A Sinful Place

[grant]

Grant approaches town, fully wrapped up in his traveling robe and owning nothing but what he can hold on his person. Seeing the lights of Wistvale, he grins a deep and dark smirk, his eyes glinting with intention that others may only guess at

"Aye, so this is Wistvale. Seem a jolly enough place, though I bet there's plenty of sinners just waiting for their deliverance..."

This thoughts giving him strength, Grant slowly walks the last little bit of distance to town. Once he reaches a main area of the town, he pulls back his hood and chuckles darkly under his breath

"Oh, there're many sinners here. Well, they've the same options that all the others did. Repent... or Die."



ooc: Looking for a GM, lol. Mainly just want an adventure to introduce Grant to town... and the law too, since he is a crazy man looking to kill sinners...

[Alec]

Two men, in a darkened alleyway, stop their conversation when one of them notices the newcomer to town and point him out to the other. "Oi!" the one to notice him first calls out. They walk over, and strike a rather menacing figure to the common man, cutting a massive, empty swath before them in the crowded town square. "What's this, then?" the taller says, looming over Grant.

"Looks like a new fish, Croup," the shorter says, just slightly taller than Grant, manic grin plastered over his face, eyes bulging grotesquely.

"That he does, Vandemar. And you know what we do to new fish, don't you?" the man apparently named Croup says, fists rising from a voluminous cloak, and knuckles cracking.

"Yeah, Croup, yeah," Vandemar says, insane laughter seeping into his woods, as he rises his own hands and grasps two knives tightly.

"We take all their money, new fish," Croup says, holding a gigantic, grubby hand out. "And if ye've got none, then we'll just take them nice sword-lookin' things you've got there."

[grant]

Grant stops when the two strangers block his path. With no emotion on his face, he looks at them, and then grins darkly

"Speak o' the devil. Here's a few sinners now. You two're trying to take my money and use violence to get your way, yes? That makes you guilty of both Wrath, Greed, and Arrogance."

He put his hands on the handles of the billhooks by his hips, and rubs them slowly

"Well then, I guess you're as good a start as any. Now choose, repentance or death. I won't mind if you pick death, it's always the fastest method anyway."

[Alec]

Croup and Vandemar look at each, opposite eyebrows arched in an unconscious show of their symbiotic partnership. "Look, mister, we don't wanna hurt you," Croup says. Then, he casts a doubtful eye over Vandemar. "Well. At any rate, I don't wanna hurt you. This is just my day job, to feed my family. So, since you've got a look about you of poverty, how about we just take your swords and be done with it?" He turns his head to one side, and puts on a surprisingly affable smile. "What do you say?"

[grant]

Chuckling, Grant points to his billhooks

"These are my tools for punishing the wicked, without them then how would sinners get their just rewards? No, I must refuse. Now, as for your sins, you claim that you only do this for your family, and that you have no true desire to do so. This does not free you from your sins, but means that not all lies on you."

He looks the men in the eyes, a look of insanity shadowing his face

"As such, I will make you an offer. Either repent for those sins you have committed, or lose a hand each, as a mark of your theft."

[Alec]

Croup's head straightens. He shakes it, and sighs heavily. "I take no pleasure in this," is all he says, before a massive right hook slams into Grant's jaw, sending him to the floor - dazed but conscious. "Vandemar?" Croup says, sadly.

"Yeah, Croup?" Vandemar says, laughing like a hyena.

"Cut him. Get the swords." Even more sadly. With that, Vandemar descends on Grant, slashing with two short knives.

[grant]

Grant falls to the ground, landing with a muted thud. Though a bit dazed, he struggles out of it, and sees the knives coming. Grabbing his bill hooks, he slashes out, catching Vandemar's knives in the curve

"Your friend may only be guilty of doing what he thought he had to to survive, but you... you take too much pleasure from this. Your punishment? Death."

Grant rolls to his feet, and swings at Vandemar with the hooks. Aiming for his neck, Grant swings them in an 'x' aiming to open Vandemar's throat and kill him quickly

[Shen]

Shen is out for a stroll when he rounds the corner of the alleyway. His glasses are parked on the tip of his nose, his head down as he reads from his book. He almost stumbles into the fray actually, then looks up with a gasp.

