Hitting a Jewel Mine
Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2017 7:05 pm
Saun 1st, 717
The sun just barely reaching over the horizon shone in a color that was best described as a vibrant crimson. A thin cloud hung heavy, the air thick with its smokey scent. There was no denying what such a scene could entail, it was Saun. "I swear, I'd rather be caught out in the middle of Cylus," a disgruntled half avriel gripped to her only companion, a Zelroux whose coat existed somewhere between silver and gray. The woman's midnight orbs only flitted across the flaming globe briefly before giving a heavy sigh. "Today is bound to be miserable."
The Zelroux whimpered at such a commented and tone, tilting his head to the side slightly as if to contemplate the meaning of her words. His ears perked and his tail, hanging slow. waved slightly. "We've got a job from the outer areas, where the farmers live to be specific. Apparently, they've been getting attacked by a group of raiders. Some have even gone missing and have shown up dead later. Then there are those who don't show back up at all. Of course, considering who we are, we just can't allow such a thing to happen. I don't know about your nature, but the very idea goes against mine!" Nightshade told the Zelroux in a manner that implied she expected it to understand. Thought Storm could understand most, if not all, of her commands and the situations they found themselves in, long speeches uttered in the common tongue, left him grasping at straws. As such, she'd completely lost the poor creature. Seeing no understanding in the eyes of the beast Night just sighed. "I really need to start working on getting a human companion," she muttered to herself. This, Storm understood and to it, he gave an angry bark of sorts. The half-breed just laughed in response.
"Oh, come now Storm! Can you not take a joke?" She teased, her voice light and the corners of her lips tugging upwards. In such a moment it was easy to laugh and play around. That was why she loved mornings. It was before the reality of the day or the fears of the night had a chance to set in and torment her. Even if it was only for a trill or two longer, she could pretend she wasn't about to march off and steal an entirely too mortal life. She could pretend she wasn't about to snuff out the flame of someone's existence. No matter the alignment of another or their apparent ill intent, to cause a death was nothing less than jarring. It was a life, a job, that no one should ever want or yearn for. That's why mercenaries like herself existed. There were plenty of people in the world smart enough to know fighting was bad and well off enough to not have to do it. Then there were the people like the farmers who would have no salvation if the city wasn't willing to pay someone like her to fight them. Skilled mercenaries often weren't cheap, leading to a lot of people dead or in Night's case a lot of charity work.
For a moment, Night's attention was drawn to the back of her right hand. This was her duty, her honor. The half-breed, though occasionally mournful for lives lost and stolen, didn't have the time to worry. She couldn't allow herself to regret the choice to fight. Even if in the end it was made for her. She could only move forward. For the dreams and hope of not herself, but those she stood for. For them, she could move forward.
For just a moment, a small smile graced her features.
(-)(-)(-)(-)
"We have to be getting close by now," Night huffed as she and her beast continued to trek through the wilderness. It hadn't been more than a couple hours judging by the fact Night set out exactly at dawn and only now the sun was fully in the sky, but usually, things were easier than this. "This might actually be an issue. I've never had this much trouble trying to find a bandit den. I mean, they're usually full of enough idiots that someone gives it away. You finding anything, Storm?" The woman said. For a moment she turned to the Zelroux that seemed to be just as stumped with the issue. Not even he could catch a scent. "I see..." She said to the creature's confused expression. The two continued on until Storm began to growl. "You got something?" She asked the beast. Quickly it began to bound forward. Knowing it would be impossible to follow on foot, Night spread her wings and threw herself into the sky. In the air, the only hard thing about tailing Storm was keeping an eye on his. The powerful creature bounded through foliage, some dark green and others browning from a lack of proper hydration. The thick muscle of his front legs and hind quarters easily pushed him onward. Head down, he was little more than a blur as he followed whatever trail he'd picked up on.
Night did what she could to follow, the muscle of her wings pumping furiously in order to properly keep up. Black feathers shifted as well. Trained appendages moved in unison. The beasts started off matching but quickly that of her wings outpaced even that of her racing heart. It wasn't an exaggeration to call the woman a blur, even with how little there was, she manipulated the wind currents and used them to her advantage. She couldn't see them like Noth or other Avriel could, but she knew their feeling the same way she knew the sensation of a sword in her hands.
