(JOB) Tropical Patrol

Tropical settings were always interesting to Arthur. He always appreciated the general look of them, from the palm trees, sandy beaches, clear blue skies. All of those aspects were among the reasons he favored them, let alone the near constant connection to his god. What he didn't like, on the other hand, was absolutely sweltering heat. And since most of that heat was from humidity, it's not like he could acclimate to it from his slayer powers. That was something annoying, but nothing more than that. Arthur was sure that his body would just naturally acclimate to it if anything. It still hadn't been long since he had first came to Amber Island in the first place, so it was natural for the climate to be a bit oppressive at first.

Sweat beaded at his skin as he approached the guard post. He had learned from his last job, and quickly disregarded his pants in favor of a nice open pair of shorts.  They were a light blue, set beneath a casual white muscle-tank. Hair put back into a bun, he was as ready as he could be for the tropical air. The air felt heavy, on this island, it wasn't something he was used to but again, this would change with time. He wasn't worried about his health though, not at all, just his general comfort. Trudging along through the worn path, Arthur kicked a rock and watched it tumble down the slanted path. They were stationed right by the water's edge, along the far wall of the island. It was far enough from the main city centre to need protection from whatever lived in the jungle. He was assured that he could handle it given his nature as a mage, but the fact that they didn't tell him exactly what lived there, caused him just a tiny bit of pause.

Turning the corner of the path, the large cobble wall was pronounced against the treeline. Gulls cawed as he approached, warning their flock of his arrival. Those birds had annoyed him at first, but it was nothing more than standard fare at this point. He had gotten used to avoiding them, fearful of the excrement they liked to drop on people at random. While it had never actually happened to him before, he didn't want to experience it ever if he could avoid it. As Arthur neared the wall, the terrain beneath him blended that into a sandscape of the tropical dunes. White sand crunched under his shoes, a somewhat satisfying sound if he was being honest. What he wasn't looking forward to, though, was getting the sand out of said shoes by the time he and his yet-unknown partner finished up their patrol duty. He had been requested to do this by one of his superiors, so it's not like he would have said no even if the pay was bad, which it wasn't at all.

Resting against the wall's edge, Arthur wondered who his partner would be. Would it once again prove to be Cross? The thought was pleasing, but unlikely. Whoever it was, he hoped he'd get along well with them. The only thing that would make this job unpleasant would be if he was stuck for hours doing a patrol with somebody that didn't like him. All Arthur could do was hope that his partner was amiable, at the very least.

@Smrt

WC: 568 TWC: 568

As the morning sun came up Smrt sat in the middle of the room he was assigned. It was a nice room, smaller than the one he had before, but still a decent one. It had all that was needed, a bed. He had a need to keep it as clean as possible, as the tidiness and order it brought was something Smrt needed. The past had a nasty habit if trying to sneak back out and Smrt was afraid that it would destroy what he had just found. He did not abandon his quest for information, but was still not ready to give it his full attention.

As he was sitting on the floor he was trying something new. His legs were crossed and his hands gently placed on them. Breathing slowly, he was trying a method he had heard about, that could, in theory, help him. It was called Breathfullness, the breath that fills your focus. He had heard that this method could boost his thinking, so he could remember what had happened to him and his loved one, but at the same time clear his mind of every bad thought that the event and thinking about it could bring.
"Deep breath in... and breath out... and in... and out... Think only on your breath... nothing else... Deep breath in... and breath out... And in and out..." Smrt had been repeating the same words for two hours trying to force himself to follow them, but with very bad results. He was giving his all really trying to clear his head.
After death the desires for killing, chaos and pain had subsided. He knew that was weird, unusual, it was like he was a different person, but he did not feel different. That made him question if the one before was really him, or the one sitting on the floor.
He tried again to concentrate on his breath, but other thoughts filled his brain, and he stopped and stood up.
"Maybe I need to go to do my work, maybe that would be better breathfullness exercise."

Next job was at the beach, it was not the same one as before but it still gave him uneasy feelings. His suit was not yet done and it made him feel ill prepared. He wanted to wear a suit, to look professional, but was advices against it to not look silly.
His wardrobe was lacking, and having almost nothing not silly he opted to borrow some clothes. The borrowed cloths were all ill-fitting. The shirt was neon orange with palm trees and it barely covered his shoulders properly he was afraid of getting it ripped by moving too much. The shorts were also too small. He was not sure if the guild mates were trying to make a prank or was he really just too big for normal clothes. He never thought about it before, but he was very self-aware and now with all the huge visible scars he did not like how he looked. After dressing, he looked in a mirror. His legs and chest had almost no coverage, his arms looked like they were tacked on, his hair still had a horrific and unnatural color, like it was badly dyed. Looking at all of that combined, he remembered the dark mage Cringe he captured just a few days before. He took a deep breath closed his eyes and walked out of his rooms. While exiting the guild he got a few looks but none of the guild mates laughed, and that made him feel like this guild was better for him than Savage Skull.

