Raiza's Intro to SS[Open]

Opening Post information:

Staring back towards the path he took through the spooky forest, his lips parted a bit baring a small grin symbolizing he wasn't looking back in doubt, but rather looking back in anticipation. Just a couple days ago a tag team was formed to mercilessly kill that politician. Innocents and guards died all equally the same. No there was no simple 'turning back now'. The opportunity to turn back was lost when he pulled the trigger against Crotus and against the law. Wanted posters by now must by flying across that capital city. Prior to even doing that assassination job, Raiza counted the number of jobs he did before that. From helping slaughter those two innocents with Riley, to going and helping Zemina with the zombies, to even taking down a meniace from rose garden's problems. Truly, Raiza's sellsword days brought him to the edges of both places, except it was that assassination job that pushed him to truly feel alive. All the MMO's he played always led him to be forced on the light side for the campaign, but if there was an opportunity to do else wise he took it, which was odd, even his entire being was strange.

Perhaps he was just some form of freak and the mmo reality was just all false, perhaps that was just a strange coincidence that his magic turned out to be game related while his insanity took place. Though as he kept crunching the dead leaves under his feet, the air became thicker and thicker with cold bitter air from the deepest of the forest slowly becoming more and more open as the pair was approaching the place of residence known as the Savage Skull base. "So this is it huh Thorn?", his gaze shifted across the land before him, the energy signature around here felt normal to him. Almost as if he was used to this feeling as he stood here with no hesitation to walk forward to join the guild. Though not like he could turn and run now, with Thorn by his side, he knew they'd not just openly attack him, but no doubt they would be hesitant. How exactly would he truly approach them. Not like he could run up to the leader and go 'oh hey accept me', but rather no doubt in his mind, he was going to have to prove himself or some shit.

The other fact was he already did prove himself by killing in public and openly to show he was ready to join already. Though openly, he didn't even think of joining till Thorn spoke of it. The cold hard sinking feeling, almost a decaying pain that etched at Raiza's soul only began to go away half way through the trip through the spooky forest. Each step eased the mind, he firmly believed that he wasn't born a killer, no, he made himself one and his loyalty was always to the highest paying client. It was his life since he was ripped from his universe, or was he ripped from the universe at all? Knowing the facts was so hard the longer he was in this land, and all he could recall was foggy memories of that day on his 16th year of living. Now, he spent so many years wandering from place to place holding no loyalty to anything, no one held his loyalty, no sword to be held, no shield to bare the insignia.

Except now. Even if they didn't accept him, by the off chance they didn't, Raiza's loyalty firmly laid in the hands of Savage Skull. After meeting Thorn and performing that job with her, he already accepted her guild as one he could call home, and with such enemies being made he knew the times of being friends with people like Bellaria was now over, the moment he crossed past out of the forest's edge the creeping death feeling overtook Raiza sending a vibe through his body, not one to fill him with fear, but rather a feeling of 'finally here', as he stopped to admire the sky, it was pitch black apart from the almost completely hidden moon, having just barely began to reveal more and more, which barely illuminated the area, apart from any illumination the place naturally had. Normally, a simple traveler would have already been killed from the travels to get here.

Naturally he felt overwhelmed as his escort(Thorn) had spoken to a guard(NPC) before wandering off leaving him there. Obviously the next savage skull member to approach him may or may not be one with any form of power though the guard remained stationary waiting for Raiza to slowly approach, to be not so much greeted but to be encountered by someone. Obviously he had to meet someone with a leader-esque position before he would be able to be even accepted into the guild, since he truly had no idea who or what lead the guild, or it's hierarchy within the guild. "Hmm.. wonder how long I'll have to wait" his words showed some lack of wanting to 'wait', but he did have patience, as the guard remained silent, not even talking to him, no doubt simply waiting just like Raiza was, there was no clue where Thorn was at this point, possibly retrieving someone to talk to Raiza, that or maybe she'll come back. No clue at this point, and Raiza was simply to be found standing outside the place, figuring someone would show soon enough.

