I

Back At Home

The streets were busy this day. Merchants proudly boasting about their unbeatable prices on exotic goods, the bards singing and playing various tunes, and people hustling past each other to get to certain goods before other shoppers, or to try and get by the crowd in general. The harsh sun above them nothing more than a small inconvenience.

Everything was exactly the same when he had left six years ago.

He stood next to the cities main fountain that was near the center of the city, looking all about him as he recalled the streets of this area. His silver locks falling over his eyes, only to be brushed away with a slide of his fingers. Collecting the sweat that moistened his hair each time he had to brush the strands away. His emerald eyes scanning each roadway, each building within the distance as he placed more and more completed pieces to a puzzle that was this city.

This city. Averos. A bustling republic that nestled itself along the coast and near a small chain of mountains. The city was a half circle, with the south portion taking that shape and the north a jagged line that was the coast. Several docks stretched out into the sea for the many merchant ships that came in, a single large gate in the southern part of the city where people entered and left freely. Palm trees dotted the area in groups of three to seven, each accompanied by various bushes and flowers around their base. This greenery added a bit more color to the city, since most of the buildings were a grainy red color. In the center however, stood the tall palace of the proud city. It's walls pure white, the balconies a mixture of ruby red and emerald green. Seven spires rose up from the base of the palace, the dome tops nearly blending in with the sky due to their sapphire blue color. A gorgeous sight indeed to those who visited.

The young mans emerald orbs were focused on the palace, his thoughts on the leader that resided inside. He wondered how he was doing, though the answer was quite clear since the city was still here and bustling with business as usual. So the man shrugged the thoughts away, and let his gaze fall over towards the west side of the city. It was there, by the western wall, where his former home used to be.

'Used to be. Before the accident. Oh how Vance Lacette became notoriously famous that day...'

Vance remembered the details of the incident like it happened the day before. His home, his workshop where he studied engineering and created a number of odd and wonderful machines. His only problem? There wasn't a lot of buyers interested in his goods. People around the world were afraid of changes, especially to anything new, or in combat. A reasonable fear when one thought about it. Staring in the face of an enraged wyvern with a faulty weapon was something nobody wished for. The fact still remained though, so Vance kept most of his works inside his workshop and made a living repairing the machines that broke down within the city. Most of his living any ways, for the other portion came from "Monster Hunting".

A soft sigh escaped his lips, and he shifted the human sized back pack from his left shoulder to the right. With another stroke of his fingers through his silver mane, moving the locks from his face once again, Vance started his way to the western edge of the city.

~VL~

The area around the western wall was a desolate place. Mounds of rubble laid scattered across the streets, alleyways empty from what would of been the usual characters that resided there. What was left of any buildings along that block of land was now the new homes for anyone homeless, rogue, or too poor to spend some coin for a room in a tavern. In the past before the incident, this section of the city was clean, safe and the busiest part of the market. Now it was nothing more than a scar that reminded Vance, and anyone who was native to the city, the horrible events that took place within the young mans former home.

He stood in front of a pile of rubble that used to be his house. A few support masts stuck up from the rocky pile. He wondered why they didn't bother to clean this section of the city up, especially since it has been six years. Yet here it was, completely untouched. It made a good place for the various rogues and cutthroats of the city, which would make them easier to corner for the city guard. Whatever the case, he didn't care. Here he was, in a city that exiled him for the accident in front of his former home in what was now the bad part of town. He could feel several sets of eyes watching him, but no one attacked anybody in broad daylight. Even here people would be able to witness crimes. So rogues wisely did their crimes at night. Or perhaps it was because Vance himself looked like a homeless bum trying to find a place to rest. His silver mane was unkempt, almost scraggly. A wild beard on his face that desperately needed a good trim, or just to be shaved off completely. His white tunic and black pants along side with his knapsack caked with the desert sands. It was his appearance right now that got him back into the city without question.

So why did he come back?

The thought lingered with him for a few minutes, but with a shrug he pushed the thought away. Running a hand through his silver mane, he sighed and turned away from his former home, deciding that he should go to the east side of the city. His steps a bit quicker than before, since he was tired of being out in the sun. His destination? A house. To see an old friend.