The beach, his job was at, was nothing like the one where the ocean threw him, it was peaceful, no sharp rocks, not broken ships, no wild waves, just sand and a lot of happy people. In such nice conditions he was sure that the job would be easier to finish. Thinking about it all he approached the meeting place, the wall. Leaning on the wall was a man in a white shirt and blue shorts, his hair in a bun. This was Smrt's new partner and one of Dies Irae's new members. Smrt approached confidently, trying to mask his resentment for the clothes he was wearing.
"Are you from the guild? I am your partner for the job. My name is Smrt."

WC:727
TCW: 1295/5000

Arthur was practically basking in Helios' rays when he saw the tall lumbering man approach. Clad in the neon orange shirt and tight shorts, the man was definitely dressed for the occasion. His hair was nicely-dyed white and spiky, it was handsome in a messy sex-hair kind of way. If anything, the man before him was far better dressed for the occasion than him, he looked like a true surfer dude. The man, who Arthur came to learn was Smrt, approached him with confidence in his step. Now that he was closer, Arthur fought to pry his eyes away from the scars leading up into his too-short shorts. Not the reason he was here, not the reason he'd cause any issues. Arthur would have admired the man and his well-sculpted body if not for their somewhat professional setting. Arthur had to wonder, though, where the scars came from. They were wicked things, winding up his tan skin and appeared quite painful to have received in the first place. A frown was threatening to show on his face, but the paladin didn't let that happen. Not the time to be getting into deep personal backgrounds. He was looking too far into it anyway, probably just the type of scars that came from being a mage that fought in battle.

The smile he gave the man was friendly and beyond, sun glinting off his pearly whites. Ah, this was definitely the guildie he was doing a job with, this would be entertaining at the very least. "Oh yeah, I'm a new recruit for Dies Irae. Nice to meetchya Smrt, 'name's Arthur and I think we'll make great partners. I like your outfit dude, and I mean that in the best way. Wish I could be that confident in the way I look, I'm stuck with these plain boring colors." With all of that said, Arthur kicked a bit of sand  away from his foot. A gull cawed in the distance. The sun's radiance comforted his body from any of the anxiety he felt about conversing with his new partner. While Arthur was not shy in the slightest, he often found himself worried that the new people he often met wouldn't like him. More of self-doubt than anything. It was probably unfounded, but everybody had that little nagging voice that put them on edge, made them feel the need to guard themselves. Arthur stretched out his body in the sun, reaching his arms above his head to fully gather more sunlight. If he was honest with himself, last night had taken a toll on him so today's job partially intercepted and infringed upon his recovery time. He wouldn't have denied the job though, not when this needed to be done and he was here to do it. Guarding the perimeter served both as him protecting the civilians around him, to also satisfying the needs of his guild. It was like killing two birds with one stone, although he was not particularly fond of the imagery that invoked in his eye.

From what the instructions had told him, Arthur and friends would need to actively patrol the entire wall together to ensure both of their safety. The emphasis on their safety made him wonder what exactly lurked in the forest. He was quite currently worried given their general proximity to a large population of beach goers, but that certainly wouldn't be the case when the two of them reached the more desolate expanses of the border wall. He hoped whatever lived in the jungle wasn't feeling particularly hungry today. He could go without fighting if the day allowed for it. Trudging along in the sandy dirt-grass combination, Arthur expected Smrt to follow behind him, but not forcing it if the man didn't want to. He'd let the white-haired newcomer lead if he so desired, but the two of them had work to do and so he decided to start white a fresh and excited haste. It would be good cardio, regardless of if anything actually sprung up that needed either of their attentions. Arthur ran his fingers alongside the wall as they walked. The sharp contrast between the smooth stones and the sandpaper-like grout connecting them would keep his mind occupied and lower the probability of embarrassing himself in front of his new guildmate. Arthur coughed, clearing his throat before he spoke in his signature husky tone.

