities close to the here and now, yet his perspective was so different. Was it because she viewed the world so differently? Surely the hardships she had gone through would allow her to see his thought process, and to an extent she could, but Zava wasn't an alpha, she was very much a beta and easily rolled over. When did that happen? At one point she set the pace, laid down her rules and she was viewed highly for it. When did that change?

The conversation eventually changed and before she knew it both were done with their food, and he was interested in coming with her. "I'm pretty positive my room is just me; my friend is making sure of that. Though if I make you uncomfortable or you would prefer, i can leave my room to you while I sleep elsewhere." She got up and left everything upon the table, moving back onto the streets to flag down a taxi. "It will be needed where its at, sorry, I'll pay." She climbed in and gave her destination and paid the fare for both of them. If he got in her conversation would continue. "I've thought about having someone with me, but it's rather random, not always paid in a normal fashion, and my life has been put on the lines more than a few times. but since i've gone soft, i feel that it may be a very much needed thing. Least it happens again..." Her voice trailed off and it was easy to see that her mind for a split second was far away from the here and now. With a shake of her head, she looked straight ahead. "But i'll make sure I get you to the guild hall where you can find good work." With that it was almost as if she refused to look at him.

The taxi took off into the air much the same way the silver car had. They flew over several districts and into a seemingly more luxurious area, but it only looked that way in appearance. It held many creatures all who were poor, merely passing through, or didn't want people to know they were here. THe taxi landed and she got out. The smell of sickly-sweet earth filled her nose. She shook her head and started to walk back to her room, remembering why she had wanted to come back here in the first place. "I want a bath." She said to no-one in particular, more or less just the usual talking to ones self.

 

[Hawksearcher]

As Zava and Rochdale walked towards her room, they noticed a pair of Travelers who resembled mushrooms whispering hurriedly to each other. Zava would have recognized them as two of her neighbors she often saw several doors down. They were friends, not lovers, but they were particularly close to each other today. On their faces, they bore looks of anxiety.

When the fox and the captain approached, the pair of plant beings broke away, and one of them called over to Zava. "Zava, welcome back. Did you hear about Plythia?"

Plythia was a dimension full of teeming plant life, many of which were carnivorous and dangerous to humanoids. However, a great number of medicines and other chemical compounds were also regularly extracted from the dimension, so despite its dangerous nature, it was not without its benefits. It was also a dimension that was rather close to the other central dimensions of the Interdimensional Highway.

The other one continued: "We have a friend who is a harvester there. She showed up to work a short while ago, and the whole jungle is gone! The sky, everything just dust. Scary, huh?"

The first chimed in, "I've recently heard of a few outlying dimensions turning up this way, but this is the first dimension I've seen turn to dust so close to the other centrals."

 

[Hekazu]

The discussion took a rather strange turn as Zava went ahead and suggested that she would vacate her own room in favour of Captain Rochdale, which was nothing short of preposterous. "Zava, if I had an issue with sharing a room, I would offer to get one for myself. And know that if you do in fact not want to invite who is essentially a stranger in yours, I can still do so. But I would, no, could not drive you away from your own den", he made his stance on the topic clear, even reaching out with one hand at her should she not be opposed to a brief touch of his gloved hand upon the back of hers while he nodded in affirmation, this gesture not lasting for too long before his hand would come back, but still long enough to not feel like a hasty retreat.

Once it came time to travel and their topic on the way, it appeared he had made Zava remember something that made her upset. Certainly it couldn't have been something he had said, and she did mutter something about unfortunate events from her past just as well. Rochdale looked her up and down once again, considering if this fur covered woman might in fact be able to understand sooner rather than later. Suppose he would be able to tell as soon as she could truly be shown the law that affected him, or to be more precise the effects of it. Nonetheless, what she said sounded like a polite refusal, one that had Captain Rochdale incline his hat and nod once more. "I remain aware of when my services are not expected. I hope you will not be terribly offended should I decline visiting the guild hall however, as I would much rather leave this dimension behind on earliest available opportunity", he almost smirked as he pulled back his sleeve to highlight the tracking bracelet, "and secure employment elsewhere. I had hoped, as you do travel, that it might be my ticket. But if not, I'll figure it out back on the highway."

Once at the place of accommodation, a hostel she had described it if he did not misremember, the Captain left Zava to her own thoughts and devices, the woman seemingly rather occupied with them at the time, remembering why she had wanted to come here. The heels of his boots clacked on the harder parts of the floor, though were soon silenced by the carpeting deeper within. And so, as the apparent mushroom people approached her, he took a respectful step back to not intrude, though naturally he would keep his ears open to what they were discussing. And whatever news this was, it felt like it was going way over his head. A plain reduced to naught but dust? An entire dimension? No, surely there was some kind of a misunderstanding afoot. The back of his hand itched. Seldom a good sign. Very carefully, the fingertips of the better hand brushed over the glove of the worse one. It didn't help.