Both came to a stop as they found what they were looking for. To any other, it might have seemed as though it was a regular house, but Storm and Night both saw a bandit den. Outside was a guard. Assuming from his armor and weapons, he was also a bandit. But judging by the young set of his features and his over all cleanliness he was both new and young. He almost looked like a child to the eyes of the half-breed, his own still glittered with the newness of life. There were so many things this 'man' could be, but unless he was an actor, dangerous wasn't one of them. One of these day Night's mercy was going to get her killed, but as long as that day wasn't today she didn't plan on addressing the apparent issue. "Excuse me, sir," she said upon landing. The man looked like he nearly had a heart attack upon seeing. "Would you be willing to tell me what this place is?" She asked. Her attempt at a friendly approach just put him on his guard.
"None of your business miss. Now I think you should leave," he growled back at her. AS he did so he put a hand on his weapon. He was trying to be intimidating. Cute.
"Alright, let me level you you then. I was sent to find a group of bandits that's apparently been dragging young men off in this direction. The city wants me to destroy it before it becomes an actual issue. Is this the place?" She put it bluntly and kept it direct, sustaining eye contact with the man all throughout. He seemed to rethink himself for a moment but quickly gathered his nerves.
"Even if it is, which is isn't, you wouldn't get past me into the front door!" The man, who was easily more of a boy, responded. Night blinked twice. Was this kid for real?
"You know what? Just, go home. You don't belong here, you're only going to get yourself killed," she said with a sigh.
"Excuse me? I can make my own decisions! I'm 18, I'm an adult," he retorted in the petulant tone of what could only be described as a child.
"Oh dear. Listen, I'm 6 arcs older and I don't even consider myself an adul-" she was cut off by a sword barely missing her. She could hear the swish of the blade as she jumped backward.
"Leave or fight!" The men demanded.
She paused, eyes glinting dangerously. Slitting, becoming half lidded, two intense orbs of blue bore heavily into him. "I see. So you need someone to play mommy and kick your arse," she growled. Her body stooped ever so slightly as she watched her opponent, one leg moving forward slightly as the other move back. Angling herself ever so slightly. Her opponent was a novice at best. Part of her worried he'd stab himself if she sat back and watched. His posture was sloppy, his legs spread apart so far she might have thought he was attempting the splits. He was trying to hold his sword with a single hand as well, despite having no use for the other arm. As things stood it was dead weight and another target. Even novices knew such a stance was horribly wrong. The way she was standing was far better for being able to move around the battle field, two hands on a sword was always better for control, especially when using a broad sword like he was. She knew that as a novice! Then again, her teacher was rather through.
Nightshade's stance corrected every mistake that her opponent was making. When she'd gotten to a higher level as a fighter she learned a truth, a simple one. You could always tell when someone was stronger than you. From their stance on the look in their eyes, the difference between someone like her and someone like his was obvious to anyone with enough experience and skill. Of course, that was experienced a child like this one lacked. Even with such experience, a lot of people tended to ignore the signs until it was too late.
Her expression turned into one of annoyance as the man charged her. He gave a war cry, holding his sword above his head. Downwards he sword with all of his might, only for the blade to meet another and stall it with a spray of sparks. It wasn't even a test of strength when it came down to the parry, it was just knowing the right skill to stop the enemy weapon in its tracks. Upwards along the length of his own sword, a difference curved blade traveled. The curved sword moved faster, running right up to the man's hand until he was forced to either let go or lose some fingers. He chose to let go. Once the blade was on the ground Night sweep out a leg. The man was also soon on the ground.
"Ready to give up yet?" She asked. Her tone was somewhere between bored and almost amused.
