Justin Rhen 1: untitled

            "I swear sir! Three Titans, all in one blow! And when their companions saw what happened, well, they just bolted and never were seen again!"

            Night fell quickly on the city of Zarazi, but in some places, darkness was fought off with bright burning torches, laughter and drinking... which were exactly the three things Justin liked the most. Well TWO things he liked the most ("I hate fire!"). A mug of ale in one hand, Justin was merrily recounting one of his most favored battle to one of the pub's patron, describing sword motions with his free hand. His audience, however, was horrified:

            "That guy's eyes changed color!"

            The bartender, who was busy washing various dishes, looked up suddenly at Justin, reaching down under the bar to pull out his trusty, yet rusty, crossbow. Justin, undaunted (or oblivious to the fact that the crossbow was aimed directly at him), continued his story, which was reaching its climax. -"You should've seen me! The last Titan's club came crashing hard but was no match for my trusty blade!" Justin reached down to pat the blade hanging at his side with a grin. The grin, however, fell short when he realized something was wrong.

            And then his eyes changed to red.

            The bartender, with a gasp of amazement, aimed his crossbow at Justin's face, motionning to the other patrons to edge away.

            -"Sir, I would kindly ask you to leave my pub... and never come back again" With frantic hand motions, he gestured two men forward... Two BIG men, with sharp weapons and all sort of assorted scars.

            "These two gentlemen, Franky and Kaver, will escort you."

            With a laugh that reverberated through the entire pub, Justin slowly got up and looked directly at the bartender, who's hands holding the rusty crossbow were shaking like a miniature earthshake

            -"And beat the living crap out of me, right? I don't think so."

            Suddenly, with a blur of motion, Justin reached down and threw the contents of his mug directly in the eyes of the bartender, who instinctively squeezed the trigger of the crossbow.

            But Justin had anticipated this. Sliding slightly to his left, Justin tilted his head to the side, feeling a rush of wind pass his cheek by as the bolt flew by... and slammed right into Franky's chest, propelling him right into another patron who was trying to scramble for cover. Another swift movement brought Justin's blade to bear, just in time to parry Kaver's mad slash.

            The two blades met with a loud *clang* that, incidently, shocked the rest of the pub into action. the bartender gestured forward angrily, yelling at the top of his lungs

            -"Get him! Get him!"

            * * * * * * * * * * *

            The situation wasn't quite what Justin had expected. Then again, it was the fourth time in three weeks that he had been "politely" asked to exit one of Zarazi's numerous pubs. Only now, the altercation had degenerated into a running fight in the city's alleys, Justin against fifteen angry and irritated patrons.

            And, just as he was contemplating the exact situation described above, his path reached an abrupt end in front of a brick wall.

            Justin, who's eyes were now a light purple, turned swiftly around, his back to the wall, blade raised into a defensive position. Fifteen men and women, all armed ("just my luck!"), stood before him, headed by a raging, frothing Kaver.

            -"Look, um, maybe we can come to a compromise?" said Justin with a weak smile. But at the exact time he spoke, his eyes changed to a vivid yellow, and by the reaction of the gathered crowd Justin knew there was no compromise in their mind.

            He was about to enter a fight for his life that he had no idea how to win.

            Then, just as he was about to charge forward bravely, something changed. Kaver was no longer looking at him in rage.

            He was looking at him in complete and absolute terror. And so was the rest of the crowd. With loud curses and such, they all took a step back, then turned tail and ran. Justin, all the while, was looking at them with a look that questioned their mental stability. He was alone against fifteen. How could he expect to survive?

            But Justin was not inclined to stay and find out. Sheating his blade, he swiftly made his way out of the alley and went to a place where he knew he could spend the night.

            He never even noticed the dark shadow which had sprung up behind him.

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