Hollow light only ruled this dominion, the sounds of rustling leaves and branches conceal the presence of the guild hall in the forest. One man who’s just only recently promoted to lieutenant of the guards performs his first duty as one. Finally a new batch of recruits joined the security and hopefully with him around, none of them will either be eaten or be secretly eviscerated by the mages who playfully manipulate their lives almost as if they were toys. He wore a face of stone with a cold expression that was once not welcome even by the grunts now rules and gained power over majority of them. Walking on the walls, the lieutenant came towards one of the scout towers in order to see for himself the visitor that has recently arrived.

Already he was suspicious as a guard came by the last second carrying a report. It appears Thorn has been expecting company and so they have arrived, an invited guest into savage skull, regardless of their purpose they must trend lightly for that whether they are an admirer or not, cruelty is something to be expected and fear is something that should be bowed down too. Much like Dubhlainn, this young man doesn’t seem like he’d belong to a Dark guild although there are only but a few others he could name that were on the same case. Authorization under his command allowed two guards to run towards the gate as they knocked on the giant wooden door which signals the guard to allow the young man in. Two guards wait for him in order to redirect the young man to the guildhall immediately and must wait until Thorn arrives.

Its best that the invited guest is not kept waiting outside between the dominion and the marsh for it was no easy feat to find this place. Mikomi’s assassins were of course on watch and as soon as Raiza entered, they would have been sent around the perimeter to see if he was being followed. He need not to come down and introduce himself, he can only look down on him from the high walls where he stands and waste not a second longer and returned to his duties as the guards sealed the gates. Savage Skull in its current state wishes to build more power in both its strength and numbers, it grows and it will continue growing till it finally becomes the fruit that will fulfill the wish of its guildmaster. Now alas…

Welcome to Savage Skull.

It wasn't soon or long before Thorn left his side that Raiza began to look around more cautious and his observation skills skyrocketed when he noticed a few figures in the night head out into the woods, though even sensing their presence was difficult, almost as if chasing shadows with a burnt out flashlight. It was no doubt either a way to make sure he didn't leave or to make sure he wasn't followed. That was just his ego running though, because all in all they may have just been assassins to go off and kill, nothing was short of a dark guild, that was just his assumptions though.

Even being invited in, he looked around to the massive guildhall, it was strange being here. Though it also felt good. Though something that made no sense, perhaps just because his presence here was mis-understood. When told by the guards to wait for Thorn, he chuckled a bit. "You know she lead me here right? To join? I think she headed off after talking to one of the guards in the first place, I dont know, she may or may not even be coming here any time soon(see ooc note),"

Though to not argue with the group that could easily kill him right now if he stepped out of line, Raiza simply sat down on floor against the wall, rather than dirtying any sort of furniture, after all he wasn't the kind to wish to do such on his first day here. Besides, he didn't exactly expect a warm welcome, in fact it was surprising he didn't even notice a single figure of any form of authority yet. Then again he was no doubt just being observed. Though he did begin to count the guards around him, and the ones that tried to stay hidden.

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ooc note; i was given permission to shadow play Thorn for that once instance on my 1st post. Idk if Thorn is joining the thread or not.

A girl wrapped around in a pink towel emerged from the stairs leading into the catacombs. She had just finished her bath and was heading back to their quarters which were on the upper floor of the headquarters, and to get there she had to pass through the guildhall, so with her long green locks dripping wet and all balled up inside a damp towel that matched the same one wrapped around her chest and waist, she marched through, ignoring the lustful stares the black guards were giving her. Before, the guards stationed would ask her where she has been and why she was wet, but after a while, the guards stopped asking and started enjoying, seeing a sexy half naked chick was a blessing. They even tried to follow her once but she always seem to vanish into thin air.

