Colin's posts

The male looked a little crestfallen, but when she mentioned that the guild was good at finding people, she saw a little spark of hope light up in his eyes.

"Thank you." he said, accepting the card.

"I shall go and see them." he told her, before pausing.

"Am I allowed to just walk in and ask to see this leader, though?" he then asked.

"I know not all guilds allow people to see the leader, or even allow them in so readily." he went on.

"Is there anything I need to do to get into THIS particular guild?" he inquired.

"Just keep looking at me, kid." Ryker responded.

"Keep yourself awake. Keep your attention on me." he went on.

"Talk." he then said.

"And I'll talk back." he went on.

"Just stay awake until the medics arrive."

Ryker's muscles bulged and tightened some more, the strain on them evident.

"Someone pull him out!" he shouted out.

Literally just as he said that, a female rushed forward, grabbing Eke under his armpits, and started to drag him away from the wreckage that he had been trapped under.

"I pulled him out!" she exclaimed.

This caused Ryker to drop the mass of debris will a massive thud... just as sirens were heard in the distance.

"Sure, NOW they're coming." he growled, as he rushed over towards Eke.

"Oh, no, no, no." Ryker responded.

"You will NOT lose your leg over this." he declared.

He then cracked his knuckles, as Eke started to see a little back energy start to emanate from within his body, augmenting his muscles.

With that, he leaned in and started to attempt to lift the debris up off of Eke.

He was making... little success... but Eke actually started to feel the pressure on his leg start to lessen.

The two of them stood there, a man and a woman, looking face to face. The male had long blonde hair, deep blue eyes, was dressed in a fine Victorian suit, and sported a neatly trimmed moustache. The female had long red hair, gorgeous hazel eyes, and was wearing a beautiful Victorian dress.

They stared at each other with pure love in their eyes, before they approached each other, took the hands of each other, and started to elegantly dance.

As they danced, beautiful soft lights surrounded them... but as the lights slowly changed, the appearance of the couple changed as well. Short brown hair for him, with green eyes, as he wore a pair of cuffed trouser, flannel jacket, and two-toned shoes, while SHE had short black hair, light blue eyes, and wore a cloche-style hat, a flapper-style dress, high-heel shoes, and a fur boa-like accessory over her shoulders. This seemed to go on, seemingly going forward through history, but the couple didn't seem to notice, or care.

However, something strange then started to happen. The lights suddenly turned off. Utterly and completely. When they started to flicker, the couple were nothing more than translucent souls, vaguely in the shapes of humans. But the female had been grabbed by strange black tendrils, and they seemed to be dragging her away from him.

He started to give chase, but no matter how hard or fast he ran, she always seemed to be out of his reach... and she was constantly screaming for help.

And just when it seemed like he was about to reach her hand, a large pair of red eyes appeared before him, and seemed to freeze him, suspending him in the air.

"BEGONE!" an inhuman voice bellowed, sending him flying away, the lights flickering and swirling all around him in a horrific and nauseating fashion.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"...and that's when I wake up." the young man finished saying. He looked to be no older than 22, his frame a little on the skinny side. He had short black hair, and his eyes were a deep green. He wore little more than a pair of jeans, a plain tee-shirt, dirty sneakers, and a grey coat.

He was sitting in front of a wooden desk, with an older woman sitting behind it, papers and a computer on it.

"I know it sounds crazy, but I promise you it's true. My soul-mate, my one true love, is in grave danger. We have yet to meet in this lifetime, but I know she needs help." he went on.

"Please. Is there ANY way you can help us?" he pleaded. "I'll do whatever I can to pay for your services." he then added, as he was at a guild... seeking their services.

A crowd was gathering around him, wondering what to do. Some of them tried to help, but they were in such disorder and chaos, it was borderline useless.

But then, as expected, Ryker was attracted to the scene.

"EKE!" he exclaimed, racing towards him.

"Holy hell, what happened!?" he asked.

"Are you all right!?"

Ryker gave him a thumbs-up.

"You got it." he said.

"I'll be sure and grab all the supplies we need." he told him.

"Hmm." he then mumbled, thinking about it.

"Well, we already have the tent, sleeping bags, and pillows..." he mumbled.

"I suppose what's left would be things like actual camping supplies... not just sleeping needs."

"Sure, we'll get supplies." Ryker said.

"As for how to deal? I... don't know..." he then admitted.

"You are experiencing a pain that I've never really felt before." he told him.

"All I know is what elders have told me." he continued.

"And it's mostly been stuff like 'you endure the pain... and in enduring it, you grow strong'..." he went on.

"Oh, and 'try to think of what you still have in life'." he then added.

Ryker was silent, before poking his head out of the tent.

"Whoo." he said.

"A bit nippy this morning." he commented.

"Just enough to wake one up." he said further with a small smile.

"So... anyway..." he then mumbled, looking at Eke.

"You want us to pack up, or we staying in this spot for a little bit?" he asked.

"...awake, huh?" he then heard Ryker ask.

"I know you had a rough night." he said.

"It's understandable." he went on.

"....hey, Eke?" he then asked.

"Remember that I'm always here for ya."

"......." Ryker was silent, before placing a had on Eke's shoulder.

"Good night, little bro." he said.

"Try and sleep well." he told him, before digging in the bag, and setting a bag of beef jerky on the side of the tent that Eke was facing.

"In case you need a midnight snack or something." he reasoned.

With that, he zipped the tent closed, lay back, turned on a small portable light in the corner close to him, grabbed a plain-looking black book, and got comfortable.

Vincent looked over towards her with a grin.

"Indeed it does." he replied.

"It always does when I order from Matteo." he told her.

"Will you be joining me for dinner?" he then asked, unpacking all the food.

"Or will you be taking it downstairs?" he asked further.

"Either one is all right with me."

Vincent nodded again.

"Sure." he replied.

"I'd say I'll let you know when it arrives, but... trust me, you'll know." he chuckled.

And sure enough, some time later, she did.

Even downstairs in the basement, she caught a whiff of fresh pasta.

The food had arrived.

Vincent just smirked.

"That's the beauty of the place." he said.

"That's ALL they do. Custom pasta." he told her.

"Granted, you can choose chef's recommendation and such, but it's purely a build-your-own kind of thing." he went on.

"So alfredo with penne is definitely doable." he assured her.

"You want any sides?" he then asked.