The Unpredictable Blade

Zeraj

Zeraj

Mischievous Wanderer
Original poster
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Posting Speed
  1. Multiple posts per day
  2. 1-3 posts per day
  3. One post per day
  4. 1-3 posts per week
  5. One post per week
Online Availability
Usually later in the day MST
Writing Levels
  1. Adept
  2. Advanced
  3. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Female
  3. Primarily Prefer Male
Genres
Fantasy, SciFi, Modern, Urban Fantasy, Dark, Horror, Medieval, Any Punk Genre
Helden was a strange town. It was barely on the edge of most known maps. People would usually assume it to be a little smudge since it was in a place where few would even think people would live in. There was nothing to mine, no good timber to be gathered, and the land was not that suitable for farming. The river that crosses it barely fits a small barge, and it leads to nowhere. Certainly it was not a typical city, but somehow it thrives in its own meager way, barely surviving the years. The few outsiders that do come in find the entire town to be unsettling at best and downright creepy at worst. This was not due to any eerie legends or conjured up stories of long dead things. No, the unsettling part is how strangely content and happy the folk are. They have snuggly fitted themselves on the edge of the known world and couldn't care for anything else. It was surely a place of endings. A place to retire to and never look back. Certainly a place that would not interest those who take up arms and fight for honor and prestige. A warrior who seeks the thrill of battle would never come looking into Helden.

Yet there is one thing stranger than the rest. The townspeople speak of a man who lives up the road and deep in the forest. A man who seems to be unremarkable in all things. Living quietly in solitude and doing who knows what. They barely know of his existence since he only occasionally comes to town to buy a few things. They tell strange stories about that man. There was a time when a large bandit group had stumbled upon the town. They thought they had found the perfect place to ransack. A town that was completely isolated from the mainlands and filled with a quiet wealth. However the following week most was killed and the survivors ran off. Their camp was awfully close to the man's lonely home.

Another story tells of a group of battle hardened knights coming to the city in the name of some duke or noble. They claimed the town of Helden was now under their rule and heavy taxes were to be made promptly. The knights heard of the man in the woods and being thorough in their collection they stopped by. They did not return. Their horses however came back with all their armor and equipment. The remaining knights took it and left without collecting a single gold piece. The town did thought it strange but didn't delve into the matter as the peace and quiet was enough.

Now it seems a young woman had come to Helden. She carried a sword which wasn't that uncommon as many would not travel without protection. The uncanny part is the way she stood and acted. They told of training, and discipline. A woman who held a weapon to defend herself is reasonable, but a woman who dedicated herself to the art of the sword is often unheard of. The town of Helden didn't mind one bit. It was a bit excitement in their lonely corner. A man stood off in the distance in the shade of the forest. He watched for a few moments before fading away.
 
Renaya looked around as she walked down the streets of Helden. She rested her right hand on the hilt of her blade that was strapped to her hip. Her hair was short and ruffled, it barely reached to her shoulders and it had a deep crimson red color. Her eyes were emerald green and her skin lightly tanned. She had a black bandana around her forehead but even so, her fringe managed to hang so that most of her right eye was covered. She wore a cape that was resting down her chest on the left side and pulled back over her shoulder on the right side. She carried herself with discipline as she walked and she raised an eyebrow and looked over her shoulder towards the forest for a moment.
She had come to Helden after she had heard stories of a man that lived in the woods and of the stories that were told about the forest. She was curious to find out who he was, perhaps he would be able to help her hone her skills on battle. After she had gathered the necessary supplies that she would need, she started to walk towards the forest. "I have the feeling of that I will not be the one finding him but he will rather find me... If he wants to be found that is..." Renaya thought to herself and a heavy sigh escaped her lips while she wandered.
 
