Refugees and Outlaws (Jalapeno x Ravenwood)

[Jalapenohitchhiker]

A glance up at the sky told Brinisa that there would be no rain tonight. That was a relief given how much rain they had to trek through over the past few days. Her only pair of clothes were soiled and torn, and there was very little food to go around for everyone. She had never had to live in conditions like this. In fact she had never even left Noror prior to any of this.

Their home was gone. She was to marry Palako, the chieftain's son. Only a month ago was she excited and eager for their marriage ceremony to begin, but they never had the chance. Palako was likely dead now, along with most of Noror. Visions of the massacre still haunted Brinisa every night. She could see her friends and family dying right before her eyes. She could see the goblins mercilessly throwing their steel weapons into the flesh of their victims. And she could see the dragon, the horrible fire beast that turned their home to ash. The fact that almost twenty of them had managed to escape together was something of a miracle itself.

There were nineteen of them altogether. Only two were men, and both of them were elders well past their prime in fighting and hunting ability. The twins, Tyena and Sheni, had both been taught proper hunting techniques and the art of wielding bows. They were the only two trained warriors. All of the others were women near her own age or young children and infants, most of whom had lost their parents in the attack. With so little protection on their trek towards the coast, it was a wonder how they were still all together and alive after so many days of marching. At least until now...

They were surrounded by a gang of ten bandits. The weapons they held were obviously stolen, for some were encrusted with jewels and made with the utmost precision. Being the daughter of a smith, she at least knew some things about metal work even if she had no idea how to use them.

"I will not repeat myself again. Give us your weapons and your valuables," stated the largest man. He spoke to the daughter of their former chieftain, who had assumed the role of leader due to her bloodline. But she looked anything like a strong leader next to this enormous and terrifying looking man. He held a curved blade in his right hand that looked perfect for gutting anyone who angered him. The children began to cry in fear, and Brinisa found herself incapable of moving a muscle. There was no way they were all getting out of this alive.

 

[Ravenwoodwitch]

Intimidation was as much a weapon as the sword, and Jessa found herself faced with both. Her pale blue eyes never wavered or shook as they met the villein's ahead of her. His eyes cold and unforgiving, it wouldn't have mattered to him if she had been gutted and left for dead in the alcove below them. But he was expecting a trembling maiden, a single soul willing to bend to his will out of fear.

But Jessa was not that kind of girl. Not being blessed with soft, feminine features, she'd been given a spine of steel and unshakeable courage. She was a tall, lanky creature with curly red hair that had to be fussed and trapped behind her head with a rubber-band every morning. Her chin was set hard, with a a long face and high cheekbones to complement it. She stuck that hard face out proudly as the man faced her.

"We are a poor people, with little," she said. "You'd find a better use for us with me..." she eyed some of the bandits. "I see plenty of infections that need to be treated, or you'll lose those limbs. I'm a trained medicine woman, and I will gladly heal your men if you let us pass."

 

[Jalapenohitchhiker]

Brinisa wondered if the thugs would actually consider that for a moment. Jessa was a smart leader, but not very experienced when dealing with men who wanted to steal from them. Her hopes faded when the lead man spat at her feet and snarled menacingly. Apparently he did not like being pitied by a woman half his size. "Lose our limbs? I think you might want to worry about your own limbs before you tell us about our own."

The others began to close in around them and force their small group of terrified women, children, and elderly closer together. The tears of the children had ceased, mostly because they seemed too afraid to even make a sound. "You may not have anything of value per say," their leader continued, lowering his sword and scanning the group before him until his eyes landed on Brinisa. His mouth twisted into a wicked grin, and Brinisa felt her stomach churn with horror. "But you might have something we want. We are men living in the woods after all. We have needs."

Suddenly Brinisa felt a pair of arms grab her by the shoulders. She tried to scream, but all that came out was a frightened squeak that made her feel even smaller next to these men. Some of the other women had also been forcefully taken, and they all struggled mightily. This was not happening. It couldn't be.

But her thoughts were cut off when the man who held her suddenly collapsed to the ground, an arrow buried in his throat. She barely had time to react when there were suddenly yells and screams as odd looking warriors jumped out of the trees and the thickets and began tearing apart the thugs. Brinisa fell back and felt one of the young girls, Pema, grab onto her arm. She patted the girl on the head and hid her face from the bloodshed before them.

 

[Ravenwoodwitch]

Jessa's eyes did widen at the sight, but immediately narrowed afterwards. Clearly, there was nothing she could do to dissuade these vaguabonds; so she wouldn't try. Her foot slowly hovered over a branch, ready to pull it up as quickly as she could, when the chaos broke out. Women screamed, and children hovered close to their mothers as the fighting broke out. All the villagers clustered behind her, sans one small girl.

One of the bandits had the girl cornered. Jessa grabbed the branch, and made a run for her. Moments before he reached her, she swung hard. The wood collided with the bandit with a sickening crack, and the body fell limply to the ground.

