RP:A Regular Member

Summary: Elioyahazer rejoins the Adventure's Guild.

Adventurer's Guild Museum

Elioyahazer finds himself returning to familiar grounds after a very long absence. The adventurers guild was sure to be the same as it once was, full of people excited over exploring tombs or reaserching some ancient artifact. In truth these halls bring back a rather odd mix of memories. His mutated eyes shift from one treasure to another, confirming his thoughts over past deeds. However, he is curious about who the leader might be. He had heard of a few changes, but put no thought into it until now. Right now in fact. Elioyahazer comes to a halt within the museum, dressed quite different than normal. A simple set black clothing and and a cloak wrapped about his frame. When a random member is interrupted by him. "Do you know where I might find the guild leader?"

Before the random member that Elioyahazer attempts to question even has a chance to answer, he'll hear a voice coming from behind him. "That depends on who is asking and why. If your answer is good enough, I might just be her. If not, well then I guess she is out and maybe you should just check back in at a later time." There is a faint hint of a smirk, as at the very least Meri is amused with herself. Little has changed about Meri since the last and perhaps only time the woman saw Elioyahazer. Her style of dress was still the same, black boots, black pants, etc. And her demeanor? Well the lycan has never been of a bubbly personality. That smirk is not something that lingers on her expression, there was something familiar about this cloaked individual standing before her. Unfortunately, Meri did not encounter Eliohayazer enough prior to his disappearance for the werewolf to really be able to retain any in depth identifying details. It is not going to take the blonde long to puzzle the pieces together though.

For what it's worth, Elioyahazer merely blinks as Meri responds to his questions instead of the random member who had been asked. The desert born lifts a calloused hand and pulls down the hood of his cloak, revealing cinnamon skin, though much of its original luster has changed since being sired - he has grown pale. A quick flick of his eyes and then Meri is center of his attention. “I was part of the group till a few months ago.” Eli can't place where knows this person from but such thoughts are wiped away. “Names Eli, though I believe I introduced myself once here as the sandman. Was Lanaras second until…. Well life got in the way.” Elioyahazer didn't want to explain that. “But I'm looking to see if I can join up again and go on a few more adventures.”

Meri's demeanor changes when Elioyahazer presents his hand and introductions are given, and no it is not because we are having a cliche vampires versus werewolves moment. Meri honestly has no issue with vampires. It is because that Elioyahzer has been gone for so long and much has changed since he was last here, notably the woman he was set to marry being kidnapped, tortured by witch hunters, and ultimately driven to a mental breakdown. Perhaps Elioyahazer was not familiar with Meri, but Meri was familiar with Lanara. Amusement fades from Meri's expression as she takes hold of Elioyahazer's hand, giving it a firm shake. "Ah. Yes. Sandman. I am surprised you are actually giving out your real name. It seems that much has changed indeed." Meri releases her hold on Elio's hand, silent a moment. "Well I have no reason to deny you entrance back into the guild. I have been trying to be more diligent about following some sort of entrance standard, but given your former rank within the guild....Well some sort of entrance test seems rather extra at this point." A brow is lifted. "I should make clear though, that as you already know...things are different. Lanara is no longer in the lands and I doubt we will be seeing her ever again. While I have kept much of the bones of your work the same, I trying to put my own twist on things...." A beat. "And while you may have proven yourself to Lanara enough for her to be considered her second...I hardly know you, Sandman. So if you were to rejoin, it would be just as a member."

Elioyahazer as well, has no preconceived notions about lycans and thusly, zero issues with any of them. Truth be told, Meri is the first he's ever come into contact with. As for the stories of Lanara and what happened, it's best not to bring that up. His mutated eyes are but lightless imitations of the bright ones he carried long ago - there is a certain loneliness lurking within them and his posture. Perhaps rejoining the guild will allow the vampire to hang in to those memories? With Meri’s words Eli shakes his head and waves his hand to brush off his past status. “Please, I want nothing more than to be a regular member. There's no problems there.” Nor would there be problems from him about her leading. “But a test is a custom of the guild isn't it?” With a raised eyebrow and a half grin. “How shall I be tested?” He's practically rubbing his hands together with anticipation.

For a moment Meri is silent. She had been prepared to return Elioyahazer to the guild without any sort of test or task, he'd already proven himself to Lanara. And now she is having to think of something challenging enough for the man to complete. "Hm. A test fitting enough for someone who once held the rank of...weapon's master?" The blonde woman is not normally one to invade personal space, but in this moment she does. She reaches forward with speed that Elio might not expect from a human...except she is not a human and neither is he. If he really wanted to, he could stop Meri from plucking a single hair from the top of his head. She didn't ask permission for this specimen collection, but she was not interested in being so aggressive that they would end up in an all out brawl for her to obtain it. If she was able to pluck that strand of hair from his head, she'd make the request, "Meet me outside." She points to the front of the Museum. "A considerable distance away from the building please. I do not need you breaking all of my nice stuff. I will meet you out there in a few moments. I just need to whip together something so that you have a chance to show off your skill set to me."