As the woman began wandering about, many people looked at her with curiosity. Many wondered what kind of person she was, especially the children who eyed her and giggled at their guesses. However none had the courage to go up and ask, but it was the duty of the town's mayor to at least greet her. He gave a deep sigh and began to walk to her. He was a middle age man soon leaving his prime. His bald head shone in the bright sunlight and he wore clothing indistinguishable from any other man or woman in Helden. "Ho There!" the man spoke with restrained nervousness. He liked travelers, but he was still a nervous man. Strangers especially scared him for who knows what they intend upon their quaint town. "I'm the mayor of Helden, and I welcome you to our lovely town," he spoke with more confidence. He eyes her sword with growing worry, "I'm sorry to ask, but what brings you to our town? Perhaps you are looking for a new home?"
 
Renaya jumped a bit in surprise and turned towards the mayor. She smiled gently and when one saw her face, one could easily tell that she was only fifteen years old. "In a way I am looking for a home, but mainly, I came here looking for someone." She said and then raised her eyebrows as she saw the mayor looking at her sword. "You have nothing to be worried about, I would never raise my sword on against an innocent and unarmed person." Renaya explained as she lowered her hand from the hilt to perhaps make the mayor feel a bit more at ease.
 
The Mayor felt relieved after hearing her response. Upon closer look he didn't know why he was so wary. She was just a girl. Her appearance and sword gave her a more weighty presence. He still couldn't think of her as a girl though. Something in her eyes perhaps. The mayor finally replied, "Yer finding someone you say? Well I'll be glad to help. I know everyone in Helden. Its a decently size town, but I know every soul within. Although I believe very few families have any relatives outside. We don't travel much and will only see a few of our youngins venture out to see the world. Please, who are you looking for?" His face was now cheery as he was now speaking about something he had some confidence in.
 
"Well... it's not really a person inside Helden I'm looking for, but rather the one I've been hearing stories about, that lives in the woods." Answered Renaya while she shifted the weight of her backpack so it didn't put too much strain on her back. "Perhaps you could tell me a bit more about him and maybe you also know how I can find him?" She asked as she looked at the Mayor in hope that he would perhaps give her one or two tips of how she could find the mysterious man, she was eager to meet someone she had heard such fascinating stories about.
She ruffled her hair a bit before she lowered her hand and she blinked as she noticed some children standing at a small distance and looking at her, it made her feel a little uncomfortable since she wasn't used to getting much attention. Most people didn't even pay Renaya much attention at all since she did look a lot like a young man rather then the girl she was, this due to her rather flat chest and also the short hair. However when she spoke, her voice gave away the truth and one could tell that she was a girl.
 
"Ah," the mayor said in disappointment, "The man who lives in the woods. Yes I know him. He comes by every once and a while to resupply. Has good coin too. Not sure where he gets it. He goes by the name... Tekar... Tekvin... Tarkin? I damn forgot. It was some northern name. You know those from the Yatin isles. Strange folk up there. Practices stranger traditions, but he doesn't look very Yatin. Doesn't have the right eyes for it. Yatin eyes are quite blue, but I seen his. They are as gray as dull metal. Kinda unnatural if you ask me. He is a decent man. Came here 3 years ago and seem to be such a young lad at the time. He had nothing except a horse and cart. Just kinda settled off in the forest. We offered to build a house, but he refused politely. Said that the woods would be more suitable than a town. We didn't bother to push it. He is the quiet type. Doesn't mingle with us, but we don't mind. He doesn't bother no one. In fact I'd say he helped us out a number of times." The mayor looked towards the forest. "I don't know who he is really, and I don't care to. I suggest you do the same. If you came all this way for him, then he is probably going to disappoint you. If its stories that brings you then I'm sad to say you've got the wrong person. I'd heard them meself and He's nothing like what the stories suggest. I've never even seen him wield a weapon. But if you really want to I can get you someone to show you the way to his house. Its a bit far into the woods and people can get lost."
 
