Baneblade's Armory

“When I was a boy, my father would train me in swordplay. He would always tell me that if I were to be part of the royal guard, I would need superior skills with a weapon.” He grinned as he mused at the memories. “I made sure I was the best. None of my peers could best me in combat. And when I earned my guard regalia, my father did not hold back his pride.” A heavy sigh escaped Elderoth’s lips. “... That was the last time I saw him before the Scourge. I’m grateful, at least, knowing that my father died with pride in his son.”

Elderoth laid upon his back, propped against a jagged rock that was being coated more and more with his oozing blood. He held his arm across his abdomen, futilely trying to prevent the gaping wound from seeping out any further than it already had. His warglaives were too far out of reach, and there wasn’t much left standing between him and this damned Nathrezim standing across from him.“Honestly, with your reputation I expected more of a challenge.” The demon gloated, his heavy hooves sounding through the air as he slowly, tauntingly moved closer to hover over him. “I feel disappointed.”Elderoth coughed, spatters of blood coating his bottom lip and chin. “Yeah, me too. I swear this normally doesn’t happen...” He couldn’t help but grin up at the Dreadlord, his pointed teeth stained red.“Even on death’s door you still find the time to be smart with me.” The demon raised his hand chest level, and shadows began to gather within his palm. “You’re not even worth remembering.”The half-elf groaned as he feebly tried one final time to move from what was quickly becoming his tombstone, but the lack of energy and the abundance of blood pooling around him made it near impossible to move without slipping. Defeated, the back of his head tapped against the rock as he let out one last weak chuckle. “And here I thought... I was charming...”The sound of a portal opening from several yards away caught both of their attention. It wasn’t just any portal, however; Elderoth recognized who the magic belonged to. “Oh shit...” He muttered under his breath. As Eldya Blackwell emerged, all he could think was: I’m never going to hear the end of this.@eldya

@eldya

“You ever hear the way this guy talks?” Elderoth began. “He speaks like his sentences were art itself. We get it, you’re fluent with dictionaries and thesaruses. You don’t need to emphasise the length of your prose-like statements in order to highlight your intellect.”The demon hunter folded his arms across his chest. “See. I can do it, too. He thinks he's smoother than a satin sheet on a bald kobold.”

A ‘hmph’ followed as Elderoth rested his hands upon his hips. “You know, I knew she was loud. But I didn’t realize there were neighbors that could hear.” He gave a toothy grin to the anonymous asker, craning his head slightly to the side. “How exactly did you know about this tower, anyways? I was under the impression it was a pretty well-kept secret...”

“Today, Eldya and I ventured forth to find another one of those relics she’s so fond of hunting. I understand her pursuit of power—probably more than most would—but she still refuses to tell me why.”Elderoth took the quill, dipped it in the small bottle of ink, and resumed writing.“If she doesn’t trust me, her actions say otherwise. Perhaps it’s shame or embarassment? I know if I felt that way towards something about myself, I would try to keep it under wraps as well.”A knowing smile tugged at his lips as he inked his writing tool once again.“Then again, the best part of a mystery is solving it. It would be boring if she just one day told me at random; there’s no fun in that. Although the parts that are fun...” A soft laugh followed at the thought, and the demon hunter prepared his quill one last time.“I’ll have to tell her that she’s cute when she’s angry, next time she’s angry.”

“Oh those are easy.” The demon hunter cackled loudly, throwing his head back in an over-exaggerated gesture. “Biggest long term goal is simple: I have two people I am hunting. One for necessity, and one for personal reasons. You don’t need to know more than that. Afterwards, however... I haven’t gotten that far. We’ll see when I get there.”A crooked grin followed. “Smallest long term goal? Keep grating on Eldya. Someone’s gotta keep that woman on her toes.”

“My favorite thing to talk about?” Elderoth grinned as he briefly mulled over the not-so-many options he had for discussion. “Besides the obvious of mauling demons? I might have to say blacksmithing. Using my bare hands in combat is always satisfying, but there’s nothing like a sharp blade to cut through the legions of enemies out there.”

The demon hunter didn’t really notice the questionnaire, as he seemed more interested in the bathtub he was currently soaking in. The steamy water was up to his midsection, and his arms were draped over the edge of the tub as he leaned his head back with a relaxed sigh.Hot baths were one of his favorite things, after all.

Elderoth folded his arms across his broad chest, a toothy grin etched across his lips. “Bad habits? None.” He conviniently chose not to mention how he enjoys gloating, especially in the heat of battle.“But something I’m ashamed of?” A grunt followed. “Well... A long while ago, my brother was seeking information that ultimately led to his death...” He shifted uncomfortably, very obviously unhappy with how this was going.“... I was the one who gave him that information.”