Awesome as alway, one more post and you have made a week.

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Being nice is strange, I can see a lot up here on morale highground

Awesome, I didn't even realize you were posting all week nice curveball.

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Everybody get drunk.

~~~~I had a paper to write yesterday, so this one had to wait until morning to post.~~~~

   It wasn't always easy to live in a trader caravan camp.  Bandits were always looking for their next victims, and there was no law outside of town.  If you lived in the woods, your sword was your guard and your gun the law.  Maze was 14 when a group of bandits stumbled onto the camp around one in the afternoon.  Darius saw them first, and raised the alarm after knocking the head off one with his musket.  Theresa grabbed her staff, and Maze buckled on his pistol and shortsword.  The other Romani armed themselves with whatever was handy.  Margaret the healer's apprentice grabbed a frying pan off the fire.  When the bandits charged the camp, a spirited fight ensued.  The barber was holding his own against a mace wielding bandit, dodging and slashing with his razors.  A cutlass bearing bandit charged Margaret, and received a burning blow to the head that put an end to his fighting.  Five bandits surrounded Theresa, but she only laughed as they came closer.  A flurry of steel-tipped wood later, they were all dead.  Maze had his hands full as well. Several bandits were heading straight for the camp stores, but Maze cracked off a shot with his pistol, killing one and causing the others to turn around. The two remaining bandits, one with an axe and the other with a longsword, rushed towards Maze in hopes of catching him off his guard. They were sorely disappointed.  Maze managed another shot, taking down the axe wielder, before the swordsman reached him.  The swordsman swung wide, and Maze sidestepped the swipe.  The bandit then found himself with a sword buried into his gut.  The story was the same all around the camp.
    The bandits were looted; there was no point in just leaving them to rot if they had valuables on them.  In the end, the camp gained a few cuts and bruises, but also some weapons and trinkets to use or sell.  A few hours later, the camp was back to normal as dinner was started.  Maze contemplated the attack and realized something odd.  He had not used the Will once in the battle.  He had come to rely on his sword and his gun as much as the Will, and simply did not need to use it in this battle.  A fireball would have caused collateral damage anyway... he reasoned.  After dinner, Maze sparred with Margaret instead of Theresa, who said that she was tired and needed a day off: "I think we got our practice in today, don't you?"  Margaret asked if he wouldn't mind sparring with her, as the attack showed that she needed to be ready to defend herself.  "You aren't going to hit me with the frying pan, are you?" Maze joked.  "No, I 'borrowed' this cutlass, it should do fine" she replied.  For the first time, Maze noticed that she looked more like him and Theresa than the other Romani.  Her hair was brown, not black, and was complemented by green eyes and tan skin.  She seemed about his age, possibly a year older.  She caught him looking at her and answered the question he didn't ask.  "I'm like you, the Romani just found me and took me in.  Theresa, actually.  She said that she sensed something in me when she first met me wandering the woods.  I was about three, and I've been here ever since.  Now, we were going to practice melee combat, remember?"  He smiled and nodded.  She needed a bit of work on her technique, but she was strong and quick, a natural fighter.  Maze remembered his first few weeks of training as he parried her blows.  She caught on to the moves Theresa had taught him quickly, and was already blocking nearly as well as Maze by the end.  A slightly mistimed stroke from Maze with the dull blade grazed her arm, after which the match ended and she left to bandage the scrape.  Maze followed her, feeling that he was missing a clue.  Behind the healer's tent, he saw her walk around to the entrance for a bandage, but her cut was gone.  Will user.  That's what Theresa sensed.  I should have realized that.  She never seemed to get burned by handling hot pans, but she just healed herself instead.  He would have to ask her about it later.  

---

Has the world ended already? Oh dear, I must have missed it. . .

Maze has got a girlfriend

---

Being nice is strange, I can see a lot up here on morale highground

