Exxor & Aero =:The Days of Yore:=

'One of these days, I'm going to have you carry me around instead of this ridiculous arrangement that we have now.'

"Oh quit belly aching. You need the exercise."

'Me? You're the one that never walks anywhere.'

Taeo rolled her eyes, pushing her fingers into the thick fur of her furry companion, Solexa, and massaged the tense muscles of her neck. The dragon dog only looked over her shoulder to give the Quarterling girl on it's back a baleful glare, then huffed and continued walking. "Look, we're almost in town. Then you can go chase down a deer or something." She said with a smile, patting the side of the humongous dog she was riding. The creature was a stable of her homeland, the massive dogs having been bred for their intelligence, agility and the tenacity to face down a dragon. Solexa was of a height where she could almost look a horse in the eye if she stretched her neck a bit. Her fur was a light brown grey color, thick around the ruff but shorter after the shoulder. Her paws and ears were similar shades of dark reddish brown, though all of her undersides were nearly white in color, including her jaw an muzzle. A curiously crimson stripe stood out against the desaturated fur, running the length of her body from the tip of her tail all the way to her nose.

For the part of her rider, Taeo was a Nighie, and as per typical of her race, she had long dark brown hair that was kept back with a tightly tied strip of cloth and had a darker mocha tint to her skin. Like an elf of the fair skinned races she also had long ears, but they were slightly curved down at the ends. Her eyes were a vivid dark blue color that was so saturated as to appear violet in the right sort of light. Taeo's garb consisted of mostly earthy tones, a dark green waistcoat that had been altered to allow room for fighting and to also fit a woman with a light brown undershirt to cover anything that the waistcoat missed. She wore pants that were meant for riding, tucked into soft brown leather boots that had seen many days of travel and had plenty of dirt on them that was from far-off and extraordinary places.

When the two could see the town, Solexa stopped walking and allowed Taeo to slide off her shoulders, taking with her a backpack that clanked slightly and also removed a long pole weapon, the dangerous metal bit wrapped in cloth and slung that over her narrow shoulders. "Keep in touch." She said, scratching the big dog behind the ears.

'Don't I always?' Solexa shot back with a doggy-grin then padded silently off into the woods to hunt for something to eat, leaving Taeo to walk the rest of the way into town.

"Remember." Exxor's blacksmithing trainer began with him. "Don't bang the hot metal too hard, but don't be too soft either."

"I'll remember, master Balner." Exxor replied. "I can't wait until I get this claymore finished, though."

Exxor was making himself a weapon that he could at least use to defend himself, if he needed to. He always preferred to use a two-handed weapon over everything else, rather than just swing with a small sword. Exxor wasn't really of the country they were in, being from across the ocean. He had to leave from where he once was, because it was his grandparents' dying wishes. He was wolfen. He stood tall and stout like any normal wolf would, yet he stood upright, and looked almost like an ordinary human. Only differences were that he had fur. His fur was mainly gray with a shade of blue. His undertail, belly, and muzzle were as white as pure snow. His face was a cross between a wolf, and fox. His eyes were a sapphire blue, and his hair was of a dark blond, almost brunette. It was about another hour since the metal cooled, and the claymore blade was now finished. "Finally." Exxor said. "I'll get to work on the hilt and handle tomorrow."

"Good man." Balner replied. "Taking the time to rest always assure that the job is done right. I'll see you tomorrow."

Exxor nodded to him. "Thank you, master Balner." He waved goodbye to him, and walked out of the shop, heading on home. He smelled a little like warm steel, being that he was working with it the entire day. He couldn't wait to get home, being that he could finally rest after a few days of work.

Tarz wasn't the biggest town that she had ever been in, but that didn't mean that Taeo didn't see the beauty of the place. She rather liked nature a lot, and the small village tucked between the rolling hills of the Tarz River valley and the forest certainly had plenty of it. However, where civilization was, there was also to be a disruption of that civilization naturally, which is why she had ventured to the far Eastern town. Though the pace hadn't specifically seemed in need of a guardian, it was always worth a try to come to these back woodsy places. If there wasn't a band of bandits to dispatch, then all that meant was that there was a vacation to be had.