Renaya listened intently as the Mayor spoke about the man and she seemed a bit surprised when he mentioned that when the man had come to Helden three years ago, he had appeared like a young lad. She had expected to hear about a man in his middle-age perhaps, or even older, but not that it would be a young man!
"I think I'll be the judge whether he is a disappointment to me and not." Renaya replied with a gentle smile and she then pondered on the Mayor's offer before she showed a small nod. "It would be most kind and appreciated if you could get me someone to show me to his house, I'm still eager to meet him." She said and she again looked towards the children that looked at her. It was perhaps not so surprising that they were curious, since she spoke with a slight accent that revealed that she was most likely from one of the lands in the south that was hidden by the desert sands. Renaya crouched down as one child approached her and she smiled gently as the child trailed her fingers across Renaya's face while she studied her. Renaya then stood up as the child ran back to her friends and they whispered among themselves.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The mayor was smiling when he saw the her with the child, "Its always a good day to see children smiling in the sun." He turned to her, "Very well. If thats your wish I'll get someone to help you." He looked around and spotted a man mending a broken wheel. "Oy there! Wheres Melina?" The man seemed irritated but then looked up. "Oh, its you sir. I believe shes at the bakers helping with the kneading." He returned his gaze down and continued his work. The mayor grinned, "You hungry. We can get some food before you head off."
 
Renaya was a bit stunned at the generosity of the mayor and she smiled slightly as she rubbed the side of her head. "It's fine, really, I do not wish to be of anymore trouble to you. I've stocked up on food and water which should last for a while." She said and she looked at the mayor before she looked towards the forest. "And I would prefer to get on the road as soon as possible, so that when the one leading me has to head back, he or she will still be able to see the sun and won't have to walk in the darkness." Said Renaya, she knew very well the haunting feeling of walking alone in a dark forest and it was not something she'd want anyone else to experience.
 
"That is sound reasoning. Very well. Lets get going." The mayor lead her to the bakers. The aroma of freshly baked bread lingered in the air. Many people were hard at work at the various stages of the process. "Stay here I'll get Melina." The mayor entered the kitchen and shortly brought out a young woman. She had long brown hair and had specks of flour on her petite face. The mayor introduced, "This is my daugther Melina. She knows the path to the man's house very well due to her... insistence to check up on him. His mystery seems to have intrigued her."

"Father! Thats not true. I'm merely checking up on him," she spoke with burning cheeks of embarassment.

"Nonetheless she knows the path. Melina, you will show this lady the way to him," the Mayor continued.

She eyed the new woman with a certain kind of seriousness like a cat sizing up a rival. "What's your name and what do you do?"
 
Renaya followed the mayor to the bakers and she looked around while they walked, as he introduced Melina, she inclined her head politely and then raised an eyebrow at Melina's question. "My name is Renaya and I'm a traveling swordsman... or woman... whichever you prefer to say." She said and she was a bit surprised by the look she got, she had never before gotten such a gaze from a person before. "What is with the look you are giving me...?" She asked confused. She looked around a bit as they were in the bakers and she then looked in the direction of the forest before she looked back at Melina and the mayor. "Thank you so much for helping me find my way to him, it is of great importance to me." Said Renaya as she bowed forward and then straightened her back.
 
"A swordswoman?" Melina said as if the words made no sense. She looks at Renaya's side to see there was in fact a sword. Her hands was about to go to her mouth in surprise but she stifled it. "I see... I will do as my father ask. Lets get moving then. The roads a bit long." She began heading out and the last sound she heard was her fathers voice, "Keep safe!" Melina always thought her father was a bit carefree leaving her with a swordswoman from out of town. She wondered if the woman was a murderer. She looked back to see if Renaya was following and she was. Melina thought she was awfully young too young in fact. Renaya seems to be four years her junior. She shook away the thought. No need dwelling on pointless facts. Her pace was quick and her skirt glided across the floor. She didn't seem to mind the dirt at the hems. "So why are you looking for him?" she asked as they were entering the edge of the forest.
 
