Choosing to say out of the Alliance, the Cinders are isolated in their own conflicts, and when Helia Cinder reaches to the void for answers, she inadvertently draws a creature out. Expecting to be eaten alive, she is instead left with a man with no...
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"Choose a weapon," the gangly human who entered the waiting quarters said.
Rodney gnashed his teeth, and the man jumped back to a waterfall of laughter. The vampires at the man's side straightened up with growls as if they could defend him. If Echo Silver ever earnestly marked the man for death, there would be no escaping it. One way or another, he'd end him, even if it was in the skin of his lower, plunging a knife into his back in his own bed.
"There are usually not weapons in these skirmishes. Too risky for us investments," Rodney said, sitting up and running his eyes down the weapon rack on wheels. They were of fine craft, but human made as opposed to mage forged. They could still render deathly blows if lined with the wielder's magic, but their make mattered in that they might break while doing so.
"Special day, dog." The man's hoarse voice was more canine than Rodney's, but Stone stayed silent on the bench behind where Rodney now stood.
"Are you skilled with any weapons, Stone?" Rodney asked back, and Stone scooted to the front of his bench to look over them. They were all certainly shiny, but his memories gave him no hint of what he could wield effectively. Not that he needed a weapon to best society's weaker breed of vampires.
"Bottom left," Ghost said in his mind.
Stone dropped his focus to two short blades. The extended no longer than his forearm in length, with a small hilt and curled metal guards climbing to the middle of the blade on both sides. It was a close combat weapon meant for shallow strikes and grabbing other blades with the guards to twist and disarm opponents.
"They're a little longer than our normal blades, but your muscle memory will work best with them. Your mind may not remember, but the body never forgets."
"These will suffice," Stone said, lifting them from the rack and judging the blade tip with a finger. It was pointy but not as sharp as some flatter blades.
"I will take full length blades, please." The vampire flanking the human handed Rodney a pair of swords, and Rodney readied them at his side with a smirk that had the human retreating as quickly as possible. "Do you wish to test my blades?" Rodney asked when he hesitated to leave, and the man spit on the ground before exiting with the vampires in tow. The door beeped to lock them in, and Rodney dropped back onto the bench before narrowing his eyes on Stone.
"Short-ranged weapons are not ideal in a melee, Stone. A mace or glaive may have served you better." Rodney sat at his side, judging the pair of blades he'd chosen.
"These are best," Stone said, liking the feel of them in his hands.
"Grab the holsters from the wall," Ghost instructed and Stone hopped up to find various sheaths and brown, leather straps. "The ones in the middle." Stone pulled down some sort of harness but needed no further instruction as he secured them around his arms and back. The thin opening held one blade firmly in place between his shoulder blades and he slipped the other in a strap for his thigh.