~~~~ I never said that.~~~~

   "Later" turned out to be sooner than expected.  She had him following her.  "I knew you'd get suspicious eventually, your training with Theresa has made you more observant than some of the others here- you always look for the next advantage . . . or threat.  The healing is something Theresa taught me; she's really at it, but it also seems to be her only Will ability.  Of course, there's also the matter of her age.  I first met her when I was three, nearly twelve years ago.  She looks the same now as she did then, and everyone says that she's been with us for as long as anyone can remember.  Something tells me that she's hiding something, but she has never given anyone reason to doubt her."  Maze had his own theories about Theresa, but he kept these to himself.  As if knowing that she was being discussed in secret, Theresa soon came to check on them.  "If you two are sharing secrets, it will have to wait.  Training continues tomorrow, Maze- get some rest.  Margaret, I have something I need to talk to you about . . ."
    The next morning, Maze got up and headed to the clearing where Theresa and he were sparring for the week.  When he arrived, Theresa was waiting.  Margaret was with her, cutlass in hand.  "Since the two of you have some proficiency in the Will, I think that it would be a idea for you to train together.  To prevent you from injuring each other, I will place a Shield spell over both of you.  This will require concentration and effort on my part, and sustaining two Shields will tax my ability; I will not be sparring with either of you today.  Oh, Maze- I gave Margaret a copy of the Book of Spells and a few lessons last night.  She should be able to do any spells you can, but needs a bit of practice to perfect them."  Surrounded by glowing blue auras, Maze and Margaret prepared to face each other.  Margaret lobbed a fireball, but Maze dodged it and retaliated with an arc of lightning.  She disrupted him with a Force Push that landed him on his back.  Getting to his feet, Maze cast Enflame.  Using Assasin Rush, Margaret struck at his back while evading the ring of fire.  A quick block stopped her attack from landing, and the battle continued for some time with no clear winner.  After a few hours, Theresa's Will reserves ran out, effectively ending the match.  After a short break, Maze and Margaret practiced melee techniques with another bout.  Maze was slightly frustrated that he could not beat her outright, but satisfied himself with the fact that she couldn't best him either.  Theresa commented that as long as they were so evenly matched, they might as well continue training together.  "If I have to teach you both, then you might as well test each other; judging by the way you fight, it should be motivation enough to keep doing your best."  It was.  

---

Has the world ended already? Oh dear, I must have missed it. . .

Fine then, Maze MAY have a girlfriend

 

Nice story gets better and better.

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Being nice is strange, I can see a lot up here on morale highground

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Training  continued until Maze was 18. Considering his former life, he was probably the only eighteen year old who had reached the age of 75 before puberty, and that didn't include the five centuries in the Abyss before Theresa pulled him out.  Theresa's apparent agelessness was a mystery in itself, but Maze knew better than to ask about it.  Scythe and Jack were the only others who might have lived as long, but Jack had been destroyed and Scythe was not as well preserved.  Theresa  took him to the woods for a talk away from the other villagers.  "It's time for you to go now.  The camp will be relocating soon, and you need to go back to Bowerstone.  It will be your first step to finding and stopping Lucien.  I don't expect you to be completely on your own in this.  I managed to hold on to a pair of these."  From her cloak, Theresa produced a pair of Guild Seals and handed one to Maze.  "Keep this on you in case either of us needs to communicate or meet with the other.  Here's some gold to get you started, it should be enough for a while, and if you need more I'm sure you can find a job in town.  bye, Maze."  
    Turning to leave, Maze was stopped by a rustle in the brush behind him.  "I'm coming, too" Margaret called out, emerging from the bushes.  "I didn't train in combat for four years to become a trader in a Romani caravan.  You can try to stop me, but we both know that you can't beat me in a fight.  If you try to run, I'll use the tracking technniques Darius taught me to find you.  Something big is up, and I plan on being a par of it."  Theresa sighed, then spoke with resignation.  "I was hoping to avoid this.  I tried to get you out alone, Maze.  I know you can handle yourself.  You have the potential to become the greatest wizard in Albion again, you know."  Margaret was nonplussed, especially since she had a feeling that she was in the dark about something. "Greatest wizard in Albion? He's an eighteen year old, not some master mage from the age of Heroes.  He's , but not that ."  Maze decided to come out with it, even though she wouldn't believe it.  "Actually, I am a mage from the age of Heroes . . . or was until i got trapped in the abyss and pulled out by the energy of my life experiences.  Then I ended up here, a ten year old five centuries  out of my element."  Margaret didn't laugh.  "That makes a wierd sort of sense.  It explains how Theresa knew you so quickly.  Did you know each other?"  Maze shook his head.  "Not directly, although I . . . met her once.  I helped train her brother, then was forced to take . . .regrettable actions by a powerful being.  I tried to make amends, but I don't know if I succeeded." Theresa broke in.  "Maze has a story, but this is neither the time nor the place for it.  If you must go, then I won't stop you.  Just be careful."   Theresa left them to their fate.  The real story was about to begin.

---

Has the world ended already? Oh dear, I must have missed it. . .

Yay, is this gonna be a full week post?