 

[Fatal Nymph]

His touch brought a smile to her face. "I don't mean any harm or to chase you away as you put it. I only want for you to be comfortable and to not have you wrapped up in things you were unaware of. I live for adventure and knowledge of my profession, but its not always the best and there isn't steady work. I just don't want others to... " her voice fell there and silence suddenly took over. This wasn't a subject she should be getting into with a complete stranger.

Soon enough though she saw some neighbors rather bothered. "Plythria? No..." They spoke to fill her in. Her face fell a but more. "Well thats not good. And I am too assume no-one is any closer to anything besides being thrown into a panic." With a heavy sigh, she turned to Rochdale. "If you want a better explanation there really is none. Its a phenomena that we have been aware of but it never really hit close to home until now. Yes there are people working on it but as far as common folk go, there really isn't much to be done."

"Thank you for the information. I hope that all of yours are okay. " With that she was more or less leaving it be. What else was there to do about it, unless the captain had say, that bath was sounding better and better. And to take a look at his law as he called it.

 

[Hekazu]

Yes, she had something she wanted to avoid discussing. He could understand that. He had such things too, and she had already pried towards some of them. Or rather, he'd almost blabbered on about them, just as she had done here. Rochdale offered her a polite nod, but knew not to pry. If she would change her mind about his services, then she would. But in the meantime, the offer had been made and she knew of it. And she would soon know more of the limitations of who she might or might not be employing in the near future. "I am a Monster-Hunter. We are not exactly known to make steady income. That was what I had a ship for. A ship I no longer have", he commented, and all of that were statements that hardly gave room for a response. Only things that were good to consider, if she wanted to reconsider.

As for the mushroom people, apparently this was normal for these crazy people. It was normal that what existed just stopped doing so. And they were only concerned now that it was approaching here towards the middle? The level of callousness that displayed managed to disturb even him, and he really wasn't someone easily affected by things such as empathy. The plight of others was theirs, but this degree of plight was ridiculous to brush off with a wave of one's hand. Yet it wasn't as if he knew what to do about it. Suppose there would be some urgency put into resolving it now that the core worlds felt a little of the danger. Nonetheless, he had nothing to add. A quick bow and a nod, and they could head onward.

First stop, the room they were to share for one night before Captain Rochdale would seek to bugger right off. At most it would be two, depending on how much recovery the tattoo would need of him. With the door closing behind them, he sighed and begun to peel off his gloves. The first came from the good hand, and revealed nothing too unusual. Deathly pale flesh, wrinkles forming on its back but the flesh itself remaining healthy and the skin not sagging. The other one though, he hadn't even managed to fully remove it when problems started to come to light. The glove snagged on something. Multiple times. Something beneath itself. Nothing from the outside was holding it. And so, the only possible option was from the inside, which Rochdale dealt with by pulling the glove back a bit every here and there, shifting it one way at some spots only to lift it the opposite way soon enough with the bend high enough to not be snagged again.

And finally, with the glove gone, one could see just what was going on there. There were too many veins under the skin of his hand, and some of those veins… no, those were vines. Vines that budded with thorns, thorns that broke through the skin in an uneven distribution. The back of his hand was patterned with numerous small, long since dried puddles of blood. Rochdale raised this bad hand to his hat and pulled it away from his hair. Nothing up there seemed too unusual, but yet another blood red petal and even a second one escaped from under his collar as he shook his head to free his hair up a bit. "I would also like a bath, but I'm not going to go and parade this around", he noted, "so I'll make do for now. Unless it offends your nose. I've noticed you may share a more acute olfactory system. And I'm used to my own stink, but I wouldn't want to make another suffer it should it have gotten bad."

 

[Fatal Nymph]

Zava moved on to her room and opened the door and walking through. She set her bag down and barely glanced over her shoulder as the door was closed. The room held one bunk bed and a larger bed meant possibly for a couple or creatures of much larger sizes. A desk held her equipment laid out and sealed or with a covering over top. Everything was sparse but enough to make ones self at home.

Her attention was turned to her package and the contents. A larger glass ink bottle that held what looked to be molten magma constantly moving into clear spaces as if it was moving into nothingness. She moved it over to her table of supplies and turned in time to see the glove struggle. Those big puppy dog eyes moved over his glove noting the irregularities.