"Come one!" Jessa picked the lass up off the ground, and made a dash back for the rest of the villagers.

 

[Jalapenohitchhiker]

Bulrik swung his longsword Angelfire in a high arc and lopped off the arm of one of the thugs that had foolishly decided to charge him. He smirked at the man's foolishness and brought his blade in for a single thrust between the man's ribs, and he was silenced permanently. He looked to be no more than seventeen years of age. It was unfortunate he had to die so early. But such things tended to happen when joining a gang of thugs like this.

"Boar! Tarchon! Round up the women and keep them safe!" An archer dropped from the tree and sped over to the refugees, warding off any thugs who were still harassing them. He was joined by a man so large he rivaled a few wild animals in girth. Together they defended the small group without any issues.

Bulrik turned his attention to the lead man, who was on him in a flash. Fortunately he was not an experienced fighter from the look of his stance. And the way he swung his blade reminded Bulrik more of a drunken dance than a fighting style. He parried away the man's fruitless efforts and beheaded him with a swift strike, letting his head fall to the ground and roll away from him.

The skirmish was over as quickly as it had begun. In truth he was rather disappointed. He had not had a good fight in ages, and he was beginning to worry that it might start affecting his prowess in the wrong manner. But there was not much he could do about that while living in exile. He shook his head and finally turned his gaze towards the frightened group standing before them. He raised an eyebrow and half grinned at them. "I suppose you lot haven't done much traveling in your time. First rule, stay off the roads if you're not looking for a fight."

 

[Ravenwoodwitch]

Jessa quirked a brow in return. "So travel through the woods and risk attack by unnatural creatures?" she responded."I think not."

Still, this girl was, if anything, grateful. She smiled in a friendly fashion to their saviors, and bowed her head in a low curtsy. "Thank ye for your service," she said. "Though I fear I have nothing to offer in return but my service as a medicine woman for your injured."

"You'd fine none better!" One of the girls perked up. "She cured my brother's pox right up last week...before..."

"Peace child," Jessa said, softly. "Remember what I told you. We can't dwell in the past, we can only move forward with support from it."

 

[Jalapenohitchhiker]

Bulrik cleaned the sword off his blade and smirked at the girl who had spoken. She must be there leader, though she looked about as untrained a fighter as most of them. They were obviously not a hunting party, nor were they a scouting troop. The only option that seemed reasonable was that they must be a group of refugees.

"No thanks is required. We are not ones to stand by while men like that go about flaunting their supposed strength and harassing the young and the elderly alike. The less of them around, the better."

The man smiled as his crew gathered around, all of them uninjured except for a few cuts and bruises. "Caryssa," he stated firmly, "take two of these women with you to the river. It should be just south of here. See if they can help you catch any fish." A young woman dressed in a leather tunic bounded up and nodded in agreement. She was the only woman of his group, but arguably the fiercest of them all.

"You are all welcome to share our camp for the night. We will have food enough for everyone, but I cannot promise you will have the most comfortable places to sleep."

 

[Ravenwoodwitch]

As much as Jessa wanted to prove her own skills, she knew they wouldn't survive on their own for the night. She turned back to her followers, eying each and everyone of their ragged, tired faces. If any of them were going to see the light of day, then they needed to face the facts.

"Very well," she said. "We'll stay."

(short, sorry; not much else I can add here >>)

 

[Jalapenohitchhiker]

Bulrik smiled with satisfaction and sheathed his blade with a loud clink. He approached the group of refugees and gave them a friendly smile. "The name's Bulrik. But most people call me The Outlaw, probably because it's true. We are not from these lands, though we are familiar enough with them to know our way around."

He nodded to the other members of his group. "That over there is Tarchon, or Longshot as we like to call him. He's the only one of us that came from noble birth. That over there is Larcin and his younger brother Denys. That great big fellow is Borrestein, or Big Boar as we like to call him. And this over here is Gavrey, my second in command. That lass I just sent to retrieve the water with two of your own was Caryssa. Don't be fooled though. She might be the only woman among us, but she's the the feistiest too. Don't get on her bad side."

Gavrey peered over the group and frowned slightly. "I just hope they can catch enough fish for everyone. There's quite a lot of you here from the looks of it." He then shrugged and began widdling away at a branch with his knife. "Come on then. Our camp is just up this way."

Looking around, Bulrik could see two of the children admiring his blade. He smiled at them and unsheathed it so they could have a better look. "I can't let you touch it," he stated apologetically, "but one day you two will each have your own. And you will have to know how to use them."

 

[Ravenwoodwitch]

"I'm Jessa, this village's leader," the girl introduced. "And I'm sure we're grateful."

Speaking of being the leader, Jessa felt she was needed While the uninjured children fantasized over the large sword, their leader turned back to her people. Most of them looked okay, but she quickly knelt down by the oldest girl.

"Are you alright, child?" she asked.