You see, Alleria had discovered a hidden oasis within the uncharted part of the catacombs. She happened to find it while doing a recon mission which required her to chart the unknown part of the catacombs. She did include it in her report but they could never verify its existence since the only way is blocked. The only reason she stumbled upon that paradise was because she used Korchins ability to phase trough walls and she had been going there ever since.

Alleria stopped. Something was off, so she began to count "One, two, three four, five..." There were five people at the guildhall this time of night. She walked to the fifth person who was sitting at floor, took a good look at him and said "I don't know if your new or something, but there is a dress code that guard's follow." she paused as she pointed to the other guards. "And beside, your not allowed to sit down...at all."

Having been waiting for what seemed like an hour if not more by now Raiza had slowly began to rest his head on his hand, propping it up as the youth was rather...bored of waiting. Though even if he could sit and pester the guards he decided not to. After all, being ordered to wait here till either Thorn showed back up, or otherwise by a higher up, he found slight amusement in going over chess strategies in his head, most importantly going over one of the most commonly played strategies that is used against him, the stonewall attack. It let his opponent build a sturdy defense, but he was always annoyed by it greatly. Though it always let him-----

Being interrupted in his thought process as he heard foot steps, wet ones by the sounds of it, so someone was arriving. Blood? Were they gonna be dripping in blood? The possibility made Raiza smirk, but unknowningly so until he just kept his head tilted down, steadily relaxing as the foot steps drew closer...and closer 'coming for me are they? hmm so maybe I can stop this damn waiting game...'

Finally the figure stopped before him, and the youth would raise his head up to see a half naked beautiful woman before him, had Raiza not already been grinning from the thought of the blood, he would be now, though the resistance to blush was all too real. The grin went away fairly quickly when he was addressed as a guard and he wasn't following some stupid dress code, which he did observe, and the kind of suits they wore were just all too lacking, in fact if Raiza even wanted to be a guard that'd be the last kind of uniform he'd want to wear. Though what was this about sitting down? Was that aimed at because he was accused of being a guard or?

A sigh finally escaped his lips "I've got no clue about your status here lady, so if you're of authority, excuse my lack of respect, however I'm no guard here. I'm simply waiting to be spoken to by Thorn again or by someone of the authority here. Since you know... i'm not part of the guild yet", his words showed little to no disrespect but likewise, he didn't show any respect either, it was a neutral tone of voice, trying to stay calm and not even act in any way hostile towards the female, especially since they may be of authority, or they may just be some random savage skull member, either or worked after all.

The green haired girl giggled at what the boy said. "Do I look like someone in authority to you?" She tilted her head a bit and grinned "My name is Alleria and I'm just a regular member of the guild. The people you must be waiting for are Master Harrigan, his second command Aerdre or the Pillars... but I'm not sure where they are. I didnt even know that a new member is coming tonight." She then placed her hand oh her hips and stared at the wall, as if trying to remember something "Come to think of it, I think they did mention it in the memo somewhere..." Then as if remembering she was still half naked she spoke again ""Sorry I have to go now, if your here it means someone will most likely to come and orient you and I don't want to be reprimanded for trudging around the hallway like this. Anyways nice bumping into you and sorry for confusion earlier. Hope to see you again." With that she went back on her way.


OOC: Sorry for the short cameo.

A slight chuckle was given at the girls words, obviously they were covering their selves well, literally and metaphorically. Raiza knew damn well there would be no memo of his arrival, especially since Thorn had just lead him here today, and their assassination job was a day or two prior. So unless she had some means of long distance communication then it'd be impossible. Though none the less, Raiza still kept his tone unchanged.

