The Burning Blue

[Cerulean]

The sound of the stream was only matched by the sound of metal clanking and men dieing. It was a fine day, to be bloodied. Orc, Men, Elf, Goblin, Dwarf, Undead, and Troll all lay, slewed by each others' muster. Today's battle was costly, but it was the dead who had paid the most. Their blood made the forest just a bit darker. Will chipped in his share. He knew that went the arrow started to burn in his shoulder. Somehow, it pierced his Half-Plate armor.

"Damn it!"

His enemy, the undead, were now taking their hides backwards onto defeat. The shouts of those left alive roared within the trees. The cleric ended up on the outskirts of the skirmish, trying to fend off an attack from behind. He was successful. Allies....not so much. Stumbling, his consciousnesses was fading from the lack of energy and loss of blood. The heavy mace and shield swung back and forth. Until, William sat against a tree. He just stared at his wound. There was a faint darkening of light.

"If you are Dead, kill me quickly. I don't have time for your petty speeches."​

 

[Charlie]

Time became a chore, even she, who had experienced many battalions through her years began to grow tiresome for shooting the same enemy for so long. One more enchanted glass arrow let itself leap from her bow, and circulated towards the head of a slimy orc. In which it impaled and the acidic touch of the head bubbled against his skin. She didn't even smile, the muscles in her arm were twitching and throbbing. Even the skies seemed churned up with frustration of the battlefield as the clouds merged into deep greys, the few little rays of the star which initially shed light onto the grounds were now fading. Night was on its way, and apparently a storm to accompany it. Her concentration was broken and a heavy blow came onto her rear. A direct hit?! She thought to herself, and turned only to be stunned in her place by a troll holding a bludgeon. He raised it up again, and the slow action gave her just enough time to swiftly move between his legs and out under.

It was as if the last two point thirty six seconds were non-existant to her. The adrenalin from the hit gave her the spirit and speed to quickly make her way in to the trees above. Her body swinging up into them for higher ground, like a fish in water. The troll attempted to follow but was too slow to keep up to the swift, agile elf. She caught him off guard when another arrow was sent into the chest of this beast, not enough to take it down though... just keep it distracted. To her luck a rock canon had hit a nearby tree enough to have it hanging on by a shred of bark.. She used the little strength she had to press her back against the base of a tree, and her feet against the withering wooden death sentence this troll was about to recieve. A heavy thud echoed around the trees in the area as the timber landed on him..

Aiming her arrow into the direction nearby her, instinctively ready to shoot at the sound coming nearby.. Another? Her mind dwindled and she awaited a follow up from the voice.. But nothing came.. Curiosity got the better of her when she performed a series of skilled flips and acrobatic twirls through the air to reach the higher point above the noise.. Noticing the man, he too was on his last legs.. The elves had no quarrel very much with the men - they were both fighting for different things.. However, if her father had found out she had helped a man, and interfeared into matters other than her own - the punishment would be horrid.. But Of course, being the type of rebel she was..

Another arrow plummeted it's way into the enemy standing in front of the man. The dead took a stumble to the left, and attempted to get a glimpse of her before he fell.. Only to be welcomed by the blood stained earth beneath him.. Her eyes turned to Will for a sign of thanks, or anything that acknowledged her aiding him.

 

[Cerulean]

The expression of disdain for pain was hidden under a metal cylinder. It was a very faded silver, with a rounded top. There was a single slit to handle a line of sight for his curious, cobalt eyes. They stared at the downed re-dead minion. Good kill. Little cuts, in the shape of rectangles, lined down the bolted front for easy breathing. He gripped the blue, flanged mace and slammed it into the soil. A hurting grunt sounded, as it was the arm that was wounded.

"I knew this shield was useless. Copilio will be hearing from me."

He flung the dented, beaten shield about ten yards where it rolled for another five. It looks rather new, but obviously seen better days. His eye-color matching armor clanked a bit more as it was moved into position. Will wiggles his fingers, in anticipation. They reached for the arrow. All of the focus had to be on extracting it without going unconscious. Things were already starting to black. Stinging shot through his shoulder, just from a simple touch. Hissing, the arrow was ripped out and was followed by a gasp and lingering yell.

"Owwwwww!"

Will tossed the dark projectile in front of him. Quickly, he began to whisper in a language that most beings may not understand. Waving his hand, a white light formed on the palm and was put over the wound.