"Oh dear. Excuse me gentlemen."

He folds his book closed, pressing the spectacles up his nose. He looks rather meek, but concerned about the events that are unfolding.

"I do say, is everything ok? Someone may get hurt."

[Alec]

As Shen asks his final question, Grant's billyhooks cut into Vandemar's throat, after the daggers are thrown to the side. His throat is opened cleanly, and blood spurts onto Shen's glasses. As Vandemar falls to his knees, and his heart continues to pump, one jet coats an are directly next to the book in Shen's hand.

[grant]

Grant steps over Vandemar's corpse, a dark look on his face. He looks over to Shen, noting his prescense

"Be careful sir, I am giving these sinner's their just rewards."

He then looks up to Croup and stares him in the face

"Your friend has received his punishment, and now it is time for yours. As I said, it is only your hand, but I cannot be held accountable for what will happen if you resist."

[Shen]

Shen might have been shocked had he not seen many battlefield traumas in his time, but the fact that a man was just killed in cold blood did unsettle him somewhat. The blow was violent enough that it had killed the man immediately, there was little he could do.

Instead, he removed his glasses from his face and folded them quite carefully.

"I am sorry sir, but I cannot permit this violence."

He slid his glasses into his chest pocket and then lifted his bo, rolling it in his hand slowly. He took it up with his other hand as well and circled the two combatants, then put his staff between them both.

"Bloodshed is not the answer to your quarrel. I demand you stand down before anyone else gets hurt."

[grant]

Grant looks at Shen and shakes his head

"These men were thieves, attempting to rob innocents and use violence to accomplish their goals. The dead one was guilty of all of these, and since he did not wish to repent, he paid the price."

He then motions to Croup

"He on the other hand genuinely seems to regret that he must do this. As such, some of his sin weighs on those who forced him to this point. I am only going to take a hand, as punishment for the portion that do fall on him. It is quite a light price in the long run, especially compared to his friend."

He then moves to lift Shen's staff up, and swings his bill hook at Croup's wrist, attempting to take it off with a clean strike.

[Alec]

Reacting with a speed uncanny to his size, Croup slips his hand out of the billyhook's range, but not quite fast enough. The hooked edge slices into his wrist, opening his veins and jetting more blood across the floor. "Gah, shite!" he shouts, falling back in shock. "Gods man, you're insane! Look," he says, shaken and paling, clutching his wrist, applying pressure in a failing attempt to staunch the wound, "how about I take you to my boss? Hmm? How do I work with one hand, huh? I've got a family, like I've said."

[Shen]

Being simply ignored, Shen is then forced to act. His staff swings high and pushes at Grant's weapon to force some distance between them. He maneuvers to Croup's side and immediately takes a hold of his hand, pressing two fingers into a vital point below the elbow which immediately impacts his blood flow. His hand then shifts to rest over the wound and a green light glows under his palm which aids to stem the blood flow. But Shen's face was quite displeased now. He had worked hurriedly and spoke firmly.

"Keep pressure on this and run from here. I will deal with this mad man."

Shen shoves Croup gently to encourage him to get moving and turns to face Grant. His staff now rests on his right side, both hands upon it and the tip pointed toward Grant's face. This puts a significant degree of range between himself and Grant, range that his weapon alone can cross. His expression is not angry but is certainly agitated.

"You should not have done that. I am sorry, but I feel it is my duty to stop you immediately. I would ask that you put your weapons down or I will be forced to stop you with force."

[grant]

Grant laughs and shrugs, looking unworried at Shen's attempts to dissuade him

"Sir, you are attempting to aid a sinner and prevent justice from being done. I entered town, and these men showcases their greed and violent behavior. The one who enjoyed it received his punishment, and this man has now agreed to take me to his leader, which is a good step towards repentance. That combined with the partial sentence, has rendered his death or further wounding unneeded. Even you, whoever you are, must agree that this boss of thieves should be punished for his crimes, yes?"

Grant then looks at Croup and nods

"Take me to your boss, then. I'm sure he and I have much to discuss. "