Last edited:
Renaya followed Melina as they walked and she lifted one hand to rest on the hilt of her blade, in case she would have to use it in the forest. However she didn't carry only one blade, another blade was hidden under her cloak and was strapped to the back of her belt. "I seek him because I'm hoping that he might be able to teach me how to better defend myself and perhaps even hone my sword skills." Answered Renaya as she looked at Melina before she looked around as they entered the edge of the forest. She tightened the belt slightly around her waist and then shuffled the weight of her backpack again as it had begun to slide off her shoulder, her tunic sat loosely around her chest and her black leather pants looked as if they were a bit loose as well around her legs, the only thing she wore that didn't look one or two sizes too big for her, were her knee-high brown boots. "Why have you been checking up on the man, then?" Renaya asked, she thought it would only be fair that she'd get to ask a personal question of Melina as she asked one about her.
 
Melina thought Renaya was the strangest person she's met. "Teaching you sword skills? What kind of strange ideas have you been getting? I've never seen him wield an axe, let alone a sword. Maybe you're misunderstanding something." Her pace seem to quicken and her footsteps danced across the path. "And why I check up on him. Isn't it obvious. Because he is a curiosity. Because He is handsome. And because his gray eyes seem so deep. But half the time I don't even find him at his home. He must be off hunting in the woods or doing something. I could never find him. It gets tiresome some days. I'd find shadow flicker in the distance and when I get there. Gone. As if he was never there. Then I return to his home to see him sitting down reading. Oh yes he reads. Isn't that delightful." Melina continues to ramble on about his merits, but then realizes something. "Did you hear that?" The two women were now halfway there, but completely surrounded by the density of the forest. "I think it might be an animal," her voice quavered.
 
Last edited:
"Well, one can always hope. If he cannot teach me and if he does not have knowledge, I will simply be on my way to find someone that knows the fine arts of swordsmanship." Renaya said with a small shrug and she raised an eyebrow when Melina explained why she was checking up on the man. She narrowed her eyes as she looked around when Melina asked if she heard something. She came to a halt and her grip tightened around the hilt of her blade while she slid back with one leg into a more crouched position, so she would be prepared to assault if needed. She stood up straight after a little while however and she looked towards Melina. "Most probably so." Said Renaya as she then stomped her foot in the ground and she then listened carefully to see if she could hear an animal running away.
 
There were two deer running away, however they quickly past the two. Melina was about to calm down, but a sudden ear splitting cry caused her to fall and faint. Five men came sprinting after. They wore foreign garbs of furs and they wielded wicked curved swords. Tattoos covered the entirety of their faces and the expression they made were terrifying. They saw the two women and stopped. The largest one spoke something incomprehensible to the others and they all laughed. The began spreading out to surround them.
 
Renaya gritted her teeth in discomfort as she heard the ear splitting cry and she hunched down before she shook her head as it had left her momentarily dizzy, she snarled as five men came sprinting and then when they stopped. She glared at them and she backed so she stood more in a defensive manner over Melina and she reached back her left hand to the blade that was strapped on the back of her belt, while her right hand grabbed the hilt of the blade that was on her hip. She didn't understand what they were saying, but the fact that they laughed and surrounded her and Melina could only mean trouble. She readied herself while still being a bit dizzy from the ear splitting cry but she did her best to dismiss the feeling.
 
The large one was now laughing as he saw the girl ready her weapons. It was a sight he could not properly comprehend. He yelled a single command and one of them attempted to lunge with their hands to stop her before she could pull our her blades.
 
Renaya flinched as the man lunged out with his hands to stop her but she managed to draw the blade on her hip but not the one on the back of her belt and she then swung the blade in an attempt to cut off the man's arm and the gentle eyes she had before when she was talking with Melina had now been replaced with the eyes of a starved tiger that was ready to attack. However the swing of her blade was a bit clumsy and it showed that she didn't have much experience in combat, truth is, she wore the blades more as a memento to her father and she only knew a few basic moves with the sword. "Stay back you savages!" She hissed. "Crap.. against so many I don't stand a chance... not with my set of skills anyhow..." She thought to herself.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back