The child reached over, grabbing his sword and swinging it at her legs. "Never!" He cried out like he was some kind of brave warrior. The half-breed, already having seen the last resort of a move coming, jumped with the air of her wings. She propelled herself right over the sword. Once the threat was gone and the man's energy seemed to be expended she pulled in her wings, letting her body drop down right onto the chest of the man. Hard. He gave a breathy gasp, not even having the strength to react as Night's talons moved his hand to grab his sword. With ease, she tossed it towards Storm who put a paw on it.
"Ready now?" She asked again, this time her tone was much sharper.
"Yes ma'am," the man whimpered. He was still trying to recover his lost breath after she effectively knocked every wisp of it out of him.
"Good. Storm, watch the kid. If they're all like this I'll be back with more. If not, wish me luck," she told the beast. It watched her silently as she entered the house. At first glance, it didn't look like anything special. In fact, quite the opposite. Night had never seen a worse house. The building itself seemed the have been built either poorly or a very long time ago. There would be no salvaging the structure if anyone decided they wanted to try. They'd just have to build up a new one. Even for its poor quality, one thing stayed true. All houses held their secrets. Carefully, she started to tear the place apart. The first things to go were the book shelves. She looked for anything from secret doors to locks that would trigger something to open to magical artifacts. The next thing on the list was to tear up the carpet. As the gave a powerful yank on the woven wool a trap door was uncovered. "Jackpot," she said with a large grin.
Opening the trap door was a different matter entirely. A large rust covered padlock barred any kind of entry. There was only one idea that went through her head. Taking out her sword once more, she slammed the butt against the lock. Again all odd the lock snapped falling off. "Never thought I'd be grateful to rust and decay," she muttered. Certainly, the only reason she got it off was thanks to the fact it was so rust covered. Pulling up the trap door she was greeted by a ladder, a space too tight to spread her wings, and a very long drop. How lovely. The woman took a deep breath in, taking a moment to calm her nerves, then releasing the breath in a long sigh. She hated, beyond all descriptions, small and tight places. The moment her foot touched the ladder she was hit with a nostalgic but unpleasant feeling. It was something best described as a "world ending" feeling. A "the sky is falling" kind of sensation that trailed her every move as a child. Maybe it was an avriel thing, maybe it had to do with her being dropped or downed or flightless, but no matter what it was she without a shadow of a doubt hated it.
The narrow passage could have stretched on n for anything between trills and bits, but it felt like breaks as each hesitant claw reached out for the next rung. It was harder to get down than to get up. Eventually one of her feet came into contact with solid ground. A weight dropped from her shoulder as she allowed the rest of her body to drop, both feet now firmly placed on the cool, damp stone. The stone under her feet felt slick like a mer had gone through and misted the place. Or maybe it was a jackadon considering the temperature. A humid kind of warmth wrapped around her entire body making her feel slightly sick. She placed a hand against the wall, again being met with the same slimy consistency that covered the wall. The entire place had a deep scent, somewhere between earthy, peaty, and mold.
Spreading out her arms she could touch both sides of the passage. Reaching up it was easy for the woman to touch the roof. In the darkness, it was hard to tell much about where she was. Shouting could be heard up ahead though. Slowly the cave got bright and bright as she moved forwards until it finally opened up. She paused for a moment, trying to get a good look at everything in front of her. Lanterns lined the walls, absolutely covered in condensation. It gave the lighting around her a water kind of effect. Shimmering and skirting along the walls, the light reflecting off tiny, but beautiful, red gemstones. Larger craters in the ground seemed to ooze steam. Having nowhere else to go, the water just gathered on the roof, Leading to massive stalactites. The shouting seemed to be coming from a group of men, heavy armor and nasty looking. Seven in all. It was a good thing the group was down here, even from Night's position she could easily see they all needed baths. The scent of mold and steam that permeated the area instantly became a lot more desirable. At the feet of the seven men were five other men, each more miserable looking than the last. Night inched forward slightly, trying to get a good look. The men at mercy seemed to have picks in their hands. They cowered before the other seven. Judging by their garb, they were some of the missing farmers.