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Being nice is strange, I can see a lot up here on morale highground

I was on a roll for a while there, but for now I'm going to take it easy.  I need to slow down so I don't hit a wall.  I'm still working off the basic storyline as best I can, and if I do this right, I can integrate the actual F2 story once it comes out.  If I move too fast, I won't be able to incorporate the major plot elements of the game, which is part of my plan; I want to get through F2, then base the rest of the story from that jumping point.  My writing schedule may suffer in late October, but who would rather spend their time reading a story about Albion than playing in it, anyway? 

---

Has the world ended already? Oh dear, I must have missed it. . .

point, more story

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Being nice is strange, I can see a lot up here on morale highground

Yo!  This is a very nice story, it cinda makes me wish we could play as maze in fable 2
But hey fable 2 is gona be great anyway.
But BusterButch, do you have to keep posting everytime a little piece of the story is there?

Wow, Dude  that was awsome,  keep writing. PLEASE!!

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Take the Role-Playing Stereotype quiz.

suoert:

Yo!  This is a very nice story, it cinda makes me wish we could play as maze in fable 2
But hey fable 2 is gona be great anyway.
But BusterButch, do you have to keep posting everytime a little piece of the story is there?

 

Yh kinda do

1.Becuase he cant double post all the time

2.Its called feedback

3.I like the story

4.Im his No. 1 fan

5.Nobody posted before me

Some people dont continue with their stories if nobody posts and I think this is the best story so I want him to keep writing it

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Being nice is strange, I can see a lot up here on morale highground

BusterButch:

suoert:

Yo!  This is a very nice story, it cinda makes me wish we could play as maze in fable 2
But hey fable 2 is gona be great anyway.
But BusterButch, do you have to keep posting everytime a little piece of the story is there?

 

Yh kinda do

1.Becuase he cant double post all the time

2.Its called feedback

3.I like the story

4.Im his No. 1 fan

5.Nobody posted before me

Some people dont continue with their stories if nobody posts and I think this is the best story so I want him to keep writing it

Yeah but to a mod it just looks like your boosting your post count.

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It is better to be silent and be thought a fool, instead of opening your mouth and proving it.

Its merely showing your love and appreciation to the writer, for producing such a enjoyable activity, whether he is using the story as an excuse to get his post count up is of no concern, the posts are relative and on topic. Yes it is forum whoring, but its motivating the writer also.

So a mod has no power to tell a fan of something to stop being so enthusiastic towards updates. And you should let people enjoy what they enjoy, and stop moaning at them for something that doesn’t matter.

Hermit

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Alright, I stand corrected.

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It is better to be silent and be thought a fool, instead of opening your mouth and proving it.

BusterButch:

suoert:

Yo!  This is a very nice story, it cinda makes me wish we could play as maze in fable 2
But hey fable 2 is gona be great anyway.
But BusterButch, do you have to keep posting everytime a little piece of the story is there?

 

Yh kinda do

1.Becuase he cant double post all the time

2.Its called feedback

3.I like the story

4.Im his No. 1 fan

5.Nobody posted before me

Some people dont continue with their stories if nobody posts and I think this is the best story so I want him to keep writing it

You have a really point!
And your not his number one fan! because there can only be one and that's me!

suoert:

BusterButch:

suoert:

Yo!  This is a very nice story, it cinda makes me wish we could play as maze in fable 2
But hey fable 2 is gona be great anyway.
But BusterButch, do you have to keep posting everytime a little piece of the story is there?

 

Yh kinda do

1.Becuase he cant double post all the time

2.Its called feedback

3.I like the story

4.Im his No. 1 fan

5.Nobody posted before me

Some people dont continue with their stories if nobody posts and I think this is the best story so I want him to keep writing it

You have a really point!
And your not his number one fan! because there can only be one and that's me!

 

O rly? Well then Sir I challenge you to a duel, of wits.

How much wood can a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood?

 

I dont really care about count posts, after 24th Oct I may never leave my room again. What does higher posts grant you, im already a senior member so that enough for me.

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Being nice is strange, I can see a lot up here on morale highground

I was busy this weekend, and had already done writing before Friday . . .Anyway, double posting is allowed for stories.

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Has the world ended already? Oh dear, I must have missed it. . .

it's an awesome story.

A wood chuck would chuck as much wood as a wood chuck could chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood. 

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Everybody get drunk.

vallejowatts:

it's an awesome story.

A wood chuck would chuck as much wood as a wood chuck could chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood. 