 

[Charlie]

Her eyes narrowed and behind the scarf which masked the bottom half of her face, her teeth slightly gritted. No 'thankyou, much appreciated'? Well that was just rude. Manners were one thing, but saving a persons life and not having great thanks for it was another. Just as she was about to lower herself down to his level and get quite cross, she held back and observed what this man was doing.. Magic?.. But .. he is a human? She narrowed her eyes once more and lent down onto the tree, her palm flat on the surface of the branch her body was standing on. Becoming focused on the light projecting from his hand over the blood smeared torso.. She sheathed her bow and both hands pressed up against the bark as she tried to lean further towards him.

The only time she had seen something similar was when her elders performed such tasks on those necessary to keep around.. It was known to most that elves possessed certain magics. However, she chose to take the direct route of upfront weapon and battles, not Fairy Godmother coming to save the day.. The elders only performed such magic to heal and revive lost soldiers of great importance.. Like her father. However, there were consequences. Her father losing his way of battle could no longer stand forth in a war much like this one.. This was the reason she took it upon herself to do so in his place. With his training she was great enough to be known as his prodigy.. Only there was one problem. If her people knew that her father had put her out into battle, he would be punished possibly to death, and she would be imprisoned for the rest of her eternal life. She was a royal figurehead, an example of a woman. Women, even elves, were not allowed on the battlefield, according to law. Although she did well in concealing herself amongst her own kind. First of all she kept her distance, being a ranger she just stood out on the flanks of the army, and gave direct hits even at this distance. She tied her hair up, and wore an armour which would never be linked up to her actual identity, nevermind an elf from their clan. Warriors just assumed she was from another tribe of warrioresses - a savage and wild tribe, that aided them.. However, whenever they came to give their thanks she was no longer there.. For fear that they would realise who she was.

And so it was, that she kept herself concealed in such a way.. For her to be this close, even to one not of her own was dangerous.. She must keep quiet, she must keep hidden. Being who she was, many knew her name and her face. She blinked and stared longer at the man holding his hand over his chest.. Not even her breathe making sound above him.

 

[Cerulean]

Seconds later, he looked down to see that the wound had changed. Blood had somewhat dried but the puncture was completely gone. No bleeding. Not even a mark could be shown. At least, this battle was another survived. The enemy was routed and fell back. Victory. There would at least be one more enemy he could slay next battle.

Will slowly stood and grabbed his weapon of choice, staring at the merced undead. Now the mental gears in his head started to turn. His defender was definitely a female, unless a man was accidentally given a divine feminine form. It would have been a difficult shot, to take out the foe. She was very well trained, and with those bow skills, probably an elf. Unfortunately, without evidence, that was all he could deduce. He stepped over the body and began to speak in that same language. Within a moment, the body disintegrated. The arrow had then rested in the grass. It looked very....sleek. Much more pristine than any of those tribal arrows. These arrows were made by a professional.

"Interesting."

It was a deeply turning mystery as to who shot this arrow. Because, with these clues, it certainly wasn't someone that should be out here. He tried to remember what he seen. The armor...arrow...hair...smell....smell?

Will quickly got on his guard and looked around to try and find her. Barely looking up, her shadow gave away position. Though, there was no motion to attack, his motive was to defend. Just in case.

 

[Charlie]

Her body fell still constantly watching him use this light magic which he had seemingly had in his power. Still fascinated by the fact that he could conjure such powers, being what he was. Occasionally bobbing her head when he moved around to get a better few past the twigs and shadows of the tree she was in. So focused and concentrated on the fact that this man had such talent, she forgot to remind herself to keep hidden - and all combat training had gone to pot by this time.. She was too late in trying to make a retreat when he had figured out her attack, and her weapon.. also her where abouts..

Of course, why didn't she think of it sooner - even though it was due night time.. her shadow still existed. She was no vampire lacking reflection or shadows, fool. It had occured to her, however, that he seemingly had no intent of attacking her.. They both stared at each other, like deer in headlights she didn't speak and kept completely quiet.. Reminding herself how stupid and dangerous it was to be so close.. Especially now the worst had come from the circumstances.. Instead of doing anything she stood up quickly and took one last glance...

Then began making her hasty retreat quickly and recklessly running through the trees, the linking branches giving her little pathways to get out of this man's line of vision. Stopping after a certain amount of time to look back, head moving in motion of an owls along with her eyes to get a view of every angle that he could come from possible... She let out a light sigh when she assumed nothing was following her. Then brushed her brow of its nervous sweat.

