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Message: <blockquote data-quote="peteyfrogboy" data-source="post: 1173617" data-attributes="member: 5677">InterventionParika sat down across from Rachel, stabbing a chunk of cheese with her knife. "Nothing makes me hungrier than not having people out to kill me.""I know what you mean," said Rachel, smiling. "Have you seen Nevroth today? I knocked on his door but he didn't answer.""I just woke up. Last I saw of him was at the Gull last night." She frowned as she smeared butter across a thick slice of bread. "I hope he didn't get himself in any trouble."As if in answer to her thoughts, the door opened then. She looked up to see Nevroth stumbling in, pale and haggard, wearing the same clothes as the night before. He seemed off balance somehow; it took a moment for Parika to realize that he was missing his left hand."Bright Lord, what happened to you?"***Nevroth woke to a stabbing pain in his left hand. He clutched at it with the other, but found only a raw stump where it should have been. He groaned and curled into a miserable ball beneath a thin blanket."Awake, eh?" The voice was unfamiliar.Opening his eyes, Nevroth saw that he was in a small, run-down room, presumably at an inn. A broad shouldered man in worn leathers sat on a stool with his back to him, methodically stroking a dagger across a sharpening stone. The man turned, revealing a weathered face and bushy blond beard. Bright green eyes appraised him briefly, then returned to the dagger. "How're ya feeling?""Awful," admitted Nevroth. He sat up on the creaky bed, holding his left arm close to his chest. He couldn't bring himself to look at it quite yet. "Where am I?""The Flying Fish, down by the shipyard. It beats spending the night in the gutter, I'd wager, which is where I found you." The man examined the edge of his blade and seemed satisfied, returning it to a sheath at his belt. He turned around fully on the stool, revealing a tarnished silver disc pinned to his jerkin, pierced with a familiar "M". "Harrod Trask," he said by way of introduction.Nevroth felt some of the tension leave him as he realized he was in no immediate danger. "I'm --""Nevroth," Harrod said with a nod. "I've heard about you. Even before last night. You haven't exactly been keeping a low profile." The senior manhunter stood and went to a small side table. He grabbed a pair of hard rolls, tossing one to Nevroth and biting into the other. He leaned against the table and chewed thoughtfully. "It didn't take long for the story to get to me last night. It's lucky for you I wasn't on a job, or I might not have gotten to you in time. The scavengers were already flocking around when I arrived.""Um, thank you," replied Nevroth. He tried not to imagine how he might have ended up otherwise."Hmm." Harrod popped the last bit of the roll into his mouth and folded his arms across his chest. "If I were any other Manhunter, you'd probably lose your badge; the Guild takes a dim view of vendettas. I know what it's like, though, so I'm willing to give you a pass this once. You've found your own punishment, I'd wager."Harrod looked out the window at the lightening sky. "I've been there. I know what it's like to crave vengeance. My baby sister was killed by goblins when I was sixteen. I spent almost a year doing nothing but hunting them, slaying them, taking out my rage." He turned his emerald gaze back to Nevroth. "The more of them I killed, though, the emptier I felt. Even if I could find the very one that clawed out her throat and even the score, it wouldn't have filled the hole in my heart. That's when I became a Manhunter. If I couldn't find justice for myself, I figured I could find it for others. It's a good feeling, far better than simply spilling more blood."Nevroth's face was impassive. "Perhaps."Harrod shrugged. "It's just one man's opinion, I suppose. If you ever need a bit of advice or an ear to talk to, I'll be around.""I'll keep that in mind."***Wincing as he held up the stump that used to be his left hand, Nevroth said, "The pirates made a mistake."  Overcoming her shock, Parika's voice was full of sarcasm.  "What, they punished the *wrong* man who had sworn vengance on their crew?"  "No."  His voice was cool and steady despite his pain.  "They left me alive." Parika shook her head. "Well, uh, do we have anything planned for today? I'm all for relaxation, but something tells me there's a pay day out there waiting for us.""I need a bath," said Nevroth. He held up his left arm. "And then I think I'll do some shopping."Rachel looked over at the manhunter. "Do you still have that key we found in the sewer? I think I'll try to find out what it unlocks."Parika held up her finger. "Aha! I knew there was something I was forgetting. Excellent.""I'll go get it from my room. You ladies have fun; I'll catch up with you later."</blockquote>

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