Elioyahazer is a cautious man by nature. Even more so when a stranger violates that personal bubble, as she is attempting to do so. But it seems, through his eyes at least, there isn't any sort of malicious intent. Call him curious, but he lets the single strand of dark hair be plucked from his scalp. Following her instructions, the vampire heads on out. Destroy all her nice stuff? What was she doing, having him fight a golem of some giant size? Whilst journeying far outside, his mind returns to the old weapons expert job Meri had recalled. It had been a long time since he sat in that room cleaning, organizing, polishing and filling out rental requests. Finally reaching an area he deemed far enough away, Eli comes to a halt.

Given the setting that Meri was leading Elioyahazer to, it had crossed her mind to try and force him into battle with a golem. A stone golem to be specific. It would be fitting, given that the terrain outside of the museum is precarious at best. Whatever test Meri had in mind for Elio, he was going to have to complete it with a cliff's edge looming to the west of him and a trail that is not impressively wide. Elio will not have to be waiting outside by himself for dreadfully long, but it will be about ten minutes before Meri appears. And when she appears she has a couple of things in tow with her. Levitating behind her is a rack that is full of a variety of weapons. It houses weapons of considerable size, like a halberd, down to the most minuscule of daggers giving Elio plenty of selection to pick from for this test. Behind that is a second rack, this one houses a smaller selection of shields. These two racks are not positioned side by side to one another, rather they are separated by about fifty feet of distance. The weapons rack travels further south down the trail that leads up to the museum before settling into the earth. The shield rack settles onto the ground closer to the museum. The racks serve as a marker for the battlefield that Meri expects Elio to play within....but it is not Meri that steps into the field for a bit of dancing. It now becomes clear why Meri wanted to steal a strand of Elio's hair. There are many powerful artifacts contained within the museum and today Meri is putting one of them to good use. Now that the battlefield has been set, his opponent makes himself known. Striding down the path from the museum is....none other than Elio himself. His magically summoned doppelgänger. What better opponent for Elio than Elio himself -- someone who will move and think like the sandman. He is even dressed identically as Elio. Meri has had the common sense though, to smudge the copies face with black war paint so that she is able to tell the difference between the two..just in case things get too out of hand....because his initial assessment was correct. Meri has no malicious intent with this show of skill. "Fight." Meri commands of them both.

Elioyahazer snakes through the weapon racks with a triumphant grin spreading over ashen features - having no trouble at all selecting the weapons he would use this day. A calloused left hand grasps the handle of a wickedly long and pointy dagger, while his right snatches the leather bound handle of a Khopesh. With a single exhale of air does Elioyahazer leap into action; a steady trot at first, building momentum as he goes. Just as he nears the mirrored image, the former weapon expert bursts forth with a surge of speed, and the sandman feints left by pulling his dagger for an attack that never comes. His cloaked body instead spins on toe whipping that Khopesh in a violent horizontal arc around him meant to disembowel. A single archaic word is ushered igniting that curved blade in a wreath of flames that leave tracers and after images in its wake; the effect is that not only could the doppelganger get his stomach slashed open, but he could be seared by flames as well. The dagger is saved for this very moment, whether Eli's target defends or dodges, he would find the right moment and throw the small weapon for it's throat. The spell blade is not a very nice man.

The doppelganger that Elio is facing off with is also not a nice man, but in a very different respect. He is a summoned creation whose will is not his own, this version of Elio is forced to do what Meri would like it to do for the duration of this spell. Emphasis on the duration, it does have a time limit on it so that if Elioyahazer does not manage to defeat himself that he does not have a duplicate roaming around the lands. Not only is Elio's will not his own, but the double is devoid of emotion and completely lacking any notion of self preservation. Perhaps the copy will be easier to defeat than anticipated. Elio 2.0 cannot select the same weapon for himself, for there was only one Khopesh on the rack, the harpe is his ultimate selection. A long and pointy dagger is more readily found within the rack. As the real Elio charges forward toward his copy, the double mirrors his movements to a T. It's not just the movements that are copied, but the spell is as well. The complete lack of self preservation means that the copy puts no effort into a defense, he only continues to mimic Elioyahazer's movements down to the attack. The defense is pure happenstance, for the two weapons are being at the same time and in the same location. As the blades clang together, the fires merge together causing the heat given off by the flames to became more intense. It will die back down once the weapons are separated. Elio will find that his attempts to put a dagger to his doppeldanger's throat are also unsuccessful, if only because of this copy-cat strategy....If one can call it a strategy. With that being said, the doppelganger does not formulate an attack plan of his own. He will continue to mirror...and when Elio is stationary? He will also be stationary.