"We brought you here to work! Now you go mine those gemstones, and you work!" One of the bandits screamed. He had the heaviest look armor. She would have called it ornate based on its appearance if it wasn't for the dings of many battles, supposedly won, lined it. That combined with the fact this man was the ugliest was enough to convince Night he was the leader. Now the one question semi-always on her mind. How in Eth's name does one try and kill that thing? They continued to yell at the five men until someone finally got sick of it and brought out chains.
"Alright, here's an idea. We all split up and take one. Someone guys upside to check on the kid, and the last guy without one of these idiots to take care of can stay in the main stretch of the mine and keep an eye out for any idiots that wander in," the only female bandit in the group offered up. They all seemed to agree, most taking a farmer and moving towards one of the smaller branching tunnels that existed in the cave. One stayed behind in the main area and another started heading towards the small side passage out that Night was currently hiding in. Ducking back in her mind raced for what to do as the man approached. She couldn't take on a battle with all seven so she had to be careful. Picking up a rock she... put the rock down quietly chastising herself for trying to use a rock as a weapon when she had a pair of very nice swords strapped to her waist. After putting down the rock she pulled out Red Brand and wait.
The man coming around the corner had a lantern which instantly lit up the small passage with brilliance. This wasn't necessarily a good thing, as Night didn't really like what she found herself looking at. The man stumbled upon her was an ugly brute, with a slow hanging forehead and baggy eyes. He walked with a slouch. Upon seeing Night his eyes and his mouth flew wide upon. He was quickly silenced by the sword the plunged itself into his gut. His eyes flickered as only breathy gasps came from his lips. After yanking out her blade he slowly he began to bleed out, his armor being painted red by that which had once kept his existence going. He dropped to his knees, lantern clattering against the ground slightly. His lips were parted, his eyes glazed with fear and confusion as he looked at at the woman. Out of mercy, she thrust her sword downwards, wincing at the sickening noise of metal pushing past bone and forcing its way into someone's head. She wasn't a malicious person, it wasn't in her to watching the mean suffer any longer. Quietly she picked up the lantern.
The second man was going to be harder to deal with was considering he was so far away. She hadn't had the foresight to bring her bow with her either. Just as she was about to start musing over ideas a large clattering caught her attention. All the bandits came back to the main area, dragging their servants with them. "This isn't going to work. We picked up a batch of pathetic little things. We'll have to head out tomorrow at first light to try and get some new ones. This time get the strong ones. They might be harder to break, but once you do they'll work. Unlike these. We can't let them go, so Jalk, you know what to do," the leader said as he threw the farmer in his giant hands at the feet of the man who'd been standing guard. The man, Jalk, smiled at them. "Yep, course I do. All of you can go ahead and do as you please. I'll handle this," he said with a large smile. He pulled out a small dagger, his intent becoming obvious.
Night watched with bated breath as the other five bandits left, laughter heavy on their breath. After the five had left the remaining bandit laughed, waving around the weapon. "Now then, what to do with all of you?" He asked with something in his voice that was almost like a purr.
Now that all the other bandits were gone, Night made her move. "Hey! Why don't you pick on someone who can actually defend herself," she called out to the man. Turning with a look of shock the man watched as she strode forward confidently. "And before you ask, yes, I already dealt with you buddy. Now, if you want me to go easy on your then I would reckon you better let go of those poor men and let me take them. If not, then in the names of Ethelynda and Qylios you won't get to see another sunrise," she said. She'd been moving forward by leaps and bounds with the strength of her ability, which meant she was confident in her ability to take on man.
The man turned his expression from a shocked smirk into something more schooled and a bit sassy. "Sure thing sunshine. Let me also just hand over all the money we stole! I don't think so," he said. Leaning over he picked up a large shield that had been leaning against his foot. It was a kite shield. A very nice and very stolen looking kite shield that bore the insignia of a griffin. She wasn't completely sure as to where the man had gotten such a thing but... holy crud was that Malorite? What in the actual world, where and how did a bandit come across that!? Who were these people? She wanted it.