There was a song on her lips, a wordless little ditty often sung by her people back home as she wandered through the town, looking for the smoke that would indicate a blacksmith. Though this particular town seemed peaceful enough, the road hadn't been in the same cheery state and there were a few nicks in her halberd that needed pounding out before she wanted to take it out again to use on more of the lawless folk on her way back to the Western side of the island. For the most part, the people she passed were unremarkable in nature, but one in particular caught her eye. A wolf man? Now that certainly was strange. She took care not to stare too hard, but when she got closer to nearly passing the man she could detect the faint whiff of a smithy on his fur. Oh, well then, if she had an opportunity to talk to the stranger, then who was she to pass it up?

"Excuse me." She called suddenly turning around to catch the wolf-man's attention. "I'm sorry, but do you know where I can find a sword smith? Or a blacksmith, either way."

She was able to catch Exxor's attention, and he turned in her direction, acknowledging her with a wave. "A blacksmith?" he asked. He then nodded, and pointed to a concrete stone house, with smoke coming out of the smoke stack. "If you're looking for a sword, you can ask him to make one for you. I just made one for myself." He had never seen a woman look like her before. So as such, he was naturally curious. "You look like you're not from around here." he said to her. "You don't mind if I asked where you came from, do you?" He knew she probably wouldn't answer, being that it was more than likely her business about where she came from.

She couldn't help but to smile a little at the wolf-man's assumption that she wanted a sword, completely happy with her halberd and aside from that, having no clue how to wield one in any case. It was common place for someone odd looking as herself to be asked what her business was about, and so when asked she didn't even blink, performing her version of an overly-elaborate introduction, making a small show of sweeping off an imaginary hat and bowing deeply in an actor's bow. "Taeo Artaeor at your service, bounty hunter extrodinair!" She popped up, striking a pose with one hand on her hip and the other with her fingers hovering over her collarbone in a very thespian fashion. "If there are evil-doers afoot that are in dire need of removal, look no further, for thy savior has come to call! Although-" And here she winked, dropping the level of her voice slightly and raising her hand to the side of her mouth as if to convey a great secret. "I think that I already took care of most of 'em on the way over here." Dropping the facade, she held out her hand in greeting, a fain light of amusement in her eyes. "Nice to meet you."

He nodded, then laughed as she struck her pose. Though he didn't disbelieve her, being a bounty huntress. And her explaining that she did away with evil-doers, it was pretty much the same thing he would do. Though he was a paladin, not a bounty hunter. He shook her hand though, being the gentleman that he was. "The blacksmith can make polearms and halberds, if you're wondering." he said. "If you'd like, I can bring you to him. I was just on my way home to rest, but I'm more than happy to lead you to the smith." He nodded to this, letting her know that he was happily going out of his way to aid her.

"Hah, getting a new one isn't what I'm looking for." Taeo grinned and jerked her thumb in the direction of the weapon hanging over her shoulder. "In the market for some light repairs, though. Please, show the way. I haven't been to this side of the Island yet, and don't know the lay of the village." She smiled and gestured toward the street, waiting a beat for him to take the lead and show her the way. "Thank you for offering to help a stranger such as myself. You've no idea what a relief it is to not have to scour the streets for a whiff of a smithy. But I didn't catch your name. What do I call you by?" There were of course other things that she would have liked to ask the wolf man, but those could all come in time. She had a couple of days in the village, and if this guy was something of a local she would have time to ask him about his origins.

Exxor nodded, and led her onward. Though when she asked him his name, he smiled, and nodded again. "My name is Exxor. Exxor Danketsu." he said to her. "And you're welcome. I always go out of my way to help others when they need it." He continued to walk, and then noticed that Taeo was rather fit. This brought him to ask a question. "I wonder, do you travel at all?" he asked her. "I don't mind if you do. I think its very good that you travel." He smiled at this. He liked traveling as well, though he would be there for a few more days. He was still learning under the blacksmith.