"Y'know, this guild isn't as bad as I thought it'd be. I'd heard rumors, right, of what they were like. Just a little formal that's all, nothing too bad in all honesty. They're good people, I think, I'm happy to have found them and made a nice little home for myself. There's also the fact that we get the luxury of staying on a tropical island for our headquarters, but that's besides the point. I could get used to this, this sort of relaxed lifestyle, god knows I need it. How about you, what do you think so far?"

From his footsteps in the sand, Arthur watched a small hermit crab dart away from where his foot had almost landed. He'd have to be more careful about that, it had just looked like an ordinary shell that he would have stepped over. If some of them had life, he'd need to be sure about not accidentally getting to close to them. The last thing he'd wanna do was cause a poor animal to suffer needlessly. It was moments like this that Arthur appreciated living on the island, when he could take things slow and focus on things like the hermit crab scurrying away, or the sound of the waves calmly lapping at water-stained sands.

"Y'know, I've heard that there are a few animals lurking about the jungles, and that we'll be more likely to encounter them the further we get from this population center. We're supposed to make sure nothing slips past the outer perimeters. What do you think could be living in the jungle foliage there." Upon saying this, Arthur cast a glanced over to the tree line in question. The foliage appeared rather safe at first, from its bright colors and whimsical sounds, but Arthur knew better. There had to be something dangerous there for his guild to have requested him so. It probably wouldn't bother them though, hopefully that is.

WC: 1057, TWC: 2352/5000 @Smrt

The hotness of the sun did not bother Smrt, it felt like a warm hug that makes everything better, and his tan skin was a vast benefit to have in such strong rays. Even so, beads of sweat rolled on his face getting into his eyes. Using his hands he wiped the sweat and then proceeded to style his hair, and drying his hands in it. Smrt was giving his all trying to look cooler than he really felt. Arthur's comments about the small shirt and shorts made him feel better about it all. His partner was a good person, and as far as first impression s go, his partner for the job made a good one. The clothes still felt odd, being too flashy for anyone to wear, and too small for as large of a person as Smrt was. Surrounded by so many half naked people made Smrt feel even less embarrassed.
"Wasn't really my choice." Smrt said like he was making an excuse, without trying to make an excuse "...but I took what I got. Better this than me being naked all day." He smirked because of his comment, and continued "You wouldn't like me when I'm naked. It would get boring quick. The colors are really outrages." he lifted a part of the shirt to show Arthur "Why would anyone  want to wear this, but as you said it does make people think you are more confident." Smrt was desperately trying to make small talk, he was not sure how to not embarrass himself even more, but words were hard to come by.

Arthur started walking along the wall, and Smrt followed. As Arthur and Smrt walked, Smrt got lost in thought. He was not sure what the task entailed, so following was the best course of action. He was trying to get to know as much of the guild mates as he could. The gap of two years he had in the world was too much for him. There were too many things that made no sense to him. Most guilds he remembered did not exist, mages were missing, even the Rune Knights returned. It was too much of a rift for Smrt to understand it all. He was once a dark mage wanting justice, but now since his return he was not sure if his justice was the real justice, or just a figment of someone's imagination. Finding out more was him primary goal, but his first priority was establishing himself as a legal mage. He was sure that it would give him an upper hand in his investigation. Going through rank of the guild and the world. He moved his tongue over his teeth and thought about Savage Skull.
Smrt looked at Arthur back and a weird thought went through his mind. "Could I win against him? Do I still I have it in me to be what I once was."
He shook his head trying to change the way he thought, and started listening to his guild mates words.

"Rumors?" Smrt asked with a raised eyebrow, him joining the guild was out of need and pure luck. "Yes the guild is good. There are many strong people. Many... interesting mages, and ways to learn the truth of the world. To find our purpose in life. Yes?"
Continuing walking Smrt felt a sharp stab in his foot. He gritted his teeth, and his composed demeanor changed quickly.
"AAAAA. Stupid animal. Move if you want to live, do not just stand. Always expecting bigger creatures to avoid and help you. You take help if people give it, but never expect it."
Under him was a broken shell of a hermit crab. Smrt was not sure how Arthur felt about it, but Smrt never understood those that always relied on mercifulness of others. He knew that the only way to reach your goal was to get stronger and beat those that oppose you. Charity never came without strings attached, and because of it he only trusted himself.