Elioyahazer found himself smiling when blow for blow is met with equal and opposite force - like a kid in a candy store. Turns out facing himself is the greatest battle he could have asked for. When he stops attacking, so does his Doppler. Interesting. Elioyahazer casts his weapons aside, his mirrored opponent doing the same. Finally they face each other with another set; bow and crossbow. They fire at each other with grim determination, but choosing the same targets means their arrows collide mid flight and completely destroy each other. The real Elioyahazer snatches a halberd, relying on his know how and unsightly strength. The other grabs another polearm and once again they are at it. This time Elioyahazer calls forth rare magic, which he himself has only begun to study; an Outriders flames, known only as Seers Flames. His halberd is spun before him in a blur while the incantation takes effect. Soon a vortex of spinning orange flames lash out - their heat more than just physical, at its first stage, can bring minor harm to the spirit as well. At the end of such castings, Elioyahazer swipes the axe head of his halberd through the flames in a diagonal slash meant to bite into the Dopplers right shoulder with oppressive authority. The flames die out, fluttering out of existence and Elioyahazer smirks wildly.

The double that Elioyahazer is fighting has limitations of it's own. It may be quite adept and matching Eli blow for blow, but in the end magic can only copy so much. Elioyhazer begins to conjure up magics that are far too advanced for the level of copycat that is standing in front of him. There is a time limit on this conjuration and it was not brought on by an adept mage. Meri is not one of those, she just has access to a museum full of artifacts that she can employ for these tests. So when Elio manages to summon up a vortex of flames, the casting does indeed find an end but the blade does not actually tear into their mark as intended. Once those flames get too close to the doppelganger, it fades away into nothing but air and that piece of Elio's hair that Meri borrowed. One would be hard pressed to make that observation, the air is burned up in the fire as well. The halberd that Elio has selected will find nothing but air. Now that the show is clearly over, the blonde gives issues a bit of a golf clap for Elio's performance. "Impressive. Well I see no reason why I would not let you into the guild." There are honestly not many people that Meri would not accept, people can learn and improve upon their skills. That was not a concern with Elio. "As we already established, it would not be as my second. You would still be asked to take on some sort of role within the guild. I believe it was weapons expert before. Is that something that is still to your liking? Or would you like to take on something else...?"

Elioyahazer isn't the least bit bothered by the Dopplers disappearance. When that halberd strike only cleaves the ground at his feet, he grins once. God's he loved letting that aggressive side out. Meris comments ring in his ears for only a moment before he returns the weapons used for this showing. Finally his attention moves to Meris gaze. “If you don't mind, I'd much prefer to just be a regular member. Consider anything I can bring to the table an added bonus. I just --” his voice trails off for a moment; much like his gaze. “--Miss the activities of the group. Being apart of something that was once Lanaras. I don't believe myself fit to lead anymore. At least not in any capacity in this guild. I'd much rather just be part of the missions and let others lead under your command.” Elioyahazer truthfully wanted no responsibility. It was sad in a way, but he only has fond memories, which are shattered. He only want to adventure again and he was turning down the job of weapons expert. For now. Who knows about the future. “There will be no problems for me to follow orders.” This guild is where the last vestiges of Eli's humanity remains and there's plenty of fear inside him, that what he has become will destroy it if he leads in any capacity. “Is that alright?”

Meri reaches behind her to remove a certain canister that Elioyahazer is more than likely familiar with - hint, it holds maps. Secured to that canister via some string is the guild's signature compass. Both of these items are offered over to Elio with a bit of a smirk. "Like I said, I am not Lanara and I do not know you. I have no intention of appointing anyone as my second at this point in time. The guild has been restructured, you will have to familiarize yourself with the new ranking system...but given your service to the guild before as a second in command, I believe it would be fitting to count you amongst one of our veteran adventurer's. As a result people may look up to you, sure, because you will be one of the more seasoned individuals within the guild...But you will not have the same responsibilities that my deputy or anyone who claims the rank of officer would have." The blonde will only keep these items extended out toward Elio for so long before she will grow impatient and use her psionic abilities to levitate them toward him. "But for all intents and purposes, you are a regular member. Times have changed, but it is good to have you back."

Elioyahazer narrows his eyes once. If a weapons expert isn't an officer anymore, than he had zero problems taking the position once more. Without further delay he takes the offered items and nods. "It's good to be back." Back with the remaining memories. The one place his vampiric mind still held as sacred. "I look forward to working with everyone, once more." The desert born nods and then steps back to allow Meri to go on with whatever business she has to attend. "Thank you," his voice a quiet whisper -- implying far more than intended.

Meri did not have much else to contribute to the conversation. Well, she could. But let's be real -- Meri was a friend to Lanara and there are some questions that have gone unanswered. The longer they spend together, the more inclined Meri is to ask. It's for both of their benefits that the guild leader moves along her way, with the two racks full of weaponry and shields following along behind the psion like two little puppies.