"Exxor… I'll try and remember that. I'm terrible with names." And it was true too. Her bother would often comment on her inability to remember much more than what she had for breakfast that morning. His oddly posed question and reassurance had her looking up at the taller wolf-man with some surprise, unsure what to make of his speech mannerisms. "I do travel, a lot, actually. It's sort of a job requirement. When you start clearing out bands of brogans, they wise up and go other places. Good for whoever you're protecting, but bad for business, unfortunately. Solexa and I move around when the occasion calls for it. But what about you? It's been a long time since I've seen someone as, well, furry, as yourself, and the last one was a little nuts. You're not from around here either." It was posed as a statement, but was also a question. She didn't mind sharing her own history, it was a little predictable given her profession, but some people found that sort of thing exciting to listen to. However, she knew her own history. It was the tales of other people that she was more interested in.

Exxor chuckled at this, and nodded. When she asked that, he shook his head. "No I'm not." he told her. "Where I come from... I don't want to go back there. I'll just leave it at that." He didn't exactly trust her enough yet with where he originally came from. "I really like this place, but I'm missing that adventuring deal. And what you do, is something that I could also fit along the lines in. You... don't mind if I travel with you for a little while, do you?" he asked. "Your bounty hunting falls along the lines of getting rid of those who are evil, or do crime. I've been wanting to do the same thing. Though I can't really go anywhere until after I finish making my claymore."

Her smiled faded a little bit when he declared that he wouldn't be wanting to go back to wherever it was that he came from. That was the beginning of a sad story if ever she heard one. She decided not to press the matter, focusing on answering his next question instead, a little surprised. "I don't think that it's me that you'll have to ask if you can tag along." She smiled and tapped the side of her nose, her eyes wandering unconsciously to the forest beyond where she knew that Solexa was hunting. People usually freaked out when a dog as large as she was came into town, so she stayed out of sight for the most part unless there was good reason to accompany her in. "But I wouldn't mind if you tagged along. An extra pair of hands is always welcome when you're finding the latest knothole of baddies. But… are you an apprentice blacksmith, then?" That part was curious to her, she'd never heard of someone making their own weapons unless they were employed. "Shouldn't you stay here? Unless you're a journeyman already…"

Exxor nodded to what she said. "By tomorrow, when I finish the claymore, I'll be a journeyman blacksmith." he said. "Will you be able to stick around long enough for me to finish my claymore, and ask whomever if I may tag along with you?" he asked her. "I would be in need of a weapon, if I'm to help bring down some baddies." He smiled at this. How he would be traveling with them, would be a sort of knight-errant, rather than a bounty hunter. Though he knew he would at least need some armor as well.

"A blacksmith and a warrior? Most impressive." Of course Taeo was no novice when it came to minor repairs to her own weapon, but unfortunately the damage done to it this time was beyond a little use of a whetstone, which was why she was here instead. She shifted her pack on her shoulders a little, causing to clank a little. "Of course I can wait a half a day. I'm sort of on vacation right now, so I'm here until my halberd is repaired. And I'm afraid that you'll have to meet Solexa before she'll let you come along. She's got a nose for this sort of thing, being a dog and all. She's told me on more than one occasion that the dangerous ones always smell different than friendly people do." But speaking of her halberd… "Where is this smithy, anyway…?"

Exxor nodded. He knew that he would have to gain the trust of another person, or being, that she was traveling with. When she spoke of the smith, Exxor nodded, and pointed to the house with a smokestack, as it was working still. "The smith is there." he said. "He'll fix that halberd of your's in almost no time. Though I think its getting close to quitting time. But there is a tavern nearby, that you can stay in for the night. I've my own home to go to here." He was fortunate enough to get a home in Tarz. It was rather quaint as well, being that it just fit for only two people.

"Ah, then it seems that your time to escort me around has ended." She looked up to the smoke billowing out of the house, a small smile curving her lips softly. "I'll just leave it with him for the night. But thank you again for showing me the way. You were a real help." She shifted her weapon off of her shoulder, holding it in her hands instead. "Should I just come find you here tomorrow?" If he were in the process of making a sword then she figured that this would be the case, but it was always polite to ask. Aside from that, she wanted to do a bit of exploring of the village, see if she could pick up any leads for a possible job opportunity.