"I am not sure. I saw nothing special these days. But the guild trusts us. I think us two would be good enough to save these people from any danger that could come out of these trees." Smrt showed his muscles and pointed to Arthur's, but had given the beach-goers a look of disgust for their weakness and the need to be protected. The bright colors of the trees were a good camouflage for bigger creatures to hide, so Smrt was ready to fight if it came to it, but he thought it was no excuse for it. Being a legal mage did not completely sit right with him, but as that was the path he had chosen he was going to stand by it.
"I think, they would be still safe here. It is too civilized and modernized here for wild creatures to just jump out. The guild is doing a good job of protecting this island. But we should both be ready for it." Smrt put a hand on his chin, and stroked it. He looked his partner up and down, trying to get some clues.
"On that note, what magic do you use?"
Smrt looked at the trees, then at Arthur then back at the tree, and thought to himself.
"He does look strong."



WC: 889
TWC: 3241/5000

Arthur was pleasantly surprised at the actions of the man. Suddenly, Arthur was not sure if this mission was going to end with spread out towels or just heavy straining. From the signals the man was sending, it was looking a lot like the former. Suddenly completely fine with that outcome at the sight of the man lifting up his shirt and exposing his abs, Arthur fought the urge to blush wildly. The man was practically teasing him with sex appeal, whether intentional or not. It was also entirely possible, though, that the man was just completely oblivious as to his attractiveness and just painfully naïve. All in all, though, was that Arthur was definitely not focused on protecting the beachgoers from the animals at this point. Specifically more focused on what other kinds of monsters potentially lurked just beyond his sight. Fighting to control himself from saying the stupidest pick up lines in response was difficult. He had to control that urge though because he was on a job, a professional job with a guildmate. If anything went to wrong, it would not make a good impression with his guild. Given that he was so new, impressions really did matter in that it would be how he was judged. If he did great on this job, they'd have a positive outlook on him. If they forfeited it, not so good. With all the self-control in the world though, the paladin still found himself unable to stop the flirty joke response from leaving his lips. "How are you sure I wouldn't like you when you're naked?" Leaving his words at that, all Arthur could do otherwise is just give the half-naked man a devilish smirk. From how the man was stretching out, his lower abdomen was exposed, showing off all of the gnarly scars that Smrt had acquired over his lifetime. Definitely, in general, another sight for Arthur to stare at a little too long. Arthur could get used to these types of sights on the beach, he was starting to like the island the more he stayed on it. It was like his own little paradise.

The man spoke of the guild they both shared, its members, and what he knew of them. Arthur was familiar with his type, not specifically his physical type (although he was intimately familiar with them), the type of character who defined his self worth from how strong he could be. Arthur knew there was a power to that type of person, a power for either good or evil, or maybe even both. From experience, he knew those to be the kind of people that ran the world. He'd have to make a good impression on the guy, then, and watch his progress through the guild. Maybe they could do more tasks together, however Arthur wasn't quite sure what part of his mind desired for that possibility, and hopefully another beach mission. From his own experience working with the other mages of the guild, he knew them to be rather strong in nature. Arthur regularly went to sparring sessions in the coliseum, it was one of his favorite pass-times aside from general beach activities. "Ah yes, there are many interesting mages here who have taught me much and will continue to teach me. I agree with you though, as mages we bind together into guilds to form paths for ourselves in life. In a way, forging these paths is how we define our own purpose, as no path truly has an end." The paladin couldn't help but wince though at the sight of Smrt stepping full-force onto the crab he had purposefully avoided. With the man's words though, the paladin's opinion of Smrt shifted rather.. drastically. Instead of a beautiful brawny man, Arthur now saw him as a somewhat edgy brawny man. Not just edgy either, also maybe cruel? Maybe the guy was just annoyed at having stepped painfully onto a crab. Hopefully his partner had no shards of shell lodged into his feet. Those would definitely and absolutely hurt.

"Aww shit, did that hurt? I know that some of these beachfaring creatures can be venomous, not sure about this one though."

That brief flash of darkness though quickly disappeared as the man made another show of his physical appeal by pointing at his own flexing muscles and then back at Arthur's. He had to agree, though, as between the two of them, they could certainly take down any beast appearing from the woods. The way Smrt flexed his muscular body was definitely something Arthur could get into the habit of watching. Arthur suddenly felt very self conscious as his coworker took an exaggerated act of checking out his body from top to bottom. This was definitely leaning towards one of the aforementioned outcomes. Not that the paladin minded, of course. All that was missing was a nice bottle of wine. It was easy to answer the question about his magic, as he had done so much research on the topic.

"I practice magic that has been gifted to me by a solar god towards which I am pious. I act upon his ruleset and as a reward I am gifted with his magic, insight, and strength. I am good at healing, shielding, and protecting others. Our guild classifies me as more of a supportive mage, if that makes sense. That doesn't mean that I can't put up a good fight, though, as I am certainly capable of whooping ass. Through my tutelage, my god has also guided towards a relic which has taught me how to use and gather light from the environment and wield it as my own. It's categorized as demon slayer magic, as my god used it to cast his demonic brother down into the underworld as its ruler. Heavy stuff, I know right? Let me just show you."