The tattooed woman moved her things away and sat upon the bed to wait out the undressing male. Her curiosity was getting the better of her every moment that went by. Finally when spoke again, she honestly couldn't help herself. The anthro stood up and walked closer. "This as you call it, is a phenomena that is praised on the dimension that is now dust. You are closer than any druid could ever dream to be without being a plant folk. May I touch?" Her eyes looked directly to his her face probably much closer than it should be, especially with a muzzle.

 

[Hekazu]

The level of curiosity she was showing, and just how close she got, reminded him more of the person he'd seen earlier today as she'd leapt at Joopis. He knew to expect it, but couldn't help but pull his face back a bit as he could feel her breaths on him. Could she touch them? "If you are careful. I would rather not deal with blood pockets under my skin." He raised the hand a little higher towards her, keeping the back of it pointed her way as he lifted it to a more vertical alignment.

Once she had had her fill of gawking, he'd move on with the agenda and lift the coat off of himself, tossing it over the end of a vacant looking bunk along with the gloves and the hat. He was left with a rather warm looking and a somewhat loose woollen shirt, the patterns of which rather faded and splatters of numerous encounters further obscuring what had once been. But even with that on, it was easy to tell that something was different about the whole bad arm of his. "Just so that you know, I'm not wearing anything under this shirt", he warned her. But even as he begun to worm his arm out of the tangles of the clothing, the more obvious thing would be on the side of his good hand. The collar of the shirt was deliberately lowered, and it revealed a very large blood red and blooming rose, no doubt the source of the stray petals that had escaped from him every here and there. From its base, several vines with smaller budding roses curled under the clothing and into his skin. The part about the rose's beauty was well in view.

 

[Fatal Nymph]

His reaction to her was normal and barely registered in her head. She was a dog and was close, most people.reacted exactly the same way, so to Zava there was no need to feel guilty for being who she was at this moment. With permission her eyes Nd face shifted to his arm. Thick fingers touched the vine with such light caresses. Those same caresses traveled down to his skin touching and exploring how it connected and interacted. Hair fell forward as her head titled at an angle to allow such movement. With a very upset look her eyes adjusted to his once more. "This isn't a cohesive partnership is it? The plant to me looks like it is intent on killing you as a food source. Its so embedded into you. What makes it grow?"

Finally the female relented and moved away, aware he didnt like her close to him. "Sorry, I care a little too much sometimes."

As he continued to undress, she spoke. "Bathing here as you are, will only warrent curiousity, some alarm, and very few will be disturbed. However I can set up for a private bath, its nothing fancy but it works."

With that she fell into silence. Another thin sheet of glass was in her hands as the anthro began to make movements and motions. His struggles weren't unnoticed however there wasn't much that she could do in the way of helping him, especially since they weren't intimate or even close.

His words caught her off guard enough that she looked up to him as if what he said was a known fact and that he was simply being weird. With a condition such as his she was surprised he wore as much as he did. Rochdale fought to simply be comfortable with clothing. If her clothing wasn't meant for her shape, she would offer her own clothing just so that it might make it easier.

"You're safe here." With a touch to her phone for a good measure the door was now locked. The children seemed to never care about personal space or adult matters and even some species didnt understand. But for the most part she was left alone.

Back on her phone Zava finished the accommodations to have a private bath and his cloths cleaned, no questions asked. "I've set up something private just for you. I can get you there and your cloths will be washed as well. I really need clean skin to work."

Instead of being interested in the roses now her face only held concern. They were pretty but knowing it was not a partnership was what was really getting to her. Symbiots existed and even had thoughts, needs and wants, but it was an agreement not an invasion and hostile take over.

 

[Hekazu]

Rochdale could sum a lot of Zava's concerns up in a single answer. "It is a weapon." One had to remember the origins of the rose. It did not only harm the targets on initial hit, it was designed to cripple them to remember the event for the rest of their existence. "It was never meant to be nothing more than a bane upon its carrier. It makes everyday tasks more difficult than they have any business being, and you are the only one to date that has not been actively repulsed by it. Though I feel that is coming to be the truth here and now as you realise what its purpose and existence are." Rochdale stopped trying to get his arm out of the sleeve for a moment, sighing deeply. "And that is why I am no longer welcome anywhere near the regions where the devils, sparing the Order of the Marigold, tread. Because of how I chose to take vengeance."