 

No, its 5

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Being nice is strange, I can see a lot up here on morale highground

   Bowerstone had changed quite a bit since Maze had last seen it.  The market stalls were cleaner than they had been, and were more numerous as well.  There were still slums, of course, but they were much fewer and seemed somehow less threatening than before.  Maze felt more confident as he wandered the city, but that could have been attributed to the sword at his side and pistol in his coat pocket.  His hair was tied back, and his coinpurse was full.  Margaret was eager to explore the city, and Maze went along with it.  While she took in the sights of a true city for the first time in memory, Maze examined the various stalls, shops taverns, and homes they passed.  One building caught his eye.  It was a smallish house in poor repair, but the price was low: only 1750 gold.  Inquiring about it at a local tavern that evening, Maze learned that it had belonged to a murderer named Skutt.  After he died, no one wanted it and the price dropped every month for years.  No one had fixed it up either, so it probably wasn't well furnished.  Maze had about two thousand gold, and Margaret had 500- more than enough to cover the cost and get some basic repairs done.  He decided to buy it; he needed a place to stay while in Bowerstone, it was cheaper than a month at the inn, and being a part of the town would help him blend in.  Initially skeptical, Margaret soon agreed when Maze explained his plans.  "We should buy the house, fix it up a bit, and sell it when we're done.  Living in it and doing repairs shoud soften it's bad reputation as the home of a dead murderer.  When we're done here, we sould be able to sell it at a decent price.  We might even profit from it when we move on."  Margaret took the money to buy the house while Maze decided to shop for supplies and pick up information.  A man at his vegetable stall told Maze that Lord Lucien had left to live at a strange tower.  "We don't hear much about it, but people have started calling it the Tattered Spire, on account of it's not being completed and having sections missing.  That's about all I know."  The other shops he visited seemed to confirm this information, but he learned little else. 
    Arriving at the house, he found that Margaret had managed to drop the price to 1700 gold and some building materials along with the reduction.  "Bargaining comes with living among traders your whole life.  The estate was anxious t get it sold, too.  They dropped the price and gave me the materials after I promised to 'improve the image' of the building.  Like we would just keep it as is!"  That left 800 gold for the basics.   "Well, we seem to be doing well enough.  I didn't get much information about Lucien, other than the fact that he left Bowerstone.  We'll just have to wait here and gather information. A trader is bound to come to town with gossip sooner or later . . ."  Maze hoped that he was right.
    For a few  days, it seemed that the plan was working.  Traders passed in and out of the city daily, each with news from areas they passed through.  It seemed to be only a matter of time before one would come with news of Lucien, but the traders stopped coming.  A barricade appeared outside Bowerstone in the night, cutting the city off from the outside world.  A bandit came to the gate the next day.  "I carry a message from Thag, ruler of the bandits in the surrounding area.  Pay us 50,000 gold, or we'll slit the throat of anyone who tries to enter or leave the city.  Oh, one more thing. No shooting me, either! I'll have you know that the lads will come in and torch anything within throwing distance of the gate if you do! 'Ave a nice day!"  Swaggering off, the bandit rejoined his comrades at the barricade.  Margaret didn't think that they had much of a choice to stay unnoticed, and Maze grudgingly agreed.  If they wanted news from traders, Thag would have to disappear.  If they waited for the ransom to be paid, traders would see the area as still dangerous and low on money.  That would hardly draw them to come and bring their wares to Bowerstone.  And I was just getting used to living in this house, being a normal villager for once . . .  The house was still not exactly large, but a few days' work had made it a comfortable enough home.  The fireplace had been cleaned and cleared of debris, the rotted floorboards replaced, the furniture refurbished, and the whole place given a scrubbing.   The amenities were simple, but sufficient.  The front area contained a small, round table and two simple chairs near a  counter that was against the front wall next to the door.  The opposite side was taken up by two small beds, a bookshelf, and a chest at the foot of each bed.  The fireplace was against the back wall, a simple stone and mortar affair.  Oh, well. I suppose something like this would happen eventually.  Maze went to the chest at his bed and strapped on his weapons.  Margaret pulled on her travel boots and checked her pistol, priming it for the first shot.  Her cutlass was already at her side; she showed no sign that she was anything but ready to go.  Maze followed her out the door as soon as he finished equipping himself.  They waited for nightfall to leave the city.  The bandits would be unpleasantly surprised by their arrival.

---

Has the world ended already? Oh dear, I must have missed it. . .

Aww double post, I thought it was too different chapters.

Anyways still , excellent stuff.

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Being nice is strange, I can see a lot up here on morale highground

yeah i agree this story is great, better than anything i could write

keep it up twelthdoctor

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whatever you do, wherever you go, always remember you are unique...

just like everyone else

lol look at what you said then look at your signature

"Alright, I stand corrected" - "It is better to be silent and thought a fool than to open your mouth and prove it"

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Someone once said i have ADD, that means i get distracted really ea..OMG SQUIRREL!