Moving forward quickly she lunged at the man. She was careful with her swing, not wanting to break her own sword. But then the strangest thing happened. The shield shattered. "Fake... it was fake," she muttered quietly, her shouldering sagging. "It was so beautiful, so perfect, and it was a fake," she groaned rubbing a hand across her face. The man just looked at her, slowly raising his sword. Her eyes darted upwards, a fierce glare running across her features. Lunging forward she allowed her grief and anger over the shield to be taken out on her foe. Her blade barely missed as he evaded backwards.
"Damn," he muttered quietly, looking at the broken shield. It seemed he was as much as much as a loss without it. She continued moving backward, his gaze apparently on another, less nice, looking shield that was near by. Night moved quicker, being able to take flight in the main chamber and quickly land behind him, blocking him from the shield.
"No, I don't' think so," she said. Leaning forward she swung the sword, making quick slicing motions. The weapon bit into the body of the enemy, he cried out in pain. Falling to the ground he clutched at his side with a whimper. When she thrust her sword downwards on his skull the action was a touch less merciful. She turned around herself, picking up the new shield. It was smaller than the other had been, but it would be enough for what she had planned. The problem would mostly stem from trying to use it with her sword. It was funny, the only reason she'd taken to using shields was because she thought it might help her to earn a little more praise from Eth.
She turned to the group of farmers trying to take stock of them. They all looked up at her with fear, trying to decide what to make of her. Qylios give her strength. "It's okay, I'm not going to try and hurt any of you. Go on, stand up," she said. "You're going to need to be on your feet. It's like that at least some of the other bandits heard the scuffle, we'll need to be ready for a fight," she muttered quietly as she tried to go over in her head how to go about this.
"You want us to fight them?" The youngest looking man asked, his eyes practically bugging out of his skull. "Why? It would be better to just lie down and die at this point. It's not like we'll be able to win..." His voice trailed off as his eyes turned downwards.
"So you're just going to give up? Just going to look at a hopeless situation and say, 'whelp, it was a nice run!' Do you really have so little courage? When you can't find hope, you make your own. Even if you end up dying, it's better to die on your feet like a hero than die on your back like a criminal or a dog. You have to remain hopeful, you have to believe that you're going to make out of a situation or else you really won't! If you just give up and let life do with you as it pleases then you're no better than a puppet for the rest of the world. You have to stand strong, stand proud, be hopeful and be a leader so that others can follow. Even in the darkest situations, there's always a hopeful little glimmer of light that allows us to stand. And like hell am I letting go of the one that I caught. So if all of you are going to be pathetic cowards, try to stay out of the way, because I'm going to win this fight and get out of here. I have things to do in this life, and they aren't dying in a dark trash hole like this. For any of you with the balls, you can stand up and fight with me," she said. Tightening her left hand around the shield she'd picked up her right tried to keep a hold of the right. Using a shield wasn't something she did often, and it certainly wasn't something she did while holding a weapon. It was unnatural.
In the distance, the Night and the small group of peasants could hear the shouting of the remaining bandits or at least a portion of them. Standing proud and strong in front of the group she would play hero and do her best to convince the others to fight.If they refused still, there was nothing she would be able to do about it, but in the end, she had hope that everything would work out. As the bandits appeared she started to activate the abilities of Taithir. The first she activated was of courses Serpents Hood, The second skill she used was Honor's Shield, the attack purposed towards trying to make sure that she was covering all her bases. As the enemies appeared they were instantly drawn to Night thanks to the abilities of her mark. They all began to wait on her, forcing her to use Enduring Scales as some of the attacks were able to slip past even the likes of Honor's Shield. There was four of them, a small kite shield could only do so much. She felt weapons nip into the body parts where she was able to defend herself in one way or another. Strike after strike pounded against her shield, her hand vibrating with the force. She quickly reminded herself that she was doing this for the peasants, she reminded herself to stay strong. Eventually, she heard a crack, the shield was starting to crack. Panic raced through her, snatching her breath for a moment.
Before the shield could break however she heard a cry of sorts and one of the bandits was down on the ground. Her attention turned to one of the farmers who had found himself brave enough to lash out and attack. Of course, once again thanks to her ability, it was only her attention that landed on the farmer. Looking around at one another the farmers all started to stand up, grabbing any kind of weapons they could find, from picks to spare weaponry lying about. After that, the fight didn't last for long.