Exxor nodded. "I'll be there tomorrow." he said. "It'll be my last day. And the smith will be working on your halberd as I work on my sword." When she told him thank you, it made him smile wide, and proud. "You're most welcome." He bode her farewell for now, and proceeded home. He would spend a bit of the evening getting things ready for travel, confident that he might be able to travel this time. He wondered what would be out there, besides himself and the town he was in. Aside from her possibly finding a job opportunity, it was always best to be at the tavern for those times. Exxor finally headed off to bed that night, awaiting the next day to arrive.

She simply waved when the wolf-man excused himself, turning toward the blacksmith's and dropped off her halberd and the money to get it repaired, then left to go explore the city some more. She turned in a little before dusk, Solexa touching her mind briefly to make sure that the girl was still well before finding somewhere to sleep for the night. Taeo checked herself into the town's inn and after some dinner got out of all of her gear, cleaned out her armor from that last bandit attack, and got to bed.

The morning was crisp and clear, the small town coming alive as the sun peeked over the horizon. Reluctantly Taeo got herself up with a stretch and a long sigh, packing her stuff up and getting dressed. She had some time to explore the town some more before she had to go pick up her weapon from the smith, so took her time indulging in some breakfast. It would be a while before she found herself in town again most likely, so she enjoyed the warm food while she could. Solexa touched minds with her again and after determining that yes, the girl was still safe, cut the connection. Most likely of to find breakfast of her own, Taeo mused.

Town life was underway in full when she finally left the inn and participated in some town rumor snooping. It was as much habit as it was necessary, ferreting out rumors of troubles on the road was her profession. More-so if it had anything to do with magic-types of course, but flushing out a den of bandits served as an equally fulfilling job, if usually a little less dire. She talked with the stable boys, who directed her to the carpenter, who had his farmer friend come and complain to her for a while before she finally got something in the way of a possible job opportunity. Feeling like her morning had been successful, she walked back to the smith's to pick up her weapon, expecting to see the wolf-man Exxor there as he had promised.

Exxor was there, as promised. The complaint was of a gang of thieves attacking people on the road into the town. They didn't kill to loot, but they mugged them until they gave up their valuables. Though it was the only trouble with the town for the moment, and more than likely wouldn't be the last either. The smith had her halberd finished, and when Exxor arrived, he was beginning to finish up putting the hilt on his claymore. He looked over to see Taeo, and he smiled wide. "Morning!" he said. "This is the blacksmith, Balner. He's the one who fixed your halberd." Balner nodded, and handed over the halberd. "Its in mint condition once again. Its a good thing that you brought in the halberd now, because it you were to use it any further than yesterdady, it would have been irrepairable." Exxor nodded, and when they were done talking, he began to talk to her. "I'm almost finished with this claymore here. I tested the weight of it, and its fitting me perfectly."

Taeo entered the smithy, inhaling the scent of heated metal and sweat as she did so, her eyes finding Exxor easily enough by the fire, banging away at something. She took her halberd gratefully, inspecting the metal work with a critical eye. "Mmm, I figured as much…" She replied absently, testing the sharpness of the blade on one of her fingernails, then smiled and simply held the weapon at her side for the time being. "Thank you for your services, Balner." She said with a nod of her head and a smile, then looked over at Exxor to see what the wolf-man was up to. "That's good to hear." She replied simply with a nod, shifting her grip on her halberd. "I want to test the balance on this thing before I take it out on the battlefield. I think that I might have a quick job here before I head back inland. Will you be coming?"

Exxor nodded, just beginning to finish up the hilt of the claymore, welding them together. It didn't take long for it to cool off however, it being made of a mix of a special iron, and steel. The smith gave a thankful bow. "I figured to resharpen it, as it was used for a while." he said. "It should last you a few years until you have to resparpen it again." Exxor listened to her about the coming job as he put the gear of the scabbard on him, the sheath going across his back. He took the claymore and put it inside, finally armed with a weapon. He nodded. "Sure thing." he said, smiling. "I think I could scare someone just by holding a big blade. Well... not too big." He laughed a bit, being that the whole claymore weighed in only six pounds in its entirety.