Yes, he felt it was fine to speak of this matter now. She understood more. "There is a legend whence I came. A quest that only the most foolish would ever follow. I saw it. As my body craved for the forbidden pains and hungered for the worst of fates, I remembered my goal. And through this self-destruction, I irredeemably soiled my soul." He paused, sparing a glance at Zava. "But how does that count for vengeance, you may ask? I tricked them." Again struggling with the sleeve, Rochdale managed to get the arm mostly out of the tube and begun to slowly bring it towards the hem of the shirt. "I made them purchase it off of me. They are repulsed by it. It causes them physical and mental discomfort, no, anguish to be anywhere near it. It ruins them, and it does so so severely that they would send every single Devil in London on my trail if they caught it." He flashed a grin, a first proper smile even as maniacal in nature as this one was. "And all it cost was my immortal soul."

He pulled the other arm out of the sleeve as well and begun lifting his shirt, it once more snagging on many of the vines on its way up, but he was making progress nonetheless. "You may wonder about the side effects. I think you've already seen most of them. You never knew me when I had it, so it doesn't really matter. I'll talk more about it over an ale sometime", he promised, finally tossing the shirt to join the rest of the clothes he'd set aside. The vines formed a network digging within his skin and surfacing every here and there over on the side he clearly kept avoiding, even shifting with his body as he moved, the thorns scraping on skin and muscle. Yet with the obstacles out of the way, one could see the existing three tattoos of the man. First, a name on the upper arm of his good arm: "Vincent Randolph Rochdale". Surrounded by roses and thorns, squeezing drops of painted on blood out of the two first names. On his less marred side stood a horse on its hind legs, a bannerman waving a flag upon its back, the symbols belonging to the regiment he'd once served under. And on his very back, a silhouette of a palace with all of its windows shuttered and mist covering most of the details of the building, all behind gates whose top read "OMNIS TRADVCTOR TRADITOR". These were his skin-bound memories. And now it was time to get something new. A memento of the Poltroon's Regret.

"Can you explain more on the baths and their arrangements?" he inquired, though whatever the actual details were would be mostly inconsequential. He'd just follow through with them and they could get back to discussing the more pressing matters.

 

[Fatal Nymph]

What was a concern was now a vile dislike of the plant, not of Rochdale. The plant by itself was also a beauty to behold bit what it did the the captain made her upset, angry even. His vengeance was on fair in her eyes even as vague as the details were. Her eyes were instantly on his body as she saw the tattoos and their style. Her tail wagged ever so slightly in response to wanting to look him over once more. It was easy for her to see some of the tattoos were newer but even then the line work was amazing, a small amount of blowout on the lines but only a trained eye would catch it.

"I was going to take you to a private bathroom but it seems that you might prefer a bath here. It will be basically a hand bath if done here in the room. I have a large robe but I don't want you having to fight with cloth again."

It was easy to see she wasnt do e with him, if anything she was now more aware and concerned. "I hope that there.might be a way to separate you and the weapon but I have a feeling details will come later. For now I just need to know how you want your bath sir."

In all honesty her mind realed with how to help, why shod she help, what was it a out this particular stranger that got her mind all jumbled. So many questions that only bred more questions and not an answer in sight other than the weapon that made her more than furious at devils or was it demons?

 

[Hekazu]

Bath here? Instead of a more private locale? Rochdale raised a hand to the bridge of his nose, his fingers rubbing it up and down for a brief moment. "These plans change too often for me to keep track of anything…" he murmured. Finally, he simply gave it all a shake of his head. "Whatever lets you fill your needs more easily. I think you also wanted a bath, and I'm not sure if you would want it to be a hand bath. They are not very relaxing." This deflection was not due to him being unable to decide. No, he was simply being polite about. If he could make the pick, he'd choose the proper bath, even if that would end up feeding the flower about as much as it would help him clean up. It should on all accounts be the more sensible solution for two people. At least as far as he understood. But Zava was being very kind to him, and he wanted to respect that.

But on other notes, being called Sir did have him raise an eyebrow at her. "I didn't think you would call me Sir. I'm not a Captain of a vessel that you would be on. And I don't think you've used such honorifics much, by the way you treated Joopis, I, and even that insufferable inquisitor at first. I don't think it suits me either way. I have no authority here. I'm but a simple war veteran with a conflicted past. Not even from a war fought for you. Please, Rochdale is fine."

 

[Fatal Nymph]

"Sorry, I'm used to things changing on the go from my environment to my own mind. I do apologize, but I have a private bathing area for us. Well only if you are comfortable with me there. I really am too much like a dog and just don't care, unless its noisy." Zava had to look away and concentrate on her phone as her eyes wanted to wander over the captain, the rose, and his tattoos, which were so unique in her eyes as she had never seen scenes like that. Some similar but because his was unique to him, she knew that there was nothing she had seen exactly like it.

"Rochdale... Just like you, I have a past that is not very well known to you or even Joopis. Everyone has a past they prefer not to talk about for one reason or another. However it is a story for another time, how about getting to that bath?'