"Kinda just wish they'd show already. Albit bored sitting here...but none the less, I'll see you around, name is Raiza by the way." Truthfully not giving a damn anymore Raiza began to lean back against the wall, positioning himself into the corner. 'Master Harrigan huh... geez thats going to be rough to remember to call him master. Oh and...wonder what they even look like.... same goes for Aerdre, or the pillars? what is this about pillars? Is that some form of guild branching system to divide the members up?', his thoughts were trailed here and there but for the most part he remained focused at the situation at hand, though trying to think of what next to say only left Raiza speechless as the woman walked away. were all of the members like this? First Thorn seemed sweet but could turn vile within seconds, what about that one? What was her secret? Then again, Raiza looked at himself, a lone mercenary a sell sword for most of his life, kill for money, kill to survive, but when he went on that job with Thorn... he killed for fun. It was a strange new rush and it felt amazing.

ooc: I've gained permission to RP an NPC of Savage skull for the following post.

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As the first guild member left, it wasn't long till the next set of foot steps began to draw near, creating a haunting presence with every single step. Each step felt like an aura of pestilence and wretched decay overtook the entire room. It was different than when the grim had approached him on the harbor that day. Instead this time, it was a wizard, enveloped in mystery and shadow, perhaps just a messenger for one of the pillars.

"Come"

The voice could not be distinguished as a man or a woman, human...or a monster, but rather beckoned Raiza to come with. Standing against his own will, he felt the pain of every step he didn't take, the scratching at his body felt like thousands of needles scraping against each exposed part of his body.

"Wh---", trying to speak only to feel a loss of air in his lungs, the air pressure magnified ten fold just from that little gasp he made, almost being felt like he was toyed with. So This was the power of one of Savage Skull's stronger members? Then again, this figure was but a servent, nothing more, not even anyone of importance(made up npc), whom held enough power to keep Raiza in check as he took steps forward.

"Which Pillar?" The voice questioned, as Raiza was led down a hallway after hallway. It seemed like a labyrinth at first, but what was just a couple minutes, felt like an hour. "Wh...what?" Raiza whom didn't understand the whole 'pillar' concept yet, questioned it, as he did not understand the question.

"Pillar of Annihilation a pillar lead and used to destroy anything in their wake. The brute force of the guild. Pillar of Conviction, a pillar of extreme loyalty that rivals a dog with his master. Pillar of the hidden daggers, our elite stealth force and the most secretive pillar. Lastly, the pillar of screams. Torture, pain, death, and leave massacres where they go. So now...choose which one you shall belong to. " dumbfounded by the new concept, Raiza had no clue which to join, or why. Pillar of Annihilation sounded like him, he could destroy his his explosive rounds, but then again he had loyalty, plus stealth, nothing seemed to fit him. Then there was the pillar of screams, it sounded weird...who'd want to join that?

"Uh...put me where Thorn is...its my first tie to the guild, so it'll be easier.", and with those words, he sealed his fate. The pillar of screams was chosen before he even realized it.

"Pillar of screams it is...too bad, was looking forward to new life, maybe you'll live long, maybe that undead kid will kill you, who knows..." though dragging Raiza at this point, it became pitch black as he felt the burning pain creep near him, a scorching pain began to envelop his arm as he felt a hot red blade etch into his arm the mark of the savage skull, his screams couldn't be heard from past the dungeon levels, as he had no idea till it hit him, he was already bound by a table as the blade was but a simple scalpel, slowly burning and etching his skin with slow soft strokes of pain. The entire ordeal lasted about an hour, and his arm was dripping blood from the one spot his new tattoo was made. Healed and burned as the tattoo went down to his muscle tissue. The screams of pain only caused the job to take longer, as the figure was simply preparing Raiza for a taste of what may someday happen.

"It is done, Pillar of Screams Member, Raiza Mizunaka, when you awake...you're one of us" , the voice along with any light faded, Raiza was long gone, passed out from the constant burning etching pain from such a dull blade cutting into his skin with heat. What was more was he felt the pain throughout his entire body, as if a spell was used to amplify the pain sheerly for someones sick amusement. Though one thing sure stuck with Raiza. He didn't enjoy the pain no, but he didn't cower from that moment either. When he finally awoke, dawning his black robe, he finally realized this... was home, and he set out to do his next action as part of the guild



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