Taeo chuckled at the prediction that her blade would last for a few years, severely doubting that such would be the case. With as much use as she put on her halberd, she'd be lucky to keep a sharp edge for a few months. "Well, if scaring them off just by flashing your weapon doesn't work, then I hope that you can use that thing." Considering that he had just made it, she had a feeling that it might take Exxor a little bit to get used to the blade. Well, if he planned on following her down to where the bandits were camped out, then she hoped that he was a quick adapter. "Thanks again for the repair." She nodded respectfully at Balder, then after flashing a brief smile at Exxor ducked out of the smithy door with halberd on hand, eager to see what the repairs had done to the balance of her halberd.

Once outside Taeo held out the halberd with one hand, pausing for a moment before choking up on her grip so that she could get both hands on the shaft of the weapon. She swung it experimentally in a horizontal and diagonal slash followed by a forward thrust then whipped the weapon around, ending with it tucked against the right side of her body under her arm. Nodding, she leaned the weapon against her shoulder. "It's good work."

"Oh I can." Exxor said with a smile. "I always used a wooden two-hander when I was a kid, and I learned how to hold and swing one on my own. Though I wouldn't mind learning more about two-handed swordplay." Exxor always had his mind open to new things, and if anyone knew better about it than he, he was always happy to learn, that is if the other person would be happy enough to teach it. Exxor looked to Taeo as she swung down the halberd. "The smith has made weapons that last for years before needing repair." he said. "Your halberd might last for a year. Maybe a year and a half, before it needs repair again. But then again... it depends on how much you use it." Exxor chuckled a bit. "And judging by you ridding of bandits, it would probably shorten the lifespan."

Silently, Taeo hoped that Exxor had gotten at least some training against other people during the time that he had been teaching himself. Otherwise, she had a feeling that she'd be pulling most of the weight for a little bit. Well, if he traveled around with her for long enough, maybe she could spar with him a bit to help him get a feel for a more dynamic battle. "Well, I don't know much in the way of teaching swordplay." Taeo replied a bit absently, moving her halberd into the rigging over her shoulder where she normally kept the weapon while traveling. "I only know what it's like to fight against them." She smiled at the reassertion that under the smith's care her blade should last for a while, but severely doubted it. "I'm hard on weapons, unfortunately, so I always seem to end up needing repairs every few months or so." It was a bit of a hazard of the trade, but so far one that she'd been able to afford with her earnings. "So, I plan on checking out those marauders around town. Do you need anything else around here, and are you coming with me?"

Exxor had learned to fight partially from his father, before he died. But mostly from his blacksmithing teacher. Since Balner figured that Exxor was to be making his own weapon, why not train him how to use it, as he was making it? Exxor soon caught up with Taeo, listening to her ask about if he was capable of fighting. He gave a big nod. "My smithing trainer taught me how to wield my new claymore, for most of the part." he said. "It weighs roughly seven pounds, but I'm able to swing this almost as fast as a one-handed blade." He knew how to use it, though he wouldn't be able to swing it as fast as a normal long sword, but it was something. "Yup, I'm able to come with." he said with a smile. "I've got most of what I need. I have food and water, but not any potions."

She wanted to laugh. Taught how to fight from a blacksmith? Her eyes traveled to the building behind him, grinning to herself as she tried to imagine the hammer-welding man going to battle. It wasn't a pretty sight. It was impressive that Exxor could swing the blade one handed though, at least that was something to his mark, she supposed. "Potions are for those with excesses of money that don't know how to dodge a blade." Taeo replied with a smile and chuckle, she turned and gestured toward the edge of town. "Shall we then? There's marauders to be ferreted out of the woodwork and an bounty to claim. The morning is young, but it's getting older." Nodding gently, she stared walking, trusting that the wolf-man would easily catch up with her.