Night's shield finally broke as the last man fell to the farmers. What had once been a group of cowards had been emboldened by the fact they were able to take down the small group of four. Night's eyes narrowed. "Don't get cocky. The leader is still in here somewhere," she said. "The lot of you head up. Start going home. It's been a long day. My pet up there, Storm, would even be willing to escort you home if you took the child who thought he was a bandit with you," she said. Most of the men nodded, thinking good of the idea.
However, as she walked away she heard another set of footsteps trailing behind her. She turned around. Funny enough it was the cowardly farm who was following her. "If you want to fight you'll get in the way, please just go home," she said.
"No, no, I already I know I'm not good of a fighter. But... I want to watch," he said. There was a small glitter in his eyes. The kind of expression someone gave you when you were up on a pedestal in their mind. The look was, frankly a little jarring for Night who was so used to being regarded so bitterly.
"Fine, but stay out of the way," she said. There was something about the look that she couldn't say no to. The pair walked through darkened halls towards the leader as an idea popped into Night's mind. She pulled out a small piece of wood as they walked, lighting it on fire with her lantern. She ordered the boy to hold her lantern, and as they walked she lit every lantern along the way that she could find. Perhaps, she'd had to put forth a little more attention towards following Qylios.
When they got to the end of the hall the large man in his armor was working at a desk of sorts. He turned around, not look all too surprised. "I see, I supposed this would happen sooner or later," he said with a small shrug.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked.
"I've been expecting you," he returned. "Or at least someone like you. A powerful, well-known hero that would find it in their oh so kind heart to save the farmers for a little bit of gold. The 'pure' kind of people. Don't make me laugh though, you can drop the act."
"It's not an act though," she said simply.
"Fight me and prove it them," the chief said. There was a look of disbelief in his eyes. The two moved forward, each brandishing a weapon. The bandit held a large hammer between his hands while Night stuck to her tried and true scimitar. The man struck out first, attempting to slam the hammer into Night. With a beat of her wings, she glided backward, barely avoid the hit. She jumped onto the hammer itself, using his confusion to bring herself in closer and score a hit. The armor, however, didn't yield. She was forced to jump back as he reached out for her.
The two regarded each other cautiously, coming to a bit of a standstill. Or so it would seem. A small smile lit the corners of Night's mouth as the man attempted to hit her. The same song and dance as moments before. Except for this time she aimed higher. Her attack slashed across his eyes, blinding the giant. He dropped his hammer, his hands going to his eyes. In a quick dart forward she brought her sword down upon his head. He cried out once more before going completely still and falling over.
Retreating back slightly she leaned against the cave wall, sliding down it. "Are you okay?" The man who had watched the interaction with wide eyes asked.
Night nodded. "I just need a moment to catch my breath, you go ahead and go home. I'll only be here a moment longer," she said with a small smile. The man nodded, glancing back at her only once.
(-)(-)(-)(-)
Night didn't realize she'd fallen asleep, nor did she recognize the place she'd woken up in, leading her to panic slightly before she remembered her little adventure. She sighed heavily, heaving herself up off the ground and trying to retrace her steps to the exit. Climbing up the ladder was easily the second hardest thing she'd done all day, right next to climbing down. When she got back up to fresh air, taking a deep and loving breath, Storm had returned. There was a look fo worry on his features. When the half-breed came out of the house he jumped to his feet, bounding towards her and peppering her was gentle licks. "I'm fine, I'm fine, sorry for worrying you," she said with a small laugh.
After calming down her creature she pulled a small rolled up paper out of her clothes and a bottle of ink. A quill was easy enough to yank from her own flesh. Flying up for a couple moments she surveyed the land and marked a rough dot where she thought they were. Flying back down she wrote a word next to the dot. Windrel. The new name of the place. "Let's remember this, shall we? We'll be back later. But for now, Let's go home and get some rest. I have to meet Noth in the morning."