 

[Cerulean]

Will watched her attempt to escape his sight. He followed quickly. Vaulting from tree to tree, the elf had him spiriting and in awe of her athleticism. Certainly on the money about the training. The armor clanked with every stride that was taken. Not knowing her identity was very agitating and would be uncovered. Suddenly, the rustling of foliage had ceased.

He stopped instantly, looking around for a glimpse of her. This time, her hiding place was flawless. Not a single clue was given as to where she was. This was a little disheartening. All that investigating only to have it slip through his fingers. She could not have gone far, otherwise Will might have heard it. All that sounded now were horns of the bruised armies that then returned to camp. Silence then ensued the air. It felt awkward.

"Why didn't you run?" He declared, out loud. "You could have easily slipped away...but when we faced each other...there was stillness. I know it was fear within those flips but it wasn't fear of me. That unnecessary mask is hiding who you are. That much I can tell. You must be very important to someone...or just breaking the law." Will smiled playfully as the last few words exited. "You may not wish to reveal, but I won't need the confession. Assuming luck is with you, the war will end without you ever meeting the gods. I can connect the two...once I meet the revealed version of your female form. It could be a game, between us. All I ask, is that you come down from there...and let me meet the woman who prolonged my life."

 

[Charlie]

And there it was, even if the words were not direct.. The "thank you" she had been waiting for, of course, it was just an acknowledgment, but she still felt proud of it. Her head glimered around the side of the tree, and just to make sure that he couldn't get too close of a look again this time, she kept her distance. Her knees buckling with the amount of excessive energy put in to todays fighting, and the beating she took from the trolls club had really gotten the better of her. She squinted her eyes off to the side and looked down, disguising her fatigue expression away from him. Almost opening her mouth to speak - and then stopping... He'll know then.. She though to herself, and decided to play the 'mute' card.

Her head nodded in his direction, as if to be acknowledging him, for acknowledging her. She baffled her thoughts when thinking of why she actually did this.. What a ridiculous thing to do? She was too tired, and weak to even try and be misdirecting or confusing for somebody else. In fact, the feeling of stillness against the tree, and solid surface of the branch under her foot made her feel so comfortable she could've quite happily fallen to sleep. Even her body started swaying side to side in her mid-conscious stage. Brushing her back down the tree to a seated position, she wasn't that stupid that she would allow herself to fall, she sat upright and closed her eyes to hear him speak..

And just nodded in reply to him..

 

[Cerulean]

Finally, she showed. Silent, but the elf was in plain sight. Oddly enough, she seemed relaxed after running so hard. The battle did kind of drag out today. His own lack of energy started to take hold. He didn't have much more magic before the need to replenish was too great. One last spell would be ok, if it was a minor one. She wasn't talking so Will sought to get her to.

A whisper barely exited his lips, leaving a bit of warmth in the air. He lifted up and stepped onto the air. Wiggling, Will made sure there was good footing. Step by step, the man went further and further up. Leveling, with the branch, he hopped over and landed easily. His piercing, blue eyes stared at the now close elf.

"So which is it? Importance or crime?" He asked, sitting cross-legged and in front of her.

 

[Charlie]

She was so tired, and her eyes were falling almost shut from exhaustion. Just... want. to.. sleep.. She though to herself and then noticed him coming up the tree and towards her, without any struggle what so ever... Her eyes narrowed and head nodded in motion with his movement when he sat cross legged like an infant being taught. After he spoke she let out quite a frustrated grunt from her mouth Why is does he keep prying for answers!? He could quite happily just be on his merry way out of here. Her hands rubbed at her eyes, and then fell at her sides when she glanced at him and left silence dwindling in the air.

After sniffing.. "How can you use magic?" she kept her voice as unconnected from her own as possible. This right here was breaking all the rules of what she had been set out to do. Although blinking at him, she had no idea how much he knew of her people.

 

[Cerulean]

"You don't get to ask questions like that. At least, sure as hellspawn not yet. I know you aren't supposed to be out here. If you like, I could easily slip a few words to the fellow elves to be on the lookout for a stunning woman with battle bruises. That would end the fun for both of us."

He scowled, as she scoffed. Clearly, the elf was going to be stubborn like unsanded wood. His mace rubbed along the tree branch, as it was swung. The chipping of the bark filling the ensuing silence. His curious gaze was fixed upon her visible features. Hair...eyes...skin...He tried not to linger too long on the exposed chest. Even if it was out, she might still attack for a stare.

"Since you are doing something VERY illegal...the least you could do is have a conversation. Or are unable to let go of your damn illusion of pride." He said harshly