Mercenaries of the Gods: Chronicle One - Stories

Origins and Tales:The Soft Soul

It was a rather uninteresting day at the Guild. Some three weeks passed since Zaidu returned to this coil and he sat at a table in the dining hall, relaxing as he finishes his soda. His eyes wander the room, and he stretches his dazzling wings in the sunlight that streams through the large window. At the same time, a young woman with a tray of food walks through the dining hall. Wearing a simple pair of black jeans and a casual red polka dot blouse, buttoned up all the way, with a matching pair of flats, her shoulder length, curly brown hair bounces with each motion of her petite form. It is rather full in the dining hall, and she wasn't exactly like by the current group of entities dining at the moment. Looking for a place to eat, she spots Zaidu at the table and walks over. 

"Hello." she says in a small voice. Looking at him, but avoiding eye contact, she asks "Ummmm, do you mind if I sit?" 

 "Not at all." he replies. She smiles softly in reply. Setting her tray down gently, she takes a seat two spots down from him keeping her eyes off him as much as possible. Seeing that she looks normal by the guild standard, he gives her a smile. "My name is Zaidu. And you are?" 

"My name is Grania." She keeps her head down and voice quite knowing she isn't the most popular person around. "I heard about you from, ummm, one of the administrators. They told me you, ummmm, got in the guild thanks to Alan like me." 

"Yes I did!" he replies with a grin. "He stopped me from getting killed in the Frisky Dragon. He did scare me a bit before in the process though, but that is a small price for my life." 

 Grania smiles softly and glances at him. "He didn't kill me at the Siege of Elminak and he scared me a lot. I, ummmm, didn't know why he spared me, so I came here to find him. After meeting him and Kadlin, and finding out why, they helped me become one of the Guild empaths. Not what I expected to happen with my life but, ummmm, at least I get free food and lodging. And Amelia is very nice and is helping me train too." 

"Interesting." Zaidu gives a glance around the room before returning his attention to Grania "How is the empath job going for you?" 

She smiles just after she swallow a bite of her bacon quesadilla. "Ummmmm, it's going okay so far. There are many powerful creatures around here and I'm, ummmm, still learning to control my power, so it's not always easy. Like that ogre over there. I feel things from him right now and I, ummmm, really don't want to feel what he is feeling. At least not while I'm having lunch." 

Zaidu lets out a laugh. "I suppose I can understand that. Don't worry. You are still young, but you will master your gift one day." 

She looks at him finally and smiles. In her mind, Grania realizes something and gives Zaidu an odd look. "You are very shielded emotionally. Demons and Seraphs are not normally that hard to read." 

Zaidu pauses for a moment. "Ummm, Alan taught me tricks to hide that kind of stuff." he says quickly as he tenses up quite a bit. 

She gives him a suspicious look before saying "If anyone could teach you anything about hiding emotions it would be him. I still cannot feel anything from him. All I feel in his is, umm, an endless emptiness." 

The Seraph relaxes and smiles. "He taught me a lot in a short period. Him, and the group he hangs out with, are insane but they know their stuff. Like Thrack might be the smartest creature on the planet. And Morothoth has the wisdom of the wisest of sages." 

Finally relaxing a little, Grania chuckles. "And if you even need an insult, Rina's your girl. Or, ummm, the best place to find a drink. At least this Rina. I know a lot of, ummm, grass elementals named Rina." 

They both let out a small laugh. They sit in silence for a bit and Grania slowly eats her quesadilla. After the server comes by and takes Zaidu's empty cup, he looks at Grania with curiosity. "There are not that many normal human in the Guild as empaths. So, tell me, what's your story?" 

"Ummmm, honestly it's nothing too exciting really." She pauses for a moment, and she shifts, like she is trying to keep something inside. "I did a few mortal incarnations but, ummm, nothing interesting. I had a normal life in this coil, and a normal family, till it was time to leave home and needed a job. I, ummmm, found work at the Technomancers as a guard. It was a simple job until, ummm, the Siege of Elminak happened. Now I am here." 

Zaidu nods. "Simple enough. Perhaps you will gain some more stories here!" 

"Oh, I'm sure I will!" she says with a laugh. Glad she seems like she actually making a friend, she takes another bite of her quesadilla and chases it with a sip of her tea. 

"Well," Zaidu says as he stands quickly, almost as if he was summoned by someone. "I have things to do, but it was nice meeting you Grania. Perhaps I will encounter you again." 

Grania gives him a soft smile. "It was very nice meeting you too. Ummmm, hopefully we can talk again." 

Zaidu gives her a smile before he walks away from the table. Grania stays at the table, slowly eating her lunch, while enjoying the beautiful view of Cape Cod out the large windows. After she's done eating, she takes her tray to the counter and thinks about want she's going to do with her day off. After a little bit of though, she wanders out of the dining hall into the main hall and moves towards the bar, passing the standard assortment of crazy creatures that fill the halls. The empaths are notoriously unpopular at the Guild because most of the mercenaries have things to hide. A large cyclops glares at her and she does her best to avoid his gaze, then gets a flood of emotions that almost overwhelm her when she passes a table with goblins and humans talking. Managing to keep it together, she finally makes it across the room and sits on one of the smaller stools at the low end of the bar. A small sigh leaves her when she finally gets a break from the endless cascade of crazy emotions that fill this place. After some consideration, she orders twelve-year-old single pot still Irish whiskey then thinks about her homeland and the crazy turn her life just took as she waits for her drink. The bartender puts the drink in front of her and she takes a satisfying sip. Just as she is starting to relax and clear her head, she suddenly gets a strong wave of crazy emotions that she can't really comprehend. The feelings, the crazy, almost overwhelm her as someone sits next to her. Cautiously, she looks up to see a very sassy grass elemental. 

"Hey there girl!" Rina says to Grania as her eyes wander to the drink in Grania's hand. "Ohhhh Irish whiskey! Good fucking choice! I want four of them bartender!" she declares without looking up. 

Trying not to be shy, Grania says softly. "When I drink whiskey, I always make sure it's Irish." Grania takes another sip while the bartender delivers Rina's shots. "I, ummmm, only drink stuff from my homeland." 

A smile forms on Rina's face as her eyes get huge. "Hold on now? You're from Ireland too?!" She pauses just long enough to slam a shot. "No fucking way! I was just happy to see another fucking pair of ovaries in this sea of droopy ass nut sacks but you're an Irish chick to boot!" 

Grania eyes fill with excitement as she asks "What part of Ireland are you from? I'm from Cork." 

"No mother fucking shit?!" Rina exclaims and chases her words with a shot. "I'm from mother fucking Kerry and we are so bringing a jar of whiskey to the fucking mountains and getting trashed together one of these days and I will take you to my awesome home and introduce you to the grass that manifested my incredawesome and maybe we can fucking swing by and say hi to the bad ass Jorb!" 

Grania gives her a strange look between sips of whiskey. "Grass that, ummm, manifested you? I thought most grass elementals were, ummmm, made by the Leprechauns during the great war." 

Another shot is downed by Rina as she motions the bartender for more. "Before the fucking war they were made another way and I will tell you my awesome story cause I fucking love talking about me..."