Fantasy Farewell to Kings: Temple of Hyxia

[Jodyguru]

“Possibly a black widow, the way you’re playing with that knife.” He cracked a smirk towards her.
“I don’t know what I could say to Rhietz that won’t make things worse between us. I think she’s very intelligent for her age, and very courageous. I think she just can’t stand how I speak.”

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

"She's young and emotional. Considering her personality, I just think that she's not used to your uptight ways."

 

[Jodyguru]

“Uptight, huh? That’s one way of putting it, I suppose. It’s my fault for being set in my ways. This world... it didn’t used to work this way. Men were like statues to everyone but those they held most dear. Prestige and honor was the name of the game. These days nobody cares about prestige. Folks like getting piss drunk around a campfire and mate like rabbits.” He sounded a little bitter about the ways things have degenerated.
“But, I’m the one who has a problem, not them.”

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Delilah snickered, her smile growing mischievous, "I suppose you've seen these people getting "piss drunk" and "mating like rabbits"? I wonder what that did to an innocent soul like you."

 

[Jodyguru]

He shrugged, not seeing her grin. “I don’t know. Made me more reclusive maybe. The fun always stopped when a dhampir made way into a scene. The drunks would get violent with me and the women fled. I haven’t thought of those days since Amelia passed away.”

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Delilah frowned. "People are scared of what they don't know and with a world, as twisted as this, I want to get "piss drunk" and indulge myself in whatever pleasure I can get. None of the men here are appealing enough to mate," she snorted, " I feel sorry for the women. The only men they have are cowards and sick drunks who only care about themselves." Her eyes had become misty as she leaned back, her elbows hitting the rough bark of the log, "I'm sick aren't I."

 

[Jodyguru]

He shrugged. “If you are, you aren’t alone.” He looked over towards her. He had red cheeks, and his eyes were softer, not as piercing as they usually were. They were like a pair of roses.
“I don’t feel like a coward, so that makes me a sick drunk, then.”

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Delilah snorted, "You. Lautrec being a sick drunk? Please, someone as uptight as you could never get that bad."

 

[Jodyguru]

He slid up onto the log and pounded back the rest of the whiskey.
“It’s a changing world, Miss Deliah” he slurred and chuckled. “I can change with it or I can rot away. I’m not ready to rot just yet.”

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

"Hey, I think you've had enough of that old man," Delilah sat up, reaching for the flask, "-wouldn't want you on a hangover. We still have things to do."

 

[Jodyguru]

“It’s not like I sleep much anyway. To hell with it.” He mumbled. “We’re just gonna ride horses all day. My mare knows how to follow.” He leaned against the tree and stared out through the woods.
“I- I got a create water spell. I wish I knew how to create more whiskey.”

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

"You drank all my whiskey?! What the hell? It's a dwarven kind that's hard to get," she yanked the flask from his hand, shaking it. "If this is what happens whenever someone gives you whiskey, I don't think I'm sharing again." Delilah stood up quickly, dipping her mug into a bucket of water. Walking over to Lautrec, she poured the contents over his head.

 

[Jodyguru]

He didn’t move, he just let out a sigh of relief, like it was just what he needed. He unbuttoned his shirt and slid into an upright laying position.

“I’ll, I’ll pay you back. I promise. I’ll get you the best stuff in Paladina. How about some Ol McCrocker?”
The brand of whiskey he mentioned was something of an antique. One would only find a bottle in a collector’s possession.

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Delilah grabbed his face in her hands, "Lautrec. Alcohol isn't going to solve the problem, believe me. You're not a bad guy, at least not one of these idiots. Don't ruin yourself. Think about Amelia, would she want this for you? Trying to numb your pain by drinking till dawn and vomiting the contents of your stomach the next day?"

 

[Jodyguru]

He was halfway gone by this point. “Amelia... she loved red wine. I used to ride with her up into the mountains every spring to collect these special berries. Only enough for one bottle, but it was always good on our anniversary. Amelia...” he drifted off to sleep.

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

"By the gods..." Delilah ran a hand over her face, standing over the now unconscious Lautrec, "-you idiot. Leave it to you to get all friendly with me, drunk, and then collapse." "Need help?" a voice called out. Delilah turned to find Enius leaning on a nearby tree. "You saw everything, didn't you," Delilah deadpanned, hands going to her hips. Enius let out a breath of air, akin to that of a snort. "Let's get 'im to bed."

 

[Jodyguru]

His head was swimming in the cool darkness. No nightmares came. He managed to sleep for once.

His head lifted off the pillow with some quickness. He had blacked out, not knowing where he was, and now awake. He climbed out of his tent and looked around. The party was getting ready to set out for the day. He saw Delilah and Rhietz talking.

“Gods, I am pathetic aren’t I” echoed in his memory from the night of drinking and crying. He swallowed hard and got his things together. His elven pale was dozing off in a grassy patch nearby.

“Morning” he said to Rhietz and Delilah.He wasn’t sure what their reaction would be. He hardly remembered how he got here.

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Rheitz glared at Lautrec, turning quickly to Delilah, "So how are you today?" She tightened the strap on the saddle of her donkey, ignoring Lautrec. Enius nodded to Lautrec and Tobias averted his eyes, opening a book in his hands quickly. Winston glared at him, his mouth curling into a frown. "Glad to see the whiskey didn't kill your stomach," Delilah grinned, adjusting her sword on her hip.

 

[Jodyguru]

Lautrec let out a small chuckle of embarrassment. “Yeah, sorry about that. I really didn’t mean to get drunk last night.”
He hated the glare that Rhietz was giving him.
“I don’t want this hanging over us anymore Rhietz. Can you please yell at me some more? Hit me if you must. I really am sorry for being a jackass to you.”

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Rheitz opened her mouth to say something, but Delilah nudged her arm. Sighing, Rheitz shuffled towards Lautrec. "I'm sorry Lautrec. I didn't understand what you've been through and was only thinking about myself. I wish you had just talked to me, but you don't deserve for me to be angry at you."

 

[Jodyguru]

He shook his head. “I was wrong. I lied to your face, and abandoned you during our quest. Not only that, but I’ve been a real miserable bastard to you since we met. I’ll try not being that way from now on.” He extended his hand so they could shake on their words, burying the hatchet.
“So... how much did I spill last night?” He looked towards Delilah in hopes she didn’t remember much of it either.

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Delilah smirked, "You really want to talk about that here ?"

 

[Jodyguru]

His posture slumped. “So it was really bad then, alright.” He said, and staggered off to wake up his horse and get some water in his body.

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Delilah frowned, fighting the urge to reach out for him. "U-um there's someone coming down the road," Tobias tittered, looking up from his book. "Ah the Red Queen, who thought we would find the bitch here?" a smooth voice called out. It belonged to a tall, pale man, with long black hair. Long elven ears branched from his head and he was clad in armor. With him was another elf, a shifty looking man and a dwarf that looked like he had eaten a lemon. "Trying to get our bounty, are we?"

 

[Jodyguru]

Hearing the commotion, Lautrec turned himself invisible and leaped into the trees so he could watch with intrigue as the scene unfolded, waiting ready to strike.