In a burst of golden-blue coronal light, Arthur requipped his god's suit of armor. Alongside his armor, Arthur found himself gripping Dawn's Edge as his angel wings sprouted from his back. Twitching from their state of disuse, his wings stretched out and flapped once or twice before furling back into their shouldered state. "This should make your pain go away, and heal whatever injury you got from stepping on that crab." A golden glow grew over his left hand before he cast a small burst of golden light towards Smrt. Infused with the might of his god, it would have also made the man feel as if he was almost twice as strong. "Oh, it should also make you feel stronger, too. It does that."

@Smrt

WC: 1104 TWC: 4345/5000

Smrt could feel Arthur's looks on him, he wasn't sure if it was tease or genuine, but he was trying to ignore them. It was not because he was afraid of them or ashamed or even that he felt any kind of bad feelings towards such looks. Still, it felt weird. Smrt felt flattered, but it just made him think of Mari again, and that made him sad. The fact that he still didn't find what had happened or even where she was. Or why it all happened or even when. He was confused but let nothing of it show. His eyes darted left and right up and down, and he knew that even though he did not feel such things towards Arthur, he was certain that the man wouldn't take it the wrong way.
"I" he emphasized the word "wouldn't like me naked. It does help with spell casting sometimes I guess, but it could also be a hindrance if you are not fully confident. It is a presentation, and you need to be confident with every presentation. And I can either be confident naked or in this colorful mess. So I choose the mess." Smrt's arms moved through the air as he was explaining all of that.

The stab to the foot was painful, but what hurt Smrt more was the fact that he let his dark self out. He needed restraint, and control. He was always the first guy to go head first straight into the wall, but after love destroyed and remodeled him he felt that it was wrong. Yet now he knew of only pain as the love he once had, was not only not present, but missing and potentially dead. It pained him, but he wanted to be better. Still he misused how Arthur felt and started playing into his attraction, pointing at their muscles and talking about raw strength and power. He was trying to manipulate Arthur away from the outburst, lowering his guard by talking about magic. He knew that it was not nice, but he was afraid of being found out. Of thoughts others could have, if they knew that he was once a dark mage, an Ace of an Evil guild, a man driven by chaos and mayhem. A murderer for fun. He himself was not sure if all that was in his past or was there still something evil in him. He was hoping that the pain he knew, the confusion he felt would be a good motivation to change for the better.

Even so, Arthur's magic really did interest Smrt. Support being the main focus of the magic was not something one could see every day. The magic had structure and rules, that built upon each other, and with it made the magic firmer. The demon slaying aspect was very interesting as Smrt had never before seen it first hand, but knew of it from the lab tests. It was an aspect that made the magic more holy, and more interesting. Smrt listened and absorbed it all like a sponge, it was a contrast to Smrt's magic in many ways. As the golden-blue coronal light burst from Arthur's body, showering him and reveling a magic suit of armor, a pair of wings grew on Arthur's back and moved like wings of a freshly born eagle, slowly and strongly showing the world that they exist and are there to give support. Arthur did look majestic.

"So you are a man of God?" Smrt said, with a smile.
"I trust no God, I hold no beauty. My magic heals no wounds. It breaks and destroys. It causes only pain. It was taught in pain, it was trained in pain, it is fuelled by it also."
Smrt took some sand and looked around trying to find a stone or a shell on the ground. There were many but none big enough. Once he spotted the ones he wanted, he threw the sand up, clapped his hands and two stones teleported into the air, changing places with the grouped sand and spinning. Smrt's hand moved towards one of the stones and the moment his finger touched it, a burst of magic started to penetrate it. In a flash of a moment, the bonds that held the stone in that shape started to loosen and break apart. There was no force breaking the stone, just the bonds that once held it together disappeared. Once a hard piece of rock was now a dust cloud falling down. Arthur's heightened senses saw it all.
The other stone fell to the ground in front of Smrt's feet, and like the ground was made from water and not hard sand the rock sank deep, fast.
"I can move, I can change, I can break, but I can never fix or create, that is my fate. It sounds like a song now that I say it."

The rest of the mission was uneventful, but after showcasing their magic, Smrt felt closer to his guild mate, and was sure that that day he had made a new friend.

WC: 849
TWC: 5194/5000